Cardinal Dolan: Church must pivot ‘ from maintenance to mission’

By Tom Tracy OSV News

During a visit to Florida's St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York encouraged South Florida Catholics to find a silver lining as they confront declining religious observance, shuttered churches, dioceses in bankruptcy, and diminished cultural clout.

Examining the legacy of what he called “usedto-be-Catholicism,” which assumed the cultural acceptance of faith practice that he grew up with during the 1950s and 1960s in his native Midwest, Cardinal Dolan wondered aloud how to overcome negative trends facing the Catholic Church.

“It’s over and we know it, so what now? What takes its place because we are convinced

Safe Place continued from page A9 snacks and microwavable meals; a basketball court and walking trail are on the property; and, if needed, there are bedrooms for the children to stay overnight. Clothing and hygienic items also are provided.

“But in that same space, DCS has a place to continue to work on their computers, working to place the kids in their custody,” Mrs. Healy said. “So, these case managers have a place to work while they’re with their kids, and their kids have age-appropriate kid activities in the same place. So, it’s a win-win.”

The Safe Place for Kids environment has greatly helped reduce the number of children sleeping on the DCS office floors, but there are still occasionally kids who go without a bed.

“Once in a while, we fill up even all the beds that Catholic Charities has provided and there still are, regrettably, some kids sleeping in the DCS offices. But not nearly as many as there was before the program started,” Judge Irwin said.

‘We’re still serving kids’

Judge Irwin noted that part of the solution will be finding more organizations to partner with DCS to safely house children until they are placed.

“I mean, here we got the Catholic Church through their charitable arm of Catholic Charities taking care of kids who I bet are 9899 percent Protestant, and that’s OK. Let’s get some of these other faiths to reach out and do the same thing; that’d be great,” he said.

The juvenile court judge also hopes that long-term-care organizations get restaffed and that more foster homes open up, or that more individuals decide to become foster parents.

“And of course, we’d like to have a fully staffed Department of Children’s Services,” Judge Irwin said.

Amid the struggles within the system, Mrs. Healy recognizes the dedication of DCS employees.

“I’ve not ever met somebody that works for DCS that doesn’t have a love for these kids deep down in their heart. They do a wonderful job,” Mrs. Healy said.

“It is so evident that the best interests of those children are always first and foremost on Judge Irwin’s mind,” she continued. “When you go to his court … there’s toys for those kids to play with while he’s working

March continued from page A6 sign in the front yard.

“Tennessee’s law is honestly one of the strongest in the nation, and it has made a difference,” Mrs. Dunn said. “That building, where for decades children died and women cried, that building is now empty, has been sold, and is for lease, praise God.”

Married couple Blake and Morgan Chapman, parishioners at Holy Ghost in Knoxville, attended the local march.

“It was my first time; I’ve always wanted to go in (Washington) D.C., just was never able to,” said Mr. Chapman. “It was very crazy, very impactful.”

He noted that they were near the back of the march line, where protestors were actively following the march.

“We were kind of catching the brunt of all the counter-protestors, which was crazy, but we were just praying a rosary… I was pretty much screaming the rosary the whole time,” Mr. Chapman said. “It was a lot of spiritual warfare going something must and we are speaking about the Church?” the cardinal asked during a Jan. 19 lecture at the Boynton Beach seminary, which serves the dioceses of Florida and is situated near West Palm Beach.

“We are today in what (sociologists) would call a paradigm shift: meaning we have a significant transition in attitude, approach, and strategy… about the Church. Probably, the most accurate description of that shift is from maintenance to mission,” Cardinal Dolan said.

“I worry many of us bishops and many priests are still in the maintenance mode where we are tending to a museum, taking care of what we had and hoping something comes along to help us,” he said. “And that shift of focus is what Pope Francis means when he summons us frequently and joyfully to ‘missionary discipleship.’”

Cardinal Dolan noted the role that new immigrant arrivals to the United States, along with population shifts, have brought to parts of the Church, including his Archdiocese of New York,

"So, we’re working, and we’re still here, and we’re trying every day. And Catholic Charities has been a huge ally in that struggle We’re still serving kids. [CCETN] has filled a need that nobody else is willing to come in and fill, and I’m eternally grateful. " with the parents; there’s stuffed animals that he sends those kids home with.”

Mrs. Healy acknowledged that Judge Irwin created a safety council that meets every other month with shareholders involved with juveniles.

“There’s always a brain trust thinking about, you know, what do we have out there in resources to support kids? And more importantly, what do we need, and how do we get that going?” she said.

“If there’s something needed for the kids in the county, he’s the man to see; he’s the man that makes it happen, and he does it with a huge heart because not only is he just a wonderful man, but he’s involved,” Mrs. Healy said. “The children and families of Knox County are lucky to have him as an advocate and judge working in the judicial system on behalf of the kids.”

