June 2, 2013, ET Catholic

This issue

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

The East Tennessee

Catholic schools...................... 15 Columns............................. 18-22 Virtus workshops..................... 21

June 2, 2013 Volume 22 Number 10 Bishop Richard F. Stika

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

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Relocations Priests in diocese receive assignments

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Sending the Neophytes New members enter Church community

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A prom to remember All Saints youth, LPGA star shine at golf date

Diocese now home to Handmaids of the Precious Blood Contemplative community accepts God’s call, Bishop Stika’s invitation to relocate from New Mexico

Handmaids continued on page 8

STEPHANIE RICHER

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he signs were unmistakable: drive-by gunfire during Easter Vigil, a coven of witches, a nudist colony, and a New Age bed-andbreakfast nearby. The monastery of Cor Jesu, home to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, a contemplative community based in New Mexico, found itself under siege by unholy forces.

But the contemplative community of Sisters located in New Mexico was resolute. The Sisters would only leave if that was God’s plan. And God revealed to them the next chapter for their 66-yearold community.

Now the Diocese of Knoxville is home to the Handmaids, who will be in residence near Athens and Madisonville, where they will share their charism in peace amid a growing Catholic diocese in the heart of the Bible belt.

The Handmaids heeded God’s call to leave New Mexico and their three-year, 1,400-mile journey has come to an end.

Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced that the Handmaids will live at the diocese’s new Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton.

By Stephanie Richer

Joining the diocese The Handmaids of the Precious Blood, a contemplative order of nuns from New Mexico, are relocating to the Diocese of Knoxville, where they will be in residence at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. From left, Sister Mary Genevieve, Reverend Mother Marietta, Sister Anunziata and Sister Rose Philomena are pictured May 6 at the retreat center.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

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He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop’s schedule

A gift for all of us

These are some of Bishop Stika’s public appointments:

Cloistered nuns bear in their hearts the anxieties and sufferings of all who seek their prayerful help

ho does not like receiving a gift? Some gifts continue to bring us joy long after they are received.

But as nice as some of the gifts are that I have received in my lifetime, I personally am most grateful for the gift of peoples’ prayers; prayers that gave me courage to discern my vocation and to say yes to God’s calling; prayers that have sustained and encouraged me during my priesthood in times of trial and doubt; and prayers for my episcopacy and for all whom I am blessed to be the shepherd of in this wonderful diocese.

So it is with much joy that I welcome a new community of religious to our diocese—the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, whose very charism is that of praying for the intentions of others, particularly for the sanctification of priests. On May 14, I had the honor of introducing the newly arrived Handmaids to all the priests of the diocese during our general priest meeting. I would like to share a portion of the letter that Mother Marietta, the Reverend Mother Prioress of the Handmaids, prepared for this occasion as it so beautifully expresses their charism:

Diocesan policy for reporting sexual abuse

Follow Bishop Richard Stika on Twitter @bishopstika and his blog for news and events from the diocese.

“What are we doing here in Knoxville? We are here to live and give our lives for you, dear Father. You alone can bring us Christ in the Eucharist. You alone can celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass. You alone can absolve us of our sins. We are indebted to your ‘Fiat’ to God’s call to the altar and have found in our vocation that Christ the High Priest asks us in return to sacrifice for you. That is the Handmaid vocation… to stand beneath the Cross of Christ in union with His immolation for souls and ask Him to make you a holy priest….

We accept all our own sufferings and trials as opportunities to offer up sacrifice for you. This is a small return compared to the immeasurable gifts you, as a priest, give to us….”

Though they are especially committed to praying for priests, the Handmaids, as the prayerful face of the Church, are also God’s gift to each of us and they welcome your prayer requests, which you can e-

mail to handmaidspreciousblood@ gmail.com. There also is a button on the Diocese of Knoxville website, www.dioknox.org, under Women Religious In The Diocese that links to the Handmaids’ website. During their many hours of prayer each day and in long vigils of Eucharistic adoration throughout the night, your prayer requests and intentions will be brought before Our Lord.

The cloister for religious orders that are completely contemplative, such as the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, is a strict enclosure referred to as a “Papal Enclosure,” so called because the rules governing it are confirmed by the Pope. This law of enclosure applies to the Cor Jesu Monastery where the Handmaids reside and the property around it that is so designated. It is located on the far side of our retreat center property in Benton and the faithful are asked to honor this enclosure and not to enter the grounds. This is to better permit the nuns to devote themselves all the more intensely to praying for you, your intentions, and for your priests.

Though cloistered religious might

The East Tennessee

Bishop continued on page 22

June 1: 11 a.m., priestly ordination of Deacon Christopher James Manning at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

June 2: 2:30 p.m., Mass celebrating the silver jubilee of the Diocese of Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park.

June 3-6: Fall Creek Falls convocation.

June 8-13: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spring meeting.

June 13: 7:30 p.m., Mass with the Pink Sisters for the novena of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in St. Louis.

June 16: noon, Confirmation at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland.

June 18: 5:30 p.m., Mass and blessing of renovated Fatima Center at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

June 19: 5:30 p.m., Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee dinner in Chattanooga deanery.

June 20: 10 a.m., meeting with Schedule continued on page 23

Bishop Richard F. Stika Publisher

Dan McWilliams Assistant editor

Bill Brewer

Margaret Hunt

Anyone who has actual knowlEditor Administrative assistant edge of or who has reasonable 805 S. Northshore Drive • Knoxville, TN 37919 cause to suspect an incident of The Diocese of Knoxville sexual abuse should report such The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published monthly by The Diocese of Knoxville, 805 S. Northshore Drive, information to the appropriate Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn. Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel. civil authorities first, then to the The East Tennessee Catholic is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee. Subscription rate for others is $15 a year in bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or the United States. Make checks payable to The Diocese of Knoxville. the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, 805 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919-7551 Reach us by phone: 865-584-3307 • fax: 865-584-8124 • e-mail: webmaster@dioknox.org • web: dioknox.org 482-1388. n

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June 2, 2013 3

Priests in diocese take on new assignments July 1 Chaplaincies at Notre Dame, Knoxville Catholic high schools and pastorates at several parishes see changes

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ew pastoral assignment changes announced by Bishop Richard F. Stika affect the chaplaincies at both diocesan high schools and the pastorates at several parishes.

All appointments are effective Monday, July 1, unless noted.

Father Patrick Brownell, chaplain at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, has been appointed pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Morristown. Father Brownell has served at Notre Dame High School since February 2012.

Father Joseph Hammond, CHS, the pastor of St. Patrick, will be the new coordinator of pastoral outreach to the Hispanic communities of St. Joseph the Worker in Madisonville, Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, and St. Alphonsus in Crossville. He will be in residence at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut. Father Hammond has served in the Five Rivers Deanery since his arrival in the diocese in 1998 and as pastor at St. Patrick since February 2010.

Father Michael Cummins, chaplain for campus ministry at East Tennessee State University, will become the new chaplain at Notre Dame High School and also will become chaplain of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Catholic Student Center. He will remain director of the diocesan Office of Vocations.

Father Christian Mathis, who until recently had served as pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City, has been appointed chaplain for campus ministry at ETSU. Father Doug Owens became pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle effective June 1. He has been an associate pastor at St. John Neumann since 2011.

Father Christopher Riehl has

4 June 2, 2013

By Dan McWilliams

Father Brownell

Father Hammond

Father Cummins

Father Stice

Father Kiyimba

Father Owens

Father Carter

Father Oruko

Father Appiah

Father Riehl

Father Gahagan

Father Abuh

been given permission by He has been serving the Bishop Stika to serve in the faithful of St. Mary in Diocese of Charlotte, N.C. Athens, Holy Family in Father Riehl has been servSeymour, and Sacred Heart ing as an associate pastor Cathedral in recent months. at St. John Neumann and Father Christopher Manas the diocesan minister rening was ordained a priest sponsible for celebrating the

by Bishop Stika on June 1 extraordinary-form Mass in Father Mathis Father Manning Father McGinnity at an ordination Mass at the Five Rivers Deanery. the Cathedral of the Sacred Father William Oruko, AJ, pastor tor to the Handmaids, a contemHeart of Jesus. His first assignment of St. Mary in Athens, will become plative community of nuns new to will be as associate pastor at St. associate pastor at St. Dominic in the diocese.

John Neumann Parish.

Kingsport. He had served at St. Father David Carter has been Father Bill Gahagan was granted Mary since August 2009. appointed chaplain at Knoxville retirement status after reaching He will be succeeded at St. Mary Catholic High School. He remains the age of 75 and therefore will

by Father Randy Stice. Father vice chancellor for Canonical Afno longer serve in the capacity of Stice, who will leave his post as fairs and associate director for the pastor of St. Joseph in Norris and associate pastor at Sacred Heart Vocations Office but will no longer St. Jude in Helenwood. Father Cathedral, remains the diocesan serve as an associate pastor for All Gahagan has now been appointed director of Worship and Liturgy.

Saints Parish in Knoxville. parochial administrator of St. He also has another new assign Father John Appiah, the chaplain Jude-Helenwood. ment: as a spiritual director to the at Knoxville Catholic High School, Father Julius Abuh, currently Handmaids of the Precious Blood has been released for active duty parochial administrator of St. at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat with the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Therese in Clinton, also will beCenter in Benton.

Corps. come parochial administrator of Father P.J. McGinnity, pastor of Apostles of Jesus priest Father St. Joseph in Norris. His appointSt. Joseph the Worker in MadisonPontian Kiyimba will become a ment at St. Therese is unaffected ville, also will be a spiritual direcnew associate pastor of All Saints. by the change. n The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Faith journey begins with Sending of the Neophytes Mass More than 300 new members of Church sent into diocese in full communion

BILL BREWER

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journey of faith for 318 catechumens and candidates that was celebrated at the Easter Vigil through baptism and confirmation was recognized May 5 with The Sending of the Neophytes Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated the Mass and presided at the service, where the newest members of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Knoxville who participated in faith formation through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults were formally sent into the community to live their faith through their parishes in full communion with the Church.

Bishop Stika welcomed the newest members and congratulated them on their faith formation as they officially enter the Church.

“This is where I tell you about the secret handshake and code,” Bishop Stika said, sharing a lighthearted moment with the faithful. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I welcome you in the Catholic faith.”

Bishop Stika emphasized to those 318 who are now in full communion with Christ and his Church that what separates Catholics from the world is tthe Body and Blood of Christ, the gift from Jesus.

By Bill Brewer

members and congratulated them.

Bishop Stika and she also thanked the directors of religious education and the RCIA programs in the diocese for their efforts in bringing people into full communion with the Church.

“All those who became ‘new Catholics’ at the Easter Vigil on March 30, as well as their godparents and sponsors, received a personal invitation to attend the Mass and ceremony of Sending the Neophytes at Sacred Heart Cathedral on May 5th. Bishop Richard Stika encouraged them to continue their lifelong journey of conversion and discipleship in their parishes,” Sister Timothea said.

