Youth

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Tereza Ma

Catholic Schools Week in pictures

COLUMBUS – Annunciation

HOLLY SPRINGS – Holy Family

MERIDIAN – St. Patrick

MADISON – St. Joseph

MADISON – (Right) Grandparents of St. Joseph Catholic School students fill the school gym on Wednesday, Feb. 2, for the annual Grandparents Mass at St. Joseph School gym in Madison. The Mass also honored the founders of St. Joe, the Sisters of Mercy. The Mass was a highlight of Catholic Schools Week 2022. (Photos courtesy of Terry Cassreino)

GREENWOOD – St. Joseph

GREENWOOD – Student, Ethan Morales, receives the host from Father Andrew Nguyen at Mass on Tuesday while Bishop Joseph Kopacz was visiting St. Joseph and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Schools. (Photos by Nikki Thompson)

JACKSON – St. Richard

JACKSON – Susie Steckler and Maley Thornhill visit with Bishop Joseph Kopacz at St. Richard School during his visit on Wednesday, Feb. 2. (Photos by Jennifer David)

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth

Commanding figure, Bishop Chanche rests in Natchez

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Mary Woodward

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – In his person, Bishop Chanche was of rather a tall and commanding figure, and prepossessing in his appearance. The grace and dignity with which he conducted the ceremonials of the church, on marked occasions, will long be remembered. By his courteous bearing and suavity of manner, as well as by sacerdotal virtues that graced his life, he won the esteem and respect of all who knew him.

The above is taken from a funeral story published July 24, 1852, in The Catholic Mirror, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, upon the July 22 death of Bishop John Joseph Chanche, SS, first bishop of our diocese.

On Feb. 19, Bishop Joseph Kopacz presented the Bishop John Joseph Chanche Medal to 17 individuals from parishes around our expansive diocese. This diocesan award, established in 2012 in honor of our diocese’s 175th anniversary, is given for outstanding service to parish, diocese and community.

Bishop Chanche was a Sulpician. Since 1641, Sulpicians have dedicated themselves to assisting bishops by providing seminary education and ongoing formation to priests.

NATCHEZ – Mary Woodward and Jimmy Guercio, who was chair of the St. Mary Basilica archives committee, are pictured at the resting place of Bishop John Joseph Chanche on July 28, 2012 for the 175th anniversary of the diocese. (Photos courtesy of archives)

Arriving in Natchez from Baltimore St. Mary College and Seminary where he was president and rector in May 1841, Bishop Chanche found a couple of missionary priests and no real church building. By his death in July 1852, the diocese had grown to 11 parishes throughout the state and 13 priests.

After serving as Chief Promoter of the First Plenary council of Baltimore in May 1852, Bishop Chanche went to visit family in nearby Frederick, Maryland. It is believed that he contracted cholera which led to a slow, painful death two months later. He was buried in the Baltimore Cathedral Cemetery.

The following was written in The Catholic Mirror after his Requiem Mass: Bishop Chanche was greatly beloved in our community – his native city and the field of many years’ zeal and labor – the tears which moistened the eyes of those who surrounded his grave evidence that his absence from among us had not caused him to be forgotten.

In 1878, he was moved with the remains of his sister, Mary Marcilly Edwards, to the new Cathedral Cemetery. There he remained until the fall of 2007, when after many years of research and preparations, the St. Mary Basilica Archives Committee in Natchez in conjunction with then Bishop Joseph Latino asked the Archdiocese of Baltimore to have his remains sent back to his diocesan home to be buried.

His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler, then Archbishop of Baltimore, agreed to the exhumation and to come celebrate the re-interment Mass on Jan. 19, 2008.

The morning of Jan. 19, we awakened to three inches of snow on the ground. It had not snowed in Natchez in 15 years. I wondered if it was a message from Bishop Chanche to please not dig him up again and let him rest in peace, since this was the third time he would be buried.

Unbeknownst to most, we had requested a small box of soil from St. Mary Seminary on Paca Street in Baltimore to put in the grave so that Bishop Chanche would have some native soil beneath him. As an aside, St. Mary Seminary gave us Bishop Chanche in 1841 and Bishop William Houck in 1979.

When the snow stopped, I emptied the soil into the grave which is located on the grounds of St. Mary Basilica behind the rectory. Fortunately, the grave had been covered for several days.

