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)
VICKSBURG – Lizzie McSherry receives communion from Bishop Joseph Kopacz at a special “Back to School” Mass at Vicksburg Catholic School. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)
SOUTHAVEN – Kindergarten students with their teacher, Amber Hayes, work on “cheer them up” posters to send to the hospital. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman first grade student, Ja’Kayla Davis, along with her other classmates, work on one of their first class assignments during the first week of school. In the background, teacher, Ashanti Moses works with class member, Caliyah Hopson. (Photo by Shae Robinson)
LELAND – Father Sleeva Mekala blessed backpacks at St. James parish on Sunday, Aug. 22. (Photo by Deborah Ruggeri)
MADISON – At St. Joseph School, Diane Waldon explains a chemistry experiment to sophomore, John Eatherly, on Tuesday, Aug. 10, the first day back to school. (Photo by courtesy of St. Jospeh Catholic School)
NATCHEZ – Seventh grader, Julia Claire Jex strikes the right combination at Cathedral School. (Photo by Cara Moody Serio)
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick School volunteer, Frank Washington, helps fourth grader Halle Smith with her backpack on her first day of school, on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. (Photo courtesy of St. Patrick Catholic School)
COLUMBUS – Third grade student, William Marrett takes his star pre-assessments for math and reading in the computer lab at Annunciation School. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)
By Joanna Puddister King CANTON – New Group Media out of South Bend, Indiana is working to tell the story of Sister Thea Bowman. Filming is taking place in many locations where Sister Thea Bowman lived and worked, requiring in-depth work for both crew and community members.
CANTON – Actors portray the Bowman family taking a stroll to Sunday Mass near Holy Child Jesus parish. (Photos by Joanna Puddister King)
Writer and producer, Sister Judy Zielinski, OSF said that she wanted to touch base and operate out of the spaces that Sister Thea lived in and used. “She was a brilliant, charismatic, prophetic, outspoken woman,” said Sister Judy during an interview. “And she is a force of nature.” Spaces chosen for filming include sites in Canton, Jackson, Memphis, New Orleans and in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
The film will explore Sister Thea’s life and path to sainthood through interviews and commentary from her family, sisters in community, colleagues, friends and former students. While filming in Mississippi, the crew filmed interviews with Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and those that knew Sister Thea personally, including Sister Dorothy Kundinger, FSPA; former students, Myrtle Otto and Cornelia Johnson; and childhood friends, Mamie Chinn and Flonzie Brown-Wright.
The crew began scouting sites in April 2021 and at the end of May, they filmed in Canton, Jackson and at Sister Thea’s grave site in Memphis at Elmwood Cemetery. In addition to interviews, scenes were filmed depicting young Bertha Bowman’s life before entering the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
On hand for most of the production in Canton, Flonzie Brown-Wright, a self-described “non-crier,” was moved to tears during depictions of herself, young Bertha Bowman and friend Mamie Chinn.
(Left) A sign sits outside of the old Bowman family home on Hill Street in Canton.
“She was so special to me. This morning, … when I saw the little girls sitting on the porch, I just lost it. I just lost it because it was just so reminiscent of what actually happened during those days,” said Brown-Wright.
The crew filmed re-enactments at the Bowman family home on Hill Street in Canton, complete with a 1936 Grand Master roadster car parked out front. Scenes with Thea, Brown-Wright and Chinn eating cookies on the front steps, playing with dolls and socializing were filmed with local talent.
Eleven-year-old, Madison Ware of Canton was chosen to play young Bertha. “I was really excited to do the part of Thea,” said Ware.
In addition to scenes at Holy Child Jesus Canton and playing outside the Bowman family home, Ware also re-enacted young Bertha’s hunger strike after her parents forbade her to go off to Wisconsin to become a nun. Ware sat at the dining room table in the Bowman home with determination stating as young Bertha would – “I’m not hungry.”
Other scenes depicted in Canton include portrayals of young Thea, Brown-Wright and Chinn walking to school and playing dress up as nuns.
