Category Archives: Diocesan News

Six hundred attend Journey of Hope

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Six hundred people packed into the downtown Jackson Marriott to hear Father Jonathan Morris speak at the Catholic Charities Journey of Hope luncheon Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Father Morris talked about his work in the Bronx in New York and as a news analyst for Fox News. He pointed out that Pope Francis has encouraged all the faithful to be people of service to the poor.
He recalled the story of Zacchaeus, in which Jesus calls the tax collector by name and offers to dine with him. Father Morris said the story, and much of what Pope Francis did while he was in the United States, demonstrates the kind of personal interaction and service all Catholics are called to perform.
He said the nation is in a battle for it’s very soul and that the church is trying to be a positive force in that. Father Morris closed by encouraging everyone on hand to donate to the work of Catholic Charities Jackson.
The evening before Journey of Hope, Father Morris hosted a meet and greet at the Old Capitol Inn. Almost 200 bought tickets for the meet for a chance to chat one-on-one with Father Morris and hear more about the work of Catholic Charities.

Silver rose travels across diocese with Knights

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PEARL – The Knights of Columbus in the Diocese of Jackson again hosted the Silver Rose for the month of September. The silver rose is a pro-life program sponsored by the Knights honoring our Lady of Guadalupe.
Knights in parishes across the diocese host rosaries and prayer services using the rose as a focal point. The rose made stops at numerous schools and parishes including Madison St. Joseph and St. Anthony as well as Jackson St. Richard schools, Pearl St. Jude and Madison St. Francis parishes.
The program started many years ago with one rose that traveled from Canada to Mexico.
In 2015, six roses have been making different journeys, most starting in Canada and making winding trips across many states where Knights’ councils host similar prayer services and rosaries.
The one that stops here starts its run in Manitoba, moving south through the central United States and along the Mississippi before turning to Texas.
The program ends on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when all the roses are presented in the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

In memoriam: Sister Manette, nurse, gardener, friend dies

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Sister Manette Durand, CSJ, born on March 2, 1937, and named Dorothy Jeanette Durand, died Oct. 11. She began her lifelong ministry in healthcare, serving in North Dakota and Minneapolis. Feeling a draw to serve in areas where there are fewer medical resources, she accepted a scholarship from the Edmundite Home Missions to study for an master’s of science in nursing at the University of Alabama. She also obtained certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner in exchange for her agreement to work in their mission in Selma, Ala, for five years.
When she finished her service with the Edmundites, she responded to the request to reopen a clinic in Jonestown, Miss. She said, “I heard Jonestown needed a nurse practitioner and I arranged for an interview.
When I drove up to the clinic building, I saw that the windows were boarded up and that poison ivy and raspberry vines covered the walls and doors. The mayor and some of the townspeople, waiting for me in front of the building, interviewed me on the steps.
Everyone kept saying, ‘Come! You can do it! We need you!’ They promised to take the boards off the windows and clean the place. I promised I would come back if I could find others to help me run the clinic…” This story was the beginning of a deep and heartfelt love between Manette and the people of the Mississippi Delta that continued for 30 years.
When the Jonestown Health Clinic closed in 2005, Sister Durand worked in Cleveland with the chemically dependent, and in 2007 came to work with Doctors Wells and Mangren at the Children’s Clinic of Clarksdale.
Nursing gave her an avenue for relationship, caring and healing. She said, “I don’t like the ‘saving of souls.’ My job is to help save bodies so that the souls can come alive because when bodies fall apart it is hard to pay attention to what the soul is telling you.” She found people in the rural areas of Alabama and Mississippi who may never have seen a doctor and who lacked the money or resources to address their physical pain and suffering. After she had a few minutes to visit with them and hear their stories, they trusted her to care for them and help them to heal.
Another avenue of relationship came through Manette’s gardens. She engaged people in working with her in the various gardens she tended and of course, shared the produce and flowers.
Sister Durand  never stopped caring for people, whether at the Children’s Clinic, the Clarksdale Care Station, delivering bread, or sharing her garden vegetables. On Aug. 19, 2015, she received a diagnosis of advanced thyroid cancer, a very rare type that was fast-growing and aggressive. Deciding to return to St. Paul was difficult for her.
She wanted to stay in her beloved Clarksdale/Jonestown area in Mississippi and struggled with her desire to live as simply as the people she served. She said, “Why would I go somewhere else for treatment when these are the doctors and services my patients have?”
On September 3, before she left, the students at Clarksdale St. Elizabeth School presented her with a scrapbook and thanked her for service.
One evening toward the end of her life, Sister Durand was sitting with friends at Carondelet Village who were getting ready to play her favorite game, Rummikub with her.
A nursing assistant came into the room to help her prepare for bed. Regardless of her friends shuffling of the Rummikubes and wanting to start the game, Manette stopped everything to embrace the aide and say “Tell me your story first.” Within moments, the aide was sharing her story while she listened intently and asked occasional questions oblivious of everyone else in the room.
Though she was “still holding out for a miracle” so she could go back to Mississippi, Sister Durand was gradually losing her voice and strength. Breathing was challenging and in the early morning of Sunday, October 11th, she drew her last breath — only seven weeks after her cancer diagnosis.
To honor Sister Manette with a gift, see below.

