From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

Over the past few years, I have written about our bishops and their adventures here in Mississippi. We have explored Bishop Chanche arriving at midnight on the docks in Natchez in May 1841; Bishop VandeVelde falling down the steps and breaking his leg in 1855; and Bishop Elder being exiled to Vidalia during the Civil War.

Bishop Francis August Janssens was appointed fourth Bishop of Natchez in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. He served the diocese until 1888, when he was appointed Archbishop of New Orleans. (Inset) Msgr. Mathurin Grignon served under four bishops and served St. Mary Cathedral in Natchez (now Basilica) for over 37 years. (Photos from archives)

Bishop Gunn’s account of Bishop Heslin’s rolling out of a mule cart leading to his demise as well as the former surviving being poisoned in a bizarre assassination attempt on all of Chicago’s hierarchy during WWI. Bishop Gerow’s diary has educated us on great floods, WWII and Korea, the integration of Catholic Schools, and the beginnings of interfaith and ecumenical initiatives to address civil rights.

For the next two columns, I turn our attention to Bishop Francis Janssens, who served as the successor to Bishop W.H. Elder after he had been named Archbishop of Cincinnati in 1880. Bishop Elder departed Natchez in April 1880 leaving the long-serving Very Rev. Mathurin Grignon as rector of the Cathedral and administrator of the Diocese. Mathurin wrote often to Elder seeking advice on various issues.

On Feb. 23, 1881, a much-relieved Grignon received the news that the Holy See had appointed Rev. Francis Janssens as the fourth bishop of Natchez. What is unique about the appointment is that in 1873, Janssens had been appointed rector of the American College of Louvain in Belgium where he had completed his seminary training in 1867. However, Janssens never took up that assignment and in 1877 became administrator of the Diocese of Richmond and ultimately named as successor of Elder in 1881.

Let me backtrack a little and explain how Janssens ended up in Richmond. Gleaning from Bishop Gerow’s book on the Janssens administration, we learn Francis Janssens was born in 1843 in Tilbourg, Holland. At 13, he entered the seminary in Bois-le-Duc in the Netherlands and remained there for 10 years.

Janssens had a passion to serve as a missionary in the United States, so he applied to the American College in Louvain. Here he met Bishop John McGill of Richmond who had come to speak to the seminarians about the need for priests in his diocese. Janssens offered Bishop McGill his services and after completing his studies at Louvain and being ordained on Dec. 21, 1867, Janssens made his way to Richmond, Virginia to begin his life as a missionary priest.

Five years later, Bishop McGill was called home by the Lord in January 1872, and Janssens at age 29 became administrator of the Diocese until James Gibbons, Apostolic Vicar for North Carolina, was appointed as Bishop of Richmond in July. [Gibbons later went on to become Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore.]

In late 1872, Janssens name was being proposed for the rector position at Louvain by the faculty there. In a letter to Bishop Elder, who was still in Natchez at the time, Father Pulsers, professor at Louvain, describes the great desire of all the faculty to have Janssens as the next rector citing his great intellect, respectability and orthodoxy.

Rome would desire the approval of the Archbishop of Baltimore; the mother see of the U.S., to complete the process. Back in Richmond, Bishop Gibbons was greatly opposed to losing a young, talented priest from his diocese, but in the end acquiesced.

In a letter dated March 13, 1873, Gibbons wrote to Elder of his approval of the appointment saying:
“You will rejoice to learn that I withdraw my objections, agreeing to part with Father J. on condition that a worthy priest to succeed him should arrive in Richmond before the future rector would leave.

“The loss of this good priest will, I fear, be a serious embarrassment to me. He is my factotum. I have unbounded confidence in his judgment, and a high appreciation of his solid, healthy piety. He is possessed of great calmness of character, and has, I think, sufficient firmness for the responsible situation for which he is destined.

“He lacks age which time will supply and has no physical strength to spare. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending him for the office though I will part with him with a heavy heart.”

In August of 1873, Janssens still had not left for Louvain and in fact he never did. Four years later in 1877 when Bishop Gibbons was elevated to the Mother See in Baltimore, Janssens again became administrator for the Diocese of Richmond.

