Category Archives: Columnists

Synods date back to 1858 in diocese

Posted on by
Reply

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – On Sunday, Oct. 24, at the 10:30 Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle, Bishop Joseph Kopacz will officially open the diocesan phase of the church’s preparation for a universal synod on the synodal process in 2023. In the Mass, Bishop Kopacz will offer prayers for the diocesan church as we undertake this important aspect of church life on the local level.

More information on the preparations for the synod is shared in this week’s paper and will be shared as the process moves forward. This is an exciting time for our church.

Bishop R.O. Gerow, seventh bishop of the diocese, sits surrounded by his clergy for a 1935 Synod held in Bay St. Louis at St. Augustine Seminary on July 9. (Photos from archives)

From an archive’s perspective, synods have been held in our diocese dating back to 1858. Bishop William Henry Elder called the First Synod of Natchez to gather his priests together to discuss diocesan life and business. In 1856 the Archdiocese of New Orleans had hosted a synod for the province, which included our diocese. Decrees, including the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, rules for the election of bishops, and several disciplinary items, were promulgated from that synod. Bishop Elder called the 1858 local synod in Natchez to discern those decrees and discuss in collegial fashion how to implement them in the diocese.

Nowadays we get information immediately; in the mid-19th century news travelled much more slowly. It is not unusual that it took two years to discuss these decrees and how they will affect the growing church in Mississippi.

The 10th and last official diocesan synod was held in 1957. This synod took up some very weighty topics such as the teaching authority of the church, the Sacraments, Christian education for children, and the administration of church property.

After each synod, a book was published of the decrees and decisions. In the 1957 book we find some great paragraphs on the sacraments and sacred things. These quotes will sound familiar to many of us.

Paragraph 96 states: “The Sacraments should be administered with dignity and decorum and in accordance with the regulations of the church. The rubrics shall be carefully studied and scrupulously observed.”

Paragraph 100 is most important to an archivist and chancellor: “Great care should be taken that records of Sacraments administered be plainly legible. All names of recipients should be written in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS. Ink to be used must be of a permanent type.”

Bishop William Henry Elder called the First Synod of Natchez to gather his priests together to discuss diocesan life and business.

Paragraph 211 is most informative: “The music for all church services shall be that found in approved liturgical books and only hymns which have been approved by recognized authorities in church music shall be used.”

Those are a few of the 261 statements coming forth from the 1957 synod. The 10 synods in our history were clergy attended. Diocesan convocations grew out of the synods. These convocations up until COVID met every two years and in recent years had included parish leadership other than just priests.

The themes for the 2023 worldwide synod are: Communion, Participation and Mission. It will involve listening sessions with local parishioners around the world on these powerful foundations of our faith. Our diocese will participate in this process as stated above.

Stayed tuned to how you can be a part of this historic and spiritual process in our church.

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

Lifeboat ethics in a crowded stormy world

Posted on by
Reply

THEOLOGY AT THE MOVIES
By James Tomek, Ph.D

Two recent “lifeboat” movies on the TCM channel (Turner Classic Movie) brought me back to my SpringHill College ethics classes under Father Fred Gunti, the moral theologian of the department. Which film would he choose to analyze? The more famous one – the 1944 Lifeboat, an Alfred Hitchcock film, dramatized the experiences of nine people as they faced the new possibilities of living with very limited supply of basic needs, and with a moral question of what to do upon the chance arrival of the Nazi Captain of the submarine that torpedoed their Merchant Marine ship. The other survival film, and Father Gunti’s choice, is Richard Sale’s 1956 Abandon Ship about what to do with an overcrowded lifeboat.

Hitchcock’s Lifeboat is an excellent study of how people reveal themselves when put in an extraordinary “lifeboat” position. While they do resort to mob violence against the Nazi captain, their actions can be justified. The other film is morally complex. After an ocean liner hits a mine, there are 27 survivors converging on a lifeboat equipped for 9 to 13 people. Half the survivors have to stay in the water. Do we sacrifice some people for the benefit of others? I will focus on this film and expand the notion of “lifeboat ethics,” an issue studied in Father Fred Gunti’s class on social ethics.

Abandon Ship takes on the heavier moral issue of what to do in an overcrowded world. The executive officer of the sunken ship, Alec Holmes (Tyrone Power), is in charge of the boat and, at first, alternates those in the water with those in the boat, trying to save everyone. As conditions worsen, the ocean liner’s wounded engineer, Frank McKinley (Lloyd Nolan), advises Holmes that he needs to “evict” at least half the passengers, if the rest hope to make it to safety. Holmes resists for a while and then finally decides to save as many people as he can by “jettisoning” the weakest, since the strong are needed to row. The other ship’s officer on board Bill McKinley (Stephen Boyd), refuses to obey Holmes’ orders. As he goes overboard with a sick woman, he tells Holmes, “You have the wrong boy.”

Holmes becomes more and more ruthless as he chooses which expendable members are to be put over the side. He is ready to sacrifice himself when he becomes wounded, but a rescue ship arrives with the film’s epilogue, telling us that Holmes was convicted of murder, but was sentenced to only six months, due to the extenuating circumstances. The film was based on a true story of 1841 where seventeen members of a crowded lifeboat were sacrificed when their ship hit an iceberg.

