June 5, 2011, ET Catholic by Diocese of Knoxville

He dwells among us.................. 2 Ordination.................................. 3 Diocesan calendar..................... 8 Deanery news............................ 9

This issue

The East Tennessee

La Cosecha............ center pullout Columns.................................. 24 Catholic News Service............. 31

dioknox.org June 5, 2011 Volume 20 Number 17

Bishop Richard F. Stika

News from The Diocese of Knoxville

Fifty years a priest Q&A with Monsignor Mankel

Financial report The diocese’s income and outgo

Priest assignments New homes for pastors, associates

Sts. Peter and Paul Church named a basilica The downtown Chattanooga church is the first in Tennessee to be so honored. by Dan McWilliams

ll that parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga knew about their noon Mass on May 12 was that Bishop Richard F. Stika would preside, but the 75 or so who attended heard a milestone announcement for the 159-year-old downtown parish. The bishop made public the news he received nine days earlier in Rome: that Pope Benedict XVI had elevated Sts. Peter and Paul Church to a minor basilica, the first such honor for any Tennessee church. “Pope Benedict XVI has declared and mandated this church now be

known as the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul,” said Bishop Stika in his homily. Sts. Peter and Paul, whose Gothic structure has stood on Eighth Street

Basilica continued on page 4

DAN MCWILLIAMS

‘This beautiful basilica is a true spiritual icon in the state and surrounding region.’

Story of a saint The Tiffany stained-glass windows of Sts. Peter and Paul Basilica illustrate key scenes from the lives of the parish patrons. Above, St. Paul shakes off a viper that had emerged from a bundle of brush. Seeing that Paul was not harmed by the snake, the natives of Malta thought he was a god (Acts 28:3-6).

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

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop Stika’s schedule

Home away from home

These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments:

Chattanooga’s Sts. Peter and Paul represents the goal of our life’s pilgrimage.

here’s nothing like a front-row seat. Although I wasn’t in the front row for the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1, I sure felt as though I was. From my seat I was able to overlook the vast crowd, estimated at more than 1.5 million, who filled St. Peter’s Square and the length of the Via della Conciliazione and beyond. Given my view, I felt I had a glimpse of St. John’s heavenly vision, when he beheld “a great multitude which no man could number, from all tribes and peoples and tongues” standing before the throne of God (Revelation 7:9). This incredible, beautiful image of the universal Church became even more personal for me and for us as a diocese two days later. On May 3 I received the decree signed by Cardinal Antonio Llovera, Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, declaring Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Chattanooga a minor basilica. This honor has been extended to fewer than 70 churches in the United States, and the church is Tennessee’s first basilica. With this recognition from the Church, the basilica shares a special

Diocesan policy for reporting sexual abuse

dignity and connection with the papal basilicas of Rome, particularly the pope’s cathedral church, St. John Lateran. Properly speaking, the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga is now the pope’s church. In other words, Pope Benedict XVI has a home away from home, and the universal Church gains a historical as well as spiritual center of prayer and pilgrimage. The basilica is not just a historical building but also a place of memory. It reminds us of God’s powerful presence in our history and of the faith of those who have labored to build up the local Church. It is a visible sign of God’s work in the midst of our diocese and in our lives. But it also reminds us that we must continue to labor with the bricks and mortar of our faith and works in order to further build up the body of Christ. A basilica is a privileged place of encounter with the Lord. When we make a pilgrimage to a basilica, it is a sign of our life and the goal of our journey: heaven. A pilgrimage helps us better understand that we are created not merely to live and die but rather to live and triumph over death through the cross of Christ. It helps

us long for the tender and loving arms of Holy Mother Church who brings us to the Father who is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4). It is especially appropriate that Father George Schmidt is now rector of the basilica. His earthly pilgrimage has always been centered on this spiritual home. Sts. Peter and Paul is the church where he made his first Holy Communion, was confirmed, and in 1970 was ordained to the priesthood. For the past 25 years he has served as its pastor, and as the basilica’s rector he will bear the title “Very Reverend.” Sts. Peter and Paul is one of the mother parishes of our diocese, and it is wonderfully coincidental that the declaration of the pope’s decision was made on Father Schmidt’s mother’s birthday. God’s ways are indeed mysterious. The first words spoken by the newly elected Pope John Paul II in 1978—“Be not afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ!”—are words we should recall as we step through the doors of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul and of all Catholic churches, where our eucharistic Lord waits to greet us. n

The East Tennessee

June 5: 4 p.m., Mass and Ceremony of Missioning, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 6-9: priest convocation, Fall Creek Falls June 10: 7 p.m., gathering of Diocesan Youth Ministry Advisory Council, bishop’s residence June 11: 11 a.m., diaconate ordination of Dustin Collins, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville June 12: 11 a.m., Mass, Cathedral of Sacred Heart of Jesus June 13–18: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spring general assembly, Seattle June 19: 10 a.m., confirmation, St. Joseph the Worker Church, Madisonville June 25: 11 a.m., installation of Episcopal Bishop George D. Young III, Church of the Ascension, Knoxville June 26: 9 a.m., Mass, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus n

Bishop Richard F. Stika Publisher Mary C. Weaver Editor Dan McWilliams Assistant editor

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Dan Pacitti Intern

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable 805 Northshore Drive, S.W. • Knoxville, TN 37922 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 Northshore Drive Southwest, 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 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37939-1127 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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Ordination

From convert to priest in seven years

On May 28 the former Baptist became the 39th man ordained to the priesthood for the diocese. By Dan McWilliams

The East Tennessee Catholic

MARY C. WEAVER

he mystagogia for Father Doug Owens has never ended. A Catholic for only seven years, he became the 39th priest ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville at an 11 a.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika on Saturday, May 28, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Owens came into the Church at the Easter vigil in 2004 and entered Conception Seminary in the fall of ’05. “I was just talking to a convert in first pre-theology,” said then–Deacon Owens in a May 4 interview, “and he was kind of the same as me: he came into the Church and went into the seminary pretty quickly. I was telling him that these past six years have been an extended mystagogia.” The native of London, Ky., completed his theology studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Stika last year at his home parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga. Father Owens said that the six years from his enrollment at Conception to his priestly ordination “have gone by very quickly—it seems like I just started—but in some ways it feels like a very long time.” “I can’t believe it’s finally here,” he said. Born and raised a Southern Baptist, Father Owens came to the Catholic Church by way of another faith tradition. “I became Presbyterian in the early ’90s and felt kind of Presbyterian in name only for a while,” he said. “I wasn’t practicing very much.” Father Owens said he had his “vocation experience” at a retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. “Something kind of hit me there, and I felt that I was called to something, but I wasn’t sure whether it

‘Sacrifice of the Mass’ Father Doug Owens prays at the altar during his ordination liturgy on May 28. Behind him is Bishop Richard F. Stika.

was ‘initial vigor’ or something like that,” he said. “I didn’t really say anything about it to anybody—I just kept it to myself and prayed about it. First I thought I was called to the religious life, so I was struggling between that and the diocesan priesthood. “This was all going on before I was out of RCIA.” After much prayer, his calling “became clear one day,” said Father Owens. For some time his last thought before going to bed and first thought upon awakening was, “Are you going to be a priest? Are you going to be a religious, or what are you going to do?” he said. “Then one night—I had been trained in Thomas Merton’s vocation prayer—I said, ‘I don’t know what you want me to do, but you have to give me some indication of what you want, and I’ll do it.’ I remember praying, ‘thy will be done, and I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.’ “Then the next morning I got up and was going about my business. I was brushing my teeth, and all of

a sudden I realized, ‘Wow, this is the first morning in forever that you didn’t think about whether you’d be a monk or you’d be a priest, and this little voice said, ‘You’re going to be a priest.’” Father Owens has been “going strong ever since” that day, he said. “I got on the train and never got off.” An ordinand can usually thank numerous people for helping him along his journey to the priesthood. First on the list for Father Owens is his mother, Nadene Owens. “For a lot of people who come into the Church, especially from a Protestant background, it’s not always well received in the family,” said Father Owens. “With my mom it was not just well received—she’s been a super supporter, and she’s always been praying for me. She hasn’t converted, but she goes to Mass on Saturday nights and to her church on Sundays. She’s made the journey along with me.” Father Owens also thanked Father Mike Nolan and Father Jim Vick, the pastor and associate pastor, respectively, of Our Lady of Perpetual

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Help when he entered the Church. “We spent a lot of time talking, and they put up with me a lot.” Father Mike Creson “was very instrumental” in his vocation as well, said Father Owens, and he also thanked Father Jim Harvey and former diocesan vocations director Father Peter Iorio. “Father Jim and Father Pete were my assignment pastors. They were great teachers, great models, great examples of priestly holiness and prayer and service and humility. I had great admiration for them, and I can’t thank them all enough for all they’ve done.” Father Owens is looking forward to the rest of life as a priest, now that he can “confect the holy Eucharist and celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, which is an awe-filled honor and responsibility. To minister to the needs of the parishioners and to lead them and shepherd them and teach them—God willing, I can do that properly. I’ve had so many great experiences in the past with my assignment parishes, and I really enjoy participating in the life of the holy people we’ve got out there, working with them and helping them and serving them. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that.” St. Charles Borromeo alumni and current students traditionally serenade their newest ordinand with a Latin hymn at the reception following Mass. At Borromeo alum Father Christopher Riehl’s priestly ordination in November 2009, thenseminarian Owens lent his vocal talents to the group. “I get to go through that this year,” he said. “They’ll sing better than I will.” n Full coverage of the ordination will appear in the July issue. June 5, 2011 3

since 1890, is the 69th U.S. church named a basilica and the first since St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City received the honor March 17, 2010. More than 1,580 churches worldwide have been honored as basilicas. The U.S. government had previously honored Sts. Peter and Paul Church by placing the building on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. “The title ‘basilica’ is given to a church of great historic importance, but it is also a recognition of the people of the church,” said Bishop Stika. “For the church is empty without a vibrant faith, and this, the mother church of this part of the diocese, has—along with the church of the Immaculate Conception in Knoxville—provided the beginnings of faith communities represented in my brother priests and deacons today.” Host pastor Father George Schmidt, one of many sons of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish who have gone on to the priesthood, received a new title as part of the basilica designation. “I’m also pleased to appoint as the first rector of this basilica Father George, who has such a great love of and devotion to this building,” said Bishop Stika. Father Schmidt is in his 25th year as pastor of the parish of more than 600 families. He will continue to serve as pastor, albeit with the new title. Sixteen other priests concelebrated the Mass with the bishop and Father Schmidt, including vicars general Monsignor Xavier Mankel and Father David Boettner and a host of Chattanooga Deanery priests. The bishop concluded his homily with congratulations for “you who have such a devotion to this church.” “This is just one small way in which the Church universal under the title of the person who represents Peter in our midst has recog-

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DAN MCWILLIAMS

Basilica continued from page 1

‘A historic moment’ Father George Schmidt and Bishop Richard F. Stika addressed the media at a press conference following the Mass in which the bishop announced that Sts. Peter and Paul had been elevated to a minor basilica.

nized the importance of this parish, of this faith community of the Diocese of Knoxville in East Tennessee, and especially this building that has housed so many celebrations of the sacraments.” Bishop Stika received the news about Sts. Peter and Paul’s elevation while he was in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II and a visit to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The bishop relayed the glad tidings to Father Schmidt as soon as he heard them on the afternoon of May 3, time zones notwithstanding. “Rome is seven hours ahead, and I was so excited that I called him at 7:30 in the morning, Chattanooga time, just to share the news that we had received the special status,” said the bishop at a press confer-

ence following Mass. The announcement capped a process that began in spring 2010, when the diocese began preparing materials on Sts. Peter and Paul to make the case for its being named a basilica. Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey shot a video of Father Schmidt and the bishop for a DVD and took photographs for an album, both of which were sent to the Vatican. (View the video at bit.ly/jThp70.) “We had to provide a history of the parish, and we had to testify to the fact that this is a parish of vitality, that it is an active parish,” said the bishop. “Father George was the tour guide on the DVD.” The bishop submitted the materials to the Vatican last summer, after receiving the necessary approval from Cardinal Francis E. George, OMI, then president of the U.S. Con-

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ference of Catholic Bishops. “On Aug. 25 I sent a letter to Rome, and my answer came on May 3,” said Bishop Stika. The bishop said that a diocesan Mass of thanksgiving for the new basilica is tentatively set for Oct. 22, the newly designated feast day for Blessed John Paul II. “In October we’ll have a formal celebration of gratitude to the Holy Father for the designation of the church now known as the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.” At the press conference the bishop welcomed members of the media for what was “indeed a historic moment” for the city, for the diocese, “and indeed for the people of the Catholic community and non-Catholic community as well in the state of Tennessee. . . . “Basilica status will recognize Sts. dioknox.org

The East Tennessee Catholic

ple visit Chattanooga just because there’s a basilica because it has such significance in the Catholic community,” said the bishop. “But also I think people will come to see the beauty of these windows and this environment of peace and serenity.” Father Schmidt said visitors “might just come for the purpose of

seeing a beautiful building, but then that will give us an opportunity to maybe help them with the spiritual needs and blessings they need in their lives.” n

Contribute to the Annual Catholic Appeal Your contributions fund a range of priorities, including diaconate formation; seminarian education; priestly medical benefits and retirement; support for parishes, schools, and ministries in need of assistance; and administration and communication, such as The East Tennessee Catholic newspaper (ETC) and the diocesan website, dioknox. org. n

See page 7 for a short history of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and learn more about minor basilicas. View a slide show online at dioknox.org/basilica.

