By Maureen Smith
CANTON – Forty-three priests wrapped up a year-long leadership development program on Thursday, March 10, at the Duncan Gray Center. The day included a formal lunch and a closing ceremony at which they could share their testimonials about their experience, receive certificates of completion and congratulate one another.
The program, called Good Leaders, Good Shepherds, is offered by Catholic Leadership Institute, a consulting company that specializes in leadership training, formation and strategic planning for Catholic dioceses and parishes. Character development and understanding interpersonal dynamics was a lynch-pin in the program.

Father Binh Nguyen, associate pastor at Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish, accepts his certificate from Matt Manion, president of Catholic Leadership Institute. (Photo by Father Kevin Slattery)

“It helped us very uniquely understand all the levels of personality characteristics and functional behaviors,” explained Father Xavier Amirtham, OPraem, pastor of Jackson Holy Family Parish. “It was a wonderful program. It brought us an understanding of how to understand the nature of another person from the other side, to ask myself what is my dominant characteristic and how can I compromise and get the work done,” he added.
He emphasized that Good Leaders, Good Shepherds teaches leaders not to judge the people they work with, but to find the strength of each team member. “It helped us understand the leadership quality in the other person that I may not have,” he explained. “Teamwork – this is a wonderful way to understand how to work as a team – understanding each one’s ability and trying to make use of others’ quality – especially focused on the other person’s personal development,” he said.
“As a whole I think it gave us a lot of help on a pastoral and administrative level. You have to work with every person (in your parish) and different types of groups. It was very eye-opening,” added Father Amirtham.
The pastors took a personality test and went through training in how different personality types communicate and how group decision making can be impacted by those personality traits.
Another positive outcome of the program for the priests was just time spent together. Several participants said they appreciated being able to get to know one another better in the quiet setting of the Gray Center during the three-day sessions. Father Amirtham said the men were able to share their problems and just support one another. Each session included time for the priests to socialize and pray together.
For the next step, the diocese plans to offer Tending the Talents, a program aimed at lay leadership. Pastors have been invited to send members of their lay leadership teams to this year-long program.

By Maureen Smith & Monica Walton
FLOWOOD – Later this month, members of St. Paul Parish will offer a seven-week program called Discovering Christ. This is just the first in a three-part program called Christ Life, designed to help Catholics deepen their personal relationship with God and become evangelizers.
Father Gerry Hurley, pastor, looked at several programs before he selected Christ Life. The method is no small commitment. His entire staff went to Baltimore for training in how to run Christ Life.
“I like it most especially because of how it starts off – asking what is the purpose of life – and it goes from there. It is a valuable, progressive series,” said Father Hurley.
Participants follow a structured program, meeting once a week for seven weeks for a meal, a video, sharing and prayer time, capped off with a one-day retreat. They answer a series of questions during that time, including what is the meaning of life, why does Jesus matter, why do I need a savior and why do we need the church.  A dozen groups of 12 participated.

Members of St. Paul’s Discovering Christ groups discuss the questions posed by the seven-week program. A second session is set to start March 31. (Photo by Monica Walton).

“I have always felt we ask people to share Christ without giving them Christ. We need to give people an opportunity to know Christ before they can witness their faith,” said Father Hurley. The parish completed the first session of Discovering Christ in February. Participants were energized by their experience.
“Discovering Christ was exactly what I needed for re-spiriting my soul. Had been down spiritually for many years. It gave me that kick to start my involvement again. I said ‘Yes’ at the right time!” said Donna Morris.
“Through Discovering Christ, I feel inspired to examine my relationship with Christ, and work on things that are impeding my knowing Him fully. I would like to be more knowledgeable so that when opportunities to share my faith arise, I can be more confident,” explained Teri Gieb, a convert who admitted she took 20 years to enter the church. “The program reminded me that it is my relationship with Christ that puts the joy and meaning in everything else and that when it is weak other things can easily replace it and become overly important,” she added.
For others the program kick-started an urge to evangelize. “My heart was also filled with excitement and joy that I haven’t felt in a while. It was a different joy, one that was so full where I wanted to tell everyone I knew about this opportunity. It was a zeal that I want to keep forever in my heart,” said Chris Kidder.
A second session of Discovering Christ is set to start March 31. The second phase of the program, Following Christ, will start in September. Following Christ focuses on learning and practicing what ChristLife calls practical disciplines needed to become a true disciple. At these weekly meetings, participants will learn spiritual practices to use and reflect on before the next session. It is also a progressive seven-week program.
The final component, Sharing Christ, teaches evangelization. Christ Life’s website describes this third component this way: “In the first two parts of the ChristLife series – Discovering and Following Christ – the goal is to help the participants to personally encounter Jesus as Lord and to grow as his disciples. With that foundation we now turn to the joy-filled adventure of Sharing Christ.”
Father Hurley said he enjoys how the program is a good combination of solid theology presented in a simple manner. “People can relate to it, it’s not just good material,” he said. He said he could feel the Holy Spirit at work on the closing retreat day.
Greenville St. Joseph Parish is starting a group and two other parishes are looking at the material.
For information about the sessions at St. Paul, call the parish, 601-992-9547, or visit https://saintpaulcatholicchurch.com.
(Monica Walton is a pastoral minister at St. Paul Parish.)

