Dec. 5, 2021, ET Catholic, B section

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

B section

Annual Christmas donations bring joy to families St. Albert the Great Parish ministry serves kids from Appalachia through Crazy Quilt

COURTESY OF ED BRYANT

size, but then the kids are asked what their favorite hobbies or activities are and what gifts they would most like to receive.

“We want there to be as much choice as possible, but we have limitations in what we can provide also,” said Erin Wessell, a St. Albert parishioner who currently serves as chair of the CWOM committee. “This year we had kids choose whether they wanted a hoodie or a jacket or a coat.”

The past several programs have served around 60 children and 26 families.

“St. Albert kind of adopted those kids,” Mr. Bryant said. “They have been great, they have been good to us.”

The children participating in this program are not from St. Albert the Great, but to Mrs. Wessell that makes it more special.

“Most people in the St. Albert community don’t actually see any of the people in the Crazy Quilt community,” she said. “It’s just kind of nice helping create community even when people don’t necessarily individually meet each other, but just that bond there.” “[Ed is] wonderful and he just really has a heart for the community up there and any way he can help,”

Crazy Quilt Christmas party Crazy Quilt program coordinator Ed Bryant plays Santa at a Christmas party. With him is Santa’s helper (Mr. Bryant’s wife, Pat).

COURTESY OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PARISH

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or some children living in East Tennessee, the only Christmas presents they’ll receive each year are the ones gifted to them by charities and churches.

And for St. Albert the Great Parish in North Knoxville, this reality is something that fuels its Corporal Works of Mercy (CWOM) ministry to give year after year.

For Christmas, Easter, and backto-school programs each year, this ministry assists the Mountain Arts Program led by Crazy Quilt, a food pantry and emergency-assistance program under Catholic Charities of East Tennessee.

The Mountain Arts Program is a creative learning outlet for children ages 5 to 15, and according to Crazy Quilt’s website, “the four-day program includes a nutritious lunch each day, and each participant receives needed shoes, clothing, and classroom supplies for the coming school year.”

With each new summer session, program coordinator Ed Bryant sends his list of participant names to the CWOM committee, and this list is used to identify how many children are in need of the Christmas donations for that year.

The lists include information such as name, age, grade, and clothing

By Gabrielle Nolan

‘St. Albert kind of adopted those kids’ Young people helped by the Mountain Arts Program pose for a photo at Crazy Quilt.

Mrs. Wessell said.

The St. Albert CWOM ministry began in 2007 after the founding of the parish and is run by a committee of around 35 regular volunteers.

Father Chris Michelson, the founding pastor of St. Albert, attends the meetings and oversees any finances related to the ministry.

“We have a wonderful committee, they take care of everything,” Father Michelson said. “It really, from day one, has cost the parish in terms of the gifts for the kids, nothing. That is all tags that are put out and people purchasing gifts and bringing them back, and that’s how we fund that.”

According to Maria Armento, the ministries coordinator at St. Albert the Great, these three projects have average total donations of around $20,000 each fiscal year.

“For the past several years we have benefited from matching funds of $3,000 from the Pope Francis Charitable Trust Fund from the diocese to help us continue to expand our help for these programs,” Ms. Armento said. “Because of this extra

money, we were able to provide hoodies to all our children along with paper products and other cleaning supplies in our food baskets last Christmas.”

Depending on the donations and availability of funds each year, the committee may be able to buy extra goodies, such as games or candy, for each child’s Christmas basket.

Each family also receives a box full of food, which normally includes items for a Christmas dinner, such as a ham, bag of potatoes, canned goods, and cake mix with icing. Long-lasting nonperishables like canned soups and peanut butter also are included.

The food baskets have household items like laundry detergent, paper goods, and cleaning supplies, too.

“If you can take a little burden off of a family and say, ‘Hey, this month you don’t have to buy these things so you have a little extra to, you know, [buy] a Christmas treat for yourselves,’ well good,” Mrs. Wessell said.

“Crazy Quilt is a great project, CWOM ministry continued on page B2

A priestly vocation takes a worldwide journey

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he word “catholic” means “universal,” and one priest who exemplifies this universal faith is Father Valentin Iurochkin, IVE, the current parochial vicar at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga.

Father Iurochkin, 29, is a Russian citizen by birth who came to the United States as a priest after years of traveling and studying around the world.

“I’ve been to almost [all of] Europe. I’ve been to America. . . . I’ve been to South America . . . Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil,” he said.

“Going to Asia, I’ve been to Russia, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. . . . I’ve been to the Philippines and Taiwan . . . yeah lots of countries. I’ve been to Africa also, but actually I was in the airport.”

From living and studying in multiple countries, Father Iurochkin is now fluent in five different languages: Russian, English, Italian, Spanish, and Mandarin.

But such a transitory lifestyle requires a certain detachment from the world, which Father Iurochkin learned at the young age of 6 when his parents left Russia for the United States, and he remained behind with his grandparents to raise him. Today, his parents reside in Detroit.

“It wasn’t a challenge for me to go to a different country, to learn a new language,” he said. “Maybe because I wasn’t that attached to my family, that’s why it helped me to be . . . just, OK, I have to go to study.”

In 2010, an opportunity arose for him to join his family in the United States on a green card, but Father Iurochkin turned it down to focus on his faith and instead he joined a religious community called the Institute of the Incarnate Word.

“I did prioritize my faith over my personal sentiments or feelings,” he said. “I said to myself, I will be going to the seminary and finish it; I’ll serve God and afterwards maybe, if He wants, I’ll go to America, you never know. Here I am.”

“I went to visit my family several times during the past 10 years, but, yeah, I never had this struggle to not be with my family,” Father Iurochkin said. “It helps me to be more detached maybe, which doesn’t mean that I don’t love them. I love them a lot, but it helps me to also feel free to go away at any time.”

Father Iurochkin was not born into a Catholic family but discovered the faith as a young teenager searching for the truth.

“Our schools had told us all the Father Iurochkin continued on page B6

GABRIELLE NOLAN

Russia native Father Valentin Iurochkin learns diocesan life in East Tennessee

Father Valentin Iurochkin, IVE

By Gabrielle Nolan

Praying for Perspective

by George Valadie

Holidays: it’s funny the things you remember From Christmas at Grandma’s to midnight Mass viewed from the sacristy, memories abound

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can recall it as clearly and vividly as just about any memory I have of Christmases past. It’s not particularly holy, nor would it ever make a good Hallmark movie.

But it’s stuck there and still makes me smile.

We—me, my three younger sisters, and my mom and dad—were all gathered at my grandparents’ home one wintry evening during a Christmas vacation many, many years ago.

Grandma was a wonderful cook.

Bellies were full; dishes were done.

The radio was playing holiday music, and I have no doubt we were singing along. Our family did that sometimes. We weren’t any good, but we didn’t know it.

It was a small home, so some of us had gathered in the kitchen while others were in the dining room—but all of us were busily stringing popcorn for the tree that would be going up at our own house any day.

I was 11, it was 1964, and school was out for the holidays. Just down the street the signage that sat atop what was then the city’s only real toy store tallied the remaining “days until Christmas.” And the numbers had dwindled to single digits.

I’m not sure life could have gotten any better. The anticipation of Christmas seemed almost as good as the real thing.

That’s when I had my first beer.

As if the evening wasn’t already perfect enough, our dad had splurged and bought all us kids a milkshake, while he opted for an adult beverage.

Head down, committed to the task, engrossed in sewing the longest and best-looking strand, I reached for my chocolate shake and took a huge gulp.

I think it was a Schlitz. Could

With COVID-19 easing its grip ever so slightly, I—like many—are hoping this year’s Christmas season will once again allow families and friends to gather. And make memories. . . . I wonder if you get to keep your memories when you get to heaven. have been a Pabst Blue Ribbon, but it wasn’t chocolate, and it wasn’t mine.

I can no longer recall if I’ve ever strung popcorn again, but I can definitively say I’ve never had another sip of beer.

It’s funny the things you remember.

There are others that dance through my brain now and again.

Years later, I was in college, and I was in love.

Home for the holidays, it was a Christmas Eve when Nancy and I had already enjoyed an evening of dinner and gift-giving with her family.

Young and fancy free, the two of us made the last-minute decision to attend our parish’s midnight Mass that had begun at 11:30. At least the music had. So we were much too last-minute to find an available seat.

Not to be denied, we brazenly knocked on the door of the rectory.

We shared our dilemma with our associate pastor, a young priest with whom we had grown very close, and he invited us (allowed us) to attend Mass while sitting in the sacristy that sat just off the sanctuary.

He unknowingly blessed us with an unusual and what felt like an oddly perfect view—some five feet from the altar—for welcoming the newborn King.

It’s funny the things you remember.

He may have let us in because earlier that week, my best friend

and I had volunteered to brave the cold and assist this same priest when the pastor assigned him the duty of setting up the manger scene that needed to be erected in its traditional spot in front of the church.

Setting it up proved to be the easy part. The true task turned out to be finding, retrieving, and transporting all the various people and parts.

The manger scene was used but once a year, so the three of us had to descend into and dig about in the spider-webbed and seldom-visited basement that served as storage for candles, years of discarded junk, and home for an occasional mouse or two.

You’d think it would be simple to spot what amounted to a small lifesized village what with kings and crowns and all. But not so much.

Once located, we had to lug all of them, the barn and some well-worn sheep, up from darkness to the light of day.

Freezing and punch drunk and don’t ask me why, but we took turns imagining the life of a shepherd during the days of that first Christmas some 2,000 years before.

I don’t know how many years we helped him set up but when his call for “shepherd duty” came, we were happy to report for duty.

It’s funny the things you re­mem­ber.

Not too many holidays ago, my mom decided she just didn’t feel like messing with a tree. Too much trouble to put up. Too much trouble to take down. No one there to enjoy it but her. Yada-yada-yada.

I gave her hell.

We’d all volunteered to assist, but she was determined to rebuff our efforts. And to me it felt like an unspoken admission that she’d been feeling old and lonely and was soon to move on.

