Oct. 2, 2002, ET Catholic, B section

Medal of Honor recipients visit Catholic schools

By Dan McWilliams

Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were in Knoxville for a celebration Sept. 6-10, and two Catholic soldiers who earned the rare award stopped by Knoxville Catholic High School and Sacred Heart Cathedral School to interact with students.

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry and retired Army Sgt. Mike Rose spoke at a Medal of Honor as sembly Sept. 7 at KCHS. Sgt. Petry arrived by helicopter at the high school’s football practice field along with Pete Hegseth of Fox News’ Fox & Friends morning news show, who was in town to record a segment for the show featuring KCHS students, Sgt. Petry, and Sgt. Rose.

Many Medal of Honor recipients took part in a memorial service at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Sept. 8. The morn ing also included a parachute jump and a howitzer salute.

Father Chris Michelson, chair of the KCHS Board of Trustees, led a prayer before the assembly.

“We give you thanks for giving us the opportunity each day to pray and to celebrate in true freedom, that freedom that is protected each day by the men and women of our Armed Forces,” he said. “We give you thanks for their diligence and for their willingness to serve.”

After the prayer, the KCHS band and combined chorus performed the National Anthem. The 5th Special Forces Honor Guard presented the colors.

School president Dickie Som payrac began the assembly. “These

men hold the highest and most prestigious military decorations and have distinguished themselves by their acts of valor,” he said. “Our students have been learning about the six values embodied in the Medal of Honor—courage, commit ment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism—through the Medal of Honor Character Development Program.”

Marc Anthony, a KCHS parent,

of Knoxville radio station Star 102.1 FM moderated the assembly. He echoed Mr. Sompayrac’s words as he introduced Sgt. Petry and Sgt. Rose, who fielded questions from students.

“Let that sink in for a second: acts of valor,” Mr. Anthony said. “Valor that may have cost a body part. Val or that cost a lot of trauma. . . . This medal around their neck . . . a presi dent took time out of his day at a

My peace I give you

ceremony to put that medal around their necks. Only 3,500 of the mil lions who have served in the Armed Forces have ever had that medal put around their necks, and two of them are right there.”

Sgt. Petry, who also visited Knox ville in 2014 as part of a Medal of Honor ceremony, lost his right hand when he picked up a grenade while serving as an Army Ranger

Medal of Honor continued on page B2

The example of two military chaplain heroes reminds us what is most essential in the earthly and spiritual battles of life

By Bishop Richard F. Stika

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid—John 14:27.

Above and beyond. The Medal of Honor citations for two military chaplains each begin with the words, “For conspicuous gallantry and in trepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty….” And in addition to being posthumously recognized with our nation’s highest honor for valor, they also have the unique distinction of being examined for the highest honor of the altar—beatification and canon Bishop continued on page B7

Schoolteacher makes Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic

Felicia Gregory of St. Mary School in Johnson City fashions artwork out of lids from baby food pouches By Casey Keeley

The newest work of art on display at St. Mary School in Johnson City, a mosaic, is the fruit of their own staff member’s labor. Felicia Gregory has been the art teacher at St. Mary since 2017 and began this project as a way to upcycle lids from baby food pouches that her children were consuming at the time.

“The options were to either throw them away to be sent to a landfill or to make something beautiful out of it,” said Ms. Gregory. “They were being used anyway, so I decided to put them to good use.”

Ms. Gregory decided to become a teacher fol lowing in the footsteps of her parents. Her moth er was a high-school Spanish teacher, and her father was an elementary-school art teacher like herself. Because of her upbringing surrounded by the fine arts in a variety of forms, Ms. Gregory grew up seeing the beauty that can be created by the seemingly mundane items that most people take for granted.

“I want to be able to teach my students that you can be creative with anything that’s around you,” said Ms. Gregory. “It’s very easy to find commonplace things and make art out of them.”

Ms. Gregory chose to make the mosaic in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe because of it be ing one of the most easily recognized images of

Mother Mary and because it harbors an apprecia tion for the contrast of the colors on the original image. The new addition to the art collection at the school is the fifth form of the icon on the church campus and the only one created by hand from a member of the church.

“Here at St. Mary’s we have a strong devotion to Our Lady,” said school principal Becky Frye. “Our Lady of Guadalupe represents diversity, so having so many representations of that image on our campus within both the school and the church is a blessing for us to be able to showcase that devotion.”

Because this mosaic was created by using everyday materials, it automatically qualifies as a conversation starter for those who see it. This has the potential to have a major evangeli cal impact on the community, when taking into consideration that some of the students who at tend St. Mary School do not come from Catholic households. The school acts as a host for several community, parish, and school events that will potentially expose people to the faith who may not have a positive outlook on Catholicism otherwise.

“Back when people were less literate and un able to read the Bible for themselves, art was the

Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry and Sgt. Mike Rose speak at KCHS; parachute jump held at Sacred Heart

Out of the sky A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachutes in for a landing at Sacred Heart Cathedral School on Sept. 8 as students watch close by. The parachute jump was among several events coinciding with the Medal of Honor recipients’ visit to Knoxville.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

in Afghanistan. He demonstrated his prosthetic hand for the KCHS students, rotating it 360 degrees and taking it off his wrist.

“At a young age I realized there are a lot of things we take for grant ed in this country,” Sgt. Petry said. “We feel entitled simply because we were born here. Somebody sacri ficed and was protecting us. Wheth er it was in war or peace, somebody was standing up to serve so I could enjoy everything when I was grow ing up. I said, ‘One day, I want to be that guy.’ . . . When I saw the differ ence I was making [in the Army], I continued to re-enlist.”

One student asked the best way to honor military members.

“Here’s my take on it. When I stand here, I’m looking at a fu ture president, governor, senator, general, doctor, lawyer, carpenter, or whatever,” Sgt. Rose said. “To honor all of the people who have gone before you, those millions of us men and women who have lost their lives in defense of this country since April 1775—the best thing that you can do is get the best education that you can. . . .

“When you’re walking your dog and you find a McDonald’s cup or a piece of trash, pick it up and put it in a bag. If you have an 80-some thing or 90-something-year-old neighbor, on the way home from school, pick their newspaper up

and bring it to their door or bring their mail. Check on them. Be a friend to that person who is seem ingly, to you and to others, alone. When you see something that’s not right, somebody being bullied or a comment being made that is just not right, say something or do something about it, and I mean in a peaceful way. Because I can tell you this much: violence begets violence. Harshness and greed destroys the society that you live in. . . .

“Stand up and do something. Get involved. I don’t care if it’s the chess club or football, and take pride in your fellow students when they win a championship in chess or the foot ball team wins a local champion ship. Walk by them in the hallway and say, ‘Good job.’ Just be a good, decent human being, and that’s how you honor all those people who have done what they have done so you can sit in these bleachers today in a Catholic school getting a good education.”

Both Medal of Honor recipients answered the next question: how does your family think of you being a hero?

“I tell my kids, ‘Dad’s not a hero.

Dad’s retired from the military,’” said Sgt. Petry, a Catholic who graduated from a Catholic high school. “The heroes are the men and women who are still serv ing in the Armed Forces and first

responders.”

Sgt. Rose followed.

“My children react to me the same way they did to me before the medal. They’re proud, but they don’t walk around saying that,” he said. “I do know that my children will come to me to ask me to go do something because I have the medal, to help some organization or something to that effect. They do take advantage that way, but other than that, it’s just you get up and you cut the grass and go about your business.”

Sgt. Rose also talked about his training when he was in the Special Forces and how actions in battle be come second nature because of the training.