Readers: you’re invited to take our online survey The members of the ETC staff invite you to share your opinions about the newspaper. We’ve created a brief online survey that will take just a few minutes to complete. Through June 30 you can take the survey here: bit.ly/eNYHfr. n

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DAN MCWILLIAMS

Peter and Paul as a center of spiritual life as it continues into the future within the diocese. . . . This beautiful basilica is a true spiritual icon in the state and surrounding region of the South. I am very grateful to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, for honoring this beautiful place of worship and especially this faith community, and I am also grateful to Father George Schmidt for his great love of this parish and his dedicated and compassionate ministry to the faithful of Chattanooga for so many years.” Of the “thousands and thousands” of Catholic churches worldwide, “few have the status that this beautiful edifice now enjoys,” said Bishop Stika, adding that not every church that requests basilica designation receives it. “Many churches that request this honor are turned down. We feel very fortunate, being a smaller diocese in the South, that the Holy Father has recognized this beautiful church dedicated to the founding apostles of the Church.” The third day in May was already a special one for Father Schmidt, he said. “Irony of ironies, the pope designated this church a minor basilica on my mother’s birthday. She’s already in heaven, but it made it very special to me that it would take place on her birthday.” Father Schmidt said the announcement relieved the pressure he’d been under for nine days not to reveal anything to parishioners who had been asking him why Bishop Stika was visiting. “I knew what was going on, but I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone,” said the pastor. “I’m not used to not talking, so it’s good to be able to talk again.” Bishop Stika said basilicas are given special status on Catholic tours, meaning that Sts. Peter and Paul will receive more out-of-town visitors in coming years. “I can see a situation where peo-

The East Tennessee Catholic offers online delivery for those who would prefer to read a digital copy and to discontinue the print edition. If you would like to try online delivery, visit bit.ly/ subscribe-online to sign up. 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

Tenth Station The art and architecture at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul includes polychrome Stations of the Cross. A French artist spent “17 years in designing them and three years in producing a model to satisfy him,” according to an 1892 article. The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

June 5, 2011 5

Our priests

Monsignor Mankel ‘had good help’ in discerning vocation The Sisters of Mercy and the Benedictines helped foster a priesthood now in its golden-jubilee year. By Margaret Hunt

onsignor Francis Xavier Mankel is a Knoxville native and has been the pastor of Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville since 1997. He was ordained by Bishop William L. Adrian at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville on May 27, 1961, and celebrated his 50th-anniversary Mass at Holy Ghost on May 27, 2011. He is the son of Willia Mankel and the late George W. Mankel. His sister is Sister Georgeanna Mankel, RSM; his brother, George, is semi-retired. He has served the diocese as vicar general, moderator of the curia, Presbyteral Council member, spiritual moderator of the Ladies of Charity and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and chaplain for Knights of Columbus chapters. He enjoys studying Church history and is an antique-car enthusiast.

Who helped you most in your decision to become a priest? I had good help. I had the Sisters of Mercy for 12 years. Not only were they master teachers, but they were also our spiritual directors. When I was a child, the Benedictines would help out at Immaculate Conception Church. They’d drop a hint now and again—a gentle “Would you consider the priesthood?” My daddy had been in the seminary, and he knew what the life was like. My mother was a teacher, and she knew what the teaching side of it was like, so I never had any resistance from home. The priests at St. Ambrose, the college seminary, were wonderful. There were about 75 priests on campus. Where else could you go for that? Most seminaries have 20, whether they have six or 700 people. It was wonderful. You had

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sometimes, but I have to work at it. The lives of the saints are very good. Think of a person like Ignatius of Loyola. He was terribly crippled and could barely walk, yet he walked all over Europe. It’s amazing the travel he did under the circumstances. Small prayer groups are helpful to anybody—to priests or laypeople.

Monsignor Xavier Mankel

your choice of confessors. Everything I saw made it seem like I was on the right track. I had a bad case of homesickness, and two or three priests I talked to said that was a very good sign. They said if you’re not homesick, you’re not deep. I’m just so fortunate to have been raised in a strong Catholic environment.

What is one of your greatest challenges? Management of time is my greatest weakness. There are just 24 hours in a day, and I’ve never been able to put it together. I’m doing my third funeral in two weeks, and I thought I needed this time for something else, but funerals are very important. What do you find most helpful in your prayer life? The older I get, the Liturgy of the Hours means more and more. I envy those in a monastery who can sing the Psalms authentically. Father John Orr [associate pastor of Holy Ghost] does it here, and I do it

What factors have encouraged and helped you in your priesthood? The support of brother priests is ongoing. Bishops too. The staffs and faculties of schools whom I worked with were always so supporting, and in times of conflict it was usually—like over worship—shall we do it the Church’s way or make up our own? I found out early on, if you just follow with the Church, you don’t have any anxiety problems. Retreats are great reinforcement all the way around. Just the support of the Church has always made me feel I’m doing the right thing. Should priests turn to one another for support? Yes. There are all kinds of pairings off in priest support groups and mentor priests for younger ones, but you could have a priest ordained 10 years who’s 35 years old and he’s asked to mentor someone just ordained, and they’ll both grow from that tremendously. What makes a good priest? I call it the Four-H Club. Health: how do you feel? Do you drag all the time or are you chronically ill? Head: can you do the schoolwork? Now in a protected environment like most seminaries are during the academic year, a C student can make it. They can’t write a book

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or anything like that, but that’s enough: ordinary, average intelligence. Then the heart—that’s the important one—goodness, moral goodness, and love of God and the fellow person. Humor is the one I always look for because without a sense of humor you can’t do anything well, but especially priesthood. You just have to be able to laugh at yourself, laugh at the Church, and with the Church. Would you really like to do it? [Someone might say], “This is my mother’s idea.” I’d say, “You’re not going to make it.” You have to be a man and tell her that right now in your life, you don’t think this is the direction you want to go. No two [priests] are alike. There’s no cookie cutter that will stamp out a priest, which is great because no two people in the church are alike.

What is your favorite part of being a priest? I’d say in my ranking the Mass is my favorite. The two sacraments that we can receive with great frequency—the Mass and penance— right now are equal in my appreciation because you really don’t have one without the other. But I think if you said, “Tomorrow you’re going to say Mass all day or you’re going to hear confessions all day,” I’d say Mass all day. What would you tell a young man considering priesthood? There are great advantages. You don’t have to make your mind up right away. You do have to make up your mind whether you’re going to try it, but a potential priest has six to eight, sometimes 10 years. n Mrs. Hunt is administrative assistant with the Media Office. dioknox.org

A brief history of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish The church’s ‘designation as a basilica indicates a special bond of communion with the pope.’

ts. Peter and Paul Parish in Chattanooga was founded in January 1852, when Father Henry V. Brown—a Presbyterian convert—became the first pastor. Catholics in Chattanooga met for Mass in a number of buildings from the early 1840s through the parish’s early years until 1890, when the current building on Eighth Street was dedicated. The former buildings included a nearly completed stone church demolished in 1863 by the occupying Union Army, which used the stone for fortifications and culverts. Irish priest Father William Walsh was appointed pastor in 1887 and immediately made plans for a new church. Ground was broken Feb. 1, 1888, and the church was dedicated June 29, 1890. Then–pastor Father George Flanigen, in his 1952 history of the parish, described the building as an “imposing Gothic structure of brick and stone, 165 feet long by 75 feet wide, seating 1,000 persons.” The church was likely inspired by England’s York Minster cathedral, he wrote. Older photos of the church show its original 174-feet-high twin towers, “surmounted by 100 crocketed pinnacles and turrets,” in the words of Father Flanigen. Crumbling sandstone trim, however, led to the parish’s decision to remove the towers in 1939. The east tower, which houses the church bells, was shortened to its current height, and the west tower was removed. The church’s stained-glass windows, designed by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, depict significant events in the lives of the parish’s patron saints. St. Peter’s life is depicted in the east-side (left) windows and St. Paul’s life in the opposite windows. The nave of Sts. Peter and Paul Church also has 14 polychrome Stations of the Cross, The East Tennessee Catholic

whose scenes depict Christ’s suffering, death, and burial. The French artist who created the Stations “is said to have spent 17 years in designing them and three years in producing a model to satisfy him,” according to an 1892 Chattanooga newspaper article. Sts. Peter and Paul is the mother parish of many East Tennessee parishes. The first Chattanooga parish created from Sts. Peter and Paul territory was Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in 1937. The church underwent a $300,000 face lift in 1997 and 1998, when the ceiling vaults were painted, the Tiffany windows cleaned, the Stations of the Cross refurbished, and damaged areas repaired. In 2006 the church sent its then– 70-year-old Kilgen organ to a firm in McDonald for repairs. Longtime organist Russell Goode—named a “Chattanooga Living Legend” in 2007—has held the position as the parish’s principal organist since 1960. On Oct. 24, 2010, Bishop Richard F. Stika dedicated the Emma Strahle “Bootie” Varallo Parish Hall, a $1.151 million project named for a lifelong parishioner. The parish hall was developed from the church’s 9,100-square-foot lower level, previously used for storage. Father George E. Schmidt Jr. is in his 25th year as pastor of the downtown parish, which is more than 600 families strong. Father Schmidt is among some 30 sons of the parish who went on to the priesthood. What makes a church a basilica? The word basilica is derived from a Greek term meaning “royal house.” In the Catholic world, a basilica is a church building that has been accorded special privileges by the pope. There are two kinds of basilicas. The world’s four major, or papal, basilicas are St. John Lateran,

St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major, all in Rome. Minor, or lesser, basilicas are significant churches in Rome and elsewhere in the world that meet certain criteria and are given special ecclesiastical privileges. Minor basilicas are traditionally named because of their antiquity, dignity, historical value, architectural and artistic worth, and/ or significance as centers of worship. A basilica must “stand out as a center of active and pastoral liturgy,” according to the 1989 Vatican document Domus ecclesiae. Because designation as a basilica indicates a special bond of communion with the pope, the parish must celebrate “with particular care” the feast of the Chair of Peter on Feb. 22, the solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on June 29, and the anniversary of the pope’s election or his inauguration into his pastoral ministry. In the case of Pope Benedict XVI, those dates would be April 19 (his election) and April 24 (his inauguration). More than 1,580 churches worldwide have been honored as basilicas. As of last year, 325 basilicas had been designated in the Americas; there are now 69 in the United States. Three physical signs indicate that a church is a lesser basilica. The first is the presence of the conopaeum—a silk canopy designed with stripes of yellow and red, traditional papal colors. The second is the tintinnabulum, or bell. It is mounted on a pole and carried processionally, along with the conopaeum, at the head of the clergy on special occasions. Third, minor basilicas have the right to display the papal symbol—crossed keys—on banners, on furnishings, and on the seal of the basilica. In addition, the basilica’s rector may wear a black mozetta, or cape, with red piping, buttons, and buttonholes in the exercise of his office. n

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

Letters to the editor Reader glad La Cosecha integrated into the ETC I just received the new La Cosecha (in the May 1 issue of The East Tennessee Catholic). It looks great! I am so happy to see what Lourdes Garza, director of the Hispanic Ministry Office, has accomplished by integrating La Cosecha into the ETC. I believe this decision will help enhance the image of the Hispanic community among the Englishspeaking readers of the ETC. It will also help better represent our people as La Cosecha joins the group of Hispanic publications in Tennessee—including Mundo Hispano Bilingual—that are working hard to distance themselves from all that it is considered basto, grosero y de mal gusto. I am a living witness of the transformations La Cosecha has experienced in the last 12 years and of its attempts to improve itself and to better inform the fieles católicos about important things happening within the Knoxville Diocese. Receive my best regards and congratulations to you and your team. May the Lord bless the nueva era of La Cosecha, as Ms. Garza very well mentioned it in her front page article. n —Carlos Nicho, president Mundo Hispano Bilingual, Knoxville Letters should be 350 words or less and will be edited for grammar, style, clarity, and length. Submit them by e-mail or mail: news@dioknox.org, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37919. Letters to the editor reflect the opinions of their authors and not those of the editorial staff or the publisher.