In Jackson, the crew sat down with Bishop Kopacz at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle to talk about the cause for Sister Thea and spoke about what he called “her first miracle,” when she addressed the U.S. Bishops Conference in June 1989 and led them to join arms and sing “We Shall Overcome.”
Drone operator and grip, Matthew Nemeth, Bishop Joseph Kopacz and producer/writer, Sister Judy Zielinski, OSF review drone footage taken during filming of the Sister Thea Bowman Documentary on Saturday, May 29.
At Sister Thea’s grave site at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, the crew arranged for a beautiful white spray filled with gardenias, roses and magnolias to sit at her plot. Re-enactment at the grave site included prayer and a hymn led by Myrtle Otto – “I’ll Be Singing Up There.”
The final day of filming in Canton concluded at Holy Child Jesus with Mass, a performance by the church choir and solo of “On Zion’s Hill” by Wright-Brown.
CANTON – Flonzie Brown-Wright dressed in a dashiki and sang “On Zion’s Hill,” honoring her childhood friend, Thea Bowman. (Photos by Joanna Puddister King)
Life-long friends, Brown-Wright kept in contact with Sister Thea up until her passing from cancer in 1990 traveling from her home, at the time, in Ohio just two weeks before her death. She said Sister Thea told her “what I want you to do when I’m gone … [is] to come back to play and sing the song “On Zion’s Hill.” The same song Sister Thea sang at both her father and mother’s funerals.
With Wright-Brown in an African dashiki and headdress singing there was hardly a dry-eye between the crew present, as Sister Thea’s presence was felt in the moment.
(Above) Madison Ware re-enacts young Bertha Bowman’s hunger strike to get her parents to allow her to travel to LaCrosse, Wisconsin to become a nun.
Between June 20-23, the crew filmed in LaCrosse, Wisconsin at St. Rose Convent and Viterbo University, shooting re-enactments of Sister Thea at the FSPA motherhouse. Director Chris Salvador described plans to capture Sister Thea arriving at the convent in a white pinafore dress and then using a machine to morph her. “So, it goes in 360° and she changes from her first outfit, and she eventually comes out in her African dashiki,” said Salvador.
Brown-Wright reminisced during filming in Canton about one trip to LaCrosse to visit her friend. When she got there, Brown-Wright expected to see her friend dressed in a habit, but instead found her in “a dashiki, sandals and a natural.”
“I asked her what happened, and she said, ‘Girl, those petticoats were just too hot,” laughed Brown-Wright. “What she was doing was preparing a culture for a yearning to understand our culture. That was her transformation from coming out of the habits … to her natural dress because that’s who she was,” said Brown Wright.
The crew sets up a scene at the old Bowman family home, from the upcoming documentary on Sister Thea Bowman to air in the fall of 2022.
“She taught the world how to be a Black Catholic sister.”
In New Orleans the film crew will conduct more interviews and film at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University, where Sister Thea offered courses in African American literature and preaching.
The working title of the film is “Going Home Like a Shooting Star – Sister Thea Bowman’s Journey to Sainthood.” It is drawn from a quote attributed to Sojourner Truth. When Sister Thea was asked what she wanted said at her funeral, she answered,” Just say what Sojourner Truth said: ‘I’m not going to die, honey, I’m going home like a shooting star.’”
Production of the documentary was delayed about a year due to COVID. The film makers, with Bishop Kopacz as executive producer, hope to air the documentary nationwide in the fall of 2022 on ABC.
MaHalia Calvert, playing young Flonzie Brown-Wright, and Madison Ware prepare for a scene outside Holy Child Jesus parish where the girls play dress up at sisters. The scene brought back many memories for Wright-Brown, who was on-site for filming and reminisced about her experiences with her friend Sister Thea Bowman.
