7 March 2026 - homily for Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent - Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

St Perpetua and St Felicity are the saints we celebrate today. They lived in Carthage in North Africa. They were martyred for the faith in the year 203 AD in the persecutions of Christians by the emperor Severus. While a lot of the information about the martyrs from the early Church has been passed down through stories and legends, we actually have an account written by Perpetua about her circumstances. She was a young woman of noble birth and a mother of young children. Pepetua and Felicity were put to death because they would not renounce their faith. 

The first reading today on the Saturday of the second week of Lent comes from the prophet Micah. It was written at the time that the Jews were returning from exile in Babylon in the 6th century before Christ’s birth. The Jews had a lot of fear and trepidation in returning to Jerusalem, knowing that they would have to rebuild their city and would have a lot of work to do in reclaiming the traditions of their Jewish faith. Micah as a prophet in the same era as Isaiah and Hosea. Micah was pleading for God to take care of his people, remember the days of old when the Lord led them out of bondage in Egypt. Micah encouraged the people to have confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness and in his steadfast love. May we continue to have confidence in the Lord on our journey of faith as well. 

7 March 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent

Lord Jesus - you call us to give thanks. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to serve our neighbor. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to holiness. 

Priest: We bring our prayers to God on this Saturday of the second week of Lent, as God is the source of mercy and compassion:

1. For all Christians, as they continue their holy Lenten journey.  For strength and courage during this holy season. 

2. For obedience to the will of God amongst the followers of Christ, especially when God’s will challenges us and when our journey is difficult and complicated.  

3. For unity and collaboration amongst all Christians.  

4. For those who hunger and thirst in a physical sense, and for those who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness.  

5. For people in need in the Diocese of Jackson, particularly the sick, the unemployed, those feeling lost in life, and those battling addictions.  

6. For all who have gone before us in faith, for their entry into eternal life.  For the souls in purgatory. 

7. We pray for peace in a special way today in the Middle East. 

8. As we commemorate the first Saturday mass today dedicated to our Lady of Fatima, we unite our prayers with Mary and all the community of saints. 

9. For the prayers we hold in our hearts today.  

Priest: God of mercy, as we continue our Lenten journey, we humbly ask that you hear the prayers we make in faith, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Holy Savior book club for March 2026 - the novel Black Robe by Brian Moore

 

We had a great Holy Savior book club this week, discussing the Thornton Wilder novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey, written over 100 years ago and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. For March, we are reading the acclaimed novel Black Robe, written by novelist Brian Moore, based on the life of St Jean de Brebeuf, one of the North American Martyrs and a French Jesuit priest who ministered to the Huron people of North America in the 17th century. Acclaimed Catholic English novelist Graham Greene recommended that Moore write this novel, using the journals of Jean de Brebeuf and other Jesuit missionaries as source material.  It is a great novel of the Catholic missionaries and their faith. I have read this novel several times and wrote a major paper on it in school. I am looking forward to reading it with this group. I am very much enjoying our Holy Savior book club and our discussions. I have not been in a book club since my days at St Richard as a priest.

DEFEND MISSISSIPPI press conference - Father Lincoln Dall

Defend Mississippi is a grass roots organization in our state that is advocating for changes and more resources in the public defense system here in Mississippi. Yesterday there was a press conference to advocate for more resources for the public defense office in Hinds County.  I was asked to be one of the speakers at the press conference.  Below is the statement I made. It is not enough for me to serve the men and women that are incarcerated through the Catholic prison ministry. I am called to advocate to work for justice that is shaped by the values of God's kingdom to change broken structures and systems. 

My name is Father Lincoln Dall. I am the Vicar General and a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. I am here today in support of the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office’s request for the emergency funding they need to address the chronic staff turnover that has left many of our community members locked in jail without access to legal representation. I know how important this investment is because I have served for many years in prison ministry.

A couple of years ago, a man asked me to visit him in the Hinds county detention center. He had been in there for five years and he had not gone to trial yet. It was through the Hinds country public defenders office that I was able to visit him. I was able to visit him several times when he was offered a plea bargain sentence that he accepted. The public defender and I working together were able to help him and support him during this difficult and terrifying time in his life, to make him feel like he was not alone. Now, this same man is serving his sentence at the state prison in Pearl and is a very active part of our ministry. I  felt that this inmate was able to receive very good representation by this public defender, but because their office is so underfunded, often the public defenders leave their positions for better opportunities and better pay.

