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‘Jeopardy!’ fans laud Catholic priest-contestant aiming to give ‘positive impression’ of church

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By Gina Christian (OSV News) — A Catholic priest who had gameshow fans “swooning,” according to one entertainment reporter, told OSV News he hoped his recent television appearance helps give “a positive impression of the church” and clergy in general.

Holy Cross Father Steven Jakubowski, a parochial vicar at St. Ignatius Martyr in Austin, Texas, was a contestant on “Jeopardy!” — the long-running quiz show now produced by Sony Pictures — in an episode that aired Sept. 19.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native, who was ordained in April, notched third place with $2,000 in winnings — which the 29-year-old said will “go to the (Holy Cross) community” in keeping with the order’s vow of poverty.

Holy Cross Father Steve Jakubowski, parochial vicar St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, is pictured on the set of the “Jeopardy!” game show in Los Angeles May 31, 2024. Father Jakubowski appeared on the popular game show Sept. 19, taking third place with $2,000 in winnings. (OSV News photo/courtesy Jeopardy Productions Inc.)

The sight of the young, bearded priest on the iconic “Jeopardy!” set had at least a few viewers taking to social media to comment. “Omg father Steve is so enjoyable to watch he’s so happy to be there,” exclaimed X (formerly Twitter) user @HellOnHeelsGirl in a Sept. 19 post.

But for Father Jakubowski, the opportunity to participate in the show was a surprise, since he had applied to be a contestant “just for fun.”

“A couple of years ago, I applied (through) a sort of online quiz that you have to take,” he explained. “I didn’t expect to hear much from it.”

In the interim, he took a second online quiz and advanced to a “Zoom version of the game.”

“I was in my clerical garb for that, so they knew I was a priest,” Father Jakubowski said. “That was kind of an interesting novelty for them, I’m sure.”

In April, the show’s producers “called me up out of the blue and asked if I wanted to come to Los Angeles to be on the show for an episode,” he said.

After ensuring his schedule would allow him to “make it happen” — and encountering “a little bit of surprise” from parishioners, who encouraged him to “go for it” — Father Jakubowski headed out to compete in an episode, which was filmed in April. He remained mum about the outcome until the air date, due to a standard nondisclosure agreement with the producers.

The former math major said he watched “Jeopardy!” while growing up, and enjoys trivia since it highlights how “little facts can be part of something bigger.”

“Part of it is that it is just fun to know an obscure fact,” he admitted. “But I think (also) it’s sort of the way those obscure facts are maybe part of something more interesting or coherent.”

His best subject for trivia is geography — as well as Scripture, he said.

“I was hoping for a lot of Bible questions,” said Father Jakubowski. “You know, I think I would do reasonably well.”

(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @GinaJesseReina.)

Novena for mental health seeks healing, awareness, action on issue

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By Gina Christian (OSV News) — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops invites the faithful to join in a novena for mental health as part of the second year of the USCCB’s ongoing National Catholic Mental Health Campaign.

The nine days of prayer will commence on Oct. 10, which marks the international observance of World Mental Health Day, and conclude on Oct. 18, the feast of St. Luke, the evangelist and a patron of health care, who in the Letter to the Colossians is referenced as “the beloved physician” (Col 4:14).

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the faithful to participate in an Oct. 10-18, 2024, novena for mental health, as part of the second year of its National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. (OSV News photo/courtesy USCCB)

Each day of the novena, which opened the USCCB campaign in October 2023, focuses on a particular aspect of mental health, addressing stigma, social relationships, and the impact of factors such as racism and poverty. Saints and others invoked during the novena include St. Dymphna, patron of those with mental illness; St. Martin de Porres, who experienced racial discrimination throughout his life; and Dorothy Day, a servant of God who twice attempted suicide as a young woman.

The Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time — which this year falls on Oct. 13, on the fourth day of the novena — has been designated as “Mental Health Sunday” by the USCCB, during which parishes can highlight the campaign by integrating mental health into the homily, offering prayers or special blessings for those experiencing anguish or distress, and including a petition for mental health during the prayer of the faithful at the liturgy.