When Natchez became vacant in 1880 due to Elder becoming Archbishop of Cincinnati, Janssens name was already on the minds of those in the right places and soon he was named the Fourth Bishop of Natchez by Pope Leo XIII.

Next time we will look at Bishop Janssens consecration and arrival in his new diocese. The descriptions of these events are quite rich.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

As September rolls in upon us and schools are now in full swing, our diocesan director of Catholic Schools, Karla Luke, asked for an update on the canonization process of Sister Thea Bowman, she could share with our Catholic schools. We have a wonderful school in Jackson named after Sister Thea and many students are excited about being associated with someone who is on the official path to sainthood in the church.

Putting someone forward for sainthood is one of the noblest things a diocesan church can do. It involves a very intricate and detailed process of studying the life and acts of that person. Many moving parts make up this initiative and keeping them on track is an adventure.

So, where are we in the canonical process? We are right in the middle of what is called the diocesan phase.

During this phase which has been going on since the cause officially opened in November 2018, the title Servant of God is used when referring to the person. This title is given to those who have been presented and accepted for the canonical process. Therefore, when referring to Sister Thea, her full title now is Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA (SOG Sister Thea).

The work being done meticulously right now includes gathering all of the Servant of God’s writings, studying them for sound doctrine, gleaning them for virtue and piety, and transcribing them into type written format. For those who knew the Servant of God, they are fully aware that she would often jot things down on envelopes, napkins, and any scrap of paper she could find. All of these notes have been archived by the Franciscan Sisters in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where most all of SOG Sister Thea’s papers reside.

Throughout this past summer, an intern has been working in LaCrosse to digitize these writings while many volunteers have been transcribing them to Word documents. All of this is done so that the historical commission can review SOG Sister Thea’s works and develop a report that gives an all-encompassing detail of SOG Sister Thea’s virtuous and pious life.

The historical commission consists of two professors in the field of theology and the archivist for the FSPAs. Technically, they should remain anonymous due to the nature of their work and to avoid any outside influences creating a bias in the process.

Over Labor Day weekend, the historical commission convened in LaCrosse to put eyes on the collection, talk with other FSPA’s who knew the SOG, and create a framework in which to complete their mandate of capturing the SOG’s virtues and documenting all the sources.

In addition to the historical commission, there are two theological censors, also anonymous due to the sensitivity of their work, who examine all of the SOG’s published writings and public statements for orthodoxy to the teachings of the church. These two work independently of each other and submit two separate statements called vota.

On top of the work of the historical commission and the theological censors, we have a scribe, transcribing more than 50 interviews of witnesses who were invited to answer a series of questions about the SOG’s life and virtues – the questionnaire had more than 100 questions, so each interview is rather lengthy.

Finally, once all reports are finished and all writings and interviews transcribed, every single page will be reviewed and given a stamp of approval by the bishop’s delegate and promoter of justice. Then three copies are made of every page for the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which are boxed up and sealed then transported to Rome by the postulator, who has been guiding the whole process. A fourth copy is made and sealed to be kept in the diocesan archive vault.

Once all that arrives at the dicastery, the Roman Phase of examination of the cause begins. During this phase, the postulator under the direction of a staff member of the dicastery writes a summary of all the documentation for the dicastery called the “positio.”

This is examined by a panel of theologians who then vote on whether the SOG has lived a heroic life of virtue. If the majority votes in the positive, then the SOG is recommend for review by the Cardinals and Bishops who are members of the dicastery. If after this review the members agree on the virtuous heroicness of the SOG’s life, then the Prefect of the Dicastery recommends to the Holy Father to declare the SOG “Venerable” by means of an official decree from the Holy See.

I know that was a lot to follow but now you can see how ordered and definitive the process really is. It takes time. Our goal is to have the diocesan phase completed by next summer and off to Rome prior to September 2025.

We invite you to pray for the cause, especially for the historical commission, the theological censors, the transcribers, and the postulator as we continue to follow this unique and noble path. And of course, ask SOG Sister Thea to guide us from above with patience and joy.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

These articles from the archives are normally filled with items from the historical archives of the diocese. Often shared are events and stories from past bishops and some of their interesting encounters during their tenures here in Mississippi.