Upon the recommendation of Father Paul Kahan, SVD, provincial of the Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word, Bishop Joseph Kopacz has appointed Father Peter Phong Nguyen, SVD, as associate pastor of Greenville Sacred Heart Parish effective March 1.

+Bishop Joseph Kopacz.
Bishop of Jackson

MADISON – St. Joseph School will end the year with a new principal, Doug

Jones

. Jones has been in Catholic education for 20 years. He also spent 11 years in the U.S. Army, earning the rank of major and participating in Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
He approaches administration with a mix of practicality and spirituality. “I’d like to say I approach it with joy. I love the vocation of Catholic schools. I see it as a ministry. My favorite hour every week is Mass,” he said. “Mass is when everything comes together in a joyous way,” said Jones.
He feels that Catholic identity is critical to the mission of any Catholic school. “Everything else is second,” he said. Jones has been an assistant superintendent in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, a principal, teacher and football coach in Wichita Falls, Texas as well as a math science and theology teacher in Ohio and Montgomery, Ala.
He has degrees in business administration and management, chemistry and was working toward a masters in theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.
As for discipline, Jones said he believes in giving the teachers the tools to deal with minor infractions as they happen. “I want them to take care of misdemeanors, but send the felonies to me,” said Jones. He said he prefers to involve parents in discipline as soon as a student ends up in his office, opening a line of communication between the student and the parents, but not just for rule violations. “I might call and say, ‘I saw your daughter help someone pick up all their books off the floor,’ or something like that,” said Jones. He believes that establishing a relationship with the families in his school to reward good behavior as well as dealing with inappropriate behavior is better for the community overall.
Jones likes to be in the classrooms and hopes to spend time each day just visiting to get a feel for how things are going. Usually new principals start during the summer months, but Jones is coming in April. “I told the students, April 1 – no fooling,” he joked. He said he is happy he can come get acclimated before the end of the year and start to get to know members of the St. Joseph community.
Catherine Cook, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said she is thrilled to welcome Jones to the Diocese of Jackson. “He brings a solid background in Catholic education as well as a love for it. I think he will be a wonderful addition to the Bruin community,” said Cook.
Jones is a convert who believes he was called to the Catholic Church early in his life. He entered while attending Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
Jones learned about Benedictine spirituality while he lived in Ohio and their idea of always having a guest house ready to greet any stranger. “I really want the school to be a place of welcome and to extend charitable efforts to all we encounter – to be joyful and Christ-like to all we encounter,” said Jones.

St. Joseph, Greenville    Saturday, April 9th    10:30 a.m.
St. Stephen, Magee    Sunday, April 10th    9 a.m.
St. Richard, Jackson    Sunday, April 10th    5 p.m.
St. Paul-Vicksburg    Sunday, April 24th    5 p.m.
Holy Family, Jackson    Tuesday, April 26th    6 p.m.
Holy Savior, Clinton    Wednesday, April 27th    6 p.m.
St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale    Friday, April 29th    6:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart/Holy Child Jesus
at Sacred Heart Camden    Sunday, May 1st    9 a.m.
St. Francis, Madison    Sunday, May 1st    5 p.m.
St. Paul, Flowood    Tuesday, May 3rd    6 p.m.
St. Francis, Brookhaven    Wednesday, May April 16th    6 p.m.
IHM/St. Francis, Greenwood    Saturday, May 7th    10:30 a.m.
St. James, Tupelo    Saturday, May 7th    7 p.m.
St. Francis, Booneville    Sunday, May 8th    11 a.m.
St. John, Oxford    Wednesday, May 11th    5 p.m.
St. Patrick, Meridian    Thursday, May 12th    6 p.m.
St. Mary, Natchez    Saturday, May 14th    5 p.m.
St. Joseph, Gluckstadt    Sunday, May 15th    5 p.m.
McComb, St. Alphonsus    Saturday, May 21st    4 p.m.
St. Mary, Batesville    Sunday, May 22nd    10:30 a.m.
St. Anne, Carthage    Saturday, May 28th    12 p.m.
St. John/St. Martin, Crystal Springs    Sunday, May 29th    10:30 a.m.
St. Therese, Kosciusko    Wednesday, June 1st    6 p.m.
St. Therese, Jackson    Saturday, June 25th    4 p.m.
Christ the King, Southaven    Sunday, October 23rd    4 p.m.

