Featuring: Annunciation School
JACKSON – St. Richard six graders enjoy a moment in the spotlight after after performing the hilarious musical “Hatshepsut the Queen of Denial,” directed by music teacher Mr. Dillon. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
By Rebecca Harris, Diocesan Director of Stewardship & Development
Below are frequently asked questions about the annual diocesan Catholic Service Appeal. We hope that you find these “answers” helpful in discerning your gift to the CSA in support of 14 ministries throughout the diocese.
Question: What is the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: Since 1992, the annual Catholic Service Appeal has been a unified effort in which all parishioners in the Diocese of Jackson are asked to provide critical financial support to fourteen diocesan ministries. We are all united in our Catholic faith and are called to charity.
Question: Why should Catholics in the Diocese of Jackson support the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: The annual Catholic Service Appeal provides funding for ministries and program resources on which parishes reply and which no one parish could fund. As you review all the ministries that are supported by the annual Catholic Service Appeal you can see these are ministries that are important to our faith and to our diocese. With your support we can ensure these ministries thrive in our diocese. It takes each and every parishioner to accomplish this task.
Question: Does the Catholic Service Appeal support ministries outside of the Diocese of Jackson?
Answer: The donations given to the Catholic Service Appeal only supports ministries here in the Diocese of Jackson. There is a complete list of those ministries along with a brief description of what they do on the diocesan website: csa.jacksondiocese.org.
Question: Who benefits from the annual Catholic Service Appeal?
Answer: Currently we allocate monies raised by the annual Catholic Service Appeal to fourteen ministries of the Diocese of Jackson. Please go to csa.jacksondiocese.org. Scroll down and click on “Supported Ministries” to get a complete list of all fourteen ministries.
Question: Where do I go to donate to the annual Catholic Service Appeal.
Answer: We have made giving online simple and easy. Go to csa.jacksondiocese.org and click the giving button. You can always send a check to Catholic Service Appeal; PO Box 22723; Jackson, MS 39225-2273. If you have questions, you can call our office at (601) 960-8477.
Question: Can I make a gift to the CSA using stock, a donor advised fund or a qualified IRA distribution?
Answer: Yes you can make gift through stock, donor advised funds, or a qualified IRA distribution. We ask that you go to the Jackson Diocese website to get the stock form and email it into the CSA office so that we know who the donor is and the gift amount. This helps us alert our brokerage company. We also ask that you let us know if you are making a gift from a brokerage account or qualified IRA distribution. Often times we get checks from brokerage companies and we do not know the name of the donor. Brokerage companies are not allowed to give us your name, so we cannot credit you or your parish for the gift.
Question: Do you send out a report showing how the money raised was allocated?
Answer: Every year in November a brochure is mailed to all donors showing how much was allocated to each of the ministries supported by the Catholic Service Appeal. The report is also on the Jackson Diocese website. (jacksondiocese.org) In February each year prior to the Catholic Service Appeal second collection the annual report is in the Mississippi Catholic showing all the ministries and the amount that was allocated to each ministry.
Question: How much of my gift actually goes to support the ministries of the appeal?
Answer: 91 percent of your gift to the Catholic Service Appeal supports the ministries in the Diocese of Jackson. That is 91 cents of every $1.
Question: Is any of the CSA money spent on lawyers or diocesan lawsuits?
Answer: No money raised through the annual Catholic Service Appeal goes to lawyers or lawsuits. Please know that all the money that is raised is only allocated to the ministries supported by the Catholic Service Appeal. To be transparent an annual report is on the website.
Question: How is the Diocesan annual goal and the individual parish goals established?
Answer: The Bishop and the Catholic Service Appeal Office establish the annual Catholic Service Appeal goal taking into consideration the ministerial needs of our diocese. Parish goals are then calculated using the established diocesan goal. We then calculate a five-year offertory average multiplied by 5%.
To give a gift online, review the ministries supported by the annual Catholic Service Appeal, to review the 2022 Annual Report Allocations, and to see personal testimonies of people served by the appeal please scan the QR code. You can also go to csa.jacksondiocese.org.