This week I am focusing on another aspect of my role as chancellor and archivist for the diocese – records management. Be warned this will be a little dry and technical, but that can be the life of a chancellor.
Each office in the diocese produces a lot of information and documents. Categorizing these as actual records and determining the life cycle of each type of document and piece of information is the work of a trained records manager.

So, part of my responsibilities is working with various offices to determine what information they produce, sifting the information into records and non-records, then designing a schedule of retention for those documents deemed to be records.

The Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) defines records as “Any recorded information, regardless of medium or characteristics, made or received and retained by an organization in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.” More simply put for the chancery, a record is any piece of content (physical or electronic) created, received, or managed by the organization that is necessary to perform church ministries and activities.

Organizing these records in a basic user-friendly system that meets all levels of standards is the goal of any records manager. Managing paper records has become easier except for when there are space constraints. We have a small building on chancery property where we are storing many of these paper records, but we are methodically digitizing a lot of that paper in order to create space.

Electronic records, including email, are a beast unto themselves. Here at the diocese, we are developing a way to manage electronic or digital records by using a software platform we already have in place. We looked at a new system with lots of bells and whistles but none of those bells or whistles seemed to work with our types of records, so we started exploring what we had and how we could use that platform to create a basic electronic records management system (ERMS).

As chancellor I participated in an intensive training of the developing application that will be used specifically to adapt our retention schedules to a digital file plan that will have tags and labels for our various records in chancery offices. The main objective is to make it manageable and easy to use for our staff so that they will use it productively and efficiently.

In an effort to get email inboxes organized more intentionally, in January I began telling senior staff at department meetings that on August 1, I would be purging all inboxes of any email older than 90 days. An inbox with minimal emails sitting in it helps keep the email system moving faster.

Moving emails to designated folders such as “Bishop,” “Parishes,” “Schools,” etc. filter and sort potential records into a better filing system. Instructions on how to set up these folders in email accounts similar to their document libraries were given at various times leading up to August 1.

As Purge Day approached many questions began to be asked on how to properly create folders and move important emails into them from the inbox. Staffers were real troopers and did a fine job even if all they did was copy their entire inbox of 40,000 emails to a backup folder so they could go through them at a more leisurely pace.

The afternoon of August 1, I used my new training to delve into our data lifecycle management system to apply a “tag” named Inbox 90Day Purge to each of our users’ mailboxes.

It was an interesting feeling to know I may have wiped out thousands of messages going back years for some folks.

Fortunately, there was a 14-day grace period to recover anything that might have been overlooked.
Unfortunately, a second similar tag I had been experimenting with got applied as well. And before I could disable it, it had wiped out a few staffers entire folder systems older than 90 days. Yikes. Fortunately, we had that 14-day grace period.

Unfortunately, all the restored emails came back into the delete folder and not into the nicely organized folders they had created. It was a good time for me to vacate the building for the weekend.

It certainly has been a learning experience, and I look forward to us transitioning to a more collaborative document and record sharing platform among our ministries so that records will be properly managed, and ministries will flourish without the worry of who has what or if the chancellor is going to purge all their files again.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

Parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Rosedale gathered around Bishop Joseph Kopacz and SVD Fathers Sebastian Myladiyil and Tom Mullally to celebrate a final Mass in the church on Sunday afternoon June 30. Friends from the nearby parishes of St. Francis in Shaw, St. Mary in Shelby and Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland joined in the bittersweet celebration as a sign of support for their Bolivar County neighbors.

During the diocesan pastoral reimagining discussions over the past year and even before that, Sacred Heart parishioners had begin discussing among themselves and with Father Myladiyil, the sacramental minister, what the future of the parish would be after the death of their longtime, dedicated Lay Ecclesial Minister, Dr. James Tomek in August 2022.

Ultimately, through much prayerful discernment and fortitude, these devoted parishioners were ready to make a leap of faith. I was honored to be able to meet with them in late April to answer questions about what would happen if they chose to close the doors.

The discussion revealed a deep sense of love and concern for each other and the legacy of the parish’s long-standing families. Ultimately, they decided together to close and hold a final Mass as a community with Bishop Kopacz.

