Oct. 4, 2015, ET Catholic, A section

He dwells among us .............. A2 Deanery news ........................B7 Diocesan calendar .................B8 La Cosecha ................Section Section C

This issue

The East Tennessee

Columns..................................B16 Catholic parishes and schools......................................B9

Oct. 4, 2015 Volume 25 Number 1 Bishop Richard F. Stika

News from The Diocese of Knoxville • Visit us at dioknox.org or etcatholic.org

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A place for you Bishop Stika writes of our true home

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Concelebrate Cardinal Rigali serves with Pope

Impression Pope makes an impact on diocesan teens

The Francis Effect This issue

He dwells among us ..........................2 Diocesan calendar........................... 10 Deanery news ................................... 11 La Cosecha ..................center pullout

The East Tennessee

Catholic schools ............................... 1 Columns ........................................18-2 Virtus workshops ............................. 2

Oct. 6, 2013 Volume 23 Number 1

Bis Ric F. S

News from The Diocese of Knoxville • Visit us at dioknox.org or etcatholic.org

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Catholic Charities Sister Mary Christine Cremin’s new role

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Instilling community Father Cummins expands Sant’Egidio

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Rivalry renewed Notre Dame, Knoxville Catholic face off in football

Diocese of Knoxville sees pope’s U.S. impact firsthand

By Jim Wogan he images will last for decades.

But Catholics around the world and within the Diocese of Knoxville are praying the real impact of Pope Francis’ six-day visit to the United States goes beyond that.

Starting with his arrival from Cuba on Sept. 22, Pope Francis immediately captivated a nation consumed with divisiveness, caustic political debate, and concerns about its future — and he challenged everyone to look inward, and to God, for positive solutions.

He did it with a style that has come to define his short time as pope.

“I think everybody is going to have concerns if we didn’t hear what we wanted to hear. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis is telling us what we need to hear,” said Bishop Richard F. Stika, who attended a midday prayer service with Pope Francis at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Wash-

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Pontiff continued on page A5

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

I have a place for you In the Sacred Heart of Jesus, no one is orphaned, and all find their true home

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hirty-six years ago, I was a est to the Heart of her Son and Follow Bishop Richard Stika on Twitter @bishopstika and young seminarian, and sevHis sufferings will teach us. eral of my classmates and I She will show us how to be livFacebook for news and events from the diocese. drove from St. Louis to Chicago ing stones and to be built into a for St. John Paul II’s first visit as spiritual house of God that can pope to the United States on Oct. especially within the Sacred daily news to see the truth be a loving shelter for others, 5, 1979. I remember how excited Heart of Jesus and the Immacuof St. John Paul II’s words of bringing grace, hope, healing we were when we arrived at our late Heart of His Mother and warning regarding the intimate and mercy to all we encounter. hotel after a long drive, only to ours. and sensitive relationship beThis was my prayer for each discover that we did not have a When Jesus was born, and tween the family and the comone of you while in Washingreserved room after all. came to “dwell among us,” mon good—“What harms the ton, D.C., for the visit of Pope With every hotel booked Mary and St. Joseph were told family, harms society.”

Francis—that you become within 50 miles of Chicago, I there was no room for them, How do we respond to this saints! This is the very message called upon a man of great hoand later had to flee as exiles growing menace in our society Pope Francis is proclaiming—to liness who assisted me greatly from Herod’s murderous ramwhere God is increasingly bebe missionaries of God’s mercy, in discerning my calling to the page. Sadly, we see this horror ing exiled further and further tenderness and love. priesthood—Maronite Archbeing repeated again today on from marriage, family and soWe have elements of this bishop Francis Mansour Zayek. a far larger scale with exiles ciety? How can we help those home in our loving families, He and other visiting bishops driven far from their homes bewho are experiencing a loss of in holy marriages and faithalso were in Chicago and had cause of terror campaigns and hope because of a crisis in marful communities, but even a block of reserved rooms in poverty. riage, or in the family? So often the very best experiences and a nearby hotel. And it just so And in our own country, our words fail, but above all, models here on earth are only happened that there was one forces are at work to exile God, bring them Jesus—be the face a glimpse of who God is and room left. I’ll never forget the particularly from marriage, and heart of Jesus. what He has to give. Our true astonishment of my fellow which He alone is the author Turn to Jesus’ Mother and and lasting home is the permaseminarians when I told them of, and from the family, which ours, and like the Apostle St. nent place we have within His that an archbishop had just aris an image of Trinitarian love.

John take Mary into the home Sacred Heart, and love is our ranged a room for us where We have only to survey the of your heart. She who is closmission. the bishops were With the great staying! blessing of our Holy After such a long Father ’s visit and journey, by God’s his presence at the blessing, we were World Meeting of not to be without Families in Philadela place to stay. phia, and with the Through the fatherly Synod of the Family care of Archbishop in Rome this month, Zayek, we came to I find in these experience a real words, “I have a sense of the pilgrim place for you,” great joy of knowing that comfort. For they we had a home— speak to me of what belonging to the we all desire and Church as Mother hold dear—we have and to God as Faa home where we ther—a temporal are welcomed and home and an eternal loved, where we are home. safe and where we Isn’t this what can grow in grace family is all about? and holiness.

To know that there Our Lord loves is room for you, a us and constantly Reprinted with permission from The Associated Press place where you says to us, “I have a Papal Fiat U.S. bishops and cardinals wave to Pope Francis as he leaves St. Matthew’s Cathedral are always welcome place for you” and in Washington, D.C., following midday prayer on Sept. 23. Bishop Richard F. Stika and Cardinal reminds us that love within the heart of Justin Rigali were among the U.S. Catholic leaders attending the papal service. is our mission! ■ others, and most

Cover photos on page A1: Top left, Cardinal Justin Rigali, on right, concelebrates the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia with Pope Francis, seated back left; photo by Rick Musacchio/Tennessee Register. Top right, Pope Francis kisses a woman as he arrives to give a talk at St. Patrick in the City Church in Washington; CNS photo/Paul Haring. Second row left, Sacred Heart Cathedral School kindergarten students in Mrs. Jai Haluski’s class, accompanied by a life-size cutout of Pope Francis, give a thumbs up to the pope; photo by Pam Rhoades/Sacred Heart Cathedral. Second row right, Pope Francis in the Pope Mobile waves to the crowd as he arrives at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 23 in Washington; CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters. Third row left, Pope Francis blesses the altar for the canonization Mass of Junipero Serra Sept. 23 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. The pontiff was joined by several U.S. cardinals, including Cardinal Justin Rigali, who is in residence in the Diocese of Knoxville; reprinted with permission from The Associated Press. Third row right, Pope Francis arrives at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, New York, on Sept. 25 and is greeted by rows of smart phone cameras; CNS photo/Eric Thayer. Bottom left, pilgrims wave cardboard cartoon cutouts of Pope Francis as they gather outside the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia Sept. 26 to see the pope; CNS photo/Mark Makela, Reuters.

Diocese of Knoxville procedure for reporting sexual abuse Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such information to the appropriate civil authorities first, then to the bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865-482-1388.

Follow the diocese on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ knoxdiocese

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‘Francis Effect’ seen through the eyes of a cardinal Cardinal Justin Rigali, who concelebrated Mass with Holy Father, shares insight into historic U.S. papal visit

By Bill Brewer

Family celebration Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and is joined by Cardinal Justin Rigali, who concelebrated the Mass.

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Courtesy of CNN

cern, or telling World Meeting of Families attendees that it’s “worth being a family,” Pope Francis stayed true to his message of protecting the world’s sustainability that he outlined in his encyclical Laudato Si. Just like the Church and its 1.25 billion members worldwide, Pope Francis’ message was universal, even if delivered in many ways to many groups, Cardinal Rigali said.

“Each group is different and has its own need for a relevant message,” the cardinal said. “The pope is pastor of the universal Church and proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its aspects. There was great concentration on the dignity of the human person and the need to follow the commandments to love and serve one another. He extended his message to the whole universe, discussing the environment and climate.”

Despite efforts by political and interest groups to capture the pontiff’s words for their own ends, Cardinal Rigali said the papal message does not apply to any one political party or interest group. It applies to everyone.

“He [Pope Francis] was constantly saying we need to work

COURTESY OF CNN

f Cardinal Justin Rigali had only three words to describe Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States, they would be “magnificent,” “challenge,” and “encounter.”

The pope encountered large crowds of faithful on each leg of his U.S. trip, where he engaged them with genuine interest, compassion, love, and humility, creating waves of positive reaction across the country from Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

“It was a magnificent encounter with the people of the United States. It also was a magnificent encounter with people of other faiths,” Cardinal Rigali said. “I would say it was a great encounter and a profound proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The cardinal, who resides in the Diocese of Knoxville, used the word “challenge” to describe what the Holy Father did at every stop along his way.

“His key message was challenge.

Nobody escaped being challenged by the pope, whether Congress, the United Nations, the Catholic community, the larger Christian community, and the community at large,” he said of the historic visit.

The Holy Father reached out to many communities during his six-day visit to the United States, including Congress in a joint session, the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. cardinals and bishops, a Catholic school in Harlem, a prison in Philadelphia, and the World Meeting of Families, which attracted people from around the globe to Philadelphia.

There were also many stops along the way to engage with people lining the streets to see him.

Whether encouraging Congress to resolve its infighting and continue working to help the world, urging the United Nations to keep the dignity and sacredness of every human life and the value of all creatures at the center of its con-

Until you come again Pope Francis, center, celebrated Mass in Washington, New York and Philadelphia during his U.S. visit. He was joined

by Cardinal Justin Rigali, right, who concelebrated at the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra in Washington and at World Meeting of Families Masses in Philadelphia. together,” said Cardinal Rigali, who as a member of the College of Cardinals was in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in March 2013.

Cardinal Rigali’s vantage point during the Holy Father’s historic trip was up close and personal. He was at the White House on Sept.

23, where President Barack Obama held a welcoming ceremony for the pope. He also was at a prayer service that day, where the pontiff

greeted U.S. cardinals and bishops, and then he concelebrated the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra with Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Cardinal Rigali then traveled to Philadelphia, where he again concelebrated Mass with the pope Sept. 26 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.

According to Cardinal Rigali, the Cardinal continued on page A13

Bishop’s October schedule 1: 7 p.m., Parish Council of Catholic Women winter event, Bruce and Sharon Bosse home ■ Oct. 3: 11 a.m., Mass celebrating 500th birthday of St. Teresa of Avila with Secular Carmelites at Sacred Heart.

