SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, Healing Retreat, Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., presented by Maria Vadia; Mental Well-being and Trust workshop, Sunday, April 10 from 2-4 p.m., presented by Michael Whelan, Ph.D.; God’s Love Retreat, Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. presented by the Locus Benedictus ministry team. Details: email contactlocusbenedictus@gmail.com or call (662) 299-1232.

PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, White Elephant Sale on April 2 by the Knights of Columbus. No clothing donations. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.

COLUMBUS Annunciation Catholic School, Draw Down/Art Auction on Friday, April 22 from 6:30-11 p.m. at the Trotter Convention Center. Adults only with dinner and open bar. Draw down ticket $100. Art auction ticket $35 at the door. Details: school office (662) 328-4479.

CLEVELAND Our Lady Of Victories, Egg Hunt for birth to sixth grade, April 3, 10-11 a.m., please bring 12 candy filled eggs. Details: olvcc@att.net.

GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Pancake Breakfast, April 9 from 7-10 a.m. hosted by Knights of Columbus. Proceeds from event benefit family of Maria Guillen, who was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Leukemia and is currently at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Cost is $10. Details: Cathy Finley (662) 378-9711.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Annual Countdown fundraiser on Friday, April 22. Tickets will go on sale soon and are $100 for a full ticket but partial tickets can be bought for as little as $25. Grand prize is $5,000. Details: school office (601) 482-6044.

SOUTHAVEN Sacred Heart School is seeking a PK-3 and first grade teacher; as well as, a social studies teacher for 6-8 grades. Must have basic understanding and acceptance of the Catholic School philosophy, goals and objectives. Details: shsjobs@shsm.org.

YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 17, immediately following Mass. Details: church office at yazoocitystm@jacksondiocese.org.

YOUTH BRIEFS
SEARCH retreat for juniors and seniors, April 1-3, at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. Retreat is “for teens, led by teens” and is an experience like none other; with a strong focus on vocations. SEARCH engages youth in a special way and calls them to live out their Catholic faith in a bold real, active and healthy way. Cost $125. Details: abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

SAVE THE DATE
COLLECTION Rice bowl collection is set for Holy Thursday, April 14. Collect your bowl from your parish.

JACKSON St. Richard, VBS 2022, June 6-9. Online registration dates will be announced soon. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

MADISON St. Francis, VBS 2022, June 20-24 for all children going into Pre-K4 through fourth grades. Help is needed to plan, teach, assist, decorate, lead music and prepare snacks. Details: Mary Catherine at mc.george@stfrancismadison.org.

PONTOTOC St. Christopher Catholic Friendship Camp, ages 7-11, June 12-18; and ages 12-14, June 19-25. Details: Heidi Stephens campsm@juno.com or https://www.campfriendshipmississippi.com.

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.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Fish Fry after Stations on Friday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m.

JACKSON St. Richard, Fish Fry after Stations at 6 p.m., Foley Hall, dine in or to-go. Cost: Adults $12, kids 12 and under $6.

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. 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. Take-outs are available. Plates cost $9.

PEARL St. Jude, Stations 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.

RIPLEY St. Matthew, Fried Catfish Dinner, Fridays through April 8, 4-7 p.m. Dinner inclides two fillets, coleslaw, sweet corn nuggets and choice of beverage. Cost is $10. Dine-in or take-out. Proceeds benefit St. Matthew’s youth ministry program.

TUPELO St. James, Lenten Meatless Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Diocesan Priest Education Fund on Friday, April 1 at 5:30 p.m. in Shelton Hall. Dine-in and to-go available. Served with choice of red or white sauce, salad, garlic bread and dessert. Cost: $9 for adults and $6 for kids.

PENANCE/RECONCILIATION SERVICES
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Parish-wide Reconciliation, Wednesday, March 30 at 5:30 p.m.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Reconciliation service, Monday, April 11 at 6 p.m.

GREENVILLE St. Joseph March 31 at 5:30 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.

JACKSON St. Richard Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m.

LOUISVILLE Sacred Heart, Reconciliation every Wednesday during Lent at 12:15 p.m.

By Sabrina Simms Robertson The Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ – Churches in Natchez and across the country are engaging in prayers for peace as more than half a million people flee from Ukraine and others take shelter in basements and subway tunnels.

St. Mary Basilica in Natchez shared Pope Francis’s declaration of this on Ash Wednesday being a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine as Russian forces close in on the capital city Kyiv.

In the sanctuary, a vase of sunflowers — the national flower of Ukraine — wrapped in a yellow and blue flag rests next to a picture of Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians, with people from a myriad of nationalities sitting under her cloak of protection.

Father Mark Shoffner, administrator pro tempore of St. Mary Basilica said he placed the image in the sanctuary so that his flock would have something they can physically look at and be reminded that others are hurting and in need of their prayers.

“I had to do something,” he said.

The last few Mass services have included collections for Eastern Europe as well as prayers for times of war and civil disturbance and for refugees and those in exile, he said.

Mary Lou McCall, a former news journalist who was on a mission trip in Ukraine in the 80s, would also speak after Tuesday Mass.