Novena materials can be found online at https://www.usccb.org/mental-health-novena.

The novena — which encourages participants to pray, learn about and take action about mental health issues — “is offered in solidarity with those suffering from mental health challenges as well as health care professionals, family, and friends who are caring for people in need,” said the USCCB on its webpage introduction to the novena. “We hope that this modest novena will move all people to discern how God is calling them to offer greater assistance to those with mental health needs.”

The USCCB is encouraging Catholic dioceses to share novena information with their parishes with a special emphasis on Mental Health Sunday, Oct. 13, as it falls in the midst of the nine-day renewal effort and is an opportunity to promote and support the efforts of local mental health programs.

The “simple message” of the campaign is that “everyone who needs help should receive help,” said the USCCB in a Sept. 23 press release, quoting October 2023 remarks by two bishops spearheading the initiative, Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @GinaJesseReina)

NOTES: Novena materials can be found online at https://www.usccb.org/mental-health-novena.

From Servant of God to sainthood – an update on Sister Thea Bowman’s cause

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From the Archives
By Mary Woodward

As September rolls in upon us and schools are now in full swing, our diocesan director of Catholic Schools, Karla Luke, asked for an update on the canonization process of Sister Thea Bowman, she could share with our Catholic schools. We have a wonderful school in Jackson named after Sister Thea and many students are excited about being associated with someone who is on the official path to sainthood in the church.

Putting someone forward for sainthood is one of the noblest things a diocesan church can do. It involves a very intricate and detailed process of studying the life and acts of that person. Many moving parts make up this initiative and keeping them on track is an adventure.

So, where are we in the canonical process? We are right in the middle of what is called the diocesan phase.

JACKSON – A painting of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA by Marshall Bouldin of Clarksdale (1923-2012) hangs in archivist, Mary Woodward’s office. Bouldin, the South’s foremost portrait artist of his time, completed the painting in 1988 and said that Sister Thea would burst forth into song when sitting for the portrait. (Photo by Mary Woodward)

During this phase which has been going on since the cause officially opened in November 2018, the title Servant of God is used when referring to the person. This title is given to those who have been presented and accepted for the canonical process. Therefore, when referring to Sister Thea, her full title now is Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA (SOG Sister Thea).

The work being done meticulously right now includes gathering all of the Servant of God’s writings, studying them for sound doctrine, gleaning them for virtue and piety, and transcribing them into type written format. For those who knew the Servant of God, they are fully aware that she would often jot things down on envelopes, napkins, and any scrap of paper she could find. All of these notes have been archived by the Franciscan Sisters in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where most all of SOG Sister Thea’s papers reside.

Throughout this past summer, an intern has been working in LaCrosse to digitize these writings while many volunteers have been transcribing them to Word documents. All of this is done so that the historical commission can review SOG Sister Thea’s works and develop a report that gives an all-encompassing detail of SOG Sister Thea’s virtuous and pious life.

The historical commission consists of two professors in the field of theology and the archivist for the FSPAs. Technically, they should remain anonymous due to the nature of their work and to avoid any outside influences creating a bias in the process.

Over Labor Day weekend, the historical commission convened in LaCrosse to put eyes on the collection, talk with other FSPA’s who knew the SOG, and create a framework in which to complete their mandate of capturing the SOG’s virtues and documenting all the sources.

In addition to the historical commission, there are two theological censors, also anonymous due to the sensitivity of their work, who examine all of the SOG’s published writings and public statements for orthodoxy to the teachings of the church. These two work independently of each other and submit two separate statements called vota.

On top of the work of the historical commission and the theological censors, we have a scribe, transcribing more than 50 interviews of witnesses who were invited to answer a series of questions about the SOG’s life and virtues – the questionnaire had more than 100 questions, so each interview is rather lengthy.

Finally, once all reports are finished and all writings and interviews transcribed, every single page will be reviewed and given a stamp of approval by the bishop’s delegate and promoter of justice. Then three copies are made of every page for the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which are boxed up and sealed then transported to Rome by the postulator, who has been guiding the whole process. A fourth copy is made and sealed to be kept in the diocesan archive vault.

