April 2, 2017, ET Catholic, B section

Sisters of Mercy mourn the loss of two

A former St. Mary’s Hospital president, Sister Marie Moore, passes away at 84, and Sister M. Placide Kilcoyne dies at 102 By Dan McWilliams

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

T

he Sisters of Mercy are in mourning for two of their own who recently passed away.

Sister Marie (Consilium) Moore, RSM, a former president of St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital in Knoxville, died March 18 at Physicians Regional Medical Center, the former St. Mary’s Hospital. She was 84. Mercy Sister Mary Placide Kilcoyne, 102, died Feb. 26 at Mercy Convent in Nashville.

Sister Marie’s funeral Mass was held at her home parish of St. Albert the Great in Knoxville.

“Sister Marie is a very, very important part of the history of St. Albert the Great Parish, a very integral part,” said St. Albert pastor Father Chris Michelson, who presided at the Mass. “I think since Sister Marie joined our parish back in 2008, we’ve never had a funeral that she wasn’t present at, and of course you know she’s present here today. And she’ll be present at every funeral into the future here, as she brings and has shared her spirit so generously with all of us.”

Father Tony Budnick, Father John Dowling, Father Jim Haley, CSP, Father Tim Sullivan, CSP, Father Bill Gahagan, and Father Bill McKenzie concelebrated Sister Marie’s funeral Mass, with Deacon Jim Lawson and Deacon Mike Duncan assisting.

Marie Frances Moore was born in Nashville in 1933, the first child of Edgar and Elizabeth Moore, both nurses, who eventually had three boys and six girls. Young Marie attended elementary school in Davidson County and then the Cathedral Catholic High School in Nashville, where she met the Sisters of Mercy.

On Sept. 8, 1951, Marie entered the Mercy community in Cincinnati. She learned to become a sister and a nurse at Edgecliff College and Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Ohio. Following her perpetual vows in 1957, as soon as she heard that she passed state boards, Sister Marie (then Sister Consilium) came to St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital in Knoxville.

She served as the medical units supervisor from 1957 to 1961, then left to get her masters degree in nursing at Boston College. When she returned, she taught in the St. Mary’s School of Nursing from 1963 to 1965 and became director

Lighting the way The funeral Mass for Sister Marie Moore, RSM, was held at her home parish of St. Albert the Great in Knoxville.

Home Health, hospice, psychiatry, and an employee-assistance program.

Sister Marie initiated many community-service programs that provided continuing education and support, including the Arthritis Club, Pediatric Orientation, Preparing for Parenthood, the Stroke Club, elderly care programs, and smoking-cessation clinics.

Sister Marie was president as St. Mary’s celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1980.

In 1983, she was called to serve as regional councilor by the Sisters of Mercy, which required her move to Cincinnati. After seven years, she returned to health-care ministry in Chicago (1991-93), Lake Placid, N.Y. (1994-96), and Paducah, Ky. (1996-2008).

Finally in 2008, Sister Marie, at age 75, “retired” and returned to St. Mary’s (then Mercy Health Partners) as mission representative. Sister Marie visited and prayed with patients before surgery or cardiac procedures at Mercy St. Mary’s, Mercy North, Mercy West, LaFollette, Jefferson City, and the Residential Hospice.

In his homily at the funeral Mass, Father Michelson mentioned how Sister Marie served out her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

“She is to do that by serving the poor, serving the sick, and serving the ignorant,” he said. “I was thinking about that last night. I was thinking that certainly Sister Marie served me so well for all these years and was such a great

Sister Mary Placide Kilcoyne, RSM

of the school from 1965 to 1967. In 1967, Sister went to St. Rita’s Hospital in Lima, Ohio, as vice president for nursing for four years.

Sister Marie was named president of St. Mary’s Hospital in 1971.

She served in that position until 1983, a period of extraordinary growth and transition as St. Mary’s dramatically expanded services and facilities.

During Sister Marie’s presidency, St. Mary’s Hospital was transformed from a hospital to a modern medical center with the completion of the Magdalen Clarke Tower, the addition of the central wing, construction of the Professional Office Building, and the creation of a new emergency-room entry. Many patient services were added: respiratory, the Short Procedure Unit (now One Day Surgery), the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory,

influence.

“I thought, well, I might be spiritually poor at times, but I don’t really apply the ‘poor’ to me too much. Generally I’ve been fairly healthy, so I didn’t apply the ‘sick’ to me too much. Then I got to the ‘ignorant.’ Sister Marie, in her great wisdom and her great way, would show people and bring them out of their ignorance. I was thinking of so many different ways that Sister Marie influenced my life, bringing me maybe from ignorance to understanding.”

The first reading at the Mass, chosen by Sister Marie, was from Zephaniah 3.

“The reading says that we must always recognize that the King is in your midst. . . .,” Father Michelson said. “It says because that King will renew love in our hearts.

When we serve the King, we serve the Lord. We will be renewed each day. I think Sister Marie in a very real sense knew about that sense of renewal because she experienced it herself, and she would challenge us to experience that same renewal of God’s love in each of our hearts each day.”

Sister Marie “filled her life with service,” Father Michelson said.

“I think for much of her life she would have been seen maybe more as a Martha than a Mary: finishing nursing school, running the nursing school, going to the hospital, running the nursing area, then taking over as CEO of the hospital, then going and helping the sisters, then going to Chicago, then going to Lake Placid, then going to Paducah, and finally to retire and come back to Knoxville,” he said.

“She said, ‘I’ve been Martha long enough. I want to be Mary.’ . . . Sister Marie was truly both a Martha and a Mary. I don’t think I can categorize her singularly as either one.

She reached that balance that few people ever reach,” he added.

At every funeral at St. Albert the Great, “she was there to love and support, whether the funeral had five people or there were 100 people there,” Father Michelson said.

“Today we celebrate the great victory of Sister Marie, that victory that she has completed her journey on this earth because she is up there now in the kingdom, and you Sisters continued on page B6

‘Historic’ KCHS boys basketball team reaches state finals

T

he Knoxville Catholic High School boys basketball team’s dream of its first-ever state championship ended in the title game, but the Fighting Irish finished as one of the greatest teams in school history and earned a milestone victory for their head coach along the way.

Nashville Maplewood defeated the Irish 60-57 in the Class AA finals March 18 at the BlueCross Basketball Championships at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro. The loss ended a 28-game winning streak for KCHS, which finished 31-2 and made its 10th state-tourney appearance. The Irish were ranked No. 1 in every Associated Press state poll that came out during the season.

“I’m very proud of these guys,” said head coach Mike Hutchens.

“It’s been a great season, to have the consistency to go poll to poll ranked No. 1 and to win as many games in a row as we had. It’s a tough ending.

It doesn’t feel good right now, but they’re going to look back on it—it was a historical season, one of the greatest in school history.”

Knoxville Catholic captured District 4-AA and Region 2-AA tournament crowns on its way to the state tournament. A 70-54 win over Christian Academy of Knoxville on Feb. 21 gave the Irish their first district title since the 2005-06 season. It also earned Mr. Hutchens his 499th win during his 28-year run as KCHS head coach.

On Feb. 25, Knoxville Catholic defeated Union County 86-51 in the Region 2-AA tourney quarterfinals at KCHS to give Mr. Hutchens his 500th victory. Big man Brock Jancek poured in 25 points and collected seven rebounds for the Irish, while point guard Luke Smith added 20 points and Davari Reeder 15.

KCHS went on to defeat Alcoa 80-56 and CAK 59-31 in the semifinals and finals at Austin-East

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Knoxville Catholic finishes 31-2 after posting a 28-game winning streak and going wire to wire ranked No. 1

Leading the way Brock Jancek of KCHS skies to block a shot by Maplewood’s Hassan Littlepage in the state championship game. Looking on are the Irish’s Davari Reeder (14) and Tony Scott (22).

High School to earn the region title. Host Knoxville Catholic then topped Grainger 73-49 in the sec-

tional round to qualify for the state tournament.

Basketball continued on page B6

Parish notes

The school congratulated its spellingbee winners: sixth-grader Nick Gass, first place; seventh-grader Ian Abannaoag, second place; and eighth-grader Maddy Lundberg, third place.

St. Jude, Chattanooga The next Knights of Columbus covered-dish social is set for 6 p.m. Monday, April 24, in the parish life center.

The parish hosted a women’s retreat/ day of reflection Feb. 25 in Seton Hall.

Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM, director of the diocesan Office of Christian Formation, spoke at the event.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge

St. Mary, Athens The youth ministry will again host the Sunday Easter Egg Hunt after the 10 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday, April 16.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul will celebrate the sacrament of first Holy Communion at the 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 22, for its English language religious-education students. Spanish-speaking religiouseducation students are preparing to receive first Holy Communion at the 1:30 p.m. Mass on the solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 18, immediately following the basilica’s Corpus Christi procession at 1 p.m. that day. The basilica’s nearly 60 first communicants will take part in this annual eucharistic procession, and all Catholics are invited to join.

St. Mary hosted a young men’s retreat March 3-5 and a young women’s retreat March 31-April 2. Speakers for the young men included Father David Carter and Father Brent Shelton, and speakers at the young women’s retreat included Nashville Dominican Sisters.

St. Therese, Clinton

Our Lady will be honored with three May Crowning celebrations at the basilica. The St. Ambrose Catholic Homeschool Co-op will celebrate May Crowning on Friday, May 12, during their last class day of the semester. On Mother’s Day, May 14, at 10:15 a.m. between the Sunday-morning Masses, the Jubilate Deo Youth Schola and cantors will lead the congregation in singing traditional Marian hymns during a special liturgy.

The basilica’s Spanish-speaking congregation will bring flowers to honor Mary following the 1:30 p.m. Mass on May 28. Father David Carter, basilica rector, will officiate at all three events.

The St. Ambrose Catholic Homeschool Co-op, now in its second year at the basilica, will have its first Baccalaureate at the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass on Saturday, May 13, followed by a reception at All Saints Academy.

Cumberland Mountain Deanery Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The Council of Catholic Women sponsored a St. Patrick’s Day covered-dish dinner March 19 in the parish hall.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade At the Council of Catholic Women’s meeting March 8, Father John Dowling presented a day of reflection. At the April 12 meeting, there will be a presentation on Habitat for Humanity.

