May 19, 2022 – Vicksburg Council 898 of the Knights of Columbus, represented by the council’s treasurer Jeff Eckstein, visited St. Aloysius high school to present a $1,600 scholarship to graduating senior Marissa Jabour, winner of the council’s annual Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest with her essay on the theme of perseverance. The council was also there to present a $1,130 donation to the Vicksburg Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance fund to Ms. Karla McHan. Funds for the scholarship and donation came from various fundraisers the council conducted in the preceding year. (Photo by Tomas Mondragon)
By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – Family, friends and supporters gathered on Saturday, May 14 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson for the priestly ordination of Andrew Bowden, who set his sights on the priesthood from the time he was a kindergartener.
Father Bowden was the first seminarian welcomed into the program by Bishop Joseph Kopacz in 2014, after Bowden graduated from high school.
Bishop Kopacz said that eight years ago “seems like a lifetime age,” something that vocation director Father Nick Adam concurred with.
In 2014, Father Nick was still in seminary formation when Bowden was accepted to the program. “It’s great to see the growth … from 18-years-old to now 26, but also the growth in his identity as a future priest of the church,” said Father Nick.
JACKSON – Attendees witness the Priestly Ordination of Father Andrew Bowden on Saturday, May 14 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. Bowden is pictured as he lays prostrate on the floor for the Litany of Supplication. This symbolizes his unworthiness for the office he is about to assume and his dependence upon God and the prayers of the Christian community. The Litany of Saints is sung, which is a great reminder that we are all connected with the body of saints in heaven. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
At the joyful celebration, Bishop Kopacz was joined by many other priests in the diocese, seminarians and Father James Wehner, STD, rector of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
Bishop Kopacz gave special acknowledgement to Father Wehner, who is leaving his position as rector after a 10 year “tour of duty,” returning to his home diocese of Pittsburg.
Wehner was a huge part in the lives of our recent generation of priests in the diocese. Bishop Kopacz acknowledged, while running through the lists of “characters” that have entered the priesthood under Father Wehner’s tenure.“Twelve seems to be the number … we have truly been blessed in our diocese,” said Bishop Kopacz.
The Solemn Mass of Ordination featured the election of the candidate with Father Nick Adam proclaiming Bowden’s worthiness; the promise of the elect, where Bowden agreed to live his priesthood in the imitation of Christ; the litany of supplication, where Bowden laid prostrate on the floor while those at the church prayed for the saints protection; the laying on of hands by brother priests; the prayer of ordination over Bowden by Bishop Kopacz; vestition by Father Matthew Simmons; the anointing of hands with sacred oil; presentation of the chalice and paten as symbols of the priestly office; and the fraternal kiss, where the Bishop and all brother priests present exchange a sign of peace.
In his homily, Bishop Kopacz spoke on the tradition of the priesthood over 2000 years.
“We go from Jerusalem to Jackson. Same work; same faith; same Holy Word of God; and this great gift of the Lord’s presence in our midst.”
At the end of the liturgy, Bishop Kopacz thanked everyone who helped prepare for the ordination and all in attendance for the celebration, mentioning the upcoming ordination of Carlisle Beggerly to the transitional diaconate on June 4 at his home parish of Immaculate Conception in West Point.
After Mass, many in attendance traveled a few blocks from the Cathedral to the Two Mississippi Museums for a reception honoring Father Bowden and to receive first priestly blessings.
The day after Father Bowden’s ordination, he celebrated his Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish of St. Jude Pearl, with his family, friends and fellow parishioners, who supported him during his journey to the priesthood.
For the Mass, Father Bowden invited Father Nick, as his vocation director to give the homily. Speaking directly to Father Bowden, Father Nick told him that he had been waiting for this day a long time. “But, probably not as long as you,” joked Father Nick.
“As your vocation director, it has been a joy to see you being formed into a man who is going to be a fantastic priest.”
Most striking about Father Bowden’s ordination was the number of young people who came to show their support, noted Father Nick.
“That is a testament to the spiritual fatherhood that you have already taken on,” said Father Nick to Bowden during his homily.
At the end of the Mass, the newly ordained Father Bowden did his best to recall all to thank for their support of him and his journey to the priesthood.
“St. Jude is a place where I first started to learn to love the church, so it’s very special for me to come back and … celebrate this Mass,” said Father Bowden.
“I could not have gotten here with out all of you and your prayers and support for me.”
Father Bowden was appointed parochial vicar of St. Richard Jackson by Bishop Kopacz. He will begin his ministry at the parish on June 1.
