By Gina Christian (OSV News) – Parishioners in several Midwestern states are coming together to bring help and healing after tornadoes ravaged the area April 26-28, killing at least four.
The storms – which along with tornadoes dumped heavy rain and hail on Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas – claimed four lives in Oklahoma, including that of an infant, and caused widespread destruction.
“We have experienced a pretty devastating time here in the Elkhorn area,” said Father Tom Fangman, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Elkhorn, Nebraska, in an April 28 video message posted to the parish’s Facebook page.
A drone view shows emergency personnel working at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of a tornado in Omaha, Neb., April 26, 2024, in this image obtained from a social media video. A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha demolishing homes and businesses as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slamming an Iowa town. (OSV News photo/Alex freed via Reuters) MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES.
A previous post by the parish that same day said there were “over 30 families who have come to us for help and the applications just keep rolling in.”
On April 26, the Omaha suburb was devastated by what the National Weather Service assessed to be at least one EF3 tornado, with winds ranging from 136 to 165 miles per hour. Drone footage from local television station KETV showed homes leveled to the ground, with roofs sheared and structural walls badly damaged in others. Train cars were derailed about an hour away near Lincoln, Nebraska.
One Elkhorn family’s escape is being called “miraculous.”
KETV in Omaha reported that a bedridden father, unable to shelter before the twister’s impact, was shielded by his wife and son, who lay on top of him as their roof was torn away. The man sustained non-life-threatening injuries. While the home has been reduced to rubble, two crucifixes and an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary remained intact, still affixed to the remaining walls. A GoFundMe page for the family, whose last name has been listed as Sturgeon, has been set up by one of the son’s co-workers.
St. Francis Xavier Church in hard-hit Sulphur, Oklahoma – where at least one person died and 30 were injured – withstood the storm, but a number of parishioners lost their homes, a staff member at St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Ada, of which St. Francis Xavier is a mission church, told OSV News.
The disaster is a call to serve – and to witness to the love of Christ, said St. Patrick Parish in its Facebook message.
The parish, which has set up a relief fund, is working in concert with other local groups to organize humanitarian relief, and convened an April 29 volunteer meeting in its school cafeteria.
“We need you. … We ask you to prayerfully consider how God is calling you to help and if you can be part of this,” said the parish in its post. “Lives have been turned upside down and people have nothing. Let’s be in this mess with them and help them carry their cross. And let’s show our community that life isn’t going on for everyone else but them. We are the Body of Christ.”
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @GinaJesseReina.
By Staff Reports JACKSON – X.M. Frascogna Jr., co-author of five previous books about football in the state of Mississippi, has teamed up with Jackson-based publisher and novelist Joe Lee to pen The Saints of St. Mary’s, the true story of Frascogna’s remarkable four-year run voluntarily coaching elementary school football at St. Mary’s Catholic School more than five decades ago.
The authors will kick off their book tour at Lemuria Books of Jackson on Thursday, June 6 from 4:30-7 p.m. Published by the Mississippi Sports Council, The Saints of St. Mary’s will be released in hardback and available for $24.95 plus tax.
“I was in law school at the time I coached at St. Mary’s, and my wife Judy was a fifth-grade teacher there,” Frascogna said. “I was very caught up in teaching the players the basics on the football field and us winning as many games as possible. What I was too young to realize was the importance of the life lessons involved: always giving your best effort, relying on your teammates, and carrying yourself in an honorable and respectful way.”
Lee, author of nine suspense novels, spent more than a year interviewing former St. Mary’s players, assistant coaches and opposing players.
“So many of those men, now in their mid-sixties, have crystal clear memories of those days and told me they wouldn’t trade them for anything,” Lee said. “These are guys who have excelled over the years in the fields of academia, medicine, business, the practice of law and philanthropy. All talked of takeaways from being mentored by the man they called ‘Coach’ that proved just as valuable in adulthood as they were on the practice field.”
