Updates

Bishop Janssens heads to Natchez

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

Following up on the last edition’s column where we learned about the fourth bishop of the diocese, Francis Janssens, this edition will share the accounts of the bishop-elect’s ordination in Richmond, Va., and his subsequent arrival in Natchez.

Bishop Gerow’s book documenting the Janssens’ administration from 1881-1888 contains many rich details of these events so I am sharing them as gathered by him. The language is descriptive and indicative of the times which makes the actual verbiage employed a part of the experience of our collective history.

“Bishop Janssens was consecrated in St. Peter’s Cathedral at Richmond on May 1, 1881, by Archbishop James Gibbons, assisted by Bishops Becker of Wilmington and Keane of Richmond. Archbishop Elder, his predecessor in Natchez, preached the sermon. There were present also Bishops Lynch, Gross, Moore and Kain, and about fifty clergymen. Of this ceremony John Gilmary Shea says:

‘The ceremony was the grandest ecclesiastical function every seen in Richmond and attracted the largest gathering known in the history of the Church in the State.’

“After his consecration Bishop Janssens delayed little in Richmond. In his diary he says:
‘May 4th, left Richmond. Arrived 6th at Vicksburg. Was met by a delegation at Edwards. Arrived in Natchez 7th, where a great demonstration was given me.’

“The Natchez paper the next day gave an account of his arrival. He had to come down from Vicksburg on the Steamer Cannon. A committee of thirteen from Natchez had taken a tug up to Good Hope landing, where they boarded the Cannon on its way down to Natchez.

‘With Father Grignon at their head the committee repaired to the ladies’ cabin where Bishop Janssens was in waiting. Here a circle was formed about the reverend gentleman by the committee, and Capt. Jas. W. Lambert, the speaker of the occasion, addressed him in a very neat and appropriate five minutes speech.
“After explaining the motives that actuated the committee in meeting him on the boat, and the hearty welcome that awaited him at Natchez, Capt. Lambert concluded his address in the following words:
‘It is, therefore, to gratify no passing fancy, nor to confer merely ceremonial honors, that induce the faithful of your flock to come out today and deck themselves to greet you, but we come, Right Reverend Bishop, to tender you our veneration, confidence and affectionate homage, recognizing you as the apostolic successor Him Who rules both storm and wave, Who proclaimed from dark-browned Calvary’s frowning heights, ‘Peace on earth and good will to men,’ and Who holds the destinies of men and of worlds, as a grain of sand, in the hollow of His hand.

‘It is in their spirit that all come out today and we of the committee are happy indeed to be amongst the first of the city of Natchez to give you greeting and have the honor of presenting to you our congratulations, mingled with the sincere congratulations of those whom we represent. Long may you dwell with us in peace and rule with gentle sway the Holy Priests and faithful children in our good city, and throughout the Diocese of Mississippi. For ourselves, and in behalf of our people, permit us to bid you a thrice hearty welcome to our shores, our homes and our hearts.’

“When, finally, it was announced that Natchez was in sight, the Bishop hastened to the guard rail to view the city which was to be his home.

“Amid the booming of guns … at the wharf another ovation awaited the Bishop. After meeting quite a number of our Catholic clergy and citizens, the carriages were announced to be in readiness, and the Bishop, attended by Fathers Grignon, Finn and Meerschaert and the various members of the reception committee, left the steamer.

“A procession was then formed at the foot of Silver street, the Bishop being seated in a carriage drawn by four horses and driven by a well-known citizen, and the march to the Cathedral commenced, the Independent Cornet Band furnishing the music.

“Arriving at the Cathedral, Bishop Janssens and his attendants retired to the Episcopal residence, where they donned their clerical robes, and then, preceded by the acolytes, they marched up the center aisle of the church, which had been strewn with flowers, and the Bishop then took formal possession.

“Upon taking possession, Bishop Janssens addressed a few remarks to the very large assembly, after which the impressive ceremonies closed with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.”

“The morning after the arrival being Sunday, St. Mary’s Cathedral was crowded.

