KCHS sees four generations of Connor family attend Helen Mabry Connor, 96, attends a gathering at the school with her children and grandchildren By Dan McWilliams Connor family continued on page B3
A two-day weekend gathering and a Chant Camp for children draw dozens of participants
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Sacred-music lovers flock to Holy Ghost for events
The intermediate choir at the Southeastern Sacred Music Weekend was directed by Mary Jane Bal lou, the director of Cantorae, a women’s a cappella ensemble in St. Augustine, Fla. Bridget Scott, director of litur gical music at St. Monica Parish in Duluth, Ga., worked with the novice singers.
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Lovers of sacred music, espe cially Gregorian chant, of all ages attended two special events at Holy Ghost Church in re centTheweeks.North Knoxville parish host ed the seventh Southeastern Sacred Music Weekend on July 29 and 30 and a Chant Camp for youth May 23-25. The Sacred Music Weekend drew about 70 participants and eight presenters, with attendees coming from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and from as far away as Indiana, New York state, and Minnesota. The Chant Camp attendance was about 30. The Sacred Music Weekend has been held in Georgia, North Caro lina, and Tennessee over the years, including at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga in 2016. The event is co-sponsored each year by the hosting parish and South eastern Sacred Music, a chapter of the Church Music Association of America.“Theworkshop was designed to accommodate anyone interested in Gregorian chant and the sacred music tradition of the Catholic Church,” said Mary C. Weaver, director of music ministry at Holy Ghost. “Most attendees were sing ers; many were choir directors; and several were organists. One priest [Father David Carter, rector of the basilica] and two seminarians were participants. Some attendees don’t think of themselves as singers but were simply interested in learn ing more. There are typically three tracks to this event: one for absolute beginners who don’t yet know any thing about Gregorian chant, one for intermediates, and one for advanced singers.”Eachof the three groups re hearsed with a specific director each day.“During the rehearsals, partici pants learn more about chant and also prepare the music to be sung for the culminating Mass on Satur day evening,” Mrs. Weaver said. “There are also ‘tutti’ rehearsals in which everyone participates and fo cuses on learning the Mass ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) that will be sung on Sat urday. On Friday evening the entire group also chanted Vespers for the Memorial of St. Martha.” In addition, participants were able to choose from various “breakout sessions”—hourlong workshops on topics of interest to clergy, organ ists, music directors, and singers. Breakout session topics included “What Did Vatican II Really Teach About Sacred Music?”, “Free and Low-Cost Sacred Music Resources,” “From Blah to Brilliant: Strategies for Getting the Most Out of the Vol unteer Choir,” and “Planning Wor thy Music for Mass: Best Practices and Resources.” A number of skills were taught or refined in the workshop, depend ing on the level of experience of the participants.“Thosewho had no experience with Gregorian chant were able to learn how to read/sing the square notes and the four-line musical staff used in chant,” Mrs. Weaver said. “The chants sung at Mass ranged from extremely simple English chants for the beginners to the com plex and ancient chants found in the Graduale Romanum (or Roman Gradual, the official choir book of the Catholic Church). All the choral conductors were capable, experi enced teachers who also worked with attendees to improve the beauty and fluidity of their chant singing.“Theconductors of the interme diate and advanced groups also helped their singers prepare poly phonic (multi-voice) music for Sat urday’s Mass, including an English motet by Orlando Gibbons (15831625) and Latin motets by Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) and by contem porary composer Mariano Garau.” Mrs. Weaver explained what sa cred music is. “Many people think that the term
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Generations gather The four generations of the Connor family at Knoxville Catholic High School include (from left) Patton Watkins (class of 2023), Christy Connor Watkins (’89), Helen Marie Mabry Connor (’45), Mike Connor (’69), Mandy Connor Welch (’98), and Connor Welch (’26).
On the first full day of school Aug. 9, Knoxville Catholic High School began its 90th year with a gathering of four gen erations of the Connor family, all of whom came through KCHS or are attending there now. The event took place in the Mike and Carol Connor Lobby of the school’s new St. Gregory the Great Auditorium.Ninety-six-year-old Helen Marie Mabry Connor of the Knoxville Catholic High class of 1945 is the matriarch of the family. She calls the presence of four generations of her family at KCHS “overwhelming.” “It’s great. I love it,” she said. Mrs. Connor remembers playing basketball at Knoxville Catholic. “It was wonderful. We had a really good time,” she said. “Sister Marie David was my homeroom teacher. She taught Spanish and French and geometry. She was really smart.” Mrs. Connor attended KCHS on its former Magnolia Avenue campus. The Ashe house served as the school during her days there. The house was torn down eventually as more mod ern buildings were added to the cam pus. Mrs. Connor said it’s “wonder ful” how KCHS is “built up” today. “I went to school all during the war. If the boys didn’t register by the time they were 18 years old, they got drafted. When I graduated, I think there were 16 girls and six boys,” she said. KCHS has grown from 11 seniors in its first graduating class in 1933 to 143 receiving diplomas in 2022. The wartime years were “kind of tough with rationing and all that stuff, but we made it,” Mrs. Connor said.And what is her secret to staying young?“Iwalk every day a mile or two. We have long halls where I live, and I walk up and down the halls. There are four floors, and I walk all of them,” she said. Mrs. Connor’s great-grandson, Connor Welch of the class of 2026, attended the gathering. “It’s kind of crazy to think about,
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Camp for kids About 30 youth improved their chant reading and singing skills during Holy Ghost’s summer Chant Camp. Music director Mary Weaver (above) talks about the importance of singing chant smoothly, by connecting each note to the one before.
The ancient traditional Gregorian Chant must, therefore, in a large measure be restored to the functions of public worship, and the fact must be ac cepted by all that an ecclesiastical function loses none of its solemnity when accompanied by this music alone.”Atthe Sacred Music Weekend, Father Robert Pasley, KCHS, was the event’s keynote speaker and also the celebrant for the Saturday Mass. Father Pasley is the rector of Mater Ecclesiae Parish in Berlin, N.J., and chaplain of the Church Music Asso ciation of America. Chant Camps were held at Holy Ghost in 2021 as well as this year for any children and teenagers of the parish whose parents wanted them to learn more about the music of the Church. Participants included tod dlers to teenagers. “This year we separated the youngsters into those who can read and those who can’t. I worked with the readers (children ages 6 or 7 and up), and we reviewed the basics of reading and singing Gregorian chant. I think my group was 18 to 20 people,” Mrs. Weaver said. She added that “it’s not at all usual for children to learn chant. Af ter Pius X’s document Tra le solleci tudini came out in 1903, it sparked an entire movement to teach chant to children. The main proponent was a woman named Justine Ward, whose ‘Ward method’ of teaching chant took hold in Catholic schools throughout the United States, Eu rope, and other parts of the world. From about the 1920s through the 1960s, just about every student in Catholic schools learned how to chant. It’s only post-Vatican II that chant instruction fell out of our schools’“Chantcurricula.andchant instruction have been undergoing a renaissance in the past 20 years or so, and although I wouldn’t say interest is wide spread yet, many Catholic home schoolers are taking it up.” Mrs. Weaver said she thought the Chant Camp went well. “Children love to sing, and they learn quickly,” she said. Clara Cowan assisted Mrs. Weav er with the Chant Camp, even play ing a ukulele as part of her instruc tion to the younger group of kids. “Clara Cowan worked with the young children. She’s great at teach ing music to kids and is a recent graduate of the UT music school. She and her husband, Blayne, are Holy Ghost parishioners,” Mrs. WeaverFathersaid.Carter, rector of the ba silica, reflected on the Sacred Music Weekend.“TheSecond Vatican Council said that the sacred music of the Church is ‘a treasure of inestimable value,’ and it’s worth preserving,” he said. “And so the Southeastern Sacred Music chapter of the Church Music Association works to promote this treasure of inestimable value in the Southeast. We have hosted it at the basilica.“Weowe a duty of praise to God, and the sacrifice of our voices raised to Him is our duty because of what He has done for us, to give thanks with full voice. There’s a famous fa ther of the Church who said that ‘he who sings, prays twice,’ so we want to really pray.” Sacred music “is different because it’s specifically liturgical music,” Fa ther Carter said. “It’s music meant to accompany the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sacred actions of the Church when she prays. This is not merely religious music. It’s very distinct from religious music. Hymns are religious music; they’re not liturgical music. Gregorian chant, the propers of the Mass, the ordinary of the Mass—those are actual texts written in the liturgical books to be sung. We are trying to help recover this beautiful heritage and tradition that’s been handed down to us. It’s found in every
Women’s chorus Those who were part of the advanced women’s schola sing at the Sacred Music Weekend. The women were under the direction of Maria Rist, director of sacred music at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Follow the conductor Alex Hill, who directed the advanced men’s schola during the Sacred Music Weekend, conducts participants before Mass be gins July 30. Mr. Hill is director of the Carolina Liturgical Chorale and lives in Cary, N.C.