Migrants on an Italian Coast Guard vessel react after being rescued during a joint rescue operation with the German NGO migrant rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 in the western Mediterranean Sea Aug. 2, 2021. James Tomek explores “lifeboat ethics” in his latest Theology at the Movies column. (CNS photo/Darrin Zammit Lupi, Reuters)

Father Gunti might ask: What are the rights of those in the boat? Those in the water?

What is the moral thing to do? Can we enunciate some principles? Some relevant questions?

Do the ones in the boat have first rights? Do we save the weak first? Do we want optimum chances for the most people?

Or he may open the lifeboat to the world metaphor. The ocean liner is the world. The lifeboats are the rich nations. The people in the water are from the poor nations – boats that have sunk. What moralists call the Tragedy of the Commons – the air and water are like a “well” from which the whole world can share. If left uncontrolled, it will run out. Technology speeds up use. Immigration creates the commons – a cheap labor supply that will eventually cause supplies to dry up.

Carrying capacity is an issue. The land on the Earth is like a pasture. Each pasture has an ideal carrying capacity. Disaster occurs when carrying capacity is ignored. Further complications arise from the changes in climate and the vast unevenness of rainfall and the increase in powerful storms that destroy areas, especially where the poorer of our populations live.

Father Gunti would probably use the concept of proportionality to help guide our responses. We analyze the situation, delineating and then weighing the possible goods and evils of an action. The decision – do we use the greater proportion of what is the best good? or the least evil? If it is just a lifeboat, I think we have to keep as many people alive for as long as possible. The “religious” individual response, I hope, would be to volunteer to die. The “ethic” response would be to weigh the pluses and minuses of whom should be accepted and turned away. Wow! As a metaphor of the overcrowded world, we need bio-ethical studies to help us use the Earth in a conservative manner. This would take a central world authority on the line of the United Nations or a World Bank.

Father Tom Lalor, a SpringHill graduate of their theology Master of Arts program, suggested to me to follow in his path, which I gratefully did. His favorite teacher was Father Fred Gunti whom he called an excellent moral theologian who could break down issues and rebuild them with positive answers.

James Tomek

We are in an overcrowded world of immigration issues with real people suffering. The climate problems that we are having have also affected the rise in immigration. If the solution is that we jettison all the poor, I hope that I can say, like the Stephen Boyd character in Abandon Ship, “you have the wrong boy.” We need to find better solutions. This is where we need Father Gunti.

(James Tomek is a retired language and literature professor at Delta State University who is currently a Lay Ecclesial Minister at Sacred Heart in Rosedale and also active in RCIA at Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland.)

Act on behalf of life

Posted on by
Reply

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The fundamental truth of our faith in Jesus Christ was proclaimed in last Sunday’s first reading with the creation story from Genesis, so fitting to begin Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church throughout the United States.

From the encyclical Evangelii Vitae (The Gospel of Life) of St. John Paul II we read that God made the human person with the capacity to love and reason, and to live in relationship with the Creator. The human person, male and female, bears an indelible imprint of God, made in God’s image and likeness, the foundation of all human dignity. However, the struggle to elevate the dignity of human life over and against a culture of death, decried in Evangelii Vitae, requires courage and compassion, perseverance and encouragement. To proclaim Jesus is to proclaim life itself.

Evangelii Vitae encourages a spirit of mission because gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of the human person impel us to bring the Gospel of life to the hearts of all people and make it penetrate every part of society. We are therefore called to reverence and love every human person, loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is our privilege and responsibility to care for and protect human life, especially the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

At the outset of Respect Life Month we rightly direct our gaze to the foundation of life, the wellbeing of the unborn. During this year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis has brought the beloved patron of the Universal Church to the forefront as a model for righteous living. In his splendid pastoral letter, Patris Corde, (With a Father’s Heart) we hear the pope’s encouragement. Each of us can find in him “an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.” (PC, Intro)

Joseph shows us how to say “yes” to life, despite our own fears, frailties and weaknesses. For it is Joseph who was chosen by God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true ‘miracle’ by which God saves the child and his mother.” (PC 5) The infant Christ “came into our world in a state of great vulnerability. He needed to be defended, protected, cared for and raised by Joseph.” (PC 5)

The humble and often hidden carpenter of Nazareth accompanied Mary in her pregnancy, assisted at the birth of the Messiah in a stable, presented Jesus in the Temple, fled with his family far from their homeland to protect them, and lovingly raised Jesus as his own son in the years to come. May we, too, be miracles in the lives of those who are most in need, especially at the beginning and end of life.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Dear St. Joseph, you who were “able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence” (PC 5), help us to imitate your faithful trust and courage.”

Prayer, outreach in ministry, and advocacy on behalf of mothers and their unborn children is not only the work of the church. For example, our diocese has had a strong partnership with the State of Mississippi through our Born Free, New Beginnings program for nearly 30 years.

Catholic Charities is the guardian of this ministry which is snugly housed at the former Norbertine Priory. The promotion of life, justice and peace is well grounded in our Catholic Social teachings, but this world-view is embraced by many who belong to other faith traditions, or by those with no religious ties. Respect Life Month serves to highlight the labor of love that occurs on behalf of the unborn throughout the year.