“When you’re in that situation, you’re not fighting for mom and apple pie and the flag, you’re fight ing for the guy on your left and the guy on your right,” he said. “At that point in time, that’s all that counts. You get his back, and he has yours, and that’s how you do it. You’re committed to do it. It’s a commit ment. You’ve raised your hand and you’re getting paid about $200 a month as a sergeant.”

Sgt. Petry answered a question about what he thought of the mili tary before and after he enlisted.

“What did I get myself into?” he quipped, then added, “When I got out of the service, I still missed

it. And I tried to stay heavily in volved supporting our veterans and our military, and the more in volved I stayed, it helps me miss it less.”

Sgt. Rose said he left the Army with a “master’s degree” in life.

“The Army provided me with an education; it provided me with three hots and a cot and a purpose,” he said.

Sgt. Petry gave advice for anyone interested in a career in the military.

“It’s an enjoyable career if you choose to make a career out of it. You’re still going to get so much out of it,” he said. “They talk about the transition being hard for folks com ing out of the military. What makes it so difficult is, while you’re in the military, you’re surrounded by like-minded people who share your values, who know what teamwork is. When you get out in the civil ian world, there are a lot of people who’ll throw you under the bus to get themselves ahead. They don’t share the same values. A lot of us looked around and said, ‘I miss be ing surrounded by good people all the time.’ That’s the hardest part. Whether you serve four years or 40 years, you’re going to get something out of it.”

Sgt. Petry recalled receiving the phone call from President Barack Obama informing him that he Medal of Honor continued on

Medal of Honor continued from page B1

Question from the audience KCHS senior Harrison Thompson asks a question of Medal of Honor recipients Leroy Petry and Mike Rose.

Safe landing Wearing their Medals of Honor, Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry (left) and Sgt. Mike Rose leave the Knoxville Catholic High School football practice field after Sgt. Petry and Fox & Friends’ Pete Hegseth (background, center) landed in a helicopter.

Media time A reporter for WVLT-TV 8 interviews a pair of Sacred Heart Ca thedral School students about the Medal of Honor recipients’ visit.

Bishop and award recipient The Congressional Medal of Honor Society awarded former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, pictured with Bishop Richard F. Stika, the Patriot Award at the Patriot Award Gala on Sept. 10 at the Knoxville Convention Center.

DR. KELLY KEARSE

Handing on Staff Sgt. Petry demonstrates the 360-degree rotation capabil ity of his prosthetic hand for KCHS students as Sgt. Rose looks on.

BILL

BREWER

DAN

MCWILLIAMS

Military salute Members of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of Knox ville and Winchester, Tenn., prepare to fire a howitzer salute during the Medal of Honor memorial service.

BILL BREWER

DR. KELLY

KEARSE

would receive the Medal of Honor. He received the vaunted medal on July 12, 2011, during a ceremony at the White House.

“When I got the phone call, I kind of knew it was coming. . . . He was telling me that he wanted to give me the Medal of Honor and invited me to D.C.,” he said. “I tried to see how long I could keep him on the phone. . . . Meeting him and the vice presi dent and a lot of those officials up there in D.C. was an honor. To meet any president is an honor, and I’ve met a number of them. When you meet them, you realize they’re just like you and I. They grew up, they studied, they did what they needed to do to get where they wanted to be.”

After the assembly, Mr. Som payrac credited a KCHS parent for the occasion.

“Joe Thompson, who is in charge of the Medal of Honor Foundation here in Knoxville, his kids go to school here, and I think that played a large role in us getting them here. It was a great honor for us and something that our kids will never forget,” he said.

Mr. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, then recorded his Fox & Friends segment in the KCHS library. The video may

“What

ing this for Fox & Friends is show case the Character Development Program, showcase the Medal of Honor Society, showcase the amaz ing stories that these men have and the way it can help shape and change lives of young people in this country,” he said. “I know you [stu dents] do Medal of Honor Mondays in your AP Government courses. We just want to showcase this to the rest of the country—no pressure, there’s only about 2 million people watching.”

After the recording, Sgt. Rose spoke of his Medal of Honor. He stressed that the honorees are not “winners” but “recipients.” He re ceived his medal on Oct. 23, 2017, from President Donald Trump.

“They like the word ‘recipient.’

The Army does not like the word ‘winner,’ because military awards and decorations are not won—they are awarded for service and com bat,” he said.

Earning the medal is like “a twoedged sword,” he said. “In one way, there’s a lot of attributes and ben efits and a lot of fun things that you get to get involved in, but the other thing is there’s a big demand on your time.”

On Sept. 8, Sacred Heart sixthgrader Owen McNally looked forward to the parachute jump and seeing the Medal of Honor recipients.

“I think it’s really cool to be doing this for our school and for the veter ans who served here in the United States. I’m really excited to see them,” he said. “I think it’s going to be really cool to see people jumping out of a helicopter. . . . I think it’s a really great thing that these people did.”

Eleven members of the Army Golden Knights parachuted out of an aircraft 5,000 feet in the air, with smoke grenades helping pin point their location. Students yelled “jump” and cheered as each jumper approached and landed on the ath letics field just outside of Sacred Heart Cathedral School.

The first jumper was Army Staff Sgt. Griffin Mueller. He said the jump was his 821st.

“Jumping for kids is probably the best experience because of the energy that they have, and they’re so excited to be out here to see us perform. It really means something to a lot of the guys on the team,” he said.

Recognizing Medal of Honor win ners was important, too, Sgt. Muel ler said.

“It means a lot because those are the men and women who came be fore us that did incredibly valorous things under the most tremendous of conditions. It means a lot just to give back to those guys because they gave all, and some gave more

than that,” he said.

The Sept. 8 private memorial service at the cathedral honored deceased Medal of Honor recipients Army Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshi ro, Army Sgt. First Class Alwyn C. Cashe, Army Sgt. First Class Christo pher A. Celiz, Specialist Fourth Class Charles C. Hagemeister, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Duane E. Dewey, Army Sgt. Gary B. Beikirch, Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth Stumpf, Gun nery Sgt. John L. Canley, USMC Cpl. Hershel W. Williams, and USMC Pri vate First Class Robert E. Simanek.

Medal of Honor recipients also took part in a Patriot Award Gala on Sept. 10 at the Knoxville Con vention Center. Actor Gary Sinise served as master of ceremonies at the gala, which was attended by Bishop Richard F. Stika.

The Congressional Medal of Hon or Society awarded former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley the Patriot Award at the event. “Top Gun: Maverick” actor Glen Powell received the Bob Hope Award for entertainment, NBC News corre spondent Courtney Kube received the John R. “Tex” McCrary Award for excellence in journalism, and Dr. Timothy Miller of Operation Mend received the Distinguished Citizen Award.

For more information on the Knoxville events, visit www.moh knoxville2022.org. n

Circling for a landing A Golden Knights parachutist comes in for a landing bearing the Tennessee state flag.

BILL BREWER

Upon closer examination Julia Zabek looks at a Medal of Honor in the KCHS library before a taping of a Fox & Friends segment began.

Looking skyward A Sacred Heart Cathedral School student has her neck craned for a look at the Golden Knights parachute team.

DR. KELLY KEARSE

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Medal

Honor

Surrounded by students Sacred Heart Cathedral School students high-five a Golden Knights parachute team member

BILL BREWER

Award for valor Only 3,500 men and women have received the Medal of Honor in U.S. history.

DR. KELLY KEARSE

TV show participants Pete Hegseth (blue shirt) of Fox & Friends poses with Sgt. Rose, Staff Sgt. Petry, and KCHS students after recording a segment for his series.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

St. Jude, Chattanooga

The Knights of Columbus are collect ing coats, jackets, sweaters, hoodies, toiletries, new socks and underwear, and other donations for Christmas. Adult sizes are particularly important. Collection days are Oct. 8-9, Oct. 1516, Oct. 22-23, Oct. 29-30, and Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Collection boxes will be in the vestibule. Donations will be dis tributed to the Chattanooga Homeless Center.

