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World Day for Migrants and Refugees highlights apostolic nature of the church

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

Sunday, Sept. 24 marked the 110th commemoration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in our Catholic Church tradition. This commemoration was inaugurated in 1914 by Pope Benedict XV at the peak of immigration from southern and eastern Europe to the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Both sets of my grandparents immigrated from Italy and Poland in 1914-1915 seeking a life of dignity, rooted in faith, family and hard work.

This year Pope Francis has chosen the theme, Free to Migrate – Free to Stay. With this designation the Holy Father is only reminding the nations of the world of Articles 13 and 14 from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights that state: (13) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own and to return to his country. (14) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

In our time the reality and plight of hundreds of millions of immigrants, migrants and refugees, displaced by natural disasters, war and violence, and unyielding conditions of poverty often strain the spiritual and material resources of many nations. However, there have been admirable responses to the waves of the displaced, for example, with Poland’s welcoming of millions of Ukrainians, Lebanon’s reception of Syrians, and in our own country, the daily processing of 1000s of immigrants, refugees and migrants. All of this is best proclaimed in the spirit of Lady Liberty in New York harbor. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, send these the homeless tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp besides the golden door.”

Yet, there are many in every generation of Americans who struggle with the reality of immigration, or who are even hostile toward the waves of migration that have come to our shores and borders. Today, the sheer number of immigrants at our southern border daily strain the resources of the receiving communities and states. The conditions that drive this mass exodus of people from their homelands will not change any time soon and challenge all of us in the United States, especially living on or near the border to respond at the very least, humanely and respectfully.

Recalling St. Paul’s instruction to the Philippians from last Sunday’s second reading, “to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27a) the bar is even higher for a more humane and respectful response from those who are the Lord’s disciples.

The Holy Spirit who unveils the heart and mind of Jesus Christ and his Gospel, can illuminate the path to follow the Lord who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus understood the experience of living in the flesh in everything but sin. (Hebrews 4:15-16) He responded to people’s spiritual and bodily needs with compassion and care.

In the light of the 110th anniversary, on behalf of migrants and refugees; soon after his birth Jesus, Joseph and Mary became refugees in Egypt seeking asylum, running for their lives away from King Herod’s raging paranoia.

Many are on the move today for similar threats to their lives. Throughout his life, Jesus Christ the exile in this world from heaven, had no status in the Roman world and so could be and was crucified. But God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) The mystery of God’s plan of salvation reveals that in the resurrection from the dead “you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one, and has broken down the dividing wall, that is the hostility between us.” (Eph 2:13-14)

Therefore, driven by a love that cannot be walled in, and inspired to a mission that does not let anyone be walled out; the church continues to transcend borders, build bridges and build communities that are a sign of God’s presence among us. Moreover, the conviction of our faith that our citizenship is in heaven can transform our earthly allegiances and guide us from otherness to oneness, and from alienation to communion.

Confessing Jesus as Lord, means that Caesar is not. As Christians follow Jesus as Lord, they challenge the deification of money, the idolatry of the state and the glorification of power. Before God all are one. Here is the bulwark against an ideology of racial superiority, here is the challenge to absolute claims of natural or cultural boundaries, here is the basis for all human dignity, including the dignity of strangers in the land, the right of the migrant to cross borders, whether in fleeing danger or seeking opportunity; the obligation to welcome the stranger and to provide refuge and respect. (The Theology of Migration – Daniel G. Goody) This is the biblical vision which is embraced by the universal declaration of human rights.

In 1914 when Pope Benedict XV inaugurated a World Day for Migrants and Refugees, he understood the apostolic nature of the church; the Body of Christ perpetually in motion, a migrant church, sent into the world on the day of Pentecost with missionary zeal, scattered among the nations by persecutions and martyrdom, perennially and faithfully bearing the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ until the Lord comes again. Although we are not of the world because we strive to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, we are in the world and for the world, for the ultimate good of all.