By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Action has been taking place since Mississippi Catholic bishops issued a letter urging statewide and legislative leaders to hear and pass legislation to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage on Friday, Feb. 24.
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson and Bishop Louis F. Kihneman, III of the Diocese of Biloxi hoped their letter would drive leaders to action to extend coverage to new mothers from two months, as currently provided by Federal law, to a period of one year, by appealing to the states pro-life stance in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“Our faith affirms the value of every human life, and we have supported the legislature’s past action to protect the lives of unborn children. However, the commitment to life must not end at birth. We believe that access to affordable healthcare is a fundamental human right, one that is necessary for the flourishing of families and communities,” wrote the bishops in their letter.
“It is especially heartbreaking when healthcare is out of reach at the precious and vulnerable period when new life is created.”
Just two days after the bishops’ letter was delivered to every state legislator and the Governor and Lt. Governor, Governor Tate Reeves publicly reversed his stance on extending Medicaid to new mothers.
Reeves wrote on social media that if the legislature passes a law allowing for a year of postpartum Medicaid coverage, he “will sign it into law.”
He continued writing that we live in “a post-Dobbs world” and was proud that Mississippi led the charge to end Roe v. Wade, but now we need to “love” Mississippi moms providing them more support after giving birth.
“It will be worth it, as more children of God are brought into the world,” wrote Reeves.
After Reeves change of heart, Bishop Kopacz and a diverse coalition of faith leaders affiliated with Working Together Mississippi held a press conference on the front steps of the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle within view of the State Capitol building, urging legislators and specifically Republican House Speaker Phillip Gunn to allow lawmakers to vote on giving new mothers a full year of Medicaid coverage after giving birth.
“We’re saying to the Speaker of the House, join us,” said Bishop Ronnie Crudup, Sr. of the Fellowship of International Churches and pastor of New Horizon Church International. “Let’s do this because it’s the right thing to do for Mississippi because we value and we love our mothers and our children.”
Under the leadership of Gunn, bills over the last few years to extend postpartum coverage that are passed by the Senate have repeatedly died in the House without a full vote under his leadership.
On the evening of the press conference, Gunn publicly shifted his attitude toward postpartum Medicaid expansion stating that he would not block it from House passage. Gunn stated that his decision came after Medicaid director Drew Snyder sent him a letter in support of the extention of coverage.
On March 7, Gunn did just that with the bill passing both chambers of the legislature. After an 89-29 vote in the House, SB 2212 will head to the desk of Governor Reeves.
Now, provided that Reeves signs the law as promised, new mothers in Mississippi on Medicaid will be granted 12 months of continuous coverage postpartum.
“I’m grateful for the prayer, hard work and collaboration that brought this bill to the finish line,” said Bishop Kopacz. “One big step forward for the common good.”
DCYC participants made blankets for the homeless as a service project. On left, youth engage in small group discussions. (Photos by Melissa Smalley)
DCYC participants had a chance to play some fun games in between worship and talks. (Photos by Fran Lavelle)
DCYC the Catholic Community of Meridian sent 8 high school students and it was a great weekend. From a youth director’s perspective, it was great to see the Holy Spirit move in and around them. We have a great group of kids. (Photos by Angela Dove)
DCYC St. Michael (Photos by Liz Edmondson)
Picture on left: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Vicksburg participated at the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference, March 3-5 held at Vicksburg Convention Center. Pictured left to right are Dr. Josephine Calloway, (Religious Director), Fr. Joseph Chau Nguyen, SVD, (Pastor), Erin Watson, Crystal Slaughter, KeAsia Slaughter, and De’Marques Flowers.
