April 4, 2021, ET Catholic, A section

April 4

| 2021

VOL 30 NO 4

IN THIS ISSUE LEARN, A4 LEAD, PROCLAIM

St. Mary School-Oak Ridge priest honored

AUDITORIUM IN BUSINESS B1 NEW A12 BACK Knoxville Catholic UT volunteer spirit uplifting as Ladies of Charity best COVID

High School breaks ground on project

He dwells among us ......................... A3 Columns ............................................. B2 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Catholic schools ......................... B7, 10 La Cosecha ............................Section C

‘He is risen’

Saving us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

By Bill Brewer

E

aster Masses were again teeming with people two years after pews were last full for the holiest of liturgical celebrations.

And the Catholic Church in East Tennessee welcomed nearly 200 new members who joined in Communion with the risen Lord at Easter Vigil despite going through RCIA during a year of pandemic.

Bishop Richard F. Stika welcomed 39 of the Church’s newest members as he celebrated Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where parishioners turned out in strong number to attend Mass in person April 3.

Bishop Stika acknowledged the challenges catechumens and candidates faced as they went through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults during a socially distanced year.

He informed the congregation that pastors throughout the Diocese of Knoxville would be inviting some 186 adults into the Church during Easter Vigil despite the pandemic, a remarkable number given the self-imposed isolation and quarantining that drastically altered the way homes, churches, businesses, schools, and most any organization operated.

“Despite the frailty of the human condition, we invite these, our sisters and brothers, to share in the eucharistic sacrifice. Please pray for them. My sisters and brothers who are received this night, pray. It is the most powerful gift that God has given to us. Don’t ever forget that God is love, and the very name of Jesus is to love others as He has loved us,” Bishop Stika told the new cathedral members.

Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, director of Christian Formation for the diocese, was encouraged by the continued strong numbers of people joining the Catholic faith, especially amid COVID-19.

“I think its verification to all of us that the Holy Spirit works no matter what is going on in the world, and that our faith can be put in God no matter what is going on. It’s a great sign of hope for us, it’s a beautiful gift, and I

Lord, deliver us, we pray Bishop Richard F. Stika baptizes catechumen Ben Miller during the Easter Vigil Mass on April 3 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where 39 adults entered the Church.

Below: Cathedral rector Father David Boettner gives Communion to a parishioner during the first cathedral Easter Mass in two years.

DR. KELLY KEARSE (2)

think it makes us all grateful for the gift of faith,” Sister Maria Juan said.

When asked if she thought the number of RCIA catechumens and candidates would be strong in a year in which everything in society is different and distanced, Sister Maria Juan believes it to be a godsend.

“I don’t know if anyone knew what was going to come. But I think we’re all pleasantly surprised by what the Lord has done. And I think this year more than ever we see the strength and the power of God because everything was against these people,” she said.

“They had to be on Zoom or maybe not at all. They couldn’t see the faces of the people who were teaching them.

And I think with everything going on Easter continued on page A8

Church building on horizon at St. Alphonsus Crossville parish gets go-ahead to proceed with plans

New church continued on page A13

DEACON SEAN SMITH

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arishioners of St. Alphonsus have been gathering for Mass for nearly 18 years in a building dedicated as a parish life center in 2003, but after a February meeting with Bishop Richard F. Stika, representatives of the Crossville Catholic community received impetus to continue the final phase of fundraising for a new church building.

Attending the Feb. 23 meeting at the Chancery with the bishop and diocesan chancellor Deacon Sean Smith were Father Jim Harvey, pastor of St. Alphonsus; Angelo Farrugia, co-chair of the parish

By Dan McWilliams

Moving forward Bishop Richard F. Stika is shown with, from left, Charleen McMahan, Karen Otuonye, Father Jim Harvey, and Angelo Farrugia of St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville.

Cardinal Rigali marks six decades of service to the Church Cardinal Justin Rigali will reach a milestone on April 25 when he celebrates the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

The 1961 date began a sacred journey that led Cardinal Rigali from his native Los Angeles to the dicasteries of the Vatican and a cardinal’s-eye view of Church history.

Along the way he has witnessed Vatican II and Church figures like St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI, Venerable John Paul I, and St. John Paul II who ushered in that historic reform and other remarkable events.

Cardinal Rigali will discuss his storied priesthood and his front seat to Church history in the May issue of The East Tennessee Catholic Magazine.

Cardinal continued on page A13

Faith amid the ruins In war-torn Iraq, Pope Francis calls on Iraqis to affirm kinship under one God the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the toppling of the government. And, while he spoke of “terrorism” and war in reference to the 2014-17 destruction wrought by Islamic State militants, he did not name the group until he was on the plane returning to Rome.

Even then, his point was not to condemn the Islamic State, but to honor the Christians, Yazidis, and Muslims who resisted their efforts to set up a twisted, narrow vision of an Islamic caliphate.

“The life of Christians in Iraq is a difficult life, but not just the life of Christians. I just talked about the Yazidis and other religions that did not submit to the power of Daesh,” he told reporters, using the militants’ Arabic-language acronym.

The resistance, he said, “gave them a very great strength.”

The strength to move forward, to rebuild, and to restore relationships of kinship and respect across religious and ethnic boundaries was a constant refrain during Pope Francis’ trip.

The refrain was loudest amid ruins.

With representatives of Muslim, Christian, Yazidi, Mandaean, and other religious communities, Pope Francis made a pilgrimage March 6 to Ur, an archaeological dig on a dusty desert plain about 10 miles from modern-day Nasiriyah.

There, at the birthplace of the patriarch Abraham, the first person to believe in the one God and father of all, the pope called all believers to demonstrate their faith by treating one another as

Iraq continued on page A16

PAUL HARING/CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

P

ope Francis summarized his “pilgrimage of faith and penitence” to Iraq in a prayer: “If God is the God of life — for so He is — then it is wrong for us to kill our brothers and sisters in His name.

“If God is the God of peace — for so He is — then it is wrong for us to wage war in His name.

“If God is the God of love — for so He is — then it is wrong for us to hate our brothers and sisters.”

Pope Francis’ visit began March 5 in Baghdad, where he met with government officials in the opulent presidential palace, once home to Saddam Hussein and then the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition forces that invaded the country in 2003.

With the dictates of protocol handled in less than three hours, the pope moved to the heart of his pilgrimage: visiting places of faith and suffering, bowing in tribute to the innocents who died, and embracing survivors.

He put the blame for the death and destruction squarely on the sinful human inclination to define some people as “us” and others as “them.”

That inclination, which all believers must resist, explains why he told government officials and civic leaders March 5, “I come as a penitent, asking forgiveness of heaven and my brothers and sisters for so much destruction and cruelty. I come as a pilgrim of peace in the name of Christ, the prince of peace.”

During the trip, Pope Francis did not mention

By Cindy Woodson/Catholic News Service

Prayers for peace Pope Francis participates in a memorial prayer for the victims of the war at Hosh al-Bieaa (church square) in Mosul, Iraq, on March 7. The Holy Father visited Iraq from March 5-8.

How to sign up and qualify for Diocese of Knoxville’s safe-environment program

T Did you know you can receive weekly cartoons and short reflections and news from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood? Visit their website, nuns for priests.org, and sign up for the FIAT newsletter. You also can learn about praying for priests and adopting them.

Prayer Intentions “We pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, and even in democracies in crisis.”

–– Pope Francis

”Let us lift up in prayer the priests who have been with us throughout our lives, and especially for those who provided love, comfort, and guidance during times of confusion, grief and joy—that they may continue to bring the presence of God to all that they serve. We pray for the priests of the Diocese of Knoxville, who continue to shepherd and lead people to Christ, and we especially pray for those priests who have gone home to God. Amen.”

–– Bishop Stika

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he Diocese of Knoxville has implemented the CMG Connect platform to administer the safe-environment program, which replaces the former safeenvironment program (VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children”).

CMG Connect is a web-based platform that will assist in ensuring that all employees and volunteers who are in a position of trust with children and vulnerable adults within Diocese of Knoxville schools and parishes are trained to recognize behavior patterns of potential abusers and provide pro-active measures for preventing abuse in any context.

“Safe Haven-It’s Up to You” is a three-part video that provides vignettes of real-life situations to educate the viewer about methods of grooming, desensitization, bullying, and neglect, all of which can lead to abuse.

Education is a key element of the Safe Environment Program.

All clergy, employ-

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ees, contracted school personnel, volunteers, members of groups and organizations over the age of 18 who work, volunteer, or participate in any capacity are required to complete the diocesan Safe Environment training and a criminal-background check before they can begin employment, volunteer, or participate with ministries, groups, and organizations affiliated with the diocese.

Mandatory renewal training must be completed every five years and a new background check submitted before the five-year expiration of prior training.

The Diocese of Knoxville Safe Environment compliance training and renewal training is a condition of employment and for volunteer ministry in the Diocese of Knoxville.

The CMG Connect platform contains all three elements of the Diocese of Knoxville’s

Safe Environment Program: n Annual review of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Policy and Procedures Relating to Sexual Misconduct; n CMG Connect Safe Haven training program to be completed every five years; n Criminal background check to be completed every five years.

In compliance with the Diocese of Knoxville’s Safe Environment Program, all affiliates require that volunteers and employees complete the requirements prior to working and/or volunteering in a parish, school, The Paraclete, or through Catholic Charities and/or St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic.

Go to https:// dioknox.org/safeenvironment on the Diocese of Knoxville website for more information. ■

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

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Life and hope Many are the struggles and disappointments in life, but with Christ our Great Hope we triumph “In God alone be at rest, my soul, for my hope is from Him.” — Psalm 62:6

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s I prepare this column, it is Holy Week, and by happy coincidence the beginning of a new baseball season, which always renews my hope that the St. Louis Cardinals will add a 12th World Series win to its record.

But as Lent gives way to Easter, we should be reminded of that “Great Hope” we must always have, particularly during the “lents” of life, in Christ Jesus Our Risen Lord, who makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

Though not everyone shares my love of baseball, there is something I have learned from this sport, which I would like to share regarding the setbacks and failures we encounter in life and the Easter hope we must always keep before us.

I am reminded of a quote of Rabbi Harold Kushner that says “life… is like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one-third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance.”

Indeed, like a long baseball season, our spiritual journey has periods of successes and disappointments—wins and losses. And just as a baseball player who has hope plays differently, so the person who has Christ as his hope lives differently, particularly in overcoming stumbles and falls.

Sometimes we may feel there is no hope for us, that we are in last place and that in order to become a winner we need to make all kinds of changes: a new team, a new uniform, a new home field, better equipment, etc. But God tells us differently.

Like a good team manager, he takes us as we are and asks us only to trust in His good management and to faithfully follow His instructions. We are to forget about our ego and statistics and be ready to make sacrifices for the good of the team and for the victory we seek.

In this way He can lead us against all (natural) odds to winning the “World Series” (of sanctity) and become a saint!

As a youth growing up in St. Louis, I was inspired by one of baseball’s legendary greats, Stan Musial. Known affectionately as “Stan the Man,” I was blessed many years later to be his pastor at Annunziata Church.

And when he died in 2013, I gave his funeral homily. I think the quality that most defined this Hall of Fame player, both on and off the field, was consistency—as an incredible outfielder and batter, as a husband and father, and as a generous citizen of the community.

Above all, it was the consistency in which he lived as a hope-filled Catholic. Statistics might define a great baseball player, but he showed us what was more important.

Another great player of long ago and perhaps the best second baseman in the history of the game was Charlie Gehringer of the Detroit Tigers, who last played in 1942. His nickname, “the Mechanical Arm,” was given to him for his consistent throwing skill. But one thing he was even more consistent in was his attendance at daily Mass.

Even when he was on the road, he

always made daily Mass, on game days, too.

As consistent as we try to be in living out our faith, we still stumble and fall. Baseball is unique in that it records the errors committed in each inning. But great players are not necessarily defined by how few errors they commit, but by how well they recover from them.

Baseball fans will remember Game 6 of the 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers—one of the greatest games in the history of the sport. Twice the Cardinals were within one strike of losing the game and the championship.

The big hero of that game was David Freese. But earlier in the game, he dropped an easy fly ball that Texas was able to capitalize on. David Freese didn’t dwell on that error and allow it to affect how he played the rest of the game. He tied the game in the ninth inning, forcing it into extra innings, and hit the game-winning home run in the 11th. That’s consistency.

Without humility and hope, consistency falters. Jesus reminds us that “the last will be first and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).

I think of all teams, the Red Sox best represent this truth. In 2013,

Follow Bishop Richard F. Stika on dioknox.org, Twitter @bishopstika and Facebook for news and events from the diocese.

the Red Sox went from “worst to first,” winning the World Series against my beloved Cardinals after being the worst in their league the year before. But in 2014 they went from “first to worst.”

Reasons unique to baseball aside, we all need humility—the knowledge that we are weak and in need of the consistency that only Christ can provide.

Even the Chicago Cubs offer us a lesson in how humility and hope always lead to triumph. The Cubs, affectionately nicknamed the “Loveable Losers,” took consistency in a different direction with 108 years between World Series wins.

But, despite this long interval, each year Cubs fans renewed their hope in their team and in 2016, in a matchup against the Cleveland Indians, they won the World Series.

In a certain sense, we are all “loveable losers”—God loves all of us even though we are sinners.

But if we frequent the sacrament of confession, we become winners!

Though Lent is over, be consistent with frequenting the great sacrament of reconciliation—only then can you go the distance!

I love how our Lord can transform us if we only hope in Him and open our heart to His grace. I am also edified by others who have that wonderful gift of not being focused on themselves, but always on our Lord and on His Mother.

