Rev. Kevin Slattery, appointed sacramental minister for St. John Parish in Crystal Springs and its mission St. Martin in Hazlehurst, effective Feb. 1, 2022.
Rev. Mark Shoffner, appointed administrator pro tempore of St. Mary Basilica and Assumption Parishes in Natchez, effective Feb. 9, 2022.
Rev. Scott Thomas, granted a leave of absence from ministry, effective Feb. 9, 2022.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, Healing Retreat, Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., presented by Maria Vadia; Mental Well-being and Trust workshop, Sunday, April 10 2-4 p.m., presented by Michael Whelan, Ph.D.; God’s Love Retreat, Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. presented by the Locus Benedictus ministry team. Details: email contactlocusbenedictus@gmail.com or call (662) 299-1232.
NATCHEZ You are Enough and Beloved Women’s One Day Retreat, Saturday, March 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mass at the St. Mary Basilica O’Connor Family Life Center. Cost is $10 and includes continental breakfast, snacks and lunch. Retreat will address many of the struggles experience over the past two years. Come for a day to rediscover or discover that you are enough and very beloved. Retreat facilitated by Carrie Lambert and overseen by Ruth Powers. Please RSVP. Details: (601) 455-5616 or youth@stmarybasilica.org.
PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, White Elephant Sale on April 2 by the Knights of Columbus. No clothing. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Lenten Lunch prepared by parish on Wednesday, March 9 at First United Methodist Church. Details: To help, please call Mary Helen Waller, (662) 721-2855.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m., followed by a fish dinner prepared by the Knights of Columbus in the Family Life Center. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.
JACKSON Cathedral of St. Peter, Mardi Gras Social, Tuesday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the Cathedral Center. Bring a party food to share. The Knights of Columbus will provide Mardi Gras beads. Details: church office (601) 969-3125.
JACKSON 40 Days for Life, March 2 – April 10. Gather on the sidewalk outside of Jackson Women’s Health Organization at 2903 N. State Street in Jackson. Vigil held 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Details: office@prolifems.org or call (601) 956-8636, ext. 1.
MADISON St. Francis, Fat Tuesday Parish Pancake Supper, March 1 from 5:15-7 p.m. Everyone is invited to feast before the Lenten fast. Pancakes, sausage and drinks will be prepared and served by youth group. Cost $5/person or $15/family is suggested. Details: church office (601) 859-5556.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Spirit Night at Raising Canes Meridian on Fat Tuesday, March 1 from 4-9 p.m. A percentage of sales will be donated to the school.
St. Patrick, Parish Mission, March 7-9. Each evening the mission will begin at 6 p.m. in St. Patrick Church. The featured speaker is Father Clem. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Save the Date: Blood Drive on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from 1-5:45 p.m. Blood donors are desperately needed. Online scheduling begins in April. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
St. Mary Basilica, Fish Fry, The Knights of Columbus will hold their annual Lenten Fish Fry each Friday of Lent, beginning March 4 from 5-7 p.m. at the Family Life Center. Catfish dinners $12; shrimp dinners $12; combo dinners $14. Dinners include fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
YOUTH BRIEFS
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Big Deal Youth Group will host Meatless Meal after 6 p.m. Ash Wednesday Mass on March 2. Join them for food and fellowship in the Family Life Center. Donations accepted for future youth events. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.
SEARCH retreat for juniors and seniors, April 1-3, at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. Retreat is “for teens, led by teens” and is an experience like none other; with a strong focus on vocations. SEARCH engages youth in a special way and calls them to live out their Catholic faith in a bold real, active and healthy way. Cost $125. Details: abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.
SAVE THE DATE
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST A parish mission on the Eucharist and the Mass is available in the diocese at two locations this Lent. Father Aaron Williams will offer a three day mission at St. Mary’s Basilica Natchez from March 8-10 and at Immaculate Heart of Mary Greenwood from March 27-29. All sessions will begin at 6 p.m.