Picture on right: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Vicksburg participated at the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference, March 3-5 held at Vicksburg Convention Center. Pictured left to right are Fr. Joseph Chau Nguyen, SVD, (Pastor), KeAsia Slaughter, Crystal Slaughter, Erin Watson and De’Marques Flowers. (Photos by L. Thomas)
By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The Transfiguration of the Lord was proclaimed from all Catholic pulpits throughout the world last weekend on the second Sunday of Lent, an event revealing God’s beloved Son as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets with the appearances of Moses and Elijah. For a brief moment Peter, James and John beheld the eternal glory of God on the Lord who was calling them out of darkness into his own marvelous light. (Matthew 17:1-9)
Earlier in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus made a bold statement during his Sermon on the Mount. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” (5:17)
There was a strong prophetic component to Moses’ leadership, but generally he represents the Law in ancient Israel. As soon as Israel settled down in the promised land with a king to rule over them the prophetic ministry arose to preserve and to demand fidelity to the Covenant established by God with Moses on Mount Sinai. Jesus shouldered all of this sacred history on the Cross to establish the new Covenant in his blood. From the Law, the church for nearly 2000 years has preserved the Ten Commandments as the template for the moral life of the Christian. Section three of the Catechism devotes considerable ink to this tradition.
From the prophets primarily, the church has developed its social teaching over the past 150 years with the dawn of the modern world. Its foundation is the dignity of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God. During the season of Lent the Lord and the church call us to double down on our prayer, fasting and almsgiving as obvious signs of our repentance. Jesus has taught us how to pray, fast and die to self, challenging enough, but sometimes the hidden essentials of our mission in the world is the work of social outreach and advocacy for life, justice and peace.
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus portrayed the final judgment based on feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned. This was the vision of the prophets in Israel for centuries. Listen to Isaiah, first among them.
“Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed, O Lord? Because on your fast day you see to your business and oppress all your laborers! Because you fast in strife and contention, and you strike with a wicked fist! Your fasting today is not such as to make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast I desire, a day for men to starve their bodies? Is it bowing the head like a bulrush and lying in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, a day when God is favorable? No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock the fetters of wickedness and untie the cords of the yoke to let the oppressed go free; to break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin.” (Isaiah 58:3-7)
For example, “not to ignore your own kin” is the impetus for the grassroots efforts to expand post-partum Medicaid for women and their newborn beyond two months of coverage up to one year. To ignore this critical need after Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is unconscionable. This is to say that the church’s pro-life and social teachings are always at work, in Mississippi, in the United States and throughout our world because the powerful voices of the prophets are part of our religious DNA.
“Let justice roll like a river, righteousness like an unfailing stream.” (Amos 5:24) “He has showed you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) This is an essential part of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets of which Jesus spoke, and that God the Father revealed on the mountain of Transfiguration. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” He is the Way and the Truth in whom we have been baptized and seek faithfully to follow in thought, word and deed.
By Annette Kirklin, ERDC public affairs specialist
VICKSBURG – The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) recently signed an educational partnership agreement with two Vicksburg, Mississippi schools – Vicksburg Catholic School (VCS) and Porter’s Chapel Academy (PCA). These agreements ensure collaboration and the exchange of ideas between ERDC and the schools.
“We really need the schools to keep doing what they’re doing,” ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman said to the VCS and PCA representatives who visited ERDC on Feb. 17, 2023. “ERDC is in a great community with great schools and great people – thank you all for doing incredible work.”
Pittman also discussed the nationwide need for more scientists and engineers, encouraging school leadership to continue offering STEM opportunities to their students.
“Our researchers get their start with you – you train them first,” Pittman said. “That strong foundation you give them in elementary and high school is so important to the people they become. You give them the first tools they need to help make our world safer and better.”
One goal of the partnerships is to encourage and enhance training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which includes relating academic skills to realistic applications for both students and staff. The agreement also allows ERDC personnel to be more involved with the schools through time spent in the classroom, providing career/academic advice, involving faculty and students in research projects, transferring surplus equipment and more.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with this worldwide, premier research and development institution that truly impacts every aspect of our planet,” said Dr. Virgil “Buddy” Strickland, principal of VCS. “We are extremely grateful for what ERDC brings to our students.”