This is how we become consistent in living our life in hope and are able to joyfully sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. So leave your ego and your statistics at the door, and simply follow Christ and rejoice with the Psalmist who prays, “Hope in God; I will praise Him still, my savior and my God” (Psalm 42:12). ■

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Leading, learning, proclaiming leads to national award St. Mary-Oak Ridge pastor Fr. Brent Shelton receives National Catholic Educational Association leadership honor

BILL BREWER (2)

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ather Brent Shelton is both a student and a teacher, which explains his love for education.

Catholic education in particular.

Anyone who attends his Masses can attest to how the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge likes to weave history, or science, or language, or sociology, or anthropology, and maybe even a little math into his homilies on Church teaching.

During a recent Sunday Mass at St. Mary, Father Shelton spoke of “our thirst for knowledge,” the “love of knowledge and truth,” and “our search for truth, which is Jesus Christ.”

“Christ is the answer to the question,” Father Shelton told his congregation.

Sister Marie Blanchette Cummings, OP, knows all too well Father Shelton’s penchant for education. The principal of St. Mary School sees it almost daily in the halls, classrooms, gymnasiums, ballfields, and Masses where St. Mary students congregate.

That is why she nominated Father Shelton for the National Catholic Educational Association’s Lead.

Learn. Proclaim. Award, an honor that highlights the outstanding work being done in Catholic education communities across the country.

Father Shelton is one of three U.S. priests to win the 2021 Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award. In addition, the NCEA selected three principals and three educators for this year’s honor.

Dr. Sedonna Prater, superintendent of Diocese of Knoxville schools, praised Father Shelton and Sister Marie Blanchette for the award.

“I am grateful that Sister Marie Blanchette nominated Father Brent Shelton for this honor because the essence of NCEA’s esteemed Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award is truly illustrated in his visionary leadership and passion for Catholic school education. Father Brent is intentional in his ministry to provide a Catholic school education for all families that desire it for their children and is unwavering in the crucial work of transforming hearts by developing a love for Christ,” Dr. Prater said.

The NCEA award nomination was not a spur-ofthe-moment decision for Sister Marie Blanchette. She has been waiting to nominate Father Shelton since 2015.

When the NCEA distributed information about its award program, she was interested in nominating Father Shelton, but the criteria required candidates to be in their positions for at least five years.

“This is Father’s sixth year at St. Mary, so I could submit it this year,” Sister Marie Blanchette said with a sense of relief. “I’ve been in education for 30-plus years, and he has done more for this school than any other school that I have ever been in. I truly do wish that every Catholic school had a pastor as invested in its school as Father Shelton is in ours.”

After arriving at St. Mary Parish and School in 2015 in time for the start of the 2015-16 academic year, Father Shelton set in motion practices he believed would benefit the school. He had told Sister Marie Blanchette that he wanted a priest in classrooms each week.

By Bill Brewer

Dynamic duo Father Brent Shelton and Sister Marie Blanchette, OP, share their thoughts on the National Catholic Educational Association’s Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award. Sister Marie Blanchette nominated Father Shelton for the 2021 award, and he was named an award recipient in February.

They are shown in a classroom at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge.

Sharing the good news The sign in front of St. Mary School in Oak Ridge informs the community of the award won by Father Brent Shelton, who was nominated by Sister Marie Blanchette, OP. A priest in classrooms weekly was just one of Father Shelton’s initiatives, according to the school principal, remarking that “he’s just totally invested.”

“He faithfully comes and visits the classrooms, and the kids love it. He immediately had more Masses, including a 6:30 Mass every morning so the Sisters can attend Mass together before we go to our schools.

He added more confession times. He said that any person who wanted their child at St. Mary he would make that happen regardless of their ability to pay.

He’s present at the athletic events. He’s fixing everything. The security of this building has increased exponentially; we have tons of cameras; the entire campus, all 15 acres, has lights everywhere; we have new security doors; Father put in key card readers to

control access to the building,” Sister Marie Blanchette enumerated.

But she singled out one way Father Shelton has had a dramatic impact on the school.

“In Father Shelton’s five-and-a-half years here, we have had enrollment increases. In Father’s first three years here, we had an increase in 37 students.

With the pandemic, we have lost some students. Our enrollment increased significantly, though, through Father’s efforts and what the school has been doing,” Sister Marie Blanchette said.

Father Shelton is quick to point out that Sister Marie Blanchette and the Dominican Sisters at St. Mary, together with the faculty and staff, have had a profound effect on the school, including enrollment.

Promoting St. Mary School to families is a constant endeavor and a labor of love for Father Shelton and Sister Marie Blanchette. But they note the challenges involved. The city of Oak Ridge has faced serious changes in recent decades as the federal government greatly reduced its presence in the city it created during World War II. That diminished presence has meant fewer families and fewer families moving in.

Sister Marie Blanchette cited an example of when parents of a young family looked forward to enrolling their three children in St. Mary School. They registered and the children were accepted and assigned to classes. But the parents were unable to find a house in Oak Ridge. They did find a home in West Knoxville and instead registered their children at St. John Neumann School in Farragut.

Award continued on page A11

By Emily Booker

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t’s been one year since a novel coronavirus arrived, closing schools, introducing the concept of “social distancing,” and even suspending the public celebration of Mass.

For the eight Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville who teach in Diocese of Knoxville schools, it’s been a year of uncertainty, adjustment, and even opportunity.

In March 2020, students and teachers quickly adapted to at-home learning to finish the 2019-20 school year. Then in August, the schools adopted a hybrid model, with some students back in the classroom while others continued to learn at home. Some students moved back to online learning when exposed to COVID-19 and forced to quarantine.

Sister Mary Rebekah Odle-Kemp, OP, who teaches math at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, worked to make sure students at home felt like part of the in-person class and that all her students received help adapting back to in-person lessons.

“What I’ve been doing is the students video-conference into the class live, so they are not having an asynchronous type of experience. They are with the class, so whatever assignment I’m assigning in the classroom, I send to the student at home, and she or he is pulling up and doing it from home.

“Or if they’re in a small group, I take the laptop and put it in the small group, and they’re all working together as if they were here, it’s just that they’re remote. So we’re trying to make even the remote experience as close as possible to a school experience.”

As students began returning to the school in the fall, Sister Mary Rebekah said that it took some time for them to get back into the rhythm of in-person

A4 n APRIL 4, 2021

COURTESY OF THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF ST. CECILIA CONGREGATION

Dominican Sisters reflect on past year in classrooms, convent

Learning new lessons Sister Rachel Marie Boyd, OP, works with students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga during the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic has been a learning experience for Sister Rachel Marie, who has been doing her student teaching, and all her colleagues. learning.

Sister Mary Rebekah, like all teachers, tried new techniques or switching up the lesson plan to meet the students’ needs.

“I was trying to flip my classroom, where students would watch the lesson at home then come to school having already filled out their notes. I will say, that didn’t really work very well.

It was an experiment—we tried it. We just found it to be really difficult on the students. And I think mostly because the students, again, were struggling with returning back to school. Not because they didn’t want to be there, but because just reintegrating back into an academic environment was difficult.”

Sister Rachel Marie Boyd, OP, who is studying education at Aquinas College in Nashville, did her student teaching in Sister Mary Rebekah’s classroom last fall.

“She was very flexible, gung-ho,

happy to do whatever,” Sister Mary Rebekah said.

Student teaching among the COVID distancing protocols, hybrid classrooms, and changing lesson plans might have been more stressful than in any other year, but student teachers got a front-row seat at problem-solving and quickly adapting in the classroom.

“I think what was beautiful about the student teacher is she really did get a very positive experience even though it wasn’t under the most ideal of circumstances,” Sister Mary Rebekah said.

Aquinas College sends Dominican sisters doing their student teaching to Notre Dame High School, Knoxville Catholic High School, and St. Mary School in Oak Ridge, where other Sisters teach full-time. During the year, those student teachers played a part in helping schools find creative solutions to meet students where they are amid

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the pandemic and engage them in their education.

“I know that my call is to teach the whole human person who is in front of me,” Sister Rachel Marie said. “It is a gift to teach young people and to guide them to deeper knowledge of themselves and of the Lord. Aquinas [College] has prepared me to embrace this gift with reverence and enthusiasm.”

She took her Notre Dame math students outside and had them solve math problems with sidewalk chalk.

This let them get some fresh air while staying socially distanced during class.

“During the current pandemic, the need to focus on the dignity of each person and to accompany students, colleagues, and families has become even more vital,” said Sister Matthew Marie Cummings, OP, a professor of education at Aquinas College.

“Examples of how Aquinas student teachers have risen to this call can be seen in the creative ways the teacher candidates engaged their students and families to continue the sense of community during a time of isolation.

Class group-work being accomplished outside with high school math students using sidewalk chalk to solve problems, and students and family members sharing memories and expressing gratitude for veterans by creating a Veterans Day Commemoration Wall using a digital tool to collaborate and encourage family discussions. The principles haven’t changed. We just have to be more creative in how we engage others,” Sister Matthew Marie added.

Sister Mary Rebekah echoed the sentiment that the fundamentals haven’t changed this year, but there has been a need to be more flexible and understand that some students have struggled during this time.

Dominicans continued on page A7 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

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

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APRIL 4, 2021 n A5

Imparting the Holy Spirit Bishop Stika presides at 13th Chrism Mass serving as the shepherd of the Church in East Tennessee

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DAN MCWILLIAMS (2)

ishop Richard F. Stika has celebrated a baker’s dozen Chrism Masses, and in the latest one March 30 he thanked his brother priests numerous times for their service to East Tennessee Catholics.

“This is my 13th Chrism Mass that I am honored to be able to celebrate as bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville and the Catholic Church of East Tennessee,” Bishop Stika said at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. “It is a joy to celebrate with my brother priests and deacons but especially my brother priests, as we celebrate this Mass at which we together will consecrate the chrism and bless the oils, as we make a commitment both as priests and as a bishop to the people of God who we are so privileged to serve.”

Concelebrating the Chrism Mass were cathedral rector and vicar general Father David Boettner; Monsignor Pat Garrity, episcopal vicar for priests; and diocesan deans Father Mike Nolan of the Chattanooga Deanery, Father Brent Shelton of the Cumberland Mountain Deanery, Father Michael Cummins of the Five Rivers Deanery, and Father Peter Iorio of the Smoky Mountain Deanery.

More than 50 priests overall were present in the pews, and more than 15 deacons and women religious attended.

Deacon Sean Smith was deacon of the Word, and Deacon Fredy Vargas was deacon of the Eucharist. Deacons Hicks Armor and Walt Otey were masters of ceremonies.

Bishop Stika began his homily by greeting priests and others at home who were watching the Chrism Mass via livestream or a later broadcast.

The bishop also recognized the diocese’s senior active priest, Monsignor Bob Hofstetter, who was ordained in 1954, and the two youngest priests: 2020 ordinands Father Zach Griffith and Father Alex Hernandez.

But there was one priest in the pews who was even a newer ordinand: Father Kenneth Wandera of the Glenmary Home Missioners. He was ordained a priest in Cincinnati on March 20 by Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding. Father Wandera serves at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Erwin.

By Dan McWilliams

Breaths of faith Bishop Richard F. Stika breathes on the chrism, imparting the Holy Spirit into the holy oil that will be used for the next year in sacred consecrations.

Special delivery Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, left, and Father Bede Aboh, bring forward one of the oils to be blessed during the Chrism Mass.

Monsignor Hofstetter this year ceded his traditional role in the procession of oils in the Chrism Mass to Monsignor Garrity, who will celebrate his 45th anniversary in the priesthood in May. “This is a dramatic moment for the Church, because for 12 years now, Monsignor Bob along with the youngest priest has always brought up the chrism,” Bishop Stika said. “But now this year he has

relinquished his term to Monsignor Garrity, who has posted it all over Facebook.”

Bishop Stika recognized Cardinal Justin Rigali, who will soon celebrate his 60th anniversary in the priesthood. His Eminence was unable to attend the Chrism Mass but did lend a chalice he has used for 60 years to Bishop Stika for the liturgy.

The bishop mused, “especially as I look at Holy Week and Easter sea-

son and going into Pentecost: what Apostle would I have followed?

“Peter? Yeah, sometimes I deny Jesus. James and John? Looking for the right place to sit. Having a mom stick up for them, for me, even though she’s in heaven, God willing. Judas? Perhaps, I don’t know. I hope not. Or all the other Apostles.

Who do we, as members of the presbyterate of the Diocese of Knoxville, the Catholic Church of East Tennessee, who do we look like? Who do we act like? Also, would I have been one of the Apostles way back when who would have had to try to change the mind of Jesus not to go to Jerusalem?

“Jesus gave those hints of what was going to happen. Then he also gave hints to the Apostles. To Peter he said, ‘They will take you in a place where you do not want to go.’

Just like the Apostles, we [priests], too, can fall into those patterns in our own lives, because we participate as another Christ, in the person of Christ, in the person of Jesus, especially when we hold the bread and wine and as we do the other sacraments.”

The bishop asked whether priests

Chrism continued on page A18

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

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iving and preaching the Gospel always involves embracing “the cross,” whether it be in the form of misunderstanding, hostility, or outright persecution, Pope Francis told Rome priests gathered for the Chrism Mass.

In the life of Jesus and in the lives of his disciples today, “the hour of joyful proclamation, the hour of persecution, and the hour of the cross go together,” the pope said at the Mass April 1 at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis did not celebrate a Chrism Mass last year because Italy, and much of the world, was in the midst of the first huge wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But even with vaccines being distributed and death rates dropping, Italy was under a modified lockdown, so only about 75 priests representing their confreres in the Diocese of Rome were able to attend the Mass with their bishop, the pope.

