Category Archives: Diocesan News

System-wide accreditation, school improvement enhanced Catholic identity in the works for 2018/2019

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By Catherine Cook
JACKSON – Classes are underway in all schools across the Diocese of Jackson. In this edition of Mississippi Catholic, readers can find updates on school accreditation, character education through athletics, how Catholic identity is being enhanced in every school, improvements being made to curriculum, news on school expansions and new administrators.
In addition to new faces, new administrators and new construction, the Office of Catholic Education has begun a system-wide accreditation process to have all 13 Catholic schools accredited by AdvancED, the accrediting agency formed by the merger of the PreK-12 school division of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and North Central Association (NCA) Commissions on Accreditation and School Improvement in 2006 and later including the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) making it the largest association of educational professionals in the world. The Diocese of Jackson joins 52 (arch)dioceses and Catholic school systems from across the U.S. already accredited this way..
Stephanie Brown, coordinator of school improvement, is leading this process. Brown worked with the Office of Catholic Education last year on a part-time basis assisting with the ongoing curriculum review and initiating the AdvancED process and began in a full-time capacity in July. She comes to the education office from Madison St. Anthony School where she served as a teacher, the coordinator of religious education, and the assistant principal.
The diocese has a significant history with AdvancED through its affiliation with SACS. Many schools were accredited by SACS during the mid 1970s and 80’s. Natchez Cathedral, Madison St. Joseph and Vicksburg Catholic were accredited by SACS in 1975, Holly Springs Holy Family in 1978, Greenville St. Joseph in 1980, Columbus Annunciation in 1984, Southaven Sacred Heart and Jackson St. Richard in 2004, and Madison St. Anthony in 2012. The four remaining schools that have not been affiliated with AdvancED will be accredited through this system-wide process.
This accreditation process uses a set of rigorous research-based standards to examine individual schools, as well as, the diocese as a system to determine how well the schools and the diocese are meeting the needs of students. Continuous improvement is at the core of this process. All efforts in the accreditation review are directed toward examining data – surveys, achievement scores, classroom observation data, etc. for ongoing improvement of student outcomes. The standards are grouped within three domains: leadership capacity, learning capacity and resources capacity. Additionally, AdvancED partnered with the National Educational Association to incorporate the Catholic School Standards so that we can be assured that the uniqueness of Catholic education is recognized and supported.
The system-wide process began for Catholic schools here last spring with surveys sent to students, parents, and staff at each school.


The results of the surveys indicate that the parent ratings were slightly higher than the AdvancED network average, the middle/high school student ratings were slightly lower than the network average with staff and elementary student ratings slightly lower in some areas and slightly higher in other areas. While this is a cursory view of the diocese a deep dive into the data is available at each school location as reports provide ratings for each of the 53 questions within the five areas of focus. One report presents the five highest scoring items and the five lowest scoring items for each of the stakeholder groups. This data assists the diocese and each school in determining areas that need improvement and areas of strength on which to build. Principals and pastors have received a report of the survey results specific to their school. Once individual schools have determined their areas of focus for improvement we determine how the diocese can support those areas..
Another diocesan-wide effort is Play Like a Champion (PLAC) coordinated by Amy Lipovetsky who came to the diocese from Florida where she served as a district level athletic director. She and her family moved here in 2016, and she serves as youth director at Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish and coaches middle school volleyball at Madison St. Joseph School. Lipovetsky works with all schools and parishes in our diocese that have athletic programs. Play Like a Champion Today: Character Education through Sports is rooted in Catholic teachings and traditions. The program places emphasis on coaching as a ministry and the role of sports in moral and spiritual development. PLAC provides resources for coaches, parents, and students including prayers and reflections, as well as, information bullying and hazing, handling failure and success and first aid, to name a few. Find out more at www.playlikeachampion.org.

(Catherine Cook is the superintendent of Catholic education for the diocese.)