The Mass was concelebrated by archbishops, bishops, and clergy from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Music incorporated into the liturgy was indicative of pieces from the times of Bishop Chanche.

In spite of the weather, a large congregation gathered to pay their respects to the well-travelled bishop, who left the comforts of his life at the seminary in Baltimore and journeyed to what must have seemed like the edge of the universe to serve God’s people in Mississippi. He served fervently and faithfully until the end.

Father Jean Jacques Olier, founder of the Sulpicians, penned a beautiful prayer for his confreres, which was placed in the worship book for the Mass in 2008. It is indicative of Bishop Chanche’s ministry and zeal and embodied in our Chanche Medal recipients:
O Jesus living in Mary,
Come and live in your servants,
In the spirit of your holiness,
In the fullness of your power,
In the perfection of your ways,
In the truth of your virtues,
In the communion of your mysteries,
Have dominion over every adverse power,
In your Spirit for the glory of the Father.
Amen.

As Bishop Kopacz presented the medals to this year’s awardees, memories of that Mass in 2008 filled my mind – the snow, the dirt, the Spirit – all reflective of honoring our first bishop – John Joseph Marie Benedict Chanche, a tall, commanding figure; prepossessing in appearance.

(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)

Continuing education workshop addresses ecclesial communion in polarized church

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Joanna King

By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Even coming from the far corners of the diocese, priests, deacons and ecclesial ministers (and lay), gathered for a continuing formation workshop entitled “The Eucharist: Building Ecclesial Communion in a Polarized Church and Society” at St. Richard parish in Jackson on Feb. 15-16.

The convocation, led by Father Jim Wehner, rector/president of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, reflected on the need to create and sustain ecclesial communion with the Diocese of Jackson, recognizing the challenges to communion seen in the universal church, as well as in the U.S., the political and civic tensions in society and pastoral challenges in the diocesan church.

JACKSON – Father Kent Bowlds made the presentation from Father Jim Wehner available via zoom for religious unable to be present. Priests, deacons, ecclesial ministers (and lay), gathered at St. Richard parish for a workshop entitled “The Eucharist: building Ecclesial Communion in a Polarized Church and Society” on Feb. 15-16. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

Using biblical, ecclesial, theological and pastoral insights, Father Wehner led those present (in-person and virtual) to reflect on their common love for the church, as each uniquely lives out their calling to build up the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Jackson.

“God plays the long game,” says Father Wehner. “The question is … can we be faithful to that long game.

Father Wehner also spoke on the three goals of new evangelization – the call to holiness, creating communion and manifesting the kingdom – and how it includes lay people, as it is our mission to act in unity as a church.

He says that every person in our community has been called by God. “Every single person is called by name … has been blessed by God with charisms and gifts,” says Wehner. “There is a pastoral calling for all of us.”

Synodality was also a theme that weaved through out the two-day gathering. Communion, participation and mission were mentioned often amid the synod listening session happening across the diocese, as Pope Francis invites all to dialogue about the future of the church.

Father Wehner asked participants “how do we create a space for dialogue,” especially for those who are disaffiliated with the church. He believes that as Christians, we need to light up the darkness.

“You can’t light up the darkness, if you are not in the dark,” says Wehner.

He pointed out that Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen fidei explores the light and said that as Christians “we need to know how to find the darkness in other people because in that darkness, we can light things up.”

As for some of the ‘darkness’ or polorization in society, some of the answers from the crowd gathered were: politics, economics, immigration, the politicization of truth and science and the ‘re-writing’ of history from varying viewpoints, among others. Most felt that these topics have crept into the church.

Father Wehner asked how to ‘we’ respond as a church and not be political – the answer lies in the Mass and the Eucharist.

Bishop Kopacz visits with several priests from around the diocese after gathering for morning prayer and exposition of the blessed sacrament on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at St. Richard parish.

“If there is going to be any pastoral renewal of the church – its got to begin with the Eucharist,” said Father Wehner.
Jim Tomek, lay ecclesial minister for Sacred Heart Rosedale, who was present via zoom agreed. In his summary of events, he wrote that “The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity where we can partake in the discussion. We take the bread – taking Jesus as our friend and model.”

Father Wehner’s passion for ministry through the event was evident.

“That’s what gets me up in the morning. The love of Christ urges me on. Why? It is no longer I who live. It is Christ who lives in me.”