Sister Thea Bowman Documentary interview with Bishop Joseph Kopacz at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, Miss. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary interview with Bishop Joseph Kopacz at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, Miss. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior shots for film with 1936 Grand Master Deluxe in Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior front steps scene. The crew works to ready the set. Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Flonzie Brown Wright outside of the Bowman Family Home in Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Flonzie Brown Wright and Dr. LaShunda Calvert walk down the street to the Bowman Family Home to view filming. Canton, Miss. Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Myrtle Otto on the steps of the Bowman Family Home. Canton, Miss. Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior front steps scene. Crew works to set scene. Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior front steps scene. Left to right: Mattalia Calvert (playing Flonzie Brown Wright), Morgan Gates (playing Mamie Chinn) and Madison Ware (playing young Bertha Bowman) practice their cookie eating scene on the front steps of the Bowman family home in Canton, Miss. Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior front steps scene. Cast performingscene of Mrs. Bowman bringing cookies. Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.Sister Thea Bowman Documentary – Bowman home exterior front steps scene. Cast performingscene of Mrs. Bowman bringing cookies. Canton, Miss. on Saturday, May 29, 2021.
GALLMAN – Youth gathered for a SEARCH retreat July 23-25 at Camp Wesley Pines. SEARCH is a unique experience designed for juniors and seniors who have a strong desire to deepen their faith and relationship with Christ. Each year the Office of Youth Minsitry offers SEARCH retreats. This retreat was themed ‘Explore the Call’ with a focus on Jeremiah 29:11-13. “For I know well the plan I have in mind for you.” (Photo by Abbey Schuhmann)
Summer camp fun
SOUTHAVEN – Summer Camp students at Sacred Heart taste carrots and tomatoes from the children’s garden. The food could be tasted alone or with sugar, salt or Ranch dressing. What do you think they preferred? (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)
MADISON – Before school begain in August, students kept busy during the summer at St. Joe’s Volleyball camp. (Photo by Tricia Harris)
Vacation Bible School
McCOMB – Father Suresh Thirumalareddy surrounded by all the children who attended Vacation Bible School at St. Alphonsus parish. This year’s theme was “God’s Wonder Lab.” (Photo Connie Harrington)
MADISON – VBS instructor, Seth Dean shows a group of young “scientists” how magnets work at St. Francis of Assisi parish. (Photo by Mary Catherine George)
CLARKSDALE – (Left to right) Liza Stonestreet, Madison Williams, Virginia Johnson, Anne Taylor Tackett and Elsie Grace Young dance at St. Elizabeth’s VBS. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)
Graduating seniors recognized
LELAND – St. James parish celebrated their 2021 graduating seniors. Pictured left to right, Reeves Polasini, Madisyn Henry, Father Sleeva Mekala, Walker Zepponi and Lane Walker. (Photo by Deborah Ruggeri)
FLOWOOD – St. Paul parish celebrated seniors who graduated in 2021. Pictured left to right, Alexis Boman, Nikki Lawrence, Victoria Esparza, Cory Head (Youth Leader), Brendan McIntyre, Joshua Burton and Ares Colas. (Photo by Renee Borne)
WEST POINT – Father Bihn Nguyen celebrated graduating seniors Dominic Borgioli (left) and Aidan Henson (right) at Immaculate Conception parish. (Photo by Cathy Johnson)
From the Archives By Mary Woodward JACKSON – A bishop’s life is full of travel around the diocese to visit parishes, schools and missions. This time of year, it involves school masses for the opening of the new academic year. Because of COVID, these celebrations did not occur last August.
Confirmation celebrations have Bishop Joseph Kopacz all over the diocese from one end to the other. These celebrations normally take place between Easter and Pentecost, but due to schedules and once again the pandemic, Confirmation celebrations have been spread out into the summer months.
This weekend Bishop Kopacz will be in Ripley at St. Matthew Mission to confer Confirmation on more than a dozen young people. Ripley is in Tippah County, and I have a special connection to the area because my maternal grandmother’s family is from Tippah County. My great-grandparents are buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery just outside of Ripley on the way to Walnut.
Bishop Thomas Heslin, the fifth bishop of the diocese, died on Feb. 22, 1911. He guided the diocesan church through the turn of the century. A few weeks prior to his death while visiting churches in East Central Mississippi, he met with an unfortunate accident. Bishop Heslin most likely suffered a broken rib from this accident and may have ultimately succumbed to pneumonia. (Photos from archives)
Suffice it to say that our diocese being the largest diocese geographically east of the Mississippi River creates long drives. Tippah County borders Tennessee and is part of the rolling hills section of the state where beautiful views can be found around various bends in the road. Ripley is close to a four-hour drive from Jackson.
