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Church in Morocco, pope offer prayers after quake; death toll rises to more than 2,800

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By Maria-Pia Negro Chin
(OSV News) – Rescuers continue to search through the rubble in the hopes of finding survivors after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco the night of Sept. 8, killing more than 2,800 people and causing widespread destruction.

Search and rescue teams continue their attempt to reach those in isolated villages closer to the earthquake’s epicenter. Previous attempts to help had been delayed by fallen rocks covering the roads leading to the hard-hit rural communities.

The deadly quake’s epicenter was reported to be in the High Atlas mountains, about 44.7 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of historic Marrakech, a city of about 840,000 people. The villages in these areas were reported to have suffered the worst destruction, with buildings falling and killing many of the villagers while they were asleep.

Even as some aid was starting to reach the villages Sept. 9 and 10, media reports shared that survivors were struggling to find food, water and shelter.

The Sept. 8 earthquake struck shortly after 11 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which said its preliminary magnitude was 6.8 and it lasted several seconds, with a 4.9 aftershock hitting the area minutes later. The quake was the strongest to hit that part of the North African nation in 120 years, according to USGS.

A woman reacts as rescue workers recover a body from the rubble in Ouirgane, Morocco, Sept. 10, 2023, in the aftermath of a deadly magnitude 6.8 earthquake. An aftershock rattled Moroccans that day as they mourned victims of the nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century Sept. 8, killing more than 2,000 people, a number that is expected to rise. (OSV News photo/Hannah McKay, Reuters)

On Sept. 11, Morocco’s interior ministry confirmed the earthquake’s death toll had risen to 2,862, as of 3:40 p.m. ET. Authorities warned that these numbers are expected to rise. The ministry said there are over 2,500 people injured, with at least 1,404 in critical condition. According to CNN, state media reported that most of the dead – nearly 1,500 – were in the Al Haouz district in the High Atlas Mountains.

“The next 2-3 days will be critical for finding people trapped under the rubble,” Caroline Holt, global director of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters.

Soon after news of the devastation spread, the Archdiocese of Rabat – which has churches in Marrakech and Ouarzazate that suffered minor material damage – urged prayers for those affected through a message posted on social media. “Let us pray with Our Lady of Morocco for the victims and their families,” the archdiocese said.

In a Sept. 9 telegram, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow and “deep solidarity” with the people of the North African nation, praying for those who perished, healing for the wounded and consolation for those mourning the loss of their loved ones and homes, Vatican News reported.

The pope continued expressing his proximity to the Moroccan people “stricken by a devastating earthquake” after the Angelus prayer Sept. 10. He also thanked “the rescue workers and those who are working to alleviate the suffering of the people.”

“May concrete help on the part of everyone support the population at this tragic time: Let us be close to the people of Morocco!” he said.

With roads damaged or blocked, rescue teams had difficulty reaching the hardest-hit areas. The Associated Press reported that authorities were working to clear roads in Al Haouz province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to those affected. But large distances between mountain villages meant it will take time to learn the extent of the damage, said Abderrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N’Yaaqoub. CNN reported that the Moroccan army cleared a key road from Marrakech to the mountains early Sept. 10.

Ayoub Toudite, from the mountainside village of Moulay Brahim, told AP that his village was inhabitable after the earthquake. “We felt a huge shake like it was doomsday,” he said. In 10 seconds, he said, everything was gone. “We are all terrified that this happens again,” Toudite said.

Social media videos from Sept. 8 showed buildings collapsing and there were reports of people trapped amid the rubble in the city. “People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught,” when the deadly earthquake hit, Abdelhak El Amrani told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The BBC reported that many Moroccans “spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan government had warned them not to go back into their homes” in case of severe aftershocks. Those whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake slept outside again Sept. 9, CNN reported.

Media reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the G20 summit Sept. 9 with “heartfelt condolences” to everyone affected by the quake. Other world leaders expressed their condolences and offered support, with many countries – including France, the United States, Germany and Turkey – saying they are ready to assist Morocco following the disaster. Algeria, which severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, offered to open its airspace to allow humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights, according to reports.

On Sept. 9, U.S. President Joe Biden shared multiple messages expressing sadness at the loss of life and devastation following the earthquake and stating that “the United States stands by Morocco” during this difficult time. “My Administration is ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people,” he said on X, previously known as Twitter.

He also addressed the deadly earthquake as he began his news conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he was on a diplomatic visit following his attendance at the G20. “I want to express my sadness by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco,” Biden said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Morocco,” Biden said, adding that he also is working with Moroccan officials to ensure U.S. citizens in Morocco are safe.

