Updates

Meet our new permanent deacons – Pablo Garcia

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson on July 18, 2026 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. In the following profiles, the new deacons share their vocation stories, the people and experiences that shaped their faith, and their hopes for serving the people of the diocese.

DEACON PABLO GARCIA
Assigned: St. Francis of Assisi, New Albany
Spouse: Isabel Garcia
Hometown: New Albany

Were you raised Catholic, or did you convert to the faith? Raised Catholic

Can you share a moment or journey that deepened your faith or drew you closer to the Church? It was in a very specific moment in front of Holy Sacrament. I asked Him “Lord how may I serve you?” and His way is always perfect. He answered me with this blessing which is the theology that I have been acquiring for the last 5 years. I give thanks in first place to God and the diocese of Jackson and all involved, that have given me this opportunity to grow and learn in this formation of faith. Also, to be able to participate in the service at church and to be able to serve all of His community and to grow in faith towards Him. And I ask Him for wisdom and grace to be able to do His work.

Would you share your vocation story – how did you get called to the diaconate? Yes I would. First, I was called on be half of a priest, to serve the community. After 5 years he told me that he had an invitation for me to participate in the diaconate, that I had to be ready. For this he had already put me in service in specific tasks. Thanks to God the opportunity was give for me to begin. And on behalf of Deacon John McGregor and Bishop Jose Kopaz that gave me this opportunity to be in the formation of faith.

Where do you feel most called to serve as a deacon? Preaching. I feel that when I read the Gospel that He is calling me to preach the words that he wants me to say. The words come to my mind and the thoughts flow through my head very easily to be able to explain the Gospel.

How has your parish community supported you on this journey? The community has been very supportive. And they are always giving me hope. They also give me thanks for putting time in for God. They tell me they are always praying for me and I tell them thank you. I also mention that I am praying for them frequently.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? For me the most challenging has been my English because I do not speak it perfectly. But I pray to God for that wisdom and knowledge so I can for take his message that He wants me to take.

What would you say to someone who might be feeling called to the diaconate? If they are feeling the calling, I would tell them, if you like to serve others don’t think twice. Search for help in his diocese because in every diocese there is always plenty of knowledgeable people that are willing to prepare someone that wants to be a deacon or priest. And that he should pray a lot to the Holy Eucharist for him to make a good decision. Because this is the best path to take and there is no other like it.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? Juan 1:1 because he is the creation and through Him with have the bridge to go to the promised kingdom.

Who is your favorite saint and why? San Juan Maria Vianney. Because he is a very humble saint. That in his life he worked very hard for the conversion of the sinners. His work was so exceptional that everyone recognized him. And because he is the patron of the priest. He did a lot for the Holy Eucharist so people could recognize Jesus in the Eucharist and unit them with Him.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why? Virgen Mary. Because when I see her image, it reminds me of my mother. In every mother is the creation of God, because every woman has that gift of life and came make it possible through God. Just like Mary gave birth to Jesus.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why? Holy Saturday. This is when the whole church is renewed.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you? That every month I go to Jackson and that I have been doing it for 5 years. They are surprised that I go every month. I tell them that only through the grace of God I am able to do so.

Any children? Bernardo Garcia, Irbin Garcia

Deacon’s wives questions:

Isabel Garcia

What did you think when your husband first began to consider ordination? If God have given him the calling, I was no one to stop him.

How has this journey shaped your marriage and your family life? It is better than before.

How has your parish supported your family during this time? It has helped a lot, with advice and prayer.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? To be by myself.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? Juan 6: 51 because though Him he was manifested in the Eucharist that gives us eternal life.

Who is your favorite saint and why?

Padre Pio. For his wisdom and his surrendering to the Lord.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why?

Divine Mercy. For its promises and His love to His children through His mercy.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why?

Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Because he leaves us a reminder that one day we will be resurrected to eternity, like He promised to us.

Meet our new permanent deacons – Jeff Cook

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson on July 18, 2026 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. In the following profiles, the new deacons share their vocation stories, the people and experiences that shaped their faith, and their hopes for serving the people of the diocese.