St. Jude is starting a monthly luncheon Thursday, Oct. 13, to celebrate the saints of each month. Mass at 11:15 a.m. will be followed by a potluck lunch. Those who would like to attend should consider bringing a dish; des sert will be provided.

St. Jude’s Trunk or Treat is returning Halloween day, Monday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Families can join in for food, games, a hayride, funnel cakes, music, costume contests, and more. Those wishing to decorate their vehicle must register for their reserved spot in advance; forms are available in the church vestibule or in the office. Call Kyra at 423-870-2386 to help.

The All Souls Day remembrance pro cession will be held Wednesday, Nov. 2. A Mass at 7 p.m. will be followed by a luminary blessing. The youth group will be constructing luminaries to honor loved ones. Each luminary will cost $5.

The St. Jude Holiday Craft Fair is set for Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Hofstetter Family Life Center gymnasium. Booth space is limited to the first 45 applica tions. Call Kyra at 423-870-2386 if you have questions or want to help.

A “Cheers for the Years” social for the 60ish-plus set took place Sept. 24 at St. Jude. The monthly event featured an hour of conversation, adult bever ages (or non-alcoholic), music, and light appetizers.

Area Cursillistas held a Cursillo fiesta Sept. 9 at St. Jude.

St. Mary, Athens

The Knights of Columbus thanked everyone who helped set up and tear down after their successful yard sale recently, and they thanked the bakers for the bake-sale goods.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga

The St. Stephen religious store is sponsoring a “Sock it to Me” sock fundraiser through Oct. 30 to sup port the Community Kitchen. Bring in new socks of all sizes and sign up for a drawing to eat at a local restaurant that will have three winners. Place the socks in the box in the vestibule. Call Gail Nevins at 423-892-5371 for more information.

The parish family picnic was held Oct. 2 on the grounds. The event featured food, a craft fair, games, and activities, plus hamburgers and hot dogs cooked by Knights of Columbus Council 6099.

The Knights collected “Coats for Christmas,” including jackets, hood ies, and new underwear and socks for men, women, and children, through Sept. 24 and 25.

Anniversaries: Allen and Darlene Lacy (55), Jim and Sue Berros (54), Mike and Wanda Williams (54), Ron and Myrtle Englert (53), Dennis and Helen Lowe (25), Drew and Dana Adams (5), John and Jessica Ferguson (5) Cumberland Mountain Deanery Blessed Sacrament, Harriman

Blessed Sacrament is hoping to start a new parish-sponsored ladies group. For more information, call Diane Poling at 727-420-0336.

A study group on season one of “The Chosen” series is meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Nov. 17.

The youth group met Aug. 28 to have a cookout and plan for the upcom ing year, as well as tend to the rosary

garden.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade

The Social Action Ministry thanks the 58 parishioners who volunteered to serve at the annual Respect for Life booth that was held at the Cumberland County Fair on Aug.15.

The parish has been faithfully praying the rosary daily after morning Mass since the early 1980s.

The Prayer War riors meet every Tuesday at 9 a.m. to pray for those who request prayers for their special needs.

A beautiful 10 a.m. Mass was held on 9/11 with current and retired police, fire fighters, EMS, ATF, Homeland, and Border Security personnel in uniform, all sitting together. Before Mass ended, Father Bernard Campbell asked them to come forward to the altar, including the volunteer firemen, altar server Patrick Donohue, and can tor Mike Stoelb. Father Campbell gave them all a special blessing, introduced each one as they mentioned their for mer states, and shook their hands as they all received a standing ovation. The Faith Formation Ministry served coffee and doughnuts after Mass in the parish hall.

The Stephen Ministry sponsored a program called “Continuing Education Session” on Sept. 15 in the parish hall, with Mitch Lowe, a principal in Cum berland County Schools, regarding learning difficulties for some students and how to help them to graduate.

Father Campbell conducted a threeday mission in the parish titled “Will Our Faith Have Children?” from Sept. 26-28.

Knights of Columbus Council 8152 will hold its annual Oktoberfest on Oct. 14 and 15 at 2892 U.S. 70 in Crossville from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. both days. This is the council’s big fund raiser for its charities. For information, contact Joe Rummel at 931-248-1112 (text or voice).

The showing of the second season of the TV series “The Chosen” will begin Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the parish hall. Bring a lunch. Discussion will follow.

Anniversaries: Jack and Virginia Smith (61), Charles and Pat Bunnell (60), Lawrence and Myra Opatik (60), Mi chael and Diane Treanor (58), John and Susan Gauerke (58), Robert and Rosemary Barth (56), Ken and Kathy Bromberek (56), David and Pauline Fu cazzotto (56), Steve and Pat Jennings (56), Robert and Jane Madon (56), Anthony and Mary Jane Gradle (55), Raymond and Carole Brzezinski (53), James and Karen Byre (53), Donat and Terry Renaud (52), Joseph and Rita Schurger (52), Phil and Beverly Fuchs (45), John and Linda Lapsley (45), Ter rance and Rosemary McCathy (45), Earl and Carolyn Reinhart (45), Dan and Kathleen Farnham (40), Robert and Toni Ann White (40), Mickey and Christine Ezzo (30), Dennis and Mau reen Fortier 20, Salvador and Linda Lahey (15), Frank and Sharon Plankley (10)

St. John Neumann, Farragut

A senior potluck dinner and social is set for Sunday, Oct. 16.

A chili cook-off took place Oct. 1 in the gym.

A blessing of pets was held Oct. 1 in the north lawn.

Net proceeds from a Knights of Co lumbus parish buffet breakfast Sept. 18 will be used to fund a variety of student-related activities promoted by the local council.

Five Rivers Deanery

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

Jennifer LaMonte left her Holy Trinity office position at the end of Septem ber for a job in Sevierville. The parish thanked her for her service for the past three years.

Parish notes continued on page B7

Blessing Box installed at Our Lady of Fatima

The Council of Catholic Women at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa recently installed a Blessing Box on the church grounds. Father Adam Royal, spiritual adviser and parochial vicar at Our Lady of Fatima, blessed the box before the September general meeting. Funding for the Blessing Box was made possible by the Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund of the Diocese of Knoxville and a dona tion from the Smoky Mountain Deanery CCW. The Trust Fund provides match ing grants to parishes to foster local parish-based charitable works. Pictured are Nancy Blachowski, who wrote the grant, Father Royal, and Bill Christensen, who donated his time, talent, and material.

Toroks named family of the quarter at St. Henry

St. Henry Knights of Columbus Council 8860 in Rogersville announces the se lection of the Torok family as its family for the succeeding quarter of October, November, and December. Dr. Peter and Mara Torok regularly demonstrate the values of a Christian family and visibly live that daily. The Toroks are blessed with five children and two grandchildren; their children are grown and in college or pursuing careers. After retiring from the U.S. Army, Col. Torok worked in the Veterans Administration system (VA) as a physician. During his time with the VA, Dr. Torok was instrumental in opening nine outpatient clinics in East Ten nessee and Southwest Virginia, including Rogersville and Morristown. Dr. Torok has retired from daily practice but volunteers with Remote Area Medical (RAM), which provides free health-care services to those in need via pop-up clinics in the region. The Toroks moved to the Rogersville area and St. Henry community for the beautiful, quiet surroundings and inviting environment. Peter and Mara quickly integrated into St. Henry’s culture, volunteering in various capacities; they recently served as St. Henry’s representatives for the Synod survey initiated by Pope Francis. Mara serves as a reader and served on the parish pastoral council as secretary for two years; she also cleans the Mass linens. Peter serves as a reader and eucharistic minister, and he and Mara volunteer as traveling eucharistic ministers taking Communion to the sick and homebound. The Toroks are pictured with Grand Knight Bob McDaniel (left) and St. Henry pastor Father Bart Okere.

