Sept. 3, 2023, ET Catholic, A section

Faith like Mary 's

The East Tennessee Catholic

Parishioners in all four Diocese of Knoxville deaneries met Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and listened as he shared the Gospel and his outlook for the Catholic Church in East Tennessee during the week of Aug. 14, when he celebrated Masses at St. Jude, St. Dominic, All Saints, Holy Ghost, and St. John Neumann churches, and visited Alexian Village residents in Signal Mountain.

The archbishop also visited three diocesan schools: Notre Dame High School and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga and Knoxville Catholic High School.

It was the archbishop’s first sojourn into the heart of the diocese since he was named its apostolic administrator by Pope Francis following the June retirement of Bishop Emeritus Richard F. Stika.

Archbishop Fabre, who was received by robust congregations around East Tennessee, has made regular visits to the Chancery in Knoxville since June 27, when Bishop Stika stepped down, but the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Louisville had celebrated Mass only at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (on June 28) until last month.

The theme of Archbishop Fabre’s homilies throughout his four-day tour of parishes and schools was the need for the faithful to listen to God’s will, a timely message as the diocese awaits the appointment of a new bishop. And he highlighted Mary to illus-

trate the absolute faith that underpins Catholics.

In reviewing his visits across East Tennessee, Archbishop Fabre said, “I found great welcome. I found great, great faith. I found people who are looking forward to what God is doing now and

what God will do in the future for this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville.”

“I have to say that, for the most part, I found what I expected,” the archbishop noted. “I found people who are solid in their faith, people who want to accomplish God’s will, people who love this

Archbishop Fabre asks faithful to steadfastly believe in God’ s will Driving

the mission

By Bill Brewer

There are a variety of ministries in which lay Catholics serve the Church.

But when Mary Serbin and Randy Perrault answered the call, God had a slightly different path in mind for them. It’s a route marked by Interstates 40 and 75 and byways leading to rural destinations like Crab Orchard, Washburn, Decatur, and Helenwood.

Mrs. Serbin and Mr. Perrault are now truck drivers for the Lord, extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to East Tennessee.

To be specific, they are two of the newest drivers for the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, which relies on specially trained and licensed operators to get the 40-foot-long, diesel doctor’s office on eight wheels and three axles to the sites it serves.

The mobile medical clinic is a Diocese of Knoxville ministry that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It provides free health care for people in East Tennessee, mainly in rural areas, who are without health insurance. Many, if not most, of the clinic’s patients are not Catholic.

The mobile clinic is staffed by

a physician who serves as medical director, an executive director who manages the ministry, and a few employees who take care of the daily clinic needs. But the ones who really make the clinic go are the team of volunteers who staff the clinic at each of the eight

locations served.

Martin Vargas, executive director of the clinic, several months ago identified drivers as a crucial need, without whom the clinic would be unable to leave its garage. Mr. Vargas and Brianna Vinyard, SMLC volunteer coor-

dinator, set out to recruit drivers and get them enrolled in a program where they could earn a commercial driver license (CDL), which is required to operate the large van.

Covering the cost of driver

Driving the mission Randy Perrault and Mary Serbin, left, with the St. Mary's Legacy Clinic, are the mobile clinic's newest volunteer drivers after completing a truck driver-training course at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville and receiving their commercial driver licenses. Their instructor, Daniel Longmire, is at right.

We believe Above: Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre celebrates Mass for the Five Rivers Deanery on Aug. 15 at St. Dominic Church. Archbishop Fabre celebrated Masses in all four Diocese of Knoxville deaneries the week of Aug. 14. Right: Archbishop Fabre, holding his crosier, prays as Mass begins at St. John Neumann Church for the Cumberland Mountain Deanery.

Pope: Synod on Synodality ‘truly important’

Holy Father acknowledges synod ‘of little interest to the general public’

By Courtney Mares Catholic News Agency

Pope Francis acknowledged recently that the upcoming Synod on Synodality may be “of little interest to the general public” but underlined that the synod is “truly important” for the Catholic Church.

“I am well aware that speaking of a ‘Synod on Synodality’ may seem something abstruse, selfreferential, excessively technical, and of little interest to the general public,” Pope Francis said on Aug. 26.

“But what has happened over the past year, which will continue with the assembly [in] October and then with the second stage of Synod 2024, is something truly important for the Church.”

The pope spoke about the significance of the synod nearly one month ahead of the first global Synod on Synodality assembly taking place at the Vatican Oct.

Regina

4–28.

It is the first of two assemblies that culminate the Church’s multiyear, worldwide undertaking during which Catholics were asked to submit feedback at diocesan, national, and continental

levels.

“We have opened our doors, we have offered everyone the opportunity to participate, we have taken into account everyone’s needs and suggestions. We want to contribute together to build the

Church where everyone feels at home, where no one is excluded,” Pope Francis said.

“That word of the Gospel that is so important: everyone. Everyone, everyone: There are no first-, second- or third-class Catholics, no. All together. Everyone. It is the Lord’s invitation.”

The pope underlined that the Church needs to “get used to listening to each other, to talking, not cutting our heads off for a word” and “to listen and discuss in a mature way.”

“This is a grace we all need in order to move forward. And it is something the Church today offers the world, a world so often so incapable of making decisions, even when our very survival is at stake,” he said.

“We are trying to learn a new way of living relationships, listening to one another to hear and follow the voice of the Spirit.”

To explain the significance of

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

The Diocese of Knoxville has implemented the CMG Connect platform to administer the Safe Environment Program, which replaces the former Safe Environment Program (VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children”).

element of the Safe Environment Program

The Handmaids of the Precious Blood in 2022 celebrated their Diamond Jubilee: 75 years since their founding in 1947; 75 years of prayer and sacrifice for priests. Did you know you can receive weekly cartoons and short reflections and news from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood? Visit their website, nunsforpriests.org, and sign up for the FIAT newsletter.

September Prayer Intention

Pope

DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING SEXUAL ABUSE

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such information to the appropriate civil authorities rst, then to the McNabb Center victim's assistance coordinator, 865.321.9080.

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

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

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

Education is a key

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

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

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

The CMG Connect

WATCH UPDATES DioKnoxTV

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 ■

> CONTACT US AT 865.584.3307 OR bbrewer @ dioknox.org.

> FIND US AT dioknox.org.

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

PUBLISHER

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Jim Wogan jwogan@dioknox.org

DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCER Emily Booker ebooker@dioknox.org

EDITOR Bill Brewer bbrewer@dioknox.org

ASSISTANT EDITOR Dan McWilliams dan@dioknox.org

MULTIMEDIA REPORTER Gabrielle Nolan gnolan@dioknox.org

CONTACT US 865.584.3307 VISIT US ONLINE dioknox.org | etcatholic.org

“We pray for those persons living on the margins of society, in inhumane life conditions; may they not be overlooked by institutions and never considered of lesser importance.”

Francis

Sr.

© 2023 Handmaids of the Precious Blood

Papal networking Pope Francis meets with the International Catholic Legislators Network at the Vatican on Aug. 26.

Pope continued on page A19

A

Too much morphine?

closer look at Church teaching on palliative sedation while approaching death

By Father Tad Pacholczyk

Because suffering almost always imposes itself on us during life, and especially at the end of life, it can be helpful to reflect on the need to accept some personal suffering as we die, even as we recognize the importance of palliative steps and other comfort measures.

In the last week of life, more than 90 percent of patients require medical management of symptoms such as pain, nausea, delirium, spasmodic contractions of muscles, vomiting, hallucinations, or generalized agitation.

Many of these symptoms can be addressed with medication, and serious pain can often be managed with powerful opioids like morphine or fentanyl. These remarkable drugs, however, call for discernment in their use because at higher dosages, they can limit mental clarity and induce an extended semidreamland state as death approaches.

The U.S. Catholic bishops offer an important observation about participating in our own dying process in their Ethical and Religious Directives. “Since a person has the right to prepare for his or her death while fully conscious,” it says, “he or she should not be deprived of consciousness without a compelling reason.”

In some cases, the harsh symptoms associated with dying may prove refractory to treatments, prompting physicians to consider, during a patient’s final stretch of days, the possibility of a globalized form of sedation known as “palliative sedation.”

This approach, which relies on the monitored use of sedatives, barbiturates, neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, or other anesthetic medications, entirely deprives the patient of consciousness as he or she enters into a deep comatose state until death. One concern is that the reception of the sacraments, whether confession, the anointing of the sick, or the Eucharist/Viaticum becomes problematic for an unconscious person.

This purposeful and complete shutting down of consciousness also raises broader ethical and spiritual concerns about categorically precluding participation in one’s death, as well as the last days of life.

While for some dying patients, severe pain can almost entirely preclude their ability to

think, once the intensity of their pain has been moderated, the possibility of reflection returns, as the mind no longer focuses on mere survival. Medications can thus be helpful to dying patients by keeping the harmful effects of pain within narrower limits. The decision, however, definitively to shut down, through palliative sedation, that very faculty by which we exercise the conscious “parenting of our actions” surely requires the gravest of motives.

St. John Paul II once remarked that the meaning of suffering has been revealed to man in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Church has indeed ascribed a certain primacy to the way He endured and sanctified the sorrowful and painful events surrounding His crucifixion, even before His preaching and teaching, or His healing and forgiving. Through those final sufferings, Jesus brought about the redemption of humanity and the entirety of creation.

Paradoxically, His redemptive activity upon the gibbet of the cross was pre-eminently an inward, internalized movement of His will. Since He could not so much as budge a limb, His chief action and motion upon the cross was the surrender of His innermost being, embracing and assenting fully to God the Father’s designs. His example reminds us how the movement from external activity to the acceptance of God’s will, from outward action in the world to inward activity of the soul, is one of the most important spiritual steps we can take during our life’s journey.

When Christians speak of “the value of redemptive suffering,” they are hinting at how, even in the midst of great personal suffering, human activity can be reoriented from that corporal, outward-looking glance to an inward, spiritually directed transcendence.

The inward movement of our being in our final days and hours can involve a kind of transformation or conversion, sometimes quite dramatic, as in the case of the good thief. It can involve a contemplative internal -

ization of the mysteries of human existence, a stripping away of everything, and a period of “rending naked” the soul.

That’s why it is so important for us not to be entirely deprived of our consciousness except for the most extreme reasons. That’s why it’s so important for us to be prepared to learn how to endure some pain so that we can more fully cooperate with the redemptive meaning of suffering.

Our concluding time on earth may thus serve an important role in our own eschatological fulfillment. Our last days and hours can also powerfully affect the course of that fulfillment in others around us, as occurred in the lives of various bystanders on that historic day on Calvary.

When we find ourselves nailed to our hospital bed, it can become an important personal moment for us to engage the possibility of a spiritual transformation opening before us, as we pass through the pains of childbirth to the joy of new life (John 16:21).

Appropriate use of pain medication

To help people navigate some of the complex decisions involved in end-of-life situations, the National Catholic Bioethics Center offers a free and confidential consultation service via e-mail or phone. The center is often asked about the appropriate use of morphine and other opioids. Family members may be understandably concerned about the potential for overdosing their loved ones, as hospice workers appear to “ramp up” the morphine rapidly, especially in the last few hours of life.

What principles can guide us in the appropriate use of morphine near the end of life? It can be helpful to summarize a few key points here.

Morphine and other opioids can be very useful—indeed, invaluable—in controlling pain and reducing suffering for many patients near the end of life. Morphine also is used to alleviate anxiety and labored breathing. Opioids are highly effective pain management tools in the tool box of palliative care and hospice specialists. These drugs need to be used carefully, since very high doses are capable of suppressing a patient’s ability to breathe, which can lead to death.

Catholic media use by the faithful is on the upswing

By Greg Erlandson OSV News

The good news today is that Catholics are still reading, listening to, and watching Catholic materials. The better news is that the numbers who are reading, listening, and watching are rising. The bad news is that it isn’t everybody.

Catholic statistics of all sorts have been trending downward for years, highlighting a frustrating decline in sacramental practice and attendance.

Only 21 percent of Catholics are attending Mass weekly or more. In fact, 53 percent of self-identified Catholics go to Mass only a few times a year or not at all.

Yet a new survey by the premier Catholic research institution known familiarly as CARA (the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) shows that Catholics are accessing Catholic materials at a significantly higher rate than when the survey was last taken in 2011.

Here is some of what the CARA survey is telling us:

n Watching religious or spiritual video content nearly doubled from 24 percent in 2011 to 45 percent in 2023. (Thank you, “Chosen.”)

n Listening to religious or spiritual audio content more than doubled from 13 percent to 29 percent. (Thank you, Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmitz.)

n Reading a print or e-version of a religious or spiritual book also jumped, as did the purchasing of these materials. (Thank you, Catholic publishers for hanging in there!)

When it comes to newspapers, the numbers are also heartening. The reading of print copies of magazines or newspapers has stayed flat at 18 percent, but reading a newspaper or magazine online jumped from 3 percent to 13 percent.

A total of 21 percent get information about the Catholic Church from print or online newspapers. Only parish bulletins or word of mouth rank higher.

For all the chancery naysayers who repeat the cliché that print is dead and urge the killing of the newspaper or

magazine to save money, the survey may be a disappointment. But for Church leaders committed to keeping Catholics both inspired and informed, it is validation that a combined approach to communications remains the recipe: Print plus online plus social media.

The survey also underscores a fact often missing when talking about the cost of a diocesan publication. The most faithful and dedicated Catholics read and rely on them.

CARA found that 62 percent of weekly Mass attenders believe the print version of their diocesan newspaper or magazine is an essential part of how the diocese communicates.

Sixty percent of monthly Mass attenders re-

sponded similarly. And

“54 percent of weekly attenders agree that they would be upset by any suggestion that their diocese stop producing a print version of its publication. Fifty-three percent of monthly attenders responded as such,” the CARA report said. Only 55 percent of Catholics regularly contribute to the parish offertory collection. While CARA did not specifically ask this question, my guess is that the largest percentage of those donors would be those weekly attendees and media readers.

The survey recognizes that there are a wide range of Catholic communication efforts, from websites, social media, and blogs, to television, radio, video, print, and online. The number of Catholics actively practicing their faith may be in slow decline, but those who are committed are relying now more than ever on Catholic media.

The takeaways are this: Church leaders should want to be in the game, not standing on the sidelines while others control the messaging. And they should also want to be committed to providing resources of high quality because it maintains their connection with their most committed parishioners. This isn’t their only audience, and newspapers and magazines are not their only tools, but they remain essential in a world where secular mass communications are becoming more sophisticated and, too often, more manipulative.

When weighing the cost of their media efforts, dioceses should make sure the mission value of these investments makes it into their spreadsheets as well ■

Greg Erlandson is an award-winning Catholic publisher, editor, and journalist whose column appears monthly at OSV News. Follow him on Twitter @ GregErlandson

Fr. Pacholczyk

Mr. Erlandson

In praise of Catholic media Varied sources of Catholic media are depicted in a collage featuring (clockwise from left) print publications, including "The East Tennessee Catholic" (Tyler Orsburn, CNS), Sister Josephine Garrett, (courtesy Sister Josephine Garrett), a scene from "The Chosen" television series (courtesy Vidangel Studios), Bishop Robert Barron (Bob Roller), and Father Mike Schmitz (courtesy Ascension). (OSV News photo files).

‘Share the love of God with others ’

Diocese

facilitates

By Gabrielle Nolan

The diocesan office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry led a pilgrimage Aug. 4-6 to Washington, D.C., for 20 young adults in conjunction with World Youth Day, an international event that occurs about every three years to bring together young people from around the world for prayer with the pope.

World Youth Day was held Aug. 1-6 in Lisbon, Portugal, gathering more than a million pilgrims.

The Diocese of Knoxville received a $4,000 grant from Catholic Home Missions to be used toward World Youth Day endeavors in mission dioceses.

Luis Garcia, a member of St. Patrick Parish in Morristown, said he “felt a connection… even

World Youth Day pilgrimage to D.C. for young adults

sent trying to connect with other young adults.”

Mr. Garcia was inspired to go on the pilgrimage because of “young adults still fighting for the love of God.”

“That’s what I love to see,” he continued. “I love seeing young people who are still wanting to see God’s love in this world.”

The theme of the event came from Luke 1:39, “Mary arose and went with haste.” The pilgrims were invited to reflect on the passage of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth throughout the weekend.

Transitional Deacon Daniel Herman served as the chaplain for the pilgrimage.

though we didn’t go to Portugal.

I felt like the connection was still present as if we were in Portu-

gal. As a first-timer, I feel like this has opened my eyes in how many young adults are still pre-

“Instead of being more concerned about my spiritual growth and about my journey and about my pilgrimage, I’ve been tasked with facilitating a pilgrimage for

Pope: Youth attended WYD to encounter Christ Holy Father said pilgrims showed the world faith can lead to peace

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

In a world suffering from “diseases of the soul,” like pride, hatred, and violence, the young people who traveled to Portugal for World Youth Day showed that another way of living and interacting is possible, Pope Francis said.

World Youth Day was not a vacation, but “an encounter with the living Christ in the Church. The young people went to encounter Christ,” the pope said Aug. 9 at his weekly general audience.

Restarting the Wednesday appointments after a monthlong summer break, Pope Francis used his main audience talk to share some reflections on his Aug. 2-6 trip to Fátima and Lisbon for World Youth Day, an event that saw 1.5 million people gather for a prayer vigil and for Mass.

