By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Almost 100 people attending Catholic Charities’ Catholic Day at the Capitol Thursday, Feb. 11, in Jackson heard that the situation for Mississippi’s children and those with mental health issues is dire, but not without hope.
The Poverty Task Force, coordinated by Catholic Charities, selected two issues of focus this year – taxation and issues involving children and mental health. Speakers came to educate and empower attendees on both issues.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz opened the day with prayer and a few words about the responsibility of Catholics to be involved in the public square. Matthew Burkhart of Catholic Relief Services took over to give an introduction to advocacy.
Burkhart called advocacy one of the “two feet of love.” He outlined ways to interact with law and policymakers, emphasizing that in-person visits by engaged constituents have been shown time and again to be the most effective way to impact the process. People who can’t meet lawmakers in person, he said, would do better to write personal letters and emails rather than just sign a form letter. He urged people to include a personal example to support their cause.
The morning concluded with words from three panelists who had their own powerful personal stories to share. Warren Yoder of the Public Policy Center of Mississippi spoke about the lawsuit against the state foster care system. At the time the suit was filed, the system was quite simply overwhelmed. “It got so bad on the coast case workers would shred records on children because they knew there was no way they could get out to see them or provide services and case workers were getting blamed,” he said.
The federal government will take over the foster care system unless the state can demonstrate improvement. “The number of families failing in Mississippi and the children taken into care is skyrocketing,” said Yoder. He said half of the caseworkers assigned to investigate and follow up on reports of abuse have overwhelming workloads. A thousand currently operating foster homes do not meet minimum standards and more homes are needed.
The executive director of the foster care program has asked the legislature to allocate $34.5 million this year to reorganize the system, hire case workers and tackle the problems. Yoder urged people to support the allocation and praised the work Catholic Charities does to help foster children through the agency’s work in the field.
Amy Turner, director of children’s services for Catholic Charities and director of therapeutic foster care gave some statistics on how big the problem is, but said she sees hope for the families in the state. “I don’t believe the parents of every child that’s abused set out to do that. They need parenting skills,” she said. Often, she added, parents who are able to take classes and get therapy themselves can learn how to manage their own anger and stress and a family can be reunited.
She told of a case involving a five-year old who had bruises on 65 percent of her body when she came into the system from her father’s home. The child’s mother came asking for help and started therapy. “The mom was able to change her mindset. She got lots of therapy and we did family therapy,” she explained. When the mother and child were reunited, Catholic Charities was able to help set up a network of supportive services so mother and child will continue to be supported as they move forward.
The final panelist was Valerie McClelland, director of the Solomon Counseling Center. She explained that childhood trauma stays with a person for life and can be triggered at any time. The more trauma a person suffered as a child, including experiencing hunger, depression or household dysfunction, the more likely that person is to have health issues later in life. “There are a lot of hurt children walking around out there in adult bodies,” said McClelland.
“There were 25,000 reports of abuse and neglect in Mississippi last year. Only 6,200 were evidenced. That concerns me. There are not enough workers to investigate,” McClelland said.
The group headed into the cathedral for Mass, then gathered for lunch and to listen to Father Fred Kammer, SJ, director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute of Loyola University, New Orleans. Father Kammer explained the difference between progressive and regressive tax systems. The latter forces the poor to bear more of the tax burden and damages a community as a whole. He tied the idea of using a more just tax system to the issues of the day, pointing out the need for funding to heal the foster care system and the children it serves.
“As you make your visits to your senators and representatives, you have a two-part message to deliver. First, in the spirit of Pope Francis in this year of Mercy, they should know that children and the mentally ill need essential human services to be funded and protected from cuts,” said Father Kammer.
“Second, they should hear from you that the burden of taxation to pay for those services must be carried more equitably by individuals and corporations who are more able to pay for them not by the poor and struggling families. This is not about politics; it is about human dignity and the common good,” he added.
After Mass and lunch, the attendees walked over to the capitol building where Bishop Roger Morin, of the Diocese of Biloxi, led a press conference urging lawmakers to support children and those facing mental health issues.
Four teenagers from Tupelo St. James Parish attended Catholic Day at the Capitol. Each one said he or she learned something new during the event. “I learned about how children need more love and how much that has affected Mississippi and we need to do something about that,” said Hunter Lepping, a student from Saltillo High school. His friend Andrew Albers added that he feels like he can turn the lessons from the day into action back home.
“I feel like I could put more thought into what I do. That I should be more grateful for my education and that I have financial and supportive parents and that I am not in any stress at all,” said Carrie Barrett, also of Saltillo High School. She and Julianna Vaughn, a ninth grader, said their youth group already does a lot of service work, but will now take what they learned at Catholic Day home and let it influence the projects for this year. They also hope to bring more teens in the future to attend the day.
Other groups came from the Diocese of Biloxi, McComb, Jonestown, Greenwood and other communities througout the diocese.