■ Oct. 3-4: Parish visit to St. Jude in Chattanooga for all weekend Masses ■ Oct. 5: 6 p.m., Chattanooga Serra Club Mass and picnic at Camp Columbus in Chattanooga ■ Oct. 7: Honor Air flight to Washington, D.C. ■ Oct. 8: 11:30 a.m., Mass in honor of Sister Celia Sanchez for 22 years of service in the Diocese of Knoxville ■ Oct. 10: 5 p.m., Installation as Acolyte Mass for permanent deacon candidates at All Saints Church ■ Oct.

in Knoxville 11-16: Rome 17: 11 a.m., White Mass and luncheon at Church of Divine Mercy ■ Oct. 18: 5 p.m.

Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee dinner at Fox Den Country Club ■ Oct. 20: Meeting with diocesan deans, 11 a.m. general priest meeting at St. Thomas the Apostle Church ■ Oct. 22: Clergy luncheon with Father Stratis ■ Oct. 22: 6 p.m., lecture by Dr. Jack G. Shaheen at The Baker Center, Knoxville ■ Oct. 23-25: Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Investiture in Washington, D.C. ■ Oct. 26–29: Annual priest retreat at Lake Junaluska. ■ ■ Oct. ■ Oct.

Virtus training schedule n Notre Dame Church, Greeneville, 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. n Immaculate Conception Church, Knoxville, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 20. n Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga, noon Wednesday, Oct. 21.

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n St. Joseph School, Knoxville, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 21. n St. Mary School, Johnson City, 9 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 31; 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. n St. Mary Church, Athens, 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14; 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 17. www.di o k no x .o rg

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

Marriage enrichment

by Marian Christiana

We are pilgrims, not tourists!

Remembering what our ‘mission’ is, we must take Pope Francis’ words to heart

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have just returned from the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, and I want to share a bit about our pilgrimage. Seventytwo pilgrims from our diocese traveled together by bus to all three separate components of the World Meeting of Families, the WMOF Congress, the Festival of Families and the Papal Mass. Every aspect of the WMOF was terrific, but the weekend events with Pope Francis were an experience of a lifetime.

Before I continue, I would like to publicly thank the team that helped me organize the pilgrimage. Karen Byrne works for the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, but only part-time.

She also works for the diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

It is an understatement to say that planning for the WMOF pilgrimage was a full-time job. I won’t list in detail all that Karen did for our trip, but I do want to say that Karen did a fantastic job juggling all of her normal day-to-day responsibilities while keeping all of the pilgrims

A personal welcome Diocese of Knoxville parishioners display their support for Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. informed, organized and well cared for. Lisa Morris was also on the leadership team for this pilgrimage.

Lisa was a volunteer for this adventure and handled many aspects of our WMOF trip, including all of our travel plans. She also kept us grounded spiritually while we were buried under planning details so we did not lose sight of the ultimate goal of growing closer to Christ.

This pilgrimage trip would not have been possible without these two wonderful women.

At a pilgrimage meeting with all participants a few weeks before we left, we discussed the details of our journey and reminded ourselves that we were “pilgrims, not tourists.” This became our mantra as the inevitable inconveniences arose along the trip. We set the tone for

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

BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

Pontiff continued from page A1

ington, D.C., on Sept. 23.

“The thing I hope people realize, after his visit, is that we are all loved

by Jesus and that our faith is important and that our faith is uplifting,” Bishop Stika said. “The pope has told all Christians, don’t be sourpusses. Faith isn’t something we’re supposed to dread and put up with. It is supposed to be joyful. Yes, there are crosses to bear, but faith is supposed to be a joyful thing.”

Joy was a key component of the Holy Father’s visit. It was visible everywhere.

His initial welcome at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington included smiles and handshakes from President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Catholic dignitaries— among them, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the former bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.

After a brief private gathering, the Holy Father departed Andrews air base riding inside a small Fiat car — a symbolic gesture that was immediately embraced by the secular and religious media covering his visit. The image was not lost on Bishop Stika and his colleagues.

“We all kind of smiled when we saw all these secret service vehicles and SUVs and all of a sudden you see this little Fiat surrounded by these massive vehicles,” he said. “The pope insisted in keeping the window down too, and he was kind of hanging out the window and waving at people—which they appreciated.”

While the contrast of styles was stark—the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics riding through the streets of powerful Washington, D.C., in a compact car, the pope was poised and equally prepared to play ball on a very big stage.

It was hard to dodge the political ramifications of the Holy Father’s first few days in the United States. It started with a welcome ceremony attended by 13,000 spectators on the south lawn of the White House on Sept. 23.

Among those in attendance was Cardinal Justin Rigali of Knoxville, who has served three popes and was in the conclave that elected Francis pope in 2013.

After the White House event, Pope Francis traveled to St. Matthew Cathedral, where he met for the first time with U.S. bishops.

“The general conversation among the bishops was that it is good for the pope to see the Church in the United States as something that has energy and that has vitality and how we all work together,” Bishop Stika said.

“In his talk to the United Nations he asked people to pray for him; not just Catholics, but people who have faith.

And for non-believers, he said please wish me good luck. He is asking for

Smile for the pope Bishop Richard F. Stika takes a selfie with Cardinal Justin Rigali and auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Rice of the Archdiocese of St. Louis while in Washington to attend services with Pope Francis. everyone to support him in one way or another. He really is a spokesman for all of the silent world, not just one nation or one continent or for the wealthy or the poor, but for everybody.”

Francis concluded his first full day in the United States with a Mass to canonize Junipero Serra, a Franciscan priest who established Catholic missions in California in the 1700s.

Bishop Stika was a concelebrant at the Mass.

“The bishops were right in front of the altar area. We got there early and there were thousands of people there already. It was history. It was the first time a saint was canonized on American soil,” Bishop Stika said.

“I have been at canonizations in Rome, most recently St. John Paul and St. John XXIII. The canonization part, they present the candidate and it all takes place in the first 15 minutes of Mass and there’s a formula and he invokes his authority as pope and he declares the person to be a saint and to be honored by the universal Church.

“For Father Serra’s Mass, I was at the end of an aisle. At the beginning, a relic of the saint is presented. A person walked past me with the reliquary and we touched shoulders. He had a cape of feathers, I am guessing he was a native American and coming back up the aisle he looked almost terrified but he also looked serene like he knew he was a part of history.”

The Holy Father’s second day in the United States included more history. His message delivered to a joint session of Congress—with Supreme Court justices and other dignitaries in attendance—was a first for a pope.

With thousands of people watching on large projection televisions outside on the National Mall, and with Tennessee’s congressional delegation among those inside, the diminutive, soft-spoken successor of St. Peter delivered a powerful 50-minute speech in English.

“All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today,” Pope Francis said.

“Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion… Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.”

It was among the many speeches the Holy Father delivered throughout the week. Bishop Stika cautioned those who were inclined to partition each into its own separate message.

“One speech builds upon another, and that speech builds upon the next.

His audience isn’t for here and now, it’s for next week, and for next year and for all history,” Bishop Stika said.

“Popes not only speak to the present, they speak to the future.”

The Holy Father’s visit to Washington included lunch with about 300 homeless clients at a shelter operated

by Catholic Charities. The next day, the pope traveled to New York City and was met there by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and a frequent visitor to the Diocese of Knoxville.

The New York portion of his trip included a ride through Central Park with an estimated 80,000 people there to see him. Following that, the pope celebrated Mass at Madison Square Garden. The next day, the pope delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, attended a multifaith service at the 9/11 Memorial and visited schoolchildren in Harlem.

The culmination of his U.S. visit — and the real reason he chose to travel here — was a trip to Philadelphia for

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our pilgrimage with a beautiful morning Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City concelebrated by our spiritual directors, Father Arthur Torres Barona and Father Colin Blatchford. We boarded the bus and reminded ourselves again that we were “pilgrims, not tourists.”

The air conditioning stopped working on one of our buses early on and we needed to make an unexpected stop in Virginia to try and get it fixed. While we ate lunch at a mall, one of our bus drivers took the bus to be worked on. He returned with what we thought was repaired air conditioning and we continued on our journey only to find that the air conditioning only worked when you first turned on the bus. The bus driver took the worst of the heat in his glass enclosed seat, so our driver decided to join us and become a “pilgrim, not a bus driver.” Many of us arrived as soaking wet “pilgrims, not tourists” and everyone on the pilgrimage was hungry and tired.

Pilgrims continued on page A7 the World Meeting of Families. On Sept. 26, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. Cardinal Rigali was a concelebrant. That night, Cardinal Rigali joined Pope Francis and other Catholic leaders at the Festival of Families—an event that combined prayer and worship with performances by singers Aretha Franklin and Andrea Bocelli, among others. Actor Mark Wahlberg emceed.

Nearly 200 parishioners from the Diocese of Knoxville—including students from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga and Knoxville Catholic High School— made the trip to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families events.

They were there the next day when Pope Francis ended his U.S. visit by celebrating an outdoor Mass in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Various reports estimated attendance for the Mass to be 1 million.

His Philadelphia visit included a trip to meet with inmates at a local prison and a private meeting with victims of past sexual abuse by clergy.

Throughout his entire visit, the 78-year-old pope remained upbeat and insightful. It was his first trip to the United States in any capacity.

Bishop Stika was the chief organizer of the 1999 visit of Pope John Paul II to St. Louis, and he has a special appreciation of the behind-the-scenes logistics during papal visits. He also has met other popes and recognizes that in his brief time as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is shaping his own identity.

“The one thing I have experienced with the three popes that I have met is that there is serenity about them all. Pope John Paul II, when he was first elected, was like a rock star. He did things that weren’t done before — not because popes didn’t want to, but, for the most part, popes never left Rome. John Paul believed himself to be St. Paul in terms of his missionary zeal. He really impressed people.

He drew millions of people,” Bishop Stika said.

“Pope Benedict was a great teacher.

To me he was very pastoral, and he had a big, warm heart. I enjoyed my time with him because he would engage you in conversation. Pope Benedict was very warm. Pope John Paul was very holy and mystical, and Pope Francis is starting to shape his persona.

“They say John Paul was a philosopher for the Church and Benedict was a great teacher. I think Pope Francis is the heart. They were all pastoral. But this pope’s personality might lend itself more to that.”

The heart of the Catholic Church left the United States on Sept. 27. In his time here, he gave us big smiles, great words, and many things to think about. ■ OCTOBER 4, 2015 n A5

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

Pope Francis’ address makes an impact on Congress East Tennessee delegation in attendance for first appearance ever by a pope before a joint session

By Bill Brewer

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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or six days in September, Pope Francis was the hottest ticket in Philadelphia, New York and Washington.

And for a congressional delegation living within the Diocese of Knoxville, the Holy Father’s address to a joint session of Congress was a can’t-miss event in D.C. It was the first time in history that a pope has addressed Congress, and it was the Holy Father’s first visit to the United States — ever.

The five members of the delegation — Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican from Chattanooga; Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Maryville; Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Chattanooga Republican; Rep. Phil Roe, a Johnson City Republican; and Rep. John Duncan Jr., a Republican from Knoxville — expressed appreciation for the pope’s appearance and his commitment to Christian values, but took away different thoughts on Francis’ remarks.

