By Monsignor Elvin Sunds
JACKSON – One day a pastor was giving his fourth-grade religion class a tour of the church. As they went through the church, he pointed out the altar, tabernacle, pulpit, crucifix, baptismal font, book of Gospels, etc. He explained the significance and importance of each. Finally, at the end of the tour he said there was one more very important item.
He pointed to the exit sign at the main door of the church. He explained that if what we celebrate for one hour on Sunday morning does not make a difference in how we live the rest of the week, we have missed the purpose of our Sunday worship. As we exit the church, we cannot leave at the door what we celebrate in the Mass and read in the Scriptures. Our faith is not meant to be confined to the four walls of the church building. It is meant to be lived every day outside the walls of the church.
We find the same message in the Gospels. After giving us the Beatitudes Jesus says we are the light of the world. We must let our light shine before all “so that they may see the goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father” (Mt. 14-16). Likewise, in the Epistle of James (2:14-24), we read that faith without action is lifeless and worthless.

The Faith in Action Team of the Diocese of Jackson seeks to help Catholics and Catholic parishes put their faith into action. It supports the efforts of Catholic Charities to encourage and assist parishes in putting faith into action through service to the community especially to the marginalized and vulnerable. The Faith in Action Team also identifies and prioritizes issues that have an impact on human life and dignity in the diocese. It seeks to educate Catholics on those issues and solicit their support in addressing the issues.
A major activity of the Faith in Action Team of the Diocese of Jackson is organizing the annual Catholic Day at the Capitol. At the Catholic Day at the Capitol, Catholics gather to witness to our Catholic values concerning issues impacting the population of our state, especially the vulnerable and marginalized of the state. One to three priority issues are identified and addressed each year. Materials are developed to inform Catholics of these issues and how our Catholic values speak to the issues. This year’s Catholic Day at the Capitol is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2020. More information will be provided in the months ahead.
The Faith and Action Team is composed of volunteer laypersons, religious and clergy from around the diocese. Membership is open to all that desire to actively live their Baptismal call to be a “Visible sign of Christ’s love” to all, especially to the vulnerable and marginalized in our midst. The team meets monthly at the Jackson office of Catholic Charities. For more information on how you or your parish can be part of the Team or work with the Team, contact elvin.sunds@jacksondiocese.org.

(Editor’s Note: Frank Vollor is currently an attorney in Vicksburg. He felt moved to write a response to recent allegations of unfair treatment leveled against the Diocese of Jackson. His letter appeared in the Greenwood Commonwealth on Sept. 7 and the Clarion Ledger on Sept.15.

