By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – The Catholic community in the Diocese of Jackson is continuing Pope Francis’ call for the Synod on Synodality, a period of listening and dialogue to rejuvenate the church. After Bishop Joseph Kopacz opened the synod in October 2021, parishes across the diocese conducted listening sessions to hear from people who fill the pews and thoses who no longer feel connected to the church. From those sessions the Synod advisory council reviewed every submission from each parish that participated and identified core issues on the minds of those across the diocese.
MADISON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz passes out “brainstorming” sheets to those present at the regional Synod listening session held at St. Francis parish on Monday, March 21. After a cursory review of the major themes from the local listening sessions held at parishes all across the diocese, Bishop Kopacz is seeking out concrete ways to advance ideas from those local sessions at regional sessions being held throughout the diocese. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
On March 21at St. Francis Madison, at the first of ten regional synod listening sessions with Bishop Kopacz, Fran Lavelle, director of faith formation and chair of the Synod advisory council, reviewed the things that were heard in the Synod listening sessions. These included the need to create community outreach opportunities, both within the church and the larger community; a need for healing with regard to marriages, annulments, LGBTQ, racial and ethnic divisions and the sexual abuse scandal; a need for unity; a way to be inclusive of all cultures and diverse communities; increased formation and education of lay leaders; increased faith formation opportunities for adults; the need for more evangelization efforts; ways to reach the young church; among others.
“What we really want to do is focus on those areas that came up that we can address within the struture of the diocese,” said Lavelle.
During the regional sessions participants are asked to discern three core priorities and how these can be addressed at the local level, giving concrete examples of how the church can successfully address them. Lavelle asked all to “dream” as Pope Francis in his book, Let us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. The remaining regional sessions include: – Tuesday, March 29 at St. Jude Pearl (Spanish) from 6:30-8 p.m. – Wednesday, March 30 at St. Mary Basilica Natchez (English) from 6-7:30 p.m. – Thursday, March 31 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Greenwood (English) from 5:30-7 p.m. – Thursday, March 31 at St. Francis Greenwood (Spanish) from 7:30-8:30 p.m. – Monday, April 4 at St. Patrick Meridian (English) from 6-7:30 p.m. –Tuesday, April 5 at St. James Tupelo (English) from 6-7 p.m. – Tuesday, April 5 at St. James Tupelo (Spanish) from 7-8 p.m. –Wednesday, April 6 at St. Mary Batesville (English) from 6-7:30 p.m.
From the Archives By Mary Woodward JACKSON – This week we are journeying back to Civil War times in analyzing the current situation in the world. In no way would I equate the motives of the Civil War to that of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but the siege tactics are classic military maneuvers that date back centuries.
In July 1863, the city of Vicksburg fell after a 47-day siege by General Ulysses S. Grant. Forty miles to the east, General William Sherman arrived at Jackson to implement a similar siege strategy.
My knowledge of Civil War tactics may not be precisely accurate, but we read in Bishop William Henry Elder’s diary about the Civil War’s destruction to Jackson and its only Catholic church – St. Peter. Bishop Elder’s writing style is more phrase-based than in complete sentences, but it is easily followed.
The original St. Peter Church was located about five blocks south and east from its current location on the corner of West and Amite Streets in the center of the capitol city. In May 1863, it along with the school and rectory was burned to the ground by Federal troops exiting Jackson. The troops were ordered to burn tar in a storage shed adjacent to the church according to the diary and despite the pleas of Father Orlandi, the pastor, to move the tar into the street away from the church, the shed was set ablaze and with it all the parish buildings.
