Jan. 7, 2024, ET Catholic, A section

January 7 | 2024 VOL 33 NO 5

IN THIS ISSUE RUGGED GAVE HIS ALL' A7 OLD A4 'HE CROSSES Father Ron Stone laid to rest following funeral Mass

DOK schools recycle gym floors

OUTREACH B1 CCETN St. Ann-Lancing, Crazy

Quilt in Newcomb support their communities

Catholic commentary ....................... A3 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Columns ..........................................B6-7 Catholic schools ..........................B9-10 La Cosecha ............................Section C

‘A movie and a ministry’ Catholic filmmakers in East Tennessee begin funding for pro-life film

By Gabrielle Nolan

GABRIELLE NOLAN

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arc Aramian and Veronica DiPippo of Crunch Entertainment have spent a lifetime cultivating their artistic talents in the realms of theater, composing, and filmmaking.

The husband-and-wife duo are known in the Diocese of Knoxville for their recent film about Father Patrick Ryan, titled Father Ryan: A Higher Call. The docudrama was featured on the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) and will soon be available for streaming on the FORMED Network.

Their latest project, a pro-life film, is one they consider to be a worthy cause.

Mr. Aramian and Ms. DiPippo have begun funding for He Named Him Adam, a film depicting the true story of Regina Block, a woman whose healing from abortion occurred after her young daughter had dreams of her aborted brother in heaven. “[Regina] suffered from crippling

Making Catholic films Marc Aramian, left, and Veronica DiPippo discuss their approach to making faith-based films during a recent interview on the podcast Inside the Diocese of Knoxville. The filmmaking couple live in Chattanooga. depression for nine years, leading her to the brink of suicide, and one day as she was driving by the abortion clinic, she became so distracted that she almost ran into an oncom-

ing truck,” Ms. DiPippo shared.

“What saved her was the voice of her 4-year-old daughter in the back seat, and what her daughter said changed her life forever. That

was, and I quote, ‘Mommy, I had a dream about my brother.’”

The young girl had not been told that her mother had previously been pregnant and had an abortion, but “she had been having a series of recurring dreams about meeting an 8-year-old brother in heaven,” Ms. DiPippo said.

The dreams turned Ms. Block’s life around.

“She sought out post-abortive counseling for the first time in nearly a decade. She volunteered at a pregnancy resource center, where she helped other women who were experiencing unexpected pregnancies. She is now the director for the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga,” Ms. DiPippo said.

The National Memorial for the Unborn is a place where “people come to regret abortions, can basically pay tribute and honor to their unborn children, and come and grieve and acknowledge their dignity and their existence,” Ms. DiPippo explained.

Filmmakers continued on page A13

A parish united for Ukrainians OLPH parishioner leads church effort to make a new home for refugee family

By Bill Brewer

BILL BREWER

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s unrest grips the Middle East and dominates the world’s attention, fighting continues to rage in Ukraine as that country’s military still battles Russia, a war that next month will enter its third year.

And half a world away, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga—and one parishioner in particular—has reached out and made a home for a Ukrainian refugee family that fled its homeland.

The family, which asked to not be identified for safety and security reasons, in November entered the second year of a two-year U.S. government program called Uniting for Ukraine that matches Ukrainians trying to flee their war-torn country with American sponsors.

The family arrived in Chattanooga on Nov. 10, 2022, after weeks of getting-to-know-you Facebook video chats with its OLPH sponsor, Joe, who asked that his last name not be used out of concern for the family’s safety and security.

The federal government, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and its Uniting for Ukraine program, provides a pathway for displaced Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members to come to this country and stay temporarily for two years.

Joe first encountered Uniting for Ukraine while watching television one night shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He explained that following geopolitics is a hobby of his after growing up overseas and attending a diplomatic school as a youth.

After his experiences abroad, he said he’s very happy to be a Chattanoogan. And seeing the ad for Uniting for Ukraine inspired him to offer that same opportunity to a family in need. So, he visited the USCIS website, www.uscis.gov/ukraine, and happened on a family of four. Just by happenstance, the family also is Catholic.

Uniting for Ukraine Father Arthur Torres, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga, is pictured with Joe and his wife, who lead an effort to sponsor a Ukraine family.

Joe thought over the possibility of sponsoring the family during a trip to Israel in June 2022.

“We got back and I mentioned it to my wife.

She said it sounds wonderful. She knew I had the resources. I’m not wealthy, but I had the money to do this. Then I said it takes a village. I can’t be available all the time when they need me. So, I

went to church. If we attend church regularly, we all have people, acquaintances, we talk to. I call them our church posse,” Joe said.

“I gathered them together one Sunday, and I told them what I wanted to do. I said I might need some help. Who is willing to help? Remember the phrase prayers, players, and payers? Who has time? Who has money? And who will pray for you?” he added, referring to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and its members.

He then registered with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which vetted him and performed a background check on the Ukrainian family. He was approved, and basic information from his questionnaire was publicized for the family to see, details like what does he offer and what is he going to provide.

Joe and his wife were approved by USCIS. “I did a lot of thinking about what I could handle. I didn’t want a kid, a 23-year-old or a 25-yearold. … A young mama with four young kids and aging parents? I’m really not set up to handle that. So, I thought a (smaller) family would be perfect—a mom and a couple of kids,” Joe said.

“So, originally it was the mom and the daughter and son. (Grandmother) was a late add once this gained traction. There was some anguish about her family leaving her.”

Joe pointed out that the wife’s mother was reluctant to leave her home country, but she eventually decided to join the family in leaving for the United States.

“And I’m glad she did,” Joe said.

Joe and the Ukrainian family exchanged e-mails and then connected on Facebook. “Was I getting consistent information from them? Ask the same question four different ways and see what you get,” he said, noting that he had to rely on Facebook video chats to vet them.

Ultimately, it was their faith that made the arrangement work—faith in each other and faith in Ukraine continued on page A12

Synodality, listening to youth guided SEEK24 mission FOCUS leaders heartened by a record number of attendees at Jan. 1-5 conference

By OSV News

Sr. Regina

OSV NEWS PHOTO

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record number of attendees gathered at the Jan. 1-5 SEEK24 conference in downtown St. Louis, with excitement already mounting for the 2025 conference.

Hosted by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students in this Missouri city for the second consecutive year, the conference drew more than 23,000 attendees, including 188 international participants.

SEEK attendees participated in presentations and discussions about the Catholic faith led by globally recognized speakers, along with opportunities for Mass, confession, and eucharistic adoration.

Edward Sri, FOCUS senior vice president of apostolic outreach, recounted the humble beginnings of FOCUS in 1998 at a Jan. 4 press conference.

“Curtis Martin and I were graduate students together ... we did a retreat in January of 1998,” he said,

SEEKing friends in faith Anna Sheehan, Ireland Johnson, P.J. Cronin, Eva Conroy, and Alex O’Doherty, all students at University College in Cork, Ireland, attend the SEEK24 conference on Jan. 4 at America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis. describing how a small group of 24 students gathered in “nowhere Kansas” and sparked a movement that now touches thousands nationwide. © 2024 Handmaids of the Precious Blood

“I remember driving on I-25 from downtown Denver and seeing what at the time was called the Pepsi Center,” Mr. Sri said. “I remember saying to Curtis that one day we’re

going to be in the Pepsi Center.”

At SEEK24, liturgies were held in The Dome at America's Center, the former home of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. “It’s very moving to see,” Mr. Sri said, describing the impact of students falling to their knees during eucharistic adoration.

P.J. Cronin, a student at University College in Cork, Ireland, said he heard about the SEEK conference while hanging out in a Dominicanrun cafe with some friends.

“I really love Scott Hahn,” Mr. Cronin said. “He really opened up Scripture for me in ways that I hadn’t seen before.” Mr. Hahn is an author and professor of biblical theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.

Mr. Cronin said he recognized a few other speakers, too, but the biggest draw was seeing other young people practicing the Catholic faith, which is not something he sees in Ireland.

“I’m there in my local parish at SEEK24 continued on page A15

How to sign up and qualify for Diocese of Knoxville’s safe-environment program

T The Handmaids of the Precious Blood this year celebrate the 77th year since their founding in 1947; more than three-quarters of a century of prayer and sacrifice for priests. To receive weekly cartoons and short reflections and news from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, visit their website, nunsforpriests.org, and sign up for the FIAT newsletter.

January prayer intention for the gift of diversity in the Church “We pray that the Holy Spirit may help us to recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian community and to discover the richness of different traditions and rituals in the Catholic Church.”

–– Pope Francis

DIOCESE PROCEDURE

FOR

OF

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REPORTING

SEXUAL

ABUSE

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such information to the appropriate civil authorities first, then to the McNabb Center victim's assistance coordinator, 865.321.9080.

he Diocese of Knoxville has implemented the CMG Connect platform to administer the Safe Environment Program, which replaces the former Safe Environment Program (VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children”).

CMG Connect is a web-based platform that will assist in ensuring that all employees and volunteers who are in a position of trust with children and vulnerable adults within Diocese of Knoxville schools and parishes are trained to recognize behavior patterns of potential abusers and provide pro-active measures for preventing abuse in any context.

“Safe Haven-It’s Up to You” is a three-part video that provides vignettes of real-life situations to educate the viewer about methods of grooming, desensitization, bullying, and neglect, all of which can lead to abuse.

Each part of the video is immediately followed by a brief questionnaire to further develop understanding.

Education is a key

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element of the Safe Environment Program.

All clergy, employees, contracted school personnel, volunteers, members of groups and organizations over the age of 18 who work, volunteer, or participate in any capacity are required to complete the diocesan Safe Environment training and a criminal-background check before they can begin employment, volunteer, or participate with ministries, groups, and organizations affiliated with the Diocese of Knoxville.

In addition, the mandatory renewal training must be completed every five years and a new background check submitted before the five-year expiration of prior training.

The Diocese of Knoxville Safe Environment compliance training and renewal training is a condition of employment and for volunteer ministry in the Diocese of Knoxville.

The CMG Connect

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platform contains all three elements of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Safe Environment Program: n Annual review of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Policy and Procedures Relating to Sexual Misconduct; n CMG Connect Safe Haven training program to be completed every five years; n Criminal background check to be completed every five years.

In compliance with the Diocese of Knoxville’s Safe Environment Program, all affiliates require that volunteers and employees complete the requirements prior to working and/or volunteering in a parish, school, The Paraclete, or through Catholic Charities and/or St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic.

Go to https:// dioknox.org/safeenvironment on the Diocese of Knoxville website for more information. ■

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TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Pope Francis issues guidance on blessings for couples Holy Father approves document on the pastoral meaning of blessings

Reciting the Angelus Pope Francis greets the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus prayer on Jan. 7, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”

The Church “remains firm” in teaching that marriage can be contracted only between one woman and one man, he said, and continues to insist that “rites and prayers that could create confusion” about a marriage and another form of relationship “are inadmissible.”

But in Catholic tradition, blessings go well beyond the formal ritual used in marriage and other sacraments.

“Blessings are among the most widespread and evolving sacramentals. Indeed, they lead us to grasp God’s presence in all the events of life and remind us that, even in the use of created things, human beings are invited to seek God, to love

Him, and to serve Him faithfully,” the declaration said. That is why people, meals, rosaries, homes, pets, and myriad other things can be and are blessed on various occasions.

“From a strictly liturgical point of view,” the declaration said, “a blessing requires that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church,” which is why the then-doctrinal congregation in 2021 excluded the possibility of blessing gay couples.

But, the new document said, Catholics should “avoid the risk of reducing the meaning of blessings” to their formal, liturgical use because that “would lead us to expect the same moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of the sacraments.”

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

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Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office said.

The request for a blessing can express and nurture “openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live.

It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered,” the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a formal declaration published on Dec. 18.

The document, Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust) was subtitled, “On the pastoral meaning of blessings,” and was approved by Pope Francis during an audience with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, dicastery prefect, on Dec. 18.

In his introductory note, Cardinal Fernández said questions about a priest blessing a LGBTQ+ or other unmarried couple had been sent to the doctrinal office repeatedly over the past few years. The need for a fuller explanation of blessings became clear, he wrote, after Pope Francis responded to the “dubia” or questions of several cardinals in a letter released in early October.

In his letter, the pope insisted marriage is an “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to conceiving children,” which is why the Church “avoids all kinds of rites or sacramentals that could contradict this conviction and imply that it is recognizing as a marriage something that is not.”

At the same time, the pope said, “pastoral prudence must adequately discern if there are forms of blessing, solicited by one or various persons, that don’t transmit a mistaken concept of marriage.”

Cardinal Fernández said the declaration “remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion,” but it also explores the “pastoral meaning of blessings” in a way that opens “the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

By Cindy Wooden and Justin McLellan Catholic News Service

“Indeed, there is the danger that a pastoral gesture that is so beloved and widespread will be subjected to too many moral prerequisites, which, under the claim of control, could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that forms the basis for the gesture of blessing,” it said.

A person who asks for God’s blessing, the declaration said, “shows himself to be in need of God’s saving presence in his life and one who asks for a blessing from the Church recognizes the latter as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers.”

The Church, it said, should be grateful when people ask for a blessing and should see it as a sign that they know they need God's help.

“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection,” it said.

At the same time, the declaration insisted that the Mass is not the proper setting for the less formal forms of blessing that could include the blessing of a gay couple, and it repeated that “it is not appropriate for a diocese, a bishops’ conference,” or other Church structure to issue a formal blessing prayer or ritual for unwed couples.

The blessing also should not be given “in concurrence” with a civil marriage ceremony to avoid appearing as a sort of Church blessing of the civil union.

However, it said, a priest or deacon could “join in the prayer of those persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and His mercy, to invoke His help and to be guided to a greater understanding of His plan of love and of truth.”

Pope re-emphasizes document

Reaching out to the faithful A baby reaches out to Pope Francis after he baptized her during Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Jan. 7.

Several babies were baptized on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The Vatican’s recently published guidance on administering blessings to same-sex couples or other unmarried couples does not affect the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage, Pope Francis again emphasized.

Meeting for nearly two hours with a group of about 30 priests on the southern outskirts of Rome on Dec. 21, the pope fielded questions Blessing continued on page A23

A message about the messages Pope: Faithful must put Jesus, not ideology, in spotlight; calls on media to 'de-escalate'

I

nstead of splitting into ideological groups, members of the Catholic Church need to put God front and center, not their own personal ideas and plans, Pope Francis said.

“We need to let go of ecclesiastical ideologies in order to find the meaning of the Holy Mother Church” and to support its true vocation, he said.

“Let us set out anew from God; let us seek from Him the courage not to lose heart in the face of difficulties, the strength to surmount all obstacles, the joy to live in harmonious communion,” the pope said on Jan. 6 as he celebrated Mass on the feast of the Epiphany. “We need to let ourselves walk in friendship with the Lord, we need His love to sustain us, and the light of His word to guide us, like a star in the night.”

“We need to set out on this journey, so that our faith will not be reduced to an assemblage of religious devotions or mere outward appearance, but will instead become a fire burning TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Media meeting Matthias Kopp, a journalist and spokesman for the German Bishops' Conference, gives Pope Francis a note during an audience at the Vatican on Jan. 4 as part of a delegation representing the Society of Catholic Journalists in Germany. Looking on from the left is Joachim Frank, a journalist, chairman of the society and member of the Synodal Path in Germany. within us, making us passionate seekers of the Lord’s face and witnesses to His Gospel,” he said.

“We need this in the Church, where, instead of splitting into groups based on our own ideas, we are called to put God back at the center,” Pope Francis said.

The Three Kings on their journey from the East have much to teach today’s faithful, he said: “Their eyes are raised to the heavens; their feet are journeying on the earth; and their hearts are bowed in adoration.”

The wise men “teach us to fix our sight on high, to lift our eyes

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to the heavens, to the hills, from which our help will come, for our help is from the Lord,” he said.

The Magi, he said, do not spend their lives “staring at their feet, self-absorbed, confined by earthly horizons, plodding ahead in resignation or lamentation.”

“If we remain closed in the narrow confines of earthly things, if we waste away, heads bowed, hostages of our failures and our regrets; if we thirst for wealth and worldly comforts, which are here today and gone tomorrow, rather than becoming seekers of life and love,” he said, “our life slowly loses its light.”

Seeking God, the pope said, the wise men “are directed to find him in man, in a little child lying in a manger.”

“We find the God who comes down to visit us, not by basking in some elegant religious theory, but by setting out on a journey, seeking the signs of His presence in everyday life, and above all in encountering and touching the flesh of our brothers and sisters,” he said.

Finally, he said, the wise men “have hearts bowed in adoraMessage continued on page A23 JANUARY 7, 2024 n A3

‘He gave his all’ Father Ron Stone, pastor of Holy Cross Parish, dies following recent illness

By Bill Brewer

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

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ather Ron Stone, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Pigeon Forge, whose compelling conversion story was an inspiration for many people, died on Dec. 8 following a brief illness from cancer. He was 69.

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant for the Dec. 12 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was concelebrated by 25 priests. Ten diocesan deacons also attended the Mass, including Deacon David Anderson, who assisted as deacon of the altar, and Deacon Sean Smith, who served as deacon of the Word.

Father David Mary Engo, OFM, delivered the homily, and Father Mark Scholz, pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Parish in Dunlap and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in South Pittsburg, gave a eulogy. Archbishop Fabre has appointed Father Engo parochial administrator pro tempore of Holy Cross Parish.

Attending the funeral Mass, in addition to people of the Diocese of Knoxville, were members of Holy Cross as well as friends of Father Stone who serve at the Signs of the Times Apostolate in Herndon, Va., where Father Stone worked as a volunteer before joining the priesthood.

“Rev. Archbishop and brother priests, deacons, the family, friends, and parishioners of Holy Cross Parish, I express my deepest condolences for the loss of our brother, our father, our teacher, an incredible pastor, and priest second to none. I express my condolences for the loss of such an incredible and gifted priest of Jesus Christ, and such a beautiful son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He lived

Father Ron Stone his life truly as a son of Our Lady, living each day seeking to reach the glory of that kingdom,” Father Engo said as he began his homily.

The Franciscan priest couldn’t resist the opportunity to poke a little fun at his close

friend and himself.

“In honor of Father Ron, this homily will be 45 minutes long. Just kidding. I could never preach that long. I can only do 42,” Father Engo said. “Father Ron never did anything with half measures. If he was going to preach the truth, he was going to preach the truth. If it took him 45 minutes to explain the truth, he took the 45 minutes to explain the truth.

He never did things in half measures. His whole life has been that way.”

Father Engo hearkened back to Father Stone’s pre-priesthood years, when he served in the U.S. Navy, as a bodybuilder, and even as a bouncer in a Washington, D.C.-area nightclub to offer examples of how the priest pushed himself following a troubled childhood and later a troubled early adulthood.

“When he gave himself to the Lord in the early years of his conversion, he gave himself 100 percent, holding back nothing of himself or for himself when he decided that he was going to live his Catholic faith,” Father Engo remarked. “And in truth, Father Ron, the Lord called him to something deeper, something more. And he moved on to seminary.

And there in seminary, again giving himself completely to his studies because he knew that he was going to be the best priest that he could possibly be. He was going to be that man who was going to lead souls to Christ and help them grow in Christ.”

And just as the Gospel reading from Luke 12:42-49 illustrated Father Stone’s passion for Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, and the Church—“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazFr. Stone continued on page A24

Rorate Mass for religious communities is celebrated

By Gabrielle Nolan

A4 n JANUARY 7, 2024

STEPHANIE RICHER (2)

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n the darkest night of the year, the winter solstice, the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was aglow with candlelight.