DEACON JEFF COOK
Assigned: St. Richard, Jackson
Spouse: Ann Cook
Hometown: Madison

Were you raised Catholic, or did you convert to the faith?
 I was raised Southern Baptist and converted to the Catholic faith as an adult in Austin, Texas.

Can you share a moment or journey that deepened your faith or drew you closer to the Church?
 A deacon in Austin, Deacon Pete Schwab, guided me through RCIA. That was the beginning of a deeper growth in my life with Christ.

Would you share your vocation story—how did you get called to the diaconate?
 Ann and I have been discerning this vocation for more than 10 years. When the 2022 cohort before ours was forming, we considered it, but the feedback from both my family and hers was essentially the same: “Maybe one day, but this does not seem like the best time for you.” As the deadlines for the 2026 cohort approached, I entered more intentionally into that “maybe” phase of discernment. One morning at Mass, nothing extraordinary happened, but I left with a deep sense of peace. In that moment, the feeling shifted from “maybe” to “probably.”

Where do you feel most called to serve as a deacon? (For example: charity, preaching, family ministry, etc.)
 I feel called first and foremost to be a visible witness of Christ the Servant through daily prayer and by being fully present as Christ the Servant in the liturgy. This is the “who” of the deacon. As for what I may be called to do, I believe I will be open to serving in many different ways, while also recognizing that I am not called to “do it all.” I hope to invite the laity to join in and lead within their own vocation, since we all share in the universal call to holiness.

How has your parish community supported you on this journey?
 With faithful prayer and authentic joy. It is truly humbling. I am regularly overwhelmed with gratitude for the parish community at Saint Richard.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey?
 The academic 12- to 15-page papers have definitely been a challenge. I am an engineer, not an English major or theologian. At the same time, this has been a wonderful stretch for me in formation. I have also been surprised and encouraged by the many wonderful, gifted, and faithful couples in our deacon cohort. That has been a great blessing for Ann and me.

What would you say to someone who might be feeling called to the diaconate?
 The formation process works. It prepares you and forms you. You do not have to be fully prepared or fully formed before entering discernment. If the Holy Spirit continues to stir your heart, talk to your priest and to a deacon about it. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had started sooner.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why?
Romans 13:14. It reminds me to trust that God will provide everything I need. Our trust in Jesus is not casual; it is total.

Who is your favorite saint and why?
 Blessed Solanus Casey. He is a powerful witness to sacred gratitude and confident hope.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why?
 The Divine Mercy image of Jesus. His mercy is abundant and overflowing. Jesus, I trust in You.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why?
 Good Friday. The prayers at the foot of the Holy Cross are powerful and effective.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
 I was an All-State Lions Band tuba player in high school.

Any children?
 Our son is Timothy, age 28, and our daughter is Catherine Grace, age 25.

WIVES QUESTIONS

Name: Ann Cook

What did you think when your husband first considered ordination?

Initially, I had significant reservations. I worried that the demands of this calling might exceed what we could realistically carry as a family. I questioned whether we could faithfully balance our commitments to family, careers, ministry, and community. While I believed Jeff would be a good deacon, my fears were strong.

Through time spent in quiet prayer, I sensed God speaking clearly to my heart: “I have never led you where you could not go. This is no different, Ann.” In that moment, a deep peace replaced my anxiety. It truly felt as though a burden had been lifted. Praise be to God.

How has this journey shaped your marriage and family life?

This journey has deepened my reliance on the Holy Spirit in a profound way. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours has introduced a steady rhythm of peace into our daily lives. Jeff and I have become more intentional about protecting time together, ensuring that our vocation to marriage remains primary.

Our gratitude—for our faith and for God’s providence—has grown tremendously. Another great blessing has been the fellowship within our cohort of deacon candidates and their wives. Their support was especially meaningful during the sudden loss of Jeff’s father and my mother nearly two years ago.

How has your parish supported your family during this time?

Our pastors, Fr. Joe and Fr. Andrew, have been instrumental—both in allowing Jeff to serve at Mass and in forming him through their example and teaching. The parishioners of St. Richard have supported us with their prayers and encouragement, which we genuinely feel. Their interest in Jeff’s formation has been a constant source of affirmation.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey?

The greatest challenge has been balancing the ordinary demands of life with the time commitments of formation.