Advocacy on behalf of the unborn will occur at the highest judicial level on Dec. 1, less than two months out, when our State’s Attorney General, Lynn Fitch, will argue the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization before the Supreme Court. It is commonly referred to as the fetal heartbeat bill that could have landmark consequences. It is a substantial document, but one that is largely readable.

Grounded in our nation’s legal tradition and rule of law it fundamentally seeks to overturn Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood and return this life issue back to the 50 states. “The Court should hold that the Act (Bill) is constitutional because it satisfies rational basis review.” Or, it is reasonable because it seeks to provide greater protection for the unborn, and authentic concern for women, and to restore integrity to the medical profession whose fundamental standard is to do no harm.

The fetal heartbeat bill is a serious step to advance protection for the unborn. Underlying all of its rationale is a profound respect for life, from the outset to the end. This vision of human life requires an ongoing conversion toward all that is true, good and beautiful about God’s creation, most notably, all of us created in the divine image. We all have had and will have our St. Joseph moments compelling us to dig deeper to discern, decide and act on behalf of life. We give thanks to all who labor on behalf of the unborn and their mothers, and for all who labor on behalf of human dignity throughout life, seeking greater justice and peace at every step on the journey.

Actuar en nombre de la vida

Posted on by
Reply

Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
La verdad fundamental de nuestra fe en Jesucristo fue proclamada en la primera lectura del domingo pasado con la historia de la creación del Génesis, muy apropiado para comenzar el Mes de Respeto a la Vida en la Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos.

En la encíclica Evangelii Vitae (El Evangelio de la Vida) de San Juan Pablo II leemos que Dios hizo al hombre con la capacidad de amar, razonar y vivir en relación con el Creador. La persona humana, hombre y mujer, lleva una huella indeleble de Dios, hecha a imagen y semejanza de Dios, fundamento de toda dignidad humana. Sin embargo, la lucha por elevar la dignidad de la vida humana por encima y en contra de una cultura de muerte, denunciada en Evangelii Vitae, requiere coraje y compasión, perseverancia y aliento. Proclamar a Jesús es proclamar la vida misma.

Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Evangelii Vitae anima el espíritu de misión porque la gratitud y la regocijo por la incomparable dignidad de la persona humana nos impulsan a llevar el Evangelio de la vida al corazón de todas las personas y hacer que penetre en todos los ámbitos de la sociedad. Por lo tanto, estamos llamados a reverenciar y amar a toda persona humana, amando a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos. Es nuestro privilegio y responsabilidad cuidar y proteger la vida humana, especialmente la vida de los más vulnerables de entre nosotros.
Al comienzo del Mes de Respeto a la Vida, dirigimos correctamente nuestra mirada a la base de la vida, el bienestar de los no nacidos. Durante este año el Papa Francisco ha llevado a San José, amado patrón de la Iglesia Universal, a la vanguardia como el modelo para una vida recta. En su espléndida carta pastoral, Patris Corde, (Con Corazón de Padre) escuchamos el aliento del Papa. Cada uno de nosotros puede encontrar en él “un intercesor, un apoyo y un guía en tiempos de dificultades.” (–PC, Intro.)

Jose nos muestra cómo decir “sí” a la vida, a pesar de nuestros propios miedos, fragilidades y debilidades. Porque es José quien fue elegido por Dios para guiar los comienzos de la historia de la redención. Él fue el verdadero ‘milagro’ por el cual Dios salva al niño y a su madre.” (–PC, 5) El niño Cristo “vino a nuestro mundo en un estado de gran vulnerabilidad. Necesitaba ser defendido, protegido, cuidado y criado por Joseph.” (–PC, 5)

El humilde y a menudo oculto carpintero de Nazaret acompañó a María en su embarazo, asistió al nacimiento del Mesías en un establo, presentó a Jesús en el templo, huyó con su familia lejos de su tierra natal para protegerlos y crió a Jesús con amor como si fuera hijo suyo. Permita Dios que nosotros también seamos milagros en la vida de los más necesitados, especialmente al principio y final de la vida.

Querido San José, tú que supiste “convertir un problema en posibilidad confiando siempre en la divina providencia” – PC, 5 ayúdanos a imitar tu fiel confianza y valor.

La oración, el ministerio y su alcance y la defensa en nombre de las madres y sus hijos no nacidos no son solo el trabajo de la iglesia. Por ejemplo, nuestra diócesis ha tenido una fuerte asociación con el estado de Mississippi a través de nuestro programa Born Free, New Beginnings (Nacido Libre, Nuevo Comienzo) durante casi 30 años.

Caridades Católicas es el guardián de este ministerio que se encuentra cómodamente ubicado en el antiguo Priorato Norbertino. La promoción de la vida, la justicia y la paz está bien fundamentada en nuestras Enseñanzas Sociales Católicas; pero esta visión del mundo es adoptada además por muchos que pertenecen a otras tradiciones religiosas o por muchos que no tienen vínculos religiosos. El Mes del Respeto a la Vida sirve para resaltar la labor de amor, que ocurre durante todo el año, en nombre de los no nacidos.

La defensa a favor de los no nacidos ocurrirá al más alto nivel judicial en menos de dos meses, el próximo primero de diciembre, cuando la fiscal general de nuestro estado, Lynn Fitch, argumente el caso de Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization ante la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos (SCOTUS). A este proyecto de ley se lo conoce comúnmente como la ley del latido del corazón fetal y que podría tener consecuencias históricas. Es un documento sustancial, pero muy legible.

