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Five priests to celebrate significant anniversaries

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Five priests in the Dio

cese of Jackson will mark significant anniversaries of ordination in 2018. Father Noel Prendergast marks 60 years as a priest on June 7, Msgr. Elvin Sunds was ordained 45 years ago on August 5, Fathers Kent Bowlds and Tim Murphy are celebrating 25 years and Father Lincoln Dall was ordained 10 years ago on May 31.

Father Prendergast’s photo from when he first arrived in Mississippi. (Diocese of Jackson Archives)

Father Prendergast was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1934. He was ordained in St. Patrick’s Church in Carlow in 1958 and arrived in the then Diocese of Natchez Jackson that fall. He grew up with six brothers and one sister. Two of his brothers became priests. One stayed in their home diocese and another went to Africa as a missionary. The other siblings became farmers. Father Prendergast still goes home to visit his great-grand nieces and nephews.
When he arrived in Mississippi, starting his ministry at Biloxi Blessed Nativity Parish, the church was on the cusp of Vatican II and the state was just starting to see the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. Father Prendergast said he and his brother priests had to listen and be patient as history took its course.
The priests got updates on Vatican II as the council progressed. “Our bishops were very supportive, Bishop (Joseph) Brunini and Bishop (Oliver) Gerow. Bishop Brunini would go over to Vatican II and come back after two or three months over there and tell us what went on. Then then we had workshops to prepare ourselves for what was coming out of Vatican II. It was all very helpful,” he said.
Father Prendergast went on to serve at Jackson St. Mary, Natchez Assumption, Columbus Annunciation, Vicksburg St. Michael, Yazoo City St. Mary and St. Francis and Clinton Holy Savior as well as at the mission in Gulfport. These days he is retired in Clinton. He helps out at Holy Savior, offering Masses when the pastor is out of town, between playing golf and visiting with friends.
Holy Savior will celebrate Father Prendergast’s anniversary on Monday, June 18, with Mass at 6 p.m. followed by a reception. All are welcome.

JACKSON – Msgr. Sunds, with Secretary of State Delbert Hoseman, opened the 2016 Mississippi Legislative session with prayer. He was often at the capitol advocating for Catholic Charities. (Mississippi Catholic File Photo)

Msgr. Sunds said he can hardly believe he is celebrating 45 years of priesthood. Although born in Nebraska, he was raised in Iowa where he attended Catholic schools. After high school, he went to seminary. He was not convinced he had a vocation, but “had a feeling this is what God wanted me to do.” Msgr. Sunds always tells young men they don’t have to go to seminary with their minds made up. Seminary, he said, helps men discern their call and acquire the skills they will need to do the job. “After all, as they say, God does not call the enabled, he enables the called,” he said.
When he advises young men who believe they have a vocation, Msgr Sunds urges them to “pray. Really listen to the Lord. He’s not going to whisper in your ear, but he will tug at your heart.” He took a year off during his seminary formation to be sure he was following the right path. He was serving in New York when he met some priests from Mississippi. “They were very involved in social ministry and serving the poor and I thought ‘that’s the kind of priest I want to be,’” said Msgr. Sunds. He returned to seminary and asked to be ordained for the Magnolia state.
He started on the coast, serving at Biloxi Sacred Heart before coming to Jackson for the most significant part of his career, working for 19 years at Catholic Charities. He was the director of the agency for 16 of those years. He left Charities and served as the Vicar General of the Diocese for 10 years. In parishes, he served at Jackson Holy Family, Meridian St. Patrick and St. Joseph and currently serves as pastor of Jackson St. Therese.

JACKSON – Father Kent Bowlds celebrates Mass with Bishop William Houck at St. Richard Parish in this 2001 photo. (Mississippi Catholic file photo)