June 5, 2011 7

Diocesan calendar by Dan Pacitti The diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry is bringing Renew International’s Theology on Tap back to Knoxville in June. Three priests are among the speakers for the series, which will be hosted by the Irish Times restaurant at 11348 Parkside Drive in Knoxville at 6:30 p.m. Sundays, June 5 through June 26. Presentations will last 30 to 40 minutes, and afterward young adults can ask questions or discuss the issues raised in the talk. Father Ragan Schriver, executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, will speak on the topic “My Favorite Theologian” on June 5. Father Brent Shelton of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa will present “Being Catholic in the 21st Century” on June 12. Lourdes Garza, diocesan director of Hispanic Ministry, will present “Migration Theology” on June 19, and Father Christian Mathis of St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City will speak on the topic “The Process and Symbolism of How We Write Icons” on June 26. There is no cover charge or admission fee. Drinks are the responsibility of participants. Young adults ages 18 to 39 are invited. For more information, contact Al Forsythe at 865-806-1343 or aforsythe@ dioknox.org. The diocese invites altar servers to attend a picnic and Tennessee Smokies baseball game Sunday, July 31, at Smokies Park in Kodak. The annual outing for servers also includes a postgame concert by Sidewalk Prophets and Chris August. Servers should meet in front of the will-call cabin at 3:45 p.m. The picnic begins at 4, and the Smokies will take on the Birmingham Barons at 5. Tickets cost $22.95 and include the picnic and field-level seats for the game and concert. Servers interested in attending should contact their parish altar-server coordinator or pastor. Parishes must purchase tickets directly from the Smokies. Purchase deadline is Thursday, July 14. Parishes should reserve their seats by contacting Jeff Martin of the Smokies at 865-286-2313 or jmartin@smokiesbaseball.com. For

8 June 5, 2011

more information on the event, contact Maura Lentz at the Chancery office at 584-3307 or mlentz@dioknox.org. The Notre Dame Club of Knoxville/East Tennessee is hosting a “Universal Notre Dame Celebration” at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the Holiday Inn on Cedar Bluff Road. Each the year the University of Notre Dame sends a senior member of the staff to provide a “State of the University” update to Notre Dame clubs across the country. The updates are provided at the “celebration” events. The Knoxville club’s event will have two guest speakers, Notre Dame associate athletics director Jill Bodensteiner and women’s basketball head coach Muffet McGraw, who will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 11 in Knoxville. Cost for the dinner is $40 per person or $25 for current Notre Dame students and alumni who have graduated since 2006. To attend, contact Russ Hand at russhand@comcast.net or Lee Blank at leonblank@att.net. The 25th annual Knoxville Catholic High School Shamrock Open golf tournament, which has a scramble format, will be held Friday, June 10, at Egwani Farms Golf Course in Rockford. Proceeds will be used to purchase a mobile computer lab for the school. The tournament’s first flight will have check-in at 7:30 a.m., a shotgun start at 8:30, and lunch at 12:30 p.m. The second flight will have lunch and check-in at 11 a.m. and a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. The $100 entry fee includes a round of golf, lunch, a golf shirt, a goody bag, and beverages. Cost is $75 for full-time college students. Prizes will be awarded for the winning foursome in each flight and for the closest-to-the-pin and longest-drive winners. Golfers can also win a car with a hole in one. Register online at knoxvillecatholic. com. To sponsor the tourney or learn more, contact Megan Locke at 865-5600509 or mlocke@knoxvillecatholic.com. The Knoxville Ulster Project is recruiting high school youth and their families to host a teenager from Northern Ireland from June 24 through July 22.

Each summer the Ulster Project brings Protestant and Catholic teens ages 14 to 16 from Northern Ireland to spend four weeks with American families. Ulster Project International was founded in 1974 by the Rev. Kerry Waterstone, a Church of Ireland priest. Its mission is “to help young Christian-based potential leaders from Northern Ireland and the United States to become peacemakers by providing a safe environment to learn by practicing the skills needed to unite people when differences divide them.” For more information, contact Barbara O’Brien at HoopsOB@chartertn. net, 865-300-9090 (cell), or 675-1048 (home). An application form may be found at www.theulsterproject.com. Catholic Charities of East Tennessee will hold its second annual Common Good Golf Tournament on Monday, June 6, at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville. For more details, contact Mike Smith at 865-250-1215 or irish100@chartertn.net. Catholic Charities’ eighth annual Pregnancy and Adoption Services Golf Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, at Brainerd Golf Course. The format is four-person scramble. Sponsorships are available, and volunteers are needed to help plan the tourney and offer event-day assistance. To volunteer, sponsor, or register, contact Christine Willingham at 423-267-1297 or christine@ccetn.org. Catholic author and apologist Dr. Scott Hahn will speak at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 16. His topics are “The Lamb’s Supper,” “Hail, Holy Queen,” and “Lord, Have Mercy.” The sacrament of reconciliation will be available at 4 p.m., with Mass at 5. Tickets cost $15 and include lunch. For more information, visit ourladyoffatima.org or contact Ken Lhotka at 865-380-1681 or klalcoa@charter.net. An 11-day pilgrimage to Italy is set for Nov. 6 through 16. On “A Spiritual Journey to Rome and Italy,” pilgrims will visit the Italian capital, Assisi, Siena, Florence,

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

Padua, Venice, and more. Mercy Sister Albertine Paulus, diocesan director of pilgrimages, is the coordinator for the trip. The group will depart from Atlanta. Cost is $3,299 (cash discount price) or $3,498, plus airport taxes, security fees, fuel surcharges, and tips. To request a color brochure or a registration form, contact Sister Albertine at 865-545-8270, 2074742, or smaevang@yahoo.com. Father John Dowling, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, will be the spiritual director for a 10-day pilgrimage through Italy beginning Nov. 2. Stops will include Rome and the Vatican, Assisi, Florence, Siena, and Tuscany. A threeday extension trip to Sicily is also available. The basic tour costs $3,046 from Knoxville or $2,996 from Nashville (double occupancy) and includes airfare, motor coaches, guided sightseeing, accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner, fees, fuel surcharges, and more. To learn more or request a brochure, call Fran at 615390-6104, Sandy at 390-6439, or Father Dowling at 931-484-3628 or 456-0415. The National Catholic Bible Conference is set for Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, at St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, Ga. The conference theme is “The Great Conversation: Encountering God’s Word.” Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, the Diocese of Knoxville’s director of Christian Formation, is among the speakers. To register or learn more, visit CatholicBibleConference.com, call 888-842-2853, or e-mail registration@ CatholicBibleConference.com. The National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers will hold a conference titled “2011 Marriage-Building Construction Zone,” designed to implement the U.S. bishops’ Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, from Aug. 3 through 6 at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Father Ragan Schriver, executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, will speak on the topic “The Demographic Tsunami: Baby Boomers in Transition” on Aug. 4. Additional speakers include Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Diocese of Calendar continued on page 9 dioknox.org

Chattanooga Deanery calendar All Chattanooga-area young adults are invited to learn more about forming a young-adult ministry in the deanery. A meeting is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 11, in the Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish library. Young adults from 18 to 39, single or married, are encouraged to attend. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to Karen Byrne at kbyrne@dioknox.org or 865-584-3307. The June calendar for Memorial Health Care System includes a seminar on gastric-bypass Roux-en-Y and gastric-banding weight-loss procedures, set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, in the Memorial Hospital Community Rooms. The seminar is geared toward people who are at least 100 pounds overweight. Call 423-495-2245 for reservations. Memorial Hospital, Memorial North Park Hospital, and Memorial Ooltewah will hold free abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings weekdays June 6 through 10

Parish notes: Chattanooga Deanery

and June 20 through 24. Registration and appointment are required; call 495-6000.

OLPH, Chattanooga Knights of Columbus Council 5099 recently thanked those who donated aluminum cans to its Support Our Seminarians Program. Donations in the past year raised more than $3,500 to help provide three seminarians with monthly stipends.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga will host “Let the Fun Begin” summer camps in June and July for rising kindergarten to eighth-grade students. The school will offer football, soccer, drama, science, writing, and other camps. Camp descriptions and registration forms are available on the school website, www.myolph.com. For more information, contact Kathy Sumrell at ksumrell@catholicweb.com or 423-622-1481.

Parishioners Kerry Runge and Conner Simpson each received a $1,500 Notre Dame High School Scholarship from Knights of Columbus Council 6099.

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain Parish youth Emily Keane, Lindsey Limerick, and Cooper Manley have been named to serve on the Diocesan Youth Ministry Advisory Council for 2011-12.

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill Knights of Columbus Blue Ridge Council 12126 sponsored a charity golf tournament at Copper Basin Golf Club on April 30. The event benefited the Woman’s Enrichment Center in Blue Ridge, Ga., and other council charities.

The Serra Club of Greater Chattanooga meets on second and fourth Mondays in the Crystal Room at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Meetings begin with Mass at 11:40 a.m. celebrated by club chaplain Father George Schmidt, with lunch and a speaker following. Visit www.serrachatta.org for further details. n

First communicants: Daniel Espinoza, Timothy Jabaley, Morgan Peel, Christopher Resendiz, Samantha Rosas, Claudia Bautista, Magdalena Espinoza, Victor Bautista, Lesly Espinoza

St. Jude, Chattanooga St. Jude will host a vacation Bible school for 4-year olds through rising fifth-graders from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays June 13 through 17. Registration forms are available in the vestibule. For more information, call Kyra at 423-870-2386. The parish congratulated Boy Scout Troop 172, which was chartered 50 years ago May 1, making it the longest continuously functioning organization in the parish apart from the school. n

COURTESY OF MARY BACH

Calendar continued from page 8 Rockford, Ill., and authors Marcellino D’Ambrosio and Marybeth Hicks. To obtain a brochure and registration information, visit nacflm.org. Call Lorrie or Don Gramer at 815-387-3370 or e-mail lgramer@rockforddiocese.org for more information.

NCCW president speaks at St. Augustine Patty Johnson (center), president of the National Council of Catholic Women and a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade, spoke to the women of St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain on March 27 about the benefits of joining the NCCW. As a result of the meeting, St. Augustine joined as an affiliate member. Pictured with Mrs. Johnson are (from left) Angela Bearisto, Mary Bach, Pinky Young, and Susan Veal. The East Tennessee Catholic

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, and at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville. There will be no extraordinary-form Masses at St. Thérèse in July. Visit www. knoxlatinmass.net for updated information. Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 3:30 p.m. Sundays at the old Holy Ghost Church, 1031 N. Central St. in Knoxville. Call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-256-4880. The St. Thomas the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission celebrates Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. Sundays in the chapel at the Chancery office in Knoxville. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 for more information. n

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

June 5, 2011 9

Cumberland Mountain Deanery calendar Parish notes: Cumberland Mountain Deanery

Fairfield Glade’s Festival Chorale community church choir will perform Tom Fettke’s “God With Us” at 3 p.m. CDT on Sunday, June 5, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Glade. The concert is free.

All Saints, Knoxville Parishioner Mike Wills was elected state deputy at the recent Knights of Columbus state convention. The social-action committee thanked those who contributed to the recent Pregnancy Help Center collection. This year’s collection totaled $7,996.37, beating last year’s total by more than $1,400.

St. Alphonsus youth receive first Communion St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville recently celebrated the sacrament of first Holy Communion. Pictured with pastor Father Anthony Punnackal, CMI, and catechist Cindy Andrews are (from left) William Nowak, Sean Karpp, Brian Karpp, Jesse Sealand, and Michael LaCourt.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The parish recently congratulated its 2011 high school graduates, Austin Rodrigue, Alex Roschli, and Elizabeth Thew.

Patty Johnson, a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi and president of the National Council of Catholic Women, was among the honorees at the sixth annual Dimpled Globe Awards presented April 2 at the Fairfield Glade Community Club. The awards, sponsored by the United Fund of Cumberland County, spotlight “neighbors making a difference” in the community.