‘sacred music’ means any sort of music whose text talks about God or about religious experience. That’s not accurate,” she said. “Music can be religious—that is, it can talk about religious faith or experience— without being worthy of God’s tem ple, that is, without being sacred, or set apart for worship. I could set the 23rd psalm to a melody composed by the Beach Boys, and the text, al though sacred, would not make the music sacred. If you can’t hear the words of a song and it sounds like pop music, it is in fact pop music. The musical style alone can disqual ify a song from use in church.” An analogy further elaborates on the point, Mrs. Weaver added. “When I walk into Walmart, there’s no mistaking that it is a place of business and 100 percent secular. Everything I see, hear, smell, and experience tells me this,” she said. “If I walk into an ancient European cathedral, everything I see, hear, smell, and experience tells me I am in a sacred space. The ceiling is lofty, which instinctively makes me feel the grandeur of God and my own smallness. The stained-glass windows, lovely statues and paint ings, intricately tiled floors, and grand altar all communicate a mes sage of otherworldliness. This space is quite literally set apart—sacred. It is utterly unlike our homes, busi nesses, and government buildings. It is impossible not to experience the cathedral as sacred and the Walmart as“It’ssecular.just the same with sacred music. It should be immediately and unmistakably different from the music we enjoy at a pop concert, an opera, a campfire, or a civic parade.”
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Chant is often heard in movies, Mrs. Weaver said. “When you watch a movie or TV show that’s trying to depict the Catholic Church, you will very often hear Gregorian chant or the poly phonic sacred music of the Renais sance because both of those styles were created by the Church for the Church. Even to the casual listener, they communicate ‘this is Catho lic,’” she said. The best definition of sacred mu sic, Mrs. Weaver said, “can be found in a document called Tra le solleci tudini issued by Pope St. Pius X in 1903 specifically to combat the the atrical and operatic music that had made its way into the Church of his day. In that motu proprio, Pius X said that sacred music should ‘possess, in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in particu lar sanctity and goodness of form.’ “He went on to say that ‘it must be holy and must, therefore, ex clude all profanity.’ By profanity, he means worldliness—that which is of the secular world. Finally, it must be ‘true art’ and its forms must possess ‘universality,’ such that ‘nobody of any nation may receive an impres sion other than good on hearing them.’”Onthose grounds, “Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down the following rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration, and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of har mony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple,” the Holy Father continued. The importance of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony are also strongly emphasized by the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum concilium and by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the third edition of which was published in 2011. “So the Church of the past and of today has very definite views on sacred music and provides a great deal of guidance for music ministers,” Mrs. Weaver said. Tra le sollecitudini further states that “sacred music, being a comple mentary part of the solemn liturgy, participates in the general scope of the liturgy, which is the glory of God and the sanctification and edi fication of the faithful. It contributes to the decorum and the splendor of the ecclesiastical ceremonies, and since its principal office is to clothe with suitable melody the liturgical text proposed for the understand ing of the faithful, its proper aim is to add greater efficacy to the text, in order that through it the faithful may be the more easily moved to devotion and better disposed for the reception of the fruits of grace belonging to the celebration of the most holy Regardingmysteries.”“thequalities proper to the liturgy,” Pope St. Pius X wrote that they “are to be found, in the highest degree, in Gregorian chant, which is, consequently the Chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant she has inherited from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for centuries in her liturgical codices, which she directly proposes to the faithful as her own, which she prescribes exclusively for some parts of the liturgy, and which the most recent studies have so happily restored to their integrity and purity. . . .
Priests sing Father David Carter (holding music), rector of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Father Michael Hendershott, associate pastor of Holy Ghost, sing at the Sacred Music Weekend.
Strumming along Clara Cowan sings and plays the ukulele at the Chant Camp.
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Great-grandson Connor Welch has his arm around his great-grandmother, Helen Mabry Connor.
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Notre Dame parishioners assist with Tusculum Move-In Day
The original KCHS The Ashe house served as Knoxville Catholic’s campus in the time Helen Mabry Connor attended in the 1940s. Later, buildings were added to the house, and the house was eventually torn down.
“We’re just blessed to have her ev ery day that we have her,” she said. “She’s an amazing role model and an amazing person. It’s really great to carry on the tradition and listen to her stories and everything else.”
Three generations Helen Mabry Connor stands with her daughter, Christy Connor Watkins, and grandson, Patton Watkins, at the gathering at KCHS.
Knoxville Catholic president Dickie Sompayrac enjoys having the Connor family at his school. “That’s one of the first families I learned about when I came in 2005, how influential the Connor family is here not only in Knoxville but spe cifically here at Knoxville Catholic,” he said. “It’s really special to see a family that has had four generations come through this school. It’s pretty awesome.” n
While Connor is the oldest of the fourth generation, Mrs. Welch is the oldest of the third generation. Patton Watkins (’23), a senior at KCHS, is the youngest of the third generation. “I didn’t really notice the impact of my family this year until the [audi torium] lobby came out because this was named after them,” Patton said. Christy Watkins (’89) is a secondgeneration member of the family. Helen is her mother. The gathering in the auditorium lobby was emo tional for her, she said. “I get weepy at any moment. It’s just so wonderful. It’s such a won derful example of faith and family,” sheMikesaid.Connor (’69), Helen’s son, is a restaurateur who owns eateries in six states. Regarding four generations of his family being at KCHS, he said he “never would have thought it.” “I think it’s a great thing. [Helen has] really been a terrific legacy for everybody. She’s the matriarch of the family. I’m (class of) ’69 and my sister is ’89, and these kids are going to graduate in 2023 and ’26.” Mr. Connor said “it’s fabulous” to have members of the family coming to KCHS through the years. “My mother’s got 19 grandchil dren and 25 great-grandchildren, and the vast majority of all of them went here as well. She’s basically had someone here in the ’60s, some one in the ’70s, someone there in the ’80s, someone there in the ’90s, and then in the 2000s all the way through. There’s always been some one who’s related who’s been here.”
THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 n B3www.dioknox.org that she went to the same high school a long time ago,” Connor said. “I feel like I’ll be the first of many more to go to Catholic, be cause there’s a lot more great-grand children. I’m just the oldest.” Connor will be the 30th member of his family to graduate from KCHS. Mandy Welch (’98) is Connor’s mom. Helen is her grandmother.
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Parishioners of Notre Dame in Greeneville volunteered their time in assisting with MoveIn Day at Tusculum University on Aug.Freshmen18. and transfer students at Tennessee’s most historic uni versity moved into their respective residence halls as part of Tuscu lum’s Weekend of Welcome, also known as Pioneer WOW. Many activities were involved with Move-In-Day, including by local churches in the community who were invited to campus to wel come new students and their fami lies as they arrived.