Called by Name

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New posters are coming soon! Each year I’m excited to publish a new seminarian poster with the happy faces of our current seminarians. I love to see how guys ‘move up the ranks.’ For example, in 2020 and 2021, Grayson Foley was in the last spot on the poster and now he’s fourth in line (almost on the top row!) as he continues to progress through the program. Will Foggo is now second on the list, and it seemed like yesterday that he was second to last! It’s also fun to see when guys get their ‘collar.’ Deacon Tristan Stovall spent three years on the poster collar-less, but now he’s been wearing his roman collar for years as he makes the final approach to priestly ordination.

Father Nick Adam

  One of the biggest changes this year is the way that the ‘classes’ are listed on the poster. In years past, we designated the seminarians according to their academic standing. A seminarian listed as 2nd Philosophy meant that he was in his second year of philosophy studies. But the US Bishops recently approved a new Program for Priestly Formation, and instead of focusing on the academic standing of each seminarian, they are asking us to see their formation through the lens of ‘stages.’

The first stage that is required for seminarians now is the Propaedeutic Stage, or preparatory stage. During this time, the seminarian learns how to be a seminarian, and his class load is less than a typical undergraduate student. Once he clears this stage of formation, he moves onto the Discipleship Stage. During this time, the seminarian is expected to be growing in Christian virtue as a student of Jesus, the High Priest. He needs to show growth in charity, and of course continue to pass his classes as they start to ramp up to a normal undergraduate load. By the end of this stage, this man should be a public man of prayer and virtue, and someone who is showing real potential to be a pastor in the church.

The next step is the Configurative Stage, where the man receives Candidacy (he starts to wear the Roman collar), and he is now a public man of the church. He is being configured through continued study, prayer and practice into a man who is not only a disciple, but a shepherd. Once he has completed this stage, the seminarian is ready for diaconate ordination, or the Pastoral Synthesis Stage. During his time as a deacon, the seminarian uses all that he has learned in seminary formation and applies it to his life in the diocese and in a specific parish. Using the language of the new program Deacon Tristan, for example is in the Pastoral Synthesis Stage of his journey to priesthood, instead of his 4th Year of Theology.

It may seem tedious to change this language, but it is certainly helpful for me as I walk with our seminarians. I need to make sure I’m not just worried about whether they pass their classes, but I need to make sure I’m preparing them to go to the next stage of discernment. So far, I’ve heard good things from our men regarding these changes to their formation, and I believe the church is right to focus on formation, rather than simply completion of academic requirements.

Praying for vocations means understanding church’s needs, pope says

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By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While vocations to the Catholic priesthood and religious life are declining in developed countries around the world, prayers for vocations should not try to “convince” God to send more workers for the church but seek to better understand the needs of its people, Pope Francis said.
Meeting with a group of Rogationists and Daughters of Divine Zeal at the Vatican Sept. 18, the pope praised the example of their founder, St. Hannibal di Francia, who made praying for vocations central to the charisms of the congregations he began.

St. Hannibal, he said, “understood that the first thing to do was pray, certainly not to convince God to send shepherds, as if he did not care for his people, but to let himself be overwhelmed by the deep passion of his paternal and maternal love, to learn – by praying – to be sensitive to the needs of his children.”

Pope Francis speaks to members of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus and the Daughters of Divine Zeal during a meeting at the Vatican Sept. 18, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The 19th-century Sicilian saint founded the congregations after drawing inspiration from a passage in St. Matthew’s Gospel, in which Jesus says, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” St. John Paul II called St. Hannibal’s desire to dedicate “unceasing and universal” prayer for vocations a “providential intuition” when he declared him a saint in 2004.

Pope Francis said this type of prayer is particularly practiced in eucharistic adoration, where “docile and humble before God, one receives a specific understanding about the sense of his or her own life.”

The pope urged those walking in the path of St. Hannibal to be “specialists” in God, not through abstract theory, but in prayer and charity to communicate God to the world through their example.

“This is your mission,” he told them, “for even today the Lord is calling, and so many young people need credible witnesses and guides who, by showing them the beauty of a life spent in love, will help them to say ‘yes.’”