A view from a drone shows the site of a destroyed shopping center after it was hit during a Russian military strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. During his March 20 Angelus, Pope Francis condemned Russia’s war on Ukraine, calling it a “senseless massacre” and “sacrilegious” attack on human life. (CNS photo/Marko Djurica, Reuters)
We read in the diary marked May 21: “Father Orlandi begged for fifteen minutes to roll the barrels into the street where they would burn with less danger to the church, but the officer would allow of no delay and the shed was so close that there was no possibility of saving the church, etc. – All the ornaments and furniture were removed to safety. Dr. Hewet, surgeon in the Federal Army, brother to Rev. Dr. Hewet of the Paulists, himself a convert, endeavored also to obtain the respite, and when he could not succeed, he helped to save the things.”
Two months later, on July 18-20, Bishop Elder is able finally to visit Jackson and this is what he reports: July 18: “General Crosby, Commanding the Rear Guard, first refused to let me go to Jackson. When I explained that I wanted to see to the Sisters [of Mercy], he agreed to let me go.”
“Left Brandon at 4 p.m. for Jackson. Some cotton burned along the road and some burning [still]. Federal Pickets allowed me to go to the hospital – the field hospital of the Confederates during the siege of Jackson: attended still by Confederate Surgeons – although in the Federal Lines. Dr. Hinckley – son of Lawyer Hinckley of Baltimore has charge.”
July 19, Sunday – “No Mass. Spent the day visiting the hospital. The Federal Soldiers wounded here were moved – nearly all of them to town today.”
July 20 – “Continued in the hospitals till dinner time. The doctors here have been very polite to me.” “After dinner drove into Jackson – trestle work burning – rails torn up – crossed river on the pontoon bridge of the Federals. In the warm ashes and ruins at every step. Melancholy desolation. Found Father Orlandi at Mrs. O’Connor’s house. Sad meeting.”
“The chapel he had fitted up with so much labor – in the Spengler’s Saloon – has been burned – the chalice and crucifix stolen – though recovered broken – bought by a Catholic Federal soldier and brought back to Father Orlandi. Father Orlandi’s house was robbed of all his clothes and the provisions he had laid up.
“He is now living on Army rations – he has no place to cook them. Today he has eaten only some crackers.”
“We went to General Ewing’s quarters to find a safe place for my horse and buggy. General Ewing is a Catholic from Ohio. He promised to see that the Sisters’ Convent in Vicksburg would be preserved unhurt for them. I could not talk much, I felt myself choaked with sadness.”
A man walks near a block of destroyed apartment buildings in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 17, 2022. A theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of people are said to have taken shelter, has sustained heavy damage after it was bombed by Russian forces. (CNS photo/Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters)
I share these moments to bring us back to the notion that no matter the era, the destruction of war only hurts those caught in the middle. The human toll – both physical and spiritual – is immeasurable. Those trying to bring aid and relief to the people of Ukraine in the midst of the chaos and savage violence are much like the wandering Bishop Elder trying to minister to those he encountered in field hospitals and burned-out towns.
Now as we are spectators to a war unfolding before us, let us pray for peace and hope for a miracle. Pope Francis is consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord. Here is a snippet of the prayer he is using: Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer. Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war. Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation. Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world. Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness. Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons. Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love. Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity. Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world. Amen.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
JACKSON – Considering the volatile situation, the world is facing, I thought I would share some more somber notes from Bishop John E. Gunn’s diary about World War I and a reflective paragraph from Bishop Richard Gerow’s diary on the beginning of World War II.
WWI was the war to end all wars, but obviously that was not the case. My paternal grandfather served as a mule-trainer in WWI as part of the 39th Infantry 140th Field Artillery Regimen in France during the last stages of that war. He never spoke of it.
Volumes of Bishop Gerow’s diary sit on the desk of Mary Woodward.
Bishop Gunn writes in his diary at Christmas 1915: “It seemed hard to preach on peace on earth and good will to men at Christmas when everyone was talking of the big war. I made no allusion to it in my notes of 1915 because our President told us to be neutral in thought and word.