Members of Notre Dame pro vided lunch for the new students and their families as well as Tus culum faculty and staff who were assisting at Move-In-Day before the start of classes to kick off the 2022-23 academic year. Parishio ners provided drinks, fruit, snacks, and side dishes along with several desserts and treats for those in at tendance. Volunteers also cooked hamburgers and hot dogs and served the Parishionersmeal.included members of Notre Dame’s Council of Catho lic Women and the Knights of Co lumbus. n
Milton and Regina Jera bek (73), Roger and Sally Vachon (65), Tom and Pauline Higgins (63), Michael and Judith Byrd (61), Pat and Sarah Tripiciano (60), John and Mary Anne Kieck (56), Robert and Martha Takac (56), Dale and Sharon Yeager (55), Ken neth and Sharon Tripoli (55), Roland and Jane Wicker (54), Roger and Mar cie Soprych (53), Michael and Cheryl Fries (53), William and Judith Sund strom (53), Keith and Fritz Farber (52), John and Kathy Upp (50), Charles and Mary Moening (45), Thomas and Mar ian Joy Buckley (30), Allen and Cheryl LeBeau (20), Kevin and Erin Conley (10) St. John Neumann, Farragut
St. Stephen children attend vacation Bible school St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga held its vacation Bible school program from July 25-29. The children had a great time singing and learning more about their faith using the “Parade Around the Our Father” VBS from Catholic Kidz Camp. The carnival atmosphere was very entertaining, and the week ended with hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy provided by Knights of Columbus Council 6099. In the top photo are the VBS classes, guides, and teachers with director of Christian formation Karen Underwood and St. Stephen pastor Father Manuel Pérez. In the middle photo, kindergarten and first-graders made tiger masks as they talked about Noah and the ark. In the bottom photo are the Morais family, which taught lessons in an interactive setting with fun and music. Pictured are dad Dave as the ringmaster, mom Ella as a monkey, Noah as an elephant, Hannah as a leopard, and Josiah as a zebra.
Chattanooga Deanery St. Jude, Chattanooga A steering committee is being formed for the purpose of establishing a new St. Jude Parish Pro-Life Ministry. The first meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the parish life center. All parishioners are welcome to Theattend.24th annual St. Jude Golf Classic will be held Friday, Sept. 30, at Creeks Bend Golf Club in Hixson, owned and managed by parishioners and school family Patrick and Maggie Shutters. The tournament, which has a 1 p.m. shotgun start, is co-sponsored by St. Jude School and Knights of Columbus Paul Breen Council 8756. Registration includes lunch and dinner, snacks, beverages, and prizes. Proceeds benefit the school’s Classroom Adop tion Program and the ministries of the Knights. Register online at mysjs. ejoinme.org/22golf. Contact Kathie Preston at presonk@mysjs.com for more information.
A Bible study, “Unpack the Mysteries of Revelation,” will begin Sept. 12-13. Sessions will follow the “Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come” 11-ses sion study program. Sessions begin on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the school library and Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 13 in Seton Hall. For more information, contact Chris Allen at c557paul@gmail. com or 865-368-8300 or 865-2964595 or Sister Elizabeth Wanyoike, ESM, at 865-777-4313. Sign up at bit. ly/sjnrevelation. notes notes continued on page
A “Grounded in Hope” women’s book study, based on the book of Hebrews, will run from 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. Thurs days, Sept. 8 to Nov. 10, in Seton Hall. Contact Mel Cygan at melcygan@ gmail.com to learn more about groups, to order the book, or to sign up.
Registration is $100 per player and begins at 7:30 a.m. Cost includes the green fee, a cart, lunch, door prizes, and two mulligans. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and for longest-drive and closest-to-thepin contests for men and women. Proceeds benefit the Notre Dame High School Scholarship Fund and other charitable causes of the Knights. To enter or sponsor the tourney, e-mail Ron Schleifer at holyfamily6099@ Womenepbfi.com.of the parish are invited to a Ladies Appreciation Tea on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The tea is held to honor one female parishioner 50 years or older who has volunteered her time and tal ent for the benefit of the parish and/ or the community and who has been nominated by a fellow parishioner. The event is free for members of the Theparish.Prime Timers (45 and older) at tended the Chattanooga Football Club’s match Aug. 20 against the Michigan Stars at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
The recent St. Jude rummage sale made more than $3,500 to benefit youth ministry. St. Mary, Athens
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Anniversaries: Laurence and Sandy Schnur (59), Zbigniew and Elzbieta Zdunek (40), John and Thuy-Le Phan (30) Cumberland Mountain Deanery Blessed Sacrament, Harriman
St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade A parish Family Celebration and Ap preciation party was held July 29 at Fairfield Glade Community Center. Pastor Father Michael Woods was thrilled when close to 400 parishio ners attended. There were 140 new parishioners to meet since January 2020. The committee selected mem bers from the parish’s three Masses and newcomers to sit at each table, so many parishioners met each other at this party for the first time. Parishio ners also met Father Bernie Campbell, who will be with them for three months while Father Woods visits his family in Ireland. The party featured food, wine, and music, and the camaraderie made a joyous celebration.
The annual parish golf outing is sched uled for Sept. 11 at Heatherhurst Crag Golf Course. Parishioners are invited to Theattend.men’s prayer breakfast was held Aug. 25 after the 8 a.m. Mass. All pa rishioners were welcome to join them, after which the men held their prayer Themeeting.Council of Catholic Women held its high tea for newcomers Aug. 10 with a skit titled “The Miss Overflow ing Teacup Pageant.” Now the CCW is busy preparing for its upcoming rummage sale, which will be held in the parish hall Sept. 22-23 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and Sept. 24 (9 a.m. to noon).
The Knights of Columbus’ 32nd an nual Memorial Charity Golf Tourna ment is set for Saturday, Sept. 10, at Brainerd Golf Club and will remember deceased Knights Andy Alier, Charlie Saylor, Bill Reynolds, and Nick Bur kett. There is an 8 a.m. shotgun start for the four-person, select-shot event.
The Christmas in July program for Haitian children saw a total of 400 gift boxes prepared for them.
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A Women’s Evening of Reflection took place Aug. 16 at St. Mary Church. Knights of Columbus Council 8396 treated nine altar servers to an after noon of bowling July 19. St. Stephen, Chattanooga
St. Henry Knights tour Chip Hale Center
On June 25, Knights of Columbus Council 8860 members at St. Henry Parish were invited to the Chip Hale Center in Rogersville to help the clients and staff celebrate their receipt of a fourth vehicle from a DOT/KIND Foundation Grant from 2020-21. State chaplain and St. Henry pastor Father Bart Okere and six of ficers from the council attended the celebration. They were greeted by Lana Young, executive president of the center, and an enthusiastic staff. The Knights were shown the vehicles, which are fully equipped to meet the needs of the special-needs clients at the center, and given a building tour and program overview. In the top photo, Father Okere asks Ms. Young a question about the vehicles. In the bottom photo are (from left) Mark Zizzo, Vince Cefalu, Father Okere, Ms. Young, Bill Hewitt, Beverly Carmack, Michael Opiela, and Ron Campbell.
After many years of service, two fami lies retired from their regular duties of preparing and serving coffee and doughnuts after Mass on Sundays. The parish is looking for volunteers to fill those slots. If interested, contact Frank Knies at 865-603-6913 or cub sgia@aol.com, or any Knight.
The recent trivia night saw top prizes of $400 go to the “Peaches” (priests and deacons) team, $250 to “The UnIncredibles,” and “$100 to “Pink Freud.” The parish thanked Vinny Dubininkas, Tim King, Marlene Haigh, Chandler Brady, and Emily Knoch for helping make the night possible.
Father Woods sent a letter from Ireland that appeared in the parish bulletin. He is being well-cared-for during his CO VID quarantine, with meals and treats being dropped off at his door. He joins the parish at Mass via livestreaming and enjoys Father Campbell’s style of Anniversaries:preaching.
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The St. Jude Holiday Craft Fair is set for Saturday, Nov. 19. Booth space is limited to the first 45 applications. Call Kyra at 423-870-2386 to learn more or Aftervolunteer.thesummer break, the St. Jude high school youth group’s first gather ing featured a “Neon Launch Party” on Aug. 21 in the school gym. A “Cheers for the Years” social for those 65 and over was held Aug. 27 in the parish life center. St. Jude School began the 2022-23 school year on Aug. 5 and welcomed new first-grade teacher Leigh deMelo, second-grade teacher Karen Labonte, academic dean/school psychologist Cammie Hunt, and cafeteria staffer Summer Hartman.
