Oct. 3, 2021, ET Catholic, B section

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

B section

‘I never lost my faith’

By Bill Brewer

S

teve Dekanich probably should not be here.

But by God’s grace and healing, a fierce determination, and some good doctors, the parishioner of St. John Neumann in Farragut is not only here, he is also a living testament to steadfast faith and relentless perseverance in the face of life-threatening—and life-altering—challenges.

And just what makes his challenges so different from anyone else’s?

He has battled cancer 19 separate times over his 70-year life, including a current bout with multiple myeloma, and he has endured 18 cancer surgeries and rounds of radiation treatments. And then there is the heart ailment in adulthood and a bleeding stomach ulcer, scarlet fever, broken bones, and a benign tumor as a child.

With a life story not unlike Job’s,

Mr. Dekanich’s ironclad belief in God and uncanny ability to see the positive in any situation keep him upbeat and give him the strength to grow via those challenges.

That personal growth led him to write a semi-autobiographical novel titled Frame of Mind that is based on his lifelong experiences in not only overcoming cancer but also achieving his dream of becoming a successful engineer working at the Oak Ridge scientific complex.

BILL BREWER (2)

Belief of St. John Neumann parishioner and author is strengthened by 19 cancer diagnoses

Author’s autograph Steve Dekanich signs one of his books Oct. 2 at The Paraclete bookstore in Knoxville as his wife, Ali, watches from by his side. and his sister, Carolyn, who is his only sibling and is 10 years older.

“My dad was a severe alcoholic and a compulsive gambler, so he wasn’t home much. When he was home, it usually was when he was sick. I was just starting to know him in my early teens when he passed away,” said Mr. Dekanich, who, as a 15-year-old, administered CPR to his father for 45 minutes just before he died. “There were life lessons there. He pretty much taught me what not to do. When I look at people who say, ‘I’m a product of my environment,’ I think you choose what you want, and through the grace of God you get it. You can use things either as an excuse or a reason.”

He decided at an early age that he wanted a different outcome and credits his mother, sister, brother-inlaw, and relatives for keeping him on course to realize his dreams despite recurring setbacks.

Showing academic promise as a young student, he set his sights on becoming a forest ranger. But a school faculty member had a different idea in mind. And during his senior year in high school, another educator cracked down on him to stay on the straight and narrow path he had set for himself.

“I remember the school guidance counselor saying, ‘You’re not going to be a forest ranger. You’re going to be some sort of an engineer.’ And she guided me through an academic curriculum. During that time I had

Life in the Keystone State

Mr. Dekanich’s route to East Tennessee is a circuitous one that began in Sharon, Pa., where he grew up on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. He and his family attended St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church, where the priests and nuns were of Croatian descent, too.

His father died in 1966 when Mr. Dekanich was 15 years old, leaving his mother, Margaret, to raise him

An author and his editor Steve and Ali Dekanich are shown in their Farragut home. Mr. Dekanich has finished a semi-autobiographical novel titled “Frame of Mind” that is available at The Paraclete and at stevendekanich.com.

some really good teachers,” he said.

“I remember my senior year in high school, you’re coming close to graduation and you’re on a glide path to getting out of school. I quit studying, and Mrs. Snyder asked me a question one day in class. I had not cracked a book.

She looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Young man, I know you can do better than this. You know you can do better than this. And you will do better than this, or you will not graduate.’

That was a real good swift kick in the pants. It was an eye-opener.”

Recognizing a prospective employee, an official at the area’s leading employer, Sharon Steel, suggested a 15-year-old Steve Dekanich consider metallurgical engineering. Consider it he did until he announced in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, that he was enlisting in the Marines.

He felt this call because so many of his family members had served in World War II and the Korean War. His brother-in-law, who was a chemical engineer, and his cousin, who was a mechanical engineer, sat him down and informed him that he was going to college, not the military. He then enrolled in Youngstown State University across the state line in Ohio. On the first day of freshman orientation, he met an ROTC instructor and signed up for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

“I was all set to be an officer in the Army. I wanted to be a Green Book continued on page B2

St. Thérèse of Lisieux director of music retiring

J

ane Hubbard has served as the director of music at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland for more than 30 years, after being a longtime pro-life advocate, but she is transitioning this fall to becoming a full-time parishioner and grandmother.

“I have been blessed with grandchildren who need their ‘Janou,’” Mrs. Hubbard said of her decision to retire. “Also, I have so many details in my life that I have ignored or put on my bucket list, and with the crushing uncertainty of life, I decided to make the move. I do have some hearing loss due to Meniere’s Syndrome but have been blessed with a wonderful audiologist.

“It has been such a difficult decision, as I remain a very active person.

I joke to friends that I am entering the ‘third half of life,’ as opposed to Richard Rohr’s two halves of life that he writes about in Falling Upward. I crossed into the second half 30 years ago when I entered a new phase and a new understanding of life. I am, again, transforming my spiritual life and have no idea where this is leading me. One of my favorite prayers is Merton’s, ‘My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.’ I am sure it

will be an adventure, though!”

Father Mike Nolan, pastor of St. Thérèse, is one of several pastors Mrs. Hubbard has served under.

“Jane has officially served at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish as music director for our choirs to enhance our liturgies,” he said. “However, her value to our parish goes way beyond her musical skills and credentials.

Jane’s knowledge of and relationship with many of our faith community has kept countless individuals from ‘falling through the cracks.’ From arranging for them to receive Holy Communion while homebound to her open ear that has fostered many to return to church, some having ‘left’ the Church for decades.”

Mrs. Hubbard’s love for Church music began at an early age.

“I began singing in my home parish in Ohio in the third grade when the Mass was in Latin,” she said.

“Mrs. Helen Vogel was our parish music director, and she was always so enthusiastic about music that it was contagious. After I took piano lessons and some organ, Mrs. Vogel encouraged me to play the organ for weekday Masses (6:30 a.m.) and some Sunday Masses. I loved to Jane Hubbard continued on page B8

By Dan McWilliams

SHANNA DIGIOVANNI

Jane Hubbard is stepping down after more than 30 years of leading musicians at the Cleveland parish

Music ministry Jane Hubbard sings at the Saturday-evening Mass on Sept. 18 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church.

Praying for Perspective

by George Valadie

It seemed like a good day as any for a miracle The walker’s earbuds go quiet, and the voice of God speaks—or does it?

I

t was a recent Thursday morning, about 11:30 give or take, and it seemed like as good a day and time as any for a miracle.

I mean one of those really big ones. The sort you only read about in Scripture or the life of some saint.

The kind that results in a statue being built on a site to which believers will flock in the future. One of those kinds of miracles.

And I was just sure it was today.

Let me preface all this by mentioning that in my newfound retirement days, I have decided to walk—a lot.

Some days I go to the Y to log my minutes and miles, but most days I lace up and set out to trek through our neighborhood. It’s really the perfect place.

I always want to work up a good sweat, so our blend of up-and-down hills—none too drastic—does the job every time.

Some 260-plus homes dot my subdivision walk, the equivalent of three miles and 10 blocks. Not one will be featured in Southern Living, but they’re nice and well-kept, with plenty of expansive old trees providing welcomed shade when the sweating part kicks in.

I never fail to bring along my phone with earbuds tuned to Pandora. It’s a wonderful free app that figures out the sort of music you like and plays a bunch of it non-stop.

You provide it a head start, and off it goes from there.

So when I’m out exercising, it’s usually me, James Taylor, and a bunch of his friends along for the walk.

On that recent Thursday morning, the sun was out, the breeze was fall-ish, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Perfectly peaceful since the kids were back in school, and most moms and dads were Book continued from page B1

Beret,” Mr. Dekanich said, recalling that his mother was not happy with his decision or him.

The first cancer diagnosis, and those that followed

It was early in the first quarter of his freshman year in college that family members noticed increased swelling in his neck that his family doctor had been treating as swollen glands.

He went to see a second doctor about the swelling, which immediately landed him in the hospital. Biopsy results would impact the rest of his life, showing a malignant tumor in his throat.

Radical surgery followed, which involved removing half of his neck and the entire muscle in his left shoulder. The cancer involved his throat, thyroid, and parathyroid.

He was 18 years old.

Following surgery, Mr. Dekanich’s left arm dangled by his side and would not move as his head “flopped” over his left shoulder. He spent years exercising his arm and neck and developing other muscles to compensate for the missing shoulder muscle. Also, he remained physically active, eventually taking part in martial arts and scuba diving, which helped in rebuilding muscle tone.

“Back then, I looked like some character out of a B-rated sci-fi movie. I did have friends and family support. That was something that helped keep my mind off of stuff,” he reflected, noting that he was forced to drop out of Youngstown State before his college experience really got started.

After surgery, and when reality began to set in, so did feelings of dejection that Dr. Robert E. Sass had warned him and his family about.

“There were times, I admit, where I did have a pity party,” he said, acknowledging that such a devastating medical diagnosis at that early age tested his faith.

While attending public school, he was catechized in the Catholic Church at a young age, so his belief in God and trust in Jesus Christ was rooted.

“I had so many people praying for B2 n OCTOBER 3, 2021

And then . . . it happened. I’m not lying—at that exact moment a voice came from nowhere and spoke in my earphones. No phone call, no text ping, no warning. I hadn’t touched a button, hadn’t touched the phone. There was just a voice asking, “George?” back at work.

It was just me and my music playing until suddenly it didn’t. And my earphones fell silent.

Though it was a silence quickly filled with thoughts and ideas that began exploding through my head in rapid-fire succession.

Apparently, there are scientists— more than a few—who study what they call the speed of thought. I don’t know a thing about it, but apparently it can happen in milliseconds, just one of which is onetwentieth of a second.

In other words, thoughts can fly fast and furious, some say as much as 250 mph. They sure did for me.

So there I was, walking on the block next to ours, singing along to “Sweet Baby James” when the music ceased and my thoughts—weird though they may be—kicked in to fill the void.

Where they came from, I do not know. But almost instantaneously my brain started walking down the path of: “I’ve always wanted God to talk to me. To really talk to me. He used to talk to a lot of people. I mean He spoke to Adam, Cain, and Noah, Moses, Samuel, and Saul. Why not me?

