Gulf Pine Catholic VOLUME 33 / NUMBER 20 www.biloxidiocese.org JUNE 3, 2016

St. Patrick Catholic High School senior Brooke Gibson receives her diploma from Bishop Roger Morin during the Commencement Mass on May 20. Gibson was one of 262 seniors from the five Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Biloxi who received diplomas this year. Bishop Morin also celebrated graduation Masses at Resurrection High School in Pascagoula, Sacred Heart High School in Hattiesburg, Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis and St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis. For more graduation coverage, see pages 6, 7, 14-19.Photo credit@ this moment... Photography).

Bishop Roger Morin ordained seven permanent deacons on May 21 at

Nativity BVM Cathedral. Above left, the seven men prostrate themselves

as the congregation kneels during the Litany of the Saints. Bottom right, after Mass, the new deacons posed for a photo with the bishop on the cathedral steps. The new deacons,

pictured counterclockwise, from top left, are: Deacon James Gunkel (St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs),

Deacon Richard Kren (St. Matthew the Apostle Parish, White Cypress),

Deacon Ronald Alexander (Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Biloxi), Deacon

Michael Butler (St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Ocean Springs), Deacon Richard Smith (Our Mother of

Sorrows Parish, Biloxi), Deacon Paul Matherne (Our Lady of Fatima

Parish, Biloxi) and Deacon Jesus Arellano (St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean

Springs).

Class of 2016takes a bow

Bishop Morin ordainsseven

permanent deacons

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6 Diocesan events

Cathedral Wine &Beer Tasting

BILOXI -- Nativity Parish will be hosting its 4th annual Wine & Beer Tast-ing on Saturday, August 27, 5:30-8 pm in the Sacred Heart Center. In order to make this a successful event, we are asking our parishioners to consider donating an item to the silent auction. We are looking for hand-crafted items, embroidery items, woodworking, furniture pieces, paint-ings, wreaths, food items, service oppor-tunities, etc. We are asking you to share your special talents in our silent auction. We would need you to put a dollar value on the item and a description for us to use. Please know that we are looking for NEW items, however antiques would be accepted and appreciated. All items have to be turned into the Rectory no later than August 8, 2016, in order for us to have them ready for setup and display. For questions please call the Cathedral at (228) 374-1717 or email Linda Stewart lindastewart1106@gmail.com.

New CSCS AddressesDIOCESE OF BILOXI -- St. Gerard

Community Outreach is now located at 716 Herlihy Street, Waveland, MS 39576.

Morning Star Community Outreach of Jackson County will be located at 1930 Old Mobile Highway, Pascagoula, MS 39567, on June 1.

Camp StanislausBAY ST. LOUIS -- Camp Stanislaus,

an overnight and day camp for boys and girls ages eight through fifteen, is cur-rently taking applications for campers for the 2016 camp session. Camp Stan-islaus will run from June 12 through July 9. Campers can sign up for one-, two-, three-, or four-week sessions. They will also offer a father and son camp July 9 and 10.

The philosophy of camp is to provide campers with a noncompetitive envi-ronment to grow and enjoy their camp experiences. The main focus of Camp Stanislaus is the total development of the camper. At Camp Stanislaus, campers will enjoy sailing, water skiing, archery, swimming, field sports, crafts, hobbies, day trips, and much more.

Application forms and more infor-mation, can be downloaded from www.campstanislaus.com.

For more information about Camp Stanislaus please contact the director, Sam Doescher, at camp@ststan.com or (228) 467-9057 ext. 277.

BILOXI -- Come join us for a hearty breakfast Sunday, June 12, 8 am-12

Our Mother of SorrowsFellowship Breakfast

Financial Peace University (FPU) Class

GULFPORT -- Having issues with spending and saving? Do you wish you gave more? Need help developing a bud-get, or saving for retirement? Are you tired of all the monthly debt payments? Need to save for your kids’ college?

Dave Ramsey’s FPU class addresses these concerns and much more. The class will be offered at St. Joseph’s Church

OLG 4th of JulyCrab Festival

BAY ST. LOUIS -- Our Lady of the Gulf Parish’s 4th of July Crab Festival will take place July1-3 on the parish grounds, 228 South Beach Blvd. The festival begins on Friday at 11 am (food service begins at noon) and continues until 10 pm on Sunday evening. Friday 11 am-11 pm, Saturday 11 am-11 pm, Sunday 11am-10 pm. There are various raffles, including a $15,000 drawdown and a $1,000 raffle. There will also be plenty of good food and entertainment.

BAY ST. LOUIS -- Father Walt Bracken will present the third and fi-nal installment of his three-part series on “The History of the Old Testament Times” on July 5 at the Rev. William Kelley Retreat Center at St. Augustine Seminary. The title of this session will be “Judah to Exile, Exile Theology, Post Exile Traditions.”

Registration begins at 9 am/Eucha-rist at 9:15 am. Seminar concludes with lunch at 12:15 pm. Cost is $20. For more information, call Marilyn at (228) 467-2032.

Father WaltBracken Seminar

BAY ST. LOUIS -- A retreat, “Abun-dant Blessings, Living in God’s Love,” will be held June 24-26 at the Father William Kelley Retreat Center at St. Au-gustine Seminary. Details: Friday, June 24: Arrive 6 pm-7 pm. First Conference

Abundant Blessings,Living in God’s Love

BILOXI -- Na-tivity BVM Cathe-dral is raffling off a 1969 Buick Elec-

tra 225 Convertible. Proceeds will be dedicated to ongoing maintenance needs and to the assistance of Nativity BVM School. Tickets are $25 or five chances for $100. Drawing will be held during Cruising the Coast. For more informa-tion, call (228) 374-1717.

Cathedral ConvertibleRaffle

OCEAN SPRINGS -- St. Elizabeth Seton will be hosting Cave Quest, a Va-cation Bible School June 6-10 from 9 am until noon in Fannon Hall. Registration may be done by going online to stelseton.com. Cost is $35 per non-St. Elizabeth Seton families. If you have any questions please call Rachel Deroche, VBS Direc-tor at (228) -324-4431.

XLT AdorationGULFPORT -- XLT Adoration is

held every Tuesday at 7 pm at St. John the Evangelist Church. Come enjoy some one-on-one time with Jesus for an hour. He wants to hear your troubles, your needs, your joys, your prayers...come and ADORE Him! If you’ve never been, let this be your invitation. The eve-ning includes adoration with live wor-ship music. Confessions will be avail-able. Everyone is welcome!!

St. Elizabeth Seton VBS

St. Fabian’s 3rdAnnual Cuss-N-Fuss Golf

TournamentHATTIESBURG -- St. Fabian’s 3rd

Annual Cuss-N-Fuss Golf Tournament will be held June 25-26 at the Shadow Ridge Golf Club. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the building fund. For more information, call Ron Panda at (601) 520-6921.

ICC ParishBlood Drive

LAUREL -- Immaculate Conception Parish will hold a blood drive on Sunday, June 1, from 8:30 to 11:30 am in the par-ish hall. Appointments can now be sched-uled online by going to www.bloodhero.com (sponsor code: ICCChurch) or by contacting the parish office at (601) 426-3473.

Gentiva HospiceVolunteers Needed

Gentiva Hospice, an affiliate of Kin-dred at Home, is looking for volunteers to provide support to patients and care-givers. Volunteers can provide caregiver relief, emotional support, etc. If you are interested or you would like more infor-mation, please contact: Ken Hembree, Manager of Volunteer Services, at (228) 385-7845.

will begin at 7 pm. The retreat will end on Sunday, June 26, between -2:30 pm. Cost is $210 per person, $320 per cou-ple, $120 per person (Commuting) AND $180 per couple (Commuting). Deadline for registration is June 14.

noon. We will be serving pancakes, eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, juice and coffee. Cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children age 12 and under.

For more information, call (228) 435-0007.

GULFPORT -- St. James Catholic Church invites you to visit and sign up to spend an hour in the True Presence of Jesus in Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel 366 Cowan Rd. Reserve hours available for weekly or monthly group prayers, Rosary recitations, Divine Mer-cy Chaplet, Divine Office and more as well as individual times. Please contact Ralph at (228) 539-2434 for more infor-mation and to sign up.

Spend Timewith Jesus

(Orange Grove) in Depew Hall on Mon-day nights at 6:30 pm starting on July 11 and lasting 9 weeks. Cost is about $100 per family. Preview class is Monday, June 27, at 6:30 pm. Contact Ed Brennan at (228) 234-7601 for details.

To advertise in theGulf Pine Catholic,call (228) 702-2109

for more information.

Gulf Pine C

atholic • June 3, 20163Gulf

PineCatholic

(ISSN No. 0746-3804)

June 3, 2016Volume 33, Issue 20The GULF PINE CATHOLIC,

published every other week, is anofficial publication of

the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi.Editorial offices are located at

1790 Popps Ferry Rd.,Biloxi, MS 39532.

Periodical postage paid atGulfport, MS.

— POSTMASTER —Send address changes to:

The GULF PINE CATHOLIC1790 Popps Ferry Rd.

Biloxi, MS 39532

— PUBLISHER —Most Rev. Roger P. Morin

— EDITOR —Terry Dickson

— PRODUCTION /ADVERTISING —

Shirley McCusker

— CIRCULATION —Debbie Mowrey

— OFFICE HOURS —8:30 am to 5:00 pmMonday - Friday

— PHONE NUMBERS —Editor: 228-702-2126

Production / Advertising:228-702-2109

Circulation: 228-702-2127FAX: 228-702-2128

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tdickson@biloxidiocese.orgProduction / Advertising:

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— OFFICE ANDMAILING ADDRESS —1790 Popps Ferry Road

Biloxi, MS 39532

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— SUBSCRIPTIONS —Subscription rate is $18.00 per year. When changing address, renewing or inquiring about asubscription, customer should

include a recent address label with old address and new address. Allow three weeks for changes of address.

— DEADLINES forJUNE 17 EDITION —

News copy and photos:Due JUNE 9, 4 pm

Advertising: Completed Ad and/or ad copy due JUNE 9, 10 am

Bishop Morin’s Calendar

June 5 Confirmation Hispanic Community, St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs, 2 pm

June 8 Housing Board Meeting, 2 pm

June 12 Mass, Nativity BVM Cathedral, 11 am

June 14 Finance Council Meeting, 2 pm

Catholic values drive head coach of Ravens on and off the fieldBY PAUL DYKEWICZCatholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The accomplish-ment of winning the Super Bowl in Febru-ary 2013 as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens gave John Harbaugh a crowning achievement in football, but he relied on his Catholic faith to guide him and his players through a series of potentially spirit-crushing events during the past year.

The worst was a nighttime phone call about a catastrophic off-season accident that caused severe head trauma to one of his promising young players, 23-year-old Tray Walker. The March 17 call caused Harbaugh a sleepless night but he reached out to his team the next morning before Walker died by writing an open letter that urged them to de-velop a spiritual life, to live with purpose and to consider the risks when making decisions.

Harbaugh shared with his players that he viewed them as sons and wanted to offer guidance about how to live and to look after their loved ones. His deeply held religious beliefs had intensified during the past year as he prayed for the words to speak to his team during the 2015 football season when major injuries to key players led to a number of close losses as the perennial playoff-con-tending team had a 5-11 record.

Johnny Shelton, the Ravens’ nondenomi-national team chaplain, witnessed Harbaugh “grow spiritually” during the season and said that his players responded to their coach’s messages as he sought to prepare them each week. In a society where political correctness causes leaders to shy away from acknowl-edging God’s role in their lives, Harbaugh

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh prays with players after they defeated the Cleveland Browns 20-10 in 2014 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Harbaugh says he has relied on his Catholic faith to guide him and his players as they have faced various challenges during the past year. CNS photo/Shawn Hubbard, Baltimore Ravens

humbled himself in giving passionate, Scrip-ture-based locker room talks to keep his team focused on putting aside setbacks and seizing new opportunities, Shelton added.