“The Saints of St. Mary’s isn’t just a football book, or a book about coaching football,” Frascogna added. “The subtitle, ‘A true story of old school values and parenting lessons learned through youth sports,’ is crucial because the lessons are timeless. Parents, teachers, and coaches of all sports for both boys and girls will find it relevant.”
Frascogna and Lee will sign copies of the book at Lemuria on Thursday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. Lemuria Books is located at 4465 I-55 N on the second floor of Banner Hall. For more information, visit lemuriabooks.com.
By Staff Reports HALES CORNERS, Wis. – Originally from Minneapolis, Rev. Thomas Lind, SCJ, died on April 11, just days before his 92nd birthday. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Community in Pinellas Park, Florida. Nearly ten years earlier he had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Father Tom completed his seminary studies at Sacred Heart Monastery (now Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology). He professed his first vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians) in 1951 and was ordained in 1958.
His first full-time assignment was back where he started: assisting at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Ste. Marie, Ilinois, from 1960-64. From there, he went to St. Joseph’s Indian School, where he served for 17 years. He would later return to South Dakota for a short-term assignment on the Cheyenne River Reservation from 1999-2000.
For nine years (1980-89) he was pastor of St. James Church in Corinth, Mississippi. After two years at Christ the Redeemer parish in Houston, he moved to northwest Mississippi, where he assisted with pastoral ministry from 2000-2016. Since 2016, he had been a member of the SCJ retirement community in Pinellas Park.
“He was a very sweet man,” are the words that so many used to describe Father Tom upon learning of his death.
“I enjoyed his company and his homilies,” wrote another.
“He was a holy priest, a friend… and a pretty good golfer!” said another.
In his homily, Father Vien Nguyen, SCJ, provincial superior of the US Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, reflected on a phrase displayed prominently in Father Tom’s room: “Do what is right, seek what is good, walk humbly before the Lord,” from the prophet Micah.
“Doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God are not separate from each other; rather, they are interconnected,” said Father Vien.” They form the essence of God’s heart. Tom, I believe that having the words of the prophet Micah on your wall was not for decoration. Instead, they served as a reminder of what you wanted to achieve in your religious life as a Dehonian.
“May we too follow the footsteps of Father Leo John Dehon and have the courage to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. We hope that we too one day will be invited to the glorious banquet held on Mount Zion, never to be separated from God’s love, and be blessed for living the Beatitudes.”
The Mass of Christian Burial for Father Tom was held on Thursday, April 18, at Good Shepherd Chapel at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
By Gina Christian (OSV News) – Executives from the apologetics nonprofit Catholic Answers told OSV News they remain committed to exploring artificial intelligence after the launch of the group’s “Father Justin” AI project sparked intense backlash online – and resulted in the character’s swift “laicization” to just “Justin.”
“We’re no less resolved to make good use of this technology to continue our work of apologetics and evangelization,” Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers, told OSV News. “We regard this (incident) as an opportunity to take some feedback and move forward with it.”
Check’s team debuted a “Father Justin” interactive AI app April 23, aiming “to provide users with faithful and educational answers to questions about Catholicism,” according to an announcement that day by the organization.
This is a screenshot of “Father Justin,” an AI chatbot simulating a priest in order to answer questions for teaching apostolate Catholic Answers. Catholic Answers executives told OSV News April 24, 2024, they are not discouraged from pursuing AI projects following the troubled April 23 launch of “Father Justin,” who was “laicized” hours later to “Justin” after his responses to questions about the faith sparked social media furor. (OSV News screenshot/Catholic Answers)
The grey bearded, bushy-browed Father Justin character – named for St. Justin Martyr, a second-century convert and apologist – was intended to be what Catholic Answers information technology director Chris Costello, quoted in the company’s April 23 announcement, had called a tribute to parish priests, and an “authoritative yet approachable” figure on Catholic teaching.
But Father Justin’s preference for addressing users as “my child,” and his statements indicating he could actually give absolution and preside at the sacrament of matrimony, drew howls of condemnation in Catholic cyberspace.
