April 3, 2016, ET Catholic

This issue

He dwells among us ................ 2 Diocesan calendar ................. 20 Deanery news ........................ 21 La Cosecha ......... center pullout

The East Tennessee

Catholic schools......................25 Catholic youth..........................28 Columns...................................31 Virtus training............................33

April 3, 2016 Volume 25 Number 4 Bishop Richard F. Stika

News from The Diocese of Knoxville • Visit us at dioknox.org or etcatholic.org

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Mercy & Mary Bishop, Fr. Gaitley lead Lenten retreat

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Cool addition SMLF grant helps Ladies of Charity with food prep

15

Gift of sight NPH students give diocese a clear vision of love

The presence of Jesus in our midst Priests, deacons, religious, faithful gather together at Chrism Mass for Holy Week celebration

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In Holy Communion Bishop Richard F. Stika and priests in the Diocese of Knoxville take part in the Chrism Mass on March 22 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. During the Mass, the priests renew their vows and Bishop Stika blesses the holy oils used in the diocese during the year.

STEPHANIE RICHER

he priests, deacons, religious, and faithful from throughout the diocese who filled Sacred Heart Cathedral, the holy oils, the banners from every parish, the music—all combined to make the Chrism Mass on March 22 a very special one for Bishop Richard F. Stika.

“I don’t know about you, but there are certain times that I feel the presence of Jesus in our midst,” the bishop told those filling nearly every seat in the cathedral, “and I felt it tonight, especially during the Communion song, but I really felt Jesus present in our midst, that same Jesus who has invited us to celebrate tonight and to be free of the chains of sin.”

During the Mass the bishop blessed the holy oils used throughout the diocese during the Church year, and he heard the priests’ annual renewal of their commitment to the priesthood.

The bishop was the principal celebrant of the annual liturgy. Concelebrants included Cardinal Justin

By Dan McWilliams

Rigali, cathedral rector Father David Boettner, and the four deans of the diocese: Father Charlie Burton, Father Ronald Franco, CSP, Father Peter Iorio, and Monsignor Patrick Garrity.

“As we celebrate the Mass of the

holy Chrism, we celebrate a number of things,” Bishop Stika said in his homily. “First of all, we celebrate the Diocese of Knoxville. This is one of my favorite Masses where we gather together, and we do so proudly and in a Christian sense. . . . We cel-

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

ebrate diocese, not parish but diocese. The local church: the beautiful Catholic Church of East Tennessee.

“We celebrate the priesthood of Jesus Christ. With this and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper later on this

Chrism continued on page 9

He Dwells Among Us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop’s schedule

Walls of illusion

These are some of Bishop Stika’s public appointments:

In this Year of Mercy, let’s tear down the walls of fear dividing us from God and neighbor

W

ith the Easter season we again rejoice in the words, “Christ is Risen!” For

by His death and resurrection, the walls of sin that separated us have been destroyed. Alleluia! But while we rejoice in the Divine Mercy, walls of division continue to be built in our world and in our hearts because of fear and sin.

History has many lessons to offer concerning walls. China’s “Great Wall,” though giving an image of massive impenetrability, failed to safeguard the country’s inner stability. France built, with great cost and effort, its famed “Maginot Line,” but it did nothing to slow the advance of what it feared most—another world war. The “Iron Curtain,” communism’s great wall of ideology and totalitarianism, fell with the collapse of it centerpiece, the Berlin Wall.

But new walls, built with the same stones of illusion from the rubble of past walls, continue to be built.

Today, the simple awe of a meteor streaking across the night sky gives cause for fear and calls for a space wall to shield us from wayward asteroids or nuclear missiles. Our technology is at such risk that we

Diocesan policy for reporting sexual abuse

Follow Bishop Stika on Twitter @bishopstika and on Facebook for news and events from the diocese need “firewalls” to protect against cyber-attacks. “Safe zones” are set up on university campuses to protect students’ sensitivities where even Christmas greetings and carols are deemed offensive. In the name of tolerance, a new intolerance has emerged in the form of legal challenges that seek to confine expressions of Christian faith to within the walls of our churches only.

These examples and so many others from history should be sufficient to illustrate the illusion of security in walls that seek only to divide and separate. But these walls, like all the walls of history, are but mirages that offer only a false hope of security.

The question is not one of walls, but the one posed by Christ: “Who is my neighbor?” The story of the Good Samaritan and the victim left half-dead by robbers continues in every age. Today’s victims lay along the very same path we all travel.

Many are victims of poverty and

refugees of war, and yet some in the political arena want only more walls of exclusion. But no wall can be built high enough to mask the cry of those in need. Christ reminds us that “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

I offer no solutions to the challenges before us other than God’s own remedy—the Divine Mercy.

I pray you will truly embrace the prayer of the Divine Mercy that I chose for my own episcopal motto, “Jesus, I trust in you.” In that prayer lays the grace that helps us to tear down the walls in our heart that prevents God’s mercy from flowing to others through us. Because we have received God’s mercy, we also must be instruments of that same mercy.

When we wall up our hearts to God’s mercy and to others, we become more and more like the Dead Sea, whose waters turned poisonous because they have no outlet. Walls, exterior and interior, serve only to degrade others and our very selves.

As Christians, we are especially called to act differently precisely

The East Tennessee

Bishop continued on page 34

April 1: 11 a.m. CST, Mass of Christian Burial of Mother Angelica in Alabama April 3: 10 a.m., confirmation at the Church of Divine Mercy April 3-10: Papal Foundation in Rome April 13: 6:30 p.m. confirmation at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga April 14: 10:30 a.m., tape new diocesan television show “A Call to Discipleship” April 14: 5:30 p.m., Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Memorial Mass and Convention Banquet at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City April 17: 11:30 a.m., confirmation at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City April 17: 6 p.m., confirmation at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut April 21: Catholic Charities of East Tennessee dinner at The Chattanoogan hotel April 22: 1 p.m., meeting with the deans at the Chancery April 23: 5 p.m. CDT, confirmation at St. Alphonsus in Crossville April 24: 9 a.m., Blue Mass at Schedule continued on page 34

Bishop Richard F. Stika Publisher

Bill Brewer Editor

Dan McWilliams

Emily Booker

Assistant editor Communications Anyone who has actual knowlspecialist edge of or who has reasonable 805 S. Northshore Drive • Knoxville, TN 37919 The Diocese of Knoxville cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published bi-monthly by The Diocese of Knoxville, 805 S. Northshore Drive, information to the appropriate Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn. Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel. civil authorities first, then to the The East Tennessee Catholic is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee. Subscription rate for others is $15 a year bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or in the United States. Make checks payable to The Diocese of Knoxville. the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, 805 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919-7551 Reach us by phone: 865-584-3307 • fax: 865-584-8124 • e-mail: webmaster@dioknox.org • web: dioknox.org 482-1388. ■

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RETIREMENT ANNUITIES

April 3, 2016 3

Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat: ‘God is giving us this time of mercy’ Bishop Stika, Father Michael Gaitley lead two-day event for hundreds from the diocese and beyond

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4 April 3, 2016

DAN MCWILLIAMS

od spoke to Susan Akers, Laura Jones and Jenni Preuett on the feast of St. Joseph.

They hoped He could, but they weren’t sure He would. The message they heard, however, was unmistakable.

As soon as Bishop Richard F. Stika, celebrating Mass March 19 on the seventh anniversary of his episcopal ordination and installation, announced that the chalice he used during the consecration belonged to Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen and he also was wearing Bishop Sheen’s cincture, the three friends from the Diocese of Nashville were nearly brought to tears.

The parishioners of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Murfreesboro were drawn to Knoxville for the Mercy & This saving cup During his anniversary Mass March 19 at Knoxville Catholic High School, Bishop Richard F. Stika holds the chalice used by Venerable Bishop Mary Lenten Retreat featuring Father Fulton Sheen. Bishop Stika also was wearing Bishop Sheen’s cincture. ConcelMichael Gaitley, MIC, March 18-19 ebrating Mass are, from left, Father Julius Abuh, Cardinal Justin Rigali and Father at Knoxville Catholic High School.

Michael Gaitley. Deacon David Lucheon is shown at far right.

Looking for inspiration from the retreat, the trio found that and more.

The women, who are faculty memat the retreat. Mrs. Akers, Mrs. Jones, Bishop Stika recalled his episcopal bers at Diocese of Nashville schools, and Mrs. Preuett, who were unaware ordination and installation at the have been leading a novena at St. of the presence of Bishop Sheen’s Knoxville Convention Center, noting Rose of Lima seeking the intercession chalice and cincture until near the end that he specifically chose the feast of Venerable Bishop Sheen for Mrs. of Bishop Stika’s anniversary Mass, of St. Joseph and the motto, “Jesus, I Akers’ 27-year-old niece, Kelly, who returned to Murfreesboro full of hope trust in you.” was recently diagthat their prayers of “But you can also say, ‘Joseph, I nosed with stage IV mercy for Kelly were trust in you.’ Who trusted in Joseph? ovarian cancer. The heard.

Our Holy Mother trusted in Joseph. diagnosis was made Prayers of mercy To have the Blessed Mother trust in less than a year after were abundant during you, what an extraordinary thing,” she was married. The the two-day retreat Bishop Stika said during his homily. novena to Venerable led by Bishop Stika “And Jesus trusted in Joseph. Mary, Fulton Sheen actually and Father Gaitley, a as only a mother can do, nurtured began at Kelly’s home member of the ConJesus. And Joseph taught Jesus how parish in Jackson, gregation of Marian to be a man. Joseph had a tenderness Tenn.

Fathers of the Immacof heart; he trusted in God. And we Jenni Preuett, Laura Jones, and Susan ulate Conception and Susan Brindle of honor St. Joseph today,” the bishop Akers with Father Michael Gaitley Lewisburg, Tenn., author of the Marian continued. and Sonyia Brake of Press books Consoling During his homily, Bishop Stika Newport, Del., who possesses the the Heart of Jesus, 33 Days to Morning asked for prayers for the persecuted Bishop Sheen relics and travel around Glory, The ‘One Thing’ is Three, You Did Church and martyred Christians the country with them for display It To Me, The Second Greatest Story Ever throughout the world, especially the and use at Catholic liturgical celebraTold, Divine Mercy Image Explained, Missionaries of Charity who were retions and events, made the chalice and Divine Mercy Explained. Father cently killed in Yemen. He also asked and cincture available to Bishop Stika Gaitley also often appears on EWTN. prayers for Pope Francis on his third The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

By Bill Brewer

anniversary since becoming pope.

“We pray that through the blood of the martyrs the Church may grow,” Bishop Stika said.

Mass was celebrated for about 450 people attending the retreat.

The retreat began March 18 with the Stations of the Cross led by Deacon David Lucheon of All Saints Church in Knoxville. Father Gaitley then delivered the first of four discussions and celebrated Mass. The March 19 Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Father Julius Abuh of St. Therese Parish in Clinton and St. Joseph Parish in Norris, Father Hoan Dinh of Divine Mercy Parish in Knoxville, Father Bill Gahagan, pastor of St. Jude Parish in Helenwood, and Father Gaitley.

Father Gaitley’s first talk centered on Poland and how this small European country of predominantly Catholics has a number of times been at the heart of conflict between Christianity and evil. It was the birthplace of St. Faustina Kowalska, who inspired the Divine Mercy devotion, and St. John Paul II, whose papacy influenced the fall of communism in Poland and all of Eastern Europe.

Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Faustina on April 18, 1993, and he canonized her April 30, 2000, which was the Great Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God and forgiveness of sins.

Pointing out how St. Faustina and St. John Paul II ushered in the Divine Mercy movement within the Catholic Church, Father Gaitley said laypeople have been driving the movement. He then noted that St. John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, the vigil Mass day for Divine Mercy Sunday.

“If that’s not providence, then I don’t know what is,” Father Gaitley said, adding that Catholics currently are living in a time of particular urgency, when divine mercy is needed as never before.

Retreat continued on page 5 dioknox.org

Of mercy and Mary Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, delivers remarks during the Diocese of Knoxville’s Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat March 18-19 at Knoxville Catholic High School. Father Gaitley celebrated Mass on Friday and concelebrated Mass on Saturday with Bishop Richard F. Stika and led several discussions on Divine Mercy and Marian consecration.

II, also pointing out that St. Maximilian Kolbe established a Catholic monastery in Nagasaki, Japan, a decade before the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. The

BILL BREWER

Father Gaitley and Bishop Stika spoke of the genocide taking place in the Middle East and other places around the world against Christians and people of other faiths.

“The 20th century was the bloodiest in history. There were more martyrs in the 20th century than all other centuries combined,” Father Gaitley said.

In his second talk, the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception priest continued with the Poland theme and discussed in detail the role of St. Maximilian Kolbe, “the great apostle of Marian consecration.”

“St. Maximilian Kolbe…the martyr of charity…the great apostle of Marian consecration. St. Kolbe was intense, but his was a beautiful intensity, the intensity of love. He wanted to give the greatest possible glory to God,” Father Gaitley said as he personified his divine mercy message through the powerful example of recent saints.

In doing so, he linked events that culminated in the Divine Mercy movement embraced by St. John Paul

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Retreat continued from page 4

Station to Station Deacon David Lucheon of All Saints Church in Knoxville leads the Stations of the Cross during the Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat in the gym at Knoxville Catholic High School on March 18. Each Station banner is a recreation of one of the 14 Stations of the Cross at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga.

The East Tennessee Catholic

Polish priest built the monastery on the far side of a mountain overlooking Nagasaki against the advice of locals, who believed the monastery should have been built on the Nagasaki side. The mountainside closest to Nagasaki bore the brunt of the atomic bomb blast and the monastery was preserved and continues to serve God and the Church.

In the 1940s, St. Kolbe was imprisoned by the Nazis and sent to die at the notorious Auschwitz death camp in Poland, where he was killed by lethal injection in 1941 at age 47. He was a contemporary of St. Faustina.

Father Gaitley said that unbeknownst to many St. Mary is present in our day and time in a way that rivals any time in history, including when St. Faustina and St. Kolbe were leading souls to divine mercy.

“Right now we’re in another large push for Marian consecration in the USA – rivaling St. Kolbe’s time,” Father Gaitley said. “Mary is on the move in a very big way right now.

Will we respond to the graces that God is offering us right now?”

Father Gaitley also spoke about the

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

powerful witness of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her example of faith and devotion to God. He said everyone should embrace her example as we strive for divine mercy.

Unrest around the world, where refugees from war-torn areas are bleeding across borders into neighboring nations, where poverty-stricken immigrants are seeking better lives in other countries, and where terrorism is increasingly making the world a dangerous place, did not escape the attention of Bishop Stika or Father Gaitley.

But they called on Catholics and people of all faiths to strengthen their devotion to Mary and go to God in prayer.

“God is giving us this time of mercy,” Father Gaitley said. “If we cry out for mercy, God will have mercy, but we must do so. If we consecrate to divine mercy, we can save the world. I really believe that.”

Father Gaitley, with his impassioned presentations on mercy and Marian consecration, is in demand as a speaker and retreat leader in this Year of Mercy that Pope Francis has declared.

“We were extremely blessed to have Father Michael Gaitley as a guest of the diocese to offer us this Lenten “Mercy & Mary” retreat. Father Gaitley is one of the most sought-after Catholic speakers in the nation and is booked until almost the end of 2017.

It’s not that he is an extraordinarily talented writer and gifted speaker, both of which are very true, but it is the subject which he speaks and writes on—Divine Mercy and Marian Consecration—that is so important at this particular time in the history of man,” said Paul Simoneau, diocesan vice chancellor and director of the Office of Justice and Peace.

“Pope Francis has made it explicitly clear that we are living in a ‘time of mercy’ that God has given us, which is why he declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy for us. What the future holds, we do not know, and there

Retreat continued on page 6 April 3, 2016 5

Retreat continued from page 5

is much to be pessimistic about given the growing turmoil in the world and tensions in our own country. More than ever, the world, our country, our diocese needs saints, and that is why God’s mercy is so important, and why Father Gaitley’s message is so important.

“We are all called to be saints, and Our Blessed Mother can best help us to become the saints of God’s mercy that we’re called to be,” Mr. Simoneau added.

The Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat attracted people from around the diocese and also from outside East Tennessee. A group of 11 women trekked to the Diocese of Knoxville from Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City, Ga. For one of them, it wasn’t her first Diocese of Knoxville event.

“I came to the Eucharistic Congress several years ago,” said Bonnie Skiles, who found out about the Lenten retreat in an e-mail from the diocese. “I sent a text to all these ladies and said ‘who’s in?’ And they all said, ‘I’m in, I’m in, I’m in.”

All of them are fans of Father Gaitley and “followers of Jesus.”

“We love his books. His books are life-changing,” Ms. Skiles said.

They have formed a faith study group around the books of Father Gaitley and other Catholic authors and have felt the impact.

“We love Mary. We see her working in our lives. We see her working in our families. We see her helping us carry crosses. Our faith is growing; our community is growing,” said Tricia Gieseke.

Terri Thomas, who is the adult faith coordinator for Holy Trinity in Peachtree City, said each summer for the past five years the parish has been consecrated on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And for the past three years the parish has been using Father Gaitley’s book 33 Days to Morning Glory to prepare for each consecration.