The St. Francis Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, with the help of St. Francis of Assisi-Townsend parishioners, was active during August and September helping Townsend Elementary School. In August, donations of school supplies were given by parishioners and supplemented through purchases by SVDP. These dona tions allowed the school to set up a “store” where teachers can come to get extra supplies for their classrooms. Also, it has been a tradition for SVDP to buy new sneakers for each student requesting a pair. This year, the conference will be dis tributing 97 pairs along with a six-pack of socks to the students.

Chattanooga Deanery

St. Vincent de Paul conference in Townsend helps elementary school

COURTESY OF KATHY MEYERKORD

COURTESY OF MARY COOPER COURTESY OF BILL HEWITT

The Haiti Outreach Program fall fundraiser will honor the legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer. The fundraiser will be held on Friday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Ca thedral Hall at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Loune Viaud, managing director at Partners in Health in Haiti and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, is the guest of honor and keynote speaker. Other speakers include Dr. Junior Ba zile, former director of health in Boucan Carré, Haiti, and Dr. Jordan Pyda, who will share his experiences traveling to Haiti as a Knoxville Catholic High School student and how it influenced his life and journey into the medical profession. Volunteers are needed. See more information and register at Haiti Outreach Program of Knoxville, Tenn., https://haitioutreachprogram.org/.

There will be a healing service at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in the main church. Leaders will be happy to pray over you for any physical, emo tional, or spiritual needs that you have. You may invite anyone you know who would like to be prayed over. Call Toni at 561-315-5911 for more information.

“Encounter With God’s Call,” an event for young men ages 16 to 25, is set for Nov. 12-14 at Conception Seminary College in Missouri. Partici pants can visit the college, get to know seminarians, learn about seminary life, and discern God’s call. Cost is $50, due by Oct. 15, and includes transportation, lodging, and food while at the seminary. Participants will need to cover the cost of their food while traveling. Register at https://dioknox.org/events/encountergods-call or contact Beth Parsons at bparsons@dioknox.org.

Upper East Tennessee Catholics are invited to a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil through Nov. 6 at the abortion clinic in Bristol, Va., which has moved from Bristol, Tenn., with the end of legal abortion in Tennessee. For more infor mation, e-mail 40daysbristoltn@gmail. com or call Eileen Panasewicz at St. Anne Church in Bristol, Va., at 276-6698200, extension 32.

Registration for the World Youth Day diocesan pilgrimage is open. WYD is in summer 2023 in Portugal. Young adults ages 18 to 35 are invited to join the Office of Young Adult Ministry for the journey. They will be pilgrimaging with Dube Travel from July 28 to Aug. 8, 2023. The package includes roundtrip airfare, two nights in Fatima, eight nights in Lisbon, the WYD registration packages, daily breakfast, and more. Visit dioknox.org/wyd2023 for more details on registration, itinerary, pricing, payment plans, and fundraising oppor tunities. For more information, contact Paola Wolaver at pwolaver@dioknox. org or Brittany Garcia at bgarcia@ dioknox.org.

Knoxville SEARCH for Christian Ma turity Retreat No. 168 is set for Nov. 11-13 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. SEARCH is a week end retreat experience sponsored by the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry in collaboration with Knoxville Catholic High School. The weekend is for any high school junior or senior. The program is both rooted in the Catholic faith and open to young people of any denomination or creed. SEARCH provides an opportunity to think, talk, question, and wonder about life and faith in an accepting and chal lenging environment. It is an opportunity to experience God and God’s family in a personal and real way. The weekend is youth and peer-oriented. It is run by youth, to youth, and for youth, all under the guidance of a team of adult men tors. Cost is $95. Registration forms are at https://dioknox.org/events/knoxvillesearch-168. For more information, con tact Donna Jones at djones@dioknox. org or 423-622-7232.

Chattanooga SEARCH for Christian Maturity Retreat No. 166 is coming Nov. 18-20 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. SEARCH helps Catholic high school juniors and seniors take a fresh look at their own faith journey, reflecting on their place within their families, schools, parishes, and community as a disciple of Christ. This is accomplished through activities

and experiences that lead participants to a renewed understanding of Christ at work in their lives. SEARCH is fa cilitated by teens for teens with the guidance of adult SEARCH coordina tors. The main focus of the retreat is threefold: motivating the youth to seek a personal relationship with Christ, get ting young people involved with their respective parishes, and promoting leadership. Registration coming soon at https://dioknox.org/events/search-166.

Chattanooga Search 167 is set for Feb. 24-26, 2023.

An Engaged Encounter weekend is set for Oct. 22-23 at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Catholic Engaged En counter is a weekend to plan for a sacramental marriage. It is designed to give couples the opportunity to talk pri vately, honestly, and intensively about their prospective lives together—their strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, and goals, and their attitudes about money, sex, children, family, and their role in the Church and society—in a guided format. Cost of the weekend is $175 per couple, which includes a certificate good for a $60 discount on the couple’s marriage license in Ten nessee. To receive a $60 discount, couples must attend a marriage-prepa ration weekend within one year of pur chasing the license. To learn more or to register for a weekend, visit knoxville. engagedencounter.com or call Leslie Consoli at 865-803-6790.

Those struggling with the pain of an abortion are invited to take part in the Chattanooga Spirit & Life support group. For more information, call or text Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or e-mail her at sandi@ccetn.org.

Catholic Charities is hosting a free Rachel’s Vineyard healing and re covery retreat the weekend of Oct. 7-9 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center, 250 Locke Lane in Benton, for those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties from a past abortion or abortions. Complete confidential ity is honored at all times. If you are unable to attend a weekend retreat, one-on-one counseling is available with counselors who have been trained in this area. For more information, contact Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ccetn.org.

“Shrines and Sites, a Pilgrimage to Switzerland,” is set for April 17-27, 2023. Join Father Michael Maples to experience the sacred sites and beauty of Switzerland. The group will have three nights in Lucerne, with stops at Muri Abbey to celebrate Mass and in Solothurn to visit St. Ursus Cathedral. There will be an excursion by coach to Engelberg Abbey and then by cable car to the top of Mount Titlis, considered one of Switzerland’s top destinations. Pilgrims will discover Europe’s high est train station on a full-day train tour to Jungfraujoch. On arrival, they will view the UNESCO-listed landscape and explore summit attractions, such as the Ice Palace and Sphinx Observa tory, with views over Aletsch Glacier, Europe’s longest glacier. They will take the scenic Gotthard Panorama Express boat on Lake Lucerne before boarding a train to Lugano, where they will have a two-night stay. A day of sightsee ing that includes Santa Maria Degli Angeli Church and a cable-car ride to Monte San Salvatore will follow. The exploration continues with a visit to the Cathedral of Lugano, St. Mary’s, the Rocco Church, San Lorenzo Cathedral, and the Museo D’ Arte. The group will visit the Marian Shrine of Switzerland to see the statue of the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Einsiedeln, and go on to Zurich. Pilgrims will visit St. Gallen Ab bey and Library, the oldest in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A boat ride down the Limmat River under the bridges and a visit to the Fraumunster Church to see the Chagall stained-glass windows will follow. For more informa tion, contact Lisa Morris at 865-5671245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

Join Father Mike Nolan on a pilgrim age to Northern Ireland and Scotland from June 12-23, 2023, and visit St. Patrick’s Church in Armagh and his gravesite in Downpatrick. Pilgrims will stop in Glenarm and Ballycastle and drive the Causeway Coastal Route.

