Category Archives: Diocesan News

Workshop addresses violence of human trafficking

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This photo illustration depicts the effects of human trafficking. (CNS illustration/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review)

By Maureen Smith
A new task force in the Diocese of Jackson is taking on the issue of human trafficking in America. The effort was started by Sister Therese Jacobs, BVM. Her order, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, picked this urgent issue as one of its key social justice initiatives in 2014. She helped organize a workshop held at Jackson St. Richard Parish on Saturday, June 27.
Catholic Charities has developed the task force to take next steps to address the problem. A faith-based group out of Biloxi, Advocates for Freedom, provided speakers for the human trafficking workshop. Members of the task force also made presentations. Dorothy Balser, director of parish based ministries for Catholic Charities Jackson, said close to 50 people attended the workshop. “At the end we had pledge cards that gave people an opportunity to make a commitment to the effort,” said Balser. “They could request a speaker, host an informational event, form their own local task force if they were from out of town or join our task force,” she added. People were also invited to pray for the victims of human trafficking.
According to the Sisters of Charity website, “Trafficking of human persons is the buying and selling of people for any purpose, including sex, prostitution, forced marriages, servitude and forced labor. Trafficking is exploitation and a violation of human rights and human dignity and is intrinsically evil.”
Sex trafficking is the most common. “One statistic that stands out is that human trafficking is the second most prevalent crime, second only to drugs,” she said. “The picture that is before me is that you sell a drug once, but human beings can be sold multiple times a day – sometimes 20 times a day,” she said.
Sharon Robbins, one of the speakers from Advocates for Freedom said she became involved when she noticed strange activity in her own gated community. She came into contact with the founder of Advocates for Freedom when she was trying to figure out what to do about the groups of young girls being loaded into a van late at night. The information she was able to gather led law enforcement to open an investigation and take action.
Robbins urges everyone to pay attention to their surroundings, saying many people would be shocked at some of the cases happening very close to home. She said she has personally heard of stories of trafficking, even trafficking involving children, in Mississippi. She said acting on an uneasy feeling or reporting suspicious activities could save someone’s life.
Robbins said Advocates for Freedom has assisted in more than 100 rescues since it was founded five years ago and is always looking for volunteers. The group tries to help survivors immediately find a safe place to take shelter and later tries to assist with medical and legal fees as well as housing and job assistance.
“Eighty-five percent of missing children are being trafficked,” she said. She focused her presentation on tactics traffickers use to lure children who might already be in abusive situation, young people with low self-esteem or who might be shy and lonely.  Advocates for Freedom has more statistics and contact information on the organization’s website, www.advocatesforfreedom.org.
“It is happening in Mississippi and we are trying to  make sure those who are the most vulnerable are identified and targeted,” Balser explained. The task force wants to make people aware of the issue, engage law enforcement and advocate for the victims.
She said the workshop presenters said travel corridors are common sites for trafficking, especially in places where there may be a port or the intersection of two interstates. Traffickers lure young people, especially young women, through social media or they find runaways and promise them a better life.
Balser said once the group is able to identify potential victims, the task force will take on the role of identifying resources for them. “We don’t currently have safe houses. We need to identify resources and potential partners,” said Balser.
Anyone interested in joining the task force or getting involved in the effort can contact Balser, 601-355-8634, or by email at dorothy.balser@ccjackson.org.

Sisters celebrate 60th, 70th jubilees

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INDIANA – Twenty-nine Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, are celebrating jubilees this year. Of the 29 sisters, one has served in the Diocese of Jackson.
Sister Mary Jo Stewart, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., is celebrating her 70th jubilee. Sister Stewart, formerly Sister Joseph Maureen, entered the congregation on Jan. 8, 1945, from St. Ann, Terre Haute. She professed perpetual vows on Aug. 15, 1952.
She graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with a bachelor’s degree in education. She earned her LPN degree from Indiana Vocational Tech, now Ivy Tech Community College.

Sister Mary Jo Stewart

Sister Mary Jo Stewart

In the Jackson diocese she served as a registered nurse at Holly Springs, Cadet Health and Social Services, Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM) (1986-95), as Catholic community outreach, (1995-96), and as a licensed practical nurse, Catholic community outreach (1996-98). In Jackson she volunteered to the home bound (2002-2004). Sister Stewart has also ministered in Indiana, Illinois and California.
She currently ministers in health care at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
The Sisters of Providence, a congregation of nearly 320 women religious, with more than 200 providence associates, exist to further God’s loving plans by devoting themselves to serving others through works of love, mercy and justice.
St. Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840.
Today, Sisters of Providence minister in 17 states, the District of Columbia and Asia. More information about the Sisters of Providence and their ministries may be found at www.SistersofProvidence.org.