6 April 3, 2016

Ms. Thomas praised the book for its gentle, uplifting approach to Marian consecration, which has had a positive impact on their parish.

The 11 women credited the consecrations for helping other events at the church to flourish and said Mary “has set our parish on fire.”

“We’re on fire with our next mission and growing in the love of Jesus Christ and Mary. It’s beautiful, lifechanging,” said Robin Mahon.

The bishop’s Mass and Lenten retreat also had a profound impact on Theresa Slaughter of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga, who was given Father Gaitley’s book 33 Days to Morning Glory five years ago. She has followed him since.

“I was so deeply moved that I was in tears of joy and sorrow that all this wonderful grace was in our diocese,” Ms. Slaughter said, thanking Bishop Stika for making the retreat possible.

“It was so beautiful.”

Like Ms. Slaughter, Emily Knoch of St. Jude Parish also was wowed by the retreat and Father Gaitley’s testimony and fervor. Unlike Ms. Slaughter, Mrs. Knoch hasn’t been a close follower of Father Gaitley – until now.

“I was very moved by his testimony and fervor,” Mrs. Knoch said. “He was able to touch so many people.

He provided a lot of hope and he’s providing a great deal of ammunition in this time of evil.”

For Mary Jo and Charles Koory of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy, the Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat was thought-provoking.

“I was very impressed. He really enlightened me,” Mr. Koory said.

Mrs. Koory found Father Gaitley’s insight into Sts. Thérèse of Lisieux and Faustina captivating, especially St. Thérèse’s “little way, which is the way for all of us.”

“Father Gaitley’s presentation was very humble. He’s looked deeply into some of these Catholic concepts,” Mrs. Koory said.

Lenten Retreat Stations of the Cross When providence smiled upon our diocese and Father Michael Gaitley’s schedule opened up, permitting him to come to the Diocese of Knoxville and to lead us in a Lenten Mercy & Mary Retreat, we had only a few weeks to prepare for an event that normally requires much more time.

Father Gaitley asked us to include the Stations of the Cross as a part of our schedule of events. The challenge was coming up with Stations for the Knoxville Catholic High School gymnasium, where the retreat would be held. Immediately coming to mind was the impressive Stations of the Cross at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. Father David Carter, the basilica’s rector, worked with us in coming up with high-resolution photos of the Stations that we might use to make large banners.

Father Carter put us in touch with parishioner and photographer Stephen Golder to get banners of the Stations made.

Given the need for Stations for our retreat, Mr. Golder asked when we needed them by. Two weeks later we received the 14 Stations of the Cross. Each Station is depicted on a 4-foot-by-5-foot vinyl banner. We are grateful for the efforts of Mr. Golder, who required scaffolding to photograph each Basilica station because the images are so large.

Much time was invested in each photograph. Stephen then coordinated having the images made into banners. When you have a setting such as a gymnasium as the location for Mass, you want to transform that space as much as possible into a sacred space. We had two 6-foot-by-10-foot banners of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph from Bishop Stika’s ordination and installation seven years ago. And having the 14 Stations of the Cross in the gym contributed greatly to transforming the gym into sacred space.

We also had the three large hand-painted images, one of Jesus and the Divine Mercy, as well as Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Fatima, that were created by Jesus Gonzalez. These large images were hand painted, each taking several months to paint. Many people have been touched by all of these beautiful images and have expressed interest in getting copies for their private devotion. — Paul Simoneau ■

Father Gaitley was uplifted by the response to his talks, acknowledging that Catholics are big fans of mercy.

“People are excited about Divine Mercy. God’s mercy is so beautiful that when they hear it they have to spread it to others,” Father Gaitley said. “It’s good news at a time when there isn’t a lot of good news. Mercy is the Good News of the Gospel.”

At breaks during his discussions, Father Gaitley manned a table, where he signed his books for long lines of followers. Susan Akers, Laura Jones, and Jenni Preuett were among those who were thrilled to have his signature on their books and books for students at their schools.

Mrs. Jones said St. Rose of Lima Parish has given three of Father Gaitley’s taped presentations to rave

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

reviews.

“He’s like a rock star to us,” she said.

To Mrs. Preuett, the entire retreat was a God thing.

“You very much felt the Holy Spirit during the weekend,” she said, still amazed that Bishop Stika was wearing the cincture and used the chalice of Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen.

As the parishioners at St. Rose of Lima and St. Mary Parish in Jackson continue to pray for healing for Kelly, the three close friends are comforted that Bishop Sheen was with them.

“I touched our rosary to the chalice, so now they (Kelly and St. Mary parish) will have a third-class relic to Bishop Sheen. God is so good. It is God’s intervention,” Mrs. Akers said. ■ dioknox.org

Pope Francis will canonize Mother Teresa on Sept. 4

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Cardinal Rigali recalls encounters with blessed sister of India; Holy Father also sets other canonization dates for men, women religious

By Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Kolkata a saint at the Vatican Sept. 4.

The date was announced March 15 during an “ordinary public consistory,” a meeting of the pope, cardinals and promoters of sainthood causes that formally ends the sainthood process.

At the same consistory, the pope set June 5 as the date for the canonizations of Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski of Poland, founder of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, and Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden, who re-founded the Bridgettine sisters.

In addition, Pope Francis declared that Oct. 16 he would celebrate Mass for the canonizations of Argentina’s “gaucho priest,” Blessed Jose Brochero, and Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old Mexican boy martyred for refusing to re-

Blessed Teresa of Kolkata

nounce his faith during the Cristero War of the 1920s.

Mother Teresa was widely known as a living saint as she ministered to the sick and the dying in some Teresa continued on page 11

Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN, dies following illness

By Catholic News Agency/EWTN News IRONDALE, ALA. — The Catholic Church in the United States has lost the Poor Clare nun who changed the face of Catholicism in the United States and around the world.

Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), passed away on Easter Sunday, March 27, after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.

“Mother has always and will always personify EWTN, the network that God asked her to found,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief The East Tennessee Catholic

Executive Officer Michael Warsaw.

“Her accomplishments and legacies in evangelization throughout the world are nothing short of miraculous and can only be attributed to divine Providence and her unwavering faithfulness to Our Lord.”

In 1981, Mother Angelica launched Eternal Word Television Network, which today transmits 24-hour-a-day programming to more than 264 million homes in 144 countries. What began with approximately 20 employees has now grown to nearly 400. The religious

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Angelica continued on page 13 The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

April 3, 2016 7

After papal mandate, missionaries of mercy are sent out Monsignor Humbrecht, Father Reed among those chosen by Pope Francis to preach, teach about God’s mercy

8 April 3, 2016

COURTESY OF SISTER ALBERTINE PAULUS, RSM

M

ore than 1,000 “missionaries of mercy” from all over the world have received a special mandate from Pope Francis to preach and teach about God’s mercy.

About 700 of the missionaries chosen by Pope Francis were in Rome to receive their special mandate in person during an Ash Wednesday ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica Feb. 10.

For the holy year, which runs until Nov. 20, Pope Francis said he would designate “missionaries of mercy” to be unique signs of God’s mercy. He also is giving them special authority to pardon sins that carry penalties that only the Holy See can lift.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, the office organizing events for the Year of Mercy, said there had been a huge response from priests and religious men who – with permission from their bishops or superiors – requested to serve as these special missionaries.

In the Diocese of Knoxville, Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy, and Father Joe Reed, associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, were selected as the diocese’s missionaries of mercy.

Monsignor Humbrecht said he was overwhelmed by the universality of the mercy missionaries’ role in bringing the message of God’s mercy to the faithful.

“When we gathered on that Tuesday in front of Castel Sant’Angelo to start the procession to the Holy Door, we gathered by language groups. But as I looked around and saw a multiplicity of religious habits and diocesan priests – young, old, black, white, brown – I was struck by the image of the universal Church proclaiming this mission

Missionaries of mercy Father Joe Reed, left, and Monsignor Al Humbrecht are

shown on Ash Wednesday at the Vatican, where Pope Francis appointed the Diocese of Knoxville priests and some 700 fellow clergy to be envoys of mercy during this Year of Mercy.

“When we gathered on that Tuesday in front of Castel Sant’Angelo to start the procession to the Holy Door, we gathered by language groups.

But as I looked around and saw a multiplicity of religious habits and diocesan priests – young, old, black, white, brown – I was struck by the image of the universal Church proclaiming this mission of mercy.”

– Monsignor Al Humbrecht of mercy,” Monsignor Humbrecht said.

He said Pope Francis spoke directly to the missionaries, telling them they need to be like a mother in recognizing, without verbalization, their child’s needs, and assure the faithful of God’s infinite mercy.

“In the Holy Father’s address to us, how he stressed our role in the sacrament of reconciliation, to be

that sign of God’s mercy,” Monsignor Humbrecht added.

The original plan was to have just 800 missionaries; however, the number of requests was so great, 1071 men ended up being chosen, Archbishop Fisichella said. The missionaries will serve in their own dioceses, but they may be invited by other bishops to visit other dioceses as well.

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By Catholic News Service

The pontifical council is sending out to all the world’s bishops a list of the names and personal contact information of all the missionaries appointed by the pope, the archbishop said.

It will then be up to an individual bishop to reach out to a missionary on the list to invite him to his diocese, as well as cover expenses and provide what may be needed for his stay, the archbishop said.

Missionaries were chosen from all over the world, he said, including China, United Arab Emirates and East Timor. There were to be 125 missionaries from the United States and 10 missionaries from Canada, according to the council.

“It is only the pope who nominates these missionaries, not the bishops, and it is he who entrusts them with the mandate to announce the beauty of the mercy of God while being humble and wise confessors who possess a great capacity to forgive those who approach the confessional,” the archbishop said.

The appointed missionaries were invited to Rome for a special meeting with the pope Feb. 9. They received their papal mandate the next day during a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square in the presence of the relics of Sts. Padre Pio and Leopold Mandic – both Capuchin priests who spent 14 hours or more a day hearing people’s confessions.

It was the first time their relics had been to Rome, Archbishop Fisichella said. The relics were brought to St. Peter’s Basilica by procession Feb. 5 and remained in the central nave in front the Altar of the Confession until Feb. 11.

The pope requested their relics be exposed for veneration in the basilica, according to jubilee organizers, to be a sign for the missionaries of how God welcomes those who seek forgiveness. ■ dioknox.org

Chrism continued from page 1

DAN MCWILLIAMS

week, we celebrate all these individuals from different places around the world, around the United States, men who have received the call of Jesus Christ to ‘come and follow me.

I will make you fishers of men’ and women. We celebrate with the deacons. We look forward to the ordination of the deacons in June, another 23 or so, in this cathedral. So we celebrate ministry in a very particular way.”

Bishop Stika also mentioned another hallmark of a Chrism Mass.

“Then we have the blessing of the oils,” he said. “The oil for the sick, for we all know people in our diocese, in our parishes, in our families, Consecrated men and women Bishop Richard F. Stika addresses the men and women religious at the Chrism Mass on March 22 at the Cathedral of the Sacred who are in need of that precious gift Heart of Jesus. of healing in life, in mind and body and spirit; the oil of catechumens, as we prepare to welcome new meming in the person of Jesus Christ, for “For some, priests a long time, we bers into the Church this Holy Satthose that you might see on your celebrate with Monsignor Mankel urday but also through the course journey of life and faith.” this year and Cardinal Rigali 55 of the whole year; . . . and then the Bishop Stika spotlighted vicar years of priesthood,” the bishop holy Chrism, consecrated oil, which general Monsignor Xavier Mankel said. “We celebrate others: 15 years we use for the ordination of a priest. and Cardinal Rigali, both ordained and 20 years. We celebrate one who “All these things come together in priests in 1961, as well as Deacon is preparing for his first year. We this night as we celebrate the presAdam Royal, the Chrism Mass’ celebrate priesthood.” ence of Jesus Christ in our midst deacon of the Word who will be or At last year’s Chrism Mass, the and the gift of faith that is so special dained a priest later this year. bishop talked about the then reand so life-giving.” cently deceased Mon The bishop also exsignor Philip Thoni, pressed gratitude “to my who served the brother priests.” dioceses of Nashville “I wish to say in the and Knoxville for name of all the people more than 65 years. of God of this diocese in “Last year I menEast Tennessee, thank tioned Monsignor you for all the things that Thoni, for he just people know about but had passed into the also all those moments eternal kingdom maybe in a hospital or a just weeks before,” parking lot or in a phone Bishop Stika said. “I call in which you brought was so privileged last Jesus to another person,” year at the ordinahe said. “All those people tion of four deacons that we know about and to use Monsignor’s those people whose lives chalice, and I plan to DAN MCWILLIAMS use the same chalyou touched by your preaching and your smile Priestly procession Diocesan priests and deacons process into the ice again this year to and your acts of kindness, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the Chrism Mass. During honor Monsignor, who to be another Christ, act- the annual Mass, the priests renew their vows before the bishop. faithfully gave to the The East Tennessee Catholic

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Church and never thought of retirement and was always faithful with his own type of personality and his own sense of humor and his own commitment to be willing to serve the Church wherever he might be called to serve.”

Bishop Stika singled out two priests in his Chrism Mass audience: Father P.J. McGinnity and Father Joe Brando.

“I’m mindful of the fact today, as we celebrate as a presbyterate, of Father P.J. McGinnity, the pastor of St. Joe’s in Madisonville, a missionary, a true son of Ireland,” the bishop said. “Now he’s not the one who dresses up like a leprechaun. We all know who that is: Father [Michael] Woods.

“Father P.J. McGinnity, who now in his 70s has decided he wants to return home to his sisters and to his family and to be of service to the Church in Ireland, the ‘auld sod,’ the Green Island, the Emerald Isle.

So I just want to publicly say to Father P.J., who has been a priest for 25 years, thank you for your service.

You remind me of Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way. “Another priest I’d like to recognize is Father Joe Brando, who never says no, even as he battles cancer. Joe, I want to say thank you to you, because we all know what cancer can do to a person, with the treatments and the challenges and wondering what tomorrow’s going to bring, and yet you never say no to [chancellor] Deacon Sean [Smith] when he says, ‘Can you help us?’”

The two fathers are “an example of the priesthood of Jesus Christ: selfless, not selfish,” the bishop said.

“These two priests just remind us of the eternal commitment that we make to be of service to all those people [seated] behind you, God’s people,” Bishop Stika said, “who are looking to you to be reconciled as sinners, who are looking to you to be baptized and anointed, and to

Chrism continued on page 14 April 3, 2016 9

KDCCW convention to feature Fr. Leo Patalinghug, ‘The Cooking Priest’ NCCW official is keynote speaker for April 14-16 event at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City

W

omen in the Diocese of Knoxville attending the 27th annual KDCCW convention will have a full plate of topics to discuss, from prayer and cooking to international aid and combating violence when the convention takes place April 14-16 at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson

City.

The theme of this year ’s Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women convention is Seeking Hope, Sowing Grace, Sharing Mercy.

Beth Mahoney, spirituality commission chairperson of the National Council of Catholic

Women, will serve as keynote speaker after the memorial Mass on April 14. Ms. Mahoney is the national mission director for Holy Cross Family Ministries, which seeks to support the spiritual well-being of the family through prayer.

She has served as a pastoral as-

By Emily Booker sociate in the Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts, as a college campus minister, and a minister of a shelter for abused women and children. She is the author of Grant Us Peace: Rosary Meditations for Those Who Mourn.

Father Leo Patalinghug, “The

Convention continued on page 15

NCYC gets rave reviews from DOK youth at conference

By Noah Goodson

M

ore than 23,000 youth from around the country, including the Diocese of Knoxville, journeyed to Indianapolis to experience the National Catholic Youth Conference.

Held at Lucas Oil Stadium, NCYC is a biennial event intended to help Catholic youth develop a more powerful faith. It was held Nov. 19-21.

The opening NCYC session featured keynote speaker Father Leo Patalinghug, a Filipino priest widely known for his ministry that blends cooking with Catholic teaching. Father Patalinghug is the founder, host, and director of Grace Before Meals, an apostolate to strengthen families through sharing meals. He also is a host on EWTN’s show Savoring Our Faith, and the co-host of the Sirius XM Radio show Entertaining Truth.

Father Leo has been featured on the television networks ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, EWTN, and the Food Network The second-day opening session was led by keynote speaker Chris Padgett, a Catholic convert, speaker, and professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

The Catholic youth were treated to “Camp Tekakwitha” at the NCYC continued on page 16

10 April 3, 2016

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dioknox.org

Teresa continued from page 7

of the poorest neighborhoods in the world. Although some people criticized her for not also challenging the injustices that kept so many people so poor and abandoned, her simple service touched the hearts of millions of people of all faiths.

Born to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, in what is now part of Macedonia, she went to India in 1929 as a Sister of Loreto and became an Indian citizen in 1947. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950.

Shortly after she died in 1997, St. John Paul II waived the usual fiveyear waiting period and allowed the opening of the process to declare her sainthood. She was beatified in 2003.

The date chosen for her canonization is the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death and the date previously established at the Vatican for the conclusion of the Year of Mercy pilgrimage of people like her who are engaged in works of mercy.