The most unexpected gift has been how this journey led me to become a certified spiritual director. It is a beautiful reminder that the Holy Spirit often works in ways we do not anticipate.

Favorite Scripture and why?

Romans 5:5 — “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

This passage continually reminds me that authentic hope is grounded in God’s love, which sustains us in every season.

Who is your favorite saint and why?

It is difficult to choose just one, but St. Thérèse of Lisieux has had a profound influence on my spiritual life. She continually points me toward Heaven as our ultimate goal and teaches me to proclaim God’s goodness, even in suffering. Her words remain close to my heart: “The world is thy ship, not thy home.”

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why?

I am especially drawn to the Annunciation, where Mary models a perfect openness to God’s will. I also have a deep devotion to the Pietà, which reflects the quiet strength, hope, and trust of Our Blessed Mother in the face of suffering.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why?

Holy Thursday, because it celebrates the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood—two of the greatest gifts entrusted to the Church.

Meet our new permanent deacons – Donald Coker

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson on July 18, 2026 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. In the following profiles, the new deacons share their vocation stories, the people and experiences that shaped their faith, and their hopes for serving the people of the diocese.

DEACON DONALD CLINTON COKER
Assigned: Holy Spirit, Hernando
Spouse: Dana Gale Coker
Hometown: Hernando

Were you raised Catholic, or did you convert to the faith? I was raised Southern Baptist.

Can you share a moment or journey that deepened your faith or drew you closer to the Church? I was as catechist for Confirmation in 2015, when Fr. Bob Tucker, SCJ gave a talk to the Confirmation class about the Road to Emmaus and the Eucharist. For the first time, I felt real clarity about the Mass and the Eucharist and that I could teach that to others.

Would you share your vocation story – how did you get called to the diaconate? I felt a call to ministry since I was 17 years old. I was called to acts of service when I became involved with the very active Knights of Columbus Council 7120. I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to deeper service and prayed for years about what that might be. The diaconate is where He was leading me.

Where do you feel most called to serve as a deacon? I feel most called to serve the family by working in Adult Faith Formation, especially the O.C.I.A. By forming adults, we give them the tools they need to evangelize the world, starting with their own families. As Catechesi Tradendae teaches, ongoing adult faith formation “is the principal form of catechesis, because it is addressed to persons who have the greatest responsibilities and the capacity to live the Christian message in its fully developed form.”

How has your parish community supported you on this journey? The parishes of Northwest Mississippi have welcomed me into their churches as a minister of the Word and of the Altar. They have attended well several classes that I have taught and talks on our faith that I have given.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? The most challenging part has been the academic formation. The depth of wisdom that the Catholic Church offers is so vast, one could never learn it all. This formation plunged me deeper into this faith than I ever expected! I have come to better appreciate the deposit of faith that our Church offers. With this formation I expect to be able to minister to nearly everyone who may have questions about our faith and if I don’t have an answer, I have accumulated vast resources to research.

What would you say to someone who might be feeling called to the diaconate? Pray, consult your parish priest, seek out a spiritual director, volunteer for your parish charitable works, and form yourself in the faith by attending Mass and reading as scholarly of Catholic books as you can understand.

Optional:

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? Ephesians 2: 8 “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you but from the gift of God.” Regardless of what we have done or how unworthy we may feel God offers us salvation because He wills it!

Who is your favorite saint and why? Saint Peter, because like me, he often doesn’t understand and doesn’t know what to do, but Jesus redeems him time and again and gives him a ministry to spread the Gospel.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why? The Holy Family. It is the image of who we should be to the world.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why? The Easter Vigil or any Baptism because it’s when we welcome new members into the Church, spreading the Kingdom of God.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you? I am a veteran of both the MS National Guard and the US Navy. I have lived in Japan and have climbed Mount Fuji.

Any children? My wife and I currently have two teenage daughters, Stelliana Grace and Angelina Faith.

Deacon’s wives questions:

Name (as you want it printed): Dana Gale Coker

What did you think when your husband first began to consider ordination? Honestly, I thought he did not have time to fit it into his schedule without being super stressed out, but he persevered and I am so glad.