A Rorate Mass in honor of Our Lady for the religious communities of the Diocese of Knoxville was held on Dec. 21, with the public invited to attend. The intention for the Mass was for the next bishop, who will be appointed for the Diocese of Knoxville.

The Advent Mass is typically celebrated in the dark and illuminated by candlelight, so each attendee received a lit candle to hold throughout the Mass. The sanctuary was primarily lit with dozens of candles, with dim lighting overhead.

Hearkening back to the Middle Ages, the Rorate Mass has long been a tradition in Europe, though it is also celebrated in the United States. In addition to the cathedral celebrating the Rorate Mass, the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, St. Mary in Athens, and St. Mary in Johnson City did as well.

The Rorate Mass receives its name from the opening chant in Latin: “Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum.” The chant comes from Isaiah 45:8 and translates to “Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Savior.”

Paulist Father Charlie Donahue, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville, was the principal celebrant of the Mass, with Paulist Father Jim Haley and additional priests of the diocese concelebrating. Deacon Sean Smith served as deacon of the Word, and Deacon Renzo Alvarado Suarez served as deacon of the altar. Father Haley gave the homily.

“Welcome as we celebrate Mary and Advent and ourselves as members of religious communities,” Father Haley began. “And thanks for inviting the Paulist Fathers to preside and to be part of this evening’s liturgy.”

“We’re now coming to the end of Advent, and for the past three weeks we have been paring through our liturgy and our individual spirituality to ready

Mass by candlelight Above: Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, celebrates the Rorate Mass on Dec. 21 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Assisting Father Donahue are Deacon Renzo Alvarado Suarez and Deacon Fredy Vargas. Below: Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville who are serving in the Diocese of Knoxville take part in the Rorate Mass in honor of Our Lady for religious communities in the diocese.

ourselves to welcome our Savior into our hearts this Christmas,” he continued. “And as we have gathered in our churches to celebrate Advent, we have noticed a sharp contrast to the secular world. We walk in our neighborhoods, we go to our stores, we do our shopping, and we see all the trappings of Christmas. In the midst of the music, the sights, the sounds of Christmas, we gather in church rather somberly. Our vestments are purple, we light our Advent wreaths, and we omit the Gloria. And all this is to remind ourselves that something important is about to happen. We have to prepare ourselves. If not, we may miss the real significance of Christmas, that great event we are about to celebrate.”

“We gather this night, which is the longest night of the year. Beginning tomorrow the days will be longer and we will see more light. It is as if nature itself is preparing to receive the Savior as more light comes into the world,” he said. “And as we gather before Christmas, we receive and we write our Christmas cards and our greetings, we see familiar words that appear on so many of our cards. Words like faith, peace, love, hope, and joy. These are the gifts of Christmas. We listen to the infancy story of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, and joy is found throughout the story of Jesus’ birth. Joy is a resounding echo that comes through all the words of Luke’s infancy account. From the begin-

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ning of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to the joyful announcement to Mary at the annunciation, to the joyful acclamation of the angels, the coming of the shepherds, all resound the joyful hymn, glory to God in the highest and peace upon all.”

Father Haley emphasized that the joy is echoed in the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.

“When Mary arrives, the child in the womb of Elizabeth leaps for joy, and Mary proclaims her own hymn of joy: ‘My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’ The message of the visitation is one of joy, to be glad, to rejoice, for the Lord is in our midst,” he said.

“Very often, early in the mornings and at this time of year, I usually can see the sunrise. It’s a beautiful spectacle of orange, yellow, and reds. It sets forth my day, and I see that this can truly be a day of grace for me. I allow that beautiful scene to speak to me of the beauty of God and of God’s presence in my life and in our world. And this gives me and brings to me a real sense of peace and joy. This is the joy Mary proclaims, a joy that comes from a deep trust and confidence in the divine presence, overcoming all doubts, troubles, and yes, failures,” Father Haley continued.

“This sense of joy is not limited to Luke’s Gospel, for in our first reading from Zephaniah we read, shout for joy, sing joyfully, be glad, rejoice in the Lord for the Lord is in our midst. And Paul in Philippians writes, rejoice, again I say rejoice, the Lord is near. The joy found in Scripture is not a giddiness or a superficial happiness, but a deep trust and faith in God’s love, God’s goodness, and God’s forgiveness. And these enlighten all the faith, the hope, the love of the Christmas season.

To quote St. Ambrose, this is the kind of joy Mary is proclaiming: she rejoices in the greatness of God,” he said.

Father Haley shared a story of a recent trip to the mall, where he witnessed a young child run ahead of her mother and fall on the floor, causing the child to cry.

“At this point, the mother came and took her in her arms,” he continued. “Fortunately, the child was not badly hurt, probably more Rorate Mass continued on page A22 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

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January 28-February 3, 2024

www.dioknox.org/schools Serving Knoxville, Chattanooga, Oak Ridge, Tri-Cities.

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JANUARY 7, 2024 n A5

3 Kings Feast is ‘heart and soul’ of Cleveland parish Hundreds of people served meals, receive gifts at St. Thérèse of Lisieux

By Jim Wogan

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Rolls (and roles) for everyone Left: Father Mike Nolan checks on table servers Emily Rakoczy, Jack Condo, and Debbie Condo at the 3 Kings Feast attended by nearly 800 people on Dec. 2 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church. The parish ministry, started in 1989, requires 150-200 volunteers to work in a variety of roles. Meals included turkey, pork, or ham for adults and chicken nuggets for kids. Dessert, drinks, side orders, and hot rolls were also available. Bottom: Parish volunteer Harper Kinzer was all smiles while serving families at her tables.

JIM WOGAN (2)

arishioner Pat Killen can offer testimony to the ongoing impact of the 3 Kings Feast at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish. So can parishioners Shawn Duggan and Maddie Dill.

All three, in their own unique ways, have been instrumental in making sure the annual holiday ministry has thrived for more than three decades.

“This event started 34 years ago… with 16 families that were fed,” said Mr. Duggan, who has served as feast chairperson for six years and can attest to its growth. “We now feed between 700 and 1,100 people. It is about touching peoples’ lives for the positive and spreading God’s Word through food, through gift, and through fellowship.”

On Dec. 2, hundreds of people from Cleveland and the surrounding area began lining up for the 3 Kings Feast outside the parish family life center. A covered sidewalk kept them dry from a chilly rain that fell most of the day. Inside, parish volunteers had prepared more than 1,200 pounds of food, stacked several hundred donated gifts, and nearly 200 blankets to be given away to those who came for a hot meal and some holiday spirit on that day.

“Everybody knows there is more of a need now than there used to be and that usually shows itself in the number of people we serve,” said Mrs. Killen, who has been a parishioner at St. Thérèse for 58 years. “We never know how many [people] are going to come. We never really know.”

The doors of the family life center opened at 11 a.m. Ninety minutes later, a hand-held counter that kept count of those coming through the door had clicked to 760. The long line of people waiting outside had shrunk by 12:30 p.m., but people were still arriving.

“They are of different faiths, different nationalities. They just come for a good hot meal, and they know they will be treated royally,” Mrs. Killen said.

Maddie Dill has been working on the feast for almost her entire life, since she was 3 or 4

years old. Now a young adult, Ms. Dill began volunteering with her mom by handing out fruit.

She calls the feast the “heart and soul” of the parish.

“I think this event was my first glimpse into what it [means] to give back, what charity is, how it can change people’s lives, and how it can change you personally. I think it is such a heartwarming way to express humility, love, and generosity.”

Father Mike Nolan has served as pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux twice and has seen the feast grow over the years. He credits 150200 volunteers and those who donate food, gifts, and their personal time for making the ministry a success.

“Everyone has a need to gather, even when times are good.

This brings people around a table, whether it’s their family, or neighbors, or church members, to know that you are welcome here,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s some of the glue that really holds this place together because it’s not one organization, it’s all the organizations of the church coming together in a very disorganized but very loving way.”

After six years as the lead organizer of the feast, Mr. Duggan said a job transfer to another area is forcing him to step down. Michael Murphy, a retired Chicago Police Department captain who recently relocated to Cleveland, is taking over as “feast coordinator.” As a newcomer, he wanted to become active in parish life.

“When Father Nolan came to me and said, ‘I want you to shadow Shawn and be involved with this,’ at first, I was like, I don’t know if I want to do that. Then God reminded me that night ‘what have you been praying for?’ So, I immediately said yes.

As far as it being a challenge or anything like that, these people have laid this out, they have got this going. If I mess this up, it’s on me because it’s [organized] like clockwork.”

On Dec. 2, parish volunteers made sure the three- to four-hour event ran smoothly. At least 25 volunteers from the Knights of Columbus manned the kitchen and dished out plates of food— chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and corn rolls for

the children; pork, turkey, or ham with mashed potatoes and green beans with corn rolls for the adults. Everyone received dessert.

Volunteers also staffed the gymnasium-turned-dining room as table servers to make sure each person or family received a greeting and was attended to.

Dinner began with grace.

Throughout, families were entertained by music and an appearance by Santa Claus, and then guided to an area where wrapped, age-appropriate gifts were handed out to children.

Families also received a blanket, and in some cases a sleeping bag was provided to those who may have been homeless.

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Padre Pio letters coming to an e-mail inbox near you

By Gina Christian OSV News

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beloved Italian saint is speaking to faithful anew through a series of letters sent directly to their e-mail inboxes.

The St. Pio Foundation has announced the release of “Epistolary,” a collection of 365 letters written by St. Pio of Pietrelcina, widely known as Padre Pio, to his spiritual directors and students.

A dedicated page on the foundation’s website includes a signup form, which is available at saintpiofoundation.org/saintpios-epistolary, for receiving a weekly PDF with seven letters, one for each day of a given week.

The first batch of letters was sent out Jan. 1 by the Tuckahoe, N.Y.based foundation.

Freshly translated into English from the original Italian, the Epistolary represents a fraction of the “thousands and thousands of letters” Padre Pio wrote during his lifetime, Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the St. Pio Foundation, told OSV News.

Born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, the future saint entered the Capuchin order at age 15 and was ordained in 1910. Between 1915 and 1918, he A6 n JANUARY 7, 2024

served intermittently in the Italian Army’s medical corps during World War I but was ultimately discharged due to poor health. He returned to his monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy, and in 1918 he received the Stigmata (the wounds of Christ), the first priest to receive such marks in the history of the Catholic Church.

Amid sustained physical and spiritual suffering—compounded by austerity and long hours of prayer—he established Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, now a renowned national research hospital located in San Giovanni Rotondo.

The Capuchin also devoted himself to the healing of souls, often spending more than 15 hours a day hearing confessions. Padre Pio died in 1968 and was canonized in 2002 by then-Pope John Paul II, with whom he had been friends since 1947.

The Capuchin’s voluminous correspondence was a ministry unto itself, imparting encouragement, fatherly corrections, and commonsense spirituality centered in an intensely personal relationship with Christ.

“If God has not abandoned you in the past, how would He abandon you in the future when now, Padre Pio continued on page A15 www.di o k no x .o rg

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Carrying the cross is a spiritual (and school) exercise Catholic keepsakes offer an effective way to hold the past, raise funds

By Bill Brewer

GABRIELLE NOLAN

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here is recycling. And then there is a spiritual aspect to recycling, which the Catholic Church encourages in ways such as Pope Francis’ recent encyclical and exhortation on the environment and care for our common home.

Closer to home, there is no better illustration of the spiritual side of recycling than with at least two Diocese of Knoxville schools.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga and Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Knoxville have discovered a unique way to honor the faith, reuse a valuable natural resource, and at the same time raise funds for vital projects.

The schools have been undergoing renovations in portions of their facilities, and as part of the upgrades they have replaced aging gym floors.

Rather than relegate the gym floor hardwood to the trash heap, school leaders and students have discovered a creative and unique use for it: crosses.

Father Arthur Torres, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and School, explained that OLPH principal Caroline Carlin and school development director Cathy Clifford worked with the school’s Girl Scouts on their project.

They arranged for the wood to be collected and sawed into small crosses suitable for hanging on a wall.

Father Torres said the gym floor was replaced at OLPH in 2023 after serving the school for 86 years.

“We decided to renovate the gym floor because it had some cracks and also because it was needed for the students to have a better place to do their physical education and also their sports. So, we decided to go ahead and change that floor,” Father Torres said. “So, [in 2022] along with Caroline Carlin and Cathy Clifford, we raised some money for the gym to be remodeled. It has turned out beautifully.”

Ms. Clifford noted that the project was a team effort with a number of contributors.

“Donna Henderson, a dedicated volunteer at OLPH for over 25 years, actively engaged with the Girl Scouts and various school parent organizations and embarked on a mission close to her heart. With school plans to replace the aging school gym floor, which had served its purpose for over 50 years, Donna was determined to preserve meaningful fragments of its historic floor,” Ms. Clifford explained.

Old rugged crosses Father Arthur Torres, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga, holds some of the crosses that have been made from OLPH School's old gym floor.

“In a remarkable act of kindness, Donna’s friend volunteered to assess the gym floor and determine if he could use the scraps to create the crosses. Without seeking any compensation, he went through the scraps of wood, removed nails, determined dimensions, and skillfully crafted over 60 crosses. This act of generosity was a testament to the shared commitment to the values of OLPH,” she continued. “Donna's anonymous friend, driven by a calling to serve others, selflessly dedicated his time and skills to bring Donna’s vision to life, embodying the ethos of generosity and community that defines OLPH.” Father Torres blessed the crosses, and they

Pope calls surrogacy an ‘object of trafficking’

By Maria Wiering OSV News

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ope Francis told diplomats Jan. 8 that he finds surrogacy “deplorable” and would like to see the practice universally banned.

“I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs. A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract,” he said in an annual New Year’s meeting with members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. "Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally.”

The remarks made headlines among major U.S. secular news outlets, prompting calls to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the conference’s spokesperson and executive director of public affairs Chieko Noguchi told OSV News.

“As Pope Francis stated, with surrogacy, an unborn child is turned into ‘an object of trafficking’ because it exploits the birth mother’s material needs and makes the child the product of a commercial contract. This is why the Catholic Church teaches that the practice of surrogacy is not morally permissible. Instead, we should pray for, and work toward, a world that upholds the profound dignity of every person, at every stage and in every circumstance of life,” Ms. Noguchi said in a Jan. 8 media statement.

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or couple, sometimes for compensation. The gestational carrier is impregnated through in vitro fertilization, a practice the Church also proscribes.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral.

These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ ‘right to become a father and a mother only through each other.’”

Pope Francis has denounced surrogacy before, including in a 2022 meeting with members of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe, during which he said, “The dignity of men and women is also threatened by the inhumane and increasingly widespread practice of ‘womb renting,’ in which women, almost always poor, are exploited, and children are treated as commodities.”

In 2016, Pope Francis briefly reflected on surrogacy in Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”), a postsynodal apostolic exhortation that followed the 2014-15 synods of bishops on the family, noting, “History is burdened by the excesses of patriarchal cultures that considered women inferior, yet in our own day, we cannot overlook the use of surrogate mothers and the ‘exploitation and commercialization of the female body in the current media culture,’” citing a catechesis he gave at a general audience in April 2015. ■ w ww.di o k no x .o rg

were made available to OLPH supporters for a donation to assist with the school’s needs.

“Immediately, 56 of the crosses raised over $2,500. The remaining four crosses will be sold at the Ram Bash Auction this spring. The proceeds further contributed to the enhancement of the school’s facilities,” Ms. Clifford said.

The crosses not only serve as a tool of the faith, they also serve a very poignant purpose, according to the OLPH School development director.

“For Donna, the cross became a tangible reminder of the school’s rich history, evoking memories of the countless steps, programs, and games that unfolded on the gym floor throughout the years. This symbolic representation resonated with multiple generations, encapsulating the spirit of community and shared experiences,” Ms. Clifford said.

Upgrades at OLPH also include a generous gift of new lighting for the school. Ms. Clifford credited the contribution of lighting to Green Owl Energy.

“A huge shoutout to Green Owl Energy for their support and commitment to making our learning environment better and more eco-friendly. We’re incredibly grateful for their contribution, which has made a significant difference in our daily school experience. Thank you for illuminating our future,” Ms. Clifford said.

She noted that the upgrade isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about sustainability, too.

“LED lights are much more energy-efficient, meaning we’re not just enjoying better lighting, but we’re also reducing our carbon footprint. It’s a win-win for our school and the environment,” she added. “During this season of giving, we feel incredibly blessed and grateful for the amazing gifts bestowed upon our school throughout the school year.”

Ms. Clifford said the lighting upgrade is already benefiting 14 classrooms, six offices, and four hallways.

Anyone wanting to participate in Our Lady of Perpetual Help School’s project to upgrade facilities can contact Ms. Clifford at cclifford@myolph. com.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral School, a major renovation project to upgrade the gymnasium, performing-arts wing, and outdoor athletics field began in 2023 and was completed at the end of the year.

Mary Mac Wilson, chief operating officer for Crosses continued on page A15

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JANUARY 7, 2024 n A7

Generosity pours forth on Giving Tuesday St. Albert the Great Parish, St. Jude School in U.S. Top 100 for funds raised

By Emily Booker

GABRIELLE NOLAN

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iocese of Knoxville parishioners began the season of giving in a robust way. #iGiveCatholic is an online giving initiative held in dioceses across the United States on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving every year.

The Diocese of Knoxville has hosted the #iGiveCatholic giving day since 2017. Over the last five years, participating parishes, schools, and ministries across East Tennessee have collectively raised $664,734 in support of projects for their communities.

For the 2023 giving day, $184,635 was raised through #iGiveCatholic, benefiting 13 Catholic ministries in East Tennessee.

The generosity of this year’s participation exceeded all expectations, with more donors giving this year than any other year, and with the highest number of gifts given since the diocese began hosting #iGiveCatholic in 2017.

For full results from the 2023 #iGiveCatholic campaign in the diocese, readers can visit knoxville.igivecatholic.org.

Two Diocese of Knoxville ministries were in the Top 100 leaderboard for the entire nation.

St. Albert the Great Parish in Knoxville ranked No. 53, and St. Joseph School in Knoxville ranked No. 98.

St. Albert the Great Parish was on track to pay off its debt sometime in 2024. Michael Persicano, finance manager and office manager at the parish, explained that the parish wanted to eliminate its debt by the end of the fiscal year in June in order to kick off a new five-year plan.

“We’ve been around long enough that we’re approaching needs that are going to be coming up, like maybe a new roof or different maintenance around the church,” he explained. “The idea was if we can eliminate our debt, then that would free up funds to be able to start our fiveyear plan.

“We were thinking of a way that we could do a special campaign for trying to eliminate our debt. We started thinking about #iGiveCatholic, and we thought, ‘This could be a really good opportunity to try #iGiveCatholic.’ I think it just really resonated with parishioners and this whole idea of Giving Tuesday.”

The parish advertised the giving day on its website and in the church bulletin. Parishioners also received a letter detailing what needs would be coming up in the parish in the near

Benefiting the ministry of Catholic education Students at St. Jude School in Chattanooga are all in on helping their school be the best it can be. St. Jude School and St. Albert the Great Parish in Knoxville ranked in the U.S. Top 100 for funds raised through the #iGiveCatholic giving day in November.

future. The idea was to focus on the future strength of the parish community.

“Wouldn’t it be nice instead of the building fund going toward debt, what if the building fund now becomes something we use to pay as you go, you know, instead of having to borrow in the future, to be able to have this building

March for Life unveils 2024 theme: ‘With Every Woman, For Every Child’

By Maria Wiering OSV News and Tyler Arnold Catholic News Agency

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he Sisters of Life and Knights of Columbus announced on Dec. 21 that they will be teaming up for a second year to host Life Fest in conjunction with the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., in January.

