Updates

‘God has not abandoned us,’ says survivor of clergy sex abuse

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By Maria Wiering
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — At a Holy Hour service Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Cathedral of St. Paul, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse told the congregation that God has not abandoned the church now.
“My fellow Catholics: During this abuse crisis, have any of you wondered where God is, and how he is feeling? I have,” he said. “I came to the conclusion that God has not abandoned us. In fact, I believe he is crying right along beside us.”
The abuse survivor, who wished not to be named publicly, was introduced by Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis only as “a vibrant defender of our church and of the faith.”
He spoke at the beginning of a “Holy Hour of Reparation and Prayers for Healing” held in response to the sexual abuse crisis in the church. More than 700 people, including many families with young children and dozens of priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, attended the hourlong service. Archbishop Hebda presided over the liturgy along with Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens.
The liturgy included exposition of the Eucharist and the praying of the seven “penitential psalms” for healing for abuse victims and survivors and healing in the church. The service coincided with the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, a feast day that acknowledges Mary’s suffering during her son’s crucifixion and death.
In his homily, the archbishop asked for prayers for abuse survivors, “that through the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, they might receive the healing that only Christ can bring, might recognize our sorrow and deep shame as sincere, and might contribute as they are able to the transformative change that we need as a local church.”
When the survivor addressed the congregation, he thanked Archbishop Hebda for leading the church through “very difficult times” and he thanked the archbishop and Bishop Cozzens for “tirelessly navigating the damaging effects” of abuse.
He also told the priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters and seminarians that they are on the front lines daily in helping people heal but he acknowledged they can also be misjudged for the deeds of those who have abused others.
The survivor said those who represent the church should be prepared for negative reactions, but they should also know how important it is to be “open, listening and striving to learn and understand what a victim of abuse feels like and how their lives were affected.”
Be willing to let victims express their anger and fear, he told them, and understand their difficulty in trusting others and sometimes God.
He also encouraged all Catholics to show compassion and patience with clergy abuse victims, and to understand that it may take decades for them – and the church – to heal. And to victims, he said, “words cannot begin to describe the feelings and effects of abuse that we have suffered.” 
While all abuse is evil, he said, “what is distinctive about clergy abuse is that it often affects one’s belief in God and our church.” He said that abuse, however, “does not have to destroy” a person’s life, and that “there is help from a God who loves us and is with us.”
When he finished his remarks, he and Archbishop Hebda embraced.
Claudith Washington, 72, said her belief in the power of prayer compelled her to attend the service.
“When I realized that there was an opportunity for us to gather as a huge community, I just couldn’t miss it,” she told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “It’s like, I’ve got to be there to beg for God’s mercy. I believe it will make a difference, I believe it will strengthen the archbishop, I believe it will clarify where we need to go to fix things. For me, it was a concrete action. We’ve been suffering so much, this is a concrete action. We can do something.”
The survivor’s question – where was God? – stuck with her. “My faith makes me know God is in everything we suffer every day,” said Washington, a parishioner of St. Richard in Richfield.
Hearing from an abuse survivor was “one of the best blessings” of the service for Cathedral parishioner Dorothy Kenney, because it made clergy sex abuse concrete.
Overall, the Holy Hour was “very prayerful, very peaceful and the people there, their hearts were really in it, and really asking Our Lady of Sorrows to heal our Church,” said Kenney, 88. “I could just feel that.”

(Wiering is editor of The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.)

Parish Fair traditions hold steady at St. Elizabeth

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CLARKSDALE – The St. Elizabeth Parish Fair celebrated 71 years of fun, school and parish commitment and community-wide participation Tuesday, Sept. 18.
A program from the third fair in 1940 indicates that Father Geoffrey O’Connell first proposed the event. Early fairs included a raffle for a bale of cotton, a barbecue night and the signature meatball and spaghetti supper as well as “nickleodian dances, competitive games and a cake and candy sale,” reads the program.
Currently the fair has one overall chairperson with many chairmen in charge of numerous game booths, horse rides, a silent auction, and the famous delicious “Delta Italian” spaghetti dinner – topped, of course, with yummy meatballs made by the ladies of the parish.
These days, cash has replaced cotton in the raffle. Ticket-holders vied for a $10,000 pot and numerous other prizes.
The Fair’s “coming together” takes months of planning and organizing, ordering booth prizes, cooking and praying for good weather.

CLARKSDALE –Maci and Ellie Kate Flaut enjoy an evening horse ride during the St. Elizabeth Parish Fair Tuesday, Sept. 18. The evening of fun, food and games raises money for the school and parish. (Photos courtesy of Dawn Spinks.)

Will Young decides what to do next at the fair as students play carnival games for big prizes. Stuffed animals are some of the favorites.

