By Father Clement “Clem” Olukunle Oyafemi JACKSON – There was a man named “Kokumo,” who lived for 99 years and died. He was not able to receive the “Last Sacrament” because the only priest serving his 4,500 member parish was in the hospital for a surgery at the time of his death. “Kokumo” gets to heaven and complains to God saying, “God, there are so many problems in the world; sickness, conflicts, catastrophes, and even in the church, there are so many believers with no priest to serve them. What are you doing about that?” God smiles and says to him, “My son, I did something.” What did you do?” the man says. God responds to him, “I created you!”
Padre Clement Olukunle Oyafemi
April 25 was been designated as “World Day of Prayer for the priesthood and religious life.” In many parts of the world today is also called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The Universal Church encourages us to “pray to the Lord of the “harvest” to send laborers into his harvest.” (cf Matthew 9:38) In today’s gospel passage Jesus presents to us a teaching about himself using the image of shepherd, “I am the good shepherd and I know mine, and mine know me” (John 10:14). The whole Gospel of St. John gives us a summary of the Paschal Mystery, which we celebrate at this holy season. It alludes to the suffering servant of God sacrificing his life for others (cf Isaiah 53:1-12). What is the significance of this message? What challenge does it give us today? The image of the shepherd manifests the various aspects of the person of Jesus. The role of a shepherd is multiple; the shepherd seeks out the lost sheep, cares tenderly the wounded sheep, protects the sheep at the cost of his/her own life and feeds them. What does that mean for us as a church? Jesus is the real, authentic, ideal, perfect, or Good Shepherd, and we are his flock, or sheep. He teaches, sanctifies, and governs us. He cares for us and guides us always. There is a hierarchy of “shepherds.” In the family, parents are the shepherds; in the Church, priests; and in the diocese, the bishop: in the Universal Church, the pope is the shepherd. Every family is a “domestic church” and the parents have the duty to teach, sanctify, and govern their children. If parents, who are shepherds in the family, fail in their Christian duties, it will have an adverse effect on the entire church and society. Today’s gospel passage challenges us, especially parents, to see ourselves as shepherds for our families. We need to pay more attention, not only to the material, but more seriously to the spiritual and moral needs of our children. We as parents need to sacrifice whatever it takes to care for our children. In carrying out the task of shepherding/parenting, Jesus is the only ideal and model for us to follow. Shepherding is a calling (vocation) but not a job. It is a vocation, which demands nothing less than the sacrifice of one’s life for others. Today’s world however does not seem to celebrate a life of sacrifice. And that is why we have very few shepherds both in the domestic and the community churches. Hence, today’s liturgy enjoins us to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Let us all also pray for those who have already been called as shepherds on domestic and community levels that they may serve faithfully, following the example of Jesus who is the perfect, ideal and Good Shepherd. Today’s church needs shepherds just like Jesus, who lay down his life for his flock. Preaching on the pulpit alone would not do it. We need to start talking about vocation to the priesthood and religious life at dinner tables. We need to pray that God may choose from our families to answer this special calling. I have been to some parishes where people complain so much about not having enough attention from the priest. But this priest is only one person and has 3,500 or 4,000 members to shepherd! At times, the question is about shortage of priests. We need three priests in this parish, but the bishop only gave us one. My question is “What are you doing about it?” complaining, criticizing, etc.? That would not help the church at all. We need to pray for vocations, and also encourage our kids to consider giving their lives to God to serve as priests. There is no substitute for parents in the family. Similarly, there is no substitute for the priesthood in the church. Let us pray that parents may sacrifice whatever it takes to raise their children in a way that is pleasing to the living God. Let us also pray that the Lord may inspire young men and women of our time to answer the call to sacrifice their lives to serve the church as priests and religious.
(Excerpt from the book Theological Reflections for Sundays and Solemnities of Liturgical Year B, 2011 by Father Clem-alias Clemente de Dios, Coordinator of the Intercultural Ministry of the Diocese since 2020. Father Clem has two master’s degrees, one in theology and the other in religious education, and a BA in Philosophy. Sharing with Sister Thea a passion for the Lord and music, Father Clem founded the Rejoice Ministry of African Worship Songs -AFRAWOS- in 2002.)
By Carol Glatz ROME (CNS) – To help foster a wider discussion on work that still must be done to safeguard minors and vulnerable people in the Catholic Church, a canon law journal published a series of talks by experts regarding accountability, transparency and confidentiality in the handling of abuse allegations. The talks were part of a seminar in December 2019 sponsored by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to address the topics as well as the seal of confession and the pontifical secret. The “Periodica” journal of the faculty of canon law at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University published the talks at the end of 2020.
