Author Archives: Mary Woodward

Bishop Gunn chronicled experience during 1918 influenza pandemic and end of world war

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Rev. John Edward Gunn, a Marist priest and native of County Tyrone, Ireland, was appointed the sixth Bishop of Natchez by Pope Pius X in 1911. He was ordained a bishop at Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta where he was serving at the time on August 29 of that year.

Bishop Gunn was known as a brilliant orator and for having tremendous energy. He cultivated the diocese’s relationship with Catholic Extension to help in the building of chapels throughout the state. By the time of his death in 1924, almost every Catholic in Mississippi was able to reach one of these chapels for Mass at least once a month. Catholic churches grew from 75 to 149 during his administration, and Catholics grew in number from 17,000 to more than 31,000.

He also helped found St. Augustine Seminary with the Society of the Divine Word in Greenville for the formation of African American clergy in 1923. The seminary later moved to Bay St. Louis.

It is rumored that Bishop Gunn preferred Pass Christian to Natchez and had hoped to move the diocesan offices there.

Bishop Gunn’s 13 years of service to the Diocese were marked by the difficult four years of the first World War and the ravages of Spanish influenza.

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Red Cross Motor Corps are on duty in October 1918 during the influenza epidemic. Mary Woodward reveals an excerpt from Bishop John Edward Gunn’s diary chronicling his travels to St. Louis in November of 1918 during the Spanish flu pandemic. (Photo/Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ds-01290)

Not only was he a gifted orator, but he was a fine chronicler of daily life as is proven in his diary. From his diary we find an interesting entry from Nov. 8-10, 1918, that is very relevant to today’s pandemic atmosphere. It also contains a noteworthy bit of information about the end of the war.

“I left [Nov. 8] for St. Louis to assist at the consecration of the new Bishop of Galveston, Bishop Byrne. When I reached St. Louis, I got into the midst of the flu. Not only were the churches, schools, and public buildings closed but all the stores, soda water fountains and everything.”

“On Saturday night I walked the streets of St. Louis for more than an hour and could not buy a cigar and the question was – how could the consecration take place in St. Louis Cathedral on November 10th when it was forbidden to open a church door?”

“I went ‘round on Saturday night to see Archbishop Glennon and found Bishop Allen with him. The Archbishop seemed to take everything very quietly and said that it was forbidden to open the main door of the Cathedral but there were several other doors that were not officially closed, with the result that the consecration took place on Nov. 10. The crowd was small, the ceremonies were beautiful, the dinner was as heavy as the oratory and there was an atmosphere of unrest everywhere.”

“The papers were filled with the flu conditions of the country; the war conditions were reaching a climax, and everybody was on edge.”

“I left St. Louis on Sunday night [Nov. 10] and on my way home, at Fulton [Missouri], I thought that the world had come to an end. I was in the Pullman compartment when noise broke loose in the form of whistles, bells, bands and every kind of thing that could make a rattle and a screech at the time when ghosts are supposed to appear and graves yawn, etc.”

“It was occasioned by the fake news that had gone over the world that the Germans had signed the armistice. When the real news of the Armistice came nobody believed it.”

“I managed to get to New Orleans on the 11th and the city looked like the morning after Mardi Gras. The people had shouted themselves hoarse over the fake armistice and had no voice for the real one.”

Although WWI was a very complex time for those of Irish heritage due to British rule and treatment of them, the Bishop believed strongly in service to one’s country. “In life and death, I am proud of three things: my Irish birth, my Catholic faith, and my American citizenship,” he said. “I tried to translate my love for all three into service and sacrifice,” he wrote in his will.

NATCHEZ – In this photo from the archives, Bishop Joseph Latino visits the resting place of Bishop John Edward Gunn, on Catholic Hill in the Natchez City Cemetery. Bishop Gunn died in New Orleans on Feb. 19, 1924 and is buried beside his fellow Irishman Bishop Thomas Heslin. (Photo from archives)

Bishop Gunn died at Hospital Hotel Dieu in New Orleans on Feb. 19, 1924, and is buried beside his fellow Irishman Bishop Thomas Heslin on Catholic Hill in the Natchez City Cemetery. His portrait hangs in the dining room of the Cathedral rectory in Jackson. As in any good portrait, Bishop Gunn’s eyes follow you as you move through the room.

In his will the Bishop also wrote, “I believe in God. I believe all He has said because He said it and because His infallible Church heard Him and told me what He said. I love Him with my whole heart and soul and strength and for His sake I love others.”

Bishop Gunn’s diary is so rich that we will share some more gems from it in the future.

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

Bishop Gunn’s diary provides insight to perils of travel in the early days of diocesan life

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – A bishop’s life is full of travel around the diocese to visit parishes, schools and missions. This time of year, it involves school masses for the opening of the new academic year. Because of COVID, these celebrations did not occur last August.

Confirmation celebrations have Bishop Joseph Kopacz all over the diocese from one end to the other. These celebrations normally take place between Easter and Pentecost, but due to schedules and once again the pandemic, Confirmation celebrations have been spread out into the summer months.

This weekend Bishop Kopacz will be in Ripley at St. Matthew Mission to confer Confirmation on more than a dozen young people. Ripley is in Tippah County, and I have a special connection to the area because my maternal grandmother’s family is from Tippah County. My great-grandparents are buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery just outside of Ripley on the way to Walnut.