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman Elementary fifth grader, Ashleigh Mason accepts flowers from Kindergarteners, Karmen Davis and Kahlie Saleem, along with other Kindergarteners and Father Joe Dyer. The flowers were placed before the Mary statue during the Crowning Mary ceremony held after Mass on Friday, May 6. (Photo by Shae Goodman Robinson)
SOUTHAVEN – Sacred Heart students, Mac Collins and Izzy Viglietti serve as attendants as Gwyneth Michael crowns Mary during Mass on Wednesday, May 11. (Photo by Laura Grisham)
CANTON – Nicole Contreras, María Fernanda Tibet and Denise Contreras prepare to crown Mary at Sacred Heart Parish. (Photo by Blanca Peralta Zunigo)
Catholic student life
JACKSON – On Friday, May 6, St. Richard fifth graders performed Fifty Nifty United States. Students showed what happens when the States decide to visit and swap spots with each other. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
WEST POINT – Confirmation candidates, left to right, Paola Garcia and Paulina Lemus, are pictured reaching out to prospective donors for the Confirmation students annual blood drive that took place on Wednesday, May 25. Other candidates also made calls, distributed posters and flyers, and worked on the day of the drive, welcoming prospective donors and offering snacks and assistance; as well as, setting up and cleaning up. (Photo by Cathy Johnson)
GREENVILLE – St. Joseph students Raymon Singh, John Maddox Hillman, Jerrian King and Lori Ann Hughes compete in a team building exercise at their Junior Retreat. Working together is a necessity. (Photo by Emily Thompson)
By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON – Several U.S. Catholic bishops expressed sorrow and called out racism and gun violence after reports of a May 14 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, that left at least three injured and 10 dead – a crime authorities categorized as likely motivated by hatred for Black people.
In a separate shooting at a Presbyterian church in Laguna Woods, California, May 15, a gunman killed one person and wounded five. The suspect in that shooting was targeting members of the Taiwanese community, Orange County officials said.
In one of the most powerful statements condemning the violence that took place when a gunman opened fire on a Saturday afternoon at a supermarket in Buffalo, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, said May 15, “Faith compels us to say no to the rotten forces of racism, no to terror, and no to the mortal silencing of Black and brown voices.”
Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, also spoke up against what has been categorized not just as violence but one colored with chilling racism. “The tragedy in Buffalo is hardly the first such violence against African Americans,” he wrote shortly after the attack. “From the crossing of the ocean in slave ships, in which many Africans died, to their violent treatment by slave masters to the thousands of lynching of Blacks in the South to more recent killings of unarmed African Americans by police and civilians, even in their churches, this racism has claimed an inordinate number of Black lives simply because they were Black. When and how will it stop?”
Responding to both incidents, Chieko Noguchi, director of public affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the U.S. bishops were calling for an honest dialogue “addressing the persistent evil of racism in our country.”
Mourners in Buffalo, N.Y., react May 15, 2022, while attending a vigil for victims of the shooting the day before at a TOPS supermarket. Authorities say the mass shooting that left 10 people dead was racially motivated. (CNS photo/Brendan McDermid, Reuters)
By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON – Asian Americans are a distinct minority in the United States. Those who are Catholic make them minority within a minority.
Thus, when you see your heritage and faith reflected, it really is a godsend. And when you don’t, you may not wait for someone else to do it and take up the task yourself.
That’s what Sarah Hoyoung Ku has done, with a little help from her friends.
Ku, who is a Korean American, and her Chinese American husband live in the San Francisco Bay area. Despite there being more Americans of Asian heritage there than in almost any other part of the country, there were few representations of their common Asian heritage to be found for themselves and their five children.
“It’s only by parenting that seeing yourself reflected in the books that you read and the images and toys that you play with,” said Ku, who was raised a Protestant and joined the Catholic Church 12 years ago. “It was hard to find a doll that looked Asian. That started with them as little kids … even physical, facial features.”
That also extends to Asians’ representation in church, Ku found.
It’s the reason she founded an Instagram account called Asian Catholic Woman – @asiancatholicwoman – where she explores Catholic faith through an Asian American lens.
“We’re creating Asian space, in an Asian American lens,” Ku said. She writes about one column a week for the account, which has more than 2,300 followers and has additional resources for those who visit the page.
“When you ask about the Asian saints, I have been hungry to know these stories,” Ku told Catholic News Service during a May 13 phone interview.
