By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – There are hungry and homeless in Mississippi. There are college students that need to be ministered to. There are seminarians that need our help to become our future priests. And there are retired priests that need our assistance after a lifetime of service. These are just a few of the ministries that the annual Catholic Service Appeal (CSA) supports.
“Due to COVID protocols, we did not have a second collection in February of 2021 and opted to postpone to a later date. We hoped that we would meet our goal without a second collection for the CSA,” said Rebecca Harris, director of stewardship and development for the diocese. “Unfortunately, that has not happened. We are $344,000 from our goal.”
Parishes will have a second collection on Aug. 28-29 and pledge envelopes will be available to help reach the CSA 2021 goal.
The Catholic Service Appeal is important to many vital ministries of the diocese. These ministries help carry out the mission of the church and reaching this goal will ensure these ministries do not have budget cuts.
There are eleven collective ministries that no one parish could support on its own; however, joined as one, the diocese can make a difference. The appeal supports educating seminarians, Catholic Charities, campus ministry, mission parishes and schools, youth ministry, formational ministries, priest retirement and clergy assistance, evangelizing and communications. More information on each ministry is available on the diocese website.
“We understand that many individuals and families have faced challenges during the pandemic and will not be able to support the CSA due to changing circumstances. Please know that our prayers continue to be with you and your family, and I ask for your prayers for the ministries served by our appeal,” said Harris. “For those who have already given we greatly appreciate your support.”
The theme of this year’s appeal is Embrace – Serve – Inspire, with beloved Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman as the inspiration. She once asked of God, “Touch me with your love so that I can help somebody, so that I can serve somebody, so that I can bless somebody.”
It is not too late to make a difference – to help, to serve, to bless somebody. For online donations and to learn more about each ministry the Catholic Service Appeal supports go to csa.jacksondiocese.org.
By Joe Lee
JACKSON – Abducted at age 14 from her Utah family home in 2002 in a kidnapping that drew national media coverage, Elizabeth Smart spent nine months in captivity and had no idea if she would ever see her parents, siblings and friends again.
Very close to parents who brought her up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Smart leaned hard on her faith during her ordeal.
“I was raised believing the family unit was forever,” she said. “Even if I had died while in captivity, there would still be a brother or grandparent – my family would still be a family. Conversely, if I got home and learned one of my parents had died, I knew I would see them again one day, and we would still be a family. That was a very large source of comfort to me.”
Now 34 and married with three small children, the national bestselling author will sign copies of My Story and Where There’s Hope at Bravo Restaurant of Jackson at a meet-and-greet from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13. She’s the keynote speaker the following day at the annual Journey of Hope luncheon, presented by Catholic Charities, Inc. at the Jackson Convention Complex.
In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Smart is president of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which focuses on fighting sexual exploitation, advocacy, and prevention education. Not surprisingly, she is quite passionate about using her platform to help young girls and women who may not realize they are at risk.
Smart, however, was hardly ready to discuss what had happened to her in the immediate aftermath. And while it took the case against captor Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, a whopping eight years to go to trial, a silver lining of having to testify in open court about what she endured was Smart deciding she was ready to go public with her story and begin her advocacy.
“I initially swore I would never do a book, a movie,” Smart said. “When I first got home (in 2003), I didn’t really understand what therapy was. In the first 48-72 hours I was taken to a children’s advocacy center where I was extensively interviewed by two middle-aged male psychiatrists.”
“They were very religious and good at their jobs, but I’d been abused – a lot – for nine months in just about every way you can imagine by middle-aged men who used religion to manipulate. Speaking to men so graphically about being raped was horrific, devastating. When I got out of that room, I thought, ‘If this is what therapy is, I don’t ever want to do it again.’
“Looking back, those men were investigators gathering evidence, and they were doing their jobs. They weren’t therapists, and I believe in therapy 100 percent,” Smart said. “After the trial, I realized my story deserved more than a list of ‘bullet points.’ I knew there was value in it because what I went through could help people understand and change, provide some amount of hope in their lives. That’s what pushed me to tell my story, to become involved in pieces of legislation.”
