Jan. 7, 2024, ET Catholic, B section

Crazy Quilt party gives kids a merrier Christmas The Catholic Charities ministry in Newcomb distributes toys to more than 250 children

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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he annual Christmas party at the Crazy Quilt Friendship Center in Newcomb on Dec. 16 saw more than 250 young people receive toys, bicycles, and more.

Donations from East Tennessee Catholics and churchgoers of other faith traditions helped make Christmas a little brighter for needy children of Appalachia who live in and around the northern Campbell County town outside of Jellico along the Kentucky border.

Crazy Quilt is a ministry of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee that is nearly 50 years old. It operates a food pantry and a Pregnancy Help Center, and its toy distribution at Christmastime has benefited thousands over the years.

Program supervisor Ed Bryant of Catholic Charities stood at the door of the Crazy Quilt during the party and kept the line of children and their families moving, inviting those waiting to enter the center and wishing those leaving a merry Christmas.

Mr. Bryant, who lives in Newcomb and has worked for Catholic Charities since 2011, has taken part in the toy giveaway for 25 years.

“This is my neighborhood. This is where I go to church. This is my community, and I like to help my community all I can,” he said. “We like to help the most vulnerable people in our community and the surrounding area. We appreciate

The Grinch who gives Christmas toys Allison Overbay, program coordinator for the Pregnancy Help Center at the Crazy Quilt Friendship Center, has her Grinch mask off as she shows a toddler an array of toys.

Catholic Charities and what they do for us here. They have really helped us in this community, and I just can’t thank them enough.”

Mr. Bryant’s wife, Pat, has volunteered alongside him the whole time. She said the party “to me, means the kids get something. For

some of them, this is all they get.”

Deacon David Duhamel, executive director of CCETN, attended the Christmas party in Newcomb.

“It means a lot to the kids, and for us at Catholic Charities, it’s one of our most important missions that we have here, serving

the people, our neighbors, up here in the Appalachia region of East Tennessee,” he said. [The party] brings a little bit of Christmas cheer to these kids who may not have the resources or the ability to have the Christmas that most of us Crazy Quilt continued on page B2

St. Ann Parish in Lancing serves its neighbors The small Morgan County community ‘jumps at the chance’ to offer a Holiday Food Box distribution By Bill Brewer

BILL BREWER

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lot can happen in a year.

And a lot did. Just ask the members of St. Ann Church in Lancing.

During the 2022 Christmas holiday, parishioners in the Morgan County Catholic community were hoping to identify ways to better serve their broader county community.

But a small, rural mission parish has limited resources, and opportunities to begin a new ministry are limited.

But God’s timing and His plans were perfect. And a year later, St. Ann launched its first ministry in years to serve its Morgan County neighbors: the Holiday Food Box distribution.

“It was very much a hands-on experience. It’s the first time we’ve been able to reach out to the community on a broad basis. Last year at Christmas (2022), we were looking at ways to serve our community, but we didn’t have the means.

Deacon Dave reached out to us to see if we would be willing to help out, and we jumped at the chance,” said Nancy Jurkoic, one of several St. Ann members who volunteered to get the Holiday Food Box ministry off the ground.

Deacon Dave is Deacon David Duhamel, newly appointed executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, the Diocese of Knoxville’s leading social-services agency.

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, who is serving as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville until a new bishop is named, last month removed the interim tag from Deacon Duhamel’s position, making him the executive director of Catholic Charities on a permanent basis.

Deacon Duhamel succeeds Lisa

Food for families Taking part in the Holiday Food Box distribution for St. Ann Parish in Lancing are Dudley and Ruth Hurst; Mark and Coleen Patterson; Ed Hajost; Ted Lucas; Matt, Dani, and Nathan Van Dalen; Jeremy and Nancy Jurkoic; Rick Bemis; Frank, Nancy, and Alex Boniewski; Betty Kober; and Mary Jo Hooker.

Healy, who retired as executive director earlier in 2023.

Deacon Duhamel in 2023 reached out to St. Ann about becoming a new site that Catholic Charities’ Hope Kitchen could help serve.

Hope Kitchen provides relief to families through food and basic necessities in partnership with community organizations and parishes.

St. Ann was a good fit for the Hope Kitchen even with the rural parish’s limited resources.

“St. Ann is a great community.

They are very willing and actively engaged in helping their neighbors in Morgan County,” Deacon Du-

hamel said.

One of Catholic Charities’ many missions is to ease the economic burden of East Tennesseans across the 36 counties the agency serves.

And one of the ways it is accomplishing that mission is through its Hope Kitchen.

“Morgan County is a very underserved county. Catholic Charities is actively looking at ways to extend our reach in counties like Morgan,” said Deacon Duhamel, who praised Father Michael Sweeney, pastor of St. Ann, for helping bring about the Holiday Food Box ministry.

Father Sweeney also is pastor of

Blessed Sacrament Parish in Harriman and St. Christopher Parish in Jamestown.

“I made the offer, and they took it and ran with it,” Deacon Duhamel said about St. Ann and its members.

He said Catholic Charities staffers Michelle Kitts and Paul Ritter led the effort to get 4.5 tons of food to Lancing for the December distribution. Y-12 Federal Credit Union and its FCU Gives Grant helped make the food supplies possible.

Deacon Duhamel hopes St. Ann’s Holiday Food Box ministry and St. Ann continued on page B3

experience.”

The Pregnancy Help Center at the Crazy Quilt, blessed by Cardinal Justin Rigali in 2017, is led by program coordinator Allison Overbay.

“We have approximately 23 mothers who she’s working with and helping their families,” Deacon Duhamel said. “Some of those families are here today. I just encountered one family with three little ones.

It’s a very complementary program between the Crazy Quilt and the Pregnancy Help Center.”

Michelle Kitts, program director for Catholic Charities, also came to the party. She is a native of Jacksboro, the county seat of Campbell County located about 30 miles south of Newcomb.

The toy distribution “gives us a chance to really reach out to our community, get to know the kids, get to know the people we’re serving up here. It really helps build the relationship for the work we continue on during the year,” she said.

“There’s a lot of poverty in this community.”

The toys come from a variety of sources, according to Ms. Kitts.

“Some come out of Knoxville, just community members collecting. Some come from our parishes.

Sometimes we just have community members come into the office and drop off toys,” she said.

The Jellico Rescue Squad provided security and traffic control for the Christmas party. Marty Bowlin, a captain with the rescue squad, handed out bags to each family leaving the party.

“The bags are full of snacks, treats, and stocking stuffers for the kids,” Ms. Kitts said.

Patty Hicks, sporting reindeer antlers at the party, has volunteered for some 10 years at the Crazy Quilt.

“This is so good for Newcomb because we don’t have much here,” she said of the event. “There’s a lot of need here.”

As a school cook for 30 years at Jellico High School and the nowclosed Newcomb Elementary School, Ms. Hicks remembers some of the young parents attending the Crazy Quilt party when they visited as kids and received toys.

“I saw a lot of the kids who are coming through here today when they were young people and came and got toys,” she said.

Ms. Overbay, program coordinator for the Pregnancy Help Center at the Crazy Quilt, wore a Grinch costume at the Christmas party and said she knew most of the smaller children who came. She said “there’s not a whole lot here to do” in Newcomb.

“For them, getting to come out here and pick out whatever they want, I’m sure it’s made their whole week,” she said.

A good number of the children coming to the party were infants whose parents were assisted by the pregnancy center, which offers an array of clothing, diapers, and other items to help young moms and dads.

“Most of the kids who come in here have been through the center here,” Ms. Overbay said. “Their parents have been signed up, so I kind of know them. When they come in here to buy stuff, they bring the older ones with them. A lot of them just call me Miss Allison when they come in—they sit there

and color while their parents are in here.”

As the Grinch, Ms. Overbay did not attempt to steal Christmas as did her Dr. Seuss counterpart, but she did frighten a couple of youngsters.

“One of them was my own. She wouldn’t even let me hold her,” she said.

Crazy Quilt was founded in 1975

by Sister Yvonne Nelson of the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary and has been a ministry of Catholic Charities for many years.

The center survived a 2002 fire that destroyed the entire contents of its original building, reopening in 2004 at its current location.

Wanda Perkins attended the Christmas party in December and well remembers Sister Yvonne, Sister Anne Hablas, PBVM, and Sister Sheila Barrett, PBVM, from their years of service at the Crazy Quilt.

“They’re the ones who helped me from the Catholic diocese, through the Crazy Quilt, get my GED, and I went on and helped other people get their GED, plus I helped run a college program through CarsonNewman,” Ms. Perkins recalled.

“We did a college program here locally, and I was on that board.

Carson-Newman came in, and we had 40-some people get their BA degree.”

The Presentation Sisters “were so good,” she added. “It was kind of like God sent them. They were trying to help everybody, like me—I was a high school dropout. At the age of 19, I had three kids. I got my GED through Sister Anne Hablas, and then she took me to Morehead State University for four nights for training—I’d never been away from my kids. Through the Campbell County school board, I became the first para-professional tutor in the state of Tennessee. I went out into the homes and the mountains and helped people learn to read and write and get their GED.” Crazy Quilt formerly offered a craft program to help those it served earn a little extra money.

“I would make crafts to pay my electric bill. You’d get like 45 cents a craft. There are a lot of stories here,” Ms. Perkins said.