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio – The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis held the first of three annual jubilee celebrations on Saturday, April 11, at Marymount Congregational Home in Garfield Heights.
Sister Dolores Sever, who taught in the public and Catholic schools in the Diocese of Jackson for 37 years, celebrated her 60th jubilee with the Sisters at Marymount Congregational Home on April 11.

Sister Dolores Sever

Sister Dolores Sever

Sister Sever entered the congregation in Aug. 1954 from St. Therese in Garfield Heights. After completing her novitiate, she began her teaching ministry in Detroit, Michigan. In 1963, Sister Sever began teaching at St. Francis Mission in Greenwood.
With her many talents and desire to serve others, Sister Sever was often called upon from various schools to substitute for teachers and sometimes even as a principal. She also became an instructional supervisor under Title I to help the poor.
“My greatest enjoyment was the years I spent working with teachers and helping them in the classroom. I will always treasure the close friends I made, both in the school and at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Greenwood. The years in Greenwood were truly rewarding,” states Sister Sever.
She retired in 2011 and currently resides at Villa St. Joseph on the Marymount Congregational Home campus.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ-TOSF), founded in 1901 in Stevens Point, WI, is a Franciscan Community of over 330 members and associates. The SSJ-TOSF has Congregational homes in Stevens Point, WI, Bartlett, IL, and Garfield Heights, OH. The SSJ-TOSF serve in diverse ministries across the United States, Brazil, and Peru.

Catholic Community of Meridian ministers to prisoners

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By Father Frank Cosgrove
MERIDIAN – “I was a prisoner and you visited me . . . as long as you did it for one of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:36-40)
Ministry to prisoners is nothing new for the Catholic Community of Meridian. From 1985-1995 Tom and Joanne Zettler were one of nine families in Meridian who opened their home to prisoners sponsored by the Prison Fellowship Ministries, founded by Chuck Colson.
Prisoners who were still incarcerated would go to the Zettler’s home for a two-week work program. During the day, the prisoners, who were incarcerated for non-violent crimes and were within one year of being released, were assigned to a work project. Tom Zettler told me that they never had problems with the prisoners and that their nine children learned a lot about living their faith.
“These men fully realized that they owed a debt to society. They were willing to pay the debt and continue their lives with God as their leader,” said Zettler. The Zettlers receive Christmas and Easter cards every year from some of the former prisoners. The program was very successful with a recidivism rate of almost zero, according to Zettler. Frequently the prisoners in the program visited Meridian High School and shared their stories with students, hoping to prevent them from committing crimes.
The Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick continues to minister to prisoners incarcerated at the nearby Lost Gap Correctional Facility. For more than 16 years, Dudley Valentine and Mike Lundstrom have visited prisoners and led prayer services. Mike Lundstrom continues the ministry and is now joined by John Maloney, Daniel Pittman and Ken Woodward. We began an RCIA process at the prison in 2011. Since then 26 prisoners have been initiated into the Catholic Church.
On May 21, Bishop Joseph Kopacz received seven prisoners into the church during Mass at the prison. The bishop was accompanied by myself and associate pastor Father José de Jesús Sánchez as well as Deacon Jason Johnston and seminarian Nick Adam. Adam was part of the ministry team before entering the seminary.
“It seems like the men who are locked away have a deep desire for God and, in this case, a deep desire for the sacraments. It was very inspirational to be part of their initiation into the church through baptism, confirmation and Eucharist,” Deacon Johnston noted.
In addition to RCIA, Maloney, Pittman, Woodward and Lundstrom lead a Word and Communion Service weekly and Father Sánchez celebrates Mass once a month. Father Sánchez and I celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation each Advent, Lent and by request. I reassure the prisoners that while they are paying their debt to the state, God is merciful and forgiving and that He accepts and loves them, no matter what crimes they have committed.The prison ministry team has wonderful rapport with the staff and prisoners because they treat them with dignity and respect. Chaplain John Newbaker, a Baptist minister and pastor, is very cooperative and helpful.
Chaplain Newbaker told Deacon Johnston that the Catholic prison ministry at East Mississippi Correctional Facility is one of the most organized, well-rounded ministries at the prison and that the four Catholic volunteers who go there weekly for ministry, work together like a well-oiled machine.
“The ministry, which started only two months after the prison opened in April 1999, with Valentine, was one of the first ministries there,” Newbaker said. “Pastor Cosgrove, along with the other associated pastors, deacons and volunteers have done an excellent job representing the Catholic Community of Meridian. I look forward to them coming each week for service with the offenders.” We are happy for the zeal and commitment of our Prison Ministry Team and the Catholic Community which supports them.
John Maloney loves prison ministry and said he will do it as long as he can walk and drive and he has told the prisoners that. “They prayed hard for me when I had esophageal cancer and I appreciate that. I started ministry to prisoners in 2008 and we started the RCIA process in 2011.”
(Father Cosgrove is the pastor of the Catholic Community of Meridian)

