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A seamless garment
In other words, how we pray establishes what
we believe and determines how we are to live.
Worship, belief and life are to be a seamless
garment, not a torn fabric.
By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
“You are indeed holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself so that from the rising of the son to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.”
This splendid prayer of praise is the opening section of the third Eucharistic prayer which is overflowing with our beliefs, our worship, our posture before God’s marvelous creation and the solidarity among all nations and peoples. It truly is an amazing expression of who we are and whose we are as a people of faith.
On Pentecost Sunday last weekend, we proclaimed from God’s Word “the power and working of the Holy Spirit” to the 11 apostles, upon the 120 gathered in the upper room and in the church through manifold gifts, ministries and works. This weekend we proclaim the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, our God of the alive in the handiwork of creation and in the design of salvation. All of our Eucharistic prayers at Mass are in thanksgiving for God’s creative and redeeming love “as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”
“From the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name,” invites us to recall always that the Gospel has indeed gone out to all the nations, the promise of Pentecost, and the church is reborn and renewed each day around the world through this pure sacrifice of the Mass brought about “through your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.” The feasts of Pentecost, the Most Holy Trinity, and Corpus Christi flow seamlessly from the same fountain of God’s mercy.
“Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi” is a fundamental truth regarding our relationship with God, one another and the world in which we live. The Latin phrase is literally translated, the law of praying, the law of believing, the law of living. In other words, how we pray establishes what we believe and determines how we are to live. Worship, belief and life are to be a seamless garment, not a torn fabric. As we cautiously respond to the pandemic in our public liturgical gatherings, let us not overlook what the opening section of the third Eucharistic prayer is proclaiming. “All you have created rightly gives you praise” and “you give life to all things and make them holy.”
On May 24, 2015 Pope Francis, following upon this first encyclical, Evangelii Guadium, The Joy of the Gospel, gave to the church and the world the gift of Laudato Si, in praise of creation and our responsibility to care for our common home.
By far, knocking out the pandemic is our most pressing world-wide challenge, but we must not lose sight of the urgent need to foster integral human development on behalf of the planet and the poor. From section ten in this amazing document, we get a glimpse into the passion of Pope Francis. “I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned with God’s creation and for the poor and the outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, concern for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace.” On the fifth anniversary of this landmark encyclical may our worship inspire us to raise up God’s creation and the most vulnerable.
“From the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name,” is our commitment as a universal church to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all the nations. This mission must rest upon a profound respect for the dignity of all peoples, their culture, traditions and way of life. This vision must also be incarnated in our marvelous melting pot of a nation, our own United States who in the moment is plagued once again by our original sin of racism. Recently, (2018) the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a precious document entitled “Open Wide our Hearts – The Enduring Call to Love: A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.” The unrest, violence and destruction that currently rages across America demonstrates the sad relevance of this document. Just last week the USCCB issued a statement decrying the injustice of racially motivated violence against people of color in our nation. (This statement is included in this edition of the paper on page 6.) Liberty and justice for all is embedded in our nation’s founding vision.
Laudato Si and Open Wide our Hearts are well grounded in our identity as Catholics who embrace “lex orandi, lex creyendi et lex vivendi.” “You are indeed, holy, O Lord.”
From the feast of Pentecost I conclude with the ardent prayer of St. Augustine that we might make it our own for daily worship and living. “Breathe on me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may be holy. Act in me that my work also may be holy. Draw my heart that my love may be holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit that I may defend all that is holy. Guard me, O Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.”
Una prenda sin costuras
En otras palabras, tal como rezamos establece lo
que creemos y determina cómo debemos vivir.
La adoración, la creencia y la vida deben ser una prenda perfecta, no una tela rasgada.
Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
”En verdad eres santo, ¡oh Señor!, y todo lo que has creado correctamente te alaba, porque a través de tu Hijo, nuestro Señor Jesucristo, y a través del poder y la obra del Espíritu Santo, le das vida a todas las cosas y las haces santas y nunca dejas de reunir a un pueblo hacia ti, de modo que desde la resurrección del hijo hasta su venida, se pueda ofrecer un sacrificio puro a tu nombre.”
Esta espléndida oración de alabanza es la sección de apertura de la tercera oración Eucarística que desborda nuestras creencias, nuestra adoración, nuestra postura ante la maravillosa creación de Dios y la solidaridad entre todas las naciones y pueblos. Es realmente una expresión sorprendente de quiénes somos y de quiénes somos como personas de fe.