I’m sure I didn’t want any of that to be true because of course it would mean I hadn’t been a very good son.

Not that a Christmas tree would fix that.

Six weeks later, Nancy and I let ourselves in to her home while she was at work, ventured into her attic, and retrieved the tree she had avoided. We set it up in her living room and decorated it with hundreds of goofy little “Be Mine” Valentines.

And she gave me hell.

It’s funny the things you remember.

With COVID-19 easing its grip ever so slightly, I—like many—are hoping this year’s Christmas season will once again allow families and friends to gather. And make memories.

Before time gets away.

Both mom and dad are gone now; so is my fellow shepherd and best friend as well as that young priest— all celebrating this year’s holidays in the presence of the newborn King Himself.

How cool is that!

So I doubt they’ll need them, but I wonder if you get to keep your memories when you get to heaven.

Or maybe just the good ones? Or maybe the ones when you made others smile and laugh and love?

Maybe that’s what we can do for each other when we gather together this holiday.

Because it’s funny the things they’ll remember.

Dear God—Happy birthday! If you get candles on your cake, we can probably guess your wish. May we be part of making it come true every day. Amen. ■

“It’s unusual to say people really look forward to the opportunity to give,” Father Michelson said. “I know people who start early just anticipating it and start buying when they see things on sale now because they know we do it three times a year.”

“It’s just become part of the life of the parish… It’s our Christmas tradition,” he added.

Many parishioners have their children or grandchildren shop with them so they can pick out gifts for other children in their age group.

“I have grandkids now, so I take my grandkids to help me do that shopping because that’s a good way for them to learn about giving back to others who are less fortunate than they are,” said Joan Eiffe, also a St. Albert parishioner and previous chair of the CWOM ministry.

As the gift donations start rolling in, committee members store the gifts and sort them multiple times to ensure each child correctly receives what was listed on their tags and that gifts are distributed evenly.

This year, because of continued challenges with the pandemic, the committee members will purchase gifts in advance that parishioners can “shop” from at a Christmas bazaar and then wrap.

When the final gifts are wrapped and the baskets are ready to be delivered to families, the team will make the hour-and-a-half drive to Newcomb and decorate the open space at Crazy Quilt, where the festivities happen.

“The only thing I do is open the door for them and let them in and help them,” Mr. Bryant said. “I just turn it over to them; they do their program.”

“We would set up a Christmas tree station with one of the youth dressed up like Santa Claus,” Ms. Noel said. “We have a member of our parish who donates her time and goods of a professional photographer, so she would set up a

professional portrait studio in the corner so that the families could come in and get professional pictures made.”

“Many of the families told us this was their first family photo,” Mrs. Eiffe said.

The parish faith formation group also will get involved and curate donated gifts for teenagers and adults and create a Secret Santa station, which allows the children to choose a gift that they can wrap for a loved one.

“They get to actually shop for their loved ones, for their moms, their dads, their uncles, their grandparents, their siblings who they may not have been able to give gifts for without this,” Ms. Noel said.

Even with the challenges and uncertainties of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the parish adapted and continued to meet the needs of the people their ministry serves.

Since CWOM could not accept physical donations last year, parishioners donated their dollars, and committee members did the Christmas shopping.

“For the past several events, we have received monetary donations from our parishioners and purchased items online in bulk,” Ms. Armento said. “We have a deep commitment to these programs, and that is very visible through the parish and their flexibility in still wanting to make these programs work even through the difficulty of the pandemic times.”

The other two projects the parish donates to every year are the Easter baskets and back-to-school backpacks. While the Christmas baskets are individualized based on the child’s interests, the annual Easter baskets and back-to-school backpacks are more uniform.

The Easter baskets contain candy and snacks, school supplies such as pencils and paper, hygiene items such as toothbrushes, and a novel,

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

CWOM ministry continued from page B1

Father Chris Michelson ties confidential.

For two weekends at the parish, committee members stand next to tables adorned with the Christmas tags to either receive monetary donations or help parishioners choose their gift tags. These weekends are usually before Thanksgiving, so parishioners can take advantage of Black Friday savings while they shop.

COURTESY OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PARISH

and it’s people not at all far from us,” she noted. “A lot of us live in a world that we can just take care of our needs, and I think real economic struggle is a lot closer than a lot of people notice or realize. I know it’s been for my kids, realizing that not that far away there’s kids who are really struggling.”

The process begins with a committee meeting in October, where plans and dates are finalized. The November meeting, usually held during a festive potluck dinner, is where volunteers create the various tags for the children’s gifts.

“We have our camaraderie, our fun time, our chit-chatting, and then we buckle down and get to work,” said Lyra Noel, a parishioner at St. Albert the Great who previously led the Christmas project for the past five years. “It can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to make all the tags, because each kid gets more than one tag.”

Tags, which are often cut out in fun Christmas shapes, are numbered to keep the children’s identi-

Wrap party Volunteers on the Corporal Works of Mercy Committee at St. Albert the Great Church wrap gifts for the children in the Mountain Arts Program at Crazy Quilt.

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CWOM ministry continued on page B6 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Guest Column

by Katie Prejean McGrady, Catholic News Service

This Advent, focus on presence, not presents Rushing and readying stuff to look at and cling to does nothing to help us let Christ into our lives

I

ordered our matching Christmas pajamas in early October. Worried about supply-chain issues and shipping delays, I picked the Nordic blue print we liked best and bought them 11 weeks early. And then I found Jesse Tree ornaments I liked, so I ordered those, too.

Advent candles came soon after, three boxes on sale on Amazon, so it just made sense to get them now and set them aside. A new set of Christmas candy canes for the pathway came next, then an inflatable Clark Griswold my husband still doesn’t know will be sitting in the front yard come Dec. 1.

“Am I ready?” I thought to myself. The gifts are hidden, and all the “fixings” are ready to celebrate Advent and Christmas. Menus are prepared. Decorations are at the ready.

Nativity sets have a spot on a shelf or mantle. Now we just wait. But is it enough? Are we ready?

I’m willing to admit that my assumption of readiness based purely on having a lot of “stuff” for Advent and Christmas is entirely wrong.

And I’m happy to admit that my belief that I’m ready because of having all this stuff has been fueled by this weird belief that we have to do “all the things” to make Advent and Christmas special. But it isn’t the

Katie Prejean McGrady writes the “Window Seat Wisdom” column for Catholic News Service “stuff” that makes us ready or better prepared to “wait in joyful hope” for the arrival of baby Jesus. And it isn’t the perfect set of Jesse Tree ornaments or pristinely wrapped presents that make the four weeks of Advent and Christmas morning good and fruitful.

Far too often, I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking it is the stuff that makes us ready, makes the holidays and our celebration of them somehow better.

I’ve convinced myself that “liturgical living” has to include products and programs and that what we do as a family has to measure up to some proverbial “Catholic living checklist” created by people watching us from afar.

Social media hasn’t helped this.

Scrolling past pictures of perfectly decorated homes and pristinely photographed desserts makes me jealous and competitive. A consumeristic culture convincing us to buy more has only accelerated this misguided approach to Advent and Christmas.

Not fully understanding the gift

Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful

and meaning of Advent, and why the Church has us slowly build to the birth of Christ, has only hurt any healthy approach to the holidays.

If we can get back to the realization that Advent is fruitful because we have four weeks set aside to focus on hope in God’s promises, peace in God’s plan, joy in God’s providence, and love of the Lord and others, then maybe we’ll see it as a gift of four weeks to slowly prepare for Jesus instead of a competition of liturgical living activities to complete.

If we can remember that it’s the arrival of the newborn King, Emmanuel, that makes Christmas good, then maybe we’ll realize all the other “stuff” (even stuff I’ve frantically purchased and set aside) are just extras, maybe helping make those days better, but certainly not things required or necessary for the seasons we’re approaching to matter.

Rather than fall prey to the belief that we have to do a dozen family devotionals and handcraft our Advent candles from beeswax kits because we will craft our way through the season (darn it!), maybe this Advent season can be one of intentional slowing down and doing more with less.

Maybe this Christmas can be one focused less on presents under the tree and more on the presence of loved ones finally gathered together.

Maybe we avoid running the “liturgical living rat race” by recognizing that we’re not in competition with anyone else, and the way they prepare for and live the holidays is not the way we have to do it.

I rushed to buy all the “stuff” (and bought it early) because I weirdly believed it would help me be more ready for a liturgical season that seeks to end our rushing and wants to change our misguided perceptions of readiness.

Rushing to have and do all the things and readying stuff to look at and cling to does nothing to help us let Christ rush into our lives and ready our hearts for the kingdom of heaven.

As we get ready for Advent (which began Sunday, Nov. 28), let’s strive to slow down and intentionally and purposefully look to buy and do less so we can make room for more of the Lord in our lives. ■ Katie Prejean McGrady is an international Catholic speaker, an award-winning author, and host of “The Katie McGrady Show” on Sirius XM. She lives in Louisiana with her family.

by Bob Hunt

Jesus looks a lot like you and me Wherever we go, we bring Jesus with us . . . so that, when others see us, they see Him

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ears ago, I attended an evangelization conference in New Orleans where the great Paulist priest and evangelizer Father Alvin Illig, CSP, spoke. Father Illig told us that when those who knew Jesus as a boy saw him running and playing around the streets of Nazareth, they must have remarked, “He looks a lot like His mother!” Father Illig then made the point that “when people see Jesus today, He looks a lot like YOU!” “God became man that man might become God.” Those are the words of St. Athanasius, the great defender of orthodoxy at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and throughout the fourth century. This transformation by which we become God, by which we come to share in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4), is called theosis, a Greek word that literally means “making divine.” Salvation is about so much more than just getting to heaven. It is about being transformed by God’s grace into Christ, becoming co-heirs with Christ to the kingdom, sharing in everything that Christ is. We become so absorbed in the One Who is completely Other that we are lost in Who God is, and at the same time we find our fulfillment, we become all that we were

meant to be in the first place.

