Author Archives: Mississippi Catholic

National congress sends forth Catholics to ignite new Pentecost as Eucharistic missionaries

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By Peter Jesserer Smith
INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) – As five days of the National Eucharistic Congress concluded with one final revival and a beautiful solemn Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium – Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, board chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., stood in Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I have a question for you,” he told the crowd. “This is the 10th National Eucharistic Congress – do you think we should do an 11th one?”

Some 60,000 congress participants – representing 50 U.S. states, 17 countries, and various Eastern and Western churches, and speaking over 40 languages – cheered wildly in the stadium.

They also again rose to their feet to give the U.S. Catholic bishops an enthusiastic standing ovation for making possible the five-day congress with its impact sessions, breakout sessions, special events, revival nights with Eucharistic adoration and Benediction and beautifully celebrated reverent Masses.

The event reflected the diversity of a church all united in the same Eucharistic Lord and eager to use their gifts for a new Pentecost in the church.

Prelates and clergymen process following morning Mass at Lucas Oil Stadium July 18, 2024, during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

The first day of the July 17-21 congress began with an evening revival as the 30 perpetual pilgrims, who had walked the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes, took their final official steps of their eight-week journey into the stadium carrying icons of each route’s respective patron saints – St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St. Junipero Serra, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Blessed Virgin Mary – that were put around the altar where the Blessed Sacrament was placed.

“How will we know that we are experiencing Eucharistic revival?” Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S., asked in his keynote speech July 17, encouraging everyone to surrender their hearts to the Lord over the next few days. “When we are truly revived by the Eucharist,” he said, “then our encounter with Christ’s real presence in the sacrament opens us to an encounter with him in the rest of our life” and then “spills over in our daily life, a life of relating to others, our way of seeing others.”

Every day of the congress began with most congress-goers joining in beautifully and reverently celebrated Eucharistic liturgies in the stadium – including a July 20 Holy Qurbana, the Syro-Malabar form of the Eucharistic liturgy, prayed in English. Additional morning and evening Masses at nearby sites in different languages, such as Spanish or Vietnamese, or in different forms, such as the Byzantine rite or the older usage of the Roman rite.

Three days of the congress, July 18-20, were split between seven morning impact sessions and nearly 20 afternoon breakout sessions on a variety of topics meant to form, equip and inspire people, including clergy, to live more deeply their faith in light of Jesus making himself truly present in the Eucharist – and how to practically bring what they have learned into their parishes, ministries, groups and families.

The exhibit halls in the Indiana Convention Center were packed during the congress, as long lines formed for exhibits such as the Shroud of Turin or Eucharistic miracles. The convention center was also a place where the spontaneity of joy could be seen and felt. Young people marched through chanting their love for Jesus, while further on, a group of Catholic women, dressed in traditional apparel from Cameroon, sang and danced their love for Jesus and Mary to the delight of those gathered around them.

Congress-goers had the opportunity to attend off-site events such as The Catholic Project’s panel discussion July 19 that explored the challenges of navigating the dating landscape as Catholics.

Tens of thousands of congress-goers at the revivals – and the liturgies as well – eagerly joined their voices in singing the beautiful hymns and chants, both traditional and contemporary, in English, Spanish, Latin and other languages. The congress saw the musicianship of Dave and Lauren Moore, Sarah Kroger and Matt Maher, as well as the talents of the men’s ensemble Floriani and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

“The reverence was just awe-inspiring, and that’s something I would like to take back to our parish,” Deacon Robb Caputo of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, told OSV News.

The nightly revival sessions created a sensory experience of awe around the Eucharistic Lord, as tens of thousands prayed in silent contemplation before the Eucharist on the altar – illuminated in the dark stadium by spotlights. Adoring Jesus in the stadium, concluding with Benediction, was the pinnacle movement of each evening.

Keynote speakers and testimonies helped keep people’s eyes fixed on Jesus’ personal love for them and his desire to be close to them.

One such nightly revival, focused on healing, indicated the problem with Catholic belief in the Eucharist – was more about the heart than the head, and needed Catholics to repent of their indifference to Jesus.
“Knowledge can make us great, but only love can make a saint,” said Father Mike Schmitz, the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, priest known for chart-topping podcasts “The Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year.” Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, who survived four wars in the Middle East, recounted how in the midst of her own personal suffering she heard Jesus say in her heart: “That even on the cross and through the cross, we can still choose to love.”