El domingo de Pentecostés del pasado fin de semana, proclamamos desde la Palabra de Dios “el poder y la obra del Espíritu Santo” a los 11 apóstoles, sobre los 120 reunidos en el aposento alto y en la iglesia a través de múltiples dones, ministerios y obras.
Este fin de semana proclamamos el misterio de la Santísima Trinidad, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo, nuestro Dios de los vivos en la obra de la creación y en el diseño de la salvación. Todas nuestras oraciones Eucarísticas en la Misa son en acción de gracias por el amor creativo y redentor de Dios “como fue en el principio, ahora y siempre será. Amén.”. “Desde la salida del sol hasta su puesta se puede ofrecer un sacrificio puro a su nombre”, nos invita a recordar siempre que el Evangelio ha salido a todas las naciones, con la promesa de Pentecostés, la iglesia renace y se renueva cada día en todo el mundo a través del puro sacrificio de la Misa que se realiza “a través de tu Hijo, nuestro Señor, Jesucristo”.
Las fiestas de Pentecostés, la Santísima Trinidad y el Cuerpo de Cristo fluyen a la perfección desde la misma fuente de la misericordia de Dios.
“Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi” es una verdad fundamental sobre nuestra relación con Dios, entre nosotros y con el mundo en el que vivimos. La frase latina se traduce literalmente como “la ley de la oración, la ley de creer, la ley de vivir”. En otras palabras, tal como rezamos establece lo que creemos y determina cómo debemos vivir. La adoración, la creencia y la vida deben ser una prenda perfecta, no una tela rasgada. Mientras respondemos con cautela a la pandemia en nuestras reuniones litúrgicas públicas, no pasemos por alto lo que proclama la sección de apertura de la tercera oración eucarística. “Todo lo que has creado correctamente te alaba” y “das vida a todas las cosas y las haciéndolas santas”.
El 24 de mayo de 2015, el Papa Francisco, siguiendo esta primera encíclica, Evangelii Guadium, La alegría del Evangelio, dio a la iglesia y al mundo el regalo de Laudato Si, en alabanza a la creación y nuestra responsabilidad de cuidar nuestro hogar común.
Con mucho, eliminar la pandemia es nuestro desafío mundial más apremiante, pero no debemos perder de vista la urgente necesidad de fomentar el desarrollo humano integral en nombre del planeta y los pobres. De la sección # 10 de este asombroso documento, podemos echar un vistazo a la pasión del Papa Francisco. “No quiero escribir esta encíclica sin recurrir a esa figura atractiva y convincente, cuyo nombre tomé como guía e inspiración cuando fui elegido obispo de Roma. Creo que San Francisco es el ejemplo por excelencia del cuidado de los vulnerables y de una ecología integral vivida con alegría y autenticidad. Es el santo patrón de todos los que estudian y trabajan en el área de la ecología, y también es muy querido por los no cristianos.San Francisco estaba particularmente preocupado por la creación de Dios y por los pobres y los marginados. Amaba y era profundamente amado por su alegría, su generosa entrega, su corazón abierto. Era un místico y un peregrino que vivía en simplicidad y en maravillosa armonía con Dios, con los demás, con la naturaleza y consigo mismo. San Francisco nos muestra lo inseparable que es el vínculo entre la preocupación por la naturaleza, la preocupación por los pobres, el compromiso con la sociedad y la paz interior.” En el quinto aniversario de esta encíclica histórica, que nuestra adoración nos inspire a levantar la creación de Dios y a los más vulnerables.
“Desde la salida del sol hasta su puesta se puede ofrecer un sacrificio puro a su nombre,” es nuestro compromiso como Iglesia universal para proclamar el evangelio y hacer discípulos de todas las naciones. Esta misión debe descansar en un profundo respeto por la dignidad de todos los pueblos, su cultura, tradiciones y forma de vida. Esta visión también debe encarnarse en nuestro maravilloso crisol de nación, nuestros Estados Unidos, que en este momento está plagado una vez más por nuestro pecado original de racismo. Recientemente, (2018) la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos publicó un valioso documento titulado “Abre de par en par nuestros corazones (Open Wide our Hearts, por su nombre en inglés): el llamado duradero al amor, una carta pastoral contra el racismo”. Los disturbios, la violencia y la destrucción que actualmente se desatan en todo Estados Unidos demuestran la triste relevancia de este documento.
