Nov. 7, 2010, East Tennessee Catholic by Diocese of Knoxville

CNS/MOHAMMED AMEEN, REUTERS

Attack on Iraqi Catholics A woman mourns outside the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 1. Dozens of hostages and police were killed the day before when security forces raided the cathedral to free worshipers being held by gunmen wearing explosives. page 10

THE EAST TENNESSEE

Volume 20 • Number 5 • November 7, 2010

The

newspaper

of the D iocese of K noxville www.dioknox.org

The Annual Catholic Appeal launches E

veryone knows the expression “no one is an island.” It emphasizes the need for community if we are to properly grow and mature. It’s a reciprocal relationship. As the community is essential to individual growth, so the community’s health is determined by its individual members. The individual thrives in the community, and the community grows with its individual members. So it is with each parish. It has its rightful autonomy but cannot be an island. Every parish is called to be a builder of communion between the local Church, diocesan Church, and universal Church. This relationship binds the parish with the diocesan community and the bishop with the successor of St. Peter, ensuring each parish’s membership in the universal Church. In praying for the grace to be active and responsible Catholics, we realize we have simultaneous obligations to our parish, diocese, and the worldwide Church. This realization is similar to understanding the mystery of the Holy Trinity. There are three

Persons in one God. They are unique yet inseparable. Just as the Holy Trinity is at the same time unique and inseparable, so is the Church. It’s important for each of our parishes to function uniquely, as vibrant communities of faith and worship. At the same time, no parish can separate itself from the diocese or the greater universal Church. In much the same way that St. Paul speaks of us as unique, inseparable members of the body of Christ, so too are our parishes and dioceses unique and inseparable parts of the Catholic Church. Indeed, the word catholic means “universal.” Unlike religious communities that exist as separate and independent congregations, our faith embraces a theology of unity and responsibility. We must take care of one another— especially those in greatest need. Instead of erecting walls around us, we build bridges—bridges from parish to diocese and diocese to parish. Many Catholics may not realize it, but the bonds between parish and diocese are financial as well. Bishops rely on parishes to help fund

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

Bishop Stika encourages the faithful to be generous.

God gives himself to us through the sacraments. In return, he asks us to give to and care for one another, as Christ explains in Matthew 25:34-46. GOD’S GIFTS

diocesan operations, and dioceses provide financial assistance to new or struggling parishes. Throughout the United States, each of 18,900 parishes contributes to the operations of its respective diocese, of which there are 195. Here in East Tennessee, contributions to the diocese are based on each parish’s size and ability. Parish 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. Although gifts made by generous members of the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee supplement essential

investments such as priestly formation, the diocese relies on parishes to cover a majority of the $675,000 annual cost of seminarian tuition, room, board, and health insurance. In addition to gifts made by East Tennessee Catholics, the diocese has received generous donations during the past year from out-of-state sources, primarily friends and former parishioners of Bishop Richard F. Stika.

These gifts enabled the diocese to avoid asking parishes to increase the amounts they contribute for diocesan operations, but they haven’t permitted the diocese to reduce parish assessments, nor have gifts from outside the diocese kept pace with the growing needs of those in East Tennessee. “When people face rising poverty and unemployment, they rightly turn to the Appeal continued on page 8

East Tennessee Catholics grateful for programs supported by appeal B Y D A N M CWILLIAMS

he 2011 Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) will help fund all of the ministries and offices of the Diocese of Knoxville that serve both its parishioners and those of all faiths who may turn to the Church for assistance times of need. Along with Catholic Charities, university ministry, Priestly Life and Ministry, and many others, the ACA supports the offices of Christian Formation, Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, and Youth and Young Adult Ministry. For the Christian Formation Office, the ACA makes possible its catechetical-formation program, begun in 2008. Catechists, Catholic school teachers, and others have learned more about the sacraments, teaching methods, and other topics through the program, held in conjunction with Aquinas College in Nashville and conduct-

ed by the Nashville Dominican sisters. Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, directs the Office of Christian Formation, and Father Richard Armstrong is the assistant director. “When Father Richard sent the informational booklet introducing the new catechetical-formation program, I said, ‘Wow!’ It not only gave me an easy-to-follow blueprint for catechetical certification and provided answers to many of my questions, its highly polished and professional quality indicated a top-rate program,” said one parish director of religious education. “I knew this was going to be a great opportunity for all of us who work in ministry for children and adult faith formation to grow in understanding of our rich faith and learn effective catechetical methods. The catechists who attended the orientation and first session are very pleased with the program and eager to work toward com-

pleting their certification.” A Chattanooga catechist said the formation program “is presented with passion and excitement.” “The materials are very well organized, and the information provided at the sessions is helpful to anyone trying to better understand and pass on our faith to others. Participants will become more appreciative of the beauty of the Catholic faith and the need to preserve and teach it. As a parent and father, I recommend this program to every adult in the diocese as a great help to our vocation as first and primary educators of our children.” The Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office has sponsored free introductory sessions on the Creighton Model System of monitoring a couple’s fertility, as well as programs such as “Six Dates for Catholic Couples” and “Picture of Love” engaged-couple retreats.

A couple married in June 2009 said, “we appreciated the opportunity to attend a free session” on the Creighton system “to learn more about this specific method of natural family planning.” “The presentation was clear and simple yet included a thorough explanation of the scientific basis of the method,” they said. “After attending the session, we decided to use the Creighton method of NFP in our upcoming marriage. NFP helped us begin our marriage with an openness of heart to God’s leadership in the formation of our family, and it has improved our communication skills and increased our respect and understanding for each other, which benefit all areas of our relationship.” After presenting marriageenrichment programs at their parish, one couple recently thanked Programs continued on page 8

EDITOR

Older Catholics are ‘untapped resource’

The recent vocations campaign in the area of

discernment for the younger Catholic is certainly of value and much needed, but it appears that one whole area of the Church population has been left out. Are there no areas or “ministries” in which seniors could serve the Church? I am certain that there are many of us over 65 who do not feel challenged by the church to serve. This population includes the ones too old to consider the permanent diaconate as well as females. Yes, we can be readers, ushers, altar servers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, but this is not serving in the same way as a priest, religious, or permanent deacon. I do not see the Church addressing the needs of us who are now retired and still desire to serve our Lord and his Church in a deeper way. Surely this is a vast, untapped resource that the Catholic Church should address. n —Richard Servis Clinton 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.

Diocese offers ongoing Virtus child-protection training sessions

he Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children and youth—a three-hour 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 St. Patrick Church, Morristown, 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11 (session will be conducted in Spanish) n Notre Dame Church, Greeneville, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16 Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials. To register, visit virtus online.org. n

Catechetical days continue

he Office of Christian Formation in collaboration with Aquinas College in Nashville, continues its catechetical-formation program for adults this fall, with two remaining catechetical days, both on Saturdays. The program is intended for parish catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, ministry leaders, and other interested adults. There is no charge. Each session will include hourlong modules on the sacraments, morality, prayer, and creative methods for teaching. The days will be conducted by the Nashville Dominican sisters. Formation days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (choose one) n Nov. 6, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville n Nov. 20, St. Jude Church, Chattanooga For details, contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong@dioknox.org or 865-584-3307. Register online at bit.ly/faith-formation. n

One more faith-formation class remains for 2010

he Office of Christian Formation is offering a series of adult faith-formation classes throughout the year and in locations around the diocese. Classes are offered at no charge to adults in the diocese. The following session remains. What we believe, taught by Deacon David Lucheon. Explores the foundations of what we profess as Catholics. The class will examine the principal truths of the faith as expressed in the creeds of the Church. Tuesday, Nov. 9, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Chattanooga, 7 to 9 p.m.

living the

READINGS

BY FATHER JOSEPH BRANDO

Roles for seven The Scriptures contrast a tragic event with the Sadducees’ ‘comedic’ story.

The number seven plays a dual role in today’s Old Testament and Gospel readings. In the reading from the Second Book of Maccabees, seven plays a highly dramatic and tragic role. The first scene opens with a woman with seven sons. That number afforded her the highest status among women and made her one of the happiest people in the world. Unfortunately, the Greek successor of Alexander the Great who inherited the part of his empire that included Israel and Judah wanted to Hellenize his domain. Many Jews refused to give up their customs and especially their religion. The Greeks responded with extremely violent force. Thus the

mother’s having seven sons was transformed from a blessing to a curse as she witnessed each of her sons undergo intense torture before they were butchered. Seven times she had to experience the brutal death of one of her children until she had no more. Historically, what began in tragedy ended with a triumph. Incidents such as the torturing of the seven brothers became rallying cries for believing Jews to gather and fight the Greeks. Amazingly, the resistance succeeded, and Israel won independence despite its numerical inferiority. One of the reasons for this victory was the people’s belief in the resurrection of the dead, a relatively new concept in Judaism. In the Gospel the number seven takes on a comedic role. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They concocted a ludicrous

story of a woman who had seven husbands, asking what kind of life the eight would live if people did come to life after death. Jesus turned this farcical story into an opportunity to explain life after death. In the process Jesus rendered the Sadducees speechless when he cited the Torah (the only books the Sadducees considered divinely inspired) to prove we live after death. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet “he is not the God of the dead.” As the resolve of the Jewish martyrs who preferred death to compromising their religion gave others the resolve to fight against overwhelming odds, so also Paul encourages the Thessalonians to be strengthened in every good deed and word. May our hope in and thirst for everlasting life motivate us to gather as faithful witnesses to the resurrection and bring the world to Christ. n Nov. 7, 32nd Sunday in ordinary time 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15 2 Thessalonians 2:16–3:5 Luke 20:27-38