JACKSON – The diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry is inviting Hispanic youth and adults and anyone interested to a Year of Mercy retreat. “God calls us, heal us and sends us to proclaim his mercy” is the theme of the retreat, set for Saturday, April 30, at the Leflore County Civic Center in Greenwood.
The event will open at 8:30 a.m. with registration and refreshments and will end at 5 p.m. with Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz and several attending priests.
Juan Pablo Chávez, from Florida, will lead the adult retreat and Verónica López, coordinator of the diocesan Hispanic young adult ministry, will meet with the youth 13 and older.
Hispanics are encouraged to invite their friends and family members to participate in this retreat which will take the place of the traditional annual “Encuentro Hispano.” Sister María Elena Méndez, in a personal invitation to the event, said that this retreat “will give us the opportunity to experience the mercy of God and inner healing to then apply it to our daily living.”
Sister Méndez said that one of the benefits of participating is to meet other Hispanics from the diocese and “realize that they are not walking alone in their Catholic faith, that there are others walking with them.” Citing Pope Francis in her invitation she wrote, “a little mercy makes the world less cold and more just … that our parishes and communities become islands of mercy in this sea of indifference.”
Details: Brother Ted Dausch, 601-949-6931.

DALLAS –  Meagan Harkey, who grew up as a member of Jackson St. Richard Parish, received the Bishop’s Award for Service in Dallas, where she now serves as a member of the Catholic campus ministry team for Southern Methodist University (SMU). Bishop Kevin Farrell presented the award at a late January ceremony in Dallas.
Her pastor described her as a “dedicated servant leader to SMU Catholic Community.”
“Megan is committed to using her gifts in any capacity the Church needs while she continues her dedication to SMU Catholic. Meagan also serves the Youth Ministry Program at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church,” he added.

Meagan Harkey accepts the Bishop’s Award from Bishop Kevin Farrell, Bishop of Dallas. Harkey grew up in Jackson. (Photo by Ron Heflin)

“I have been involved in the ministry throughout my four years at SMU. I started my freshman year in our first year small groups, FYSH, which I lead as a sophomore. Junior year I coordinated our Mustang Awakening VII retreat, which is our yearly campus wide outreach retreat,” Harkey wrote in an email to Mississippi Catholic.
“This year as student campus minister I have been able to help grow our servant leadership team through retreats, prayer, and individual mentoring to help them develop their relationship with Christ and be better suited to serve the students at SMU. I have also been able to develop a new mission and structure for our ministry alongside the ministry staff,” she added.
Matt Harkey, Meagan’s father, credits her commitment to service to her Catholic education from St. Richard and Madison St. Joseph Schools. She graduated from St. Joseph in 2012, also earning a bishop’s award from the school.
Harkey is set to graduate with a degree in civil engineering this year. “This award is incredibly meaningful to me because this campus ministry has given me so much love, joy, and support in my four years at SMU. I am so blessed that I could give back to this ministry through my time and service,” said Harkey. After graduation she hopes to continue her work in ministry in Texas.

NEW ORLEANS – One of the seminarians set to be ordained this summer, Deacon Jason Johnston, has taken the next step on his journey at Notre Dame Seminary.
During the spring semester each year, the seminary community gears up and prepares for the ordination of seminarians to the priesthood and the diaconate. In preparation for those ordinations, each seminarian participates in an evaluation with the faculty usually including the vocation director.