La semana pasada, el USCCB emitió una declaración denunciando la injusticia de la violencia por motivos raciales contra las personas de color en nuestra nación. (Esta declaración se incluye en esta edición del periódico). La libertad y la justicia para todos están integradas en la visión fundacional de nuestra nación.
Laudato Si y Open Wide our Hearts están bien fundamentados en nuestra identidad como católicos que abrazamos “lex orandi, lex creyendi et lex vivendi”. “En verdad eres santo, ¡oh, Señor!”
De la fiesta de Pentecostés, yo concluyo con la oración ardiente de San Agustín para que podamos hacerla propia para la adoración y la vida diaria. “Respira en mí, Oh Espíritu Santo, para que todos mis pensamientos sean santos. Actúa en mí, Oh Espíritu Santo, para que mi trabajo también sea santo. Llama a mi corazón, Oh Espíritu Santo, para que ame solo lo que es santo. Fortaléceme, Oh Espíritu Santo, para defender todo lo que es santo. Guárdame, entonces, Oh Espíritu Santo, para que siempre pueda ser santo.”
Pandemic is an opportunity for mission, service to others
By Junno Arocho
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While isolation, social distancing and economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prove to be a challenge, Christians are called by God to take part in the church’s mission in the world, Pope Francis wrote in a message for World Mission Sunday 2020.
“The impossibility of gathering as a church to celebrate the Eucharist has led us to share the experience of the many Christian communities that cannot celebrate Mass every Sunday,” the pope wrote in his message, which was released by the Vatican May 31.
“In all of this, God’s question: ‘Whom shall I send?’ is addressed once more to us and awaits a generous and convincing response: ‘Here am I, send me!’” he said.
World Mission Sunday will be celebrated Oct. 18 at the Vatican and in most dioceses.
In his message, the pope said that despite the suffering and challenges posed by COVID-19, the church’s “missionary journey” continues. Although pain and death “make us experience our human frailty,” it also serves as a reminder of “our deep desire for life and liberation from evil.”
“In this context, the call to mission, the invitation to step out of ourselves for love of God and neighbor presents itself as an opportunity for sharing, service and intercessory prayer,” he wrote. “The mission that God entrusts to each one of us leads us from fear and introspection to a renewed realization that we find ourselves precisely when we give ourselves to others.”
To be a “church on the move,” he explained, is neither a program nor “an enterprise to be carried out by sheer force of will,” but rather follows the prompting of the Holy Spirit “who pushes you and carries you.”
Pope Francis said the celebration of World Mission Sunday offers an opportunity to reaffirm that one’s prayers, reflections and offerings are ways “to participate actively in the mission of Jesus in his church.”
He also reminded Christians that the mission of evangelization is “a free and conscious response to God’s call” that can only be discerned by one’s “personal relationship of love with Jesus present in his church.”
“In all of this, God’s question, ‘Whom shall I send?’ is addressed once more to us and awaits a generous and convincing response: ‘Here am I, send me!’” the pope said. “God continues to look for those whom he can send forth into the world and to the nations to bear witness to his love, his deliverance from sin and death, his liberation from evil.”
Called by Name
Another “homegrown” seminarian will enter the ranks for the Diocese of Jackson this fall. William Foggo of Brandon was officially accepted as a diocesan seminarian on May 28 by Bishop Kopacz. Foggo is an alumnus of St. Richard Elementary School in Jackson and St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison. He spent the last three years at Mississippi State University where he was heavily involved in the Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM). This past school year he was the service chairman for CCM, and he has been closely involved in the diocesan SEARCH retreats for the past several years. He is also an Eagle Scout.
With Foggo’s admission, the diocese currently has seven seminarians. He will enroll at St. Joseph Seminary College in the fall to begin his philosophy studies. Will studied engineering while at MSU. He joins fellow St. Joe alumnus Grayson Foley at St. Joseph Seminary, which is a Benedictine Abbey located near Covington, Louisiana, while five seminarians continue to study at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. Will grew up attending St. Paul Flowood, and was very involved at St. Joseph Starkville while in school.
Candidates for the seminary go through a thorough application process, all designed to help a young man discern whether he is being called to formally discern priesthood. The first step anyone who is feeling called can take is to contact me in the Office of Vocations. It is a great joy to walk with someone who is open to the will of the Lord in their lives, and anyone can be assured that their interest will not result in pressure to “be a priest.”
