By Maureen Smith
GREENVILLE – Joseph Le was ordained a transitional deacon at a 10 a.m. Mass in St. Joseph Church Saturday, Oct. 10. His parents and many siblings, including his brother, who has taken first vows as a Cistercian, and several nieces and nephews traveled from Dallas and California for the event.
Deacon Le’s parents said they are very happy and thankful to God to have two children who have answered the call to religious and priestly life.
During the Mass, Deacon Le presented himself to Bishop Joseph Kopacz, promised obedience to the bishop and his successors and prostrated himself during the invocation of the saints in the litany. Then after the imposition of hands, Bishop Kopacz presented the new deacon with the Book of the Gospels, a sign of the office of deacon.
Deacon Le first studied with the Carmelites, but discerned that life as a diocesan priest would be a better fit for him. He served in Greenville during his seminary studies and considers it his home parish.
Next May 14, both Deacon Le and Deacon Jason Johnston, who was ordained eariler this year, are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Kopacz in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.

Editor’s Note: Because of the conflict between travel schedules and print deadlines, this issue of Mississippi Catholic will focus on Pope Francis’ visit to Washington and New York. Look for coverage of the World Meeting of Families and the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia in the next issue.
By Maureen Smith
Awesome was the most popular word used to describe seeing Pope Francis address Congress. Several representatives from the Diocese of Jackson were on hand for the historic occasion including Father Joe Dyer, pastor of Forest St. Michael the Archangel, Father Ricardo Phipps, director of Catholic Charities Jackson; Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth, associate executive director of the St. Dominic Health Services Foundation and Will Jemison, coordinator for the Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the diocese.
“The pope addressed social justice issues,” Jemison told Gannett News. “It’s one thing when lawmakers address it. It’s another thing when the pope addresses it. He’s the Holy Father.”
Jemison was there with 300 people from Mississippi. He said he felt like the address was a call to action.
“I received the word from the pope today that inspired me to make sure I am still doing what I can to make sure that social justice issues are addressed in this country, that economic issues are addressed in this country and I also feel the challenge given to me is to challenge my elected officials to work for the common good of all people,” said Jemison.
Father Phipps attended the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra and watched the congressional address.
“There was awesome energy there, just to be with all of the crowds who were there to welcome the Holy Father. I had a chance to be at the Mass at Catholic University and just the Holy Father’s celebration style he was a very loving figure- the time that he spent going around in the Popemobile just greeting people and touching and waving at the children – it was a very refreshing sight to see.

Father Phipps said he feels like Pope Francis is very personal, even when addressing a crowd of thousands. “In some ways it almost felt like, as I was listening to some of the things he was saying and his encouraging words I wondered ‘is he talking just to me? How does he know what I need to hear today in terms of staying focused on taking joy in where God has me planted right here and now.’ It was a great experience that I know I will never forget and then just being there in D.C.”
Sr. Dorothea Songeroth was able to be in the congressional chamber. “I’m still up in the clouds. I feel a little like Cinderella. I just thank God I was able to do this. I am so grateful to Congressman Greg Harper. Just to be there was a blessing beyond words.
“His message was absolutely inspiring and beautiful, but he did let us know that we have to live by the Golden Rule. He is a Pope for all people and a pope for this time,” she said.
Sister Sondgeroth said she is thrilled about what this pope is doing for the church. She said she has met people who have left the church and are returning. “He is bringing people back to the pews,” she said. “He invited the seminarians and novices to attend Mass inside the basilica. He recognized these young people as the hope for the church in the future- and that was heartwarming,” she added.
Father Joe Dyer was also in the gallery, thanks to a ticket from Representative Bennie Thompson, and said the response to the Holy Father was overwhelming. “There were printed instructions on proper behavior in the gallery. We were to remain seated, no applause and no vocalization or yelling. When the doors opened and he walked in everyone stood and cheered and applauded. It was very spontaneous and seemed to be heartfelt,” said Father Dyer.
“I thought his address was very clever. He addressed controversial issues in a way that was not controversial,” he went on to say.
Father Dyer is also pleased with the impact the pope’s charisma is having on the church. “It is a blessing that we are not a church of personalities. Our unity is not dependent on the personality of our leadership, but I am glad that his personality is one that attracts people. He is bringing some credibility to the church.”
One of Pope Francis’ gifts, said Father Dyer, is his ability to speak plainly. “He can say trite things and get an enthusiastic response.
“He quoted the Golden Rule. If we had done that in one of our homilies in seminary, they would have made us take it out — it’s too trite. He can say truthful things – things we have heard before – but he says them with more clarity,” said Father Dyer.
Everyone who attended was glad the pope challenged lawmakers to work for justice and everyone was delighted that he called out four famous Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. “I was surprised and very much pleased (that he spoke about Civil Rights Movement),” said Father Dyer.
“It was very much like Jesuit scholarship to link those four people and he linked them many ways throughout,” he added.
All interviewed thanked the members of Congress who gave them the opportunity to hear Pope Francis and say it is an experience they will never forget.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Dolores Coleman, D.C., was celebrated Aug. 28 at Seton Residence Chapel in Evansville. Burial followed at followed at St. Joseph Cemetery in Evansville.