Catholic Extension fact-finding mission highlights Hispanic ministry

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By Berta Mexidor
GREENWOOD – Catfish and zucchini have a common denominator in the southern cuisine: Latinos’ soul. Redemptorist Father Ted Dorcey noted this connection during a tour of farms he helped conduct for a group from Catholic Extension. There are four Redemptorists working with the Hispanic community in the Delta. Their ministry was one stop for the visitors who spent two days immersed in different aspects of Hispanic ministry in Mississippi.
The Redemptorists have been in this area for more than four years, serving Catholics in remote places, especially those working in industries with a schedule that might make it hard to attend Mass or receive sacraments.
During the encounter, Joe Boland, vice president of Catholic Extension explained the mission of their organization is to finance the best efforts of the Catholic church in U.S, as well as reaching out in special cases such as the Puerto Rico crisis, church construction in Cuba and seminarian support.
Timothy Muldoon, Director of Mission Education for Catholic Extension, explained that the purpose of this trip is provide a glimpse of the not well-known areas of the pastoral work. Muldoon is trying to connect, in this case, three priests from Chicago with the Mississippi Delta, from where African American families in Chicago came a generation ago.

INDIANOLA – (l-r) Father Ted Dorcey, Father Paul Seaman, Fran Lavelle, Father Sergio Romo; Joe Boland and Timothy Muldoon.in conversation with Adolfo Rojas. In the group photo also, Brother Ted Daush, Father Michael Mc Andrew and members of Catholic Extension team.(Photos by Berta Mexidor)

The priests, Fathers Sergio Romo from St Andrew, Paul Seaman of St. Clement and Francis Bitterman from St. Josaphat, all parishes in Chicago, were impressed by the circumstances and work of the Redemptorist mission in the Delta. Father Romo pointed out that there are great differences between his work in a metropolitan church in Chicago and an itinerant church with parishioners scattered throughout the Mississippi Delta.
Joining the members of the Catholic Extension team were representatives of the Diocese of Jackson including Fran Lavelle, Director Faith Formation, two Missionary Guadalupans of the Holy Spirit, Maria Elena Méndez and Maria Josefa García, who are both coordinators for Hispanic Ministry for the diocese, and Father Kevin Slattery, vicar general.
Lavelle noted that the diocese serves 95 parishes and missions in a state where Catholics are a minority are scattered throughout the territory. In the Delta the Redemptorist are reaching many Latino families but this is not enough. The diocese’s Hispanic ministry team is constantly on the road to support work in parishes and missions throughout the diocese.
As a part of the excursion, Father Dorcey invited the visitors to the zucchini harvest at one farm and a catfish plant, where many Mexicans are seasonal workers under the work visa program. All the visitors and guests witnessed in firsthand the labor conditions and motivation of young migrants and their families working in Mississippi.
Adolfo Rojas, supervisor of the farm workers answered questions from the visitors, who were impressed by the faith of all the workers who keep their link with the church even after long hours of work.
Catholic Extension’s Karla Ortiz, manager of mission programs, Natalie Donatello, manager of parish partnerships and Rich Kalonick, senior manager of creative, who was shooting video and photos, were also part of the delegation.
After their Delta tour, the group also visited Carthage, Camden and Forest.

Team packs faith, joy, traditions for V Encuentro

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By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Latinos carry traditions, culture, languages and faith everywhere they go. It is a common trait among many Latino cultures and it will be on display this fall at the V Encuentro. “Encuentro” is a four-year sequence of parish gatherings to debate, collaborate and share experiences of what it means to be Hispanic and Catholic in the United States.
The “Encuentro” process was the U.S. Bishops’ effort to better understand and serve growing numbers of Hispanic Catholics who brought their music, food and faith traditions into the U.S. The first “Encuentro” was in 1972 and led to the creation of the national Office of Hispanic Affairs.
This multiple progression of encounters is organized starting in parishes going to regions and leading to a final national gathering every four years.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (UCCB) has called 3,000 delegates from across the U.S for the national V Encuentro, pastoral encounter, to be celebrated in Grapevine, Texas on Se