Mr. Bryant estimates there were about 600 toys at the Christmas party.

“We were planning on 250 kids.

We’re a bit close to that. We really appreciate our donors,” he said. “We have one group that has helped the Crazy Quilt for years.

They don’t have any affiliation with Catholic Charities, but they have been a donor. They’ve raised money every year and gone out and bought toys. They started doing that back before I ever went to work for Catholic Charities.”

A number of toys were left over after the party. Mr. Bryant said those toys will find a home at schools as well as at another facility started by the Presentation Sisters near the White Oak community.

“We will gather them up, and we’ll split them among the different places. They have angel trees and kids who they help. We send them stuff to pass out to the kids,” he said.

Mr. Bryant is looking forward to the 2024 Crazy Quilt Christmas party, he said.

“I’m not planning on retiring. I’ll be 79 in January, and I plan on at least being here next year for Christmas.” ■

DAN MCWILLIAMS (5)

Crazy Quilt continued from page B1

Table of toys Pat Bryant (center) talks with Ed Bryant (left) and Deacon David Duhamel as Betty Ashton (in vest) and Patty Hicks look on before the Christmas party at the Crazy Quilt Friendship Center on Dec. 16.

New ride for Christmas A youngster tries out a new bicycle at the Crazy Quilt as her family watches at right. Assisting the girl on her ride is the Grinch, Allison Overbay. Also pictured are Betty Ashton and Gary Douglas.

Door duty Ed Bryant of Catholic Charities kept the line moving in and out of the door at the Crazy Quilt during the Christmas party and toy giveaway Dec. 16. Mr. Bryant wished a merry Christmas to those departing.

Wait—there’s more One child at the Crazy Quilt already has a toy she likes, but Joyce Douglas points out another one she can have. In the background is Michelle Kitts, program director for Catholic Charities. The Crazy Quilt Friendship Center was founded in 1975 by Sister Yvonne Nelson of the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary and has been a ministry of Catholic Charities for many years. The center’s Christmas parties over the years have seen thousands of children receive toys for the special day.

‘It means a lot to the kids’ A young boy looks at a new Fisher Price toy at the Crazy Quilt Christmas party.

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others like it throughout East Tennessee will continue for some time.

“My goal is to continue reaching out to all of our neighbors in the 36 East Tennessee counties we serve,” he said.

Dudley Hurst and his wife, Ruth, have been St. Ann members for 20 years. He serves as cantor for the weekly Mass, and she is the church sacristan.

Mr. Hurst doesn’t recall many, if any, ministries that have served outside of the parish and into the county since his return in the early 2000s from Pennsylvania.

“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this that I’m aware of in the St. Ann community in a food ministry. St. Ann Parish is a very small community, and there always seems to be folks helping each other in ministry,” said Mr. Hurst, who is a Morgan County farmer and raises cattle.

That’s not to say St. Ann doesn’t have a track record for helping its neighbors. It does.

Mr. Hurst said Morgan County’s Catholic community does have a history of ministry and outreach, and specifically mentioned Habitat for Humanity and two Catholic Sisters who performed after-school learning programs for children in the rural county.

“But it’s been at least 15 years since we’ve seen any kind of outreach with the Catholic faith in this community,” he noted. “This is a brand-new ministry. We were blessed to have Deacon Dave Duhamel think of our community with a food ministry. Catholic Charities of East Tennessee and its Hope Kitchen were able to put together a grant that we were able to receive a little over four-and-a-half tons of nonperishable food items. So, Deacon Dave was able to contact us and asked us if we would be interested in participating in that ministry. As a parish, we agreed to, and we’ve been able to come together and make it happen for families.”

There are several reasons why Morgan County is on Catholic Charities’ radar, which makes St. Ann a logical staging area for Catholic outreach to a rural area where low incomes and limited job opportunities abound.

Mr. Hurst said that according to the state, several Tennessee counties are recognized as in need, and Morgan County is one of them.

“Coincidentally, Morgan County is one of the largest counties in the state in area, with its location between Nashville and Knoxville and the Oak Ridge community nearby.

It’s surrounded by well-established communities that have a lot of means to offer support. Morgan County is just one of those areas in need of help,” he pointed out.

He cited industries that have moved away and the number of low-income families that call the Cumberland Plateau county home.

He described Morgan as a minimum-wage county.

“There is a huge income gap in Morgan and Scott counties. Morgan and Scott County both are just a big hole in terms of having necessary, fundamental resources,” he said.

Mr. Hurst believes St. Ann’s new food distribution ministry is being well received.

“Everyone in the parish has been overwhelmingly supportive of the ministry. I would say half of the parish is participating. It hasn’t just been something that people have paid lip service in supporting.

People have put their elbow grease toward this,” he said. “And that’s been the key to what a real blessing this is. It’s a gift to us to be able to serve others. It’s a gift for us to share with families in need. We’re grateful to the diocese for thinking of us out here and giving us the means to do that. And we are grateful that we have the hands here willing to do it.”

Mr. Hurst shared that the new ministry not only helps bring the small church together, more importantly it helps bring the church together with its neighbors.

“It’s good fun, and most importantly we’re meeting neighbors. A lot of folks out here are putting a face to a name. In a small community like this, we bump into each other. It’s making new friends. It’s meeting your neighbors. It’s getting to know each other and helping one another,” he said.

Mr. Hurst and those participating in the new St. Ann ministry are hopeful the ministry will continue.

“We’re not an affluent parish.

We’re a mission parish. I do think the diocese recognizing us out here is a positive. And Deacon Dave Duhamel, with an idea that was laid on his heart, acted on it, and here we are,” he said. “I would like to see it be much more than an annual occurrence. I think our community has a real need, a regular need. We called this a Holiday Food Box distribution. But with Catholic Charities and the Hope Kitchen, I believe there is a demand for family support in this community with food for mothers and children. We see that need, especially with people who are economically challenged.”

Perhaps the Holiday Food Box will offer nourishing meals on other holidays throughout the year.

“I would like to think that maybe if we’re successful in demonstrating that we’re frugal with the gifts that we’re provided out here, then maybe we all can see an opportunity to help people out here more. All the people are so grateful and appreciative,” Mr. Hurst said.

He joined Deacon Duhamel in crediting Father Sweeney for helping make the Holiday Food Box distribution happen.

“Father Sweeney, without his support and continued help with the church and its ministries out here, this wouldn’t be possible. The only

BILL BREWER (4)

St. Ann continued from page B1

‘Getting to know each other and helping one another’ St. Ann volunteers with the Holiday Food Box ministry load a car with food baskets. thing he hasn’t done is dress up like Santa Claus for it. He’s a wonderful pastor and priest for us here. This wouldn’t happen without his approval,” Mr. Hurst noted.

Among those taking part in the Holiday Food Box distribution, in addition to Mr. Hurst, was his wife, Ruth; Mark and Coleen Patterson; Ed Hajost; Ted Lucas; Matt, Dani, and Nathan Van Dalen; Jeremy and Nancy Jurkoic; Rick Bemis; Frank, Nancy, and Alex Boniewski; Betty Kober; and Mary Jo Hooker.

The distribution crew gathered in the church parking lot on a chilly Saturday morning, Dec. 16, ready to hand out boxes of goods to vehicles that would drive through. Each vehicle received two boxes of food, enough to feed a family of four for a week.

Assorted items included chicken, milk, vegetables, canned goods including fish, oats, nuts, bread and bread mixes, cereal, fruit, peanut butter, crackers, and macaroni and cheese.

A steady stream of cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs pulled into St. Ann’s parking lot in single file for the fast-paced hand-off. Most of

the people receiving the fruits of St. Ann’s ministry had pre-registered, but not all.

Ms. Boniewski, Ms. Jurkoic, and Ms. Hurst emphasized the high quality of the food that was distributed.

“This really shows the quality of what we have,” said Ms. Boniewski.

“And there’s a variety of what we have,” added Ms. Jurkoic.

Ms. Hurst explained that Catholic Charities and its Hope Kitchen delivered 4.5 tons of food to St. Ann to be distributed to Morgan County residents.

Ms. Jurkoic shared the St. Ann volunteers’ sentiments that the small parish has been ready to step up and minister in a county-wide way. She explained that average Sunday attendance at the church is 32 people, and there are about 45 families registered with the parish.

“As individuals, we do what we can. Our church here is a mission church. This community is over 100 years old. It started in Deer Lodge, and then it relocated to Wartburg before settling in Lancing,” she said, relishing St. Ann’s history and continuing ministry. ■

Fill ’er up Alex Boniewski of St. Ann Parish in Lancing helps fill a delivery vehicle with boxes of food.

‘All the people are so grateful’ Nancy Jurkoic, Nancy Boniewski, and Ruth Hurst show some of the food items provided by Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

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Parish notes Chattanooga Deanery

St. Mary, Athens

Holy Spirit, Soddy-Daisy

Sixteen parishioners took part in the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner hosted by the Rhea of Hope outreach organization Dec. 1. Knights of Columbus Council 11424 provides monetary and physical support for the group’s weekly and monthly food distribution serving Rhea County.

More than 15 youngsters received their first sacrament of reconciliation at the parish’s Advent penance service Dec. 7.

The St. Bridget Women’s Council celebrated January and February birthdays at a luncheon at the Vietnamese Bistro in Dayton on Jan. 16.