Rep. Fleischmann, the only Catholic in the delegation and one of 140 Catholics among 435 representatives in the House, was especially moved by the pope’s appearance.

“The papal visit to me was very special, not only

Papal audience Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress on Sept. 24. Those in attendance included senators and congressmen who live in the Diocese of Knoxville.

theologically, but as the head of the Holy See,” he said. “The joint session was very well-attended, and the pope’s speech was very well-received.”

Response to key points in the Holy Father’s address varied among members of Congress, depending on the subject.

In his in-depth speech, the pope condemned

Corker

legalized abortion, the death penalty, and unscrupulous weapons sales. He called on Congress to normalize relations with Cuba and pleaded for greater openness in accepting immigrants. He reiterated his teachings on the world economy, calling for an ethical, controlled economy that includes safety

Alexander

Fleischmann

nets for the poor, as well as his teachings on sustainability outlined in his encyclical Laudato Si. The Holy Father’s focus on the family particularly resonated with Rep. Fleischmann.

“In our country, sadly so many of our families are torn apart by divorce and other issues. We should heed the Holy

Duncan

Roe

Pilgrims continued from page A5

We attended the WMOF Congress on Thursday and Friday.

Both mornings began with our attending Mass at the Congress with thousands of other Catholics from around the world. In a sea of cardinals, bishops, priests and deacons, a few of us managed to find Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop James Vann Johnston for a photo opportunity. It was just one of the many amazing gifts members of our pilgrimage received.

My personal favorite breakout session was that given by Philippine Cardinal Luis Tagle, archbishop of Manila. He spoke of unity in the mist of diversity. He emphasized the importance of learning each other’s stories to help us understand the other person and grow in unity through tolerance, not judgment. He pointed out that diversity exists even within our own families. He asked us to “not run to judgment, even with our own teens.

Everyone deserves to have their story heard.” He also discussed the importance of marriage preparation.

Cardinal Tagle stressed that all marriage preparation should include discussions on the family of origin of both the man and the woman.

He said that unity will be achieved only if the couple understands each other’s story and is tolerant of the differences. Yes, there can be unity and “opportunities for joy” in the midst of diversity but we have to be open to each other’s story and not rush to judgment.

During the Congress our pilgrims attended the keynote and breakout sessions, took time to volunteer with Catholic Relief Services, spent time in the eucharistic chapel and met people from all over the world.

A group of our pilgrims even found Father Michael Cummins, pastor of St. Dominic Church in Kingsport, who joined us for dinner on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon we visited the Shrines of St. John Neumann and St. Rita of Cascia with our tour guide, Diana Von Glahn. Diana presented each pilgrim with a Philly pretzel in the TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C A T HO L I C

Cardinal encounter Diocese of Knoxville pilgrims Lisa Morris, left, of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish, and Karen Byrne of St. John Neumann Parish, are shown with Cardinal Justin Rigali at the World Meeting of Families. shape of a knot in honor of Mary, Undoer of Knots. Some of our pilgrims managed to visit the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and add their ribbons with their intentions to the thousands of other intentions tied there in honor of Mary, Undoer of Knots. Pope Francis blessed all of the intentions while visiting the Basilica on Saturday.

On Friday security began to tighten and the congress ended without the closing ceremony. Vendors had to close down early and the roads that were going to close in the evening began to close at noon. Our buses took many detours and the pilgrims had a long walk to dinner, but it all helped us remember that we are “pilgrims, not tourists.” It also prepared us for our adventures traveling into the Festival of Families on Saturday and the papal Mass on Sunday. Over the weekend we all wore orange ball caps that had the Vatican logo for the WMOF with the message that “Love is our mission.”

Those hats turned out to be a major blessing as we got swallowed up in a sea of humanity. We were easily spotted by each other once everyone settled down for the festival. The hats served as our guideposts as we all wandered around during the day and were a good reminder that love was our mission. As we waited for Pope Francis, entertainment was

enjoyed on big screens all over the parkway, but the coolest experience for me was to watch and participate in the praying that was happening all over the parkway. The entire area had a tangible feeling of peace over it. It was a beautiful experience and the main event hadn’t arrived yet!

The pope parades on both days were an experience unto themselves.

Many of our pilgrims, including me, got to be quite close to Pope Francis. The parade brought the best out in most people and I personally was privileged to be present at the curb when Pope Francis came by on Sunday. He blessed us while facing our side of the street to the thrill of us all. Many tears of gratitude and hugs with strangers were shared as we all experienced the gift of his blessing.

In Pope Francis’ homily at Sunday’s Mass he shared with us tangible ways about how we can all be prophets of Christ’s love and the joy of the Gospel starting with our own families.

He said, “… Faith opens a window to the presence and working of the Spirit. It shows us that, like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures. ‘Whoever gives you a cup of water in my name will not go unrewarded,’ says Jesus (cf. Mark 9:41). These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they

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Father’s advice and strengthen families,” he said.

Fleischmann said that unlike his Mass homilies, Pope Francis’ speech to Congress was given as a head of state — the Holy See — and his remarks could be open to different interpretation among the elected officials.

“For different members, it meant something different. But for all our brothers and sisters of all faiths in Congress the message can be universally accepted. He spoke to Democrats and Republicans alike, and it was generally well-received,” said the congressman, who first took office in 2011.

Rep. Fleischmann is hopeful the pope’s message will leave an imprint in Congress, across the country and around the world.

“If his endeavors can bring people back to the Church, he needs to be applauded for that, and I think (his message) will have that effect,” he said. “These values are eternal and need to be espoused.”

Reps. Fleischmann and Roe congratulated House Speaker John Boehner for his longtime efforts to have the head of state of the Holy See address a joint session of Congress.

The 20-year effort by Congress continued on page A13

get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children, by brothers and sisters.

They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion, like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work — homely gestures. They’re also like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to grow in faith. …”

In remarks before departing Philadelphia, Pope Francis encouraged us to remain pilgrims on our journey of growing closer to Christ and take his message into our hearts, sharing it with our slices of the world.

He said, “As I leave, I ask all of you, especially the volunteers and benefactors who assisted with the World Meeting of Families, do not let your enthusiasm for Jesus, his Church, our families, and the broader family of society run dry. May our days together bear fruit that will last, generosity and care for others that will endure! Just as we have received so much from God — gifts freely given us, and not of our own making — so let us freely give to others in return.”

And now I ask you to join me and the other members of our pilgrimage to take up Pope Francis’ call to be “prophets of the joy of the Gospel” starting with our own families, then moving to our parishes and beyond.

I ask you to join us as pilgrims in growing closer to Christ each day of our lives by sharing the love of God with each person we encounter… let us truly be “pilgrims, not tourists!” ■ Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

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Pope wows youth at World Meeting of Families In their words: High school senior and recent Catholic convert witnesses pivotal moments in teens’ faith

SUZANNA PICKERING

COURTESY OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

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oung people love Pope Francis.

From his grandfatherly appearance to his undeniable love for serving the poor, “Papa Francisco” has captured the hearts of millennials. It is easy to say that teenagers are surrounded by distractions.

The popularity of social media has forever changed the way we interact with one another, and the way we see the world. News stories that paint a world of harshness litter our screens; escaping the stress of everyPilgrims in action Notre Dame High School students, accompanied by Dominican Sisday life seems impossible. ters, took part in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, including the papal Mass.

And then there’s Pope Francis, who with his gentle This was definitely a and steady kindness has pilgrimage. moved to the forefront of What struck me the most our short millennial attenwere the sheer numbers of tion spans. How has this people who flooded into happened? It is difficult to Philadelphia to catch a say, but after a few days in glimpse of the Holy Father.

Philadelphia, On the second I believe that I day of our jourmay have figney, we arrived ured it out. at a security gate, On Sept. lunches in hand, 25 a group of smiles on our students and faces, and found teachers from that we were not Knoxville the only ones who Catholic High were excited for School piled this papal trip. As Rhetta into a large charter we turned a corner, bus and headed to we were met with Pennsylvania. We were not the sight of hundreds and especially excited about the hundreds of other people 14-hour drive, but there was standing in line, waiting to an unmistakable sense of be processed. excitement and community Philadelphia had been as we met in the dark parksectioned off, and we dising lot at approximately covered that each day we 4:30 a.m. had to go through security.

As I sat in the very back It was very eye-opening to of the bus (as seniors do), realize that people came Papal audience Notre Dame High School students take trying to convince myself from even farther away part in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, led that I could get my homethan Knoxville to see the

by Pope Francis. work finished or I could pope. There were people sleep, I got a great sense of speaking Spanish, French, how this trip was going to Italian, and other languages turns holding our desired the summer of 2014, right affect my peers. Although it I didn’t recognize. On day spot from early afternoon after my family’s converwas very early in the morntwo, we learned that the until dusk. Around hour sion to Catholicism. While I ing, there was a quiet buzz Church is truly universal. five, more people began to had been eight rows away of students anxiously whis The pain of going through show up, and we knew that from him then, this time pering to one another: TSA wasn’t something that something was happening. was much different. I was n “He’s going to be so close could dampen our spirThe minutes ticked away, less than 15 feet away, and to us.” its. No, the Fighting Irish and flashing police cars this time I was in my home n “I will never have this opwould not be defeated by zoomed by. At 7:15 p.m., country, surrounded by portunity again.” bag searches or prohibited we forgot about the ache in thousands of screaming n “I love how humble he is, Selfie Sticks. We marched our legs as all eyes followed Catholics and non-Catholics it really inspires me.” along Benjamin Franklin a single man in an altered alike, fighting back tears It was clear that this trip Parkway, determined that Jeep Wrangler as he apthat I hadn’t had the courwas more about the solidiwe were going to see the proached us. age to shed a year ago. fication of each individual’s Pope, and we were going to Pope Francis looked like While I was standing at a spiritual life rather than a be front row as he drove by he was having the time of railing for six hours to see chance to skip school. We us. I was as enthusiastic as his life. A grin spread across Pope Francis, four others arrived at the campground the next person about this his face as he saw the mul(plus Father Christopher around 7 p.m., hungry, possibility, but I didn’t realtitudes of people waiting Manning) were waiting at tired, but jittery with anize that claiming a spot on a to see him, a grin radiating Independence Hall to hear ticipation for the following barrier meant standing for true happiness that can only him speak in the early afday. The camp had a short six straight hours. be attained by someone ternoon heat. Each student Mass following dinner, I, along with four other who lives solely for God. was chosen by lottery to atand afterward we ventured upperclassmen girls, took I saw Pope Francis in tend the papal audience of a through the New Jersey “I saw Pope Francis in the summer of 2014, right after my family’s conversion to forest toward our cabins.