How does this happen? First, of course, there is baptism, where we receive the life of the Trinity. Then there is confirmation, where we receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Finally, there is the Eucharist, where we receive the Bread of Life that transforms us into Christ.

When we eat natural food, that food is transformed into us, it becomes a part of our body, energizing us so that we can live a full and meaningful temporal life. But, when we consume the supernatural food that is the Eucharist, we are transformed into the food we receive—we are transformed into Christ. His being and ours are united in a Communion that is beyond any other we have or could experience in this temporal order. It is Bread for eternal life. St. Augustine of Hippo urged his people, when approaching Holy Communion, to realize this great mystery: “Behold who you are,” he told them.

“Become what you receive!” Behold that you are Christ, now become the Christ that you receive.

St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, tells the Christians in Corinth: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living the faith.

Test yourselves. Do you not realize

that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5). How can we fail the test? By not living the faith! Earlier in his letter, St. Paul cautioned the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1).

When we present our children for baptism or confirmation, or ourselves for Holy Communion, it is not simply to engage in a worldly ritual, something the family expects of us, or doing what everyone else is doing. Much less ought we to receive the Eucharist out of habit, without “examining ourselves.” The Church desires that we present ourselves for the sacraments with consideration and thoughtfulness, having the right mind and the desire to become Christ and to serve Christ, because becoming Christ is what the sacraments are about, and serving Christ is what we are committing ourselves to.

We are the Body of Christ. We are Jesus in this world. This is not some sappy sentiment for Christmas cards. It is our Catholic faith! We are transformed into Christ, and it is our mission to then transform our world to reflect the Gospel. When we were baptized, then confirmed, and when we receive the Blessed

Sacrament, Jesus becomes present in us in a way not unlike His Incarnation into the world by Mary. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity entered history on that day in Bethlehem two millennia ago. He enters history on this day in our city, town, street, workplace, grocery store, office building, parish, or home, wherever we enter having received His grace by the sacraments. Wherever we go, we bring Jesus with us, embodied in us so that, when others see us, they see Him. When people see Jesus today, He looks a lot like you and me.

The question is: What Jesus do others see when they see me? Do they see a Jesus quick to rebuke, eager with a discouraging word, and with little interest in their struggles or joys? Or do they see a loving, compassionate Jesus, who is quick to forgive but also unafraid to speak the truth with passion? Keep in mind that, wherever we go, Jesus looks a lot like you and me.

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

Daily readings

12; Luke 1:26-38 Thursday, Dec. 9: Isaiah 41:13-20; Psalm 145:1, 9-13; Matthew 11:11-15 Friday, Dec. 10: Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Matthew 11:16-19 Saturday, Dec. 11: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11; Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Matthew 17:9-13 Sunday, Dec. 12: Zephaniah 3:14-18; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18 Monday, Dec. 13: Memorial of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17; Psalm 25:4-9; Matthew 21:23-27 Tuesday, Dec. 14: Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church, Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13; Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-19, 23; Matthew 21:28-32 Wednesday, Dec. 15: Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-25; Psalm 85:9-14; Luke 7:18-23 Thursday, Dec. 16: Isaiah 54:1-10; Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; Luke 7:24-30 Friday, Dec. 17: Genesis 49:2, 8-10; Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17; Matthew 1:1-17

Saturday, Dec. 18: Jeremiah 23:5-8; Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Matthew 1:18-25 Sunday, Dec. 19: Micah 5:1-4; Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Monday, Dec. 20: Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday, Dec. 21: Song of Songs 2:814; Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1:39-45 Wednesday, Dec. 22: 1 Samuel 1:2428; 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8; Luke 1:46-56 Thursday, Dec. 23: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14; Luke 1:57-66 Friday, Dec. 24: Mass in the morning, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29; Luke 1:67-79; vigil Mass for Christmas, Isaiah 62:15; Psalm 99:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25 Saturday, Dec. 25: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the night, Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:13, 11-13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14;

Mass at dawn, Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:1520; Mass during the day, Isaiah 52:710; Psalm 98:1-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 Sunday, Dec. 26: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128:1-5; Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:41-52 Monday, Dec. 27: Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist, 1 John 1:1-4; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; John 20:1-8 Tuesday, Dec. 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs, 1 John 1:5–2:2; Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8; Matthew 2:13-18 Wednesday, Dec. 29: 1 John 2:3-11; Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6; Luke 2:22-35 Thursday, Dec. 30: 1 John 2:12-17; Psalm 96:7-10; Luke 2:36-40 Friday, Dec. 31: 1 John 2:18-21; Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13; John 1:1-18 Saturday, Jan. 1: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21 n

Wednesday, Dec. 1: Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23:1-6; Matthew 15:29-37 Thursday, Dec. 2: Isaiah 26:1-6; Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27; Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Friday, Dec. 3: Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, priest, Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 9:27-31 Saturday, Dec. 4: Isaiah 30:19-21, 2326; Psalm 147:1-6; Matthew 9:35–10:1 and 10:5-8 Sunday, Dec. 5: Baruch 5:1-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6 Monday, Dec. 6: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 85:9-14; Luke 5:17-26 Tuesday, Dec. 7: Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church, Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13; Matthew 18:12-14 Wednesday, Dec. 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Psalm 98:1-4; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

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

DECEMBER 5, 2021 n B3

Parish notes St. Jude, Chattanooga The St. Catherine’s Craft Guild is coming soon to St. Jude Parish. Weekly gatherings will be held in the lower-level parish life center meeting room from 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays beginning Jan. 20. St. Catherine of Bologna is the patron saint of artists and crafters.

for its baby shower to help the Pregnancy Help Center and Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, as well as those who donated to baby bottles for the Plateau Pregnancy project.

The social action committee prays the rosary after Communion services every first Monday for the prisoners at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex.

St. Jude School thanked everyone who supported the 23rd annual St. Jude Golf Classic sponsored by the school and Knights of Columbus Council 8576. The tournament raised $11,564.63, which will benefit every student at St. Jude through the Classroom Adoption Program and the many ministries of the Knights.

Anniversaries: Edwin and Grace Johnson (68), Philip and Rose Poynter (57), Robert and Carol Loghry (54), Louis and Patricia Poulin (53), Michael and Victoria English (50), Girard and Linda Etzkorn (50), Steven and Robin Duckro (35), Don and Kathleen Kenne (35), Kenneth and Marianne Hailey (30), Jerry and Judith Ryan (20)

The Knights sponsored “Breakfast With Santa” after the 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Masses on Dec. 5.

St. John Neumann, Farragut

Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy, led a men’s Advent retreat Dec. 4 at St. Jude.

Boy Scout Troop 172 again sold poinsettias this year.

The parish’s first Trunk or Treat was a success. Winners for best-decorated cars were—spookiest: Chuck and Angela Tuttle and runner-up the Jannerbo family; most creative: the Naegele family and runner-up Lucinda Millard; and best in show: Gary and Teri Gabor and runner-up the Van Thiel family.

Bethlehem Christian Families Mission thanked pastor Father Charlie Burton and parishioners for allowing them to revisit St. Jude on Oct. 16-17. Parishioners purchased olive wood carvings totaling $14,813 for the ministry.

NANCY POWELL (3)

Chattanooga Deanery

St. Stephen parishioners take part in rosary rally More than 50 parishioners from St. Stephen in Chattanooga gathered around the parish’s Garden for Mary to pray during a rosary rally Oct. 16. Father Manuel Pérez, Deacon Gary Brinkworth, Deacon David Waguespack as well as several parishioners led the rally. Parishioners of all ages participated in the rally, including (below, from left) Daniel Loizeaux, Luz Helena Loizeaux, and Mary Hess. Knights of Columbus (bottom photo, from left) Steve Horten, Chris Humkey, and John Chenkus from Fourth Degree Assembly 3250 stood guard during the rally.

St. John Neumann will offer divorce support beginning in January through Divorce & Beyond, a support group for Catholic men and women who have experienced or are experiencing divorce. Meetings will be held beginning from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.

Cost for supplies is $15. To learn more or register, contact facilitator Mary Coffey at 865-966-3237 or mccoffey86​ @gmail.com.

Members of St. Jude in Helenwood will be picking up gifts at St. John Neumann on Monday, Dec. 13, for children in need in Appalachia, as part of an annual collection at SJN. Gifts for children and expectant mothers may be left in the narthex under the Christmas trees through Dec. 12. Call the parish office at 865-966-4540 for more information on gifts needed for the drive.

The parish invited every family to engage in a consecration to the Holy Family in early December.

St. Mary, Athens The angel tree for school-aged children was available Nov. 27-28.

October basket winners were Bernie Riggin, who received the Gourmet Delight Basket, and Sue Granger, who won the Themed Gift Basket.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga The parish angel tree started Nov. 20 and was scheduled to conclude Dec. 13. St. Stephen thanked those who “supported all of our angels in our parish by keeping their spirits up during this holy season.”

In a “Sock It to Me” drive, the religious shop collected 1,906 pairs of socks for the Community Kitchen to distribute.

Anniversaries: James and Marjorie Goller (56), Thomas and Eileen Witt (54), Terry and Kitty Roberts (52)

Cumberland Mountain Deanery

A celebration of the end of Ordinary Time with Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat” was held Nov. 27 at the church featuring cellist Carlene Soderberg.

Because of 491 donations made by the St. John Neumann Parish family in the third quarter, the parish St. Vincent de Paul Conference received Knox Area Rescue Ministries gift cards worth $1,380.

The Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge state championship was held Nov. 7 at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Murfreesboro. St. John Neumann parishioners Mary, Mikey, and Madie Pagel won their age divisions. Mary won the 13-year-old girls championship while Mikey triumphed among 11-yearold boys and Madie among 10-yearold girls. In the parish-level Soccer Challenge sponsored by Knights Council 8781 during the SJN fall festival Sept. 19, Mary Pagel, Mikey Pagel, John Toliver (age 10 boys), Megan Frana (age 10 girls), and Graham Barnett (age 9 boys) were the winners.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman

Five Rivers Deanery

Frank Knies sold “Keep Christ in Christmas” cards in November.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade On Oct. 31, pastor Father Michael Woods celebrated Mass and also performed the sacraments of marriage and baptism. Amanda Bullen entered into the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday, and she and her husband, Thomas, co-validated their marriage with blessings officiated by Father Woods at the 10 a.m. Mass on Oct. 31. Their young daughters, Magdalene and Penelope, along with their infant brother, Ernest, were baptized.

