JACKSON – Holy Family parish gathered on Oct. 25 to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for Father Xavier Amirtham’s 25th ordination anniversary. Pictured is the steering committee with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Father Xavier. (Photo courtesy of Corinne Anderson)
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, the power of prayer is available to all those in need through the Assisi Prayer Chain. Details: Call (601) 953-5691 or (601) 607-7062 between 5-7 p.m.
CLEVELAND The Women’s Resource Center, 1410 Hwy 8 West. Do you want to support life at its most vulnerable stage? The Center provides real support, everything from ultrasound to diapers, to women and men who might otherwise consider abortion. They need our support! Details: Go to www.wrcdelta.org to donate online, or call (662) 843-8877.
GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus Retreat Center, Healing Retreat Nov. 13-14. The presenter will be Maria Vadia. Details: For more information, call (662) 299-1232 or www.locusbenedictus.org
PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Parish Fair Covid-Style Spaghetti Takeout and Raffle, Tuesday, Nov. 17. They have $1, $100 and spaghetti tickets for sale. Due to Covid, no games or handmade items. Details: church office (662) 335-5251.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, the Knights of Columbus Council 7120 will be collecting donations to buy new coats for kids who would not otherwise be able to afford one. Collections will be the weekend of Nov. 7-8 and Nov. 21-22. Coats purchased will be delivered to Sacred Heart Southern Missions for distribution to those in need. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, the Knights of Columbus 9543 are selling spiral-sliced holiday hams for $40 and smoked turkey breasts for $15 to raise money for seminarian education. There are limited quantities, so order today or visit the St. Francis website at www.stfrancismadison.org. Pickup is Friday, Nov. 20 from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8-11 a.m. at St. Thomas Hall on the St. Francis campus. All proceeds go directly to fund seminarian education. Details: Tunney Vandevender at tunneyv1@icloud.com.
MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, Due to COVID-19, they will not have their annual Christmas Open House. However, they will be open on three Saturdays, Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They will have Advent candles & wreaths, 2021 Missals (limit two, unless you have ordered more), nativities, ornaments, gifts, décor and all of their regular stock. Shopping will be COVID-safe and anyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Details: If you are unable to come to one of the above dates, contact John at the Parish Office (601) 693-1321 ext. 9 or Pat (601) 479-0920 to make an appointment to shop another time.
YOUTH BRIEFS
SCHOLARSHIPS Applications for the Brunini Memorial Scholarship and the Stella Schmidt Memorial Scholarship are open. The Brunini Scholarship is for any undergraduate at a Catholic college or university. Area of study is not restricted. The Stella Schmidt Scholarship was established to be used specifically for tuition assistance for advance studies in theology or religious education at Spring Hill College. Applications for both scholarships are due by Dec. 1. Details: Visit https://jacksondiocese.org/2020/10/catholic-scholarship-opportunities/ for applications or email fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org for more information.
SCHOLARSHIPS Catholic Life Insurance is now accepting applications for the 2021 All American Scholarship. This award is granted to 35 graduating high school seniors. This scholarship is worth $1,000 and is designed to help offset tuition costs for young Catholic Life Members. Applicants must be seeking to attend an accredited college or university the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation. The deadline to submit your application is March 1, 2021. Details: contact Megan R. Real at (800) 262-2548 ext. 141 or email branch@cliu.com or to download an application form www.cliu.com.
SPECIAL EVENT
BLOOD DRIVE Please consider giving blood at one of the following locations: Holy Spirit Hernando, Thursday, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Queen of Peace Olive Branch, Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Christ the King Southaven, Sunday, Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Donate and save lives. Be sure to bring your driver’s license.
COVID-19 REMINDER
In person Masses are open within the Diocese of Jackson. Check with your local parish for details and follow guidelines in place for attendance. All over the age of two are required to wear a mask.
The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, so if you do not feel safe attending, or have an underlying health condition, or feel sick, please stay home. Be safe and stay vigilant!
By Joe Lee
MADISON – While the seminarian journey is lengthy and demands commitment, discernment, and personal growth, the rewards are many. A true highlight for Andrew Bowden, a student at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, was being mentored by Father Nick Adam, director of vocations for the Diocese of Jackson.
“I have been thinking about the priesthood for about as long as I can remember,” Bowden said. “I first got to know Father Nick in 2013 when he was assigned to St. Jude (in Pearl), my home parish, as a seminarian for a summer assignment. I remember working with him on how to be an altar server.
