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“When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?”

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Daisey X. Martinez

STAFF REport
By Daisey X. Martinez
JACKSON – I went to a detention center in Louisiana to visit a Mississippian who has been there since Aug. 7th. Honestly, I was hesitant about going inside and thought about backing out. Then, I thought about all of the times that I heard Matthew 25:34-40 growing up and made up my mind to go inside.
While I was waiting for the guards to bring in my potential new friend, I looked around the bare room. There were men in beige-colored uniforms sitting with women and children. I saw many smiles and happy tears, but the sadness of the situation lingered. The young man to my left was making a flower out of candy wrappers for his little sister. When he was finished, he turned around and called to one of his block mates; the young man introduced him to his mother and two sisters. The older man smiled and told the young man’s mother that her son was a good kid.
As I felt tears gathering in my eyes, a man with a curious look on his face approached me. It was the person that God wanted me to visit. I immediately apologized to him in case he had hopes that it would be his wife and daughter sitting at the plastic table and then asked him if it was okay that I had come. He turned down my apology and thanked me instead. Visitors are rare, but when he does get a visitor, it helps him escape from his current reality and he’s thankful for that.
I learned that he loves scary movies, enjoys playing video games (so much that his daughter’s middle name is the name of a character from one of his favorite games), adores playing soccer and that his wife basically rejected him when they first met. We laughed about that last part. He is from the same state in Mexico that my father is from, so we talked about the traditions and foods from that beautiful place. He told me that his daughter just had a birthday and has been asking when he will be coming home. He tells her he is on vacation because the truth would be harder for his young daughter to understand.
I was so happy that this man was starting to open up to me because I was worried about him. He was in the same detention center where just a few weeks before, a prisoner of ICE had committed suicide. I wanted to let him know that there are so many people outside of this place that cared about him and all of the others who are in this situation. I told him that not everyone sees him as a criminal. Some people understand the reasons he had to come into this country. I’m not sure if he believed me.
He told me that he understands that he broke some rules, but has been living a quiet life for the past two decades. He was hard at work when ICE showed up and took him away. He knows of others who would get arrested for a DUI or some other crime and then let go. He doesn’t understand why people who were working were separated from their families.
I wanted to keep talking to him, but time was running low. I looked at him and asked him if I could pray for him right then and there. He nodded and we conversed with God. We then stood up and I asked if I could hug him. My brother in Christ hugged me back and I pray that he knows that God loves him and hasn’t abandoned him. With a promise that I would return, I said goodbye.
I really wish that there wasn’t a language barrier so that we could all hear the struggles and stories of the immigrants in our state. People can argue about the methods used to get here, however, for a brief moment, I wish we could live the words of Matthew 25 “…When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?”

(Daisey X. Martinez is the Associate for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the diocesan Office of Intercultural Ministry. She is part of a network of volunteer drivers who pick up released people from the ICE detention centers and work together to get them home to their families in Mississippi. If you would like more information on how to be a volunteer driver, please email daisey.martinez@jacksondiocese.org.)

Synod calls for more church roles for women, but stops short of diaconate

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Members of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon asked that women be given leadership roles in the Catholic Church, although they stopped short of calling for women deacons.
In the Amazon, like in the rest of the world, the essential roles women play within the family, the community and the church should be valued and recognized officially, members of the synod said in their final document. The document, which synod members voted on Oct. 26, included a call for the creation of “the instituted ministry of ‘woman community leader,'” something they said would help meet “the changing demands of evangelization and community care.”
Speaking after the vote on the document, Pope Francis said the synod’s discussion on women “falls short” of explaining who women are in the church, particularly “in the transmission of faith, in the preservation of culture. I would just like to underline this: that we have not yet realized what women mean in the church,” but instead “we focus on the functional aspect, which is important,” but is not everything.
Synod members also asked Pope Francis to revise St. Paul VI’s 1972 document on ministries, “Ministeria Quaedam” (“Some Ministries”), so that women could be installed formally as lectors and acolytes and in any new ministries to be developed.
The final document also asked that “the voice of women be heard, that they be consulted and participate decision making” in the church. “It is necessary for the church to assume with greater strength their leadership within the church and for the church to recognize and promote it by strengthening their participation in the pastoral councils of parishes and dioceses, or even in instances of government,” the document said.
While noting that a “large number” of participants in the pre-synod consultations asked for women deacons and that several members of the synod itself made such a call, the final document did not include an explicit request for such a move.
In his post-vote talk to synod members, the pope gave the same explanation, but promised that he would have the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “reconvene the commission or perhaps open it with new members.”
Quoting a speech from Pope Paul in 1965, the final document said, “The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness.”
When many women are “victims of physical, moral and religious violence, including femicide, the church commits to defense of their rights and recognizes them a protagonists and guardians of creation,” synod members said. Without specifying further, the document said that “it is urgent for the church in the Amazon to promote and confer ministries for men and women in an equitable manner.”

