Faith, family, and football

Vols athletics icon Gus Manning remembered as someone filled with all three blessings

By Bill Brewer

The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was steeped in orange Feb. 20 for the funeral Mass of longtime University of Tennessee Athletics Department icon Charles A. “Gus” Manning, who died Feb. 12 at the age of 99.

Family, friends, co-workers, and admirers filled the cathedral to pay their respects to a Volunteer for Life who was the last remaining direct link in the athletics department to legendary Tennessee football coach Gen. Robert R. Neyland. Many were wearing orange and white.

Mr. Manning played football at Tennessee for Gen. Neyland following World War II, and the young Marine veteran and Knoxville native was then hired by the general as an assistant, which began a career spanning more than 50 years in collegiate athletics for the University of Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee campus is where Mr. Manning lived out his professional and faith lives.

Father Eric Andrews, CSP, was the funeral Mass celebrant. As associate pastor (2000-2003) and then pastor (2003-2009) of St. John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center on the UT campus, Father Andrews was for nearly 10 years a priest central in Mr. Manning’s faith life. Mr.

Renewal continued from page A1 the life of the world.”

Originally from Maryville, Dr. O’Malley previously attended Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

He is now the director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. Additionally, he is the academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy and holds an appointment in the theology department at the Catholic college.

He both researches and teaches in the subjects of liturgical-sacramental theology, marriage and family, catechesis, and spirituality.

In addition to Becoming Eucharistic People , Dr. O’Malley has authored other books, including Real Presence: What Does it Mean and Why Does it Matter? ; Lift Up Your Hearts: Liturgical Formation in the RCIA ; and Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World

For Dr. O’Malley, the Eucharist permeates his daily life.

“I’m a theologian so I spend a lot of time writing on the Eucharist; [ Becoming Eucharistic People ] is my third book on the Eucharist,” he said.

His relationship with the Eucharist is both in his study and in his parish life.

“I go to Mass, and I go to my parish, right, that’s my life, to be sort of shaped by my parish and just regularly attending Mass,” Dr. O’Malley said. “I think that’s what shapes me most; it’s attending there and entering into communion with our Lord. I think it shapes my daily life; you know, I’m a teacher, but I’m also a dad and a husband, and the Eucharist should shape the totality of our lives, not just as a private exercise apart from everything else.”

Dr. O’Malley said he hoped his talk would be an invitation for self-reflection.

“Renewal starts with the individual, right, rather than with that person or that person, whether we’re talking about a bishop or a priest, renewal starts here,” he said. “It starts with you. So, how are people going to participate in this renewal over the coming years?”

He began his presentation with sharing why eucharistic renewal is important.

“Eucharistic renewal, as I hope to show today, is integral to the Church, it’s a constant process. The Church must become ever more what she receives in the Eucharist: the love of Christ poured out for the life of the world,” Dr. O’Malley said.

“I think the task of this Eu -

Manning attended St. John XXIII for decades. Father Andrews now serves in New York City. Paulist Fathers Don Andrie, pastor of St. John XXIII Parish, and Robert O’Donnell, St. John XXIII associate pastor, concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey of St. John XXIII served as deacon of the Word and Eucharist.

To begin his homily, Father Andrews excused his chasuble, his outer vestment, which included a crimson band, alluding to the similarity to University of Alabama team colors. He quickly pointed out that Deacon Murphy-Racey was more appropriately attired. Deacon Murphy-Racey’s dalmatic vestment was white, and his stole included a large, orange Power T that is synony- mous with UT sports.

Father Andrews didn’t disappoint some in the congregation who have come to associate his homilies with singing. He launched into “Rocky Top” and led the cathedral in a verse of the rousing Tennessee Vols fight song to set the scene.

It was a fitting segue into his homily on the life and times of Mr. Manning, “our friend, our loved one,” as Father Andrews described him.

The Paulist priest pointed out that much of the liturgy reflected Mr. Manning.

“Welcome to the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s a nice cathedral, but it’s no Neyland Stadium, you have to admit,” Father Andrews said smiling. “But Gus wanted us to be here this day because he wanted to make sure there was room for everyone. St. John XXIII on the university campus would have been a little bit cramped, so we’re glad you are here and can spread out. Those of you in the back row can even come closer.”

“But the people in the back row are most like our friend Gus, who would always sit in the very last chair. He was the last one into church and the first one out after receiving the holy Eucharist. There was always something more to be done on the UT campus, even in retirement,” Father Andrews continued. “The Cushman was always waiting, in the fire lane, ready for him to get back comes a new way of living our whole life, each particular moment of which is lifted up since it’s lived as part of a relationship with Christ and as an offering to God.”