Once all that arrives at the dicastery, the Roman Phase of examination of the cause begins. During this phase, the postulator under the direction of a staff member of the dicastery writes a summary of all the documentation for the dicastery called the “positio.”

This is examined by a panel of theologians who then vote on whether the SOG has lived a heroic life of virtue. If the majority votes in the positive, then the SOG is recommend for review by the Cardinals and Bishops who are members of the dicastery. If after this review the members agree on the virtuous heroicness of the SOG’s life, then the Prefect of the Dicastery recommends to the Holy Father to declare the SOG “Venerable” by means of an official decree from the Holy See.

I know that was a lot to follow but now you can see how ordered and definitive the process really is. It takes time. Our goal is to have the diocesan phase completed by next summer and off to Rome prior to September 2025.

We invite you to pray for the cause, especially for the historical commission, the theological censors, the transcribers, and the postulator as we continue to follow this unique and noble path. And of course, ask SOG Sister Thea to guide us from above with patience and joy.

(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)

Early Learning Centers: A year-round commitment to academic excellence

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MADISON – Staff from Early Learning Centers around the diocese gathered for a professional development event on Aug. 12 at St. Francis parish in Madison. The diocese has four early learning centers – Assisi ELC in Madison, St. Paul ELC in Flowood, Sisters of Mercy ELC in Vicksburg and St. Richard ELC in Jackson. (Photos by Virginia Hollingsworth and Rachel Patterson)

FAITH IN EDUCATION
By Karla Luke
While most elementary and high schools began their academic year in early August, there are some educators who work tirelessly year-round: the staff at our Early Learning Centers. The Office of Catholic Education proudly oversees four Early Learning Centers within the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, where dedicated teams ensure that children, from infants to toddlers, get a strong start on their academic journey.

The Assisi Early Learning Center in Madison, established in 1987 under the leadership of the beloved Sister Paula Blouin, SSND, continues to thrive. Sister Paula led the center for 34 years, and her legacy is carried on by the current director, Latoya Kelly, who was mentored by Sister Paula.

St. Paul Early Learning Center in Flowood has been a cornerstone of early childhood education since the early 1990s. Recently, it welcomed new leadership: Wendi Murray and Susan Irby, following the retirement of director Jennifer Henry and assistant director Darlene Scanlon.

The Sisters of Mercy Early Learning Center in Vicksburg, named for the religious community who helped staff Catholic schools from their beginnings, opened in 2021, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its establishment was an act of faith and courage by the Vicksburg Catholic community, St. Aloysius and St. Francis. The ELC is currently led by Katie Emfinger.

In March 2024, the newest Early Learning Center opened at St. Richard Parish in Jackson. This modern facility, located in the heart of the city, has the capacity to accommodate 118 students. Ilana Schuetzle, a former preschool teacher at St. Richard Catholic School, serves as the center’s director.

The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first educators of their children. We are honored that parents have entrusted our Early Learning Centers with the beginning of their child’s education. From as early as six weeks old, children enter our centers where learning begins from day one.

For the past three years, the diocese has organized professional development for all caregivers, directors, assistant directors, and staff members at the Early Learning Centers. Around 120 employees gather annually at one of the four centers to receive training on best practices, curriculum development, classroom management, and various other areas of early childhood education.

On Aug. 12, the Assisi Early Learning Center in Madison hosted a professional development event for all four Early Learning Centers. Speakers from the Madison County Pre-School Specialist Training Department included Kelli Dyess, behavior specialist coordinator; Tanya Graves, student support coordinator; and Robyn May, math specialist. Attendees rotated through each presentation, allowing them to engage with all three speakers. The sessions emphasized the critical role of early interactions, from infancy to preschool, in shaping a child’s future academic success. All presenters highlighted the importance of building strong relationships with both children and their families as the foundation for a child’s success.

MADISON – Staff members of Early Learning Centers work on developing counting schools for preschool children.

The training day was well-received by teachers and caregivers alike. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“The speakers were very knowledgeable about their respective topics. I was highly engaged and learned a great deal. I just wish we had more time!” said a staff member from St. Richard ELC.