“I mean how cool would that be?

And an iPhone would be the perfect mode of communicating these days.

“I’m guessing He’d probably want me to do something bold or unusual. I could be up for that. Or me, not only here, but I had relatives in Yugoslavia. They were all praying.

I definitely am a firm believer in the power of prayer and miracles. The cancer came back about every six months from ’69 through the early ’80s. It came back 18 different times.

You start building yourself back up and your face gets slammed in the mud again,” Mr. Dekanich said.

His last bout with throat cancer around 1982 left him without his voice for more than 10 months. He believes another miracle occurred when his voice returned following a business meeting at the Pentagon. A doctor told him that something most unusual occurred in his throat to help his voice return. One vocal cord hyperextended itself to help another vocal cord work.

Lessons from a surgeon, and finding romance

In his book, Mr. Dekanich details the relationship he developed with Dr. Sass, who the author credits for saving his life early on with surgical and griefcounseling skills. Those lessons the surgeon taught about overcoming strife through determination, positive thinking, and persistence would serve Mr. Dekanich well for the rest of his life.

Mr. Dekanich only missed a few months of his freshman year, bravely re-enrolling for the winter quarter. This time around, college proved to be a struggle for a boy grappling with recovery from debilitating cancer surgery.

As luck—and God—would have it, he reunited with a high-school friend, George Hvozda, who he happened to share a class with. Through their friendship, they helped each other make it through Youngstown State’s academically demanding engineering program. Both graduated, with Mr. Dekanich earning dual undergraduate degrees in metallurgical engineering and nuclear engineering.

In his book, Mr. Dekanich shares his deep appreciation and admiration for his brother-in-law, his cousin, and his friend, George, for seeing him through the rigors of collegiate study.

The book also details the romance and love he shared with his first

maybe spread a message for Him like in that old George Burns movie ‘Oh God!’ “His timing really is perfect because I’m retired now and have plenty of free time (like if He had asked when I was working, I’d have had to say no.)

“I wonder if he’s getting ready to reach out now, turning off the music to get my attention.”

Just then a tiny bit of raspy crackling came through my earphones.

The sort of crackling that recalled that movie “Apollo 13” when Houston Control was anxiously waiting to hear from the space capsule after re-entry. That sort of crackling.

More thoughts.

“OMG, I mean it’s probably my WiFi going in and out but how neat would it be if He’s trying to tune me in. Makes sense, it’s a long way from heaven, and this would be the perfect place for Him to reach out.

Nobody around. I can talk back, and if anyone sees me they’d simply think I’m just singing along with J.T.” And then . . . it happened.

I’m not lying—at that exact moment a voice came from nowhere and spoke in my earphones. No phone call, no text ping, no warning. I hadn’t touched a button, hadn’t touched the phone.

There was just a voice asking, “George?”

During the microsecond it took for the speaker to utter my name, my heart flipped and fluttered while my brain tried to decipher what was unfolding. I mean I’d only been thinking foolish thoughts, hadn’t I? Still, feeling a mix of fear and hope, I replied with what could only be described as a timid and meek little “Yes?” Followed by “Hey, just wanted

wife, Linda, who he met when he was in college. They married soon after graduation and started their life together, ultimately bringing daughter Annette Marie into the world.

He considers meeting and falling in love with Linda as itself a miracle because of his self-consciousness about the way he looked following surgery, which affected attending school, seeking employment, meeting girls, etc.

Getting a part-time job at Sharon Steel while he was in college proved difficult because of his post-surgery limitations. But he persisted, showing up at the mill a couple of times a week for weeks on end checking on job openings. The mill finally did hire him as a millwright’s helper on a blast furnace.

And going on a date. Forget about it. Or so he thought.

“It went from a point where talking to a girl was no big deal to a point where I literally would have to make notes before I called somebody and read from those notes,” Mr. Dekanich remembered. “With my first wife, Linda, from the very beginning, she always saw me as I could be and not as I was. I was a freshman in college, and she was a freshman in high school when we started dating. We got married in August 1974.”

While working for Sharon Steel as an engineering co-op student, he developed an intense attraction to Oak

w ww.di o k no x .o rg

you to know I’m running to the store, so I’ll be gone for a bit if you get home anytime soon.”

Like I said: no call, no text, no warning. Where did she come from?

How did she do that? Her call had somehow stopped my music, but that wasn’t exactly the miracle for which I’d been hoping.

There will no doubt be a price I’ll pay when she reads it took all of a second or two to go from happily humming to being hugely unhappy to hear the voice of my wife.

But it wasn’t the voice of God. We shared quite the laugh when I retold my tale.

And then I pondered the voice of God. Wondering if or when or how He really does speak to me. To us.

Does he use the people He puts in our lives—the ones who love us or the ones who challenge us? The ones who make us better or the ones who call us to be better? Family, friends, co-workers? They’re no doubt gifts from God, but are they also sent from God? Or does He reach out through the people we should let into our lives: the neighbors or neighborhoods we avoid, the family we’ve discarded, or the guy on the corner with the empty cup and not much else?

I’m absolutely sure He talks to us, but I won’t lie—I’d have much preferred the big miracle, the direct instruction, the clarity that would have come from a one-on-one with me and the Creator.

I’d have done whatever He asked.

Or has He asked already?

Dear God—We’ll keep listening, please keep talking. Amen. ■ George Valadie resides in Chattanooga and is a parishioner at St. Stephen Church.

Ridge and its complex of defense department facilities (Y-12, K-25) and the Oak Ridge National Lab. And he wasn’t shy about sharing his desire to work there as an engineer.

As he worked to get degrees in a double major and then his master’s degree, Linda was lovingly pushing him to be the best he could be.

After college, he went to work for Union Carbide, the main defense contractor in Oak Ridge at that time, at Union Carbide’s Ashtabula, Ohio, plant.

That eventually led to a transfer to Oak Ridge’s K-25 plant in July 1977 as a metallurgical engineer, doing failure analysis and materials characterization.

“That far exceeded my expectations. Every day was different. Anything that blew up, broke down, or fell apart it was my job to find out why and keep it from happening again. I’m still doing a lot of that today as well as new technology development and deployment,” he said.

He’s at Y-12 now, and part of his job is working with high-school students, teaching them about materials science and failure analysis in a joint venture between ORNL, Pellissippi State Community College, and the University of Tennessee. Mr. Dekanich is excited to be working with students and possibly steering them into careers in science, technology, and engineering.

‘Linda was always there’

The book illustrates how the main character’s personal successes were often met with new cancer diagnoses, whether attending college, getting married, landing a big job, or succeeding in his career.

The main character in Frame of Mind, Joey Slunisky, is based on Steve Dekanich, who describes balancing his career demands and his repeating cancer with the help of “a very, very supportive wife.” Mr. Dekanich chose the name Joey as an atonement for the way he felt about his father, Joe. “With all the recurrences (cancer), Linda was always there. I often wondered if I would be able to take care of her as well as she took care of me. She Book continued on page B6 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Scripture and the Spiritual Life

by Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM

What is celibacy, exactly?

Living out chastity for the kingdom of heaven is not ‘unnatural’—it is supernatural

R

ecently, I was asked about priestly celibacy by a person interested in becoming Catholic. The practice of priestly celibacy is viewed with suspicion, he explained, because Protestants are unfamiliar with it, and it seems unnatural. Besides that, his is a timely question given that some people have pointed to celibacy as having a direct causal link to the abuse crisis in the Church.

Celibacy, or chastity, seems like a stumbling block for people. What is celibacy, exactly? According to the glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, celibacy is “the state or condition of those who have chosen to remain unmarried.”

But why would a man choose that life, or why is this the standard discipline for priests in the Roman (Latin Rite) Catholic Church?

First, the nature of the priesthood has to be understood. Simply put, each man who becomes a priest becomes a minister of Jesus Christ’s own priesthood. Jesus’ priesthood is made visible and present through these ordained ministers. They participate in Jesus’ life and priesthood in a specific way. Therefore, a look at Scripture and how Jesus himself lived is helpful to see the foundations on which a priest’s life is modeled.

Jesus did not marry. He also spoke positively about those who remain celibate “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:12).

Indeed, Jesus chose, from among his followers, certain men to be with him and become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17).

His invitation to them was to leave everything behind for the sake of the kingdom of God. Therefore, this practice of total dedication to God in and through Christ goes back to the very beginning of discipleship.

Hear more from Sister Anna Marie on her podcast, Scripture and the Spiritual Life.

Today, as well, men are chosen by God “to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord” (CCC, No. 1579).

Jesus is not the only person in the Bible, however, to have lived a single life with the intention of being consecrated for God’s purposes.

The prophet Jeremiah, for example, appears to have remained celibate.

He was called from his youth (see Jeremiah 1:6-7) and never mentions a wife or family like some of the other prophets. Another example, closer to the time of Jesus, is John the Baptist.

The last in the long line of biblical prophets, John’s entire life was lived as a sign that pointed to Jesus, even from his time in the womb (Luke 1:41-44). Everything about him pointed to the transcendent realm, including his choice to forego a wife and children. While it is true that celibacy was not a common practice at the time of Christ, it was not unheard of. In fact, there are examples from Qumran, a desert community in existence around the time of Jesus, of a type of celibacy lived in community.

Additionally, priests are not the only celibates in the Catholic Church. The consecrated life in its various forms entails some type of commitment to chastity, either a promise, private vow, public vow, or some other sacred bond.

Getting back to the definition of celibacy mentioned above, it related only to the state of being unmarried.

Any discussion on celibacy must relate back to chastity, which is the virtue by which a person integrates his or her sexuality in a healthy way appropriate to his or her state in life.

Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful

The goal of chastity is the wholeness and integrity of the person in his bodily and spiritual being. This is true for married people as well as celibate people. However, chastity in the context of consecrated life entails refraining from any behaviors in the realm of sexuality that belong properly to marriage, as well as avoiding any offenses against chastity such as masturbation, pornography, or fornication. Religious chastity is also a gift to those called

by God to lead a life totally dedicated to him.