Father Jim Vick resumed his Bible study classes after the holidays with classes held at 2 and 7 p.m. Tuesdays.

The topic continues to be the Gospel according to John.

St. Jude, Chattanooga With the 51st anniversary of Roe v.

Wade coming up on Jan. 22, the Knights of Columbus are asking St. Jude parishioners to take part in three pro-life activities. First is a Novena for Life through Jan. 24. Next is a Respecting Life Rosary at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19, near Ashland Terrace at the church. Participants will use a large rosary—60 people are needed, one for each bead. Finally, Greater Chattanooga Right to Life will be holding its annual March for Life in Chattanooga, beginning with a rally at 12:15 p.m. and the march at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Walker Pavilion in Coolidge Park.

Learn more at www.prolifechatt.org.

The annual Alternative Gift Project continues through Jan. 28 to benefit St. Jude’s twin parish in GrosMorne, Haiti. Gifts may include books for schoolchildren, tools and seeds, pay for a Haitian teacher, religious-instruction books, and fuel to run generators. See the gift form in the Jan. 7 parish bulletin available at discovermass.com/church/ st-jude-chattanooga-tn/#bulletins.

The Knights of Columbus are collecting new and gently used coats for the community through the end of January. Coats may be dropped off in the collection box in the narthex.

The Knights thanked all who helped with a recent parish cleanup. About 40 adults, young adults, and children took part. The Knights also thanked Jesus Sanchez and Mexi-Wing in Athens for providing a meal for the group.

COURTESY OF SUSAN COLLINS

St. Bridget, Dayton

The Full Circle Medical Center for Women in Athens thanked parishioners for their recent donation of $942.37 through a baby-bottle campaign.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga The youth group collected funds and donated items in January for its annual Backpacks for the Homeless ministry.

The group’s goal was to fill 50 backpacks with a variety of items such as snacks, toothpaste, bars of soap, hand warmers, and more.

The Knights of Columbus are now selling tickets for the Valentine’s Dinner Dance on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Notre Dame Parish honors Father Whitman’s 40th anniversary Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville surprised Father Dan Whitman with a party Nov. 10 at the home of parishioner Jean HagenBurger to honor his 40th anniversary of priestly ordination. Above, Father Whitman “cuts up” with Gigi Chasey.

Ms. Chasey was a parishioner of Notre Dame during Father Whitman’s assignment there before moving to Florida. She came back to visit friends and attended Father Whitman’s celebration. Father Whitman’s last assignment before retiring was at Notre Dame. For a story on his 40th anniversary, see the Dec. 3 edition of The East Tennessee Catholic.

The Knights’ Ladies Auxiliary sponsored the annual Cookie Walk/bake sale in the administration building following Masses on Dec. 16-17. Proceeds supported St. Stephen Parish, the Maclellan Shelter in Chattanooga, the Ladies of Charity, and other organizations in the city.

Anniversaries: Norman and Joyce Shelton (63), Bill and Patricia Wood (56), Edwin and Patricia Bowmer (50), Rich and Karen Ryland (15), Frank and Lynette Brody (5)

Cumberland Mountain Deanery Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The parish thanked those who supported the angel tree this past Christmas. Gifts and a Christmas dinner were provided for several families in need.

COURTESY OF KATHY MEYERKORD

Pastor Monsignor Al Humbrecht’s next book study will be on “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parish hall at the church Saturday, Jan. 27. Call the office at 423-332-5300 or e-mail hscc_parish@holyspirittn. com to register so that enough handouts may be provided. A covered-dish meal will be shared at 1:15 p.m.

Paulette Croteau will lead a rosary in support of life at noon Saturday, Jan. 20, at the entrance to the church parking lot.

The Blessed Sacrament ladies guild hosted an opportunity Jan. 14 for parishioners to meet the directors of ministries the guild’s members work with: Hands of Mercy food pantry of Roane County, Life Choices Medical Center in Harriman, and Kairos Prison Ministry.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade

As part of Catholic Schools Week, the Knights are hosting a kids/family night at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.

Recent Knights families of the month were Deacon Paul and Shirley Nelson for October, Roger and Kathie Preston for November, and Bob and Julie Bomar for December. The Knights also recently donated $500 to Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Pregnancy Help Center as part of the Knights’ Aid and Support after Pregnancy Program. The Knights Supreme Council will donate another $100. The St. Jude Knights thanked parishioners for donating more than 1,000 items for its Coats for Christmas drive.

Items were given to the CHATT Foundation (formerly Chattanooga Kitchen) and the Ladies of Charity’s resale store.

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The Social Action Committee prays the rosary on first Mondays for the prisoners at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. They also pray for the Prayer Warriors Pen Pals who write to the prisoners.

The parish grandparents room has children’s and adult’s items to use during family visits, from baby items to adult walkers. For more information, call Mary Ellen Kurtzman at 931-4849126, Cathie Fugiel at 931-200-4536, or Susan Flynn at 931-287-0561.

St. Francis-Townsend parishioner leads angel-tree effort Every year, an angel tree is placed in the fellowship hall at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Townsend. This effort is organized by the Blount County Foster Parent Association, a nonprofit organization for foster, kinship, and adoptive families that provides information and resources for current and future foster parents. Laura Rapien, a St. Francis parishioner and a foster parent for the last 22 years, leads the effort at the parish. This year, there were 44 tags on the tree, with each child having two tags. As a result, 22 children had a special Christmas thanks to the generosity of St. Francis parishioners. Each year, Mrs. Rapien and her daughters place the tags on the tree, then collect the gifts and deliver them so they can all be organized. After all the gifts are collected, an entire gym floor is filled with presents for the foster children.

Mrs. Rapien is pictured with Grace Rapien (left) and Zuri Hattaway.

The 383 Boxes of Joy filled in July helped provide a merry Christmas around the world via Cross Catholic Outreach. There was $87 left after paying for the shipment, which was sent to Father Glenn Meaux for his Kobonal Haiti Mission.

Eric Reed of Philadelphia, Pa., was the parish’s guest pianist Dec. 11. He was a child prodigy at age 2 and played in his minister’s church at 5. At 11, he studied at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. He has worked with jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and composed music for Eddie Murphy. He played his favorite sacred selections in a performance that was livestreamed. After the presentation, parishioners attended a lunch with Bach music in the parish hall and viewed a video featuring John Riccardo on the kerygma, titled “Created: Why is there something rather than nothing?”

Parish notes continued on page B8

COURTESY OF STEVE CHARDOS

The annual Father Charlie Chili CookOff, sponsored by the Knights and the Council of Catholic Women, is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in Siener Hall.

Everyone is invited to sample, vote on, and dine on a variety of chilis, toppings, hot dogs, baked potatoes, cornbread, and dessert prepared by fellow parishioners and Knights. Top prizes are $100, $75, and $50. Each person attending may vote on the winning recipe. Admission is $10 to enter your chili or $5 to sample, vote, and dine ($20 for a family with small children).

Space is limited, so sign up by Jan. 26. Call the church office at 423-8702386 or submit the form at the bulletin link above.

St. Jude Knights place wreaths on graves of deceased members Knights of Columbus Council 8576 from St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga participated in a laying of Christmas wreaths Dec. 8 at the graves of deceased council Knights interred at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The Chattanooga Area Veterans Council sponsors a “Wreaths Across Chattanooga” each Christmas to honor those who served in the Armed Forces. As part of that recognition, Council 8576 sponsored wreaths to decorate the graves of past Knights. A group of council members placed a wreath on each Knight’s grave. After placing the wreaths, the Knights said a prayer at each gravesite. From left are Howard Hobart, Kevin Gabor, Mike Monteith, Deacon Brian Gabor, Gary Gabor, and Foster Goodwin.

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Calendar

The Diocese of Knoxville Office of Vocations and the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul are hosting a Vocation Story Night from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 26. The evening will include adoration and vocation stories from basilica rector Father David Carter, Brother Kevin Doerge of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Sister Scholastica of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, and two married couples. Dinner, desserts, and refreshments will be provided.

Applications for the 2024-25 year at St. John Neumann School in Farragut for students in pre-kindergarten-3 through eighth grade are now being accepted through Feb. 1. To apply, visit sjncs-knox.org/admissions/ apply. For more information, contact Mary Marlowe at 865-777-3042 or admissions@sjncs-knox.org.

A Vocations Day for young women ages 14 to 29 is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Participants are invited to meet representatives from several religious communities and learn more about religious life. The day will begin with Mass at 9 a.m.

Breakfast will follow Mass. Beginning at 10:15, information booths and representatives will be in the parish hall to answer questions about religious life and specific communities. Adoration will be available throughout the day. Lunch is provided. For more information, call 865-584-3307 or e-mail Christine.h.blair@gmail.com.

The fifth annual Green & Gold Gala to benefit enhanced campus security at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga is set for 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at The Chattanoogan Hotel.

The event honors Chattanooga Deanery clergy and features dinner, drinks, dancing, and a casino. Purchase tickets, learn about sponsorship opportunities, or obtain more details at myndhs. ejoinme.org/NDGala2024.