The pope’s announcement of Blessed Teresa’s canonization was enthusiastically greeted by people around the world, especially Catholics and the religious who worked with her and directly witnessed her impact. Among those was Cardinal Justin Rigali, who was introduced to Blessed Teresa through his work with St. John Paul II. “There was this tremendous attraction to her because she was so good. Pope John Paul II, when he beatified her some years ago, called her a diminutive woman in love with God. But she expressed this love for God in this marvelous, generous way of going out to the poorest of the poor. Those were her people,” Cardinal Rigali said.

The cardinal, who served St. John Paul II in the offices of the Roman Curia, said Mother Teresa embodied a “tremendous sanctity.”

“But she embodies it in a way that people can understand. You don’t The East Tennessee Catholic

”There was this tremendous attraction to her because she was so good. Pope John Paul II, when he beatified her some years ago, called her a diminutive woman in love with God. But she expressed this love for God in this marvelous, generous way of going out to the poorest of the poor. Those were her people.”

–– Cardinal Justin Rigali

have to convince them. They see her. There is nothing phony about her. She’s totally authentic, and it just appeals to the highest emotion of those who observe her,” Cardinal Rigali said.

The cardinal recalled an encounter with Blessed Teresa he had years ago when she was set to speak to a group.

“She was going to speak in English, and I was asked to give a rundown of what she would say in Italian, because there would be many who would need the Italian translation. The person in charge suggested that I go and speak to Mother Teresa before she started. So I did. I said to Mother Teresa, ‘I’m going to be translating for you this morning into Italian what you say in English.

Would you like to share with me what you’re going to be saying?’”

Cardinal Rigali said.

“Mother Teresa looked at me, it was five minutes before she was to speak, smiled and said, ‘Oh, I don’t know what I’ll be saying this morning.’ But she added, ‘All I know is that I will be speaking about Jesus.’

That’s all she knew,” the cardinal remembered.

He said she spoke about her brothers and sisters in need who are loved by Jesus and united with Him, which is to speak about Jesus.

“I will remember her words forever,” he said. “And she was speak-

ing to a group of very distinguished people. ‘All I know is that I will be speaking about Jesus.’ And she did.

She was prepared because in the simplicity it all comes out. It was all about Jesus. It is all about Jesus.”

Setting the canonization dates concludes a long process of studying the lives and writings of the other sainthood candidates: ■ Blessed Papczynski founded the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in Poland in the 17th century. Today, the Marians are special promoters of the Divine Mercy devotion of St. Faustina Kowalska.

Born in 1631, he was ordained as a Piarist priest, but left the order after 10 years. His new congregation was established officially in 1679, and he died in 1701. He was beatified in Poland in 2007.

■ Blessed Hesselblad was born in Faglavik, Sweden, in 1870 and went to the United States at the age of 18 in search of work to help support her family. She studied nursing in New York and, impressed by the faith of the Catholics she cared for, began the process of entering the Catholic Church. Coming from a Lutheran family, she was conditionally baptized by a Jesuit priest in Washington, D.C. On a pilgrimage to Rome, she visited the home of the 14th-century St. Brigid of Sweden and was welcomed by the Carmelite sisters who were then living there.

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She received permission from the pope to make religious vows under the rule of St. Brigid and re-found the Bridgettine order that had died out in Sweden after the Protestant Reformation. She was beatified in 2000.

■ Blessed Brochero, the “gaucho priest,” was born in Argentina in 1840 and died in 1914. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Cordoba, he spent years traveling far and wide by mule to reach his flock. Pope Francis, in a message in 2013 for the priest’s beatification—a ceremony scheduled before the Argentine pope was elected—said Father Brochero truly had “the smell of his sheep.”

He gained particular fame for his work caring for the sick and dying during a cholera epidemic in 1867. With his own hands, he built churches and chapels and opened paths through the western mountains of Cordoba province. During his travels, he contracted Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy; many people believe he was infected by sharing a cup of mate, an herbal tea, with someone who already had the disease.

■ Blessed Sanchez was martyred in Mexico in 1928, just weeks before his 15th birthday. In 1926 Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles had introduced tough anti-clerical laws and confiscated church property across the country. Some 90,000 people were killed in the ensuing Cristero war before the government and church reached an accord in 1929.

Young Sanchez wanted to fight in the war alongside his brothers, but he was too young. Eventually, he was allowed to be the flag bearer of a unit. During an intense battle, he was captured by government troops, who ordered him to renounce his faith. He refused, even when tortured. The boy was executed about two weeks later. He was beatified in 2005. ■ April 3, 2016 11

Year of Mercy

Ladies of Charity grant from SMLF leads to freezer for critical food storage

By Bill Brewer f they come, you will build it.

Susan Unbehaun and the team of employees and volunteers at the Ladies of Charity in Knoxville have put their own twist on the movie Field of Dreams and its memorable line, “If you build it, they will come.”

Mrs. Unbehaun, Ladies of Charity executive director, and her staff were joined by supporters and the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation to cut the ribbon March 11 on a new walk-in freezer/cooler that will significantly add to the amount of food the Ladies of Charity can store and give to people in need.

The St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation awarded a grant of $17,500 to the Ladies of Charity to install the freezer/cooler. Mrs. Unbehaun and the Ladies of Charity staff proudly exhibited the new refrigerated unit to supporters March 11, including to members of the North Knoxville Business & Professional Association, which held its regular meeting at the Ladies of Charity facility at 120 W. Baxter Ave. that morning.

Mrs. Unbehaun thanked the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation and all the Ladies of Charity supporters for making the freezer/cooler possible.

“We now can increase the households that we serve,” she said, noting that Ladies of Charity staff is greeted almost on a daily basis by people waiting at the door to receive bags of food. “We were limited in the food we could store. Now we have doubled our pantry size and we have added a freezer and cooler.”

The St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation has been an important partner with the Ladies of Charity in funding key initiatives that help provide for those in need. The foundation also has awarded thousands of dollars in

12 April 3, 2016

BILL BREWER

I

A cool addition Ladies of Charity supporters cut the ribbon on a new freezer/cooler for the Knoxville charitable services orga-

nization. Taking part are John Deinhart of the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation; Ladies of Charity representatives Susan Unbehaun, Debbie Donahoo, Chris Lucheon, Lisa Morris, Rob Morris, Kathi O’Hara, Phyllis Cada, Glenn Cada, Mary Phillips, and Laura Deubler; Ruth Ivey of Second Harvest Food Bank; Mark Hahn of Mobile Fixture; and Ryan Parker of Wesley House.

grants to the Ladies of Charity to provide dairy products and eggs.

The staples are part of every bag of food handed out by the Ladies of Charity, which also receives generous grants and donations from other agencies and organizations like

United Way and Second Harvest Food Bank, which sells food by the truckload to the Ladies of Charity at a deep discount.

“This is the perfect example of the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation. We support charity, health care, and education. The Ladies of Charity honor us by allowing us to be a small part of their ministry. They do such great work,” said John Deinhart of the foundation, who also is director of Stewardship and Strategic Planning for the Diocese of Knoxville.

The Ladies of Charity and its Knoxville network of 485 volunteers have built a thriving thrift store and expanded into much more than that.

In addition to providing food, the organization assists people in need with clothing, medication, utilities, rent, kerosene, infant necessities,

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adult toiletries, back-to-work clothing, and even some back-to-work training.

Another initiative Mrs. Unbehaun has gotten off the ground since she arrived in March 2015 is the pick-up of discarded and donated furniture and the ability to repair that furniture for sale in the thrift store. The Ladies of Charity purchased a used cargo van last year to pick up large items and food. The truck is paying for itself as furniture picked up and repaired by the volunteers has increased Ladies of Charity sales and also cut costs on food delivery.

The nonprofit group, which has an active sister organization in Chattanooga to assist people in Hamilton, Bradley and surrounding counties, had 200 volunteers in 2014. Volun-

Charity continued on page 30 dioknox.org

Angelica continued from page 7

The East Tennessee Catholic

Catholic communications pioneer Mother Angelica,

foundress of Eternal Word Television Network, died at age 92 March 27 at the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration monastery in Hanceville, Ala. Mother Angelica built a global broadcasting and print network to evangelize the Catholic faith. EWTN was founded and continues to operate in Alabama.

COURTESY OF EWTN

network broadcasts terrestrial and shortwave radio around the world, operates a religious goods catalog and publishes the National Catholic Register and Catholic News Agency, among other publishing ventures.

“Mother Angelica succeeded at a task the nation’s bishops themselves couldn’t achieve,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who has served on EWTN’s board of governors since 1995. “She founded and grew a network that appealed to everyday Catholics, understood their needs and fed their spirits. She had a lot of help, obviously, but that was part of her genius.”

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, praised Mother Mary Angelica.

“Mother Angelica reflected the Gospel commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations, and like the best evangelists, she used the communications tools of her time to make this happen. She displayed a unique capacity for mission and showed the world once again the vital contribution of women religious,” Archbishop Kurtz said, noting that she also founded Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and the Knights of the Holy Eucharist.

Bishop Richard F. Stika, who attended Mother Angelica’s funeral on April 1 at Our Lady of Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Ala., visited her last year and annointed her. She left a lasting impression on him.

“She was a powerful presence,” Bishop Stika said. “She was the only one who could build a global communications network for the Catholic Church. She did something all the U.S. bishops could not do.”

Last year’s visit wasn’t Bishop Stika’s first encounter with Mother Angelica. As a monsignor in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, he appeared on

her TV show Mother Angelica Live with fellow priest Father Edward Rice, who now is the auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, in 2000.

Born Rita Rizzo on April 20, 1923, few would have predicted that the girl from a troubled family in Canton, Ohio, would go on to found not only two thriving religious orders, but also the world’s largest religious media network. Her life was one marked by many trials, but also by a profound “Yes” to whatever she felt God was asking of her.

“My parents divorced when I was 6 years old. That’s when hell began,” Mother Angelica said in a 2001 Register interview. “My mother and I were desperate — moving from place to place, poor, hungry, and barely surviving.”

The seeds of Mother’s vocation were in a healing she received when she was a teenager. She suffered from severe stomach pain when she and her mother went to visit Rhoda Wise, a Canton local to whom people had attributed miraculous healings. Wise gave Rita a novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. After nine days of prayer, Rita’s pain disappeared.

“That was the day I became aware

of God’s love for me and began to thirst for him,” said Mother Angelica.

“All I wanted to do after my healing was give myself to Jesus.” And give herself to Jesus, she did.

On Aug. 15, 1944, at the age of 21, Rita entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Cleveland and took the name by which the world would come to know her — Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation.

A life-changing incident then set in motion her abiding trust in Providence.

“In 1946, I was chosen as one of the founding sisters of a new monastery [Sancta Clara] in my hometown of Canton, Ohio,” Mother Angelica said in her 2001 interview with the Register. “One day in the 1950s, my work assignment was to scrub the floors in the monastery.

“Unlike St. Thérèse, I used an electric scrubbing machine. In an instant, the machine went out of control. I lost my footing on the soapy floor and was thrown against the wall, back first.”

Two years later, the injury worsened to the point Sister Mary Angelica could barely perform her duties.

Hospitalized and awaiting surgery, she was told there was a 50/50

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chance she’d never walk again.

“I was panic-stricken and made a bargain with God,” Mother recounted. “I promised if he would allow me to walk again that I would build him a monastery in the South. God kept his end, and through divine Providence, so did I.” Mother Angelica was always a charismatic speaker. Her persuasive talks on the faith reached the ears of those in charge of radio and eventually television. In 1969, she began recording spiritual talks on audio for mass distribution. She recorded her first radio program in 1971.

Encouraged by her new friend and patron Nashville lawyer Bill Steltemeier, she recorded her first TV programs seven years later—halfhour programs called Our Hermitage.

It didn’t take long for her to warm to the idea of a faithful Catholic media apostolate.

While utilizing a secular studio to produce programs for a Christian cable television network in 1978, Mother Angelica heard that the station owned by the studio planned to air a program she felt was blasphemous.

“When I found out that the station was going to broadcast a blasphemous movie, I confronted the station manager and objected,” said Mother Angelica. “He ignored my complaint, so I told him I would go elsewhere to make my tapes. He told me, ‘You leave this station and you’re off television.’”

“I’ll build my own!” Mother Angelica responded.

“That decision was the catalyst for EWTN,” said Raymond Arroyo, host of EWTN’s The World Over. “It led to the sisters’ suggestion to turn the garage into a television studio.”

Eternal Word Television Network was launched, fittingly, on the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Aug. 15, 1981. That garage became the first television studio and eventually became the control room — the nerve center — for EWTN’s global television programming. ■ April 3, 2016 13

Chrism continued from page 9

14 April 3, 2016

Consecrating the Chrism Bishop Richard

F. Stika breathes on the sacred Chrism during the blessing of the oils at the Chrism Mass March 22. Bishop Stika also blessed the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of the Catechumens. The oils are administered by the bishop or priests to anoint the sick, to anoint those being baptized, and to anoint those being confirmed or being ordained into the priesthood, or to dedicate churches and altars. The Chrism Mass was held at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

be married and to be buried. They are looking to you so that they might put out their hand or their tongue, when they hear those wonderful words, ‘the body of Christ’ and the ‘blood of Christ,’ so that they might be nourished in their moments of pain and suffering and joy and challenge, so that they might know that when they see you they do see another Christ, that they see Jesus present in their midst through the sacramental life that you extend to them.

“Let us never be fearful, let us never be forgetful, that the people of God need you until your dying day. . . . People are looking to you not to give up, to be nourished in your prayer and in your eucharistic sacrifice, so that they might know that they can trust you and believe in you, even at times when you might not trust yourself or you might not believe in yourself.”

The bishop also addressed the many religious in the assembly.

“To the consecrated men and women, you represent Christ to us in a particular way, by education, by health care, by being a friendly face through Catholic Charities or whatever ministry that you might do,” he said. “You, too, are true missionaries, for you come from different places, and yet you come to this beautiful Diocese of Knoxville in East Tennessee because Jesus has invited you again to come and to follow. We are indeed enriched by all of you, the different charisms of your communities, because you represent Jesus in our midst.”

Bishop Stika didn’t omit the many faithful gathered at Sacred Heart from his remarks.

“And how about the rest of you folks? . . . All of us together, we’re called to be different people in different situations in this Church,” he said. “Each and every one of us is called to build his kingdom, to be intentional in our discipleship, and

”To the consecrated men and women, you represent Christ to us in a particular way ...

You, too, are true missionaries... We are indeed enriched by all of you...because you represent Jesus in our midst.”

–– Bishop Richard F. Stika

that takes a risk. That takes ourselves as who we are as the people of God to be a living invitation of Jesus to everyone, not because we’re strong but because we’re weak, because God takes the weak and he makes them strong. . . . It is indeed a big challenge, for we live in a fragile world, and it’s filled with fragile people. . . .

“What I do know is this: the world needs God. The world needs Jesus and his message.”

After his homily, the bishop heard the priests’ renewal of their commitment to the priesthood. The priests promised to “be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely con-

formed to him” and “to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist.”

The bishop also asked the assembly to “pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out his gifts abundantly upon them and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest, so that they may lead you to him, who is the source of salvation.”

Bishop Stika further asked the assembly to “pray also for me, that I may be faithful to the apostolic office entrusted to me in my lowliness and that in your midst I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher, and the Servant of all.”

For the blessing of the oils, the balsam for the Chrism was brought forward by Monsignor Bob Hofstetter, the diocese’s senior priest, who is pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport.

The oil of catechumens was presented by Betsy Simonis, Christa Bailey, and Rhea Ennist of Sacred Heart Parish. The oil of the sick was

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brought forward by Judy Schmidt, Lin Helsel, and Gloria Risko, volunteers with the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic. The oil for the Chrism was presented by Father Scott Russell, the most recently ordained priest of the diocese, who is an associate at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga.

The gifts were presented by Brittany Koepke, Nancy Reichen, and Emily Booker, the Chancery office’s newest employees.

The bishop said that “we have a lot to rejoice over.”

“We see the saints that we honor in this local Church of East Tennessee.

We see the Catholics, the people who are coming into the Church, way over 200 this year alone. We see the activity in our parishes and in our missions. We see the Church growing through the Home Campaign. We see the Church growing in so many ways. . . . Whatever it is, we rejoice with God to God this evening and hopefully are grateful to the depths of our hearts, knowing that he has allowed us to be his instruments of peace.” ■ dioknox.org

The gift of sight Bishop, cardinal, St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners form bonds with visiting children from Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos

Convention continued from page 10

Cooking Priest,” is the founder, host, and director of Grace Before Meals, an apostolate to strengthen families through sharing meals.

He is a host on EWTN’s show Savoring Our Faith, and the cohost of the Sirius XM Radio show Entertaining Truth. Father Leo has been featured on the television networks ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, EWTN, and the Food Network, where he won the cooking challenge on Throw Down! With Bobby Flay.

Father Leo will be demonstrating his cooking skills at the convention while also offering up insight on how foods relate to Catholic Church teachings.

Cathy Bonner, who is from the Diocese of Orlando and is a member of the NCCW leadership training and development team and the creator of Women Healing The East Tennessee Catholic

CARMINA SALAZAR

L

eave it to an endearing group of young people from El Salvador and their East Tennessee hosts to bring to life a key teaching of Jesus Christ.