A warm front The ‘heat’ of the end times will burn evildoers but comfort the good.

prophecy M alachi’s of the last times

in the first reading foretells that a heat wave will come upon the earth. For the evil it will be as hot as an industrial oven melting metal. By that time the evildoers of

our world will have dried out like stubble and will be burned by the heat. But for those who hold God in awe, the same heat will be like the warmth of the sun that gives life to the good as spring’s warmth renews life

after a cold winter. The same radiant source of warmth that provides eternal life for the good also burns those who have been shriveled by their misdeeds. That is to say, the second coming of Christ will

be a blessing to the good and a disaster for the proud. But who are the good, and how did the evildoers get into their position? Jesus Readings continued on page 3

Nov. 14, 33rd Sunday in ordinary time Malachi 3:19-20 Psalm 98:5-9 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19

Rick Santorum keynotes Knox Right to Life dinner

atholics attending the annual Celebrate Life Banquet on Oct. 21 in Knoxville may have seen a rare sight in the keynote speaker: a fellow member of the faith who could become a finalist for the U.S. presidency. Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who has publicly stated he is considering a run for the White House in 2012, spoke to an audience of 460 at the annual fundraising dinner sponsored by the Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life (TRL) and held at the Knoxville Convention Center. The cradle Catholic—who represented his home state in the U.S. House from 1991 to 1995 and in the Senate the next 12 years—is a father of seven who has spoken at many pro-life events, including a dinner two days beforehand held by Pennsylvania Right to Life in Harrisburg. Bishop Richard F. Stika gave closing remarks and a prayer at the dinner, also attended by U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan and state Rep. Bill Dunn, a parishioner of Holy Ghost in Knox-

DAN MCWILLIAMS

letters to the

Rick Santorum (left) chats with Andrew Cieslik of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut at a reception held at the Knoxville Convention Center before the Celebrate Life Banquet on Oct. 21. GUEST SPEAKER

ville whose wife, Stacy, is the Knox TRL chapter’s executive director. A local reporter asked Mr. Santorum before the Knoxville dinner, “Why are you here?” During his talk, he said he gave the reporter one answer and would give the TRL audience another. “The first [answer] is because I just have an undying

Santorum continued on page 8

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE

For details, contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong@dioknox.org or 865-584-3307. Register online at bit.ly/faith-formation. n 805 Northshore Drive S.W .

appreciation for what you do, the pro-life movement across this land,” he said. “There’s no group of people in America who are more selfless than the pro-life warriors who are in this room and across this country.” He withheld his second answer for a few moments. Should he become the Re-

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Knoxville, TN 37919-7551

The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published twice monthly by the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, 805 Northshore Drive S.W., Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn. Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, P.O. Box 11127, Knoxville, TN 37939-1127 How to reach us:

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NOVEMBER 7, 2010

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THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

he dwells

AMONG US

BY BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

Thanksgiving and praise The secular holiday’s proclamation speaks of Thanksgiving’s other meanings.

It is hard to believe that the Advent season is almost upon us, beginning only a few days after Thanksgiving this year. Most of us naturally associate Advent’s beginning with Thanksgiving, and the secular holiday does seem a fitting prelude to this holy season. In fact, I think this holiday, as it was originally proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, serves as a wonderful reminder of the disposition that Advent calls us especially to embrace. As much as I love history, I always read it with a healthy sense that it is someone else’s interpretation, which can be prejudiced with changing times and attitudes. This is evident when comparing Lincoln’s proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday with today’s secular interpretations of the day. According to this proclamation, Thanksgiving was not to be a day simply for recalling the year’s material blessings and then going shopping for more. It was to be “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to

once upon

A TIME

our beneficent Father” as well as for “humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience” and the healing of “the wounds of the nation.” It was to be a day of penitence, thanksgiving, and praise to God. It’s hard to imagine words like these coming from any branch of the federal government today, but we are no less in need of them. Today we are in a time of war and fractured by internal divisions and disobedience of God’s law—as was the case when the proclamation was written. For these reasons I can think of no more fitting way to celebrate Thanksgiving in the spirit of its original intent than with the sacrament of reconciliation and the reception of the Eucharist within Holy Mass: a true day of penitence, thanksgiving, and praise. In the sacrament of reconciliation we seek healing from the divisions of sin—divisions that alienate us from God, from one another, and from our very selves. Likewise, the Eucharist is synonymous with communion: it is the true source for healing the divisions caused by sin. And in the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the Eucharist, we join our

BY MONSIGNOR XAVIER MANKEL

Respect for heritage Appreciating our Catholic history can aid ‘our formation and growth.’

From Monday evening, Oct. 25, until Thursday morning, Oct. 28, 2010, your priests were on retreat with Bishop Richard F. Stika in beautiful western North Carolina at Maggie Valley’s Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center. The center is managed by the Augustinians, and they do things wonderfully well. Father Ron Knott, a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville who currently teaches at St. Meinrad Seminary, was our facilitator. His theme and topic for those special days was building an intentional presbyterate. Father Knott often referred to his Kentucky roots and his 40 years of ministry as a priest, including assignments in nearly priestless counties north of the Tennessee state line, the project of renovating the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, and the invigorating challenges of teaching future priests at the seminary. Threaded through his presentations was a tremendous respect for the Catholic heritage of the archdiocese, the history of the parishes of our area, and his conviction that a united and unified presbyterate (in harmony with the bishop, one another, and the laity whom we try to serve) is the very best catalyst for the growth of Christ’s mystical body, his Church, that there can be. The older I get, the more I am convinced that each of us needs to build on our Church background—the community into which we were baptized, the Church communities of THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

our parents and grandparents, and the Church community (parish) of which we are members now. We also need to keep an eye on the future of our parish family, trying to forecast what a wonderful one it will be if energized by our enthusiastic participation or, if God decides to move us elsewhere, to groom, as it were, others to replace us. For many of us, then, an appreciation of the origins of our own diocese and its lineage back to the time the faith was originally planted around here is not just an adventure into nostalgic antiquities but is important—even necessary—for our own formation and growth. Earlier in this series we looked at our roots in England and Baltimore. The Catholic Diocese of Baltimore, founded in 1790, became an archdiocese when suffragan sees were formed in 1808. They were, as expected, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia and perhaps unexpectedly, Bardstown, Ky. (now our Archdiocese of Louisville). Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Bardstown on April 8, 1808. The see was transferred to Louisville on February 13, 1841, and created an archdiocese on Dec. 10, 1937. The province includes the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, with suffragan bishops in Kentucky in the sees of Covington (July 29, 1853), Lexington (March 2, 1988), and Owensboro (Dec. 9, 1937) and in Tennessee, Knoxville (Sept. 8, 1988), Nashville (July 28, 1837), and Memphis (Jan. 6, 1971). The first Catholics in Kentucky came almost entirely from Maryland, including the William Coomes family and Dr. George Hart, who settled at Harrodsburg in 1775. Dr.

offering with that of Christ, in his perfect offering of thanks and praise to God. Each year I am tempted to do something that would undoubtedly cause more questions than I would have time to answer. I’m tempted to replace the word Thanksgiving in my holiday greetings with the identical Greek word: Eucharist! You can imagine the reactions I’d get if I wished people “a very happy Eucharist Day.” But I pray that you can make this Thanksgiving a special “holy day” of penitence, thanksgiving, and praise in the way Abraham Lincoln envisioned. May everyone enjoy safe travels and receive many blessings. n BISHOP STIKA’S SCHEDULE These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments: Nov. 7: 10:30 a.m., preside at Mass for admission to candidacy, St. Meinrad Seminary, Ind. Nov. 13: 11 a.m. CST, ordination of Deacon Moises Moreno to the priesthood, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico Nov. 14-18: meeting of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. Nov. 19: 8:15 a.m., Mass celebrating Blue Ribbon School status, St. Joseph School, Knoxville Nov. 20: 5:30 p.m., Mass and banquet celebrating 50th anniversary of St. Stephen Parish, Chattanooga Nov. 21: 9 a.m., Mass and blessing of new religious-education building, St. Joseph, Norris; 5:30 p.m., Mass and dinner with students, Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center, Knoxville n

Hart was one of the first physicians, and Mrs. Coomes conducted the first elementary school in Kentucky. The first Catholic colony, consisting of some 25 families led by Basil Hayden, came in spring 1785 to establish the Pottinger Creek settlement, just a few miles from Bardstown. Before the state of Kentucky was admitted to the Union in 1792, at least six distinct colonies were settled on the creeks in an arc around Bardstown. The first priest to be assigned to Kentucky by Baltimore’s Bishop John Carroll, the brother of Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was an Irish Franciscan, Father Charles Whelan, who in fall 1787 accompanied a group from Maryland. Interestingly enough, a controversy that arose over Father Whelan’s salary became a court case and forced him to leave Kentucky after only two and a half years of service. In 1791 Father William de Rohan arrived with a group from North Carolina. Under Father de Rohan’s direction the Pottinger Creek Catholics built a log chapel, named variously Holy Cross and Sacred Heart, which was the first building used as a place of Catholic worship in that state. Unfortunately, Father de Rohan’s ministry was unauthorized by Bishop Carroll and soon met with many difficulties. The priest was deprived of his faculties (celebrating Mass in public, preaching, witnessing marriages, hearing confessions, and so on). However, he taught in various Catholic settlement schools. He resided at St. Thomas Seminary, where he died in 1832. We think we have a vocation shortage today, but it is much easier to maintain the ratio of clergy to people now than it was then. Next time: The foundation begins to expand. n Monsignor Mankel is a vicar general of the diocese and the pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville. www.dioknox.org