Carmel Rafferty and Ian Liwther protest clergy sexual abuse outside St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney in this July 18, 2008, file photo. Safeguarding experts have published proposals in the “Periodica” faculty canon law journal of the Pontifical Gregorian University to help foster more analysis and wider discussion on work still needed to safeguard minors and vulnerable people in the Catholic Church. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Among the suggestions for improvements, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, adjunct secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said more could be done in supporting the rights of victims. Pope Francis’ “Vos estis lux mundi” provides for the first time “a universal law that states that the victim has a right to be advised of the outcome of the investigation” concerning crimes allegedly committed by people in leadership, he wrote. But “I would suggest that we also use this law by analogy for all other situations” by giving the same right to victims of people who are not just leaders but are members of the clergy or of religious orders, he wrote. Another suggestion, he said, is to appoint “a safeguarding officer or other suitable person that keeps contact with the victim and informs the victim of the progress of the procedures,” including the outcomes of investigations, trials or extrajudicial processes, especially now that the “pontifical secret” has been removed. Archbishop Scicluna said there should be a “procurator for the person aggrieved,” that is, a person designated to represent the victim in the church’s penal processes and share information with the victim. Father John P. Beal, professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., said in his talk that past abuse scandals in the U.S. showed “how lack of transparency in church governance allowed these lapses in accountability to go unrecognized and unaddressed for decades.” Restoring a sense of legitimacy to ecclesial governance will be ineffective, he wrote, “as long as the church’s accountability structures are judged inadequate by the faithful, and they will continue to be judged inadequate as long as they remain almost totally lacking in transparency.” The “almost total lack of transparency that enshrouds the canonical penal process” and the administrative penal process, he said, makes it difficult to know if the accused and victims have been dealt with fairly. This absence of transparency “is often justified by concern for the reputations of the accused and the victim. While there may be good reason to withhold from the public record the names of accusers and victims of sexual abuse, especially if they are still minors,” the name of those found guilty of abuse should be made public, he wrote. Clear and public procedures would also help restore the reputation of those who have been wrongly accused instead of letting rumors fill the vacuum when investigations are not transparent or conclusive, he added. “We in the United States have learned with much pain that efforts to ‘hush up’ unpleasant ecclesiastical business will ultimately fail,” Father Beal wrote. The pope’s removal of the “pontifical secret” in cases involving the sexual abuse of minors by clerics allows bishops and other church authorities to provide “timely information to victims and affected communities of the faithful about the status, progress and outcomes of cases, while maintaining due confidentiality about matters that might jeopardize reputations or the progress of process,” he wrote. Nevertheless, he wrote, more robust accountability for how diocesan bishops and other church authorities handle abuse cases “is still almost exclusively vertical, toward higher authorities, and not downward to the faithful.” Until accountability is complemented by “a serious commitment to transparency on the part of all involved, they will do little to dispel the pervasive anger and cynicism among the faithful about the bishops’ handling of complaints of misconduct.” Jesuit Father Damián Astigueta, professor of canon law at the Gregorian University, wrote that transparency does not mean universal or public access to sensitive or confidential information, but it is sharing information with those who have a right to see it. Total and inappropriate public disclosure of certain information is often driven by a sense of guilt and a hope that “selling” a better image of the church will bring credibility, he said. The focus should be on justice for the entire community of faithful, fidelity to the Gospel value of truth and on professionalism rather than on what people think. Authorities in charge of investigating and acting on accusations must seek the truth and follow the principles of real justice, which guarantees due process, the right of defense and presumption of innocence for the accused, he said. Neville Owen, a retired supreme court judge from western Australia and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said equality before the law and the right to a fair trial would be better guaranteed by providing the reasons for how a case was decided. Providing reasons for a decision is part of fairness, due process and justice, he said. It would let the parties know why they have won or lost; let them see whether their arguments were understood and accepted; facilitate accountability because decisions could be scrutinized; and help build a basis upon which similar cases will be decided in the future.
Por Ann Rodgers – Angelus News Durante años la vida de lo inmigrantes ha estado cargada de dura realidad. La comunidad de Carthage, desde el 2019, ha sufrido una serie de eventos dramáticos, pero esta vez, nadie pudo imaginar que la tragedia llegara a ser tan cruel. “La gente está en estado de shock. No pueden creer que algo así haya sucedido,” dijo el padre Odel Medina, sacerdote de los Siervos Misioneros de la Santísima Trinidad y párroco de St. Anne.
CARTHAGE – Desde su llegada a la comunidad, Edgar (al centro con la cruz) estuvo involucrado en el crecimiento espiritual propio y de toda la comunidad. (Foto de archivo, 2016, cortesía de la hermana María Elena Mendez, MGSpS)
