May 5, 2024, ET Catholic, A section

‘ Patterned after the person of our Lord’

Fr. Mark Beckman named diocese’s new bishop

By Bill Brewer and Dan McWilliams

Pope Francis reached into the ranks of Tennessee priests to select the Diocese of Knoxville’s next bishop.

Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman was introduced on May 7 as the fourth shepherd of the Church in East Tennessee immediately following an announcement by the Holy Father.

Bishop-elect Beckman, 61, is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville who has served as pastor of St. Henry Parish in West Nashville since 2015. He grew up in Lawrenceburg in Middle Tennessee’s Lawrence County, which borders Alabama.

When ordained and installed on Friday, July 26, he will be the Diocese of Knoxville’s first bishop from Tennessee.

The announcement of Bishop-elect Beckman’s appointment first came from Rome in the early morning hours of May 7, and it was formally announced soon after in Washington, D.C., by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect Beckman was then formally introduced during a morning press conference at the Diocese of Knoxville Chancery.

“I am blessed and honored to accept this appointment from the Holy Father,” Bishop-elect Beckman said. “I am a native Tennessean, and I am grateful that I can continue serving the Church and now the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville in this region that I know well and love tremendously.”

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of the Archdiocese of Louisville will continue to lead the Diocese of Knoxville as apostolic administrator until Bishop-elect Beckman’s episcopal ordination and installation.

“I have known Bishop-elect Beckman for a

Bishop-elect continued on page A12

Bishop-elect Beckman’s episcopal formation has ties to East Tennessee

By Dan McWilliams

The 5,000 who attended the ordination of Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell and the formal establishment of the Diocese of Knoxville on Sept. 8, 1988, did not know it, but the fourth bishop of Knoxville was seated among them at the old Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center as the first bishop was installed.

As he introduced himself to the Church in East Tennessee at his opening press conference on May 7 in the Monsignor Mankel Room at the Chancery, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman recalled that day more than 35 years ago.

“Back in 1988, this Diocese of Knoxville was created. I think I was a deacon or a seminarian, I can’t remember exactly at what point in the journey I was, but I remember being here for the creation of this diocese,” he said. “What a day of joy it was.”

Bishop-elect Beckman could still hear Italy native Archbishop Pio Laghi, apostolic pro-nuncio to the United States and principal consecrator of Bishop O’Connell, read off the 36 counties that make up the Diocese of Knoxville.

“I remember the pro-nuncio as he was calling the names of all the counties of this East Tennessee, his very rich accent,” Knoxville’s new bishop said. “And it was a joy to hear how a diocese is created and a joy to be here at its birth. So, I’ve treasured this place all of these years.”

Diocese continued on page A13

Diocese of Knoxville Chancery on May 7. The Diocese of

of Knoxville's fourth bishop.

Cathedral debut Bishop-elect Mark Beckman, standing, concelebrated Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on May 7 shortly after he was introduced as the Diocese of Knoxville's new bishop. It was the bishop-elect's first time in the cathedral, where the chair of the bishop, or the cathedra, is placed. Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, seated center, was the Mass celebrant. Deacon Sean Smith, seated left, served as deacon of the Word.

Reaction to bishopelect’s appointment is fast and favorable

By Bill Brewer

News that Nashville priest Father Mark Beckman will be the Diocese of Knoxville’s fourth bishop was met with an immediate air of familiarity and comfort by many across East Tennessee.

Within minutes of Pope Francis announcing early May 7 that Father Beckman will lead the diocese, texts, e-mails, posts, and calls filled the digital landscape as East Tennesseans with connections to the pastor of St. Henry Parish in West Nashville shared the announcement.

There may even have been suggestions that it’s the Volunteer State’s version of the six degrees of separation.

Messages such as “Small world. ‘Bishop’ Beckman graduated with my wife’s brother,” or “Our friend who introduced us had him at Father Ryan, and he married her and her husband. She LOVES him!” and many others like those greeted Bishop-elect Beckman as he was introduced to East Tennessee as its first shepherd who is a native Tennessean.

The connection reaction then took off as it was revealed that:

n As a youth living in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Mark Beckman’s pastor at Sacred Heart Church was then-Father Xavier Mankel, one of the founding priests of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Connections continued on page A14

An East Tennessee introduction Bishop-elect Mark Beckman speaks during a press conference at the

Nashville priest was formally introduced as the Diocese

Making a connection Bishop-elect Mark Beckman high-fives a young man after Mass on May 7 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Diocese of Knoxville's new bishop-to-be greeted a line of Mass-goers.

The end of an era

New Orleans’ only Catholic bookstore closes its doors after 85 years of service

By Matthew McDonald National Catholic Register

The only Catholic bookstore in New Orleans closed for good on April 12, having survived fi re, fl oods, and hurricanes, but not the Internet.

“Closing the store is heartbreaking for all of us, but it’s an economic necessity. The book business has changed, and we haven’t changed with it,” said Margaret Kelly, treasurer and member of the board of trustees of the nonprofi t foundation that ran The Catholic Book Store.

Former store manager Anne Komly called the store “a mission.”

“Everybody loves this store. They come in and say it’s so peaceful. They feel like they’re in a church or a chapel,” she said.

Ms. Komly spoke to the National Catholic Register on the painful last day, amid well-wishers who wanted to pay their last respects.

“We’ve done a lot of good here, and we’ve touched a lot of lives,” Ms. Komly said about The Catholic Book Store in Louisiana ’s largest city. “And it’s shown by the people who have been coming in here, despondent, teary-eyed.”

The Handmaids of the Precious Blood this year celebrate the 77th year since their founding in 1947; more than three-quarters of a century of prayer and sacrifice for priests. To receive weekly cartoons and short reflections and news from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, visit their website, nunsforpriests.org, and sign up for the FIAT newsletter.

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, Bishop-elect Mark Beckman to celebrate Rite of Ordination for Diocese of Knoxville seminarians

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre will ordain three men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Knoxville during a Mass of Ordination on Saturday, June 8, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. He will be joined by Bishop-elect Mark Beckman.

Deacon Bo Beaty, Deacon Daniel Herman, and Deacon Michael Willey have completed their seminary education and will profess their intent to serve the Catholic faithful of East Tennessee before Archbishop Fabre.

Archbishop Fabre will be the main celebrant for the Mass of Ordination and will give the homily. Priests of the diocese will serve as concelebrants for the Mass. Permanent deacons also will be in attendance as they watch three of their brothers elevated to the priesthood.

Archbishop Fabre also will ordain A.J. Houston to the transitional diaconate as the seminarian continues to advance toward the priesthood ■

All by herself

Florence Elizabeth Henderson (1912-1992) was a single Catholic laywoman in her late 20s looking after her elderly father when she opened a for-profi t Catholic bookstore in 1939 in the St. Charles Ho-

tel in downtown New Orleans. She had grown up an only child near Audubon Park in the southwestern part of the city, not far from the Mississippi River. Her father was a wholesale sugar dealer, according to census records. Three of her four grandparents were born in Ireland.

When the hotel was remodeled after World War II, the store moved to another location downtown, on Baronne Street.

A humdrum interaction with a customer in 1959 brought Ms. Henderson unexpected attention. A dark-skinned man came in one Saturday afternoon asking to cash a $20 traveler’s check.

“‘Of course,’ she said without hesitation, as though nothing could be more natural. She did not even study me,” the man wrote later of the experience.

The author, John Howard Griffi n, was a white man from Texas who had darkened his skin and

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

The Diocese of Knoxville has implemented the CMG Connect platform to administer the Safe Environment Program, which replaces the former Safe Environment 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.

Each part of the video is immediately followed by a brief questionnaire to further develop understanding.

Education is a key

element of the Safe Environment Program

All clergy, employees, 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 of Knoxville.

In addition, the 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 ■

Sr. Regina © 2024 Handmaids of the Precious Blood

‘Infinite Dignity ’

Vatican: Abortion, surrogacy, war, poverty are attacks on a dignified life

By Cindy Wooden OSV News

Being a Christian means defending human dignity, and that includes opposing abortion, the death penalty, gender transition surgery, war, sexual abuse, and human trafficking, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a new document.

“We cannot separate faith from the defense of human dignity, evangelization from the promotion of a dignified life, and spirituality from a commitment to the dignity of every human being,” Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, dicastery prefect, wrote in the document’s opening section.

The declaration, Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”), was released at the Vatican on April 8.

In the opening section, Cardinal Fernández confirmed reports that a declaration on human dignity and bioethical issues—like abortion, euthanasia, and surrogacy—was approved by members of the dicastery in mid-2023, but Pope Francis asked the dicastery to make additions to “highlight topics closely connected to the theme of dignity, such as poverty, the situation of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, war, and other themes.”

In February, the cardinals and bishops who are members of the dicastery approved the updated draft of the document, and in late March Pope Francis gave his approval and ordered its publication, Cardinal Fernández said.

With its five years of preparation, he wrote, “the document before us reflects the gravity and centrality of the theme of dignity in Christian thought.”

The title of the document is taken from an Angelus address St. John Paul II gave in Germany in 1980 during a meeting with people with disabilities. He told them, “With Jesus Christ, God has shown us in an unsurpassed way how He loves each human being and thereby bestows upon him infinite dignity.”

The document is dated, “2 April 2024, the nineteenth anniversary of the death of Pope St. John Paul II.” Cardinal Fernandez said initially the dicastery was going to call the document “Beyond All Circumstances,” which is an affirmation by Pope Francis of how human dignity is not

for peace

lessened by one’s state of development or where he or she is born or the resources or talents one has or what one has done.

Instead, he said, they chose the comment St. John Paul had made.

The declaration noted that the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World also listed attacks on human dignity as ranging from abortion and euthanasia to “subhuman living conditions” and “degrading working conditions.”

Members of the doctrinal dicastery included the death penalty among violations of “the inalienable dignity

of every person, regardless of the circumstances” and called for the respect of the dignity of people who are incarcerated.

The declaration denounced discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and particularly situations in which people are “imprisoned, tortured, and even deprived of the good of life solely because of their sexual orientation.”

But it also condemned “gender theory” as “extremely dangerous since it cancels differences in its claim to make everyone equal.”

Gender theory, it said, tries “to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference.”

Defending human dignity Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, holds up a copy of the dicastery's declaration Dignitas Infinita ("Infinite Dignity") on human dignity during a news conference at the Vatican press office on April 8.

The Catholic Church, the declaration said, teaches that “human life in all its dimensions, both physical and spiritual, is a gift from God. This gift is to be accepted with gratitude and placed at the service of the good.”

Quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the declaration said gender ideology “envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family.”

Dicastery members said it is true that there is a difference between biological sex and the roles and behaviors that a given society or culture assigns to a male or female, but the fact that some of those notions of what it means to be a woman or a man are culturally influenced does not mean there are no differences between biological males and biological females.

“Therefore,” they said, “all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected.”

Again quoting Pope Francis’ exhortation, the declaration said, “We cannot separate the masculine and the feminine from God’s work of creation, which is prior to all our decisions and experiences, and where biological elements exist which are impossible to ignore.”

“Any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception,” it said. However, the declaration clarified that “this is not to exclude the possibility that a person with genital abnormalities that are already evident at birth or that develop later may choose to receive the assistance of healthcare professionals to resolve these abnormalities.”

Members of the dicastery also warned about the implications of changing language about human dignity, citing for example those who propose the expressions “personal dignity” or “the rights of the person” instead of “human dignity.”

In many cases, they said, the proposal understands “a ‘person’ to be only ‘one who is capable of reasoning.’ They then argue that dignity and rights are deduced from the individual’s capacity for knowledge and freedom, which not all humans possess. Thus, according to them, the unborn child would not have personal

Defining ‘everyday heroism’

Catholic bioethicists: Lack of agreement on brain death imperils patients, organ donations

By Gina Christian OSV News

Catholic bioethicists are sounding the alarm about a critical lack of agreement on what constitutes brain death, and the implications for organ donation are “profound,” they said.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center, based near Philadelphia, released an April 11 statement on “Integrity in the Determination of Brain Death: Recent Challenges and Next Steps.”

The NCBC said in its statement there had been “a decisive breakdown in the public consensus on death and organ donation,” following “the failure of recent efforts to resolve an important dispute regarding the determination of brain death.”

Catholic teaching supports organ donation, which Pope St. John Paul II called “a particularly praiseworthy example” of “everyday heroism,” so long as the donation is made with free and informed consent, and the donor is truly dead. The act of removing the organs must not kill the donor.

But recent efforts to change the definition of death stand to erode those ethical standards,

Life and death decision Surgeons extract the liver and kidneys of a braindead woman for organ donation and transplantation in this file photo. The National Catholic Bioethics Center released an April 11 statement calling for consistent clinical, legal, and ethical standards regarding the declaration of brain death.

said the NCBC, whose statement was prompted by two key developments.

The first was a proposed revision to the 1981 Uniform Determination of Death Act, or UDDA, on the criteria for determining death. That change was put on hold in September 2023 after pushback from several organizations, including the NCBC and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The second was the October 2023 publication of revised guidelines on the issue by the American Academy of Neurology [AAN], the Child Neurology Society, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine, which now enable clinicians to declare brain death despite evidence of neuroendocrine function.

The neuroendocrine system, which includes the part of the brain known as the hypothala -

mus, regulates a number of key activities, such as temperature, the balance between salt and water in the body, sleep, and sex drive. The hypothalamus may also play a role in awareness and pain detection.

The UDDA (approved by the American Medical Association in 1980 and the American Bar Association in 1981) states that a person can be declared dead following the “irreversible” shutdown of circulatory and respiratory functions, or of “all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.”

The determination of death must be made “in accordance with accepted medical standards,” the act states.

In recent years, however, “a lot of people thought, ‘It’s a 40-yearold law; maybe we need to revise it,’” NCBC executive vice president John Brehany told OSV News. “We think there were some bad proposals (to do so).”

Those “bad proposals” relate to testing for brain death, Mr. Brehany said.

“The law pretty much says that … brain death involves all irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain,” he said. “And yet the guidelines of the most in -

Vatican continued on page A20 Organs continued on page A20

Praying

Pope Francis kisses a Ukrainian flag carried by a group of Ukrainian children attending his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 10. The pope prayed during the audience for peace in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, and in Myanmar.

By Bill Brewer

DA commitment to faith

r. Aurelia Montgomery, a veteran educator who served as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools during her long, distinguished tenure in the Diocese of Knoxville, died on April 8 following a brief illness. She was 88.

Archbishop Emeritus Joseph E. Kurtz served as celebrant for the April 19 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where Dr. Montgomery was a longtime member. Father David Boettner, rector of the cathedral, delivered the homily and concelebrated the Mass along with Father Peter Iorio, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, Father John Orr, pastor of St. Mary in Athens, and Father Pontian Kiyimba, parochial administrator of St. Mary in Gatlinburg and Good Shepherd in Newport. Deacon Sean Smith served as deacon of the Word and Deacon Walt Otey served as deacon of the altar.

Father Orr led a rosary for Dr. Montgomery on April 18 at Rose Mortuary-Mann Heritage Chapel in Knoxville.

Among those in attendance at the funeral Mass were a host of current and former Diocese of Knoxville educators and former students. Father Boettner acknowledged the school leaders in the congregation and pointed to those leading the music liturgy, which was a youth choir composed of diocesan students.

Father Boettner’s homily was an homage to Dr. Montgomery’s life.

“I want to try to capture the Scriptures and Dr. Montgomery’s life in three ways. Dr. Montgomery loved her Italian heritage so much that I am using three Italian words. The first one is coraggio. The second one is camminata. And the third one is fiat,” the cathedral rector said.

Dr. Montgomery’s maiden name was Punaro, and her descendants hailed from Italy. Extended members of her family included the Varallo families in Chattanooga and Nashville.

“Well, that word coraggio, courage, I think is emblematic of Aurelia’s life because she was a woman of courage. Courage is often portrayed as someone who is brave. And that’s true. But courage is doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason despite your own fears. She had to face her own fears many times because being a single mother, being a woman in the

"Courage, I think, is emblematic of Aurelia's life because she was a woman of courage. Courage is often portrayed as someone who is brave. And that's true. But courage is doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason despite your own fears."

— Father David Boettner

Church, being someone in education, there were many challenges that she faced,” Father Boettner said.

“Dr. Montgomery always tried to choose to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason. That’s courage. And it shaped her life. It took her from being a teacher to a school leader, to a superintendent, to a school leader, to a school leader, to a school leader. It seems that Dr. Montgomery never got tired of saying yes, of being willing to allow her life to serve the needs of the Church. And that’s a beautiful testament to who she is,” he added.

Dr. Montgomery was born in Augusta, Ga.,

and her family also lived in Nashville, Memphis, and Louisville, Ky. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Memphis in the early 1950s and then graduated from George Peabody College for Teachers (now part of Vanderbilt University) in the mid-1950s. She was widowed at the age of 36 in 1972 when her son, Paul, was 8 years old.

She moved to Knoxville from Silver Spring, Md., in 1978 and began teaching at Knoxville Catholic High School that year.

In continuing his homily, Father Boettner said, “The second word is camminata. If you ever were in the cathedral any time before noon Mass, you saw this lovely lady walking around the church—fast. Really fast. And praying the rosary as she goes. The camminata is a little walk. Dr. Montgomery’s faith was always connected to the rosary. She would walk all the way around the church. She would get her steps in, and she would pray the rosary. But she was always praying the rosary for us. She was never praying for herself. She was always praying for us. And she would always be here. I could tell if she was in the church because I could see that the pages of the memorial book of the priests had been flipped. She had her favorites. I won’t say who they were. She would flip the book and pray for those priests, and pray for her friends, and her family, and everybody else. That was part of her ministry, even after she had long stopped being a school leader. She was still a leader in faith. She was a leader in intercessory prayer for all of us,” Father Boettner recalled.

“And as she walked around on her little walk every day, she always thought about us. She also prayed with the saints. I think that’s what helped her on that walk. She was always praying with the saints. She was never alone; she was never on her own. She was always connected to the faith of the Church and the witness of those who have gone before us in faith. There maybe are a few students who she was praying for as well. She always wanted to be that person engaged in prayer for the world, the Church, and for those who she loved,” he said.

The third word Father Boettner had in mind for Dr. Montgomery unmistakably pertained to her faith.

“The last part is important. The fiat. Now, April 8 may not sound like a particularly imporAurelia continued on page A24

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St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic expands to Crossville

St. Alphonsus Parish to host mobile medical van each month

By Gabrielle Nolan

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic continues to expand its reach with the goal of providing holistic health care to the rural uninsured of East Tennessee.

On April 23, the mobile medical clinic opened its doors for the first time in Crossville, with a new site at St. Alphonsus Church located at 151 St. Alphonsus Way.

The clinic will visit the St. Alphonsus location in Cumberland Co. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Crab Orchard visits (also in Cumberland County) will continue on the second Tuesday of each month. The clinic also visits Athens in McMinn County, Decatur in Meigs County, Gatlinburg in Sevier County, Knoxville in Knox County, Rutledge and Washburn in Grainger County, and Helenwood in Scott County.

The clinic’s executive director, Martin Vargas, gave opening remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and St. Alphonsus pastor Father Mark Schuster led an opening prayer. Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM, who is a physician, serves as the clinic’s medical director.

Mr. Vargas commented on the partnership between the medical clinic and St. Alphonsus Community Services (SACS), which provides financial assistance and food to people in need.

SACS, which is a ministry of St. Alphonsus Parish, operates a food pantry three days a week, and residents of Cumberland Co. can, after verification, receive assistance with rent, electricity, gas, and water bills. No religious association is needed to receive help.

“So, you have the healing ministry of Jesus. You have the healing ministry of food, providing the loaves and breads that feed the people, provide them housing; and the spiritual needs all here in one place,

Welcome

Crossville

and the community,” Mr. Vargas said.

Mr. Vargas mentioned that another benefit of the St. Alphonsus location is the large parking lot, which allows other agencies to set up alongside the clinic van.

“Today in the parking lot we have the mobile career bus; you can go on there and get yourself a job,” he said. “They’ll do a resume; they have computers right on board. So,

if you’re looking for work, you can find that assistance. We have CHI Memorial (hospital), one of our local partners out of Chattanooga has come up here. They have a full CAT scan machine on their clinic, and they can treat your needs if you need that type of scan. If you need vision or hearing, we have the Lions here today. So that health-care village is here at Crossville … to meet your healing needs, your em-

Ukraine archbishop renews pope’s call for prisoner swap

By Gina Christian OSV News

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has renewed Pope Francis’ recent call for an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange as a means of honoring Christ’s deliverance of humanity from sin and death.

As part of his weekly video message, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk issued an April 28 plea that, in particular women, medical workers, and clergy be released, adding, “We will do everything in our power” to secure their freedom.

On Easter, March 31, Pope Francis issued the traditional urbi et orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing, saying in his accompanying message that the “doors of life” opened by “Jesus alone” are "continually … shut with the wars spreading throughout the world.”

“In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all!” Pope Francis said.

Major Archbishop Shevchuk’s reiteration of the pope’s request comes on the eve of Easter according to the Julian calendar (May 5 in 2024), which remains intact for the present in Ukraine. After 2025, all Ukrainian Greek Catholic parishes will follow the Gregorian liturgical calendar.

“We Christians of Ukraine realize that we will not be able to fully honor the Passion of our Savior, His wounds, if we do not serve, help those who are suffering today … who are literally in the hell of war, in particular in the hell of imprisonment and daily tortures of (those who are) Russian prisoners,” the archbishop said.

“We know that about 8,000 Ukrainian servicemen and 1,600 civilians

are currently in Russian captivity, in hellish conditions,” he said. “Let’s do everything possible so that, step by step, the exchange of ‘all for all’ will become an Easter reality.”

He also addressed the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church, saying, “I know that people in Russia also hear us.”

“This appeal of Pope Francis found a deep response in the hearts of ordinary Russians. We know that the Russian Orthodox will honor and kiss the icon of Christ’s ‘Descent into Hell’ on Easter. We all worship the Lord, who takes humanity out of hell by the hand, takes out Adam and Eve from the graves,” he said. “Therefore, let us Christians stand on both sides of the front line with the hand of Christ, who will pull out of (the) hell (of) captivity … our brothers and sisters women, doctors, and priests.”

The archbishop said he wanted “to be heard by all women’s organizations: religious, public, those that care about the dignity of women in the modern world, regardless of ideological direction,” with the goal of seeing every woman “freed from captivity, whether in Ukraine or in Russia, so that she can return to her family (and) home on the Easter holiday.”