Everyone invited to celebrate Bishop Stika’s jubilee

ishop Richard F. Stika’s silver jubilee of priestly ordination (Dec. 14, 1985) will be celebrated at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The focus of the event is prayer for vocations, and Bishop Stika has asked the diocese’s seminarians to serve the Mass. A reception will follow in the Sacred Heart Cathedral School gymnasium. Everyone is invited to attend. n

St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport hosting Diocesan Youth Conference

he biennial Diocesan Youth Conference is set for 10:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14, at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport. All high school youth are welcome to attend. This year’s theme is “Stand in the Light,” and Christian musician John Angotti will deliver the keynote talk and perform a concert. Youth will spend the night at the St. Dominic parish life center and should bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and anything else needed for sleeping on a tiled floor. Cost is $55 and includes a T-shirt. Registration, permission, medical, and code-of-conduct forms may be found at tinyurl.com/23wxym5. For more information, contact Al Forsythe, director of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, at 865-584-3307 or aforsythe@dioknox.org. n

Readings continued from page 2

answers those questions and more in today’s Gospel. Evildoers are those who seize and persecute those who listen to and follow the Lord. They become evildoers at the same time the good become disciples. Both hear the word of God proclaimed by the Church. Some listen to it, take it into their hearts, and live in the love of the Lord. Others hear the same message, realizing it is challenging them to leave behind their proud, worldly lives. Unwilling to abdicate the position of power this world has given them, they resist the Good News. They start trying to marginalize or eradicate all whose lives proclaim Christ’s word. The last sentence of Jesus’ sermon on the destruction of the Temple reveals what the attitude and program of the Christians should be, between the resurrection of Jesus and his second coming: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” In the Book of Revelation, John repeats the same admonition to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Perseverance, to him, meant steadfast proclamation of the Good News of Christ. Christians were courageously to call others to listen and change. Inevitably they would meet resistance from those in power who would imprison and kill them. People with that attitude of resistance dry up; they begin to resort to evil deeds; and by the time the Lord comes with his warmth, they will have become flammable. n Father Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg. W E E K D AY READINGS Monday, Nov. 8: Titus 1:1-9; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 17:1-6 Tuesday, Nov. 9: Feast, the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22 Wednesday, Nov. 10: Memorial, Leo the Great, pope, doctor of the Church, Titus 3:1-7; Psalm 23:1-6; Luke 17:11-19 Thursday, Nov. 11: Memorial, Martin of Tours, Philemon 7-20; Psalm 146:710; Luke 17:20-25 Friday, Nov. 12: Memorial, Josaphat, bishop, martyr, 2 John 4-9; Psalm 119:12, 10-11, 17-18; Luke 17:26-37 Saturday, Nov. 13: Memo-

rial, Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin, 3 John 5-8; Psalm 112:1-6; Luke 18:1-8 Monday, Nov. 15: Revelation 1:1-4 and 2:1-5; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 18:35-43 Tuesday, Nov. 16: Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22; Psalm 15:2-5; Luke 19:1-10 Wednesday, Nov. 17: Memorial, Elizabeth of Hungary, religious, Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 150:1-6; Luke 19:11-28 Thursday, Nov. 18: Revelation 5:1-10; Psalm 149:16, 9; Luke 19:41-44 Friday, Nov. 19: Revelation 10:8-11; Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131; Luke 19:45-48 Saturday, Nov. 20: Revelation 11:4-12; Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10; Luke 20:2740 n

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

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

n Volunteers are needed to serve

as overnight hosts for the homeless, prepare meals, and act as greeters for the Interfaith Hospitality Network during the week of Sunday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 2. Sign up on the poster in Holy Family Hall, or call Lisa Kosky at 423-877-5982 or Anne Wells at 706-581-0410. n A parish retreat is set for the weekend of Nov. 12 through 14 at the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center in Sandy Springs, Ga. Private rooms with baths are provided along with meals and snacks. A registration fee of $50 is required. Call 404-255-0503 or visit www.ignatiushouse.org to register.

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill n The youth will host a breakfast

Sunday, Dec. 12, following Mass. This year the breakfast will raise funds for dividing screens for youth classes held Wednesday nights. n Richard Jabaley was elected and Ron Jabaley reelected to two-year terms on the parish council during recent voting.

St. Jude, Chattanooga

n Boy Scout Troop 172 will accept

orders for poinsettias after all weekend Masses in November. Cost is $10 each for red, white, or marbled plants. n An organizational meeting for a Stephen’s Table prison ministry will be held after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Nov. 7. Call Tim Dempsey at 423-902-6695 or visit www.Stephens Table.net.

St. Mary, Athens

n Father Tim O’Toole of Cross Inter-

national Catholic Outreach spoke at weekend Masses on Oct. 16 and 17.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga

n A bake sale to benefit Catholic

Charities of Chattanooga will be held after all Masses on the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. n Anniversary: Bob and Merry May Scott (58) Cumberland Mountain Deanery

All Saints, Knoxville

n Parishioners are invited to send

Christmas cards to deployed men and women serving in the Armed Forces. Send names and addresses of members of the military to JoAnn at Busha_8@yahoo.com or call 865-693-8730. n The social-action committee will provide Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Contact Mike Martin at mmartin@kcc.com or 694-0629 for more information.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman

n Volunteers are needed as Blessed

Sacrament joins other Roane County churches in taking applications for Christmas baskets. Applications will be accepted in the religious-education building from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Nov. 9, and 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10. Call Mary Simmons at 865-882-5467 or the parish office at 882-9838 for more information. n The Knights of Columbus will hold a Tootsie Roll Drive to benefit the intellectually challenged from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the corner of Highway 27 and Ruritan Road in Harriman. The drive will continue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at the corner of highways 58 and 70 (Race and Kentucky streets) in Kingston. Parishioners are needed to help. Call Bob Capell at 354-8009.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade n The Council of Catholic Women

is making a pilgrimage Nov. 10 and 11 to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Ala., and to St. Bernard Abbey and the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Ala. For more information, call Arlene McShane at 931-484-9408. n Anniversaries: Steve and MaryLou Knowles (63), Gene and Ev Belvo (59), Lyle and Kathryn Flahaven (57), James and Catherine Paulk (35), Charles and Catherine Simmons (35)

St. John Neumann, Farragut

n Parishioners placed the names

of deceased loved ones in their All Souls Day envelopes for the collection basket. The envelopes were placed in n

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

a container that will remain in front of the altar throughout November. n Father Tony Dickerson will lead a 33-day “Total Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary” beginning Friday, Nov. 5, and ending Wednesday, Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The consecration will take place at the 6 p.m. Mass on Dec. 8. For times of events during the 33 days, including the first-day prayer service Nov. 5, call the parish office at 865966-4540. Contact Ed or Lynne Bauer at 964-3040 or lynnfiat@charter.net to order prayer books. n A variety of religious books for all ages will be sold, with many given away, after morning Masses on Sunday, Nov. 7, during the Knights of Columbus breakfast. n Anniversaries: Andrew and Mariola Cieslik (20), Steve and Renee Hamilton (20)

t. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga is celebrating its 50th anniversary Saturday, Nov. 20. Bishop Richard F. Stika will celebrate the anniversary Mass at 5:30 p.m. Afterward there will be a blessing of the parish’s new kitchen, followed by a banquet in the large hall. A brunch for charter parishioners will be held Sunday, Nov. 21. The parish planted five maple trees, one for each decade, on Sept. 25. St. Stephen officially became a mission parish of Our Lady of

Perpetual Help in Chattanooga on Nov. 1, 1960, and the first Mass was celebrated Nov. 6. The parish school held its first classes in September 1960 at Stagmaier Memorial Auditorium at OLPH School and moved to its new building the following month when four classrooms were completed. St. Stephen School remained open until 1977. Tickets for the banquet are required. Costs are $15 per adult and $5 per child 12 and under. Seating is limited. For more information, call the parish office at 423-892-1261. n

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City n The Knights of Columbus will

sponsor a pasta dinner Friday, Nov. 19. Call the parish office at 865-9869885 for more details. n Newcomers: H. David and Linda Sabel, Stew and Patricia Weymouth

ELIZABETH CONWAY

OLPH, Chattanooga

Five Rivers Deanery

Good Shepherd, Newport

n Parishioners donated generously

to a recent collection for cancer patient Simon Asbury.

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

n Parishioners are invited to buy a

$5 square of material and sign their name to it for a “friendship quilt” to be made by the Council of Catholic Women for the parish life center. n An All Souls prayer box will be placed on the altar during each Mass in November. Place envelopes with the names of loved ones and contributions in the collection basket.

Notre Dame, Greeneville

n The fall festival and golf tourna-

ment raised a combined total of $9,491.49 for the building fund. n The St. Catherine’s Guild will hold a craft sale after all Masses on the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. To donate handmade items, drop them in the guild’s box in the narthex. Call Wendy B. Hankins at 423-639-6329 or Mary Lou Lamb at 638-2882.