Is it “unnatural” to lead a celibate life and, therefore, practice continence within chastity? In one sense, yes, and in another, no. The proper path of sexual expression for most people is that of marriage, in which two persons give each other their bodies as “a sign and pledge of spiritual communion” (CCC, No. 2360).

This is a great good, and marriage, while not easy, is the natural path that most people take to live the vocation to love God and neighbor to which we are all called.

There are some, however, as Jesus points out in the Gospels, who renounce marriage and the goods of marriage (holiness together as husband and wife, welcoming and educating children) for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Not only that, the fact that some people do this is a very good thing.

Living out chastity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven means to live one’s life as a sign that points to God all the time. The married state is good and beautiful, and at the same time God is more beautiful and better. He is so good, in fact, that it is legitimate to offer everything to Him and live for Him alone.

A consecrated person, whether priest or religious, witnesses to that

by the very way he or she lives. The highest form of love is not the love between husband and wife, it is the love of God, charity. This charity can and should inform all other relationships of love. This means that they are rooted in a person’s relationship with God and lead to a further and deeper love of God. In addition, Jesus tells us that there will be no marriage in heaven.

Rather, he says, in “the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). For this reason, the consecrated life or the celibate life is an eschatological signpost that points to heaven. Essentially, the message is: Remember where you ultimately want to be headed. Remember your end. Do what it takes to get there.

Returning to an earlier question, living chastity for the kingdom of heaven is not “unnatural”—it is supernatural. It is to live as God’s messenger, all day, every day. Like all vocations, that takes faith, hope, and charity. It also takes prayer, asceticism, more prayer, and fidelity to the age-old practices that help form the interior spiritual life. Good, holy friendships are also a wonderful aid to chastity, no matter what a person’s vocation is.

The goal in each vocation is to love God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor like one’s self. To each person, God will give the graces necessary to grow in holiness if and when we cooperate with Him. ■ Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM, is the former director of the Office of Christian Formation for the Diocese of Knoxville. She also writes for SimplyCatholic.com, a ministry of Our Sunday Visitor. This column originally appeared at SimplyCatholic.com.

by Bob Hunt

A lesson from the Book of Tobit Giving up traditions, despite the circumstances, could lead to our forgetting who we are

I

recently read the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. Tobit is a marvelous book. It’s a novella about a man who goes blind, then sends his son on a journey to retrieve money he had left with a creditor before he dies. On the journey, the son marries a woman who has been tormented by a demon, conquers the demon, retrieves the money, then returns to his father and heals his blindness— all while being accompanied and guided by the Archangel Raphael, who hides his identity under the guise of a relative of Tobit’s.

When I came across Tobit 1:10-12, it struck me as a good lesson for believers of this age and every age.

Tobit and his Jewish brethren have been taken captive to Nineveh as part of the Babylonian Captivity, when Jews were forced into exile from Israel to Babylon in the middle of the sixth century BC. It reads: “Now when I was carried away captive to Nineveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles; but I kept myself from eating it, because I remembered God with all my heart.”

There are times when being faithful can be a lonely experience. Cer-

Daily readings Friday, Oct. 1: Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church, Baruch 1:15-22; Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9; Luke 10:13-16 Saturday, Oct. 2: Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, Baruch 4:512, 27-29; Psalm 69:33-37; Matthew 18:1-5, 10 Sunday, Oct. 3: Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 128:1-6; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 Monday, Oct. 4: Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, Jonah 1:1–2:1-2 and TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

tainly, this is true when one is surrounded by those of different faiths.

Often, however, nonbelievers or believers of other traditions have nothing but respect for Christians and Christian devotions and practices, especially if the Christian is devout and genuine in his or her faith. Still, there are others who won’t hesitate to take every opportunity to ridicule or remonstrate a believer for his or her devotion to the Lord and to the Church.

It’s even more hurtful when the ridicule and remonstrations come from those who claim the faith.

Then, the devout believer who is unwilling to compromise the tenets of the faith or the practice of the faith is often accused of being rigid, too concerned about following rules, being “holier than thou,” and unwilling to think for him or herself.

We don’t have to be too hard on those who compromised during the exile. Perhaps there was no other food readily available. Perhaps not eating the food of the Gentiles would have required a sacrifice they were unwilling to make. That’s the point, though, isn’t it? Some who

claim the faith are at times too quick to decide that, given the circumstances, it’s just too hard and too unreasonable to expect to be faithful. Those who are willing to make the sacrifice are accused of judging those who are willing to compromise. They’re put under pressure to lower their standards in the same way others have, because refusing to compromise makes the others look or feel bad.

The Jews who remained faithful to the traditions during the Babylonian Captivity likely felt all of this.

They likely had many an angry eye turned their way for their refusal to compromise the practice of the faith.

They felt devotion to God was more important than personal comfort, and those who had decided that faithfulness was too great a burden, given the circumstances, didn’t appreciate their witness. The message they were giving, in deed if not in word, was, “Yes, the circumstances are tough for us right now, but that is all the more reason to hold to the traditions, the practices of the faith that help us remember who we are and who God is. If we give those up, it will be easy to forget all that

God has done for us. How will we manage the greater trials to come if we give up so quickly when the road gets a bit rough?”

The smaller sacrifices prepare us for the bigger ones. If we embrace the smaller sacrifices, the bigger ones will be easier, and our response of faithfulness will be more a matter of course than something over which we struggle. The bigger sacrifices will simply be the next obvious step on a path we’ve been walking for a long time.

The author of the Book of Tobit knew this. He knew that to give up the traditions, even given the circumstances, would eventually lead to our forgetting who God is, and that would lead to our forgetting who we are: “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own” (1 Peter 2:9). We ought not risk that, regardless of the age in which we live and regardless of the circumstances.

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

2:11; Jonah 2:3-5, 8; Luke 10:25-37 Tuesday, Oct. 5: Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8; Luke 10:38-42 Wednesday, Oct. 6: Jonah 4:1-11; Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10; Luke 11:1-4 Thursday, Oct. 7: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, Malachi 3:13-20; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 11:5-13 Friday, Oct. 8: Joel 1:13-15 and 2:1-2; Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9; Luke 11:15-26 Saturday, Oct. 9: Joel 4:12-21; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Luke 11:27-28 Sunday, Oct. 10: Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-13;

Mark 10:17-30 Monday, Oct. 11: Romans 1:1-7; Psalm 98:1-4; Luke 11:29-32 Tuesday, Oct. 12: Romans 1:16-25; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 11:37-41 Wednesday, Oct. 13: Romans 2:1-11; Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 9; Luke 11:42-46 Thursday, Oct. 14: Romans 3:21-30; Psalm 130:1-6; Luke 11:47-54 Friday, Oct. 15: Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church, Romans 4:1-8; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11; Luke 12:1-7 Saturday, Oct. 16: Romans 4:13, 16-

18; Psalm 105:6-9, 42-43; Luke 12:8-12 Sunday, Oct. 17: Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45 Monday, Oct. 18: Feast of St. Luke, evangelist, 2 Timothy 4:10-17; Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18; Luke 10:1-9 Tuesday, Oct. 19: Memorial of Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs, Romans 5:12, 15, 17-21; Psalm 40:710, 17; Luke 12:35-38 Wednesday, Oct. 20: Romans 6:12-

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Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville and is a candidate for the permanent diaconate.

Readings continued on page B8 OCTOBER 3, 2021 n B3

Parish notes

St. Jude took part in the 15th annual International Rosary on Oct. 7.

St. Jude has its own Facebook page at Saint Jude Church Chattanooga.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga A newly formed widowed bereavement support group, The Healing Hearts, will have an introductory gathering at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, in the large hall. Light refreshments will be served.

Each meeting has a guest speaker.

Call Liz Huntenburg at 954-464-7372 for more information.

The St. Stephen religious store is sponsoring a “Sock It to Me” fundraiser to benefit the Community Kitchen.

Drop off new socks of all sizes in the box in the vestibule. Call Gail Nevins for more details at 423-892-5371.

Anniversaries: Michael and Wanda Williams (53), Paul and Paula Phillips (45), Robert and Patricia Edwards (35), John and Debra Certo (30), Tuan and Kimthanh Do (5)

Cumberland Mountain Deanery St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade The women of the parish have been busy sewing blankets for the last 18 years, and to date they have made 1,620 prayer blankets. The blankets are small but bring solace and comfort to a person who is ill, and it is an expression of love at a difficult time for those who are in need of prayers.

They are blessed by the pastor and prayed over by the parishioners. They are available in designs for women, men, children, and babies. The Prayer Blanket Committee was on hold because of COVID but hopes to be back sewing again. They are in need of sewers, cutters, and donations. Call Kathy Upp for more information at 931-2107405. This prayer note is tucked into each blanket: “You are covered in prayer. This prayer blanket has been prayed over by the community of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and blessed by our pastor. May it bring you comfort.”

The Council of Catholic Women’s three-day rummage sale was a great success, and the council thanks the workers, men and women, for their hours of sorting things, those who gave their “treasures” to the sale, those who purchased them, plus those helping clean up.

A women’s Bible study is being held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. every Monday through Dec. 13 in the parish hall. For more information, call Dianne Burling at 931-456-8756 or Joan Larsen at 931-484-6777 to order a workbook.

The Prayer Warriors have returned on Tuesday mornings at 9 a.m. in the parish library to remember those in need of prayers.

The adult faith formation program will be continuing with the Old Testament on Wednesday, Nov.17, in Sheehan Hall. For information, call Kathy Fitch at 931-287-0644.

Father Michael Woods scheduled a healing Mass for Oct. 6.

Anniversaries: Fred and Dottie Belvo (60), Jack and Virginia Smith (60), Robert and Rosemary Barth (55), Ken and Kathy Bromberek (55), David and Pauline Fugazzotto (55), Carl and Mary Anne Nordeen (45), Robert and Noreen Doyle (35), Scott and Theresa Maher (20) St. John Neumann, Farragut A St. John Neumann men’s fall retreat, themed “Spiritual Fatherhood/Head of the Domestic Church,” is set to run from 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, through 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center, 250 Locke B4 n OCTOBER 3, 2021

A marriage-enrichment program for couples is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 24, in Seton Hall. Session one will focus on “Christ at the Center” and session two on “A Deeper Unity.” To sign up or learn more, call 865-777-4319 or email srresty@sjnknox.org.