Mississippi: Edgar López Durante casi un cuarto de siglo, Edgar López fue un pilar de la Iglesia de Santa Ana en Carthage, Mississippi. El devoto esposo y padre de tres hijos pasó cuatro años estudiando el ministerio pastoral para liderar mejor los grupos de oración, el ministerio juvenil y el alcance social. Dio generosamente de su salario como mecánico en una planta avícola local. El 22 de enero, sus restos carbonizados fueron encontrados con los de otras 18 personas dentro y alrededor de un camión baleado en la ciudad fronteriza mexicano-estadounidense de Camargo en Tamaulipas. López, de 49 años, un trabajador indocumentado que había sido deportado a Guatemala después de una notoria redada de inmigración en 2019 en las plantas avícolas de Mississippi, había intentado regresar con su esposa, hijos y nietos en Carthage. La mayoría de los muertos tenían parientes entre la creciente población de trabajadores indígenas mayas de Guatemala en Carthage. Los trabajos avícolas eran arduos, sucios y peligrosos, pero pagaban más por una hora de trabajo de lo que los guatemaltecos ganarían en dos días en sus aldeas. La mayoría de los migrantes masacrados eran del pueblo desesperadamente pobre de Comitancillo, que en Cartago “buscaban trabajos que los estadounidenses habían rechazado durante mucho tiempo,” dijo el padre Medina. Calificó de amarga ironía que, siete meses después de que el gobierno deportara a cientos de empleados indocumentados de plantas avícolas, fueran declarados “trabajadores esenciales” durante el COVID-19. “Si no funcionaran, no tendrías comida en la mesa de nadie”, dijo el padre Medina. López creció en el pueblo de Chicajala, donde la muerte por desnutrición es común. No tenía zapatos para ir a la escuela y otros estudiantes y maestros lo acosaban por igual. Su respuesta, dijo el padre Medina, fue decir: “Me gustaría ser maestro y cambiar la forma en que enseñan a los niños”. Se fue a la ciudad de Guatemala en su adolescencia, ingresando a los Estados Unidos a los 20 años. Fue deportado un año después, pero pronto regresó con su esposa y su bebé a Carthage. Compraron una casa modesta en la que criaron a tres hijos, que ahora tienen entre 11 y 21 años. Organizó las primeras Misas en español en St. Anne. Además de ser lector, ministro extraordinario de la Sagrada Comunión y ministro de la juventud, López fue el director de la “directiva” de St. Anne, una junta asesora pastoral que se ocupaba de las necesidades de la comunidad latina. Pasó cuatro años estudiando para obtener la certificación en el ministerio hispano a través del Southeast Pastoral Institute en Miami. Ya sea que estuviera en un papel de liderazgo o simplemente participando, “siempre estuvo al servicio de los demás”, escribió el padre Medina en el boletín de la parroquia. California: Juanatano Cano Juanatano Cano, quien ministra entre los guatemaltecos en la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles, nunca conoció a López, pero tuvo una infancia paralela. Sus edades adultas divergen porque Cano, un consultor de desarrollo de liderazgo que está terminando su doctorado, recibió asilo y papeles de trabajo después de ingresar ilegalmente a los Estados Unidos a fines de la década de 1980. Cano atribuye sus primeras dificultades al prejuicio contra su herencia indígena. “El racismo en Guatemala es peor que en Estados Unidos. Llamar a alguien ‘indio’ es el peor insulto si quieren humillar a alguien ”, dijo. Describió a los guatemaltecos indígenas como descendientes de aquellos que sobrevivieron a la conquista española hace 500 años huyendo al interior. Ningún gobierno ha intentado jamás integrarlos a la economía guatemalteca. “No había dinero para la educación o la atención médica para nosotros”, dijo, “según el gobierno, somos un obstáculo para la prosperidad de todo el país”. La gente de la aldea de Cano sufría un retraso en el crecimiento física e intelectual debido a la desnutrición. “Dijeron que somos estúpidos, que no queremos aprender, que no queremos tener éxito”, dijo. En 1981, se intensificó la prolongada guerra civil de Guatemala. “Vi a los militares bombardear pequeños pueblos y pequeñas aldeas indias. Le dije a mi mamá: ‘Vámonos de aquí. Nos van a acabar ”, dijo Cano. Ella no se iría. Así que en 1982, a los 13 años, se fue solo a la ciudad. Allí hacía las tareas del hogar a cambio de alojamiento y comida, mientras asistía a la escuela nocturna. Cuando su diploma de la escuela secundaria no le brindó oportunidades para avanzar, viajó en autobús y tren a través de México, cruzando la frontera hacia California. “En ese momento no era tan malo como ahora”, dijo. Se graduó de la universidad, enseñó matemáticas durante 15 años, obtuvo su certificado de director y luego hizo un cambio de carrera hacia la formación de liderazgo. Es consultor del Subcomité de Asuntos Indígenas Americanos de los Obispos Católicos de EE. UU. Y es voluntario en la Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción, la Iglesia de la Santa Cruz y la Iglesia La Placita en Los Ángeles. Los migrantes guatemaltecos de hoy traen los mismos sueños y necesidades que él, dijo. Culpa al gobierno de Guatemala por su sufrimiento. Incluso para los estándares estadounidenses, los costos de la atención médica son altos en Guatemala, dijo. Al menos dos migrantes asesinados con López buscaban trabajo para pagar la atención médica de sus familiares: cirugía para un bebé con labio leporino y medicamentos para una madre con diabetes. “Estas personas murieron porque querían ganar un poco de dinero para una cirugía que era tan básica. ¿Por qué el gobierno guatemalteco ignora esto? ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? Me enferma pensar en eso ”, dijo. “Por eso la gente abandona su país. Son conscientes de que es peligroso, pero asumen el riesgo, incluso sabiendo que podría ser mortal”. Los contrabandistas, conocidos como “coyotes”, están atrayendo a los clientes con reclamos de que la administración Biden ha abierto la frontera, dijo Cano. “Les están diciendo que vengan y Estados Unidos los aceptará y les dará un estatus legal”, dijo Cano. “Le están mintiendo a la gente”. Iglesia Católica: Christopher Ljundquist La doctrina social católica llama a las naciones a regular sus fronteras de manera humana, reconociendo tanto la seguridad como el derecho humano a migrar en busca de alimentos, atención médica y seguridad, dijo Christopher Ljundquist, asesor para América Latina de la Oficina de Obispos Internacionales de EE. UU. Justicia y Paz. La Iglesia ve la inmigración como una fuente de desarrollo económico, no como un obstáculo, dijo. Sin embargo, desde aproximadamente 2010, el viaje a través de México se ha vuelto mucho más mortífero a medida que los cárteles se volvieron cada vez más salvajes. “Los migrantes en ruta a Estados Unidos son presa perfecta de estos cárteles asesinos, que los obligan al contrabando, los secuestran, los extorsionan y, como hemos visto, los asesinan a sangre fría sin el menor escrúpulo”, dijo. Muchos cárteles promueven la devoción a una “horrible mujer parca” cuyo nombre significa “Santa Muerte”, dijo. Cualquiera que esté considerando la migración, dijo, debe entender que “el viaje hacia el norte es peligroso, que hay asesinos en el camino que a menudo adoran literalmente a la muerte, y que los cárteles ven a los migrantes como una mercancía humana”. Inmigracion: Drama y Muerte Las redadas de inmigración de agosto de 2019 que llevaron a la deportación de López fueron noticia nacional. De los casi 700 trabajadores detenidos, dos tercios permanecieron en los EE. UU. López fue deportado como un delincuente reincidente debido a su deportación anterior en la década de 1990. Pasó casi un año detenido, sobreviviendo al COVID-19 mientras atendía a los presos. “Nunca perdió la fe, incluso con esas terribles experiencias por las que había pasado”, dijo el padre Medina. “Cuando estaba en el centro de detención, me llamó y me pidió libros y rosarios para hacer un grupo de oración. Dijo que, incluso en esas circunstancias, siempre clamas a Dios “. Mucha gente en Carthage intentó ayudar a los detenidos. St. Anne’s organizó una clínica legal. El padre Medina acompañó a López a la corte. “Intentamos hacer todo lo posible por él, luchar por su libertad, decir que era una persona con carácter”, dijo. El juez federal llamó a López el tipo de hombre que le gustaría tener como vecino, pero dijo que la ley le ataba las manos. “Me duele el corazón ver lo que esta gran nación te está haciendo”, le dijo a López mientras ordenaba la deportación. En julio de 2020, López fue trasladado en avión a Guatemala. Mientras trabajaba como voluntario en la parroquia que había construido a través de sus donaciones, añoraba a su familia. “Traté de brindarle apoyo, oración y guía espiritual”, dijo el padre Medina. Sin embargo, cuando el sacerdote se fue de vacaciones a fines de diciembre, López no dijo nada sobre su regreso. “Creo que quería que fuera una sorpresa”, dijo el padre Medina. Guatemala. Mexico. Estados Unidos López contrató a un coyote local en quien confiaba, dijo el padre Medina. El grupo partió el 12 de enero. Sus familias tuvieron noticias suyas por última vez el 21 de enero. Al día siguiente, “el coyote llamó a su familia en Guatemala y dijo que todos habían sido asesinados”, dijo el padre Medina. “El coyote tenía un hijo que estaba con el grupo y también lo mataron”. Los investigadores mexicanos encontraron cuerpos quemados irreconocibles en un camión atravesado por 113 balas. La identificación vino a través del ADN. Doce policías fueron arrestados por matarlos, aunque las autoridades no han identificado el motivo. La especulación va desde una identidad errónea hasta un cartel que se niega a permitir que otros muevan mercancías humanas en su territorio. Guatemala declaró tres días de duelo nacional. El presidente de la nación se reunió con los ataúdes cubiertos con banderas en el aeropuerto, en una ceremonia televisada en vivo en todo el país. El padre Medina asistió al funeral de las víctimas del Comitancillo, realizado en una cancha de fútbol. Un sacerdote local denunció la injusticia que obligó a los aldeanos a buscar trabajo en otro país y la deportación de un hombre que había sido un querido vecino durante dos décadas. La migración no se detendrá, dijo el padre Medina. Mientras estuvo allí, dos familias le pidieron que bendijera a sus hijos para el viaje al norte. Eternas gracias por el servicio Los hombres de la parroquia cargaron el pesado ataúd sobre sus hombros para ser enterrados en la parroquia de su pueblo en Chicajalaj, a una hora de caminata por un camino duro y montañoso. Le dijeron al padre Medina que llevar el ataúd sobre sus hombros era una tradición para honrar a quienes habían hecho grandes contribuciones a la comunidad. “He sido testigo del entierro de un apóstol, un hombre que reconoció el llamado de Dios y que vivió su vida bautismal con gran esperanza”, escribió el padre Medina a sus feligreses. “Ahora Edgar va a disfrutar de la presencia de Dios. Que el alma de Edgar y el alma de todos sus compañeros reciban la misericordia de Dios, que descansen en paz”.
(Ann Rodgers es una periodista religiosa y escritora independiente desde hace mucho tiempo, cuyos premios incluyen el premio William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award de Religion News Association.)
Por Danny McArthur Daily Journal TUPELO – La Iglesia St. James, en Viernes Santo, honró el viaje de Cristo hacia la muerte en un Vía Crucis. Decenas de espectadores asistieron al servicio donde los miembros de la iglesia actuaron los 14 momentos claves. El padre César Sánchez presidió el servicio. Mary Frances Strange y Victor Vázquez alternaron la lectura de la reflexión en inglés y español respectivamente, lo que relacionó cómo la historia de Cristo refleja la vida actual de muchos migrantes. Rodrigo Domínguez tocaba la guitarra y cantaba entre cada estación. El servicio animó a los asistentes a comprometerse a mostrar amor sin importar los antecedentes y diferencias raciales, culturales y nacionales.
