Extension Magazine - Fall 2021

18 INSPIRE
Lumen Christi Finalist
In 1830 the Choctaw Native
Americans signed the
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit
Creek, which commenced
their removal from Mississippi
and the treacherous
journey to Oklahoma on the infamous
Trail of Tears.
Many Choctaw, however,
refused to leave their ancestral
land. Those who chose to stay
had to become invisible to survive,
hiding in swamps and working
as sharecroppers. In 1884 a
Catholic priest was sent to see
what could be done to minister
to the Choctaw, and Holy Rosary
Indian Mission was established.
Catholic Extension has supported
Holy Rosary Indian Mission
since 1926. This includes
helping build and repair two of
its three mission churches: Holy
Rosary in Tucker in 1969 and St.
Therese in Philadelphia in 1972.
Between Holy Rosary, St. Therese
and St. Catherine in Conehatta,
this faith community in the Diocese
of Jackson spans 87 miles.
For a combined 31 years, a
missionary priest has been helping
the Choctaw grow closer to
God in a place where He is ever
so present. Father Bob Goodyear,
who was attracted as a high
school freshman to the Missionary
Servants of the Most Holy
Trinity, has truly answered the religious
congregation’s charism to
work for the “preservation of the
faith among the poor and abandoned”
in his ministry.
“Father Bob Goodyear is so
successful in his ministry because
he walks with the people
every step of the way,” said Diocese
of Jackson Bishop Joseph R.
Holy Rosary Catholic Church is one of three mission churches Father Bob Goodyear, S.T., has
humbly served for a combined 31 years. Catholic Extension has supported Holy Rosary Indian
Mission’s ministry to the Choctaw since 1926.
FATHER BOB GOODYEAR, S.T. |
DIOCESE OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
Walking with
the Choctaw people
Kopacz. “Father Bob has
remained stalwart in his
love for the people and in
his commitment to foster
their Catholic faith in our
loving God.”
LANGUAGE IS THE
DOORWAY TO THE SOUL
In his seminary formation,
Father Goodyear
never imagined serving a Native
American community. After
arriving at Holy Rosary Indian
Mission in 1975, he spent his
first years learning everything he
could about Choctaw culture. This
included the Choctaw language—
despite being told not to bother
because non-natives had never
been successful doing so.
“That’s the wrong thing to say
to me,” said Father Goodyear.
“Because now I’m going to try.”
With the help of three Choctaw,
he was able to learn the language.
After eight years of study,
2021 u 2022
Lumen
Christi
AWARD
FINALIST
his education reached its
culmination: translating
the Catholic Mass into
the Choctaw language.
On May 1, 1983, Father
Goodyear celebrated his
first Mass in Choctaw at
St. Catherine, with a Vatican-approved
text. During
the homily, he delivered
this inspiring message:
“Language is more than words
and how you put them together,”
Father Goodyear explained. “Language
tells you your history. It tells
you your dreams.”
Along with learning the Choctaw
language, Father Goodyear
has had his hands in several of
what he calls “non-traditional”
ministries. He established the
Choctaw Suicide Council and its
corresponding “Suicide Counseling
Manual.” Additionally, he
opened a youth recreation center.
Father Goodyear served Holy
Rosary Indian Mission from 1975