Dr. O’Malley noted that people do not go to Mass to be “good people,” but rather to “enter to total union with God.”

“That’s your vocation, your destiny, and it starts now,” he said. “Yes, it’s heaven, but it’s more than heaven; it starts now. Every part of your life lifted up and offered back in love now.”

Throughout his presentation, Dr. O’Malley focused on each phrase of an antiphon by St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast day it was.

The antiphon, O Sacrum Convivium , was written by the Dominican friar for the feast of Corpus Christi.

It reads:

“Eucharistic renewal, as I hope to show today, is integral to the Church, it’s a constant process. The Church must become ever more what she receives in the Eucharist: the love of Christ poured out for the life of the world ”

— Dr. Timothy O'Malley

“O sacred banquet/in which Christ is received/in which the memory of His passion is renewed/the mind is filled with grace/and a pledge of future glory is given to us. Alleluia.” charistic Revival … is to foster the kind of culture where the Church becomes ever more what the Church is called to be. It’s to become more Church, a communion of love that keeps alive the memory of salvation offered by Jesus Christ, empowering men and women to live in union with Christ in the world,” he said.

“It’s a very beautiful text, and it summarizes the totality of the eucharistic mystery,” Dr. O’Malley said.

Dr. O’Malley said that his book is intended to help people think about “creating and fostering and building culture.”

Chapter topics within his book include: n What is Eucharistic Culture? n A Culture of Eucharistic Reverence n A Culture of Integral Eucharistic Formation n A Eucharistic Popular Catholicism n A Culture of Eucharistic Solidarity

“We in the United States in particular tend to view renewal as something that should happen right away,” he said. “Culture takes time to build; it takes time to build a culture in our Church, in our parishes. Culture is essential. It’s linked even to the word cult, worship. And culture, to cultivate, right, to grow, to become the kind of space where love, divine love, is made manifest.”

Dr. O’Malley asked, “how do you foster such a eucharistic culture?”

“The task of each of you is to evangelize culture. … It doesn’t mean just condemning things, but it means renewing, getting to the heart of a particular place, announcing the Gospel in that place, in that time, with all of its particularities.”

Halfway through his hour-long presentation, Dr. O’Malley gave participants time to reflect on the following questions: n Think about a time when you experienced the Church as a source of Christ’s eucharistic love, a love given unto the end. What happened? n What would All Saints and the Church in East Tennessee need to do (or to do more fervently) to live out of this eucharistic communion?

Dr. O’Malley highlighted that when attending Mass, people bring everything to the Eucharist: their worries and disappointments, sickness and struggles, discernments and big decisions.

“God can transform your history, your humanity, and does so throughout the totality of life. Every moment, that’s why you keep going back to Mass,” he said, noting that Mass is not just a learning experience that we can stop attending once we know the format

“I’ve got a task, to receive love but also to become love, to let my whole life be shaped by the eucharistic mystery,” Dr. O’Malley continued.

“Worship pleasing to God be -

Following the presentation, All Saints associate pastor Father Alex Hernandez led a eucharistic procession with children from the parish. All present were invited to a holy half-hour of eucharistic adoration inside the church.

Jamie Horning, an All Saints parishioner, attended the event because of her love of learning.

“I like to hear things from different people, especially around Christ and the Eucharist, and so it just inspired me when I saw the book, and then I heard we were going to have the actual author of the book come speak,” she said.

“I enjoyed that he spoke about the Eucharist as a community and a communion and a family, and that he spoke about the love of God and how He’s always with us,” Ms. Horning said.

Pat Stapleton, another parishioner at All Saints, said that Jesus inspired him to come.

“Just getting to know and understand the Eucharist better, and how I can help others get to know and understand the Eucharist better,” he said.

Mr. Stapleton described Dr. O’Malley as “lively and down-toearth,” noting that he enjoyed his presentation.

The message that stood out to him the most: “The end of it all is love,” Mr. Stapleton said.

To learn more about the Eucharistic Revival, visit dioknox.org/ revival ■

Paul T. Dunn III

Paul Theodore Dunn III, 60, of Knoxville, passed away on Feb. 21 in Huntsville, Ala., following a brief illness.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Dunn was celebrated on Feb. 25 at Holy Ghost Church, where he was a lifelong member. Father Bill McNeeley was the Mass celebrant, and Father Michael Hendershott served in choir.