A total of about 200 people, including three dozen cardinals, were present for the liturgy. The principal concelebrants were Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the new vicar for Vatican City, and Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, vicar for Rome.

The Chrism Mass has two unique characteristics: the blessing of the oils used for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination, and the anointing of the sick; and priests renewing the promises they made at ordination. Deacons brought the oils in large silver urns to the pope, who

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CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/ANDREW MEDICHINI, REUTERS POOL

Pope Francis: Sharing the Gospel means embracing the cross

Breaths of hope Pope Francis breathes on chrism oil during the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on April 1. prayed that God would bless them and the people who will be anointed with them.

Then the priests present vowed that they were “resolved to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to him,” and that, out of love for Christ, they renewed the promises they “willingly and joyfully pledged” on the day of their ordination.

The liturgy also includes the bishop asking the faithful present to pray for their priests and for him. Pope Francis slightly altered the text of the second prayer, asking the congregation, “Pray for me — I need it — so that I may be faithful to the apostolic service entrusted to me and so that in your midst I may be made day by day more the image of Christ, the priest — simply that — good shepherd, teacher, and servant of all.”

In his homily, Pope Francis ac-

knowledged how many obstacles a priest can encounter as he teaches, preaches, and celebrates the sacraments.

The story from Luke’s Gospel of Jesus reading the Scriptures in the synagogue at Nazareth, arousing both admiration and anger, the pope said, shows how “Jesus’ words have the power to bring to light whatever each of us holds in the depths of our heart, often mixed like the wheat and the tares.”

“The preaching of the Gospel is always linked to the embrace of some particular cross,” Pope Francis said.

“The gentle light of God’s Word shines brightly in well-disposed hearts but awakens confusion and rejection in those that are not.”

That conflict is seen repeatedly in the Gospels, the pope said, noting how, for example, “the tender love of the merciful father irresistibly

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draws the prodigal son home, but also leads to anger and resentment on the part of the elder son” or how “the generosity of the owner of the vineyard is a reason for gratitude among the workers called at the last hour, but it also provokes a bitter reaction by one of those called first, who is offended by the generosity of his employer.”

The cross, including misunderstanding, rejection, and persecution, is present in the Gospel from the very beginning of Jesus’ life, the pope said. “The cross is not an afterthought, something that happened by chance in the Lord’s life.”

And, he told the priests, “it is true that the cross is present in our preaching of the Gospel, but it is the cross of our salvation.”

“We are not scandalized” by the presence of the cross — “the large crosses of humanity and the small crosses in the lives of each of us” — he said, because “Jesus himself was not scandalized by seeing that His joyful preaching of salvation to the poor was not received wholeheartedly, but amid the shouts and threats of those who refused to hear His word.”

“We are not scandalized because Jesus was not scandalized by having to heal the sick and to set prisoners free amid the moralistic, legalistic, and clerical squabbles that arose every time He did some good,” the pope continued.

“The Lord always gives us what we ask for, but He does so in His divine way,” Pope Francis said. “That way involves the cross. Not for masochism. But for love, love to the very end.” ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Chattanooga East Ridge Masses have new ap-peal Our Lady of Perpetual Help dusts off church bells after a 13-year hiatus

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Bells will be ringing Above: Father Arthur Torres and Robert Jones of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga have dusted off the electronic bells that signal Mass, a welcome sound for the parish and the surrounding East Ridge community. Below left: New and original equipment used to sound the bells from inside the church sacristy. Below right: New loudspeakers atop Our Lady of Perpetual Help School let the campus and community know when Mass is beginning.

plaints at all. People have received them well. Actually, some neighbors have asked us to raise the volume of the bells because they were used to them. They help remind them what time it is, time to go to work or time to pray. So they asked us to raise the volume,” he said.

Father Torres isn’t exactly sure why the bells were discontinued 13 years ago, but he noted that some of the equipment had rusted. The parish was able to use the same sound system board with pre-recorded music that was ready to be played.

COURTESY OF ROBERT JONES

arishioners and neighbors alike now know when Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga is celebrating Mass.

Just listen for the bells.

The parish has renewed its longdormant electronic bell system, and the chimes now sound when parochial administrator Father Arthur Torres and associate pastor Father Zachary Griffith begin daily and weekend Masses.

It’s been a labor of love of Church tradition for Father Torres, who grew to appreciate church bells in his native Colombia, especially when he was attending seminary. That appreciation continued when he was serving as an associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose pealing bells are an integral part of the daily liturgy of the cathedral and can be heard in the surrounding Bearden community.

Father Torres wants the same for the East Ridge community surrounding Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

“Since I came from the cathedral, and the cathedral has beautiful bells with those chimes, I decided to restore the bells here,” Father Torres said. “I was missing that part because when I was in a religious order, we had the bells ringing and chiming every hour on the clock.”

Father Torres especially likes what the bells symbolize to a parish community and even a community at large.

“The bells call us to worship. The bells are called the voice of God, so it’s God calling his people to say, ‘Hey, come to worship me. It’s time to come as a community to gather together and celebrate the holy mysteries.’ That’s why I decided to restore the bells,” Father Torres added.

The diocesan priest, who became parochial administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in October, said response to the upgraded bells has been “excellent.”

“So far, no complaints; no com-

As part of the parish’s $5,500 equipment investment from its building community fund, new speakers were placed atop the adjacent Our Lady of Perpetual Help School that allow the electronic bells to resume ringing.

They rang for the first time on Jan. 15.

Robert Jones, the business manager at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is a 12year member of the parish who had never heard Our Lady of Perpetual

By Bill Brewer Help’s bells until they were restored.

“It was beautiful, a lovely sound. I think it is so needed. I have to admit, I was a little bit worried about how some of the neighbors would react if they haven’t heard them in so long.

The reception we got was fantastic inside and outside the church. It was like we rolled out the red carpet. It was a tremendous reaction and we were just overjoyed by it,” Mr. Jones said.

Mr. Jones explained that Our Lady of Perpetual Help had an older operating unit that still worked, but all the other components needed to be replaced, including the outdoor speakers, wiring, and an exterior amplifier.

The original manufacturer of the bells, Verdin Co. of Cincinnati, restored Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s system, which was made in 2004.

The company has been making bells, clocks, and organs since 1842.

Mr. Jones pointed out that the existing operating unit contains all the music played by the bells, but lacks new “bells and whistles” like Bluetooth and Internet capability.

He and Father Torres are gratified by the “overwhelming” warm welcome the refurbished bells have received.

“I thought people would notice. I thought our parishioners would notice, especially our parishioners who have been here a long time and had once heard them. Bringing them back meant a lot to our older parishioners and the community,” Mr. Jones said.

The bells chime each hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. And each day at noon and 6 p.m., the bells play the Angelus, the prayer recognizing when the angel of the Lord visited Mary signaling the Incarnation.

The digital system plays some 2,000 different sounds and can be programmed to play specific music related to the liturgical year. Father Torres changed the bells to be in sync with Lent leading to Easter. ■

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“It’s been a hard year. Everyone wishes it hadn’t happened. But even in the midst of the hard things that happened, there have been good things that have happened. I think families have rediscovered the importance of one another and spending time together….I’m hopeful that everyone has realized the value of the human person and how much we need one another.””

— Sister Marie Blanchette Cummings, OP

COURTESY OF THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF ST. CECILIA CONGREGATION

“I think that the students are finding they appreciate going to school. I think they are realizing they like school, that they want to be in school….We found that they were actually very motivated to do whatever it takes to stay live and in person,” she said.

Sister Scholastica Niemann, OP, who teaches at Knoxville Catholic High School, agreed that while it has been a difficult year, in many ways a lot of good has come out of it.

“I think they [student teachers] actually feel very blessed to be doing their student teaching now because I think we’re all just realizing how important it is to have the personal connection. As helpful as the technology is, the flip side is it’s making us more aware of how precious the actual face-to-face interaction with other people is. When you go long stretches without seeing people, it’s very hard for us. I think the student teachers, they’re being stretched and being challenged, but I think they also recognize that it’s really a great blessing,” Sister Scholastica said.

“Teaching is so rewarding because you’re always trying to meet each individual student where they’re at. So it’s always a bit of a juggling act to get to each individual student. But then you add into the mixture students who are at home or are having technological difficulties. It was actually really neat to learn the different programs—the Teams call and Zoom—and learning how to connect students to the classroom when they’re remote,” she added. “It’s been a really great opportunity to learn the technology. You always think, ‘Well, someday I’ll learn all that,’ and then that day comes and you’re like, ‘I have to figure this out.’”

Sister Scholastica said that this year has given her more time to reflect on her life as both a religious Sister and a teacher and the connection between the two.

“The Sisters are just in awe of what all of the teachers here at Knoxville Catholic are able to do for the students in the midst of them going home to care for their families, dealing with all of the uncertainty that I think a lot of families have experienced this past year. The Sisters, we get to go home to our prayers and that kind of foundation we have in the convent. It’s been so beautiful to see all of the teachers here at Knoxville Catholic just give 100 percent and more of themselves to the vocation of teaching and helping those students,” she said.

The Sisters who teach at Knoxville Catholic share a convent with the sisters who teach at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge.

Sister Marie Blanchette Cummings, OP, principal of St. Mary School, reflected on how the past year affected her students. Like the older high school students, the students at St. Mary struggled with new technology and precautions, but with their teachers’ concerted efforts, they, too, have had a successful school year.

“Teachers by nature want to meet the needs of all of the students, and it is hard when there are some emotional wounds there. And it is hard to read how a student is doing when they are on a teeny, tiny square

A higher calling Sister Rachel Marie Boyd, OP, leads classroom instruction at Notre Dame High School during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus presented a learning curve that Dominican Sisters and all Diocese of Knoxville teachers have learned from and managed well. on a computer screen. And if anything goes wrong with technology, you lose the kids that are in front of you while you try to fix the computer program,” Sister Marie Blanchette said.

Last March when the schools moved online, Sister Marie Blanchette recalled having many faculty meetings with teachers as they planned how to continue teaching, getting students the resources they need, and checking in on each family to make sure they were OK at home.

As they realized that schools would remain online through the end of the school year, they donated the food in the cafeteria to needy families and parishioners.

“It was just amazing to see everyone thinking of everyone else,” she said.

Like many people, the Sisters spent a lot of time at home last spring. They taught remotely and spent time playing board games and baking. They did not spend the summer or Christmas with their Sisters at the motherhouse in Nashville in order to protect the w ww.di o k no x .o rg

older Sisters from any exposure to COVID-19.

“It was hard but definitely a sacrifice we were willing to make,” Sister Marie Blanchette said.

“It has helped us draw closer to one another. We get to spend that quality family time together, so that’s been a great benefit,” Sister Scholastica said.

“I think it’s also made each of us more aware that our life as religious is grounded in prayer. There has been more time for that kind of space in our life for the regular prayer and quiet and silence needed to enable us to do the very difficult work of then going back into the schools. I’m just more aware now of the connection between our prayer life at the convent and then taking that back into the school.”

That connection is what keeps the Dominican Sisters grounded through chaotic times such as the past year.

Their desire to serve God has led them into the classrooms to lovingly instruct students and care for each individual they teach. Like everyone, the pandemic has affected their work and home life, but it has also brought a new appreciation for what is most important.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that public Masses would not be happening,” Sister Marie Blanchette said, recalling how public celebration of the Mass in the diocese was suspended for 10 weeks last spring. “After that was gratitude because our pastor and associate pastor made sure that we had Mass every single day in our convent.”

“Back when the pandemic first started, we were able to livestream Mass from the convent,” Sister Scholastica noted.

Until public Masses resumed on Pentecost weekend, parishioners at St. Mary Parish tuned in to the livestream from the Sisters’ convent for daily Mass.

“It was really beautiful to realize that because we have a chapel in our house and a priest was able to come celebrate Mass, we were able to bring the whole community with us to Mass in our little convent chapel,” Sister Scholastica said. “I think all of us were really realizing what a privilege it is to be able to go Mass. It was very difficult to hear some of the things that were happening, and then realizing as you live it that Christ is still with you. That’s the foundation of our life.”

“It’s been a hard year,” Sister Marie Blanchette said. “Everyone wishes it hadn’t happened. But even in the midst of the hard things that happened, there have been good things that have happened. I think families have rediscovered the importance of one another and spending time together….I’m hopeful that everyone has realized the value of the human person and how much we need one another.” ■ APRIL 4, 2021 n A7

God is love

To begin his homily, the bishop asked who among the congregation were the catechumens and candidates entering the Church “in a very unusual year.”

As they raised their hands, he said, “I’m going to ask you a couple of questions now. Please explain God. Some of you were Baptist, so you can probably quote Scripture to me…much better than Catholics.”

Bishop Stika then reminded them of the burning bush, when God said to Moses, “I am who am.”

“You see, you really can’t figure out God. The mind of God. There’s just no way. Theologians have been doing it for centuries. And other faith traditions, too.

They’ve been trying to figure out God. …

It says the universe was created as something like a sugar cube. And then it exploded. And the universe was growing and growing into nothingness. Go figure that one. And eventually it will begin to A8 n APRIL 4, 2021

DR. KELLY KEARSE (3)

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in our culture, in our country, the division, even with the wounds of our own Church, even amid all that, these people are coming because they’ve been called

by Jesus Christ,” she continued. “That is where they see the greatest stability they can find, the greatest anchor, the rock on which they can lean no matter what the storm might be. I think that is the beauty of these 186 people coming to know our Lord this year.”

Colin Brice was one of the 39 who entered into full Communion with the Church at Sacred Heart’s Easter Vigil. Mr. Brice was baptized and confirmed by Bishop Stika, something the young man had been looking forward to for months.