By approximately 5 p.m. EDT April 24, Father Justin had fallen silent, gazing with a contemplative air toward a point out of the screen frame – only to re-emerge a few hours later in a button-down shirt as what Catholic Answers called “just ‘Justin.’”
Check told OSV News that criticism of the app was down to “a combination” of concern over some of the app’s responses, and the AI character itself.
“I think there are some people who simply reacted to a cartoon priest,” said Check, adding that “it would be evident to anybody who’s looking at it that in fact it’s not a real priest.”
Check said the move to make the app’s face simply “Justin” was a concession to those who found the character “a distraction” that hindered “the purpose of the application, which is to provide sound answers about the Catholic faith.”
“We’re good listeners,” Check said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re good apologists.”
Check admitted he and his “entire executive team” had been “a little taken aback by the particularly hostile reaction that we received on social media” regarding the app.
Such outrage “tends to be endemic” to social media platforms, Check added.
“I think that people who otherwise would have given some sort of thoughtful consideration of the merits of AI and answering … questions about the Catholic faith instead jumped onto (a) sort of more viral path,” he said. “And to me it’s kind of one of those unfortunate indications of the divisions that our church is feeling right now.”
Check said that some users (who had to provide email addresses and cell phone numbers to access the app) “were deliberately trying to trick it … which is what people like to do with AI or ChatGPT. We discovered while going through the log that one person who finally got (the app) to err (in its responses) in fact has a substantial background in AI.”
Costello told OSV News that he and his development team “knew that (the AI app) was going to be controversial.
“We know there’s a lot of concern in the Catholic world about AI in general – how it’s used, in fact, in not just the Catholic world, but in the world,” he said.
Costello said the app had been proposed by an AI consultant who is a Catholic Answers radio listener and fan. He said the project – the first AI undertaking for the company – had undergone “four or five months” of development.
The software’s initial character, a Franciscan friar named “Brother Geppetto,” was transformed into Father Justin, with the app’s original background – the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy’s Perugia province – left intact.
Part of the testing included feeding the app inquiries from “actual callers on our radio show, to see if (the app) could answer the questions,” said Costello. “And of course the answers were different (from those of the Catholic Answers radio hosts), but still accurate.”
Like Check, Costello stressed that the organization’s “goal is not to lead someone down the wrong path” with the app.
“It’s a start to your journey,” he said. “It’s to help you hone your questions so that you can really have a discussion with your priest or spiritual advisor, if there’s something you don’t understand. It’s not the end at all; it’s the beginning.”
Check said he was not concerned the troubled rollout of the app would erode trust in Catholic Answers as an apologetics apostolate.
“There’s been some ‘pearl-clutching,’ (but) … it’s obvious this was at best a misstep or failure to read the room,” he said. “But the Catholic Answers brand and our reputation is nearly 40 years old. And it’s backed by the talent and the profound knowledge of … (our apologists) and executive team and staff.”
Oblate Father Thomas Dailey, John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics and Social Communications at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, told OSV News that the “Father Justin” launch, though fraught, has not been without merit.
“The response to what happened shows people’s interest in both the technology and its application for faith matters,” he said. “That Catholic Answers took all of that feedback and benefited from it or acted on it – and their interest in moving forward to help people – is a compliment to them.”
“We’re guided by our intentions,” Check said. “And we know that if we’re doing what we’re doing out of love for Jesus Christ, which is why we act, (then) God will bless it.”
(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @GinaJesseReina.)
By Cindy Wooden and Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis signed a letter on synodality in the presence of parish priests and urged them to be “missionaries of synodality,” said several of the priests present.
Father Donald J. Planty Jr., pastor of St. Charles Church in Arlington, Virginia, and one of the U.S. pastors at the meeting, said, “He told us, ‘I want you to take this letter, and I want you to put it into action. I want you to share it and speak to your bishops about it and speak to your brother pastors about it.’”