LENTEN NOTE
Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten Season. Prepare yourself with meditation and reflection. The Lord’s life during this period of His life brings us together for the salvation of humanity. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence. Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
FASTING: The norms of fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. The law of fasting allows only one full meal a day, but does not prohibit taking two smaller meals for keeping up strength, but those two meals combined must still be smaller than the full meal.
ABSTINENCE: Catholics 14 years of age and older are obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Fridays of Lent and Good Friday; unless health is an issue.
CANTON – Three young adults from Holy Child Jesus parish in Canton traveled to Miami to attend the “Journeying Together” youth leadership gathering that SEPI (Southeast Pastoral Institute) hosted Jan. 3-7. The program was centered on Pope Francis’ call to journey with the church towards synodality. Below are reflections of the young adults who attended the conference.
Victoria Alexander
I had the honor to be invited along with two parishioners from Holy Child Jesus Catholic Church of Canton to attend the SEPI journey in Miami. I learned so much from this journey through the five days that we were attending. We had various activities and experiences that we went through. We were given three spiritual words to reflect on the whole time we were there: community, beauty and mercy. We all experienced demonstrations of these words and the meanings behind them through the people we encountered or events we went to, and inspirational speakers that spoke to us about their journey on how they got where they are.
One of my favorite parts of the experience was the morning sunrise prayer we had on the beach early that morning and listening to Father read the word and Gospel was so beautiful during that moment. I had never experienced the Holy Spirit like I did that moment.
I am so thankful that I learned more about how beautiful and diverse our Catholic community and church are and what an impact young people can make in the world as young parishioners or missionaries in the church. We were so very blessed to attend this institute and I will never forget this as it has changed the way I view society and the church culture around the world.
DeAsia Evans
My experience of going to Miami for the Youth Leadership gathering was very inspiring. I had the honor of going to the gathering with the help of SEPI and Catholic Extension. Youth leaders from different states all gathered to share their experiences and what they are doing to better their parish when it comes to the youth. While we were at the gathering, there were three words to remember during our time there. They were beauty, mercy and community.
Throughout my trip, I was able to experience all of those things. I saw beauty when we had sunrise prayer on the beach. We read the Gospel and said prayers as we watched the sun rise. There were even two seminarians there who shared their experience of being in seminary school and talking about how they were born in the Catholic faith. Mercy was shown through adoration when we spent a precious moment with the blessed sacrament and worshiped with The EPIC band. Lastly, community was shown when we came together and made hygiene bags, lunch and provided Christmas presents to those in need and for those who did not have a place to stay. Overall, it was such memorable experience that I will never forget, and it is something that I will do again.
Vincent Alexander
I am blessed and honored to have been chosen to attend the SEPI trip; I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I learned about the diversity in the Catholic community, as well as how things get more interesting within SEPI and other organizations.
One of the days I learned about how to connect with others, even those you might not expect to have a story. I learned about meeting and having a relationship with God, not just having a relationship, but also telling others to believe in him and trust in him. Making sure you have a relationship with him helps you to get where you need to go in life and to always have a relationship with him. Prioritize him.
I’ve also realized that God can change my church and help people in a variety of ways. I’d like to thank SEPI and everyone who helped make this possible for me, my church, and so many others. It was a true blessing and life-changing event.
From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Somewhere around Jan. 26, our diocesan church family was wounded by an act of violence and evil against Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Greenwood.
Most likely the work of someone high on crack or mentally ill, nonetheless the church was broken into and vandalized – the altar was overturned, and an antique five-foot statue of the Blessed Mother was heavily damaged. The Blessed Sacrament was removed from the tabernacle and placed on the church’s original altar. The antique baptismal font was damaged, and songbooks were strewn all over the pews. Fortunately, no spray paint was involved.
Throughout its early history, Greenwood Catholics were served from Water Valley and Lexington. The initial church structure was built in 1901 and in 1912, Father John Clerico, a young priest from Italy, was appointed the first resident pastor.