Recently, author Meg Hunter-Kilmer wrote “Saints Around the World,” “which is great for kids,” Ku said, and “Pray for Us,” geared toward young adults.
“She’s really good about telling the stories of diverse saints,” added Ku, who also has written a reflection for CNS’ catechetical and spirituality section.
“When I discovered these books, I was so thrilled. It was so meaningful,” Ku said.
“I can’t tell you what it means to see the stories of saints from your own ethnic culture, she added, “reading Meg’s books … and these ‘Pray for Us’ books.”
Ku has been reading the stories herself. “I still remember getting the book in the mail. I have three daughters. I had Elise, my 6 year old, on my lap. I went immediately to the Korean saints’ stories.” Ku in particular likes the stories of St. Agatha and Blessed Columba.
“I was just taking it in. These were new-to-me stories. I was proud to share these stories with my daughter,” Ku told CNS. “They involve a lot of suffering and persecution. The story of the Catholic Church in Korea and Japan and Vietnam, there’s so much distrust of government to leaders of the Catholic Church,” due to supposed “foreign influence.”
Ku said the stories “just involve such steadfastness to Jesus. And so much bravery. It’s just incredible.” Her daughters seem to have picked up on this. “My three daughters recognize the bravery and such deep love for their faith. They (the saints) were tortured for their faith and killed for their faith. These are meaningful moments.
“Afterward, I noticed that Elise in the days afterward, that she would pick up ‘Saints Around the World’ and look at the story of the Korean saints. It could be because they’re 6 and learning to read. I think there’s something in there that appeals to her spirit, just as it did to me.”
More recently, Ku pitched a project with the Hallow app; “I love the app,” she confessed. “I had the idea: What if, in May, you were able to choose Asian saint stories that were read by Asian American Catholics? How crazy!”
May also marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“In January, I got on a call with the Hallow team: Asian saint stories read by Asian American voices. They were really supportive,” Ku said. “We got seven of the stories from Meg’s book. … I got to read the stories for the Korean saints.”
Other stories in the Hallow series are in Japanese and Hmong, an ethnic group in Laos. Ku was able to get the first American-born Hmong priest to do the recitation of Hunter-Kilmer’s story of a Hmong saint. The recordings have been up since the start of May.
It still takes Ku a bit to wrap her head around the fact that “Pray for Us” stories are available for hearing in their native tongues. “I’d been waiting for that part. I find that part so incredibly powerful in particular, to hear the language the saint would have spoken in their lifetime.”
AMID THE FRAY By Greg Erlandson (CNS) The leaked draft Supreme Court document that laid out the case for overturning Roe v. Wade making abortion a constitutional right has provoked an uproar.
Abortion advocates are furious that the forthcoming ruling may toss abortion back to the legislatures. Abortion opponents are working furiously to have laws in place at the state level to ban abortions. In either case, the struggle won’t be ending. It will be punted to nearly level of government for the foreseeable future.
As we wait for the high court’s final decision in June, we might do well to listen to Getty Israel, the founder and CEO of Sisters in Birth, located in Mississippi.
Greg Erlandson, (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
Sisters in Birth exists to help poor and underserved women in the poorest state in the union to give birth to healthy babies and to help mothers find the care they need. In a recent interview, Israel sounded fed up with the swirling national debate.
When interviewed on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” Israel did not take the standard NPR line on abortion. She sounded ticked off at everybody.
“When we get calls from women – and we do – who are looking for an abortion, the first question I ask is, ‘What’s going on?’” “Because, yes, I want to change her mind. Yes, I want to reduce the abortion rate. That’s a lot of Black lives lost in an era of Black Lives Matter,” she said.
“Pro-choice people are willing to wage a war … to protect (Roe v. Wade). But they’re not willing to help create any community-based interventions to address the various underlying risk factors that will lead a woman to look for an abortion,” Israel charged.
What’s missing from the national debate, she added, are the voices of women who are considering abortion. “No one ever says, What do you need? What can we do to help improve your life so that you don’t find that you need to have an abortion?”
“When a woman is seeking abortion, 9 times out of 10, she is alone,” she continued. “Pro-choice people aren’t walking down the path with her, and neither are the pro-life people, beyond beating her over the head with a Bible and Scripture.”
Almost 38% of Mississippians are Black, the highest in the nation. Yet they account for 68% of abortions. Women looking for abortion often work minimum-wage jobs without health insurance. They are beset by poverty and a torn social net.
Mississippi also has the highest rate of infant deaths in the first 12 months of life. Sixty percent of those babies are Black, many of whom were born premature. Yet state medical care for pregnant women and for new mothers in poverty is minimal and underfunded.