Greenville school gets grant

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GREENVILLE – St. Joseph High School has received a $7,500 grant to further its innovative Google Chromebook Community Initiative.
According to the United Way of Washington County, approximately 30 percent of county residents live at or below the poverty level, making extra funding for nonprofit youth programming difficult or sometimes impossible to obtain. Employees from the Hollandale, Mississippi cotton manufacturing Monsanto site selected three local organizations to receive a total of $20,000 in grants from the Monsanto Fund’s 2015 site grant initiative, including: Living Word After School Enrichment program, St. Joseph and the United Way of Washington County. Representatives from the organizations and the fund celebrated the grants with a group check presentation on Tuesday, June 23.
Funds from the grants will be used by each group to support youth programs.
“We had a successful first year in student use and in production of student-led community problem-solving,” said Paul Artman, principal. The program was started in part thanks to help from the Catholic Foundation. He said he is looking forward to expanding the initiative, which allows high school students to use technology to come up with solutions to problems in their own community.
The Living Word After School plans to support academics and enhance student curriculum. The United Way of Washington County will utilize the grant to fund new technology and community counseling for the Boys & Girls Club.
“This grant will enable Living Word to impact the lives of many children and families in our community,” said Doris Benford, program director at the Living Word After School Enrichment program. “We hope to plant a motivational seed that will inspire children to further their education and carry our students to the bright futures that lie ahead of them. The opportunities arising from this grant will show students that caring community members wish to make a positive difference in their lives.”
For the past three years, employees from the Hollandale site have participated in the United Way Housing Initiative, repairing homes of elderly and disabled people in the community. This is the first year the Hollandale site has partnered with Living Word and St. Joseph Catholic School, but site employees have seen the impact these organizations have on youth throughout the community.
“We are proud to offer grants to three organizations that serve our community,” said Carol Haywood, administrative assistant at the Hollandale site. “The needs of each individual group inspired our nomination, and we feel that supporting each one of these organizations will help improve our schools and strengthen our neighborhoods.”
This year, the Monsanto Fund awarded $1.2 million to nonprofit organizations through the site grant initiative to help address critical needs in rural communities.

SHSM welcomes summer volunteers

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By Laura Grisham
SOUTHAVEN – Summer is finally here! School is out, much to the relief of teachers and students alike. Vacations are at the top of the list, but in addition to planning for beach or mountain getaways, many people have decided to spend a time in the Mississippi Delta with Sacred Heart Southern Missions’ (SHSM) Volunteer Program.
Local and long distance guests have rolled up their sleeves over the past few weeks to lend a hand on a number of rehab projects. The amount of work that has been accomplished is phenomenal.

Sadie Dixon helps her father Paul Dixon build a wheelchair ramp. The whole family does summer service.

Sadie Dixon helps her father Paul Dixon build a wheelchair ramp. The whole family does summer service.

The Dixon family, who attend Olive Branch Queen of Peace Parish, is no stranger to SHSM. Earlier in the spring, Crystal, Paul and their four youngest children, helped plant seedlings at the Garden Cafe in Holly Springs. Cafe guests were able to see and eat the fruits of their labor, as the first eight bell peppers were harvested in June. Soon, squash, peppers, carrots, beans, cantaloupes, and tomatoes will all be on the menu!
Itching to get their hands dirty again, the Dixons helped construct wheelchair ramps for two of our clients and have plans to work on roofing, plumbing, painting and sheetrock projects in the upcoming weeks. Crystal said that it was a real blessing to work with SHSM and was pleased to be able to enrich the family with a service experience. “We were looking for an opportunity for the family to work together. I made lots of calls and many were accepting of us adults, but thought the children would get in the way,” said Dixon. “Sacred Heart welcomed all of us with open arms.”
In addition to families, SHSM has been blessed with the youth of the six parishes in the region contributing time and talent to many projects. In mid-June, 20 young men, along with a handful of chaperones, made a decided difference at three client homes, the Garden Cafe and Dehon Village.