The Rites of Election of Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates will take place Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17 and 18, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Cathedral rector Father TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

Regnum Christi-Knoxville is hosting a Lenten Evening of Reflection for women Thursday, Feb. 29, at All Saints Church in Knoxville featuring guest speaker Lindy Wynne of the “Mamas in Spirit” podcast. The evening will begin with a soup supper at 6 p.m., followed by praise and worship music at 6:30, Ms. Wynne’s talk at 7, and adoration from 7:45 until closing.

For more information, e-mail Regnum Christi.Knoxville@gmail.com.

COURTESY OF JANET SPRAKER (2)

Santa makes appearance at St. Bridget Advent/Christmas party St. Bridget Parish in Dayton held its Advent/Christmas party following the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Dec. 9. The little ones in attendance loved the special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus (Bruce and Dianne Pfeiffer). Shown with Santa is Perla Lucero Lopez Bautista. Also enjoying the party are (from left, bottom photo) Barbara Bisson, Jim and Louise Ganss, Ray and Janet Spraker, and Deb and Daniel Smith.

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s “A Golden Gala” event is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at Bridgewater Place in Knoxville. More details will be posted at ccetn.org/events.

The third annual Eastern Tennessee Men’s Conference will be held at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport on Saturday, March 9. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and will end around 3:30 p.m. The theme for 2024 is “Building Foundations.” This year’s conference again aims to be enlightening and spiritually fulfilling for fathers, sons, brothers, and men of all ages. Topics will be geared toward men of all age groups. The event includes breakout sessions, opportunities for reconciliation, eucharistic adoration, and Mass.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and there will be a social at the end of the event for men to continue conversations and fellowship. Cost is $35.

CHRISTINE RAPSYS

The 13th annual Knoxville Catholic High School Green & Gold Gala will be held Friday, Jan. 26, in the University of Tennessee Student Union ballroom. “Irish Legends” John and Sondra Faris will be honored at the event, which will feature live and silent auctions. RSVP at knoxvillecatholic. com/gala/.

A Picture of Love retreat for engaged couples is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation program is a supplement to a couple’s marriage formation with their parish priest or deacon. Picture of Love explores the joys and challenges of living out the sacrament of matrimony with special focus on the importance of inviting Jesus to be the center of marriage and family life. The program will help each couple gain insights into their relationship as well as give them practical ideas and tools to help smooth their journey and become the “Picture of Love” to one another. Meeting times are 6:45 to 10 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday. Cost is $175 per couple.

Payment is due two weeks before the weekend. For a registration form, visit dioknox.org/events/picture-of-lovefeb-2024. Also at the website are three exercises: a personality test, a “love language profile for couples,” and a fillable budget worksheet. Couples are asked to complete the exercises in advance and bring them to the retreat— see the website for more details.

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s annual Race for Kids 5K & Family Walk will be held Saturday, April 20, at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville. The event is CCETN’s principal fundraiser each year and supports all 11 of its children’s and family programming. Registration is $35 for adults ($40 on race day) and $20 for children 5-17 ($25 on race day). Children 4 and under are admitted free. Register or learn more at runsignup.com/Race/ TN/Knoxville/RaceforKids. The race route is viewable at www.mapmyrun. com/routes/view/4914341737.

Catholic in Recovery is a 12-step recovery ministry that holds meetings each Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Mary Church in Johnson City. CIR provides hope and healing from addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments. Family members impacted by a loved one’s addiction are also encouraged to attend. Meetings combine the spiritual principles of 12-step recovery and the sacraments of the Calendar continued on page B8 w ww.di o k no x .o rg

CHRISTINE RAPSYS

Search for Christian Maturity retreat 170 will be held from 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland. Search is a weekend retreat experience sponsored by the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry in collaboration with Notre Dame High School. The weekends are for any high school juniors and seniors. The program is both rooted in the Catholic faith and open to young people of any denomination or creed. Search provides an opportunity to think, talk, question, and wonder about life and faith in an accepting and challenging environment. It is an opportunity to experience God and God’s family in a personal and real way. The weekend is youth- and peer-oriented; it is run by youth, to youth, and for youth, and all under the guidance of a team of adult mentors. Cost for the weekend is $95, which is all-inclusive.

For permission/medical forms, a code of conduct and release, and a team application, or to sponsor a retreatant, visit dioknox.org/events/search-170.

Search 171 is set for Feb. 23-25 at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut, and Search 172 will be held March 1-3 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

David Boettner will preside both days at the events held on the first weekend of Lent. The Rite of Election includes the enrollment of all the catechumens seeking baptism at the coming Easter Vigil. The catechumens publicly express their desire for baptism to the presider. Their names are recorded in a book, and they are called the Elect.

Catechumens and candidates from the Chattanooga and Five Rivers deaneries will celebrate the Rite of Election on Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. Catechumens from the Cumberland Mountain and Smoky Mountain deaneries will celebrate the Rite of Election on Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.

SUSAN COLLINS

Instead of having a March for Life in January, the Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will celebrate the sanctity of life during the entire month of January. A special presentation for churches will be available to share on Sanctity of Life Sunday, Jan. 21. Contact the Knox County TRL chapter at 865-689-1339 or trlknox@ prolifeknox.com for more details.

Dinner with St. Nick Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville held a potluck dinner in the parish hall after Mass on Dec. 6, the memorial of St. Nicholas. The guest of honor, St. Nick, arrived and enjoyed dinner with the children and their families. After dinner, the children gathered at the feet of St. Nicholas to hear his story, narrated by Bella Cruz. They removed their shoes and lined them up so St. Nicholas would remember to fill them with goodies.

The youth group at Notre Dame assisted the children in selecting gifts for their parents and grandparents and helped them wrap the gifts. The children selected the wrapping paper, name tag, and bow and signed a card for their special family members.

JANUARY 7, 2024 n B5

Praying for Perspective

by George Valadie

Old friends can be new ones again in 2024 This new year, he plans to ‘reach out and touch’ at least one acquaintance from days gone by

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appy New Year! Though it’s barely two weeks old, I hope 2024 has already started you well down whatever path you envisioned might lay ahead.

There’s certainly no shortage of fresh new directions I could be taking. Or should be taking.

We all have a monster-size menu of personal changes from which we might choose—any one of which would help me be a better husband, better dad, better human.

But I’m shallow … not thin, but shallow … so losing weight is a big one I have chosen. Now I’m eating less bacon, walking more steps, and already thinking 52 weeks of this nonsense might very well be a pipe dream.

As the previous year was coming to a close, you likely saw the usual news stories and television specials offered to provide a retrospective glimpse of the year just wrapping up.

You know the sort of which I speak—remembering the news events that dominated the headlines, recalling the famous and distinguished who left us, and reminding us of the cultural fads we now follow that weren’t on anyone’s radar a New Year’s ago.

Reflection and introspection aren’t horrible places for each of us to start our new year either. Looking “backward” can give shape to the how and where and why of our “forward.”

The un-walked paths that need walking, those darker places that need avoiding, and the everyday highways that travel more smoothly if we can just keep it in the middle.

In our family, not unlike yours, last year brought its share of ups and downs. Sadly, we bade farewell to three beloved dogs and a hamster that was laid to rest with a frontyard funeral two children won’t soon forget.

But there’s also been the pride that comes with a new job, the excitement that comes with new cars, and the pure joy that comes when a brand-new baby girl joins the world of the human race.

Collectively, our immediate fam-

One New Year’s resolution I decided to add is to spend less time mindlessly scanning my phone looking at random videos. I could write a bunch of books with that block of time alone. Instead, I plan to spend more time scanning my list of contacts and Facebook friends . . . ily broke several bones, tore some muscles, and underwent four different surgeries—not a single one related to any of the broken bones. We traveled a little and stayed put a lot.

And we all watched and cheered as the grandkids took turns doing their thing: soccer and dance, basketball, volleyball, and golf.

We let go of some dreams. And celebrated some others. And one of those others was the book I finally got to write (see page A6).

You never know what each new year will bring. Doing such a thing certainly wasn’t in any of the resolutions I had made for 2023.

I’m hardly the only person who attempted this author thing. Statistics say almost 4 million new titles are released every year.

Most are sold by the truly greats who have publishing companies chasing their every word. The majority of the rest travel the relatively new option offering the self- or hybrid-publishing path. I was proud to join them.

It was an uncooked idea that had been marinating for some 25 years, dating back to the late 1990s when I first began writing columns such as these. Retirement finally gifted me with the time to bring it to full boil.

As part of the whole publishing experience, I was blessed to have been invited to hold a book signing at a previous school in a previous city where I had previously served as principal. I’d never even attended such a thing, much less been the reason for one. But off we went.

Our family last lived there in 1999, and we hadn’t gotten to return nearly as much as we would have liked.

So, it’s been a minute since we’d seen many of these folks.

With no clue what might result or who might drop by, my “what-if-

Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful

no-one?” anxiety turned into a twohour thrill ride allowing Nancy and me to catch up with students and parents and former teachers we had known.

We hugged and laughed and told the tales we could recall. By event’s conclusion, our memories—mine and hers and theirs—had all melted together to weave a remarkably beautiful vignette of whom we had known and what we had shared when we were together those many years ago.

There was the preschool teacher who reminded me I had assigned her to teach 25 4-year-olds in the school’s chapel with no windows and no bathroom. She could almost laugh about it now.

There was the former student who still flashed that same devilish grin when he asked me to sign his book “To the most favorite student I ever had.”