Father Clerico was ordained on June 9, 1906, in Genoa, Italy and came to the diocese in March 1907, where he began serving in Shelby at St. Mary Church and its missions. Father Clerico who became a monsignor in 1951, became known as the “Apostle to the Delta” because he ministered to much of the area from Greenwood for the next 52 years until 1964.
Msgr. Clerico considered the entire area, which included Greenwood, Shelby, Leland, Hollandale, Anguilla, Indianola and Belzoni, as his parish and he knew all the families of the region. Hence, he was given the title mentioned above. There is even a park named after him in Greenwood.
Many of the furnishings in IHM church were procured from Italy by the apostle. The 100-year-old statue which was heavily damaged was hand-painted and made of plaster. I have brought it to Jackson in the hopes that a local artist might be able to repair it.
The altar that was turned over was restored more than 10 years ago and was rededicated by Bishop Joseph Latino in a beautiful ceremony with the whole parish present. The parishioners were so excited to have another piece of their history becoming a part of their worship.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, in a very moving and compassionate manner, Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass of Rededication for the parish and again anointed the altar and walls of the church returning it to sacredness from the evil that had been wrought upon it. There was a sense of resolve and relief among those present that what Msgr. Clerico had put in place was now made whole and healed once more.
It is hard to put into words the myriad of feelings experienced when evil attacks the church – even if it was a misguided or mentally ill person who perpetrated the acts. It was still evil. IHM is home to many, and the violence of this vandalism was heart-breaking.
In its infinite wisdom, Holy Mother Church has beautiful and deeply profound rituals that bring solace and a renewed sense of hope in the Lord by reclaiming the sacred from the profane. I consider it a blessing and a privilege to have been present for Bishop Latino’s dedication of the refurbished altar many years ago and for the rededication on Feb. 1, by Bishop Kopacz.
As Bishop Kopacz anointed the walls of the church with Chrism, I imagined Msgr. Clerico looking down lovingly upon all gathered in IHM from where he now celebrates endlessly at the table of the heavenly banquet.
The next morning as I was driving home from Greenwood in the rain with the broken statue of the Blessed Mother lying in the back of my car, I reflected on the liturgy the night before and the beautiful depth of faith shared at IHM. What an awe-inspiring numinous moment in the life of our universal church where the communion of saints joined with the people to restore a sacred space.
When it began to rain harder and I approached several 18-wheelers spraying blinding mist on my windshield, I felt fear rising in my heart as I engaged to pass them one at a time on the slick, ponding road. We have all been in this situation and it is no fun thinking about passing these mammoth vehicles in those conditions.
Suddenly, I remembered I had the Blessed Mother with me in the back seat. Even though she was battered and broken in many pieces, she came together and gave me the strength to put the pedal to the metal and get past those trucks.
Thank you, Blessed Mother! What a great church!
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
By Joanna Puddister King
GREENWOOD – The faith-filled parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood refuse to let a break-in that desecrated their parish triumph over their spirit, choosing to forgive and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of the perpetrators.
On Wednesday, Jan. 26 choir members arriving for practice discovered their parish had been vandalized. Some parishioners described the scene as if a tornado had blown through it.
The altar was overturned, hymnals were ripped from their spines with papers strewn around the sanctuary, the pulpit was overturned, as well. A statue of Mary, over 100 years old, was pulled down and her face broken into pieces. Many other items were turned over and bent. Also broken was an antique baptismal font.
Most disturbing for some parishioners was that the tabernacle was breached and the Blessed Sacrament removed, it being place on the church’s original altar. But through grace, the hosts did not appear to be touched. Parishioners like Mary Jane Faulkner felt the situation could have been worse.
“They didn’t break the windows … they could have caught the church on fire, when they destroyed Mary next to the candles,” said Faulkner, who also works for the parish in communications. “So, we were blessed. It is amazing they didn’t demolish some of the other things they could have,” she concluded.
