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Category Archives: Parish News
Calendar of events
PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
ABERDEEN St. Francis of Assisi, Adult Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. They are presently studying church history. All are welcome. Details: (662) 813-2295.
CLARKSDALE Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth, Father Raju is offering a Healing Mass on the first Saturday of each month at 7:30 a.m. If you would like to schedule it for a special intention, call the church office at (662) 624-4301.
FLOWOOD St. Paul Early Learning Center 8th annual Golf Tournament, Friday, Sept. 10 at Bay Pointe Golf Club. Individual players $100; four-person teams $400. Shotgun start at 1 p.m with lunch and doorprizes at 11:30 a.m. Dinner and awards at 5:30 p.m. Proceeds will be used to update tables and chairs in classrooms and cafeteria. Details: call 601-992-2876 or email stpaullearningcenter@gmail.com.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Save the Date, Germanfest is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The family-oriented festival is best known for its authentic German food and music. There are a lot of “behind-the-scenes” jobs that happen before the actual festival day. Wednesday, Sept. 8 – Kraut Packing, 4 p.m. until finished. This is the kraut they will use the day of the festival. Lots of help needed! Details: church office (601) 856-2054.
GRENADA, RICHLAND & SUMMIT Pro-life Mississippi Walk for Life, Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. It is not just a walk it’s a family fun day! Food, games and more. No registration fee and prizes awarded. Details: https://bit.ly/walk4life2021 or plm@prolifemississippi.org.
JACKSON St. Richard, Save the Date, An Evening with Our Stars, Saturday, Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in Foley Hall. This is a fundraiser benefitting the St. Richard Special Kids. Tickets are $60 each. Enjoy dinner, dancing and decadent desserts. Dinner will be provided by the Knights of Columbus. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
40th annual St. Richard Special Kids Day Golf Tournament, Thursday, Oct. 7 at Deerfield Golf Club. The unique gifts of the children are recognized and applauded, and the community participates in a day full of fun, excitement and meaningful fundraising. Details: To learn more, or to find out how to participate in this event, call the church office at (601) 366-2335 or email garner@saintrichard.com.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, The M&M Study Group will have sessions on Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 8, from 10-11:30 a.m. All ladies are invited to attend. The first session will be on the book ‘’Learning to Pray” by Father James Martin. Details: call (601) 613-1926 or (601) 853-4187.
Parish Mission, Wednesday, Sept. 22. Presenter: Deacon John McGregor, D.Min. will speak on “Discipleship and the Authenticity Gap” beginning with food and fellowship at 5 p.m. Deacon John will look at what authentic discipleship means in our everyday lives and why so many people are leaving the church. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
Save the Date, Cajun Fest 2021, Sunday, Oct. 3. Plan to attend for a great afternoon of fun and cajun music. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
MERIDAN Catholic Community of Meridian, Save the Date, Sunday, Sept. 12, we will gather after 11 a.m. Mass for a family luncheon to recognize and officially welcome the parishioners who have joined our Catholic Community in the recent years. We look forward to everyone getting together once again to share a meal and the fellowship of one another. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ Assumption of BVM, the Grief Share program is held on Thursdays through Sept. 23 from 1-3 p.m. Details: to sign up call the church office at (601) 442-7250 or (318)-421-4559 or sign up at www.Griefshare.org.
OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Bible study/prayer group will meet Wednesdays at 9:30 am. Details: contact Wayne Miller at (901) 679-3400 with any questions.
YOUTH BRIEFS
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, “Open Gym” on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for sixth through 12th grades at the Family Life Center. Make plans to come and enjoy the food, fun and games. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Ignite! 2021-22 Life Teen for 7th-12th graders begins with their annual kick-off event on Sunday, Aug. 29 starting with 5 p.m. Mass followed by supper and flaming fun! Details: contact Mary Catherine or Melissa at the church office (601) 856-5556.
Retiro para futuros Confirmantes
RIPLEY – El Padre Clem Oya guio espiritualmente a candidatos a Confirmación en un retiro que se celebró el sábado 31 de Julio en Ripley. Los candidatos a confirmación son provenientes de St. Christopher en Pontotoc y St. Mathew en Ripley.
Prayers for our St. Jude family…
Calendar of events
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
NEW ORLEANS Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Women’s Retreat, “Breath of Life: Honoring the Mystic Within,” Aug. 18-21. The presenter is Father Joseph Nassal, CPPS, who has been engaged in retreat, renewal and reconciliation for over thirty years. Details: to register or for more information, contact Susan Halligan at the retreat office at (504) 267-9604 or www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats.
PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
ABERDEEN St. Francis of Assisi, Adult Bible Study meets at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays. They are presently studying church history. All are welcome. Details: church office (662) 813-2295.
FLOWOOD St. Paul Early Learning Center, 8th Annual Golf Tournament, Friday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m., Bay Pointe Golf Club, Brandon. Details: ELC office (601) 992-2876.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Germanfest is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The family-oriented festival is best known for its authentic German food and music. Details: Please contact the Parish Office (601) 856-2054 and talk to Pam to share your area of expertise.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Annual Bazaar, Saturday, Sept. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers needed. Details: Julie Stefanik (901) 371-6253 or e-mail julieastefanik@gmail.com.
HOLLY SPRINGS Chewalla Lake Recreation Area, Six-Parish Picnic, Sunday, July 25 from 3-5 p.m. Swimming, food and fun. Bring a side dish to share and drinks for your family. Meat provided. Bring your lawn chairs! Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
JACKSON St. Richard, An Evening with Our Stars, Saturday, Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in Foley Hall. Fundraiser benefitting the St. Richard Special Kids. Tickets $60 each. Enjoy dinner, dancing,and desserts! Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
NATCHEZ Assumption B.V.M., grief share program will be on Thursdays from through Sept. 23 from 1-3 p.m. Details: To sign up, call the parish office at (601) 442-7250 or (318) 421-4559. You may also sign up online at www.griefshare.org.
St. Mary Basilica, Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible. Six of the eight sessions remain on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center. If you can’t attend in person, they will have sessions available online. Details: Ruth Powers at the church office (601) 445-5616.
YOUTH BRIEFS
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Summer Youth Retreat, July 30 – Aug. 1. Cost: $40, includes food and a t-shirt. Details: Derrick in the church office at (662) 624-4301.
FLOWOOD Big Deal Youth Group, Braves’ Game – Saturday, Aug. 14. Details: Contact Cory for more info at youth@spaulcc.org.
JACKSON St. Richard, Frassati Young Adults – is a group of young adults (20’s or 30’s) in the Jackson area that meet once a week for Bible study (or sometimes a fellowship event). Even though they meet at St. Richard, the young adults in this group attend different parishes in the area. Non-Catholics are welcome to join as well. They participate in service projects, have Rosary walks, host social events and are always seeking ways to foster community. Details: church office (601) 366-2335
MADISON St. Anthony School is currently enrolling new students for the 2021-22 school year. St. Anthony serves children in PreK-3 to 6th grade. Several classes are nearing capacity, so please make plans to visit us today. Details: for more information or to schedule a tour, please call (601) 607-7054 or go to www.stanthonyeagles.org.
St. Joseph School, Annual Bruin Burn Color Run 5K Run/Walk and Fun Run, Saturday, July 24. Details: Beth Vanderloo at (601) 906-9501 or bethbailey68@yahoo.com.
St. Joseph School is in need of religious artwork to hang in their academic buildings. If you have any that you to donate, please contact Tricia Harris, Advancement Director at (601) 898-4803 or tharris@stjoebruins.com.
SCHOLARSHIP Applications are now being accepted for the Msgr. Droll Scholarship for Catholic Laity. This scholarship helps laypeople pursue advanced degrees so that they can work for the church. Catholic laymen and women pursuing a graduate degree in theology or religious studies serve their church in a professional capacity must submit applications by Sept. 13. The $2,000 scholarship is awarded to candidates in need of tuition assistance. Details: Applications may be found online at www.cliu.com under the “Giving Back” tab and then by clicking on “Faith-Based Scholarships,” contact the Communications Department at (210) 828-9921 or 1-800-262-2548.
Sacraments of Matrimony and Baptism
PEARL – There was a beautiful and culturally rich celebration of the Sacraments of Matrimony and Baptism at St. Jude parish on Monday, June 7. Three couples from the parishes Micronesian community were married in a triple wedding. Following the wedding Mass, five children were baptized. It was a special day for the community. (Photos by Rhonda Bowden)
Mississippi native ordained to Dominican order
KNEADING FAITH
By Fran Lavelle
NEW ORLEANS – Father James Martin Nobles, OP formerly known as Adam Nobles was ordained a Dominican priest on June 12 at St. Dominic Catholic Church in New Orleans. He was born in New Orleans and raised in Fernwood, Mississippi. His parents, Dr. Jim and Penny, had five children, Adam being the mold breaker.