Father Kent Bowlds will mark 25 years of the priesthood this June. The Kentucky native moved to Jackson with his parents, four sisters and one brother, when his Dad’s job was moved here. He was in seventh-grade so he finished school at St. Joseph School.
“I started thinking about priesthood in my junior or senior year of high school, and I think an important factor was all of the priests I had known — from Father Mitchell in Kentucky, who was young and down to earth, to Fathers Eddie Balser, Joe Dyer, Elvin Sunds, and others who helped me grow in faith, perhaps without their ever realizing it, while also being themselves with their unique personalities,” wrote Father Bowlds in an email to Mississippi Catholic.
Father Kent was not convinced of his vocation so he went to college and started a career. “After graduation I worked at Mississippi Public Broadcasting for ten years. I enjoyed that immensely but the idea of priesthood had never entirely gone out of my mind. I was ready for a change and after some good spiritual direction I decided the only way to truly discern was to enter seminary and was accepted by the Diocese of Jackson. In seminary the discernment continued and the call to priesthood solidified,” he wrote.
He worked as vocations director for the Diocese of Jackson for a number of years, so Father Kent has spoken to many young men about vocations. He urges them to have courage and be open. “And it’s important not to pray in a total vacuum, ‘just me and God,’ but also to consider all sorts of things, such as what others are saying about him, what his experiences tell him, where he finds himself naturally drawn, etc. A good spiritual adviser, also, will not try to talk someone into the priesthood, but can help one figure out what God could be saying,” he explained. “Some men think, ‘I might want a family someday’ — which doesn’t necessarily mean they are not called to priesthood. A desire for family can also indicate a generous spirit and an openness to long term commitment, qualities that are also essential for priesthood.”
He served at Madison St. Francis of Assisi, Meridian St. Patrick and St. Joseph, Clarksdale St. Elizabeth and Immaculate Conception, Jackson St. Richard and Holy Family, Crystal Springs St. John and Hazelhurst St. Martin as well as his current parish of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories.
Father Bowlds will celebrate his anniversary with a Mass and reception at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Cleveland Our Lady of Victories, Parish.
Also celebrating a quarter of a century of priesthood is Father Tim Murphy, pastor of Tupelo St. James and Pontotoc St. Christopher, ordained Nov. 27, 1993. “I was ordained by Bishop (William) Houck at Glenmary in Cincinnati. It was a wonderful privilege,” said Father Murphy, who was born in New Jersey.
He came to the diocese as a Glenmary Home Missioner in 1991. He was working with the Glenmary research center out of Atlanta as part of the order’s Commission on Justice. At that time, the Glenmarys had founded and were staffing several missions and parishes in the state including Amory St. Helen, Fulton Christ the King and West Point Immaculate Conception.
When the Glenmarys left in 2015, he was incardinated into the diocese. Father Murphy has always served in some of the diocese’s rural locations, often caring for more than one community at a time. He said he came to Mississppi “by the grace of God.”
His postings include Amory St. Helen, Fulton Christ the King, Aberdeen St. Francis, Houston Immaculate Heart of Mary, Okolona St. Theresa, Pontotoc St. Christopher and Bruce St. Luke.
“I am very happy to be here and I am grateful for the mission and to be a part of it,” said Father Murphy.

TUPELO – Father Lincoln Dall brought the tradition of the Camino del Santiago to St. James Parish. Wearing his pilgrim’s shell, he walks a pilgrimage to the parish in 2015. (Mississippi Catholic file photo)

Ten years ago, the diocese welcomed Father Lincoln Dall to the presbyterate. Dall was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a lay missionary for eight years in Canada, Ecuador and the U.S. before he ended up in a teaching corps in Greenville. He joined Sacred Heart Parish. “I had been looking into the priesthood and they encouraged me,” he said of the parish community. He went to Sacred Heart Seminary in Wisconsin where he “had the most wonderful experience possible,” said Father Dall. “It encouraged me and nurtured me.” He was ordained on May 31, 2008.
Father Dall said he tells young men they don’t have to be 100 percent sure to attend seminary. “Just listen to where God is calling you and don’t be afraid to take little steps,” he advised.
Father Dall has made a number of pilgrimages – including several to the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James in Spain. He said the first one he made helped him discern his vocation. “Sometimes, you don’t understand what is happening while you are on the pilgrimage and you come home and unpack it – sometimes even years later,” he said. He started a pilgrimage at Tupelo St. James Parish to celebrate the parish’s patron.
Father Dall has served at Jackson St. Richard, Yazoo City St. Francis and St. Mary, Belzoni All Saints and Tupelo St. James. He is currently pastor of Pearl St. Jude Parish.