“We will not blink,” Shelton recalled Harbaugh telling his players. “We will not flinch.”

Harbaugh also participates in a weekly bible study with other coaches on the team that focuses on preparing them to be “leaders of men,” Shelton said. Those sessions give Harbaugh and his fellow Ravens coaches a spiritual foundation to guide their players through challenging circumstances.

Harbaugh put his faith into action with the open letter to his players after Walker’s accident and included the following advice:

-- Lead in your home. Take care of your family and yourself every single day.

-- Please consider your actions and choic-es. There are always consequences. Choose who you allow to advise you. Consider the quality of the counsel you take. Put yourself in positions to succeed. Turn away from un-necessary and risky behavior.

-- Be your own best friend. Do not be an enemy onto yourself. Turn away from trouble and harm. Walk away from foolish behavior. Ignore silly and unwise advice -- you’ll know it when you see it.

-- Get to know those people in your life who manage to walk free from the weight of self-created obstacles. Get close to those who have gone where you want to go, and have accomplished what you want to accomplish. Grow spiritually. Think about what and who you want to become.

“I am asking you to consider what is at stake in your life,” Harbaugh said. “Consid-er what your thoughts, actions and choices mean to those around you. Live your life ful-ly and with purpose. Have fun and share your happiness. Find your faith, and allow God to grow your faith.”

Just 12 days before Walker’s accident, Harbaugh gave a talk to an estimated 1,300 men at the 19th annual Lenten retreat of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Maryland and told a record number of attendees that the faith-based way he lives his personal life also guides him in coaching his NFL team. Har-baugh tackled Baltimore’s difficult football season by turning to his religious beliefs in leading his players.

In his keynote speech March 5 at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Linthicum, Harbaugh spoke about trying to be grateful for life’s blessings each day despite disap-pointments. His message of relying on faith

to persevere through tumultuous times reso-nated with the men in attendance, said Ed Roberts, a member of the fellowship’s board of directors.

“He wrote a speech and he clearly was able to bring a spiritual and personal side to the tough season the team had,” Roberts told Catholic News Service.

That resolve is a tribute to Harbaugh’s “leadership abilities” as a man who is “sin-cere of heart” in pursuing God’s plan for his life, Roberts said.

“The church was filled and we had guys sitting on the floor, and no one seemed to mind,” said Roberts, in explaining the wor-ship space had only 1,200 seats for the 1,300 attendees.

“It was probably one of the best events that I’ve ever attended,” Roberts said.

Tony Boehk, president of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship, said one of Harbaugh’s most striking points was telling the group that assistant coach Craig Van Steeg also serves in an unofficial capacity as an “ac-countability coach” to ensure his head coach prepared spiritually, Boehk said. Van Steeg and Harbaugh previously were assistant football coaches together at the University of Cincinnati before they reunited with the Ravens in 2008.

Boehk described Harbaugh as a “good guy, great coach and faith-filled man.”

“When everything is going right, it’s easy,” Boehk said Harbaugh told the re-treatants. “It was a wonderful talk. I walked away having even more respect for him. The Holy Spirit definitely came down that day.”

SEE RAVENS HARBAUGHFAITH, PAGE 8

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Michael, my first cousin, found love later in life. Julie, a hair stylist, was to be his soulmate. They set a date for the nuptials and yours truly was asked if he might be willing to perform the wedding ceremony. An affirmative and plans were set in motion. We commit-ted July 9, 2016, to our sparse calendar. A beaming couple had discovered they were soulmates and prepared to spend the rest of their lives living out a com-mitment in marriage.

Then it happened. It was Wednes-day, March 9, it was a beautiful spring day. For a change, there was no rain. The buds on the shrubs and trees in my garden echoed the arrival of spring and hope. A phone call and all that changed in the blinking of an eye.

Michael sat in the cab of the truck. He slumped over the wheel and died of a massive heart attack.

Before now, I was looking forward to celebrating a wed-ding. Now, instead, I was celebrating a funeral. How cruel life can be! One moment, you are planning on standing by the altar waiting for your beaming and blushing bride to walk down the aisle. The next moment, you are lying in a casket and the would-be bride cries buckets of tears instead of bucket of smiles.

Many of us would like to have a peaceful ride through

life - no rollercoaster, no bumps and bruises; no pain and lots of gain; no crosses and only victories; no rain and lots of sun-shine. Riding the crest of the wave instead of living in the pits. Lots of plans and no interruptions.

Our first response in a time like this is “ Why? Why rob a couple of a special day in July? Did they not deserve some-thing to look forward to; something to plan for; something to enjoy for a lifetime? Why rob them of a lifetime of joy and love? What did they do to deserve love to be wrenched from their hearts?”

Life isn’t fair, we say. Yet, ironically, death is the fairest thing in the world. No one’s ever gotten out of it. The earth takes everyone -- the kind, the cruel, the saints, the sinners. Aside from that, there’s no fairness on earth.

Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay. Each moment is etched with nature’s grand design.

One of the lessons I learned from Hurricane Katrina was that God has never created a storm that lasts forever. And de-spite the darkness of the most foreboding storm clouds, the sun is always shining somewhere. The challenge becomes adjusting one’s perception of events enough to recognize the presence of God within the experience.

Life is a collection of moments we would have appreci-ated more if we had only known they were moments. All of us have had our moments with loved ones; some may be fleet-ing moments; others may be lifetime, family moments; some

may be casual encounters; others may be lifelong happenings; some may be sad moments; others may be moments of joy and happiness; some may be moments of finally finding a true soulmates and all the special trips, encounters, plans, prom-ises made and yet to be celebrated.

I am reminded of something that popular spiritual writer, Henry Nouwen. wrote: “Life is short in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence, we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is a fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is a loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is a knowledge of surrounding darkness. But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death, can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in ex-pectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.”

Father Michael Tracey is retired and lives in Ireland. He can be contacted by email at mtracey1@bellsouth.net. His website is www.michaeltracey.net

Joy tainted with sorrowAcrossthe Pond

Fr. Tracey

Never call yourself a bad person, but rather “a saint-in-training.” That’s the advice of former Director of The Christophers Father John Catoir, and it’s a truth he learned from his years counseling people as part of his priestly ministry.

Father Catoir led The Christophers from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, and the job was a dream come true for him. I recently interviewed him on “Christo-pher Closeup,” and we took a short stroll down mem-ory lane. He recalled being a fan of the Christopher message since he watched early Christopher films in grammar school.

On his 18th birthday, his father gave him a copy of the book “You Can Change the World,” by The Christo-phers’ founder, Maryknoll Father James Keller, and that sealed the deal. Father Catoir described Father Keller’s ideas as “empowering” and “supernatural” because they gave you “a sense that God put you on earth for a reason. You have a purpose.”

When Father Catoir initially heard that the job of leading The Christophers was available, he talked him-self out of applying because he thought he’d never get it. Three weeks later, he felt an impulse, which he at-tributes to God’s grace, to apply anyway. The rest is history.

It’s ironic that someone as devoted to spreading a message of joy and positive thinking as Father Ca-toir was almost derailed by negative thinking. But he learned from his mistake, and has been sharing his wis-dom with the rest of the world through TV, radio ap-pearances, and newspaper columns ever since.

Father Catoir notes that “doctors have lots of evidence to show that negative thinking will destroy your mental health.” Many hours of coun-seling ordinary people about their problems, as well as several years leading a ministry for recovering ad-dicts called Eva’s Village, allowed him to see that evidence first hand.

He said, “If you have a belief that you’re not a good person, even though you’re trying to be good, that

undermines your mental health -- and it has to be rooted out. If you can’t say you’re a saint, you can say, ‘I’m a saint-in-training. I’m a good person, and I’m trying to get better.’ But there’s no way that you should say you’re a bad person because God made you, and every-thing God made is good.”

That divine goodness at the core of everything is a reason for joy, and Father Catoir has made it a point to be a messenger of joy -- which is also the name of his website. He realizes that joy is a choice, so he chooses to approach life that way despite the problems that have come with aging.

Father Catoir concludes, “In the past, when I would get into a dark mood, I would pray to the Lord to lift me out of it. And as a priest, I’d often go to the hospital and visit patients. Helping others is a big way to get rid of the blues. To tell you the truth, I don’t hit any real dark moments in life [anymore] because I live in the spirit of joy, so help me God. I’m an old man, I’m

84. I’ve had three knee replacements, I don’t walk too well. And from the neck up, I’m fantastic every other day! (laughs) But I’m at a point where I could die at any time. I have a heart condition, but I’m happy as a clam! I can’t tell you I’m ready to go, but I’m gonna do as much good as I can until I am taken.”

Tony Rossi is the radio host/producer for The Chris-tophers. For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.

Light One Candle

Rossi

Call yourself a saint-in-training

To advertise in the Gulf Pine Catholic, call (228) 702-2127 for more information, or email tdick-son@biloxidiocese.org. The newspaper is mailed to over 16,000 Catholic homes every other week.

Gulf Pine C

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Thank you, St. Jude,

for prayers answered. AN

My book, Heart To Heart With God -- Six Ways to Empower Your Prayer Life -- Word Among Us Press, has a chapter titled, “Praying Boldly.” In preparing to

write this chapter I resolved to pray more boldly. Whenever I had a conversation with someone and they indicated a problem or need I immediately said, “Let’s pray now,” held their hands and prayed openly and extemporaneously on the spot. Soon people were coming back to me and relating how God had answered the prayer we prayed. So I kept a daily record of prayers answered and for three-months recorded in a journal, ‘a miracle a day.’ During that time answers to prayer were reported to me daily, one as late as 11:50 pm.

Everything from manifestations of serious physical healings to finding a lost cat but included a host of day to day concerns we brought to God in prayer. I still pray boldly, on the spot, and still receive reports not only of actual answers to prayer but where the faith of the person prayed for was increased because they are more attentive to God working in their lives. My advice; the next time someone tells you about a concern, don’t just walk away and promise to pray -- take their hands and pray on the spot. Your faith and theirs will be increased.

Our readings today provide guidelines for praying boldly. Elijah was in a pagan land, outside Jewish territory. But it did not stop him from praying on the spot for a widow’s only son at the point of death. In Psalm 30, David cries out to God for help and is rescued just in time. In our second reading, Paul gives example on preparing to serve Jesus Christ. In today’s gospel,

Jesus boldly faces death by reversing its curse and returning a dead child to his mother.

In Luke’s Gospel (4:25-29) Jesus infuriated the Jewish elders by reminding them that their rebellion against God mimicked the unfaithfulness of their ancestors. He pointed to God’s choice of a widow of Zarephath, a pagan, over all the widows in Israel to care for Elijah during a drought. They knew the story. God’s faith in this pagan woman was better received than His faith in Israel because she did God’s bidding while the Israelites rejected God’s ways and commands. In our first reading, the widow of Zarephath is distressed over the sickness and then death of her only son and blames Elijah for the problem. She reasoned if it was not for the holy prophet’s presence in her house, God may have not paid attention to her and therefore known about her pagan ways and would not punish her by killing her son.

It’s interesting the way we try to hide our imperfections from God as if He did not know them better than we do. We are wary about getting too close to God because His light of holiness illuminates the darkest areas of our lives. But the Zarephath woman was about to learn a precious truth that would set her, and us, free to love, honor and worship God. Through the intercession of God’s holy prophet the widow’s only son is brought back to life and given back to her as God’s special expression of His love. In closing today’s first reading she replies, “Now I know that you are a man of God. The word of the Lord comes truly from your mouth” (1 Kings 17:24).