Banning abortion will not make Mississippi a pro-life state.
The racist murder of Black shoppers in Buffalo, New York, has transfixed the nation, but Getty Israel is right: Hundreds of thousands of Black babies are being aborted or dying in their first year of life for lack of adequate health care and support.
Nationwide there are bold pro-life efforts like the Women’s Care Centers that help expectant mothers, but so much more is needed. Passage of a new child tax credit program is one place to start.
Catholic bishops are calling for all Catholic institutions to step up and support moms in need. In the words of the New York bishops, if “every Catholic parish, every Catholic Charities program, every Catholic health facility, every Catholic school, every Catholic college and university” were asking women how they could help, the impact could be culture changing. The challenge is, how do we make this more than just a slogan?
(Erlandson, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, can be reached at gerlandson@catholicnews.com.)
Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. Como católicos, estamos en medio de una Novena de nueve días emprendida por la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos en preparación para la gran fiesta de la Visitación el 31 de mayo. Este segundo misterio gozoso del rosario recuerda esa tierna escena cuando María y Isabel, dos de las mujeres embarazadas más conocidas de la historia mundial, se encontraron con un gozo ilimitado en Dios su Salvador. Incluso el “bebé se agitó de alegría en mi vientre”, exclamó Isabel a su prima más joven que había llegado a la puerta de Zacarías e Isabel para ayudarla, que estaba en su sexto mes con el nonato Juan Bautista. Las mujeres ayudando a mujeres, en la preparación para el parto y en los meses posteriores a la salida de la nueva vida del útero a la luz del día, es fundamental para la vida familiar, comunitaria y de la civilización.
Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz
La necesidad de apoyo cariñoso en torno al embarazo y la etapa más temprana de la vida es fundamental para las madres y sus bebés, la vida familiar, las comunidades y, en última instancia, la civilización. Hay muchos en nuestras iglesias y en nuestras comunidades en Mississippi que se unen en torno al llamado de acompañar a las futuras madres y en el tiempo posterior al nacimiento de sus hijos. Solo podemos regocijarnos al ver un apoyo tan amoroso. Para la Iglesia Católica, como todo el mundo sabe, el derecho a la vida es fundamental porque estamos hechos a imagen y semejanza de Dios (Imago Dei). La dignidad de la persona humana tiene sus raíces en esta creencia fundamental.
El mundo entero puede no saber o elegir ignorar que la iglesia se compromete, a tiempo y fuera de tiempo, con el bienestar de la persona humana en cada etapa de la vida. Esto es evidente en nuestras enseñanzas sociales que fomentan el bien común, sirven a los pobres, marginados y vulnerables, defienden la atención médica, patrocinan la educación y apoyan las necesidades básicas de la vida: alimentación, vivienda y vestido, y empleo remunerado. Además, en los últimos años, el cuidado de nuestra casa común, la tierra, se ha vuelto más urgente.
La obra maestra del Papa Francisco, Laudato Si, se regocija en Dios el creador y aborda esta obligación dada por Dios. Cuando sumamos todo, se trata de lo que San Pablo afirma con elocuencia en su carta a los Romanos. “Porque el reino de Dios no es cuestión de comer o beber determinadas cosas, sino de vivir en justicia, paz y alegría por medio del Espíritu Santo. (14:7)
Ahora volvamos a la Visitación y al don de la vida no nacida que abrió esta columna. La decisión de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos sobre Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization es inminente y la posibilidad de anular Roe v. Wade está enviando ondas de choque por todo el país, desde la Casa Blanca hasta todos los puntos de la brújula.
No hay duda de que este es un momento histórico para nuestra nación. La pasión que rodea este tema de la vida arde no menos intensamente que hace casi 50 años cuando Roe v. Wade se convirtió en ley del país en 1973. Ha habido una sombra que se arrastra desde entonces porque en el centro de nuestra conciencia colectiva hay una conciencia torturada que es incapaz de reconciliar una imagen propia de bondad inherente con la sangre de los inocentes. Pero, ya sea que Roe v Wade sea anulado o revertido, los abortos no cesarán, como sabemos. La responsabilidad política volverá a las legislaturas de los 50 estados para promulgar leyes en el futuro y, como ya hemos experimentado, estas leyes variarán mucho.