Basado en la tradición legal y el estado de derecho de nuestra nación, este proyecto to ley busca fundamentalmente revocar Roe vs Wade y Casey vs Planned Parenthood y devolver este asunto de vida a todos los 50 estados. “El Tribunal debe sostener que la Ley (Proyecto de Ley) es constitucional porque satisface una revisión de base racional,” o que es razonable porque busca ofrecer una mayor protección para los no nacidos y una preocupación auténtica por las mujeres, y restaurar la integridad de la profesión médica, cuyo estándar fundamental es no causar daño.

El proyecto de ley del latido del corazón fetal es un paso importante para promover la protección del feto. Detrás de todos sus fundamentos se encuentra un profundo respeto por la vida, desde el principio hasta el final. Esta visión de la vida humana requiere una conversión continua hacia todo lo que es verdadero, bueno y hermoso acerca de la creación de Dios, sobre todo, todos nosotros creados a la imagen divina.

Todos hemos tenido y tendremos nuestros momentos de San José que nos obligan a profundizar para poder discernir, decidir y actuar en nombre de la vida. Damos gracias a todos los que trabajan en nombre de los no nacidos y sus madres. Y damos gracias a todos los que trabajan en nombre de la dignidad humana a lo largo de la vida, buscando una mayor justicia y paz en cada paso del camino.

Called by Name

Posted on by
Reply

Our 2nd Annual Homegrown Harvest Festival was certainly festive. I am so grateful for the support from across the diocese that the Department of Vocations received. We had over 30 sponsors of the event as well as many other individuals and businesses who gave in different ways to make sure that we were able to reach our fundraising goal. My deadline for this article was just 48 hours after the event and we are still tabulating our final numbers, but it looks like over $80,000 was raised to support our seminarians and our promotional events for this year.

 I was confident that this event would be a great time, and it was. It was a great time because it brought together so many stakeholders who all care about the same thing: the future of the church. This is why I wanted to have this event in the first place. There are so many ways that the People of God in Jackson generously support the church, but I do think that vocations can help to invigorate the faithful in a special way. Saturday was a testament to that.

Father Nick Adam
Father Nick Adam

I would like to thank in this space several people who made the event a success. Bishop Kopacz has been a great support to my department and has helped me a great deal simply by encouraging me to think outside the box. He is a big reason we had a successful event. The details were handled by our outstanding Diocesan Stewardship and Development Department led by Rebecca Harris and Julia Williams. Rhonda Bowden of St. Jude Pearl was the coordinator of our silent auction and did a fantastic job. The people of St. Paul Catholic Church in Flowood and their Pastor Father Gerry Hurley were so gracious to allow us to host the event at their parish. Our seminarians came up from south Louisiana to help in several different ways, and I think those in attendance really enjoyed getting to speak with them and getting to know them better.

All in all, our first in person vocations fundraiser in some time checked all the boxes I hoped it would. Most importantly, I think it was a visual reminder to all of us that God is working in the lives of young men and women in our diocese and there are many, many people who are praying that the Lord will send more laborers into the field of our parishes, schools and missions. Thank you for your support and prayers, and please continue to pray that the Lord will bring forth a fruitful, homegrown harvest of young priests to serve us in the generations to come.

When we doubt the power of prayer

Posted on by
Reply

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

We need to pray even when that seems the most lifeless thing to do. That’s a counsel from Michael J. Buckley with which we need to challenge ourselves daily. In the face of real life, prayer can often seem like the most lifeless thing to do. What difference does prayer make?

I will pray for you! Please keep me in prayer! Know that you have my prayers! We use those expressions all the time. I suspect not a day goes by that most of us do not promise to pray for someone. However, do we really believe our prayers make a difference? Do we really believe that our prayers can stop a pandemic, ease tensions within our communities, erase centuries-long misunderstandings among various religious denominations, cure someone dying of a terminal disease, bring our children back to church, or help someone forgive us? What can prayer do in the face of our own helplessness in a situation?

Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

Jesus said there are certain demons that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. I suspect that we find that easier to believe literally, in terms of an evil spirit being cast out of a person, than we believe that our prayer can cast out the more earthily demons of hatred, injustice, misunderstanding, division, war, racism, nationalism, bigotry, and bodily and mental illness. These are the real demons that beset our lives and even though we ask for God’s help in prayer, we don’t often do it with a lot of confidence that our prayers will make a difference. How can they?

The long history of Judaism and Christianity has taught us that God is not in the easy habit of positively interfering in nature and human life, at least not in ways that we can see. Miracles do happen, perhaps by the millions in ways that we cannot perceive. But, if we cannot see miracles, how are they real?

Reality has different modalities. There is the empirical and there is the mystical. Both are real, though both are not equally observable as an action of God in history. If a dead body rises from its grave (the Resurrection) or if a race of people walks dry shod through the Red Sea (the Exodus) that is clearly an intervention of God in our world, but if some world leader has a change of heart and is suddenly more sympathetic to the poor, how do we know what prompted that? Likewise, for everything else for which we pray. What inspired the insight that led to the discovery of a vaccine for the pandemic? Pure chance? A touch from above? You can ask that same question vis-à-vis most anything else we pray about, from the world situation to our personal health. What is the source of an inspiration, a restoration to health, a melting of a bitterness, a change of heart, a correct decision, or a chance meeting with someone that becomes a grace for the rest of your life? Pure chance, simple luck, or a conspiracy of accidents? Or does God’s grace and guidance positively touch you because of prayer, someone else’s or your own?