(Reproducido con permiso del Daily Journal – djournal.com)
José Luis Ortega, de la parroquia de St. James, escenifica como Jesús lleva el peso de la cruz en la estación nueve.
Por Padre Clement Olukunle Oyafemi JACKSON – Había un hombre llamado “Kokumo”, que vivió durante 99 años y murió. No pudo recibir el “Último Sacramento” porque el único sacerdote que trabajaba en su parroquia de 4500 miembros estaba en el hospital para una cirugía en el momento de su muerte. “Kokumo” llega al cielo y se queja a Dios diciendo: “Dios, hay tantos problemas en el mundo; enfermedades, conflictos, catástrofes, e incluso en la iglesia, hay tantos creyentes sin sacerdote que los sirva. ¿Qué estás haciendo al respecto? Dios sonríe y le dice: “Hijo mío, hice algo”. ¿Qué hiciste?” dice el hombre. Dios le responde: “¡Yo te creé!”
Padre Clement Olukunle Oyafemi
Este dia ha sido designado como “Día Mundial de Oración por el sacerdocio y la vida religiosa”. En muchas partes del mundo al día también se le llama “Domingo del Buen Pastor”. La Iglesia Universal nos anima a “rogar al Señor de la“ mies ”que envíe obreros a su mies” (cf. Mt 9, 38). En el pasaje del evangelio, Jesús nos presenta una enseñanza sobre sí mismo usando la imagen del pastor: “Yo soy el buen pastor y conozco al mío, y los míos me conocen a mí” (Jn 10:14). Todo el Evangelio de San Juan nos da un resumen del Misterio Pascual, que celebramos en este tiempo santo. Alude al siervo sufriente de Dios que sacrifica su vida por otros (cf. Isaías 53: 1-12). ¿Cuál es el significado de este mensaje? ¿Qué desafío nos presenta hoy? La imagen del pastor manifiesta los diversos aspectos de la persona de Jesús. El papel de un pastor es múltiple; el pastor busca a la oveja descarriada, cuida tiernamente a la oveja herida, protege a la oveja a costa de su propia vida y la alimenta. ¿Qué significa eso para nosotros como Iglesia? Jesús es el verdadero, auténtico, ideal, perfecto o Buen Pastor, y nosotros somos su rebaño u oveja. Él nos enseña, santifica y gobierna. Él se preocupa por nosotros y nos guía siempre. Hay una jerarquía de “pastores”: en la familia, los padres son los pastores; en la Iglesia, sacerdotes; y en la diócesis, el obispo: en la Iglesia universal, el Papa es el pastor. Cada familia es una “iglesia doméstica” y los padres tienen el deber de enseñar, santificar y gobernar a sus hijos. Si los padres, que son pastores en la familia, fallan en sus deberes cristianos, tendrá un efecto adverso en toda la Iglesia y la sociedad. El pasaje del evangelio nos desafía, especialmente a los padres, a vernos a nosotros mismos como pastores de nuestras familias. Necesitamos prestar más atención, no solo a lo material, sino más seriamente a las necesidades espirituales y morales de nuestros hijos. Nosotros, como padres, debemos sacrificar lo que sea necesario para cuidar de nuestros hijos. Al llevar a cabo la tarea de pastorear / ser padres, Jesús es el único ideal y modelo a seguir. Pastorear es un llamado (vocación) pero no un trabajo. Es una vocación, que exige nada menos que el sacrificio de la vida por los demás. Sin embargo, el mundo de hoy no parece celebrar una vida de sacrificio. Y es por eso que tenemos muy pocos pastores tanto en la iglesia doméstica como en la comunitaria. Por lo tanto, la liturgia nos manda a orar por las vocaciones al sacerdocio y la vida religiosa. Oremos también todos por los que ya han sido llamados pastores a nivel doméstico y comunitario para que sirvan fielmente, siguiendo el ejemplo de Jesús, perfecto, ideal y Buen Pastor. La Iglesia de hoy necesita pastores como Jesús, que da su vida por su rebaño. Predicar solo en el púlpito no lo haría. Tenemos que empezar a hablar sobre la vocación al sacerdocio y la vida religiosa en las cenas. Necesitamos orar para que Dios elija entre nuestras familias para responder a este llamado especial. He estado en algunas parroquias donde la gente se queja mucho por no tener suficiente atención por parte del sacerdote. ¡Pero este sacerdote es solo una persona y tiene 3500 o 4000 miembros para pastorear! A veces, la pregunta es sobre la escasez de sacerdotes. Necesitamos tres sacerdotes en esta parroquia, pero el obispo solo nos dio uno. Mi pregunta es “¿Qué estás haciendo al respecto?” quejándose, criticando, etc.? Eso no ayudaría a la Iglesia en absoluto. Necesitamos orar por las vocaciones y también animar a nuestros niños a que consideren entregar sus vidas a Dios para servir como sacerdotes. No hay sustituto para los padres en la familia. Del mismo modo, no hay sustituto para el sacerdocio en la Iglesia. Oremos para que los padres sacrifiquen lo que sea necesario para criar a sus hijos de una manera que agrade al Dios viviente. Oremos también para que el Señor inspire a los hombres y mujeres jóvenes de nuestro tiempo a responder al llamado de sacrificar sus vidas para servir a la Iglesia como sacerdotes y religiosos.