Weeks before grand opening, shelter burns

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – On Sunday, April 29, the dream of opening a new shelter for those fleeing domestic violence almost went up in flames. Catholic Charities was only a few weeks away from opening a new shelter in Jackson when an abandoned house next to the facility caught fire. The flames were so intense, they jumped to the roof of the facility.
“It was pretty devastating,” said John Lunardini, COO of Catholic Charities Jackson. Investigators continue to look for a cause, but Lunardini said the blaze may have started when a vagrant started a fire inside the abandoned house to stay warm on the cold night.
Catholic Charities was going to purchase the house and tear it down to put in a play area for children, but did not yet own the property. This move has been about four years and a million dollars in the making. When the previous shelter was facing some costly repairs, the Catholic Charities board looked at all the available options and decided moving to a new facility was the best approach.
After an exhaustive search, Charities found a new site and started work more than a year ago. The new facility, once renovated, could house nine families at a time. The building included rooms for staff members to be housed on-site to assist victims 24-hours a day. Other amenities include a therapeutic group and counseling area, a suite of offices, a family room, commercial kitchen facilities, a dining area and bathing facilities. The shelter will serve Copiah, Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Issaquena, Sharkey, Simpson, Yazoo and Warren counties.
Workers had begun to move in furniture and plans were in place to tear down the house next door when the fire erupted. Fire damaged the roof and firefighters had to smash a window to get inside to douse the flames. There is also water damage inside, but cleanup started within 12 hours of the fire under the supervision of Restoration 1 and program directors are hopeful they can evover.
The Domestic Violence program offers more than just shelter. Case workers and counselors work with survivors, usually women and their children to start a whole new life. Families must attend counseling. Survivors get childcare, help finding a new job and a new place to live and have access to resources even after they leave the shelter.
Counselors told Mississippi Catholic in 2016 that it can take time for a woman to transition from feeling like a victim to taking charge of her life. She needs support and sometimes some practical knowledge to break the cycle of violence and control abusers use against them.
The program can still use furniture and cash donations to get the renovations back on track. Insurance will cover repair to some of the damage to the building, but the agency will need to cover the gap and the program is always looking for items for the families who stay with them such as toiletries, clothing, gift cards for stores and toys for the children. To make a donation, call 601-355-8634 or donate online at www.catholiccharitiesjackson.org.

Hope Haven opens doors

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JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz, center, gathers visitors and staff for a blessing at the new Catholic Charities Hope Haven Residential facility on Friday, April 13. Hope Haven hosted an open house to celebrate their new residence, which will allow them to double their capacity. Hope Haven is a temporary shelter where teens in crisis and their families can get help to start the path to healing. The organization is still looking for supplies including sheet and comforter sets, exercise equipment and toiletries. Contact Kim Thomason to donate at 601-397-2224 or kim.thomason@catholiccharitiesjackson.org. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