Contrary to the insinuation that the Catholic Church tried to cover up sexual abuse and was insensitive to the plight of the poor in the Clarion Ledger’s Sept. 5, 2019 article “Greenwood Man Struggles Still After Clergy Abuse,” the Catholic Church, in fact, aggressively pursued full disclosure of any abuse and attempted to provide spiritual, psychological and educational needs of the poor. In 1998, I was the Fitness Review Officer for the Diocese of Jackson when allegations of sexual abuse were first brought against Franciscan Brother Paul West by Rapheal Love, the brother of Joshua K. Love, the subject of the article. Paul West was the principal of St. Francis School in Greenwood.
I was asked to be the Fitness Review Officer on a volunteer basis because I had experience as an attorney prosecuting abuse cases and had helped establish the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Warren County.
In 1998, Rapheal Love first reported inappropriate touching and conduct by Brother Paul West to Brother Don Lucas. Brother Don Lucas in turn reported to others, who reported the allegation to me. I immediately contacted the Mississippi Department of Human Services who has an interest in child abuse cases. In addition, I reported the alleged abuse to the Greenwood police department. I have documents from the police department showing receipt of this abuse report. I then confronted Brother Paul West who strongly denied the allegation.
Even though Paul West was never prosecuted, indicted, tried or convicted and no judicial determination of abuse by civil authorities was made, the diocese proceeded as if the allegations were true. Brother Paul West was removed as principal and left Greenwood. He left the Franciscan order shortly thereafter. The diocese offered the entire Love family a liaison minister to meet their spiritual needs. In addition, the diocese offered professional psychological evaluation and counseling to Rapheal and the Love family to meet their psychological needs. At first, this psychological counseling was accepted by the Love family, but subsequently refused because they stated they were doing well.
After the reported abuse, the Diocese Review Committee authorized personal interviews to determine if there were additional allegations. The Diocese then arranged for an independent psychologist to conduct six workshops at St. Francis school. The workshops were age appropriate spanning four years old through 8th grade with visual aids including proper boundaries and where to seek help if boundaries are violated. These workshops where Joshua Love attended school did not reveal any further allegations of abuse. The diocese also sent a letter to all parents who had recently withdrawn their children from the school asking for their reasons and complaints. Again, no further abuse was identified.
When new allegations were made in 2018, 20 years later, I was not the Fitness Review Officer, but the official statement of the diocese indicates that the Franciscan Order of which Paul West was a member in 1998 is providing counseling, urged Joshua to have an attorney review any settlement, and settled with him. Again, that same year in 2018, the Diocese made public and published in the papers the new allegation as credible along with others. The Catholic Church aggressively pursued the allegations of sexual abuse and compassionately ministered to the families involved. The statements and insinuations concerning coverup and failure to hold church leaders accountable in that article are not true.
– Frank Vollor, Attorney at Law

The Diocese of Jackson is committed to ensuring that children served by the church are not at risk of sexual abuse by the Church personnel. Diocesan policies and procedures currently in place seek to protect, enhance and, in some cases, restore the trust that our faith calls for between agents of the Church and the children and adolescents entrusted to our care. The Diocese of Jackson wishes to encourage any victim of sexual abuse by a member of the Catholic Clergy to come forward and begin the healing process. We encourage any victim to contact Valerie McClellan, Victims Assistance Coordinator at 601-326-3728.

MADISON – For 37 years golfers from around the diocese have come to compete in the annual Bishop’s Cup golf tournament hosted by The Catholic Foundation. This year, the tournament was held on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Lake Caroline and was chaired by Steve Carmody, who has chaired the event for the past 27 years.

Along with the tournament, a social, dinner and auction was held at the Mermaid Café for participants and Foundation supporters. Proceeds from the events assist the Foundation in funding grant projects around the diocese for parishes, schools and Catholic Charities. Some past projects supported have included vacation bible school supplies, parish building renovations, program supplies at the Catholic Charities Domestic Violence Shelter and Born Free programs, as well as STEM labs and playground equipment for schools.
“The tournament continues to grow each year, and we are always excited to see our golfers return. We would like to thank all of those that help to sponsor holes to make the tournament a success,” said Catholic Foundation executive director, Rebecca Harris.
This year Lester Diamond, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, Paul Sego and David Sinclair sponsored by St. Dominic Health Care System came in first place with a score of 53. Tico Hoffman’s team came in second place with a score of 54 and the third-place winner was the Bank Plus team with a score of 55.
Ladies and gentlemen are encouraged to save the date for the next Bishop’s cup, set for Sept. 8, 2020.

Answering the Call
How old should one be to enter the seminary or to start formation in a religious house of discernment? This question is as old as the Church. I have heard many different opinions and my own opinion has been molded and refined as the years have gone on. A popular viewpoint that I have heard is that we need men and women who have “real world” experience prior to entering into religious discernment. This way they know the “basics” of living as an adult and they might avoid some pitfalls in religious life. They also have a chance to experience a “normal life” and perhaps this will make them more ready to embrace a call from the Lord because they know what else is out there. I had worked for four and a half years and lived on my own prior to joining the seminary. I had to learn to scrape together enough money week to week to pay for essentials, I learned what things cost and I matured a great deal during those years on my own.