“The Bishop ascended the pulpit after the Mass, and in an eloquent address, partaking more of an inaugural than of a sermon, expressed his pleasure at the many marks of honor, esteem and affection bestowed upon him by the people of this diocese. He was, he said, unworthy of the high ecclesiastical honors that had been bestowed upon him by his church but would endeavor in his humble way to prove worthy of them.

“The modest, unassuming and gentle demeanor of Bishop Janssens has already endeared him to Catholic hearts and his hold upon them will in time surely become second to none, not even to that of the good Bishop Elder.”

“On that same day at the evening devotions, Bishop Janssens gave Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and after the devotions a reception for the Bishop was held at his residence next to the church.”

Because of the tenure of Bishop Janssens having a very important event in the life of the diocese, namely the formal dedication of the cathedral after 46 years of building and financial struggles, I am adding a third article on Janssens’ adventures in the diocese and the long-awaited dedication of St. Mary.

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

Pastoral Assignments

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Rev. Joseph Ashok Thumma appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Mary Parish in Batesville and its mission St. John the Baptist in Sardis; St. Peter Parish in Grenada, and St. John Parish in Charleston, effective Nov. 1, 2024.

Rev. Joseph Reddy Golamari appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Madison, effective Nov. 1, 2024.

Rev. Gabriel Antonysamy Savarimuthu appointed Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Greenville, effective Nov. 1, 2024.

Synod on Synodality: A global call to renewal

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
After three years of reflection, the Synod on Synodality came to an end on the evening of Oct. 26, 2024, as the 356 members of the assembly gathered to vote on a final document. In an unexpected act, Pope Francis immediately approved this document, saying that he would not release a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, which is the type of papal document that usually follows a synod. This text thus immediately falls within the Pope’s magisterium. However, he did specify that it was non-normative. Nevertheless, this has been a remarkable pastoral process that brought together the faithful from around the world these past three years.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

Led by the Holy Spirit, the conversations began in the local diocesan church and progressed to produce regional and continental documents. The nearly 400 delegates who gathered in Rome during the month of October, last year and this year, represented our One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and were able to build upon the voices of the Catholic faithful from around the world.

At the moment, the Synod document is in Italian, but the wheels of translation are turning to disseminate it far and wide. Not surprisingly, the document does not usher in a new era of church teaching as some were anxious over. But the uniqueness of this Synod is found in the deliberative and consultative gatherings of church leadership that included the ordained, professed, and laity since its inception in 2021.

These substantive encounters brought into the light of day the themes of communion, participation and mission with ample time to take a long and loving look at reality in order to better see, judge and act. This enlarging of the space of our tent in the Body of Christ represented our universality. The photos of the assembled delegates in Rome portrayed this vision whose hard work culminated in the final document. Yet, deliberative and consultative processes cannot be limited to extraordinary processes such as the Synod on Synodality, but ought to be integrated into the life of the church at every level and in every place. Enlarging our vision, sense of mission, and scope of ministries permeates the work of the delegates, and the impact of their labors under the gaze and inspiration of the Holy Spirit will be unpacked, reflected upon, and put into practice for years to come.

Throughout the document there is a repeated call for unity in the Body of Christ, and for a renewed commitment to mission as joyful disciples of the crucified and risen Lord. On Sunday, Oct. 27, the pope presided over a final Mass for the synod in St. Peter’s Basilica. Surrounded by the summit’s global delegates, Pope Francis encouraged the church to be attentive to “the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity.”

“A sedentary church, that inadvertently withdraws from life and confines itself to the margins of reality, is a church that risks remaining blind and becoming comfortable with its own unease,” said the pope. “If we remain stuck in our blindness, we will continuously fail to grasp the urgency of giving a pastoral response to the many problems of our world.”

As he officially brought the three-year synod process to its end, Pope Francis declared that it is now time for the church to “get its hands dirty” and “carry the joy of the Gospel through the streets of the world.”
The past three years of world-wide synodality are a beacon of light as we embark upon the Jubilee Year of Hope to begin during the Christmas season and continue throughout 2025. The joy of the Gospel is our gift to the world that cries out in pain for unity and peace.