Bishop Thomas Heslin, the fifth bishop of the diocese, died on Feb. 22, 1911. He guided the diocesan church through the turn of the century. A few weeks prior to his death while visiting churches in East Central Mississippi, he met with an unfortunate accident. Bishop Heslin most likely suffered a broken rib from this accident and may have ultimately succumbed to pneumonia. (Photos from archives)

Suffice it to say that our diocese being the largest diocese geographically east of the Mississippi River creates long drives. Tippah County borders Tennessee and is part of the rolling hills section of the state where beautiful views can be found around various bends in the road. Ripley is close to a four-hour drive from Jackson.

Imagine travelling to Ripley on horseback or in a cart from Natchez as was done in the early days of our diocese. This was the life of our bishops back in the day even up into the early 1900s when Bishop Thomas Heslin was making his way around the diocese for Confirmation celebrations.

Let me share a particular instance from Bishop John Gunn’s diary dated June 8, 1912, in which he accounts for an unfortunate incident that led to Bishop Heslin’s ultimate demise. It may give a better appreciation for a bishop’s life on the road.

“Visit to Montpelier. This is a little mission chapel about 13 miles from West Point, without a railroad and with the poorest roads imaginable. On the way out from West Point to Montpelier I heard a story about Bishop Heslin which is worth recording.

“The good Bishop was, like myself, going out to the little chapel to give Confirmation. The best pair of mules in the neighborhood were commandeered to bring the Bishop out. The Bishop’s carriage was a spring wagon and a plank put over the sideboards formed the cushions for the driver and the Bishop.

“The roads were of that peculiar type known in Mississippi as ‘corduroy’ roads. Branches of trees, stumps, logs, etc. are imbedded in the mud roads during the Winter, In the Spring these are covered with dirt and there is a good road until the first rain comes. Then the dirt is washed up and the stumps are very much in evidence, especially when the mules get into a trot.

“It seems that on the past visit of Bishop Heslin, the driver talked all he knew about cotton, lumber, and the country and talked so much that the mules fell asleep. It is thought that Bishop Heslin – if he was not asleep, was at least nodding – and at the moment the driver woke up and commenced to whip the mules into some kind of activity.
“The sudden start caught the Bishop unprepared and he made a double somersault over the spring wagon and fell on the road. The driver was so busy with the mules that he forgot the Bishop and did not know of the mishap for nearly half a mile.

“Then there was the difficulty of turning the pair of mules on the road and a convenient turning spot had to be reached. This delayed the recovery of the Bishop for a considerable time and when the mule driver and his mules found the Bishop – Bishop Heslin was in a dead faint.

“The good Bishop was a big man and a heavy man, and the mule driver was lean and lanky and there was no help in sight or available. There was nothing to do only to take the sideboards from the wagon and form an inclined plane and roll the Bishop up the plane and make him comfortable in the wagon. “He recovered consciousness before he reached West Point.

“It is said that the Bishop never really recovered from the shock and the injury sustained by this fall.

“The driver who brought me out to Montpelier was the same one who had brought Bishop Heslin and he gave me the story as written.”

Bishop John Edward Gunn, a Marist priest, was the sixth Bishop of Natchez. He was known as brilliant orator and for having tremendous energy. Through his writings, we learn that Bishop Heslin suffered a fall while travelling around the diocese for Confirmation celebrations in 1910.

This incident would have occurred most likely in 1910 because Bishop Heslin died in February 1911.

Bishop Gunn concludes his description of his own arrival and visit in Montpelier thusly: “I arrived at Montpelier for supper. The day was hot, and all the neighbors of the little village were invited to sup with me.

“There was a table spread for all comers on a kind of porch. The neighbors supplied the feed and there was plenty of it. I think that all the flies of the country got notice because they were present like the locusts of Egypt. They were in everything, tasting everything, and lighting everywhere, especially on the bishop’s nose.

“A few girls got branches of trees and used them to keep the flies away. It was all right as long as the girls minded their business but when they forgot the flies and hit the guests there was some embarrassment.

“We had Mass and confirmation in the little chapel, which strange to say was dedicated to St. Patrick and for that reason several parts of it were painted green. We returned to celebrate Sunday.”

More from Bishop Gunn next time…

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

New Orleans Archbishop committed to ending segregation, remembered by Bishop Emeritus

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – This week I am highlighting a neighbor to the south of us – Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel, who was Archbishop of New Orleans from 1935 to his death in November 1964. His tenure runs almost parallel to our own Bishop R.O. Gerow (1924-66).

In talking with our Bishop Emeritus, Joseph Latino, who grew up and went to seminary during the Rummel years, Bishop Latino shared some insight into the life of the archbishop saying he was very much committed to ending segregation even in the face of strong push back from Catholic community and business leaders. An interesting timeline develops beginning in 1949.

It seems in 1949, Archbishop Rummel canceled an outdoor liturgy when city officials would not allow African American Catholics to participate. In 1950 he had “White” and “Colored” signs removed from churches. Rummel mandated an end to the practice of making African American Catholics receive Communion last in 1953. These measures met with resistance from laity and clergy.

Pictured is Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel, who served as Archbishop of New Orleans from 1935 until his death in November 1964. Archbishop Rummel met much resistance when he began taking steps to end segregation in his archdiocese in 1949. (Photo courtesy of Bishop Joseph Latino)

To ground his efforts solidly in Catholic theology, Rummel issued a letter to be read in all parishes Feb. 11, 1956. Now Rummel was famous for his long letters to be read to parishioners at Sunday Masses, but this one rocked the entire archdiocese. The letter was laying groundwork to integrate the archdiocesan school system. In the letter Rummel gives three main points quoted below courtesy of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Archives.