Giving up on fear

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
A friend of mine shares this story. He was an only child. When he was in his late twenties, still single, building a successful career and living in the same city as his mother and father, his father died, leaving his mother widowed. His mother, who had centered her life on her family and on her son, was understandably devastated. Much of her world collapsed, she’d lost her husband, but she still had her son.

Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

The next years were not always easy for her son. His mother had lost much of her world, save him, and he felt a heavy responsibility toward her. She lived for his visits. His days off and his vacation times had to be spent with her. Much as he loved his mother, it was a burden that prevented him from having the social life and relational freedom he yearned for, and it prevented him from making some career decisions that he would otherwise have made. He had to take care of his mother, to be there for her. As one can guess, their times together were sometimes a test of loyalty and duty for the son. But he did it faithfully, year after year. There was no one else his mother could lean on.

When his mother’s health began to decline, she sold her house and moved into a Seniors’ complex. Most times on his day off he would pick up his mother, take her for a drive in the country, and then take her to dinner before dropping her back at her mini apartment. One day on such an outing, driving along a country road in silence, his mother broke the quiet with words that both surprised him and, for the first time in a long time, had his full attention.

She shared words to this effect: Something huge has happened in my life. I’ve given up on fear. All my life I have been afraid of everything – of not measuring up, of not being good enough, of being boring, of being excluded, of being alone, of ending up alone, of ending up without any money or a place to live, of people talking about me behind my back. I’ve been afraid of my own shadow. Well, I’ve given up on fear. And why not? I’ve lost everything – my husband, my place in society, my home, my physical looks, my health, my teeth and my dignity. I’ve nothing left to lose anymore, and do you know something? It’s good! I’m not afraid of anything anymore. I feel free in a way I have never felt before. I’ve given up on fear.

For the first time in a long time, he began to listen closely to what his mother was saying. He also sensed something new in her, a new strength and a deeper wisdom from which he wished to drink. The next time he took her for a drive, he said to her: Mom, teach me that. Teach me how not to be afraid.
She lived for two more years and during those years he took her for drives in the country and for lunches and dinners together, and he drew something from her, from that new strength in her, that he had not been able to draw from before. When she eventually died and he lost her earthly presence, he could only describe what she had given him in those final years by using biblical terms: “My mother gave me birth twice, once from below and once from above.”

It’s not easy to give up on fear, nor to teach others how to do so. Fear has such a grip on us because for most of our lives we in fact have much to lose. So, it’s hard, understandably so, not to live with a lot of fear for most of our lives. Moreover, this is not a question of being mature or immature, spiritual or earthy. Indeed, sometimes the more mature and spiritual we are, the more we appreciate the preciousness of life, of health, of family, of friendship, of community – all of which have their own fragility and all of which we can lose. There are good reasons to be afraid.

It is no accident that this man’s mother was able to move beyond fear only after she had lost most everything in life. God and nature recognize that and have written it into the aging process. The aging process is calibrated to take us to a place where we can give up on fear because as we age and lose more and more of our health, our importance in the world, our physical attractiveness, our loved ones to death and our dignity, we have less and less to lose – and less and less to be afraid of.

This is one of nature’s last gifts to us, and living in a way that others see this new freedom in us can also be one of the last great gifts we leave behind with those we love.

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

Gossip

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FROM THE HERMITAGE
By Sister alies therese

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NAB, John 1:1) That God spoke one word is a clue for us because folks who babble and gossip are insecure, undermining and silly. I have to put it that way because it describes most of us!

In Proverbs and other places in Scripture we can learn. Consider in Proverbs 13:2 “the good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life.” (Peterson) I can only hope to discover how to learn to speak the simplest and most direct and loving words as I mature. How shall my words not bully anyone, how can I speak with the ‘tongue of angels’? How can I learn to speak the truth? Can I speak in love?

Sister alies therese

Gossip is something that gets under my skin. Yours? Rumors and tales that particularly feature my neighbors or friends really get my goat. Proverbs again reminds us of this: “troublemakers start fights, gossip breaks up friendships.” (16:28, Peterson) “Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs – no slander or gossip please.” (24:28, Peterson).