Saturday, June 27, 2020 – Priestly Ordination of Deacon Andrew Nguyen and Deacon Cesar Sanchez, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle Jackson, 9:30 a.m.
Friday, October 9, 2020 – Homegrown Harvest Gala, Cathead Distillery
Downtown Jackson
If you are interested in visiting a seminary or house of religious formation,
contact: vocations@jacksondiocese.org
Faithful friendship
IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
I grew up in a close family and one of hardest things I ever did was to leave home and family at the age of seventeen to enter the novitiate of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That novitiate year wasn’t easy. I missed my family intensely and stayed in touch with them insofar as the rules and communication of the day allowed. I wrote a letter home every week and my mother wrote back to me faithfully each week. I still have and cherish those letters. I had left home but stayed in touch, a faithful family member.
But my life became a lot more complex and socially demanding after that. I moved to a seminary and began to live in a community with sixty others, with people entering and leaving constantly throughout my seven years there so that by the time I’d finished my seminary training I had lived in close community with over one hundred different men. That brought its own challenges. People you’d grown close to would leave the community to be replaced by others so that each year there was a new community and new friendships.
In the years following seminary, that pattern began to grow exponentially. Graduate studies took me to other countries and brought a whole series of new persons into my life, many of whom became close friends. In more than forty years of teaching I have met with several thousand students and made many friends among them. Writing and public lectures have brought thousands of people into my life. Though most of them passed through my life without meaningful connection, some became lifelong friends.
I share this not because I think it’s unique, but rather because it’s typical. Today that’s really everyone’s story. More and more friends pass through our lives so that at a point the question necessarily arises: how does one remain faithful to one’s family, to old friends, former neighbors, former classmates, former students, former colleagues, and to old acquaintances? What does fidelity to them ask for? Occasional visits? Occasional emails, texts, calls? Remembering birthdays and anniversaries? Class reunions? Attending weddings and funerals?
Obviously doing these would be good, though that would also constitute a full-time occupation. Something else must be being asked of us here, namely, a fidelity that’s not contingent on emails, texts, calls, and occasional visits. But what can lie deeper than tangible human contact? What can be more real than that? The answer is fidelity, fidelity as the gift of a shared moral soul, fidelity as the gift of trust, and fidelity as remaining true to who you were when you were in tangible human community and contact with those people who are no longer part of your daily life. That’s what it means to be faithful.
It is interesting how the Christian scriptures define community and fidelity. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that before Pentecost those in the first Christian community were all “huddled in one room.” And here, though physically together, they were not in real community with each other, not really a family and not really faithful to each other. Then after receiving the Holy Spirit, they literally break out of that one room and scatter all over the earth so that many of them never see each other again. Now, geographically distant from each other, ironically they become real family, become a genuine community and live in fidelity to each other.
At the end of the day, fidelity is not about now often you physically connect with someone but about living within a shared spirit. Betrayal is not a question of separation by distance, of forgetting an anniversary or a birthday, or of not being able to stay in touch with someone you cherish. Betrayal is moving away from the truth and virtue you once shared with that person you cherish. Betrayal is a change of soul. We are unfaithful to family and friends when we become a different person morally so as to no longer share a common spirit with them.
You can be living in the same house with someone, share daily bread and conversation with him or her, and not be a faithful family member or friend; just as you can be a faithful friend or family member and not see that friend or family member for forty years. Being faithful in remembering birthdays is wonderful, but fidelity is more about remembering who you were when that birth was so special to you. Fidelity is about maintaining moral affinity.
To the best of my abilities, I try to stay in contact with the family, old friends, former neighbors, former classmates, former students, former colleagues, and old acquaintances. Mostly it’s a bit beyond me. So I put my trust in moral fidelity. I try as best I can to commit myself to keeping the same soul I had when I left home as a young boy and which characterized and defined me when I met all those wonderful people along the way.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)
Graduating
Part of the Solution
By Reba J. McMellon, M.S.,LPC
This is the time of year that many graduations take place. So, what does it mean to graduate?
Graduation is a time of moving forward while looking back and being proud of your accomplishments. While graduation ceremonies will look different this year, the infamous year of 2020, it’s important to remember most milestones in life don’t involve a ceremony or cap and gown. Most graduations involve little pomp and circumstance.