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n Pat and Sara Tripiciano of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fair field Glade celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Sept. 1. They were married at Holy Trin ity Church in St. Matthews, Ky., with Father Charles C. Boldrick officiating.Theirdaughters are: Tricia Roh of Neenah, Wis.; Paula Kelly of Mooresville, N.C.; Laura Tripi ciano of Sauk Rapids, Minn.; and Monica Burrous of Lafay ette, Colo.; and they have eight grandchildren.Mr.Tripiciano retired from East man Kodak Co. They moved to the Glade in 1997. n
“The Calling,” a Catholic youth lead ership camp for rising ninth- through 12th-grade youth, is scheduled for Sept. 23-25 at Adventure Ocoee Re treat Center, 186 Hawkins Drive in Ocoee, Tenn. The theme is “When God calls you, He will equip you” (Exodus 4:10-15). Youths will form new friend ships with other teens from around the diocese, discover more about the gifts God uniquely gave them, and grow in fundamental skills for mission and leadership.
SEARCH for Christian Maturity Re treat No. 165 is set for Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. SEARCH helps Catholic high school juniors and seniors take a fresh look at their own faith journey, reflect ing on their place within their families, schools, parishes, and community as a disciple of Christ. This is accomplished through activities and experiences that lead participants to a renewed understanding of Christ at work in their lives. SEARCH is facilitated by teens for teens with the guidance of adult SEARCH coordinators. The main focus of the retreat is threefold: motivating the youth to seek a personal relation ship with Christ, getting young people involved with their respective parishes, and promoting leadership. Cost is $95, and the deadline to register is Friday, Sept. 16. Space is limited. Registration forms may be obtained through parish youth ministers or the Notre Dame High School front office, or by visiting https:// dioknox.org/events/search-165. For more information, contact Chattanooga SEARCH coordinators
a free Rachel’s Vineyard healing and re covery retreat the weekend of Oct. 7-9 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center, 250 Locke Lane in Benton, for those experiencing emotional or spiri tual difficulties from a past abortion or
The Haiti Outreach Program fall fundraiser will honor the legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer. The fundraiser will be held on Friday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Ca thedral Hall at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Loune Viaud, managing director at Partners in Health in Haiti and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, is the guest of honor and keynote speaker. Other speakers include Dr. Junior Ba zile, former director of health in Boucan Carré, Haiti, and Dr. Jordan Pyda, who will share his experiences traveling to Haiti as a Knoxville Catholic High School student and how it influenced his life and journey into the medical profession. Volunteers are needed. See more information and register at Haiti Outreach Program of Knoxville, Tenn., https://haitioutreachprogram.org/
St. Stephen Healing Hearts Ministry has tea outing For the August meeting of the St. Stephen Parish Healing Hearts Ministry, they did a little something different and went out to lunch at The Tea Cottage in Chat tanooga. The way the cottage is decorated makes it warm and friendly and made it a perfect place for fellowship. Father Manuel Pérez (foreground, second photo from top), pastor of the Chattanooga parish, initiated this ministry in October 2021.
Damascus Catholic Mis sion is collaborating with the Diocese of Knoxville for this camp and will provide the talks and worship leader. Costs are $100 per youth participant and $75 for adult leaders. Prices include lodg ing, all meals, a T-shirt, and all camp activities (a zip line, a climbing wall, a freefall swing, a low ropes course, an adventure fun mud race, a bonfire, mu sic, speakers, and more).
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Download a flyer at withBrittanyThe%20Calling%20Flyer.pdf.dioknox.org/documents/2022/4/ContactGarciaatbgarcia@dioknox.orgquestions.
The annual RCIA Fall Conference is set for Saturday, Sept. 17, at St. Mary Church in Athens. Mass will begin at 9 a.m., with registration and breakfast to follow at 9:30 and the conference at 10. Sister Moira Debono, RSM, will speak on “The Rites of Christian Initiation That Precede the Easter Vigil,” and Deacon Butch Feldhaus will speak on “Pastoral Concerns in RCIA: Acquiring the Scent of the Flock.” Registration is $10 at the door; lunch is provided. For more in formation, contact Deacon Jim Bello at jbello@dioknox.org.
Calendar (5)HUNTENBURGLIZ Calendar continued on page B7
The next Picture of Love engagedcouples retreat is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation program is a supplement to the couple’s marriage formation with their parish priest or dea con. The Picture of Love marriage-prep aration program for engaged couples explores the joys and challenges of living out the sacrament of matrimony with special focus on the importance of invit ing Jesus to be the center of marriage and family life. The program will help the couple gain insights into their relation ship, as well as give them practical ideas and tools to help smooth their journey and become the “Picture of Love” to one another. The cost is $135 per couple, and the experience will qualify couples for a $60 discount on a Tennes see marriage license. To register and fill out requested exercises, visit Catholicorg/events/picture-of-love-2022.dioknox.Charitiesishosting
Irene Scoggins at 423-596-0053 or irene.scoggins@ gmail.com or Amanda Henderson at 423-458-2401 or stygcleveland@gmail. com.
Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa is having a Retreat on Healing and a healing service Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 8-10. Dr. Carol Razza, international Catholic evangelist, retreat master, and professor at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in West Palm Beach, Fla., will lead the retreat and conclude with a healing service on Saturday. All are welcome to attend. The schedule is: Sept. 8, healing retreat part I, 7 to 9 p.m.; Sept. 9, healing retreat part II, 7 to 9 p.m.; Sept. 10, training for core healing team only, 9 a.m. to noon; and Sept. 10, healing retreat part III, 1 to 2:30 p.m., followed by a healing service from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. To celebrate National Migration Week, a rosary will be prayed in different languages at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Participants will pray that the Blessed Mother will intercede for the physical and spiritual needs of those who are migrants and refu gees. Register at silloingTherosario-multilinguedioknox.org/events/DioceseofKnoxvilleiscelebratthe25thanniversaryoftheCurmovement in East Tennessee this fall. Bishop Richard F. Stika will cel ebrate an anniversary Mass at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. All Cursil listas are invited. Following Mass, there will be a Grand Ultreya and a fiesta in the parish hall. RSVP to Lois Schering at schering4@aol.com or 865-681-7858.
Upper East Tennessee Catholics are invited to a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil Sept. 28 to Nov. 6 at the abortion clinic in Bristol, Va., which has moved from Bristol, Tenn., with the end of legal abortion in Tennessee. A kickoff prayer and info night is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Bridge Church, 50 24th St. in Bristol, Tenn. For more informa tion, e-mail 40daysbristoltn@gmail.com or call Eileen Panasewicz at St. Anne Church in Bristol, Va., at 276-669-8200, extension Registration32.for the World Youth Day diocesan pilgrimage is open. WYD is in summer 2023 in Portugal. Young adults ages 18 to 35 are invited to join the Of fice of Young Adult Ministry for the jour ney. They will be pilgrimaging with Dube Travel from July 28 to Aug. 8, 2023. The package includes round-trip airfare, two nights in Fatima, eight nights in Lisbon, the WYD registration packages, daily breakfast, and more. Visit dioknox.org/ wyd2023 for more details on registra tion, itinerary, pricing, payment plans, and fundraising opportunities. For more information, contact Paola Wolaver at pwolaver@dioknox.org or Brittany Gar cia at bgarcia@dioknox.org.
An Engaged Encounter weekend is set for Oct. 22-23 at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Catholic Engaged En counter is a weekend to plan for a sacramental marriage. It is designed to give couples the opportunity to talk pri vately, honestly, and intensively about their prospective lives together—their strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, and goals, and their attitudes about money, sex, children, family, and their role in the Church and society—in a guided format. Cost of the weekend is $175 per couple, which includes a certificate good for a $60 discount on the couple’s marriage license in Ten nessee. To receive a $60 discount, couples must attend a marriage-prepa ration weekend within one year of pur chasing the license. To learn more or to register for a weekend, visit knoxville. engagedencounter.com or call Leslie Consoli at 865-803-6790.