In addition to the large events with young people from around the world, the pope said he had an opportunity for smaller, more intimate meetings, including with a group of young people from Ukraine “who shared stories that were painful” about their lives and the losses they have endured since Russia launched a full-scale war on their country.

“While in Ukraine and other places in the world there is fighting, and while in certain hidden halls war is planned this is awful, isn’t it, wars are planned,” he said. “World Youth Day showed everyone that another world is possible: a world of brothers and sisters, where the flags of all peoples fly together, next to each other, without hatred, without fear, without closing up, without weapons!”

“The message of the young people was clear: will the ‘great of the earth’ listen to it, I wonder, to this youthful enthusiasm that wants peace?” the pope asked. “It is a parable for our time, and even today Jesus says: ‘He who has ears, let him hear! He who has eyes, let him look!’ We hope the whole world listens to this World Youth Day and sees the beauty of these youth moving forward.”

Pope Francis, who did not read a planned prayer for peace in Ukraine while at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, told people at the audi-

ence, “I prayed that God would heal the world of the diseases of the soul: pride, lies, enmity, violence these are diseases of the soul, and the world is sick with these diseases.”

And, he said, while at the shrine, “we renewed the consecration of ourselves, of Europe, of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” he said. “I prayed for peace because there are many wars in many parts of the world.”

Addressing Polish speakers at the audience,

Pope Francis offered his blessing to the thousands of people making the traditional August pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Jasna Góra in Czestochowa.

“I entrust you with a desire I have in my heart: the desire for peace in the world,” he told the pilgrims. “Present it to the one who is the Queen of Peace. Ask for this priceless gift, especially for the dear and tormented Ukraine.”

WYD continued on page A11

R O S S I N I

Selections from Stabat Mater & Messa Solenne

Sunday, September 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Soloists:

R Rochelle Bard Diana Salesky

Aaron Short Stephen Morscheck

Conductor: H Howard Skinner Concertmaster: M Miroslav Hristov

Choir & Orchestra

GABRIELLE NOLAN

Be not afraid Diocesan young adults pose outside of the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., during a World Youth Day pilgrimage

Pilgrimage continued on page A11

Spiritual moments Left: A pilgrim touches the group’s pilgrim cross to a first-class relic of St. John Paul II at the St. John Paul II National Shrine. Middle: A pilgrim feels a two-dimensional artistic scene of Calvary at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America. Right: Pilgrims pose for a

photo with pilgrimage chaplain Deacon Daniel Herman outside of the St. John Paul II National Shrine.

Father Appiah’s ‘lei ’ ministry

Diocesan priest and military chaplain marks 25th anniversary of ordination

By Bill Brewer

Father John Appiah is a priest on a mission, and he’s happy to share that duty with anyone, whether he’s in Hawaii or Turkey.

The Diocese of Knoxville priest who is on assignment with the U.S. armed forces as a military chaplain returned to his home parish, St. Mary in Oak Ridge, on Aug. 23 to celebrate Mass on the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

Father Appiah stopped over in East Tennessee as he was being transferred from Hawaii, where he has been stationed with the Air Force for two years, to Turkey.

And he didn’t miss the opportunity to honor the people of Hawaii, especially in the wake of recent wildfires that decimated much of Maui. Summoning his military rank, Capt. Appiah issued a direct order to those participating in his anniversary Mass to wear colorful leis, the garland or wreath popular in Hawaii, Polynesia, and the Philippines synonymous with peace, love, friendship, and honor.

The “order” was warmly received by all who took part.

Concelebrating the anniversary Mass were Father Ray Powell, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge; Father Bede Aboh, chaplain of the Catholic Center at East Tennessee State University; Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland;

Father Michael Sweeney, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Harriman, St. Ann in Lancing, and St. Christopher in Jamestown; Father Michael Woods, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade; Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, parochial administrator of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg and Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport;

Father Mike Creson, who serves as a chaplain at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga and assists at St. Thérèse of Lisieux;

Father Gilbert Diaz, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Seymour;

Father Gerald Akata, who previously served in the Diocese of Knoxville and now serves in the

Diocese of Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria;

Father Tirso Villaverde, pastor of St. Julie Billiart Church in Tinley Park, Ill.; and Father Linh Nguyen, pastor of Sts. Francis & John Parish in Georgetown, Ky. Deacon John DeClue assisted Father Appiah during the Mass, and also attending were Deacon Sean Smith, Diocese of Knoxville chancellor, and Deacon Vic Landa, who serves at Blessed Sacrament Parish.

Father Appiah, who was in seminary with Father Villaverde and Father Nguyen, looked forward to returning to his home parish to mark his vocation milestone and reconnect with friends, loved ones, and those who have supported his ministry.

Seminarian Gerald Stults is taking the first steps toward religious life

By Casey Keeley

If you are a college-aged Catholic in the United States, then chances are you’re familiar with the name Father Mike Schmitz. For those less familiar, this priest is the campus minister at the University of Minnesota in Duluth and has a prominent online ministry.

Father Schmitz works alongside Ascension Press to post videos that help give answers to common questions people have about faith and has walked thousands of people through the Bible and Catechism in a Year podcasts.

Because of his online presence, Father Schmitz is a popular public speaker within the Catholic community, seen often at Steubenville conferences across the nation.

It was during one of those conferences that Gerald Stults of St. Mary Parish in Johnson City came to terms with the pull in his heart to become a priest.

“It’s been in the back of my mind that I may become a priest since I was in the eighth grade,” Mr. Stults said. “It was during his (Father Schmitz) talk that I felt the confidence to be able to tell my family and friends and begin applying to seminary.”

The Stults family migrated to East Tennessee from California in 2010 with four children. The mother, Maura, came from a Catholic background, and her children were baptized Catholic. The family sampled several Christian denominations before Maura Stults found her way to St. Mary in 2017.

Since Mrs. Stults rejoined the

“As I stand here, I have said goodbye to Hawaii, and I’m on my way to Turkey,” he commented as he began Mass.

“It’s exciting, absolutely exciting. Why? Because here is where I graduated from high school. This is where we lived. And everything I have done, they always are a part of me 1,000 percent,” the Diocese of Knoxville priest said.

“I have never picked up the phone or showed up asking for anything that they didn’t deliver, whether it was a medical mission eight times to Ghana or anything else. They have always come through. Always,” he add-

ementary school at St. Mary in Oak Ridge and is a graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School in the class of 1990. He attended seminary at St. Meinrad in St. Meinrad, Ind.

Father Appiah was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville in May 1998 by then-Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell. Originally from Ghana, he wanted to be a missionary priest when he answered the priesthood call. He was introduced to the Diocese of Knoxville by Bishop O’Connell and discovered this was a mission diocese.

So, he became a mission diocese priest, serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Stephen parishes in Chattanooga, Notre Dame High School, St. Mary in Oak Ridge, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in LaFollette, Christ the King in Tazewell, and St. Jude in Helenwood, as well as Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville, St. John Neumann in Farragut, All Saints in Knoxville, and Knoxville Catholic High School from 1998 to 2013.

That’s when he answered a second call to serve God through the military and left for the Air Force. Father Appiah is returning to Turkey, where he previously served a few years ago.

During his homily, Father Appiah shared personal and professional parts of his ministry and his call to serve God as a priest in uniform with an officer’s rank.

He thanked the congregation for attending his silver jubilee Mass.

He told them emotional intelligence doesn’t go far enough and stressed “emotional connection,” deeply connecting with those around you.

“Truthfully, faithfully, and humbly, you can put me in this category. America has been very good to me, and I am deeply grateful for that,” he said, pointing to many longtime friends in attendance as representing America to him.

He singled out Father Nolan, who was the first pastor the

Vestment accessory Above: Father John Appiah addresses the congregation at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge as his silver jubilee Mass begins. Next to Father Appiah is Deacon John DeClue. Below: Priests and deacons are adorned in leis in solidarity with Father Appiah for his ordination anniversary.

The Stults family

Relics of beloved St. Padre Pio to visit cathedral, basilica

By Jim Wogan

The faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville will have a unique opportunity this month to pray in the presence of one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints when the relics of St. Padre Pio visit the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina, popularly known as Padre Pio, was a Capuchin friar who lived in Italy from 1887-1968 and is best known for his devotion to long hours of prayer, a profound acceptance of suffering, and the intense scrutiny he faced from Church authorities for claims of bilocation, receiving the stigmata, and other mystical experiences.

“One thing that strikes me deeply is that in a time like we are in where everybody is trying to give away our sufferings, we always complain. … Padre Pio teaches us to bear our sufferings in ways that only saints can do,” Luciano Lamonarca, who is the founder of the Saint Pio Foundation, said in a recent interview on the “Inside the Diocese of Knoxville” podcast.

“So, Padre Pio became undoubtedly, not only in Italy but in many parts of the world, a saint to emulate in the sense of… to ask for guidance and direction,” Mr. Lamonarca said.

The relics of Padre Pio first toured the United States in 2017. Knoxville and Chattanooga are two of nearly 30 U.S. cities to host the relics this year. Mr. Lamonarca believes this is the first time the relics have visited a church or diocese in Tennessee.

“Following Pope Francis in 2016, during the Holy Year of Mercy, he invited St. Pio’s and St. Leopold’s bodies to Rome, I thought that would be a good way of doing outreach and to

bring something personal of St. Pio to the faithful in other countries,” Mr. Lamonarca said.

“In 2017, we started our journey, so we bring around the relics so people who approach the relics might find a more deep spiritual connection and pray in asking for Padre Pio’s intercession at the presence of these relics,” he added.

According to the Saint Pio Foundation, the authentic relics typically on display include cotton gauze bearing Padre Pio’s blood stains, crusts of his wounds, a lock of his hair, his handkerchief soaked with his sweat only hours before he died, and a piece of Padre Pio’s mantle.

Mr. Lamonarca grew up in Puglia, Italy, and moved to the United States in 2008. He is an accomplished professional opera singer who has performed in Europe, the United States, and many other parts of the world. His devotion to Padre Pio came naturally as a young man living in Italy.

He said the relics tour benefits

Danube River Cruise

Including Munich, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest

those who can’t make a pilgrimage to Padre Pio sites in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where the intact body of the saint lies in the St. Padre Pio Shrine, which receives about 6 million visitors a year, making it “one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in the world,” according to one website.

”In my heart there was only one mission, to make sure that Padre Pio goes out to as many people as possible,” he noted. “For somebody who comes from Italy, like me, and I was born in the Puglia region where Padre Pio lived and died in San Giovanni Rotondo, it is a given [that] every town, every city, every office, every house has a picture of St. Pio, and everybody goes on pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo or Pietrelcina.

When I came to the United States of America in 2008, I saw that was difficult, despite a great devotion, many have never visited St. Pio’s places or never had the possibility to get as close as possible to some things that belong

to him.”

The path to sainthood usually isn’t smooth, and before his canonization in 2002 by St. Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione, experienced his own difficulties. The Vatican imposed restrictions on his priesthood, including his ability to publicly celebrate Masses, beginning in 1920. Pope Pius XI restored the priest’s faculties to celebrate public Masses in 1933 saying, “I have not been badly disposed to Padre Pio, but I have been badly informed.”

Like the Diocese of Knoxville, which is about to conclude its own investigation into the Cause for Sainthood of Father Patrick Ryan (1845-78), the Holy See authorized an investigation into possible canonization for Padre Pio in 1982. He was declared a Servant of God in 1990, and more than 300,000 people attended his canonization Mass in Rome in 2002.

St. Pio’s priesthood was a long journey filled with moments of joy and struggle. Mr. Lamonarca favorably compares him to being like a grandfather who is depended on as a “voice of reason.”

“We know Padre Pio was not a hero. He was just a humble man, a humble man with virtues, very important virtues, but just a humble friar that attracted the attention of millions of people, not only because he received the stigmata, but because among his virtues … was [his ability] to perform miracles and saving lives, which he did during his lifetime and still continues to do today.

“I do believe that is one of his main teachings. If I stand up from my bed, and I know I am going to have a very challenging day… believe it or not, I have a nice picture of St. Pio smiling near my bed, and I look at that and I say, well, if he can smile, I

Seine River Cruise Pilgrimage in France

October 20-30, 2024

Krakow Extension Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2024

A blessing and homage Archdiocese of Boston Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley blesses a statue of St. Padre Pio after celebrating Mass at the Shrine of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, on Sept. 23, 2022. Padre Pio was a dedicated confessor who is said to have had the stigmata, wounds on his feet, hands, and side corresponding to those Jesus suffered at the crucifixion.

Padre Pio continued on page A22

Ministry continued from page A1

training has emerged as a critically needed expense for the nonprofit ministry. The state of Tennessee recently increased its requirements for a CDL, which makes a test-preparation class necessary for many drivers. Such classes can cost as much as $6,000 per person.

“In March, we had zero drivers. Three of our volunteer drivers were out for health reasons, and the clinic was left without a licensed driver,” Mr. Vargas said. “We had to hire temporary professional drivers at $37 an hour. We had to use them three times.”

Ms. Vinyard noted that it’s expensive to cover the cost of driver training and obtaining a CDL for volunteers, but the cost is worth it. Also, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, which offers the training program, is giving St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic a group discount for its classes.

A new CDL driver-training class began this month, and another one is planned for next spring, Mr. Vargas said.

Mr. Vargas is grateful to Mrs. Serbin and Mr. Perrault for answering God’s call to volunteer.

“We go nowhere without our drivers,” he said.

Mrs. Serbin is thankful the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic needed bigrig drivers.

“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done with my life. I get to drive a big truck and serve God by providing medical care to those who need it,” the volunteer said.

And that is saying quite a bit, since she is married with grown children, has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, and has earned certification and licensing as a nurse practitioner.

She explained that as she was attending daily Mass in April at St. Patrick Church in Morristown, she felt a call to volunteer her nursing skills. She told herself that if the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic announced a need for volunteers in the church bulletin, she would respond.

“There wasn’t just an ad for a provider position or a volunteer, it was for the CDL. That was not on my radar. I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, Lord. Really? You want me to drive a big rig?’ I called up Bri Vinyard, and here I am,” she said.

Mr. Perrault’s route to St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is similar. The Marine veteran who served in Central America and Operation Desert Storm and went on to work for the Veterans Administration is now semi-retired. He also read about St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic’s need for volunteer drivers in the church bulletin.

“I looked around the church and thought, ‘Man, I don’t know where

they’re going to draw this population from because it’s during the week, which eliminates anyone who has a 9-to-5 job.’

“But you know what, I believe that everybody should give back to the community in some way, shape, or form. So, I said, ‘You know what? I can do this.’ I umpire college softball for three months of the year. The other nine months I have an open schedule. So, I decided this is another way I can give back. I’m also a volunteer fireman, so that gives back to my direct community, and this gives back to my spiritual community,” he said.

Mrs. Serbin and Mr. Perrault successfully completed requirements for a Tennessee Class B commercial driver license in June and began driving the Legacy Clinic van in August. The drivers each had four trips under their belt by early September.

“It’s going well. It’s just getting comfortable with the machine. It becomes exponentially easier every time you get behind the wheel,” Mr. Perrault said.

The volunteer drivers can attest that climbing into the cab of a large truck and transporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and personnel isn’t as easy as jumping in a car and heading out on the highway.

“There’s a lot to it, trying to figure out the turning radius and stopping distance all along the way,” Mr. Perrault shared, pointing out that the medical van, like all big trucks, is unable to stop or turn on a dime.

“The blind spots are larger, and people pass on all sides of a truck,” Mrs. Serbin added, noting that cars will even pass large trucks on the shoulder of the road and will cut off trucks as they closely pass.

As they navigate roads crisscrossing the Diocese of Knoxville, they also are navigating the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic itself, learning how it operates at each stop.

The volunteer work of Mr. Perrault and Mrs. Serbin doesn’t end with driving the mobile van. Mr. Perrault has been performing administrative duties once the clinic is on site and hosting patients.

And Mrs. Serbin, as a nurse practitioner, is assisting medical director Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, RSM, who treats patients as the clinic physician. Mrs. Serbin’s volunteer medical duties begin after she drives the clinic to its destination and helps set it up to receive patients.

Treating patients is just as demanding as driving the clinic that treats them.

“These are very challenging

patients, and you have to be very creative and resourceful with their medical care,” she said. “I embrace the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ for these patients.”

When she is driving the van, the St. Patrick parishioner leaves Morristown at 6:45 a.m. to get to the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic storage facility in West Knoxville an hour away, where she will perform a pre-trip inspection of the van and help load it with supplies before departing.

“It’s a 12-hour day, but it’s so worth it,” she said.

The clinic operates at remote locations twice a week, alternating among Crab Orchard, Rutledge, Washburn, Helenwood, Decatur, Athens, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville.

Mr. Perrault is a parishioner at St. Mary in Johnson City. And while his commute is longer, he said he already had a camper about an hour outside of Knoxville where he stays on the nights before he drives the van to cut down on his commute.

Both drivers said the CDL class they took at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville prepared them well for their new roles. So well, in fact, that each passed the Tennessee commercial driver license exam on the first try, answering at least 80 percent of the questions correctly.

As part of their training, they learned to drive 18-wheel tractortrailers in city traffic and on the interstate. However, learning to drive an 18-wheeler isn’t a requirement for the Class B CDL the mobile medical clinic requires.

