By Staff Reports
JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson’s Office of Catholic Education recently completed a major milestone with its system reaccreditation review conducted by Cognia, Inc., from April 8–10, 2025. The review was led by Dr. Michael Bratcher, Cognia’s Director of Accreditation Services and the national liaison for Catholic school accreditation. His extensive experience and expertise in evaluating Catholic institutions made him especially well-suited to assess our system’s distinct governance structure, Canonical foundations and deeply rooted Catholic identity.

Unlike public or independent schools, Catholic school systems require evaluators who understand the unique relationships between pastors and principals, the influence of Canon Law, and the integral role of faith in daily instruction. Dr. Bratcher’s presence marked a significant response to longstanding requests for accreditation professionals who can truly appreciate these complexities.

The Office of Catholic Education was evaluated across four primary domains: Culture of Learning, Leadership for Learning, Engagement of Learning, and Growth in Learning – encompassing 30 rigorous standards. These areas, designed with the student as the central stakeholder, were assessed through surveys, performance data and in-depth classroom observations.

Cognia accreditation is internationally recognized for its high standards and emphasis on continuous improvement. The Diocese of Jackson first earned this prestigious system-wide accreditation in 2019. Under this model, every school in the diocesan system shares in the accreditation status, promoting consistency, excellence and accountability throughout.

Following this year’s engagement review, the Diocese of Jackson received an Index of Educational Quality (IEQ) score of 389 out of 400 – an exceptional result that stands 93 points above Cognia’s global network average of 296. This achievement reflects the outstanding efforts of diocesan Catholic school educators and administrators, who remain committed to excellence and mission-driven service.

Karla Luke, executive director of Catholic Schools said that to achieve a score of this caliber means diocesan school systems are solid, the best practices are imbedded in operations and instruction, and the diocesan Catholic school system is continuously striving for improvement.

“I am so very proud of the efforts of our Catholic School community in the entire Diocese of Jackson. I would like to thank our teachers and administrators for consistently delivering such high-quality education to our students,” said Luke.

The diocese extends special thanks to the leadership team that helped prepare for the review: Mary Arledge (Vicksburg Catholic Schools), Kimberley Burkley (Cathedral Catholic School), Dr. Dena Kinsey (St. Joseph Catholic School, Madison), and Office of Catholic Education staff members Rachel Patterson and Virginia Hollingsworth.

“With this outstanding reaccreditation behind them, diocesan leaders look forward to sharing more exciting developments in Catholic education in the months ahead,” said Luke.

(To learn more about Cognia Accreditation and review performance standards visit https://www.cognia.org/accreditation.)

By Madelyn Johnson
PEARL – On April 4, 2025, Bishop Joseph Kopcaz and Father Lincoln Dall blessed the gardens at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) in Pearl. The gardens are part of the Garden Project, a rehabilitation project at CMCF.

The goal of the Garden Project is to help the inmates increase their earnings after being released from prison. The project teaches men not only the basic aspects of gardening but also gives them the ability to better their family’s living conditions. Shaw hopes it will help incarcerated individuals with the ability to become safer members of society and commit fewer crimes.

There are two phases to the Garden Project – home gardening and farmers market management. Books and literature are donated by the Mississippi State University Agriculture Extension to assist with learning. The goal of these phases is to help men harvest and plant their own gardens, and to possibly create and manage their own booth at a local farmers market.

Michael Shaw is the recreational director at CMCF. The Garden Project was one of his ideas to create additional value to time served.

“What is needed is a way to supplement income for these guys here, says Shaw. “Getting out of prison, they will make on average $9 per hour. With the garden project, we can teach these guys how to grow their own gardens and bring that income up to $11 per hour.”

Shaw recalls his time at CMCF, stating that he kept to himself until he saw the need for more programs for rehabilitation for the inmates. Shaw worked on many different projects, like writing classes, until being promoted to recreational director. Wanting to produce a safer society and give the chance for incarcerated men to help their families once released from prison is Shaw’s main goal.

“These guys that come in have big families, some five or six kids,” says Shaw. “When they are released they have no work, no family resources and low income. They need a way to subsidize their income.”

The community can help with the Garden Project by shopping at local farmers markets. “We don’t need monetary or physical donations,” says Shaw. “We need people to shop at local farmers markets to support our guys.”

What Shaw really wants the community to know is this quote from Dorothy Day, “Why was so much done in remedying evil instead of avoiding it in the first place?”

Currently, the gardens at CMCF are flourishing, the inmates just harvested their first vegetables: cabbage and lettuce. Father Lincoln recently brought in homemade salad dressing so that the inmates could enjoy their harvests. The men are hopeful that a local farmers market will allow them to sell their crops soon. Shaw received a 2025 Bishop Chanche Award for his efforts on the Garden Project.

By Madelyn Johnson
GLUCKSTADT – Many Catholic mothers carry deep concern about their children’s faith. Whether praying for strength as their children face life’s struggles or longing for them to return to the church, these mothers often turn to St. Monica – patron saint of mothers – for guidance and hope.
Inspired by St. Monica’s unwavering devotion, Millions of Monicas is a growing movement of women who gather at a local parish to pray for the faith of their children and loved ones who have strayed from the church.

Meeting once a week, the group strives to encounter God through prayer for their children. Since its inception in June 2021 in Grand Rapids, Michigan by three mothers who were struggling with their children’s faith journey in this tumultuous world, Millions of Monicas has grown to over 2,000 members in over 100 parishes. Each group is affiliated with a local parish and follows a simple, consistent format rooted in quiet prayer versus personal sharing or discussion.

Jane VanHouten is one of the founding members of the movement. When asked about the impact she hopes Millions of Monicas will make she says, “We at Millions of Monicas do not seek anything but what God wills for our ministry. It started with just three women fervently praying for each other’s children and has been lovingly anointed by God’s grace to grow and move hearts toward Him.”

In the Diocese of Jackson, St. Joseph Church in Gluckstadt hosts a Millions of Monicas group every Tuesday. The group started much like the original group with a few women who wanted to pray for the faith of their struggling children and sought guidance from their priest.

Fran Patterson, another member of the group, began praying to St. Monica when her children were young, asking the saint to have her intercede and help her be a faithful model of the Catholic faith for her four children. Today, Millions of Monicas continues to nourish her spiritually.

“For me, it has been very powerful to pray with this group of women each week,” says Patterson. “Knowing that each week there are several women who are praying for me and my specific prayer intention – and that I get to do the same for them – has strengthened my faith. I love this ministry because it is simply a holy hour of prayer. We come knowing what to expect and do not need to share any details or are ever expected to, we are there to pray – with and for one another and ourselves.”
Patterson brings words of welcome and encouragement to women who may be hesitant to join, as Millions of Monicas will always strive to help Catholic women pray for their children and others return to the faith.

“Prayer is powerful and prayer as a group is even more so,” says Patterson. “This is not a time of personal sharing of your story but a very intentional and structured time of prayer. The goal is to unite our hearts and prayers together each week as we pray for our loved ones and ourselves. The group is made up of mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, spiritual mothers, confirmation sponsors, etc.”

The Millions of Monicas group at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstadt meets every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All women are welcome to join in this sacred hour of intercessory prayer.

St. Monica, pray for us!