How has this journey shaped your marriage and your family life? It has helped us place Christ at the center of our family and teach our children how our family is representative of the Holy Family

How has your parish supported your family during this time? Our priest often emphasizes that our family comes first before the deaconate which helps to continuously center us.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? Scheduling special events around his classes.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? Psalm 91 because it dispels fear.

Who is your favorite saint and why? Mary The Mother Of God because she brings me to her son and intercedes for me.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why? The Divine Mercy Chaplet because it asks for Mercy for not only me but for the whole world.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why? The Good Shepherd Sunday (4th Sunday of Easter 2026) because our priest sang us the gospel.

Meet our new permanent deacons – Enrique Amador

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson on July 18, 2026 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. In the following profiles, the new deacons share their vocation stories, the people and experiences that shaped their faith, and their hopes for serving the people of the diocese.

DEACON ENRIQUE AMADOR
Assigned: St. James, Corinth
Spouse: Carolina Fierro-Amador
Hometown: Veracruz, Mexico / Tupelo, Mississippi

Were you raised Catholic, or did you convert to the faith? I was raised Catholic.

Can you share a moment or journey that deepened your faith or drew you closer to the Church? Although I was raised Catholic, my religious life consisted of social events. When I met my high school sweetheart (my now wife), and wanted to ask her out for a date, she asked me to meet her in the 8am Mass at the Cathedral of our hometown. Since then, God used her to bring me closer to him and to grow in my Catholic faith.

Would you share your vocation story – how did you get called to the diaconate? Many years ago, while I was studying an evangelization course program with the SouthEast Pastoral Institute (SEPI), one of the professors was a Deacon. I liked the way he taught us. He was smiling all the time; He was joyous not only about being a professor, but about living his faith, and most specifically about being a deacon. This was my first contact with the ministry of the diaconate. Years later, while studying practical theology with Loyola University New Orleans, and serving in my parish at Tupelo, one priest asked me if I had considered to be a deacon; my answer was: I have not. However, the question remained in my mind, and I started praying about it, above all, before the Blessed Sacrament. Later, I was still serving in different ministries at my parish, and I asked another priest about how to become a permanent deacon. He explained to me about the diaconate ministry and recommended to ask God before the Blessed Sacrament, if He wanted me to become one. I prayed about it for some more months until I felt what I thought was God’s call to do it. I talked about it with my pastor; he agreed with me and supported me to start the process. Since I met the SEPI’s professor to the moment I submitted my application to be considered for the diaconate program, about ten years had passed.

Where do you feel most called to serve as a deacon? (For example: charity, preaching, family ministry, etc.). I feel most called to serve as a deacon in preaching, family ministry, couples, youth, confirmation class.

How has your parish community supported you on this journey? My community has been very supporting through prayers, loving encouraging expressions, some guidance and heartily acceptance. After I was instituted as a Lector and as Minister of Holy Communion, they let me serve in those ministries. Also, they outspokenly cheer me up with prayers and encouraging words.  

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? The most challenging part during this journey has been the formation studies with their heavy workload of assignments, because sometimes we had two or even three courses at the same time. The most surprising thing during this journey has been the outstanding assistance of the Holy Spirit to finish my studies, the profound knowledge I have acquired, and most especially, the way God has been molding me to be his servant. I feel more at peace and sure about myself than before.

What would you say to someone who might be feeling called to the diaconate? I would tell him that the diaconate is a great journey with hard but worthy formation. Also, I would say to him that he will learn and understand more about his faith for sure, and that it is a great blessing to be a servant of God. I would suggest to him to keep praying and asking God before the Blessed Sacrament if this call is for him. Finally, I would assure him that he will not be alone on this journey. I will affirm to him that many people will show him love, support and guidance for him to become a deacon; that his parish community, the professors, the other deacons, the priests and our Bishop will be praying and accompanying him along the way because we all are one same community of family and friends.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? My favorite Scripture passage is Rom 8:28, because it reminds me that everything that happens to me will be for my own good, if I love God. This biblical passage gives me peace and trust in God.  

Who is your favorite saint and why? Saint Theresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She is the patron saint of Missions. Eight years after a vasectomy, my wife and I got three miscarriages. We prayed to the Little Flower to intercede for us in having a baby, now that we discovered the vasectomy had naturally reverted, and she did! We had two more babies. The first one of those has her name: Teresita de Jesus.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why? One of my favorite devotions is praying the rosary. This prayer helps me to be at peace and to keep me accountable of my actions. Also, I know for a fact that it is a powerful prayer for difficult cases.