Glade couples celebrating 50th, 60th wedding anniversaries n St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade sends congratula tions to Michael and Geraldine White, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 19. They were married at Sacred Heart Church in Rockaway, N.J., with Monsignor Emil R. Suchon officiating.Mr.White retired from the Iron worker, Local 5, in Washington, D.C., while Mrs. White retired as the legal secretary at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale, and Dorr in Washington. Mr. and Mrs. White lived in northern Vir ginia for 38 years before coming to Tennessee in May 2008. They will celebrate their wed ding anniversary by attending the wedding of a great-nephew in Monroe, Maine, then will travel along the Maine coast on the re turn trip home to Tennessee.
For the previous 25 years, she’d viewed herself as having only one major task: raising our three girls. “It occurs to me that I’m done.” . . . “Oh, come on, dear, you know you’ll never really be finished. There’s plenty they still need you to do.” “True, but I’m a big hunk of done.”
Daily readings Thursday, Sept. 1: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 5:1-11 Friday, Sept. 2: 1 Corinthians 4:15; Psalm 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40; Luke 5:33-39 Saturday, Sept. 3: Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church, 1 Corinthians 4:6-15; Psalm 145:17-21; Luke 6:1-5 Sunday, Sept. 4: Wisdom 9:13-18; Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33 Monday, Sept. 5: 1 Corinthians 5:18; Psalm 5:5-7, 12; Luke 6:6-11 Tuesday, Sept. 6: 1 Corinthians 6:111; Psalm 149:1-6, 9; Luke 6:12-19 Wednesday, Sept. 7: 1 Corinthians
It was that ugly sort of cry. Prob ably would have been pretty disconcerting to anyone who happened by, though thankfully no oneNancydid. had run down to the store, and there I was. Alone in our ga rage, sitting on one of those minivan bench seats, the one we had tempo rarily removed from the vehicle we had rented. I wasn’t exactly sitting there con templating life as much as I was slumped over and heaving, crying like a Lettingbaby.it out. Nancy and I and the rental van had just returned from delivering Sarah, our youngest, to her first year of college. She was our third and last.Ithought I was going to make it. We’d said our goodbyes, driven our 14 hours, carried in all the luggage, and were doing just fine, thank you. And then she called just to check in.Said she was doing fine, had made it through her first night of dormi tory independence. She was more comfortable with her roommates, liked her room a lot, and loved her meal plan. Not in that order. That’s all it took, and I lost it. Though that moment happened almost 20 years ago, I can recall the garage, the bench seat, and those tears as if it all happened just yesterday.Thedrive was much shorter with our oldest, and I didn’t even make it home, not even close—nearly drowned myself with the tears I was trying to hold in so my wife wouldn’t see. Turns out she’d been doing the same.Ditto our middle child. And she was getting to attend the school of her dreams. Thrilled. Blessed. Ex cited beyond excited. Still, I wept as if we’d taken her to prison and would never see or hear from her again. All these memories have returned because of my social media and the many moms (and a few dads) post ing photos of dropping their own students off. Some for their first year of higher ed, some for the final go-round.Though not yet ready for college, others—including our own daugh ters—have posted pics of their children heading off for their first day of the new school year. Hoping. Praying.Ofthe many boxes of photos we have, I hate to admit we don’t have a single one of any of our kids’ first day of grade school, high school, or college.Thecollege drop-off shots I’ve been seeing are all so happy—plen ty of cute bedspreads and organized desktops, beaming smiles, and lin gering hugs. I’m sure we looked the same.Ican’t help wondering if any of these families’ senior years had been like a couple we’d experienced. With Sarah, I seem to recall I spent a lot of time riding her about her inattention to school and her obses sion with the computer. She said I was way too judgmental and far too impatient.Iwasright; so was she. Like many leaving for school, we knew our child had a wealth of abil ity, but it was a guarded confidence. Even Sarah doubted Sarah. For the last month leading up to the big move, I dreaded the moment we would get in the car to leave for home.Iwasn’t sure if it would be Sarah or Nancy or both, but I knew one of them wasn’t going to make it. There would be tears and plenty of them. Turned out they were mine. I had spent the last two weeks pep-talking both Sarah and her mother.Yes,Sarah, you can do this. Yes, honey, she will be fine. Yes, Sarah, you will love college. Yes, honey, she will be fine. Yes, Sarah, we’ll see you at fall break. Yes, honey, she will be fine. Both had good reason to worry. I wonder how many moms and dads have spent these last few weeks cram-coursing laundry, col ors and whites, hot and cold, dry and don’t you dare?
We don’t need a long life or prosperity
I recall a few years ago when one of our moms appeared at school, her son’s homework in hand. He’d done it, left it on the printer, and called in a panic. “Pleeeeeassseee bring it to me . . . without it I won’t graduate.” Speaking to no one in particular, she offered, “What’s he going to do next year—I can’t go to college with him. I don’t know if he can make it without me.” But with a wry smile, she added, “But I can’t wait to see him try.” With all the contemporary world’s interconnectivity, it’s a far different experience than when I went to col lege. My mom dropped me off, and we wrote a bunch of letters. I knew long-distance phone calls cost more, so I didn’t actually hear her voice again until mid-October. I boldly called “collect” one Sunday evening, and she offered, “George, you don’t have to wait six weeks be fore you call again.” We spoke every Sunday night for the next four years. Our kids, however, called a lot— and we were grateful. We really were. Mostly. It was good to hear about their lives, their classes, their friends, and their shenanigans (the ones they’d share). But they weren’t all happy calls. Meg, our middle daughter, would call, usually late at night— this time the tears were hers—to tell her mom about some guy or some test or some college disaster that had befallen her. Nancy would hang up and say, “George, you’ve got to go up there; she’s just a wreck.” “Honey, it’s 11:30, and she’s 14 hoursNancaway!”would check in the next day, “How you doing, Meg?” “Fine, why do you ask?” “Because you called last night, and I was really worried about you. I even told your father he had to drive up there. I bet I was up half the“Oh,night.”I’m good. We went out and had pizza and everything’s good.” Katy, our oldest, had similar calls. A guy had broken her heart, her bank account broke ours. And I re ally did make the drive to check on her.In the big scheme of life, the whole experience comes close to bordering on the silly. The fear, the dread, the sadness. If you have done it, you know we are blessed to get to participate in this one little arc of the circle of life. Children growing up, children mov ingWeon.should be celebrating, thank ful for the sort of blessings and gifts that make such an experience possible.Moms and dads realizing their children aren’t so much children anymore.Thefinal piece of that story from 20 years ago comes from my wife. Nanc and I were getting adjusted to the empty house when she finally shared her feelings about Sarah’s leaving.Forthe previous 25 years, she’d viewed herself as having only one major task: raising our three girls. “It occurs to me that I’m done,” she lamented. “You’ve had your coaching and your teaching, your students and your staff, and you still do. But this was my job. And now I’m done.” “Oh, come on, dear,” I offered, “you know you’ll never really be finished. There’s plenty they still need you to do.” “True,” she said, “but I’m a big hunk of done.” I was right; so was she. Dear God – They need us more than ever; but mostly, they need you. Please stay as close as you can. Amen. ■ George Valadie is a parishioner at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga.