Susana Becerril

ptember 20-23.
The Diocese of Jackson will have four delegates, all of them women: Susana Becerril, María Isamar Mazy, Danna Johnson and Sister María Elena Méndez, MGSpS, one of the coordinators for Hispanic Ministry for the diocese. The delegates will be led by Bishop Joseph Kopacz. Their voices will represent the Latino experience in Mississippi.
Sister Mendez said more than 500 people have participated in 23 parish teams and two diocesan meetings since the beginning of the process in this diocese.
“We will keep our commitment to work together, and our expectation is to update the national Hispanic plan and – at our return – to apply it in the parishes,” said Sister.
In their search for facilitators, Sisters Mendez and Maria Josefa Garcia, both MGSpS, and V Encuentro’s organizers found Susana Becerril. Becerril began creating small groups in the community of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories Parish. One of the groups included young-adults and adults, and Susana recalled it as a good experience because, regardless the difference of age, the bond created was great. Her family has been in Cleveland for more than seven years. Susana has four siblings and works two jobs to help them. This young lady has big expectations for the national V Encuentro. “I want to see the implementation of programs that can help Latino families in my community, training more facilitators and young initiatives.” Susana explained that around a 50 percent of the Latinos in Cleveland are not attending church activities, because of work schedule or lack of motivation. “We now have Mass in Spanish, and it helps, but I want to help to increase our impact,” Susana stated.

Danna Johnson

Danna Johnson is taking the messages from a dozen parishes to V Encuentro. Danna is working as coordinator of Hispanic Ministry in Deanery five, in the north part of the state. Coming from Honduras six years ago, she has accepted the challenges that every immigrant has, remarking that “only in church you find a spiritual refuge.” Danna brought her family’s Catholic traditions to Pontotoc and with time, hard work and faith she started answering her passion to serve. Starting as a catechist, she is now part of the deanery leadership team, working with faith formation, leadership, liturgy and all 12 parishes of Deanery five.
“Serving others, that is my conviction and my faith has been enriched. This job is a gift from God to me,” Danna said. She participated in the south regional Encuentro hosted in Miami earlier this year where she was impacted by the cultural diversity of the Latino community.
She believes the church ought to address the needs of youth in these challenging times. “All of us need an encounter with Christ and to be together in that journey” Danna concluded.

María Isamar Mazy

Mazy, from the Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle has been in U.S for 13 years. As a medical assistant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center she witnesses pain and the healing process. She got involved in Encuentro at the very beginning of this cycle of meetings. She works in youth ministry “There is a lot to do for the Latino community in Mississippi,” she said. “I like to help distribute information, gather opinions and implement programs to help Latino families and therefore the young generations,” she added
She hopes to bring home examples of successful programs implemented in other states for helping students go to college, family religious education and more. She appreciates the words of Bishop Kopacz, who addressed Mississippi’s delegates, because “it encourages me to continue with this work, … I feel that we have his support.” Reuniting with the diocesan team for this positive experience – she is betting this will be a healing experience. “I am very enthusiastic and ready to help grow this community,” she said.
In 2013, the Pope Francis released an apostolic exhortation called The Joy of the Gospel calling on the Catholic community to encounter one another and Jesus. Encuentro is just one way the Church can do this work. “I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy,” wrote the Pope. Danna, Isamar and Susana responded to this call and their happiness is filling their bags. Look for Encuentro coverage in upcoming editions of Mississippi Catholic.