St. Dominic, Kingsport

n The school’s fifth-grade class will

repair used bikes to give away to area children this Christmas. Call Chris or Marty Silver at 423-239-9521 before 9 p.m. for details. n Baptisms: Matthew William Hebets, Bella-Rose Theresa Kroll, Joseph Allen Santucci

St. Patrick, Morristown

n The Council of Catholic Women is

holding a “Thanksgiving Pies” fundraiser to benefit the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen. Pumpkin and apple pies are $10 and pecan pies $12. To order, call Allison McKenna at 423-277-6865 by Monday, Nov. 22. Smoky Mountain Deanery

Holy Ghost, Knoxville

n The parish has a new website at

holyghostknoxville.org. n Holy Ghost’s Council of Catholic Women hosted the fall luncheon of the Smoky Mountain Deanery CCW on Oct. 30. Monsignor Xavier Mankel and Father John Orr presented the program, titled “Marian Devotions Outside May and October.” n Canned food, other nonperishable food, and diapers in sizes 3 through 6 are needed for a collection at the Thanksgiving Day Masses for distribution by the Ladies of Charity.

Parishioners studying the entire Bible over four years Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, speaks to a new Bible study class Sept. 1 at the church in Soddy-Daisy. Parishioners that day began the fouryear Catholic Biblical School program, which covers the entire Bible from a Catholic perspective.

Holy Spirit parishioners mark 50th anniversary

urt and Clare Sawyer of Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Sept. 17. They commemorated the event Sept. 11 with a renewal of vows officiated by Monsignor Al Humbrecht and Father George Schmidt that was followed by a low-country boil at Camp Columbus with friends and family. The Sawyers were married at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga by Father Walter Bush and have five children, Joe Sawyer of Hixson, Beth Wrinkle of Collierville, Dan Sawyer of Signal Mountain, Andy Sawyer of Hixson, and Cammie Hunt of Hixson. They also have 12 grandchildren. The Sawyers were active members

COURTESY OF JOE SAWYER

Chattanooga Deanery

St. Stephen’s 50th-anniversary celebration set Nov. 20

BY TONI PACITTI

Burt and Clare Sawyer

of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga for more than 40 years before they built a house five years ago on Lake Chickamauga’s Possum Creek and joined Holy Spirit. Mr. Sawyer, retired from the U.S. Army Reserve, is president of Sawyer Landscape Group, and Mrs. Sawyer is CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. n

Dooleys of St. Mary in Oak Ridge married 50 years

on and Toni Dooley, parishioners of St. Mary in Oak Ridge, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their children and grandchildren Sept. 3. Mr. and Mrs. Dooley were married Sept. 3, 1960, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, with Father George Doyle officiating. The Dooleys also traveled to Europe

Don and Toni Dooley

and took an RV trip from Rome to Lourdes to mark the

golden anniversary. The couple have three children, Chip and Shaun Dooley, both of Oak Ridge, and Erin Dickson of Memphis; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Both husband and wife retired from Lockheed Martin in Oak Ridge, where Mr. Dooley was a union representative and Mrs. Dooley an accountant. n

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa

n A volunteer is needed to take over

the arts and environment committee. Call Louise in the parish office at 865982-3672 for details.

JANICE ATKINSON

NOTES

COURTESY OF TONI DOOLEY

parish

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville

n A parish landscape workday will

be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 6. Bring gloves, rakes, and weeding tools. n Baptisms: Ashlyn Paige Bush, daughter of Kristi and Jason Bush; Naomi Sasha Nicole, daughter of Parish notes continued on page 5

Knights at Holy Spirit honor Hamilton County officer Knights of Columbus Council 14079 at Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy recently honored Cpl. Spencer Daniels as its Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Corporal Daniels works for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, assigned to the Training Division. Gino Bennett (right) of Holy Spirit Parish, director of Support Services for the HCSO, was a part of the selection committee. Council 14079 Grand Knight Bob Kirn is at left.

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THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

Good Shepherd dedicates Dennis H. Bible Parish Hall

The Council of Catholic Women at St. Patrick Parish in Morristown will hold a holiday bazaar from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, in the parish center. More than 50 vendors will sell items that include crafts, foods, and jewelry. Homemade quiche with sides, baked goods, and Christmas items also will be sold. Sausage biscuits for breakfast and chili dogs for lunch will be served in the kitchen. All proceeds will support local charities and church projects funded by the CCW. For more information, call the parish office at 423-586-9174.

students from NDHS admitted free. The diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment will conduct Divorce & Beyond facilitator training from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Chancery office in Knoxville. The workshop is based on the Divorce & Beyond support-group program. Anyone interested in learning more about this ministry for separated and divorced Catholics is encouraged to attend the training. Lunch will be provided. To register or learn more, contact Karen Byrne at 865-584-3307 or kbyrne@dioknox.org.

The Hospitality Group at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa will have a “Celebration of Women” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, at the church. Dinner will be followed by entertainment provided by Appalachian storyteller Cooter Tynes. To buy tickets or learn more, call Marie at 865-235-7807 or Ron at 380-1537.

A Search for Christian Maturity retreat is planned for high school juniors and seniors in the Cumberland Mountain and Smoky Mountain deaneries. Search 90 is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 19 through 21 at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge. The retreat will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue through a closing Mass at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Search program helps the youth see how they can become faith leaders in their schools and parishes. Cost is $55. Contact: Deacon Dan Hosford at 865-603-9682 or djh2@ comcast.net for more information.

The eighth-grade class at St. Joseph School in Knoxville will serve breakfast at Aubrey’s on Emory Road from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. Tickets are $5 per person and $25 per family. Proceeds will go toward the class trip to Camp Greenville and its graduation breakfast. For more information, contact Janet Earl at browneyedtn@ hotmail.com or Cathy or Tommy Wade at tcwade32@comcast.net. Knights of Columbus Council 8152 in Crossville will hold a Christmas Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the K of C Activity Park, 2892 Highway 70 East. Items will include ornaments, wreaths, greeting cards, jewelry, children’s and doll’s clothes, quilts, candles, and baked goods. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call 931-707-7291. Holy Ghost in Knoxville, St. Mary in Oak Ridge, and St. Joseph in Norris are holding their annual toy collection for the Crazy Quilt Friendship Center in Newcomb, a ministry of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee that serves the needy of Appalachia. Bring new or good-condition used toys to Holy Ghost or to St. Joseph School in Knoxville by Friday, Dec. 3. For more information, call Merilee B. Kerwin at 865-297-2558. A “Holiday Shopping Expo” to benefit the MaryEllen Locher Breast Centers at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Access Door Co., 7335 Hixson Pike in Hixson. Vendors include Pampered Chef, Initials Inc., and Avon Products. All donations and a portion of all sales will benefit the centers. For more information, call 423-842-5257. “One Step Beyond,” a social group for mature adults who are alone, will have its 11th annual Christmas luncheon at Forte’s on the Square in Crossville at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2. The menu is roast pork, potatoes, vegetable, salad, roll, and dessert. Cost is $13. Reservations are required and must be received by Monday, Nov. 22. Make checks payable to One Step Beyond and send them to Mary Greenwood, 2698 Dunbar Road, Crossville, TN 38572. To learn more about the group, call Carolyn Oshry at 931-788-1155. The Ladies of Charity of Knoxville’s annual Holiday Gift Boutique is set for 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, in the Sacred Heart Cathedral School gym. Items for sale will include candles, home decor, jewelry, art, makeup, cookbooks, handbags, ornaments, and toys. Sales will benefit the Ladies’ thrift shop and emergencyassistance fund. Lemonade and cookies will be served on Friday, and breakfast and lunch will be available at the “Soul Food Café” on Saturday. For more information, call Sue Greer at 865-584-7929. The theater department at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga will present Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5 and 6, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in the school auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, with THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

he Dennis H. Bible Parish Hall was dedicated Sept. 26 following the 43rd-anniversary Mass at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport. Father Bob Hofstetter presented a plaque in memory of Mr. Bible, who was the parish coordinator for more than 25 years. Mr. Bible died Aug. 18 at age 65 (Sept. 12 ETC). Parishioner Ed Nowak handmade the frame in which the portrait was placed. During the anniversary celebration, the parish hall was named in honor of Mr. Bible, who was an active charter member of the church. He was officially named as the parish coordinator by Bishop James D. Niedergeses on June 4, 1985.