On Sept. 9, the Royal Palace announced three days of national mourning following the disaster. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has mobilized the country’s military for search and rescue missions as well as a surgical field hospital, according to AP. The government also ordered water, food and shelter to be sent to those who lost their homes.

On Sept. 10, AP reported that, according to Rescuers Without Borders, teams totaling 3,500 rescuers registered with a U.N. platform were ready to deploy in Morocco when asked. The news agency added that, even as some international help is arriving, the Moroccan government has not made an international appeal for help as Turkey did after a massive quake devastated the country in February. Other countries like France were waiting for Morocco’s formal request to immediately assist.

It was later reported that the interior ministry said it had accepted search and rescue aid from four countries: Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

A Sept. 9 statement from the Archdiocese of Rabat expressed solidarity with the victims, “especially for those Moroccan families who are mourning or who have injured family members,” and urged the faithful to pray and to help those affected.

“We are appealing for emotional and effective solidarity with those in distress at this time,” said the statement posted on the archdiocesan website, adding that Caritas will be working to make aid available to help where the need is most urgent.

The director of Caritas Rabat will visit sites affected, and initial emergency aid is being prepared, according to a Caritas statement posted on the archdiocesan site.

Cardinal Cristóbal López of Rabat planned to preside over a Sept. 10 Mass in Marrakech for all the victims. He also encouraged all communities to pray, express compassion to local authorities and organize solidarity.

“May God help us to draw positive consequences from this painful event, by transforming our hearts into hearts of mercy, solidarity and tenderness towards our brothers and sisters in distress,” the archdiocesan statement said.

(Maria-Pia Negro Chin is Spanish editor for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MariaPiaChin.)

Pope recounts the joy, goodness, humility he saw in Mongolia

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he knows people wonder why he traveled close to 6,000 miles to Mongolia to visit a Catholic community of only 1,450 people.

“Because it is precisely there, far from the spotlight, that we often find the signs of the presence of God, who does not look at appearances, but at the heart,” he told thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience Sept. 6.

Following his usual practice of speaking about a trip at the first audience after his return, the pope said that during his Sept. 1-4 stay the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, he encountered “a humble and joyful church, which is in the heart of God,” but one that was excited to find itself at the center of the universal church’s attention for a few days.

A priest distributes Communion during Pope Francis’ Mass in the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sept. 3, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

“I have been to the heart of Asia, and it has done me good,” the pope said.

The missionaries who arrived in Mongolia in 1992 “did not go there to proselytize,” the pope said. “They went to live like the Mongolian people, to speak their language, the language of the people, to learn the values of that people and to preach the Gospel in a Mongolian style, with Mongolian words.”

The universality of the Catholic Church, he said, is not something that “homogenizes” the faith.

“This is catholicity: an embodied universality, which embraces the good where it is found and serves the people with whom it lives,” the pope said. “This is how the church lives: bearing witness to the love of Jesus meekly, with life before words, happy with its true riches, which are service to the Lord and to our brothers and sisters.”

The Catholic Church recognizes God at work in the world and in other people, he said. Its vision, and its heart, is as expansive as the sky over the Mongolian steppe.

The international group of missionaries working in Mongolia have discovered “the beauty already there,” he said. “I, too, was able to discover something of this beauty” by meeting people, listening to their stories and “appreciating their religious quest.”

“Mongolia has a great Buddhist tradition, with many people who live their religiosity in a sincere and radical way, in silence, through altruism and mastery of their own passions,” the pope said. “Just think of how many hidden seeds of goodness make the garden of the world flourish, while we usually only hear about the sound of falling trees!”

People naturally notice the noisy and scandalous, the pope said, but Christians must try to discern and recognize what is good in others and in the world around them.

“Only in this way, starting from the recognition of what is good, can we build a common future,” he said. “Only by valuing others can we help them improve.”

Pope Francis said one thing that was very clear was how the Mongolian people “cherish their roots and traditions, respect the elderly and live in harmony with the environment.”

“Thinking of the boundless and silent expanses of Mongolia, let us be stirred by the need to extend the confines of our gaze – please, extend the confines, look wide and high, look and don’t fall prisoner to little things,” the pope said. That is the only way “to see the good in others and be able to broaden our horizons and also to broaden our hearts to understand and to be close to every people and every civilization.”

Catholic student center at Washington’s Howard University named for Sister Thea Bowman

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By Mark Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – On a day when history was made 60 years earlier with the March on Washington, Father Robert Boxie III, the Catholic chaplain at Howard University in the nation’s capital, noted that the campus ministry program there was making history of its own, with the blessing and dedication of its new Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center.

“Today is an historic day, dedicating this new center,” Father Boxie said Aug. 28. “It’s going to be a place for students to pray, to worship, to study, to meet, to fellowship, to socialize, even to cook – we have a kitchen – (it will be) a place to build community and grow in authentic friendship, and a place where we can be unabashedly young, Black, gifted and Catholic.”