I will never forget the first day I met Adam. A ruddy cheeked cherub showed up in the sacristy at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Starkville in the fall of 2008. He was one of the many new Catholic freshmen moving to Starkville that fall. Like his contemporaries he was full of energy, had many hopes and dreams, and was anxious about this new chapter of life. But unlike his contemporaries, Adam had been accepted by the Diocese of Jackson to pursue priestly formation with the caveat that his first two years of undergraduate education would be at one of Mississippi’s public universities. Lucky for me, Adam was sent to Mississippi State.
For those of us lucky enough to work in youth and young adult ministry there are times in our ministry when we just know a particular student is going to test our limits. While this does not sound flattering at all Adam will tell you it is true.
The recent high school graduate that I met in 2008 had it all figured out, or at least he thought so. I am not one to let the misgivings of youth get in the way of my call to serve with love. I am grateful Father Kent Bowlds sent Adam to Mississippi State for those first two years of his formation. I witnessed his maturation and his growing understanding of who and whose he is.
Adam was very involved with our campus ministry program. He served on our leadership team, took mission trips, went on retreats and taught CCD.
I remember one day Adam stopped by to see me and told me about how he got in trouble with the DRE for taking his class to the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast instead of class one Sunday morning. She was concerned that the children in the other grades would feel left out. Instead of feeling defeated he came to me to help devise a plan to allow the other classes the opportunity to attend the pancake breakfast too.
Of all of the gifts Adam shared with his fellow Catholics at Mississippi State his laughter was, and is, his enduring legacy. He is one of those good souls that God blessed with an extra dose of holy laughter when Adam was born. Anyone who knows anything about holy laughter is that we laugh with, and not at, someone else. It is the kind of laughter that leaves one’s sides hurting for hours if not days. We did a lot of laughing and had our share of tears in those two short years.
In 2010 it was time for Adam to leave us and go to St. Joseph Seminary College to complete his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Theological Studies. In 2012, he entered Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. Several of our younger priests in the diocese studied with him there. I am certain the stories of shenanigans they can tell would fill a book.
Throughout his formation Adam was diving deeper into who and whose he is. From this place of deep reflection and introspection he discerned that being a diocesan priest was not what God was calling him to. After months of prayer Adam found consolation in the charism of the Dominican Order. In 2014, Adam began the long journey to priesthood as a Dominican friar. No doubt the synthesis of active and contemplative aspects of the order and the richness of community life spoke to Adam.
Over the past nearly thirteen years I have had the privilege to watch a ruddy cheeked cherub with an attitude grow into a compassionate servant leader and preacher. Over the years he has shared milestones with me. With each phase of his formation and education the easy going, fun loving guy I first met was still present, but I also witnessed the emergence of the deeply grounded caring man he is today. I recall his grand ideas of what he thought priesthood was all about. That too has changed. He is someone who now seeks those on the periphery and understands what it means to serve them. Our phone conversations still include robust outbursts of laughter and always end with “I love you.”
That is one thing I know for sure will not change now that he has been ordained a priest. We are all given opportunities to accompany others in this journey. Finding the sacred in the ordinary and not taking oneself too seriously are critical elements in accompaniment for the long haul. My dear Father James Martin Nobles, you know well how to do both. I pray you always will.
(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson.)
Featured photo Confirmation class …
Bishop to lift dispensation from obligation to attend Mass, diocese issues modified directives
By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – After careful study and consultation with the clergy, Bishop Joseph Kopacz will lift the general dispensation from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass, effective on the Solemnity of the Feast of Corpus Christi beginning with the vigil Mass on Saturday, June 5, 2021.
In a letter released on May 20 by the diocese, Bishop Kopacz states, “The Sunday obligation will be restored on this great feast when we can satisfy our hunger for the Bread of Life, in Word and Sacrament with the reception of Holy Communion.”
Bishop Kopacz also reminds the faithful in his letter to keep in mind that the church always dispenses those confronting serious health concerns. “Therefore, someone can validly make the decision to attend Mass during the week, if able, and to participate in the Mass on the Lord’s Day through live streaming,”
In addition to lifting the general dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation, the diocese modified their protocols during the pandemic. The directives, which represents a combination of previously released protocols, detail how parishes can move forward towards more normal operations, taking a gradual phased approach, with a watchful eye on the developments and guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Mississippi State Department of Health.
For Masses, social distancing will be at 3 feet and parishes may use every pew, deciding how to stagger seating to maintain social distancing.
Also, masks are no longer required at Mass but encouraged for those who are not vaccinated and for children and youth under the age of 16. However, priests and eucharistic ministers are required to wear masks when distributing Holy Communion.