“However, now everybody is talking of it – in fact, the world is talking of nothing else, it may be no harm to note some dates and facts that will live in history.” “In the summer of 1914, an Austrian Archduke was assassinated in Servia. The crime was an atrocious one and was turned over to the world politicians for adjustment. The politicians fumbled and turned the crime over to the war lords of Europe, with this result: 1914 – July 28th Austria declares war on Servia August 1st Germany invades France August 4th England declares war on Germany August 6th The Germans take two Belgian forts August 10th France breaks with Austria August 13th England declares war on Austria August 18th English soldiers land in France August 23rd The Allies take offensive against the Germans along 150 miles from Mons to Luxembourg but on the 24th the Allies were forced to fall back. The Germans had all the initial advantages and on August 30th the French left wing had to fall back, thus exposing on August 31st even the capture of Paris; the French government voted to move the capital temporarily to Bourdeaux.”
Shelby Woodward, sitting, is the paternal grandfather of diocesan chancellor and archivist, Mary Woodward. He is pictured here with others at Camp Shelby for training before deployment in World War I. (Photos courtesy of Mary Woodward)
“Apart from the Battle of Marne the first few months of the war was entirely favorable to Germany. Americans read and listened and the biggest propaganda that was ever known in the history of the world was started in 1914 and continued all through 1915 to get the Americans actively interested on the side of the Allies. In this diary I shall say little about the war, except where the Diocese took some part in it.”
On April 2, 1917, the United States entered the war on the side of the allies. It was the beginning of Holy Week in the Catholic Church and Bishop Gunn writes the following in his diary from April 1917: “The usual routine of Holy Week at Natchez – the blessing of the oils, the washing of the feet, the big ceremonies of Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter were all thrown in the shade by the declaration of war against Germany.
“This declaration upset everyone and everything and its influence was felt in every circle. I made up my mind before Easter Sunday the role that I would play as Bishop of Natchez during the war.”
“I had no time for consultation with anybody but at the Pontifical High Mass on Easter Sunday, April 8, I declared my policy very clearly and very plainly. While preaching on the subject ‘Christianity is not a Failure’ (because it never got a chance) as we were living in an age when there was knowledge without faith, manners without morality; plenty of work but ill-directed, I took up the President’s proclamation and told the Catholics of the Diocese that during the war they had to follow one leader; they had to form their conscience to one direction and to do everything as men, as Christians and as Catholics to win the war.”
Shelby Woodward’s ring commemorating WWI. He was a part of the 39th Infantry 140th Field Artillery Regimen in France.
Twenty-two years later, on Sept. 3, 1939, Bishop Gerow writes this bleak entry in his diary: “Today, England and France officially declared a state of war exists with Germany. Though we in this country are three thousand miles from Europe, we feel that the inauguration of another great war in Europe cannot but have a vital influence upon us and upon the other nations of the world, no matter how far away they may be.”
“We cannot but hope and pray that the other nations of the world will not be involved in this conflict and that another world war may not ensue which might wreck our modern civilization.”
Only two years later, he writes on Dec. 8, 1941: “Today, President Roosevelt addressed Congress telling them of the attack of the Japanese upon the Hawaiian Islands and our naval and air forces there, asking them to declare war.”
Bishops’ diaries provide a unique lens on history often including facts that do not make it into the history books. We are fortunate to have these diaries to be able to look back on the development of the church in Mississippi, the region, the country and the world.
I share these sobering passages from the two diaries to put into perspective what is going on in Ukraine as this is written. Who knows what will be by the day this is published and where we may be in two weeks or even two years? We can only pray and hope for peace.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
LENTEN MEALS AND STATIONS BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Stations every Friday during Lent. A light meal will be served in Serio Hall following Stations.
CANTON Sacred Heart, Stations on Wednesday evenings at 5 p.m. followed by a soup supper (no charge).
COLUMBUS Annunciation, Fish Fry in the Activity Center, after Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. in the main church.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Fish dinner every Friday after Stations at 6 p.m. Donations accepted. All are welcome.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Lenten dinner on March 25.
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Knights of Columbus Fish fry on March 25 in the parish hall.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Fish Fry after Stations on Friday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m.