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why? My favorite liturgy of the year is the Easter Vigil celebration, because it is beautiful and deeply symbolic of our daily spiritual life with the candles in darkness, the blessing of the fire, and the welcoming to new Catholics to our Church.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you? People might be surprised to discover that I am a very reserved person. I get nervous when I need to talk in front of many people, even if I have done it before. I used to, generally, force myself to do it.  

Any children? (if you want it printed).

Yarah, José Enrique, Teresita de Jesús and Juan Francisco, Amador-Fierro.

In heaven: Dulce Maria, Carolina Isabel, Guillermo, Rogelio.

Deacon’s wives questions:

Name (as you want it printed): Carolina Fierro-Amador

What did you think when your husband first began to consider ordination? I thought it was a privilege and felt happy and blessed.

How has this journey shaped your marriage and your family life? Wow, what can I say? This journey has been transformational for my husband and I right from the beginning. It has given us resilience, clarity, and courage to make changes that we had thought of making but never did before. It also prepared us to face extremely difficult family situations that shook us and could potentially break us. Most especially, it has made us humbler to recognize our dependence on God, our limitations, and our fragilities.  

How has your parish supported your family during this time? The parish has been very generous and open to giving my husband plenty of opportunities to strengthen his formation. The parish community, the people of the pews, have been amazingly encouraging and loving towards all of us.

What has been most challenging or surprising during this journey? The most surprising thing has been my direct witnessing of the hard and complex formation that the diaconate life implicates. At the same time, it has been one of the most challenging things as well, because of the time, money and effort invested in the process by both my husband and me.

Do you have a favorite Scripture passage and why? Deuteronomy 6:4-9 because it grounds me on the most important and basic things in life. It gives me direction, peace, and encouragement to continue being loyal to God regardless of the difficulties I face.

Who is your favorite saint and why? Saint Jean-Marie Vianney because he showed me with his life what to do fighting for the people around me, even if they do not want to get closer to God.

Do you have a favorite religious image or devotion and why? Praying the Prayer of the Hours is one of my favorite devotions because it is a powerful experience to know that the universal Church is praying together in the silence and intimacy of ordinary life. Most especially, it has had a mysterious unifying effect in my marriage since my husband and I pray it together. There are two prayers within the breviary that I hold close to my heart and constantly pray them: 1) “Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and sleep, rest in his peace.” 2) “Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our works give you honor, and our voices celebrate you forever.”

What is your favorite liturgy of the year and why? Easter Vigil Mass is my favorite liturgy of the year because the remembrance of God’s love for us through the readings fills me with joy and hope. The symbolism and beauty throughout the celebration leave me in awe, reverence, and gratitude for being part of such a perfect Church regardless.

Meet our new permanent deacons

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson on July 18, 2026 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. In the following profiles, the new deacons share their vocation stories, the people and experiences that shaped their faith, and their hopes for serving the people of the diocese.

Click each photo to read about our new permanent deacons and their wives.

DEACON ENRIQUE AMADOR
Assigned: St. James, Corinth
Spouse: Carolina Fierro-Amador
Hometown: Veracruz, Mexico / Tupelo, Mississippi

DEACON DONALD CLINTON COKER
Assigned: Holy Spirit, Hernando
Spouse: Dana Gale Coker
Hometown: Hernando

DEACON JEFF COOK
Assigned: St. Richard, Jackson
Spouse: Ann Cook
Hometown: Madison

DEACON PABLO GARCIA
Assigned: St. Francis of Assisi, New Albany
Spouse: Isabel Garcia
Hometown: New Albany

DEACON CHRIS HALLIWELL
Assigned: Holy Savior, Clinton
Spouse: Sandy Halliwell
Hometown: Clinton

DEACON WILLIAM VAUTROT
Assigned: St. Gregory the Great, Senatobia
Spouse: Ellen Vautrot
Hometown: Sunset, Louisiana

DEACON HUNTER YENTZEN
Assigned: Holy Savior, Clinton
Spouse: Mary Katherine Yentzen
Hometown: Clinton

A shepherd who gave his life

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, planted the seed of a vocation to the priesthood in Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma farm boy, and once it took root and he set his hand to the plow there was no looking back.