When the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office loses experienced attorneys, people sit in jail for extended periods without a fair legal process or a support system. Everyone deserves to have someone stand by them when they are charged with a crime. By increasing the salaries of the public defenders and giving them more resources, we will be able to retain them and help strengthen the public defense system. This will allow those accused of crimes to have access to counsel and guidance throughout the legal process.

From my perspective as a priest whose heart is committed to ministering to the men and women who are incarcerated, and this ministry is certainly my heart and soul, I see better funding of public defense as a way of affirming human dignity and meeting our shared obligation to one another.

15 March 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 4th Sunday of Lent Cycle A - prison ministry

Introduction: Jesus is the light of the world. St Paul tells us today that we are to live as children of light as the Lord has rescued us from the darkness. We celebrate God’s healing presence in our lives on this fourth Sunday of Lent as we hear the Gospel story of the healing of the man born blind. May Christ the light be a true presence in our lives as we commemorate this holy season of Lent.  

Penitential rite - priest: 

Lord Jesus - you bring healing into our lives. 

Christ Jesus - you summon the sinner to repentance. 

Lord Jesus - you call us out of darkness into light. 

Priest: As children of the light, let us shine our light on the needs of our brothers and sisters in our local community and around the world: 

1. That we Christians may find blessing in the people of God and in the ways we minister to others. We pray to the Lord.

2. When facing adversity and conflict, may we Christians not succumb to fear and anxiety, but put our trust in the Lord. We pray to the Lord. 

3. That our Lenten practice of fasting unite us in solidarity with those who lack adequate food, shelter, and clothing. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That our governmental leaders experience the presence of God in ways that strengthen their faith. We pray to the Lord.

 5. That those bearing the hardship of illness may put their trust in the Lord and be quickly restored to health. We pray for our sick family members and loved ones and those who are sick or in the infirmary here at CMCF.  We pray to the Lord. 

 6. For all who have died. May they witness eternal life with the light of our Jesus Christ. We pray for our deceased family members. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For those preparing for entry into the Church. We pray to the Lord.

 8. In the silence of our hearts, we pray for own needs and the needs of others, confident in the promise of God’s kingdom. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Heavenly Father, you fill the university with light. May we always reflect your light in the way we love others. Grant these prayers through the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

15 March 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the 4th Sunday of Lent Cycle A

Introduction: Jesus is the light of the world. St Paul advices us today that we are to live as children of light as the Lord has rescued us from the darkness. We celebrate God’s healing presence in our lives on this fourth Sunday of Lent as we hear the Gospel story of the healing of the man born blind. May Christ the light be a true presence in our lives as we commemorate this holy season of Lent.  

Penitential rite - priest: 

Lord Jesus - you bring healing into our lives. 

Christ Jesus - you summon the sinner to repentance. 

Lord Jesus - you call us out of darkness into light. 

Priest: As children of the light, let us shine our light on the needs of our brothers and sisters in our local community and around the world: 

1. That all the communities of the earth may find blessing in the people of God and in the ways we Christians minister to others. We pray to the Lord.

2. That when facing adversity and conflict, we Christians may not succumb to fear and anxiety, but put our trust in the Lord. We pray to the Lord. 

3. That our Lenten practice of fasting unite us in solidarity with those who lack adequate food, shelter, and clothing. We pray to the Lord. 

4. That our governmental leaders experience the presence of God in ways that strengthen their faith. We pray to the Lord.

 5. That those bearing the hardship of illness may put their trust in the Lord and be quickly restored to health. We pray to the Lord. 

 6. For all who have died. May they witness eternal life with the light of our Jesus Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our catechumens and candidates preparing for entry into the Church at the Easter vigil mass. For our children and youth preparing to receive the sacraments of first holy communion and confirmation during the Easter season. We pray to the Lord.

 8. In the silence of our hearts, we pray for own needs and the needs of others, confident in the promise of God’s kingdom. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Heavenly Father, you fill the university with light. May we always reflect your light in the way we love others. Grant these prayers through the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

15 March 2026 - bulletin reflection for the 4th Sunday in Lent

This past week, we had Lenten reflection days for the priests of the Diocese in both Clinton and Greenwood. Next week, we will have a day of reflection up in Tupelo. The priests gather during Lent to spend time in prayer and reflection with the Bishop, strengthen our bond together. Today, those adults who have not been baptized will undergo the second scrutiny at our Sunday Mass at Holy Savior, referencing Jesus as the light of the world in his healing of the man born blind in our Gospel this weekend. The rite of the scrutinies, celebrated for three weekends during Lent, aim to help protect these catechumens from temptation and to give them strength in their relationship with Christ. Blessings to all of you as we continue our Lenten journey. Father Lincoln.