Imagine travelling to Ripley on horseback or in a cart from Natchez as was done in the early days of our diocese. This was the life of our bishops back in the day even up into the early 1900s when Bishop Thomas Heslin was making his way around the diocese for Confirmation celebrations.
Let me share a particular instance from Bishop John Gunn’s diary dated June 8, 1912, in which he accounts for an unfortunate incident that led to Bishop Heslin’s ultimate demise. It may give a better appreciation for a bishop’s life on the road.
“Visit to Montpelier. This is a little mission chapel about 13 miles from West Point, without a railroad and with the poorest roads imaginable. On the way out from West Point to Montpelier I heard a story about Bishop Heslin which is worth recording.
“The good Bishop was, like myself, going out to the little chapel to give Confirmation. The best pair of mules in the neighborhood were commandeered to bring the Bishop out. The Bishop’s carriage was a spring wagon and a plank put over the sideboards formed the cushions for the driver and the Bishop.
“The roads were of that peculiar type known in Mississippi as ‘corduroy’ roads. Branches of trees, stumps, logs, etc. are imbedded in the mud roads during the Winter, In the Spring these are covered with dirt and there is a good road until the first rain comes. Then the dirt is washed up and the stumps are very much in evidence, especially when the mules get into a trot.
“It seems that on the past visit of Bishop Heslin, the driver talked all he knew about cotton, lumber, and the country and talked so much that the mules fell asleep. It is thought that Bishop Heslin – if he was not asleep, was at least nodding – and at the moment the driver woke up and commenced to whip the mules into some kind of activity. “The sudden start caught the Bishop unprepared and he made a double somersault over the spring wagon and fell on the road. The driver was so busy with the mules that he forgot the Bishop and did not know of the mishap for nearly half a mile.
“Then there was the difficulty of turning the pair of mules on the road and a convenient turning spot had to be reached. This delayed the recovery of the Bishop for a considerable time and when the mule driver and his mules found the Bishop – Bishop Heslin was in a dead faint.
“The good Bishop was a big man and a heavy man, and the mule driver was lean and lanky and there was no help in sight or available. There was nothing to do only to take the sideboards from the wagon and form an inclined plane and roll the Bishop up the plane and make him comfortable in the wagon. “He recovered consciousness before he reached West Point.
“It is said that the Bishop never really recovered from the shock and the injury sustained by this fall.
“The driver who brought me out to Montpelier was the same one who had brought Bishop Heslin and he gave me the story as written.”
Bishop John Edward Gunn, a Marist priest, was the sixth Bishop of Natchez. He was known as brilliant orator and for having tremendous energy. Through his writings, we learn that Bishop Heslin suffered a fall while travelling around the diocese for Confirmation celebrations in 1910.
This incident would have occurred most likely in 1910 because Bishop Heslin died in February 1911.
Bishop Gunn concludes his description of his own arrival and visit in Montpelier thusly: “I arrived at Montpelier for supper. The day was hot, and all the neighbors of the little village were invited to sup with me.
“There was a table spread for all comers on a kind of porch. The neighbors supplied the feed and there was plenty of it. I think that all the flies of the country got notice because they were present like the locusts of Egypt. They were in everything, tasting everything, and lighting everywhere, especially on the bishop’s nose.
“A few girls got branches of trees and used them to keep the flies away. It was all right as long as the girls minded their business but when they forgot the flies and hit the guests there was some embarrassment.
“We had Mass and confirmation in the little chapel, which strange to say was dedicated to St. Patrick and for that reason several parts of it were painted green. We returned to celebrate Sunday.”
More from Bishop Gunn next time…
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
By Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – The late Bishop Emeritus Joseph N. Latino, retired bishop of Jackson, who died May 28 at the age of 83 is remembered as a gentle and humble shepherd.