La Oficina de Comunicaciones de la Diócesis añade un nuevo miembro

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Berta Mexidor

Por Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Las oficinas de Comunicaciones y Vocaciones de la Diócesis dan la bienvenida a Berta Mexidor como miembro de su equipo, el pasado julio. Nacida en Cuba, Mexidor ha radicado en Estados Unidos por 17 años. Ella estará coordinando el contenido en español de Mississippi Católico y el trabajo administrativo de la oficina de Vocaciones. Mexidor posee una variada experiencia que incluye ser cofundadora de la Agencia de prensa independiente “Libertad” y el movimiento de Bibliotecas Independientes en Cuba, ser profesora de economía y obtener una maestría en ciencias políticas. Refugiada política, se mudó a Mississippi en el 2005, un mes antes de la devastación del huracán Katrina, para continuar su trabajo con las bibliotecas en su país natal. Ha trabajado además como maestra de español y con estudiantes internacionales y ha traducido para diferentes agencias en el estado.
Su tesoro es ser madre de tres y abuela de dos. Ella es miembro de la parroquia de St. Paul en Flowood donde encontró acogida aún cuando no entendía la misa en inglés. Su fe, creciendo en un país comunista, se fortaleció más que debilitarse. “Jesús te encuentra incluso donde necesitas negarlo, en una isla comunista, bajo un régimen ateo”, afirmó. Fue bautizada como católica al nacer y años después la imagen de San Francisco fue ahogada intencionalmente en el océano de su pequeño pueblo, como demostración de la comunidad del desprecio por la fe.
Para Berta, los acontecimientos de la vida, tener hijos y el encuentro con su cruz la hicieron reconectarse con Dios, en un momento en que estaba prohibido leer la Biblia, y más tarde en la iglesia de San Gerónimo, en Las Tunas, ejerció su fe antes de emigrar. Ella tiene una especial devoción por Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre; y está agradecida por todas sus experiencias, en Cuba y en Mississippi. “Jesús me encontró hace mucho tiempo”, dice. Ahora ella reconoce que era él quien la sostenía durante las tormentas.

La misión de Extensión Católica destaca trabajo del ministerio hispano

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Por Berta Del Carmen Mexidor
GREENWOOD – El pez gato y los calabacines tienen un denominador común en la cocina del sur: alma latina. Esta conexión es notada por el Padre Ted Dorcey, uno de los padres Redentoristas durante una visita a las granjas, mostradas por él, a los visitantes de Catholic Extension (Extension Católica, por su traducción al español) Hay cuatro Redentoristas trabajando en el Delta con la comunidad hispana. El ministerio redentorista fue uno de los aspectos de interés, en esta visita de dos días de Extensión Católica, inmersos en el trabajo del Ministerio Hispano en Mississippi. Los redentoristas han estado en esta área por más de cuatro años, sirviendo a católicos en lugares remotos, especialmente aquellos que trabajan en industrias con un horario difícil para que los trabajadores asistan a misas o reciban sus sacramentos.
Durante el encuentro, Joe Boland, vicepresidente de Extensión Católica, explicó la misión de su organización para financiar los mejores esfuerzos de la iglesia católica en EE. UU. Boland también explicó que la misión se extiende a casos especiales como la crisis de Puerto Rico, el programa latinoamericano de intercambio de hermanas religiosas, la construcción de iglesias en Cuba y el apoyo a los seminaristas, entre otros.

INDIANOLA – (l-r) Father Ted Dorcey, Father Paul Seaman, Fran Lavelle, Father Sergio Romo; Joe Boland and Timothy Muldoon.in conversation with Adolfo Rojas. In the group photo also, Brother Ted Daush, Father Michael Mc Andrew and members of Catholic Extension team.(Photos by Berta Mexidor)

Timothy Muldoon, director de la Misión Educativa de Extensión Católica, explicó que el propósito de este viaje es proporcionar, a varios sacerdotes, información de las áreas no conocidas del trabajo pastoral. Muldoon intenta conectar, en este caso, a tres sacerdotes de Chicago con el Delta del Mississippi, desde donde son originarias familias afronorteamericanas radicadas en Chicago. Los sacerdotes Sergio Romo de la iglesia de San Andrés, Paul Seaman, de la iglesia de San Clemente y Francis Bitterman de St. Josaphat, todas en Chicago, expresaron estar impresionados por las circunstancias del trabajo y los resultados de la Misión Redentorista en el Delta. El padre Romo señaló que hay una gran diferencia entre su trabajo en una iglesia metropolitana en Chicago con la de una iglesia itinerante con feligreses dispersos por el Delta de Mississippi.
A los miembros de Extension Catolica se unieron representantes de la Diócesis de Jackson, incluyendo a Fran Lavelle, Directora de Educación Religiosa y Formación de Fe, dos Missioneras Guadalupanas del Espíritu Santo, María Elena Méndez y María Josefa García, MGSpS , el hermano Ted Dausch , coordinador del Ministerio Hispano y el Padre Kevin Slattery, Vicario General de la Diócesis
Lavelle hizo notar que la diócesis atiende 95 parroquias y misiones en un estado donde los católicos son minoritarios, pero que están dispersos por todo el territorio. Solo en el Delta, los Redentoristas están llegando a una gran cantidad de familias latinas, pero no es suficiente. El ministerio Hispano de la diócesis está constantemente recorriendo el estado para apoyar el trabajo de las parroquias y misiones de la diócesis.
Como parte de la incursión, el padre Dorcey los invitó a un lugar de cosecha de calabacines y a una planta de procesamiento del pez gato, donde muchos latinos, generalmente mexicanos, son trabajadores temporales bajo un programa de visas de trabajo. Todos los invitados y visitantes presenciaron, de primera mano, las condiciones laborales y las motivaciones de los jóvenes migrantes y de las familias que trabajan en Mississippi. Adolfo Rojas, supervisor de los trabajadores agrícolas respondió a las preguntas del grupo de Extensión Católica, quienes quedaron impresionados por la fe de los trabajadores en aras de mantener su vínculo con la iglesia, incluso después de largas horas de trabajo. Como parte de la delegación de Extensión Católica también estuvieron presentes Karla Ortiz, gerente de programas misioneros, Natalie Donatello, gerente de sociedades entre Iglesias (Parish Partnerships) y Rich Kalonick, gerente creativo, quien tomo fotos y videos.
Después de la visita al Delta, el grupo visitó además Cartago, Camden y Forest.