The Catholic Diocese of Jackson has been selected as the winner for the 2016 Cultural Heritage Digitization Award given by the Mississippi Digital Library. A team from the Mississippi Digital Library will come to the chancery later this year to digitize the Bishop Richard Oliver Gerow photograph collection.
The collection, part of the archives for the diocese, represents an incredibly diverse range of subjects and covers a broad timeline, from the 1860s to the 1950s. It reflects the history and development of the State of Mississippi through the unique lens of a Catholic bishop.
The collection includes images of important events; structures such as churches, schools, orphanages and people, including Native Americans, African Americans, immigrant communities, priests, religious men and women and bishops. Bishop Gerow was an avid photographer and historian and kept meticulous records of his collection.
The Mississippi Digital Library is the collaborative digital library program for the state. The aim of the organization is to provide online access to primary source materials held by repositories in the state of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Digital Library began in December 2003 as a partnership between Delta State University, Jackson State University, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Tougaloo College, The University of Mississippi and The University of Southern Mississippi.
Initially, the project focused exclusively on primary sources associated with the civil rights era, but has since expanded to include materials covering a wide range of subject areas, with contributions from museums, public libraries, historical societies and other cultural institutions throughout the entire state.

By Elsa Baughman
SALTILLO, México – In his second pastoral visit to the Saltillo Mission in two years, Bishop Joseph Kopacz followed a packed schedule with visits to the ranchos, Masses, confirmations and sharing meals and talking with the faithful in the region of northern Mexico.
The main reason for this second trip to St. Michael Parish was for the consecration of its new chapel, Divine Mercy, built in Colonia Fuentes del Pedregal, an area of Saltillo that, according to Father David Martínez Rubio, pastor, is home to many Protestants and atheists, few of whom show interest in returning to their Catholic faith. This chapel will use the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as a guide to provide services to the community, said Father Martínez.
Before the Mass to consecrate the chapel on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 31, Bishop Kopacz took a three-day road trip to visit 13 ranchos, during which he celebrated six Masses; one of them of thanksgiving for a quinceañera and one in “El Cuervo,” a hunting ranch where he was invited to spend the night.
At the different stops, Bishop Kopacz, Father Martínez and the volunteers who accompanied him, ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with the people of the ranchos. During the Masses, Bishop Kopacz conferred the sacrament of confirmation to 24 youth in three of the communities and participated in several celebrations dedicated to the traditional presentation of the Baby Jesus in the temple, which marks the end of the Christmas season.
Bishop Kopacz also visited and blessed the chapels of each of these 13 communities, celebrating Mass at five of them. He stopped to admire, in each of them, their manger which was still on display.
Diana Estrada, one of the youth confirmed in Rancho New Sabanilla on Sunday, Jan. 31, said she felt very happy because she had the joy of being confirmed by Bishop Kopacz. “It was a very nice experience,” she said. “I admire him because I see that he is a humble and simple person; I am pleased to see him again.” She noted that she had met Bishop Kopacz in November 2014 when he visited her rancho. On that occasion, community members walked a few kilometers to meet him along the way. “I was impressed by the fact that he got out of the van and walked along with us to the chapel,” she said.
The newly consecrated Divine Mercy Chapel seats about 600 people. During his first visit in 2014 Bishop Kopacz blessed the first stone, along with the Bishop of Saltillo, Raul Vera, and promised the congregation that he would return to bless it in a year.
The name given to the project was chosen before Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year of Mercy. “That left us without words. It is not a coincidence,” said Father Martínez. “I believe God is present here and has made Don José participant of this project.” Bishop Kopacz is affectionately known in Saltillo as “Don José.”
“For our parishioners, and especially for the people of the ranchos, it is clearly a sign of the mercy of God to see Don José coming to see them from so far away and tell them that he is representing his whole diocese and that his parishioners love them, pray for them and offer them spiritual support. Is something as nice as when the Lord said, ‘Here I am,'” Father Martinez noted.
“We experienced how Don José visited the homes of these humble people without any problem,” he added. “The people here usually think that a bishop comes with bodyguards, that is someone far from them, who is not capable of touching or conversing with them or that can not visit their homes because they are very humble. They have this thinking, and when they see Don José that comes to their homes, drinks coffee with them and enjoys a family meal without any protocol or an ecclesiastic title, that moves them a lot, reinforces their faith and makes them feel that Christ is walking with them, sharing his life with them.”
Father Martinez said that during the time he worked with Father Benjamin Piovan he learned about what Father Patrick Quinn had done in the ranchos, a mission many other priests from the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi continued during their years of service in St. Michael.
Father Martinez said their work in the parish and in the ranchos would not be possible without the constant economic and spiritual support of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi. “We were surprised when we met Bishop Kopacz. “He is a man full of mercy. That is the only way I can describe it,” he said.
The mission at St. Michael Parish now, and before it, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, has been co-sponsored by the Diocese of Jackson and the Diocese of Biloxi since 1969. Irish Father Patrick Quinn was its first pastor who volunteered to serve in a place whose language was unknown to him. Father Quinn remained the pastor of Perpetual Help Church until the time of his death on Jan. 7, 1997.
Father Martinez, 43-years-old, and Father Evelio Casarrubias, 35, were ordained in 2011 in the Diocese of Saltillo and both began to serve in St. Michael Parish working with Father Benjamin Piovan. When Father Piovan died in the August 2014 Bishop Raul Vera appointed them administrators of the parish.
Fathers Martinez and Casasrrubias visit the 30 ranchos that are part of the parish twice a month and on special occasions when classes are held for the sacraments or when there are special religious celebrations such as Ash Wednesday and Holy Week. These ranchos are located in areas of the desert, about 50 miles away away from the city of Saltillo. The hardest part of their ministry is not celebrating Mass or visiting these ranchos but the roads to get there which are covered with rocks and holes and at times are very difficult to go through.
But counting their blessings is the commitment of the lay people who accompany them on their visits to the ranchos, making their job a little easier.
Four of these dedicated volunteers accompanied Father Martínez and Bishop Kopacz during the visit to the 13 ranchos. Two served as drivers and eucharistic ministers and two youth were in charge of providing the music, carrying their equipment from place to place.
“Yes, it’s a bumpy road to get to these ranchos but we have to bring the love of God to them,” said Father Martínez.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: See more photos in the Spanish edition)