COURTESY OF ANDREA JARNAGIN

Trunk or Treat is set for Friday, Oct. 29, at St. Jude. Reserve a spot through a form available in the vestibule.

Lisa Healy, executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, thanked the parish for its Sept. 8 gift of $5,000 to CCETN. The parish St. Vincent de Paul Society recently received a $5,000 grant from the diocese’s Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund. The SVdP Society will use the grant to provide support in housing and utilities, food assistance, transportation, and life-skills development. Those who know someone who is in need of assistance from the SVdP ministry should call the parish office at 865-966-4540. Visit dioknox.org/charity to see the Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund website created and managed by the diocese.

Holy Trinity presents baby items, donations for children in need Father Jim Harvey (back) and parishioners at Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City present Cathy Gleason, director of LOC Resources, a crisis pregnancy center, with both monetary donations and baby items for young children in need. The parish encourages the spiritual adoption of an unborn child for nine months of each year. This is done by praying that the particular, but unknown, child’s life be spared abortion and be allowed to continue to live.

Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City Cynthia Giardiello has taken over the director of religious education position from Deacon Matt Pidgeon.

The parish thanked Gene and Donna Dunn and Joe and Dennis Frinzi for volunteering their time to prepare the parish family life center to have its floors stripped and waxed.

COURTESY OF LILLIAN ISAAC (2)

St. Jude, Chattanooga

Lane in Benton. Facilitators are Father Michael Maples and Father Christopher Floersh and deacon candidates Shawn Ballard and Greg Larson.

Costs are $100 for the full weekend, $75 for Friday night and Saturday day (one-night stay), $75 for Saturday day and Saturday night (one-night stay), and $50 for Saturday day only (no overnight stay). Sign up at forms. gle/vUiJYvTAwdJe2n7k7. For more information, contact Sister Elizabeth at srelizabeth@sjnknox.org or call Mr. Larson at 865-386-4314 or Mr. Ballard at 865-686-2776. Deadline to register is Oct. 11.

A collection container in the narthex is for Food for the Poor. A Holy Trinity donation of $4,900 will be matched by an anonymous parishioner to build a home for a poor family.

St. Mary-Johnson City celebrates patroness, diocesan anniversary In honor of the birth of Blessed Mother Mary, the parish patroness, and to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the diocese, St. Mary Parish in Johnson City held a bilingual Mass and homecoming celebration Sept. 12. More than 300 parishioners gathered outdoors on the campus to participate. In preparation for the day, parishioners were asked to take a blessed candle and novena card home to pray for the good of the parish and for those affected by COVID-19. After the Mass, all enjoyed a picnic and fellowship.

Newcomers: Patrick and Catherine Dooley; Allen and Janet Keller; Gerardo, Elisa, Johnathan, Yaneli, and Jorge Negrete Olvera.

Notre Dame, Greeneville Repairs are to begin soon to the roofs of Notre Dame buildings that were damaged in the 2021 spring hailstorm.

The first in-person meeting this year of the Council of Catholic Women was well-attended and held outside in the pavilion. President Nancy Clark welcomed the members and gave an outline of plans for the calendar year with two suggested fundraising projects.

Treasurer Janet Murphy presented the annual proposed budget, which will be voted on at the next meeting at 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 17.

Anniversaries: Larry and Donna Coughlin (58), Ed and Linda Harrington (53), Charlie and Karen DiBella (45), Bruno and Mary Jane Keparutis (15)

COURTESY OF FATHER BART OKERE

Chattanooga Deanery

St. Dominic, Kingsport Father Michael Cummins has started a book club on the writings of Pope Francis. Sessions run from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Thursdays. The series will cover three books devoted to the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Dominic received a $5,000 grant from the diocese’s Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund. In the last year, the society has collected more than $51,500 from parishioners in contributions, memorials, and gifts. SVdP made more than 200 visits, helping about 860 people.

The society spent $17,810 on rent, keeping people from being evicted and Parish notes continued on page B8

Father Okere visits Vatican City, meets the Holy Father Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville and St. James the Apostle Parish in Sneedville, is greeted by Pope Francis during the priest’s recent trip to Vatican City. The two-week stay to celebrate Father Okere’s 30th anniversary in the priesthood in 2020 was delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic. During his trip, Father Okere spent some days at the Pontifical International College, Maria Mater Ecclesiae in Rome with the faculty members and seminarians. The rector of the Pontifical International College, Padre Enrique Tapia, allowed Father Okere to celebrate Mass in English for the college. Father Okere also visited the L’Aquila region, site of a deadly earthquake in 2009, and made frequent tours of St. Peter’s Basilica. The St. Henry pastor, also the state Knights of Columbus chaplain, traveled to Scavi in an outing arranged by the Knights through former State Deputy Michael McCusker and the Knights’ supreme headquarters in New Haven, Conn. Other stops on his trip for Father Okere included the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Catacombs, the Colosseum, and St. John Lateran Basilica.

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

The 23rd annual St. Jude Golf Classic, presented by St. Jude School and Knights of Columbus Council 8576, will be held Friday, Oct. 22, at Creeks Bend Golf Club in Hixson. Shotgun starts are set for 8 a.m. (check-in begins at 7 a.m.) and 1 p.m. (check-in at noon). Cost is $100 per player for one round or $160 per player for both rounds. The cost includes 18 holes and a cart; unlimited range balls; a goodie bag; hole-in-one, closest-to-the-hole, longest-drive, and putting contests; a best-dressed-team trophy; and breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and beverages. Sponsorships are available.

Proceeds benefit the school’s Classroom Adoption Program and the many ministries of Council 8576. For more information, e-mail prestonk@mysjs.com.

The Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will hold its annual Celebrate Life Banquet from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 12, at Bridgewater Place Event Center, 205 Bridgewater Road, Knoxville, TN 37923. Guest speakers are Kelly Lester and Annette Lancaster with the organization And Then There Were None, who were formerly employed by the abortion industry. Tickets are $50. Register at www.prolifeknox. org or trlknox@prolifeknox.com.

The next Picture of Love engagedcouples retreat is scheduled for 6:45 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation program for engaged couples explores the joys and challenges of living out life together as a married couple with special focus on the importance of inviting Jesus to be the center of marriage and family life.

The retreat is to supplement couples’ marriage formation process with their parish priest or deacon. The cost is $135 per couple, and the experience will qualify couples for a $60 discount on a Tennessee marriage license.

Snacks, a continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. Participants are responsible for their own overnight accommodations if needed. For more information, e-mail kbyrne@dioknox.org or call Karen Byrne at 865-584-3307 or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ picture-of-love-program-for-engagedcouples-registration-100134689552.

Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga is currently accepting applications for the 2022-23 academic year. Visit www.myndhs.com to apply online. An open house is set for 2 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 24. Call Laura Goodhard at 423-624-4618, extension 1004.

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

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Homeschool Support Group is a Catholic homeschool support group in Knoxville and surrounding areas that is recognized by the diocese as a Private Association of the Faithful. The group supports one another as families who choose to educate their children at home in order to live, teach, and preserve their Catholic Christianity. The group celebrates Mass together and has a monthly holy hour; has regular park gatherings, field trips, and feast day celebrations; offers faith-based small groups for children, teens, and adults, as well as many other activities.

For more information, contact Lenore Pacitti at lmgouge@gmail.com or 865-684-6358, or Sarah Bryant at jsbry412@gmail.com or 865-742-3534.

Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk will lead a pilgrimage to Mexico from Oct. 1827, visiting the shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sanctuario de Santo Toribio Romo, built for one of the 25 Mexican martyrs who was martyred during the persecution of the Church in the 1920s. Pilgrims will explore San Juan De Los Lagos, which is famous for its Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos, the mission churches established by St. Junipero Serra founded in the Sierra Gorda region of Mexico, and the Guanajuato statue of “Cristo Rey,” which is the world’s second largest statue of Christ the King. For more information, contact Lisa Morris at 865567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

Join Father Jerry Daniels and Deacon Al Forsythe on a pilgrimage to Italy from May 2-13, 2022, including Rome, Assisi, San Giovanni, Pompeii, and Sorrento.

Pilgrims will have the opportunity to be present at the Wednesday papal audience in St. Peter’s Square and visit St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Holy Stairs, Gesu church, where they will see the relics of St. Francis Xavier, to name just a few of the many sites they will visit in Rome. The travelers will go on to Assisi, with a stop along the way to visit the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena. They will stay two nights in Assisi, where they will have the opportunity to visit the tomb of St. Francis, the Basilica of St. Clare, and the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church. The pilgrims will go on to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St. Padre Pio, and visit Manopello, the old Capuchin Monastery. The pilgrimage includes Monte Sant’Angelo and Capri.

For a more detailed itinerary and registration information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

Fourth Degree Knights install new officers at St. Bridget Church Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, Trinity Assembly 2607, gathered at St. Bridget Church in Dayton recently and held its 2021-22 officer installation. Victor Williams, Knights of Columbus state marshal, and district deputy Pat Bisson officiated the induction ceremony. The following officers were present for induction: faithful navigator Joseph Mauser Jr., admiral; three-year trustee Pat Bisson; pilot Claude Hardison; outer sentinel Chris Hill; and two-year trustee Bill Morrison. From left are Chris Hill, Victor Williams, Don Meagher, Joseph Mauser Jr., William Morrison, Joseph Mauser III, Pat Bisson, and Claude Hardison. Not pictured are friar Father Mike Nolan, captain Stephen Thorn, comptroller Michael Shoemaker, purser Jerry Orman, and one-year trustee William Markiewicz.

After the induction ceremony of officers, they and family members gathered at the Jacob Myer’s Restaurant on the River for an evening social meal. The Fourth Degree meets the last Thursday of each month, alternating between a business and a social meeting. The core concept of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus is patriotism.