MADISON St. Francis, Rosary 6 p.m., Stations 6:30 p.m. and Lenten meal 7 p.m. every Friday during Lent. Lenten meal offering changes each week.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick, Fish Fry after Stations each Friday during Lent at 6 p.m. All are welcome.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry each Friday during Lent from 5-7 p.m. Drive through only at the Family Life Center parking lot side door. Cost: Catfish $12, Shrimp $12, Combo $14. Dinners include fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. For grilled catfish please call 30 minutes ahead – Darren (601) 597-2890. No children’s plate offered.
OXFORD St. John, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5 p.m., followed by Knights of Columbus Fish Fry from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the parish center. Takeouts are available. Plates cost $9.
PEARL St. Jude, Station every Friday during Lent following 10 a.m. Mass and at 6 p.m. Fish Fry after 6 p.m. Stations. Reservations required. Details: church office (601) 939-3181
OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry every Friday during Lent from 5-6:30 p.m. All orders are to-go and cost $12/plate to benefit charity.
PENANCE/RECONCILIATION SERVICES BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Parish-wide Reconciliation, Wednesday, March 30 at 5:30 p.m.
COLUMBUS Annunciation, Penance service, Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m. in the main church. Penance also offerd on Saturdays before Mass at 4:45 p.m.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Reconciliation service, Monday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Reconciliation, Wednesday, April 6 from 4-6 p.m.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 30 at 7 p.m.
LOUISVILLE Sacred Heart, Reconciliation every Wednesday during Lent at 12:15 p.m.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Reconciliation service, Wednesday, March 16 at 6:15 p.m.
OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
STATIONS ONLY ABERDEEN St. Francis, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m.
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5 p.m. followed by Mass.
CLINTON Holy Savior, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.
GRENADA St. Peter, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6:15 p.m.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Stations at 6:30 p.m. on March 11, 18, 25 and April 1. Stations and fish fry on April 8. Stations at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 15.
JACKSON Christ the King, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.
JACKSON Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:15 p.m. Good Friday Stations at 12:05 p.m.
LOUISVILLE Sacred Heart, Stations every Friday during Lent at 3 p.m.
MAGNOLIA St. James, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5 p.m.
MCCOMB St. Alphonsus, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:15 p.m.
OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Stations every Friday during Lent at 7 p.m. Good Friday Stations at 3 p.m.
PONTOTOC St. Christopher, Spiritual reflection followed by Stations at 11 a.m. each Friday during Lent. Details: email st.christopher.ms@gmail.com
STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.
TUPELO St. James, Stations on Fridays following 12:10 p.m. Mass (English) and 6 p.m. (Bilingual).
VICKSBURG St. Mary, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m.
VICKSBURG St. Michael, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.
JACKSON – In his person, Bishop Chanche was of rather a tall and commanding figure, and prepossessing in his appearance. The grace and dignity with which he conducted the ceremonials of the church, on marked occasions, will long be remembered. By his courteous bearing and suavity of manner, as well as by sacerdotal virtues that graced his life, he won the esteem and respect of all who knew him.
The above is taken from a funeral story published July 24, 1852, in The Catholic Mirror, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, upon the July 22 death of Bishop John Joseph Chanche, SS, first bishop of our diocese.
On Feb. 19, Bishop Joseph Kopacz presented the Bishop John Joseph Chanche Medal to 17 individuals from parishes around our expansive diocese. This diocesan award, established in 2012 in honor of our diocese’s 175th anniversary, is given for outstanding service to parish, diocese and community.
Bishop Chanche was a Sulpician. Since 1641, Sulpicians have dedicated themselves to assisting bishops by providing seminary education and ongoing formation to priests.