We only think we plan our lives. This fact struck me once when I was working as a nurse in a pediatric emergency room. A family came in with their infant son, who was ill, not serious ly, but enough to worry his mother. During the assessment the mother revealed that the boy had been conceived and born 10 years after she had had her tubes tied. Well, so much for those plans! Happily, the child was embraced and loved as the gift he was. But the fact is, this child was not planned. The family had no intention of having another child, and they took the most ad vanced methods available to make sure this child never came into be ing. Yet here he was. A not usually so dramatic re minder of this lesson can be thrust upon us when facing an unexpected illness. I’ve been quite ill over the last two months. First, I caught a stomach bug and became terribly dehydrated, requiring three days in the hospital. Next, I caught a severe cold from my granddaughter that knocked me for a loop. Finally, I caught COVID. I was hoping and praying for a mild illness, but it wasn’t meant to be. For two weeks I was in pretty bad shape—no energy, no appetite, horrible cough, aches and pains all over. At first, I seemed to be getting better, then I took a turn for the worse and ended up missing almost two weeks of work. Since mid-June I’ve lost 17 pounds (not that I couldn’t afford to lose 17 more, but I don’t recommend this weight-loss method). One of the worst things about be ing sicker for longer than expected is the feeling that I’m not getting things done. There’s so much to do, but there’s just no energy for it. All that reading and writing I had planned, all the lunches, meetings, and appointments that end up be ing canceled, all the thank-you notes and acknowledgements that need to be sent. Eventually, I reached a point of resignation. It’s just not going to get done, and that’s that. When I reached this point, it was easier to focus on getting better, though there still wasn’t much I could do about it except make sure I stayed hydrated. My thoughts turned to a movie I watched on formed.org about St. Ignatius of Loyola. Many religious movies are too sappy for my taste, but this one isn’t. It’s well done, and I recommend it. In one scene from the movie, St. Ignatius has a discus sion with a man about prayer. He asks what the man prays for. The man says he prays for a long life and prosperity because these are goodIgnatiusthings.reminds him that wealth can be a burden and a long life can become a lonely life. Ignatius rec ommends, instead, to pray for an attitude of indifference—not coldheartedness, but a willingness to ac cept whatever God sends our way: wealth, poverty, long life or short, wellness or illness. The point is to accept whatever God gives us and use it to love and serve Him, that every action we take be done for His glory. Even ailments and mis fortunes can bring us deeper into God’s love, if we embrace them and offer them for His glory. The famous prayer of St. Ignatius sums up this attitude of indiffer ence well: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my un derstanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I re turn it. Everything is yours, do with it what you will. Give me only your love and grace, that is enough for me.JesusAmen.”tells the parable of the rich fool who had a large harvest. The man tore down his barns and built bigger ones. He stored up his great wealth and felt secure for what the future held. But what the future held is that that night his life would be demanded of him. He was pre pared to face the coming years on earth but was unprepared to stand before God in judgment. “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12:21). We don’t need a long life or pros perity. We don’t need good health. We don’t need to be in control of our lives, and, in fact, there are so many things over which we have so little control, it’s futile to think we can plan our lives out with much confidence. What we need are God’s love and grace. These are enough. Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all. ■
THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLICB6 n SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 www.dioknox.org
Readings continued on page B8
Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful by Deacon Bob Hunt
Deacon Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville.
Tears flow when last child goes off to college
Even though that happened 20 years ago, the memory of a daughter moving on remains Praying for Perspective by George Valadie
A long life can become a lonely life, St. Ignatius says—what we need are God’s love and grace
Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City A men’s retreat, themed “Practical Holi ness,” is set for Oct. 7-9 at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory, N.C. Re treatants will learn the practical lessons of St. Francis de Sales on how to grow spiritually even among life’s many de mands. Visit DavidAnniversaries:Billcate;SzalkiewiczFromme,Joewarden;JimcialRave,nandez,Orzechowski,23elected12838AtnominationssistedwithtogetherfrompalachianHolyforconference.org,org/mens-retreat,www.catholicconference.e-mailinfo@catholicorcall828-327-7441moreinformation.Trinityassistedinthe27thApMinistriesoftheSmokiesJuly12-16,as95volunteerscametohelptheelderlyandindigenthomerepairs.Volunteersalsoasinfeedingtheteamsofalldewhohelpedintheministry.theKnightsofColumbusCouncilmeetinginJune,membersnewofficersforthe2022-fraternalyear.TheyareDaveGrandKnight;JimFerdeputyGrandKnight;Bobchancellor;GregForman,finansecretary;ErikPerry,treasurer;Pickering,recorder;RalphHolt,ChrisWeatherbie,lecturer;Frinzi,JoeBraschler,andJosephboardoftrustees;StanandTomWisseman,advoMattGiardiello,insideguard;andJurkonie,outsideguard.BobandDebRave(45),andKarenGaul(35)
“Shrines and Sites, a Pilgrimage to Switzerland,” is set for April 17-27, 2023. Join Father Michael Maples to experience the sacred sites and beauty of Switzerland. The group will have three nights in Lucerne, with stops at Muri Ab bey to celebrate Mass and in Solothurn to visit St. Ursus Cathedral. There will be an excursion by coach to Engelberg Ab bey and then by cable car to the top of Mount Titlis, considered one of Switzer land’s top destinations. Pilgrims will dis cover Europe’s highest train station on a full-day train tour to Jungfraujoch. On arrival, they will view the UNESCO-listed landscape and explore summit attrac tions, such as the Ice Palace and Sphinx Observatory, with views over Aletsch Glacier, Europe’s longest glacier. They will take the scenic Gotthard Panorama Express boat on Lake Lucerne before boarding a train to Lugano, where they will have a two-night stay. A day of sightseeing that includes Santa Maria Degli Angeli Church and a cable-car ride to Monte San Salvatore will follow. The exploration continues with a visit to the Cathedral of Lugano, St. Mary’s, the Rocco Church, San Lorenzo Cathedral, and the Museo D’ Arte. The group will visit the Marian Shrine of Switzerland to see the statue of the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Einsiedeln, and go on to Zurich. Pilgrims will visit St. Gallen Ab bey and Library, the oldest in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A boat ride down the Limmat River under the bridges and a visit to the Fraumunster Church to see the Chagall stained-glass windows will follow. For more informa tion, contact Lisa Morris at 865-5671245 or lisam@select-intl.com.
Parish notes continued from page B4 A 10-session study on “What We Be lieve: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith,” will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. begin ning Monday, Sept. 12, and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, both in Seton Hall. To sign up, visit forms. gle/UHRZdjKg9HtqeZaK8. If you have questions, contact Sister Elizabeth Wanyoike at srelizabeth@sjnknox.org.
Notre Dame, Greeneville Anniversaries: Eugene and Ruth DuBois (67), Robert and Cynthia Straub (54), Gary and Roberta Greenway (50) St. Patrick, Morristown The parish recently introduced new director of religious education Marivel Villa and new communication coordina tor Kerilyn Jones.
The Knights of Columbus and the Boy Scouts will retire American flags at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at Troop 91 headquarters at First Methodist Church on East 2nd North Street in Morristown.
congratulated the Houbre family as family of the month for July. Ken and son David Houbre are both members of Council 645. Ken’s wife, Debbie, is a longtime teacher at St. Jo seph School in Knoxville. The Knight of the month for July is Danny Lane
The Knights prepared a traditional full breakfast after each Mass on Aug. 28. IC’s youth ministry held an end-of-sum mer cookout Aug. 24 featuring food and games such as pickleball, disc golf, and basketball. The 2022-23 religious-educa tion year kicked off the week of Sept. 4.
The feast day of Knights founder Blessed Michael McGivney was Aug. 13. Since IC’s Irish Fest was held that day the Knights celebrated with a Corporate Communion on Aug. 20 so that members could gather together with family and friends and share the Eucharist.
The parish continues to collect items to be placed in a “Bag of Blessings” that will be given to the homeless in Knoxville. To date, 1,024 bags of blessings have been donated. St. John XXIII, Knoxville The parish began a book study on “Jesus as Bridegroom” by Dr. Brant Pitre on Aug. 18. For more information, contact Charles Jones at cbjones2@gmail.com.
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St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville Knights of Columbus Council 15585 has received the distinction of Star Council, the international organization’s highest award for council achievement. The award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of membership, promotion of insurance benefits, sponsorship of faith-formation programs, and service-oriented activities.
Pastor Father Julius Abuh, on behalf of the parish and its children, extended his thanks to Mario Coronilla for purchasing, installing, and painting the new window in the education building.
A newcomers adult social and barbe cue buffet was held Aug. 20 in Farragut, hosted by the SJN welcome committee. Recently, the St. Vincent de Paul Con ference at St. John Neumann received $1,220 in Knox Area Rescue Ministries gift cards. This resulted from 388 dona tions to KARM by SJN parishioners in the previous three months.
The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byz antine) Catholic Mission located at 2304 Ault Road, Knoxville, TN 37914, meets for Divine Liturgy every first, second, and fourth Sunday at 1:30 p.m. All ser vices are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-621-8499 or visit morefacebook.com/SaintThomasKnoxville/www.fordetails.
THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 n B7www.dioknox.org
The whole gang The more than 70 participants and instructors at the Sacred Music Weekend at Holy Ghost Church gather for a picture on July 30.