Nine-year-old Jake Dixon works on a wheelchair ramp with his family.

Nine-year-old Jake Dixon works on a wheelchair ramp with his family.

From painting and sheetrock to plumbing and cooking, these teens got a real workout, but also benefited from the service experience. Ryan Harra of Queen of Peace Parish said he was surprised that there were so many people in need so close to home. Another commented how he took ‘the little things’ for granted until he saw how little others had.
First time retreat participant and Eagle Scout Lyndon Meng, put part of the scouting oath into action. The oath reads: “Many people need help. A cheery smile and a helping hand make life easier for others. By doing a Good Turn daily and helping when you’re needed, you prove yourself a Scout and do your part to make this a better world.”
But it was not all work and no play for the retreat participants. Evening respites of bowling, swimming and a cookout rejuvenated the young men for the week’s work. The experience for them culminated with the June 12 feast of the Sacred Heart Mass and celebration at Christ the King—a fitting end to a week of service.

A volunteer for Sacred Heart Southern Missions paints a home in North Mississippi.

A volunteer for Sacred Heart Southern Missions paints a home in North Mississippi.

The next week girls from the same parishes made a service retreat and picked up where the boys had left off, completing several projects, including new plumbing for one client as well as paint and repair work on several homes.
A group from Chicago to Memphis of more than a dozen high school students from the St. Ignatius Seniors Rising program and chaperones made their annual trek. They made much needed repairs to rotted areas of exterior wood and added two good coats of paint to two homes.
Holly is a 68-year-old veteran chaperone for St. Ignatius and has been volunteering for their “summer immersion” for the past 17 years. Despite her family’s request to slow down, she is determined to continue until age 70, when she plans to ask her family to join her on the volunteer trip as their “birthday present” to her.
Another volunteer, 17-year-old Jack, perched atop a ladder slathering paint on carport trim, stated it was his first time with the group. He said he had enjoyed his time so far and was pleased that he had been able to meet the elderly lady for whom he invested his time.
Just north at another client site, Isabel was fighting wasps and heavy humidity as she coated a window sash with paint. Her group repaired and re-glazed all of the windows and tackled an all-wood exterior thirsty for a good coat of paint at an early 1930s home north of Red Banks. Isabel shared that this particular day was her favorite, as the group was able to bring a project to fruition. “Being able to see how your work helps people is so

Young women from the parishes in the Sacred Heart Southern Missions area spent a week doing service in their community. (Photos courtesy of Laura Grisham)

Young women from the parishes in the Sacred Heart Southern Missions area spent a week doing service in their community. (Photos courtesy of Laura Grisham)

rewarding, and is the Jesuit way,” she said. (St. Ignatius was the first Superior General of the Jesuit order of religious. Part of Jesuit formation is the undertaking of service specifically to the poor and sick in the most humble ways.)
These are just some of the volunteers that have made a difference recently. Anyone interested in participating in the volunteer program should contact Laura Grisham at lgrisham@shsm.org or 662-342-3316
(Reprinted with permission from the Sacred Heart Southern Missions June 18 newsletter.)

Little sister, Sadie, age 3, wanted to get in on the action too.
SHSM’s Lee Smith (left) and volunteer Paul Dixon (right) pause with homeowner “Henry” to show him the progress on his new wheelchair ramp.

Summer mission work highlights drive to serve

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By Maureen Smith
GREENWOOD – They come from the frozen north and from around the corner. They paint, clean, build and run summer camps. They offer a bit of themselves in service and return home all the richer for it. Summer is the season for service trips.  Groups from Chicago, Wayne, Ill., Manitowoc, Wis., and local young adults spread out in the Delta and in North Mississippi in June and July to do service work during their summer.
A group of 70 adults and young adults caravaned from Resurrection Catholic Community in Wayne, Ill., to spend two weeks in Greenwood in early June. This is the largest group to come from Illinois, but is the seventh time a group has made the trip.