“I have to admit, driving a tractor-trailer was kind of a bucket-list item for me, and I got to check it off,” Mr. Perrault said. “I took it around the city. I took it around turns. I took it on the interstate. To me, that was worth the whole price of admission right there.”

“It wasn’t on my bucket list, but I’m glad it fell onto my bucket list,” Mrs. Serbin said. “It was a blast.”

Mrs. Serbin’s first trip driving the mobile medical clinic was to Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, requiring her to navigate Interstate 40. Mr. Perrault’s first trip was to Gatlinburg, where he guided the van through Sevier County’s dense summertime traffic and the tourist town’s narrow roads.

Despite the challenge of learning about big trucks from front to back and then driving them before having to pass an equally challenging driver’s exam, the two volunteers said if they can get their commercial driver license, anyone can.

“Anybody can do it, as long as

you can see over the dash,” Mr. Perrault said.

“And as long as you don’t have any serious violations on your driving record,” Mrs. Serbin added.

They admitted to making a few junior missteps on their journey to becoming seasoned truckers. Their shared miscues involve fueling up the van.

Mr. Perrault said it’s customary for the driver to fill up the van after every trip. After his maiden voyage, he didn’t realize the van had two fuel tanks, one on the driver’s side and one on the passenger side. And while he only filled up one side, Mrs. Serbin unexpectedly had to fill up the other tank before the next trip, something they both laugh about now.

Mrs. Serbin, who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall with a slight build, said after pulling up beside a diesel fuel pump to refuel, she was unable to loosen the fuel cap, which was closed too tight (which she attributed to a universal guy thing). She had to ask a trucker next to her filling up his 18-wheeler to remove the cap.

As all that is new becomes routine, Mr. Perrault and Mrs. Serbin agree that St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic has been warm and hospitable to them.

“They do a great job of making the drivers feel welcome and are appreciative of the skills needed to drive a 40-foot van that weighs more than 26,000 pounds,” Mr. Perrault said.

“It’s a really sweet community,” Mrs. Serbin added. “I just love it. I encourage anyone thinking about doing it to just quit thinking and do it.”

Mr. Vargas hopes to have about 15 volunteer drivers available to the clinic who would be split between Monday-Thursday shifts to the clinic sites and Friday-Sunday shifts for the mobile clinic to be driven to churches, organizations, and events for ministry awareness and for routine maintenance.

St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is asking the volunteers to drive a minimum of three times a month, according to Ms. Vinyard.

“We are so grateful for our driver volunteers. They make such a difference in our ministry,” Mr. Vargas said. “We are so grateful they have answered the call.”

And as Mrs. Serbin, Mr. Perrault, and other SMLC volunteer drivers climb into the cab and take to the highways, Mrs. Serbin and Mr. Perrault have a newfound respect for the truckers with whom they will be sharing the road and now see them in a special light.

“Truckers are angels of the highway,” she said. ■

Behind the wheel Top left: Mary Serbin runs through the checklist of truck elements she and fellow St. Mary's Legacy Clinic volunteer driver Randy Perrault need to know to pass their commercial driver license exam. Top right: Mrs. Serbin shows instructor Daniel Longmire the key parts of a diesel truck engine as part of her truck-driver training. Bottom left: Mr. Perrault and Mrs. Serbin ask questions in preparation for their driving test to receive their commercial driver license. Bottom right: The volunteers inspect the brakes, tires, and suspension of the St. Mary's Legacy Clinic.

Commit ted to Catholic Education

"There is an incomprehensible comfort to be able to send your children to a school that offers consistent exposure to Christ, mirrors what is being taught at home, and weaves the love of God into the very fabric of everything taught each day.

One where teachers and leaders are moral role models and encourage children to understand the world and their actions as extensions of God’s presence within themselves. These are gifts freely given and poured bountifully into our children by schools in the Diocese of Knoxville."

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Catholic Schools Second Collection weekend: November 11-12

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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd returns

All Saints serves as host in continuing formation training for children

By Claire Collins

All Saints Church in Knoxville served as host in July for a weeklong intensive training for Level 1 of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a program of the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, USA, geared toward giving children an encounter with the loving and caring Jesus through Montessori principles.

This was the fourth training that Hope Johnson, a CGSUSA adult formation leader for Levels I and II of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, has done for the Diocese of Knoxville.

The hope is that through these training sessions participants can get a sense for what it is like to be in the atrium with the children and can begin to grasp the depth of what the Holy Spirit wants to transmit through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

“I was a person who was raised Catholic,” recounted Mrs. Johnson, “and I was never one of those people that left the faith… I just loved being Catholic. And I was introduced to CGS and all of a sudden, our faith just hit me in a brand-new powerful way. You’re meditating on the Scriptures, you have these physical implements in front of you, and you’re learning about the Mass, and you’re just like, ‘Oh my goodness, how did I not know this before? How did this not register with me before?’”

Nineteen adults from around the diocese gathered for the training. Presentations and conversations surrounding the various activities used in the atrium, the name used for the classroom in which Catechesis of the Shepherd takes place, filled six days of careful meditation.

Zulay Navarro Pickering was one of the participants in July’s Level I training.

“This is more than a catechesis, it’s hands-on,” Ms. Pickering said. “It’s a way to engage your child from a young age and keep them in our beautiful Catholic faith forever. I wish all parents would be curious about this extraordinary way of learning.”

Mollie Bault, who works with preschoolers at All Saints, had this to say about the training: “It was quite the commitment to set aside a week for CGS training. By the end, I wished we had another week. I left energized and excited to share these skills with my parish. I can ’ t wait to spend time in the atrium with our youngest parishioners.”

Another participant, Jose Flores of All Saints, knew he needed to take the opportunity of being trained after hearing his wife,

Mary, speak about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for so many years.

“The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium is a revival and constant living of the Eucharist,”

Mr. Flores said.

Ms Johnson agrees.

“It’s a whole new way of (the faith) being presented,” explained

Mrs. Johnson. “And it doesn’t matter your age. I don’t know a single catechist who hasn’t been impacted in their own spiritual life by this method.”

This method of catechesis has been present in the United States since 1984. In recent years, with advancing technologies and the continued growth in popularity

of the Montessori principles of education, the methods of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd have also continued to spread.

“CGS is a method of sharing our Catholic faith using Montessori principles in a prepared environment. It takes its name from the parable of the Good Shepherd, where we learn that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep, loves His sheep, calls His sheep by name, and is ultimately willing to lay down His life for His sheep. When you introduce children to Jesus in the image of the loving protector such as the Good Shepherd, they respond with their whole being with joy, especially the youngest children, ” Mrs. Johnson noted.

In training to become a catechist, adults get an in-depth and behind-the-scenes look at the how and why of every work, or activity, used in the atrium and what that work is trying to communicate.

From basic gross and fine motor skills to deep mysteries of God and the Mass, to parables and stories of Jesus’ childhood, every item in the atrium has a purpose. And while the intended audience is the littlest of children, adults also always find themselves deeply impacted.

“I can assure you that the adults who have been through this formation have definitely become much more confident in the infinite mercy and love of God through learning this as adults on an intellectual and emotional level. We feel this in our hearts. And I think every person I know who has gone through this training as an adult has really deepened their relationship with Jesus in that image of the Good Shepherd,” Mrs. Johnson added.

Throughout the training and in the atrium, participants are invited to treat their time as prayer and to ask the Holy Spirit what it is He wants them to hear, see, and understand.

“We call it a formation class, and I’m considered a formation leader because we feel like we’re not teaching anything. This is God’s Word. This is God’s work. We’re sharing it in a way that it helps to inform and form people in their faith so that they can share it with the children in their parish. … I may be sharing it with you, but I am also a recipient, because hopefully the Holy Spirit is guiding the presentations that I am giving to you and guiding the responses of you and the other participants, and we all learn from each other,” Mrs. Johnson said.

The training began in July and will wrap up with one more intensive week in the summer of 2024 ■

Turning a vacation into a pilgrimage Adding faith to one of the most anticipated events of the year

“A journey becomes a pilgrimage as we discover, day by day, that the distance traveled is less important than the experience gained.”

— Ernest Kurtz

By Casey Keeley

Vacation is one of the most looked-forward-to events of the year a well-deserved time to break away from day-to-day life and exist somewhere else without those obligations staring you in the face. And the days when vacation was strictly observed from June to August for one to two weeks only are long gone. Vacations now happen around the calendar, from January to December.

Whether it’s just a weekend

getaway or a month-long adventure, we need not put our faith on the back-burner during these trips, however. In fact, by taking a step back and making the trip more God-focused, it opens the door to becoming the most relaxing and inspiring vacation.

How a vacation can help you grow in your faith

I highly suggest that everyone find themselves a Mary Klug to travel with. A Mary Klug is a dear friend who matches your temperament and traveling style in my case this involves finding a cheap destination and making a tentative guide to explore the city, while really being down for anything that comes up and willing to change said tenta -

tive plan at a moment’s notice.

Mary and I have so far traveled to three cities in each other’s company, and each of these trips has been a delight for us while simultaneously not breaking our wallets and keeping us on track with our faith. One of the best things about traveling with your own Mary Klug is that you can turn what is a leisurely trip with your friend into a mini-pilgrimage regardless of your destination or the duration of your stay.

What is a pilgrimage?

Pilgrimage is an amazing way to grow in your walk with the Lord. According to Oxford’s Dictionary, a pilgrimage is a journey made to some sacred places as an act of religious devotion.

A few locations that may immediately pop into your head at the mention of pilgrimage likely include Jerusalem, followed by our own Rome sweet Home, and possibly Lourdes, Fatima, or some other site made famous in the orthodox community by a holy act and generations of people passing the stories of those miracles down to their children.

But if you think about it, you really go on a pilgrimage every time you take the drive to church.

Since the definition encompasses a lot of ground, it makes it easy to make your quick getaway into a pilgrimage simply by holding to your weekly Mass obligation.

Listed below are a few things

Faith-based trips continued on page A21

COURTESY OF HOPE JOHNSON/ALL SAINTS PARISH (3)

Entering the atrium Top: Hope Johnson models the presentation of a Scripture message for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program at All Saints Church. Middle: Ms. Johnson models the presentation of the Last Supper to Zulay Navarro Pickering as part of the atrium.

Bottom: Ms. Johnson joins the participants in a group photo in All Saints Parish Hall

others,” he said. “The prayer in which I prayed for this pilgrimage is very much different. I was still asking for the Lord to enliven in me the theme of this year’s World Youth Day, which was to go in haste and to go and share the love of God with others but also to help the other pilgrims really embolden that in themselves to go out and to foster a love of God so that way they can take that experience and share it with others; that way the love of God isn’t just confined to those who make the pilgrimage but to those who reap the fruit from those who have made pilgrimage .”

Deacon Herman discussed the difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage.

“A pilgrimage is a vacation if there is no prayer, so the ultimate difference is that it’s supposed to be rooted in a destination, but also to fully embrace what the journey is like,” he said. “A vacation is something that is enjoyable, it’s needed, and it’s very restful, but a pilgrimage is something where you’re striving for holiness. … It’s supposed to model life; life is a trip, life is a journey. You’re supposed to embrace whatever comes across your way, and in that way a pilgrimage is different from a vacation.”

One of Deacon Herman’s favorite moments of the trip occurred on the first night, when the pilgrims arrived after the long bus ride.

“We were very tired, very restless. … We stopped at a very inconspicuous, very run-down chapel with paint shedding on the sides, with a language that many of our pilgrims did not know, but inside was the Blessed Sacrament and was our Lord, and He was inviting us to rest with Him, to admire Him and to love Him, and to just sit with Him, just like Mary sat with Him on a daily basis,” Deacon Herman said. “And so, for me to see my pilgrims, to see my faithful, to see my friends, just sit in joy after a long journey and to soak up the holiness to prepare them for the sites they were about to see, that was probably my favorite (moment).”

The pilgrims visited several holy sites in Washington, D.C., including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, St. John Paul II National Shrine, and the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America.

WYD continued from page A4

“The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic Church dedicated to the patroness of our nation, is a place of worship, pilgrimage, evangelization, and reconciliation,” according to its website. “It offers visitors the occasion for a deepening conversion, a step forward in the journey to God, with Mary as the model for that journey. This monumental church, raised by Catholics of the United States because of their devotion to Mary, the mother of God, gives visibility to their faith and Catholic heritage.”

The largest Roman Catholic church in North America, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, is known for its blend of Romanesque-Byzantine art and architecture and features more than 80 chapels and oratories.

The pilgrims received a guided tour of the basilica and participated in Mass both in the Crypt Church and Upper Church.

John Vinti, a parishioner at St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, enjoyed the “magnitude of the basilica and the enormous amount of chapels that were inside.”

Citing his Polish family heritage, he particularly liked the Polish chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa. “It was nice to pray and present some petitions for some of my loved ones in that chapel,” Mr. Vinti said.

The pilgrims also partook in a sacred-art tour of the Redemptor Hominis Church and Luminous Mysteries Chapel at the St. John Paul II National Shrine.

The shrine “is a place of worship, religious formation, and cultural renewal to feed the minds and souls of its visitors. It is a place of pilgrimage with a firstclass relic of St. John Paul II’s

Before a sea of waving flags representing countries large and small from across the globe, Pope Francis told some 500,000 singing, shouting, and swaying young people that God has called each person to Him by name, not their social media handle.

“You are not here by mistake,” he told the mass of people in Lisbon’s Eduardo VII Park on Aug. 3 for the welcome ceremony for World Youth Day.

“You, you, you, over there, all of us, me, we were all called by our names,” the Holy Father said.

While social networks know young people’s names, tastes, and preferences, “all this does not understand your uniqueness but rather your usefulness for market research,” he said at his first World Youth Day event.

The “illusions” of the virtual world “attract us and promise happiness” but later show themselves to be “vain, superfluous things, substitutes that leave us empty inside,” the pope said.

“I’ll tell you something, Jesus is not like that; He believes in you, in each one of you and us, because to Him each one of us is important, and that is Jesus," he added.

When Pope Francis announced that the South Korean capital city of Seoul would host World Youth Day 2027, Rosemary Shin realized she might make a special homecoming trip in 2027 to South Korea and let out a raucous cheer, waving arms and pumping her fists in the air.

Then suddenly, Ms. Shin, a parishioner at Holy Angels Korean Catholic Church in Philadelphia, found herself flying several feet in the air after being picked up and lifted onto the shoulders of a nearby pilgrim, also cheering in celebration.

“What wonderful news that we are going to bring this (special event) to Korea,” Ms.

blood available for veneration,” according to its website.

While at the shrine, the pilgrims were able to walk through an exhibit of St. John Paul II’s life and papacy. They also viewed a livestream of the World Youth Day events happening in Lisbon and engaged in group prayer.

A plenary indulgence was available to the pilgrims visiting the shrine, following the standard instructions of going to confession, receiving the Eucharist, and praying for the Holy Father’s intentions.

“The indulgence that you could receive from the JPII shrine is super important to me,” Mr. Vinti said. “Not only can you use it for yourself, or you could use it for somebody who may be in purgatory… it’s a great gift if someone you love could be in purgatory.”

The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is a “national shrine that sustains this 800-year mission of the Franciscan Friars in the Holy Land by serving as a ‘Little Jerusalem’ in America. It serves America’s Holy Land pilgrims through education, fundraising, recruiting vocations, promoting pilgrimages, and providing pastoral ministry locally to religious, lay Catholics, and to all of good will. The Franciscan Monastery is home to a thriving Holy Land Franciscan community,” its website states.

The pilgrims had a guided tour of the Franciscan monastery, which included the main church, Calvary shrine, Purgatory chapel, Bethlehem shrine, replicas of the catacombs, and replicas from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Outside on the grounds of the monastery, the pilgrims were able to visit the upper and lower gardens, a replica of the Portiuncula, and a mosaic rosary walk that

featured the Hail Mary in 150 different languages.

“I was very fortunate to see the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and see how these holy men from Jerusalem yearn to give that experience to people who cannot afford to go to Jerusalem and to be very exact in their measurements,” Deacon Herman said. “The tombs and the sepulchre all measure perfectly to mirror what’s in Jerusalem, which was very wonderful.”

Amanda Henderson, a parishioner at St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland, was inspired to go on the pilgrimage because of her friendship with Deacon Herman, and she thought “this was a great opportunity to get our Chattanooga young adults involved in diocesan events.”

Ms. Henderson was struck by the diversity of the pilgrims.

“We had a lot of different cultures on this trip, so being able to experience the different languages… I came to realize how fortunate I was with the English language and being able to understand Mass anytime I want to, wherever I want to. Going to Spanish Mass was really eye-opening for me to be experiencing that in a different language,” she said Deacon Herman said, “it was only fitting that we had a group of very diverse pilgrims because World Youth Day was meant to draw all people together for the love of God and for love of neighbor.”

“Our diocese is very rich and diverse; it’s not your typical East Tennessee mentality when you think about the Catholic Church,” he continued. “It’s very rich, and it’s not just one particular country that’s decided to call East Tennessee home. There’s Venezuelans, Hondurans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and of course native English speakers. … I really loved the challenge that presented to make sure that all the pilgrims were being spiritually fed and to make sure they were known, loved, and heard.”

The next international World Youth Day will be held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.