“I appreciated the intimate setting of the smaller groups. It allowed us to ask questions and engage more deeply with the speakers,” shared Alexis Emfinger of Sisters of Mercy ELC.

“The professional development meeting was very informative and engaging. I have implemented a number of the skills taught into my daily routine,” said Chiquita Brown from Assisi ELC.

“My teachers were excited to implement the behavior strategies they learned, which included both verbal and non-verbal techniques along with positive reinforcement. Nursery teachers were especially eager to read The Pout-Pout Fish book to their babies, and they loved the phonics and reading strategies we discussed,” said Wendi Murray of St. Paul ELC.

This day of learning highlights our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement as educators and administrators. From infancy through high school, we invest in our teachers, who in turn invest even more in our students – both spiritually and academically.

We thank Latoya Kelly and her team for graciously hosting this year’s gathering. We look forward to next year’s Professional Development Day for Early Learning Centers.
In faith, hope, and love…

(Karla Luke is the executive director of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Jackson)

Youth

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Around the diocese

NEW ALBANY – St. Francis of Assisi, Confirmation Mass, Aug. 18, 2024. Pictured front row (l-r) Jocelyn Rangel, Regena Portis, Isela Perez, Evelin Tovar, Jimena Perez and Joanna Martinez Romero. Middle row: Father Jesuraja Xavier, Chris Angel Tiscareno, Angel Guzman, Christopher Chen and Saul Franco Garcia. Top row: German Valles, Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Juan Romero. (Photo by Joanna Manning)

JACKSON – Sixth graders at St. Richard School participated in a “brain break” and class bonding activities during their commissioning retreat. Pictured (l-r): Mary Catherine Vanderloo, Nicholas Morisani, Anthony Ramsey, John Choufani, Andrew Dillon (music teacher) and Joseph Starrett. (Photo by Celeste Saucier)
NATCHEZ – Cathedral School student’s brought flowers with them to Mass on Wednesday, Aug. 21 to honor Coach Mark McCann, who lost his life to cancer this summer. After Mass, members of the senior class brought the flowers to his gravesite. (Photo by Father Aaron M. Williams)
WINONA – Thomas Rosamond, a member of Sacred Heart Winona, recently received the rank of Eagle Scout. He is presently a student at Mississippi State University where he is majoring in chemical engineering and is a member of the Famous Maroon Band. He is pictured with his parents Becky and Ken Rosamond. (Photo by Barbara Ruffo)
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School fifth grader, Khamari Steverson reads a passage at the 50th anniversary Mass for Father Joe Dyer on Friday, Aug. 16 at Christ the King parish. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Strengthening unity: Parish leaders explore cultural competence in ministries

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By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – On Wednesday, Aug. 28 over 70 parish leaders from across the Diocese of Jackson gathered for an intercultural competence workshop held at St. Jude Pearl by the Office of Intercultural Ministry for the diocese. At the event, twelve different countries were represented other than the United States, including Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Columbia and Mexico, among others. The event spoke to the reality present that diocesan ministries need to learn to serve within the cultural reality of the diocese.

The workshop, focusing on culture in general and not on a particular one, explored topics such as how culture works, parameters of culture, communications skills and the movements of parish integration.
Deacon Juan Carlos Pagán of the Diocese of Lafayette was one of the featured speakers at the event. Originally from Puerto Rico, with a “Cajun” wife of 25 years, he spoke on the need of inculturation – wrapping the core message in a way that other cultures can understand.

PEARL – Several participants from the Diocese of Jackson gathered for a photo outside of St. Jude parish after a workshop on intercultural competence led by Deacon Juan Carlos Pagán of the Diocese of Lafayette and Olga Lucia Villar, executive director of the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI). (Photo by Tereza Ma)

With all of the different countries represented that were present at the event, Deacon Pagán said that “we need to learn how to serve in ways that are applicable to the different cultural realities.”

