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Basílicas, iglesias y santuarios en todo EEUU son lugares de peregrinación para el Jubileo 2025

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Por Jack Figge

(OSV News) — Católicos de todo el mundo se están embarcando en peregrinaciones para conmemorar el Año Jubilar de la Esperanza.

Muchas personas viajarán a Roma para visitar las cuatro basílicas mayores y atravesar sus Puertas Santas para obtener la indulgencia plenaria.

Sin embargo, aquellos que no pueden viajar a Roma, pueden participar en este Jubileo viajando a uno de los numerosos lugares de peregrinación del Año Jubilar en todo el país.

En Estados Unidos, los obispos han estado designando iglesias, catedrales, santuarios, monasterios u otros lugares religiosos como “lugares de peregrinación jubilar”.

Según un decreto del Vaticano sobre las indulgencias del Año Jubilar, cualquier persona puede obtener una indulgencia jubilar si emprende una “peregrinación piadosa” a cualquier lugar designado y participa en la misa, la adoración o recibe el sacramento de la penitencia allí.

En esta foto sin fecha se ve la Misión San Buenaventura en Ventura, California. La iglesia es uno de los muchos lugares de peregrinación católica de EE.UU. para el Año Jubilar de 2025. (Foto de OSV News/Mike Nelson)

En todo el país, basílicas, iglesias y santuarios han comenzado a abrir sus puertas a los peregrinos locales.

Cada uno de estos sitios tiene una historia única y tiene un significado en su región local, ayudando a los católicos a encontrar a Dios de nuevas maneras.

—Costa Este—

En la densamente poblada costa este, los obispos han designado una multitud de lugares para el jubileo ubicados en densas ciudades y zonas rurales.
Rodeada de un denso bosque, pero a sólo 50 millas de la ciudad de Nueva York, se encuentra Graymoor, la Montaña Sagrada.

Dirigido por los Frailes Franciscanos de la Expiación, Graymoor sirve como hogar para los frailes y centro de retiro. También alberga muchos ministerios, como St. Christopher’s Inn, un programa residencial para hombres que luchan contra la adicción a las drogas.

El cardenal Timothy M. Dolan de Nueva York designó Graymoor como uno de los ocho lugares de peregrinación jubilar en su arquidiócesis.

Cuando el padre de la expiación Jim Gardiner, director de proyectos especiales, y los demás frailes se enteraron de la designación, se llenaron de alegría.

“Estamos agradecidos de haber sido nombrados lugar de peregrinación porque el cardenal Dolan podría haber nombrado muchos otros lugares”, dijo el padre Gardiner a OSV News. “Lo vemos como una señal de apoyo y aliento, que es especialmente necesario en estos tiempos difíciles, ya que nosotros, como muchos otros lugares, hemos estado luchando para lograr tener más vocaciones”.

Una peregrinación a Graymoor jugó un papel importante en la propia historia vocacional del padre Gardiner. Dijo que inició su viaje de discernimiento.

“En 1948, estaba en primer grado cuando visité Graymoor”, recordó el sacerdote. “Fue muy emocionante. Tuvimos Misa al aire libre y caminamos por la propiedad. Cuando nos disponíamos a partir, uno de los frailes se detuvo y me preguntó si había tenido un buen día. Le dije que sí y él dijo: ‘Voy a rezar todos los días para que regreses aquí'”.

“No tengo idea de quién era ese fraile, pero como resultado de esa peregrinación, he estado aquí más de 60 años”, dijo.

Si bien el padre Gardiner no sabe si otro peregrino encontrará su vocación, él y los demás frailes están emocionados de recibir a los autobuses llenos de peregrinos que vienen de los alrededores.

“Queremos estar aquí para la gente y acoger y apoyar sus peregrinaciones”, dijo el padre Gardiner. “Queremos que la gente participe en las liturgias que tenemos aquí, que camine por nuestra propiedad, ore en los senderos y simplemente encuentre al Señor aquí”.

Para conmemorar el Año Jubilar, el padre Gardiner y otros miembros del personal han desarrollado una variedad de programas y eventos.

“Aquí contamos con un excelente personal que se ha reunido periódicamente y ha aportado todo tipo de ideas geniales”, dijo el padre Gardiner. “Tenemos planeadas Misas especiales, retiros especiales; pero en realidad tenemos un gran espacio en el que queremos que los visitantes participen”.

—Sureste—

En el sur, la Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón en Tampa, Florida, se está preparando para recibir a una gran cantidad de peregrinos.

Fundada a principios de la década de 1850, la parroquia se convirtió en una piedra angular en el área de la Bahía de Tampa a medida que la ciudad crecía a su alrededor.

“El Sagrado Corazón se fundó en la infancia de Tampa Bay como ciudad”, dijo a OSV News Rob Boelke, director de comunicaciones del Sagrado Corazón. “John Jackson, un inmigrante irlandés, y su esposa, Ellen, llegaron a la zona como topógrafo. Inspeccionó la mayor parte de nuestro centro y las áreas más antiguas de la ciudad misma, y ??esas calles en gran medida se encuentran en la misma cuadrícula que él había armado. Poco después de llegar, él y su esposa enviaron una petición a la Diócesis de Savannah pidiendo que se fundara una parroquia”.