Photo by Tereza Ma

Bishop ordains deacon for Jackson while visiting Saltillo

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By Monsignor Michael Flannery
SALTILLO, MEXICO – On Thursday, April 12 Bishop Joseph Kopacz and I began our annual visit to the mission in Saltillo, Mexico. The highlight of this year’s visit was a side-trip for the diaconal ordination of Adolfo Suarez Pasillas in his home parish in Aguascalientes.
Fathers David Martinez and Evelio Casarubias, the priests of the mission, met us at the airport to bring us on the 70-mile drive to Saltillo in time for 6 p.m. Mass at Divine Mercy Church, dedicated by Bishop Kopacz two years ago. After Mass, a delicious meal was served honoring our arrival.
The following morning (Friday), we were on the road at 7 a.m. to visit the ranchos (mountain villages), accompanied by five altar servers and three musicians. Our first stop was the village of San Francisco to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. Seldom, if ever, do the mountain villages see a bishop. Under normal circumstances, a villager must travel to the cathedral church for confirmation, bringing family and sponsors with him/her and maybe stay overnight. Therefore, bishop’s visit is a great savings for the families. After confirmation, we all shared a big breakfast with the villagers and newly confirmed.
In the course of that day we left the State of Coahuila into State of Zacatecas, visiting the villages of Jalapa, Anima, Sabanilla, Garambullo and Tapon. Tapon is the most remote village and takes six hours of travel to get there. Most of the way follows a bouncy trail, traveling approximately five-to-seven miles an hour. Our last stop of the day was el Rancho el Cuervo, a famous hunting camp where the gracious host had prepared a delicious meal. In all, it was a full day for Bishop Kopacz, having celebrated three ceremonies of Confirmations, four celebrations of the Word and Holy Communion and one blessing of the villagers.
Saturday, Bishop Don Raul Vera, bishop of Saltillo, joined Bishop Kopacz to bless the cornerstone of a new church, San Jose. The blessing took place outdoors under an improvised shade. The excitement of the 200 villagers was amazing. They participated in the Mass with great reverence and enthusiasm. The reality of having their own worship space was within view. Bishop Vera preached the homily. He spoke of cooperating with the bishops of Texas and the Mexican bishops whose dioceses were adjacent to the U.S. border. This newly-formed group of bishops were in the process of drafting a letter to President Trump pleading with him not to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Bishop Kopacz, paraphrasing Pope Francis, spoke of building bridges such as the bridge which the Dioceses of Biloxi and Jackson has had with the Diocese of Saltillo for 49 years.
After Mass, we travelled on to Presa San Pedro for the celebration of Confirmation for villagers from La Rosa, La Purisima and La Ventura. Again, it was a great festival of faith. Before leaving, Bishop Kopacz made a home visit to a lady who suffered from cerebral palsy. She was now 24 years of age and weighed no more than 45 pounds. She had never spoken and only made guttural sounds. The family was very appreciative of the bishop’s visit.
On Sunday morning, back in Saltillo, we had a Mass at 9 a.m. at Divine Mercy Church including several baptisms, and a breakfast with the senior citizens. After the meal we joined a procession four blocks from the church led by Aztec dancers, who were on their way to the largest Mass of the day at 1p.m. Again, Bishop Kopacz was the main celebrant, accompanied by Bishop Vera. Celebrations continued until 11p.m. Bishop also visited the grave of Father Patrick Quinn, the founder of the mission and a local seminary during his weekend in Saltillo.
On Tuesday we were off to Aguascalientes for the ordination. After a rehearsal we shared a meal with Adolfo’s delightful family. On Wednesday morning Adolfo showed us the historic sites of Aguascalientes. The town was making extensive preparations for the three-week Fair of San Marcos, an annual festival attended by several million people from all over Mexico. This musical festival is an unbroken tradition for 190 years. Locals allege more beer would be consumed over the three-week period of the fair than during the remainder of the calendar year.
The Mass of ordination took place in Adolfo’s home town of Jesus Maria at the parish church of Jesus of Nazareth at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18. Bishop Kopacz presided over the Mass with a packed church of an estimated 500 people, another 400 had gathered in the courtyard. The support from the parishioners was incredible. The vicar general of the Diocese of Aguascalientes welcomed Bishop Kopacz to the diocese.
He remarked that the parish of Jesus of Nazareth was the most spiritual parish of the whole diocese. The Diocese of Aguascalientes ordains an average of 12 priests per year and presently has enough of a surplus that some of their priests are serving in other areas of Mexico. In fact, the vicar mentioned sharing some priests with the Diocese of Jackson.
Father Kent Bowlds, pastor of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories parish, where Adolfo has served, made the trip for this joyful event. He gave the testimonial of readiness of the candidate. After the ordination we adjourned to a nearby salon where we were greeted by a Mariachi band and the celebration continued until 11 p.m. When he returns to Jackson, Deacon Suarez Pasillas will be assigned to Jackson St. Therese Parish for the year before he is ordained a priest.
In all, it was a packed week, a tremendous experience of faith-sharing and a great blessing for all participants. On our trip home, Bishop Kopacz was already making plans for his return journey in the coming year when he will hopefully bless the newly constructed church of San Jose and participate in the golden jubilee of the foundation of the Saltillo Mission. The good work begun by Fr. Patrick Quinn, the founder of the Saltillo Mission still continues in its outreach to the poor.

(Editor’s note: More extensive coverage of Deacon Adolfo’s ordination will appear in the June 29 edition of Mississippi Catholic along with all ordination for this year.)
(Msgr. Michael Flannery is a retired priest for the Diocese of Jackson. He has written a book about the Saltillo mission, available at Madison St. Francis Parish.)

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Monsignor Michael Flannery

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Photo by Cristian Lopez

Church celebrates holiest week

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Palm Sunday

Pearl, St. Jude Parish photos by Rhonda Bowden

Carthage, St. Anne Parish photos by Sister Maria Elena, MGSpS

Chrism Mass

Jackson, St. Peter photos by Tereza Ma ans Maureen Smith

 

Holy Thursday

Pearl, St. Jude Parish photos by Tereza Ma

Good Friday

Jackson, St. Therese Parish photos by Elsa Baughman

No Catholic Church offers Mass on Good Friday. Instead, they may have stations or veneration of the cross.