Catholicism. While I had been eight rows away from him then, this time was much Occasionally there would different. I was less than 15 feet away and this time I was in my home country, surbe a high-pitched scream as rounded by thousands of screaming Catholics and non-Catholics alike, fighting back a girl found a spider on her tears that I hadn’t had the courage to shed a year ago” — Rhetta Botts, Knoxville bed, followed by some more Catholic High School senior yelling, and then laughter.

few thousand people. There were a limited number of tickets available, and one of my friends, Maddie Wood, had been chosen.

As Maddie and I were reunited later that night, she gushed, “We were all there for the same reason, it was such a moving thing to be a part of.”

On the third day, we attended Mass with the Holy Father. We had secured a coveted place on the lawn right in front of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. Our backpacks were stuffed to the brim with holy items ready to be blessed.

As we sat on the grass, munching away at snacks, a startling wave of screams pierced through the chilly air. The pope was coming.

And we were all eating. The amount of chaos that ensued cannot be expressed.

People were jumping over blankets, over strollers, over other people.

Several boys had even climbed a tree. Pope Francis drove by, waving, smiling, and making the sign of the cross. As he zipped through the barricaded streets, people followed.

Hundreds of deacons filed out of the cathedral as the time for receiving the Eucharist grew closer. Accompanying them were yellow umbrellas that bounced along, signaling where each deacon was. After receiving the Eucharist, every single person around me knelt and prayed to God. It was humbling.

At the end of Mass, Pope Francis blessed our holy items. As we held our items in our hands, we glanced at one another, knowing that this was only the beginning of our spiritual journeys. A fellow classmate, Abigail Mynatt, said later, “Going on this trip made me want to learn more about God. It was amazing to see how many others believe the same thing.”

No matter where we are, the Church will always be there. It is sturdy, comforting, but most importantly, it is universal. To travel to see the leader of our faith, to see it really alive in one person, is an experience that cannot be felt through the screen of a television.

In closing, I am thankful for this opportunity given to me, and for each person who accompanied me on this wonderful trip.

To see Pope Francis with my own eyes and realize that I am infinitely loved by the Lord and part of the Body of Christ, is something that I will carry with me to college. ■

COURTESY OF SUZANNA PICKERING

By Rhetta Botts

Young pilgrims Left, Pope Francis waves back to Diocese of Knoxville students in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. Right, Knoxville Catholic High School students Gianna Carideo, Alaina Lopez, Suzanna Pickering, and Maddie Woods visit the Mary, Undoer of Knots Grotto at the WMOF. A8 n OCTOBER 4, 2015

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World Meeting of Families: one heavenly pilgrimage In their words: Once-in-a-lifetime trip to see Pope Francis becomes a divine adventure for which thanks is given

By Luis Gabriel Velasco

the audience.

On the second day at the indful that “we are pilconvention center, being in the grims, not tourists,” a dimidst of many different people verse group of 72 Diocese all sharing one mission of love of Knoxville parishioners embarked through faith was joyous and alon a most heavenly adventure Sept. lowed me to feel the unity and 23 to see Pope Francis. universality of our faith. It still is Having departed early from a wonderful emotion.

St. Thomas the Apostle Church On Friday, Sept. 25, we pilin Lenoir City, our long-awaited grims from the Diocese of Knoxbus ride to the historic ville visited two of the city of Philadelphia took many shrines located 12 hours. The pilgrims, in Philadelphia, makdiverse in culture and ing our first stop at the age from around the Shrine of St. John NeuHeavenly pilgrims Diocese of Knoxville pilgrims pause for a group photo diocese, were on an inmann, an early father of at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. More than 100 adults credible journey of faith, Philadelphia and patron and youth from across the diocese attended the event Sept. 23-27 in fellowship, and enlightsaint of immigrants. It Philadelphia that was led by Pope Francis. enment for the World was a special moment Meeting of Families to share with the relics 2015. and body of St. John, Quite frankly, I did as many of us on this not know what to expect pilgrimage have come from this pilgrimage beto this nation as immicause it was my first time grants or from immigrant Luis Gabriel traveling to and participating in descendants. Later, we visited an event of this kind. I anxiously the Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, hoped to gain some rest, along patroness of impossible causes. with everyone else, for the excit As we traveled through Philaing days to come. Excitement delphia I noticed the bond withgrew as we finally arrived at in our group grew stronger; we our hotel after hours aboard the were becoming more self-giving. buses.

Saturday suddenly arrived Waking up early to get to the and with it a different kind of Philadelphia Convention Center rhythm to what we had been dofor our first day at the WMOF ing. From peaceful weather in was somewhat nerve-racking for the morning to a chilly wind in me, because I knew we would be the evening, we marched along enclosed with thousands of other with joy and passion. We made City of Brotherly Love From right, Father Arthur Torres Barona, Father people from around the world. our way, tired yet enthusiasColin Blatchford and Father Scott Russell, all of the Diocese of KnoxIndeed, a spectacle of fellow tic, to share ground with the ville, are shown at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia with Catholics — religious, clergy, vicar of Christ himself. What an Father Fredy Bonilla Moreno of the Diocese of Portland, Ore. families, youth, and even many opportunity! from other faiths — vividly Standing in the crowd, I represented the cultural backcouldn’t help but notice a recommunities. His words were travaganza, with all the sounds grounds up and down the aisles. markable gift of grace as the comforting and very heartfelt. and hymns, and a multitude of As we gathered around our rosary was being prayed in dif Our pilgrimage was coming to priests preparing for Commuseats in preparation for morning ferent languages, but in one lanits end on Sunday, Sept. 27. I had nion as Pope Francis blessed all Mass, I could feel an attitude of guage of faith. There, I waited mixed emotions as we once again the faithful. solemnity among all of the thouwith many in our group as the marched down the parkway for Being able to join this pilgrimsands of people in attendance. hours passed until the arrival of the concluding Mass celebrated age, living this experience, parThen cardinals, bishops, priests, the bishop of Rome, our Holy Faby Pope Francis. ticipating in the daily Mass, and and deacons began processing ther Pope Francis.

The media was very present listening to our pope address toward the altar in a beauti The crowds grew louder as during the day. Some of our felfamilies with his words spoken ful line to commence Mass. I Pope Francis paraded around the low pilgrims were even interin Spanish has certainly made never had participated in such a parkway. I was overcome by a viewed for local and national this a heavenly adventure for unique and divine Mass, and this sense of gratitude and wonder. television, including Mrs. Enrime; a moment in my life that I was only the first of the daily No one in my family has ever queta Ledesma, our eldest pilwill never forget and for which Masses. had such an incredible honor, grim at age 86 and a parishioner I will always be thankful to our After the morning Mass, we and only a few weeks back I at St. Thomas the Apostle, who Lord. were ready to begin the differdidn’t expect to be living it was interviewed by nationally The Diocese of Knoxville pilent WMOF sessions presented by myself. known reporter Martin Berlanga grims expressed gratitude to a diverse group of people from Listening to the words of Pope of Telemundo. She said to him, “I Lourdes Garza, Karen Byrne, around the globe. One of the sesFrancis as he delivered an imthank God because I have the opLisa Morris, and Marian Chrissions in which I assisted was led provised speech in Spanish, my portunity to see [the Pope] durtiana for making all the arrangeby Dr. Scott Hahn, the renowned native language, I was reassured ing my lifetime.” ments for our pilgrimage. GratiU.S. Catholic theologian, who in my faith as were the many pil While awaiting the papal Mass, tude also goes to Father Arthur spoke about “Unearthing God’s grims there and families around I had the opportunity to take Torres Barona of Sacred Heart Covenant.” the world. I hold the words “do a few close-up photos of Pope Cathedral and Father Colin Another keynote session was not be ashamed of your tradiFrancis.

Blatchford of the Basilica of Sts. presented by Cardinal Luis Antotions” very closely. Coming from I have been very blessed to Peter and Paul for their enduring nio Tagle, archbishop of Manila a very rich cultural background, have had this amazing, oncespiritual guidance. And thanks in the Philippines. His presentait is very hard at times for me to in-a-lifetime experience. The to our friends and fellow piltion was powerfully moving and express these traditions in our Mass took place, a glorious exgrims for showing companionmemorable. He spoke about “The ship and love to one another.

“God bless us all, so that we may continue working together in our family: A home for the wounded God bless us all, so that we mission of love and to show our communities, in the words of Pope heart,” delivering a message may continue working together Francis, that ‘it’s worth being a family.’ to be instruments of healing to in our mission of love and to — Luis Gabriel Velasco, a youth coordinator at St. Patrick Church those wounded spiritually, morshow our communities, in the who also works with the Diocese of Knoxville Pastoral Juvenil — ally, and psychologically. His rewords of Pope Francis, that “it’s Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry. marks were warmly received by worth being a family.” ■ COURTESY OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

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By Catholic News Service

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n front of Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul stands a visible representation of Pope Francis’ favorite religious image: “Mary, Undoer of Knots.”

The “Knotted Grotto” is a dome-shaped latticework frame that stands about 10 feet high with an approximately 20-foot circumference and features tens of thousands of white ribbons knotted into a lattice structure.

In an unplanned gesture before the papal Mass Sept.

27 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the pope stopped his motorcade to visit the

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grotto devotion, which by then had 100,000 ribbons tied to it. When the World Meeting of Families opened Sept. 22, more then 10,000 ribbons were being added daily.

Each ribbon represents a prayer intention, which visitors may read and offer in their prayers, as well as add a new ribbon. Above all the ribbons hangs a large portrait of Mary, the Mother of God, as one who unties the knots of people’s lives.

Project HOME, the Philadelphia organization serving homeless people in the city, has been collecting the pieces of cloth throughout the Philadelphia and Camden, N.J., regions.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Pope Francis pays unplanned visit to grotto of favorite devotion

Undoing knots Children investigate the Knotted Grotto at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

Over the past several months, the group canw ww.di o k no x .o rg

vassed prisons, soup kitchens and workshops,

collecting petitions that reflect poignant prayers for topics ranging from personal issues to social justice to health concerns.

A few examples include: “I am asking for prayers for my whole family”; “Let there be food for all … bountiful food for all”; “More faith in God and more belief in God’s love”; “For school communities, that students, teachers/professors can come together and share school pride and values.”

One prison inmate penned his hope to be free of addiction and be able to make a life for himself once released. Some petitioners Grotto continued on page A11 OCTOBER 4, 2015 n A9

Pope Francis’ message on faith, family hits home In their words: The home is seen as a place to heal spiritual, physical, emotional wounds

By Suzanne Erpenbach

COURTESY OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

COURTESY OF NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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ews that Pope Francis would be coming to the United States, partly to be present for the World Meeting of Families, excited people across the world.

The Diocese of Knoxville responded to the tremendous enthusiasm, with its bishop, cardinal, priests, deacons, and laity joining Pope Francis on each leg of his historic U.S. visit culminating with Masses in Philadelphia to celebrate the world’s families. Seventytwo parishioners registered to join the five-day pilgrimage to Philadelphia.