Mr. Brice described going through RCIA during a year of pandemic as “expectedly surreal.”

“The experience was expectedly surreal compared to what one would expect in absence of the pandemic.

There was a heavy emphasis on social distancing, wearing masks. They [RCIA leaders] made as many adjustments as possible that are needed adjustments.

Despite that, there still has been such attention to wholeheartedly and fully explaining and teaching the vast, detailed history and tradition behind the Church and why the Church teaches and believes what it does,” Mr. Brice said.

“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the attention they’ve taken, and the diligence they’ve taken, not only to prepare us for baptism and confirmation but also to really abide by the CDC guidelines and local mandates. They’ve really outdone what I could have ever expected,” he added.

He noted that some RCIA study was done by Zoom and some was in person, and when they were in person, the RCIA leaders took temperatures, confirmed that everyone was able to answer no to symptomatology questions, and they were socially distanced in small groups at different tables.

Following the Vigil, Mr. Brice felt renewed by the experience. He shared his excitement with Bishop Stika, who blessed a rosary and St. Francis of Assisi medal Mr. Brice was clutching.

“I feel like I have literally been washed by the grace of Jesus Christ. And that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within me.

I know up until the moment, I had felt a great sense of preparatory rigor in terms of preparing myself in my daily life and rituals to really feel that I deserved it. Then at the moment of it occurring, all of that preparation felt completely fulfilled. And I really truly feel that now I can go out into the world and have to preserve a sanctity that I am now blessed with. Before, I had to work to deserve it, and after receiving it, now I really cherish that in going out with a shield of St. Michael to really protect myself against falling back into my old ways of being a sinner,” Mr. Brice shared.

Bishop Stika, who in March entered his 13th year as the Diocese of Knoxville shepherd, announced that on the weekend of Pentecost, May 22-23, he plans to lift the yearlong dispensation from attending Mass because of the coronavirus.

“That is unless there is a rapid, lifethreatening recurrence. Last year we opened public Mass again on Pentecost.

It’s the birth of the Church, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so I think it’s appropriate. Hopefully around Sept.

8 maybe we’ll have celebrations in all of our churches as we continue to reopen,” he said.

Sept. 8 is the anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Knoxville in 1988.

The light of Christ Altar servers, acolytes, deacons, priests, the bishop, and parishioners enter a darkened cathedral as Easter Vigil gets underway.

I baptize you The cathedral congregation watches as Bishop Stika delivers the Rite of Baptism for catechumens entering the Catholic Church during Easter Vigil Mass.

would He want us to fail? Genesis says we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Why would He want us to fail? We are a beautiful creation. We can reason and think. I want to say the most powerful gift that God has given us is faith. But the second most powerful gift that God has given to us is the ability to make choices. Free choices. We’re not robots. God does not want us to be robots,” the bishop added.

Pointing to the lesson learned at the beginning of creation with Adam and Eve and original sin, Bishop Stika said God gave them choices, and they made those choices that went against God’s love.

“They are contrary to the existence of a God who is omnipotent, a God who wants to draw us closer to Himself.

That’s called sin. And sin is that which separates us, not because it’s God that separates us, but we turn the other way.

We ignore. That’s sin. We ignore the concept that God is love,” he noted.

“And if you look through all of human existence, since the earliest of creation of humanity, sometimes we don’t do such a good job. War. Ignoring other people.

Condemnation. You can break it down to some of the simplest of categories like gossip, whatever it might be; it’s turning from God. You know the Ten Commandments? ‘I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have other gods before Me.’ I bet you do: money, people, possessions, your own time.”

He emphasized that difficult times have shadowed humanity since the beginning of time, but through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit there is hope and love. All that is needed is faith.

“These last days we show the demonstration of His love. That He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might have the ability to know God better and to receive that precious gift: life eternal in His presence.”

And receiving that precious gift was the pinnacle of the catechumens’ and candidates’ discernment and year of study.

“As we fulfill the mission of the Church tonight at this cathedral and churches throughout the world, we will welcome new members into our community. We will welcome those who aren’t yet baptized or confirmed.

We also welcome the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the Eucharist, for Jesus said, ‘take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body. Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the cup of my blood, given for you.’ The Eucharist, the body and blood, the soul and divinity of Jesus,” Bishop Stika said.

“This is my body given for you. Do this in memory of me. That is what we’re doing tonight and anytime we’re asked to celebrate, do this in memory of Jesus. That’s why this night, for all eternity, this night for you who will receive the Eucharist for the first time, will receive the body and blood of Jesus. Never take it for granted, for any time you take something for granted you fail to acknowledge that which is extraordinary; we make it ordinary.”

A special joy

A touching encounter Bishop Stika blesses a candle for parishioners following the Easter Vigil Mass on April 3 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. shrink when matter and antimatter collide, and it will all cease to exist … except for God,” Bishop Stika said.

“But we do have a definition. It comes to us from the Gospel of St. John.

It says God is love. It’s as simple as that.

You can have all kinds of definitions and ways we can describe love. But God is love. Do you want to see what God’s love is like? He sent His only Son, Jesus, part of the Trinity—don’t ask me

how to explain that part either—but part of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God. Three persons. The love of the Father and the Son is kind of the creation of the Holy Spirit. That’s my answer.

“God speaks to us all the time. One of the basic principles I remind the young adults or whoever I’m confirming, one of the basic principles is God has not created us to be in this world to fail. Why

“There is something special about receiving and baptizing an adult.

With children, you bring them in and baptize them at an early age.

But an adult; I’m just so, so honored and blessed to be able to do that.

I hope this is a very special moment for you, and that you carry this within you, in your heart as you begin this magnificent journey with Jesus and His Church..”

— Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop Stika acknowledged a special joy he has in baptizing and confirming adults, people who have made a choice pleasing to God to join in full communion with Jesus and His Church through the holy Eucharist.

“There is something special about receiving and baptizing an adult. With children, you bring them in and baptize them at an early age. But an adult; I’m just so, so honored and blessed to be able to do that. I hope this is a very special moment for you, and that you carry this within you, in your heart as you begin this magnificent journey with Jesus and His Church,” he said.

He let the new Catholics know that the Church is not perfect, which they will come to find after joining.

But they become part of the body of Christ, which is perfect.

“It’s a perfect Church as the body of Christ. But we, as members, are not perfect. That’s why we have the sacraments of confession, the healing of the sick, and the Eucharist itself. All of those very special things that remind us of the relationship we have with Jesus, the relationship we have with the Father, inspired by the Holy Spirit,” the bishop said.

Concelebrating the Easter Vigil Mass were cathedral rector and vicar general Father David Boettner and cathedral associate pastors Father Martin Gładysz and Father Jhon Mario Garcia. Deacon

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Sharing Christ’s light Left: Parishioners young and older spread the light of Christ during Easter Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on April 3.

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Walt Otey served as master of ceremonies, with Deacon Fredy Vargas serving as deacon of the Eucharist and Deacon Joel Livingston Jr. serving as deacon of the Word.

Worshiping in person

Below: Bishop Stika confirms a young woman who was entering the Church through RCIA. Below: The cathedral was brightened pew by pew as parishioners enjoyed celebrating Easter in public worship again.

Bottom: Bishop Stika blesses the Easter fire at the foot of the steps to the cathedral, assisted by seminarian Neil Blatchford and Deacon Walt Otey. Then the bishop lights the Paschal candle, assisted by Deacon Fredy Vargas. Holy Thursday included the washing of feet, signifying what Jesus humbly performed.

DR. KELLY KEARSE (5)

Bishop Stika announced a plenary indulgence for the remission of sins to all of those who go to confession soon, pray for the intentions of Pope Francis and the Catholic Church, and receive the Eucharist.

He was encouraged by the strong turnout for Easter Vigil at the cathedral and churches across the diocese as well as at Easter Sunday Masses.

“It’s nice to see people again at Mass.

Someday I’ll see the rest of your heads,” he said in a nod to the masks still being worn. He informed the congregation that he has received both vaccinations for COVID-19. “If you’re wondering why I’m not wearing a mask, sometimes I don’t since I got my two vaccinations.

Hopefully you all will, too. I know there are political considerations and some people just have problems with vaccinations. But it’s one of the ways we can eradicate this virus, which has caused so much disruption in the world.”

He noted that many places in Europe are closing again because of a recurrence of the COVID outbreak.

“If we want to get rid of this, we have to work toward it. We have to pray and we have to do what’s necessary. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, and a lack of common sense,” he added.

“God calls us through disease and war and peaceful times. He calls people, talks to them, invites them, and people respond. The world has seen very difficult moments. Think about what happened during World War II. People of London were getting bombed every day and every night. And what happened to people in Berlin after the war. God is faithful.

He just invites us to be faithful as well.”

For many in the cathedral congregation, Easter Vigil was as inspirational to them as it was to the catechumens and candidates. Enthusiasm among parishioners about being in public worship again was visible throughout the cathedral.

Kathy Kearse was one of those who was excited to return to Easter Mass after two years.

“I thought it was a great turnout. I was really pleased with it. The whole Mass was beautiful, powerful, and inspirational. It’s just not the same doing it at home.

As much as I was grateful to have the opportunity to do it by Internet, you just can’t compare it to being here in person and experiencing it,” Mrs. Kearse said, noting that she had no concerns about returning to church services and felt safe and comfortable doing it.

Likewise, Chester Pun-Chuen felt renewed to be back at Easter Mass.

“At Easter Vigil it was so exciting to witness the strength of our faith. Witnessing the number of people attending was a symbol of hope. It was great to see the huge number of our community come and celebrate the risen Lord, especially being a part of welcoming our new members in our Catholic family,” Mr. Pun-Chuen said. “I strongly feel that the community is ready to come back in person. We have been constrained too long and we do miss our personal relationships with our parishioners and pastors. Just like what Bishop Stika said during the Vigil, all we have to fear is fear itself. If we are determined we can overcome everything.”

Missing Easter Masses last year amid the pandemic had a profound impact on Lisa Morris, who looked forward to attending Easter Vigil.

“After not having Easter services last year, I pray I never take for granted what a blessing and precious gift it is to be able to join with others at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, especially on the most holy night of the year, in person, in church with our church family.

It was a joyous night of welcoming those coming into the Church,” Mrs. Morris said. “The spirit of all who were able to attend was one of awe and reverence, a tangible spirit of hope and joy, knowing we have all been through a lot this year, but God is with us in it all, and His love will sustain us.

“The size of the crowd was absolutely wonderful... a full church… overflowing with the light of Christ, people ready to spread His love and mercy to all they meet. We are one in heart with Him and each other; the unity of the body of Christ was evident. It truly was a gift straight from above.” ■

STEVE COY

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Poll finds church membership continues downward trend

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

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St. Mary School overcomes challenges like that through perseverance, attention to quality education practices, and a dedication to the Holy Spirit.

Catholic schools, according to Father Shelton, are about investment in children, Catholic communities, and the Catholic Church.

He recalls a conversation he had with his brother about the duties a priest must balance, especially if a priest is managing a school. While there is a cost associated with each student, Father Shelton warned against falling into that trap when assessing the value of a Catholic school.

The St. Mary priest, who is a convert to Catholicism, said his brother underscored the folly of trying to attach a cost to his children and wife as a factor in determining whether to have a family.

The analogy applied to Catholic schools.

“He has a wife, he has kids, and he has to find a way to make it work. That is what we should be doing,” Father Shelton said. “I’m hoping this award each year will keep sending out the message to pastors with schools that they can make their schools thrive if they choose to make them thrive. But you have to be 100 percent behind them, or it doesn’t work; 90 percent or 80 percent doesn’t work. You have to be 100 percent behind them, and it will work.

That’s what the award means to me.”

And what makes a school work?

“The first thing is to say to Jesus periodically, ‘I don’t see how to do this.

You’re going to have to help me with this.’ I think a lot of it is talking to people, connecting with people, keeping up the conversations,” he said.

Father Shelton has been effective in reaching out to the Oak Ridge community to promote St. Mary and being a community partner.

That partnership was especially effective in ridding the neighborhood surrounding St. Mary of a house from where drugs reputedly had been sold for years. Father Shelton worked with law enforcement and community leaders in determining that the residence was a nuisance. Anderson County seized the house, and it was torn down.

Father Shelton works closely with the Hispanic community to promote St. Mary Church and St. Mary School. He finds that not only does communicating with parents prove effective, also as effective is reaching out to St. Mary students, who, by example, have recruited their peers to attend St. Mary.

“I hope I keep articulating what the significance of the school as a ministry of the parish is,” Father Shelton said.

“The bottom line is I don’t usually know what to do to make something work, but you just decide you’re goTH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC FILE PHOTO

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hile fewer than half of American adults responding to a recent poll said they are members of a church, synagogue, or mosque, the findings do not necessarily mean that people have lost faith in God, a pair of church observers said.

Church membership in 2020 dropped to 47 percent of the more than 6,100 respondents to a Gallup Poll. It is the first time since the polling firm started measuring church membership in 1937 that a minority of adults said they belonged to a formal religious institution.

Back then, in the midst of the Great Depression, 73 percent of adults said they belonged to a church. Over the next six decades, membership levels remained steady at about 70 percent before a measured decline began.

The number of nonchurch members continues a downward trend that began at the turn of the 21st century.

“The poll doesn’t note that fewer than 50 percent of American’s don’t believe in God. It’s important to note that across society institutional belonging is not high right now,” said Timothy O’Malley, director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

“It’s becoming quite clear that at least church membership is not the way most Americans are practicing

Bucking the trend Bishop Richard F. Stika delivers the homily during a pre-COVID Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

While statistics show U.S. church membership is dropping, in the Diocese of Knoxville there is significant growth in membership. religiosity,” he said.