Volunteers from Wayne, Ill., and representatives from Sherwin Williams painted 14 homes in Greenwood in June. (Photo courtesy of Kim Walker)

Volunteers from Wayne, Ill., and representatives from Sherwin Williams painted 14 homes in Greenwood in June. (Photo courtesy of Kim Walker)

Father Gregory Plata, OFM, was associate pastor at Resurrection 25 years ago. He made many friends there, including a man who was an executive at paint manufacturer Sherwin Williams and Kim and Marty Walker. “Eight years ago he was up visiting,” said Kim Walker. “We asked him if he would have projects to work on if we got a group together to come down,” she said. Father Plata had a long list of things a volunteer group could do and a tradition was born.
The Walkers divided the group into three sections. The first ran a vacation Bible school at Greenwood Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the mornings. “It is one of the only ones open to kids of any faith, any race, any background,” said Walker. They also provided lunch for the 70 kids who attended.
A second group ran an afternoon enrichment program. “They read a story that provided a theme for the day and each day had a different theme,” explained Walker. The group helps run a fish fry fundraiser midway through their visit.
The remaining volunteers fan out around town to power wash and paint houses and other structures. This year they painted 14 homes, washed four and painted a downtown building that will be used as an after-school center. Sherwin Williams donates paint, ladders and other supplies and also opens up the trip as an opportunity for employees to do service. This year nine managers from around the country joined the group to paint, but that’s not all. “They come down to inspect the homes we painted, even the ones from seven years ago,” said Father Plata. “They want to make sure the paint lasts and is holding up,” he explained.
Both Walker and Father Plata explained that these projects do more than just make things look better. Last year the group painted a community center in Baptist Town, one of the poorest sections of town. “It was great to see people from Baptist Town come out while we worked, they brought drinks and interacted with the kids,” said Father Plata.
“Some of the people who helped with that were able to go back this year and see the building in use. It has Pilates classes, meeting places, classrooms and kids activities,” said Walker. Father Plata said the work this group does often acts as a catalyst in conjunction with the work of other church and community groups to revitalize a structure and the surrounding community.

Vacation Bible school and an afternoon program at Immaculate Conception included games for local kids. (Photo courtesy of Kim Walker)

Vacation Bible school and an afternoon program at Immaculate Conception included games for local kids. (Photo courtesy of Kim Walker)

“I really appreciate that they are working out in the Mississippi heat, especially coming from the north. I have gone out there with them when they are painting and – God bless the work they are doing because it can be brutal,” said Father Plata.
The week after the Illinois group left, another came, this time from Manitowoc, Wis. For the past six years, this group has been traveling from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Manitowoc to the parish of the same name in Greenwood. The trip was the brainchild of Deacon Rich Bahnaman, who started an ecumenical service organization that spends time overseas and in America helping those in need. The Franciscan Sisters who teach at the school in Greenwood are based in Manitowoc so the parishes have a connection already.
This year 10 volunteers ran a week-long summer camp at St. Francis of Assisi School. On the first day of the camp, Monday, June 22, a hundred children attended. The school served breakfast and lunch.
First-time volunteer Danielle Lipski is not Catholic, but did a school counseling internship under Deacon Bahnaman. “When I did my internships I had no cultural experience and it’s just important to experience different cultures. For example, some of the kids here don’t know English as well as the other kids so that was a new experience,” said Lipski.
“My wife has been down here many times and many good friends like Mark and Lisa (Knipp) have been down here and have nothing but good things to say about it. They all say there is a piece of Greenwood in their hearts,” said Jerrod Jirikowic, another first-time volunteer. “This was actually a stepping stone for my wife to do mission trips. It was the first one she was on and now she has since gone down to Jamaica a couple times,” he added.
Lisa and Mark Knipp are regulars. This year they brought along their 14-year-old daughter Abbey for the first time. Both said they have enjoyed watching some of the kids who attend camp every year grow up and become camp volunteers. “Our oldest daughter Erin was a freshman in college when she came. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but was kind of struggling at the end of that freshman year, so she came down and after we left, she said ‘yes, I am supposed to be a teacher,’” said Lisa.
Walker said members of her group have had similar experiences. “To me it’s overwhelming that it started as a ‘can we help’ thing with about 20 people,” said Walker. “I never signed on to change people’s lives, but that’s what has happened,” she said. In addition to watching the community pride build as projects are completed and expanded, Walker said the volunteers go home changed. At the end of the week volunteers are invited to share the impact the trip has had on them. More than one has changed their course of college study or changed their idea of what career to pursue.
(Editor’s note: see page 16 for related story)