According to the USCCB at least 120 incidents, like the one occurring at Immaculate Heart, have occurred across 31 states and the District of Columbia since May 2020. Incidents include arson, statues beheaded, limbs cut, and smashed and painted, gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned, and other destruction and vandalism. The conference even has a dedicated page on its website listing news stories that detail vandalism by month, since they began tracking incidents in May of 2020.
Pastor of Immaculate Heart, José de Jesús Sánchez expressed his “shock and grief” over the break-in over social media to the Catholic community, alerting them of the destruction in his parish. He was away at a family wedding in his home country of Mexico at the time of the incident.
People were hit hard by the images shared by Father Sánchez, including Bishop Joseph Kopacz, who said “at the same time, much prayer has been offered” from those across the diocese through the power of social media.
Amid all of the destruction at Immaculate Heart, Bishop Kopacz traveled to the parish on Wednesday, Feb. 1 to reconsecrate the church.
“We will reconsecrate this church once again to God in the Lord,” said Bishop Kopacz. “With great faith, hope and love with the desire to truly go forward, knowing that we have reconciled on a very deep level.”
Some in the parish, felt that the intent behind the destruction was to have parishioners lose their faith but the faith of the Immaculate Heart community is strong.
“We give thanks for this gift of faith, that can be assaulted, that can be hurt, but cannot be overcome in the Lord,” said Bishop Kopacz.
During his homily, Bishop Kopacz spoke of the destruction and evil that occurred within the walls of the church, mentioning the overturned pulpit and altar.
“The Word of God, another sacred part of who we are, was overturned, as if to say ‘We don’t want this Word proclaimed from this pulpit,’” said Bishop Kopacz, likening the destruction as malice. “That’s not just juvenile, ‘let’s just wreak a little havoc in this building.’”
Additionally, mentioned was the overturned altar and disturbed sacrament with Bishop Kopacz stating that “it was a deliberate blow to all that is sacred to us.”
As a part of the reconsecration of the church, Bishop Kopacz took great care in anointing the altar and with Chrism, in addition to the use of holy water to renew the baptismal promise of those present. “This seeks to make right, what has been wronged,” he said.
“Our altar represents Christ – it is Christ. … In the anointing, we are allowing the Lord to again come before us in a most powerful way to be our Good Shepherd and for us to know Him. For us to then enter deeply into the mystery of his life. … Heaven and earth are joined together each time we celebrate the Eucharist.”
After the Mass, parishioners like Faulkner expressed their gratitude and were moved by the beauty in the care of the reconsecration.
“I have never seen anything like it. It was extremely moving and beautiful,” said Faulkner.
Father Sánchez gave thanks for the experience of the reconsecration and was grateful for the feeling of hope, also witnessing a consecration of a church for the first time. “It was really beautiful and we know that we are not alone.”
“It is a new opportunity for all of us in the Body of Christ … and we can say to the enemy that if Christ is with us, who is against us.”
Parish coordinator and director of religious education, Emelia Joseph, who has worked tirelessly getting new keys, meeting with police officers and more in the wake of the break-in, is thankful for the support of the Greenwood community and the people of the diocese.
“We know through the grace of God and all the people who have contacted us, with prayer and their support, that we are not only going to rally through this, but we are going to be stronger than ever.”
By G. Mark LaFrancis
NATCHEZ – The broad stately oaks and rolling manicured lawns of Edgewood just off Airport Road beckon those who visit to enjoy its serenity.
Thus, it seems, Edgewood has become a natural setting for a monastery, the new home of a chapter of the international Institute of the Incarnate Word, a Catholic religious order of missionary priests and brothers.
“So, the monastery is a place where he (the monk) can find solitude where he has everything that he needs, and, and it’s the place where he can orient his whole life towards God, through work, through prayer, through silence,” said Father Charles Yaklin, a member of the order and local superior.
The institute will occupy a portion of the property, which is owned by Jerry and Hedy Boelte. Including Father Charles, there are four monks living there who are from around the globe.