Proposed Amazonian rite centered on Christ

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Addressing concerns about a proposed Amazonian rite in the Catholic Church, an indigenous participant at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon called on Catholics to soften their hearts and understand the needs of Catholics in the region.
At a synod briefing Oct. 24, Delio Siticonatzi Camaiteri, a member of the Ashaninka people and a professor from Peru, said that fears about the proposal are unwarranted because indigenous people seek unity and not division.

Pope Francis accepts a plant during the offertory as he celebrates the concluding Mass of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican Oct. 27, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

“Do we (want to) have our own rites? Yes, we do! But those rites must be incorporated with what is central, which is Jesus Christ. There is nothing else to argue about on this issue! The center that is uniting us in this synod is Jesus Christ,” he said.
Throughout the synod, members discussed the possibility of incorporating local traditions and cultural elements in the liturgy. While there are nearly two dozen different rites in the Catholic Church, those critical of the proposal fear that it would introduce so-called pagan elements into the liturgy.
Speaking to journalists at the briefing, Siticonatzi said that he noticed those present seemed “a bit uncomfortable” and did not “understand what the Amazon truly needs” when it comes to establishing a new rite.
Nevertheless, he added, there are many who are “doubtful of this reality that we are looking for as indigenous people. Do not harden your hearts! Soften your hearts; that is what Jesus invites us to do,” he said. “We live together. We all believe in one God! “
Mexican Father Eleazar Lopez Hernandez, a member of the Zapotec community and an expert on indigenous theology, told journalists that the churches in Latin America also “need to be able to express our faith within our own framework.”

Delio Siticonatzi Camaiteri, a member of the Ashaninca indigenous people in Peru, and Sister Mariluce dos Santos Mesquita, a member of the Barassana people in Brazil, attend a news conference after a session of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican Oct. 24, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

“This is what the Amazonian rite is based on,” Father Lopez said. “We can no longer continue living within frameworks that are foreign to our people. This is alienation.”
When it comes to the liturgy, he continued, Christians have a responsibility to know the difference between “what is substantial in the Christian perspective and what is secondary, what is cultural.”

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)

Church cannot remain indifferent to cry of the poor

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After listening to indigenous people and church leaders at the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, the Catholic Church cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the region’s people, Pope Francis said.
“The cry of the poor, together with that of the earth, came to us from the Amazon,” the pope said during his Sunday Angelus address. “After these three weeks, we cannot pretend that we have not heard it.”
The pope shared his thoughts about the synod Oct. 27 as he greeted pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square; he had just finished celebrating the synod’s final Mass.
The synod, he said, was a time of “a walking together,” engaging in sincere dialogue “without hiding difficulties and “experiencing the beauty of going forward united.”
Pope Francis told the crowd that in the second reading at the day’s Mass, St. Paul, aware of his imminent death, expressed hope that “through me the proclamation might be completed.”
St. Paul’s last wish, the pope said, was not for himself but that the Gospel “be proclaimed to all nations.”
During the synod, he continued, participants reflected on how to open new paths of evangelization.
“We felt spurred on to go out to sea, to leave the comfortable shores of our safe harbors to enter deep waters,” the pope said. “Not into the marshy waters of ideologies, but into the open sea in which the Spirit invites us to throw our nets.”
Before leading pilgrims in reciting the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis prayed for the intercession of Mary, “Queen of the Amazon,” who “became that not by conquering, but by inculturating herself.”
“With the humble courage of a mother, she became the protector of her children, the defense of the oppressed; always going to the culture of the people,” the pope said.
Pope Francis did not specifically mention the statues of the naked pregnant woman that some people referred to as Our Lady of the Amazon, but which Vatican officials repeatedly described as an image signifying life. Others described it as “Pachamama” and condemned it as an idol. Some copies of the statue were thrown in the Tiber River, but recovered by police.
“There is not a standard culture, there is not a pure culture, which purifies the others,” Pope Francis said. “There is the pure Gospel, which is inculturated. To her, who in the poor house of Nazareth took care of Jesus, we entrust the poorest children and our common home.”