In early March, a choir and dance group of 12 Salvadoran students and their teachers made a long and detour-filled journey from Chicago to the hills of East Tennessee. All of the children are members of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, an international network of homes for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The reason for their journey was to bring awareness to the mission of NPH, which is Spanish for “our little brothers and sisters.” Having spent the prior week at several Chicagoarea parishes, they arrived in Lenoir City to a cacophony of cheers and into the welcoming arms of their host families from St. Thomas the Apostle.

What happened over the course

Command performance NPH students visiting the Diocese of Knoxville in March perform at the residence of Bishop Stika and Cardinal Rigali.

of the March weekend influenced the lives of everyone involved, be they Salvadoran children or native Tennesseans. As providence would the Wounds, an NCCW program to combat domestic violence, will be leading a workshop on April 16.

She has presented at conventions across the country and has been a guest of the KDCCW in the past, presenting with the LTD team.

June Lawrence, development officer at Cross Catholic Outreach of Cross International, will be the keynote speaker at the convention’s closing luncheon after June Lawrence Mass on April 16.

Cross Catholic Outreach is a Catholic ministry that serves the poorest of the poor internationally by channeling aid through dioceses, parishes, and Catholic missionaries, cost-effectively helping the poor break the

provide, the Gospel reading for the weekend was about the man born blind who received his sight after meeting Jesus. With the exchange of

By Ashley Siferd

cultures and worshiping together in faith, parishioners and children alike were given the gift of spiritual and physical sight, both lenses to a greater understanding and experience of the world in which they live.

Though the children visiting the Diocese of Knoxville were from the NPH home in El Salvador, the story of NPH began in 1954 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, when a young homeless boy stole from the poor box of a small parish. The pastor, American priest Father William Wasson, went to the judge and asked that the boy not be put in jail. The judge asked Father Wasson to take care of the boy instead. One week later eight more boys arrived for Father Wasson to care for, and NPH was born.

Guided by the principal values of love and security, faith and service, sharing, work, and responsibility, the mission of NPH is to provide a safe

NPH continued on page 16

Cooking up a convention presentation

Father Leo Patalinghug, “The Cooking Priest,” is the founder, host, and director of “Grace Before Meals.” He will be one of the speakers at the annual KDCCW convention April 14-16.

cycle of poverty while advancing Catholic evangelization.

“This convention is a unique opportunity to connect with other women in the diocese and learn from these talented presenters about the work Catholics are doing around the world,” said Pat

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Ryan, KDCCW president. The National Council of Catholic Women and its KDCCW chapter act through membership to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. Registration is available at www.kdccw.org. ■ April 3, 2016 15

NPH continued from page 15

and loving environment to children who otherwise would be living on the streets or worse. While not an institution, NPH is one big family knit together by unconditional love and includes children’s homes in Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Bolivia. Since its inception, NPH has provided a home, quality education, health care, and spiritual formation to more than 18,000 children. More than 3,300 children are being cared for currently.

While visiting St. Thomas, the children of NPH El Salvador had the opportunity to share their lives and the story of NPH. One special part of their trip to East Tennessee was that many of the children were able to meet their godparents for the first time. St. Thomas parishioners John and Crystal Deinhart, longtime supporters of NPH, noted that there are currently more than 60 families across the Diocese of Knoxville who NCYC continued from page 10

Indianapolis Convention Center, where the teens could follow different “trails” that led them to Catholic artists, while another trail may have led to the camp store or even the high ropes course. With countless exhibits, the trails offered many opportunities.

Breakout sessions were designed for the youth to hear their favorite speakers or artists explain a different part of the faith. With almost 25 breakouts per round, it was easy to find a topic of interest, or even to see a specific speaker.

The talks ranged from chastity and prayer to feeding the hungry.

Speakers also varied widely and included popular artists like Jason and Crystalina Evert and five-time Grammy nominee Matt Maher.

Kersten Hicks from the Chattanooga Deanery in the Diocese of Knoxville said she enjoyed Jason Evert

16 April 3, 2016

sponsor a child. In fact, more than 85 children call themselves godchildren of these 60 families.

Through sponsorship, meaningful relationships are formed between the NPH children and their godparents.

Love is fostered and the children know that there is one more person in the world who cares about them.

While their godchild was not a part of the group, the Deinharts explained the impact the children have on their godparents.

“Speaking as one of those families blessed by the love of these children, we receive far more from them than we will ever give,” Crystal Deinhart said.

This love was evident as the NPH choir performed music for all the weekend Masses at St. Thomas. During two performances in the parish family life center, the choir played several songs while the other children danced traditional Salvadoran folk dances. The mood was light and airy, with parishioners clapping along

and cheering. Dance teacher Hugo Espino, who has been working with NPH for 15 years, gave a brief history of El Salvador and its violent 12-year civil war and of the lasting struggles that the tiny country faces today.

“We are united in our suffering but are not defined by it. Thank you for coming out and learning more about our children and our culture,” Mr. Espino said.

To the delight of everyone, the final musical number included audience participation and prompted the audience to dance.

The children also visited the residence of Bishop Richard F. Stika and Cardinal Justin Rigali. Delighted to meet the friends of and receive letters from the two boys that he sponsors in El Salvador, Bishop Stika told the children that “you have a home and family here in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Don’t forget!”

Relationships were forged during the weekend as strangers bonded and the children and their new East

Tennessee friends became close. St. Thomas parishioners John and Nancy Howard hosted their goddaughter Lidia, whom John Howard previously had met in 2009 when he visited the NPH El Salvador home. Their daughter, Haley Howard, a sophomore at Knoxville Catholic High School, was humbled and overcome with emotion when she met Lidia.

“The pure joy that is present in all of the kids is absolutely beautiful.

They take each moment as a gift from God,” Haley said.

When the disciples asked Jesus about the man born blind, He replied, “it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”

Through the children of NPH El Salvador, hearts were opened and many people received the spiritual gift of sight. As Haley noted, “God’s love is visible through all of the kids, and I have never seen such kindness and joy.” What greater sight is there than the love of God shared among His children? ■

because “He’s really good at getting his point across, and he makes sure to let everyone know you can start over. He wants us to know that our past doesn’t define us, but rather what we do to shape our future.”

A concert featuring Matt Maher was offered Friday night, Nov. 20, followed by adoration. Becca Le­ Bouef, a participant from the Smoky Mountain Deanery, said “the best part by far was adoration because an entire stadium of teenagers fell silent just to worship the Lord.”

Adoration was a part of the NCYC trip that many youth previously had said they were looking forward to. When newcomer Corey Markus from the Chattanooga Deanery was asked about his experience, he said, “NCYC was one of the best experiences of my life.”

“Not only did I grow in my faith, as is the whole point of the conference, but I also grew even deeper

relations with my friends and the people I was around. It was a very great and interesting opportunity to meet other Catholics my own age from all over the U.S. and parts of Canada,” Corey said.

The last night of NCYC ended with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal

Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras.

It was a very emotional ending to a weekend many juniors and seniors said they will never forget. The weekend also prompted freshmen and sophomores to be excited for NCYC in 2017. ■

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima projects have future in mind Parishes taking part in Wave 3 of Home Campaign are thinking ahead as fundraising efforts take place

B

eing a lasting, engaged, and vital component of the community is a lot like farming: it all starts by cultivating the soil and planting seeds.

As part of Wave 3 of the Home Campaign, St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge and Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa are using the campaign to make sure their home parishes are prepared to continue on in their communities for years to come.

At St. Mary, goals for the campaign include refurbishing the cafeteria into a multi-use social hall, creating a walking path, increased campus security, and other improvements.

All the projects aim to strengthen the parish for a long and lasting future.

“We offered a day for parishioners to come and be shown around the campus to see where the improvements would be so people could ask

any questions,” said Father Brent Shelton, St. Mary pastor.

That way, people were able to see

exactly what the Home Campaign would do for St. Mary.

The new social hall will have better lighting and sound. There will also be new, lighter furniture, making it easier to utilize the space for all sorts of activities. Father Shelton hopes it serves as a regular social meeting place for the parish and a welcoming space for guests and visitors.

The 4,500-foot walking path will not only benefit parishioners but the whole community. It will encourage people to spend more time exercising outdoors and provide an easyto-access space to do so right on St. Mary’s campus. Father Shelton sees the walking path as a way to “express the vitality of the church to the community.”

“Our church history is unusual,” Father Shelton said. “We have a clear foundation with the Manhattan Proj-

By Emily Booker ect. Our future isn’t as clear.” While Oak Ridge National Laboratory still serves as a large employer in Oak Ridge, the town has not had substantial commercial growth in the past several years.

But St. Mary Parish is dedicated to remaining a thriving part of the Oak Ridge community. Even if a community isn’t growing in numbers, it can still grow in spirituality and fellowship. St. Mary is doing just that.

“We want to project an image for the future, an image stating we are a vibrant parish,” Father Shelton said.

Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa is also preparing for a vibrant future. Several of its Home Campaign projects are aimed to help the church adjust to a growing parish family. The Alcoa/ Maryville area is experiencing a lot of growth, which has led to growth at Home continued on page 19

Memory of Sister Jolita at the heart of St. Joseph fundraiser to benefit students

By Bill Brewer n the 15 years since Sister Mary Jolita Hughes passed away, family and friends of the Religious Sister of Mercy, as well as supporters of St. Joseph School, have been keeping her memory alive through the Sister Jolita Supper and Sing-Along fundraiser.

Now, as the fundraiser for St. Joseph School is in its 15th year, those same family members, friends and school supporters want to mark the anniversary by highlighting how the money raised has benefited students at the North Knoxville school.

The most recent edition of the Sister Jolita Supper and Sing-Along, held March 12 at the school, raised

I

The East Tennessee Catholic

some $14,000, $13,000 of which goes to the school for student needs. Each year the fundraiser gives $1,000 to St. Patrick’s Well in Clonmel, Ireland, where there is a memorial for Sister Jolita, and the money is used to assist with upkeep of the holy well and memorial.

The annual fundraiser, led by Sister Jolita’s siblings, Mary Catherine Willard and Therese Hurley, is held on the Saturday either prior to St. Patrick’s Day or on the Irish holiday and attracts hundreds of attendees looking for a traditional dinner of Irish stew, salads with fresh greens, and green cake. It has raised tens of thousands of dollars since its Jolita continued on page 18 The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

April 3, 2016 17

Houses are the rule at Sacred Heart Cathedral School

S

acred Heart Cathedral School’s sixth-, seventh-, and eighthgraders are setting up residence in four new houses thanks to a strategic plan being implemented

by Principal Daniel Breen and the SHCS faculty.

Dubbed “Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke,” and “John,” the new houses won’t be competing for real estate with the Cathedral now under construction.

These “houses” have been set up in the middle school classrooms and are an extended mentor program for the students.

Akin to the Hogwarts School’s four houses in the Harry Potter series, SHCS middle-school students must adhere to four pillars for their houses to be successful: fun, spirit, service, and community.

It’s an effort to create a close-knit community within the middleschool grades that is focused on service to the Holy Spirit through activities that are spirit-filled, entertaining and educational.

The mentorship program began in 2015, and the house system is a step in the development of that program. As part of the mentorship program, 20 mentorship groups are small gatherings of students from grades six, seven, and eight that allow the mentor to get to know

students well in a smaller setting through prayer, activities and discussion. Those discussions include students’ lives at school and ways to grow in charity toward one another.

In the house system, each mentorship group is assigned to one of four houses, named for the evangelists. By engaging in fun, spirit, community, and service, the students and mentors will form new friendships and find opportunities to engage in acts of service to others.

“A year ago Sacred Heart launched a mentorship program in grades six, seven, and eight. The house system comes out of the mentorship program. We wanted to explore how we can do more to be more charitable toward one another in our daily lives. So we decided to extend the mentorship program to the house system,” Mr. Breen said.

Now with the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John houses, more students can do service projects as teams.

Mr. Breen said he has seen the house program at work at other Catholic schools and was influenced by those programs, noting that the students gather in their houses monthly.

“The mentorship committee and

Jolita continued from page 17

many volunteers who assist us.

There are family members, families from the school, and others. We certainly couldn’t do it without the volunteers.”

In addition to St. Joseph, Sister Jolita taught at St. Dominic and St. Mary schools in the Tri-Cities and was prin-

inception.

“I am pleased with what it has done. Nearly all of the money goes to the school for use toward students, and only $1,000 each year goes to St. Patrick’s Well,” Mrs. Willard said.

“We have wonderful help from so

18 April 3, 2016

By Bill Brewer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SACRED HEART SCHOOL/PAM RHOADES

New student activity emerges from successful mentor program that connects upper and lower grades

Houses of God Above, Sacred Heart students take part in mentoring activities as

part of the new house system. Left, Sacred Heart Principal Daniel Breen and Father Arthur Torres pose for a house system selfie.

I saw some real opportunities,” Mr. Breen said. “The more you can allow students to feel like they belong and the more you have a group facilitate that feeling the better. There are so many things we’ll be able to do together, such as corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and to become prayer warriors.”

The Sacred Heart faculty spent the first half of the current school year planning the roll-out of the program, which was launched during Catholic Schools Week in late January and early February.

Students were surprised by the house program announcement and were excited at getting new T-shirts made in the colors of the four liturgical seasons that they can wear to school.

“The day we rolled this out was one of the most fun days we’ve had. It has injected an exciting dynamic in the middle school,” Mr. Breen said. “I would say the house system is here to stay. It fits well into the middle school and will be something for younger grades to look forward to.” ■

cipal at St. Mary.

“She was such a good influence on all those children at St. Joseph, and her former students really think highly of her,” Mrs. Hurley said. “We want Sister Jolita to be remembered for what she did for that school.”

Mrs. Hurley also was pleased with

the event, especially the silent auction that drew dozens of donated items.

“Everybody had a good time. People donated a lot of nice things for the auction. I think it was a big success. I’m pleased with how much money was raised for the school,” she said. ■

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Pope Francis decries Easter attack on Pakistani Christians

Cathedral Rising

LAHORE, Pakistan — Religious freedom advocates have condemned the Easter Sunday bombing in Pakistan that killed more than 70, while insisting upon reform within the country to prevent future such attacks.

Pope Francis called the bombing “execrable” and “cowardly” in his Regina Coeli address at St. Peter’s Square on Easter Monday. He expressed his closeness to the victims and their families and called for prayers.

“We are horrified at this Easter attack, and the tragic loss of life,” Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told CNA. “It’s truly heartbreaking, and our hearts and prayers go out to all of those affected, those who lost family members, had family members injured, and really to the entire Christian community in Pakistan who were the focus and target of this attack.”

The suicide bombing killed more than 70, including 29 children, at a public park in Lahore on March 27.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a Pakistani Taliban splinter group, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their intent was to target Christians on Easter.

While many of the victims were Christians, most of those who died were Muslims. ■ Home continued from page 17

OLOF as well.

Father Bill McKenzie, pastor of OLOF, said, “We’ve been growing pretty steadily, and I don’t see much change in that over the next few years.”

One project of OLOF’s Home Campaign is to expand and remodel the current adoration chapel in order to hold daily Mass there. OLOF has two daily Masses, both with attendance of The East Tennessee Catholic

PAM RHOADES

By Catholic News Agency/EWTN

Building the Kingdom An outline of the new Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus begins to appear as construction on the structure enters its 12th month in this aerial drone photo. Since ground was broken on the cathedral in April 2015, construction crews have completed site preparation and are now forming the church foundation. Early in the school year, crews finished renovations to the Sacred Heart Cathedral School building that includes a new entrance and parking for the school and church on the east side of the Sacred Heart campus. Masses at the existing cathedral are continuing without interruption. Construction of the new cathedral is expected to be completed in late 2017 or early 2018.

25-40 people. By using the adoration chapel, the church will save energy by not having to heat or cool the entire building for its daily Masses.

Another way in which the Home Campaign will improve parish space is through the addition of a new music room. The current music room will be converted into four classrooms available for religious education, adult faith formation, and parish meetings.

By improving the space of the church, parishioners will have easier access to worship, learn, and continue their ministries.

Father McKenzie sees the importance of looking at the needs of the entire community and making sure the parish is ready to meet those needs.

“We want to recognize that we are part of something greater than ourselves,” he said. “We’re not just

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

a little parish here. We’re part of the diocese. We’re also part of Maryville and Alcoa. Our mission and ministry has to be focused on our involvement and our participation in what we are in the bigger picture.”

Wave 3 is the final wave of the Home Campaign. For more information on the campaign, including details on each parish’s campaign projects, visit www.dioknox.org/thehome-campaign/. ■ April 3, 2016 19

Diocesan calendar

by Dan McWilliams The Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will have its 27th annual convention April 14-16 at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City. This year’s theme is “Seeking Grace, Sowing Hope, Sharing Mercy in Times Such as These.” Thursday’s schedule includes the memorial Mass at 5:30 p.m. celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika and a banquet at 7 with keynote speaker Beth Mahoney, spirituality chair of the National CCW. Friday features a Mass with “cooking priest” Father Leo Patalinghug of EWTN and a program and cooking demonstration led by Father Patalinghug. Saturday’s schedule includes a talk

by Cathy Bonner of the NCCW Leadership Training and Development team at 9:15, an awards ceremony at 10:30 a.m., and a Mass at 11 celebrated by Father Dan Whitman, KDCCW spiritual adviser.