En la década de 1850, el área que ahora comprende la Diócesis de San Petersburgo era parte de la Diócesis de Savannah, Georgia.

Poco después de la petición de los Jackson, se construyó una pequeña iglesia de madera, atendida por misioneros jesuitas. A finales del siglo XIX, la parroquia se había quedado pequeña y comenzó a construir una nueva iglesia de estilo románico.

Terminada en 1905, la iglesia sigue siendo hoy un elemento arquitectónico único en la Florida católica.

“La mayoría de las iglesias en Florida se construyeron en los años 60 y 70, y no son arquitectónicamente significativas”, dijo Boelke. “El Sagrado Corazón tiene una arquitectura única que está mucho más en línea con las iglesias que se pueden ver en el noreste o el medio oeste. Es en gran parte románico con hermosos vitrales, por lo que la gente se siente atraída por la parroquia por su belleza”.

En 2005, los frailes franciscanos asumieron las operaciones parroquiales, promoviendo su carisma único dentro de la parroquia y la comunidad local.

El Sagrado Corazón es uno de los seis lugares de peregrinación del Jubileo en la Diócesis de San Petersburgo. Los peregrinos ya están acudiendo en masa a la iglesia para conmemorar tanto el Año Jubilar como el 120 aniversario de la parroquia.

“Estamos organizando muchas giras para escuelas católicas y seculares; otras parroquias nos están llamando para programar horarios para visitas de grupos grandes”, dijo Boelke. “Tenemos esta historia única y estamos emocionados de compartir y poder compartir el carisma franciscano que tenemos con más personas”.

—Medio-Oeste—

Ubicado en la pequeña ciudad de Perryville, Missouri, en el Medio Oeste, el Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa se está preparando para recibir a los peregrinos en su vasta propiedad para el Año Jubilar.

El santuario nacional, uno de los nueve sitios del Jubileo en la Arquidiócesis de St. Louis, tiene una sólida historia que se remonta a 1818, cuando se fundó una pequeña iglesia con cabaña de troncos en la propiedad. El santuario abarca 55 acres e incluye una gran iglesia, un camino del rosario y una gruta.

Dirigida por sacerdotes vicentinos, el padre Jim Osendorf, superior de la comunidad, dijo a OSV News que espera que los peregrinos desarrollen una relación más profunda con la Santísima Virgen María después de visitar el sitio.

“Nuestras instalaciones están dedicadas a la Santísima Madre y a conmemorar las apariciones de la Virgen Maria a Catalina Labouré”, dijo el padre Osendorf. “Este parece ser uno de los lugares perfectos para venir a orar, meditar y profundizar nuestra relación con María, quien nos lleva a Jesús”.

Cuando tuvo lugar el Año Jubilar de 2000, el predecesor del padre Osendorf pidió al arzobispo de San Louis que designara el santuario como lugar de peregrinación. Así el padre Osendorf hizo lo mismo para el Jubileo de 2025.

“Los años de jubileo se centran en profundizar la relación de uno con Cristo, y María nos ayuda a hacerlo”, dijo el padre Osnedorf. “Como comunidad, pensamos que esta sería la manera perfecta de ayudarnos a cumplir nuestra misión de ayudar a las personas a tener una relación más profunda con Jesucristo a través de María”.

Para conmemorar el Año Santo, la comunidad ha planificado varios eventos a lo largo del año que incluyen oradores, música y liturgias especiales.

“Tenemos varios oradores invitados que vendrán y tendrán músicos regularmente”, dijo el padre Osendorf. “Pero en realidad sólo queremos que la gente venga y encuentre a Dios en nuestra propiedad. Desde mi oficina, puedo ver a la gente que viene a orar, a rezar el rosario durante nuestra caminata o, a veces, simplemente a pensar, reflexionar y meditar. Y me alegra mucho ver que esto suceda”.

—Costa Oeste—

En el Oeste del país, abundan los santuarios e iglesias históricos, ya que han estado ministrando a los lugareños desde que los misioneros franciscanos los establecieron desde hace siglos.

Una de esas iglesias es la Misión Basílica de San Buenaventura en California, que fue fundada en 1782. Desde su fundación, la basílica ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en la comunidad local, dijo a OSV News el padre Tom Elewaut, pastor de la misión.

“Hay 21 misiones originales establecidas por los padres franciscanos en lo que hoy es el estado de California”, explicó el padre Elewaut. “La importancia de nuestra parroquia en particular es que fuimos la última de las nueve misiones fundadas por San Junípero Serra”.

Alrededor de la parroquia creció el pueblo de San Buenaventura, ubicado a 70 millas de Los Ángeles. La iglesia original construida en 1809 y remodelada en 1812 después de un terremoto sigue siendo el principal espacio de culto.

“El edificio de la iglesia que tenemos hoy se terminó originalmente en 1809”, dijo el padre Elewaut. “Las obras de arte, las estatuas, el altar de atrás, todo es original de 1809. Todo lo que se usó para decorar la iglesia había sido enviado desde Nueva España (hoy México)… así que hay mucha historia en la iglesia”.