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)

Parish calendar

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

BROOKSVILLE The Dwelling Place, Advent Hermitage Overnight, Dec. 13-14 begins with 5:30 p.m. dinner. In the prayerful space of a hermitage, come away, block out our society’s noisy Christmas preparation and focus on the real meaning of Christ/Emmanuel coming among us. Director: Clare Van Lent, MA CSp., founder and director of the Dwelling Place. Cost: $90 per day. Details: (662) 738-5348 or email dwellpl@gmail.com.
CHATAWA St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, An Advent Day of Reflection “What am I Waiting for?” on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Advent is always seen as a time of waiting and anticipation. Sister Pat Thomas, O.P., a member of the founding staff of the Peace Center in New Orleans, is currently a leader in pastoral and educational roles around the country. Suggested donation: $40, includes lunch. Details: Sister Sue Von Bank (601) 783-0801 or retreatcenter@ssndcp.org.
GREENWOOD The Sacred Nexus-Psychological Links to the Image of God is the latest book written by Michael Whelan, Ph.D., a psychologist and resident of Greenwood, MS. Dr. Whelan uses Holy Scripture, an array of ideas and perspectives by some of the great spiritual writers and psychologists as well as his vast experience from his private practice and first-hand assessment of convicted criminals at the MS State Penitentiary at Parchman. Proceeds from the purchase of the book benefit Locus Benedictus whose ministry is Inner Healing.
JACKSON 39th Annual Squat & Gobble, Thursday, Nov. 21 6-10 p.m. at the Railroad District, 824 S. State St., Jackson. Great food and beverages, door prizes, silent auction and entertainment by Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster. Cost: $45 if purchased before Nov. 12 and $55 if purchased after Nov. 12. Proceeds to benefit the victims of human trafficking and domestic violence in the Metro area. Details: www.friendsforacause.com or (601) 955-1677.
METAIRIE La. Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO), Holy Spirit Women’s Retreat, “2020: Without a Vision the People Perish,” Jan. 24-26, 2020 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Lafayette. Johnnette Benkovic Williams, Fr. Mark Goring, Deacon Larry and Andi Oney and Patti Mansfield will be featured. Details: www.ccrno.org; info@ccrno.org or (504) 828-1368.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

ABERDEEN St. Francis of Assisi, Adult Bible Study studying the Gospel of John, Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Details: church office (662) 813-2295.
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser, Thursday, Nov. 21, 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Cost: $9 per plate, eat in or take out. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, “Taste of Italy” Lasagna Dinner and bake sale, Thursday, Nov. 14 from 4:30-7 p.m.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Comedy Dinner Theatre, Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. Fundraiser for Women’s Guild. Entertainment by The Detectives Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. Cost: $35 per person. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Christmas Program/Pageant, Sunday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Details: (662) 429-7851 or e-mail holyspiritchurch@shsm.org to volunteer.
JACKSON St. Richard, Companions in Christ, meets every Sunday from 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the Mary Room. It is a small faith community for adults in their 30s who want to grow in their faith and spirituality. We offer rest, encouragement, and accountability on our journey. Get added to the weekly email list to receive reflections and discussion questions for upcoming meetings. Details: email Kathleen Carter at strcompanionsinchrist@gmail.com or Facebook at “Companions in Christ at St. Richard’s.”
PEARL St. Jude, Adult Faith Formation meets Sunday morning during the school year in the classroom across the hall from the church office from 9:45-10:45 a.m. Bishop Barron’s series “Pivotal Players.” Details: church office (601) 939-3181.
YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Bake Sale, Lunch & Bingo fundraiser, Tuesday, Nov. 26 in the Parish Hall/Cafeteria. 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Bake Sale begins 12 p.m.; $5 lunch and also Bingo. The public is invited to participate. The funds raised will be used to benefit the Religious Education Program. Details: Diane Melton at the church office (662) 746-1680.