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory speaks during a ceremony Aug. 28, 2023, where he blessed and dedicated the new Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center at Howard University in the nation’s capital. At left are Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington, and Father Robert Boxie III, the Catholic chaplain at Howard University. (OSV News photo/Patrick Ryan, Catholic Standard)

Howard University, one of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, was founded in 1867, and the Catholic campus ministry at Howard University, named HU Bison Catholic to reflect the nickname of the university’s sports teams, marked its 75th anniversary this past year.

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory blessed and dedicated the new Catholic student center at Howard University, named for the late Sister Bowman. The Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration was a dynamic evangelist and noted educator who died of cancer in 1990. She also is one of six Black Catholics from the United States being considered for sainthood. She has the title “Servant of God.”

“What a wonderful thing we do today to set aside this place as another house for God,” the cardinal said.
As he dedicated the center, he prayed, “We ask that the life of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman may inspire these young people to share their God-given gifts, rooted in the African- American and African traditions, with the church and on this campus.”

The new center is located in a semi-detached row house in Washington’s LeDroit Park neighborhood. According to Father Boxie, the home once belonged to Gen. William Birney, a Southern abolitionist who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, Birney moved to Washington to establish a law practice.

Father Boxie opened the ceremony noting that “no event that involves Sister Thea Bowman is without music, is without singing a song,” and in homage to the woman religious who was known for her soaring singing voice, he led the students, alumni and guests in singing the spiritual “We Have Come This Far by Faith.”

To applause from attendees, he introduced Cardinal Gregory, noting he is “the first African American cardinal in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.'” Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2020.

Also attending the ceremony was Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington, who was thanked by Cardinal Gregory for helping to find financial support for the purchase of the building now housing the Catholic student center; and Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., who is pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, a suburb of Washington.

Bishop Campbell, who also is president of the National Black Catholic Congress, offered a closing prayer at the ceremony. He is an alumnus of Howard University and studied zoology there.

The guests also included Redemptorist Father Maurice Nutt, the author of the book “Thea Bowman: Faithful and Free.” A consultant to the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, for her canonization cause, he was her student at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans, the nation’s only historically Black Catholic university. Father Nutt donated a large portrait of Sister Thea to the center, a print of a painting by Vernon Adams, a young Black Catholic artist from her home state of Mississippi.
Also attending the ceremony were several pastors of Washington parishes and members of the Knights of Peter Claver and that group’s Ladies Auxiliary. Representing Howard University was Leelannee Malin, its associate dean for community engagement and strategic partnerships.

Father Boxie acknowledged the presence of many Catholic students from Howard University, saying, “This is a day to celebrate you, and what God will be doing through you in this center.”

Offering an opening prayer, Elei Nkata, a Howard University junior from Nigeria who is majoring in computer science and is a co-president of the Catholic campus ministry at the university, asked God to “unite the hearts of every one of us that passes through here with your love and joy, and lead us to become the sons and daughters of faith you have called us to be.”

Another co-president of HU Bison Catholic, Loren Otoo – a junior from Ghana majoring in electrical engineering – noted that when he came to the university he sought a group where he could be connected to his Catholic faith, and he had found friends and “grown a lot in my spiritual journey” in the campus ministry program. Another Howard University student, Cameron Humes, a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in political science, read a Scripture reading at the ceremony. He serves as the liturgy chair for the campus ministry program.

Ali Mumbach, campus minister for HU Bison Catholic, spoke on Sister Thea’s life and legacy.

“Sister Thea was a radiant disciple of Jesus Christ. People Catholic and not, Christian and not, were attracted to her exuberant spirit,” said Mumbach, a graduate student working toward a master’s degree in sociology at Howard University and is also working toward a master’s degree in theology at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies.

She quoted part of a dramatic address that Sister Thea gave to the nation’s Catholic bishops in 1989, in which she said that as a Black Catholic, “I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility – as gifts to the church.”

Mumbach pointed out Sister Thea’s special connection to Howard University: She spoke at the school after the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Naming the university’s new Catholic student center after Sister Thea honors her role as a Black Catholic leader, she said.

“We as Black people have gifts to share with the church. This is a part of our ministry at Howard,” Mumbach said. “In HU Bison Catholic, we are raising up and equipping the next Black Catholic leaders. We hope that this is the first of many Bowman Centers on HBCU campuses – that in the same way there are Newman Centers to remember and honor the great work of (St.) John Newman, we can celebrate, commemorate and carry on the legacy of Sister Thea Bowman.”