And there were more than a few moms and dads who had challenged us, supported us, and trusted us with their kids. They still talked to us, too, so that was good.

Time and distance magically melted away, making it seemingly impossible that 25 years had passed.

Each had a memory; each had blessed our lives.

Laughs and books aside, it was also there when I realized what our 2024 could look like. All of us.

What better resolution can we make than for our “new” year to be about “old” friends?!

I’m betting my phone and laptop look a lot like yours. Both full of an untold number of names and numbers, addresses and photos we had gathered, needed, and used once upon a time.

But how ironic is it that they are now “contacts” I never contact?

People I no longer call or write or even send a Christmas card their way. Facebook friends who don’t much feel like friends anymore.

Classmates, colleagues, cousins.

True, we tap out the occasional “thumbs up” or click on the “heart” that social media offers us as a way to acknowledge their existence. And if we get really wound up, we might

take the time to type out a complete “H-a-p-p-y-B-i-r-t-h-d-a-y” message rather than tagging on to someone else’s.

But we can do better. Can’t we?!?!

New year—old friends!

We’re not guilty of anything. No sins to confess. We didn’t unfriend anyone. Not exactly. Not on purpose anyway. It’s just that time and life and changing circumstances did what they do.

AT&T’s old commercial is way out of date but not out of style as it encouraged us to “Reach out and touch someone!”

But how?

Snail mail’s getting more expensive, but there’s nothing I like better, so I’m guessing they would, too.

How about Facebook Messenger?

At least it requires us to compose and send an actual greeting.

Nobody calls anybody much anymore; texting seems to be the preferred mode of “reaching out,” though I bet AT&T never imagined that in 1987. But hey, that’s a start!

And why is it we don’t call them?

Seriously, why don’t we?

New year—old friends!

One New Year’s resolution I decided to add is to spend less time mindlessly scanning my phone looking at random videos. I could write a bunch of books with that block of time alone.

Instead, I plan to spend more time scanning my list of contacts and Facebook friends, many who are— or were—real friends in days gone by. And then I’m hoping to “reach out and touch” at least one of them every day.

New year, old friends … who can be new again!

Dear God—Thank you! What greater gift than that of more time. Another day. Another year. Another chance to bless others, just as you have blessed us.

Amen. ■ George Valadie is a parishioner at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga and author of the newly released “We Lost Our Fifth Fork … and other moments when we need some perspective.”

by Deacon Bob Hunt

Realize the gift you have received from Him We should not be so distracted that we fail to notice how God has moved in our lives

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was conversing with my oldest sister recently, and we spoke about how often we miss God’s grace moving in our lives simply because we aren’t paying attention. I thought of the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-19).

The 10 lepers saw Jesus and, aware of His reputation as a healer, begged Him, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” The Gospel account continues: “And when He saw them, He said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him” (emphasis added).

Why did the others not return to give thanks? Were they ungrateful? Perhaps. But I tend to think that they didn’t return because they hadn’t realized that they were healed. They hadn’t noticed that God had touched them, that His grace had moved in their lives in a way so powerful as to transform their lives. How could this be? They asked Jesus for pity which, in this case, meant healing. Jesus had instructed them to show themselves to the priest, which in their day was a way of verifying their newfound

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cleanliness. Maybe they were expecting to be healed when they arrived to see the priest. Maybe they were expecting something less than a complete healing. I can’t imagine that they were ungrateful for receiving from Jesus what they had asked for. I can only imagine that they hadn’t realized yet that God had touched their lives with His grace.

Jesus is frustrated that only one of the lepers, and a foreigner at that, returned to give thanks. But people don’t generally give thanks for gifts they don’t realize they’ve received.

I wonder which is worse, ingratitude or not even noticing that one has been gifted a great gift?

We have so many daily distractions, it’s a wonder that we’re able to focus on anything. Right now, as I write this column, I am suffering severe back pain. The new kitten we just adopted is being adorable and playing all around me. There’s a book at my side I would like to read, and the news from Rome that Pope Francis has given his OK to blessing same-sex relationships simply demands attention. (There are, of course, caveats to couples in same-sex relationships receiving a blessing and those caveats, of course, will be ignored by priests

who support same-sex marriage).

But there is grace. I have friends who regularly check up on me and assure me of their prayers. I have a daughter who responds immediately to any need I might have that I can’t fulfill on my own because of the back pain. I have a chair and a heating pad that offer some relief from the pain. I have people who love me, support me, care about me. I have a Lord who has redeemed me. Perhaps realizing that God has moved in our lives, that His grace has touched our lives, even in a way that transforms our lives, is simply a matter of opening our eyes and looking at the world around us and our own face in the mirror. That is the face of one who has been redeemed by Christ!

We have experienced Advent and Christmas and are now back in Ordinary Time. What a strange expression, “ordinary time.” What is ordinary about time, or anything for that matter, now that Jesus has been born? What is ordinary about anything now that He has walked among us, healed us, taught us, proclaimed the kingdom to us, suffered, died, and rose again for us?

We are a redeemed people, and that’s not ordinary. The fact that

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we’re tempted to take it for granted doesn’t make it ordinary.

In the document approving blessings for same-sex couples, Pope Francis says, “Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures 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.” The request for a blessing also seeks for a relationship a certain level of legitimacy in the eyes of the Church, and I think Pope Francis forgot that part. But I digress. … Certainly, we desire a closeness to God in those thousand concrete circumstances of life. Certainly, that is no small thing in the world in which we live.

Let’s keep our eyes open. Let’s not be so distracted that we fail to realize how God has moved in our lives. And, after we do realize how He has moved in our lives, let’s not forget to give thanks.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all. ■ Deacon Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

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

Encountering God in the Liturgy

by Father Randy Stice

An exploration of the prefaces at Mass The prefaces are sure guides for the graces that God wants to pour out on us in each season

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your majesty, Dominions adore, and Powers tremble before. Heaven and the Virtues of heaven and the blessed Seraphim worship together with exultation.” These are based on biblical passages such as Colossians 1:16, which refers to thrones, dominions, principalities, and authorities, and Ephesians 1:21, which speaks of “rule and authority and power and dominion.” This invocation leads smoothly to the angelic song “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

The preface is an excellent example of the ancient saying that “the law of prayer is the law of faith” (lex orandi, lex credendi)—the Church expresses what she believes in her public, liturgical prayer. 2 Consider these examples from the prefaces for the Proper of Time. In Advent, we relive when Christ “assumed at His first coming the lowliness of human flesh” and anticipate that He will come “again in glory and majesty.”

At Christmas, we rejoice that “a new light of your glory has shown upon the eyes of our mind” and “we, too, are made eternal.” Epiphany God “revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as a light for the nations.”

Lent is “God’s gracious gift,” “a sacred time for the renewing and purifying” of our hearts so that we might be “freed from disordered affections,” and that our Lenten disciples would “help us imitate you in your kindness.” As we approach Holy Week, we recall that “through the saving Passion of your Son the whole world has received a heart to

confess the infinite power of your majesty.” Easter praises Christ, for “dying he has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life,” and “the halls of the heavenly Kingdom are thrown open to the faithful.”

Christ, who “showed himself the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of Sacrifice” now continually “defends us and ever pleads our cause before you.”

The prefaces for Sundays in Ordinary Time praise God, who has “freed us from the yoke of sin and death,” “called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light,” and made us “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” In God “we live and move and have our being, and…experience daily the effects of your care.” He continually gathers His scattered children, formed “by the unity of the Trinity, made the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit…manifest as the Church.”

The prefaces for the Proper of Saints similarly instruct us. On feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary we thank God for giving us through her “the author of our salvation.”

On feasts of the Apostles, we praise God that the Church stands “firm on apostolic foundations, to be lasting sign of your holiness on earth and offer all humanity your heavenly teaching.” We thank God for his work in the saints, for “by their way of life you offer us an example, by communion with them you give us companionship, by their intercession sure support.” We praise

His wonders in the martyrs, for “in your mercy you give ardor to their faith, to their endurance you grant firm resolve, and in their struggle the victory is yours, through Christ our Lord.” The Church rejoices with a saint who was a pastor, for “you strengthen her by the example of his holy life, teach her by his words of preaching, and keep her safe in answer to his prayers.” Through holy virgins and religious “you call human nature back to its original holiness and bring it to experience on this earth the gifts you promise in the new world to come.”

Each Mass brings special graces, and it is the Holy Spirit who makes these present, for “in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.” 3 The prefaces are sure guides for the graces that God wants to pour out on us in each season, each feast, and each celebration, so that with the saints “we may run as victors in the race before us and win with them the imperishable crown of glory, through Christ our Lord.” 4 General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 79a.

2 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1124.

3 CCC, 1104.

4 Preface I of Saints. ■

1

Father Randy Stice is director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy.

He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox. org.

COURTESY OF SUSAN COLLINS (5)

n previous columns, we looked in detail at the Eucharistic Prayer, “the center and high point” of the Mass. In the last two columns, we considered the liturgical calendar, the Proper of Time, and the Proper of Saints. This month I want to explore the preface, which draws together these two topics: it begins the Eucharistic Prayer, and it expresses in the language of prayer the Church’s theology of the liturgical year and the saints. The preface is a prayer that “glorifies God the Father and gives thanks to Him for the whole work of salvation or for some particular aspect of it, according to the varying day, festivity, or time of year.” 1 The first centuries of the Church saw a multiplication of prefaces, especially for martyrs. A manuscript from the sixth century had 267 prefaces, and we do not even have the complete manuscript. A text from the eighth century had reduced that number to 14 prefaces. By the beginning of the 11th century, the number of prefaces stabilized at 11, and this collection was confirmed by the Roman Missal of 1570, produced under Pius V following the Council of Trent. Our current Missal has about 100 prefaces.