Central to our faith as Christians, is the belief that we are all part of one mystical body, the Body of Christ. This is not a metaphor. This body is a living organism, just as real as a physical body. Inside of a physical body, as we know, all parts influence each other, for good and for bad. Healthy enzymes help the whole body to retain its health and unhealthy viruses work at sickening the whole body. If this is true, and it is, then there is no such thing as a truly private action. Everything we do, even in our thoughts, influences others and thus our thoughts and actions are either health-giving enzymes or harmful viruses affecting others. Our prayers are health-giving enzymes affecting the whole body, particularly the persons and events to which we direct them. This is a doctrine of faith, not wishful thinking.

Earlier in her life, Dorothy Day was cynical about Therese of Lisieux (The Little Flower) believing that her isolation in a tiny convent and her mystical “little way” (which professed that our smallest actions affect the events of the whole world) was pious naiveté. Later, as Dorothy gave herself over to symbolic actions for justice and peace that in effect seemed to change very little in real life, she adopted Therese as her patron saint. What Dorothy had come to realize through her experience was that her small and seemingly pragmatically useless actions for justice and peace, were not useless at all. Small though they were, they helped open up some space, tiny at first, which slowly grew into something larger and more influential. By slipping some tiny enzymes into the body of the world, Dorothy Day eventually helped create a little more health in the world.

Prayer is a sneaky, hidden antibiotic – needed precisely when it seems most useless.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Amasar la fe

Posted on by
Reply

Sínodo del Papa sobre sinodalidad para recopilar información de las parroquias locales

Por Fran Lavelle

“… el concepto de sinodalidad se refiere a la corresponsabilidad y a la participación de todo el Pueblo de Dios en la vida y la misión de la Iglesia.”

Si has seguido el pontificado del Papa Francisco, sabes que está profundamente arraigado en su formación jesuita. Es fundamental para la formación de un jesuita comprender el papel del discernimiento en la vida de la iglesia y de todo el pueblo de Dios.

En los últimos años, ha escrito tres documentos actuales que invitan a los fieles a reflexionar sobre el papel de la iglesia en el mundo de hoy: Christus Vivit es una exhortación apostólica “a los jóvenes y al pueblo de Dios” escrita como resumen del Sínodo sobre los jóvenes;  Fratelli Tutti, una carta encíclica sobre la fraternidad y la amistad social y Let Us Dream (Déjennos soñar), un modelo inspirado para un futuro mejor para todos, especialmente considerando el impacto devastador de la pandemia en los pobres.

En los tres documentos, el Papa se basa en la base de su profundo aprecio por el discernimiento, el acompañamiento y la escucha auténtica. Su actual llamado a un Sínodo sobre Sinodalidad: Comunión, Participación y Misión encuentra parentesco en la práctica jesuita de Ver, Actuar, Juzgar. Este proceso es un método para ver intencionalmente un problema y detenerse a reflexionar sobre él antes de actuar. Es una forma diferente de articular la descripción de prudencia de Tomás de Aquino.

Entonces, ¿qué es un Sínodo?, te preguntas.

 El Vaticano II estableció un Sínodo de Obispos, descrito en el Código de Derecho Canónico de 1983 como un grupo de obispos seleccionados de diferentes regiones del mundo que están llamados a abordar un tema en particular. Por ejemplo, se puede convocar un sínodo para considerar cuestiones relacionadas con la actividad de la iglesia en el mundo. Desde mediados de la década de 1960, cuando se estableció el Sínodo de los Obispos, se han invocado una treintena de sínodos. Muchos han pasado desapercibidos. Sin embargo, el Papa Francisco ha dado nueva vida al Sínodo de los Obispos al considerar cuestiones relativas a la iglesia joven, las familias, la Amazonía y otros temas de actualidad.

El Papa Francisco comenzó el Sínodo el fin de semana del 9 al 10 de octubre con una sesión de apertura y una Misa. El obispo Kopacz abrirá el Sínodo en la diócesis de Jackson con una Misa el domingo 24 de octubre. Fase uno del sínodo sobre sinodalidad es la fase diocesana que comienza este mes y concluirá en abril de 2022. En la fase diocesana, recopilaremos aportes de parroquias locales, movimientos laicos, instituciones religiosas, escuelas, universidades, comunidades ecuménicas y otros grupos.

 Luego, el obispo debe sintetizar esos datos en un informe de 10 páginas antes de abril de 2022 para presentarlo a la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE. UU. El resumen de la USCCB del trabajo del país se enviará al Vaticano. Esos resúmenes se utilizarán para ayudar a crear un documento de trabajo que será el inicio de las discusiones durante las reuniones del sínodo continental que se llevarán a cabo desde septiembre de 2022 hasta marzo de 2023.