Establishing a monastery at Edgewood was, in a way, decades in the making. Hedy Boelte has attended and organized many religious retreats and prayer groups in her Roman Catholic life. “Ever since I was a little girl, I have always desired to do things for others based on my Catholic faith, so I was born to serve. And in doing that, I worked with the nuns at my school and my priest. And I love my Catholic faith more than anything.”
The moment of significant religious transformation for Boelte came in 1987 when she attended a retreat. “I went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje and had the call to devote the rest of my life to serving Jesus through Mary. Starting prayer groups, organizing retreats, giving testimonies, serving God by living a fully dedicated Catholic life was the outcome of this willingness to work for the Kingdom of God. The Monastery is the pearl of great price, and we will continue to pray, serve and trust.”
She began what could be described as a religious stepladder, each new rung creating a new opportunity for her to invest her life and property to serve the Lord. All the while, she said, she prayed for direction. “Every time my husband would buy a piece of property as an investment or for the protection of the land and wildlife, I would always dedicate that property to a saint. And I would ask the saint, ‘What are we going to do with this property?’”
For years, Boelte sponsored retreats, prayer groups and events at those properties and at Edgewood, but the concept of the 100-acre property becoming a monastery gelled several years ago when she and her husband traveled to Wyoming where they own a ranch. There, she learned about Institute of the Incarnate Word and the monks. After a series of meetings and consultations, including with Father Scott Thomas, pastor at St. Mary Basilica in Natchez, wheels were in motion for the establishment of the monastery at Edgewood.
“It’s stunning,” Father Charles said of his first impression of Edgewood. “So, we’re seeing how we can make our mission work in this beautiful place to foster a move to prayer, which is really what we’re trying to do.”
Father Charles said the monks will pray for the entire Natchez community, not just Roman Catholics. “Yes, absolutely, for everyone. God wants all men to be saved and to come the knowledge of the truth. So, we pray for everyone.”
He said other monks may arrive and become part of the local monastery. Although the order is contemplative, that is, they spend considerable portions of the day in prayer, there will be opportunities for interaction with the community.
Already, retreats and prayer groups are in the planning session. “As a rule, we will be staying put here in the house and working on the grounds here, but we do have to get groceries, for example. So, you may see us at Walmart; that has happened a few times already, but other than that, we try to stay put.”
Father Charles said his journey in the religious life took many turns until he said he discovered his calling with the Institute of the Incarnate Word, a missionary religious congregation established in Argentina in 1984, which now has missionaries working in more than 40 different countries. Its members are priests, seminarians and brothers, the majority of them forming part of the “apostolic branch” of the Institute, typically working in parishes. The four monks who now live in Natchez belong to the “contemplative branch” of the Institute and contribute to the missionary work by their life of prayer.
A brochure about St. Joseph Monastery and the congregation states, “We want to be rooted in Jesus Christ. We want to love and serve Jesus Christ, and to help others love and serve Him. The Eucharist is the center and root of our consecration as religious.”
Father Charles added, “Seven times a day, we go to the chapel to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. This is a way of sanctifying all the hours of our day by interrupting our activities and returning to chapel, to pray, to be in the presence of God, and in this way to prolong each morning’s Mass throughout the whole day.” The pool house has been converted to a chapel for the monks and the celebration of the Mass for the community. Special additions to the chapel will be made soon, Boelte said.
A monastery in Natchez might seem unusual, but monasteries exist worldwide. Father Charles said, “Monastery comes from the Greek ‘monos’ meaning alone. And so, the monk lives alone, even though he can be in a community. He spends the majority of his time in solitude and not for the sake of being away from other people, but for the sake of being in silence with God.”
Father Charles said that a Spanish Mass is under consideration as well as regular Masses on weekends. Also, the monks are considering producing items to sell as a way to help sustain their lives at Edgewood.
(Story special to Mississippi Catholic. More information is available at the website saintjosephmonastery.com.)