After the ceremony, Father Nutt, who wrote Sister Thea’s biography, said he was very moved that Howard University’s new Catholic student center was named for her.

“She was my teacher, my mentor and my spiritual mother,” he told the Catholic Standard, Washington’s archdiocesan newspaper. “It was hard to hold back the tears, because I know how much this would mean to Sister Thea Bowman. She loved her time in Washington, D.C. It was here she became greatly aware of her identity of being Black and Catholic. She was inspired by the large number of Black Catholics in the archdiocese, and they welcomed her with open arms.”

He added, “I know she will inspire them (the students here) to share their gifts of Blackness, not only with Howard University, but with the whole church.”

In Washington, Sister Thea Bowman earned a master’s and a doctorate degree in English from The Catholic University of America, and in 2022, a street at the campus was renamed as Sister Thea Bowman Drive. That same spring, Georgetown University renamed its chapel in Copley Hall after her.

(Mark Zimmerman writes for the Catholic Standard.)

Briefs

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NATION
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. (OSV News) – For an Archdiocese of Newark deacon who survived the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the real battle – a search for God – began after reaching the ground. Now-Deacon Paul Carris was a 46-year-old civil engineer working in the World Trade Center’s North Tower when al-Qaida hijackers slammed American Airlines Flight 11 into the building. The deacon, who described himself as a rather indifferent Catholic layman at the time, accompanied a fellow floormate with severe health issues down 71 flights of steps to safety, even as the building burned and the South Tower was struck by a second plane. The pair were among the last to safely exit the building before it collapsed. In the following days and weeks after the terrorist attacks, he wrestled with anger and frustration that pointed to an unfulfilled hunger for a deeper relationship with God. Over the years, he immersed himself in faith formation and social outreach, eventually discerning a call to the permanent diaconate. Now assigned to Corpus Christi Parish in Hasbrouck Heights, he told OSV News that surviving 9/11 gave him “a rock of a foundation, knowing that God is here. I have no questions about the reality of God and the reality of God in everybody’s life. But unfortunately, we sometimes have to go through tragedy to wake us up to open that door.”

CHICAGO (OSV News) – St. Jude may be best known in the United States for being the patron saint of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, a cancer treatment center founded by Lebanese-American entertainer Danny Thomas. Thomas credited St. Jude – also well known among Catholics as the patron saint of hopeless causes and desperate situations – with reviving his career during a particularly low moment. He founded the hospital in gratitude. Now more Catholics are going to learn about this faithful apostle, martyr and saint as his relic – bone fragments from an arm believed to be his – leaves Italy for the first time in centuries, sponsored by the Treasures of the Church ministry, for a tour that extends into May 2024. The tour begins in Chicago on Sept. 9 at St. John Cantius Church. Scheduled stops for the remainder of 2023 include parishes in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa, followed by Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan. The relic’s tour then veers east to parishes in Ohio and central Pennsylvania – some 45 parishes. There are to be 100 stops in all. The 2024 stops into May have not yet been announced. At each parish, there will be public veneration and special Masses. The detailed St. Jude relic tour schedule is available at apostleoftheimpossible.com.

BALTIMORE (OSV News) – Archbishop William E. Lori told Catholics Sept. 5 that the Archdiocese of Baltimore is considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization as one option to deal with lawsuits expected to be filed when the state’s Child Victims Act takes effect Oct. 1. The law, passed by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this year, removed any statute of limitations for civil suits involving child sexual abuse. It caps suits against public institutions such as government schools at $890,000, and for private individuals or institutions such as churches at $1.5 million. The previous law allowed such suits for people up to age 38, an increase from the previous age limit of 25. At the time, the Maryland Catholic Conference – which includes the Archdiocese of Baltimore as well as the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, which both include Maryland counties – supported the increase to age 38. In his Sept. 5 letter, the archbishop said he has two overarching goals as the archdiocese considers its response: “the healing of victim-survivors who have suffered so profoundly from the actions of some ministers of the church” and “the continuation and furtherance of the many ministries of the Archdiocese that provide for the spiritual, educational, and social needs of countless people – Catholic and non-Catholic – across the state.” The archbishop said he plans to prioritize both goals.