“Then, while Father Nick was in theology at Notre Dame, I was at St. Joseph Seminary College (in St. Benedict, Louisiana). Guys studying for the same diocese are often called ‘diocesan brothers.’ The sense of fraternity among brothers even at different seminaries is desirable. It was always pleasant to visit with guys further along during my first few years of formation.”
The friendship and mentoring from Father Nick deepened once the former St. Richard parish priest moved to his new position earlier this year.
“Father Nick quickly made sure that the seminarians were getting sufficient and equal financial support from parishes and Knights of Columbus councils around the state,” Bowden said. “He updated paperwork in our files. He has shown my diocesan brothers and myself an incredible amount of support and care.
“I had the pleasure of staying in the parish he took up residence in during the summer when he was appointed full-time vocations director. This allowed me to get to know him even better. Toward the end of the summer, I had to quarantine in isolation. Father Nick made a point of regularly coming to check on me and bringing me the Holy Eucharist.”
Bowden, on track to be ordained to the transitional diaconate in spring 2021, will be assigned for several months to a parish of Bishop Joseph Kopacz’s choosing before returning to Notre Dame for his final semester and a half. He will be ordained a priest in spring 2022.
“One of Father Nick’s qualities that I seek to emulate is his reverence and joy in the liturgy,” Bowden said. “Reverence and joy are both appropriate and even necessary but can be difficult to balance. I believe he does this exceptionally well.
Blessing of the pets ceremonies are part of the celebration for the Feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, in rememberance for his love of all creatures. This time of year, people bring a procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to snakes, lizards to our churches and schools for a special blessing cermony. The love we give to pets and receive in return from pets draws us into the circle of life and our relationship to God.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
METAIRIE, La. Healing Mini-Conference, Nov. 13-14 at St. Angela Merici Church. Presenter: Sister Briege McKenna, well-known for her ministry of praying for healing. She has authored a book entitled Miracles Do Happen, giving accounts of extraordinary healings she was witnessed. There will be three sessions: Friday night from 7-9:30 p.m.; Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday night from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost: Adults – $15 per person per session; Youths (under 18) – $5 per person per session. Pre-registration is required. Because of social distancing, seating is limited to approximately 300. Details: www.ccrno.org, info@ccrno.org or (504) 828-1368.
NEW ORLEANS Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Men’s Retreat – “Relying on Faith in Times of Struggle,” Oct. 30 – Nov. 1. The retreat begins with check-in at 3 p.m. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenters: Dr. Paul Ceasar and Darryl Ducote on finding hope and direction through insights from psychology and our beliefs. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.
SCHOLARSHIPS Applications for the Brunini Memorial Scholarship and the Stella Schmidt Memorial Scholarship are open. The Brunini Scholarship is for any undergraduate at a Catholic college or university. Area of study is not restricted. The Stella Schmidt Scholarship was established to be used specifically for tuition assistance for advance studies in theology or religious education at Spring Hill College. Applications for both scholarships are due by Dec. 1. Details: Visit https://jacksondiocese.org/2020/10/catholic-scholarship-opportunities/ for applications or email fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org for more information.
PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
CLARKSDALE Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth, Charismatic Prayer Group meets Tuesdays at 2 p.m. (via Zoom). All parishioners are invited to pray with us. Contact the church to sign up and/or add your prayer requested. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Parish Fair Covid-Style Spaghetti Takeout and Raffle, Tuesday, Nov. 17. They have $1, $100 and spaghetti tickets for sale. Due to COVID-19, there will be no games or handmade items this year. Details: church office (662) 335-5251.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Weight Loss Support Group meets Tuesdays at 9 a.m. Make plans to join each week to strive to become healthier and happier persons. Details: Liz Brown at (901) 331-3419.
JACKSON St. Richard, Volunteers are needed for Meals-On-Wheels, as well as Stewpot Lunch and Stewpot Pantry. St. Richard Meals-On-Wheels delivers meals from an assigned menu to the Jackson area the second Tuesday of every month. St. Richard Church sends volunteers to Stewpot Lunch Serve and Stewpot Pantry one week per quarter. Details: For more information, call Tommy Lamas at the church (601) 366-2335 or email lamas@saintrichard.com.