Matthew Manion, faculty director of the Center for Church Management at Villanova University, agreed, saying the polling results confirm what many church leaders already knew.

“Membership in a church is not seen as relevant or worth people’s time in a growing portion of the country,” Mr. Manion said. “It (the poll) does not say that a belief in God does not exist among these people.”

The trend of declining church membership parallels similar dropoffs in membership in clubs, organizations, and professional associations

in much of American society. Sociologists attribute the trend to a loss of trust in institutions, politics, and even in business.

The poll highlights the trend in declining church membership across the Catholic Church and Protestant denominations. However, Catholic membership is falling faster, according to poll results.

The poll’s findings show that the number of Catholics belonging to a parish dropped from 76 percent in 2000 to 58 percent in 2020. Among Protestants, the membership decline in the same period was smaller — from 73 percent to 64 percent.

Gallup said it did not have enough

“He talks about school in his homilies. He promotes the school from the pulpit to our parishioners, whether they’re retired and have no children or grandchildren here. He’s still sharing the message that this is an important ministry of the parish.””

— Sister Marie Blanchette, OP ing to make it work and you just keep at it, you keep talking to God and other people, until you come up with something.”

There is one thing Father Shelton is fairly certain of: Catholic schools and the children who attend them are vital to the future of the Church.

“More and more studies are showing the benefits of a Catholic school. We already know from the CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) studies that the kids who go through Catholic schools are much more likely to remain good, faithful Catholics throughout their lives. There was a period of decades (1970s, ’80s, and ’90s) when there was a prevailing thought that there was no real benefit to having Catholic schools anymore,” he said.

He pointed out that studies now show a need to challenge that assumption.

“There is a value to them (schools).

The kids who go to the schools do receive a formation in the faith that prompts them to remain faithful to the faith throughout their lives. We can just see it. If you go into even the very best CCD programs and then compare the children who are receiving that formation to the children being formed in our Catholic schools, there is a clear difference.

“I think if we want the Catholic faith to thrive in America, then we have to be invested in our schools. We have to be invested in the evangelization of our neighbors, which means lay Catholics need to talk about our faith to non-Catholics. Not coercing them, but inviting them to learn more about the faith,” he said.

“But the ones who are Catholic, the children, the more Catholic their formation, the better. If they are in a Catholic environment, then it’s an environment of virtue, where virtue is taught and promoted. It’s an environment where community values are taught. We focus on (Christian) community. Then there are the spiritual and sacramental opportunities we have during the school day here for the kids, whether it’s going to Mass or processions through the school. It’s a Catholic environment. It just makes sense to me that if parents have the option, then they would want their children in a Catholic environment all day—a challenging environment in every way. It just makes more sense to have them in that kind of environment than to put them in one that is at best

neutral on virtue and God and possibly even at times hostile to virtue and God. “To me, the choice seems obvious.

We just have to keep doing our part to make sure that parents really do have that option,” he added.

Father Shelton converted to Catholicism when he was 17 and living in Texas. He said there wasn’t even a Catholic parish in the county in which he lived.

As a converted Catholic who didn’t attend Catholic school, he compared Catholic education to a diamond, saying you don’t have to possess one to know how valuable it is.

“Even without experiencing that, I could see why that is so critical. From the moment you decide Catholicism is true, everything else falls into place and makes sense,” he said.

Father Shelton, who was ordained

by Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz in June 2001, was exposed to Catholic school ministry early in his priesthood. He served as an associate pastor at Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville from 2005 to 2008, where he also ministered at St. Joseph School.

Just as Sister Marie Blanchette described the impact Father Shelton has on students by simply visiting classrooms each week, Father Shelton said the Dominican Sisters have a similar impact being in the school each day.

He has enjoyed serving with Dominican Sisters at St. Mary School and emphasized the joy of faith, an expertise in education, and a daily witness for Christ that can last for generations that they bring. Dominican Sisters also serve in education at Knoxville Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga.

“Being here at a school with Sisters makes a huge difference. It improves things considerably because you have a group of people who choose to live in that proximity to each other and that proximity to Christ, who is there in the tabernacle in the convent chapel.

So they are a model to the children, the students, but also to parents, to the teachers as people who have a desire to experience and cultivate Christian community. To have that right here is a big deal,” he said, adding that their presence helps to preserve Christianity in the school for decades to come.

The convent for the Dominican Sisters serving in the Knoxville area is located on the St. Mary campus.

“We have that just by having them next door, and that is a huge benefit to the rest of us. Our kids are being

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data on other religious denominations to adequately analyze membership trends.

Mr. Manion noted that the poll showed the Catholic falloff in membership has accelerated since 2010, when 73 percent of Catholics said they still belonged to a parish.

The numbers point to the necessity for a deep look by faith leaders everywhere at how they are meeting the spiritual and communal needs of people.

“The challenge for any religious institution,” Mr. Manion said, “is to answer the question: ‘If we want people to be members, what is it that we’re providing for them that will want to make them a member?’”

Mr. O’Malley found the rapid decline in membership among younger adults, particularly those born from 1981 to 1996, significant. The poll found that 36 percent of people in that age group, commonly known as Generation Y, belong to a church. It is the smallest percentage by far of any age group.

However, he said, it does not mean that people in that age group have no sense of faith.

“It doesn’t mean it’s a permanent reality. It doesn’t mean they’re never going to belong to churches. It doesn’t mean they’re against belonging to churches. It’s that they don’t belong to church now,” Mr. O’Malley said of the poll results.

Gallup attributed the decline in church membership largely to two factors. The first relates to the

Membership continued on page A14

formed in a tradition of wisdom, an educational tradition that is over 800 years old. That is remarkable. It’s a true treasure that the children receive being here and receiving that eight centuries of wisdom in their formation.

Father Shelton was caught unaware by the Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award.

“It was a surprise. I’m not a national award kind of person by temperament,” he said. “What I’m hoping is, what I’ve learned from research, conferences I’ve attended, and other pastors I’ve talked to is Catholic schools thrive if we’re fully invested in them.

It’s not the surrounding circumstances that make them thrive. It’s the decision to keep them thriving. There are so many great examples like Father (Albert) Henkel (founder of St. Joseph School) and Monsignor (Philip) Thoni (former teacher and coach at Knoxville Catholic High School and a Catholic high school in Memphis), may they rest in peace. They said, ‘We’re going to make this work.’ They were very dedicated to the schools and students.

“What I’m hoping is an award like this, as it’s given each year, will help inspire other priests to see that they can make their schools work. What happens is people tend to do the math.

They look at the number of students, they look at the money. They look at those sorts of things and decide whether or not to keep them (schools).”

Sister Marie Blanchette, who was assigned to St. Mary School as principal in 2013, believes Father Shelton’s enthusiasm for Catholic education and St. Mary School is infectious and inspirational.

“He talks about school in his homilies. He promotes the school from the pulpit to our parishioners, whether they’re retired and have no children or grandchildren here. He’s still sharing the message that this is an important ministry of the parish,” she said. “The kids love when Father comes to the school. He is very funny, and just the fact he is giving them time speaks that they are important to him. The kids love Father Shelton. They love Father Pontian (Kiyimba, AJ, St. Mary associate pastor). They love our priests, and it is so important for our students to see them outside of Mass.”

Sister Marie Blanchette is grateful for Father Shelton’s unwavering support for Catholic education in general and St. Mary School in particular. She is especially thankful for his selfless attention to the school and its community.

She pointed out that the Lead.

Learn. Proclaim. Award is presented to the winners along with a $1,000 check.

When informed of the monetary portion of the award, Father Shelton said, “Guess where that is going?” ■ APRIL 4, 2021 n A11

Back in business, thanks be to God Ladies of Charity weathers the COVID storm through a dedicated team of volunteers, young and older

BILL BREWER (2)

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he Ladies of Charity and Home Depot share a remarkable achievement: both finished 2020 in the black despite the coronavirus pandemic.

And while many home-supply retailers were helped by consumers spending COVID-19 stimulus checks in their stores during the year, the Ladies of Charity’s financial report could be seen as more herculean.

The charitable services organization relies on a dedicated network of volunteers and donors to carry out its mission. Never has that been more important than in the last year as the pandemic forced it to rethink its operation.

While it twice had to curtail much of what it did in 2020, the Ladies of Charity in Knoxville continued to serve its clients, many of whom are low- or no-income residents in the inner city. Impromptu alterations in services included closing its thrift store, which is an important source of revenue, and restricting contact with clients to a makeshift, socially distanced drivethrough in the parking lot of the facility at 120 W. Baxter Ave. That began in March 2020 and continued for a number of weeks until the operation reopened.

However, several weeks later it was forced to close again due to COVID-19 cases. The thrift store and large warehouse where most of the donated items such as clothes, furniture, and food are stored reopened in January.

The 2021 reopening was just in time for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s Jones Center for Leadership and Service.

Student leaders involved in the Jones Center are volunteering their time during the spring semester to organize merchandise, do landscaping, fill basic-needs packets for Ladies of Charity clients, and perform other duties.

It’s a reversal of misfortune for the charitable services organization whose mission is to serve those in need.

Barring any further COVID setbacks, the Ladies of Charity has resumed operations in full, as attested to by the recent steady stream of people dropping off donated items or stopping to shop the thrift store and browse through the warehouse.

Susan Unbehaun, executive director of the Ladies of Charity of Knoxville, said the organization ended pandemic-riddled 2020 in the black, “which was a blessing from God.” When it was suggested to her that only the Ladies of Charity and Home Depot were able to finish the year in the black, Mrs. Unbehaun

By Bill Brewer

Lending a hand University of Tennessee-Knoxville chancellor Donde Plowman joins UT students in volunteering at the Ladies of Charity facility in Knoxville. Chancellor Plowman is a proponent of students performing service hours in the community. Below, UT students perform landscaping outside the Ladies of Charity.

suggested otherwise.

“It’s because of parishioners that we got there. It’s been a tough year,” she said, pointing out that Ladies of Charity supporters were instrumental in keeping the organization going during the pandemic.

The Knights of Columbus did coat drives to collect cold-weather coats for distribution to those adults and children needing them.

The Knights of Columbus at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus supplied pasta every month. St. Vincent de Paul societies stepped up to assist. Donations of food and drink were made by Second Harvest Food Bank, Borden, Food Rescue, and Bimbo Bread.

“It was this network of helping.

It really was fun to be a part of even though it was such a bad situation. It was very stressful,” Mrs.

Unbehaun said.

She said for three months Borden was giving them $500 in milk each week; Food Rescue donated and continues to donate food from its network, and Bimbo donated and continues to donate bread.

Every donation was, and is, welcome and used, according to Mrs. Unbehaun.

“We are distributing everything that gets dropped off,” she said.

“We had a little girl making candycane reindeer to hand out to children with the coats. She made a hundred of them on her own and delivered them on her birthday, and that was her giving. Her parents were interested in her giving.

These kids are learning giving, and that is really cool.”

Mrs. Unbehaun also complimented the UT students who donated

their spare time during the semester to benefit the Ladies of Charity.

Mandie Beeler, director of the Jones Center for Leadership and Service, said different groups of UT students have been contributing service hours at Ladies of Charity, and collectively they have packed food boxes, sorted through donations, and even bagged sweet potatoes.

“We think it’s really important to expose them to a bunch of different opportunities to find what their passions are and to show them that one person can make a difference,” Ms. Beeler said. “We see how our one little act joins with a bunch of other acts to make a really big difference. We love doing this and giving our students this experience.

It also helps them feel like they’re a part of the Knoxville community.

Being a part of the community is a crucial part of retaining these students. Our goal is to graduate citizen leaders, and we want to give them that experience, and we think we’re doing it through things like this.”

On one weekday in February, Ms. Beeler drove a group of UT coeds to Ladies of Charity, where they spent the morning sorting clothing, filling food boxes, and packing toiletry kits. On a Saturday morning also in February, another group of young men and women from UT gathered outside of Ladies of Charity and did landscaping to spruce up the Happy Holler lot.

Ms. Beeler said the Ladies of

Volunteers continued on page A14

Dunn named Tennessee Right to Life president

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he Tennessee Right to Life board of directors has elected Stacy Dunn as its new president, which was effective on March 1.

Mrs. Dunn, who is a member of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville, succeeds Brian Harris, who resigned Dec. 31.

Mrs. Dunn has been involved with Tennessee Right to Life in various capacities for many years and currently serves as the executive director of TRL’s Knox County chapter. She also has served as vice president of Tennessee Right to Life until her recent election as president.

“Stacy’s 20 plus years of leadership in building a culture of life in Tennessee and her experience in directing the most active county chapter in the state will be invaluable as she steps into this important role as president of Tennessee Right to Life,” said Lorene Steffes, a Tennessee Right to Life board member.

Mrs. Dunn is married to former state Rep. Bill Dunn, who now serves as a special adviser to Gov. Bill Lee on education.

“I am grateful to be able to serve as president to this organiA12 n APRIL 4, 2021

zation that has a long history of protecting unborn children and their mothers. My goal for Tennessee Mrs. Dunn Right to Life is to continue to educate our fellow Tennesseans about the beauty of life in all its ages, stages, and conditions, and to work for legislation that will protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Mrs. Dunn, who will continue to serve as executive director of TRL’s Knox County chapter.

Tennessee Right to Life is a Nashville-based statewide organization formed in the mid-1970s in response to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in every state.

The organization's focus is on public education about the sanctity of life and legislation that promotes the right to life.

Pro-life volunteers are a hallmark of Tennessee Right to Life, which sponsors events around the state, including Knoxville, Chattanooga, Sevier County, and Greene County. ■ w ww.di o k no x .o rg

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

building committee; Charleen McMahan; chair of the Parish Pastoral Advisory Council; and Karen Otuonye, parish director of business and finance.