COURTESY OF SARA CAREY

The Catholic Youth Organization will go white-water rafting on the Ocoee River on Saturday, June 25.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City has set its fall festival for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17. To volunteer or learn more, contact festival coordinator Donna Curry at 865-717-7017 or dmcurry49@yahoo.com. n

F A d t p M P g A

Anniversaries: Nick and Mary Roth (65), Vern and Jean Bollish (59), Bob and Genie Gruber (59), Herb and Pat Moreland (58), Les and Joan Platz (58), Richard and Patricia Rathweg (58), Don and Bernie Gundy (58), Larry and Pat Peterson (57), Dan and Mina Napierala (56), Curtis and Marcella Clayton (56), John and Gerry Eisenlord (56), John and Geraldine Hurak (55), Bob and Joanne Ames (55), Jerry and Doris Troy (54), Don and Rosemary Verbrugge (54), Tom and Peg Loughran (53), Robin and Carol Campbell (53), Walt and Dianne Burling (52), Frank and Ann Zingheim (52), John and Bernadette Sommerville (51), Don and MaryLou Wiskow (51), Ron and Virginia Reynolds (51), Tom and Dorothy Powers (51), C. Thomas and Mary Anna Teall (51), Joseph and Amy Dickens (51), Patrick and Anne Chowning (50), Joseph and Mary Partlow (50), Anthony and Bernice Mattioli (50)

St. John Neumann School held its second annual Student Success Night on May 6. Visitors were able to tour the school and view this year’s student work on display throughout the building.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City Deacon Dave Pecot led a four-week “Unpacking the Mysteries of Pentecost” series in May. Father Christian Mathis and others served food during the Love Inc. Pancake Breakfast on May 14 at Aubrey’s. The Good Samaritan Center thanked parishioners who donated 2,580 pounds of food during the recent “Can the Pastor” drive. Fifty-eight parish children received their first Holy Communion in May. n

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DANIEL HANLEY

St. John Neumann, Farragut

Fourth Degree Exemplification held in Lenoir City Pope John Paul II Assembly 2920 in Lenoir City hosted a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Exemplification ceremony April 16 in the family-life center at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The ceremony was under the direction of Bill Wicke, past state deputy and master of the District of Tennessee. Twelve Knights completed the exemplification, including St. Thomas pastor Father Christian Mathis. Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass after the ceremony. The new Fourth Degree Knights include (from left, front) Stuart Lewis, Joseph Long, Santiago Parra, Father Mathis, Anthony Cirone, Edwin Harless, and Michael Barnes Sr. and (back) Deacon Michael Gouge, Michael Haley, Douglas Varga, and Anthony Manion. Not pictured is David Yelmini.

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Parish notes: Five Rivers Deanery Good Shepherd, Newport The Council of Catholic Women voted during its April meeting to donate a gift card to St. Dominic School in Kingsport to help buy school supplies. The parish held a St. Patrick’s Day dinner and dance in the Dennis Bible Parish Hall on March 12. Parishioners gathered on Palm Sunday for the second annual spring picnic at Greenbrier in the Smokies.

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City This year’s vacation Bible school has a “Son Surf” theme and will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, though Saturday, June 18.

DAN BARILE

The parish congratulated its three high school graduates, Bo Carroll, Ryan Hammond, and DeAnne Witkowski.

First Holy Communion for 115 at All Saints All Saints Parish in Knoxville celebrated the first Holy Communion for 115 children May 15. With the young people are (back row, from left) teachers Beth Mattingly, Veronica Brown, Ellen Vargas, Maureen Rushing, and Dana Karnowski; pastor Father Michael Woods; Father David Carter; teachers Connie Sledzinski, Margaret San Miguel, Paula Rabensteine, Jeff Rabensteine, and Jeff Hooyman; Peggy Long, director of religious education; Miriam Mangers, coordinator of religious education; Father Miguel Velez; Father John Appiah; Father Augustine Idra, AJ; and Deacon Tim Elliott.

The parish sponsored an end-of-the-year cookout for its high school students and eighth-graders May 18. Anniversaries: George and Lois Toth (60), Jack and Jean Siersma (57), Roger and Margaret Gardner (56)

St. Dominic, Kingsport Peggy English, regional coordinator for the East Tennessee Silent No More Awareness Campaign and a parishioner of Notre Dame in Greeneville, gave a presentation May 9 in the parish life center.

The East Tennessee Catholic

Confirmandi: Jacob Duda, Ryan Hammond, Madeline Johnson, Jessica Mynatt, Erin Perry, Julie Rowland, DeAnne Witkowski

Notre Dame, Greeneville

Parishioner speaks at Notre Dame CCW meeting

Father Patrick Murphy, SJ, spoke at all Masses on May 14 and 15 about Food for the Poor, which provides relief throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

St. Elizabeth, Elizabethton St. Elizabeth volunteers prepared and served 210 meals for the homeless and elderly May 7 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in the Food for the Multitude program. More than $1,600 was collected in the Lenten Baby Bottle project this year. The money will be given to Abortion Alternatives & Women’s Center in Elizabethton. COURTESY OF MAGGIE MAY

arishioner Steve Tenk spoke at the April 17 meeting of the Council of Catholic Women at Notre Dame Church in Greeneville. Council president Denise Michaud introduced the speaker and welcomed the 14 members who attended. Mr. Tenk is a new parishioner, having moved this past summer to Greeneville from Florida, where he and wife Debbie headed the RCIA program for 30 years. At the CCW meeting, Mr. Tenk gave a presentation on the Triduum, and Mrs. Michaud presented Mr. Tenk with a certificate of appreciation. n

Anniversaries: Don and Betty Jo Carbaugh (57), Jim and Lillian Katzbeck (53), Lawrence and Veronica Merryman (52), Dick and Bette Zyla (51)

Denise Michaud and Steve Tenk

Newcomers: Barbara White, Rita Urquhart, Christopher and Gaelane Rosinski Anniversaries: Ric and Norma Martin (45), Mike and Marsha Hupko (45)

St. Patrick, Morristown The Knights of Columbus and the religious-education staff sponsored a Mother’s Day appreciation breakfast for mothers, CCD teachers, and their families May 8. n

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

June 5, 2011 11

Smoky Mountain Deanery calendar A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held from 9 a.m. to noon June 11 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. Robert F. Coyen will give a talk titled “I’m a Caregiver— Now What Do I Do?” Coffee and tea will be served at 8:30 a.m. Bring a bag lunch. To RSVP or learn more, call 865-523-7931. The 2011 Sacred Heart Cathedral School Summer Basketball Camp for

Parish notes: Smoky Mountain Deanery

rising seventh- and eighth-grade boys will be held Monday through Thursday, June 20 through 23, and for rising fourththrough sixth-grade boys from Monday through Thursday, July 11 through 14. There will also be a shooting camp Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26 and 27. Visit www.shcschool.org to download a registration form. For more information on the camps, call coach John Higdon at 865-712-9561. n

Blessed John XXIII, Knoxville The parish hosted Dr. Joan Easterly, who presented the topic “Joan of Arc: Heroine, Heretic, Saint,” on May 15. The presentation was also sponsored by the Alliance Francaise de Knoxville.

Holy Cross, Pigeon Forge Twelve parishioners met in front of the church May 14 for the first Public Rosary Rally. The rosary and other prayers were recited for the intentions of peace in the world and the conversion of souls. The date coincided with the 90th anniversary of the first apparition at Fatima. The rosary rallies will continue at Holy Cross at noon on the Saturday closest to the 13th. The dates for the next three rallies are June 11, July 9, and Aug. 13. For more information on the Rosary Rally program, visit www.ANF.org.

Byzantine Catholics have permanent home

12 June 5, 2011

Holy Family, Seymour The parish held its first Spring Fling Craft Fair on May 21 and 22. Plants, crafts, and baked goods were sold, and drawings were held for three gift baskets.

Holy Ghost, Knoxville The Knoxville Latin Mass Community honored pastor Monsignor Xavier Mankel, who celebrated the golden anniversary of his priestly ordination May 27, following the extraordinary-form liturgy May 22 at Holy Ghost.

JENNY VAUGHN

he Byzantine Catholics of Holy Resurrection Parish in Knoxville celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the first time in their newly restored home at 1031 N. Central St. on Easter Sunday, April 24. After 12 nomadic years, 10 of which were spent at Holy Family Church in Seymour, with the last two years at Holy Ghost in Knoxville, the parish could at last remove the wheels from the iconostasis, set it up permanently, and no longer have to “put up and take down” after every liturgy. Holy Resurrection’s new home is in the original church building that housed Holy Ghost Church from 1908 until 1926, when a larger church was built on the same property. The old Holy Ghost building was home for many years to a thrift store for the Ladies of Charity before it moved in March to a much larger location behind the current church. To restore the old Holy Ghost Church to its original purpose after decades of hard usage was a challenging prospect for the members of Holy Resurrection. The church portion required painting from ceiling to floor, and after 30-year-old carpeting was removed, it became necessary to put down 2,500 square feet of new flooring. What had been the original sanctuary had to be uncovered and properly outfitted to accommodate its new incarnation as a Byzantine Catholic worship space.

No more ‘put up and take down’ Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Mission has a new home in the old Holy Ghost Church building in North Knoxville.

The Byzantine Catholic Community thanked Monsignor Xavier Mankel, pastor of Holy Ghost, and parishioners for their generosity in allowing them to have a permanent home. The location of the church building is on the corner of Central Street and Hinton Avenue, close to downtown Knoxville and easily accessible from two interstates. The parish hopes that Byzantine Catholics traveling through the area will visit for Divine Liturgy. News on the parish can be obtained from its website at www. knoxbyz.org. n

Holy Ghost hosted the general meeting of the Ladies of Charity on May 13. New members were inducted at the 10 a.m. Mass, and afterward at the meeting Blake Briggs gave a presentation on the Missionaries of Charity’s work in Calcutta.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville The women’s group sponsored its annual Mother–Daughter Banquet on May 4. Father Randy Stice of the Diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy gave a presentation at the parish on the third edition of the Roman Missal on May 11.

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa The 55+ Group sponsored a “We Stand in Memorial” potluck and bingo May 24. The Haiti Outreach Committee thanked those who donated 81 boxes of school supplies, clothes, medical supplies, and other items to benefit the parish’s school in Haiti.

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville This year’s vacation Bible school, which has a “Shake It Up!” theme, will take place July 18 through 22. n

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

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

Dear friends in Christ: Our diocese completed its 22nd fiscal year on June 30, 2010. Each year you have the opportunity to receive a report detailing all diocesan finances in The East Tennessee Catholic. As you know, we recently separated the parish appeal from the diocesan one, now known as the Annual Catholic Appeal. However, since this report is for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, it refers to the Annual Stewardship Appeal. Each year we strive to provide you with detailed information about services offered by the diocese. As you read the financial report that follows, you will see how the Christian faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville provide funds that keep our diocese operating—through your generous response to the Annual Stewardship Appeal and with bequests and other charitable gifts. As good stewards, we strive to be fiscally responsible and transparent. Since coming to East Tennessee in 2009, I have been inspired by your fidelity to Christ and his Church. I have seen your generosity of spirit and the support and cooperation that grow from a life rooted in faith. I have been sustained by the many prayers offered for my well-being, and I know I am blessed to be the shepherd of a prayerful people. I am grateful to our good and gracious Lord for placing me in this diocese, where I see the face of Jesus all around me. Our auditors confirm that the diocese exemplifies prudent stewardship of its financial resources. We use donated funds for the purposes for which they are contributed, as has been the diocese’s tradition. Please allow me to express a special word of thanks to members of the Diocesan Finance Council, with whom I work closely throughout the year, and to our finance officer, Deacon David Lucheon, for his commitment to serving the growing needs of the diocese. Thank you—and may we continue striving to be good stewards of all our gifts. Sincerely in Christ,

Bishop Richard F. Stika

The East Tennessee Catholic

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

June 5, 2011 13

Statement of Activities June 30, 2010 Use of funds $6,851,317

Source of funds $7,373,195 Investment income/gains $885,996 12%

Grants $350,000 4.7%

Parish assessments $2,817,339 38.2%

Other income/ service fees and net gain on sales $368,531 5%

Annual Stewardship Appeal $936,144 12.7%

Capital campaign $23,067 .3%

Deposit/loan fund interest income $963,363 13.1%

Unrealized gains/investments

Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (SFAS) No. 124 requires that investments be recorded at market value rather than at cost, and this results in the recognition of unrealized gains/losses.