Sister Coleman, a native of Meridian, died Aug. 25, at Seton Residence. She was 94 years of age and had 74 years of vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in education and French from Fontbonne University (then College) in St. Louis in 1947; she earned her Master of Arts in English at DePaul University in Chicago, Ill, in 1954.
She served at Natchez Cathedral Schools (1942- 1948 and 1965-1969) and at schools in Chicago, Ill.,   Keokuk, Iowa St. Louis. She also served in social work in Chicago and Milwaukee, Wis.
In 1972, Sister Coleman was appointed director of the Apostolate of Deaf in Jackson, and served there until 1977. For the next 20 years (1977-1997), she ministered as the program director for the diocesan Office for the Deaf and Disabled in the Diocese of Biloxi, she founded and directed the de l’Epee Deaf Center. She then ministered as a pastoral care associate in Mobile  until 2003.
In 2004, Sister Coleman joined the Ministry of Prayer at Seton Residence in Evansville, Ind., where she served until the time of her death. She was an inductee in the Gulfport Hall of Honor and she was a published poet.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and by her sister, Sister Mary Andrea Coleman, R.S.M. Donations in Sister’s memory may be made to the Daughters of Charity, 4330 Olive Street, St. Louis, Mo., 63108.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sister Yvonne Moran, OSU, 90, died Sept. 8 at Mercy Sacred Heart Home in Louisville.
Born in Louisville, she entered the Ursuline Sisters in 1942 after she graduated from Sacred Heart Academy high school. She received her B.A. in elementary education from the former Ursuline College, Louisville.
In the Diocese of Jackson, Sister Moran taught at Camden Sacred Heart Mission School from 1948 to 1954 and from 1956 to 1960. Her teaching ministry also included schools in Indiana and Kentucky.
In later years, Sister Moran was a housemother and childcare worker at St. Joseph Children’s Home and a cook at Angela Merici High School Convent, followed by a ministry of service at the Ursuline Motherhouse, Nazareth Home, and the former Marian Home, all in Louisville. In 2001, she became a resident of the former Marian Home until she moved to Mercy Sacred Heart Home in 2010.
Known for her love of writing for children, she had several plays and poems published in Catholic journals and magazines. She also wrote and designed primary grade activity books for the Daughters of St. Paul Books & Media, Boston.