The event will be held Jan. 19 at the 10,000-seat D.C. Armory in southeast Washington prior to the march, which begins around 1 p.m. along Constitution Avenue. The march will be the second following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and the return of abortion policymaking to the states.

According to organizers, Life Fest will feature “dynamic speakers and testimonies” and music by Sarah Kroger and Damascus Worship.

It will also include Mass celebrated

by Knights of Columbus Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore; Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston; and Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.; as well as a eucharistic healing procession.

Life Fest attendees also will have the opportunity to venerate firstclass relics of the Ulma family, who were recently beatified in their native Poland.

“On March 24, 1944, Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children, one of whom was still in the womb, were killed by Nazis in Markowa, Poland, for hiding members of two Jewish families,” Life Fest’s organizers said in a Dec. 21 media release, noting that the “Ulma family bears special significance to the pro-life movement,” and their

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“lives exemplify what it means to value the dignity of every human person.”

“The Good Samaritans of Markowa: The Sacrificial Love of the Ulma Family,” a special exhibition on the 80th anniversary of the Ulmas’ martyrdom, will be on display at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., until at least March 24. The exhibition also includes the Ulmas’ relics.

“I’ll never forget the first time I attended a rally before the March for Life when I was a teenager,” Sister Mary Grace, a Sister of Life, said in the media release. “I knew the pro-life movement was important, but standing in a packed stadium, listening to stories and seeing countless other youth celebrate the gift of life, changed the trajectory of mine. I marched differently. It was no longer simply another cause—it became for me a whole new way of looking at the world we live in. None of us are here by mistake; every single person is wanted and necessary. I left the rally with a fresh conviction that every single human person is precious, and your value is worth cherishing again every year.”

The Sisters of Life are a Catholic religious community of women founded in New York in 1991 and committed to the protection of human life and to the promotion of new life in Christ.

The Knights of Columbus, founded in 1882 as a fraternal benefit society by Blessed Michael McGivney, is a lay Catholic men’s organization and one of the world’s leading international charitable organizations.

Doors will open for Life Fest at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the event. Worship begins at 7 a.m., with the event culminating in Mass at 9:15 a.m.

More information about the event

fund to pay for immediate needs?” Mr. Persicano said.

A generous parishioner offered a challenge: if the parish could raise $25,000 by Christmas he would match what was raised up to $25,000.

“That was huge. That was absolutely huge,” Mr. Persicano said.

Building the momentum worked. On Giving Tuesday, St. Albert the Great swiftly exceeded its goal, raising $61,377.

“It was amazing. I mean, we had a goal, but to have it done by Christmas. And we hit it on Giving Tuesday.”

St. Jude School in Chattanooga has been using Giving Tuesday in lieu of an annual fund campaign for several years now. Donations from the giving day go toward the school’s annual fund, covering regular expenses such as teacher development, student assistance, and special events and activities.

Kathleen Preston, development director of St. Jude School, said that while the school hosts various fundraisers for specific causes throughout the year, it does not hold a traditional annual campaign.

Giving continued on page A14

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k a T

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Come play in our sandbox!

Seeking Qualified Teachers!

Group health plan (medical, dental, vision) Long-term disability insurance life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance to benefit eligible employees.

The Diocese also offers a voluntary 403(b) retirement savings plan with a 3% match as well as a lay employee retirement pension plan.

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‘What is God’s will for my life?’

Avoid paralysis by multimedia analysis in determining Holy Spirit's plan

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hat is God’s will for my life?” seems to be the eternal and sometimes seemingly unanswerable question that resides in the mind of the Christian.

In a sea of endless potential answers, it can be hard to determine next steps in our Christian walk, vocational journey, and general discernment, especially when we feel like we don’t even know where to begin.

A good first place to start is asking, do I know what the Church teaches, what the commandments are, and have a general sense of what is morally good? “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15).

God’s will can often be made abundantly clear when we consider what the Church teaches about what is right and wrong, what is and is not in alignment with the natural and moral order. If it goes against Church teaching or natural law, it is not God’s will for your life.

While that sounds like an easy and simple solution, the practicality of living this out is oftentimes difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful. Yet we can have God’s peace knowing that it is not our personal experience, but what is true, that determines how we are to follow God’s will.

But what about the more nuanced decisions we are faced with when it comes to God’s will? The ones where we are choosing between two goods or between a set of circumstances not specifically outlined in Church teaching?

A good question to ask ourselves is, do I have a regular prayer life where I come before God constantly and ask Him to reveal His will to me? God’s will becomes more clear the more we open ourselves up to Him, learn to listen to His voice, and learn how He speaks particularly to us. This is something that takes time, energy, effort, and work. But anyone who has ever been in a relationship with another knows that this is true—that getting to know another person takes much intentionality and willingness to learn.

Something that thwarts the progress of pursuing God’s will, especially in young people, is the availability of so many different paths and possibilities and the endless supply of information that backs them. Sometimes called decision “fatigue” or “paralysis,” the repeated belief that you truly can “do anything you set

Column

Claire Collins is a freelance writer whose columns appear in Radiant Magazine. Claire and her husband, Andrew, live in Chattanooga with their sons, Joe and Frank. your mind to” has often left us feeling there is some perfect plan “out there” and that God is just waiting for us to figure it out, like finding a needle in a haystack.

Before my husband and I started dating, a priest shared with him a sort of method of dating discernment that I found to be very wise and helpful in trying to figure out who God might be calling him to marry.

Instead of believing his perfect future spouse was somewhere “out there” and that God had him on a great hunt to find her, he instead chose to believe that a loving God would most likely be speaking to him through what was already “right here”—who was present in his life, who was already around, who had God chosen for him to be surrounded by?

Most likely a loving God would not hide his future spouse from him but would ask him instead to discern if he could see himself marrying any of the women who were already in his life. He knew not any of them would be “perfect,” because no one is, but that he was being asked to wonder who, with all their strengths and flaws, he could see himself pursuing heaven with.

This method is for more than just dating discernment. It might be how we are being asked to serve generously with our time or money, how we are being called to grow spiritually, or how we are being called to raise our families.

Instead of thinking some perfect solution is out there in the universe, we should look

U.S. bishops asked to hold Synod listening sessions

By Gina Christian OSV News

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ioceses across the United States are being asked to hold additional listening sessions in the next few months, following a request from the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops, which is preparing for the second session of the global Synod on Synodality in October.

In a Jan. 2 letter, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ committee on doctrine and coordinates the U.S. bishops’ Synod process, said his team is requesting “each diocese hold two to three listening sessions regarding the guiding questions” posed by the synod secretariat.

Those two guiding questions were phrased by Bishop Flores and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Synod Team as follows: “Where have I seen or experienced successes—and distresses—within the Church’s structure(s)/organization/leadership/life that encourage or hinder the mission?” and “How can the structures and organization of the Church help all the baptized to respond to the call to proclaim the Gospel and to live as a community of love and mercy in Christ?”

Bishop Flores asked that each diocese summarize responses to those questions in a three- to fivepage document and send it to the USCCB by April 8. The diocesan summaries will inform the USCCB’s summary, which is due to the Synod secretariat in May. Bishop Flores noted that in addition to the listening sessions, “we are encouraged to continue ongoing engagement with the people of God in the dynamism of a synodal style.”

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To that end, dioceses may also include with their submissions “a two-page testimony of best practices for synodality” they have developed, the bishop explained.

Bishop Flores also wrote that in addition to the diocesan consultations taking place, “the USCCB will be holding additional listening sessions at the national level with a focus on participation, social justice, and vocations.”

Diocesan-level Synod leaders “will be invited to participate in a national working group with the permission of the bishop,” he said in his letter.

Bishop Flores said that “we all know time is short, but even modest efforts at the local level can bear much fruit.”

“Let us do what we can, as well as we can and trust the Lord to accomplish beyond what we can foresee,” he wrote.

Launched by Pope Francis in October 2021, the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, organized on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission,” took place Oct. 4-29 in Rome.

The first session of the Synod, also known as the “Synod on Synodality,” was summarized in a 41page report intended to allow the global Church to digest, reflect on, and give feedback on its contents ahead of the Synod’s final session in Rome next October.

Part of that task is figuring out how decisions are made in the Church in a way that is faithful to its nature—including discerning how episcopal collegiality is exercised in a synodal Church—because the Church’s members have “differentiated co-responsibility for the common mission of evangelization.” ■ www.di o k no x .o rg

at what’s right in front of us—where we live, our parish community, the people God has placed in our life, our present trials and circumstances—and begin to discern God’s will using what we do have instead of what could be.

Father Walter Ciszek’s life is a great example of what trust in the Lord looks like even when it seems like God has not answered our prayers about His will for us.

A faithful and loving priest, Father Ciszek dreamed of evangelizing and serving the Russian people as a parish pastor. Shortly after secretly making his way to Russia to fulfill what he thought was God’s plan for his life, he was accused of being a Vatican spy, arrested, and spent years in work camps and solitary confinement.

He was eventually released after fulfilling his work obligations and was then forced to spend years in a Gulag city until he was released back to the United States in a government-sanctioned prisoner exchange.

Though God’s plan looked different than his expectation, Father Ciszek was still able to serve the people of Russia through, not a parish setting, but in the work camp and city surrounding it. He was able to experience how faithfulness to God and trust in His will were less about some dream “out there” waiting to be found, but much more about accepting what is “right here”—our present circumstances—and fulfilling our duties with the utmost faith and confidence in God’s plan.

He abandoned himself fully to divine providence and trusted God through his actions and faithfulness to Him. And it was through this that he was able to find peace with God’s will for his life.

The bottom line when it comes to pursuing God’s will is that there is no “one way” that God is asking us to follow Him. He is instead asking us to walk with Him, keep Him in mind as we make decisions, trust Him along the way, and be willing to see where He is and how He is working no matter what our present circumstances may be.

He loves us and wants our goodness and happiness. He does not hide His will and wait for us to go on a great mysterious treasure hunt to find it, but instead asks that we receive what He is offering like Mary received the Lord into her womb at the Annunciation. ■

EGYPT plus ISTANBUL including a four-night Nile River Cruise

with Fr. Mike Nolan 13 Days December 2-14, 2024

For More Information Contact: Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 lisam@select-intl.com jane@select-intl.com selectinternationaltours.com

JANUARY 7, 2024 n A11

JIM WOGAN (2)

Serving up a merry Christmas Knights of Columbus Queen of Heaven Council 4572 of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland staff the kitchen for the 3 Kings Feast. About 1,200 pounds of food were prepared and served over three hours. In the meantime, Santa Claus spends time walking the dining area and checking on children and their parents while, presumably, his sleigh was being prepared for his big trip on Dec. 24.

Feast continued from page A6 Among the many people helping the parish was first-time volunteer Hailey Simco, a freshman student and softball player at Lee University. Ms. Simco is Catholic and from Denver.

“I’d say I am surprised. I didn’t realize Cleveland was in as much need. I am not super-surprised that this many people want to come here and be part of this, but I am surprised the amount of people that are in need in Cleveland,” Ms. Simco said.

Word of the annual event has spread throughout the Cleveland Ukraine continued from page A1 God. “We could then chat via video chat.

We could see each other. Mama is 42.

She has a 25-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old little boy and a 67-yearold mother. They are talking to some man in a foreign country and willing to trust him enough to pack everything in one suitcase each and leave.

How brave is that?” Joe asked.

“Everything I got from them was very sincere, very honest. It made sense. They weren’t asking for anything unreal. They didn’t even know that I was planning to get them (transportation). They had no idea,” he recalled.

Joe felt an obligation to equip the family with as much information as possible to prepare them for living in the United States. He noted that the typical monthly salary in Ukraine is $500-$600 and that the family lived an upper middle-class life in the eastern European country. The husband and wife are accomplished in their fields of work in their home country, “and that’s gone,” Joe shared.

Social and economic conditions in Ukraine have continued to deteriorate as the fighting has escalated.

“If I brought them here and didn’t warn them about groceries, utilities. … What would you do if you were in a different country, and someone takes you to a grocery store and you realize the bill is $1,200? I would pass out,” he said. “We had a lot of specific conversations about how this is going to work, what this is going to be. I let them know that soon, it wasn’t going to be right away, that they would have their own place.

I turned on the video and walked them through the house. I walked them through my house. They wanted to see my wife, see my dog.”

Finding a place where the family would live turned out to be another challenge when it came to locating suitable rental options.

“I got so frustrated with landlords.

Let’s just say they were not feeling the Holy Spirit at all. I get it. Business is business. But still…. So, I said never mind and I just Googled houses.

The first house I found was 400 and something thousand. I said that’s too much. The other one I found was just over $200,000; three bedroom, two bath, looked to be in pretty good shape. The next day I looked at it with a Realtor friend and made an offer. It was accepted,” Joe shared, pointing out that he considers the house, which is near the OLPH campus, to be a real estate investment.

The family is from Ternopil, a major city in western Ukraine. Ternopil has been a target of Russian attacks.

A12 n JANUARY 7, 2024

community over the decades, and it has become a “real integrator,” according to Father Nolan.

“We work with the social services agencies in town, and since it’s an every-year affair, we have repeat guests who come because they learned about it, they plan on it. The last couple of years we have been getting more and more Ukrainian refugees, and we had a volunteer come today from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to translate for us and to help welcome our guests,” Father Nolan added.

Event organizers said the parish

raises money all year to support the feast. “It’s a significant ask,” Mr. Duggan said. Several parishioners and the local McDonald’s business provide financial help.

“It’s a lot of effort to go into one day, but it’s fulfilling,” Mr. Duggan added. “As Bradley County has grown… the parish has met the need by expanding this event every year. It has kind of taken care of itself in that we have more volunteers show up than we ever need, we have more food than we ever need, and somehow God provides for all of us and we’re able to handle this

“First, let me say how proud we are of Joe. Joe serves our Mass ministry here.

This is a passionate ministry of his. He became aware of the story of this family and acted on his faith by supporting them. Because of Joe's dedication and commitment to OLPH, his fellow parishioners were eager to help him with his wonderful ministry.”

— Robert Jones Jr., Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish business manager Joe explained that to get from their town to the Poland border is an eight-hour bus ride. Then from the Poland border to Warsaw, Poland, to catch a flight to the United States is about another eight-hour drive. They arrived at the Warsaw airport at midnight, and their flight departed at 6 a.m. The flight to Atlanta was about 16 hours.

They arrived just over a year ago and have acclimated to Chattanooga, according to Joe, who said the family stayed close to home at first but then began to branch out with their own vehicle.

The husband and father in the family joined his wife and children in 2023, and he quickly received his Tennessee driver’s license, passing on his first attempt despite his limited understanding of English.

Language has been yet another challenge as Joe and the family have worked to find common understanding.

“There are times where they’ve communicated with me and I thought I understood, but I didn’t.

We’ve been very forgiving. We’ve been able to do this because we’ve tried very hard to be very honest, very sincere, and very trustworthy.

It’s OK to say no,” Joe explained, quipping, “But there are some universal truths here. There is a tooth fairy in Ukraine.”

And there is the Catholic Church, which has been the foundation for this international venture.

As the husband and wife have continued looking for employment, their son is enrolled at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, something that OLPH pastor Father Arthur Torres and the parish wanted to make happen. The parish is covering the cost of tuition. Their adult daughter, who is a college graduate, is employed in Chattanooga.

Joe is grateful to Father Torres, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and its members for helping support the family. Through Joe and the members of OLPH, the family has shelter and transportation, they are self-suf-

ficient, and they are ready to work.

The staff and membership at OLPH are excited to be working with Joe on this specific ministry.

“First, let me say how proud we are of Joe. Joe serves our Mass ministry here. This is a passionate ministry of his. He became aware of the story of this family and acted on his faith by supporting them. Because of Joe’s dedication and commitment to OLPH, his fellow parishioners were eager to help him with his wonderful ministry,” said OLPH business manager Robert Jones Jr. “This ministry provides OLPH parishioners a need and source that we know is directly tied to its designation of gifts,” Mr. Jones added, noting that OLPH members have given thousands of dollars to the family.

“The OLPH community sees daily how their support is aiding this family. It provides us with an action of faith that is direct, close, and so very worthy. With Joe’s lead, we are proud to support our Ukrainian family.”

Mr. Jones pointed out that the son who attends OLPH is earning honors in class and also participates in middle-school sports. And the adult daughter is working toward attending law school.

And likewise, Joe is pleased with how all members of the family are assimilating into life in Chattanooga as they try to get settled during a very unsettling time in their lives.

“They are doing all the right things. It just takes time,” Joe said.

“The parish has been very supportive. It’s been a grassroots organization reaching out.”

As the family’s participation in the Uniting for Ukraine program enters its second and final year, Joe hopes the family’s situation in Chattanooga becomes permanent.

He would like to see the U.S. government issue the family members green cards, giving their status more permanency as they possibly navigate U.S. citizenship. In the meantime, the husband and wife are hoping to secure jobs as they continue trying to be self-reliant.

www.di o k no x .o rg

event very well.”

Father Nolan said he’s grateful the feast runs mostly on the efforts of parish volunteers. He said he is told when to show up, but it’s evident the pastor has an emotional connection to the day.

“When we finish this day, and we’re mopping the floors, and we’re putting the tables and chairs back, people are exhausted—and they’re thanking me, but it’s nothing I did. I just happen to be here at this time and at this parish, and I am so grateful for how they reflect God’s love,” the pastor shared. ■ “By the end of year two, I may still be listed as their sponsor because they can’t get a green card. But I would like them to be sufficient. And they have lost everything. I hope they (can get) a credit score. … (The husband and wife) have another 15 years or 20 years to work. They need some help getting started or they’re never going to make it. For anybody who has spent any time overseas and have seen people struggling like that, that’s not a real good quality of life,” Joe shared.

He said the family is well aware that if they had remained in Ukraine, their situation likely would not have ended well.

Joe gives the family’s first year positive reviews as he tries to determine what’s ahead for them.

“So far, it’s gone well. I love the new family. We will forever be buddies,” he said. “We’re going to see this together. We’re going to get through the first year and into next year, and we’ll see.”

Joe also hopes for continued financial support for the family from not only the parish but also from people in the Diocese of Knoxville.

“As a parish, I think we can do better for them, and know that we can’t save the world, but it is just one family. Give them a chance. And from knowing the family like I do, I can’t think of a better family to give that chance to,” he said. “They will find their way forward. They will get their lives in order. Then we will just give it some time and see how it works out for them.”

Joe described it as a gutsy, faithful, faith-based shot in the dark that the family took in coming to the United States based on nothing more than Facebook video chats, and that he and the Our Lady of Perpetual Help community were on the other end to welcome them.

And he cited his own faith in the equation.

“Someone’s using you as a tool to do something good,” he said. “I realize that the culmination of my life experience has prepared me for this moment. This is something I was chosen to do a long time ago. I do believe that.”

Anyone interested in supporting the family’s relocation to East Tennessee is encouraged to contact Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 501 S. Moore Road, Chattanooga, TN 37412, phone 423-622-7232, or e-mail rjones@ myolph.com.

Donations are tax deductible, and any contributions to OLPH need to have the notation “For Ukrainian family” on the memo line of the check. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

COURTESY OF MARC ARAMIAN, VERONICA DIPIPPO

The production side Marc Aramian tends to the technical details in producing a documentary for Tennessee Right to Life. drinking or eating too much.