Jonathan Roumie, the actor famous for his portrayal of Jesus in the hit miniseries “The Chosen,” told the audience at the final revival night July 20 after reading Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse from John 6, “The Eucharist for me is healing. The Eucharist for me is peace, the Eucharist for me is my grounding. The Eucharist for me is his heart within me.”

Murielle and Dominic Blanchard of Gallup, New Mexico, navigated the congress with six children aged 8 and under, including 20-month twins, and a baby on the way. They said the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium was key for them, because it provided both formation for their older children and had space for the twins to play.

Throughout the congress, the historic and stately St. John’s Catholic Church across from the Indiana Convention Center’s main entrance fulfilled its role as a spiritual hub. A steady flow of pilgrims came and went from the main church during 24-hour adoration throughout the congress. It had times for silence as well as times geared toward families, where children were invited to get close to the Eucharist, put a flower in a vase near the monstrance, and just adore as beautiful, simple melodies lifted up the packed church in prayer.

More than 1,200 religious sisters and brothers, 1,170 priests, 630 deacons, 610 seminarians and 200 bishops participated in the congress, according to congress organizers. At a press conference July 19, Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez said he had never seen anything like the congress, as a non-papal event, in his 35 years of priesthood.

“You can sense the energy of what’s happening here, which is touching hearts,” he said, adding the experience was making him think about how to respond to the need for the church’s sacraments to be more accessible.

The highlight came July 20 as tens of thousands of Catholics followed behind the truck-pulled, flower-rimmed float carrying the Blessed Sacrament accompanied by Bishop Cozzens and Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. They walked 10 blocks from the convention center through downtown Indianapolis to the Indiana War Memorial Plaza for what Bishop Cozzens said “might be the largest Eucharistic procession in the country in decades.”

Nancy Leuhrmann of Cincinnati told OSV News the experience, which culminated in Eucharistic adoration and Benediction at the plaza, was “really wonderful, seeing all the people just quiet, reverent and joyful.” Leuhrmann said the security presence didn’t have much to do and she noted the officers thanked the crowd for making their jobs easy.

At the sending-forth Mass July 21, Pope Francis’ special envoy to the congress, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, delivered a homily with warmth, joy and humor that made participants both laugh and feel inspired as he told them, “A Eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people.”

“We should not keep Jesus to ourselves,” he said, exhorting them not to use their time in church to escape others, but to “share Jesus’ tender love” with “the weary, the hungry and suffering … the lost, confused and weak.”

“Go and share Jesus’ gift of reconciliation and peace to those who are divided,” he said, emphasizing, “Let us proclaim Jesus joyfully and zealously for the life of the world!”

Bishop Cozzens revealed there would be another National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in 2025 from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, and possibly an earlier National Eucharistic Congress than 2033.

But he invited people to take this experience of the congress and – echoing Cardinal Tagle’s call for Eucharistic “missionary conversion” – join the congress’s “Walk with One” initiative.

“Commit yourself to walking with one person,” he said. “Commit yourself to becoming a Eucharistic missionary, someone who lives deeply a Eucharistic life, and having received that gift, allows themselves to be given as a gift.”

(Peter Jesserer Smith is national news editor for OSV News. Staff from OSV News, The Criterion and Simone Orendain contributed to this report.)

Youth

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Around the diocese

VICKSBURG – Father Rusty Vincent blesses the backpacks of parish youth on Aug. 4 at St. Paul parish. (Photo by Allyson Johnston)
PEARL – Kathleen Edwards leads a class during Vacation Bible School at St. Jude Pearl on July 17. (Photos by Adeline Bokros)
TUPELO – Youth of St. James Church had a grand time celebrating VBS from July 15-19. The theme was “God is Surely Alive,” a take-off from the “Chronicles of Narnia” storyline. Many themes from the Narnia story were reenacted and compared to the story of Christ. Youth learned about being strong and courageous, being called to a great mission, forgiving and “let it go”, and finally … God’s not dead, He’s surely alive! (Photo by Rhonda Swita)
CAMDEN – Father Guy Wilson celebrated the Sacrament of first Holy Communion with Aaliyah Johnson and Kevin Robinson Jr. on May 26. (Photos by Martina B. Griffin)
PEARL – The St. Jude youth group and Feed My Sheep Ministry served lunch at Poindexter park in Jackson to those experiencing homelessness on Aug. 11. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

In times of trial know that nothings impossible for God, pope says

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Each Christian and the whole Catholic Church must hold fast to the promise that “nothing is impossible for God,” especially when facing difficulties, Pope Francis said.