YOUTH BRIEFS

COLUMBUS Annunciation School, Thursday, Nov. 21, 8:30 a.m. Mass in the gym followed with 9:15 a.m. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and reception for new building expansion.
Grand Opening Celebration at 5 p.m., which will include a BBQ dinner, light music and guided tours of the new building expansion. Details: school office (662) 328-4479.
JACKSON St. Richard School, Open House, Sunday, Nov. 17 at 11:30 a.m. Details: school office (601) 366-1157 or www.strichardschool.org.
The Special Kids Art Show, Thursday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. in Foley Hall. Icons, crosses, photographs and other artwork by the Special Kids will be on display and available to purchase. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
Sr. Thea Bowman School, Open House, Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. Details: school office (601) 352-5441 or www.theabowmanschool.com.

Purple Dress Run supports domestic violence shelter and programs

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JACKSON – About 200 runners and walkers grabbed their running shoes and purple dresses for Catholic Charities 8th annual Purple Dress Run at the District at Eastover in Northeast Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 17 in honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness month. Racers ran and walked through the Eastover neighborhood to raise awarness about domestic violence and to raise money for Catholic Charities newly opened domestic violence shelter.

Youth news

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Pinwheels for peace at St. Patrick Meridian

MERIDIAN – St. Patrick School recently held its annual Pinwheels for Peace program in celebration of International Day of Peace.
Students were chosen to write essays on what peace meant to them and pinwheels were placed in front of the school with messages of hope and peace.
Shown placing their pinwheels are Mrs. Palmer’s third grade students Helena Rutledge, Miles Whitman, Reese Ann Gressett and Victoria Ramirez. (Photo by Helen Reynolds)

Fighting Irish football

GREENVILLE – Bishop Kopacz enjoyed a night of Fighting Irish football at St. Joseph school. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)

Math gets technical

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman school students Khamari, Harry and J’Zarrio are concentrating hard to solve math problems using their tech tablets. (Photo courtsey of school)

Firefighters visit promotes fire safety first

COLUMBUS – First grade students at Annunciation school enjoyed a visit from local fire fighters who discussed fire safety and the importance of an evacuation plan in an emergency situation. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)

Field trip fun

GREENVILLE – Greenville’s St. Joseph fourth through sixth graders got to attend Native American Day at Winterville Mounds on Oct. 10. They learned a lot about the Native American culture and also got to make a few crafts. Fun was had by all! (Photo by Nikki Thompson)

Grandparents breakfast at St. Thea Bowman

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman school grandparents Cathy Pendleton and Shirley and Phil Thiac enjoyed a nice breakfast with their grandchildren at the annual “We Love Our Grandparents Breakfast.” (Photo courtesy of school)

NFL Great Rocky Bleier speaks at Catholic Charities “Journey of Hope”

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By Terry Dickson
JACKSON – A champion on the football field and a hero on the battlefield, former Pittsburgh Steelers star and decorated Vietnam War veteran Rocky Bleier imparted valuable life lessons during a recent visit to Jackson.

Bleier, a Pennsylvania native who was the keynote speaker during the Catholic Charities “Journey of Hope” luncheon Oct. 8 at the Jackson Convention Complex, told his audience that they possess “the power to make a difference, the power to change, the power to have an impact.”

“There are three things we can never get back,” Bleier told the audience. “One is time, one are words and the other are opportunities. What a wonderful time it is for all of us to be here and share in what Catholic Charities is all about, to be a part of this community and being able to change people’s lives.

Opportunities are very important, but we have to take advantage of those opportunities as they come around. The one thing I’ve learned in all the time that I’ve been on this earth is that the one business we’re all in is truly the hope business.”