The pope signed the letter May 2 as he met with more than 200 parish priests in the Vatican Synod Hall. The meeting came at the end of an April 29-May 2 gathering designed as an opportunity for the priests to share their experiences and offer input for the drafting of the working document for the Synod of Bishops on synodality’s second assembly in October.
Father Planty, who served for a time in the Vatican diplomatic corps and in the Vatican Secretariat of State, said it was clear that what participants from around the world had in common was “love for our identity as priests and our mission as priests.”
Clearly, he said, some priests have difficulty getting parishioners to open up and share their hopes, dreams and skills – a crucial part of building a “synodal church” where people listen to one another and share responsibility for the life of the parish and its missionary outreach.
That is not a problem in the United States, Father Planty said. “Especially in a country of an Anglo-Saxon democratic tradition,” people are used to sharing their opinions, including with their priests. They comment after Mass or send an email or phone the parish office.
“A priest who really knows his parish, loves his parishioners, has his finger on the pulse of the parish” not only through the pastoral council and finance council but “also through other, informal settings,” he said. Such a pastor “knows his people, consults with them, listens to them, takes their advice, and ultimately that factors into his pastoral decisions and planning and actions.”
Father Clint Ressler, pastor of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church in Texas City, Texas, said spiritual discernment adds a key factor because synodality “is not listening to the voice of the people, but the voice of God in the voice of the people.”
“It isn’t just about your voices and your opinions,” he said. “We have to all be willing to then go deeper beneath those voices to try to hear what the Spirit is saying among us.”
People are hesitant about synodality when it is erroneously presented as debating “the issues that are controversial in the church” and “whether or not this is some new instrument to foment change in doctrine or church teaching,” he said. When that happens, “I think it’s disturbing. It’s scary. It’s unsettling,” and it leaves some wondering, “Why are we going to let the people decide what God wants?”
Father Paul Soper, pastor of St. Margaret Mary and St. Denis parishes in Westwood, Massachusetts, and secretary for ministerial personnel in the Archdiocese of Boston said priests and laypeople who have fears or concerns about synodality are afraid of different things.
“The fear of the priests is that there is a degree of randomness to the process,” he said, and that the synod “is going to be recommending big changes in the life of the church somehow or another that will have come from a bunch of random voices rather than from a clearly traceable conciliar process.”
“I think what the people fear is different,” he said. “I think that they fear that this is a conversation that’s not going to go anywhere. That it will simply, in the end, be a collection of reflections on the process of reflecting – a meeting on meetings, if you will.”
But, he said, his experience in evangelization has taught him that the “deep listening” or “contemplative listening” that the synod process is teaching people is what will enable Catholics to understand other people’s stories and invite them into or back into a relationship with Jesus and with the church.
Father Robert L. Connors, director of the Office for Senior Priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and episcopal vicar of the archdiocese’s south region, said the synod’s emphasis on listening also can help Catholics “learn the art of respect in a world where there is very little respect.”
And, especially in parishes and dioceses where there is growing diversity, he said, synodality helps people realize, “we’re all in this together.”
By David Tisdale GREENVILLE – To help Catholics and other Christians keep prayer from becoming mere routine, Father Sebastian Myladiyil, SVD offers in his latest book in invitation to how to better understand and contemplate our devotions to the Holy Trinity through his deep examination of their genesis.
Father Sebastian recently published Why We Pray What We Pray, described as a “spiritual journey of prayer, silence and aspiration” in which he examines the prayers Christians hold dear and recite in times of worship, gratitude, contrition, and in despair. He looks closely at the historical and theological foundations and significations of The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, The Way of the Cross, The Rosary, the Mass, Lectio Divina among others, further clarifying the concepts in which they are grounded so they become even more relatable and meaningful to us.