NATCHEZ – Mary Woodward and Jimmy Guercio, who was chair of the St. Mary Basilica archives committee, are pictured at the resting place of Bishop John Joseph Chanche on July 28, 2012 for the 175th anniversary of the diocese. (Photos courtesy of archives)William Cardinal Keeler, then Archbishop of Baltimore, receiving the remains of Bishop John Joseph Chanche, SS on Jan. 19, 2008 at St. Mary Basilica. To the right is Mary Woodward and Father Matthew Simmons.
Arriving in Natchez from Baltimore St. Mary College and Seminary where he was president and rector in May 1841, Bishop Chanche found a couple of missionary priests and no real church building. By his death in July 1852, the diocese had grown to 11 parishes throughout the state and 13 priests.
After serving as Chief Promoter of the First Plenary council of Baltimore in May 1852, Bishop Chanche went to visit family in nearby Frederick, Maryland. It is believed that he contracted cholera which led to a slow, painful death two months later. He was buried in the Baltimore Cathedral Cemetery.
The following was written in The Catholic Mirror after his Requiem Mass: Bishop Chanche was greatly beloved in our community – his native city and the field of many years’ zeal and labor – the tears which moistened the eyes of those who surrounded his grave evidence that his absence from among us had not caused him to be forgotten.
In 1878, he was moved with the remains of his sister, Mary Marcilly Edwards, to the new Cathedral Cemetery. There he remained until the fall of 2007, when after many years of research and preparations, the St. Mary Basilica Archives Committee in Natchez in conjunction with then Bishop Joseph Latino asked the Archdiocese of Baltimore to have his remains sent back to his diocesan home to be buried.
His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler, then Archbishop of Baltimore, agreed to the exhumation and to come celebrate the re-interment Mass on Jan. 19, 2008.
The morning of Jan. 19, we awakened to three inches of snow on the ground. It had not snowed in Natchez in 15 years. I wondered if it was a message from Bishop Chanche to please not dig him up again and let him rest in peace, since this was the third time he would be buried.
Unbeknownst to most, we had requested a small box of soil from St. Mary Seminary on Paca Street in Baltimore to put in the grave so that Bishop Chanche would have some native soil beneath him. As an aside, St. Mary Seminary gave us Bishop Chanche in 1841 and Bishop William Houck in 1979.
When the snow stopped, I emptied the soil into the grave which is located on the grounds of St. Mary Basilica behind the rectory. Fortunately, the grave had been covered for several days.
The Mass was concelebrated by archbishops, bishops, and clergy from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Music incorporated into the liturgy was indicative of pieces from the times of Bishop Chanche.
In spite of the weather, a large congregation gathered to pay their respects to the well-travelled bishop, who left the comforts of his life at the seminary in Baltimore and journeyed to what must have seemed like the edge of the universe to serve God’s people in Mississippi. He served fervently and faithfully until the end.
Father Jean Jacques Olier, founder of the Sulpicians, penned a beautiful prayer for his confreres, which was placed in the worship book for the Mass in 2008. It is indicative of Bishop Chanche’s ministry and zeal and embodied in our Chanche Medal recipients: O Jesus living in Mary, Come and live in your servants, In the spirit of your holiness, In the fullness of your power, In the perfection of your ways, In the truth of your virtues, In the communion of your mysteries, Have dominion over every adverse power, In your Spirit for the glory of the Father. Amen.
As Bishop Kopacz presented the medals to this year’s awardees, memories of that Mass in 2008 filled my mind – the snow, the dirt, the Spirit – all reflective of honoring our first bishop – John Joseph Marie Benedict Chanche, a tall, commanding figure; prepossessing in appearance.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – Even coming from the far corners of the diocese, priests, deacons and ecclesial ministers (and lay), gathered for a continuing formation workshop entitled “The Eucharist: Building Ecclesial Communion in a Polarized Church and Society” at St. Richard parish in Jackson on Feb. 15-16.
The convocation, led by Father Jim Wehner, rector/president of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, reflected on the need to create and sustain ecclesial communion with the Diocese of Jackson, recognizing the challenges to communion seen in the universal church, as well as in the U.S., the political and civic tensions in society and pastoral challenges in the diocesan church.