COURTESY OF NANCY OBERST

BY TONI PACITTI

Good Shepherd pastor Father Bob Hofstetter holds a plaque honoring the late Dennis Bible. The parish hall at the Newport church has been renamed for the longtime parish coordinator. CHARTER PARISHIONER RECOGNIZED

Mr. Bible was born Oct. 10, 1944, in Ohio, and his family moved to Newport when he was 6 years

old. His mother was instrumental in Good Shepherd’s being established as a parish in Cocke County. n

High school juniors and seniors in the Chattanooga Deanery are invited to attend one of the next three Search for Christian Maturity weekend retreats, all at the All Saints Academy building in Chattanooga. Search 131 is set for Nov. 19-21, Search 132 for Feb. 25-27, and Search 133 for March 25-27. Cost is $55, and scholarships are available. To obtain a form, see a youth minister, visit the Notre Dame High School office, or contact Donna Jones at 423718-4387 or djones6029@gmail.com. Mercy Health Partners is sponsoring Farragut’s 2010 Hot to Trot 5K/10K Road Race, which will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25, on Parkside Drive. This year’s race will benefit the Farragut Department of Recreation as well as Catholic Charities of East Tennessee and Sister Martha’s Food Pantry. Those bringing canned food for the pantry may enter to win a pair of New Balance shoes. Interested runners can register by following the links on the Mercy website, www.mercy.com, or by visiting www. fleetfeetknoxville.com/hottotrot. Early registrants are guaranteed a longsleeved technical T-shirt. The race fee is $20 through Sunday, Nov. 7, $25 through Sunday, Nov. 21, and $30 during race week. For more information, visit the Fleet Feet Knoxville website, call 865-675-FEET (3338), or e-mail hottotrot10@fleetfeetknoxville.com. The women’s guild from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City is holding a one-day retreat titled “Understanding Scripture: A Contextualist Approach” and featuring author Dr. Margaret Nutting Ralph. The retreat is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at the church. Cost is $25 and includes lunch. Call Pam Skinner at 865-408-9817 or Mitzi Caldwell 4589612 for more details. Those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties after abortion are invited to attend a Catholic Charities Rachel’s Vineyard healing and recovery retreat on the weekend of Nov. 5 through 7 at the Sisters of Mercy Convent, 2629 Pennington Bend Road in Nashville. For more information, e-mail info@ hopeafterabortiontn.com, visit hopeafterabortiontn.com, or call Phil Trevathan at 615-525-8239. Confidentiality is honored at all times. An admissions-information meeting for students interested in attending Knoxville Catholic High School will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in the KCHS gym. Application materials for the 2011-12 school year will be available. For more information, contact Barrie Smith at 865-560-0502 or bsmith@knoxvillecatholic.com. The Sevier County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Pigeon Forge Library. Call 865-908-2689 or 335-7764 for more details. The next “Picture of Love” engagedcouples retreat will be held from Calendar continued on page 6

COURTESY OF ALLEN KELLER

CALENDAR

Knights Council in Morristown honors three Three parishioners of St. Patrick in Morristown were recognized by Knights of Columbus Council 6730 at its annual Wives Appreciation Dinner at Baneberry’s Tavern on the Green on Sept. 13. The late Bob Mandzak and wife Donna were selected as the family of the year. Mr. Mandzak was Grand Knight when he died this summer after several heart operations. The award was presented to Mrs. Mandzak by Grand Knight Brian Steisslinger. Mike Sandlock, a past Grand Knight and district deputy, was chosen Knight of the year. Above, Mr. Steisslinger (left) is pictured with the honorees.

COURTESY OF MARY MCDANIEL

on the

Former OLPH, NDHS student deploys U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. John C. McDaniel has deployed overseas to serve in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Lieutenant McDaniel is a C-17 pilot with more than three years of military service. He is regularly assigned to the 15th Airlift Squadron at Charleston (S.C.) Air Force Base. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga and graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. He earned a mechanical-engineering degree in 2006 from the University of Dayton. Lieutenant McDaniel is the son of Larry and Mary McDaniel of Dayton, Ohio.

Knights in Council 645 make memorial donations

ews from Knights of Columbus Council 645 in Knoxville: n The council recently replaced the dining-room tables at Shea Hall. Several Knights donated to the project and used the occasion to make a memorial tribute. Donors, with each man’s honoree in parentheses, were Bert Benedict (Bob DeWine), Louis Rankin (J. T. Manning), Wally Anderson (Two Bears Hebert), Greg McGinnis (Stu Metz), Danny Lane (Frank Taylor and Howard Lane), Jack McCusker (David McGaugh), Paul Schmidt (Dr. Elvin V. “Doc” Davidson), and Don Gibbons (Austin Gibbons). n Four new members joined the council in September: Father Ron Franco, CSP, pastor of Immaculate

Conception Parish in Knoxville; Kenny Pooser and Paul Douglas of Holy Ghost in Knoxville; and Casey Guinan of Blessed John XXIII in Knoxville. n The council is accepting any kind of scrap metal. Call Greg McGinnis, Grand Knight, at 865705-9635. All proceeds will benefit St. Joseph School in Knoxville. n The Knights’ annual Thanksgiving dinner is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, at Shea Hall. The council will provide turkey and ham. Those attending are asked to bring a vegetable, side dish, or dessert. n The council’s annual Tootsie Roll Drive collection took place Oct. 30 at the Walmart near Knoxville Center. n

Parish notes continued from page 4

Danielle and Kevin Quintanar

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville

n The youth ministry will sell Advent

candles and baked goods after all Masses on the weekend of Nov. 6 and 7 to benefit clients of the Salvation Army. n Tomatoes in 14.5-ounce cans, soups, peanut butter, vegetables, meat, green beans, tuna, canned fruit,

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and dry cereals are needed for the FISH pantry by Monday, Nov. 8. Call the parish office at 865-522-1508 to assist. The FISH team distributed food to 159 families, with 386 people served, on Oct. 11. n The women’s guild will sponsor a craft fair after all Masses on the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. Contact Beth Meyer at 523-4173 or ejmeyer1@ hotmail.com to reserve a booth. n NOVEMBER 7, 2010

marriage

ENRICHMENT

‘The power of saying thank you’ B Y M A R I A N C HRISTIANA

elebrating Thanksgiving Day always makes November a special month. When you think of Thanksgiving, I’m sure food comes to mind. The focus of this month’s date is “feeding” your relationship with thanksgiving. Showing gratitude can give your romantic relationship a boost while helping you achieve and maintain satisfaction with your partner. Spouses are always doing things for each other, through large and small acts of love. In our busy lives, it’s easy to take everyday acts of kindness for granted. Don’t underestimate the power of saying thank you. According to an article published this May on Sciencedaily.com (read the full report at bit.ly/9yZeMd), a study of committed, satisfied couples shows that acknowledging kind gestures with true gratitude can strengthen romantic bonds and have a longlasting constructive effect. This November, let’s practice the virtue of gratitude with our spouses. Here’s this month’s date suggestion: n Take advantage of the lovely weather and spend some quiet time outside together. Reflect on the blessings of your day. n Make a list of five positive things your spouse has done for you that day; your spouse should do the same. Share the lists with each other. n Talk about how each of you shows gratitude. Does your spouse “hear” your gratitude? Make sure you know the best way to have your gratitude heard by your spouse. n Try this exercise as a short, weekly relationship check-up. Focusing on the positives of your marriage is good “food” for growing your relationship. n Attend Mass together on Thanksgiving and offer a special prayer of gratitude for the gift of your marriage. n Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

Calendar continued from page 5

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, in Siener Hall at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation retreat supplements couples’ marriage formation with their parish priest and is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of living the sacrament of matrimony. Cost is $135 per couple and includes meals. The retreat certificate, for those attending the entire event, is good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. To register or learn more, contact Marian Christiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org. The annual rosary at Calvary Cemetery on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Knoxville, in remembrance of the faithful departed, will be prayed at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7. In case of bad weather, the devotions will take place at Immaculate Conception Church downtown. Sacred Heart Cathedral School admission open houses will be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, for grades kindergarten through five and Thursday, Nov. 11, for grades six through eight. For more information, email jpunch@shcknox.org. Bishop Richard F. Stika will lead “In the Footsteps of Jesus: A Lenten Pilgrimage” to the Holy Land, set for March 20 to April 2, 2011. Pilgrims will visit Mount Scopus, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Bethlehem, the Old City of Jerusalem, Jericho, Masada, Qumran, Emmaus, Tiberias, Nazareth, Cana, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Mount Carmel, Caesarea, and more. Cost is $3,199 (cash) or $3,398, plus $499 in airport taxes (from Atlanta), fuel surcharges, and $150 in tips. A $400 deposit is due as soon as possible. Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, is the pilgrimage coordinator. To request a brochure and registration form or obtain more information, contact Sister Albertine at 865-545-8270 or 207-4742 or smaevang@yahoo.com. The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation will host the third and final historical lecture in a free series that is part of their 150th-anniversary celebration at their motherhouse in Nashville at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. Dr. John F. Chilton, professor emeritus of history at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, will deliver a talk titled “Famous LittleKnown Tennesseans.” The motherhouse is at 801 Dominican Drive. For more information on the congregation, visit www.nashvilledominican.org. The next Marriage Encounter weekend is scheduled for Nov. 19 through 21 at the Meadowview Marriott in Kingsport. To register, contact John or Manuela Ptacek at 865-531-1719 or celebrate-love@earthlink.net, or visit www.loveinthesmokies.org or wwme.org. For more information, contact John or Anne Wharton at 423-581-1815 or acw193@bellsouth.net. The next Engaged Encounter weekend in the diocese will be held Feb. 11 through 13 at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater. To register, call Jason or Calendar continued on page 8

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

obsessions

BY GINGER HUTTON

‘Orthodoxy plus’ Spiritual con men argue that their way is ‘just like the Church, only better.’

