June 7, 2020, ET Catholic, A section

June 7

| 2020

VOL 29 NO 5

IN THIS ISSUE REFLECT REPORT TO SCHOOL B1 SENIORS A18 FINANCE A4 BACK Students talk about the Diocese shares Diocese of Knoxville students will return to classrooms on Aug. 3

independent auditor's report for FY 2019-18

year that was, and the one that might have been

He dwells among us ......................... A2 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Catholic schools ............................... B7 Columns ............................................. B8 La Cosecha ............................Section C

Churches reopen after 2-month virus hiatus Parishioners across East Tennessee return to first public Masses since March; COVID rules still being observed

By Bill Brewer

Masses continued on page A12

BILL BREWER

T

STEPHANIE RICHER

Marked with the sign of faith Bishop Richard F. Stika baptizes Addie Gaut during the first public Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Pentecost vigil on May 30. Addie’s sister, Ashney Patoka, towels her head as the rest of Addie’s family gathers around her.

Hello amid the new normal Father Michael Woods greets a St. Francis of Assisi parishioner in an appropriately socially distant way at Mass on Pentecost Sunday in Fairfield Glade. St. Francis members were glad to return to Mass after a two-month absence.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

he feast of Pentecost saw a return to normal … well, a “new normal” for the Diocese of Knoxville as Masses were open to the public for the first time in more than two months and parishioners across the diocese began returning to churches to worship.

Parishes welcomed their members beginning with Pentecost vigil Masses on May 30 and continuing with services on Pentecost Sunday, May 31. However, churches were still bound by a COVID-19 protocol, including social distancing, wearing of protective masks, reduced capacity at Masses, the liberal use of hand sanitizer, maintaining social distancing at the sign of peace, receiving the Eucharist in the hand only, and orderly dismissal from Mass, with no gathering by individuals after Mass.

“It’s so good to be able Parishioners took to see people in church. the restrictions in I’ve been praying a lot stride, understandabout what has haping that the coronapened over the last virus outbreak still couple of months. ... is a public health So many people have concern, with new longed to gather tocases continuing gether with other to be reported in people just to have East Tennessee the ability to pray in communities. a community, not at Those in attendhome sitting on their ance said they were couches. ... It’s so nice glad to be back in to see you.” the presence of Je— Bishop Richard F. sus. Since public Stika at Pentecost Masses were suspended March 20, thousands of Catholics throughout the diocese have been watching Masses via livestreaming on Internet channels, with only priests, deacons, and altar servers present.

Spiritual Communion has been their source and summit of Christian life in the absence of the holy Eucharist.

In one of the first acts of public worship since March 20, Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated the vigil Mass for Pentecost at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where he welcomed new Catholics entering the Church through baptism and confirmation. Most all of those new Catholics, who are members of Sacred Heart Parish, entered the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

The bishop began Mass with a lighthearted comment, saying he intended to use the Pentecost Mass to catch up on more than two months of homilies.

“I’m going to start with Lent, and we’re going to go through Easter and the weeks of Easter, and we might throw an Ascension in there somewhere. What do you think?

Wouldn’t that be fun?” he joked, drawing laughs from Catholics who were looking forward to receiving Communion for the first time since winter.

Bishop Stika then turned serious in welcoming back Sacred Heart’s parishioners after such a long, historic shutdown of the nation’s small businesses, large companies, government offices, organizations, social outlets, schools, and churches to slow the spread of the dangerous virus.

“It’s so good to be able to see people in church,” he said. “I’ve been praying a lot about what has happened over the last couple of months. Do you remember what February was like, looking forward to cele-

Praying it safe Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland, processes into Mass singing the entrance hymn behind a COVID-19-preventing mask. St. Thérèse and the Diocese of Knoxville’s 50 other parishes and mission resumed public Mass on Pentecost weekend.

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

An offering pleasing and acceptable to God St. Gregory the Great: ‘The Mass will be a sacrifice for us to God when we have made an offering to ourselves’ “No one shall appear before [the Lord] empty-handed.”

— Exodus 23:15

H

ow wonderful it is after two long months to again open the doors of our churches for the public celebration of Mass.

While for some it is still prudent, for health concerns, to continue to watch Mass livestreamed and to make a spiritual Communion, we pray it will not be long before health concerns abate and remaining restrictions are lifted.

But no matter what, the one door that should always remain open is the door of our heart through which a most wondrous exchange takes place in every Mass.

What is it that defines our “active participation” in Mass and helps us to better “live our Mass” throughout the week? A beautiful answer can be found in an icon (synonymous with image) of the “Presentation of the Lord” that I was introduced to.

Did you know that in the eyes of the Church, icons and Sacred Scripture are of equal and complementary dignity? This is because, as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words.

Image and word illuminate each other” (n. 1160). One advantage, then, that icons bring to our reflections upon the sacred truths of our faith is that they truly are worth a thousand words. Icons help to enlarge our view of the written Word and to make the mystery

Follow Bishop Richard Stika on Twitter @bishopstika and Facebook for news and events from the diocese. more visible to the eyes of our heart.

With this in mind, we discover in this particular icon of St. Luke’s account of the “Presentation of the Lord” (2:22-38), a beautiful visual explanation of the wondrous exchange that takes place in every Mass.

The setting of this icon is within the temple, represented most prominently by the canopy structure (resembling our Cathedral’s baldacchino) above the altar and the “Royal Doors” (through which the priest enters the sanctuary) just to the left of Simeon. Though seemingly a static image, there is a dynamic action within this icon that follows the sacred motion of the Mass.

We see this sacred motion in the outstretched hands of St. Joseph with his offering of two turtledoves, which Mosaic Law permitted as a substitute for those too poor to afford a sacrificial lamb. Standing next to him is Anna, the prophetess.

Though her eyes seem focused upon the offering in Joseph’s hands, she points to Mary and to the true offering that Simeon has received from her—Christ Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

In St. Joseph, we see the image of each one of us who enter the temple of the Church with the offering of the poor—with two turtledoves representing the total offering of our life—our body and soul. But despite the poverty of our fallen state, our

June Prayer Intentions “We pray that all those who suffer may find their way in life, allowing themselves to be touched by the Heart of Jesus.”

–– Pope Francis

”Merciful Jesus, as we prepare to celebrate the solemnity of Your most Sacred Heart this month, we pray for the strength necessary to remain steady and faithful during uncertain times, and to trust in You as we always should. Our petitions include prayers for the continued protection of those who risk their lives by providing health care for the sick, and for those who have suffered personal, physical, and financial losses. We place our fears and concerns before You, Jesus, knowing that we can trust in You.”

–– Bishop Stika

A2 n JUNE 7, 2020

offering should still represent the totality of our life as a sacrifice to God. And as our special intercessor in every Mass, we should especially ask St. Joseph to assist us in making this total gift of our life—all that we are, all that we have, all our worries and hopes, our joys and sufferings.

St. Luke tells us that Anna, who in the icon holds a scroll of Scripture announcing the mystery of the Word Incarnate, “never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” Additionally, she “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child” to all longing for their Redeemer (Luke 2:37, 38).

In Anna, we have an image of the Introductory Rite of the Mass and its Penitential Act, as well as the Liturgy of the Word, and Profession of Faith. It is this part of the Mass that serves to further prepare, encourage, and inspire us to make the total offering of our heart during the offertory at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The offertory is that crucial hinge of the Mass where we transition from the Liturgy of the Word—from the ambo—to the Liturgy of the Eucharist—the altar. It is that time of the Mass when we present our offering, symbolized in the bread and wine that are brought to the altar.

Insufficient as our offering is, something incredible will occur during the consecration.

The figure of Mary, who is an image of the Church, is central to this moment of the Mass. For what the Church receives from its members in the offertory (two turtledoves) will become by the action (overshadowing) of the Holy Spirit in the consecration, Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God. And in the figure of the elder Simeon, who rejoices in receiving the infant Jesus, we have an image of God the Father, who sees in this “oblation” of His Church “the sacrificial Victim whose death [He] willed to reconcile us to [Himself] (from Eucharistic Prayer III).

Too often Catholics forget this incredibly important part of the Mass and miss that it is a sacrificial offering to God the Father before it is a communion.

Before receiving Jesus in holy Communion, we first offer Him to the Father as an offering of atonement, as well as of adoration and thanksgiving. This is when we hear the beautiful words of the Doxology—“Through Him, with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.”

It is at this time when, as Father Joseph Putz describes in his book, My Mass, that “the gates of heaven are thrown open, our gifts are transformed into the heavenly Victim, and our offering goes up to God in union with our Savior’s sacrifice.”

Could anything be more glorious?

If we come before the Lord “empty-handed” at Mass, without the intention of making a total offering of our self to God “through Christ, in Christ, and with Christ,” we are but spectators and our Communion with Christ will be without its fruitfulness. For to the degree we offer our self to Christ is the degree with which He can communicate Himself to us.

The offertory of the Mass, then, is what helps to widen the door of our heart for this most marvelous exchange where we offer our body and blood, our very life, and we receive in turn the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, “the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation.” Only then can we “live our Mass” as a series of offertories throughout our day and week and give the gift of Christ to all we encounter. ■

Update to Virtus training schedule

T

he Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children, youth, and vulnerable adults is offered at parishes around the diocese.

www.di o k no x .o rg

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

There currently are no training sessions

scheduled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

When training sessions are rescheduled, they will appear in upcoming issues of The East Tennessee Catholic. ■

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w ww.di o k no x .o rg

JUNE 7, 2020 n A3

Diocese of Knoxville schools to reopen on August 3 Students, faculty returning to classrooms as administrators work out details for safe resumption of classes

S

ummer is just beginning, but schools in the Diocese of Knoxville already are planning for the return of students to the classroom in the fall. After a spring of athome learning, students will return to school for the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 3.

Consultation with medical professionals revealed the possibility of an increase in communicable illness following Thanksgiving. Therefore, the fall calendar will look a bit different this year, with no fall break and students shifting to at-home learning after Thanksgiving break.

In a letter sent to parents, Bishop Richard F. Stika and diocesan schools superintendent Dr. Sedonna Prater stated, “The health, safety, and welfare of our communities remains our highest priority in planning for the return of students to campus.”

Plans for a physical return to school include social distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and disinfecting, cleaning, and sanitizing protocols. Best practices will be guided by the Centers for Disease Control, local health departments, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Guidelines are based on the latest medical information, but they can quickly change, and the schools are working to be flexible and attentive to any updates.

There are three stages of learning that schools may be using in the upcoming school year: on-campus learning, blended learning, and athome learning. n Scenario I: on-campus learning With on-campus learning, schools will resume with normal capacity but with revised sanitation and hygiene procedures. Athletics, extracurricular activities, and afterschool programming are expected to resume with possible modifications.

All employees, students, and visitors will be screened and have their temperature checked prior to entering the building. Masks or face coverings will be required in common

areas.

Outdoor classes will be encouraged. Students will eat in classrooms or outdoor areas rather than at a large group in the cafeteria.

Choral and band courses will be suspended as those activities can increase the risk of illness spread, though Dr. Prater ensures students that they will still study music in other ways, such as music appreciation and music history.

Athletics may have restrictions, too. Fall athletes already have begun conditioning in small groups, but when and how games may be played will be directed by TSSAA guidelines. n Scenario II: blended learning If state guidelines indicate that social distancing needs to be maintained, a hybrid learning model will go into place to ensure 50 percent or less of the total student body is present on any day. Students will have a blend of live instruction and remote learning. For example, one week a student will attend school and receive classroom instruction, and the next week he or she will participate in at-home learning sessions.

Each school will develop schedules to accommodate a hybrid model that best suits their students.

They also are working to accommodate child-care needs for families

who cannot have students remain at home on blended learning days. n Scenario III: at-home learning Classes will resume to fully at-home learning, similar to this spring.

While the schools believe the optimum educational delivery for holistic development of students is in-school attendance, the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 infection coinciding with the flu season may force schools to shift back to at-home learning.

Dr. Prater hopes these scenarios can keep schools running and safe based on changing situations and guidelines. They can also be adapted to help schools stay flexible even after the coronavirus outbreak has passed. Teachers and students have shown their flexibility and skill to switch to virtual learning when needed.

“Even going forward, we envision the blended, at-home, at-school to be something we will move in and out of as we need to for illness or for weather,” she said.

“We have talked for a long time about virtual snow days. One thing this pandemic did was taught us that we can do that. So we can apply this to times when we even have weather-related closures.”

While this coming school year

By Emily Booker

may look different, schools are committed to maintaining a sense of community among their families.

Communication will be key in the coming school year, as plans may have to shift. Parents are encouraged to stay in contact with their children’s school and teachers. It may be stressful arranging childcare or overseeing at-home learning periods. But patience and grace will help families get through this time. Schools will be making efforts to help parents stay in touch with teachers, administrators, and other parents.

Teachers will be working to ensure students will receive a comprehensive, holistic education but are encouraged to keep empathy and flexibility in mind. The students’ well-being—physical, emotional, social, and spiritual—is the most important goal.

“We know we are dealing with children and students,” Dr. Prater said. “We’re going to do our best to keep social distance, but we want our children and students to socially and emotionally thrive in all areas and we also want this experience to not be so burdensome that they can’t have the joy that children have of learning and playing and doing.

I think it’s critical that we not lose sight that we’re dealing with young people.”

For families concerned about their children’s safety and welfare in the classroom and who would prefer homeschooling or online learning, the Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools’ Office is investigating the possibility of offering these families a Catholic school online learning option. Contact Dr. Prater or the school’s president/principal to explore this option.

Dr. Prater said that if this option becomes available, more information will be provided.

Families can expect to receive more detailed information for the school year and classroom protocols from their children’s schools. ■

Dioceses disappointed by court ruling on state ESAs Education Savings Account programs were offered to families in Davidson and Shelby counties

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eaders of the Catholic Dioceses of Nashville and Memphis have expressed their disappointment in a Nashville judge’s ruling that Tennessee’s Education Savings Account program is unconstitutional.

On May 4, Chancellor Anne C. Martin ordered the state of Tennessee to halt the program that was currently accepting applications and slated to begin in fall 2020.

The ESA program, designed to offer families in Davidson and Shelby counties the opportunity to access state funds to pay for private education, including Catholic schools, had long been championed by diocesan leaders. East Tennessee counties were not part of the ESA program.

“We are united in supporting the mission of the Education Savings Account program,” Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville and Bishop David Talley of Memphis wrote in a joint statement issued May 5 in response to the court ruling. The ESA program “offers real choice to parents looking for alternatives to public schools for their children.”

“The hundreds of people who have applied for the program in Davidson and Shelby counties clearly show that there is an interest in pursuing high-quality education regardless of financial constraints,” the bishops continued. “We are disappointed with the Chancery Court decision that blocks the ESA program and look forward to the case making its way through the appeals process.”

The bishops added that the schools in their dioceses “are committed to excellent academic standards built upon a faith-based foundation,” and represent two of the largest private school systems in the state.

“It is disheartening that so many students will be challenged this way, and the families who thought they would have choice will be denied that unless the appeals are successful. And we remain hopeful that they will be,” said Diocese of Nashville superintendent of schools Rebecca Hammel.