“Racial segregation is morally wrong and sinful ‘because it is a denial of the unity and solidarity of the human race as conceived by God in the creation of man in Adam and Eve. Male and female He created them and breathed into them the spirit of life and commanded them to increase and multiply and fill the earth. Throughout the pages of the Old Testament and the New there is constant recurrence of this truth, that all mankind has in Adam and Eve one common father and mother and one common destiny, namely, to serve God in this world and find eternal happiness with Him in the world to come.

“Racial segregation is morally wrong and sinful because it is a denial of the unity and universality of the Redemption. The Eternal Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, came into the world to redeem and save all men, to die for all men on the cross, to make the life of grace available through the Church and the Sacraments for all men, to embrace all men in His Mystical Body on earth and in the life of glory in heaven. Racial segregation would draw the color line across the inspiring plan of the Redemption and thus sin against the divine providence. the love and the mercy that conceived and carried out the wonderful Mystery.

“Racial segregation is morally wrong and sinful because it is basically a violation of the dictates of justice and the mandate of love, which in obedience to God’s will must regulate the relations between all men. To deny to members of a certain race, just because they are members of that race, certain rights and opportunities, civic or economic, educational or religious, recreational or social, imposes upon them definite hardships and humiliations, frustrations and impediments to progress which condemn them to perpetual degradation which is only a step removed from slavery. Such indignities are grievous violations of Christian justice and charity, which cannot be justified in this modem age of enlightenment and loudly proclaimed democracy.”

Rummel concludes the letter aware of opposition by calling for calm and prayer: “May we likewise unite in prayer that the decision, when made, will be accepted in the spirit of Christian charity and justice and in that unity of mind, heart and will, which must always characterize the family of God. This is a problem which should be worked out not in an atmosphere of wrangling or contention or discord or hatred but in a spirit of conciliation and with a desire to achieve peace through justice and charity. Prayer and calmness of spirit are much needed in all our hearts, and for these we plead in the name of the Divine Prince of Peace…”

Despite warnings of possible excommunication, local Catholic political, business and community leaders formed opposition groups to combat Rummel’s move to push for integrated Catholic schools in 1957. They even appealed to the Vatican but were rebuffed by the Holy See. Rummel was even the recipient of a burning cross on the front lawn of the archbishop’s residence.

Ultimately, three leaders were excommunicated, but the opposition continued and delayed the integration plans of Rummel. One reason for delaying was the recognition that white Catholics would leave Catholic schools if integrated and go to the public schools which were not yet integrated. So, archdiocesan leaders advised Rummel to wait to integrate Catholic schools until the public schools integrated in 1960.

In listening to Bishop Latino talk about his memories of all the events, he lamented the fact Archbishop Rummel suffered greatly from the intolerance and disrespect, but admired Rummel’s steadfastness in his mission in the face of that suffering. Latino even remarked that the church missed an opportunity to make a bold statement to the world by bestowing Rummel with the red hat of a Cardinal – honoring a man with principles like rails of steel from which he did not waiver.

In future articles, we will explore the integration of Catholic schools in our diocese which has a similar path though I am not aware of any excommunications. We also will throw in some more insights from our Emeritus.

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

Bishop pierces ‘cloud of hate and fear’ with statement after 1963 assassination of civil rights leader, Evers

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – June 12, 1963, is a date that every Mississippian should remember for it was on this day that Medgar Evers was gunned down outside his home in Jackson upon returning home at night after meetings of the NAACP. It was just before midnight of June 11. Evers was the local Field Secretary and was a target of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
Normally, Evers’ routine upon arriving at home was to walk around the front of his car and into his house, thus putting the car between himself and the darkness where someone could be hiding. That fateful night because of items in the back of the car to be unloaded he went the opposite direction and a gunman shot from the bushes and killed him.
One of the bullets went through Evers’ body through the window of the house and into the kitchen. He bled to death in his driveway in front of his wife and children. The driveway still holds the stain of his blood. Byron de la Beckwith was convicted of the crime some 30 years later. Evers is buried in Arlington National Cemetery as he was a veteran of WWII.
During this same time, the diocesan priests and Bishop Gerow were on retreat in Bay St. Louis. Word of the assassination arrived there later that morning. The following accounts are taken from the diary of Bishop Gerow. It was a very volatile time.