“Things you would associate with post-traumatic stress disorder, which mirrors a lot of the symptoms of post-abortive stress disorder,” she said. “And when I started hearing these stories and then ultimately these women regretted what they had done… I thought, well wait a minute, that’s not what was sold to us, that’s not what was marketed to us through the media, through Hollywood, through our world. What was marketed to us is that… a woman goes and has an abortion, walks out, goes on with her life, and never looks back. That really started to weigh upon my heart, and I realized that there was a lot more to the story, and this had a transformative effect on me. I became pro-life as a result.”

“I thought [Regina’s] particular story really encapsulated a lot of these other stories that I had heard, and I thought that the resolution of it, especially the power of the dream having a transformative effect, was a powerful story to be told. And I thought it was an important one to be told now,” Ms. DiPippo said.

The couple has been speaking to pro-life groups, such as Knights of Columbus councils, and has been endorsed by Tennessee Right to Life.

“If there are any pro-life groups who would like us to come and speak, be willing to host some sort of fundraiser for us, anything would be appreciative. We’ve been very blessed,” Ms. DiPippo shared.

‘Discovering the Catholic Church’

When the couple married outside of the Church in 2006, Ms. DiPippo described herself as a “nominal Catholic” and Mr. Aramian as a non-Catholic.

“I had been going to Protestant churches for years, many years,” he said. “I was actually baptized in the Armenian Apostolic Church. I was born in Chicago, and then my family moved to Arizona, where there were no Armenian churches, so the only option was Protestantism. Anyway, I did the prodigal son thing and became what I thought was an atheist, and then I came back.”

About 10 years ago, Mr. Aramian read the entirety of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“There was almost nothing in there that a Protestant could disagree with, and the reasoning was so sound and so solid in the Catholic Catechism that I began to realize that there was more of a connection

between the faiths than a lot of people realize,” he said. “At that time, I was praying for the churches to come together, that there would be one church reunited under Christ.”

“Then a couple years passed… and I found also that the sacraments, that there was a power in that, there was a power in the Catholic prayers that I didn’t think existed quite the same way in the Protestant churches,” Mr. Aramian continued. “I read the Catechism again, and then after I finished it that time I realized, yeah, I’m going to go ahead. I think I’m just going to go into RCIA; I’m probably going to be a Catholic.”

Ms. DiPippo said she “did not put any pressure on him at all to join the Catholic Church.”

“My faith journey… was leading me back toward Christ, and I had gone in every direction you can imagine,” she said. “First of all, I had moved away from the Church, completely abandoned the Church, and then started exploring all kinds of other things, dabbled in all kinds of other religions and various sects.

But of course, I came from an academic household, my father was a philosophy professor, my mother was a professor and was always challenged to look at the original sources. … So, then when I went down this road and came back to the Church, I realized the importance of the sacraments… and I recognized that this Church is unique in that it offers the tools, all the tools for salvation, for individual salvation, and I wanted to be a part of that.

“I recommitted myself to my Catholic faith, and as this journey was happening, my husband was on his own journey and was discovering the Catholic Church,” Ms. DiPippo continued. “So, you could have knocked me over with a feather one day when he came to me and said, ‘I’m going to RCIA.’ … That was a big surprise, I had no idea.”

Before the couple left Los Angeles to move to Chattanooga in May 2021, Mr. Aramian was received into the Church, and the couple was married in the Church.

“I was confirmed the day before during the rehearsal,” Mr. Aramian recounted. “I did the confirmation, then we did the rehearsal, came back the next day and got married, and then the next day moved to Chattanooga.”

Creative journeys

Although the couple now resides in the Chattanooga area, their crea-

COURTESY OF MARC ARAMIAN, VERONICA DIPIPPO

Filmmakers continued from page A1 The film is being crowdfunded through the Christian organization GiveSendGo. “For those people that don’t know, crowdfunding is an Internet portal that allows people who are interested in supporting something to donate a small amount of money,” Mr. Aramian explained. “Normally, movies are made for millions of dollars and people invest half a million apiece, you know, a bunch of people get together and do that.

This is more grassroots, people donating anywhere from $5 to $5,000.”

Besides donating online, supporters may give donations via personal check or through Venmo, a mobile payment service.

“I like to say that if we could find 50,000 pro-lifers who would give us $10 [each]… we could fund the filming of this movie,” Ms. DiPippo said.

Crowdfunding is expected to take around six months, and then preproduction can begin. Production of the film will likely last one to two years.

“We are talking to some key crew members right now,” Ms. DiPippo said. “There hasn’t been any initiation of casting at this time, and there won’t be until we actually get closer to when we’re going to be shooting. It’s basically just now waiting for the funding to be able to move forward with pre-production.”

Their creative roles have Mr. Aramian as the producer, composer, and sound designer, and Ms. DiPippo as the writer and director.

“I like to call it a movie and a ministry because that’s really what it is,” Ms. DiPippo said. “That’s how we look at this, because we think it can have a spiritually transformative impact on individuals and all our culture.”

The team plans to shoot the film within the Chattanooga area.

While it is a family film for all ages, there is a scene in the script where Ms. Block’s abortion is depicted.

“It’s not done in a graphic way,” Ms. DiPippo said. “That would be the only scene I think that would be something that a parent would need to look at and decide how much preparation they would need to do before they showed somebody, let’s say, under the age of 13.”

“If we can save one life, if we can be the catalyst for one conversion, this would be well worth it.

It would be just so worth it,” Ms. DiPippo said. “I hope people will think that way about it, in other words, that they’re participating in something that has the potential to save lives and also to lift women out of the negative impact of abortion. Because it really does, it inspires women to show them the path. This is a movie and a mission, so we want to make this as available to people as possible.”

Mr. Aramian and Ms. DiPippo first learned of Ms. Block’s story at the Chattanooga March for Life two years ago, where Ms. Block gave a speech before the march.

“She told this story, and we just fell in love with it,” Mr. Aramian said. “I mean, it was so inspiring to so many people there, and Veronica said, ‘you know, someday I want to make a movie about that.’”

“I just felt that her story impacted me,” Ms. DiPippo said. “Even though I was raised in a Catholic household and my parents made it very clear that we were a pro-life household, I bought into the culture. So, when my friends came to me and said, ‘I’m pregnant, what do I do? Please help me,’ and ‘I’ve already made the appointment for the abortion,’ I never tried to talk them out of it, and in some cases I even drove them to the clinic and waited. I never thought beyond that. I never thought about the bigger picture, even though I have no excuse because I should have, because I was raised to.”

Ms. DiPippo said her heart changed over the decades as she began to hear stories of post-abortive women who suffered greatly and dealt with grief, depression, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and

Putting the soul back into Hollywood Veronica DiPippo and Marc Aramian research the Father Patrick Ryan story in downtown Chattanooga that their film company, Crunch Entertainment, made into a film for the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. www.di o k no x .o rg

tive journeys have brought them around the country and around the world.

Ms. DiPippo began her career as an actress, living in New York City for seven years. After completing a theater apprenticeship, she was challenged by one of her acting teachers to write a play.

“To my great surprise, the play ended up getting produced,” she said. “After that, I started writing more plays, and I veered away from acting and into the direction of writing and directing. And I had a few dozen of my plays and one-acts produced in New York City, including a children’s musical, which ran off-off-Broadway for three and a half years. At one point I had three things running at the same time in New York. I had a one-act, a children’s musical, and a full-length play, and I still was having to piece things together—teach and temp and do all kinds of side jobs, and I was killing myself. I thought, I’m just running around in circles, let me go to Los Angeles.”

Ms. DiPippo had several friends who moved to Los Angeles and worked in the movie industry.

“I’d kind of avoided doing that for a long time because my heart was really in theater, and in many ways it still is. But it’s very difficult to make a living in theater, so I moved to Los Angeles, and I started working in a lot of different capacities. I was a story reader, which is basically a script reader or analyst for production companies, including a famous actor/director.

And then I worked in production offices, and I just started working my way up the chain all over again and ended up getting an agent and started working. I did scripts for independents and for some studios as well.”

Wanting to be more familiar with the production side of things, Ms. DiPippo joined an independent filmmaking organization, where she performed several different crew positions.

It was in this organization, in 2002, where she met her husband.

Mr. Aramian received an engineering degree but pursued furniture-making. During the time of owning a custom furniture company, he met and befriended a retired composer/conductor who came out of retirement to assist a community musical that Mr. Aramian was participating in.

“We became really good friends,” he said. “He was going to teach me how to read music, and I kept cheating because I have a really good ear, so he made me write music. After a couple of months he said, ‘you know you’re going to be a composer someday.’ Well I thought he was blowing smoke, but it turns out that he was right. And then a few years after apprenticing with him, I branched out now away from the furniture thing and became a composer.”

Mr. Aramian’s musical career took him to Saudi Arabia, Japan, the Philippines, and England.

“Eventually, I wanted to get back to Los Angeles to be a feature film scorer,” he said. “Then when I got to LA. … I knew I had to get to know young writer/directors and so on. So, I went to the same organization [Veronica] was in, and that’s where we met. Shortly after that, she wanted to shoot another short film; I said, ‘well, I’ll produce it for you.’ And I did that, and I just fell in love with producing.

So, shortly after that we formed a production company, and then we spent all those years in LA trying to get feature films off the ground and various things, one after another we were stymied in our efforts.”

One situation in particular that led to the couple leaving Los Angeles was when Ms. DiPippo was “canceled” by Hollywood.

At the same time that the couple’s film Dandelion Dharma was doing extremely well and winning awards, Ms. DiPippo was invited to be a contributing writer for Breitbart News.

“I had a couple of my articles come out on Breitbart.com that Filmmakers continued on page A14 JANUARY 7, 2024 n A13

A church open to all St. John Paul II community strong in faith despite limited resources

By Omar Cabrera Glenmary Challenge

these young people, for the most part, “have attended up to second grade.”

Miguel, for example, emigrated by land from Guatemala to the United States when he was 17 years old.

Esperanza came from Mexico at the age of 13 in similar conditions.

She doesn’t know how to read. He knows how to read and studied until third grade.

“I got to fourth grade, but I didn't continue because I had to work,” remembers Miguel, who is originally from a community where the indigenous Chuj language is spoken, which means that Spanish is his sec-

ond language.

Miguel and Esperanza began to meet when they both worked at a chicken processing plant. “I liked him,” she says. He liked her, too.

They began a courtship and sometime later decided to live together.

When they joined their lives, Miguel had already begun falling toward alcoholism. Over time, the behavior led to a relationship crisis.

Esperanza remembers that she constantly asked God to help transform her husband. She believes that finally her prayers were answered.

In an unexpected turn, Miguel’s friend who normally invited him

out for drinks came to his house one day to invite him to a Catholic retreat. By then, the couple already had two children.

Aware that he had to give up drinking if he didn’t want to lose his family, Miguel agreed to go to the retreat.

This is how his conversion began until 2020, when Esperanza and Miguel were married in the Church, although without being confirmed.

Currently, they have four children: Cristian, 15; Angelina, 13; Josabeth, 2; and Yael, 1.

On April 8, Esperanza, Miguel, Cristian, and Angelina received the sacrament of confirmation during the Easter Vigil. Miguel gave one of the readings.

“Our desire is to take Communion, that is, to share the table with the Lord,” Miguel highlighted.

Before being confirmed, they could take Communion, but because they did not have their sacraments complete, they decided to wait.

Now, they are ready to receive the sacraments.

Father Pezzulo, who serves as administrator of St. John Paul II, emphasizes that carrying the Catholic faith and the sacraments is at the core of Glenmary’s mission.

“We have created a space where they want to be, where they can share faith with their family,” the Glenmary priest said.

He added that many of these people previously have not had access to the sacraments. For that reason, it is important to make them feel “welcome and not judged.”

That is one of the reasons why such a high number of people received the sacraments at this year’s Easter Vigil. “And I love that,” Father Pezzulo says. ■

to connect ministry and giving.

“The thing I like about #iGive Catholic is it is presented in a way that it is just an easy project to manage. They give you all of the tools and suggestions and the artwork. It’s a really great program,” she noted.

And families and donors have become accustomed to donating to the school on that one special day.

“We talk about it being just one day for this one fund for this one school. So, it’s very simple,” Ms. Preston said.

St. Jude School raised $18,130 on Giving Tuesday through #iGive Catholic, with 120 donors supporting the school.

Ms. Preston said donations came in from current families, grandparents, alumni families, and the parish community.

“We have just been really blessed by the turnout and the support that we have from those people,” she said. “Our kids are always very appreciative.”

Thanks to support from Catholic Extension, the Diocese of Knoxville

was able to give out two $1,000 prizes this year to participating ministries. Prizes were randomly selected and posted on diocesan social media platforms to generate excitement and support for the giving day. Prize winners were St. Jude School as well as St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland.

“We were thrilled to have been the winner of that particular drawing,” Ms. Preston said. “That will only enhance our ability to utilize our annual funds to better our school and our programs.” ■

Filmmakers continued from page A13 ended up being, I guess you could say going viral,” Ms. DiPippo explained. “As the award nominations were coming in and my film was being picked up and mentioned and screened, you would think that there would be a momentum forward. Instead, I was actually being dropped. … Meetings with producers were getting canceled, (I was) dropped by my agent. It’s because I wrote a couple of articles.”

One article was titled “How Hollywood Taught Me Not to Behave.”

“It’s an article about growing up in a household with a Republican mother and a Democrat father and how what it meant was everybody was welcome at our house, everyone was welcome at our table as long as you were respectful,” Ms. DiPippo shared.

“I grew up in a household where any race, creed, color, denomination, political persuasion was welcome, but it was based on respect.

This article was essentially about how the culture was shifting, so that there was no respect anymore.

You couldn’t meet and break bread, and it was these enemy camps that were forming. I thought that was not a good thing, and I was seeing this particularly coming from those who claim to be progressive, who claim to be the most tolerant were actually the least tolerant. And as it turned out, I was proven correct,” she added.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a major player in Hollywood, but I was A14 n JANUARY 7, 2024

Celebrating the sacraments Above: Father Neil Pezzulo, GHM, baptizes a young man at St. John Paul II Catholic Mission in Rutledge. Below: Father Pezzulo is shown with the Catholic mission's staff and youth.

GABRIELLE NOLAN

Giving continued from page A8 “We focus on #iGiveCatholic on Giving Tuesday. It is the only day of the year that we actively solicit funds for our annual campaign,” she explained.

“Our annual fund really covers those things that fall outside the special things [covered by targeted fundraisers]. We help with tuition assistance. We do teacher development. We do special projects at school.”

Ms. Preston said that she finds #iGiveCatholic a simple platform

ASHLEY LODGE (2)

W

hen Esperanza and her husband, Miguel, decided to prepare for confirmation, they ran into an obstacle.

The parish they attend offers classes for this sacrament only on weekdays at 7 p.m. It’s an impossible schedule for Miguel, who works until 11 p.m. Therefore, the couple looked for an alternative.

A 40-minute drive from where they live, driving through the hills of East Tennessee, a Glenmary mission offered preparation classes on Sunday afternoons. So, Miguel, Esperanza, and two of their children ended up receiving catechism at St. John Paul II Catholic Mission in Rutledge.

The family was among the 28 people—all Hispanic—who received the sacraments of initiation into St. John Paul II at the 2023 Easter Vigil.

While other Catholic parishes in the United States have seen their number of parishioners shrink, this Glenmary mission maintains a growth trend and dedicated its new church in the summer of 2022, constituting a sign of hope for the Catholic faith.

“I believe that God is doing the work in our community,” says Clarisa Chavarría, who taught the catechism classes at St. John Paul II. She works as a pastoral associate with Father Neil Pezzulo, the Glenmary pastor of St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Kolkata, another Glenmary mission church located just over 30 minutes away by car in neighboring Union County.

Ms. Chavarría noted that several of the people who received the sacraments at the vigil are of limited economic resources. The parents of

“Veronica and Marc’s story of working against the grain in Hollywood and then finding a new home as Catholic filmmakers in East Tennessee is compelling. It needed to be told in different ways, both in print and by hearing their own voices.”

— Jim Wogan, host Inside the Diocese of Knoxville podcast known. People knew who I was, and they had read my work; my work was respected; I was hired, employed,” Ms. DiPippo continued.

“Essentially, I guess you could say I was blacklisted. But not in any kind of public or spectacular way as more notable people were, but definitely I would say that I was canceled. I was probably one of the earlier people to be canceled. And when that happens to you, you say well, that was interesting, and you look around and you just move on in another direction. But you don’t let them stop you. You don’t let them defeat you. You don’t let them silence you.”

Regrouping

Ms. DiPippo said that leaving

California “was a big regrouping” for them both.

Once they became parishioners of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, they met and had lunch with Father David Carter. It was during this encounter that the couple received the opportunity to create the film based on Father Patrick Ryan’s life story.

“After we made this film, we thought, wow, maybe we should keep this momentum going,” Ms. DiPippo shared. “And then this story (about Regina) just came to us, it just fell in our lap. So, we had both looked at each other and said, OK, we need to do this. … The Lord is pushing us in this direction to make this story now.”

Mr. Aramian discussed the im-

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portance of creating pro-life films.

“The culture war that we’ve been fighting for decades is really brought about by Hollywood making movies that have made people comfortable with edgy things, like abortion for example,” Mr. Aramian said. “The only way that we can really counter that is to also make movies. It may seem ridiculous that I say that, but stories that have an emotional impact are far more powerful than thinktanks or talking about the science and the logic.”

Mr. Aramian spoke about the millions of women who have had abortions and call themselves Christian but “have not yet reconciled with Christ what they’ve done.”

“They are going to continue to vote for abortion, uphold it, say it’s OK to their children and their grandchildren,” he said. “So, Regina’s story is really an emotional, uplifting, inspiring story about reconciliation with Christ, and that we think will have an impact and change hearts of these women that really haven’t faced this. … People don’t admit that they’ve had an abortion or that they’re suffering because of it. But it’s really much more common than people realize, so we think that by telling Regina’s story we can change the hearts which will change the minds and lead us back to a culture that respects life.”

For more information or to donate to the film, visit henamedhim adam.com. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

COURTESY OF SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL SCHOOL

The life in a cross Crosses cut from the remnants of Sacred Heart Cathedral School's old gym floor have absorbed decades of vibrant student life. the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint,’” Ms. Wilson said.

She noted that cathedral parish members, teachers, and students collaborated to make the project possible.

“We sold out the crosses by pre-

SEEK24 continued from page A2 Mass on a Sunday; I look around and there might be one other person my age, and it’s demoralizing sometimes. ... You’re on your own,” he said. “And I come here and there’s 20,000 young college students all practicing the faith and trying to live a good life.”

Father Mike Schmitz, director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, Minn., and chaplain at the University of Minnesota-Duluth Catholic Center, spoke about his engagement with FOCUS and its impact on campus ministry.

He highlighted the tremendous growth in student involvement, noting his campus now hosts 75 regular Bible studies.

“It’s just amazing stuff,” Father Schmitz said.

Mr. Sri admitted this growth comes with challenges. In response to concerns about the organization being perceived as “cultish” or “cliquey,” Mr. Sri emphasized the importance of inclusivity in training and outreach.

“What the Church is calling us to—and what FOCUS is calling all of our staff, all of our missionaries to do—is to be like Jesus, who goes out,” he said.

Mr. Sri noted it’s a perennial temptation for Catholic ministries to become “insular.” He called for “courage and charity” to drive outreach to people of all backgrounds and to accompany them.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

Saintly correspondence A statue of St. Pio of Pietrelcina is displayed in the garden at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church in Dunkirk, Md. sider a miracle through the saint’s intercession: the conception and birth of their 8-year-old son, Sebastian.