The preface begins with a dialogue between the priest and people to lift up our hearts and give thanks to God, and it concludes with an invocation of the angels and heavenly host. This invocation varies in length, from “with all the Angels and Saints” to “the Angels praise

Notre Dame Parish holds Madrigal Dinner fundraiser Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville held its annual Madrigal Dinner fundraiser Nov. 30 through Dec. 2. Those attending were invited to dress in medieval costume and enjoy a meal served by the youth staff. Max Abelson (upper left photo) serves the head table. Steve Murphy (top center photo) plays the town crier and Deacon Wil Johnson a knight. Susan Collins (bottom left photo, seated at bottom right), Notre Dame director of religious education and youth minister, was chief of the wait staff.

King (above) and queen (left) of the Madrigal Court were parish music director Dr. Fred Ricker and wife Wanda. Proceeds of the event will benefit the parish building fund.

Daily readings Monday, Jan. 15: 1 Samuel 15:1623; Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21 23; Mark 2:18-22 Tuesday, Jan. 16: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89:20-22, 27-28; Mark 2:23-28 Wednesday, Jan. 17: Memorial of St. Anthony, abbot, 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51; Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10; Mark 3:1-6 Thursday, Jan. 18: 1 Samuel 18:6-9 and 19:1-7; Psalm 56:2-3, 9-13; Mark 3:7-12 Friday, Jan. 19: 1 Samuel 24:3-21; Psalm 57:2-4, 6, 11; Mark 3:13-19 Saturday, Jan. 20: 2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27; Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7; Mark 3:20-21 Sunday, Jan. 21: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 25:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 Monday, Jan. 22: Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10; Psalm TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

89:20-22, 25-26; Mark 3:22-30 Tuesday, Jan. 23: 2 Samuel 6:12-15, 17-19; Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 3:31-35 Wednesday, Jan. 24: Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church, 2 Samuel 7:4-17; Psalm 89:4-5, 27-30; Mark 4:1-20 Thursday, Jan. 25: Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, apostle, Acts 22:3-16; Psalm 117:1-2; Mark 16:15-18 Friday, Jan. 26: Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops, 2 Timothy 1:1-8; Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10; Mark 4:26-34 Saturday, Jan. 27: 2 Samuel 12:1-7, 10-17; Psalm 51:12-17; Mark 4:35-41 Sunday, Jan. 28: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28 Monday, Jan. 29: 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30 and 16:5-13; Psalm 3:2-7; Mark 5:1-20 Tuesday, Jan. 30: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25 and 18:30–19:3; Psalm 86:1-

6; Mark 5:21-43 Wednesday, Jan. 31: Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest, 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17; Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7; Mark 6:1-6 Thursday, Feb. 1: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12; 1 Chronicles 29:10-12; Mark 6:7-13 Friday, Feb. 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 Saturday, Feb. 3: 1 Kings 3:4-13; Psalm 119:9-14; Mark 6:30-34 Sunday, Feb. 4: Job 7:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 147:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39 Monday, Feb. 5: Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr, 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13; Psalm 132:6-10; Mark 6:53-56 Tuesday, Feb. 6: Memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions, martyrs, 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30; Psalm 84:3-5, 10-11; Mark 7:1-13

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Wednesday, Feb. 7: 1 Kings 10:110; Psalm 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40; Mark 7:14-23 Thursday, Feb. 8: 1 Kings 11:413; Psalm 106:3-4, 35-37, 40; Mark 7:24-30 Friday, Feb. 9: 1 Kings 11:29-32 and 12:19; Psalm 81:10-15; Mark 7:31-37 Saturday, Feb. 10: Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin, 1 Kings 12:26-32 and 13:33-34; Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22; Mark 8:1-10 Sunday, Feb. 11: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1; Mark 1:40-45 Monday, Feb. 12: James 1:1-11; Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76; Mark 8:11-13 Tuesday, Feb. 13: James 1:12-18; Psalm 94:12-15, 18-19; Mark 8:14-21 Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14: Joel 2:1218; Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 n JANUARY 7, 2024 n B7

Calendar continued from page B5 Catholic Church. Join others in recovery as the meetings overlap Scripture from Sunday’s Mass readings, liturgical themes, and recovery topics with honest discussion and prayer. Confidentiality is protected. For more information, visit www.catholicinrecovery.com or contact Jena at cir.tricities.tn@gmail. com, Beth at 714-651-2008, or Ed at 865-599-4823.

St. Simon Stock, Norwich Cathedral, Julian Chapel, and Walsingham Shrine.

Double-occupancy price is $4,795 and single-occupancy $6,295. To register, visit stcharlespilgrimages.com/reedmaples. E-mail questions to sjn pilgrimage@sjnknox.org.

A 14-day pilgrimage to Catholic England, led by Father Joe Reed and Father Michael Maples, is set for April 17-30. Sites to be visited include Ampleforth Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Whitby Abbey, English Martyrs Church, the Shrine of St. Margaret, York Minster, York Oratory, Coventry Cathedral, Oxford, Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, London, the Stonor Park country house, London Oratory, Tyburn Tree, Tyburn Convent, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall within the Houses of Parliament, Canterbury Cathedral, the Friars-Aylesford Priory, Shrine of the Assumption and

A Seine River pilgrimage is set for June 9-17, with an optional pre-tour to Lourdes, home of St. Bernadette, from June 5-10. Pilgrims will visit Paris, Giverny, Lisieux, Rouen, the beaches of Normandy, and more. In Paris, they will see the Eiffel Tower, des ChampsÉlysées, and other city highlights during a panoramic tour. Travelers will visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on Rue Du Bac, where they will celebrate Mass and have time to visit the gift shop, followed by a short-distance walk to visit St. Vincent de Paul Church.

In Rouen, the travelers will retrace the footsteps of St. Joan of Arc. Rouen offers a restored medieval quarter and a Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame, often painted by Claude Monet. After disembarking in the port of Honfleur, the travelers will drive through Normandy to Omaha Beach, where they will see the American Memorial and Cemetery. In Lisieux, home of St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, the group will visit all the places associated with the life of the saint and her parents. Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of St. Thérèse, followed by a visit to the crypt. The group will also visit the little town of Vernon and take an excursion to the Claude Monet estate in Giverny. The optional pre-tour to Lourdes includes Mass at the basilica, a walking tour of the sanctuary, including the grotto and the basilica, and a video presentation that explains Lourdes’ story in detail. Travelers will have time for private prayer and reflection and join the candlelight procession in the evening.

They will celebrate Mass at the grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed many, and visit the heal-

Parish notes continued from page B4 Following the 8 a.m. Mass on Dec. 14, parishioners gathered in the parish hall for breakfast and another Father Riccardo video, titled “Captured: Why is everything so messed-up?”

fers a potluck buffet and games such as blackjack, Texas hold ’em, roulette, and board games. The event is free, but BYOB. RSVP to sjnccwomensclub@ gmail.com.

The Healing Ministry at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa offers healing prayers every third weekend of the month for anyone who has a physical, emotional, or spiritual need. Individual healing prayer will be offered in Spanish in the church immediately following the 7 p.m. Saturday Mass in Spanish, and prayer will be offered in English in the chapel immediately following the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass. Call Toni Jacobs at 561-315-5911 if you have any questions.

The downtown Knoxville St. Patrick’s Parade is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16. The event benefits Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. The day offers food, games, and more for the whole family. To sponsor, participate, volunteer, or learn more, visit knoxst patricksparade.com.

On Dec.19, tenor Kevin Salter, who sang at parish Saturday vigil Masses for many years with St. Francis of Assisi director of music Eric Wheeler at the piano, performed at another Bach lunch. Mr. Salter moved to Nashville and performs with the Nashville Opera.

At St. Francis, he sang sacred songs joined by the vocal quartet of Judy Lodes, Barbara Whynaucht, Jeremy Donley, and Mr. Wheeler. After the program, parishioners viewed another Father Riccardo video, titled “Rescued & Response: Jesus is not just kind!”

On Dec. 23, the parish presented the Bread of Life Rescue Mission in Crossville with its second Joyful Christmas Party. Bread of Life is a temporary shelter that offers medical attention and food for the homeless and transient.

Kathy Donley and Christina Seaman plus 30 other parish volunteers worked together on the party.

Anniversaries: Bob and Linda Fardig (58), Don and Cynthia Lent (50), Michael and Alyce Allen (30) St. John Neumann, Farragut A Senior Social German Lunch Feast is set for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, in Seton Hall. The meal features a side salad/veggie bar, German potato salad, spaetzle, chicken schnitzel with a choice of jager white mushroom sauce or zigeuner (a tomato-based sauce), and dessert. Cost is $15, payable at the door. RSVP to Carol at qmscarol@ hotmail.com.