Preparations began months before departure Francis fans People cheer as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Festival of Families during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Sept. 26. as pilgrims focused toward the religious experience with prayer, reading, reflecinfants and children to the the two-day tion, presentations, e-mails, conference. Strollers, wheelconference planning for long days with chairs, motorized chairs, recognized the much walking, walkers, canes family as the and gathering and arm-in-arm infrastructure prayer petitions assistance enof the Church, to be carried to abled many to atwith Vatican each Mass. tend and particiII viewing the Week by week pate. All created family as the anticipation and a memorable im“small church.” excitement inpression of how Many issues creased. Early on families exist and of today were the morning of offer support to noted to reflect Sept. 23 pilgrims one another. problems within met for Mass

The pilthe family. The Suzanne before boarding grims from base of the family Papal peck Pope Francis kisses one of a bus to begin the journey around the world attended was recognized several babies while visiting with crowds during the World Meeting of Families in to Philadelphia, picking up daily Mass, keynote adas marriage, Philadelphia. other pilgrims in the Tridresses, numerous breakwith married Cities in route. out sessions and exhibits. couples bonded The pilgrimage group Presentations were in in life together and called to Other comments noted was quite eclectic, with various languages or were holiness. how joy-filled families serve ages ranging from 3 to 86. transcribed.

Marriage was reflected together, making contribuTwo priests, three deacons Each day began with 90 not as being a contract, but tions and living the mission and wives, five Hispanic or more cardinals and bishas a covenant of new creof love. The beauty of family religious sisters, several ops processing together for ation, with moral and saclife and joy were recognized diocesan staff, mothers and Mass, creating a magnificent ramental bonding. Several as the best tools to evangedaughters, husbands and representation of leadership times in presentations the lization, with the family bewives, single travelers, and in the universal Church. role of the father of a faming “the school of love.” a young family all were Many priests also vested to ily was featured as being Families were encourpilgrims in our group. Both assist in distributing Comhighly significant toward aged to be missionaries English and Spanish were munion. Mass homilies and family member attendance passing on faith to generaspoken. For many, the pilother presentations focused and participation in church. tions, using the way of life grimage was viewed as a on varied issues related Pilgrims were urged as a means of changing the single lifetime opportunity to family, the Church and repeatedly to tell stories course of history. Families to see a pope. global life. that pass on experiences also were encouraged to The first morning be Participants in the conferand heritage of both faith gather around home and gan our two days at the ence were able to share in and family. The home was Eucharistic tables together.

World Meeting of Families creating an artistic mural, recognized as the place for With so many notes from conference. Entering the serve as volunteers and healing the varied kinds of presentations and expericonvention center we obpackage food to feed more wounds (physical, spiritual, ences from the conference, served people in a variety of than 100,000 people in emotional) of the heart, our pilgrim group spent the languages and dress, with Philadelphia to see Pope noting that all people have Friday afternoon of Sept. signs, displays, banners of Francis and attend his Masswounds that affect the 25 touring the Shrines of St. nations, and exhibits. There es. Another segment of the family. The Church was John Neumann and St. Rita. also were T-shirts with a conference was for youth. observed to be a “field hos Saturday, Sept. 26, and plethora of messages. PeoChildren, too, had special pital” to help heal, share Sunday, Sept. 27, served as ple had traveled from more activities to enjoy each day. sacraments, give response, the highlight of the pilgrimthan 100 countries, with Messages shared during and offer hope. age, with the long-awaited more than 20,000 people “Pope Francis delighted the crowd with each day’s arrival as he waved, kissed baregistered to attend the bies, and smiled to all. Thunderous clapping, photo-taking, and welcoming expresconference. Religious sisters sions demonstrated the crowd’s excitement. Both days the pope’s message to famiwere wearing habits of diflies reflected love, understanding, compassion, faith, encouragement and humor to ferent orders. All came to encourage and commission families.” — Suzanne Erpenbach, Diocese of Knoxville celebrate faith and families. parishioner Many families brought

anticipation of seeing Pope Francis, hearing his messages, and being present for his papal Mass on Sunday. That Friday night the city changed as greater numbers of people arrived, more streets closed, and designated security stations were established. Welcoming greeters, volunteers and great numbers of security personnel were everywhere.

Wearing orange caps, our pilgrims left the hotel early each morning to claim spots to see Pope Francis and enjoy festivities of the day.

People were observed picnicking, playing cards, reading, sleeping, sharing conversations and making new acquaintances while waiting for the pope’s arrival.

Festival activities included singers, musicians, a comedian, choirs, bell players, dancers, videos, testimonials and more throughout the day and night. Forty Jumbotron screens enabled people to hear and observe the daily activities in and surrounding the festival area.

Pope Francis delighted the crowd with each day’s arrival as he waved, kissed babies, and smiled to all.

Thunderous clapping, photo-taking, and welcoming expressions demonstrated the crowd’s excitement.

Both days the pope’s message to families reflected love, understanding, compassion, faith, encouragement and humor to encourage and commission families. Many in our group best expressed feelings of seeing the pope, with their excitement seen in sharing photos. Others sat in quiet reflection.

Father Arthur Torres Barona and Father Colin Blatchford shared in concelebrating the papal Mass and were joined for Communion distribution by Deacons Bob Lange, Gordy Lowery and Otto Preske. Observations of tears, reverence, faith renewal, joy and outreach were witnessed during the papal Mass. The experience will forever be a special memory to those present.

Pilgrimages continue with the return home as thoughts, observations and feelings are recalled and reflected on frequently. In three years the next World Meeting of Families will be in Dublin, Ireland. Pope Francis will hopefully be present there, too. Excitement is already growing toward another amazing pilgrimage opportunity and experience. ■

Spiritual home away from home Notre Dame High School students and their spiritual chaperones are shown on the pilgrimage to the World Meeting of Families.

A10 n OCTOBER 4, 2015

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Good to go Dominican Sisters with Notre Dame High School check their WMOF itineraries with backpacks in tow.

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WMOF a spiritual experience for all who were there From papal Mass to Catholic masses, Philadelphia turns into the city of peace, humility and love

By Emily Booker

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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Mass for the masses Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia Sept. 27. my life, a historical moment that has marked my heart, and I’m going to carry it all my life,” Father Torres Barona said.

“I was very close to him because we were on the same stage that they prepare for the Mass so I was two pews behind the bishops. I saw everything. I saw him sitting, getting up, celebrating the Mass himself, his preaching also, his homily.”

He said that concelebrating a Mass that was being televised to millions of people made him a bit nervous, but that it was also exciting. He said for an instant he hesitated at distributing Communion because he didn’t want to make a mistake in front of the pope, such as let the Holy Eucharist fall to the floor, but made the most of his opportunity. “All the older priests went to distribute Communion, and that was beautiful.”

Assisting with Communion at the papal Mass were diocesan Deacons Bob Lange, Gordy Lowery and Otto Preske.

Students from both Catholic high schools in the diocese traveled to Philadelphia as well. Thirty-five students from Notre Dame High School with five chaperones, including Father Scott Russell, attended the World Meeting of Families.

There were also 46 students from Knoxville Catholic High School with five chaperones, including Father Christopher Manning.

The students traveled by bus as did adult diocesan parishioners who traveled separately.

Father Manning said the highlight of the pilgrimage for the students was actually seeing Pope Francis in person. “There’s something about Pope Francis that draws millions,” he said.

“Joy brings joy. Holiness attracts holiness.”

Father Peter Iorio, pastor

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asked for healing from anxiety or cancer, or other physical and mental disorders.

Project HOME commissioned artist Meg Saligman to create the grotto to help draw attention to those in need, especially members of society for whom Pope Francis focuses much of his concern.

“We invited Meg to create this work of art so that people will be moved to acknowledge a higher power and to also acknowledge the TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C A T HO L I C

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

hether priest or parishioner, Catholics traveling to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families – as well as those at home in the Diocese of Knoxville – were touched by witnessing Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States.

Three diocesan priests, Father Michael Cummins, Father Colin Blatchford, and Father Arthur Torres Barona, had the special opportunity to concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis held at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Father Cummins, pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport, attended the World Meeting of Families as a gift given to him by friends to commemorate his 20th anniversary of ordination.

“Being able to concelebrate a Mass with Pope Francis was a great way to mark 20 years as a priest,” he said. “A papal Mass is truly a unique celebration that gives witness to both the universality of our Church by gathering with fellow Christians from all over the world and the unity of our Church expressed in the person of the pope and his brother bishops.”

This is not the first time Father Cummins has been able to take part in Mass with the pope. He also concelebrated the papal Mass at World Youth Day in Toronto with St. John Paul II in 2002 and the papal Mass for the canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

“These celebrations have been a blessing for me in my journey of discipleship and priesthood, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity,” Father Cummins said.

Father Blatchford and Father Torres Barona traveled with a group of pilgrims from the diocese to the World Meeting of Families.

Father Blatchford considered the concluding Mass with Pope Francis the highlight of the trip.

“It was very nice to concelebrate with the pope and sort of share in that collegial, liturgical function, kind of like what we do with the bishop at the Chrism Mass but in a different way, because this was with the pope, of course,” Father Blatchford said.

The experience is a highlight of his young priesthood, Father Torres Barona said.

“To me it is such a blessing, you know. It is a blessing because I never ever in my life thought that I would be able to concelebrate a mass with the pope.

I consider this a ‘momentum vitae.’ It’s a moment in

Positive feedback Pope Francis connects with the faithful that turned out in large numbers on every leg of his U.S. visit to Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia. at St. Mary Parish in Johnson City, attended the papal events in Washington, D.C. In Washington, Bishop Richard F. Stika concelebrated the canonization Mass for St. Junípero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Pope Francis and other bishops.

Social media updates and live streaming of the events helped those at home follow Pope Francis and the World Meeting of Families.

At Holy Trinity in Jefferson City, the Council of Catholic Women hosted live streams of the papal Masses for people to watch at the church. Parishioner Donna Dunn had been working to set up streams of religious programs at the parish.

Mike Colicchio, an EWTN media missionary, realized that Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States was just such an opportunity. Mrs. Dunn and her husband, Gene, had the skills to set up streaming at the church. Mr. Colicchio got in touch with EWTN, which was very interested in and supportive of the parish’s plan.

The CCW invited parishioners at Holy Trinity as well as surrounding parishes to watch the papal Masses together. There were

power within themselves to act,” said Mercy Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project HOME. “We need God’s grace to untie the knots.”

Sister Mary Scullion conceived the project as a way for people to remember each other — and the poor — in their prayers, following the example of Pope Francis, whom she met when he stopped in front of the grotto on what was his last day in the United States.