Efforts to remove sexual predators from the Church garner endless media attention. Perhaps of equal importance, however, is the increasingly visible work of the pope and bishops to eliminate predators of a more spiritual variety. The most obvious of these are the liturgical and catechetical guerillas. Make no mistake, those who use paid positions in the Church to promote a deformed personal interpretation of Catholicism are preying on us. Inauthentic liturgy and inaccurate religious education have caused incalculable spiritual damage: they’re why the Pew Forum recently found that so many Catholics don’t know Church teaching on the Real Presence. But the hierarchy has tools to combat this type of spiritual abuse, damaging as it is. The agonizingly slow process of appointing more orthodox bishops, insisting on more accurate liturgical texts, and setting up new curial structures to promote solid catechesis and liturgy is bearing fruit and making it harder openly to promote error on the Church payroll. Unfortunately, another rather effective breed of spiritual predators is proving more difficult to deal with. They use religion to exploit others for personal power and financial gain, hiding under a

cloak of apparent orthodoxy. They succeed because they gull genuinely good people into believing in them and then use the sanctity of those people to lend credibility to questionable practices. It works like this: one starts with a charismatic leader who has a new vision—sometimes literally. Sometimes the leader is the con man; sometimes the leader really believes and is then exploited by the con man, who sees a moneymaking opportunity. Recognizing that orthodoxy is essential to gain approval in the Church, which is necessary to attract credible people, such people are very vocal about their adherence to Church teaching. They claim orthodoxy in every way. They merely have a great new way of prayer that only they can teach you or visions direct from Mary they’ll share with you. It’s expensive, but why wouldn’t you pay a leader who is orthodox, plus all this? The problem is that “orthodoxy plus” isn’t actually orthodox. “Just like the Church, only better” has been the motto of heretics for millennia. Because bishops have been reluctant to interfere with lay movements, particularly when they appear orthodox and are supported by good Catholics, outright financial and spiritual exploitation have flourished in some places under the guise of lay apostolates or new communities. If the bishop detects the deception, the leadership’s immediate disobedience and rebellion make it glaringly obvious where they stand, but by then

the damage is done. People have been fleeced financially and encouraged in devotional practices that are spurious and outside the Church. Some have become so attached to schismatic leaders or feel so betrayed by them that they leave the Church. The loss and scandal run deep. They are also avoidable. How can we live as trusting people who are open to the Spirit and willing to give others the benefit of the doubt yet not become prey? By knowing our faith, using our reason, and cooperating with our pope and bishops when they instruct us. Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Church’s liturgical texts are absolutely solid sources for educating ourselves. If we internalize them, ideas and practices at odds with them will be obvious and will alert us to be on guard. If we know enough about historical heresies, we can recognize them in modern guise. If we listen to the pope and bishops in communion with him when they warn us against something, we’ll stay in the Church. And having studied and listened, we must think. Is it really likely that any way of prayer alien to Catholic tradition is a good thing? Or that it’s really Mary who invariably times her apparitions in certain places to correspond with three-day weekends? Or that there’s an easy way to sanctity that the entire Church has missed for a few thousand years? All spiritual con men (and women) seem holy. That’s part of the con. Know your faith, follow the Church, use your mind, and you won’t be fooled by appearances. n Miss Hutton is a member of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville.

do several things at once: save the Democratic Party from its nosedive into the fever swamps of the Sixties, bring a new bipartisan realism to social-welfare policy, remind us that a healthy culture was The great Catholic politician was not a ‘happy warrior’ for the pro-life cause. important for democracy, and give America back a sense of The recent focused on the defeat of comitself as a protagonist of the publication munism through the defense history of freedom. In doing of Daniel of human rights. Long before this he might have uniquely Patrick welfare reform came onto embodied, in our high poliMoynihan: the national radar, Moynihan tics, the insights of Catholic A Portrait knew something was despersocial doctrine and the Cathoin Letters of ately wrong with our social lic optic on world affairs. an American services and coined the phrase Alas, it was not to be. For Visionary “defining deviancy down” to whatever reasons—New (Public Afdescribe the wishful thinking York state politics and fear fairs, 2010) and counterproductive welfare of the then-influential New is cause for both celebration policies then destroying lives, York Times likely high among and sadness: celebration befamilies, and neighborhoods. them—Pat did virtually nothcause his letters reintroduce And along the way he being about the great civil-rights us to Pat Moynihan’s scintilcame the only man in our hisissue of the late 20th century: lating intellect, sparkling wit, tory to serve in the cabinet or the defense of the right to life. and penetrating insight into sub-cabinet of four consecu He famously said that alsome of the great issues of the tive presidents of two different though everyone is entitled late 20th century; sadness beparties: Kennedy, Johnson, to his own opinion, no one is cause Pat was, in his time, the Nixon, and Ford. entitled to his own facts. And great Catholic “what if . . .?” That public service, which no one as intelligent as Moyniof American public life. culminated in his 1976 elechan could have been ignorant Following the biblical intion to the first of four terms of the scientific facts about junction in Sirach 44:1, let in the United States Senate, the product of human concepus [first] praise famous men. was marked by a rapierlike tion, the moral facts about the Daniel Patrick Moynihan was wit and a bracing, combative ethical status of the pre-born one of the five or 10 most public presence. As U.S. amchild, and the jurisprudential influential public intellectubassador to the United Nafacts about the travesty of legal als of the past half-century, a tions, he raised polemics to a reasoning that produced Roe man whose ideas eventually new art form while flagellating v. Wade. Yet until an end-ofworked themselves into the corrupters of the moral coin career vote against partial-birth hard soil of public policy. He of international public life: abortion, Pat Moynihan was was among the first to recoghis speech condemning the not a happy warrior for life as nize the enduring influence of General Assembly’s infamous he had been a happy warrior ethnicity in the political and “Zionism is racism” resolution for other great causes. cultural Mixmaster of modern remains a landmark in the an This was more than a sadAmerica, as he identified early nals of passionate advocacy. As ness, a failure of insight and on the social pathologies defor the wit, well, asked once nerve. It marked, I believe, the stroying the African-American whether it was true that he had greatest lost opportunity to family—and he was pilloried been sick throughout his years bring the full range of Cathoas a racist for both insights. as ambassador to India, Pat relic insights to bear in public When most of the Demoplied, “I was only sick once. It life in my lifetime. n cratic Party went into a postlasted two and a half years.” McGovern swoon of appease For all these reasons it George Weigel is Distinguished ment and neo-isolationism, seemed to some of us in the Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Pat helped lead the charge for late 1970s that Pat Moynihan Public Policy Center in Washa robust U.S. foreign policy was singularly positioned to ington, D.C. the catholic

DIFFERENCE

BY GEORGE WEIGEL

Moynihan: what if?

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THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

‘Invisible Children,’ Uganda St. Jude School, born in 1960, observing golden anniversary this year advocates, visit KCHS catholic

YOUTH

KATHIE ETHERTON (2)

t. Jude School in Chattanooga is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout the school year. The parish of St. Jude began with a group of parishioners who met on the second floor of the Red Bank Pharmacy on Dayton Boulevard in the 1950s. St. Jude Parish celebrated its first Mass in 1958 and its golden anniversary two years ago. Eight school classrooms and a building with an auditorium, kitchen, and cafeteria for the school were completed in February 1960. Classes began Feb. 29, and Bishop William L. Adrian of Nashville dedicated the school in the spring. Dominican Sisters staffed the new school, with Sister Henry Suso, OP, serving as the first principal. The original tuition was $5 per month per student. The auditorium served as the parish church until the present-day St. Jude Church was completed in 1979. Today St. Jude School has 366 students in grades pre-

Jeanine and Bob Mullin stand with their granddaughter, St. Jude student Marlee Mullin, following the seventh-grader’s performance Sept. 24 in a play commemorating the school’s 50th anniversary. GRANDPARENTS’ DAY

kindergarten through eight. Students, faculty, families, and alumni will commemorate the golden anniversary with a number of events. The celebration kicked off Sept. 22 with a “return to the ’60s day” for faculty and students, and more than 250 grandparents attended Grandparents’ Day on Sept. 24. The day included a breakfast, a performance by the St. Jude advanced band, and a play dedicated to the 50 years of Catholic education

at the school. Connie Wilson, grandmother of students Nick and Keller Danberry, traveled from Michigan to attend. Other grandparents came from Arizona and North Carolina. Hundreds of parishioners gathered Sept. 25 for a parish picnic celebrating the anniversary. The St. Jude Home and School Association sponsored the event, and Knights of Columbus Council 8576 cooked a barbecue meal. Parish ministries including the Scouts and youth

he Community Service Learning and Leadership Class at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga prepared a meal and shared it with residents of The Home Place on Sept. 21. The Home Place is a program of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee that provides affordable housing and support to formerly homeless people suffering from HIV/AIDS. The Home Place is near hospitals and bus lines and is close to Notre Dame. Students in the service class brought ingredients to school and used their class time to prepare lasagna, garlic bread, salad, dessert, and tea. After school, several students shared the meal with some of The Home Place residents and with Home Place director Krisie Long-Withey. This is the first year Notre Dame has offered the Service Learning and Leadership Class. The class “adopted” Catholic Charities for its firstsemester projects. Students have worked at the main Catholic Charities office in the food pantry and the Pregnancy Help Center. In addition, the students have an ongoing promotion of the Chili’s “Give Back Night,” in which the restaurants donate 10 percent of first-Tuesday sales to Catholic Charities supporters (who present a coupon when paying) to CCET. The class is also planning a boxed-food drive for Thanksgiving baskets. n

SCOTT MAENTZ

Top readers Six students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School completed the “Make a Splash: READ!” program at the Chattanooga–Hamilton County Bicentennial Library this summer. From left are Micah Wetzel, Eric Lindsey, Anna Qualey, Logan Qualey, Lily Fridl, and Anthony Mathis. The students combined to read more than 180 books to earn a certificate, a prize packet, and a summer reading program button.

Athens parish holds Corn Maze fundraiser The annual Corn Maze event, a fundraiser for the youth at St. Mary Parish in Athens, took place at Mayfield Farms in Athens on Oct. 23. In attendance were youth from St. Mary as well as St. Bridget in Dayton, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, and Sacred Heart Cathedral. Special guests included Father John Appiah, chaplain of Knoxville Catholic High School; Al Forsythe, diocesan director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry; and Donna Jones, the Chattanooga Deanery coordinator of Youth Ministry. Father Appiah celebrated Mass in the Mayfield barn for the nearly 100 people in attendance. Gay Greene and Paulette Croteau provided music for the Mass.