Pastoral

Grants to parishes and institutions; Diocesan

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Contributions/bequests $1,028,755 14%

Education $703,714 10.3%

Promotion of vocations $429,262 6.2%

Communications $333,594 4.9%

Deposit/loan fund interest expense $958,492 14%

Pastoral $1,129,094 16.5%

Council of Catholic Women grant; Youth Ministry; Hispanic Ministry; Campus Ministry; Evangeliza tion; Justice and Peace; Marriage Preparation and Enrichment.

Parish assessments

Diaconate formation $26,335 .4%

Catholic Charities grant $420,927 6.1%

Administrative assessment for diocesan governance/administration; reimbursement for priest

Diocesan governance/ administration $1,642,123 24%

Religious personnel development/care $1,207,776 17.6%

health insurance and retirement; communications assessment for The East Tennessee Catholic newspaper and online programs; school assessment for the op eration of the Catholic Schools Office; assessment for the diocesan diaconate program.

Education

Religious Education and Catholic Schools offices. n

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

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

The East Tennessee Catholic

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

June 5, 2011 15

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

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

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

The East Tennessee Catholic

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

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Diocese of Knoxville Annual Financial Report

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

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Sports

NDHS track, cross-country standout signs Record-setting athlete Alex Mullin will compete at the SEC level at South Carolina.

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

lex Mullin of Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga signed a letter of intent to continue her running career, both cross country and track, at South Carolina. Alex is a three time state champion, an 11-time all-state performer in track, and a two-time all-state runner in cross country, and she holds five school records. She was also a varsity player on two Lady Irish soccer teams that reached the state semifinals. “I am really excited about being an athlete in the SEC and experiencing everything that goes with that,” said Alex. “I’m looking forward to training year round and seeing how far I can go with such great coaches at South Carolina. I’m excited to be a Gamecock.” Alex, a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, plans on majoring in biology/premed at South Carolina. “Alex has left a legacy at Notre

NDHS swimmers succeed in and out of the water

Dame that will always be remembered,” said athletics director Howie Sompayrac. “She is the model student-athlete. Her work ethic, desire, and overall strong character have

Notre Dame High School recently learned that both the 2011 girls and boys swim teams received National Scholar Team recognition. The girls team received gold recognition, which is the highest level, with a team GPA of 3.871. Currently the Lady Irish are one of only 25 girls high school swim teams in the country to be recognized at the gold level, which is 3.75 and above. The 2011 team had nine swimmers and two divers qualify for the 2011 Tennessee High School State Swim Meet held in Knoxville in February. Members of the state team were Brian Delaney, Justin King, Andrew Thomas, William Debarge, Noah Hay, Jacob Prater, Callie Voges, Katie McHugh, Bridget Haywood, Alex Rutledge, and Carly Duffy. The boys 200-meter freestyle relay team of Brian, Justin, Noah, and William finished in the top 16 at the state meet. n

provided great leadership to our cross-country and track teams the last four years. Alex strives to be a winner in all areas of her life, and it rubs off on her teammates.” n

COURTESY OF MEGAN LOCKE

The East Tennessee Catholic

Knoxville Catholic High School senior Joanna Thompson captured two state championships last month at Middle Tennessee State University. Joanna earned her second straight title in the 3,200-meter run May 25, posting a first-place time of 10 minutes, 49.42 seconds, to win by more than 40 seconds. The next day Joanna won the 1,600-run crown in 5:01.16, finishing ahead of Bearden’s Rebecca Stover—who defeated Joanna for the 1,600 title last year—by 3.82 seconds. n

South Carolina–bound Alex Mullin is seated with her parents, David and Kim Mullin of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy. Standing are (from left) her grandfather Bill Vineyard; her uncle, NDHS dean of students John Mullin; brother, Grayson Mullin; and grandparents Jeannine Mullin and Bob Mullin.

Knoxville Catholic softball team wins 14 after two-victory season in 2010 he Knoxville Catholic softball team had quite the comeback season this year. Under the direction of first-year head coach Sarah Bailey, the girls went from a two-win season last year to finish 2011 with a 14-14 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the district. Although the Lady Irish had to struggle through the loss of several players as a result of injuries, the team had many players step up to help. Key players included sophomore sisters Kathleen and Clare Conaty, sophomore Caroline Adam, junior Carolyn Williamson, and sophomore sisters Miranda and Katie Beeler. Ms. Bailey believes the team did well because of its commitment to

KCHS runner wins two state titles

Twelve-win improvement This year’s Knoxville Catholic softball team finished 14-14 after a two-win season in 2010.

excellence. “Other teams may be more talented than we are, but no one will outwork us,” she said.

The Lady Irish will enter 2012 having lost only two seniors from this year’s team. n

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

June 5, 2011 19

Catholic youth

20 June 5, 2011

St. Mary Parish hosts an ENDOW retreat for girls and a weekend for boys.

t. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge hosted a pair of retreats for high school students in April. An ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) retreat for girls, with the theme “True Beauty Revealed,” took place April 1 through 3. Twenty-four girls from across the diocese attended. Brigid Sweeney of the ENDOW office in Denver and Dominican sisters of the St. Cecilia Congregation led the retreat for girls. “We experienced an incredible weekend of prayer, including compline, Stations of the Cross, and a holy hour; a high tea; country and Irish dancing; and the truth about our dignity as women,” said St. Mary youth minister Margaret Merrill. About 15 boys attended a weekend retreat April 8 through 10 based on a text from Ephesians 6:11 (“Put on the armor of God”). “The point of the retreat was to encourage young men to take their faith seriously,” said Father David Carter, the retreat chaplain. The boys listened to testimonies during the weekend from “a variety of men who have taken their faith seriously,” said Father Carter. “There were many strong witnesses to faith, such as a refugee from the Sudan, a professional football player, a soldier, a politician, a priest, and several others. The young men were also given an introduction to various forms of prayer, including the Liturgy of the Hours, the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the morning offering, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.” The boys participated in several sports activities and watched the Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess. The group ended the retreat by attending Sunday-morning Mass at

COURTESY OF KAREN BYRNE

The Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children and youth—a threehour seminar called “Protecting God’s Children”—is offered regularly throughout the diocese. The seminars are required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact with children or vulnerable adults and are recommended for parents and grandparents. The following training sessions have been scheduled: n All Saints Church, 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 (session will be held in the parish hall) n St. Dominic Church, Kingsport, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 9 n St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church, Cleveland, 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12 (session will be held in the Trinity Room) n St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Lenoir City, 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 (session will be held in the Deacon José Room) n Holy Cross Church, Pigeon Forge, 9 a.m. Saturday, July 23 n St. Dominic Church, Kings port, 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 11; 9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 9; 1 p.m. Saturday, July 30; 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 n St. Jude Church, Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 28 (session will be held in the parish life center) n St. Dominic Church, Kingsport, 1 p.m. Saturday, July 30. Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials. To register, visit virtusonline.org. n

High school youth attend Oak Ridge retreats

‘Putting on the armor’ Among those attending the boys retreat were (from left) Adam Roberts of Blessed Sacrament in Harriman, Leigh Smith of St. Alphonsus in Crossville, and Jessie Souza and Reese Riikola, both of host parish St. Mary in Oak Ridge.

COURTESY OF DEACON DAN HOSFORD

Diocese offers ongoing Virtus child-protection training sessions

Organizers of the girls retreat at St. Mary thanked the parish Council of Catholic Women for bringing Brigid Sweeney of ENDOW to Oak Ridge.

St. Mary, where some of the boys served at the altar. “Afterward they each came forward and were ‘knighted’ with a sword and received a certificate of participation as one who had ‘Put

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

on the armor of God,’” said Father Carter. “I was proud of these young men. Some had come to the retreat reluctant, but I think all of them left with confidence in their faith and a desire to live it to the full.” n dioknox.org

Catholic youth

KCHS team builds Habitat house for veteran Knoxville Catholic students join in a Blitz Build in an East Knoxville subdivision.

COURTESY OF MEGAN LOCKE

Student builders Homeowner Michael Gates (third from left) is pictured with KCHS students (from left) Ryan Ridley, Elizabeth Grim, Molly Culhane, Veronika Cieslik, Claire Hendee, CC Hermes, Claire Northern, and Nic Brewton.

portion. KCHS had more than 90 student volunteers and more than 20 parent and staff volunteers. Participants put in around 724 hours of labor to build the house. Students were excited about the opportunity to work on the house

and learned such practical skills as roofing, putting up siding, and installing cabinets. “It was nice to meet new people,” said KCHS senior Claire Hendee, “and working with Michael on his house from start to finish was very rewarding.” n

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

noxville Catholic High School took part in Habitat for Humanity’s 2011 Blitz Build Week in April. Habitat, along with 12 corporate partners and 1,400 volunteers, built seven houses in seven days in a new subdivision off Skyline Drive in East Knoxville. Knoxville Catholic partnered with Walmart to build one of the homes for Michael Gates, a military veteran. Both KCHS and Walmart donated $15,000 to build the home. Barrie Smith, dean of admissions at KCHS, and her husband, Tom Schmitt, donated most of the Knoxville Catholic portion of money needed to build the home. “It was a great blessing for us to honor the memory of John Schmitt with a gift to Habitat for Humanity,” said Mrs. Smith. “It is our prayer that Michael will always know the love of our God that’s been poured into his home by the KCHS family.” The school, along with many of its student clubs, funded the remaining

The East Tennessee Catholic

Notre Dame’s top five The top five students from the class of 2011 at Notre Dame High School are pictured with principal Perry Storey. From left are Machen Picard of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga, fourth; Kendric Ng of St. Jude, salutatorian; Joseph Dorris of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, valedictorian; Renee Prochazka of OLPH, fifth; and Kenna Rewcastle of St. Stephen in Chattanooga, third.

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

NDHS student among state’s 15 Haslam Scholars Kenna Rewcastle of Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga is among the state’s 15 Haslam Scholars announced recently by the University of Tennessee. Kenna is a National Merit Commended Student who plans to major in chemistry and environmental science. She is the daughter of Amy and John Rewcastle and the granddaughter of Betty Naylor, all of St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga. A total of 250 students applied for the Haslam Scholars Program. Benefits of the program include a laptop, a studyabroad experience, and as much as $5,500 to support students’ honors-thesis research and travel to present their work. In addition each Haslam Scholar will receive a scholarship package totaling $17,300. n

KCHS teacher to co-chair Junior Classical League Knoxville Catholic High School Latin teacher Jenny Fields was elected a state co-chair of the Tennessee Junior Classical League for a three-year term by her fellow peers at the TJCL convention in April. She and colleague Patrick McFadden of St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis will spearhead the state organization in terms of membership and its planning for the next three conventions. In addition the state chairs lead the Tennessee delegation at the National Junior Classical League convention for the following three summers. n

June 5, 2011 21

Father Bede Aboh

Father Bill McKenzie

Father Brent Shelton

Father Bill McNeeley

Bishop announces new pastoral assignments Several larger parishes will have new priests serving them, and one longtime pastor steps down. By Dan McWilliams

he faithful at several of the diocese’s larger parishes will have new priests serving them following the latest pastoral assignments announced by Bishop Richard F. Stika. All of the assignments are effective Friday, July 1 (except as noted). The pastors of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa and St. Mary in Oak Ridge will be changing places. Father Bede Aboh, who has shepherded Our Lady of Fatima as well

as St. Francis of Assisi in Townsend since fall 2008, will become the new pastor in Oak Ridge. Father Bill Mc Kenzie, the pastor of St. Mary since September 2006, will succeed Father Aboh at Our Lady of Fatima. Father McKenzie served as an associate at the Alcoa parish in 2003-04. Both the Alcoa and Oak Ridge parishes will receive new associates as well. Father Brent Shelton, who has served as associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima since

fall 2008, will become a pastor for the first time at St. Francis of Assisi in Townsend. Father Shelton is celebrating his 10th anniversary of ordination this month. Father Bill McNeeley will succeed Father Shelton at Our Lady of Fatima; his title will be assistant to the pastor. Father Jorge Cano, who has served as associate pastor at St. Mary in Oak Ridge since his June 2009 ordination, will become an associate at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Father Christopher Riehl, an associate at Sacred Heart, will follow Father Cano in the same role at St. Mary in Oak Ridge. Father Peter Iorio will become the new pastor at St. Mary in Johnson City. Father Iorio, who has served as pastor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland since August 2009, has been on sabbatical since last summer. Father Manuel Pérez, an associate at Sacred Heart Cathedral since fall 2008, will serve as the new

Father Jorge Cano

Father Christopher Riehl

Father Peter Iorio

Father Manuel Pérez

22 June 5, 2011

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

dioknox.org

Father Alberto Sescon

Father Jay Flaherty

Father Vijayan Joseph

Father Antonio Giraldo

associate at the Johnson City parish. Father Alberto Sescon will serve as temporary parochial administrator at Holy Cross in Pigeon Forge during June. Holy Cross founding pastor Father Jay Flaherty began a leave of absence for health reasons June 1. He will be living near Nashville in order to have access to the health resources that he needs. Father Flaherty, who has one of the longest tenures at the same parish of any priest in the diocese, has led Holy Cross since he was named its administrator in 1992, when the diocese purchased land for the Sevier County parish. Father Vijayan Joseph, who has served as associate pastor of St.