The lesson for us is clear. Elijah didn’t delay taking action to petition the Lord for a miracle -- he prayed on the spot. Our bold prayer for God’s miraculous will to be accomplished in any and every situation will allow people to know the God we serve because the word of the Lord is expressed boldly in prayer.

Psalm 30 is David’s prayer of thanksgiving for deliverance. There are four parts to the prayer:

1. Praise and thanks for God’s rescue and restoration. 2. Inviting others to join him in prayer. 3. Remembering the agony suffered before his prayer and God’s favorable answer. 4. Encouraged by God’s positive intervention he adopts a habitual attitude of prayer, praise and thankfulness regardless of the circumstances. Anyone sincerely adopting this four part lesson will empower their faith and prayer life.

Paul’s radical conversion from persecutor of the Church to receiving Christ’s call to apostleship focuses light on God’s plan for all believers. First, Paul attributes his call and empowerment to divine rather than human origin -- it came directly from Jesus Christ. All of us, by virtue of our baptism are missionary disciples of Christ. The Church Christ established has commissioned us to proclaim Christ with the various gifts we have received. Some will preach, others teach, some are prayer warriors never ceasing to petition Christ for someone else’s well-being, others by their loving and caring service. But whatever our gift we must first come to know personally the Lord we will proclaim. Paul speaks of immersing himself with retreat-like intensity for three years with Christ. He came to know Jesus Christ personally and intimately then went out to share Jesus with others.

What prayers and practices of the Church are you taking advantage of to get to know Christ intimately?

SEE SUNDAY SCRIPTURECOMMENTARIES, PAGE 8

1st Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24Responsorial Psalm: 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13 2nd Reading : Galatians 1:11-19Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

10th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Praying Boldly

Deacon Torrelli

Sunday ScriptureCommentaries

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PASCAGOULA -- Resurrection Cath-olic School’s Graduation Mass was celebrat-

ed May 24 at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Pascagoula. The celebrant for the evening was Bishop Roger Morin, and forty-three degrees were conferred.

Rebecca Dikum, valedictorian for Resurrection Catholic School’s Class of 2016, is the daughter of Natalie and Steve Dikum. Rebecca is the granddaugh-ter of Mrs. Gloria and the late Mr. Steve Hurt, and Mrs. Eleanor and the late Mr. Paul Dikum. Rebecca and her family are members of the Community of Christ Church in Escatawpa, Mississippi. Rebecca will at-tend the University of Alabama where she will major in Aerospace Engineering. Rebecca is a National Merit Commended Student and was named RCS’s STAR Student. Rebecca has been offered scholarships total-ing over $359,000.

Caroline Foster, salutatorian for Resurrection Catholic School’s Class of 2016, is the daughter of Kelly and Joseph Foster. Caroline is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walker Foster; Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Gard-

ner; and Mr. Bill Higdon. Caroline and her family are members of Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church. Caroline will attend the University of Mississippi where she will major in Biology and Spanish. Caroline served as president of the RCS Key Club, RCS cheer

captain, president of Jeune Es-prit Service and Social Club, and was first runner-up in Jackson County’s Distinguished Young Women Program. Caroline has accepted scholarships totaling over $32,000.

Resurrection Catholic School’s Class of 2016 is Cameron Alda, Emilia Armond, Clare Baumhauer, Paul Blackwell, Bentley Brady, Holden Brady, Olivia Brasher, Phillip Burrow, Bailey Clemens, Jacob Clem-ens, Meagan Cook, Madison Cooper, Steven Demet-ropoulos, Rebecca Dikum, Amy Ditsworth, Caroline Foster, Marianna French, Savanna Galloway, Michael Gatschet, Renzell Johnson, Dillon Jolly, Terry Lan-caster, Christian Longino, John McKinney, Zoie Mes-tayer, Courtney Missouri, Caeleb Newbill, Terranie Packer, Julia Parker, Peyton Parker, Zachary Pierce, Joshua Revere, Mia Richardson, Johnathon Sharp, Hayley Thames, Paul Tristani, Connor Trussell, Shan-non Unger, Sarah Walden, Kristina Washington, Chan-drea Williams, Jada Williams, and Wesley Williams.

Resurrection Catholic High School

Rebecca DikumValedictorian

Caroline FosterSalutatorian

BILOXI -- The St. Patrick Catholic High School 2016 Graduation Mass and Presentation of Diplomas was held Friday, May 20, at 5 pm on campus at St. Patrick Catholic High School.

Eric Million, Valedictorian of St. Patrick Catholic High School Class of 2016, is the son of Troy and Odile Million of Ocean Springs, and he is a parish-ioner of St. Alphonsus. Eric plans to attend Missis-sippi State University and major in Mechanical Engi-neering. While at St. Patrick, Eric has received many awards including the United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete, the Gulf Coast Youth Lead-ership Program Excellence in Leadership, the MH-SAA Lindy Callahan Scholar Athlete, and numerous distinctions in subject areas including AP Calculus and Spanish. Eric has successfully balanced academ-ics with extracurricular activities including National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, Na-tional English Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. Eric was also a member of the 3A State Championship Varsity Boys Soccer Team and the Varsity Boys Cross Country Team.

Kathleen McMackin, Salutatorian of St. Patrick Catholic High School Class of 2016, is the daughter of Les and Beth McMackin of Ocean Springs, and she is a parishioner of St. Alphonsus. Kathleen plans to attend Mississippi State University and major in Civil Engineering. While at St. Patrick, Kathleen has received many awards including the United States Marine Corps Science Achievement, United States Army Scholar Athlete, St. Patrick Hall of Fame, and

recognition in many subject areas including awards in AP Literature and Composition, AP Calculus, and Biomedical Research this year. Kathleen has also excelled in sports and co-curricular activities at St. Patrick including being a member of the 3A State Champion Girls Cross Country Team, and she also served as Captain of the Swim Team. Kathleen has been a member of the Campus Ministry Team, Na-tional Honor Society, Science Olympiad, National English Honor Society, National Science Honor So-ciety, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Bid Buddies (secretary), and Quiz Bowl (captain).

Please join us in congratulating all of the outstand-ing students from the St. Patrick Class of 2016. They are: Dylan Adderholdt, Jace Allen, Jennifer Barnes,

Tyler Barton, Beaux Bethea, Jakob Bismark, John Bosco, Beau Bratton, Sydney Broussard, John-David Burkart, Liam Burke, Blaise Butirich, James Carpen-ter, Juan Carreon, Alexa Carter, Emma Castanedo, Stephen Clark, Katherine Cobb, Samuel Collie, Ce-cilia Collins, Jillianne Craft, Christopher Diaz, Justin Diaz, Blair Doyle, Shane Dusang, Matthew Eleute-rius, Tyler Eschette, Michael Escobar-Erazo, Addison Falls, Ron Carlo Farrow, Nicholas Filipich, Jonathan Ford, William Frommeyer, Claire Gautier, Brooke Gibson, Brennan Gioe, Desiree Goodfellow, Hayden Hawkins, Corynn Hebert, Jessica Hebert, Peter Hol-land, Lindsay Holmes, Hannah Horn, Alyssa Horns-by, Grace Hudson, Erin Jackson, Hannah Janus, Mat-thew Jones, Courtney Ladner, Andrew Lechner, IV, Victoria Leckich, James Luzenberg, Carina Maalouf, Villiman Magee, Caitlin Mallette, Nathan Marsland, Shelby Martin, Allison McGrew, Kathleen McMack-in, Eric Million, Katelyn Mohler, Alfred Moran, George Palazzo, III, Grace Parker, Lane Parks, Ethan Parsons, Joann Pates, Ryan Poukner, Lauren Puzz, Caroline Rinker, Victoria Robinson, Felix Rodrigue, IV, Rachel-Anne Ryan, Mary Saucier, Mary Schloe-gel, Estelle Seghers, Noah Semski, Austin Slater, Richard Sliman, Jenna Starks, Rachel Steinwinder, Skylar Trosclair, Noah Villarreal, Hannah Wagner, Ramsey Wagner, Alexandria Watkins, Sean Wright, Johnathan Zink, and Elizabeth Zorich.

St. Patrick Catholic High School

Eric MillionValedictorian

Kathleen McMackinSalutatorian

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HATTIESBURG -- Members of Sacred Heart’s Class of 2016 are Valedictorian Mat-

thew August Gallardo; Salutatorian Sarah Steward; Special Honors: Emily Alexis, Lauren Brown, Gabri-elle Craig, Hannah Flathau, Harrison Hicks, Brook-lyn Mooney, Monica Moreno, Avery Poirrier, Ceili Rassier, Helen Schwartz, Meghan Sullivan, and Jack-son Wilkins; Honors: John Andy, Lorenzo Catlett, Allyn Evans, Molly Hasselbring, Peyton Morris, and Lillian Thomas; and Graduates: Andrew Bellipanni, Taylor Bordelon, Jessica Bradford, Tami Bradford, Hannah Burks, Sarah Comino, Joel Daniels, Lauren Gaudet, Anisah Heathcock, Haydn Johnson, Charles McSwain, Kyle Mistich, Madison Moore, Anna Painter, Fiona Palensky, Ceili Rassier, Carlos Rogge, Spencer Schurb, Parker Schurb, Matthew Smith, and Christopher Wilkins.

Valedictorian Matthew Gallardo is a National Merit Finalist, and a U. S. Presidential Scholar Can-didate. He is Sacred Heart’s 2016 Star Student. He served as captain of the Math Team, and was named to the All-League Team and selected as Most Out-standing Player in the JCJC Bobcat Math League ear-lier this year. Gallardo is president of Mu Alpha Theta and Future Business Leaders of America and a mem-ber of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, CYO and Social Justice League. As a junior, he received

Sacred Heart’s Outstanding Undergraduate Award. He was an American Legion Boys State Representa-tive and received a 1st place award for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Competition.

As a multi-sport, scholar athlete at Sacred Heart, Gallardo played baseball and basketball for six years each and participated in Cross Country in 8th and 9th grades. In baseball, he has received All-District recognition, numerous performance awards and was selected to All-Area Teams by several local and state

newspapers. In 2015, he was named to the All-State Baseball Team by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, and later this year he will play in the Missis-sippi All-Star Baseball Game. As a basketball player, Gallardo has been named to several All-Area Teams and received All-District recognition his junior and senior years. In 2015, he was honored as a Forrest General Hospital/Coca-Cola Scholar Athlete and was Sacred Heart’s Lindy Callahan Award Nominee as a senior.

Gallardo has volunteered at Abbie Rogers Civitan Camp and Mississippi Special Olympics, and com-pleted more than 300 community service hours with TRIAD AmeriCorps during the summer of 2015. He has served as a counselor and tutor for Surehouse Learning Center’s afterschool program and served as a council member for Step-Up. Earlier this year, Gallardo received recognition for volunteer service at the state level by earning Volunteer Mississippi’s GIVE Award for Outstanding Disabilities Service by a Youth. Additionally, he has received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

Gallardo is the son of Cindy and Mark Gallardo and attends Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He plans to attend Duke University and major in Pre-Medicine.

SEE SACRED HEART, PAGE 17

Sacred Heart High School

BAY ST. LOUIS -- Our Lady Academy Graduates for the 2015-2016 School Year are Katherine Allen, Katelyn Barnes, Diana Baroudi, Isabel Benjamin, Kelyn Bosley, Krista Boudin, Gabrielle Bourgeois, Alyssa Carlson, Emily Carter, Avery Cerniglia, Cath-erine Colbert, Quinn Cottone, Josie Favre, Kourt-ney Green, Sarah Haggerty, Hannah Hancock, Laina Harb, Shelby Hoskins, Paris Jean, Margaret Koenig. Margaret Kowalski, Michaela Lapniewski, Konye Maldonado, Rachel Muse, Lobar Niolet, Raegan Oberlies, Victoria Power, Anna Purcell, Rebecca St. Martin, Sarah Vancourt, Madison Wawrek.