 

St. Joseph stages ‘Curious Savage’

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MADISON – St. Joseph School students will present their fall production, “The Curious Savage,’ the first weekend in November. The play, set in a sanatorium, tells the story of wealthy widow Ethel Savage and her greedy relatives, who hope to prove she’s insane to get their hands on her fortune. The action draws in the current residents of the sanitorium and leaves the audience wondering who really has lost their mind.
Students not only perform in the show, but work on the backstage crew, in the lightbooth and do publicity. The poster for the show was designed by St. Joseph junior Aislinn Boggan. The show opens Friday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. with a second show Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. and a closing matinee show Sunday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from https://www.stjoebruins.com/.

Rehearse, St. Joseph fall production, ‘The Curious Savage.’ (Photo courtesy of Joy Dodson)

Blue Mass at St. Richard honors first respondents

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JACKSON – On Wednesday, Sept. 12, St. Richard School participated in a 70-year old Catholic tradition by blessing and praying for first responders at a “Blue Mass.” Above, local officers, deputies, paramedics and firefighters receive their blessing. At right, fourth-grader Aiden Wheatley reads scriptures at Mass. After Mass, the Knights of Columbus provided a breakfast for the guests.(Photos by Wendi Shearer)

Youth briefs

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The Diocese of Jackson Office of Youth Ministry welcomes middle school students to this year’s fall retreat with the theme ‘In His image,” on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14 at Lake Forest Ranch in Macon. The retreat will include games and fun as well as reflection time, an opportunity for Reconciliation, Mass and prayer time.
It is open to all seventh and eighth-graders. A team from NET Ministries will lead the retreat. To register, contact your parish youth minister or email the youth ministry coordinator, Abbey Schuhmann at abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

Festival celebrates immigrant cultures

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By Maureen Smith
TUPELO – On Saturday, September 15, St. James Parish hosted Hispanic Heritage Day which included music, dance, food and a friendly fund-raising competition for the title of Hispanic Queen. The celebration gathered more than 300 people from the parishes of deanery five.
“Our Parish of St. James, began to have this celebration in 2005 for the Independence Day of Mexico. The objective of this event was to spend a family afternoon and share our traditions, with music, dancing – without missing our typical Mexican snacks. Over the years this event has grown a lot and more people have joined,” said Raquel Thompson, coordinator for Hispanic Ministry for St. James. Latinos from New Albany St. Francis, Corinth St. James the Less, Ripley St. Matthew, Pontotoc St. Christopher and the host parish joined in by offering a display of costumes, bringing a dance or musical group, food and drinks typical of their homeland.

“We, as Hispanics in the United States, are proud to share a little of our cultures, customs and traditions that go beyond folk dances, food, etc., so this year we organized it at the deanery level,” explained Thompson. “The goal was to have a meeting of communities to share our faith, promote unity, family integration, inspire our youth and feel the joy of brotherhood that unites us as Latino brothers and sisters in this country, who has welcomed us and feel at home, although we are far from our land,” she continued.
Katia Cruz acted as emcee for the day. At the end of the celebration organizers named a “Hispanic Queen,” conferred on the girl who collected the most money through selling snacks throughout the event. The ladies wore costumes from the countries of origin of their parents. In a short interview with four of the participants, the common denominator was their desire to help their church and therefore their community. Joselyn Acosta, Karen Ruedas, Lorena Benavides and Kaelen López all have dreams for the future as an accountant, nurse and lawyer. The money raised will help all the parishes in the deanery. In the end Kimberly Huerta of New Albany St. Francis was elected as Hispanic Queen 2018, with second place for Daniela Pérez of Corinth and third place for Carolina Acosta of Tupelo.

(Berta Mexidor, Katia Cruz and Raquel Thompson contributed to this story. See more photos in this week’s Catolico.)

Listening sessions

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In an effort to advance the healing process and to support our commitment to transparency, Bishop Joseph Kopacz is sponsoring a series of listening sessions open to the community. There will be four sessions to accommodate people all across our Catholic community.

Franciscan Sister Dorothy Heiderscheit will be the facilitator at each session. She is CEO of Southdown Institute of Toronto, Canada. Southdown Institute was founded specifically to address the needs of religious and clergy around mental health and addiction. Sister Dorothy served as a therapist and director of Family Ministry at Catholic Charities of Jackson from 1987 to 2000.

Before you come, we ask that you read the diocesan statement addressing what we do when abuse is reported, what we have done in the past and what we are doing now to prevent abuse in the Diocese of Jackson. It can be found here: https://jacksondiocese.org/2018/09/a-reason-for-hope-the-diocese-of-jacksons-commitment-to-our-children/

We also ask that you submit questions in advance in writing here: https://jacksondiocese.org/contact/ Use the subject “Listening Sessions.”