Smart will bring a message of situational awareness to her audiences in Jackson, as well as one of deep, abiding faith for young girls and women who’ve suffered.
“My favorite campaign that we do for the Elizabeth Smart Foundation is ‘We Believe You,” which is in support of victims knowing we believe them,” she said. “If you doubt their story, that can set the trajectory for whether they pursue healing in a positive or negative way: ‘If Mom didn’t believe me, no one will.’ It’s a poison that can kill you from the inside out.
“I want females to know they’re daughters of God, and that He loves them more than they can ever imagine. I want them to recognize that everything taken away from them and everything that caused them distress can be healed,” said Smart.
Journey of Hope luncheon: Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 12-1 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex. Elizabeth will speak for 30 minutes and will be followed by Johanna Beeland of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, who will speak on human trafficking in our state.
By Joe Lee
JACKSON – Human trafficking, including the kind of torture and suffering Elizabeth Smart went through for almost a year, is real, and happens right here in Mississippi. It takes great courage and trust to speak up after being traumatized, but valuable and completely confidential resources are always available.
“In order to prevent human trafficking, communities must rally together and be made aware that it exists,” said Wanda Thomas, executive director of Catholic Charities, Inc. (CCI).
“We want to make certain that children, youth, parents and at-risk adults in our cities are educated. It is important to bring awareness through factual details of what trafficking looks like. Furthermore, we want to provide education as it relates to recovery after rescue.”
CCI’s victim services program furnishes trafficking victims with shelter, food, medical attention, clothing, counseling, legal information and assistance with crime victim compensation. The Healing Hearts program, also a service of CCI, offers specific trauma counseling for both young girls and adult women.
“For our youth, we have Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT),” said Lakeisha Davis, CCI community service program director. “TF-CBT is especially sensitive to the unique problems of youth with post-traumatic stress and mood disorders resulting from sexual abuse, violence or grief. We move at the pace of our client, and no process is rushed or has a time limit. We are here as long as it takes.
“Our women also receive intense trauma therapy. Again, we know and understand that trauma is real and healing hurts. Our last phase is reprogramming, where we rewrite the story with our client, teaching our client to reconnect with others, to develop social skills, and we allow her to mourn the losses from those years spent in survival mode. We believe in validation, acceptance and, most of all, healing.”
Johanna Beeland, deputy director of engagement and human trafficking manager for the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, will speak at the Journey of Hope luncheon about helping trafficking victims recover with hope and dignity.
“We have an interactive services map and potential access to the crime victims’ compensation fund,” Beeland said. “We encourage all victims, or anyone who may know of someone being trafficked, to report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“Tips can be reported anonymously, 24/7, and are directed to local authorities on the ground, like our office, in real time, to ensure quick and timely responses to possible victims. I’ll also be sharing information on the signs that you or someone you know is being trafficked, and how to report trafficking.”
Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or text the word INFO to 233733. For more information on victim assistance at the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, visit www.AttorneyGeneralLynnFitch.com. Visit Catholic Charities Inc. at catholiccharitiesusa.org.
By Joanna Puddister King and Stephanie Brown
JACKSON – The 2020-2021 school year was one like no other before it. First, the pandemic challenged the Office of Catholic Education to assess how it has functioned and how they can best support schools in the diocese. As schools navigated the year, new tasks and responsibilities were created to deal with the demands of virtual learning, contact tracing and overall management of our response. Then, in March of 2021, it was announced that Superintendent, Cathy Cook, was planning to retire.
When Cook’s retirement was announced, it opened the door for the office to critically examine how to address areas of improvement that they observed during their system-wide accreditation that came to fruition in October 2019; as well as, make any changes to the structure of the office.
“To help us better understand our schools’ current trajectory, we decided to dive into as much data as possible. We looked at survey results, enrollment, and finance figures, as well as current policies. After looking at everything, it was determined it is time to do something different. One theme that we focused on was the difference between a public-school superintendent and a Catholic school superintendent. While their titles are the same, the scope and authority of the roles are very different,” explained Karla Luke of the Office of Catholic Education.