The couple had lost their first child, Alma, to stillbirth in 2010. Surgeries to address complications from the delivery made future pregnancies highly unlikely.

Devastated, the Lamonarcas traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo, spending their wedding anniversary there and visiting Padre Pio’s shrine

Praying for our world Attendees pray during the SEEK24 conference at America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis on Jan. 3. More than 23,000 participants attended the Jan. 1-5 conference held by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Father Schmitz agreed. He described conversations he’s had challenging leaders in his ministry to continue to go beyond a small circle as a “family meeting.” He said it’s human nature to be comfortable with a group of friends, but it’s essential to continue to encourage students to reach out.

“Every community is going to have some dysfunction,” Father Schmitz said. “But when you can point out that dysfunction without fear of recrimination, that’s a sign of health.”

Asked about the polarization vis-

ible in the Church today and the impact of the Synod on Synodality, Father Schmitz responded by contrasting his experience growing up with what he sees among young people today.

“The anger, the bitterness, the resentment, the need to change the Church that was present when I was in college. ... I grew to love Jesus and hate the Church,” he said.

But Father Schmitz finds students today come with a new openness.

“I find our students saying when they encounter Jesus, ‘I love the Church.’”

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would like to support the cathedral school project to contact school development director Elisa Crawford at ecrawford@shcknox.org.

Ms. Crawford said the project to make crosses from the old gym floor has resonated with the Sacred Heart Cathedral School Eagles alumni.

“The selling of the gym floor crosses was a very heartfelt fundraiser.

This gave families an opportunity to support our new gym and performing-arts center while also gaining a piece of our old gym where they made wonderful memories,” Ms. Crawford said.

“Alums bought crosses to remember their time in the old gym; grandparents bought them to support their grandchildren; and parents who watched their children grow up playing or cheering on the court bought them as well,” Ms. Crawford shared.

“I even bought one and have it on my office shelf as a reminder of what was there and what we have to look forward to. Every cross sold holds a special story to that individual who now owns it.” ■

to implore the saint for a sign they would someday become parents. While there, they venerated a relic of the saint—a handkerchief with blood stains from the stigmata experienced by Padre Pio—and felt a sense of divine reassurance.

Upon their return to the United States, that reassurance and a growing closeness to Padre Pio sustained them through several miscarriages. In 2013, Mr. Lamonarca was inspired to create the foundation to promote the spirituality and charism of Padre Pio, and in April 2014 the foundation was officially launched. In December 2014, Valentina learned she was pregnant, and Sebastian was born in September 2015.

Mr. Lamonarca said Padre Pio’s spiritual wisdom is summarized in one of the saint’s best-known maxims: pray, hope, and don’t worry.

“He releases his fear, he releases everything (into) God’s grace,” Mr. Lamonarca said, adding, “remember, when he says, ‘pray, hope, and don’t worry,’ he said them in a specific order.

It never came to his mind to say, ‘Don’t worry, hope, pray,’ (but) in a specific order because that is the way life should be looked upon.”

Along with his letters, Padre Pio’s suffering is instructive, said Mr. Lamonarca, adding that he has become “completely different” due to his devotion to the saint.

“I consider being grateful to God for everything that’s happened in my life, bad and good,” Mr. Lamonarca said. “Because those bad experiences also bring us to understand and to help us be better people.”

While “in this life, many try to get rid of their sufferings, even the small headaches,” following Padre Pio’s example—which modeled Christ’s own—offers “a way of looking at (suffering) with much more relief,” and bearing it “with much more dignity,” Mr. Lamonarca said. ■

OSV NEWS PHOTO/COURTESY OF FOCUS

Padre Pio continued from page A6 more than in the past, you want to belong to Him from now onwards?” wrote Padre Pio to Antonietta Vona, one of his “spiritual daughters,” in November 1917. “Do not fear that something bad could happen to you in this world because it may never happen to you.

But, in any case, should this ever happen to you, God will give you the strength to overcome it.”

At the same time, Padre Pio’s writings reveal his own struggles with spiritual dryness.

“I’m alone in the day, I’m alone during the night, and no ray of light comes to shine on me, never a drop of refreshness comes to put off the flame that engulfs me continuously without ever consuming me,” he admitted in a 1916 letter to his superior, Capuchin Father Benedetto of San Marco in Lamis, who would later attest to Padre Pio’s reception of the stigmata.

With the Epistolary, Padre Pio’s ministry of spiritual counsel continues—and faithful have been eagerly waiting, said Mr. Lamonarca.

“I always find people around the (United States), when I travel with the relics (of Padre Pio) especially—they’re very demanding (about access to the letters, asking), ‘How can we get all that? It’s difficult to find,’” he said.

Mr. Lamonarca said the Epistolary is one of several “gifts” he wanted to give to the Catholic community to mark the foundation’s upcoming 10th anniversary in April. But the gifts he has received from his own devotion to the saint have been life-changing, he added.

A native of the Puglia region in southern Italy, Mr. Lamonarca—an opera singer and philanthropist—was accustomed to visiting the saint’s shrine there as a child with his mother and brother.

But in 2014, that childhood devotion took on a profound dimension, as Mr. Lamonarca and his wife, Valentina, experienced what they con-

order before they were made. It was very successful,” Ms. Wilson said.

“Everything we do works to create disciples through worship, formation, and service. The cross is a symbol of our faith and permeates all aspects of our school.”

She encouraged anyone who

OSV NEWS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER

Crosses continued from page A7 the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Sacred Heart Cathedral School, said replacing the gym floor was part of the project.

“Included in the project are new flooring, updated paint, a new concession stand, updated bathrooms and locker rooms, and new scoreboards. For the performing-arts section, we are getting a new audiovisual system. We also had a donor step up to provide a turf field,” Ms. Wilson said.

As part of the project, hardwood pieces of the old gym floor were used to make small crosses that Sacred Heart Cathedral School supporters could have for a donation.

“We came up with the idea to use some of the wood from the old gym floor to make 100 crosses because of all the memories. It gave the families an opportunity to have a piece of history and invite them to participate in the continued legacy. On the back of each cross is written ‘SHCS 1994-2023 Gym Floor’ and the Scripture quote from Isaiah 40:31: ‘They that hope in

Listening is a two-way street, Father Schmitz noted, requiring the Church to listen to students but also for students to listen to the Church.

Mr. Sri noted that a number of FOCUS staff have participated in listening sessions at parishes held in preparation for the synod, and he emphasized a synodal approach is at the heart of the FOCUS evangelical mission.

“So much of what we’re doing is going to listen to people downstream,” he said. Mr. Sri insisted that hearing the questions of young people has driven the way that FOCUS has developed its formation curriculum. And that process will continue, as formation materials are revised and reissued, Mr. Sri said.

Emily Wilson Hussem, an author and speaker, described the openness she has seen among students at SEEK24.

“They’re so hungry, they’re so sick of the culture, they know it’s all a lie ... and they’re here, and they’re ready and open,” she said.

Father Schmitz echoed Ms. Hussem’s hope. He described meeting attendees who enthusiastically shared with him that the Bible, and a newfound love for Scripture, had saved their families.

As SEEK24 drew to a close, FOCUS announced the theme for SEEK25, to be held in Salt Lake City, using the words Jesus Christ speaks to His disciples in the Gospel: “Follow me.” ■ JANUARY 7, 2024 n A15

Faithful Departed C. Dorman Blaine C. Dorman Blaine of Knoxville, age 84, died on Dec. 13. Mr. Blaine, affectionately known by many friends and family as “D-Man,” showed great courage and strength as he faced his recent illness.

There is much delight that he has been reunited with his wife, Katherine Ann (Kathie) Gunter Blaine, and now resides in his permanent heavenly home.

Mr. Blaine was born on Mr. Blaine March 19, 1939, in Ackerman, Miss., to parents Hester and Ellen Coleman Blaine. At a young age, Mr. Blaine’s family relocated to Natchez, Miss., where he made many lifelong friends. He attended Natchez High School, where he was the starting center on the football team, ranked first in the state, and where he met his future wife. In the fall of 1957, Mr. Blaine enrolled at Mississippi State University to study engineering. He joined the Kappa Alpha fraternity and was an ROTC cadet. He graduated in 1961 with a degree in civil engineering.

Mr. and Mrs. Blaine were married, and he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Blaine then briefly worked for Chicago Bridge and Iron in Birmingham, Ala., before attending officer training school at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. He was then sent to Fort Benning, Ga., where he was a company commander for the engineering battalion. Mr. and Mrs. Blaine loved their Army years and the camaraderie it provided.

Following his military service, Mr. and Mrs. Blaine moved to Montgomery, Ala., where he worked for Blount Brothers Construction.

Several years later they moved to Knoxville, where he became an estimator for Rentenbach Constructors.

In 1969, Mr. Blaine and Charlie Hays Jr. formed Construction Management Inc. The name later became Blaine-Hays Construction Inc., and the company became heavily involved in the construction of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville and later the World’s Fair in New Orleans. In 1984, Mr. Blaine and Mr. Hays started Merit Construction Inc. Merit eventually became an independent company in 1990, owned by Mr. Hays, and Blaine-Hays became Blaine Construction Inc. Blaine Construction developed a reputation for quality and dependability. Whether it was a large or small project, Mr. Blaine always fostered relationships with clients and placed high priority on all jobs. Mr. Blaine always recognized that the value of the company stemmed from the high quality of its employees. He strived to create a family atmosphere within the company and cared deeply for all its associates. He loved nothing more than being on a job site with his much-valued project managers and superintendents.

Blaine Construction has been involved in some of the most notable commercial, industrial, and institutional projects in East Tennessee and beyond for the past 54 years. In 2000, Yates Construction, a Mississippi-based company, purchased Blaine Construction, and Mr. Blaine remained as president until 2014. Blaine Construction continues to stay ranked among the top construction service providers in the country, according to Engineering News Record.

Mr. Blaine was active in several professional organizations. He served as the director and president of the local and state Associated General Contractors. He served on the Knoxville and Oak Ridge chambers of commerce.

He was a member of the 2008 Leadership Knoxville Class, and in recent years he received the Legacy Award from the Associated General Contractors. Mr. Blaine was especially proud to be involved with the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Knoxville, where he served on the finance board and was involved in the Columbus Home. He took great pleasure in being a part of the development of the current Knoxville Catholic High School, where he sat on the board of trustees.

Always a man with many hobbies and interests, Mr. Blaine especially enjoyed his time fly fishing with his son, Alec. Throughout his life, he also enjoyed reading, golf, snow skiing, and spending many years with his family at his Hound Ears home in North Carolina.

Mr. Blaine was a man of quiet faith but demonstrated his belief in Christ with his actions and treatment of others. He always considered himself to be tremendously blessed, surrounded by a family he loved and of whom he was so proud, and having been afforded the opportunity to successfully pursue the career of his dreams.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kathie Gunter Blaine. He and Kathie were blessed with four children who all survive him. He had one son and three daughters: Alec and Tammy Blaine, Melissa and Paul Harrison, Susannah and Peter Dunn, and Mary A16 n JANUARY 7, 2024

Hannah and Taylor MacCurdy. He also leaves six beloved grandchildren: George and Blaine (Ellen) Harrison, Taylor and Sophie Blaine, Thomas Dunn, and Sommers MacCurdy.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Blaine was celebrated on Dec. 20 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with Father David Boettner serving as the celebrant. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Chris Michelson and Father Martin Gladysz. Interment was private.

Donations in Mr. Blaine’s memory can be made to Catholic Charities of East Tennessee or Knoxville Catholic High School.

Nancy Boettner Nancy Boettner, 82, our beloved wife, mom, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend, died on Dec. 12.

Mrs. Boettner was the eldest child of Phyllis and Peter Gostomski and enjoyed a typical Yankee childhood in LaSalle, Ill. She was an excellent student and a lifelong learner, which earned her multiple scholarship opportunities for college. In an act of bravery, she chose to attend Tulane’s Sophie Newcomb College on the planet of New Orleans.

She would later recall how she thought she would die when she stepped off the train into the oppressive Mrs. Boettner Louisiana heat and humidity. (She eventually learned that New Orleans is sultry, not humid, and became a naturalized Southerner).

In 1960, in another act of bravery, Nancy married Barry Boettner, the love of her life.

They were married for 63 years. They moved to Cleveland, Tenn., and together they successfully raised their five children: Bill, Cathy, Brad, Mike, and David. This adventure over the years took them to Birmingham, Ala., Lake Charles, La., back to Cleveland, to Montreal, and finally back again to Cleveland.

Mrs. Boettner’s children learned from her that love is at the center of every vocation. No matter what you do, the love of God and love for each other will ensure you are headed in the right direction. Mrs. Boettner always tried to show her love to family and friends even in the midst of constant physical pain. Her body was frail, but her love was strong.

Mr. and Mrs. Boettner have been members of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, which has been the center of their lives in Cleveland, and where they met and shared life with many of their friends. Over the years at St. Thérèse, Mrs. Boettner taught religious education, attended Bible studies, and served in the Newcomers Ministry. She cared for her wider community by volunteering for Meals on Wheels and supporting Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland.

Mrs. Boettner’s ability to excel working at new endeavors and desire to learn was a constant. Once her children were older, she obtained a real estate license and bought her very own Buick with the proceeds. The various kids each wrecked the Buick, but mostly Bill and David. Later she learned to prepare taxes and began working for H&R Block. This led to the decision to open C & N Taxes with her good friend, Carol Battocchio. She continued to do taxes and accounting for special clients (like her children) for decades. She was passionate and talented about many things, such as chemistry, cooking, painting, sewing, quilting, gardening, and cross-stitching.

Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Boettner became grandparents to seven grandchildren. They (again, bravely!) hosted “Cousin Camp” for their grandchildren when they were small. Mrs. Boettner’s grandchildren will always remember her care, thoughtfulness, and love in action for them. They also all agree that she had the best laugh ever, one that made you feel at home and warm just hearing it.

Mrs. Boettner is survived by her husband Barry; her five children, Bill Boettner (Sandra) of Huntsville, Ala., Cathy Barrett (Keith) of Cleveland, Brad Boettner (Tina) of Bloomington, Ind., Mike Boettner (Cathy) of Georgetown, Tenn., and Father David Boettner of Knoxville; seven grandchildren, Tyler Barrett, Hope Zelmer (Ben), Chris Boettner, Ash Boettner, Eric Boettner, Jarod Boettner, and Jackson Boettner; and one great-granddaughter, Anne Zelmer; her brother, Paul Gostomski (Jean) of Pipe Creek, Texas; and her sister, Carol Newman of Peru, Ill. Mrs. Boettner will be deeply missed by all who had the joy of knowing her. We will remember her love, and we will pray for her until we meet again.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on Dec. 18 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church, with Father David Boettner, rector of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, serving as the celebrant.

Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, was the principal concelebrant.

Bishop Ronald Hicks, bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., and Bishop Robert Casey, V.G., auxwww.di o k no x .o rg

iliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, attended the funeral Mass in choir.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church or to Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland, Tenn.

Paul T. Dunn Paul Theodore Dunn Jr., age 94, of Knoxville, passed away on Dec. 19.

Mr. Dunn was born in Providence, R.I., on Feb. 19, 1929, and grew up during the Great Depression. Upon graduation from Westerly High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served his country from 1946-48. Upon his return from service, he took adMr. Dunn vantage of the GI Bill and graduated from Providence College.

Mr. Dunn went on to graduate from Catholic University of America Law School in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, he met Mary Agnes Kuster, and they were married on Sept. 8, 1956. They began their life together built on a strong faith that permeated their marriage and was passed down through four generations.

Mr. Dunn took a job with The Panama Canal Co. in the Canal Zone, where the Dunns’ first three children were born. In 1962, Mr. Dunn took a job with TVA in Knoxville, and thus began the Dunn family involvement with Holy Ghost Church, St. Joseph School, and Knoxville Catholic High School. He was a member of Holy Ghost since 1962, and was a founding member of Tennessee Right to Life. He spent countless hours advocating for unborn babies as well as a general respect for all human life.

In 1971, he purchased some acreage in Claiborne County that became known as “The Property.” It was a place where Mr. Dunn showed his children, grandchildren, and their friends the beauty of God’s creation. He also taught them the value of hard work, dependability, and problem solving with a little bit of fun thrown in. He was a man of wide interests, from beekeeping to being an avid reader in both English and Spanish to raising blueberries, and he was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. You may have a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary or a bluebird box in your yard that were crafted by his skilled hands.

His greatest joys in life were his faith and family. May he rest in peace!

Mr. Dunn was preceded in death by his parents, Paul T. Dunn Sr. and Ann O’Rourke Dunn; brothers John Dunn and Joseph Dunn; and a son, Paul T. Dunn III. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Kuster Dunn; children, Rita (Mark) Cook, Sarah Dunn, Bill (Stacy) Dunn, Frank (Christy) Dunn, David (Diannah) Dunn, Gina (Scott) Martin, Rebecca Bush, and Peter (Susannah) Dunn; 23 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Dunn was celebrated at Holy Ghost Church on Dec. 23, with Father Bill McNeeley serving as celebrant and Deacon Gordy Lowery assisting. Pallbearers were Bill Dunn, Frank Dunn, David Dunn Sr., Peter Dunn, Mark Cook, and Scott Martin.

Interment was at Lynnhurst Cemetery.

Donations in Mr. Dunn’s memory may be made to Holy Ghost Church, 111 Hinton Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917; Tennessee Right to Life, P.O. Box 5218, Knoxville, TN 37928; or St. Joseph School, 1810 Howard Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918.

John D. Hitt John Dee Hitt of Knoxville passed away on Dec. 13. He was 73.

Mr. Hitt was a member of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville. He also was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, serving as district deputy of District 18 as well as Tennessee faith director, evangelization and faith formation diocese capMr. Hitt tain, as a Fourth Degree Knight, and past Grand Knight.

He also served as treasurer of the Legion of Mary ministry.

Mr. Hitt was preceded in death by his parents, David and Virginia Hitt. He is survived by his fiancée, Elissa J. Edwards; and cousins, Sheran and Joe Marks, and Brenda Agnew.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Hitt was celebrated on Dec. 16 at Holy Ghost Church, with Father Bill McNeeley serving as the celebrant. Donations may be made in Mr. Hitt’s memory to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood’s Cor Jesu Monastery, 596 Callaway Ridge Road, New Market, TN 37820-3446.

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Faithful Departed Ellen Clancy Pickering Ellen Anna Clancy Pickering passed away in the care of her children on Dec. 23. She was 99 years old.

Mrs. Pickering was born and baptized in Baltimore.

She was the third of 13 children born to John A. and Ellen Joy Clancy. Her family returned to Knoxville when she was a child, and she has been a resident of Knoxville since. She was raised in Mrs. Pickering Immaculate Conception Church and attended St. Mary School and Knoxville Catholic High School.

She worked at St. Mary’s Hospital, where she met and fell in love with Stanley H. Pickering. They were married in 1951 and celebrated 69 years together before his death in 2020.

They had eight children who were the center of Mrs. Pickering’s life. Mrs. Pickering was a proud homemaker, devoting every moment to God, her husband’s accounting practice, her children, and her home. She shared her gift of faith with her children, who endeavor to follow her example still.

Mrs. Pickering is preceded in death by her husband, Stan; her sons, John Clancy Pickering and Frank Gambill Pickering; her sisters, Teresa Irwin, Mary Williams, Joy Carden, Annunciata Nutter, and Frances Noe; and her brothers, Joe, John, and Tom Clancy.