At a Sept. 3 dedication of the

refreshments afterward so that people could gather for fellowship and discussion.

Mrs. Dunn noted that Mass is when the Church gathers, so it’s good to gather at church for a Mass, even if it’s on TV. Mr. Colicchio said that watching in a church setting is different than watching at home, where there are often distractions. “A religious environment means more, makes it feel more spiritual,” he said. “At home it’s like watching a movie.

It doesn’t come across as spiritual as we’d like.”

He added that watching a live stream, especially with others, made a real impact, even for those not in Philadelphia. He said, “To see the pope live, there’s a feeling there that you’re right with him.”

Parishioner Cecile Passi was one of the pilgrims to make the trip to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis, something she’ll “remember forever,” she said.

“The first day we saw the pope on the road I could not even take pictures. As soon as I saw him I just got teary-eyed,” Ms. Passi said, noting that she also saw the pope the next day, which left her feeling even more amazed at witnessing the pope in action.

grotto, Father Dennis Gill, rector of the cathedral, led prayers and Imam Abdul-Aleem, of the Masjidullah Mosque in Philadelphia, delivered remarks. Members of Project HOME — wearing yellow T-shirts with blue lettering that said, “Act With Mercy, Seek Justice” — were scattered throughout the crowd asking those who attended to sign petitions that will be sent to Congress to urge lawmakers to act in a bipartisan fashion to alleviate homelessness and hunger.

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“This experience is once in a lifetime. I will never forget it,” she said, adding that she would make the pilgrimage again as she described what draws her to the pontiff.

“Oh, his humility really; his kindness, and hearing about his interest in the poor and immigrants. I can relate to that because I am one of them. I used to be an immigrant,” she said. “Just by looking at his face, it’s a feeling you get that you can say to everybody, ‘this is the pope we can lean on.’”

Patty Johnson had been looking forward to the pilgrimage for some time.

She was one of the some 70 adult diocesan pilgrims who made the trip to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis.

But for Mrs. Johnson, the pilgrimage had a bit more meaning. She was going to see in person the pope who had honored her earlier this year.

Bishop Stika presented Mrs. Johnson with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, the highest honor a pope can bestow on Church laity, during a Mass and ceremony at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut in April.

Mrs. Johnson has led the Council of Catholic Women at all levels, locally, regionally and nationally.

“We prepared for this for over a year,” Mrs. Johnson said. “We’re very thankful that our diocese took the initiative (to organize the trip). … I feel like Pope Francis is very special. He delivers a message of love and compassion. And I think he shows us the way we should live our lives in this day and time. That’s very exciting to me. I received his papal medal in April, and that was such a surprise and an honor.

Now, to see him in person is even more exciting.”

Alice Mancini also was moved by Pope Francis’ presence at the World Meeting of Families. The parishioner at St. John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center in Knoxville said there are not enough words to describe her feelings.

“My favorite thing was the pope’s speech on Saturday night. We found out later that it was an impromptu speech, which was overwhelming. The whole conference was about ‘Love Is Our Mission.’ And he talked about how God is love and how we, as families and being the source of that love, must care for – and these are his words, los niños and los abuelos, because children are our future and the elderly are the foundation of our history, so it was a wonderful message,” Mrs. Mancini said. ■ Jim Wogan contributed to this report.

Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families, told the crowd she and her co-workers watched the progress of the artwork installation from her office. She said helping the poor was a priority for both Pope Francis and Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

“As I look at the thousands of knots in this grotto, it just takes your breath away,” she said. “Each of these knots represents the hopes and prayers of the people.” ■ OCTOBER 4, 2015 n A11

Archbishop Kurtz: Gospel of the family is good news The Synod of Bishops on the family, on the heels of the successful World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, must find ways to give Catholic families a leading role in evangelizing and supporting other families, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told the synod.

“Families who by the grace of God model tenderness, forgiveness and the joy of family life make marriage credible and show that the Gospel of the family is truly good news,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, who is president of the USCCB. Each voting member of the Synod of Bishops is allowed one formal, threeminute speech to the assembly and to submit fuller remarks or comments on other topics in writing.

Archbishop Kurtz, who was one of the first synod members to address the assembly, released an expanded version of his synod talk Oct. 8.

“As the synod seeks to offer concrete solutions to the many difficulties families face,” he said, “we must enlist the help of the family itself in a very deliberate way and provide families with the formation they need to be active agents of evangelization.”

The synod, the archbishop said, cannot focus only on the challenges the family faces or on “wounded” families; it also must recognize the “incredible vitality and strength” of families.

To prepare a young man for priesthood, dioceses dedicate years’ worth of resources to his education, and they ensure continuing education throughout his years of ministry, he noted. If Christian families are to fulfill their role as missionaries, dioceses and parishes must make a commitment to their training as well.

On a practical level, he said, it would be impor-

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tant to have “small groups of families who encourage each other in the ups and downs of family life and strong connections” between parishes and families.

But to be effective, Archbishop Kurtz said, church leaders and the families themselves must believe and trust in God’s promises and in the grace that is given through the sacrament of marriage, he said.

“The Holy Spirit penetrates the life of the spouses who are consecrated and equipped for their mission,” he said. “We must trust in God’s grace as we help Christian husbands and wives embrace and live the truth of the sacrament they have received.”

Here is text of the “expanded intervention” released by Archbishop Kurtz: “In one of Pope Francis’ weekly reflections on marriage and the family leading up to the synod on the family, he spoke of the need “to give back a leading role to the family that listens to the word of God and puts it into practice” (Sept. 2, 2015). This theme -- of giving leadership to the family – is also raised in the working document for the synod, which described the family as “an essential agent in the work of evangelization” and as having a “missionary identity” (“Instrumentum Laboris” 2, 5). I believe that a priority of the church, both at the synod and beyond, must be to call forth the indispensable witness of Christian families, and to form families to live their missionary vocation.

In other words, the family should not only receive the church’s pastoral care (though it is essential that proper care be offered), but should also actively participate in the church’s mission. To that end, I propose two considerations.

“First, we must trust in and announce anew the powerful, redemptive grace of Jesus Christ. Our

Fan of the faithful Pope Francis waves from a balcony at the Capitol to thousands of faithful gathered on the Washington Mall Sept. 24 following his address to Congress. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, far right, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, far left, accompanied the pope.

way forward must always look to him with confidence. In the sacrament of marriage, Jesus himself abides with Christian spouses. The Holy Spirit penetrates the life of the spouses who are consecrated and equipped for their mission. We must trust in God’s grace as we help Christian husbands and wives embrace and live the truth of the sacrament they have received.

“Second, as the synod seeks to offer concrete solutions to the many difficulties families face, we must enlist the help of the family itself in a very deliberate way and provide families with the formation they need to be active agents of evangelization.

“We need families who can witness — even through their own wounds and difficulties — to the beauty of marriage and family life. The need for such families was made clear by Pope Francis in his homily at the opening Mass of the synod (Oct. 4).

He pointed out a paradox: People today often ridicule the plan of God for marriage and family, but at the same time they “continue to be attracted and fascinated by every authentic

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CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

By Catholic News Service

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

USCCB president addresses Synod of Bishops with key message on the heels of World Meeting of Families

Peace be with you Archbishops Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, and Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, exchange the sign of peace as Pope Francis celebrates the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 4.

love, by every steadfast love, by every fruitful love, by every faithful and enduring love.” Families who by the grace of God model tenderness, forgiveness and the joy of family life make marriage credible and show the Gospel of the family is truly good news.

“Evangelizing as a family is done in the very midst of family life, a place where evangelical holiness is lived out in the most ordinary conditions. Missionary families reach out to others. They can participate in the church’s mission as a field hospital, described beautifully by Pope Francis as “doors wide

open to whoever knocks in search of help and support … to reach out to others with true love, to walk with our fellow men and women who suffer...

“In sum, my hope is that the synod takes up and furthers the vision of families as active agents of evangelization and missionaries, especially to other families. Even more, I hope that one fruit of the synod is increased attention to calling forth, forming and supporting families in their missionary vocation. Let us give back a leading role to the Christian family. In Christ is our confidence.” ■

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

Cardinal continued from page A4

pope’s message is not new. It’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed by the newest successor of Peter.

The pope’s popularity was apparent everywhere he went, which prompted recollections — not comparisons — of past popes by Cardinal Rigali.

In more than 50 years of priestly service, Cardinal Rigali has directly served Popes Paul VI, John Paul I, and St. John Paul II, traveling with Paul VI and John Paul II on many of their papal trips. He was with John Paul II when the pope went to the United Nations and Washington, D.C., in October 1979. He was with John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on the lawn of the White House.

Cardinal Rigali vividly recalls the popularity the popes enjoyed on their visits to the United States.

He sees the same effect with Pope Francis, although he is quick to acknowledge the “Francis Effect,” the immense popularity of the Holy Father in all communities and the Holy Father’s “charismatic gifts.”

“Coming as pope gives him charism. Great attention has been accorded each pope who has visited the United States. Pope Francis benefits at this particular moment,” Cardinal Rigali said.

“A great deal of the popularity is because he is pope. He tries to exercise the papacy in a very effective way. He embraces children, people who are sick and in need. It’s a beautiful thing,” he added.

Calling St. John Paul II’s U.S. visit in 1979 an “extraordinary thing,” TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C A T HO L I C

state.

“He’s a world leader of 69 million people in the United States. He was granted the respect that he has earned,” Rep. Roe said. “There was electricity in that room (House chamber), and I’ve been in that room many times for joint sessions. It was pretty neat.

This lifelong Methodist was pretty excited.”

Like his colleagues in the House, Rep. Duncan was impressed by Pope Francis’ presence and agreed that his speech was well-received by both political parties.

“Having the pope here was a tremendous honor. I thought it was a real privilege to be in the House chamber when he spoke,” Rep. Duncan said. “The most wonderful part of his speech to me was when he began by saying he was glad to be in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

He also was inspired by Pope Francis’ call for people to live by the Golden Rule. “We need more human kindness from one another because everyone needs help at some point,” Rep. Duncan said.

Sen. Alexander was circumspect in his assessment of Pope Francis’ address to the joint session of Congress, saying only in a statement that “Pope Francis lives his life in a way that provides an extraordinary example of serving others. It has been an honor to help host his visit and to hear him.”

Sen. Corker found key elements in the pope’s speech to support, including the need to eliminate new global forms of slavery, an issue the senator has been working on, and the need for faith to continue to be an important voice in the country.

“It was an honor to welcome His Holiness Pope Francis to our nation’s capital and hear his historic address to Congress,” Sen. Corker said in a statement. “His address was one of hope and unity, and I was particularly pleased to hear his message about the fight to eliminate modern slavery. As Pope Francis conveyed, ending modern slavery will not come easy. It will require cooperation from people of all faiths, backgrounds, and nationality. But together, we can end it.”