Seminary posts record enrollment numbers

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By James Shields
Saint Joseph Seminary College, located near Covington, La., welcomed a record 137 students this year for the Fall 2015 semester, an 83 percent increase from just five years ago, when 75 seminarians enrolled. Seminarians for the Diocese of Jackson study at St. Ben’s, as it is commonly known, before they complete their formation and graduate studies at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
Saint Joseph Seminary College is a community of faith and learning in the liberal arts rooted in the Benedictine tradition that promotes the development of the whole person. The formation program fosters the commitment of seminarians to the Roman Catholic priesthood in accordance with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops› Program of Priestly Formation.
The Seminary College also supports preparation for service in lay ministries and makes available its educational and other resources to the local community.
Father Gregory Boquet, OSB, president and rector of the seminary college, credits not only the presence of the Benedictine community to the growing student body over the years, but also the reputation of the baccalaureate and pre-theology programs.
“Our seminarians not only have the opportunity to live, learn and grow spiritually alongside the Benedictine community, who have made this their home since 1889, but also benefit from a stellar group of faculty and staff who are dedicated to making sure students achieve their full potential,” Boquet said.
“We realize the decision to attend Saint Joseph Seminary is a defining moment for students and strive to make sure everybody is on the right path. This sentiment goes a long way with our students and is a big part of the reason so many young men decide to pursue their education here,” Boquet added.
One of those young men who didn’t take the decision to attend Saint Joseph lightly is Luke Mayeux, a second year seminarian from Orange, Texas. Mayeux believes that the enrollment has increased so much within the last few years because of the growing awareness of the need for priests that young men are witnessing today.
“I truly believe that most guys have a genuine desire to do something with their lives that is greater than themselves. The priesthood is just that,” Mayeux added.
In addition to Mayeux, students this year are representing 20 archdioceses and dioceses from across the Gulf South region, including: Atlanta, Ga.; Galveston-Houston, Texas; Mobile Ala,; New Orleans; Alexandria, La.; Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, La; Beaumont, Texas; Biloxi, Miss,; Corpus Christi, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Fort Worth, Texas; Houma-Thibodaux, La.; Jackson, Miss.; Lafayette, La.; Lake Charles, La.; Memphis, Tenn.; Shreveport, La.; St. Augustine, Fla.; and Victoria, Texas.
Joseph Hastings, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., thinks word of mouth plays a large role in the decision for students across the South to visit campus and eventually make it their second home for four years.
“Another cause for the increase is the example that Pope Francis is setting for the world. He not only preaches the Gospel, but he goes out and lives it; by encountering people in the streets. He’s an example of what a true shepherd is called to be, a man of prayer and action, and this example is attractive to men everywhere,” Hastings said.
(James Shields is the manager of Communications for Saint Joseph Abbey + Seminary College in Saint Benedict, Louisiana.)