Equipo empaca Felicidad, Fe y Tradición para V Encuentro

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Por Berta Del Carmen Mexidor
JACKSON – Los latinos llevan tradiciones, cultura, idiomas y fe a donde quiera que vayan. Es un rasgo común entre muchas culturas latinas. Encuentro es una secuencia de cuatro años de reuniones parroquiales para debatir, colaborar y compartir experiencias sobre lo que significa ser hispano y católico en los Estados Unidos.
El proceso hacia Encuentro fue resultado del esfuerzo de los Obispos de EE. UU. para comprender y servir mejor a un número creciente de católicos hispanos que trajeron su música, cocina y tradiciones de fe. El primer Encuentro fue en 1972 y condujo a la creación de la oficina nacional de asuntos hispanos.
Esta progresión múltiple de reuniones se organiza de parroquias a regiones y conducen a una reunión nacional final cada cuatro años. Los resultados de esta vuelven a reproducir el mismo ciclo de reuniones parroquiales. La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB, por sus siglas en inglés) ha convocado a 3.000 delegados de todos los Estados Unidos para el V Encuentro pastoral, que se celebrará en Grapevine, Texas, del 20 al 23 de septiembre.

Susana Becerril

La Diócesis de Jackson tendrá cuatro delegados, todas mujeres, Susana Becerril, María Isamar Mazy, Danna Johnson y la hermana María Elena Méndez MGSpS, una de las coordinadoras del ministerio hispano de la diócesis. Las delegadas están guiadas por el obispo Joseph Kopacz. Sus voces representarán la experiencia latina en Mississippi.
La hermana María Elena dice que alrededor de más de quinientas personas han participado en todo el proceso desde el inicio, en 23 grupos parroquiales y dos reuniones diocesanas. “Tenemos el compromiso de trabajar juntos, y nuestras expectativas son actualizar el plan nacional hispano y a nuestro regreso, aplicarlo en las parroquias”, dijo la hermana.
En su búsqueda de facilitadoras, las hermanas María Elena y María Josefa García, MGSP encontraron a Susana Becerril. Susana tiene cuatro hermanos y ha estado trabajando para ayudar a su familia quenes viven por más de siete años en Cleveland, MS. Becerril comenzó a crear pequeños grupos en la comunidad de Nuestra Señora de las Victorias. Uno de los grupos incluía jóvenes y adultos, y ella lo recuerda como una buena experiencia porque, independientemente de la diferencia de edad, el vínculo creado fue excelente. Esta joven tiene grandes expectativas para el V Encuentro nacional “Quiero ver la implementación de programas que puedan ayudar a las familias latinas en mi comunidad, capacitando a más facilitadores y más iniciativas para los jóvenes” dice. Susana explicó que alrededor del 50 por ciento de los latinos en Cleveland no asisten a las actividades de la iglesia, debido al horario de trabajo o la falta de motivación. “Ahora tenemos misa en español, y eso ayuda un poco, pero quisiera que aumente nuestro impacto” concluye Susana.