But as I progressed through the seminary, I was formed to be a priest alongside men with a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Some had been highly successful business leaders; some were fresh out of high school and had never had a paying job. Some were grandfathers who had been widowed, others had never dated. What I came to understand during my six years of seminary was that formation works. No matter our background, no matter our life experience, it was our dedication and faithfulness to what the Church demanded of us in priestly formation that dictated our success or our failure. Every man and woman is different, some young men know they have a call to the priesthood from an early age, it is all they have ever wanted to do. Should we really say: “no, do this other thing first or you will not be happy?” I did not experience that call early on, the Lord apparently saw fit to put a desire for priesthood on my heart at a later date, but that did not change the fact that it would be my dedication to formation and to the Lord that would dictate my success or failure.

Earlier this month I shared my vocation story with students at Ole Miss and I spoke with the wonderful youth group at St. John Oxford as well. I hope that any young person, at any age, who manifests a desire to explore religious life is not brushed aside until they are “old enough” to make that decision. Every disciple is different, God calls us all at different times and that is the answer to the question, how old should one be to enter the seminary or religious formation? It depends on the person and that is how God intended it. Father Nick Adam

Vocations Events

Friday, Oct. 4 – Sunday Oct. 6 – Jesu Caritas Retreat with Dominican Sisters of Nashville, Tennessee.

Friday, Nov. 22 – Bonfire Football Game – St. Joseph Seminary, Covington, Louisiana.

Contact the Office of Vocations if interested – vocations@jacksondiocese.org

By Berta Mexidor
RICHLAND – Dedicated Catholics gathered this month to take part in an ongoing movement here in the diocese aimed at promoting Christianity in marriages, families and communities and bringing people closer to God.
Juan and Maribel Melo, presidents of Catholic Christian Family Movement (Movimiento Familiar Cristiano Catolico – MFCC), led the assembly Sept. 6 at the Richland Community Center. The event marking the MFCC program’s kickoff of activities for the year attracted people from many areas and more than 35 couples, many of them with children were in attendance.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz attended the opening assembly and addressed those attending giving everyone a message of hope. He talked about the ongoing immigration crisis in Mississippi that several families of the diocese have faced and continue to experience, including families involved in the MFCC faith movement.

Bishop Kopacz said to them “… the jail, the separation is very difficult, there is much suffering in this life, but there is much hope also, in the communities of faith and in the people, who are coming to help.”
MFCC is a national lay movement recommended by the U.S. Catholic Bishops. As part of movement initiatives, programs and events led by trained coordinators and leaders are aimed at saving and strengthening marriages and helping children, individuals and families develop faith and a strong sense of Christian community.
The Richland event included talks, activities and breakout sessions when small groups gathered in discussions. Spiritual advisors and leaders were on hand for counseling and to answer any questions. Many people expressed their joy about the start of a new year of activities.
At one-point, new members of the movement program were introduced and welcomed during the assembly. Among the participants were presente Francisco and Isabel Mazy, delegates, and Miguel and Lizet Cruz, both vice presidents. Sister Maria Josefa García Álvarez, a member of the Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit congregation, is one of the spiritual advisors along with Brother Theodore Dausch, CFC and father Odel Medina, pastor of St Anne Carthage.
This year, Father Juan Chavajay, pastor of St. Therese in Jackson, also joins the movement serving as an advisory team member. Charlene Bearden, Diocese of Jackson coordinator of the Office of Family Ministry, was also on hand showing her support.

In preparation of the September kickoff event, spiritual counselors and coordinators met Aug. 3 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. During the meeting, movement members received training and discussions were presented about expansion and growth of the outreach with five elements at the center: prayer and liturgical life; study; apostolic action; hospitality and economic contribution.
For more information on MFCC, contact Juan and Maribel Melo at 601-826-3305 or 601-209-3232. The national website is www.mfccusa.net.