Anniversaries: Peter and Betty Staab (66), Ed and Claire Sisson (62), Don and Carolyn Beck (62), Ed and Angela Crowley (62), Salvatore and Lois D’Addona (60), Tom and Nancy Flagg (60), Paul and Barbara Thrower (60), Michael and Roberta Ryan (59), Frank and Pat Prejna (58), Robert and Marie Price (58), Dick and Helen Gerlach (57), James and Lynda Tjaarda (57), Francis and Alice Radwick (56), Charles and Thena Simmons (56), Gerald and Barbara Phillips (55), Hermann and Frances Eichner (54), Robert and Joanne Jansen (54), Paul and Mary Demet (54), Blaine and Lenore Drake (54), Anthony and Anita June Zimmermann (53), Joseph and Loretta Kreskowiak (53), William and Ruth Pavelchik (53), Jerome and Tonni Kuchcinski (52), Carmin and Lynne Lynch (52), Dave and Joanie Finnel (51), Emanuele and Isabella Pallmeri (51), Bernardo and Daria Rico (50) St. John Neumann, Farragut

B2 n APRIL 2, 2017

St. Joseph in Norris celebrates 50th-anniversary couples St. Joseph Parish in Norris on Feb. 19 celebrated the 50th wedding anniversaries of five couples who are observing the milestone in a 13-month time frame between October 2016 and November 2017. Cardinal Justin Rigali celebrated morning Mass that day, and an evening “Celebration of Love” Valentine dinner party capped the events. Above, with Cardinal Rigali after Mass, are (from left) John and Beverly Froning, married Oct. 8, 1966; Larry and Judy Donovan, married Dec. 27, 1966; Maureen Bounds, who married husband David (not pictured) on Nov. 26, 1966; Father Julius Abuh, St. Joseph parochial administrator; and Gail and Richard Shriver, married April 22, 1967. Not pictured are Mel and Lucy Brown, married Nov. 18, 1967. Chris Goodwyne emceed the evening program, which was sponsored by the St. Joseph Council of Catholic Women and the men’s club.

D’Addonas celebrate 60th wedding anniversary

The parish hosted a Lenten mission themed “Returning to God With All of One’s Heart” on March 11. The mission was led by Carlos Taja.

The Council of Catholic Women’s rummage and bake sale was held March 17 and 18.

An RCIA reunion took place Feb. 12 in the parish hall.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City

Bishop Richard F. Stika will administer the sacrament of confirmation to nearly 60 students from the basilica’s English- and Spanish-speaking religiouseducation classes at the 5:30 p.m.

Mass on the Vigil of the Ascension, Saturday, May 27.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chattanooga

The St. John Neumann Women’s Club held a Home & Garden Show on March 25 in the school gym. The event featured gardening demonstrations, a flower-arranging workshop, birdwatching tips, home-decorating tips, and more.

The women’s guild will host former U.S. ambassador Margaret Scobey at its meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the family life center. Ms. Scobey is a retired career minister from the U.S. Foreign Services who served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt, ambassador to Syria, and deputy commandant of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. She will speak on “Reflections on the Middle East.” All are invited to attend the meeting. For more information, visit www.sthomaslc.com.

S

t. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade recently congratulated parishioners Salvatore and Lois D’Addona, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary March 2.

Father Francis Bratton officiated their ceremony at St. Gabriel Church in Milford, Conn., in 1957.

The D’Addonas’ six children are Joy Drury of Florida; Jean Gordon of Tennessee; and Marie Bavone, Paula Paradis, Salvatore D’Addona III, and Sara Maietto,

all of Connecticut. The couple have 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Mr. D’Addona, a tool maker, retired from the Landreth Engineering Co. in Waterbury, Conn., and Mrs. D’Addona was a homemaker. They moved to the Glade in 2014, where they enjoy bowling, cooking, and working on the computer.

A trip to Mississippi with daughter Jean and husband Bruce was planned for March. n

COURTESY OF MICHAEL RODTS

Chattanooga Deanery

Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City A Chili Cook-Off and car show with banjo and fiddle music, raffle prizes, and a bake sale, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 8. Costs are $8 for ages 12 and up, $5 for kids 5-11, and free for 4-year-olds and under. To enter a pot of chili or learn more, contact Martin Witberg at 586-651-0074.

Holy Trinity thanked Joe Braschler, Peter Dodge, Gene Dunn, Bill Jurkonie, Stan Szalkiewicz, and Martin Witberg for painting the church, narthex, and hallway. Alice Dodge was thanked for taking wax off the carpet.

The parish celebrated the 101st birthday of its oldest parishioner, Myrtle Riedell, on Feb. 26.

A talent show and a luncheon were held after Mass on March 26.

Parishioner donations resulted in a contribution of $1,747 that Holy Trinity made to its twin parish in Bainet, Haiti.

Anniversaries: Stephen and Mary Ellen Ocuto (52), Burlin and Lisa Allen (30)

Gift cards for St. Mary community Knights of Columbus Council 16088 Grand Knight Vince D’Alessandro, Father Antony Punnackal, CMI, of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg, past Grand Knight Mike Wilkiel, and Tennessee Knights of Columbus State Advocate Fred Laufenberg gather in front of St. Mary Church.

The council donated funds to assist parishioners devastated by area wildfires, and Father Gabriel Assembly 2162 donated a new flag for the church.

Fairfield Glade Knights give help to fire victims

K

nights of Columbus Council 16088 of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade recently provided assistance to victims of the fire disasters in the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area.

The help came about when the council asked Father Antony Punnackal, CMI, pastor of St. Mary in Gatlinburg, what they could do to assist his parish. Father Punnackal was formerly the friar of Knights of Columbus Assembly 2162 while serving as the pastor of St. Alphonsus in Crossville. While St. Mary Church itself hadn’t suffered direct fire damage, several parishioners sustained significant damage to their homes or businesses, with some families losing their houses and belongings.

Funds were provided directly from the council and from personal donations collected at the council’s December meeting. Gift cards, each with a $50 value, were purchased through Walmart. The cards were then provided to Father Punnackal for distribution to St. Mary parishioners in need because of the tragedy. Gift cards allowed the disaster victims to purchase food, clothing, or whatever their individual condition required.

Additional donations after the December meeting brought the total effort to $2,600 in gift cards.

Father Punnackal said he was very grateful and stated the generous donation would surely help the families rebound from their devastation. n

Notre Dame, Greeneville The parish thanked Petra Young and Alicia Strickland for painting the new doors in the parish hall and Nancy Hart for volunteering to make the curtains for the doors.

The Easter egg hunt will be held after the 11 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday, April 16.

The Knights of Columbus will recognize Notre Dame’s high school seniors at the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 21.

St. Dominic, Kingsport Dana Bellino has accepted the parttime position of liturgy and music direcParish notes continued on page B3

Father Donahue returns to Knoxville to lead mission at IC Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, former pastor of St. John XXIII University Parish, led a parish Lenten mission at Immaculate Conception Church in downtown Knoxville from March 6-8, the first week of Lent. His theme was “The Acts of the Apostles and Us: The Persons, Personalities, and Circumstances of the Earliest Church and Our Response Today.”

www.di o k no x .o rg

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

Calendar

The Ladies of Charity of Knoxville’s 75th-anniversary weekend May 5-7 begins with the ninth annual Ladies of Charity Golf Tournament on Friday, May 5, at Egwani Farms. Check-in, registration, and a light breakfast are set for 8 a.m., with the tourney start at 9. Format is a four-person scramble.

Cost is $75 per player or $300 per team. Register on the website or email Joe Sutter at sutterjtn@aol.com

by May 2. The Whirlpool Whirlwinds Running Club and Ladies of Charity are sponsoring the inaugural LEAP 5K and Kid’s Mile beginning at 8 a.m.

Saturday, May 6, on Neyland Drive in Knoxville. Runners and walkers are welcome; proceeds benefit the LOC emergency-assistance programs. The Ladies of Charity 75th-anniversary Mass will take place Sunday, May 7, at Immaculate Conception Church, followed by a dinner at the Crowne Plaza.

More information on all of the events may be found at https://ladiesofcharityknox.org/events/.

Bishop Richard F. Stika will celebrate a diocesan-wide adult confirmation Mass at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 25, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Any adult (18 and over) who has had the sacraments of baptism, first Communion, and reconciliation but has not been confirmed can receive the sacrament on this date. Forms and information may be found at dioknox.org. Rosters and baptismal certificates are due to Father Richard Armstrong no later than June 5.

The Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life is again sponsoring a Mother’s Day Outreach that will include billboards in the Knox County area and a signature ad in The East Tennessee Catholic. The ad will include the names of those who wish to be listed as supporters as well as “in memory” or “in honor” listings. If your church is interested in sponsoring a billboard, or if you are interested in participating in the ad, contact the TRL office at 865-689-1339 or trlknox@ trlknox.com.

The Ladies of Charity are sponsoring “clothing blitzes” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, April 15 and May 20. Help is needed to sort, hang, and manage clothing donations. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Contact Sharon at 865-335-1108 or loveaboston@yahoo.com for more information.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade welcomes Catholics Come Home President Tom Peterson for a program from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (CDT) Thursday, May 18. Mr. Peterson is a TV host and EWTN show producer, evangelizer, and Catholic author.

Those attending can learn how to go deeper in their faith and how to help more souls to heaven, especially closest family members and friends. Mr. Peterson will sign copies of his new book after his presentation. Tickets are $5. Advance reservations are required.

E-mail kdonley@sonic.net or call 707-321-9563.

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

A Journey of Hope Conference for divorce recovery is set for Aug. 4-6 at the Charleston Marriott in Charleston, S.C. Early-bird discount ends Wednesday, May 3. To learn more or to register, visit www.journeyofhopeconference.com. For information about divorce support in the Diocese of Knoxville, contact Marian Christiana at mchristiana@dioknox.org or 423-892-2310.

The summer God Camps are set at Harrison Bay State Park in Harrison.

The Reach camp for incoming seventh- and eighth-grade students will be held June 18-22. Cost is $125. The Discover camp for incoming fifth- and sixth-grade students is scheduled for June 22-24. Cost is $100. The Catholic Youth Camp, for incoming high school students, is set for June 5-9 at Ocoee Retreat Center in Ocoee. Cost is $275. Visit dioknox.org for more information on the camps or contact Irene Scoggins at 423-596-0053 or irenescoggins@gmail.com.

A Pastoral Juvenil Concert for youth and young adults, sponsored by the Cristo Rey ministry in collaboration with the Pastoral Juvenil Hispana diocesan ministry, will take place in the gymnasium at Sacred Heart Cathedral School from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29. Music will be provided by Jon Carlo, El Coro El Sembrador, and El Ministerio de Alabanza-Jesús el Rey Divino. Young Catholic preacher Rafael Diaz will come from Los Angeles to share his testimony. This concert will be in Spanish and is an event open to the whole family. Youth must come accompanied by a parent. The cost is $10 per person or $25 per family. Food will be available for sale. For more information, call Cristo Rey at 865-3840175 or Brittany of the Pastoral Juvenil office at 865-776-9635. You can also visit dioknox.org.

The bishop’s annual Diocesan Gathering for Scouting offers a chance for Mass and breakfast with Bishop Richard F. Stika. Mass will begin at 8:05 a.m. Saturday, April 8, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, with breakfast immediately following. Tickets are $10 per person or $8 each for families of four or more.

E-mail knoxvillecatholicscouts@gmail. com or text 865-607-5064 for tickets.

The first Knights of Columbus Golf Outing for Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville is set for 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 21, at Williams Creek Golf Course.

Contact David Layman at 865-8502949 for more information, including sponsorship opportunities.

The Knoxville Catholic High School Alumni Brunch is planned for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 8, in the school commons to honor all KCHS grads from 1967 and earlier. Cost is $15. RSVP to Diannah Miller at 865-560-0525.