(Editor’s note: At press time on Nov. 1, 2024, the final document of the XVI Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was only made available in the original Italian. Visit https://www.synod.va/en.html in the coming days for additional language translations.)

Called by Name

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Our vocation promotion is about to get super-charged!
On the weekend of Nov. 9-10 every priest in the diocese is being encouraged to share his vocation story at Mass, and every parishioner is being encouraged to submit the name of a man, or men, in their parish, age 15-30, who they think should consider the priesthood. We are calling this effort “Called By Name Weekend,” and I ask that you take part in it!

Members of a High School discernment group accompanied by chaperone Ann Cook speak with Jackson residents at the downtown bus terminal

The names that are brought forth from this program will be catalogued and sent to our vocation team. This is a team of eight priests, including myself, who have committed to running discernment groups throughout the diocese every fall and spring. Depending on where the young man resides, a member of the vocation team will reach out and invite him to consider joining a discernment group and also invite him to other in-person events throughout the year. These events include Come and See weekends at the seminary, dinner with Bishop Kopacz, and more.
Each man who’s name is submitted will also receive a letter from Bishop Kopacz congratulating him for being recognized as someone who takes their faith seriously and encouraging him to be open to these other invitations.

As you consider who you might nominate, please remember, submitting someone’s name does not mean that you know that man is going to be a priest. It simply means that you see a light in him and a desire to do the Lord’s will, and you want to help him get support to discern his vocation. The discernment group that I ran in October had a good mixture of guys. Some were just starting to learn about what the priesthood was all about, while others had been considering the priesthood for a while and were very open to it. All of them got a lot out of the six weeks of group meetings and the social and service outings that were a part of the program. My favorite part was our morning of service when we put together care packages for the homeless and walked around downtown Jackson on a Saturday morning encountering those on the streets. It was really inspiring to see the sincerity of the young men and the courage and care it took for them to speak with the folks that they were serving with compassion and friendship.

We had 36 men in discernment groups this fall, and that was without the help of the Called by Name campaign, so I can’t wait to see what the Lord will do with your help! If you are reading this after Nov. 9-10, but you still want to submit a name, please go to www.jacksonvocations.com/called to submit someone’s name!

Catholic Schools celebrate growth through accreditation

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FAITH IN EDUCATION
By Karla Luke
The Catholic Schools and Early Learning Centers in the Diocese of Jackson are eagerly gearing up for the renewal of their accreditation with Cognia, an esteemed accrediting body for K-12 institutions in the U.S. and globally. Since 2019, the Office of Catholic Education (OCE) has held system-wide accreditation for all Catholic schools within the diocese, a commitment that has prompted notable growth and advancements across the system. Now, as renewal approaches, school leaders are ready to showcase their developments in educational excellence and student-centered progress.

CLINTON – Dr. Michael Bratcher reviews data with Katie Emfinger, Latoya Kelly and Karla Luke during a recent visit. (Photo by Virginia Hollingsworth)

Cognia’s legacy of accreditation excellence
Cognia, formerly known as AdvancED, is a nonprofit that accredits schools with a focus on continuous improvement. Founded in 2006, Cognia brought together the pre-college divisions of two major accreditation groups: the North Central Association’s Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Following further expansions, including a merger with Measured Progress in 2018, Cognia emerged as a leading accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in 2019.

The Diocese of Jackson’s journey with Cognia builds upon a longstanding relationship with its predecessor, SACS CASI. Since 1975, schools like Vicksburg Catholic Schools, St. Joseph Madison, and Cathedral Natchez have held SACS accreditation. By 2020, all remaining schools in the diocese had secured full system accreditation, further solidifying their commitment to academic and spiritual growth.

Why Cognia? Focusing on Systemic Growth Over Compliance
Choosing Cognia for system-wide accreditation allows the diocese to emphasize continuous improvement, focusing not just on meeting standards but on showing how those standards drive real change. Unlike some accrediting bodies that prioritize compliance, Cognia’s approach is student-centered, emphasizing learning engagement, school culture, student development, and strong leadership that fosters a culture of achievement. Cognia’s platform also equips the OCE with tools like professional development resources, assessments and strategic planning aids that are crucial for making well-informed decisions.