The St. Francis gift shop is taking orders for Advent wreaths, candles, and more and has other items for Christmas shopping.

Mary Hall-King of Stephen Ministries held an afternoon grief-sharing program Nov. 12 with a video, discussion, and free “survival guide” to those in their mourning.

The Council of Catholic Women thanked everyone who brought gifts B4 n DECEMBER 5, 2021

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City The annual Council of Catholic Women Christmas party is set for 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 13, a catered event in the parish life center.

Parishioners took part in the Appalachian Outreach Coats for the Cold drive in November as well as the Christmas in Jefferson County effort sponsored by the county Chamber of Commerce.

A St. Nicholas party for children took place Dec. 5.

The Knights of Columbus’ annual “Keep Christ in Christmas” Christmas card sale began on the weekend of Oct. 24.

MARY LAMPUGNANO

The parish sponsored an angel tree in November and December.

Notre Dame, Greeneville The parish is hosting an Advent retreat led by Sister Peter Miriam Dolan, RSM, diocesan director of Christian Formation, on Saturday, Dec. 18. Mass opens the retreat at 8:30 a.m. Two 45-minute talks will follow with a coffee break. A holy hour starts at 11:15 a.m. with confession offered. BenedicParish notes continued on page B8

Father Woods blesses Thanksgiving basket, loaves of bread In anticipation of the distribution of 100 Thanksgiving baskets being donated to Peavine Care Center by St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade on behalf of the poor, pastor Father Michael Woods extends his blessing to the generous outreach. At a later ceremony, Father Woods blessed 100 loaves of bread to be included in the baskets.

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

Calendar

Search for Christian Maturity retreat No. 164 in the Chattanooga Deanery is set for the weekend of Feb. 25-27 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. The weekend begins between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and concludes at 5 p.m. Sunday. Search helps Catholic high school juniors and seniors take a fresh look at their own faith journey, reflecting on their place within their families, schools, parishes, and community as a disciple of Christ.

This is accomplished through activities and experiences that lead participants to a renewed understanding of Christ at work in their lives. Search is facilitated by teens for teens with the guidance of adult Search coordinators. The main focus of the retreat is threefold: motivating the youth to seek a personal relationship with Christ, getting young people involved with their respective parishes, and promoting leadership. Cost is $85, and the registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 14.

To learn more, contact Donna Jones at djones@dioknox.org or (to register) visit dioknox.org/events/search-164.

Search 165 is April 22-24.

Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga is currently accepting applications for the 2022-23 academic year. Visit www.myndhs.com to apply online. Call Laura Goodhard at 423624-4618, extension 1004, for more information.

The tuition support application for the 2022-23 school year is now open on the websites of St. Jude School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. The deadline for applying for support is Dec. 31. Each family that applies must also submit a Parish Affiliation Form signed by their pastor. For more information, contact Mary Anne Poinsatte, tuition support coordinator, at 423-240-5756 or poinsattema@ myndhs.com.

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

Catholic Charities is hosting a Rachel’s Vineyard healing and recovery retreat the weekend of May 6-8 at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center, 250 Locke Lane in Benton, for those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties from a past abortion or abortions. Complete confidentiality is honored at all times. If you are unable to attend a weekend retreat, oneon-one counseling is available with counselors who have been trained in this area. For more information, contact Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ccetn.org. All COVID-19 restrictions will be followed during the retreat.

COURTESY OF FATHER PETER IORIO

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Homeschool Support Group is a Catholic homeschool support group in Knoxville and surrounding areas that is recognized by the diocese as a Private Association of the Faithful. The group supports one another as families who choose to educate their children at home in order to live, teach, and preserve their Catholic Christianity. The group celebrates Mass together and has a monthly holy hour; has regular park gatherings, field trips, and feast day celebrations; offers faith-based small groups for children, teens, and adults, as well as many other activities. For more information, contact Lenore Pacitti at lmgouge@ gmail.com or 865-684-6358, or Sarah Bryant at jsbry412@gmail.com or 865-742-3534.

Bishop Mulvey speaks at diocesan priests retreat Bishop Michael Mulvey (right) of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, spoke at the Diocese of Knoxville priests retreat Oct. 25-28. Bishop Mulvey is joined by Bishop Richard F. Stika.

The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is set for Feb. 25-27 in Johns Creek, Ga. Apply online at GATN-wwme.org, call 678242-WWME, or e-mail applications@ GATN-wwme.org. Also, WWME has a focused program for couples with a spouse in the military. Information can be found at www.foryourmilitarymarriage.com.

COURTESY OF FATHER PETER IORIO

The next Picture of Love engagedcouples retreat is scheduled for 6:45 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation program for engaged couples explores the joys and challenges of living out life together as a married couple with special focus on the importance of inviting Jesus to be the center of marriage and family life. The retreat is to supplement couples’ marriage formation process with their parish priest or deacon.

The cost is $135 per couple, and the experience will qualify couples for a $60 discount on a Tennessee marriage license. Snacks, a continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Participants are responsible for their own overnight accommodations if needed. For more information, e-mail kbyrne@dioknox.org or call Karen Byrne at 865-584-3307 or visit https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/picture-of-loveprogram-for-engaged-couples-registration-177346356727.

The RCIA Winter Conference for coordinators and team members is set for 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

For more information, visit dioknox. org/events/rcia-winter-conference or see the story on page A2.

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

Pilgrims will have the opportunity to be present at the Wednesday papal audience in St. Peter’s Square and visit St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Holy Stairs, Gesu church, where they will see the relics of St. Francis Xavier, to name just a few of the many sites they will visit in Rome.

The travelers will go on to Assisi, with a stop along the way to visit the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena. They will stay two nights in Assisi, where they will have the opportunity to visit the tomb of St. Francis, the Basilica of St. Clare, and the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church. The pilgrims will go on to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St. Padre Pio, and visit Manopello, the old Capuchin Monastery. The pilgrimage includes Monte Sant’Angelo and Capri. For a more detailed itinerary and registration information, contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@ select-intl.com.

Alcoa parish celebrates Father Hernandez Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa recently put on a celebration of ordination for Father Alexander Hernandez (back row, in hat) since they were unable to do so at the time of his ordination Aug. 29, 2020, because of the pandemic. Father Hernandez, now an associate pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville, grew up in Our Lady of Fatima Parish. His father, Juan, is the OLOF director of Hispanic ministry.

Father Arthur Torres of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga, Father Miguel Vélez of St. Patrick in Morristown, and Father Fredy Bonilla of Shepherd of the Valley in Central Point, Ore., are leading an 11-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land from July 4-14. Cost from Atlanta is $3,790 per person. For more information, call 832-406-7050 or e-mail info@nativitypilgrimage.com.

S

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at noon each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; every Sunday at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Athens; at 2 p.m. each Sunday at St. Mary Church in Johnson City; at 6 p.m. most Thursdays at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge; and at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in ChatCalendar continued on page B8

COURTESY OF SHERRY BLACK

The youth ministry at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga welcomes all young people in grades five through eight to participate in “Underground Christmas” from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. Mass begins at 9:30 p.m. This popular and fun-filled night fosters a greater compassion for disciples of Jesus facing persecution and an appreciation for the freedom Americans have to worship. The event concludes with Mass in an “underground” fashion. Parents and family are welcome to attend Mass. Going underground, small groups of believers studied Scripture, sang hymns, and received sacraments. This still happens today in many countries. There are hundreds of unofficial “home churches” in countries like China, Pakistan, and Iraq. Attendees run the constant risk of harassment, detention, or even death by the authorities. Underground Christmas attempts to bring these difficulties into focus by re-enacting these conditions around the St. Jude campus. Cost is $25 and includes a Tshirt. Late registrants will be accepted until the event reaches its limit, but they may not receive a T-shirt. Contact Irene Scoggins at 423-596-0053 or irenescoggins@gmail.com. Register or learn more at dioknox.org/events/ underground-christmas-2021.

St. Mary-Athens hosts Legion of Mary retreat The third annual Legion of Mary retreat was hosted by Father John Orr, curia spiritual adviser, on Oct. 16 at St. Mary Church in Athens. The retreat focused on the lives of the legion’s founder, Frank Duff, and early envoy members Alfie Lamb and Edel Quinn. The group also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Legion of Mary. Participants welcomed praesidia members from Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, Seymour, and Knoxville.

Glade’s Hughes couple marks 50th t. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade congratulated John and Ruth Hughes on their 50th wedding anniversary Nov. 13.

They were married at St. Joseph Church in Kalamazoo, Mich. Their daughters are Samantha BamptonClare of Stevenage, UK, and Sarah

Barker of Louisville, Ky.; and they have two grandchildren.

Mr. Hughes retired from Maple Valley Schools in Vermontville, Mich., and Mrs. Hughes from State Farm Insurance. They moved to the Glade in 2014. An anniversary celebration was planned on Nov. 13. n

Englishes celebrate 50th anniversary

M

ichael and Victoria English of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 30.

They were married at St. Matthew Church in Glendale Heights, Ill., with the Rev. Theodore Weitzel officiating. Their daughters are Laura

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English of Woodridge, Ill., and Kelli Glah of Batavia, Ill., and they have three grandchildren.

Mr. English retired as a private HVAC contractor and Mrs. English from the Gonnella Baking Co., and they moved to the Glade in 2016. An anniversary celebration is planned with family and friends. n DECEMBER 5, 2021 n B5

heresies about the Catholic Church. . . . So I wanted to know whether it’s true or not, so I started to learn it,” he said. “I found out it was all a big lie, what they were teaching in the schools for us in Russia about Catholics.”