In 1968, already a priest for five years in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma, the Lord directed his life to mission territory in Santiago, Guatemala, where he served until his martyrdom in 1981. With the heart of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, he immersed himself in the world of the indigenous Mayan people entrusted to him. He applied his expertise in farming to improve crop output, and to develop land co-ops with agricultural training centers. He translated the New Testament into their native tongue, launched a radio station that aired the Gospel and church teachings in the region and prepared catechists for the far-flung indigenous communities. He cultivated hope.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

But by the late 1970s, civil war in Guatemala was raging and government death squads had Father Rother in their sights, viewing his achievements as threats to their power and control.

This film is an exceptional rendering of an American martyr whose heart was with his people in life and is enshrined with them in death. He did not run, and in giving his life for the sheep he joined the company of martyrs gathered around the throne of the Lamb of God. The blood of the martyrs, indeed, irrigates the soil, making it fertile for the spread of the Gospel and God’s kingdom.

The above is my review for the documentary “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story.” It’s ironic that I, who infrequently attend movies at the theater or watch at home, have been asked on occasion in recent years to review productions such as “Cabrini,” “The Father Flanagan Story,” “The Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” and others. It’s been a joy to do so, and, in the process, I have learned a great deal from these outstanding servants of God in our Catholic tradition.

Over 20 years ago, I was privileged to go on pilgrimage to El Salvador and Guatemala to the shrines of the martyrs sponsored by the Maryknoll Fathers. Countless women and men were martyred during these proxy wars and among them the following are revered as martyrs.

The Archbishop of San Salvador, Óscar Romero, was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass after repeatedly calling on the military government to stop human rights abuses and assassinations. Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missionary Jean Donovan were abducted, raped and murdered by members of the Salvadoran National Guard soon after Archbishop Romero’s death for their work supporting displaced refugees. In 1989, six prominent Jesuit priests – including Ignacio Ellacuría, along with their housekeeper Julia Elba Ramos and her teenage daughter Celina Ramos, were murdered by an elite military battalion at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañasin in San Salvador. They were targeted for advocating for a negotiated end to the civil war.

During the height of the Guatemalan Civil War, particularly between 1978 and 1983, the military regime systematically targeted local Catholic catechists, Indigenous community organizers, and cooperative leaders whom the state viewed as political threats. An estimated 200,000 people, largely Indigenous Maya, were killed or disappeared during the conflict. Among them was Blessed Stanley Rother, who was serving the Tz’utujil Maya population in Santiago Atitlán. He was shot and killed in his rectory after being falsely labeled a subversive by military forces. He was beatified in Oklahoma City in 2017, a Mass that I was privileged to attend.

Lastly, nearly a decade after the formal end of the civil war, the Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala City Juan José Girardi was bludgeoned to death in his garage on April 26, 1998. Why? For ten years he led a truth and reconciliation commission that was the first opportunity for survivors and families of victims of human rights violations to share their experiences and denounce what happened during the conflict. For years he had endured criticism, stigmatization and threats for his commitment to peace, human rights and the poorest in society. His work led to the wide-ranging report “Guatemala: Nunca más,” presented on April 24, 1998. Two days later Bishop Girardi was martyred.

Recently Bishop Robert Barron released a book entitled, “What do their Deaths Demand? Christian Persecution Today” – a study which authenticates that the blood of the Lamb of God is poured out through the witness of the martyrs in every generation around the world. This reality confronts our commitment as Christians and ought to enliven our courage to serve the Lord unreservedly.

“American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” will be shown Aug. 25-27 at Malco Grandview Cinema in Madison and Malco Desoto Cinema in Southaven. The film will inspire us to walk faithfully with the Lord in a world that is crying out for the integrity of the Gospel.

Called by Name

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The first week of August has become a week of rest, relaxation and fraternity for our diocesan seminarians. At this time each year all of our seminarians gather for a Convocation.