Judge Irwin is thankful for Safe Place for Kids because it helps “kids that are in dire need, that are stressed out anyway, that don’t need to be sleeping in an office.”

He noted that bandage solutions will lead to “a larger fix soon.”

“So, we’re working, and we’re still here, and we’re trying every day. And Catholic Charities has been a huge ally in that struggle,” he said. “We’re still serving kids. [CCETN] has filled a need that nobody else is willing to come in and fill, and I’m eternally grateful.” ■

Caring for kids Catholic Charities of East Tennessee ’ s Safe Place for Kids in Knoxville provides quality housing and care for children who are under Department of Children's Services oversight . The photos above show an activity room and a bedroom with bunk beds for youth who are sheltered at the facility. Knox County Juvenile Court is working with Catholic Charities to assist DCS in housing children on a temporary basis as DCS works to provide permanent housing for the children we live and just support life… super powerful,” she said.

Looking toward the next pro-life rally and march, Mrs. Dunn noted that it is likely Tennessee Right to Life will mark the anniversary of the Dobbs decision on June 24.

Mrs. Dunn said she does not want people to forget that for almost 50 years there was a “holocaust that Roe allowed.” on, but it was really impactful.”

“We never want to forget what has happened in our land and that so many babies have died,” she said. Legislation also continues to be a top priority for Mrs. Dunn and Tennessee Right to Life.

Mr. Chapman, who works with campus ministry at the University of Tennessee, is also very passionate about the pro-life movement and wanted to “get as many people out here as possible” for the march.

Mrs. Chapman is currently pregnant and said the march “definitely hit home a lot more” and she “felt the emotions of it all a lot more.”

“I have been to the March for Life in D.C., and it was just really cool to do that here in Knoxville where

“As far as legislation, we’re going to try to keep our law strong, the one the people of Tennessee and their legislators passed, so that we’ll be able to protect all unborn children,” she said. “Then we’ll also be working to make sure taxpayer funding does not go to take vulnerable unborn children across state lines to have them aborted.”

For more information about Tennessee Right to Life, visit www.tnrtl.org ■ its independently audited financial report for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The report is placed on the diocesan website and in The East Tennessee Catholic newspaper.

Bishop Stika called it “a very good year” for the diocese. Parish offertory was up nearly 10 percent, and the Bishop’s Appeal for ministries, something the bishop refers to as “the lifeblood of all that we do with our social programs,” is expected to top $3 million for the first time in diocesan history.

“Your commitment and generosity have allowed our diocese to prudently reduce debt, educate seminarians, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, provide medical care for the uninsured, form our young people in the Catholic faith, and helped our diocese grow in many other ways that fulfill Jesus’ call to evangelize,” Bishop Stika said in a letter that accompanied the report’s publication.

“People in this diocese are extremely generous,” he said during the recent interview. “When COVID hit, there was uncertainty in every diocese in the United States. With that uncertainty, we had to ask, should we cut back, should we trim budgets? But we have been pretty good with the predictability of our budgets. This fiscal year we should be under budget again; I think that's two years in a row.”

The bishop said the diocese extended tangible financial rewards to employees by providing significant direct contributions to health savings accounts in 2022 and by providing health-care premium holidays for two months.

Parishioners dug deep to help people and causes outside of East Tennessee. Through special parish collections, the diocese raised more than $340,000 to help victims of the Russian war in Ukraine.

The bishop believes, despite its status as a mission diocese, that the Catholic Church in East Tennessee has shown it is capable of great things as it moves ahead in 2023.

“We must make sure we are able to stand on our own two feet. We can't always think that we're a small diocese that nobody pays attention to,” he said. “People have helped us along the way, organizations like Catholic Extension, … but we also have to stand on our own feet to be available to help other people.” n The St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation designated nearly $1.5 million in combined grant distributions in 2022 and 2023. More than $733,000 went to support diocesan Catholic schools and tuition assistance, and $354,500 assisted parish St. Vincent de Paul conferences and Catholic Charities of East Tennessee programs. n The Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund distributed more than $106,000 in 2022. The matching grants assist parish charitable efforts. Those efforts include direct, grassroots services to assist the poor in the form of food, shelter, and clothing. n The Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee distributed more than $125,000 in 2022. Since its inception, the fund has given almost $3.9 million in support of seminarian education and property purchases for building churches. n The Catholic Education Trust Fund provided more than $550,000 for education at 10 Catholic schools in 2021-22. It will distribute more than $560,000 this fiscal year.

The Diocese of Knoxville supports its parishes and ministries in different, yet very impactful ways. That support grew in 2022.