St. Francis of Assisi-Townsend couple marks 50th anniversary

The parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi in Townsend want to send special anniversary wishes to Dan and Norene O’Donnell, who cel ebrated their 50th wedding anniver sary Sept. 30. The couple celebrated with a big family party Aug. 6 with their children and grandchildren.

On Sept. 9, Knights of Columbus Council 8860 provided a team of six parish ioners and Knights from St. Henry Parish in Rogersville to work as volunteer coaches for the Special Olympics at Warpath Bowling Center in Kingsport. Chris ty Thacker, Area 32 Coordinator for the Special Olympics, said that this event was supported by six schools throughout the area this year, more than ever. Also included were adults from Rogersville’s Chip Hale House for the intellectually and developmentally disabled. That morning at 9 a.m., the games kicked off with more than 100 athletes accompanied by their sponsors, eager to show off their skill at bowling. The games opened with an athlete reciting the Special Olympics oath and the National Anthem sung by a Volunteer High School volunteer. Most no table was the respect the athletes displayed toward each other and the camaraderie displayed throughout the day. Special thanks went to the coordinators and to the sponsors who support the Special Olympics throughout the year.

COURTESY OF KATHY MEYERKORD

Knights volunteer for Special Olympics bowling event

COURTESY OF BILL HEWITT (3)

Remembering prayers he offered for students

is easy. That’s what Fa ther said. He was speaking to the third- and fourth-graders at their weekly Wednesday morning Mass.

Prayer

Admittedly, Nanc and I should attend daily Mass more than we do. But we don’t. And in all honesty, we had decided to attend this particular Wednesday morning Mass simply to hear our granddaughter Emma read the petitions.

Turned out it coincided with the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross that Father was trying explain to the little ones.

“Prayer is easy,” he said. “Exalta tion sounds like ‘exhale,’ doesn’t it? And that’s all you have to do. Sit in front of the cross—this one or any one—and just exhale. Just breathe. Be in his presence and let Him be in yours.”

As a former high school princi pal, I often led our school in prayer. Never the theologian, it was and still is my opinion—and I might go directly to hell for saying this—but if we talked Jesus all the time, we could/would/might/maybe lose our audience. A gamble I never wanted to lose.

Still, and though I never thought about it the way Father does, I tried to model the same. When opportunities arose, I attempted to help our teenag ers see that prayer, praise, petition— all are necessary and natural and as easy as texting your best friend.

As does every Catholic school, we opened and closed each day with prayer. Often, we recited those we memorized decades ago.

But on other days, I offered my own on their behalf, hoping one of the messages coming through the intercom would speak to their world and teach them that they, too, can talk to God.

Here are a few I can still recall: Start of the year

Dear God—We ask your bless ings on this year that lies ahead. The days we will celebrate, and those when we’ll commiserate. The hard ones and the easy. The times we’ll love it and the days we’ll hate it.

We’re not sure why you picked

“Prayer is easy,” he said. “Exalta tion sounds like ‘exhale,’ doesn’t it? And that’s all you have to do. Sit in front of the cross—this one or any one—and just exhale. Just breathe. Be in his presence and let Him be in yours.”

us to live here while so many other young people must spend their days quite differently—searching for food or hiding from bombs. May we nev er live in such a way there is anyone more deserving of this school than we are. Amen.

Before we all went to Mass

Dear God—Your door is always open; the invitation’s always there.

But our excuses seem easier to find. Truthfully, we don’t come to visit nearly enough, but we’re coming today. Thank you for being there, thank you for listening, we’ll try to get by more often. Amen.

Report cards

Dear God—How do you think we’re doing? We sure wish we knew. Report cards and test results are good for the school stuff. But then again, do we really need them to tell us if we’ve been studying?

Come to think about it—do we re ally need to hear from you to know how we’re doing? Deep down, don’t we know?

Deep down—that’s where all the important things happen. Please help us see the truth in there. Amen.

A Tuesday

Dear God—Just checking in; it’s a regular old Tuesday here … five classes, lunch, and the occasional trip to the restroom, nothing special. So we’re asking, what can we do for you today?

Any chance we can turn some one’s “regular old Tuesday” into something special? Though we have to admit, doing favors for God seems intimidating. Shouldn’t those be monumental, challenging, bigger than big? Or is being the reason for someone’s unexpected smile on a Tuesday all you really want? Amen. Halloween

We ask you to protect the little

kids tonight. It can get crazy out there, and all they really want to do is dress up and get candy.

As for us bigger kids—who among us couldn’t use an extra dose of common sense? Please be with us all. Amen.

November Dear God—The Church uses this month to remember the deceased, though it’s not like we could ever forget them—nor will you. We miss them too much. But we do ask that you welcome them home with you—forever—and help us get there, too. Amen.

Empathy

Dear God—We all have things happen to us away from school that we just don’t want to share. Too private, too personal, too embarrassing.

We owe them the same peace we want from them. It stands to reason then that we don’t and can’t know everything about others. Help us help where we can and where we can’t, we ask you to be who and what they need. Amen.

Kicking off the food drive

Dear God—We give our dollars for people we’ll never know. Some times it seems like a lot to part with, especially for folks we don’t know. But isn’t that the kind of giving you need us to do? With no hope of ever getting a thank you.

We give it to them, but we offer it to you. And we thank you for the fact we’re not in need of their dol lars. Amen.

Mid-December

Dear God—I’m guessing Joseph and Mary would have been setting out on their trip about now. It takes a while to travel that far on a don key. Just doing their duty but having no idea it would end the way it did.

We pray for the same—strength to do what we’re supposed to, cour age to not know where it goes, faith to believe you’ve got the ending all covered. Please make us more like them. Amen.

International tragedy

Dear God—Could we possibly feel more hopeless? 10,000 dead, $14 billion in damages, survivors with

the Faithful by Deacon Bob Hunt

nothing—literally. No homes, no food, no water, no help. Of course, what could we expect! Hit by the worst storm possibly known to mankind. What can we do?

Give a little and pray a lot. So we ask you to do what we cannot. Some days you need us to be someone’s miracle, and some days the task is too big. Please be there for all who need you now. Amen.

Faith Dear God—We’re not always good with this faith thing. You’d have been a lot easier to follow if we had known you, walked and talked and prayed with you.

But then again, maybe we would have just blown you off as another Messiah wannabe. I suppose the Apostles needed faith, too.

We pray for the gift of a stronger faith and the courage to act with what we have. Amen.

Final exams

Dear God—We do it all the time. When the big tests come and we’re not quite ready, we reach out for a miracle.

But we also know you need to save those for people with true need. But you’ve always said we could ask, and it makes us feel bet ter to do so. Perhaps our best prayer would be to ask you to help us recall what we know, to focus, to concen trate, and to get the most from the effort we have put in. Amen.

Forgiveness

Dear God—We know we do much that needs your forgiveness. But we hesitate to ask because we know when you forgive us, then you’ll expect us to forgive others. And sometimes, we just don’t want to. Please forgive us for not forgiv ing. Amen.

Prayer is easy. Father said so. I hope our kids got at least that much.

Dear God—Most of our prayers seem to involve words which wouldn’t be that bad if they weren’t all ours. May we learn to simply and quietly breathe in your presence. Amen. ■

George Valadie is a parishioner at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga.

The rosary depicted as an extremist symbol

A magazine article says the Catholic devotion ‘has acquired a militaristic meaning’ for ‘rad trads’

Iprayed my extremist symbol of Christian nationalism today. Have you?

In an article that Bishop Robert Barron called “colossally stupid,” published in the August edition of The Atlantic magazine, Daniel Pan neton reports that the rosary “has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or ‘rad trad’) Catholics. On this extremist fringe, rosary beads have been woven into a conspiratorial politics and absolut ist gun culture.”