Diocesan Catholic Schools Class of 2015 by the numbers

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ST. JOSEPH GREENVILLE
Graduates: 28
Graduation rate: 100 percent
Percentage of college bound: 96 percent
Percentage of scholarship recipients: 75 percent
Largest scholarship awarded: $262,072
Total scholarship money earned: $1,761,311 earned
Notable colleges: Washginton University in St. Louis; Washington & Lee; Trinity University (San Antonio).
Senior class service hours: more than 2,800

MADISON ST. JOSEPH
Graduates: 67
Graduation rate: 100 percent
Percentage of college bound: 99 percent
Percentage of scholarship recipients: 75 percent
Largest scholarship awarded: $640,000
Total scholarship money earned: $3.600,000
Senior class service hours: 12,730
Notable colleges: University of San Diego, Catholic University of America, University of Notre Dame, Fordham, U.S. Army

NATCHEZ CATHEDRAL
Graduates: 38
Graduation rate: 100 percent
Percentage of college bound: 97 percent
Percentage of scholarship recipients: 100 percent
Largest scholarship awarded: $125,000
Total scholarship money earned: $3.5 million +
Senior class service hours: 10,000+
Notable colleges: University of Virginia, University of Kentucky, Spring Hill College, TCU, SMU, Seattle Pacific University, Reed College, Baylor University, United States Marine Corps, Aveda Institute

ST. ALOYSIUS  VICKSBURG
Graduates: 43
Graduation rate: 97.7 percent
Percentage of college bound: 98 percent
Percentage of scholarship recipients: 88 percent
Largest scholarship awarded: $450,000
Total scholarship money earned: $6,769,445
Senior class service hours:  3,947
Notable colleges: West Point (2) Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Cornell.

Carmelite community kicks off centenary celebration with Mass

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JACKSON – The Discalced Carmelite nuns, Carmelite Seculars of the Diocese of Jackson and Father Bonaventure Sauer, OCD, provincial delegate, attended a Mass in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz Saturday, June 6, in honor of the fifth centenary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila. Retired Bishops Joseph Latino and William Houck concelebrated.
Father Sauer was the homilist and centered his message on the theme the sisters chose for this special anniversary, “keeping Christ present is what we of ourselves can do.” “We are called to a life of ‘keeping Christ present’ to ourselves in our families, our friendships, our work, our play, in the movements of our hearts, in the working and rumination, the prejudices and presumptions of our minds,” he said.
Father Sauer noted when it comes to prayer, we can learn to quiet ourselves, to gather up our scattered minds and still our busy hearts, setting aside all the internal clutter we are collecting each day, every day, all the stuff that is piling up like so many scraps of paper. “We can, very simply, strive to be still and, in that inner stillness, right here, right now, enter into the presence of Christ, our crucified and risen Lord.”
Members of the Carmelite order will continue celebrating this milestone for an entire year. All are invited to the monastery on Terry Road in Jackson for the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel on Sunday, July 19, at 7 p.m.

Catholic young adults share ideas, discuss challenges at listening session

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By Maureen Smith
Christopher Luke, coordinator for the office of Stewardship represented the Diocese of Jackson at a listening session for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church – African American Affairs.
Twenty-five black Catholic young adults from across the nation gathered in Marriottsville Md., the last weekend in May. In the invitation, the USCCB stated that the intent of the meeting was “to help us begin to develop viable approaches and resources to effectively evangelize and cultivate leadership from this group (black young adults) within the Catholic Church.”
The selection process was competitive. USCCB asked dioceses and institutions to nominate participants who are active in their faith and have the potential to be leaders in the Catholic community. The group ranged in age from mid-20s to mid-30s. Will Jemison, Coordinator of Black Catholic Ministry for the diocese, nominated Luke. “The session allows those of us at the diocesan and parish level to learn more of what our young adults and youth experience in their faith journey; what they wish to see done to improve their Catholic experience; and ability to understand, translate, and share their faith with others,” he said.
Participants met at Bon Secours Retreat Center, in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, for a full weekend of presentations, discussion, fellowship, liturgy and personal prayer. Luke said he enjoyed the meeting and came back energized by what he learned. There were five sessions during the weekend, each with its own theme including ‘what is your experience of church,’ ‘what do Catholics believe,’ ‘finding our story in the Christian story,’ ‘our role in the Catholic Church’ and ‘cultivating an evangelizing spirit.’
One of the speakers presented the six models of the church community from Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ. The cardinal wrote a book explaining that the six, church as institution, community, sacrament, herald, servant and school of discipleship must work in balance for a parish community to work as it should.
“When those six models come together we come closer to living as the body of Christ,” said Luke. He said other speakers challenged the participants asking if their beliefs are reflected in how they live and urging them to take an active role in their parishes and communities. “In the last session we talked about what our role is and what we want to be, so that in the next step, to move toward what we want to be.”
Luke said the conference speakers encouraged those present to examine and strengthen their personal prayer and spiritual lives. He said the group was very dynamic. “It (the meeting) provided good insights. Everybody had good ideas and they weren’t too shy to let you know what’s going on and what needs to happen,” he said.  He also noted that it was interesting to hear people from vastly different communities are facing similar challenges. “As you told your story, everybody else had the same story,” Luke added.