During his address to Congress, Pope Francis said, “In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society.

the cardinal said there always is a great attraction to see and hear what the bishop of Rome has to say, which always is a message of salvation.

“There is only one message the Church has. It’s the Gospel proclamation. Jesus Christ died for us.

God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son. There are so many important aspects of the application of this message: peace, love, the needs of human beings.

These vary, but the message doesn’t vary,” he said.

Like his predecessor John Paul II, Francis demonstrates a special rapport with children. His U.S. visit was highlighted by images of the pontiff encountering youth, whether kissing babies along the papal route, interacting with schoolchildren, or waving to Diocese of Knoxville high school students standing along the road in Philadelphia hoping to get a glimpse of the Holy Father.

Another element of the “Francis Effect” was the pope’s efforts to communicate in English while in the United States, something that is foreign to the Holy Father but resonated with Catholic and non-Catholics of all ages. His native language is Spanish, but he also speaks Italian, some Portuguese and German. The fact he is the first pope elected outside of Europe adds to his popularity in the Americas.

Cardinal Rigali pointed out that Pope Francis’ U.S. visit was similar in content and proclamation of the Gospel, noting that there was absolute continuity in Catholic doctrine. The Gospel proclamation

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Rep. Boehner, R-Ohio, finally proved successful. The pope’s appearance also was an answered prayer for Father Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest who is chaplain of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Roe, a Protestant, had been anxiously awaiting the pope’s appearance.

“As a lifelong Methodist, it was exciting for me, too. The joint session was really, really good,” he said. “I think when he said to be good stewards of the environment, that appeals to both sides of the aisle. His pro-life message also was well-received.”

Rep. Roe respected Pope Francis’ message and appreciated the Holy Father delivering his remarks in English, which he acknowledged was difficult since the pontiff’s native Mr. Hartmann language is Spanish and he speaks Italian, French, German and Portuguese as well.

“He had to give a speech, not a sermon. I thought he threaded the needle very well,” the congressman said, noting that the pope touched on issues that prompted agreement and disagreement among the Mr. Francis members of Congress.

Rep. Roe said the pope’s view on capitalism is shaped by his life in Argentina, where there are extreme levels of wealth and poverty.

“That’s the lens he views life from,” he said. “Capitalism has created more income and equality than any other economic system in the world.”

Rep. Roe also said he would have liked Pope Francis to highlight more of the characteristics that make the United States a great country. The congressman cited as examples two immigrants he recently met who had worked as hourly employees but learned their jobs well enough to open their own thriving businesses.

“I thought, where else can that happen,” he said, using his own background as an example. “I didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was 7. I was raised in a small, rural Middle Tennessee county.”

Rep. Roe, who is a physician and also served as mayor of Johnson City, acknowledged there was common ground among Democrats and Republicans in much of Pope Francis’ speech, but the pontiff’s comments on climate change and right to life were not common denominators. His stances on war and global violence were, however.

Washington — and Congress — were abuzz about the pope’s visit, which is rare for a city so accustomed to hosting heads of

Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.”

Senators and representatives were not the only ones to see and hear Pope Francis on Capitol Hill. The elected officials could each invite one guest to the joint session. Rep. Fleischmann invited Bruce Hartmann, who has been active in the Diocese of Knoxville as a parishioner at Sacred Heart Cathedral and the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga.

Rep. Duncan invited Knoxville lawyer Dennis Francis, a parishioner at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut.

Like Rep. Duncan, Mr. Hartmann, president of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, said the pope’s basic message to live by the Golden Rule resonated with him.

“It was very inspirational. It was very meaningful to me,” he said, adding that witnessing the pope address Congress was a “great experience.”

The newspaper publisher said Pope Francis’ appearance in Congress was unlike a presidential State of the Union address, which he has attended.

“He’s a phenomenal religious leader who is trying to do the right thing,” he said. “In the joint session with Pope Francis, there was an air of respect for him, and people really seemed to understand what he had to say.”

Mr. Francis was wowed by the pontiff.

“When Pope Francis came in, the whole place was electric. You could feel Christ’s presence in the pope,” he said. “It was overwhelming. It was an emotionally charged, spiritual setting. He radiated. He had that kind of impact. It was a message for everybody.” ■

reflects similarities and differences in pontiffs.

“Differences in personalities are important, but the popes are all teaching the same as Peter taught,” the cardinal noted.

Cardinal Rigali was impressed by the World Meeting of Families, saying it was a “beautiful experience.” He especially was moved by the Sept. 26 evening event where several people gave their personal testimony.

“There was great joy,” Cardinal Rigali noted. “Pope Francis has been teaching the joy of the Gospel — his Evangelii Gaudium — reminiscent of Pope Paul VI in 1975 with the proclamation of the Gospel, the announcement of the Gospel, the joy of the Gospel. Both emphasized the joy of the Gospel. It’s beautiful to see continuity and a freshness of approach.”

And the cardinal said he was privileged to concelebrate two Masses with the Holy Father in Philadelphia, seeing firsthand the power of the pontiff’s individuality in proclaiming the message that comes from Christ.

What was seen at the altar by Cardinal Rigali was witnessed by tens of thousands of people attending the weeklong World Meeting of Families and the weekend Masses as well as those seeing the pope in New York and Washington and in television coverage across the country.

The pope’s appeal is infectious.

“There certainly is a Francis Effect, absolutely,” Cardinal Rigali said. “The charism of this pope is

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In God We Trust Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Sept. 24, with the words “In God We Trust” inscribed into the House Chamber wall. Sitting behind the Holy Father are Vice President Joe Biden, left, and House Speaker John Boehner, who are both Catholic.

admired by so many people and has attracted so many people. The acceptance of his particular gifts in proclaiming the Gospel has made him and his personal gifts so alluring. It’s an attraction people have to this pope —and it’s real.”

Cardinal Rigali reminds the faithful that Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II also carried that public appeal.

Another factor in Pope Francis’ widespread popularity is social media, according to Cardinal Rigali. The pontiff has benefited from advancements in communications similar to how past popes have benefited from newspapers, radio, film and television.

In public, and in private audiences, the Holy Father is constantly facing smartphone cameras capturing images of him that are instantaneously posted to social media. The pope appears receptive to the citizen paparazzi.

Cardinal Rigali, who took part in Vatican II as a young priest, noted that the second document adopted by the Second Vatican Council was on communications.

“It’s an extremely important issue.

It was primitive in regard to what is happening now. Vatican II realized the importance,” the cardinal said.

“Pope Francis is singularly blessed to have social media that no other pope in the history of the world has had.

“It’s a magnificent blessing God has given to the modern world. The instruments of communications have an effect, and they make it possible for the Francis Effect.” ■ OCTOBER 4, 2015 n A13

Pope: Family is the answer to world’s brokenness Pontiff tells U.S. its greatest asset is ‘spiritual and ethical patrimony,’ all men and women created equal by God

By Catholic News Service

ue to nurture the nation to be “the land of liberty and welcome, and to cooperate for a world that is more just and fraternal,” he said.

At the end of his first-ever visit to the United States, the pope told reporters he “was surprised by the warmth of the people” and how they were “so loving. It was beautiful.”

As the American Airlines plane taking him to Rome from Philadelphia took off, Pope Francis said he pictured the faces of all the people he met, and he prayed for them.

At the end of his first-ever visit to the United States, the pope told reporters he “was surprised by the warmth of the people” and how they were “so loving. It was beautiful.”

Spending close to 50 minutes with members of the media flying back to Rome with him Sept. 27, the pope said he also was struck by the sincere piety of people at his Masses and prayer services.

Shortly after takeoff, Pope Francis responded to a dozen questions, including why he spoke with such compassion to U.S. bishops in Washington about what they went through in the aftermath of the clerical sex abuse crisis.

“I felt a need to express compassion because what happened was horrible, and many of them suffered a lot,” the pope said. For “men of prayer, good pastors” the crisis was truly a “tribulation.”

Sexual abuse occurs in families, schools and other environments, he said, but when the abuser is a priest it is “a kind of sacrilege,” because a priest’s job is to help a person grow in love of God and, instead, an abusive priest “squashes” his victims.

An abusive priest “has betrayed his vocation, the call of the Lord, and those who covered these things up also are guilty; even some bishops covered this up. It was a horrible thing. And my words of comfort were not to say, ‘well, be tranquil, it was nothing,’ — no, no, not that. But it was such a bad time that I imagine they wept a lot.”

Pope Francis said he understands survivors who feel they cannot forgive their abusers and those who have lost their faith in God because of it.

“I pray for them,” he said.

On another topic, a U.S. reporter referred to the Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, who refused to issue a marriage license to a gay couple because of her religious beliefs.

The reporter asked Pope Francis to comment on the discussions in the United States regarding religious liberty and its possible limits Pope Francis said he had no idea of the specific case, but he insisted that “conscientious objection is a right — it is a human right.” If some rights can be denied in certain circumstances, he said, then it would turn into a situation where people were determining some human rights were more important

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Family man Pope Francis embraces the Walker family of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept. 27 in Philadelphia.

Catire, Noel and their four children traveled 13,000 miles to be with Pope Francis during the World Meeting of Families.

Catholic News Service

than others.

When asked further about the county clerk, the pope said since the official was a human being then that official should enjoy the full range of human rights, including the right to follow her conscience.

Asked about the role of women in the church, Pope Francis said not ordaining women does not mean the church does not recognize how essential they are to its life and ministry, which is one of the reasons he highlighted the contributions of consecrated women.

“The sisters in the United States have done marvelous things -- in the field of education, in the field of health care. And the people of the United States love the sisters.”

“I felt like I needed to thank them for what they have done,” he said.

Asked if the success of his visit to the United States made him feel powerful or like a star, he said power is not his ambition: “It is something that passes. You have it today, but tomorrow it’s gone.”

For those who follow Jesus, he said, the only power that counts is the power to serve others. “True power is service ... humble service, and I still need to make progress on this path of service because I feel like I am not doing all that I need to do.”

After participating in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and at the opening Oct. 4 of the Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis was asked about his decision to streamline the process for declaring the nullity of marriages.

He insisted the change was strictly juridical and not doctrinal. It is not “Catholic divorce,” he said. The annulment process needed reform because with automatic appeals “there were processes that lasted 10-15 years.”

The annulment process does not

dissolve a marriage, but rather investigates whether or not a valid sacramental marriage was present from the beginning, he said.

The decision to issue the new rules for the process responds to a request made by the majority of bishops at the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family last year, he said.

The question of finding some sort of process or “penitential path” to readmit to the sacraments Catholics who have remarried without an annulment is something still on the synod’s agenda, he said. “It seems a bit simplistic to me to say they can receive Communion,” but it is an issue that needs further discussion.

Another issue touched upon during his U.S. visit was migration.