Easter Vigil

Jackson, St. Peter photos by Maureen Smith

 

Holy Week across the Diocese

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GREENWOOD – Sixth-grader Daniel Varges (right), shares unleavened bread with Father Joachim “Kim” Studwell, OFM, during a Seder meal at St. Francis of Assisi School on Wednesday, March 28. (Photo by Cherrie Criss)

The Way of the Cross, also known as Stations of the Cross, is a powerful reflection on the passion of Christ. This year, Mississippi Catholic received photos from youth groups and schools all across the diocese who offered their communities a live reenactment of the stations. Not all the photos would fit in the printed version, so more are posted to galleries on the website: www.mississippicatholic.com.
As the Easter season progresses, please remember to send your First Communion and Confirmation photos to editor@mississippicatholic.com for inclusion in the Spring Sacraments issue.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School eighth-grader Ren Kitko, carries the cross as Jesus during live stations of the cross for the school community. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)

NEW ALBANY – Cody Carson depicts Christ as the youth of St. Francis of Assisi Parish lead an outdoor live stations of the cross. They started the tradition in 2012, inviting anyone of any faith to join in this memorial of Christ’s passion.
This year, two-dozen parishioners participated in the event. (Photo by Claudia Murguia)

 

MERIDIAN – Pilate questions Jesus as St. Patrick School first graders, performed a live Stations of the Cross Wednesday, March 28, for the school. (Photo by Mary Yarger)

  GREENVILLE – Live stations of the Cross are a tradition for middle-schoolers at St. Joseph School. In left photo, Jesus falls the second time. (Photo by Missi Blackstock)

PEARL – St. Jude Parish youth participated in Stations of Cross led by Father Lincoln Dall, the front row is Molly, Katie, Jack, and Charlotte Riordan. The next row back is Craig Millette and John and Mary Beth VanLandingham. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Full STEM ahead, Catholic schools rack up science, engineering awards

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By Kristian Beatty
Full STEM ahead!  March and April have been exciting for several students across the Diocese of Jackson!  Students from Greenville St. Joe, Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School, St. Richard Catholic School, and St. Anthony Catholic school attended and won awards at science fairs held in Jackson and Pearl, MS. Many students started working on their science fair projects in the Fall of 2017 and had to win at their school science fair to move on the next level. Congratulations to all the students who participated at the MAIS Overall Science Fair and the MSEF Region II Science Fair. 

JACKSON – A student from Madison St. Anthony school answers questions for a judge at the MSEF Region II Science Fair on Thursday, March 22, at Jackson State University. Schools from across the diocese brought home honors from similar events around the state in March and April.

Wednesday, April 4: St. Joseph Catholic High School (Greenville) students attended the MAIS Overall Science Fair at the Muse Center in Pearl, MS.

3rd place: Mary Patton Meyer, Dorian Rice, Avery Cole, Kamiya Clark, Carsen Mansour, McKenzie Sandifer

1st place: Eli Williamson, Sarah Tonos, Mikayla Dotson

Best of Fair ($200 prize): Eli Williamson

Thursday, March 22nd: Sr.Thea Bowman Catholic School (Jackson), St. Richard Catholic School (Jackson) and St. Anthony Catholic School (Madison) students attended the MSEF Region II held at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. The following students placed in their categories out of 482 students according to Kristy Love-Kendrick- JSU Region II Science Fair Director:

Sister Thea Bowmen Catholic School had 14 students participate and 8 of those students won awards.

Organic Chemistry

Malick Yedjou – 1st place

Botany

Synia Means – 1st place

Medicine and Health

Alexander Mason – 1st place

Inorganic Chemistry

Charis Ngong – 2nd place

Ashleigh Mason – 3rd place

Physics and Astronomy 

Cobe Williams – 4th place

Computer Science and Math

Jon Burse – 5th place

Special Energy Smart Award sponsored by the MS Development Authority:

Malick Yedjou

St. Richard Catholic School had 17 students participate and 3 of those students won awards.

Behavioral science

Mary Margaret Martin-4th

Carrington Fowler-5th

Microbiology 

Turner Brown-2nd

St. Anthony Catholic School had 47 students participate and 27 of those students won awards.

