Archbishop Hughes urges priests to embrace evangelical virtues during Lenten talk in Wiggins

Father Everardo Mora-Torres, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Pascagoula, better known as “Father Lalo,” greets Archbishop Alfred Hughes, archbishop-emeritus of New Orleans, during a break at Lenten Day of Reflection for the priests of the Diocese of Biloxi, which was held March 5 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Wiggins. Archbishop Hughes, who gave three separate talks, taught several of the Diocese of Biloxi’s priests at Notre Dame Seminary, including Father Lalo.

By Terry Dickson

WIGGINS — Priests of the Diocese of Biloxi gathered Thursday, March 5, at St. Francis Xavier Church for a Lenten day of reflection led by 93-year-old Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes, who urged clergy to renew their spiritual lives by embracing the evangelical virtues of simplicity, chastity and obedience.

Archbishop Hughes, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, delivered the first of three presentations to priests of the Diocese of Biloxi during the gathering. The day focused on spiritual well-being following a presentation earlier in the morning by a health care team addressing physical health.

“Let’s focus now on spiritual well-being as we move through together,” Archbishop Hughes said as he opened his remarks.

He began with a reading from the First Letter of John warning believers not to “love the world or the things in the world,” noting the passage’s references to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”

Those forces, Archbishop Hughes said, remain powerful temptations not only for society at large but also for clergy.

Archbishop Hughes praised the diocesan emphasis on forming missionary disciples, a pastoral priority promoted by Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III since he became bishop of Biloxi in 2016

“I know that Bishop Kihneman from the very beginning of his service in your midst has been working with you … toward forming missionary disciples of the Lord,” Archbishop Hughes said. “I rejoice that this has been such a central focus of your life and ministry.”

The archbishop framed his reflection around the witness of Francis of Assisi, whose life he said demonstrates how embracing the evangelical virtues can lead to spiritual renewal.

Archbishop Hughes recounted how Francis was born into wealth as the son of a successful merchant but lived a carefree life marked by parties, romantic ideals and dreams of military glory. During a conflict between Assisi and neighboring Perugia, Francis was captured and imprisoned, an experience that left him seriously ill and spiritually desolate.

In that moment of crisis, Archbishop Hughes said, Francis began turning to Scripture.

After his release, the future saint encountered a leper on the road — someone who represented everything society feared and avoided. Moved by the Gospel, Francis not only gave the man money but overcame his own revulsion to embrace him.

“That was the first tangible step,” Archbishop Hughes said, describing the encounter as the beginning of Francis’ conversion.

Later, while praying before a crucifix in the church of San Damiano, Francis heard the words, “Francis, go repair my house, which you see is falling down.” At first, Archbishop Hughes explained, Francis interpreted the message literally and began repairing a deteriorating church building, even selling cloth from his father’s business to fund the work.

The story, Archbishop Hughes said, illustrates how radical Gospel living begins with concrete choices.

From there, the archbishop turned to the three evangelical virtues that shaped Francis’ life and remain central to priestly identity: simplicity of life, chastity and obedience.

“These virtues address the most powerful human drives of our fallen human nature,” Archbishop Hughes said, linking them again to the biblical warnings about the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.

Simplicity of life, he said, counters greed and attachment to material security by encouraging detachment and responsible stewardship. Chastity resists lust by moving a person away from self-gratification and toward authentic self-gift. Obedience confronts pride by redirecting the ego toward God’s will.

Archbishop Hughes warned that neglecting those virtues can lead to clericalism, which he described as “narcissism practiced by priests and bishops.”

“Narcissism is a way in which original sin inclines us to want the whole world to revolve around us,” Archbishop Hughes said. “That’s appropriate for a child. It’s not appropriate for an adult.”

In priestly life, he said, that attitude can appear as entitlement to comfort or special treatment, manipulative relationships, or authoritarian leadership.

Priests, Archbishop Hughes said, must remember that their authority exists not for domination but for service.

“The authority entrusted to us always points to Christ,” Archbishop Hughes said. “It is expressed not in lording over others but in service.”

Archbishop Hughes also emphasized that ordained ministry serves the wider church.

“The ordained priesthood … is in service to the baptismal priesthood,” Archbishop Hughes said.

The archbishop concluded by encouraging the priests to invoke the intercession of Francis of Assisi and rediscover the joy that flows from faithful Gospel living.

“In a society showing many signs that the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life have run their course,” Archbishop Hughes said, “this is a special moment to give powerful witness to the Gospel.”

The day of reflection continued with additional talks exploring specific aspects of the evangelical virtues.