“While everything is going so beautifully here at the retreat, currently, it is not going so well in Jackson in reference to the race question. I got news over the radio that today Medgar Evers, who has been the Field Secretary for the NAACP, and who, according to Father Gasper, was a fine, honest and respectable gentleman, was murdered. This murderer shot him at a distance when he was going from his automobile to his home. So far, the identity of the murderer is not known. I know that this is going to cause much trouble.”
As a point of information, the Evers sent their children to Christ the King Catholic School because they felt they would be safer there.
Bishop Gerow writes on June 14, 1963: “Naturally, the city is very much upset over the assassination of Medgar Evers. Up to this time, I have refrained from making any public statements in the newspaper. However, now the time has arrived for some sort of statement, so with the help of Father Law and Bill Minor, one of our fine Catholic newspapermen in the city, we drafted a statement and sent it to the local newspapers…and gave it to the national press and radio. Then as an act of charity…we visited the wife of the murdered man.”
“The assassination of Medgar Evers is certainly a shocking and saddening occurrence in our community and is more meaningful than the death of one man. I personally extend my heartfelt sympathy to the wife and children of Mr. Evers and convey to them my blessing and assurance of my prayers.
“I am saddened when I review the events of recent days and weeks. As a loyal son of Mississippi and a man of God, I feel in conscience compelled to speak out in the face of the grave racial situation in which we now find ourselves.
“This problem is unmistakably a moral one. We need frankly to admit that the guilt for the murder of Mr. Evers and the other instances of violence in our community tragically must be shared by all of us. Responsible leadership in some instances has been singularly lacking.
“I entreat our leaders and men of good will of both races to find some common ground on which to build a civic order based on human dignity and a concept of justice under God’s law. Rights which have been given to all men by the Creator cannot be the subject of conferral or refusal by men.
“The Declaration of Independence of this great nation has given us the proper attitude in this regard, in the words, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
“Our conscience should compel us all to acknowledge the deep moral implications of this problem, and to take some positive steps towards recognizing the legitimate grievances of the Negro population. In the name of our common faith in God the Father let us all join together in prayer that the clouds of hate and fear may be pierced by the light of justice and fraternal love.”
Bishop Gerow received hate mail and phone calls from people, including Catholics, around the state and country for his visit to Mrs. Evers and for his statement. To one of these who expressed dismay that Bishop Gerow had visited Mrs. Evers, he replied: “I did it; I wanted the world to know it, and I was proud of the fact that I had done it because the family had suffered a tremendous injustice and it was really a national disgrace.”
The words of Bishop Gerow’s statement if put in modern terms would be very fitting to today’s climate. It seems we really are still in a climate where we need the cloud of hate and fear to be pierced by the light of justice and love.
Next issue a visit to New Orleans…

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

The archives vault, a ‘national treasure’

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – This week I thought I would share some photos of the diocesan archives vault. This space was built into the ground floor of the diocesan chancery building during its construction in 1947.

Bishop R.O. Gerow moved the bishop’s office to Jackson from Natchez and brought most of the files with him. Our archives have documents dating back to the 1780s and has some books that date back farther than that.

To be honest we have one of the most complete archives of Mississippi history in the state albeit a history through the unique lens of the development of the Catholic Church in the region. The collection is a national treasure.

As a meticulous historian who knew the importance of maintaining proper records and information, Bishop Gerow, assisted by various chancellors along the way, built this comprehensive collection we have in the vault over a period of 42 years.

He kept a detailed diary as did his predecessors of the daily events in the life of the church as he lived them. His diary is several thousand pages typed up neatly and bound in volumes. His last entry details his retirement in 1966.
He also oversaw the indexing of his predecessors’ papers and correspondence along with all the official acts of the office of bishop and the diocesan church.

These photos show the enormous amount of work he did and the work that continues today. The vault is stacked to the ceiling and records since 1966 are slowly being indexed for future research. There is a great need for space and the vision is to one day have a building for the diocesan archives that can serve as a research center and small museum for educational purposes. Right now, we manage the best we can with the allotted space for our treasure. And we hope one day to be able to better share that treasure in a more appropriate environment.

Until then, I hope you will continue to appreciate the history we share in the space provided in this column.

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

SVDs, Jim Crow and growing a better future for African Americans

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – Not many people are aware that the first seminary for African American candidates to the priesthood began in Greenville, Mississippi at Sacred Heart Parish in 1920. A small group of devoted young men were formed in the attic of the original school building there.
In 1923, the seminary moved to Bay St. Louis to the newly established St. Augustine Seminary built by the Society of the Divine Word priests (SVD’s) after years of dialogue with Bishop Thomas Heslin and after his death in 1911, Bishop John Gunn.

JACKSON – 1936 ordination of Father Clarence Howard and Father Orion Wells, SVDs by Bishop R. O. Gerow. (Photos from the archives)

Bishops Heslin and Gunn had a strong desire and mission to evangelize and grow the faith in the African American communities of Mississippi. A large percentage of African Americans in those years were former slaves and children of slaves. A good number had been catechized in the Catholic faith and baptized by the earlier Bishops of the diocese.
Bishop Heslin and his successor Bishop Gunn saw a real need for this growing Catholic community to have priests from their own ranks. At the turn of the 20th century, Bishop Heslin invited the SVD’s to serve in the diocese and establish missions to specifically serve African Americans.
The SVD’s, founded in 1875 by Rev. Arnold Janssens in the Netherlands, first arrived in the U.S. in 1897 near Chicago. A few years later in 1905, they found themselves in Mississippi establishing these missions and growing the faith – the earliest of these being Vicksburg St. Mary, Jackson Holy Ghost, and Yazoo City St. Francis. They also would be in Meridian, Indianola, Mound Bayou and Clarksdale along with many smaller missions that have been absorbed by larger parishes throughout the years.
Getting back to the first seminary, the point of dialogue made more than 100 years ago was, the seminary training for these young men of color should be done by a religious order and not at a seminary forming diocesan clergy.