By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Everyone has a story to tell and speaker CJ Fox spent time on Tuesday, Sept. 17 telling hers to a group of social workers, therapist, foster parents and Catholic Charities employees at the Jackson Medical Mall in an effort to help those in attendance connect in a more meaningful way to foster children.
Fox shared some staggering statistics at the event. Only 30% of foster children graduate from high school, while less than 1 % graduate from college. At least 66% end up dead or homeless within the first year of transition out of foster care and 80% of prisoners were once in foster care.
“There is a huge disconnect in the system. Biological parents, the kids … we’ve got to communicate better,” said Fox. “It’s imperative that we all figure out a way to work together to change these odds.”
The odds are something Fox has witnessed firsthand. She began to tell the crowd about an eight-year-old girl and her story of abuse, neglect and fear. Before long, the child was in foster care and moving from home to home. As the story telling went on, Fox noticeably began to change the pronoun she was using from “she” to “I.”

She was telling her story.
After one group home she stayed in, Fox ended up with a foster family who gave her a home and taught her how to read, as she was so behind academically. The family spent time with her and played with her, something that had not happened often before.
“They never asked ‘What’s your story?’ They just loved me where I was,” said Fox. “And I was a hard kid to love. I was anxious. I was nervous all the time. I was short-fused. I would cry if I couldn’t get something right.”
Fox thought they were a family until one day she thought she was being taken to school, but instead she was taken to a courthouse. She was afraid. “Nobody is telling me what is going on … social workers, my Dad was in the back of the room, Mom was up front, cops were all around and a judge,” said Fox.
She urged those in the crowd, “if you can make it developmentally appropriate for the child just try to talk to them about what’s going on. These are the things that are happening, but no matter what happens … it’s all gonna be ok.”
By age 16, Fox had been moved about 30 times. The last foster mom that took her in encouraged her to go to college. Something that seemed unobtainable. But Fox obliterated the odds and eventually graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in education.
Fox attributes some of her success to sports. “I played every sport that I possibly could. If you can encourage your kids to get involved in some sort of sport, band, honor choir or what ever it looks like for that particular kid. Get them in a group to make them feel safe,” said Fox.
“The most important thing was every time I had an encounter with someone that believed in me. They believed in me more than I believed in myself.”
Fox also told the crowd that she has God to thank for guidance as well. One day while studying at Mississippi State, she was walking back to her dorm after history class, which took her past an old abandoned pool behind McCarthy gym.
“There was no water in it. It was just cracked and broken,” said Fox. While walking, Fox was thinking about her life and asked God, “Why me? What did I do? When am I gonna catch a break? … I’m tired.”
God answered. “He said because I have bigger plans for you. … He said that to me in that moment and instantaneously I look to my right and I see a tree growing out of the side of the pool,” said Fox.
“Somehow this tree is making it. … It had broken through the cement and stretched its branches to the sky for life. And I heard, ‘be the tree.’”
So, despite the odds, Fox persisted. She has been a teacher, a mentor, a volunteer, a financial service rep, a sales director, a speaker, the founder of two organizations (the Anunda Project and Unify Human:Kind, the recipient of the community SHEro award and the author of Obliterate the Odds.

In addition to her story and tips on how to bridge communication gap with foster children, Fox did activities with the group of social workers, therapist, foster parents and Catholic Charities employees present. The group did a “love language” exercise and got into small groups to discuss situations that may arise involving the best interest of foster children.
Crisis intervention speciality, Andrew Cambell of Hope Haven home-based services was present at the event. During the group discussion, he offered his opinion that “professionals need to come together so they can collaborate and talk, so that when you are working on a case with a child, you won’t retraumatize [the child].”
Cambell said that a lot of times in the foster system that a child “has given that same information over and over. And the child is tired of it.”
Fox closed the event by thanking all in attendance for being so willing to go on the journey with her and she left with the words that “you can’t reach, rescue or restore every child that is out there, but you can make a difference in the life of one and that is good enough.”
To learn more about CJ Fox and how to determine your role in foster care, visit her Facebook page, Obliterate the Odds.