Our Lady Academy hosted Graduation ceremo-nies on Friday, May 27, at 6 pm in the Our Lady of the Gulf Church. The graduation Mass was celebrat-ed by Bishop Roger Morin. Music for the celebration was provided by Emily Gruzinskas, vocalist, and Joy Mehrtens, pianist. Eighth grade student, Olivia Alar-con, sang Ave Maria and was accompanied by Pianist Guy Bowering. Seniors Rachel Muse and Sarah Van-court also sang the duet Need to Breathe following the Valedictorian Speech. Sue Goggins, OLA math-ematics instructor and former OLA principal, read graduate names as Most Reverend Bishop Morin, Dr. Michael Ladner, and Principal Darnell Cuevas pre-sented diplomas to the OLA seniors.

This year’s class of thirty-one graduating seniors has received offers of over $2.1 million in scholar-ships. The graduating class will be attending ten dif-

ferent universities. Class members are majoring in architecture, bioengineering, business, communica-tions, education, pathology, science, and speech.

Valedictorian Quinn Cottone is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Cottone, Jr. of Pass Christian. Quinn is a member of Holy Family Parish. During her time at Our Lady Academy, Quinn has been a mem-ber of Junior National Honor Society, National Honor Society, OLA Ambassadors, National Spanish Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. In her junior year she served as vice president of the National Spanish Hon-or Society. She currently serves as the president of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta. Quinn

competed in the Mississippi Math and Science Com-petition at Mississippi College both her junior and se-nior years. During her senior year she was recognized for placing in the top ten percent in Biology. In 2015 Quinn received the Woodmen of the World American History Award. She was also chosen to participate in the Palazzo Youth Leadership Summit at the Univer-sity of Southern Mississippi.

Quinn was named as the STAR (Student-Teacher-Achieving-Recognition) Student for the 2015-2016 school year. She was honored with the STAR rec-ognition by achieving the highest ACT score in her class, a 31. Academically Quinn has earned Princi-pal’s Honor Roll for all 8 semesters of her high school career. She has received recognition for Academic Achievement in Science, Math, History and English.

Quinn was a member of the OLA Varsity Basket-ball team for three years having received a letter each of those years. Quinn received the Coach’s award and was a team captain her senior year.

Quinn plans to attend Louisiana State University in the fall, where she received the Louisiana State University Academic Scholars Nonresident Award. She will major in Biological Engineering and plans to attend medical school. Quinn received the Principal’s Cup award during the graduation ceremony.

SEE OUR LADY ACADEMY, PAGE 17

Our Lady Academy

Matthew GallardoValedictorian

Sarah StewartSalutatorian

Quinn CottoneValedictorian

Diana BaroudiSalutatorian

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Thanksgiving Novena to St. Jude for prayers answered.O Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for us an all who invoke your aid. Amen.Say three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glorias. Publication must be promised. This Novena has never been known to fail. I have had my request granted. Publication promised. WAB

THANKSGIVING NOVENA TO ST. JUDEO Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and

rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful in-tercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St. Jude pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen.

Say three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glorias. Pub-lication must be promised. This Novena has never been known to fail.I have had my request granted. Publication promised. RFG

Ravens HaRbaugH FaitHFrom page 3

Harbaugh told the attendees that he gave his team members a T-shirt at the start of last year that read, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

“He didn’t realize how uncomfortable God would make it,” Boehk told CNS.

Father Christopher Whatley, the Ravens’ Catholic chaplain since Harbaugh joined the team in 2008 and the pastor of St. Mark in Catonsville, said Harbaugh

regularly attends Mass the day of games along with about 20 Ravens coaches and players, including kicker Justin Tucker. Harbaugh’s parents, Jack and Jackie, are also Catholic and attend the team Mass when they are in town for a game, the priest said.

Father Whatley said Harbaugh is “one of the great-est” human beings he had ever met and described him as “highly motivated and very compassionate.”

Letter to the BishopTo Bishop Morin

Your Excellency,As I complete my mission here in the United

States of America, I wish to take this one last time to thank you for your generous apostolic labors on behalf of the Gospel in your respective Local Churches and beyond as well as for the fraternal solidarity you have shown in countless ways to me as Apostolic Nuncio.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr, in his pastoral Letter to the Christians at Ephesus, provides food for thought not only for this early Christian community but also, I believe, for us today as shepherds appointed by God: “... I am taking the opportunity to urge you to be united in conformity with the mind of God. For Jesus Christ, our life, without whom we cannot live, is the mind of the Father, just as the bishops, appointed over the whole earth, are in conformity with the mind of Jesus Christ .. . So in your harmony of mind and heart the song you sing is Jesus Christ.’’

Confidently entrusting the future to the maternal intercession and protection of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of this great nation, I know that I can continue to rely on your prayers and, at the same time, assure you of mine, especially at the altar of God.

With warmest regards, I remain,Sincerely yours in Christ,Archbishop Carlo Maria ViganoApostolic Nuncio

There are Adoration, Bible Study, Charismatic Renewal, Cursillo and other retreats. Paying close attention to the preaching at Mass, reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Church encyclicals, having a spiritual director -- the list is endless. Any priest would love to have you ask what you could do to draw closer to Christ.

Watching or waiting on the sidelines is not apostolic activity. We take our clue for bold prayer and action from Jesus in today’s Gospel. No one had to ask him to raise the widow’s dead son. He saw, heard and felt the widow’s sorrow and acted to prove he is author of life and conqueror of death.

In what ways do you act to show yourself as a disciple of the Lord?

What keeps you from acting to help others?

What will it take for

you to pray on the spot for people in need?

Deacon Ralph Torrelli lives in Hattiesburg and is assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Visit his web-site: www.homilypearls.com.

sunday scRiptuRe commentaRiesFrom page 5

St. John XXIII�s aide, oldest member College of Cardinals, dies at 100BY CAROL GLATZCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The former secretary to a saint and the oldest member of the College of Cardinals died May 26 at the age of 100.

Italian Cardinal Loris Capovilla, who served St. John XXIII before and after he became pope, died in Bergamo, near Milan.

Cardinal Capovilla was born in Pontelongo, Italy, on Oct. 14, 1915, and ordained to the priesthood in 1940.

A journalist before starting to work for the future saint, he was an energetic and eloquent storyteller, draw-ing on his remarkable and vividly detailed memory.

When the freshly named patriarch of Venice, Cardi-nal Angelo Roncalli, chose 37-year-old Father Capo-villa as his private secretary in 1953, a skeptical adviser told the cardinal -- who would become Pope John XXIII -- that the priest looked too sickly to bear the strain of his new job.

Italian Cardinal Loris Capovilla, who served St. John XXIII before and after he became pope, died May 26 at the age of 100 in Bergamo, near Milan. He is pictured in a 2012 photo. CNS photo/Paul Haring

But the cardinal outlived his employer by half a cen-tury and was a dedicated custodian of his legacy, run-ning a small museum dedicated to the saint’s memory in the late pope’s native town of Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, near Milan.

SEE OBIT CAPOVILLA, PAGE 10

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Merrill Lynch Financial AdvisorTheodore Longo, CFP®, CIMA®, ChFC®,

Promoted to Managing Director

New Orleans, LA -- Merrill Lynch today announced that Ted Longo has been promoted to Managing Director. He is based in the Slidell Louisiana office.

“This promotion is a recognition that Ted has reached a higher level of experience and amassed a vast amount of industry knowledge from which to draw when helping clients pursue their financial goals,” said Jeremy Silvas, Market Executive.

Longo, a resident of Diamondhead, MS, joined Merrill Lynch in 1986. He received a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. Ted is located in the Slidell Merrill Lynch office at 660 Oak Harbor Blvd. #204 and can be reached at (888) 877-1867 or by visiting http://fa.ml.com/LONGO_GROUP

Merrill Lynch makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, member Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.

© 2016 Bank of America Corporation.All rights reserved.

Longo

St. Vincent de Paul School celebrates Feast of Corpus Christi with Eucharistic procession

LONG BEACH -- St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi a little early. Father Mike Austin, pastor of Holy Family Par-ish in Pass Christian, wanted to introduce the school children to a ritual of the Catholic Church that has al-most been forgotten in North America.

The school’s second graders were honored during the normal Friday school Mass. It was the first time they all received Holy Communion together as a class; and after the Mass, they were presented with banners made with love for them from the sixth graders.

Then Father Mike explained the Eucharistic Proces-sion. He told everyone present that this was a ritual that has been around since ancient times and that he was glad that St. Vincent de Paul students were going to be able to experience such an amazing custom.

Three altars were set up on the school grounds. The first was for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the second for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the third for the Holy Spirit. (Brian Verdigets and Scott Kaletsch made the altars, and the sixth grade students created tile mosaics to decorate them.)

The procession left the church with everyone sing-ing “This is Jesus” and walked to the first altar. First went the congregation, then candle bearers, bell ring-ers, and torch bearers; finally Father Mike with the Blessed Sacrament and several altar servers walked under a canopy. At the altar, everyone sang and prayed then moved on to the next altar. At the last altar, Prayers to the Holy Spirit were offered and Father Mike led a closing prayer.

Then the procession headed back to the church for Benediction. Finally, everyone enjoyed a feast pre-pared by the Knights of Columbus and parents.

Father Mike Austin, Julia Hazelette, and Dylan McShane are leaving the Holy Family Church for the Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession.

Father Austin carries the Blessed Sacrament around the St. Vincent de Paul school grounds.

Father Austin stops to pray at the altar dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Father Austin, altar servers and members of congregation gather at the altar of the Holy Spirit. At left, is Deacon Bill Vrazel.

obit capovillaFrom page 8

A friend and confidant, he was by the pope’s side during a pivotal point in the church and the world’s his-tory: for the launch of the Second Vatican Council and the escalation of political and military tensions of the Cold War.

He turned many of his stories into numerous writ-ings, including a memoir published in English as “The Heart and Mind of John XXIII.”

The papal secretary also served Pope Paul VI for a time after his election, following St. John’s death in 1963. He was made archbishop of Chieti-Vasto in 1967 and appointed prelate of Loreto in 1971, retiring in 1988.

Pope Francis made him the world’s oldest living cardinal when he elevated him to the College of Cardi-

nals in 2014 at the age of 98.Some observers saw the honor as an indirect tribute

to Pope John, whom Pope Francis canonized just one month later.

But the then-cardinal-designate told Catholic News Service at the time, in a telephone conversation, that his elevation was a “sign of attention to all those thousands of priests around the world who have spent their lives in silence, in poverty, in obedience, happy to serve God and our humble people, who need, as Pope Francis con-tinually says, tenderness, friendship, respect and love.”

Cardinal Capovilla’s death leaves the College of Cardinals with 213 members, 114 of whom are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a con-clave.

Pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, to the diaconate,and to the religious life, especially in the Diocese of Biloxi

Gulf Pine C

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Father John Izral celebrates 60 years of

priestly ministry

LATIMER -- Father John Izral celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on May 26 at Christ the King Mission. Christ the King pastor Father Thang Pham concelebrated the Mass. Afterwards, Father Thang and Christ the King parishioner Wanda Krohn joined Father Izral as he cut his anniversary cake. A native of

Catawba, Wisconsin, who will turn 90 on Nov. 30, Father Izral was ordained for the Diocese of Natchez on May 26, 1956, at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio. Father Izral held numerous assignments during his years of active priestly ministry. He was assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg; founding

pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Gulfport and St. Mary Par-ish in Woolmarket; pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Wiggins and founding pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Vancleave and Christ the King Mission in Latimer. He retired in 1992 and lives in Bay St. Louis where he still celebrates private Mass. Father Izral said he has kept a log of how many Masses he has celebrated since his ordination and, according to his estimate, his 60th an-niversary Mass was his 29,017th.

