News - July 2021 RSS Feed

Father James E. Coyle died on August 11, 1921, in Birmingham, Alabama. It is more correct to say that he was murdered. It is perhaps even more correct to say that he was martyred.

BATTLES WHARF — Mobile Bay’s history dates to a Spanish explorer’s discovery in the 1500s. 

MOBILE — Priests in completely new roles were advised to remember they are not alone in the Archdiocese of Mobile. 

MOBILE — Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi celebrated Mass on July 16 at Carmelite Monastery in Mobile to commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

SELMA — Alabama has one of the nation’s lowest rates of vaccination against COVID-19.  Rates are especially low for the state’s poor and rural populations.  

The last few weeks have been great for me in terms of my family life. Three of my five children are grown and no longer live at home. In fact, each of them is at least 13 hours driving from my house. All three of them were home around the Fourth of July. It was fantastic having everyone home. I miss having my whole family together. I mourn for what the family used to be, but that is not the real point of this article.

We are each a unique piece to God’s puzzle. It takes each one of us using our gifts and talents to fulfill God’s plan for our lives. A puzzle cannot be completed if just one piece is missing, each piece is equally important.  

July 2021

This year, 2021, has a special significance for our Archdiocese and for three Religious Orders whose members serve here. In 1911, 110 years ago, the Vincentian Order, officially known as the Congregation for the Mission, arrived in the Archdiocese of Mobile at the invitation of Bishop Allen. In 1921, 100 years ago, the Trinitarian Fathers and Brothers, officially known as the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, was established with the approval of Bishop Allen. In 1931, 90 years ago, the Trinitarian Sisters, officially known as the Missionary Servants of the Blessed Holy Trinity, submitted their request to the Vatican for official recognition as a Religious Order. (It would be granted in February 1932). The histories of these three Religious Orders are interwoven.

DOTHAN — When the Knights of Columbus Council 6727 at St. Columba Parish in Dothan initiated the first Seminarian Dinner in 2010, no one could have known that the annual event would be interrupted by COVID-19. 

Am I doing something wrong?  I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  I have given my heart, my life, my everything over to Him on many occasions, and yet I sin.  I still get angry in traffic.  I still struggle to be more selfless in my relationships.  I still desire things that are sinful and that are bad for me.  Why?  

Hace casi dos años que con tristeza dijimos hasta luego al reverendo padre Jose Luis Mesa, S.J., al momento de ser transferido a El Paso, TX para servir en la labor misionera de acoger a los refugiados e inmigrantes hispanos que estaban llegando a territorio Estadounidense a través de esa ciudad.

Thirteen years ago this month I started on a journey when I accepted my first full-time position at St. Joseph in Macon, Ga. Up until that time I had lived my entire life in Texas, and all but three years in Dallas. I felt that God was calling me to ministry but I was very unsure about leaving my home, my family and my friends. 

July 2021

MOBILE — Their ministry at Corpus Christi Parish is over after more than 33 years of faithful service, but Fr. James Zoghby and Fr. John Boudreaux will still proclaim the Good News.

MOBILE — Hospitality and service run in new Mercy LIFE of Alabama executive director David Grimes’ blood.

Parishioners at St. Columba Catholic Parish in Dothan will bid farewell this month to Sister Miriam Fiduccia, a Missionary Servant of the Most Blessed Trinity (commonly known as a Trinitarian Sister). Sister Miriam has served this faith community for nearly 17 years as a pastoral associate. The specific mission of Trinitarians is the preservation of the Faith among those who may be spiritually neglected due to locale and opportunities to grow and be nourished by their Catholic Faith. And the chief effort is to develop a missionary spirit within the laity, with the goal being that every Catholic will be an apostle spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. St. Columba is the only parish in Houston County and often Sister Miriam is the only Catholic or only Catholic Sister that people have met. She says she has been blessed to participate in a number of ecumenical activities locally and it has been particularly enriching to have been invited to participate in the local women’s clergy group. “We have been supportive to one another in our ministries and one of our most meaningful tasks is to plan the annual Inter-Faith Thanksgiving Prayer Service in Dothan.” With an educational background in social work and a Master's in Theology, along with varied ministry experiences throughout the U.S., Sister Miriam has had an opportunity to be the missionary of which she is called by her vocation, helping others to live and spread their Catholic Faith. Sister Miriam says that a quote from the Acts of the Apostles (10:38) that speaks of Jesus says, “ … He went about doing good …” She said, “This passage continues to be a motivating force for me. Whether I am teaching an RCIA class, meeting a new family, doing spiritual direction, visiting the sick and dying, ministering to the bereaved, or just chatting with a member of the parish staff, I believe I am doing what I was called to do.” In August Sister Miriam will begin a sabbatical program entitled Ministry to Ministers in San Antonio. Upon completing that program, Sister will probably engage in some future studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. After which, in the missionary spirit of her Community, Sister Miriam will go wherever there is most a need, as she continues to be inspired to serve the people of God. In closing, Sister Miriam said, “I accepted an invitation from God to serve and God’s graces have been so abundant. In the words attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola, ‘God will not be outdone in generosity!’ ” It goes without saying, that Sister will be greatly missed by those at St. Columba, as well as others she has collaborated with in the local community. We, in the Archdiocese, bid Sister Miriam farewell with deep gratitude and appreciation for her many years of service and commitment in our area.

To quote my alma mater’s creed, “I believe in work, hard work.” Although the Auburn Creed is not scripture based, it sure could be. 

Editor's note: The below column was originally posted on the Catholic Educator blog at CatholicEducator.blogspot.com. It is being reprinted with permission.

July 2021