McCOMB St. Alphonsus, “Behold, I Make all Things New” Life in the Spirit Seminar. Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Alphonsus Liguori Hall, 104 South 5th Street, sponsored by the Marian Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The seminar is an invitation to renew or make a deep personal commitment to Jesus Christ in openness to the Holy Spirit and His gifts. It will introduce you to a life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Featured speakers are Father Bill Henry, Mark Davis, Dr. Frank Henchy and Charlene Brown. Lunch will be provided. There is no cost, but donations will be accepted. Details: Call Charlene Brown at (601) 276-5954; Marion Amedee at (601) 684-3098 or Annette Gabler at (601) 810-0053 to register.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, the Knights of Columbus 9543 are selling spiral-sliced holiday hams for $40 and smoked turkey breasts for $15 to raise money for seminarian education. There are limited quantities, so order today or visit the St. Francis website at www.stfrancismadison.org. Pickup is Friday, Nov. 20 from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8-11 a.m. at St. Thomas Hall on the St. Francis campus. One hundred percent of proceeds go directly to fund seminarian education. Details: Tunney Vandevender at tunneyv1@icloud.com.
St. Francis of Assisi, Coffee and Creed, Sundays from 9-10:15 a.m. in the Family Life Center for all adults 18 and up. It’s a great way to learn more about the Sunday scriptures we read each week and to deepen our faith. For those who cannot meet in person, we are live on Zoom also. Details: visit the Adult Faith Formation page at www.stfrancismadison.org.
NATCHEZ Assumption BVM, Grief Support Group, Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. in Tuite Hall. Cost: $15 for workbook. Details: Carolyn Verucchi at (601) 807-1698 or church office (601) 442-7250.
YOUTH BRIEFS
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Faith Formation Class for K-8 and high school students, Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Drive-thru Truck or Treat, Friday, Oct. 30 from 7-9 p.m. Follow the line of traffic and stop at each trunk to receive pre-packaged bags of treats.Details: Grand Knight, Bill McBride (601) 832-7061.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Candy Cane Virtual 5K Dash and Kids Fun Run, you can run anytime between Nov. 28 – Dec. 5. You can run solo, with family and/or friends or in a group at any location. Then simply email your time in upon completion to see where you placed amongst other runners. Register at www.time2run.net. Registration Fees: 5K Run/Walk $30; Fun Run (age 12 and under) $20. T-shirts are guaranteed to those that register by Oct. 31. All participants will have a chance to win a New Year’s trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Details: school office (601) 482-6044 or www.stpatrickcatholicschool.org
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Trunk or Treat, Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center Parking Lot. Candy and more surprises await Come out and experience a screamingly good time. Open to families and children through 4th grade. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
By David Healy (Delta Democrat-Times)
GREENVILLE – Father Aaron Williams of St. Joseph Catholic Church said he was not nervous at all as he watched his good friend, Harrison Butker, line up to kick a 58-yard field goal in overtime on Sept. 20 against the San Diego Chargers.
“I know Harrison’s range, and I know that it is a lot farther than that,” Father Williams said. “And each of those do-over kicks were good practice for him.
Father Williams was right not to worry. Butker’s kick, his second made 58 yarder in the game, sailed right through the uprights to give the defending Super Champion Kansas City Chiefs their second win to open the season.
After the game, the two texted each other.
Father Williams — “Can’t get over it. Charger coaches trying to throw you off with those time outs. You were just getting started. Haha”
Butker — “Don’t play with me! Lol, just added fuel to the fire.”
Father Williams — “I wasn’t even worried.”
Father Williams’s friendship with Butker began when Father Williams was a seminary student in New Orleans. Butker was the place kicker for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the time and was in New Orleans to visit their mutual friend, Grant Aasen, who was the Georgia Tech punter.
Butker and Williams struck up a quick friendship, based largely on Butker’s hunger to learn more about the Catholic faith.
“We immediately hit it off with our shared interest in liturgy,” Butker said. “From there he has grown close with my family and me. We are able to discuss difficult subjects pertaining to the faith. He has helped me understand the faith more fully, including stuff like Canon Law, Church Tradition, Doctrine, and Scripture. “It is important to use our priests as resources to be better husbands and fathers, and ultimately challenge us to be saints.”
Said Father Williams, “Harrison is very Catholic, and we had a lot of conversations about the church. We had many great conversations over the phone, and then his wife, Isabelle, invited me to come up to a game. And we hit it off. They are both my age, and they are a great couple.”
Butker is an altar server at his local parish in Kansas City and is in charge of the younger altar servers.