Deacon Gordy Lowery served as homilist and deacon of the Word. Deacon Scott Maentz served as deacon of the Eucharist.

Mr. Dunn was a graduate of St. Joseph School and Knoxville Catholic High School, class of 1980. He was voted “Most Spirited” by his senior class.

Mr. Dunn spent most of his adult life working for Tennessee Right to Life. He put many projects into action that still exist to educate the community about the issue of life. We believe that Paul III was welcomed into paradise, not only by the martyrs and the angels, but also by the millions of unborn children that he valiantly fought for whose voices were never heard on Earth, but who join him now in singing praise to their Creator. Rest in peace, Paul III. We are glad that you were born.

Mr. Dunn is survived by his wife, Marieta Dunn; parents, Paul T. Dunn Jr. and Mary Kuster Dunn; brothers, Bill (Stacy), Frank (Christy), David (Diannah), and Peter (Susannah) Dunn; sisters, Rita (Mark) Cook, Sarah Dunn, Gina (Scott) Martin, and Rebecca Bush; and several nieces and nephews.

Interment was at Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville following the funeral Mass. Pallbearers were Andrew Cook, Rob Graham, Daniel Dunn, Thomas Dunn, Joey Dunn, and David Dunn Jr.

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

Dr. Patricia Davis-Wiley

Dr. Patricia Davis-Wiley, fondly known as “Pattie,” passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 23.

A funeral Mass for Dr. Davis-Wiley was held on Feb. 3 at St. John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center in Knoxville, with Paulist Father Don Andrie serving as celebrant and Paulist Father John Ardis concelebrating.

A private inurnment was at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Dr. Davis-Wiley was born to Eleanore and Richard Petty Davis on Feb. 26, 1949, in Long Beach, Calif. Both her parents had careers in the U.S. Navy, so the family lived in several states, including Minnesota, Illinois, and California.

Dr. Davis-Wiley was educated in parochial schools, graduating with honors from the Academy at San Luis Rey, Calif. Earlier degrees from the University of California, the Université of Montpellier (France), and the University of Houston were the initial steps in her vocation as an educator of educators. Most of her professional life was dedicated to her passion, teaching.

Prior to arriving at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, she taught teacher education classes at the University of Houston, French at Baylor University, and French and Spanish in three high schools in Texas. She taught and was eventually a tenured professor at the University of Tennessee for 40 years. She actively and enthusiastically presented at international, national, regional, and state professional organizations in both World Languages and English as a Second Language.

Dr. Davis-Wiley received numerous awards including three University of Tennessee awards for teaching and service: the UT Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award, the L. R. Hesler Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service to the University of Tennessee, and the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Adviser.

Among Dr. Davis-Wiley's interests were scuba diving, international travel, gourmet cooking, linguistics, world cultures, and music, in particular the organ. She played for church services at Mission San Luis Rey in California and more recently at St. John XXIII.

Dr. Davis-Wiley married Stephen Wiley while in Houston, and from that time Pattie and Steve lived life to its fullest for 42 years. She also held her extended family close, including numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Donations may be made in Dr. Davis-Wiley ’ s memory to the Paulist Fathers or St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic.

Martha Anne Otero

Martha Anne Otero, LMSW, age 67, of Concord Farragut, passed away on Jan. 6.

Mrs. Otero was a social worker, program director, educator, an advocate for young children and young women, a devout Catholic, a volunteer, a devoted wife, wonderful mother, and a grandmother adored by her two granddaughters.

Mrs. Otero also was a free spirit, with a sparkle in her eye, quick wit, and playful sense of humor who never met a stranger. She was born March 16, 1955, in Valencia County, N.M., and she was the daughter of Manuel and Viola Otero. As the second youngest child in the family, Mrs. Otero grew up on the MO bar Ranch in the El Cerro community of Los Lunas, with her two brothers and two sisters. She spoke fondly of her memories as a young girl sitting at her grandfather s apple trees with her siblings, the Manzano Mountains in the background, and listening to her abuelo tell stories about growing up while they enjoyed freshly cut apple slices.

After graduating from Los Lunas High School, Mrs. Otero attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where she majored in special education. At UNM, she met her husband, Timothy Welch, and they were married in 1975. The next year they moved to Knoxville.

Mrs. Otero continued her studies at the University of Tennessee, earning a bachelor s degree in an individualized program with an emphasis on Hispanic health care in the United States. She received her master ’ s degree in social work in 1985 and served as a Licensed Master Social Worker. She counseled clients in educational, medical, and family settings, and provided counseling and social work services at several public and private schools.