(Editor’s note: Columnist and lay ecclesial minister of Sacred Heart Rosedale, Jim Tomek explores each section of Father Wehner’s workshop in depth.: https://www.mississippicatholic.com/2022/02/25/the-eucharist-a-workshop-for-building-ecclesial-unity-in-a-polarized-world/)

Celebrating World Marriage Day

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Tereza Ma

By Charlene Bearden and Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson celebrated the anniversaries of married couples from around the diocese with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz on Sunday, Feb. 13 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. According to World Marriage Day history, the idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1981, when couples encouraged the Mayor, the Governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day.” The event was so successful, the idea was presented to and was adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s National Leadership.

By 1982, 43 Governors officially proclaimed the day, and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to “World Marriage Day,” designated to be celebrated each year in February. In 1993, St. Pope John Paul II imparted his Apostolic blessings on World Marriage Day. World Marriage Day celebrations continue to grow and spread to more countries and faith expressions every year.

To honor couples in 2022, the Diocese of Jackson on behalf of the Office of Family Ministry asked parishes to submit the names of couples celebrating their 60th, 50th, 25th or any significant anniversary. This year, 60 couples from throughout the diocese submitted their names in celebration of their anniversaries.

At the World Marriage Day celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, couples received an anniversary certificate blessed and signed by Bishop Kopacz.

Please join us in celebrating the anniversaries of the following couples:

60 Years
Johnnie and Ed Bartsek, St. Paul, Flowood
Jean and Virgil Campbell, St. John, Crystal Springs
Dale and James Cannon, Holy Savior, Clinton
Judy and Ron Despeaux, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Caroline and George Hoff, Holy Savior, Clinton
Glenda and Victor LaGarde, St. Paul, Vicksburg
Mary and William Marking, Holy Spirit, Hernando
Tammy and Gene McKinney, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Norma and Clinton Mixon, St. Joseph, Greenville
Joan and Neil Rhodes, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Linda and Stephen Smith, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Maureen and Clyde Staley, St. Paul, Flowood

50 Years
Gale and George Baroni, St. Joseph, Greenville
Linda and Tommy Biglane, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Cathy and Gene Bishop, Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland
JoAnn and Bob Burke, St. Paul, Flowood
Gwen and Lloyd Everhardt, St. Paul, Flowood
Betsy and Bobby Folsom, St. Michael, Vicksburg
Christine and Don Greer, Holy Spirit, Hernando
Valerie and James E. Hall, St. Richard, Jackson
Carolyn and Bill Johnson, Holy Savior, Clinton
Maureen and Gary Kippe, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Faye and Allen Lea, St. Jude, Pearl
Melissa and Sherwood Lyons, St. Paul, Vicksburg
Carol and Michael Maranto, St. Joseph, Greenville
Launo and John Moore, St. Michael, Vicksburg
Verginia and Michael Morlino, St. Joseph, Greenville
Connie and Jack Parker, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Carole and Arthur Ring, St. Francis of Assisi, Madison
Barbara and Joe Simmons, St. Joseph, Greenville
Ruth and John Thompson, St. Jude, Pearl
Janice and Dan Waring, St. Paul, Vicksburg
Janet and Ricky Warren, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

25 Years
Marisa and Mark D. Briscoe, St. Joseph, Greenville
Judy and Stan Burkley, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Melanie and Scott DeJong, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt
Regina and Finley Hootsell, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Melinda and Allen Laird, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez
Ruth Ann and Paul Love, St. Joseph , Greenville
Jean and Ronald Smith, St. Basilica, Natchez
Stacy and Lee Vanlandingham, St. Jude, Pearl
Carol and Robert Walker, St. Francis of Assisi, Madison
Juliet and Jasin Wesberry, St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