El padre Elewaut se complace en dar la bienvenida a la basílica a los peregrinos de los alrededores. Todos los días, los peregrinos visitan la iglesia histórica y el sacerdote aprovecha estas interacciones y la misa dominical como una oportunidad para recordarles que deben ser peregrinos de la esperanza.

“Somos peregrinos de la esperanza y ciertamente incluimos ese mensaje en nuestras homilías semanales y alentamos a las personas a tener esperanza en un mundo que a veces quiere arrojar oscuridad; que debemos ser personas de esperanza a la luz de Cristo”, dijo. “Y no sólo para la vida eterna, sino también para estar llenos de esperanza en esta vida”.

Jack Figge escribe para OSV News desde Kansas.

Catholic immigration advocates seek to counter false narratives about their work

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By Kate Scanlon

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Catholic immigration advocates sought ways to respond to some anti-immigration or false narratives about their work during a conference in the nation’s capital.

Participants in the event, “Understanding Migration from a Catholic Perspective” held at The Catholic University of America, examined current and historical narratives around U.S. immigration, seeking new ways to dialogue with those skeptical about the church’s work in this area, including some Trump administration officials.

“If the narrative is wrong, the actions that are based upon that narrative will be wrong,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in a keynote address.

Bishop Seitz, also the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said that some of the Trump administration’s actions on immigration should concern Catholics.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, speaks at The Catholic University of America in Washington March 4, 2025, during an event on “Understanding Migration from a Catholic Perspective.” The bishop is the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration. (OSV News photo/Patrick Ryan, courtesy The Catholic University of America)

“I really don’t think we can over exaggerate the seriousness of these measures,” he said, expressing particular concern about a Trump administration policy rescinding long-standing restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals, as well as the suspension of a federal refugee resettlement program.

The USCCB is in ongoing litigation with the federal government over the suspension of funding for refugee resettlement assistance and payments the USCCB says it has not yet received for completed work. The Trump administration also terminated two USCCB refugee resettlement agreements with the USCCB, that group said.

Claims circulated by officials, including Vice President JD Vance, that the conference profits from that work were “shocking,” Bishop Seitz said.

“All I can really think of when I hear that kind of assertion is ‘Animal Farm,'” Bishop Seitz said in reference to the 1945 novella by George Orwell. “Because the truth is just turned upside down. You know, what is being done in a selfless way by so many dedicated people is characterized as just an effort to get money, like that’s what the church is about? Not the church I know.”

In a January interview, Vance questioned the motives of the U.S. bishops’ criticism of some of Trump’s immigration policies, suggesting their objection to the suspension of a federal refugee resettlement program had more to do with “their bottom line.” But outside audits of the bishops’ work with refugees show the USCCB does not profit from that work and, in fact, has spent the church’s funds to cover what the government would not.

The additional suspension of U.S. foreign aid, Bishop Seitz added, presents another concern for those seeking to reduce “irregular migration.”

“The drastic cuts to foreign aid, especially visible with the dismantling of USAID, has had devastating consequences,” Bishop Seitz said. “While this may not seem directly tied to migration, it is of central importance. Migration should be a choice, not a necessity. When people can build stable lives in their homeland, fewer are forced to depart their home country in search of a new home where they can better provide for their families. Investing in local economies, infrastructure and essential services is key to addressing the root causes of irregular migration.”

Julia Young, a historian of migration, Mexico and Latin America, and Catholicism at CUA, said during a panel discussion that there was a great wave of immigration to the United States that took place between about 1870 and 1910 of Irish, Italian, and Southern and Eastern European immigrants that led to significant demographic changes in the U.S. and helped increase the U.S. Catholic population.

“Immigration surged to the point that the United States became a country where over 14% of the population had been born in another country by 1910 which, interestingly, we’re again at that moment,” she said, noting that about 15% of the U.S. population was born in another country.

Young said “as that immigration wave surged, there also surged a huge wave of nativism, nativist sentiment,” she said, expressing concern that similar trends may again occur.

But panelists also stressed that underlying concerns about issues including economic stability and cost of living, or other concerns tied to immigration issues should not be dismissed as nativism when advocating for migrants.

Peter Skerry, a professor of political science at Boston College, said during a panel discussion, “I don’t think (calling it) racism is a very helpful response or answer to this kind of question.”

“I don’t deny that racism exists, but I think as an answer, it’s much too vague, too facile and basically unfair to the situation and certainly unfair to our fellow citizens,” he said of those who raise concerns about “real challenges.”

In considering challenges to the church’s work with migrants, Bishop Seitz said, “I am a person of hope because I know who wins.”

“I believe that the Lord will not leave us,” he said, adding, “And I don’t mean just wishful thinking, right? Hope is, for a Christian, not wishful thinking. I’m hopeful that this, in God’s plan, will become a moment of reawakening for our country, a recommitment to those principles that are the best of our country.”

The event was hosted by CUA, the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services and Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.

10 tips for a Christ-centered Lent

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By Tom Hoopes
(OSV News) – We sell our faith short, and so we sell our Lent short. At least I do.

I have spent most of my life thinking of the faith as a series of rules I have to live in conformity with. Don’t get me wrong: I knew that the rules themselves were not the goal – they were a path to God’s will, and therefore to God’s love, and therefore to happiness.