She also was a social worker at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and was a program director for several private social service organizations, assisting families during difficult situations. She also provided services for children with special needs as service coordinator for Tennessee Early Intervention Services at the University of Tennessee.

Mrs. Otero received one of her proudest titles, Mom, when daughter Whitney was born in 1987. She became a grandmother in 2018 when her first granddaughter, Gracie, was born, soon followed by Anna in 2020.

Mrs. Otero was a proud 31-year survivor of stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She faced this disease with determination, driven by her faith and desire to see her young daughter grow up. She was a tireless advocate for breast cancer survivorship, volunteering in a variety of capacities with several institutions and serving for a time on the Knox County American Cancer Society board of directors.

Mrs. Otero was a faithful member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut.

In addition to her parents, Manuel and Viola, Mrs. Otero was preceded in death by her oldest sister, Georgia Otero Kirkham, and brother-in-law, Rex Kirkham. She is survived by her husband, Timothy Welch; daughter, Whitney Morelli; son-in-law, Dominic Morelli; and two granddaughters, Gracie Morelli and Anna Morelli.

She also is survived by her two brothers, Jerry Otero (Madalyn) and Roberto Otero (Gayla), sister Pamela Otero (Rocky Hill), and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Peralta, N.M., on March 18.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, St. John Neumann Church in Farragut, or Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, in Peralta, N.M.

Blanche Mackay

Blanche Mackay, age 97, of Knoxville, passed away Feb. 5.

Mrs. Mackay volunteered at Ladies of Charity, was a board member of the Council of Catholic Women, and active in AARP and Newcomers Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Mackay. She is survived by her children, Bob, Chris, Greg (Kate), Ken (Carol); grandchildren Anthony Morciglio, Ryan, Patrick (Isabella), and Hannah; and great-grandson, Jonathan Morciglio.

A funeral Mass was held at St. John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center on Feb. 18 with Father Eric Andrews, CSP, serving as the celebrant.

Donations in Mrs. Mackay’ s honor may be made to Ladies of Charity, 120 W. Baxter Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917.

Adrienne Mary Swindeman

Adrienne Mary Swindeman, 84, died peacefully on Feb. 6, with her family at her side.

Born Adrienne Mary Dwyer in Sydney, NSW, Australia, she spent her early years living in country towns and the Blue Mountains of NSW. She attended the University of Sydney and was a librarian with the Public Library of New South Wales in the state Department of Agriculture library.

Mrs. Swindeman met her husband, Robert Walter Swindeman, while he was working for the Atomic Energy Commission in Australia on loan from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She and Bob were married in Lane Cove, Australia, and moved to Oak Ridge, where they raised their family and lived happily for almost 60 years.

Mrs. Swindeman was an active member of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, where she served as president of the Council of Catholic Women and as an officer of the St. Veronica’s Guild. She also was involved in many other groups and organizations, including Church Women United, her Bible study group, Meals on Wheels, Recording for the Blind, Camp Fire Girls, Oak Ridge Jr. Playhouse, and several bridge clubs.

She considered her greatest achievement to be the nurturing of faith in her children and grandchildren, which had been handed down through the generations by her parents and grandparents.

Mrs. Swindeman is preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Jessie Dwyer; daughter-in-law, Jessica Swindeman; and dogs, Barry, Dudley, and Barney.

She is survived by beloved husband, Bob Swindeman; sister, Margaret Dwyer of Sydney, NSW; brother, Jim Dwyer of Sydney, NSW; children, Catherine Swindeman Hilty and husband, Jim, of Summerville, S.C., John Swindeman and wife, Elizabeth, of Knoxville, and Michael Swindeman and wife, Lisa, of Liberty Township, Ohio; and grandchildren, James, Elena, Jackson, Isabelle, Evelyn, Peter, Julia, Emily, and Thomas.

A funeral Mass for Mrs. Swindeman was celebrated at St. Mary Church on Feb. 11. An inurnment was held March 4 at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

Donations in Mrs. Swindeman's memory may be made to St. Mary Catholic School at http://school.stmarysoakridge.org or Catholic Charities of East Tennessee at https://ccetn.org/ donate

Ron Mauer

Ronald (Ron) Joseph Mauer, age 88, of Knoxville, passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 30.

A funeral Mass with military color guard was held Feb. 11 at All Saints Church. Graveside services for Mr. Mauer were held at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

Mr. Mauer was a son, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was born in Ohio on July 19, 1934. He attended schools near every university across the country where his father coached. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

Mr. Mauer served his country in the U.S. Army in the 11th and 82nd airborne divisions while being stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. His service to his country was his greatest duty and he remained a reservist. After being honorably discharged, he returned to the University of Florida and graduated.