“Deacon Danny was really great, and we had a really good group,” Mr. Vinti said. “If somebody’s looking to do something affordable next time for Seoul, and they can’t make it (there), they should definitely look into going with the diocese because it’s super affordable, and it’s a great time. ” ■

Pope Francis told 1.5 million weary-eyed and sleep-deprived young people in Lisbon not to let their “great dreams” of changing the world be “stopped by fear.”

In his homily for the closing Mass of World Youth Day on Aug. 6, the pope asked for “a bit of silence” from the pilgrims who, after staying overnight in Lisbon’s Tejo Park following the previous night’s vigil, at 6 a.m. were already dancing to techno music mixed by a DJ priest before the pope’s arrival.

“Let's all repeat this phrase in our hearts: ‘Don't be afraid,’” Pope Francis told the hushed crowd.

“Jesus knows the hearts of each one of you, the successes and the failures, He knows your hearts,” the pope said. “And today He tells you, here in Lisbon for this World Youth Day: ‘Don't be afraid.’”

Daniel Rinaldi, a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, attended the World Youth Day pilgrimage to Lisbon with a group from Nashville.

He attended the pilgrimage because he “wanted to…meet people from all over the world.”

A highlight from the pilgrimage for Mr. Rinaldi was walking to the field where the pilgrims would sleep overnight and then have Mass with the pope. Pilgrims walked for miles through the city carrying their belongings and food with them.

Shin said. It would be like a homecoming, she added.

In South Korea, 5.7 million Catholics make up just over 11 percent of the country’s total population of 52 million. They are led by some 5,700plus priests across 1,784 parishes, according to Agenzia Fides.

To end “Catholic Woodstock,” as World Youth Day has been called by the Portuguese press,

“As I look back at this, I feel a small amount of what Jesus felt while he carried the cross,” Mr. Rinaldi said, noting he prayed the rosary several times as he walked.

Mr. Rinaldi has previously attended two other World Youth Days, in Rome in 2000 and in Germany in 2005.

“I would recommend the World Youth Day to others,” he said. ■

Our Lady of Fatima Pope Francis prays in front of Our Lady of Fatima before beginning the closing Mass of World Youth Day at Parque Tejo in Lisbon, Portugal, on Aug. 6.

CATHOLIC

GABRIELLE NOLAN

Making their way Pilgrims from the Diocese of Knoxville make their way to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

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diocese, people who love their priests, people who trust God, people who, like Mary, want to be faithful.

“That’s what I found, and I’m deeply grateful for that.”

Archbishop Fabre said he traveled around the diocese because he wanted to get acquainted with the Catholic faithful of East Tennessee.

“I wanted people to know that I am here for them. I wanted to greet them and see them. I wanted to hear their thoughts. As I said in my homilies, parishes are the heart of the Church, and the heart of parishes are people,” he shared. “So, to get to know the heart of the Church, you really have to encounter the people.”

The Louisville archbishop has been pleased and impressed by what he has seen driving from Chattanooga through the Tennessee Valley to the Tri-Cities. He also was in Crossville

this month to celebrate Mass and dedicate the newly built St. Alphonsus Church.

“The Diocese of Knoxville has many, many talented people, pastoral leadership, and diocesan administration. And that’s part of the picture. But the other equally important part is the faithful, whom we serve, and the opportunity to meet them and greet them and pray with them and to just let them know I’m here with you and you are an important part of this Church. So, those are just some of the reasons I wanted to go around. To let them know that I see you; I hear you; I’m praying for you; I’m praying with you; and I thank you for your enduring faith,” he said.

St. Jude Mass

Archbishop Fabre spent Aug. 14 in Chattanooga, visiting Notre Dame High School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, the residents at Alexian Village retirement community in Signal

Mountain, and celebrating an evening Mass at St. Jude Church.

Concelebrating this Mass were Father Charlie Burton, pastor of St. Jude Parish; Father Alex Waraksa, associate pastor of St. Jude; Father John Dowling, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain; Father Zach Griffith, associate pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish; Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy; Father Valentin Iurochkin, associate pastor of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul; Father Christopher Manning, associate pastor of St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga and chaplain of Notre Dame High School; Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland; Father John Orr, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Athens; Father Manuel Pérez, pastor of St. Stephen; Father Albert Sescon, chaplain at Alexian Village; Father Arthur Torres, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual

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Photos by Jim Wogan and courtesy of Veronica Nacchio

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Help; and Father Jim Vick, pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Dayton.

Serving at the Mass were Deacon Brian Gabor as deacon of the Word and Deacon Paul Nelson as deacon of the altar. Deacon Hicks Armor served as emcee at all of the Masses Archbishop Fabre celebrated that week.

In his homily at St. Jude for the Chattanooga Deanery, the archbishop reminded the congregation that during August the Church honors Mary as the mother of God and reflects on her assumption. His remarks were made on the eve of the feast of the Assumption.

“For many reasons, God allowed Mary to share completely in the salvation that Jesus would bring, the salvation that overcomes death, spoken of in our second reading tonight. Chief among the reasons Mary was allowed to share beforehand the salvation Jesus would bring, I believe is this: at the very center of her

life, Mary trusted the Lord and always desired to accomplish His will. Mary trusted the Lord, and she wanted to do God’s will,” Archbishop Fabre said.

“In a manner similar to Mary, I hope that this is something that is at the very center of my own life, of your life, that if like Mary we trust the Lord, and truly desire to accomplish the Lord’s will, the Lord’s will will be accomplished,” he added.

The archbishop shared that he repeatedly recalls in his own life in ministry that if he trusts the Lord and truly desires to do His will, His will is what will happen.

He told the parishioners that Mary was like the Ark of the Covenant, a new tabernacle for who she carried in her womb: Jesus Christ, His body and blood.

“My dear friends, every time we come to Mass, every time we receive the Eucharist, we

become like an Ark of the Covenant, like a tabernacle. We carry Jesus’ body and blood inside our very bodies. We become the dwelling place of God in a very real way. We walk out of the Church carrying Jesus both spiritually and sacramentally. And the Eucharist strengthens and challenges us to bring Jesus to the world by way of our own words and actions. Mary is a model of faith for us in this,” the archbishop pointed out.

Archbishop Fabre drew a parallel between Mary and today’s faithful, who completely trust the Lord as Mary did.

“In our Gospel today, a woman cries out that blessed is the woman who carried and nursed Jesus. However, Jesus instead declares as blessed those who hear the word of God and keep it, those who trust and believe in what the Lord has said,” the archbishop remarked. “While it

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Photos by Jim Wogan

is certainly appropriate to honor Mary as the blessed one who trusted God and brought to birth our Savior, in keeping with what Jesus declares in our Gospel tonight, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. In keeping with the statement of Jesus is the pious statement of St. Augustine, where he stated Mary was more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ.”

The shepherd of Louisville’s archdiocese urged parishioners, deacons, and priests in attendance to continue trusting in the Lord like Mary and the disciples did, for God has made a promise to each of His faithful.

“We are blessed because we are disciples of the Lord, we trust in Him, and we seek His will. On this solemn feast of the Assumption, we honor Mary, and we recall her flawless example of trust in God and her total desire to accomplish God's will. Because of the totality of her faith and trust, Mary was assumed, taken up body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. Though granted to Mary in

a unique way, this is also something that God has promised to those who trust Him and seek to accomplish His will. This is something that God has promised to each of us, that one day our bodies and our soul will also enter into heaven,” Archbishop Fabre told the group.

“As we here in the Diocese of Knoxville are being currently called to greater trust in the Lord, to focus our attention on Him, I pray that we will trust the Lord as completely as Mary did. As a model of faith, Mary’s example calls us to trust in the Lord, a trust, if embraced, that will animate our souls and spirits and will animate this wonderful diocese.

“May our trust in the Lord assure us that the Lord is with us in whatever He is calling us to embrace, especially during these days of transition in this local Church of Knoxville. May our utmost desire always be to humbly set aside our own will to accomplish what God desires of us. Through the intercession of Mary, our mother, may we always be courageous enough to trust, to believe in Jesus Christ, so that we in this Diocese of Knoxville might be as blessed as Mary was in her faith and trust. Amen.”

Archbishop Fabre spent time visiting the young children at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and interacted with the older students at Notre Dame High School, where he addressed them during an all-school assembly.

And at Alexian Village, a Catholic-based retirement community in Signal Mountain, Archbishop Fabre received applause when he entered the chapel, where the archbishop addressed the Catholic residents and blessed them, according to Veronica Nacchio of Alexian Village.

All Saints Mass

On the morning of Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption, Archbishop Fabre celebrated Mass at All Saints Church for the students and faculty of Knoxville Catholic High School.

Concelebrating the all-school Mass were Father David Boettner, rector of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Father Doug Owens, pastor of All Saints; Father Chris Michelson, pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in Knoxville and adviser to Knoxville Catholic

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Smoky Mountain Deanery

Photos by Jim Wogan, Jim Richmond

High School; Father Joe Reed, pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut; Father Randy Stice, director of Worship and Liturgy for the Diocese of Knoxville who celebrates school Masses at KCHS; Father Ray Powell, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge; Father Tim Sullivan, CSP, associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville; and Monsignor Patrick Garrity, who serves on the KCHS board and also celebrates Masses at KCHS.

Serving at the school Mass were Deacon Sean Smith, Deacon Joe Stackhouse, who was deacon of the altar, and Deacon Dave Duhamel, who was deacon of the Word.

The archbishop continued to underscore the faith of Mary and how she serves as a role model for Catholics at every age and stage of life, especially young people who can enrich their faith by following Mary’s example. He urged the students to study Mary’s faith as he

stressed that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the source and summit of the Catholic faith.

Archbishop Fabre embraced the teacher side of his vocation and offered the students a religious-education tutorial from the sanctuary.

“Why are we here today? What is it that the Church is calling our attention to? You might be surprised. You might say Mary. I don’t think that is the correct answer. That’s part of the answer. But it is not the correct answer.

The Church always calls our attention to Jesus Christ, to God, and God alone. Today, we worship the Lord, and the Lord alone. Our focus is on Christ.

“But today, the Church invites us to see how Mary was a perfect disciple of Jesus Christ and to celebrate her faith in Jesus Christ, her Son.

The Church does that in many ways. Today, as you may note, especially those of you who are Catholic, is a holy day of obligation. We gladly welcome those of you here at Knoxville Catho-

lic High School who come from other faith traditions. Today, Catholics should make every effort to come to Mass,” the archbishop said.

To stress the importance of attending Mass, Archbishop Fabre reminded the students that the Ten Commandments, and the Church, say to keep holy the Lord’s Day by worshiping together at Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation.

“Today is an opportunity, an invitation, an obligation of the Church to do precisely that. What does the Church invite us to focus on? It is Jesus Christ. We celebrate the life of Mary, and we honor Mary. We worship God, and God alone. But we honor Mary as that perfect disciple of her Son,” he said during his homily.

He also reminded them that everything God has given to Mary, He has promised to them.

He pointed out that Mary is an especially appropriate role model for them because as a Archbishop continued on page A16

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Photos by Jim Wogan, Gabrielle Nolan

young woman she was asked to summon all her faith and believe in God’s plan for her, to be the mother of Jesus. At this challenging time in her young life, she relied on her faith and prayer, and she sought the counsel of her older cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist and helped Mary as she carried Jesus in her womb.

And he acknowledged that it isn’t easy being a teen today. But as teens face the pressures of today’s secular culture, they should take a moment as Mary did and think and pray to God about any challenges they face.

“And in that communion with God, hopefully we find courage and strength and lift that up to you as young people today,” the archbishop said, encouraging them to also cultivate good communication with their parents and competent adults who can guide them.

“It’s a challenge today being a young person. I hope you can have those discussions with your parents, with competent adults who

can help you to understand, with a priest or a deacon, or people here at the school,” he continued.

He shared with them that prayer and confiding in a trusted friend or colleague are invaluable to him.

“Those two things I do very often in my life. Those two things I lift up to you today as young people, to take Mary as your example in your life in those two ways, to trust the Lord, pray to Him, ponder what’s going on, and then speak to someone competent who can help you with whatever it is that has manifested itself in your life. We honor Mary, for in those ways, and so many other ways, she was the perfect disciple of Jesus Christ,” he said.

And the archbishop continued the theme with the students that Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant, for she and her body bore the Messiah. “St. Augustine wonderfully says, and I paraphrase, Mary was more blessed in her belief in her Son than the fact that she gave birth to Him. Mary was more blessed in the

fact that she believed in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Lord than she was in the fact that she gave birth to Him.”

He stressed to the students that the blessing of faith that God instilled in Mary is available to all who will believe.

Archbishop Fabre urged the students to hope and trust in God. “So, my dear young friends, today we gather to worship God, and God alone; to thank Him for His promise, and to the best of our ability to live our lives desiring that promise, and looking to and honoring Mary as that perfect disciple, remembering that even though there were times when she was confused, she trusted, she prayed, she pondered, she spoke to others about what was going on in her life. In those ways, and in so many other ways, she magnified the greatness of God. And you and I do the same as we place our hope and trust in the Living God and look to Mary as a model of faith for us. Amen.”

To conclude Mass, Archbishop Fabre thanked Archbishop continued on page A17

Photos by Jim Wogan, Bill Brewer

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the students and faculty for their attention, prayer, and faith. He prayed that the new school year will have God’s grace, blessing, and peace.

“I believe the prayers of young people are powerful. As a matter of fact, I know that they are. Your prayers as young people pierce the heavens and rise very quickly to the mind and heart of God. So I ask your prayers for me even as I assure you of my prayers for you,” he said.

Following Mass, Archbishop Fabre sat down with 21 Knoxville Catholic High School students over lunch in the school to discuss faith, his temporary assignment as apostolic administrator until Pope Francis names a new Diocese of Knoxville bishop, and the challenges he faces as archbishop.

St. Dominic Mass

Later that same day, Archbishop Fabre celebrated Mass for the Five Rivers Deanery at St. Dominic in Kingsport, where he again emphasized the total trust Mary had in the Lord.

“We are blessed because we are disciples of the Lord, because we trust Him, because we have faith in Him, and because we seek, first and foremost, to accomplish God's will. This celebration of Mary’s assumption indicates to us what we are destined for, if we, like Mary, trust the Lord and accomplish His will. Death and the corruption of the grave did not touch Mary because she participates in Christ’s salvation, body, soul, and spirit, in heaven because she remained without sin and followed Jesus as His perfect disciple,” Archbishop Fabre told the Five Rivers Deanery parishioners during his homily.

Quoting Scripture from the day’s readings, the archbishop reminded the faithful that like Mary, all of God’s children have been promised eternal life. “For those who accept this promise and live as disciples of Jesus Christ, although death will temporarily touch us, we know that death is not the final word,” he said.

Archbishop Fabre likened the faith of the East Tennessee faithful who await a new bishop to that of Mary, who trusted in the Lord and was faithful to His plan for her.

“On this solemn feast of the Assumption, we honor Mary, and we recall her flawless example of trust in God and accomplishing God's will. Because of the totality of her faith and trust, Mary was assumed, taken up body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. Though God granted to Mary in a unique way this gift, this is something that has also been promised to each one of us: that one day, body, soul, and spirit, we, too, will enter into eternal life in heaven.

“As we here in the Diocese of Knoxville are being currently called to greater trust in the Lord and to refocus our attention on Him, I pray that we will trust the Lord as completely as Mary did. As a model of faith, Mary's example calls us to trust the Lord, a trust, if embraced, that will animate our souls, our spirits, and will animate this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville

“May our trust in the Lord assure us that He is with us in whatever He is calling us to embrace, especially during these days of transition in this local Church of Knoxville. May our utmost desire always be to humbly set aside our own will to accomplish what God desires of us. Through the intercession of Mary, our mother, may we always be courageous enough to believe in and to trust Jesus, so that each and every one of us in this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville might be as blessed as Mary was in her discipleship and in her faith. Amen,” he concluded.

Concelebrating the Five Rivers Deanery Mass were Father Bede Aboh, chaplain of the Catholic Center at East Tennessee State University; Father Andrew Crabtree, parochial vicar at St. Dominic; Father Dustin Collins, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Johnson City; Father Michael Cummins, pastor of St. Dominic; Father Matthew Donahue, who is studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; Father Jesús Guerrero, associate pastor of St. Mary in Johnson City; Father Jim Harvey, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City; Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville; Father Moisés Moreno, parochial vicar at St. Mary in Johnson City; Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville; and Father Kenneth Wandera, GHM, who is parochial administrator of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Erwin.

Serving at the Five Rivers Deanery Mass were Deacon Humberto Collazo, who was deacon of the Word, and Deacon Bob Lange, who was deacon of the altar.

Holy Ghost Mass

On Aug. 16, Archbishop Fabre celebrated Mass at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville for the Smoky Mountain Deanery.

The Assumption continued to be the archbishop’s emphasis at Holy Ghost as he preached on Mary’s undeniable faith in God, which led to her assumption into heaven.

He described his visits to the deanery par-

Archbishop Fabre's Diocese of Knoxville message

My dear friends in Christ, since my appointment as apostolic administrator at the end of June, a lot has taken place. Over the past six weeks, I have spent time becoming familiar with the people and with the concerns of this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville. I want now to take this opportunity to update you on some of what has taken place over the last few weeks.