She is survived by sons Stanley II (Kathryn) and Jim (Stephanie); and daughters Ellen Hunter (Bob), Judy, Angel Brewer (Bill), and Regina Lovelace (William); daughter-in-law Leticia Pickering; grandchildren Natalie Berra (Tory), Patrick Pickering, Thomas Pickering, Stan Pickering III, Clancy Clementi (Craig), Rob Hunter, Caroline Hunter, Stan Pickering Hunter, Jim Hunter, Leticia Natour (Joey), Frank Pickering Jr. (Jenny), John Clancy Pickering, Will Brewer (Becca), William Edward Lovelace, Suzanna Pickering, and Walter Pickering. She also is survived by great-grandchildren Gigi, Sadie, and Baby Clementi (February 2024), Penelope and George Clancy Brewer, Frank III and Leah Ruth Pickering, Olivia and George Natour; and her brothers, Walter Clancy and Dan Clancy; and sister Pat Clancy Winter.

A funeral Mass for Mrs. Pickering was celebrated on Dec. 28 at Holy Ghost Church, with Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. serving as the celebrant and Father John Dowling and Father John O’Neill serving as the concelebrants. Father Bill McNeeley was in choir. Father O’Neill led a rosary for Mrs. Pickering on Dec. 27.

Burial was at Calvary Cemetery. Pallbearers were William Edward Lovelace, Walter Pickering, John Pickering, Thomas Pickering, Stan Hunter, and Jim Hunter.

Memorial gifts may be made to Tennessee Right to Life or the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard.

“I am the Good Shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me. Just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I will lay down my life for the sheep” John 10:14-18.

Thomas Perry Thomas (Tom) Perry, 73, passed away peacefully on Oct. 25 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. Perry is beloved to his wife of 47 years, Kathy; three remarkable children: daughter Maria (Butch) Allen, son Chris (Gena), son Michael (Brittney); and two doting granddaughters, Perry and Mr. Perry Maisie Allen.

Also surviving Mr. Perry are his sisters, Elizabeth (Rob) Robinson, Janet (Bill) Weidmann, Julia (John) DeWaal, and Eileen (Jim) Haley; an uncle, Father Bob Perry, OP; 26 nieces and nephews; and more extended family and friends than can be listed.

Mr. Perry lived a life of service, first and always to the Church, where he volunteered in nearly every layperson role, from altar boy to director of the confirmation program at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut.

Mr. Perry enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and later became an officer specializing in hazardous materials. He worked to help develop the program for the hazardous materials cleanup in Oak Ridge.

As a father, he was an enthusiastic supporter of his children’s endeavors, cheering on cross country and track meets, becoming a Scoutmaster in his sons’ troop, an official for the kids’ swim meets, assistant coach in baseball, and the loudest audience member at his daughter’s theater productions. As a loving husband, he achieved the nearly impossible feat of never forgetting his anniversary or Valentine’s Day as he and Kathy were one and the same.

Mr. Perry was an adventurer and enjoyed TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

nontraditional ways of travel. He hitchhiked from Ohio to Alaska to work on the Alaska Railroad. He sailed with his parents to the Bahamas, inspiring him to build his own 20-foot sailboat, on which he proudly sailed family and friends around Fort Loudoun Lake.

Mr. Perry, who was an avid hiker, hiked all 900 miles of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park trail system and had decades of annual hiking adventures along the Appalachian Trail with his friends. He shared his love of adventure with his family on camping trips across Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the American west. He loved scuba diving and saw undersea wonders from Florida to Palau.

After retiring from his work in environmental compliance at K-25 in Oak Ridge, Mr. Perry rode his bicycle solo from Oregon to Virginia, and completed two Ironman triathlons and dozens of other multisport adventure races from New Zealand to Alaska. On one of his final adventures, he took his 5-year-old granddaughter on an overnight bike-packing trip down the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Mr. Perry’s current plans include flexing his new wings and catching up with his parents, Thomas E. and Mary Catherine Perry, and sister Katy in heaven.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Perry was celebrated on Oct. 30 at St. John Neumann Church.

Donations in Mr. Perry’s memory can be made to Alzheimer’s Tennessee, https://www. alztennessee.org/give/donate-now, or Friends of the Smokies, https://friendsofthesmokies. org/donate/.

Jonathan J. O’Rourke On Nov. 13, Jonathan James O’Rourke, known as Johnny to his friends and family, passed away at the age of 50.

Mr. O’Rourke joins his wife, Patricia, who passed away in 2020.

He is survived by his parents, Lawrence and Nancy O'Rourke; his Mr. O’Rourke sister, Amy O'Rourke; his nieces Emily and Meghan Campbell; and his nephew, Phineas (Aeko) Campbell, along with a slew of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Mr. O’Rourke moved to Oak Ridge from Gifford, Ill., with his family in 1981 when his father went to work for Union Carbide. He attended St. Mary School, graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1991, and went on to graduate with bachelor ’s and master ’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Mr. O’Rourke lived in Chattanooga for more than 10 years before moving to Albany, N.Y., to work for the state of New York. It was in Albany that he found a new home and community and met his wife, Patty.

Mr. O’Rourke’s great joys were his friends and family, which included their dog, Susie, and their cat, Daisy. He was a lifelong University of Tennessee Volunteers fan, finding fellow Vols fans everywhere, even in Albany.

From the time he was little, Mr. O’Rourke knew how to stop and enjoy the moment, the people, and the places around him, sometimes to the frustration of his sister, who nicknamed him “Slowpoke” for wandering and stopping every few feet to look at something pretty when they were young and walking to and from school.

During the coronavirus pandemic, when Mr. O’Rourke’s wife suddenly died and everyone was so isolated, he suffered greatly but still did his very best to take care of his friends and people in his community.

While in Albany, Mr. O’Rourke worked for the state in several roles and loved his work and many of the people with whom he worked. His kind heart, generous soul, and fun-loving personality will be missed by all who were blessed to know him.

A funeral Mass for Mr. O’Rourke was held at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge on Dec. 2, with inurnment following the Mass.

Donations in Mr. O’Rourke’s memory can be made to the Albany Humane Society or St. Mary School in Oak Ridge.

Alfred N. Jacobson Alfred Nicholas Jacobson, age 97, passed away peacefully at home in his sleep on Dec. 26.

Mr. Jacobson, who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 17, 1926, to Thomas and Sarah Jacobson, was a loving, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Mr. Jacobson He worked as an insurance underwriter for more than 40 years and was a member of the Knights of Columbus for over 50 years. He served as an electronics mate on a www.di o k no x .o rg

destroyer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, enlisting at the young age of 17.

Mr. Jacobson, who was a faithful member of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island, N.Y., and Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa, leaves behind his loving wife of almost 72 years, Grace Pittarelli Jacobson; his daughter, Christine Marie Coder (Christopher); and a son, Eric Francis (Paola).

He was preceded in death by his oldest son, Lawrence Jude.

A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima Church on Dec. 30.

Ellen Margaret Vance Ellen Margaret Vance, age 103, of Oak Ridge passed away on Dec. 12.

Mrs. Vance was born in Knoxville on April 9, 1920, to the late Leo Kavanaugh Meehan and Ellen Cecilia Long Meehan. She was a 1937 graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School, and she was a member of St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge since before its construcMrs. Vance tion in 1950.

In addition to her parents, sister Rosemary Stewart, and brothers Leo and Robert Meehan, she was preceded in death by her husband, John Gerald (Jack) Vance, daughter Kathleen Vance, and infant son John Joseph.

Mrs. Vance is survived by daughters Mary Vance Jimmerson (Keith) and Ellen Vance O'Shea; sons Stephen Francis Vance, Paul Gerald Vance (Susan), Mark Christopher Vance (Sharon), and Philip Gerard Vance; 15 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass for Mrs. Vance was celebrated at St. Mary Church on Dec. 18 followed by a graveside service.

Donations in Mrs. Vance’s memory can be made to Knoxville Catholic High School at https://knoxvillecatholic.com/irish-fund/ or KCHS, attention: Joni Punch, 9245 Fox Lonas Road, Knoxville, TN 37923.

Richard B. McConnell This brilliant man, this beloved father, friend, and mentor, was born on May 24, 1935, in Lake Bluff, Ill., near Chicago. The Judge passed away on Dec. 24, joining his youngest son, our beloved Johnny, who also passed on Christmas Eve in 2009.

Judge McConnell attended Bay View High School in Milwaukee, earning the moniker Mr. McConnell “The Human Encyclopedia.”

He was a four-sport letterman at Bay View in football, basketball, baseball, and track. After graduation, Judge McConnell joined the U.S. Army and earned the GI bill.

Upon his discharge, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. After graduating from Marquette University law school, Judge McConnell worked for Procter & Gamble, then returned to Milwaukee to practice law as a trial attorney. In 1970, he campaigned and was elected the Waukesha County district attorney, serving two terms while amassing a record 12 homicide convictions, with one hung jury. Several neighboring counties appointed him special prosecutor for high-profile cases.

After returning to private law practice, Judge McConnell moved the family to Knoxville in 1980, where he worked as an assistant attorney general for Knox County. That same year the town of Farragut, where he and his family resided, was incorporated, and the town appointed Mr. McConnell as Farragut’s first town judge.

After practicing in a private law practice and holding monthly court for 10 years, Judge McConnell was appointed in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush as the administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration, presiding over hearings through 2000. Judge McConnell also joined the Army Reserves, achieving the rank of major while providing legal counsel.

Upon retirement, Judge McConnell continued in part-time law practice, specializing in helping clients obtain Social Security disability.

Judge McConnell was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary (Mitchell) McConnell; brothers Bart, Bob, Ansley, and Malcolm; sister Ann; and son John. He is survived by a brother, Don McConnell; son Steve McConnell (Jayme); daughter Suzanne Purcell (Michael); son Joe McConnell (Lyn); daughter Martha Looney (Michael); and grandchildren Morgan, Erin, August, Lucy, Patrick, Miriam, and Claire.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on Jan. 6 at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut. Graveside service with military honors followed the funeral Mass at Pleasant Forest Cemetery in Farragut.

Donations in Judge McConnell’s memory may be made to the Special Olympics. ■ JANUARY 7, 2024 n A17

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month There are 5 steps everyone can take to fight human trafficking and free victims

Preventing human trafficking Above: People are pictured in a file photo displaying signs in Los Angeles during the "Walk 4 Freedom" in advance of the Jan. 11 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States. Below: An information board with a warning about human trafficking is displayed at the central railway station in Berlin on March 16, 2022.

OSV NEWS PHOTO/CNS FILE, ANNEGRET HILSE, REUTERS

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uman trafficking victims often hide in plain sight, but informed bystanders can help rescue them, say victim advocates.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and in 2021 alone, some 50 million individuals worldwide were in a form of modern slavery, according to the United Nations’ International Labour Organization.

The two most common types of human trafficking are forced labor (including sex trafficking) and forced marriage.

In 2021, the Washington-based nonprofit Polaris, which operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, received more than 10,350 reports involving over 16,550 individual victims—numbers representing “likely only a fraction of the actual problem,” according to the organization’s website.

During fiscal 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security opened 1,373 human trafficking investigations, an increase of more than 260 cases over the previous fiscal year.

The State Department’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted three key trends in trafficking—an increase in forced labor, a rise in the use of online scams to target victims, and growing numbers of boys and men among those trafficked.

Yet individuals can take at least five concrete steps to free victims: 1. Know where trafficking happens.

“Awareness is the first thing,” said Sister Ann Victory, a member of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary and board member of the nonprofit U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking. “If your hackles go up, pay attention.”

Sex trafficking usually receives

OSV NEWS PHOTO/CNS FILE, VICTOR ALEMAN, VIDA NUEVA

By Gina Christian OSV News

greater attention, but, Sister Ann said, consumers are often oblivious to the forced labor behind many goods and services.

“People often don’t know someone is being exploited so they could have a $6 T-shirt,” Sister Ann said.

Hotels, salons, and restaurants are also trafficking hotspots, said survivor and advocate Theresa Flores.

2. Know who is at risk.

Traffickers prey on people made vulnerable by poverty, homelessness, addiction, abuse, and natural

disasters, according to Human Trafficking Search, a global research database.

However, even everyday families can be vulnerable.

“Right now, a lot of grooming happens online,” Sister Ann said.

“Traffickers exploit the Internet, where kids are spending a lot of their time.”

Migrants and refugees also are at risk for trafficking, she said.

3. Know the signs.

Victims often “seem unable to

speak,” Sister Ann said, with traffickers “doing all the talking.”

In addition, victims “don’t have their own money or identification,” nor do they know their exact address, she said.

A trained nurse, Sister Ann also looks for evidence of physical or psychological abuse in victims.

4. Ask and listen.

A few simple questions can engage victims and open the door to freedom.

“When you get your nails done, ask to go to the bathroom and see if it looks like somebody is living there, with shampoo or a little room with a bed nearby,” Ms. Flores said.

“If you’re in a restaurant and see the same (staff) person, but they’re not interacting with you, ask where they’re from, and when was the last time they talked to their family.”

Ms. Flores said she’s even “asked maids in a hotel how much they get paid per hour” to detect if they’re being trafficked.

Be attentive to activity in nearby hotel rooms, including sounds of violence and excessive guest traffic, said attorney Kristina Aiad-Toss of the Columbus, Ohio-based firm Babin Law, which has filed civil suits against hotels for failure to counter known trafficking on their premises.

5. Take action.

Bystanders who detect trafficking should not intervene directly, advocates said.

Instead, contact law enforcement and trained advocates, such as those staffing the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which can be reached by phone at 888-373-7888, by text at 233733 (“Befree”) or by live chat (https://humantrafficking hotline.org/en/chat).

Preventing trafficking and supporting victims is a way of living out the Gospel, Sister Ann said.

For more information about U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human trafficking, go to: https://sistersagainst trafficking.org/ ■

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Supporting the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre presents Ruth Coughlin (above left) and Deacon David Lucheon (above right) with the St. Peter Award at the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee dinner in Knoxville on Dec. 5. Deacon Hicks Armor, director of stewardship and strategic planning for the diocese, also took part in the presentations. Mrs. Coughlin, Deacon Lucheon, and his wife, Chris, were honored for their lengthy support of the foundation that provides funding for seminarian education and the purchase of property for churches in the diocese. Prior to the Knoxville reception, Archbishop Fabre celebrated Mass for CFET members at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The archbishop, serving as apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Knoxville, attended CFET receptions in Chattanooga on Dec. 11 and Kingsport on Dec. 20. Since its inception, the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee has distributed more than $4 million to help the diocese form future priests and build churches.

and registration is at www.lifefest rally.com.

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund unveiled its theme for the Jan. 19 March for Life, which emphasizes the need to care for both the mother and the child: “With Every Woman, For Every Child.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, announced the new theme and was joined by a three-person panel of pro-life guests to discuss ways in which the movement can care for pregnant women, mothers, and children together.

“We aren’t saying that it’s easy, but we are saying that it is right to choose life, and we hold that choosing life is empowering and that love saves lives,” Ms. Mancini said in the announcement.

Ms. Mancini said there is a “false narrative around abortion” that suggests abortion is “empowering and necessary.” She said this “fear-based messaging tries to convince women who are facing unexpected pregnancies that they’re alone, that they’re incapable, that they are ill-equipped to handle motherhood.”

Rather, Ms. Mancini emphasized that “women deserve to know all of their options,” such as “the love, compassion, and free resources that are available to them through the vast pro-life safety net.” The pro-life movement, she said, supports women “before, during, and after pregnancy.”

To discuss the resources available to women, Ms. Mancini was joined by Jean Marie Davis, the executive director of Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Brattleboro, Vt.; Dr. John

CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY PHOTO/KATIE YODER

March continued from page A8

Still marching to save lives Pro-life marchers carry a banner reading “Every baby is somebody’s grandchild” at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2023.

Bruchalski, the founder of the pro-life nonprofit Divine Mercy Care; and Mississippi Deputy Attorney General Whitney Lipscomb.

“We’re not just a pregnancy center,” Ms. Davis said. “That’s one-eighth of what we do. We also help the women.”

Ms. Davis discussed her personal experience as a victim of sex trafficking from age 2 through 29 and her decision to choose life after becoming pregnant. She chose to keep her son after she visited a local pregnancy resource center “when they allowed me to hear that heartbeat” and now runs Branches Pregnancy Resource Center “because I was helped, now I can give back to the community.”

Branches administers several programs, which include efforts to help

women who are being sex-trafficked, help women suffering from domestic violence, and help men who are going to be fathers. “A choice is actually giving them the ability to make a decision,” Ms. Davis said.

Dr. Bruchalski, who is a former abortionist turned pro-life OB/GYN, provides life-affirming health care for women in northern Virginia, which he said “is concerned always with two patients: the woman and her unborn child.” He said his medical practice works closely with pregnancy resource centers and others in the pro-life movement.

“Medicine is about health and hope and mercy with every woman [and] for every child,” Dr. Bruchalski said.

“It’s not violent, it’s not malicious, it’s not dividing. It’s an integrating,

life-affirming women’s reproductive health care. … Medicine as mercy is really empowering.”

In addition to private efforts, Ms. Lipscomb talked about state-run efforts in Mississippi to help pregnant women, mothers, and children after the state banned most abortions. The Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance program connects women to resources for adoption services, pregnancy help, financial assistance, child care, jobs, and other forms of assistance to assist with pregnancies.

“We know that many women seeking an abortion would choose otherwise [if they had] resources and support,” Ms. Lipscomb said.

The announcement comes after Ohio voters passed a referendum that adds a new amendment to the state constitution, creating a right to “reproductive freedom,” which includes “abortion.” In about a dozen states, efforts to get referendums on the ballot related to abortion are underway for the 2024 election.

Ms. Mancini said the referendum result was “really disappointing” but that March for Life is working to expand its state march initiative to all 50 states as abortion-related battles head to state capitals. She said she expects to hold marches in most of the states that could consider abortion-related referendums in 2024. “Our work is not done yet,” she noted.

The 2024 March for Life will be the 51st annual march in Washington, D.C., which has been held every year since the first anniversary of the nowdefunct Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling that had imposed abortion on every state in the country. ■

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Manila’s post-COVID Black Nazarene event draws millions

By OSV News

OSV NEWS PHOTO/LISA MARIE DAVID, REUTERS

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n one of the largest religious festivals in the world, the Catholic procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila brought millions to the streets, often causing chaos.

Even though early estimates said that 800,000 people attended the event, the final count said that 6 million people walked in the procession with the historic Black Nazarene statue of Christ in the Philippine capital Manila on Jan. 9.

It was the first procession with the life-size statue since 2020; during the COVID-19 pandemic the traditional event was canceled.

The wooden statue, carved in Mexico and brought to Manila early in the 17th century, is cherished by Catholics, who believe that touching it can lead to a miracle.

“I believe that the Nazarene will give what we are all praying for—we just have to wait, but he will give everything,” Renelinda de Leon, 64, said at the start of the procession.

More than 15,000 security personnel and medical staff were deployed along the 3.7-mile route

Resuming the procession Pilgrims join the annual procession of the Black Nazarene during its feast day in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9. The wooden statue, carved in Mexico and brought to the Philippine capital early in the 17th century, is cherished by Catholics, who believe that touching it can lead to a miracle. from Rizal Park to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, also known as Quiapo Church.

According to local media reports, there were chaotic scenes as worshipers repeatedly tried to climb onto the wagon carrying the statue of Jesus.

“I am very pleased the old system is back and we get to do this again,” Jonathan Rancho, 52,

told Reuters news service on Jan. 9. He had traveled with his wife and two children from Bulacan province to Manila to join the procession.