After working with construction firms and for Ford Motor. Co. in Michigan, Mr. Mauer eventually returned to Knoxville and worked for more than 30 years in the Knox County Codes Department as chief plans examiner.

Mr. Mauer had many accomplishments, including being a state of Tennessee certified building inspector, influential in the startup of Knox County Construction Board of Appeals, SBCCI Seismic Design Committee, IBC Committees, Advisory Committee for Pellissippi State, Knoxville Technical Society member and past president, and was an East Tennessee Building Officials Association member and past president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.

Mr. Mauer is preceded in death by his parents, Coach John W. and Grace L. Bapst (Pabst) Mauer, brother Jack, wife of over 50 years Sue M. Spence Mauer, and many friends. He is survived by oldest daughter and wingman Michelle (Bill), daughter Maureen (Bob); grandchildren and great-grandchildren Susanne (Christopher), “his son” John, Ashley, Mitchell Joseph, Lily, and Will. His animals were his world.

Mr. Mauer requested that contributions be made to Knox County Codes Dept., Attention: Bart Rountree, Memo: ETBOA Ron Mauer Scholarship, 400 Main St., Suite 547, Knoxville, TN 37902. ■

Manning continued from to the field to do what needed to be done.”

Father Andrews said he and Deacon Murphy-Racey “called an audible, changed the game plan” and altered the Gospel reading selection at the last minute before Mass.

“We needed something that was a little more appropriate for our friend, Gus. Enter through the narrow Gate 16 (a reference to the main gate at Neyland Stadium). I picked this Gospel, why? Because it was short. Gus didn’t like things going too long. Point one,” he said.

“Point two, if you were to work at a major football and athletics enterprise for over 50 years, serving 11 head football coaches and eight athletics directors, and you keep your faith to the very end. That is something. That is amazing and not done often,” he added.

Father Andrews repeated the Gospel (Matthew 7:13) he chose for the funeral Mass, “the wide road leads to destruction, but enter through the narrow gate; enter through with faith and hope, always looking to the future, always having Jesus at your side, you will make it to the end, surrounded by friends and loved ones, confident on your last days that you are going to be connected always with everyone. You have entered through the narrow gate. You have competed well. You have finished the race, as St. Paul would say. You have succeeded. And God is planning for you.

“So, we’re here to give thanks to God for Gus Manning, for the many ways he’s touched all of our hearts. He treated the guy sweeping the floor and the guy in the head coach’s office with the same respect and dignity that God has given each one of them. And more importantly, he always kept himself right in line with what was needed and with what God was calling him to do, a very, very narrow line to walk. But he walked it so well. That is why, I think, the gate was given in his honor by Peyton Manning.”

Gate 16 at Neyland Stadium is the main entrance into the stadium. Legendary Vol Peyton Manning, who wore the No. 16 jersey as quarterback for the football team, donated $3.5 million to the Tennessee football program and the Peyton Manning Scholarship Endowment in April 2015. Gate 16 was named the Gus

Manning Gate. He served in the UT athletics department for 64 years in positions ranging from sports information director to associate athletics director and special consultant to the athletics director.

Father Andrews described Gus Manning as “the holy spirit of football” who worked backstage to make things happen. “You don’t know where he is or where the Cushman is going, but something is happening.”

Mr. Manning was widely known for riding in his Cushman motorized delivery cart around the UT campus.

Father Andrews remarked that much of the success of UT athletics was built on the shoulders of people like Gen. Neyland and Gus Manning, who were always looking forward, working hard, and demanding excellence.

“So, that gate, which you all enter into with joy, may it always remind you of the type of person that made that happen. One who was always fun and flexible, but who always demanded perfection, who always held people higher, and who was always there to accompany them,” he said, noting that the hardest part will be knowing Mr. Manning won’t be present after 99 years in Knoxville and on the UT campus.

Father Andrews recalled that soon after he arrived on campus, a former football player implored him to remember that on Rocky Top, there is “faith, family, and football.”

Faith, family, and football are all one, he continued, pointing out that they are all interconnected.

“There’s not a ranking. It’s just the way life is lived,” he said. “Gus saw all of you as his family, as his football family, and all of that wrapped in the faith of Jesus.”