The renewal process for Cognia accreditation involves in-depth reviews in seven essential areas: Culture of Learning, Leadership for Learning, Engagement in Learning, Student Growth, Student Performance, Stakeholder Analysis, and Learning Environment. The OCE Accreditation Leadership Team – led by Karla Luke (OCE), Dr. Dena Kinsey (St. Joseph-Madison), Mary Arledge (Vicksburg Catholic Schools), Kimberly Burkley (Cathedral Catholic School), Rachel Patterson (OCE) and Virginia Hollingsworth (OCE) – recently presented on Oct. 15, a detailed executive summary to Dr. Michael Bratcher, Cognia’s regional accreditation advisor, outlining the diocese’s mission, vision, values and accomplishments.

Since the initial accreditation, the diocese has launched numerous initiatives, including a three-year strategic plan, enhanced academic standards, strengthened assessment programming, and the opening of two new early learning centers in Vicksburg (Sisters of Mercy) and Jackson (St. Richard). Feedback gathered from focus groups held on Oct. 22 and 24, highlighted both achievements, such as improved Catholic identity, responsive teaching practices, and communication improvements, and areas for growth, like expanded parent education and ongoing opportunities for feedback.

Continuing a tradition of faith and excellence
As the Diocese of Jackson moves forward in its accreditation renewal, the commitment to fostering a Christ-centered, academically excellent environment remains unwavering. Through the dedication of faculty, staff and administrators, the OCE is assisting by cultivating lifelong learners, effective communicators, and collaborative contributors to society, all rooted in their faith.
Blessings in faith, hope and love.

(Karla Luke is the executive director of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Jackson)

Legacy in motion: St. Joseph School unveils new athletic facility upgrades

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GREENVILLE – St. Joseph School held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Oct. 16 for their new athletic upgrades. Pictured (l-r): Britt Virden, Carl McGee (president of the Washington County Board of Supervisors), Bishop Joseph Kopacz, Principal Craig Mandolini and Mayor Errick D. Simmons. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

By Tereza Ma and Joanna King
GREENVILLE – Thanks to the generosity of Salvador Sarullo, student-athletes at St. Joseph School now enjoy upgraded athletic facilities. The school celebrated the grand opening of its new athletic complex with a special Mass and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz led a blessing for the facility, which adds over 4,700 square feet to the guy and includes new, expanded locker rooms for boys’ and girls’ basketball, soccer, baseball and softball teams. The complex also features dedicated training and recovery room to help athletes stay healthy and perform at their best.

St. Joseph Church has worked tirelessly to honor Sarullo’s legacy, using his substantial donation to support the school and parish, while embarking on projects that uplift the Greenville community.

Principal Craig Mandolini expressed gratitude, saying, “We are very fortunate for Mr. Sarullo’s generosity to help out the parish and the school. In addition to the new upgrades, we’ve gotten a lot of new things for the school to benefit our students’ minds and bodies. … We are so honored to receive the gift that we have been given.”

Phil Mansour, director of the St. Joseph School Athletic Association, said that the athletic complex project and other upgrades have been needed for years. He also said that the upgrades allow for the school to host state and district basketball tournaments.

“In addition to Mr. Sarullo, I thank Bishop Kopacz for his dedication and commitment to this school, said Mansour.

He also thanked architect Joseph Orr for working within a tight budget of $1.3 mission, a difficult feat given today’s construction cost. “He did a wonderful job, and we are so proud of the facility,” said Mansour.

Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons also spoke at the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony, expressing gratitude on behalf of the city: “We thank the bishop, faculty, and parents of St. Joseph for this wonderful facility based in God. When you think about economic development and you think about merging recreation, education and community development, I think St. Joe has done a really good job.”

St. Martin of Tours – Soldier of Christ

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Reflections on Life
By Melvin Arrington
Why is the life of a saint who died more than 1,600 years ago relevant to us today? In other words, why does St. Martin of Tours (315 to 397) still matter? The short answer is because his was a life well lived. There is much we can learn from him about respecting the dignity of each person and about practicing the church’s preferential option for the poor.