Major Archbishop Shevchuk also urged “international medical organizations, in particular the Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) community, to make maximum efforts so that doctors return from prison to their families, to fulfill their professional duties.”

He said there are 10 known Ukrainian clergymen in Russian detention and appealed to the international religious community: “Can’t the whole world get those 10 priests to sing ‘Christ is risen’ in their churches on Easter?”

Among the captive clerics are two

ployment needs, SACS with your other physical needs, and then the local church for your healing needs or spiritual needs.”

Mr. Vargas said that “the need is tremendous” in Crossville. Since 2014, the mobile clinic has been visiting Cumberland County in Crab Orchard, but data showed that a second location was necessary.

“We looked at our patient numbers and realized that 51 percent of our patients live in Crossville that attend the Crab Orchard clinic,” Mr. Vargas shared. “So, it was a natural extension from a geography standpoint, and there were two other things that really drove us to come to this location. One is patient need.”

One day while at the clinic in Crab Orchard, Mr. Vargas noticed a patient arriving from a bus. Unaware of the bus from Crossville to Crab Orchard, Mr. Vargas learned the route cost $5 each way for the patient. However, Mr. Vargas was informed that taking the bus locally in Crossville would cost the patient only $1 each way.

“Right then and there I knew we needed to come to Crossville because it’s so much more convenient for some of our patients, saves them money, and that difference in $8 makes a difference, so that was huge,” he said.

The other driver to setting up a clinic site at St. Alphonsus Church was the opportunity to partner with SACS.

“They provide not only food assistance but shelter assistance, automobile repair assistance, and that’s here on the same day we’re here,” Mr. Vargas said. “So, one stop, you can get your physical needs, your healing needs met; you can get your physical needs for sustenance met; and the new church here at St. Alphonsus opened up this

beauti-

GABRIELLE NOLAN

to

Father Mark Schuster, pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville, center left, and Martin Vargas, executive director of the St. Mary's Legacy Clinic, center right, along with clinic staff and volunteers cut the ribbon on the clinic's newest location at St. Alphonsus.

Clinic continued on page A26

COURTESY OF ST. MARY'S LEGACY CLINIC

On the road again ... and again The St. Mary's Legacy Clinic travels throughout East Tennessee each week treating patients in need.

KCHS president receives national education award

NCEA names Notre Dame High School grad a top U.S. school leader

By Gabrielle Nolan

The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) announced 11 winners of its “Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award” at its annual convention, which was held in Pittsburgh April 2-4.

Representing Knoxville Catholic High School was award-winner Dickie Sompayrac, who serves as president of the diocesan school.

Mr. Sompayrac is the first educator from the Diocese of Knoxville to receive the award.

“I was surprised but honored, touched,” Mr. Sompayrac said.

“When I got the phone call that I had received the award, the lady from NCEA mentioned that I had been nominated by several folks at Knoxville Catholic, and I think that was the part that meant the most to me, was just that somebody that I worked with took time to nominate me for that award. I felt very honored and touched and humbled by it.”

According to the NCEA’s website, the “Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award” recognizes the “outstanding efforts, contributions, and achievements on behalf of Catholic school education.”

Congratulations! Knoxville Catholic High School president Dickie Sompayrac, center, holds the award he received from the National Catholic Education Association. Joining him at the awards ceremony in Pittsburgh are, from left, Joni Punch, KCHS vice president of institutional advancement; Father Chris Michelson, special adviser to KCHS; Jeni Sompayrac, Mr. Sompayrac's wife; Ore Pumariega, KCHS vice president of student affairs; and Dr. Sedonna Prater, KCHS vice president of academics.

Criteria for the award insists that school leaders actively model service to others within the community, support rigorous academic programs that integrate the faith across

subject areas, and embrace Catholic identity, among other principles.

Mr. Sompayrac has worked in Catholic education for 32 years, and he has served at Knoxville Catholic

High School for 19 years. He began his teaching career as director of admissions at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga and taught chemistry at all grade levels. Afterward, he joined Bishop England High School in Charleston, S.C., and taught chemistry before becoming dean of faculty and co-disciplinarian. He has been the president of Knoxville Catholic High School since 2005.

Mr. Sompayrac is inspired in his work by the teachers from his upbringing as well as the relationships he holds today.

“I was blessed to have some really good teachers from grade school all the way up through college who I felt like inspired me, one, to want to be a teacher, but two, just that I saw how much they were doing for me, and I’ve always wanted to have that same impact on people who I serve and who I work with,” he said.

“I just think that being a Catholic educator is truly a gift; I do think it’s a calling. Just seeing kids that you taught go on to do great things, and whether it’s in married life or a religious vocation or regardless, I think just the relationships that

Award continued on page A19

As Catholics, each of us is called by Jesus to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those in need of love and compassion.

Through your generosity, you are responding to His call by putting your faith into action.

Thanks to your prayers and support, the local Church is able to deliver essential ministries, programs, and services throughout East Tennessee.

THANK YOU!

Together, as a Catholic community of faith rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we join together to provide free healthcare within rural communities through the Scan here to learn more about the Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries THANK

for your commitment to the Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries!

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, enable seminarians to follow the path God has called them to, educate and inspire the next generation of Catholics through the ministry of Christian Faith Formation, offer innovative programs provided by Catholic Charities that serve anyone in need, and so much more.

Your unwavering commitment proves that charity is just another word for love.

Jesus is truly present in our diocese, and it is all thanks to you! Thank you for putting your own faith into action and supporting the 2024 Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries.

Because of you, we can show charity and love in everything we do!

DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

Mary: A study in motherhood

Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul retreat looks at Blessed Mother's sorrowful heart

By Claire Collins

Amotherhood retreat, led by the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga on March 9, featured the theme “A sword shall pierce your heart: how to bear the wounds of motherhood through our Holy Mother.”

And the retreat opened the door for mothers of all ages to hear how Mary’s sorrowful heart inspires the faithful to embrace their sufferings and love like her.

The retreat was organized by basilica parishioner Nikki Pacitti and was graciously hosted by the priests of the basilica in their rectory.

“This retreat theme came from the leadership team for the motherhood community,” Mrs. Pacitti said. “We do a weekly prayer request titled ‘Memorare Mondays.’ Every week, without fail, mothers are asking for prayers of peace, patience, and help with the anxieties of motherhood.”

The retreat opened with a Mass in the rectory chapel. Inspired by the beginning of the sixth chapter of Hosea, Father Michael Hendershott spoke about Mary’s wounds of motherhood through the image of her standing at the foot of the cross as Our Lord endured His Passion.

The associate pastor spoke of how, while the wounds of Christ on the cross are exterior and outwardly physical, Mary’s wounds were contrarily interior and unseen.

“Indeed, how true it is that mothers bear wounds, and they bear these wounds as Our Lady does: interiorly, in silence, in hiddenness,” Father Hendershott said.

This interior suffering is something in which all women can relate to Our Lady and learn from her example of how to suffer in this way.

Father Hendershott spoke of how Mary, so deeply united to her Son, witnessed the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy that for her, too, “a sword shall pierce,” at the cross when Jesus’ heart was pierced with a lance.

“When His body was pierced,” he said, “her soul, which was still united to Him in a hidden, interior way, was likewise pierced. Thus, Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled.”

He also encouraged participants to unite their personal sufferings to Mary’s and thus allow them to bear fruit along with her and her Son. Specifically, he mentioned the wounds incurred on mothers through the experiences and sufferings of their children. He mentioned that Mary

A

Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga listen as Sister Victoria Marie Liederbach, OP, gives her presentation.

is the perfect model of what it looks like to bear these wounds, as she was able to allow her wounds to be sources of love and glory as they were healed through Christ’s victory.

After a potluck-style breakfast, women were then invited to hear about Mary and her experience with the emotion of anxiety. Sister Victoria Marie Liederbach of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville dove into St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings on emotions and how they relate to will in order to demonstrate Mary’s supernatural ability to receive the hardships she endured in her life related to Jesus with grace and trust in God’s providence.

Sister Victoria Marie used the stories of the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, the finding of the child Jesus in the temple, and the prophecy of Simeon to explain how Mary’s experience of and response to anxiety can be a model and example for all women, mothers in particular.

“Mary would feel anxiety, but it wouldn’t be the dominant emotion,” Sister Victoria Marie

Pope calls pastors to be ‘ missionaries of synodality’

By Cindy Wooden, Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Pope Francis signed a letter on synodality in the presence of parish priests and urged them to be “missionaries of synodality,” several priests present said.

Father Donald J. Planty Jr., pastor of St. Charles Parish in Arlington, Va., and a U.S. pastor at the meeting, said, “He told us, ‘I want you to take this letter, and I want you to put it into action. I want you to share it and speak to your bishops about it and speak to your brother pastors about it.’”

The pope signed the letter May 2 as he met with more than 200 parish priests in the Vatican Synod Hall. The meeting was at the end of an April 29-May 2 gathering for the priests to share their experiences and offer input for the drafting of the working document for the Synod of Bishops on synodality’s second assembly in October.

Father Planty, who served in the Vatican diplomatic corps and Vatican Secretariat of State, said it was clear that what participants from around the world had in common was “love for our identity as priests and our mission as priests.”

Clearly, he said, some priests have difficulty getting parishioners to open up and share their hopes, dreams, and skills a crucial part of building a “synodal Church” where people listen to one another and share responsibility for the life of the parish and its missionary outreach. That isn’ t a problem in the United States, Father Planty said. “Especially in a country of an Anglo-Saxon democratic tradition” where people share their opinions, including with their priests

“A priest who really knows his parish loves his parishioners, has his finger on the pulse of the parish” not only through the pastoral

council and finance council but “also through other, informal settings,” he said. Such a pastor “knows his people, consults with them, listens to them, takes their advice, and ultimately that factors into his pastoral decisions and planning and actions.”

Father Clint Ressler, pastor of St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Texas City, Texas, said spiritual discernment adds a key factor because synodality “is not listening to the voice of the people but the voice of God in the voice of the people.”

“It isn’t just about your voices and your opinions,” he said. “We have to all be willing to then go deeper beneath those voices to try to hear what the Spirit is saying among us.”

Father Paul Soper, pastor of St. Margaret Mary and St. Denis parishes in Westwood, Mass., and secretary for ministerial personnel in the Archdiocese of Boston, said priests and laypeople who have fears or concerns about synodality are afraid of different things.

“The fear of the priests is that there is a degree of randomness to the process,” he said, and that the synod “is going to be recommending big changes in the life of the Church somehow or another that will have come from a bunch of random voices rather than from a clearly traceable conciliar process.”

“I think what the people fear is different,” he said. “I think that they fear that this is a conversation that’s not going to go anywhere. That it will simply, in the end, be a collection of reflections on the process of reflecting a meeting on meetings, if you will.”

But, he said, his experience in evangelization has taught him that the “deep listening” or “contemplative listening” that the synod process is teaching people is what will enable Catholics to understand other people’s stories and invite them into or back into a relationship with Jesus and with the Church. ■

said when speaking about the flight into Egypt.

“She would be feeling love for Jesus and Joseph, she would be feeling sorrow for people she loved and missed in Nazareth. There would be this great harmony and unity even amid the great suffering as she flees to Egypt.”

She added that ultimately Mary had to surrender her plan and her ability to make things perfect to God’s will and begin planning for her family’s life, trusting that He would take care of them, especially her Son, Jesus.

Regarding the finding of Jesus in the temple, Sister Victoria Marie said, “This is a place where Mary actually says, ‘We have been searching for you anxiously,’ so she definitely had anxiety because it’s in the Bible.” She went on to explain how Mary experienced this particular suffering, inviting participants to let her example be a model for how they can face similar trials in their own lives.

“She had faith and hope in a lot of darkness and really didn’t understand why this happened,” Sister Victoria Maria said. “She asked, ‘Jesus, why did you do that?’ She is trusting in a plan she does not fully understand. She felt anxiety, but she went toward the thing that made her anxious. God has given her this emotion in order to protect her Son. It causes her to search for her Son.”

This experience was part of the way that God was preparing Mary for what she would experience at the foot of the cross. “As Jesus gets older, it gets more complicated for Mary to love Jesus,” Sister Victoria Marie explained. “Jesus is being drawn beyond their family. The good of my family being together is not as good as Jesus’ mission, and Jesus’ good is actually a greater good than the good of the family. Mary has to experience what she understood to be the plan being rewritten.”

Sister Victoria Marie went on to share how the prophecy of Simeon invites Mary to endure a 33-year anxiety, knowing that her heart would be pierced but not knowing when or how.

“(Mary) doesn’t know the whole plan, but she has faith in God and she has hope in God. She knows that God is good, and she trusts God. She has certainty in the face of a greater uncertainty,” the Dominican Sister said.

Ultimately, though, even Jesus’ death on the cross is not enough to sway Mary’s ultimate trust in God. Sister Victoria Marie explained

Retreat continued on page A25

study in motherhood Participants in a motherhood retreat on March 9 at the Basilica of

CLAIRE COLLINS

‘Caitlin Clark has the world by her fi ngertips ’

Former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar supported by Catholic

By John Knebels OSV News

Wearing scrubs en route to the hospital to begin her day, a health-care specialist was asked how much she knew about Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa basketball superstar who led her Hawkeye teammates and by extension, all of “Hawkeye Nation” to almost unprecedented acclaim in women’s basketball.

Not akin to assessing athletes and their acumen, she quickly and succinctly summarized Ms. Clark’s entrenchment in women’s basketball.

“That basketball that she dribbles and shoots and passes serves as a great metaphor for Caitlin Clark,” the nurse said. “The basketball is round, just like the world. And right now, Caitlin Clark has the world by her fingertips.”

That Ms. Clark has managed to permeate both the zealous and casual sports fan provides a testament to the level of her national impact at the young age of 22.

At this point, it’s an arduous task to cover new ground when it comes to Ms. Clark, a lifelong and reportedly devoted Catholic who attended St. Francis of Assisi parochial school in West Des Moines, Iowa, from kindergarten through eighth grade, and then spent four years at nearby Dowling Catholic High School.

Local reporters from Ms. Clark’s hometown have been sharing her exploits since the end of grade school. Ms. Clark wasn’t even a high school junior before national publications began pegging her as a can’tmiss collegiate standout. By the time she was a senior, the words “Caitlin Clark” had soared

And she's Catholic, too Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) controls the ball against Connecticut Huskies guard Nika Muhl (10) in the Final Four of the women's 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on April 5. The Hawkeyes beat the Huskies to advance to the women's NCAA Tournament national championship game April 7 against undefeated South Carolina. Ms. Clark graduated in 2020 from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.

through the Internet like an outof-control locomotive with no definitive destination.

Those who have known Ms. Clark, however, said they never noticed any apparent change in her affable, comfortable, confident personality when early daily publicity and subsequent almost-ridiculous national coverage last year and, in particular, the past few months threatened to scrutinize every move Ms. Clark made both on and off the basketball court.

“She’s handled it as well as any 21- or 22-year-old could,” said Kristin Meyer, her high school basketball coach at Dowling who somehow manages to cheerfully return countless phone calls from those researching Ms. Clark’s star-studded scholastic career.

“Her support system starts with her family. She doesn’t get caught up in fame or the

Challenges, visions of youth ministry in U.S., Latin America

By Maria del Pilar Guzman OSV News

In the United States, more than 60 percent of the Hispanic community is under 18 years of age, “(so) we have to talk about youth ministry, not because (young people) are the future but because they are the present,” said Félix Palazzi as he began a webinar on “Transforming Futures: Visions and Challenges of Youth Ministry in America.”

Mr. Palazzi, a theologian and member of the board of directors of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, opened the April 10 Spanishlanguage webinar featuring a panel of four leaders whose work experiences in various areas of youth and young adult ministry often referred to as pastoral juvenil reflect its realities at the diocesan and national levels in the United States and at the Latin American and Caribbean levels.

Presenting the work done by the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana, known as LaRED, in leadership formation was José Julián Matos Auffant, vice president of this organization that was established in 1997 “with the mission of promoting, supporting, and accompanying the missionary disciples who are the young people,” he said. With the Década de la Pastoral Juvenil (Decade of Hispanic Youth/ Young Adult Ministry) underway a project that began in 2020 and is scheduled to conclude in 2030 Mr. Matos said his organization intends to “foster communication, collaboration, and mutual support among all agents of youth ministry” in addition to “establishing a bridge between civic and ecclesial organizations that work with Hispanic-Latino youth and young adults and with youth ministry in Latin America.”

Mr. Matos said that LaRED’s ambitious plan seeks to organize youth

ministry at the diocesan level in each diocese of the United States, setting the course for the development of this ministry, so that it acquires a vital role in parish life during the next six years.

The hard work that LaRED does to involve more Hispanic-Latino youth in the life of the Church aligns with the mission of the Pastoral Juvenil Latinoamericana y Caribeña (Latin American and Caribbean Youth Ministry), an organization belonging to the Latin American Episcopal and Caribbean Council, explained Paola Balanza, a 22-year-old from Tarija, Bolivia

Ms. Balanza said this ministry is organized in four regions: the Mexico and Central America Region; the Caribbean Region; the Andean Region, of which she is a delegate; and the Southern Cone Region, made up of Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.

Describing the tight bonds among the young people in the organization, Ms. Balanza also spoke of the challenges it has faced in recent years, highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the political problems facing several nations in Latin America

However, the young Bolivian said that the 2021 Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean in Mexico, where she participated as a young assembly member, brought with it hope for her organization by recognizing young people as agents of transformation in society.

For her part, Brilema Pérez, associate director of the Office of Youth and Young Adults of the Diocese of San Diego, spoke of the experience of youth ministry in dioceses and parishes.

Ms. Pérez pointed out, that pastoral juvenil needs to constantly reinvent itself to ask “¿Quiénes son los jóvenes?” (“Who are the youth?”), instead of evangelizing with a uniform vision ■

business aspect,” Ms. Meyer said. “She was like that in high school. She didn’t look to seek attention. She didn’t spend much time on social media. She’s grounded. Humble.”

When Ms. Clark played in grade school, Ms. Meyer immediately noticed a “different type” of player. Ms. Clark’s improvement quickly skyrocketed, rising to uncommon heights.

To communally celebrate their 2020 alumna, the Dowling Catholic student council rented out a local theater on April 1 to watch Ms. Clark in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament that night. They weren’t disappointed after she scored 41 points and threaded 12 assists in a 94-87 win over LSU that earned a trip to the Final Four.

“It’s incredible,” Ms. Meyer said. “It’s still surreal … the level of notoriety to women’s basketball. It’s not all about Caitlin

Clark, of course, but she is a part of it. As terrific a player as she was in high school, I can’t say I expected this level of success.”

“Her court vision. Her understanding. I haven’t seen a higher IQ,” Ms. Meyer continued. “She’s fun to watch. She’s so consistent, scores 30 or 40 against great teams. It’s an art. She can make it look effortless.”

Like Ms. Meyer, one of Ms. Clark’s grade-school mentors at St. Francis sixth-grade math and science teacher Jill Westholm recalls Ms. Clark’s kind, easygoing disposition as a youngster and has witnessed her former pupil’s ability to remain stable despite unlimited attention from fans, media, and even curious bystanders who can’t quite make sense of Caitlin-mania.

“It’s so crazy to me to see her in this superstar world,” Ms. Westholm told OSV News. “The same Caitlin you see today is the same Caitlin who walked the halls as a 10-, 12-, and 14-yearold. She’s the Caitlin Clark who is very smart, intelligent; very driven. The Caitlin Clark who never gave less than her best. The Caitlin Clark who was and is very loyal to her friends. The Caitlin Clark who, even in middle school, had their backs.”

A few months ago, Ms. Westholm and a few friends decided to purchase tickets to the NCAA women's Final Four April 5-6 in Cleveland. Figuring correctly, as it turned out that ticket prices could become unreasonable as the event approached, Ms. Westholm and her friends figured they were in win-win mode. The “worst” possibility would be sitting back and watching four great programs vie for the right

Images of Christ

Two local artists named finalists in National Sacred Art exhibit

By Emily Booker

Picture Christ. What image comes to your mind?

Sacred art forms our understanding of religious concepts, like who Christ is, and educates us on the faith, using rich imagery and symbolism to pass down stories and meaning.

Two artists in the Diocese of Knoxville, Clorinda Bell and Katie Schmid, use their artistic gifts to create beauty and share the faith. And their talent is getting noticed. Both women have been selected as finalists in the National Sacred Art Exhibit.

The National Eucharistic Revival partnered with St. Edmund’s Retreat, which hosts the Sacred Art Institute, to invite artists from all over the country to share their talents in exploration and celebration of sacred art, especially Christ and the eucharistic mystery.

A sneak peek of the 109 selected pieces was shown at St. Edmund’s Retreat in New London, Conn., in April. The art exhibit “Do This In Memory of Me” will open May 31 at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Conn.

EWTN host Father Chris Alar will present the awards to the winners at the exhibit’s opening reception on May 31. Selected works will be showcased at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July.

Ms. Bell and Ms. Schmid’s paintings each show the deep love of Christ in unique and beautiful ways.

A watchful eye

Clorinda Bell was born in Peru and now lives in Knoxville. She studied at the National University of San Antonio and earned a bachelor’s degree in education. Ms. Bell is self-taught in the Cuzco style of painting. The Cuzco style, which is defined by its predominance of red, yellow, and earth colors; the use of gold leaf; and its dramatic imagery, dates back to the 16th century in Peru.

Ms. Bell learned about the National Sacred Art Exhibit by chance at the St. Joseph School Christmas market in December.

“One lady came to my booth, and she said, ‘Oh, you should enter the sacred art competition. It’s huge, and you are a great artist.’ And she gave me the information. So, I said OK,

thank you so much.”

There wasn’t time to begin a new painting for the competition, but Ms. Bell happened to be working on a piece for herself that she believed would be perfect for the exhibit.

“Deacon Danny Herman had come here to buy a painting, the Good Shepherd,” she said. “And he explained to me why he is connected to the painting and all this, and I thought, this is so beautiful.”

After speaking with Deacon Herman (who will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville in June), Ms. Bell began reflecting more on Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

“The Good Shepherd refers to Jesus Christ’s role as a caring, protected leader, similar to how a shepherd looks after sheep,” she explained. “In the Bible, Jesus describes Himself as the good shepherd who knows each of His sheep by name and lays down His life for them. That image emphasizes His dedication and love for His followers. He guides them, provides for their needs, and protects them from harm.”