“I think it’s great that both schools are here together because, after all, we are one community,” said Christopher Williams, principal of PCA. “I thank ERDC so much for being willing and wanting to invest in both of these schools.”
ERDC has signed 70 agreements with colleges and universities and eight agreements with K-12 institutions, including an agreement signed in 2015 with the Vicksburg-Warren School District.
Reflections on Life
By Melvin Arrington
In observance of the National Eucharistic Revival, I offer these reflections on how I came to understand what Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen meant when he said: “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host.”
When I was growing up in the Baptist Church, the observance of the Lord’s Supper was always a special occasion, partly because it was observed so infrequently, but also because of its solemnity. Children knew they had better not be caught whispering or passing notes during this service. Church members believed the bread and grape juice they consumed merely symbolized the Body and Blood of Christ because the service was only a remembrance rather than a re-enactment. Nevertheless, we were always warned not to partake if we knew ourselves to be unworthy.
My first exposure to the Catholic Church was in graduate school when I started attending Mass with Terry, my future wife. It quickly became obvious to me that the focal point of the Mass was always the same thing week after week: the priest would consecrate the bread and wine and repeat the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper. Then the people would come forward and receive communion.
One day, after having attended Mass several times, I asked Terry, a cradle Catholic, if she had ever gotten tired of repeating the same ritual every Sunday. She replied simply, “No.” But she said it with a slight, almost imperceptible, smile while looking off in the distance, as if contemplating something beautiful. This was more than 50 years ago, and I still remember that conversation. Needless to say, her answer made a deep and permanent impression on me. Now, as a Catholic, I can appreciate why this sacrament is the essential element of the Mass. After all, the one thing Christ asked his disciples to remember was His sacrificial death.
After we were married, we tried to focus on those doctrines baptized Christians hold in common. Unfortunately, belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist wasn’t one I shared with her. But after praying, studying and attending Mass for many years, I finally came to accept this teaching and found my way into the Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, the writings of Archbishop Sheen, and Terry’s wonderful example of faith.
During this journey I learned that the first-century Christians believed Christ was actually present in the Eucharist. This was not just a symbol for them. Jesus said when we gather to worship He is in our midst. (Matt. 18:20) So, from the very beginning when the first Christians met in homes for prayer and the “breaking of the bread,” they sincerely believed what they were receiving was the Precious Body and Blood of the Lord.
The church has maintained a firm belief in the Real Presence throughout its history. The early Church Fathers taught this, and the teaching largely remained unchallenged until the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. Of course, Protestants to this day hold to a symbolic interpretation. But it’s important to keep in mind that during the church’s first 1500 years (75% of its 2000 year history), all Christians believed Christ was truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar.
Growing up, I had learned to interpret the Lord’s Supper symbolically, but the first-century Christians didn’t understand it that way, for one reason because they were able to distinguish between literal and figurative language. For example, when Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), they realized He was speaking metaphorically because He wasn’t really a shepherd; He was a carpenter turned teacher/preacher. They knew Jesus was using this expression to show how He watched over and cared for his own.
In like manner, when Jesus told Peter and Andrew He would make them fishers of men (Matt. 4:19), He didn’t mean these two fishermen would literally be snaring people in their nets. They must have instantly grasped the metaphorical significance of His remark – that they were being called to lead men and women to follow Jesus – because upon hearing those words the two men left their boats without hesitation and went along with Him.
However, when we come to John chapter six Jesus speaks literally, leaving no room for ambiguity: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life … For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (vv. 54-55) How do we know that? We know because when He explained this pronouncement in greater detail and they understood He meant it literally, many left Him, claiming this teaching was too hard. Even the persecutors of the early Christians took these words at face value because one of the charges they leveled at Jesus’ followers was cannibalism.
Toward the end of this passage Jesus stated, “There are some of you who do not believe.” (John 6:64) We still have scoffers with us today. In fact, surveys show that seventy percent of Catholics in this country don’t believe in the Real Presence. Despite this sad fact, the church’s teachings have not changed. We, like those in Jesus’ day, should take His words in the “Bread of Life” discourse literally. There is no other option. What Jesus said is true because He said it, and He is Truth itself.