PARIS – St. Martin of Tours, tympanum of St. Severin Church. The Church is one of the oldest on the Left Bank situated in the Latin Quarter. (Photo courtesy of BigStock)

Born into a pagan family in present-day Hungary and raised in what is now Italy, Martin enrolled as a catechumen at a tender age. His father, an officer in the Imperial Roman army, wanted his son to pursue a military career, but Martin had no interest in becoming a soldier. Nevertheless, he was conscripted into the army. At age eighteen he was baptized. Two years later he left the military, proclaiming: “I am a soldier of Christ; it is not lawful for me to fight.” Interestingly, Martin’s feast day, Nov. 11, is also Veterans Day, which honors all who have served in the military and, additionally, commemorates the signing of the Armistice that ended fighting in World War I.

After leaving the army, Martin met Hilary, Bishop of Poitier, who encouraged the young man to return to Italy to try to win over his family and friends to the Christian faith. But upon arriving there he found himself surrounded by followers of the Arian heresy. After struggling to convert the Arians, Martin returned to Gaul (France) and established a monastery near Poitiers, where he gathered a group of followers and began preaching throughout the area. Because of his holiness, asceticism, and reputation as a miracle worker, the people elected him Bishop of Tours.

Martin founded many churches and monasteries and became a strong defender of the faith, fighting pagans and heretics with words rather than the sword. Known for his compassion, he became an early opponent of the death penalty and often pled for mercy on behalf of those condemned to death.
Because of Martin’s renown as a healer, people with various diseases and disorders came to him seeking cures, among them a leper, a paralytic, and a woman with an issue of blood. He also drove out evil spirits from the demon possessed and raised the dead. Those in the latter category included a man who had died without baptism, another who had hanged himself, and a third man, whose resuscitation resulted in the conversion a large crowd of pagans who had witnessed the miracle. Once, when a pagan attempted to behead him, the sword separated itself from the would-be assassin’s hand and fell harmlessly to the ground.

The most memorable incident in this great saint’s life occurred in the city of Amiens during his stint in the army. On a cold winter’s day as Martin was riding through the gate leaving the city, he encountered a practically naked beggar who was freezing from the cold. Deeply moved by the poor man’s suffering, the young soldier took his sword in hand, cut his cloak in two, and gave half to the poor stranger. That night Martin experienced a vision of Christ clothed in the portion of the cloak he had given to the beggar.

This great act of charity, immortalized in El Greco’s painting “St. Martin and the Beggar” and Van Dyck’s “St. Martin Dividing His Cloak,” brings to mind the admonition: “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none.” (Luke 3:11) St. Ambrose, a contemporary of St. Martin, expressed it this way: “If you have two shirts in your closet, one belongs to you and the other to the man with no shirt.”

I like to think St. Martin had so internalized the teachings of Matthew 25 that he helped the beggar because charity was second nature to him. In Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus tells the blessed they will inherit the kingdom because they came to his aid when He was in need; among other things, He was naked and they clothed Him. These righteous ones, not realizing what Jesus meant, question Him about it, implying that they really didn’t do anything at all for their Lord. Then the King of Kings replies: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

How should we respond to the plight of the poor? Of course, we should pray for them, but that’s not enough. We must put our faith in action by performing the corporal works of mercy. Specifically, we are called to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner. This is what St. Paul meant by “faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6b)
With so many needs and so many opportunities for giving of our time and resources, it shouldn’t be hard to find ways to follow St. Martin’s example. Contributing to relief efforts for those attempting to put their lives back together in the wake of the recent hurricanes is just one way. If we open our eyes and ears, the needs in our local communities will become readily apparent to us.

St. Martin of Tours, the soldier who didn’t want to fight, was one of the first holy persons to become a saint without being martyred. His abiding concern for the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned made him a model of compassion for his generation and an inspiration to Christians across the centuries. May this “soldier of Christ” inspire in us a fervent desire to become models of “faith working through love.”

(Melvin Arrington is a Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages for the University of Mississippi and a member of St. John Oxford.)

A universal creed

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

Creeds ground us. Within a short formula they summarize the main tenets of our faith and keep us mindful of the truths that anchor us.