“The parish has a beautiful complex but is missing a real church building,” Bishop Stika posted on Facebook. “For years they have been using the parish hall, but now it’s time! It was an excellent discussion as they presented some plans and asked for my input, which I gave. I look forward to seeing the modified designs.”

Father Harvey said St. Alphonsus has been “needing to construct an actual church building since moving to our current property [more than] 17 years ago. We had outgrown our former church and property across the street by 1990.

Father Michael Roark, then the pastor of St. Alphonsus, hoped to raise funds to purchase adjacent property to expand the old parish plant, but the owners of the land declined to sell it.

“From 1996-2002, the next pastor, Father Patrick Brownell, planned and raised funds to relocate the parish. By 2003, Father Patrick and parishioners had obtained our current 27-acre property, purchased a rectory, built St. Alphonsus Community Services (community outreach center), and finished the construction of our primary building.”

Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz dedicated that $2.1 million, 18,000-square-foot building May 27, 2003.

“This building includes our administrative offices, classrooms, a chapel for daily Mass, restrooms, a youth center, a Founder’s Room (library/meeting room), and Liguori Hall (an all-purpose social hall/kitchen), which we’ve been using as our temporary worship hall until we could raise the funds necessary to build a church proper.”

Liguori Hall has its positives and negatives, Father Harvey said.

“Lacking a genuine Catholic church building that reveres God and allows us to suitably celebrate holy Mass has not been without obstacles. Some parishioners feel the space we use for worship is ‘a comfortable and relaxed’ atmosphere. Others have expressed their disappointment that the informal appearance lacks a sense of the sacred and has prevented them from making our parish their home,” he said.

“Also, there is the dilemma that we can either use the room for a social event or for holy Mass but not on the same day. The considerable time and effort involved in breaking down the room whenever we need to change the seating from Mass (an auditorium setting) to a banquet-like environment has impeded our ability to have adequate space for parish gatherings,

Cardinal continued from page A1

His calling took him from associate pastor at Los Angeles parishes to become a prince of the Church, as cardinals are commonly referred.

He was born on April 19, 1935, one of seven children, and was baptized in Holy Cross Parish in Los Angeles before attending Holy Cross and Transfiguration grammar schools.

The cardinal, who is 85, went on to study in Archdiocese of Los Angeles TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC FILE PHOTOS (3)

New church continued from page A1

“The parish has a beautiful complex but is missing a real church building. For years they have been using the parish hall, but now it’s time!””

Expansion plans Top left: Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, joined by Diocese of Knoxville priests, dedicates the then-new St. Alphonsus family life center in 2003 in Crossville.

Top right: St. Alphonsus Parish’s former church on Sparta Drive is shown in this archive photo.

Left: The St. Alphonsus family life center, dedicated in 2003, has served as the Crossville parish’s worship space since it opened. The parish is ready to build a dedicated church in which it can celebrate Mass.

— Bishop Richard F. Stika receptions, and social events.

“Perhaps more to the point, Liguori Hall was not constructed to be a church. It was designed to be a social hall, as the attached commercial kitchen attests to. As a temporary worship space, it’s been a workable short-term solution until our actual church building could be built,” Father Harvey added.

Under Father Brownell, the parish’s original master plan specified that when the debt on the current parish life building/ Liguori Hall was retired, all future building funds should go toward the construction of an actual dedicated worship space, i.e. a proper church building, according to Father Harvey.

“Since I became the pastor, we have been faithfully placing all specified building-fund donations and most unspecified memorial gifts given toward the fulfillment of making our church building a reality,” Father Harvey said.

In 2019, director of operations Charlie Spadaro and Father Harvey asked a team of “conscientious and enthusiastic parishioners” to begin the planning process, the St. Alphonsus pastor said.

“Ever since that first meeting, these parishioners with various applicable expertise have worked diligently using the diocesan guidelines for constructing a church,” he said. “This feasibility task force reviewed multiple options; revised several of their initial plans after consulting with a fair cross-section of parishioners and parish ministry/organizational leaders; and ultimately provided us with a formal and detailed proposal that we submitted to Bishop Stika in September 2020.

“The proposed plan was then described to all parishioners in detail via livestream in late October after all Masses. Unfortunately, the decision to put everything on hold came back from the diocese because the submitted plan was not thought to be sufficient for future growth. At this point, we have $1,315,000 saved toward the building fund but still need approximately $400,000 more to meet the cost of construction.

Raising that during the pandemic was thought to be especially difficult. However, after our Feb. 23 meeting between our building committee and Bishop Stika, we have been given verbal permission to resume with our process and begin the necessary and critical fundraising.”

The proposed church building, which includes a bell tower and two transepts (the beginnings of the arms of a cruciform-style church), will be 8,009 square feet.

It will initially seat 300 people, but the transepts allow future expansion. It will have an ample narthex with all the necessary space for restrooms, a gift shop, a vesting sacristy, and mechanical rooms, Father Harvey said.

“Because the purpose of a church building is different from any other building on our campus, we are very mindful that the function of our church is first and foremost to worship God and to raise people’s hearts, minds, and spirits to this end,” he added.

“This building must and will be different than Liguori Hall. The materials used will be of a simple but noble character. They will also make use of some of our past (the altar surface is from our first church).

“Because we need to resubmit our plans to the diocese, this changes our completion dates.

However, the initial estimate of completion was 12 months.”

The new church will be “on the highest piece of our property and is the first prominent building you will see as you enter the property.

It’s located adjacent to our offices and across the courtyard from Liguori Hall,” Father Harvey said.

Many parishioners who contributed to the new-church fund have passed on and will not see the project come to its fruition.

“As I think about the motivation for a new, dedicated worship space, I’m first mindful of all the individuals who have made such generous sacrifices for our dream: the aspiration of a place to receive the Eucharist and show reverence for God with all the traditional symbols this would entail,” Fa-

ther Harvey said. “In fact, many have sacrificed their time, talent, and treasure to make this dream a reality for the benefit of future generations, knowing that they would not be alive to see this project through to its completion. As the other buildings on the campus were constructed, the vision has always been to fulfill the need for this defining piece essential to worship.

“The vision for the dedicated worship space is to inspire people to live out their faith as Catholics. Yes, we want this welcoming space to attract people to the faith.

We also want to express our love to God and His Son! As we enter this new phase of accomplishing our common, long-held goal and seeing it become reality, we are humbled and eternally grateful to all the people who have laid the foundation to make the dream come alive.”

The new church will be “simple but eloquent,” Father Harvey said.

“We have incorporated essential components, e.g. 9-foot solid portal doors, a Holy Spirit rose window, and native Crab Orchard stone for our altar furnishings, which uniquely speak to Catholic architecture as called out in the norms for construction of churches in our diocese.”

The parish pastoral council (chair is Ms. McMahan) in concert with the parish finance council (chair is Bill Schmich) supervised the feasibility study. The feasibility task force co-chairs were John Gray and Mr. Furrugia. Janet Gray was the task force administrator.

Dr. Sabina Coronado and Don Homer were members. Mr. Spadaro and Frank Casale were ad-hoc members.

Readers wishing to contribute to the St. Alphonsus building fund may mail their donations to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 151 St. Alphonsus Way, Crossville, TN 38555. They may contribute electronically by visiting stalonline. org. Select the Online Giving tab, then click the Give Now box and look for “Building Fund.” For more information, call the parish at (931) 484-2358. ■

seminaries Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary and St. John’s Seminary, in which he attended with future princes of the Church Cardinals William Levada and Roger Mahony.

Following seminary, Cardinal Rigali was assigned as an associate pastor at parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles before beginning graduate studies in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the beginning of a special tenure with the Vatican.

As he studied in Rome, the young priest was named one of the priest assistants during the first two sessions of the Second Vatican Council in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Thus began a storied priesthood in which Cardinal Rigali’s early ministry placed him in service to Popes Paul VI and St. John Paul II, who elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 2003.

He began his Vatican service in the English section of the Secretariat of State in 1964, and from 1966-70 he

served as secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature to Madagascar.

Cardinal Rigali also served as archbishop of St. Louis from 1994-2003 and then archbishop of Philadelphia from 2003-2011.

In addition, he has served at the Vatican as secretary of the College of Cardinals (1990-94), secretary of the Congregation for Bishops (1990-94), and president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (1985-90). ■

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APRIL 4, 2021 n A13

Let the light of Christ shine through all that we do The Tennessee Register

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he Catholic Church’s liturgical year reaches its high point during Holy Week and Easter with our celebration of Christ’s passion and resurrection, His sacrifice and victory over death that opened the path to eternal salvation for all.

It is the glory of Easter and Christ’s redemptive love that the Church and individual Catholics are called to proclaim in word and deed as we invite others to share in God’s never-ending mercy.

In the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus shares the Beatitudes with his disciples, he tells them “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel

basket; it is set on a lampstand where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Our light is the light of Christ, from which Church teaching flows. Those teachings are not to be confined to our churches but to be shared with the world. In some instances, that requires Catholics to bring their voice to the public square to join the conversation about policies and laws that can strengthen the common good.

The three bishops of Tennessee, Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville, Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville,

Bishops continued on page A17

RICK MUSACCHIO/TENNESSEE REGISTER

COMMENTARY

Breaking bread Gov. Bill Lee meets with, from left, Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop David Talley of the Diocese of Memphis, and Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville.

Volunteers continued from page A12

“It’s because of parishioners that we got there. It’s been a tough year.. ... It was this network of helping. It really was fun to be a part of even though it was such a bad situation. It was very stressful. ... We are not in control here. God is in control. That is a lesson that we learned.””

— Susan Unbehaun Ladies of Charity-Knoxville executive director

BILL BREWER

Charity is just the kind of organization the Jones Center looks to partner with.

“We depend on our community partner organizations like Ladies of Charity to host our student groups, to allow us to come and serve them. With the Ladies of Charity, it’s really important to us because the mission really exhibits the volunteer spirit, wanting to help your community, to make it better, to treat everyone equally and with love and respect,” Ms. Beeler said. “We really appreciate what is happening here (Ladies of Charity), and our students always love coming to serve here because they are never bored, they always have plenty to do, and they can see the direct impact of their service, which then makes them want to continue to serve more.”

Ladies of Charity also offers teaching moments to the students.

“We’re trying to teach our students that one small act of kindness can really make a big difference in what they’re doing and in their communities. They don’t have to have a bunch of money or a bunch of time. They just need a little bit of heart and care and something to give back, and the willingness to do that,” Ms. Beeler noted. “We think it’s really important to expose them to a bunch of different opportunities to find what their passions are and to show them that one person can make a difference.”

Freshmen Alex Helms and Stella Clymer are among the dozens of UT-K students engaged in the Jones Center experience. As Jones Center ambassadors, they are liaisons between the students and Ladies of Charity.

On the February weekday they were working at Ladies of Charity, the UT students joining them were in honors programs, Miss Helms said.

“I heard about this (Jones Center for Leadership and Service) from someone who came to one of my classes. She did a presentation on it.

Now she is a grad assistant for the class, and she told us all about the JCLS and its mission that anyone can become a leader. That just really spoke to me. I decided to apply and

Tennessee volunteers University of Tennessee students assist the Ladies of Charity in Knoxville with its inventory as part of a UT leadership and service project to help the community. got it,” Miss Clymer said.

“It’s all about volunteering and making these connections. After we volunteer we always do a debrief where we gather everyone together, and we talk about what it means for the community, what it means to them, how this experience helps

them, what they can do in the future to continue this service. That’s what it’s really all about for us,” Miss Clymer added.

On the February morning the coeds volunteered, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman joined them in assisting

growing number of Americans who expressed no religious preference. In 2000, 8 percent of respondents said they did not identify with any religion; in 2020 it was 21 percent.

The second is the falloff that, in church membership even among those respondents who have a religious preference, went from 73 percent in 2000 to 60 percent last year.

The poll also revealed a near doubling of people with no religious affiliation across all age groups. Among people born before 1946, the number increased from 4 percent to 7 percent; among baby boomers from 7 percent to 13 percent; and among those born from 1965 to 1980 from 11 percent to 20 percent.

The poll results were obtained in telephone calls to 6,117 adults from 2018 to 2020 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

In response to the findings, Villanova’s Manion and Notre Dame’s O’Malley suggested the Catholic A14 n APRIL 4, 2021

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Filling the pews Members of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga attend Mass in Latin on Feb. 14. The basilica was nearly at capacity, even with social distancing protocols.

Church in particular begin to look for creative ways to bring alive Pope Francis’ invitation to people of faith to reach out to others one by one in an

effort to build community and trust.

“Pope Francis is talking about a missionary option for the church. That means going into spaces that we have

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inside the distribution center, filling toiletry kits.

Ms. Beeler said Chancellor Plowman’s participation illustrates how important community service and leadership training is to her.

Chancellor Plowman believes community service embodies the volunteer spirit she wants to instill on the UT campus.

“I think this works two ways. We talk all the time when we’re recruiting students that you’re coming here to be a volunteer. What does that mean? We want students on day one to learn what selfless service, selfless leadership means. We don’t want it to be something you only talk about; you just actually do it. It changes their lives,” she said.

Chancellor Plowman understood that students volunteering at Ladies of Charity worked fast and efficiently, which helped in the operation of Ladies of Charity, which she described as “an incredible service.”

She called the Jones Center for Leadership and Service “an amazing program that’s helping students learn about service and leadership, learning by doing.”

“The service hours they put in is part of learning about the community they live in and learning what it means to give back. Volunteers and leaders are always involved in communities trying to make a difference. We are really grateful to the Jones family for that gift, and I see all the time the transformation in the lives of students who go through there,” Chancellor Plowman said.