Golly, who knew? Mr. Panneton is apoplectic about what he claims is a growing Catholic presence in the Christian nationalist movement. The rosary, apparently, has been hijacked by these “rad trad” Catho lics. In the original edition of The Atlantic, Mr. Panneton’s piece was titled “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol,” accompanied by a picture of a rosary made of bullet holes. After public reaction, the title was changed to “How Extremist Gun Culture is Trying to Co-Opt the Rosary,” accompanied by a simple picture of a rosary. The second title better represents Mr. Panneton’s theory, but the whole thing just goes too far.

Mr. Panneton writes: “Catholics are taught to love and forgive their enemies, that to do otherwise is a sin. But the extremist understanding of spiritual warfare overrides that

command. To do battle with Satan . . . is to deploy violence for deliver ance and redemption. The ‘battle beads’ culture of spiritual warfare permits radical-traditional Catholics literally to demonize their political opponents and regard the use of armed force against them as sancti fied. The sacramental rosary isn’t just a spiritual weapon but one that comes with physical ammunition.”

Oh, my! One would expect to hear of regular attacks on institutions from Catholic Christian nationalists with their rosaries hanging from their gun belts. But do we? No.

This is a classic case of trans ference. The riots of 2020, where dozens of people were killed and billions of dollars’ worth of property destroyed, and now the attacks on Catholic churches and pregnancy centers, do indeed represent a will ingness to resort to violence in the name of what some perceive to be their just cause. But these groups are secular, not Catholic or Protestant Christian.

How is it that Mr. Panneton can get himself so worked up over vio lence that is not happening, from nonexistent Catholic rosary brigades, and have nothing to say about ac tual violence committed by secular political extremists?

This is absurd. Mr. Panneton ought to take his fear-mongering Catholic-baiting and try to sell it at

the average Catholic parish around the country. He won’t get far before he is met by odd “what are you talk ing about?” looks or is quietly asked to leave.

Catholics take their symbols very seriously, and the rosary is a sacramental with deep, emotional attachments because it is a prayer ful reflection on the life of our Lord, His sacrifice for us, and His victory over death, as well as a devotion to the Blessed Mother that is second to none. For Mr. Panneton to warn about Catholic Christian nationalists co-opting this beautiful devotion is to raise alarms about a problem that doesn’t exist.

Are we supposed to stop praying our rosaries to avoid being associat ed with some gun-toting kook who is praying his? Not a chance.

Our country right now is polar ized like I’ve never seen it. We have genuine extremist groups commit ting political violence, crime rates spiking in virtually every major city, a war in Ukraine that many fear will expand to other countries, concerns about the economy, and fears that there will not be enough energy to keep us warm this winter. We don’t need worthless and counterproduc tive alarmists raising fears about threats that don’t exist. We need prayer and action.

October is the month of the rosary. What better way to address the real

concerns we face than to dedicate our nation to the Blessed Mother, sending up our prayers for her pro tection, to spread her mantle over our land and keep us all safe under her motherly arms? The beautiful lady who could not say no to God will not say no to her children. She was the vessel through whom our Lord and Savior came to us. Surely, she will receive our prayers and bring them to Jesus, who can never resist the requests of so loving a mother.

UPDATE: Last February, I wrote a column on the efforts of the gov ernment to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, sterilizations, and sex re-assignment surgeries. Franciscan Alliance, a network of Catholic hospitals, sued the gov ernment. In August, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling permanently enjoining the Department of Health and Human Services from requir ing Franciscan Alliance to perform such procedures “in violation of its sincerely held religious beliefs.” This is good news for all Catholic hospitals and Catholic health-care workers.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all. ■

Deacon Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

Bishop continued from page B1 ization—as saints of the Church! In the heroic examples of the Servants of God Father Vincent Capodanno and Father Emil Kapaun we dis cover what is most needed in our fight upon the earthly and spiritual battlefield of life—peace of heart.

Heroes of the Church? As non combatants, they selflessly laid down their lives as testament of Christ’s words, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). But in the case of Father Capodanno’s cause for beatification, concerns have been raised by consultors to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, summarized by one who commented that “Raising someone from the military for veneration may not be appropriate for our Church.” But many with the Church were quick to push back on their opinion.

Courageous love. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Services was extremely disappointed with the consultors’ view saying, “It is [our] firm con viction… that Father Capodanno is enjoying the bliss of heaven and it is felt that raising the exem plary service of this distinguished priest to the altars would serve the Church and especially the Chaplain Corps….” I myself find it difficult to understand how anyone would feel that Father Capodanno’s selfless sac rifice of love upon the earthly bat tlefield is somehow inappropriate to highlight as an example of the hero ism that the Church has traditionally called upon Catholics to exercise as milites Christi—soldiers of Christ—in the spiritual battles of life.

One battlefield. Consider the strong words of the Second Vati can Council, which speak of world history as but one long battle: The whole of human history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding ourselves in the midst of the bat

Calendar continued from page B5

They will experience the beauty of Gi ant’s Causeway and stay two nights in a beautiful coastal town before visiting Belfast, where they will have the oppor tunity to see the Peace Wall and visit the Titanic Belfast Exhibit, St. George’s Mar ket, and more. The group will then take a ferry to Scotland, visiting Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews. For more information, contact Lisa Mor ris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl. com.

A pilgrimage to Greece, including a four-day Aegean cruise, is set for Sept. 18-29, 2023. Join Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk “In the Footsteps of St.

Parish notes continued from page B4

Holy Trinity’s bi-annual rummage sale is set for Oct. 14-15. Items may be dropped off at the church Oct. 9-13. All proceeds of the sale go to the parish.

The parish thanked those who donated generously to its unborn baby shower to benefit Life Outreach Center.

Women of Holy Trinity joined the Coun cil of Catholic Women for a night of “faith, fellowship, food, and fun” on Sept. 12 in the parish life center.

The Knights of Columbus awarded their family-of-the-quarter honor to Hal and Trish Morrill.

The parish’s first Luau and Talent Contest on Aug. 14 was a success, raising $5,169 in ticket sales, auction proceeds, and donations. Holy Trinity thanked Jamie and Rena Roberts and the CCW and Knights for their help with the event.

Anniversaries: Claude and Marylin Ke aton (45), Dennis and Rosemary Clark (30)

Newcomers: Brian and Lori McHenry, Adrian Rincon and Katherine Bar bera, Hilario and Juana Roque, Joan Zimmerman

Notre Dame, Greeneville

Pastor Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS,

tlefield, we have to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to ourselves, and aided by God’s grace, that we succeed in achieving our own inner integrity (Gaudium et Spes, 37). Indeed, the earthly bat tlefield is not separate and distinct from the spiritual but is in fact one battlefield. And what both Serv ants of God brought so heroically to the fight was the love and peace of Christ.

Service and sacrifice. Affection ately nicknamed the “Grunt Padre” by those he so faithfully served, Navy Chaplain Father Capodanno, a Maryknoll priest, risked his life repeatedly aiding Marines pinned down during a ferocious ambush in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. Dis regarding the extremely intense and accurate enemy fire, he repeatedly moved about the most deadly part of the battlefield to aid and comfort the wounded and administer last rites to the dying. Even after receiv ing multiple debilitating wounds, he continued to seek out the wounded and dying and minister to them.

God is with us . . . As detailed in the book The Grunt Padre by Father Daniel Mode, one Marine’s brief encounter with Father Capodanno in the midst of the hellish ambush stands out. Having been critically wounded and crying out for help, he despaired of being aided because of the closeness of the enemy and intensity of the ambush. But sud denly he found himself looking into the eyes of Father Capodanno. In that moment, a sudden sense of peace rushed over him such that he no longer heard the deafening noise of the raging battle. And then Father Capodanno said to him, “Stay quiet, Marine. You will be OK. Someone will be here to help you soon. God is with us all this day.” Only as Father Capodanno turned to go to the next wounded man did he notice how badly wounded their chaplain was.