A key influencer in Father Iurochkin’s life was Maryknoll missionary Father Joseph McCabe, an American priest who was working in Father Iurochkin’s hometown of Khabarovsk, Russia, and built a church there. Father McCabe spoke Russian well and taught the Catholic faith to Father Iurochkin.

“I came there and knew nothing about the Catholic Church, but I loved a lot of music, I loved the choir, so I joined a choir,” he said.

“I wasn’t Catholic yet. So, I started singing in a choir, and maybe six months later I decided to be baptized.”

At age 14, he was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church.

While that is a significant day for every Christian, something special happened to Father Iurochkin at his baptism.

“I already felt a vocation to the priesthood in the moment when I was baptized, so that’s a pretty cool, unique experience,” he said.

“So four years later I entered the seminary.”

After being sent to Tajikistan for a year of pre-seminary discernment, Father Iurochkin studied at the Cardinal Barbarigo Seminary in Italy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

He was sent to Ukraine for one year to serve as an assistant in the minor seminary, and during this time was the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“I was compelled to learn Ukrainian because they didn’t like Russians,” Father Iurochkin said. “I think one time, one guy insulted me . . . but I spoke in Russian and he started to say bad words.”

“So many different experiences, I mean it’s just incredible; you meet so many people, I mean you’re passing through this unique experience for the Ukrainian War,” he said.

“Scary about the war in Ukraine, it really did shape my personality, I think.”

Following his time in Ukraine, Father Iurochkin returned to Italy and began his theology studies.

Also during his seminary years, he was sent to Argentina for Spanish classes and to the Philippines to study Mandarin and English. It was the hope of his general superior that he would become a missionary priest to China.

“I went to the University of Taipei; several times I went to Taiwan,” Father Iurochkin said. “I already knew like 2,000, maybe, characters to write them and to speak. I knew how to almost say the whole Mass in Chinese, so I was pretty advanced already.”

Father Iurochkin was ordained to the priesthood on March 25, 2019, at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian in the Philippines.

COURTESY OF THE BASILICA OF STS. PETER AND PAUL

Father Iurochkin continued from page B1

Father Iurochkin at the keyboard Father Valentin Iurochkin (left) stands at the ready as Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul rector Father David Carter introduces him before one of his piano recitals. “[It] was difficult sometimes in the seminary, but I was really glad that I survived,” he laughed.

“I made it, and thanks be to God . . . thanks to the support of the priest from Maryknoll who was coming to the Philippines, he was also working in Hong Kong, but he came several times to visit me,” Father Iurochkin said. “He came straight to the seminary, and he encouraged me to continue, so that was really something beautiful.”

Unfortunately, religious persecutions in China worsened, and the Catholic Church went underground, putting an end to Father Iurochkin’s missionary training to serve there.

Instead, he began his priestly ministry back in Tajikistan.

Months later, Father Iurochkin was traveling to the United States on summer vacation and received an invitation from Father Jesús Guerrero to visit the Diocese of Knoxville.

It was years earlier, shortly after his baptism, that Father Iurochkin met and befriended Father Guerrero, a priest of the diocese who was abroad studying the Russian language.

This connection proved to be life-changing when Father Iurochkin came to Knoxville and met Bishop Richard F. Stika and attended the Convocation of Priests in Chattanooga.

“I’d never had an experience of diocesan life before,” Father Iurochkin said. “First of all, the bishop, Bishop Richard, he received me so nicely—for the guy who was just ordained, he just accepted me.”

Upon returning to Italy, Father Iurochkin petitioned to serve in the Diocese of Knoxville, which Pope Francis approved by the end of the summer. He arrived in Knoxville at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with his visa in No-

vember 2019. “[Bishop Stika] knew that my family was here [in the States], so that also maybe opened the door for him to let me join the diocese, but besides all of that, just was very kind, like a father, so that’s helped me a lot,” Father Iurochkin explained.

Before beginning his ministry, however, Father Iurochkin’s first order of business was to obtain a driver’s license.

“Bishop told me you have to get your license, because I didn’t know how to drive,” Father Iurochkin said.

“It was so funny because when I was there, Bishop Stika himself, he came several times to me, he told me, ‘Well, would you like me to drive with you?’ And I told him no, no, please don’t do a thing about that . . . It was so funny,” he said laughing.

After successfully passing his driver’s exam, Father Iurochkin arrived for his assignment at the basilica in Chattanooga on Dec. 30, 2019.

“When I got just here, it was difficult a little bit, because . . . the parish is working already, right. So just coming to a new place you have to get used to it,” he said. “I am not the extrovert guy . . . it’s helping me a lot to know the people and know that I have to do it, and I’m getting used to it more and more, and it’s getting easier and easier.”

In his ministry at the basilica, Father Iurochkin wears many hats.

He celebrates the Mass in English, Latin, and Spanish and assists the Spanish community with several liturgies. He also is the chaplain of the Newman Center on the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga campus and, most recently, of the apostolate Courage.

“The people, parishioners are really very nice to me. They also un-

derstand, you know, when you’re a young priest sometimes you make mistakes,” Father Iurochkin said.

“It’s also helping me to try to imitate [Father David Carter] and to learn. Absolutely, he’s a mentor.”

Father Iurochkin’s passion for learning has him hoping to pursue another degree in the future, whether that be law, theology, or a new language.

“I love it. I’m glad if I’ll be able to place my strength, my abilities for the service of the people, so if Bishop decides that . . . I have to go to learn, for example, something so that I may be more dedicated to serve people of God, I’ll be happy to do it,” he said.

His other main passion and hobby is playing classical music on the piano, which he began to play at the age of 14 after joining the church choir in Russia.

“It’s charging me, you know, giving me energy, and I just love it,” Father Iurochkin said. “I want to express what I feel . . . so this is kind of helping me to my faith, absolutely.”

Father Iurochkin has already given three piano recitals at the basilica and has prepared for a fourth recital, which he is to perform Dec. 11 at the basilica.

“It’s bringing . . . not only me closer to God through the music I’m playing but also other people, and I hope that will be helpful also to their faith,” he said. “Music is one of the transcendentals, you know, which is something that is touching God himself.”

“I see it as a way to interact with the people, to let them know that it is not only Mass or prayer, it’s also entertainment,” he continued. “I’d like to give that talent I have at the service of the community.”

For information on the upcoming recital, view the event calendar on the basilica’s website at www. stspeterandpaulbasilica.com. n

magazine, or coloring book.

Families also receive a food basket at Easter, which contains items for an Easter dinner, as well as cleaning supplies and household goods.

Back-to-school backpacks are stuffed with a variety of snacks and school supplies to start the year off on the right foot.

“I always say that everyone at our parish is a part of Corporal Works of Mercy,” Mrs. Wessell said. “Everybody is a part of Corporal Works of Mercy because that is what we are called to do as Christians, you know, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and this is a way that we actually do that.”

“I hope that people see that this is an opportunity to literally live the call that Jesus gave us,” Mrs. Wessell said.

The three donation programs for Crazy Quilt are the main focus of giving for the CWOM ministry, but St. Albert the Great has a history of donating to other organizations as well.

The Pregnancy Help Center B6 n DECEMBER 5, 2021

adjacent to Crazy Quilt has received many donations from the parish over the years, and so has Samaritan Place, Horizon House, and local hospitals. Overflow of Christmas donations would often go to St. Joseph School in Knoxville and St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish in Maynardville.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: our parish is awesome,” Ms. Noel said. “They are always more than willing to go above and beyond to give… St. Albert the Great is a smaller parish, but we give in the same realm as some of the bigger parishes.”

“I would say we’re the volunteer parish in the sense of… we are not in the part of town that would normally be seen as the more economically wealthy part of town,” Father Michelson said. “But everybody gives, and truly we’ve emphasized that time and talent are just as important as the money.”

“We’re just going out and taking care of who needs our help,” Mrs. Eiffe said. “To me, it’s a great bless-

COURTESY OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PARISH

CWOM ministry continued from page B2

Back to school The Corporal Works of Mercy Committee at St. Albert the Great Parish also collects backpacks and other school supplies for needy children in Appalachia. Backpacks are stuffed with a variety of snacks and school supplies to start the year off on the right foot. Families in Appalachia also receive a food basket at Easter, which contains items for an Easter dinner, as well as cleaning supplies and household goods. ing just to be able to do that and to be able to see the families, how much it means to them, who we

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serve, and also the families in our parish who also get to help with the project.” n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Catholic schools

Michael Hutchens retiring from KCHS basketball

K

noxville Catholic High School boys basketball head coach Michael Hutchens, who has led the Fighting Irish to their highest heights and just achieved his 600th career win, is retiring at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Mr. Hutchens will remain a faculty member and assistant athletic director at the school.

Mr. Hutchens announced, through the school, his decision to retire from coaching at KCHS on Oct. 28. He met with his players after school that same day to tell them of his decision.

This season will mark Mr. Hutchens’ 33rd with the Fighting Irish, having led the team since 1989. His 600th win came Nov. 23 at Cookeville as the Fighting Irish trounced the hosts 73-46. KCHS defeated Notre Dame 72-50 in Chattanooga on Nov. 26. Mr. Hutchens’ wonlost record is now 601-268.

“Forty years is a lot of anything, and this will be my 40th overall, 33 at Catholic as head coach, seven as an assistant in Knox County,” Mr. Hutchens said of his decision to retire. “I was an assistant for five years at Karns and two years at South-Young.”

Knoxville Catholic won its firstever state boys basketball title in 2020 under Mr. Hutchens’ leadership and was a state semifinalist last season. The Fighting Irish fin-

ished as state runners-up in 2017, a tournament highlighted by a gamewinning 3-pointer against Whites Creek in the semifinals, and also made the state tourney in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

“Obviously, winning the state championship in 2020 was unbelievable,” Mr. Hutchens said.

“Then our 2017 team, when Luke Smith, our point guard, hit a 40-footer on the buzzer to put us in the state championship. Then all of our state-tournament teams—it’s just a lot of memories.”

That quest for a state title took many years.