One may think this is an obvious choice because the SVD’s had a charism to serve the African American community, but actually, that was an afterthought according to correspondence in the archives. Both Bishop Heslin and Bishop Gunn believed the current diocesan clergy being ingrained in the culture and climate of the diocese would not be accepting or welcoming of African American priests among their ranks.
Rectory-living would have been considered illegal if black and white priests were assigned together. The Jim Crow laws and culture of intimidation are far too complex to address in an archives column. I will share the following from David H. Jackson’s section in the Mississippi Encyclopedia:
“After 1877 African Americans lost their political rights in Mississippi through intimidation, fraud, and outright murder, and racial segregation became largely a matter of custom. According to historian Neil McMillen, ‘Mississippi seems to have had fewer Jim Crow laws during the entire segregation period than most southern states.’ Wherever they turned, black Mississippians faced segregation. More often than not, Jim Crow customs required both separation and exclusion. The state legislature passed laws segregating trains in 1888 and streetcars in 1904. At weddings and funerals, in courtrooms, public facilities, and other places used for social gathering, habit kept the races apart. The code of racial etiquette prohibited any form of interracial activity that might have even remotely implied equality. Nonetheless, blacks were more concerned with having equal access to facilities than they were with integration per se.”
“In 1890 the Mississippi legislature called a constitutional convention expressly to disfranchise blacks. The Second Mississippi Plan emerged from this meeting, imposing literacy requirements, poll taxes, and laws denying the vote to anyone convicted of bribery, arson, murder, theft, or burglary — crimes for which African Americans were much more likely to be convicted than whites. Following Mississippi’s lead, other southern states began to enact laws to deny blacks the franchise. The US Supreme Court’s decision in Williams v. Mississippi (1898) added to African Americans’ political impotence by denying them federal civil rights law protection.”
As we have explored in previous columns, blacks and whites were together sacramentally in the early days of the diocese. This continued even after the Civil War, but when the protections of reconstruction were gone, segregation took hold fiercely.

In navigating these evil circumstances, Bishops Heslin and Gunn found a way to persevere in serving the African American community by arranging for the SVD’s to establish a seminary for black men to study for the priesthood and serve in their own communities. Following the path of their times to establish a parallel society, these two bishops opened the door to the empowerment of the African American Catholic community in our diocese and in the United States.
Seeing the need for black Catholics to see the face of Christ as a familiar one was a profound step in the journey of faith and justice in our state. Looking back on this effort, it seems to have been a calculated move in the hopes of growing a better future for the African American community and for the universal church. And it all started in the Mississippi Delta.

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

Women in the diocese serve tirelessly through challenges, adversity

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – The tear of a woman bears all the pains of the world. I do not remember the movie where I heard this, but I do remember how this quote struck me. March is Women’s History Month, so I would like to highlight some of the women who have made great contributions to our diocesan church quietly behind the scenes and on the world stage.

Sister Lydia of the Daughters of Charity pictured in 1948.

We already read about Madame Felicitê Gireaudeau in earlier columns, who was a towering figure in the early Catholic community in Natchez – known for her acts of charity and resilience. In the 1840s, Bishop John Joseph Chanche invited the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul affectionately called the Sisters of Charity, to establish an orphanage for girls in Natchez. The Sisters arrived in 1847 and began St. Mary’s Asylum, which took in girls whose parents had either died or could no longer care for them.
The Sisters were known for their distinctive white cornettes and for the acts of charity they performed throughout the community. Antoinette Thomas, who served in the diocesan tribunal for many years, grew up with the Sisters and often was called upon to iron the cornette with a bucket of starch applied with a paint brush.
It would require a tome larger than Aquinas’s Summa to describe the enormous contributions made to the diocese by these and countless other Sisters throughout the history of our diocese – Mercy Sisters, Carmelites, Dominicans, Ursulines, Holy Spirit Sisters, and a myriad of others. We will save that for another time.
Of course, Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, comes to mind in a large way due to her tenacity, grit and grace. She inspired people all over the world because she saw them, challenged them to be the best person they could be, and loved them.

Sister Dr. Anne Brooks, SNJM of the Tutwiler Clinic.

Sister Thea’s canonization cause continues to gather steam. Here is a beautiful quote that encapsulates her faith: “We unite ourselves with Christ’s redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God’s healing, God’s forgiveness, God’s unconditional love.”
Some may not know that Sister Thea obtained her doctorate in letters from Catholic University of America in 1972. Her dissertation was on St. Thomas More entitled: “The Relationship of Pathos and Style in a Dyalogue of Comforte Agaynste Tribulacyion: A Rhetorical Study.” That is quite a topic and included studies in the Olde English style. She spent time researching this topic at Oxford University in England.
Sister Thea also was an expert on William Faulkner, speaking and appearing often at the annual Faulkner Conference in Oxford. We frequently think of religious women as kind-hearted women who came among us to serve in schools and parishes. We do not realize how highly educated these women were and are.

In 1982, Sister Anne Brooks, SNJM, obtained a doctor of osteopathy (DO) degree and set about to find a place to serve the underserved in America. She settled on starting a clinic in 1983 in Tutwiler, Mississippi, one of the poorest areas in the United States. The small Delta town’s water tower is painted with “Welcome to Tutwiler, Mississippi: Where the Blues Was Born.”
Dr. Brooks, a true osteopathic physician who embodies the holistic approach to medicine, has given that corner of our diocese a place where people on the margins can receive quality health care. An average year for her included seeing over 8,500 patients where one out of three live in poverty and seven out of 10 walk in the door with no way to pay for care.
She retired in 2017 after securing a partnership for the clinic with the local hospital, Tallahatchie General in Ruleville.