Pope Francis had told the U.S. Congress, “Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War.” On the plane he told reporters that the world cannot pretend the crisis currently impacting Europe sprang up overnight. He said it was provoked by years of war and tensions in the Middle East and by decades of hunger and tensions in Africa, a continent that continues to be exploited by the world’s rich nations when some investment would create jobs and help people live dignified lives in their homelands.

As for the idea of some European nations to start building walls or fences to keep migrants out, Pope Francis said the influx of newcomers needs to be handled intelligently, “but walls are not the solution.”

Erecting walls, he said, “the problems remain and they remain with increased hatred.”

Pushed to comment on his popularity, Pope Francis insisted he doesn’t feel like a “star” because of all the crowds that flocked to meet him, rather he is a servant of the servants of God. ■

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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he family is the answer to the two extremes facing the world -- fragmentation and “homogenization,” in which everything is forced to be the same, Pope Francis said.

The family based on marriage between a man and a woman is the answer because “it is the cell of a society that balances the personal and communal,” he said at his general audience Sept. 30 in St. Peter’s Square.

The family also can be “the model of a sustainable management of goods and the resources of creation” against today’s culture of consumerism, he added.

The pope dedicated his audience talk to reviewing his Sept. 19-27 trip to Cuba and the United States, where he visited Washington, New York, the United Nations and Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.

He thanked Cuban President Raul Castro, U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for their warm welcomes and extended his thanks to all the bishops and everyone who worked to make the trip possible.

The pope made special mention of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia “for his commitment, piety, enthusiasm and his great love for the family,” which were seen in his work organizing the main focus of the pope’s trip — the World Meeting of Families.

“When you think about it, it was not by chance, but was providential that the message, rather, the witness of the World Meeting of Families took place at this time in the United States of America, that is, the nation which achieved the highest economic and technological development in the last century without renouncing its religious roots.”

“Now these same roots are asking that we begin again from the family in order to rethink and change the model of development for the good of the whole human family,” he said.

The pope said the family, which is “the fruitful covenant between a man and a woman,” is the answer to the great challenges of our world.

The challenges, he said, are “fragmentation and homogenization, two extremes that coexist and build on each other, and together support the consumerist economic model.”

The family can play a major role in a sustainable, “integral ecology,” he said.

The human couple, “united and fertile, placed by God in the world’s garden in order to cultivate it and safeguard it,” displays the two fundamental principles human civilization is based upon -- communion and fruitfulness, he said.

The pope said that during his trip to Cuba, he was able to share the people’s hope in fulfilling St. John Paul II’s dream that “Cuba open up to the world and the world open up to Cuba. No more closed doors, no more exploitation of poverty, but freedom in dignity” and responsibly serving and caring for others and the most vulnerable.

He said flying from Cuba to Washington was “symbolic — a bridge that, thanks be to God, is being rebuilt. God always wants to build bridges. We are the ones who build walls. And walls always crumble.”

He said he reminded the United States that its greatest asset is its “spiritual and ethical patrimony, that is, that all men and women are created equal by God and endowed with unalienable rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The religious and moral foundation upon which the United States was founded and built can contin-

Meet the press Pope Francis speaks with journalists aboard his American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Rome on Sept. 27 following the World Meeting of Families. www.di o k no x .o rg

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Pope canonizes Junipero Serra in Washington Mass

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anonizing the 18thcentury Spanish missionary, Blessed Junipero Serra, Pope Francis insisted a person’s faith is alive only when it is shared.

Celebrating Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Sept. 23, the pope declared the holiness of St. Junipero, founder of a string of missions in California.

Some people had objected to the canonization — and the beatification of the Spaniard in 1988 — because of questions about how Father Serra treated the native peoples of California and about the impact of Spanish colonization on native peoples throughout the Americas.

Pope Francis mentioned the controversy only briefly, saying: “Junipero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it.

Mistreatment and wrongs, which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.”

Vincent Medina, who has questioned the wisdom of the canonization, read the first Scripture reading during the canonization Mass in the Chochenyo language of the Ohlone people of Northern California.

Before the formal proclamation of the missionary’s sainthood, a choir and the congregation chanted a litany invoking the intercession of Jesus, Mary, the apostles and a long list of saints, including other saints who lived and worked in the United States, such as St. Frances Cabrini, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann and St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first American Indian to be canonized. The canonization of St.

Junipero, however, was the first such ceremony to be celebrated in the United States rather than at the Vatican.

After the formal proclamation, Andrew Galvan, curator of Dolores Mission in San Francisco, brought a relic of St. Junipero up to a stand near the altar as a song was sung in Spanish accompanied by a drumbeat.

Catholics in the United States and throughout the world are indebted to St. Junipero and thousands of other witnesses who lived their faith and passed it on, the pope said in his homily.

St. Junipero “was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life,” Pope Francis said.

A missionary’s life is exciting and brings joy, he said, because it is not sedentary or turned in on itself. Sharing the Gospel is the way to keep experiencing the joy it brings and keeps the heart “from growing numb from being anesthetized.”

More than speaking about St. Junipero, Pope Francis spoke about keeping faith alive and joyful, calling on all Catholics to be missionaries.

“Mission is never the fruit of a perfectly planned program or a well-organized manual,” he told the crowd of about 25,000 people. “Mission is always the fruit of a life which knows what it is to be found and healed, encountered and forgiven.”

Pope Francis insisted that Jesus does not give Christians “a short list of who is, or is not, worthy of receiving his message, his presence.”

Instead, Jesus embraced people as they were, even those who were “dirty, unkept, broken,” he said. Jesus says to believers today, like yesterday, “Go out and embrace life as it is, and not as you think it should be.”

Honoring St. Junipero Andrew Galvan, a California Indian and curator of Old Mission Dolores, carries a reliquary of St. Junipero Serra.

“The joy of the Gospel,” the pope said, “is something to be experienced, something to be known and live only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.”

Before the Mass, Pope Francis made a short visit inside the basilica, where he briefly greeted families and men and women studying to be priests and sisters. They had waited inside for more than two hours.

Parents like Margarita and Carlos Ramos, who brought their 7-year-old son, Samuel, to Mass, were in the pews, sharing a prayer before services started, while Secret Service snipers stayed alert in several balconies.

“I like Pope Francis because he was born in Argentina; he is one of us. I would love to have the chance to be blessed by him. I´m telling everybody in my second-grade class that I was sitting here the day he made Junipero Serra a saint,” Samuel said.

“It is a historic moment,” said Sister Maria Virgen Oyente of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara. She was in the line to get

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

By Catholic News Service

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Francis’ elevation of California priest to sainthood is historic first on United States soil

Receiving line Nuns lean out to see Pope Francis as he greets and blesses seminarians, novices and other guests inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Sept. 23 before the canonization Mass. inside the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception with a group of about 20 nuns. “We are very happy to be here.

The line is long and is getting hot, but we are reading about Fray Junipero Serra, and that makes us feel better.”

“My expectations for today are very high,” said St. John Vianney College seminarian Gustavo Santos. “Imagine what it is to be in the same place with your pastor, the vicar of Christ on earth, I can’t even describe it with my

own words.”

“I admire Pope Francis’ simplicity and mercy for the poor and vulnerable,” said Yoandy Gonzalez, born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, and currently attending St. John Seminary. “The pope teaches us all simple ways to truly live the Gospel as Christ every day.”

After Mass, Pope Francis greeted guests that included California Indians. ■ Constanza Morales contributed to this report.

By Catholic News Service

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t’s difficult to forget Pope Francis’ passionate Sept. 26 speech, his gestures and the tone of his voice when he addressed the value of the family in Philadelphia.

A “society grows strong, grows in goodness, grows in beauty and truly grows if it is built on the foundation of the family,” said the pope, addressing the Festival of Families on the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway that Saturday evening.

“All of the love that God has in himself, all of the beauty that God has in himself, all of the truth that God has in himself, he gives to the family,” he continued. “And a family is truly a family when it is able to open its arms and receive all of this love.”

It is the passion shown that evening that many hope will drive the Synod of Bishops on the family this month in Rome, which takes place from Oct. 4-25.

Monsignor Duarte da Cunha, general secretary of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, which represents the 33 bishops’ conferences in Europe, said the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia “is the door to enter the synod ... and we will enter the synod with joy, not with the weight of problems but with the experience of the joy of the families.”

It’s not about hiding the problems families face, Monsignor da Cunha said. After all, the pope publicly admitted in that same speech that while the family is beautiful, it is difficult.

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“It brings problems,” the pope said. “In the family, sometimes there is enmity. The husband fights with the wife or they give each other dirty looks, or the children with the parents.”

“But it’s worth fighting for the family,” Monsignor da Cunha said.

And for clergy, religious, and all those who attend the three-week synod, it is about something more than just defending a small group of people. It is about defending society itself. Society is about being in communion with others, said Monsignor da Cunha. In that sense, all that the pope has addressed, including war and the environment, is tied to that communion, he added.

The culture of individualism is really a problem in some societies, especially those that learn to value the material and not people, he said.

“No one can experience happiness of the fullness of life if (he or she) is alone,” he said. That doesn’t mean that the person necessarily needs to have a family but if one has been part of a family, that person can understand love, sacrifice for the common good of others.

“We have to be in communion with others, belong to one another,” Monsignor da Cunha said. But sometimes that’s a challenge. “We are living in times that are materialistic ... we forget that people are more than things. God created us for communion.”

A parish can serve as a place for the creation of family, a sense of belonging, where even “one person alone is welcome,” he said.

But if people don’t have a net-

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Lesson for synod seen in joy evident at World Meeting of Families

Liking the message A woman reacts to Pope Francis’ final words during the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families Sept. 27. work of family and friends, they may have what they need materially, but it’s very hard to find happiness in that, he said.

“Sometimes the parish has a family structure and is a place you feel loved,” he said.

In Cuba, Maria del Carmen Zellek Camayd, said that in a society where Catholics have undergone periods of persecution and social difficulty, the parish helped her deal with what was happening to those of her faith in an atheistic nation but to also to deal with personal travails that included a childless marriage that dissolved.

However, children from her parish on the eastern end of the island have become like her nieces and nephews, and visits from other parishioners with whom she has shared difficult, but also happy times, helped them become a different type of family -- one rooted

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in the spiritual but also in a social community.

It is this type of love that Monsignor da Cunha refers to and it is one that can help other societies dealing with challenges, such as the recent wave of refugees fleeing war and other societal ills. The church can and has helped them pastorally, helping those who are poor, sometimes helping alleviate some of the material problems, or to advocate for them with governments and politicians, Msgr. da Cunha said.

When seen from the point of view of a society of communities and not from the point of view of an individual, problems or challenges — such as war, the environment, migration — have solutions, he said.

“Everything is different if you see these in society, through the experience of love, of this family,” he said. ■ OCTOBER 4, 2015 n A15

A16 n OCTOBER 4, 2015

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