JACKSON – Father Kent Bowlds made the presentation from Father Jim Wehner available via zoom for religious unable to be present. Priests, deacons, ecclesial ministers (and lay), gathered at St. Richard parish for a workshop entitled “The Eucharist: building Ecclesial Communion in a Polarized Church and Society” on Feb. 15-16. (Photos by Tereza Ma)
Using biblical, ecclesial, theological and pastoral insights, Father Wehner led those present (in-person and virtual) to reflect on their common love for the church, as each uniquely lives out their calling to build up the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Jackson.
“God plays the long game,” says Father Wehner. “The question is … can we be faithful to that long game.
Father Wehner also spoke on the three goals of new evangelization – the call to holiness, creating communion and manifesting the kingdom – and how it includes lay people, as it is our mission to act in unity as a church.
He says that every person in our community has been called by God. “Every single person is called by name … has been blessed by God with charisms and gifts,” says Wehner. “There is a pastoral calling for all of us.”
Synodality was also a theme that weaved through out the two-day gathering. Communion, participation and mission were mentioned often amid the synod listening session happening across the diocese, as Pope Francis invites all to dialogue about the future of the church.
Father Wehner asked participants “how do we create a space for dialogue,” especially for those who are disaffiliated with the church. He believes that as Christians, we need to light up the darkness.
“You can’t light up the darkness, if you are not in the dark,” says Wehner.
He pointed out that Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen fidei explores the light and said that as Christians “we need to know how to find the darkness in other people because in that darkness, we can light things up.”
As for some of the ‘darkness’ or polorization in society, some of the answers from the crowd gathered were: politics, economics, immigration, the politicization of truth and science and the ‘re-writing’ of history from varying viewpoints, among others. Most felt that these topics have crept into the church.
Father Wehner asked how to ‘we’ respond as a church and not be political – the answer lies in the Mass and the Eucharist.
Bishop Kopacz visits with several priests from around the diocese after gathering for morning prayer and exposition of the blessed sacrament on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at St. Richard parish. Father Mark Shoffner of St. Mary Basilica Natchez shares a laugh with Father Frank Cosgrove, who kept throwing “bunny ears” up on other priests in pictures. Priests were able to enjoy fellowship between sessions at their continuing formation workshop at St. Richard parish.
“If there is going to be any pastoral renewal of the church – its got to begin with the Eucharist,” said Father Wehner. Jim Tomek, lay ecclesial minister for Sacred Heart Rosedale, who was present via zoom agreed. In his summary of events, he wrote that “The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity where we can partake in the discussion. We take the bread – taking Jesus as our friend and model.”
Father Wehner’s passion for ministry through the event was evident.
“That’s what gets me up in the morning. The love of Christ urges me on. Why? It is no longer I who live. It is Christ who lives in me.”
JACKSON – Somewhere around Jan. 26, our diocesan church family was wounded by an act of violence and evil against Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Greenwood.
Most likely the work of someone high on crack or mentally ill, nonetheless the church was broken into and vandalized – the altar was overturned, and an antique five-foot statue of the Blessed Mother was heavily damaged. The Blessed Sacrament was removed from the tabernacle and placed on the church’s original altar. The antique baptismal font was damaged, and songbooks were strewn all over the pews. Fortunately, no spray paint was involved.
Throughout its early history, Greenwood Catholics were served from Water Valley and Lexington. The initial church structure was built in 1901 and in 1912, Father John Clerico, a young priest from Italy, was appointed the first resident pastor.
Msgr. John Clerico was known as the “Apostle to the Delta” because he ministered to much of the area, including Grenwood, Shelby, Leland, Hollandale, Anguilla, Indianola and Belzoni. Many of the items damaged in a break-in at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish were procured from Italy by Msgr. Clerico.