“The good shepherd metaphor is powerful because it conveys a message of safety and trust and love and care. It shows that like a good shepherd, Jesus is always present, guiding his

followers through life changes and ensuring they are never alone,” she added.

She began working on another painting of the Good Shepherd and had been working on it bit by bit when she learned about the competition.

After putting the finishing touches on the painting, she submitted it, and it was chosen.

The whole process felt like God was guiding it, she said.

“For me, it is an honor to be there just participating. And I think everything is God’s planning. I didn’t look for that exhibition. The way it all turned out is like God the Spirit telling me to do it. I think it’s God guiding me,” she said.

“The Good Shepherd” shows Christ lovingly holding and protecting a sheep.

“The portrait is meant to inspire faith and belief and show Jesus as an ever-watchful caregiver,” Ms. Bell said. “I think that is very powerful for us because we’re the sheep of God, right? So, He cares about us. I think this image can represent that for everybody.”

Ms. Bell hopes her art can inspire faith and Artists continued on page A16

COURTESY

OF KATIE SCHMID

Sacrifice of the Pelican Artist Katie Schmid uses the image of the pelican to represent the selfgiving love of Christ. The pelican, once thought to strike its own breast to feed its children, has been used as a symbol of sacrificial love and charity in the Church for centuries.

The Good Shepherd Artist Clorinda Bell demonstrates Christ’s love and protection for His sheep in her painting of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The title of Good Shepherd conveys a message of safety and trust.

COURTESY OF CLORINDA

BELL

Studying the ‘ book of the Church ’

Diocesan deacon wants Catholics to be familiar with Scripture

By Gabrielle Nolan

For more than four decades, Deacon Bob Hunt has been teaching the Catholic faith “to everybody from preschoolers to retirees.”

“That’s what I love to do,” he said. “The two things I’m willing to say I do well is write and teach, and I love doing both.”

Deacon Hunt’s motivation for teaching is simple but profound.

“It’s because I love Jesus, and I love the Church, and I want to tell others about Him and about His Church,” he said. “Being in front of a group of people talking about Jesus is my favorite place to be, and it’s really kind of a safe place for me because I almost feel most comfortable there than almost any place else.”

As a teacher, Deacon Hunt has served RCIA groups, CCD classes, adult faith formation classes, and homeschooled his three daughters. He is assigned to two Knoxville parishes, All Saints and Holy Ghost, where he assists at Mass and preaches once per month. He is the spiritual adviser to All Saints’ St. Vincent de Paul group and is the chaplain for Holy Ghost’s Legion of Mary community.

As a writer, he is no stranger to The East Tennessee Catholic newspaper, where he has a monthly column titled “Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful.” His personal online blog shares the same title.

Now, Deacon Hunt’s two passions are combined with the recent release of his first book, Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews Deacon Hunt’s book is available for purchase at The Paraclete Catholic Books and Gifts store at 417 Erin Drive on the campus of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. He will be present for a book-signing at The Paraclete on Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25, from 1-3 p.m. each day.

“The whole idea and the passion behind Thy Word is to get Catholics to become more familiar with the Scriptures,” he explained.

“The Scriptures are one of the means by which God reveals His truth to us, and in particular the truth of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “So, if we don’t know the Scriptures, we don’t know Christ. How else would we get to know Him?”

Deacon Hunt encourages anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible to pick up his book.

“It is a basic introduction,” he said. “I even have a section in there on how to find a verse in the Bible. It assumes you know nothing. I also do not get into deep debates regarding the Scriptures. I don’t get into speculatory theories, such as the source theory or the synoptic problem, things like that. I do talk about what scholars believe or the consensus of scholarship on when these books were written, who wrote these books, and when they were put together as a canon, but that’s as deep as I get into, if you will, scholarly questions or things like that.”

“The basic idea is to introduce this book to Catholics who would like to learn more about the Bible,” the deacon continued. “And the hope, of course, is that after they finish this book, they’ll be inspired to maybe study more deeply. But if you read this book, you will know what most Catholics know about the Bible, and really what most Catholics ought to know about the Bible. We should know our book. This is our book. The Bible is the book of the Church. It was written by the Church, it was given to the

Church as a gift, and it’s intended to be used by the Church to spread the Gospel, the message of God, and to encourage us to live that faithfully. And so, we should be familiar with this book.”

Thy Word contains 22 lessons on the books of the Bible and 10 articles on subjects related to sacred Scripture.

“Each chapter addresses a part of a book of the Scriptures or several books of the Scriptures in a format that is, let’s say, easy on the eyes,” Deacon Hunt said. “There’s a suggested reading on the Scriptures. There’s the content, the text itself, my text of commentary on that section of the Scripture or on those books of the Scriptures. And then a series of critical points, bullet points if you will, to summarize the main message of that section of the book or those books of the Scripture.”

The book, which took two to three years to create, began as a draft for a religious-education class Deacon Hunt and his wife, Margaret, were teaching at All Saints several years ago.

“Our topic was the Scriptures,

“The whole idea and the passion behind ‘Thy Word’ is to get Catholics to become more familiar with the Scriptures. ... The Scriptures are one of the means by which God reveals His truth to us, and in particular the truth of Jesus Christ. So, if we don't know the Scriptures, we don't know Christ. How else would we get to know Him?”

— Deacon Bob Hunt

Father Greg Boyle receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

By Kate Scanlon OSV News

Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, was among 19 Americans awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on May 3.

The White House said the award is given to “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors.”

In comments at a ceremony to award the medals, President Biden said Father Boyle “changed countless lives” through his former gang member rehabilitation ministry.

President Biden joked that he was educated by Norbertines who worried their students would go to Jesuit colleges because “you guys were too liberal.”

“Thank God for the Jebbies,” President Biden said, quipping, “That’s what my staff hates me doing, ad-libbing.”

Father Boyle established Homeboy Industries in 1992 to improve

the lives of former gang members. The organization has evolved into the largest gang intervention, rehab, and reentry program in the world.

Father Boyle previously was pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, which also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city, which inspired his ministry.

Homeboy Industries wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Congrats, Father G. You deserve it.”

Also receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award were Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky, who is another high-profile Catholic recipient, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is Catholic, too.

Ms. Ledecky won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals, the most in history for a female swimmer.

Rep. Pelosi made history as the first and only woman to serve as Speaker of the House, leading the congressional chamber from 20072011 and then again from 2019-2023. She became known for her ability to bring together various factions

and so every week I would simply put together my thoughts on the Scriptures, on the topic we were reading that day,” he said. “And that became the first draft for Thy Word. … I finished it in 2013. And I got the copyright, and the nihil obstat, and imprimatur in 2013.”

The book obtained the nihil obstat from Monsignor Robert J. Hoffstetter and the imprimatur from Bishop Richard F. Stika.

“Nihil obstat is a Latin phrase that means nothing opposed,” Deacon Hunt explained. “It used to apply to any Catholic book published by any Catholic person on any Catholic subject, or any subject at all almost. Since I think over the last couple of decades or more the Church has shifted, and now a nihil obstat and imprimatur are only required for books that are going to be used for catechetical purposes or teaching purposes to make sure that they’re in line with the doctrine of the Church.”

“Imprimatur is a Latin phrase that means let it be printed, or it may be printed,” he continued. “The imprimatur means since there’s nothing opposed to the teaching of the Church in this book then it may be printed. And then Catholics can see that nihil obstat and imprimatur and know that they can read this book with confidence that the contents of this book are in line with the teaching of the Church. And that was important to me because I wanted people to know that. I wanted people to know that when they’re reading this book, they’re not going to find anything contrary to Church teaching so they can read it with confidence for themselves and, more importantly, they can read it and use it as a teaching tool for others, their children, or for others in the parish.”

Although progress had been made on the book, the file remained stored on Deacon Hunt’s computer for a decade, until a new friendship brought it back into the light.

“I met Jim Bello as a fellow candidate in the diaconate program for the diocese,” Deacon Hunt shared. “He writes books also, and he was interested in my book, so I sent him a copy. He loved it, and he arranged for an editor to go through the book, which was very gracious of him, of course. And I incorporated her corrections, the great, great majority of her recommendations.” He then went to Sister Timothea Elliott, RSM, who serves the Book continued on page A25

BOOK SIGNING

Deacon Bob Hunt

Teaching the Bible Deacon Bob Hunt, seated, is surrounded by readers of his new book, Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews, during a Bible study at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

Beckman and Archbishop Fabre distribute Communion at Mass.

long time,” Archbishop Fabre said. “We were seminarians together at the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium, many years ago. I believe in my heart that he will be a good shepherd for the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville.”

Who is Father Mark Beckman?

Bishop-elect Beckman was born on Oct. 19, 1962, in Lawrenceburg, which is located within the Diocese of Nashville. He attended Sacred Heart School and Lawrence County High School, both in Lawrenceburg, before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, in 1984. He also received a master’s degree in religious studies from the Catholic University in Belgium in 1988. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Nashville by Bishop James D. Niedergeses on July 13, 1990. He has served as associate pastor and pastor of several Diocese of Nashville parishes and as a high school teacher and associate principal.

Bishop-elect Beckman’s additional service for the Diocese of Nashville has included being a member of the presbyteral council, a member of the diocesan clergy personnel board, director of the diocesan youth office, a member of the priests’ vocation advisory council, a member of the college of consultors, dean of the Northwest Deanery and Central Deanery, chaplain of Knights of Columbus Council 11925, and state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus.

He also has served as director of priest personnel for the Diocese of Nashville since 2018, where he has worked closely with the diocese’s presbyterate.

“While our own hearts are saddened by the departure of such a dear friend and collaborator in ministry, we are joyful for our brothers and sisters in our neighboring diocese who are receiving such a kind, faithful, and capable new shepherd,” said Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville.

Bishop Spalding and Bishop John C. Iffert of the Diocese of Covington, Ky., were on hand at the Chancery press conference in support of their friend and fellow priest.

Archbishop Emeritus Joseph E. Kurtz, who served as archbishop of Louisville from 200722 and was the Diocese of Knoxville’s second bishop from 1999-2007, offered his congratulations to a pastor who will follow in his footsteps in East Tennessee.

“I join with Archbishop Fabre and the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville in rejoicing at the appointment of Bishop-elect J. Mark Beckman as the fourth bishop of Knoxville. I have had the privilege of knowing Bishop-elect Beckman for the last 25 years and hold him in great admiration as a holy and dedicated priest. May he serve Christ and the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville well for many years to come,” Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz said.

Bishop-elect Beckman is an avid hiker and said he plans to continue his passion for the outdoors while serving in the Diocese of Knoxville, which is blessed with many hiking trails. Also, he shared that the color orange runs in his family.

News of his appointment was met with joy and sadness in the diocese where he has always called home. Many Middle Tennessee parishioners and friends offered their best wishes and prayers for success.

“Over the years I have made many friends in the Diocese of Nashville, and I have much gratitude for the support they’ve given me. I look forward to nurturing the same meaningful relationships with the Catholic community in East Tennessee,” Bishop-elect Beckman said. “This is a wonderful diocese, and I am thrilled to be part of its future.”

Questions and answers

Bishop-elect Beckman was met by questions from the media about leading the Diocese of Knoxville.

In response to a question about what he would like to say to his current parishioners, he replied, “To my current parishioners in Nashville, I love you. I’m going to miss you, and I thank you for journeying with me these past nine years.”

He also was asked what his episcopal motto will be. He answered that he continues to pray what that will be.

When asked whether he hopes the diocese can heal from recent events that have cast a negative light, the bishop-elect responded, “I’m grateful for your question. The importance of healing is central to the Gospel, so one of the things that Jesus did very often was He healed people. And we are wounded as we journey through life. I know that there are wounds in this place, as there are everywhere, and one of the most important things a good shepherd does is communicate the healing presence of Christ. So, I will humbly ask the Lord to help me to do that. I remember Pope Francis, early in his pontificate, spoke about the Church being a field hospital, and unless we take care of the wounded, we’re not going to be able to do much more than that, so that will be very important.”

When asked what he would like to say to his predecessor, Bishop Richard F. Stika, Bishopelect Beckman replied, “I do want to thank him for his years as shepherd of this diocese. Any time you are called to do something by the Lord, it requires a great gift and a great responsibility. Yes, I know that being a shepherd involves carrying a burden. So, thank you, I want to say to him, for carrying that burden for the years he has been bishop, and the joys.”

The bishop-elect also was asked what his initial thoughts were on receiving the episcopal appointment.

“Oh, my. Honestly, fear and terror first. I wanted to say to the Lord, ‘Lord, are you sure you are asking me to do this?’ When I became pastor at my current parish of St. Henry, it was twice the size of the parish I had been in before. I felt overwhelmed at the beginning, and I went to our principal, Sister Ann Hyacinth (Genow, OP), and I said, ‘I think God thinks I have bigger shoulders than I do.’ And she said, ‘Father, that’s because you’re not meant to carry it alone. Christ is going to carry it with you,’” he said.

“This week, I had to, because I’ve never been

a bishop. I’m overwhelmed a bit by this whole prospect; I really had to ask the Lord for the grace to have clarity and peace and to help Him to remove some of that fear I was feeling. And once the Lord began to free me from some of that fear, then I began to feel joy and excitement about coming. Last evening when I drove over, the excitement and joy deepened. With each person who has welcomed me, that joy has deepened even further,” he added. When asked what his interests are both within the Church and outside of the Church, he responded, “In the Church, I love being a pastor. I love shepherding God’s people. I love doing spiritual direction. I love celebrating the Eucharist, all the sacraments. I love teaching, and I enjoy adult faith formation. I learned how to teach—high-school students taught me how to teach. If you don’t engage high-school students, you can’t teach well. Inside the Church, those are the things I love the most.”

“Outside things that I love the most would undoubtedly be hiking and being in God’s creation. When I walk out into the woods, I feel a deep sense of peace and connection with God. I’m deeply grateful to be closer to the Great Smoky Mountains, but Father [David] Boettner assured me there are trails that are closer and less crowded. There are closer paths. I do enjoy that. I enjoy reading, I enjoy films, good books, but I don’t have as much time to do those kind of things as I once did,” he continued.

A close family

The bishop-elect comforted many East Tennesseans when he disclosed that his family have been “huge fans of the Big Orange” for decades. He went on to explain that his family includes his parents, three brothers, and two sisters as well as nieces, nephews, great-nieces, greatnephews, and aunts and uncles, many of whom live in Middle Tennessee.

When asked what his parents’ reactions were when they learned of his appointment, he said, “Both of them I think were overjoyed and shocked and head-spinning. My mother has a great intuition, and she just put her arms over her chest, and she said, ‘I knew it. I just knew it.’ How did you know that, Mom? And my dad said, ‘Well, I’ve known it for years, three or four years I’ve known.’ Thank you, Dad. They are a true gift to me. My whole family is a true gift to me.”

Following the press conference, Bishop-elect Beckman concelebrated Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which will be the seat of his bishopric. Archbishop Fabre served as the celebrant. Also concelebrating the Mass were Father Doug Owens, pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville who has been serving as Archbishop Fabre’s apostolic delegate in the diocese; Father David Boettner, rector of the cathedral; Father Martin Gladysz, cathedral associate pastor; and Father Jhon Mario Garcia, cathedral associate pastor. Deacon Sean Smith served as deacon of the Word, and Deacon Walt Otey served as deacon of the altar.

During Mass, Bishop-elect Beckman received an enthusiastic ovation from the congregation Bishop-elect continued on page A13

Bishop-elect

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman, left, and Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre share a joyful moment before the May 7 press conference announcing the new bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman, center, and Father David Boettner greet Alejandro Huerta at Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman is interviewed by media members during a press conference announcing the Nashville priest as the next bishop of Knoxville.

Bishop-elect continued from page A1 GABRIELLE

GABRIELLE NOLAN

The bishop-elect’s formative years and his time as a seminarian and priest are intertwined with many well-known names in Diocese of Knoxville history as well as his native Diocese of Nashville. Who, what, when, and where

Monsignor Xavier Mankel, one of the founding fathers of the Church in East Tennessee who held multiple diocesan-level roles—including four that overlapped early on as he served as superintendent of schools, vicar general, moderator of the curia, and chancellor—became pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., as a young Mark Beckman was finishing his secondary education at Lawrence County High School. At that time, in 1979, then-Father Mankel had just left his 12-year role as principal of Knoxville Catholic High School. The future Monsignor Mankel succeeded Father John Kirk as pastor of Sacred Heart in Lawrenceburg. Both Monsignor Mankel and Father Kirk are Knoxville natives who were educated at the old St. Mary School in downtown Knoxville and at KCHS. Monsignor Mankel served as a priest for 56 years until his death in 2017. Father Kirk, a retired priest of the Diocese of Nashville, celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination on May 9, 2020. He was ordained a priest at Sacred Heart Church in Knoxville, the future cathedral parish, and his first time as a pastor came with his assignment to Sacred Heart in Lawrenceburg in 1975. Bishop-elect Beckman would graduate from Sacred Heart School in the Middle Tennessee town the next year.

“Monsignor Mankel was my pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Lawrenceburg. I’ll tell you also, prior to Father Mankel was Father John Kirk, who is also a native of the Diocese of Knoxville, and it was Father John Kirk who inspired me to become a priest. His care for the people of God and his love for the Lord that was manifest to me really inspired me to say yes to the idea of going to the seminary,” Bishop-elect Beckman said. “Monsignor Mankel, what a character. I think he came to Sacred Heart

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when he was introduced by Archbishop Fabre. “Bishop-elect, I know you will find across the Diocese of Knoxville as warm a welcome as you have received here and wonderful people whom you will serve as bishop and chief shepherd,” the archbishop said.

The archbishop invited Bishop-elect Beckman to address the congregation during his first Mass in the cathedral.

“It is a joy to be in this church. When I arrived last evening, I went to the cathedral rectory. And the rector showed me the cathedral in the distance. The joy of being close to this place was already in my heart at that moment. But today is the first time I’ve entered this church. And to do so for this liturgy is a tremendous gift. As I looked at your faces, you are the living stones of the Church of God. You are God’s people, and I am so grateful that the Lord has called me to be your shepherd. I look forward to the journey ahead. God bless you,” the bishop-elect said.

directly from being principal at Knoxville Catholic High School. He was more like a principal when I first met him, very well-ordered and structured, so when I was told this morning that this room was named after him, I said wow.”

The bishop-elect has a connection to another key priest in the Diocese of Knoxville’s history: Monsignor Al Humbrecht, who celebrated his 52nd anniversary of priestly ordination the day before the new bishop’s press conference. Monsignor Humbrecht was ordained a priest in 1972 at St. Henry Church in Nashville, where Bishop-elect Beckman has served as pastor for the last nine years. When the Diocese of Knoxville was between bishops after the departures of Bishop O’Connell and later its second shepherd, Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, it was Monsignor Humbrecht who was chosen by his brother priests both times to serve as diocesan administrator.

Monsignor Humbrecht served as pastor of St. Augustine in Signal Mountain from 1981 to 1987 before taking the same role at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga from 1987 to 1997. In that transition time around 1986 to 1987 as he moved from one parish to another, then-Father Humbrecht had his future bishop at each assignment.

“There are many fond memories of my days in this diocese, serving first at St. Augustine in Signal Mountain with Father Al Humbrecht that summer. I was a seminarian, in for the summer,” Bishopelect Beckman recalled. “Then the following summer at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga also as a seminarian with Father Al Humbrecht, who had moved from one parish to the other. So, Monsignor Al, I want to say to you, you helped prepare me well for my vocation as a priest. Thank you.”

And in one of his final roles before his priestly ordination, Bishop-elect Beckman taught at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga in the 1989-90 school year.

“My year teaching at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga solidified my desire to be ordained to the priesthood,” he said. “I was in that discern-

The Gospel reading for May 7 was John 16:511 in which Jesus said to his disciples “… it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Archbishop Fabre said he couldn’t help but compare the reading to the day’s events.

“It would be incredibly easy for me on this day of great rejoicing to take Jesus’ words and say it is better for you that I go,” he said as he smiled and gestured to Bishop-elect Beckman, “So that he (Bishop-elect Beckman) might come. But I’m not going to do that. That would be too easy. And I think the Lord desires to challenge us. But I must admit that was the first thought that crossed my mind when I prayed through this Gospel this morning.”

“It is better for you that I go,” the archbishop chuckled.

The archbishop has been serving as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville since June 27, when the diocese’s third shepherd, Bishop Richard F. Stika, resigned.

ment period, and as I taught those students, I was reflecting on what God was calling me to do, and I knew that He was calling me to the priesthood. Sometimes it takes a long time for us to hear what God is trying to tell us, but during that year I listened, and the joy of saying yes to that call has been immeasurable.”

The bishop-elect was ordained a priest on July 13, 1990, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville by Bishop James D. Niedergeses, the bishop of Nashville at the time the Diocese of Knoxville was erected.

Bishop-elect Beckman will be ordained and installed as Knoxville’s fourth shepherd on July 26.

“That will be a Friday, and that’s the feast of Sts. Anna and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus, so I’m delighted by that because my grandparents were also a great source of love in my life,” he said. “I’ve prayed at their graves this week, and also I’ve prayed at the grave of our former bishop of Nashville, Bishop James Niedergeses, who was also from my hometown of Lawrenceburg, and he was the last bishop who was bishop of all of Middle and East Tennessee. He confirmed me in the eighth grade. He ordained me as a priest, and he was my first bishop. I went to his grave and asked his intercession on my behalf.”

Knoxville’s bishop-elect received a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, in 1984 and earned a master’s degree in religious studies from the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium, in 1988. His classmates in Belgium included the future Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, leader of the Archdiocese of Louisville and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville until July 26, and the future Bishop J. Mark Spalding, Nashville’s current shepherd.

The newly ordained Father Beckman served in his first assignment as associate pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Nashville in 1990-91. He also taught at Father Ryan High School in Nashville from 1990 to 1996, serving as associate principal for pastoral

Diocese continued on page A14

Archbishop Fabre has prayed unceasingly for a new bishop to be appointed for East Tennessee. Pope Francis did not have to look far to answer those prayers and many others like them. And after parishioners throughout the diocese have been saying a specific prayer for a new bishop at each Mass since last summer, that prayer was updated on May 7 to say:

“Praise to you, Lord our God, our Eternal Shepherd and Guide, who has chosen your servant, Mark Beckman, as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.

“As he prepares to take up his role as our pastor and teacher, may your Holy Spirit fill his heart with wisdom and strength, gentleness and compassion, so that he may always walk in your ways and be a true shepherd after Your own heart.