Class 1 Awards

Ella Eatherly- Class 1 Overall Individual Best of Fair

Animal Sciences  

John Harris – 2nd Place

Susannah Harmon- 4th Place

Behavioral & Social Science    

Abby Stringer-1st Place

Madelyn Rodrigue-2nd Place     

Biochemistry       

Josie Ricotta-5th Place

Botany       

Samantha Naegele-3rd Place

Earth & Environmental  

Katie Ann Venable-1st Place

Inorganic Chemistry      

Ella Eatherly-1st Place

Microbiology       

Miller Franklin-1st Place

Jack Kosek-2nd Place

Organic Chemistry

Emily Loyacono-3rd Place

Ellie Latour-4th Place

Class 2 Awards-

Class 2 School Award: St. Anthony Catholic School

 Animal Sciences  

Stella Williams-1st Place

Carolina deLange-2nd Place

Biochemistry       

Maria deLange-3rd Place

Botany       

Isabelle Zevallos-5th Place

Computer Science & Math      

JJ Tice-2nd Place

Earth & Environmental  

Jennings Kimbrell-2nd Place

Inorganic Chemistry      

Iliana Blount-2nd Place

Tyler Stovall-4th Place

Medicine & Health         

1st- Eliza Rowlett-2nd Place

         

Microbiology       

Stella McCarty-1st Place

Annsley Maynor-4th Place

Kate Kosek-5th Place

Organic Chemistry

Emerson Erwin-3rd Place

Sophie Sosa-5th Place

Physics & Astronomy    

Cameron Moody-1st Place

(Kristian Beatty is development director for Madison St. Anthony School.)

 

Rectory renovation begins with bee removal

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Renovations at the rectory for the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle caused quite the buzz in downtown Jackson during the second week of March. The restoration crew had to call in a beekeeper to remove a five-foot tall hive from one of the columns on the rectory porch. The operation drew news crews and concern from bank employees next door, but was completed smoothly and safely. Rectory staff and reporters even got to take home sections of honey comb.

JACKSON, Miss., Workers from Durable Restoration remove part of a five-foot tall beehive from a column on the porch of the rectory for the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in downtown Jackson on Friday, March 2. The bees have been in the nest about 10 years, but needed renovations forced their removal. Beekeeper Michael Everett, who will relocate them to a Mississippi State University Experiment station in Crystal Springs, estimates the hive had about 50 pounds of honey in it. Cathedral staff hope to auction the honey at a ministry fair later this spring.

Traci Avalon, office manager for the rectory, said she has known the bees had a hive in the column for a decade, but since they didn’t seem to bother anyone and she knows bees are endangered, she left them alone. When it came time to renovate, she included bee removal in the bid process. “I told them I did not want the bees destroyed. I know some beekeepers and I knew they can be moved,” she said.
Durable Restoration, a sister company to Durable Slate, took on the project. The company worked on the cathedral renovation several years ago and has done a lot of work in churches. Jacob Lammers, a public relations vice president for Durable Restoration, said this is not the first time the company has worked with a beekeeper to remove a hive. While beekeeper Michael Everett from Magee led the effort, Durable Slate employees donned protective bee-suits and did the heavy-lifting.
Workers drilled holes in the column and used a camera to precisely locate the hive. Then, they carefully cut the wood around the hive to remove a whole section from the column, bringing with it 10-years worth of honeycomb, honey and insects. “As bees build a nest, they continue to make it go down every year. They start at the top and as they have space they will go down. The column was about 20 inches inside and the bees have 3/8 of an inch crawl-space so they will suspend the combs and build from there,” Everett captured the queen bee and drew the workers out to her. The whole operation, started in the late afternoon, took about three hours. He guessed there was about 50 pounds of honey in this hive.
“These were Italian bees, a three-banded Italian. They were yellow with little black rings,” Everett explained. He has been a beekeeper for 13-years. He used to work in construction so he uses his knowledge of how structures are built to find creative ways to remove bees. These days he raises his own queen bees and helps with the occasional hive removal. He said as long as the bees are moved more than one mile from their original location, they will not return to their old nest. The cathedral bees will have a new home at the Mississippi State University Agricultural Experiment Station in Crystal Springs where they will pollinate local crops and continue to make honey.
Avalon said she will extract the honey from the comb she got and put it up for auction at the St. Peter Ministry Fair later this spring.