Danna Johnson

Danna Johnson está tomando las inquietudes de una decena de parroquias para entregarlas directamente al V Encuentro. Danna trabaja como coordinadora del ministerio hispano del decanato cinco, en la parte norte del estado. Viniendo de Honduras hace seis años, ella aceptó los desafíos que cada inmigrante tiene, señalando que “solo en la iglesia se encuentra un refugio espiritual”. A Pontotoc, Danna trajo las tradiciones católicas de su familia. Con tiempo, trabajo duro y fe ella comenzó a responder a su pasión por servir; comenzando como catequista ahora es parte del equipo de liderazgo del decanato, trabajando con la formación de la fe, el liderazgo y la liturgia en las parroquias que conforman el decanato cinco.
“Servir a los demás, esa es mi convicción y mi fe se ha enriquecido, este trabajo es un regalo de Dios para mí “, dijo Danna. “Empecé a involucrarme con V Encuentro para informarles a los feligreses” añadió. Participó en el Encuentro regional del sur que se realizó en Miami a principios de este año, donde se vio impactada positivamente por la diversidad cultural de la comunidad latina.
Ella cree que la iglesia necesita abordar las necesidades de los jóvenes en estos tiempos difíciles. “Todos nosotros necesitamos un encuentro con Cristo y estar juntos en ese viaje” añadió Danna

María Isamar Mazy

María Isamar Mazy, una joven de la Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol, ha vivido en Estados Unidos por más de 13 años. Como asistente médico en el Centro Médico de la Universidad de Mississippi, ella es testigo del dolor y del proceso de curación. En la iglesia ella siguió el ejemplo de sus padres. Mazy se involucró en Encuentro al comienzo de este ciclo de reuniones. “Hay mucho que hacer por la comunidad latina en Mississippi”, dijo. Mazy colabora en el ministerio juvenil en la catedral de San Pedro, “Me gusta ayudar a distribuir información, reunir opiniones e implementar programas para ayudar a las familias latinas y, por lo tanto, a las generaciones jóvenes”, agregó.
Ella espera traer a casa ejemplos de programas exitosos implementados en otros estados para ayudar a los estudiantes a ir a la universidad, educación religiosa familiar y más. Agradece las palabras del obispo Kopacz a los delegados de Mississippi porque “me alienta a continuar con este trabajo, … siento que tenemos su apoyo” y concluye entusiasmada “Estoy lista para hacer crecer a esta comunidad”.
En 2013, el Papa Francisco emitió una exhortación apostólica llamada La Alegría del Evangelio en la que llama a la comunidad católica a encontrarse unos a otros y a Jesús. Encuentro es solo una forma más de la Iglesia para hacer este trabajo. “Deseo alentar a los fieles cristianos a emprender un nuevo capítulo de evangelización marcado por esta alegría”, escribió el Papa. La hermana María Elena, Danna, Isamar y Susana respondieron a esta llamada y su felicidad está llenando sus bolsos.
Busque la cobertura de Encuentro en futuras ediciones de Mississippi Católico.