When the COVID pandemic struck, Bishop Stika gave parishes an opportunity to expand technical capabilities, including the development of new websites and the purchase and installation of video streaming equipment. Nearly $200,000 was distributed to parishes between 2020 and 2022 for this effort. n The Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries is “the lifeblood” of diocesan charity, Bishop Stika said. In 2022, the appeal is expected to raise more than $3 million for the first time in history.

It distributed $578,000 for Christian formation, $500,000 for clergy and seminarian education, $500,000 for Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, and $465,000 for youth, young adult, and college campus ministries. Additional funds were used to support the Office of Justice and Peace and the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic.

“I think the numbers we’re seeing are barometers that indicate people believe in what we are doing. If people don't trust you or they don't like your vision, they will not give,” Bishop Stika said. “A gift to the Church isn't because of my personality; a gift to the Church is to help people on their journey in life and faith.”

Spiritual growth

The Church is built in various ways, and the Diocese of Knoxville is no different. Spiritual growth was measured by the number of sacraments offered, Masses celebrated, and a few shovels of God’s good earth being turned.

Major work started on building a new St. Alphonsus Church in Crossville. Father Mark Schuster, recently installed as pastor there, is now leading the effort that began under Father Jim Harvey.

“They have a really nice facility for classrooms and a parish hall, and they have been worshiping on Sunday at the parish hall, which means after Mass on Sunday they have had to pick up all the chairs and move them back and forth all these years,” the bishop said.

“I visited Crossville a few weeks ago to bless a bell that was gifted to the parish and will be placed in the new belltower there. I am going back in March to dedicate the church,” the bishop added. “It is going gangbusters. It will be a beautiful, beautiful church.”

In Chattanooga, a strong Vietnamese community recently established as a Public Association of the Faithful is raising enough money to purchase a building for its own church.

“This will give us two vibrant Vietnamese worship communities, our parish in Knoxville, and God the little crosses or routine sacrifices of each day can be the “green” vestment of our “ordinary” sacrifices.”

The “violet” vestment represents the penitential practices that help us say “yes” to God more readily in all He asks of us in the various circumstances of life.

The rarest color is that of the “rose” vestment representing the “sacrifice of joy” (Psalm 27:6) that should accompany our every sacrifice for love of God and neighbor. And in standing at the foot of the cross with those who mourn, the heavily burdened, the sick and dying, there is the “black” vestment of our compassion and solidarity. Though black vestments were traditionally worn for

Diocese continued from page A11 willing, someday a full parish in Chattanooga. The diocese already celebrates Masses in English, Spanish, Korean, Tagalog (Philippine) Swahili, and Polish. For a small diocese in a region perceived as not being very diverse, we truly reflect the global Catholic Church here,” Bishop Stika said.

The bishop traveled to Rutledge to dedicate the new St. John Paul II Church in May.

“Thanks to the presence of the Glenmary priests, we have three Catholic churches in remote communities where once there were none,” Bishop Stika noted. “In recent years, I was able to dedicate new churches in Maynardville (St. Teresa of Kolkata) and in Erwin (St. Michael the Archangel), and now the community in Rutledge is growing and I was able to dedicate their new church in 2022.

“It was a blessing seeing the members of this parish work hard to move from their rented space in a strip mall to a new church they built and can call their own.”

In May, Bishop Stika ordained Joseph Austin, Neil Blatchford, and Andrew Crabtree to the transitional diaconate. All three men are scheduled to be elevated to the priesthood this year. Bishop Stika also ordained 23 new permanent deacons in June. In December, he incardinated Father Valentin Iurochkin, a priest from Russia, into the Diocese of Knoxville.

“Father Valentin has been a gift. He serves faithfully and with enthusiasm at both the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and as the chaplain at the Catholic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga,” Bishop Stika pointed out.

Last month, Bishop Stika traveled to Mexico City to ordain Renzo Alvarado Suarez as a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Knoxville.

“Our vocations are strong, but we can’t rest on our laurels. We can ’ t just say we ’ re fine, we are getting enough priests. No, because we have guys who are retiring and guys who deservedly maybe don ’ t want the responsibility to be a pastor anymore, but they still want to function as a priest. We have lost several good priests who passed away lately: Father (Joe) Brando, Monsignor (Bob) Hofstetter, Father (Christopher) Riehl, and Monsignor (Bill) Gahagan," Bishop Stika said. “Three of them were retired, but they all meant so much to our diocese. We still need a sense of purpose in terms of vocational recruitment,” he added.

In 2021, more than 1,200 children and adults received the sacrament of confirmation. The numbers for 2022 and 2023 are expected to be similar. In one vivid example of the growth in the diocese, more than 160 children are expected to be confirmed during three Masses this year in the newly renovated sanctuary at St. Patrick Church in Morristown.

Catholic schools

Each of the 10 Catholic schools in the diocese saw an increase in enrollment for the 2022-23 academic year.