Resuming his weekly general audiences Aug. 7 after a six-week summer break, the pope returned to his series of audience talks about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.

“Without the Holy Spirit, the church cannot keep moving, the church doesn’t grow, the church cannot preach,” he told pilgrims and visitors sheltered from the summer heat in the air-conditioned Paul VI Audience Hall.

Two women holding signs and shouting for the church to formally declare bullfighting a sin interrupted the reading of a passage from the Bible at the beginning of the audience. Security escorted them out of the audience hall.

Looking at how the Holy Spirit enlivens and assists the church, Pope Francis said people often wonder, “How is it possible to proclaim Jesus Christ and his salvation to a world that seems to seek only well-being in this world?”

Pope Francis blesses a Bible as he greets newlyweds at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Aug. 7, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

The answer, he said, is given in the Acts of the Apostles: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”

Notice, the pope said, the words are almost the same as those the Angel Gabriel said to Mary when she asked how it would be possible that she would conceive and bear God’s son.

“What is said about the church in general also applies to us, to every baptized person,” Pope Francis told the crowd. “In life, all of us sometimes find ourselves in situations beyond our strength, and we ask ourselves: ‘How can I cope with this situation?’ It helps, in such cases, to repeat to ourselves what the angel said to the Virgin: ‘With God nothing will be impossible.’”

The pope prayed that everyone would find the strength to keep going “with this comforting certainty in our hearts: ‘With God nothing will be impossible.’”

“If we believe this, we will perform miracles,” he said. “With God nothing will be impossible.”

American Olympic medalists in Paris known for leaning on faith

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By OSV News
(OSV News) – Among American Olympians achieving a spot on the podium in Paris are Catholics who have expressed their dependence on faith over the years as they’ve pursued excellence in their athletic pursuits.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky is outspoken about how her Catholic faith guides her life.

On Aug. 3, Ledecky became the most decorated American female gold medalist in any sport as well as one of only two women from any nation, in any sport, to win nine gold medals. It was her fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 800 freestyle. She has 14 medals total. Just two days earlier she won her 13th Olympic medal – in itself historic. She took silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

After the 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo, the Catholic school graduate told the Catholic Standard, the Archdiocese of Washington’s newspaper, that she prayed the Hail Mary before each race to calm her nerves, just as she had during the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

U.S. women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay silver medal winners Erin Gemmell, Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden and Claire Weinstein, celebrate on the podium after winning Aug. 1, 2024, during the Olympic Games at Paris La Defense Arena. Gemmell and Ledecky are graduates of Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland. (OSV News photo/Evgenia Novozhenina, Reuters)

“My faith remains very important in my life, especially the last two years,” Ledecky told the Catholic Standard in 2021. She noted that watching livestreamed Mass, celebrated by her godfather Jesuit Father Jim Shea at a parish in Charlotte, North Carolina, helped her through the pandemic.

“My faith is strong, and I realized more how important that is,” she said.

Ledecky, 27, has nine gold, four silver and one bronze Olympic medals. In Paris, she is teammates with two fellow alumnae of her all-girls high school, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland: Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell. Gemmell medaled alongside Ledecky with the 4×200 meter relay.

Ledecky and Bacon also attended the elementary Little Flower School in Bethesda, where both families are members of the parish.

They are among a host of U.S. Olympians who are Catholic, were raised in the faith, or attended Catholic schools or colleges and are now competing in Paris. Several have spoken in the past about the role their faith has played in their training and shaped their self-perception.

U.S. Olympic gymnast and Paris gold medalist Simone Biles, who was raised Catholic and in years past spoke about the role of faith in her life, has said she credits God for her success.

The high-flying 27-year-old, who trains in Spring, Texas, at her World Champions Centre gym, said in the past that when she travels, she sometimes takes with her a statue of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, and she also carries a rosary her mother gave her. Her parents have told media that they often pray the rosary for Simone. Biles and her family have also been known to attend St. James Catholic Church in Spring.