You’ll likely always have someone cheering you on, but the crowds get smaller as you get older.
The good news is – that doesn’t make them any less important. Psychological research has shown that the milestones in life that bring the most internal motivations are the strongest. If a person is accomplishing things for external praise, the motivation is a shallow one. Internal rewards are the strongest.
Graduation is defined by moving from one stage of experience and proficiency to the next. Graduation is not an end; it’s a new beginning.
Academic is one type of graduation. As people move through life, there will be many important milestones. Graduating into adulthood, parenthood, and empty nests are a few examples. Wouldn’t it be nice if a marching band and a cheering crowd showed up in your front yard for those events?
Spiritual graduations that go beyond baptism and confirmation are important as well. Those, like high school graduations, are only the start. Spiritual growth is imperative but involve little outward fanfare.
If you have a graduate at your house, it’s a type of graduation for you too. Parents are ushering their graduates into young adulthood. They’ve made it to a new stage, and you have too. It is a time to step back and encourage your graduate to explore vocations, be prayerful and fly away from the nest. They can’t fly further than your love can reach. I promise.
If you are a graduate in 2020, lift your arms high in the air and give yourself a high five. You’ve achieved an important milestone, now go make your next mark while you high step it into your future.
(Reba McMellon, M.S. is a licensed professional counselor with 35 years of experience. She worked in the field of child sexual abuse and adult survivors of sexual abuse for more than 25 years. She moved back to Mississippi in 2001 and works part-time as a mental health consultant and freelance writer.)
U.S. bishops confront racism and call us to brotherhood
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
By Tony Magliano
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” With these beautiful words from Scripture (1 John 3:1), the U.S. Catholic bishops introduce us to their recent pastoral letter against racism titled, “Open wide our hearts: the enduring call to love.”
Just think about it. The almighty God is not a distant slave master, but a close loving father who calls us his children. That is a truly awesome thought! “Yet so we are.”
Thus, no matter what religion we claim or don’t claim, no matter what our nationality is, no matter what our ethnic heritage might be, and no matter what color we are or race we belong to, we all equally share one loving father.
And that unmistakably means that all of us are brothers and sisters!
Imagine how wonderful the world would be if only we would truly take this sacred teaching to heart, and with every thought, word and deed put it into practice.
But sadly, this is often not the case. Instead, over and over again many people negatively judge countless other people according to their skin color and/or what nation they or their ancestors are originally from. This is racism. And racism is always ugly and immoral.
The bishops write, “Racism comes in many forms. It can be seen in deliberate, sinful acts. In recent times, we have seen bold expressions of racism by groups as well as individuals. The re-appearance of symbols of hatred, such as nooses and swastikas in public places, is a tragic indicator of rising racial and ethnic animus” (see: https://nyti.ms/2UYzB7k).
Drawing forth specific examples of racism, the bishops highlight the fact that often Hispanics and African Americans “face discrimination in hiring, housing, educational opportunities, and incarceration. Racial profiling frequently targets Hispanics for selective immigration enforcement practices, and African Americans, for suspected criminal activity.”
The bishops critically say, “Extreme nationalist ideologies are feeding the American public discourse with xenophobic rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants and refugees. Finally, too often racism comes in the form of the sin of omission, when individuals, communities, and even churches remain silent and fail to act against racial injustice when it is encountered.”
Why do so many white people of faith remain largely silent about racism?
I don’t think it’s because most white believers are prejudiced against African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Muslims or any other minority. Rather, as with other social justice and peace issues, it’s a matter of “out of sight, out of mind.”
So as a corrective to this serious inattentiveness, let’s pray, educate ourselves on racism, talk with people in minority groups about their experiences, befriend persons of different races and ethnic backgrounds, lobby to increase refugee admissions, and vote for politicians who are committed to pursuing policies of racial/ethnic equality and comprehensive and just immigration reform legislation.
A thoughtful reading of “Open wide our hearts: the enduring call to love” would be time well spent (see: https://bit.ly/2AadwJo ).
And let us commit ourselves to praying and working for a society and world where as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr said, “People will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” and where all persons recognize each other as brothers and sisters who are all equally loved by the same divine Father.
(Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at tmag6@comcast.net.)
Editors note: This column is a reflection on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops pastoral letter against racism – Open Wide our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.