The next Picture of Love engaged couples retreat is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 2, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 3, in the parish life center at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. The retreat is to supplement couples’ marriage formation process with their parish priest or deacon.

The cost is $135 per couple, which includes a certificate good for $60 off a marriage license. Couples must attend the entire program to receive the certificate. Mass will be celebrated during the event. An additional retreat is set for Oct. 20-21 at St. Stephen.

For more information, contact Marian Christiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@ dioknox.org, or visit dioknox.org/ marriage-preparation-and-enrichment/ and click on the “programs designed for engaged couples” page.

Marriage Encounter weekends in Spanish are set for July 29-30 and Dec. 2-3. For more information, call Agustin or Vero Ortega at 865-4068297, or Fermin or Anita Cabrera at 423-619-3658.

Father Bill and Sherri McNeeley of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa are leading a centennial pilgrimage, “Fatima 100th Anniversary: The Day Calendar continued on page B4

COURTESY OF ALLEN KELLER

The 28th annual Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention is set for May 4-6 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa. Thursday’s schedule includes the memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika, a banquet, and keynote speaker Jeff Gardner of the Picture Christians Project. Friday’s events include a talk by Theresa Boscia, NCCW representative to the United Nations, and an evening performance by Audrey Assad. Saturday’s schedule includes a program by Jimmy Dee on the Handmaids of the Precious Blood. Father Joe Brando will celebrate a Mass on Friday morning, and Father Dan Whitman will celebrate a Mass with installation of officers on Saturday morning. The full convention registration fee is $125. Registration costs are $35 for Thursday only, $85 for Friday only, and $37 for Saturday only. Full registration for priests, religious, or a spouse is $75. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lccte@bellsouth. net or Sister Yvette Gillen, RSM, at 865-982-3672. Convention specifics, including detailed schedules as well as hotel information, are available at www.kdccw.org/conventions.

Tootsie Roll collection beneficiaries The Knights of Columbus of Council 6730 in Morristown recently contributed to local organizations. From left are Jamie Watkins of the Special Olympics, Barbara Simmons of Central Services, Nancy Bible of Ridin’ High, Chasity Potter of Lincoln Heights Elementary School, and Luis Crespo, chairman of the Knights’ MR Drive.

Morristown Knights donate $4,750 to local groups

A

gain the people from the Lakeway area came through to help people with mental challenges. This is the 36th year that the Knights of Columbus in Morristown have collected money from the public to aid local organizations that serve the needs of folks with intellectual difficulties.

During the Knights’ annual Tootsie Roll street collections last fall after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, citizens and businesses gave $4,750 to the local effort.

Another $3,750 was raised to help mental-health agencies across the state. This money came in from roadblocks and collection points at Food City and Walmart.

The Knights of Columbus at St. Patrick Parish in Morristown split the local share of $4,750 among six groups from the Five Rivers area, giving $900 to the Ridin’ High Academy, $900 to Special Olympics Area 10, $650 to Manley Preschool

Special Needs, $650 to Lincoln Heights Elementary Special Education, $650 to Central Services’ Cerebral Palsy Program, and $1,000 for a special-ed student trip to Dollywood.

Since 1981, the Knights have given away more than $368,670 to local agencies that help people with mental difficulties.

With more than 1.9 million members, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization. Its members and families give volunteer service to the Catholic Church, the community, and families.

In 2015 the Knights of Columbus gave more than $175 million to charities, and members donated more than 73 million hours of service to charitable causes. Since 2005 the Knights have given more than $2 billion to charity and 764 million hours of charitable volunteer service. n

Parish notes continued from page B2 tor for St. Dominic.

Jean Nkurunziza.

The parish vacation Bible school, for children in kindergarten through fifth grade with an added program for preschool children, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily from June 19-23 at St. Dominic School.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville

A series of summer camps are being offered at St. Dominic School. More information on each camp is available on the school website (www.saintdominiccatholicschool.com) and in the church vestibule. For more information, e-mail secretary@saintdominicschool.com or call 423-245-8491. Application deadline is Friday, May 12.

This June 11-17, the St. Dominic youth will be going on a mission trip with the Appalachian Service Project.

St. Dominic held its annual women’s Lenten retreat March 31-April 1 at Jubilee House in Abingdon, Va. There was a recognition ceremony at the end of the 9:30 a.m. Mass on March 5 for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and American Heritage Girls.

St. Mary, Johnson City St. Mary hosted a Christ Renews His Parish retreat for adult men March 4 and 5.

St. Patrick, Morristown The Council of Catholic Women held a baby shower for the benefit of Life Outreach Center in Jefferson City as part of its social and meeting March 21.

The Knights of Columbus sponsored an Italian Fest on March 4 at the parish center.

Anniversary: Dean and Phyllis Ishmael (54) Smoky Mountain Deanery

The IC Bees Quilt Show is set for April 8-9 in the parish hall after all Masses.

A quilt will be given away during the show. Baby and lap quilts will be available for purchase.

The IC women’s group is collecting handmade or purchased lap quilts and afghans to be distributed to Meals on Wheels participants in the week before Easter. A collection basket is available in the back of the church.

IC will have a table at the annual “Carry the Torch” Volunteer Ministry Center lunch at the Knoxville Convention Center on Wednesday, April 12. This year’s guest speaker will be Jesuit Father Gregory J. Boyle, author of Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. To purchase a seat at the parish table, contact the parish office at 865-522-1508 or icoffice@bellsouth.net.

Tickets are $100 per person.

The parish thanked those who helped make the Haiti card party a success.

The party raised almost $600 to help defray costs for a group leaving for Haiti in March. IC also thanked St. Joseph School students, parents, and faculty for their Pennies for Haiti donation of $1,217.19 that will help pay travel expenses and also provide a gift to IC’s sister school in Fond des Blanc, Haiti.

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa The second annual Council of Catholic Women rummage sale will be held July 22. Drop-off begins July 17.

This year’s Mardi Gras event was a great success, raising $2,539 for a mobile ultrasound machine the Knights of Columbus will be buying for the local Pregnancy Resource Center.

Holy Ghost, Knoxville

The 22nd annual youth ministry Spaghetti Dinner and Auction took place March 26.

The parish congratulated its new Third Degree Knights of Columbus: Jose Ceballos, Gene Hill, Michael Kirrman, and

At the 11 a.m. Mass on March 12, the parish honored its Girl Scouts on the 105th anniversary of Girl Scouting. n

www.di o k no x .o rg

APRIL 2, 2017 n B3

Anniversary priest Father Bill McKenzie leads a prayer at his 35th-anniversary Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

Sister Jolita event draws more than 400 to St. Joseph School More than 400 friends of Sister Jolita Hughes turned out March 11 for the Sister Jolita Irish Supper and Sing-Along at St. Joseph School in Knoxville. The annual Irish-themed event raises funds for student tuition assistance at St. Joseph, where Sister Jolita taught for years. Attendees were treated to dinner, live music, a silent auction, and fellowship. This year’s event, hosted by the late Religious Sister of Mercy’s family, including her sisters Therese Hurley and Mary Catherine Willard, raised more than $18,000 for the school.

Father Bill McKenzie marks 35 years as a priest ebrated the 11 a.m Mass together.

Deacon Andy McKenzie, Father McKenzie’s brother, Deacon Mike Nestor, and Deacon Bill Jacobs assisted. The Mass was followed by a reception in the Fatima Center.

Around 250 parishioners, friends, and family were present to congratulate Father McKenzie.

After his ordination, Father McKenzie ministered as the associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga and at Immaculate Conception in Clarksville. Later he became the pastor at Notre Dame in Greeneville, St. Therese in Clinton, and St. Mary in Oak Ridge. n

COURTESY OF MARLENE YURICK

P

arishioners of Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa honored their pastor, Father Bill McKenzie, with a reception Feb. 19 in honor of his 35th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.

Father McKenzie is a son of Winnie and Earl McKenzie. His father was a deacon, and two of his brothers are also deacons for the Diocese of Nashville. The McKenzie family were members of Christ the King Parish in Nashville.

Some of Father McKenzie’s brother priests, Father Bill Gahagan, Father Joe Brando, and Father Bill McNeeley, concel-

BILL BREWER

COURTESY OF LUIS RAMOS

Parish news

St. Alphonsus CCW celebrates NCCW anniversary The Council of Catholic Women at St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville celebrated the 97th anniversary of the National Council of Catholic Women with a cake and coffee at its March 14 meeting. Pictured from left are Agnes Bosze, Janet Gray, Cecilia Erwin, and Kathleen Kelly.

COURTESY OF JANET GRAY

COURTESY OF JANET GRAY

Vigil for Life at Holy Trinity On March 15 Deacon David Oatney and parishioners of Holy Trinity in Jefferson City participated in a Prayer Vigil for Life in conjunction with the spring 40 Days for Life international campaign (Mar. 1-Apr.9), whose tenets are prayer and fasting, peaceful witness, and community outreach to end abortion and all assaults against life. A Prayer Chain for Life formed in front of Holy Trinity on March 25.

CCW collects items for Avalon Center The Council of Catholic Women at St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville at its March 14 meeting continued its collection of cleaning products and supplies to support the Avalon Center for women victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Calendar continued from page B3 the Sun Danced,” to Fatima and Italy from May 22-June 1. Brochures are available in the parish office. For more information, call Father McNeeley at 865-384-1206.

A family-life pilgrimage with Father Michael Cummins to St. Augustine and Orlando, Fla., is scheduled for June 7-11. The pilgrimage is sponsored by the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment. Pilgrims will attend Mass and pray at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, see the Greek Orthodox Shrine of St. Photios and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, and attend Mass at the Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine in Orlando. For more information, contact Marian Christiana at mchristiana@ dioknox.org or 423-892-2310 or Lisa Morris at lccte@ bellsouth.net or 865-567-1245, or visit dioknox.org/ event/family-life-pilgrimage-with-fr-michael-cumminsto-st-augustine-and-orlando-florida/.

Father Mike Nolan and Father Dennis Hrubiak, Byzantine Catholic priest and chancellor of the Eparchy of Parma, will lead a pilgrimage to Russia from July 24-Aug. 3. Pilgrims will visit Moscow and St. Petersburg, seeing such sights as Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the “Golden Ring” of Sergiev Posad, Rostav, Kostroma, the historic town of Vladimir, the Winter Palace, the Hermitage, Senate Square, Peter and Paul’s Fortress, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the palace of Catherine the Great, the old city of Pushkin, and more.

All-inclusive land and air cost is $4,595. For more information, contact Lisa Morris of Select International Tours at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

A World Meeting of Families pilgrimage to Ireland with Father Mike Nolan is set for Aug. 20-Sept.

1. Contact Marian Christiana at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org or Lisa Morris at 865-5671245 or lccte@bellsouth.net.