JACKSON – NFL Great, Rocky Bleier, greets Bishop Joseph Latino at Catholic Charities “Journey of Hope” event on Thursday, Oct. 8. (Photos by Terry Dickson)

“If you truly think about it, no man is an island,” he said. “We didn’t get to where we are today by ourselves. We got here because of someone, something, an opportunity. We got here because of a coach, a teacher or a mentor. We got here because of a parent. We got here because of a drill sergeant. We got here because somebody took an interest, gave us a push, a nudge, gave us a job, opened a door, kicked us in the rear end. We got here because somebody cared.”

Bleier regaled listeners with stories about his own journey and the people who helped him along the way.
A product of Catholic schools, Bleier was a gridiron standout at the University of Notre Dame who was later drafted by the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968. However, his football career was almost immediately put on hold that same year when he was drafted into the United States Army.

Bleier earned a Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart during his tour of duty in Vietnam, the latter award a result of an injury he suffered when a grenade exploded near him, taking part of his foot.

Despite the severity of his injury, Bleier persevered and defied the odds, returned to the Steelers in 1970, winning four Super Bowl rings as part of a dynasty led by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll and Hall of Fame players Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Lynn Swann. In Super Bowl 13, Bleier, who played at halfback and on special teams, caught the go ahead fumble and recovered a late onside kick to seal the win against the Cowboys. He retired after the 1980 season. His blocking ability was a valuable contribution to the success of the vaunted Steelers running game.

Bleier’s life story is the focus of his best-selling book, Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story. Today, Bleier is in high demand as a motivational speaker.

“No matter how hard we work, how talented we may be, how passionate we are about what we do in our community, there are times in our lives when we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders,” Bleier said. “There are times in our lives when we beat our head against the wall. There are times in our lives when we question our own ability and the choices that we make. There are times in our lives when the grass looks greener on the other side. You want to quit, move on and can’t carry the load.”

“I suppose the whole moral of this story is that, if I would quit all those many years ago, I’d never have the opportunity to play those 12 years, play in those Super Bowls or have all those memories. The reason I got a chance to play wasn’t because of my size and speed, but ultimately because of one talent (blocking). We have to understand that each and every one of us possess a singular talent that is our own, different than anybody else’s. It’s really our responsibility to be able to find out what that talent is, and what we bring to our communities and our families and our cities and to be able to use it.”

Approximately 750 people attended this year’s luncheon, which was preceded the previous night by a meet-and-greet with Bleier at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Journey of Hope is one of Catholic Charities’ signature events and a major source of revenue.

“As our state’s population continues to increase, so does the need. Because of the dedication, passion and commitment of the team, we continue to seek out ways daily to be innovative and creative, insuring that we provide effective and quality services to the individuals and families that we serve. This allows us to be better poised to continue with the mission that began so many years ago,” said Wanda Thomas, executive director of Catholic Charities.

“Thanks to the supporters of Catholic Charities, those without housing have been housed, those in domestic violence situations have been kept safe, children have been placed in homes and able to find their forever families. It is the promise of bringing hope to many lives that drives us to keep pressing forward, and to say we can, and we will, give focus to the specific needs of our neighbors, we can and we will be advocates for those who suffer, we can and we will be the vessel to change lives.

Kindly lights in gloomy world: Pope declares five new saints

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY – Saints are people who recognized their need for God’s help, who took risks to discover God’s will and to help others and who nurtured a habit of thanksgiving, Pope Francis said.
“The culmination of the journey of faith is to live a life of continual thanksgiving. Let us ask ourselves: Do we, as people of faith, live each day as a burden, or as an act of praise?” the pope said in his homily Oct. 13 after formally declaring five new saints for the Catholic Church.
Those canonized at the Mass were: St. John Henry Newman, the British theologian, poet and cardinal who died in 1890; Brazilian St. Maria Rita Lopes Pontes, popularly known as Sister Dulce, who died in 1992; Indian St. Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family, who died in 1926; St. Marguerite Bays, a Swiss laywoman and mystic, who died in 1879; and St. Josephine Vannini, the Italian co-founder of the Daughters of St. Camillus, who died in 1911.
“Three of them were religious women,” the pope noted in his homily. “They show us that the consecrated life is a journey of love at the existential peripheries of the world.”