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – If people can learn how to inflict suffering on others with ever more deadly weapons, they also can learn to stop doing so, Pope Francis said. “If we can hurt someone, a relative or friend, with harsh words and vindictive gestures, we can also choose not to do so,” he added. “Learning the lexicon of peace means restoring the value of dialogue, the practice of kindness and respect for others.” Marking International Literacy Day, Pope Francis sent a message to Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, encouraging efforts to teach reading and writing to the hundreds of millions of people in the world who do not have basic literacy skills, but he also focused on the education needed to help all people contribute to building sustainable and peaceful societies. The papal message, was published by the Vatican Sept. 8, International Literacy Day.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Any limitations and rules regarding media access and communications during the upcoming Synod of Bishops are rooted in the “essence” of a synod and meant to help participants in their process of discernment, said the head of the synod’s communication committee. “The way in which we are going to share information about the synod is very important for the discernment process and for the entire church,” Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, told reporters at a Vatican news conference Sept. 8. Some of the “few rules regarding communication” stem from “the essence of the synod,” he said, which Pope Francis has repeatedly underlined is not a “parliament” or convention but a journey of listening and walking together in accordance with the Holy Spirit. However, Ruffini said, some portions of the synod will be livestreamed and open to Vatican accredited reporters: – Mass in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 4 to open the assembly of the Synod of Bishops. – The first general congregation, which begins that afternoon with remarks by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, and Pope Francis. – The moment of prayer beginning each general congregation. – The opening sessions of each of the five segments or “modules” into which the synod will be divided.

WORLD
MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Mexico’s Supreme Court has removed abortion restrictions on national level – a decision expanding access to abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy across the country. The high court granted an injunction Sept. 6, requiring federally operated hospitals and health facilities to provide abortion services. The decision also scrapped criminal penalties for physicians and health professionals performing abortions. One of the litigants, the Information Group on Reproductive Choice (known by its Spanish acronym GIRE), called the unanimous court decision “a historic milestone,” as more than 70% percent of Mexican women have access to Mexico’s federal health system. That health system includes the Mexican Social Security Institute – the largest in Latin America which covers salaried workers, along with systems for public employees and the poor. Pro-life groups decried the decision. “It is an attack on the lives of the most defenseless, innocent and vulnerable,” The National Front for the Family said via X, previously known as Twitter, calling the decision “supreme injustice.”

SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – Church activists in the Amazon are worried about the Brazilian government’s plan to exploit oil in a marine area close to the mouth of the Amazon River. Oil drilling, an issue discussed in different meetings over the past months by ecclesial movements and environmentalists, has been a problem in several regions of the Amazon. While there was relevant progress recently in the struggle to restrain the oil companies’ operations in the rainforest, the pressure from those corporations is immense, and it will take much effort from Catholics inspired by Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si’” encyclical to secure the protection ‘ of their “common home” in the Amazon, activists say. The project of exploiting oil about 300 miles northeast from Amazon River’s mouth has put top government officials on opposite sides: On one side is Environment Minister Marina Silva, who argues that technical studies showed that the operation would have a huge impact on the environment and local communities, and on the other is most of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s cabinet. Lula is himself among the ones who think that it is possible to go on with the project without harming the environment. The plan was among the topics discussed by Lula and the presidents of the other nations of the Pan-Amazon region during an Aug. 8-9 summit in Belem, in Brazil. The region consists of nine countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Guiana and French Guiana. “The summit’s final document failed to address key elements concerning extractivism in the Amazon. All decisions should be unanimous and there was no consensus on those issues,” explained Father Dario Bossi, a member of the Integral Ecology and Mining Commission of the bishops’ conference.

St. Joe journalism teacher Cassreino named National Broadcast Adviser of the Year

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From Staff Reports
MADISON – The Journalism Education Association at the University of Kansas has named St. Joseph Catholic School journalism teacher Terry R. Cassreino the National Broadcast Adviser of the Year for 2023.
The honor marks the first time a Mississippi high school journalism educator has received the JEA award. Dr. R.J. Morgan, executive director of the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, presented the award while visiting Cassreino’s Sports Broadcasting class Monday.

“This award is not just about me,” Cassreino said. “This award is for the hundreds of students I have had the privilege of teaching and working with at St. Joseph Catholic School since I took over the high school journalism program in 2012.

“My students work hard every day to produce high-quality productions we feature on our own YouTube Channel. They produce a weekly sports preview on Monday, a midweek news update on Wednesday and a full-length weekly newscast on Friday. Their work is amazing.”

Morgan agreed: “The resulting multilayered program is one of the deepest, most nuanced and enriching high school media outlets I have ever seen. There may not be a scholastic broadcast program in the country that serves its audience better or in more ways.”

The JEA Adviser of the Year Award honors outstanding high school advisers and their exemplary work from the previous year and throughout their careers. Cassreino received a cash prize and St. Joe received $500 for broadcast equipment or student scholarships for summer workshops.

Cassreino was one of five high school journalism teachers the JEA honored recently.
Two others were named Distinguished Broadcast Advisers and two were named Special Recognition Advisers. All five will be honored at the JEA/National Scholastic Press Association National Fall High School Journalism Convention in November in Boston.