BILL BREWER (2)

The 19th annual St. Joseph School Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Friday, Oct. 22, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville. Check-in (with food being served) is from 10:30 a.m. to noon. There will be a shotgun start at noon. The $125 entry fee includes a round of golf, lunch, goodie bag and golfer gift, beverages, and snacks. The format is a four-man scramble. Register online at www. sjsknox.org/golf. Sponsorships, a door prize, and goodie-bag items are needed. Sponsorships are available at levels ranging from $250 or $500 to $2,000 or $3,000. All proceeds benefit St. Joseph School. For more information, contact Howie Sompayrac at 865804-8977 or hsompayrac@sjsknox.org.

The National Catholic Youth Conference is coming to the diocese with the firstever local NCYC celebration Nov. 1820 at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport.

The event includes livestreaming of the NCYC general and break-out sessions, live music onsite, a thematic park on the grounds, a reflection and discussion guide for small groups, NCYC and Diocese of Knoxville keepsakes, meals, and service activities. In a distinctly Catholic setting, the organizers invite participants to encounter Christ, experience Church, and be empowered for discipleship. Cost is $175 plus $10 for transportation from Knoxville or Chattanooga. To register or download a flyer, visit dioknox.org/events/ncyc-2021.

The medical/permission form is due to Karen Byrne at kbyrne@dioknox.org no later than Friday, Oct. 22. Registration deadline is Oct. 15.

Bishop Stika, Cardinal Rigali, Knights enjoy Smokies baseball game Bishop Richard F. Stika, Cardinal Justin Rigali, and Knights of Columbus from the Diocese of Knoxville gathered Sept. 10 at Smokies Stadium in Kodak for the Tennessee Smokies’ game against Chattanooga.

BILL BREWER (2)

All are invited to an Ordinariate (Anglican Use) Mass at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville. The celebrant will be Father Rick Kramer, moderator of the curia and director of vocations and clergy formation for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter based in Houston. A fellowship dinner will be held after Mass in the parish hall. If you would like to attend the dinner, please RSVP Jeff Baker at jeff.baker@knoxvillecatholic.com. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is a structure, similar to a diocese, created by the Vatican in 2012 for former Anglican communities and clergy seeking to become Catholic. Members of the Ordinariate are fully Roman Catholic, while retaining elements of Anglican heritage in their celebration of Mass and in the hospitality and ministries of their Catholic parishes. An Ordinariate Mass fulfills a Catholic’s Sunday obligation. To learn more about the Ordinariate, visit www.ordinariate.net.

COURTESY OF CLAUDE HARDISON

Calendar

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional 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.KnoxLatinMass.net.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Mission located at 2304 Ault Road, Knoxville, TN 37914, meets for Divine Liturgy every first, second, and fourth Sunday at 3 p.m.

All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-621-8499 or visit www.facebook.com/SaintThomasKnoxville/ for more information. n

Bishop celebrates annual Blue Mass Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated the annual diocesan Blue Mass on Sept. 26 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus to honor police officers and first responders. In the top photo, Bishop Stika stands with cathedral associate pastor Father Martin Gladysz and Officer Edwin Clapp of the Jefferson City Police Department. With them are Mr. Clapp’s wife, Christina, and the couple’s children, Shelby and Easton. The Clapps belong to Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City. Father Gladysz is a chaplain with the Knoxville Police Department.

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OCTOBER 3, 2021 n B5

Mercy jubilarians celebrate a life of extending Christ’s compassion Sisters of Mercy who served in East Tennessee among those marking 60-, 70-year anniversaries of entering the convent

By Andy Telli The Tennessee Register

Book continued from page B2

ended up with a case of acute lymphocytic leukemia. She was 53 when diagnosed and I was 57,” he said.

She battled leukemia for just over a year. She was diagnosed two days after he was released from the hospital after having surgery in 2007 to remove part of his colon due to a diverticular bleed.

Mr. Dekanich took time off from work to care for Linda. He had saved four weeks of vacation time and combined that with sick time and borrowing vacation from the next year. His boss at Oak Ridge’s thendefense contractor, B&W, asked that a request for donated vacation time from co-workers be sent out by human resources, and in less than an hour he received the maximum fourweeks of vacation time donated.

“I still get teary-eyed thinking about that,” he said, adding that he took at least three months off work to care for his dying wife. “I’ve been blessed with really good managers.”

Asked whether he considered his wife’s illness on top of his cancer as a test of faith, he replied, “I never lost my faith.”

“She was suffering. It was the worst part of my life. The worst feeling in my life was feeling the warmth leave her body. I did not want to be here,” he said, pointing out that he and Linda had been married 34 years when she died in 2008.

He sees how his and his wife’s cancer had a profound impact on their daughter, who became an oncology nurse and then director of Blount Memorial Hospital’s cancer center.

She now works for the pharmaceutical company Gilead and has promoted a treatment for cancer that the company developed. He considers his daughter a best friend who hunts and fishes with him and who also followed in his martial arts footsteps, earning a black belt in taekwondo.

Meeting Ali, ‘a rock for me’

As a middle-aged engineer, medical misfortune wasn’t through with Mr. Dekanich. Around 2004, he was in Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge for an echocardiogram of his heart. A registered cardiac sonographer named Ali was administering the test.

Casual conversation led them to discover they shared the same religion and nationality. Something else they had in common was that he attended St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church while growing up in western Pennsylvania, and she attended St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church while growing up in Los Angeles.

“I met him and I saw his last name, Dekanich, and it was a dead giveaway for Croatian with the ‘ich’ at the end.

We started talking. It usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to do an echo. We talked about our nationality, we’re both Croatian, our families. And we talked about all of us getting together someB6 n OCTOBER 3, 2021

ANDY TELLI

T

hey taught young children, cared for patients in hospitals, provided spiritual support for the sick and their families, conducted retreats, shepherded people into the Church, provided a safe place for young mothers battling addiction, and more.

In every ministry, they carried the mission of the Sisters of Mercy to extend Christ’s compassion to those in need.

Four Sisters of Mercy marked important anniversaries of their entry into the community at the Mercy Sisters Convent in Nashville on Sept.

8. Sister Eileen Mary Pistor and Sister Pat Soete marked 70 years as Sisters of Mercy, while Sister Mary Yvette Gillen and Sister Kathleen Marie Noonan marked 60 years.

All four entered the community by following the example of Mercy Sisters they had met.

“I have two aunts who were Sisters of Mercy. It’s probably because of them I joined the Mercies,” said Sister Pat, who grew up in Cincinnati and served more than three decades in the Diocese of Knoxville. “I was in touch with their caring. I liked what I saw, and I wanted to be like them.”

Decades of service Four Sisters of Mercy living at their convent in Nashville celebrated their anniversaries of entering the community on Sept. 8.

From left, Sister Mary Yvette Gillen and Sister Kathleen Marie Noonan celebrated 60 years as Mercy sisters, while Sister Eileen Mary Pistor and Sister Pat Soete celebrated 70 years.

Sister Kathleen felt the Mercy Sisters’ compassion firsthand growing up when there was a fire at her home in Piqua, Ohio.

She and her friends saw a fire truck race past them, and they followed to see where it was going. “It landed at our house,” Sister Kathleen said.

After the fire, the Mercy Sisters, who taught at her parish school at St. Mary Church, were quick to offer help to Sister Kathleen’s family.

“That was pretty impressive.”

Mercy Sisters had taught her through all 12 years of Catholic school. “I was very attracted to them,” she said. “At least by eighth grade, I was pretty settled I was going to be a Mercy.”

Sister Eileen had religious sisters every year in school while growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Memphis, “but I never thought I’d be a sister.”

That changed when Sister Mary DeLellis Allison of Knoxville came to Immaculate Conception School

time, meeting each other,” Ali recalled.

In 2006, he was again admitted to Methodist Medical Center for losing consciousness, and he again came across Ali. When he was given another echocardiogram, Linda met Ali. Linda, Ali, and Steve talked about getting together for dinner or an outing as couples.

Earlier in 2008, a doctor said Mr. Dekanich needed surgery and prescribed another echocardiogram. Ali again was the sonographer and was shocked to learn that Linda had died the year before.

And just as Linda had befriended Ali, Mr. Dekanich befriended Ali’s husband, Russ, who had been seriously injured in a Los Angeles workplace accident when he was 39 that permanently injured his legs and feet. He never worked again.

Russ, who died in February 2009 of complications from that injury, was married to Ali for 29 years. During the last five years of his life, Russ endured 11 surgeries, and watching him decline was very hard on Ali and her two daughters.

Before Russ died, Mr. Dekanich was able to take him on trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that were accessible by wheelchair, and they also shot pistols together.

“He was pretty sick, and he said, ‘There’s something I want you to do for me. When I’m gone, I want you take care of [Ali],’ he asked me. That very personal conversation with Russ happened about a month before he died,” Mr. Dekanich said.

Was it coincidence or God’s blessing that brought Steve and Ali together?

“I feel like it was a gift from God,” Ali said. “The way that things unfolded, it’s just hard to believe. But I know it was an act of God. To find somebody Catholic and Croatian in East Tennessee . . . it’s crazy. I truly believed that I would be alone for the rest of my life.”

Steve echoed her sentiment.

“When Ali came into my life…she has been a rock for me,” he said, recalling being in an Amarillo, Texas, restaurant and observing a man celebrating his birthday alone. He said that image still haunts him. “Linda and I started dating when we were kids. I had never been alone in my life. The thought of being alone haunts me.”

Ali and Steve were married on May 22, 2010, at St. John Neumann Church, with Father John Dowling celebrating the wedding Mass.

Ali is unfazed by Steve’s recurring cancer.

“One thing I’m amazed about Steve, with all of his illnesses, he’s just so calm about it. He really trusts in God. Russ was like that, too. It was amazing how he handled all the suffering that he went through. I’m twice blessed,” Ali said. “I feel like God put him here to help me get to heaven.”

Ali, who is 64, introduced Steve

to the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and he now prays it regularly. Her faith is steadfast. She sees that his is, too.

Completing the book

In discussing his life and his book with Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, who at the time directed the Diocese of Knoxville’s Office of Christian Formation, Steve and Ali remember how Sister Maria Juan perfectly described Steve when she told him he possessed “the virtue of persistence.”

Steve credits Ali for coming up with the book title and cover image as well as inspiring him to finish the book, then proofing it once it was completed.

