By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – How do 31 educators and administrators get to the biggest gathering of Catholic educators in the nation? They ride a bus. The Office of Education for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson chartered a bus to take representatives from almost every school in the diocese to the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) conference in St. Louis April 18-20. Southaven Sacred Heart School garnered some national recognition at the conference as one of three schools nominated for an award in educational innovation (See sidebar for details).
“We were talking about how many people were going and how St. Louis was not that far away and I said, ‘we should get a bus,’” said Catherine Cook, superintendent of Catholic Schools. The offhand idea turned into a plan that saved money and allowed for some valuable networking time.
“We got to know each other. The principals are able to see each other at our meetings, but our teachers don’t always get to do that,” said Jennifer David, principal of Meridian St. Patrick School and bus rider.
“Professional development and supporting our educators is important, so we want to facilitate that in any way we can,” said Cook. The bus started in Jackson where teachers and administrators from Jackson, Madison and Meridian boarded and made a stop in Winona to pick up representatives from Greenwood, Greenville and Columbus. A second stop in Southaven allowed principals and teachers from Southaven and Holly Springs onboard. Other schools made their own travel arrangements.
David said the conference was amazing from start to finish. “It really fires you up for the mission of Catholic education. It unites us in that mission.” She said the message of the keynote speaker, Jonathan Doyle, resonated with her. “We all have different mission statements, but the mission is the same – to ensure future generations (of Catholics), to teach gospel values and to allow students to have an encounter with Christ,” she said.
Bridget Martin, principal of Southaven Sacred Heart agreed. “Overall the experience of being there with other Catholic educators is good. You can get bogged down in policy and day-to-day stuff. We need to remind ourselves of our mission,” Martin said. She commented on how each workshop kept that theme at the forefront. “For example, you might go to the data workshop, but we talked about how we are ‘data informed,’ but mission-driven,” she added.
David called teaching a vocation and said it is important to give teachers a chance to recharge. “It is no accident that God has called you to this vocation and no matter what, he will sustain you through it,” she added.
David said one of her favorite features was a lunch-and-learn with other administrators. The teachers had one as well. “They asked us what challenges we were facing today. Almost every single one of us had the same or similar answers,” David explained. The groups exchanged ideas and support for the entire session. “NCEA is going to type up all the answers and send them to all of us,” explained David.

By Mary Margaret Halford

Father Messina

For Father Sam Messina, priesthood has been all about the people. From fostering young minds as a teacher in Catholic schools to working as a hospital chaplain who counseled people at the end of their lives, Messina has seen it all. And after 52 years as a priest, the 78-year-old is retiring.

“I just love people, and I love a challenge,” Messina said, noting that he could have retired eight years ago, but just wasn’t ready to hang it up then. “But I just knew it was time.”

After being ordained in Ohio in 1965, the Greenville native made his way back to Mississippi, where he got his start in Hattiesburg, teaching Latin and theology at Sacred Heart. From there, he went to Greenville, where he also taught, and then to Vicksburg as the parish priest at St. Michael. He also served in Chatawa, where he was chaplain at an all girls school, as well as the priest of churches in Osyka and Magnolia. He then did stints in West Point and Natchez, before going back to Vicksburg as the chaplain of Mercy Hospital. After 12 years as parish priest in Belzoni, he ended his career with 13 years in Batesville/Sardis.

Messina has countless fond recollections of his service across Mississippi, but his time spent working in the hospital evokes some special memories.

“Although it’s difficult work, I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Messina said, adding that once, he made 150 visits in just a day. “It was 24/7, you were expected to answer calls and minister to people at all times.”

One day while having lunch, Messina’s beeper went off, paging him to the emergency room. As he rushed into the ER, he heard a mother tell her ailing child “You’ll be alright, look, here comes Father Sam.”

“The more I worked, the more I loved it,” he said.

Though Father Sam has retired to St. Catherine’s Village in Madison now, his love of people is stronger than ever.

“I’ve already been called on to do different ministries here,” he said. “We have daily Mass, and I’ll always be here to counsel people. I do like to fish, and they don’t lack things to do here if you’re capable of doing them. I’m getting settled – so far, so good.”

Father P.J. Curley speaks to Rian Harris at Vicksburg Catholic School in this file photo. (Photo courtesy of Ann Roberson)

From the time that Father P.J. Curley came to the United States from his home of Roscommon, Ireland, he’s been consistently pleased with how well people have treated and accepted him, both because of and despite his humorous side.

Throughout his career as a priest – which is nearing the 47-year mark – Father Curley has made connections with parishioners across the state.

“I think that no matter where I’ve been, as far south as Biloxi and as far north as Shelby, everybody was continually friendly and kind and loving,” Father Curley said. “I’d say 99 percent of the people were gracious enough to accept silliness as part of my personality.”