“The more I understand the words, actions, emotions, and feelings that are attached to a particular prayer, the better it helps me to engage in it,” Father Sebastian said of Why We Pray What We Pray. “That is why I have tried to explain prayer here by looking at its meaning, historical origins, scriptural basis, and theological significance. I hope readers find these beneficial as well and come to engage in prayer in an intentional manner. “
Father Sebastian Myladiyil, SVD stands with his latest book – Why We Pray What We Pray. The book is available on Amazon or for a personalized copy, contact Father Sebastian at sebymy@hotmail.com. (Photo courtesy of Gulf Pine Catholic)
Why We Pray What We Pray invites readers to look at the whole of the narrative of The Word through the many prayers connecting us to it. In an excerpt from the book, referencing the Hail Mary, Father Sebastian writes: “In our prayer, we make these beautiful words of Elizabeth our own. Today, we recognize Mary as the most blessed woman in history due to her faithful acceptance of God’s plan and her willingness to fulfill it perfectly.” The phrase emphasizes the lessons we can learn from Mary’s life and her response to God’s plan. It teaches us the value of faithful acceptance of God’s purpose, humility, and obedience. We are encouraged to recognize and celebrate the blessings in the lives of others, trust in God’s perfect timing, and utilize the power of prayer to seek spiritual support and guidance. In essence, Mary’s story inspires us to align our lives with God’s will, embrace His plan, and appreciate the blessings in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.”
In discussing the inspirations for his latest book, Father Sebastian says he values prayer and its power, and hopes what he is written also inspires more meditative and reflective moments. “It [prayer] is the force that guides and strengthens my life,” Father Sebastian explained. “It helps me to deepen my relationship with my God as I see those moments as special times between me and the One I love – God. It is also the glue that holds life together when things seem difficult and challenging.
“I truly experience the power of prayer when I intentionally engage in it and actively lead or participate in it. For the words of a prayer to become meaningful and the feelings to become real, I must immerse and involve myself totally in it – my body, soul, mind, and heart.”
Father Sebastian credits first his parents and a family atmosphere he says helped him value the importance of prayer, and later his educational formation in the seminary and daily service as a priest. “The seminary formation and my life as a priest is centered around prayer and spirituality,” he further noted. “The celebration of the sacraments and other liturgical functions are powerful moments of prayer, and the greatest of such moments is the celebration of the Eucharist – the greatest form of prayer.
“As a priest, I am also blessed to be part of some of the most significant moments in the life of my parishioners as well as others in the community, such as through baptism, Holy Communion, matrimony, anointing of the sick, and funerals. These moments may be joyful or painful, and prayer has a way of enhancing those joyful moments or offering comfort to those experiencing pain and difficulties. In the period after Katrina, there were certainly moments of hope and love in action.”
The practice of deep contemplative, meditative, intentional prayer can, Father Sebastian believes, can utilize one’s heart and mind in ways we may not have previously considered.
“[Prayer] can help in getting in touch with one’s emotions and feelings and see them in the light of the Word of God,” Father Sebastian said. “One is able to get in touch with one’s deepest being when one is removed from the distractions of the world and is able to focus on the source of one’s existence – God.”
In a world marred by violence, war, chaos and social upheaval – events and conditions not new to humankind – prayer is our best defense against these forces, Father Sebastian contends.
“Every age has its own challenges, and when we face them for the first time, they might seem to be the greatest of all,” he said. “We are living in a digital age, and we think they pose certain challenges to faith. But I am sure our ancestors in the early industrial age or scientific age thought those [challenges facing them] to be the greatest challenges as well. I am not minimizing the challenges the modern world is presenting to our faith, but God is still in charge, and everything happens for a reason.”
With that philosophy in mind, Father Sebastian says he firmly believes in the words of the Apostle Paul when he said: ‘All things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8: 28), and, further noting, “When challenges mount, it only helps me to actively seek the source of my strength – God – and the process I use is prayer.”
Father Sebastian is currently serving as pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Greenville; St. Francis Church in Shaw; and Sacred Heart Church in Rosedale. A native of India, he is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (Latin – Societas Verbi Divini, SVD), also known as Divine Word Missionaries, and has been serving the SVD’s U.S. Southern Province since 1999.