“The book took 40 years to write,” Steve said, thinking back on all that went into developing Frame of Mind, including his initial cover image of a picture frame with a dagger slicing through it “because the pictures of our lives can change so quickly.”

“But the publisher said, ‘You don’t want to do that,’” Steve said.

“That made it look like a murder mystery,” Ali added.

Ali’s attention to detail also jibed with the book publisher’s request that Frame of Mind in an early edit be trimmed by 15,000 words. The book is published by Little Creek Press.

“Her attention to detail is mindboggling. As she went through it, she said, ‘You have five-pages in here describing a blast furnace. People don’t want to hear about blast furnaces.’

All five pages were gone. She went through three editing cycles and got the count down. It reads so much better than what I had. Ali was the driving factor behind that,” Steve said.

Good reviews

Frame of Mind has received positive responses, including from Dr. Daniel Ibach, who treated Mr. Dekanich later in life and said the book celebrates the triumph of the human spirit.

“The correct ‘frame of mind’ is key to thriving (not just surviving) in life.

Joey is a wonderful example of what the human spirit can do when a person focuses not solely on their circumstances but on what they can achieve despite what life may throw at them.

Resilience, perseverance, and true faith are the key to growth and thriving in life, and Joey teaches us that in every chapter and turn of his life. He ran and continues to run the race worthy of his calling,” Dr. Ibach said.

“The thriving human spirit doesn’t say ‘why me?’ It says, ‘why not me, what does God want me to learn from this, and how can I use my circumstances as a testimony to His goodness?’ Job well done, Joey,” the physician added.

The book also drew a response and elicited memories from Steve’s daughter, Annette Marie Dekanich.

“Mom and I shared the experience.

For many years she encouraged Dad to share his story in hopes that it would

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in Memphis to teach music when Sister Eileen was in eighth grade. “I thought she was wonderful. I’m going to be just like her.”

“That sister taught me to pray,” Sister Eileen said. “She planted this deep inside of me.”

Sister Yvette first heard of the Mercy Sisters from a friend she worked with whose daughter, Sister Marie Therese Regan, was a Mercy Sister.

It was from Sister Marie Therese that Sister Yvette heard about Our Lady of the Pines High School in Fremont, Ohio, for girls aspiring to be Sisters of Mercy. She attended that school for her sophomore and junior years of high school.

Sister Yvette also met some Glenmary Sisters and considered joining that community.

“I was going back and forth with the Mercies and the Glenmarys,” Sister Yvette said. “I sent two letters.

Whoever answered first, I was going.

“I think my mother hid the Glenmary letter,” she said with a smile.

When they were young sisters, the Mercy Sisters were involved in two ministries: teaching and nursing. All four started as teachers.

“I wanted teaching,” said Sister Kathleen, who taught at several Sisters of Mercy continued on page B9

inspire those who face similar battles.

Finally, in fulfilling his promise to her, this story of persistence and true faith will hopefully resonate with others and aid their journey,” Ms. Dekanich said.

Fellow author Connie Jordan Green lauds the book for the “hope and courage” it offers readers.

“In his semi-autobiographical novel, Frame of Mind, Steven Dekanich has created a character, Joey Slunisky, who contends with many of the issues Dekanich has dealt with during his life: multiple life-threatening cancers beginning as a teenager, operation and rehabilitation again and again through the years, and dreams that seem impossible given the impediments life throws up. Like Dekanich, Joey learns valuable lessons about the part his attitude plays in surmounting obstacles and achieving his goals,” Ms. Green said. “Along the way, Joey is helped by the positive influence of his doctors, his college professors, his family, and friends, and finally, the woman with whom he falls in love. Joey’s story speaks hope and courage to readers facing their own challenges.”

And two communications specialists, Ellen Boatner and Diane Franklin, salute Steve Dekanich for the way he weaves Joey Slunisky’s life experiences into an uplifting story about the tenacity of the human spirit.

“Frame of Mind is not only a story of courage, but it demonstrates the power of the human mind to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles and reach for one’s dreams. Dekanich relays his amazing life experiences, good and bad, into a captivating tale that will make you realize your own dreams are obtainable, and the roadblocks of life are passable with the right attitude and support,” Ms. Boatner said.

“Author Steven J. Dekanich has written a book filled with heart, warmth, humor, and memorable characters,” Ms. Franklin said in her review of the book.

“This is a book about hope in the face of adversity, the life-affirming energy that comes from pursuing one’s dream, and a reminder that our ultimate success comes from the love of family and friends—but most importantly from our own positive frame of mind.”

Linda would be proud

Steve believes Linda would like the book and would be proud of him for sharing his life-affirming story. She also would be happy that he’s still living his dream.

“I was infatuated with Oak Ridge.

I have no regrets. It was a dream of mine, and it came true,” he said, confessing that his one regret is that his physical limitations keep him from skydiving.

In 2019, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood. His 18 previous bouts of cancer were all related to his throat and Book continued on page B8 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Catholic schools

COURTESY OF CATHY CLIFFORD (4)

Focusing on the screen Superintendent of Catholic schools Dr. Sedonna Prater, OLPH pastor Father Arthur Torres, and students Maddie and Alice look at a computer in OLPH School’s new SmartLab.

A special kind of classroom The new SmartLab greeted OLPH students when they returned to school in August.

Principal and student OLPH principal Dr. Caroline Carlin and student Jaxie interact in the SmartLab.

Father Torres and students OLPH students Jude and Caleb discuss drone technology with Father Torres in the SmartLab.

OLPH School in Chattanooga installs SmartLab classroom

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such as problem-solving, collaboration, project management, and communications.”

SmartLab students work in teams to develop scientific data and analysis projects, circuitry, computer graphics, digital communications, mechanics and structures, alternative and renewable energy, software engineering, and robotics and control technology. In the SmartLab, students have the opportunity to explore their project ideas under the supervision of a special kind of teacher called a “facilitator.”

Instead of taking exams, students

create e-portfolios to document their learning.

“It’s a challenging learning experience,” said Teresa Hale, SmartLab facilitator, “but because students can explore topics of personal interest, they can rise to the challenge.”

The new SmartLab at OLPH is the first in the Chattanooga area designed and installed by Creative Learning Systems. Creative Learning Systems has been developing technology-based classrooms since 1987. Ashley Mathis, the company’s CEO, said, “With STEM occu-

pations growing twice as fast as all others in the U.S., it’s critical that educators provide learners with hands-on, student-led, projectbased learning opportunities.”

Father Arthur Torres, OLPH pastor, added, “I know our students will be excited by the new SmartLab. Our community should certainly be proud of this new next-generation learning resource.”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School opened in 1937 and now serves 270 students in grades PreK3 through eighth. n

COURTESY OF PAM RHOADES (3)

hen Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga opened its doors in August, students found a new learning experience waiting for them. That’s because OLPH has added a special kind of classroom called a “SmartLab.” “The SmartLab is a state-ofthe-art classroom called a STEM center [for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics],” said Dr. Caroline Carlin, OLPH principal. “In addition to working with leading-edge technology, students develop critical skills

Irish Legend Tony Hollin (third from right) was honored as an Irish Legend at this year’s Knoxville Catholic High School Shamrock Open. He is pictured with (from left) KCHS president Dickie Sompayrac, Major Hollin, Kim Hollin, Beau Hollin, and Father Chris Michelson.

Three on the green The threesome of (from left) John MacLellan, Bo Connor, and Erik Litton participated in the Shamrock Open.

KCHS’s Shamrock Open raises more than $45,000 for technology, academics

T Shamrock foursome Golfers (from left) Bobby Taylor, Eric Bell, Jay Crook, and Raleigh McCammon took part in the Shamrock Open.

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

he 35th annual Shamrock Open Golf Tournament benefiting Knoxville Catholic High School took place Sept. 10 at Avalon Golf & Country Club in Lenoir City.

The school welcomed more than 180 golfers to an event that raised more than $45,000 for school technology and academic programs.

Tournament winners in the morning round were: TJ Fowler,

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Mark Ostby, Brice Schweitzer, and Eric Winchenbach, first-place team; Bruce Knudsen, longest drive; Kerry Crandall, closest to the pin; and Bo Connor and Airton Kohls, Pot of Gold cash prize.

Winning in the afternoon round were: Brian Clabough, Zack Clabough, Tim Bridgeman, and Matt Channel, first-place team; Zack Clabough, longest drive; and Ben Kromer, closest to the pin. n OCTOBER 3, 2021 n B7

Jane Hubbard continued from page B1

spend hours practicing in an empty church that was just across the street from our family home.

“In high school, I played for weekday morning Masses at 6:30 a.m. before attending school and for some Sunday Masses. I was also a substitute organist for Annunciation Catholic Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio, for two years just out of college.”

That high school was Upper Sandusky in Ohio, from which she graduated in 1967.

“I earned a bachelor of music degree from Mary Manse College in Toledo in 1971. That same year, I married John Hubbard of Toledo, and together we raised four children during our 25 years of marriage,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “In 1999, I obtained a master’s in pastoral theology from Loyola University (Loyola Institute for Ministry) in New Orleans.

Following that, I facilitated another group through its master’s program.”

In the 1970s, Mrs. Hubbard’s life would take another course.

“In 1973, I became passionately involved in the right-to-life movement in Akron, Ohio. In 1975, Ann Marie Segedy and I instigated two foundational case laws called City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health (Akron) and Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health (Akron II). As the laws were challenged, they eventually went before the Supreme Court and became the vehicle for the newly elected Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to make her first rulings on abortion.”

Mrs. Hubbard continued her prolife work after moving with her family to Cleveland, Tenn., in 1980.

“I served 10 years as a lobbyist and six years as president of Tennessee Volunteers for Life. In that position, I also served on the board of the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. In 1985, along with Rosemary Poston and Dee Sorensen, we founded the origins of what eventually became the New Hope Pregnancy Center in Cleveland.”

Mrs. Hubbard has served as the director of music at St. Thérèse since Sept. 1, 1990, when she was hired by Father Mike Linder.

“Prior to that I had a youth choir for three years under Father Paul Valleroy and was an accompanist for a year under Father Louis Junod.”