COURTESY OF KATHY SUMRELL

St. John Neumann School buddies Fourth-grader Nikki Reno (left) of St. John Neumann School in Farragut plays an addition game with first-grade buddy Ella Renfree. The St. John Neumann buddy program allows elementary students in the upper grades to meet and help students in the lower grades with projects, activities, and reading skills.

Students in Notre Dame High service class ‘adopt’ CCET

COURTESY OF MICHELLE DOUGHERTY

St. Jude moms spent time with their children on the activity field Sept. 25 at the anniversary picnic. From left are Angela Ripper, St. Jude alumna Ann McCain Shelby (1980), and Cherie Cravens.

group helped to provide entertainment. Mass, with a procession of St. Jude faculty and staff, was celebrated that afternoon, with students serving as musicians and readers. The offertory was made by two families representing three generations of St. Jude students. Bishop Richard F. Stika will visit the school on Feb. 2 during Catholic Schools Week to help celebrate the anniversary. An encore presentation of the 50th-anniversary play will be given that day. The school also has a “Heart of St. Jude Dinner Dance” set for Feb. 12. Former Chattanooga mayor Jon Kinsey is among the ranks of the school’s alumni. “I was there 47 years ago, and I never realized [the school] was so new,” he said. “I went there in the third grade, and I just had the sense that it had been there forever. I had no clue. I loved St. Jude; it was wonderful for me . . . it was a very nurturing environment.” n

noxville Catholic High School hosted a team of advocates from the nonprofit organization Invisible Children on Nov. 3. The team, invited by KCHS student CC Hermes, is stopping by both KCHS and Webb School of Knoxville on its fall “Face to Face” tour. Invisible Children is an organization that seeks to inspire young people to help end the longest war in Africa. Uganda, southern Sudan, and parts of the Congo have been suffering attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for the last 23 years. The LRA rebel movement was formed to overthrow the Ugandan government and is notorious for abducting children for the purpose of turning them into child soldiers. It is estimated that 90 percent of the LRA is made up of abducted children. Thousands of Ugandan families have been relocated to overcrowded camps by the government in an attempt to provide protection from the attacks. Diseases plague the displacement camps, jobs are few, educational opportunities for children are inadequate, and many in the camps are near starvation. Invisible Children has released several documentaries portraying the poor conditions in Uganda. They have established many different programs, including the “Face to Face” tour, which is being conducted this fall across the United States to help spread awareness to young people. Ugandan students accompanied by Invisible Children advocates are going to various venues to talk about how the war has affected their lives and to show the Invisible Children documentaries. At KCHS, the team showed a documentary on the situation, and an “Invisible Child” was scheduled to speak to the students about his or her experience in Uganda. KCHS will have an out-of-uniform day Thursday, November 4 to help raise money for the cause. n

THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

www.dioknox.org

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

Marriage Preparation office coordinator Marian Christiana for her help in providing resources to them. “We are saddened by the divorce of several close friend and pray that more couples will take advantage of the marriage-growth programs your office provides for the diocese so divorce will not be so prevalent in the future,” they said. The youth-ministry office, directed by Al Forsythe, sponsors the annual diocesan Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), Search for Christian Maturity retreats, God Camps in the Chattanooga Deanery, and trips to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), among many other activities. YLI attendees thanked the office for sponsoring the retreat, with one youth saying that “the bonding and the teamwork that brought us closer to God and each other” were what she liked most about the week. One boy rated “the friendships and the growth of our faith in Christ” as his favorite part of YLI. The 2009 NCYC in Kansas City “turned my life around,” said one girl, adding that “I’ve been to many other retreats and participated in many church functions, and they’ve all had an amazing impact on my life. I couldn’t even imagine where I would be if I didn’t have my church family. It’s wonderful and beautiful.” n

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Carmen Jeansonne at 865-377-3077. For more information on Engaged Encounter, e-mail Paul or Pam Schaffer at ceeknoxville@gmail.com or visit www. rc.net/knoxville/cee/. 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. Visit www.knoxlatinmass.net for details. A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held Nov. 6 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. Peg Becker will give a talk titled “The Roles of Right and Left Brain on the Spiritual Path.” Coffee and tea will be served at 8:30 a.m.; the workshop will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring a bag lunch. To RSVP or learn more, call 865-523-7931. The Community of Sant’Egidio is a Catholic lay ecclesial movement that focuses on prayer and service to the poor. Two Sant’Egidio groups regularly meet in the Diocese of Knoxville, in Knoxville and Johnson City. For more information on the Knoxville group, call Ellen Macek at 865-675-5541. Call Father Michael Cummins at 423-926-7061 for more details on the Johnson City group. Everyone is welcome to attend. Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 3:30 p.m. Sundays at Holy Ghost Church, 1041 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

Casey pleads not guilty to abuse charges in Sullivan County court

ormer priest Bill Casey of Greeneville pleaded not guilty to child-molestation charges Oct. 28 in Sullivan County Criminal Court in Blountville. Mr. Casey, 76, has been charged there with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of aggravated rape. In April, Warren Tucker of Indiana said that Mr. Casey abused him more than 50 times from 1975 to 1980, when he was 10 to 15 years old and a student at St. Dominic School in Kingsport (which is in Sullivan County). Mr. Tucker alleged that the abuse occurred in Tennessee and on trips with Mr. Casey to Virginia and North Carolina. When Mr. Casey admitted to Bishop Richard F. Stika that there was credibility to Mr. Tucker’s accusations, the bishop issued a suspension decree, immediately removing Mr. Casey permanently from priestly ministry. Mr. Casey pleaded guilty to a charge of a crime against nature in McDowell County (N.C.) District Court on July 28 and was sentenced to 24 months probation, and he was later indicted in Scott County, Va., as well as Sullivan County. In a press release Oct. 26, Bishop Stika stated that laicization—the dismissal of Mr. Casey from the clerical state—“is an action I fully support. “I continue to observe the current civil- and judicial-court cases so I can relay their outcomes and Mr. Casey’s civil status to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I am fully observing and cooperating with the Vatican’s penalty process.” n 8

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COURTESY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF EAST TENNESSEE INC.

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Volunteers bag groceries to help feed the hungry. Catholic Charities of East Tennessee Inc.— funded in part by the Annual Catholic Appeal—provides essential services to suffering people throughout the region. LIFESAVING GIFTS

Church for help,” said Bishop Stika. “Many of our parishes are on the ‘front lines’ of the recession and experienced sharp increases in requests for food, clothing, and financial assistance,” he added. One area where this is easily measured is in requests for tuition assistance. Parishes routinely help young people attend Catholic school, even when the nearest school is outside the parish. In 2009 parishes saw a 21 percent increase in requests for tuition assistance. The amount increased by another 23 percent in 2010. In an effort to enable parishes to keep more of the money they raise and spend it on local needs, the diocese is changing the way it raises funds. As explained in the ETC cover story “As Church grows, so does need for help” (Oct. 10), the diocese recently modified the Annual Stewardship Appeal, separating the parish portion from the diocesan one. East Tennessee Catholics pledged financial support for their parishes in 2011 on Stewardship Weekend, Oct. 2 and 3. In years past, a portion of funds committed to the appeal went to the diocese, but this year’s Stewardship Weekend focused solely on the parishes. Later this month people throughout East Tennessee will be invited to contribute to diocesan ministries as well. The Annual Catholic Appeal will support a range of

regional programs and ministries, including outreach to the hungry and homeless, religious education, youth ministry, seminarian formation, and marriage preparation and enrichment. Bishop Stika said he hopes this new format, with separate parish and diocesan appeals, will increase offerings given by the Christian faithful. “The more we raise through the Annual Catholic Appeal, the less dependent the diocese will be on contributions from its parishes, “ he said, “thereby increasing funds available for the parishes themselves.” In a letter that will arrive in homes the week before Thanksgiving, Bishop Stika will ask East Tennessee Catholics to support the appeal that will fund diocesan ministries, including Catholic Charities, religious education, seminarian education, and many more. “We hope to raise enough to enable us to reduce parish assessments,” the bishop said. In addition to soliciting gifts from Catholics throughout East Tennessee, the diocese is stepping up efforts to secure funds from out-of-state donors and charitable foundations. During the past year the diocese requested and received more than $250,000 from Catholic Extension and Catholic Home Missions. Grant applications are pending with two other charitable foundations. Given the increased demand for diocesan services for the poor, the Church in East Ten-

nessee needs parishioners to generously support the ACA. Increased fundraising and prudent stewardship of diocesan resources will enable parishes to spend more of what they raise on local needs. A recent blessing for the diocese, which came about because of responsible decisions involving its health-care plan, will ease the burdens of parishes, schools, and ministries. Bishop Stika informed employees in an Oct. 14 letter that “because of the extraordinary performance of our medial, dental, vision, and prescription-drug plans over the last several years, there will be a health-insurancepremium holiday in January and February.” Single- and family-coverage deductions will not be made during those months, saving parishes, schools, institutions, and employees nearly $1 million. The bishop wrote that the holiday was “made possible by our priests’ and employees’ wise decisions with respect to our health-care plan.” Using a three-pronged approach of increased fundraising, reduced administrative expenses, and prudent managing of resources, the diocese aims to reduce parish assessments. ETC readers are asked to generously support the Annual Catholic Appeal. n