St. Mary of the Pines
Eight-day retreats –  $640
Five-day retreats –  $400
Weekend directed retreats – $160
Directed Retreats: The resident retreat director is Sister Dorez Mehrtens, SSND. To schedule a retreat contact Sister Dorez, 601-783-0411 or 601-810-7758 (cell), dorezm37@yahoo.com.
“We are the fragrance of Christ,” Jackson St. Therese Parish CWA annual women’s retreat, March 4-6. Led by Jill Hisaw and Sister Lourdes González. Registration deadline is Feb. 25. Details: 601-372-4481.
Conference retreat: “Rekindling the fire: embracing the paradox of imagination and faith,” May 15-21. Father Jack Conley will lead the retreat. Cost is $425.
Contact: St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, 3167 Old Highway 51 South, Osyka, MS, 39657, 601-783-3494, retreatcenter@ssnddallas.org.

St. Scholastica Retreat center
“Centering Prayer,” March 17-20. This retreat is for anyone interested in deepening their centering prayer practice. Centering prayer is a way of bringing to consciousness the unconscious “emotional wounds of a lifetime.” Cost: $235. Deadline to register is March 3.
“Triduum during Holy Week,” March 24-27.  Begins with the commemoration of the Paschal Mystery with orientation at 2 p.m. on Holy Thursday and conclude with the feast of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Cost is $115. Deadline to register is March 10.
Contact: St. Scholastica Retreat Center, 1205 S. Albert Pike, Fort Smith, AR 72903, 479-783-1135, retreats@stscho.org, www.stscho.org/retreats.