This decision was indeed a communal decision grounded in a firm and faith-filled realization that the church went beyond a single building. It also was a painful decision to let go of what has been a home filled with memories of baptisms, weddings and funerals. And it was a bittersweet decision that brought about a profound resolve and a quiet relief in those present at the meeting.

Located just off Highway 1 near the Mississippi River in the Delta, Sacred Heart officially became a parish in 1968, but Catholic history in the Rosedale area goes back to early French explorations of the River. Rev. Jacques Marquette, SJ, and Louis Jolliet ventured down the Mississippi in the spring of 1673 seeking to determine whether the “great river” was a path to the Gulf of Mexico or turned and went west to the Pacific.

Marquette’s expedition mission was evangelization; while Jolliet, a trader and mapper, was seeking to establish new trading posts. The journey involved a crew of five assisting the duo in two canoes paddling down that massive current.

The team traveled from Canada to the Arkansas River’s confluence with the Mississippi, just south of where Rosedale sits today. Some historians note that Marquette celebrated Mass there. This potentially marks the first known Mass in the lower Mississippi Valley – predating the Easter Mass near Fort Adams in 1682, which was part of the LaSalle expedition.

Marquette and Jolliet did not venture farther down the river, as they heard the Spanish were slightly south. So, the team turned around and paddled back up the river to what is now Michigan. They did finally establish that the river did flow into the Gulf and not westward.

Catholicism did not return to the area for another 200 years. In 1888, Father John Koerstenbroek, pastor in Greenville, started ministering to the Rosedale Catholics. Mass was celebrated in Edward Scott’s home. Scott’s son, Norbert, was the first recorded baptism in 1894.

In the early 20th century, priests from Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland served Rosedale. In 1968, Bishop Joseph Brunini established it as a parish and appoint Father Tony Pudenz as its first resident pastor, overseeing the church’s dedication in March 1971. Other pastors included Msgr. Mike Flannery, Father Dan Gallagher, and Father P.J. Curley. Having just returned from serving in the mission on Saltillo, Mexico, Msgr. Flannery began a Hispanic ministry in the area.

Eventually, Women Religious administered the parish, with sacramental ministers celebrate Mass and confer the sacraments. Notable members included Sisters Patricia Fitzgerald, Mary Genevieve Love, Vivian Votruba, Jeroma Day, Catherine Leamy and Celia Evers, who devoted themselves to migrants and prison ministry.

Dr. Tomek served faithfully from 2010-2022. His commitment to Sacred Heart was much appreciated by the parish and the diocese.

Near the end of the Mass on June 30, as a final symbolic act, the altar cloth was slowly folded and placed in the center of the altar. Bishop then offered the post Communion prayer, many thanks were extended, the final blessing was imparted, and the congregation gathered for photos and a lovely reception in the gathering area outside the church proper.

Parishioners shared many stories and a few tears, but still held on to that deep faith that has guided them together through a myriad of sacred moments and will continue to guide and keep them.

Special thanks to Cleta Ellington for her book Christ the Living Water, which provided much of the historical information.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – In working on a history project that explores some pivotal moments in our nation’s history, I came across some poignant reflections in Bishop Gerow’s diary. The passages are from November 1963. This of course was the moment when President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Many of us have seen the grainy video coverage of that violent act and the ensuing days of mourning, rituals and interment. It was a shocking moment in the country, which seemed to be brimming with optimism and opportunity. It marked an initial loss of innocence in a decade of change.

I now share the following entries from the diary to chronicle how our local church experienced those momentous days. The language used was the language of the day, so I have left it unchanged.

November 22 (Friday):
Today about 12:30 President Kennedy was shot and killed. He was on a visit to Dallas, Texas. When the news came over the radio, I am told that in our Catholic schools here in Jackson – or at least in many of them – the children dropped to their knees in prayer and many of them wept. Television station WJTV here in Jackson asked me to come out to the station and make a statement which I did in which I praised Mr. Kennedy for his high principles and spoke of the hatred that caused his assassination and asked the public for prayers for the country and for the deceased.

November 23 (Saturday)
Today in my private chapel I offered Mass for President Kennedy. Later, the television station WLBT asked me to come out to the station and speak which I did. In substance I said it is time to reflect and pray – to reflect on the love of our neighbor that our Divine Lord taught and to reflect upon the hatred that burns in the breast of some. These must share with the assassin the blame for this crime, asked prayers for our country, for the new President, and for Mr. Kennedy, etc. I announced on this station as well as yesterday that on Monday at noon I would celebrate a Pontifical Requiem Mass to which the public is invited.