Bishop Stika and Cardinal Rigali continue the process of relocating to St. Louis. Their move is scheduled for completion no later than the end of August.

I have endeavored to come to a greater understanding of this diocese. Accordingly, my dear friends, I have been here and celebrated the Eucharist in the four Diocese of Knoxville deaneries.

My travels provided me opportunities to visit Church parishes— Church parishes, the heart of the Church, to celebrate the Eucharist—the sacrament of thanksgiving, with you, dear people of God, in thanksgiving for you, the wonderful people of the Knoxville Diocese.

These Masses also gave me the opportunity to pray with you, to greet you, to interact with you, and to gain further insight into the pastoral needs of this diocese. Thank you very much for your presence.

I am deeply grateful for your enduring faith and for your support of the Diocese of Knoxville.

I am also grateful to all who have put forth an effort to provide for each of the four deanery Masses. I thank my brother priests, and deacons, and deacons’ wives, seminarians, consecrated men and women religious: thank you all for being there as well.

As my schedule will permit, I also look forward to celebrating Mass in other Church parishes, as well as with our African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American Catholic communities, all of whom contribute to the faith, the richness, and the ethnic diversity of the Diocese of Knoxville.

During my trips to Knoxville, I have enjoyed days of grace to meet, visit, and to work with priests, deacons, consecrated religious, Chancery staff, and lay leaders in ministry. The many meetings I have been in have allowed me an opportunity to gain beneficial insight into how the Diocese of Knoxville operates.

Together with these leaders, we have given attention to the administrative needs of the diocese. Among these administrative needs, a new school year has begun, the formation of the next class of permanent deacons continues, and we continue the critical outreach of Catholic Charities. We are also preparing for the annual independent, external diocesan financial audit. This year we will include a review of the financial policies and procedures of the diocese, a recommended best practice for any company or nonprofit entity when it changes leadership.

It has also been my privilege to visit some of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Knoxville. What a joy it has been to meet the students, teachers, faculty, and staff, and to ask God’s blessing on this new year of formation and education in our Catholic schools. Catholic identity is an important part of Catholic schools, and the Holy Spirit is indeed active in your Catholic schools. Young people are an important part of the Church, and faith formation in Catholic schools and in parish schools of religion is essential to help them to nurture a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I have met with your priests. They are wonderful men. I am deeply grateful for the many ways they engage in pastoral ministry among you, the people of God. As your priests come together a few times a year in a convocation over a day or over several days, these opportunities allow for priests to pray, share meals, and discuss together parish, diocesan, and Church issues. We arranged for the priests of Knoxville to come together at the beginning of September for a special convocation.

This gathering at the beginning of September not only allowed us to celebrate the Eucharist and pray together each day but also to look for ways to strengthen the fraternity among the priests with the help of a facilitator. This is intended to help us to move forward together in joyful hope as we prepare for the next bishop of Knoxville. Our sharing together will ensure that we are striving to be the holy priests that Jesus is calling us to be for—and in service to—you, the people of the Diocese of Knoxville.

My recent meeting with your diocesan seminarians produced a wonderful discussion about the spiritual fruits that came from their summer activities and their coming year of formation. Please remember to pray for them as they continue to discern God’s will in their lives.

Similarly, we are also seeking a time and place in the near future to meet with the permanent deacons and their wives as well as the consecrated men and women religious who serve in the Diocese of Knoxville.

My dear friends in Christ, this is a brief overview of the past several weeks. As I conclude my sharing this information with you, I do so where I began at the Mass I celebrated in June on that day when I arrived as your apostolic administrator. During the homily at that Mass, I asked three questions: “Where are we now? Where is God? Where are we going?” To these three questions, I would like now to give an updated response.

Where are we? I hope this update provides you with more information regarding where we are at present here in the Diocese of Knoxville. I firmly believe that we are in a grace-filled season of hope and renewal, grace-filled and hopeful because we remain open to God’s will and direction as we face current and future challenges. If we trust the Lord and desire to accomplish His will, that is what will happen. God’s will will come about. I know with full faith that as long as we work together, we will succeed.

Where is God and where are we going? Please know that I believe God is in the midst of our efforts to build up the kingdom of God in the ways that I have shared here tonight – and in countless other ways in the Diocese of Knoxville. God is with us through our faith, through our encounters with one another, through meetings and continued dialogue, as we ever more boldly proclaim the kingdom of God on earth, and in doing so continue the work of His Son, Jesus Christ, here in the Diocese of Knoxville.

At this point in time, we continue our journey together and look to Jesus Christ, placing our faith, our hope, our trust in Him, as did Mary, His mother. We continue to pray for, and with, one another, and to pray for the next bishop of Knoxville. Until the Holy Father, Pope Francis through the working of the Holy Spirit names a new bishop of Knoxville, please know that I joyfully remain with you in faith and in function. Please be assured of my prayers for you, as I beseech your prayers for me. Amen.

ishes, where he shared the Eucharist with many of the diocese’s parishioners, as a “joy and privilege” and a “divine encounter” that he has appreciated experiencing.

He referred to Mary as a “pillar of faith” and said her “glorious assumption” into heaven was a divine testament to that great faith.

“Mary trusted the Lord and truly was able to do His will. Hopefully, we believe the same. We trust the Lord and truly desire to do His will,” the archbishop said. “This is a simple, yet profound, reality.”

He acknowledged that it is difficult for the faithful to truly desire to do God’s will “because it involves humility on our part.”

“For we must truly desire God’s will and not our own will,” he continued.

And while the mother of God is described in many ways, such as “Mary, Queen of Heaven; Mary, Seat of Wisdom; and Mary, Our Lady of Peace; never forget that she also is known as Mary, Our Mother of Sorrows. … Mary had great sorrow in her efforts to be faithful to God’s will.”

The archbishop asked the congregation to give God enough opportunity to work His grace in their lives.

He said Scripture offers many stories of those

who trusted the Lord and those who did not.

“Mary is the ultimate example to us of what it means to trust the Lord,” he said, “even if she did not completely understand what was happening.”

Archbishop Fabre again cited St. Augustine, who said that while it is worthy to honor Mary as the mother of God in giving birth to the Messiah, Mary was more blessed because she believed in her Son and was His faithful disciple.

The archbishop urged the congregation to be disciples of Christ, to be courageous and believe in Him as Mary did.

He said that as the Diocese of Knoxville transitions to a new bishop, East Tennessee’s faithful must have trust in the Lord that His will will be done.

“May Mary’s example call us to greater trust in the Lord,” he added. “May our trust in the Lord assure us that He is with us … especially during this time of transition in the local Church of Knoxville, this wonderful diocese.”

Just as in the other diocesan Masses he celebrated, Archbishop Fabre greeted parishioners one by one following Mass during a reception for him.

Priests concelebrating the Holy Ghost Mass

were Father Bill McNeeley, pastor of Holy Ghost Parish; Father Michael Hendershott, associate pastor of Holy Ghost; Father Boettner, Father Sullivan, Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish; Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, parochial administrator of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg and Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport; Father Dan Whitman, who is the spiritual moderator of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and is retired from active ministry; Father Don Andrie, CSP, pastor of St. John XXIII Catholic Center; Father Martin Gladysz, associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Father Gilbert Diaz, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Seymour; and Father Joseph Austin, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa Deacon Gordy Lowery served the Mass as deacon of the Word, and Deacon Scott Maentz served as deacon of the altar. Others in attendance were Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey, Deacon Dave Venesky, Deacon Tim Elliott, Deacon Bob Denne, Deacon Dean Burry, Deacon Mike Eiffe, Deacon Gilbert Campos, and Deacon Mike Jacobs.

St. John Neumann Mass

Archbishop Fabre concluded his East Tennessee pilgrimage by celebrating Mass for the Cumberland Mountain Deanery at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut on Aug. 17. And as with each Mass he celebrated Aug. 14-17, he ended the celebrations with a message to the people of the deaneries who are anxiously awaiting a new bishop.

He closed his four-day visit to the Diocese of Knoxville deaneries with a simple, yet impactful, message to the faithful that is central to their belief: trust in the Lord that His will be done.

“It’s easy to say this, yet it’s difficult to accomplish because on my part and on your part it requires humility, for what we truly must desire is God’s will and not my own will. To let go of what I want is humbling, and to desire, as Mary did, only that which the Lord wants,” the archbishop told the congregation.

He preached that asking for God’s will requires sacrifice. Seeking God’s will can be difficult, especially when trials and tribulations seem overwhelming and when prayers aren’t readily answered clearly and decisively.

“Even in such circumstances, an attitude of humble trust that seeks to accomplish God’s will, and not my will, gives God enough of an opening to work His grace in our lives,” Archbishop Fabre said. “Even in challenging times, when God seems not to be responding to our prayers, trusting Him, nonetheless, desiring His will is enough of an opening for God to act in our

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Prayer for a new bishop

As the Diocese of Knoxville awaits the appointment of a new bishop by Pope Francis, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre asked that all Masses in the Diocese of Knoxville on the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, which included vigil Masses on Saturday, Sept. 9, and Masses on Sunday, Sept. 10, be offered using the Mass for the Election of a Pope or a Bishop (Roman Missal, Masses, and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions I. For the Church, 4. For the Election of a Pope or a Bishop).

And beginning on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sept. 9-10), Archbishop Fabre also has asked that this prayer for a new bishop be prayed at the conclusion of all Masses in the Diocese of Knoxville until such time that the appointment of a new bishop is announced. The archbishop requests that parishes make copies of the prayer available in pews or missalettes, as well as copies for parishioners to use in their daily devotions.

Prayer to receive a new bishop

Praise to you, Lord our God, our Eternal Shepherd and Guide, We know that all authority comes from You. With confidence in Your providence, we entreat You to provide the Diocese of Knoxville a new shepherd after Your own heart.

In Your love for us, send us a shepherd who will lead us in being Christ's heart of mercy, voice of hope, and hands of justice.

Help Him to fill our minds and hearts with the truth of the Gospel, the power of the sacraments, and the desire to build up Your Holy Church.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GHM, pastor of St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish in Maynardville and St. John Paul II Catholic Mission in Rutledge; Father Ray Powell; Father Joe Reed; Father Mark Schuster, pastor of St. Alphonsus; and Father Sam Sturm, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in LaFollette, St. Jude Parish in Helenwood, and Christ the King Parish in Tazewell.

Also serving at the Mass were Deacon Shawn Ballard, who served as deacon of the altar, Deacon Greg Larson, who served as deacon of the Word, Deacon Rafael Pubillones, Deacon Dave Duhamel, Deacon Dan Hosford, Deacon Mike Humphreys, Deacon Dave Lucheon, Deacon John Krepps, and Deacon Jim Bodine.

Archbishop Fabre said he enjoyed visiting the schools as much as he did the deaneries. He noted that Catholic schools are the largest ministry of the Church, and he believes they deserve recognition.

lives.”

He re-emphasized that Mary sets the ultimate example for Catholics of what it means to be that perfect disciple and that God is faithful to His people, even when His people fail to follow through on their faith in Him.

The Bible records instances when people denied a belief in God’s will, such as King Ahaz.

Archbishop Fabre cited one of his favorite passages in Scripture, when Elizabeth said to Mary, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

“How wonderful that would be if that could be said of me or of all of us,” he said.

He pointed out that Mary’s trust in the Lord was so all-encompassing that her entire being, her body, her soul, and her spirit, proclaimed God’s greatness.

And he noted that Scripture accounts of unfailing faith that God’s will be done are akin to the faith that East Tennessee Catholics are now called on to have as they await a new bishop.

“My dear friends in Christ, as we here in the Diocese of Knoxville are being currently called to greater trust in the Lord and to refocus our attention on Him, I pray that we will trust the Lord as completely as Mary did, a pillar of faith and good example for us,” he said. “As a model in faith, may Mary’s example call us to trust in the Lord, a trust that if we embrace

Medically appropriate use of these drugs for pain management will involve the important concept of titration. Dosage titration means giving enough medication to dull or limit the pain, but not going so far as to cause unconsciousness or death. This implies continually assessing and adjusting the balance of a drug to assure it is effective and not unduly harmful.

In other words, pain medications should be dispensed in response to concrete indicators of pain and discomfort, so that patients can have their pain-relief needs met but not be unnecessarily over-medicated.

Practically speaking, it is important to pay attention to signs of discomfort that a patient may be manifesting, whether grimacing, twitching, crying, flailing extremities, or other movements.

Such objective indicators should guide those making dosing decisions as they seek to control pain and limit discomfort.

As families receive advice about how to care for their loved ones and try to make good decisions on their behalf, one question that should be asked is “What is the reason someone is being given (or is being advised to receive) pain medication?” Is the medication being provided because the patient is actually experiencing pain, or for some other reason, such as an intent to hasten death? This can be an important factor in determin

it, it will animate our souls and spirits and will animate this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville.

“May our trust in the Lord assure us that God is with us in whatever He is calling us to embrace, especially during these days of transition in this local Church of Knoxville. May my utmost desire, may your utmost desire always be to humbly set aside our own will to accomplish what God desires in all that we do through the intercession of Mary, a pillar of faith. As stated in our second reading today, may God make all things new as we place our hope and trust in Him.

“Through the intercession of Mary, our mother, may we always be courageous enough to trust and believe in Jesus Christ so that we and this wonderful Diocese of Knoxville can be as blessed as Mary was in her discipleship and in her faith. Amen.”

Concelebrating this Mass were Father Neil Blatchford, parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge; Father Joseph Hammond, CHS, coordinator of pastoral outreach for the Hispanic communities of Our Lady of Fatima and St. Alphonsus; Father Alex Hernandez, associate pastor of All Saints; Father Dennis Kress, pastor of St. Therese Parish in Clinton and St. Joseph Parish in Norris; Father Michael Maples, associate pastor of St. John Neumann; Father Dominic Nguyen, CRM, pastor of the Church of Divine Mercy in Knoxville; Father Neil Pezzulo,

ing whether the administration of a particular pain medication would be ethical or not.

By carefully dispensing pain medications without rendering patients lethargic or semicomatose, to the extent possible, we afford them the opportunity to make preparations for their death while still conscious.

In general, patients should not be deprived of alertness or consciousness except to mitigate excruciating or otherwise unbearable pain. In order to address situations of escalating pain, it may become necessary to administer higher and higher doses of morphine or other opioids.

At a certain point, we may face the prospect that the next dose we provide to properly control the pain will be so high that it will suppress the patient’s breathing, leading to death. The principle of double effect can guide and assist us in such cases.

When the clinical requirement of proper titration of pain medications is carried out, and the other conditions of the principle are satisfied, a strict and appropriate use of pain medication in this manner can be allowable, even when it may indirectly or unintentionally contribute to an individual’s demise.

This has been helpfully summed up in Directive 61 of the Ethical and Religious Directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which reminds us that, “Medicines capable of alleviating or suppressing pain may be given to a dying person, even if this therapy may

“Elementary Catholic schools are wonderful places to go. You go and they’re always so glad to see you, particularly the little ones. I enjoyed my visits to the elementary schools, the teachers, the staff, faculty, and administration, all of whom make Catholic education the gift that it is in this diocese. And in so many ways parents who sacrifice so much for Catholic education as well as administrators and staff and teachers, who sacrifice so much,” he said.

The archbishop relished his time at Notre Dame and Knoxville Catholic high schools, meeting with students and faculty and getting the opportunity to respond to their questions and observations.

“And the high schools, I enjoy being with young people, young adults, youth, particularly those in high school, those who are being confirmed or are just newly confirmed. I enjoyed my visit to Notre Dame High School and Knoxville Catholic High School and to encounter them. I just wanted to let them know that you are an important part of the Church, important enough that I am going to visit you as I make my trip around the diocese,” he said.

“You are an important part of the present Church. You are an important part of the future Church. You are an important part of the Church. So, I am going to stop, and I am going to say hello and encounter you and just talk to you. I think young people need to be reminded how much the Church needs them and how much they need the Church. I hope my visit to the schools and to the high schools supported that relationship.” ■

Contributing to this story were Jim Wogan, Bill Brewer, Dan McWilliams, Gabrielle Nolan, and Emily Booker

indirectly shorten the person’s life so long as the intent is not to hasten death. Patients experiencing suffering that cannot be alleviated should be helped to appreciate the Christian understanding of redemptive suffering.”

In situations of truly intractable pain, it can be legitimate to employ “palliative sedation,” which involves the decision to render a patient unconscious during his or her final hours. This should be done with proper consent, obtained from the patient or the designated surrogate. It is important to avoid any suicidal intention and to ensure that other duties, such as receiving the last sacraments and saying goodbye to loved ones, have been fulfilled.

Such careful attention to pain management is of paramount importance in end-of-life care and supports both the patient and the family in a dignified way during the dying process. ■

Father Tad Pacholczyk is director of education for The National Catholic Bioethics Center

Copyright 2023, The National Catholic Bioethics Center. This column is made possible through a collaboration between the Diocese of Knoxville and The National Catholic Bioethics Center based in Philadelphia.

For more information on end-of-life issues, contact Paul Simoneau, vice chancellor and director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Diocese of Knoxville.

Welcoming back students is FOCUS of UT group

Catholic young adult ministry is ready to assist those returning to college campuses

By Bill Brewer

College students across the Diocese of Knoxville were greeted back to campus in recent days as the new school year also begins for this age group. And Catholic centers at East Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga rolled out the welcome mat for young women and men who are now upperclassmen as well as freshmen who are just beginning their college experience.