MOBILE, Ala. – Dr. Christopher P. Puto was formally inaugurated as the 37th president of Spring Hill College on Thursday, Sept. 17.  Puto officially began his term on June 1 at the oldest Jesuit college in the South and the third oldest in the country.
Father Ronald Mercier SJ, provincial for the Jesuits, commissioned Puto and gave him what the Jesuits call a “vow cross” at the ceremony. A vow cross is a

crucifix usually given to Jesuits when they take their first vows. Others on hand to congratulate Puto included Archbishop Thomas Rodi of the Archdiocese of Mobile; Sandy Stimpson, mayor of Mobile and representatives of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and representatives of the academic community of Spring Hill.
Puto graduated from Spring Hill College in 1964 with a degree in economics. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Duke University. He served Spring Hill College as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2003-2012.
Puto’s extensive and diverse background includes numerous accomplishments in academia most notably serving as the former dean of business schools at Georgetown University and St. Thomas University. He has also consulted and worked with numerous large corporations such as Bank of America, Eastman Kodak Company, General Electric Company and Burger King Corporation as well as served in the Vietnam War for which he was awarded a Bronze Star.
“I am honored to be taking my place among the many distinguished leaders of this 185-year-old institution,” Puto said. “I’ve prepared my entire life for this and didn’t even know it. My vision for Spring Hill College is to retain the values and history while laying the foundation to move the college to its bicentennial forward to 2064.”
Puto is the first permanently appointed layperson to serve as Spring Hill College’s president.
The Diocese of Jackson has been connected to the college for more than 25 years through an extension program offering masters degrees in theology and pastoral studies. More information on the program is available online at shc.edu.

JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz blessed the foundations for two homes set to go up on Greenview Drive in Jackson on Wednesday, Sept. 16, as part of a Habitat for Humanity plan to revitalize

an entire street and hopefully kick off a community renaissance. The choir from Madison St. Joseph School provided music for the event that featured community leaders, neighbors, representatives from supporting parishes and Habitat homeowners.
The homes, the annual Catholic Build and the Pope Francis House, are just the beginning. Later this year the inaugural bankers’ build and the Episcopal build will start projects. Nissan and the ever-popular Womens’ build are planning to participate in 2016.

The Catholic Build is in its 30th year. Parishes all across the metro area join together annually to raise the $80,000 and provide work teams and food for the project. The Pope House is an addition. An anonymous donor provided half the funds, the community raised the other $40,000 to build a home dedicated to Pope Francis.
Bishop Kopacz spoke of his hope that the community would become a place where families could thrive. He pointed out a nearby charter school was working to improve education for the community and personally thanked the many police officers who attended the event, saying he knows they are on the front lines of any community improvement effort.

Greenview Drive is a half-mile of mostly abandoned or derelict properties. On the day of the Habitat event, a tree long dead still rested on a roof of one home, and another home, once boarded up, showed signs that the door had been kicked in.
Habitat has taken on projects similar to this one, turning blocks of run-down rental properties in to family-owned, well-maintained homes. Christopher Coleman, who owns a house renovated by Greenview a few years ago, spoke at the kickoff event, saying how grateful he was for the opportunity to give his family a home of their own. “Welcome to the new Greenview,” he said, to much applause.
Mississippi Catholic will check on the progress of the construction throughout the fall.