Education Endowment donations needed to earn matching Extension grant

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Each fall the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors gathers. This year, Archbishop Joseph Lucas of Omaha reflected on the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation ‘I Shall Give You Shepherds.’ This exhortation followed the 1990 synod of bishops reflecting on priestly formation. Pope Saint John Paul wrote, “Pastoral work for vocations needs especially today, to be taken up with a new vigor and more decisive commitment by all the members of the Church…[It] is an essential part of the overall pastoral work of each church.”
Archbishop Lucas explained, “The church is a community of those being called.” He continued that all have been impacted by the sexual revolution, the consumer culture, and relativism. The church must have priests, and God is calling young men. They are imperfect, but they can grow.
The Diocese of Jackson has 12 seminarians currently in formation, an expensive prospect for any diocese. The faithful can help by donating to the Seminarian Education Endowment, and now their gifts can go even farther, thanks to Catholic Extension Service’s Seminarian Endowment Challenge.
Extension will give $500 for every new $1,000 donation to the endowment, but the diocese has to get $75,000 in donations by the end of the year to earn the match.  Groups of people can donate, but the donation must be a new one, not a renewal from last year and it cannot come from an organization such as the Knights of Columbus.
It costs between $32,700 and $40,650 to educate a seminarian for a year depending on whether he is going to St. Joseph Abbey or Notre Dame Seminary, both in Louisiana. The men pay for part of their education, but the diocese also pays. Being able to build up the endowment is critical to help these men complete their discernment and formation as well as being a catalyst for local vocations.
All donations should be payable to the Catholic Diocese of Jackson and earmarked for the Seminarian Endowment Challenge. Send them to 237 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201. For more information contact Father Matthew Simmons at 601-960-8484 or matthew.simmons@jacksondiocese.org or Aad de lange 601-960-8459 or aad.delange@jacksondiocese.org.

Former pastor, Sister earn leadership positions

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Two consecrated individuals who have served in the Diocese of Jackson have been elected to national leadership positions in their orders. Sister Maureen Delaney, SNJM, and Father Michael Barth, ST, will act as provincial and superior general respectively.
Sister Delaney is one of five sisters who will become the new Province Leadership Team for the Sisters of the Holy Names U.S.-Ontario Province beginning in January 2016. Joining Sister Delaney (who will serve as Provincial) are Mary Breiling, Guadalupe Guajardo, Margaret Kennedy and Mary Rita Rohde.
The Leadership Team serves a five-year term, leading a religious community that includes 17 Mission Centres across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Sister Delaney, who is the founder and executive director of the Tutwiler Community Education Center, has been developing education, recreation and enrichment programs and activities for children, teens and adults in a poor rural area of Mississippi for the past 28 years. She announced earlier this year that she will retire from that position. The center is currently in the midst of a search for a new director.
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) is an international congregation of Catholic Sisters, associates and lay consecrated who are dedicated to the full development of the human person through education, social justice, contemplation and the arts. Holy Names Sisters work to heal and repair the world by engaging in education, arts and culture, social service, advocacy, social justice and systemic change.
Father Michael Barth, ST, has been elected Superior General of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinity Missions). Father Barth served for many years as the pastor of Camden Sacred Heart Parish in the Diocese of Jackson. His election came at his religious congregation’s fifteenth General Chapter, held in Fort Mitchell, Alabama. Father Barth, ordained in 1979 and 63 years old, is a native of Berwick, Pennsylvania. In his first four-year term, Father Mike will be assisted by Rev. Jesús Ramírez, ST, of Guadalajara, México, who was elected his congregation’s Vicar General.
Among other actions taken by the General Chapter was a statement urging the passage of a comprehensive and humane immigration reform bill in the United States. In reference to statements made by the bishops of the United States, the document calls upon federal and state governments to recognize both the moral and human rights of people to migrate for political, economic, and religious reasons.
“We ask others, including religious and political leaders to join us in working together to bring about justice for our immigrant brothers and sisters,” Father Barth said.
The Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity are a religious congregation founded in Holy Trinity, Alabama, in 1929, by Rev. Thomas Judge.
Sacred Heart Parish in Camden and Holy Rosary Indian Mission in Tucker, are two of 30 Trinity Missions found in 11 dioceses in the United States and Puerto Rico, and eight dioceses in México, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