Donor challenges diocese, Habitat to build Pope Francis House

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JACKSON – For more than 30 years, Catholics across the Diocese of Jackson have supported Habitat for Humanity through Catholic Build projects. This year, an extra house honoring Pope Francis, is being added to the project list. An anonymous donor has offered half of the funds needed for a Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capitol Area house for a low-income family needing a safe, decent place to live if the community can raise $40,000 in matching funds.
The donor has provided grants to build several other Pope Francis houses, including ones in St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Huntersville, North Carolina. The anonymous donor said the purpose is to honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church; to provide a unifying, celebratory opportunity for both Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers to work towards a common goal; and to further Habitat’s mission of building and preserving homes.
“The challenge from an anonymous donor is a special opportunity for both the Catholic and non-Catholic communities to build a home for a local family in need, while honoring Pope Francis’ teachings that, ‘The love of the poor is at the heart of the Gospel,’” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz. Bishop Kopacz spoke with several media outlets in support of the project and all the work Habitat does to help rebuild communities. “He is encouraging us to improve people’s lives by breaking the cycle of poverty and building our community, which is certainly the focus of Habitat for Humanity.”
“When they told me, I was just speechless,” said Shavers Houston, who will receive the Pope Francis House. “It is an exciting time for me, because it’s going to be the first time I’m going out on my own to buy a house,” he said. Houston has four children ranging in age from 13 to six. Teams of volunteers will build the family a five bedroom, two bath home on Greenview Drive, next to Jackson St. Therese Church. This is not the first time the Catholic community has been a part of a Greenview project. Last year, volunteers from a number of churches in the area including St. Therese, participated in a Habitat sponsored cleanup day on the block. Habitat hopes to revitalize the whole block in time.
“When I told them they didn’t believe me!” He said of his children. “I had to tell them, ‘I’m telling the truth.’ They are very excited,” said Houston. The kids will have to change schools and make some other adjustments, but Houston, who grew up in the neighborhood where the house is being built, said they love school and learning so he is not concerned. Houston works as a maintenance man at a Jackson apartment complex, a job he loves.
Getting to this point was a long road for the family. Houston heard a radio advertisement about Habitat 10 years ago. “All I did was give it a shot and call.” Before he could qualify he had to take classes on home ownership, perform community service at Stewpot and contribute ‘sweat equity’ by working on other Habitat homes. “I’m just so honored to know this home is going to be historic. People are going to know I live in a house dedicated to Pope Francis – that’s amazing,” said Houston, who is not Catholic, but is grateful for the support from the Catholic community.
“Anytime a donor is able to give a sponsorship of a Habitat house in honor of someone, that makes the build all the more special,” said Cindy Griffin, executive director of HFHMCA. “Giving our community the opportunity to work together ecumenically to honor Pope Francis is a very special build,” Griffin said. “We encourage the community to be a part of this exciting partnership by donating today so we can meet the match and not lose this opportunity to honor the Pope and help a family in need,” added Griffin.
“I just want to thank all the people who are donating toward the build. I want to than the anonymous donor. It is a blessing to know that people are giving their hard-earned money to help others,” said Houston. The Pope Francis House is being built in addition to the regular Catholic Build house this year, so organizers must raise the $40,000 matching grant in addition to $80,000 for the Catholic Build.
To donate or learn more about the Pope Francis Build, visit the HFHMCA website at www.habitatmca.org or call 601-353-6060.