A diocesan pilgrimage to Spain, Lourdes, and Fatima, with spiritual leader Father Randy Stice, will take place Aug. 21-Sept. 2. The first stop is Barcelona, where pilgrims will visit the Sagrada Familia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by Spanish architect B4 n APRIL 2, 2017

Antoni Gaudi, as well as the Monastery of Monserrat and the Royal Basilica. The group will then travel north through the Pyrenees on its way to Lourdes for two nights, where pilgrims will visit the site of the apparition of Our Lady to St. Bernadette and join in the candlelight procession at the basilica. Other stops on the pilgrimage include Madrid, Avila, Santiago, Compostela, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar, the convent of St. Teresa of Avila, O Cebreiro, the Cathedral of St. James, Pontevedra, Porto, and Fatima, where the group will join in the celebration of the jubilee of the apparition of Our Lady to the children. The all-inclusive pilgrimage package is $3,995 per person (land and air). For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

A diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Father Arthur Torres and Father Miguel Vélez, “Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus!,” is planned for Sept. 1222. Pilgrims will celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in Jerusalem as they walk the way of the cross and attend Mass at the Holy Sepulcher.

The group will spend time in Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity and Shepherd’s Field, and in Bethany to visit the tomb of Lazarus. Pilgrims will also take a cable car to Masada, visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and spend time in Nazareth. They will stay for two nights at the Sea of Galilee, spending time at the Mount of Beatitudes, ascend to Mount Tabor for the view from the Church of the Transfiguration, and visit the baptism site on the River Jordan, the Mount of Temptation, the Dead Sea, Magdala, and Jericho. The all-inclusive package, air and land, is $3,895. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@ select-intl.com.

A Low Mass in the ancient form of the Roman Rite is normally offered every Monday morning 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. A Missa Cantata will be celebrated for the www.di o k no x .o rg

Octave of Easter, April 23, at 5 p.m. On May 28 at 5 p.m., a Missa Cantata will be celebrated for the Sunday after the Ascension. The basilica’s Gloria Dei Schola and Jubilate Deo Youth Schola will sing for both Masses. All are invited to a Basilica potluck afterwards.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at noon 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. For more information, visit www.KnoxLatinMass.net.

The traditional Latin Mass of Easter will be offered this year at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville at noon on Easter Sunday, April 16. This special Mass will be accompanied by motets and sacred polyphony, with the variable proper parts of the great Easter liturgy sung in Gregorian chant and the fixed ordinary parts (the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, etc.) in a setting by the 18th-century Viennese composer Franz Joseph Haydn. All area Catholics and their friends are invited to share this festive celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord, which in recent years has attracted worshipers from a number of diocesan parishes. Further details about the Mass and musical program will be posted at www.KnoxLatinMass.net.

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 Byzantine Catholic Church (Ruthenian), located at 6515 Millertown Pike, Knoxville, TN 37924, celebrates Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday and at 7 p.m. on holy days. For more information, call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-2564880 or check the website www.knoxbyz.org. n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C A TH OLI C

Catholic youth

College lacrosse coming to second annual Knights Cup Conference tournament semifinal and title games have been added to a busy schedule of youth and high school contests nancy Help Center.

This year’s event will start April 21 with AAC semifinal games at 5 and 7:30 p.m.

The schedule continues Saturday with a full day of action. Youth games (subject to change) will pit the Christian Academy of Knoxville Warriors against the Knox Cannons in a middle school tournament semifinal game at 8 a.m., followed by the Farragut Youth Lacrosse team vs. the Roane County Knights in another middle school semifinal.

“One change that should add interest is the incorporation of a middle school tournament into the event,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “Kids at that level have really started to develop their skills and knowledge of the game and can put on some pretty competitive and entertaining action.”

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the West Knox Warriors will take on the Farragut Admirals in a JV game. The AAC championship game will start at 12:30 p.m.

Middle school consolation and championship games will begin at 3 p.m. The CAK Warriors and Roane County Knights will play a varsity game at 5 p.m. The host KCHS Fighting Irish will face the SoddyDaisy Trojans in another varsity game at 7:30 p.m.

Youth skills and clinics will take place throughout the event.

The lacrosse event replaces a Knights baseball classic that was held for years at Smokies Park in Kodak and raised more than $80,000.

“We had a great 12-year run with high school baseball at Smokies Park, and we would very much like to do it again,” Mr. Ciaccia said.

“We found that scheduling high school teams on weekend dates was getting increasingly difficult, so we tried lacrosse last year and had great success. We hope the

DAN MCWILLIAMS

T

West Knox rivals Knoxville Catholic and Farragut battle in the first Knights Cup in 2016.

Fighting Irish Spring Classic makes a comeback in 2018.”

The first Knights Cup did just fine in the fundraising department.

“Our event raised close to $10,000 last year, which was more than we ever achieved from baseball,” Mr. Ciaccia said. “The preponderance of those proceeds went to support the wide range of child- and family-support services provided through the Pregnancy Services department of Catholic Charities. We will do that again this year as the work of Sandi Davidson and her team of volunteers is something the Knights of Columbus believe in.

“We also supported an initiative begun by Deacon Scott Maentz that provides food and personal hygiene products to the homeless community under the bridge at Fifth Avenue and Broadway. We will support that outreach again as well.”

In addition to its support of Knights of Columbus charities, the Knights Cup has teamed up with Atlanta-based Lace Up With LAX. Lace Up With LAX partners with lacrosse events all over the country to provide shoes for the homeless.

People coming to the Knights Cup are asked to bring a new pair of shoes to the event, which will then be distributed to the homeless residents of Knoxville. Fans bringing shoes to the event will be given a 25 percent discount promotion to The Voice Tank. This $100 value can be used to book birthday parties for all ages.

Mr. Ciaccia encourages local advertisers to support the Knights Cup. “This is a great event for local businesses to get behind as they can support a fun, family-friendly event that does so much good in our community by placing an ad in the game program or coming on board as a corporate sponsor,” he said.

“It is also a great event for youth groups and parish organizations to attend as a group as they will see some exciting athletic competition.

Prices for game program ads and tickets are inexpensive and can be ordered through our website, www. knightscup.org.

For more information on the Knights Cup or on advertising, contact Mr. Ciaccia at 865-765-4046 or tciaccia@att.net. n

Notre Dame recognizes students with 30-plus ACT scores Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga recently inducted 22 new students into the 30+ Club. This club is for students who have earned an ACT score of 30 or above. Nationally, 6 percent of students achieve such a score. At Notre Dame, 24 percent of seniors earned a score of 30 or above. New inductees are Augusta Westhoff, Sam Botto, Alex Spraker, Hogan Walker, Patrick Lee, Alex Griffy, Justin Hensley, Tammi Alimurka, Bella Bombassi, Margaret Coles, Lauren Collins, Jordan Crumpler, Luke Falkner, Mia Florio, Keely Hein, Kevin Lee, Andrew Lisy, Reid Mitchell, Sarah Smith, Bowie Strozak, and John Skyes. Previously inducted members are Audrey Barkeloo-Carter, Kelsey Barta, Allison Dumsday, Anna Gorman, Meghan Greene, Sarah Faith Ingell, Ema San Miguel, James West, and Rose Albert.

KCHS teacher chosen for Bearing Witness Program

COURTESY OF MURVIN PERRY

COURTESY OF LAURA GOODHARD

he second annual Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament at Knoxville Catholic High School is adding on to last year’s inaugural event by incorporating three college conference tournament games into its schedule of youth and prep team matchups.

This year’s Knights Cup on April 21-22 at KCHS’s Blaine Stadium will include the Final Four of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. The AAC includes Tennessee Wesleyan among other regional teams. Preliminary rounds of the tourney will be played at campus sites, so the lineup for the semifinals in Knoxville is not yet known. The AAC championship game will be played April 22 at KCHS. “The addition of the Final Four championship tournament of the Appalachian Athletic Conference is a tremendous feature that builds on the success of our inaugural event in 2016,” said Knights Cup organizer Tom Ciaccia. “Lacrosse, which is rapidly gaining in popularity all over the country, is just starting to achieve a presence in Knoxville.

Only a few high schools in Knoxville play lacrosse at the varsity level, so having a collegiate championship tournament here in Knoxville is not only a unique event for this area, it also gives sports fans in Knoxville who have never seen the game a chance to experience the fast-paced, hard-hitting action that has sparked so much enthusiasm in every other part of the country where the sport has been introduced.

“And all of the proceeds go to support charitable endeavors in our community.”

The Knights Cup, sponsored by Council 5207 at Sacred Heart Cathedral and Council 15706 at All Saints Parish in Knoxville, benefits Knights of Columbus charities that include Catholic Charities’ Preg-

By Dan McWilliams

Twin sisters earn Girl Scout Gold Award with butterfly garden Twins Heather and Rebecca Perry, daughters of Heidi and Scott Perry, received Girl Scout Gold Awards, the Girl Scouts’ highest award, for planning and developing a butterfly garden on the grounds of St. Mary Church in Johnson City. They planted more than 25 different indigenous, perennial plants or trees that will serve as hosts for adult butterflies to lay their eggs and provide food for butterfly larva, and designed and constructed a sheltered way station and bench where users of St. Mary’s exercise trail may rest and observe the butterflies in season. Heather and Rebecca are members of Girl Scout Troop 1417. They have been Girl Scouts since they were in kindergarten.

Proud grandparents Marlene and George “Bob” Becker, and Rita and Murvin Perry, and other members of the Becker and Perry families and church deacons were present when the butterfly garden and the bench and way station were dedicated.

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

COURTESY OF GEORGE LECRONE SR.

K

noxville Catholic High School teacher Joan Williams was recently selected to be a Tennessee representative in the weeklong Bearing Witness Program in Washington, D.C., this summer.

This program, offered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Anti-Defamation League, the Archdiocese of Washington, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, hopes to implement effective Holocaust curriculum in Catholic schools nationwide.

Miss Williams completed a Museum Teacher Fellowship at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 and 2014, and she was awarded the BelzLipman Holocaust Educator Award for Tennessee educators in 2015. She used the Belz-Lipman grant to take a research trip to Germany and Poland, where she followed the journey of the characters in the nonfiction Holocaust book Maus.

After completing the Bearing Witness Program, Miss Williams will

Joan Williams

use her expertise and experience to help the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in bringing this training to all Tennessee Catholic educators.

“I am honored to represent Catholic educators in Tennessee, along with Lauren Boccia and Deanna Kendall,” Miss Williams said.

Miss Williams has been teaching a Holocaust curriculum to sophomore English students at KCHS since 2008. n

Scouts honored at St. Dominic On March 5 at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport, pastor Father Michael Cummins, with the assistance of George LeCrone Sr., chairman of the Knoxville Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, presented two special awards. He presented the Parvuli Dei religious-emblem award to Nathan Browning and asked his mother, Christine, to pin the medal on. Father Cummins also presented a certificate with four letters to Michael S. Meyers (pictured above with Mr. LeCrone) for achieving the Eagle Scout rank, the highest award in Scouting for a youth. Then Father Cummins asked all Scouts of the parish to stand as he recognized them and gave a special blessing to them.

www.di o k no x .o rg

APRIL 2, 2017 n B5

with 36 seconds left. KCHS rallied to make it 60-57 on a 3-pointer by Kuerschen with five seconds left. After a missed free throw by Maplewood, Jancek rebounded and Smith — a Mr. Basketball finalist himself — fired a half-court shot to try and tie the game, but it fell short.