“As Bishop-elect Beckman prepares to make his home with us, help us to welcome him with joy, and be attentive to his guidance so that he may lead us in being Christ’s heart of mercy, voice of hope, and hands of justice, so that we together may build up your Holy Church.

“We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.” ■

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee's Erin Mobley, left, tells Bishop-elect Mark Beckman, center, about CCETN's adoption services. Also present are Deacon David Duhamel, Father David Boettner, and Deacon Sean Smith.

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman, second from right, lifts up his voice during a noon cathedral Mass. Beside him are, from left, Deacon Sean Smith, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, and Deacon Walt Otey.

BILL BREWER

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Bishop-elect Beckman is seen with Tina and Tucker Davis, left, and Rick and Susan Davis.

BILL BREWER

JIM WOGAN

Father David Carter, left, rector of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, shows Bishop-elect Mark Beckman the basilica and its many holy aspects.

BILL BREWER

Connections continued from page A1

n Bishop-elect Beckman shares the same hometown as Father Albert Henkel, longtime Diocese of Knoxville priest who was affectionately known as the “Bishop of Happy Holler.”

n An influential priest in the life of Bishop-elect Beckman who directly impacted his vocation was Father John Kirk of Knoxville.

n Bishop-elect Beckman’s mentor, friend, and predecessor at St. Henry is Father Mike Johnston, who served as principal of Knoxville Catholic High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

n Then-seminarian Mark Beckman was in attendance in 1988 when the Diocese of Knoxville’s first bishop was ordained and installed.

n Then-Deacon Beckman served as a teacher at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga during the 1989-90 school year.

n Then-seminarians Mark Beckman, Shelton Fabre, and J. Mark Spalding studied together in Belgium in the 1980s.

n Seminarian Mark Beckman spent consecutive summers working with then-Father Al Humbrecht, who was ordained a priest in 1972 at St. Henry Church in Nashville, where Bishop-elect Beckman currently serves.

The ask

Bishop-elect Beckman said he was first informed on April 29 that Pope Francis had selected him to lead the Diocese of Knoxville. He was then asked by papal nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre if he would accept the appointment, which he did after a short time of prayerful discernment.

“As I stand before you today, I am over-

Diocese continued from page A13

affairs the last five years. In 1996, he became pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Springfield and St. Michael Mission in Cedar Hill. After six years at those two parishes, he served as pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Franklin from 2002 to 2015. He moved to St. Henry Parish in Nashville, where he has served as pastor since 2015.

Reflections on a vocation

In an article this April for the Nashville Catholic, a publication of the Diocese of Nashville, Bishopelect Beckman reflected on how his vocation to the priesthood sprouted and grew at Sacred Heart Church and School in Lawrenceburg.

“Even as a little boy going to church, I remember being struck by the faith of that community, and I wouldn’t have had the words for it, but for the history that’s behind it,” he said. “Growing up in that environment planted the seeds of my vocation.”

The examples of his parents and grandparents, as well as priests, became the biggest influence, the article continued.

“Father John Kirk was a real inspiration for me both because he seemed to be a man of prayer, but also because he really connected to the youth,” Bishop-elect Beckman said. “I remember at one point thinking, ‘If I could be as close to God as he seems to be and as close to the people, I would love to be a priest.’”

As a junior at Lawrence County High School, the future bishop attended a Search for Vocations weekend in Nashville designed for young men considering the possibility of priesthood, according to the Nashville Catholic. Bishop-elect Beckman would graduate from high school and go on to seminary at St. Ambrose in Davenport.

whelmed, and I am also humbled. I am deeply grateful to the Lord for His immeasurable blessings in my life, many blessings. And I receive this from the Lord as the newest of those blessings, so know that. I want to humbly express my gratitude to his holiness, Pope Francis, for choosing me as the next bishop of Knoxville,” Bishop-elect Beckman said.

“Words cannot express how overwhelmed I felt when I received a phone call from his eminence, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, our nuncio, to inform me. I am truly grateful and humbled by the confidence that Pope Francis and Cardinal Pierre have placed in me,” he added.

Bishop-elect Beckman then turned to Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, who introduced the bishopelect at the press conference, to thank him.

“Archbishop Shelton Fabre, I want to express my deep appreciation to you for your call to me immediately following my conversation with our nuncio. I have known our metropolitan archbishop since our seminary days in Louvain, Belgium. Thank you for your leadership in the Diocese of Knoxville as the apostolic administrator and for your leadership in our province and for your confidence in me. I am grateful to you; know that,” the Nashville priest said.

He then thanked Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville for his leadership and support. Bishop-elect Beckman shared that he has been a priest in the Nashville Diocese for nearly 34 years.

He also thanked his family, singling out his parents, who still live in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

“To my own family, especially my parents, I want to thank you. I love you. You have given me

“They had a seminary on campus, yet it was a regular college-campus environment, so it was a wonderful co-ed Catholic liberal arts college with beautiful liturgies every day,” the priest of Nashville said in the article. “We had morning and evening prayer in the chapel together, and there were several priests on campus, many of whom were very inspirational figures for me. And so those four years continued to nourish my vocation.”

His time in Belgium allowed him to attend Masses and general audiences with Pope St. John Paul II, but he still didn’t have the clarity he needed on whether God was calling him to the priesthood, the article continued.

“The one unresolved question was ‘Would I be happy being a priest and living a celibate life?’” then-Father Beckman said, noting that he asked Bishop Niedergeses for a year off to further contemplate before being ordained.

During that time, he served as deacon of St. Stephen Parish in Old Hickory and taught classes at Father Ryan High School and Notre Dame in Chattanooga. He received the clarity he needed from God, and he was ordained a priest by Bishop Niedergeses in the summer of 1990, the Nashville Catholic reported. His first assignment after ordination was at Holy Rosary and at Father Ryan.

“That was an incredibly profound experience for my vocation as a priest. There were almost a thousand students and over 100 faculty and staff every day on campus, so you got to experience daily interactions that were quite profound,” Bishop-elect Beckman shared with the Nashville Catholic

He received his first pastorate at Our Lady of Lourdes Church and St. Michael Mission Church.

“I loved being a pastor for the first time,” he said in the article.

the gift of life and faith, and I treasure you before the Lord,” he noted.

He went on to thank the many priests and people he has been “privileged to love and serve with and for” for many decades, saying they have been a source of joy in his life.

He shared that in recent days the thoughts of transitioning from Diocese of Nashville priest to Diocese of Knoxville bishop have made it difficult to sleep at night, especially as he thinks of all the people who have blessed him and who he has blessed through the years.

“To all of you here in this Diocese of Knoxville, I am deeply grateful and humbled to be with you today and also to have been called to be your shepherd and your pastor. There are many fond memories of my days in this diocese serving first at St. Augustine in Signal Mountain with Father Al Humbrecht. I was a seminarian for the summer. And then the following summer, I was at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, also as a seminarian with Father Al Humbrecht, who had moved from one parish to the other,” Bishopelect Beckman recalled.

Best wishes from Nashville and Knoxville He told the press conference audience and those watching by livestream, including at his home parish of St. Henry, that while he has relished being a priest of the Diocese of Nashville and pastor of St. Henry, he also has treasured the Diocese of Knoxville since its founding.

And it was especially meaningful to him when the two dioceses joined together, such as times past when the priests of the dioceses of Nashville

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He was also assigned as director of the diocesan Catholic Youth Office and led its Search for Christian Maturity retreat program for 13 years.

“I loved the Search program. I could see the work of God in that program shaping young people,” he told the Nashville Catholic. “I think the gift of being a priest this long now in the diocese is seeing many of the young people I taught at Father Ryan and also in the Search program who are actively engaged in the life of the Church as adults. I see how effective the gift of Father Ryan and Search were to those young people in those days. I’ve literally been able to see the fruit of that work unfold over time. It’s been a great blessing.”

After eight years at Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Michael, Bishop-elect Beckman was assigned pastor of St. Matthew in Franklin, his first assignment as pastor that also included a school.

“That was an incredibly wonderful place to be a pastor at a time of great newness and energy in that community because they had just opened the school the year before that,” Father Beckman said in the article. “I got there, and the lay faithful were really actively engaged in the parish and had an incredible staff that I worked with, so it was a really vibrant, growing faith community and an incredible place to be part of.”

He went to St. Henry in 2015, succeeding Monsignor Mike Johnston as pastor. Monsignor Johnston succeeded Monsignor Mankel as principal of Knoxville Catholic High School

“Monsignor Johnston was a model pastor for me when it came to leadership, and he has always been someone through the years who I could go to for pastoral advice and counsel,” the bishop-elect said. “I can’t believe it’s been nine years. My time here at St. Henry seems like it has flown by.” ■

JIM WOGAN

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman leads a prayer at the Diocese of Knoxville Tribunal offices in Chattanooga. Also praying are Father David Boettner, Father David Carter, Father Michael Hendershott, Deacon Sean Smith, Deacon Hicks Armor, and Tribunal staff members

Archbishop Fabre listens with joy as Bishop-elect Beckman addresses the media

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre celebrates a cathedral Mass on May 7

Concelebrating the Mass are Father Jhon Mario Garcia, Father David Boettner, Father Doug Owens, and Bishop-elect Mark Beckman

Parishioners young and older applaud as Bishop-elect Mark Beckman is announced at Mass as the Diocese of Knoxville's next bishop

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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and Knoxville convocated at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties. Among his favorite pastimes is hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other scenic areas of the diocese.

Once he was announced as the Diocese of Knoxville’s next bishop, Bishop-elect Beckman received many prayers and well-wishes, in person and via text, e-mail, and calls, which was to be expected.

Among them were greetings from Susan Rome Davis and Rick Davis, who were attending Bishop-elect Beckman’s first Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“When we heard the news this morning, we were just thrilled. My connection is through my husband and his family. To know that we have someone who is truly going to shepherd us has elated me today. This is the first time we’ve had a bishop who is homegrown so to speak. I have a lot of high hopes that this will be the best thing that has ever happened to our diocese,” Susan Davis said.

Her husband, Rick, said he grew up in Nashville and attended Father Ryan High School, where his brother currently serves as the high school president.

“He and Father Beckman worked together when Father Beckman was there on staff. We are totally blessed. Father Beckman went backpacking with my dad, Bobby Davis,” Mr. Davis said. Susan and Rick Davis are members of the cathedral.

Tina and Tucker Davis also were attending the cathedral Mass and are members of St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport.

“When we heard the announcement today, we had to come down for his first Mass. We are just elated about his appointment. We’ve been saying a prayer every week, and he fits exactly what that prayer said. We are just ecstatic,” Tina Davis said.

“Father Mark is a longtime family friend. Our dad actually introduced Father Mark to backpacking, and he has really taken it up with a vengeance. We’ve had a lot of calls from Nashville today wishing us congratulations. But also expressing that they are very, very sad because they are losing such a great shepherd. Father Mark is just an answer to prayers. He really is. He’s going to do great things for our diocese,” Tucker Davis said.

The Davis couples enjoyed a brief reunion with Bishop-elect Beckman following the Mass. They were not alone in voicing their congratulations and best wishes. A long line formed to meet the next bishop of East Tennessee.

“I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you. There are many blessings and gifts that lie ahead. None of us knows all of those blessings yet,” the bishop-elect he said during the press conference. “Yes, there will be challenges. There always are. It’s sort of like white-water rafting down the Ocoee River, right? You don’t know what the next moment will bring. But you

trust that the Lord is in the boat with you as your guide, and you let Him place His hand upon your shoulder. That’s what you do.”

Preparing for the journey

And with that, Bishop-elect Beckman announced that he is ready to move forward in leading the Church in East Tennessee.

“So, together, let us prepare for the journey ahead. May the risen Lord Jesus, who always walks with us on the journey of life, hold us now and always in His care. And may almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you. Amen,” he concluded in his introductory remarks.

Archbishop Fabre introduced Bishop-elect Beckman during the May 7 press conference at the Diocese of Knoxville Chancery that was attended by Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville, Bishop John C. Iffert of the Diocese of Covington, Ky., Chancery staff, and diocesan leaders as well as members of Knoxville and Nashville media outlets.

In his introduction, Archbishop Fabre, who has served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville since Bishop Richard F. Stika resigned June 27, expressed joy and relief that his days of doing triple-duty as the Archbishop of Louisville, leader of the Louisville Province’s seven dioceses, and as the temporary shepherd of Knoxville are coming to an end. He will soon return to doing double-duty.

After an opening prayer giving thanks to God for the gift of Bishop-elect Beckman and for the gift of faith, Archbishop Fabre was exuberant in proclaiming, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad,” citing Psalm 118 and referring to the bishop-elect’s appointment.

“Those of you from the Chancery know that when I first came here, I said that I’m like a ship’s captain, one day I’m getting off this ship. I can now see the bank in the distance. I will get off of this vessel and entrust it to another,” the archbishop said, receiving knowing laughs in response.

The archbishop, on a weekly and biweekly basis for much of the past 11 months, has spent time in the Diocese of Knoxville celebrating Masses, conducting meetings, and visiting parishes and schools.

“This is a day of grace for the Diocese of Knoxville as Pope Francis has appointed Father James Mark Beckman, until now a priest of the Diocese of Nashville, as the fourth bishop of Knoxville. I wholeheartedly congratulate Father Beckman on his appointment, and I look forward to working with him in the ecclesiastical province of Louisville, of which Knoxville is a part,” Archbishop Fabre said.

“Father Beckman is a wonderful priest and a good pastor, a man after the Lord’s own heart. Having known Father Beckman prior to his appointment, I can assure you that he will be for you here in Knoxville a great bishop and a good shepherd,” he continued. “At the end of June last year, I humbly accepted the Holy Father’s ap-

pointment of me to serve as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville. As I have worked over these months to see to the pastoral needs and administration of this diocese, I want you to know that I consider myself truly blessed to have had this opportunity to accompany you here in Knoxville as you have awaited and prayed for this day. I consider myself fortunate to have come to know the Christian faithful of this wonderful diocese. You warmly embraced me. You expressed to me your profound faith and demonstrated your genuine love for the Lord and for each other. I do not doubt that Bishop-elect Beckman will come to experience the same from all of you.”

Archbishop Fabre appeared genuinely pleased at the prospect of handing over the reins to Tennessee’s third diocese to the bishop-elect who hails from Middle Tennessee. The two priests shook hands and embraced as they exchanged places at the lectern.

As he concluded, Archbishop Fabre said, “I close my brief remarks by asking you, as I know you will, to work together with your new bishop as he works to teach, to sanctify, and to govern this diocese as a shepherd who is patterned after the person of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah!”

As Bishop-elect Beckman transitions to East Tennessee in preparation for his ordination and installation on July 26, even more connections will undoubtedly be made. And he will surely hear about them as he meets the faithful across the 36 counties served by the diocese.

In addition to learning the geography, the bishop-elect will learn that the diocese is made up of:

n 104 permanent deacons

n 67 diocesan priests

n 50 parishes

n 42 religious Sisters

n 17 religious priests

n 11 religious Brothers

n 11 seminarians

n 8 elementary schools

n 5 extern priests

n 4 deaneries

n 4 transitional deacons

n 3 health-care facilities

n 2 diocesan high schools

n 2 cemeteries

n 1 Catholic mission

He also will come to find out that the Catholic population of the diocese represents about 2.8 percent of the total population of the area, and the diocese covers about 14,242 square miles. The Catholic Church in East Tennessee is 184 years old, with the oldest parishes being Immaculate Conception in Knoxville and the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga (both established in the 1850s). The Diocese of Knoxville has a total population of 2,538,487, of which 71,274 are Catholic.

In meeting with the media at the Chancery, the bishop-in-waiting said he looks forward to connecting with all the parishes and parishioners in his new home of East Tennessee. ■

JIM WOGAN

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman prays over the tomb for Father Patrick Ryan inside the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga on May 8. Also praying are Father David Carter, Father David Boettner, Father Doug Owens, Father Michael Hendershott, and Deacon Sean Smith.

Mass with the bishop-elect is celebrated at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

BILL BREWER

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman gives Communion to Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, during a Mass for Chancery staff on May 8 in the Our Lady of the Mountains Chapel in the Chancery.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Young parishioners have their picture taken with Bishop-elect

Mark Beckman following Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus shortly after he was announced as the Diocese of Knoxville's next bishop

BILL BREWER

Faith and the fastest 2 minutes in sports

Kentucky Derby jockey says his Catholicism is crucial amid dangerous races

By Mary Rampellini OSV News

Jockey Keith Asmussen calls on his Catholic faith daily as he competes in the high-stakes world of horse racing, and the sport’s stage was no bigger than the one he was on May 4, when he rode in his first Kentucky Derby.

Mr. Asmussen had the mount on Just Steel in the $5 million race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 25-year-old earned the opportunity by guiding the promising colt to a second-place finish in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on March 30.

Mr. Asmussen and Just Steel finished 17th out of 20 in the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. Just being on the track in the Run for the Roses is a victory for the relatively new jockey who is a bit of an anomaly among the jockey ranks.

The Arkansas Derby is the richest race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., where Mr. Asmussen has spent five months competing. He ranks as the meet’s second-leading jockey, with 54 victories through April 24. Those wins include the Grade 3, $400,000 Honeybee with the filly Lemon Muffin

The current Oaklawn season is the best meet Mr. Asmussen has had in the saddle since launching his career in 2020.

“I think my faith has gotten a lot stronger since starting this profession just given that it’s dangerous and even more so than that, it’s very emotionally taxing,” he told the Arkansas Catholic, the Diocese of Little Rock’s newspaper. “You can take it so personal, the outcome of a race, even when there’s so many uncontrollable variables.”

But prayer can counter those anxieties, said Mr. Asmussen, who finds that his faith gives him a sense of humility, understanding “you can only do what you can do,” as well as gratitude.

“I start my day with prayer,” he said. “I’m incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to do what I love and the opportunity to show what

talents I have, and I pray for the safety of myself and the animals under my care. It kind of sets the attitude for the day.”

“When you start with a little gratitude, I feel my days are more intentional and purposeful. I believe it gives me a better sense of direction. I think grounding is the word that comes to mind because it can be a little intense emotionally, and I do believe that keeps me even-keeled,” he added.

Mr. Asmussen, a native of Arlington, Texas, said both his father, Steve Asmussen, who is North America’s all-time leading trainer in wins with more than 10,000, and his mother, Julie, have been strong examples of faith in his life.

“My mom sends me devotionals every day,” Mr. Asmussen said. “I'm spoiled.”

Another marker of the rider’s Catholic faith is

remind believers of the love of God. She is currently finishing a commissioned piece of Jesus and the Virgin Mary for Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in Jasper, Ga.

“I use the beauty of the art as exactly that: beauty, to share the love of God and the faith. So, I hope it helps some people open up better and look for that truth,” she said. You can see more of Ms. Bell’s work at www.clorysgallery.com

A self-giving love

Katie Schmid, who is the art instructor at Knoxville Catholic High School, also learned of the art competition by chance through someone else.

“I found out about it through Sister Madeline Rose [Kraemer, OP]. I shared it with the students at the school,” Ms. Schmid said. Her painting, “Sacrifice of the Pelican, Passion of the Christ II,” was one of the pieces selected.

“I felt very blessed by it. I’m honored and really grateful that they considered me and picked this piece for the exhibit to share with people,” she said.

“I think people coming to it will have a great love for the Eucharist, but maybe there will be some who are learning and growing. I love that aspect of people just being where they are and coming to understand different things through these different pieces that are at the show. I’m

really glad to be a part of so many other great works that are going to be at the event,” she added.

Ms. Schmid has both bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts degrees from the Laguna College of Art of Design. She described her style as classical in the realm of realism, inspired by artists like Zurbarán and El Greco and “those artists who had that depth of faith in their work but were able to use technical skills that really supported that love and faith that they had behind the painting.”

As part of her graduate schoolwork, Ms. Schmid looked at expressions of Christian faith in art, particularly ones that were lesser known or had been forgotten about over time. That is when she learned about the sacred pelican.

The legend of the sacrificial pelican predates Christianity. The legend was that in times of famine, a mother pelican would strike her chest with her long beak and feed her children with her own blood. The pelican therefore became a symbol of sacrifice and charity, Ms. Schmid explained. In the early Christian Church, Christians used this symbol to represent Christ’s sacrificial love.

“I think that people would often see that mothering love, that you give yourself to your kids. And the Church is such a mother to us, and Christ is like the head of the Church. He made the ultimate sac-

the crucifix he wears around his neck at all times, whether exercising horses at a high rate of speed in the mornings at Oaklawn or competing in fastpaced races in the afternoons in Hot Springs.

Mr. Asmussen’s home parish is Most Blessed Sacrament in Arlington. Upon graduation from high school, he earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022.

But horses, not numbers, have long been his first love. For a time, Mr. Asmussen was uncertain whether his dream of being a jockey would be fulfilled, in large part because at 5-foot-10, he is taller than the average jockey. He prayed he might one day have the chance to ride in races like his grandfather, uncle, and father.

“I wanted to be a jockey so bad, but with a large physique, it was seemingly impossible,” Mr. Asmussen said. “My faith, it’s kind of helped me realize the cage is made of thoughts. I took a step back, tried my best, and at least I had the security of knowing I tried. It just kind of went from there.”

“There” now is horse racing’s most prestigious arena, the Kentucky Derby at historic Churchill Downs. No one is more surprised than the new pride of Arlington.

“A horse in the derby? Are you serious? I just wanted to ride one race when I started,” Mr. Asmussen shared.

Just Steel has been a perfect match for Mr. Asmussen as the colt, too, is tall. His build gives him a long stride. And that stride is one he was used to in the qualifying races Oaklawn conducts for the Kentucky Derby. Just Steel, like his competition, was racing farther than ever, competing over a mile and a quarter in the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s a huge, beautiful horse,” Mr. Asmussen said before the Kentucky Derby. “He has incredible action, a long stride. I think he’ll get the distance well. And he is coming into the race in great form. He’s a classy, talented horse. I feel like he’ll do his best.” ■

rifice for us to be with Him forever in eternity. It’s such a huge thing to contemplate on. I think that God knows how to understand things through things that we know in our own life and see. Being able to contemplate on things for a while and having these animals kind of be a conduit for understanding and deepening of faith is rather beautiful,” Ms. Schmid explained.

The sacred pelican can be found in art, architecture, and literature throughout the centuries, from medieval bestiaries, to Shakespeare, to parish altars right here in the Diocese of Knoxville.