Mrs. Unbehaun is grateful to everyone who worked to keep the Ladies of Charity’s doors open, students and non-students alike, who then continued working to reopen those doors during a difficult period. As invaluable as the volunteers have been, she thanked God for all the blessings that kept Ladies of Charity going amid a year of COVID-19.

And just like with the UT-K student volunteers, Mrs. Unbehaun believes 2020 was an intense learning experience for everyone associated with the Ladies of Charity.

“We are not in control here. God is in control. That is a lesson that we learned,” she said. ■ not traditionally hung out in,” Mr. O’Malley said. He called for a “public Catholicism” that finds laypeople transforming their neighborhoods through kindness and by creating a culture of belonging.

Mr. Manion expressed similar ideas, saying it will be the work of individuals rather than the institutional church that will create goodwill and new friendships.

“It’s a radical shift in that the layperson is embracing their responsibility, and it’s a radical shift for our Church or any institutional church to both empower and give up control of individuals,” Mr. Manion said.

He also suggested that Catholic officials focus on building community and a sense of belonging as a way to attract people, restore trust, and renew Church life coming out of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The one-to-one individual credibility is where relationships can be repaired,” he said. “It’s a trickle that leads to a bigger conversation.” ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Fr. Imbarrato’s mobile ministry to end abortion makes its way to diocese Holy Trinity Parish hosts noted priest during 40 Days for Life; rosaries at clinics prayed

BILL BREWER (3)

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iocese of Knoxville parishioners keeping prayerful vigil during the 40 Days for Life ministry received an unexpected grace in March when Father Stephen Imbarrato, a national pro-life activist and speaker, brought his unique brand of “protest” to Knoxville’s Planned Parenthood facility.

Father Imbarrato, often referred to as the “Protest Priest,” has appeared on EWTN and is a leader of the Red Rose Rescue movement that counsels women who are seeking abortions. He travels the country, towing his Winnebago camping trailer behind an SUV, going city to city to pray for an end to abortion.

He visited East Tennessee in March, parking his mobile chapel at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City and at two Knoxville abortion facilities.

Each day from Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday, members of diocesan churches and other denominations prayed across the street from Planned Parenthood for abortion to end and for the sanctity of life as part of the national Lenten 40 Days for Life campaign.

Father Imbarrato pulled his SUV with mobile chapel in tow in front of Planned Parenthood on March 6 for a 10 a.m. Mass. As he spoke to those keeping vigil, he propped open the camper’s door and main window, revealing a small altar supporting a crucifix, pyx, chalice, candles, holy water and wine, and the sacred Scripture. To the side of the altar, Father Imbarrato had set up a tripod holding his smart phone, which was livestreaming the Mass on social media, where he has thousands of followers.

He delivered his homily from the camper doorway facing Planned Parenthood, reflecting on the parable of the prodigal son.

“Does the story end with the older son saying, ‘You’re right Dad, I’m glad he’s back. I’m convicted; I’m going to come in and celebrate with you’? We don’t know. We don’t know what happened. We don’t know if the older son ever went into the feast, embraced his brother, accepted his father again, and stopped being angry at the whole situation,” Father Imbarrato said. “… We don’t really ever want to be the younger son, but we’re all sinners. And in our sins we want to always come to our senses, or actually maintain our senses, meaning that when our passions run wild we always want to make sure that our intellect controls our desire to do the good so that we can always, always ask for forgiveness when our passions run away with us.

We don’t ever want our passions to corrupt our desire to do good,

By Bill Brewer

Taking it to the streets Father Stephen Imbarrato chats with Diocese of Knoxville parishioners taking part in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil on March 6 in front of his mobile chapel, from which he celebrated Mass for the volunteers. Father Imbarrato travels across the country preaching for the sanctity of life and an end to abortion. He does this at parishes and abortion facilities. He was visiting East Tennessee to lead a Lenten mission at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City. While in Knoxville, he prayed the rosary and celebrated Mass at two local abortion facilities. or what’s worse, to corrupt our conscience, which really is what happened to the older son. It also happened to the younger son, but he came to his senses. The older son still has his conscience corrupted.

He’s misconstruing everything in his mind; he’s rationalizing his sin.

He’s not seeing his sin. We don’t ever want to be there. We don’t want to be where the scribes, the Pharisees, the leaders of the Jews, the older son is.

“We always want to have our sins before us. I am sure the younger son, having come to his senses, over and over again, was grateful to the father, over and over again, for accepting him and embracing him, and he probably was a much different person than he was before he left. He probably was a selfish, young, punk kid before he left.

Now, he’s much fuller; he has a fullness of dignity,” he added. “We don’t want to be in those places.

We really do want to maintain our

senses, come to our senses, after we sin and always ask for forgiveness.”

Father Imbarrato was in the Diocese of Knoxville at the invitation of Father Patrick Resen and his congregation at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City, where Father Imbarrato held a weeklong mission.

“My message was a Lenten mission of mercy, the connection between being faithful and obedient. Obedience to truth is intrinsic to Christ’s mercy. When we admit our sins, He is merciful,” Father Imbarrato said. “I talked about the

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Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish kicks off sponsorship campaign for Haiti students

By Hiske Jones

S

chool looked different for many children this year. Amid a pandemic that forced school closures around the world and parents and educators adapting to make sure students continued to learn, one thing remained clear: a quality education is essential to a child’s wellbeing and success in life.

The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus’ Haiti Outreach Program is making sure that children in the remote village of Boucan-Carré in central Haiti receive an education.

“Our mission is to break the cycles of poverty in Haiti, focusing on mind (education), body (health care), and spirit (faith),” said Matt Webster, who took on the outreach program’s leadership role in January.

The program recently kicked off its annual student sponsorship campaign with an ambitious goal of raising $75,000.

All the funds raised through the campaign go directly to Haiti to support 1,200 preschool and elementary students and 300 middle and high school students with tuition and daily meals as well as salaries for teachers and staff. Additional donations go

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toward student uniforms, national test fees for ninth and 12th graders, and basic teaching supplies.

“With COVID-19, we are still not at full capacity at the cathedral, and not able to reach as many people in person,” Mr. Webster said. “So the program is placing emphasis on a digital campaign.”

He pointed out that the outreach program’s website has been redesigned to make online donations easier. Another focus for the website is to highlight the impact donations have had.

One shining success is the story of Julio Geffrard, whose life has come full circle in Boucan-Carré. The student sponsorship allowed him to finish high school and he is now teaching English at the same school, while finishing law school.

“The program has come a long way in its 22 years,” Mr. Webster said. “With the generous support of donors and volunteers, we hope to meet or exceed this year’s student sponsorship goal and extend our reach to more students and residents of beautiful Boucan-Carré.”

To learn more and to donate, visit https://haitioutreachprogram.org or e-mail Mr. Webster at mattwebster@ haitioutreachprogram.org. ■ www.di o k no x .o rg

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prodigal son — I call it the parable of the merciful father where the older son represents the Pharisees and the younger son represents all the sinners. I spoke about Mary and St. Joseph, about Christ being merciful with the woman at the well, with the man born blind, and with Lazarus.”

During his visit, the traveling priest combined the Lenten needs of Holy Trinity Parish with the pro-life aspect of his ministry.

Father Resen, pastor of Holy Trinity, and Holy Trinity members asked Father Imbarrato for a return visit to East Tennessee.

“Holy Trinity was pleased and blessed to have Father Imbarrato preach our Lenten mission; it is the second time he has led a mission here and many people asked to have him back. We were not disappointed. He is direct, succinct, and unpretentious; he goes to the heart of matters,” Father Resen said.

“I am not surprised by Father Imbarrato’s mobile pro-life ministry.

He was the leader of our pro-life activities in seminary and inspired many then as he does now. It is a great idea and is a great success.

God be with him each day on this ministry. Ad multos annos,” Father Resen added.

Father Imbarrato prayed in front of the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health near the University of Tennessee-Knoxville campus and celebrated Mass in front of Planned Parenthood on Cherry Street at Washington Avenue in East Knoxville, where pro-life volunteers were taking part in the Lenten 40 Days for Life daily prayer vigil.

“I minister to the frontline prolifers. That is what my On the Road for Life pro-life ministry is about primarily,” Father Imbarrato said. “I call these abortion mills modern-day Calvary. We all need to be at the foot of the cross on Calvary.”

Father Imbarrato spends many of his days traveling along Interstate 40 from his home base in Albuquerque, N.M., to points eastward. On this five-week trip, which began Feb. 24 and ended on Holy Thursday, he made stops in Memphis, Nashville, Wilmington, N.C., Conyers, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Columbia, S.C., and Orlando, Fla., in addition to Knoxville and Jefferson City.

The retired priest of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe estimated he spends about half the year on the road and half at his home in Albuquerque. He spent his 69th birthday on March 19 praying in front of an abortion facility.

He and his mobile chapel don’t plan on slowing down. In fact, he‘s applying for citizenship in Ireland so he can take his On the Road for Life ministry to that country.

Youth movement Volunteers of all ages joined Diocese of Knoxville clergy, including Father Martin Gładysz (below), in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil that took place from Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday. The diocesan prayer vigil took place in front of the Planned Parenthood facility in Knoxville.

“The beauty of it was that we all knew we were there to pray, and that is exactly what we did. Over the course of weeks, Catholics and Protestants got to know each other and friendships grew from it.”

— Paul Simoneau 40 Days for Life organizer

In the meantime, the prevalence of abortion in the United States continues to fill his prayers.

“God willing, I’m going to do this ministry until the end of abortion and as long as I’m still able,” he said. “There are people in this movement who think we are winning. I am never going to say we are winning while thousands are being mass murdered every day in abortion mills.”

Paul Simoneau, Diocese of Knoxville vice chancellor and director of the diocese’s Office of Justice and Peace, organized the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil, assisted by Lisa Morris, president of the Sacred Heart Apostolate and a member of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Mr. Simoneau and Mrs. Morris called the 40 days of prayer inspirational.

“Our Lenten 40 Days for Life campaign, our 11th since our first campaign in 2007, was a tremendous success with regard to participating churches. We had 29 in total — 15 Catholic churches and 14 Protestant churches — which represents our best ecumenical campaign ever. It always is impressive to see a Baptist pastor and one of our priests out on the sidewalk, shoulder to shoulder, Mr. Simoneau said. “The beauty of it was that we all knew we were there to pray, and that is exactly what we did. Over the course of weeks, Catholics and Protestants got to know each other and friendships grew from it.”

Mr. Simoneau and Mrs. Morris were impressed by the number of

mothers and children who took part.

“What an incredible witness to the Gospel of Life they are — there is none greater than a mother and child together on the sidewalk praying,” Mr. Simoneau noted.

Mr. Simoneau was disappointed by one development during the 40 Days for Life. The Planned Parenthood facility on Cherry Street at Washington Avenue, where the vigil was held, began an expansion of its operation.

“What breaks my heart is watching the excavation that began for Planned Parenthood’s expansion plan to double the size of their building, presumably to do surgical abortions.

Presently, they advertise only chemical abortion (RU-486). During the excavation of the property behind Planned Parenthood, it took on the horrible image of a “mass grave” — as macabre as that image is, the reality is that Planned Parenthood is in the business of murdering innocent human life on a genocidal scale.

Roughly a million babies are brutally aborted each year. If one considers that between 1939-1945, Nazi Germany exterminated 6 million Jews, an average of a million a year, than you can understand why abortion is truly a genocide — nothing less,” he said.

Mr. Simoneau was grateful for Father Imbarrato’s witness and his celebration of Mass in front of Planned Parenthood, a first for the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.

Mr. Simoneau emphasized that the entire 40 Days vigil was peaceful, prayerful, and law-abiding.

“For those wondering if any laws were broken or limits pushed, I can

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the brothers and sisters they are.

“From this place, where faith was born, from the land of our father Abraham, let us affirm that God is merciful and that the greatest blasphemy is to profane his name by hating our brothers and sisters,” the pope said.

“Hostility, extremism, and violence are not born of a religious heart: They are betrayals of religion,” he insisted.

The journey of peace, he said, begins with “the decision not to have enemies.”

Standing in Mosul on March 7 amid the ruins of four churches that Islamic State fighters had turned to a massive pile of rubble, Pope Francis did not name an enemy but pointed to the “tragic consequences of war and hostility.”

With Islamic State gone and work underway to restore Mosul’s damaged churches and mosques, Pope Francis proclaimed that today “we reaffirm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace is more powerful than war.”

“This conviction speaks with greater eloquence than the passing voices of hatred and violence,” he said, “and it can never be silenced by the blood spilled by those who

Up close and in person Pope Francis arrives in a golf cart to visit the destroyed Al-Tahera Syriac Catholic Church in Mosul, Iraq, on March 7. pervert the name of God to pursue paths of destruction.”

Returning to Rome, he told reporters he had seen photos of the site beforehand but was not prepared for the reality of being there.

“I stopped in front of the destroyed church, and I just didn’t have any words. It is something you cannot believe, you can’t believe it,” he said. “It is just unbelievable our human cruelty.”

The first evening of the trip, the pope had met the Iraqi bishops and representatives of the country’s priests and religious in the restored

Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance, sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Salvation.

It is a church, he said, “hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters” murdered in a terrorist attack that shook the world. Forty-eight members of the church, including two priests and a 3-year-old child, died Oct. 31, 2010, when militants belonging to a group linked to alQaida interrupted a service, detonating explosives and shooting people.