Jancek led the Irish with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Reeder scored 11 and Smith 10.

Hodges, named tournament MVP, scored 18 to lead Maplewood.

Jancek, Smith, and Kuerschen made the all-state tournament team for the Irish.

Head coach Hutchens was proud of his team after the game.

“These guys come out every night and play so hard on defense, and that’s hard a lot of times to get high school kids to do, and they do it every night,” he said. “The fact that we’ve been so consistent — we’ve had some good breaks, too. Other than Davari Reeder, who missed two-thirds of the season with a broken foot, that was the only serious injury that we had, and we’ve had some bad luck with injuries the last couple of years. Having effort every night in every game—it’s tough to be consistent. I felt that was big for us, being healthy and being consis-

Air Luke Knoxville Catholic’s Luke Smith floats through the lane for a lay­ up against a pair of Maplewood defenders.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

The Irish rolled over Macon County 78-46 in the first round of the state tourney. Jancek recorded 19 points and nine rebounds, while Chase Kuerschen scored 15, Smith 13, and Jack Sompayrac 11. KCHS led 51-36 after three quarters before racking up 27 points in the fourth.

Smith gave the Irish an unforgettable finish in the semifinals by knocking home a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift KCHS to a 5653 win over Whites Creek. Smith finished the game with 20 points, including an 8-for-8 showing at the foul line, while Jancek added 16 and Kuerschen 13.

In the championship game, Knoxville Catholic held only one brief lead, 22-21 in the second quarter, but hung close to Maplewood throughout. The Irish trailed 37-30 in the third period but rallied to tie the game at 39 on a layup by Tony Scott.

Maplewood then took the lead for good on two free throws by Hassan Littlepage and was up 41-39 at the end of the quarter.

Layups by Smith made it 45-44 and 47-46 midway through the final frame, but Maplewood took a 58-50 lead on two free throws by Class AA Mr. Basketball recipient Bo Hodges

BILL BREWER

Basketball continued from page B1

Dribble penetration Chase Kuerschen of KCHS drives against Maplewood’s Bo Hodges as teammate Brock Jancek sets a screen against Robert Wilcox III. Sisters continued from page B1

better believe she is preparing a place for each of us.”

In his closing remarks, Father Michelson said, “Now we take leave of our sister, Marie. We give back to God that very wonderful and special gift she was to each of us in this world.”

Sister Marie was preceded in death by her parents, Edgar and Elizabeth; her brothers, Tom and Pat; and brothers-in-law, Dick Duncan and Bob Rupp.

Sister is survived by her brother, Edgar James and wife Doris Moore of Lewisburg, Tenn.; sisters, Geraldine Duncan of Kansas City, Mo.; Clara Rupp of Lewisburg; Margaret Ann Moore of Nashville; Virginia and husband Jay Gloede of Glen Burnie, Md.; and Catherine and husband Bill Brancheau of Toledo, Ohio; sisters-in-law, Nancy Moore of Maryville and Linda Moore of Knoxville; many nieces and nephews; grand-nieces and grand-nephews; and members of her religious community.

Memorials may be made to the Sisters of Mercy Mission Advancement Fund, 900 E. Oak Hill Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917.

Sister Placide, who served as controller and assistant administrator in charge of finance for St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital for 18 years, was born Nov. 4, 1914, in Middlesboro, Ky. As a young woman, Frances Teresa Kilcoyne worked for the Blue Diamond Coal Co. in Knoxville before entering the Sisters of Mercy in September 1949 at the age of 34, becoming Sister Mary Placide.

After professing vows in 1952, she was assigned to St. Mary’s Hospital, where she began serving in a finance role. In 1971, she was called to serve as the treasurer of the Sisters of Mercy in the Cincinnati Province, with administrative responsibility for communitysponsored ministries. She returned to Knoxville in 1989 to again lend her financial expertise to St. Mary’s Hospital, serving as internal audiB6 n APRIL 2, 2017

tor until her retirement to Mercy Convent in 2006.

Sister Placide was highly respected for her business acumen and wisdom, abilities that were instrumental in preserving the financial viability of the Sisters of Mercy community and its hospital ministry.

After her first profession on March 12, 1952, Sister Placide served as hospital controller at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Cincinnati. In 1953, she became hospital controller at St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital in Knoxville, and in 196061 she commuted to Nashville, where she earned a degree in business administration from Peabody College. She then did graduate work in financial management in 1963-64 at the University of Notre Dame.

Sister Placide’s service in financial management in Knoxville extended beyond St. Mary’s Hospital. She was recognized locally and beyond for her contributions to hospital financial management. In March 1963 she was selected to attend the nationwide Institute of Personnel and Financial Management at the Generalate of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of the Union in Bethesda, Md. She then served as a key member of the coordinating committee of the East Tennessee Hospital Data Processing Council, which developed a shared computer program for 15 hospitals in Middle and East Tennessee. This was one of the first such programs in the nation in 1968. At the time, Sister Placide said, “It is remarkable that there were no computer errors found in the first batch of payroll checks for 1,200 employees.”

In May 1970, the Hospital Financial Management Association, Tennessee Chapter, installed Sister Placide as state president. During her term, the American Hospital Management Association, with 72 chapters in the United States totaling 9,000 members, presented the Tennessee Chapter with the Graham L. Davis Award for contri-

tent every night defensively.”

Smith, Kuerschen, Reeder, Scott, and Dawson Anderson led a strong KCHS senior class that will be missed next year.

“I started most of them since they were freshmen,” Mr. Hutchens said.

“That first year, we started a lot of freshmen—it was a struggle a little bit at first, but since then we’ve gone 20-9, 22-5, 31-2. They’ve gotten better every year. This year we got some breaks. I’m going to brag—I think it’s one of the greatest teams in school history.”

Team chemistry was “our strength,” the head coach said.

“They’re the most unselfish team I’ve coached in 35 years,” he said. “They’ve played with each other since they were 8-9 years old.

They’ve played AAU together.

They’re like family. That’s what makes them what they are—they’re unselfish, team-first. I know that’s a cliché, but with this bunch it is.

They’re out to win, and they’re unselfish.”

Foul trouble hampered KCHS in the championship game as Smith had three in the first half and Jancek two.

“It was tough when we had to

start the second half without Luke, and at one point we had Brock and Luke both out. That’s two of our three leading scorers, and I thought it was a great effort to hang in and take a shot at the end to put it into overtime,” Mr. Hutchens said. “Like always, they’re going to be there at the end. “[Foul trouble] is going to affect you offensively. We came out defensively—we gave up 25 points at halftime, so the defensive effort was there. It was just one of those nights—shots didn’t fall. It’s disappointing, but that’s the way things go. That’s life, but we gave all we had. It didn’t fall our way tonight.

But we were on the dance floor and had a chance. That’s all you can ask.”

Smith said the team learned it was one of the greatest in school history as the season progressed.

“We heard it about halfway through the season,” he said following the championship loss. “But that’s subjective, and championships are objective, and we did not get that today.”

Smith said he never really found his jump shot during the tournament

butions to hospital financial management at its annual convention in Columbus, Ohio. Sister Placide received personal recognition when she was honored with the “Outstanding Leadership Award.”

During her 18 years of service, St. Mary’s went through a major growth period: four additions and construction of the Annunciation Wing in 1966 and the Magdalen Clarke Tower in 1972. Her primary role through those years was to develop plans for financing the expansion programs.

In May 1971, Sister Placide was called to a new ministry, to serve as the treasurer of the Sisters of Mercy for the Province of Cincinnati. In that position, she headed the financial management offices for the entire Cincinnati Province – Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Jamaica – and worked closely with the province’s Electronic Data Processing Center.

In her new role, Sister Placide developed the Sisters of Mercy’s retirement program and guided the lay employees’ retirement program in its continuing growth and improvement in benefits. She reviewed facility budgets and capital requests, recommended present methods of funding services to the poor, and saved Mercy Health System facilities hundreds of thousands of dollars by implementing self-insurance for medical malpractice and general liability.

Sister Placide’s contribution during her years as province treasurer was described by Sister Doris Gottemoeller on May 1, 1989: “As sister moves to Knoxville, she leaves behind a record of 18 years in province service, which included the administration of our province finances and of numerous lay employee benefit plans. Her foresight and planning and professional skills have benefited not only the province, but also the thousands of employees and retirees of our many institutions.

“While we are grateful for Sister Mary Placide’s outstanding pro-

fessional expertise, we also want to acknowledge and thank her for her personal gifts of clarity of thought and expression, graciousness, and good humor, which she used so well in assisting successive province administrative teams to be good stewards. Her command of the intricacies of our financial situation and her gift for analysis and explanation frequently helped make the obscure obvious and the difficult doable!”

Sister Placide served in Cincinnati for 18 years after serving at St. Mary’s Hospital for 18 years, which prompted one Sister of Mercy to quip, “Sister has got to stop this job hopping!”

On July 1, 1989, Sister Placide returned to St. Mary’s to serve in a new role as internal auditor.

In April 2003, she celebrated two major milestones: her golden jubilee as a religious and 50 years in Catholic health care. At a Mass, then-Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz of the Diocese of Knoxville cited three ways in which God had used her to make a difference in people’s lives: “I believe God has worked through you as a woman of service, as a woman of community, and as a woman of prayer.”

And Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, said Sister Placide had earned “a reputation for careful stewardship of financial resources, for astute judgment, for wise investment, for long-range vision, and for broad interests.”

After 53 years of service, Sister Placide retired in 2006 and moved to Mercy Convent in Nashville.

Sister Placide was preceded in death by her parents, Patrick and Frances Kilcoyne, her sisters, and her brother.

She is survived by her nephew, Patrick Kilcoyne, other family members, and members of her religious community.

A funeral Mass for Sister Placide was celebrated March 2 at Mercy Convent, with Father John O’Neill presiding. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville. n

www.di o k no x .o rg

Basketball continued on page B10

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

Praying for Perspective

by George Valadie

Being a ‘90 percenter’ during Lent This Lenten journey has been fairly successful, but sometimes during the season we cut deals with God and seek middle ground

B

aseball season is upon us.

Bishop Richard F. Stika is a Cardinals fan; I’m all about the Braves. I hate to admit it, but of late he’s enjoyed the upside of our teams’ rivalry.

It’s a sport of numbers – batting averages, pitching statistics, winning percentages. Three strikes, four balls, 90 feet, and million-dollar contracts.

I bring it up because this year I’ve been about a 90 percenter, having had a fairly successful Lenten journey thus far. You have to admit, those are darn good numbers in some arenas of life. If I were swinging a wooden bat at that clip, I’d be destined for the Hall of Fame.

However, if highway driving were the topic, a 90-percent success rate yields a wreck one mile out of every 10; jail time for sure.

Still, 90 percent or not, I’m not bragging, believe me. My life is deep in Lenten debt.

It wasn’t always this way though.

When I was a little tyke, I was so much better. I never failed in my Lenten efforts. I hit every pitch, a sure saint in the making. Whether I chose to give up sweet stuff or hitting my sister, I always did what I set out to do.