Sister Trinita Eddington, OP. (Photos courtesy of archives)

Sister Trinita Eddington, OP, has served her entire 60-plus year vocation as a Dominican here in Jackson at St. Dominic Hospital. The following information from the St. Dominic website gives an account of her ministry.
“Sister Trinita’s nursing background began in 1953 when she enrolled in the St. Dominic School of Nursing after making the profession of vows. With this, Sister Trinita began fulfilling her dream to care for the sick. She became a registered nurse in 1957.”
She helped establish St. Dominic Community Health Clinic for the homeless in Jackson. “treating hundreds of low-income and homeless individuals in the Jackson area through the St. Dominic Community Health Clinic. In addition to providing medical care as a nurse practitioner, as clinic director, Sister Trinita is also responsible and accountable for the overall administration, direction and operation of the clinic.”
Our diocesan chancery and Catholic Charities are filled with extremely competent and dedicated lay women of faith who everyday quietly leave their mark on this corner of God’s kingdom by serving as true disciples of Christ. I cannot name one without leaving out dozens. They serve tirelessly through challenges and adversity to achieve great things – often with a tear bearing the pains of the world. Pray for us.

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

Turn back time: visit St. John the Baptist Mission, revisited

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – This article originally ran in Mississippi Catholic in Nov. 2016 when the mission church in Cranfield, St. John the Baptist, was celebrating its centennial. I am rerunning it to give a different flavor to this series from the archives. The story is connected to the eventual founding of Holy Family Church in Natchez and St. Francis School that we mentioned last article. After this lovely sidebar, we will return to the developing church in our state and race.
On Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016 a beautiful, fresh autumn day, more than 100 people gathered with Bishop Joseph Kopacz to mark the centennial of St. John the Baptist Mission at an early afternoon Mass. The small wood-framed church holds roughly 50 people. The overflow congregation was sheltered in a tent outside under the trees.
Shortly before the Mass was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., a communicant arrived on a four-wheeler, reflecting the mission’s location to nearby hunting camps where many Louisiana Catholics come during hunting season. She zipped in and parked opposite the tents and took her place among the congregation.

CRANFIELD – Pictured is the St. John the Baptist Mission Church. Cranfield is an unincorporated community in Adams County, located on the former Mississippi Central Railroad, in between Natchez and Roxie.

The windows of the church were wide open, and the breeze of the day kept the natural flow of creation present as those gathered entered into the Divine Liturgy. The setting of the day brought us back to 100 years ago when Bishop John Gunn, SM, preached an eloquent sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan likening the Cranfield mission to the protagonist who cared for the one in need.
The history of the mission is a prime example of a dedicated shepherd who traversed fields and valleys, climbed hills and braved thicket to find his flock. In his time Father Morrissey became known as the “Father of Missions” in the southwest corner of the diocese.
The Natchez ministry of Father Morrissey began in 1901 when he arrived at Holy Family Church. The parish was established in 1890 to serve African American Catholics in the Natchez area. Having been invited by Bishop Thomas Heslin, the Josephites have staffed Holy Family since 1895.
Under Father Morrissey, Holy Family soon became the mother church of four missions – Cranfield, Harriston, Laurel Park, and Springfield. On Monday mornings after his weekend duties at Holy Family, Father Morrissey would head out into the county in search of any Catholics and also those who were not church-going.
During his circuit, he often came upon Catholics who were not able to get into Natchez very often to receive the sacraments. This is where the story of Cranfield has its roots.

St. John the Baptist Mission in Cranfield, built by sons of one of the founders, still stands over 100 years later. Members gathered by car, truck and all-terrain vehicle for the 100 year anniversary celebration in November 2016. (Photos courtesy of archives)

According to a history of the mission written in 1945 by Father Arthur Flanagan, SSJ, and pastor of Holy Family at the time, Father Morrissey came upon the Irish Catholic family of John Gordon Fleming. Fleming told Father Morrissey the family originally came from County Mayo, Ireland in the late 1870s. Fleming’s relative, Holiday Fleming, was the oldest son of the immigrants and brought with him his wife and children. The family would go to Mass in Natchez at St. Mary on Easter and Christmas – weather permitting. The children were all baptized and received sacraments from St. Mary.
The next half of the story told by Fleming holds a true Mississippi cultural twist and a wonderful image of the people of God. Apparently, Holiday Fleming had been “true to his name, [and] went holidaying with the result that he was blessed” with a growing African American family. Father Morrissey saw the children and recognized they belonged to Holiday. Father Morrissey made sure these children were brought to Holy Family for sacraments and given their father’s name. Many Flemings can be found in the Holy Family sacramental registers.
Soon after meeting the Flemings, Father Morrissey laid plans to build a church in Cranfield. After a few years of saving pennies and nickels from various appeals, there was finally enough in hand to build the church on the land donated by Mrs. Boggart, a Catholic. The mission priest, along with the older African American Fleming children, built the church. As great artists often sign their masterpieces, Linda Floyd, granddaughter of Geraldine Fleming, a descendant of the original Fleming family, relayed that the young men who worked on the church inscribed their names in the steeple.
Initially, religious education taught by Rosie Washington was held in the church as there was no other building on the site. In 1938, a bus from Natchez came to bring the children to St. Francis School at Holy Family. On the weekend Mass was not celebrated in the mission, the bus was used to bring people to Mass at Holy Family.
As the years passed, the other three missions closed. Today Cranfield is the last of the four built by Father Morrissey. His missionary zeal reflects the true spirit of our diocese as a rural mission territory.
It was 100 years ago on Sept. 3, 1916, when Bishop John Gunn, SM, dedicated the mission church built by Father Matthew Morrissey, SSJ, and the Fleming family. Since then, many striking autumn days have filled the hearts and minds of the people of this unique mission. For those who live in larger parishes, a trip to Cranfield St. John the Baptist would be good for the Catholic soul.