My peace I give you. But it was that incredible sense of peace that

Paul” as pilgrims visit the places where St. Paul preached the Gospel—Thes saloniki, Philippi, Corinth, and Athens— and visit the Meteora Monasteries. The Aegean cruise stops on the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, and Patmos and will also visit the ancient city of Ephesus, featuring some of the most magnificent excavations in the world, and visit Mary’s house. Contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@ select-intl.com.

Join Father Michael Cummins on a pil grimage to the Holy Land from Oct. 16-26, 2023, with an optional extension to Jordan from Oct. 26-29. Pilgrims will

thanked Sister Angelica Lopez Rodri guez, MAG, for her service to the par ish as she begins a new assignment in Kentucky. The parish welcomes Sister Esther Ordonez Cuevas, MAG, who will be administering to the Hispanic community at Notre Dame, and Sister Maria Morales Solano, MAG, who will be serving the Hispanic community with her in the Five Rivers Deanery.

The Council of Catholic Women’s wel come-back gathering was held Sept. 25 in the parish hall.

The Mommy & Me cooking class for children Sept. 15 featured Linda John son teaching the group how to make Italian stuffed shells.

Anniversaries: Larry and Donna Coughlin (59), Jerry and Linda Davis (51) St. Patrick, Morristown

The Hispanic community has a tradi tion of celebrating St. Jude, whose feast day is Friday, Oct. 28. Father Miguel Velez will celebrate a special Mass that day at 6 p.m. in Spanish. Families are asked to bring a dish fol lowing the Mass in the pavilion (or in the parish center if the weather is not nice).

The Knights of Columbus extended a big thank-you to all those in the par ish and community who helped at and

Father Capodanno was the bearer of that made Christ present to others even in the midst of the horrors of the battlefield. And even after he was fatally struck down in a hail of bul lets in a valiant attempt to shield and help another of the fallen, the pall of death could not shade the peace upon his face. Indeed, the spiritual “combat” mission that defined his life was that of living those words he so often repeated in the holy sacrifice of the Mass—“This is my body… given up for you,” and “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” The example of Father Capodanno is that of a bearer of Christ’s peace.

For the lives of others. Similarly, the cause for the beatification of an other bearer of Christ’s peace, Army Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun, has been progressing. During the Korean War, Father Kapaun, a na tive of the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., remained with the wounded on the battlefield when his unit was over run by Chinese troops on November 1, 1950—All Saints’ Day. When an enemy soldier was about to execute one of the wounded, he brazenly pushed the enemy’s weapon aside and picked up the wounded man. During the 60-mile death march to a prison camp in the freezing cold, he carried the wounded soldier and en couraged and helped the others as a beacon of hope.

A prison camp’s saint. In the bru tally harsh conditions of the North Korean prison camp, Father Kapaun selflessly cared for the sick and wounded, helping with their basic needs, such as cleaning them and picking lice off of them. He repeated ly risked his life by routinely sneak ing out of the prison camp to search for food and medicine to bring back to the sick and starving POWs. But, above all, what he gave them most was Christ’s peace, sacrificing him self totally for love of them. In fact, he gave so heroically of himself to his fellow prisoners of war that his health finally failed him, dying on

walk in the footsteps of Jesus, visiting the holy and sacred sites of His life, death, and resurrection. They will jour ney to Bethlehem, Bethany, Masada, Caesarea, Mount Carmel, and the Sea of Galilee area, including the Mount of Beatitudes, Nazareth, Capernaum, Magdala, and Tabgha. They will journey on to Mount Tabor, Jericho, the Mount of Temptation, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea, then travel to Jerusalem, visiting the Mount of Olives, the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Wail ing Wall. They will have the blessing of walking the way of the cross, the Via Dolorosa. There will be the opportunity to extend the pilgrimage for three days,

supported their garage and yard sale Aug. 19, including Habitat for Humanity, which furnished a truck to take care of unsold items.

Anniversaries: Edward and Dolores Polick (67), David and Peggy Keller (64), Terry and Sharon Maddix (59), Thomas and Joyce Mecca (55), Mi chael and Jaye Sulkowski (54), Robert and Judy Himmelsbach (52), David and Kathleen DeAngelis (35), Enrique and Heather Montes (20), Humberto Lam eda and Fabiana Santeliz (10), Wuilber Diaz-Lopez and Roselia Sota-Perez (5), Aaron Valencia-Tlatempa and Kristy Valle (5)

Smoky Mountain Deanery

Holy Ghost, Knoxville

The People of Judah prayer group, a Catholic charismatic prayer group, meets in the John Paul II Room at 3 p.m. Sundays. The group will be con ducting a Life in the Spirit Seminar from 2 to 3 p.m. Sundays from Oct. 9 to Nov. 20 in the John Paul II Room. Refreshments will be served, and babysitting will be provided for children under 5.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville

The parish thanked the women’s group for its donation of $550 to IC from the proceeds of its Irish Fest dessert booth.

May 23, 1951, at the age of 35.

Reality of spiritual combat. We are reminded no less than 37 times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that our life resembles “a hard bat tle” in the spiritual struggles none of us are immune from (n. 409). And what is most essential in spiritual warfare is Christ’s peace. Satan is real, and so are his efforts to ambush us and fill us with anxieties and agi tations and wear us down, to make us captives of sin, and ultimately rob us of our eternal peace with God.

First rule of spiritual combat. In his outstanding short treatise, “Searching for and Maintaining Peace,” Father Jacques Philippe ex plains that “The first goal of spiritual combat is to learn to maintain peace of heart under all circumstances, even in the case of defeat.” Why? Be cause it is the one thing Satan knows he must rob us of if he is to vanquish us. And this is because God is the God of peace—if our heart is filled with anxieties, anger, and resent ments, His grace cannot act upon us, nor can we communicate His peace to others. As St. Francis de Sales reminds us, “The devil does his utmost to banish peace from one’s heart, because he knows that God abides in peace and it is in peace that He accomplishes great things.”

What’s in your heart? Because Father Capodanno and Father Ka paun embraced this essential rule of spiritual combat, God was able to accomplish great things through them for love of others. The Church most certainly needs their example. And their heroic example should cause us to ask this question of our selves—What do I most give from my heart to others? Is it a reflection of the agitations, anxieties, and re sentments that dwell within, or is it Christ’s peace?

Father Capodanno and Father Kapaun, pray for us!

To learn more about Father Capo danno and Father Kapaun, visit www.capodannoguild.org and www.frkapaun.org ■

visiting Jordan, including Petra. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl. com.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“tra ditional Latin”) is celebrated at noon each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; every Sunday at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Athens; at 2 p.m. each Sunday at St. Mary Church in Johnson City; at 6 p.m. most Thursdays at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge; and at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.KnoxLatin Mass.net. n

The women’s group’s annual Craft Fair will be held in the parish hall on the weekend of Nov. 12 and 13. Those in terested in a booth should contact Beth Meyer at meyer.beth73@gmail.com or 865-456-8857. Fees are $20 and must be paid in advance.

St. John XXIII, Knoxville

St. John XXIII held a parish gardening day Sept. 10, featuring a pizza lunch.

VolCatholic is the undergraduate student group at St. John XXIII, and it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Paulus Room. The parish recently introduced the Vol Catholic exec team: Emma Standley and Tony Spezia, co-directors; Gillian Wright, social chair; Jack Morgan, evangeliza tion and outreach chair; Alison Gerstner, service chair; and Mario Ornelas, prayer chair.