Deacon Jason Johnston accepts congratulations from Notre Dame Seminary Rector Father James Wehner after his profession of faith. (Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Seminary)

The rector then conducts a canonical interview with each candidate to determine if the seminarian is properly motivated, free to enter into Orders, and is ready to embrace life-long commitments. The seminarian then handwrites a petition to his bishop asking for ordination.
Before the seminary community, the rector leads the community in Vespers at which time each seminarian makes a Profession of Faith and then makes an Oath of Fidelity to uphold and teach the Gospel.
Following this prayer, the rector sends all documentation to the bishop for his review. Recently, candidates for ordination to the priesthood and diaconate participated in the ceremony for the Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity. Let us pray for our future clergy.
Deacon Johnston and Deacon Joseph Le will be ordained Saturday, May 14, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson.
(Story submitted by Notre Dame Seminary)

By Elsa Baughman
JACKSON – Dr. Dean Ornish, nationally recognized  for his program to reverse heart disease by making comprehensive lifestyle changes, was invited by St. Dominic Hospital on Tuesday, Feb. 23, to talk about the power of lifestyle changes and lifestyle medicine.
St. Dominic’s began to offer his nine-week program, “undo it with Ornish,” in 2014 and since then has helped more than 100 patients, many of whom have significantly improved their lifestyle profiles.
Dr. Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, noted that instead of trying to motivate his patients with the ‘fear of dying,’ he inspires in them a new vision of the ‘joy of living,’ convincing them they can feel better, not just live longer.
He mentioned how in 1977 when he was in his second year of medical school learning how to do bypass surgery, he realized that patients were sent home with the idea they were cured, so they continued doing the same things that had harmed their hearts, eating junk food, smoking, living sedentary, stressful lives. Many ended up back in surgery, sometimes two and three times.
“For me that became a metaphor of an incomplete approach. Literally we were bypassing the problem,” he said. He thought that there was a simpler, more compassionate path back to wellness.
He decided to take a year off to study the problem. Dr. Ornish said his research was not well received. Doctors thought he was crazy. When he graduated he did a second study which showed the same results.
His program has been proven to undo heart disease by dealing with the root causes and not just its effects. It has four elements: nutrition, stress management, fitness and love and support.
Susan and Larry Marquez attended the presentation. Larry followed Dr. Ornish’s program at St. Dominic’s.  His wife, Susan, said she has seen a tremendous change in her husband’s heath since he finished the nine-week program. “His energy level and his overall sense of well being has given us a new lease on life,” she said.
Now, she said, they focus more in what they can eat; an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nonfat dairy, etc., than what they should not eat, red meat, egg yolks, fried foods, butter, cream, etc.
Even though she didn’t participate in the program, Susan was encouraged by Larry’s doctor to attend the orientation for it. The doctor explained that if patients have a person go through the program with them, they are more successful. “I knew health wise that if this program was going to help Larry, I wanted to be part of it,” she noted.
At the end of the nine weeks, Larry’s total cholesterol was down to 125 from 285, he was 53 pounds lighter, and his blood pressure was normal for the first time in years, said Susan.
She indicated that both of them have gotten healthier. Before the program she had borderline type 2 diabetes and was taking medication. She is off the medicine now. Both have decided to make it a permanent life style change.
The program includes 18 sessions of four hours each for a total of 72 hours during the nine weeks. At each session participants practice and focus on the four elements of the program, learning about what foods to eat and how to prepare them at home; practice a range of techniques to relax, release stress and react in healthier ways, giving and receiving emotional support to help unlock the healing power of community and experience the vitality that comes from daily moderate activity.
Dr. Ornish’s 35 years of research have proved that comprehensive lifestyle changes can also help slow, stop, or even reverse early-stage prostate cancer and can lengthen telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that control aging.
Dr. Ornish said that during his first research in 1977, Michael DeBakey, a cardiac surgeon known as a pioneer in the field, gave him a ‘really hard time.’ “He called me few years ago, right before his death at the age of 99, and told me, ‘I want to thank you because you were right. This approach actually kept me alive so much longer that I would have.’ So that was like a validation to me. It was a good moment.”
In 2011, Medicare joined several private health insurers in covering this program under the specially created category of Intensive Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, (ICR).
David Dzielak, executive director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, attended the presentation. He said he was interested in hearing about  the great things that are going on with diets and heart decease because his office was trying to implement a program like the one designed by Dr. Ornish.
For more information visit www.stdom.com and search for ornish.