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Official Appointments

Bishop Roger P. Morin has made the following assignments, effective as of May 22, 2016:

Deacon Ronald Alexander is appointed to Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Biloxi.

Deacon Jesus Arellano is appointed to St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs.

Deacon Michael Butler is appointed to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Ocean Springs.

Deacon James Gunkel is appointed to St. Alphonsus Parish, Ocean Springs.

Deacon Richard Kren is appointed to St. Matthew the Apostle Parish, White Cypress.

Deacon Paul Matherne is appointed to Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Biloxi.

Deacon Richard Smith is appointed to Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, Biloxi.

Seven permanent deacons ordained for Diocese of Biloxi

Above, the seven candidates stand before Bishop Morin who questions them.

Bishop Roger Morin ordained Ronald Alexander, Jesus Arellano, Michael Butler, Jim Gunkel, Richard Kren, Paul Matherne and Richard Smith to the permanent diaconate on May 21 at Nativity BVM Cathedral. Photos/Juliana Skelton

Ron Alexander promises obedience to Bishop Morin and his successors.

The candidates prostrate themselves during the Litany of the Saints. Bishop Morin lays hands on James Gunkel.

Deacon Michael Butler distributes the Precious Blood to Brenda Finnegan.

Bishop Morin prepares to give the Kiss of Peace to Deacon Jesus Arellano.

Deacon Richard Kren receives the Book of Gospels from Bishop Morin.

Deacon Paul Matherne receives the Book of Gospels from Bishop Morin.

Deacon Richard Smith is vested by his wife and pastor, Father Steve Benden, CSsR. Photo/Terry Dickson

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6 Salute to the Class of 2016!Parishes recognize graduating seniors

St. Peter Parish, BassfieldGraduates from St. Peter Parish in Bassfield are

Carley Burns - Columbia High School, Salutatorian, Braeden Harvey - Prentiss Christian School, Courtney Fails - University of Southern Mississippi, and Lakyn Miller - University of Southern Mississippi.

St. Rose de Lima Parish, Bay St. Louis

On Sunday, May 22, St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church honored it’s high school and college gradu-ates. High school seniors and graduates of St. Stan-islaus College Prep include Tyrese Alexander, Myron Labat, III, and Jarrod Raboteau. Aaron Whavers is a graduate of Pass Christian High School and Cabrien Bell graduate of Hancock High School. College graduates include Kavonna Bradley, B.S. graduate of Delta State University; Tenille Farmer, B.S. gradu-ate University of Southern Mississippi; Deara Nar-cisse, A.A. graduate of Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College; Natisha Reynoso, M.S. graduate of William Carey University and Shari Watkins, Ph.D. graduate of The University of Delaware. Baccalaureate speak-er 2016, Sydney Labat, 3rd year pre-med student at Xavier University in New Orleans.

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Parish, Biloxi

2016 high school students graduating are St. Pat-rick High School: Matthew Eleuterius and Rachel Steinwinder; and Biloxi High School: Joey Johnson and Cathy Tran. College students are University of South Alabama: Kenny Nguyen, Khoa Nguyen, and Mong-Tuyen Thi Nguyen.

Nativity BVM Cathedral, BiloxiThe graduating seniors from Nativity of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral are: Blaise Butir-ich, Juan Carreon, Stephen Clark, Taylor Creel, Jus-tin Diaz, Victoria Leckich, Meghan Shaplin, Jenna Starks, Cameron Stanovich, Alexandria Watkins, and Elizabeth Zorich.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish, BiloxiGraduating high school seniors from Our Lady of

Fatima Parish include: Biloxi High: Abbie Brashier, Alexa Carter; Cameron Dick, Cade Gilbert, Taylor Kelly, Chad Lang, Abigail Lawson, Victoria Leckich, Danielle Lyons, Joshua Tamondong, and Alexander Tomson; St. Patrick Catholic High School: Sydney Broussard, Sam Collie, Christopher Diaz, Shane Du-sang, Matthew Eleuterius, Michael Escobar, Addison Falls, Ron Farrow, Nicholas Filipich, Hannah Janus, Carina Maalouf, JoAnn Pates, Noah Semski, and Skylar Trosclair; and Homeschool: Kirsten Logos. Michael Matherne received a Doctorate in Optom-etry.

Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, Biloxi

2016 high school students graduating are Biloxi High School: Marcus Kennedy; St. Patrick High School: Villiman Magee, Jr.; The Avalon School, Gaithersburg, MD: Brian Shaw, Jr..

Graduating from college are MS Gulf Coast Com-munity College: Janasia Ayers and Frederick Thomp-son.

St. Michael Parish, BiloxiHigh School and college graduates from St. Mi-

chael Parish in Biloxi are Brett Collins, Blair Doyle, Michael Hill, Sheila Kowalewski, Jordan Mathews, Justin Mathews, Cody Overing, Kevin Pittman and Chet Rodrigue.

Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, Biloxi2016 high school students graduating are: St.

Martin: Kellie Nguyen, Ashley Pham, Jasmine Tran, and Thao Nguyen; D’Iberville: Brittany Nguyen, Jonathan Nguyen, Jamie Tran, Quyen Nguyen, and Cuong Nguyen.

College Graduates: Kieu Le - USM, Quang Bui - USA, Kenny Nguyen - USA, Thanh Mai Nguyen - Xavier, and To Nhu Nguyen.

St. Ann Parish, Clermont HarborThe graduate from St. Ann Parish is Elijah Mi-

chael Ray.

St. Mary Parish, GautierSt. Mary Parish in Gautier honored its graduates

on May 15 at the 8:30 am Mass. Those honored were Shannon Unger, Krystopher Plante, Tam Nguyen, Connor Trussell, and Clare Gautier.

St. James Parish, GulfportPlease pray for our high school Seniors: Timo-

thy Bellipanni, Beaux Bethea, Jeffrey Bruni, Ce-cilia Collins, Clarke Copponex, Vincent Correro, Richard Dymond, Tyler Eschette, Matthew Fields, Desiree Goodfellow, Julia Grant, Hayden Hawkins, Corynn Hebert, Peter Holland, Alexander Hopkins, Erin Jackson, Dana Kluczkowski, Taylor Laven-der, Andrew Lechner, Maureen Maher, Lauren Mc-Nally, Alexander Nelms, Nina Ngo, Trace Palazzo, Caleb Prescott, Emily Robinson, Kegan Salloum, Mary Victoria Saucier, Mary Rebecca Schloegel, Austin Slater, Spencer Sliman, Kolbie Spence, Skye Spiehler, Gage Switzer, Hannah Wagner, Ransey Wagner, and Caleb Ware.

St. John the Evangelist Parish, Gulfport

Graduates from St. John the Evangelist Parish in Gulfport are Jacqueline Calles - Harrison Central High School, Quinn Frommeyer - St. Patrick Catholic High School, Jessi Hebert - St. Patrick Catholic High School, and Becca Heber - University of Southern Mississippi.

St. Therese of Lisieux Parish, Gulfport

Graduates from St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Gulfport are Amber Thomas - Mississippi State University B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and Terrence Smith - Harrison Central High School.

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atholic • June 3, 201615St. Thomas Aquinas Parish,

HattiesburgGraduates from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in

Hattiesburg are John Andy, Logan Boutwell, Mason Boutwell, Jessica Bradford, Carly Burns, Gabrielle Craig, David Englert, Allyn Evans, Brady Farlow, Landry Filce, Jocelin Foster, Haydn Johnson, Jour-dan Jones, Andrew Luckett, Stephanie Mainville, Tony Nyary, Parker Papas, John Peyrefitte, Chris-tian Rapetti, Lyn Severson, Meghan Sullivan, Parker Swafford, Katelyn Tuck, and Dani Viehweg.

Immacatule Conception Parish, Laurel

Graduates from Immaculate Conception Parish in Laurel are Jonathan Atencio - Laurel High School, Jorge Castillo - South Jones High School, Esmeralda Gonzalez - South Jones High School, Alyssa Gra-ham - West Jones High School, and Mary Woodyard - South Jones High School.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Moss Point

The graduates of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Moss Point were honored at Mass on Sunday May 15. Graduates honored were Cameron Alda - Resur-rection High School, Sarah Walden - Resurrection High School, Breland Broadus - Pascagoula High School, Landen Smith - Moss Point High School, and Ally Wade - Gautier High School.

St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Ocean Springs

Graduates from St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Ocean Springs are Kaylin Brennan, Emma Brown, Elyssa Coloma, Emily Crocker, Darren Frey, Carlie Graham, Justin Hoang, Gage Johnson, Taylor Kendrick, Thuy Le Hoang, Jennifer McKay, Olivia Nash, Amberly Nguyen, Ashley Nguyen, Tiffany Nguyen, Phillip Roberts, Chloe Ryan, Gage Tegethoff and Madison Zuber.

Our Lady of Victories Parish,Pascagoula

Graduates from Our Lady of Victories Parish in Pascagoula are Bentley Brady, Holden Brady, Bailey Clemens, Jake Clemens, Caroline Foster, Michael Gatchett, Alora Houston, Alex Richards, Jordan Spradlin, and Haley Thames.

Sacred Heart Parish, PascagoulaThe 2016 Graduates from Sacred Parish, Pasca-

goula, were recognized Sunday, May 22, at the 10:30 am Mass. Sacred Heart Graduating Class of 2016 are Jacqueline Abrego, Paul Blackwell, Olivia Brasher, Phillip Burrow, Karina Calvo, Jorge Cervantes, John Cintrón, Amy Ditsworth, Caroline Foster, Marianna French, Michael Gatschet, Julissa Hernandez, Jendy Madrid, Zoie Mestayer, Joshua Revere, and Christo-pher Rinza.

Holy Family Parish, Pass Christian

Graduates from Holy Family Parish in Pass Christian are Jacob Bishop, Quinn Cottone, Shelby Clark, Caleb Counselman, Shelby Hoskins, Tabitha Kallas, Casey Lafontaine, Aaron LaMarca, Dan Nguyen, Lobar Niolet, Christopher Scialdone, Shannon Swilley and Hieu Vuong.

Most Holy Trinity Parish, Pass Christian

Graduates from Most Holy Trinity Parish in Pass Christian are Havierre Alexander, Jayln Barfield, Brennan Brown, Breanna Dedeaux, Brianna Favre, Sarah Rose Haggerty, Travis Harkins, Dominique Haynes, Enjoli Henderson, Bailee Ladner, Brendon Ladner, Keegan Lizana, Shawn Necaise, Grace Parker, Aija Pettis, Courtney Riley, Emily Siegel, Avion Swanier, and Mitchell Walk.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune

St. Charles Borromeo 2016 graduates are Christian Arcement, Matthew Brockhaus, David Burk, Dane Crosby, David Doane, Nicholas Gonzales III, Matthew Habighorst, Alexander Harry, Anna Lander, Sophia LaRocca, Danielle Leclercq, Johnny Maggiore, Zachary Michelle, Aaron Ortego, Ally Ricco, Kevin Rivers, Kayla Stein, Lauren Walker, and Carolyn Willis.

St. Joseph Mission, PoplarvilleGraduates from St. Joseph Mission in Poplarville

are Thomas Abel - Homeschool, Lauren Lecompte - Poplarville High School, Seth Keenan - Poplar-ville High School, India Dedeaux -Poplarville High School, Jacob Keith - First Baptist Christian School, Katherine Abel - University of Southern Mississippi, and Paul Ferguson - University of Southern Missis-sippi.

Holy Spirit Parish, VancleaveHigh school graduating seniors from Holy Spirit

are Cherish Burge, Robin Croker, David Gardner, Annaliese Gill, Joshua Iler, Dillon Mizelle, Jessica Rushing, Arleigh Seymour, Ronald Seymour, Timothy Seymour, Woodrow Seymour, and Eli Wheatley.