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

Black Catholic education in diocese “Cradle Days” – part II

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – When I was in the eighth grade at Bailey Junior High in Jackson, this is what I was taught in American History class about the cause of the Civil War: The people of the South enjoyed importing shoes from France as they liked nice shoes. Massachusetts was home to a large shoe-making industry and wanted to sell shoes in the southern market. To force southerners to buy Massachusetts-made shoes, the government imposed high tariffs on imports from France. This angered southerners; so southern states seceded from the United States and formed the Confederacy.
There was never any mention that slavery was the cause of the Civil War. Even though all the key leaders in the South continually based their secession on maintaining the way of life in the South with slavery at the forefront, our eighth-grade class was taught that it was about shoes.
At the same time (1978-80), we were being taught this “white-washed” version of history, a controversial new textbook was being written and proposed for use as a textbook for ninth grade Mississippi History curriculum. “Mississippi: Conflict and Change,” edited by James Loewen of Tougaloo College and Charles Sallis of Millsaps College, gave a clear history of the state, especially in addressing difficult subjects such as slavery and lynchings. The textbook was not accepted for use in Mississippi school curriculum due largely in part to a graphic photograph of the lynching of a black man.
This reflects how history can be manipulated systemically to make it more palatable, especially considering at that time 97% of Bailey’s students were black. By rejecting the tough history in Conflict and Change, the board of education continued to present softened history to students throughout the state.
Having prefaced with 20th century education, let us journey back to 19th century Natchez education. Last issue we discussed early efforts by Bishop John Joseph Chanche and Bishop William Henry Elder to educate slave children in the afternoons in the rectory in Natchez. We continue that theme this week as we journey through the Civil War and into post war education efforts and the establishment of a school.
The custom of having slave children attend catechism classes in buildings on the church grounds continued throughout the Civil War. After the Emancipation Proclamation was given by President Lincoln in 1863 at Gettysburg, several thousand slaves, now emancipated by the proclamation, gathered in and around Natchez since it was occupied by Union troops.
We find the following letter from Bishop Elder to the Propagation of the Faith Society from early 1864 addressing the conditions in Natchez:
The proclamation of liberty caused several thousands of Negroes to gather in and around Natchez. And, although the military authorities provided them as well they could with shelter and food, yet great numbers of them sickened and died – and they are still dying every day. Almost all that we could get an opportunity to see were well disposed to receive the teachings of the Church and glad to be baptized, and we have been occupied, sometimes one and sometimes three of us, a part of almost every day, preparing them for death. Personally, I had the happiness of baptizing more than five hundred during the sickly period last fall.
After the war in 1868, Msgr. Mathurin Grignon, who had arrived in Natchez from France at the end of Bishop Chanche’s tenure as bishop, and was now Vicar General of the diocese, began a school in the church basement for Catholic children who were former slaves. According to “Cradle Days of St.

Msgr. Mathurin Grignon was born in Brittany, France on Nov. 29, 1822. He served under Bishop John Joseph Chanche, Bishop James Oliver Van de Velde, Bishop William Henry Elder and Bishop Francis August Janssens for the Diocese of Natchez. In 1868, he established the Society of the Holy Family to help support the poor among the Black Catholic community in Natchez. Grignon served St. Mary Cathedral, now Basilica, for over thirty-seven years, longer than any clergymen to date.

Mary’s,” Msgr. Grignon taught catechism to the children and hired teachers for other subjects. In 1868, he established the Society of the Holy Family to help support the poor among the Black Catholic community in Natchez.
Hoping to fortify the school with Sisters as teachers, Bishop Elder wrote to the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1873 promising a house for the Sisters and a playground close by for the children to play. The Oblates were unable to fulfill Bishop Elder’s request however and the school enrollment dwindled.
A description of the school in 1878 is included in “Cradle Days” as: The basement of the Cathedral was divided into two large rooms. The one nearer Union street was vacant; the other was used as the schoolroom. The teacher in 1878 was a Mrs. Sarah Daigle, whose piety made quite a profound impression upon the children. … When Mrs. Daigle fell into ill health, the account continues: the school was moved from the basement of the church to the brick building just south of the Bishop’s Residence. This school was taught by Miss Beauvais and then for a short time by Miss Hammond.