But our faith is not just about union with God’s will, it’s also about union with Jesus Christ – “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God,” as St. Athanasius put it. God is love, a love so powerful he wants to be one with us. He became man to make that possible – and he made the sacraments, especially baptism, to make it happen.

I used to live Lent as a way to build my spiritual muscles to be able to do God’s will better. Now I do exactly the same things I always did, but with a new intention: to become one with Jesus Christ.

Baptism guarantees that this is possible. If we cooperate with baptismal grace, the sacrament guarantees that we can “participate in the divine life of the Trinity” first of all by receiving the theological virtues: faith, hope and love.

  1. Pray with Christ in the desert to gain his faith
    Be explicit about it: Imagine yourself next to Jesus in the desert; or imagine him joining you wherever you pray. Jesus is God, so he is outside time and space. Spiritual masters like St. Ignatius of Loyola say we are free to use our imaginations not because it’s helpful to pretend Jesus is with us, but to help our minds acknowledge what is true.

    One of the points Father Mike Schmitz has stressed several times in his “Catechism in a Year” podcast is that Christianity is not a “religion of the book” but a “religion of the Word.” Faith isn’t merely an assent to a proposition; it’s a relationship with a person – Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

    Think of him this way: God is goodness, truth and beauty itself, such that God’s light shines through all we see, as if the surface of the world were a stained glass window aglow with the presence of God who stands behind it all. Jesus Christ is the light of the world who collects in one place all the greatness we see elsewhere. Spend time next to him in the desert, where he shines brighter than the desert sun.

    Lord Jesus, give us the faith that will allow us to see your presence, essence and power everywhere in all the things that you made.
  2. Fast with Jesus Christ in the desert to learn hope
    It is the Holy Spirit, the consoler, that leads Jesus into the desert in the Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent. This reveals what real consolation looks like. The Holy Spirit doesn’t console us by telling us that our life here on earth is just fine. He consoles us by telling us that we have a deeper relationship that keeps us rooted and steady as storms rage.

    Lent consoles us the same way. It’s true that fasting helps build our self-control while weakening our appetites, and that’s good. But the ultimate reason we fast is to connect us with that deeper hope, said Pope Benedict XVI.

    “When we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt,” he wrote in “Spe salvi,” his encyclical on hope, “we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering” that we find hope. (No. 37)

    Fasting takes away our desire to say “Everything is awesome!” and teaches us to say, instead: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps 23:4).

    Lord Jesus, as we sit with you in the desert, give us a share in the spiritual hope that only grows as our false, material hopes wane.
  3. Give alms to grow in love for the suffering Jesus
    One thing you learn as a parent is how unfairly partial you are to your own children. You see your children as more special than others, more beautiful and more deserving of the good things offered in life. This happens because they are yours and share in your image.

    The same thing happens with God. Everyone you see is someone who he made, in his image and likeness – someone he would become man for; someone he would die for. He loves them each and loves to see you love them too.

    Therefore, to become like Jesus, you have to see Christ in others. Mother Teresa, the saint of charity, shared what she called “The Gospel on five fingers”: You. Did. It. To. Me. This was the criteria Jesus the Judge will use at the end of time: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)

    Lord Jesus, as we give alms this Lent, help us console you in the people you identify so closely with that in serving them we serve you.
  4. Pray the Stations of the Cross to see with Jesus’ wisdom
    In addition to the three theological virtues, baptism guarantees we will receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

    The priest who confirmed me said that if I don’t receive faith, hope and love, I should demand them from God. “God promises you these graces,” he said. “Hold him to it.” It’s the same, he said, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, fear of the Lord and piety.

    To remember the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, I think in terms of my body, starting with the eyes: Wisdom is the gift of seeing things as Christ sees them.

    The “Via Crucis” (Way of the Cross) celebration in your parish is a great way to gain this grace. Again, use your imagination. Yes, you are standing in the back of a church, craning your neck to see each station, looking from your book to the tabernacle to the altar server holding the crucifix. But you are also standing in the crowd at Jerusalem that came to see a spectacle. Pray to have the vision they lacked, the vision to see through the spectacle to its deepest meaning. And pray to realize you aren’t just watching Christ; he is gazing with love on you.

    When Jesus Christ sees Pilate on the way of the cross, he sees his dignity and appeals to that. When he sees his mother, he is encouraged by her fidelity. When Simeon is seen by Christ, it changes the trajectory of his life. When Veronica is seen by him, he leaves his image with her.

    Lord Jesus, help us enter into the Stations of the Cross deeply so that we see with you and are seen by you.
  5. Do spiritual reading to think with Christ’s understanding
    The gift of understanding is the holy insight that lights up your brain. If a passage of the Bible has ever jumped out at you and convicted you, if a homily’s words have ever cut you to the heart, if you ever felt like you finally “got” what life is all about for one fleeting moment – you have experienced the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding.