A Spanish interpreter will be available at each session.

Thursday, Oct. 4, Tupelo St. James Parish, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 5, Cleveland Our Lady of Victories Parish, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 6, Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 11 a.m.

Sunday, Oct. 7, Natchez St. Mary Parish, 4:30 p.m.

Encuentro opens with procession, papal message, prayers for abuse victims

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By Norma Montenegro Flynn
GRAPEVINE, Texas (CNS) – A video message from Pope Francis and a procession of Encuentro crosses representing all of the participating episcopal regions were the highlights during the first day of the National Fifth Encuentro gathering taking place Sept. 20-23 in Grapevine.
With hearts full of excitement and joy, about 3,000 Hispanic ministry leaders cheered as they welcomed representatives for each of the 14 episcopal regions approaching the stage and carrying the same crosses and colorful banners that accompanied their gatherings during the multiyear process of discernment and consultation that began at their parishes. The crosses were placed on the stage by the bishops who served as chairs for each region.
The Diocese of Jackson’s delegation, led by Bishop Joseph Kopacz, had four members: Susana Becerril, Maria Isamar Mazy, Danna Johnson and Sister María Elena Méndez, MGSpS, one of the coordinators for Hispanic Ministry for the diocese.
Pope Francis captivated the audience with a video message that was received with a standing ovation.
“I see that the Fifth Encuentro is a concrete way for the church in the U.S. to respond to the challenge of going beyond what is comfortable, business as usual, and to become a leaven of communion for all those who seek a future of hope, especially young people and families that live in the peripheries of society,” the pontiff said.
He also urged them to continue the process of pastoral conversion at all levels through an encounter with one another centered in the adoration of Jesus Christ.
The gathering, also known as V Encuentro, brings under one roof about 2,700 diocesan representatives, 125 bishops from 159 dioceses and archdioceses across the country, and other members of Catholic organizations. During the four-day event, they continued the discernment process to develop a national pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the crowd and addressed the need for healing and accountability sparked by the clerical sex abuse scandal.
“As bishops, we have fallen short of what God expects of his shepherds. By this we again ask forgiveness from both the Lord and those who have been harmed, and from you, the people of God.” Cardinal DiNardo said.
He emphasized the efforts being made to support and accompany survivors in their healing and to implement stronger protections against sexual abuse.
“Amidst this darkness the Encuentro is a light that shines and illuminates the way forward. The enthusiasm, compassion, the love and the joy of the Encuentro process is a means of grace. A gift to us as we rebuild the church,” the cardinal told the Encuentro participants.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio led the evening prayer and asked for prayers for the victims of clerical sexual abuse.
“Let us pray to God for the victims of the crimes that led to this crisis. Do everything you can for the healing of all the victims of these abuses and pray also for the perpetrators and for us, your shepherds,” Archbishop Garcia-Siller said.
Remembering the nearly five decades of encuentros in the United States, Mercy Sister Ana Maria Pineda, a theologian at Santa Clara University in California, called the Texas gathering a historic moment.
“We are the elders and the offspring of the sacred history woven with the many threads of the past and the present and looking toward the future,” she said. “We recall the past and how God has traveled with us throughout these many decades as Catholic Hispanics, Latinos.”
Sister Pineda has participated in all the encuentros since 1972, when the first Encuentro took place in Washington. During that very first gathering, priests, bishops and lay leaders proposed significant ways to attend to the pastoral needs of Hispanic Catholics.
In 1977, the second Encuentro also was held in Washington with the theme of “Pueblo the Dios en Marcha” (“People of God Going Forward”).

“In my memory, it is like a Pentecost moment,” Sister Pineda recalled. That year about 1,200 Hispanic Catholic leaders reflected on issues such as evangelization, ministries, human rights, education and political responsibility.
Sister Pineda described it as a turning point in which they shared stories of joy, sorrow, neglect and hope. They were drawn together as a Hispanic community and became aware of the unique contributions they offered to society and the church. In turn, the church was motivated to respond more authentically to the needs of that growing community.
The third Encuentro, in 1985, focused on youth, the poor and human dignity, and led to the creation of a national pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry.
Encuentro 2000 embraced the many culturally diverse communities in the United States and the cultural and religious contributions that also enrich the church, Sister Pineda said.
Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth welcomed the participants, including international guests such as Archbishop Christophe Pierre; Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; and bishop-representatives from the Latin American bishops’ council, or CELAM, as well as from Canada, El Salvador and Mexico.
Through a process of missionary work, consultation, leadership development and community building, the Encuentro seeks to develop better ways in which the Catholic Church responds to Hispanic Catholics in parishes around the country and to strengthen them as leaders and missionary disciples.
Look for reflections from the local delegation in the next Mississippi Catholic.