Benedictine sisters
“Holy Week at the monastery,” March 24-27. Experience the three days of the Sacred Triduum with the sisters in their silence and prayer as they celebrate the special liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday.  Silence.  Cost for private rooms is $245; shared rooms, $205/person.
“Meeting the mystery of Alzheimer’s: Learning to communicate and connect,” April 22, 23, and/or 24. The program is comprised of four events. You may register for selected events, or come for the entire weekend.
“The Healing Power of ‘Yes!:’ An Introduction to Healing Moments,” Friday, April 22, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Participants will engage in exercises designed to enhance their skills of observation and their understanding of dementia. They will increase their abilities to communicate and connect, and learn ways to improve the quality of life for their loved ones with dementia, as well as reduce the stress of caregiving.
Cost is $20, includes coffee and light refreshments.
Contact: Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center, 916 Convent Road, Cullman, AL 35055, 256-734-8302, retreats@shmon.org.

JESUIT SPIRITUALITY CENTER
Directed Retreats: The Jesuit Spirituality Center specializes in personally directed retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Solitude and silence are important aspects of these retreats. Retreats may range from three days, five days, or eight days, to a full month.
Dates:  Feb. 29 or March 3, March 14 or March 17,  April 4 or April 7. Retreats of eight-days begin on the first date. Retreats of five or three days begin on either date.
“In your presence is fullness of joy: yoga and contemplative prayer,” March 10-13.  A weekend of prayer, joy, and fellowship! In this retreat participants will practice contemplative awareness through Christian chanting, centering prayer, conscious breathing, lectio divina, body prayer, art as prayer and drumming as prayer. Included is one full day of silence which may be extended throughout the retreat. No prior experience with yoga is necessary. Cost is $250, (commuters $190).
“An Introduction to the Directed Retreat,” April 29 – May 1. Designed for someone making a silent directed retreat for the first time. Group and individual sessions will focus on how to pray, to journal, and to communicate prayer experiences with one’s director.
This retreat will also prepare participants for a longer three, five, eight or 30-day retreat.
Contact: Jesuit Spirituality Center, 313 Martin Luther King Dr., Grand Coteau, La. 70541, 337-662-5251.

RETROUVAILLE
BAY ST. LOUIS – Retrouvaille retreat, a ministry of hope for married couples, Feb. 26-28, at William Kelley Retreat Center (St. Augustine). Details: Chuck and Colleen, 225 261-1901.

CLINTON – Holy Savior Parish is inviting and welcoming the community to attend “The Joy of the Gospel,” a celebratory mission set for Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 15-17.
The mission will focus on renewal of faith and exploration of the sacraments. It will be conducted at 7 p.m. by Father Michael McAndrew and Father Scott Katzenberger, both Redemptorist priests based in Greenwood. Catholic residents of the Clinton area who wish to re-acquaint themselves with the church after an absence, as well as those who wish to explore the Catholic faith, are especially invited. A social with light refreshments will follow the Feb. 15 and Feb. 17 talks.
“The Joy of the Gospel” will have a nightly theme. On Feb. 15, a service of the Word will explore the sacraments of baptism and confirmation with the symbol of water. The focus on Feb. 16 will be on the symbol of the crucifix and the sacrament of reconciliation, with the opportunity for participants to take part in that sacrament.
On Feb. 17, Mass will be said in a celebration of commitment to the faith and the Eucharist.
Father Thomas McGing is pastor of Holy Savior, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. For information call the church, 601-924-6344. The church is located on corner of Lindale and Old Vicksburg roads.