Using the Blessed Virgin Mary as an example, he pointed out that in her different apparitions, she appears in the image of the people she is speaking to. “Guadalupe is a great example,” said Deacon Pagán. “You have Mary showing up dressed in a way that indigenous people could understand who she was. This is an example of inculturation – it’s the wrapping of the truth of Jesus Christ … in a package that is understandable for the recipients.”

Statistics of our changing diocese were also featured during the event. Bishop Joseph Kopacz spoke briefly at the intercultural workshop on the extensive CARA study undertaken through the pastoral reimagining process the diocese undertook over the past year, that now continues on a parish level. He said it was important for parish leaders to be grounded in reality regarding the make-up of the demographics in the diocese and note “who will be the Catholic population going forward 20-30 years.”
Bishop Kopacz said that for the purpose of evangelization, some parish communities did not realize the size of the Catholic population in their areas that are not attending church until viewing the CARA study. Many want to reach out and bring them into the Catholic community and doing that through elevating intercultural competence is a step in the right direction, he said.

Also speaking at the event was Olga Lucia Villar, who currently serves as executive director for the US Catholic Bishops Southeast Office for Hispanic Ministry and the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI). Columbian by birth, she immigrated as a teenager with her family to Miami in 1987.

Using stories from her wide berth of experiences on the parish level and world-wide missionary experiences, Villar painted a picture of a world with intercultural interaction as a way of life and not a problem to be solved.

She asked all present at the event to keep an image of Jesus and the church that he dreams about in the forefront of everything done to further the work of the church as the Body of Christ.

“Think, do my actions and my pastoral work do reflect that Jesus that … invites us to follow him,” said Villar.

She says that learning is the key to bridging the gap between cultures. “Ask, how much am I willing to continue learning,” said Villar. “Is Jesus done with me? Am I all that He dreamt of me to be … or do I have more room for growth in my faith and in my way of seeing life.”

Villar outlined nine movements to foster an environment of understanding between cultures. The moments include:

  • Reaching out and meeting communities where they are;
  • Welcoming groups into parish life by showing hospitality;
  • Developing ministries and ministers to the new communities;
  • Building relationships across cultures and ministries;
  • Championing leadership development and formation for ministry;
  • Open wide the doors for decision-making process by making space at the table where decisions are made on culturally specific ministries;
  • Strengthening a sense of ownership with meaningful ways to be involved in the life of the parish faith community;
  • Sowing and reaping full ownership and stewardship by allowing cultural groups to contribute their time, talent and treasure to the parish; and
  • Achieving the full commitment to the mission of the parish by strengthening the unity of the parish while honoring its diversity.

“We are a eucharistic people,” said Villar. “Think what … Jesus asks of us today in the church that needs healing, reconciliation, that needs to renew its sense of hospitality of being embraced.”Sister Amelia Breton, SBS, of the Office of Intercultural Ministry for the diocese, was pleased with the level of participation at the event and said that the purpose of the event was to assist leaders to better understand the dynamics of other cultures.

“The communities across the diocese are so different, especially within the Hispanic communities,” said Sister Amelia. “It reminds me that diversity is greater and more complex than we can imagine.” Sister Amelia plans to continue conversations on best practices in working in intercultural parishes and also held a similar workshop in Spanish at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Houston on Saturday, Sept. 7.

(Editor’s Note: The CARA study completed through the pastoral reimagining process on the demographics of the Catholic population in the Diocese of Jackson can be viewed at https://bit.ly/CARA_CDJ. For more resources on Intercultural Ministry contact Sister Amelia Breton, SBS at amelia.breton@jacksondiocese.org.)

Half-century of faith: Father Joe Dyer continues to serve

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By Joanna Puddister King and Tereza Ma
JACKSON – Being a priest for 50 years, one could imagine the immense changes in that half of a century. For Father Joe Dyer, the first Black diocesan priest in Mississippi, God threw him “many surprises.”
Celebrating 50 years of priesthood on Friday, Aug. 16 at Christ the King parish in Jackson was a full-circle moment for Father Dyer, having been his first assignment in the Diocese of Jackson as associate pastor shortly after his ordination to the priesthood in 1974.