Vocation Awareness Week offers opportunity to support those discerning

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WASHINGTON—The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, November 1-7. This observance, sponsored by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, is a special time for parishes in the U.S. to foster a culture of vocations for the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life.
Pope Francis, in his message of April 26, on the 52nd Day of World Prayer for Vocations states; “Responding to God’s call means allowing Him to help us leave ourselves and our false security behind, and to strike out on the path which leads to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of our life and our happiness.” The Holy Father stresses, “The Christian vocation, rooted in the contemplation of the Father’s heart, thus inspires us to solidarity in bringing liberation to our brothers and sisters, especially the poorest.”
National Vocations Awareness Week is designed to help promote vocation awareness and to encourage young people to ask the question: “To what vocation in life is God calling me?” Parish and school communities across the nation are asked to include, during the first week in November, prayer and special activities that focus on vocation awareness.
“The epistolary readings at Sunday Mass recently have been from the Letter to the Hebrews, expounding on the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Priests are beset by weaknesses and so need the prayers of the faithful. That the faithful pray for priests is humbling to the priest but certainly a blessing,” said Father Matthew Simmons, vocations director for the Diocese of Jackson. “Please pray for priests and seminarians that they be conformed to the likeness of Christ the Shepherd. Also, actively encourage those men whom you would like to see conformed to the likeness of Christ for service in the Diocese,” added Father Matthew.
“Encouraging others to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to follow Christ without reservations are key elements in supporting a culture of vocations,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, North Carolina, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
“With God’s grace, we can have a positive impact on others who may be open to considering a vocation to priesthood or religious life, by simply inviting them to think and pray about it. Our enthusiasm and willingness to speak directly to others about vocations just might be the conversation someone need to respond to God’s call.”
A 2012 study, “Consideration of Priesthood and Religious Life Among Never-Married  U.S. Catholics,” conducted by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), highlighted the role community encouragement plays in the discernment process. Find the full study online: www.usccb.org/beliefs-andteachings/vocations/survey-of-youth-and-young-adults-on-vocations.cfm.
“Over and over again when asked, newly ordained priests and newly professed men and women religious, credit the encouragement of family members, coworkers, friends and clergy, as being a significant factor in their pursuing a vocation.” said Fr. Ralph O’Donnell, USCCB’s executive director of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
Observance of Vocation Awareness Week began in 1976 when the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year for the celebration. It was later moved to Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January. The Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations moved the observance of National Vocation Awareness Week to November to engage Catholic schools and colleges more effectively in this effort.
More information and resources for National Vocations Awareness Week, including a prayer card, suggested prayers of the faithful and bulletin-ready quotes are available online at www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/national-vocation-awarenessweek.cfm
(Copyright © 2015 Catholic News Service/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news services may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to, such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method in whole or in part, without prior written authority of Catholic News Service.)

Fontanini makes return visit to Jackson Carmelite community

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JACKSON – Emanuele Fontanini, of the House of Fontanini from Bagni di Lucca, Italy, will visit the Carmelite Gift Shop on Sunday, Nov. 22, from 2 – 5 p.m. as part of his 2015 Nativity tour in the United States.
Carmelite Sister Donna Marie Degnan said she is delighted to have the president of the House of Fontanini visit again the shop to autograph figures and chat with collectors and attendees.
The gift shop is being decorated with Christmas trees, ornaments and gifts for this event which will be part of the weekend open house and bake sale that will run until Sunday, Dec. 20.
Sister Degnan said this visit is very special since the members of the Fontanini family usually chose only around 10 stores to visit during the Christmas season and again they have selected the Carmelite Gift Shop for one of their tour stops. In 2013, Stefano Fontanini visited the store and Emanuele came in 2011.
The gift shop will also be among one of the retail stores that will carry the 2015 Exclusive Tour Figure, Dominic.
Sister Degnan said that those who can’t attend the day of Emanuele Fontanini’s visit, they can purchase the items ahead of time and leave them at the store to be signed by him during his visit and pick them up at their convenience.
Emanuele Fontanini is the fourth generation head of his family’s business, which has been creating nativities and sculptures since 1908. Fontanini Nativities are comprised of lifelike hand-painted figures and historically researched structures in eight different sizes that together present an extraordinary step back in time to biblical Bethlehem.
Christmas shoppers are also invited to view the variety of items available to decorate their homes, including ornaments, nativities and Santas.
On Saturdays, the store opens from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1- 4 p.m. The Carmelite Gift Shop is located on 2155 Terry Road in Jackson. For more information call 601-373-3412.