St. Clare Parish, WavelandGraduates from St. Clare Parish in Waveland are

Patrick Asher - St. Stanislaus and Adelina Fried - Bay High.

St. Matthew the Apostle Parish, White Cypress

St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church hosted a Baccalaureate Mass on Sunday, May 22, at 11:15 to recognize high school and college graduates. The graduates are: Tricia Shaw, Brendon Hoda, Aaron Hoda, Brady Wilson, Stanton Ladner, Seth Ladner, and Erica Ladner.

St. Mary Parish, WoolmarketGraduates from St. Mary Parish in Woolmarket

are: Anthony Barton - Tulane University, Tyler Bar-ton - St. Patrick Catholic High School, Hunter Bentz - D’Iberville High School, Kenny Bertucci III - Mis-sissippi State University, Sarah Bertucci - William Carey College, Jackson Butler - D’Iberville High School, McKenzie Irish - University of Southern Mississippi, Matthew Jones - St. Patrick Catholic High School, Rusty Keegan - St. Martin High School, Magnolia Keller - D’Iberville High School, Austin Knue - D’Iberville High School, Juliana Koontz - University of Southern Mississippi, Kirsten Logos - Homeschool, Shelby Martin - St. Patrick Catholic High School, and Michael Melasecca - D’Iberville High School.

A Prayer for GraduatesMay the Lord bless each of the graduates in the Diocese of Biloxi and bless this time of new beginnings. May He smile upon those young men and women and surround them with His loving arms. May He guide them to follow in the footsteps of His Son and to live life in the ways of faith, hope, love and charity all the days of their lives. Amen

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6 St. Stanislaus CollegeBAY ST. LOUIS -- Saint

Stanislaus is proud to recognize Mitchell Walk as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2016

and Thomas Reeder, Michael Sandoz, and Matthew Saucier the 2016 Salutatorians. Mitchell, Thomas, Michael, and Matthew were formally recognized during a commencement Mass celebrated by Bishop Roger Morin on Saturday, May 28, at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis. Mitchell graduated with a 4.61 cumulative weighted grade point average and Thomas, Michael, and Matthew graduated with a 4.60 cumulative weighted grade point average.

Valedictorian Mitchell Walk, son of Mary Kay and Wesley Walk of Diamondhead, was named a 2016 National Merit Finalist. He also earned the rec-ognition as Saint Stanislaus’ 2016 STAR Student by achieving the highest ACT score, 36, of this year’s senior class.

Mitchell has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, and is Vice-President of the Saint Stanislaus Student Council.

As a three-sport varsity athlete, Mitchell has earned varsity letters in football, basketball and ten-nis, and currently serves as the tennis representative for the Saint Stanislaus chapter for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In football, he was named to the 2015 MAC All-State First Team, the All-Division 8-4A Team, All South Mississippi Team, and named the Sea Coast Echo Defensive Player of the Year. Mitchell was named to the Division 8-4A All-Division Basketball Team, and was named the Mr. Rock-A-Chaw Award recipient for both football and basketball this year. He was a Mississippi finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman.

Mitchell will attend the University of Texas. Salutatorian Thomas Reeder son of Cindy and

Marshall Reeder of Kiln, has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semester since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, Student Council, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Thomas was a participant in the Hancock Youth Leadership Academy as both an 8th grader and a junior. He is a former retreat participant and retreat leader for the Saint Stanislaus Kairos retreat held at the St. Augustine Retreat Center.

As a two-sport athlete, Thomas has earned var-sity letters in both football and track and field. He was named to the 2015 MAC All-State First Team, All Division 8-4A, All South Mississippi, and All Sea Coast Echo teams in football and the 2016 Clarion

Ledger All State Track and Field Team. Thomas won the 2015 4A South State Discus Champion and is the school discus record holder.

Thomas will attend the United States Naval Academy and play football for the Midshipmen.

Salutatorian Michael Sandoz, son of Mena and Rodney Sandoz of Long Beach, has achieved President’s Honor Roll every semester since the sev-enth grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Student Ministry Team, and was the Senior Class Representative of the Saint Stanislaus Student Council. Michael was also a member of the Saint Stanislaus SCUBA and Robotics clubs. He has twice made the Saint Stanislaus-sponsored service trip to the Navajo Reservation in Klagetoh, Arizona.

As a member of the Saint Stanislaus Track and Field Team, Michael placed second in the pole vault at the MHSAA 4A State Meet this year.

Outside of school, Michael has served as an edu-

cation intern with the Pascagoula River Audubon Center, volunteered with the Audubon Coastal Bird Stewardship, and is a member of the Alabama High School Mountain Biking League.

Michael will attend the University of Southern Mississippi.

Salutatorian Matthew Saucier, son of Georgia and Robert Saucier of Diamondhead, has achieved either Alpha or President’s Honor Roll every semes-ter since the seventh grade. He is a member of the Brother Peter Basso Chapter of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Ministry Team, Youth Legislature, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. During the summer of 2015, Matthew was invited to participate in the first Student Assembly of the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart held on the Saint Stanislaus campus. Matthew helped create the Saint Stanislaus Service Hour Team (SH0UT) his senior year. This group encouraged students to take on more service opportu-nities in the local area.

As a six-year member of the Saint Stanislaus Golf Team, Matthew won the 2016 Most Improved Golfer Award and is the golf representative for the school’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Outside of school, Matthew is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. During his junior year he was invited to the National Academy of Future Physicians and the National Student Leadership Conference. Matthew has played junior golf on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, the Arrowhead Junior Golf Tour, the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour, and the Gulf Coast Junior Golf Tour.

Matthew will attend the University of Mississippi.St. Stanislaus College 2016 graduates are as fol-

lows: Tyrese Alexander, Nicholas Allen, Haydn Anderson, Patrick Asher, Jason Bates, William Betz, Jacob Bishop, Dustin Bosch, Luke Bradley, David Burk, Brendon Caliva, Mason Canamar, Alfred Paul Cenac, Connor DelValle, Mark Ellender, James Estrada, Holden Favre, Mason Favre, Benton Garrard, Erik Handshoe, Richard Harkrider, Alexander Hoelzel, Hans Hoffman, Daniel Hopkins, Dong Yul Kim, Myron Labat, Ryan Ladner, Tianyu Liu, James Lucore, Austin Miller, Raymond Mion, Jon-Tyler Moore, Jared Mumme, Kyle Necaise, Daniel Nisthal, Kaelen Novak, Vernon Palmer, Christopher Perronne, Ryan Pitalo, Jarrod Raboteau, Elijah Ray, Thomas Reeder, John Rhode, Nicholas Robins, Jackson Rogers, Michael Sandoz, Tyler Santiago, Matthew Saucier, William Schmidt, Christopher Scialdone, Michael Shirah, Carter St. Mary, Jason Thornhill, Tayler Trapani, Tyler Trapani, Keaton Turnipseed, Mitchell Walk, and West Zimmerman.

Congratulations to all the Graduates of 2016!

Mitchell WalkValedictorian

Thomas ReederSalutatorian

Michael SandozValedictorian

Matthew SaucierSalutatorian

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sacRed HeaRtFrom page 7

National Beta Club and National Honor Society. She is co-founder and co-president of the Environ-

mental Club, a senior class representative and student body secretary. Stewart is also a member of Future

Business Leaders of America and Social Justice League. She competed as a member of the Math Team

for two years. Stewart was the 2015 recipient of the Wellesley College Book Award, and was a Cum Laude

performer on the National Latin Exam in 2013 and 2014. Stewart was a 2014 Gold Key Recipient in the

Mississippi Scholastic Writing Competition, and was a state winner and American Voices Nominee. She at-

tended American Legion Auxiliary Girls State and was elected as a senator.

As an athlete, Stewart was a member of the cross country, swim and track teams. She served as team captain for the swim team as a senior and was a state qualifier for four years. In cross country, she qualified for state in 11th and 12th grades. She was honored as a Forrest General Hospital/Coca-Cola Scholar Athlete

in 2015.Stewart has volunteered at Forrest General Hospi-

tal’s Family Birthplace, Southern Pines Animal Shel-ter, Hope House and St. Vincent DePaul. She has also worked as a swim instructor at the YMCA.

She is the daughter of Deanna and Michael Stewart. She plans to attend Western State Colorado University and double major in Environmental and Sustainability and Political Science.

ouR lady academyFrom page 7

Salutatorian Diana Baroudi is the daughter of Dr. Bassam Baroudi and Mrs. Kinana Baroudi of Gulfport. During her time at Our Lady Academy, Diana was an active member of several clubs and organizations, in-cluding the OLA basketball team, YMCA Junior Youth Legislature, OLA Student Council, OLA Ambassadors, and Students against Destructive Decisions. In addition, she has been a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta

Mathematics Honor Society. Diana has served leader-ship positions in her school. She was elected as Student Council Treasurer, National Honor Society Vice-Pres-ident, and Outstanding Member of Mu Alpha Theta. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and has been awarded the American Citizenship award for her sophomore year. She has also previously been awarded for her academic achievement in English and Math, and has been a Certificate of Merit. Diana has

also been selected to complete in Mississippi College’s Science and Mathematics Competition during her junior and senior year. Diana was nominated for the Chamber of Commerce Award during her graduation ceremony.

Diana will attend Auburn University in the fall, where she will major in biological science to pursue a career in medicine.

Did We Tell Them Everything? BY RHONDA PARKINSON CLARK, PHDAssociate Superintendent of Education

Congratulations to the graduating seniors in the Class of 2016. Their Catholic education has served them well. We are thankful for the teachers, coaches, principals and staff who have been so integral to this part of their foundation. They are now ready to conquer life as they proceed down whatever path they have cho-sen. These are words we often hear, but how can we be certain that it is true? This year I was not only a school administrator but the parent of a graduating senior. As I talk to other parents, I have discovered that we are all wondering the same things. Did we tell them everything they need to know? Did they listen to anything we told them? Are they really ready to go to college or to begin that next chapter of their lives? Have we, as parents, done all that we could do -- and all that we wanted to do -- to make sure our children are prepared for what lies ahead of them?

As our children graduated from high school over the past few weeks, we all looked back at photographs of them in elementary school and wondered where the time had gone. Wasn’t it just yesterday that my little boy had curly blond hair and glasses? When did he become a 6’4” young man? We all realized that time passed by far too quickly and that, whether we liked it or not, these kids of ours were now young adults. The questions weighing on all our minds were whether we did enough, whether we adequately gave them the life skills that they need to succeed, whether we set the proper boundaries for them to make moral and ethi-

Dr. Rhonda Clark, assistant superintendent of diocesan schools and her son, Stephen, a 2016 graduate of St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi

cal decisions on their own, whether we were good role models that they admired and wanted to emulate. We pray that, with the guidance of our Lord, the answer to these questions is yes.

The Class of 2016 must now be spoken of in the past tense. They are no longer high school students but will eventually become the leaders of our church, com-munity, schools and government. These young men and women will never need their parents the way they did when they were in elementary and middle school, and it may be difficult for us to accept that we must allow them to make their own decisions and, yes, to make their own mistakes. It is now that we hope and we pray that all of the lessons we have instilled in them for the past 18 years will guide them in life, and we hope and we pray that they will still come to us and seek our guidance when they need it. The foundation we started laying on the day they were born is not yet complete but has come to a pivotal juncture. Our children are now ready to go to the next phase of their lives, and our roles in their lives will be vastly different. We cannot be sad but must be excited to see what the next chapter holds for them.