Not gossiping is not just ‘good behavior’; it is also quite practical. “The person who lies gets caught; the person who spreads rumors is ruined.” (NAB, Proverbs 19:9) Rumors that are spread on internet, for example, about teens being fat, or ugly, or indeed promiscuous, have ended in suicide and at least eating disorders.

“The words of the wicked kill; the speech of the upright saves.” (12:8, Peterson) Political discourse is damaged by the passing of lies and rumor; the public square is littered with persons executed behind lies and false witnesses. Gossip indeed is a killer.

Did you hear the one about? And then off it goes. Some bits of truth are usually embedded within, but the rest implies a certain knowledge, certain power, certain insight into something that is just not true. One day it will be about you.

Sharon Schweitzer, an international etiquette expert points this out “Talk badly about people too often and your reputation of being a rumormonger will make others stop trusting you.” You might answer, however, what I found in an old Reader’s Digest: “I’m not a gossip. I’m a verbal documenter of other people’s dramas!” Or as to say…I have a right to pass on what I see and hear. Think so?

Another old Reader’s Digest mentioned “You can’t believe everything you hear but you can repeat it.” Perhaps you don’t know the difference between truth and lies? Zip yer lip, especially in this case! “Watch the way you talk…say only what helps. Each word is a gift.” (Peterson, Eph 4:29).

I was impressed with psychiatrist Dr. Ned Hallowell, who defined gossip as a “sharing information-real or imagined-without permission.” He also indicated how gossip is emotional sadism because “people tend to take pleasure in someone else’s misery and delight that it’s not happening to them!” Gossip and rumors steal a person’s dignity, they put another person at their lowest where they often have no way of restoration. If you want to be part of another’s destruction, try gossip. “Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.” (Peterson, Proverbs 17:4)

Rather become what Proverbs also suggests “Irresponsible talk makes a real mess of things; but reliable reporter is a healing presence.” (Peterson, Proverbs 13:17) Let’s go for that because “gossip is like a black hole – once we get sucked in it’s hard to escape.” (letslearnslang.com)

Children often have the right question, if not the right answer. When asked, a dad defined a gossiper for his son as a “a person with a profound sense of rumor.” A little girl, when asked how she knew she was loved said “when people say your name, you know it’s safe in their mouth.” Are words and tales safe in your mouth?

“Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better use of language than that … thanksgiving is our dialect.” (Peterson, Ephesians 5:4)

Blessings.

PS: My newest collection of short stories 27 Tall Tales will be out soon!

(Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)

Observing Hispanic Heritage Month as Catholics

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Journeying Together
By Hosffman Ospino

Every year, between September 15 and October 15, the United States observes Hispanic Heritage Month. The observance began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and, in 1988, was extended by law into a full-month celebration.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, we all are invited to honor and highlight the many stories, experiences and contributions of Hispanics living in the United States, which are integral to who we are as a nation.

For U.S. Catholics, Hispanic Heritage Month should be a major occasion to affirm and celebrate who we are and who we are becoming. Of the approximately 63.7 million Hispanic people living in this country, about 31 million self-identify as Catholic. What’s more, about 43% of all Catholics in the United States of America are Hispanic.

Educational institutions at all levels in our nation engage in different activities to highlight Hispanic cultural elements and learn more about the Hispanic population. Teachers do a superb job creating moments where this happens, in the classroom and through school wide activities. Many other organizations do likewise.

Dr. Hoffsman Ospino

I must say, however, that I do not see the same level of enthusiasm observing Hispanic Heritage Month in our Catholic parishes. It is rather strange since nearly half of all U.S. Catholics are Hispanic and fully 25% of parishes have developed some form of Hispanic ministry.

We don’t seem to have developed a strong culture of parochial observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. But that can change. A communal culture is built through small practices and the commitment to perform these regularly. Here are five practical ideas.
–Start with the parish bulletin and social media. Write a weekly article about Hispanic Catholics; highlight the Hispanic community of your parish or your town; explain a Hispanic popular Catholicism practice (e.g., posadas, altarcitos, quinceañeras); share the story of a U.S. Hispanic; Latin American or Caribbean saint; invite young Hispanics to write something about growing up in a Hispanic Catholic household.