As a Christian, I pray two creeds, The Apostles’ Creed and The Nicene Creed. But I also pray another creed which grounds me in some deep truths which are not always sufficiently recognized as inherent in our Christian creeds. This creed, given in the Epistle to the Ephesians, is stunningly brief and simply reads: There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is Father of us all.

That’s a lot in a few words! This creed, while Christian, takes in all denominations, all faiths, and all sincere persons everywhere. Everyone on the planet can pray this creed because ultimately there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who created and loves us all.

This has far-reaching consequences for how we understand God, other Christian denominations, other faiths, sincere non-believers, and ourselves. There is only one God, no matter our denomination, particular faith, or no explicit faith at all. The one same God is the loving creator and parent of everyone. And that one God has no favorites, doesn’t dislike certain persons, denominations, or faiths, and never disdains goodness or sincerity, no matter their particular religious or secular cloak.

And these are some of the consequences: First, Jesus assures us that God is the author of all that is good. In addition, as Christians we believe that God has certain transcendental attributes, namely, God is one, true, good, and beautiful. If that is true (and how could it be otherwise?), then everything we see in our world that is integral, true, good, or beautiful, whatever its outward label (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, New Age, Neo-Pagan, or purely Secular), comes from God and must be honored.

John Muir once challenged Christianity with this question: Why are Christians so reluctant to let animals into their stingy heaven? The creed in the Epistle to the Ephesians asks something similar: Why are Christians so reluctant to let other denominations, other faiths, and good sincere people without explicit faith into our stingy concept of God, Christ, faith, and the church? Why are we afraid of faith fellowship with Christians of other denominations? Why are we afraid of faith fellowship with sincere Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and New Age religious? Why are we afraid of paganism? Why are we afraid of natural sacraments?

There can be good reasons. First, we do need to safeguard precisely the truths expressed in our creeds and not slide into an amorphous syncretism in which everything is relative, where all truths and all religions are equal, and the only dogmatic requirement is that we be nice to each other. Although there is, in fact, something (religious) to be said about being nice to each other, the more important point is that embracing each other in faith fellowship is not saying that all faiths are equal and that one’s particular denomination or faith tradition is unimportant. Rather it is acknowledging (importantly) that, at the end of the day, we are all one family, under one God, and that we need to embrace each other as brothers and sisters. Despite our differences, we all have the same radical creed.

Then too, as Christians, we believe that Christ is the unique mediator between God and ourselves. As Jesus puts it, no one goes to the Father, except through me. If that is true, and as Christians we hold that as dogma, then where does that leave Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Jews, Muslims, New Agers, Neo-Pagans, and sincere non-believers? How do they share the kingdom with us Christians since they do not believe in Christ?

As Christians, we have always had answers to that question. The Catholic catechisms of my youth spoke of a “baptism of desire” as a way of entry into the mystery of Christ. Karl Rahner spoke of sincere persons being “anonymous Christians.” Frank de Graeve spoke of a reality he called “Christ-ianity”, as a mystery wider than historical “Christianity”; and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin spoke of Christ as being the final anthropological and cosmological structure within the evolutionary process itself. What all of these are saying is that the mystery of Christ cannot be identified simplistically with the historical Christian churches. The mystery of Christ works through the historical Christian churches but also works, and works widely, outside of our churches and outside the circles of explicit faith.

Christ is God and therefore is found wherever anyone is in the presence of oneness, truth, goodness, and beauty. Kenneth Cragg, after many years as a missionary with the Muslims, suggested that it is going to take all the religions of the world to give full expression to the full Christ.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God who is Father of us all – and so we should not be so reluctant to let others, not of our own kind, into our stingy heaven.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Pope to open Holy Door at Rome prison at beginning of Jubilee 2025

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By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Two days after opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis will travel to a Rome prison to open a Holy Door as a “tangible sign of the message of hope” for people in prisons around the world, the Vatican announced.

The pope will go Dec. 26 to Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome, “a symbol of all the prisons dispersed throughout the world,” to deliver a message of hope to prisoners, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for new evangelization and the chief organizer of the Holy Year 2025, announced at a news conference Oct. 28.

Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 24. He will then open the Holy Doors at the major basilicas of St. John Lateran Dec. 29, St. Mary Major Jan. 1 and St. Paul Outside the Walls Jan. 5.
In his “bull of indiction,” the document formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis wrote that during the Holy Year he will have close to his heart “prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, feel daily the harshness of detention and its restrictions, lack of affection and, in more than a few cases, lack of respect for their persons.”

“Luce” (Italian for “Light”), the official mascot for the Holy Year 2025, is seen during a news conference at the Vatican Oct. 28, 2024. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan)

In the document, the pope also called on governments to “undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope” for incarcerated persons during the Holy Year, such as expanding forms of amnesty and social reintegration programs.

Archbishop Fisichella announced that the Vatican had signed an agreement with Italy’s minister of justice and the government commissioner for Rome to implement reintegration programs for incarcerated individuals by involving their participation in activities during the Jubilee Year.

The archbishop also outlined the schedule of cultural offerings leading up to the Jubilee Year, during which the city of Rome estimates that 30 million people will visit the Italian capital.

The Vatican will organize a concert of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, to be performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Rome Nov. 3; three art exhibitions in November and December, including a display of rare Christian icons from the collection of the Vatican Museums; and a concert from the Sistine Chapel Choir two days before the opening of the Holy Door.

Archbishop Fisichella also unveiled the official mascot of the Holy Year 2025: “Luce” (Italian for light), a cartoon pilgrim dressed in a yellow raincoat, mud-stained boots, wearing a missionary cross and holding a pilgrim’s staff. Luce’s glowing eyes feature the shape of scallop shells, a traditional symbol of pilgrimage and hope.

The mascot, he said, was inspired by the church’s desire “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.”

“Luce” will also serve as the mascot of the Holy See’s pavilion at Expo 2025, which will take place in Osaka, Japan, from April to October 2025. The Holy See pavilion – which will be hosted inside of Italy’s national pavilion – will have the theme “Beauty brings hope,” and display the 17th-century painting “The Entombment of Christ” by Caravaggio – the only one of his works housed in the Vatican Museums.all.”

Bishop Kopacz among the participants at international conference on the dual threats of climate disruption and nuclear weapons

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By Mary Gorski
OLIVE BRANCH – Next year the church celebrates the 10th anniversary of Laudato Sí, Pope Francis’ encyclical letter addressed to all people, to “every person living on this planet” to “care for our common home.”

This was the spark that brought approximately 90 people from throughout Canada and the United States to Olive Branch, Mississippi (just south of Memphis), Oct. 7-10, to discuss two seemingly diverse themes: climate change and nuclear weapons. Hosted by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians), the “Dehonian Conference on the Dual Threats of Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons,” featured presentations by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe and Sister Kathleen Storms, SSND. Participants included Dehonian priests and brothers, coworkers, parishioners, students, seminarians and others with a connection to the religious order, including Bishop Joseph Kopacz, who was present on the first day of the conference and celebrated Mass with participants.

Threats to our “common home”
According to the presenters, two of the greatest threats to our “common home” are climate change and nuclear weapons.

OLIVE BRANCH – Bishop Joseph Kopacz speaks to Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe during a live “Q&A” session during the Dehonian Conference on the Dual Threats of Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons that took place between Oct. 7 and 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Mary Gorski)

“Climate change is a normal process, but what we are experiencing now is climate disruption,” said Sister Kathleen. “Disruption gets to the roots of our existence; it creates extinction.”

As she spoke, Florida was bracing for Hurricane Milton, the second of two significant hurricanes with devastating impacts in just a few weeks’ time.

“We often look at the environmental crisis and say it will pass,” she continued. “But it is a different kind of crisis right now. It is felt all over the globe. If we don’t care for creation now, we will be in deep trouble.”

An environmental educator, Sister Kathleen Storms had the opportunity to read Laudato Sí prior to it being published. “For me it has given us a new creed of beliefs founded on the ‘Gospel of Creation,’ as expressed in scripture, teachings of the church over the centuries and by numerous popes,” she said. In 2018, on the third anniversary of the encyclical, she was part of a two-day conference in Rome focused on integral ecology. “A term coined by Pope Francis to speak about the oneness of all creation.”