Mary in Johnson City since June 2010, will become the parochial administrator at Holy Cross this summer. The native of Tuticorin, India, celebrated his 30th anniversary of priestly ordination in October. Father Sescon will also become parochial administrator of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland on July 1. Father Antonio Giraldo, who has served as temporary parochial administrator in Cleveland since Father Iorio’s sabbatical began, will become the new associate as St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City. Father Tom Moser, the associate at St. Thomas since August 2009, will become the new associate at St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Father Sescon is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cebu in the Philippines who has been serving in the United States for many years. For the last year he has been serving as a chaplain at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. He has been a substitute priest for the Diocese of Knoxville for the last 10 months, mainly at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in LaFollette and Christ the King in Tazewell. He has also celebrated Mass for the Filipino community at Sacred Heart once a month. Father Anetie Akata, pastor of St. Mary in Johnson City since 2008, will become an assisting priest—a substitute for priests who become ill or go on vacation. He will be

in residence at St. Therese Church in Clinton. Father Akata, who has served in the diocese since summer 2004 and lived in the United States since 1999, will return to his native Nigeria in October. Father Douglas Owens, ordained to the priesthood May 28, will serve his first assignment as an associate pastor at St. John Neumann in Farragut. Father John Appiah, who has served as part-time associate pastor at St. John Neumann since July 2010, will become an associate at All Saints. He will remain chaplain of Knoxville Catholic High School, an assignment that also began last July. n

Father Tom Moser

Father Anetie Akata

Father Doug Owens

Father John Appiah

The East Tennessee Catholic

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

June 5, 2011 23

Living the readings

Weekday Readings

Which way is up?

Monday, June 6: Acts 19:1-8; Psalm 68:2-7; John 16:29-33 Tuesday, June 7: Acts 20:17-27; Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21; John 17:1-11 Wednesday, June 8: Acts 20:2838; Psalm 68:29-30, 33-36; John 17:11-19 Thursday, June 9: Acts 22:30 and 23:6-11; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; John 17:20-26 Friday, June 10: Acts 25:13-21; Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20; John 21:15-19 Saturday, June 11: Memorial, Barnabas, apostle, Acts 11:21-26 and 13:1-3; Psalm 98:1-6; John 21:20-25 Monday, June 13: Memorial, Anthony of Padua, priest, doctor of the Church, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Psalm 98:1-4; Matthew 5:38-42 Tuesday, June 14: 2 Corinthians 8:19; Psalm 146:2, 5-9; Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday, June 15: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Psalm 112:1-4, 9; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday, June 16: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Psalm 111:1-4, 7-8; Matthew 6:7-15 Friday, June 17: 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30; Psalm 34:2-7; Matthew 6:19-23 Saturday, June 18: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 34:8-13; Matthew 6:24-34 Monday, June 20: Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:12-13, 18-20, 22; Matthew 7:1-5 Tuesday, June 21: Memorial, Aloysius Gonzaga, religious, Genesis 13:2, 5-18; Psalm 15:2-5; Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Wednesday, June 22: Genesis 15:112, 17-18; Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9; Matthew 7:15-20 Thursday, June 23: Genesis 16:112, 15-16; Psalm 106:1-5; Matthew 7:21-29

Readings continued on page 25

24 June 5, 2011

by Father Joseph Brando

The Ascension took the disciples from mourning to rejoicing.

oday’s Gospel reading prepares us for a roller-coaster ride through the Sundays of June. Matthew’s Gospel narrates that the 11 disciples went to Galilee as Jesus had ordered them. “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” Immediately afterward, Jesus commissioned them to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Then he rose into heaven. It’s no wonder the 11 had doubts. They had been directed to Galilee by angels and by the risen Christ. They were faithful to those directives even though they could scarcely be-

lieve their own eyes and ears. Were they really seeing angels? Was that really a man who had risen from the dead directing them to a mountain in Galilee? Then again, that’s how the Gospel begins. Mary saw an angel, and the world was changed by her response. God became flesh. Now at the end of the Gospel the 11 had to believe an angel and Jesus, who had risen from the dead. They had to believe he would remain with them although it looked as though he was leaving them and going up past the clouds. That was another enigma. Luke’s version of the Ascension adds some details to Matthew’s account. He writes that as Jesus rose, a cloud took him out of sight, but the disciples continued to look up. Once again an

What language am I speaking? When the Holy Spirit descended, Jesus’ followers experienced ‘pristine clarity.’

t’s now nine days after the Ascension. That’s enough time for the puzzlements of the Ascension to have subsided. It is important to note what had happened during that time. In the Acts of the Apostles Luke tells us “they were all in one place.” That is to say, the disciples got together in the safest place they knew. That could have been anywhere. Yet this place was special. It was where Jesus had broken the Passover bread and told them it was his body. It was where he had appeared to them on the evening of his resurrection, giving them peace and forgiveness. It was where Thomas had found reconciliation and could declare to all present that Jesus was Lord and God. It was where two travelers to Emmaus had run back

the seven miles to tell their story of meeting Christ and been greeted with the stories of others who had had similar experiences. It was a place of faith where memories had been held dear and shared lovingly. The Upper Room radiated the presence of Christ in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. Yet they were still afraid. They should have been. Recent archeological findings give us the insight that the disciples were hiding in plain sight. It seems the windows of the Upper Room, which were shuttered, looked out over the busy square full of tourists and guards where the memorial to King David was. It was a short stroll to the house of Caiaphas, where Jesus had been taken after he was arrested

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

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June 5 The Ascension Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20

angel intervened. This time the heavenly visitor informed the disciples that Jesus had been taken up to heaven and took them to task for looking upward. They had a commission to fulfill, and they had better start looking at the world around them. Indeed, the Lord who had ascended was still present among them. It must have been very confusing. One moment they were lamenting the death of their master—then they were rejoicing with amazement that Jesus had risen and was visible to them. After 40 days he was gone again yet somehow still present. Yes, they were confused and astounded by the events in which they had participated. But there was more drama ahead before their vision of the facts would become clear. n

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June 12 Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23

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on Holy Thursday night. Anybody would be afraid. That was until the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Fear turned to boldness. The wind and its noise made it necessary for the windows to be opened and the disciples to reveal themselves. They had become alive in the Holy Spirit. They were drunk with joy and eagerness to proclaim what had changed them. And one more strange fact was revealed. They soon realized that they were speaking several languages at the same time. This was the miracle of total perfect communication. What had been a state of confusion for the believers had become a moment of pristine clarity for all to understand and feel and come to faith. The Church was alive. n dioknox.org

Can three be one?

Christians are not bound by the world’s false conclusions.

he years that fled by after the first Pentecost were filled with exciting missionary activity that spread the news Jesus had conquered sin and death. Those years also provided peace for the Church to grow and develop and to begin delving into the mysterious questions with which they had been confronted. If Jesus died in 33 ad, it took at most 24 years for another challenging belief to become an ordinary way for a Christian to end a letter. Today’s second reading is the conclusion of Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, which experts date to about December 57 ad. He wrote, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” Paul apparently felt no need

to explain his closing. Probably that statement had begun to make sense after a lot of meditation and conversation among Church leaders. It certainly entailed a great deal of soul searching in the fourth and fifth centuries of the Church. It still confounds non-Christians. The doctrine of the Trinity defies human logic. Logic cannot fathom any reality that can be both three and one at the same time. If we used that same logic, we’d be forced to deny that human beings can share the life of God. Fortunately, Christians have been freed by the New Testament from such logic and the false conclusion to which it would lead us. Faith has a different logic. We begin with the premise that Jesus rose from the dead. That event and the experi-

Is Jesus Christ edible?

The Lord himself is ‘the incontestable source’ for our belief in the Eucharist.

f all the mysteries we’ve encountered in this tumultuous month of deep insight into the mysteries of God’s relationship with mankind, the one with the oldest foundation in Christianity is the Eucharist. Jesus is the incontestable source for this truth. His words on this matter were challenged from the first time he spoke them. This only proves how radical is the truth that Jesus wanted to abide with us through the use of bread and wine, which become his body and blood. We eat and drink this food, thereby receiving the real presence of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God. In today’s Gospel, John recounts Jesus’ telling this to the Jewish crowds. They had a hard time receiving the message. It didn’t make sense to them. Elsewhere in the same chapter, many of Jesus’ followers The East Tennessee Catholic

also had trouble with it and left him. Their problem was that accepting his words on the Eucharist meant believing Jesus was God. The Law told them there could be no image of God. So Jesus could not be God. What they missed was the tremendous love God has for humanity. The time had come for God to establish a new relationship with us that allows us to become intimately one with him. The only way to accomplish that was through Jesus, the Christ, who indeed is God and can share his being with us through the Eucharist. Those at supper with him in the Upper Room, at the table with him in Emmaus, on the seashore in Galilee, all knew they were becoming one with the Lord and with God. So can we, every day in our parish church. We can respond to the Spirit’s call to our hearts and receive

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June 19 The Most Holy Trinity Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9 Daniel 3:52-56 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18

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ence of those who followed him led to another tenet of our faith: Jesus is divine as well as human. Thus, since we can share in the human life of the risen Christ, we also share in his divinity. In addition, he sent us the Holy Spirit, a third person of the Triune God, as the constant source of divine inspiration in our lives. It all starts with a human experience that was prayed over and taught to others who sought an explanation for the facts of their spiritual life. The doctrine also promises we would not lose the relationship Christians have enjoyed since the days in the Upper Room. The concept of God as a Trinity may be confounding to some. Yet it is the only explanation for the reality we live as Christians that God is with us. n

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June 26, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 John 6:51-58

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Readings continued from page 24 Friday, June 24: Solemnity, the Nativity of John the Baptist, Mass during the day, Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Peter 1:8-12; Luke 1:5-17; vigil, Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80 Saturday, June 25: Genesis 18:1-15; Luke 1:46-50, 53-55; Matthew 8:5-17 Monday, June 27: Genesis 18:1633; Psalm 103:1-4, 8-11; Matthew 8:18-22 Tuesday, June 28: Memorial, Irenaeus, bishop, martyr, Genesis 19:15-29; Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12; Matthew 8:23-27 Wednesday, June 29: Solemnity, Peter and Paul, apostles, Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 34:2-9; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 Thursday, June 30: Genesis 22:1-19; Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9; Matthew 9:1-8 Friday, July 1: Solemnity, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Deuteronomy 7:6-11; Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 10; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 11:25-30 Saturday, July 2: Memorial, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29; Psalm 135:1-6; Luke 2:41-51 n

the Body and Blood of Christ. Thus, we experience God abiding in us. June is a turbulent, demanding month, packing a load of mysteries that open us up to share Christ’s life. Our task is to open these doors to the infinite. They defy earthly ways of thinking. But their truth is discovered in the experience you will have when you determine the answers to some treacherous questions. Which way is up? Jesus is the way. What language do we speak? Our universal language is that of divine Love, which everyone can understand. Can three be one? Yes, when we enter into the infinite. Is Jesus edible? Taste and see. Then our world will be delightfully turned around. n Father Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

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

June 5, 2011 25

Marriage enrichment: healthy conflict resolution By Marian Christiana In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that God is love. God’s love for us is fundamental to our lives, and we are called to share that love with others. This is especially true in marriage. But when conflict arises, we sometimes forget that love “seeks the good of the beloved” (Deus Caritas Est, No. 6). Conflict is a part of life. It exists in all relationships, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The critical factor in determining whether conflict will have a positive or negative effect on a relationship is the way it’s resolved. Conflict can be productive, enriching a marriage and creating a deeper understanding of, greater closeness to, and increased respect for one’s spouse. This month’s column focuses on five conflict-resolution techniques. Here are some ground rules: Both spouses must view the conflict as a problem to be solved by them. Each agrees to actively participate and put forth the effort and commitment necessary to find solutions that are fair and acceptable to both people. The best solution is the one that works for you as a couple. n Identify the problem: Clarify what the conflict or issue involves. You must know what you are disagreeing about. Take turns speaking. Use only “I” statements. Express your concerns in words that describe how you feel or think. Once you have decided on the issue, stick to it, don’t change the subject, and don’t bring up the past. Stay in the present.