Special Anniversaries
Sharon and John Aguzzi, Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland, 51 years
Corinne and Henry Anderson, Holy Family, Jackson, 61 years
Maria and Maxwell Beluso, Holy Savior, Clinton, 30 years
Madeleine and Jason Brown, St. Richard, Jackson, 10 years
Maureen and Nicholas Calico, St. Jude, Pearl, 51 years
Margaret and Mike Columbus, St. James, Leland, 61 years
Trudy and Dwight Fletcher, St. Jude, Pearl, 51 years
Judith and Ignacio Carillo, St. Peter, Jackson, 40 years
Maria Villa and Ljdefonso Ibale, Holy Savior, Clinton, 30 years
Judy and Jim Isonhood, St. Paul, Flowood, 51 years
Kelly and John McGregor, St. Jude, Pearl, 45 years
Marie and Peter Morris, Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle, Jackson, 55 years
Christina and David Overton, St. Jude, Pearl, 26 years
Anna and Jerry Roan, St. Jude, Pearl, 61 years
Emma and Dennis Santos, Holy Savior, Clinton, 35 years
Betsy and Benu Vargheese, Holy Savior, Clinton, 20 years
Tammy and Scott Waller, St. John, Crystal Springs, 42 years

Ash Wednesday takes us to basics of faith

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Tereza Ma

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Ash Wednesday awaits us in a few days, beginning the 40-day spiritual journey for our Catholic world. It is a spiritual undertaking, yet there is nothing vague or aimless about the precious time ahead because the Lord provides the framework on Ash Wednesday with the imperatives of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Taken together these three pillars, especially magnified during Lent, allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the inner conversion that is life-long, with its outer manifestation in a faithful, compassionate and generous way of living.

Of course, each year the ultimate goal of this venerable 40-day undertaking is to grow in the love of Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected Good Shepherd who is the way, the truth and the life. Following a wholehearted Lenten observance, the Easter Sunday renewal of our Baptism vows is the extraordinary way of proclaiming this love in communion and solidarity with believers throughout our Catholic world. Banking on the Lord’s assurance, the 3-ply cord of prayer, fasting and abstinence will foster in us a keener awareness that we are God’s children now, and temples of the Holy Spirit.

Ash Wednesday takes us back to the basics of our faith with the admonitions during the distribution of ashes to “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel,” or “remember, that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Taken together they profess the fundamental reality that sin and death hold us in their grasp. The way out is the call to repentance that rests upon the fundamental teaching of our faith which we know as the Kerygma.

We recall the words of St. Peter, the inaugural proclamation of the Gospel on Pentecost Sunday because we want to respond to this call as if we were hearing them for the first time.

When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “what are we to do brethren?’ Peter answered, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise that was made is for you, for your children, and for all those who are far away, for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:37-39)

A faithful response to the call to conversion impacts who we are and all that we do. For example, how does all of this apply to the diocesan wide and worldwide process for the Synod on Synodality? Consider, that the Lord’s call to repentance is rooted in metanoia, the concept that describes the changing of one’s mind and going in another direction. Dialogue, based in prayer, the Word of God, and God’s Holy Spirit, the framework for our Synodal process, depends upon each one of us putting our sin-stained minds aside, our preconceived notions, our prejudices, our egos, our pride and our sinfulness in order to arrive at a higher level of communion, participation and mission as members of the Catholic Church.

It’s true that our broad-based diocesan response to the Synod on Synodality about to conclude its first phase, will bear much fruit in the future. At the deepest level, perhaps imperceptibly it is planting the seeds of conversion, or metanoia, a change of mind and behavior toward greater openness to one another in the Holy Spirit. A healthy process of participation and communion can inspire a change of heart, and in turn an individual’s conversion can be a stream of clean water that refreshes the body. This is our prayer.

Prayer: the turning of our hearts and minds to God; fasting: the letting go of that which is harming us, as well as sacrificing simple pleasures for a greater good; and almsgiving: the sacrificial generosity for the good of others, and for our own conversion, are the weapons of the spirit, and the medicine for much that ails us. They are more accessible than over the counter drugs and served up on demand without the need to download an app.

“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2Thessalonians 3:17)

El Miércoles de Ceniza nos lleva de regreso a los fundamentos de fe

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Tereza Ma

Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
El Miércoles de Ceniza nos espera en unos días, dando inicio a la jornada espiritual de 40 días de nuestro mundo católico. Es una empresa espiritual, pero no hay nada vago o sin rumbo en el precioso tiempo que se avecina porque el Señor proporciona el marco del Miércoles de Ceniza con los imperativos de la oración, el ayuno y la limosna. En conjunto, estos tres pilares, especialmente magnificados durante la Cuaresma, permiten que el Espíritu Santo realice la conversión interior que dura toda la vida, con su manifestación exterior en una forma de vida fiel, compasiva y generosa.