He holds master’s degrees in moral theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, and in educational leadership and counselling from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. His other works include His Instruments; His Instruments – If God Could Use Them He Can Use Us and Blown Together – The Trials and Miracles of Katrina, along with a translation of His Instruments into Spanish, Sus Instrumentos.
(Reprinted with permission of Gulf Pine Catholic/Diocese of Biloxi)
By Lauretta Brown (OSV News) – Pope Francis sat down exclusively with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell on April 24 for an interview ahead of the Vatican’s inaugural World Children’s Day. The CBS interview marks the first time a pope has given an in-depth, one-on-one interview to a U.S. broadcast network, according to the network.
In the brief portion of the interview that aired April 24, topics ranged from the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and the plight of children in these areas to climate change and the decline in the number of U.S. Catholics.
O’Donnell asked Pope Francis about “pictures of starving children coming out of Gaza” and what he thought of those that “call that a genocide.”
The pope replied that he calls a Catholic parish of about 600 people in Gaza every afternoon, where he hears that the situation is “very hard” as “food goes in, but they have to fight for it. It’s very hard.”
In her report, O’Donnell noted that the pope condemned the Oct. 7 attack on Israelis by the terrorist group Hamas and also called on Israel to use restraint. Earlier this month, the pope met with the families of Israelis hostages still held by Hamas. O’Donnell referenced the pope’s past calls for peace and a ceasefire in the region and asked him if he could “help negotiate peace.”
“I can pray, I do,” he replied, “I pray a lot.”
Pope Francis sits down exclusively with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell at the Vatican April 24, 2024, for an interview ahead of the Vatican’s inaugural World Children’s Day. The CBS interview marked the first time a pope has given an in-depth, one-on-one interview to a U.S. broadcast network, according to the network. (OSV News photo/Adam Verdugo, courtesy CBS NEWS)
In advance of World Children’s Day, O’Donnell asked about the United Nations’ estimate that “over a million people will be facing famine in Gaza, many of them children.”
“Not only Gaza,” the pope replied, “we should think about Ukraine.”
“Those kids don’t know how to smile,” he lamented. “I tell them something, but they forgot how to smile. And this is very hard when a child forgets to smile. That’s really very serious.”
“Do you have a message for Vladimir Putin when it comes to Ukraine,” O’Donnell asked.
“Please, countries at war, all of them: Stop the war,” the pope said, “look to negotiate. Look for peace. A negotiated peace is better than a war without end.”
When asked about his practice of inviting children to join him in the popemobile and to visit the Apostolic Palace, the pope said that children “always bear a message. They bear a message, and it is a way for us to have a younger heart.”
O’Donnell also asked the pope about those who deny climate change.
“There are people who are foolish and foolish even if you show them research; they don’t believe it,” he replied. “Why? Because they don’t understand the situation or because of their interest, but climate change exists.”
O’Donnell cited a statistic that in the US, only 20% of adults identify as Catholic, down from 24% in 2007. She asked Pope Francis to “speak to those who don’t go to Mass anymore, or maybe don’t see a place for themselves in the Catholic Church.”
“I would say there is always a place, always,” he replied. “If in this parish, the priest doesn’t seem welcoming, I understand, but go and look.”
“There is always a place,” he emphasized. “Do not run away from the church. The church is very big. It’s more than a temple. It’s more. You shouldn’t run away.”
In addition to the brief interview segment that aired April 24, CBS will air more of the interview on “60 Minutes” May 19 and in a primetime special on May 20. O’Donnell revealed that she had also asked the pope about “the migrant crisis, gay rights, women’s role in the church and whether he’s thinking about retirement” in the remainder of the interview.
(Lauretta Brown is culture editor for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @LaurettaBrown6.)
By Jason Moon SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. – One Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, with ties to the Diocese of Jackson is celebrating a jubilee this year.