She said an impressive number of new diocesan Catholics entered the Welcome to the Church Bishop Richard F. Stika congratulates Angela Zigrossi of Holy Church, with the bishop reminding Ghost Parish during The Sending of the Neophytes Mass May 5 at the Cathedral of the the Neophytes that their life’s jourSacred Heart of Jesus. The Diocese of Knoxville welcomed 318 catechumens and canney of conversion and discipleship is didates into the Church during the Easter season. The Sending of the Neophytes Mass ongoing. officially sends them into the community in full communion with the Church.

“This is the beginning of their journey of faith. It’s a lifelong walk with “We believe in God. We believe in the cathedral.

Christ, who strengthens them and the power of the Holy Spirit. We be Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, brings them everlasting joy as they lieve in prayer,” Bishop Stika said. who is director of the Office of Chrisshare in the holy sacrifice of the Mass Each parish in the diocese with cate- tian Formation for the Farms Diocese 2x3 of bw and experience the forgiveness 032813 Westside 3/26/13 12:15 PM Pageof1 chumens and candidates who entered Knoxville, also welcomed the new sins,” Sister Mary Timothea said. n the Church at Easter was represented at The Sending of the Neophytes service. Bishop Stika greeted and congratulated each parishioner as the parishioners processed to the front of

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The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

June 2, 2013 5

A golf match made in heaven

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Bearden senior prom features All Saints parishioner Alex Notte and his date, LPGA star Belen Mozo

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STEPHANIE RICHER

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A special occasion Father Michael Woods, pastor of All Saints Church in Knoxville, shares a moment with Alex Notte and his prom date, LPGA star Belen Mozo.

Gettysvue Country Club and then to the prom at the Clayton Performing Arts Center in Maryville in a chauffeur-driven 1959 vintage Rolls Royce.

He and Miss Mozo were joined on the date by Alex’s close friends

Sydney Mills and Joshua Dawes.

Alex is more than just a high school teen who took a celebrity to prom. He is a devout Catholic and a compassionate special-needs teenager with an outgoing, positive attitude.

STEPHANIE RICHER

lex Notte and Belen Mozo share a passion for golf.

Now, the Bearden High School student who is a member of All Saints Church and the international golf pro have something else in common—a date to remember to Bearden’s senior prom.

Alex has become an overnight sensation after being featured in newspaper and television reports for his video inviting Miss Mozo, a rising star on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour, to the prom. The video, which was shot

by Alex’s sister, Arielle, has nearly 11,000 Internet views and the number has risen every day.

And it had an impact on Miss Mozo, who was wowed by Alex asking her to Bearden’s prom to the hit song, “Call Me Maybe”

by Carly Rae Jepsen. Arielle shot the video as Alex played golf in January.

“I was really moved when I saw the video. I knew immediately that I wanted to say ‘yes’,” said Miss Mozo, 24, who is from Cadiz, Spain.

Alex’s dream of taking Miss Mozo to prom came true on May 11 with a little help from his family and friends. Alex’s entourage at his home included his parents, grandparents, other family members and friends.

Alex, 19, was decked out in a traditional black tuxedo with black and white striped vest and matching bow tie. He also sported custom navy socks with multicolored polka dots—his personal choice.

To complete Alex’s attire, he wore a white lily boutonniere adorned with two golf tees.

Miss Mozo was dressed in a fitted, full-length light green chiffon gown with a bangled bodice. Her hair was done in a loose French knot.

The couple rode to dinner at

Dining in style Alex Notte, a parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville, dines with Bearden High School senior prom date Belen Mozo at Gettysvue Country Club.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

By Kara Lockmiller

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Alex and his family, parents Richard and Kristine, and sister Arielle, are originally from Canada and have been parishioners at All Saints in Knoxville for 12 years.

“The All Saints priests and community have been wonderful. Alex wanted to be an altar server. …

Father Chris (Michelson) knew it wasn’t going to be conventional” but he allowed it anyway, Mrs. Notte said.

She noted that the church has fully embraced Alex and the special care he requires. “There have been a few homilies that have included Alex,” she said.

Alex’s home is adorned with some of his favorite items, which are commonplace for a faithful Catholic. His holy water font marks a room in his home, where inside are photos of his visit to Rome. One photo in particular appears to show Alex receiving a blessing from Benedict XVI when he was pope.

Alex’s parents said as a child he enjoyed donning vestments that were handmade for him by his grandmother.

“He used to play priest for hours on end,” said Alex’s father, Richard, as he proudly displayed the green and gold handmade vestments.

Alex so loves the Catholic faith that he invited Father Michael Woods of All Saints to Gettysvue Country Club to bless the prom dinner with Miss Mozo. Alex’s parents admitted that the days leading up to his prom were hectic but it brought them great joy to see their son so happy.

“Both sets of grandparents came from Canada for the event,” Mr. Notte said.

For those who know Alex, the recent events surrounding his prom came as no surprise.

Alex continued on page 23 dioknox.org

End of an era at St. Therese as Sister Yvette steps down

Sister of Mercy dedicated 39 years to Clinton parish established parish it is today, and through many pastor changes,” said Father Julius Abuh, parochial administrator of St. Therese.

Sister Yvette’s service to the parish began in 1974 when she was in Nashville teaching school and in Knoxville during the summer working on her master’s degree. Father Bill Gahagan approached her about teaching vacation Bible school during the summer when she was in Knoxville. She taught VBS for two years and in 1976 transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center as chaplain.

Father Gahagan then asked her

Sister Yvette continued on page 23

A sincere thank you

Sister Mary Yvette Gillen, RSM, and Father Julius Abuh are shown at a recent reception for Sister Yvette.

COURTESY OF ST. THERESE CHURCH

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From staff reports t. Therese Church in Clinton has grown from a small mission to an established parish since its founding in 1971. And for the past 39 years, Sister Mary Yvette Gillen, RSM, has faithfully served the parishioners and priests of St. Therese as the church has expanded.

May marked the end of an era for St. Therese and Sister Mary Yvette, who resigned as pastoral assistant after nearly four decades of service to the Anderson County parish.

“She brought a sense of continuity through the growth of St. Therese from a small mission to the

Bishop Richard F. Stika & The Diocese of Knoxville Invite You

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Vallimar JanSen

ValLimar has toured the world as both a singer and speaker and currently works as a university professor.

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biShoP riChard F. STiKa

FaTher roberT barron

Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, one of the fastest growing dioceses in the country. He also serves in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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As an educator and priest, Father Capo leads the Hispanic Catholic Southeast Pastoral Institute in Miami, Fla.

“One of the church’s best messengers,” he is the Founder and Executive Director of Word on Fire Ministries.

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Award-winning singer-songwriter who loves to share the Gospel through song and powerful reflections.

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She is a member of the Migrant Ministry team in the Diocese of Stockton and led migrant ministry in Ala.

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June 2, 2013 7

Handmaids continued from page 1

to move were put into motion.

Three years ago, the Mother Prioress General of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, Reverend Mother Marietta, met with Cardinal Raymond Burke at the community’s priory, Heart of Mary, in Lake Villa, Ill. This monastic institute of cloistered nuns was founded in 1947 by Father Gerald M.C. Fitzgerald, sP. Father Fitzgerald, as a young priest, once opened his rectory door when he heard a knock and found a homeless man looking for help. In conversation, the man revealed to Father Fitzgerald that once he had been a priest but had fallen away from the Church and his vocation because of personal problems.

The memory of that meeting stayed with Father Fitzgerald throughout his life until he founded the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, the community of women who sacrifice their lives to pray for the sanctification of the Catholic priesthood, primarily through eucharistic adoration.

“These Sisters don’t just pray for priests, they live for them,” said Reverend Mother Marietta, who was quoting a friend of their community about the religious community’s charism.

The Sisters accept their own sufferings and trials as opportunities to offer up sacrifice in a spirit of self-forgetfulness for priests in need and consider it only a small return compared to the immeasurable gifts priests bring to other souls in the sacraments.

When a priest is helped, all the souls he influences also benefit.

When Reverend Mother Marietta met Cardinal Burke, he was championing the cause for sainthood for Servant of God Father John Hardon, SJ, who had been the Handmaids’ longtime spiritual and canonical adviser as well as Father Fitzgerald’s biographer. Cardinal Burke was following up on the Handmaids’ work of digitizing Father Hardon’s writings and speeches.

Reverend Mother Marietta was struck

by Cardinal Burke’s simplicity and holiness.

Finding a new home

8 June 2, 2013

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Praying for safe haven

Welcome to the Diocese of Knoxville Bishop Richard F. Stika introduces the nuns of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood to priests of the diocese on May 14 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City.

“As soon as he stepped out of the car, I felt a sacred presence emanating from him,” Reverend Mother Marietta said.

When Cardinal Burke asked her about the Handmaids’ monastery, Cor Jesu, in Jemez Springs, N.M., Reverend Mother Marietta was forthright with him. She said the situation was not good.

The local population had changed over the years and eventually turned hostile toward the Handmaids. Although their monastery is located in a rural area in the mountains between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, there had been two drive-by shootings, with one shot coming into the Sisters’ chapel at an Easter Vigil Mass.

The area changed significantly since the motherhouse was built in 1947. A nudist colony was established nearby, as was the New Age bed and breakfast, and a witches’ coven was meeting down the road from Cor Jesu.

“In fact, one novice even told me ‘if my parents knew how bad it was, they would not have let me join the community,’” Reverend Mother Marietta said.

After hearing Reverend Mother Marietta’s description, Cardinal Burke looked at her and said, “You have got to get out.”

He promised to help her and the Handmaids of the Precious Blood find a safe haven.

That safe haven was found in the heart of the Bible belt.

On May 6, four Sisters—Reverend Mother Marietta, Sister Anunziata, Sister Mary Genevieve, and Sister Rose Philomena—arrived at the Diocese of Knoxville’s Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton with a U-Haul truck in tow. After years of prayer and discernment—and much encouragement from Bishop Richard F. Stika—they were in East Tennessee to make their home in the St. John’s Residence at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center.

After speaking with Cardinal Burke three years ago, Reverend Mother Marietta called the Handmaids together.

“I told them that I wanted them to pray for three months, and to focus their prayer on what God wanted us to do, whether it meant staying in New Mexico or leaving,” she said.

On July 16, 2010, she called a general chapter of the Sisters to find out what each had discerned. The sisters decided that it was time to leave New Mexico and, said Reverend Mother Marietta, “to go where God would lead us.” So, plans

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Cardinal Burke, along with Mike Wick of the Institute on Religious Life, helped in getting the word out to bishops that the Handmaids were interested in moving their motherhouse. The Handmaids were in touch with nine dioceses. While at a luncheon at the Institute for Religious Life, Reverend Mother Marietta met Bishop Stika, who had heard about the Sisters’ desire to move.

“He was so good and cordial,” she recalled. “And [he] kept persevering to help us. He would send us flowers at Christmas and Easter.”

Shortly thereafter, Reverend Mother Marietta and the Sisters had to delay their plans. Correspondence with the nine dioceses was suspended—except for one. Even when they had to suspend correspondence because Reverend Mother Marietta had a health issue, Bishop Stika continued to communicate his vision of establishing a contemplative community in the diocese.

“I kind of had to drop out of what we were doing because of my health. So I had let it lapse for quite a while, which I was very unhappy about. Bishop Stika got in touch again—he didn’t drop us.”

After considering several possible locations within the diocese, Bishop Stika called the Reverend Mother last summer and told her the diocese had been given a great gift that allowed him to offer the Handmaids a home.