Biles, who won gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition in Paris Aug. 1 and helped lead the U.S. women to a team gold July 30, made those comments to Us Weekly in 2016.

“I never thought I’d be who I am,” she told Vanity Fair in a story published in January, “but look at God’s blessings.”

Simone Biles of United States in action on the Floor Exercise Artistic Gymnastics Women’s All-Around Final during the 2024 Paris Olympics at Bercy Arena Aug. 1, 2024. She won the gold medal. (OSV News photo/Mike Blake, Reuters)

In recent years, Biles has been more private about her faith journey. In 2021, she diverged from church teaching on abortion access, saying on Twitter (now X) that she was “very pro-choice” arguing “you should not control someone elses body/decision.”

However, Biles has also been outspoken about addressing and prioritizing mental health, an issue the U.S. bishops have sought to raise with the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. Following the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, Biles (a survivor of sexual abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar, a USA Gymnastics’ national-team doctor) publicly admitted that she struggled with her mental health and athletics. At the time, she had stepped out of the Olympic competition after experiencing the “twisties,” a sense of disorientation when in motion that could lead to serious injury.

In Paris, however, Biles has exuded confidence – publicly thanking her therapist for routine care – and her dedication to her sport has paid off, with many calling her the “greatest of all time.” She is now the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history, with nine Olympic medals.

Ryan Murphy, a Catholic swimmer who grew up in Florida, is taking home a bronze medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke. In a 2016 interview with the National Catholic Register, he described the importance of having an active prayer life and living out his faith. He said, “I’m a firm believer in God. My faith is important to me. There are, however, times when I rely on him more than others. Overall, I am private in my spirituality.”

Murphy, 29, drew the spotlight in Paris not only for his race, but for the sign his wife, Bridget, held up as he was walking to the podium: “Ryan it’s a girl!” The couple, who married in September, are reportedly expecting their first child in January.

A former altar boy, Murphy described his family to the Register as ardent supporters of Catholic education. The story described him as having “a great devotion to St. Christopher, the patron saint of swimmers.”

He garnered attention during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – where he won three gold medals – after genuflecting following a swim.

“I believe God has given me a great talent, for which I’m eternally grateful,” he told the Register at the time. “My faith gives me comfort despite the outcome of a race. I ultimately believe – I know – God has a larger plan for me.”

(Staff of the Texas Catholic Herald also contributed to this story.)

From humble beginnings to flourishing faith: The journey of Catholic prison ministry

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GUEST COLUMN
By Father Lincoln Dall

On the week of July 8, I arrived on the beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana to conclude my participation in the Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program, the culmination of a two year journey. In the inaugural cohort of this program, eighteen of us have been focusing the past two years on projects dedicated to fostering a Eucharistic culture in our parishes, dioceses, Catholic schools, and communities in conjunction with the Eucharistic revival in the United States.

For these past two years, my project has been focused on developing the Catholic prison ministry around the Eucharist at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) in Pearl.

Back when I started this project in the summer of 2022, we were just recently granted access again to the inmate population after the pandemic lockdown. We struggled to get into the prison to celebrate Mass with the men, only seeing them once or twice a month at best. We often had to meet in the foyer of a building or at the prison fire station or outside the prison cafeteria on a picnic bench with pigeons lurking overhead. However, we never gave up on this ministry even in the midst of many roadblocks and challenges.

Finally, in the spring of 2023, we were granted access to the main chapel at the prison where we were able to celebrate Mass weekly with the men there. We now have altar servers, lectors, a Eucharistic minister, and ushers, just like any other parish in our diocese. We even have a tabernacle now at the prison chapel, with Jesus being present with them in the Blessed Sacrament every moment of the day.

We also have men in our Catholic community who visit the other inmates on pastoral visits and who invite them to join us for Mass and for our other activities. We form the men to see themselves as Eucharistic missionaries, living out the spirit of the Eucharist in the harsh prison environment. The Lord has blessed us in abundance with this vibrant ministry in which we sometimes have four different Masses in a week and in which more than 20 men have entered the church through the RCIA program this past year.