Por supuesto, cada año el objetivo final de esta venerable empresa de 40 días es crecer en el amor de Jesucristo, el Buen Pastor crucificado y resucitado que es el camino, la verdad y la vida. Después de una observancia de Cuaresma de todo corazón, la renovación de nuestros votos bautismales del Domingo de Pascua es la forma extraordinaria de proclamar este amor en comunión y solidaridad con los creyentes en todo nuestro mundo católico. Confiando en la seguridad del Señor, el cordón de tres capas de oración, ayuno y abstinencia fomentará en nosotros una conciencia más aguda de que ahora somos hijos de Dios y templos del Espíritu Santo.

El Miércoles de Ceniza nos lleva de regreso a los fundamentos de nuestra fe con las advertencias durante la distribución de las cenizas de “apartaos del pecado y sed fieles al Evangelio” o “recordad que polvo sois y al polvo volveréis”. En conjunto, profesan la realidad fundamental de que el pecado y la muerte nos tienen en sus manos. La salida es el llamado al arrepentimiento que descansa sobre la enseñanza fundamental de nuestra fe que conocemos como el Kerygma.

Recordamos las palabras de san Pedro, cuando dijo las palabras inaugurales del Evangelio del domingo de Pentecostés, porque queremos responder a esta llamada como si las escucháramos por primera vez.

“Cuando los allí reunidos oyeron esto, se afligieron profundamente, y preguntaron a Pedro y a los otros apóstoles: — Hermanos, ¿qué debemos hacer? Pedro les contestó: “Vuélvanse a Dios y bautícese cada uno en el nombre de Jesucristo, para que Dios les perdone sus pecados, y así él les dará el Espíritu Santo. Porque esta promesa es para ustedes y para sus hijos, y también para todos los que están lejos; es decir, para todos aquellos a quienes el Señor nuestro Dios quiera llamar.” (Hechos 2:37-39)

Una respuesta fiel al llamado a la conversión impacta quiénes somos y todo lo que hacemos. Por ejemplo, ¿cómo se aplica todo esto al proceso diocesano y mundial para el Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad? Considere que el llamado del Señor al arrepentimiento tiene sus raíces en la metanoia, el concepto que describe el cambio de mentalidad y el ir en otra dirección. El diálogo, basado en la oración, la Palabra de Dios y el Espíritu Santo de Dios, marco de nuestro proceso sinodal, depende de que cada uno de nosotros dejemos de lado nuestras mentes manchadas por el pecado, nuestras ideas preconcebidas, nuestros prejuicios, nuestros egos, nuestro orgullo y nuestra pecaminosidad para llegar a un nivel superior de comunión, participación y misión como miembros de la Iglesia Católica.

Es cierto que nuestra amplia respuesta diocesana al Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad, que está a punto de concluir su primera fase, dará muchos frutos en el futuro. En el nivel más profundo, tal vez imperceptiblemente, está plantando las semillas de la conversión, o metanoia, un cambio de mentalidad y comportamiento hacia una mayor apertura mutua en el Espíritu Santo. Un proceso sano de participación y comunión puede inspirar un cambio de corazón y, a su vez, la conversión de una persona puede ser un chorro de agua limpia que refresca el cuerpo. Esta es nuestra oración.

Oración: la vuelta de nuestros corazones y mentes a Dios; el Ayuno: dejar ir lo que nos está dañando, así como sacrificar los placeres simples por un bien mayor; y la Caridad: la generosidad sacrificial por el bien de los demás, y por nuestra propia conversión, son las armas del espíritu, y la medicina para mucho de lo que nos aflige. Son más accesibles que los medicamentos de venta libre y se sirven a pedido sin necesidad de descargar una aplicación.

“Y que el mismo Señor de la paz les dé la paz a ustedes en todo tiempo y en todas formas. Que el Señor esté con todos ustedes.” (2 Tesalonicenses 3:16)

Leave behind personal securities to follow God more closely, pope says

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Tereza Ma

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A disciple of Jesus leaves behind worldly attachments and prejudices to follow God completely, Pope Francis said.

Disciples “know how to question themselves, how to humbly seek God every day,” the pope said Feb. 13 during his Sunday Angelus address.

With a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the midday Angelus prayer, the pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading from St. Luke in which Jesus delivers the sermon on the plain, which, like St. Matthew’s sermon on the mount, begins with the beatitudes.