–Set up a book display in the back of your church, or at the parish hall or perhaps in the parish office (think of an often-frequented space in your community) with works that describe Hispanic Catholicism and books written by Hispanic Catholics: poetry, novels, theological works, spirituality guides. The literature on Hispanic Catholicism is abundant!

–Organize at least one evening parish lecture or presentation during this special month with a speaker who shares something interesting about Hispanic Catholics. Promote the event among all parishioners of your community. If your community is multilingual, host events in different languages. Ah, make sure you offer some Hispanic food!

–Those who preach can take advantage of this time of the year to intentionally say something about the Hispanic Catholic experience from the pulpit as they break open the Word. Catechists and teachers in the parish should be encouraged to share about Hispanic Catholicism in their lessons. Give them some resources.

–This is the perfect time of the year to invite your parish community into fiesta! It does not take much to bring the community together to enjoy each other’s presence. It could be a picnic, a large meal or maybe a bazaar. Share Hispanic food and music. Start with a bilingual or multilingual Eucharistic celebration. Pray in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Latin American indigenous languages.

These practices don’t take much effort and cost rather little. The effects upon the parish community can be invaluable as they help us to appreciate our Hispanic Catholic roots more. Such practices are instrumental in reminding us who we are and who we are becoming as U.S. Catholics. Happy Catholic celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month!

(Hosffman Ospino is a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College.)

Parish forgives vandal behind beheaded Jesus statue at Louisiana Catholic school

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By Gina Christian
A Louisiana Catholic parish and its school are mourning the destruction of a beloved, life-sized statue of Jesus – and extending forgiveness and prayers to the perpetrator – after its decapitation during the overnight hours of Sept. 12-13.

Father James Rome, parochial administrator of Holy Savior Parish in Lockport, Louisiana, told OSV News the statue, located outside Holy Savior School, had been struck sometime after 10:30 p.m. Sept. 12.
“We have not been able to locate the head of the statue,” he said. “It’s missing.”

Father Rome said the statue had possibly been “hit from the back of the head,” since “there were cement marks on the front side” of the figure.

Following vandalism to a beloved life-sized statue of Jesus during the overnight hours of Sept. 12-13, parishioners at Holy Savior Parish in Lockport, La., left a message of forgiveness for the unknown perpetrator, invoking Jesus’ words from Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (OSV News/Father James Rome, Holy Savior Parish)

The statue, which was some 50 years old, had “no rebar (reinforcing bar) in the head” and was “fully attached to the ground,” he said, making it difficult for an attacker to topple the entire figure.

Security cameras have so far not turned up any images of a suspect, he said.

Father Rome said such an incident has “never happened before” at his parish or school.
“We’ve had some cemetery damage, but nothing like this,” he said. “There are no leads.”

Lockport Chief of Police David Harrelson, Jr. has asked for the public’s help in solving the case.
Anyone with knowledge of this incident is asked to contact the department through the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office dispatch at 985-532-2808, or through Facebook Messenger.
In the meantime, Father Rome said the parish and school community will need to replace the statue altogether, since “it will not be able to be fixed.”

He admitted that finding a “comparable” replica will be difficult.
“We’re not even sure where we got it,” said Father Rome.

He and his parishioners intend to pray for the attacker, focusing on the upcoming Gospel for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, in which Christ tells the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” to highlight the need for forgiveness (Mt 18:21-35).

“We’re just going to use this weekend’s Gospel as an opportunity to reach out with forgiveness, and realize who the real enemy might be working behind this,” said Father Rome. “We hope that person can come to some metanoia, some change.”

Father Rome’s parishioners have already taken that message to heart: the beheaded statue of Christ, with a fresh vase of red and white roses at his feet, now bears a printed sign beneath the etching of the Sacred Heart with Jesus’ words from Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

(Gina Christian is a national reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @GinaJesseReinaer)

Our diocese vandalism story: Bishop reconsecrates church, parish community stronger after desecration

God and country: St. Alphonsus pastor becomes an American citizen

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By Mack Spencer, Enterprise-Journal

MCCOMB – St. Alphonsus Catholic Church is having a celebration as American as apple pie on Sunday.
There are no guarantees that dessert will be available in Liguori Hall, but those summer staples of hamburgers and hot dogs will be plentiful.