Father Andrews advised the congregation that despite how they revere Mr. Manning, “we cannot afford sainthood on Gus at this moment. It’s just not our way. … It’s a work in progress. But Gus has always been faithful and close to the Lord. And he shared love that the Lord gave him with you so generously. I have a funny feeling he may be very close at that gate if not through it already. And if he does not need our prayers today, I know he will send them back to us in abundance.”

Father Andrews made a point to thank Mr. Manning’s family and friends for remaining close to him during his final years and to the staff at the Nursing Center at Little Creek in West Knoxville, where Mr. Manning stayed.

He then closed his homily by leading the congregation in a verse of “The Tennessee Waltz,” which the UT Pride of the Southland Band plays after every home football game, in memory of Mr. Manning.

“Gus, thank you and bless you. May you lead us through that narrow gate to the eternal banquet, of which we pray you are already enjoying. God bless. And ‘Go Vols,’” Father Andrews concluded.

Among those attending the funeral Mass were longtime friends and associates of Mr. Manning, including former Lady Vols athletics director Joan Cronan, former Lady Vols basketball head coach Holly Warlick, legendary Vols quarterback and former assistant athletics director Condredge Holloway, former Vols sports information director Bud Ford, former Tennessee and Minnesota Vikings football standout Tim Irwin, and Pilot Corp. founder Jim Haslam, who attended UT with Mr. Manning and worked with Mr. Manning in athletics department functions.

At the time of his death, Mr. Manning still was listed on the UT Athletics Department directory as “Consultant Athletics Director,” which illustrates how much he is revered

In remembering Mr. Manning, the UT Athletics Department released a statement that said:

“The impact Gus Manning made on the evolution of Tennessee athletics' internal operations—much of which was done behind the scenes and away from the spotlight—was no less significant than the contributions of iconic names such as Neyland, Nathan W. Dougherty, Joan Cronan, Doug Dickey, and Pat Summitt.”

The Manning family received an outpouring of sympathy from friends and supporters.

“This is a tremendous loss,” longtime friend and former Tennessee

Manning continued on page A19 football coach and administrator Phillip Fulmer said. “We’ve lost a major piece of Tennessee history. Gus Manning is an icon. His personality and humor made him a pleasure to be around. And his historical knowledge about all that makes Tennessee athletics special was second-to-none. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

According to his biography, Mr. Manning was “A colorful personality with an unlimited supply of humorous stories, Gus Manning was always a popular after-dinner speaker at civic clubs and sports banquets. A quintessential Volsports fan, Gus attended 608 consecutive football games, stretching from 1951 to 2003. At one time he had a string of 71 years attending home games dating back to the opening game of 1946 until 2017.

“A native of Knoxville, Gus attended Rule High School, where he was voted the best all-around athlete. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, Gus entered UT and was a walk-on for the 1947 Tennessee football team and also played baseball for the Vols, earning a letter in 1948. Gus graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1950.

“Hired by Gen. Robert R. Neyland as sports information director in 1951, Gus was employed by the UT athletics department until his retirement in 2000, after which he has continued in a part-time capacity as a consultant to the athletics director. He has served as sports information director, administrative assistant, and senior associate athletics director, with his work covering all aspects of athletics department operations.”

According to the UT Athletics Department, Mr. Manning was recognized widely for his work, including being inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, receiving the TSSAA Football Officials’ 50-year award in 2002 and being a member of that organization’s Hall of Fame, and he was selected in the inaugural class of the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

He was named national business manager of the year in 1989 by the College Athletics Business Managers Association as well as serving as president of the Southeastern Conference sports information directors and president of the SEC business managers.

In 1998, he received special recognition from the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2019 he received the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award.

However, according to the athletics department, his crowning moment, among many, was in 2015 when Gate 16 was named for him. The gate is only a few feet away from a statue honoring his mentor, Gen. Neyland.

Mr. Manning may perhaps be best known for his career-long friendship with former UT sports information director Haywood Harris and his broadcasting reports on UT sports. For more than 56 years, Mr. Manning was associated with Knoxville radio station WIVK through his Vol Sports Reports on football and basketball. He also served for 49 years as co-host with Mr. Harris on the WIVK show “The Locker Room,” the longest continuously running radio sports program in the nation.

Mr. Harris died in 2010, and since then “The Locker Room” has continued with Mr. Manning and Mr. Ford.

“The Locker Room” completed its 62nd season last fall. Mr. Manning and Mr. Harris also were co-authors of two books: Six Seasons Remembered: The National Championship Years of Tennessee Football, and Once a Vol, Always a Vol

“No doubt Gus Manning was a true legend not only at Tennessee but also in the Southeastern Conference and national athletic circles. He was a principal figure in the growth of UT athletics as we know it today,” Mr. Ford said.

