Daughters of Charity Branch Out to New Ministries

Ministering to the Rural Poor of Mississippi

To this day Mississippi remains the second poorest state in our country. When the study of the seven poorest dioceses in the East Central Province of the Daughters of Charity was completed in the late fall of 1998, I was sent to serve in two of the poorest counties located in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, having approximately 47 percent of the population living below the federal poverty level and where the Catholic church had minimal presence. There were no Catholic sisters serving in either Jefferson or Claiborne counties.

Living with the Daughters of Charity in Natchez, it took 30 to 50 minutes driving time to reach Jefferson and Claiborne counties, respectively, where initially a parish census was undertaken. What a challenge it was to locate parishioners living along isolated, unpaved, unmarked back roads and what an opportunity to be able to dialogue with them, in this setting, about their hopes, dreams and concerns regarding the Church. A lot can be said for the value of meeting families in the reality of their own circumstances. One comes to understand the tremendous need for a method to unify and bring together parishioners 

separated by miles of narrow, sparsely populated roads and gigantic forests. Once parish councils were rejuvenated, the parishioners of St. Anne's Church in Jefferson County looked to uniting its parishioners by dividing the parish into eight areas of approximately six families each with an Outreach/Eucharistic minister volunteering for each area. Training programs were next developed and monthly sessions are now preparing these Outreach ministers in such important areas as: visitation of the sick, serving as Eucharistic ministers, bereavement, telephone visits and ministry to lapsed Catholics. Such a simple thing as spontaneously praying for the individual needs of their assigned families during the intercessory prayers at Sunday Mass have increased awareness among all parishioners participating at Mass of such events as births, deaths, sickness and anniversaries.

...I leave each home, poor as it may be, enriched by the simplicity and hope witnessed in people who have little in terms of earthly possessions but who are rich in their faith and trust in God's providence.

On Pentecost Sunday of 1999, the Diocese of Jackson, MS began a yearlong planning process involving each parish in the entire process of determining the parishes of the future, one in which both priests and religious will be in short supply. My role in all of this is to coordinate the planning involvement of my two parishes and assure that the laity are actively involved as leaders in each planning step along the way.

In Jefferson County the current employment rate is 18.1 percent. Students graduating from the trade school in the county were unable to find local jobs. With the support of the school administration, sixty graduating students were trained on how to successfully interview for a job, fill out job applications and prepare resumés. Referrals were also...

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