She urged the Mississippi conference participants to consider an “ecological spiritual conversion,” to reflect on what they can change personally, locally and at an organizational level to better care for our common home.

“What is ours to do?” asked Sister Kathleen. “Our home matters, our creation matters.” And as people of hope, we can work together to bring change. “But it will take every one of us to be the hope needed to make the changes that are necessary.”

Hope is essential
“Hope” may seem an unlikely concept in the midst of presentations on the threats of climate change and nuclear weapons, but it was a word used repeatedly by both of the conference’s presenters.

“Our hope is in Jesus,” said Archbishop John Wester. “We must be people of hope that believe that God will work in us and through us… As Christians, how is the Lord calling me to be an instrument of peace in nuclear disarmament?”

The archbishop was profoundly impacted by a visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2017. When he returned to Santa Fe, he was acutely aware that much of the work of developing and testing atomic bombs took place in New Mexico. He has since become a staunch advocate for universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament.

In 2022, Archbishop Wester published a pastoral letter titled, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”

In the years since, he has continued to keep the issue in the public eye through letters, speeches and regular “pilgrimages of peace” to Japan on the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Via a pre-recorded interview, and a live Q&A through Zoom, Archbishop Wester spoke to the conference about the challenges of disarmament, including arguments for the use of nuclear weapons as a deterrent against aggression.

“I ask, what is better strategy: deterrence or disarmament?” said the archbishop. “If you look at the danger that nuclear weapons pose, and factor in human nature, tyrants, dictators, terrorism and genuine mistakes, I prefer the strategy of disarmament. Some people may say I am naïve, but I think that the ones who are being naïve are the ones who think that deterrence will work.”

To those who say that deterrence is working, Archbishop Wester insists that “we are simply lucky, and luck is not a good strategy to protect lives… just one Trident submarine has the capacity to destroy all of human civilization. It sounds like hyperbole, but it is not…

“If we care about humanity, if we care about our planet, if we care about the God of peace and human conscience, then we must start a public conversation on these urgent questions and find a new path toward nuclear disarmament.”

More than just words
One of the challenges of any conference is turning it into something more than just an isolated moment in time. In small and large-group discussions, participants identified “next steps” to be taken personally and locally to better care “for our common home.”

Such actions included commitments to live more mindfully, leaving a smaller ecological footprint on the planet, buying locally, and using recyclable materials as much as possible, as well as participants’ commitment to educating themselves on the topics of the conference and having the courage to engage others in discussion of the threats of nuclear weapons and climate disruption, emphasizing that nuclear disarmament is a pro-life issue.

Groups from each region committed to continuing the work of the conference in their ministries; setting dates for future meetings on the local level to ensure that the work of the conference is not easily forgotten. Coworkers talked about working towards paper-free offices, where everything from budgets to publications to province assemblies is done digitally.

The conference concluded with a commissioning ceremony in which participants committed – in writing – to actions that they will do personally at home as a follow-up to the conference.

“My dear brothers and sisters, our gathering here in Mississippi is not on the world stage like the big meetings of heads of state or the United Nations, but believe me, if each of us commits to taking concrete action with the tools we will have at the end of this meeting we will make an impact on the world,” said Father Gustave Lulendo, SCJ, regional superior of Canada, in his words of welcome to the conference. “Like the leaven of the Gospel, even though it takes such a small quantity to make the dough rise, we will change the lives of our brothers and sisters by influencing the choices they make to preserve our common heritage, this common home that we want to leave to posterity.”

(Mary Gorski is the communications director for the US province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.)

The Priests of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic religious order of brothers and priests found in over 40 countries around the world. In many they are known as “Dehonians” after their founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon, or by their initials – SCJ – which stands for the official name of the congregation, “Sacerdotum Corde Jesu.” In the United States, the Dehonians have ministries in Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Mississippi, where the order operates two grade schools (Holy Family in Holly Springs and Sacred Heart in Southaven), Sacred Heart Southern Missions, and minister to six parishes in the northern counties of the state.