June Lawrence, development officer at Cross Catholic Outreach of Cross International, will be the keynote speaker at a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Contact Judy Collins at 423-639-0688 or collinsj02@ gmail.com, Pat Duda at 423-231-2613 or patduda@charter.net, or Anne Wharton at 865-850-2222 or 5rivccw@gmail.com for information on hotel arrangements or on the convention. Registration forms are available at kdccw.org.

Bishop Richard F. Stika will celebrate a diocesan-wide confirmation Mass for adults at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Any adult (18 and over) who has had the sacraments of baptism, first Holy Communion, and reconciliation but has not been confirmed can receive the sacrament on this date.

For more information, adults wishing to be confirmed should contact their parish office or pastor.

Youth from throughout the diocese are invited to attend the annual “God Camps” and the diocesan Catholic Youth Camp. The God Camps will be held at Harrison Bay State Park. The “Reach” camp for incoming seventhand eighth-grade students is set for

20 April 3, 2016

June 20-23. Its theme is “Be Your Own Hero.” Cost is $125. The “Discover” camp for incoming fifth- and sixthgraders is scheduled for June 23-25.

Its theme is “Youer Than You.” Cost is $100. The Catholic Youth Camp, for all incoming ninth- through 12th-graders, will be held June 13-17 at the Ocoee Retreat Center. The theme is “It’s Lit — Shine Like the Son.” Cost is $269. For more information, contact Donna Jones at 423-267-9878 or djones6029@gmail. com. Forms are available at churches and on the Youth Ministry page at dioknox.org.

In conjunction with the Holy Year of Mercy, the St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut is inviting Catholics to a presentation on “Front Line Training” by Gina Whitmore, director of the Compassion Coalition, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 9, in the SJN School library.

Contact SVDP president Fran Thie at 865-966-4041 or fmthie21@gmail.com by April 6 to RSVP. This presentation is for church staff, volunteers, those considering becoming more involved, and those who respond to calls or walk-in visits from people in need in the community.

The 30th annual Shamrock Open benefiting Knoxville Catholic High School is set for Friday, June 3, at Avalon Golf & Country Club. The tournament has an 8:30 a.m. flight and a 1:30 p.m. flight. To become a sponsor or learn more, contact Megan Locke Erpenbach, community relations coordinator, at 865-560-0509 or merpenbach@knoxvillecatholic.com.

The Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life is again sponsoring a Mother’s Day Outreach with billboards and an ad in The East Tennessee Catholic. To have your name included in the ad, contact the chapter at 865-689-1339 or trlknox@trlknox.com.

The Ladies of Charity golf tournament is scheduled for Friday, April 29, at Egwani Farms Golf Course in Rockford.

Call Joe or Ericka for more information at 865-247-5790.

For those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties from an abortion, a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat will be held Saturday, April 16, at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. For more information, contact Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ccetn. org or Catherine McHugh at 865-6967720 or peace4lilith@aol.com. Complete confidentiality is honored at all times.

The Diocesan Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry is attempting to raise money to send two young adults on a pilgrimage to Kraków, Poland, for World Youth Day 2016. To donate, visit https://www.youcaring.com/diocese-ofknoxville-young-adults-539915.

St. Jude School in Chattanooga is accepting applications for students planning to enroll in grades pre-K (3) through eighth for 2016-17. Personal tours are available. To apply to any class, call admissions director Nancy Byrne at 423877-6022 or visit mysjs.com.

Father Michael Cummins and New Orleans natives Janel and Deacon Bob Lange invite you on a “Year of Mercy Pilgrimage to the Cathedral and Shrines of New Orleans” Sept. 21-25. Departure is Sept. 21 with a stop in Birmingham, where pilgrims will have the opportunity to tour EWTN studios and be a part of the audience for EWTN Live, with Father Mitch Pacwa. The group will continue on to New Orleans, visiting the shrines of Blessed Seelos, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, St. Louis Cathedral, the French Quarter, and more. Accommodations will be at the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center. Cost is $750 per person, which includes transportation by motor coach, lodging, and most meals, including lunch at the “Commander’s Palace” and the Jazz Brunch at the historic “Court of Two Sisters” in the French Quarter. To learn more or to register, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lccte@bellsouth.net.

Join Father Michael Nolan on a Holy Year of Mercy Pilgrimage to Ireland, “In the Footsteps of St. Patrick.”

The 12-day pilgrimage Aug. 2-13 will visit

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

the holy and historic sites of Ireland, including Dublin, Kilkenny Castle, Limerick, Galway Cathedral, Rock of Cashel, Kylemore Abbey, Crough Patrick — the holy mountain where St. Patrick fasted for 40 days — Knock Shrine, Antrim, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Belfast, Giant’s Causeway and the Cliffs of Moher. Price including air and land is $3,895 based on double occupancy; single available upon request. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-5671245 or lccte@bellsouth.net, group pilgrimage coordinator for Select International.

A Low Mass in the ancient form of the Roman Rite is normally offered every Monday at 7 a.m. at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga.

A Missa Cantata (sung Mass) in the ancient form of the Roman Rite is normally celebrated at 5 p.m. on fourth Sundays at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. The next two Missa Cantata celebrations are at 5 p.m. April 24, celebrating the fourth Sunday after Easter, and May 22, celebrating Trinity Sunday.

There will be a potluck in Varallo Parish Hall after both Masses. All are invited.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; at 3 p.m. on first and third Sundays at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland; at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville; and at 3 p.m. on the first and third Sundays at St. Mary Church in Johnson City.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Mission located at 2304 Ault Road, Knoxville, TN 37914 meets for Divine Liturgy each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or visit www.saintthomasknoxville.org/ for details.

Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations. For more information, visit www.knoxbyz.org, or call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-256-4880. ■ dioknox.org

Chattanooga Deanery calendar Catholic Charities of Chattanooga will hold its 34th annual fundraising dinner Thursday, April 21, at The Chattanoogan hotel. The event, the largest annual fundraiser for Catholic Charities programs in the greater Chattanooga area, includes a

Parish notes: Chattanooga Deanery

cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:30 and an opportunity to recognize the Pope Francis Service to the Poor Award recipients. For more information, call 423-267-1297 or e-mail bettyanne@ccetn.org.

Holy Spirit, Soddy-Daisy A “Picture of Love” engaged couples retreat will be held at 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 29-30, at the Holy Spirit Parish Life Center. Cost is $135 per couple. For more information contact Marian Christiana at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chattanooga

COURTESY OF BETTY ANNE NEAL

Eighth-grade students who are a son or daughter of a Knight of Columbus of Holy Family Council 6099 are eligible to apply for a $4,000 Notre Dame High School scholarship. Applications are available at the council hall and parish office. Deadline for applications is April 15. For more information, contact Ray Fox at 423-314-5227 or ray@ fricusa.com or Rick Powell at 770-363-1347 or holyfamily6099@comcast.net.

Serra Club of Chattanooga holds Annual Vocations Dinner The Serra Club of Greater Chattanooga recently hosted the Annual Vocations Dinner at the Mountain City Club. More than 40 religious joined the Serra Club members for an evening of celebration. The new diaconate candidates and priests celebrating anniversaries were recognized. The evening culminated with a tribute to Sister Celine Osbourn, SCN, for her 70 years of service to the faith. Sister Celine is pictured above with Jerry McCrary.

OLPH eighth-grader William Meagher has again qualified for the state level of the National Geographic Bee. William was among only 100 students from across the state who qualified this year.

Eighth-graders held a yard sale March 12 to help fund the class trip.

Father Jim Vick led a “Lenten eucharistic journey” March 10 and 11 on “The Origin of Our Belief in the Eucharist.”

Parents and seventh- and eighth-grade teens took part in the Family Honor Real Love and Real Life chastity-education program March 19.

St. Jude, Chattanooga The parish’s vacation Bible school is scheduled for June 20-24. Volunteers are needed in all areas, including the position of director. Call Kyra in the parish office at 423-8702386 for more information.

The St. Jude School Fine Arts Festival was held March 16 and featured artwork by students and parishioners.

A middle school lock-in took place April 1 and 2.

COURTESY OF GEORGE LECRONE SR.

The parish took part in a Lenten Baby Bottle Drive to benefit Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Help Center.

Scout Sunday at St. Jude St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga celebrated Scout Sunday on Feb. 7 with Father Charlie Burton. There were many Scout Bronze and Gold awards presented by Girl Scout troops 41527 and 40059. Boy Scout Pack 3172 and Scout Troop 172 received many Church awards, with one young man, Gabe Hall, receiving the Pillar of Faith Award.

Very few Scouts earn the Pillar of Faith; the only way to receive this award is to earn all four of the other Church awards. The awards were presented by Philip Westhoff and George LeCrone Sr., chairman of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting.

The East Tennessee Catholic

St. Jude hosted the Chattanooga Deanery Council of Catholic Women’s Day of Reflection March 5.

St. Mary, Athens The Ladies for Charity yard sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

Donations of the following items are requested: household items, furniture, antiques, good-condition jewelry, toys, sports equipment, and outdoor items. No clothing, older computers, TVs or printers. Drop-off starts after Mass on April 9 and 10 in the family-life center.

A Ladies Lenten Retreat was held March 5 in the family-life center.

Newcomers: Luis and Linci Romero, James and Mary Winner, Donald and Shirley Shults, Harold and Ann Goebel, Michael White, Rose Cordoza ■

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

April 3, 2016 21

Cumberland Mountain Deanery calendar

Parish notes: Cumberland Mountain Deanery

St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut is hosting a variety of summer camps. To register, visit www.sjncs-knox.org.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The Council of Catholic Women will present the Mary Murphy Scholarship to a graduating high school senior on Sunday, May 15.

The Ulster Project of East Tennessee and Knights of Columbus Council 8781 are sponsoring an Irish Fry Breakfast after the 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses on Sunday, April 10, in the cafeteria at St. John Neumann School in Farragut. Cost is $6

Father Michael Sweeney was the guest speaker March 23 during the Lenten Wednesday noon luncheon series sponsored by Harriman United Methodist Church.

The 2016 confirmation class held a retreat March 4 and 5.

per plate or $25 per family.

The Knoxville Frassati Fellowship for Young Adults ages 18-35 meets Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Chancery, located at 805 S. Northshore Drive next door to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Other events and activities are planned. Visit the Knoxville Frassati Fellowship Facebook page or call Jess Mearns at 865-206-6026. ■

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade

Anniversaries: Tom and Joan Edwards (64), Ed and Claire Sisson (61), Don and Carolyn Beck (61), Salvatore and Lois D’Addona (59), Frank and Pat Prejna (57), James and Lynda Tjaarda (56), Francis and Alice Radwick (55), Paul and Mary Demet (53), Blaine and Lenore Drake (53), Anthony and Anita Jane Zimmermann (52)

St. John Neumann, Farragut Father Michael Maples will present “The Cinematic Lives of Jesus, a program examining selected films on the life of Jesus, at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in Seton Hall.

St. John Neumann will hold a parish retreat focused on God’s mercy from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. There will be separate programs for adult, youth, and children. Child care will be available with advance registration. To learn more or register, contact Sister Elizabeth at 865-777-4313 or srelizabeth@sjnknox.org.

The fifth annual Women’s Club Luncheon & Fashion Show is set for Saturday, April 30. Tickets are on sale in the parish office, or you can e-mail cmcrookshanks@ hotmail.com.

Members of the parish youth-ministry program traveled again to Osage, W.Va., March 28 through April 2, to participate in a week of service to needy people in the Appalachian region.

St. Therese, Clinton The parish announced that Donald and Ruth Zenner, married Aug. 1, 1953, are St. Therese’s longest-married couple.

The Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring a class on salvage jewelry presented by jewelry designer Sarah Borbst from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 19. Participants are encouraged to bring “broken treasures” to create a special piece. Contact Toni at 865-494-8081 or Kathryn at 457-3143 with questions.

The CCW rummage sale will take place Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, with set-up days April 20-21.

The parish held a St. Patrick’s Day dinner March 17.

Father John Dowling of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville spoke about the Year of Mercy on Feb. 25 at St. Therese. ■

22 April 3, 2016

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

The Council of Catholic Women held its March meeting as a mini-retreat with Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, speaking on “The Lord is Merciful.” The April 13 meeting attendees will be entertained by storyteller Peggy Miller.

St. Mary students named to Honor Choir St. Mary School in Oak Ridge recently participated in the East Tennessee Vocal Association Honor Choir event held in Chattanooga. The All-East Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir was made up of more than 275 advanced seventh- and eighthgrade vocal students from 29 schools throughout East Tennessee, including nine students from St. Mary. Above, St. Mary music teacher Carol Villaverde is shown with Honor Choir members McKenna Garibay, Sydney Mesmer, Marigrace Tidwell, Paige Halcrow, Molly Deinhart, Ethan Sherlock, Joshua Harris, and Ian Kilevori. Not pictured is Anna Kasemir. Other honor choirs at the event included the Ninth Grade Honor Choir, Women’s High School Honor Choir, Men’s High School Honor Choir, and the Mixed High School Honor Choir. Students learned and memorized their voice part on five pieces of music before attending honors chorus. This year’s conductor was Deborah Dunne Sousa, director of music at the Episcopal School of Knoxville and lecturer in music education at the University of Tennessee.

Finnels of the Glade celebrate 50th anniversary

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ave and Joanie Finnel of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade celebrated their 50th anniversary on Feb. 5.

The Finnels were married at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church in the town of Eaton (near Green Bay), Wis., with Father Jerome Fabianski officiating.

Their two children are Bart Finnel

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

of Cedarburg, Wis., and Davene Butler of San Diego, and they have three grandchildren.

Mr. Finnel retired from the Proctor and Gamble Co. in Green Bay, and Mrs. Finnel retired as a hairdresser.

They moved to the Glade in 2005.

To celebrate their anniversary, they enjoyed a cruise to the Panama Canal with friends. ■ dioknox.org

Parish notes: Five Rivers Deanery COURTESY OF ALLEN KELLER

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

St. Patrick Knights support local groups The citizens of Hamblen County again responded to the needs of people with mental challenges for the 36th year. During Knights of Columbus Council 6730’s annual Tootsie Roll street collections last fall after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, local citizens and businesses gave $7,590. This money came in from roadblocks and collection points at Food City and Walmart. The Knights of Columbus at St. Patrick Church recently gave $3,795 to groups from the Five Rivers area that help people with mental difficulties. Pictured are (from left) Kasey Plummer with the Special Olympics, Rhonda Utt of Morristown East High special education, Rollin Brownson of the Central Services Cerebral Palsy Fund, Chasity Potter of Lincoln Heights Elementary School special education, Nancy Bible of the Ridin’ High therapeutic horse program, St. Patrick pastor Father Patrick Brownell, Bob Terlep and Mike Sandlock of Manley Elementary special education, and Luis Crespo, chairman of the Knights MR Drive. Of the $7,590, another amount of $3,795 goes to other mental health agencies in Tennessee. Since 1981 Council 6730 has given away nearly $365,000 to local agencies that help people with mental difficulties.

The parish announced that Emery and Mildred Faulkner were the longest-married couple at Holy Trinity. The Faulkners were married July 30, 1948.

Holy Trinity recently celebrated the 100th birthday of its oldest parishioner, Myrtle Reidell.

During the 40 Days for Life, parishioners took part in a Candlelight Vigil for Life at the church on March 2, a prayer in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Knoxville with Father Patrick Resen on March 15, and in a prayer chain on the street in front of Holy Trinity on March 19.

Anniversaries: Stephen and Mary Ellen Ocuto (51), Doyle and Peggy Hinton (40) Newcomers: A.J. and Catherine Jackson, Debra Jojola

Notre Dame, Greeneville The St. Catherine’s Guild is changing. It will no longer focus on fundraising or making items to sell. The guild will make knitted and crocheted items for the veterans and the Hope Center, and the donated chemo caps that Walmart collects. It will continue to make prayer blankets and gifts for the Life Care nursing home. The guild still meets at 9 a.m. on first Thursdays in the parish hall.

Anniversary: Mike and Linda Jones (52)

St. Dominic, Kingsport The Knights of Columbus’ annual Awards Night and Clergy Appreciation Dinner will be held Thursday, April 28, at Giuseppe’s Italian restaurant. A social will start at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6 and the awards ceremony at 7. Reservations are required; contact Rick Lemieux at 423-212-0408 or rklx@charter.net

by April 22.

COURTESY OF SUSAN COLLINS

The Martha and Mary women’s ministry held a Lenten retreat March 18 and 19 at the Jubilee House Retreat Center in Abingdon, Va. Catholic speaker and author Pat Livingston, who presented “On Our Way to Easter,” was the retreat leader.

Notre Dame Parish youth present Living Stations The youth ministry of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville presented Living Stations of the Cross on March 11 for the entire parish. Kenneth Saine portrayed Jesus of Nazareth, Seth Helton was the Roman soldier, and Samantha Vigil was the Blessed Mother, Mary. Pictured are (from left, seated) the women of Jerusalem: Alex Stone, Raquel Aguilera, Makayla Kindle, and Estefania Juarez; second row: Phillip Hamilton, Pilate; Christina DiBella, Veronica; Daniel Kindle, Simon; and Seth Helton, soldier; and standing: Diego Vazquez and Cristina Vazquez, narrators; Kenneth Saine, Jesus; Samantha Vigil, Mary; and Emma Davis and Sarah Fillers, props and lighting.