The daily schedule includes prayer and Mass, and – that’s it! Seminarians live a highly programmed life. When they are on campus their schedules are marked out for them day-in and day-out. When they are on summer assignments much of their day is planned for them according to the needs of the parish they are assigned to, and they need to be attentive to the needs set out for them by their supervising pastor. So, for one week we try to give them space and freedom to just … be.

This is not the way it always was. When I first planned Convocation back in 2020, it was highly programmed. But as the men gave me feedback, I realized that they didn’t need more scheduled formational events – their lives were full of that – they needed time together to enjoy one another’s company and decompress.

Thanks to generous parishioners from the Cathedral we go to a hunting camp in the middle of nowhere in Jefferson County and we pray together and eat together and play cards, ping-pong, swim, fish, watch movies, go play a round of golf, and just enjoy each other’s company.

As with all things in the priestly formation program, even this week of ‘not doing much’ has big implications for the life of our future priests. They are learning during this week the value of quality time together. As men discerning a life of celibacy, one of the deepest connections for the priest is his brothers in ministry. We need to plan for and create time for fraternity, and this week is a great example of the joy and recreation that comes forth when that is made a priority.

Diocesan seminarians gather for prayer, rest, recreation and fraternity during their annual August convocation. Pictured from top left are Father Nick Adam, Thomas Taylor, Philip Speering, Father Tristan Stovall, Roberto Becerra, Josh Statham, Joe Pearson, Robert “Tripp” Toole, Kevin Lopez, Henry Haley, Adam Smith, James Villasenor, Grayson Foley and EJ Martin. Photo collage: Philip Speering, Joe Pearson and James Villasenor. (Photos by Joanna King)

I am grateful for our ‘more seasoned’ seminarians who have been in the program for many years and give me feedback of what they feel will be most beneficial in our annual schedule. I think that this year’s Convocation really hit the mark of providing a space for our men to have a great time with one another and rest-up for another year of priestly preparation.

This year’s gathering was aided, I think, by the fact that our four new men had already spent a month living and working in a rectory and getting to know our returning guys. The Seminarian Launchpad, held in June at St. Peter’s in Jackson, helped our new men form bonds with one another before bonding with the older guys during Convocation. I am working with Father Tristan and Bishop Kopacz to build on those initial experiences and onboard our men as helpfully as possible.

It is beautiful and encouraging to see the Lord continuing to work in the lives of our seminarians and our week together in the middle of nowhere was a great reminder that the Lord is answering our prayers for a Homegrown Harvest.

(Father Nick Adam is Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Jackson. He can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

In Assisi, Pope Leo urges young people to become ‘new saints’

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06-08-2026 Visita Pastorale ad Assisi – Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli: Celebrazione della Santa Messa

By Courtney Mares
ASSISI, Italy (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi Aug. 6 to celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Francis with 2,500 young people, urging them to become the “new saints” the world needs today.

The pope celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord for participants in the “Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting,” a four-day gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from across Europe. The basilica was built on the site where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.

“Dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints. Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo said in his homily in the basilica that encompasses the small chapel where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.

“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love and prayer, so that you can bring Saint Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he added.

The pope’s visit is part of the Church’s celebration of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and coincides with the annual August celebration in which pilgrims flock to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to receive a plenary indulgence linked to a mystical experience of St. Francis.

The pope flew from Vatican City to Assisi by helicopter in the morning. Before Mass, he met young people gathered in the piazza in front of the basilica and answered some of their questions, offering advice about vocations and discernment.

He told them that “the deepest vocation, written in every human heart, is a call to communion,” a truth he said sin can obscure. Thankfully, he added, every vocation is also a journey toward redemption and healing.

“Jesus’ invitation to follow him reveals our own dignity and teaches us to honor the dignity of others by placing our trust in them and proving ourselves worthy of their trust,” Pope Leo said. “This dynamic is so liberating that it deserves the wholehearted commitment of our lives.”

The pope also greeted representatives of the Franciscan orders in the basilica’s cloister before celebrating Mass. The opening procession began outside, where the pope blessed young people who followed the Mass from the piazza under the summer sun.
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built in the 16th century, encloses the Porziuncola, a small chapel considered the birthplace of the Franciscan order, which St. Francis founded in 1209.

Each year during the first week of August, pilgrims can receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions linked to a mystical experience St. Francis reported there in 1216, when he asked Christ to grant full remission of sins to those who repented, confessed and prayed in the church.

(Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News.)

Spirituality and steadiness

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Something in us is dissatisfied with the ordinary. There’s something in the ordinary that can have us think that predictable routines, domestic rhythms and commitment to duty can weigh us down, swallow us up and anchor us outside the more rewarding waters of passion, romance, creativity, dance and celebration.

We often vilify the ordinary. I remember a young woman, a student of mine, who shared in class that her greatest fear in life was to succumb to the ordinary, “to end up content, a little housewife and mother, happily doing laundry commercials!”

If you’re an artist or have an artistic temperament, you’re prone to this kind of feeling. That’s one of the propensities of an artist. Doris Lessing, for example, once made the comment that George Eliot could have been a better writer “if she hadn’t been so moral.” What Lessing is suggesting is that Eliot kept herself too anchored in the ordinary, too safe, too secure, too far from the edges.

Kathleen Norris, in her biographical work “The Virgin of Bennington,” shares how as a young writer she fell victim to this kind of ideology: “Artists, I believed were much too serious to live sane and normal lives. Driven by inexorable forces in an uncaring world, they were destined for an inevitable, sometimes deadly, but always ennobling wrestle with gloom and doom.”

An ennobling wrestle with gloom and doom! That does have a seductive sound to it, particularly for those of us who fancy ourselves as artistic, intellectual or spiritual. That’s why on a given day any of us can feel a certain condescending pity for those who achieve simple happiness. Easy for them, we think, but they’re selling themselves short! That’s the artist inside of us speaking. You’ve never seen an artist doing a laundry commercial!

Don’t get me wrong. Not all of this is bad. Jesus, himself, said that we do not live by bread alone. No artist needs that explained. He or she knows that safe routine, dram duty, and a mortgage that’s been paid, alone do not necessarily make for heaven. We need bread, but we also need beauty, color and celebration.

Doris Lessing, who was a great artist, joined the communist party as a young woman but later left it after she’d matured. Why did she leave? One phrase says it all. She left the communist party, she says, “because they didn’t believe in color!”

Life, Jesus assures us, is not meant to be lived in black and white, that is, as simply an endless cycle of rising, showering, going off to work, responsibly doing a job, coming home, having supper, getting things set for the next day and then going back to bed.

And yet, there is much to be said for that seemingly dram routine. The rhythm of the ordinary is, in the end, the deepest wellspring from which to draw joy and meaning. Kathleen Norris, after telling us about her youthful temptation to side-step the ordinary to engage in the more ennobling battle with gloom and doom, shares how a wonderful mentor, Betty Kray, helped steer her clear of that pitfall. Kray encouraged her to write out of her joy as well as her gloom and to “dismiss the romance of insanity as a sham.” As Norris puts it: “She tried hard to convince me of what her friends who had been institutionalized for madness knew all too well: that the clean simple appreciation of ordinary, daily things is a treasure like none on earth.”

Sometimes a different mentor teaches us this. When we regain our health and energy after having been ill, off work, and out of our normal routines and rhythms, nothing is as sweet as returning to the ordinary – our work, our routine, the normal stuff of everyday life. Only after it has been taken away and then given back, do we realize that the clean, simple appreciation of daily things is the ultimate treasure.

Artists, though, are still partially right. The ordinary can weigh us down, and keep us outside the deeper waters of creativity, of romance, of color, and of the wildness that lets us dance. But, that being admitted, anchors and weight also have a positive function. They keep us from being swept away. They anchor our sanity. They keep us steady. The rhythm of the ordinary is perhaps the most powerful anchor of all to hold us in sanity.

Paul Simon, in a 1970s song entitled, “An American Tune,” sings about coping with confusion, mistakes, betrayal, and other events that shatter our innocence. And he ends that rather sad ballad quite peacefully with the words: “Still tomorrow’s gonna be another working day, and I’m trying to get some rest. That’s all I’m trying, is to get some rest.”

Obedience to that imperative helps anchor our sanity. There’s much to be said about being a contented, ordinary person, anchored in the rhythms of the ordinary, trying at the end of the workday to get some rest.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a professor of spirituality at Oblate School of Theology and award-winning author.)