St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville

Candlelight Tea: A Prelude to Advent, sponsored by the women’s group, is planned for Wednesday evening, Nov. 30. The group plans eight guest tables and needs host teams for them. To sign up or learn more, contact Barbara Callan at bcallan111@aol.com.

The parish gave thanks to Philip and Ei leen Askey for their donation of a green altar cloth, given in honor of Eileen’s 75th birthday. n

way that faith was communicated to people through images and paint ings,” said Ms. Gregory. “Art is an aesthetically pleasing form of communication.”

The project took three years from start to finish because of the process of collecting the materials from fam ilies of students and members of the parish, finally coming to a comple tion Aug. 3 and just in time for the 2022-23 school year. The 4-by-8-foot piece is on display near the gym in side St. Mary School. n

Daily readings

Saturday, Oct. 1: Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church, Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17; Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130; Luke 10:17-24

Sunday, Oct. 2: Habakkuk 1:2-3 and 2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10

Monday, Oct. 3: Galatians 1:6-12; Psalm 111:1-2, 7-10; Luke 10:25-37

Tuesday, Oct. 4: Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, Galatians 1:13-24; Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15; Luke 10:38-42

Wednesday, Oct. 5: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14; Psalm 117:1-2; Luke 11:1-4

Thursday, Oct. 6: Galatians 3:1-5; Luke 1:69-75; Luke 11:5-13

Friday, Oct. 7: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, Galatians 3:7-14; Psalm 111:1-6; Luke 11:15-26

Saturday, Oct. 8: Galatians 3:22-29;

Psalm 105:2-7; Luke 11:27-28

Sunday, Oct. 9: 2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

Monday, Oct. 10: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, and 4:31–5:1; Psalm 113:1-7; Luke 11:29-32

Tuesday, Oct. 11: Galatians 5:1-6; Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47-48; Luke 11:37-41

Wednesday, Oct. 12: Galatians 5:1825; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 11:42-46

Thursday, Oct. 13: Ephesians 1:1-10; Psalm 98:1-6; Luke 11:47-54

Friday, Oct. 14 : Ephesians 1:1114; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13; Luke 12:1-7

Saturday, Oct. 15: Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church, Ephesians 1:15-23; Psalm 8:2-7; Luke 12:8-12 Sunday, Oct. 16: Exodus 17:8-13;

Psalm 121:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2; Luke 18:1-8

Monday, Oct. 17: Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr, Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 100:1-5; Luke 12:13-21

Tuesday, Oct. 18: Feast of St. Luke, evangelist, 2 Timothy 4:10-17; Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18; Luke 10:1-9

Wednesday, Oct. 19: Memorial of Sts. John Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs, Ephesians 3:2-12; Isaiah 12:2-6; Luke 12:39-48

Thursday, Oct. 20: Ephesians 3:1421; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19; Luke 12:49-53

Friday, Oct. 21: Ephesians 4:1-6; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 12:54-59

Saturday, Oct. 22: Ephesians 4:7-16; Psalm 122:1-5; Luke 13:1-9 Sunday, Oct. 23: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-

18; Psalm 34:2-3, 17-19, 23; 2 Timo thy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

Monday, Oct. 24: Ephesians 4:32–5:8; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 13:10-17

Tuesday, Oct. 25: Ephesians 5:21-33; Psalm 128:1-5; Luke 13:18-21

Wednesday, Oct. 26: Ephesians 6:19; Psalm 145:10-14; Luke 13:22-30

Thursday, Oct. 27: Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10; Luke 13:31-35

Friday, Oct. 28: Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles, Ephesians 2:1922; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 6:12-16

Saturday, Oct. 29: Philippians 1:1826; Psalm 42:2-3, 5; Luke 14:1, 7-11

Sunday, Oct. 30: Wisdom 11:22–12:2; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2; Luke 19:1-10

Monday, Oct. 31: Philippians 2:1-4; Psalm 131:1-3; Luke 14:12-14 n

CASEY KEELEY

With Our Lady Students of Felicia Gregory pose with St. Mary School principal Becky Frye at one of the numerous tributes to the Blessed Virgin on the school campus.

Eucharistic procession held at St. Henry Church St. Henry Parish in Rogersville held adoration followed by a eucharistic procession around the church grounds as the gathering sang hymns Sept. 2. Pictured are past Grand Knight Stephen Derosia (left) of the Knights of Columbus, Knights state council chaplain and St. Henry pastor Father Bart Okere, and past Grand Knight Bill Hewitt. The occasion marked the parish’s kickoff of and Knights Council 8860’s participa tion in the Eucharistic Revival.

COURTESY OF BILL HEWITT

Parish and

Irish Fest draws 1,000 to IC

The 13th Irish Fest on the Hill took place Aug. 13 at Immaculate Conception Church in downtown Knoxville. The event featured live Irish music, Irish food and beer, Irish desserts, a silent auction, tours of IC Church, kids activities, and more. A total of 1,000 adults, along with children and pets, attended the event. The profit was close to $20,000, nearly double what was made in 2019. Funds will be used to refinish the front doors of the church, with leftover funds going toward restoration of the steeple’s clock faces.

St. Mary-Oak Ridge celebrates Founders Day

St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge celebrated Founders Day on Aug. 22. The parish marked 79 years to the day that Bishop William L. Adrian established the parish as a community of the Diocese of Nashville. Father Joseph Siener was appointed the first pastor on Aug. 22, 1943. He decreed the parochial boundaries on May 1, 1945. About 200 people attended Founders Day. Displays of 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s pictures were shown. The guilds of past years made scrapbooks that were on dis play. St. Mary School also had a display of past years. The parish celebrated with food and ice cream and showed the 1940s musical-comedy-drama film “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”

COURTESY OF SELENE

MAYORGA

BILL

St. Jude student is principal for a day Do you know how many earths would fit into the sun? Well, St. Jude School principal for a day Molly Kate Muse does, and she made her mark Sept. 16. Molly Kate is a fifth-grader in Shaina Otterpohl’s class. From morning announcements, a fire drill, speaking at an allschool Mass, classroom visits, phones call with the Our Lady of Perpetual Help principal and diocesan superintendent, jamming with Mr. T. (music teacher Tony Tortora), lunch with Fa ther Charlie Burton and Father Alex Waraksa, saving a lizard, calling an out-of-uniform day, kickball with the fifth grade, and leading dis missals, she had a full and successful day. She even awarded trivia winner Thomas with a gift card for his correct answer, “1.3 million earths can fit into the sun.” Watch out world: Molly Kate is going to make a difference! She already has at St. Jude School.

St. Mary-Oak Ridge students study classification of living things Denise Miller’s seventh-grade science students at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge have been learning about the classification of living things. Part of that course of study is to be familiar with the tools that taxonomists use to identify various organisms. The students have learned about phylogenetic trees, clado grams, and dichotomous keys. The purpose of the lab was to identify the phy lum for various vertebrates and invertebrates using a dichotomous key based on a review of their characteristics as presented in a color photograph.

COURTESY OF KATHLEEN ETHERTON PRESTON

COURTESY

OF SISTER

MARY JOHN SLONKOSKY,

OP

High school teens attend ‘The Calling’ camp “The Calling,” a Catholic youth leadership camp for rising ninth- through 12thgrade youth, was held Sept. 23-25 at Adventure Ocoee Retreat Center in Ocoee.

Camp activities included a zip line, a climbing wall, a freefall swing, a low ropes course, an adventure fun mud race, a bonfire, music, and more. Bishop Richard F. Stika joined the group for Mass.

SUE GRANGER

DONNA

JONES

BRITTANY

GARCIA

DONNA

JONES

SUE GRANGER