Al igual que los incendios que envuelven a nuestros estados del oeste, habrá conflagraciones generalizadas que arderán en las fallas de nuestra sociedad fracturada. La responsabilidad personal es otra dimensión, el terreno de la conciencia y la conversión, que desafía a cada individuo a salvaguardar el don de la sexualidad sabiendo que hay libertad a través de las fronteras, a apreciar el don de la vida, la propia y la de los vulnerables entre nosotros y a darse cuenta de que la violencia contra los no nacidos está en la raíz de la violencia que agita a nuestra nación y al mundo.
¿Qué puede hacer una persona o una iglesia?
“Esta luz brilla en las tinieblas, y las tinieblas no han podido apagarla.” (Juan 1:5) es la promesa de que nuestro trabajo con Dios siempre importará. Orar, servir, empoderar y abogar son siempre relevantes. El Papa Francisco fomenta el encuentro con los demás y el acompañamiento y un proyecto reciente digno de elogio en todas las diócesis católicas como “Caminando con las mamás necesitadas.”
Cualquiera que sea el fallo de Roe v Wade, la iglesia, en connivencia con otras redes, está redoblando sus esfuerzos para acompañar a las madres, sus bebés antes de nacer y sus niños en las primeras etapas de desarrollo para que ellos y nosotros, como Mary y Isabel, podamos regocijarnos en el regalo de vida y en Dios nuestro Salvador.
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – For politics to be “the highest form of charity,” as Catholic social teaching promotes, it must be exercised with full respect and even love for those who disagree, Pope Francis said.
“We are called to live the political encounter as a fraternal encounter, especially with those who least agree with us; and this means seeing in the one with whom we dialogue a true brother or sister, a beloved child of God,” the pope told an international group of young adults May 16.
The young people, ages 18-35, are part of the lay Chemin Neuf community’s “Politics Fraternity,” which brings together prayer, direct service to the poor and a commitment to the common good and to political activity “according to the heart of God,” the group’s website said.
Pope Francis waves to members of the “Political Fraternity” project of the Chemin Neuf lay movement at the end of an audience May 16, 2022, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
“Encounter, reflection, action: This is a program for politics in the Christian sense,” the pope told them. For a Christian, a political encounter and debate must go beyond “respectful dialogue,” he said. “Since the Gospel asks us to love our enemies, I cannot settle for a superficial and formal dialogue, like those often-hostile negotiations between political parties.”
Instead, the pope said, with mutual respect and a solid commitment to finding common ground, political adversaries must listen to each other and seek the good of all rather than the promotion of their pet project or position.
Virtuous politics also involves “common reflection in search of this general good, and not simply by the confrontation of conflicting and often opposing interests,” the pope said. “In short, ‘the whole is superior to the part,’ and our compass for elaborating this common project is the Gospel, which brings to the world a profoundly positive vision of the human person loved by God.”
Pope Francis praised the Chemin Neuf project and its participants for recognizing that prayer, dialogue and reflection are not enough.
A politics grounded in reality and aiming to make concrete contributions to people’s lives must include the experience of serving the poor, he said, like the group does with its work with migrants, its care of creation and the small community of young adults who have chosen to live in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Paris.
At the end of the audience, Chemin Neuf members gathered around Pope Francis, who was seated in a wheelchair because of ongoing knee pain, and prayed for him while laying hands on him.
“In prayer let us all ask God to bless us,” he said. “Lord Jesus, bless all of us who work close to you. Bless our ideas. Bless our hearts. Bless our hands.”
MADISON – The late Mart Bisek of Madison was not present to receive the award for Family of the Year with his wife Ginger at the Annual Knights of Columbus State Convention in Robinsonville on April 23. Mart lost his battle to cancer before the convention, but he left behind a dedicated spouse, two grown children and grandchildren, and a legacy of service and dedication to faith, family, life and community that will live on forever.
As this year’s recipients of the State Knights of Columbus Family of the Year, Mart and Ginger served the Lord in four local parishes over the years and led ministries that provided for many of the people of God.
Mart served in many leadership roles in the Knights through the years while Ginger served as officer and charter member of the KC Ladies Auxiliary and chaired the Giving Tree Ministry for many years. Together, they helped many in the community. Mart also served as CEO of Gleaners for 12 years and Ginger volunteered for 10 years at Our Daily Bread in Canton and Hope Hollow for 12 years. “The Bisek family are truly role models of how a family should use their time, talent and treasure in support of the church and the community,” said Ned Darbonne of Grand Knight Council 11934 Gluckstadt.
Pictured left to right, David Madere, Ginger Bisek and Ned Darbonne. (Photo courtesy Ned Darbonne)