(Fragmento del libro Reflexiones Teológicas para Domingos y Solemnidades de Año Litúrgico B, 2011 del padre Clem-alias Clemente de Dios, Coordinador del Ministerio Intercultural de la Diócesis desde 2020. Estas reflexiones llevan el mensaje pastoral del Padre Clem y pueden ser leidas atemporalmente. Padre Clem tiene dos maestrías -Teología y Educación Religiosa y licenciatura en Filosofía. Comparte con la hermana Thea la pasión por el Señor y la música, el P. Clem fundó el Rejoice Ministry of African Worship Songs -AFRAWOS- en 2002.)
Día de la Santísima Cruz. Domingo, mayo 3 Virgen de los Desamparados. Nuestra Señora de Lujan, Patrona de Argentina. Sábado, mayo 8 Día de las Madres. Domingo, mayo 9 Solemnidad de la Ascensión del Señor. Jueves, mayo 13 Virgen de Fátima. Jueves, mayo 13 Nuestra Señora de la Evangelización. Patrona de Perú. Viernes, mayo 14 San Isidro Labrador. Sábado, mayo 15 Santa Rita de Casia, Patrona de los Imposibles. Sábado, mayo 22 Fiesta de Pentecostés. Domingo, mayo 23 Virgen Auxiliadora. Lunes, mayo 24 Jesucristo, sumo y eterno sacerdote. Jueves, mayo 27 Santísima Trinidad. Domingo, mayo 30 Visitación de la Santísima Virgen Maria. Lunes, mayo 31
By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – Known for his ‘larger than life’ personality, Father Brian Kaskie was a gem of a priest to those around the Diocese of Jackson for almost 30 years.
Father Brian, 57, died Friday, March 26 after an extended bout with medical issues.
JACKSON – On March 30, priests from around the diocese gathered at St. Peter Cathedral to celebrate the life of Father Brian Kaskie. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
Brian David Kaskie was born Feb. 17, 1964 in Forest, Mississippi and attended St. Michael Catholic Church while growing up, assisting as an altar server and active in CYO. In high school, he was a multi-sport athlete, playing on the basketball, football, baseball and tennis teams for the Forest Bearcats.
He was a graduate of Mississippi State University earning his bachelor’s degree in geology. He received his Master’s in Divinity in 1992 and was ordained June 6 that year as the first native-born priest from Scott county.
After his ordination, presided over by Bishop William Houck, Father Brian said, “Many people have different demands and expectations of priests today. A priest has to be able to compromise and meet people where they are.”
That is something Father Brian was able to do well, with is zest for life, God, science, family and community. His obituary read, “He never met a stranger and always engaged in friendly conversation.” This was so true with the flood of comments to social media after news of his death.
MCCOMB – Father Brian Kaskie speaks at the diaconate ordination of now, Father Andrew Nguyen on May 26, 2019 at St. Alphonsus parish. (Photo courtesy of archives)
“You were always so funny and kind. We enjoyed your hunting adventures and stories of the pink bathroom at the rectory. I loved being your ‘ace in the hole’ as you called it because I would speak at Mass when you couldn’t find someone else. Heaven has gained a true angel. We will miss you here!” – Amy Hornback of St. Alphonsus parish.
“He made such a difference in the lives of the parishioners of St. Mary in Natchez, especially the youth there and at Cathedral School. To the CYO members in the 90s, he was just one of them!” – Betsy Pitchford of St. Mary Basilica, Natchez.
“You were the best boss. We always had fun. You can have all the Diet Coke, Double Stuffed Oreos and pizza you want. Your angel wing(s) will support you.” – Laura Tarbutton of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson.
“I pray you know how much you were truly loved. I can’t imagine a world without your radiant smile and beautiful homilies … your words touched countless souls over the years, and I feel humbly blessed to have grown up beneath a blanket of Father Brian blessings. – Ashley Hemleben, who first met Father Brian at St. Therese Jackson and grew up with him as chaplain of St. Joseph School.
“Back in the day,” Father Brian Kaskie and Father Joe Tonos share a laugh. The cartoon piece on the left, drawn by Father Joe in the early 2000s, features Father Brian as a “Kris Kringle.” (Photo courtesy of Father Joe Tonos)
“I always appreciated his unique sense of humor. When we realized we were birthday twins – at a CYO convention no less – we figured out he was several hours older than me. His response was that he got here in time for three meals that day, while I was only here in time for two.” – Teresa Hayes of St. Therese Jackson.
And the list of memories could fill pages of a novel of the love and humor Father Brian brought to those around the diocese.
In the early 2000s, Father Joe Tonos, who was in seminary with Father Brian in the late 80s/early 90s, wrote a column for Mississippi Catholic and would occasionally have a cartoon in place of the column that would often feature Father Brian.
Some featured Father Brian as a “Kris Kringle,” another series was entitled “Father Brian’s Big Bucket O’ Catholic Trivia,” that went through topics like, “who is in hell?”, “why saints have symbols” and the trivia fact that priests do have interests outside of church.
In the 90s, Father Joe and Father Brian were frequently together at youth retreats and CYO events around the diocese. Father Joe reminisced about the time Father Brian was chaplain at St. Joseph School Madison and he was responsible for doing the senior retreat.