PEARL – Father Lincoln Dall and prisoners at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) hold hands in prayer at a recent gathering and Mass. (Photos courtesy of Father Lincoln Dall)

I was so excited to present my project about our prison ministry on that recent visit to the Notre Dame campus. My classmates and professors have been so supportive of our prison ministry. In conjunction with my presentation, I presented two videos prepared by the inmates themselves, showing the history of our Catholic prison ministry and giving testimony as to how many lives have been transformed. My professors and classmates were very enthusiastic about the progress of our prison ministry and about the Eucharist being at the center of all we do.

SOUTH BEND, IND. – Father Lincoln Dall and classmates from the Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program at Notre Dame University pose for a photo. The class recently concluded their two year program.

Dr. Tim O’Malley, the professor at the heart of the Mathis Liturgical Leadership program, believes that the success of the Eucharistic renewal will hinge upon the way we implement at Eucharistic culture on the local level. Our Catholic prison ministry is in the process of writing a memoir about our experiences of forming a Catholic community behind bars. We also are in the process of getting more formation for the men in leadership positions in our ministry through the Catholic Distance University and through our diocese’s catechist certification program. We are also implementing a garden project, in which the men will learn gardening techniques and skills that they will be able to take home to their families when they are released from prison.

I have been involved in prison ministry for the sixteen years I have been a priest, ever since I received a letter from an inmate in the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond requesting a visit from me. It amazes me how the humble beginnings of this ministry have now developed like the small mustard seed growing into a huge plant in Mark’s Gospel. I am grateful to the Mathis Liturgical Leadership Program of the University of Notre Dame, of the way that program has helped our Catholic prison ministry at CMCF flourish with so many blessings from God.

(Father Lincoln Dall is vicar general for the Diocese of Jackson and pastor of Holy Savior in Clinton and Immaculate Conception in Raymond.)

Briefs

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NATION
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Celebrating an Aug. 3 Mass for the Outreach 2024 LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference at Georgetown University, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington stressed the need for sincere dialogue in seeking unity in the Catholic Church. “In many respects, you are engaging in an act of synodality – the vision and invitation proposed by Pope Francis that sincerely and openly speaking and listening to one another under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the way that the church grows in perfection,” Cardinal Gregory said in his homily at the Mass, which was celebrated at the university’s Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart. The annual Outreach conference – held Aug. 2-4 this year – brings together Catholics who identify as LGBTQ and supporters of that community. According to the conference’s website, the gathering is held to “build community, share best practices and worship together.” The cardinal praised the Outreach conference attendees for their willingness to engage in discussions at a challenging time for the Catholic Church and the United States. Concluding his homily, the cardinal said, “The presence and the pastoral needs of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers may often be viewed as a volatile topic, but they must be faced with sincerity and genuine compassion. I pray that this conference advance that goal and make us a stronger, holier, and more welcoming church and nation.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Catholic Benefits Association filed a motion July 24 in federal court for preliminary injunction against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over two regulations it says violates Catholics’ religious beliefs. The group objects to two regulations issued earlier this year. One is the final regulation issued for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, granting workers protections for time off and other job accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions such as miscarriage, stillbirth and lactation – but also for abortion, which was opposed by many of the bill’s supporters, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The other was a provision of the EEOC’s “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment,” which CBA CEO Doug Wilson argued in a statement means that “if an employer declines to use an employee’s preferred pronouns or refuses to grant him or her access to bathrooms or locker rooms for the opposite sex, such decisions would constitute actionable sexual harassment.” Both regulations, Wilson said, “imposed mandates unacceptable for Catholic employers and never intended by Congress.” Martin Nussbaum, CBA’s general counsel at the Colorado Springs-Colorado-based First and Fourteenth law firm, explained to OSV News the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of its Chevron doctrine eliminates the courts’ deference to regulatory agencies’ interpretation of law that would have put a heavier burden on the CBA’s legal challenge. The CBA’s membership comprises Catholic dioceses, hospitals, school systems, religious orders and other entities that offer their employees insurance and benefit programs that adhere to Catholic teaching.