The school will have an eighth-grade Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Cedar Bluff Aubrey’s Restaurant, 9208 Middlebrook Pike in Knoxville. Cost is $5 per person or $25 for families of five or more. Students will be selling tickets after Masses on Jan. 20-21, or they may be purchased in the school’s front office.

A Casino Night adult social will take place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, in the school gymnasium. The event ofB8 n JANUARY 7, 2024

The Off to the Races Derby Auction to benefit St. John Neumann School will be held Saturday, March 2, in the gym.

Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City Knights of Columbus Council 12838 will hold a drawing for a Great Smoky Mountains getaway at its Sunday brunch on Jan. 28. First prize is a threenight stay at a mountain retreat guest cabin. Second and third prizes will be awarded. Tickets for the drawing are $50 and will be sold until the day of the event. The brunch will follow Mass and include scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, assorted casseroles and muffins, baked ham, and an assortment of lunch items. Costs for the brunch are $13 for adults and $7 for children (preschool and under free). Maximum cost for a family is $40. Brunch tickets will be sold in the narthex (the Knights recommend purchasing them early so they can know how much food to prepare), but may be purchased at the door.

ing baths. Contact Lisa Morris at 865567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

A Danube River pilgrimage cruise is planned Oct. 20-30, with an optional four-day post tour to Krakow, Poland, from Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Join Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, better known as Dr. Italy, historian, theologian, and speaker, for a Danube River pilgrimage themed “The Beauty of God’s Creation,” including Munich, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and much more. Visit www.crossroads initiative.com/dr-italy/ for more details.

The ship is the Amadeus Riva. The sightseeing tour of Krakow includes visiting sites in the Medieval Old Town and on Wawel Hill, where pilgrims will see the cathedral with the St. Stanislaus Shrine, which contains the relics of Poland’s patron saint. They will see the pope’s room and the famous Pope’s Window honoring St. John Paul II. The group will travel a short distance to visit the Divine Mercy Shrine, where St. Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, lived and died. Members will celebrate Mass at the Divine Mercy Shrine and visit the new center, “Have No Fear,” dedicated to St. John Paul II, to venerate his relics. They will visit Czestochowa and the Jasna Gora Monastery to see the miraculous icon of the Black Madonna. The group will have time to explore the monastery and celebrate Mass. Time for prayer and reflection is scheduled. In Wieliczka, the group will visit Europe’s oldest salt mine, which UNESCO has listed as a World Heritage Site. The mines are a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers and decorated chapels carved out of salt, including the famous Chapel of St. Kinga. The travelers will celebrate Mass at St. John Paul II Chapel before continuing to Wadowice, the hometown of Pope St. John Paul II, and visit his childhood home, which is now a museum. They will visit the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where he was baptized. For more information,

Join Father Mike Nolan on a pilgrimage to Egypt including a four-night Nile River cruise Dec. 2-14. Travelers will visit the Christian sites in Cairo, including the Apparition Church, the Holy Crypt, the monastery of St. Simon el Mokkattam, and more. They will fly to Luxor and visit the world’s second-largest ancient religious site of the Temple of Karnak before boarding a riverboat for a fournight cruise. Pilgrims will visit the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile and watch as the ship passes the dam on the Nile in Esna. On day seven, the group will visit the Dam of Aswan and the Temple of Philae, then visit Sakkara, the home of Egypt’s oldest pyramid, constructed around 2650 BC. Travelers will then go on to visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the complex of ancient monuments that includes three pyramids known as the Great Pyramids.

Afterward is an excursion to Wadi Natron, where the group will visit ancient monasteries with beautiful frescos and icons and meet with the monks. A sound and light show at the pyramids follows that evening. The pilgrimage will end with a short flight to Istanbul to spend the night before the group embarks on a city tour that includes a visit to St. Sophia Church, Chora Church, and the Church of the Protection of Mother of God. Pilgrims will have dinner aboard a river cruise. Contact Lisa Morris at 865-5671245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

A Eucharistic Mission will be held at Notre Dame from Wednesday, Feb. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 25, with a display of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World, an exhibition conceived and designed

by Blessed Carlo Acutis. A documentary on Blessed Carlo will be shown after the 6 p.m. Mass on Wednesday during a Lenten soup supper to begin the mission. Additional hours of adoration will be offered during this time, and a parish retreat will take place after the Saturday-morning Mass.

this year include a Lenten retreat from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17; a bonfire and s’mores night at 6:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 9, in the pavilion, following the 5 p.m. Mass; and a sports night at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11.

St. Patrick, Morristown The parish took part in a drive in January led by Grainger High School in Rutledge to benefit deployed soldiers with items such as cotton socks, sunscreen, and bars of Irish soap.

Father Tim O’Toole of Cross Catholic Outreach visited St. Patrick on the weekend of Jan. 13-14.

Anniversaries: Vincent and Carole Liposky (61), Herbert and Timmi Oaks (56), Thomas and Rosalind Kilroy (51), Steve Berns and Katherine Halton-Berns (30), Demecio Alvarado and Helmy Diaz Vasquez de Alvarado (5)

Smoky Mountain Deanery

The parish thanked those who donated to Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies’ recent annual Coats for the Cold collection. The organization served 217 families and 730 individuals with winter items thanks to Holy Trinity and surrounding churches. A total of 316 children received new coats. Appalachian Ministries distributed more than 700 coats as well as 2,190 gloves, hats, and scarves, 200plus blankets, 730 throw blankets, and 200-plus heaters. More than 300 Christmas backpacks with school supplies and food were given to children.

Holy Ghost, Knoxville

Anniversaries: Frederick and Gail Brosk (45), Erik and Kirsten Perry (35)

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville

Notre Dame, Greeneville During the Council of Catholic Women’s next meeting at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, the group will have its annual baby shower for the Hope Center, which provides pregnancy services for women facing an unplanned pregnancy.

The Fraternus ministry and the Troops of St. George are sponsoring a men’s retreat, themed “Take the Lead, Leading Young Men to Christ,” from March 8-10 hosted by Holy Ghost associate pastor Father Michael Hendershott. The retreat is open to all adult men of Holy Ghost and will be held in Altamont, Tenn. The retreat will feature tent camping, a bonfire, and spiritual talks. E-mail fraternus holyghost@gmail.com or tsg311knox@ gmail.com for more details.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at noon each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; every Sunday at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Athens; at 2 p.m. each Sunday and at 6 p.m. most Mondays at St. Mary Church in Johnson City; and at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.KnoxLatinMass.net. n

Through the generosity of the Sefton family, the cathedral will be able to complete the building of the second half of its pipe organ. During the fall, Hickory Construction prepared the choir loft to receive the completion of the organ. Installation began Jan. 15 and is expected to take four weeks. Casavant Frères, an organ company from Quebec, built a platform in the choir loft on Jan. 15. Through Friday, Feb. 9, the cathedral will close after Masses on Sunday and stay closed until 11 a.m. the following Saturday. The 8:05 a.m. daily Mass Monday through Friday will be celebrated in the school cafeteria, and the noon Mass will be celebrated in the Shea Room in the cathedral parish office. Confessions on Wednesday evenings (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.) will occur in the 200 wing of the school. On Saturdays, the Mass at 8:05 a.m. will be celebrated in the Shea Room, followed by confessions (8:45 to 9:45 a.m.) in the priests’ offices. Exposition, adoration, and Benediction will not take place in the cathedral on Wednesdays through Feb. 7, but the Divine Mercy adoration chapel will remain open.

St. John XXIII, Knoxville The parish Social Concerns Committee and Justice Knox Team presented a talk by Father Dan Noll, vicar general of the Diocese of Lexington, on “Catholic Tradition and Biblical Justice” on Jan. 16 at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

The VolCatholic undergraduate student group made gingerbread manger scenes in its last meeting of the fall semester.

St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville

Brant Pitre will present a Bible study on “The Gospel of Matthew: The Messiah and the Fulfillment of the Old Testament” from late January through the middle of March.

Sacred Heart, Knoxville The young-adult group’s events for

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Author Rod Bennett presented “The Formation of the Early Church (30 AD to 300 AD)” on Jan. 10 and “The History of the Church (300 AD to 2024)” on Jan. 17 in the parish hall. Mr. Bennett, a St. Joseph the Worker parishioner, is a speaker and the author of many books on Church history. n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Catholic schools

Knights Cup lacrosse event returns to KCHS

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will be the 18th athletic event the Knights council has sponsored since 2004.

“We started out promoting high school baseball doubleheaders at Smokies Park in 2004,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “In 2016, we switched to lacrosse. Youth, middle school, high school boys and girls, and college lacrosse games have been featured in our event.”

The fifth Knights Cup was organized for 2020 with high school teams from Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia committed to play, but the event was shut down because of COVID restrictions. A reboot of it took place last spring.

“This past April, we sponsored a middle school tournament for boys and girls that proved to be a highly successful event. So, this will be the sixth lacrosse event we have promoted,” Mr. Ciaccia said.

As regular-season games, the college lacrosse contests at this year’s Knights Cup “will count toward the records that will be used to qualify for postseason championship tournaments,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “In 2016, when the Knights Cup hosted the Appalachian Athletic Conference postseason tournament, Reinhardt University won the conference championship and went on to win the NAIA national championship, so these games count.”

In this year’s Knights Cup, the college action begins with William Penn University of Oskaloosa, Iowa, taking on Tennessee Wesleyan University of Athens at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 9. The second game that evening features Missouri Baptist University of St. Louis facing Keiser University of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 7:30.