FOCUS missionaries at UT-K and UT-C have been busy making sure students of all denominations, but especially Catholics, have friends and supporters who can assist them in any way and at any time.

The FOCUS team at UT-C helped students move back into student housing and set up a campus kiosk with information about the Catholic Center, Masses, and other services available to them in August.

And Father Valentin Iurochkin, parochial vicar of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and chaplain of the UT-C Newman Center, celebrated Mass for the students as they arrived on campus. Deacon Brian Gabor, who serves at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga and is the Newman Center director at UT-Chattanooga, gave the homily.

Mass was a welcome respite from the stresses of moving back into dorms or apartments, and securing available classes, parking spaces, financial aid, and provisions for day-to-day campus living.

And having friendly FOCUS faces help with some of the chores made the moving-in ordeal better. They are the hands, feet, and heart of Christ in collegiate academia.

David Hamilton, a FOCUS missionary at UT-C, believes the welcome-back efforts of the Newman Center were successful.

“FOCUS missionaries and students were able to encounter over 300 new men and women during the welcome week and move-in. This entailed going out in groups and hauling boxes and furniture into dorms to tabling on campus and sharing about the Catholic Center,” Mr. Hamilton said.

“We hope that these efforts lead students to an interest in our community here so that we may share the joy of life with Christ and His Church,” he added.

Deacon Gabor, in his homily, offered a heartfelt hug from the Newman Center staff to the students and gave them something to think about as they assimilate into a new academic year.

Pope continued from page A2

the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis described the synod as “a journey that St. Paul VI began at the end of the [Vatican II] Council when he created the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops because he had realized that in the Western Church synodality had disappeared, whereas in the Eastern Church they have this dimension.”

“And this yearslong journey—60 years—is bearing great fruit,” he added.

Pope Francis spoke about the upcoming synod while accepting an award from Italian journalists at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, noting that he usually declines awards and honors.

“You must know that, even before becoming bishop of Rome, I used to decline the offer of awards. I never received any, I

Deacon Gabor admitted that, like their textbooks, the Bible may be hard to read for students, its passages easy to misunderstand.

But he acknowledged that he continues to be a student of Scripture and takes every opportunity to seek out teachers who can enlighten him on the nu -

did not want to. And I have continued to do so even as pope. There is, however, one reason that prompted me to accept yours, and that is the urgency of constructive communication, which fosters the culture of encounter and not of confrontation; the culture of peace and not of war; the culture of openness to the other and not of prejudice,” he said.

“Disinformation is one of the sins of journalism,” he added while enumerating other “journalistic sins,” including slander, defamation, and a “love of scandal.”

“We need to spread a culture of encounter, a culture of dialogue, a culture of listening to the other and his or her reasons,” he said. “Digital culture has brought us so many new possibilities for exchange, but it also risks turning communication into slogans.”

Pope Francis also met with a

ances and subtleties of the Bible.

“If you’re returning, welcome back. And if you’re new, welcome,” Deacon Gabor told the students attending the semester’s opening Mass.

“Mama Gabor and I are blessed to work here along with Father Valentin and the FOCUS missionaries. It’s just a blessing

delegation of Catholic legislators who are taking part in a meeting on the topic of “Great Power Struggle, Corporate Capture, and Technocracy: A Christian Answer to Dehumanizing Trends.”

The International Catholic Legislators Network is a group of Catholic parliamentarians from around the world that holds an annual private meeting in Rome.

The group, founded in 2010 by the Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and David Alton, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, is dedicated to religious liberty, Church-state relations, the protection of life, and communicating Catholic thought in secular politics.

Pope Francis spoke to the lawmakers about how “today’s dominant technocratic paradigm raises profound questions about the place of human beings and of hu -

to be here, and we want this to be your home away from home,” Deacon Gabor said, referring to his wife, Donna, who is active in assisting the Newman Center and the students it serves.

FOCUS, or Fellowship of Catholic University Students, provides teams of missionaries to UT-Chattanooga and UTKnoxville, where young faith leaders provide valuable spiritual and social outreach to students. The FOCUS missionaries work closely with the Catholic centers on both campuses.

FOCUS also has young missionaries on the campuses at the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, and Vanderbilt University and Belmont University in Nashville.

Deacon Gabor was preparing the students spiritually for the new school year and encouraged them to dig deeper into their understanding of Scripture just as they do their college studies.

“Scripture can be tough to read, right? I know it is for me. I’m trying to read through it right now. I just finished Isaiah. To tell you the truth, I don’t understand half of what I’m reading in some of those passages. But God has given a gift to many people to understand, and they write books and they do podcasts, and then others will learn from them and they will lead Bible studies for us to grow in understanding,” Deacon Gabor said.

And just as the students, whether incoming freshmen or upperclassmen, take advantage of all opportunities available to them to better know their subject matter, such as tutorials and study groups, the deacon urged them to be as ambitious with their education of the Bible.

“Jesus often talked in parables. We know that, right? And I think for many of us who ask, why did Jesus speak in parables, many of us would answer to make things easy to understand. But that’s not exactly true. His parables, for the most part, have a twist to them. They don’t really make sense. I struggle with some of them,” Deacon Gabor shared.

He pointed to Scripture that often deals with heavy subjects, such as death, infidelity, jealousy, anger, love, and mercy.

“But if we dive into these parables, we see what kind of God we have. Our ways aren’t His ways. He speaks to mercy. What He wants people to do is to come to Him and say, ‘I want to understand. I want to know more,’” he added.

Deacon Gabor spoke of a hunger to learn that is innate in most everyone, to understand what we are reading or hearing. He noted that if it wasn’t for

man action in the world.”

“Surely one of the most concerning aspects of this paradigm, with its negative impact upon both human and natural ecology alike, is its subtle seduction of the human spirit, lulling people—and especially the young—into misusing their freedom,” the pope said.

He encouraged the lawmakers to continue to promote Catholic social teaching, “especially the centrality of the God-given value and dignity of every human person.”

“I pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire and guide your efforts to form a new generation of welleducated and faithful Catholic leaders committed to promoting the Church’s social and ethical teachings in the public sphere. In this way, you will surely contribute to the building up of God’s kingdom,” he said. ■

Students of the faith Above: Father Valentin Iurochkin celebrates Mass for University of Tennessee-Chattanooga students in the UT-C Newman Center. Deacon Brian Gabor is kneeling next to the altar. Below: The UT-C Newman Center and FOCUS missionaries set up this outdoor kiosk, complete with a version of a flat Francis, on the UT-C campus to make students aware of Mass, Bible study, and a social gathering on campus. Bottom: From left, Ryan, Anna, David, and Karter take part in move-in day on the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga campus in August. Ryan and David are FOCUS missionaries, and Anna and Karter are UT-C students.

COURTESY OF DAVID HAMILTON/FOCUS

FOCUS continued on page A25

Amy Goffinet Goelz

A funeral Mass for Amy Goffi net Goelz was celebrated on Aug. 23 at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

Father Joe Reed, pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, served as the celebrant, and Father Mark Schuster, pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville, concelebrated the Mass.

Mrs. Goelz, who was 84, was born on Dec. 23, 1938, in Tell City, Ind. She passed away on Aug. 18 in Knoxville.

Mrs. Goelz was of the Catholic faith and had been a member of Sacred Heart Parish before joining All Saints Parish upon returning to Knoxville after three years living in Utah.

She was a lifetime member of the Ladies of Charity and volunteered in various positions and committees for more than 20 years. For many years she was involved in the Newcomers Club, and, along with her husband, participated in the Smoky Mountain Model T’s.

Mrs. Goelz was preceded in death by her parents, Sarah and Henry Goffi net, and brothers, Omer and Henry Goffi net. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Rick; daughter Sara and husband Randy Carey of Crossville; brother Jasper Goffi net of Terre Haute, Ind.; and several nieces and nephews.

Inurnment will be in the St. Alphonsus Parish columbarium in Crossville at a later date. Donations in Mrs. Goelz’s memory may be made to Ladies of Charity Knoxville, 120 W. Baxter Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917.

Joseph Anthony Neuhoff Jr.

Joseph Anthony (Tony) Neuhoff Jr. passed away suddenly on May 17 at the age of 67. He was born Jan. 22, 1956, and was a lifelong resident of Chattanooga.

A funeral Mass was celebrated by Father John Dowling, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain, on June 12 at St. Augustine, followed by inurnment in the St.

Augustine columbarium. Concelebrants for the funeral Mass were Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy; Father Peter Iorio, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa; Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville; and Father Joe McMahon.

On April 19, 1997, Mr. Neuhoff married the love of his life, Linda (Dant) Neuhoff. Their marriage was an inspiration to many because of Mr. Neuhoff’s ever-tender love for his bride. Together they shared 26 years in Signal Mountain and raised two daughters, Caitlyn Sudkamp and Alyssa Clare (Jackson Rogers) Neuhoff. As a devout Catholic and a loving dad and spouse, Mr. Neuhoff valued his faith and family above all.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Clara (Meyer) Neuhoff and Herbert and Aloyse (Alsobrook) Haile as well as his parents, Joseph and Mary Margaret (Haile) Neuhoff.

He is survived by his siblings, John Patrick (Nancy) Neuhoff, Mary (David) Bush, Cecilia (Bill) West, and Chris Neuhoff, and many nieces and nephews, including nephews and godsons William Bush and Daniel Neuhoff. Mr. Neuhoff also is survived by 18 additional brothers-in-law and sistersin-law whom he counted as close family.

Mr. Neuhoff attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1974 before attending Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, St. Jude Church, and St. Augustine Church, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus for 37 years, serving as Grand Knight for Council 14521.

Mr. Neuhoff had a distinguished career as a therapist in treatment of behavioral problems and dysfunctions in people with chemical dependency and co-occurring disorders. He was a founder and lead therapist at Brooks Healing Center in Normandy, Tenn., following a 35-year career at HCA Parkridge Valley Hospital in Chattanooga.

Donations in Mr. Neuhoff’s name may be made to Ladies of Charity, 2821 Rossville Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37407, or 423-624-3222.

George W. Mankel Jr.

George W. Mankel Jr., Lt. Col. (Ret.) U.S. Air Force, passed away peacefully on Aug. 1. He was 84.

Mr. Mankel was born in Knoxville on Jan. 31, 1939, at St. Mary’s Hospital. He lived in Knoxville until graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in business administration.

Upon being drafted into the military, he chose to enlist in the U.S. Air Force for Offi cer Training School. After serving seven years on active duty, Lt. Col. Mankel transferred to the Air Force Reserve and completed a career of more than 24 years before retiring. While an Air Force Reservist, in his civilian life he enjoyed success as a traffi c manager for ALCOA, as president of two moving companies, and fi nally as the owner of his own moving company, Mankel Mayfl ower Moving and Storage in Knoxville.

Lt. Col. Mankel is preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn Mankel, his parents, George Sr. and Willia Mankel, his brother, Monsignor Xavier Mankel, and his daughter, Susan Fefolt. He is survived by his sister, Sister Georgeanna Mankel, RSM, sons Mike and Eric, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Mankel was celebrated on Aug. 5 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Harriman. A graveside service followed in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Rockwood with full military honors presented by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and the Roane County Military Memorial Honor Guard.

Donations in Lt. Col. Mankel ’ s memory can be made to Sacred Ground Hospice House, 1120 Dry Gap Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918, www. sacredgroundresidentialhospice.com

Jean Fox

Jean Fox of Knoxville passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 30 surrounded by her family. She was 88.

A funeral Mass for Mrs. Fox was held on Aug. 7 at All Saints Church.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mrs. Fox excelled at swimming at an early age, competing at the state and national AAU levels

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Mrs. Goelz

Mr. Neuhoff

Lt. Col. Mankel Faithful Departed continued on page

St. John Neumann sponsoring diocesan retreat on Eucharist

St. John Neumann Church is sponsoring a retreat open to the faithful in the Diocese of Knoxville that will be held Sept. 22-23 at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton.

The retreat, whose theme is “ Eucharist: The Source and Summit of Christian Life, ” will be facilitated by Deacon Bob Hunt, Deacon Greg Larson, and the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary.

The retreat, which begins on Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. and con-

cludes on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. is especially focused on couples or individual women and men.

Registration deadline for this retreat is Sept. 18. A non-refundable deposit of $25 is appreciated at registration. The balance will be due upon arrival.

Anyone with questions can contact Yvonne Kidder at 865363-2239 or e-mail Sister Elizabeth Wanyoike, ESM, at srelizabeth@sjnknox.org

Information also is available at St. John Neumann Church ’s web-

site, sjnknox.org . Those interested in attending also can look for a QR code that links to the registration form or go to http:// forms.gle/4FqdPfSEH7UAt2hi6

The retreat center address is 250 Locke Lane, Benton, TN 37303

The Catholic Church in the United States is in the midst of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative that began in 2022 to restore understanding and devotion to the great mystery of the Eucharist, the Source

and Summit of the Catholic faith.

The national revival ’s goal is to renew the faithful ’s worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. “ Our world is hurting. We all need healing, yet many of us are separated from the very source of our strength. Jesus Christ invites us to return to the Source and Summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist, ” according to the National Eucharistic Revival website, which is www.eucharisticrevival.org ■

“I highly suggest that everyone find themselves a Mary Klug to travel with. A Mary Klug is a dear friend who matches your temperament and traveling style in my case this involves finding a cheap destination and making a tentative guide to explore the city, while really being down for anything that comes up ”

— Casey Keeley

Traveling faithfully Above left: prayer gardens are located outside nearly every church and can be excellent places to meditate. Above middle: Casey Keeley, left, and pilgrimage pal Mary Klug. Above right: Travelers on a pilgrimage can come across artifacts of holiness simply by walking around any historic city or town. Many Catholics practice the trend of combining annual vacations and faith-based pilgrimages. Faith-based

I have done on my travels to make the trips more God-centered.

Making your trip more of a pilgrimage n Pray an interactive rosary on the ride (or listen to one of the many podcasts run by strong Catholic influencers).

The amount of multimedia readily available to Catholics is growing at a rapid rate, with podcasts such as Pints with Aquinas and “Catechism in a Year ” to worship songs and recitations of the rosary available across multiple platforms.

Laudate and Hallow are popular apps for believers, but popular streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora host these apps as well.

n Attend daily Mass. Whenever I make plans to go out of town, the first thing I research are the local churches. I typically attend the most historical church in that area out of personal preference, and I base my lodging accommodations and activities on that area.

I recommend booking a place within safe walking distance from a church so that you can start your day off with exercise and Jesus! n Meet up with a young adult group in that area. There are numerous groups and clubs available to Catholic young adults across the

Seminarian continued from page A6

Catholic faith, the rest of her family gradually began the process of following in her footsteps, with eldest son Edwin receiving the sacraments this past Easter and her husband, Michael, becoming the last catechumen with the intention of receiving the sacraments next spring.

Gerald Stults points out that he was too young to remember much about teachings in the Protestant churches, but that Catholicism really clicked with him in the seventh grade when he was participating in the youth group at St. Mary.

“Stephanie Mann, the youth minister at the time, started telling us about all these Catholic teachings, and that’s the first time I was ever like ‘oh, I get it,’” Mr. Stults said.

Mr. Stults planned to earn an engineering degree before applying to seminary school with the hope of making that vocational step after he established a career. However, St. Mary pastor Father Dustin Collins encouraged him to fully embrace seminary school and immerse himself in his call to be a priest.

Father Collins has been a helpful resource for Mr. Stults by answering any questions he has about his upcoming journey and giving him an idea of what life will be like in the seminary.

world.

From university Catholic centers and Theology on Tap to seminars, it isn’t difficult to find these groups. Many of them are listed on the church bulletins, which are often listed on the church website and are just a quick social media search and direct message away from connecting with new friends

n Take a day to explore the holy sites. Every city I have ever visited has a Catholic shop with iconography, books, rosaries, and local faith-based crafts from members of the church. And these shops often are inside churches.

Even if you don’t end up buying anything, it does the soul good to browse through and be inspired by the physical reminders of our faith.

Cemeteries are another commonly overlooked way to increase your faith. Not only is praying for the souls in purgatory good for the purification of the souls of our brothers and sisters who have gone before us to reunite with our Lord, it also instills peace and grace into the heart of the individual doing the praying.

n Book a trip to an older city. The older the city the richer the history and the more older churches there are to see. You can definitely tell I was homeschooled by the way I absolutely nerd out over history.

Boston has been my favorite location so far

“Gerald has been active in our parish youth group, helped serve at Mass, and has grown in his faith over the years,” Father Collins said. “I am happy that he has been willing to answer God’s call and start his seminary formation.”

Since making the decision to directly apply to seminary school, Mr. Stults has become more intentional about his relationships and surrounding himself with fellow Catholics who are close to their faith. He has been delving into his faith by listening to talks and reading more about Catholicism while also improving his prayer life.

“I am most looking forward to the sense of brotherhood and community that exists between seminarians,” Mr. Stults said. “To only have each other there for spiritual guidance and assistance without any outside distractions is going to be amazing for my faith.”

St. Mary parishioners are offering prayers for Mr. Stults as he begins his pursuit to become a diocesan priest. Catholics in the diocese can write Mr. Stults and offer words of encouragement as he pursues God’s calling for his life. Write to: Gerald Stults, Conception Seminary College, P.O. Box 502, Conception, MO 64433-0502 ■

for our mini-pilgrimage journey due to all of the historic sites and the deep history involved with the whole city.