    A shortcut to this gift is to share in the understanding of others through spiritual reading.
    Catholics in the 21st century have a gift that our predecessors in the faith never even dreamed of: Almost any book we can think of can be delivered to our door this week or appear on our phone in electronic form instantly. We can summon Thomas Aquinas to our hand; at any time, we are moments away from reading or listening to the words of C.S. Lewis, Fulton Sheen or Bishop Robert Barron. We can deepen our understanding starting now, through a podcast or a spiritual classic.
    Lord Jesus, fill our minds with your understanding through our relationship with you and those who came before us in the Faith.
  6. Attend Mass to imbibe Christ’s knowledge
    The purpose of life is to know, love and serve God. To know him means to know things about him, but it also means to “have knowledge” of him in the Biblical sense: to unite with the body of Christ. That means that the Catholic Mass’s Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist are a summing up of one of our whole life’s tasks.

    There are two remarkable passages in the Bible recounting mystical visions of sharing in Christ’s knowledge. In one, the prophet Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat; in another, St. John the Evangelist is given the same. We have this gift not in a vision but in reality through Scripture and Communion at each Mass.

    Lord Jesus, give us the gift of receiving you deeply at each Mass, through our ears and on our tongues.
  7. Give something up so that your heart grows in Christ’s fortitude
    Giving something up is a Lenten tradition for a reason. I was deeply convicted by a friend’s Facebook post three years ago that asked: “What is it that you won’t give up, even for God?” We all have something in our life – eating, drinking, shopping, entertainment, social media – that we rely on for comfort and meaning, something we are afraid to live without.

    Think of all the things lovers give up to make their beloved first in their lives: their own preferences, their personal time, and the money they would have spent on themselves. Think of all the things parents give up because their children become first in their lives: their days and nights, their travel plans and their future plans. They give them up gladly for the person their heart loves most.

    Jesus, love gives us the fortitude to give things up for those we love. Give us the fortitude to give up that thing that most keeps us from you.
  8. Live Ash Wednesday, Fridays and Good Friday to walk in Christ’s counsel
    Think of counsel as the Holy Spirit’s GPS system. It allows you to judge where to go and how to act almost by intuition. This doesn’t happen magically; it happens by building the habit of following God’s will, which is expressed in his church. The precepts of the church are here to help give us that habit: Fast with Jesus as the church asks on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstain from meat on Fridays in union with his sacrifice, and more.

    To see how powerful the church’s life is, think of the deep nostalgia Catholics feel every year not just at Christmas, but also at Lent. Maybe we remember wearing ashes to school as a kid. Maybe we remember fish sticks, rice and ketchup on Fridays. We remember the strangeness of the empty tabernacle in church on Good Friday and the mystery of the candles at Easter Vigil. That nostalgia is the church’s life moving into my soul, telling me I belong to Jesus and that I can rest in him through the life of the church.

    Lord Jesus, you gave us your church as a way to train us to walk in your path. Give us the grace to walk in fidelity to your church and to you.
  9. Pray the Rosary to join Christ in his fear of God and piety
    If we are going to share in the life of the Trinity through Christ, the two final gifts of the Holy Spirit are indispensable. Jesus prays, “Father, glorify your name!” to show us fear of God, awestruck respect for his majesty (Jn 12:28). He also prays “Abba, Father!” calling God “papa” or “daddy” to show us piety, the sweet consolation of closeness with God.

    The person who best exemplifies life in Christ is Our Lady, who carried Christ in her womb. In the joyful mysteries of the rosary, she makes Christ the center of her life and brings him to others. In the final glorious mysteries, she is given the awe-inspiring gifts of being welcomed at Christ’s side in heaven as a queen. In between are the sorrowful mysteries.

    The Lenten song that for me best demonstrates fear of the Lord and piety is “Stabat Mater”: “At the cross her station keeping.” The song shares the awe and gratitude at the great act of majesty and closeness that Christ made on the cross.

    Lord Jesus, let me kneel with your mother in awe at your majesty and fold my hands with her in appreciation at your closeness.
  10. Recommit to your baptism on Easter, ready to become one with Jesus
    Spoiler alert: At the end of Lent, you will be renewing your baptismal promises at Easter Mass. It turns out that renewing your baptismal graces is what Lent was about all along.

    “All Christ’s riches ‘are for every individual and are everybody’s property,’” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 519). The more we give to Lent, the more it will conform us to Christ, and that is truly the greatest happiness available on earth or heaven.

    To live Lent better, you don’t have to do anything extraordinary, you just have to live Lent’s practices with this end in mind.

    Lord Jesus, every year I renew my baptismal promises at Easter. This year I want to be more prepared for that moment than ever before. Kindly give me the graces in Lent that will unite us at Easter.

(Tom Hoopes, author of “The Rosary of Saint John Paul II” and “The Fatima Family Handbook,” is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Kansas and hosts “The Extraordinary Story” podcast on Ex Corde.)

Lean into Lent: Monica Walton’s fresh take on Lenten devotionals

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By Staff Reports
JACKSON – Monica Walton didn’t take a lengthy vacation after writing her successful first book, Advent Reflections For This Day, which was published in late 2023 and reached readers in cities as far away as Chicago as well as throughout the southeastern region of the country.

She went right to work on a Lenten devotional, which has arrived in time for the 2025 season. Like her first book, Lean Into Lent (A New Approach to Old Traditions), will delight readers who, despite the best of intentions, tend to fall behind during a weeks-long daily study.

“Lean Into Lent is a unique, weekly devotional that fits into the busyness of life and delivers a more authentic, life-changing season, guiding you closer to Jesus each week,” Walton said. “The focus on the weekly Sunday gospels and accompanying modern day parables enables readers to relate the ancient text of scripture to our lives in this millennium.”