“A lot of our early conversations were about Mass and how you serve Mass, and I would get videos from him showing his feet walking, and he would ask me, ‘Am I walking at the right angle here?’,” Father Williams recalled. “It was very exact, and I would joke with him that ‘You don’t have to watch film after mass to see if you played well.”
Father Williams has visited Butker many times once he became a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season, he was in attendance for five games.
“The coolest experience was I was at the AFC Championship this past year, and we all went out to the field because I was with the family group,” Father Williams said. “When I am at the games, I always dress as a priest. Harrison likes me to dress as a priest when I go to games, and there were like random players who would come up and grab me and pick me up and say, ‘Father, I am so happy that you came to our game. So that was a cool experience for me.’”
While Father Williams was not a football fan before meeting Butker, he said he now loves watching the sport, especially at the high school level. Father Williams is on the sidelines of every St. Joseph football game, donning his No. 33 St. Joseph jersey. He chose No. 33 because that is the number of years Jesus Christ lived on the earth.
“I did not know anything about football, but when you sit next to Harrison’s dad at the games, he teaches you everything that you need to know in football. Now, I can sit there and watch his form and know what is going on. And during football practice everyday (at St. Joseph), after stretching I will go off and watch the kickers. I have never kicked myself, and I can look at them and know when they are doing something wrong. I may not be able to communicate that effectively, but I can tell.”
The relationship between Father Williams and Butker continues to be one of mutual admiration.
“I admire Harrison because he is an extremely sucessful and talented athlete, and he is probably one of the best kickers out there. And the priority for him is his faith first, and then his family and then football,” Father Williams said.
Said Butker, “My faith is the most important thing in my life, followed by my vocation as a husband and father. Football is my job, it’s what I love to do.
But at the end of the day, my main concern is not on how good of a football player I am, but on how well I followed God’s will for my life.”
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
METAIRIE, La. Healing Mini-Conference, Nov. 13-14 at St. Angela Merici Church. Presenter: Sister Briege McKenna and is well-known for her ministry of praying for healing. She has authored a book entitled Miracles Do Happen, giving accounts of extraordinary healings she was witnessed. There will be three sessions: Friday night from 7-9:30 p.m.; Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday night from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost: Adults – $15 per person per session; Youths (under 18) – $5 per person per session. Pre-registration is required. Because of social distancing, seating is limited to approximately 300. Details: www.ccrno.org, info@ccrno.org or (504) 828-1368.
NEW ORLEANS Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Women’s Retreat, “Jesus the Christ: Wisdom, Beauty and Love in the Storm,” Oct. 23-25. The retreat begins with check-in from 3-6 p.m. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenter: Sister Janet Franklin, a Sister of St. Joseph. She has been engaged in spirituality ministry for over 40 years. Cost: $350. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.
Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Men’s Retreat – “Relying on Faith in Times of Struggle,” Oct. 30 – Nov. 1. The retreat begins with check-in at 3pm on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenters: Dr. Paul Ceasar and Darryl Ducote on finding hope and direction through insights from psychology and our beliefs. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.
PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Trunk or Treat and Canned Food Drive, Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. in the parking lot. All are welcome. Come dressed in your fun costumes and bring some canned food for the Clarksdale Care Station. Details: (662) 624-4301.
JACKSON St. Richard, Coffee & Creed meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in Glynn Hall. They are currently doing a retreat series from Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Please remember to wear a mask. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, Due to COVID-19 and current safety guidelines, St. Joseph’s October fest is cancelled. We look forward to seeing everyone next year on the first Saturday of Oct. in 2021. Details: (662) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, to mark both Respect Life Month and to honor Mary’s request, Rosary for Life will be in the Basilica Prayer Garden across from the Family Life Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 5:15 p.m. We will pray the rosary with special prayer intentions for the protection of life. In case of inclement weather, the rosary will be held in the Basilica. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
St. Mary Basilica, Period of Inquiry: Getting Acquainted. They will meet on Thursdays, Oct. 15: Jesus Christ: True God and True Man; Oct. 22: Jesus Christ: Redeemer and Savior; Oct. 29 – The Holy Spirit; and Nov. 5 – Church: Nature and Mission. Individuals who seek to know more about the church are called inquirers. In many cases, they have been attracted to the church by a Catholic friend or spouse whose life has witnessed to the love, generosity and peace of Jesus. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
YOUTH BRIEFS
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is back Sundays 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the CGS room in the parish hall. Class is for children 3-6 years old. Details: (662) 335-5251.