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 13, 2022. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“Indeed, the beatitudes define the identity of the disciple of Jesus,” Pope Francis said.

The beatitudes may sound strange, “almost incomprehensible to those who are not disciples,” he said.

According to the logic of the world, “happy are those who are rich,” who receive praise, are envied and feel secure, he said; but the beatitudes say that those who are poor and lack material possessions are blessed and happy.

Jesus “declares worldly success to be a failure, since it is based on a selfishness that inflates and then leaves the heart empty,” he said.

“Faced with the paradox of the beatitudes, disciples allow themselves to be challenged, aware that it is not God who must enter into our logic, but we into his,” the pope said.

“This requires a journey, sometimes wearisome, but always accompanied by joy. Because the disciple of Jesus is joyful, with the joy that comes from Jesus,” from the Lord who frees “us from the slavery of self-centeredness, breaks our locks, dissolves our hardness.”

Disciples, he said, “are those who let themselves be led by Jesus, who open their heart to Jesus, who listen to him and follow his path.”

Called by name

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Nick Adam

This week we continue our dive into the structure of priestly formation. Thus far I have described the human and spiritual dimensions of the training that our seminarians receive prior to ordination, and today we will look at the intellectual dimension. My old rector, Father Jim Wehner, likes to say that being authentically Catholic is not being counter-cultural because our Catholicism should enter into and elevate our secular culture. Our faith should never be in the background, but it should always be a witness to God’s role in creation and authentic beauty. Unfortunately, our society believes that faith should be completely subordinated to the popular culture. Popular culture exists in the public space, and your faith, whatever it may be, will be tolerated only as long as it stays behind closed doors.

Our seminarians first receive a challenging formation in the philosophical tradition of the Catholic Church because they must be able to see and understand the roots of our current mindset. So many of the ways our society acts are rooted in philosophical thoughts and theories that have been calcifying for centuries. From Rene Decartes in the 17th century, we hear “I think therefore I am,” and from that point forward a radical individualism has become more and more prevalent in the life of Western Europeans and those countries influenced by the West.

But the philosophic tradition of the Catholic Church would argue “God speaks; therefore, we are.” Everything that we have comes from God and can and should lead us back to God. Therefore, seminarians learn the philosophical treaties of saints like Thomas Aquinas, who are certainly not anti-intellectual, but they understand that faith and reason never need to be disconnected. Only after laying that solid groundwork do our seminarians start to dive into theology classes. They learn the intricacies of trinitarian theology and our dogmas that have been solemnly proclaimed by the teaching authority of the church, and because they have a philosophical groundwork, they are able to share these concepts in relationship to our day and time.

The intellectual formation our seminarians receive is robust, but it is all for a pastoral purpose. During their 6-8 years of study, the seminarians are encouraged to see their desk and their reading space and the library as places of ministry. They are serving their future parishioners by taking the time to take in the intellectual tradition of the church so they can share it with a society that doesn’t really know why it thinks the way it does, and they are trained to infuse our culture with the fullness of the Gospel message.

When Our World is Falling Apart

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Ron Rolheiser

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

The early years of my adulthood and priesthood were spent teaching theology at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Canada. I was young, full of energy, loved teaching, and was discovering the joys of ministry. For the most part, these were good years.

However, they weren’t always easy. Restlessness and inner chaos find us all. The demands of ministry, the tensions inside community, the obsessions I’m forever prone to, the not-infrequent departure of cherished friends from the community, and the constant movement of people through my life, occasionally left me in emotional chaos, gasping for oxygen, struggling to sleep, wondering how I was going to still my soul again.

But, I had a little formula to help handle this. Whenever the chaos got bad, I would get into my car and drive four hours to our family farm just across the border in Saskatchewan. My family still lived in the house I’d grown up in and I was able to eat at the same table I’d eaten at as a child, sleep in the same bed I’d slept in as a boy and walk the same ground I’d walked while growing up. Usually, it didn’t take long for home to do its work. I’d only need a meal, or an overnight stay and the chaos and heartache would subside; I’d begin to feel steady again.

Coming home didn’t cure the heartache but it gave the heart the care it needed. Somehow home always worked.