A native of New Orleans, Bishop Latino was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New Orleans at St. Louis Cathedral on May 25, 1963. During his priesthood, Bishop Latino served in parishes in New Orleans, Metairie, Houma and Thibodaux. When the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux was formed in 1977, he remained in the new diocese and served in many capacities including chancellor and vicar general. In 1983, Pope John Paul II named him a Prelate of Honor with the title of Monsignor.
He was appointed the 10th Bishop of Jackson on Jan. 3, 2003 and was installed on March 7, 2003 in the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, the place of his final resting place.
Msgr. Elvin Sunds, who served as vicar general for nine years under Bishop Latino and enjoyed his friendship for many years afterward, described him as a “humble, gentle and kind bishop.”
In his homily at a prayer vigil for Bishop Latino on June 8 at the Cathedral, Msgr. Sunds spoke about Bishop Latino’s episcopal motto – Ut Unum Sint – “that all may be one.”
The motto came from the Gospel passage of John that was read at the vigil, explained Msgr. Sunds. “In that Gospel Jesus is praying for his disciples, and he also prays, ‘For those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.’”
“Jesus’ prayer is that through the proclaiming of the Gospel, may we all share together in the life of God as one. That was the motto and the focus of Bishop Latino’s episcopal ministry. He wanted all of us to be one in Christ Jesus. He promoted that unity in Christ,” said Msgr. Sunds.
During his years as bishop, Bishop Latino fostered Gospel-based social justice initiatives, lay leadership and vocations. During his tenure the office for the Protection of Children was established to help insure a safe environment for children in our churches, schools and communities.
From the archives: Bishop Joseph Latino: Chancellor Mary Woodward’s ‘From the archives’ column will return. She enjoyed a close friendship with Bishop Joseph Latino for many years. On the left, Mary Woodward and Bishop Latino are pictured in Sicily in 2012 in the home parish of his grandparents. Below, Bishop Latino is pictured in his chapel celebrating Pentecost in 2021. In July, Mississippi Catholic will publish a special edition on Bishop Joseph Latino with many stories and pictures from his years as a priest and as bishop of Jackson. (Photos courtesy of archives)
Msgr. Sunds described Bishop Latino’s social justice work mentioning that he publicly addressed such issues as racism, the rights of immigrants, care for the poor, the death penalty, and the right to life of the unborn during his tenure.
Bishop Latino’s nephew and godson, Martin Joseph Latino delivered remarks about ‘Uncle Joe’ at the vigil service sharing stories of humor, of mystery and a little bit about his favorite movie “A Man for All Seasons.”
It is still as mystery to Martin Latino how his Uncle Joe was able to call him in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At the time, Latino was the chief director of safety and was with the Mandeville Fire Department. With all of the cell towers down in the area, no one was able to receive any calls, but Uncle Joe got through.
“His message to me that day was don’t lose heart. Work hard. Restore your community. Be a leader and keep everyone safe. … I still to this day do not know how he was able to get through,” said Latino.
In attendance at the Mass of Christian Burial on June 9, were bishops from around the region with Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of the Archdiocese of Mobile as celebrant, along with the priests of the Diocese of Jackson, seminarians, deacons and the people of the diocese. In his opening remarks, Archbishop Rodi extended his sympathy to Bishop Latino’s family, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz and the people of the Diocese of Jackson.
“We gather here in sorrow over the loss of a powerful presence of a good man, a good priest, a good bishop, who in so many ways in his ministry blessed the people first in Louisiana, then in Mississippi,” said Archbishop Rodi.
During his homily at the funeral Mass, Bishop Kopacz recollected his first encounter with Bishop Latino seven and a half years ago at the Jackson airport. He recalled Bishop Latino smiling “to know he had a successor that was real,” laughed Bishop Kopacz. From that point the two grew in their friendship over the years and he shared stories of Bishop Latino’s background and interactions they had over the years through his last one hours before Bishop Latino’s death.
“My final encounter with Bishop Latino was sitting at his bedside within hours of his death, softly saying the rosary and praying … as he slowly passed from this world to the next. I spoke the words that he no longer could,” shared Bishop Kopacz.