Anniversary: John and Susan Reiner (50) n B5
single Roman Missal in every single parish around the world, and yet most people are unfamiliar with it or have never been introduced to it. This workshop is meant to open the doors to the wonderful and deep richness of the sacred music tradi tion of the Church.” Sarah Harson of St. Mary Magda lene Church in Simpsonville, S.C., attended the weekend for the sec ond“I’mtime.adirector of music. I found this group last year and found that they were much more true to what we are called to do as music minis ters and as pastoral musicians in the Catholic Church, much more in line with that than most other associa tions,” she said. “I have just been excited to be around like-minded people who are pushing liturgy to be what it’s meant to be and not what it’s become out of cultural ap propriation and whatever else.” Holy Ghost Church, with its 1920s architecture and stained-glass win abortions. Complete confidentiality is honored at all times. If you are unable to attend a weekend retreat, one-on-one counseling is available with counselors who have been trained in this area. For more information, contact Sandi David son at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ccetn. Theorg. next Worldwide Marriage Encoun ter weekends are set for Sept. 9-11 and Nov. 11-13 at the Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta North in Johns Creek, Ga. Apply online at GATN-wwme.org, call 678-242-WWME, or e-mail applica tions@GATN-wwme.org. Also, WWME has a focused program for couples with a spouse in the military. Information can be found at www.foryourmilitarymar Fatherriage.com.Bill McNeeley of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville will be the spiritual director for a pilgrimage to Ireland from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8. Pilgrims will visit Dublin, Wicklow, Glendalough, Tipper ary, the Rock of Cashel, Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Shannon, the Cliffs of Mo her, Corcomroe Abbey, Galway, Corrib Lake, Clonmacnoise, and Knock. Cost is $3,759 per person from Knoxville. For more information, visit www.pilgrimages. com/frmcneeley.
Anniversaries: John and Marlene Kar wowski (59), Theodore and Theresa Dreiser (54), Bill and Amie Whitworth (20) Smoky Mountain Deanery Immaculate Conception, Knoxville Knights of Columbus Council 645 has received the distinction of Star Council, the international organization’s top award for local councils. The award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of mem bership, promotion of fraternal insurance benefits, sponsorship of faith-formation programs, and service-oriented activi ties. The council’s bicycle program also won it the District Deputy Award for best Theprogram.Knights
A pilgrimage to Greece, including a four-day Aegean cruise, is set for Sept. 18-29, 2023. Join Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk “In the Footsteps of St. Paul” as pilgrims visit the places where St. Paul preached the Gospel—Thessaloniki, Philippi, Corinth, and Athens—and visit the Meteora Monasteries. The Aegean cruise stops on the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, and Patmos and will also visit the ancient city of Ephesus, featuring some of the most magnificent excavations in the world, and visit Mary’s house. Contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com. Mass in the extraordinary form (“tradi tional Latin”) is celebrated at noon each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knox ville; every Sunday at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Athens; at 2 p.m. each Sunday at St. Mary Church in Johnson City; at 6 p.m. most Thursdays at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge; and at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. For more informa tion, visit www.KnoxLatinMass.net.
Join Father Mike Nolan on a pilgrimage to Northern Ireland and Scotland from June 12-23, 2023, and visit St. Patrick’s Church in Armagh and his gravesite in Downpatrick. Pilgrims will stop in Glenarm and Ballycastle and drive the Causeway Coastal Route. They will experience the beauty of Giant’s Cause way and stay two nights in a beautiful coastal town before visiting Belfast, where they will have the opportunity to see the Peace Wall and visit the Titanic Belfast Exhibit, St. George’s Market, and more. The group will then take a ferry to Scotland, visiting Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.
The Knights of Columbus’ annual yard sale will be held Sept. 9-10 (Sept. 8 for parishioners only), with proceeds supporting their many Monroe County charities. All items that are clean and in working order will be welcomed. Call Ed Harless at 423-884-2575 or Dan Callan at 423-807-6118 for more information.
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WEAVERC.MARYOFCOURTESY Sacred music continued from page B2 Sacred music continued on page B8
The Knights of Columbus lead a rosary every Saturday at 4 p.m. in the church.
St. John Neumann’s second annual fall festival, “Harvesting for Him,” is planned for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2. The event features a Saturday morning Mustang Miler 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on the greenway. That night, there will be a chili cook-off sponsored by the women’s club. On Sunday afternoon, the parish will have inflat able games, a kickball tournament for grownups and kids/mixed teams, food trucks and beer and wine sales, and a Knights of Columbus soccer kick chal lenge. Register for the 5K and fun run at sjnknox.org/run. To volunteer for a shift or two for the race and/or Sun day’s event, visit bit.ly/3JVKHEf.
It reminds me of the church that I was baptized in in Massachusetts, with the side altars and ev erything so holy. It just draws your attention to God. “That helps with the music: It helps, because it’s part of the beauty and the cohesiveness of what we’re doing. Worshiping God—that’s our primary job here.”
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THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLICB8 n SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 www.dioknox.org dows, “is beautiful,” Ms. Harson said. “They have a lot better acoustics than we do. It looks more like a church. We kind of have that ’70s living room Catholic church. [Holy Ghost] has got a nice acoustic, not too much reverb—it’s justMs.enough.”Harson learned several things at the Sacred Music Weekend. “I think a lot of the things for me here are just remembering that I am in a good place,” she said. “I hear some of the stories of some of the troubles people have at their parishes, their small numbers, and we’re really blessed to have a flourishing parish still and two young vicars who are very encouraging in pushing the liturgy toward where it needs to go. Even though we’re nowhere near where we need to be, I think I take away from this mostly just to be grateful for the progress we’ve made and to continue making it—that encouragement comes from this.”
Paulette Croteau, a cantor at St. Mary Parish in Athens, was among those from the Diocese of Knoxville attending the weekend. “I sang Gregorian chant as a young girl in high school and thought I could do this, and I found out it’s all new,” she said. “I never learned the rubrics of what I was doing, so this has been exciting and uplifting for me. I’ve learned that the Gregorian chant was never really canceled out, and I’m excited about that because I want to bring that back to my parish.” She is also a fan of Holy Ghost Church. “I love it. I love the spirit,” she said. “I love the ability to come here and worship with reverence.
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Preaching the homily Father Robert Pasley, KCHS, was the keynote speaker at the Sacred Music Weekend and celebrated Mass on the second and final day of the event July 30. 7:25-31; Psalm 45:11-12, 14-17; Luke 6:20-26 Thursday, Sept. 8: Feast of the Na tivity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Micah 5:1-4; Psalm 13:6; Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 Friday, Sept. 9: Memorial of St. Peter Claver, priest, 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27; Psalm 84:3-6, 12; Luke 6:39-42 Saturday, Sept. 10: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Psalm 116:12-13, 17-18; Luke 6:43-49 Sunday, Sept. 11: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32 Monday, Sept. 12: 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33; Psalm 40:7-10, 17; Luke 7:1-10 Tuesday, Sept. 13: Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, bishop and doc tor of the Church, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31; Psalm 100:1-5; Luke 7:11-17 Wednesday, Sept. 14: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Num bers 21:4-9; Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38; Phi lippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 Thursday, Sept. 15: Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 28; John 19:25-27 Friday, Sept. 16: Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bish op, martyrs, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Psalm 17:1, 6-8, 15; Luke 8:1-3 Saturday, Sept. 17: 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49; Psalm 56:10-14; Luke 8:4-15 Sunday, Sept. 18: Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113:1-2, 4-8; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13 Monday, Sept. 19: Proverbs 3:27-34; Psalm 15:2-5; Luke 8:16-18 Tuesday, Sept. 20: Memorial of Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and compan ions, martyrs, Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13; Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44; Luke 8:19-21 Wednesday, Sept. 21: Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and evangelist, Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Psalm 19:2-5; Matthew 9:9-13 Thursday, Sept. 22: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17; Luke 9:7-9 Friday, Sept. 23: Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, priest, Ecclesi astes 3:1-11; Psalm 144:1-4; Luke 9:18-22 Saturday, Sept. 24: Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8; Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17; Luke 9:43-45 Sunday, Sept. 25: Amos 6:1, 4-7; Psalm 146:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31 Monday, Sept. 26: Job 1:6-22; Psalm 17:1-3, 6-7; Luke 9:46-50 Tuesday, Sept. 27: Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, priest, Job 3:1-3, 1117, 20-23; Psalm 88:2-8; Luke 9:51-56 Wednesday, Sept. 28: Job 9:1-12, 1416; Psalm 88:10-15; Luke 9:57-62 Thursday, Sept. 29: Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, arch angels, Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 138:1-5; John 1:47-51 Friday, Sept. 30: Memorial of St. Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church, Job 38:1, 12-21 and 40:3-5; Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14; Luke 10:13-16 n
Parish and community news
St. Thomas CCW makes ‘Bags of Love’ for children Council helps Child Advocacy Center with kids who have been removed from their homes or abused
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By Donna Curry
THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 n B9www.dioknox.org
St. Henry Knights install new officers Knights of Columbus Council 8860 of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville held an officer-installation ceremony Aug. 10. Following the installation ceremony, a din ner was served in the parish hall for the newly installed officers and guests. Past Grand Knight and current third trustee Bill Hewitt is pictured at far left. On the front row (from left) are Patrick Knopp, advocate substitute; Jim Egbert, first trustee; Grand Knight Bob McDaniel; deputy Grand Knight Forest Wylie; Timo thy Salvalaggio, outside guard substitute; and Pete Missi, chancellor. In back are (from left) Vince Cefalu, lecturer substitute; Michael Opiela, financial secretary; Stephen Derosia, second trustee; Ron Campbell, treasurer; Beverly Carmack, war den; Steve Lowe, recorder substitute; Jesus Velasco, inside guard; and Father Bart Okere, St. Henry pastor, council chaplain and state Knights chaplain.