The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Education Savings Account program was originally filed in Nashville in February 2020 by attorneys on behalf of the Metropolitan Nashville government, Shelby County government, and Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Chancellor Martin’s ruling was centered on the state constitution’s “home rule” provision

A4 n JUNE 7, 2020

“We are united in supporting the mission of the Education Savings Account program.. (It) offers real choice to parents looking for alternatives to public schools for their children. The hundreds of people who have applied for the program in Davidson and Shelby counties clearly show that there is an interest in pursuing high-quality education regardless of financial constraints. We are disappointed with the Chancery Court decision that blocks the ESA program and look forward to the case making its way through the appeals process.””

— Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville Bishop David Talley of Memphis

Bishop Spalding

Bishop Talley

that prohibits the state legislature from passing laws that single out individual counties unless approved by two-thirds of the members of those counties’ legislative bodies or a majority of voters.

“This is an extremely disappointing decision, and unfairly penalizes the thousands of families who were hoping to utilize the ESA program,” said Shaka Mitchell, American Federation for Children’s Tennessee state director. “These families are desperately looking for options to help their children succeed academically.”

Mr. Mitchell had worked with the Diocese of Nashville in promoting ESAs and led an informational meeting at St. Joseph School earlier this year to answer questions and encourage families to apply.

“We urge the attorney general to take the necessary next steps to appeal, defend, and protect the program,” Mr. Mitchell said.

State Attorney General Herbert Slatery III began the appeal process on May 6 with the Tennessee www.di o k no x .o rg

By Theresa Laurence/Tennessee Register

Court of Appeals.

The state also filed a motion with Chancellor Martin’s court asking the judge to pause her order so that the program rollout could continue pending an appeal. The chancellor denied that motion on May 7.

“Whatever happens on appeal will happen. But the current status is the program is not going forward, and parents need to be told to have a Plan B,” she said of the families who had applied and were hoping to take advantage of the Education Savings Accounts.

Ms. Hammel and her Catholic Schools Office team had been working hard to promote the Education Savings Account leading up to the May 7 application deadline. She appeared in a television and Facebook ad campaign encouraging families to apply.

The school office also sent postcards to neighborhoods around Catholic schools in Nashville and nearby counties “to make welcome the families who wish to use Education Savings Accounts to attend our schools,” Ms. Hammel said.

The ESAs, which would offer about $7,100 in state funds to qualifying families living in Davidson or Shelby counties, would be “an opportunity to share a Catholic education with more families,” Ms. Hammel said.

Catholic Schools in both dioceses were hoping to see a boost in enrollment in their schools through the program. Ms. Hammel estimated that the ESA program could help fill a total of 90 seats in the Diocese of Nashville’s schools.

“The fact that we have 2,000 applicants in the state shows there is interest in this program,” Ms. Hammel said.

A total of 5,000 ESA student spaces were allotted for the two counties combined for the first year of the program. Just before the application period closed, 683 applications had been completed and on track to receive Education Savings Accounts. Another 1,226 applications were incomplete.

“I think the current conditions with COVID-19 have definitely impacted” the number of applications that have been submitted and approved, Ms. Hammel said. “Families are burdened right now, working from home, trying to find child-care, and this has taken a bit of a backseat.” ■ Andy Telli contributed to this report.

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

Chrism Mass leaves a lasting impression during ‘coronatide’ Bishop Stika presides at annual Eastertide service, with only priests, deacons, women religious celebrating

BILL BREWER

I

Liturgical distancing Many of the Diocese of Knoxville’s priests and deacons attended the Chrism Mass on May 19 in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Mass was limited to only priests, deacons, and women religious due to COVID-19 guidelines, which included sitting at safe distances from others and wearing masks. also is in the transitional diaconate, served as deacon of the Eucharist.

Deacons Griffith and Hernandez are to be ordained into the priesthood in late summer.

In his homily to his brother priests, Bishop Stika reminded them that the priesthood is a ministry that closely serves fellow Catholics and is not simply a profession, as evidenced by the COVID-19 quarantine, when diocesan priests took extraordinary measures to minister to their parishioners.

“Are we defined, as brother priests and maybe future priests, by the activities that we perform?

The baptisms, the office hours, the confessions. . . . If we believe we are defined by that, then we, at one

moment in our life when we said ‘present,’ then we are walking into a profession. I really do think that in these last two months, every part of the world in which we live hopefully has presented to us who we are as priests,” Bishop Stika said.

“Because it’s not just about the activity, the meetings and the various activities we are involved in in terms of our ministerial obligations. We’ve received the beautiful, tremendous gift of the priesthood that we do not demand or deserve in some ways. To think, we began an incredible journey of developing more and more into the person of Jesus Christ, not defined by our activities, but to be defined by the

very essence of ourselves and our relationship in Jesus,” the bishop added.

Bishop Stika addressed the priests, deacons, and women religious from a seated position in front of the altar. He explained to them that he had surgery the previous day to repair damage to his left shoulder that occurred through the years.

They were sitting in every other pew, several feet apart as coronavirus guidelines dictated for Mass participation in the cathedral nave.

Their faces were covered by COVID-19-preventing masks.

Bishop Stika cited Monsignor George Schmidt, former rector of Chrism continued on page A11

STEPHANIE RICHER

DAN MCWILLIAMS

t was a Chrism Mass unlike any other celebrated in the Diocese of Knoxville.

Bishop Richard F. Stika presided at the annual Mass, which had to be rescheduled from its original day and time on April 7 at 7 p.m. to May 19 at 11 a.m. in adherence to guidelines for churches to restrict attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In observance of COVID-19 protocols, the Chrism Mass was celebrated privately, with only diocesan priests, deacons, women religious, and altar servers attending instead of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus teeming with Catholics from every corner of the diocese.

While the absence of those East Tennessee Catholics was apparent, this year’s Chrism Mass was uniquely striking in its intimacy as Bishop Stika addressed his masked concelebrants personally, thanking them for carrying out their ministry at such an uncertain and unsettling time.

Principal concelebrants at the Chrism Mass were Cardinal Justin Rigali, Father David Boettner, rector of the cathedral and a diocesan vicar general, and Father Doug Owens, pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville and also a vicar general. Masters of ceremonies were Father David Carter, rector of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, and Father Arthur Torres, associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Some 50 priests concelebrated the Mass, with more than a dozen deacons and nearly a halfdozen women religious also in attendance.

Seminarian Zach Griffith, who is in the transitional diaconate, served as deacon of the Word, and seminarian Alex Hernandez, who

By Bill Brewer

Oil in hand Priests bring the oils that will be used for the sacred chrism, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of the sick to the sanctuary, where Bishop Stika blesses them and consecrates the chrism.

A good pour Bishop Stika prepares the sacred chrism, which is distributed to all diocesan parishes and mission after the Chrism Mass for use in annointing catechumens, the sick, and those who will be confirmed.

Diocese’s newest priest, a Polish missionary, incardinated during Chrism Mass

By Bill Brewer

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

STEPHANIE RICHER

F

ather Marcin Gladysz took the scenic route on his way to the Diocese of Knoxville, and that route was not without its detours and brushes with danger.

East Tennessee’s newest priest was incardinated into the Diocese of Knoxville on May 19 during the Chrism Mass, a fitting addition to the annual celebration where Bishop Richard F. Stika consecrates the sacred chrism and blesses the oils of the catechumens and the sick as well as leads diocesan priests in the renewal of their commitment to priestly service.

During the Mass, Bishop Stika, Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, and Father Gladysz signed documents at the altar making his transfer from the Archdiocese of Czestochowa official.

Father Gladysz, who prefers to be called Father Martin, is a native of Poland who was born in Krakow. He earned his master’s degree at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Krakow, and he was ordained a priest in 2002 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family in Czestochowa, Poland.

He has ministered for eight years in Papua New Guinea and also has served in Chicago.

When he introduced Father Gladysz in the incardination ceremony during the Chrism Mass, Bishop Stika said Father Gladysz is a true missionary who has brought Jesus to remote parts of the world.

“We have a true missionary in our presence: Fa-

Congratulations corona style Bishop Stika and Father Marcin Gladysz exchange an elbow bump to mark the occasion of Father Gladysz’s incardination into the Diocese of Knoxville. The polish priest leads the Catholic Polish community in Knoxville and also is an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral. ther Martin, who has been working in our diocese for over a year. If you don’t know much about Father Martin, his home diocese is Czestochowa. And Czestochowa has a long history of missionary zeal and spirit. I hear from one of his classmates that he was kind of a rowdy seminarian. But he was willw ww.di o k no x .o rg

ing to live out that missionary spirit,” Bishop Stika said. “So where did he go? To Haiti, the Caribbean, Papua New Guinea.”

Bishop Stika spoke of the challenges Father Gladysz faced while teaching about Jesus in New

Priest continued on page A12 JUNE 7, 2020 n A5

Bishop Richard F. Stika Cardinal Justin Rigali Dr. Carol Akerman Bill & Theresa Allington Chuck & Jane Anderton Kathleen McCarter-Arendt George & Theresa Beyer Birge Family The Blair Family Tom & Linda Bolen Kathy M. Bracic Bill & Angel Brewer Will, Becca & Penelope Brewer Bob & Connie Brimi Tim & Brenda Brown T. J. & Mary Butcher Lisa & David Campbell & Family Troy & Jacquelyn Cantrell Dr. Michael & Michele Carringer The Catron Family Ray & Cindy Chan Cieslik Family Mark & Rita Cook John & Janet Cooper Patricia Danko Jim & Phyllis Darrow Tina (Barbara) Davis Kathy DeWine Duane & Debbie Donahoo Ruth Dorman Darrell & Julie Drouhard & Family Paul & Mary Dunn Marieta Davenport & Paul Dunn III Peter, Susannah & Thomas Dunn Representative Bill Dunn Daniel, Mary Amber, Samuel & Peter Dunn Bill & Stacy Dunn Sarah Dunn Heriberto & Carrie Fernandez Richard & Marianne Fischer Mike & Sharon Fisher Orville Fisher Helen Freeh Nadine Freeh Maureen Fricke in thanksgiving for JoAnne Fluet, Lynn Christ & Karen Vacaliuc Maureen Fricke in thanksgiving for Robert Humphries, Mary Layton & Joan Suggs Esther Golightly Francis & Helen Goswitz Deacon Mike & Anita Gouge Maurice & Jeanne Guinn Michael & Donna Gunyon Araceli Gutierrez y Fredy Arellano Monica Hansen Bill & Deedee Hansen Zac, Elizabeth, Anna, John William & Josephine Hargett Jerry & Lois Harkenrider Tony & Marianne Hartman David Hartzler Fr. Michael Hendershott The Hendershott Family Beverly Hoffmeister Bill & Karen Hopwood Hunse Family - Ryan, Leslie, Will & Caroline Nick & Amy Iverson, Mary, Nicklaus, Joseph, Daniel & Anna Patricia W. Kline Ronald & Delores Kopp David & Barbara Koss Family The Louis LaMarche Family DeWayne & Staci Lane Chris Leach The Leavitt Family Ray & Chris Lefebvre The Ray & Chris Lefebvre Children & Grandchildren Rich & Emily Lemming Karen Lhotka Ken Lhotka Gary Loe Carol Lougheed - In thanksgiving for Chris, Melia, Matthew, Amber, Oliver & Oakley Carol Lougheed - in thanksgiving for Emily Busane Lovelace Family Deacon Gordy & Fran Lowery Ron & Becky Lynn Deacon Scott & Christine Maentz Matlock Tire Service

Randall & Deb Maupin John & Marion McGaugh Tony & Janet McGuire Cynthia McMillan Shelby R. McMillan Lt. Governor Randy McNally Fr. Bill McNeeley The McWhirter Family Dr. Sherry Morgan Thomas, Kate, Ruby, Charles & Penelope Nelson John & Lenore, Claire, Nicholas & Lucy Pacitti Jean Payne Pat Pennebaker Eloise Perry Stan & Ellen Pickering Judy Pickering Frank Pickering Family David & Shannon Pless & Family Bill & Joan Price Carole Price John & Josette Rabun Brad & Kristin Rearden Julia Schriver Curt & Kay Sheldon Donald & Gretchen Showman James Shular (Sev. County) Ron & Lorene Steffes Sue & Walter Stone Bill & Angie Sullivan JoAnn Talton Michael & Dorothy Terheyden Philip Vance Julius S. von Clef, III M.D. & Patricia Owens von Clef, M.D. Ken & Sherry Wade Janet West Pat & Penny Westrick George & Andrea Wignall Wingard Family Dylan, Rachel, Edith & Sarah Katherine Wolfenbarger Jim & Ginny Wood

In MeMory of: Alice Boughner by Eloise Perry Bernice Levy by Patricia W. Kline Betsy Potter by Bill & Roberta Potter Bill & Dolores Gogar by Darrell & Julie Drouhard & Family Catherine Harrison by Esther Golightly Catherine Hartzler, Died 9/26/19 by David Hartzler Charles Dorman by Ruth Dorman Chris Clem by Clem Family Chris Price & Richard Feneis by Bill & Joan Price Curtiss & Sammye Sheldon by Curt & Kay Sheldon Deceased Russo, Tandle, Hinkle & Lowery family members by Deacon Gordy & Fran Lowery Dorothy Tierney by Sue & Walter Stone Dr. Bob and Hazel Brimi, Barbara, Paul & William by the Brimi Family Ellen & James F. by Jim Shular Eric John Arendt by Kathleen McCarter-Arendt Floyd W. & Violet C. Gouge

by Deacon Mike & Anita Gouge Hazel Brimi by Bob & Connie Brimi Hazel Brimi by Goswitz Family Hazel Brimi by Bill & Stacy Dunn Herb McMillan by Shelby R. McMillan Holly Pichiarella by Larry Pichiarella Jack G. Sumrall by Deacon Mike & Anita Gouge Jim Lewis by Staci Lane Jo Hensley by Randall & Deb Maupin John & Terry Heirings - in honor of my 5 children, 12 grandchildren & 8 great grandchildren

by Bill and Angie Sullivan Laura Blalack by Debbie & Duane Donahoo Libby Burkhart by Darrell Burkhart Louis & Melba Dwyer by Curt & Kay Sheldon Lucille Donahoo by Debbie & Duane Donahoo