By Laura Grisham
SOUTHAVEN – If you have attended, sent your children to, or simply visited Sacred Heart School, you know Sister Margaret Sue. Sister Margaret Sue Broker, OSF, is, as they say, the stuff of legend. She quietly goes about her work each day with the purpose of making the school — and each child that passes through its doors — great. Sister has been doing this for more than six decades.
Upon entering School Sisters of St. Francis, the once shy and quiet Sister Margaret Sue wanted to work in an orphanage and cook. Instead, her first year on mission was teaching the third and fourth grade at Our Lady of Victory School in Chicago. The next year she taught at St. Mary’s, a small school in Pine Bluff, Wisconsin. But just as her second year at the little rural school was to begin, her road to teaching took a turn south.
“The night before I was supposed to go back to Pine Bluff, I was called in and told to tear up my obedience slip for that year. I would, instead, be going to Mississippi,” said Broker.
Sister Margaret Sue arrived at Sacred Heart School in 1961. At that time, every elementary teacher was responsible for 45 students and two grades, a far cry from the intimate class settings of today.
Class size is not the only thing that is different at the school. Sister Margaret Sue has seen many changes through her years at Sacred Heart. Tuition at the beginning of her tenure, for instance, was only five dollars per month, per family.
“During my early years we had children who lived in homes that had no running water and heat was provided using old oil drums,” Sister recalled. “And many of our parents back in the day had third grade or less of education. That has definitely changed.”
Over the years Sister has taught some class or another in every grade. She has taught first through fourth grades full time, sixth-grade religion and English, and library for the lower grades. She has been curriculum director and even the principal during her time at the school. Today, Sister Margaret Sue teaches Pre-K through second-grade religion classes, but she is quick to tell you her favorite.
“By far, first grade has been my love and that is what I have taught most of my life. That is where you see those marvelous ‘aha’ moments when the rose buds open wide into marvels to behold.”
Broker is also Sacred Heart School’s official green thumb. The school’s courtyard and vegetable garden are a delight to students, faculty and visitors alike … and at the center of it all is Sister Margaret Sue. Her love of all things green is no secret. She lovingly tends to the gardens and takes great pleasure in sharing her ecological knowledge with the children.
Looking down memory lane, Sister Margaret Sue has many things she holds dear. Cooking with her first graders in the convent kitchen ranks near the top, as do the “hootenannies” in the gymnasium and the all-school musicals. Wrangling 90 or so first and second graders together for art classes might seem a little daunting, but for Broker and Mrs. Stanford, her fellow teacher at the time, it was just another occasion that is looked back upon fondly.
Generations of students also look upon Sister Margaret Sue fondly as well. It is easy to see why she is held in such high regard. Teaching and caring for students is not only second nature to her, but also a deeper calling, a prayer lived each day. In a reflection written for an issue of Dehonian Spirituality a few years ago, she shared the following:
“When I console, encourage, or bring a child to an ‘aha’ moment, I nurture the spirit. When I get and give a hug; when I sit with a child and study flashcards; when I guide the hand in forming a letter; when I write out my lesson plans; when I dictate words or numbers; or when I do the thousands of acts of teaching, I am dealing with the physical or corporal. If I do it well, in a compassionate, joyful, loving, merciful way, I nurture the spirit. The act of teaching is an amazing corporal and spiritual work of mercy.”
Several times during her first 20 years at Sacred Heart, Broker was reassigned to Honduras, but each time the order was changed to stay in Walls. Eventually, the School Sisters of St. Francis were given the choice of whether to stay or transfer. It is pretty obvious what her choice was. “No, I never figured I would be here more than six years … I fell in love with the people, the school, the area, the children, and here I am in my 61st year. It has been a short time as far as feelings go. I have never been bored, or wondered about how long it has been. It has just been love at first sight … and ever after!”
To the many children she has taught over those 61 years, she says, “To all my former students, my wish is that they be happy; that they remember the fun learning times and not the hard ones, nor the fussing; that they always keep their hands a little dirty in God’s good earth and that they model the joy of learning.”