“He asked me if I was still interested. I said, ‘Well, may I come and visit?’” Reverend Mother Marietta said.

In January, she and Sister Anunziata traveled to Knoxville for their first visit, returning again in March to visit the site.

“Not only one person made us feel welcome—everyone did,” the Reverend Mother recalled, laughing.

Added Sister Anunziata, “It is wonderful to be wanted—we are overwhelmed by the big welcome.”

In March, the Handmaids of the Precious Blood made the decision to move from New Mexico to East Tennessee. Knights of Columbus from St. dioknox.org

Part of God’s plan

The Sisters say they have seen signs affirming their decision. Since March, the forces of nature have been more active around Jemez Springs. In late April, a freak, unusually severe, windstorm blew through their monastery grounds, breaking up a shrine to the Virgin Mary and lifting their greenhouse off its foundation. After reviewing the damage, Sister Rose Philomena asked where the inside of the greenhouse had gone.

“We found debris some 30 feet away,” The East Tennessee Catholic

Moving day Helping hands are welcome for the Handmaids of the Precious Blood as they move to the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton on May 6. Helping the Handmaids move into their new quarters were members of Knights of Columbus councils from parishes near the retreat center.

STEPHANIE RICHER

Mary Church in Athens, St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City, St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland worked together to ready the St. John’s Residence for the Sisters. Reverend Mother Marietta returned to New Mexico in May and Sister Marie Josèphe arrives this month. The remaining 21 Sisters in New Mexico will relocate as soon as possible over the next few months to East Tennessee.

Bishop Stika is looking forward to the Handmaids getting established in the diocese and noted they already are fitting in, having been “adopted” by Knights of Columbus councils near Benton.

“The Church has always been blessed to have contemplative communities— both men and women. The Handmaids’ vocation is to pray, and they do day and night. They live separate from the world yet everything they pray for is in the world that surrounds them,” Bishop Stika said.

Bishop Stika is confident the Handmaids’ transition from New Mexico to East Tennessee will go well and is a welcome addition to the growing Diocese of Knoxville.

“This [cloistered community] is a first for our diocese. I see this as a maturing of the diocese,” Bishop Stika said. “They can fit in anywhere. They just need the support of the bishop and the diocese and they have that here.”

As the monastic nuns continue to pray for the priesthood, Bishop Stika said they also will be praying for special intentions they receive.

said Sister Anunziata. Debris was scattered all over the grounds.

Then a mountain lion appeared on the grounds and remained to admire its reflection in the window of the monastery laundry room.

“We had to be careful,” said Reverend Mother Marietta. “The sisters could not go outside at twilight or dawn because of it.”

The Sisters believe it’s all part of God’s plan.

“When God opens one door, another closes—Tennessee is our open door, and these things that happened are a way of detaching from New Mexico,” Sister Anunziata said.

While the Handmaids of the Precious Blood are a cloistered institute, they look forward to living within the Diocese of Knoxville, where they feel they can be part of a larger community.

“We are here for the people of the diocese” to offer prayer, the Reverend Mother said. The Handmaids spend approximately five hours each day in formal prayer, reciting the Divine Office

and with each sister spending one to two holy hours in Eucharistic Adoration. All attend Mass daily.

At the St. John’s Residence, the front room is being converted into a small chapel where the Eucharist will be in place.

“It is an immensely happy life,” Reverend Mother Marietta said. “We can be with [Christ] day and night, and he is right here in our home. It is true joy, J-OY…Jesus, Only You.” The charism of the Handmaids of the Precious Blood is to pray to strengthen vocations and to keep holy the priesthood. Such prayers are important now more than ever because of distractions facing priests.

“The priests need prayers always,” the Reverend Mother explained. “With the Internet, there is much more availability of information and with that, much more possibility for a priest to get off track. Unless the priests have a deep friendship with Christ, and unless they have built a habit of prayer, they have too much distraction from the world around them.”

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

The Reverend Mother pointed out that there are people now who have never seen a nun in habit and veil before. She said the Catholic population has been disseminated into the secular world, so Catholics can fail to have that deep relationship with Jesus.

“I love being tuned in to someone who works miracles,” she said, referring to Christ. “The contemplative life allows me to be anywhere in the world and touch anyone at any time.”

The cloistered life

The cloistered life doesn’t mean the Handmaids will be completely removed from public. The Reverend Mother explained that their heritage and charism allows them to travel on occasion to meetings, and Bishop Stika has given them permission to attend the diocesan Eucharistic Congress in September. She said the Handmaids are happy to help celebrate the diocese’s 25th anniversary, as well as catch up with their friend, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, whom they know from when they maintained a priory in Rome and when he was rector at the North American College there.

They would exchange homemade chocolate chip cookies with him for free parking at the college.

And their lives are not without fun.

“The bishop said we can play soccer on the grounds here,” Reverend Mother Marietta said of one of the Handmaids’ favorite activities.

The future looks bright for the Handmaids of the Precious Blood, according to Reverend Mother Marietta. “We have had some wonderful inquiries concerning vocations—we are expecting four more candidates to stay with our community this summer.”

The backgrounds of the Sisters would surprise some people who might have a particular notion about young women drawn to the cloistered religious life. The Reverend Mother laughed at that idea.

“I was in the Vietnam War,” she said.

“I am a convert to Catholicism. I was Presbyterian. I worked in the State Department in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.

Handmaids continued on page 17 June 2, 2013 9

Diocesan calendar

by Margaret Hunt The next Cursillo Encuentro will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City. For more information, contact Lois Schering at schering4@aol.com.

Slots are available for the fourth annual Common Good Golf Classic to benefit Catholic Charities on Monday, June 17, at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville. The cost is $1,500 per fourperson team and includes brunch, an awards reception with a hosted bar, and all amenities. For details, contact Sherrie Shuler at 865-524-9896, extension 1005, or sherrie@ccetn.org.

The Knoxville Ladies of Charity’s second annual Wild West Roundup will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 22, in the Knoxville Catholic High School gymnasium. Activities include a live auction, dancing, and a “chuck wagon” dinner. Proceeds will benefit the Ladies of Charity Emergency Assistance Program. Tickets are $75 per person. Call Carolyn Fisher for more information at 865-379-2726.

The Diocese of Knoxville Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry is having its annual World Youth Day celebration June 29-30 at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. Young adults ages 18-35 are invited for a day of white-water rafting at Quest Expeditions in Ocoee, camping, prayer, and more. A concert featuring Kara Klein and Masheti Moses is also planned. The cost is $80 and includes rafting, lodging, and meals. Contact Donna Jones for more information at 423-718-4387 or djones6029@gmail.com.

Aquinas College in conjunction with the Diocese of Knoxville Office of Christian Formation is offering course 2 and course 4 of the Catechetical Formation Program online during July. These courses help fulfill diocesan catechist certification requirements and allow partici-

10 June 2, 2013

pants to deepen formation in the Catholic faith. The end-of-course forum for both classes will take place July 24-29. The enrollment period for both classes will be open June 17-30. The fee for each course is $25. Registration is online at bit.ly/14t2g4t. For more information, contact Father Richard Armstrong at 865584-3307 or rarmstrong@dioknox.org.

The diocesan Office of Christian Formation will be hosting two catechistorientation sessions for new catechists, RCIA teams, adult faith formation facilitators, and other ministry leaders on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Chancery in Knoxville and Thursday, Aug. 22, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga.

Both sessions will meet from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Registration for both events can be completed online at www.eventbrite.com/ org/3149767104. For more information, contact Father Richard Armstrong at 865584-3307 or rarmstrong@dioknox.org.

Father Patrick Resen of St. Catherine Labouré Parish in Copperhill will be the spiritual director of a pilgrimage to Ireland from Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. The tour will include stops in Dublin, Knock, Ballintubber, Croagh Patrick, Cong Abbey, Galway, Limerick, and the Ring of Kerry. Father Resen will celebrate Mass at St. James Church in Carracastle, Ireland, which is the home church of his late grandmother. The cost per person is $2,695 including airfare from Atlanta.

Other fees apply. Contact Faith Journeys to register at 480-894-8407 or email info@myfaithjourneys.com.

Monsignor Al Humbrecht and Father Michael Nolan will be the spiritual directors of a pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal from Oct. 29 through Nov. 9. Pilgrims will visit important shrines and holy sites in Madrid, Segovia, Avila, León, Santiago, Fatima, and Lisbon. The cost per person is $3,599 from Atlanta. To obtain a brochure or register, contact Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, at 865-207-4742, 545-8270 or smaevang@yahoo.com.

The Ulster Project of Knoxville is recruiting families of teens aged 14 to

16 to host a teen from Northern Ireland for a four-week program that includes team building, dialogue, social events, shared worship, and community service this summer. For details, call John Hough at 865-405-5929.

The 11th annual Scouting retreat hosted by the Knoxville Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting will be held June 7-9 at the Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton. The Franciscan Brothers will lead the retreat, which will focus on living the Year of Faith. Activities will include presentations by the brothers, games, eucharistic adoration, and Mass. All youth ages 13 to 18 are encouraged to attend. Scout development training will also be offered for adults. The cost is $40. To register, visit www.kdccs.org/scouting-retreat or mail a check to KDCCS, 10700 Leeward Lane, Knoxville, TN 37934.

The Diocese of Knoxville is sponsoring two God Camps this summer at Harrison Bay State Park in the Chattanooga Deanery. Events will include age-appropriate team building exercises, recreational sports, Mass, and an evening dance. The “Discover” camp for incoming fifth- and sixth-grade students will be held June 20-22. The cost is $100 per person. The “Reach” camp for incoming seventh- and eighth-grade students will be June 17-20. The cost will be $125 per person. The high school God Camp will be incorporated into the annual Youth Leadership Institute program and will be held at Horn’s Creek Resort in Ocoee June 26-30. The cost is $269 per person. Contact a parish youth ministry leader to register. For more information, contact Donna Jones at 423-267-9878 or djones6029@gmail.com or visit the youth ministry page on the Diocese of Knoxville website at dioknox.org.

The next charismatic Mass at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 30. Father Dan Whitman of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City will be the celebrant.

Singers and instrumentalists who would like to participate should arrive at 4:30.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Call Dee Leigh at 423-842-2305 for more information.

The next Picture of Love engagedcouples retreat will take place June 2122 at the St. Augustine Church parish life center in Signal Mountain. The retreat will meet from 7-10 p.m. Friday and continue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The program is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of being married in their day-to-day lives. The cost is $135 per couple, which includes a certificate good for a $60 discount on a marriage license.

Couples must attend the entire retreat to receive the certificate. For more information, contact Marian Christiana, director of the Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; at 3 p.m. on first and third Sundays at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland; at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville; at 11 a.m. on most Sundays at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Townsend; and at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Mary Church in Johnson City. Visit www.knoxlatinmass.net for updated information.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission celebrates Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. Sundays in the lower level of Holy Cross Anglican Church, 515 Herron Road, Knoxville, TN 37934.

Note the time change. All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or visit www.saint thomas-knoxville.org for details.

Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 9:30 a.m. Sundays at the old Holy Ghost Church, 1031 N. Central St. in Knoxville. For times of holy-day services or for more information, visit www.knoxbyz.org or call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-256-4880. n dioknox.org

Chattanooga Deanery calendar Registration for a variety of summer camps being offered at Notre Dame High School is open. Brochures can be obtained at Chattanooga-area parishes or by downloading one online at www. myndhs.com. Programs are available for rising kindergarten through ninth-grade students. For details, contact the school at 423-624-4618 or e-mail summercamps@myndhs.com.

Catholic Charities of Chattanooga is re-

Parish notes: Chattanooga Deanery

cruiting volunteers to help transport homebound seniors to medical appointments and to gather and assemble toiletry kits for Interfaith Senior Services.

Contact Christine Willingham at 423-2671297 or Christine@ccetn.org. Volunteers are also needed to prepare meals and socialize with the clients at the Home Place, a residential program for homeless individuals with HIV/AIDS. Contact Krisie Long-Withey at 698-9079 or krisie@ ccetn.org. n

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chattanooga Volunteers are needed to prepare meals, greet guests, and lead activities during the week of June 9 through 16 as the parish hosts the homeless for the Family Promise Interfaith Homeless Network week. To volunteer, contact Lisa Kosky at 423-877-5982 or sign up to participate in Holy Family Hall.

Knights of Columbus Holy Family Council 6099 thanked parishioners of OLPH for donating a total of $25,741 to the Knights of Columbus State Mental Retardation Foundation. Around 60 percent of the total will be donated to local charities that assist the mentally challenged in Chattanooga such as Signal Centers, Orange Grove, and AzUWer. Knights of Columbus Holy Family Council 6099 won several awards at the recent Tennessee State Convention in Franklin. The council won the State Chaplain’s Award, the Bishop’s Award for outstanding council programming, and the Charity Activity Award for the council’s Southern Brewers Festival event.

COURTESY OF CAROL BIRD

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain The parish vacation Bible school, Kingdom Rock, will take place June 3-6. Registration is online at www.staugustinecatholic.org. To learn more or volunteer, contact Karlin Baker at karlinbaker@yahoo.com or Heather Wilson at bhwilson family@gmail.com.

Anniversaries: Peter and Mary Arrowsmith (55), Robert and Frances Mathieson (53), Ed and Cindy Schemel (25), John and Sandy Mitchum (20), Cole and Rena Keane (10), Matt and Erin Corcoran (10).

First communicants: Lily Bowman, Olivia Cisto, Emma Corcoran, Lily Cecil, Molly Gallagher, Mac Hickman, Jackson Phillips, Nathan Lanese, Marc Thiesen, Brooke Waye, Ava Varnell, Juan Pablo Zirangua.

Youth confirmed at St. Augustine Twenty-one young people, pictured with Bishop Richard F. Stika, received the sacrament of confirmation at St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain on April 17.

St. Jude, Chattanooga

COURTESY OF PAULA REILAND

Totus Tuus, the parish vacation Bible school, will meet from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

June 9-14 for children entering grades one through six. Students in grades seven-12 will meet June 9-13 from 7-9 p.m. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. The cost is $20 per child with a $40 per family maximum. Contact Sandy Pricer, VBS director, at 423-619-1163, or slpricer@gmail.com for more information.

Prime Timers at St. Stephen hold ‘Spring Fling’ The Prime Timer group (parishioners age 50-plus) at St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga recently held a “Spring Fling” social to encourage new membership and participation in group activities. The Prime Timer group is co-chaired by Bill Reynolds and Patti Crownover and consists of several sub-groups, including Dining Out (restaurant experience every other month), Film Fans (weekly movie), Game Day (weekly games of dominoes, cards, etc.), and Gourmet Cocktails (hosted at a member’s home every other month). For more information, call the parish office at 423-892-1261.

The East Tennessee Catholic

The parish Good Samaritan Collection supported the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, a local social service agency that provides meals for the homeless, job training, and case management, during May. Newcomers: Tom and Marlene Blewett, Mikayla Long.

St. Mary, Athens St. Mary Knights of Columbus Council 8396 won the District 15 District Deputy’s Award and the state award for church and parish at the 110th Knights of Columbus State Convention. Both awards were in recognition of the council’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Week of Prayer event.

Chattanooga continued on page 13

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

June 2, 2013 11

Cumberland Mountain Deanery calendar

Parish notes: Cumberland Mountain Deanery

Knights of Columbus Council 8152’s annual charity golf tournament will take place at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain golf course. The format will be a four-person scramble. The entry donation of $75 includes green and cart fees, one mulligan, and entrance to the awards banquet at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The cost to attend the banquet only is $12. Tournament proceeds will benefit Cumberland County charities. For details, call Shelton Johnson at 931-485-5587, Larry Lanzerotti at 456-

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The Knights of Columbus held a blanket drive to benefit patients at the Kingston Dialysis Clinic during May.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade Anniversaries: Bob and Genie Gruber (61), Vern and Jean Bollish (61), Don and Bernie Gundy (60), Dan and Mina Napierala (58), Curtis and Marcella Clayton (58), John and Gerry Eisenlord (58), Bob and Joanne Ames (57), Don and Rosemary Verbrugge (56), Tom and Peg Loughran (55), Robin and Carol Campbell (55), Frank and Ann Zingheim (54), Walt and Dianne Burling (54), Joe and Amy Dickens (53), C. Thomas and Mary Anna Teall (53), Ron and Virginia Reynolds (53), Tom and Dorothy Powers (53), Don and Mary Ann Lintz (51), Jack and Patti Glavin (50), Jack and Patty Johnson (50), John and Dorothy Ferguson (50), John and Norma Hall (50), Mike and Doris Kotecki (50), Tom and Anne Marano (50)

9633, or John Kopmeier at 456-2597.

St. John Neumann Church is sponsoring “Path Toward Healing Grief Support: Finding Peace and Acceptance After the Death of a Loved One”, an eightweek support group for the bereaved.

The first meeting will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 13. The cost for supplies is $20.

For more details, contact Natalie Tabler at 865-357-1818 or nprender@knology.net.

To register, contact Marilyn Derbyshire at 777-4312 or mderbyshire@sjnknox.org. n

St. John Neumann, Farragut

St. Mary, Oak Ridge The parish held a flea market the weekend of May 10-11 to benefit “Laura’s Place,” a resource center in former associate pastor Father William Oruko’s hometown of Bono, Kenya.

COURTESY OF SARA CAREY

Vacation Bible school is scheduled for June 17-21 at St. John Neumann Church.

“SonWest Roundup” will be the theme. Registration forms can be found in the narthex of the church. For more information, contact Lydia Donahue at lydonahue@ hotmail.com or call the parish office at 865-966-4540.

Bishop confirms students at St. Alphonsus Students at St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville recently celebrated the sacrament of confirmation. Pictured with Bishop Richard F. Stika, pastor Father Antony Punnackal, CMI, and their sponsors are Jonathan Farinella, Shelby Moyers (from St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland), Crystal Clark, and Erica Michael.

The staff at St. Mary School thanked the parish community for supporting their pancake fundraiser at Aubrey’s Restaurant. More than $2,000 was raised for playground renovations.

The parish vacation Bible school, “Saints and Virtues,” will be held from 9 a.m. to noon June 10-14. Contact Karen Wilkins-Butz for more information at 865-766-8386.

The St. Therese Parish picnic will take place Sunday, June 9, after the 10:15 a.m.

Mass. All families attending are asked to bring a main dish and a side dish or dessert. The parish will provide drinks. Contact the parish office for more information at 865-457-4073.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City Thirteen high school students received the sacrament of confirmation at St. Thomas the Apostle Church on May 5, and 83 received first Holy Communion May 12.

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish sponsored a Mass for peace and justice on Memorial Day, May 27. A wreath-laying ceremony followed at the veteran’s memorial.

Baptisms: Liliana Isidra Garcia, Manuel Nicolas Garcia, Mayra Lopez Zavala, Angel Lopez Zavala n

12 June 2, 2013

DAN BARILE

St. Therese, Clinton

All Saints celebrates first Holy Communion All Saints Parish in Knoxville recently celebrated the sacrament of first Holy Communion. The adults in the back row (from left) are Dana Karnowski, Julie Hooyman, Haley Retterer, Deacon David Lucheon, Kelly Retterer, Veronica Brown, Mary RozekDye, Maureen Rushing, Kelly Chittum, Father Michael Woods, Father David Carter, Connie Sledzinski, Father Augustine Idra, AJ, Peggy Long, Father Miguel Vélez, Beth Mattingly, Violet Freudenberg, Mary Black, Theresa Castillo, Miriam Mangers, Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, and Deacon Tim Elliott.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Parish notes: Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City The parish collected food for Kingswood School, a group home for displaced children between the ages of 5 and 18, during the weekend of May 4-5.

The Life Outreach Center thanked Holy Trinity Parish for its donations of more than $41,000 to help fund efforts to support women in crisis pregnancies.

The “SonWest Roundup” vacation Bible school will be hosted by Holy Trinity Church from 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 25-28. A cookout for participants and their families will take place after the 5 p.m. vigil Mass on Saturday, June 29. Call the parish office for more information at 865-471-0347.

COURTESY OF SUSAN COLLINS

Anniversaries: Jim and Lillian Katzback (55), James and Sandra Fjerstad (10)

Twelve receive first Holy Communion at Notre Dame Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville celebrated first Holy Communion during the 5 p.m. Mass on May 4. Father James Harvey was the celebrant, and Deacon Tom Silva served at the Mass. Twelve students received the sacrament for the first time after a year of preparation. Catechists for the students were Sandy Alter, Alicin Sahr, and Mildret Godwin. Susan Collins is the director of religious education. A reception followed in the parish hall sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women.

From left are (front row) Eleanor Sahr, Cicely Oakley, Cheyenne Duhon, Liliana Jimenez, and Riley Stone; (second row) David Hernandez, Aidan Alter, Noah Helton, Mason Sheffler, Alan Acosta Montes, and Daniel Ramirez; and (back row) Abel Acosta Montes, Deacon Silva, Father Harvey and Mrs. Alter.

Chattanooga continued from page 11 St. Stephen, Chattanooga Fourteen young people from the parish received the sacrament of confirmation May 19.

Twenty-one children received their first Holy Communion on May 5.

Anniversary: Pat and Jack O’Keefe (57) Newcomers: Jim and Susan Colvard and family; Brittany Johnson and son, Taylor; Chris and Ashley Stenberg and daughter, Stella; Polly Ann Parshall-Bouch, Joe Bouch, Clark and Casey Parshall

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Cleveland Vacation Bible school (VBS), for pre-K through sixth-grade students, will be held from 8:45 a.m. to noon June 10-14 at St. Thérèse. There is a suggested donaThe East Tennessee Catholic

tion of $10 per family for supplies and snacks. Call Sandy Hartert-Forshee, director of religious education, to register at 423-476-8123.

Young, single Catholics in the Cleveland area who are looking for a group to grow their faith and friendships are asked to call Jared Martin at 423-486-7561 or Sandy Hartert-Forshee at 423-476-8123 for more information.

The Catholic Men’s Association meets at 8 a.m. June 8 and June 22 in Breen Hall, room 3. All Catholic men are welcome to participate in these gatherings, held the second and fourth Saturday of the month at 8 a.m.