JACKSON Sister Thea Bowman School, 14th Annual Draw Down (done virtually), Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $100 and optional second chance insurance for $20 per ticket. Grand prize: $5000. Proceeds will be used for instructional materials and operational expenses. Details: contact Shae Goodman-Robinson at (601) 352-5441 or principal@theabowmanschool.com for more information or to purchase a ticket.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick, the Youth Group (6th-12th Grades) meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Details: Angela Dove at (601) 693-1321 Ext 8 or angela@catholicmeridian.org.
St. Patrick School, The Parent School Association (PSA) is sponsoring a raffle and will be giving away a $250 Walmart gift card. Cost: tickets are $2 each. It is a great fundraiser to help the school. Drawing will be Friday, Oct. 16. You can purchase tickets from students, PSA members and the school or church office. Details: school office (601) 482-6044.
COVID-19 REMINDER
All over the age of two are required to wear a mask at Mass.
The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, so if you do not feel safe attending, or have an underlying health condition, or feel sick, please stay home. Be safe and stay vigilant!
By Laura Grisham
SENATOBIA – A steady stream of cars maneuvered through the parking lot at St. Gregory The Great Catholic Church last Thursday. The mobile pantry in Senatobia had been open for just over an hour. Volunteers and staff, with machinelike movement, gathered boxes and bags of produce, cereals, meats and other staples and placed them in the vehicles as they rolled through.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the nation’s food supply and economy, nearly one in every five Mississippians had trouble getting enough food due to lack of income or other issues. Disruptions to food-supply chains, employment and other services because of COVID-19 worsened the situation.
For more than six years, Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM) has sponsored the DeSoto and Marshall County mobile pantries, providing fresh, nutritious food to struggling families and individuals each month. The mobile pantry program brings regular food distributions to the hard-to-reach places that need it the most. A tractor-trailer full of fresh fruits, vegetables, shelf staples and meats are distributed at each of our mobile sites.
Given the toll the public health crisis has taken on communities across the area served, SHSM has intensified its efforts to safeguard the health and wellbeing of poor families, especially older adults and children, who lack sustained access to healthy food and adequate nutrition.
Since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March, SHSM has hosted 22 mobile food pantries across the five counties of their service area. That’s an additional ten distributions on top of their regularly scheduled mobiles. In six months, more than 430,000 pounds of food has been given out to hungry families at these distributions — more pounds than all of last year’s mobile pantries combined.
Tragically, the disabled and elderly are some of the most vulnerable that SHSM serve. Nearly one third of those who come to SHSM social service offices for assistance are the elderly poor. Attempting to balance basic living expenses on fixed incomes, they are presented with an impossible choice — to pay for utilities, life-saving medicine or a meal on the table. And now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, they are more vulnerable and isolated than ever before.
“These days, at a trip to the grocery store, I only get about half of what I used to,” said Lee, as he waited in line. “I am on a fixed income. The price of everything has gone up, but what we old folks get has not. I can’t hardly afford to eat.”
Lee says the mobile pantries provide him with the extra groceries he needs to make it through the month. For his sister, Carol, who was in the car behind him, SHSM’s distributions are even more critical. Carol has cancer.
“My twin sister, Carol, back there,” Lee motioned to the car behind his, “she is terminal. She can’t afford nothing with buying medicine and all. I told her about this food and it is helping her and her family out a whole lot.”
For seniors and other adults who are at high risk for COVID-19, the mobile pantry program is a blessing in several ways. Besides providing them with fresh, healthy food and supplementing their meager incomes, the drive-through distribution arrangement allows them to avoid crowded retail stores, thus reducing the possible exposure to the virus.
Mattie, another elderly woman in line commented, “This food sure helps me be able to pay my bills.” A friend had told Mattie about the mobile opportunity in Senatobia last month. Eagerly, she inquired when Sacred Heart would be returning for another distribution. “I was so glad that I could get it so close to home. Thank ya’ll so much!”
Food pantry manager Jose Franco said that grateful comments like these are a common occurrence at the mobiles. “You hear them all the time! There are so many people in need, and they are thankful for the help.”
Hunger is a problem that most often affects low-income families. Many hardworking families and individuals are living paycheck to paycheck, then suddenly, an illness or other disaster strikes and they can no longer afford food. Others juggle their bills every month, knowing there will never be enough money.