The Knights of Columbus of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville held a pulledpork fundraiser Aug. 12 for the refu gees of Ukraine. The event began Friday morning when several of the Knights came together and got their slow cookers going. Several pork roasts were prepared along with a special home made barbecue sauce. The slow cooking was done in the parish hall so that guests were greeted with the smells of the cooking roasts as they entered. No pulled-pork dinner would be complete without the sides of coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans (most of which were do nated by local Knights and their families). The dinner was topped off with homemade desserts. In total, 119 guests attended the event.Asilent auction was held in conjunction with the dinner. In the auction, there were Christmas items, gift baskets, and many gift certificates donated by local area businesses. After finishing their meal, many guests stayed to socialize and bid on the items in the silent Overall,auction.theevent was a success. Council 6784 raised more than $3,300 to aid those in need.Itis estimated that there are more than 12 million people displaced from their homes in Ukraine. Millions have fled the country to seek safety. The Knights of Columbus of Poland and Eastern Europe have been there to provide aid to many of those refugees. The Knights of Columbus of the United States and all over the world are supporting them. To date, the Knights of Columbus have raised nearly $19 million to supply food, clothing, shelter, and religious items to those refugees through the Ukraine Solidarity Fund.Council 6784 thanks all those who sup ported and attended the dinner.
Notre Dame Parish Knights hold fundraiser for Ukraine refugees
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Making a difference From left, Eleanor Salchak, Virginia Zorovich, and Allis Hanley hold their “Bags of Love.”
That’s where the Council of Catholic Women at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City comes in. For the past six years, the STCCW has made an average of 12 “Bags of Love” for the CAC per year, and this year they have already made 29 bags. This project began in fall 2015 as the council participated in a Na tional Council of Catholic Women project and has continued each year since. The CAC reaches out to the STCCW, especially before Christmas, asking for a number of handmade bags that include a small stuffed animal and an age-appro priate book, toy, or game. Often the CAC requests larger bags at Christ mas so they can fill them with gifts for the Accordingchildren.totheir Child Abuse Survivors and Victims Served Dur ing 2021 Annual Report, that year they interviewed more than 300 children, and around 70 percent were under 12 years of age. Annual reports show these numbers have been consistent over the past years and indicate the critical need for the services provided by the CAC—and the need to support them through the Bags of Love project. The STCCW asks for donations of fabric, books, toys, or stuffed animals from its members. The bags are usually the size of large pillowcases with a pocket on the outside and a drawstring at the top. They are made from sturdy, color ful material appropriate for boys or girls and some seasonal material for Christmas.AllisHanley, chair of the STCCW Bags of Love project, has made a pattern for the bags so even the most inexperienced seamstress can make“Thethem.women of the CCW at St. Thomas enjoy performing this cor poral work of mercy for the children served by the CAC,” Ms. Hanley said. “Although many women make their bags at home, we have also had ‘sewing bees’ where several of us bring our machines and enjoy fel lowship while sewing.” At the sewing bees they have made as many as 15 bags at one time.Chris Evans-Longmire, director of the CAC, expressed thanks for the STCCW“Thankservice.youfor continuing to sup port this ministry. We truly appreci ate it, and it’s so nice to place items in your handmade bags for children at Christmas. Also, when children are placed in foster care and come to the CAC for a forensic interview, we use the bags to place additional donations in for the kids. Most of the foster-care kids leave a home with their things literally in a trash bag, and that is unacceptable, so we use your handmade bags for that purpose,Althoughtoo.”the STCCW doesn’t get to meet the children or see their reaction to these bags, the CAC lets the council know what a dif ference it is making in the lives of these children when they are most vulnerable. That’s what service is all about—making a difference.
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The Kids First Child Advo cacy Center (CAC) of Loudon County has just celebrated its 20th anniversary of giving hope— serving children who have been re moved from their homes as a result of exposure to methadone or who have been abused or neglected. Often these children arrive at the CAC and then travel from foster home to foster home with no way to carry their personal belongings.
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Vocations day held at St. Joseph School
Ad Altare Dei awards presented at St. Dominic Three Scouts received their Ad Altare Dei award in a ceremony June 26 at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport. The Scouts from left are Nathan Browning, Ryan Lick, Scoutmaster Julieann White, and Ryan Moncla, with their parents behind.
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KCHS kicker commits to Vanderbilt Knoxville Catholic High School senior place kicker Brock Taylor committed Aug. 8 to play football at Vanderbilt University. Brock, who went 6-for-8 on field goals and 35-for-35 on extra points last season for the Fighting Irish, is regarded as one of the best kickers in the nation.
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Notre Dame holds summer alumni events, golf tournament Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga held its All Class Bash on July 22, consisting of alumni reunion weekends; its Golden Graduates Brunch on July 23 honoring graduates who have celebrated their 50th (and up) reunions; and its Irish Classic Golf Tournament on July 22 at Bear Trace Golf Course. In the All Class Bash photo (top) are (from left) Alaina Marinell of the class of 2010, David Jabaley (‘79), Monica Blanton (‘79), and Richard Powell (‘09). In the middle photo, at the Golden Grad Brunch, interim head of school Deacon Hicks Armor presents Mar garet Hubbuch (‘47) with a pin signifying the diamond anniversary of her high school graduating class. The golf tournament field included (bottom photo, from left) Tim Gaddis (‘76), Steve Smith, Mike Smith, and Larry Harwood (‘76).
The Diocese of Knoxville Office of Vocations, in conjunction with Holy Ghost Par ish, Christine Blair, Misty Weber, Zoe Ballew, and Teresa Mondello, organized a vocations day on Aug. 20 at St. Joseph School in Knoxville. Ten religious orders and organizations were represented at the event, which was open to the public and intended to educate anyone interested in vocations about the different religious orders and organizations active within the Diocese of Knoxville and the region. In the top photo, Father Michael Hendershott, associate pastor of Holy Ghost, has a conversation with young people exploring vocations. In the second photo, booths were set up for people to receive information. In the third photo, two Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation engage with a visitor. In the bottom photo, Dot Terheyden, OCDS, of the Secular Discalced Carmelites talks with a young girl. Ms. Terheyden is a parishioner of St. Therese in Clinton.
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Knoxville Catholic class of 1967 reunites Knoxville Catholic High School’s class of 1967 recently celebrated its 55-year reunion. Above are (from left) George Howard, Bob Petrone, and Guy Smith IV.
THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLICB10 n SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 www.dioknox.org Catholic youth
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