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he dreams of visiting China one day and, especially, praying at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan near Shanghai. In an interview with Jesuit Father Pedro Chia, director of communications for the Jesuit’s Chinese Province, the pope said he also would want to meet with the country’s bishops and with all Chinese Catholics, who “are indeed a faithful people who have gone through so much and remained faithful.” Vatican-Chinese relations have been difficult for decades with the country’s communist authorities being suspicious of Catholicism as a “foreign” influence on their people. The interview, conducted in Spanish, was filmed in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 24, the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, also known as Our Lady Help of Christians. The Jesuit’s Chinese Province released the video on YouTube Aug. 9.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – More than a week after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, the Vatican joined people who complained that a segment of the show featuring drag performers offended Christians. “The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes in the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris and can only join the voices that have been raised in recent days to deplore the offense caused to many Christians and believers of other religions,” said the statement published by the Vatican press office late Aug. 3. The Vatican statement did not specifically identify the July 26 performance, which featured drag performers, including one wearing a crown, seated at a table in a scene that reminded many people of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper. “In a prestigious event where the whole world gathers around common values, there should be no allusions that ridicule the religious convictions of many people,” the Vatican statement said.

WORLD
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (OSV News) – At least 11 churchmen have been detained by police and paramilitaries over a weeklong assault in northern Nicaragua, depleting the already demoralized Diocese of Matagalpa – whose leader, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, lives in exile. Nine priests and a deacon were detained Aug. 1 and 2 – with some taken from parishes and parish residences – according to independent Nicaragua media. An octogenarian priest was also detained July 27 in the Diocese of Estelí, where Bishop Álvarez is apostolic administrator. “The Diocese of Matagalpa practically no longer has any clergy. We’ve been expelled, pressured and forced to flee. Parishes are on their own,” an exiled priest, familiar with the diocese, told OSV News. “(The church) has been attacked from all sides. They’ve removed clergy, they’ve frozen its accounts. The church has survived,” he added. But he said of the ruling Sandinista regime, “Their ultimate goal is is to exterminate the diocesan church where Monsignor Rolando (Álvarez) is still bishop.” The arrests reflected the deepening repression of the Catholic Church in the Central American country, which has careened toward totalitarianism. President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosarillo Murillo, continue to crack down on dissent, close spaces for civil society and infringe on freedom worship – with priests being spied upon and forced to watch their words during Mass.

SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – The Aug. 9 passenger plane crash in the city of Vinhedo, Brazil, killed all 62 on board, greatly touching different Catholic communities in the country. Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the crash during his Aug. 11 Angelus prayer in the Vatican: “Let us … pray for the victims of the tragic air crash in Brazil,” he said. A twin-engine turboprop plane, traveling from Cascavel, in Paraná state, to Guarulhos airport, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, crashed close to residential buildings, dropping 17,000 feet in just one minute, only 45 miles away from its destination. Many of Voepass Brazilian airline passengers lived in the region of the Archdiocese of Cascavel, which released a letter of condolences a few hours after the incident and informed that all Masses celebrated over the following three days would be dedicated to the victims. “Our Archbishop, José Mário Scalon Angonese, expresses his deepest solidarity to the families affected by this tragedy. He joins the community in prayer and offers his spiritual support, wishing that divine comfort can alleviate the sorrow and pain of everyone who is suffering,” the note, posted on the archdiocese’s Facebook page, read. The parish church of St. Peter the Apostle in Guaratinguetá, in São Paulo state, was also affected by the tragedy. Local churchgoers Maria Auxiliadora Vaz de Arruda and her husband José Cloves Arruda were among the victims. Father Aloísio dos Santos Mota released a statement in order to express his special sorrow for the loss of the couple. The wife, called Dona Dôra in her church community, was known all across the region. “I’ve been her parish priest for five years, since I arrived in Guaratinguetá. She had an iconic presence in our church, a protagonism that everybody could notice,” Father Mota told OSV News.

St. Francis of Assisi in New Albany continues celebration of 75 years

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By Galen Holley
Much like the French author Marcel Proust, in his multi-volume novel Remembrance of Things Past, it was a cookie that stood out in James McChesney’s mind as an intimate link to history.

“My wife, Sally, used to get up early on Sundays and bake six dozen cookies for the after-church social,” said McChesney,speaking of the old days, when he and Sally had to slap their children’s hands to keep them away from the baked during the drive to church.

“Snickerdoodle, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, English tea,” said McChesney. He was seated at a side table which made room for his walker. McChesney and several of his fellow parishioners, several of them octogenarians, were at the seventy-fifth anniversary celebration of St. Francis Church. It was held at the Union County Heritage Museum on June 29. More than sixty parishioners gathered to look over old photos, enjoy hors d’ourves, and to share stories about the church’s beginnings.