Father Clerico was ordained on June 9, 1906, in Genoa, Italy and came to the diocese in March 1907, where he began serving in Shelby at St. Mary Church and its missions. Father Clerico who became a monsignor in 1951, became known as the “Apostle to the Delta” because he ministered to much of the area from Greenwood for the next 52 years until 1964.
Msgr. Clerico considered the entire area, which included Greenwood, Shelby, Leland, Hollandale, Anguilla, Indianola and Belzoni, as his parish and he knew all the families of the region. Hence, he was given the title mentioned above. There is even a park named after him in Greenwood.
Many of the furnishings in IHM church were procured from Italy by the apostle. The 100-year-old statue which was heavily damaged was hand-painted and made of plaster. I have brought it to Jackson in the hopes that a local artist might be able to repair it.
The altar that was turned over was restored more than 10 years ago and was rededicated by Bishop Joseph Latino in a beautiful ceremony with the whole parish present. The parishioners were so excited to have another piece of their history becoming a part of their worship.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, in a very moving and compassionate manner, Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass of Rededication for the parish and again anointed the altar and walls of the church returning it to sacredness from the evil that had been wrought upon it. There was a sense of resolve and relief among those present that what Msgr. Clerico had put in place was now made whole and healed once more.
It is hard to put into words the myriad of feelings experienced when evil attacks the church – even if it was a misguided or mentally ill person who perpetrated the acts. It was still evil. IHM is home to many, and the violence of this vandalism was heart-breaking.
In its infinite wisdom, Holy Mother Church has beautiful and deeply profound rituals that bring solace and a renewed sense of hope in the Lord by reclaiming the sacred from the profane. I consider it a blessing and a privilege to have been present for Bishop Latino’s dedication of the refurbished altar many years ago and for the rededication on Feb. 1, by Bishop Kopacz.
As Bishop Kopacz anointed the walls of the church with Chrism, I imagined Msgr. Clerico looking down lovingly upon all gathered in IHM from where he now celebrates endlessly at the table of the heavenly banquet.
The next morning as I was driving home from Greenwood in the rain with the broken statue of the Blessed Mother lying in the back of my car, I reflected on the liturgy the night before and the beautiful depth of faith shared at IHM. What an awe-inspiring numinous moment in the life of our universal church where the communion of saints joined with the people to restore a sacred space.
When it began to rain harder and I approached several 18-wheelers spraying blinding mist on my windshield, I felt fear rising in my heart as I engaged to pass them one at a time on the slick, ponding road. We have all been in this situation and it is no fun thinking about passing these mammoth vehicles in those conditions.
GREENWOOD – Pieces of the Blessed Mother statue damaged in a break-in at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, pictured below, ride in the back of Chancellor Mary Woodward’s vehicle brought back to possibly be repaired by a local artist. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
Suddenly, I remembered I had the Blessed Mother with me in the back seat. Even though she was battered and broken in many pieces, she came together and gave me the strength to put the pedal to the metal and get past those trucks.
Thank you, Blessed Mother! What a great church!
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
GREENWOOD – The faith-filled parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood refuse to let a break-in that desecrated their parish triumph over their spirit, choosing to forgive and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of the perpetrators.
On Wednesday, Jan. 26 choir members arriving for practice discovered their parish had been vandalized. Some parishioners described the scene as if a tornado had blown through it.
The altar was overturned, hymnals were ripped from their spines with papers strewn around the sanctuary, the pulpit was overturned, as well. A statue of Mary, over 100 years old, was pulled down and her face broken into pieces. Many other items were turned over and bent. Also broken was an antique baptismal font.
Most disturbing for some parishioners was that the tabernacle was breached and the Blessed Sacrament removed, it being place on the church’s original altar. But through grace, the hosts did not appear to be touched. Parishioners like Mary Jane Faulkner felt the situation could have been worse.