Bishops ‘sickened’ by Floyd’s death, say racism ‘real and present danger’
By Julie Asher
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The U.S. Catholic bishops said May 29 they “are broken-hearted, sickened and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our very eyes.”
“What’s more astounding is that this is happening within mere weeks of several other such occurrences. This is the latest wake-up call that needs to be answered by each of us in a spirit of determined conversion,” they said in a statement about the May 25 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
In recent weeks, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man in Georgia, was fatally shot ,and three white men were arrested and are facing murder charges in his death. In March, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American woman, died at the hands of white police officers when they entered her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a throwaway political issue to be bandied about when convenient,” the bishops said. “It is a real and present danger that must be met head on.”
“As members of the church, we must stand for the more difficult right and just actions instead of the easy wrongs of indifference,” they said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy and justice.”
“Indifference is not an option,” they emphasized and stated “unequivocally” that “racism is a life issue.”
The statement was issued by the chairmen of seven committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana, Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism; Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia, Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell of Los Angeles, Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development; and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry of Chicago, Subcommittee on African American Affairs.
Floyd, 46, was arrested by police on suspicion of forgery. Once he was handcuffed, a white officer pinned him down on the street, putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes. A now widely circulated video shows Floyd repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” He appears to lose consciousness or die and was later declared dead at the hospital.
The next day, hundreds of people protested at the intersection where police officers subdued Floyd, demanding justice for him and the arrest of the four officers involved. The officers were fired May 26 and as of midday May 29, local prosecutors filed criminal charges against at least one of the now former officers: The one seen putting his knee on Floyd’s neck, identified as Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The federal Justice Department promised a “robust” investigation into the circumstances surrounding Floyd’s death.
Protests in Minneapolis have turned to violent demonstrations and lasted several days, prompting Gov. Tim Walz to bring in the National Guard May 29. The protests sparked similar rioting in at least a dozen U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, New York, Louisville, and Columbus, Ohio.
The bishops in their statement pointed to their “Open Wide Our Hearts” pastoral against racism approved by the body of bishops in 2018. In it, they said: “For people of color some interactions with police can be fraught with fear and even danger. People of good conscience must never turn a blind eye when citizens are being deprived of their human dignity and even their lives.”
In their May 29 statement, the committee chairmen called for an end to the violence taking place in the wake of the tragedy in Minneapolis but also said they “stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged.”
They joined with Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis in praying for the repose of the soul of Floyd “and all others who have lost their lives in a similar manner.”
In anticipation of the feast of Pentecost, May 31, they called on all Catholics “to pray and work toward a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit” and pray to “to rid ourselves of the harm that bias and prejudice cause.”
“We call upon Catholics to pray to the Holy Spirit for the spirit of truth to touch the hearts of all in the United States and to come down upon our criminal justice and law enforcement systems,” the bishops said urged every Catholic, regardless of ethnicity, to “beg God to heal our deeply broken view of each other, as well as our deeply broken society.”
Here is the full text of their statement:
We are broken-hearted, sickened and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our very eyes. What’s more astounding is that this is happening within mere weeks of several other such occurrences. This is the latest wake-up call that needs to be answered by each of us in a spirit of determined conversion.
Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a throwaway political issue to be bandied about when convenient. It is a real and present danger that must be met head on. As members of the Church, we must stand for the more difficult right and just actions instead of the easy wrongs of indifference. We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.
While it is expected that we will plead for peaceful nonviolent protests, and we certainly do, we also stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged. Too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this deadly treatment is antithetical to the Gospel of Life.
As we said eighteen months ago in our most recent pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts,” for people of color some interactions with police can be fraught with fear and even danger. People of good conscience must never turn a blind eye when citizens are being deprived of their human dignity and even their lives. Indifference is not an option. As bishops, we unequivocally state that racism is a life issue.”
We join Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis in praying for the repose of the soul of Mr. George Floyd and all others who have lost their lives in a similar manner. We plead for an end to the violence in the wake of this tragedy and for the victims of the rioting. We pray for comfort for grieving families and friends. We pray for peace across the United States, particularly in Minnesota, while the legal process moves forward. We also anticipate a full investigation that results in rightful accountability and actual justice.