I was actually good at Lent. Better than I was at baseball.

Great though I was, I have to admit I didn’t always understand

what it was, or why we did it, or how living without Twinkies would bring me closer to God. But I was good at it.

Years ago.

As those years passed, I admit, with head bowed, that not all my adult numbers have been as impeccable. Successful mostly, but there have been Lenten seasons when I dropped the ball. Some have been so-so. Yet some were everything I hoped they would be.

Like most, when I falter I get mad at myself that I lack the little-kid consistency I once had, for there have been more than a couple of 40-day stretches when I could have done better.

Assuming I’m not the only one to ever experience the occasional Lenten slump, aren’t you curious?

It seems like we need a theory to explain some of this mess to our Creator. What happened to us along the way? Lazy? Confused? Think too much?

As children we didn’t think much at all. We played, we listened. I didn’t know enough to consider there might be options, and I sure didn’t know enough to rationalize. I thought the way a child thought.

When you’re young like that, there’s just right and wrong. That’s what mom and dad taught us; that’s what we believed. You did or you didn’t. And I was afraid not to “did.”

Marriage Enrichment

When we chose poorly, we also knew we had sinned. The words “venial” and “mortal” got a lot more public play back then. Spankings were more frequent, too.

The stuff of our lives seemed simpler, too. It’s mine or it’s yours, but it can’t be both.

However, when we witnessed this developing in our own kids, how many hours did we spend teaching them to share? To understand that there can be a middle ground? That we can take turns? That your idea is good but so is hers? Can’t we blend both?

The language evolved as they did.

Black and white can have shades of gray. Situations can have nuances.

Success might be choosing the best from a list of nothing but bad choices. And sometimes, avoiding the worst really is the very best we can do.

Apparently, what we do in life, we often do in prayer. At least I do.

So we can find ourselves compromising with God, or trying. Each Lent begins with good intentions; it’s when we falter that we cut the deal and seek the middle ground.

“I gave up beer but need to trade my ‘free’ Sundays for my regular Thursday nights with the guys.

He’ll be OK with that, won’t he?”

“Can I just do my Lent after Easter?”

“I’ll do two tomorrow.”

“Pork’s not meat, is it!?”

“Maybe I’ll just give up one Diet Coke a day.”

It is what we’ve taught our kids after all, it’s what we do every day.

Discern all the options, see all the shades, consider all the possibilities.

And then make it work.

These aren’t just necessary skills, they’re tools of survival. Good or bad, it’s often how we smooth out human relations.

That is what I’m selling to the maker of my soul, trying to explain, if not negotiate, the occasional Lent that has drifted awry. Searching for a reason. “Life was easy, then it got hard, we did what we did to make it work. You do, too, don’t you, Lord?”

It’s pathetic, isn’t it? Deep down, I’m having trouble even selling that to myself. Hoping our adult-life skills earn our after-life goals. Bargaining with the Divine.

“Hey, Lord, can we make a deal?

Thanks for covering me, I’ll get you next time.”

I hear God laughing; just not sure He’s dealing.

Dear God – I try, I do, but I just can’t identify with all those days in the desert. Thank you for each “next time.” Amen. ■ George Valadie is president of Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga.

by Marian Christiana

Pope Francis helps Lenten resolutions stay on track The Holy Father’s annual Lenten messages from 2013 onward keep one’s focus where it should be

L

ent is a very bad time to take a vacation. I have trouble with self-denial as it is, but take me out of my routine and I am lost.

Add a little disappointment to the mix and it is all but over. I started out strong, messed up in the middle, and now I’m working toward a strong finish. It is how we finish that counts. Right? As it turns out, Pope Francis helped me figure out how to get back on track.

Originally I was going to give up eating between meals and eating desserts. I was doing pretty well with both of those, but then I went to visit my sister, Kass, in Dallas.

The plan was to visit Kass for a few days and then our daughter, sonin-law, and granddaughter would come up from Austin to visit us. Unfortunately, when we arrived in Dallas my sister came down with the flu. We didn’t want our daughter’s family to get sick, so we canceled their visit to Dallas. We thought by their weekend visit my husband or I would be sick. Luckily that didn’t happen, but we didn’t want to take the chance. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I was really looking forward to seeing our daughter and her family.

Who am I kidding?

I was very disappointed about not getting to spend time with our granddaughter! I don’t know about you but I eat when I’m feeling out of sorts, and so I ate to make myself feel better. Chocolate was the best cure, lots and lots of chocolate.

There went my Lenten resolutions… or so I thought.

While my sister was recuperating, I started reading the annual messages for Lent from Pope Francis as a

The theme for this year is “The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.” I am now focusing on this message for the remainder of Lent to keep myself on track for the rest of the journey.

The pope encourages us to encounter Christ through his living Word . . . way to get my head back into my Lenten practices. Pope Francis has been sending out Lenten messages to us since he began his papacy in 2013. Before Lent begins, Pope Francis will send out a message highlighting a theme to consider during our Lenten experience.

I began by reading his message to his archdiocese in Argentina for Lent of 2013, right before he was elected to the See of Peter as Pope Francis. Pope Francis used this quote from St. John Chrysostom in his Lenten message: “No act of virtue can be large if it does not also benefit another....Therefore, no matter how you spend the day fasting, no matter how you may sleep on a hard floor, and how you may eat ashes and sigh continuously, if you do not do good to others, you do not accomplish anything great.”

This quote was the key that turned me around this Lent and helped me prepare more room in my heart for Jesus.

As I read one message after another I realized that although they each expressed a different theme they all contained an element of reaching out to others. The 2014 Lenten messages focused on poverty and challenged us to “confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it.” Poverty comes in all shapes and sizes. It

doesn’t have to be the lack of material goods. A person’s loneliness can be a type of poverty.

The messages in 2015 asked us to consider giving up indifference to others, what Pope Francis called the globalization of indifference.

The pope wrote that “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” As I sat there eating my chocolate candies I realized that I was definitely caught up in my own interests and concerns.

In 2016 Pope Francis highlighted God’s mercy and the need for us to be merciful to others. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13) was the inspiration for this Lenten message. The Holy Father divided his message into three sections: 1. “Mary, the image of a Church which evangelizes because she is evangelized”; 2. “God’s covenant with humanity: a history of mercy”; 3. “The works of mercy.”

No. 3 caught my eye. My sister was widowed last year and will be retiring this June after 25 years of teaching reading recovery in the Plano, Texas, school system. She has a three-car garage that became so filled up it actually became a onecar garage over the years. It was filled with 30 years of memories.

She and her late husband were always going to clean it out together but never got around to it. The clutter has been weighing her down as she tried to contemplate her future as a retiree. I secretly think these

two huge life changes have affected her immune system this year.

Anyway, there I sat eating and feeling sorry for myself when I realized that I could make this situation a win/win for both of us. I love to organize and throw things out! It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to see things tidy and put into place. I asked my sister if I could clean out her garage for her.

She could supervise when she felt better. She thought I was nuts, but said OK. I spent the next three days sorting, donating, and trashing the items in her garage. I truly felt that I had my Lenten experience back on track. I was getting out of my own head and reaching out to my sister in a way that I hadn’t thought of before reading the Lenten messages of Pope Francis.

You may be thinking that I forgot Pope Francis’ message for 2017, but I haven’t. The theme for this year is “The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.” I am now focusing on this message for the remainder of Lent to keep myself on track for the rest of the journey. The pope encourages us to encounter Christ through His living Word while we reach out to others.

In closing, let me share just part of Pope Francis’ 2017 Lenten message that is helping me stay focused: “Let us pray for one another so that, by sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak and poor. Then we will be able to experience and share to the full the joy of Easter.” ■ Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish hosting 28th annual Knoxville Diocesan CCW Convention

T

he 28th annual Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention is set for May 4-6 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

Thursday’s schedule includes the memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika, a banquet, and keynote speaker Jeff Gardner of the Picture Christians Project.

Friday’s events include a talk by Theresa Boscia, NCCW representative to the United NaTH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C A T HO L I C

tions, and an evening performance by Audrey Assad.

Saturday’s schedule includes a program by Jimmy Dee on the Handmaids of the Precious Blood.

Father Joe Brando will celebrate a Mass on Friday morning, and Father Dan Whitman will celebrate a Mass with installation of officers on Saturday morning.

The full convention registration fee is $125. www.di o k no x .o rg

Registration costs are $35 for Thursday only, $85 for Friday only, and $37 for Saturday only. Full registration for priests, religious, or a spouse is $75.

For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lccte@bellsouth.net or Sister Yvette Gillen, RSM, at 865-982-3672. Convention specifics, including detailed schedules as well as hotel information, are available at www.kdccw. org/conventions. ■ APRIL 2, 2017 n B7

Living the Readings

by Father Joseph Brando

Out of the darkness The Lord is with us—in the Kingdom all is light

S

pring brings the earth to life.

The air is warmer; the grass is greener; the sunsets are later; and our lives become more enjoyable. However, it isn’t merely the movement of stars and planets that makes this season so delightful.

Consider the role of the divine responding to our prayers that makes relationships among people bearable and even downright exquisite.

Without our Creator’s intervention into human affairs our lives would not be worth living. There would be painful problems of relationship between nations, among neighbors, and even within our own families.

That’s why it is a necessary task for us each spring to consider the clash of darkness and light as a basic problem of reality. During Lent we search our soul and its relationship with God. We come to name the sources of sin in our own lives and pray to God to free us from what drives us into darkness.

The result of winning the battle over personal evil is the joy of walking joyfully with God and all the fine people He has put in our lives. Now that the Easter season is almost here, we can change the scope of our searching to the level of the divine. We look for evidence of God’s work of answering prayer and uniting people in various relationships.

During this coming Easter season it will be a wise and happy occupation for us to meditate on the events of the most important time in sacred as well as human history. For our consideration in the months of April and May, we look to the liturgical calendar and find a treasure for our minds and hearts. Starting from Palm Sunday, we cover Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, and the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven.

We begin with Palm Sunday. Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem brought to the surface problems between Jesus, the Son of God, and the religious establishment in Israel. The crowd that Jesus brought with him included many people who were cured of illnesses physical, mental, and social. They followed the Son of David with utmost joy. That same group, however, appeared to the citizens of Jerusalem as an imminent danger.

In the Gospel for the Palm Sunday procession, Matthew writes, “When he (Jesus) entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken.”

The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah starts with this 700-year-old prediction, “The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I may know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.”