The East Tennessee Catholic

The parish held a Sacred Heart Mission March 10-13, culminating with an enthronement ceremony during the 9:30 and 11 a.m. Masses on March 13.

Bishop Richard F. Stika visited St. Dominic School on March 16.

St. Dominic parishioners joined other Tri-Cities Catholics, to pray for an end to abortion, outside the Bristol Regional Women’s Center March 4, 11, and 18.

Youth in grades five through 12 held a lock-in March 4 and 5.

St. Patrick, Morristown Parishioners Sara Spain and Kate Zander of Morristown West and Jefferson County high schools were recently named National Merit Scholarship finalists.

The Ladies Night Out dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10, in the parish center. Tickets are $15 and include dinner, beverages, and entertainment.

To learn more or purchase a ticket, contact Carol Baker at 423-312-4390 or carolbaker14@gmail.com. ■

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

April 3, 2016 23

Smoky Mountain Deanery calendar

Parish notes: Smoky Mountain Deanery

The St. Joseph School eighth-grade class will host the school’s pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at Aubrey’s restaurant in Powell.

All proceeds support the annual class retreat to Camp Greenville. Tickets are $5 for a single and $20 for a family.

Holy Ghost, Knoxville The parish recognized Stan and Ellen Pickering as its longest-married couple.

The Pickerings were married July 14, 1951.

The confirmation Mass is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, June 5. All high school students who wish to receive the sacrament of confirmation and are not enrolled in the religious-education program at Holy Ghost must contact the church office at hgchurch@bellsouth.net.

Catholic War Veterans Post 1973 at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa is holding its first barbecue fundraiser to benefit the Glider Project for the Ben Atchley State Veterans Home in Knoxville. For more information, call the parish office at 865-982-3672. ■

Holy Ghost hosted Tennessee Right to Life’s Crosses for the Unborn display during March.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville The IC Bees quilt show was held March 19 and 20 after all Masses.

The Council of Catholic Women is planning a High Tea and Fashion Show at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 10, in the social hall. The fashions will be from J.C. Penney. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for girls. This is the council’s major fundraiser to benefit two scholarships for high school seniors. To volunteer or learn more, call Jeanine Dixon at 865-681-8762.

The parish congratulated Adam Benitez, Andrew Kaleida, and Joey Osborne on the attainment of their second degree in the Knights of Columbus.

COURTESY OF LUIS RAMOS

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa

CCW, Hispanics unite for event at Our Lady of Fatima The Council of Catholic Women of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa came together with the Hispanic group to learn how to make tamales at a recent CCW meeting.

The CYO thanked parishioners for their support of this year’s 21st annual Spaghetti Dinner and Auction on March 6. More than 250 attended, and more than $8,000 was raised to help fund events and activities throughout the year for the high school CYO group.

The Catholic War Veterans Post recently sponsored a “green lights for veterans” project, selling 25-watt green light bulbs for parishioners to use in their outdoor lighting.

The parish congratulated John and Lynn Prados, married Sept. 2, 1951, as the longest-married couple at St. John XXIII. Father Tom Ryan, CSP, director of the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in Washington, D.C., presented “Jews, Christians and Muslims: Children of Abraham. Do We Know One Another?” at the parish March 11.

St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville The parish has one student who would like to make a mission trip to Colombia in June. The student needs sponsors. To assist, contact the parish office at 423-442-7273 or sjtwrcc@bellsouth.net. ■

24 April 3, 2016

COURTESY OF MIKE SANDLOCK

St. John XXIII, Knoxville

‘Paddy’s Piecemakers’ sew quilts for St. Patrick veterans Eight women in the Paddy’s Piecemakers group at St. Patrick Parish in Morristown were recently honored at Little Dutch Restaurant with a luncheon. This group of quilters has taken up the cause of the Quilts of Valor program to donate its time and talent toward sewing quilts for the many veterans that are members of St. Patrick.

Those attending and honored included Fay Andrews, leader of the group, Becky Brown, Margaret Boardman, Peggy Howell, Mary Miller, Barbara Murphy, Marianna Panzik, Sue Wisniewski, and Jean Vangunten. In addition, St. Patrick pastor Father Patrick Brownell, who serves as a chaplain in the Tennessee National Guard, was present. The event was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Fourth Degree Assembly 2094.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Catholic schools

KCHS hosting first Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament The event, taking the place of the baseball classic this year, will benefit child and family services provided through Catholic Charities

By Dan McWilliams he first Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament will be held Saturday, April 30, at Knoxville Catholic High School’s Blaine Stadium. The all-day event features a high school lacrosse quadruple-header as well as other activities sponsored by the Knights of Sacred Heart Cathedral and All Saints parishes.

The Knights of Columbus was unable to schedule its spring baseball classic this year, but the lacrosse event benefiting child and family services provided through Catholic Charities as well as other Knights of Columbus-sponsored charities will still make a spring classic possible.

Scheduling conflicts made the baseball event at Smokies Park a non-starter this year, said Knights Cup organizer Tom Ciaccia.

“We had a hard time lining up four acceptable teams that could play on the date that the Smokies made available to us,” he said. “Teams had their schedules set; a number of them were playing in out-of-town tournaments. We couldn’t pull it together, but we will be back at it again next year, just a one-year delay, in hosting what will be the 13th annual Fighting Irish Spring Classic.”

The baseball event has raised about $80,000 for Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Pregnancy Help Center over the years.

“They have been real successful,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “We’ve drawn some very impressive crowds out to Smokies Park for high school baseball.

We’re putting that promotional prowess together behind lacrosse. We’re going to put a lot of people in the stands over at Knoxville Catholic on April 30.

“Rather than taking a year off from supporting Sandi Davidson and the tremendous work they do down at the Pregnancy Help Center, we took a step back and put a differThe East Tennessee Catholic

COURTESY OF MEGAN ERPENBACH

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Host team for tournament The Knoxville Catholic High School lacrosse team will play Farragut in the nightcap of a quadrupleheader of lacrosse during the first Knights Cup at KCHS.

ent event together.”

Why lacrosse?

“Because I’ve been a rabid lacrosse fan for a long time, and I just thought this would be a good opportunity to put together a high school and youth lacrosse event that will involve as many players as possible in this first-of-its-kind event in Knoxville,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “The sport is not really well-known in this part of the country, but it is making some inroads. Another one or two high schools picks it up every year. There are some lacrosse youth programs springing up around the Knoxville area, so I thought we would take advantage of the year delay in the baseball event and put on a showcase event for lacrosse and

get some people in the stands to see this great sport, which is the national (summer) sport of Canada.

“It’s known as ‘the fastest game on two feet.’ If anybody has not seen the game, we would encourage them to come out because they’ll be thrilled at the level of excitement that the lacrosse game produces.”

The Knights Cup will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a youth skills clinic and continue at 9:30 with a jamboree featuring middle school and local team games and contests.

At noon, the Roane County Knights will take on the West Knox Warriors in a varsity game. Next on the schedule, Christian Academy of Knoxville will face Christ Presbyterian Academy at 2:30 p.m. Roane

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

County and West Knox will play a JV game at 4:30 p.m.

For the nightcap, host Knoxville Catholic will battle Farragut at 7 p.m.

Admission for adults is $6 at the gate, $5 if purchased in advance (by April 15), and $4 for advance group sales of 10 or more. Student tickets are $4 at the game, $3 in advance, and $2 for advance sales of 10 or more.

Tickets are available by calling any of the participating schools. KCHS’s phone number is 865-560-0313.

Those wishing to sponsor the Knights Cup, advertise in the event program, or seek more information should contact Mr. Ciaccia at 865765-4046 or tciaccia@att.net.

“It’s going to be a big day,” he said. ■ April 3, 2016 25

Catholic schools

COURTESY OF KATHY RANKIN

Sweeping the championships The St. Joseph School girls basketball team poses with its KISL championship awards after going 26-0 and winning the league’s regular-season and tournament titles.

St. Joseph girls basketball team has perfect season, 26-0

By Dan McWilliams he St. Joseph School varsity girls basketball team recently completed a perfect season, going 26-0 and winning the Knoxville Independent School League regular-season and tournament championships, each for the second straight year.

The Lady Bulldogs defeated The King’s Academy Lady Lions 23-17 in the tourney championship game.

Claire Earl and Fannie Njoroge earned All-League selections for St. Joseph. Anna Hoang and Grace Morgan made All-Tournament, and Annalise Weedman earned tournament MVP. The 26 wins are the most in school history. This past year marked only the second time the girls basketball team won back-to-back championships.

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26 April 3, 2016

“Our girls were champions last year also, so we knew they’d have a strong team coming into the season,” said St. Joseph principal Andy Zengel. “But what’s beautiful to watch is the whole community gathering around your students. It’s a community-building event and a spirit-building event when they can achieve that goal of repeating their championship. Very proud of them.”

Seth Mofield, the girls team head coach, said he was equally proud of the squad, which reached its preseason goal of winning a title.

“That’s something we actually talked about at the beginning of the year when we had our Bible studies during the summer,” he said. “We set a goal for ourselves coming off of a

championship that was kind of a random thing — we didn’t think we’d win it last year. We knew that we returned seven out of our nine players from last year and all five starters.

So going into the season we set our goals high, and it would be either a championship or bust.

“We had no idea that we had the potential to win that many games without losing and win as well as we did. That was a goal we had set going into the season, and we got to achieve that, so it was great.”

The championship game against The King’s Academy got off to a scary start for St. Joseph.

“We beat them the first time 39-25 in the regular season. We had a girl who had a seizure in the first quar-

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

ter of that [tourney championship] game, so it was a little stressful, a little hectic and emotional for the girls, but they battled really hard the entire game and had the lead going into the fourth quarter and were able to maintain that lead,” said Mr. Mofield.

The player had the seizure “in the first three minutes of the first quarter of the championship game,” the coach added. “Luckily she was on the bench when it happened. She had a seizure during the game. It was very emotional. She’s OK now.”

Mr. Mofield reiterated the “championship or bust” mentality of the team.

“We had no idea we had the possibility of going 26-0 and winning the regular season and tournament again,” he said. ■ dioknox.org

Catholic schools

Five commit to colleges on National Signing Day at KCHS Athletes praised for their ‘commitment and sacrifice’ in their high school athletic careers

By Dan McWilliams noxville Catholic High School celebrated National Signing Day on Feb. 3 as five student athletes committed to play for colleges.

The signing ceremony was held in the school gym, with friends and family of each player making for a good crowd of witnesses. KCHS athletics director Jason Surlas addressed the gathering before the signings.

“Today would not be possible without commitment and sacrifice from not only our student athletes, but also commitment and sacrifice from their families, their coaches at all levels and affiliations, their guidance counselors, and even many of their friends,” Mr. Surlas said.

Football players Austin Rowan and Logan Punch signed papers, Austin with East Tennessee State University and Logan as a preferred walk-on with the University of Tennessee.

Soccer player Will Hunse signed with Virginia Military Institute.

Renee Semaan and Paige Merry each signed in soccer, Renee with Austin Peay and Paige with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“The coaching staffs of VMI, UAB, Austin Peay, UT, and ETSU have discovered something,” Mr. Surlas said, “that most of us already knew: that Will, Paige, Renee, Logan, and Austin are not only great soccer and football players but great students as well; and even more importantly, outstanding young people.”

Fighting Irish football head coach Steve Matthews said he was “extremely proud” of his two signees.

“Both are outstanding young men, great students, and excellent football players,” he said. “Austin is going to play defensive line at East Tennessee State, and Logan Punch will be a long snapper for the University of Tennessee.”

The East Tennessee Catholic

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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Ready for the next level Knoxville Catholic High School athletes (from left) Will Hunse, Paige Merry, Renee Semaan, Logan Punch, and Austin Rowan signed with colleges Feb. 3.

Logan long-snapped for KCHS. “He’s come a long way during his career,” Mr. Matthews said, “and I think he’ll be an outstanding player for Tennessee. [Austin] is a back-toback All-State player for us, really a hard worker, and again one of the leaders of our team, and I think he’ll be a great addition up there at East Tennessee State.”

Logan’s father is ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch, who was on hand with wife Joni, director of development at Sacred Heart Cathedral School, to witness his son’s signing.

“We are very proud and very blessed,” Dr. Punch said, “with all that’s gone on with Logan in sports since he was a little guy, and all the great coaches and all the great friends and support he’s had in

school. But being able to know that he’s going to stay close and go to a great institution like the University of Tennessee is a thrill for us as a family.”

Dr. Punch said it is a “great time to go to Tennessee.”

“Not that there isn’t a great time to go there, but with what Butch Jones and that whole staff are doing, and to go there and be a part of something I think is going to be special the next few years, we are so thankful,” he said.

Remaining objective is a must should he be assigned to cover Vol games with his son on the team, Dr. Punch said.

“I’ve done games with my alma mater [N.C. State] before on national television,” he said. “I’ve almost come to the point of slighting a team

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

that I was close to. You’ve got to be objective. I don’t know how many times ESPN will put me on a Tennessee game. I hope I get a chance someday to do one, to do a few, and Logan’s on the field playing. It would be a thrill to be able to do a Tennessee game, maybe in the national championship—wouldn’t that be special?”

Logan Punch said he is “so excited” to sign with UT, “excited to play for my home town, representing the fans, representing the team I’ve been cheering for my entire life.”

He said he thought the signing ceremony was “awesome.”

“I’ve been waiting for this day all my life, something I’ve been dreaming about,” he said. “It’s nice to have Signing Day continued on page 28 April 3, 2016 27

Catholic youth

Sacred Heart eighth-grader moving up the diving ranks Nicholas Cassell, in less than two years, has advanced to the national level of competition in his sport

By Dan McWilliams acred Heart Cathedral School eighth-grader Nicholas Cassell has moved up the diving ranks quickly despite having taken up the sport less than two years ago.

Nicholas, 14, practices five days a week at the Tennessee Diving Club (TDC) and said it is hard to practice so often.

“Yes, because sometimes you might want a day off, but it’s just good to go to practice and get your work done so you can get better,” he said.

Nicholas has won several meets but has found the competition tougher as he has moved up from more local meets to Junior Olympics national-level events.

“For my first year, we had little competitions out of town. I won a lot of them,” he said, “but then I got to USA Diving, which was my first real big experience, and that kind of took a big turn from easily winning the meets because you had a lot of good competition.”

Nicholas said he enjoys working with TDC head coach Michael Wright. Mr. Wright praised Nicholas for having a “strong, humbling personality that makes every practice more enjoyable. He gives nothing but his best effort every day of practice and pushes his teammates to hold the same standard. . . . He is the

true definition of inspiring.”

Nicholas took the compliments in

stride.

“I just try and do the best I can

do because I want to get better and better.”

In a recent meet at Clemson, Nicholas placed second, although he improved his score over his mark at last year’s Junior Olympics nationals in Orlando.

“I got second, but I was against a really good Junior Olympic diver.

My score was a lot better than my score at nationals, so I’ve improved a lot more since then,” he said.

Nicholas is the son of Don and Sarah Cassell.

“He’s only been diving on this level for about a year and a half,” Mr. Cassell said. “He started and has just gone straight up the ladder. When he first started he was in the novice division and quickly became the next level, and now he’s Junior Olympic level, and he’s done that in shall we say record time.”

Practice is a big part of Nicholas’ life, his father said.

“He practices five days a week in the summer every morning Monday through Friday, and during the school year he practices five days a week, 5 to 7:30 after school every day.

“It’s a lot of time in the water,” he added with a laugh.

Mr. Cassell said he is proud of his son.

“I’m a proud papa, yes I am, and mama’s proud, too,” he said. ■

“They’ve got a new program up there, and they’re doing a lot of good things,” he said. “Coach [Carl] Torbush is a very smart guy, a very good guy, so I’m excited to get up there.”

Austin said he was humbled by the signing ceremony.

“It was really humbling to see how many friends have helped me get to this point and how my parents have helped me get here,” he said. “Just

seeing all the support and love, it just feels really good.”

Also with Austin at his signing were parents Alfie and Mitchell Rowan, head coach Matthews, KCHS defensive line coach Marcus McDonald, and Irish defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Les Greer.

With Renee as she signed were parents Nina and Eddy Semaan, brother Luke, trainers Josh Lindsey and

Jamal Johnson, club coach Kris Ray, and high school coach Mark Leader.

Paige’s parents, Travis and Angela Merry, joined her at her signing. Also present were Mr. Semaan, her coach, sister Chloe Merry, and Mr. Ray and Mr. Lindsey.

Will’s parents, Ryan and Leslie Hunse, attended his signing along with sister Caroline and high school coach Gordon Heins. ■

Signing Day continued from page 27

friends and family here supporting me, and it’s just absolutely great.”

Logan was also joined at his signing by cousin Kristin Fields, aunt Lea Ann Fields, and grandparents Mary and Joe Fields.

Austin Rowan said he is “really excited” to be a scholarship player for the newly relaunched football program at ETSU.