On Feb. 10, Missouri Baptist and Tennessee Wesleyan will play at noon. William Penn and Keiser will meet up at 2:15 p.m. In the nightcap, the University of Alabama at Huntsville will battle Lincoln Memorial University of Harrogate at 4:30.

Numerous youth teams are expected to take part in the jamboree from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 at KCHS. “In addition to the five college games, the 2024 Knights Cup will incorporate a youth/middle school jamboree as a preseason instructional experience for young play-

Back for more A Keiser University player (front) has possession of the ball in his team’s 21-0 victory over Lindenwood University in the NAIA Independent Conference Tournament semifinals at the 2019 Knights Cup. Keiser is taking part in this year’s Knights Cup. ers,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “We expect about 20 teams to participate in the jamboree, which will include informal instructional scrimmages, skills and drills sessions, and contests.

We are also including a coaches clinic with presentations being delivered by coaches from the participating college teams.”

Mr. Ciaccia is not the only person working on the event this year, saying the number involved is “too many to mention.”

“Several Knights have been working for the past five months to put on a well-managed and successful event,” he said. “If I were to single out an individual who has been instrumental in making these events successful, it would be KCHS athletics director Jason Surlas, who has been a generous and extraordinary partner in hosting these events at Blaine Stadium.”

The Knights Cup is a family event, Mr. Ciaccia stressed.

“Making it a family-friendly event is always a point of emphasis in our planning,” he said. “We start off by making it an inexpensive experience so that entire families can come out and enjoy their children’s participation. A family ticket is only $20. Parents will get to watch their kids participate in the scrimmages, enjoy a lively publicaddress team call out the games while announcing their kids’ names, get to watch them in skills and drills sessions, and just take in

the festive environment we create.

Inexpensive concessions, T-shirts, and game programs all make this a great family experience without impacting the family budget or having to leave somebody behind.”

Tickets may be purchased ahead of time via a link or QR code at knightscup.org. Advance tickets through Feb. 8 are $8 for adults ($7 each for a group of 10), $4 for students ($3 each for a group of 10), and $20 for families. At the gate, prices rise to $10 for adults, $6 for students, and $25 for families.

Sponsors of the event can learn more and upload a game-program ad via the website, and the site allows teams to upload rosters, team photos, and school ads.

“The Knights Cup is a fun, wholesome, family event that any business in the Knoxville area would be proud to be associated with,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “In addition to several opportunities to benefit from sponsorship recognition throughout the two-day event, all sponsorship levels include game-program advertising and complimentary tickets that can be given to business associates, employees, and customers. In addition to their association with an attractive event, Knights Cup sponsors will be supporting the many child and family services Catholic Charities delivers across our entire community through the Pregnancy Help Center.” n

COURTESY OF ZACH SUMMERS (4)

acrosse fans can once again see their favorite sport at Knoxville Catholic High School as the Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament returns for its sixth edition after a COVID pause.

The Knights Cup is set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10, at Blaine Stadium on the campus of KCHS. Knights of Columbus Council 5207 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus sponsors the event, which benefits the Pregnancy Help Centers of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

Six college lacrosse teams will combine to play five games over the two days of the Knights Cup as part of their regular-season schedules. The second day of the tourney also features a youth and middle school preseason lacrosse jamboree.

Tom Ciaccia of the Sacred Heart Knights is the event coordinator.

“The Knights Cup has provided Catholic Charities with a reliable revenue stream to support the lifesaving work of its Pregnancy Help Center,” he said. “The Pregnancy Help Center knows it can depend on the Knights to come through with a significant contribution to its critical affirmation of our belief in the sanctity of life. The Knights Cup has been an attractive addition to the spring sports landscape of Knoxville. It has had a role in expanding participation in lacrosse at the youth and middle school levels.

It gives young players a unique and exciting opportunity to play alongside high school and college teams and learn from the experience.”

The previous five Knights Cups have combined to raise $50,000, “all of it in support of the pro-life work of the Pregnancy Help Center,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “The Knights Cup will benefit the Catholic Charities Pregnancy Help Center and its current campaign to procure, equip, staff, and deploy a mobile ultrasound machine unit that will serve the entire diocese.”

The Sacred Heart Knights “sponsor several events throughout the year to support the good works of our order,” he added. “A significant portion of the revenues raised through these charity events is directed to pro-life. This past November, our annual wine-and-cheese party raised over $20,000.”

This year’s lacrosse tournament

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

The tourney features five college games over two days as well as youth and middle school action

Chesterton Academy hosts art exhibition, holds Convocation Day The Chesterton Academy of St. Margaret Clitherow in Knoxville hosted an art exhibition/art show Dec. 8 after holding its second Convocation Day on Dec. 7. The art show (far left photos) focused on ninth-grade studio art, encompassing value drawing, masterwork grid drawing, still lifes, and Gothic calligraphy. Ninth-graders studied the ancient world from pre-history to 0 AD. For four months, students were introduced to work that is comparable to undergraduate-level art history and studio art. The Convocation Day started with Mass, after which students donned house shirts for a series of academic and athletic challenges, each carefully designed to their formation throughout the quarter. The students, in 30 minutes or less, engaged in hoplitodromos, ancient hoplite soldier races; competed with an Atlatl; translated paragraphs of Latin without the aid of a textbook or dictionary; built towers; thwarted each other with complex sentence diagrams; wrote calligraphically from scratch; and composed poems in the style of Clement Clark Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas” and delivered it up to rhetorical standard. The House of Chrysostom won the second convocation.

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Catholic schools

Knoxville Catholic names new football coach Philip Shadowens, who has 202 career wins, moves from co-interim head coach into the top role for the Irish

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Philip Shadowens 2022, compiling a 6-2 record. He held the same two positions at William Blount High School in Maryville from 2015 to 2021, in one season leading the Governors to their first state playoff berth in 12 years.

He also served as head coach and offensive

coordinator at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro from 2009 to 2014, going 59-18 overall.

In those positions at Middle Tennessee Christian School in Murfreesboro in 2008, he led the program to a 7-4 record and its first-ever playoff appearance.

As head coach and offensive coordinator at Smyrna, from 1993 to 2007, he compiled a 113-55 record. His 2006 Smyrna squad defeated Ravenwood 35-14 for the Class 5A state title, and his team the following year bested Independence 46-20 for another state championship.

Mr. Shadowens’ teams have made the state playoffs 25 times out of 29 seasons and reached the semifinals four times and the quarterfinals in eight seasons.

His coaching honors also included being named The Tennessean’s midstate coach of the year in 2006 and the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal’s coach of the year in 2006, 2007, and 2013. He served as assistant coach for the East and West All-Star Team in 2007 and head coach for that squad in 2008. He was named the Titans’ coach of the week in 2010 and region coach of the year in 2014.

Mr. Matthews also coached at Knoxville Catholic from 2013 to 2020, capturing state titles in 2015 and 2017. n

DR. KELLY KEARSE

COURTESY OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

noxville Catholic High School announced Dec. 19 that Philip Shadowens has been named head football coach of the Fighting Irish.

Mr. Shadowens served as co-interim head coach with Steve Matthews for Knoxville Catholic in the 2023 season. Mr. Matthews was hired Dec. 18 by Concord Christian in Farragut to serve as its football head coach.

Mr. Shadowens brings 29 years of head-coaching experience and a 202-136 won-lost record to Knoxville Catholic that includes winning backto-back state championships at his alma mater, Smyrna High School, in 2006 and 2007. He was named the 1994 Tennessee coach of the year and Tennessee Titans coach of the year in 2006.

“Coach Shad’s track record of building statechampionship football programs speaks volumes.

His unparalleled football knowledge and special talent for positively influencing players, students, and fellow coaches set him apart. His genuine passion for the profession, along with unwavering support from his family, makes him the perfect fit for our school and community,” said Jason Surlas, athletics director at Knoxville Catholic.

Mr. Shadowens served as head football coach and offensive coordinator at Eagleton College and Career Academy in Maryville in

Notre Dame High School assists Clifton Hills food pantry Students from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga recently assisted the Clifton Hills community food pantry, part of a monthly effort in partnership with Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Pictured are Parker Coode, Jonathan Smith, Tristan Wilson, Carter Jones, and Bernard Richardson.

KATHY RANKIN

DAN MCWILLIAMS

DAN MCWILLIAMS

DAN MCWILLIAMS

KATHY RANKIN

JIM WOGAN

KCHS’s Harmon makes Super 25 all-state team Knoxville Catholic High School football athlete Braylon Harmon was named to the USA Today Network’s second annual Super 25 all-state team. Braylon has 181 receptions in his career for 2,776 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also has amassed 636 punt-return yards and four TDs and 1,306 kick-return yards and four TDs.

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Archbishop Fabre visits St. Joseph, St. Mary schools Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, apostolic administrator of the diocese, visited St. Joseph School in Knoxville (top two and near-left photos) and St. Mary School in Oak Ridge on Dec. 12. At each stop, he interacted with students as well as with St. Mary pastor Father Ray Powell and associate pastor Father Neil Blatchford, St. Mary principal Sister Mary John Slonkosky, OP, St. Joseph president Father Chris Michelson and principal Andy Zengel, and diocesan superintendent Mary Ann Deschaine.

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