A parishioner for over three decades at St. Paul Church in Brandon, Walton is an accomplished freelance writer whose work has been published in The Word Among Us, Mississippi Catholic and The Clarion Ledger. Her work can also be enjoyed on her blog, SacredandSensible.com.

She is again working with Joe Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Dogwood Press and an active parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi in Madison. Both of her books are published by Sunrise Press, the faith-based division of Lee’s publishing house.

“Monica is a good friend, an especially hard worker, and a devout Catholic,” Lee said. “It was an easy call to make when it came to publishing the book. There’s just as much spiritual nourishment in her weekly approach to the Lenten season as you will find in any daily study, and the modern-day parables are especially well done.”

There was an additional hook that Lee, as publisher, couldn’t pass up.

“Readings for Liturgical Years A, B and C are included,” he said. “Meaning Lean Into Lent will be relevant every year. It’s a beautiful little book and will be a tremendous study guide to get the most out of the Lenten season. It’s ideal for small church groups, too.”

“This book is an invitation to lean into the Lord Jesus for 40 days so that under His loving gaze, we can be more like His disciples,” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz. “Individuals, families, and parish prayer and study groups can benefit from its weekly treasurers … and a renewed commitment to prayer, fasting and almsgiving.”

(Signed copies of Lean Into Lent are available at Lemuria Books of Jackson and through the publisher’s website, dogwoodpress.com.)

Bishop Kopacz to lead fall 2025 Jubilee pilgrimage

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By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz will be leading a Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage to Rome and environs from Oct. 25 through Nov. 3. The pilgrimage will visit the holy sites of Rome then venture off to the Abbey at Montecasino, down to Padre Pio’s home, then up to Assisi. See the ad with QR code to find more information on the trip. It will be an amazing time.

The year 2025 was proclaimed the Jubilee of Hope by Pope Francis maintaining the tradition of having a Jubilee Year in the church every 25 years. Pilgrims can travel to Rome and visit the Holy Doors of the four major basilicas of our church – St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Peter.
Pilgrimages have been going on for millennia. They are designed to allow the traveler a chance to deepen her/his faith by walking in the footsteps of the Lord and his apostles. A jubilee is based on Leviticus 25 when a sabbatical year for farming was taken every seven years to let the soil regenerate then after the seventh sabbatical (50 years) a jubilee of forgiving all debts, freeing all captives and proclaiming sight to the blind would occur. The church eventually proclaimed jubilee years every 25 years so that more pilgrims could go on spiritual journeys.

Msgr. Paul McInerny, retired Canon of St. Mary Major, points out the details on the Holy Door at St. Mary Major during a pilgrimage led by Bishop Joseph Latino in 2006. (Photo courtesy of Mary Woodward)

Back in 2000, the last Jubilee year which crossed from one millennium to the next, Bishop William Houck led a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. In between jubilees various holy years have been held such as the 500th anniversary of the Vatican Museum in 2006 and the Year of Mercy in 2016. Bishop Joseph Latino led a pilgrimage for the 2006 holy year.

Since not everyone is able to make a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee, Bishop Kopacz has designated several Jubilee Churches in our diocese that were recommended to him by the deaneries. Those churches are the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, the Basilica of St. Mary in Natchez, St. Patrick in Meridian, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood, St. Joseph in Greenville, St. Elizabeth in Clarksdale, St. Joseph in Holly Springs, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Houston, St. Francis of Assisi in New Albany, and St. Mary in Iuka.

Visiting Rome or one of these churches offers the opportunity to gain a jubilee plenary indulgence. To obtain the indulgence one must visit one of the churches and participate in Mass or adoration while there, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and go to confession within eight days of the visit.

Throughout this year look for moments to be a beacon of hope for others. Hope is the theme for the year and our world needs us as Christians to reflect and embody a spirit of hope to counter all the anxiety and fear all around us. It is my hope that you will have a blessed jubilee filled with faith, hope, and love, and that you will journey deeper into the heart of God – source of all hope.

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

Youth

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Annunciation School happenings

COLUMBUS – Annunciation seventh grader Celine Vu assists PreK student Sydney Graham to create a Mardi Gras mask for our the school’s “A Night of Bids and Beads” fundraiser.
Nolan Langston experiments with static energy. (Photos by Jacque Hince)
Jack Everett Milstead pretends to be a postman delivering valentines to friends on Feb. 14.
Avynn Clapper observes a live frog in STREAM class.

SOUTHAVEN

SOUTHAVEN – Each year during Catholic Schools Week, Sacred Heart School students raise money for a special need in the community. The funds raised this year will go to the Dehon Village Summer Camp. Each link in the chain pictured represents 25 cents. The students raised over $900 which is close to 4,000 links total. On Feb. 5, the “Hope Chain” was taken from the walls of each classroom and brought to Mass, as a symbol of the students care for those in need. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

MACON

MACON – Youth engaged in various activities to strengthen their faith throughout the Confirmation Retreat weekend Jan. 25-26 at Lake Forest Ranch. Pictured are youth from St. James Tupelo, among others fully engaged in their faith. (Photo by Michelle Harkins)

Flanagan Center reimagined: Expanded space, greater impact

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By Laura Grisham
WALLS – The renovations at the Father John Flanagan Catholic Center in Walls, commonly known as the Flanagan Center, are finally complete – and the facility is now open for business.