Cassreino teaches Print Journalism, which publishes a yearbook, The Shield; Broadcast Journalism, which produces a weekly newscast “Bruin News Now”; and Sports Broadcasting, which produces a weekly sports preview, “What’s Bruin at the Joe,” and the sportscast for “Bruin News Now.”

Journalism students also produce live radio broadcasts and live video streaming coverage of Bruin sports, including football, basketball and baseball. Radio productions air live on WJXC-LP Jackson, Mississippi Catholic Radio, 107.9, whose studio is in Cassreino’s classroom.

St. Joe journalism students and their work have received state, national and international recognition. Students have been named the state’s high school journalist of the year and received the prestigious Orley Hood Award for Excellence in High School Sports Journalism seven of the 10 years it has been given.
“He runs his class like a legitimate newsroom,” said Jack Clements, a former student of Cassreino’s who is studying journalism at the University of Mississippi. “This authentic newsroom experience with real deadlines and newsroom hierarchy truly set me up for success in this field.”

Cassreino is a four-time Mississippi high school journalism adviser of the year and has been recognized twice by the Dow Jones News Fund as one of the nation’s top print journalism teachers. JEA recognized him as one of the top broadcast advisers in 2020 and again in 2022.

Cassreino is a former longtime journalist with more than 25 years of experience as a reporter, political columnist and editor at Mississippi newspapers. He is married to the former Pam Vance of Canton. They have two children Camryn, a freshman at Mississippi College, and Matthew, a sophomore at St. Joe.
“No doubt about it: We have the best student media program in Mississippi,” said Dr. Dena Kinsey, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School.

“This award speaks volumes about the success our students experience at St. Joe. This program under Terry Cassreino’s leadership equips students with an incredible array of skills. It’s just one example of many showing how our school prepares our students for life as an adult.”

In memoriam: Sister Angela Susalla, OP

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ADRIAN, MICHIGAN – Sister Angela Susalla, formerly known as Sister David Mary, died on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 91 years of age and in the 71st year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican congregation.

Sister Angela was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Bertha (Zinger) Susalla. She graduated from Rochester High School in Rochester, Michigan, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Science degree in Mixed Science, both from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian.

Sister ministered for 24 years in elementary and secondary education in Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Aiken, South Carolina; Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Grafton, West Virginia. This includes 10 years as elementary and secondary teacher at Rosarian Academy, a sponsored ministry of the Adrian Dominican congregation in West Palm Beach. She also served six years as a pastoral minister: a year in Eleuthera, Bahamas; and five years for the Diocese of Memphis in Lexington, Tennessee. Her last 31 years of service were spent as a social service minister for Catholic Social Services in Tunica, Mississippi. Sister became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2014.

Sister Angela was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Thomas, Ernest, Larry and David; and a sister, Elda. She is survived by sisters Elaine Campbell of Troy, Michigan, and Karen Swaim (Gary) of Sevierville, Tennessee; other loving family and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.

A Funeral Mass was offered in St. Catherine Chapel on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221.

In memoriam: Curtiss McKee

MADISON – Curtiss wanted his obituary to be short because he was never interested in accolades. He requested that it state only that “he was born, he lived, he died.” However, no one who ever knew him could ever stop there because he truly was a “gentleman” – one of faith, loyalty, generosity, intelligence, wit and unfailing love.

Miles Curtiss McKee was born Aug. 21, 1930 in Cleveland, Mississippi to Samuel Melvin and Alethea (Alice) Miles McKee. At age sixteen, he went to Millsaps College for two years before moving to Clarksdale to work for the Bank of Clarksdale. As the Korean War was beginning, he joined the Navy to become an aviator. As a Naval aviator, he served as a hurricane hunter, flying just 100 feet above the water and in anti-submarine warfare missions. He served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer in the Naval Reserves. Curtiss retired as a Captain after 30 years of military service. Curtiss was President of Naval League of Mississippi for several terms.

After his four years of active duty service in the Navy, Curtiss finished his undergraduate degree at Ole Miss and then attended University of Mississippi Law School while also teaching Political Science. Curtiss was an editor of the Law Journal and a member of the Lamar Order. He graduated from law school in 1959 at the top of his class with many distinctions, and he was elected as a member of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame.

Curtiss became one of the leading labor and employment lawyers in Mississippi. He took two cases to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was Chairman of the Judicial Selection Committee of the Mississippi Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He was also an active member of the Mississippi Bar Foundation of which he was also a Fellow, the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employer Lawyers. He was continuously chosen for The Best Lawyers in America from 1987-2010.