Sister Kathleen Dede, formerly Sister Marie Arthur, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. Currently, her ministry is prayer at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. She is celebrating 70 years with the Congregation this year.
Sister Kathleen entered the Congregation on Feb. 2, 1954, from St. Ann Parish in Terre Haute. She professed first vows on Aug. 15, 1956, and final vows on Aug. 15, 1961.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s of social work from St. Louis University. She also has a master’s of theological studies from the Franciscan School of Theology.
During her time in the Diocese of Jackson, Sister Kathleen ministered as the resident pastoral minister for St. Francis of Assisi/St. Mary Mission in Boonville from 1990-1994.
Sister Kathleen has also ministered in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, California and Florida.
The Sisters of Providence, a congregation of nearly 200 women religious, with more than 300 Providence Associates, collaborate with others to create a more just and hope-filled world through prayer, education, service and advocacy. The Sisters of Providence have their motherhouse at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, located just northwest of downtown Terre Haute, Ind., which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840. Today, Sisters of Providence minister in 13 states, the District of Columbia and Asia, through works of love, mercy and justice. More information about the Sisters of Providence and their ministries can be found at SistersofProvidence.org.
Sister Yolanda (Paul Marie) Pomante, OP celebrates jubilee
By Barbara Kelley, OP ADRIAN, Mich. – The Adrian Dominican Congregation celebrates the dedication and commitment of 43 Sisters who, in 2024, mark their jubilees, their milestone years of service and dedication to the church and the congregation. The 2024 jubilee class includes one sister celebrating 80 years, three sisters celebrating 75 years, 23 sisters celebrating 70 years, 15 sisters celebrating 60 years, and one sister celebrating 25 years. The following jubilarian has connections to the Diocese of Jackson.
Sister Yolanda (Paul Marie) Pomante, OP, a native of Roseville, Michigan, is celebrating 70 years as an Adrian Dominican sister. She graduated from Annunciation High School in Detroit and entered the congregation on Oct. 3, 1953.
Sister Yolanda’s earliest assignments – from 1955 to 1971 – took her to schools in Illinois, New York and Michigan. She spent much of her life in Florida, beginning at Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach as a teacher and treasurer (1971-1974) and treasurer (1974-1986). She ended her sabbatical year at Barry University in 1986. She remained there to serve in various capacities: office manager (April to November 1987), director of housekeeping and grounds (1987-1990), and coordinator of space utilization (1990-1994).
Sister Yolanda moved to Marks, Mississippi, to serve as assistant office manager at DePorres Health Center from 1994 to 2002. From there, she returned to Barry University as a secretary and typist from 2003 to 2004. Her last years of formal ministry were as an office assistant at Coggin Motor Mall in Fort Pierce, Florida, from 2004 to 2009. She retired in 2009 and resides in Port Saint Lucy, Florida. She was inspired to enter religious life by the quotation from St. Augustine: “My heart was made for Thee, O Lord, and will be restless until it rests in Thee.”
(The Dominican Sisters of Adrian is a Congregation of about 400 vowed women religious and nearly 180 Associates whose roots go back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. The Sisters minister in 21 states, the Dominican Republic, Norway, and the Philippines. The Vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters is to “seek truth, make peace, reverence life.”)
By Mary Woodward This past April, Holy Child Jesus Parish in Canton hosted a beautiful memorial celebration for Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman. The celebration is normally held close to Sister Thea’s anniversary of her death on March 30, but this year that fell during Holy Week and Easter liturgies.
In light of this celebration, it is a good time to give an update on Sister Thea’s cause for canonization process. Currently the diocesan phase is underway. The historical commission is delving into the writing of Sister Thea and compiling a highly structured document that will profile her piety and include a biography. This commission meets monthly with our postulator in Rome via Zoom to address any technical questions involved in the research.