JACKSON – Bishop William Houck annoints Father Brian Kaskie’s hands with Sacred Chrism at his ordination on June 6, 1992 at St. Richard Jackson. (Photo courtesy of archives)
“He gathered the students around a bonfire and celebrated Mass outdoors with them. As part of his homily, he decided that he would take each person in the class and say something about that person. He was winging it. So, he would just look at a person and begin to eulogize this kid and talk about what they meant to him and highlight some stories or qualities. As the stories dragged on into over 20 minutes, … if I remember (correctly), a teacher gently asked him, during the homily, to ‘wrap it up.’ I honest to goodness do not remember how that ended. I don’t even know if I stayed awake for it,” said Father Joe.
“But thinking now, … what a divine gift! To have a chaplain of your school notice you and to be able to say something about you. I know of hundreds of people but can’t really give a ‘homily’ on each member of my congregation. … The shepherd knows his sheep.”
In his 29 years as a priest, Father Brian served parishes in Natchez, Madison and Jackson, where he was rector of the Cathedral. He also served as director of seminarians and vocations for the diocese, as well as chaplain to St. Joseph School in Madison. In 2009, Father Brian made his way to Pike County with assignment as pastor of St. Alphonsus parish in McComb, St. Teresa Chatawa and St. James Magnolia. Daniel Kaskie, Father Brian’s brother, spoke of the love his brother had for St. Alphonsus at his Funeral Mass at the parish on Tuesday, April 6.
“Brian was one of those gifts that, I think, we all like to hold onto. I found out pretty quickly once he became a priest that he was in very capable hands in the communities he was in. Everyone loved and cared for him and when he found his home here in McComb, man, he loved McComb and McComb loved him right back, and it was a perfect fit I think for his last moments,” said Kaskie.
Father Aaron Williams, administrator of St. Joseph parish in Greenville, gave the homily and spoke of his years and experiences with Father Brian between third and eighth grade and then again entering seminary. He wanted to be a priest from a very young age and Father Brian encouraged him through his journey to the priesthood.
“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.”
Father Williams began his homily with an excerpt from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as he can’t help but think of Father Brian when he thinks about the Harry Potter series. “For one thing,” he told family gathered for the funeral, “Brian borrowed and never returned more than one of my volumes,” joked Father Williams.
“My parents used to talk about how well read he was, and you could hear it in his homilies. He had this masterful ability to find the good in all sorts of things in the culture – in books, movies and music and to use that to explain the love of God.”
Daniel Kaskie mentioned something similar at the close of Mass, saying “I’m sure he’s thinking ‘Quote the Beatles! Quote the Beatles, Daniel’”
“But there is no song, no lyric, there’s no book that is going to sum up Brian. But I think the shared experience y’all have is one bond that I think binds us all together,” said Kaskie.
That experience surely must be love.
JACKSON – Father Joe Tonos, now of St. John Oxford, and Father Brian Kaskie had a close relationship over the years going back to their seminary days. Above Father Brian was featured in one of many cartoon’s Father Joe prepared for his column space in Mississippi Catholic in the early 2000s.
From the Archives By Mary Woodward JACKSON – Not many people are aware that the first seminary for African American candidates to the priesthood began in Greenville, Mississippi at Sacred Heart Parish in 1920. A small group of devoted young men were formed in the attic of the original school building there. In 1923, the seminary moved to Bay St. Louis to the newly established St. Augustine Seminary built by the Society of the Divine Word priests (SVD’s) after years of dialogue with Bishop Thomas Heslin and after his death in 1911, Bishop John Gunn.
JACKSON – 1936 ordination of Father Clarence Howard and Father Orion Wells, SVDs by Bishop R. O. Gerow. (Photos from the archives)
Bishops Heslin and Gunn had a strong desire and mission to evangelize and grow the faith in the African American communities of Mississippi. A large percentage of African Americans in those years were former slaves and children of slaves. A good number had been catechized in the Catholic faith and baptized by the earlier Bishops of the diocese. Bishop Heslin and his successor Bishop Gunn saw a real need for this growing Catholic community to have priests from their own ranks. At the turn of the 20th century, Bishop Heslin invited the SVD’s to serve in the diocese and establish missions to specifically serve African Americans. The SVD’s, founded in 1875 by Rev. Arnold Janssens in the Netherlands, first arrived in the U.S. in 1897 near Chicago. A few years later in 1905, they found themselves in Mississippi establishing these missions and growing the faith – the earliest of these being Vicksburg St. Mary, Jackson Holy Ghost, and Yazoo City St. Francis. They also would be in Meridian, Indianola, Mound Bayou and Clarksdale along with many smaller missions that have been absorbed by larger parishes throughout the years. Getting back to the first seminary, the point of dialogue made more than 100 years ago was, the seminary training for these young men of color should be done by a religious order and not at a seminary forming diocesan clergy.
One may think this is an obvious choice because the SVD’s had a charism to serve the African American community, but actually, that was an afterthought according to correspondence in the archives. Both Bishop Heslin and Bishop Gunn believed the current diocesan clergy being ingrained in the culture and climate of the diocese would not be accepting or welcoming of African American priests among their ranks. Rectory-living would have been considered illegal if black and white priests were assigned together. The Jim Crow laws and culture of intimidation are far too complex to address in an archives column. I will share the following from David H. Jackson’s section in the Mississippi Encyclopedia: “After 1877 African Americans lost their political rights in Mississippi through intimidation, fraud, and outright murder, and racial segregation became largely a matter of custom. According to historian Neil McMillen, ‘Mississippi seems to have had fewer Jim Crow laws during the entire segregation period than most southern states.’ Wherever they turned, black Mississippians faced segregation. More often than not, Jim Crow customs required both separation and exclusion. The state legislature passed laws segregating trains in 1888 and streetcars in 1904. At weddings and funerals, in courtrooms, public facilities, and other places used for social gathering, habit kept the races apart. The code of racial etiquette prohibited any form of interracial activity that might have even remotely implied equality. Nonetheless, blacks were more concerned with having equal access to facilities than they were with integration per se.” “In 1890 the Mississippi legislature called a constitutional convention expressly to disfranchise blacks. The Second Mississippi Plan emerged from this meeting, imposing literacy requirements, poll taxes, and laws denying the vote to anyone convicted of bribery, arson, murder, theft, or burglary — crimes for which African Americans were much more likely to be convicted than whites. Following Mississippi’s lead, other southern states began to enact laws to deny blacks the franchise. The US Supreme Court’s decision in Williams v. Mississippi (1898) added to African Americans’ political impotence by denying them federal civil rights law protection.” As we have explored in previous columns, blacks and whites were together sacramentally in the early days of the diocese. This continued even after the Civil War, but when the protections of reconstruction were gone, segregation took hold fiercely.
In navigating these evil circumstances, Bishops Heslin and Gunn found a way to persevere in serving the African American community by arranging for the SVD’s to establish a seminary for black men to study for the priesthood and serve in their own communities. Following the path of their times to establish a parallel society, these two bishops opened the door to the empowerment of the African American Catholic community in our diocese and in the United States. Seeing the need for black Catholics to see the face of Christ as a familiar one was a profound step in the journey of faith and justice in our state. Looking back on this effort, it seems to have been a calculated move in the hopes of growing a better future for the African American community and for the universal church. And it all started in the Mississippi Delta.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
By Danny McArthur Daily Journal TUPELO – St. James Catholic Church honored Christ’s journey birth to his death during a 1 p.m. Stations of the Cross service on Good Friday at their Life Center. Dozens of onlookers were in attendance for the bilingual service where church members portrayed 14 key moments in Jesus’ life. Father Cesar Sanchez presided over the service. Mary Frances Strange and Victor Vazquez alternated reading the reflection in English and Spanish respectively, which tied how Christ’s story mirrors the current life for many migrants. Rodrigo Dominguez played the guitar and sang between each station. The service lasted over an hour and encouraged attendees to commit themselves to show love to one another regardless of racial, cultural and national backgrounds and differences.
(Reprinted with permission of the Daily Journal – djournal.com)
By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. “God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what Font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.” This opening Collect of the Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy) is the profound prayer of the priest celebrant on behalf of all gathered that all may grasp and rightly understand the mystery of God’s plan of salvation as disciples baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit of which St. John eloquently speaks in his first letter. This is the hope of Easter that St. Augustine shared in one of his Easter Octave Sermons. “This is the octave day of your new birth. … When the Lord rose he put off the mortality of the flesh; His risen body was still the same body, but it was no longer subject to death. By His resurrection He consecrated Sunday as the Lord’s day.”
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz
As Catholics we are a people of tradition reaching back nearly 2000 years into the font of Sacred Scripture. This is evident in the link between the Gospel on Divine Mercy Sunday and the Sacrament of Confirmation now underway throughout the Diocese of Jackson. The crucified and resurrected Lord appeared to the 11 disciples huddled in fear in the upper room with his gift of peace and the breath of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is conferred with the Invocation of the Holy Spirit sealed in Sacred Chrism, and the Lord’s own greeting, “peace be with you.” The Holy Spirit is ceaselessly at work in whom we have been reborn as new creations to serve God’s divine plan of mercy. It is gift and mystery that reconcile and raise up those under the yoke of sin and shame. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” so Jesus instructs his adopted brothers. They rightly could have asked, “where are you sending us, Lord?” Their marching orders were clear, yet shrouded in mystery. Go, preach a Baptism of Repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and make disciples of all the nations while you’re at it. The Baptism of Repentance for the forgiveness of sin is the Font in which we have been washed, our covenant with God renewed on Easter Sunday. The joy with which St. Augustine addressed the newly baptized at Easter is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord’s gift of peace. “I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry, and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown.” The Water, the Spirit and the Blood are the cord of three strands that cannot be easily undone. The Blood, the third element, was splattered everywhere during the Lord’s passion and along with water flowed from the side of the expired Savior on the Cross. In that moment of divine mercy, we see the flowing waters of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord. For the first time during the Easter season, the Eucharistic Banquet is now open to the newly baptized who can partake fully of the mysteries of God’s love, the fruit of full initiation. In another lifetime before the pandemic, we were reading about surveys revealing that many Catholics no longer believe in the real presence of the Body and Blood of the Lord under the appearance of bread and wine. This central dogma of our faith has been a stumbling block for many since our Lord’s Bread of Life Discourse in John’s Gospel. (Chapter 6) The following is taken from the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem to those about to be baptized in the 4th century. “Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, this is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not his blood? Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ. … Do not then regard the Eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine. They are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself declared. Whatever your senses may tell you; be strong in faith.” As a people of tradition, by God’s grace, may we grasp and rightly understand the length and breath, height and depth of our Easter faith.