Corporal works of mercy: caring for God’s temple

By Celeste Zepponi
I’m so excited about this Year of Mercy! I am confidently seeking God’s mercy and joyfully expecting to receive mercy big time during this year dedicated by Pope Francis as the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. While I am planning to enjoy mercy abundantly, the Holy Spirit keeps reminding me that I am also called to give mercy abundantly.
Our Mother Church offers us a great starting point by defining the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. This post, Part 1, takes a close look at the Corporal Works of Mercy; Part 2 will examine the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Reading through the list of Corporal Works of Mercy, I got a little restless. Self-accusations flooded my thoughts and all I could think was, “I am not doing this at all. I haven’t even thought about doing that.” I felt my actions barely approached any of these Corporal Works of Mercy. But, as I thoughtfully projected each suggested act of mercy into my daily life, comfort began filtering back in. I realized I can actually be very merciful by doing “small things with great love!”
To fully embrace this Year of Mercy, the need to recognize mercy is paramount! Recognizing that we have many opportunities to perform acts of mercy can help us develop a perspective and attitude of merciful gift giving that flows freely into the lives of others. Corporal, defined as an adjective, means affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit. So let’s take a closer look into the habits, responsibilities, and circumstances of our daily lives to see where our personal experiences serve the characteristics of human body.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
1. Feed the hungry. We are called to satisfy the hunger of those around us. Everyone needs and enjoys food. Gatherings that include food build families and communities. A simple meal at the end of a long day, helping the elderly or sick obtain food, donating time and/or money to soup kitchens or missions, washing dishes, serving; these are all acts of mercy.
2. Give drink to the thirsty. Thirst is a vital physical need. A person can only live a few days without water. Seeing that people and communities have clean water to drink and maintain good health is an act of mercy. Simple daily acts of kindness such as filling water glasses for the dinner table, bringing cold water to workers in the heat, or bottled water to children at the ball field or playground, running water for baths. All these acts of love nourish, refresh, sooth and comfort the body.
3. Clothe the naked. Sharing clothing with the poor and homeless, providing aid, support and warmth for those affected by natural disaster, war, or poverty. Volunteering, organizing, assisting charitable organizations and churches. Washing clothes and linens for your  family, especially children, the sick and elderly. Working to provide the needs of your own family is an act of love and mercy.
4. Visit the imprisoned. Whether circumstances bring you into actual prison ministry, or into the awareness of a child imprisoned by bullying or impoverished circumstances, the desired action of mercy is to bring Jesus Christ to every human person. Every person is made in the image of God and is worthy of absolute dignity as a child of God. Every person is worthy of love, forgiveness, healing and hope.
5. Shelter the homeless. Working with groups that provide shelter, showers, meals and a safe place to sleep is an act of mercy. Offering time and/or financial support to help others learn to provide for their own needs through education and training is a great act of mercy.
6. Visit the sick. Driving someone to the doctor or the grocery store, visiting people in hospitals or nursing homes, making phone calls to check on the elderly and sick. Taking care of children or running errands for a friend who has had surgery or a new baby. Bringing meals to those who are not able to cook for themselves.
7. Bury the dead. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. To bury the body is an act of mercy, honoring a person’s life and body created by God. Attending a funeral also reminds us of our own mortality, the gift of our own lives, and the promises that await us in Heaven.
(Celeste Zepponi is a member of Clarksdale St. Elizabeth Parish and a blogger for catholicmom.com. This is reprinted with permission.)

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Catholic Day at the Capitol, set for Thursday, Feb. 11, has two goals “to expose legislative issues as they relate to social mission of the Catholic Church and to provide an opportunity for every Catholic to put their faith into action through legislative advocacy,” said Dorothy Balser, director of parish based social ministry for Catholic Charities Jackson.
“Our focus for advocacy is for the most vulnerable among us – and for this year in particular – on behalf of people served by the mental health system, children’s services and the foster care system,” said Balser.
Guest speakers include Warren Yoder of the Public Policy Center of Mississippi, who will speak about the state of the lawsuit against the foster care system in Mississippi; Amy Turner, head of children’s services for Catholic Charities, who can speak about the work her staff is doing with kids who need help and Valerie McClellan, who heads up counseling services for Catholic Charities, who will offer perspective on the need for mental health care services in the state.
Once people have heard about the issues, they will get some tools to use to take action on them. Matthew Burkhart of Catholic Relief Services is coming to talk about public advocacy. “Legislative advocacy is one way we can be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and to work for justice,” he said. Burkhart said a one-to-one approach works best. “We have found that visits and building relationships is the most effective type of advocacy you can do,” said Burkhart.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz and a delegation from Catholic Charities engaged in this kind of advocacy Thursday, Jan. 28, at Mission Mississippi’s Legislative Prayer Breakfast at First Baptist Church in Jackson. At this event, leaders from different denominations pray for the governor, speaker of the house and other state leaders. Gatherings such as this can augment events like Catholic Day at the Capitol by allowing lawmakers and their constituents to get to know one another and find common ground.
“Hopefully people won’t see this as a one-off event, but an opportunity to start a long-term conversaion,” said Burkhart. He said while it is good for attendees to engage their lawmakers at events such as Catholic Day at the Capitol, the real work is in building a relationship with the representatives both on the grounds of the capitol and in their home districts. If people take the lessons home, they can get to know their senators and representatives and engage in more meaningful dialogue with them throughout the years.
The day starts with check in at 9 a.m. Father Ricardo Phipps, executive director of Catholic Charities, will offer a welcome and Bishop Kopacz will give opening remarks. After him, participants will hear from the speakers and adjourn for Mass at 12:05 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle followed by lunch.
At 1:30 p.m. the group will depart for the capitol where Bishop Roger Morin of the Diocese of Biloxi will lead a press conference on the south steps of the capitol. People can then join a guided tour, engage their lawmakers or observe the legislative session. A new offering this year is an afternoon break out session on advocacy or discussion with a facilitator about issues of concern.