Matthew’s Passion is the Gospel for the Mass, and he highlights the internal angst of Judas and Peter. Judas had the opportunity to hand Je-

Weekday readings Saturday, April 1: Jeremiah 11:1820; Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12; John 7:40-53 Sunday, April 2: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Psalm 130:1-8; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45 Monday, April 3: Daniel 13:1-9, 1517, 19-30, 33-62; Psalm 23:1-6; John 8:1-11 Tuesday, April 4: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21; John 8:21-30 Wednesday, April 5: Daniel 3:1420, 91-92, 95; Daniel 3:52-56; John 8:31-42 Thursday, April 6: Genesis 17:3-9; Psalm 105:4-9; John 8:51-59 Friday, April 7: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 18:2-7; John 10:31-42 Saturday, April 8: Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jeremiah 31:10-13; John 11:45-56 Sunday, April 9 (Palm Sunday): Matthew 21:1-11; Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66 Monday, April 10: Isaiah 42:1-7; Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14; John 12:1-11 Tuesday, April 11: Isaiah 49:1-6; B8 n APRIL 2, 2017

sus over to the religious authorities, and he had to manage the anxiety such a possibility would generate in his heart. Peter, on the other hand, outwardly boasted he would never betray Jesus. Nevertheless, the Lord predicted correctly that Peter would deny him three times.

When Jesus went aside to pray in the Garden of Olives, he sweated blood. It was a dark night indeed.

Before it was over Jesus was a prisoner being charged with a capital offense and undergoing cruel treatment.

If that night was dark, it did not go away on Good Friday. It only got worse with an eclipse of the sun and Jesus’ death. It was even more morose as the disciples shuttered the windows of the Upper Room so it could serve as a hiding place.

As bad as the situation was for the disciples, Easter Sunday proved there is no evil that staying in relationship with the Christ couldn’t overcome. The Easter Sunday liturgies consist of two Masses: one for the morning and the other for the evening. The earlier Gospel tells of Mary of Magdala. The evening narrates the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. None of the three recognized Jesus at first. And, their reaction to recognizing Jesus was the same.

Excitedly they ran from where they saw the Lord to the Upper Room to tell Peter. Out of the most miserable darkness, these disciples were becoming filled with the eternal light of relationship with the Lord. From there on out Christ is still extending His brilliance from person to person throughout the world. And each of us is part of this dynamic.

The first Sunday after Easter has appropriately been dedicated as Divine Mercy Sunday. This Sunday highlights the story of Thomas who did not hide in the Upper Room on Easter and missed seeing the risen Christ. And, during the ensuing week, denied that Jesus was alive.

The next Sunday Christ appeared and responded to Thomas’ request to touch Jesus’ wounds and side. He responded by making a profound act of faith in the risen Christ as his Lord and God. Peter, years later, wrote in his first epistle that the resurrection gives us a new birth. What a glorious attitude to maintain in our souls!

Peter takes the center stage in the Third Sunday of Easter. The first reading is his sermon to the crowd that formed after the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in the Upper Room. He accused the Israelites of killing Jesus. Yet, by announcing that Jesus was no longer dead, it was part of God’s plan.

So, we can all live in peace with the awareness that the Holy Spirit can enlighten our hearts with the

Psalm 71:1-6, 15, 17; John 13:21-33, 36-38; (Chrism Mass) Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9; Psalm 89:21-22, 25, 27; Revelation 1:5-8; Luke 4:16-21 Wednesday, April 12: Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34; Matthew 26:14-25 Thursday, April 13 (Holy Thursday): Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18; 1 Corinthians 11:2326; John 13:1-15 Friday, April 14 (Good Friday): Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 Saturday, April 15 (Easter Vigil): Genesis 1:1-2:2; Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35; Genesis 22:1-18;

gift of his presence. Spring, then, can be with us forever.

A passage from Peter’s first epistle serves as the second reading. He assures us that the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, ransoms us from our fruitless past. The darkness of guilt makes way for our faith and hope. Life becomes an eternal spring because we live in the life of God. The fourth Sunday of Easter has long been considered Good Shepherd Sunday because of the Mass’ Gospel. Nevertheless, once again, Peter remains on center stage. His Pentecost Sunday sermon here comes to a strong finish. Luke writes that the people listening beg to find

cripples as well as freeing people from unclean spirits, the Apostles in Jerusalem made the trip to Samaria to confirm them in the Holy Spirit.

They were aware the Samaritans hadn’t been living in the fullness of the Trinity. Christians need to be sensitive to the spiritual and corporal needs of others and care for each other. This keeps the light and life of God alive in our communities. We should be living that lifestyle in our parishes.

The last Sunday in May happens to be the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. The first reading of the Mass is Luke’s account of Jesus’ ascending to heaven. Luke reports that the Lord “presented himself

Looking at the sky is not a way of following Christ. . . . Rather than looking for heaven we need to be rooted in heaven and with Jesus himself so that when people hear us they hear the risen Christ alive in heaven where we can soon be. out what they should do next.

Peter’s answer is “repent and be baptized.” To repent is to make a choice of world views. Do we want to live in darkness or in the light of God’s spring? Luke also reports that 3,000 people joined the Church that day.

With that many people joining, the symbol of the Good Shepherd is very appropriate. The Lord is a shepherd who leads from the front.

Where he is we would want to be there with him. We need to continue to hear his voice and follow it all the way to paradise. The alternative is to be stolen by false shepherds who lead us to confusion. Once again eternal life is a choice we can make right here where we can already enjoy, through faith and hope, the light of heaven.

Mothers should enjoy having the Fifth Sunday of Easter fall on Mother’s Day. The first reading centers on the institution of the ecclesiastic office of deacon. But the situation that made their function necessary was the care of widows. At a time when the Twelve Apostles were still strongly overseeing the welfare of the Church, one of its special ministries was caring for widows who could not care for themselves.

When some widows were accidentally neglected, this was considered a major problem that had to be solved.

So, the light of grace filled the leaders of the early church. The Gospel bears this out. John points out that the opposite of faith in God is to have troubled hearts. Applying this principle to the problem of the widows: where there was trouble (as with some widows not being cared for) there was a lack of faith.

The faithful feel the cry of the poor and solve the problem. That is an attitude of being light to the world, a person of faith.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter fits in well with the previous Sundays in that they center on Christ being the Light of our lives. A good example of this is the story of Phillip winning over the Samaritans. Upon reporting the great things happening there, such as the curing of paralytics and

alive by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Talking about the Kingdom of God is especially important.

The kingdom is a common relationship consisting of all those baptized in Christ with Christ himself.

It is filled with the spring-like feel of the power of Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit, and the infinite love of the Father. We are alive in the Trinity. One of the benefits of prayer is to enhance the experience of our unity with the Trinity.

Luke, then, writes that Jesus said the Holy Spirit will soon come upon them and that they will be witnesses of God to the whole world. (Christianity is not a local religion and excludes no one.) Then Luke tells us the Christians who were at the Ascension continued to look at the sky where Jesus had ascended. Looking at the sky is not a way of following Christ.

Then, two unknown men in white stood beside them and told them, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Rather than looking for heaven we need to be rooted in heaven and with Jesus himself so that when people hear us they hear the risen Christ alive in heaven where we can soon be.

In Matthew’s rendition of the same scene we can find some other facts. First, some of the 11 disciples harbored doubts. Second, Matthew gives us a direct quote from Christ.

He tells them, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Lord is with us; in the Kingdom the darkness is cast out. All is light.

Have a great spring. n

Psalm 16:5, 8-11; Exodus 14:15-15:1; Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18; Isaiah 54:5-14; Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12:2-6; Baruch 3:9-15 and 3:324:4; Psalm 19:8-11; Ezekiel 36:16-28; Psalms 42:3, 5 and 43:3-4; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Matthew 28:1-10 Sunday, April 16 (Easter Sunday): Acts 10:34, 37-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 Monday, April 17: Acts 2:14, 2233; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Matthew 28:8-15 Tuesday, April 18: Acts 2:3641; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; John 20:11-18

Wednesday, April 19: Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9; Luke 24:13-35 Thursday, April 20: Acts 3:11-26; Psalm 8:2, 5-9; Luke 24:35-48 Friday, April 21: Acts 4:1-12; Psalm 118:1-2, 4, 22-27; John 21:1-14 Saturday, April 22: Acts 4:13-21; Psalm 118:1, 14-21; Mark 16:9-15 Sunday, April 23: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 Monday, April 24: Acts 4:23-31; Psalm 2:1-9; John 3:1-8 Tuesday, April 25: 1 Peter 5:514; Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mark 16:15-20 Wednesday, April 26: Acts 5:17-26; Psalm 34:2-9; John 3:16-21 Thursday, April 27: Acts 5:27-33; Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20; John 3:31-36 Friday, April 28: Acts 5:34-42; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; John 6:1-15 Saturday, April 29: Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; John 6:16-21 Sunday, April 30: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35 n

www.di o k no x .o rg

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

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

Understanding the Sacraments

by Father Randy Stice

The Word of God in the liturgy — a closer look

The performative character of and the sacramentality of the Word are two aspects not fully appreciated today

In The Word of the Lord, Pope Benedict XVI reflects on the role of God’s Word in the life and mission of the Church, which he called “the home of the Word.”

Sharpshooters Knights of Columbus State free-throw champions are (from left, front row) Andrew Reilly, Will Spence, Andrew Myers, Hudson Hickey, McKay McGuiness, and Kate Pettinger, and (second row) Landon Wilkins, Aidan Nix, Joseph Gibson, Sydney Long, Katelyn O’Neil, and Lily Wilder. In the back are Jerry Dougherty (left), Tennessee State Council youth director, and Tex Shellhart, Grand Knight of Council 4563.

Andrew Reilly (Chattanooga) and Kate Pettinger (Knoxville) hail from East Tennessee.

Knights announce state free-throw contest champs

T

he results are in from the Knights of Columbus State Free Throw Championships held at St. Rose of Lima School in Murfreesboro.

The three regional (diocesan) championship winners advanced to the state level, and these winners will be sent to the Supreme Council for the national results to be determined later this year. Eight of the winners came from Middle Tennessee and two each from East and West Tennessee.

The winners, listed by age group and town, were: Andrew Reilly, 9-year-old boys, Chattanooga (won in double overtime); Hudson Hickey, 9-year-old girls, Nashville; Will Spence, 10-year-old boys, Mount Juliet; McKay McGuiness, 10-year-old girls, Nashville; Andrew Myers, 11-year-old boys, Murfreesboro; Kate Pettinger, 11-year-old girls, Knoxville; Landon Wilkins, 12-year-old boys, Bartlett; Sydney Long, 12-year-old girls, Nashville; Aidan Nix, 13-year-old boys, Nashville; Katelyn O’Neil, 13-year-old girls,

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

Hendersonville; Joseph Gibson, 14-year-old boys, Bartlett; and Lily Wilder, 14-year-old girls, Nashville.

Runners-up were: Luke Roeder, 9-year-old boys, Bartlett; Karla Hernandez, 9-year-old girls, Kingsport; Mallory Walker, 10-year-old girls, Cordova; Will Hurd, 11-year-old boys, Knoxville; Isabella Gavigan, 11-year-old girls, Nashville; William Van Tol, 12-year-old boys, Knoxville; Kate McBride, 12-year-old girls, Collierville; Luke Willett, 13-year-old boys, Bartlett; Kenzie Campbell, 13-year-old girls, Knoxville; and Jack Ottman, 14-year-old boys, Mount Juliet.

Each contestant was allowed 25 free-throw attempts in the contests.

Ties were settled by successive rounds of five free throws per contestant until a winner emerged.