Cardinal explains plan to address ‘moral catastrophe’ of abuse

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By Julie Asher
WASHINGTON(CNS) – The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Aug. 16 announced three key goals and a comprehensive plan to address the “moral catastrophe” of the new abuse scandal hitting the U.S. church.
The plan “will involve the laity, lay experts, the clergy and the Vatican,” Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said. This plan will be presented to the full body of bishops at their general assembly meeting in Baltimore in November.
He said the “substantial involvement of the laity” from law enforcement, psychology and other disciplines will be essential to this process.
He also said that right now, it is clear that “one root cause” of this catastrophe “is the failure of episcopal leadership.”
In a lengthy letter addressed to all Catholics, Cardinal DiNardo laid out three goals just established by the bishops’ Executive Committee in a series of meetings held early the week of Aug. 13.
The first is a “full investigation” into “the questions surrounding” Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, a former cardinal and retired archbishop of Washington. He said the Executive Committee will ask the Vatican to conduct an apostolic visitation into these questions “in concert with” a group of laypeople identified for their expertise by the USCCB’s lay-run National Review Board who will be “empowered to act.”
With a credible allegation that Archbishop McCarrick abused a minor nearly 47 years ago and accusations of his sexual misconduct with seminarians, many have been asking how the prelate could have risen up the ranks of the church as an auxiliary bishop, bishop, archbishop and finally cardinal.
Cardinal DiNardo described the second and third goals, respectively, as an opening of new and confidential channels for reporting complaints against bishops, and advocacy for more effective resolution of future complaints.
The three goals “will be pursued according to three criteria: proper independence, sufficient authority and substantial leadership by laity,” he said.
“Two weeks ago, I shared with you my sadness, anger and shame over the recent revelations concerning Archbishop Theodore McCarrick,” the cardinal said. “Those sentiments continue and are deepened in view of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report.
We are faced with a spiritual crisis that requires not only spiritual conversion, but practical changes to avoid repeating the sins and failures of the past that are so evident in the recent report,” he added.
Cardinal DiNardo said the members of the Executive Committee “have already begun to develop a concrete plan for accomplishing these goals, relying upon consultation with experts, laity and clergy, as well as the Vatican.”
In addition to this being presented to the full body of bishops at their Baltimore assembly, the cardinal said he will go to Rome to present these goals and criteria to the Holy See, and to urge further concrete steps based on them.”
“The overarching goal in all of this is stronger protections against predators in the church and anyone who would conceal them, protections that will hold bishops to the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” Cardinal DiNardo explained.
He elaborated on each of the goals he described, starting with the “full investigation” of the Archbishop McCarrick case and questions surrounding it.
“These answers are necessary to prevent a recurrence,” he said, and “so help to protect minors, seminarians and others who are vulnerable in the future.”
He said the second goal “is to make reporting of abuse and misconduct by bishops easier.”
“Our 2002 ‘Statement of Episcopal Commitment’ does not make clear what avenue victims themselves should follow in reporting abuse or other sexual misconduct by bishops,” he explained. The statement is in the bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” approved in Dallas in 2002, and revised in 2005, 2011 and 2018.
“We need to update this (commitment) document,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “We also need to develop and widely promote reliable third-party reporting mechanisms. Such tools already exist in many dioceses and in the public sector and we are already examining specific options.”
The third goal has to do with advocating for “better procedures to resolve complaints against bishops,” he said.
“For example, the canonical procedures that follow a complaint will be studied with an eye toward concrete proposals to make them more prompt, fair, and transparent, and to specify what constraints may be imposed on bishops at each stage of that process,” he said.
He also laid out the three criteria for pursing these goals: “genuine independence,” authority and “substantial involvement by the laity.”
“Any mechanism for addressing any complaint against a bishop must be free from bias or undue influence by a bishop,” he said. “Our structures must preclude bishops from deterring complaints against them, from hampering their investigation or from skewing their resolution.”

Pope: Abuse victims’ outcry more powerful than efforts to silence them

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – “No effort must be spared” to prevent future cases of clerical sexual abuse and “to prevent the possibility of their being covered up,” Pope Francis said in a letter addressed “to the people of God.”
“I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons,” the pope wrote in the letter dated and released Aug. 20.
The letter was published less than a week after the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on decades of clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups in six dioceses. The report spoke of credible allegations against 301 priests in cases involving more than 1,000 children.
“The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced,” Pope Francis said. “But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence them.”
“The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain,” he said, “and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.”
In his letter, Pope Francis insisted all Catholics must be involved in the effort to accompany victims, to strengthen safeguarding measures and to end a culture where abuse is covered up.
While the letter called all Catholics to prayer and fasting, it does not change any current policies or offer specific new norms.
It did, however, insist that “clericalism” has been a key part of the problem and said the involvement of the laity will be crucial to addressing the crime and scandal.
Change, he said, will require “the active participation of all the members of God’s people.”
“Many communities where sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience have occurred,” he said, are groups where there has been an effort to “reduce the people of God to small elites.”
“Clericalism, whether fostered by priests themselves or by lay persons, leads to a split in the ecclesial body that supports and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we are condemning today,” Pope Francis said. “To say ‘no’ to abuse is to say an emphatic ‘no’ to all forms of clericalism.”
In his letter, Pope Francis acknowledged the church’s failure.
“With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives,” he wrote.
“We showed no care for the little ones,” Pope Francis said. “We abandoned them.”
“Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient,” he said. “Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated.”
Recognizing the safeguarding policies that have been adopted in various parts of the world as well as pledges of “zero tolerance” for abusive clerics, Pope Francis also acknowledged that “we have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary, yet I am confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future.”
As members of the church, he said, all Catholics should “beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others.”
Pope Francis also asked Catholics to pray and to fast so that they would be able to hear “the hushed pain” of abuse survivors.
He called for “a fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combating all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience.”
In Washington, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said by opening his letter with these words of St. Paul, “If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it’,” Pope Francis “shows that he is writing to all of us as a pastor, a pastor who knows how deeply sin destroys lives.”
In a statement issued late Aug. 20, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston responded in particular to these words from the pope: “Penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people’s sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils.”