Newcomers: Leon and Lisa Thompson and family

Notre Dame, Greeneville “Fiesta!” is the theme of the parish vacation Bible school scheduled on Wednesday nights in June from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Activities planned include Bible study, skits, a desert drive-in, cactus crafts, and music. A camp-out is planned for the teen staff on the last day of the Bible school as well as a pool party and cookout for all of the participants at Kinser Park. Call Susan Collins for more information at 423-639-9381.

The high school youth group is planning a trip to Doe River Gorge Day Quest on Saturday, Aug. 3. The cost will be $25 per person and will include lunch. Space is limited. Call Susan Collins for more information at 423-639-9381.

St. Dominic, Kingsport “SonWest Roundup” will be the theme of the vacation Bible school scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. June 10-14. Children ages 3 through 11 are welcome to attend. To register or to volunteer, contact Karen Lewicki at 423-288-8101 or KML8183@gmail.com.

St. Dominic Parish collected diapers during May for Hope House, a faith-based nonprofit agency that assists pregnant women and their families in the Kingsport area.

St. Henry, Rogersville The women of St. Henry held their monthly luncheon at Big Creek Restaurant in Rogersville on May 15.

Anniversaries: Ernest and G. G. Hampton (45), Donald and Paula Burslie (45), Tony and Patricia Wilkosz (45), Mike and Carol Rogan (30), Ron and Kathy Campbell (25)

St. Patrick, Morristown Luis and Carmen Crespo were honored by the state Knights of Columbus as the State Family of the Year at the 110th annual Knights of Columbus State Convention in Franklin.

The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring the Medic Blood Mobile for a blood drive in the front parking lot of the church from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12. Contact the parish for more information at 423-586-9174. n

A rosary for the unborn is offered on June 17 and every third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the church. n The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

June 2, 2013 13

Smoky Mountain Deanery calendar

Parish notes: Smoky Mountain Deanery

A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held June 22 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. This meeting will be a booksharing session. Coffee and tea will be served at 8:30 a.m.; the workshop will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring a bag lunch. RSVP to the John XXIII office at 865-523-7931.

Blessed John XXIII, Knoxville Sixteen young people were confirmed at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center on May 5.

First communicants: Isabel Brown, Luke Cheadle, Olivia Enkema, John Mancini, Keanan Resendes, Kerry Willard

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville Marian Howard, director of adult faith formation, and Kathleen Kramer, director of religious education, are retiring this summer after many years of service to the parish. Both women were thanked for their numerous contributions in service to the faithful at Immaculate Conception Church.

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa Bishop Stika confirmed 29 young people from the parish on May 22.

Twelve children received their first Holy Communion on Saturday, May 4.

COURTESY OF KATHLEEN EDWARDS

Holy Ghost, Knoxville Diocesan seminarian Ray Powell, a Theology III student at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis., will be in residence at Holy Ghost Church while he completes his clinical pastoral experience at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Confirmation at Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral celebrated the sacrament of confirmation on April 23. The 2013 confirmandi are Juan Aranda, Morgan Briggs, Alexander Burch, Matthew Carroll, Madelyn Collins, Brian Curtin, Matthew Dovgan, Carter Edmunds, Jeremy Garbarino, Parker Gensheimer, Seth Gettelfinger, Catalina Gutiérrez, Matthew Holloway, Kathleen Karnes, Elise Klug, Katherine Kropilak, David LaBine, Kathryn Lee, Anna Letendre, Ella Mader, Helen Martin, Abigail Noyes, Maureen Padilla, Cheyenne Peters, Sienna Prater, Thomas Pridemore, Austen Rhoades, Addison Rivard, Frank Romano, Maria Sewell, Mario Sewell, Katherine Simoneau, Clifford Stallworth, April Stuart, Nicole Stuart, Nathan Teter, Alexander Vetrano, and Kate Zibas. Also pictured with Bishop Richard F. Stika are the confirmation team of Kathleen Edwards, Joey Ernst, Miles Safieh, Katy Gonzales, Krissy Holvey, and Gisela Chaparro, along with Father Andres Cano, Father Randy Stice, Deacon Bill Jacobs, and Sacred Heart rector Father David Boettner.

Our Lady of Fatima was one of 10 churches that participated in the second annual Blount County Operation Inasmuch on April 20. Projects included packing birthing kits for mothers in Africa, sorting underwear for the Free the Girls program that helps prevent human trafficking, writing letters to American troops overseas, and participating on teams that helped repair several homes in the area.

Sacred Heart, Knoxville The Totus Tuus vacation Bible school returns to Sacred Heart Cathedral July 1419. Grades one through six will meet from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and grades seven through 12 will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The cost is $15 per child. Children meeting during the day will need to bring a sack lunch. Registration forms can be downloaded at shcathedral.org under the Faith Formation tab on the webpage.

14 June 2, 2013

COURTESY OF PETER BOBREK

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville Bishop Stika confirmed 17 high school students at St. Albert the Great on May 1.

Vacation Bible school is scheduled for June 10-14 at St. Albert the Great Church.

“Kingdom Rock” will be the theme. To learn more or volunteer, contact Angie Nelson at 865-938-9941 or anelson@gmail.com.

St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville St. Joseph the Worker Church will assist members of Madisonville Presbyterian Church for a Feed the Hungry Potluck on Tuesday, June 11. Parishioners are asked to check the church bulletin board for suggested items to bring. Call the parish office for more information at 423-442-7273. n

The Ladies of Charity of Knoxville are accepting donations of furniture, household goods, grocery gift cards, and personal-hygiene items for their clients. Bring donations to the Ladies of Charity center located at 120 W. Baxter Ave. or call Debbie Donahoo at 865-599-0088. Donations are accepted at the Ladies of Charity from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Bobreks celebrating 50th wedding anniversary Peter and Maria Bobrek, parishioners of All Saints in Knoxville, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary July 22.

The Bobreks were married in 1963 at a Greek Catholic church in Banja Luka, Bosnia. The officiating priest was Mrs. Bobrek’s father, the Rev. Simeon Hromis, a Greek Catholic priest. The Bobreks have three children, Anna, Nataly, and John and 10 grandchildren.

dioknox.org

Catholic schools

Knoxville Catholic names new girls basketball coach

Top five students at Notre Dame Notre Dame High School recently announced the top five students for the class of 2013. They are Kate Westman, valedictorian; Steven Dorris, salutatorian; Sydney Lundquist, third; Darby Lundquist, fourth; and Michelle Lee, fifth. The class celebrated graduation May 18 with a Baccalaureate Mass at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and on May 19 with a commencement ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium.

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

Knoxville Catholic High School has named Alex Bowers as head basketball coach for the Lady Irish.

Coach Bowers joins KCHS from Maryville College, where he was an assistant coach for the men’s team. He was involved in many areas of coaching with Maryville, including strength and conditioning, recruiting, game preparation and review, and individual instruction. Mr. Bowers also boasts a successful playing career—the Scots went 67-18 during his tenure and collected three NCAA Tournament appearances, three Great South Athletic Conference regular-season titles, and a pair of league-tournament crowns. In his senior year, he was named team MVP and All-Great South performer.

“I am excited to be joining the Knoxville Catholic community and becoming a member of the school’s faculty and staff,” Bowers said. “I feel like my experience in competing in the highest levels academically and athletically will allow for a smooth transition to Catholic High—a place where both are emphasized greatly.” n

The East Tennessee Catholic

KCHS freshman posts perfect score on Latin Exam Freshman James Maze recently became the first Knoxville Catholic High School student to score a perfect score on the 2013 National Latin Exam. Of the 140,000 students from all over the world who took the test, less than 1 percent scored a perfect score. James’s Latin teacher is Jenny Fields. n

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

NDHS has three winners in oratorical contest The annual Pro-Life Oratorical Contest was held April 26 at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. Twelve Notre Dame students competed in the event.

First place and a $100 cash prize were awarded to Lauren Simpson. Second place and a $75 cash prize were awarded to Tim Barnes. Third place and a $50 cash prize were awarded to Colin Sawyer. Other participants were Hunter Finnegan, Seamus Finnegan, Bishop Hill, Claire LeSar, Anna Loy, Sarah Thomas, Ryan Crumpler, Graham Anderson, and Addison Hutton. The contest was coordinated by Donna Jones, Sister Mary Evelyn Potts, OP, and Sister Margaret Mary Sallwasser, OP. The judges were Charlotte Barr, Chris Bello, George Bercaw, and Judy Speck.

Pictured from left are Tim Barnes, Sister Margaret Mary, Lauren Simpson, and Colin Sawyer.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

June 2, 2013 15

St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga recently celebrated Scout Sunday.

Eleven Scouts received either their Light of Christ or Parvuli Dei award. They were Joey Bertani, Spencer Bourn, Dreiten Dautrich III, Max Flasch, Jake Foster, Tyler Foster, Griffin Lee, Samson Lee, Zachary Varga, Pierre Westhoff, and Ryan Zeik.

George LeCrone Sr., chairman of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, presented the St. George Award to St. Jude pastor Father Charlie Burton for his many years of service to Scouting in the diocese.

Forty-seven Scouts and 13 adult leaders attended Scout Sunday at St. Jude.

Parvuli Dei awards presented during cathedral celebration Sacred Heart Cathedral recently held a Scout Sunday celebration in which five Parvuli Dei awards were presented.

Cathedral rector Father David Boettner and George LeCrone Sr., chairman of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, made the presentations to Alan Patrick Arvidson, D. Jon Montpelier, Matthew Sellers, Patrick Shaffer, and David Velas.

Also present were four boys who crossed over from Cub/Webelos Scouts to Boy Scouts: Cole Jenkins, Sean McRae, Austin Naab, and Joseph Tornstrom. n

16 June 2, 2013

Catholic youth

St. Mary students learn true meaning of beauty

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hen it comes to fashion for the girls at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge, the trend is “modest is hottest.”

Challenge, a virtue and apostolate-based program for girls at St. Mary, met two times a month leading up to a fashion show held May 11 at Oak Ridge Country Club. The middle school girls worked on every phase of the fashion event, from securing sponsorships, marketing the show and selecting the attire to putting on the dinner and show.

Fifth-grade girls were responsible for decorations, with the theme being “girls with a mission and a passion for fashion.” The sixth grade was in charge of fundraising, and they collected a number of items that were raffled off to the audience.

Seventh-graders were in charge of advertising the event and serving as commentators and persuaded Altar’d State, Belk and Red Robin to be sponsors. The eighth-grade girls served as models for the clothing.

The program is led by high school students and is supported by a youth minister, college students and parents. Margaret Merrill serves in youth ministry at St. Mary and was a lead organizer of the event.

“Our goal is heaven. Everything we do leads us toward this goal or away from this goal,” Mrs. Merrill said, noting that her family has worked to keep activities like sports in balance so that heaven is always the goal for doing anything.

“My oldest two children are now working and sports plays only a small percentage in their life now,

BILL BREWER

St. Jude celebrates Scout Sunday

‘Beauty is . . . because of who they are’ Middle school students at St. Mary School of Oak Ridge who participate in the Challenge program are pictured following a “modest” fashion show they held at Oak Ridge Country Club on May 11.

but their faith is everything. So it is with fashion. The commercials and Hollywood role models have created an unbalance in our modesty and character. Having five girls, I know how it can lead us from our goal of heaven. The world tells us confusing messages and we have forgotten the sacredness of our bodies,” she said.