28 April 3, 2016

COURTESY OF SARAH CASSELL

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Putting in the practice Sacred Heart Cathedral School eighth-grader Nicholas Cassell practices diving five days a week year-round.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

COURTESY OF JERRY DOUGHERTY

Catholic youth

Knights crown state free-throw contest champions Twelve boys and girls from across Tennessee ages 9 to 14 were named state champions in the 2016 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship that was held at St. Rose of Lima in Murfreesboro on Feb. 21. The 36 regional-championship winners from each diocese in Tennessee advanced to the state level. State winners from the Diocese of Knoxville were Will Hurd from the Kingsport competition in the 10-yearold boys age group; Turner Stout, Kingsport, 11-year-old boys; and Baylor Bryant, Knoxville, 14-year-old boys. Pictured are (from left, front) Michael Hahn, Will Hurd, Turner Stout, Sydney Long, Olivia Hart, and Julia Hinson; (second row) Brady Huss, Collin Lavender, Baylor Bryant, Kristina Buckley, Lily Wilder, Sara Israel, and Steve Comm, Tennessee State Deputy; and (third row) Jerry Dougherty, state youth director, and Mark Meyer, state program director.

COURTESY OF MEGAN ERPENBACH

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

KCHS, Webb Interact Club members thank troops for their service Knoxville Catholic High School and Webb School Interact Club members joined forces in February to participate in a letter-writing project to troops deployed overseas. Through amillionthanks.org, students wrote letters thanking U.S. armed forces for their bravery, sacrifice, and service to the country. Each of the 17 student participants wrote thank-you notes that will be mailed to the organization and then distributed to troops worldwide. The goal was for the two Interact Clubs to come together to participate in a joint project for a good cause. Phil Petree is the moderator for KCHS Interact.

St. Mary-Oak Ridge comes through for food pantry Students and faculty from St. Mary School in Oak Ridge gathered recently for an all-school assembly to share some great news with St. Joseph’s Food Pantry. Student council president Elizabeth Waltman addressed Mary Ann Gubanc, coordinator of the pantry, telling her that the student council was saddened to hear that the food pantry was not able to offer holiday baskets for the Thanksgiving season because of a lack of funds. The student council set a lofty goal of collecting as a school 2,015 items (for the 2015 school year) to replenish the food pantry. Elizabeth announced that the school had exceeded its goal, collecting 2,325 items with the support of the St. Mary religious-education program and interested parishioners who came to the school daily to drop off food. In addition, students at SMS had recently participated in a Silver Coin Challenge to raise money for charity. The student council proposed giving the funds raised this year to the St. Joseph’s Food Pantry. By unanimous vote, St. Mary students agreed, and the student council was able to present a check for $1,859.85 (above).

The East Tennessee Catholic

COURTESY OF MEGAN ERPENBACH

KCHS choruses earn ‘excellent’ ratings at festival On March 3 the Knoxville Catholic High School men’s chorus and women’s chorus performed at the JB Lyle Choral Festival at Pellissippi State Community College.

This annual event, sponsored by the East Tennessee Vocal Association, is similar to a district tournament for choirs in East Tennessee. Approximately 50 schools from East Tennessee participated in the event by learning and performing three pieces of music from two different periods of music history. Each choir was also required to sight-read (perform a rhythmic exercise and sing a piece of music they had never seen before) in front of another judge. Both KCHS groups received overall ratings of II – Excellent, just one point shy of the “superior” rating. The chorus is led by director Daniel Varnell.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

April 3, 2016 29

Charity continued from page 12

teer groups supporting the Ladies of Charity also are on the rise.

“Our volunteer number is way up and it’s because of the volunteer groups supporting us. Debbie Donahoo is our volunteer coordinator. The other reason is Father John Dowling at Holy Ghost Church is helping us get the word out about volunteers,” Mrs. Unbehaun said.

Volunteer groups include the Sertoma Center, Breakthrough Corp., University of Tennessee Leadership and Service, and Fulton High School.

The growth in volunteer numbers is helping to offset the growth in Ladies of Charity clients and Thrift Store customers, which has been increasing at a 4 percent annual clip.

Mrs. Unbehaun cautioned that the 4 percent number could increase beginning this month, when between 500,000 and 1 million people across the country who are in the SNAP program (formerly known as the food stamp program) lose their assistance because of a new three-month limit on SNAP benefits for unemployed adults aged 18-49 who aren’t disabled or raising minor children.

“That could increase the need here,” Mrs. Unbehaun said, noting that 80 percent of Ladies of Charity clients come from six ZIP codes surrounding the building near downtown Knoxville. Most of the clients are single-parent households, and 90 percent of the clients are unemployed.

In this Year of Mercy, Mrs. Unbehaun and the team of Ladies of Charity volunteers see Jesus everyday through the people they serve.

She is constantly reminded of the verse Matthew 25:40, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” She keeps a note dated March 1, 2016, from Father Dowling that says, “Please give Jimmy some clothes and some food. Thank you, Rev. John Dowling.”

“Just substitute Jesus for Jimmy.

30 April 3, 2016

That is your work of mercy. That can ground you when you get caught up in the day-to-day weeks that we have,” Mrs. Unbehaun said.

“I have this note sitting on a frame on my desk next to my homeless Jesus (figurine),” she said, noting that there are times when you must do to the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters when it is after hours or when the rules of operation must be temporarily suspended.

“We gave Jimmy some food, and all he wanted was a pair of pants and some shoes. This was after client hours,” she said. “You don’t always have to follow the rules. You have some cases like that.”

Mrs. Unbehaun said the support of parishes, with their donations of food, thrift store items, and volunteers, is critical to the success of the Ladies of Charity. She welcomes the support from as many parishes as possible.

“We can’t do it without all our parishes. When you have people waiting at the door for food or kerosene for heating oil, it really puts things in perspective,” she said.

As the Ladies of Charity expands its food pantry, clothing assistance for people getting back into the work force, pharmaceutical assistance, and furniture pick-up, repair and sales, it has other needs to be met, such as the need for an elevator that will allow everyone access to the Baxter Avenue building’s second floor.

The nonprofit organization’s $630,000 2016 budget isn’t possible without grants from groups like the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation, United Way of Greater Knoxville, Variety of East Tennessee, the Gene & Florence Monday Foundation, the TJX Foundation, Food Lion Charitable Foundation, Blanche Walsh Charity Trust, Weiss Foundation, Ladies of Charity USA, Combined Federal Campaign, and the Akima Club.

The Ladies of Charity also relies on business and corporate donors as well as individual donors. ■

Funeral Mass celebrated for former St. Jude priest Father Philip Breen

By Andy Telli, Tennessee Register NASHVILLE — Father Philip Breen, 77, who died Feb. 29 after a relapse of leukemia, was remembered as a wonderful priest, pastor, brother and friend.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be with all of you to give honor to God for one who lived and loved well,” his brother, Father Joseph Patrick “Joe Pat” Breen, said during the funeral Mass celebrated March 4 at St. Ann Church in Nashville, where Father Philip had served as pastor for 25 years before retiring last summer. “So many of you nurtured him and helped him be the great priest that he was.”

A standing-room-only crowd, which included members of his large family, parishioners from St. Ann, Bishop David Choby, Abbot Cletus Meagher, OSB, of St. Bernard Father Philip Breen Abbey in Alabama, former Gov. Phil Bredesen and his wife Andrea Conte, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, priests and deacons, and friends from all walks of life, filled the church for the funeral Mass.

“He was a great priest. That was his primary call in life. All he did was centered around the fact he was very committed to his priesthood,” said Father Pat Connor, a close friend of Father Breen’s.

“He would want to be remembered first of all as a loving and caring pastor. St. Ann was his life. Those people were his life.”

Father Joe Pat Breen said during his funeral Mass homily that his brother knew how to make friends that would last forever. “The people of St. Ann — you’ve been such a great, great blessing to him. He always considered how lucky and fortunate he was.”

Father Philip Breen was born Jan. 15, 1939, the youngest of Anne Marie and Philip Paul Breen’s nine children.

The Breens were parishioners at Christ the King Parish in Nashville, and Father Breen graduated from Christ the King School, where he was taught by the Sisters of Mercy.

After Christ the King School, Father Breen attended Father Ryan High School and graduated in 1957.

In 1959, he began his studies for the priesthood at St. Bernard Seminary in Alabama. After finishing his seminary studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, he was ordained on May 22, 1965,

by Bishop Joseph A. Durick at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.

Father Breen spent the start of his priesthood in Memphis where he taught at Memphis Catholic High School for Boys and later Bishop Byrne High School, while serving as associate pastor at several parishes. In 1981, he moved to St. Jude Church in Chattanooga.

In 1990, Father Breen returned to St. Ann as its pastor. ■

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Living the Readings

Weekday readings Friday, April 1: Acts 4:1-12; Psalm 118:1-2, 4, 22-27; John 21:1-14 Saturday, April 2: Acts 4:13-21; Psalm 118:1, 1421; Mark 16:9-15 Sunday, April 3: Acts 5:1216; Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Revelations 1:9-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31 Monday, April 4: Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10; Psalm 40:711; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday, April 5: Acts 4:3237; Psalm 93:1-2, 5; John 3:7-15 Wednesday, April 6: Acts 5:17-26; Psalm 34:2-9; John 3:16-21 Thursday, April 7: Acts 5:27-33; Psalm 34:2, 9, 1720; John 3:16-21; 2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2:1-3; Matthew 18:1-5 Friday, April 8: Acts 5:3442; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; John 6:1-15 Saturday, April 9: Acts 6:17; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; John 6:16-21 Sunday, April 10: Acts 5:2732, 40-41; Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 Monday, April 11: Acts 6:8-15; Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30; John 6:22-29; Revelations 12:10-12; John 17:11-19 Tuesday, April 12: Acts 7:51-8:1, Psalm 31:3-4, 6-8, 17, 21; John 6:30-35 Wednesday, April 13: Acts 8:1-8; Psalm 66:1-7; John 6:35-40 Thursday, April 14: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 66:8-9, 1617, 20; John 6:44-51 Friday, April 15: Acts 9:120; Psalm 117:1-2; John 6:52-59 Readings continued on page 32

The East Tennessee Catholic

by Father Joseph Brando

The Easter season Fifty days of rejoicing lead the faithful to feast of Pentecost

I

n this previous column, we explored the entire season of Lent.

Today, we will delve into the Sundays of the Easter season, including the great day of Pentecost.

Since we are covering twice as many Sundays we’re devoting half the space on each Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word in order to fit the allotted space. So, here we go.

The 40 days of Lent prepared us, by means of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, for Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. Easter, in turn, generates 50 days of rejoicing culminating at the great feast of Pentecost. During that time, the liturgy presents us with a roadmap to glory. Each stop (Sunday) along the way gives us new insight into living with the risen Christ. We could give a name to identify the Sundays of Easter. The second Sunday of Easter (the first Sunday was Easter, itself), already has a name, Divine Mercy Sunday. The next five don’t have special names; but we can apply names to more easily identify the message they convey to us. So, we have Follow Me, Salvation, Renewal, New, and Peace. Finally, we have Ascension and Pentecost.

The Gospel for Divine Mercy Sunday presents the quintessential lesson for living the Christian faith. We forgive. Thomas not only insisted that the other 10 apostles did not see the risen Christ, he did so obnoxiously.

Yet, after a week, he was still with them when Jesus appeared to them again. The community patiently loved Thomas until he saw the risen Christ and humbled himself, declaring Christ to be “my Lord and my God.” Had those in the Upper Room told Thomas to leave them, we might not have the important insight that Jesus is raised from the dead, and is our Lord and God. Christians should be inclusive and forgiving and, there-

The 40 days of Lent prepared us, by means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, for Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. Easter, in turn, generates 50 days of rejoicing culminating in the great feast of Pentecost. fore, unified and joyous.

The first reading on Divine Mercy Sunday presents us an insight into Christian healing. People brought out their infirm relatives to have Peter’s shadow fall on them and they would all be healed. Peter’s aura signified his closeness to Christ. Our relationship to God can be a healing power effective for all who come to know us.

The second reading takes us to Patmos, the prison colony where Christians were sent by Roman authorities.

One of the detainees gives us his name, John. He tells us details of the time he was “caught in the spirit.”

His story begins with him hearing a loud voice behind him. When he turned to look, he fell as if he were dead. Instead, the figure, who later turned out to be Christ, touched him and said, “Do not be afraid.” The Lord also heals us from perhaps the worst malady that inflicts human beings, namely fear. Fear probably causes all our wars, domestic or international. Christ can heal them all.

This Sunday we should get in contact with the Lord (we call this praying) and pray to be healed ourselves and for the power to heal others.

It only takes an attitude similar to Peter’s.

The Third Sunday of Easter I have named “Follow Me” Sunday. It seems certain that Jesus wanted his apostles on the move and not returning to the comforts of home. True, Christ must be made present there. However, he needs people to bring his message to other homes, other areas, other coun-

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tries all over the world. Could those called to bring Christ’s message and presence to others live in your home?

Taking a look at the Gospel, we see Peter and some of his fellow Apostles, who were fishermen themselves, doing what they knew best. It was after Jesus’ resurrection. The Lord was waiting for them on the shore cooking fish for their breakfast. But before eating, he had a point to make. After learning from his disciples they had caught no fish after trying all night, he told them to put out the nets once more on the other side of the boat.

When they complied they filled the nets with more fish than they could hold. By that time John realized it was the Lord. At hearing it was the Lord, Peter immediately jumped out of the boat and swam to the beach.

Jesus had everyone eat together, then he took Peter aside. Peter apparently thought that after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension the journey was all over. He could return to his old way of life, fishing. No more following Jesus. Wrong idea!

Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him. By the third time, Peter must have realized that Jesus had a problem with his staying-home concept. After each of Peter’s affirmative answers to “Do you love me,” Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” By the third time Peter is distressed. At the end of the dialogue Jesus just says, “FOLLOW ME.” That’s the bottom line. Peter and the other disciples are called to lead others. Together, we are called to follow Christ and bring him to others. We need to leave our comfortable boats and follow Christ.

For Peter, it was to his execution in faraway Rome. For us, who knows?

What Peter did in response to this confrontation with Christ may be found in the first reading on this Sunday. The high priest and the ruling body of their country were demanding that the apostles do what they had wanted to do themselves, name-

Easter continued on page 32 April 3, 2016 31

Readings continued from page 31 Easter continued from page 31

ly go home and mind their business.

But now they were to “rejoice that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.”

To find out where the Lord wanted them to follow him we need go no farther than the second reading. We go back to Patmos to learn more of John’s vision. Here, in the midst of a grand assembly, is the throne and the Lamb “who was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.” Yes, the Lord we follow leads to being slain. However, there is more. Being slain is not the end. The journey continues to the New Jerusalem where the Lamb, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, reigns in glory.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter may very well be dubbed Salvation Sunday as the Gospel shows us Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Yes, we are his sheep and we do follow him. That begs the question “where are we going?” The answer is “to eternal life.”

We are to end up with the Father for eternity.

With that settled, the second reading, from the Book of Revelation, gives us more specifics. John has a vision of a great multitude standing at God’s throne from everywhere wearing robes “made white in the blood of the Lamb.” The Lamb, himself, will shepherd us to life-giving water, wiping away every tear from our eyes.

The pain of being a disciple in this life is worth it when we realize the rewards to come.

In the first reading, Paul and Barnabas have a mixed response in Antioch-in-Pisidia. The Jews there listened to them but refused to accept Christ. Paul and Barnabas told them “since you reject it [the word of God] and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were delighted at what Paul and Barnabas told them. They accepted the faith in large numbers. Knowing that many were accepting salvation produced such a

32 April 3, 2016

joy in Paul and Barnabas that it blotted out the disappointment of being thrown out of the town by the Jews.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter proclaims things that Christ’s resurrection makes all things new. So it can be called “New Sunday.” In the Gospel reading, the Lord gives us a new Commandment: love one another.

If we all followed it we would have heaven on Earth.

In Revelation, John sees a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven.

It’s beautiful. It is where God dwells with the human race always. “The One who sat on the throne [God, the Father] said, Behold, I make all things new.”

Back with Paul and Barnabas at the end of what we now call Paul’s First Missionary Journey, they returned to Antioch and called the Church together. They told them that “they opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” Opening is a form of newness.

And that is a function of the faith. It opens our minds and our souls to the always new presence of God. The Sixth Sunday of Easter has the message of peace. The first reading recalls the major issue that threatened the unity of the early Church. The question was can we baptize Gentiles without circumcising or must we make all Christians Jewish first? The original apostles themselves were divided. Peter found himself switching from side to side. It was a difficult time. Finally, after collecting all the information and opinions, a meeting including all the apostles was called to make a final decision. It was: Gentiles can be baptized without becoming Jewish first. The letter written to announce the decision was received with great joy not only for its resolution of the dispute but also for how they did it. In times of discussion we gather all the Church leaders and pray to the Holy Spirit to discern the proper decision. What results is peace.

Returning to Patmos for more of John’s vision of the New Jerusalem,

we learn that there are some important fixtures not found there. There is no sun, no moon, and no temple.

The glory of God, Himself, provides the center of worship and all the light in the New Jerusalem. In fact, all our needs will be provided for in heaven.

We will experience perfect peace along with everyone else.

The Gospel for this Peace Sunday makes the point with emphasis. We return to the Upper Room at the Last Supper where Jesus proclaims, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. ... Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” So, the Lord will give us all the peace we need, but we must not allow troubles or fear destroy that peace. It’s up to us to accept God’s peace and reject whatever troubles or fears the world, flesh, or devil sends our way. This Sunday is an opportunity to accept God’s peace into our hearts.