Shanna DiGiovanni She has served in other musicrelated areas since becoming director at St. Thérèse.

“In 1995 I was appointed the cochair of the Diocesan Liturgical Musicians Committee, along with Louise Wyman, and continued working in that capacity until the fall of 2010. In 1998, Father Mike Creson, then-dean of the Chattanooga Deanery, hired me to be the administrative coordinator for the Chattanooga Deanery. Although the nature of this job changed over the years, I am still volunteering in this capacity.”

Mrs. Hubbard has also found another outlet for her talents.

“I have also worked in the parish health ministry by serving for many years as the co-chair of the community host group for the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinics, begun by Stan Brock. I became involved in 2005 and have worked in over 12 clinics in Cleveland/Bradley County.”

Mrs. Hubbard has seen many types of Church music through the years.

“My life spans the Gregorian Hymnal, the post-Vatican II folk music, Glory and Praise, and all liturgical music moving forward,” she said. “In my ministry, it has always been an absolute must to read the readings of any liturgy for which I am planning music. I often tell the choir that I don’t always pick music that I like, but I do choose music that pairs with the readings or themes. It was also

Parish notes continued from page B4 keeping their families together. It also spent $11,646 on electric power, $4,749 on water, and $10,330 on food and helped with medical and dental bills.

(50), Alfred and Janet Derochers (35)

Smoky Mountain Deanery Holy Ghost, Knoxville

The youth ministry held a Parents Night Out on Aug. 28.

St. Patrick, Morristown The Knights of Columbus’ annual Big Boys Garage and Yard Sale is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5-6.

A variety of items is needed for the sale, including garage tools, garden tools, sports equipment, appliances of all kinds, fitness and electronic equipment, indoor and outdoor furniture, boats, luggage, and antiques of any kind. A scrap-metal recycling initiative will also be conducted along with the sale. For information on items acceptable for the sale or other details, contact Jim Mach at 865-475-1999, Dave Lande at 423-273-0976, Miquel Quintero at 423-353-3601, or Dave Howells at 513-607-9561.

A Medic mobile blood drive was held Sept. 23 at the church.

Anniversaries: John and Joan Pavlicek

Parishioners enjoyed carne asada tacos on the parish lawn after Masses on Sept. 19. Proceeds benefited Holy Ghost faith-formation programs.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville Knights of Columbus Council 645 has partnered with the Ladies of Charity to assist those in need through a bicycle program. The effort is designed to put bicycles into the hands of the needy and assist them in bike repairs. Donate bicycles to the Ladies of Charity building at 120 W. Baxter Ave. in North Knoxville. The Knights have a bicyclerepair workshop at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Ladies of Charity building.

The parish wished associate pastor Father Tim Sullivan, CSP, a happy birthday Sept. 23.

The Knights held a breakfast and fellowship with Paulist Fathers president Father Eric Andrews, CSP, on Sept. 19. n

Readings continued from page B3

18; Psalm 124:1-8; Luke 12:39-48 Thursday, Oct. 21: Romans 6:19-23; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 12:49-53 Friday, Oct. 22: Romans 7:18-25; Psalm 119:66, 68, 76-77, 93-94; Luke 12:54-59 Saturday, Oct. 23: Romans 8:1-11; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 13:1-9 Sunday, Oct. 24: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 Monday, Oct. 25: Romans 8:12-17; Psalm 68:2, 4, 6-7, 20-21; Luke 13:10-17 Tuesday, Oct. 26: Romans 8:18-25; B8 n OCTOBER 3, 2021

Psalm 126:1-6; Luke 13:18-21 Wednesday, Oct. 27: Romans 8:2630; Psalm 13:4-6; Luke 13:22-30 Thursday, Oct. 28: Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles, Ephesians 2:19-22; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 6:12-16 Friday, Oct. 29: Romans 9:1-5; Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20; Luke 14:1-6 Saturday, Oct. 30: Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29; Psalm 94:12-15, 17-18; Luke 14:1, 7-11 Sunday, Oct. 31: Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51; Hebrews 7:2328; Mark 12:28-34 n

important to me to challenge the congregation in going beyond their comfort zone. Like anything else, we can get into liturgical music ruts to the point that the sung prayer becomes lifeless. Our prayers—our sacred language—to God comes in many different languages, so why cannot our sung prayer come in many different styles?”

COVID-19 brought another change.

“During the COVID shutdown when we had no choirs, we experimented more with contemporary music,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “With only an accompanist and cantor(s), and with no hymns, we really enjoyed bringing in fresh music, along with keeping up with the more traditional hymns. A little something for everyone.

“I have been a long-time member of National Pastoral Musicians, and I have always enjoyed all that they bring to the world of liturgical music, especially when I was able to attend the yearly conventions.”

Mrs. Hubbard talked about her legacy to the parish and to the diocese.

“My hope and prayers are that I brought consistently good, spiritual, liturgical music to our sung prayer,” she said. “I always relied on the talents of our long-retired organist, David Elrod, Dr. Douglas Manley, now Doug’s sister, Carla Brown, who serves as our pianist, and our guitarist, Dr. Jim Knabb. My replacement, Shanna DiGiovanni, is brimming with vocal and instrumental talent.

They have all been such blessings to St. Thérèse.

“On the diocesan level, we were so blessed with great talent in our fledgling diocese. My great joy was working with our Diocesan Liturgical Musicians Committee and organizing three weekend retreats for all our diocesan musicians. We were able to share ideas, music, liturgy, and friendships during these retreats. It was recognized by our committee that there is little support for church musicians overall, not just financially, but more importantly, spiritually.

These retreats were so welcomed and enjoyed. We all know that you cannot feed others (spiritually) if you haven’t fed yourself.”

The musicians committee brought together more than 320 musicians for the ordination of Bishop Richard F. Stika in 2009.

Mrs. Hubbard has served under many priests at St. Thérèse.

“I have worked for Father Mike Nolan twice as our St. Thérèse pastor and twice as the dean of the Chattanooga Deanery. Including him, I have worked under 10 pastors/administrators and additional associates in our parish.”

The outgoing music director praised the people who have helped in her ministry.

“I cannot say enough about the many wonderful people who have participated in our music ministry,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “These people have been consistently dedicated enough to attend a weekly rehearsal and a 30-minute rehearsal before each Mass. I consider them dear friends, and they have been and are my constant support.”

Mrs. Hubbard’s replacement, Mrs.

DiGiovanni, moved to Cleveland in 2012 from New Orleans.

“Shanna is a 2003 graduate of the University of New Orleans, with a BA in instrumental music education,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “Shanna, her husband, Chris, and son, William, joined St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in 2014.”

Mrs. Hubbard has a daughter, Monica Jenkins, and sons Dennis, Peter, and Paul Hubbard, and six grandchildren.

“My children learned to expect a delayed Christmas Day celebration so that I could recover from Christmas Eve and mornings Masses, and that applied to Holy Week and Easter as well,” she said. “Honestly, it couldn’t have been easy for them, but I must have done something right because they are all wonderful adults. And all of them have been involved in whitewater rafting to some capacity, three of them being excellent kayakers.

I have been blessed by them, their spouses, and now their children.”

Father Nolan spoke of how Mrs. Hubbard has “helped form” the 10 pastors and administrators she has served under.

“Through all these transitions, she has provided stability, continuity, and guidance when asked,” he said.

“Jane is flexible in liturgical requests and faithful to her duties. She has been instrumental in many of the social outreach ministries of the parish and beyond our parish community, most notably in bringing the RAM clinic to the Cleveland area. She has a wealth of knowledge in so many areas and lives her faith in words and works.”

Besides taking part in Bishop Stika’s ordination and serving in the “unpaid” deanery position, Father Nolan said, Mrs. Hubbard “has participated in numerous Chrism Masses and has been called upon for several ordinations,” he added. “Our parish has significantly benefited from her numerous gifts, and I will miss working with her. Thankfully she will continue as an active parishioner, though now with an added ability in enjoying more time with her grandchildren.”

Father Nolan also welcomes aboard Mrs. DiGiovanni as “another blessing our parish has received.”

“Shanna has offered her considerable skills as a flutist, cantor, and choir member of St. Thérèse since 2013 and has regularly directed the choir when Jane needed to be away.

In addition, she has directed our youth choir since 2017.”

An outdoor Mass and picnic Oct. 3 in honor of parish patroness St. Thérèse of Lisieux served “as Jane’s last hurrah as an employee while transitioning to full-time parishioner and grandma,” Father Nolan said.

Mrs. Hubbard has thought about what she will miss most in retirement.

“I have missed so many parishioners during this past year and a half, I will miss the weekly camaraderie and collaboration of such wonderful friends,” she said. “I do plan to help our new director when needed, and I will look forward to singing with the choir as we move forward.” n

Book continued from page B6

through faith, helped him persevere through cancer as a teen, through earning college and post-college degrees, through his career as a metallurgist, and winning a coveted job in Oak Ridge. And it will help him battle this next phase of cancer.

“God has always cared and provided. I’ve always been blessed with incredible doctors. I’ve had so many people, physicians, who would look at my neck and were in awe of what the surgeon was able to do at Sharon General Hospital,” Steve said. “Linda was always after me to get the book published, and I think she would be proud of me. Like Ali, Linda was an incredible lady and always saw me as I could be and not as I was. It was about a year after my initial surgeries and I still had problems with my left arm and neck when we started dating, but Linda never seemed to notice. She was such a giving person, always thinking about someone else and not herself. I think she would be happy that I’m still living my dream.” n

thyroid malignancy from which he has been cancer-free for 40 years.

And just as so many times before, Steve Dekanich is approaching his most recent cancer with the resolve, positivity, and faith that has conquered the disease before. He’s confident that God is with him every step of the way. Still, self-doubt can creep in.

“Many times I’ve asked, ‘Why am I here?’ Watching my first wife, Linda, struggling with a walker and thinking and saying to myself, ‘Why you and not me?’ I have a cousin who was an incredibly intelligent nuclear engineer. He climbed Mount Everest, mentored young people not only about the job but also about life, and I watched him succumb to ALS. He was such a dynamic, caring, and giving individual and died way too young in life. Any time I watch a St. Jude Children’s Hospital ad I think, ‘They are so young. Why them and not me?’” he asked.

