MERIDIAN – A volunteer helps St. Patrick School student John Henry Wilkinson play one of the many games at Irish Fest. The annual event was held on Saturday, April 21. Students and community members could “dunk” their pastor, play games and enjoy a day together. (Photos by Helen Reynolds)
GREENVILLE – Saint Joseph school Presented “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” April 25-29. Charles Schulz’s beloved comic became a broadway musical written by Clark Gesner. Two casts of students alternated at performances, bringing the whole gang from the comics to life: bossy Lucy was hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder; perfectionist Sally mocking blanket-toting Linus; Snoopy was in the doghouse, and “blockhead,” himself, Charlie Brown. In photo above, Linus, played by J.R. Duncan, extolls the virtues of his beloved security blanket. The cast also included Zack Woodard as Charlie Brown, Olivia DeAngelo (pictured) and Cecilia Azar, both playing Snoopy, Rebecca Jones (pictured) and Gracie McGaugh as Sally, Carsen Mansour( pictured) and Sarah Tonos as Lucy and Ethan Morales as Woodstock. (Photos by Missi Blackstock)
Parishes offer Vacation Bible Schools
CLARKSDALE Catholic Community of Clarksdale, “Shipwrecked” June 18-22. Join the fun by helping with decoration and set-up, facilitating a group or donating items. Volunteers are needed. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, “Camp Catholic” June 11-13. Join us as we prepare to camp in God’s creation. Adult volunteers and youth fifth graders and older are needed to help transform our spaces into our Camp Catholic campground and to serve as camp counselors/helpers. Volunteer sign-up sheets will be in the back of church. Sign-up for attendees will begin in May. Details: contact Karen Worrell at kworrellcre@hotmail.com or church office (601) 856-2054.
GREENVILLE Sacred Heart, June 4-8. Ages 5-11 years or K to sixth grade. If you just finished the 6th grade you can register. Details: church office (662) 332-0891.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Come aboard the “SS St. Francis” and sail to the island of Vacation Bible School, June 18-22 for pre-k-fourth graders. Volunteers are needed by May 20 to teach, assist, lead our music program, decorate, work in the kitchen, babysit and prepare. Details: Mary Catherine at mc.george@stfrancismadison.org to volunteer.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Shipwrecked” June 4-8, 8-11:30 a.m. Ages three (must have completed PreK3)– fifth grade. Fees: $20 per child and $10 for each additional child. Details: jessicastubbs@gmail.com, church office (601) 445-5616 or https://vbspro.events/p/events/stmarynatchez to register.
PEARL St Jude, “Around the World in 5 Days!” June 11-15, 9 a.m. – noon, Campers: ages three years – rising 6th grade. Suggested donation: $5 per child. Young adult and adult volunteers needed: rising 7th – 12th grades. Details: Stacy Wolf, ccd@stjudepearl.org, (601) 939-3181, or follow on Facebook at St. Jude Catholic Church.
Mississippi Catholic will publish a Spring Sacraments edition in July. This means we need your First Communion and Confirmation photos. This is your only chance to submit posed group photos to Mississippi Catholic by email to editor@mississippicatholic.com. The final due date for submissions is Friday, July 6.
Team building programs offered
GREENWOOD – Dr. Gay Saxon from Hinds Community College leads a workshop at Locus Benedictus Retreat Center. The center has started providing comprehensive team-building training for businesses. (Photo by Magdalene Abraham)
JACKSON – Catholic Charities still has spots avaiable for the Catholic Day at the Capitol Mental Health Conference set for Wednesday, May 23, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
The conference, originally scheduled for January but postponed due to bad weather, will focus on the need for mental health care reform in the state.
Keynote speakers include Joy Hogge of Mississippi Families as Allies and Angela Ladner, executive director of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association, will offer insight into what reforms are needed and how people can support them.
The day starts at 9 a.m. and wraps up around 3 p.m .and includes lunch. Register online at www.catholiccharitiesjackson.org.
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.
By Lynn Kyle
WEST POINT – Members of Immaculate Conception Parish are focusing on life-long faith formation as their response to the Diocesan Pastoral Priorities. The parish hosted a three-night mission March 18 – 20. The mission provided an educational program and inspired those attending to have a more devoted prayer life.