Margaret J. Owens by von Clef Family Mary Ann Pontius by Troy & Jacquelyn Cantrell Mary Stone by Sue & Walter Stone Michael & Annie Danko by Patricia Olszewski Millie Croley by Bill & Stacy Dunn Mrs. Hazel Brimi by John & Marion McGaugh Mrs. Hazel Brimi by Kathy DeWine Our Mother, Hazel Brimi

by The Carol & Bob Rhinehart Family Ollie Maupin by Randall & Deb Maupin Our Grand Daughter, Kiera Brown

by Tim & Brenda Brown Pattie Rose Oliver by David & Shannon Pless Paula - you no longer have Down Syndrome by the Souder Family Rand McNally by Randy McNally Rose Lattanzio by Tina (Barbara) Davis Thomas Pearson, SJ

by Deacon Mike & Anita Gouge William & Dolores Gogar by Julie Drouhard In Honor of: The Lord Jesus Christ All the courageous sidewalk prayer warriors

by Charles & Marlene Yurick Beverly Hoffmeister by Kirk & Kim Smith Daisy N. Stuart (Mother) by JoAnn Talton Dr. Paul Baker by Tim & Brenda Brown Emma Grace Lewallen

by Dr. Michael & Michele Carringer Her Great Grand Children by Monica Hansen Holy Ghost Council of Catholic Women (CCW)

by Mary Wilson Johanna Dietrich by Mom & Dad Jonathan Augustus Fine by JoAnn Talton Kenneth Price by Bill Price Kim Pichiarella by Larry Pichiarella LIFE by Shirley Westcott Mary P. Yarbrough by Donna & Michael Gunyon Mary the Blessed Mother Marygayle Iverson by Nick & Amy Iverson & Mary, Nicklaus, Joseph, Daniel & Anna Matthew, Marissa & Michael

by Lisa & Michael Kirrman Monica Hansen by Bill & Deedee Hansen My Mother, Helen Freeh Olivia Scarlett Carringer

by Dr. Michael & Michele Carringer Orville & Dolores Fisher by Orville Fisher Our Children & Grand Children

by Tony & Marianne Hartman Our Deceased Mothers

by Heriberto & Carrie Fernandez Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church

by Deacon Scott & Christine Maentz Patricia Johnston by Nick & Amy Iverson & Mary Nicklaus, Joseph, Daniel & Anna Phyllis Scherra by Rich & Emily Lemming Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata Sam, Tracy, Alexis & Kenneth

by Deacon Gordy & Fran Lowery State Rep. Bill Dunn by the Lovelace Family Virginia Guy by Sherry Morgan Virginia Morgan by Sherry Morgan CHurCHes and organIzatIons All Saints Catholic Church Berean Bible Church Black Oak Heights Baptist Church Blount County Pregnancy Resource Center Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Chapel First Lutheran Church Grace Lutheran Church Holy Ghost Catholic Church Holy Trinity Catholic Church Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Fatima 3832 Our Lady of Fatima Respect Life Committee Park West Church Dutch Valley Park West Young at Heart Ministry RIO Network of Churches - Alcoa St. John Neumann Catholic Church St. John Paul II Catholic Mission - Rutledge St. Mary’s Catholic Church - Oak Ridge St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Church Maynardville St. Thomas the Apostle Church Trinity Community Church Wallace Memorial Baptist Church West Park Baptist Church

Tennessee Right to Life, Knox County Chapter proLIFEknox.org • 865-689-1339 • trlknox@trlknox.com

A6 n JUNE 7, 2020

www.di o k no x .o rg

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

U.S., Canada bishops reconsecrate nations to Blessed Mother Bishop Stika joins in praying to Virgin Mary for healing and salvation during the coronavirus pandemic

DAN MCWILLIAMS (2)

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ishop Richard F. Stika on May 1 joined fellow bishops from around the United States and Canada who reconsecrated their nations to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic.

“In this difficult time, we now turn to our Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church and the Queen of Peace, to ask that she intercede with her son, Jesus, for all those who are affected in any way by this pandemic and to renew the consecration of our country, the United States of America, and of ourselves,” Bishop Stika said in his opening remarks. “To the mother of God we implore her eternal caring for all her children.”

The ceremony, like others in the two countries starting at 3 p.m. local time, was livestreamed from the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The pews were empty, as the faithful were not allowed to attend due to restrictions imposed because of the virus.

“There are certain things that happen in the history of the world that are so often hard to explain: the death of a child, war, the Holocaust, the ongoing things that are occurring in this day and age—Syria, which is so often forgotten about,” the bishop said in his reflection/homily. “Nation after nation, people after people, starvation and all those things that exist in our world today. So someday when I’m called home to God, which I hope will be a little bit from now, I’ll have a few questions for God: why?”

On that reconsecration day of May 1, “we turn to someone very special,” Bishop Stika said. “She’s not God, the Blessed Mother. Some people think Catholics believe that she is, but she’s not. But she has played a role in salvation history unlike any other person. She gave birth to Jesus.”

On the cross, Jesus gave Mary to us as our mother, Bishop Stika said.

“Throughout history, the Church has often sought out the intercession of Mary, as a powerful advocate, an intercessor who stands before God,” he said. “The Catholic Church is gathering together today with all the bishops of the United States, with all the bishops of Canada, seeking the intercession of Mary to protect us and to give us strength.”

After the homily, an important prayer followed: the fifth sorrowful mystery of the rosary, which is the

Our Lady of healing Bishop Stika leads prayer to the Blessed Mother in the Marian Chapel at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on May 1. The prayers were for healing and salvation for the country and the world amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Accept with the benevolence of a Mother the act of consecration that we make today with confidence, and help us to be your Son’s instruments for the healing and salvation of our country, of our diocese, and the world. ...

Mary our Mother, bring everyone under your protection and entrust everyone to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord.””

— Bishop Richard F. Stika Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord.

“We’re also going to pray something very powerful, one decade of the rosary, the Sorrowful Mysteries,” the bishop said. “Then I, together with my brother bishops throughout the United States and Canada, and his eminence, the cardinal [Justin Rigali] here, will pray a powerful prayer, asking Mary for her intercession as she stands before God.” Bishop Stika mentioned the doctors, nurses, those who clean the hospitals, scientists, and others on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We entrust them all to the Blessed Mother, whether they understand her or not, whether they believe in her and her intercession or not. We do,” he said.

May 1 was also the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, and Bishop Stika prayed for his intercession as well. The bishop also reminded his listeners to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

“As we pray through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, we also pray the prayer that was given to us by St. Faustina, a prayer

Praying for healing Bishop Stika, with the monstrance containing the holy Eucharist, helped reconsecrate the United States to Mary on May 1. that is indeed powerful, that will indeed allow us to walk in these months of uncertainty: Jesus, I trust in you,” he said.

Bishop Stika opened the prayer of reconsecration by saying, “Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, you are the fairest fruit of God’s redeeming love; you sing of the Father’s mercy and accompany us with a mother’s love. In this time of pandemic we come to you, our sign of sure hope and comfort.

Today we renew the act of consecration and entrustment carried out by those who have gone before us. With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace our nation ... embrace this diocese, which we entrust and consecrate once again to you. . . .”

Father David Boettner, rector of the cathedral, prayed, “With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace this parish, which we entrust and consecrate once again to

By Dan McWilliams

you, together with ourselves and our families.”

The bishop continued: “Mary, Health of the Sick, sign of health, of healing, and of divine hope for the sick, we entrust to you all who are infected with the coronavirus.

Mary, Mother of Consolation, who consoles with a mother’s love all who turn to you, we entrust to you all those who have lost loved ones in the pandemic.”

Bishop Stika also entrusted to Mary’s care “all caregivers,” “all who are working to find a care to this pandemic,” and “all leaders and policymakers”: “Accept with the benevolence of a Mother the act of consecration that we make today with confidence, and help us to be your Son’s instruments for the healing and salvation of our country, of our diocese, and the world.”

The prayer concluded: “Mary our Mother, bring everyone under your protection and entrust everyone to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

Afterward, Bishop Stika said the ceremony “was a great idea of Archbishop [José] Gomez, who’s the archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the [U.S. bishops’] conference, to reconsecrate, because we’ve already done that in the past, during this time of pandemic. So every bishop of the United States and Canada today, around the same time, we’re in different time zones, we basically used the same format: said the rosary, had the same Gospel, the same prayer of consecration.

“It was just like all of us as Church coming together to pray for the United States but also Canada and the entire world, placing ourselves in the hands of Mary, who gives us to Jesus, who gives us to the Father. Mary has appeared to different people over the centuries, and she always points to her Son, Jesus, you know: ‘do as he says.’ I think it’s really powerful.”

Bishop Stika knew that as he prayed, dozens of his fellow bishops were doing the same around the country and Canada.

“I always know that whenever I pray, no matter what time, there’s always somebody in the world praying at the same time. But today was very powerful, because we’re called the College of Bishops, it’s the official teachers of the Church throughout the world, but today we got together with the bishops of Canada and the United States and maybe other places, too, and did it as one voice,” he said. ■

Lack of faith can impact validity of marriage, Vatican commission finds Question of validity will impact marriage tribunals like Diocese of Knoxville’s new panel, which gets underway July 1

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

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lack of faith and a misunderstanding of marriage can mean no sacramental marriage occurred, even if both the husband and wife had been baptized, according to a new document.

The International Theological Commission, whose members are appointed by the pope, wrote the document in response to questions repeatedly raised since the 1970s and addressed by St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.

“The existence today of ‘baptized nonbelievers’ raises a new theological problem and a grave pastoral dilemma, especially when the lack of, or rather the rejection of, the faith seems clear,” the document said.

In the document, “The Reciprocity Between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy,” members of the theological commission did not claim to resolve completely the question of the validity of sacramental marriages in the absence of faith, but they did insist that much greater care must be taken to educate Catholics in the meaning of faith, the significance of the sacraments and the meaning of marriage.

The document was approved by Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and its publication in early March was authorized by Pope Francis.

The “reciprocity” in the document’s title refers to Catholic teaching that a person must have a degree of faith to validly receive the sacraments, but also that the sacraments strengthen and enrich faith.

The document did not focus only on matrimony; it also looked at the relationship between faith and the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, and noted that, obviously, complete or perfect faith is never requested for sacramental validity.

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Faith is something that is meant to grow.

In addition, it said, “the sacraments are always celebrated in the faith of the Church since they have been entrusted to the Church. In each and every sacrament, the faith of the Church precedes the faith of the singular faithful.”

Because the faith of the Church itself is at work in the sacraments, the Church has held that “the personal faith of the contracting parties does not constitute the sacramentality of matrimony.”

But, at the same time, the document said, “the absence of personal faith compromises the validity of the sacrament.”

The question of validity has a practical impact on decisions of marriage tribunals when they are asked to grant a decree of nullity of a marriage.

The Diocese of Knoxville’s new marriage tribunal will begin considering such requests on July 1, when it takes over East Tennessee cases from the Diocese of Nashville.

But, quoting Pope Francis and his predecessors, the document also noted another practical impact of the faith-sacrament relationship, which is the strength, love, and commitment that sacramental grace gives a couple to live their vows.

The situations in which validity is called into question because of a lack of faith are limited, although increasing, the document said. It referred specifically to the marriages of “baptized nonbelievers,” a term first used by the theological commission in 1977.

“This category includes two types of people,” the document said: “Those who received baptism in infancy, but subsequently, for whatever reason, have not come to perform a personal act of faith involving their understanding and their will”; and “those baptized persons who consciously deny the faith explicitly and do not consider themselves to be Catholic or w ww.di o k no x .o rg

Christian believers.”

Reviewing papal reaction to the problem, the document said Pope Benedict XVI insisted that, as a “minimum condition” for validity, the couple have “the intention to do what the Church does” in the sacrament, which is to promise the man and woman to each other for life, in fidelity and with openness to having children.

In updating rules for marriage tribunals in 2015, the commission noted, Pope Francis formally acknowledged that “the defect of faith” can be a motive for nullity.

Still, the document said, “as in every sacrament, in marriage there is a transmission of the grace of Christ. This grace is not due to the faith of the ministers,” which in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church are the spouses, “but is a gift of Christ, who is actively present in the conjugal covenant, and of the Holy Spirit.”

While not definitively settling the question, members of the theological commission did reject “two extremes”: n “On the one hand, we reject an absolute sacramental automatism, which holds that every marriage between the baptized would be a sacrament, either through the presence of a minimal faith linked to the ‘character’ of baptism or through the intervention of Christ and the Church presupposed by baptism.” n “On the other hand, we reject an elitist sacramental skepticism that holds that any degree of absence of faith would vitiate the intention and thus invalidate the sacrament.”

The commission document concluded that priests should not accept the request for a Church wedding made by “baptized nonbelievers,” who clearly reject Church teaching about the indissolubility and purpose of marriage. ■ JUNE 7, 2020 n A7

National service to report sexual misconduct involving U.S. bishops launched Catholic News Service, Tennessee Register reports

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reporting system accepting sexual misconduct allegations against U.S. bishops and eparchs is in place.

Called the Catholic Bishops Abuse Reporting Service, or CBAR, the system became operational March 16.

The mechanism incorporates a website and a tollfree telephone number through which individuals can file reports regarding a bishop.

The website is ReportBishopAbuse.org. Calls can be placed at 800-276-1562.

A link to the site is also available at www.dioknox.org.

The nationwide system is being implemented by individual dioceses under the direction of each respective cardinal, archbishop, or bishop. The

information gathered will be protected through enhanced encryption.

The Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service allows for individuals to relay to Church authorities any reports of a U.S. Catholic bishop who has: n Forced someone to perform or to submit to sexual acts through violence, threat, or abuse of authority. n Performed sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person. n Produced, exhibited, possessed, or distributed child pornography, or recruited or induced a minor or a vulnerable person to participate in pornographic exhibitions. n Or, a diocesan or eparchial bishop, or a cleric overseeing a diocese/eparchy in the absence of a diocesan or eparchial bishop, who has intentionally interfered with a civil or Church investigation into

allegations of sexual abuse committed by another cleric or religious.

The system works like this: n Calls initially will come into a central phone bank, where trained personnel will ask for information about the allegation being made, including the name of the person making the report and his or her contact information. People also will have the option of filing a report online if they do not want to call. People will not be required to give their name if they wish to remain anonymous. n The information gathered will be forwarded to the appropriate metropolitan, or archbishop, responsible for each diocese in a province. The U.S. has 32 metropolitans. Each province has one archdiocese and several dioceses.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville is the

Reporting continued on page A16

Pope calls USCCB president to express solidarity, support amid turmoil in U.S.

A8 n JUNE 7, 2020

Sign of support Pope Francis greets Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, during an “ad limina” visit to the Vatican on Jan. 27.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/TOM BRENNER-REUTERS

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ope Francis used his June 3 audience and a phone call with the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to express his solidarity and support following days of demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In a June 3 letter to his fellow bishops, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles told them Pope Francis had called him “to express his prayers and closeness to the Church and people of the United States in this moment of unrest in our country.”

Archbishop Gomez wrote that the pope “thanked the bishops for the pastoral tone of the Church’s response to demonstrations across the country in our statements and actions since the death” of Mr. Floyd. The pope also said he was praying for Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda and the Church of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Gomez wrote.

Archbishop Gomez thanked the pope “for his prayers and strong words of support at the conclusion” of his Wednesday general audience.

In his livestreamed June 3 general audience, the pope said, “Today I join the Church in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and in the entire United States, in praying for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.”

The pope asked for prayers “for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn.”

Pope Francis expressed “great concern” for the “disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd.” Mr. Floyd was a 46-year-old African American man whose last moments of life were recorded on a widely disseminated video showing a white police officer in Minneapolis pushing down on his neck with his knee May 25.

All four officers involved in the incident were fired and now all face charges. Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd, was the first charged, with third-degree murder and manslaughter, but midday June 3 the charge was upgraded to second-degree murder.

The other three former officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and seconddegree manslaughter.

“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that ‘the violence of recent nights is selfdestructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,’” the pope said, quoting Archbishop Gomez.

In his letter to U.S. bishops, Archbishop Gomez concluded that “in this challenging moment for our ministries and our country, I hope we can all take comfort and gain strength from our Holy Father’s prayers and encouragement.”

English Catholic bishops say they “stand in solidarity” with anti-racism protests over the police killing of an unarmed U.S. African American, declaring that “racism is an evil which must be opposed.”

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine in

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

By Greg Erlandson, Dennis Sadowski, and Simon Caldwell Catholic News Service

Presidential homage U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose outside the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington on June 2, the 41st anniversary of the beginning of the pope’s 1979 historic visit to Poland.

Washington June 2 before he signed an executive order back at the White House to expand U.S. support for international religious freedom efforts.

The crosstown trip was excoriated by several Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Washington, who said he found it “baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles” by allowing the visit.

The Trumps’ visit to the shrine in Northeast Washington came on the 41st anniversary of the start of St. John Paul II’s pilgrimage to his native Poland, the first trip by the pope during which he repeatedly addressed religious and political freedom.

The White House said the president offered no remarks during the visit.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accompanied the Trumps during the brief stay at the shrine.

Over 100 people, including children and their parents, had gathered near the shrine and began chanting slogans calling for justice for Mr. Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis May 25.

Archbishop Gregory said Catholic teaching calls the faithful to “defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree.”

The evening before the shrine visit, Trump walked from the White House to St. John Episcopal Church, which was set afire during protests May 31 that called for the nation to address racism and police violence.

Authorities fired flash-bang shells, gas, and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd that had gathered in Lafayette Square across from the White House so President Trump could walk to the church, where he held up a Bible as

photographers captured the scene.

The crowd was present in the park to protest the death of Mr. Floyd and other African American people at the hands of police.

Archbishop Gregory in his June 2 statement questioned the decision to disperse the protesters in such a manner.

“St. John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth. He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter, or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.”

The shrine issued a statement about the visit less than two hours after the president and first lady left. It said White House officials originally scheduled the visit “as an event for the president to sign an executive order related to global religious freedom.”

“This was fitting given St. John Paul II was a tireless advocate of religious liberty throughout his pontificate,” the statement said. “International religious freedom receives widespread bipartisan support, including unanimous passage of legislation in defense of persecuted Christians and religious minorities around the world.”

“The shrine welcomes all people to come and pray and learn about the legacy of St. John Paul II,” it added.

At least one other bishop was critical of the shrine visit.

Bishop John E. Stowe of Lexington, Ky., tweeted early June 2 that he hoped during the visit “someone proclaims today’s Gospel (Mark 12:13-17) where Herodians and Pharisees are called out for their hypocrisy.”

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the bishops would not comment on the event

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because it “was not ours.”

Returning to the White House, President Trump signed an executive order during the noon hour that the White House described as prioritizing U.S. support for religious freedom worldwide.

The order calls for the U.S. to allocate at least $50 million annually for international religious freedom programs.

It also would widen economic incentives to support countries that expand religious practice and address attempts to restrict religious practice. In addition, the order would align foreign assistance “to better reflect country circumstances,” restrict issuing visas, and implement sanctions under the 2012 Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, which targets human rights abuses and global corruption.

The law is named for Mr. Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in 2009 after being arrested and tortured in custody by officers of the Russian Ministry of the Interior.

A final provision of the order would mandate more federal employees who work abroad to undergo international religious freedom training.

Several observers questioned the president’s commitment to constitutionally protected freedoms given his efforts to limit the rights of refugees seeking asylum and past policies seeking to separate immigrant children from their parents.

President Trump said June 1 he supports the rights of nonviolent protesters seeking justice for Floyd but that it is necessary to quell rioters who have looted businesses and set buildings and vehicles afire during clashes with authorities that have resulted in millions of dollars in damage and left dozens of people injured.

Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University near the shrine, charged that Trump was misappropriating religious symbols for political gain rather than broadly supporting religious freedom. “He’s torn down the wall between church and state ... and instead (is) weaponizing religion for his own political goals,” she said.

Ms. McGuire called on the U.S. Catholic bishops to stand “shoulder to shoulder at this shrine and tell him in no uncertain terms that this promotion of religion for political purposes is wrong.”

Sister Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Service, who is executive director of the Catholic social justice lobbying group Network, accused the president of having “no clue about the teaching of Pope John Paul II or of our Catholic faith.”

“His refusal to acknowledge the racism and police violence that started this and has been rife in our nation, that he exacerbates show he has no evidence of insight or remorse,” Sister Simone said.

“This is crass politics at its worst,” she added. “It’s ignoring the reality of our nation. This is not about religious liberty. This is about human life, human dignity, and police violence.”

The Trumps’ stay at the shrine lasted about 20 minutes. At one point the couple exited the shrine and posed for pictures next to a statue of St. John Paul II bedecked with a wreath of red and white flowers and a red, white, and blue ribbon.

They turned to stand in front of the statue for a minute and faced photographers again before returning indoors.

In a June 3 statement, Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton and Auxiliary Bishop Pope continued on page A9

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Who’s Zooming who?

Tennessee Knights of Columbus hold a virtual state convention, reduce meeting time from three days to three hours

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ecause of the social distancing restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the state convention of the Tennessee Knights of Columbus was boiled down from its typical three days to three hours.

Instead of meeting at a hotel, the Knights held a virtual convention May 2-3, with delegates calling in to participate.

“We knew from the very beginning that we were still going to have a convention,” said State Deputy Michael McCusker of Council 9317 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cordova, a suburb of Memphis.

The question was, “How were we going to do it?” he said.

Tennessee’s convention committee of State Warden David Zwissler, Joe Pede, and John Beattie, all of the Cordova council, and Jimmy Dee of Knoxville, worked with the Knights’ Supreme Council in New Haven, Conn., to organize the convention, Mr. McCusker said.

Participating in the convention were 147 delegates representing 85 councils, which is 93 percent of the councils in the state.

“We’ve had good feedback,” Mr. McCusker said. “There was a lot of appreciation for the efforts we had to go through to make that happen.”

The activities of the convention were stripped down to the basics, including the re-election of the state officers: Mr. McCusker; State Secretary Fred Laufenberg of Council 16088 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade; State Treasurer Bill Markiewicz of Council 4572 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland; State Advocate Eric Pelton of Council 8576 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga; and Mr. Zwissler of Council 9317 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cordova.

The annual programming awards and other honors will be presented at the three kickoff meetings this summer: July 11 in Knoxville, July 18 in Memphis, and July 25 in Nashville.

Another highlight of the annual convention, the reading during Mass of the names of all the Knights who have died in the previous year, will also be moved to the kickoff meetings.

The year has been marked by the challenges of the March 3 tornadoes that crossed the state killing more than two dozen people and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“None of this could have been predicted, nor in our worst nightmares, even imagined, and yet, one thing was never in doubt. No matter what, the Tennessee Knights of Columbus would be there, standing tall, ready to help, to heal, and to love as the most powerful force for good, not only in the Catholic Church of Tennessee but in the entire state,” Mr. McCusker said in his state deputy report, which was shared via video during the convention.

Mr. McCusker praised efforts of Knights across the state in helping the victims of the March 3 tornadoes.

Those efforts have been followed by the work of Knights to support their neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tennessee Knights have participated in the Leave No Neighbor Behind program that was developed by the Supreme Council. The program calls for Knights to reach out to their brother Knights and their families, fellow parishioners, and their neighbors to support them during the pandemic.

“We all go through this, and we deal with our friends and our families, but suddenly we’re cognizant of our neighbors,” Mr. McCusker said.

“We’re so much more attuned to the needs of others. It’s become a much more selfless time.”

Councils across the state have launched a variety of efforts to help Pope continued from page A8

Paul McAleenan of Westminster said the May 25 death of George Floyd also highlighted “systemic racism” in British society. They suggested such racism might help explain the disproportionate number of black, Asian, and minority ethnic people who have died in Britain from COVID-19 since March.

“We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the USA as they TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

By Andy Telli

others through the pandemic. Among them are: n Council 14521 at St. Augustine Church in Signal Mountain, with help from a $3,000 donation from a parishioner, provided drive-through meals to those in need of assistance on March 23 and 27, using excess fish and supplies from planned fish fries that had been canceled. n Council 16088 in Fairfield Glade conducted a Forty Cans for Lent program to support both the Peavine Care Center and the Crab Orchard Food Bank. The council donated 3,310 pounds of canned and dry goods and $6,083. n Council 14079 at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy has been working with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to cover its shortfalls. n Members of Council 6645 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Cookeville have been going grocery shopping for elderly members. The council was also heavily involved in St. Thomas Aquinas Parish’s efforts to help the

victims of the deadly tornadoes that struck the city on March 3. n Council 7170 at St. Ann Church in Bartlett collected more than 3,000 pounds of food in two days to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Memphis, all during a time when grocery store shelves were depleted.

Since its founding in 1882, the Knights of Columbus have been serving their Church and neighbors, inviting men to make their lives more meaningful as Catholics, Mr. McCusker said. In light of the tornadoes and the pandemic, the importance of Knights serving their communities is brought home again, he said.

The vision of the order’s founder, Father Michael McGivney, “was never more apparent,” Mr. McCusker said in his state report. “Our call to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism was never more necessary.”

The Knights have also been providing spiritual support.

Council 8860 at St. Henry Church in Rogersville assisted Associate State

Chaplain Father Bartholomew Okere in conducting a traveling eucharistic devotion along 32 miles of Highway 70 N to bring the presence of the Eucharist to parishioners, stopping along the route to offer prayers for the end of the pandemic and for those stricken by it.

And Council 15706 at All Saints Church in Knoxville has been conducting online rosary services for members and parishioners.

During the pandemic, the Supreme Council has been encouraging Knights to use several video series on different spiritual topics, including “Into the Breech,” a 12-part video series that examines different aspects of Catholic masculinity. “It’s a very powerful video series,” Mr. McCusker said. “In an ideal setting, brothers could watch together and discuss them.”

It could also be a program Knights could offer to the whole parish, he added. For more information on the series, visit www.kofc.org.

Despite the restrictions caused by the pandemic, the Knights have continued to bring in new members to the order, one of the largest organizations of Catholic laypeople in the world.

This year, the Knights, a fraternal organization for Catholic men aged 18 and older, unveiled a new ceremony for inducting new members. Previously, there were separate exemplification ceremonies to induct members into the first three degrees of the order dedicated to the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity. The new ceremony combines the induction into all three degrees in a single exemplification, which for the first time is no longer secret and is open to the public.

On April 16, the Supreme Council held an online exemplification for councils across the country to bring in new members, and more than 2,000 men participated. Tennessee initiated 38 new members, Mr. McCusker said.

More than 100 Tennessee men who were First or Second Degree Knights also participated in the online exemplification to advance to the Third Degree, a benchmark for full membership in the organization, according to Mr. McCusker.

More online exemplifications have been held since and more are planned, he said.

The State Council had planned to hold special Masses in the three cathedrals of Tennessee for a Founder’s Day celebration on March 28 that would have been followed by the new exemplification. But the pandemic forced the cancellation of those plans.

“We had put so much emphasis on the three different Founders Day celebrations in each diocese,” Mr. McCusker said, with money invested in advertising and plans for receptions.

“All of that, pffft, went away.”

The online exemplifications helped recapture some of that momentum, Mr. McCusker noted.

Although the pandemic slowed Tennessee’s momentum, the state council was only 64 shy of its goal of 520 new members on May 8, Mr. McCusker said.

Councils have also been encouraged to conduct meetings online, he added, and Council 10010 at St. John Vianney Church in Gallatin, Council 4563 at St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro, and Council 9317 in Cordova are three that have.

The Gallatin council not only has been conducting its meetings online, Mr. McCusker said, “They were the first council to do a virtual degree for new members.”

The Knights’ focus is to reach out to all Catholic men in the state “and make their lives more meaningful as Catholics,” Mr. McCusker said. ■

challenge the evil of racism and the brutal killing of George Floyd,” said Bishop Lang, chairman of the English and Welsh bishops’ Department for International Affairs, and Bishop McAleenan, the lead bishop for racial justice.

“As the U.S. bishops made clear: ‘We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.’

“Systemic racism is embedded in our own society,” they continued.

“The peaceful Black Lives Matter protests taking place in our towns and cities this week reflect the understandable anger that so many people feel about this,” they said.

The bishops added: “As Catholics, we recognize that racism is an evil which must be opposed. We all have a responsibility for actively promoting ra-

cial justice. Whenever we ignore racism or dismiss ... people’s experience of it, we are complicit in violations of human dignity.”

The death of Mr. Floyd, 46, while in police custody in Minneapolis has triggered demonstrations in central London since late May, while civic buildings in cities such as London, Liverpool, and Cardiff, Wales, have been lit up in purple in tribute to him. ■

Virtual convention Tennessee Knights of Columbus officials, from top left to right, Michael McCusker, Father Bartholomew Okere, Eric Pelton, Fred Laufenberg, Tracy Staller, David Zwissler, Bill Markiewicz, and Monsignor Peter Buchignani.

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JUNE 7, 2020 n A9

Pope Francis OKs miracle linked to Knights founder Fr. McGivney Knights of Columbus leader says Catholic service organization has been ‘praying for years’ for priest’s beatification

Answered prayers Jeffrey Rentegrado leads the rosary with other members of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines alongside a portrait of the Knights’ founder, Father Michael McGivney, in 2019. Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father McGivney, clearing the way for the priest’s beatification. miracle,” Mr. Anderson said.

Generally, two miracles attributed to the candidate’s intercession are required for sainthood — one for beatification and the second for canonization.

Father McGivney, who will be the first American parish priest to be beatified and has long been a hero of working-class Catholics, can be viewed as a martyr of a pandemic. When he died from pneumonia complications at age 38 in 1890, it was during an outbreak of influenza known as the Russian flu in Thomaston, Conn. Some recent evidence, according to the Knights, indicates the outbreak may have been the result of a coronavirus.

Mr. Anderson praised Father McGivney’s modesty and “dedication to charity and unity and the way he embodied the good Samaritan” after founding the Knights of Columbus, originally a service organization to help widows and orphans, in New Haven.

At the time, Father McGivney, the son of Irish immigrants, who was born in Waterbury, Conn., was an assistant pastor at St. Mary Parish. He is buried in New Haven.

“Father McGivney did not want to be the leader of the Knights of Columbus,” Mr. Anderson observed.

“He was at first the group’s secretary and then the chaplain.”

Further, Father McGivney’s legacy

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

F

ather Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, may be an ideal prospective saint for the current age, according to Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the international fraternal order.

“We’ve been praying for years for this to occur, and finally this day has arrived,” he told Catholic News Service on May 27.

First, he’s a pro-life hero. The miracle recognized by the Vatican paving the way for his beatification occurred in 2015 and involved a U.S. baby, still in utero, with a life-threatening condition that, under most circumstances, could have led to an abortion.

He was found to be healed after his family prayed to Father McGivney.

“The Vatican likes to be the one to discuss more details than that,” Mr. Anderson said.

The Vatican announced May 27 that Pope Francis, who met with the board of directors of the Knights of Columbus in February, had signed the decree recognizing the miracle through the intercession of Father McGivney.

Once beatified, Father McGivney will be given the title “Blessed.”

Father McGivney (1852-1890), ordained a priest for what is now the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., founded the Knights of Columbus at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., in 1882. The fraternal order for Catholic men has become the largest lay Catholic organization in the world with 2 million members and sponsors a wide range of educational, charitable, and religious activities The initial work on his sainthood cause began in 1982 on the Knights’ centenary. His cause was formally opened in Hartford in 1997, and he was given the title “servant of God.” In March 2008, the Catholic Church recognized the priest heroically lived the Christian virtues, so he was given the title “venerable.”

His beatification ceremony will be held in Connecticut sometime this fall — like all other events, scheduling is uncertain because of the COVID-19 pandemic — “and sometime after that, we’ll be looking for another

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

By Kurt Jensen Catholic News Service

Sign of support Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, speaking at a Knights of Columbus event, is praising Pope Francis’ approval of a miracle attributed to Knights of Columbus founder Father Michael McGivney. Approval of the miracle clears the way for Father McGivney’s beatification. also includes “the empowerment of the laity” through service projects, Mr. Anderson said. “His work anticipated the Second Vatican Council.

He created a universal call to holiness that gave the laity a way to be more faithful Catholics. He provided a mechanism for them to go into society and make a difference.”

The priest’s great foresight of involving the laity as leadership of the

Knights also was cited by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, who is supreme chaplain of the fraternal order.

“In that, I think he looks like a forecast of the Second Vatican Council, which indeed provided for a much larger role for the laity in the life of the Church, in shaping a just society,” he told the Catholic Review, Baltimore’s archdiocesan media outlet.

Archbishop Lori also said Father McGivney was a visionary leader in creating the Knights of Columbus organization as a life insurance company, because the priest saw the need to help families left destitute when the breadwinner died, as often happened in the 19th century.

“But he also saw the need, even more importantly, for men and their families to deepen their commitment to the faith, their knowledge of the faith, and their participation in the faith,” the archbishop said. “So, he made the Knights a tremendous avenue for the spiritual growth of Catholic men and their families.”

He called Father McGivney a model parish priest who “knew his people” and “he loved them.”

“He enjoyed being with his people.

He provided opportunities for spiritual growth, but also for families and parishioners to come together. He loved the poor and the outcast. He preached convincingly and beautifully,” said Archbishop Lori.

The archbishop said Father McGivney was “a Pope Francis priest before there was a Pope Francis,” a comment he said he thought the pope enjoyed when the board of the Knights met with him at the Vatican earlier this year and the archbishop presented a biography of the priest to the pope.

Archbishop Lori also noted the priest’s connections to Baltimore: He was formed for priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary on Paca Street and ordained a priest in 1877 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Archbishop James Gibbons for Hartford.

The Knights of Columbus have set up a new website for Father McGivney’s sainthood cause: https://www.fathermcgivney.org. ■

Bishop who ‘takes a knee’ in solidarity gets a phone call from his boss, the pope

I

t’s called “taking a knee,” and many professional athletes around the country have made the gesture publicly to protest police brutality.

Lately, even police officers showing solidarity have kneeled around the country before those protesting the May 25 killing of George Floyd, who died after being videoed pinned to the ground with a knee to his neck, constrained by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Until June 1, no Catholic bishop had publicly participated in the gesture, but that day Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, became the first. Surrounded by priests from his diocese who also kneeled with him and holding a “Black Lives Matter” sign, he put both knees on the grass at El Paso’s Memorial Park, where a protest had taken place a day earlier and closed his eyes.

Was he nervous?

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “It’s difficult to know what a bishop should do. But I’ve had some excellent advisers, people, and priests. I tried to listen to them, listened to my heart. Sometimes, you just have to take the leap into the unknown.”

The photo of him kneeling went around the world via Twitter and ended up on an Italian website for the Diocese of Rome. Perhaps it was there that his boss, Pope Francis, saw it.

On June 3, shortly after the bishop finished with his daily Mass in El Paso, the pontiff gave him a ring.

“I answered and a voice said in English that he was the Holy Father’s secretary,” Bishop Seitz said. “The Holy Father would like to speak with me. Would I like to speak in Italian or Spanish?”

He chose Spanish.

“The Holy Father said that he wanted to congratulate me for the words I am saying. He also called Archbishop (Jose H.) Gomez (of Los Angeles),” Bishop Seitz said, recalling the phone call. “I told him I felt it was very important at this time to show our solidarity to those who are suffering. I told him I had just come from Mass at which I was praying for him and I always do. He thanked me and said that whenever we celebrate Mass, we are praying together, he where he is and me at the border. I told him that I am very honored to serve here.”

The phone calls to prelates in the U.S.

Taking a knee Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, kneels at El Paso’s Memorial Park holding a “Black Lives Matter” sign June 1, 2020.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

By Catholic News Service

Boy, I wish our Church wasn’t growing so fast...

How will we afford it?

Good thing we have the Catholic Foundation!

Knee continued on page A22

The

Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee invests in two essential needs for the Diocese of Knoxville

Seminarian Education and Land for New Churches Helping to provide for a growing Church for 30 years!

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

Basilica joins list of churches adding weekly Latin Masses Bishop supports regular extraordinary form celebrations for Chattanooga, warns against illicit Masses outside of Church

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ishop Richard F. Stika, working with Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul rector Father David Carter, has authorized the addition of a traditional Latin Mass to the Basilica’s regular Sunday Mass schedule on a weekly basis.

This extraordinary form Mass will be offered at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday. A monthly Latin Mass was introduced at the basilica five years ago. The basilica also is adding a Mass in Spanish to its weekly celebrations. The Mass in Spanish will be at 7 a.m. on Sundays.

The basilica joins a growing list of Diocese of Knoxville churches that are now offering extraordinary form Masses.

“I am pleased to be able to extend the offering of the Latin

“I also seems that a weekly Latin Mass will mitigate many of the causes for “It which people might seek out the ministry of the Society of St. Pius X. Knowing that any priest may celebrate the extraordinary form at any time without the diocesan bishop’s permission as per the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum,” but that any change to Sunday Mass times falls under my oversight, I have given Father Carter my backing to add the extraordinary form to the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul’s regular Sunday Mass schedule on a weekly basis.” .”

Bishop Richard F. Stika Mass at the basilica on a weekly basis,” Bishop Stika said. “More than a decade ago, Pope Benedict XVI declared a return to the Traditional Form as valid, and as a result we now have at least five parishes in our diocese that offer Masses in Latin.”

Bishop Stika hopes the addition of the extraordinary form Mass will appeal to an increasing number of Latin Mass-goers who are looking for the

traditional celebration. He also would like Chattanooga parishioners to know the diocese is diverse enough to meet their Mass needs.

Bishop Stika said Chattanooga Catholics should be aware that a Society of St. Pius X Mass and a Society of St. Pius X priest to celebrate that Mass, which was planned for Pentecost Sunday in Hixson, was not approved by the Diocese of Knoxville.

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

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Chrism continued from page A5

STEPHANIE RICHER

Invocation of the Holy Spirit Bishop Stika breathes on the sacred chrism during the Chrism Mass on May 19. Assisting the bishop are, from left, Father David Carter, Deacon Alex Hernandez, and seminarian Wojciech Sobczuk.

Masked response Sacred Heart Cathedral cantor Michelle Pokelwaldt leads the responsorial at the Chrism Mass while wearing personal protective equipment.

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the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, who died in 2016, and Monsignor Bob Hofstetter, pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Newport, for their dedication to the priesthood as they served years after they could have retired. Next year will mark the 60th year Monsignor Hofstetter has served as a priest.

“Of all the guys who have been around a while, of all the changes in the Church, and in society, especially if you were ordained before the (Second Vatican) Council, and all the various moments of the world: Vietnam, 9/11, personal tragedy like the loss of a parent, friend, or loved one . . . Whether it was in a public sense or whether it was contained in the depths of our hearts, they all are part of our priesthood.

I think all of those moments generally build up a priesthood that has been given to us.

“There’s no way we can look at the philosophical, theological, ontological changes, but at some moment in our lives we responded ‘yes’ to that invitation that is filled with mystery. Do you remember that in your own life when all of a sudden you made that first step?

Or maybe it was a push from a parent, or a priest, or a nun. Maybe you recognize in your life that you had all the ingredients; you had all the characteristics; you had that sense of a priestly presence. . . .

The journey of priesthood. The gift of priesthood. The experience of priesthood,” Bishop Stika said.

Just before Bishop Stika blessed the sacred chrism, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of the sick, he asked his fellow priests to renew their commitment to priestly service. In a prelude to this rite, the bishop said he hoped the priests used the two months of coronavirus isolation to pray about their vocation.

“These last two months, I pray, have invited you to take that time to reflect, and to pray, and to recommit to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. So often I remind us that sometimes we have to think outside the box.

And you’ve done incredible jobs these last months. But I’m sure throughout your priesthood you’ve done that as well . . . to think outside the box on how you can reach a person in the depths of their hearts when they were hurting, when they were lost, when they were searching. The gift of Jesus to all of us, the gift that we can recognize that indeed spiritual reward is upon us,” Bishop Stika said.

“I’ve said this time and time and time again, the presbyterate of the Diocese of Knoxville is greatly blessed because we come from different places. True missionaries: converts, lifers, second-career people, from different parts of the world and cultures that influence all of us and give us a true sense of what it means to be part of the universal Church. What a blessing.

I hope you believe this,” he added.

“We may not always like each other.

But you don’t have to like someone to love them. And we share an incredible experience of the vocation as a priest and as a deacon united

by Jesus.”

Bishop Stika gave homage to St. John Paul II, whose 100th birthday

In unison Diocese of Knoxville priests take part in the Chrism Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral on May 19. During the Mass, Bishop Stika led the priests in renewing their commitment to priestly service. would have been May 18, and the bishop cited remarks by the Holy Father, who said before his death in 2005 that the title most important to him was “Father.”

“I pray for all of you as you continue to treasure that, the incredible experience of what it means to have people seek you out to assist them in their journey of faith, sometimes at the beginning of their journey, and other times at the end of their life. They see in you the presence of Jesus,” the bishop told his fellow priests.

In recognizing the priests, Bishop Stika called Father Marcin Gladysz to the altar, where he was formally incardinated into the Diocese of Knoxville, meaning he is now officially a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville after transferring from the

Archdiocese of Czestochowa.

Bishop Stika singled out Father Gladysz, who prefers to be called Father Martin, as a missionary priest who served God faithfully in foreign destinations before he started ministering in the Diocese of Knoxville in January 2018. Father Gladysz’s hometown is Czestochowa, Poland, and he has served as a priest in Papua New Guinea, and Chicago.

“We have a true missionary in our presence: Father Martin,” Bishop Stika said about the diocese’s newest priest, who now leads a ministry to Polish residents in Knoxville and also serves as a chaplain with the Knoxville Police Department. “We welcome him with open arms, for he truly represents, with his own life, from Czestochowa to Papua New Guinea; to Chicago; to Knoxville,

www.di o k no x .o rg

“In recent months, some of the faithful in and around the Chattanooga area have become sympathetic to the positions of the Society of St. Pius X, and enough of them have expressed an interest in securing a Society of St. Pius X priest to ‘minister’ to them that a Mass was planned on Sunday, May 31, in Hixson,” Bishop Stika said. “I have not given my approval to any activity of the Society of St. Pius X in the Diocese of Knoxville. Communion with the Chair of Peter is a constitutive part of Roman Catholicism — something the Society of St. Pius X accepts in principle but rejects in practice. As Pope Benedict XVI said, the Society of St. Pius X has ‘no canonical status,’ ‘no legitimate ministry,’ and ‘has no facul-

Latin continued on page A22

that missionary spirit of the early Church.”

Bishop Stika also welcomed Father Jhon Mario Garcia, CM, to the Diocese of Knoxville. Father Garcia is a Vincentian Order priest from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who will be serving in East Tennessee.

The bishop acknowledged the challenge the priests face as the faithful come to them seeking stability at an unsettling time. Public Masses in the Diocese of Knoxville were suspended March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Father Carter has informally labeled the two-month shutdown period as “coronatide,” a play on words with the Eastertide period from Easter to Pentecost.

The bishop lifted the suspension the week of May 25 for daily Masses, and diocesan churches received parishioners for Pentecost vigil Masses and Pentecost Sunday Masses, May 30-31, for the first time in more than two months.

“What will it be like in a month, or two months, or tomorrow? You need a firm foundation with Jesus. It’s a reminder to all of us that when you return to the Father, with the promise of the paraclete, you still have the presence of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Stika said.

Following the pandemic-impacted Chrism Mass, Bishop Stika, with his left arm immobilized, observed that Chrism Masses he’s celebrated in recent years have tended to be challenging.

“Our Chrism Masses have been interesting. I celebrated one just a few days after I got out of the hospital and everyone thought I was going to keel over. Another year, everyone around me had on bullet-proof vests because I had a death threat against me. So this one was unusual, but churches always adapt,” the bishop said.

In 2015, a diabetic complication left him gravely ill, but he rallied in time to celebrate the Chrism Mass in the original Sacred Heart Cathedral, delivering the homily while leaning on his crozier. Also during a Chrism Mass in the original cathedral, incense during the Mass set off a smoke alarm, prompting an emergency visit from the Knoxville Fire Department.

Following the 2020 Chrism Mass, Bishop Stika said he was looking forward to the return of public Masses and the diocese returning to some sense of normalcy. And he’s grateful for the priests, deacons, and women religious who have faithfully continued their ministries during a historically unsettling time.

“It was good to see all the guys, my brother priests. It was good to welcome Father Martin (Gladysz) into our diocese. And Father Jhon Mario is going to join us. It’s just a great joy,” Bishop Stika said. “I love the commitment that our priests, and our seminarians, and our deacons have.”

Bishop Stika also is grateful for parishioners throughout the diocese who continued to support the Catholic Church in spiritual Communion while public Masses were suspended.

“I’ve come to the mindset that even when people aren’t present in the church building, they are present in this universal Church,” he said. ■ JUNE 7, 2020 n A11

New normal Left: Parishioners at Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa are masked for Pentecost.

Below: Deacon Tim Elliott processes to the altar with the Gospel alongside Father Doug Owens and Deacon Dave Lucheon at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Masks were the order of the day on Pentecost Sunday.

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police.

“Pentecost reminds us that God does not want us to fail in this world. Jesus did not come into this world so that we might fail. Jesus came into this world to invite us to a deeper and greater relationship with God, to triumph over ourselves. And He made a promise because he knew the frailty of human life, of human existence, that He would send the Holy Spirit,” he continued.

He asked the congregation what proof is there of the Holy Spirit? His answer: Mary, the 11 apostles, and a few others established the Church with such a foundation that it has stood more than 2,000 years despite the work of evil and even Christians to destroy Christianity.

“Let us rejoice. Let us know that God does not want us to fail. Let us love each other more and more every day. And let us accept the invitation of Jesus Himself at times to carry our cross … and God’s guarantee that He would send us the Holy Spirit,” the bishop said.

In looking out over the congregation, which was smaller than usual because of socialdistancing guidelines, Bishop Stika acknowledged the masks are awkward, as are other parts of the COVID-19 protocol. He also acknowledged the difference in opinions over the protocol, including receiving the holy Eucharist in the hand only.

“I know it’s a bit odd to wear the masks. I know it’s difficult.

I know it’s challenging. I know some of the mandates like how to receive Communion only on the hand you might disagree with. I’m doing the best I can.

I’ve been looking on Google and Amazon for a book called ‘How a Bishop Deals with a Pandemic for Dummies.’ There isn’t one yet. But just imagine all the books that are going to be written after this,” Bishop Stika mused.

“If I’ve disappointed you or if you’re disappointed with the Church because we had to close the doors for public Masses, I’m sorry. We just don’t know everything, and I don’t know where we can look except to God for serenity, peace, and acceptance,” the bishop concluded.

Bishop Stika told the catechumens and candidates that heav-

KELLY KEARSE

KATHY RANKIN

Masses continued from page A1

brating Lent and what you were going to ‘give up’? And looking forward to spring and spring vacations. You never thought you would be stuck with your spouse or your kids day in and day out, month after month. It’s really been something. It’s so nice to see you.”

Bishop Stika noted how the virus is real, yet the public can’t see it or even know who has it, had it, or hasn’t contracted it.

But it is insidious in its silent, indiscriminate attack.

“So many people have longed to gather together with other people just to have the ability to pray in a community, not at home sitting on their couches,” he said, remarking on the challenges Jesus and his disciples overcame, including evil, to build the early Church.

Those apostles persisted and succeeded, assisted by followers of Christ through the centuries who have moved the Church forward. Time and again they have triumphed over obstacles, including pandemics. They preached in different languages while also preaching through charity, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, reverence, and care for another person.

“And now we’re here today.

It is a great joy for me this day, as we begin public Masses, to celebrate with those who wish to join with us in our family,” the bishop said, telling the catechumens and candidates that “your work is to live your faith so that others might see what you believe in, what you acknowledge, and what you live.”

“You might be wearing a facemask today, but you won’t ever have a sign on you that says ‘I am a Christian. I am a Catholic.’

You can hide your faith, but that isn’t what faith is about.

Faith is to be shared and lived.

It’s a lived experience. I know that we will survive this virus.

I also know that evil is present in the world. All you have to do is turn on the news about what happened in Minnesota and the riots. The anger,” he added.

He pointed out the problem many people have is knowing who to trust and where to place that trust. Is it in the government, or doctors, or Facebook and Twitter, where much of the world now turns for information?

“While evil exists, but the flip side of that is how we respond to evil when it hits us in the face.

There are disasters—tornadoes, hurricanes, plagues, the virus.

That is a negative, an evil, that which distorts the reality of life.

But the flip side is how do we respond to those in need, to those who might be confused, to people who are just lost? Or how do we respond to what happened in Minnesota? All we can control is how we respond,” Bishop Stika said, referring to the tragic death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, who died while being held by

They come in all sizes Father Bartholomew Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville, gives Communion to a parishioner and blessings to two younger churchgoers on May 31.

en rejoices with them “for this is what faith is all about.”

Rules of participation Attendance at diocesan churches is being restricted at Masses until further notice. To satisfy social-distancing mandates, every other pew in each church had to remain vacant, and members of congregations were urged to leave space be-

Guinea.

Father Gladysz explained that he served in a war-torn area of New Guinea, where tribes were fighting each other.

He said as the battles spilled over into the Catholic communities where he ministered, he was forced several times to rescue the holy Eucharist from its tabernacles that were being threatened and move the Body of Jesus to safer environs.

When asked what being incardinated into the Diocese of Knoxville means to him, Father Gladysz said, “For me, it means that I’ve found my place. When I became a priest I spent three years in Poland and then eight years in Papua New Guinea. After I moved to Chicago, in one moment of my life I asked God, ‘Please, I want to find a place where I will stay. I will not go anymore, and I will be devoted to the people of this Church.”

“So during my prayer I find out A12 n JUNE 7, 2020

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Making it official Father Marcin Gladysz reads from the official documents making him the Diocese of Knoxville’s newest priest. Father Gladysz was incardinated into the diocese from the Archdiocese of Czestochowa. that here in Tennessee, Knoxville, it is my place,” Father Gladysz continued. “I am so thankful to God today and to Bishop Stika that I belong

to the Church in Knoxville in East Tennessee.”

A primary reason Bishop Stika asked Father Gladysz to consider

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tween each other.

Parishes are asking members to RSVP, if possible, if and when they are attending Masses, with several churches using online tools like Sign Up Genius, where sign-ups are on the church website.

With capacity restrictions in place, Bishop Stika authorized priests to add Masses to accom-

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relocating to East Tennessee and then requested his transfer from the Archdiocese of Czestochowa was to minister to the growing Polish Catholic community in Knoxville.

Father Gladysz has been ministering to them since January 2019, and he has been celebrating Mass in Polish on a regular basis at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where he also is an associate pastor.

“There was a request by the Polish community in Knoxville for a Polish priest. We do not understand the ways of God so many times. This is so amazing. His request came to me almost at the same moment I made the request. Then I said ‘I am going. I am ready.’”

Father Gladysz’s ministry may begin with the Sacred Heart and Knoxville Polish Catholic communities. But it doesn’t end there. He also serves as a chaplain for the Knoxville Police Department. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

DAN MCWILLIAMS

KELLY KEARSE

STEPHANIE RICHER

STEPHANIE RICHER

Hand in hand Parishioners at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge return to Mass on May 31 for the first time in more than two months.

Amen Father Christopher Manning, associate pastor of St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga, gives holy Communion to a parishioner. Parishioners throughout the diocese were required to wear a mask during Mass to comply with COVID-19 protocols.

Spotless Volunteers at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge wipe down all the pews and solid surfaces with disinfectant to protect parishioners from the coronavirus. Similar measures were taken at all diocesan churches on Pentecost weekend for the first public Masses in two months.

Receive this blessing Bishop Stika blesses a young parishioner at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus May 31. Bishop Stika resumed public Masses on Pentecost weekend after they were suspended for more than two months because of the coronavirus.

Containing the excitement For Ashney and Josh Patoka, their newfound faith must have seemed over before it barely began as the coronavirus crept TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

EMILY BOOKER

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modate all parishioners. While attendance at each Mass was about half or less than normal, priests reported many, if not most, of their parishioners were able to attend Mass at one of the regular or added times.

Bishop Stika issued a list of mandatory procedures to be implemented by parishes for the safe resumption of public Mass celebrations.

“During this unprecedented time in history where we have had to weigh our spiritual needs and heartfelt desires against the protection of our general health and the health of our families, I am grateful to all of you for your patience and kindness demonstrated throughout these last few months,” Bishop Stika told parishioners in a pastoral letter issued May 6.

In his letter, Bishop Stika also extended his dispensation indefinitely to all Catholics living in the Diocese of Knoxville from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

“Let me emphasize, if you are vulnerable, elderly, or just not comfortable going to a public Mass beginning May 30-31, please stay home!” Bishop Stika said.

A formal decree from Bishop Stika accompanies his pastoral letter and outlines specific actions that must take place for churches in the diocese to open safely. As the diocese returns to normal Mass schedules, the bishop said he is “committed to protecting our priests and deacons and the parishioners whom they serve.”

It’s good to see you again Father Joseph Kuzhupil, pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville, celebrates a public Mass for the first time since public Masses were suspended throughout the diocese on March 20.

closer and closer to their family sanctuary.

Mr. and Mrs. Patoka entered the Catholic Church at Easter vigil in 2019, and their 6-monthold son, Dominic, was baptized at Sacred Heart Cathedral in December. The Patokas also are parents of 3-year-old Cybil and 4-year-old Nora.

Following in the former Lutherans’ footsteps in joining the Catholic Church are Mrs. Patoka’s parents and sisters. But their plans to enter the Church at Easter vigil were suddenly sidetracked by this invisible viral invader.

“My husband and I entered the Church last year, and the Easter vigil was such a memorable time. This year, of course, looked a little different for those wishing to enter,” Mrs. Patoka said.

“My parents and sisters came in (at the Pentecost vigil Mass) with confirmation and then baptism for the youngest. The excitement had built for those 50 extra

days.”

“I am so blessed to have been raised in a Christian home, but now to be united in the Catholic faith is even better,” she added.

During the 50 days that public Masses were suspended, the Patokas took their children to adoration most every week to maintain the routine of prayer and quiet time at church.

“In addition, we livestreamed Mass most weeks and continued our daily liturgy readings and prayer surrounding our meal times. We also made a very big deal about feast days and saints to help keep the children connected to the Church,” Mrs. Patoka said. “But to actually worship with our brothers and sisters again and help celebrate the Mass was a very special moment—almost like a burden lifted.”

The Patokas said their children were excited about returning to Mass, which “is the highlight of the week around here.” Mr. and

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Mrs. Patoka had no reservations about returning to Mass amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We were so delighted to be back worshiping together. Mass is not always easy with three little ones, but there was such a void in us without it these past weeks,” Mrs. Patoka said.

Many elderly Catholics and those with underlying health conditions throughout the diocese remained home as public Masses resumed, as advised by health-care professionals and Bishop Stika.

But the ones who attended Mass had been looking forward to being in church again and were grateful to again be receiving the source and summit, the holy Eucharist.

Sharon Vannucci, a parishioner of St. Stephen in Chattanooga is one of those.

“I’m excited to be back. I think they’ve done a great job in informing us what to do. St. Stephen kept us informed by e-mail and Flocknote,” Mrs. Vannucci said, noting that she and her husband practiced their faith remotely during the COVID-19 hiatus. “We attended Mass through Facebook with Father Manuel (Pérez, pastor).”

St. Stephen parishioner Elaine Holland also was excited to be back in church.

“I’m thankful, very thankful.

It’s been good what we’ve had, but this is much, much better,” Ms. Holland said, adding that she has been attending St. Stephen services via livestreamed Masses. “These have helped fill in the void, but this (Mass in person) is much better.”

At St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland, Chris Schaefer was thrilled to be in the pews, taking part in Mass in person.

“It’s wonderful to be part of Masses continued on page A14

JUNE 7, 2020 n A13

DAN MCWILLIAMS KATHY RANKIN

Showing her faith Bishop Stika makes the sign of the cross on 6-year-old Addie Gaut, who joined the Catholic Church at Pentecost vigil at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Addie’s family has joined her in the Catholic faith.

Light of Christ Deacon Dave Lucheon holds the paschal candle as he and Father Doug Owens, pastor of All Saints Parish, recess past the baptismal font on Pentecost Sunday. This was the first public Mass at All Saints since diocesan Masses were suspended March 20.

Safety precautions Hand sanitizer was abundant on Pentecost weekend at Diocese of Knoxville churches, which continue to closely follow COVID-19 safety measures. A volunteer at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade offers a generous squirt to a Mass-goer.

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the family of faith again. It was difficult watching it at home, but I’m glad we could still be part of the Church. We watched Mass through Facebook Live videos. We had a little home altar and tried to get the kids involved in participating in the Mass, such as it was,” Mr. Schaefer said.

Fellow St. Thérèse of Lisieux parishioner Holly Whitsitt shared Mr. Schaefer’s sentiments.

“I’m ecstatic,” Ms. Whitsitt said, noting that what she missed the most was receiving holy Communion, a sentiment shared by most every diocesan parishioner.

“We had Mass every day livestreamed so we could have it at home and make a spiritual Communion. That was a great blessing to us. And the church was open all day for visitation of the Blessed Sacrament,” Ms. Whitsitt said about practicing her faith over the past two months.

Praying ‘new normal’ will become old normal At St. Henry Church in Rogersville, Father Bartholomew Okere welcomed his members back on Pentecost Sunday and acknowledged the “new normal” as he told them he looks forward to the community returning A14 n JUNE 7, 2020

KELLY KEARSE

STEPHANIE RICHER

Lending a hand Father Mike Nolan presents the holy Eucharist on the hand of a parishioner at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland. Until further notice, parishioners will be receiving Communion on the hand due to COVID-19 safety measures.

KELLY KEARSE

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Red for Pentecost Father Adam Royal genuflects as he approaches the altar at Our Lady of Fatima Church on Pentecost Sunday.

Masked rivals All Saints Parish staffers Carrie Manabat, left, and Annie Nassis take advantage of safety protocols to sport their favorite college colors, Tennessee versus Kentucky.

to normal.

The “new normal” is a church that is intentionally half-empty, with hand sanitizer stations greeting parishioners at every turn as those parishioners are obscured by protective masks during Mass, and the addition of a second Sunday Mass in accordance with social distancing guidelines, a first for him at St. Henry.

“I am glad the bishop has opened the churches of the Diocese of Knoxville today, on Pentecost,” he said.

But he shared his parishioners’ concerns about the “new normal.” Despite the COVID-inspired upheaval, Father Okere said his parish is adjusting fine to the changes.

“This is not easy. It is not normal for people to wear masks. I’m going to put on my own mask when I’m giving you Communion. It is not normal. People don’t breathe well wearing masks. But to protect yourself and to protect others you have to put on face masks. It’s the new normal,” he said.

In his homily, Father Okere joined Bishop Stika in describing how society is hurting, from the coronavirus outbreak to the tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota and the riots that resulted, and all the acrimony in between. www.di o k no x .o rg

“We are wounded. America is wounded.

The world is wounded. Families are wounded. We’ve never seen this before since 1918 with the Spanish flu. This is just the second pandemic. No vaccine, no cure yet. More than 100,000 Americans are dead. Almost 2 million people have been infected, and people are being infected every day,” the pastor of St. Henry said.

“This Mass I’m celebrating is a Mass of thanksgiving. Pentecost of love and thanks be to God. And I’m thankful we didn’t lose anybody here in our parish. Thank you, God. This Mass is a Mass of thanksgiving that we are alive. Please pray to Our Lady; pray to Our Lord, Jesus Christ; pray to St. Henry and St. James,” he said, noting that he pastors at St. James the Apostle Parish in Sneedville, too.

Father Okere juxtaposed the triumph May 30 of two U.S. astronauts aboard the first manned U.S. spacecraft blasting off on American soil since 2011 with the coronavirus outbreak, racial divide and the death of Mr. Floyd, recent nationwide rioting, and general societal discord.

And he asked, “What’s going on?” It’s a familiar refrain posed by a popular song from Masses continued on page A15

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KELLY KEARSE

BILL BREWER

The Body of Christ Father David Boettner, rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral, cradles the holy Eucharist at Communion during the Pentecost vigil Mass May 30.

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BILL BREWER

Masked performers Glenn Kahler, director of music and liturgy at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, leads violinist Natalie Kimbro, pianist Hyunju Lee, and principal organist Byong Suk Moon during the Pentecost vigil Mass on May 30.

Musical isolation Vocalists for the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus sing during the Pentecost vigil Mass on May 30 while adhering to coronavirus safety precautions. The vocalists are Michelle Pokelwaldt, Ashlee King, Emily Simmons, Derek Stull, and AC Cabrera.

BILL BREWER

EMILY BOOKER

Bless her heart A young member at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport receives a blessing from Father Emmanuel Massawe, AJ, on Pentecost Sunday.

Graduate recognition Father Bartholomew Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville, blesses Cherokee High School senior Reannon Wilkosz during Mass on May 31.

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1971, also during societal strife.

“America is a super country. It is resilient, and it will survive,” Father Okere observed, “As long as people come back to church.”

He pointed to his St. Henry and St. James congregations, where members have been asking him when they can return to Mass.

“People have been calling the office often and asking ‘when are we coming back to receive Christ? It’s been two months.’ So, we are receiving Christ today,” Father Okere said. “We’re all going to be happy. Jesus said now is the time to come back.”

He pointed out that Jesus is also pleased the faithful are returning to Mass.

“Holy Spirit, please heal our wounds; heal our fragmentation; heal our division; heal our sickness, our brokenness,” he prayed. “Pentecost, my dear friends, is with us today, and it happened 2,000 years ago when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.”

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

“My dear friends, you have been suffering, we have been suffering, the Catholic Church has been suffering for 2,000 years. How can it survive? It did by the Holy Spirit,” he added.

“Pentecost reminds us that we have the power to communicate the Spirit of God to all people, no matter what your address is, or your degree, or your color, or your gender.”

Father Okere also prayed for the Holy Spirit to provide wisdom, love, understanding, piety, gratitude, and faithfulness to a world in distress.

Among the parishioners Father Okere was reaching with his homily was 18-year-old Reannon Wilkosz, who was recognized for being a 2020 graduate of Cherokee High School in Hawkins County.

Just like the other 30 people at Mass, and the 30 or so at the other Sunday Mass at St. Henry, Reannon was glad to be back in church, but the coronavirus-prevention measures will take some getting used to.

Welcome back Father Dustin Collins celebrates Pentecost Mass on May 31 at St. Mary Church in Johnson City for a socially distant congregation.

“It’s good coming back, but it’s kind of weird. I’m glad to be back,” Reannon said, noting that while she was away from St. Henry, she also was away from Cherokee High School.

She was able to finish her senior classes online, preparing her for college at Walters State Community College in Morristown.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been an education for her, but she isn’t intimidated by it.

“I’m going into the medical field to study nursing, so this doesn’t scare me too much,” Reannon said.

Bill Hewitt, deputy Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 8860 at St. Henry and district deputy for Knights of Columbus District 20, couldn’t hide his enthusiasm about his parish reopening. As an usher, Mr. Hewitt had the added duty of making sure the safe distancing protocols were followed.

But even that couldn’t overshadow his delight.

“It’s fantastic. To be back in the church is wonderful,” Mr. Hewitt

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said, grinning widely. “Just being back in the church is an absolute blessing. This social distancing is a minor thing. We are maintaining our safe space.

“The heart aches for being back in church. You can see people’s eyes even if you can’t see their faces. It’s wonderful. And it gives us renewed energy to be back. We know that personal interaction is so important in the Catholic Church.”

Mr. Hewitt explained that St. Henry normally sees 90 to 95 members at its 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. There were 60 members total attending the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses on Pentecost Sunday, which he believes were good congregations given the concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

He said many parishioners came back, but he noted that the parish’s elderly members are staying home for now.

“It’s been heartwarming. Our parishioners were very kind and cooperative. They were just glad to be back,” Mr. Hewitt said. ■ JUNE 7, 2020 n A15

Wisconsin diocese to sue over religious restrictions Christine Rousselle Catholic News Agency

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ttorneys representing the Diocese of Madison sent a letter to Dane County and City of Madison, Wis., officials on June 3, notifying them the lawyers will file suit if parishes in the diocese are not permitted to operate at the same capacity as retail outlets.

Under Dane County’s reopening guidelines, retail businesses are permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity.

Places of worship, however, are limited to a maximum of 50 people regardless of the capacity of the building, with regular religious services classified as “mass gatherings,” similar to concerts or music festivals.

“Under the order, thousands of people may shop together at a mall; hundreds of employees may arrive at an office or factory every morning to conduct the business’ everyday operations; and hundreds of children may spend a few hours bouncing off each other at trampoline parks,” said the June 3 letter sent by lawyers from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

“But, because religious services have uniformly been deemed ‘mass gatherings,’ no more than 50 of the 1,225 seats in St. Maria Goretti Church may be filled.”

Madison Bishop Donald Hying said June 3 that the Church had an urgent mission to serve the community, one the reopening plan was preventing.

“In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the racial injustice of the past week, our community is crying out for unity, for grace, and for spiritual healing. We are ready and able to answer that call, but the 50-person cap has unjustly stifled our pastoral mission,” the bishop said.

“Our diocese has been, and remains, committed to promoting and protecting the health and safety of our fellow Madisonians, but the county and city have wrongly subordinated the spiritual needs of the community to the operations of non-essential businesses,” he added.

Places of worship are the only category capped in Madison by a specific number for “everyday operations” rather than by a general capacity restriction. Violators will be subject to fines and citations, and the Department of Health in Madison and Dane County threatened to send enforcement officers to monitor the congregation size at Masses.

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metropolitan who presides over the province that includes the dioceses of Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville in Tennessee and Covington, Lexington, Owensboro, and the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky.

In the event that a report is received that concerns Archbishop Kurtz, then it will be forwarded to Bishop Roger Joseph Foys of the Diocese of Covington, who is the senior suffragan bishop of this local province. n The information also will be forwarded to a layperson designated to assist the bishop in receiving allegations. n After review, the metropolitan or senior suffragan will send the report to the apostolic nuncio in Washington. n The nuncio is required to send the report and the metropolitan’s assessment to the Vatican, which has 30 days to determine if a formal investigation is warranted. If so, a bishop will be authorized to oversee an investigation. n When an investigation is ordered, qualified experts, including laypeople, will conduct it. An investigation is expected to be completed within 90 days and forwarded to the Vatican. n Vatican officials will review the findings of the investigation and determine the appropriate process leading to a final judgment.

As each case is filed, the person reporting an incident will be given a case number and password that can be used to follow progress of their particular case.

Individuals who file a report also will be encouraged to contact local law enforcement if they believe they have been a victim of a crime.

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The letter is signed by attorneys from The Becket Fund and three other law firms. It is addressed to Dane County Executive Joseph T. Parisi, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, and Janel Heinrich, the director of public health for the City of Madison and Dane County.

“Throughout this pandemic, the Church has been a good public citizen.

It suspended public worship before the law required, and continues to impose greater operational restrictions than required,” the letter said, adding that the Church has continued to tend to the sick, poor, and incarcerated during this time. But, the lawyers argued, local Emergency Order 3, issued May 22, “treats religious interests unequally and unfairly.”

“In no event, not even in the largest synagogue, mosque, church, or temple, and no matter how carefully spaced or protected, shall more than 50 people gather for worship. This unequal and unfair treatment violates the Church’s cherished constitutional freedoms and, more importantly, hobbles unconscionably its pastoral mission.”

The first two reopening plans issued

by Dane County did not contain the 50-person limit for houses of worship; churches were expected to reopen on the same level as other businesses and operate at 25 percent capacity.

The Diocese of Madison developed a reopening plan that assumed they would be allowed to have congregations of this size.

The third version, Executive Order 3, removed this parity and, the lawyers argue, “there is no valid, nondiscriminatory reason to maintain far stricter restrictions on houses of worship.”

The letter requests that the county and city change the policy and allow for churches to operate at 25 percent capacity, otherwise they will file suit.

“To be clear, the Church has no particular interest in litigation or in a protracted dispute or an uncooperative relationship with civil authorities,” according to the letter.

“However, the Church is legally and morally entitled to be treated equally with other similarly situated nonreligious associations that have been permitted to reopen up to 25 percent capacity,” the letter added, asserting that the Diocese of Madison “stands ready” to once again safely hold Mass.

The complaint by the Madison Diocese is similar to challenges against state rules issued in Minnesota and Illinois.

After they were challenged by the

state’s bishops, who announced they would defy the governor, Minnesota rules were amended May 23. After three lawsuits and the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced May 28 that state guidelines for churches would be non-binding.

The governor of Delaware amended controversial restrictions on houses of worship after a local church threatened a lawsuit.

In an updated guidance released

by Gov. John Carney on June 2, the number of people who are allowed to gather in a house of worship was adjusted to match that of other businesses during the phased reopening.

Additionally, previous limitations on baptisms and the distribution of Communion are now encouraged, but not mandatory, according to the June 2 guidance.

“Special services, such as baptisms, initiations, weddings, and funerals are permitted, but pose significant health threats if strict social distancing, hygiene, and other measures are not taken to decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” says the updated guidance.

The only express prohibitions in the updated guidance are the sharing of microphones, the sharing of food or beverages between people who do not reside in the same household, and the passing of a collection plate.

The changes came after a lawsuit was filed by the Rev. Dr. Christopher Alan Bullock, who is the pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in New Castle, Del. Bullock argued that the restrictions that had been placed on houses of worship, but not other categories of essential businesses, were unconstitutional.

Previously, the houses of worship were held to a hard limit of 10 people allowed inside, instead of a percentage of the listed fire capacity. Services were encouraged to be outdoors if possible, choirs were banned, masks were required, and those who were over the age of 65 were instructed to stay away from a house of worship. Additionally, the older guidance prohibited a worship leader from holding a congregant, including for a baptism.

These things are now discouraged, but not banned.

Rev. Bullock’s lawyer argued that the guidance prohibiting a pastor from touching someone being baptized was discriminatory, as there was no similar ban on person-to-person contact for a

Jewish circumcision or for a childcare worker taking care of a child.

Robert Krebs, director of communications for the Diocese of Wilmington, said the diocese had “been working very closely with the governors” of states in its territory, and has “tried our best to comply” with various orders and regulations.

The Diocese of Wilmington includes the entirety of the state of Delaware as well as the eastern shore of Maryland.

Mr. Krebs remained hopeful that the diocese would be able to continue collaborations with state authorities as reopenings continue.

“We found that both Gov. Carney’s administration and Gov. [Larry] Hogan’s in Maryland have been very willing to listen and open to suggestions,” Mr. Krebs said. “We have no reason to believe that won’t continue.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on May 29 rejected a California church’s claim that the state’s restrictions on attendance at religious services violated the free exercise of religion.

Chief Justice John Roberts was the deciding vote in the 5-4 decision, stating that although California’s guidelines do place restrictions on places of worship, the restrictions appear consistent with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

Justice Roberts said, “Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time. ... And the order exempts or treats more leniently only dissimilar activities, such as operating grocery stores, banks, and laundromats, in which people neither congregate in large groups nor remain in close proximity for extended periods.”

In his dissenting opinion, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said, “The church and its congregants simply want to be treated equally to comparable secular businesses. ... California already trusts its residents and any number of businesses to adhere to proper social distancing and hygiene practices. ... The state cannot ‘assume the worst when people go to worship but assume the best when people go to work or go about the rest of their daily lives in permitted social settings,’” quoting from a separate appeals court ruling.

The lawsuit was filed by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, Calif. ■

Denver-based Convercent developed the reporting system under a two-year contract with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The company specializes in ethics and compliance management for businesses and organizations.

Under the system, the company gathers information and routs reports to the appropriate Church authority consistent with canon law. It does not conduct any investigation.

Approved by the U.S. bishops in June 2019 at their spring general assembly, the reporting mechanism meets the requirements established

by Pope Francis in his “motu proprio” “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”) to have a way of receiving reports of sexual misconduct by a bishop.

“Motu proprio” is a Latin phrase that means “on one’s own initiative.”

Popes use it to signal a special personal interest in a subject.

Pope Francis released his “motu proprio” last May following a worldwide meeting of bishops’ conference leaders at the Vatican early in 2019 to discuss the Church’s response to clergy sexual abuse. The document specifically addresses allegations of sexual misconduct and other accusations of actions or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or Church investigations of such misconduct by clergy.

The “motu proprio” required dioceses and eparchies worldwide to establish “one or more public, stable, and easily accessible systems for submission of reports” by May 31.

Anthony Picarello, USCCB associate general secretary, told the bishops during their fall general assembly in November the system is designed to

filter complaints so that only those addressed in the “motu proprio” will be forwarded.

Under CBAR, people with complaints about any other actions of a bishop, such as diocesan assignments, church closings, liturgy or homily content, will be asked to contact the appropriate diocese or eparchy directly.

The reporting of sexual misconduct by anyone in diocesan ministry who is not a bishop, such as priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, or lay people working or volunteering for the Church should continue to be handled in accordance with diocesan child protection policies and with proper civil authorities. ■

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Priest from Diocese of Memphis named Diocese of Alexandria bishop

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ope Francis has named Father Robert W. Marshall, a priest of the Diocese of Memphis, as the Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C., on April 21 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The Diocese of Alexandria has been a vacant see since March 2019.

Bishop-elect Marshall succeeds Bishop David P. Talley, who was the Diocese of Alexandria’s bishop from 2017 until Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Memphis in March 2019.

New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond has been serving as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Alexandria in the interim.

Bishop-elect Marshall was born in Memphis on June 17, 1959, and ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 2000, for the Diocese of Memphis.

He attended Christian Brothers University in Memphis from 1977 to 1980, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history.

In 1983, he received a juris doctorate from the Humphreys School of Law at Memphis State University, and a master of divin-

ity degree from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans in 2000.

Prior to entering seminary, Father Bishop-elect Marshall Marshall worked as a civil attorney.

Father Marshall’s assignments in the Diocese of Memphis after ordination include: parochial vicar at Incarnation Church in Collierville (2000-2002); pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Humboldt and St. Matthew Parish in Milan (2002-2004); pastor at Church of the Ascension in Memphis (20042012); pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Cordova (2012-2017); and parochial administrator at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis (2017-2019).

Since 2019, Bishop-elect Marshall has served as vicar general for the Diocese of Memphis and rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The Diocese of Alexandria covers 11,108 square miles and has a total population of 389,837, of which 35,402 are Catholic. ■

Funeral Mass celebrated for diocesan and community leader, volunteer Hazel Brimi Hazel Catherine Brimi, 99, a longtime volunteer in the Diocese of Knoxville who had been active in a number of diocesan organizations, passed away at home on April 11.

Mrs. Brimi and her husband were charter members of Sacred Heart Parish, where she served in various guilds. She also served in leadership positions with the Ladies of Charity, the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and the Catholic Foundation.

And she also was a founding member of Tennessee Right to Life and served on the board of United Way of Greater Knoxville.

In addition, Mrs. Brimi was a member of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Auxiliary, participated in the Serra Club, and supported the Knoxville Symphony.

She was instrumental in forming what is now called the Arc Knox County/Sunshine Industries.

She was born Feb. 26, 1921, to Walter and Erna Kaiser in Minneapolis, the second of eight children. She graduated from St. Anthony’s Catholic High School in 1939 and attended the University of Minnesota, where she met medical student Robert Brimi, whom she married in December

1943. They were parents of nine children.

In addition to her parents, Hazel is predeceased by her husband of 64 years, Dr. Brimi, children Barbara, Paul and William, grandson Thomas Sever Rhinehart, and siblings Cary Fardette, Maggie Pech, and Mrs. Brimi Thomas Kaiser.

Left to cherish her memory are her children John (Betty) Brimi, Bob (Connie) Brimi, Mary Catherine Brimi, Elizabeth Brimi, Carol (Bob) Rhinehart, and Patricia (Tom) Janney; four siblings, Lloyd Kaiser, Bernie (Pat) Kaiser, Eileen (Glenn) Marron, Jody (Don) Miller, 11 grandchildren, five greatgrandchildren, many nieces and nephews and countless friends.

A private family funeral Mass and burial was planned, with a memorial Mass to be celebrated at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ladies of Charity Knoxville (Ladiesofcharityknox.org), the Arc Knox County (sunshinekcarc.com), or a favorite charity. ■

East Tennessee Catholic Briefs Paulist Fathers hold funeral Mass for Fr. Wilfred Brimley The Paulist Fathers are mourning the death of brother Paulist priest Father Wilfred Anthony Brimley Jr., who passed away May 5 at the age of 92.

Father Brimley, who died from natural causes at Marion Manor Residence in South Boston, formerly served at Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville. The Paulist Fathers said it did not appear that his death was related to the coronavirus.

Father Brimley had been part of the Paulist community for 65 years and a priest for 58 years. He was born in New Bedford, Mass., on July 19, 1927, a son of Wilfred A. Brimley Sr., and Fr. Brimley Elizabeth Kenney Brimley.

He served in the Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1947; earned a bachelor ’s degree from Harvard University; and worked in the Central Intelligence Agency from 1951 to 1954.

On Sept. 6, 1955, he entered the Paulist novitiate. He made his first promise on Sept. 8, 1956, and his final promise on Sept. 8, 1959. After being ordained a deacon in the autumn of 1961, he was ordained a priest on May 11, 1962.

During his long priesthood, Father Brimley also served at Good Shepherd Church in New York City; St. Lawrence Church in Minneapolis; Old St. Mary’s in Chicago; St. Andrew Church in Clemson, S.C.; St. Nicholas Church in North Pole, Alaska; and the Paulist Center in Boston.

Father Brimley was preceded in death by his brother, John, and sister, Betty. He is survived by his brother Paulists; a niece, Diane; a great-niece, and a great-nephew.

Sr. Carmen Garcias, MAG, former Hispanic ministry associate in Chattanooga, passes away Sister Carmen Gordillo Garcias died May 29 at Emory Health Care in Atlanta. She was 49 and was a resident of Rome, Ga. Sister Carmen was a member of the Order of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, A.G., of Humantla, Mexico. At the time of her death she was the Hispanic ministry coordinator and pastoral assistant at St. Mary’s Church in Rome. Prior to her assignment there, she was a pastoral assistant and Hispanic ministry associate at Catholic parishes in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Sr. Carmen Jonesboro, and Calhoun, Ga. Sister Carmen had a degree in early childhood education from the Yermo y Parres College in Puebla, Mexico, and had been an elementary school teacher and school principal prior to becoming a religious sister.

She was a graduate of several theological programs and institutes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Sister Carmen was born in Chiapas, Mexico, to Moises and Angela Gordillo in 1970. She is survived by three sisters, three brothers, and a number of nephews and nieces.

After lying in state on June 1 in Rome, Sister Carmen is being buried in Mexico.

Funeral Mass celebrated for All Saints member Kathie Blaine Kathie Gunter Blaine, 79, a member of All Saints Parish, passed away April 16 after a lengthy illness.

For five years, Mrs. Blaine faced many health challenges with dignity and grace. Her family rejoices in the fact that she has now received her heavenly body and has been reunited with her parents, Nell and George Gunter; her sister Jan; and her favorite aunt, Marion.

Mrs. Blaine was born on Nov. 4, 1940, in Memphis.

Her formative years were spent in Natchez, Miss., where she attended Natchez High School, where she met her beloved future husband, Dorman Blaine.

Mrs. Blaine Mr. Blaine attended the school of engineering at Mississippi State University, and Mrs. Blaine attended Mississippi State College for Women. She and Mr. Blaine married on Sept. 10, 1960, in Natchez. In 1961, Mr. Blaine received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and the couple was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga. In 1966, a business opportunity attracted them to Knoxville, where the Blaine family has resided since. Mr. Blaine and partner Charlie Hays formed Blaine Construction Corp. and Merit Construction Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Blaine were blessed with four children, their spouses, and six grandchildren: Melissa Blaine Harrison and husband Paul; Alec Gunter Blaine and wife Tammy; Susannah Blaine Dunn and husband Peter; and Mary Hannah Blaine MacCurdy and husband Taylor; and grandchildren George and Blaine Harrison; Taylor and Sophie Blaine; Thomas Dunn; and Sommers MacCurdy.

Funeral services were private due to restrictions from COVID 19. In memory of Mrs. Blaine’s love of all God’s creatures, memorials may be made to Young-Williams Animal Center or The Knoxville Humane Society.

Distinguished engineer Carlyle Michelson passes away Carlyle Michelson, age 93, of Knoxville, formerly of Oak Ridge, entered into eternal life on April 26.

Mr. Michelson was born on March 16, 1927, in Merrill, Wis. He married his wife of 62 years, Margaret, on Dec. 26, 1950. Mr. Michelson and his wife loved to travel, whether on business or pleasure, having taken 48 cruises.

But their real love was their children and grandchildren, whom he instilled a passion for learning.

Mr. Michelson was preceded in death by his wife; parents Cecilia and Chris; sisters Mary and husband Oscar; Mildred and husband Milton; Isabelle and husband Bill; Mr. Michelson Katherine and husband Sam; and Elsie; brothers Earl and wife Ethel; Peter and wife Mabel; Chris and wife Claire; and beloved granddaughter Christen. He is survived by three children and three grandchildren: Dr. Marie Michelson, husband Dr. Jim Beattie, and grandson James and wife Jean; Father Chris Michelson, pastor of St. Albert the Great Church; and Carol Ritchie, husband Mark, and grandchildren Jennifer and Stephen.

Mr. Michelson was an accomplished engineer, with advanced degrees from the universities of Kentucky and Tennessee. He worked for TVA from 195280, and from 1980-83 he was a Nuclear Regulatory Commission director. In 1995, at retirement, he was given the Meritorious Service Award by the U.S. government. He was a Navy veteran.

Because of COVID-19, the funeral Mass for Mr. Michelson was private.

Memorials may be made to the St. Albert the Great Building Fund: 7200 Brickey Lane, Knoxville, TN 37918. ■

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

Years ended June 30, 2019 and 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings to you!

This year has presented a number of challenges for all of us. As we continue to live, work, and worship during these recent difficult times, please know that I always pray for your health, safety, and peace. I am grateful that you, who together make up the Catholic Church in East Tennessee, continue to display the love of Christ in all that you do.

I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on your generosity and support for the Diocese of Knoxville in 2019, a year in which I celebrated my first decade as your bishop.

Thanks to you, our small mission diocese has been able to grow and flourish. The care and kindness you offered made many great things possible in 2019.

In February, the relatively young parish of St. Teresa of Kolkata, established just a few years before in Maynardville, dedicated a beautiful new church building that now serves a growing and diverse community of Catholics.

I was filled with joy at being able to dedicate this new church, which in many ways is emblematic of what we are, and is a living example of the intent of Pope St. John Paul II, who founded the Diocese of Knoxville in 1988.

We were able to celebrate some significant parish anniversaries in 2019, including St. Patrick Parish in Morristown (60th), St. Henry Parish in Rogersville (55th), and St. Bridget Parish in Dayton (50th). Some of our Catholic communities have been around even longer. Thanks to your support, both spiritually and financially, all regions of our vast diocese remain strong.

The Home Campaign, which concluded in 2016, continues to pay dividends for all of our parishes. One great example is the restoration of the worship space at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. While the dedication Mass was celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in 2018, the restoration had been four years in the making and it helped the basilica community begin a new era in 2019.

In May 2019, another of the campaign’s components, the Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund, which was established to accelerate charitable outreach at the parish level, announced distributions totaling $51,500. As we move ahead, we hope to grow our annual distributions to at least $100,000 for parish charitable projects.

The Diocese of Knoxville in 2019 continued to lift its Catholic profile nationally and in some cases even globally.

Our diocese hosted the incorrupt heart of St. John (Jean) Vianney, a major relic of the patron saint of parish priests. We offered Mass celebrations, opportunities for veneration, and an evening rosary. I am grateful to the Knights of Columbus for selecting the Diocese of Knoxville as a host for this wonderful tour.

Throughout 2019, you continued to respond when the Diocese of Knoxville requested assistance through our special collections. Thanks to your support for their education, we now expect to have 17 seminarians studying to become future priests and pastors for our diocese.

In 2019, I was blessed to ordain seminarians Alex Hernandez and Zach Griffith as transitional deacons. I am happy to say that both of these young men will be ordained priests in our diocese later this year. Matthew Donahue, another of our seminarians, will be ordained a transitional deacon this month. Your support for vocations has made these, and future ordinations, possible.

Our St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic continues to bring the healing ministry of Jesus to the underserved and disadvantaged residents in rural areas of our diocese. In 2019, we appointed Dr. Brandy Fuesting, who holds a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Tennessee, as the clinic’s first executive director.

Also in 2019, I was able to establish a new Vietnamese faith community in Chattanooga, which I pray will someday become a full parish in the diocese, much like our Vietnamese parish of Divine Mercy in Knoxville.

As we continue to grow our ministries, please know that I am attentive to the spiritual needs of all of the faithful in our diocese, and that I take seriously the responsibility to be a good steward of your generosity and support.

I ask for your prayers for our diocese, and for me and for all of our priests, deacons, and men and women religious who serve us so faithfully. Please pray that the Diocese of Knoxville grows in virtue and faith and that it continues to be a glorious example of the love that Jesus brings to our world.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend Richard F. Stika Bishop of Knoxville

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Use of funds $11,047,161 Use of funds $11,047,161

Source of funds $10,565,849 Source of funds $10,565,849 Grants $1,323,200 13% Grants $1,323,200 13%

Parish assessments $3,525,094 33% Parish assessments $3,525,094 33%

Other income/service fees and net gain on sales $1,697,223 Other income/service 16% fees and net gain on sales $1,697,223 16%

Deposit/loan fund interest income $922,949 Deposit/loan fund 9% interest income $922,949 9%

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Bishop's Appeal $2,588,393 24% Bishop's Appeal $2,588,393 24%

Contributions/bequests $508,990 5% Contributions/bequests $508,990 5%

Promotion of vocations $700,772 6% Promotion of vocations Education $700,772 Communications $930,755 6% $535,352 8% 5% Education Communications $930,755 $535,352 8% 5% Catholic Charities grant

$500,000 4% Catholic Charities grant $500,000 4%

Religious personnel development/care $1,947,524 Religious personnel 18% development/care $1,947,524 18%

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Property Donated to Parish $339,555 Property Donated to 3% Parish $339,555 3% Diaconate formation $83,054 1% Diaconate formation $83,054 1%

Diocesan governance/ administration $2,938,592 Diocesan governance/ 27% administration $2,938,592 27%

Pastoral $1,612,893 15% Pastoral $1,612,893 15% Capital Campaign expense $507,900 Capital Campaign 4% expense $507,900 4%

Deposit/loan fund interest expense $950,764 Deposit/loan fund 9% interest expense $950,764 9%

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exercise any ministry.”

In March 2017, Pope Francis gave diocesan bishops or other local ordinaries the authorization to grant priests of the Society of St. Pius X the ability to celebrate licitly and validly the marriages of the faithful who follow the society’s pastoral activity. Bishop Stika has not done so in the Diocese of Knoxville.

Also, in September 2015 Pope Francis announced that the faithful would be able to validly and licitly receive absolution from priests of the Society of St. Pius X during the Jubilee Year of

Mercy. This ability was later extended indefinitely by Pope Francis in his 2016 apostolic letter Misericordia et misera.

Following Pope Benedict XVI’s desire to reconcile these faithful to the Church by liberalizing the use of the traditional Latin Mass, now called the extraordinary form, and in order to accommodate the legitimate desires of the faithful who have asked for the extraordinary form, Bishop Kurtz and then Bishop Stika provided for this form of the Roman Rite in several locations throughout the Diocese of Knoxville.

The addition of traditional Latin Masses has been well received and has grown to the point that it now seems opportune to offer them on a weekly basis, Bishop Stika said.

“It also seems that a weekly Latin Mass will mitigate many of the causes for which people might seek out the ministry of the Society of St. Pius X. Knowing that any priest may celebrate the extraordinary form at any time without the diocesan bishop’s permission as per the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, but that any change to Sunday Mass times falls under my oversight, I have given Father Carter my backing to add the extraordinary form to the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul’s regular Sunday Mass schedule on a weekly basis,” Bishop Stika said.

“This Mass will be offered at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday as a “Missa Cantata” or “Sung Mass.” It is my earnest desire that this will answer the legitimate aspirations of the faithful and forestall anyone from defecting from full communion with the Church,” Bishop Stika added.

The bishop said priests should always have a “pastoral solicitude for the lost sheep” with a desire to restore them to full communion in the one fold of the Catholic Church. He noted that parishioners who express a desire for the traditional expressions of the Roman Rite, but whose desires can’t be accommodated, should be directed to the basilica. ■

one’s friends,’” he wrote. “It’s a scene of solidarity and self-giving that has played out across the country so many times in the last week. Here in El Paso there were two young police officers who knelt down with protesters here during our protest, and it helped diffuse some tension. There is something profoundly eucharistic about that, and I’m so inspired by our young people. They are teaching us something.”

Last year, Bishop Seitz wrote a pastoral letter on racism, weeks after an Aug. 3 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, a violent and bloody event that authorities believe targeted Latinos. Up until the pandemic, he regularly visited survivors

of the shooting in the hospital and ministered to families who lost loved ones in the event he calls “la matanza,” which means “the slaughter” in Spanish.

Guillermo Garcia, 36, the last patient in the hospital because of the mass shooting, someone whom Bishop Seitz visited, died April 27, bringing the death toll of the deadly incident to 23.

“That ‘matanza,’ that event opened my eyes to the presence of people whose thought patterns are very influenced by racially prejudicial ways of thinking and that it’s not just a benign kind of problem in our country but a problem that can lead to death,” Bishop Seitz said.

“So, it gave me a new sense of this, that

this isn’t an abstract kind of issue. It’s an issue that has a tremendous impact on people’s lives. And it’s not just physical harm that comes to them but also to the ability of their potential.”

He said that for people to reach their potential as God intended, they also need to be seen as God sees them, but when others look at them with distrust, without the goodness that God sees in them, it’s also hard for the person to see him or herself that way, and “I think that’s one of the subtle but extremely important ways that this systematic prejudice influences people,” he said.

So, he felt it was important to show solidarity. ■

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shows “that the Holy Father is aware of what’s happening in this country and is anxious for the Church to be responsive in a pastoral way to participate in the response, in solidarity with those who have experienced racial discrimination,” he said.

In a public statement released June 4 on the killing of Mr. Floyd, he reflected on an image he saw on video of “a young white woman at a protest near the White House who put her body in front of a young kneeling black teenager as police officers in riot gear approached.”

“As Jesus said, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for

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ties from any bishop, is not part of the divinely ordained hierarchical structure of the Church, and all its priests are suspended a divinis.”

In 1970, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded a priestly society called the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to respond to seminarians and priests who wanted a seminary education that was free from the turmoil of the time after the Second Vatican Council. This was done in full accordance with the laws of the Church at the time.

In 1988, however, as a response to what he described as errors that had crept into the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer consecrated four bishops without the permission of St. John Paul II. The illicit episcopal consecrations resulted in the excommunication of the bishops involved and caused the Society of St. Pius X to fall into a canonically irregular status.

The excommunications of the surviving bishops were lifted in 2009 by Benedict XVI, and since then negotiations “to rediscover full communion with the Church” have continued between the Society of St. Pius X and the Vatican. When he remitted the excommunications, Pope Benedict noted that “doctrinal questions obviously remain, and until they are clarified the Society has no canonical status in the Church and its ministers cannot legitimately

Extraordinary form U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops members gather for an extraordinary form Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in 2019. Traditional Latin Masses increasingly are being added to church Mass schedules.

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