When Curtiss retired, he was asked to become the in-house attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. He served pro bono there for five years. Curtiss was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison where he was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Curtiss is survived by his wife, Ann, of 50 years, daughters Carol Brame of Madison and Laura McKee Zouein (Fouad) of Ridgeland; sons David McKee (Shannon) of Gluckstadt and Reid McKee (Rachel) of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren Lindsay Casperson (Eric), Allison Dotson (Alex), Taylor Brame, Shelby Partridge (Austin), Betsy McKee, Miles McKee, Jackson Lindsey, Juliet Lindsey, Molly McKee, Ava Cate McKee, Lucy McKee; and great-grandchildren Caylee Casperson, Connor Casperson, Chloe Casperson, and Luke Dotson.

A Requiem Mass was held Wednesday, Sept. 6 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
In memory of Curtiss, donations may be made to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 4000 W. Tidewater Lane, Madison, MS 39110, University of Mississippi Medical Center Children’s Hospital and/or your charity of choice.

Feature Photo … Development Day …

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MADISON – Educators from Catholic Schools around the diocese gathered for a professional development day at St. Joseph School in Madison. Teachers and school staff celebrated Mass with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and heard from Sister John Dominic, OP who spoke on having grace thorugh out the year and Jim Brown, a school resource analyst from the Department of Homeland Security/Department of Public Safety on school safety. (Photos by Joanna King)

Calendar of Events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
DOWNINGTOWN, PA – Day of Prayer for the Health and Wellness of Clergy and Men and Women Religious, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20. The main event for is a live-streamed Mass from the Our Lady of Hope Chapel on Saint John Vianney Center’s campus at 10 a.m. CST. The goal of this day is to raise awareness of the need to support our men and women in ministry and to pray for them in solidarity as one community of faith. No cost to participate. Details: https://www.sjvcenter.org/dayofprayer/

SAINT LOUIS, MO – The North American Vocation Team (NAVT) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) invites young adults ages 18 and older to a monthly online evening prayer on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. CST via Zoom. Upcoming dates for evening prayer are Sept. 26, Oct. 24 and Nov. 28. Details: ssnd.org/events/

WASHINGTON D.C. Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, Sept. 30 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Join with Catholics from around the country to seek the intercession of Our Lady. Hear life-changing talks; celebrate Mass and pray the rosary. Details: for more information visit rosarypilgrimage.org.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS
ABERDEEN – St. Francis, Parish Picnic, Saturday, Oct. 14 following Mass. Enjoy a good meal and fellowship. Details: (662) 813-2295.

BROOKHAVEN – St. Francis, Parish picnic with bingo and games, Sunday Oct. 1, after 9 a.m. Mass. Details: office@stfrancisbrookhaven.org.

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth, Parish Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 5-8 p.m. Food, raffles, fun, games and more. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Beats on the Blacktop, Thursday, Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Enjoy music, games and fellowship. Details: psa.acseagles@gmail.com.

FLOWOOD – Homegrown Harvest Fest, sponsored by office of vocations, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul parish. Proceeds support our seven seminarians. Evening includes dinner, silent auction and fellowship. Silent auction items are needed! Contact Shelia at sheliafoggo@gmail.com or Laura at lfoley929@gmail.com to help. Details: Tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/HGHarvest2023.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Men’s Association Fish Fry, Friday, Sept. 22 from 4-7 p.m. Cost: $13 adults/$6 kids. All are welcome. Eat-in or take out. Plates include catfish, hushpuppies, fries, slaw, drink and dessert. Details: Jon at (901) 481-0228.

JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Fellowship Night on Oct. 4. Schedule: 4:30 p.m. Adoration, 5:30 p.m. pot luck meal in the center and 7 p.m. presentation by Father Nick in the church followed by Benediction. Details: church office (601) 969-3125.

JACKSON – St. Richard, Special Kids Golf tournament at Deerfield Country Club on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

LELAND – St. James, Spaghetti Dinner and Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 26. Dinner and silent auction begin at 5 p.m., booths open at 6 p.m. Cost: $15 per plate. Details: Donna at (662) 207-8844.

MADISON – St. Francis, Fall Parish Mission “Igniting the Light of Christ within you,” Oct. 1-3 at 6:30 p.m. each night in the church. Featured speaker is Paul Koleske. Hear practical techniques you can use to increase your connection with the presence of the Holy Spirit. All are welcome! Details: church office (601) 856-5556.

St. Francis, Taste of St. Francis Feast takes us around the world on Sunday, Oct. 8 in the Family Life Center following 10:30 a.m. Mass. Details: parish office at 601-856-5556 or Amy at 601-953-4182.

MERIDIAN – St. Joseph, Octoberfest on Oct. 7 from 11 am to 2 p.m. Enjoy this day of fellowship and fun! There will be youth activities, plenty of food and more. Details: contact Rhonda (601) 227-1199.