Father Dyer was ordained by Bishop Joseph Brunini in New Orleans at St. Mary of the Angels Church – an event he was “forever grateful” to Bishop Brunini for allowing him to be ordained at one of the parishes of his youth.

Growing up in New Orleans, Father Dyer recalled his home church of Holy Redeemer a “colored” parish that was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy, a powerful category 4 storm in 1965 that breached levees and inundated neighborhoods. After that, the family and others from the parish found their home at a local “white” parish – St. Mary of the Angels.

JACKSON – Father Joe Dyer celebrates Mass with Father Tony Arguelles of the Diocese of Biloxi on his 50th anniversary of priesthood on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. Also pictured are Sister Thea Bowman School students Zachary Gordon (fourth grade) and Harry Chia (fifth grade) with Bishop Joseph Kopacz. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Father Tony Ricard of the Archdiocese of New Orleans was in attendance at Father Dyer’s 50th anniversary celebration and both attended the same high school though about 20 years apart – St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. The school has turned out 12 Black Catholic priests over the past 50 years and Father Dyer was the first.

“So, at school we refer to him as our ‘Proto-Priest.’ Meaning that he was the first to come from us,” said Father Tony. “He’s been a great inspiration to all of the young men that have gone on to become priests from our school. … When we talk about him, we talk about his ministry and the fact that soon he’ll be 80 years old, but he hasn’t stopped yet.”

After beginning his service at Christ the King in Jackson, Father Dyer served at Holy Family Jackson, St. John Oxford, Sacred Heart Canton, Holy Child Jesus Canton, St. Michael Forest, St. Michael Paulding, St. Anne Newton, St. Martin de Porres before his full-circle moment serving back at Christ the King Jackson as sacramental minister and spending time with children at Sister Thea Bowman School after his retirement in February of 2018.

At his anniversary celebration, many gathered from parishes Father Dyer served at over the years and from New Orleans, sharing fond memories and the profound impact he has had on their lives.
Joyce Brasfield Adams recalled when he brought her into the Catholic Church in 1986 at Holy Family parish in Jackson. “Father Joe believed in me before I believed in myself,” said Adams. “I thank God for Father Joe.”

The Le family of St. Michael Forest made the trip to celebrate Father Dyer’s anniversary, recalling family trips and immersing him in Vietnamese culture. Andrew Le was an altar server for Father Dyer while serving at St. Michael Forest for a period of 11 years and even had the pleasure of altar serving with him on a cruise ship. Le was also honored to bring Father Dyer along for a Vietnamese Catholic retreat – Marian Days – in Missouri where tens of thousands of Vietnamese Catholics gather for a spiritual pilgrimage and social festival. “He means the world to us,” said Amy Le, who Father Dyer confirmed to the Catholic faith years ago.

As Father Dyer continues his celebration of 50 years of priesthood and 80 years of life, his journey of faith continues on. “My sacramental life is now as a priest who still finds joy and purpose administering the sacraments to God’s people,” said Father Dyer.

Radiating the light of faith: Lessons from St. Gregory the Great

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
“We do not proclaim ourselves. Rather we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for the sake of Jesus. For the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has enabled his light to shine in our hearts to enlighten them with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. However, we hold this treasure in earthen vessels so that it may be clear that this immense power belongs to God and does not derive from us.” (2Corinthians 4:5-7)

This scripture passage is taken from the first reading on the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great at the Mass for the Diocesan Catholic School Teacher Development Day last week. The life of this great Doctor of the western church, one of four along with Saints Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome, is an exceptional prism to view the varied dimensions of Catholic School educators. As in the life of Pope St. Gregory the Great, all educators in the faith are called upon to celebrate, live and circulate the treasure of faith, and not simply hold it within tucked away as if in a safety deposit box.

St. Gregory served as Pope from 590-604 AD. Throughout much of his life and especially as the successor of St. Peter the glory of God was evident, illuminating the presence of Jesus Christ in the church and in society.