The focus of the mission was the life and teachings of Thomas Merton, (1915-1968) a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, and one of the foremost spiritual thinkers of the 20th century.
WEST POINT – Participants from Immaculate Conception Parish and several visitors from the surrounding area churches of Columbus, Houston listen to Ed Thebaud speak about Thomas Merton during a three-night mission. (Photo by Lynn Kyle)
He wrote more than 40 books of poetry, essays and religious writing. The mission’s program topics included Merton’s life and conversion, a reflection on his essay on solitude and another reflection on Merton’s essay on contemplation.
West Point parishioner, Ed Thebaud, was the guest speaker. Thebaud is an avid Merton reader and has participated on many occasions in retreats at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Thebaud has also shared his experience and knowledge about the teachings of Thomas Merton during retreats for the Dwelling Place in nearby Brooksville.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz launched the Pastoral Priorities last year and asked all parishes to select one or more as their focus for the next three to five years. Learn more about them at www.jacksondiocese.org.
(Lynn Kyle is a member of West Point Immaculate Conception Parish)
Por Alí y Patricia López
HAZELHURST – Desde octubre de 2017, los padres de la misión San Martín de Tours se han reunido el primer domingo de cada mes para un programa llamado “Escuela para los padres.” Las clases son parte de los esfuerzos de la parroquia para apoyar la prioridad pastoral de la formación de discípulos de toda la vida. Fueron adaptados de un programa ya en uso en América Latina.
El objetivo del programa es apoyar a los padres que tienen hijos inscritos en la educación religiosa, especialmente aquellos que tienen niños que se preparan para la primera comunión este año. Los temas para las clases incluyen la comunicación efectiva dentro de la familia, la autoestima de los niños, los valores familiares, la responsabilidad de los padres de educar a sus hijos en la fe y la importancia de la oración familiar.
Jaime y Herlinda Martínez, quienes asistieron a las clases de capacitación en liderazgo parroquial en la escuela de ministerios ofrecidos por el Instituto de Ministerios Pastorales del Sudeste (SEPI) dirigieron la sesión de clausura, el domingo 4 de marzo. Las clases de SEPI son coordinadas por la Oficina de Ministerio Hispano.
(Alí y Patricia López son miembros de la misión San Martín de Tours)
Por Melisa Preuss-Muñoz
TUPELO – El fin de semana del 17 y 18 de febrero, un grupo de jóvenes hispanos de la Diócesis de Jackson se reunió para un taller enfocado en el libro de recursos 2018 para jóvenes hispanos y adultos jóvenes titulado, Discierne su vocación siguiendo el ejemplo de María, un libro bilingüe de recursos pastorales para el Ministerio Juvenil Hispano. El libro fue preparado por jóvenes adultos bajo la guía del personal de la oficina regional del Instituto de Ministerios Pastorales del Sudeste (SEPI).
El propósito de este taller fue compartir la edición final del libro, que incluye un capítulo llamado Vocaciones diferentes escrito por el ministerio de jóvenes adultos de la diócesis de Jackson.
Los autores también fueron entrenados en el uso y promoción del libro en sus propias parroquias con el objetivo de ayudarlos a transformarse de feligreses pasivos a contribuyentes y finalmente, líderes de la comunidad.
Cada año desde 1980, SEPI ha coordinado la preparación y publicación de un libro en el que los jóvenes adultos aplican el misterio pascual a un tema que eligen y que es importante y relevante en sus propias vidas. Para iniciar el proceso, asesores adultos y representantes juveniles se reunieron en la primavera para seleccionar el tema. Luego, los participantes de varias diócesis trabajaron en el texto de sus capítulos específicos, guiados por asesores adultos.
En años anteriores, los escritores han tratado diversos temas como la libertad, el amor, la comunidad, la identidad y la evangelización.
Las diócesis del sudeste utilizarán el libro de recursos 2018 durante toda la temporada. Los autores de Discierne su vocación siguiendo el ejemplo de María usaron documentos de la iglesia, testimonios y opiniones de la Iglesia a medida que profundizaban en los temas. El libro también incluye oraciones, canciones, actividades y proyectos.
Aquellos interesados en recibir una copia del libro y capacitación sobre la implementación de las actividades pueden contactar a Verónica López, coordinadora del Ministerio Hispano para adultos jóvenes al 769-447-4005 o veronica.lopez@jacksondiocese.org