Today, the same kind of emotional chaos and heartache can still unsettle me on occasion and leave me unsure of who I am, of the choices I’ve made in life, and of who and what to trust. However, I cannot drive to my childhood home anymore and need to find the steadying that going home once gave me in new ways. It isn’t always apparent where to find this, even amidst a good community, a still supportive family, loving friends, and a wonderful job. Home can be elusive on a restless night. What one needs to steady the heart isn’t always easy to access. Once you’ve left home, sometimes it’s hard to find your way back there again.

So, what do I do now when I need to go home and retouch my roots to steady myself? Sometimes a trusted friend is the answer; sometimes it’s a call to a family member; sometimes it’s a family that has become family to me, sometimes it’s a place in prayer or in nature, sometimes it’s immersing myself in work, and sometimes I can’t find it at all and have to live with the chaos until, like a bad storm, it blows over.

Through the years, I’ve discovered that a special book can take me home in the same way as driving there once did. Different people find home in different places. One of the books that does this for me, almost without fail, is The Story of a Soul by Therese of Lisieux. Not surprising, it’s the story of a recessive journey, the story of Therese’s own effort at recapturing what her house, home, and family once gave her. But the recessive journey in itself is not what gives this book (which I highly recommend for anyone whose heart is aching in way that unsettles the soul) such a special power. Many autobiographies unsettle more than they settle. This one soothes your soul.

However, remembering alone doesn’t necessarily care for the heart and sometimes our memories of home and childhood carry more pathology and pain than steadying and healing. Not everyone’s home was safe and nurturing. Tragically, one’s initial home can also be the place where our trust and steadiness are irrevocably broken, as is the case often in sexual and other forms of abuse. I was fortunate. My first home gave me trust and faith. For those who were not as lucky, the task is to find a home, a place or a person, that caresses a wounded soul.

What makes for a home that caresses the soul?

Home is where you are safe. It’s also the place where you experience security and trust and where that steadiness enables you to believe in the things of faith. I used to drive four hours for a meal or a night’s sleep in order to find that. Today, I need to make that recessive journey in other ways.

It’s a journey we all need to make in times of chaos and deep restlessness in our lives, namely, to find a place, a space, a friend, a family, a house, a table, a bed, a book, or something that grounds us again in security, trust, stability, and faith.

Of course, there are headaches and heartaches for which there is no cure; but the soul doesn’t need to be cured, only properly cared for. Our task is to go home, to find those people, places, prayers, and books that caress our souls at those times when our world is falling apart.

(Partial rewrite of a column from 2006)

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Bowden hired as office manager for diocese tribunal office

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Tereza Ma

By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Rhonda Bowden is a name that may ring a bell to some around the diocese. In 2008, she began working at St. Jude parish in Pearl as the coordinator for liturgy and pastoral care; and her son Deacon Andrew Bowden is set to be ordained for the priesthood this summer.

Bowden says that the 13 years she spent at St. Jude was such a blessing, as she walked with families through the loss of loved ones, assisted couples planning weddings, coordinated weekend and special liturgies, helped parishioners in need and worked with RCIA participants.

Rhonda Bowden

However, the sudden loss of her dear friend and St. Jude’s faith formation director, Stacy Wolf left Bowden grief-stricken and feeling that she had lost her passion for ministry. She felt that a change was needed when God put the position for a tribunal office manager for the Diocese of Jackson in front of her.

“Despite the many twists and turns, God has proven again that His plan for me is much better than anything I could possibly dream up,” said Bowden.

“The job description was an interesting amalgamation of skills and knowledge that I had gained through my past work and ministry experience – accurate record keeping, confidentiality, good communication and organization,” said Bowden. “It tied together my interest in law (cannon versus civil), gave me an opportunity to help others with the healing that often comes with the annulment process and challenged me to learn something new.”

Bowden takes the place of long-time diocese employee, Fabvienen Taylor, who retired at the end of December 2021. “She has been so helpful in teaching me about the work of the office,” said Bowden.

After joining the tribunal office in January, Bowden says that she looks forward to working with judicial vicar, Father Jeffery Waldrep, to streamline procedures to make it easier for those seeking an annulment from the church.

“I hope that we can maintain good communication with the priests that act as advocates and offer educational information for the laity for a better understanding of the entire process.”

Bowden is married to her husband, Mark, who owns Bowden Technical Services and is set to be ordained in July to the permanent diaconate; her son, Andrew is to be ordained to the priesthood in May; and her daughter, Laura, teaches special ed at Pearl High School.

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Bowden hired as office manager for diocese tribunal office