The office even reached out to Kathy Mears, a senior consultant for the National Catholic Educational Association, to discuss national trends that should be considered. “She explained that many dioceses across the country are reevaluating the structure of their education offices to try to meet the needs of their schools better,” said Luke.
After much discussion and research, the office decided to make a move. Rather than seek to fill the superintendent position, it was decided that the Office of Catholic Education would have three new positions: executive director of school operations, director of curriculum and development, and coordinator of school support. Luke, believes that a change in title and reassignment of responsibilities will better articulate what the office does to best serve schools in the diocese.
Luke has assumed the position of executive director of school operations for the diocese. In this role, she will continue many of her responsibilities as associate superintendent and interim superintendent. In addition, this position will oversee the diocesan advisory council for education, local school advisory councils, personnel and legal issues, parent and student concerns, and government programs.
Stephanie Brown, the former assistant superintendent, assumes the position of director of curriculum and development. Previously, Brown oversaw the accreditation process, curriculum, assessment and professional development. In this new role, she will also work closely with the Department of Temporal Affairs on ensuring financial viability and increasing enrollment in all diocesan schools.
The third position in the restructured office will be the coordinator of school support. This role will be similar to an administrative assistant but will play an active role in daily operations at diocesan schools. “We hope that this position’s addition will help us streamline many of our administrative tasks, such as record-keeping and verification, school reporting and textbook procurement,” said Brown. They are actively looking for the right person to join the office in this new role.
The Office of Education, working in its newly established structure, recognizes that they have a great deal to be proud of and a great deal of work to do moving forward; and have set five areas of focus for the coming year and beyond.
Their number one priority will be focusing on marketing, development and advancement. While increasing enrollment is always a goal, the office recognizes that they must also seek alternative sources of income outside of just tuition. “As the cost of living rises, we must find the funds necessary to provide all staff members with equitable wages that they deserve while also pursuing the resources and infrastructure needed to provide the highest quality of education to all of our students” said Luke. “It is important to look for other ways to keep our schools financially viable outside of raising tuition.”
Second, the office hopes to improve their service and outreach to minority communities across the diocese. “When we look at enrollment trends at our schools that serve our minority communities, we see a larger decline in enrollment,” said Brown. “We have challenged ourselves to find ways to better meet the needs of these communities by looking at barriers to accessibility.”
Their next goal is to continue to focus on college and career readiness, with a large emphasis on career planning. “We hope to help our students identify their God-given strengths and talents and set them on a path toward success in a career they will enjoy by providing the tools they need to adequately prepare for college or whatever their next step may be,” expressed Brown.
Additionally, the office also hopes to standardize clerical tasks completed at schools across the diocese. Brown said that they found that many staff members and administrators at schools spend time doing tasks that could easily be consolidated and performed at the diocesan level. “With the addition of the Coordinator of School Support, we hope to find ways to free up the time of our administrators by taking these tasks off of their plate.”
Finally, just as the office evaluated roles and job descriptions, they hope to spend time clarifying job descriptions for all positions within our schools. “Accountability is the key to forward movement. We hope that by clearly delineating responsibilities, everyone can better understand their role in moving our school communities forward,” said Luke.
From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – A bishop’s life is full of travel around the diocese to visit parishes, schools and missions. This time of year, it involves school masses for the opening of the new academic year. Because of COVID, these celebrations did not occur last August.
Confirmation celebrations have Bishop Joseph Kopacz all over the diocese from one end to the other. These celebrations normally take place between Easter and Pentecost, but due to schedules and once again the pandemic, Confirmation celebrations have been spread out into the summer months.
This weekend Bishop Kopacz will be in Ripley at St. Matthew Mission to confer Confirmation on more than a dozen young people. Ripley is in Tippah County, and I have a special connection to the area because my maternal grandmother’s family is from Tippah County. My great-grandparents are buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery just outside of Ripley on the way to Walnut.
Suffice it to say that our diocese being the largest diocese geographically east of the Mississippi River creates long drives. Tippah County borders Tennessee and is part of the rolling hills section of the state where beautiful views can be found around various bends in the road. Ripley is close to a four-hour drive from Jackson.