GREENWOOD – Bishop Joseph Kopacz pours Chrism on the altar at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish after a break-in desecrated the altar, statues and other sacred items in the church. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
“They didn’t break the windows … they could have caught the church on fire, when they destroyed Mary next to the candles,” said Faulkner, who also works for the parish in communications. “So, we were blessed. It is amazing they didn’t demolish some of the other things they could have,” she concluded.
According to the USCCB at least 120 incidents, like the one occurring at Immaculate Heart, have occurred across 31 states and the District of Columbia since May 2020. Incidents include arson, statues beheaded, limbs cut, and smashed and painted, gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned, and other destruction and vandalism. The conference even has a dedicated page on its website listing news stories that detail vandalism by month, since they began tracking incidents in May of 2020.
Pastor of Immaculate Heart, José de Jesús Sánchez expressed his “shock and grief” over the break-in over social media to the Catholic community, alerting them of the destruction in his parish. He was away at a family wedding in his home country of Mexico at the time of the incident.
People were hit hard by the images shared by Father Sánchez, including Bishop Joseph Kopacz, who said “at the same time, much prayer has been offered” from those across the diocese through the power of social media. Amid all of the destruction at Immaculate Heart, Bishop Kopacz traveled to the parish on Wednesday, Feb. 1 to reconsecrate the church.
“We will reconsecrate this church once again to God in the Lord,” said Bishop Kopacz. “With great faith, hope and love with the desire to truly go forward, knowing that we have reconciled on a very deep level.”
Some in the parish, felt that the intent behind the destruction was to have parishioners lose their faith but the faith of the Immaculate Heart community is strong.
“We give thanks for this gift of faith, that can be assaulted, that can be hurt, but cannot be overcome in the Lord,” said Bishop Kopacz.
Pictures from Facebook posts show some of the damage done to the parish from a break-in discovered on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
During his homily, Bishop Kopacz spoke of the destruction and evil that occurred within the walls of the church, mentioning the overturned pulpit and altar.
“The Word of God, another sacred part of who we are, was overturned, as if to say ‘We don’t want this Word proclaimed from this pulpit,’” said Bishop Kopacz, likening the destruction as malice. “That’s not just juvenile, ‘let’s just wreak a little havoc in this building.’”
Additionally, mentioned was the overturned altar and disturbed sacrament with Bishop Kopacz stating that “it was a deliberate blow to all that is sacred to us.”
As a part of the reconsecration of the church, Bishop Kopacz took great care in anointing the altar and with Chrism, in addition to the use of holy water to renew the baptismal promise of those present. “This seeks to make right, what has been wronged,” he said.
On Feb. 1, parishioners assist Father Sánchez in replacing the altar linens after Bishop Joseph Kopacz reconsecrated the altar after the parish was broken into and the altar overturned a week earlier.
“Our altar represents Christ – it is Christ. … In the anointing, we are allowing the Lord to again come before us in a most powerful way to be our Good Shepherd and for us to know Him. For us to then enter deeply into the mystery of his life. … Heaven and earth are joined together each time we celebrate the Eucharist.”
After the Mass, parishioners like Faulkner expressed their gratitude and were moved by the beauty in the care of the reconsecration.
“I have never seen anything like it. It was extremely moving and beautiful,” said Faulkner.
Father Sánchez gave thanks for the experience of the reconsecration and was grateful for the feeling of hope, also witnessing a consecration of a church for the first time. “It was really beautiful and we know that we are not alone.”
“It is a new opportunity for all of us in the Body of Christ … and we can say to the enemy that if Christ is with us, who is against us.”
Parish coordinator and director of religious education, Emelia Joseph, who has worked tirelessly getting new keys, meeting with police officers and more in the wake of the break-in, is thankful for the support of the Greenwood community and the people of the diocese.
“We know through the grace of God and all the people who have contacted us, with prayer and their support, that we are not only going to rally through this, but we are going to be stronger than ever.”
Father José de Jesús Sánchez prepares to read the Gospel during the reconsecration Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, while Father Joachim Studwell, OFM looks on. (Photos by Joanna Puddister King)