By Maureen Smith
CLARKSDALE – Many will tell you the founding of Immaculate Conception Parish was a routine happening in a diocese that was expanding in leaps and bounds at the time. Others will tell you it was a miracle. The characters in this story include a soldier, a death row inmate, a loving community leader who never even got to see the mission he helped found and the Blessed Mother.
Members of Immaculate Conception gathered Sunday, Sept. 13, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding with a Mass and brunch. Before the Mass started parishioner Linda Johnson gave a short history. Bishop Joseph Kopacz was the principal celebrant with Father Scott Thomas, pastor. Choir members from other local churches joined the celebration.
During the Mass representatives from the parish and school, including Father Thomas, Sister Teresa Shields, former teacher and current director of the Jonestown Community Center, and Earl Gooden, finance council member, lit candles honoring deceased bishops and priests, religious sisters and brothers and parish members.
Father Robert O’Leary, SVD, served in World War II. In 1940 he made a promise to found a church in honor of the Immaculate Conception if he survived. Years later, and halfway around the world, death row inmate, Claude Newman, admired a fellow inmate’s miraculous medal. The inmate gave it to him and soon after Newman said a beautiful woman visited him in his cell telling him, “if you want to follow my son, call for a priest.” Father O’Leary answered the call and he and some Sisters began to instruct the convict in the Catholic faith.
As the story goes, Newman claimed the beautiful woman had already instructed him about confession and the Eucharist. He also reminded Father O’Leary about his promise to found a parish for Mary. The priest and sisters were stunned. Before Newman was executed, he is said to have told Father O’Leary that he would act as an intermediary with the Blessed Mother if the priest ever needed anything.
In the early 1940s a group of African-Americans in Clarksdale, including Samuel Keith Harrington, appealed to then Bishop Oliver Gerow for a school. The bishop used $5,000 sent to him for a mission in the black community. He sent Father O’Leary in 1945 and the promise was fulfilled when the school was running by 1947.
By the time the parish was built and ready for dedication, founding father Harrington was near death. His friends hatched a plan to carry him to the church for Mass, but he didn’t make it. He was the first person to he buried out of the parish.
The school closed in 1990, but the parish still makes use of the building for activities and receptions. The old convent has been converted into a dormitory house for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. During the anniversary celebration parishioners looked at old yearbooks and shared their memories of the parish while speaking of their hopes for a strong future.

By Celeste Zepponi
Arriving early, I decided to wait in the church meeting room before going to the Adoration room for my weekly hour of prayer. As I sat down on the couch, my eyes caught site of a statue of St. Therese, The Little Flower. I immediately felt drawn to walk over and take a closer look. I slowly asked myself, “Is this the one?”
I closely examined the perfectly painted eyes and skin, the beauty of her face. I noticed the soft folds in her Carmelite habit covering her body from head to toe, falling softly and humbly to her feet. In her arms, she held a large crucifix lavishly veiled with pink and yellow roses. Everything about the statue looked perfect. I sighed a deep breath and felt joyful as I said to myself, “Yes of course, this is the statue.”
My husband and I had rescued this statue years ago. I smiled as I remembered the morning we drove through McDonalds with the statue in the back of our truck. We laughed out loud wondering what the restaurant attendant must have thought as she viewed this big statue passing by the drive-through window as we picked up our sausage,egg, and cheese biscuits, and coffee.
At that time, a local mission church was tossing the statue for a more modern one and we just couldn’t bear the thought of it going in the dumpster! Instead, we took “St. Therese” on a ride through town that sunny morning, all the way to St. Elizabeth Catholic School. The statue resided in the music room for many years. Now it is safe for viewing in the church meeting room.
I am delighted to have been part of this journey, and I am certain there is more.
Having been refreshed in my affection for St. Therese through this beautiful statue, she just seems to keep showing up! Recently, while cleaning house and straightening books, I was surprised to find a holy card with the same image of St. Therese inside a book. Only days later, I opened a random page in another book to find her image revealed again.
I asked my priest if I should pay attention to these repeated reminders of St. Therese, The Little Flower? Was she trying to tell me something? Father Scott simply and firmly said, “Yes.” He later handed me a novena to St. Therese and of course, it has the same beautiful depiction of her on the cover!
Especially, well “coincidentally,” since her feast day is coming up very soon, Oct. 1st! Could St. Theresa be trying to tell us something?
I, like Father Scott, simply and firmly say, “YES!”
(Celeste Zepponi  is an author and artist. This reflection first appeared on CatholicMom.com)
(Editor’s note: Greenwood Locus Benedictus Retreat Center is sponsoring a novena to St. Therese of the Little Flower Sept. 22-30 ending with a feast day Mass at the Chapel of Mercy on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5:30 p.m.  If you would like your intentions remembered, send them in an envelope to Locus Benedictus, P. O. Box 10383, Greenwood, MS. 38930. The envelope will not be opened. Join us in honoring this modern-day saint who said “she would spend Heaven doing good upon Earth.”)