“Well, you never know. We came close in 2017, and we had a couple other losses in the state tournament on the buzzer with teams I felt like had a chance,” Mr. Hutchens said.

“It’s not something that’s easy to do.”

Mr. Hutchens’ numerous accolades in his coaching career include his being named conference coach of the year nine times, the 2002 Knoxville News Sentinel East Tennessee Class A coach of the year, the 2017 PrepXtra Knoxville Interscholastic League coach of the year, the 2020 PrepXtra coach of the year, the 2020 Sports Awards basketball coach of the year, and the 2020 5Star Preps boys basketball coach of the year.

He boasts several college signees, including Akeem Odusipe

Cheers of his team Head coach Michael Hutchens walks out to accept the championship trophy after the 2020 state finals as his team applauds behind him.

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS (3)

The Fighting Irish head coach is entering his 33rd season with Knoxville Catholic, achieves 600th win

Leading the team to a title Knoxville Catholic head coach Michael Hutchens (center) accepts the state championship trophy and the game ball after the Fighting Irish’s win over Briarcrest in the 2020 finals.

(Vanderbilt/Kent State), Handje Tamba (Tennessee), BJ Edwards (Tennessee), Luke Smith (Sewanee/ Belmont), Brock Jancek (Tennessee), and Matt Parton (Transylvania).

The Fighting Irish have a strong outlook for their final season under Mr. Hutchens.

“We looked really good in preseason,” he said. “Our young posts are coming along. We’ve got four of our five starters back from last year. I think it’s big that we’ll get to play in all of our big out-of-town tournaments this year, which all got canceled last year. I felt like that kind of slowed us up. We need to get challenged, and with our schedule it’s going to be a nice

challenge.”

Mr. Hutchens talked about why KCHS is a nice place to work.

“Just the whole atmosphere,” he said. “My son (Michael), he went there and played football and basketball for us. It’s just a great community, the faith community that we have there, it’s just a wonderful place. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Mr. Smith, the 2017 state-semifinal hero for the Fighting Irish, will succeed Mr. Hutchens as head coach.

“I love it. He was a great player for us, and I couldn’t be any happier,” Mr. Hutchens said of the hire. “It’s like having my nephew take the job.” n

Coach in action Mr. Hutchens watches at background-right as a shot goes up in the 2020 state finals, in which the Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish toppled Briarcrest for the title.

Luke Smith taking over as KCHS basketball coach

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noxville Catholic High School announced Nov. 4 that former player Luke Smith will be the next head basketball coach of the Fighting Irish following the retirement of Coach Michael Hutchens at the conclusion of the 2021-22 basketball season.

Mr. Smith is a 2017 graduate of Knoxville Catholic and played under Coach Hutchens from 2014-17, when he was a TSSAA 2017 Mr. Basketball Finalist, a member of the 2017 All-State Team, and the captain of the Fighting Irish 2017 state runnerup team.

Mr. Smith signed with Sewanee: The University of the South, where he led the Tigers to become the 2019 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament champions and advanced the team to the NCAA Tournament

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for the first time since 1998. He was also the 2019 SAA Tournament MVP. His success at Sewanee led Mr. Smith to Belmont University, where he was named to the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team, was an Academic All-American, and was honored as the 2021 DC Paradise Jam MVP. In his upcoming 2021-22 final season at Belmont, Mr. Smith has been named team captain of the Bruins. He also serves as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player Development Coalition, a diverse collection of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes that provides valuable perspective and feedback on college basketball issues.

“We are thrilled to welcome Luke Smith as the next head

COURTESY OF GREG SAGE/BELMONT UNIVERSITY (2)

The former Fighting Irish standout and Mr. Basketball finalist will succeed Michael Hutchens at the helm

Future coach Belmont University guard Luke Smith dribbles the ball during a Bruins game. coach of men’s basketball at Knoxville Catholic,” said KCHS president Dickie Sompayrac. “Luke is not just committed to Catholic’s passion for excellence in athletics and academics, he has lived it.

“He has been a student-athlete, a team captain, and champion. Luke is prepared and committed to drive the continued tradition of our basketball program.”

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Mr. Smith will take over the reins of the Fighting Irish men’s basketball program following Mr. Hutchens’ retirement from the game.

“I feel extremely honored and fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Coach Hutchens and the incredible foundation that’s been laid,” Mr. Smith said. “I appreciate all the confidence Knoxville Catholic has in me, and I will be ready to get to work when the time comes.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to work with the players, students, and community at Knoxville Catholic,” Mr. Smith added. n DECEMBER 5, 2021 n B7

Cardinal Rigali dedicates veterans memorial His Eminence blesses the monument outside the cathedral following the annual Green Mass

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS (2)

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ardinal Justin Rigali dedicated a monument to veterans outside the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Nov. 7 following the annual Veterans Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika.

The Veterans Mass, also known as the Green Mass, is held near Veterans Day each year and “invites us to remember not only those who have served in our country’s Armed Forces but also those currently serving, especially those in harm’s way,” Bishop Stika wrote in his Mass program message to those attending the liturgy.

“We particularly pray for those still suffering the effects of their sacrifices—those with disabilities from wounds seen and unseen.

And we also honor in a special way all our priests who have served or are serving as chaplains in the Armed Forces.

“Veterans Day should be a time for all of us to reflect upon the very nature and meaning of sacrifice. It is a time for asking God to bless all our servicemen and women with the strength they need to serve selflessly and courageously. May their example of service and sacrifice inspire us to also be selfless gifts with our time, talents, and resources to others. For we are all called to serve as soldiers—soldiers of Christ—on the battlefield of faith and to be the face, the hands, and the heart of Jesus to others. For this reason is the Church here on earth referred to as the Church Militant,” the bishop’s message continued.

“Given this reality, we can better appreciate why the word ‘battle’ is used 35 times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church to describe the struggles we all face in living out our faith in the daily struggle between good and evil, light, and darkness.

Life is ‘a hard battle,’ a battle of

‘They gave themselves’ Cardinal Justin Rigali blesses the veterans memorial outside the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as Bishop Richard F. Stika watches. Assisting His Eminence are Deacon Walt Otey (left) and cathedral rector Father David Boettner (right). A Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus honor guard stands at attention. faith, of prayer, and purity. We are all called to be saints, and this is why St. Paul calls us to be ‘good soldiers of Jesus Christ’ [2 Timothy 2:3].

He reminds us that ‘our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.’ But we must ‘put on the armor of God’ [Ephesians 6:12-13] if we are to be His instruments of mercy, love, and victory,” the bishop’s message concluded.

Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Assembly 1083 donated the veterans memorial, which is at the base of the flagpole outside the cathedral front doors.

“Heavenly Father, we are gathered now in this place, a place we set aside to honor the men and women of our armed services, men and women who, in giving of themselves, have endured separation from family and friends; have given of their time and skills; have placed freedom for others over their own safety,” Cardinal Rigali said in his prayer of dedication for the memorial. “In the performance of duty, some have paid the price of loss of bodily members; some

have given their all, even their very lives to the call to service. To all of these brave individuals we owe gratitude, deep gratitude.

“Today, in their honor, we now dedicate and bless this monument, crafted with love by human hands, as a tribute to all who have answered the call to duty as members of our military forces today and in days gone by. May we never fail to be grateful for those whose actions are too often left unappreciated.

May this monument be a reminder of the sacrifices that have been made, and will be made, to make this world a better place. May it be a strong reminder that testifies to the love and respect that we owe our brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. And may we all be enriched and sustained, Lord God, by your blessings. Amen.”

In his homily at the Veterans Mass, Bishop Stika spoke of the day’s Gospel reading, which contained the lesson of the widow’s mite.

“So many didn’t come home.

That’s why we have Memorial Day, to remember the dead of wars and battles, popular or unpopular,” the bishop said. “On Veterans Day, we honor all those men and women,

especially in these last years, who volunteered to serve. It’s almost like the widow’s mite—they gave themselves for service of country, maybe also for education, whatever it might be, they were willing.

“In World War II, Korea, Vietnam—veterans. They didn’t only give something that was excess; they gave themselves, like the widow’s mite.”

Veterans have often been forgotten, unless one had a relative or friend in war, by society at large, the bishop noted.

“We went about our business, and yet a few thousand died,” he said.

After Mass, cathedral rector Father David Boettner asked veterans to stand, and the dozen or so who stood were given a long round of applause.

Another ovation followed the bishop’s next words.

“In a special way, I have to say hi to my brother Bob in St. Louis,” Bishop Stika said. “Bob is a veteran of Vietnam. He was wounded. He still bears the scars and shrapnel in his back and the loss of hearing in his ear. He donated the American flagpole outside. Bob, thank you.” n

in Johnson City and a Coats for Kids drive.

Brown, Jack Crawford, Marilyn Reda, Diane Lanzarott, Patricia O’Hagan, Michele Wedekind, Brenda Walles, Doris Narro, Tommy Wade, Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, and Wes Sheedy.

the Knoxville Haiti Outreach Program took place Nov. 12 in the cathedral hall. The keynote speaker was Dr. Jerry Punch, and master of ceremonies was Frank Murphy.

The Knights of Columbus’ annual Children’s Hospital Toy Drive was set for Dec. 5 and 12. For more information on dropping off gifts at IC, contact Phil Flanagan at 865-679-2465 or utkncr@ utk.edu.

St. John XXIII, Knoxville

Parish notes continued from page B4 tion will close the retreat at 12:15 p.m.

A fundraiser for Notre Dame’s sister parish of Immaculate Conception in Jeremine, Haiti, was set for Friday, Dec. 10.

Anniversary: Jose Zaxarias-Paz and Santana Romero (15)

Smoky Mountain Deanery Children heard the St. Nicholas story on Dec. 5 during religious-education time.

The Knights of Columbus sponsored their annual “Fatz Pancake Breakfast” fundraiser Dec. 4.