“I prayed that hopefully this year our livelihoods will get better; I hope that my work will be a success and we will be given a prosperous life so I may fulfill my obligations to my family,” Mr.

Rancho added.

There were chaotic scenes as the feverish march got underway before dawn following an openair Mass in a seaside park in Manila.

For the first time, the statue was transported in a bullet-proof glass case to protect it from damage.

The procession, in which many participants walk barefoot, usually lasts 18 to 22 hours. It is one of the most popular religious festivals in the predominantly Catholic Philippines and is considered one of the largest religious events in the world.

The procession began in the rain in the early hours of the morning after a church service led by Manila's Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula in Rizal Park. In his homily, Cardinal Advincula called on the faithful to be “models” of the life of Jesus Christ.

The centuries-old statue of the Black Jesus Christ is considered the greatest object of devotion for Filipino Catholics.

The life-size statue, probably made by an Aztec artist in Mexico, was brought to the Philippines by Spanish missionaries in 1606 and is kept in Quiapo Church. ■

Visa change upends placements for foreign-born priests in U.S.

By Joan Frawley Desmond National Catholic Register

L

ess than a year ago, Father Edgardo Rodriguez, a Salvadoran priest beloved in his California parish, was on a clear path to securing permanent residency in the United States.

He expected to live out his vocation in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where he had served since 2018 and applied for incardination with the support of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

Instead, to the shock of Father Rodriguez, his parish community, and the archdiocese, the priest was notified by U.S. immigration authorities last April that he would have to return to his home country for one year and apply for reentry, restarting the entire process for securing a lawful permanent residency card, commonly called the green card.

“We lost a great priest,” said Father Thomas Martin, the pastor of St. Pius Church and administrator of St. Anthony Church in Redwood City, Calif., where Father Rodriguez ministered to a large community of Hispanic Catholics and “cared for the poor and marginalized.”

Father Rodriguez is not alone. A U.S. visa rule change that was finalized in April has disrupted what was once a seamless and predictable process for priests like Father Rodriguez. Instead of obtaining a green card in a timely manner, thousands of religious workers, including Catholic priests seeking permanent residency in the United States, now face a sudden—and lengthy—backlog of visa applicants that prevents them from obtaining a green card before their initial visa expires.

Thus far, the visa rule change has received scant attention in Church circles or Catholic media, and many foreign-born priests who had expected to obtain a green card in the next couple of years are still unaware of the looming roadblock.

But the stakes are high for international priests who hope to minister in this country — and for the

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

many U.S. dioceses that depend on them to fill as much as 50 percent of parish placements.

“The impact of this change is just beginning to be felt,” Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., told the Register, expressing both disappointment and puzzlement at the government’s reasons for making the change.

“We are getting no reassurance from federal agencies” that this can be fixed, said Archbishop Naumann, though “the federal branch that created the problem could resolve it.”

Father Joel Henson, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ vicar for clergy, told the Register that two international priests have already returned to their home country after it became clear that they could not obtain a green card before their initial visa expired. Deacons now administer those parishes and recruit local priests to provide the sacraments.

Father Henson reported that 50 percent of priests in the archdiocese, the largest in the nation, are foreign-born. Many have already obtained permanent residency or U.S. citizenship. But 10 percent of the priests hold a temporary R-1 immigrant religious worker visa capped at five years, and Father Henson could not say how many priests in this group hoped to remain permanently in the United States and so could face similar difficulties.

Until April, an international priest’s path to a green card was straightforward and generally granted once the newcomer was approved for incardination by the local bishop.

The process for most international priests still begins with an R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker visa. Once the applicant has successfully served in a parish or other assignment for a couple of years, the diocese sponsors the priest for permanent residency, generally through an EB-4 (employmentbased) special immigrant category, which allots 10,000 visas per year.

Until this year, applicants in the

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National Prayer Vigil for Life to be hosted by U.S. bishop’s conference

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life.

The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry.

The National Prayer Vigil for Life will once again be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the March for Life. The event will begin with an opening Mass at 5 p.m. in the Basilica’s Great Upper Church. The principal celebrant and homilist for the opening Mass will be Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Va. ■

Father Engo to serve at Holy Cross Parish Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre has appointed Father David Mary Engo, OFM, as parochial administrator pro tempore of Holy Cross Parish in Pigeon Forge.

The appointment was effective Dec. 19.

Father Engo has served the Catholic Church, most recently in the Diocese of Knoxville, as a priest, chaplain, lecturer, and retreat leader.

Father Engo succeeds Father Ron Stone, who died on Dec. 8 at the age of 69.

Father Stone had served as a priest in the Diocese of Knoxville since 2014.

Deacon David Duhamel named CCETN executive director Deacon David Duhamel has been appointed executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

The announcement was made Dec. 20 by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, who is serving as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville until a new bishop is named.

Deacon Duhamel has served as interim executive director of CCETN since September. He succeeds Lisa Healy, who announced her retirement last summer. ■

STEPHANIE RICHER (2)

ach January, thousands of people gather in Washington, D.C., to uphold the dignity of all human life and pray for an end to abortion. Nearly 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in Roe v. Wade, the court overturned the 1973 decision by giving states the power to regulate abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The 2022 ruling marked the beginning of a new phase in protecting human life. As Catholics across the country gather again this year in Washington for the March for Life, they are also invited to observe a nationwide prayer vigil Jan. 18-19 to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human

East Tennessee Catholic News

In honor of the Blessed Mother and her religious orders Left, the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is illuminated by only candlelight and a few back lights to create the setting for the Diocese of Knoxville's 2023 Rorate Mass on Dec. 21. Right, Sister Mary Simone Haakansson, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich., holds a candle as she participates in the Rorate Mass for the religious communities serving in the diocese.

Rorate Mass continued from page A4

scared than hurt. But the tears were coming, and amid those tears there was a smile on the child’s face as she confidently rested in the arms of her mother. All of us coming from different areas of life, different expressions of ministry, and regardless of our moods, our joys, or our sorrows, to know that we rest in the arms of a loving mother. My thought and prayer for each of us this Christmas season is that we will come to a deeper understanding of the presence of God in our lives. That this season will truly bring about within ourselves and all we serve the Christmas blessings of hope, love, and peace.

And above all, the peace and joy of Luke, Zephaniah, Paul, and especially Mother Mary. May that peace come upon us and all we meet this Christmas. Amen.”

Following the Mass was a reception in cathedral hall for the religious communities.

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, apostolic administrator for the diocese, was unable to attend the event due to a prior commitment, but he gave a video message at the reception.

“It’s my privilege to extend a very special greeting to you, the consecrated men and women religious who serve so faithfully in this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville,” the archbishop said. “As you know, Advent is a joyful time for all of us. It is a season in which we prepare for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, He who came to us as a gift from God to bring us life, truth, and light, to bring these to the world. His life serves to inspire and guide us. His light illuminates and conquers darkness.”

“I am grateful that you are joining us tonight to be united in our love for Jesus Christ and His mother, and to pray together during this time of waiting in a dual sense, for the next bishop, who will be appointed for this diocese where you so faithfully serve the people of East Tennessee,” he continued.

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to be with you this evening due to a prior commitment. But together with Father Doug (Owens), Father David (Boettner), and Deacon Sean (Smith), I want to extend my heartA22 n JANUARY 7, 2024

felt thanks to your communities and to each one of you. The service you provide to this diocese as pastors and associate pastors, pastoral workers, hospital chaplains, teachers, catechists, physicians, nurses, counselors, and administrators is of infinite value. But the most important gift that you give us is the witness of your lives and how you, like Mary, bring Jesus Christ to all those who you encounter through your apostolates,” the archbishop continued.

Archbishop Fabre also thanked the religious members for their prayers for a new bishop for the diocese.

“By your very lives, dedicated and consecrated to Christ and His Church, you are inviting the people of this diocese to lift up their hearts and to fix their eyes on our heavenly homeland. Thank you, thank you for your prayers for the next bishop, that his heart may be prepared to accept this very special call of the Church, and that he may fill our minds and hearts with the truth of the Gospel, the power of the sacraments, and the desire to build up God’s holy Church, as we together pray after each Mass,” he said.

At the conclusion of his video, the archbishop congratulated four of the religious communities for their special anniversary milestones.

“I would also like to extend my special congratulations to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, who recently concluded the celebration of the 75th anniversary of their foundation. To the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., who this year are celebrating their 50th anniversary; the Paulist Fathers, who this year are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their service in the Diocese of Knoxville; and to the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who on Dec. 12 began a celebration of their 75th anniversary of their foundation. We rejoice with all your communities for the many blessings God has bestowed on and through you over these years and pray that you may enter into the future continuing to deepen your charisms, that God may bless your communities with good and

strong vocations,” he said. “Please also pray for me, that I may fulfill this task, which has been entrusted to me, and please know of my grateful prayers for each one of you. God bless you, and thank you for all that you do for the Diocese of Knoxville and the Catholic Church in East Tennessee. Blessings on your Advent, and may the Lord encounter you at Christmas.”

The religious communities currently present within the Diocese of Knoxville include: n Glenmary Home Missioners, with priests and brothers serving at St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish in Maynardville, St. John Paul II Catholic Mission in Rutledge, and St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Erwin. n The Congregation of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer (CRM).

Father Dominic Nguyen, CRM, serves as pastor of Divine Mercy Parish in Knoxville. n Sister Anunziata Grace is a Canonical Hermitess (CH) with the diocese. She professed her perpetual vows and was consecrated as a hermit in an August 2020 Mass. n The Congregation of St. Cecilia (OP), also known as the Nashville Dominicans. These Sisters serve at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge, Knoxville Catholic High School, and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. n The Sisters of the Good Shepherd Province of Mid-North America (RGS). Sister Lakshmie Napagoda, RGS, serves as a counselor in the diocese. n The Evangelizing Sisters of Mary (ESM). Within the diocese, these Sisters are based at St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, where they serve in the parish and in St. John Neumann School. They also serve at Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. n The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MAG), with convents in Chattanooga and Jonesborough. And these Sisters serve in Hispanic Ministry in the Five Rivers and Chattanooga deaneries. n The Benedictines of Divine Will and the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will. These orders are currently Public Associations of the Faithful and are in the process of being established within the Dio-

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cese of Knoxville. n The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich. (RSM). Within the diocese, these Sisters serve in Diocese of Knoxville offices and with the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic. n The Apostles of Jesus (AJ). This order of men serves at St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg and Good Shepherd Parish in Newport. n The Alexian Brothers (CFA).

This order of men serves within the diocese in Chattanooga, promoting health and caring for the sick, aged, and dying. n The Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS). Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, is pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville. n The Paulist Fathers (CSP). Within the diocese, these priests serve at Immaculate Conception Parish and St. John XXIII University Parish, both in Knoxville. n The Handmaids of the Precious Blood (HPB). This cloistered, contemplative community is dedicated to praying for priests within their monastery in New Market. n The Order of Friars Minor, Franciscans (OFM). Father David Mary Engo, newly named parochial administrator of Holy Cross Parish in Pigeon Forge is a Franciscan priest.

This was the first Rorate Mass for Sister Celeste Mary Poche, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich. “I thought the Mass was beautiful,” she shared. “It was a wonderful way to invite the Diocese of Knoxville to pray with Our Lady this Advent season, especially as we pray for a new bishop.

For all of us to come together and celebrate religious life as a diocese was beautiful.”

“I think it’s beautiful to have a community… within our individual communities of religious life but then kind of a fraternity among the different groups to recognize the common threads of religious life and the beauty of each of our unique charisms, how the different facets help the Diocese of Knoxville to kind of flourish in the fullness of having the different aspects of our different communities,” she continued. “It’s helpful to see the work the other sisters and brothers and priests are doing for the diocese. I think it helps encourage us in our work, too.” ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Blessing continued from page A3

and gave advice about how to live out priestly ministry.

Canossian Father Antonio Vettorato, pastor of St. George of Acilia parish, which hosted the meeting, told Catholic News Service on Dec. 22 that one of the priests asked Pope Francis about the implementation of Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust).

The pope addressed the question briefly, Father Vettorato said, stressing that the document insisted that “people must be welcomed” in the Church. “It does not involve the sacrament of marriage. It doesn’t change the sacrament,” he quoted the pope as saying.

The Church “remains firm” in teaching that marriage is only an exclusive, stable relationship between one woman and one man, according to the Vatican.

Father Vettorato said Pope Francis took the opportunity to encourage the priests to be effective educators when they are giving courses on marriage so that everyone may have a better understanding of what the sacrament entails.

The pope, seated alongside Rome Auxiliary Bishop Dario Gervasi, spoke informally with the priests who minister in the diocese's 27th prefecture, an area similar to a deanery, about the experience of the priesthood, welcoming others in the Church, being close to the people they serve, and the synodal process, “which is the way the Church is moving toward the future,” Bishop Gervasi said in a statement.

The meeting was Pope Francis’ third encounter since September with priests ministering in the poorer suburbs of Rome.

Father Vettorato said the pope told the priests that when it comes to implementing synodal process, “Don’t be in a rush,” and that he recalled how the journey of making a synodal Church began 50 years ago with St. Paul VI. “The synod is not something that has a deadline,” Father Vetterato reported the pope as saying. He also said the pope asked the priests to “have a desire that synodality take root in the life of the Church,” adding, “I believe this is the Church we should expect.”

After meeting with the priests, Pope Francis greeted some 65 volunteers who work in the parish’s pastoral center, which was founded by the sister of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. The center offers food and clothes to people in need and supports young mothers in situations of financial difficulty.

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tion” before the baby Jesus.

“Before this mystery, we are called to bow our heart and bend our knee in worship: to worship the God who comes in littleness, who dwells in our homes, who dies for love,” he said.

Unfortunately, Pope Francis said, “we have lost the habit of adoration, we have lost this ability. Let us rediscover our taste for the prayer of adoration. Let us acknowledge Jesus as our God and Lord, and let’s adore Him.” While Pope Francis and some 6,000 people were at Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, thousands more lined the main boulevard leading to St. Peter ’s Square for the traditional, folkloric Epiphany celebration. Marching bands and people in Renaissance costumes paraded up the street ahead of the Three Kings on horseback. Vatican police said there were 40,000 people in the square to recite the Angelus at midday with the pope.

“In the child Jesus, we see God made man. And so let us look at Him, let us wonder at His humility,” the pope said at the Angelus.

“Contemplating Jesus, staying before Him, adoring Him,” he said, “is not wasting time, but giving meaning to time” and rediscovering life’s direction “in the simplicity of a silence that nourishes the heart.”

“If we stand before the child Jesus and in the company of children, we will learn to be amazed and we will start out simpler and better, like the Magi. And we will TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

Responding to Fiducia Supplicans

In response to the declaration Fiducia supplicans, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offered the following statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs.

“The declaration issued (by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) articulated a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God’s loving grace in their lives. The Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives.”

While bishops may take a cautious approach to the Vatican’s guidance on blessing same-sex or other unmarried couples, they should not deny their priests the possibility of discerning and imparting blessings on people who ask for them, the Vatican doctrinal office said.

“Prudence and attention to the ecclesial context and to the local culture could allow for different methods of application, but not a total or definitive denial of this path that is proposed to priests,” according to a press release issued Jan. 4 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Each bishop has a responsibility to discern the local application of the declaration Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust) on “the pastoral meaning of blessings,” but a bishop should not deny priests the ability to bless people who come to them, the press release said.

Signed by Cardinal Fernández, the statement said it hoped “to help clarify” the reception of Fiducia Supplicans among bishops’ conferences.

Besides causing both outrage and celebration on social media, the declaration was greeted by bishops’ conferences with reactions that ran the gamut from embracing its guidance to outright banning local priests from applying it.

Many bishops’ conferences in western countries, underscoring that the declaration did not change Catholic doctrine on marriage, reacted positively to the document. But others, particularly in Africa, were vocal in their opposition. The Zambian bishops’ conference issued a statement on Dec. 20 stating that the Vatican document should “be taken as for further reflection and not for implementation in Zambia.” In Malawi, the bishops’

conference directed that “blessings of any kind for same-sex unions of any kind are not permitted in Malawi.”

Bishop Robert E. Barron, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, said in a Dec. 21 statement that the document “in no way calls for a change in the Church’s teaching regarding marriage and sexuality.”

Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, wrote on Dec. 18 that he welcomed the document and was “grateful for the pastoral perspective it takes.”

Bishop Oscar Ojea, president of the Argentine bishops’ conference, said on Dec. 30 that it would be “inappropriate” to inquire about the moral life of someone asking for a blessing, and he surmised that bishops and ministers who disagree with the Vatican guidance on blessings have not had the experience of witnessing someone simply asking for God’s help or, perhaps, have not even acknowledged a need for God’s mercy in their own lives.

The statements made by bishops’ conferences “cannot be interpreted as doctrinal opposition,” the dicastery’s Jan. 4 statement said, since Fiducia Supplicans clearly states the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage and sexuality.

“There is no room to distance ourselves doctrinally from this Declaration or to consider it heretical, contrary to the Tradition of the Church, or blasphemous,” the statement said.

Still, it acknowledged that while in some places “no difficulties arise” for the immediate application of the declaration, “in others it will be necessary not to introduce them” or to wait until more time is provided for study and for catechesis.

Some bishops have forbidden priests in their diocese from imparting the pastoral blessings laid out in the Vatican document. Archbishop Tomash Peta and Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, said in a Dec. 19 statement that they “prohibit priests and the faithful of the Archdiocese of St. Mary in Astana from accepting or performing any form of blessing whatsoever of couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples.”

In other local contexts, the Vatican statement said some bishops have given priests encouragement to discern when such blessings may be appropriate, but the dicastery insisted a priest may perform the blessings “only in private.”

The variety of reactions is not “problematic if it is expressed with

due respect for a text signed and approved by the Supreme Pontiff himself, while attempting in some way to accommodate the reflection contained in it,” it said.

The statement also discussed at length the situation in countries where homosexuals are threatened with prison, torture, or death for being gay. In those places, “it goes without saying that a blessing would be imprudent,” it said. “It is clear the Bishops do not wish to expose homosexual persons to violence.”

But beyond blessings for same-sex couples, the “real novelty” of Fiducia Supplicans, the dicastery said, is not the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations, rather “the invitation to distinguish between two different forms of blessings: ‘liturgical and ritualized’ and ‘spontaneous or pastoral.’”

The statement recognized that while some bishops will choose not to impart pastoral blessings to couples in irregular situations, “we all need to grow equally in the conviction that non-ritualized blessings are not a consecration of the person nor of the couple who receives them, they are not a justification of all their actions, and they are not an endorsement of the life that they lead.”

“When the pope asked us to grow in a broader understanding of pastoral blessings, he proposed we think of a way of blessing that does not require the placing of so many conditions to carry out this simple gesture of pastoral closeness, which is a means of promoting openness to God in the midst of the most diverse circumstances,” the statement said.

Concretely, the dicastery said such pastoral blessings last only “a few seconds” and must be performed “without an approved ritual and without a book of blessings.”

If two people approach a priest for a blessing, he “simply asks the Lord for peace, health, and other good things for these two people who request it” and that “they may live the Gospel of Christ in full fidelity.”

A simple, brief, and non-ritualized blessing “does not intend to justify anything that is not morally acceptable” and is “not an ‘approval’ or ratification of anything either,” the statement said.

The press release also noted that catechesis will be necessary in some places to help people understand that such blessings are “not an endorsement of the life led by those who request them” or a form of absolution, but “simple expressions of pastoral closeness.” ■

know how to have a new and creative outlook on the problems of the world,” he said.