With the changes, some things remain the same. Holy Communion is still encouraged to be received in the hand and hand sanitizer should still be used by parishioners upon entrance to the church.
The updated protocols also include directives on meetings, gatherings, as well as youth activities and Vacation Bible School.
Pastors and their pastoral staff are responsible for the safe and prudent execution of the directives, recognizing that every parish has unique circumstances. The goal is to continue to provide a safe place for worship while maintaining a level of confidence for all the people of God.
On May 13, the CDC eased the mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and most indoor settings. The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
Father Lincoln Dall, vicar general for the diocese, stated at the end of the directives, “We want to thank all of you for your efforts in keeping our parishioners safe during the pandemic. We acknowledge that all of us are very weary of dealing with the pandemic. … However, we acknowledge that this is still is not the time to let our guard down completely. We will continue to monitor the situation and will issue modified guidelines when the reality of the pandemic changes.”
To view the letter from Bishop Kopacz lifting the dispensation and a full list of updated protocols, visit https://jacksondiocese.org/public-health-concerns/.
Obispo, en directivas modificadas, levantará dispensa de obligación de asistir a Misa
Por Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Después de un estudio cuidadoso y una consulta con el clero, el obispo Joseph Kopacz levantará la dispensa general de la obligación dominical de asistir a la misa, a partir de la fiesta de Corpus Christi, de la Misa de vigilia el sábado 5 de junio de 2021.
En una carta publicada por la diócesis, el 20 de mayo, el obispo Kopacz declara: “La obligación dominical será restaurada en esta gran fiesta cuando podamos satisfacer nuestra hambre por el Pan de Vida, en la Palabra y Sacramento con la recepción de la Sagrada Comunión.”
El obispo Kopacz recuerda a los fieles en su carta que tengan también en cuenta que la iglesia siempre dispensa a aquellos que enfrentan problemas de salud graves. “Por lo tanto, alguien puede tomar válidamente la decisión de asistir a Misa, si puede, durante la semana y participar en la Misa el día del Señor a través de la transmisión en vivo.”
Además de levantar la dispensa general de la obligación de la Misa dominical, la diócesis modificó sus protocolos durante la pandemia. Las directivas, que representan una combinación de protocolos publicados anteriormente, detallan cómo las parroquias pueden avanzar hacia operaciones más normales, adoptando un enfoque gradual, con una mirada atenta a los desarrollos y la orientación del Centro para el Control de Enfermedades (CDC) y el Departamento de Salud del Estado de Mississippi.
El distanciamiento social será de 3 pies para las Misas y las parroquias pueden usar cada banco para decidir cómo escalonar los asientos para mantener el distanciamiento social.
Además, las máscaras ya no se requieren en la Misa, pero se recomiendan para aquellos que no están vacunados y para niños y jóvenes menores de 16 años. Sin embargo, los sacerdotes y ministros eucarísticos deben usar máscaras al distribuir la Sagrada Comunión.
Con los cambios, algunas cosas seguirán igual. Todavía se anima a recibir la Sagrada Comunión en la mano y los feligreses deben usar desinfectante de manos al entrar a la iglesia.
Los protocolos actualizados también incluyen directivas sobre reuniones, encuentros, así como actividades para jóvenes y la Escuela Bíblica de Vacaciones.
Los párrocos y su personal pastoral son responsables de la ejecución segura y prudente de las directivas, reconociendo que cada parroquia tiene circunstancias únicas. El objetivo es continuar proporcionando un lugar seguro, para la adoración mientras se mantiene un nivel de confianza en todo el pueblo de Dios.
El 13 de mayo, el CDC modificó la guía para el uso de máscaras para las personas completamente vacunadas, lo que les permitió dejar de usar máscaras al aire libre en multitudes y en la mayoría de los entornos interiores. La guía todavía exige el uso de máscaras en entornos interiores abarrotados como autobuses, aviones, hospitales, prisiones y refugios para personas sin hogar.
El padre Lincoln Dall, vicario general de la diócesis, declaró al final de las directrices: “Queremos agradecerles a todos por sus esfuerzos para mantener seguros a nuestros feligreses durante la pandemia. Reconocemos que todos estamos muy cansados de lidiar con la pandemia. … Sin embargo, reconocemos que todavía no es el momento de bajar la guardia por completo. Continuaremos monitoreando la situación y emitiremos lineamientos modificados cuando la realidad de la pandemia cambie.”
Para ver la carta del obispo Kopacz levantando la dispensa y para una lista completa de los protocolos actualizados, visite https://jacksondiocese.org/public-health-concerns/