On Jan. 15, the final client files were transferred, and new office furniture was moved in, marking the completion of a much-needed overhaul. Plans for the remodel began in 2021, with more than 20 layout changes carefully finalized over two years before construction commenced in May 2023.

Over the years, the Flanagan Center has served many purposes, including operating as a thrift store, locker rooms for Sacred Heart High School, office spaces, and a food pantry. Today, it houses Sacred Heart Southern Mission’s main food pantry operations, the Volunteer Program staff, Walls Social Services, and the HIV/AIDS program.

WALLS – Renovations at the Father John Flanagan Catholic Center in Walls, Mississippi has been recently completed. Remodeling and renovations took approximately two years to complete and reimagined the existing footprint of the Center and transformed to better serve clients in need through a variety of programs. (Photo courtesy of Laura Grisham)

The ever-growing demand for food assistance made increased cold storage a necessity. Since 2016, SHSM’s annual food distribution has surged from 280,068 pounds to nearly 1.4 million pounds by 2022. Initially, the plan was to add a second walk-in freezer, but further discussions led to an even better solution.

By reimagining the building’s footprint, SHSM developed a new, more efficient layout. While the original walk-in freezer remains, the rest of the space has been completely transformed – to the delight of employees and clients alike. The former disjointed maze of offices and storage spaces has been replaced with a welcoming reception and waiting area, complete with a public restroom. A series of private offices for social workers and volunteer staff now occupy the front of the building, while a spacious breakroom/conference room serves as a hub between the office space and the state-of-the-art food pantry in the back.

The renovations also expanded the building by more than 1,150 square feet – allowing for the installation of a massive new refrigerator/freezer unit. The new cold storage space measures 48 feet by 24 feet, with 36 feet designated for freezer storage and the remaining 12 feet for refrigeration. Double-wide, 54-inch doors enable full pallets of food to be easily moved in and out using pallet jacks. Additionally, approximately 3,000 square feet of dry goods storage has been incorporated, along with a backup generator to maintain refrigeration during power outages.

These upgrades have nearly quadrupled our food storage capacity, ensuring we can meet the growing needs of our communities for years to come. The newly designed Flanagan Center provides a spacious, welcoming environment for clients and staff alike, further strengthening our mission to serve those in need.

Since 1942, Sacred Heart Southern Missions – through the generosity of volunteers and donors – has provided essential services to individuals and families living in poverty. Our outreach includes six parishes, two Catholic elementary schools (the only ones in northwest Mississippi), six social service offices, an HIV/AIDS ministry, a volunteer program, housing assistance, a thrift store, a soup kitchen and six food pantries that serve thousands each year. With the newly renovated Flanagan Center, we are better equipped than ever to continue our mission of sharing God’s love and mercy with those in need.

(Laura Grisham is the PR and Communications manager for Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Walls, Mississippi.)

Bishops sue Trump administration, say halting refugee resettlement funds will cause harm

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By Maria-Pia Chin
(OSV News) – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sued the Trump administration Feb. 18 over the suspension of funding of refugee resettlement assistance.

In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the bishops called this suspension “unlawful and harmful to newly arrived refugees,” The Associated Press first reported. A USCCB spokesperson told OSV News that the lawsuit urges the government “to uphold its legal and moral obligations” to refugees and to restore the funding needed to ensure that faith-based and community organizations can continue their work with refugees.

The USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services is one of 10 national resettlement agencies that work with the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which was established by Congress in 1980, formalizing the process by which refugees are legally resettled in the United States.

A protester holds up a sign during an Oct. 15, 2019, demonstration outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington against the first Trump administration’s cuts in the number of refugees to be admitted under the U.S. resettlement program. The U.S. bishops Feb. 18, 2025, sued the second Trump administration for its abrupt halt to funds for resettling refugees. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller, CNS file)

USRAP was suspended through executive order signed by President Donald Trump Jan. 20 and is being evaluated to see whether refugee resettlement “is in the national interest.” The State Department issued suspension notices to domestic resettlement agencies, including the USCCB, on Jan. 24, which has impacted resettlement agencies’ ability to carry out services for refugees, including those under the Reception and Placement Program, according to an alert to support refugee resettlement seen in USCCB’s Action Alert Center.

The R&P program is a domestic effort that provides assistance to newly arrived refugees to meet initial needs such as housing and job placement during the first 90 days that they are in the country.

According to AP’s reporting on the lawsuit, the USCCB’s president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said that “the conference suddenly finds itself unable to sustain its work to care for the thousands of refugees who were welcomed into our country and assigned to the care of the USCCB by the government after being granted legal status.”

Chieko Noguchi, USCCB spokesperson, told OSV News Feb. 18 that the lawsuit filed by the USCCB “challenges the suspension of the funding for refugee assistance we have run for decades.”

“Refugees are individuals who have undergone special screening and vetting procedures by the U.S. government and are fleeing hardship and persecution in their home countries to resettle in the United States,” she said in an email. “Throughout this long-time partnership with the U.S. government, the USCCB has helped nearly a million individuals find safety and build their lives in the United States.”

Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, refugees are persons who have left their countries of origin and are unwilling or unable to return due to actual or well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.

As previously reported, the USCCB website states that its Migration and Refugee Services “is the largest refugee resettlement agency in the world,” and that in partnership with its affiliates, it resettles approximately 18% of the refugees that arrive in the U.S. each year.

“We are urging the government to uphold its legal and moral obligations to refugees and to restore the necessary funding to ensure that faith-based and community organizations can continue this vital work that reflects our nation’s values of compassion, justice, and hospitality,” Noguchi said.

This is a developing story.

(Maria-Pia Chin is the Spanish editor for OSV News.)

Lent in the Jubilee year: A pilgrimage of hope and renewal

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The season of Lent is underway in this Jubilee Year of Hope and what a fitting time it is to renew our life in Jesus Christ as pilgrims of hope. The Ash Wednesday call to conversion resounded through our churches with the words that accompany the ashes: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Stop and pause a minute. If that’s where the invitation began and ended, a person could naturally respond, not Amen, but if that’s all there is then eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow I may be dead. This is true enough. But the accompanying Ash Wednesday exhortation takes us beyond this world. “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” The two must be taken together because the Gospel imperative takes us to the threshold of eternity through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In the end, we succumb to death, but the light of the Gospel impels us to be faithful to a different standard, one of faith, hope and love.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

In the Jubilee Bull of Indiction, Pope Francis offers a splendid reflection on our Baptism, the divine life that we seek to renew throughout Lent in preparation for Easter. “The Jubilee, [and the season of Lent] offers us the opportunity to appreciate anew, and with immense gratitude, the gift of new life that we have received in Baptism, a life capable of transfiguring death’s drama … The tradition of building baptismal fonts in the shape of an octagon, as seen in many ancient baptistries, like that of St. John Lateran in Rome, was intended to symbolize that Baptism is the dawn of the ‘eighth day,’ the day of the resurrection, a day that transcends the normal, weekly passage of time, opening us to life everlasting.” (20) “For we are buried together with him by baptism into death, that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we may also walk with him in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Newness of life encompasses the call to repentance through prayer and fasting, and the call to live as pilgrims of hope through almsgiving in its many forms. The second reading on Ash Wednesday eloquently expresses this sublime call and mystery. We are all new creations, ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors of Jesus Christ. (2Cor 5:17)

In our world that has fallen prey to radical polity and civil discord, fidelity to the Gospel offers another path where reconciliation, justice and fraternity lead the way. Whatever our political persuasion may be, for the person of faith in the Catholic Church, we are called to value the things that really matter. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice … Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Flowing from the waters of Baptism is the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where God can lavishly pour out his merciful grace and transform hardened hearts. For the Jubilee year Pope Francis again instructs us from the Chair of Peter. “The sacrament of Reconciliation is not only a magnificent spiritual gift, but also a decisive, essential and fundamental step on our journey of faith. There, we allow our Lord to erase our sins, to heal our hearts, to raise us up, to embrace us and to reveal to us his tender and compassionate countenance. There is no better way to know God than to allow God to reconcile us to himself. Let us not neglect Confession.” (23)

In the spirit of Jubilee, this sacrament restores hope, renews our baptism, and reminds us “to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8) May the 40 days of Lent be a season of refreshment in God! (Acts 3:20)

Called by Name

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Our second wave of discernment groups has kicked off, and it has been ‘supercharged’ by our Called by Name weekend back in the fall. You may remember that weekend in November that we asked all priests to share their vocation story during Mass, and then we asked you to share the names of any young men in your parish who you think should consider the priesthood and who might benefit from being invited to vocation events. One of the benefits of having all those submissions is that our discernment groups can now have a much bigger pool of possible participants. Here’s an example to help me explain:

My discernment group last semester had about eight high school age boys from the Jackson Metro in it. The group, as scheduled, lasted six weeks and we had a great time, and the guys got a lot out of it. When I started planning my group for this semester, I reached out first to the guys who were in the last group. But I also had about 15 more young men to invite because they were submitted through Called by Name. Because my group is for high schoolers, I called the parents of each of the boys submitted and shared about the group and invited them to share the information with their son. We just had our first meeting, and we had five returning participants, and four new participants come. We actually increased participation between our first group and our second group.

This may seem like ‘no big whoop,’ but this is a substantial ‘widening of the net.’ There is so much going on during the school year that there will be some guys who can’t attend a group for a semester here or there just because of sports and other extracurricular conflicts, so the fact that we retained five guys and we added four more is a huge deal. It keeps the group going and it keeps our meetings dynamic and fun. It is so important that we are consistent in our approach and in offering opportunities to young men so that priesthood stays on their radar. It has also been a great gift to be able to speak to parents in this process because it gives us an opportunity to get to know one another, and I think it gives them confidence that their sons are going to have a positive experience in the group whether they end up being interested in priesthood or not.
Stay tuned for more updates on opportunities that we are developing for young men and women to discern their vocation. Next week I’ll let you know about a great opportunity coming up this summer for high school youth.

https://jacksondiocese.flocknote.com/VocationsSupport

Father Nick Adam, vocation director