Pope Francis celebrates the canonization Mass for five new saints in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 13, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

“St. Marguerite Bays, on the other hand, was a seamstress; she speaks to us of the power of simple prayer, enduring patience and silent self-giving,” he said.
Rather than describing St. Newman, Pope Francis quoted from him to illustrate the meaning of “the holiness of daily life:” “The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not …. The Christian is cheerful, easy, kind, gentle, courteous, candid, unassuming; has no pretense … with so little that is unusual or striking in his bearing that he may easily be taken at first sight for an ordinary man.”
And, referencing St. Newman’s famous hymn, “Lead, Kindly Light,” the pope prayed that all Christians would be “‘kindly lights’ amid the encircling gloom.”
Tens of thousands of people filled a sunny St. Peter’s Square for the canonization ceremony and Mass. Among them were Britain’s Prince Charles, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Martins Mourao, a member of Switzerland’s federal council and the deputy foreign minister of India.
Melissa Villalobos from Chicago also was there with her husband and children, and they brought up the offertory gifts at the Mass. Villalobos’ healing, which saved her life and the life of her unborn child, was accepted as the miracle needed for St. Newman’s canonization.
Hours before the Mass began, Holy Family Sisters Manjula and Aruna stood just outside the security checkpoint, handing out Indian flags, rosaries and prayer cards, caps and scarves with the image of their order’s founder, St. Thresia.
The new saint’s focus, and that of her order today, is assisting families, said Sister Manjula, whose ministry is “counseling and visiting houses and helping solve problems. We help all families – non-Christian, non-Catholic, anyone.”
Gregory K. Hillis, a professor of theology at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, was representing his university at the Mass, but his presence was very personal, too.
“Newman is important to me theologically and for my spirituality,” he said. “And I like his conversion story” of how, as an Anglican priest, he became a Catholic at the age of 44. “I became a Catholic 13 years ago, and Newman was an important guide. He converted, but maintained his friendships, his respect and love for the tradition that he left.”
“I’m an ecumenical convert as well,” Hillis said. “I’m tired of converts who hate the tradition they left.”
An official delegation of Anglican bishops and priests also attended the Mass, and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England, recorded a message for the occasion.
“His legacy is far broader than one church or two churches,” the archbishop said. “It is a global legacy, a legacy of hope and truth, of the search for God, of devotion to being part of the people of God.”
St. Newman’s role in founding the Oxford Movement in the Church of England, a push to rediscover the early Christian writers and to recover the Catholic roots of Anglicanism, “had a fundamental, lasting, beneficial and important influence on Anglicanism,” Archbishop Welby said.
As is his custom at Mass, including at canonizations, Pope Francis used his homily to reflect on the day’s Scripture readings and only made passing reference to the people being declared saints.
The day’s short Gospel reading from Luke recounted the story of 10 lepers who, seeing Jesus approach, cry out to him for healing. He tells them to go show themselves to the priests and, as they go, they are healed. But only one returns to thank Jesus.
“Like those lepers,” Pope Francis said, “we, too, need healing, each one of us. We need to be healed of our lack of confidence in ourselves, in life, in the future; we need to be healed of our fears and the vices that enslave us, of our introversion, our addictions and our attachment to games, money, television, mobile phones, to what other people think.”
The story also illustrates how, “on the journey of life, purification takes place along the way, a way that is often uphill since it leads to the heights,” he said. “Faith calls for a journey, a ‘going out’ from ourselves, and it can work wonders if we abandon our comforting certainties, if we leave our safe harbors and our cozy nests.”
And, finally, he said, the story teaches that returning to Jesus with a heart full of gratitude is the culmination of the journey of faith.
“To give thanks is not a question of good manners or etiquette; it is a question of faith,” the pope said. “To say ‘Thank you, Lord’ when we wake up, throughout the day and before going to bed, that is the best way to keep our hearts young.
“This also holds true for families, and between spouses,” he added. “Remember to say thank you. Those words are the simplest and most effective of all.”