As American as the food fare will be, so, too, is the honoree. St. Al’s pastor, Father Suresh Thirumalareddy, is the star of that show, and a naturalized citizen of the United States after a ceremony in New Orleans in June.

MCCOMB – Father Suresh Thirumalareddy sits in the sanctuary of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. He became an American citizen in June 2023. Fathers Augustine Palimattam Poulose and Anthonyclaret Onyeocha became American citizens earlier this year as well. (Photo courtesy of Enterprise-Journal)

Growing up in India, Father Suresh didn’t think much about visiting the United States, and had never harbored a desire to seek American citizenship, though many Indians view this country positively and want to visit, if not immigrate.
“In India, people look at the United States as being a powerful nation – the greatest, most powerful nation on earth,” Father Suresh said. “That’s what we are taught. When people think about leaving, the first option is always to go to America.”

Eventually, he felt a call to take the opportunity afforded through a loan program between his home Guntur Diocese in southern India and the Jackson Diocese to become what could be called an exchange priest here, where there is a shortage of priests to fill the pulpits – but just for a while.

“My dad’s intention was that I would come here and serve as long as I wanted, and then I would come back to my home church,” he said. “I abided by that when he was alive.”

His father died at home after the start of the second wave of COVID-19 in India, following a 15-day stay in a hospital’s intensive care unit with the virus and complications, including two heart attacks.

Father Suresh became close to his predecessor, Father Brian Kaskie, in 2014, when he moved to Pike County after a year in Meridian with an appointment at St. Teresa Catholic Church in Chatawa, which served the nuns of St. Mary of the Pines.

The death of Kaskie, a friend and mentor, as well as his father, coupled with the ongoing priest shortage, led Father Suresh to seriously consider seeking American citizenship.

“I wanted to settle here and join the community,” he said. “My family said, ‘you have given your life to the Lord, you decide what you want.’

“So I started a new life. I said yes to America, and that I would follow the rules of America and be part of the culture and support America where I can.”

Father Suresh applied for and received both his voter identification and an American passport after his naturalization, and he voted in an American election for the first time in this year’s primary. India does not allow dual citizenship, so he sent his original passport to the Indian consulate in Atlanta for cancelation.
India will send him a renunciation certificate, after which he will be able to travel back home on his American passport, but unable to work or buy land in the country.

He has settled into American society despite difficulties when he first came to this country.

“The first year here, I struggled,” he said. “I missed the food, my family and my culture. I lost 28 pounds. I craved Indian food. Now, when I get the chance, I cook Indian food.

“I came to Chatawa in 2014, and I started eating American food with Father Brian. I like American food now. Popeye’s spicy chicken is good, and I like burgers, lobster and crab claws we used to get at the Caboose.”

While quite familiar with English – some authorities consider India to be the largest English-speaking country in the world, due to its colonial history in the British Raj – Father Suresh was sent to two months of classes in Meridian to lessen his accent.

While food and Southern drawls took some getting used to, other aspects of Mississippi were more familiar.

Father Suresh Thirumalareddy signs his American citizenship paperwork during a special ceremony in June 2023. He says that his has found his American family at his parish of St. Alphonsus in McComb. (Photo courtesy of Father Suresh Thirumalareddy)

Mississippi’s summer heat, especially with this year’s string of days in the triple digits, reminded Father Suresh of home, though even the temperatures of 102 and 103 paled somewhat beside the 115 to 120 often experienced in India.

He tries to use the four weeks of vacation afforded him each year to visit friends and family in India during the cooler months, as he has acclimated to Mississippi’s temperature range.

He’s also used to a mix of religions, as southern India has large Catholic and Protestant populations as well as Hindu and Muslim, and they live fairly congenially and harmoniously; whereas northern India is largely Hindu, and the border regions with Pakistan are prone to clashes between Hindus and Muslims.