He grew up in a prominent family in Rome, was well educated, a man of deep faith and very committed to service. Upon the death of his parents, he directed his wealth to the establishment of monasteries, assuming the vocation of a monk and serving as the Abbot. His administrative gifts were widely recognized and Pope Pelagius II who ordained him a deacon in 579 sent him as a legate to Constantinople. He returned to his monastery after his tour of duty in the East, but with the death of the Pope Pelagius in the plague that swept through Rome, by popular acclaim in the church and in society Gregory was swept into the papal office.

Imm. Conception Church, New Munich MN

By the grace of God his accomplishments were legion over his 15 years at the center of the church. From the heart of the monastery, he brought Gregorian Chant into the mainstream of the church. Steeped in the scriptures he expended great effort in the renewal of the clergy, including the office of bishop. He commissioned missionaries far and wide to Africa, France, Spain, and to present day England and Scotland to convert the Anglo Saxons. The propagation of the faith is the church’s irrepressible missionary impulse, the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28) and is integral to the ministry of the pope. At this very hour I am writing, Pope Francis is on a missionary journey to Asia, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, East Timor, etc. As a final note, St. Gregory was an accomplished scholar whose writings remain a cherished part of the church’s treasury.

Amid all his scholarship, and accomplishments, in the Office of Readings for his feast day we have a glimpse of the heart of the man who knew he was an earthen vessel who held an eternal treasure. “Indeed, when I was in the monastery, I could curb my idle talk and usually be absorbed in my prayers. Since I assumed the burden of pastoral care, my mind is concerned with so many matters. I must weigh the behavior and acts of individuals. I am responsible for the concerns of our citizens. I must worry about the invasions of roving bands of barbarians and beware of the wolves who lie in wait for my flock. With my mind divided and torn to pieces by so many problems how can I meditate, or preach, or teach, or lead wholeheartedly? Moreover, at times I let my tongue run, and because I am weak, I find myself drawn little by little into idle conversation, and I begin to talk freely about matters I would have avoided. … So, who am I to be a watchman, for I do not stand firmly on the mountain of action, but lie down in the valley of weakness? However, the all-powerful creator and redeemer of mankind can give me despite my weakness a higher life and effective speech; because I love him, I do not spare myself in speaking of him.” Gregory described his ministry as Servant of the Servants of God, a title that has anchored the papacy to Jesus Christ the Servant ever since.

The key for all of us, like Pope St. Gregory, is the treasure we hold in the earthen vessels of our lives, the weakness and vulnerability from within, and often the unpredictability around us. The treasure is the faith, hope and love, this year’s theme for our Catholic School communities, that is the glory of God shining on the face of Jesus Christ. From the center of the church to all points on the compass, all the baptized are called to be disciples radiating the One who is the light of the world, true God from true God.

Dark memory

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Inside each of us, beyond what we can picture clearly, express in words, or even feel distinctly, we have a dark memory of having once been touched and caressed by hands far gentler than our own. That caress has left a permanent mark, an imprint of a love so tender and deep that its memory becomes a prism through which we see everything else. This imprint lies beyond conscious memory but forms the center of our soul.

This is not an easy concept to explain. Bernard Lonergan, one of the great intellectuals of the past century, tried to explain it philosophically by saying we bear inside us “the brand of the first principles,” namely, the oneness, truth, goodness and beauty which are the attributes of God. That’s accurate, but abstract. Maybe the old myths and legends capture it better when they say that, before birth, each soul is kissed by God, and it then goes through life always in some dark way remembering that kiss and measuring everything it experiences in relation to that original sweetness. To be in touch with your heart is to be in touch with this primordial kiss, with both its preciousness and its meaning.

What exactly is being said here?

Within each of us, at that place where all that is most precious within us lives, there is an inchoate sense of having once been touched, caressed, loved, and valued in a way that is beyond anything we have ever consciously experienced. In fact, all the goodness, love, value, and tenderness we experience in life fall short precisely because we are already in touch with something deeper. When we feel frustrated, angry, betrayed, violated or enraged, it is because our outside experience is antithetical to what we already hold dear inside.