November 25 (Monday)
At noon in St. Peter’s Co-Cathedral I sang a Solemn Mass of Requiem for the President.
The procession to the church started in the school yard. In the procession were the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus in full regalia. Clergymen from many of the non-Catholic churches in the city, most of them in their church robes, preceded our diocesan clergy. Amongst them were Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Coadjutor Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and a good group of Episcopal clergymen, Rabbi Perry Nussbaum of the local Synagogue, Dr. Seth Granberry of the Capitol Street Methodist Church (who by the way replaces Dr. Clark who was forced by his congregation to resign because of his views of justice to the Negro), Dr. Jeff Cunningham of the Galloway Methodist Church (who replaced Dr. Selah, who like Dr. Clark had to resign because of his views), Rev. Wade Koons of the Trinity Lutheran Church (who had had much opposition from his congregation because of his Christian views on race). Rev. Fred Tarpley of Ridgecrest Baptist Church. These ministers were given seats in the church in the front pews – our own clergy, who were not on ceremonies, were in the choir loft.

Among the civic public figures in the church were former Governor Hugh White, former Governor J. P. Coleman, Mayor Allen Thompson, Attorney General Joe Patterson, Secretary of State Heber Ladner, State Superintendent of Education J. M. Tubb, and State Tax Collector William Winter.

The church was filled with people, seated in all the pews and standing in close formation in all available standing room. One of the policemen outside told one of our priests that at least a thousand people were turned away because there was no room in the church.

At the Gospel time I spoke. My theme was God’s love of us his children and our duty to love Him and His other children. At the Communion time it was a pleasure not only to see the large number who received Communion, but also to note that amongst those who received were a generous sprinkling of Negroes. It was good for the state and city officials to see these Negroes coming to the Altar rail and kneeling beside the whites and doing this without any sign of race discrimination.

After the Mass, the clergy, our own and the non-Catholics, gathered in the Chancery Office and witnessed on television the funeral of President Kennedy in Washington. This being over about 2:30 we all gathered in the general dining room of the Sun-n-Sand Motel for lunch. It is interesting to note that Father Bourges, S.V.D., Pastor of Holy Ghost Church, who is a Negro went into the dining room with the rest of us and was served without comment.

I felt much gratified at the fine ecumenical spirit of friendliness exhibited in our relationship with our non-Catholic ministers. In my own mind these ministers who gathered with us are good, earnest, sincere men who wish to honor and serve God and they do so in the way that they understand to be the way that God wishes.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – This past Sunday morning we celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation in St. Peter Cathedral. As is often the case, a candidate chooses a grandparent to be his or her sponsor. At this celebration, one of the candidate’s grandmothers came up from New Orleans on the train to be his sponsor.

While I was going through the rite with the candidates prior to Mass, she commented on the beauty of our stained-glass windows. So, I gave them a little history of the windows and the church.

The current St. Peter church structure is the third St. Peter’s. The parish dates back to 1846 and is the fourth parish established in the diocese. Natchez, Paulding, and Biloxi predate Jackson’s parish. The first church burned during the Civil War. The second church was built in 1868 on the grounds where the current rectory and chancery sit now. Once the current church – begun in 1896 and completed in 1900 – was ready for worship. The second church was used for various things until it was moved eight blocks north in 1913 to Cloister Avenue to become the first Holy Ghost Church.

The windows were installed over a period of 30 years beginning with the Rose Window in 1903 and finishing with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Lourdes windows in the 1930s. All of these windows are in the Munich style and were fashioned by the Mayer – Zettler studios.

The initial ones – the Rose Window, the two transept windows and the first two on each side – were created in the Munich studios. The next three on each side were styled in the St. Louis studio.

The windows in the vestibule around the main doors and the windows above the side entrances were added a little later and do not have the artistic quality of the main windows but are still nice examples of teaching the Bible through visual aids.