Marriage continued on page 27

26 June 5, 2011

Life and dignity

by Paul Simoneau

God’s inner prophet

Our conscience can reveal the truth or destroy our humanity.

he Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer of the Church, traditionally marks the beginning of the Christian day with Psalm 95. Inviting us to give “praise and thanksgiving” to God throughout the day, it also calls us to “listen to the voice of the Lord.” This is because ever since Adam and Eve gave audience to the father of lies within the sanctuary of their communion with God—the Garden of Eden—false prophets have competed for lordship over the sacred space of our personal sanctuary: our conscience. St. Paul reminds us that each of us is a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). It is no mistake then that the Church describes our conscience in terms of the inner sanctuary of the Temple, known as the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33-34). It is there, in the depths of our being, that God’s inner prophet echoes the familiar call of the Old Testament prophets: “Hear what the Lord has to say” (Micah 6:1). By examining the lives of these prophets, we can learn much about the conscience and the importance the Church plays in its formation. Christ warns us to be vigilant against false prophets, who dress in “sheep’s clothing but underneath are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Sadly, it is God’s prophet in the world—the Church—that is labeled false and rejected in favor of more acceptable messengers. King Ahab accused Elijah, the father of the prophets, of being a “disturber of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17), and today many accuse the Church of being a disturber of the conscience, both individual and social. As Elijah noted, the Church is often a solitary voice amongst hundreds of false prophets: “I am the only surviving prophet of the Lord, and there

are 450 prophets of Baal” (1 Kings 18:22). Many think the Church’s judgments should be overruled by majority opinions. We can be tempted to silence and even banish God’s inner prophet, even though the sanctuary of our conscience belongs to God, not to us. Amaziah, guardian of King Jeroboam’s sanctuary, banished the prophet Amos, saying, “Off with you, visionary. . . . never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple” (Amos 7: 12-13). For those who hold the conscience as more sacred than the Truth that makes it sacred, the prophet Jeremiah warns: Put not your trust in the deceitful words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD! . . . Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place . . . (Jeremiah 7:4-7; 9-10).

When God sent a prophet to a different Amaziah, King of Israel, with a message to turn away from idolatry, the king interrupted the prophet, saying, “Have you been made the king’s counselor? Be silent!” The prophet did so, but only after telling the king, “God has let you take counsel to your own destruction because you have . . . refused to hear my counsel” (2 Chronicles 25:16). A well-formed conscience protects us from counsel that could destroy our good and that of others. The Church, as God’s prophet, helps us recognize the pathogens that can harm soul and body and

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offers us preventative measures to avoid exposure. What pain and sickness are to the body, a guilty conscience is to the soul: a warning sign to seek help and the Church’s prescription of confession and spiritual counsel. Blessed John Paul II warned that Because of the nature of conscience, the admonition always to follow it must immediately be followed by the question of whether what our conscience is telling us is true or not. If we fail to make this necessary clarification, conscience—instead of being that holy place where God reveals to us our true good—becomes a force which is destructive of our true humanity and of all our relationships (general audience, Aug. 17, 1983).

Having witnessed the ruin the false prophets of Nazi Germany and atheistic communism brought upon Europe and the world, Blessed John Paul II sadly noted that once again, the “grave and disturbing” signs of a darkening of the individual and social conscience of a people have appeared, this time by the “widespread conditioning” of a culture of death with its “false and deceptive solutions opposed to the truth and the good of persons and nations” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 4). Psalm 95 concludes with sobering words of judgment upon all who fail to heed and reject God’s voice: “They shall not enter into my rest.” For good reason the Church presents this Psalm as the first prayer of the day. Ending with a traditional play on the words of Pope Paul VI, “if you want peace . . . ,” “listen to the voice of the Lord” (Psalm 95:7). n Mr. Simoneau directs the diocesan Justice and Peace Office. dioknox.org

Once upon a time

by Monsignor Xavier Mankel

Marriage continued from page 26

Habemus basilicam

The history and beauty of the country’s newest basilica, Sts. Peter and Paul, warrant a visit.

he word basilica usually summons images of a king doing court business among his constituents—and in the ancient world of Greece, Rome, and beyond, the basilica was perhaps second in importance only to the local temple or religious shrine. Its long rectangular shape (larger ones had side aisles) and expansive open space, with a stage or raised platform at one end and the main door at the other, made the basilica style of architecture nearly perfect for the Church to use in the celebration of her principal liturgies, especially the Mass. Congregants gathered in the main body of the space (the nave) as ministers processed through them during the entrance procession. Incense led the way, with the smoke not only a wonderful sign of our prayers rising unto God but also having the advantage of freshening the air of a worship space that might have been closed since the previous Sunday. At the end of the procession the bishop (or his delegate), accompanied by his deacons (and in those days subdeacons too), approached the sanctuary, reverenced the altar, and went to his place as president of the worshiping assembly. That name, basilica, has continued to be reserved for great and special church buildings around the world that fit the following criteria: the building’s historical importance, or significance, as a center of worship, and dignity. The major basilicas include St. John Lateran (the pope’s own cathedral as the bishop of Rome), St. Peter’s, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. In Assisi, Italy, are St. Francis and St. Mary of the Angels. There are more than 60 minor basilicas in the United States, and the newest one is Sts. Peter and Paul Basilica in Chattanooga. The East Tennessee Catholic

Several privileges are attached: a special processional bell and a sixpaneled canopy are placed in the church. The rector may wear red trim on his cape, worn over the cassock. Pope Benedict XVI issued the necessary documentation in Rome on May 3, and many of the priests of the Chattanooga Deanery joined in concelebrating the noon Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul on Thursday, May 12, with Bishop Richard F. Stika, D.D., his chancellor, and two vicars general. Bishop Stika announced the good news during his homily; he also was the principal celebrant at the Mass. The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul has two architectural features that in themselves warrant a visit. The great windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Stations of the Cross, created by a French artist who is said to have spent 17 years designing them and three years producing a model to satisfy him, are described as among the finest works of Christian art to be found in the Western hemisphere. The window I find most intriguing is the one in the basilica’s façade, high above the organ console and pipes. It was placed there as a result of something that happened to the previous church that was being built for the Catholics of Chattanooga. A fine stone church that had been intended to replace the original wooden church was begun in 1854, but by the end of the American Civil War the nearly completed building was gone entirely. Not one stone had been left upon another. The Northern army had taken the fine variegated marble and polished stones and had used them for forts and culverts. Father Henry Brown prepared and presented to the War Department a claim, with an itemized statement of damage, amounting

Listen without interrupting: Stop what you are doing, look at your spouse, and listen. No texting or web surfing allowed. n Keep the discussion between the two of you: Leave family and friends out of the discussions. If you need outside help, speak to a priest or a professional counselor. n Identify several solutions: Brainstorm creative solutions based on your shared interests and goals. n Bring resolution to the discussion: Finish the argument. This might mean that you try to change a behavior pattern in your relationship or you agree to disagree. Whatever you decide, promise each other that you will finish the discussion, not simply bury it. The purpose of a positive approach to conflict resolution is to achieve maximum results for both of you. It is not always easy, but with practice, everyone gets better at seeking the good of the beloved. You can read a condensed version of Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est at bit.ly/jD9QYr. Read the entire document at bit.ly/k0mFWJ. n n

to $27,783.96. On Sept. 20, 1867, the Secretary of War directed the Inspector General of the army to make a full investigation of the case. He went to Chattanooga and reported on Oct. 28 that he thought the settlement should be for $18,729.09. The bill for reimbursing the parish dragged through Congress for years and was not paid until 1888. I do not know whether the window above the organ was included in the settlement of 1888 or whether it was an additional gift. I’m doing more research on that and on basilicas in general. It’s funny how interesting the subject becomes once you have a basilica in your own back yard. My memory of the window is that it has flags of several states— perhaps the 13 original colonies’ flags or perhaps the flags of the states still in the Union in 1865. Please be patient. It’s a topic worth refining. Congratulations to Father George Schmidt Jr., the Very Reverend rector of the basilica. Some of the terms that describe a basilica apply to him too: venerable, orthodox, high reputation in the community, devout. Father George is the only Catholic priest in the Diocese of Knoxville who has maintained his present assignment since before we were made a diocese on Sept. 8, 1988. His quarter-century as pastor of his own home parish rivals the terms in office of the first pope, St. Peter; Pius IX; Leo XIII; and Blessed John Paul II, all at least silver jubilarians by the time God made other plans. Father Schmidt’s long tenure has afforded the kind of stability for his parish that the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul so richly deserves. n Monsignor Mankel is a vicar general of the diocese and the pastor of Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville.

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Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

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

Visit the diocese on Facebook: on.fb.me/ dioceseofknoxville

June 5, 2011 27

Building the kingdom

by Jim Link

A faith of contradictions

The Easter season makes several profound truths apparent.

urs is a faith of contradictions. At no time in the liturgical year is this more apparent than during the Easter season. n n n n

Suffering is redemptive. Surrender leads to victory. Sorrow gives way to joy. Death brings life.

Perhaps because Easter comes during a popular time for weddings, I inevitably reflect on these ironies and how they exemplify divine love. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of knowing hundreds of happily married people. Beyond the ability to forgive, one quality stands out in each couple: altruism. A week before my dad went to heaven, I asked him how he and Mom managed to keep the flame of love burning brightly for more than 50 years. He said it was easy because each put the other first. He was motivated to do what was right for his wife, just as quickly as she put his interests ahead of her own. People might laugh at such thinking today, when personal needs and wants come first. Perhaps that’s why the divorce rate is so high. Like a lot of men who strove to model themselves on Christ, my dad didn’t love Mom; he revered her. She responded with thousands of selfless acts, big and small. Both of them became more loving, honor-

28 June 5, 2011

able people by practicing unconditional love. The more they forgot themselves and joyfully served each other, the deeper their love became. The more they forgave those who hurt them, the more they grew in kindness and compassion. Like all good parents, they knew that love requires sacrifice. They would have crawled a thousand miles if it benefited the other or swum the Atlantic if it helped one of us children. Why? That’s what people do when they’re in love. They sacrifice—freely, joyfully, and completely. The Easter season provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on profound truths: the more we give, the richer we become; the more we forgive, the greater the mercy and freedom we enjoy. As St. Francis said: it’s in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Christ held nothing back when it came time to show the depth of his love. He put our need for forgiveness and salvation before his desire for safety, comfort, and convenience. When our time comes to stand before the Lord, will we be able to say we did the same? Will we have sacrificed everything out of love for him and the people he commanded us to serve? n Mr. Link directs the diocesan Stewardship and Development Office.

Recital to benefit seminarians scheduled June 19 ather Thomas O’Connell, organist, and Melinda and Dr. Donald Groh man, violinist and cellist, respectively, will offer a recital at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 413 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville. The recital is sponsored by the Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and donations will benefit diocesan seminarians. Father O’Connell has graduate degrees in organ performance and choral conducting from Loyola University in New Orleans and Washington University in St. Louis. He has performed in the United States and Europe. Father O’Connell is the pastor of Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission in Knoxville and chaplain for Mercy Health Partners. Mrs. Grohman has degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and the University of Tennessee. She began her musical career with the Cleveland Symphony and frequently plays with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO). Dr. Grohman is a cellist with KSO. He is the former pastor of Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church. Dr. Grohman is the former academic dean of Knoxville College, and he holds degrees from Canada and Switzerland. n

Renaissance Mass set for June 12 at Holy Ghost n ensemble of eight singers and three instrumentalists will perform Renaissance composer Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla’s Missa Ego flos campi on Pentecost Sunday, June 12, at Holy Ghost and First Presbyterian churches in Knoxville. During the 8:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Ghost, 1041 N. Central St., the performers will also present the seven-part motet “Ego flos campi” by the 16thcentury Flemish composer Jacobus Clemens non Papa. The performance at First Presbyterian, 620 State St., will take place during the 11 a.m. service. Three of the singers are members of the Knoxville-based Harmonia Vocal Quartet. Conductor of the ensemble is Ashley Burrell, organist and choirmaster for First Presbyterian. Padilla (c. 1590-1664) was born in Spain but moved to Puebla, Mexico, in 1620 to compose in the New World. His Missa Ego flos campi was written for two four-part choirs. n

Positions open at Chancery, Chattanooga parish he Diocese of Knoxville seeks an administrative assistant for the offices of Christian Formation and Diaconate. The assistant prepares letters, memos, charts, forms, and spreadsheets; edits material and communications; compiles and tracks statistics; sets up and maintains databases; and handles meeting setup and coordination. Must be able to work an occasional weekend or evening during conferences and workshops. Candidates must have a high school education (associate’s degree preferred), demonstrated organization and communication skills, and proficiency with Microsoft Office. Experience in religious education (catechetics) and RCIA programs is preferable. Mail resume to Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, 805 Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919, or e-mail srmarytimothea@dioknox.org.

st. stephen church in chattanooga seeks a part- or full-time youth minister/

coordinator to implement the parish’s commitment to youth as outlined in the 1997 U.S. bishops’ document “Renewing the Vision.” The coordinator col-

Positions continued on page 32

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From the Paraclete

DAN MCWILLIAMS

By Bethany Marinac

Dr. Montgomery retires from St. Joseph School, receives diocesan Immaculata Award Dr. Aurelia Montgomery, outgoing principal of St. Joseph School in Knoxville, stands with Bishop Richard F. Stika during a May 18 assembly at the school. Bishop Stika presented Dr. Montgomery with the diocese’s Immaculata Award certificate (above) and medal as part of a number of honors bestowed on the principal that day by students, staff, and others. A story on Dr. Montgomery will appear in the July 3 edition.