The Cause for Sister Thea Bowman continues to advance. After the historial commission’s work is complete it will be sealed and presented to the postulator to deliver to the dicastery. (Photo from archives)
As part of the historical commission’s work, all of Sister Thea’s handwritten notes and outlines must be transcribed into a typed document. This process is being coordinated by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration’s archives. Dozens of student volunteers are participating in this task.
I have seen Sister Thea’s writing files, and she certainly had a unique way of recording her thoughts. Therefore, this is quite an undertaking to get all this typeset. We are most grateful to the FSPA archivist, Meg Paulino, for tackling this required part of the canonical process.
Two theological experts are reviewing her work for doctrinal surety. This will require an extensive bibliography of her works.
Witness testimonies have been taken and are being transcribed and processed. A few more witnesses will be interviewed sometime later this summer or early fall.
When all is ready, Bishop Joseph Kopacz will lead a special liturgy in which the documents in triplicate, will be sealed and presented to the postulator to deliver to the Dicastery. Once that is completed, the postulator will work with the dicastery to move the cause forward.
At a certain point, once the cause is in Rome, the Holy Father may declare the Servant of God as Venerable – showing heroic virtue. After Venerable, the next step is beatification and in order to be beatified there must be a miracle. Examination of the miracle goes through a similar canonical process as the diocesan phase. If a miracle is proven and accepted, the Servant of God is put on the schedule for an official liturgy of beatification.
The next step would be canonization and that requires a second miracle. That miracle would have to happen after the beatification. All in all, the Roman side of the process takes a long time.
During the Roman Phase, we hope to begin to create local guilds in our diocese and around the region. These guilds will help promote Sister Thea’s cause through prayer for the cause and by hosting various spiritual and educational events designed to raise awareness about the cause.
As for now, we need many prayers for the cause, especially for those involved in working through the fine details of the diocesan phase.
We also can use donations to the cause as it does have several financial costs for travel, translations, experts and administration.
Donations may be made out to the Diocese of Jackson and sent to the Chancellor’s Office, 237 E. Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201. Make sure you mark the donation for Sister Thea’s Cause.
Or to donate online and learn more about the Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, visit our website at: https://www.jacksondiocese.org/thea-bowman. From this site you also may watch the wonderful documentary on her life “Going Home Like a Shooting Star” and find a link to the cause’s official site with photos and tributes to her.
Presenting a cause for canonization is one of the noblest things a diocese can undertake as an official act of the church. It is exciting to know that over the next several months we are participating in this ancient tradition and moving forward in completing the diocesan phase of this esteemed process.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
By OSV News The Catholic Church has dedicated numerous feast days throughout the year to events in the life of Mary and her various titles. The following are some of the feasts of Mary in the month of May:
Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament (May 13): Mary was called Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament by St. Peter Julian Eymard in 1868. In 1905, St. Pius X granted an indulgence to those who prayed to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Vatican in 1921 designated May 13 as her feast day (but the celebration is not on the church’s universal calendar).
Feast of Our Lady of Fatima (May 13): This feast commemorates the first of six apparitions of Mary to three shepherd children at Fatima in Portugal on May 13, 1917. The feast has become a cultural celebration for Portuguese Catholics around the world and is celebrated in many parishes throughout the United States, often with a procession through the streets surrounding the church.
Feast of Mary, Help of Christians (May 24): After praying to Mary for his safe release from captivity when taken prisoner by the French, Pope Pius VII instituted this feast day in 1815. The feast venerates Mary for her intercession on behalf of those who pray to her. Many Catholics will traditionally mark this day by performing their own charitable deeds to help others in need.
Feast of the Visitation (May 31): Originally celebrated in July, the feast of the Visitation marks Luke’s Gospel account of Mary, having been told by the Angel Gabriel that she would bear the son of God, visiting her cousin Elizabeth. The feast, which originated in the 13th century, was transferred to its current date in 1969 after the feast of the Queenship of Mary, previously celebrated on May 31, was moved to Aug. 22 to follow the feast of the Assumption.