What is unique about the windows in our Cathedral is except for the Rose Window they are at eye level. In most churches this size window would be higher up in the wall. Ours are down close to the floor so that one may walk right up to the window and see the detail and artistry.

The windows were restored in 2011 by Conrad Schmitt Studios in Wisconsin. Each one was mapped, removed, cleaned, re-leaded and returned to the frames which had been repaired and vented so that the summer heat would not take such a toll. Protective glass featuring the latest technology also was added to the outside of each window.

When the Conrad Schmitt crew removed the Rose Window, they found the frame to be completely rotten. A new frame was built at a mill connected to Conrad Schmitt studios in Wisconsin. It was too large to be placed inside a trailer truck, so it was attached to the side of the truck and made its way down the heartland of the country.

Working in archives, one gets to be a part of such diverse projects and it was quite interesting to watch this project unfold. In addition to chalices and altars, our art and glass in parishes around the diocese are considered a part of the patrimony of the diocesan church and hold a major place in the life and history of our church.
Our Cathedral houses such beautiful treasures given in faith and love by the faithful over the past century. We thank them for sharing their gifts to glorify our God through art.

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

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – I had a dear friend who moved to a retirement compound (as he called it) when he was in his late 80s. When I would ask him how things were going at the “compound,” he would say: “you mean life among the relics?”

Most people when they hear the term archive think of old stuff, and indeed there is a lot of old stuff in the historical archive vault at the chancery in Jackson. Our diocesan historical archive holds records and documents dating back to the early 1700s.

Let me add a disclaimer here: The diocesan archive is not open to the public. It is a small room holding official records of the diocese. It is not a library or museum that can be toured. The archive does not exist to provide genealogical research or assist in getting dual Italian citizenship. We will help with that for a fee when we have time. The records in the archive are not “secret;” it just is not public in the way you would check out a book in a library. The archive collection is open to qualified researchers doing professional research on church history for dissertations and publications.

Last week, I received a familiar email from a parishioner on the Gulf Coast wanting to know the saint’s relic in the altar of his church. The church was dedicated in 1951, so it was before the date we were split into two dioceses.

This is a common request, and we often are able to provide an answer, because of the Official Acts books we have dating back to 1924 and the diaries of Bishops.

In this case, although I was able to tell him that Bishop Gerow dedicated the church on Palm Sunday, and it rained buckets all day; I could only give possibilities of who the relic might be since this fact was not mentioned in the official acts book’s recording of the church and altar being dedicated.

I was able to tell him the relic would most likely be from either Sts. Victor, Modesta, Maximus, Maxima or Sergius – all martyrs. The reason this information was available was because a few pages before the church’s dedication listing in the acts book, there is an entry stating the bishop consecrated a myriad of altar stones containing those relics.

These marble stones measure 13 inches squares and would have been used in mission churches established throughout the diocese to be placed in wooden altars that would have a square cut out of the top in which the stone would be placed. I don’t know why 13 inches, but maybe it is because the stones would have come from Italy and 17 is the unlucky number there, not 13.

In each stone there is a small cut out circle in which a relic or several relics would be sealed along with three grains of incense. As mentioned in the acts book, several stones could be consecrated at a time and stored until needed.

Another reason for this hypothesis of who the saint might be is there is a relics drawer in the archive with an old container marked “relics for altars” and the names of the saints are listed on a piece of paper with the container. Therefore, whether the church had a full marble mensa or just a stone, these relics were set aside for that purpose. This container and its contents are very fragile, so we do not handle it anymore.

We do have a unique altar stone in our collection. It is small – five inches x seven inches – and encased in a linen cloth. This stone was issued to Rev. Peter Quinn in 1943 for use on the battlefields in Europe during World War II. Father Quinn was a chaplain in the army and served on the front lines in one of General George Patton’s divisions making its way to Germany. The stone came with a Greek corporal, which has a relic sewn into it. On a similar note, Bishop William Houck used a Greek corporal as part of his travelling Mass kit and on the small altar he had in a chapel in his home. We have that in the vault as well.

As you can see, we do have some interesting artifacts in our archive collection at the diocese. Perhaps one day we can develop an exhibition for people to see, but for now I’ll keep sharing some interesting snippets of life among the relics highlighting various discoveries in the drawers and cabinets in the vault.

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