Sister Mary Rebekah, of St. Mary School, who helped lead the fashion show, said it is vital for middle school girls to have a positive influence like Challenge on their fashion choices and the girls actually desire boundaries.

“It’s extremely important because in our day and age, women are being treated as objects and so as they see ads in magazines, they see these commercials—how women are being

portrayed with the air brush, flawless skin, and the sexually provocative clothing—they think they have to be that way. They think they have to dress that way and act that way in order to be a woman, in order to be beautiful. So something like this teaches them that beauty goes so much deeper than that fake image that’s being portrayed by our media.

Beauty is a reflection of God’s creation. Beauty is something that is because of who they are, not because of what they wear or people’s opinions of them,” Sister Mary Rebekah said.

St. Mary, which also offers a program for boys called Conquest, wants students to have fun in the activities and socialize, which are important ways for them to share their faith and grow spiritually. n

Notre Dame basketball player Stedmon Ford commits to Lee University

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asketball player Stedmon Ford of Notre Dame High School has committed to Lee University. “Stedmon was a four-year varsity basketball player at Notre Dame

High School,” said NDHS head coach J.P. Nerbun. “He was a human highlight reel, scoring over 1,500 points in his ND career and doing what many thought was impossible.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Known for his competitive fire, he did whatever it took for his team to win. Stedmon has committed to Lee University and hopes to play professionally overseas after college.” n dioknox.org

Handmaids continued from page 9

I was horrified by what was happening, both to the Vietnamese and our own troops. I needed something to help me make sense of it all and God gave me grace when I met a group of Vietnamese sisters who were caring for orphans, many of them horribly maimed.”

The Reverend Mother recalled that she could not speak Vietnamese and they could not speak English.

“But I began to help them. I was so impressed by their peace and their trust in God in a place where there was nothing, no natural hope,” she recalled.

The experience led her to become Catholic and take vows as a nun 38 years ago.

“We all come from different backgrounds,” the Reverend Mother noted.

Sister Mary Genevieve, who celebrated her 50th year of vowed life May 14, was a librarian. Sister Anunziata was a rancher and trained horses and dogs before entering the community. Sister Rose Philomena is a U.S. Air Force veteran and served for

10 years as a meteorologist in the United States and abroad in Korea and Saudi Arabia. She reached the rank of captain. Sister Marie Josèphe, who will arrive in East Tennessee this month, also is an Air Force veteran who was a satellite operations officer.

Sister Anunziata jokes that with her, “God had to keep calling.” She describes being a nun as “an everyday ‘yes.’”

“It is a stunning reality,” she said. “It is not expected and is unique for each individual. Being personally called by God is a humbling experience and you know you have to respond. It is a great blessing and a great privilege. I love it.”

The Handmaids of the Precious Blood take vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and they rely on donations from the public. They maintain an Internet presence at their website, www.nunsforpriests.org, that has information on the Handmaids and where they invite the public to “Adopt-a-Priest” and receive the first name of a priest for whom they can pray. n

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The East Tennessee Catholic

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Carmela A. Dupuis, Executive Director 855-842-8001 | 508-340-9370 June 2, 2013 17

Living the readings

Weekday readings Sunday, June 2: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:1-4; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17 Monday, June 3: Memorial, St. Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs, Tobit 1:3 and 2:1-8; Psalm 112:1-6; Mark 12:1-12 Tuesday, June 4: Tobit 2:914; Psalm 112:1-2, 7-9; Mark 12:13-17 Wednesday, June 5: Memorial, St. Boniface, bishop and martyr, Tobit 3:1-11, 16-17; Psalm 25:2-9; Mark 12:18-27 Thursday, June 6: Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-17; and 8:4-9; Psalm 128:1-5; Mark 12:28-34 Friday, June 7: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ezekiel 34:11-16; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 15:3-7 Saturday, June 8: Memorial, the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20; Tobit 13:2, 6-8; Luke 2:41-51 Sunday, June 9: 1 Kings 17:17-24; Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13; Galatians 1:11-19; Luke 7:11-17 Monday, June 10: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7; Psalm 34:2-9; Matthew 5:1-12 Tuesday, June 11: Memorial, St. Barnabas, apostle, Acts 11:21-26 and 13:1-3; Psalm 98:1-6; Matthew 5:13-16 Wednesday, June 12: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Psalm 99:5-9; Matthew 5:17-19 Thursday, June 13: Memorial, St. Anthony of Padua, priest, doctor of the Church, 2 Corinthians 3:15–4:1 and 4:36; Psalm 85:9-14; Matthew 5:20-26 Friday, June 14: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Psalm 116:10-11, 15-18; Matthew 5:27-32 Saturday, June 15: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Psalm 103:14, 9-12; Matthew 5:33-37 Readings continued on page 19

18 June 2, 2013

by Father Joseph Brando

The power of the Eucharist

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Body, Blood of Christ strengthen faith, overcome death and sin

une is beginning with a flourish as the feast of Corpus Christi is highlighting the sacrament of the Eucharist. After this feast to the end of the liturgical year Sundays are nameless yet numbered with the exception of the last Sunday, which is Christ, the King.

However, an interesting phenomenon occurs this month because it begins with the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The readings for the next four Sundays fit in quite reasonably as commentary on the Eucharist. On the feast itself, we read of the Eucharist in Scripture.

Then, the readings for the next four Sundays teach us first, the power of Christ over death; second, the power of Jesus over sin; third the fact that Christ’s power is ours through faith; and finally, we are urged to accept this power into our lives with all our strength.

So, let us begin by considering the message presented to us via the feast of Corpus Christi. The Scripture readings and all the prayers for the feast were compiled by St. Thomas Aquinas, who also wrote music for the occasion that includes the Tantum Ergo. You would expect these readings to be filled with theological meaning. And so they are.

The first reading is from the 14th chapter of Genesis, which comes from sources unlike that of the rest of Genesis. What we have here is the aftermath of a war. Abraham had chased the kings who had attacked and destroyed the cities around the Dead Sea and, when he found them, took back all the wealth they had taken along with many prisoners, including Abram’s nephew, Lot, and his family. Then, there was a thanksgiving service led by the otherwise unknown Melchizedek. His name means king of justice and his coun-

try was Salem. Salem could be taken for Jerusalem; but the word means “peace.” Putting it together we have a ceremonial thanksgiving service consisting of bread and wine. It was led by a king of justice who is from the land of peace. The meal was described in terms that tell us it was a ritual meal instituting a covenant.

At the end, Abram gave Melchizedek 10 percent of all his belongings.

That had to be a huge amount considering he possessed all the booty the kings he defeated had taken from the five cities they sacked.

Those are the facts. What they amount to is a covenant that included Abram, the Hebrew, as an equal of the kings in what we know as the Holy Land. More importantly, there was a relation established between God and Abram that was based on sacrifice of bread and wine. This is the scripture that Jesus used to establish a sacramental relationship with us. It is sacrificial, communal, peace-making, just and empowering. The Lord raised it to become the means by which he shares his divinity with us.

The second reading presents the words of institution of the Eucharist

by Jesus at the Last Supper. Interestingly, it appears in a letter of Paul correcting the Christians in Corinth, who were not celebrating the Eucharist correctly. They had lost the concept of unity dividing the rich and poor. So Paul reminded them what Jesus did and said in the Upper Room. This incident brings out an important note. The New Testament does not contain many descriptions of or lessons on the sacraments because it was written to be part of those liturgies. The best way to read the books of the New Testament is to see in each passage a reference to Eucharistic spirituality—a message

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

to the Christian community gathered at Mass.

The Corpus Christi gospel is the story of the feeding of the 5,000 men. Jesus didn’t feed them. The disciples did at Jesus’ urging. Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and gave it back to his disciples to distribute.

When we experience Mass, we also are given divine gifts. We should receive them with satisfaction in our souls and spread them to others through our actions and words.

The Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time reveals that in the Eucharist we receive Christ’s power over death. The first reading is the story of Elijah restoring life to the son of the widow who had received him into her house. Elijah took the body of the young man, placed him on a bed inside his “upper room.” Then he stretched out over the breathless body and prayed. The boy came to life. We come to life when we come to Mass and remember what Jesus did at the Upper Room, where he gave us his life.

The Gospel for this Sunday also is the story of Jesus giving life back to the deceased son of a widow. The story illustrates the Lord’s compassion; but a special kind of mercy.

Luke ends his telling of the story with two acclamations from the crowd: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst” and “God has visited his people.” Both of these express divine power coming to us. It is a power that triumphs over death and can come to us.

The New Testament readings for this Sunday and for the rest of the month come from Paul’s epistle to the Galatians. The subject of the letter is faith and justification. Here, Paul tells of his own introduction to the Lord on his way to Damascus. It was powerful and personal. He did not need to consult anyone. Rather, his first move was to go straight to Arabia to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ there. His life was radically changed. He learned the Gospel is not something taught. It overpowdioknox.org

ers you. It makes you want to tell the news to the whole world.

The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on the power to overcome sin. We can receive that power from the Eucharist. The Old Testament reading recounts the story of David being confronted by his personal prophet, Nathan. David had sinned by having one of his military officers placed in a doomed attack.

Uriah died. His only problem was that he was married to the woman David was attracted to. In response to Nathan, David admitted his guilt.

Nathan answered David, “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin; you shall not die.” God has that power and confers it through his sacraments.

Back to Galatians, Paul argues that it is not the law of Moses that frees us from sin. It is our faith, a free gift of God that justifies us. The relationship we have with God that grows through frequent communion bolsters and builds up our faith. That faith defeats sin and brings us to happiness.

Luke illustrates it is not faith alone. The gospel relates the actions of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. Jesus responded by proclaiming, “Your sins are forgiven.

Your faith has saved you, go in peace” He told his befuddled host, “her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love.”

The love that grows in us as we experience God’s love in holy Communion places us in the same position.

We receive a power that delivers us from sin. It is the force of faith and love. These two join with hope to become the theological virtues. That is they are supernatural powers that we attain when we are united with God. Unity with God is what we celebrate in Eucharist.

The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time continues to inform us how to receive divine power. The basic answer is with Faith. But, how does that Faith come to us? The first such answer in today’s liturgy The East Tennessee Catholic

comes from the Old Testament. The prophet Zechariah might as well have been born 500 years later than he was. It is as if he were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. He writes, “they shall look at him whom they have pierced; they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn…on that day there shall be open…to the inhabitants of Jerusalem a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.” The crucified Lord is the source of our strength over personal sin and the sin of the world.

Paul writes to the Galatians that through faith we become children of God. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Baptism takes away not only our sins but original sin as well. As of then, “we belong to Christ and are heirs according to the promise.” So, St. Paul leads us to faith through the sacrament of baptism as well as Eucharist.

Luke, a disciple of Paul, takes us beyond baptism in answering where faith comes from. Of course, it is the Lord. In describing the events at Caesarea Philippi, Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders…and be killed and on the third day be raised.” It is into the death and resurrection of Jesus that we are baptized. We gain victory by entering into the waters of baptism where we become one with Jesus in his struggle to destroy sin and death.

“Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Knowing Christ is to involve each of us in his life of grace and his victorious battle against evil. The battle is no contest as we and the Lord are heavily armed with the faith that comes through Christ by means of his sacraments.

The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last Sunday of June, challenges us. It calls on us to put all we’ve learned this month into practice in our daily lives. The first

reading gives us the personal response that Elisha gives to the call he received from Elijah. Remember that Elijah was the last remaining prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the time of Jezebel. He calls Elisha to follow him. Elisha asks to kiss his father farewell. While doing that he also slaughtered his 12 oxen with which he had been working his land.

That might be like cutting into scrap a couple of first-class combines.

We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment plus the land. That’s what Elisha fearlessly gave up and refused to look behind to regret. That’s the way we need to respond to Christ’s call to us.

Paul directs us to fix our attention on living in the Spirit. If we do we will have overcome the flesh. It sounds easy. But Paul warns that following the Spirit means not doing what we want to do. Following the Spirit means that, like Elisha, we must forget our previous life. The joy that we get in return is that we rise above human law with the guidance of the Spirit. We can experience freedom.

Perhaps the best example to motivate us to seek the Spirit is Jesus himself. Luke writes in today’s Gospel that Jesus “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.”

That is to say he knew they were out to execute him in Jerusalem and he wasn’t intending to miss the date.

Nor would Jesus accept the excuse of those who didn’t immediately choose to go with him. To one who wanted to bury his father first, Jesus replied, “Let the dead bury the dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” If you look behind, you are not fit for the Kingdom.

That is June. The Lord is calling us.

There’s only one right answer. It is an enthusiastic Amen! Then we start following the Lord in the Spirit to the new life of grace alive in Christ in power. n Father Joseph Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Readings continued from page 18 Sunday, June 16: 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11; Galatians 2:16, 19-21; Luke 7:36–8:3 Monday, June 17: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Psalm 98:1-4; Matthew 5:38-42 Tuesday, June 18: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; Psalm 146:2, 5-9; Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday, June 19: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Psalm 112:14, 9; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday, June 20: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Psalm 111:14, 7-8; Matthew 6:7-15 Friday, June 21: Memorial, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious, 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30; Psalm 34:2-7; Matthew 6:19-23 Saturday, June 22: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 34:813; Matthew 6:24-34 Sunday, June 23: Zechariah 12:10-11 and 13:1; Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9; Galatians 3:2629; Luke 9:18-24; Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Peter 1:8-12; Luke 1:5-17 Monday, June 24: Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139:1-3, 1315; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80 Tuesday, June 25: Genesis 13:2, 5-18; Psalm 15:2-5; Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Wednesday, June 26: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9; Matthew 7:15-20 Thursday, June 27: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16; Psalm 106:15; Matthew 7:21-29 Friday, June 28: Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22; Psalm 128:1-5; Matthew 8:1-4; Acts 3:1-10; Psalm 19:2-5; Galatians 1:11-20; John 21:15-19 Saturday, June 29: Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 34:2-9; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 Sunday, June 30: 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62 n

June 2, 2013 19

Marriage enrichment

Second Fortnight for Freedom set for June 21-July 4 WASHINGTON—The second annual Fortnight for Freedom will take place from June 21 to July 4, and will consist of national and local efforts to educate Americans on challenges to religious liberty both at home and abroad. As with last year’s Fortnight, the event will begin and end with a special Mass.

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, will open the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom by celebrating Mass at Baltimore’s historic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, scheduled for June 21 at 7 p.m. EDT. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington will celebrate the closing Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on July 4 at noon EDT. “The need for prayer, education, and action in defense of religious liberty has never been greater,” Archbishop Lori said.

“The Fortnight for Freedom exists to meet that need. This year’s Fortnight occurs just weeks before Aug. 1, when the administration’s mandate coercing us to violate our deeply held beliefs will be enforced against most religious non-profits. During the Fortnight, the Supreme Court’s decisions on the definition of marriage will likely be handed down as well. Those decisions could have a profound impact on religious freedom for generations to come.”

Further details about the Fortnight can be found at www.

Fortnight4Freedom.org/. The site hosts resources such as one-page fact sheets outlining

by Marian Christiana

Dads: giving credit where credit is due Fathers devoted to their families often are unsung heroes, and their impact on children can be immense

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n today’s culture, fathers often are the unsung heroes of our families. We hear a lot about single mothers and their children but very little about the fathers who stay. We don’t read or hear breaking news stories about the guy who comes home from work every day to his family. That may not be news but it has a profound effect on the lives of children.

Since Father ’s Day is celebrated in mid-June, I have been thinking a lot about the impact of fathers, particularly about the effect fathers have on their daughters’ lives.

My husband, Ralph, and I have three children—a son and two daughters. Our older daughter, Maddie, recently became engaged to be married. Maddie’s choice for her future spouse made me appreciate, yet again, the wonderful role model she has in her father.

Maddie has always been daddy’s girl. Sometimes I think it is because she resembles him and his side of the family, but then I remember how he bonded with her immediately when she was born.

She was delivered early in the morning and I was sleeping after a long night. My husband had Maddie all to himself for her first

few hours in this world. They imprinted on each other. That bond has never broken. Maddie knew that no matter what life brought her way, from crashed cars to home runs, soccer goals or tough questions, her dad had her back.

She knew that her father stood between her and the world.

Thanks to that unwavering support, Maddie has become a strong, confident young woman ready to begin her own family.

A daughter ’s relationship with her father, good or bad, is far more important than we may realize. It turns out that Dr. Meg Meeker, a pediatrician with more than 20 years of experience counseling girls, agrees. Dr. Meeker is the author of the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know. In this book, Dr. Meeker shares the 10 secrets every father needs to know in order to strengthen or rebuild bonds with his daughter and shape her life—and his own—for the better.

A daughter needs her father ’s attention, protection, courage, and wisdom and it is never too late to become that father.

Dr. Meeker states in her book that one of the best things fathers can do for their daughters is raise their expectations of what is right

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and just in life. Fathers can do this through modeling what is good and virtuous with everyone they meet. A daughter pays attention to all of her father ’s relationships. She is watching how he interacts with his wife, co-workers and strangers alike.

Modeling what is good and virtuous provides a daughter with an image of the type of man she would someday want to marry.

This can appear to be a daunting task but fathers don’t need to change their character. They need only to aspire to exhibit the best aspects of that character.

Dr. Meeker has written this guide to help fathers build a better relationship with their daughters. Her book and its companion, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge, would be wonderful Father ’s Day gifts for any father with daughters. These books have the kind of advice that will help encourage a father to become an intentional father who models what is good and virtuous for his daughter.

Happy Father ’s Day, Ralph, and to all the fathers in our diocese. n Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

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

Fortnight continued on page 21

20 June 2, 2013

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Understanding the sacraments

Fortnight continued from page 20

by Father Randy Stice

Mystical rites

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A catechesis of the sacrament of holy orders in which Christ authorizes, empowers ministers of grace

aptism, Eucharist and confirmation are the sacraments of initiation through which we receive new life in Christ. Penance and anointing of the sick are sacraments of healing through which we are restored to spiritual and bodily health. Marriage and holy orders are sacraments at the service of communion, for they “are directed towards the salvation of others. …

They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God” (Catechism, 1534). In this column we will look at the sacrament of holy orders.

The sacrament of holy orders includes the episcopacy (bishops), the presbyterate (priesthood), and the diaconate (deacons). The first two, episcopacy and presbyterate, are “two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ…

The diaconate is intended to help and serve them” (Catechism, 1554).

All three degrees are conferred by the sacramental act called “ordination”—the sacrament of holy orders.

This sacrament confers a specific gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the ordained to exercise a “sacred power…which can come only from Christ himself through his Church” (Catechism, 1538). “The grace of the Holy Spirit proper to this sacrament is configuration to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor, of whom the ordained is made a minister” (Catechism, 1585). It also is called a consecration, “for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church” (Catechism, 1538).

The essential rite and visible sign is the laying on of hands by the bishop with the consecratory prayer.

As with the other sacraments, our presentation of holy orders will be a three-part mystagogical catechesis.

First, we will look at the Old TestaThe East Tennessee Catholic

One of the essential elements of this sacrament is the imposition of hands by the bishop on the head of the ordinand. We find the meaning of this gesture in the practice of the early Church. ment roots of the sacrament. Next, we will examine one of the essential signs of the sacramental rite. Finally, we will consider the meaning of the sacrament for the whole of the minister’s life.

The Old Testament roots of this sacrament are found “in the priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the institution of the seventy elders” (Catechism, 1541). “A special rite consecrated the beginnings of the priesthood of the Old Covenant” (Catechism, 1539). In the words of the Letter to the Hebrews, priests of the Old Covenant were “appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1).

These Old Testament roots are expressed in the Prayer of Consecration for priests: “O Lord, holy Father,…in the earlier covenant offices arose, established through mystical rites…upon the sons of Aaron you poured an abundant share of their father’s plenty, that the number of the priests prescribed by the Law might be sufficient for the sacrifices of the tabernacle, which were a shadow of the good things to come.” St. Thomas Aquinas explained the unity of the priesthoods of the Old and New Covenants: “Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ” (Catechism, 1549).

The second aspect of our catechesis considers the signs in the rite.

As noted above, one of the essential elements of this sacrament is the imposition of hands by the bishop on the head of the ordinand. We find the meaning of this gesture in the practice of the early Church, for “it is by the Apostles’ imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given [Acts 8:17-19; 13:3; 19:6] (Catechism, 699). The Church has preserved this sign of “the all-powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in its sacramental epiclesis [invocation of the Holy Spirit]” (Catechism, 699).

The third aspect to consider is the meaning of this sacrament for the minister. St. Gregory of Nazianzus describes the responsibility that comes with ordination: “We must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel prudently. I know whose ministers we are, where we find ourselves and to where we strive. I know God’s greatness and man’s weakness, but also his potential” (Catechism, 1589).

With sacred power comes sacred responsibility.

Through the sacrament of holy orders Christ authorizes and empowers ministers of grace. “In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth” (Catechism, 1548).

He does so through “mystical rites” that beautifully express the power they confer. n Father Stice directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

current threats to religious freedom both in the United States and abroad; frequently asked questions about religious liberty, including quotes from the Founding Fathers, the Second Vatican Council and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI; and a study guide on Dignitatis Humanae, Vatican II’s document on religious liberty. The website also lists sample activities already planned in several dioceses, an image gallery of photos from last year’s Fortnight celebrations, as well as resources and recommendations for other local efforts, such as prayers for use in special liturgies. n

Upcoming Virtus sessions The Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children, youth and vulnerable adults is offered throughout the diocese. The seminars are required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact with children and vulnerable adults. The following training sessions are scheduled: n St.

Jude Church, Chattanooga, noon, Tuesday, July 23. n St.

Dominic, Kingsport, 1 p.m.