We all have this place, a place in the heart, where we hold all that is most precious and sacred to us. From that place our own kisses issue forth, as do our tears. It is the place that we most guard from others, but the place where we would most want others to come into; the place where we are the most deeply alone and the place of intimacy; the place of innocence and the place where we are violated; the place of our compassion and the place of our rage. In that place we are holy. There we are temples of God, sacred churches of truth and love. There we bear God’s image.

But this needs understanding: the image of God inside of us is not a beautiful icon stamped inside of our soul. No. The image and likeness of God inside us is energy, fire and memory; especially the memory of a touch so tender and loving that its goodness and truth become the prism through which we ultimately see everything. Thus, we recognize goodness and truth outside of us precisely because they resonate with something that is already inside us. Things touch our hearts when they touch us here. Isn’t it because we have already been deeply touched and caressed that we passionately seek a soulmate, that we seek someone to join us in this intimate place?

And, consciously and unconsciously, we measure everything in life by how it touches this place: why do certain experiences touch us so deeply? Why do our hearts burn within us in the presence of any truth, love, goodness or tenderness that is genuine and deep? Is not all deep knowledge simply a waking up to something we already know? Is not all love simply a question of being respected for something we already are? Are not the touch and tenderness that bring ecstasy nothing other than the stirring of deep memory? Are not the ideals that inspire hope only the reminder of words somebody has already spoken to us? Does not our desire for innocence (and innocent means “not wounded”) mirror some primal unwounded place deep within us? And when we feel violated, is it not because someone has irreverently entered the sacred inside us?

When we are in touch with this memory and respect its sensitivities, we are in touch with our souls. At those times, faith, hope and love will spring up in us, joy and tears will both flow through us freely, and we will be deeply affected by the innocence and beauty of children, as pain and gratitude alternately bring us to our knees.

That is what it means to be recollected, centered. To be truly ourselves is to remember, to touch and to feel the memory of God’s original touch in us. That memory fires our energy and provides us with a prism through which to see and understand.

Sadly, today, too often a wounded, calloused, cynical, over sophisticated and overly adult world invite us to forget God’s kiss in the soul, to view this as childish. But, unless we lie to ourselves and harden ourselves against our own ourselves (the most dangerous of all activities), we will always remember, dimly, darkly, unrelentingly, the caress of God.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Adoration anchors one’s life in Jesus, pope says

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The best way to ensure evangelization is about Jesus and not about oneself is to spend time in prayer and especially in Eucharistic adoration, Pope Francis told members of the Oblates of St. Joseph.

“Young people do not need us; they need God,” the pope told members of the order’s general chapter during a meeting at the Vatican Aug. 26.

“The more we live in his presence, the more we are able to help them encounter him without unnecessary protagonism and having only their salvation and full happiness at heart,” the pope said.

People today, but especially young people, he said, live in a world where what seems to count most is what is on the outside: one’s appearance, achievements or adventures.

Pope Francis talks about the plight of migrants during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Aug. 28, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

“But a life lived all ‘outside’ leaves the inside empty like someone who spends all his time on the street and lets his home fall into disrepair for lack of care and love,” the pope said. Instead, “make your hearts, your communities (and) your religious houses places where the warmth of familiarity with God and among brothers and sisters can be felt and shared.”

The life of every Christian, but especially of a member of a religious order, must be anchored in “a daily ‘being’ with Jesus,” he said. “Let’s not delude ourselves: without him we do not stand, none of us. We each have our own frailties, and without the Lord to sustain us, we would not stand.”

Participating in the sacraments, listening to and meditating on Scripture and spending time before Jesus in the Eucharist are essential parts of religious life, he said.

“I want to emphasize this: Sometimes we neglect adoration, the prayer of adoration, silence before the Lord,” Pope Francis said. The priests and brothers in the order should imitate St. Joseph, their patron, and the way he responded to “the immense gift of having the very Son of God made man in his home: by being with him, listening to him, talking to him and sharing with him the life of every day.”

The pope also asked members of the general chapter to think about their sins and notice how “when you fell into sin it was because you were not close to the Lord. That is always the case. Those who are close to the Lord immediately cling to him and do not fall.”