Gulf Pine Catholic

20 Gulf Pine Catholic • March 15, 2024 St. Thomas Aquinas CSA holding Eucharistic Procession April 4 at USM Hattiesburg campus BY DAVID TISDALE HATTIESBURG -- In conjunction with the Year of the Eucharist, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Catholic Student Association (CSA -- Eagle Catholic) at ST. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Hattiesburg will host a Eucharistic Procession April 4 at the University of Southern Mississippi. The focus of the Year of the Eucharist is for the people of the Church to engage in strong reflection on the Blessed Sacrament, particu- larly the reenactment of the Last Supper through the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic Procession will begin at 4 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, located across West Fourth Street from the USM Hattiesburg campus and next to Pete Taylor Baseball Park, and then pausing at Danforth Chapel, located at the center of campus across from The Hub before returning to St. Thomas Church. St. Thomas Aquinas pastor Father Mark Ropel invites people from through- out the diocese to participate in this first-time event. Nathan LaCroix, campus minister for the CSA, said the idea for holding the Eucharistic Procession came after discussions between him and student members of CSA following their attendance at the SEEK confer- ence hosted by FOCUS. “With it being the Year of the Eucharist, the students thought it would be fitting to hold this event, so we decided to have it the week after Easter on April 4 and finding a time that worked best to maximize student involvement and exposure of the event to the commu- nity,” LaCroix said. Once the procession arrives at Danforth Chapel, participants will be invited to sing songs of praise and worship before processing back through campus to St. Thomas Church, where a parish-wide covered dish meal will be served. “Having the Eucharistic procession throughout campus will hopefully expose many different students to the Blessed Sacrament who otherwise would never experience it,” LaCroix continued. “The hope is that by bringing the Eucharist to campus, it will allow the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of students and staff alike at Southern Miss and inspire conversion to a life with Christ.” Eagle Catholic members Allison Hanby, Luke Ackerman and Mason Talley, are helping organize the event and looking for- ward to bringing it to mem- bers of the USM and Hattiesburg communities. Talley sees the Eucharistic Procession as an invitation to fellow students to “come and see, live in the freedom, and allow The Holy Spirit to light up their life.” “We want to bring Our Lord onto campus and to bring The Light into the darkness through this pro- cession,” he explained. Hanby says the Eucharistic Procession allows for the opportunity to “physically bring Christ to the USM and Hattiesburg communities, which is so important to do in our secu- lar culture today.” “I feel that there has been a great falling away of keeping Jesus in the Eucharist at the forefront of our lives, and I hope this Eucharistic Procession will both strengthen our per- sonal relationships with Jesus and enhance our love for Him in the Eucharist,” she continued. Ackerman believes the Eucharistic Procession will prove to be a display of Christ’s message of healing. “We talk a lot on our campus about finding hope in a seemingly hopeless world, and on April 4, we finally have the chance to show our campus just who it is we are talking about,” he said. For more information or questions about this event, email usmcatholic@gmail.com . Father Braxton Necaise, parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Hattiesburg, carries the Blessed Sacrament during a Eucharistic procession at the 2023 Diocese of Biloxi Youth Conference. St. Thomas Aquinas Parish will host a Eucharistic Procession April 4 on the University of Southern Missis- sippi. Photo/Juliana Skelton Memorare to St. Joseph Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession were left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection. Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen. Act of Consecration to St. Joseph O dearest St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life. After your example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.