Preview event aims to inspire youth
Catholic Day at the Capitol organizers have added a preview event this year, for youth and families set for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 5:30 p.m. at Jackson Christ the King Parish. A representative from Catholic Relief Services is coming to talk about ways to live in solidarity with the poor during Lent.
“We will be using the format of Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl program – sharing about experiences of the poor in other countries as well in the U.S.,” said Dorothy Balser, director of parish based ministries for Catholic Charities Jackson.
The evening event, open to anyone, will start with a simple meatless meal at 5:30 p.m. The presentation starts at 6 p.m. followed by Ash Wednesday Mass. Let Balser know if you are attending so organizers can make sure they have enough food.
Register by calling 601-326-3725 or emailing dorothy.balser@ccjackson.org.
Our hope is that the CDAC participants leave with a stronger sense that their participation in legislative advocacy is linked to the core social teachings of our faith,” said Balser.
“We hope that each participant will be energized with the belief that their voice is important, thereby mobilizing them to continue to advocate with their legislators in their local communities as well as on the state and national level,” she added.
Anyone is welcome to attend the whole day or only one part, but organizers need people to register so they can provide food and space. Register online at www.catholiccharitiesjackson.org.

By Maureen Smith
Vicksburg celebrated the first pilgrimage day for the Jubilee Year of Mercy on Monday, Jan. 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. All three parishes offered a Mass and were open to pilgrims for the whole day.
Most of the action on pilgrimage day was based out of St. Paul Parish. The community celebrated its feast day with rosaries throughout the day, adoration and benediction in addition to Mass. Home schooled students as well as students from Vicksburg Catholic School joined in the prayers that day. In the evening, the parish hosted a movie and a meal.
In St. Michael Parish, artist Brandy Lee hand painted the Year of Mercy logo in the parish center and on a canvas to display in the church. “When Father Curley and I began talking about the Year of Mercy, we knew we wanted something depicting the Year of Mercy hanging in both the church and the education building, explained Helene Benson, director of religious education for St. Michael Parish. “However, I knew I wanted something different than just taking the artwork down to the local print shop. I wanted something original and done by someone we knew personally. That’s when our thoughts turned to Brandy Lee, the daughter of our rectory housekeeper Adell. At St. Michael we consider both Adell and Brandy to be part of our church family,” Benson continued. Lee is studying art at Hinds Community college. “Her response was an overwhelming and enthusiastic yes! We are so proud of Brandy and her accomplishments and hope in some small way this can help her as continues to develop and use the talents that God has so graciously given her,” said Benson.

Remaining pilgrimage days:
– Monday, Feb. 22, feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson.
– Friday March 4 – Saturday March 5, “24 hours for the Lord” adoration and pilgrimages, all sites.
– Sunday, April 24, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Jubilee for Young people, all sites.
– Tuesday, July 26-Sunday, July 31, World Youth Day and anniversary of the founding of diocese, all sites.
– Sunday, Sept. 4, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, observed memorial of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, all sites.
– Thursday, Sept. 15, Our Mother of Sorrows, original diocesan patroness, Natchez sites.
– Sunday, Nov. 6, jubilee for prisoners and those in prison ministry, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
– Sunday, Nov. 13, closing of Holy Doors, all sites
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Pilgrims should visit all the churches at each pilgrimage site on a pilgrimage day. See the site list at www.jacksondiocese.org. For more background on pilgrimages and Holy Doors, see column on page 12)