Es fundamental para entender lo que el Sínodo está reconociendo y lo que no es. No es un proceso de planificación pastoral, ni es una sesión libre de quejas. Es una oportunidad para que el pueblo de Dios oremos juntos y nos preguntemos a nosotros mismos como individuos y dentro de la comunidad de nuestra iglesia, adónde estamos llamados en nuestro viaje juntos. Proporciona un momento en el tiempo para que la iglesia universal observe los problemas más importantes que enfrenta el pueblo santo de Dios y se pregunte cómo debemos responder al encarnar el Evangelio.

El manual de la USCCB en preparación para el sínodo describe el viaje sinodal como una experiencia de “escucha y discernimientos auténticos en el camino de convertirnos en la iglesia que Dios nos llama a ser”. Continúa afirmando que, “El Proceso sinodal es ante todo un proceso espiritual. No es un ejercicio mecánico de recopilación de datos ni una serie de reuniones y debates. La escucha sinodal está orientada al discernimiento.”

 Es nuestro papel como líderes diocesanos llamar a través de la oración y el discernimiento hacia dónde nos está guiando el Espíritu Santo.

El deseo del Papa de escuchar amablemente a todos los grupos demográficos, todas las edades, todas las personas es indicativo de su creencia de que el funcionamiento de la iglesia no es un proceso clandestino que ocurre a puerta cerrada. El Papa Francisco está pidiendo a los líderes de la iglesia que abran bien los brazos, los oídos y el corazón para escuchar la voz profética del pueblo de Dios. El cardenal Mario Grech lo dijo muy bien: “El Concilio Vaticano II enseña que el Pueblo de Dios participa en el oficio profético de Cristo. Por lo tanto, debemos escuchar al Pueblo de Dios, y esto significa salir a las iglesias locales.”

Usted puede empezar a orar por sabiduría y entendimiento. Comience a orar ahora por un fervor renovado para que los corazones y las mentes de las personas en todas partes sean conducidos de regreso al corazón y la misión de Cristo.

Cuando su parroquia se reúna para escucharse unos a otros, que se fortalezcan con el conocimiento de que su voz es importante.

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_20180302_sinodalita_sp.html

(Fran Lavelle es el Director de Formación en la Fe de la Diócesis de Jackson).

Bishop Gunn’s photo scrapbook offers glimpse of history along Gulf Coast

Posted on by
Reply

From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

JACKSON – The month of September in Mississippi normally brings to mind football and a little bit of a cooler breeze coming through. September also is an active part of the hurricane season. We have started this September off with Ida and Nicholas. So far, we have been more fortunate than our Louisiana neighbors.

Archives and hurricanes are not generally talked about in the same sentences unless you are involved in archival work and are located in hurricane prone areas. Archivists throughout the Gulf Coast region have disaster preparedness and disaster recovery plans in place to help alleviate the damage wind and water can cause to artifacts and manuscripts.

In our diocesan archives, we often get requests from parishes in the Biloxi diocese for photos of their original churches. Many of those churches built in the early 1900s did not survive the years. Some were lost to fire and age, others to population shifts and neglect, but many were lost to hurricanes. These storms bring with them swells of water, triple digit winds and torrential rains.

Hurricane Camille came barreling ashore in 1969 and left a path of destruction not seen in modern times. Camille became the benchmark for destruction along the Gulf Coast until 16 years ago when Katrina removed most everything south of I-10 in the Biloxi diocese.

While the world focused on the terrible flooding in New Orleans caused by the backside of Katrina, the people of the Gulf Coast were trying to dig themselves out from under miles of debris. For the Diocese of Biloxi, which encompasses the 17 counties closest to the Gulf, nearly every church property sustained severe damage. Some were completely destroyed.

Imagine St. Clare Church in Waveland. When Katrina came ashore with a 30-foot swell of water, St. Clare’s front door stood at normal sea level, 100 feet from the water. Needless to say, there was nothing left but the front steps of the church and the slab of the school. St. Michael’s seashell roof in Biloxi looked fine from the air, but the main altar which weighed several tons was tossed off to the side and the pews were sucked out to sea.

After concerns about the safety of people, a Catholic diocesan archivist starts to think about sacramental registers, photographs and sacred vessels. Many of these items were lost.

Just recently Sacred Heart in d’Iberville called because they will be celebrating their 100th anniversary next year and were hoping we had some photos of the original church. Fortunately, we were able to provide them with a couple of photos. They had never seen what the original church looked like.

This week in a tribute to our neighbors on the Gulf Coast, we are sharing some images from Bishop John Gunn’s photo scrapbook. The photos or postcards range from 1915-1923 and give us a glimpse of churches during that time. Sacred Heart in d’Iberville (then Seymour) is among them.

As you look at them, offer a prayer to St. Medardus, patron of weather, to protect us all from storms. Amen.

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

Photos from Bishop John Edward Gunn’s photo scrapbook share a glimpse of churches between 1915-1923 along the Gulf Coast, in the present day Diocese of Biloxi. Many churches along the Gulf Coast have been lost to the destruction of hurricanes over the years, as swells of water, triple digit winds and torrential rains pummel and destroy these historic places. (Photos courtesy of archives)

Love of learning linked St. Thomas More and Sister Thea Bowman

Posted on by
Reply

Thomas More, saint and martyr, and Sister Thea Bowman, Servant of God and prophet for our time, both had a deep love for learning. Both placed their scholarship in service to their brothers and sisters while witnessing to the eternal love of the Lord Jesus.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
During the time that the Diocese of Jackson was preparing to introduce Sister Thea Bowman’s Cause for Canonization in 2018 I discovered that she had done her doctoral dissertation at Catholic University, Washington, D.C. on St. Thomas More’s final masterpiece while imprisoned in the Tower of London for 15 months prior to his execution.