Father Curley began his priesthood on the southern end of the state in Biloxi before moving to Jackson. He then went south again to Woodville, which had a mission at Fort Adams. From there, Father Curley moved north to Shelby, and he also served in Belzoni, which had a mission at Anguilla. His last two stops were Yazoo City and finally, St. Michael in Vicksburg.

And of all his experiences in those assignments that spanned the state, Father Curley said he’ll miss preaching the most. “I just love preaching, probably because nobody listens,” he said with a laugh “But really, I love preaching; and I love liturgy; I love Eucharistic celebrations.”

And as for retirement, his big plan is to just soak it in.

“I intend to enjoy myself, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’ll be living in Vicksburg and helping out anywhere I’m needed.”

Not long before Father Curley sat down to draft his letter of retirement to Bishop Kopacz, he came across a poem that struck him when he thought about parishioners missing him in retirement.

When you’re feeling so important and your ego is in bloom,

When you simply take for granted you’re the wisest in the room,

When you feel your very absence will leave a great big hole,

Just follow these instructions, they will humble any soul.

Take a bucket filled with water, put your hand in to the wrist,

Pull it out, and the hole remaining is how much you will be missed.

“Anytime I think about people missing me, I remember this poem,” he said. “And I just ask the people of God to pray for me.”

(Mary Margaret Halford is a member of Vicksburg St. Paul Parish)

By Elsa Baughman

JACKSON – The Mississippi Bar’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission recently joined forces to offer a seminar focused on children’s immigration issues. Gathered at the Mississippi Supreme Court on Friday, April 7, 73 participants, the majority lawyers and a few religious, heard several panelists address issues mainly concerning two common immigration protections for vulnerable immigrant children: the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and asylum.

During the welcoming remarks, Tiffany Graves, a lawyer from the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission, noted that there are not many legal aid programs in the state that focus on immigration issues and they are fortunate to have Catholic Charities doing this work but they need some help.

She said one of the aims behind the seminar was to educate attorneys on how to help pro bono with immigration cases. “We hope you leave inspired to help in your communities,” she told those present.

JACKSON – Kaytie Picket, Young Lawyers Division board of directors, welcomes participants to a day of education about immigration while Tiffany Graves from the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission looks on. (Photo by Elsa Baughman)

Kaytie Pickett, a lawyer and member of the YLD board of directors, said at the beginning of the conference that she had been thinking about pro bono opportunities in Mississippi. “Immigration is something I want to address but I don’t know anything about it,” she said.

She wanted to find ways to train lawyers in immigration work. Pickett heard about Amelia McGowan, an attorney at the Migrant Support Center of Catholic Charities. Pickett contacted McGowan and the seeds for the conference were planted. “Kids Seeking Safety: An Intro to Children’s Immigration issues,” was the theme.

Catholic Charities and the Mississippi College School of Lay Immigration Clinic were also sponsors of this seminar. As a result of this presentation, Catholic Charities hopes to place cases of children in need with pro bono counsel.

McGowan’s presentation, “The Journey: Background on Migration of Children and Families from Central America,” addressed why so many children migrate to the United States, what kind of problems they face in their own countries and here in the U.S. when they arrive. Seventy-four percent of these children are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. She said in Mississippi approximately 300 children arrive each year. They are usually released to family members and if they don’t have a family member they are placed with foster parents.

“Often, children represent the most dire cases, representing the most vulnerable clients in immigration courts,” she said, explaining that when a child is apprehended in the border that child is place in a deportation proceeding and in most cases they are not given the right counsel. “That is where your participation is important,” she said.

The seminar included seven presentations that address such issues as asylum and its application process. The keynote address was by Judge Leslie Southwick from the U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit.

Patrick Fields, a law student at the Mississippi College School of Law, said that a lot of time people who are outside the practice don’t understand the gravity of what these children have lived through and don’t comprehend the profound nature of the obstacles they have already overcome and the ones they have before them. “I think that to inform people of that and show them a humane face to this dynamic that they just read about it in the paper it was a really good thing.” Fields said that the overview that McGowan presented about how this process looks like for a lot of these kids may compel the lawyers attending to search their hearts in regards to this issue and consider getting involved.

Courtney Hunt, a lawyer with the Forman Watkins & Krutz said the conference was an eye opening for her. “I hear about these issues in the news but learning a little bit more about what is causing children to end up here in Mississippi and the United States is very important to me,” she said. Her firm has a pro bono partnership with Catholic Charities to do immigration work. “I am excited to be able to be involved in an area in which I can play a little part.”

“I am thrilled to see us calling attention to the children who are here in this country suffering because of the immigration laws,” said Redemptorist Father Michael McAndrew. He said that calling attention to this children will hopefully give people to also look later at the many citizen children who have undocumented parents. “Here in Mississippi we have a need to see the faces of these children and realize that we are a country of immigrants and we need to value them,” Father McAndrew noting that whatever opportunities we give to these children God blesses our country.