“We’re tremendously excited about this,” Bishop Stika said. “Our school leadership has done funerals, it is rarer today. But it should remind us not only of life’s brevity but also of the vestment of “light and joy” that awaits us, having died in Christ so as to rise with Him in eternal life.

The vestment of Our Lady’s children Though the laity do not wear material vestments, it is most recommended by the Church that they wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Consisting of only two simple pieces of brown wool worn over the shoulders, it is likened as the vestment of Our Lady’s children who labor in the world for the coming of God’s kingdom. It is a visible and beautiful sign of our baptismal consecration and love of Christ as His co-workers in the Fa - ther’s vineyard. Only a priest can invest one with the scapular.

Here, I would recommend the book by Father Jeffrey Kirby, A Journey to Mount Carmel , which offers a nine-day preparation for investiture in the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Vested with Christ Jesus . During this Lent, may you reflect upon the many ways you can exercise your baptismal priesthood in Christ for love of others.

And in the Mass you live, may you “put on” the sacred vestments of Christ our High Priest (cf. Hebrews 9:11) and complete in our “living sacrifice” (cf. Romans 12:1) what is “lacking in the afflictions of Christ,” in His Body, the Church (cf. Colossians 1:24) ■ those steps.”

Roe v. Wade decision

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is not constitutionally protected, reversing almost a half century of legalized abortion in the country. Bishop Stika said that the diocese won’t change its pro-life efforts.

“Tennessee and other states have moved to make abortion illegal, and I support this,” Bishop Stika said. “But we know that other states and activist groups are pushing to overturn or block our right to protect innocent lives, and we need to remain steadfast in what we’re doing. Our voices need to be heard and our work needs to continue.

“In August, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee opened its new adoption services office. This is a significant step for our diocese in that we can now give women an option that protects the life of their unborn child and gives couples struggling to have children an opportunity to build a loving family. What a joy this is for everyone.

Lawsuits, media backlash, and other challenges

The year did not pass without its share of challenges. The diocese was named as a defendant in two separate and unrelated civil lawsuits—one involving allegations of sexual abuse by a priest serving in Gatlinburg and the other focused on abuse allegations against a former seminarian. The priest, not currently serving in ministry, also faces criminal charges.

“These cases, on a number of levels, have been difficult,” Bishop Stika said. “We have been pressed to answer questions from the media, and I respect their interest, but all of these are accusations, and we will answer relevant questions in the proper way, under oath, and at the proper time, in a court of law, if it comes to that.”

“It’s been difficult to endure some of the one-sidedness of the reporting. The media is doing what it does, and they’ve given us an opportunity to respond," he added. “There are some details being reported, based on allegations, that are just flat-out incorrect. We will respond to those and the other allegations in court when necessary an outstanding job highlighting the benefits of a Catholic education to their communities and delivering on those promises.

“While we are stronger in all regions of the diocese, I am especially pleased with the efforts in Chattanooga. Leadership there has Notre Dame moving in the right direction. Very happy.”

Religious communities

In 2009, before Bishop Stika arrived in Knoxville, the diocese had three religious communities serving in East Tennessee. Today, there are 10. In December, the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will and the Benedictines of Divine Will women’s and men’s communities were approved to move from Italy to the Diocese of Knoxville. Bishop Stika signed the decree establishing them as a Public Association of the Faithful on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12

Thanks to the gift of a donor, two separate monasteries are being built on a 125-acre site near

Knoxville. The communities hope to occupy their respective monasteries this summer. Four Benedictine priests and six to seven Benedictine nuns are expected to be part of the orders’ beginning in East Tennessee.

Bishop Stika said that he expects to ordain three new priests and two new deacons from the Benedictine community.

In March, the diocese welcomed nearly 200 new Catholics into the Church during Easter Vigil. Christian formation, religious education, and a path to full communion with the Church remain priorities.

“Deacon Jim Bello now heads our Christian Formation office, and he’s moving it in a great direction,” Bishop Stika said. “We want to continue giving families resources to grow in our faith and receive the sacraments of baptism, first Communion, and confirmation, and to continue bringing new people fully into the faith if they’ve missed any of

“It’s disappointing that those criticizing us for utilizing the rights we’re afforded under the law would expect their rights to be protected if it were them being accused of something.”

In December, the diocese announced a unique, new partnership with the McNabb Center to serve as the new Victims Assistance Coordinator for anyone who feels they’ve been the target of sexual abuse in the Church.

“This partnership is a good, positive step for the diocese and the Catholic Church,” Bishop Stika said. “We had an excellent coordinator, but she passed away in March 2022 after a courageous battle with cancer. When discussing options, it was mentioned that while we know we were doing things the right way before, perhaps it would be an even stronger move if we offered this position to someone completely outside the diocese and the Catholic Church. It was a huge, positive move and might serve as a model for other