“I think it kind of connects people to the history, like, oh, this has been in the Church for a very long time actually,” she said. “With that sacred symbolism, hopefully more people come to realize that, yeah, these are ways that we can connect to our faith in Christ more and really enrich us and help us to grow, keeping our eyes out for how He speaks to us through beauty and through art and through nature.”

In “Sacrifice of the Pelican, Passion of the Christ II,” Ms. Schmid has a pelican set in a dark sea sitting on a crown of thorns. The baby chicks are close to the mother’s chest. A large red moon is in the background.

“I was looking at parts of the book of Joel. There’s a reference to the blood moon in regard to Christ’s coming,” Ms. Schmid said. “So, for

me it was kind of representing His presence to us, whether that be His coming again, but also more of that dramatic presence of Him shedding His blood for us. Because it’s like this circular shape, [the moon] behind the pelican can also represent the Eucharist and coming to us in the Eucharist.”

Ms. Schmid tries to inspire her students to create work they are passionate about and to deeply engage with art. She said she had supportive teachers herself as a young artist, from her mother to her Catholic high school art teacher in Birmingham, Ala., to college.

Both Ms. Bell and Ms. Schmid expressed the love for fine art’s ability to touch the soul and teach others about the faith.

“I found at the core of every artist they want to be making work that they love and that they find a desire to produce and share with people,” Ms. Schmid said. “All of the arts engage the human person in different faculties, in different senses. With the visual arts we’re really appealing to the eyes and the eyes connecting to the heart and mind. For me, there’s nothing greater than being able to paint about the life of faith and all the beautiful history and aspects of that: our life and the life of mankind and Christianity.”

You can see more of Ms. Schmid’s work at www. katieschmid.com ■

Lasting images Artist Clorinda Bell sits in her Knoxville art studio. To the right is her latest painting of Jesus and Mary, which will soon be displayed at a church in Jasper, Ga. Ms. Bell sees her religious art as a way of sharing the love of God and the faith to others. Photo by Emily Booker

Riding with faith Jockey Keith Asmussen, left, is pictured in a Feb. 24 photo riding Kentucky Oaks mount Lemon Muffin at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

OSV NEWS

PHOTO/COADY PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF OAKLAWN PARK

Sharing her gifts Artist Katie Schmid paints at an outdoor event. Ms. Schmid says at the core, all artists want to make artwork they love and share that with people. She does that both through her art and her teaching. Photo courtesy of Katie Schmid

to compete in the NCAA final. The best scenario, however, was obvious.

“We gambled on Caitlin being there,” Ms. Westholm said. “We crossed our fingers and said some prayers.”

The prayers were answered. On April 5, Iowa met Connecticut on the court in the Final Four, and Ms. Clark led the Hawkeyes’ rally for a 71-69 win over the Huskies. Iowa headed to the NCAA championship on April 7 against undefeated South Carolina.

Regardless of Iowa’s fate, Ms. Westholm predicted that Ms. Clark would either emerge eternally grateful for becoming a national champion, or quickly bounce back from any disappointment and recognize that she had been blessed to even be on the precipice of something so unique.

“She will rely on her faith,” Ms. Westholm said prior to the national championship game. “Her faith has always been important to her, and that’s real. Her whole family lives out their faith. Caitlin doesn’t reach her stardom without her family background.”

South Carolina would go on to win the national championship with an 87-75 victory. Ms. Clark scored a game-high 30 points.

In mentioning Ms. Clark’s family background, Ms. Westholm was referring to Ms. Clark’s parents, Anne and Brent, and her two brothers, Blake and Colin. Along with her siblings, Anne graduated from Dowling Catholic, and her father, Bob Nizzi, coached football there.

Before graduating from Dowling in 2019, Blake became and remains involved with a club called Ut Fidem , Latin for “keep the faith.” Having experienced a Kairos retreat as a junior, Ms. Clark joined Ut Fidem as a senior.

The group’s focus, according to Dowling’s website, “strives to develop high school students into intentional disciples who will keep the faith for the rest of their lives, and especially through college” and supports students via weekly small groups of five or six led by adult faith mentors.

Students learn how to “defend their Catholic faith, and develop deep, personal relationships with Jesus Christ … grow their devotion to personal prayer, the sacramental life, understanding of Church teachings, and enter into the lifestyle of an on-fire Catholic” and better understand how to discern the question, “Why am I Catholic?”

Using some of the tools she learned in grade school and high school and benefiting from a close, faith-sharing family, Ms. Clark recently started the nonprofit Caitlin Clark Foundation described as a mission to “uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sport.”

Last November, Ms. Clark partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa and, with help from Nike, personally donated close to 100 hoodies, winter gloves, and hats to help keep youngsters warm this past winter. Along with a sizable personal monetary donation, she also donated 57 basketballs, 15 footballs, 12 soccer balls, and 15 jump ropes to the Boys & Girls Club.

“She uses her gifts to give back,” Ms. Meyer said. “She’s not bigger than the game of basketball, but she knows she has the capacity to help other people and is enthusiastic about doing as much as she can.”

Although it’s been argued that it’s actually her eye-popping passing ability that has separated her from former and current greats, Ms. Clark’s ascent from a consistently great scorer to tallying the most points in the history of college basketball didn’t happen out of nowhere.

From the time Ms. Clark decided to attend Iowa, the nation’s top coaches held their breath and readied themselves for a steady

dose of nightly wonderment and more-than-occasional ESPN highlights.

No coach watched Ms. Clark more intently than Muffet McGraw.

The legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer at the University of Notre Dame, who retired in 2020 after an impressive career that included 936 total victories, a .762 winning percentage, nine trips to the Final Four, seven finals, and two NCAA championships came within a whisker of coaching Ms. Clark.

After a painstaking decision process, however, Ms. Clark changed her mind at the last minute and chose Iowa black and gold over Irish blue and gold. Ms. Clark has gone on record as describing the phone call to Ms. McGraw as excruciating and lauds the coach for how she handled the disappointment with gentleness, compassion, and understanding.

Ms. McGraw, Notre Dame’s women’s basketball coach for 33 years, is not a person who dishes out unwarranted praise. She effusively commended Ms. Clark for helping elevate women’s basketball to its highest popularity ever among both the young and old, as indicated by the more than 12 million viewers who tuned in to watch the Iowa-LSU classic.

“I’ve never seen anyone like her,” Ms. McGraw told OSV News. “She is a phenomenal offensive player. She has confidence that never wavers. She’s fearless, relentless, competitive, driven … all the things that you want in a basketball player.”

“And she’s also unselfish. Yes, she takes a lot of shots, but she also led the nation in assists last year, and I’m sure she’s in the top five this year. So, she’s somebody that really knows how to get her team involved. She gets them to play at a higher level. She just has that charisma and that leadership that allow the people around her to thrive,” Ms.

help but alienate teammates when all of the attention surrounds one person. But that hasn’t happened at Iowa.

“There could be jealousy, and there could be problems in a situation like that when you have a player like that on your team,” Ms. McGraw said. “She makes them rise above everything and focus on just wanting to win. That’s, I think, the thing that sets her apart. It’s not all about her.”

Ms. McGraw particularly appreciates Ms. Clark’s vision that surpasses well beyond points, assists, rebounds, and championships.

“She wants to do something for the women’s game,” Ms. McGraw said. “She is certainly the center of attention, yet she always takes time for others. You see her signing autographs for lines and lines of people. She just does a great job in the community and continues to do whatever she can for the fans. She says the right things in public.”

“I think she is definitely somebody that is a role model in our sport, and she’s changed the game,” Ms. McGraw continued. “I mean, nobody has done what she’s done in terms of the sellouts. The Big Ten sold out every single place. It’s unbelievable … unbelievable.”

“The Big Ten tournament sold out for the first time,” she pointed out. “Tickets for the last game were going for, I don't know, $500 or something. It’s been amazing. I mean, 12 million people watched the Iowa-LSU game. That’s even more than a lot of NBA finals. So, it’s just phenomenal what she’s done for the game.”

And as Ms. Clark plays professionally for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, Ms. McGraw will be watching.

“She’s one in a million," Ms. McGraw said of Ms. Clark, who was selected first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft on April 15. “I think she’s going to do great things for the WNBA.” ■

McGraw added. Superstars sometimes can’t

OSV NEWS PHOTO/EARL HULST, COURTESY OF DOWLING HIGH SCHOOL

Elevating the game Above: Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) cel -

ebrates after defeating LSU in the finals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena in New York on April 1. Below:

Caitlin Clark, then a women’s basketball star at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, is pictured taking a shot in a 2020, her senior year. Ms. Clark went on to become an Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and is now in the WNBA playing for the Indiana Fever

‘ Heart-wrenching ’ Baltimore Catholics weigh in on proposed changes in archdiocese

By George Matysek Jr. OSV News

Speaking to reporters outside the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on April 30 just moments before the Archdiocese of Baltimore held its final listening session on its “Seek the City to Come” parish reconfiguration proposal, Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, CSSR, gestured to the grand stone building.

It’s feasible, Bishop Lewandowski said, that all the people who currently come to Mass at all the Catholic churches in the city could be housed at the cathedral for weekend Masses. The building seats more than 1,000, he said, and there are only a few thousand who attend Mass weekly in the city.

“We would never do that,” the bishop noted. “We want to be a neighborhood church, and we want to be in the communities where we are in the neighborhoods and serve the communities that we’ve served for more than 200 years.”

Yet the illustration highlights the challenges the archdiocese faces as the number of Catholics in the city plummets, the number of people receiving the sacraments declines, and old buildings require everincreasing maintenance.

“This is difficult,” Bishop Lewandowski said. “It’s heart-wrenching. But we’re at a pivotal moment in the city Church. We need to do this. We need to do this because our Church membership is getting older, and we’re not replacing ourselves.”

According to Bishop Lewandowski, the archdiocese is continually evaluating the pros and cons of its proposed plan, which would reduce the number of worship sites in Baltimore City and some parts of Baltimore County from 59 to 26 and the number of area parishes from 61 to 21.

Archdiocesan leaders have already started making changes to the proposal as they take in feed-

back from well-attended listening sessions. Prior to the event at the cathedral, the archdiocese hosted a listening session at Archbishop Curley High School, one for African American Catholics at St. Frances Academy, and another for Spanishspeaking Catholics at Our Lady of Fatima, all in Baltimore.

The bishop said the plan changes daily.

“We’re getting all kinds of suggestions some good, some really good and they make us go back to the table and say, ‘Wait a minute, we really need to look at what we’re doing here.’ There’s a lot of moving parts to it. Everything on the map has been looked at many times over. We’re really considering this and going through every detail with a fine-tooth comb,” Bishop Lewandowski said.

As at previous listening sessions, many attendees at the cathedral event were passionate about preserving their individual parishes. Many noted that their churches are anchors of their community, providing social outreach that they feared might disappear if their churches

close.

When Geri Royale Byrd, codirector of “Seek the City to Come,” reviewed the proposal at the beginning of the session, some attendees booed and jeered when their parishes were mentioned for possible consolidation with other faith communities.

Joan Huai was among a large group of parishioners of Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus who took three buses to the cathedral for the listening session. Many wore coordinated T-shirts and carried signs with their parish name.

They strongly opposed the “Seek the City” proposal to consolidate Our Lady of Victory with St. Agnes in Catonsville, St. Benedict in Baltimore, St. Joseph’s Monastery in Baltimore, and St. William of York in Baltimore at the St. Agnes campus.

Ms. Huai noted that many of her parish’s members are immigrants from what is now Myanmar (Burma). She is a refugee who fled her native land in 2011 and found a sense of community at Our Lady of Victory.

“If we were to close, many of our

members might choose to go to different churches, and it won’t be possible for us to stay as a community anymore,” Ms. Huai told the Catholic Review, the publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Other ethnic communities, including Filipinos, expressed similar concerns. Under the archdiocesan proposal, the Filipino community would be relocated from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, along with St. Pius X in Rodgers Forge and St. Thomas Aquinas in Hampden.

Julita Belches, a Filipino parishioner of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, told the Catholic Review she is pleased the cathedral already hosts a special Filipino Mass once a year, but it doesn’t compare to the extensive ethnic ministry provided at her parish.

“If they move us to the cathedral, it’s a big switch,” she said. “This is like a plant that when you move it to the new environment, it will die at first. Then there’s a lot of challenges to move on to make it in such a way that it can survive. We hope the bishop will listen to our plea that we should remain as a stand-alone parish.”

Maria Nemcek, a parishioner of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer in Rosedale, chided the archdiocese for “not doing enough” to promote activities that might bring in more parishioners.

“We rely on families to kind of force their kids to go to church,” she said.

David Bender, pastoral council president of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart elicited some of the loudest cheers of the more than three-hour meeting.

“Respectfully, we do not agree with the proposal,” he said. “This proposal may make fiscal sense, but it does not make spiritual sense.”

Other speakers seemed to scold fellow Catholics attending the

Dissecting a ‘Wildcat ’

Baltimore continued on page A24

New movie is a reminder of Flannery O ’Connor’s enduring attraction

By Maria Wiering OSV News

Ethan Hawke knows “Wildcat,” his film about the life and imagination of Southern writer Flannery O’Connor that was released May 3, is unlikely to attract general audiences.

“It’s a difficult subject matter for a lot of people. They don’t know what to make out of it,” he said in an interview with media on April 30. The film weaves the narrative of the 20-something Catholic writer (portrayed by Mr. Hawke’s daughter, actress and singer Maya Hawke) coming home to Georgia and to grips with having lupus a debilitating disease that killed her father and would kill her, too, at age 39 with scenes from her always strange and often unsettling short stories, whose characters are disfigured, uncouth, and immoral. Like Ms. O’Connor herself, her stories grapple with the nature of God’s grace and fallen people’s reception to it.

Although the film contains overtly religious themes, it neither proselytizes nor sensationalizes faith, unlike most religion-focused films on the market, said Mr. Hawke, the movie’s co-writer and director. Instead, he aimed to capture the mystery in faith, suffering, and creativity.

“I wanted to make a movie that I wanted to see,” he said. “I am a very spiritually minded person. It’s the most important thing in my life. And I don’t see much about it (in film).”

“Wildcat” named for one of Ms. O’Connor’s early short stories is the latest in several recent contributions honoring Ms. O’Connor's legacy and promoting her writing,

suggesting an enduring and even growing fascination with her work, despite renewed controversy about Ms. O’Connor herself.

In January, Ms. O’Connor scholar Jessica Hooten Wilson published “Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heathen Rage?,” a look at Ms. O’Connor’s unfinished novel through the lens of her other work and influences. Ms. Wilson told OSV News she hopes the culture is experiencing “a Flannery moment” beyond Catholic literary circles as next year’s centennial of the writer’s birth approaches.

She lamented that Ms. O’Connor, who produced two novels and 31 short stories, couldn’t have lived as long as her cousin, Louise Florencourt, co-trustee of the Mary Flannery O’Connor Trust, who died at age 97 in July.

“We could have seen so many amazing O’Connor novels and stories, so many essays and letters from the devout genius about how to understand what it means to faithfully follow Christ in our time and place,” Ms. Wilson said. “We are all hungry for wisdom wisdom we can see lived out in story so we can imitate it in how we, too, live which is why we look back to O’Connor’s work and bring her forward into 2024.”

Ms. Wilson, the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University in California, plans to release lectures in the fall for “The Great Courses” on Audible “to share more about how to understand Flannery O’Connor and her scandalous faith,” she said.

In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Flannery O’Conner stamp for its “Literary Arts” series, and

2019 saw the publication of “Good Things Out of Nazareth,” a compilation of Ms. O’Connor’s correspondence with friends. That same year, “Flannery” the first feature-length documentary about her life, codirected by Jesuit Father Mark Bosco of Georgetown University and Elizabeth Coffman, director of the film

and digital media program at Loyola University Chicago won the first Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.

“She’s so unique because she brings so many things together,” Father Bosco told OSV News of Ms. O’Connor. “I’m just fascinated that

a life-changing event

All Saints Catholic Church May 22, 7-9 p.m. , Flannery continued on page A22

Difficult decisions Auxiliary Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, CSSR, urban vicar in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, speaks to an overflow crowd attending a special "Seek the City to Come" meeting for the African American Catholic community on April 23 outside St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.

Reducing the influence of media in Catholic homes

By Silvio Cuéllar OSV News

Over a decade ago, my wife, Becky, and I decided to cut our cable service and go without television. It was a drastic decision at the time, but one that helped our children learn many skills, such as playing instruments, painting, and developing their talents at a young age.

We made that decision because statistics increasingly indicated that excessive television use was having a negative effect on children, and we wanted to limit its influence.

Today, it is no longer television but cell phones, tablets, and social media that have become a source of anxiety for our young people and an addictive tool of bad influences that negatively affect their mental health, leading our children away from the faith and values we try to instill.

Although television is being used less and less today, streaming services have increased, making it increasingly difficult for parents to monitor what their children are watching.

Statistics and studies show that the excessive use of social media negatively affects the mental health of young people and adolescents; we urgently need to put limits on the time our children spend in front of a monitor, whether on the phone, tablet, or computer.

As Pope Francis said in his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, families “need to consider what they want their children to be exposed to.”

To do this “means being concerned about who is providing their entertainment, who is entering their rooms through television and electronic devices, and with whom they

Award continued from page A6

Disconnected Girls sit together but remain unengaged with each other while using their smart phones in this undated photo.

“Today, it is no longer television but cell phones, tablets, and social media that have become a source of anxiety for our young people and an addictive tool of bad influences that negatively affect their mental health, leading our children away from the faith and values we try to instill ”

— Silvio Cuéllar,

journalist and music composer

age the practice of faith, dedicating time for family prayer and reflection. n Dedicate more time to sports, arts, after-school clubs, and other activities that help develop their talents

n Promote selective media consumption, prioritizing inspirational content that nurtures faith and Catholic values. For example, in our home, we subscribe to Pure Flix, and we also follow the series “The Chosen,” which is based on the life of Jesus with his Apostles n Finally, encourage Bible reading and participation in the parish youth group or look for one in the area if your parish does not have one.

are spending their free time.”

Some strategies to reduce the influence of the media:

n Promote electronic-free family activities. One may be to turn off all electronic devices during family dinners, encouraging conversations between parents and children. You can ask, for example: “How about telling us something you are thankful for?” Or, “Would you like to share a good thing that happened to you this week?”

n Set specific times for media and

you build with kids and colleagues, that’s what inspires me to keep doing it,” he added. “I would like to mention some teachers that I had growing up,” he continued. “Sister Elizabeth Anne Allen, she’s probably been the most influential teacher in my life. She taught me seventhand eighth-grade religion at St. Jude School. But I also had some awesome teachers at St. Jude, from Mary Jenkins to Anne Rendleman to Ann Greaver to Joanne Bollman. And then in high school I also had some outstanding teachers that influenced me: David Held, John Mullin, Martha Boehm, George Valadie, Mike Zimmerman, and of course I would also have to mention Jim Phifer, who was a longtime principal at Notre Dame High School.”

Mr. Sompayrac is a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, in the class of 1988.

“And then at Catholic High … there’s so many people that I’ve worked so closely with. I want to mention Jane Walker, my longtime academic dean, Joni Punch, Ore Pumariega, Sedonna Prat-

technology use in the home. This also can be done by setting limits for each smartphone app, reviewing screen time every week, and making adjustments accordingly. This requires us as parents to be more involved in our children’s lives and activities.

n Decide as parents what the appropriate age for children to have access to a cell phone is. In our household, we say 15 years old, but some parents may have different opinions. The important thing is supervision. n Establish good routines to encour-

er, and Jason Surlas. And then also Father Chris Michelson. … He’s been someone I’ve worked closely with, and I’m grateful for our relationship,” he noted.

Mr. Sompayrac said that he views his NCEA award as “an award for our administrative team” at Knoxville Catholic.

“They have all played a significant role in the leadership of our school,” he shared. “I think you have to surround yourself with good people, and I think I’ve been blessed that God has put so many good people around me. It’s been huge for me.

The feeling is mutual for Mr. Sompayrac’s faculty and staff at KCHS.

“He (Mr. Sompayrac) is just the epitome of what it means to be a Catholic educator; he shares Jesus’s love with every person in the KCHS community, student, teacher, parent, every staff member, priest, or prospective family. He constantly strives to provide the best experiences and environment for students to learn so that they can realize their God given talents,” Dr. Prater said

“He does this by witnessing every day and

The importance of example and communication It is not enough to make rules or set limits; we as parents are also responsible for modeling good behavior and setting an example. We can’t ask them not to drink if we consume alcohol without measure. We cannot tell them not to use their phones excessively if we use our phones all the time. It is also essential to develop good communication techniques with our children, explaining what we expect from them, knowing how to listen to them, and applying consequences when they do not behave as we expect them to Pope Francis also said, “Families cannot help but be places of support, guidance, and direction, however much they may have to rethink their methods and discover new resources.”

“Only if we devote time to our children, speaking of important things with simplicity and concern,

living as a true disciple of Christ. He has vision and works tirelessly to serve as a genuine servant leader. He secures resources to make this vision a reality, whether building an auditorium, a STEM lab, or sending the KCHS singers to Italy to sing at the Vatican. He leads a rosary every Thursday with students and faculty and participates in faculty prayer groups,” Dr. Prater added.

“And when he is not working here or being with his family, he volunteers once a week at a juvenile detention facility to mentor young men who are in trouble for juvenile crimes. So, it is hard to capture in a few sentences the gift this man is to our Catholic community. He does none of these things for glory or recognition, but because he wants to serve and love others as Jesus loves us. I just thought someone should know this and recognize him to let Dickie know that we have noticed how special and blessed we are to have him leading Knoxville Catholic High School,” she shared.

To learn more about the NCEA or to nominate a school leader for an award, visit ncea.org ■

Saint Ma r y Chu r ch

PARROQUIA DE SANTA MARÍA

2211 East Lakeview Drive

FAMILY FUN FEST! ¡GRAN KERMES!

Join us on SUNDAY, MAY 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a fun day full of food, music and games. There will be a variety of Hispanic and American food in a family friendly environment. This is a great fraternal event for the en�re parish. Únete a nosotros el DOMINGO 19 DE MAYO DE 9 a.m. A 4 p.m. para un d�a diver�do lleno de comida, música y juegos. Habrá una variedad de comida hispana y estadounidense en un ambiente familiar. Este es un gran evento fraterno para toda la parroquia. ALL ARE WELCOME! ¡TODOS SON BIENVENIDOS!

Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests, Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta. Both have been in Russian detention since November 2022 for refusing to leave their parishioners in Berdyansk, a city in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Major Archbishop Shevchuk said shortly after their capture indications were the priests were being subjected to torture. According to at least one human rights watch group, Father Levitsky was recently moved to a prison in Russia. Father Geleta is believed to be held in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 determined to be a genocide in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for

Organs continued from page A3

fluential organization (the AAN) were not testing for all functions ... of the entire brain. We think that’s very problematic.”

In July 2023, the NCBC and the USCCB submitted a joint letter to the Uniform Law Commission, expressing “serious reservations” about changing the UDDA text to read “permanent cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions; or permanent coma, cessation of spontaneous respiratory functions, and loss of brainstem reflexes.”

“The proposed revision would replace the standard of whole brain death with one of partial brain death,” thereby allowing “patients who exhibit partial brain function to be declared ‘legally dead’ when they are not biologically dead,” said the NCBC and the USCCB in their July 2023 letter.

But the move by the AAN and its fellow groups to proceed with their own updates “represent(s) a formal breach in a longstanding consensus in law and public policy,” said the NCBC in its latest statement, adding that “these issues should be of profound concern to Catholics, in particular to Catholic health-care institutions

Vatican continued from page A3

dignity, nor would the older person who is dependent upon others, nor would an individual with mental disabilities.”

The Catholic Church, on the contrary, “insists that the dignity of every human person, precisely because it is intrinsic, remains in all circumstances.”

The acceptance of abortion, it said, “is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake.”

“Procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever

Bookstore continued from page A2

was traveling through the South as a Black man to see what life was like for African Americans. The stores in New Orleans he had tried previously that day had turned him down, with some clerks suggesting he had come by the check dishonestly. He had just about given up. But remembering the Catholic Church’s stance against racism, when he saw the sign for The Catholic Book Store, he decided to try it.

“I was so grateful I bought a number of paperback books— works of Maritain, Aquinas, and Christopher Dawson,” Mr. Griffin, a convert to Catholicism, wrote in his 1961 bestseller, Black Like Me

Mr. Griffin sent Ms. Henderson a copy of Black Like Me after it came out, according to Robert Bonazzi’s 1997 book about Mr. Griffin’s book, called Man in the Mirror . Ms. Henderson wrote back to Mr. Griffin: “I want to say ‘Thank you,’ though I regret from the bottom of my heart the situation that makes so ordinary an act newsworthy.”

“That’s typical of Florence Henderson,” retired New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes told the Register , “and reveals how she

Human Rights continues attacks initiated in 2014.

On March 26, the United Nations’ Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine released a report detailing a sharp increase in “credible allegations

and professionals.”

Both Mr. Brehany and Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at Creighton University, told OSV News that lifesaving technologies have made a precise determination of death even more urgent.

Medical death was historically viewed from a cardiopulmonary perspective, Mr. Camosy said. In other words, “If your heart stops beating and you stop breathing, you’re dead,” he said.

But “things get a lot trickier when (a patient is) in an intensivecare unit,” Mr. Brehany said.

“We developed the ventilator, which kept people alive who otherwise would have died from a traumatic brain injury by helping them breathe,” Mr. Camosy said. “We developed the ability to transplant non-paired vital organs, like a heart, into another human being.”

Such advances led an ad hoc committee at Harvard Medical School to issue a 1968 paper on defining what was meant by an irreversible coma.

The UDDA “essentially used the language that the committee came up with,” Mr. Camosy said.

Even then, determining brain

means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth,” it said.

The document also repeated Pope Francis’ call for a global ban on surrogacy, which, he said, is “a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs.”

Surrogacy, it said, transforms a couple’s legitimate desire to have a child into “a ‘right to a child’ that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life.”

Extreme poverty, the marginalization of people with disabilities,

would divert attention to herself as significant.”

“A remarkable woman; had a remarkable vision, too,” the archbishop said of Ms. Henderson.

“She had a vision of evangelizing Catholicism, not just through Catholic books but books that addressed issues significant to the Catholic faith.”

Archbishop Hughes, who at 91 still teaches spiritual theology at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, said Ms. Henderson embodied selfless service.

“I wouldn’t mind being in Florence Henderson’s shoes appearing before the Lord, because in a nonflamboyant way she served the mission of the Lord and the mission of the Church,” Archbishop Hughes said. “She contributed to this great mission in a humble, faithful, persevering way. When the Lord said, ‘The last shall be first,’ I think that the Lord was talking about people like Florence Henderson.”

Troubles—and friends

In 1969, water damage from a fire upstairs from the store destroyed its inventory—and almost the business. But wealthy friends and

An exchange of faith Ukrainian POWs ride atop an infantry fighting vehicle in Ukraine's Donetsk region May 25, 2023, after a prisoner swap. A Ukrainian archbishop is calling for a renewed prisoner exchange.

of executions of captured Ukrainian POWs” in Russian custody. Torture, beatings, electric shocks, and denial of adequate food and medical attention were routinely experienced by Ukrainian POWs, over half

death can be fraught with uncertainty, he noted.

Mr. Camosy pointed to the case of Jahi McMath, who in 2013 was declared brain dead following complications from surgery for sleep apnea. Her family fought to keep her on a ventilator due to their deeply held Christian beliefs and signs of life they had perceived in Miss McMath, such as finger and toe movements. They eventually relocated to New Jersey, where state law allows religious exemptions for faiths that do not recognize brain death. Miss McMath entered puberty, experiencing three documented menstrual cycles, and died in 2018 after intestinal surgery.

The AAN changes, based on a less than complete assessment of brain death, stand to hurt both potential organ donors and the more than 103,000 individuals in the United States awaiting organ transplants, said Mr. Camosy and Mr. Brehany.

“I’m not sure we should really be taking organs from people if we’re not sure that they’re dead,” Mr. Camosy said.

of whom “were subjected to sexual violence,” U.N. investigators said.

In September 2022, Ukrainian volunteer medic Yuliia “Taira” Paievska testified before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, that during her time in Russian captivity, she witnessed “prisoners in cells screaming for weeks and dying from the torture without any medical help.” She called the experience “the torment of hell.” Ukrainian camps for an estimated thousands of Russian POWs have been documented as adhering to international law, providing regular meals, hygienic care, free time, contact with loved ones by phone, and even optional assembly-line work for small sums of pay. ■

In its recent statement, the NCBC called on Catholics to take three action steps regarding the issue.

violent online attacks, and war also violate human dignity, the document said.

While recognizing the right of nations to defend themselves against an aggressor, the document insisted armed conflicts “will not solve problems but only increase them. This point is even more critical in our time when it has become commonplace for so many innocent civilians to perish beyond the confines of a battlefield.”

On the issue of migrants and refugees, the dicastery members said that while “no one will ever openly deny that they are human beings,” many migration policies and popular attitudes toward migrants “can

customers helped Ms. Henderson move the store again, this time to the neighborhood of the archdiocese’s seminary.

Then-New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan allowed the store to occupy, rent-free, a building owned by the archdiocese, Archbishop Hughes said, an arrangement that his successors have continued.

The store became a nonprofit entity in 1975, Ms. Komly told the Register . In 1979, friends of the store formed The Catholic Book Store Foundation, which raised money for the store and funding to provide retirement income for Ms. Henderson, according to the store’s website.

As she got older and frailer, Ms. Henderson had less to do with running the store. She died in 1992. But others stepped in.

“It was run like kind of a family. Even though they’re not related to one another by blood, they exercised their role there as a ministry,” Archbishop Hughes said.

Ms. Komly said she became manager of the store in 1998.

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. Flooding dumped four and a half feet of water in the basement. But Ms. Komly

“First, Catholics must restate and explain better a clear, philosophically coherent concept of death that is compatible with Catholic teachings and rigorous, consistent clinical testing,” according to the NCBC. “A whole brain death standard has appeared to be compatible with Catholic teachings. A partial brain death standard can never be acceptable to Catholics.”

In addition, “Catholics must reaffirm and strengthen ethical standards and protocols for the determination of death,” the NCBC said. “With regard to ethical standards, we must help to articulate and properly integrate the many goods and demands inherent in post-mortem organ donation.”

Lastly, widespread education on the issue is essential for “clinical and administrative leaders ... organ donors (current and potential), families, clergy, and the public,” the NCBC said.

It added, “Completing the tasks outlined above will require timely action, focused attention, and the collaboration of individuals and institutions with the requisite expertise.” ■

show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human.”

The promotion of euthanasia and assisted suicide, it said, “utilizes a mistaken understanding of human dignity to turn the concept of dignity against life itself.”

The declaration said, “Certainly, the dignity of those who are critically or terminally ill calls for all suitable and necessary efforts to alleviate their suffering through appropriate palliative care and by avoiding aggressive treatments or disproportionate medical procedures,” but it also insisted, “suffering does not cause the sick to lose their dignity, which is intrinsically and inalienably their own.” ■

later reopened in a trailer, which she operated for three years, before moving into its most recent space, the upstairs of a former home at 3003 S. Carrollton Ave.

The store was a creator of community, she said.

“It’s a real melting pot here. It’s a real nice mix. And people became friends by being here,” Ms. Komly said.

The archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020, has listed the property, and others, for sale, as a way to help pay clergy sex-abuse claims, according to a story published in March by The Times Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate

That was a factor in the decision of the trustees to close it. But the major problem for the store was lack of revenue. Ms. Kelly said sales have been declining, thanks largely to customers turning to Internet providers.

While the Internet is good at getting customers a book they want in short order, it’s not as good at getting a book customers didn’t know they wanted.

“There’s something about a bookstore that allows that to happen,” Ms. Kelly said. ■

Proclaiming a holy year

Pope Francis: It ’s time to strengthen and share hope, reopen the Holy Door

By Cindy Wooden OSV News

The liturgical year 2025 will hold special significance for the Church as Pope France calls for a renewed focus on hope.

“The time has come for a new Jubilee when once more the Holy Door will be flung open to invite everyone to an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ,” Pope Francis said in a document formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025.

Christians must “abound in hope” to be credible witnesses of God’s love, he wrote, and they can give signs of that hope by having children, welcoming migrants, visiting prisoners, working for peace, opposing the death penalty, helping young people find a job, pressuring rich countries to forgive the debt of poor countries, praying for the souls in purgatory, and lobbying to divert money from military spending to food aid.

The document, called a “bull of indiction,” specifies that the holy year will open at the Vatican on Dec. 24 this year and close on Jan. 6, 2026, the feast of Epiphany. Pope Francis also asked bishops around the world to inaugurate the holy year in their dioceses on Dec. 29 this year and celebrate the conclusion of the Jubilee locally on Dec. 28, 2025.

During a brief ceremony in front of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 9, Pope Francis handed the document to the archpriests of the papal basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major, the vicar of the archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and to top officials of the dicasteries for Evangelization, the Eastern Churches, and Bishops.

Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, an apostolic protonotary and official of the papal household, read excerpts from the document, which is titled, Spes Non Confundit, (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”).

“Hope is born of love and based on

the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross,” Pope Francis wrote in the document.

In a world seemingly marked by war, divisions, environmental destruction, and economic challenges, hope can seem hard to come by, he said. But “Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”

In addition, people need to look around and seek signs of hope, he said. “We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence.”

People’s yearning for peace, their desire for a relationship with Jesus, and growing concern for the environment are all signs that hope still exists, the pope wrote.

“The desire of young people to give birth to new sons and daughters as a sign of the fruitfulness of their love,” he said, is another sign of hope and one that “ensures a future for every society.”

But the “alarming decline in the

birth rate” in many countries shows how governments and communities must work together to support young couples who want to give that sign of hope to the world, he said.

The theme for the holy year is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and in the document Pope Francis called on Catholics not only to strengthen their own sense of hope, but also to “be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”

Listing prisoners as the first category of people in need of hope, the pope said he wants to open a Holy Door in a prison, although he provided no further details. But he asked governments around the world to consider jubilee amnesty and pardon programs and urged greater efforts to ensure those who have completed a sentence are assisted in their return to society.

He called on all Catholics, but especially bishops, to “be one in demanding dignified conditions for those in prison, respect for their human rights, and above all the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that

eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

Pope Francis also called on the Church to take special care of young people, who are supposed to be “the embodiment of hope,” but often seem overwhelmed by “an uncertain and unpromising future.”

And migrants, who leave their homelands in search of a better life for themselves and their families, also need support to keep their hope alive, he said, adding that “their expectations must not be frustrated by prejudice and rejection.”

Pilgrims of hope also should help the souls in purgatory, the pope wrote as he introduced a discussion on a key feature of jubilee celebrations: indulgences, which the Church describes as a remission of the temporal punishment people are due for their sins.

“Every sin ‘leaves its mark’” even after a person has received forgiveness and absolution through the sacrament of reconciliation, he said. “Sin has consequences, not only outwardly in the effects of the wrong we do, but also inwardly, inasmuch as ‘every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death, in the state called Purgatory,'” he wrote, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church

“The evil we have done cannot remain hidden; it needs to be purified in order to enable this definitive encounter with God’s love,” the pope said. “Here we begin to see the need of our prayers for all those who have ended their earthly pilgrimage, our solidarity in an intercession that is effective by virtue of the communion of the saints, and the shared bond that makes us one in Christ, the firstborn of all creation.”

“The Jubilee indulgence, thanks to the power of prayer, is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy,” Pope Francis wrote. He said a full set of norms for the jubilee indulgence would be published later. ■

Havana chapel restored and reconsecrated

Most beautiful church in Cuba renovated with Catholic Extension Society support

By Tom Tracy OSV News

What some are now calling the most beautiful church in Cuba is a newly restored Catholic university chapel in Havana that was abruptly abandoned during the Cuban Revolution and in disuse for some 60 years.

Half a century has passed since local students walked the grounds of the Santo Tomás de Villanueva campus, and since a Mass was celebrated in the student chapel, situated in one of Havana’s suburban districts. It was founded in 1946 by the American-based Augustinian religious order with assistance from European Augustinians.

Now, with support from the U.S.-based Catholic Extension Society and private donors here and abroad, the old Santo Tomás de Villanueva chapel has been fully restored and reconsecrated as Santo Tomás de Villanueva and San Charbel Parish.

A delegation of bishops and clergy from the United States, including Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, traveled to the Miramar district of Havana for dedication formalities at the end of April following a years-long planning process to restore both this chapel and a number of other decaying churches around Cuba.

More than a decade ago, the chapel was returned to the Church after serving as a small storage facility for the Cuban government.

“I visited this chapel several times since then, and it was pretty much in ruins with the statue of St. Thomas without a head still standing in front of the abandoned and unmaintained temple,” Archbishop Wenski said in his homily at a Mass of thanksgiving on April 24 at the chapel.

“This renovated and restored chapel becomes once again a beacon of light to all who pass by,” the archbishop said, noting that Santo Tomás de Villanueva University was later established as St. Thomas University, now an archdiocesan-affiliated college in Miami.

“We thank the Catholic Extension Society, which has supported projects throughout Cuba, and they were able to make this work possible through the generosity of Father Patrick O’Neill, former president of St. Thomas University in Miami and

(who) was previously a member of the Augustinian founders of Santo Tomás de Villanueva University.”

Archbishop Wenski was joined in Havana by Father O’Neill; Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García of Havana; and Havana Auxiliary Bishop Eloy Ricardo Domínguez Martínez.

Plans to renovate the campus chapel followed the 2015 visit of Pope Francis to Cuba, when a small Miami delegation of pilgrims and St. Thomas University faculty toured the shuttered campus property and wondered whether it could be restored to serve the community.

At the time, the church was nothing more than a few walls and a mostly exposed ceiling, with little to no remaining furnishings, windows, or religious art apart from damaged statuary.

Only the old altar its position an indication of a pre-Second Vatican Council layout and depiction of saints and other religious artwork high over the arches confirmed that this was once a church.

When the Castro government expelled the Augustinians from Cuba in 1961, several of the American Augustinians removed the Eucharist from the

chapel and came to Miami to found Biscayne College, a men’s college.

The school earned university status in 1984 after the addition of 10 master’s degree programs and the opening of the law school. When university status was attained, the name of the institution was changed to St. Thomas University to reflect its Cuban heritage.

The university came under the sponsorship of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1988, conferring upon St. Thomas the distinction of being the only Catholic archdiocesan-sponsored university in the southeastern United States.

Miami’s Father O’Neill noted that the Catholic Extension Society has a long-standing mission of lending support to poverty-stricken Catholic communities but that this project in Cuba was among its first projects outside of the United States.

Catholic Extension Society, based in Chicago, is a 119-year-old organization that funds and serves the country's poorest mission dioceses.

“They came down seven years ago and drove through eight dioceses in Cuba in one day to get a look at the needs there,” Father O’Neill told Florida Catholic, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Miami.

“Extension Society went regularly to check on progress,” which was slow given the difficulties of sourcing materials, he added. “There was no parish in that area; those walls had been used for a storage facility.”

The priest said he took interest in the project as a labor of love and one which honors his heritage as a former Augustinian priest educator and university president. His own parents had also been supportive of the original chapel’s founding.

The priest noted that a decision was made to leave the headless statue of St. Thomas Villanova unrepaired on the property as a reminder of the turbulent past; it is now joined by a new statue of the 19th-century Maronite hermit St. Charbel.

Father O’Neill said that a small Maronite Catholic community of Middle Eastern origin once lived in Havana and that a Maronite Catholic bishop in Mexico has taken an interest in supporting the new church, which now serves the community near Havana’s embassy district.

■

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/LOLA GOMEZ

Opening the Holy Door Pope Francis prays before formally delivering Spes Non Confundit ("Hope Does Not Disappoint"), his document proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, during a ceremony in front of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on May 9.

OSV NEWS PHOTO/COURTESY OF CATHOLIC EXTENSION SOCIETY

Beautiful once again The old Santo Tomás de Villanueva chapel in Havana, pictured on April 24, has been fully restored and reconsecrated as Santo Tomás de Villanueva and San Charbel Parish.

artists find in her a kind of muse, almost. These artists read her work, they experience her work, and they’re taken on a journey as artists.”

Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, a professor at Fordham University in New York who has taught Ms. O’Connor’s work for four decades, said she “really is a writer who we keep coming back to.”

“Even though she’s writing about a very specific place and time, her native South in the 1950s and 1960s, there is a timeless quality to O’Connor stories, so that she always is relevant, always has application to the time when people are reading her,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “With all great writers, we’re constantly in the process of reassessing, ‘Well, what does this writer have to say to us now?’”

Ms. O’Connor’s frequent use of afflicted, disfigured, and disabled characters “are indicators of brokenness in the person themselves,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “In O’Connor, everyone is broken, it’s just more obvious in some people than others, but it’s part of the human condition. It’s the inheritance of original sin. We’re all broken, and we’re all in need of grace and mercy. So, I think people find that very compelling, even if they wouldn’t necessarily use that theological language.”

After writing a biography of Ms. O’Connor published in 2015, Ms. O’Donnell addressed, in her 2020 book Radical Ambivalence, Ms. O’Connor’s complex and contradictory attitudes toward race as a writer in Georgia during the Civil Rights Movement, in light of some of Ms. O’Connor’s previously unpublished letters. In The New Yorker, Paul Elie, a senior fellow at Georgetown University, criticized Ms. O’Donnell’s work and other efforts to elevate Ms. O’Connor while downplaying her racist remarks. Ms. O’Donnell, who disagrees with Mr. Elie’s view, said his criticism played a role in Loyola University-Maryland removing Ms. O’Connor’s name from a residence hall in 2020, a decision which Ms. O'Donnell publicly opposed.

“Wildcat” includes some of Ms.

O’Connor’s short stories that center on race and racism, and Mr. Hawke addressed the controversy in the April 30 question-and-answer interview with the media.

“One of the challenges for Flannery in her personal life and one of the challenges to a contemporary audience is the fact that she grew up in a Jim Crow South,” he said. “She was fed on the water and soil of a country that was rife with racism and she saw all of that. She never wrote about what it was like to be oppressed, because she didn't know anything about that. But she wrote a lot about white hypocrisy, and she wrote about it very beautifully and with a sharp razor’s edge.”

Mr. Hawke’s inspiration came

opened,” Mr. Hawke said. “You could take a story like ‘Parker’s Back’ and talk about what does that mean? Why is it so upsetting? But I was so grateful to those stories and the writing because it just provoked real family discussion in a way that I wasn’t able to do on my own.”

When Ms. Hawke approached her father about producing the film, he said it “seemed like a dream that came to me, that your daughter would reach out to you about a subject matter that you care about.” He said that he made the film for literary audiences and devotees of Ms. O’Connor, devout Catholics and spiritual seekers, and fans of his daughter’s work, which includes Netflix’s science-fiction horror drama “Stranger Things.”

In the final scene of “Wildcat,” Ms. O’Connor drags the furniture away from the wall of a room in her mother’s house, rearranging it into what Mr. Hawke described as “kind-of shrine,” to write in the middle of her room. She sits at her typewriter, her back to the window where she used to work.

For Mr. Hawke, that scene illustrates “a level of acceptance that … she was trapped in this home, that she couldn’t have the life she imagined, that she wanted.”

from his mother’s admiration for Ms. O’Connor’s writing.

“In our house, Flannery O’Connor was the most important Southern writer in American literature, because that’s what my mother thought,” he said.

Then, as a teenager, Ms. Hawke fell in love with Ms. O’Connor’s writing. Her fascination led her to Ms. O’Connor’s prayer journal from the writer’s time at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the question of whether creative endeavors, such as writing and other arts, can also be acts of worship, and if personal ambition can rise above self-centeredness to serve the greater good.

“I was so grateful as a father to have that conversational door

“But once she accepted that, she realized it was OK,” he said. “She could bring the world to her, and not only did she not need to go to any fancy place, she didn’t even need to look out the window.”

Ms. Coffman, the “Flannery” documentary co-director, was among the film’s co-executive producers. After the September premiere of “Wildcat” at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, she told OSV News the connection between creativity and faith was a central theme in the actors’ discussions. While Ms. Coffman knows evangelization was not the Hawkes’ intent, she thinks the film may have a powerful impact on viewers.

“I think,” she said, “the storytelling they accomplished, with her (Ms. O’Connor’s) commitment to both her faith and writing, will end up converting people.” ■

OSV NEWS

PHOTO/COURTESY OF 11TH STREET LOT

Telling Flannery's story Above: Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor is seen in an undated photo. Below: Actress Maya Hawke portrays Flannery O'Connor in the movie "Wildcat." The OSV News classification is A-III adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

OSV

Louis Joseph LaMarche Jr.

