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The official magazine of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah

From the Bishop

Issue: October 2026

Beatification of Fulton Sheen and the Georgia Martyrs

Dear Friends in Christ, I write this letter as I am traveling back from St. Louis, MO, where I attended the Beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. It was a beautiful celebration of faith honorin...
Issue: September 2026

Beatification of the Georgia Martyrs

Dear Friends in Christ, All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. —1 Corinthians 9:23 Over 400 years ago, right here in Georgia, five Franciscan missionaries ...
Issue: August 2026

Back to School and Georgia Martyrs Beatification

Dear Friends in Christ, There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. —Ecclesiastes 3:1 As I get older, it seems that time goes by much more quickly. I...
Issue: July 2026

Summer and 250th Anniversary

Dear Friends in Christ, Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. —Mark 6:31 Jesus knew the importance of taking time to rest. After a busy day of ministry, He invited the apo...
Issue: May 2026

Ministry to the Margins, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and Vocations

Dear Friends in Christ, The church is called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of inj...
Issue: April 2026

Easter

Dear Friends in Christ, As we embark upon the Easter Season, I reflect upon the words of Jesus: I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10 Jesus is the Good Shephe...
Issue: March 2026

Stewardship and Spiritual Life

Dear Friends in Christ, As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.  —1 Peter 4:10 Everything we have is a gift from God…our lives, our wo...
Issue: February 2026

Families

Dear Friends in Christ, I am pleased that the Southern Cross returns after a brief hiatus in January. Almost five years ago, we switched from the newspaper format to the magazine format for this d...
Issue: December 2025

Advent

Dear Friends in Christ, Do you have a favorite liturgical season? Many people have told me over the years that the Advent season is their favorite time of year. Perhaps this is because of the seas...
Issue: November 2025

Giving Thanks

Dear Friends in Christ, Our Diocesan Jubilee Gathering held on October 11 was a great celebration of faith, family, and fellowship. Thank you to all who planned, organized, presented, and attended...
Issue: October 2025

Physical Health and Stewardship

Dear Friends in Christ, I have always enjoyed going for a bike ride. Growing up in Massapequa, NY, my bike was not only useful for physical exercise but also a necessity for my paper route. (Yes, ...
Issue: September 2025

Call to Prayer

Dear Friends in Christ, Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Romans 12:12 As we continue to celebrate this Universal Jubilee Year, I share with you these words of St. Paul, ...
Issue: July 2025

Pilgrims of Hope and the Jubilee

Dear Friends in Christ, As we celebrate our Jubilee Days, we are reminded that during this Holy Year we walk together as Pilgrims of Hope. Frequently, we use the word hope in our everyday conversa...
Issue: June 2025

Jubilee Days

Dear Friends in Christ, …since this is the jubilee. It shall be sacred for you. Leviticus 25:12 I am very excited to invite you to participate in our upcoming Jubilee Days, which will commence on...
Issue: May 2025

Pope Francis and Agriculture

Dear Friends in Christ, This edition of the Southern Cross is going to press just before the funeral of Pope Francis. His death on Easter Monday is a reminder of the fragility of life. As we honor...
Issue: April 2025

The Dignity of Work

Dear Friends in Christ, One summer while in college, I accepted a job working at a fast-food restaurant. I will never forget my first day on the job. For eight hours that day, I chopped onions. An...
Issue: March 2025

Marriage and the Jubilee Year

Dear Friends in Christ, In the Gospel of John, chapter 2, the first “sign” (of Jesus’ divinity) that takes place is the Wedding at Cana. The wine at the wedding reception is running low, and the B...
Issue: February 2025

Celebrating 175 years

Dear Friends in Christ, On Christmas Eve 2024, Pope Francis commenced the Universal Jubilee with the opening of Holy Doors in Rome. For this particular jubilee, the Holy Father has asked us to joi...
Issue: December 2024

Jubilee

When you hear the word “jubilee,” what do you think of? Most likely a celebration, an anniversary, a moment in time. For us as Catholics it is all of those and more . . . and the great news is that...
Issue: October 2024

The Rosary, Faithful Citizenship

Catholics place special emphasis on praying the Rosary during the month of October. If you are not in the practice of praying the Rosary on a regular basis, perhaps consider making a special effort...
Issue: September 2024

Spiritual Happiness

How do we attain spiritual happiness? I believe that a good place to begin is by acknowledging the presence of God, spending time with Him in conversation and prayer, and trusting in His divine ...
Issue: August 2024

Eucharistic Congress

I have just returned from the National Eucharistic Congress: a milestone event for our Catholic faith in the United States. We have been invited to deepen our love for Christ through greater revere...
Issue: July 2024

Youth

You too, dear young people, can be joyful witnesses of his love, courageous witnesses of his Gospel, carrying to this world a ray of his light. Pope Francis, Homily at World Youth Day in Rio de ...
Issue: June 2024

Summertime

Excitement is in the air as summertime has arrived! Congratulations to all who have celebrated graduations in the past weeks. As you look to the future, may you be filled with peace and hope. I hav...
Issue: April 2024

Easter Season

O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection may,...
Issue: March 2024

Theology of the Body and Lent

God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. GENESIS 1:27 The first chapter of the Sacred Scriptures details the days of creation wi...
Issue: February 2024