Bishop affirms commitment of Southern Baptist Conference efforts to combat sex-abuse crisis

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(Editor’s note: Bishop Joseph Kopacz is traveling at press time. He asked that we run this story in place of his regular column that includes his support for the Southern Baptist Conference as they begin to address the sex-abuse crisis within their denomination.)

By Joanna Puddister King and Vickie Carollo
DALLAS – In early October, eyes were on the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) as they hosted their Caring Well Conference from Oct. 3-5 to address the sex-abuse crisis occurring within the church after public awareness peaked after the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News released an investigative series in February of this year identifying at least 700 victims over a 20-year span.
The first day of the Caring Well Conference, organized by the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, focused on hearing from abuse survivors. The overall sentiment from abuse survivors speaking was a sense of gratefulness that church leaders now seem to be taking sex-abuse seriously and not a “problem to be silenced.”
On the second and third days of the conference attendees heard from speakers on “Caring Well” for those who have experienced abuse and how Christ can restore abuse victims, as well as choosing to attend various breakout sessions that offered subjects including understanding the grooming process, what church programs can do to screen for child sex abusers and what pastors and church leaders can do to address abuse, topics that the Catholic Diocese of Jackson has been addressing since 1987, long before the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002.
“I wholeheartedly affirm the commitment of the Southern Baptist Conference, stated at their recent Caring Well Conference to surface and address the crime and tragedy of child sexual abuse in the structures of their denomination. First and foremost, it is undeniably true as was stated at their conference, “that Jesus Christ can restore abuse victims,” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz.