Bishop hires new superintendent for East Tennessee’s Catholic schools

The East Tennessee Catholic

DAN MCWILLIAMS

ishop Richard F. Stika announced on May 16 that he has hired Sister Mary Marta Abbott, RSM, as superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Knoxville, effective July 1. Sister Mary Marta earned a master’s degree in education with a concentration in principalship and an education specialist degree with a concentration in central office/ superintendence at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in theology at the University of Portland, Ore. Her professional background includes serving as a third-grade teacher at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Milwaukie, Ore., and as associate director at Catholic Youth Camp in McGregor, Minn. She has 2also had many years of manage-

Sister Mary Marta Abbott, RSM

ment experience and has worked in evangelization. She is a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., which established a convent in Knoxville in 2009. “Sister Mary Marta will work to

further promote Catholic identity in our schools,” the bishop wrote in his May 16 memo. “Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity to realize the fourfold purpose of Christian education: to provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel message is proclaimed, community in Christ is experienced, service to our sisters and brothers is the norm, and thanksgiving for and worship of our God are cultivated,” he wrote. Sister Mary Marta is a native of Texas and a convert to Catholicism. She said she loves people and enjoys outdoor activities—and looks forward to exploring East Tennessee’s lakes and mountains. She replaces Dr. Sherry Morgan, who has served as superintendent of Catholic Schools since July 2003. Dr. Morgan will retire at the end of June. n

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The staff of The Paraclete would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our customers. We are truly grateful you choose us when you’re looking for religious goods. It is always nice to see you when you come into the store to get a book or gift from us when you might have purchased it online or elsewhere. Tough economic times and rising gas prices have made business tough for small stores all over the country, and we are no exception. But loyal customers make the difference. You brighten our day when we see you. We try to remember names and faces and have developed wonderful and rewarding relationships with many of you. In response to your loyalty, we’re working on keeping prices down and quality high. Super Tuesdays will be back, beginning June 7, and our annual summer sale will run from June 13 to June 30. Friend us on Facebook (bit.ly/paraclete knoxville) for occasional special offers. And don’t forget to sign up for our monthly giveaway. Did you know the Paraclete does traveling book fairs? In fall and spring we pack books, sacramentals, and seasonal products into the Paraclete van and travel as far east as Bristol, Va., and as far west as Chattanooga. When we visit outlying parishes, we meet amazing people and get to celebrate Mass with new friends. We have some new faces at the store, and our seasoned veterans are still there too. We are happy for you to browse or to help you find just the right gift. n Call the store at 865-588-0388 or 800-333-2097.

June 5, 2011 29

Movie reviews

New film examines the life of Opus Dei’s founder NEW YORK (CNS)—What many people think they know about the spiritual movement Opus Dei likely comes from the slanderous misrepresentations of it fobbed off on the public by Dan Brown in his 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and by Ron Howard’s 2006 film. A healthy antidote to such sensationalized misconceptions—a murderous albino monk, you say?— comes with the release of There Be Dragons (Samuel Goldwyn), a generally powerful, partly fictionalized dramatization of passages in the life of Opus Dei’s founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (1902-75), appealingly portrayed by Charlie Cox. As fictional Spanish-born reporter Robert Torres (Dougray Scott) investigates Escrivá’s life, he’s surprised to discover that his own father Manolo (Wes Bentley)—from whom Robert has long been estranged— was the future religious leader’s childhood friend and seminary classmate. With the tumult of the Spanish Civil War looming, however, the two men took diametrically different paths. Once ordained, Escrivá labored for the establishment of a community dedicated to achieving personal sanctity through everyday work, an

The movie will begin showing at Knoxville’s Downtown West Theater on June 17. organization whose structure—unprecedented in the modern church— would embrace women as well as men, laypeople as well as priests. Having rejected the faith in favor of a bitterly cynical materialism, meanwhile, Manolo is shown pursuing a duplicitous role in the conflict

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CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Combining fact with a little fiction, the director paints a striking portrait of St. Josemaría Escrivá. By John Mulderig

‘Work of God’ Director Roland Joffe talks with Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, head of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, before a screening of Joffe’s movie There Be Dragons at the Pontifical North American College in Rome on March 21. The movie about the life of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei, opened in the United States on May 6. Learn more about the movie online at dragonsresources.com.

engulfing his society. Not the least of the obstacles Escrivá confronted in furthering his “Work of God” (the English meaning of the Latin phrase Opus Dei) was the increasingly violent anticlericalism of the Loyalist side in the Spanish struggle. Yet when these leftists begin desecrating churches and murdering priests, Escrivá remains evenhandedly neutral, sympathizing with his adversaries’ motivations and aspirations and urging his followers to react with Christian forbearance. This nuanced and charitable approach to the situation belies Escrivá’s reputation, in some circles, as an unabashed devotee of Franco’s

fascist vision. The striking portrait of an anything-but-plaster saint grippingly conveys its subject’s struggle to discern his vocation and to live the Christian message of peace, even in the most trying circumstances. But the impact of these fact-based biographical elements is blunted by the fictional framework with which Joffe has chosen to surround them, a storytelling device that becomes more burden than enhancement. Thus, imaginary subplots such as the conflict between Robert and Manolo never seem quite convincing and only serve to distract from a primary story that is both spiritually valuable and ably depicted.

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The significance of that central chronicle is such, however, as to make There Be Dragons probably acceptable for older teens. The film contains occasionally bloody action violence, a few sexual references, and some crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III—adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13—parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. n Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies. Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops dioknox.org

Why the drop in religious vocations? Sister’s report on women’s congregations to be submitted by Dec. 31. By Dennis Sadowski clude comments from individual members of religious congregations who offered observations and comments outside of the official visits, Mother Clare said. “We got some,” she said when asked how many individual responses were received. “Some were very interesting,” Mother Clare added, declining to elaborate. Responses from a questionnaire sent to the congregations in late 2009 as well as information Mother Clare obtained in earlier discussions and correspondence with superiors of religious communities also will be included in the reports. The visitation was initiated in January 2009 by Cardinal Franc Rode, who has since retired, to learn why the number of members in religious communities of women in the United States had declined since the late 1960s. The visitation also was intended to examine the quality of life in the communities for some 67,000 women religious. Under Cardinal Rode’s guidelines,

the report when submitted was not to be shared with the religious communities. The church investigation initially sparked questions from some congregational leaders, who said Cardinal Rode’s announcement came without warning and seemed to imply the congregations were doing something wrong. Some congregations also were slow to respond to the visitation questionnaire, leading Mother Clare to resend letters encouraging their participation in the process. Mother Clare said she has spent much of her time since September working on the reports in Hamden, Conn., where the U.S. province of her congregation is based, making occasional trips to Rome to handle her responsibilities as head of her order. She said that by the end of summer she hopes to have the majority of the reports done. “It’s been an enriching experience to see the variety of charisms, the ways different communities live

Apostolic visitator Mother Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is pictured in an undated photo. She is charged with directing a Vatican study of U.S. women’s religious orders.

the same values regarding religious life and vows and also the beautiful ministries that are done by sisters throughout the country and beyond,” she said. In March the apostolic visitation office gathered the dozens of religious who visited the congregations in Hamden for a three-day meeting to review their work. The meeting offered the visitors the chance to share their impressions of the on-site

Visitation continued on page 32

COURTESY OF DEACON SEAN SMITH

WASHINGTON (CNS)—More than 400 reports on the status of U.S.– based religious congregations of women will be sent to the Vatican by the end of the year by the apostolic visitator overseeing a years-long study of American religious life. Mother Mary Clare Millea, the apostolic visitator appointed by the Vatican and superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, told Catholic News Service she started compiling the reports last September with the goal of completing them by Dec. 31. The reports—the fourth and final step in the visitation process—will summarize information obtained from multiple sources, including the 90 on-site visits to religious communities that concluded in December, she said. Mother Clare also planned to send a separate report offering an overview of U.S. religious life to the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Some of the 405 reports will in-

CNS PHOTO/COURTESY APOSTLES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

From the wire

The East Tennessee Catholic

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

Cardinal Rigali marks 50th ordination anniversary Recently celebrating Cardinal Justin F. Rigali’s 50th anniversary of priestly ordination are (left to right) Deacon Sean Smith, diocesan chancellor; Cardinal William J. Levada; Cardinal Rigali; and Bishop Richard F. Stika. Cardinal Levada serves as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, making him the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. Bishop Stika and Deacon Smith were in Philadelphia on April 25 to celebrate Cardinal Rigali’s golden jubilee.

June 5, 2011 31

From the wire

Visitation continued from page 31

Why musical heritage matters VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In giving priority to Gregorian chant and to polyphonic liturgical music, the Catholic Church is not trying to limit anyone’s creativity but is showcasing a tradition of beautiful prayer, Pope Benedict XVI wrote. Music at Mass should reflect the fact that the liturgy “is primarily the action of God through the church, which has its history, its rich tradition, and its creativity,” the pope said in a letter marking the 100th anniversary of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. Citing the Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium, the pope noted that the purpose of sacred music is “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful” and that such music must possess “a sense of prayer, dignity, and beauty.” In the letter, released by the Vatican May 31, the pope wrote that sometimes people have presented Gregorian chant and traditional church music as expressions “to be overcome or disregarded because they limited the freedom and creativity of the individual or community.” But, he said, when people recognize that the liturgy does not belong to an individual or parish but to the church, they begin to understand how, although some expressions of local culture may be appropriate,

Positions continued from page 28

laborates with the pastor and staff in implementing the parish’s mission, which is accomplished by participating in the comprehensive planning, implementation, and evaluation of parish goals and objectives, with a focus on youth. Activities include but are not limited to socials, recreational events, athletic and outreach

32 June 5, 2011

Religious recently met with officials of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and learned “there were no new concerns” with the organization, said Sister Annmarie Sanders, LCWR director of communications. LCWR, whose members represent 95 percent of U.S. women religious, was the subject of a doctrinal assessment ordered by Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the congregation, in April 2009. Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, a member of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, completed the assessment in July. For more information, visit www. apostolicvisitation.org. n Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

Pope reaffirms Church’s liturgical traditions. By Cindy Wooden

visits and their observations of some of the common challenges and hopes U.S. religious communities face. American-born Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, addressed the gathering. “My own team and the visitors were very much encouraged by the great sensitivity and the listening by Bishop Tobin and the assurance that he would be taking to heart and working with the members of the dicastery to see that the Holy See will do whatever they can to help with the revitalization of our congregations,” Mother Clare said. Meanwhile, a team from the Leadership Conference of Women

‘Beautiful prayer’ Frederick Zeny, 9, sings with the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

priority must be given to expressions of the Church’s universal culture. He said the Church’s musical tradition is “a living reality that . . . encompasses within it the very principle of development and progress.” n Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

programs, youth-oriented liturgies, retreats, and community-service opportunities. Candidates should send a cover letter and resume, including education, previous experience, and personal and professional references, to Father Gilbert M. Diaz, Pastor, St. Stephen Church, 7111 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421. n

In the company of the pope Pope Benedict XVI greets Bishop Richard F. Stika during the bishop’s recent trip to Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II. In the background is Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington. Photo courtesy of Bishop Stika

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