Communication office adds staff member

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Berta Mexidor

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – The Offices of Communications and Vocations welcomed Berta Mexidor to the staff on Monday, July 31. A native of Cuba, Mexidor has been in the U.S. for 13 years. She will be managing Spanish-language content for Mississippi Católico as well as doing administrative work for the Office of Vocations.
Mexidor has a variety of experience, including being a co-founder of the “Libertad” – Freedom Free Press Agency and the Independent Libraries movement in Cuba. She moved to Mississippi in 2005, one month before Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the state, to continue her work with libraries in her home country. She has also worked as a Spanish teacher, economics teacher and translator for several agencies in the state.
Her treasure is being mother of three and grandmother of two.
She is a member of Flowood St. Paul Parish, where she found a welcome even before she knew enough English to understand the whole Mass. Her experience growing up in Communist Cuba strengthened rather than weakened her faith.
“Jesus finds you even where you need to deny him, in a communist island, under an atheist regime” she said. She was baptized Catholic at birth, but as a child witnessed the image of Saint Francis intentionally drowned in the ocean of her small town as a demonstration of the community’s rejection of faith. Having children and encountering her own cross in life reconnected Berta with God and she found ways to quietly pursue her faith before she immigrated.
She has a special devotion to Our Lady of Charity also known as Our Lady of El Cobre or Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, she is grateful for all her experiences in Cuba and Mississippi. “Jesus found me a long time ago,” she said. She now recognizes that he was sustaining her during the storms.

Catholic School educators explore gifts to share this year

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By Maureen Smith
Teachers, administrators and staff at all the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Jackson are ready to share their gifts with students again this year. Each year, the Office of Catholic Schools selects a theme to unify all the schools across the diocese. The 2018/2019 theme is GIFTS – Gratefully Inspiring Faith Teaching Service
Before school started each school hosted a Catholic identity session focusing on the Beatitudes.

Fran Lavelle, Director of Faith Formation; Stephanie Brown, coordinator of school improvement, and Karla Luke, assistant superintendent developed the sessions using Blessings for Leaders: Leadership Wisdom from the Beatitudes by Dan R. Ebener and the recent Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Gaudete Et Exsultate, as source documents.

COLUMBUS –photos by Katie Fenstermacher)

According to superintendent Catherine Cook, the sessions were designed to assist faculty and staff in their faith journey of moving from disciples to apostles. Ebner says, “Disciples follow, learn, and then become Apostles. Apostles lead, teach, and make disciples.”
Lavelle and Brown led a Day of Reflection for metro Jackson area schools and Vicksburg Catholic. Lavelle travelled to Greenville St. Joseph while Brown and Luke led the day at Meridian St. Patrick School. Clarksdale has scheduled a day later in the month.

        

MADISON – photos by Wendi Shearer

The remaining schools were provided the presentation materials to use on their own. In Columbus, pastor Father Jeffrey Waldrep headed up their day.
Each school agreed on five values they wanted to emphasize this year. Then, the staff divided into five teams to write a one-sentence prayer about their value. By the end of the day the sentences became a school prayer for the year.