Imagine travelling to Ripley on horseback or in a cart from Natchez as was done in the early days of our diocese. This was the life of our bishops back in the day even up into the early 1900s when Bishop Thomas Heslin was making his way around the diocese for Confirmation celebrations.
Let me share a particular instance from Bishop John Gunn’s diary dated June 8, 1912, in which he accounts for an unfortunate incident that led to Bishop Heslin’s ultimate demise. It may give a better appreciation for a bishop’s life on the road.
“Visit to Montpelier. This is a little mission chapel about 13 miles from West Point, without a railroad and with the poorest roads imaginable. On the way out from West Point to Montpelier I heard a story about Bishop Heslin which is worth recording.
“The good Bishop was, like myself, going out to the little chapel to give Confirmation. The best pair of mules in the neighborhood were commandeered to bring the Bishop out. The Bishop’s carriage was a spring wagon and a plank put over the sideboards formed the cushions for the driver and the Bishop.
“The roads were of that peculiar type known in Mississippi as ‘corduroy’ roads. Branches of trees, stumps, logs, etc. are imbedded in the mud roads during the Winter, In the Spring these are covered with dirt and there is a good road until the first rain comes. Then the dirt is washed up and the stumps are very much in evidence, especially when the mules get into a trot.
“It seems that on the past visit of Bishop Heslin, the driver talked all he knew about cotton, lumber, and the country and talked so much that the mules fell asleep. It is thought that Bishop Heslin – if he was not asleep, was at least nodding – and at the moment the driver woke up and commenced to whip the mules into some kind of activity.
“The sudden start caught the Bishop unprepared and he made a double somersault over the spring wagon and fell on the road. The driver was so busy with the mules that he forgot the Bishop and did not know of the mishap for nearly half a mile.
“Then there was the difficulty of turning the pair of mules on the road and a convenient turning spot had to be reached. This delayed the recovery of the Bishop for a considerable time and when the mule driver and his mules found the Bishop – Bishop Heslin was in a dead faint.
“The good Bishop was a big man and a heavy man, and the mule driver was lean and lanky and there was no help in sight or available. There was nothing to do only to take the sideboards from the wagon and form an inclined plane and roll the Bishop up the plane and make him comfortable in the wagon. “He recovered consciousness before he reached West Point.
“It is said that the Bishop never really recovered from the shock and the injury sustained by this fall.
“The driver who brought me out to Montpelier was the same one who had brought Bishop Heslin and he gave me the story as written.”
This incident would have occurred most likely in 1910 because Bishop Heslin died in February 1911.
Bishop Gunn concludes his description of his own arrival and visit in Montpelier thusly: “I arrived at Montpelier for supper. The day was hot, and all the neighbors of the little village were invited to sup with me.
“There was a table spread for all comers on a kind of porch. The neighbors supplied the feed and there was plenty of it. I think that all the flies of the country got notice because they were present like the locusts of Egypt. They were in everything, tasting everything, and lighting everywhere, especially on the bishop’s nose.
“A few girls got branches of trees and used them to keep the flies away. It was all right as long as the girls minded their business but when they forgot the flies and hit the guests there was some embarrassment.
“We had Mass and confirmation in the little chapel, which strange to say was dedicated to St. Patrick and for that reason several parts of it were painted green. We returned to celebrate Sunday.”
More from Bishop Gunn next time…
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
Will Vollor – St. Patrick School, Meridian
This year, like every year of his career, Will Vollor says he looks forward to serving others. This year he will get to serve and support the teachers, staff, parents and students at St Patrick School in Meridian. Vollor was named principal of St. Patrick last spring and has hit the ground running as he prepared for this school year. Vollor received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi, and master’s degree from Mississippi College. Before becoming principal of St Patrick, he taught and coached at St Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, and Lamar School, Enterprise-Clarke High School, and Northeast Lauderdale High School in the Meridian area.
When asked what made him decide to go into education he said, “Several members of my family were educators, so I had a great deal of admiration for the profession. Most influential to me as an educator was Valera Meachum Vollor. Besides being my grandmother and hero, she was a teacher herself at St. Francis Xavier Elementary School in Vicksburg for twenty-two years.”