“For me personally, Gus was bigger than life and was responsible for me being hired at the UT Athletics Department. I had the great privilege to witness his ability as an administrator firsthand and spent many hours traveling with him to UT sporting events all across the South,” Mr. Ford added. “His recall of Gen. Neyland, football and basketball games, and stories during his days was amazing. But to Gus, I was affectionately ‘just his paper boy from the neighborhood and not a very good one at that.’ For me, it was a most fortunate title, and I will always be grateful to have had a career opportunity at UT and be mentored by two great men in Gus Manning and Haywood Harris.”

In addition to playing for the Vols when Mr. Manning served in the athletics department, Judge Tim Irwin for years attended St. John XXIII Catholic Center with Mr. Manning.

“I was 17 years old when I first stepped foot on UT’s campus, and Gus Manning was entrenched as the man to see about all things tickets. We went to church together for many, many years at John XXIII. I don’t think he ever missed church. And I know he never missed a UT football game. It’s kind of special to see all of our old buddies here today gathered in a Catholic church to recognize Gus’ life,” said Judge Irwin, who serves as Knox County’s Juvenile Court judge.

“It’s very fitting that all of these old ball players, coaches, and administrative staff that loved him in his job could be here with his church family who loved him in his Church. I would consider Gus a pillar of East Tennessee Catholics,” Judge Irwin added.

Mr. Manning's survivors include son and daughter-in-law, Sammy Joe and Meg Cifers Manning of Knoxville; grandchildren, Chad (Clare) Manning of Nashville, Joe Manning, and Elizabeth Manning (fiancé Alex Snyder) of Knoxville; great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Rose (Rosie) Manning of Nashville; a brother-in-law, A. J. Bussell, of Oak Ridge; special niece, Kathy Manning; and several other nieces and nephews.

The Mannings are an Irish Catholic family who settled in Knoxville in the 1800s and began attending Immaculate Conception Church in the 1860s, according to niece Kathy Manning, who is a member of Immaculate Conception.

“Gus lived geographically in Sacred Heart Parish, but he was at home at John XXIII Parish with his university friends,” Ms. Manning explained, noting that Mr. Manning was the youngest of eight children raised in Knoxville’s Mechanicsville community. “That was a very Irish neighborhood within walking distance to Immaculate Conception Church.”

Mr. Manning, born in 1923, went to Knoxville Catholic High School on Magnolia Avenue but was recruited away along with his brother Frank to attend Rule High School in their neighborhood because they were star athletes, his niece said.

Mr. Manning served in the Pacific in the Marines during World War II, and when the war was over, he returned home to attend UT on the GI Bill, she noted. He walked on as a football player, where he was coached by Gen. Neyland, who had been an Army officer also serving in the Pacific.

After Mr. Manning’s playing days, Gen. Neyland hired him to join the UT athletics department. Ms. Manning said one of her uncle’s first jobs was to keep scouts of opposing teams from “spying” on Tennessee football practices.

She described his work through the years at UT as “his dream job.”

“And he lived the dream. How many of us get to say we’ve done that?” she said ■ to pick him up Sunday. So, boom, Sunday afternoon we’re driving down to Catholic Charities and driving home with this child,” Mrs. Leitz said.

A few years later, the couple adopted a second child, Matthew, through Catholic Charities. They were present when Catholic Charities of East Tennessee announced that adoption services would resume as an extension of CCETN’s Pregnancy Help Center.

“This whole thing seems like we’ve come full circle. Who knew that when we adopted these boys 34 years ago, and 26 years ago, and then do this, [it] is such a love letter to our boys and thanksgiving to God,” Mrs. Leitz added.

Christian formation

Coming off a successful career in health-care administration, Deacon Jim Bello is now getting a crash course in how to lead faith formation in the Diocese of Knoxville. On the day he was ordained last June, Deacon Bello was appointed director of Christian Formation for the diocese.

In the weeks that followed, he started an assessment of training needs and program development for parishes.

Since then, Deacon Bello has been able to visit parishes where adult faith formation, Bible study classes, and new programs like the “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” for young children are flourishing.

“A big part of my job is looking at what parishes do well and then organize it in such a way that it would be available to other parishes, too,” Deacon Bello said. “There are several parishes right now that stand out as having good faith formation programs. I see the Office of Christian Formation as being a resource for the parishes to help them get to where they want to be.”

The Easter Vigil Mass offers a moment to witness the growth of the diocese, when new Catholics are welcomed into the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) each year.

