The Assurance of Peace, Quiet Reflection, & Prayer The Columbarium

Walking with Christ

Diocese of Knoxville parishioners became pilgrims over the spring and summer as they took part in pilgrimages that visited holy sites around the world. Lisa Morris, who attends the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, served as pilgrimage coordinator and group leader for the three trips.

Above left: Father Michael Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland, was the spiritual leader of a pilgrimage with 34 people to Ireland June 12-23.

Above right: Father Martin Gladysz, associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, was the spiritual leader of a pilgrimage with 27 people to his native country of Poland July 17-27.

Right: Father Michael Maples, associate pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, was the spiritual leader of a pilgrimage with 21 people to Switzerland April 17-27.

Select International Pilgrimage Tours served as the tour operator for all three pilgrimages.

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The group met twice at the diocesan offices to prepare for the trip, on June 14 and July 10. During the first meeting, a priest led lectio divina (prayerful reading of Scripture). He read the Gospel of Luke’s account of the Annunciation and the Visitation, followed by silence for meditation, followed by another reading of the same verses, followed by a talk on it, followed by a group discussion of it.

The young-adult contingent included eight seminarians of the diocese, whose self-giving Ms. Callahan hoped would affect teenagers and young adults who haven’t yet decided on a path in life. She said she hoped World Youth Day would help them figure out what God wants for them, and embrace it.

“I hoped it would be a profound moment of encounter with the Lord for each person who goes, and a profound encounter with the universal Church,” she said. “When we see the Lord in a profound way, it changes everything about our life.”

More than 1,300 groups composed of more than 28,600 indi - viduals from across the United States, traveled to Lisbon for the gathering, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The United States was among the five largest delegations participating in WYD. Most U.S. pilgrims to WYD were young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

“Our country very much looked forward to this pilgrimage,” said Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, which oversees the United States ’ involvement in World Youth Day.

Bishop Barron, along with 60 other U.S. bishops, accompanied the young people to Lisbon.

“This was a wonderful occasion for young adults to have a significant encounter with Jesus Christ in the company of the universal Church. It also was a moment when the Holy Father and the Church’s leadership get an opportunity to listen to the young people present, teach, and form them in the Gospel, and ultimately send them towards their vocation and mission in the world,” Bishop Barron said.

U.S. pilgrims stayed in parishes, campuses, homes, and hotels around Lisbon during WYD, taking part in prayer and liturgies, daily catechesis, concerts, presentations, dialogue, service, and networking with young adults from around the world. More than 35 U.S. bishops served as lead bishops for the daily “Rise Up!”catechetical sessions.

In addition to the Aug. 3 Welcome Ceremony, Pope Francis joined the World Youth Day pilgrims at a Way of the Cross on Aug. 4, a prayer vigil on Aug. 5, and the World Youth Day Closing Mass, which included a million or more pilgrims, on Aug. 6.

The USCCB planned a National Pilgrim Gathering for all U.S. pilgrims on Aug. 2 in Parque da Quinta das Conchas, an open park in Lisbon. After time of music and testimony by young adults, Bishop Barron offered a keynote address and, with Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas, led a Holy Hour as part of the National Eucharistic Revival initiative.

Retirement Fund for Religious Please Consider Giving

Why We Ask

In 1988, Catholic bishops of the United States launched the Retirement Fund for Religious to address the significant lack of retirement funding for Catholic sisters, brothers, and priests in religious orders. For most of their lives, elder religious worked for little to no pay. There were no 401(k) plans or pensions.

Religious communities are financially responsible for the support and care of all members. Income, earnings, and expenses are managed separately from the parish and diocesan structures of the Catholic Church.

Only 7 percent of the religious communities providing data to the National Religious Retirement Office are adequately funded for retirement; 43 percent have 25 or fewer members. Many small communities struggle to care for elder members due to a lack of financial resources and personnel.

Today, religious past age 70 outnumber religious under age 70 by nearly three to one.

There are 24,924 religious past age 70 living in the United States. In 2021, the average annual cost for their care was roughly $50,000 per person; skilled care averaged $78,000 per person.

Since 2009, the annual cost to support senior women and men religious has exceeded $1 billion.

In 2021, 70 percent of the religious communities providing data to the National Religious Retirement Office had a median age of 70 or higher.

The average annual Social Security benefit for a religious is $7,326, whereas the average US beneficiary receives $19,896.

The USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth collaborated with WYD organizers in Lisbon and Oregon Catholic Press on the English version of the official WYD hymn, “Feel the Rush in the Air.”

World Youth Day began in 1984 as an initiative, inaugurated by St. John Paul II, to bring young people from around the world together to encounter Christ and the universal Church.

World Youth Day officially takes place every year as a Global Celebration of Young People (now celebrated on Christ the King Sunday); however, every two to four years, a major international event is held in a different location around the world. Past WYDs have included Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Czestochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sydney (2008), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016), and Panama (2019) ■

How Donations Help

Each year, hundreds of US religious communities receive financial assistance made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious. Communities can use this funding for immediate retirement expenses or invest it for future needs. Since the first collection, US Catholics have donated nearly $948 million.

Since the collection began, almost $817 million has been distributed to support the day-to-day care of elderly sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. An additional $102 million has been allocated for programs to assist religious institutes with comprehensive retirement planning.

In addition to direct financial assistance, proceeds from the annual collection underwrite educational programming, services, and resources that enable religious communities to evaluate and prepare for long-term retirement needs.

Support from the Retirement Fund for Religious helps religious communities care for senior members while continuing important ministries to the People of God.