Below is the confirmation schedule for 2015. If a candidate is unable to attend the celebration in their local area, the pastor or confirmation coordinator should contact the parish where they would be able to receive the sacrament.

April 12 – St. Richard Parish, Jackson – 5 pm
April 19 – St. Joseph Parish, Gluckstadt – 5 pm
April 21 – Annunciation Parish, Columbus – 6 pm
April 22 – St. Elizabeth Parish, Clarksdale – 6 pm
April 29 – St. Francis Parish, Madison – 6 pm
May 2 – St. John Parish, Oxford – 11 am
May 2 – St. Francis Parish, New Albany – 4:30 pm
May 3 – St. Luke Parish, Bruce – 11 am
May 5 – St. Jude Parish, Pearl – 6 pm
May 9 – St. Joseph Parish, Greenville – 11 am
May 10 – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston – 11:15 am
May 10 – St. Helen Parish, Amory – 4:30 pm
May 12 – St. Patrick Parish, Meridian – 6 pm
May 14 – St. Mary Basilica, Natchez – 6 pm
May 17 – Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland – 5 pm
July 25 – St. James Parish, Tupelo – 4:30 pm
Oct. 25 – Christ the King Parish, Southaven, 5 pm

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – When children spend their days at Karitas Day Care, a ministry of Catholic Charities, they get much more than just educational opportunities, structure and healthy food. They also get extra grandparents. One of the perks of the daycare is that several foster grandparents spend a couple hours every day providing extra love and attention to the babies and children there.
The daycare was recently approved by the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ Division of Early Childhood Care and Development (DECCD) to accept Child Care and Development Fund Certificates to provide child care assistance to low-income families. Previously, families had to be referred to Karitas, but now anyone can apply for a certificate and enroll a child.
The center takes children aged 6-weeks to 12 years and is open from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. “We offer children a structured and secure environment – a safe place,” said director Caroline Bealer. She has been on the job for 19 years. “This is more than just a job to me, it’s a mission,” Bealer said and that seems to hold true for other staff members as well. One of the teachers has served the center for 30 years.
Karitas provides tutoring, field trips, arts and crafts, opportunities for sports and dramatic play, tutoring and homework help for school-aged children who come for after school care and welcomes special visitors such as firefighters. Karitas provides lunch, supper and snacks. The children are divided by age and there is a limit to how many children can be enrolled so teachers can maintain a good ratio with the kids. Computers are available for older children who need them to complete homework.
The foster grandparents are just a bonus. Many of them have also been coming for years. Bealer said for low-income parents having a child care option is good for the whole family.  “Having a daycare option will allow a parent to do things they may not be able to do with small children at home such as seek employment or seek challenges and goals to better themselves,” she said. She added that the children benefit as well.
“Sometimes, you will see a child who has never been away from a parent so when they go to school it can be a struggle,” she added. The teachers at Karitas all have certifications in early childhood education so they help the children with social skills, gross and fine motor skills as well as some of the educational benchmarks that can benefit them when they do start school.
The center is located directly behind Jackson Holy Family Parish on Forest Street in Northeast Jackson. Parents interested in sending their children to Karitas should first apply for a certificate on the state website: www.childcareinfo.ms. Select Catholic Charities as the provider and fill out the application. For more information on the programs at Karitas, call the center at 601-366-8281.

SINSINAWA, Wis. — A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Dorothy Ann Griff, OP, was celebrated at Queen of the Rosary Chapel March 16. Burial took place in the Motherhouse Cemetery. Sister Griff died March 13 at St. Dominic Villa. Her religious name was Sister Ephrem. She served in Mississippi, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Iowa and Texas.
In the Diocese of Jackson, Sister Griff taught adult education and was literacy coordinator at Sacred Heart Southern Missions, Walls, from 1990-1998, and served as literacy instructor at DeSoto Center Literacy Council, Hernando, from 1998-2001, and tutor at Northwest Community College, Southaven, from 2001-2007.
Memorials may be made to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI, 53824-9701 or online at www.sinsinawa.org by clicking on “Donate Now,” then “Honor and Memorial Gift.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ursuline Sister Helen Marie Lutz, died March 19 at the age of 87 in Louisville, Ky. Born in Canton, Sister Lutz taught at Camden Sacred Heart High School from 1982 to 1992. From 1992 to 1995, she was a literacy program assistant in Canton and in volunteer ministry to the sick and elderly there.
Sister Lutz attended Mississippi State College for Women in Columbus, Miss., before transferring to Ursuline College in Louisville.
Besides Mississippi, Sister Lutz served in Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.  From 1995 to 2005, Sister Lutz was a resident of the Ursuline Motherhouse in Louisville, serving as a receptionist and tutor before moving to Mercy Sacred Heart in 2010.
Memorials may be made to the Ursuline Sisters and mailed to the Mission Advancement Office, 3105 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206.

JACKSON – The Mississippi Knights of Columbus Foundation Board of Directors approved Greg Patin, a member of Jackson St. Richard’s Council 15131, as the newest volunteer executive director of the foundation.
The Knights of Columbus Foundation was formed to receive and disburse grant funds for organizations serving children with special needs in the State of Mississippi. These organizations include the state chapter of Special Olympics, The McDougal Center in Tupelo, St. Richard’s Special Kids and other organizations that help individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Most councils raise money by selling Tootsie Rolls in April and May of each year. The funds are received by the foundation and designated by the Councils to be given to a specific organization, usually in the council’s community.
This year, the foundation expanded its services to receive and disburse funds for disaster relief efforts by Knights of Columbus Councils in Mississippi. “My long-time experience with disaster relief efforts will help strengthen this new outreach of the foundation,” said Patin who succeeds Larry Tabor, who served in the role for the past four years.
Patin is excited to serve in his new role and help the foundation become better known in the state.

(Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, Mississippi Catholic requested reflections from the orders of consecrated people serving in the Diocese of Jackson. As those reflections come in, we will share them in the paper as part of the Year of Consecrated Life. Four Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity shared their thoughts on their current work while Sister Judith Norwick, OSF, who has since left her work in Greenwood shared her own reflection on the community. Religious wishing to submit a reflection should send it to editor@mississippicatholic.com.)
The members of our community include Sister Elena Gonzáles Sister Annette Kurey, Sister Mary Ann Tupy and Sister Kathleen Murphy. We are currently serving at Greenwood St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Our Community Charisms are simplicity, firmly built on faith in a loving God; joyful acceptance of poverty; love for the church, and selfless dedication to the service of others.
Our Community‘s ministries are mainly education and health care though we do have sisters who are parish administrators or use their gifts in different ministries. So when the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary Province asked our Community to work with them here in the Mississippi Delta at St. Francis of Assisi grade school it seemed like a perfect fit. Our school goes from Pre-K to sixth grade.
The school was started in 1951 to serve mainly the African American community here in Greenwood. Today we still serve largely the African American community, but our open door policy welcomes Hispanic families and those of other ethnicities as well.
To celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life we Sisters join in a monthly Holy hour during which we recite a prayer in celebration of Consecrated Life. To initiate the year to our parish we held an open house at our convent on Sunday, February 8th.
We will also be praying as a parish for all of the consecrated men and women religious who have ever served here at St. Francis from its beginnings until today. Another part of celebrating our call to consecrated life is sharing that life through vocation outreach activities. As the year unfolds other opportunities to pray and share will be coming.
My name is Sister Judith Norwick, O.S.F. I served at St. Francis of Assisi Parish during the school years of 2003 – 2009 in parish ministry – visiting the homebound, bringing the Eucharist to them and also to our parishioners in nursing homes or in the hospital.  I was also a part of the RCIA team, and helped in school wherever needed and in our local food pantry. I found the people of Greenwood very welcoming, warm, and friendly, “as warm as the weather in the South.” I miss each one of them.

By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – As we make our way through Holy Week which began with the celebration of Palm Sunday, we look back and take stock of the beauty and sacred moments these liturgies of this most holy of weeks provide. On Palm Sunday we joined with Catholics around the world in blessing palms and remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
A few minutes later we embarked upon the passion narrative of St. Mark. With this festive beginning that transcends into the passion and death of Jesus, we begin our own journey into “Jerusalem” and the holiest of weeks in our church’s tradition.
On Tuesday, we celebrated the Mass of Chrism in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, where with the presbyterate gathered around, Bishop Joseph Kopacz blessed the oils of catechumens and the sick and consecrated the Sacred Chrism. These oils presented to parish representatives were taken back to home parishes for use throughout the year to anoint the sick and baptize infants and adults. A striking point in this Mass is the Renewal of Priestly Commitment where the priests present renew the promises they made at their ordination.
On Wednesday in the cathedral, we prayed and sang the Office of Tenebrae, an ancient part of the Liturgy of the Hours that reflects on the suffering of Jesus Christ while offering a glimmer of hope at the end in one remaining lighted candle. It is always a very moving ceremony that features readings from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, psalms and hymns on the cross and crown of thorns. After each reading a candle on the altar is extinguished until one is left burning and offering hope.
The Sacred Triduum begins and Lent officially ended with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday. This Mass is filled with rituals and symbols revolving around the true meaning of the Eucharist – sacrifice and service. The Gospel reading from St. John is that of the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus. In the liturgy 12 feet are washed by the bishop who, in the image of Christ, reflects the servanthood of being a follower of Jesus. At this liturgy a second ciborium of hosts is consecrated for distribution on Good Friday.
The final movement of the Holy Thursday liturgy is the transfer of the ciborium by procession to an area separate from the main altar perhaps even in another building. In St. Peter Cathedral the altar of repose is decorated to look like a middle eastern garden with palms in urns and fresh budding flowers to reflect the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray and was ultimately betrayed and also to foreshadow the garden tomb. The faithful remained in prayer and adoration trying to stay with the Lord.
Good Friday is one of my favorite liturgies of the church. It is once again an ancient ritual – one of the oldest in the church’s centuries old liturgical tradition. The altar is bare, stripped of all ornamentation and the liturgy begins in silence. The starkness of the church is quite striking.
The passion narrative of St. John is read, and then the general intercessions are chanted or recited. Following these time honored prayers we venerate the cross. What a moving moment to be able to touch or kiss the cross and watch our fellow Catholics come forward and do the same knowing that so many of them have had trials and struggles in their lives throughout the past year.
Once the veneration is finished, the altar is set with a simple red cloth and corporal.  The ciborium of hosts consecrated the evening before is brought to the altar for distribution to the faithful. The liturgy ends in silence and we are left to contemplate Christ on the cross.
Contrasting the starkness of Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses lift us up from despair because we know the tomb is empty and the Lord has risen.
As we complete our Holy Week journey for this year, we should reflect on this great week filled with intricate and deeply sacred liturgies. We too walk the path of our Lord as he makes his way to Jerusalem, the upper room, the garden, the cross, the tomb and finally the Resurrection.
Let us all open our hearts and minds to the passion of our Lord and the sacrifice he made for us all so that on Easter morning we can truly sing with joyful hearts – Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! Alleluia!
(Mary Woodward is the Chancellor for the Diocese of Jackson.)