Francis August Janssens was appointed the fourth Bishop of Natchez in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. He served the Diocese from 1881 until 1888, when he was appointed Archbishop of New Orleans. Catholic education was a hallmark of his time in Mississippi. When he arrived in 1881, there were 15 schools; when he left for New Orleans seven years later, there were 26. (Photos courtesy of Diocese Archives)

When Bishop Elder was named Archbishop of Cincinnati in 1880, Bishop Francis Janssens was appointed the new bishop for Natchez. He, too, was committed to providing a school for Natchez’s Black Catholic community. Enrollment in the early 1880s was 25 students.
Bishop Janssens arranged for the Sisters of Charity, who were staffing St. Joseph School for white girls, to teach in the school. Here is a quote from his diary dated Oct. 4, 1886: Today, the Colored School was opened by the Sisters of Charity in the lower room of the house next to our residence. The number of pupils the first day was 24. Sister Mary Elizabeth and Sister Louise were the teachers.
By the end of 1886, the enrollment was up to 15 boys and 35 girls. The school was named St. Francis. In 1887, the school was flourishing with 65 students. The building had to be adjusted to fit all the students. A room on the second floor of the building became a classroom for the older girls.
The evolution of education for Black Catholics in Natchez from the establishment of the diocese, through the Civil War and into the 1880s does reflect a dedication on the part of the early bishops and pastors to evangelize in this community. As we move forward in exploring this ministry, we will see it evolve even further as a parish is established in Natchez for African Americans in 1890 under Bishop Thomas Heslin.

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

Black Catholic education in diocese “Cradle Days” – part 1

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – When I think back about my 12 years in the Jackson Public Schools, I remember the many classmates and teachers who were a part of my education. I began the first grade when JPS implemented integration completely.
In the third grade, Harry Reasoner of “60Minutes” visited my classroom at Power Elementary. His crew filmed us all morning and he talked to us about integration and how well it was going in JPS. Apparently, we were a model school district because people from around the world would visit to see how we did it. I guess people were expecting riots as in previous situations, but that did not happen. And so, we got to meet Harry Reasoner and our classroom was showcased on a national broadcast for a total of 15 seconds.
I give this introduction because for the next two columns we will be looking at education. This week we will look at early attempts at educating slave children once the diocese was established and Bishop John Joseph Chanche had arrived in 1841. Next week will focus on how history was taught to me in JPS.
I will preface by saying I am again using “Cradle Days” written by Bishop Gerow and his Chancellor Msgr. Daniel O’Beirne, who did most of the research for the book. History can be recorded in various ways only to be further researched and adjusted later when more resources become available. When using direct quotes and transcripts of letters, I will use the original language of the book using terms such as “negro” and “colored.”
From “Cradle Days” we read that after Bishop Chanche’s arrival in 1841 he wrote the following letter to the Archbishop of Vienna in an attempt to gain some funding for his fledgling diocese from The Leopoldin Society.
I have begun a mission amongst the Negroes. On my arrival here there were only two who called themselves Catholic; at present many frequent the Sacraments. They are given an instruction twice every Sunday and from 150 to 200 are present and are preparing themselves for baptism.
According to “Cradle Days” evangelizing and educating the local African American children was a mission he held very dear because he assigned a priest, Father Francois “to the special care of the Negroes.” In 1844 again seeking funds, Bishop Chanche wrote to the Propagation of the Faith Society in Paris the following description of his mission:
It would be very important for religion in the country here that we would have zealous Priests who would be willing to give themselves entirely to the instruction of the Negroes. … I have already commenced one of these missions near Natchez, and I have every reason to be hopeful.
In the baptismal records of the 1840s there is evidence that when clergy and Bishop Chanche were travelling to faraway places such as Jackson and Yazoo City, slaves were baptized on plantations. This ministry would have most likely continued under Bishop James VandeVelde, our second bishop (1853-55), but his short tenure and untimely death leaves him out of this section of “Cradle Days.”

Bishop William Henry Elder photo from his early days as Bishop, possibly in the 1860s. (Photo courtesy of archives)

Bishop William Henry Elder, our third bishop (1857-80), continued the commitment to evangelizing and educating the slave community in the Natchez area. In the 1860 announcement books from St. Mary’s, we find:
Your prayers are required for the repose of the soul of Sam – colored servant of Mr. Owens. He died this morning, after having received the Sacraments and other rites of the Church.
Also, from 1861 we read:
Colored persons, especially those old enough for their first communion ought to attend in church this afternoon at 3½.
A more telling announcement comes in May 1862, when an earnest appeal is made to the “masters and mistresses to arrange the work of those under their care in such a manner that they may have an opportunity of coming to instruction,” which would be held in the rectory.
I find the use of the phrase “under their care” interesting. Was it a way of appealing to the goodness in the person who owns another person to entice them into letting them be educated? Was it a way to guilt people into doing what was right?
Earlier language from Bishop Chanche’s same letter quoted above sent to the Propagation of the Faith in 1844 is phrased:
The Negroes are inclined to religion and they have not the permission to go outside the limits of the plantation. The good which would be done would be a permanent good. Besides, the good would reflect upon their masters. When these would see the change that would be produced in their slaves they could not but esteem a religion which could produce such effects, and esteem would lead them to embrace it.

NATCHEZ – Perspective view of south and west elevations in 1936 of 311-313 Market Street (Parish House) where classes might have taken place. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington DC)

In reading through this chapter entitled “Colored Catholics in Natchez” from the lens of today, the language and phrasing are very difficult to swallow. But I began to wonder if church leadership was trying to make something good out of something really bad. Was there a genuine concern for the souls of these enslaved people? Since slavery was an accepted institution at that time in that place, were the actions of the bishop and his priests carefully calculated so as not to offend their slave-owning parishioners and lose financial and spiritual support?
These letters and announcement books, language and phrasing aside, does seem to reflect concern for the dignity of the human person and a recognition of that individual as God’s creation.
Next time we will explore a little more of Bishop Elder’s actions during and after the Civil War and we will meet Msgr. Mathurin Grignon, rector, administrator, vicar general.

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