Georgia Martyrs

For hundreds of years, seeds of our Catholic faith have been planted in the fertile ground of South Georgia. In a special way, we are grateful for the incredible witness of the five Franciscan fria...
Issue: December 2023

Advent and Five for Five

. . . so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. JOHN 17: 21 As we celebrate the Advent Sea...
Issue: November 2023

Giving Thanks and Remembering the Dead

The nights are getting cooler . . . the days are getting shorter . . . the leaves are beginning to change hue . . . it seems that fall is upon us in south Georgia! Later this month we will celeb...
Issue: October 2023

Respect Life

When I was 10 years old, I was cleaning out a goldfish bowl in the sink. The small bowl accidentally slipped out of my hands and cracked, leaving a few pieces of broken glass on the counter and a s...
Issue: September 2023

Assembly of Priests and Bishops of the Metropolitan Province of Atlanta

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters . . . Genesis 1:1-2 ...
Issue: August 2023

Spiritual Goals of Families

In mid-July, my aunt, uncle (dad’s brother) and cousins from North Carolina and Alabama gathered for a few days in the Augusta area. Growing up, we never lived close to this branch of the family, b...
Issue: July 2023

Nigeria and 'At Home' at Church

As I write this letter, I am at the headquarters for the Missionary Society of St. Paul (MSP) near Abuja, Nigeria. The MSPs serve in five of our parishes in the Diocese of Savannah. I was invited t...
Issue: June 2023

Soul Care and Summertime

Jesus loves hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to make the interior of my soul a resting place for the Heart of Jesus. St. Faustina St. Faustina is known for ...
Issue: May 2023

Now and at the Hour of our Death

During the month of May, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary in a special way. As our spiritual mother, she wraps her mantle of protection around us. Her witness of faith and trust in God’s plan is...
Issue: April 2023

Gve Him our Best

As we celebrate Holy Week I am reminded of the words of Christ at the Last Supper: …do this in memory of me. Luke 22:19 At every Mass we gather around the altar to remember and honor Christ ...
Issue: March 2023

Faith, Hope and Love

Over my 25 years as a Priest, I have celebrated quite a few weddings. Every couple has the joy of planning their wedding liturgy and they desire that it be unique. Something that many wedding litur...
Issue: December 2022

Wait…with Patience!

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. J...
Issue: November 2022

Christ the King gives each one of us hope for salvation!

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. LUKE 23:42 On the hill of Calvary, the “Penitent Thief” spoke these words to the Lord. In the midst of suffering and near death, he is pleadi...
Issue: October 2022

Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companions

As we honor the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are provided the opportunity to reflect upon the cross as a symbol of death, upon which our Lord suffered for our sins. We can also loo...
Issue: September 2022

Beauty as a Transcendental

But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what...
Issue: August 2022

A "School of Nazareth"

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. MATTHEW 7:24 For many years, my brother Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of...
Issue: July 2022

National Eucharistic Revival

BEATI QUI AD CENAM AGNI VOCATI SUNT BLESSED ARE THOSE CALLED TO THE SUPPER OF THE LAMB REVELATION 19:9 At every moment of every day somewhere in the world, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is cel...
Issue: June 2022

What is prayer?

WHat is prayer? I think the best and simplest definition of prayer is a conversation with God. The word ‘conversation’ is especially important when referring to prayer, because conversation occu...
Issue: May 2022

Even God Took a Rest

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us… Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and y...
Issue: April 2022

Everlasting Life

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. JOHN 6:54 These words of Jesus from the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel speak of a bea...
Issue: March 2022

The Church is Alive in the Body of Christ!

When I was ordained a Priest in 1998, a friend gave me the artwork you see below. Over the years, I placed this on the wall of the sacristies in the parishes where I served to inspire me as I was p...
Issue: February 2022

Sacrifice as a Witness of Love

Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love. St. Gianna Molla (1922–1962) Pope John Paul II (now St. Jo...
Issue: December 2021

Make All Things New

The Advent and Christmas seasons call us to new beginnings! A new liturgical year is upon us as we enter into Year C, which leads us on a journey through Luke’s Gospel. We also will soon be celebra...
Issue: November 2021

The Kingdom of Heaven

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back a...
Issue: October 2021

The Lord of Life

The culture of life means respect for nature and protection of God’s work of creation. In a special way it means respect for human life from the fi rst moment of conception until its natural end. ...
Issue: September 2021

New beginnings, new friendships and new learning experiences

I hope that the new school year is off to a good start for all of our students, teachers and administrators. Growing up in New York, I remember going back to school after Labor Day. Since moving to...
Issue: August 2021

An Invitation to Joy

St. Katharine Drexel, who founded St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Macon, once said… If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to h...
Issue: July 2021

Many Members, Yet One Body

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12 In this issue of the Southern Cross, I hope that you wil...
Issue: May 2021

Confirmation and Pandemic

In these weeks of Easter, I have been visiting many parishes for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation for our young people. The pandemic has brought forth challenges for the Candidates ...
Issue: April 2021

Remember, Celebrate, and Believe

Welcome to the new and updated Southern Cross! I am pleased to present this inaugural edition of our Diocesan magazine and appreciate your taking time to peruse and review the articles and content....

Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes
15th Bishop of Savannah