As my son heads off to college this fall, in my eyes he will still be that curly haired little boy starting pre-kindergarten in our Catholic elementary school. But I have to realize that this is a memory I hold in a special place in my heart, for the rest of the world sees him as a young man. We have completed this phase of being parents, and we must be ready to move on to the next phase, no matter how hard. I am confident that the guid-ance these students’ parents have provided and that the Catholic education they have received have prepared them for life beyond high school. I have great expecta-tions for the Class of 2016 if they do two very important things … go to church and go to class. I know that they are ready to take on the world. Congratulations.

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6 Class of 2016 SnapshotsOur Lady Academy, Bay St. Louis

Class of 2016 pictured with Bishop Morin

St. Stanislaus College, Bay St. Louis

Graduates, pictured with Bishop Morin, celebrate the end of onechapter of their lives and the beginning of another.

St. Patrick High, Biloxi

Graduates pose with Bishop Morin and clockwise, at far left front row, l-r, Father Charles Nutter and Father James Smith; back row, Father Greg Barras; on right, front row, Msgr. Dominick Fullam and Father Steve Benden, CSsR; back row, Father Ryan McCoy.

Resurrection High, Pascagoula

Resurrection 2016 Graduating Class pictured with Bishop Morin

Sacred Heart High, Hattiesburg

Sacred Heart Graduates 2016 pictured with Bishop Morin.

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Salutatorian Kathleen McMackin, left, Bishop Morin, center, and Valedictorian Eric Million, right

Class of 2016 SnapshotsOur Lady Academy, Bay St. Louis

Our Lady Academy Valedictorian Quinn Cottone,Bishop Roger Morin, center, and Salutatorian Diana Baroudi

St. Stanislaus College, Bay St. Louis

St. Stanislaus Valedictorian Mitchell Walk, Bishop Roger Morin and Salutatorians Thomas Reeder, Michael Sandoz and Matthew Saucier

St. Patrick High, Biloxi

Resurrection High, Pascagoula

Valedictorian Rebecca Dickum, Bishop Morin, and Salutatorian Caroline Foster

Sacred Heart High, Hattiesburg

Salutatorian Sarah Stewart Bishop Morin, Valedictorian Matthew Gallardo

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6 Nativity teacher’s assistant to spend part of summer teaching nursing techniques to refugee mothersStory and photoBY TERRY DICKSON

BILOXI -- Bianca Wooden, a teacher’s assistant at Nativity BVM Elementary School, will spend a portion of her summer at a refugee camp on the Greece/Mace-donia border to teach feeding techniques to mothers of infants.

Wooden’s trip is sponsored by Nurture Project In-ternational.

The camp where she will be stationed is called EKO because it’s located next to a gas station of the same name.

“It took me forever to figure that out because I was looking for a city of the same name,” said Wooden.

Wooden said the majority of the refugees living in Camp EKO are from Syria. However, there are also some from Iraq and Afghanistan. They number in the thousands.

Until they reach the age of six months, Wooden ex-plained, the only nourishment children receive is from milk or formula.

“In the United States, most women want to breast-feed, but a lot of them have problems or have to use formula,” she said.

“There are risks involved. They say ‘breast is best,’ but usually it works out for the kids.”

Wooden said there are more serious risks involved with giving formula to babies in refugee camps.

“First of all, they don’t have a way to clean bottles, so that’s a serious problem, and they don’t have a way to give formula,” she said.

“So, it’s really critical in a refugee situation -- and the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Save the Children have done all kinds of research and guidelines on this -- that the mothers are successful at breastfeed-ing because that’s the best way to keep their babies from getting sick. Specifically, if they get diarrhea from an intestinal problem, babies can die easily from that. So, I’m specifically going to support moms with breast-feeding, encourage them and give them basic tips.”

This is something Wooden already does on a local level as a volunteer with La Leche League.

“That’s a non-profit that has been around since the 1950s and they named it that because, in the 50s, you couldn’t say ‘breastfeeding.’ So they came up with a little code word” she said.

“We have support groups here and I help mothers all the time. At the refugee camp, I’m going to be doing the same thing but the work is going to be even more mis-sion critical to keep the babies safe. Then, for the moms who are giving formula or need to give formula, we help them get safe formula that is made with clean wa-ter that is prepackaged as a liquid. We also teach them how to feed with a cup because a cup can be cleaned or

Nativity BVM Teacher’s Assistant Bianca Wooden

wiped out whereas a bottle can’t be cleaned very well, unless you have hot water.”

Wooden learned about the opportunity on Facebook. “I’ve never volunteered internationally or put much

thought into it,” she said.“This organization had a little picture that said ‘We

need experienced lactation consultants’ and it showed these moms and babies in tents and I felt like they were talking to me.”

Wooden, who has five years of training under her belt and is scheduled to take the exam to become a board certified lactation consultant in October, talked it over with her husband, Graham. The couple has two daughters, Luci and Caprie, both students at Nativity.

Although she was reluctant to leave her children and family behind, Wooden eventually decide that she needed to make the trip.

“It was just calling to me, so I made the decision and ran with it,” she said, adding that she has undergone ad-ditional training to help her deal specifically with refu-gees.

Wooden, plans on renting a car at the airport in Thessaloniki and driving to the Macedonian border, where she will stay in a house with other volunteers.

“There might be one or two people volunteering

with me at Nurture Project International, but I’ll be staying with other volunteers from all over the world working with different non-profits,” she said.

Wooden is paying her own way. However, she has received many donations that have helped to defray her travel expenses.

“I’ve received all variety of donations, from $5 to $300 from friends and family,” she said.

To date, she has received almost $4,000 in dona-tions, $700 of which was raised by Nativity School.

Wooden said she will donate any leftover money to Nurture Project International, for the purchase of for-mula, baby scales and tents.

Wooden said she was especially touched by the gen-erosity of her Nativity family.

“They’re so wonderful,” she said.“The school has made so many donations, so I re-

ally appreciate that they believe in me. I also love that the kids are thinking about it. Even the little bitty ones know that I’m going to help people that need help and the bigger kids are having these deeper thoughts about how do we help the people of the world when we have wars, differences and language barriers.”

Las Misas Celebradasen Español/ Masses

Celebrated in Spanish

Sábado/SaturdayPascagoula: Sacred Heart Parish, 6 pm

Domingo/SundayLaurel: Immaculate Conception Parish,4 pm Hattiesburg: Sacred Heart Parish, 1:30 pm Picayune: St. Charles Borromeo Parish,7 pm Gulfport: St. John the Evangelist Parish, 7:30 pm Ocean Springs: St. Alphonsus Parish, 2 pm

Lunes/MondayBiloxi: Our Lady of Fatima Parish, 6 pm

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Confirmation 2016East Biloxi Parishes St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Long Beach

Eighteen young people received their Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Roger Morin on Saturday, April 30th; three confirmandi from Our Mother of Sorrows, seven confirmandi from Vietnamese Martyrs, six confirmandi from Nativity BVM Cathedral, one confirmandi from St. Michael, and one confirmandi from Our Lady of Fatima.Pictured with Bishop Roger Morin, front row, l-r: Justin Hoang, Jamie Tran, Alyssa Bui, Vienna Nguyen, Amanda Pham, Thao Nguyen, Cecilia Tang, Haleigh Powe, and Christopher Trieu. Back row: Matthew Boudreaux, Andrew Champagne, Jiles Bradfield, Tyler Nasakaitis, Michael Pfarrer, Jordan O’Keefe, Dylan Gutierrez, Troy Fulton, and Yvonne Russell.

Confirmation was recently held at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Long Beach. Bishop Roger Morin, St. Thomas pastor Father Cuddy O’Connell and parochial vicar Father Dominic Pham concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Buddy VanCourt assisted Bishop Morin. Confirmandi were: Jennifer Arnoult, Tabby Berkley. Thomas Boettner, Brandon Bowell, Savannah Bryant, Andrew Buras, Mallory Daley, Cameron Dubuisson, Derek Dubuisson, Emily Elchos, Salvador Favre, Elizabeth Goodman, Grace Gremillion, Alexandra Healy, Stephanie Herrera, Nicholas Hertz, Emory Hillman, Brooke Holley, Emily Hollingsworth, Allison Kaletsch, Chandler Kergosien, Abigail Koons, Hannah Levens, Ethan Loftin, Brendan Logan, Jonathon Magandy, Noah Magandy, Kaitlynn McGoey, Bridget McMillan, Elizabeth Seton Mink, Lanie Newell, Cody Peranich, Patrick Powers, Nathanael Ribar, Laura Ritten, Allison Roberts, Chase Rogers, Sarah Sandoz, Jack Scafide, Gyasi Sims, Savanah Steady, Linsey Stringer, Amanda Sylvia, Laura Taylor, Brooke Williams, and Sydney Wittmann.

Our Lady of Victories Parish, Pascagoula St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune

Monsignor John McGrath recently confirmed 22 young people at Our Lady of Victories Church in Pascagoula. Pictured, front row, l-r, are Phillip Hamilton, Alexis Harbin, Jordan Spradlin, Shelby Tucker, Madi Cooper, Bailey Clemens, Lauren Coakley, Caroline Foster, Alora Houston and Kaitlin Naguyen; middle: Patrick Larsen, Holden Brady, Alexander Yap, Jacob Clemens, Nick Dickinson, Anna Hurley and Hayley Thames; and back: Sam Scarborough, Brandon Holliday, Bentley Brady, Msgr. McGrath, Fr. Tony Arguelles, Douglas Smith and Gage Miller.

Bishop Roger Morin recently confirmed 19 young people from St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Picayune. Pictured, front row, l-r, are: Deacon Gayden Harper, Deacon Doug McNair, Bishop Morin and Father Truong Trinh; second row: Alexis Reed, Carly Savoie and Ariel Smith; third row: Gina Rancatore, Kaitlin Smyth, Patrick Ingram, Jesse Schmitt, Megan Dudenhefer, Elizabeth Carnathan, Cheyenne Ingersoll and Selma Newbill; and back row: Krisztina Gipson, Michael Fendley, Alexandra Caro, John Hays, Thomas Heck, Alex Bordelon, Samuel Hollingsworth and Clay Knight.

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6 Musician, actor, cardinals, lawyer address U.S. Catholic college graduatesBY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Speakers at commence-ment exercises at U.S. Catholic colleges and universi-ties this year ranged from musician and composer Harry Connick Jr. and actor of stage and screen Mahershala Ali to cardinals and bishops and a former college presi-dent.

As commencement speaker at Loyola University New Orleans May 20, Connick both regaled crowds and drew upon his multifaceted career and his Catholic upbringing as he shared advice for a meaningful and successful life beyond graduation.

“If you work and pay attention to the smallest de-tails of your work, your relationships, your faith, you’ll find that over time, you will have created a lot of great things -- things of worth, things of substance and qual-ity,” he told the graduates.

Connick, a native son of New Orleans, received an honorary doctorate of music from Loyola.

In his commencement address he cited the phi-losophies of Pope Francis, the Jesuits and St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. With self-deprecat-ing humor, he also drew upon his career as a musician, actor and entertainer, referencing family life, his up-bringing in the Crescent City and past work on the film “Dolphin Tale” and TV shows “Will and Grace” and “American Idol.”

His philanthropy work includes his efforts on Musi-cians’ Village in the city’s Ninth Ward, the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He founded the village with fellow New Orleans native and musician Branford Marsalis in the aftermath of the storm.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, New York, addressed graduates of Vincentian-run St. John’s Uni-versity May 22.

He spoke about the immigration issue in the United States. The bishop also received the President’s Medal, the university’s highest honor, during the ceremony on the campus in the borough of Queens.

“I find the topic of immigration to be truly important to the church and to the world,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “This topic is very appropriate here at St. John’s be-cause you have a very high percentage of immigrants and children of immigrants here and you’re in Queens, N.Y., one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States.