NATCHEZ Cathedral School, Fall Festival, Sept. 23-24. Enjoy food, games, raffles, bingo, adult night and more. Details: school office (601) 442-2531.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Men’s Club Golf Tournament 4-person scramble, Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. Dinner included. Cost: $100 per person. Details: contact Tim at (901) 515-8598.
OXFORD – St. John the Evangelist, Red Mass on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. Details: email Olivia at orschwab@go.olemiss.edu.

PEARL – St. Jude, Day-trip Pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 28. Tour the Shrine, Mass, Adoration and more. Cost est. $75. Details: email kmcgregor@stjudepearl.org or call (601) 939-3181.

RIPLEY – St. Matthew, Feast day and 13th anniversary celebration of church building dedication, Saturday, Sept. 23. Enjoy food booths, games and competitions. Bilingual Mass with food and fellowship following on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m. Details: church office (662) 993-8862.

STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Fall Trivia Night, Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph parish hall. Cost $20/person – $10/college student. Details: email ben.bachman@gmail.com for reservations and other questions.

VICKSBURG – Knights of Columbus 898 $3,000 Drawdown, Sunday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. Tickets $75 each. One ticket gets one draw and dinner for two. Details: kc898.square.site or see any 898 Knight. Hall located at 310 Fisher Ferry Road.

Instalación del Padre Cesar Sánchez en St. Jude Pearl

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PEARL – El padre César Sánchez fue instalado, como párroco de la parroquia St. Jude en Pearl, por el obispo Joseph Kopacz el domingo 19 de agosto. Durante una misa de instalación, el nuevo párroco es presentado a la comunidad parroquial y también se le presentan símbolos de su ministerio y de su nuevo puesto. Los símbolos fueron presentados por los feligreses Bruns Guevara, Myra Woodward, Vicki Thigpen, Nadya Villafranca y Patrick Fields. (izq.) Durante la ceremonia toda la comunidad impone sus manos sobre al Padre Cesar, ofreciéndole su bendición. (der.) El Padre Cesar le ofreció una interpretacion a guitarra a la comunidad, que después de Misa, se reunió en el centro comunitario para disfrutar de la compañia de parroquianos, visitantes, bailes y comidas tradicionales. (Fotos de Tereza Ma)

Hispanos debaten sobre Comunicación Intercultural

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Por Berta Mexidor
PEARL – Alrededor de 30 parroquianos asistieron a la reunión convocada por la Hermana Amelia Bretón, SBS., coordinadora de la Oficina del Ministerio Intercultural, el sábado 9 de septiembre.

PEARL – En reunión con feligreses de diferentes parroquias se abrió el tema de Comunicación Intercultural a invitación de la Hermana Amelia Bretón, SBS. (izq. i-d) María Josefa García de St. Martin Hazelhurst lee la palabra de Dios a al lado de la Hna. Amelia. (arriba) El Obispo Joseph Kopacz intercambia con los presentes su visión del futuro de la Diócesis e invita a todos a participar de la misma. (Fotos de Berta Mexidor)

Al encuentro asistieron, además, el obispo Joseph Kopacz y los sacerdotes Padre Marco Antonio Sánchez, ST, pastor de St. Anne Carthage y St. Therese Kosciusko, el Padre Alexis Zúñiga, ST, de servicio en Holy Child Jesus Camden, Canton y St. Anne Carthage y el Padre César Sánchez, pastor en St. Jude Pearl.
Todos los sacerdotes compartieron en diferentes mesas e intercambiando sus ideas con los feligreses asistentes que venían de la Misión St. Martin of Tours Hazlehurst, St. Therese Kosciusko y St. Jude Pearl.
La reunión tuvo como objetivo el reunir a parroquianos y líderes para intercambiar conocimientos y escuchar algunas sugerencias en cómo mejorar la comunicación Intercultural en todas las relaciones diocesanas, para mejorar la misión del pueblo de Dios en la extensa área que abarca la Diócesis de Jackson.

La Hermana Amelia hizo una presentación interactiva sobre la Competencia Intercultural para Ministros, basándose en las directrices de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB, por sus siglas en ingles) y un curso de Liderazgo de la autoría de Reinaldo Pacheco. La hermana Amelia planea muchas reuniones de este tipo con Hispanos de la Diócesis e invita a todos a participar.

El Obispo Kopacz hizo sus comentarios sobre la reunión y las opiniones que escuchó. Les habló a los presentes del proceso del Sínodo y de la Re-Imaginación Diocesana y de la importancia que vean los videos al respecto y participen para dar sus opiniones.

“Quiero muchas voces de comunión, participación y misión, … porque la esencia de la Iglesia nos puede unir … y la “Eucaristía nos une a todos,” les dijo.