“It’s peaceful in the south” of India, he said. “There is no threat to Christians, especially in the south. There are friendly relations with Hindus and Muslims. When we had church events, many Hindus would come to celebrate with us. (Hindu) nationalists are not prevalent.”

Despite the difficulties and the differences, Father Suresh is glad to have taken the opportunity to come to Mississippi.

“God blessed me to come here,” he said. “I am happy to work here and serve this church. My life is meant to serve people, and in doing that, I have found another family.”

(Reprinted with permission of the Enterprise-Journal, Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.)

Faith and friendship: Catholic Moms group offers fellowship, spiritual growth

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By John Surratt, The Vicksburg Post

VICKSBURG – Kathleen Harris and Brittany McFall are seeking ladies interested in fellowship, growing spiritually and sharing their experiences of motherhood.

Members of St. Paul Catholic Church, the women are looking to expand the Vicksburg Catholic Moms Group they began in February 2022 to share their experiences in faith and family life.

“Our local Catholic Moms group is partnered with CatholicMomsGroup.com; it’s a ministry run by the Dynamic Women Association of Ontario (Canada),” Harris said. “It’s based in Canada and it’s through the Archdiocese of Toronto. We are just one of 55 groups worldwide within the ministry. The goal is to revive the vocation of motherhood and encourage Catholic moms.”

The goal of the ministry, Harris said, is to revive the vocation to motherhood and encourage Catholic moms to belong to a parish-based community.

“All of our materials are from the larger ministry and are in compliance with Catholic Church’s teaching, and so it includes things like bible studies, a DVD series, speakers, books and information about liturgical living and then they’ve got some webinars,” she said, adding the materials are used during the meetings.

“We gather to pray together and share parenting joys and woes and tips and just to support one another as Catholic moms and to learn about our Catholic faith together and grow spiritually,” Harris said. “I think something very important to note is that we hold our Blessed Mother Mary as our model and for motherhood and a patroness for our ministry.

“The why (for forming the club) for us is just simply because we need each other; our kind of village of moms. We need Jesus and we need Mary as our model. That’s kind of the why, why we do it, why Brittany and I felt we needed a Catholic moms group in town.”

Each meeting consists of four parts – prayer, catechesis, fellowship and then a call to action of what members bring from the meetings.

“We have a wonderful group of multi-generational mothers, so a range of moms at different phases of motherhood, so that we can kind of share our unique experiences and support from wherever we’re at,” Harris said.

“Our group is Catholic moms looking for fellowship with other moms and an opportunity for faith formation so our meeting materials are typically geared toward the moms, but kids are welcome at meetings,” she added. “Whatever works better for the mom that day if they want to bring a kid along and we do have some dedicated moms and tots and we have activities to get some of the young, younger kids involved.”

The group meets monthly in Glynn Hall at St. Paul Catholic Church.

“We have been meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, but right now we’re transitioning to the second Monday unless there’s a major conflict,” Harris said. “If there is a change to that, we post it in the church bulletins around town. We have a group message system that we’ll post it in and we send emails to our email list.”

“Even though we meet at St. Paul’s and St. Paul’s is our home base, it’s open to all Catholic moms so it’s not just St. Paul Catholic moms,” McFall said.

She said the group recently attended the first Saturday Mass at St. Edwards in Tallulah and the pastor, the Rev. Ryan Humphreys gave a talk about the Blessed Mother.

“When we did that, it wasn’t just the moms; it was the whole families were invited,” McFall said.

“It’s two hours Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.,” Harris said. “It’s an opportunity for moms to learn about our ministry and discuss future meetings and it would be a great opportunity for a mom to get involved. There are no commitments or anything, but just getting together. We’re going to watch some of the videos about like the meetings and planning and let the Holy Spirit guide us from there.”

The Catholic Moms website is www.catholicmomsgroup.com. Mothers wishing to contact Harris or McFall can email them at vicksburgcatholicmomsgroup@gmail.com.

Reprinted with permission of The Vicksburg Post.

(John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.)