The staff at Mississippi Catholic is looking forward to a busy and productive 2024. As always, we invite participation from faithful from across the diocese. Please submit your stories, photos and events so we can include them in the paper.
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Look for special sections this year marking Catholic Schools Week, the priestly ordination of Tristan Stovall, graduations and the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation.
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Posadas, Belen and Reyes Magos
By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – In the Latino Hispanic tradition, Christmas starts with Posadas, weeks ahead of Dec. 25, and ends on Jan. 6 with the celebration of the Epiphany.
Every Christmas season, parishioners decorate the building with nativity scenes, “El Belen” that include each protagonist of the most important event for the Christian community worldwide. The decoration came alive when people started representing the season’s most important moments.
The Posadas (translation for Inn) is a remembrance of the time when Mary and Joseph were looking for a place where pregnant Mary could deliver the baby, but only received rejections.
Posadas are a procession during the night, led by Mary and Joseph’s actors accompanied by people singing villancicos (Carols for this special occasion), and holding candles.
“The Pilgrims…
I’ve asked you for lodging
Dear innkeeper
Because the mother is going to be
The queen of the heavens.
The Innkeepers…
Then if it is a queen
Who requests it
How is it that at nighttime
She’s traveling so alone?”
Posadas are hosted by a family who opened their house’s doors at the end.
At the Christmas vigil, the Nativity scene is alive with people impersonating the story’s characters.
The Epiphany, in most of the towns, is celebrated with a big parade where three people impersonate the Reyes Magos (the wise men), who distribute sweets, and gifts among the crowd. This action is replicated at home by adults giving gifts to children.
By Berta Mexidor
NATCHEZ – On Monday, Dec. 11, a vibrant procession coursed through historic downtown Natchez, featuring the revered Our Lady of Guadalupe with a group of devoted Guadalupeans present for the celebration. The culminating event was a Mass presided over by Father Aaron Williams, accompanied by Father Charles Yaklin, IVE, who delivered the homily.
This marked the second instance in which Hispanic Catholics from the Natchez-Vidalia area received the support of Father Williams, of the Basilica of St. Mary, and Father Charles, a monk hailing from St. Joseph Monastery in Natchez.
Father Charles, who arrived in Natchez two years ago, has been offering Mass in Spanish to the local Catholic community. In his Spanish homily, he emphasized the significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, stating that her call is for everyone to draw near to Jesus. He highlighted, “She asked to build a temple, not for her glory, not for us to praise her, because she is surrounded by thousands of angels, but the message of her heart is for us to be close to her son, through the Eucharist.”
The successful organization of the 12-day celebration, including Rosaries and traditional dances, is attributed to the dedicated efforts of numerous volunteers, notably Lupe Valencia, of Mexican heritage. Valencia led a group of dancers adorned in ponchos featuring the image of Guadalupe, conchas (shells) and tambor (drum), performing various routines in honor of the Virgin Mary.
A separate dance ensemble from Guerrero, Mexico, showcased the tradition of Los Chinelos, a cultural heritage from Morelos, a region in Mexico. Dressed in colorful attire, the group depicted an elderly figure with a long beard, carrying the image of Guadalupe on the back of the cape. They danced joyously to regional music, adding a dynamic element to the festivities.
Valencia received valuable assistance from a dedicated team, including Paola Siles from Nicaragua, Guillermina Vega, and Monzerrat Gonzalez, a mother-daughter duo from Mexico residing in Vidalia. Rosendo Gonzales and Antonio Ortiz carried the image of Our Lady in the procession, while Bettina Coffey provided translation services for Father Williams at the Family Life Center. The celebration concluded with a heartfelt blessing, lively dances and a shared feast in honor of Our Lady.
By Tereza Ma and Joanna Puddister King
PAULDING – On Dec. 2, the faithful gathered at St. Michael in Paulding to celebrate at milestone 180th anniversary with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Father Adolfo Suarez Pasillas. Established in 1843, the parish is the second oldest Catholic Church in the state of Mississippi, behind St. Mary Natchez.
Paulding was a bustling town with a thriving trade center before the Civil War. At that time, it was known as “the Queen City of the East.” However, by the 1890s as railways became crucial for trade the town turned down a proposed line that would run through town. The commercial importance of the town drastically dropped but the parish continued to thrive and was a “cradle of vocations,” according to Christ: The Living Water by Cleta Ellington.
Over 20 religious came from the parish and included many Sisters of Mercy, Daughters of Charity and Brothers of the Sacred Heart. A plaque honors many of them in the back of the church building.
Therese Bergin Grant remembers when the original church was destroyed by a fire in July 1942 when she was only about four years old. The church was struck by lightning, with only a few items able to be salvaged. “I will never forget those flames,” said Grant. Until a new church was built, Mass was held in a nearby school building.
Grant also fondly remembered her childhood at the church, walking over three miles to celebrate Mass as a child, with the occasional ride from her first cousin on his shoulders.
“It was fun,” said Grant. “It’s been quite a journey through life, but I always come back to St. Michael’s.”
St. Michael also is home to a Catholic cemetery dating back to the 1860s that contains burial sites for many of the founding families of the parish. Several families present at the 180th anniversary Mass had ancestors buried in the cemetery dating back to the founding of the parish – including the Harrington, Bergin and Finnegan families.
Donnie Bergin was baptized in the church in the 1950s and remembers his pastor at the time – Father Gabriel – pointing you out if you made too much noise in church. He said that around that time about one-third of the church was full of Bergin’s – many of whom are buried in the cemetery today.
Also present at the celebration was Paula Finnegan Phillips. She said that 99% of her family members are buried in the St. Michael cemetery. She was so touched by the Mass celebrated with Bishop Kopacz and so many families present that have been apart of the parish for generations.
“It’s just very spiritual when you come to this church. It’s like you can see those who have past at Mass with you. God talks. Jesus talks. The Holy Spirit talks – when you come here. And I heard it today,” said Phillips.
At present, Father Adolfo celebrates Mass at the historic St. Michael Church on the first and third Saturday of each month. Though many of the families present at the 180th celebration are members of other parishes within the Diocese of Biloxi, that borders close by, they all seem to come back to St. Michael; and feel as Therese Bergin Grant – “It’s home.”
Around the diocese
JACKSON – St. Richard first grade students studied, drew portraits and presented their saints to their classmates, family and parishioners at Mass on All Saints Day on Nov. 1. (Photos by Chelsea Dillon)
COLUMBUS – (first photo) Noah Langston and David Leonard walk down the aisle to present the gifts at the All Saints Day Mass at Annunciation School. (Photos by Logan Gentry)
Around our Catholic Schools
COLUMBUS – Annunciation students participated in Superhero STREAM Day celebrating National STEM/STEAM Day recently. (Photos by Logan Gentry)
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick students enjoyed the annual soccer challenge hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council 802. (Photos by Kasey Owen)
