Extension magazine - Summer 2023

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Extension | Summer 2023 43
From the mail
Dear Catholic Extension,
I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW GRATEFUL I am that you have kept
us in mind. We operate on a shoestring budget, so every bit
of help we can garner is received with gratitude! Your help
and that of many others help us to continue our mission to
serve the special spiritual needs of Native American Catholics
who need all the help they can get with the integration
of faith and culture. The Sioux Spiritual Center is a precious
asset in the Diocese of Rapid City for that purpose! Thank
you for your generosity!
› Carole M. Brown | Director, Sioux Spiritual Center
Diocese of Rapid City, SD
PHOTO RC PHOTO STUDIO
Dear Catholic Extension,
LAST YEAR’S EVENTS
with Hispanic Youth Group
allowed me to have beautiful
encounters with Jesus.
These personal encounters
have brought me to
a deeper discovery of my
identity and have given me
internal healing, which have
helped me grow in my spiritual
journey with God and
strengthen my trust in His
plan for me.
› Yazmine Justiniano |
Parish leader, Hispanic
youth ministry
Diocese of Birmingham, AL
Dear Catholic Extension,
I’M THE CAMPUS MINISTER AT OLE MISS in Oxford, Mississippi.
I wanted to express my gratitude to the donors for
their generosity. Your support allows us to continue ministering
to the Catholic students at Ole Miss. We are able to
create a community that is rich in Catholicism for students
to continue to grow in their faith alongside their peers.
We host several events and retreats throughout the
year. We have social events as well as events that are more
geared toward formation. Over the years, we have seen our
community flourish and are extremely grateful for the financial
support you give us as we continue to keep up with this
exciting trend. Thank you!
› Viridiana Olivi | Campus minister, University of Mississippi
Diocese of Jackson, MS
Dear Catholic Extension,
IN A PERSONAL WAY, I want to thank God first of all for so
much kindness and gratuitousness toward me and for my
religious community, to thank the Catholic Extension program
that has entrusted us with this mission, and to thank the
bishops of this diocese who have been attentive to us.
I feel that this opportunity is not only allowing me to
develop academically through the master’s degree that I am
pursuing at St. Mary’s University, but also to grow in an integral
way, thanks to the different courses that we have been
allowed to participate in as well as the spiritual accompaniment
and psychological knowledge that I have received
during this time. I have obtained new tools and methodologies
to be able to share and carry out our mission and
charism, to be light for those who need it most and to accom-
pany many people whom God has given us in this beautiful
mission, especially Hispanic families, supporting them in
their integral formation and the growth of their faith.
› Sister María Jesús Martínez Perez | U.S.-Latin American
Sisters Exchange Program participant
Diocese of Brownsville, TX
Dear Catholic Extension,
LOOKING BACK SINCE THE YEAR I entered
seminary formation, I reflect upon all the
support and prayers I have received in my
vocational journey. It was a great joy to be
ordained a transitional deacon on July 2.
All this would not be possible without your
kind support and generous hearts. As I prepare
to conclude my studies be ordained
as a priest, I am reminded of the words of
St. Teresa of Calcutta: to always be kind and
merciful to the people of God.
› Deacon Abundio Colazo-Lopez |
Seminarian
Diocese of Tucson, AZ
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