Jose recalled last month’s mobile food distribution in Senatobia. As he assisted a woman with her intake form, he noticed three young children in the back seat of her car. The woman explained that she and her husband had both recently lost their jobs and they had no food to give their family. Pointing to the form, she said, “We don’t have any income … is that ok?”
“That was heart-breaking,” Jose said quietly.
Unfortunately, this woman’s plight is something SHSM sees often. Yet, no matter how many times they meet people struggling in life and hear their stories, the impact on them never lessens.
SHSM continues to prioritize food distributions in their communities in Northwest Mississippi.
Through the generosity of our donors and the continued support of volunteers, SHSM is able to ensure that people like Lee, Carol, Mattie and countless others facing unimaginable financial challenges have access to nutritious food. Looking ahead, additional pop-up mobile pantries have been added to SHSM’s regular monthly schedule to help even more people in need, providing them an essential lifeline during these difficult times.
By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Catholic Extension, in collaboration with several organizations, has launched the program, Sisters on the Frontlines, to help families impacted by COVID-19 and at the same time ”recognize the vital role of Catholic sisters in communities where needs are great.” The goal of the initiative is to give 1,000 sisters, $1,000 each to provide rapid response to the poor and distressed.
Five sisters in the Diocese of Jackson have received the Sisters on the Frontlines grant, so far: Sister Lael Niblick and Sister Mary Christine Fellerhoff from St. Helen Amory; Sister Nancy Schreck in Excel in Okolona; and Sisters Maria Eugenia Moreno, MGSpS and Obdulia Olivar, MGSpS in St. Michael, Forest.
Excel in Okolona
Excel – a nonprofit organization in the area is the center for the sisters to help, explained Sister Nancy Schreck. There are five sisters from three different religious congregations working in Okolona. The regular outreach includes after school and summer learning, adult basic education, english language learning, a senior center, a resale store and a variety of other programs for community needs. “This provides our ability to know the community and for people to know Excel and to come with their needs. What we do is different from a traditional parish. These Excel’s programs provide us with good knowledge of the community needs,” Sister Nancy said. Due to COVID-19, all the programs have concentrated on providing material and emotional assistance to people living on the edge of poverty, immigrant families in the area who do not qualify for public assistance, families with school-age children and especially the elderly.
Food insecurity has been a major issue for the community. With COVID-19, “food scarcity became an issue to be addressed,” said Sister Nancy. “The assistance we at Excel get is uneven, sometimes people bring meat, at another time it has been dairy products from Prairie Farms in Tupelo, some funds from United Way, and Create, the grant from the Extension Society, and so forth.”
St. Helen Parish Amory
The grant from Sisters on the Frontlines was used to help families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, “…not because they themselves had COVID, but because their lives were changed by the pandemic,” said Sister Mary Christine Fellerhoff, CSA, the executive director of CHANGE in Amory. The organization is a community-wide, ecumenical nonprofit located in the parish center of St. Helen Parish in Amory, providing financial assistance since 2014 to families living in poverty.
Sister Mary said that CHANGE closed their operations around March due to the COVID-19 outbreak and reopened again in June, taking all the hygiene and social distance measures for the safety of staff and clients. “For me as a religious sister, COVID-19 has intensified the feelings I always experience when ministering to our clients. We share their suffering, their frustrations, their tears, and, yes, their small triumphs,” Sister Mary explained.
Sister Lael Niblick, CSA, lay ecclesial minister of St. Helen Amory says, “I feel both blessed and challenged in assisting our members to grow as disciples of Christ and to build a strong Christian community.” Along with Sister Mary of CHANGE, Sister Lael also received the Sisters on the Frontline grant.
As for the pandemic, she says her ministry has been impacted, with a few of the parish members have been diagnosed positive, a couple of them in a nursing home and two asymptomatic cases in a family. To impact her ministry further, Sister Lael was in a serious car accident at the end of July, putting her physically unable to help others, relying on other parishioners to aid her in continuing her mission to help others in need.
“Nevertheless, we have aged and ill members, several with cancer diagnoses. I am saddened by my inability to visit and take Eucharist to our homebound on a regular basis. Although we have opened the church to Mass on a restricted basis (masking, social distancing, and sanitizing), we feel deeply the fact that we cannot come together as a church community,” said Sister Lael.
Stories are bountiful from Sisters Mary and Lael on how they were able to help others with the Sisters on the Frontline grant. Here are a few of those stories (names have been changed for privacy):