A collage of sepia colored photographs passed on a projector screen. McChesney saw an image of himself. He beheld a much younger man, dressed in a Western style shirt, standing next to another of the old-timers, Ralph Hanskiewicz. Ralph and his wife, Bea, have been members of St. Francis for several decades.

Helen Roberts Greer also saw a younger version of herself on the screen. Born into the church in 1952, Greer grew up with seven siblings as a member of St. Francis. Greer was raised in the countryside and remembered several young seminarians visiting. The soon-to-be-priests enjoyed homemade biscuits, garden vegetables, and all the delicious, wholesome fare of an abundant, country table. Greer’s parents planted flowers, and women from the church used them in the May Crowning each year.

Greer was particularly fond of a hard working priest from the Glenmary Home Missioners named Bob Rademacher. Father Bob helped rural families pick cotton and do all manner of farm work. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

At the celebration on June 29, former parishioners, who’d long since moved away, showed up for the event with pictures of great grandchildren in their wallets. Lorraine Turner was there. She was celebrating the memory of her mother and long-time member, Betty Lang, who passed in 2016.

Names rose up like prayers from conversations around the room. People remembered Bill and Shelia Towner, the artist M.B. Mayfield, musician Kerry Lynch, as well as Marion Coltharp. Faithful member Mary Goins’s son, Kelly, gave a moving testimonial about how the Catholic Youth Organization touched his life.
Sarah Pierce joined St. Francis some 30 years ago. She almost cried talking about her passion for the church.

“I love the Catholic Church,” Pierce said. “It’s the pinnacle of my heart.” Maxine Hall was there, helping and praying as always. Twin brothers Ronnie and Donnie Rosetti have been strong supporters and committed members for decades. Ronnie shook hands and hugged necks as is his usual custom.
“‘I want people to become Catholic, because I love this church,” he said.

A painting hangs in the fellowship hall at St. Francis Church on Highway 15. It’s a portrait of a demure, stately, tastefully dressed woman named Dorothy Kelso. Her name was on the lips of all the old-timers gathered at the museum on June 29. Kelso moved with her family to New Albany in 1922, and the first Mass was celebrated in the Kelso home, at 357 Garfield Street, in 1938. She’s considered the matriarch of St. Francis Church.

The portrait of Kelso serves as a reminder to a new generation who are carrying on the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

Parks Smith and his wife, Vance, are part of the younger set at the church. They have a big, old-fashioned Catholic family, five girls and one boy. Parks sings in the choir, and he dresses to a “t” every Sunday with a coat and tie. Smith is a convert from Protestantism, and he stood up and spoke from the heart at the celebration.

“I never imagined what a stepping stone this would be,” said Smith, a school teacher. “We seldom see how God is setting up things in our lives. A seed has been planted in my life. I’m deeply grateful for this church.”

(Galen Holley is a member of St. Francis of Assisi in New Albany.)

In memoriam: Msgr. James McGough

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BILOXI – Msgr. James Patrick McGough, 91, of Biloxi, passed away on Aug. 12, 2024.

Msgr. McGough was born July 24, 1933 in Rathagan, County Kildare, Ireland. His ecclesiastical studies were at Mungret College in Limerick, Ireland and at St. Bernard Seminary, St. Bernard, Alabama. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson at St. Mary Basilica on May 25, 1957.

On Sept. 2, 1957, He was assigned to Nativity Parish in Biloxi and in September 1958, he entered Catholic University in Washington, DC to study canon law. In 1961, he was appointed as assistant chancellor and defensor vinculi (Defender of the Bond) and in 1962, he was appointed a diocesan chancellor.

He was named Papal Chamberlain by the Holy See in 1965 and in 1966, he was appointed vicar general for the diocese. In 1969, he was named an honorary Prelate of His Holiness. Msgr. McGough was appointed as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Canton on Jan. 15, 1971 and later that year was appointed diocesan consultor. On Dec. 1, 1971, he was appointed as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Hattiesburg where he also served as the dean of deanery V and episcopal vicar.