Retired Army Col. Louis Joseph LaMarche Jr. of Farragut passed away Feb. 24. He was 88. Mr. LaMarche was a loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and great-grandfather who loved his faith, his family, his beloved city of Farragut, his Clemson Tigers, and being a competitive runner. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Mr. LaMarche was born to the late Louis Joseph LaMarche Sr. and wife Emma Helen (Faccenda) LaMarche in Worcester, Mass. He spent his formative years in Charleston, S.C., and graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor s degree in chemical engineering, which prepared him for his 42-year career in the paper industry.

Mr. LaMarche holds a U.S. patent for drainage profile tests for papermaking. He became very involved in his Farragut community, where he spent 15 years serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals as well as the Visual Resources Review Board. He was the first man in the National League of Cities to receive the “Stand By Your Spouse” Award. He spoke at schools and clubs, portraying Admiral Farragut for the town of Farragut and represented the historic naval officer in the 4th of July parade for many years.

Mr. LaMarche served as chairman of the Farragut Museum Committee and docent of the Farragut Museum. He was a member of the Senior Citizen Awareness Network (SCAN) for eight years. He served on the Patient/Family Advisory Council at Tennova Hospital, and he proudly graduated from the Knox County Sheriff’s Academy and the Citizens Fire and EMS Academy.

Mr. LaMarche also was a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Lewis Nathanson.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Mary Dorothy Hughes; children and spouses, Michelle LaMarche Smith (Jaimie), Therese LaMarche Jones (Lane), and Denise LaMarche Heaney (Brian); grandchildren, Casey Michael Jones (Candace), Alexander Lane Jones, Bennett Patrick Heaney, Katherine Michelle Heaney, Matthew Louis Heaney, and Cameron Grace Heaney; great-grandchildren, Amelia Grey Jones and Max Graham Jones; and sisters and brotherin-law, Carol LaMarche Nathanson and Barbara LaMarche Holst and husband, Tom.

A funeral Mass for Mr. LaMarche was celebrated on March 1 at St. John Neumann Church, with burial following at Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.

Donations in Mr. LaMarche’s memory may be made to one of his favorite charities, Tunnels to Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org), Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject. org), or to Tennessee Right to Life (www.tnrtl. org).

Bonnie Lee Larison

Bonnie Lee Larison of Knoxville passed away on Feb. 29 in Winter Haven, Fla., at the age of 79.

Mrs. Larison was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend who will be greatly missed by all those who knew her. She is preceded in death by her parents, Vernon Rice and Betty Rice, of St. Marys, Ohio, and a brother, E.B. Rice, of Ohio.

Mrs. Larison is survived by her loving husband of eight years, Jim Larison, of Knoxville; a son, Brett Grimes (Patty) of Apex, N.C.; a daughter, Amber Smith (Roger) of Lake Alfred, Fla.; grandchildren, Ben Grimes and Sara Grimes; stepson, Kenneth Larison (Ana) of Charlotte, N.C.; and a stepdaughter, Debbie Brown (Mark) of Knoxville.

A memorial Mass for Mrs. Larison was held on March 22 at St. Albert the Great Church in Knoxville. Father Chris Michelson, pastor of St. Albert the Great, was the celebrant.

Dr. Ronald Yatteau

Ronald Francis Yatteau, M.D., age 83, of Lenoir City, passed away Feb. 18 from pancreatic cancer. Dr. Yatteau was born on Sept. 22, 1940, to Donald F. Yatteau and Henrietta M. Lieser. His father was a meteorologist for the U.S. Air Force and stationed for a time in Hawaii and Japan. After retirement, he continued to work for United Air Lines. During Dr. Yatteau’s childhood, he lived briefly in Hawaii, where he survived the bombing and strafing of his home in Honolulu during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Ten years later, as a high school student living with his family in Tokyo, he came upon a Japanese infant drowning in a swift-water canal and suc-

Faithful Departed

cessfully rescued the child with the help of two fellow students.

In 1954, he was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout and a brotherhood membership in the Order of the Arrow by the Boy Scouts of America.

After graduating from high school in 1958, Dr. Yatteau attended Georgetown University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1962.

He attended the Medical College of Virginia and received his M.D. degree in 1966. While still in medical school, he was elected to membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and the Sigma Zeta National Science Honor Society.

He was awarded the Eben Cary Memorial Award in Anatomy in 1963 and the Radiology Prize in 1966 while still a medical student.

During his medical internship, he was awarded the “Outstanding Intern of 1967” by his fellow classmates and medical students in training.

He entered the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon and was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, where he supported several combat squadrons involved in the Vietnam War.

In 1968, he transferred to Lackland Air Force Base to begin his medical residency training at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center. In 1970, he continued his postgraduate training at Duke University Medical Center and completed his cardiology fellowship training in 1972.

After fulfilling his military obligation, he moved his family to Knoxville and joined the medical staffs of Park West and East Tennessee Baptist hospitals. He co-founded East Tennessee Heart Consultants, a private-practice cardiology group that eventually grew to over 40 cardiologists serving East Tennessee and parts of Kentucky and North Carolina.

He was board certified in internal medicine, in cardiology, in the American College of Sports Medicine as program director, and a diplomate in interventional cardiology. He also enjoyed fellowships in numerous professional medical organizations.

Dr. Yatteau helped establish the Baptist Hospital Heart Center and Heart Institute for the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of heart disease. He was instrumental in establishing the cardiovascular surgery program at East Tennessee Baptist Hospital.

He oversaw the first introduction of the socalled “clot busting” drugs that were instrumental in saving many lives by dissolving the clots causing heart attacks.

As the medical director of the Heart Institute, he and his colleagues performed the first coronary artery angioplasties utilizing balloon dilatation, stents, laser, radiation, and “roto-router” technology. He established the first chest pain emergency room in East Tennessee for fast-tracking and coordinating the rapid treatment of heart-attack patients designed to prevent or minimize damage from heart attacks.

He enjoyed traveling, camping, kayaking, and skiing with his family. He was an avid photographer and enjoyed genealogy and cooking.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a daughter, Michelle Garcia.

Surviving to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 40 years, Anne Katherine Van Orsdell Yatteau Esq.; her daughter, Kimberly (Kevin) Quigley, M.D., who he raised alongside his own three children from a previous marriage; a daughter, Lisa Ritchie; a son, Ron (Jackie); brothers, Dennis (Susan), Jerry (Liz), Tom, and Rick (Diane); and sisters, Jackie (Ron) Egli, Cheryl (John) Denson, and Donna (Nick) Gilbert; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Dr. Yatteau was a faithful member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut. A funeral Mass for Dr. Yatteau was celebrated on March 9 at St. John Neumann. A burial service followed with full military honors.

Joseph MacDonald

Joseph Graham “Joe” MacDonald, husband of late wife Liz, father to Meghan and Erin, and beloved member of the Knoxville community, entered eternal life on April 9 following a series of health challenges.

Mr. MacDonald, powered by his faith, his love for his family, and his dedication to golf, died the week of his favorite golf tournament, the Masters. Born in Knoxville in 1951, he was the third of Sam and Esther MacDonald’s 10 children. Growing up, Mr. MacDonald spent summers fishing and exploring with his relatives in Anderson, S.C.

Mr. MacDonald graduated from Knoxville Catholic High School, a MacDonald tradition, and the University of Tennessee.

He was a teacher and advocate for the Roman Catholic faith, in which he served for the remainder of his life. He was a member of the Cathedral

of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where fellow parishioners could always count on his full-throated hymn-singing and boisterous “Amens” during Sunday Masses. In the same fashion, Mr. MacDonald will always be cherished for his penchant for MacDonald storytelling, often with colorful language and interlaced with frequent proselytizing out of his passionate love for others.

One thing that Mr. MacDonald never met was a stranger. Many called him a “roamer” of the earth. From visiting the sacred sights across the Holy Land to spontaneous trips to Florida, Mr. MacDonald moved each person he encountered. Those who know him well will specifically miss his warm bear-hug embraces and his generosity.

Mr. MacDonald always had an extra dollar, meal, or room to stay in. He was always the first to call on a friend or family member in need. He displayed this by giving back to his community through volunteer efforts, monthly donations, and partnering with charitable institutions. Mr. MacDonald was a staple volunteer for the Knights of Columbus. He truly had a servant’s heart and wove it into his professional and personal life.

Mr. MacDonald’s heart extended into community development for Knoxville, his beloved home. Through his career inspecting and building houses for low-income families, he served as an advocate for safer, better living. Like his father, Mr. MacDonald cherished his own basement of farmauction finds, National Geographics, boat motors, a hovercraft, and the occasional classic car. Every day was truly an adventure by Mr. MacDonald’s side. To know Mr. MacDonald was to love and be loved by him. Whether you knew him as “Daddy,” “Uncle Joe,” “Joeby,” or just “Joe,” he will most certainly be missed and never forgotten.

Mr. MacDonald is preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Elders; parents, Sam and Esther MacDonald; his sister, Anna McNair; and his brother, John. Joe is survived by his daughters, Meghan MacDonald and Erin Barletta; grandson Michael; and his siblings, Jim, Jeff, Danny, Liz Horton, Phillip, Claire Hyrka, and Susan Wyatt; and many nieces and nephews. Donations can be made in Mr. MacDonald’s memory to the Knoxville Knights of Columbus Emergency Fund, Smile Train, and Covenant House.

A funeral Mass for Mr. MacDonald was celebrated on April 16 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with Father David Boettner serving as the celebrant and Father Martin Gladysz serving as the concelebrant. Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery in Knoxville.

Elizabeth Currie

Elizabeth Ann Slowinski Currie of Hixson passed away peacefully on March 9 with her children by her side.

Mrs. Currie was born in Ionia, Mich., on Jan. 9, 1939, to Arthur and Alice Slowinski. In 1945, she moved to Port Huron, Mich., where she graduated from St. Stephen High School. She attended Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Detroit, graduating with honors in 1959.

Her nursing career included work in the labor and delivery unit, home health-care and occupational health positions, as well as managed care. In 1990, she went to work at Provident in the managed-care unit. During this time, she went back to school at the age of 55 and obtained her bachelor ’ s degree in health arts. While at Provident, she managed several areas in the case-management department, served as a trainer, and developed many programs prior to her retirement in 2000.

While retired, Mrs. Currie enjoyed traveling with her husband in their RV and spending winters in Florida and Texas. She was active in children’s activities, including Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. She served as “cookie chairman” for many years.

She also was active at St. Jude Church and School and served in various roles with the Home and School Association. She was a fan of the Tennessee Vols.

While in high school, she met the love of her life, Frank Currie. They married in 1960 and had five children. She is survived by her children, Kathleen (Doug) Martin, Susan (Danny) Philpott, David (Martie) Currie, Sheila Gwaltney, and Karen (Steve) Spreha. The delights of her life were her grandchildren, including Nicholas (Courtney), Lauren (Levi), Colin Philpott, Patrick (Abby), Jack and Maggie Martin, Katie Smith, Cameron Blankenship, Alicia and William Gwaltney, Joey (Samantha), and Matt and Sam Spreha; and greatgrandchildren, Emma and Elliott Philpott, and Lucas Clemons.

Mrs. Currie is predeceased by her parents, Arthur and Alice Slowinski, and her husband of 61 years, Frank Currie.

In addition to her children, she is also survived by her brother, Joe Slowinski, and sisters-in-law, Alicia Riegal and Joan Currie.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on March 25 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. Memorial contributions for Mrs. Currie can be made to St. Jude School, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415 or to St. Jude Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. ■

Mr. LaMarche

Dr. Yatteau

Mr. MacDonald

Mrs. Larison

Mrs. Currie

tant date to many of you. Normally, it wouldn’t be. This year is kind of a unique year. This year, March 25 fell during Holy Week. Normally, that’s the feast of the Annunciation. Because it fell during Holy Week, that feast was transferred to April 8. Only Dr. Montgomery would have paid attention to that and would have chosen to die on the day of the Annunciation. She wouldn’t have done it on March 25 because it wasn’t proper on the Church’s calendar. She would have waited until April 8. And she did. That’s appropriate because it’s in the feast of the Annunciation that we see the Archangel Gabriel show up with Mary and give her a call that requires great courage: to be able to say yes, not knowing exactly what that’s going to look like, but being willing to say yes,” Father Boettner related to the congregation and those who were viewing the funeral Mass via livestream.

“That’s what fiat means. It means ‘let it be done.’ Dr. Montgomery’s whole life was a fiat. It was constantly saying to the Lord, ‘I’m not sure I get it. I’m not sure I understand. But let it be done.’ So, it’s appropriate that on that feast day, when we recall Mary saying to the Archangel Gabriel, ‘Let it be done according to the Lord’s will,’ we also remember Aurelia, a mother, a mentor, a friend, a confidant, a person of faith, a person of deep prayer and commitment to the Lord, and a person who allowed her life to say fiat, let it be done,” the rector concluded.

Dr. Montgomery remained close to Archbishop Emeritus Kurtz after he left the Diocese of Knoxville to become the Archbishop of Louisville. She also was close to Monsignor Xavier Mankel, who she worked with for years from when she first began teaching at Knoxville Catholic High School until she retired as principal of St. Joseph School in 2011 and beyond until his death in 2017

Also in 2011, Dr. Montgomery received The Immaculata Award, a diocesan honor “in recognition of total dedication and unselfish service to Christ and His Body the Church, for the generosity of (her) labors in support of the Diocese of Knoxville, (her) untold works of mercy as a Good Samaritan within the community, and uncompromising witness to the Catholic faith.”

Dr. Montgomery served as superintendent of the Diocese of Knoxville’s 10 schools from 1990-2001, part of which was during Archbishop Kurtz’s ministry as the second bishop of Knoxville from 1999-2007.

Archbishop Kurtz delivered a eulogy for Dr. Montgomery toward the conclusion of the funeral Mass. He conveyed Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre’s prayers and gratitude for Dr. Montgomery’s service to the Church and the Diocese of Knoxville.

The archbishop said he received a call from Dr. Montgomery shortly before she passed away.

“Every once in a while, I received a call from Aurelia. Usually, it would be an extended message on the answering machine, which I would think, ‘Darn, I missed it again.’ But this time three weeks ago I was too quick. I answered the phone, and she and I had a wonderful conversation. We talked about faith, family, and her commitment to children in Catholic school.

“Let me do that in reverse order. We talked about her commitment to students in Catholic school. Father John Orr was good enough

Baltimore continued from page A18

Commendation for a revered leader Above: Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz blesses with holy water the cremains of Dr. Aurelia Montgomery during the April 19 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus for the longtime educator. Father David Boettner, cathedral rector, left, concelebrated the Mass. Assisting at right are Deacon Sean Smith and Deacon Walt Otey. Standing behind them is Father Peter Iorio, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa. Below: A statue of the Holy Family was dedicated in Dr. Montgomery's honor at Knoxville Catholic High School on April 18. Taking part in the dedication were, from left, Father Boettner, Dottie Roddy, Dickie Sompayrac, Francesca Montgomery, Paul Montgomery, and Joni Punch.

to send me a copy of the doctoral dissertation that Aurelia did. I was pleasantly surprised that it was in 1999. It was at the end of that year that I became bishop here in Knoxville. Not surprisingly, the topic of Aurelia’s dissertation was one that will be dear to your heart. It was the internalization of the values of the Gospel in students who experience Catholic school, grades 1-8,” the archbishop said.

“Her commitment, not only to being a teacher, a principal, and a lover of young people, was to convey a witness to the faith. And nobody did that like Aurelia. And we’re grateful for that. She’s a giant. And those who follow her in Catholic education will do well to remember her. In fact, when I get home, I’m going to read that dissertation.

“Secondly, her gift of family. She couldn’t wait to tell me about Anthony going to college and all the things that are happening. She would fill me in on all of her friends and the mutual friends that we had. She was a great one to love her family and to be proud of her family and to support her family in any way she could. It’s a lesson in our culture that you and I need to learn. We know that.

“Finally, and most importantly, she was a woman of strong faith. Aurelia would be able, no matter what the situation was, to deal with challenges. When I was here as bishop, we often would talk about this or that challenge. There was never a problem. There were only challenges. And we would talk about a lot of challenges. In that process, I saw the great gift she had in faith. Faith in the presence of God in each one of our lives and in the lives of each teacher and student,” Archbishop Kurtz said in conclusion. “I

meeting for a lack of charity toward others.

“If we want to keep our church,” one woman said, “we have to show love.”

While the meeting continued, a steady stream of comments flowed from hundreds of people who were listening to the meeting online during a livestream.

Maria Romero, a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Highlandtown who worships at her parish’s mission church of St. Patrick in Fells Point, wrote that she was saddened by St. Patrick’s proposed closure. But, she said, she understands the need for change. Under the “Seek the City” proposal, Holy Rosary would combine with Sacred Heart of

the end. That has been an enormous grace during this time. So many people have been praying for her and praying for us. We are so grateful,” he said.

While noting that his mother would recoil at any mention or even suggestion of her accomplishments, he acknowledged that those accomplishments can be seen in the students she taught, who graduated from Knoxville Catholic High School and went on to be successful in their lives.

Mr. Montgomery said much of the time Dr. Montgomery was teaching, serving as a principal, or serving as superintendent of diocesan schools, he was living and working in Washington, D.C., so he didn’t have the benefit of hearing from others how they were impacted by Dr. Montgomery.

“Everyone has been so gracious and so thoughtful. They are sharing with me that ‘your mom did this’ or ‘your mom did that.’ And ‘I owe this to your mom.’ That warms my heart. It is very gratifying,” he said. “Mom used to say, ‘If we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and we trust in Jesus, everything is going to be OK.’ The challenge, I believe, for all of us is to believe those things and to try to do them. She really tried to demand excellence, beginning with herself. And that permeated to everyone around her. That was really important to her, and she tried to instill that in others.”

don’t know if there are vigil lights in heaven, but as we pray that she will be blessed to go right to heaven, we know that there is probably a vigil light already lit for each one of us, her friends. May she rest in peace.”

Following the final commendation, an inurnment service for Dr. Montgomery was held in the columbarium at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The words of Dr. Montgomery’s obituary illustrated her life well:

“Aurelia was a faithful parishioner of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and was a devoted mother, mother-in law, grandmother, cousin, and friend. She was the epitome of a southern lady but was also a tomboy at heart. A devout Catholic and a patriotic American, she had great respect and love for her Italian heritage and her Italian-American family. … As a lifelong educator, Aurelia expected excellence from herself and her students and sought to teach by example. She encouraged everyone to believe in themselves and set high goals, emphasizing the necessity of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to do God’s will on earth.”

Dr. Montgomery was preceded in death by her husband, William Montgomery; parents, Paul and Lydia Punaro; brother, Angelo; and sister, Teresa. She is survived by her son, Paul; daughter-in-law, Francesca, and grandson, Anthony.

Paul Montgomery, a Knoxville Catholic High School graduate as is his son, Anthony, said his mother had a servant’s heart and was joyous in serving wherever God needed her.

“Mom lived a long life. She was blessed by the Lord with lots of friends, lots of people who cared for her, and good health right up until

Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús and Our Lady of Pompei in Highlandtown (with the new parish to be based at Sacred Heart of Jesus), but Holy Rosary would remain open as a site for Polish and Hispanic ministry.

“Currently, all of these 61 churches are islands,” Ms. Romero wrote, “islands trying to survive on their own by working individually, spending energy just to support ruined walls, old buildings, that have no life. However, if we all unite as brothers, we can work together to bring the Good News to people who need life and abundant life in Christ.”

Some Catholics have raised concerns about where the money from the sale of any closed properties will go. Bishop Lewandowski told

Dickie Sompayrac, president of Knoxville Catholic High School, succeeded Dr. Montgomery in leading the school. Mr. Sompayrac said he knew Dr. Montgomery on several levels. He first met her when she was superintendent of diocesan schools in the early 1990s and he was at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga.

“Aurelia had a long career in Catholic education. She was a teacher here at Knoxville Catholic High School. In 1990, she was Teacher of the Year here at Knoxville Catholic. She then became superintendent and came back to Knoxville Catholic in 2001 as the principal. She impacted a lot of lives. She has worn a lot of hats and had a lot of roles, but I don’t think anyone could have ever questioned her passion for the faith and her relentless drive toward excellence and to do what’s right,” Mr. Sompayrac recalled. He said Dr. Montgomery encouraged all students to do their best and to do the right thing.

“She had a reputation for being tough. But she followed that toughness up with love, and I think that is the mark of a true educator. Any of us growing up as Catholic remember tough love. The key word there is love, and I think she exemplified that in all the roles she had throughout the years,” he added.

The Diocese of Knoxville has established the Dr. Aurelia Montgomery Memorial Catholic School Fund that will provide funds for Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Knoxville. The funds will be used to support the educational needs of diocesan schools.

To make a gift in Dr. Montgomery’s memory, go to dioknox.org/ dr-aurelia-montgomery-fund or send a check payable to the Diocese of Knoxville and write Dr. Aurelia Montgomery Fund in the memo of the check. Then mail to:

Diocese of Knoxville

Attention: Stewardship—Schools Memorial Fund

805 S. Northshore Drive Knoxville, TN 37919 ■

reporters the funds will flow into the newly consolidated parishes.

“We need the funds from that property to strengthen the new parish,” he said. “And canon law tells us very strictly that if ever this would happen, the money follows the people to the new church that belongs to the people, to that congregation.”

Archbishop William E. Lori will evaluate input on the “Seek the City” proposal and consult with a variety of groups as he discerns a final plan, which is expected to be unveiled in mid-June.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is made up of 137 parishes and eight missions in the city and nine Maryland counties. It serves nearly 504,000 Catholics. ■

BILL BREWER (2)

A sense of hope

By Judith Sudilovsky OSV News

Holding her 18-month-old son, Ahmad, in her arms, Ayah Issa, 32, broke into a smile when she saw Sister of Charity Aleya Kattakayam at the entrance of the Caritas Baby Hospital Bethlehem. “My darling Sister!” Ms. Issa, who wears a hijab, exclaimed her salutation, hugging the nun and handing Ahmad to Sister Aleya, originally from India, to hold.

Though far physically from the war, many people in the West Bank have been left without work as Israel closed its borders to Palestinian laborers, and the tourism industry came to a halt. The only pediatric hospital in the West Bank gives them a sense of hope and security. “It was a very difficult experience with Ahmad, my first child. When I used to cry, Sister wiped my tears. She stood by my side,” Ms. Issa said.

Book continued from page A11

Diocese of Knoxville as the Censor Librorum, reviewing religious texts for accuracy and orthodoxy. Sister Timothea is a renowned Scripture scholar.