One of the final steps of that process, the Rite of Election, took place at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus over two days in late February. More than 200 people from across the diocese participated.

“We have so many parishes that have become very good at evangelization…and they are bringing people into our diocese,” said Deacon Bello. “People are becoming Catholic from other denominations or from having no faith at all … and that’s really where the Office of Christian Formation can step in and say, now let us help you with the resources that we have to catechize. So, we’ve evangelized these people and now we have to teach them what the Catholic Church teaches.”

Clergy formation

God willing, transitional deacons Joseph Austin, Neil Blatchford, and Andrew Crabtree will be ordained as priests in the Diocese of Knoxville this summer.

The path to the priesthood takes a lot of prayer, perseverance, study, and, yes, money.

“The cost to educate a seminarian is roughly $40,000 per year, if not more,” Bishop Stika said.

“We have 13 seminarians at various stages of study. So, it takes an enormous financial commitment on the part of the diocese to form our future priests. These are men who will serve in our parishes. While many of our ministries benefit our parishes, seminarian and clergy formation are probably the most visible,” Bishop Stika added.

In 2023, clergy and seminarian formation will receive the largest contribution from the Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries $835,000. That amount covers just a portion of the total cost to educate diocesan seminarians.

Youth, young adult, and college campus ministries

In February 2022, more than 1,100 people were in Knoxville for a regional faith conference hosted by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

More than 90 percent of the attendees were college students. While the 2022 regional confer- ing and actions of the abortion industry.”

“We have so many parishes that have become very good at evangelization ... and they are bringing people into our diocese. People are becoming Catholic from other denominations or from having no faith at all ....

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic

Eight days a month, the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic rolls into communities across East Tennessee that have one thing in common: a critical need for health care.

“I was a type-2 diabetic, so it was pretty important that I get medical care quickly,” said Teresa Garcia, a patient who found her way to the clinic’s stop in Athens last summer. “I was a health-care professional, so I’ve been there, I know what it’s about.” ence in Knoxville wasn’t funded by the diocese, the diocese does provide substantial financial support for FOCUS chapters on two of its college campuses: the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and UT-Chattanooga.

“College life is challenging, not just academically, but even more so socially,” Bishop Stika said. “We provide our children a solid faith foundation, and then many of them go off to college where they don’t have the same Catholic opportunities that they had through their home and parish. Our commitment to having a Catholic presence on all of our major college campuses—including at ETSU in Johnson City, where we also have a Catholic Center—is so important.”

Additionally, the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil sponsors dozens of pilgrimages, classes, and faith events each year.

Office of Justice and Peace

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end the constitutional protection for abortion, the battleground for the protection of the unborn has reverted to state legislatures. In Tennessee, a law went into effect in August 2022 that bans abortion except in certain limited instances. The Tennessee General Assembly is now considering a change to that law, which could open the door for more abortions.

“Our Office of Justice and Peace has been active in defense of life at every stage, from birth to natural death,” Bishop Stika said. “It has helped guide us and supported messaging to our governor on the death penalty issue, and it has been very active on the abortion issue. With prayer vigils and a peaceful presence at abortion sites around East Tennessee, we have been able to counter the messag -

Ms. Garcia had lost her job. Without insurance, and facing serious medical concerns, she turned to the clinic for muchneeded assistance.

“You come here, and they don’t treat you like you’re somebody off the street. They treat you like a person, and you count. I just feel safe here when I come.”

Bishop Stika established the clinic in 2013 with funds from the sale of Mercy Health Partners. It began its first community visits in 2014, and since then has expanded its outreach to include a stop each month at the Catholic Charities Pregnancy Help Center location in Scott County.

“Tennessee is second in the nation in rural hospital closures. We’ve come to Helenwood to serve the needs of the medically uninsured and to help fill the void that hospital closures have created here,” said Martin Vargas, executive director of St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic

In addition to Athens and Helenwood, the clinic also makes visits to Crab Orchard, Decatur, Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Rutledge, and Washburn.

Reflecting on success

March can be a challenging time to focus on the success of the 2022 Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries. Officially, the appeal ended on Feb. 28. In the meantime, the appeal for this year, 2023, has already started.

“We hope the message comes through loud and clear,” Deacon Armor said. “We want to thank those people who supported the 2022 Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries, and we want them to be aware that they have allowed us to reach a new and substantial record ($3 million). Because of that success, we have increased some of the ministry funding levels for 2023. We want everyone to know that we’re grateful, and that the appeal’s growth is translating into growth for those ministries.