Christian sites benefit from visits, local collection

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Bishop Joseph Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
For pilgrims who visit the Holy Land, at whatever point on the compass the pilgrimage begins, the goal and culminating experience are the arrival in Jerusalem. This is precisely the path of salvation that the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John describe in their narratives of the Lord Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. His public ministry unfolded in Galilee and flowed southward like the Jordan River in the direction of Jerusalem.
We followed this Gospel corridor on the recent pilgrimage sponsored by the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulcher. At first, we settled in at the Sea of Tiberius in northern Israel, the location of Nazareth, Capernaum, Cana, the Sermon on the Mount and the Transfiguration, before turning southward toward Jerusalem. Although the region is wracked by hatred, violence and periodic outbreaks of deadly hostilities, a consistent reality is that pilgrims are always welcome. Obviously, this is the pragmatic thing to do, but this is also a sign of the abiding respect and good will that many in Israel and Palestine, Jews and Muslims alike, have for the ancient Christian Churches.
Without a doubt, for the Christians who tragically are diminishing in number across the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the mother Church of all Christianity encompassing Israel, Palestine and Jordan, the presence of the pilgrims is critical for their survival. “The pilgrimages are a form of sustenance for the survival of thousands of families.” (Leonardo Cardinal Sandri: Congregation of the Oriental Churches: Good Friday Appeal Letter) I do not know the total annual financial impact of the pilgrims who come from across the globe, but it is substantial. However, we can quantify the money that is collected each year from the Good Friday Holy Land collection.
Last year Catholics throughout the United States, including the Diocese of Jackson that raised ore than $32,000, contributed more than $20,000,000 to the mission and ministries of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. From this largesse the faithful of the Holy Land were able to renovate and restore the Churches of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Recently, a conflict erupted when the Jewish Jerusalem Municipality, with an impending vote in the Knesset, was about to encode in law oppressive taxation upon the Christian Churches with the possibility of foreclosure and seizure of properties if assessments were not paid. The Christian traditions who oversee the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Orthodox, Armenian, Catholic, responded with the temporary closure of this holiest of sites of the Lord’s crucifixion and burial. (Their statementis posted on www.mississippicatholic.com with this column.)
This sparked an international response and the Knesset canceled the vote, at least for now. Naturally, Christians would not and should not embark on a Crusade in the classic sense, but spiritual and economic muscle do matter. The generosity, prayers and attention of many Catholics and other Christians on Good Friday and throughout the year make a difference. Why should we be concerned? “The Christian faith had the first impulse from the mother Church in Jerusalem which has a special vocation to live the faith in a multi-religious, political, social and cultural context, nothing less than keeping the memory of our Redemption alive.” (Cardinal Sandri)
Of course, it is not only a matter of preserving the ancient sites, but also of fostering the universal mission of our crucified and risen Lord through the modern day ministries of the Churches fighting to survive and thrive. Cardinal Sandri writes: “Notwithstanding the challenges and insecurities, the parishes continue their pastoral services with a preferential attention for the poor. We hope against hope, that the schools serve as a place of encounter between the Christians and the Muslims, where they prepare a future of mutual respect and collaboration, the hospitals and clinics, the hospices and meeting centers continue to welcome the suffering and those in need, refugees and displaced, persons of all ages and religions, struck by the horror of war. A great number of them schooling-age, who appeal to our generosity to resume their scholastic life and dream of a better future.” In his letter Cardinal Sandri elaborates upon the plight of many Christians throughout the region. “Our attention goes to the small Christian community in the Middle East, which continues to sustain the faith among the displaced persons from Iraq and Syria and among the refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The Pope’s World Day of Peace was directed to the refugee crisis. ‘In a spirit of compassion let us embrace all those fleeing from war and from hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homeland.’ Most Iraqi Christians and Syrians want to return to their own land where their houses were destroyed, with schools, hospitals and churches devastated. Let us not leave them alone.”
We know that the Lenten journey is not a solitary act, but an itinerary of solidarity by which each one of us is called to pause, and like the Good Samaritan, accompany our brethren who for many reasons find it difficult to stand up and continue their journey. This is clearly the reality in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East and we pray that the Good Friday collection will raise up our Christian sisters and brothers.
We are blessed to be able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, once in a lifetime perhaps, but once a year during Holy Week we can make a spiritual pilgrimage through prayer and generosity to be in solidarity with many undergoing persecution and hardship. Please be generous.

Churches in Jerusalem close the Holy Sepulcher in protest

https://ofm.org/blog/churches-jerusalem-close-holy-sepulcher-protest/