Vollor is married to Leslie Horn Vollor, and they have two daughters, Anne Larkin and Lauren. They are active members of St. Patrick Catholic Church, where they have taught both parish school of religion and children’s church in the 10 years that they have resided in Meridian.
Jessica Carter – Cathedral School, Natchez
In April, Jessica Carter was named the next lead administrator of Cathedral School in Natchez. This year marks somewhat of a homecoming for Carter as she has previously served as a teacher and the middle school coordinator at Cathedral. She comes to her new position with fourteen years of experience in education, including four years as the assistant principal at Vidalia High School in Vidalia, Louisiana. Carter received her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Carter is married to her husband Mark, who is an alumnus of Cathedral School. They have two children, Macy, who is in fourth grade, and Maddie Paige, who is one year old. They are active members of St. Mary Basilica parish.
When she accepted this new position, Carter said, “I am excited to serve as the next lead administrator of Cathedral Catholic School. I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the leadership of our great school and want to thank Father Scott Thomas and the principal search committee for bestowing upon me this great responsibility. As a member of St. Mary Basilica and past employee of Cathedral, I want the tradition of a rich Catholic education to continue in our community. I want to lead the school to continued success and build on the positive impact it has had for students, parents, alumni, stakeholders and the community since 1847.”
By Rebecca Harris
JACKSON – The Catholic Foundation was established in 1973 to help donors with planned giving gifts to support parishes, schools, and ministries in our diocese. Donors wish to express their gratitude to God for a lifetime of blessings. Due to the pandemic many of us have been thinking about our mortality. After all, each day on the news we are told how many people are dying of COVID in our country. That starts us thinking about – what if? We should also be asking ourselves what happens? What will happen to the things in my life if I have no will. Who decides where my possessions go if I have no will?
Those are important questions to ask yourself. Our loved ones may not know our intentions. The Catholic Foundation can help you think about how to plan out your will. They offer an estate planning kit to help understand the benefits of smart estate and gift planning. With the guidance of your own estate planner, you can determine what strategies work best for you.
What is planned giving?
A planned gift is a charitable donation that is structured during a donor’s lifetime, and it typically funded upon or after death. Planned gifts are a way for you to create a lasting legacy for future generations and support the ministries that matter most to you. Most planned gifts options require no cash outlay during your lifetime. Just as you plan for your future, so must parishes, schools and diocesan ministries like retired priests and seminarian education must plan for their future.
Are you ready to start your will?
Creating a will is not as difficult as it sounds. The Catholic Foundation can provide you with a will planning workbook; and is here to help with the bequest wording that you will need if you wish to leave a parish, school or ministry in your will. The will planning workbook can then be taken to your estate planning to help you execute your plan.
The Foundation office can also provide you with a funeral planning guide to take the burden of planning a funeral off your loved ones by providing them with your funeral wishes.
The Founcation is here to help!
The staff at the Catholic Foundation is here to help you determine which opportunities will work best for you. You do not have to be wealthy or at a certain stage of your life to make a difference. The Foundation hopes that when you are working on your estate planning that you consider your parish, Catholic school or other Catholic ministry in your decisions. A bequest in your will to your parish will have a long-term impact and you are putting your Catholic values in action.
The Catholic Foundation would be happy to work with you on the various ways to give and answer any of your questions. Please contact Rebecca Harris at the Catholic Foundation at 601-960-8477.
By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – On Thursday, Sept. 16, the 39th annual Bishop’s Cup Golf Tournament will take place at Lake Caroline Golf Club. All are invited to sign up for a great day of golf or even just join Bishop Joseph Kopacz and the Catholic Foundation for dinner and a live auction at The Mermaid Café.
“Last year we had to cancel our dinner at the Mermaid Café. We had to put strict COVID protocols in place so we could have the tournament. We are really excited about the tournament this year. Golfers will be able to socialize before the tournament and we are looking forward to gathering at the Mermaid Café afterwards. We hope some of our non-golfing friends will be able to join us as well,” said Rebecca Harris, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation.