For the Ganz House facelift, the parish thanked Charlie Cronan and Jim Williams for replacing lights in the center and Danny Collins and brother Robert for building shelving that will hold many tubs of decorations for vacation Bible school, Halloween, etc. Notre Dame also thanked volunteers who painted and cleaned at the center Oct. 23 under the direction of Sister Angelica López Rodriguez, MAG, and Lorenzo Munoz, Hispanic representative to the parish council.

Anniversaries: Doug and Mary McConnell (62), Randall and Shirley Mashburn (51), Clayton and Missy Meyer (50) St. Patrick, Morristown The parish recently welcomed Deacon Frank Bosh to the St. Patrick family.

The Knights of Columbus thanked all those who made their Big Boys Garage and Yard Sale on Nov. 5 a success.

The Knights conducted their annual winter coat and clothing drive to benefit the Mountain Home Veterans Home B8 n DECEMBER 5, 2021

Holy Ghost, Knoxville The parish is scheduled to hold a Christmas Market for crafters and artisans from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, in the St. Joseph School gymnasium. To participate, contact Christine Blair at 865-356-2017 or christine.h.blair@gmail.com.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville Parishioners Rosilyn and Phil Flanagan won a Spirit of Hecker Award from the Paulist Fathers.

“The Biblical Roots of Advent,” the last in IC’s fall Bible study series, began at the end of November.

The parish collected items to be placed in a “Bag of Blessings” for the homeless in Knoxville. Items included adult socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and water and snacks.

Sacred Heart, Knoxville

As of mid-November, IC had raised $586,221 toward its goal of $664,000 in the Paulist Fathers’ Hope for the Future campaign. The goal was to achieve 30 percent participation from the parish, but IC has secured gifts from at least 45.4 percent of its households.

After 14 years of service to IC, facilities and systems maintenance director Ed Stokes announced that he is retiring Dec. 31. Anyone interested in the position should call the parish office at 865-522-1508.

The women’s group thanked all who made its craft fair a success. Winners of gift baskets were Rebecca Rosadas, Patricia Forde, Beth Wolf, Doris Narrow, Barb Sirknen, Amanda Peavyhouse, T.

Knights of Columbus Council 5207 sponsored the 15th annual Wine & Cheese Social Nov. 21 in the cathedral hall.

The Knights collected for their annual Coats and Toys for Kids Drive after Masses on Nov. 13-14 and Nov. 20-21.

A “Starry Starry Night” fundraiser for

Parishioner Nancy Brennan Strange received a 2021 Paulist Fathers Spirit of Hecker Award. A professional musician who has played far and wide around Knoxville, Ms. Brennan Strange has played and led the music for countless weddings, funerals, and special liturgies at St. John XXIII. St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville Parishioners have been invited to take part in a lottery to raise funds for the Good Shepherd Center in Madisonville.

The center serves more than 1,000 people each month with an average of 30,000 pounds of food. Lottery tickets are $50 each with 600 to be sold. First prize is $5,000, second $3,000, and third $1,500. Buy tickets from Margaret Cummings (423-884-3882), Bill Marquardt (884-7227), or Jodi Swiderek (420-6609).

A ministries/commitment weekend was held after Masses on Nov. 6-7 to show parishioners the many ways they can serve the parish. n

Calendar continued from page B5 tanooga. For more information, visit www.KnoxLatinMass.net.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Mission located at 2304 Ault Road, Knoxville, TN 37914,

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meets for Divine Liturgy every first, second, and fourth Sunday at 3 p.m.

All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-621-8499 or visit www.facebook.com/SaintThomasKnoxville/ for more information. n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Parish and community news

Victor Williams invested into the Order of the Fleur de Lis in Chattanooga

COURTESY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF EAST TENNESSEE

Annual White Mass includes a baptism The annual White Mass, which honors members of the medical professions, on Oct. 17 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, included a baptism. Above, cathedral rector Father David Boettner (second from left) baptizes Liam Stone as his mother, Liz Stone, holds him. With them are Liam’s father, Drew Stone, and godmother Megan Fisher. Deacon Walt Otey assists at left. Mrs. Stone is a physicians assistant, and Ms. Fisher is a nurse at University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Readers at the Mass were Dr. Austin Hamm and Dr. Lisa Padgett.

Knoxville Pregnancy Help Center serves its 2,000th family Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Pregnancy Help Center in Knoxville on Nov. 4 celebrated serving its 2,000th family, since it started keeping a client count in March 2014, when Bessy came into the center with her young family for a pregnancy test and enrolled in the center’s Earn While You Learn program. CCETN staff members in the photo are Ernestine Meiners (left), Sandi Davidson (second from right), and Paul Ritter (right). Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Help Centers provide assistance and educational resources for families at five locations across East Tennessee.

promote the above; and memorializing and popularizing the memories and achievements of Catholic leaders in religion, the arts and sciences, philanthropy education, exploration and archeology, government and international relations, medicine and jurisprudence, and other established professions.

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

Other Knight Commanders in the Diocese of Knoxville include Cardinal Justin Rigali, Bishop Richard F. Stika, Father John Orr, Deacon Paul Nelson, Deacon Sean Smith, Raleigh E. Cooper III, Ronnie Holmes, Eric J. Pelton, C. Michael Horten, and Michael Wills. n

COURTESY OF MIKE HORTEN

GABRIELLE NOLAN

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n Sept. 19, Victor Williams of Chattanooga was invested into the Order of the Fleur de Lis in Chattanooga.

Commander Williams and his wife, Lady Elaine, are active members of St. Stephen Parish. Commander Williams is employed by Pomeroy, an information technology infrastructure company. Additionally, Commander Williams was the 2020 recipient of the Monsignor Joseph E. Susi Award of Honor from the Order of the Fleur de Lis. The Order of the Fleur de Lis is an organization of Catholic men incorporated under the laws of the state of Louisiana as a not-for-profit organization. The order’s domain is a five-state region consisting of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

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

Cumberland Mountain Deanery CCW meets The Cumberland Mountain Deanery Council of Catholic Women held its fall general meeting Oct. 23, hosted by St. Therese Parish in Clinton. Theola Copeland, province director of Louisville, attended the meeting and spoke about National Council of Catholic Women membership. She reminded the women of how important it is to renew or become a first-time member and join with women across the country in leadership, spirituality, and service. NCCW works together to address current topics, such as new programs to serve the poor and vulnerable, leadership development, parliamentary procedures, and much more. From left in the top photo are Ms. Copeland; Karen Meiring, secretary; Donna Curry, president; Karen Marabella-Miller, vice president; Kathy Morin, leadership commission; and Kathleen Kelly, spirituality commission. Not pictured are Karen Schutte, treasurer, and Eddie Booth, legislative commission. The CMDCCW has nominated Jane Carter, past Knoxville Diocese Council of Catholic Women (KDCCW) president, for the NCCW’s “Our Lady of Good Counsel Award.” The election will be held at the NCCW Convention in Minneapolis in 2022. The CMDCCW also voted on its 2021-23 service projects: Crossroads Center of Hope, which offers long-term transitional housing for at-risk single mothers and their young children and emergency housing for abused mothers and children, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which helps children in need sleep better by building beds.

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COURTESY OF LISA MORRIS

COURTESY OF KAREN MARABELLA MILLER (2)

Knight Commander Victor Williams receives the Knight Commander Cross of the Order of the Fleur De Lis. From left are Commander Raleigh Cooper, Grand Chancellor Gerard Thomas, Commander Victor Williams, Lady Elaine Williams, Commander Deacon Paul Nelson, and Commander Mike Horten.

All those pictured are from Chattanooga, except Mr. Thomas, who resides in Covington, La. Commander Williams in 2020 also received the Monsignor Joseph Susi Award of Honor, presented to an individual who has excelled as a Catholic leader in any one of the following: religion, family values, youth, aging, politics, patriotism, the arts and sciences, education, philanthropy, public morality, management-labor, the media, or medicine and jurisprudence.

Father Pawelk leads pilgrimage to Mexico Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk, formerly pastor of St. Teresa of Kolkata in Maynardville and St. John Paul II Mission in Rutledge, led a pilgrimage to Mexico from Oct. 18-27. Pilgrims were scheduled to visit the shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sanctuario de Santo Toribio Romo, built for one of the 25 Mexican martyrs who was martyred during the persecution of the Church in the 1920s. They explored San Juan De Los Lagos, which is famous for its Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos, the mission churches established by St. Junipero Serra founded in the Sierra Gorda region of Mexico, and the Guanajuato statue of “Cristo Rey,” which is the world’s second largest statue of Christ the King. For more information on a pilgrimage to Italy, see the announcement on page B5 or contact Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 or lisam@select-intl.com.

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DECEMBER 5, 2021 n B9

Catholic schools

KCHS runner Keegan Smith wins state title The Fighting Irish team finishes fifth in the cross country championships, ‘as well as we possibly could’

By Dan McWilliams

MELISSA SMITH (3)

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noxville Catholic High School freshman Keegan Smith continued his outstanding running career by winning the Division II, Class AA state title in his first appearance in the championship meet Nov. 5 at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville.

Keegan, who recently set a national freshman record with his 5K time, won the state meet 5K in a time of 15 minutes, 29.09 seconds.

He finished 24.28 seconds in front of runner-up Luke Thompson of Brentwood Academy.

Keegan’s time was also the third fastest across all state competitions, including the Division I, Class A-AA meet, the Division I, Class AAA meet, and the Division II, Class A meet.

Teammate Spencer Stovall, a senior, placed 15th in the state meet in a time of 16:34.14 and earned an All-State medal alongside Keegan.

As a team, the KCHS boys placed fifth in the state.

“The guys had a great season, and we finished up by running about as well as we possibly could have to earn a fifth-place team finish at the state championships,” Knoxville Catholic cross country head coach Sean O’Neil said.

“Keegan had a fantastic race. He took control from the start, ran by himself the entire time, and really made a statement with his win.

It is impressive for a freshman to

‘The guys had a great season’ The Irish boys team scored three top-26 finishes at the state meet, including Keegan Smith’s state title. The Lady Irish recorded two top-35 finishes. crack the top 10 at the state meet, but winning is almost unheard of.