“It’s not necessary that you go over there and it’s not necessary that you give money, though it is good if you can. Prayer is the best thing that you can do. It is the most-sure thing that we have. To pray and to offer prayers for peace and consolation goes so much further,” Father Shoffner said.

Ukraine declared itself an independent country from Russia and the Soviet Union in 1991 while its people have the same ancestry as Russia.

“When I heard about what was going on I immediately thought of Caine killing Abel in Genesis — ’your brother’s blood is crying out from the land,’” Father Shoffner said, quoting the scripture. “I thought about that and thought about it as another reason for people to look down on Christianity as far as Christians attacking Christians, whether it be in Ukraine or here in Natchez — undermining the faith.”

He added, “Fighting someone never accomplishes a good. It’s going to always denigrate the humanity of another person. That greed … destroys you and ends up making you lash out at others. It’s needless, but it can be useful because it can inspire people to pray, which is the most necessary thing to do.”

Father Shoffner said those who wish directly help those in Ukraine may give to one of the following: Caritas Ukraine – caritas.org/where-caritas-work-europe/ukraine; Catholic Near East Welfare Association – cnewa.org; Catholic Relief Services – crs.org; Aid to the Church in Need – churchinneed.org.

(Reprinted with permission of The Natchez Democrat)

(Editor’s note: On March 4, Bishop Joesph Kopacz asked parishes across the diocese to take up a special collection to be sent to the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, for distribution to relief efforts for Ukraine and its people. Please be generous to this very worthy cause.)

By Joe Lee
GLUCKSTADT – Pam Minninger, who retired as Lay Ecclesial Minister (LEM) at St. Joseph Church of Gluckstadt at the end of January, has never forgotten the time she spent as a young child with her maternal grandmother at bedtime.

“I remember spending summer weeks with her in her small home,” Minninger said. “I would sleep with her, and we would kneel together beside her bed to say our prayers. Then she would tuck me into bed and get back on her knees for more prayer. I would wake up a bit later and she would be sound asleep, still on her knees beside the bed.”

Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Minninger moved to Mississippi in 1975 when she married her husband, Kerry. Residents of Gluckstadt, the couple have two kids and a pair of preschool-age grandchildren.

A fixture at St. Joseph for well over a decade, Minninger was hired as pastoral associate in February 2005 and appointed as LEM by Bishop Joseph Latino in March 2006. A LEM in lieu of a full-time pastor is not uncommon in a very small parish – which St. Joseph was at the time of Minninger’s appointment – and in that role she was responsible for the administration, educational, sacramental and charitable activities of the parish.

“I worked very closely, first with Father Robert Olivier and then with Father Kevin Slattery, as Sacramental Ministers to make sure the sacraments were available to our parishioners,” she said. “We had approximately 90 families in our parish when I was appointed, but we began growing rapidly. We’re now at 700 families.

“In 2009 I appointed a building committee to work on design, financing and construction of a new church and education building. In September 2011, we moved into that new $3.1 million building. I am very proud of the fact that we paid off the note for our church in just over three years. We have an amazing parish family here at St. Joseph.”

Minninger’s presence and leadership have been felt on a diocesan level as well. She was the chairman of the continuing formation committee for many years and served more recently on the cathedraticum committee. She has worked with the vocations committee, interviewing candidates for the deacon-formation program. She is also a member of the ethics committee at St. Dominic Hospital.

“I worked with Pam fourteen years and have known her probably twenty-five,” said Father Slattery. “Pam, as the LEM, basically was the pastor at St. Joseph, and she’s a wonderful leader and great with people. As an administrator, she’s frugal and very good. She will be missed. But the parish has grown to the point where a full-time pastor is definitely needed.”

Though now officially retired, Minninger will continue with the administration and general work of the parish on a part-time basis until the new pastor is appointed and joins St. Joseph this summer. This means a transitional time for the parishioners, but they – like everyone else – are more than used to having to adapt after the last two years.

“When the churches shut down, we had people who were scared to death to be around anyone. We also had people thinking the pandemic was a bunch of baloney,” Minninger said. “It took a little while to get there, but people who needed to be in church in the early part of the pandemic could be there to worship, and those more cautious could be fed with spiritual communion through online services. Hopefully one of the blessings is that on a human level, I think we have re-learned how to take care of each other when we take the politics out of it.”

Minninger will also have more time in retirement to play with her granddaughters. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility for her to come full circle and nod off while saying prayers with them. She’ll also have time to reflect on the many meaningful moments she’s had while affiliated with St. Joseph.

“One of the most profound moments I ever had, where I felt God right in the middle of it, was when a parishioner called me, not ready and willing to let go of the love of his life. They had been married over fifty years, and she was dying,” Minninger said. “I went to see them, and he and I sat there and talked. I was there when she passed, and I stayed with him until the coroner arrived.

“I’ve been in the back of the church during weddings and seen the looks on the faces of family and friends as vows are exchanged. The sacramental moments and special times in the lives of people I’ve been privileged to be part of gives you goose bumps all over. God has been there also. That’s why I did it as long as I have.”