Pope Francis prayed that Mary, the mother of God, would intercede and help “increase our love for the child Jesus and for all children, especially those burdened by wars and injustice.”

And in other remarks addressing dissemination of the Church’s message, the Holy Father advised Catholic journalists that Catholics working in media can de-escalate today’s war of words.

Help “de-weaponize” the way language is used in the media by being respectful to others and fostering greater understanding and peace between people, Pope Francis told a group of Catholic journalists from Germany.

“How many conflicts today, instead of being extinguished by dialogue, are fueled by fake news or inflammatory statements spread through the media” he said in a text handed to participants.

“Therefore it is even more important that you, steadfast in your Christian roots and the faith you live out daily, with hearts ‘demilitarized’ by the Gospel, support the disarmament of language,” the pope wrote.

The pope gave his text to a delegation representing the Society of Catholic Journalists in Germany during a private audience at the Vatican on Jan. 4. While he did not read his speech, the pope greeted every participant and shared a few words with each of them.

“Thank you, thank you for your

work, which is not easy, the work of the journalist; it is a beautiful thing to communicate,” he told the group before greeting each person.

The association, which was celebrating its 75th anniversary, brings together Catholic professionals working in media—either Catholic or secular outlets.

In his written speech, the pope said communication helps people be “members of one another” and live in communion “within an ever-expanding network of relationships. This is essential in the Church, where the bond with universality is developed and harmonized in a particular way through the ministry of the successor of Peter.”

He praised the association’s commitment to ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and the defense of peace, freedom, and human dignity—aims which are “as relevant as ever!”

There is an urgent and fundamental need, he wrote, for “fostering overtones of peace and understanding, building bridges, being willing to listen, and exercising respectful communication toward others and their reasons.”

“Even the Church needs communication that is ‘gentle and at the same time prophetic,’” he wrote.

Pope Francis mentioned the Synodal Path the Church in Germany has undertaken and the letter he wrote in 2019. In that letter, he encouraged the “pilgrim people of God” in their search for a bold response to the present situation, but emphasized it must

be guided by the Holy Spirit with patience and not a “search for immediate results that generate quick and immediate consequences but are ephemeral due to the lack of maturity or because they do not respond to the vocation to which we are called.”

In the text he gave the German journalists, he said he wished that the letter were “better known, meditated upon, and implemented, as it expresses two aspects that I consider fundamental in order not to go astray.”

Care, he said, must be taken for the spiritual dimension of the Church and its universal, Catholic dimension. The spiritual dimension entails “the real and constant adaptation to the Gospel and not to the models of the world, rediscovering personal and community conversion through the sacraments, and prayer, docility to the Holy Spirit, and not to the spirit of the times,” he wrote.

The universal Catholic dimension is fundamental so that the life of faith is not seen “as something relative only to one's own cultural and national sphere,” he added.

“From this point of view, participation in the universal synodal process is good,” he wrote.

“Catholic communicators have a valuable role to play in such situations: providing accurate information, they can contribute to clarifying misunderstandings and above all preventing them from arising, helping mutual understanding rather than opposition,” the pope wrote. ■

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JANUARY 7, 2024 n A23

‘A beautiful vessel of God’s mercy’

Father Engo pointed out that when a priest reaches a breach that requires bridging, he lays himself down across the breach so that the priest bridges heaven and earth. “And it’s on the back of the priest that souls come to God, and God comes to souls.”

Father Engo then emphasized that a priest is called to administer the mercy of God. He said Father Stone received that grace and knew it very well.

“One thing Father Ron knew in his life was the mercy of God. He experienced it so powerfully. He was at a point where he should have been lost. He was lost, and his life was at an end, really.

When that day came, and Our Lady interceded in his life, everything turned around for him, A24 n JANUARY 7, 2024

Remembering Father Ron Stone Above: Father David Mary Engo, OFM, delivers the homily from the pulpit during the funeral Mass for Father Ron Stone as Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and priests and deacons listen. Below: Archbishop Fabre, assisted by Deacons David Anderson and Hicks Armor, receives the gifts for Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Dec. 12.

Father Engo continued.

But as with all his endeavors, Father Stone gave his all in dying as he did in life and in his priesthood—through redemptive suffering.

“Father Ron never did anything small. Always he gave his all.

And even in the dying process, he was giving his all to the Lord, giving his all for other souls, for other people. The last time he celebrated Mass in his room on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I didn’t think he was actually paying attention because he was lying there, his breathing was very, very low. I came over to his side and said, ‘the body and blood of Christ.’ He turned and opened his eyes to receive, and then he went right back down.

He knew our Lord was there. He was totally conscious of the fact that Mass was taking place in his room, and he was participating in offering himself with Christ,” Father Engo recalled.

Following Communion, Archbishop Fabre prayed for Father Stone, saying, “Having received the sacrament of salvation, we implore your kindness, O God, for Father Ron, your servant and priest, that as you made him a steward of your mysteries on earth, so You may bring him to be nourished by their truth and reality as unveiled in heaven through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

A remarkable conversion and his whole life was then given to the Lord. So, he understood what mercy really was because he experienced mercy on the most intense levels of his life.

“And he became such a beautiful minister of that mercy. I see that at Holy Cross Parish because confessions are nonstop and are at any time and any hour. ‘Father, can I go to confession?’ ‘Father, can I go to confession?’ And there is never a ‘no.’ And never ‘I don’t have time.’ He was always this beautiful vessel of God’s mercy, this beautiful person through whom the mercy of God flowed upon so many souls. He really did come to set the earth on fire with our Lord because he wanted everyone to experience the love and the mercy that he himself had experienced in our Lord, Jesus Christ, particularly through the loving hands of the Immaculate.

He was truly a priest of Jesus Christ. … When the Lord told us to love the Lord our God, He said

to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. The key word there: All,” he explained.

Father Engo shared that when Father Stone responded to the love of Christ in his conversion and priesthood, he did so with full measure—no half measures— and with all his mind, all his soul, and all his strength.

“And he gave his all—both to the Lord in his personal life of prayer, to the beautiful truths of our faith, but truly loving his neighbor not as himself, but loving his neighbor as Christ loved us,” the Franciscan priest said.

“Father Ron understood the priesthood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, with such depth. It wasn’t for him like those days of bodybuilding…. It wasn’t like those days in the Navy…. It wasn’t like anything he was being attached to; it wasn’t some thing to give himself to. His priesthood wasn’t some thing. It was Jesus Christ,”

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ing”—so did the first and second readings from Wisdom and 2 Corinthians.

“The righteous one, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time. Nor can it be measured in terms of years.

Rather, understanding passes for gray hair, and an unsullied life is the attainment of old age.

“The one who pleased God was loved, living among sinners, was transported—snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; For the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right, and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind.

“Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness. But the people saw and did not understand, nor did they take that consideration into account” Wisdom 4:7-15.

And… “Brothers and sisters, for God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ. But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.

“We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body” 2 Corinthians 4:6-10.

“He wanted that Gospel read because he wanted that last line: ‘I’ve come to set the world on fire.’ I believe Father Ron saw himself as working with the Lord to set hearts and souls on fire.

And truly he did for 22 beautiful years of his priesthood. And when he became a priest, he understood that the priesthood required of him everything.

Everything! And when Father Ron entered into his priesthood, he understood the fact that the priesthood is the one gift given

by God in the seven sacraments that’s not for the person who received it. We receive baptism for our salvation, right? We receive baptism according to the grace of God, and so many blessings we receive are for us. Holy Communion is for us to come into that deeper union with God. Confirmation, to be strengthened in the life of God, is for us,” Father Engo said.

“But the priesthood is the one gift that is given not for the person who receives it. His priesthood is for God’s people. He is to be the minister of the sacraments.

He is to be the bridge between heaven and earth. In the Old Testament, when Moses was interceding for the people, he stood there, and there was a breach between him and God, and he pleaded for the people and received mercy for the people,” he added.

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Fr. Stone continued from page A4

Farewell to a good and faithful servant Above: Father David Mary Engo, OFM, assisted by Deacon Walt Otey, gives the final commendation for Father Ron Stone to conclude the funeral Mass. Below: Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre watches as priests and deacons bless the casket of Father Stone with holy water in the narthex of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Father Scholz then delivered a eulogy, recalling their 27-year friendship that dated to their days in seminary at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut. He also recounted Father Stone’s tumultuous youth and equally chaotic young adulthood.

He described the university for aspiring priests as a faith-based center for mostly middle-aged men who already had jobs and careers out in the world and later they decided they wanted to become priests.

“We had people from all walks of life. One man was a colonel who was a pilot in the Vietnam War who later became an astrophysicist before he became a priest. Another was an airborne Ranger; another was a commercial airline pilot. And we had an FBI psychologist who was a criminal profiler. It was amazing to see that all these men changed their lives and decided to become priests for Jesus Christ,” Father Scholz recalled.

“Father Ron was born in Germany, and his early life was spent in foster homes. He was severely abused in these foster homes when he was a youngster.

So, when he reached his teenage years, I think he was about 13 or 14, he came over with his older sister to America. He eventually became a bouncer for one of the largest bars just outside of Washington, D.C. He became entangled in nightlife and got into drugs. He became a cocaine addict. He used to make trips down to Florida to buy drugs, cocaine, from the cartels down there,” he added.

That addiction led to a deathdefying ordeal for the young man who would be ordained to the priesthood.

“He became so addicted to cocaine that it almost killed him.

His friend just happened to stop by his residence and found him collapsed on the floor one day. And he rushed him to the hospital, and Father Ron asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on him. And, of course, He did, and saved his life,” said Father Scholz in further explaining how God’s grace, a belief in Jesus Christ, and faith in the Blessed Mother stripped away the chains of addiction and led Father Stone on a path of recovery and reconciliation.

“As you know, there’s no such thing as coincidences. Jesus Christ saved Father Ron through Fr. Stone continued on page A25

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Visa continued from page A21

special immigrant category, which also includes juvenile immigrants and former employees of federal agencies abroad, “never faced a backlog,” said Miguel Naranjo, director of the Religious Immigration Services section of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC), which works with U.S. dioceses and religious communities to bring foreign-born Church workers and seminarians into the United States.

Then, earlier this year, “the State Department and Homeland Security announced in the federal register that there had been a misapplication or a misinterpretation of the law in the way the government had calculated the number [of applicants who could apply for a visa

from this category].”

A ballooning immigration crisis at the southern border of the United States provided the context for the shift in federal immigration policy.

“A large number of juveniles have come across the border and applied to that special immigrant category,” explained Mr. Naranjo, and the government put limits on applicants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The government now argues that its past treatment of this class of applicants was a mistake that must be addressed by increasing the number applying from the three Central American countries to make up for the past restrictions.

Mr. Naranjo estimated that the resulting backlog for other applicants in this category will be

lengthy.

“It will be five, seven, or even 10 years before a religious worker or anyone else in the special immigrant category will be able to obtain permanent resident status,” he said.

He described the decision as “a lightning bolt that came out of nowhere.”

Mr. Naranjo’s organization has joined with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders of all faiths to advocate for a resolution.

If the new rule cannot be rescinded, the USCCB and other U.S. faith leaders have proposed that the one-year delay before religious workers can reapply for a new R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker visa be reduced to six months or even 90 days. A shorter period out-

Fr. Stone continued from page A24

this near-death experience because He wanted him to have a conversion. And he did. He had a great conversion. He wanted him to be with His priests. That day, he met Jesus Christ face to face, and it changed his life completely.

And from that moment on, he had a great love for Jesus, and for His mother, Mary, and for all the saints. In fact, from that moment on, he had a great love for all things Catholic,” Father Scholz said.

That remarkable conversion led Father Stone to the seminary and even a personal meeting with Pope St. John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican, which had a profound impact on the priest-in-training.

Father Scholz then shared some recent history about Father Stone’s spiritual journey to East Tennessee. Father Stone was ordained to the priesthood in June 2001 and has been serving in the Diocese of Knoxville since 2014. In addition to Holy Cross, he has served at the Handmaids of the Precious Blood monastery and at St. Jude Parish in Helenwood.

“Father Ron spent the first part of his priesthood serving in the Santa Fe Archdiocese in New Mexico. He later transferred to our diocese when the Handmaids of the Precious Blood moved from New Mexico (to East Tennessee). Father Ron was their spiritual director. So, I was reunited with my buddy. We had many of the same interests. He loved fast cars. I love fast cars. He had Corvettes when he was younger, Harley-Davidsons. Now, I have a Camry so I don’t get into trouble. We were both Steelers fans. He was a great Pittsburgh Steelers fan. In the seminary, we often played basketball together. That’s really how we got to know each other very well,” Father Scholz remembered.

He shared that when Father Stone had become very sick and believed death was near, he told Father Scholz he would accept his sufferings and offer them to Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Christ wants us to be a part of His family so much, that He even allows us to share in His suffering as He redeems us. And when we share our sufferings with Christ, it makes our suffering more bearable. It gives our suffering its true meaning. And it adds to the treasure chest of the Church that all others are brought from. A priest offering his suffering to Christ has a special significance because he is conformed to Christ in a special way. He is another Christ. It’s a mystery we can’t understand, but we can offer our suffering to Jesus, and it helps other people. Isn’t that wonderful?” Father Scholz said.

Archbishop Fabre thanked the congregation for attending Father Stone’s funeral Mass, with special acknowledgment for those Holy Cross members who were in attendance.

“You know, a priest cannot authentically live the priesthood unless he allows himself to be loved appropriately by others. He can’t live his priesthood if he does not appropriately love others and allow in appropriate ways others to love him. So, I thank you, sincerely, for loving Father Ron. I know that your love strengthened him in his priesthood. I thank you, the faithful here in the Diocese of Knoxville, in a particular way the faithful of Pigeon Forge, where Father Ron served. Thank you for loving him and strengthening him in his priesthood,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Fabre told the congregation that he had spoken to Archbishop John C. Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and expressed great gratitude to the Church in Santa Fe, Archbishop Wester, priests, deacons, and religious and faithful in Santa Fe for sharing Father Stone with the Diocese of Knoxville.

“Archbishop Wester sends his sincere sympathies to the Diocese of Knoxville, to the faithful of Pigeon Forge, and to all who love Father Ron,” Archbishop Fabre said.

The archbishop said Father Stone’s body was returned to Santa Fe, where the faithful there celebrated a Mass to remember Father Stone and commended the priest to God. TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

“... One thing Father Ron knew in his life was the mercy of God. He experienced it so powerfully. He was at a point where he should have been lost. He was lost, and his life was at an end, really.

When that day came, and Our Lady interceded in his life, everything turned around for him, and his whole life was then given to the Lord. So, he understood what mercy really was because he experienced mercy on the most intense levels of his life.”

— Father David Mary Engo, OFM

“... As you know, there’s no such thing as coincidences. Jesus Christ saved Father Ron through this near-death experience because He wanted him to have a conversion. And he did. He had a great conversion. He wanted him to be with His priests. That day, he met Jesus Christ face to face, and it changed his life completely. And from that moment on, he had a great love for Jesus, and for His mother, Mary, and for all the saints. In fact, from that moment on, he had a great love for all things Catholic.”

— Father Mark Scholz Deacon Anderson has served with Father Stone since his ordination to the permanent diaconate in June 2022. And in that time, his appreciation and respect for the priest has continually grown. “(Father Stone) started out being my spiritual director for formation. Then he was my pastor. We moved from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Townsend to be there because I wanted to have more experience of being a deacon. Then he became my boss. His degree of expertise and detail at the altar was amazing. I remember the first time I placed the purificator as I was purifying the vessels. After Mass was over, we went into the sacristy, and he told me it was off by a quarter of an inch.

He said, ‘You’re getting closer to a 16th.’ He wanted his altar looking very, very proper.

And I realize now that it meant everything,” Deacon Anderson said, citing as an example Father Stone’s passion for the faith.

“He was beloved and will be greatly missed,” the deacon continued. www.di o k no x .o rg

side the country, they say, would limit the costs to the applicant and the disruption to pastoral placements in the United States.

“That one-year period is really problematic for dioceses and other Catholic institutions that are employing these religious workers,” said David Spicer, senior policy adviser for migration and refugee services at the USCCB. “Having a priest away from his parish for a year isn’t sustainable.”

Mr. Spicer noted that the rule change could also affect Catholic schools and nursing homes staffed by foreign-born men and women religious, as well as pastoral programs that depend on well-formed lay immigrants who share the language and culture of newly arrived Catholics. ■

Holy Cross parishioner Sheila Johns helped care for Father Stone during his illness. She agrees with Deacon Anderson that their pastor will be greatly missed by the Holy Cross community.

“He was our pastor for nearly seven years.

We absolutely loved him. He made you grow closer and closer to God,” Ms. Johns said.

Ms. Johns was among the Holy Cross members who participated in Father Stone’s Bible studies, and she was inspired by his passion for the Gospel.

“He would give long homilies, but he wanted you to learn something as you left Mass,” she said. “He wanted you to get to heaven and be closer to God.” Jim O’Rourke, Maureen Flynn, Ann Bolmarcich, and Kathy Schofield were among the apostolate group from Virginia attending the funeral Mass. They fondly recalled Father Stone and the time he spent with Signs of the Times.

“When we first met (Father Stone) when he came to the apostolate, a woman who saw Ron at church could tell he had gone through something very powerful. She said, ‘I know this man, and I told him to come because you need volunteers.’ And I said, ‘yes.’ When he walked in, he had these snakeskin cowboy boots on. He had the longer kind of hair. He looked like a biker. But oh, he had great spirit,” Ms. Flynn recalled.

“He worked as a volunteer for several years, and then he discerned a call to the priesthood. Then he used to always come back once or twice a year and visit with all of us. We have a magazine called ‘Signs and Wonders for Our Times’ in which we write about conversions and miracles and healings.

My husband and I have said (Father Stone) is a walking divine mercy. The Lord has touched his life so beautifully that now he is able to reach out to so many people who are going through suffering. And he is able to reach out to these young kids who were thinking of doing drugs. He would talk to them about what happened to him when he was a cocaine addict for many years. We wrote a story about his conversion for our magazine. He has touched so many lives all over the place,” she added.

Ms. Schofield also has fond memories of a younger Ron Stone relating to youth in such a spiritually enriching way.

“In the early years before he became a priest, he was our St. Joseph. He had a devotion to young people. He helped me with my son from age 12 to 17. I had other children, and he prayed for them all the time. … He was always there for us every day. If you needed anything as a single parent, he did it. And he was fun. He was a lot of fun,” she shared.

Ms. Schofield credited Father Stone for influencing her children to grow into faithbased adult lives.

Mr. O’Rourke remembers then-Ron Stone as one of the apostolate’s first volunteers and noted that he and Father Stone at one time were roommates who shared an apartment in Herndon, Va. At the time, both men were discerning calls to the priesthood, with Mr. O’Rourke choosing marriage as his vocation.

“He was quite a guy. He was very caring.

He cared about people, which is one of the things that brought him into the priesthood.

He had a tremendous conversion story. He understood how people struggle with things.

He was able to help a lot of people out because he could really relate. Also, he had tremendous piety,” Mr. O’Rourke said.

Ms. Bolmarcich said it’s the first time in her life of 68 years that experiencing the death of someone so close is complete joy.

“I had the opportunity to meet this person.

God placed this person in my path for the salvation of my soul, literally. I knew he was going to pass away, but I was just joyous because he is in heaven, and he is with our Lord and Our Lady and interceding for us here on earth. He’ll do more work in heaven than he did here,” she said. ■ JANUARY 7, 2024 n A25

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