By Father Matthew Simmons
“Behind and before every vocation to the priesthood or to the consecrated life there is always the strong and intense prayer of someone: a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father, a community…. This is why Jesus said: ‘Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest,’ that is, God the Father, ‘to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Mt 9:38). Those are the words of Pope Francis from his 2014 message on Good Shepherd Sunday.
Through a series of listening sessions, Bishop Joseph Kopacz has instructed us to identify the gifts of the Diocese of Jackson and to plan for what kind of church we want. In my role as vocation director, I have seen that the people of Mississippi want a church with the Mass. In the vocation director role, I also witnessed God’s gift to the diocese of 12 men currently preparing for diocesan priesthood as well as many laypersons who actively support vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The pastoral leadership plan developed from the listening sessions will include the focus of vocation and evangelization.
The priests participating in “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds” began to consider pastoral priorities to further the focus on evangelization and vocation. Promoting vocations to priesthood and religious life is challenging when young people have little contact with priests and nuns. I have often repeated that every priest needs to inspire at least two other men to be priests during his lifetime. Pope Benedict said that the presence of local vocations was a sign of the health of a church. I think that priests might use their inspiring others to vocation as an indicator of personal spiritual health as well. St. Vincent Seminary rector Msgr. David Toups, who was reared in Terrebonne parish as a family friend of Bishop emeritus Joseph Latino, said, “My old pastor used to say, ‘A parish does not come to maturity until it produces the fruit of a vocation.’ A parish could be 50 years old, but if it hasn’t produced a priest or a religious sister, it’s still in the infantile stages.” Most of you are neither clergy nor consecrated religious, yet you do have a growing opportunity to encourage vocations.
Bishop Kopacz hired the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) to plan the listening sessions. As CLI directs us to consider evangelization and vocations together, we remember that evangelization is primary. Parents, godparents, and all parishioners have the responsibility to evangelize. First, we are responsible to evangelize within our homes and families and parishes.  Pope Benedict XVI said that if we teach our youth how to pray we can trust that God will call them into a deeper relationship with Him and the church. Since I entered the church as an adult; I also remind you that RCIA can be a seedbed for vocations. As soon as I was received into the church, I realized that I wanted to attend Mass every day. Msgr. Michael Glynn saw my interest in the Mass and encouraged me to pursue priesthood.
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious recently released a video available on iTunes entitled “For Love Alone.” A young nun says that, when she first considered religious life, “I wasn’t sure that God would be enough.” Parents who have a strong relationship with God in Christ assure their children by their values that one’s relationship with God is every Christian’s source of satisfaction and happiness. Celibate priests didn’t give up anything for priesthood for which we have not received great treasures – the greatest of which is praying the Mass.
The phrase “poor Father” never belongs on anyone’s lips; for the words are untrue and the sentiment undermines vocations. We also undermine vocations if we clamor for the church to change her requirement for a celibate male priesthood. “Good Leaders, Good Shepherds,” the continuing formation program CLI brought to the diocese in 2015, told us priests to focus on clarity and to minimize politics and confusion in our teaching. One will not inspire young men and women to make promises of obedience in the church through dissent against church tradition.
Pope Francis said, “On women priests – that cannot be done. Pope St. John Paul II after long discussions, long reflections, said so clearly.” Francis added that married priests is not an easy solution. Celibacy is not a hardship – it requires sacrifices no greater than does married life. The video “For Love Alone” presents the value of celibacy in connection to the value of spiritual motherhood and spiritual fatherhood in the church. I have witnessed that the people of Mississippi want spiritual mothers and fathers.
What else can we do in parishes to promote vocations? A pastoral council can identify men and women whom the parish would like to see serve God in these ways. Think about whom you would like to have as your pastor and tell the young man why you think he would make a good pastor in a serious private conversation. As Pope Francis said, prayer is behind every vocation. I am mindful of the example of the parishioners at St. Richard who have prayed the rosary for many years each weekday after morning Mass.
The time commitment they made impressed upon me before seminary that having priests was important to them. Father Scott Thomas and I are St. Richard parishioners impacted by those prayers. Every priest and seminarian with whom I have worked over the last several years emphasizes a reverent praying of the Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I know that the Catholics of Mississippi want the Mass. Reflecting that desire for Mass in the way our parishes celebrate and pray the Mass ought to have a long-term impact on vocations.
On another Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Francis prayed to God, “Inspire all of your disciples to mutual love and giving, for vocations blossom in the good soil of faithful people. Instill those in religious life, parish ministries, and families with the confidence and grace to invite others to embrace the bold and noble path of a life consecrated to you.”
(Father Matthew Simmons is the pastor of Meridian St. Patrick Parish. He was the director of vocations for the diocese.)
(Editor’s note: A full schedule of the Listening Sessions is found in the sidebar on this page).