The last two Sundays in this Easter season are the feast of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. It seems most appropriate to move the celebration of an event that occurred on a Thursday 40 days after Easter to a Sunday. It would fit better with Easter and Pentecost. As a solemnity, it raises the dignity of the Eastertide program of Sundays and fits in thematically with the other Sundays as the day Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Finally, we have the great feast of Pentecost. In dignity, there is no feast of greater rank. Of course, it commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. As such, it relates the last event of Christ’s mission – Jesus’ greatest gift to us. In a sense, the event is still happening: in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, at times of momentous decisions for the Church and each one of us. Pentecost insures that Easter never ends. ■

Saturday, April 16: Acts 9:31-42; Psalm 116:12-17; John 6:60-69 Sunday, April 17: Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100:13, 5; Revelations 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30 Monday, April 18: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 42:2-3, 43:34; John 10:1-10 Tuesday, April 19: Acts 11:19-26; Psalm 87:1-7; John 10:22-30 Wednesday, April 20: Acts 12:24-13:5; Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8; John 12:44-50 Thursday, April 21: Acts 13:13-25; Psalm 89:2-3, 2122, 25, 27; John 13:16-20 Friday, April 22: Acts 13:26-33; Psalm 2:6-11; John 14:1-6 Saturday, April 23: Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 98:1-4; John 14:7-14 Sunday, April 24: Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145:8-13; Revelations 21:1-5; John 13:31-35 Monday, April 25: 1 Peter 5:5-14; Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mark 16:15-20 Tuesday, April 26: Acts 14:19-28; Psalm 145:10-13, 21; John 14:27-31 Wednesday, April 27: Acts 15:1-6; Psalm 122:1-5; John 15:1-8 Thursday, April 28: Acts 15:7-21; Psalm 96:1-3, 10; John 15:9-11 Friday, April 29: Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57:8-10, 12; John 15:12-17, 1:5-2:2; Matthew 11:25-30 Saturday, April 30: Acts 16:1-10; Psalm 100:1-3, 5; John 15:18-21 ■

Father Joe Brando is retired from the active priesthood in the Diocese of Knoxville.

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Once Upon a Time

by Monsignor Xavier Mankel

The Holy Week(s) of Easter

Celebration of Christ’s triumph over death has expanded through the years

H

oly Week always has been special. Before there was a Holy Week, Easter began with the Easter vigil. And before many years had passed Easter included seven days beginning on Palm Sunday.

Gradually the week turned into two weeks, then three weeks, and then began with Ash Wednesday.

The Church didn’t stop there. For centuries Lent began with “preLent”: violet vestments and names like Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima to begin a real Lent (Quadragesima). It stayed that way until the 20th century, when the calendar was simplified.

Today, there is a nice balance…Ash Wednesday is the beginning.

The readings for the Sundays are designed with RCIA in mind. Violet is the color for the first five Sundays (rose still is an option for the fourth Sunday of Lent); red is the “new” color for Palm Sunday and Good Friday; and white is the color worn for the entire vigil (as well as Easter itself). We used to call Easter Monday the time after Easter; now it is called the time of Easter. No longer do we extinguish the Paschal candle on Ascension; we use it for the full 50 days.

Holy Week has been described as the “Great Week.” And so it is.

In the old days (the 1940s), two or three sleepy-eyed servers would join the priest at the rear of the church for the blessing of the new

Holy Week has been described as the “Great Week.” And so it is. ...

It is simple but elegant. There is no sunrise service. Masses may continue all day long. And Easter continues until Pentecost. Ashes to Easter and beyond! fire and the proclamation of the 12 prophets. This began around 6 a.m. on Holy Saturday morning. People began coming about 7:30 a.m. for the 8 a.m. Mass (it included the Easter “alleluia”). Holy Saturday after Mass was spent decorating the church. Priests heard confessions throughout the afternoon and evening. There was no Easter Vigil celebration.

Easter Masses were celebrated on Easter Sunday morning.

The most unusual of the Holy Week celebrations still is on Good Friday. The Mass of the “pre-sanctified” often was celebrated at noon.

This took about an hour and only the priest received Holy Communion. For the next three hours texts from the seven last words of Jesus, or the meditations of the Stations of the Cross, were used. This celebration concluded about 3 p.m.

Many people have died since Easter Vigil was introduced in 1955.

For those who remember the preVatican II Holy Week, just recalling the improvements should make us appreciate the new Holy Week liturgy all the more. For those too young to remember, lose yourself

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in the improved Holy Week of the Catholic Church. It really was worth waiting for.

Here is how the new Holy Week, beginning Thursday evening, follows: Mass begins. The first thing to notice is the ringing of the church bells during the Gloria. The feet of a cross-section of church members are washed after the homily. After Holy Communion, a procession in honor of the Blessed Sacrament occurs. Then the Blessed Sacrament is placed in the repository.

On Friday afternoon or evening, the Passion according to St. John is read during a service that is not a Mass. The cross is venerated; solemn prayers are sung; there is a collection for the Holy Land; and Holy Communion is received.

The Easter Vigil begins Saturday at dusk with a blessing of the fire, then there is a ringing of bells.

People then enter the church, there is the singing of the Exultet, and a triple alleluia is sung. At least three readings are used, and Holy Water is blessed. The Mass of Easter is celebrated.

It is simple but elegant. There is no sunrise service. Masses may continue all day long. And Easter continues until Pentecost. Ashes to Easter and beyond! ■ Monsignor Mankel is a vicar general and the historical archivist for the Diocese of Knoxville.

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Upcoming Virtus training sessions The Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children, youth and vulnerable adults is offered throughout the diocese.

The seminars are required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact with children and vulnerable adults.

The following training sessions are scheduled: ■ St. Mary Church, Athens,

noon Saturday, April 9; 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 14.

■ St. Mary School, Johnson City, 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 11.

■ Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga, noon Wednesday, April 27.

■ All Saints Church, Knoxville, 10:15 a.m. Saturday, May 14; 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 18 ■

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April 3, 2016 33

Marriage Enrichment Corner Schedule continued from page 2

Sacred Heart Cathedral April 25: Mass at the Morgan County regional prison April 26: 11 a.m., Presbyteral Council meeting April 27: 7 p.m., confirmation at St. Patrick Church in Morristown April 29: 11 a.m., annulment conference for priests at St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City April 30: 5 p.m., confirmation at Sacred Heart Cathedral ■ Bishop continued from page 2

because of the faith we profess in a merciful and loving God. Given the perilous times in which we live, Pope Francis declared a special Year of Mercy that we might reflect more upon God’s mercy, love’s highest expression, and tear down the walls of fear that divide us from God and neighbor. For when we are merciful, we most resemble God, and this is the remedy most needed in our world today.

In conclusion, I pray you will reflect on the words of St. John Paul II from 2002: “How much the world is in need of the mercy of God today!

In every continent, from the depths of human suffering, a cry for mercy seems to rise. In those places where hatred and the thirst for revenge are overwhelming, where war brings suffering and the death of innocents, one needs the grace of mercy to pacify the minds and the hearts and make peace spring forth. In those places where there is less respect for life and human dignity, one needs the merciful love of God, in whose light we see the ineffable value of every single human being. Mercy is needed to ensure that every injustice may find its solution in the splendor of truth.” ■

34 April 3, 2016

by Marian Christiana

Helping couples blend their faith

Ecumenical, interfaith marriages should openly discuss religious practice

M

arriage preparation is one of the great joys of my job.

I love working with couples of all ages who are beginning their marital journey. Their happiness and optimism is infectious, and their enthusiasm spills over into my own marriage, which always is a wonderful job perk.

I have been working with engaged couples for 10 years, and it hasn’t gotten old yet. I’m constantly learning new information that helps me improve the marriage preparation process we use in the Diocese of Knoxville.

As an added benefit, I learn new information that enriches my own marital relationship. I am eternally grateful to my husband, Ralph, because he attentively listens to me comment on some particular aspect of married life that has caught my attention on any given day. Lately, I have been concentrating on how to best help couples blend their faith traditions.

The marriage preparation process that our engaged couples go through gives them a format for discussing their faith traditions. The primary concern of the Church is to uphold the strength and stability of the marital union regardless of whether both spouses are Catholic.

Common words used by the Church refer to the ecumenical, or the interfaith, couple.

The ecumenical couple is the union between a Catholic and another baptized Christian. The interfaith marriage is the union between a Catholic and one who is not of the Christian tradition. Approximately 40 percent of Catholic marriages are ecumenical or interfaith marriages.

It can be easy to think only of ecumenical or interfaith couples when discussing the differences of faith

The marriage preparation process that our engaged couples go through gives them a format for discussing their faith traditions. The primary concern of the Church is to uphold the strength and stability of the marital union regardless of whether both spouses are Catholic. Common words used by the Church refer to the ecumenical, or the interfaith, couple. traditions. In reality, all engaged couples should be considered ecumenical couples. Even two Catholics may have very different faith traditions or approaches to their faith.

For example, the practice of the faith for a person with a particular ethnic background may differ from a person whose family is from a charismatic Catholic tradition.

Therefore, it is important that all couples be encouraged to discuss the topic of their faith and religious traditions with respect, sensitivity, and an open heart, seeking to understand each other’s point of view.

The goal then is to find unity in their diversity.

Kathy and Steve Beirne, authors of the book Catholic and Newly Married; 5 Challenges and 5 Opportunities, discuss dealing with religious differences in marriage as one of the five main challenges of married life.

They also discuss sharing a spiritual life with your spouse as one of the five key opportunities in marriage.

Steve and Kathy point out that newly married couples can approach religious differences in two ways.

One way is to look at differences and see the limitations they may cause a relationship. The other is to look at differences and see opportunities for growth in the relationship.

Learning to appreciate and share

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in religious differences can add a special texture to relationships. The sharing of faith practices can add richness to a relationship that previously was not there.

Kathy and Steve emphasize that coming together as a couple around life’s ultimate questions will not only require respect, sensitivity and communication but also compromise. They suggest that couples have formal conversations about the way they were raised in terms of religious practice and discuss each person’s hope and dreams for their future marriage.

Conversation-starters, such as “our family always attended church together, and I would like to go back to attending regularly, preferably with you,” or “I like the way your family celebrates the holidays with Scripture readings at the dinner table. I would like to do that at our table, too” could open up an incredible dialogue between a husband and wife that will allow the couple to grow in wonderful and unexpected ways.

The Beirnes also suggest an engaged couple learn to share their faith journey by incorporating their shared spirituality into their life aside from just attending worship services. Spiritual growth doesn’t only happen within a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque. A couple can look for volunteer opportunities where they can serve together or attend a Bible study class together.

Blending two faith traditions will take energy and effort whether you are a true interfaith couple, ecumenical couple or just two Catholics with different faith experiences. Be assured that this work will repay your efforts a hundredfold. Studies of interfaith couples highlight that

Marriage continued on page 35 dioknox.org

Understanding the Sacraments

by Father Randy Stice

Marriage continued from page 34

A multilingual celebration of Mass Guidelines for liturgy can enhance our cultural and linguistic diversity

O

ne of the riches of our diocese is its growing cultural diversity, with Mass celebrated in a number of different languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean.

In this respect we mirror the diversity of the Church in America.

In 1987 the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) and the Instituto Nacional Hispanico de Liturgia produced guidelines for multilingual Masses. These guidelines were revised by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2013.

In this column I would like to present a summary of these guidelines (all quotes are from this document).

Since most multilingual parishes provide eucharistic celebrations for the linguistic groups on ordinary Sundays, “multilingual liturgies have particular value in the celebration of major feasts, weddings, funerals, and other important parish and diocesan events.” The planning of multilingual liturgies should reflect the diversity of the community in the choice of postures, gestures, vesture, environmental design, as well as the choice of musical texts and styles and determining which language to use for the readings and prayers. “The extraordinary feature of such celebrations is that only some, not all, of the elements of the celebration of the Mass will be understood by those assembled.”

The introductory rites — processional music, greetings, penitential intercessions and the Gloria — “can elicit an awareness of the cultural and linguistic diversity of those gathered for the liturgy.” The invitation to pray before the Collect (opening prayer) can be given in different languages, but “the Collect itself should be prayed in one language to preserve its integrity.”

The East Tennessee Catholic

The guidelines suggest a number of options for celebrating the Liturgy of the Word. When two readings are proclaimed, it is suggested that the first reading and the Gospel, which normally have similar themes, be proclaimed in different languages “so that each group can hear at least some of the primary themes from the Sacred Scriptures of the day” in their own language. The Responsorial Psalm should be sung or read in one language in its entirety rather than divided into different languages “to maintain the unity and integrity of the text.” The preferred (but not mandatory) language is the same language used for the first reading, “since the Psalm in some way responds to it, and this would show the relationship more clearly.” The refrain should be in the same language as the psalm or bilingual.

The Gospel may be read in its entirety in more than one language.

The procession, introduction and incensation are done only once. The conclusion should be done only once in the last language used. The Alleluia verse should be in the same language as the first proclamation of the Gospel. The homily is preached in a language understood by the majority, but a short summary may be given in other languages. There are several options for the Universal Prayer, such as alternating languages with a common response, or giving the first part of the petition in one language and the assembly responding in another language.

In the Liturgy of the Eucharist the Eucharistic Prayer from the Preface through the Doxology should be in the same language. However, the assembly’s acclamations can be bilingual or in the language of the Eucharistic Prayer.

The Communion Rite similarly

reflects the languages of the community. “Because the Lord’s Prayer is common to all Christians,” it can be recited by members of the assembly “in his or her own language simultaneously with others” or in one language that is different from that of the Eucharistic Prayer. The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) can be either bilingual or in the language of the rest of the Communion Rite.

When solemn blessings are used to conclude the Mass, “each of the blessing prayers may be given in alternating languages.”

The guidelines also address the choice of music. Music proper to each culture is preferred to translating texts to accompany melodies from a different culture. “An integrity of musical styles, however, should be respected throughout the liturgy.”

Familiar hymns with alternating verses in different languages represented also are encouraged. “The Eucharistic acclamations should reflect an integral musical style and may include a blend of diverse languages.”

The purpose of these celebrations “is to unite people of shared faith in common prayer around the word and the Eucharistic table.” Multilingual celebrations manifest in a special way the universality of the Church as well as her unity — but not uniformity — and her diversity.

The complete document is available online and can be translated into different languages by clicking on the “Select Language” button. http:// www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/frequently-askedquestions/guidelines-for-a-multilingual-celebration-of-mass.cfm ■ Father Stice is pastor of St. Mary Church in Athens and directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

when couples work to understand their partner’s faith journey and find areas of agreement, religious differences actually strengthen their marriage.

Although Kathy and Steve’s book is geared toward newlyweds, I don’t think these types of conversations should be restricted to engaged couples. All marriages can benefit from open and loving discussions about each partner’s faith journey and how that journey impacts the family. Each partner should feel free to share where they currently are in their relationship to Christ. The discussion can then expand to a meaningful talk on where they are along their faith journey as a couple. The discussion should be open and include how both husband and wife can help each other deepen their faith in God, and how together as a couple they can support the faith journey of all their family members. It is important to remember that each faith journey has its own story no matter how close a couple’s relationship might be. All married couples need to learn to listen with respect and sensitivity to each other’s story and look for common ground.

We all benefit when we find that common ground that leads us to a closer, more loving relationship with Jesus, our Lord. ■ Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

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April 3, 2016 35

Feast of hope: Holy Father urges prayers for those suffering

By Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Easter is a feast of hope, a celebration of God’s mercy and a call to pray for and assist all who suffer, Pope Francis said before giving his solemn blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).

The risen Jesus “makes us sharers of his immortal life and enables us to see with his eyes of love and compassion those who hunger and thirst, strangers and prisoners, the marginalized and the outcast, the victims of oppression and violence,” the pope said March 27 after celebrating Easter morning Mass.

Easter in Rome dawned bright and sunny; in St. Peter’s Square, the steps leading up to the basilica were turned into an abundant garden with thousands of tulips, daffodils and flowering bushes.

On Easter morning, the pope does

36 April 3, 2016

not give a homily. Instead, with hands clasped in prayer and head bowed, he led the tens of thousands of people in the square in silent reflection.

After Mass, before giving his solemn blessing, Pope Francis said Easter should give people the courage to “blaze trails of reconciliation with God and with all our brothers and sisters.”

Speaking about Christ’s power over death and sin, the pope prayed that the Lord would touch places in the globe scarred by war, terrorism, poverty and environmental destruction.

“The risen Christ points out paths of hope to beloved Syria, a country torn by a lengthy conflict, with its sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law and the breakdown of civil concord,” the pope said. “To the power of the

‘Urbi et orbi’

Pope Francis greets the faithful during his Easter message and blessing “to the city and the world” given from a balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica on March 27.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

risen Lord we entrust the talks now in course.”

He prayed that the power of the Resurrection would “overcome hardened hearts and promote a fruitful encounter of peoples and cultures,” particularly in Iraq, Yemen, Libya and the Holy Land.

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On Easter and throughout the Holy Week liturgies that preceded it, Pope Francis showed special concern for the fate of refugees and migrants fleeing violence and poverty and for Christians facing persecution in the Middle East and other parts of the world. ■

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