“The immigrants of our diocese seem to live in har-mony much like the situation here on this campus,” he continued. “St. Vincent de Paul, the founder of the Vin-centian (order), has educated you with a special mis-sion to serve the poor and the downcast. You are our educated future leaders and it is our hope that you can make the same choice (as St. Vincent) as you leave St. John’s.”

Across the country at St. Mary’s College in Mora-ga, California, graduates heard from alum Mahershala

Ali, who currently stars in the award-winning Netflix original series “House of Cards.” His other roles have included playing the head of security in last fall’s “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2.”

He offered graduates advice about the power of per-severance, patience and prayer in their lives after col-lege. He told them they would need all three to truly pursue their dreams.

“We are simply the culmination of our actions and the seeds of our actions are our thoughts,” Ali said May 21. “We have a responsibility to our spirit and I feed and clothe mine through prayer and meditation, cultivating a relationship with the divine source of guidance, the majestic dance of call and response.”

“You have the capacity to leave a lasting impact and indelible impression upon this world as evidenced by this day, your right of passage,” he told the graduates. “Claim the sacred spaces of your minds; nurture and cultivate a vision of fulfillment; and move toward that destiny with patience, perseverance, and prayer.”

In Atchison, Kansas, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan called on graduates at Benedictine College May 14 to “dream and dare” to make a difference in difficult circumstances.

“Four years ago you made a very significant choice,” he said. “You took a dream and a dare to entrust your future to a college that believes, contrary to the reigning ideology of our country, that faith and reason are hardly foes but allies, that allegiance to Jesus and his church actually liberates one for greatness.”

Cardinal Dolan, who received an honorary degree from the college, said he has seen the possibilities of a Benedictine College education in a student he met in a refugee camp in Iraq.

The camp was filled with “refugees your own age who had lost families and homes and careers and pos-sessions -- everything but their faith and that thirst for learning that gives them hope in a terrain blotched by international bullies, by bombs and blood,” he said. “And there is Josh Radick, your fellow alumnus, smack dab in the middle of all that.”

He called all the students to be like Josh, following “the call to greatness he sensed on this campus.”

In Ohio, Laura M. Meeks, the former president of Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, delivered the keynote address at Franciscan University’s science commencement ceremony May 14. She also re-ceived an honorary doctorate of educational leadership for her work in higher education and her contributions to the local community.

“I’m going to make a case,” she said, “that this class is the most special class of Franciscan University.”

She noted that the class was graduating during the Year of Mercy and in the same year Blessed Teresa of Kolakata will be canonized (Sept. 4). Meeks referenced Pope Francis’ U.S. trip last September, as the students were in their last year of college.

Meeks also noted the March 27 death of Mother An-gelica, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Net-work, whom she called a model of work and prayer.

“You must pray and put your life in God’s hand,” she said. “Your rock is Jesus. You know what Jesus would do, so I say do it.”

At the university’s arts commencement exercises, Paul M. “Mickey” Pohl, a former member of Francis-can University’s board of trustees, received an honor-ary doctorate of Christian ethics for his work defending religious freedom.

SEE CATHOLIC COMMENCEMENTSROUNDUP, PAGE 23

Graduates celebrate during The Catholic University of America’s 127th annual commencement May 14 outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. CNS/Dana Rene Bowler, CUA

John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America, speaks during the university’s 127th annual commencement May 14 outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.CNS/Dana Rene Bowler, CUA

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Pohl spoke at length about how religious freedom in the U.S. in being threatened. He leads a team of at-torneys with the Jones Day law firm representing more than 50 Catholic organizations, including Franciscan University, in lawsuits against the federal contraceptive mandate.

“There is a war going on out there in which we are thrust whether we like it or not. There is a war being fought for your soul and there is a war being fought for the soul of our nation,” he said.

A day earlier Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley re-ceived an honorary doctorate of sacred theology during Franciscan University’s baccalaureate Mass.

In his homily, he spoke about Christ’s disciples as

students, particularly St. Peter. He noted three questions that Christ asked in the Gospels and how it was like a final exam on his teachings: Who do you say that I am? Do you want to leave me, too? Do you love me?

Cardinal O’Malley encouraged graduates to use Pe-ter’s answers: You are the Christ. To whom else should we go. Yes, Lord, you know that I do.

“The correct answers need to be on your heart as well as your lips,” he said. “Here at Franciscan Uni-versity, you have such an extraordinary opportunity to deepen your life of faith hope and love.”

On May 15, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl told Marymount University’s graduates that their gen-eration faces great challenges to the idea that we are

part of God’s plan and that there is an interaction and interconnectedness to what God asks of us and how we live out our lives.

“Jesus came to announce that he was going to make all things new but he was going to invite all of us to make that happen, that we wouldn’t just be passive by-standers,” he said during undergraduate commencement exercises at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington. The university is located in suburban Arlington, Virginia.

“Never give up the hope, never give up the vision, never give up the dream you can make this a better world,” Cardinal Wuerl said.

catHolic commencements RoundupFrom page 22

Archbishop: World Meeting of Families is part of wider church renewalBY CAROL GLATZCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland is part of a broad program of re-newal of the church’s pastoral care for all families, said Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.

“In Pope Francis’ mind, the IX World Meeting of Families in Dublin is not an isolated event. It belongs within a process of discernment and encouragement, of accompaniment and animation of families,” he said during a news conference at the Vatican May 24.

“It belongs within a program of renewal of the church’s pastoral concern and pastoral care for the fam-ily and for families,” he said.

Archbishop Martin and Archbishop Vincenzo Pa-glia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, presented the official theme of the encounter, which is held every three years.

The gathering is dedicated to “The Gospel of family, joy for the world,” and it will run Aug. 22-26, 2018, in Dublin.

The meeting’s preparation and celebration will be inspired in large part, Archbishop Paglia said, by Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), which followed a two-year-long synod process focused on families.

The postsynodal document, he said, demands “not a simple updating of family pastoral care, but much more -- a new way of living the church, a new way of fulfill-ing that love that renders the life of the people of God, of families and of society happy.”

Archbishop Martin said he hoped the meeting would be “an important milestone in the application of the fruits of the synodal process.”

Archbishop Paglia said having the meeting in Ire-land, which is “marked by a delicate moment of transi-tion,” will help the country “recover the strength, en-ergy and missionary zeal through the rediscovery of the

vocation and mission of the family.”All Christian communities and members of other

religious faiths need to work together with government and civil society to find common ground in a “family spirit,” he said, in order to tackle “that individualist di-mension that unfortunately is increasingly embroiling religious and civil settings all over the world.”

The meeting is meant to highlight the Christian ideal of marriage and family life, as well as to be a resource to accompany and encourage all those who “who can’t achieve the Christian ideal” as of yet, Archbishop Pa-glia said in response to a reporter’s question.

It will be about “inclusivity,” he said, in tune with the pope’s approach in his ministry and the postsynodal document.

Archbishop Martin said in his talk that “the church’s catechetical programs regarding marriage and the fam-ily need a complete overhaul in line with what ‘Amoris Laetitia’ sets out,” and he hoped churches around the world would prepare for the Dublin meeting by sharing

in that catechetical process.The priority in planning is to look at what families

are facing and, in Ireland, that includes great economic difficulties and a severe housing crisis. Some families in Dublin, he said, live in a hotel room “because there aren’t enough homes.”

The gathering is an opportunity to “encourage a very inclusive culture” for people who are struggling and want a more dignified life for themselves and their families, he said.

“In the face of the many challenges of a changing culture of marriage and the family, the church is called to accompany families in a new way and to enable fam-ilies to experience more profoundly the joy of living the Gospel of the family,” he said.

“It is also vital that church and society commit them-selves to enabling families to experience that joy more fully through appropriate political, social and economic measures which support families and help remove bur-dens which families face,” the Irish archbishop said.

At the news conference, Archbishop Martin again confirmed that Pope Francis would like to attend the meeting in Ireland in 2018, but he said a concrete sched-ule would be set closer to the actual date of the event.

The archbishop said it would be very important for the pope to visit Northern Ireland and bring to comple-tion the 1979 historic pilgrimage of St John Paul II, when rising tensions in the North made a visit there im-possible.

In Ireland, Anglican Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin called the 2018 meeting “an event of inter-national proportions and of considerable significance right across society in general. Wherever people con-gregate and share lives, issues associated with family life, care and nurture are always to the fore.”

He pledged the church’s help to make it a success.

Contributing to this story was Michael Kelly in Dublin.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, pictured in a 2015 photo, said the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland is part of a broad program of renewal of the church’s pastoral care for all families.CNS photo/Paul Haring

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6 Bishop Morin visits Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lumberton

Bishop Roger Morin celebrated Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lumberton on May 22. At left, from l-r, are Deacon Harold Gaule, Bishop Morin and OLPH pastor Father Fintan Kilmurray. At right, the children of the parish sang “This Little Light of Mine” for the bishop, who joined the children in song. The children also presented the bishop with the gift of a hummingbird feeder on behalf of the parish. Photos/Terry Dickson

Court remands two HHS challenges to lower courts ‘in light of Zubik’BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Supreme Court in orders issued May 23 remanded two Catholic enti-ties’ legal challenges to the federal contraceptive man-date back to the lower courts.

The high court granted a petition for a writ of certio-rari for two plaintiffs -- the Catholic Health Care Sys-tem, an umbrella for four Catholic institutions affiliated with the Archdiocese of New York, and the Michigan Catholic Conference.

With its order, the court vacated the early rulings against the two Catholic plaintiffs by, respectively, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and 6th U.S. Court of Appeals.

The orders follow the court’s unanimous decision May 16 to send the Zubik v. Burwell case back to the lower courts. Zubik is actually a collection of Catholic

and other faith-based entities’ challenge of the Afford-able Care Act’s contraceptive requirement for employ-ers.

The consolidated group of cases is named for Bish-op David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh, one of the plaintiffs. “Burwell” in the case name is for Sylvia Mathews Bur-well, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In its new orders, the court said that in both the Catholic Health Care System case and the Michigan Catholic Conference case, the “petitioners have made the government aware of their view that they meet ‘the requirements for exemption from the contraceptive coverage requirement on religious grounds.’”

“Nothing in the Zubik opinion, or in the opinions or orders of the courts below, ‘precludes the government from relying on this notice, to the extent it considers it necessary, to facilitate the provision of full contracep-

tive coverage’ going forward.”But, the court also said, the “government

may not impose taxes or penalties on petition-ers for failure” to provide notice to the govern-ment stating their objection to the coverage.

The court heard oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell March 23. Then six days later, it issued an unusual order seeking additional briefs from the plaintiffs and the federal gov-ernment about how and if contraceptive in-surance coverage could be obtained by em-ployees through their insurance companies without directly involving religious employ-ers who object to this coverage.

On April 12, the plaintiffs filed a brief with the court in which they agreed with the proposal that such cover-age be provided through an alternative health care plan without involving the religious employers. The govern-ment also filed a brief, arguing that it wanted to keep the contraceptive mandate intact, but offered that it would go along with the court’s suggestion despite the pos-sibility that it might not close the door on future legal challenges.

In its May 16 decision, the Supreme Court made clear that it was not expressing an opinion on the mer-its of the cases that are challenging aspects of the fed-eral government’s health legislation and it also was not ruling on the issue of a potential violation of religious freedom.

Because of the “gravity of the dispute and the sub-stantial clarification and refinement in the positions of the parties,” the court stated that religious employers and the government should be “afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommo-dates petitioners’ religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners’ health plans receive full and equal health coverage, including contraceptive coverage.”

The court stressed that this approach is “more suit-able” than addressing the refined positions submitted by both sides and added that “although there may still be areas of disagreement between the parties on issues of implementation, the importance of those areas of po-tential concern is uncertain, as is the necessity of this court’s involvement at this point to resolve them.”