The memory of Iraq’s Christian martyrs, he said, must “inspire us to renew our own trust in the power

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answer emphatically, ‘Absolutely not!’ The condition for anyone participating in our 40 Days for Life is that it must be prayerful, peaceful, and law-abiding. Nothing is accomplished by pushing limits or breaking the law. To do so would only incentivize Planned Parenthood’s base and give them ammunition to have restrictions upon our right to assemble and pray,” he said.

“We pride ourselves with working closely with the police in the leadup to each campaign and we have a superb relationship with them. They know we’re there to pray and to offer a loving witness to the Gospel of Life, not to harass or frighten women in a crisis pregnancy.

“A pregnant woman needs to know that we are there to offer them help and loving alternatives to abortion, and that is what we have tried to do in every 40 Days for Life campaign,” he added. ■ of the cross and its saving message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and rebirth.”

“Christians are called to bear witness to the love of Christ in every time and place,” the pope told the Catholic leaders. “This is the Gospel that must be proclaimed and embodied in this beloved country as well.”

Bells pealed in Qaraqosh on March 7 to welcome the pope to another Syriac Catholic parish, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, desecrated during its use as a base by Islamic State fighters, who turned the courtyard into a shooting range.

While much of the town still needs to be rebuilt, Pope Francis said the presence of the jubilant crowds inside and outside the church “shows that terrorism and death never have the last word.”

“The last word belongs to God and to His Son, the conqueror of sin and death,” the pope said. “Even amid the ravages of terrorism and war, we can see, with the eyes of faith, the triumph of life over death.”

With Muslim and Yazidi guests joining Catholics in the church, Pope Francis told the people that “this is the time to restore not just buildings but also the bonds of community that unite communities and families, the young and the old together.” ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

East Tennessee Catholic Briefs Kenneth Wandera ordained to the priesthood

JIM WOGAN

Three Glenmary Home Missioners were ordained to the priesthood on March 20 by Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville, including Father Kenneth Wandera, who is from Kenya and is serving as an associate pastor at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Erwin.

Joining Father Wandera in the Mass of ordination were Father José Lopez of Mexico and Father Samuel Mungai, also of Kenya. Father Lopez and Father Mungai are serving at Glenmary churches in northeastern North Carolina.

Fr. Wandera The ordination Mass was celebrated at St. John Neumann Church in Cincinnati, where the Glenmary order is based.

Joining the presbytery Father Jerry Daniels takes the oath of allegiance making his transfer from the Diocese of Jackson, Miss., to the Diocese of Knoxville official during an incardination ceremony on Feb. 16 at the Chancery. Shown with Father Daniels is Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, who read the decree of incardination, and Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, director of Christian Formation for the diocese.

Fr. Jerry Daniels is incardinated into the Diocese of Knoxville

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ather Jerry Daniels is one of the Diocese of Knoxville’s newest priests after his February incardination.

On Feb. 16, Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, announced a Decree of Incardination that officially made Father Jerry Daniels a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Unable to be physically present during the ceremony due to weather, Bishop Richard F. Stika

witnessed and approved of the incardination via Zoom. The ceremony also was witnessed by members of the diocesan Presbyteral Council.

Father Daniels has been serving in the Diocese of Knoxville for five years, most recently as pastor of St. Catherine Labouré Parish in Copperhill and at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton.

He previously was a priest in the Diocese of Jackson, Miss. ■

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their respect for the governor.

The bishops do not enter discussions like these with political leaders seeking to create a theocracy. Instead, they seek to create a dialogue, bringing the reason and faith of Church teaching to the debates about public policy in service of the common good.

They bring the same teachings to public servants of all partisan persuasions.

It’s about policies and Church teaching, not parties.

It is an important part of the bishops’ responsibility to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. But it is a responsibility that every Catholic shares. We must do it in our relationships with our families, with our neighbors, with our coworkers. We must do it as we reach out to those on the margins of society, sharing Christ’s love. And we must do it when we talk with those who do not share our faith or our perspectives on matters of public policy.

In every situation, we must do it with love and compassion and civility.

We must not hide our light under a bushel, because that is the light that can shine bright in every heart. ■

and Bishop David Talley of Memphis, were doing just that when they recently met with Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.

In their meeting with the governor, the bishops thanked him for his leadership responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly his executive orders that allowed churches and schools to respond to the pandemic based on local conditions and protocols. At the time, some wanted to limit attendance at church services, such as Masses, to such a small number that they essentially would have been limited to the celebrant and a handful of others.

When the bishops joined other religious leaders in asking that they receive the same consideration as businesses such as restaurants, that they be allowed to let their light shine, the governor agreed.

They also discussed other issues of interest to the Church, and throughout the discussions it was apparent that the governor drew on his own faith and his respect for the bishops, just as they drew on the Catholic faith and

Fr. Donahue installed as Immaculate Conception pastor Bishop Richard F. Stika installed Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville on March 7.

Father Donahue previously served in the diocese as pastor of St. John XXIII Parish on the University of Tennessee campus. During that time, he also served as a police chaplain.

Father Donahue was the director of seminarian formation and a superior of the Paulist Fathers in Fr. Donahue Washington, D.C., from 2014-16, and most recently served as associate director of the Catholic Campus Ministry at Ohio State University.

Diocesan seminarians receive the ministry of acolyte Eighteen priesthood students at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind., including three from the Diocese of Knoxville, received the ministry of acolyte on Feb. 18, in the seminary’s St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel.

The seminarians receiving the ministry from the Diocese of Knoxville were Joseph Austin, Neil Blatchford, and Andrew Crabtree. St. Meinrad president-rector Father Denis Robinson, OSB, installed the acolytes.

Mr. Austin, Mr. Blatchford, and Mr. Crabtree are among 15 Diocese of Knoxville men currently in seminary.

An acolyte assists a deacon or priest, primarily in the celebration of Mass. He attends to the needs of the altar and may distribute Communion as an auxiliary minister. He also may be entrusted with the public veneration of the Blessed Sacrament, but does not give the benediction, which is reserved for a priest or deacon.

The ministry of acolyte is one of the final rites of passage for seminarians before they are ordained to the priesthood. The next step, typically in another year, is ordination to the transitional diaconate.

Mr. Austin’s home parish is St. Dominic in Kingsport; Mr. Blatchford’s home parish is the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville; and Mr. Crabtree’s home parish is St. Mary in Athens.

Funeral Mass celebrated for Helen McGrew-Catanach of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish

A funeral Mass for Helen McGrew-Catanach was held Feb. 2 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Monsignor Al Humbrecht was the Mass celebrant.

Mrs. McGrew-Catanach, 61, of Knoxville and formerly of Santa Fe, N.M., died Jan. 19 at Fort Sanders Medical Center from a progressive illness.

She was a beloved mother and wife, who cherished quality family time and who loved to work in her garden. She also was an avid reader who loved all animals, especially dogs.

Mrs. McGrew-Catanach Mrs. McGrew-Catanach was a member of the cathedral, where she had served as an usher and eucharistic minister. She also served for 10 years in the office of Sacred Heart Parish as an administrative assistant to Monsignor Humbrecht.

She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Juanita and James McGrew, and brother Jamie McGrew. She is survived by husband Adam Catanach, daughter Erin Catanach, sister Sheila McGrew, and many relatives in Knoxville, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Colorado.

The family requests that donations be made to the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy or Vasculitis Foundation, concentrating on ANCA vasculitis.

Sr. Francesca Koller, OP, who ministered at St. Jude, dies

Sister Francesca “Fran” Koller, OP, died Jan. 19 at St. Dominic Villa in Hazel Green, Wis. The funeral Mass was held at the Dominican motherhouse in Sinsinawa, Wis., on Jan. 28, followed by burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery.

Sister Fran made her first profession as a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa on Aug. 5, 1952, and her perpetual profession on Aug. 5, 1955. She taught school for 24 years and served as pastoral minister for 16 years, liturgist for 18 years, chaplain for 10 years, and assistant prioress for four years.

The people of Anchorage, Alaska, said in an award presentation, “In every situation, Sister Fran radiates warmth and honesty.” She loved ad- Sr. Fran Koller, OP ventures, was a talented singer and created watercolor paintings. Sister Fran served the Church in Illinois, Minnesota, South Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Tennessee, and Alaska, as well as Trinidad and Tobago.

Sister Fran was born on Aug. 10, 1931, in Appleton, Wis., the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Pimishern) Koller. Her parents; two sisters, Ann Farrell and Elizabeth Pearce; and six brothers, Frank Koller, Joseph Koller Jr., Otto Koller, Norbert Koller, Walter Koller, and Albert Koller, preceded her in death. She is survived by a sister, Janet Nelson; a brother, Emil Koller; nieces; nephews; and her Dominican Sisters with whom she shared 68 years of religious life.

In the Diocese of Nashville, Sister Fran served as pastoral minister at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga from 1985-1988.

She also taught or served as a pastoral minister or liturgist in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Diocese of Charleston, the Diocese of Lafayette, the Diocese of Green Bay, the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, the Diocese of Madison, the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, and in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, where she served as an assistant prioress.

Memorials may be made to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI 53824-9701 or at www.sinsinawa.org/ forms/p/donation. ■

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in their thoughts might skip forward to the resurrection and bypass the crucifixion.

“In our relationship with Jesus, do we often try to forget about Golgotha?” he asked “And we would like to skip over all that which we celebrate in Holy Week and go right to the resurrection. Would we have wanted to hang around on that mountain at the Transfiguration, when everything was glorious and beautiful and shiny and peaceful? Or would we have been like Peter, who just wanted to stick around and pitch a tent and stay?”

Bishop Stika again returned to Father Wandera.

“Father Kenn, just a week ago, his hands were anointed with the holy chrism, and he begins his journey of priesthood, of being a public person, a sacramental person, a person who will be called upon at any moment, at any time, to represent Jesus sacramentally, to represent Jesus in healing and in forgiveness, with assurance, with offering the sacrifice but also being the sacrifice himself,” he said. “To be a priest in these years, especially when we minister to people who are so divided and so confused and fearful, as we are called to that ministry, just like Jesus, we can add on to the weight of our shoulders the difficulties of the people we are privileged to serve.”

The bishop reminded the priests that “many of our seminarians are here today.”

“They’re discerning and thinking and reflecting, and they see you and your lives, lives of commitment, as do the people of God in your parishes and places where you serve.

They’re looking for the priesthood of Jesus Christ. And if we ever think it’s easy, then we’re skipping the Passion and death of Jesus.

“We are called to be like the man who helped Jesus bear His cross.

And we are also called to bear the crosses of others and the cross of ourselves—all of us are. And our crosses are different, and they have different weight at certain times. Sometimes they are easy to bear, because we do

Priestly prayer Father John Orr, left, Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, center, and Father David Carter, pray for the intercession of St. Joseph during the Chrism Mass.

DID YOU KNOW? Chrism: Is a mixture of olive oil and balm, or balsam. The two elements signify fullness and grace.

The vessel holding chrism is etched with the letters SC for sanctum chrisma, Latin for holy chrism.

What Chrism is for: Used by bishops and priests in baptisms, confirmations, holy orders, and dedication of churches. The bishop breathes on new chrism, praying that the Holy Spirit will be present in it.

know that the people of God who are represented here and watching us— we know they pray for us and how kind they are to us and how forgiving they are to us.”

The Chrism Mass is also a time to “celebrate that special bond as brothers in the presbyterate—different ages, different experiences, different assignments, different reasons at different moments of why we gather together this day as priests of this diocese, these many years now, since ’88,” Bishop Stika said.

“The question that you and I and all of us have to ask ourselves is, ‘How do we support each other?’

How do we strengthen each other in our own vocations, to reach out to a brother in need?”

The bishop referred to the commitments he and his brother priests would soon make to each other, after the homily.

“When we make those commitments, we also then ask the people

of God to pray for us, as one, united, and following Jesus, and to be a priest of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Stika said. “For all the people who are here and who are watching, I also thank you. In a couple days we’ll receive 186 people, give or take, into the diocese. Every year we are so blessed.

But this year of the pandemic, there were people who volunteered to share the faith with others, but also the people of God have witnessed to others about the extraordinary gift of the Catholic Church, as confused as people might make it.

“But the extraordinary gift of the Eucharist and the sacraments, but especially the summit, as the [Second Vatican] Council reminds us, of the Eucharist. There’s a reason that people seek our community, and it’s because the people of God, all of us, witness intentionally to our faith and our trust in the God who has created us, who gave us His Son, and who hopefully continually are inspired by

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the Holy Spirit.”

In making their commitments to Bishop Stika, the priests “resolved to . . . renew the promises you once made,” “to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to Him,” and “to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist . . . following Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls.”

Bishop Stika then addressed the faithful in the assembly, asking them to “pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out His gifts abundantly on them and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ,” and he asked the assembly to “pray also for me, that I may be faithful to the apostolic office entrusted to me in my lowliness that in your midst I may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher, and the Servant of all.”

The procession of the oils followed, and the bishop blessed the oil of the sick and the oil of catechumens. He mixed the balsam and the oil to form the sacred chrism, used in baptism, confirmation, holy orders, and the dedication of churches. Bishop Stika then breathed over the chrism, praying that the Holy Spirit be present in it.

In his closing remarks, with it being the Year of St. Joseph, the bishop led the priests in a prayer of St. Joseph.

He encouraged priests and seminarians to look to the example of Blessed Stanley Rother, a relic of whom is in the cathedral. Blessed Stanley is a martyr of the Church but one who was once dismissed from seminary because he couldn’t learn Latin, the bishop said.

The bishop, adding a plea for the faithful to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination, also asked for prayers for the canonization of Father Patrick Ryan of Chattanooga.

“To my brothers, I just say thank you,” Bishop Stika said. “Thanks for what you do, my brother deacons, but especially my brother priests, who we celebrate this day.” ■

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