As Christoph Cardinal Schönborn has commented, the people do not kneel and the priest does not genuflect “in front of a mere symbol.” He goes on to explain, “No one genuflects in front of a piece of bread. I bow down before God in person.”
The Eucharist, like other “mysteries of faith” (e.g. the Trinity), is difficult to explain, but it’s not necessary to comprehend something fully in order to believe it. Without understanding how gravity works or how light can travel at 186,000 miles per second, I still accept these things as true.
When we approach the altar with bread and wine, two of the basic elements that sustain life, we are bringing gifts that represent our own sacrificial offering. Bread and wine are most appropriate because, as Archbishop Sheen explains, “no two substances have to undergo more to become what they are than do wheat and grapes. One passes through the Gethsemane of a mill, the other through the Calvary of the winepress before they can be presented to the Beloved on the altar.”
In contemplating this “holy and living sacrifice,” I’m reminded of a weekly feature than used to run in a local entertainment paper. The feature asked selected individuals to answer a single question. One week the editors, probably thinking of celebrity sightings, asked: “When have you ever been in the presence of greatness?” One of our parishioners was among those questioned. He gave the best response imaginable: “Every Sunday.”
Like Coca-Cola’s advertising slogan of the 1970s, “It’s the Real Thing,” we, in turn, boldly proclaim that the Eucharist is really and truly the “Real Thing.” It is sacred reality – Jesus in our midst, offering us intimate participation in His Divine Life. And that’s a love story for all time.
(Melvin Arrington is a Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages for the University of Mississippi and a member of St. John Oxford.)
STEWARDSHIP PATHS
By Julia Williams
JACKSON – Perpetua and Felicity were African Christian women, whose names we hear in the litany of the saints. They were martyred during the persecution of Septimus Severus in Carthage, early in the third century.
Perpetua was the daughter of a pagan nobleman and the mother of a still nursing infant. Felicity was a pregnant slave girl who gave birth in prison just a few days before she was put to death. The persecution of Christians was a gruesome sport in Carthage.
Perpetua and Felicity, along with three male companions who also refused to renounce their faith, were taken into the public amphitheater where the men were thrown to the lions and the women were later beheaded.
In spite of being tortured herself, Perpetua encouraged the others to “stand firm in the faith, love one another and do not be tempted to do wrong because of our sufferings.”
How good a steward am I with the gift of faith? Am I willing to stand firm in the face of ridicule or criticism? What would I be willing to sacrifice for my faith?
St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, please pray for us!
Excerpts: aocstewardship.org
By Meredith Bailess, St. Dominic
JACKSON – St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.
Hospital leaders and St. Dominic’s supporters recognized the St. Dominic’s Women’s Services Team for their contributions to this significant achievement with a celebration on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. Key contributors were presented with the Baby-Friendly Hospital certificate and highlights of the team’s journey were highlighted.
This distinguished honor demonstrates that St. Dominic’s adheres to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.
The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well-documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world. For example, the Surgeon General’s 2011 Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding stated that “Breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unparalleled immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect against a host of illnesses and diseases for both mothers and children.”
St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital joins a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 602 of which are in the United States. These facilities provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.
“This designation is the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination across our organization, all with a goal of helping families get off to a good start,” said Scott Kashman, Market President and CEO, St. Dominic Hospital and St. Dominic Health Services. “We are proud to offer an environment that supports best practices shown to increase breastfeeding exclusivity and duration and are committed to giving moms who choose to breastfeed the best chance for success. Each new beginning is an opportunity to support a healthy future for our community and our state.”
About St. Dominic Hospital
St. Dominic Hospital is a 571-bed tertiary care hospital located in Jackson, Mississippi, serving all of central Mississippi and employing approximately 3,000 team members including nurses, physicians and skilled caregivers. The medical staff of nearly 500 leading physicians and specialists makes St. Dominic’s one of the most comprehensive hospitals in Mississippi. Through more than seven decades, St. Dominic’s has remained true to its vision. We are a Christian healing community called to provide quality, compassionate care and an exceptional experience every time. St. Dominic’s is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. Learn more at https://www.stdom.com/services/womens-services/maternal-and-newborn/.