“Of course, I incorporated her corrections,” Deacon Hunt said. “You don’t go to Sister Timothea to ask her for her thoughts and ideas and not incorporate those. She had some very good

Retreat continued from page A7

how Mary’s emotions, being motivated by love and not fear, would have allowed her to stand bravely at the foot of the cross, enduring her hidden and internal sufferings with great confidence and trust in God’s plan.

“Even though she has this anxiety in her life, it’s not overruling her. She would have experienced this very intense sorrow beyond what we could imagine and love for those crucifying Him. It hurts her more than it hurts us because of her clarity of reason and will … (but) you can have joy and sorrow at the same time. We’ve all had the experience of watching someone you love make an act of heroism. If we can look at the crucifix and say, ‘Wow, this is so good,’ all the more His mother,” she told the group.

Sister Victoria Marie shared about how anxiety ultimately is a part of every loving person’s life.

“Anxiety is given to us for a reason, spurring us on. Mary’s emotions were a gift to Jesus throughout her whole life. They can be part of how we love God and how we love others,” she said.

After small-group time, Amanda Roy, wife of Deacon Joe Roy, shared about her personal experience of learning to love Mary and her example of motherhood. Mrs. Roy’s openness to Mary started when a

Ms. Issa, from the nearby village of Artas, spent 14 months at the hospital with Ahmad in the intensive-care unit after he was born with a congenital disease. She was able to stay at the hospital thanks to the mothers’ unit, where mothers can remain overnight. The boy still had a tracheostomy tube in his throat, but he was holding himself up on his own and reaching his arm out to his mother.

“I feel so happy to see this child and mother,” said Sister Aleya, who is in charge of the mothers’ unit. Three other Sisters of Charity are nurses at the hospital. “I feel we have spoken not with words. This is what Christ asks from us. That we leave some message in their life. People long for such expressions in life. They don’t want anything but a little bit of understanding. We are all here to love.”

Founded in 1953 in Bethlehem as an outpatient clinic by Caritas Switzerland employee Hedwig Vetter, Swiss priest Father Ernst Schny-

thoughts and more than one correction that I appreciated and was happy to incorporate again into the book.”

Now, as more copies of his book become published, Deacon Hunt is giving presentations at various parishes around the diocese and bringing his books for sale.

“I’m very pleased and, again, forever eternally grateful for Deacon Jim Bello for his investment

drig, and Palestinian pediatrician Antoine Dabdoub, Caritas Baby Hospital is now the only exclusively pediatric hospital in the West Bank, serving about 50,000 children a year. Caritas in Switzerland and Germany were the first donors to the hospital, but since 1963 the hospital has been affiliated with the Swiss non-governmental organization Children’s Relief Bethlehem.

Lina Raheel, director of the hospital socialwork department, said the hospital has felt an increased need for its services as roadblocks have been lifted. She explained that initially following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities, patients were unable to reach the hospital because of Israeli imposed road closures.

As the only medical center specifically for children, the Caritas hospital brings hope not only to parents cut off from work and impoverished by the Israel-Hamas war that entered its eighth Hope continued on page A26

in this, both financially and emotionally,” he said. “Because he’s the one who has made this possible. If I had not met him and he had not taken an interest in this, this book would still be a file on my computer and nothing more than that. I am so grateful to him for his interest and for his passion for the project.”

To schedule Deacon Hunt to speak at your parish, contact him at rcchuntrn@gmail.com ■

holy card with an image of Our Lady fell out of a cabinet while she was cleaning before she converted to Catholicism. The image and prayer, the Memorare, spoke so deeply to her in that moment that it left an unforgettable impression.

After her conversion to Catholicism, Mrs. Roy was able to grow deeper with Jesus and Mary through Mary’s tender love in prayer, coming to Mrs. Roy as a

little child and gently teaching her about how to heal from her own wounds in motherhood.

Mrs. Roy also encouraged participants in their womanhood and motherhood, reminding them of their goodness and beauty, and that God could even use her messy life to make her who she is today.

The retreat concluded with a second time of reflection for small groups with the option for personal

prayer in the rectory chapel.

“I loved hearing about the natural and proper functions of some emotions we consider bad, like fear and anxiety,” said participant Peyton Arnold, a basilica parishioner. “It was very healing to see how approaching these well can help lead us to greater holiness through imitating the Blessed Mother.”

Mrs. Pacitti, reflecting on the retreat and its effect on the community, said, “(The speakers) delivered tremendous presentations and guidance. Everyone learned in an academic way as well as had a new or additional relational encounter with Our Holy Mother at the retreat. Motherhood, biological and spiritual, is not easy. It will be full of anxieties and sorrows. As we learned from one speaker, every emotion comes from God and therefore is good, including anxiety. Moreover, God and Our Holy Mother are truly with us in each situation and season of life.

“We also have the community of women that surrounds us,” she continued. “It is a community which one must seek at this time in history/anthropology. However, it is ever present, multi-generational, and prayerful. The women who gathered at the retreat were strengthened from this community and this time spent in prayer,” she noted. ■

CLAIRE COLLINS

Praising Mary, Our Mother Father Michael Hendershott, associate pastor of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, celebrates Mass in the chapel of the rectory of the basilica on March 9. The Mass was part of a retreat on motherhood. Father Hendershott gave a presentation on how Mary was so deeply united to her Son and bore His wounds internally.

ful parish hall where we can do our activities, and you can get your spiritual needs met. It’s a trifecta.”

With a new clinic site comes a handful of local volunteers, which are needed to keep the mission going.

“St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is from the community, of the community. We don’t come from outside, we come from within,” Mr. Vargas stated. “We have tremendous support at this church and great volunteers serving the local need.”

The team of professionals and volunteers also includes students from local universities who are gaining hands-on experience for their degrees, two of whom were present for the new clinic site.

MaeMae Whitmire, a senior in nursing at the University of Tennessee, has volunteered with St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic for two years.

“It’s been great. I got to see a lot” she said. “I’ve learned a lot, and it’s just been a great opportunity to help out and help those people in need.”

Hannah Fugate, a junior in nursing at Lincoln Memorial University, has volunteered with the clinic for three months.

“It’s been a great experience,” she said. “Everybody is friendly and helpful, and they have a desire to help people in need. And as a student, you get experience with a lot of older nurses.”

David Ligon, a volunteer who serves as the current president of the clinic’s advisory board, was present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony

“We had a board meeting last week, and we were reviewing things,” he shared. “Since the time that I’ve been a part of the board, we’ve grown our clinic size by 80 percent. That’s unbelievable. I came in year five of the clinic; we’re now through year 10, which is amazing.”

“We’re obviously all rural counties outside of Knoxville,” Mr. Ligon continued. “It’s just a tremendous reach. And I love going to the meetings. I love hearing the stories of the impact. Sister Mary Lisa, she always does a wonderful job giving examples of a patient, and you hear about those who are graduating on and not needing the care anymore because whether [they have] gotten jobs or gotten insurance.”

Now seeing patients Above: Martin Vargas, executive director of the St. Mary's Legacy Clinic, announces to the media and people on hand at St. Alphonsus Church in Crossville that St. Alphonsus is the clinic's newest location to serve patients in need. The mobile clinic is parked in the background. Below: St. Mary's Legacy Clinic staff and volunteers are shown with the mobile clinic at St. Alphonsus.

One such patient is Renee Muller, a parishioner at St. Alphonsus.

Ms. Muller first came to St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic in the fall of 2017.

“It’s been life-saving for me,” she said. “I didn’t have any insurance, and I didn’t have any income or anything, and they were able to help me. And so, I was able to get a hip replacement and two carpal tunnel surgeries from them, and it didn’t cost me anything because it was based on income, and it was all done through Knoxville, the KAPA program.”

month on May 7, but also to children directly affected by war.

In March, the pediatric hospital provided a medical team to examine a group of 68 children from the SOS Children’s Village Rafah in Gaza who arrived in Bethlehem. SOS Children’s Villages Palestine is a nongovernmental, humanitarian, and nonprofit organization created in 1966 that helps children who have lost parents.

The hospital also is caring for seven children from the Gaza Strip who were being treated in Israeli hospitals when the war broke out and were no longer able to return home.

The Hamas assault left 1,200 mostly Israeli civilians murdered and 254 people taken captive into Gaza, according to Israel, while the subsequent Israeli military campaign into Gaza has killed almost 34,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women according to the Hamas Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between Hamas members and civilians.

The latest tragedy struck the Catholic Gaza community amid news that, during a 100-degree heat wave at the end of April, 18-year-old Lara al-Sayegh died of heatstroke. She and her mother

Media continued from page A19

and finding healthy ways for them to spend their time, will we be able to shield them from harm,” he wrote in Amoris Laetitia

Excessive exposure to social media has a negative effect on our children’s mental, spiritual, and physical health. At the same time, parents must not only set limits but also lead by example, finding a balance and filling our children’s time with positive activities that help develop their talents.

This is not to mention the practice of our faith at home and the opportunities that may present themselves in our parish community.

A start might be to choose a week in May, as is done in many places in the United States, and declare it a screenfree week, opting for fun and positive activities for the whole family. That

mammogram,” she said. “And of course there was a problem with the results, so they were concerned.”

While Ms. Muller was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was thankful for St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic encouraging her to have a mammogram earlier in the year. If she had waited, the cancer could have progressed to a further stage.

Now that she is 65 years old, Ms. Muller can rely on Medicare for insurance.

“Sister Celeste [Mary Poche, RSM, clinic assistant] … now that I’m turning 65, she knows I’m switching over to Medicare and all that. She’s like, we’ll work with you until you have your primary all set up. So that’s why I even came today to get actually a liver testing. … They’re very kind about things and work so good with you,” she shared.

Ms. Muller encourages those without insurance to seek out the mobile medical clinic.

“You can’t be afraid,” she said. “I was afraid to come. I didn’t really go to a doctor for a long time, and I knew I had an issue with my hip. … They’re so professional here.”

In addition to the new clinic site in Crossville, St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic has much to look forward to in the coming years.

“St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, through the support of the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation, generous donors, and the support of the leadership of the Diocese of Knoxville, including the archbishop, have signed a contract that will enable us to buy a new mobile clinic,” Mr. Vargas shared.

KAPA is the Knoxville Area Project Access, which provides access to health care for low-income uninsured individuals.

In addition, Ms. Muller was visiting the mobile clinic last summer in Crab Orchard when the staff encouraged her to work with the MaryEllen Locher Breast Cancer Center mobile clinic that was accompanying them on site. The MaryEllen Locher Breast Cancer Center mobile clinic is affiliated with CHI Memorial.

“I attended that, and I had a

were making an almost 20-mile trek, mostly on foot, from Gaza City—where they had been sheltering at Holy Family Parish—to the Rafah crossing in the south after receiving permission to leave Gaza. Lara’s father had died in December due to lack of medical care. Her mother remains in a coma, also having suffered from heatstroke,

can be the beginning of new positive habits for our family that lead us to use less media and spend more time as a family doing things that nourish our body, mind and also our faith. Screen-free Week, which is an international observance, officially took place May 6-12.

Schools, libraries, communities, and families around the world were encouraged to organize events designed to help children turn off screens in order to connect with family, friends, nature, and their own creativity, and it is hoped that will continue throughout May. ■

Silvio Cuéllar is a writer, liturgical music composer, and journalist. He is a former coordinator of the Hispanic Ministry office and editor of El Católico de Rhode Island newspaper in the Diocese of Providence.

“The estimated delivery date of that is October of 2025. It is a $700,000 investment to provide a replacement clinic and take us into our next 10 years,” he added. “Our current clinic has served us for 10 years, a boatload of miles, and so many patients. Absolutely amazing. So grateful for all the support of our donors, the foundation, the Diocese of Knoxville, to enable a new clinic. We’re very excited to have that opportunity to keep extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ for the next 10 years with the purchase of a new vehicle.”

For more information on St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, visit smlcares.com ■

as well as shock from losing her daughter.

In the West Bank, poverty has hit residents hard, with the economic situation beyond dramatic due to the ongoing war. With public insurance covering treatment only in the overcrowded public hospitals, parents with children requiring more specified treatment have found themselves with no way of paying for treatments, the director of the hospital social-work department said

Many were also afraid to travel the distance from their villages to Bethlehem because of the uncertainty on the roads during the first months of the war due to soldiers, checkpoints, and also increased settler violence and arrests by soldiers, Ms. Raheel said.

Her team of four social workers also has limited its home visits to only those in vital need because of the uncertainty on the West Bank roads, she said.

“The hospital doors are open for … whoever comes to the hospital; we don’t turn our back to them,” Ms. Raheel said. The hospital is part of a Christian social network that works together to provide social services to the needy in the community, she added. ■

GABRIELLE NOLAN (2)

Distracted Boys play with their phones at home before going to school in Louisville, Ky., in this Aug. 10, 2021, photo.

Hope continued from page A25

Hope amid chaos Sister Aleya Kattakayam, a member of the Sisters of Charity, greets Ayah Issa, 32, and her 18-month-old son, Ahmad, outside Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem on April 27

OSV NEWS

PHOTO/DEBBIE

HILL

Fostering priest vocations

Encouragement, eucharistic adoration are key to priestly formation

By Gina Christian OSV News

Personal encouragement and eucharistic adoration are crucial in fostering vocations to the priesthood, according to data from a newly released report.

On April 15, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University released the 2024 “Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood,” a report made directly to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The report was released in advance of the 61st annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which was celebrated on April 21, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday in the Latin Church. The Gospel passage (John 10:11-18) for the Mass highlights Jesus' role as the Good Shepherd. The online survey, which CARA

has overseen since 2006, was completed by 392 of the 475 total ordi-

nands for 2024 from both diocesan and religious-order seminaries who were invited to participate. The ordinands represented 128 dioceses and 29 religious institutes in the United States.

Most of the 2024 respondents said they had first considered a vocation when they were 16 years old, and their average age of ordination was 34, a number consistent with the range of 33-37 reported since 1999.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of the ordination class is white; 18 percent Hispanic or Latino; 11 percent Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian; and 2 percent are black or African American. About onequarter (23 percent) of the ordinands are foreign-born, coming to live in the United States on average 14 years ago at 22 years old, with Mexico (5 percent), Vietnam (4 percent), Colombia (3 percent), Vocations continued on page A28

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Welcome to the priesthood From left, Joseph Austin, Neil Blatchford, and Andrew Crabtree kneel before Father Peter Iorio, Father Michael Cummins, and Father David Boettner during a Mass and Rite of Ordination for the then-transitional deacons in June 2023 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as they become priests for the Diocese of Knoxville.

‘Triple the ask ’

Paulist Fathers: ministry reorganization points to need for Catholic Church to double down on efforts to recruit

By Gina Christian OSV News

As an order of priests revamps its ministries due to a downturn in vocations, the move highlights the Catholic Church’s need to “triple the ask” for young men to consider religious life, the congregation’s communications director said.

The Paulist Fathers, a missionary society of Catholic priests, announced on March 13 that it would wind down its presence at two universities and three parishes in the United States while folding three other initiatives.

At the end of the 2023-24 academic year, the order will return Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish at the University of California at Berkeley to the Diocese of Oakland, where the order had served since 1907.

The Paulist campus chaplaincy for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., located at Christ, Sun of Justice Parish, also will conclude in June. The parish itself, which is in the Diocese of Albany, is set to remain open, a staffer told OSV News.

The Paulist presence at three parishes will be reduced as the order scales back from two fulltime active priests to one full-time priest, assisted by local Paulists in senior ministry. These are Immaculate Conception in Knoxville, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, and the Paulist Center in Boston.

The order noted in its release that the national offices of three longtime Paulist-run ministries Paulist Evangelization Ministries; Landings International, a reconciliation ministry for returning Catholics; and the Paulist Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations will reach an “upcoming completion of (their) work.”

Paulist Father René Constanza, the order’s president, said three flagship media ministries Paulist Press, Paulist Productions, and

Vocations continued from page A27

young men for religious life

Hope for the future Washington, D.C., Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, center, participates in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2022 for the then-new Paulist House of Mission and Studies in Washington, D.C. Also pictured are Paulist Father Greg Apparcel, left, director of formation at the seminary; Paulist Father René Constanza, president of the Paulist Fathers; Deb Stype of Columbus, Ohio, representing Paulist donors; Paulist Father Eric Andrews, immediate past president of the Paulist Fathers and leader of the building project; and Francie Dix of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, also representing Paulist donors. Standing behind them are Paulist seminarians and invited guests. Ms. Stype and Ms. Dix are members of the Paulists' Hope for the Future lay leadership committee.

Busted Halo “will continue to be key expressions of our mission to the United States and around the world.”

“At Paulist Productions and Busted Halo, Paulist priests will remain in leadership roles,” he said, adding that Paulist Press will conduct a national search for a new president and publisher “to carry forward the vision and legacy of our founder, Servant of God Isaac Hecker, who began our publishing arm in 1865.”

In February, Father Constanza released a letter stating that the order had since June 2022 “discerned that change is coming” due to an aging congregation and a decline in new vocations.

“Our number of Paulists in active ministry (ordained but not yet retired) has gone from 98 in 2004 ... to 85 in 2014 ... to 50 active Paulists in 2024,” he wrote. “The last time we had 50 active men in our community was in 1910. Of those 50

and the Philippines (2 percent) the most common countries of origin among them.

A majority of ordinands (82 percent) said they grew up with both their parents as Catholic, and 29 percent reported having a relative who was a priest or religious.

More than half of the respondents (60 percent) had completed an undergraduate or graduatelevel degree prior to entering the seminary, with business, liberal arts, philosophy, and engineering topping the areas of study. Between 32 percent and 42 percent had attended a Catholic

continued from page A11

within her party to pass some of her Democrat party’s major legislative goals, including 2010’s Affordable Care Act and 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Rep. Pelosi’s tenure was marked by both accomplishment and controversy, including her Catholic faith. She frequently discusses her Catholic faith on a variety of issues, including immigration, poverty, and the climate, but sometimes found herself at odds with Catholic bishops on some of her public-policy positions, most notably on abortion, something she has in common with President Biden, who is the nation’s second Catholic president.

President Biden called Rep. Pelosi “a brilliant, practical, principled, determined leader” and said her accomplishments are “overwhelming.”

In a statement, Rep. Pelosi said, “It is with great appreciation that I accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from our great and patriotic president of the United States, Joe Biden.”

“The medal is an honor that is respected because it is about America’s highest value: freedom,” Rep. Pelosi

ko, the order’s communications director.

Mr. Snatchko told OSV News the Paulists are redoubling efforts to “do better” in cultivating vocations to the order.

“We’ve hired for the first time a full-time lay professional recruiter in the vocations office," Mr. Snatchko said, noting the order’s use of social media, including Google Ads, to reach a wider audience.

Speaking as an individual Catholic, Mr. Snatchko said “the bottom line ... is that the whole Church has to do more asking” of young men to consider religious life.

“Every Catholic in the world (and every) ... Catholic in the United States ... (has) to double and triple the amount of times we say to (a young man) ... ‘I think you might be a good priest.’ That has a huge impact.”

Equally important are seminary “come and see” weekends, which offer a low-pressure opportunity to inquire firsthand about priestly formation, Mr. Snatchko said.

active right now, almost two thirds are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. In 10 years, we project that we’ll be down to about 31 active Paulists.”

While “people live longer these days, and many of our beloved senior priests have generously and selflessly continued working well into their 70s and beyond ... it is obvious that the current situation is not sustainable,” Father Constanza wrote.

According to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, in 2022 there were 34,344 priests (24,110 diocesan, 10,234 religious) and 451 priestly ordinations in the United States, serving 16,429 parishes and 66.5 million “parish-connected" Catholics. Just 66 percent of the diocesan priests were in active ministry, with an average of one active diocesan priest per parish.

At present, there are 101 Paulist Fathers, including six seminarians and one novice, said Paul Snatch-

elementary school, high school, or college. Most ordinands (70 percent) had worked full time before entering the seminary, particularly in education (21 percent), business (16 percent), and Church ministry (13 percent).

CARA’s executive director, Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt, told OSV News that direct encouragement of young men to consider priestly life is a “perennial factor” in vocations, with 89 percent of the respondents, or nine in 10, reporting they had received such support usually from a parish priest (63 percent), friend (41 percent), or parishioner (41 percent).

“We need to triple the ask (to attend such weekends),” he said, stressing that attendance at such events “does not mean you’re going to become a priest. It just means you are taking the first step of discernment.”

Catholic families should intentionally “encourage vocations,” Mr. Snatchko said.

“And we need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit,” he added.

In the March 13 announcement, Father Constanza echoed the need to discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance and to remain confident of it.

“The Paulist Fathers remain committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with missionary zeal, especially with people beyond the Church walls and with Catholics who feel apart from the Church,” Father Constanza said. “Rooted in hopefulness, we trust that the Holy Spirit is actively breathing life into all things.” ■

“You could almost say that ... no one shows up at the seminary who was not encouraged,” Father Gaunt said. “We generally see that men were encouraged by one, two, three, four different people in their life.”

Eucharistic adoration also emerged as significant in vocational discernment, with 75 percent of the respondents noting they had regularly prayed before the Blessed Sacrament prior to entering the seminary. The rosary also was a favorite devotion for 71 percent of those surveyed; another 40 percent practiced lectio divina, or meditative prayer with Scripture. ■

said. “Freedom was the vision of our founders, has been the goal of our men and women in uniform, and is our promise to our children. It is with reverence for freedom and respect for all who have received it that I am deeply honored and forever grateful. Thank you, President Biden.”

Other recipients of the medal include former Vice President Al Gore,

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., whose 2020 endorsement of President Biden in that year’s Democrat primary is seen as helping President Biden win his first contest in the Palmetto State, as well as Elizabeth Dole, a former Republican senator from North Carolina and former secretary of both the Labor and Transportation departments, and John Kerry, a former U.S. secretary of state for President Ba-

rack Obama and also a former U.S. senator representing Massachusetts.

Recipients also included Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In a statement announcing the honorees, the White House said, “President Biden often says there is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.”

“These 19 Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better. They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields,” the statement said. “They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work, and service.”

In the closing days of his presidency in January 2017, then-President Obama surprised President Biden, his vice president at the time, with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Biden was moved to tears at the ceremony, telling those in attendance he had “no inkling” he would also receive the award.

In 2004, then-President George W. Bush presented the award to Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican in Rome. ■

Medal

Highest of honors Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, is shown with trainees in this undated photo.

NEWS PHOTO/COURTESY OF HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES