July 4, 2021, ET Catholic, A section

July 4

| 2021

VOL 30 NO 5

IN THIS ISSUE CHAMPS TO PROM GOLDEN B10 STATE B1 RETURN B1 HE'S Knoxville Catholic Notre Dame, KCHS Fr. Bertin Glennon students savor the moment at big dance

celebrates 50th year as a priest

High School tennis team wins it all

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

Bishop Stika announces priest assignments

Changes in ministry will impact seven parishes across East Tennessee

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ather Patrick Resen, a former lawyer and judge who has served as a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville since 2007, has announced his retirement from the active priesthood.

Father Resen’s retirement was among several moves announced by Bishop Richard F. Stika in June that take effect this summer and will impact seven diocesan parishes.

Father Resen, 75, serves at Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City and has been active in the pro-life ministry in East Tennessee. He was born in Walla Walla, Wash., in 1946, and has lived in more than a dozen states and overseas.

When ordained to the diaconate in 2006, his ordination took place at St. Patrick Church in Morristown, where his aunt and uncle were members.

Father Resen has relocated to El Paso, Texas, where his mother lived.

Fr. Resen

Fr. Harvey

Father Resen came to holy orders after a long career in the legal profession.

He first studied for the priesthood with the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles and decided to become a diocesan priest in East Tennessee before his ordination. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz.

Father Resen has served as pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City since 2014. Prior to that he served as pastor of St. Catherine Labouré in Cop-

Fr. Schuster

perhill, associate pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Madisonville, associate pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville, and associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa.

Succeeding Father Resen at Holy Trinity will be Father Jim Harvey, who has been pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville since 2014. Father Harvey also served as pastor of St. Alphonsus from December 2006 to 2011.

Father Harvey was ordained to the

State Knights of Columbus officers installed Installation held at St. Henry; leadership reflects Diocese of Knoxville

Fr. O’Donnell

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priesthood in 1996 by Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell from his home parish, St. Dominic in Kingsport. At St. Alphonsus, Father Harvey has begun with the Crossville parishioners a project to build a new church building.

Prior to St. Alphonsus, among Father Harvey’s assignments were as pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville and as associate pastor of St. John Neumann in Farragut, Our Lady of Assignments continued on page A17

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic raising funds for a new mobile van

By Dan McWilliams

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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tate Knights of Columbus officials again convened at St. Henry Church in Rogersville on May 29, this time to induct the new state officers for the upcoming fraternal year that began July 1.

Among the six new state officers, four represent the Diocese of Knoxville.

Outgoing state deputy Michael McCusker, a member of Timothy J. Coyle Council 9317 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cordova in the Diocese of Memphis, handed over the reins to new state deputy Fred Laufenberg after a Mass held on the vigil of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

Mr. Laufenberg is a member of Monsignor Philip Thoni Council 16088 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade.

Also installed were new state secretary Bill Markiewicz of Cleveland, state treasurer Eric Pelton of Chattanooga, state advocate David Zwissler of Cordova, and state warden Alan Stanley of Smyrna.

Fr. Moreno

By Bill Brewer

Taking office Newly installed state officers for the Knights of Columbus include, from left, Warden Alan Stanley, Treasurer Eric Pelton, Deputy Fred Laufenberg, Chaplain Father Bart Okere, outgoing Deputy Michael McCusker, and Advocate David Zwissler.

Not pictured is Secretary Bill Markiewicz.

Mr. Pelton is a member of Council 8576 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. Mr. Stanley is a member of Council 9168 at St. Luke Church in Smyrna. Mr. Markiewicz, of Council 4572 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland, was installed via cellphone, while the others were present at St. Henry. Wives on hand

for their husbands’ installation included Donna Laufenberg, Melody Pelton, Jennie Zwissler, and Paula Stanley.

Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry and St. James the Apostle Parish in Sneedville, became the new state Knights chaplain after four years as the associate chaplain.

The St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is hoping to replace its vehicle that has served the needy in East Tennessee for more than seven years.

An open house and fundraiser May 8 at the clinic’s home site at Divine Mercy Church in West Knoxville served to call attention to the clinic and its desire for a new mobile medical van.

“This is an open house—we wanted to just let people know about the clinic and what we do,” said Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM, MD, medical director of the clinic.

“We’re also raising funds for our clinic replacement fund. Like any vehicle, our clinic doesn’t last forever, so we’re getting ready in the next five or so years to be able to replace the clinic, so that’s what the fundraiser today is for.”

Thanks to a generous donor, the clinic has to raise only about half of the $510,000 needed for a new vehicle.

“We have a matching donor who’s going to give us $250,000, so we’re hoping to raise $250,000,” Sister Mary Lisa said.

“The mobile clinic replacement fund is set up to replace our existing vehicle when it is no longer usable. The projected date for the medical van’s replacement is Mobile Clinic continued on page A13

Officers continued on page A9

Bishops vote to draft teaching document on Eucharist Many USCCB members support move amid National Eucharistic Revival

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he U.S. bishops have approved by a wide margin a plan to draft a document to examine the “meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church” following a lengthy debate during their spring general assembly.

The action to move forward passed with 168 votes in favor and 55 votes against it. There were six abstentions.

The results, announced June 18, the final day of the virtual spring assembly, allow the bishops’ Committee on Doctrine to draft the document and present it for discussion when the bishops reconvene in person in November.

For more than two hours June 17, 43 bishops shared their views on whether such a document was

necessary at a time when Catholics are returning to regular Mass attendance as pandemic restrictions ease or if it should even be considered lest it be perceived as fracturing the unity of a church already faced with numerous challenges.

The bishops reached no consensus during the discussion.

Bishop Stika They voted electronically after the second day of the meeting concluded late in the afternoon.

As expected, viewpoints varied among the bishops.

By Dennis Sadowski/Catholic News Service Most bishops welcomed the idea of strengthening teaching about the Eucharist, especially given that the bishops have embarked on a multiyear National Eucharistic Revival initiative that is part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2021-24 strategic plan, “Created Anew by the Body and Blood of Christ: Source of Our Healing and Hope.”

Bishop Richard F. Stika, noting that the USCCB’s spring assembly is his 13th as the bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, said the spring assembly is typically a retreat for bishops but recently has evolved into a “full-fledged” meeting with very important Church documents and discussions to address, similar to the bishops’ annual November meeting.

USCCB continued on page A19

Notre Dame Cathedral launches new financial appeal

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he Archdiocese of Paris has launched a multimilliondollar appeal to restore the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral following the devastating fire in 2019.

In a June 14 statement, the archdiocese said that Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris was launching the new appeal with a view to the cathedral’s scheduled reopening in 2024.

The French government is overseeing the cathedral’s structural restoration and conservation, but the cathedral authorities are responsible for its interior renewal.

“The program of interior improvements, which is entirely the responsibility of the cathedral, aims first of all to return it to worship — its primary function — and, more broadly, to offer a new tour to the six million faithful pilgrims and tourists who enter the cathedral each year,” the statement said.

Under the initiative, which will cost five to six million euros ($6.1$7.3 million), two projects a year will be presented to French and foreign donors.

The campaign will be supported

Sr. Regina

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/GONZALO FUENTES, REUTERS

Funds raised will go toward restoration of interior for Paris landmark church gutted by 2019 fire

Nearly ready to reopen Scaffolding encompasses Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, seen in this Dec. 23, 2019, photo. The cathedral’s famous flying buttreses are themselves buttressed with new wood supports. Two years after a fire destroyed much of the historic church’s wooden structure, a fundraising group is urging people to sponsor a statue or gargoyle to help with reconstruction. by the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, an American foundation created at the initiative of the Paris Archdiocese.

The celebrated French Gothic cathedral, built between 1163 and © 2021 Handmaids of the Precious Blood

1345, held a relic of the Crown of Thorns. The relic was rescued on the night of the fire, April 15, 2019, by Father Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of the Paris Fire Department.

By Catholic News Agency

The first two projects presented to donors will be the restoration of the reliquary case of the Crown of Thorns, which was damaged during the rescue, and the creation of a new tabernacle.

Future projects will include new seating for the choir and assembly, lighting, sound systems, and a music room, as well as changes to the choir organ and altar.

Archbishop Aupetit said: “The renovation of Notre-Dame provides an opportunity to bring the cathedral into the 21st century, while maintaining the preservation of its own identity, in the spirit of Christian tradition.”

“But it seems essential to us to propose keys to understanding to inscribe it in the collective memory of today. Also, some adjustments are necessary.”

The statement said that teams working under the archbishop’s delegate, Father Gilles Drouin, have reflected on how the restored interior could emphasize the cathedral’s “liturgical axis” running from the baptistery to the tabernacle and create a better pathway

Notre Dame continued on page A16

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

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

Prayer Intentions “We pray that, in social, economic, and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship.”

–– Pope Francis

”Let us pray for unity in our nation and that our trust in God is never diminished.”

–– Bishop Stika

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

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

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

Education is a key element of the Safe Environment Program.

All clergy, employ-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

The gate of heaven St. John Paul II: ‘Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ — ­it is never time lost but rather time gained’ journey with Christ from time to eternity.” And the way we do this is by inviting Christ into our time. For He “knows the secret of time and the secret of eternity” and “time given to Christ is never time lost but is rather time gained.” And in his excellent online article, “Time,” Dr. Peter Kreeft offers this truth for us to consider: “We think time determines prayer, but prayer determines time.”

So how can we possibly offer our present moments to God when they are so fleeting and filled with everything from the chaotic to the mundane? There is the quick morning cup of coffee and the heavy traffic of our commute and the long and hectic hours of our work.

There is the care of our children and diapers to change, meals to prepare, grocery shopping and laundry to do, the mowing of the lawn, and the quiet time before laying down to sleep after an exhausting day. But these are exactly the moments, with their crosses, disappointments, annoyances, and joys that God especially wants to bless and make holy.

Obviously, we should never do anything that we cannot offer to God. But that which we do offer, along with the many things we have no control of in the circumstances of our day, represents the “raw material” for what the saints call the “sacrament of the present moment.”

Every sacrament in its broad sense, as Venerable Archbishop

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

— Luke 10:41-42

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any know I have a habit of running late. My excuse—I lose track of time, at least the way in which we measure it by a clock. Despite all the technology at our fingertips and “time management” practices, the “tyranny of time” continues to challenge and frustrate our schedules and efforts.

But if we do not want to be a slave of time, we need to embrace the “one thing” necessary: the present moment, the only time in which we can encounter God and invite eternity into our heart and day.

The present moment is the only time in which we can meet people and offer them the gift of our self and our love. And such is true in our relationship with God. We do not encounter God in the past, nor in the future, but only in the time and circumstances of our every present moment.

Before you think, “Time to turn the page on this column,” it is important to point out that the secret to time is not in battling it, but in sanctifying it—offering it to God so that it might be impregnated with eternity and become the bearer of His love, peace, and blessings in the unfolding of our day. As St. John Vianney reminds us, “All that we do without offering it to God is wasted.”

“Eternity entered human life when Christ became man,” Pope St. John Paul II reminds us. As such we are “called to make the

CATHIOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

Fulton Sheen states, “combines two elements: one visible, the other invisible—one that can be seen, or tasted, or touched, or heard; the other unseen to the eyes of the flesh.” So, if the present moment is to be a sacrament in this broad sense, then it must be invested with the eternal touch of God’s love.

Living in the present moment is to accept the various circumstances and crosses with our “yes” to God’s will in the unfolding of our day and to “lift up our heart” with a simple prayer such as “Come, Lord Jesus” or “Thy will be done” or “Jesus, I trust in you.” These short “exclamatory prayers,” as they are now called, are a powerful way of turning our work and activities into a prayer, even if we lose our consciousness of such as we commit ourselves to the task at hand. This is how we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

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

Exclamatory prayers are typically a brief verse from or inspired by Scripture, which in sowing them frequently into our day, bear eternal fruits. They are a most effective “dart” or “fiery arrow” against temptations, as the saints will attest, and a critical part of our arsenal for spiritual warfare.

While the Liturgy of the Hours is a most powerful means for sanctifying the day (which priests have a special obligation to pray in its entirety), the opening verse from Psalm 70, which serves as the “gateway” for each of the “hours” of the Church’s official prayer— ”O God, come to my assistance; Lord make haste to help me.” It reminds us, as Christ taught us, that “apart from [Him], we can do nothing” (John 15:51).

Many may be familiar with the “Jesus Prayer,” which the Christian East considers a most important prayer for sanctifying our day—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

Much has been written of this prayer, which I encourage you to reflect upon.

For the “Gethsemane” moments of our life, we have Christ’s prayer in the garden—”Not my will, but Your will be done” (Luke 22:42). We also have Mary’s response at the Annunciation that helps us to embrace God’s will for us as it unveils itself, be it in the form of a cross or something else: “Be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). The simple prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit,” is another beautiful way of exercising our baptismal priesthood in these moments.

Exclamatory prayers also help Time continued on page A17

The language of love Regional accents can highlight distinctions, but communicating with affection brings everyone together

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

Sealed with the Holy Spirit Left: Bishop Richard F. Stika confirms a young man during the adult confirmation Mass on May 23 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart.

Below: Adult confirmands kneel in prayer during the adult confirmation Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

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lder confirmands were again front and center in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Pentecost Sunday after a year hiatus due to COVID-19 as Bishop Richard F. Stika welcomed the adults who were receiving the sacrament of confirmation.

While it was a smaller group than usual, the 15 women and men who were confirmed May 23 were the continuation of a ministry important to Bishop Stika to make sure as many people as possible have access to all the sacraments.

Bishop Stika has said the adult confirmation Mass is among his favorites to celebrate.

“We gather together to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation from different places, different areas of the diocese. This is a reminder that we are one Church, one Church throughout the world. And that’s what we celebrate: the beginnings of the Church. I want to welcome you as we celebrate the completion of the sacraments of initiation,” the bishop said in opening remarks.

Father Richard Armstrong, assistant director of the Diocese of Knoxville Office of Christian Formation, presented the adult confirmands to Bishop Stika. Father Armstrong also is parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Norris and St. Therese Parish in Clinton as well as pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern Catholic Mission in Knoxville.

“We usually have 50 or more candidates for adult confirmation each year. Since Bishop Stika has given the faculty to confirm in the parishes, many have chosen to receive confirmation in their home parish from their pastor. I suspect we had even more adult confirmations this year overall,” Father Armstrong said.

Father Armstrong said Bishop Stika wanted to give those who wanted to come to the cathedral the opportunity to receive the sacrament in the diocesan mother church. He

By Bill Brewer

noted that Bishop Stika also used the opportunity to welcome those from outside the cathedral and tell them about the cathedral’s uniqueness.

“Many adult Catholics, unfortunately, have the experience of having missed confirmation as a youth. This Mass gives them the opportunity to complete their initiation into the Catholic faith and receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. For these men and women, this was their personal Pentecost.

They have now received the fullness of grace to live out the Christian faith,” Father Armstrong said. “I’m very encouraged that Catholics, through their own initiative, are seeking to become more committed disciples of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is working in and through these men and women.”

Confirmation, a sacrament instituted by Christ and different from baptism, is administered by laying-on of hands and anointing with chrism accompanied by prayer. The chrism is blessed by the bishop, and the bishop administers the sacrament. All baptized people can and should be confirmed. The effect of the sacrament

of confirmation is to give strength in faith and for the confession of faith.

The adult confirmation Mass, which Bishop Stika has celebrated annually, was put on hold in 2020 amid the pandemic as social-distancing requirements took precedent. The bishop extended to parish pastors the authority to administer the sacrament.

In his Pentecost homily, Bishop

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Stika described to the confirmands how accents impact everyone, including him when he moved to East Tennessee from St. Louis in 2009. He lightheartedly described the different inflections from the Midwest, to the South, to the widely known cadences of New York and New Jersey.

While regional accents may highConfirmation continued on page A13 JULY 4, 2021 n A3

Sent forth to proclaim the Word of God

Sending of the Neophytes Mass resumes as East Tennessee’s newest Catholics pick up the cross

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any of the nearly 200 people who came into the Catholic Church at this year’s Easter Vigil in the Diocese of Knoxville were formally sent forth in the annual Sending of the Neophytes Mass on April 25 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Bishop Stika celebrated the Mass, with Father Martin Gładysz of the cathedral parish and Father Peter Iorio of Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa concelebrating. Deacon Butch Feldhaus of St. Jude in Chattanooga was deacon of the Word, and Deacon Jack Raymond of Holy Trinity in Jefferson City was deacon of the Eucharist. Deacon Walt Otey of the cathedral was master of ceremonies.

Last year’s Neophytes Mass wasn’t held because of COVID-19.

“I’ve been looking forward to this Mass for over a year. It’s a great, great privilege,” the bishop said. “The Mass is the summit of everything that we do. There’s no greater prayer, because it’s the sacrifice of Jesus, and that’s what we celebrate.”

He was inspired by the neophytes’ dedication to joining the universal Church during a universal pandemic when social distancing restrictions were an obstacle to attending Mass and Churchrelated activities.

“It was a strong commitment both on their part and on the catechists. Walking hand-in-hand and seeking to be one with the Church at the altar to receive the Eucharist demonstrates the commitment of someone who follows Jesus and is willing to witness to another that strong conviction about the importance of the Eucharist,” the bishop said.

Bishop Stika began his homily by talking about the role of a bishop, and he spoke of the crosier he carries and the cathedra, the bishop’s chair that gives “cathedral” its name. He said he thought of a new way to display his crosier, which resembles a shepherd’s crook.

“My car was on the fritz for about two weeks, and I was using the diocesan truck that we have

By Dan McWilliams

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Above, Bishop Richard F. Stika presents a young neophyte with a gift bag that includes holy water, a card about holy water and how to use it, and a rosary with instructions on praying the rosary. Below, Bishop Stika gives Communion to a young woman accompanied by three children during the Sending of the Neophytes Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on April 25.

over at the Chancery, and I was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if I put a gun rack on the back window and hang this on it? People would know, ‘Don’t mess with that guy.’”

On a more serious note, the bishop referenced a homily given

by Cardinal Justin Rigali, who recently celebrated his 60th anniversary as a priest.

“The cardinal talked about what it was like to be a shepherd. He said a shepherd has to take care of the sheep,” the bishop said. “A true shepherd doesn’t do it for the

money. A true bishop doesn’t do it for the money. He does it for the love of people.”

Bishop Stika then made one of his favorite quotations about new Catholics.

“Nothing’s perfect in life. Did you become Catholic because you wanted to join a perfect Church?

As soon as you joined, it ain’t so perfect anymore. Same for me,” he said. “Pope Francis talks about the Catholic Church being almost like a hospital for people who are sick.”

The bishop mentioned the sacraments of initiation: baptism, first Communion, and confirmation.

Many of the neophytes received all three of those sacraments.

“Now all of you are card-carrying members of the Roman Catholic Church,” Bishop Stika said. “If your family’s with you and they aren’t Catholic yet, give them the old elbow and say, ‘Hey, come on,

Neophytes continued on page A14

Supreme Court rules in favor of Catholic agency in foster case

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n a unanimous decision on June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court said a Catholic social service agency should not have been excluded from Philadelphia’s foster care program because it did not accept same-sex couples as foster parents.

Although the court said Philadelphia’s anti-discrimination laws put an unfair burden on Philadelphia’s Catholic Social Services, the justices did not issue a sweeping ruling on religious rights or overturn its previous decision involving religious liberty in the case Employment Division v. Smith.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the opinion in Fulton v.

Philadelphia, said the service agency “seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.”

He also said the city’s actions of excluding the agency burdened its “religious exercise by putting it to the choice of curtailing its mission or approving relationships inconsistent with its beliefs.”

When it heard oral arguments in this case last November, the Supreme Court hinted its willingness to find a compromise in the case that pits the rights of religious groups against state discrimination laws.

The case centered on Philadelphia’s 2018 exclusion of the foster program of Catholic Social Services of the Philadelphia Archdiocese because of the agency’s policy of not placing children with same-sex couples or unmarried couples because these unions go against Church

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By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

A ruling on beliefs Women pose for a picture near the U.S Supreme Court in Washington on June 17. In a unanimous decision June 17, the Supreme Court said a Catholic social service agency should not have been excluded from Philadelphia’s foster care program because it did not accept same-sex couples as foster parents. teaching on traditional marriage.

A year later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit sided with the city, calling the agency’s policies discriminatory.

Richard Garnett, law school professor at the University of Notre Dame and director of the university’s Program on Church, State, and Society, said the Supreme Court’s ruling will have a significant impact.

He pointed out that for three decades, the court’s rule has been that religious believers are not entitled to exemptions from general, neutral laws, even when those rules burden religious beliefs and practices.”

In the foster care case, he said the court “emphasized that regulations which include exemptions and exceptions for some are not ‘neutral’ when they burden religious exercise.”

Professor Garnett said it was

“striking, and telling, that the court’s more liberal justices” joined this decision, which he said points out that “respect for religious freedom should not be a partisan or left-right issue.”

“All nine justices agree that, when a rule targets religious practices for disapproval, or singles out religious exercise for burdens, it is highly suspect,” he said. “Although a majority of the justices did not go so far as to overrule the Smith decision, the ruling in Fulton will have a major effect on religiousfreedom cases going forward.”

After the Nov. 4 oral arguments for this case, the chairmen of three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees said: “Catholics have been called to care for children who have been orphaned, or whose parents face unique difficulties in providing care, since the earliest days of our faith.” They said in a statement

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they hoped the court would “reject a hollowed-out pluralism that permits people of faith only to preach but not to practice” their beliefs.

Employment Division v. Smith, a 1990 case that also involved religious beliefs, overshadowed much of the oral arguments in the Fulton case.

That case involved two American Indians who were fired and denied unemployment benefits in Oregon for using peyote, a hallucinogenic drug, in a religious ceremony.

The court ruled in favor of Oregon, saying its right to legislate against drug use superseded a religious group’s right to use a drug as part of a spiritual ritual. The ruling has been interpreted as giving state and local governments broad powers over religious practices.

In its petition in the Fulton case, Catholic Social Services urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Smith decision, which had been the basis of the lower courts’ rulings against the agency.

During oral arguments, Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh mentioned more than once that same-sex couples had never been rejected by the Catholic agency because they had never approached the agency, and if they had, they would have been referred to another foster agency in the city.

“We need to find a balance that also respects religious beliefs,” Justice Kavanaugh said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor similarly pointed to working out a path forward, asking one of the attorneys siding with the city: “If one wanted to find a compromise in this case, can you suggest one that wouldn’t do real damage to all the various lines of laws that have been implicated here?”

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TRL marks pro-life victories as legislation becomes law Tennessee Right to Life backed Prenatal Life and Liberty, Unborn Child Dignity acts that Gov. Lee has signed into law

By Dan McWilliams

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ennessee Right to Life is celebrating two victories in the state legislature while at the same time watching an important appeals-court case and a Mississippi case going to the U.S. Supreme Court that could affect the future of abortion in the country.

Tennessee Right to Life’s priority legislation for the 2021 legislative session was the Prenatal Life and Liberty Act (HB 1252 and SB 1370), sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) and Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville).

The bill’s first purpose was to bring Tennessee civil law in line with its criminal code regarding unborn children. Before this legislation, a wrongful-death claim for an unborn child was only allowed for a child past the point of viability, while the criminal code recognized an unborn child at any stage of development.

Now in Tennessee law, a person can be charged with fetal homicide for killing a woman and her unborn child at any stage of development and can be held liable for civil charges as well.

Additionally, this legislation will prohibit lawsuits against doctors who fail to discover or disclose a child’s medical condition prior to the child’s birth. These “wrongful birth” and “wrongful life” lawsuits occur when the parents argue that abortion would have been preferable to birth and life and then seek monetary damages claiming the doctor’s breach of duty and omission.

“This part of the Prenatal Life and Liberty Act makes a strong statement in Tennessee law that abortion is never preferable to life, regardless of any medical conditions a child may have,” said Stacy Dunn, president of Tennessee Right to Life and director of the Knox County TRL chapter.

Tennessee Right to Life also actively supported the Unborn Child Dignity Act (HB 1181 and SB 0828), sponsored by Rep. Tim Rudd (RMurfreesboro) and Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), which will require the burial or cremation of all fetal remains in the state of Tennessee.

Sponsors of the legislation pointed out during debate of the bill that Tennessee law already had provisions for how animal remains were handled, but no such law existed for the remains of preborn human

Support from all ages and stages East Tennessee youths hold pro-life banners in front of the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health in Fort Sanders, an abortion facility that serves the University of Tennessee community. The teens were taking part in Tennessee Right to Life’s annual March for Life in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. beings.

“Tennessee Right to Life along with pro-life Tennesseans believe it should be public policy that the remains of unborn children be treated with as much respect and dignity as possible, and this bill will help ensure that,” Mrs. Dunn said.

Representatives from the organization And Then There Were None presented testimony during House and Senate committee hearings. As former employees of abortion facilities, these women provided legislators with a look into the horror of abortion as they spoke of what happens to the bodies of the tiny victims

of abortion. One presenter pointed out that the Department of Health last year reported 10,880 abortions in Tennessee and then asked, “Where are those 10,880 bodies of aborted children last year in Tennessee?”

“The truth is a powerful lobbyist.

When these women spoke of what they had seen in the abortion industry, there wasn’t much left to say,” Mrs. Dunn said.

The Prenatal Life and Liberty Act was signed by Gov. Bill Lee and became law on May 11. The governor signed the Unborn Child Dignity Act on May 6, and it took effect July 1.

Will Brewer, legislative liaison and

Choosing life Tennessee Right to Life has taken to billboards in Knoxville and surrounding counties to help get its pro-life message across in the community. The organization focuses on education and legislation in exposing the harm of abortion.

legal counsel for Tennessee Right to Life, said “We are really proud of this legislative session. Gov. Lee signed two strong pro-life bills into law, which will go a long way in further defining the unborn child as a human and victim in Tennessee.

“The Unborn Child Dignity Act will require that all unborn victims of abortion be buried or cremated and, thus, disposed of in a dignified way. We heard testimony in committee from former abortion industry workers, who are now pro-life, who detailed all the horrendous ways that the abortion industry disposes of aborted remains without laws like this in place. At least now, these children will be disposed of with dignity, and more people were educated on the abortion industry’s gruesome practices.

“The Prenatal Life and Liberty Act will ensure that Tennessee’s civil law now matches its criminal law.

Before this year, someone could be charged with double homicide for the murder of a woman and her unborn child, but you can only be sued civilly for money damages for the wrongful death of the child if that child is past 24 weeks. Now you can be sued or charged regardless of gestational age. It also prohibits parents from suing a doctor if they lacked genetic abnormality information and then claim that they would have rather aborted their child if they had known about the abnormality than to give birth to a special needs child,” Mr. Brewer concluded.

In another case, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on April 23 granted the state of Tennessee’s motion to lift the injunction against the 48-hour waiting period pending a full en banc appeal. This will allow the 48hour waiting period to go back into effect until the judges hear the case and make a ruling.

“Tennesseans support commonsense legislation such as this waiting period, which protects women from being rushed into a decision by the very industry that will profit from her abortion,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“There are children alive in Tennessee today because this law allowed their mothers time to consider all their options. The court has made a wise decision to allow this law to go back into effect.”

In the same decision, the court granted the state’s request to expedite the case, which was passed

Life continued on page A13

By Robert Alan Glover Tennessee Register

M

ary Dorothy “Dot” LaMarche has been an advocate for respecting life from conception to natural death throughout her life.

“This is the way that I was raised by my parents — in the Catholic faith — and to believe that even the unborn have a right to life,” said Mrs. LaMarche, a Farragut resident who grew up in Nashville, graduating from St. Bernard Academy and the old St. Thomas School of Nursing.

That dedication to the pro-life cause was recognized during the Tennessee Right to Life annual Pro-Life Women’s Day event at the State Capitol on April 6 when she was presented the Lifetime Pro-Life Advocacy Award.

“I was very surprised and humbled” to receive the award, said Mrs. LaMarche, who is a member of St. John Neumann Parish. “There are a lot of people who have done more, a lot more.”

That’s not the way Stacy Dunn, the Tennessee Right to Life state president, saw it.

“This lady has done so much in the pro-life movement that it is going to be difficult to do it justice,” Mrs. Dunn said in presenting the award.

Mrs. LaMarche is a former member of the Tennessee Right to Life state board and is a current member of the board for the Knox County chapter.

In her roles in the pro-life movement, Mrs. LaMarche has had numerous responsibilities.

“These obligations include looking

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after all the different programs that we have going all across the state and working hard (to oppose) any laws that may be passed that allow abortions,” said Mrs. LaMarche, who also served as an alderwoman and vice mayor of the town of Farragut from 2003-11.

Her joint love of nursing, counseling, and overall public service also included working with Birth Choice in North Carolina for several years.

“I counseled women who were coming in for a pregnancy test, and my goal was on convincing them to keep their baby, something that I had several especially wonderful successes with,” Mrs. LaMarche said.

She recounted how a mother who was contemplating an abortion discovered she was “carrying twins, and she told me she could kill one baby but not two,” said Mrs. LaMarche.

Another experience involved a young, expectant mother who Mrs. LaMarche encountered again after her initial counseling.

“I pray every day for these women, and I prayed that she would make the right decision,” Mrs. LaMarche said.

“Sometime later I met her again while my car was being repaired, and she told me how I had helped her decide to keep her baby, and I have several other wonderful stories like this one,” Mrs. LaMarche said.

Getting to one of those moments, however, is no easy task, as she explained.

“You have to be very kind and loving in your approach to them (the expectant mothers), even if they don’t want to keep the baby themselves,

COURTESY OF THE TENNESSEE REGISTER

TRL supporter Dot LaMarche honored for a lifetime of pro-life work

Mary Dorothy “Dot” LaMarche

and encourage them to give it life and happiness to another family through adoption,” Mrs. LaMarche said.

Adoption is something that Mrs. LaMarche knows very well; the second of her three children was adopted.

“We adopted her from a children’s home in Memphis, and I do believe that because of this I was blessed with a third child,” Mrs. LaMarche said.

She also has this simple advice for someone who is considering abortion: “Having the baby and giving it up for adoption is a wonderful way to give life; why take it away?”

In introducing Mrs. LaMarche, Mrs. Dunn outlined some of Mrs. LaMarche’s accomplishments.

“Taking care of babies was part of who she was, beginning from when her mother brought home twin boys from the hospital and told Dot and her brother they each had a baby brother to take care of,” Mrs. Dunn said.

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Mrs. Dunn also acknowledged Mrs. LaMarches’s career in nursing. “To Dot nursing was a vocation.”

“She was an intensive care nurse, an oncology nurse, and an emergency room nurse, but her love of life has been her passion,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“Dot was a dedicated counselor at Hope Resource Center in Knoxville, spending many years talking to abortion-minded women about life, love, and helping them choose life for their babies.”

Rosetta Graham of Nashville is Mrs. LaMarche’s younger sister who also attended the Pro-Life Women’s Day event.

“Dot and I go every year because it’s an annual luncheon where we attempt to rally Right-to-Life leaders and others from all over Tennessee to fight abortion,” Mrs. Graham said.

“Through her work as a link between doctors and others (in nursing), her work in North Carolina for 19 years, and her constant counseling of women against having an abortion, Dot has saved many lives,” Mrs. Graham added.

Mrs. LaMarche’s sister noted that the award “was a complete surprise; Dot did not know, and it’s still hard to believe even though she’s so awesome and has done so much good work,” Mrs. Graham said.

The younger sibling echoed her sister’s feelings about abortion, describing it as “a terrible curse on our country, because who knows what the child that is killed might have become or would have done — even discovering a cure for cancer,” Mrs. Graham said. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Tennessee Knights of Columbus elect new leader Fred Laufenberg of St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade takes over as State Deputy

COURTESY OF ANDY TELLI (3)

P

utting Christ at the forefront of everything the Knights of Columbus do has led to enormous growth for the order in Tennessee over the last three years.

It’s an approach the next Tennessee State Deputy, Fred Laufenberg of Fairfield Glade, plans to continue after his election as the top official in the state.

“It would be absolutely wrong if I deviated in any way,” said Mr. Laufenberg, a member of the Monsignor Philip Thoni Council 16088 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade.

Mr. Laufenberg was elected State Deputy during the 118th Tennessee State Convention, which was held virtually April 30 and May 1 from the Catholic Pastoral Center in Nashville.

He succeeds Michael McCusker, a member of Timothy J. Coyle Council 9317 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Memphis suburb of Cordova, who is wrapping up his second year as State Deputy.

For the third year in a row, the Tennessee State Council has qualified for the Circle of Honor for meeting its quota for new members. This year the goal was 548 new Knights, which Tennessee reached on April 24, the earliest anyone can remember.

Mr. McCusker credited his predecessor, immediate past State Deputy Tracy Staller of Council 12961 at Holy Family Church in Seymour, with launching Tennessee Knights on the Christ-centered approach.

“We’ve focused on putting Christ at the center of everything we do as Knights,” Mr. Staller said in 2019 when his term as State Deputy ended. “We found that’s what most Catholic men have been hungry for.

It’s what they’ve been looking for.”

In his address at the state convention, Mr. Laufenberg said his father’s wish for his children was not that they make the most money, have the biggest house, or drive the most expensive car. It was that they make a difference in their communities, their church, and with their families.

“The Knights of Columbus, they have been a tool for me. They have been a gift to me as I try to fulfill my father’s wish,” Mr. Laufenberg said.

“It has allowed me to be in a community of good Catholic men on the same journey to get to heaven.”

Mr. Laufenberg wants the Knights to help their pastors bring people back to church in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we can’t help our priests get people back into church, practicing the faith, we don’t have the opportunity to grow our order because the men are just not there,” he said.

“We need to get people back in the Church. We need to help them feel comfortable with their faith.”

The Knights of Columbus, founded in 1882 by Blessed Father Michael McGivney in New Haven, Conn., to help Catholic men and their families, is one of the largest Catholic lay organizations in the world with more than 2 million members in several countries.

The Knights, which are open to Catholic men age 18 and older, are dedicated to serving the Church, families, and their communities through various spiritual and charitable activities. The Knights also offer life insurance and other financial products to its members.

Mr. Laufenberg was born and

Addressing the Knights New State Deputy Fred Laufenberg speaks to Tennessee Knights of Columbus via video during the state convention in Nashville.

Deputy to Deputy Fred Laufenberg, left, of Monsignor Philip Thoni Council 16088 in Fairfield Glade, was elected as the new State Deputy to lead the Tennessee Knights of Columbus State Council. He succeeds Michael McCusker, right, of Timothy J. Coyle Council 9317 in Cordova. raised in Wisconsin. He served in the U.S. Army and earned a Purple Heart medal after he was wounded in Vietnam.

After the Army, he returned to his job with DuPont in Iowa.

“I regretted not being a college graduate,” Mr. Laufenberg said, so he earned an associate’s degree from an Iowa community college and then a bachelor’s degree from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

He moved into supervisory roles with DuPont and worked for the company in Missouri, Michigan, Virginia, and Germany.

While living in Clinton, Iowa, he

joined the Knights of Columbus in 1978. Although he continued to pay his dues even as he moved to new locations, he wasn’t very active, he said.

After retiring to Fairfield Glade, his wife, Donna, told him he needed to do more than just play golf, Mr. Laufenberg said. He knew some men from the parish who were Knights and decided to get involved in the local council. That started him on a journey to several state-level positions and his eventual election as a state officer.

The tradition in Tennessee is for state officers to start as the State Warden and then advance through all the state offices — State Advocate, State Treasurer, State Secretary — before assuming the top job of State Deputy.

“I do not believe that any State Secretary has been better prepared to be State Deputy,” Mr. McCusker said of Mr. Laufenberg during his address at the state convention.

His involvement with the Knights has helped him deepen his faith, Mr. Laufenberg said.

“I read the Bible more now than I ever did,” he said, and he attends daily Mass as often as possible.

“I really want us to be focused on the Eucharist,” Mr. Laufenberg said to his fellow Tennessee Knights. “I think about the Last Supper. Christ said take this … I’m giving you a gift,” Mr. Laufenberg said. “With the cup, He said do this. I don’t think that’s an option.”

Another goal for Mr. Laufenberg is “to get the insurance side and the fraternal side of the organization

Now introducing... State Officers elected at the Tennessee Knights of Columbus state convention include, from left, State Warden Alan Stanley, State Advocate David Zwissler, State Chaplain Father Bart Okere, State Deputy Fred Laufenberg, former State Deputy Michael McCusker, Associate Chaplain Father Gervan Menezes, State Treasurer Eric Pelton, and past State Deputy Tracy Staller. Not pictured is State Secretary Bill Markiewicz.

By Andy Telli

closer together,” he said. “They are really here to help us in more ways than simply insurance.”

The Tennessee State Council achieved its membership and programming goals while Mr. McCusker was State Deputy despite several challenges, chief among them the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The two years started out terrific,” said Mr. McCusker, who lives in the Memphis suburb of Germantown. Then came the deadly tornados that ripped through Nashville, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, and Cookeville in March 2020, he said. The Knights quickly mobilized to help their neighbors, donating $80,000 in tornado relief.

The tornado was immediately followed by the pandemic.

“In an instant, we had to relearn and rethink how we do everything,” Mr. McCusker said. That meant virtual meetings at the council and state level, including both the 2020 and 2021 state conventions. “The state has been run virtually for 14 months now,” he said.

“To Michael’s credit, we learned how to do that,” Mr. Laufenberg said. “We learned how to do that well.”

Mr. McCusker takes pride in the Knights’ response to the tornado and pandemic.

“I’m proud that they did not quit.

They got out and helped their communities; they helped their parishes,” he said.

Under his leadership, the state was divided into four regions, and a state officer was given responsibility for keeping in regular contact with the district and council officers for one of the regions.

“The regions are attached to a position not a person,” Mr. McCusker said. So as a man moves through the state offices, he will be assigned to each of the regions and will work with Knights in every part of the state, he explained.

Mr. McCusker also was proud that the State Council didn’t keep doing things just because that’s the way they’ve always been done, he said.

At the annual mid-year meeting, council leaders from across the state would gather to listen to reports from various state officials, Mr. McCusker noted, adding, “We need to inspire people.”

This year, the state replaced its usual mid-year meeting with a livestreamed “Men of the Cross” retreat, organized by State Membership Director Jimmy Dee of Knoxville and featuring several nationally known speakers. The retreat was viewed by people in every state and 13 nations, Mr. McCusker said.

“We were able to serve not only the Knights in Tennessee, but around the world,” he noted.

Other state officers elected during the state convention included: n Bill Markiewicz of Council 4572 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland, State Secretary; n Eric Pelton of Council 8576 at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga, State Treasurer; n David Zwissler of St. Michael Council 17578, Memphis, State Advocate; n Alan Stanley of Council 9168 at St. Luke Church in Smyrna, State Warden; and n Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville, State Chaplain. ■

Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention coming to Nashville in 2022

By Andy Telli

T

he Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus will return to Nashville and the Opryland Hotel in August 2022.

“I received a letter from Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly informing me that we have been chosen as the host for 2022,” Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding said. “It’s an honor to have the Supreme Convention of the Knights here.”

As the host, Bishop Spalding is expected to be the main celebrant and homilist for the convention’s opening Mass.

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The 140th Supreme Convention is expected to draw about 3,000 Knights, their families, Supreme Council staff, cardinals, bishops, and priests from around the world, said immediate past State Deputy Michael McCusker of the Memphis suburb of Germantown, who will chair the Supreme Convention Committee for the Tennessee State Council. “It’s major,” he exclaimed.

“Nashville is going to see much of the episcopacy from throughout the United States gathering here” for the convention, Bishop Spalding noted.

Tennessee has hosted the Supreme Convention twice before; in Memphis in 1941 and in Nashville in 2007.

After the success of the 2007 convention, which also was held at the Opryland Hotel, the Tennessee State Council decided about eight years ago to apply to host another Supreme Convention, Mr. McCusker said. Convention sites are scheduled years in advance.

Normally, the hosts have two years to prepare, but in this case, the Tennessee State Council has only one, Mr. McCusker pointed out.

While the programming and speakers for the convention are arranged by the Supreme Council, the local hosts are responsible for some of the logistics, such as providing transportation

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for the cardinals and bishops while they’re in town, planning outings for the Knights and their families, organizing an opening night party, and providing convention souvenirs, Mr. McCusker said.

The Tennessee State Council will need about 400 volunteers to help keep the convention running smoothly, he said.

The Knights of Columbus is an international fraternal service order for Catholic men founded by Blessed Father Michael McGivney in 1882 in New Haven, Conn. Today, The Knights have more than 2 million members around the world. ■ JULY 4, 2021 n A7

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for all your hard work this past fraternal year. You have served your Diocese of Knoxville parishes and priests admirably throughout this challenging year!

John Saucier, District Warden 19 Pat Ross, Grand Knight Our Lady of Fatima

Tim Sabin, Grand Knight Holy Cross Gene Haffner, Grand Knight Holy Family John Oldham, Grand Knight University of Tennessee

Daniel Dunn, Grand Knight Holy Ghost

I am proud to be your brother!

Vivat Jesus

John Hitt - District Deputy 19

A8 n JULY 4, 2021

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

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

DAN MCWILLIAMS (2)

Officers continued from page A1

Mr. McCusker asked the new officers to “please raise your right hand and answer truthfully the questions that I ask: Do you promise to support and obey the laws of our order? Do you promise loyalty and devotion to the Church and to the Holy Father, the bishops, and the priests? Do you promise to devote the necessary time for the discharge of your responsibilities as designated by the laws of the order? Do you promise to keep the welfare and the good of the order uppermost in your mind and to promote it to the best of your ability?

“Accepting your promises as given in good faith, I now declare that you are duly installed in your respective offices and are authorized to conduct the business of the Tennessee state council in our order until such time as you have been officially succeeded.”

Father Okere and the new officers were invested with jewels of their office, which had earlier been blessed by the St. Henry pastor.

“Worthy state advocate, I now invest you with this jewel, emblematic of your office as state advocate.

May you always wear it so as to bring honor and dignity to this office,” Mr. McCusker said to Mr. Zwissler, of St. Michael Council 17578 in Memphis, and repeated it for the other officers.

Mr. McCusker also addressed Father Okere’s tasks.

“The primary duty of the state chaplain is to function as the spiritual adviser to the state council,” he said. “His duties also include the supervision of all religious ceremonies of the state council and encouraging our local council chaplains to implement programs that will promote the spiritual welfare of our members. It is my privilege now to install Father Bartholomew Okere as state chaplain. . . . I invest you with this jewel emblematic of your office in the order of the Knights of Columbus. May we brother Knights always take to heart the spiritual guidance that you will give us during the coming year.”

Mr. McCusker, who grew up in Knoxville and attended Immaculate Conception Church years ago, recalled his own installation.

“At the organizational meeting of the state deputies held in New Haven, Conn., at St. Mary’s Church, the birthplace of our order, I had the high honor to be installed and invested by our worthy Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson, as the state deputy of Tennessee,” he said.

“Today it is my privilege as state deputy, for 32 more days, to install and invest my fellow state officers selected by the state council in concert with the Supreme Knight.”

Mr. McCusker continued: “Worthy state officers, we have been chosen to guide the destiny of the Tennessee state council during this fraternal year. Our duties will be many, perhaps at times trying and difficult. We will be held directly responsible for every aspect of the duties, which our office demands.

The health and welfare of our jurisdiction is dependent on how we carry out these duties. Only through our dedication can we build a strong and bright future for our jurisdiction and for our order.

Our brothers have demonstrated their confidence that we are capable of outstanding leadership. Let us prove that they were correct. Remember also that it is through their cooperation that our past achievements have been made possible.

“Let us continue to merit the cooperation by measuring all our decisions in the light of what would be fair, just, and beneficial to them.

Solicit their advice and consider it carefully. Bear in mind that our honored order is composed of many individuals. Whatever will ensure each brother’s welfare must be the standard governing our every act.”

Mr. McCusker and Mr. Laufenberg each gave a speech, the former one of farewell and the latter one of acceptance. Each became emotional during his talk.

“They tell me it’s time for me to

A lighter side From left, newly installed state deputy Fred Laufenberg, outgoing state deputy Michael McCusker, and newly installed state chaplain Father Bart Okere enjoy a laugh during the state Knights of Columbus installation and Mass on May 29 at St. Henry Church in Rogersville. go, and certainly I wish I could stay, but I cannot stay because the success of any organization, the success of any church is dependent on Mr. Markiewicz continuity and change, in the carrying out of the divine desires of Christ for His Church,” Mr. McCusker said.

The outgoing state deputy presented the state deputy’s sword to Mr. Laufenberg.

“This is the sword of Ferdinand E. Kuhn, the first state deputy of Tennessee. The state council was instituted on Jan. 8, 1903, and this sword has been passed 69 times, and tonight I have the honor to pass it for the 70th time,” Mr. McCusker said. “I pass it because I cannot give it, because it was never mine, just as it was never the sword of those 68 people who came before.

“It is the sword of the Knights of Columbus. It is the sword of the state deputy, a position, not a person. This was last used in January of 2020, right before the pandemic, at the last Third Degree held in the state of Tennessee, because everything changed. Boy, everything changed during these two years.

But what looks like a sword is really a cross, and I give it to you now to carry and to safeguard our beloved order. God bless you, and good luck.”

Mr. Laufenberg’s talk involved some valuable advice he had once been given.

“My father said, ‘Make a difference,’” he recalled. “It wasn’t, when he said, ‘Make a difference,’ to go out and have the best job and make the most money. It wasn’t to have the biggest house. It wasn’t to have the fanciest car. His idea of making a difference was his hope for me and his hope for my wife and our children that I could make a difference with them, that I could make a difference in my community, that I could make a difference in my Church.

“I’ve tried to live that charge, to make a difference. My father’s been gone 27 years, and in those 27 years it’s almost daily that I think about those little life lessons that he left.

He left that to me as a young man, as a father, a husband, and a Catholic. I’ve tried to live up to that.”

His fellow Knights can assist him

in that, Mr. Laufenberg said.

“You, the Knights of Columbus, my brothers, my sisters, you’re the ones who help me do this,” he explained. “I cannot do this alone.

I need you. I need the Knights of Columbus to help me to be a better father and husband, to be a better grandfather, to make a difference in my Church and in my community and in my family.”

The Knights, their families, parishioners, and guests reconvened in the church basement afterward for a dinner.

Father Okere offered a description of the day’s events.

“This ceremony this evening is something I would call a holistic ceremony that cemented the love the Knights have for each other, bringing their wives here and their children, to showcase the love for their founder, Blessed Michael McGivney,” he said. “What we’re doing is just to bring Catholic gentlemen back into focus, back to the Church, to embrace the Knights of Columbus: charity, unity, and fraternity. We are really glad to have them here.”

Father Okere said he is “really highly humbled” to be the new state chaplain for the Knights.

“I’m very happy that I’m going to serve the Knights and serve the diocese,” he said. “When I told Bishop [Richard F.] Stika about this appointment, Bishop Stika said, ‘Father Bart, it is an honor to the diocese and to yourself.’ I hope Our Lady, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will help me and St. Henry will help me do this job conscientiously and devotedly, to bring the state of Tennessee into the limelight.”

Mr. McCusker said downstairs that being the state deputy “has been the honor of a lifetime. It goes by so quickly, and there are so many things you want to accomplish, at the beginning you think you want to accomplish, and then you discover along the way that God has other plans, and then you have to adjust yourselves and work toward what He wants accomplished.”

Mr. McCusker had the unenviable task of leading the Knights during a pandemic.

“It was very tough, but I think we learned how to master the situation, and we were very successful in spite of it,” he said.

Mr. McCusker spoke of his legacy.

“I think the legacy will be one,

Taking the oath New state officers for the Knights of Columbus, from right to left, Eric Pelton, David Zwissler, and Alan Stanley are sworn in on May 29 at St. Henry Church in Rogersville. Standing next to Mr. Pelton is his wife, Melody. Accompanying Mr. Zwissler is his wife, Jennie, and accompanying Mr. Stanley is his wife, Paula. w ww.di o k no x .o rg

getting the state council and all the local councils through the pandemic, and I think the other thing is I made a lot of changes that helped modernize and better organize the state council,” he said.

St. Henry Church has become a hub for state Knights’ gatherings in recent years.

“I got invited up here a few weeks after I became state deputy in 2019. I’d never been here before,” Mr. McCusker said. “I love Father Bart, so I come whenever he tells me to. It’s kind of funny because this sounds so silly: we have a dog at home named Henry, who came from East Tennessee. He was a homeless pup, and we adopted him and gave him a home, and now on the flip side, St. Henry has given me a home in East Tennessee.”

The state Knights officers spent three days in Rogersville from May 28-30.

“We leave tomorrow, and I begin a tour of the councils down in the Chattanooga area to say farewell.

We’ve been doing our annual planning meeting for the new fraternal year that starts July 1,” Mr. McCusker said.

Bill Hewitt, Grand Knight of the St. Henry Council, said the state council of the Knights has been coming to his church for two years.

“The state deputy, Mike McCusker, was attracted to the area, so he brought the council here last year to do their planning retreat for the fraternal year, and then they came back this year for a planning retreat. They’re staying at the Hale Springs Inn,” Mr. Hewitt said.

The inn is a “unique hotel,” he added.

“It has a lot of history dating back to the Civil War and even beyond. They’re able to reserve the whole hotel to themselves. Each of the rooms is time-period dated.

The state deputies kind of fell in love with the Jackson Room, President Jackson. He came in here this past April, the Jackson Room was reserved, so he had to stay in the Johnson Room, Andrew Johnson, so he got to visit both presidents who have stayed there. The Rogan family who attends church here, their grandparents have a room there at the inn at Hale Springs.

Their grandparents’ bedroom furniture furnishes that room. It’s just a nice historic facility.”

Mr. Hewitt said that “Rogersville is just full of history,” including Pressman’s Home, an early 1900s headquarters of the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants’ Union of North America. Marie Berry, wife of the union’s president, brought the Catholic faith to the Rogersville area.

Mr. Laufenberg at the dinner recalled his emotional speech upstairs.

“I’m nervous but excited. I share with people: we started the journey about four years ago that we [the state council] were going to become an order of Catholic gentlemen on a journey to strengthen our faith, strengthen our Church, strengthen our parishes, be the right hand of our parish priests, and be on a mission to get to heaven. I’m excited about continuing the journey. I’m nervous because I just am,” he said.

Mr. Laufenberg noted that the Knights order began in the 1880s in the basement of St. Mary Church in New Haven, Conn., and that the newly installed Tennessee Knights officers were having dinner in a church basement at St. Henry.

“I have a hard act to follow with Michael and with [immediate past state deputy] Tracy [Staller]. He’s the one that started this. He said, ‘We have to go back to how the Knights of Columbus were started.’

Parish priests, Irish immigrants at that time were being persecuted.

If somebody died, they had nothing left, they had no one to care for them. And oh, by the way, they started in the basement of a church, St. Mary’s. And if you look at it, we’re in the basement of a church, with a bunch of Catholic men, caring about our family, caring about our faith, and trying to get to heaven. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re going to do.” ■ JULY 4, 2021 n A9

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Crisis in Mozambique Leads Catholics There to Establish Outreaches to Help Orphans

As it developed its outreaches to help orphans and vulnerable children in Mozambique, ACM discovered a special need among girls. Many were not being educated properly.

The Association Cross Mozambique (ACM), a ministry to orphans and founded by Doroteia Balane and a group of other dedicated Catholic women, has become a lifeline to boys and girls victimized by poverty and the blight of the African AIDS crisis.

(See story opposite page.)

From the time ACM first began ministering to the thousands of orphans and vulnerable children who live in the Maputo and Namaacha areas, its goal has always been ambitious. Rather than simply ensuring those boys and girls survive day by day, the Catholic ministry has worked to ensure each child is treated with unconditional compassion and is given the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.

“What ACM does is incredible.

They have become a lifeline to orphans and vulnerable children age 6 to 17 — kids who are at an extremely vulnerable point in their lives — and they have given those children a real chance at a better future,” explained James Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, a major international Catholic ministry helping ACM with its programs. “When our ministry decided to make helping Africa’s AIDS orphans a priority, we sought out programs like this one and have been doing everything we can to support them.

That is the best way to address the AIDS orphan crisis in Mozambique — by empowering the local leaders already doing great things in the country.”

Doroteia, the founder of ACM, certainly lives up to Cavnar’s positive impression of her. She has made incredible sacrifices to help the orphans in Mozambique and continues to look for new ways to reach those children in greatest need.

“I am so happy because I am doing a job I like, looking after people who are suffering and helping the children who need a mother,” she said. “Always I am asking for God to give me a long life in order to use me to help people in need.”

To lift up destitute children and restore their hope, Doroteia and ACM take a holistic approach.

Not only do they meet each child’s physical needs by supplying food, educational opportunities and preventive health care, but they also bless them spiritually through Bible study and prayer.

ACM starts its process by identifying those orphans and vulnerable children with the greatest needs. It then determines what services will best help each of them to prosper and grow. Once these boys and girls are enrolled in the program, a volunteer also makes weekly home visits to

ensure the material and spiritual requirements of the children are being met.

In situations where the orphaned child is living with an overwhelmed extended family member or a sick parent, Doroteia and her team provide assistance and spiritual support to the entire family. By strengthening these families, Doroteia believes she can best fulfill the calling God has given her: to love others with the same compassion Christ has shown her.

“In addition to mobilizing Catholics in America to help Doroteia serve orphans, Cross Catholic Outreach wants to assist ACM with a special program it has developed to educate girls — a particularly vulnerable group in the country,” Cavnar said.

That particular project provides special boarding homes for at-risk girls who are struggling with a wide range of life issues.

“Sadly, Mozambique’s orphan problem is complicated by gender inequity. When these children are taken in by extended family members, the boys are frequently sent to school, while girls are left to do domestic work at home.

As a result, more than half of Mozambique’s young girls can’t read or write,” he explained.

The Association Cross Mozambique solves this problem by providing at-risk girls in

Maputo — the most populous city in Mozambique — with a quality Catholic education. These girls are given the opportunity to attend St. Joseph Institute, a Catholic boarding school run by the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters in Inhambane on Mozambique’s southern coast.

“While living at the institute’s boarding facilities, the girls can learn and mature in a safe environment. And in addition to receiving a quality education, they are also blessed with nutritious meals, practical job skill training, mentoring from the sisters and spiritual formation,” Cavnar explained. “As the girls grow up and eventually move out on their own, they will be equipped to get good jobs and raise families who love and serve the Lord.”

Readers interested in supporting Cross Catholic Outreach food programs and other outreaches to the poor can contribute through the ministry brochure inserted in this issue or send tax-deductible gifts to: Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC01750, PO Box 97168, Washington DC 20090-7168. The ministry has a special need for partners willing to make gifts on a monthly basis. Use the inserted brochure to become a Mission Partner or write Monthly Mission Partner on mailed checks to be contacted about setting up those arrangements.

Cross Catholic Outreach Endorsed by More Than 100 Bishops, Archbishops Cross Catholic Outreach’s range of relief work to help the poor overseas continues to be recognized by a growing number of Catholic leaders in the U.S. and abroad.

“We’ve received more than 100 endorsements from bishops and archbishops,” explained James Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach. “They’re moved by the fact that we’ve launched outreaches in almost 40 countries and have undertaken a variety of projects — everything from feeding the hungry and housing the homeless to

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supplying safe water and supporting educational opportunities for the poorest of the poor. The bishops have also been impressed by Cross Catholic Outreach’s direct and meaningful responses to emergency situations, most recently by providing food, medicines and other resources to partners in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala impacted by natural disasters.”

Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, supports this mission. He writes, “What a joy it is to be part of the Lord’s

redemptive work and to manifest his mercy on earth by caring for our neighbors in need.”

In addition to praising CCO’s accomplishments, many of the bishops and archbishops are encouraged that pontifical canonical status was conferred on the charity in September 2015, granting it approval as an official Catholic organization. This allows CCO to participate in the mission of the Church and to give a concrete witness to Gospel charity, in collaboration with the Holy Father.

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“Your work with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development is a strong endorsement of your partnership with the work of the Universal Church,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said.

“By providing hope to the faithful overseas by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, delivering medical relief to the sick and shelter to the homeless, and through self-help projects, you are embodying the papal encyclical Deus Caritas Est.

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RIGHT PAGE

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Catholic Woman’s Dedication to Africa’s Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Inspires Support From Sympathetic American Benefactors

ABOVE: Seeing an urgent need, Doroteia Balane stepped forward, founding a Catholic mission to help orphans in need. BELOW: A little boy collects a food package Doroteia’s ministry provides to families sheltering orphans in their homes.

Don’t be surprised if Doroteia Balane is remembered as a mother to hundreds of children, or that the many boys and girls she has nurtured through the years eventually become important leaders in the country she calls home. That is because Doroteia has dedicated her life to serving as a caregiver of orphans. The kids she has helped — no longer a lost generation with little hope of survival — are now children of promise, finally able to achieve their God-given potential.

To appreciate just how significant Doroteia’s sacrifices and mission are, you first need to understand why Mozambique is a country of orphans. With that knowledge, it is possible to see how a Catholic woman like her has come to play such a critical role in addressing one of the

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world’s greatest tragedies.

Since its independence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique has been battered by civil war and famine, but its greatest challenge came when the HIV/ AIDS pandemic of the 1980s began to devastate the country’s adult population, producing a tragic increase in orphans and street children that persists to this day.

Were you to visit Mozambique in the past 10 to 15 years, you would have noticed a dramatic sign of this blight — a gap between the elderly and children; the absence of a significant adult population.

“I hadn’t been aware of how extreme the problem was until I visited the country myself.

What I saw there were children left to survive on their own. I found a young girl of 11 or 12 taking shelter in a patchwork shack, trying to play the role of mother to her younger siblings.

It was heartbreaking,” said James Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, a respected Catholic ministry working to help orphaned children in Africa. “I was shocked by what I saw, and when I returned from that trip to Mozambique, I decided that caring for orphaned and vulnerable children would be a priority for Cross Catholic Outreach.”

Traditionally, orphans in Mozambique and other African countries are taken in by neighbors or extended family members — typically grandmothers or aunts — and that approach has worked for many children from

past generations. In modern times, however, the sheer number of lives lost to AIDS has stretched those caregivers beyond their limit.

There are now too many orphans and too few caregivers to properly address the country’s needs.

To address this problem, Doroteia founded a Catholic mission called Association Cross Mozambique and she now has a full staff dedicated to serving children in need. Her mission also distributes food and has developed a special program to educate young girls who are often given fewer opportunities than boys. As someone who has grown up in Mozambique and worked among orphans for years, she is extremely effective in her mission and has already helped transform hundreds of lives.

“That is why local Church missions run by Catholic women like Doroteia are so important in Mozambique right now — and why we should be doing everything we can to support them,” Cavnar said. “They know these communities intimately and have developed wise plans to

help. All they lack are resources.

That is what limits the scope of their work. When we come alongside them, empowering them and supporting them financially, we can increase their impact in the community and make a huge difference in hundreds of children’s lives.”

Right now, supplying food to Doroteia’s programs and supporting her efforts with young orphaned girls (see story on opposite page) are two of Cross Catholic Outreach’s priorities, and they are encouraging American Catholics to help them fund these important initiatives.

“When Doroteia Balane saw an extreme need in Mozambique, she didn’t turn away from it, expecting someone else to address the problem. She stepped into the challenge and found solutions, sacrificing her own time and resources to help these children,” Cavnar said. “Now it is our turn to step forward and get involved, and we can do that by empowering her with the funding and resources she needs for her mission.”

How to Help To fund Cross Catholic Outreach’s effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept.

AC01750, PO Box 97168, Washington DC 20090-7168. The brochure also includes instructions on becoming a Mission Partner and making a regular monthly donation to this cause.

If you identify an aid project, 100% of the donation will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry.

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JULY 4, 2021 n A11

Eucharistic Revival

National Church event places added emphasis on the Eucharist at all levels

By Maria Wiering/Catholic News Service

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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atholics can expect added emphasis on the Eucharist at all levels of the Church beginning next summer, culminating in a large-scale national event in 2024.

Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, detailed a threeyear National Eucharistic Revival initiative and announced plans for a national event in his committee update June 18, the last day of the U.S. bishops’ threeday virtual spring assembly.

Called a “Eucharistic Revival: My Flesh for the Life of the World,” the initiative aims to “renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the holy Eucharist,” Bishop Cozzens said in a prerecorded presentation.

The revival is part of the U.S. bishops’ 2021-24 strategic plan, “Created Anew by the Body and Blood of Christ: Source of Our Healing and Hope,” approved last November.

The prelates discussed the revival in USCCB regional meetings in November, Bishop Cozzens said, noting that while some bishops expressed reservations about a national event, “many called it a ‘providential’ moment for us.”

Bishop Cozzens described the revival as “a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist –– and sent out in mission for the life of the world.”

“We hope at the end of these three years, we will have formed and sent more than 100,000 missionaries who are ready to share the love of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist with our world,” he said.

Renewed emphasis Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrates the Chrism Mass in March at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced an initiative to highlight the Eucharist through a Eucharistic Revival.

The revival is designed to impact every level of the Church, from the home and parish to the national stage. It is scheduled to begin next summer with a yearlong diocesan revival focused on “forming and engaging renewal movements and apostolates to provide events in every diocese,” Bishop Cozzens said.

That year will include a national corps of eucharistic preachers available to speak at diocesan and regional events, formation events for priests and diocesan leaders, and online training to form lay “eucharistic missionaries” for parish revival.

“Dioceses could have Corpus Christi celebrations, days of adoration and reconciliation, as well as days of eucharistic evangelization and service,” Bishop Cozzens said in his presentation.

The second year would involve parishes and include small groups and training of eucharistic missionaries, which Bishop Cozzens described as “parish lay leaders who could help to organize and carry out the revival at the parish level, sent forth to

evangelize and serve those in need.”

The third year will include the national event, followed by efforts to “animate and strengthen those missionaries who return to their diocese and parishes” and the sending of those missionaries “out to the margins to invite people into our eucharistic communities,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Discussion of a National Eucharistic Revival began under Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB’s evangelization committee from 2017-20. It was prompted in part by a 2019 Pew Research study that found 69 percent of Catholics don’t believe the Church’s teaching that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the revival’s planning, but it also deepened the need for it, Bishop Cozzens said, as its impact on Catholics’ post-pandemic Mass attendance is still unclear.

Additionally, Church leaders “are aware of the need to reach the religiously unaffiliated and to

prevent further disaffiliation,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, the Church has a 200-year history of rekindling Catholics’ love for the gift of the Eucharist through eucharistic congresses, including an International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago in 1926 and one held in Philadelphia in 1976. National eucharistic congresses also were held frequently in the United States in the first part of the 20th century, and some dioceses continue to hold local congresses.

“Right now, the Church in the United States needs the healing and the unity that can flow from rekindling our love for the Eucharist,” Bishop Cozzens said.

“We need to rekindle the love of our people so they can become missionaries and reach out to the margins as we are called to do by Fratelli Tutti,” Pope Francis’ 2020 encyclical.

The plan for the revival includes five pillars: n To foster encounters with Jesus through kerygmatic proclamation and experiences of eucharistic devotion. n To contemplate and proclaim the doctrine of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist through the truth of the Church’s teaching, the beauty of the Church’s worship, and goodness of a life of service. n To empower grassroots creativity by partnering with movements, apostolates, educational institutions, and parishes. n To reach the smallest unit: parish small groups, and families. n To embrace and learn from the various rich intercultural eucharistic traditions.

“This is not simply about good teaching, but about encountering the living person of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Cozzens said.

“We want to provide transformational experiences that allow that true encounter.” ■

Diocese of Knoxville offering Masses in Swahili at Holy Ghost Parish

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oly Ghost Church has begun offering Masses in the Swahili language to serve the Diocese of Knoxville’s growing community of African members.

Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, associate pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, is celebrating the Masses in Swahili on the last Saturday of each month at 5 p.m. at Holy Ghost. The first Mass was on May 29.

Father Bill McNeeley, pastor of Holy Ghost, said since he was first assigned to the parish in 2019 he has intentionally reached out to all segments and identifiable groups of the parish.

“It has been especially challenging to reach out to the African community since they represent several countries, each with their own language, though Swahili is common to all of them,” Father McNeeley said. “There are perhaps 30 to 35 such parishioners who attend Mass every Sunday without fail.”

Father McNeeley explained that he recently invited them to dinner at the church to discuss their community.

“Their English is extremely limited, but I have one parishioner who was able to translate. I just asked them what the church could do to help them and their families. The first request was English lessons and the other was Mass in Swahili.

English classes will start in September at the Ladies of Charity. These are good people who have been traumatized by years and, in some cases, four or five decades of civil war. Some had known only war for their entire lives until they came to the United States. They are true refugees, just like my own Scots-Irish ancestors, and just like Abraham’s people. They need to be made to feel at home, which means hearing the Mass in their own tongue,” Father McNeeley said.

The “Anglos” have been “very gracious and excited for their AfA12 n JULY 4, 2021

rican brothers and sisters. A monthly Mass in the African native tongue costs less than two cases of copy paper. It is a small price Fr. Kiyimba, AJ to pay to help them to adjust to their new homeland. It teaches a wonderful lesson for the rest of the parish, and that is everyone matters,” Father McNeeley said.

Father Kiyimba said Swahili is a language widely spoken in East Africa, noting that such countries include Kenya, Tanzania, his native Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and some parts of South Sudan. It is also spoken is some parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

“Since there are different native languages in these countries, Swahili unites all of them since it’s spoken by the different tribes. It is also used in churches and other places of worship.

Swahili has united people who find themselves in countries other than their countries of origin,” Father Kiyimba said.

Father Kiyimba credited Father McNeeley and Bishop Richard F. Stika with making the idea a reality.

“Although I have been serving in the Diocese of Knoxville since November 2012, I had not realized that there was a growing need for a Swahili Mass in the Knoxville diocese. It was Father Bill McNeeley, the pastor at Holy Ghost, who contacted me and asked if I could celebrate a Swahili Mass for a group of his parishioners or anyone in the diocese who would like to attend. He found out that there was a growing number of people in the parish who need to be attended to in a language they

understand better than other languages available,” Father Kiyimba said.”Father Bill contacted Bishop Stika.

Thanks be Fr. McNeeley to God that Bishop’s response was positive.

It was agreed that there will be Mass in the Swahili language at Holy Ghost parish on the last Saturday of every month at 5 p.m. The people welcomed the

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idea and were excited about it.

One of their coordinators commented that even though it is once a month, it may turn out to be a great opportunity to bring many people back to the Church.”

Father Kiyimba said the goal is to help new parishioners be able to connect with God, with the opportunity to learn English also a priority. He plans to work with volunteers in the African community to improve organization and make the liturgy in Swahili more effective and well coordinated. ■

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have to be open to what they’re saying.

You can’t put earplugs in your ears or ignore them,” the bishop added.

He explained that the key is the subtle but important difference between listening and hearing.

“God speaks to us all the time.

Sometimes we don’t know what to say.

Other times we may say, ‘I don’t hear you.’ Or, ‘I don’t understand.’ It’s kind of a mystical thing. But it’s the power of the Holy Spirit. You know what I often think is proof of the existence of the Holy Spirit? Because of that small group in the room, the whole empire of Rome fell. The world changed, but the Church has survived. The Middle Ages, the Dark Ages, and all the plagues and persecutions that happened, the Church survived,” Bishop Stika said.

He encouraged the confirmands to be open to listening to and hearing Je-

sus, and to do what Jesus would do.

After his homily, the bishop explained to the confirmands the confirmation rite, how they would renew their baptismal promises before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?

Do you believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who came upon the Apostles at Pentecost and today is given to you sacramentally in confirmation? Do you believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?” the bishop asked them.

“My friends, this is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. And we are proud to profess through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen,” he said.

Bishop Stika then chanted an ancient prayer to the confirmands invoking the Holy Spirit: “My dear friends, through baptism God our Father gave us new birth of eternal life to His chosen sons and daughters. Let us pray to our Father that he will pour out the Holy Spirit to strengthen His sons and daughters with His gifts and anoint them to be more like Christ, who is the Son of God. “All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

The confirmands then stood before Bishop Stika, accompanied by their sponsors, to be anointed with the sacred chrism as they gave their confirmation name to the bishop.

And as each confirmand gave their saintly confirmation name, their sponsors placed their hands on the confirmands’ shoulders.

Bishop Stika then proceeded to make the sign of the cross on each confirmand’s forehead as he said to each, “Be sealed with the Holy Spirit,” to which the confirmands responded, “Amen.”

At the end of Mass, Bishop Stika welcomed the confirmands and all those in attendance to the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the mother church of the Diocese of Knoxville. The bishop gave them a brief tutorial about the cathedral. ■

Mrs. Dunn said.

“Life is not profitable for them, abortion is,” she said. “As usual, the abortion industry Mrs. Dunn ignored the tragedy of abortion for women and their unborn children and refused to acknowledge the benefit of giving women accurate information and time to make a decision.

In challenging Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period, Planned Parenthood and the other abortion facilities in the state further exposed their real agenda—they are not ‘pro-choice’ as they claim, but truly are pro-abortion.”

Mr. Brewer said “We expect the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the Federal District Court in Nashville and rule that Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period can remain in effect because it does not unduly burden a woman’s ability to get an abortion. The fact that the majority of all the court’s judges ruled to remove the injunction against the waiting period while they hear the appeal is a sign of good things to come.”

Regarding the Mississippi case, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear arguments next term regarding MissisMr. Brewer sippi’s ban on abortions at 15 weeks.

The court announced that the question before it will be the constitutionality of all pre-viability abortion bans.

This will be the biggest abortion case before the Court since 1992.

“This will be a landmark abortion case and the Court’s greatest opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade since the 1992 Casey decision,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“While the numbers indicate a 6-3 conservative majority in favor of overturning Roe, we must fervently pray for the courage of Chief Justice [John] Roberts and/or Justice [Brett] Kavanagh to be the deciding vote(s),” Mr. Brewer said. “If Roe is overturned, Tennessee will immediately prohibit all abortions thanks to the passage of the Human Life Protection Act in 2019.”

Mrs. Dunn continued, “If Roe is

overturned and abortion regulation is returned to the states, Tennessee is prepared. Tennesseans want to protect the women and children of our state and can do so if the court will overturn the tragic decision that led to the loss of more than 60 million lives to abortion in the United States.

The people of Tennessee are ready for the Court do the right thing and overturn Roe—it is long overdue.”

Pro-life people across the state are already praying and fasting each week for each Supreme Court justice by name.

“Our weekly prayer and fasting effort is already focusing on these men and women, because we know that they will come under tremendous pressure and spiritual attacks,” Mrs. Dunn said.

“If Mississippi’s law is upheld, that means that Tennessee’s abortion ban (from eight weeks to viability) that was passed in 2020 will also likely be upheld,” Mr. Brewer said. “Furthermore, if this case is used to overturn Roe, then Tennessee’s trigger bill passed in 2019 already positions in to fully ban abortion upon the reversal of Roe v. Wade.” ■

BILL BREWER

Confirmation continued from page A3

light our differences, Bishop Stika told the confirmands that God has given a single language that unites everyone: the language of love.

“I was thinking about accents as I was looking at the Gospels for the readings for the celebration of Pentecost. Accents. We all have them.

Sometimes we think we don’t, but we do. You know, when the Apostles gathered in the room and they were frightened. They didn’t know if the next time somebody knocked on their door it was going to be representatives of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the powers of the Jewish community, or the Romans, who enjoyed crucifying people they didn’t like,” the bishop said.

“You have all of these emotions of the Apostles. And then they’re gathered in this room. They’ve already witnessed the ascension of Jesus returning to the Father. They were thrilled, and then all the sudden there was a gust of wind and tongues of fire. Now, I don’t know if you’re going to see tongues of fire over your head. And then the Apostles went out preaching in all these different languages that people could understand.

“Let’s look at this whole idea of languages. Now, just because I can, let’s say, speak Spanish, that doesn’t mean you’re going to understand it.

You have to be able to speak the language. The other thing is you have to be able to hear the language. Sure, the Apostles are speaking all these different languages. But, you know, there is one language that brings us all together.

We call it the language of love. There’s compassion, understanding, and kindness. It all comes together. How often do we hear that in our lives? On a daily basis, we may see that someone cares for us, understands us, or someone who doesn’t ignore us. In some ways it’s like a marriage. We’re sending a message. But on the other end you

Hands-on catechesis Adult confirmands take part in the Rite of Confirmation on May 23 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as Bishop Stika says a prayer that is part of the rite.

“God speaks to us all the time. Sometimes we don’t know what to say.

Other times we may say, ‘I don’t hear you.’ Or, ‘I don’t understand.’ It’s kind of a mystical thing. But it’s the power of the Holy Spirit.””

— Bishop Richard F. Stika

Life continued from page A6

overwhelmingly by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2015.

“It continues to look promising that the 6th Circuit will uphold Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period law.

This was the first law that Tennessee Right to Life supported following the passage of Amendment 1, because we knew it was both constitutional and would save lives. We are grateful the 6th Circuit is giving this law a thorough examination and feel confident that they will rule in its favor when all is said and done,” Mr. Brewer said.

Mrs. Dunn said that “pro-life Tennesseans were well represented in the en banc hearing by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals as Attorney General [Herbert] Slatery’s office defended the 48-hour waiting period.

Ms. Sarah Campbell, associate solicitor general and special assistant to the attorney general, articulated very well the state’s interest in the law.”

This was in stark contrast to the attorney for the abortion groups, whose main focus was on how the law hurt Planned Parenthood and other providers’ business models,

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DAN MCWILLIAMS

Mobile Clinic continued from page A1

2027, after about 14 years of service. The new clinic would help us to continue our ministry to the rural areas of East Tennessee that we are doing now with our current clinic.”

Sister Mary Lisa said she hopes the clinic’s current vehicle can find a new place.

“At this point, we do not have a specific plan for where the old clinic would go, but we would look for a good home for it, perhaps with a ministry that does more local travel and could make use of the older vehicle in a safe manner,” she said.

There are many ways East Tennessee Catholics can help the clinic in its mission to replace the vehicle.

“They can support us by donating through our website, stmaryclinic.org, or through our Facebook page,” Sister Mary Lisa said.

“We always appreciate the support of prayers. We’re always looking for new volunteers. We have four staff; otherwise, we’re totally vol-

Open house Sister Joan Miriam Nelson, RSM, an assistant with St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, engages with, from left, Susan Lawlor and Sue Przygocki, aboard the SMLC mobile van. Ms. Lawlor, a SMLC volunteer, and Ms. Przygocki, a visitor, were on board the mobile van during a May 8 open house on the campus of Divine Mercy Parish in West Knoxville. unteer-run. Any kind of support people can give would be a great help to us.”

The clinic is also “actively looking for a new executive director” to replace Brandy Fuesting, Sis-

ter Mary Lisa said, “so that job is posted through the Diocese of Knoxville.”

Seeds for the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic were planted as far back as 1930, when the Sisters of Mercy of

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the Americas founded St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital in Knoxville.

Known later as St. Mary’s Medical Center, the hospital was managed from 2008 by Mercy Health Partners. In 2011, Mercy Health Partners was sold to Health Management Associates Inc., a for-profit hospital organization.

As a result of the sale, and with money negotiated from that sale, the Diocese of Knoxville established the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation to provide support for the ministry begun by the Sisters of Mercy with the opening of the hospital in 1930. With the support of Bishop Richard F. Stika, the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation provided funds for the purchase of the St. Mary’s Legacy mobile clinic.

After it began to see patients in January 2014, the clinic now travels approximately 100 miles per week to extend the healing ministry of Jesus to East Tennessee.

Currently, the clinic visits Washburn, Decatur, Rutledge, Athens, and Gatlinburg once a month and Crab Orchard twice a month. ■ JULY 4, 2021 n A13

“Why are you laughing?” he asked as several giggled. “The beauty of faith. The beauty of faith and friendship. And the beauty to remember beautiful people who have been called home to God.” The Mass of Remembrance honored all the KDCCW women who have died since the last convention.

Because last year’s convention was canceled due to COVID-19, this year’s Mass honored women who have died between April 2019 and June 2021.

“Today, in a very special way, we’re remembering people who have gone home to God…to remember with fondness just good and holy people who have made a difference in so many lives of families and friends

By Emily Booker

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omen from across the diocese gathered to celebrate their faith, friendship, and femininity during the Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women annual convention at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville June 10-12.

Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated the Mass of Remembrance on June 10. Monsignor Bob Hofstetter and Fathers Peter Iorio, Joseph Kuzhupil, Ray Powell, Alex Waraksa, Dan Whitman, and Michael Woods concelebrated. Deacons Scott Maentz, Otto Preske, and Walt Otey also served.

“I have to tell that standing here, I am overwhelmed by beauty,” Bishop Stika said.

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EMILY BOOKER

Feminine genius on display at KDCCW convention and Mass

In memory KDCCW deanery presidents M.J. Uhlik, Joan Rowe, Aimee Place, and Michelle Peckham hold candles as the names of KDCCW members who have died are read at the Mass of Remembrance on June 10 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

join me, too,’ because the greatest witness we can give in terms of people who aren’t Catholic is by our personal witness of how much we love Jesus. Right? We can say who we are, but if we don’t practice that, what happens? People will look at us and say, ‘They’re fake.’”

God “does not want us to fail,” the bishop said.

“Genesis tells us that we’re all created in the image and in the likeness of God,” he said. “If God wanted us to fail, why would He send Jesus into our lives so that we might know His mercy and his support and His friendship? Why would He give us the sacraments?

Why would He give us the Gospels and the letters of St. Paul if he didn’t want us to be nourished?”

Bishop Stika spoke of his being named a bishop by Pope Benedict XVI versus becoming a new Catholic. The Holy Spirit was involved in both decisions, he said.

“That in many ways is no different than you. The Holy Spirit is there to enliven you. The Holy Spirit wants to be a part of the decisions and all the choices that you make. Remember the old wristband, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ That’s not a bad thing to think of.”

The bishop also quoted two saints.

“A good suggestion is from St. Teresa of Kolkata. She said, ‘Every day, do something beautiful for God,’” he said. “St. Faustina said, ‘Every day, do an act of mercy, and give that to God as a gift.’ Because after all, isn’t God merciful for us?”

In his role as shepherd of the diocese, the bishop issued a welcome to the newcomers.

“You enrich the Church. You have responded to the Holy Spirit to join us at the altar,” he said.

“You have a desire for the Eucharist, the body and blood, the soul and divinity, of Christ. It is an honor for me . . . being the bishop of this diocese, I could not think of something more filled with a sense of awe and wonder and faith than when I see this missionary Diocese of Knoxville continue to grow and to live and to be vibrant, to make a

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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Try this on for size Bishop Stika places his miter on Mason Phan, 9, while Mason’s brother, Oliver, 7, wears the bishop’s zucchetto following the Sending of the Neophytes Mass. Both boys are laying claim to Bishop Stika’s crosier. difference.

“But you as adults, you made a conscious choice, and I think the Lord thanks you. Pope Francis thanks you. Especially on this day, I thank you. God bless you on your continued journey of life and

faith.”

Later in the Mass, the neophytes were called forward and received gifts of holy water and a rosary, along with instruction cards for each, from Bishop Stika. Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, then the

“Once my father started looking into it, I looked as well, and eventually we joined together. [I like] confession a lot [and] the fact that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ is a big change from Protestant beliefs, so that’s cool as well.””

— Trip Meiners

director of the Office of Christian Formation, called the neophytes by parish.

One of those neophytes was Carolyn Storrs, newly received into the Church through St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga.

“It’s wonderful, wonderful.

It’s awesome,” she said of her decision.

Mrs. Storrs spoke of her call to join the Church.

“I went to the Holy Land last November and saw all the churches and religious sites, and it affected me. I have a very good friend who sponsored me, and my godson, Joseph, in Cincinnati is a very devout Catholic. I’ve seen what it did for his wife, from his example, the change in him,” she said.

Mrs. Storrs enjoys her parish and its pastor, Father Charlie Burton.

“He’s wonderful. He’s funny and friendly, and the church is a very friendly church,” she said.

And what is she looking forward to the most as a new Catholic?

“Attending Mass of course,” Mrs. Storrs said. “My patron saint is St. Teresa of Calcutta, and I thought she did wonderful work.

I’ve got a couple of books by her, and so I’ll follow through with that.”

The cathedral’s Harry Meiners and his son, Trip, also came into the Church this spring.

“It started when my wife converted back in 2016, Ashley Meiners. I was just not ready at the time,” Mr. Meiners said. “It was a long five-year journey from 2016 to now. It really started when I started reading Church fathers and learning more about the Eucharist and the beliefs of the Catholic Church going back to the first century. I felt it was something I had to do at that point.”

Trip Meiners is a 13-year-old eighth-grader.

“Once my father started looking into it, I looked as well, and eventually we joined together.”

Trip says he “likes confession a lot” and “the fact that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ is a big change from Protestant beliefs, so that’s cool as well.” ■

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service

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group of at least 162 organizations is asking bishops’ conferences in the United States, Central America, and Mexico to “hear the cries of our brothers and sisters on the move and respond with bold leadership.”

In the June 17 letter, signed by groups from Latin America and the United States that work with migrants, they asked for a unified response by the Catholic Church in the region, as many get ready this summer to make a push for immigration reform before the U.S. Congress.

“This summer and fall, we have the best opportunity in a generation to make progress on core Catholic migration priorities. We need your pastoral and moral leadership to meet this moment,” the letter said.

“The promise by a new U.S. administration to address the root causes of migration, treat migrants humanely, and put immigrants who’ve lived in the U.S. for years, and in many cases decades, on a path to citizenship,” it continued, “is a unique opportunity to relieve pain and suffering too long endured. This moment requires a whole Church response that is regional, united, and robust.”

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Catholic groups ask bishops for leadership on immigration

A call for leadership Migrants from Guatemala carry their children in Texas on March 17 after crossing the Rio Grande River.

The letter published by the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas, came days after an emergency meeting of bishops from the United States, Mexico, and Central America gathered at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois June 1-2 — along with representatives of prominent Catholic organizations — seeking collaboration from the Church.

The organization helped arrange the meeting attended by a contingent from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the USCCB’s president, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles. www.di o k no x .o rg

The letter asked for a humane response due to increased migration because of drought, climate change, political instability, poverty, and the pandemic’s economic consequences, which may drive more people from Central America to the United States.

“These realities require a pastoral response to provide more safe refuge for people while they travel across the region and wait for resolution of their cases, and more support to resettle and integrate children and families on arrival in their new communities or when they return home,” the letter said.

The letter, referring to some of the political action ahead in the U.S. Congress, said it is important to seek a pathway to citizenship for those who may not be in the country with permission.

“Many families in our parishes have lived in the U.S. for a generation without legal status, exposed to exploitation and insecurity,” the letter said. “We must use all the tools available to make tangible progress on the long-standing goal of providing a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants. ... Your leadership is critical to countering the demonization of immigrants, reducing polarization on this issue, and making the moral and practical case for putting our parishioners, friends, and neighbors on a pathway to full social inclusion.” ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Seeing the need

Ladies of Charity host Remote Area Medical vision clinic for Knoxville-area clients

DAN MCWILLIAMS (3)

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etermined to help their clients any way they could, the Ladies of Charity of Knoxville hosted a Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic that focused on eye care as COVID-19 prevented a dual dental clinic.

The RAM operation was held April 17 at the Ladies of Charity’s Baxter Avenue facility. It was an eye clinic with a mobile vision lab that saw 90 pairs of glasses made and services worth more than $24,000 provided to clients.

“The Ladies of Charity was so pleased to host their third Remote Area Medical clinic,” said Susan Unbehaun, executive director of the Ladies of Charity of Knoxville.

“The 2021 clinic took reservations for vision exams, and eyeglasses were manufactured on-site. A limited number of eyeglasses are sent out due to the complexity of the prescription. These clients will have personal fittings later.

“Ladies of Charity invited over 1,700 clients to attend the event with a personalized postcard. These clients have already been to the Ladies of Charity emergency-assistance program and have received help from the nonprofit in one of many ways. The RAM clinic continues to assist our neighbors who may struggle with the extra cost of eyeglasses, especially during this pandemic year. We had more requests for vision services than appointments for this clinic.”

Tiffani Carrasco is the clinic coordinator for RAM and was present for the vision clinic.

“We started out at about 6 a.m. in the morning. It was an appointment-only clinic,” said Ms. Carrasco, who is scheduled to start medical school this month.

“We had patients call in for probably a month, just saying, ‘I’d like to get my eyes checked,’ so what we’re doing here, after patients have gone through patient registration and triage, they get their eyes checked to see if they need glasses. They get an eye-health evaluation to check if they’ve got glaucoma or cataracts or anything like that. If they need a referral, then that is all listed as well, so they can be contacted later,” Ms. Carrasco added.

“If it does end up being that they do need glasses, we have all kinds of different frames, colors, shapes— anything they might need here.

They pick those frames, and they’re placed with their files, and those frames, if we can make them onsite, we send them back to our lab, and so they can leave with them as soon as an hour after they pick those frames. It’s really neat. They can come in with no glasses or broken glasses and leave with a new pair. If

By Dan McWilliams

Keeping everything in focus Above: Myra Richardson, with Remote Area Medical, examines the eyesight of a Ladies of Charity client during a RAM clinic event on April 17 at the Ladies of Charity facility on Baxter Avenue in Knoxville.

Left: Tiffani Carrasco, clinic coordinator for Remote Area Medical, inspects a table of eyeglasses at RAM’s eye clinic at the Ladies of Charity.

Below: Will Kuhn and Audra Fitzgerald, with Remote Area Medical’s mobile vision lab, make lenses for Ladies of Charity clients. we can’t make them onsite, then we mail them to them later,” she noted.

The RAM clinic in Knoxville was “for whoever might need the care,” Ms. Carrasco said, adding “we don’t ask any questions. If you feel like you need the care and you need to be here, then we don’t ask any questions about that. We’ll take you in.”

The Ladies of Charity “has been phenomenal,” she added. “We wouldn’t be here had it not been for them. They were the ones that identified the need in the community.

They’ve been so gracious to bring us in year after year. We usually do dental and vision services. This year, even amidst a pandemic, they said, ‘There’s need, we really want to do this, so even if we can only do vision, we want to host the clinic still.’ So we came in. They’ve done all of the planning in terms of logistics here onsite.

They’ve helped with the recruiting.

They’ve helped with the food, all of that good stuff. They’ve put together some baggies for patients to leave with food after they receive services.”

Will Kuhn worked in the eyeglass lab at the RAM clinic.

“We can make glasses from start to finish here,” he said. “Patients pick out the frames that they want from inside. We get their prescription, and we have a bunch of blank prescription lenses out here that we pick out according to their prescription. We can get the shape of their frame that we then fit with those lenses and make them a custom pair of glasses. It takes maybe 10 to 15 minutes to make a pair.”

Matt Elliott, community engage-

ment coordinator for the Ladies of Charity, coordinated the all-day event with RAM representatives. He spoke about the vision-clinic clients.

“Clients included some homeless, the underinsured, and the uninsured,” he said. “For instance, there was a mother and her son who were on TennCare but couldn’t get vision exams through them for an undisclosed reason. There were also multiple instances of people who were

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Sr. Mary Noel Pereira, RSM, named school principal in Lake Charles, La. The Diocese of Lake Charles

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he Diocese of Lake Charles Office of Catholic Schools has appointed a former Diocese of Knoxville youth ministry leader as the new principal for Immaculate Conception Cathedral School in Lake Charles, La. Sister Mary Noel Pereira, RSM, a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., was recommended to Father Rommel Tolentino by a search committee.

Sister Mary Noel, whose undergraduate studies were in theology and psychology at the University of Notre Dame, has been active in campus ministry and worked as a mentor-in-faith for Notre Dame Vision, a series of faith-based conferences for high school students. Sister Mary Noel also completed her master’s degree in theology at Notre Dame.

Most recently, Sister Mary Noel helped lead young adult ministry in the Diocese of Knoxville Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. She led various parish young adult groups, helped restructure the diocesan young adult group, and led young adult ministry leadership formation.

Fluent in Spanish, she assisted in Pastoral Juvenil Hispana in Knoxville.

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

While working at the Chancery for the Diocese of Knoxville, Sister Mary Noel met the Religious Sisters of Mercy.

She discerned a call with their Sr. Mary Noel community and entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 2019.

She has completed one year of postulancy, and this month completes her canonical novitiate.

The Sisters serve in the medical field, education, administration, and behavioral health, and they take a vow of service to the poor, sick, and ignorant along with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

The Religious Sisters of Mercy have been serving in the Diocese of Lake Charles since 2014 in various diocesan and school positions at the invitation of Bishop Glen John Provost. The Sisters say they have been privileged to witness the beautiful faith of the people in the diocese and look forward to expanding their mission through the apostolic service of Sister Mary Noel. ■ www.di o k no x .o rg

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COURTESY OF HENRY USEY

BILL BREWER

Monuments men Father Doug Owens, left, pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville, blesses monuments for unborn children and veterans erected on All Saints grounds. Also pictured on May 16 are Knights of Columbus State Deputy Fred Laufenberg, right, and fellow Knight Henry Usey.

In honor of veterans Knights of Columbus unveil a monument for veterans at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in LaFollette on May 30. Knights include Tom Roth, Hilario Santiago, Nathaniel Morton, David Stanton, Henry Usey, Andy Pungratz, Jerry Lawson, and Michael McCusker.

dles were placed on the altar in front of the statue of St. Mary.

Following Mass, a dinner was held in the cathedral hall.

Writer and speaker Maria Johnson spoke on Mary and lessons from the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary.

“Women, we have unique gifts that make us who we are. We are created to have those gifts and use them. So I want to offer you today, among other things, encouragement for the tasks we have ahead of us,” she said.

She reminded the women in attendance that Mary serves as an example of how to be a woman.

“We are made of the same stuff as the Blessed Mother. We are women,

like her.”

Ms. Johnson spoke on St. John Paul II’s philosophy of the feminine genius and how women are called to share their gifts and impact society.

She broke down the feminine genius into four elements: sensitivity, generosity, maternity, and receptivity. These traits are expressed and perceived in different ways, but each reflects a woman’s feminine genius and how she interacts with others.

“We can’t just be here among ourselves. We need to be out in society,” Ms. Johnson said. She explained that women are relational and that the feminine genius is realized in relational interactions.

She noted how the past year of isolation and online meetings instead of in-person connections made it difficult to have authentic, relational connections.

“We are made to relate, and we weren’t able to. How many of you were on a Zoom call? I feel like this generation is going to have tons of years off in purgatory because we lived in Zoom chats.”

“The way that we interact with each other is where we are doing the work of the Lord,” she said. “I’m not going to convert anybody; that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. But I can tell you what my story is. I can live a life that demonstrates the Gospel.”

Using the Joyful Mysteries, she went through how Mary modeled sensitivity, generosity, maternity, and receptivity.

“The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model of feminine genius for us. You want to know how to be a woman?

You don’t have to look too far. Mary shows us,” Ms. Johnson explained.

Ms. Johnson encouraged the women to recognize those gifts in themselves and then go out into the world to share them.

“Each one of us has our unique path in this life. But each one of us has these four gifts, but chances are very good we are living the feminine genius whether or not we had the words to describe it in such a way,” she said.

“We are the feminine genius. We can’t escape it. It’s who we are. It’s who we’re made to be.” ■

sion about this case sponsored by Faith in Public Life, a Washington-based advocacy group, John Gehring, the group’s Catholic program director, said the foster case is “emblematic of broader national debates over LGBTQ rights and religious liberty that are playing out in the court, legislatures, and Christian universities across the country.”

He said LGBTQ Catholics and their allies were watching this closely and that “most people of faith support non-discrimination policies.”

Mr. Gehring stressed that Catholics and other faith-based groups “provide vital social services, but public funding should not be used to discrimi-

nate. We can honor the principle of religious liberty and respect the dignity of LGBTQ families without pitting those values against each other.”

Leslie Griffin, a law professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief siding with Philadelphia in this case, said she thought the justices had been taking a long time to issue their opinion because they were “struggling with just how much religious freedom should we say religions get?”

She said the court’s ruling will impact the legal landscape for LGBTQ rights, noting that if the justices find “there is a First Amendment right to

violate anti-discrimination laws, it will significantly restrict the freedom of LGBTQ people in numerous religious institutions — schools, hospitals, nursing homes — and in doing business with the government.”

Professor Garnett pointed out in a June 17 e-mail that if the government is willing to give exemptions to some groups, it also must give consideration to the claims of religious believers as well.

“This ruling will significantly increase legal protections for religious minorities and means that courts will and should look much more closely at rules that impose burdens on sincere religious commitments,” he said. ■

EMILY BOOKER

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and parishes,” the bishop said.

Bishop Stika reminded those in attendance to also pray for the souls of the departed.

“Remember those people with fondness. And never forget to pray for them because someday you will be on that list. And don’t we want people to pray for us? … May God bless our sisters. May God be good to them. May God have welcomed them into His presence forever.”

Deanery presidents M.J. Uhlik (Chattanooga), Joan Rowe (Cumberland Mountain), Aimee Place (Five Rivers), and Michelle Peckham (Smoky Mountain) held candles as the names of those who had died were read.

Father Waraksa, associate pastor of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga, read the names from the Chattanooga Deanery. Father Woods, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, read the names from the Cumberland Mountain Deanery. Father Kuzhupil, MSFS, pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville, read the names from the Five Rivers Deanery. Father Dan Whitman, who is the spiritual adviser for the KDCCW, read the names from the Smoky Mountain Deanery.

Monsignor Hofstetter is pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport, Father Iorio is pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, and Father Powell is pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City.

After the names were read, the can-

Joyful Mysteries Writer and speaker Maria Johnson interacts with members of the Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women during the KDCCW annual meeting June 10-12 on the Sacred Heart Cathedral campus in Knoxville.

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In a news conference after the arguments, James Amato, executive vice president for Catholic Social Services, said the agency’s work had been more important than ever, particularly during the pandemic. He said its foster care ministry has “been on the sidelines,” and the agency needs to know that it can “serve those in need without government restrictions.”

The foster care program was supported in friend-of-the-court briefs by the USCCB, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, and other Catholic Charities agencies.

During a May 27 online panel discus-

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for visitors.

“An itinerary will be proposed, along the side chapels, up to the Crown of Thorns in the east, to give visitors, often of non-Christian culture, the keys to understanding the Mystery for which the cathedral was built and which still constitutes its raison d’être today,” it said.

Following the fire, the French government said it would reconstruct the church with four partners: the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the Fondation du Patrimoine, the Fondation de France, and the Fondation Notre-Dame.

The Fondation Notre-Dame, founded in 1992 by Cardinal JeanMarie Lustiger of Paris, has collected 85.8 million euros ($105 million) in donations as of June 10, the Paris Archdiocese said.

The interior restoration appeal will take place under the aegis of the Fondation Notre-Dame.

Archbishop Aupetit celebrated a Mass in the cathedral on June 16 marking the feast of the Dedication of Notre-Dame de Paris. For security

Damaged but not destroyed Flames and smoke billow from Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. Two years after the fire consumed much of the church’s wooden structure, a fundraising group is urging people to sponsor a statue or gargoyle to help with reconstruction. The restored historic church is scheduled to reopen on April 16, 2024. reasons, only 12 people were allowed to take part in the celebration.

The cathedral will reportedly reopen for worship with a Te Deum on April 16, 2024, five years after the blaze. A Te Deum is a hymn

beginning Te Deum laudamus, “We praise Thee, O God,” sung at matins or on special occasions such as a thanksgiving.

Later in 2024, Paris will host the Summer Olympics. ■

www.di o k no x .o rg

in dire situations in regard to their eye health and had been seeking a means for eye exams for ‘forever now.’ I saw at least five individuals who had their pupils dilated. This is a procedure that allows the doctor to fully evaluate eye health and can be used to find retinal detachment, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. There were many other patients who were just relieved and grateful to have received glasses and know their eyes are healthy.”

The clinic offered the services of one ophthalmologist, Dr. Paul Wittke, Mr. Elliott said, plus the services of one optometric technician and one ophthalmic technician.

“We had three registered nurses working in triage, a pharmacy technician working on screening, one nursing student who is in a work study with the Ladies of Charity regularly, and one physician’s assistant student,” Mr. Elliott said.

The next Remote Area Medical clinic will be held in spring 2022, “and we hope to offer dental and vision services,” Mrs. Unbehaun said. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

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Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, Notre Dame, Good Shepherd in Newport, and St. Henry in Rogersville.

Father Mark Schuster, who was the first priest ordained in the new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2019, will be the parochial administrator of St. Alphonsus.

Father Schuster was ordained by Bishop Stika and has served Sr. Maria Juan, RSM as an associate pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut since his ordination.

Father Moisés Moreno, parochial vicar and chaplain of the Hispanic community at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, will become associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg and Holy Cross Parish in Pigeon Forge. He also will lead the Hispanic communities in those parishes.

His new assignment is effective Aug. 1.

Father Moreno, who is originally from the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and attended seminary at Leon Guanajuato, accepted an invitation from then-Bishop Kurtz to join the Diocese of Knoxville. He continued studies at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, and the University of TennesseeChattanooga to prepare for ordination

in East Tennessee.

He was ordained a deacon in 2007

by Bishop Kurtz and then had to wait for nearly three years until Bishop Stika was installed as the new shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville before he was ordained a priest in November 2010.

His first assignment was as an associate priest at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga in 2011 until he was assigned to the basilica in September 2020.

Father Bob O’Donnell, a Paulist priest who has been serving as associate director of St. John XXIII University Parish on the University of Tennessee-Knoxville campus, will be transitioning into senior ministry status on July 1, according to the Paulist Fathers.

Father O’Donnell will continue to have an office at St. John XXIII and live in Knoxville near the Paulist residence.

He will fill in when needed to celebrate Mass and assist in other priest duties.

Succeeding Father O’Donnell at St. John XXIII is Father Richard Whitney, CSP. Father Whitney was ordained a priest on May 22 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, where the Paulist Fathers are based.

Sister Peter Miriam Dolan, a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich., is the new diocesan director of Christian Formation. Sister Peter Miriam is originally from northern Illinois.

Sister Peter Miriam’s love for Christ and His Church inspired her to serve a year with NET Ministries, where she traveled around the country facilitating retreats for Catholic youth, challenging

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to clear the clouds of the frequent distractions we are barraged with daily. The two greatest distractions, though, are those that Father Richer-Marie Beaubien, OFM, likens to “thieves” saying, “Like the executioners, who crucified Christ, we ‘crucify’ the present between the two thieves of Yesterday and Tomorrow.

We attach our memories and our regrets to a past which no longer belongs to us, and we hitch the wagon of our dreams and cares to a future that may never be ours. And these two thieves rob us of our only treasure that is ours to use—the present moment” (Your Mass and Your Life).

We should also divide our day into small oa-

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

Sr. Peter Miriam, RSM

them to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Following her time with NET Ministries, she attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and graduated with a degree in theology and philosophy.

Sister Peter Miriam entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 2016. Her most recent service was in the Archdiocese of Seattle, where she served as the Mrs. Wolaver pastoral assistant for Faith Formation and Youth and as Young Adult minister for St. Mary Church in Anacortes, Wash., and St. Paul Church. Sister Peter Miriam also is a certified EMT. Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, has transitioned from serving as director of Christian Formation for the diocese to executive secretary for

ses of prayer with some favored devotions and practices (all of which can be found online). Of fundamental importance, as it represents our desire to sanctify all the hours of our day, is the Morning Offering. We can renew this desire at midday with Mary’s fiat celebrated in the Angelus. We also can entrust our past and future to God’s mercy with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at midafternoon. The rosary and Mary’s Magnificat is a beautiful way to sanctify our evening.

And we should try to give thanks for our day and commend our sleep to God with our night prayer and a brief examination of conscience and Act of Contrition. And throughout your day, bless yourself with holy water.

So much more can be said, but I close with

www.di o k no x .o rg

Bishop Stika. She succeeds Peggy Humphreys, longtime executive secretary for Bishop Stika who retired in January. Sister Maria Juan, a native of Idaho, has been a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma since 2012. She is scheduled to make her final vows in August.

The diocesan Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry has announced that Paola Bustos Wolaver has been named a full-time Young Adult Ministry coordinator.

Mrs. Wolaver was born in Venezuela, raised in Miami, and moved to Knoxville in 2018 to attend graduate school.

She started as the full-time diocesan Young Adult Ministry coordinator on May 1. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Mrs. Wolaver said she is eager to serve the diverse Diocese of Knoxville community and accompany young adults on their journey of faith. ■

some recommended readings. Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s superb article, Sanctify the Present Moment and Dr. Peter Kreeft’s Time are both available online as well as Monsignor Romano Guardini’s booklet Sacred Signs and its chapter “Time Sanctified.”

I would also highly recommend two books: Father Jean-Pierre Caussade’s timeless classic Abandonment to Divine Providence, and Archimandrite Meletios Webber’s excellent book Bread & Water, Wine & Oil. It is our forgetfulness of God, to paraphrase Father Garrigou-Lagrange, OP, that causes us to be immersed in the horizontal line of time and prevents us from seeing the vertical line between the present moment and “immobile eternity” and living it as a sacrament. ■

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DAN MCWILLIAMS

COURTESY OF BLANCA PRIMM

East Tennessee Catholic Briefs

Sr. Imelda Quechol and Sr. Eloisa Torralba (front, second and third from left) are visited by Catholic Extension staff: Tom Gordon, Steven Vincent, Michael Girot, Julie Turley, Joe Boland, Rich Kalonick, Odette Barrientos, and Veronica Avila. Also pictured is Blanca Primm, director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Knoxville.

Rest in peace Dr. Angelo Miceli is shown in February 2016 sitting at the piano in his Norris home.

Funeral Mass held for St. Joseph Church pianist Dr. Angelo Miceli

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funeral Mass was held June 5 for Dr. Angelo Sylvestro Natale Miceli, a longtime parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in Norris, who died May 27 at the age of 107.

Dr. Miceli played the piano and organ for Masses at St. Joseph long after he turned 100, and served the parish in that role for more than 40 years. He also played piano for Masses at St. Jude Church in Helenwood for some 20 years.

In a profile of Dr. Miceli in The East Tennessee Catholic in 2016, the engineer and scientist who learned to play piano as a child said he stopped playing regularly as a young adult until he was 77 and had relocated with his wife to Norris in retirement. He explained that St. Joseph had no one to play the piano for Masses, so he volunteered. Dr. Miceli was a native of Manhattan, N.Y., born in 1913. But he grew up in Detroit, where his parents moved so his father could work in the auto industry.

He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Michigan, and his research at U.S. Rubber Co. (Uniroyal) contributed to the United States’ success in World War II with a patent that allowed rubber-lined gas tanks on planes to self-seal after punctures from bullets and prevented rubber separating from metal on tank tracks. He led research at Uniroyal, retiring as the director of the international division.

Dr. Miceli was a man of science,

which carried over to his hobbies that included technology and gardening. But his greatest hobby was playing piano, which he did just hours before he died. His greatest passions were family and community, including his church community. As part of that community support, Dr. Miceli served on the Norris Development Board.

Dr. Miceli is preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Vera Elizabeth, and daughter Angela. He is survived by five children: Anthony Miceli and his wife, Cheryl, of Fowlerville, Mich.; Mary Knepper and her husband, Jay, of Andersonville; George Miceli and his wife, Susan, of Norris; Virginia Miceli of Norris; and Martha Forbes and her husband, Steve, also of Norris.

He also is survived by 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, plus two on the way.

Father Richard Armstrong, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, celebrated the funeral Mass at St. Joseph, with former St. Joseph pastors Monsignor Bill Gahagan, now retired, and Father Joseph Abuh, now pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Madisonville, concelebrating. Also concelebrating was Father Tom O’Connell. Deacon Dan Hosford of St. Joseph Parish assisted.

A graveside service at Norris Memorial Gardens immediately followed the funeral Mass.

Memorial gifts in Dr. Miceli’s name can be sent to the Norris Area Food Pantry, PO Box 327, Norris, TN 37828. ■

Holy Ghost Parish seeking organist for church Masses

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oly Ghost Parish in Knoxville seeks an organist for Sunday services and holy days of obligation.

Two Sunday Masses are required (and in time possibly a third) in the ordinary form at 10 a.m. and in the extraordinary form (the traditional Latin Mass) at noon. The position also includes all Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter liturgies as well as other major holy days.

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The organist only rarely needs to attend choir rehearsals, can receive additional compensation by playing weddings and funerals, and will assist the music director (who programs the liturgies) with various duties. The ability to accompany Gregorian chant and read the four-line staff is highly desirable. Approximately 8-10 hours per week, plus holy days. Send resume to hgchurch@ bellsouth.net. No phone calls. ■

Missionary Sisters nominated for Lumen Christi award Sister Maria Imelda Quechol and Sister Eloisa Torralba Aquino of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus “Ad Gentes” have been nominated for Catholic Extension’s annual Lumen Christi Award for their service to the Hispanic community around Chattanooga.

The Sisters, who serve an area of need that encompasses 13 parishes in eight counties in the Chattanooga Deanery, minister to a Hispanic population estimated to be more than 10,000 people. They are the most visible faces of the Church to the Hispanic community in the deanery, and they are intrinsically connected to the community they serve.

If a person or family is experiencing a hardship, they know it. If a family is impacted by COVID-19 and in need spiritually or financially, they are there to help. Sisters Imelda and Eloisa have been religious sisters for 35 and 26 years, respectively, and have energy, compassion, and love for all they serve. While they work out of the parishes, they are always ready to hit the road, especially as undocumented Hispanics are hesitant to register at parishes.

Their ministry includes coordinating Masses and the sacraments for field workers, catechizing, and helping married couples and families.

They console the grieving and visit families in their homes, delivering necessities for those in need, as well as provide rides and support for immigration, medical appointments, and school visits. The Sisters take calls any time of the day or night, many of which are emergencies. They also help coordinate legal assistance and accompany individuals when they go to court. Above all else, Sisters Imelda and Eloisa ensure that people know they are loved and are not alone. Through all this and more, these two Sisters have left an indelible mark of Christ’s love upon thousands.

Sacred Heart, KCHS graduate Brian Bradley Maves dies Brian Bradley Maves, born on Jan. 30, 1985, in Iowa, died May 9 at the age of 36.

He was brought up in the Catholic faith and was a student at Sacred Heart Cathedral School and Knoxville Catholic High School. He attended Miami University in Ohio, majoring in political science and history. He then earned a master’s degree in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During this time he studied for one year at Vrije University in Amsterdam.

After returning to the United States, he resided in Washington, D.C., and worked in the offices of Sen. Lamar Alexander and then-Rep. Marsha Blackburn. He Mr. Maves crafted and shepherded several successful bills. He next became a lobbyist for the National Association of Home Builders, and then was a liaison between the U.S. Department of Labor and Congress.

Mr. Maves was preceded in death by grandfather Earl Betts, grandparents Harry and Elsie Maves, uncle Michael Betts, and aunt Melissa Betts. He is survived by parents Barry and Michele Maves; loving brother Corey; maternal grandmother Sandy Betts; numerous loving and supportive aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

A funeral Mass was held at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the burial in the Sacred Heart columbarium. Honorary pallbearers were Corey Maves, Adam Donahoo, Patrick Redmon, and Dominick Depersio. Donations in Brian’s name can be made to KARM, Second Harvest Food Bank, or the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Funeral Mass held for Phyllis Rose Clem Roberts Baer Phyllis Rose Clem Roberts Baer passed away May 10 at the Ben Atchley State Veterans Home from Alzheimer’s disease.

A funeral Mass for her was celebrated on May 15 at All Saints Church. Burial followed at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

She was born Feb. 26, 1938, in Elkmont, Ala., and graduated from East High School in Knoxville in 1956. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music with an emphasis in choral music from the University of Tennessee.

Mrs. Baer Mrs. Baer taught music in the Knoxville City School System for 27 years. Schools where she taught include East, Rule, and West high schools, where she took many students to AllState choirs and directed her students in musicals.

She retired from teaching in 1986 to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy Reserves, which she had joined at the age of 36. She achieved the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer before retiring at age 60 with nearly 24 years of service. She loved music and sang in several church choirs, including All Saints, Macedonia Methodist, Bearden Methodist, and West Hills Baptist. She also directed and conducted the Bearden Methodist Church choir for five years. In addition, she was a member of the Knoxville Choral Society for 16 years and served on the Choral Society board of directors.

Mrs. Baer was preceded in death by her parents, Herman and Irene Grooms Clem; her five brothers and sisters, John Clem, James (Bud) Clem, Evelyn Clem Maples, Shirley Clem Tindell Hurst, and Carol Clem Faulkner, her first husband, Ted Roberts; his parents, Louis and Evelyn Roberts; and his brother, Glenn Roberts.

She is survived by her husband, Thomas Baer; her three sons, Louis Roberts (Cardy Spaulding) of Silver Spring, Md., Colby Roberts (Katherine) of San Francisco, and Kevin Roberts (Tara) of Johnson City; stepdaughter Kathleen Stovall (Jerry) of La Grange, Ky.; stepgrandchildren Jerry Stovall (Jessica) of Groton, Conn., Jace Stovall and Hannah Stovall of La Grange, Ky. Memorials in Mrs. Baer’s name can be made to the Knoxville Choral Society or The Joy of Music School. ■

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Pro-abortion Catholic Democrats: Don’t deny us the Eucharist

By Matt Hadro Catholic News Agency

bishops on June 18 that he supported contraception, abortion, “treatments for infertility,” “the right for people to get a divorce,” and “the right of samesex marriage.”

“Next time I go to church, I dare you to deny me Communion,” he stated.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is Catholic and pro-abortion, did not sign the statement. Her local ordinary, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, publicly rebuked her support for abortion in January. Archbishop Cordileone, in a May 1 pastoral letter on the Eucharist, called on Catholic public officials to oppose abortion.

“You are in a position to do something concrete and decisive to stop the killing,” he said. “Please stop the killing. And please stop pretending that advocating for or practicing a grave moral evil — one that snuffs out an innocent human life, one that denies a fundamental human right — is somehow compatible with the Catholic faith. It is not. Please return home to the fullness of your Catholic faith.”

On June 18, Archbishop Cordileone stated, “Our God-given responsibility as bishops is to proclaim the truth as did St. Paul: the Eucharist is the real body and blood of Christ. We must confess our serious sins and seek reconciliation in the sacrament before presenting ourselves for Holy Communion.”

“I would exhort us all to remember the eucharistic martyrs who died to protect the Most Blessed Sacrament from profanation,” he added.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2271, states, “From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person.” “Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense,” the catechism states.

Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in his 2004 letter to then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, referred to a politician’s consistent “campaigning and voting for permissive abortion

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ozens of Catholic members of Congress issued a statement on June 18 claiming that denial of Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians is a “weaponization of the Eucharist.”

In a “statement of principles,” 60 House Democrats — led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) — claimed their Catholic faith influences their actions in Congress, and that denial of Communion for their support of legal abortion would be “contradictory.”

“We solemnly urge you to not move forward and deny this most holy of all sacraments, the source and the summit of the whole work of the Gospel over one issue,” they stated, addressing the “Church” in their statement.

“The sacrament of holy Communion is central to the life of practicing Catholics, and the weaponization of the Eucharist to Democratic lawmakers for their support of a woman’s safe and legal access to abortion is contradictory,” the lawmakers stated.

Rep. DeLauro, who led the letter, has supported taxpayer-funded of abortion through repealing the Hyde amendment. She chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

Among other signers of the letter were Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.), a pro-abortion member who unseated pro-life Democrat Dan Lipinski in a primary last year, as well as Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), recognized as a member who sometimes votes for prolife policies but who was not endorsed

by Democrats for Life of America in 2020.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), who helped lead efforts in Congress to recognize the genocide against Iraqi Christians in 2016, signed the statement, as well as Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who hosted Bishop Robert Barron for a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in 2019.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who signed the statement, tweeted at the U.S.

and euthanasia laws” as “formal cooperation” in the “grave sin” of abortion.

The 60 members pointed to other “policies contrary to the Church teachings,” including support for the death penalty, separation of immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, denial of asylum, and reducing food assistance to the poor.

“No elected officials have been threatened with being denied the Eucharist” for supporting these policies, they stated.

“We believe the separation of church and state allows for our faith to inform our public duties and best serve our constituents,” they said.

The members issued their statement as the U.S. bishops met virtually June 15-17 for their annual spring general assembly. At their meeting, the bishops debated drafting a document on the Eucharist, which would include a sub-section on “Eucharistic coherence,” or worthiness to receive Communion.

In a proposed outline of the document, the bishops’ doctrine committee cited the special need for Catholic public officials to uphold Church teaching in public life.

On June 18, President Joe Biden was asked about a “resolution” of the U.S. bishops to deny him and other pro-abortion politicians Communion — even though their vote was on drafting the teaching document, not any national policy of denying Communion.

“That’s a private matter and I don’t think that is going to happen,” President Biden said.

Individual bishops have made statements recently that, according to canon law, Catholic public officials cannot present themselves for Communion when they publicly support permissive laws on grave evils such as abortion and euthanasia.

According to a 2004 instruction by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pastors and bishops must speak to such

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Bishop Stika prefers attending the USCCB meetings in person to Zoom meetings, which has been the format now for the second year due to COVID-19.

The bishop pointed to the USCCB report on the Eucharist as one of the important documents that require the bishops’ prompt attention.

“This whole idea of the Eucharist and who is worthy to receive it is normally a private matter between a person and their confessor as they approach the altar to receive the Eucharist,” Bishop Stika said. “In this day and age, since this is the second Catholic president (Joe Biden) that we’ve had and one, who along with other political figures who are Catholic, seem to ignore the Church’s teaching on certain fundamental ideals, particularly with marriage and the sanctity of life. This pushes the discussion to the front.

“The debate among bishops is the whole sense of scandal. What is scandal and how do the bishops of the conference deal with scandal. If we say nothing, it looks like we are ignoring it.

If we have a strong statement, it looks like we are allowing the Eucharist to be used as a weapon — who is worthy and who isn’t worthy.

“I know there have been some circumstances in which a bishop has met with a Catholic involved in the political realm who lives a life contrary to the Catholic Church. The bishop asked the person in a one-on-one conversation to refrain from the Eucharist, and that person has. I don’t know if that discussion has happened with the president and his own local bishop.

“But it does give scandal because he (President Biden) easily touts his Catholic faith, and he, along with government officials, have a profound effect on how life is respected,” Bishop Stika continued. “I, personally, have always spoken about abortion not only as a moral issue but as a human rights issue. I have compared it to slavery. One person can control the life of another person, even to the point of death. If you substitute the word slavery with the word abortion, it seems to me they are similar. I don’t understand how the president, who talks a lot about human

Virtual meeting Monsignor Jeffrey D. Burrill, general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, right, reads a message to Pope Francis on June 16 at the USCCB headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the opening day of the bishops’ virtual spring meeting. Also pictured are Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, USCCB vice president, left, and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president. rights, yet one of the most vulnerable is the unborn child. It is an important discussion and it will continue to be so because it is facing us. We can’t ignore it. It’s my opinion that we have to make some kind of statement.”

In a prerecorded presentation, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., chairman of the doctrine committee, reviewed an outline of the document, which would include three parts, subtitled “The Eucharist, A Mystery to be Believed,” “The Eucharist, A Mystery to be Celebrated,” and “The Eucharist, A Mystery to be Lived.”

As proposed, each part includes three topics that would be addressed including, respectively, the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in Communion; unity, beauty, and identity as the “fount and apex of the whole Christian life”; and moral transformation, eucharistic consistency, and missionary discipleship.

Bishop Rhoades said the document was never intended to present national norms for the reception of the Eucharist, but to serve as a teaching tool for Catholics about the reception of holy Communion as a grace-filled gift.

He said the document was developed in light of the decline in the belief among Catholics in the Real Presence in the Eucharist as well as the long absences from regular Mass attendance, which may have led people to place less significance on the Eucharist in

their lives. He also said the committee wanted to address the “need therefore for a unified and strong revival for the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.”

During a news conference at the conclusion of the day’s meeting, Bishop Rhoades said that the committee had no plans to develop a statement on the Eucharist despite the conference’s strategic plan until Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president, asked it to develop a document on “eucharistic consistency” earlier this year. He also told reporters that May 7 correspondence from Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, to Archbishop Gomez influenced the committee’s thinking on the document.

Cardinal Ladaria in his letter urged the U.S. bishops to proceed with caution in discussions about formulating a national policy “to address the situation of Catholics in public office who support legislation allowing abortion, euthanasia, or other moral evils.”

“We took that (national reference) out even though our intention wasn’t to develop national norms. Our plan wasn’t to go in that direction,” Bishop Rhoades said.

The third part of the document drew the broadest objections from more than a dozen bishops, who said that it appears to single out a single category of Catholics — those in political life who

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public officials in their jurisdictions, informing them that their positions are contrary to Church teaching and instructing them that they are not to receive Communion.

If the officials persist in their positions, then the minister of Communion must not distribute it to them, he said. Cardinal Ratzinger’s memo was an implementation of canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law. The members, in their June 18 statement, stated that their faith informs their actions, through “helping the poor, disadvantaged, and the oppressed, protecting the least among us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country.”

“We believe the Church as a community is called to be in the vanguard of creating a more just America and world. And as such, we have a claim on the Church’s bearing as it does on ours,” they stated.

Citing Vatican II’s “renewed emphasis on the Eucharist,” they stated, “To pursue a blanket denial of the Holy Eucharist to certain elected officials would indeed grieve the Holy Spirit and deny the evolution of that individual, a Christian person who is never perfect, but living in the struggle to get there.”

The Vatican council’s constitution on the Church in the modern world, Gaudium et spes, states, “Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes.”

The constitution on sacred liturgy also states that Catholics “should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it [the Eucharist] in vain.”

Gaudium et spes also states, “To the extent that they [believers] neglect their own training in the faith, or teach erroneous doctrine, or are deficient in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than reveal the authentic face of God and religion.” ■ support abortion.

Bishop Robert M. Coerver of Lubbock, Texas, said he was concerned the document was being developed in time to be used as a political cudgel given that congressional elections are on tap for 2022 with a presidential campaign two years later.

Other bishops expressed concern that the process to adopt the document appeared to be “rushed.”

Bishop Rhoades responded during the discussion that the timeline proposed was based on the other factors, including the desire to fall in line with the conference’s strategic plan.

Bishops who expressed concern about the document said they could support it if the third section was dropped in favor of a text that would stress Catholic theology.

However, bishops who supported drafting the document said there was no need to drop the third section given the importance for all Catholics to discern how they live the teachings each time before they receive the Eucharist.

They also said they saw no need to delay the document. If the bishops approve the development of a draft document, the committee plans to submit it for the bishops’ next general assembly in November.

A consensus seemed to develop around a proposal from Bishop Michael W. Warfel of Great Falls-Billings, Mont., who suggested the bishops convene regional gatherings over the summer to discuss the document.

Bishop Rhoades said such gatherings are welcome because they offer the doctrine committee more input on the content of the document. He added that he did not think it would delay development of the document.

Several prelates, among them Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington, D.C., expressed concern that adopting a document at a time of division among the bishops would further threaten the unity of the bishops’ conference and the Church overall.

“We need to spend time, personal time, in candid straight-forward conversation together to strengthen the unity within our conference and with our people before taking the next steps on a statement or plan of action,” he said. ■ JULY 4, 2021 n A19

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