We join our brother bishops to challenge everyone to come together, particularly with those who are from different cultural backgrounds. In this encounter, let us all seek greater understanding amongst God’s people. So many people who historically have been disenfranchised continue to experience sadness and pain, yet they endeavor to persevere and remain people of great faith. We encourage our pastors to encounter and more authentically accompany them, listen to their stories, and learn from them, finding substantive ways to enact systemic change. Such encounters will start to bring about the needed transformation of our understanding of true life, charity, and justice in the United States. Hopefully, then there will be many voices speaking out and seeking healing against the evil of racism in our land.
As we anticipate the Solemnity of Pentecost this weekend, we call upon all Catholics to pray and work toward a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for a supernatural desire to rid ourselves of the harm that bias and prejudice cause. We call upon Catholics to pray to the Holy Spirit for the spirit of truth to touch the hearts of all in the United States and to come down upon our criminal justice and law enforcement systems. Finally, let each and every Catholic, regardless of their ethnicity, beg God to heal our deeply broken view of each other, as well as our deeply broken society.
Editor’s Note: The full text of the bishops’ 2108 pastoral against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts,” can be found online at https://bit.ly/2XLbpYv.
Parish expands ministry in light of pandemic
By Joanna Puddister King
FLOWOOD – Famed newspaper cartoonist and editor Marshall Ramsey has a saying that suits us in Mississippi. “When things get bad, we get good.” That saying is no exception for many of our parishes around the diocese, who have been helping others in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
St. Paul Flowood began humbly serving about 50 families at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and now serve upwards of 90 families per week. The program is called “Feed the Hungry” and it grew out of the Backback ministry the parish was operating for Pisgah and Oakdale schools that served disadvantaged children, identified by conselors, on the weekend with snacks.
Cecilia Carlton of St. Paul Flowood says the church “is truly serving the needs of families affected by circumstances for which they had no possibility of preparing.”
“COVID-19 has given our parish family the ability to become ‘missional’ in our intent to serve our brothers and sisters far beyond the walls of St. Paul.”
The parish began their “Feed the Hungry” program with referrals from principals, teachers and counselors at Pisgah, Oakdale, McLaurin and Pelahatchie schools. Carlton also says that a few have come from Northwest Rankin. Once massive layoffs caused unemployment rates to rise, the parish began getting calls from individuals for food assistance as well.
St. Paul parishioners have been very generous, says Carlton. Father Gerry Hurley and Carlton have even taken to calling their makeshift pantry the ‘Table of Plenty.’ Carton says of Father Hurley, “It does his heart good to see cars all through the day bringing in food.”
The Knights of Columbus Council 10216 have also been a huge help to the project, teaming up with those in the parish operating the Backpack Ministry for Pisgah and Oakdale schools. The Knights and chapter president, Jose Lopez have also been filling orders and helping off of the ‘Table of Plenty’ as they hear about needs in the community.
Each year, the Knights smoke boston butts for the fourth of July weekend and sell to raise money for different causes. This year, the smoked butt sale will be on June 28 and funds raised will go to subsidizing the “Feed the Hungry” project. The butts are $40 each and can be purchase through the St. Paul Flowood’s website.
On May 30, Michelle Harris, parishioner of St. Paul, who runs Rosie’s Garden stopped by with fresh produce for St. Paul’s “Feed the Hungry” program. Rosie’s Garden is a non-profit located in Rankin county that grows fresh produce and distributes to non-profits helping with food. The organization regularly delivers to Catholic Charities, The Mustard Seed and Stewpot among others. Now, they are proud to begin helping St. Paul’s efforts to feed the hungry.
“It may have taken us a while to get there, but there are so many people working right now to feed people who need it,” says Carlton.
Additionally, St. Paul Flowood also has a “Feed the Flock” program that is feeding individuals at high-risk for contracting COVID-19. The parish has been delivering meals on Wednesday’s to 24 individuals. The programs are not just for parishioners, said Carlton. “It is for anyone in need who is at high-risk.”
Carlton says that the program will continue until people get back on their feet, no matter how long that may be.
For those that want to help, Carlton encourages everyone to look at their home parishes and see how you can help your community.
Some of the most needed items for the ‘Table of Plenty’ are peanut butter, cereal or breakfast bars, pasta, rice, spaghetti sauce, mac and cheese, canned tuna, chicken, or salmon, canned vegetables, canned fruit, boxed crackers & cookies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bars of soap, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper and bleach. Donations and can be dropped off before 6pm under the pavilion behind the right side of the church or monetary donations can be made online.
For more information or if you need help, visit www.saintpaulcatholicchurch.com.