About Baby-Friendly USA
As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensuring the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US. Learn more about Baby-Friendly USA and the BFHI at www.babyfriendlyusa.org.
From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Twenty years ago, this past Tuesday, March 7, Msgr. Joseph Nunzio Latino was ordained and installed as the 10th Bishop of Jackson. Reflecting back through the kingdom of memory, I seem to recall it was a Lenten Friday filled with sunshine and people from throughout the region in attendance to celebrate the new bishop.
Bishop Latino often recounted the story of him looking out on the Cathedral from his room in the now defunct Marriott, which sits behind the church. We were all down below scurrying about getting chairs, vestments, chalices, servers in order and he was experiencing some trepidation in the face of his new responsibilities. But as the morning flowed on, he emerged from the hotel and off we went.
It was a blessing to be part of the liturgy planning crew. We worked for several weeks learning the rite, managing the smallest details, and creating the program for the Mass. We were in constant contact with Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, then Metropolitan Archbishop of Mobile, who would be the ordaining bishop.
Having finished the program draft about 10 days before the ceremony, we received a call from Archbishop Lipscomb, who served on Vox Clara, a translation of all things Catholic Church committee, stating he would like to use the new translation of the ordination rite. It was not in book form yet, but he was having USCCB send us a pdf copy.
This meant the program draft had to be redone due to new terminology in several locations, but it also meant Bishop Latino would be the first bishop ordained using this translation and rubrics. Quite the honor! And so, the program was redrafted to incorporate the new language and movements and sent off to the printer.
The Mass was scheduled for 12 p.m., and concelebrants, family, friends and officials started arriving in the hours before that. The papal nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, arrived with the bull appointing Bishop Latino as 10th bishop. At first, he seemed rather surly, and as the Mass began this became more emphasized.
Because we were using the new translation, there was a lack of clarity among all as to when the bull would be read. The rubrics mentioned a letter being read at the very beginning of the liturgy and then as part of the rite after the Gospel.
This led to some consternation during the liturgy when a certain priest tried to retrieve the bull to read at the beginning of the Mass and the nuncio placing a death grip on it. I really thought he was going to whack the befuddled cleric in the head with it if he kept trying to grab it.
After those initial awkward moments subsided and the Holy Spirit was called down and the bull was finally read by the nuncio at the proper place, everyone began to be swept up in the joy of the sacred moment, including the nuncio, who by the end of the liturgy was beaming with a smile.
Following the liturgy, guests walked across the street to Galloway United Methodist Church for a reception complete with fabulous flowers provided by the Cathedral Flower Guild, scrumptious food for all and fine Methodist hospitality as only they can do. It was indeed an ecumenical event, and leading the Galloway hospitality team were my Methodist minister father, whose birthday was that day, and my mother.
Sometimes it seems as if it were only yesterday and other times it seems like an eternity. But in retrospect, I still can recall all the many unique details and insightful moments that made it such a beautiful, sacred and joyful moment in the life of our diocesan church – all capsulized in the eternal memory of the universal church.
I think of the many key players involved who have gone on to the Lord – my father, Jack, hospitality team (2018); Bishop Latino, 10th bishop (2021); Msgr. Noel Foley, MC of the Mass (2003); Archbishop Lipscomb, metropolitan and principal ordaining bishop (2020); Bishop William Houck, 9th bishop (2016); and Archbishop Montalvo, guardian of the bull (2006). God rest them all.
In faith, I know they are gathered around the heavenly banquet table at the never-ending liturgy. Here in the Cathedral, I look for them in the mystical air space around the altar when heaven and earth meet in the celebration of the Eucharist on the altar designed by Bishop Latino – all present as members of the Communion of Saints. What a blessing!
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