Each year the Catholic Foundation supports grant projects around the diocese. Parishes, schools and Catholic ministries submit grants proposals each year. The Catholic Foundation has funded projects like parish renovations, STEM labs, Catholic Charities domestic violence program and pro-life billboards just to name a few. This year proceeds from the tournament will go to the Bishop Joseph N. Latino Memorial Trust. This trust will support future grant projects around the diocese.
Steve Carmody has chaired this event for the past 29 years. “The tournament continues to grow each year, and we are always excited to see our golfers return. We would like to thank all past sponsors who have helped to make the tournament a success. We hope that you will join Bishop Kopacz and the other participants again this year,” said Carmody.
Tee time will be at 1 p.m. for the event with lunch served at 12 p.m. The cost per player is $200 and priests play for free. Each golfer receives lunch, 18 holes of golf with a cart, snacks and beverages on the course, a large golf towel and dinner with two free drink tickets at The Mermaid Café. Also, with the event the Catholic Foundation offers a hole in one prize of $10,000.
Even if someone isn’t a golf player, fun can be had after the tournament at The Mermaid Café at 6 p.m. Dinner tickets are $40 per person and there will be a silent and live auction.
For more information on the golf tournament or to sponsor the event, visit one.bidpal.net/bishopscup2021. If you would like to donate an item to the auctions or volunteer, contact Julia Williams at 601-960-8481.
By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Dear friends in Christ, due to the pandemic many diocesan, parish and school events and programing were derailed, postponed or curtailed. One of the casualties earlier this year was the parish in-pew process for the 2021 Catholic Service Appeal.
Consequently, our goal of $1,153,654 is down approximately $344,000. All things considered; this shortfall is directly related to the cancellation of the in-pew process over health concerns surrounding the spread of the COVID-19. But as the contributions to the appeal slowed to a trickle by early summer, I and other diocesan officials realized that we had to arrange for one final push to overcome the deficit that will surely have a negative impact on our ministries.
The best approach would be to conduct the in-pew process as the cornerstone for this 11th hour drive, which is now scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28 and 29. A seven-month delay is unprecedented with this critical step for the success of the service appeal, but then again, we are navigating through unprecedented times.
The service appeal is an essential component of our annual diocesan budget, funding approximately 20% for our ministries and programs. To put a human face on this deficit, a 25% shortfall of $344,000 is most of what it costs to educate our six seminarians for the academic year ahead. Or this is most of the annual contribution to our Catholic Charities that each year is an unrestricted flow of income that can be used for shortfalls in programing. So much of the work of Catholic Charities is accomplished off the radar, but we are serving vulnerable populations throughout Mississippi, and the vast majority of our sisters and brothers whom we empower are not Catholic. We do the work because we are Catholic, and so we lift up the victims of domestic violence, those weighed down under the yoke of drugs and alcohol, homeless veterans who put their lives on the line, children and young people in foster care and adoption services, young people afflicted by mental health issues and family turmoil, disaster relief, counseling and immigration services, academic enrichment for underserved children and much more. Through all of these programs we fulfill our mission to be a visible sign of Christ’s love.
Fittingly, we are concerned about the gaping deficit in this year’s goal, because all of our diocesan ministries that serve the Lord depend upon your generosity through the service appeal. The office of communication, including our Mississippi Catholic publication, Faith Formation and Evangelization, Youth ministry and Campus ministry, and more, will be adversely affected unless we can substantially or totally erase the deficit.
We are grateful to all who have contributed to this year’s appeal so far. Some even went the extra mile and made a second contribution, realizing that regular donors might not be able to give due to the setbacks of the pandemic.
Currently, we are down 1,470 donors for this year’s appeal. Clearly, the postponement of the in-pew process is the major culprit.
If you are able to contribute at the 11th hour of the 2021 appeal, please know that each and every gift will be a blessing. Whether you can take the opportunity through the in-pew-process on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28 and 29, through the mail or online giving, be assured that you will be supporting the mission of the Diocese of Jackson to serve others, to inspire disciples and to embrace diversity. Sister Thea Bowman would be so proud to behold each little light glowing together to become a beacon of hope for all in need, and for the glory of God.