Saturday, June 8; 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday July 17. n Diocese of Knoxville Chancery, 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 15. n

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The East Tennessee Catholic offers online delivery for those who wish to receive a digital copy and discontinue the print edition. Sign up for online delivery at bit.ly/subscribe-online. If you decide online delivery isn’t for you, you can return to a print subscription at any time. If you have questions, e-mail mhunt@ dioknox.org. n June 2, 2013 21

Once upon a time

Bishops praise Senate action on immigration reform WASHINGTON (CNA)—U.S. bishops welcomed a Senate committee’s passage of a major immigration bill as an “important step,” urging the full senate to consider the bill as soon as possible.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, lauded the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The committee approved the legislation May 21 by a vote of 13-5.

The archbishop urged the senate to amend the bill to widen “the path to citizenship” and maximize the number of people who can “come out of the shadows.”

The senate’s 867-page immigration bill would allow the estimated 11 million illegal residents of the U.S. to obtain provisional immigrant status six months after the bill if they meet certain conditions, The Washington Post reports.

Those eligible must have arrived in the U.S. before Dec. 31, 2011, and must have maintained continuous physical presence since then. They must also pay $500 every six years, and can seek a green card and lawful permanent resident status if they meet certain conditions, including paying $1,000, keeping current on their taxes and learning English.

The U.S. Senate is expected to consider the legislation this month, though its passage is not certain. The bill’s counterpart in the House of Representatives faces opposition. n

22 June 2, 2013

by Monsignor Xavier Mankel

Understanding the Eucharistic Congress

I

Signature event will highlight the Diocese of Knoxville’s Silver Jubilee celebration that begins in September

know that many of us are busy promoting the Diocesan Eucharist Congress and Family Weekend at the Sevierville Convention Center Sept. 13-14, 2013. It will certainly be a highlight celebration of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of our Diocese of Knoxville which came to us by way of the Holy Spirit and Pope John Paul II on Sept. 8, 1988.

Our diocesan celebration in 1988 was held at the “old” Knoxville Convention Center and some 5,500 people attended. Clergy, religious, and laity turned out in great numbers for that auspicious occasion. Archbishop Thomas Cajetan Kelly, OP, our metropolitan from Louisville, said many wonderful things in the homily that evening. The point I have remembered most from his remarks was that East Tennesseans do not have to go “national” or “international” to find authentic Catholic Church leadership because it is right here in our midst! I have thought of his remarks many times since and have found them to be oh so true.

Indeed one of the successes of the still very young (as dioceses go) Diocese of Knoxville is that we began with and have maintained ever since now for a quarter century a leadership and a “followership” that has been simply wonderful. No news here…so far.

Ever since the event called a Eucharistic Congress was announced as part of our jubilee programs, people have been asking their priests and other parish leadership, well, just what is one? Most answers given include confidence in and trust for our bishop and his leadership teams (I say teams because so many competent people have been a part of this overall effort).

However, when pinned down for specific answers not a lot of information seems available to our foundation folk, the “pew Catholics” who are our Catholic Church in East Tennessee.

So, as I have done so many times over the years in servicing one of the good questions that have come my way. I turn to the Catholic Encyclopedia to get me started. I usually begin with the treatment as found in the “older”one, 1908, but today I shall refer to a quotation from the “new” one (begun in 1967 and still being published with supplements) as I think that it answers the question pretty well: Eucharistic Congresses (are) large assemblies, either international, national, regional, or local, of the clergy, religious, and laity for the purpose of deepening understanding of, and devotion to, the Holy Eucharist.

Usually organized around a particular theme, the congress normally has both instructional and inspirational activi-

ties. Lectures, seminars, and discussion groups examine various aspects of the Eucharistic life and its relevance to contemporary problems. Liturgical observances and public ceremonies serve to strengthen dedication to the Christian life and to Christian ideals.

The beginnings of Eucharistic congresses date from the work of Marie Marthe Emilia Tamisier (1834-1910) of Touraine, France. In her devotion to the Holy Eucharist, Mlle Tamisier first encouraged pilgrimages to places where Eucharistic miracles were commemorated: Avignon, Ars, Douai, Paris, and Paray-le-Monial. In 1873 at Paray-le-Monial she saw about 60 members of the French Parliament kneel in the chapel (where Christ revealed His will to St. Margaret Mary) and promise to work against the secularist policies of the French government. The moment suggested the larger possibilities of Christians brought together to profess their faith in the Eucharist and in the teachings of Christ…. From the New Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 5, p. 617, I hope this helps. And if you haven’t yet registered for the Sevierville event I urge you to do so soon. n

Bishop continued from page 2

While serving as Episcopal Vicar for Religious as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, I would visit our nine communities of cloistered religious, one of which has since relocated. Despite the differences of these religious orders, each with their special charism and purpose, they all shared in common a deep and radiant joy—the joy of responding with the total gift of themselves to the gift of Christ the Bridegroom. And it is

this joy that they pray will be yours, for “all good giving and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).

Visit the Handmaids webpage at www.nunsforpriests.org/ and learn more about how you can join them in praying for priests, for “In strengthening the priest you strengthen the whole Church.... Strengthen the priest and you strengthen the whole foundation, you strengthen everything in the Church.” n

seem distantly out of touch with a world filled with suffering and great need outside the walls of their enclosure, their prayers and many sacrifices as a silent proclamation of the Gospel are the very “soul and leaven” of the Church’s evangelization efforts and works of mercy.

Indeed, cloistered religious are truly indispensable co-workers in the mystery of redemption.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Monsignor Mankel is a vicar general of the diocese and the pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville.

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Schedule continued from page 2

Alex continued from page 6

“He’s provided us with a lot of powerful moments in our lives,” Mrs. Notte said.

Alex’s parents freely admit that raising a special-needs child has not been easy, but they say Alex’s challenges have provided the family a way to learn about themselves and others in a way that would never have been possible otherwise. Alex’s developmental challenges involve neurological, vision and hearing function, and he has taken up golf to help him overcome those obstacles.

“He really connects with people and he’s very compassionate,” Mrs. Notte said. Though his parents say a few doors have been closed to Alex due to his special needs, many people have been more than welcoming to him.

Whittington Creek Swim Club and Bearden High School’s JROTC proSister Yvette continued from page 7

to help with adult education and youth programs while still serving as St. Mary’s chaplain.

In 1985, she was assigned as a full-time pastoral assistant, which included duties as director of religious education. Her title was later changed to coordinator of religious education. Under this umbrella, she improved existing programs in adult education, expanded youth education to include pre-kindergarten through high school, and initiated a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.

She also chaired a liturgy program and coordinated a program for liturgical ministers—servers, readers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion—as well as planning and organizing prayer, penance and communion services and assisting pastors and families in planning funeral services.

Sister Yvette also coordinated an art and environment committee that The East Tennessee Catholic

gram are just two of those welcoming programs.

“Alex is also very involved in Young Life,” Mrs. Notte said.

Young Life is a nondenominational program where children are introduced to Jesus Christ and encouraged to follow his teachings.

Alex attempts to teach all about the love of Jesus, regardless of whether they are Catholic or other faiths.

“What impressed me was how Alex was so determined to follow his dreams, whether it be golf or finding a prom date, and that he refuses to be defined by the challenges standing in his way,” said Miss Mozo. “He’s an inspiration to me, and hopefully his story will encourage kids everywhere with special needs to feel great about themselves and all they can accomplish.”

Alex and Miss Mozo teamed up the morning of the prom at Get-

tysvue for a charity exhibition to benefit Special Olympics golf.

Alex represented Tennessee in the event, and Miss Mozo was the guest speaker.

Family and friends of Alex in the Diocese of Knoxville say the diocese is fortunate to have a youth who is so strong in his faith and willing to teach others. Alex has been visible in Knoxville’s Catholic community since his arrival 12 years ago. From his appearance in All Saints’ Nativity Pageant as a child, his uninhibited cheering on the sidelines of Knoxville Catholic High School’s football field, to his achievements in the Boy Scouts for the diocese, Alex’s enthusiasm for his faith is contagious as is his winning personality.

Just ask the LPGA’s rising international star, who was Alex’s special date to Bearden’s 2013 senior prom. n

decorated the church for the different seasons of the church year, and served as coordinator of the visitation of the sick, which included bringing Holy Communion to the homebound, the hospital, and nursing homes.

She was instrumental in the formation of the Fun Fair, a key fundraising event for St. Therese since Father Michael Sweeney was pastor.

Until February, Sister Yvette served as spiritual moderator of the St. Therese Council of Catholic Women and served on the Ministerial Committee in Clinton, which consists of representatives of the different churches in Clinton.

Sister Yvette has served with nine priests at St. Therese over her 39year tenure: Father Bill Gahagan (three times), Father Andrew Anderson, Father Brendan Miller, Father Michael Sweeney, Father Dan Whitman, Father Gerard Finucane, Father Bill McKenzie, Father John Orr, and current pastor Father Abuh.

Sister Yvette, who has been on sabbatical since February, has been visiting family in Houston, joined her fellow Sisters of Mercy at a conference in Belmont, N.C., and returned to Texas to complete some classes. She will be in Jamaica May 14-July 9 to help her community with ministry and will then return to Knoxville.

Upon her return to Knoxville, she plans to be certified as a spiritual director. Next year, she is planning a 30-day retreat. She also would like to volunteer at Tennova hospitals, and has been asked by Father Mc Kenzie to help with special projects at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

Father Abuh and the parishioners of St. Therese honored Sister Yvette with a reception held in St. Therese’s Family Center.

“Sister Yvette is a member of our faith community. She will be missed by all, especially myself,” Father Abuh said. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

architect Duncan Stroik at the Chancery.

June 20: 6 p.m., dinner at the residence with four transitional deacon candidates.

June 22: 11 a.m., diaconal ordination of Colin Blatchford, Tony Budnick, Julian Cardona and Adam Kane at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with reception to follow.

June 23: 9 a.m., confirmation at St. Elizabeth Church in Elizabethton.

June 26-30: Sacred Heart Family Retreat Camp with the Sisters Devoted to the Sacred Heart in Big Bear, Calif. n

Pope: Don’t be ‘museum-piece Christians’ VATICAN CITY (CNA)—Pope Francis reflected May 23 on Jesus Christ’s exhortation to be “salt of the earth,” warning that Christians who do not live their faith become “flavorless salt” and are fit to be museum pieces.

The pontiff said that God gives Christians the “salt” of faith, hope and charity. This salt should not be hoarded “because if the salt is preserved in a bottle it does not do anything: it is good for nothing.”

“We can show the salt: this is my salt—and how lovely it is! This is the salt that I received in baptism, this is what I received in confirmation, this is what I received in catechesis,” he said. “But look: museum-piece Christians! A salt without flavor is a salt that does nothing.”

The Pope’s comments came in his homily during morning Mass at the chapel of St. Martha’s residence in the Vatican. n

June 2, 2013 23

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS of the DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE Recognizing the vital ministry of Catholic education to the future of the Church and nation.

2013...A Banner Year! $23 Million in College Scholarships 43,000 Hours of Corporal Service 272 Graduating Seniors 240 Rising Freshmen 158 Scholar Athletes (GPA 3.75+) 156 Taking First Holy Communion 105 Duke TIP Participants 55 Science & Engineering Fair Winners 44 School Plays and Concerts 29 Counties Served through 10 Schools 24 Signing to Play Collegiate Athletics 14 National Merit Scholars 2 of the “Top 50” Catholic High Schools dioknox.org/schools

24 June 2, 2013

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