He also gave thanks for Bishop Latino’s trustworthy service for nearly six decades, through times of strength and his experiences of accepting the changes in his health.
“In his retirement at times he grieved the physical limitations that prevented him from serving more actively in the diocese. But at the foot of the Cross, his ministry of prayer and presence was a treasure for us. And his early monastic formation served him well in his later years. He could be in that state for prayer and through it all he trusted in the Lord, who called him forth from his youth and in holy fear he grew old in God,” said Bishop Kopacz.
Diocesan chancellor, Mary Woodward also spoke at the vigil service on her special friendship with Bishop Latino, as he lifted up her talents, supported her and mentored her. The two of them, along with Bishop Houck, who passed in 2016, traveled to Rome many times. Woodward described the last trip they had to Rome for an ‘ad limina,’ where they also added a trip to Sicily to the Latino family’s ancestral hometown of Contessa Entellina.
Woodward described Bishop Latino as “energized” by the trip and said that he was excited that he would be able to celebrate a private Mass in the home church of his grandparents. “But when the doors opened the church was packed with the townspeople coming to see this bishop from America,” Woodward mused.
Bishop Latino was always there for her and she for him, making sure he was “ok” until the end of his earthly life, just as the women in the Gospel wanted to do for Jesus.
Most did not know that Bishop Latino was in constant pain for the last 40 years. “He had nerve pain in his legs and it never subsided,” said Woodward. “He bore that Cross with such grace and elegance.”
Through many surgeries over the years to help relieve the pain, Woodward often felt like a “cheerleader” who was there to “help him carry the Cross.”
“And that last day, … I felt like I went from helping him carry the Cross to being at the foot of the Cross. … It was a beautiful witness to ‘I’m in God’s hands. God’s going to take care of me. It’s ok,’” said Woodward who was with Bishop Latino up until his passing.
“I don’t ever think that I could say in a few minutes the profound impact he has had on me and on all of us.” Woodward also took great care in organizing Bishop Latino’s vigil and Mass of Christian Burial, making sure all elements he wanted were included. As an “opera aficionado,” Woodward made sure to include some opera. During the vigil, Woodward included a piece from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. The significance being that Bishop Latino would come in most mornings into their shared office humming that tune. She even had to step away during the vigil upon hearing it.
“The witness of his life, the witness of him carrying that pain was something that strengthens me and I feel very privileged to have been able to walk that journey with him. I will be forever changed,” said Woodward. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
JACKSON – St. Richard students Morgan Gates and Mae Rose Harkins work together to place a crown on Mary. (Photo by Lavonne Bruckner)
SOUTHAVEN – Gabby Porter places a crown of flowers on Mary. Also pictured is Cecilia Marie Hensley, holding the pillow. (Photo by Laura Grisham)
MADISON – St. Anthony sixth grade students Crawford Kraft and Emily Loyacono crown Mary during the school’s May Crowning Mass. (Photo by Kati Loyacono)
JACKSON – Fifth grader, Charis Ngong places a large crown of flowers on Mary in the prayer corner at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School. (Photo by Shae Goodman-Robinson)
NATCHEZ – Cathedral School PreK-3 student Landry Gaude’ crowns Mary during the PreK May Crowning ceremony on Monday, May 3, 2021. (Photo by Jody Upton)
Crowning Mary Mass
GREENVILLE – St. Joseph Catholic School celebrated their May Crowning Mass on Wednesday, May 5. Pictured are senior girls at their last Mass at the school before graduation. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)
Field day fun
MERIDIAN – Father Augustine Palimattam and Father Andrew Nguyen join in the field day balloon toss fun with fourth grader, Jackson Spitzkeit and third grader, Zy’Terrion Washington, as Coach Adrian Viger supervises. St. Patrick School held its first of three field days on Friday, May 7. Photo by Emily Thompson)
Running for education
SOUTHAVEN – Seventh and eighth grade students, armed with punch cards to tally their laps, begin their hour-long journey around the parking lot to raise money for Sacred Heart School for the fourth annual Race for Education Day. (Photo by Laura Grisham)