Keegan was the favorite coming in, and he handled that pressure well and lived up to all the hype.

Senior Spencer Stovall finished out his cross country career at Catholic by earning All-State honors with a hard-fought 15th-place finish.”

Freshman Tony Ortega finished in 26th place for the KCHS boys.

Evan Deichert, a junior, and Alonso

Top 15 Freshman Keegan Smith (left) and senior Spencer Stovall pose with their medals at the state cross country meet.

Vela, a sophomore, placed 44th and 46th, respectively. Freshman Gonzalo Vela finished 56th, and sophomore Dominic Spezia came in 84th place for the Fighting Irish.

For the KCHS girls team, freshman Eileen Loebner finished the state 5K in a time of 20:37.00, good for 23rd place. Teammate Elaina Daddabbo, a junior, placed 35th in a time of 21:27.30. Also placing for the Lady Irish was senior Tiffany Vo in 97th.

“The girls had a few unfortunate injuries and illnesses late in the season, but the ones we had race at the state meet ran well,” Mr. O’Neil said.

The KCHS teams are young and return several runners for next season.

“It’s been a great season for the Irish cross country teams . . . and with freshmen leading the way for both teams, the future looks bright,” Mr. O’Neil said. n

Coaches and state champ Keegan Smith stands with KCHS head coach Sean O’Neil and assistant coach Erin Chady.

Fighting Irish’s Edwards officially signs with UT

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J Edwards made it official Nov. 14 as the Knoxville Catholic High School standout point guard formally signed with the University of Tennessee basketball program.

The signing took place at B. Maze Elite AAU Basketball Club in Knoxville, a gym where BJ has trained over the years. Dozens of BJ’s family members and friends were on hand for the signing, and plenty of orange and white balloons made the new Vol feel at home.

“I’m very excited for today. A lot of my family are here today. I just thank them for coming out,” BJ said.

BJ is a 6-foot-3 four-star prospect in the class of 2022 who picked the Vols over Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. He announced July 1 that he would sign with the Vols.

Now heading into his senior season with the Fighting Irish, BJ won the Mr. Basketball Award for Division II, Class AA, as a junior in the 2020-21 season and led the Fighting Irish to the state semifinals. As a sophomore, BJ helped the Irish win their first-ever state championship.

As a junior, BJ averaged 19.9 points per game with a .522 fieldgoal percentage. He shot 74 percent from the free-throw line and recorded 7.04 rebounds, 5.08 asB10 n DECEMBER 5, 2021

sists, and 2.4 steals per game. He has scored more than 1,600 career points.

“The thing that really made me choose Tennessee was the coaching staff, I feel like, the way I fit into the system. It’s at home, so a lot of my friends and family can come [to games] as well,” BJ said. “My conversations [with Vol head coach Rick Barnes] were good, honest, nothing like sugarcoating or anything. He just told me I’m not going to start automatically. I’ve got to come in and work for my spot.”

Having family present for his signing was “very important,” BJ said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m blessed to have them in my life.”

With a career full of successes, BJ said the signing with Tennessee “is probably the biggest accomplishment in my life.”

KCHS has prepared him well for college, the senior pointed out.

“Catholic, as soon as I got there, they brought me in, it’s been family, they’ve done a lot for me and made me a better man today,” he said.

BJ talked about his goals for his senior season with the Fighting Irish.

“Individually, I feel like I can do everything,” he said. “I’m solid in everything but being more of

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

The KCHS senior makes good on his July 1 commitment before dozens of well-wishers

Among friends BJ Edwards entered and walked through two rows of friends and family at B. Maze Elite before he signed with the University of Tennessee. a leader to my teammates this year—I definitely need to work on my leadership and encourage my teammates and not bring them down.”

Earlier on his signing day, he went to the Vols’ basketball game against visiting East Tennessee State University and witnessed a 94-62 win by the home team.

“It was a good atmosphere. I like it a lot. They played good and won the game by 20 or 30. I wished I could have gotten out there and played,” BJ said.

BJ’s high school head coach, Michael Hutchens, is pleased that his senior point guard is signing with Tennessee.

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“It’s exciting. No. 1, he’s earned it, and he deserves it. I can’t wait to watch him over there. He’s going to do great things. It’s just exciting for all the work he’s put in, all the work late nights—it’s paying off for him,” Mr. Hutchens said.

For this season’s Fighting Irish, BJ “is going to provide the leadership and the experience that we need to reach our goal, which is obviously going to be the state finals,” Mr. Hutchens said.

As a point guard, BJ is a leader on the court, the KCHS head coach said.

“When we need something on the court, he’s there,” Mr. Hutchens added. n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Catholic schools

Notre Dame given $520,481.50 for endowment

COURTESY OF LAURA GOODHARD

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Generous gift The James A. and Naomi G. Burkart Endowment Fund will provide funds for tuition assistance at Notre Dame High School. From left are Kathy Martin, NDHS director of Advancement & Alumni Affairs; Tom and Marjorie Borchers; Tim, Mike, Robbie, Mary Clare, and Megan Monahan; Kyle Schmitt, NDHS president; Tim Monahan; Beth and Savannah Johnson; and Fos Goodwin.

For more information regarding life-income gifts such as charitable remainder trusts and gift annuities, contact Kyle Schmitt, president, at

schmittk@myndhs.com or Kathy Martin, director of Advancement & Alumni Affairs, at martink@ myndhs.com. n

COURTESY OF SISTER MARIA KOLBE, OP (3)

he hopes this gift will encourage others to remember Notre Dame High School in their planned giving.

BILL BREWER

n Oct 29, members of the Monahan, Johnson, Borchers, and Goodwin families gathered at the Notre Dame High School football game and presented a check to NDHS in the amount of $520,481.50.

The gift was donated on behalf of the James & Naomi Burkart Charitable Remainder Trust. The late Mr. and Mrs. Burkart were 1938 graduates of Notre Dame and had six children (Fos Goodwin ’63, Connie Burkart Leonard ’67, Jim ’69, Marjorie Burkart Borchers ’71, Susie Burkart Wesley ’79, and Bill ’81) attend the school. Currently three great-grandchildren attend NDHS. Mr. Burkart served as the first president of the Alumni Association and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Honor. He also was instrumental in fundraising efforts for the construction of the auditorium and stadium. Because Catholic education was vitally important to the Burkarts, an endowment has been created in their name. The James A. & Naomi G. Burkart Endowment Fund will provide funds for tuition assistance at Notre Dame.

“Notre Dame is deeply grateful to the Burkarts and members of their extended family for their wonderful generosity and support of the NDHS mission and for the impact it will have for future students at Notre Dame,” a school statement said. Mr. Goodwin said

Top honor Mary Donahue (left) and Taylor Breeden received the Stars & Stripes Award at St. John Neumann School in Farragut on Nov. 7. The girls are members of Troop TN0413.

Taylor Breeden, Mary Donahue earn the highest award in American Heritage Girls

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aylor Breeden and Mary Donahue, members of American Heritage Girls Troop TN0413 at St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, received the Stars & Stripes Award on Nov. 7 during a ceremony at St. John Neumann School.

The Stars & Stripes Award is the highest recognition available to an American Heritage Girl. The award teaches perseverance, self-respect, and a strong feeling of satisfaction. In addition to badge work, references, and personal reflection, Stars & Stripes Award candidates complete a substantial service project, which they plan, lead, and implement.

Taylor’s Leadership Service Project involved updating Tennessee Right to Life’s prayer garden by building an arbor, adding a statue and a birdbath, constructing a prayer box, painting Scripture on rocks, adding an entrance sign and lights to the prayer garden walkway, mulching, and planting flowers.

Taylor attends Pellissippi State Community College and joined American Heritage Girls in 2013 as an Explorer.

Mary’s Leadership Service Project involved designing and building large storage cabinets for Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

of Riding, where she has been volunteering for more than seven years. Shangri-La is a nonprofit provider of therapeutic experiences using horse-related activities for people with disabilities or other special challenges.

Mary, who joined American Heritage Girls in 2009 as a Pathfinder, also made a variety of therapeutic games for Shangri-La clients, including a picture match game, basketball game, and ring toss. She also attends classes at Pellissippi State Community College.

An important part of each girl’s journey has been earning her Catholic faith awards. Mary earned her Family of God, I Live My Faith, Mary the First Disciple, and Spirit Alive awards and was presented with the Pillar of Faith Catholic Award. She has also earned a total of 84 badges.

Taylor earned her I Live My Faith, Mary the First Disciple, and Spirit Alive awards. She has earned a total of 47 badges.

Mary has served her troop as senior squad leader, squad leader, assistant squad leader, welcome/ snack organizer, and assistant shepherd. Taylor has served her troop as assistant senior squad leader, scribe, squad leader, and assistant shepherd. n

St. Mary students collect baby items as part of service project Middle school students at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge recently participated in a service and prayer project in which they collected baby items for two weeks and concluded the time with a family holy hour on the final Friday. Middle school religion teacher Sister Maria Kolbe, OP, organized and coordinated these two events as part of her classes. Sister Maria asked her sixth- and seventh-grade students for ideas for a service project, and they all wanted to do something that helps babies. Sister Maria contacted Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, and a Pregnancy Help Center staffer gave her various suggestions for a service project. Each grade brought in a different baby item. In two weeks, the St. Mary students collected 4,000 diapers, in addition to baby food, wipes, and baby toiletries. Students loaded all the items into a van, and the baby products were put to immediate use.

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Catholic schools

Six from KCHS sign with college, universities Six student-athletes from Knoxville Catholic High School signed letters of intent with a college and universities Nov. 10 in the school gym. From left are Grainne McGrath, who signed with Furman in volleyball; Morgan Phillips, Oglethorpe University, volleyball; Ceci Pumariega, Anderson University, soccer; Jodie Spangler, Roane State Community College, golf; Kelsey Miller, Milligan University, soccer; and Christopher Grill, Union University, soccer. At left, Grainne hugs KCHS volleyball head coach Brent Carter, and Christopher proudly displays a Union soccer shirt.

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