Similar to praying for souls at the cemetery, being in a location where history was made reminds us to pray for the people involved in that history throughout the generations.

n Sunday Mass. The staple of every successful trip is attending Sunday Mass. It definitely inspires feelings of awe and wonder to realize that the body of Christ extends to more than just your corner of the world.

Being there with people who live hundreds or thousands of miles away from you saying the same prayers and worshiping our Lord in the same reverent way as you would back home is awe-inspiring.

A pilgrimage is about strengthening your connection with God at the end of the day.

Whether you choose to spend a weekend in Nashville or an extended stay at the beach, there are endless opportunities open for you to convert these journeys into something that makes God the central focus of the trip, thus converting the trip into a pilgrimage in itself. Happy pilgrimage! ■

FREE RESOURCES FOR EVERY ATTENDEE! Dinner Break 5:00-6:00 PM (Food trucks will be available) Sacrament of Reconciliation & Eucharistic Adoration 7:00-7:30 PM

SUNDAY October 22, 2023 SUNDAY October 22, 2023

(AGES 13+) 3:30 - 5:00 PM

What's the meaning of sex, gender, and the human body? The truth of masculinity and femininity are being questioned like never before. Discover how your body as a man or woman reveals your identity and calling.

Casey Keeley is a parishioner at St. Mary in Johnson City and a regular contributor to The East Tennessee Catholic.

trips continued from page A10

A trip down ‘no memory’

Answered prayer leads Diocese of Knoxville parishioner home to Mexico after many years

By Rocio Melendez

Irecently had one of my biggest, yet most forgotten, dreams come true.

When I mean “forgotten,” I refer to the realization and acceptance that my dream cannot come true. And I became OK with it.

When certain circumstances are past your control, why long to keep wanting for it? I guess one could say I found a very pessimistic way of viewing the situation, but I prefer to say that I keep my expectations real. But just as this mindset helps me deal with unfavorable outcomes, it comes to show that God doesn’t forget. He doesn’t forget what you prayed for on those nights. And God comes through, one way or another.

Will it happen exactly as you imagined it at the time that you imagined it with the people you imagined it with? No. But sometimes it exceeds your expectations. And that is exactly what happened when this “forgotten” dream of mine came true. The dream that finally became a reality was me being able to visit my hometown in Mexico after 20 years!

The realization that I was in Mexico didn’t hit until I stepped off the plane at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport in Guadalajara on June 18. I knew something about this place felt different than what I had been used to all my life. Different yet familiar. But, nonetheless, we continued through airport logistics.

We met with a distant family member, who was going to provide us with transportation to our destination two hours away. I remember the car ride was very interesting. New details started to appear every which way I looked. Things that are typically hard to see from a plane’s view were all so apparent during the car ride to our destination: the grass, the leaves of the trees, the structures of buildings and houses, the small details of the landscape.

As we got closer to my hometown, I remember feeling something that I had never felt before. It was truly such a strange feeling a feeling of unexplainable nostalgia that started to emerge. Everything felt strange, but at the same time I felt as if my heart knew where I was.

How does someone explain that she knows a place without any apparent memories of it? How does someone put this concept into words even when she can’t understand what she feels? It was as if my unconscious memory was reminiscing on very early memories of my childhood, but my conscious memory never had a chance to process the information.

A strong sense of belonging also started to surface. I didn’t feel like a stranger to this place, although I had zero memory of Mexico

can, too.

“Because many people think Padre Pio was very serious or was never smiling, we know there was a Padre Pio who used to sip some beer... or there were some honest little jokes with his friars. But also, [he] was a man who dedicated 14 hours in confessional and was a man who was saying countless rosaries every day and

Commentary

and the people. Of course, I had seen pictures and videos throughout my life about Mexico, but nothing compares to witnessing it personally, five senses and all. The craziest thing was I never once stopped experiencing this feeling throughout my two-week trip.

We finally arrived at our destination. And a rollercoaster of emotions awaited me like never before. A few family members of ours, my grandma and cousins, stood at the entrance of their house with the most welcoming smile on their faces, ready to greet us. They made it feel as if we never left 20 years ago, as if we had left only for a couple hours to the United States, and we were finally back.

That moment was very special. As we finished our initial greetings and were able to relax for a minute, my aunt walked through the front door with flower arrangements in each hand. She set the flowers down, and more greetings were initiated. Warm hugs, smiles, and words were shared, and after a heartfelt encounter, she offered us food.

I very much longed for food at that moment. What she offered us was far from fancy or elaborate beans, homemade cheese, and rotisserie chicken from their local market along with tortillas and salsa. But that food nurtured my body and soul like never before.

meeting people every day. So, he did dedicate some time for the pleasure of [being] a human being... but the best teaching is to bear our sufferings in a unique way and that we offer that to God’s will. That is the best teaching we can take from him.”

The relics of St. Pio of Petrelcina will be available for viewing and veneration at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

One thing that stood out to me and I found very special was how people in Mexico, whether family or complete strangers, always offered even the smallest commodity to us to make us feel welcome.

It speaks volumes about the Mexican people and our values. And even more special, they would offer us non-materialistic things, like time. Here in the United States, time is very important. We are always on this strict schedule, seeking to stay on routine as much as we can. But in Mexico, time flowed differently.

People seemed more laid back and not in such a hurry all the time. Somehow, they managed to get a lot done, too. They seem to value social interactions, family gatherings, and socializing in general to a much higher degree than U.S. culture does. It gave me a lot to reflect on during my trip.

Just as we finished eating, my aunt started to explain to us a bit more about the significance behind the two flower arrangements she had brought in when she arrived home. My mom and I had a long conversation about those flowers just before my trip.

She had made a promise to the Virgin Mary 20 years ago that if she allowed us to return to Mexico one day, alive most importantly, we would offer the Virgin Mary flowers the first thing when back in Mexico. And that is exactly what we were going to do next. The flower ar-

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in Knoxville on Sept. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A Mass in honor of Padre Pio will be celebrated at noon. Contact the cathedral office at 865588-0249 or shcathedral@shcknox. org for additional information.

The relics will be available for viewing and veneration at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga on Sept. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Father Michael Hendershott will offer a reflection on St. Pio in English at 5:30 p.m. in the parish hall. Deacon Renzo Alvarado Suarez will offer a reflection on St. Pio in Spanish at 6:15 p.m. in the parish hall. A multilingual Mass in honor of St. Pio will be celebrated at 7 p.m. in the basilica. Contact the basilica at 423-266-1618 or office@stspeter andpaulbasilica.com for additional information. ■

COURTESY OF ROCIO MELENDEZ

You can go home again Rocio Melendez, left, is joined by her brother, Saul, and sister-in-law Sarah at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Degollado, Jalisco, Mexico . At right is the arch of Degollado, Jalisco, made from stone. Degollado is known for being the capital of stone carving.

Padre Pio continued from page A7

1st Hispanic ‘Life in the Spirit’ seminar held

Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Diocese of Knoxville leads event at All Saints

By Coral Getino

“ We adore You, Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Father, send us the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised us. He will guide us to unity. He is the One who gives the charisms, who works variety in the Church, and it is He who brings about unity. Send us the Holy Spirit, that He may teach us all that Jesus taught us and that He may give us the memory of what Jesus said. Jesus, Lord, You asked for us all the grace of unity in this Church which is Yours, not ours. History has divided us. Jesus, help us to go on the path of unity or of reconciled diversity. Lord, You always do what You promise, give us the unity of all Christians. Amen. ”

—Pope Francis, 2015

More than 100 people gathered at All Saints Church in Knoxville the last weekend of July for a significant event: the first Hispanic Life in the Spirit Seminar to be held in the Diocese of Knoxville.

Several years of work by RCCKNOX, a group that focuses on the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Diocese of Knoxville made the event happen. The group worked under the guidance of Blanca Primm, director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Knoxville, and Father Miguel Vélez, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Morristown, who serves as spiritual moderator for RCCKNOX.

“The Life in the Spirit Seminar is a catechesis that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, leads to a personal encounter with Jesus, transforming our lives,” Pope Francis has said.

The seminar serves as a platform for the initial evangelization, known as the Kerygma. The recent seminar in Knoxville drew 106 people from various parishes, including All Saints, Holy Ghost in Knoxville, Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Mary in Oak Ridge, St. Patrick in Morristown, and St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City.

The Life in the Spirit Seminar is a structured program that helps people understand the Holy Spirit’s role in their lives and how to have a relationship with God. The first seminar had a team of 20 people directing it. They included Deacon Salvador Soriano from Knoxville, Deacon Salvador Soto from the Diocese of Nashville, a music group from Nashville, a group from the Diocese of Birmingham led by Ramos Garcia, and several intercessors from both dioceses. Additionally, 30 individuals from the Diocese of Knoxville actively participated as servants, representing various local prayer groups. The seminar serves as an initiation into the Renewal movement.

The Renewal in the Holy Spirit, also known as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, is a spiritual movement that traces its origins to Duquesne University in Penn-

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rangements were some of the most beautiful I had ever seen. Dark red roses, bright yellow sunflowers, playful white daisies with yellow centers, and white baby’s breath all between dark green flora.

We headed to my aunt’s car and made the short trip to Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish). We hopped out of the car, grabbed the flowers, and made our way toward the church. And wow. If this was a parish, I can only imagine what a cathedral in Mexico looks like.

This parish did not compare to anything I had ever seen in the United States. The amount of detail was astonishing. I could have sat in there for weeks and never

sylvania during the 1960s, shortly after Vatican II. A renewed interest emerged in understanding the Holy Spirit’s role within the contemporary Church.

A group of students on a Catholic retreat drew inspiration from the teachings of Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians. During this retreat, the students earnestly prayed for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the evening of Feb. 18, 1967, many participants reported experiencing various charismatic phenomena, including speaking in tongues, and an overwhelming sense of spiritual renewal. This event is often regarded as the pivotal moment that catalyzed the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement.

These charismatic encounters quickly spread across various parts of the United States and later extended to the global stage. In 1975, Pope Paul VI officially recognized the legitimacy of the movement. Subsequent popes, including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, have consistently offered their support to the Renewal in the Holy Spirit while emphasizing the importance of adhering to the teachings of the Church.

In 2014, Pope Francis aptly described the Renewal as “a current of grace” within the Church, which brings “unity in diversity.” This multifaceted movement has united millions of Catholics worldwide, transcending cultural,

once become bored with the view. Most sculptures and decorations were made from “cantera,” or in other words “quarry.” It is a stone/rock specific to the region of Degollado, Jalisco, and it’s what the town is most known for. I also quickly noticed the grand amount of flowers that decorated the altar and most of the parishes.

The presence in the parish felt almost magical. As soon as you walked in, you could say without a doubt, ”Yes, this is Jesus’ house.” We made it to the front of the altar to offer the flowers. My aunt took a picture of this very special moment, and suddenly a second roller coaster of emotions hit me. I quickly excused myself, found the adoration chapel, and in the midst

linguistic, and socio-economic boundaries. It operates under the guidance of CHARIS (Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service), founded in 2019 by Pope Francis, as a part of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.

Around the world, the charismatic spirituality resonates strongly within the Hispanic community. In the United States, the Renewal movement operates under the National Service Committee, which includes a Spanish-language branch known as CNSH (National Hispanic Service Committee), further divided into eight regions. The state of Tennessee belongs to RCCH (Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal) Region 4.

RCCKNOX, which began as a grassroots initiative in 2019, has evolved to include a leadership team (steering committee) that represents various Hispanic Assembly of Prayer Groups, the beating heart of the Catholic Renewal. These groups gather weekly for charismatic worship, engaging in spirited praise through music and reflection upon the holy Scriptures. Notably, many of the participants remained steadfast in their activities even during the pandemic. Committed members actively contribute to their parish life, prayer meetings, and community outreach. They celebrate vigils, concerts, retreats, and conferences featuring speakers that attract participants from distant

of silence, fell onto my knees and started to bawl. (As I write this, I find myself tearing up a bit.)

That day in the adoration chapel in Degollado, Jalisco, I cried for many things. But mostly what I shed tears for was the realization that my dream had come true. That God doesn’t forget what you prayed for on those nights, no matter how big or small those dreams are. After wiping my tears and taking a few deep breaths, I headed back out where the rest of my family was waiting. We wrapped up our visit to the parish, and for the first time in a long while I found myself at peace.

The rest of my trip was an absolute blast. It flew by in the blink of an eye. I would say my favorite

locations such as New Jersey and Florida.

Knoxville's first Hispanic prayer group was founded in 2005 at Our Lady of Fatima by Juan Hernandez. With the influx of the Hispanic population in local parishes, several parishioners introduced their charismatic spirituality to the area. St. Patrick’s “Renovado en el Espíritu Santo” (Renewed in the Holy Spirit) group began in 2007, and St. Thomas’ group began in 2008. In 2010, the “Caminando hacia la nueva Jerusalén” (Walking Toward New Jerusalem) prayer group started meeting at Holy Ghost, and All Saints’ “Fuerza y fe” (Fortitude and Faith) and St. Mary’s “Jesus sana y salva” (Jesus Saves and Heals) were established in 2016 and 2017, respectively. At the diocesan level, RCCKNOX organized a well-attended Pentecost Conference at Knoxville Catholic High School in 2019.

Deacon Soriano and his wife, Cristina, played pivotal roles in establishing RCCKNOX. Through their leadership, a group of 50 members embarked on a journey to Arlington, Va., in 2018 to attend a Life in the Spirit Seminar. Guided by the Arlington Charismatic Renewal Committee, this group underwent two years of training and teaching, resulting in the formation of RCCKNOX’s steering committee. These prayer groups harmonize their practices, aligning them with the guidelines of HRCC Region 4 and CHARIS International.

The present members of the steering committee include Gerardo Aguilar, chair (St. Thomas); Cristina Soriano, vice chair (All Saints); German Juarez, treasurer (St. Thomas the Apostle); Coral Getino, secretary (All Saints); Angelina Pedro, at-large (Holy Ghost); and Griselda Ventura, atlarge (St. Mary).

A notable highlight was the recent Region 4 retreat held in Florida, where a delegation of 43 members from RCCKNOX played significant roles in the retreat’s success. The group remains committed to the ongoing training of its leaders and members, nurturing existing and future prayer groups across the diocese. They pray that the new charismatics will soon bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit and conduct forthcoming Life in the Spirit seminars, as the faithful are encouraged by Pope Francis to “organize these seminars in parishes, schools, neighborhoods, to share baptism in the Spirit.”

For further updates, those interested can follow RCCKNOX on Facebook.

Also, for more information link to https//www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/ speeches/2014/june/documents/ papa-francesco_20140601_rinnovamento-spirito-santo.html and https://www.vatican.va/content/ francesco/en/speeches/2015/ july/documents/papa-francesco_20150703_movimento-rinnovamento-spirito.html ■

part was the food! Lots of variations of tacos, quesadillas, pozole, and for some reason a lot of ice cream I couldn’t be more thankful to my mom for instilling in us our culture and traditions since day one of our childhood. It was just as if we had never left Mexico. I think this played a significant role in me not feeling like a stranger during my trip to my hometown. And lastly, I am very thankful to God for having made this trip a possibility. I am glad to be back and even more appreciative of the small things in my life and my culture ■

Rocio Melendez serves as an administrative assistant in the diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office.

COURTESY OF RCCKNOX (2)

A first for the diocese Above: Participants in the first Hispanic Life in the Spirit Seminar in the Diocese of Knoxville join together for a meal at All Saints Church. The seminar took place the last weekend of July. Below: A Charismatic Congress at Knoxville Catholic High School attracted Hispanic parishioners from around the diocese.

East Tennessee Catholic News

Sevierville resident Amelia Sweeney was recently installed as the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) director for the Province of Louisville at the NCCW national convention in Salt Lake City.

The NCCW acts through its members to support, empower, and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. There are 27 province directors in the United States. The Province of Louisville includes seven dioceses in Tennessee and Kentucky: the dioceses of Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis in Tennessee, and Lexington, Covington, Owensboro, and the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky.

Ms. Sweeney is a member of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg and has served as a volunteer in numerous leadership positions for her parish and the Knoxville Diocese, as well as many within the local community.

Ms. Sweeney, as province director, is a representative and liaison for the Province of Louisville, serving on the NCCW board of directors and providing an important link between the national, diocesan, and parish councils of Catholic women in the area.

“I am humbled by and excited about the opportunity to represent the strong and faithful Catholic women of our area who do so much to serve so many in our communities, our nation, and across the globe,” Ms. Sweeney said of her new role.

“As women of faith, we are the hands and feet of Christ, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, ‘I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.’ I look forward to working with the women of the Province of Louisville to do great things,” she added.

Change in leadership for diocesan youth ministry office

Brittany Garcia has announced that she is stepping down as the director of the Youth, Young Adults, and Pastoral Juvenil ministry for the Diocese of Knoxville to devote more time to her family.

Mrs. Garcia served as the diocesan coordinator of the Pastoral Juvenil Hispana ministry from 2015-20 and was promoted to director of the diocesan youth ministry office in 2020. Her last day on the job was Sept. 7.