Pope spoke in actions as well as words

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By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to the United States was a whirlwind of visits to the most powerful in their respective domains, and to the powerless in their everyday circumstances. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina was accustomed on a daily basis to encountering the poor and the influential in his Archdiocese, and he was most at home in Las Villas, or slums, of Argentina where he regularly walked with, prayed with and encouraged those who lived on the margins of the Paris of Latin America.
So when he chose to serve a meal at a nearby soup kitchen in Washington, D.C. rather than have lunch with members of the United States Congress, it was not a photo-op as would be the case with many public officials, but rather a graced spontaneity that is part of his character and his Gospel DNA.  It is an extension of Saint Francis of Assisi’s embrace of the leper when there was no one around with a camera.
The gestures and words of Pope Francis will burn in our hearts, minds, and imaginations for years to come and for the remainder of this column I want to offer a selection of his wisdom that transcends politics and ideology.

Immigration
“As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.  I look forward to these days of encounter and dialogue, in which I hope to listen to, and share, many of the hopes and dreams of the American people.”  Immigration was a theme that resonated throughout his speeches and homilies during his five full days in our country.
At the end of his address to the United States Bishops at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral Pope Francis concluded his homily with a plea to encounter and accompany the immigrant with dignity and respect.
Religious Liberty
“Mr. President, together with their fellow citizens, American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of goodwill, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their rights to religious liberty.
That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And as my brothers the United States Bishops have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”
Pope Francis began his address in the Rose Garden at the outset of his public appearances with this fundamental theme of Religious Liberty, and it is clear that he has been tuned into the struggle of the Church in recent times. He could have also added that Religious Liberty is enshrined in the First Amendment of our cherished Constitution, the bedrock of our society.

The Path of Encounter and Dialogue
Homily at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral to the bishops
“The path ahead, then, is dialogue among yourselves, dialogue in your presbyterate, dialogue with lay persons, dialogue with families, dialogue with society…Otherwise, we fail to understand the thinking of others, or to realize deep down that the brother or sister we wish to reach and redeem, with the power and the closeness of love, counts more than their positions, distant as they may be from what we hold as true and certain.  Harsh and divisive language does not befit the tongue of a pastor; it has no place in his heart.  Although it may momentarily seem to win the day, only the enduring allure of goodness and love remains truly convincing.” Pope Francis in these words offers an excellent catechesis of 1Peter 3, 15, to speak with meekness and respect, and Ephesians 4, 15 to speak the truth in love.

The Responsibility of Members of Congress
“Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility.  Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.
A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people.  To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.”
Pope Francis spoke as a Vatican Head of State, but far more as a moral and spiritual voice in the public square to our elected officials.  Imagine if all responsible for the common good by virtue of their elected office walked the noble path of vocation and service.

On the Family
Faith opens a “window” to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures. “Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name — a small gesture — will not go unrewarded”, says Jesus (cf. Mk 9:41). These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children, by brothers. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion.
Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Little things show love, by attention to small daily signs, which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life grows in faith.
In conclusion, Pope Francis exhorts that the wisdom of family life well lived is vital for our world today.  “The Gospel of the family is truly ‘good news’ in a world where self-concern seems to reign supreme.”