On June 6, 1977, he was appointed as the chancellor for the newly established Diocese of Biloxi and in 1979 was appointed as pastor of St. Paul Parish in Pass Christian. In 1980, he was named vicar general for the diocese and in 1985, was appointed as pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. In 1988, he was appointed as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo parish in Picayune, and then served as pastor of St. James parish in Gulfport. His last parish assignment was at St. Clare parish in Waveland before his retirement from active ministry.

Msgr. McGough was a brilliant scholar in church law and policies. His infectious laugh could light up any room he entered. His homilies were always theology based and were delivered with the utmost reverence to the Gospel and the importance of the Eucharist. Msgr. McGough was truly a man of God and will be greatly missed. His contributions to the Dioceses of Biloxi and Jackson will be remembered for generations.

He was preceded in death by his parents, James Joseph McGough and Margaret Stack McGough; 2 brothers, Peter McGough and Gerard McGough; and a sister, Mary O’Grady.

He is survived by a brother, Rev. William “Bill” McGough; and numerous nieces and nephews in Ireland and England.

A Mass of Christian was celebrated by Bishop Louis Kihneman and other priests at on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Biloxi. Interment will be in St. James Cemetery, Gulfport.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Association of Priests, 237 E Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201.

Embracing diversity: Dr. Ospino’s vision for a renewed American Catholicism

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By Rhonda Swita
TUPELO – On July 20, 2024, Dr. Hosffman Ospino, a highly recognized Professor of Theology from Boston College, spoke at St. James Church in Tupelo. St. James is blessed to have a diverse community of believers. Dr. Ospino’s message was one of unity and hope, focusing on us being a community of many families, one church and one faith.

Dr. Hoffsman Ospino

Dr. Ospino gave those present at the event a history lesson on the evolution of Catholicism during the earlier days of American life, although mindful that Catholics were present in the country since the sixteenth century. In the early 1800’s there was only one bishop and about 400 churches. But within the next 150 years, many large groups of various nationalities arrived, bringing their own sweat labor and priests. As a result, approx. 20,000 churches were built. Soon to follow were 13,000 Catholic schools, more than 300 Catholic Universities, and many hospitals and other social service organizations. Each nationality pretty much stayed to themselves, building community in their own language, and avoided co-mingling among groups to preserve identity.

However, as the older generations passed on, the newer generations adopted the English language and people became part of the “melting pot” of American culture. People had work and the children were being educated in the Catholic faith. Catholic families were strong in their Catholic faith. By 1950 there were about 30 million Catholics in the United States.

During the 1950s and 1960s, major social changes drove a significant number of Catholics away from traditional ways of being church. Immigration from Europe had slowed down and various cultural revolutions such as the women’s rights movement, new attitudes toward sexuality, and the Civil Rights Movement redefined Catholic life in America. More unfortunate attitudes such as the growing openness to treat the right to “end” life in the womb as a right took hold in our society. Many Catholics stopped practicing their faith. This trend was exacerbated in the early 2000s with the effects of the sexual abuse scandal of children by clergy. Mass attendance declined and thousands of churches and catholic schools have closed.

Although one may think that American Catholicism is in decline, actually the opposite is true. New immigrant Catholics primarily from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and their U.S. born children, are giving new life to our Catholic communities. They seek Catholic communities to nurture their faith. Those communities already exist. We must build on the lessons from our past and embrace fresher ways to evangelize in the midst of the diversity that shapes American Catholicism to build up the kingdom God in our parishes.

At the talk, Dr. Ospino gave some insights on how to do this. 1) We must educate parents – teach them first, so they can teach their children. 2) Consider family faith formation initiatives. 3) Realize that being multi-cultural is a gift from God. Embrace it. That is who we are. 4) Acknowledge that bilingual communication is okay! Parents speak to their children in different ways. 5) All our pastoral efforts must lead to building communion: with God, with our church, with each other. 6) Practice Misa, Mesa, and Musa. Misa is an invitation to pray together. Mesa is a call to eat together! Nothing is more healing than eating together. Musa is a summons to celebrate together with in a spirit of fiesta! 7) Be attentive to what works well with Hispanic Catholics and other groups. Be open to learn how to be church from the communities that renew American Catholicism.

Dr. Ospino’s message can be summed up as follows: Diversity is not a problem. It’s a gift. Our priority is to facilitate an encounter with Christ. Evangelize and build up the kingdom of God and do it with joy!

(Rhonda Swita is the Director of Faith Formation for St. James parish in Tupelo.)