Deacon Jim Bello, who leads the Diocese of Knoxville Office of Christian Formation, among other duties, will serve as interim director of the Office of Youth, Young Adults, and Pastoral Juvenil until a new director is hired

CCETN leader retires, deacon to serve as interim director

Lisa Healy, who has served as executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee since April 2019, has retired.

Mrs. Healy announced her retirement several months ago and her last day was Aug. 18. Deacon David Duhamel, vice chancellor for strategic planning and school sustainability for the Diocese of Knoxville, will serve as interim executive director of CCETN.

The Diocese of Knoxville said in a statement that Catholic Charities of East Tennessee has been richly blessed by Mrs. Healy’ s leadership and her service to the nonprofit organization that provides social services throughout East Tennessee

“Deacon Duhamel ’s wealth of experience in leadership, business operations, strategic planning, and international security will prove to be fruitful as CCETN transitions into new leadership. A nationwide recruitment search continues for a full-time executive director, ” the diocese said in a statement.

Eucharistic miracles exhibit set for basilica, St. Thomas parishes

The International Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibit, a traveling display designed and created by Blessed Carlo Acutis, will be on display at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga on Sept. 16-17 and at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City on Sept. 23-24.

This exhibit, originally displayed at the Vatican in 2005, includes photos, art, and stories of more than 125 Vatican-authenticated miracles associated with faith in, and worship of, the Most Blessed Sacrament. Eucharistic miracles inspire a deeper awareness and more ardent love of the Lord’s Real Presence.

The exhibit is currently on show in five continents. Only in the United States has it been received in thousands of parishes and 100 university campuses, according to the organization assisting in the cause for sainthood for Blessed Carlos Acutis.

Carlos Acutis was an English-born Italian Catholic youth and website designer who is best known for documenting eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them onto a website that he created before his death from leukemia on Oct. 12, 2006, at the age of 15.

CCETN

receives $20,000 East Tennessee Foundation grant

The East Tennessee Foundation Mount Rest Fund awarded Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Office of Immigrant Services with a two-year, $20,000 grant for assisting unaccompanied youth on their pathway to citizenship.

The East Tennessee Foundation, for its 2023 Mount Rest Fund grant cycle, is directing its grant-making to support projects that have an impact on root-cause community problems, especially those created by systemic racism and generational harms.

“Thanks to East Tennessee Mount Rest Fund, this grant will allow the Office of Immigrant Services to provide legal representation for youth who are reunited with a sponsor here in East Tennessee,” said Alessandra Ceccarelli, program leader for the Office of Immigrant Services.

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Office of Immigrant Services provides low-bono and pro-bono immigration legal assistance to the refugee and immigrant communities of East Tennessee. Services include family reunification, citizenship and naturalization, and humanitarian services including DACA and victims of crime services. The program also holds regular workshops and information sessions.

Catholic HEART Workcamp volunteers assist CCETN

Participants from Catholic HEART Workcamp recently spent a week doing service work with Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

The work groups served at Samaritan Place, CCETN’s Division Street property, and a Columbus Home Assisting Parents in Scott County. They also attended summer camp festivities at Crazy Quilt Friendship Center in Newcomb, where they were able to do crafts and play games. The participants helped complete projects from beautification to cleaning and painting. Participants also worked outside mulching, raking, and planting. At one location they painted, cleaned out a storage area, and built stairs and hand railings to assist a client in need. The volunteer youth played games and did crafts with the local youth at the CCETN summer camp. ■

Faithful Departed

while keeping up stellar grades and cheerleading. In 1953 her academic and athletic achievements earned her a scholarship to Purdue University, swimming for the Lafayette Swim Club on behalf of Purdue, from where she graduated in 1957 with a degree in physical therapy.

She met her husband of 65 years, Robert D. Fox, at Purdue on a blind date in 1956 and they were united in love and marriage on Sept. 14, 1957. They were blessed with children Christina, Teresa, Daniel, Michelle, Gregory, Christopher, and Bridget followed by 14 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Mr. and Mrs. Fox and their ever-growing family would move several times as Mr. Fox ’ s career as a chemical engineer with Dow Chemical Co. took the family from Michigan to Virginia, Minnesota, and eventually Knoxville in 1975.

During their early years, Mrs. Fox joined her husband in the Catholic faith to serve the parishes in which they lived, where she was a member of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, choir, Meals on Wheels, and numerous study groups. Her spirit of service included volunteering as swim coach, chaperone, librarian, and chauffeur for her children’s many school and athletic events.

She instilled a passion for all things aquatic in her children, whom she taught to swim before they could walk. She pursued swimming throughout her life and taught all ages and abilities, including lifeguarding and water safety instructor classes, infant-mother swim classes at the Westside YMCA, and coached the Knoxville Catholic High School, Deane Hill Country Club, and Village Green swim teams. She joined the U.S. Masters Swim Club in 1974, competing successfully in her events into her 70s, including at the Senior Olympics. She was a cancer survivor and remained active in the local Masters chapter as secretary-treasurer until age 80.

She was a beloved daughter of Richard and Florence Sager of Verona, N.J., and is survived by her sister, Cheryl Sager Thompson of Macedon, N.Y., in addition to her family.

Aleksandra Lipecki

Aleksandra Lipecki passed away peacefully in her sleep on Aug. 6 at the age of 98.

Mrs. Lipecki was born on May 25, 1925, in the free city state of Gdansk, Poland, to Bonifacy Langowski and Bronislawa Kamrowska Langowska. She was the youngest of four siblings, with two brothers and a sister, Henry, Joe, and Mary.

As a child she enjoyed swimming in the Baltic Sea, playing piano, and playing with her older cousin, Zosia, at their country home, Rozana. She learned the freedom and responsibility of driving a car from her mother, who drove the family and did basic maintenance on the Adler Trumpf. Those in her family were members of the Polish Szlachta or upper class and lived with comfort, but also had to uphold certain appearances. So, while her mother could drive and work on the family car, Mrs. Lipecki was not allowed to learn how to ride a bike, because it was not considered ladylike.

On Sept. 1, 1939, the German military invaded Poland, and her idyllic life changed forever. Mrs. Lipecki was 15 when World War II began. Her father was the district attorney in Gdansk and had previously helped to draft the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

He was captured by German SS officers, taken to the Stutthof camp, and executed in the first year of the war. Mrs. Lipecki spent the war in and out of work camps with her mother and sister, eventually being moved from Poland to the western part of Germany. Her brother Henry fought with the Resistance, was captured and died in a Nazi prison shortly before the end of the war. Her brother Joe also fought with the Resistance but evaded capture and emigrated to the United States.

Following the end of World War II, Mrs. Lipecki was in a refugee camp in Stuttgart, Germany, when she met the love of her life, Edmund Lipecki. Her sister had married an American intelligence officer and was able to help find Mr. and Mrs. Lipecki sponsorship to resettle in the United States.

As a new immigrant, Mrs. Lipecki had many jobs, first working in a glove factory, as a housekeeper, and then as a clerk for an insurance company.

In 1958, Mr. and Mrs. Lipecki welcomed their only daughter, Yvonne Lipecki Hosey, to the world in New York City.

The family spent the next years moving between New Jersey, Atlanta, and Florida, before finally settling in Atlanta in the 1970s.

In 1998, following the death of her husband, Mrs. Lipecki moved to Knoxville to be near her daughter and grandchildren.

Mrs. Lipecki loved dachshunds, traveling, Chopin, the color red, making Polish treats, keeping traditions, and sharing stories and treasured photos from her years in Poland.

Through the age of 97, she meticulously balanced her checkbook, wrote e-mails to family across the globe, and would banter about the state of the world. She spoke three languages fluently: Polish, English, and German.

During a family trip through Germany to Poland, Germans kept complimenting her formal German speech. Her family asked why she never spoke German in the United States and her reply was, “You can forgive, but you never forget.”

She was a beloved member of the International Friends Club of Tennessee and Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville.

Mrs. Lipecki will be missed and remembered by her daughter, Yvonne, son-in-law, Kevin, and grandchildren, Eamon and Olivia Hosey, as well as family members and friends.

A memorial Mass and reception will be held in her honor at Immaculate Conception Church on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m. All are welcome.

Mrs. Lipecki will be laid to rest alongside her dear relatives at the Polish National Cemetery in Doylestown, Pa.

Donations in Mrs. Lipecki’s memory can be made to Much Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit organization her granddaughter works for, at muchministries.org, or donations may be mailed to:

Much Ministries

P.O. Box 24599, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522. ■

Ms. Sweeney

Mrs. Fox

Mrs. Lipecki

Jesus is answer to human longing, pope says in Mongolia Mass

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Like the land struck by a “zud,” the human heart has a thirst and longing that can be alleviated only by the God of love, Pope Francis told Mongolians gathered for Mass in Ulaanbaatar’s Steppe Arena.

Countless generations of Mongolians have feared the “zud,” an extreme weather event of drought or impenetrable ice that decimates herds and flocks.

In his homily at the Mass on Sept. 3, Pope Francis emphasized the day’s response to Psalm 63: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

“We are that dry land thirsting for fresh water, water that can slake our deepest thirst,” the pope said. “Our hearts long to discover the secret of true joy, a joy that even in the midst of existential aridity, can accompany and sustain us.”

Every person thirsts for happiness, for direction, and for meaning in life, he said. But “more than anything, we thirst for love, for only love can truly satisfy us, bring us fulfillment, inspire inner assurance, and allow us to savor the beauty of life.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he told the estimated 2,000 people in the arena, “the Christian faith is the answer to this thirst; it takes it seriously, without dismissing it or try-

FOCUS continued from page A19

that hunger in him, he probably would not be a deacon.

“And that’s the hunger that all of us should have when it comes to Scripture. All of us here can talk about Adam and Eve. We can talk about Noah’s ark. But if we lined up the figures of the Old Testament: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. Could you put them in chronological order? Could you explain how they are related? Could you point out the bloodline of Jesus through salvation history?

“I want to encourage you to have that hunger. It is in that hunger that my faith was boosted the most. If it wasn’t for walking around back in the ‘90s with

Fr. Appiah continued from page A6

He said Father Nolan understood the new priest needed a car and handed him a $1,000 check for a down payment. Father Nolan told Father Appiah he could pay back the $1,000 over time or not pay it back at all.

“That is the kind of priest I have worked with over all these years. They are generous, and they don’t wait for you to ask for anything. So, I want to say to all the priests, thank you,” Father Appiah shared.

He cited emotional connections for all the support he has received for his missions to Ghana, his native homeland.

Also in attendance for the anniversary of his ordination were his brother, Anthony Appiah, and his wife, Constance, who traveled to Oak Ridge from Atlanta.

Father Appiah told the congregation that leaders like Father Nolan and his brother, Anthony, illustrate the leader he wants to become, giving examples of their influence on his priesthood, such as when his brother dropped everything to come to the young priest’s aid when he was stranded out of state due to car troubles, even at the risk of losing his job.

Father Appiah recalled the parishes where he served and how he was encouraged by his bishops and fellow priests to continue his mission ministry in Ghana.

“They made all of these things possible,” Father Appiah said.

“I have had wonderful relationships with all the bishops: Bishop O’Connell, who is the reason I am here; Bishop [Joseph E.]

ing to replace it with tranquilizers or surrogates.”

The Mongolian Catholic community numbers only about 1,450, but hundreds of Catholics from throughout Central Asia traveled to Ulaanbaatar for the papal Mass. While the Chinese government refused to allow any Catholic bishop or priest from the mainland to attend, small groups of lay Catholics managed to cross the border to see the pope, and official Church delegations arrived from Hong Kong and Macau.

Riding around the perimeter of the small arena in a golf cart, Pope Francis stopped and waved at a

a Walkman and a cassette player, hearing Scott Hahn explain typology and how things are prefigured in the Old Testament, I really don’t think I would be standing here as a deacon,” he remarked.

Deacon Gabor’s epiphany occurred through dedicated study of the Bible and the meanings behind the Scripture, and searching for those who can better make him understand. It’s similar to what every student achieves to get a high grade in a class.

“It was then that I grew in understanding of the reality of this beautiful faith that we’re a part of, that it’s not just a bunch of stories that are kind of weird with a lot of murder, concubines,

group that held up a Chinese flag.

Bishops and pilgrims also came from South Korea and Vietnam, including a dance troupe that performed for the crowd that gathered hours before Mass. When the pope arrived, the Vietnamese dancers rushed to the crowd barriers, waving their conical straw nón lá hats.

Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo Iustyna Gurevich and Elena Sachenko said they spent two days driving to Ulaanbaatar with 20 pilgrims from Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Khabarovsk, Russia, for the papal Mass.

Among the prayers of the faithful at the Mass were one read in

adultery, incest. All of those things are, yes, weird on the surface, but when you dive into it, you bring out so much more meaning,” he said.

The Newman Center director asked the students at Mass to make spiritual study a part of their semester education.

“When it’s talking about murder or death, it’s speaking about spiritual death. If it’s speaking about adultery, it’s speaking about infidelity to God and bringing false gods into your life,” he said. “But those who are given the wisdom to explain Scripture explain it so we can see the foreshadowing of Jesus and the Church. So, what I want to do is encourage you to be part of

Russian and another in Chinese.

The Russian-language prayer was for government leaders that “the wisdom that comes from heaven would teach them to care for the common good, overcoming conflicts and working for peace among peoples and safeguarding our common home.”

The prayer in Chinese was for those who are suffering that God, “who abandons nothing that He created, would console them in their time of trial and make us ready to give fraternal service.”

Kim Viet Ngo, a VietnameseAmerican Catholic from Washington, D.C., said the Mass was an opportunity to see and pray with Pope Francis closer than she would ever get to him at the Vatican.

“As a Catholic, I believe the pope can change the world, Vietnam included,” she said.

Pope Francis told the small crowd that “the heart of the Christian faith” is that “God, who is love, has drawn near to you in His son, Jesus, and wants to share in your life, your work, your dreams, and your thirst for happiness.”

Even when one feels like a “dry and weary land where there is no water,” as the Psalm says, it is still true that “God cares for us and offers us clear, refreshing water, the living water of the Spirit, springing up within us to renew us and free us from the risk of drought. Jesus gives us that water.” ■

a Bible study,” he said.

The FOCUS missionaries lead Bible studies on the campuses where they serve.

Deacon Gabor quoted St. Jerome, who first translated the Bible into Latin, who said ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

“God reveals himself to us through Scripture. My brothers and sisters, let’s not stay ignorant of Christ. Let’s break open the Word, dig in, ask the questions. Why? Why is He talking about that? Why is it hard to understand? Why does it seem strange? Seek the sources to help explain it, and I assure you that you will grow in your faith. I know I did,” he concluded. ■

Church. “The one thing that can make a difference is absolutely education. We have something to teach.”

“This Church in Knoxville is that emotional connection for children, adults, and the future,” he continued. “I’m not asking for donations. I’m just telling you what my plan is for the future. And God help me, that will come to fruition.”

Following the Communion hymn, the St. Mary choir sang “Wa Wa Wa Emimimo (Come, O Holy Spirit),” a Nigerian spiritual.

Father Appiah plans to continue serving as a military chaplain, but he pointed out that the decision is up to the next bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Kurtz; and Bishop [Richard F.]

Stika. And I am grateful for everything they have taught me.”

Father Appiah, who has been a world traveler leading international missions and serving as a military chaplain, visited a variety of countries before and since he has been a diocesan priest, including France, Germany, Haiti, Mexico, Vietnam, Canada, Italy, and the Philippines.

“The one regret I have is this. I didn’t get the opportunity to see the part of the world where a lot of our priests come from. I have not been to Colombia. We have priests from Colombia. I have not been to Sri Lanka—yet. There are priests from Sri Lanka. I have not been to Ireland—yet. There are priests from Ireland. I have not been to India—yet. There are priests from India. I have not been to Uganda—yet. There are priests from Uganda. I have not

been to the Sudan—yet. There are priests from the Sudan,” Father Appiah acknowledged.

“My next opportunity is to literally go to all of these places where our priests come from. I have not been to Nigeria—yet. We have priests from Nigeria in the diocese,” he noted. “I need to go and see where my brother priests come from. That will help me see what and who they are.”

Looking to the future, Father Appiah shared that before he retires from the active ministry in a number of years, he plans to establish a foundation to build a school in his native Ghana.

“It’s going to be the best school in Ghana, from kindergarten through high school. And it’s going to have an endowment in the United States,” he said, noting that he is concerned as Protestant and Muslim communities grow in Ghana ahead of the Catholic

“We serve at the pleasure of the bishop. So, as long as the bishop says stay, I stay. But if he says come back, then that will be the end, and I will return,” he said. “You serve under the directive of the bishop. Military chaplains are needed, so all my bishops, including Bishop Stika, have said stay in as long as you can.”

In addition to his silver jubilee as a priest, Father Appiah is marking his 10th year as a military chaplain in 2023.

To conclude his homily, Father Appiah gave heartfelt appreciation to the congregation and the St. Mary community for supporting his ministry.

“I just want to say to all of you thank you. When the cock crows at 3 o’clock, I’ll be saying to you, ‘Thank you for all that you have done to support me in my priesthood,’” he said. ■

Lei ministers Priests who concelebrated Father John Appiah's 25th anniversary Mass and deacons show off their festive neckwear

Mongolia welcomes Francis Pope Francis and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, are shown with the city's Catholics gathered in front of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Sept. 2.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/LOLA GOMEZ

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