The Knights thanked Marian Council 4563 youth director John McNicholas and Tex Shellhart, Grand Knight, for hosting the event at St. Rose of Lima School. n

word of God in the sacramental action and a growing appreciation of the relationship between word and Eucharist” (no. 56).

Pope Benedict XVI explains the sacramentality of the Word “by analogy with the real presence of Christ under the appearances of the consecrated bread and wine” (no. 56). Just as “we truly share in the body and blood of Christ” in sacramental communion, so also “the proclamation of God’s word at the celebration entails an acknowledgment that Christ himself is present, that he speaks to us” (no. 56).

The pope illustrates this with the words of St. Jerome, who describes how we should approach both the Eucharist and the Word of God: “We are reading the sacred Scriptures.

For me, the Gospel is the Body of Christ; for me, the holy Scriptures are his teaching. And when he says: ‘whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my blood’ (John 6:53), even though these words can also be understood of the [eucharistic] Mystery, Christ’s body and blood are really the word of Scripture, God’s teaching. When we approach the [eucharistic] Mystery, if a crumb falls to the ground we are troubled. Yet

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.

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

COURTESY OF JERRY DOUGHERTY

God’s Word in the liturgy, which is “the continuing, complete and effective presentation of God’s word. The word of God, constantly proclaimed in the liturgy, is always a living and effective word through the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the Father’s love that never fails in its effectiveness towards us” (Lectionary for Mass, no. 4).

The pope highlights two specific aspects of the Word’s power. The first is what he calls the performative character of the Word. “In salvation history there is no separation between what God says and what he does. His word appears as alive and active (cf. Hebrews 4:12), as the Hebrew term dabar itself makes clear” (no. 53). Old Testament examples of the power of God’s Word include Genesis 1:3, Psalm 33:6 and 9, and Isaiah 40:26. God, says Pope Benedict XVI, manifests this same power in the liturgy: “In the liturgical action, too, we encounter his word, which accomplishes what it says” (no. 53).

The second aspect of the Word’s power is what Pope Benedict XVI calls the sacramentality of the Word.

This grew, he says, out of “reflection on the performative character of the

when we are listening to the word of God, and God’s word and Christ’s flesh and blood are being poured into our ears yet we pay no heed, what great peril should we not feel?” (no. 56).

The performative character of the Word and the sacramentality of the Word are two aspects of the Word of God that are not sufficiently appreciated today. For this reason, Pope Benedict XVI says that it is important that we be educated “to discover the performative character of God’s word in the liturgy” so that we can recognize God’s activity both in salvation history and in our individual lives (no. 52). And a more profound understanding of the Word’s sacramentality, he says, “can thus lead us to a more unified understanding of the mystery of revelation, which takes place through ‘deeds and words intimately connected’; an appreciation of this can only benefit the spiritual life of the faithful and the Church’s pastoral activity” (no. 56).

This Lent may we come to know and experience more deeply God’s presence and power in his Word. n

Top writer Genevieve Robinson holds her essay contest plaque. With her are (from left, front row) VFW District 2 Commander Jim Irving, Wayne Knabbenhoft, Thomas Booker, and Clyde Sutton, and (back row) Brad Heun, Mickey Vickery, Matthew Libby, Doug Kesterson, state Rep. John Ragan, and Sister Marie Blanchette, OP, principal of St. Mary School.

Genevieve Robinson wins state VFW essay contest

O

n March 3, Tennessee state Rep. John Ragan, along with several members of VFW Post 12051, came to St. Mary School in Oak Ridge to make a special presentation to seventh-grader Genevieve Robinson.

Jim Irving, VFW District 2 commander, shared opening remarks and presented Genevieve with a $1,000 check and a plaque for winning the Department of Tennessee’s Patriot’s Pen competition as part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Competition. As a result of winning at the state level, she was entered as one of 54 finalists in the national competition, where she was recognized with the $500 VFW Southern Conference Award. The finalists came from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Pacific areas,

and the Panama Canal.

Conducted nationwide, the Patriot’s Pen is a VFW-sponsored youth essay competition that gives sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. More than 100,000 students submitted essays from around the country and around the world. This year’s Patriot’s Pen essay asked students to describe “The America I Believe In...” Students were asked in 300 to 400 words to articulate what makes the nation unique and great.

In her essay, Genevieve wrote, “We have a country in which our differences are celebrated instead of discouraged. Our different talents can be utilized to build a better, stronger nation.” n

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

I

n a previous column, I introduced the new Lectionary Supplement and briefly discussed aspects of the Word of God in the liturgy. In this column, I would like to look more closely at the Word of God in the Church’s liturgy.

In formulating the principles for reforming the liturgy, the Second Vatican Council noted the “educative and pastoral nature of the Liturgy,” that although it “is principally the worship of the divine majesty, it likewise contains much instruction for the faithful” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 35). Thus, to manifest more clearly “the intimate connection between words and rites,” it stipulated that “In sacred celebrations there is to be more reading from holy Scripture, and it is to be more varied and suitable” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 35).

In The Word of the Lord, Pope Benedict XVI reflects on the role of God’s Word in the life and mission of the Church, which he called “the home of the word” (no. 52). “The liturgy,” he continues, “is the privileged setting in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives; he speaks today to his people, who hear and respond. Every liturgical action is by its very nature steeped in sacred Scripture” (no. 52).

In this exhortation, Pope Benedict XVI explains the power of

Meet and greet Genevieve Robinson greets state Rep. John Ragan at her awards presentation ceremony.

www.di o k no x .o rg

APRIL 2, 2017 n B9

OLPH student qualifies for state geography bee

OLPH standout Eighth-grader Matthew Laws is a semifinalist in the National Geographic State Bee. U.S. territories to compete in the state bees.

Each state champion will receive $100, the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, 4th Edition, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent his or her state in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters May 14-17.

The national cham-

pion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the society, including a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all-expensespaid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour II. Visit www.natgeobee. org for more information on the National Geographic Bee. n

DR. KELLY KEARSE

COURTESY OF CISSY WEST

M

atthew Laws, an eighthgrader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga, has been named by the National Geographic Society as one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2017 Tennessee National Geographic State Bee. Matthew is the son of Jeff and Becky Laws of OLPH Parish.

The state contest was held at the Floyd Payne Campus Center on the Tennessee State University campus in Nashville on March 31.

This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 29th year.

School bees were held with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion.

School champions then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and

Alternating possession Knoxville Catholic’s Dawson Anderson and a Maplewood player tie up the basketball as the Irish’s Davari Reeder closes in.

Basketball continued from page B6

finals and that picking up a charging foul early in the championship game proved costly.

“I like to get to the rack before I shoot a few threes,” he said. “I never found my jump shot in this tournament. I kept shooting, and I tried to shoot out of it, but it never really fell.

I got to the hole a little in the second half, but my jump shot never started going in.”

Jancek, a junior, said that reaching the state championship game is plenty of motivation to get back to Murfreesboro in 2018. “It’s a lot of motivation to work hard in the offseason for next year.”

KCHS finished with its third state runner-up honor in school history, joining the 1973-74 and 1975-76 teams.

“We are extremely proud of this basketball team and Coach Hutchens,” said KCHS president Dickie Sompayrac. “To play the schedule that they played and to go 31-2 was extraordinary. This was a fun team to watch, and they will go down as arguably the best basketball team in Catholic High’s history.”

Next year the Irish move up to the Class AAA level, with Farragut, Bearden, and Maryville among their opponents in a nine-team District 4-AAA. n

St. Mary students compete in local science fair

B10 n APRIL 2, 2017

Bishop Stika visits St. Joseph School Bishop Richard F. Stika dropped by St. Joseph School on March 22 and visited several classrooms. Above, he takes a selfie with Tim Howell in Cathy Sompayrac’s first-grade class. Also pictured are Nico Myers (left) and Catherine Skadberg.

nierczuk, “The Mysterious Flatworm”; and Parker Sorah, “Healthy Hydration Outdoors.”

Honorable-mention awards in biological sciences went to: Ian Hubbard, “Radiation Observations Revealed,” and Ethan Sherlock, “Battle of the Genres.”

These students qualified to participate in the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from March 28-30.

The 2017 St. Mary Science Fair panel of judges included

representatives from local business and industry who volunteered to serve. The school thanked all of the judges for their contribution of time and expertise in support of the students and their pursuit of science. The following individuals served as judges this year: Glenn Dye, Anna Gaultney, George Golightly, Ana Gonzalez, Melissa Hutchinson, Harold Ketterer, Michelle Kidder, Rick Lowden, Rich Snead, Fred Sloop, Deacon Gary Sega, and Kendra Smotherman. n

KCHS, Webb Interact clubs perform joint service project On Feb. 25 the Knoxville Catholic High School Interact Club teamed up with Webb School of Knoxville’s Interact Club to do a joint service project for World Rotary Day. The two clubs helped clean, organize, and decorate Beaumont Magnet Academy. Pictured above are Natalie Eilerman (left) and Anna Hoang. Below is a group shot of the two schools’ Interact clubs.

www.di o k no x .o rg

COURTESY OF MEGAN ERPENBACH

Physical science winners Top-five and honorable-mention recognition went to Marissa Dalton, Mateo Gorrondona, Anna Kasemir, Amelia Van Berkel, Jacqueline Audet, Luca Filigenzi, Paige Halcrow, Genevieve Krass, Elizabeth Brands, Joshua Luttrell, Caroline Elliott, Elliot Barnes, and Joey Wood.

COURTESY OF MEGAN ERPENBACH

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

Biological science winners Top-five and honorable-mention recognition went to Sydney Mesmer, Sarah Tackett, Luke Cheadle, Miko Zolnierczuk, Parker Sorah, Ian Hubbard, and Ethan Sherlock.

KATHY RANKIN

COURTESY OF SARAH TRENT

T

he 2017 Middle School Science Fair at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge was held Feb. 9.

Fifty-seven projects were entered for judging. The projects were divided into two categories, physical and biological sciences, and the judges awarded first through fifth places in each category.

Additionally , two honorable mentions were awarded in biological sciences and seven in physical sciences.

Physical sciences winners, in order of first to fifth place, were: Marissa Dalton, “A Clay Array of Amazing Glazing”; Mateo Gorrondona, “Fight Drought with Solar Panels”; Anna Kasemir, “Can You See Me Now?”; Amelia Van Berkel, “Did That Get the Lead Out?”; and Jacqueline Audet, “O-Pine Wood Derby.”

Honorable-mention awards in physical sciences went to: Luca Filigenzi, “Battery vs.

Battery”; Paige Halcrow and Genevieve Krass, “The Great Buffer Race”; Elizabeth Brands, “Rubber vs.

Cot­ton”; Joshua Luttrell, “How Does that Sound?”; Caroline El­liott, “Good-Bye Graffiti”; Elliot Barnes, “Waste Heat? Wasted Energy!”; and Joey Wood, “Making Light of It.” Biological sciences winners, in order of first to fifth place, were: Sydney Mesmer, “Don’t Give Mosquitoes a Biting Chance”; Sarah Tackett, “Milk: The Next Generation”; Luke Cheadle, “Home Remedies: Healing or Hurtful?”; Miko Zol-

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