He believes his persistence, learned

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

COURTESY OF MIKE HORTEN

COURTESY OF MARY WIECZOREK (2)

Parish and community news

Honor for Diocese of Knoxville man Eric J. Pelton (second row, right) was invested into the Order of the Fleur de Lis on Aug. 28. Also pictured are (from left, front row) Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr. of the Diocese of Alexandria, La.; Bishop Francis I. Malone of the Diocese of Shreveport, La.; and Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville and (second row) H. Jerry Brecher of Alabama, Rennan J. Duffour of Louisiana, and Rodney L. Sandoz II of Mississippi.

St. Jude parishioner Eric Pelton invested into Order of the Fleur de Lis memorializing and popularizing the memories and achievements of Catholic leaders in religion, the arts and sciences, philanthropy education, exploration and archeology, government and international relations, medicine and jurisprudence, and other established professions.

The Order of the Fleur de Lis encourages and recognizes leadership in living the values and principles of the Catholic faith by presenting the Monsignor Joseph Susi Award of Honor to an individual who has excelled as a Catholic leader in any one of the following: religion, family values, youth, aging, politics, patriotism, the arts and sciences, education, philanthropy, public morality, management-labor, the media, or medicine and jurisprudence.

Other Knight Commanders in the Diocese of Knoxville include Cardinal Justin Rigali; Bishop Richard F. Stika; Father John Orr, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Athens; Deacon Paul Nelson, who serves at St. Jude in Chattanooga; Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville; Raleigh E. Cooper III; Ronnie Holmes; C. Michael Horten; and Michael Wills. n

Sisters of Mercy continued from page B6

stone,” Sister Yvette said. “God was preparing me for parish work.”

Sister Pat followed a similar path.

After starting as a teacher, she moved into a pastoral care ministry at St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville.

“I knew that was what the Lord was asking me to do, to be in touch with the people,” Sister Pat said.

Father Dan Whitman invited her to be a pastoral associate at St. Jude Church in Helenwood. Her first response was, “I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve never done parish work.”

When she started, “I was scared to death,” Sister Pat said. “But the Lord’s grace gave me the courage I needed.”

“It was an awesome gift the Lord gave me to accept myself to be the person the Lord meant for me to be,” she added.

Sister Pat stayed in Helenwood for 27 years before retiring to the Mercy Convent in December 2020.

Sister Eileen was a teacher and principal for 20 years in schools in Tennessee “mostly in little towns around,” she said. As the community began to change in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, Sister Eileen said, “I really wanted to get into some spirituality work.”

She directed retreats during the summers for 10 years while also teaching and then moved into parish ministry, including at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Nashville, “when they were practically brand new.”

schools in Ohio and also at Sacred Heart School in Knoxville. “I was very grateful to be a teacher. I loved every day I went to the classroom.”

Although the other three sisters started out as teachers, they eventually went into other ministries.

Sister Yvette started as a teacher in schools in Cincinnati and Tennessee, including the former St. Mary School in Knoxville, St. Joseph School and Immaculate Conception School, both in Memphis, and Holy Rosary Academy in Nashville.

She then changed her ministry to pastoral care at the former St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville. “I liked that I could help people,” Sister Yvette said.

Not long after she started working with cancer patients and their families, Sister Yvette learned her brother was dying of cancer. When she was offered a chance to move to another floor in the hospital, she declined.

“I could relate to these people,” Sister Yvette said. “It was very special to prepare those people for dying.”

After 10 years as a hospital chaplain, Sister Yvette was invited to work in parish ministry by Monsignor Bill Gahagan at St. Therese Church in Clinton. She was there for 33 years and then spent seven-and-ahalf years in parish ministry at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

“My past life was a steppingTH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

St. Francis-Fairfield Glade social-action committee focuses on life The social-action committee at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade has been busy. In August, the committee stressed that life is precious from conception to natural death with its booth at the Cumberland County Fair (top photo). Before that, the committee held a Rosary for Life at the Cumberland County Courthouse in downtown Crossville (bottom photo).

COURTESY OF MARY WIECZOREK

E

ric J. Pelton of Hixson was invested into the Order of the Fleur de Lis in Memphis on Aug. 28. The Order of the Fleur de Lis is an organization of Catholic men incorporated under the laws of the state of Louisiana as a notfor-profit organization. The order’s domain is the five-state region of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Commander Pelton and his wife, Lady Melody Pelton, are active members of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga. Commander Pelton, a certified public accountant, heads the EJ Pelton CPA firm in Chattanooga. He also serves as state treasurer for the Tennessee Knights of Columbus.

Also invested into the order from Tennessee was Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville.

The objectives of the order include supporting and defending the Holy Catholic Church and its teachings; promoting patriotism and good citizenship; encouraging public morality and unselfish service to God and country; assisting and publicizing the activities of other organizations that also promote these objectives; and

CCW holds rummage sale The Council of Catholic Women at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade was able to hold a safe and profitable rummage sale in August.

During her seven years at St. Ignatius, she started one of the first parish RCIA programs in the diocese. She also started a small faith group for young mothers. “We still meet 40 years later,” she said.

Sister Eileen then got a degree in pastoral counseling and began working at Vine Street Christian Church in Nashville as a pastoral counselor.

One of her clients had a daughter battling addiction. A friend of Sister Eileen’s in the Mercy community had started a House of Mercy for young mothers with addiction problems in Ohio. She decided to open a similar House of Mercy in Nashville.

Vatican II ushered in many changes for religious orders, including the Sisters of Mercy. One of the council’s documents, “Perfectae Caritatis: Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life,” called on religious communities to rediscover their roots and the original charisms of their founders.

For the Sisters of Mercy, that meant reimagining the work of their founder, Catherine McAuley, who started the order to care for homeless women and children and educating the poor.

The community broadened its ministries beyond teaching and nursing after Vatican II. “One of the reasons we could do different kinds of work was because of Vatican II,” Sister Yvette said. “It allowed us to be open to what our talents were.”

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“We were like a rosebud gradually opening,” Sister Pat said. “So you were able to have a sense the Lord is in this, and He’s going to help us through.”

The changes are continuing. “It’s an evolutionary process,” Sister Eileen said. As the number of Sisters has declined, the number of lay associates carrying on the charisms of the Sisters of Mercy is growing.

“We have a very active group here in Nashville” of Mercy Associates, Sister Eileen said.

“There will always be a vocation in life for celibate women devoted to prayer and ministry,” Sister Kathleen said. “We may become less, but we’ll never die out.”

Father Bill McKenzie was the main celebrant of the Jubilee Mass, and Monsignor Gahagan, Father Mark Hunt, the Mercy Sisters’ chaplain, and Father Pat Kibby were the concelebrants.

At the Mass, the four sisters renewed their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, vows that all religious sisters make. But as Mercy Sisters, they made and renewed an additional vow: to serve the poor, sick, and uneducated.

In their lives as Sisters of Mercy, they followed the words of St. Paul in his speech at the Aeropagus in Athens as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. “In Jesus,” said Sister Kathleen, “we live and move and have our being.” n OCTOBER 3, 2021 n B9

COURTESY OF KATHLEEN PRESTON

COURTESY OF LAURA GOODHARD (2)

Catholic schools

St. Jude second-graders present flag to Chattanooga police officers The second-grade class at St. Jude School in Chattanooga presented the Chattanooga Police Department with a signed wooden American flag. After it recently studied community leadership, the class wanted to recognize and thank local police officers for their dedication, loyalty, and help to the Chattanooga area. The officers were welcomed with excitement and took the time to speak with and thank the children. Joining the students in presenting the flag were teachers Teresa White and Krissy Murray and principal Dr. Joshua Overton, pictured with five officers representing the Chattanooga Police Department.

COURTESY OF PAM RHOADES

Notre Dame High School hosts College Fair Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga hosted 48 colleges from 11 states and one foreign country at the annual College Fair recently. In addition to the many Notre Dame students in attendance, students from nine area high schools attended. College representatives were grateful for the opportunity to meet—live, in person, in a masked, socially distant environment—with students and families after so many months of Zoom.

DR. KELLY KEARSE

KCHS freshman runner Keegan Smith sets national record The Knoxville Catholic High School cross country team traveled to Huntsville, Ala., on Sept. 17-18 to compete in the Southern Showcase elite championship race with runners from all over the Southeast. KCHS freshman Keegan Smith ran the 5K in 14 minutes, 53.79 seconds—the fastest recorded time for a freshman in U.S. history.

He placed second in the 5K race (first place went to senior Sam Rich from South Carolina, who just committed to the University of Notre Dame). Currently, Keegan is ranked No. 1 among high school runners in Tennessee and No. 9 nationally.

COURTESY OF JOE SIMS (3)

KCHS girls soccer team celebrates senior night The Knoxville Catholic High School girls soccer team celebrated senior night at home Sept. 14 with a 5-2 win over Chattanooga Christian.

At right, senior Katie Clark stands with parents Michelle and Tom Clark.

COURTESY OF DEACON SEAN SMITH

Two KCHS seniors earn National Merit semifinalist honors Knoxville Catholic High School recently announced that seniors Alonso Vela (left) and Hank Standaert earned National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalist recognition. This is an honor reserved for the top 1 percent of PSAT test takers in the state of Tennessee. Alonso and Hank now have an opportunity to compete for more than 7,000 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring. Alonso also scored a perfect 36 on the ACT this year.

St. Jude’s Mason Sims finishes Eagle Scout project Mason Sims recently completed his Eagle Scout project at St. Jude School in Chattanooga. Mason had 26 members of St. Jude Boy Scout Troop 172 in Hixson help him out. Mason and the Scouts revitalized the playground at St. Jude School. They trimmed all the bushes, built new picnic tables, and dug up old railroad ties and replaced them with a plastic barrier. The project took three weekends. Mason raised more than $7,000 from members of the parish, school, and his community to help fund the project. The $1,200 left over was donated back to St. Jude to principal Dr. Joshua Overton.

B10 n OCTOBER 3, 2021

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