There are more than a few blessings in this discovery, and one in particular is to celebrate the universality of the Catholic Church. A preeminent Englishman of the 16th century, who had reached the heights of the legal and political professions of his time before becoming a saint and martyr, captured the imagination of a 20th century Servant of God, Sister Thea Bowman.

In the previous edition of Mississippi Catholic we featured Sister Thea’s Cause through the lens of the documentary film that is in the making with a Fall, 2022 release. In this column I present the lens of her doctoral dissertation to feature her scholarship that permeated her charismatic and prophetic voice.

What is the bond that linked these two disciples of the Lord Jesus from over a span of 400-500 years? The English barrister died in 1535 and the Religious Sister was born in 1937. Some historical background is needed to set the stage.

Thomas More was a confidant and favored companion of Henry VIII until he refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the King who was declaring himself as the head of the Catholic Church in England. His refusal earned him lodging in the Tower of London for 15 months, but his imprisonment was not time wasted.

In the Spring and Summer of 1534 while he waited in the Tower for formal trial and sentencing More began the writing of A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. He wrote A Dialogue to stir and prepare the minds of Englishmen to withstand courageously and not to shrink at the imminent and open persecution which he foresaw and immediately followed, against the unity of the church and the Catholic faith.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

When Thomas More was in the Tower of London monasteries were still intact, Catholic Churchman were still held in honor, and wholesale persecution had not yet begun. More however knew Henry VIII better than most men did. He also knew the political world with its grappling for power and wealth, and he foresaw what was to come. His formal trial, condemnation and sentencing on July 1, 1535, provided the public forum to state that the issue that concerned him was the king’s undermining of papal authority. On July 5 he wrote his last letter to his daughter, Margaret. On July 6 he was beheaded, not because he was being forced to give up his faith in Jesus Christ, but because this faith was inextricably implanted in the Catholic Church.

More died in physical poverty and worldly disgrace. In A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation he left his last testament and the final legacy of his wisdom. Following the example of Jesus at the Last Supper when he consoled his apostles in anticipation of the tribulation to follow with his crucifixion, this intrepid martyr understood the power of words as a lasting legacy when coupled with witness.

Sister Thea removed from the shelves of academia A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation in order to breathe new life into a masterpiece, whose pages still reach out to us, urging enduring solutions to perennially recurring human problems, she stated at the conclusion of her thesis in 1972.

She entitled her scholarly work, “The Relationship of Pathos and Style in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation: A Rhetorical Study.” This became her successful doctoral project to elevate pathos into the realms of logos and ethos.

She contended: “More’s attempt to reach the needs of his audience, to reach their hearts as well as their minds, to fire their imaginations with images of Christ’s suffering, yelping devils, damned souls, or the protective care of God, and to delight them so as to make them more receptive of his message, is conscious and deliberate. Pathos, the endeavor to stir the emotions of his hearers, in large measure determines the distinctive character of A Dialogue.”

She further elaborated: “He graphically juxtaposes good and evil, pleasure and pain, life and death. He compares temporal joys and sorrows with those that are eternal. He dwells on the cruelty of the monarch, the folly of worldly vanity, the shame of disloyalty, the fear of hell, the hope of salvation, and above all the love of a suffering Christ, and a provident God. He offers a choice between fidelity to God and the loss of temporal goods, and submission to the king at the risk of eternal salvation.”

Thomas More, saint and martyr, and Sister Thea Bowman, Servant of God and prophet for our time, both had a deep love for learning. Both placed their scholarship in service to their brothers and sisters while witnessing to the eternal love of the Lord Jesus. Both offered comfort and encouragement to overcome tribulation, and in their brightest and darkest hours they did not falter. Both lived until they died, and then went home like a shooting star. They are part of that Cloud of Witnesses who teach and inspire in every generation within the Catholic Church, and far beyond its visible structures.

Amor por aprender unió a Santo Tomás Moro y a hermana Thea Bowman

Posted on by
Reply

Ambos, Tomás Moro, santo y mártir, y la hermana Thea Bowman, sierva de Dios y profeta de nuestro tiempo, tenían un profundo amor por el aprendizaje. Ambos pusieron su erudición al servicio de sus hermanos y hermanas mientras testificaban del amor eterno del Señor Jesús.

Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Durante el tiempo en que la Diócesis de Jackson se estaba preparando para presentar la Causa de Canonización de la Hermana Thea Bowman en 2018, descubrí que ella había hecho su tesis doctoral en la Universidad Católica de Washington, DC sobre la obra maestra final de San Tomas Moro mientras estuvo encarcelado durante 15 meses, en la Torre de Londres, antes de su ejecución.
Hay más de unas pocas bendiciones en este descubrimiento, y una, en particular, es celebrar la universalidad de la Iglesia Católica. Un inglés preeminente del siglo XVI, que había alcanzado las alturas de las profesiones legales y políticas de su tiempo antes de convertirse en santo y mártir, santo Tomas Moro, capturó la imaginación de una Sierva de Dios del siglo XX, la hermana Thea Bowman.
En la edición anterior de Mississippi Catholic, presentamos la causa de la hermana Thea a través del lente del documental que se está haciendo, con lanzamiento en otoño de 2022. En esta columna, presento la lente de su tesis doctoral para mostrar su erudición, que impregnó su voz carismática y profética.
¿Cuál es el vínculo que unió a estos dos discípulos del Señor Jesús durante un período de 400 a 500 años? El abogado inglés murió en 1535 y la religiosa nació en 1937. Se necesitan algunos antecedentes históricos para preparar el escenario.
Tomás Moro fue un confidente y compañero favorito del rey Enrique VIII hasta que se negó a prestar el Juramento de Lealtad al Rey, en el que este se declaraba a sí mismo como el jefe de la Iglesia Católica en Inglaterra. La negativa de Moro le valió alojarse en la Torre de Londres durante 15 meses, pero su encarcelamiento no fue una pérdida de tiempo.
En la primavera – verano de 1534, mientras esperaba en la Torre su juicio formal y sentencia, Moro comenzó a escribir “Diálogo de Consuelo contra la Tribulación.” Escribió Diálogo para conmover y preparar las mentes de los ingleses para resistir con valentía y no amedrentarse ante la inminente y abierta persecución que Moro previó y que inmediatamente siguió contra la unidad de la Iglesia y la fe católica.

Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Cuando Tomás Moro estaba en la Torre de Londres, los monasterios aún estaban intactos, miembros de la Iglesia Católica todavía eran honrados y la persecución generalizada aún no había empezado. Sin embargo, el conocía mucho más a Enrique VIII que la mayoría de los hombres. También conocía muy bien el mundo político y su lucha por el poder y la riqueza, por eso previó lo que sobrevendría. Su juicio formal, condena y sentencia, el 1 de julio de 1535, proporcionó al foro público el afirmar que el tema que más le preocupaba era la usurpación, por parte del rey, de la autoridad papal. Moro escribió su última carta a su hija Margaret el 5 de julio. El 6 de julio fue decapitado, no porque lo obligaran a renunciar a su fe en Jesucristo, sino porque esta fe estaba inextricablemente implantada en la Iglesia Católica.
Moro murió en la pobreza física y la desgracia mundana. En “Diálogo de Consuelo contra la Tribulación,” dejó su último testamento y el legado final de su sabiduría. Siguiendo el ejemplo de Jesús en la Última Cena, cuando consoló a sus apóstoles anticipándose a la tribulación que seguiría con su crucifixión, este intrépido mártir entendió el poder de las palabras como un legado duradero cuando se este se combina con un testimonio.
La hermana Thea sacó de los estantes de la academia “Diálogo de Consuelo contra la Tribulación,” para darle nueva vida a una obra maestra, cuyas páginas aún nos llegan, instando a soluciones duraderas a problemas humanos perennemente recurrentes, según afirmó al final de su tesis en 1972.
A su trabajo académico lo tituló “La relación entre patetismo y estilo en ‘Diálogo de Consuelo contra la Tribulación,’ un estudio retórico”. Este se convirtió en su exitoso proyecto de doctorado para elevar el pathos (patetismo) a los reinos del logos (Palabra de Dios, o principio de razón divina o segunda persona de la Trinidad encarnada en Jesucristo) y el espíritu.
Ella sostuvo que “El intento de More de llegar a las necesidades de su audiencia, de alcanzar a sus corazones al igual que a sus mentes, de encender su imaginación con imágenes del sufrimiento de Cristo, demonios aulladores, almas condenadas, o el cuidado protector de Dios, y deleitarlos para hacerlos más receptivos a su mensaje, es consciente y deliberado. Pathos, el esfuerzo por despertar las emociones de sus oyentes, determina en gran medida el carácter distintivo del Dialogo.”
La hermana Thea, además, afirmó “Moro yuxtapone gráficamente el bien y el mal, el placer y el dolor, la vida y la muerte. Compara las alegrías y las tristezas temporales con aquellas que son eternas. Se detiene en la crueldad del monarca, la locura de la vanidad mundana, la vergüenza de la deslealtad, el miedo al infierno, la esperanza de salvación y, sobre todo, el amor de un Cristo sufriente y un Dios providente. Ofrece la posibilidad de elegir entre la fidelidad a Dios y la pérdida de los bienes temporales y la sumisión al rey a riesgo de la salvación eterna.”
Ambos, Tomás Moro, santo y mártir, y la hermana Thea Bowman, sierva de Dios y profeta de nuestro tiempo, tenían un profundo amor por el aprendizaje. Ambos pusieron su erudición al servicio de sus hermanos y hermanas mientras testificaban del amor eterno del Señor Jesús.
Ambos ofrecieron consuelo y aliento para superar la tribulación y en sus horas más brillantes y oscuras, no flaquearon. Ambos vivieron hasta que murieron y luego se fueron a casa como una estrella fugaz. Son parte de esa Nube de Testigos que enseñan e inspiran en cada generación dentro de la Iglesia Católica y mucho más allá de sus estructuras visibles.