“It becomes evident that the Lord works best through a culture of commitment and compliance to foster safe environments and to promote healing and justice for victims and their families. As the Conference progressed it was clear that the Southern Baptists are on the front end of addressing this crisis in a systematic way. It takes time and The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its accompanying Norms, promulgated in 2002, nearly two decades ago, is living proof of what is required to get it right. The Charter with periodic revisions has transformed the landscape within the Catholic Church in the United States with the pledge to protect and promise to heal.”
Bishop Kopacz describes the approach of the Catholic Church’s charter as having four aspects: the safe environment program, victims’ assistance, cooperation with law enforcement and transparency.
Within the Catholic church, contributing to a safe environment involves the policy of conducting criminal background screenings on any diocesan employee and anyone who offers to volunteer at any parish, school or institution. More than 16,000 employees and volunteers have been vetted in this way since the Diocese of Jackson instituted background screenings in 2004.
Provided the screening is clear, the volunteer or employee participates in an initial training through VIRTUS, Protecting God’s Children program. Through the live training session with a VIRTUS facilitator participants become aware of the issues surrounding child sexual abuse, the methods and means by which offenders offend and the ways in which abuse affects victims. Participants are empowered with steps to prevent and how to best respond to child sexual abuse. Ongoing training happens monthly in the form of an email bulletin with an article about the latest research or information on fostering safe environments in the church, the home and in society.
Not only do adults receive training, but also children and young people in parish religious education programs, as well as, those in Catholic schools. In these lessons, children learn about safety and healthy boundaries and what they can do if someone tries to violate them. All lessons are organized so that each child experiences a completely different lesson plan each time the materials are presented. As a child advances to the next age group, there is a whole new set of age-appropriate lessons that explore the safety topics in greater detail.
In the Catholic church victim assistance is essential to care for those abused by clergy or church leaders. In the church once an allegation is made, a series of responses are triggered. First, if the victim is a child – even if the abuse is just a suspicion – the case is turned over to the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services and then to either Vickie Carollo, Safe Environment Coordinator or to Valerie McClellan, Victim’s Assistance Coordinator. In the case of an adult who comes forward years later after abuse, he or she is offered professional counseling at no cost.
McClellan offers counseling based out of Jackson, but if the victim is living out of state, she arranges for a counselor in the victim’s community. The goal for the Catholic church is to offer healing to the victim and his or her family.
Additionally, McClellan gathers as much information as possible about the abuse, and with the victim’s consent, turns it over to the diocese. The vicar general, through the diocesan attorney, hires a private investigator to begin to look into the case and the accused is removed from active ministry or suspended while the investigator prepares a report for the Independent Review Board, the consultative body that assesses the credibility of all allegations of sexual abuse against minors.
The review board then meets and votes on what actions to recommend to the bishop. When the allegation is judged to be credible, the abuser is removed from ministry as soon as possible.
In the Catholic church, if a case is deemed credible, the diocesan attorney’s office will inform the district attorney in the county where the abuse happened and the bishop withdraws faculties from an ordained accused abuser at this time.
At this point, the Chancellor’s office prepares a statement to be read at Masses or other parish gatherings in the communities where the alleged abuser has served and encourage other victims to come forward. This statement is also posted on the diocesan website.
Per the Catholic church’s policy, even if there are no active cases of abuse being investigated, each parish must regularly publish a statement encouraging victims to report abuse. On March 19 of this year, the diocese released a list of credibly accused clergy dating back to 1924. The ministers reported were either deceased or already removed from ministry.
Most importantly, the Catholic church’s commitment to transparency is paramount moving forward. After a group of journalists uncovered and exposed a pattern of abuse and cover-ups within the Archdiocese of Boston, the church has undergone a culture shift.
“Each Catholic Diocese anywhere in the world, and especially in the United States, has a clearly defined governance structure with the Bishop at the center surrounded by his Chancery Staff. Throughout the diocese all pastors and pastoral ministers are ultimately accountable to the Bishop. Therefore, the implementation of programs, policies and procedures can be achieved on a faster track than what is possible for other denominations, including the Southern Baptist Conference, whose congregations are far more autonomous with respect to governance,” said Bishop Kopacz.
“For us in the Catholic church the commitment to protect and to heal continues to grow because the will to do so exists at the center of governance, as well as at the grassroots in every parish and ministry. Vigilance can never weaken or grow slack with respect to the threat of the sexual abuse of children and young people because “sin is always lurking at the door, but we can overcome it.” (Genesis 4:7)
Right now, the SBC is focusing on beginning education of church leaders and pastors with the book Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused by Brad Hambrick. Released in June 2019, the book brings together trauma counselors, victim advocates, social workers, attorneys and survivors to equip church leadership for the appropriate initial responses to a variety of abuse scenarios in churches, schools or ministries. The book also pairs with a series of 12 videos to help in the understanding and implementation of best practices.
The SBC was part four of the “Caring Well Challenge,” an eight-step process of addressing the abuse crisis and learning practical ways to prevent abuse through caringwell.com. The steps include committing to the challenge; building a “Caring Well” team; launching the challenge; training at the national conference; equipping leaders through reading Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused; preparing policies, procedures and practices related to abuse; dedicating Sunday services on May 3, 2020 to address abuse; and finally, reflecting on the Caring Well Challenge at the 2020 SBC annual meeting.
Phillip Bethancourt, executive vice president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the SBC, is “praying that the Caring Well Conference will not be seen as a solution to the abuse crisis, but rather a starting point for a movement of change that will continue long into the future.”
Bethancourt recognized that “there is still much work to be done,” within the Southern Baptist Church and hoped that those who attended the conference go forward “with a greater dedication and resolve to take the steps that are needed to make our churches safe for survivors and safe from abuse.”
On an annual basis all Catholic dioceses in the United States are audited by an independent firm to assure accountability and to shed light on all areas in the diocesan network that need improvement. The Diocese of Jackson will undergo an on-site audit of compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People as instructed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Monday, Oct. 28 through Wednesday, Oct. 30.
“In the commitment to transparency, we will communicate the findings of the audit for all to examine. I am so grateful to all staff and volunteers who are vigilant with putting into practice all of our protocols and procedures that foster safe environments and accompany victims on their path to healing and wholeness,” stated Bishop Kopacz.
Anyone who has been a victim of abuse or exploitation by clergy, religious or lay church personnel and has not yet reported it is encouraged to do so. Victim assistance coordinator, Valerie McClellan (601-326-3728) and Safe Environment coordinator Vickie Carollo (601-960-8471) are available to assist in making a report.