Evangelical world, they kept listing you as one of the top folks they see.’ “I think that tells you a lot of the barriers that were there before that may have kept a Catholic from getting elected have since fallen down.” Mr. Santorum was raised a cradle Catholic by his parents, Aldo—an Italian immigrant— and Catherine. Mr. Santorum’s faith led him, four years into his career as an attorney, to make a try for the U.S. House in 1990. “We’re called to be lights to the world; we’re called to serve, and I always felt some sort of calling to serve others,” he said. “When I was practicing law in Pittsburgh and doing business deals, I kept thinking to myself that a lot of people don’t have that sense of mission to help those who are in need in our society, to make sure we’re safe and secure and strong and prosperous and to improve the human condition.” Mr. Santorum said he thought he wasn’t improving the human condition as an attorney. “I felt a call to get out there and get involved in the political world, and I ended up in what most people would con-

sider a quixotic venture, running against a 14-year incumbent in a bad election year for Republicans and in a seat that was very safe for a Democrat. I ended up winning.” Catholics in election season again are facing the challenge of choosing from among candidates who may agree with the Church on a number of issues but disagree on others. He said that he “takes exception” to the idea that “the Democrats care more about the poor” than Republicans. Christ “expects you to take care of the poor through personal sacrifice and serving others directly and touching soul to soul,” he added. “I think Republicans, certainly some, have been insensitive to those issues, but insensitive in a public-policy sense because they believe it’s better handled at a community level and on an individual and family level. I believe in that, but I differ from a lot of my Republican colleagues in that I believe government does have a role. But I think the role we have played heretofore has not necessarily been constructive.” This issue of the ETC went to press on the afternoon of Election Day, when many prognosticators expected the

Deacon Sean Smith, Jim Link, and Dan McWilliams contributed to this article.

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publican candidate, Mr. Santorum would add his name to an extremely short list. The only Catholic presidential nominees from the major parties in the history of the country are Al Smith (1928), John F. Kennedy, and John Kerry (2004). In an interview with the ETC before the dinner, Mr. Santorum said he was “not sure I know the answer” to why so few Catholic candidates have reached the final two of the race for the presidency. “I think we’re at a time now when the religious divide in this country among Christians is not nearly what it was even 50 years ago,” he said. “I have political alliances and work as closely with Evangelicals and Orthodox Jews as I do with Catholics.” One sign that times have changed, he said, occurred in 2004, when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals.” “I was actually quite proud of that but a little confused by it,” he said. “We ended up calling the folks at Time and said, ‘You guys do know that I’m a Catholic?’ And they said, ‘Well, yes, we know that, but when we were asking around and surveying folks and talking to influential people in the www.dioknox.org

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THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

our

PRIESTS

from the

BY MARGARET HUNT

PARACLETE

BY BETHANY MARINAC

‘There’s something here I want to find out about’ Advent begins this month Seeing the faces of those receiving Communion helped lead a young man into the Church—and the priesthood.

ather Dan Whitman is the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City. He was ordained Nov. 11, 1983, at Christ the King Church in Nashville, by Bishop James D. Niedergeses. A convert to the Catholic faith, Father Whitman was received into the Church on June 3, 1973. He credits the members of Christ the King Parish in Nashville and the Sisters of Mercy with influencing his decision to become Catholic and consider the priesthood. He is the younger son of Virginia and the late Lawrence Whitman Sr. He was born in Forsyth County, N.C., and was a commercial artist before entering St. Meinrad Seminary. Father Whitman enjoys hiking, traveling, and winter sports such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. Tell me about your conversion to the Catholic faith. I went to college one year in North Carolina and didn’t do very well. I decided I didn’t want to go back there, so I looked at commercial art schools all throughout the country. I visited Harris School of Advertising, Art, and Design in Nashville, and I really liked it, so I moved to Nashville. I went to school there three years and got my degree in commercial art. While I was in school, I had a part-time job working at night in a nice upscale restaurant. I was kind of lonely and called my mom. My mom asked, “Are you going to church?” I didn’t answer, and she said, “You might want to look into getting into church. You get to meet other young people, and you won’t be so lonely, especially on weekends.” Little did she know that at that point I had tried almost every church and was never very happy with them because there was always something missing. At the school I was going to, the receptionist was Catholic, and she suggested that I go to Christ the King Church in south Nashville. She said they had a young new associate and [that I should] speak to him. So I went. One of the waitresses I worked with at the restaurant and her family also went to Christ the King,

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

Father Dan Whitman

and they took me to Mass with them the second Sunday after Christmas. When I first walked in the church, [I felt] something I’d never experienced in any Protestant church. [My friend] told me I couldn’t go up to Communion. Seeing the people coming back from Communion, I thought, There’s something here I want to find out about. It was the Eucharist. [My friends] took me to Mass for several weeks, and then I said, “I can go by myself now; I’ve gotten a little more familiar with it.” Churches didn’t have RCIA in those days, but we had our own little RCIA with me and two other college-age people and the associate pastor of Christ the King. I’d never been baptized. The associate pastor said, “Well, we’ll do it all in the Sunday liturgy at noon.” I said, “There’s a lot of people at church!” I was really shy. He said, “Dan, a lot of people will remember this, how you at 21 have taken this step to become Catholic on your own.” So I agreed to it. I was baptized and confirmed and received the Eucharist at the noon Mass on June 3, 1973. How did you get interested in the priesthood? The associate pastor asked me whether I’d ever thought about becoming a priest. I said, “No, I want to get married and have bunches of kids.” I had a job opportunity in Toledo, Ohio, and also in Nashville, and I took the job in Nashville. I got to know

people at Christ the King, and they pulled me right in and got me involved in ministries. I was doing things I would have never believed because I was a very shy person, and they got me roped into visiting prisons, nursing homes, and going door to door to check on Catholics not practicing their faith. I met this family with whom I became good friends. Bill and Rita Wiggers had 10 kids: five girls and five boys. The oldest, Cindy, was away at college in Cincinnati. She came home from college, and we really hit it off. We started dating, and I took her to North Carolina a couple of times to meet my family. We were really considering marriage, and then I went on a Cursillo weekend. Well, Cursillo really threw me for a loop. It was such an awesome experience. I thought priesthood was something to think about. Cursillo put a bug in my ear, in my heart, that maybe this was the way to go. So I thought, prayed, talked to the pastor and associate pastor at my parish, and began going to ultreyas. People would come up to me and say, “Dan, have you ever thought about being a priest?” This kept going on with different folks with whom I’d never discussed the priesthood. I had focused on marriage and having kids. So I called the vocation director and decided to go into the seminary. I was 25 when I started. What would you say to a young man who thinks he has a priestly vocation? Listen. That’s what happened to me. God speaks to us through Scripture and the sacraments but also through other people. The real key is listening for any vocation: married or single or religious or the priesthood. It’s listening to the voice of God, but also listening to those around us who are people of faith and have a great influence on us. I was very blessed at Christ the King. It was just a faith-filled parish, and people took me under their wing. n

Mrs. Hunt is administrative assistant for the Media Office.

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Republicans to pick up several dozen seats in the House. Mr. Santorum put the number “between 50 and 60.” Mr. Santorum was pictured on the cover of the Knoxville dinner’s program with his 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, who was born with Trisomy 18. Bella, whose six siblings are aged 9 to 19, was the second reason he came to Knoxville, Mr. Santorum told the dinner attendees. “Our 2-year-old is an absolute sweetheart who is the apple of her daddy’s eye,” he said. Ninety percent of infants with Trisomy 18 do not survive birth, and 90 percent of the survivors do not live more than a few weeks, he said. “We were given that diagnosis, and of course we were crushed. We wondered what God was doing to us. We’d been through this before.” In 1996 Mr. Santorum’s wife, Karen, was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child when her husband became one of the first to argue on the Senate floor against partialbirth abortion. He was also the author of the Welfare Reform Act passed that year, THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

and he would later write legislation banning partial-birth abortion. It was the week after that debate when Mrs. Santorum had a sonogram. “I’ll never forget the doctor going through and looking at it, and he kept focusing on this one area. He put down the wand and looked over at Karen and me and said, ‘Your son has a fatal defect and is going to die.’ The baby’s posterior urethral valve was closed. Surgery was performed, but an infection in the womb followed the operation, and Mrs. Santorum went into labor. “Little Gabriel Michael was born at almost 21 weeks, and he lived two hours, in our arms,” said Mr. Santorum. “I always say that he lived an amazing life, living two hours and knowing only love.” Twelve years later the Santorums took home Bella “on hospice care, which is not something you normally do when you bring a newborn baby home,” said Mr. Santorum. “We celebrated every week of her life as a birthday.” Bella could die any day, but her father doesn’t know when, he said.

“What I do know is that there are lots of Bellas out there, and I’m going to be a good daddy to her and to them by speaking for them,” he said. This election season could “be one of the turning points in American history, and we won’t be done then,” said Mr. Santorum. “This election will only stop bad things from happening. Very little good will happen after this election because of who’s sitting in the White House. He is not going to change.” Bishop Stika said the TRL audience “has a lot to be thankful for,” including “the activities that go on in the pro-life movement here in East Tennessee. But as St. Paul reminds us, we should never tire of doing good.” The bishop said he prays that “all the various segments of the pro-life community remember to work together . . . and that by our efforts we might continue to pray that our nation might once again capture that essence of goodness that comes from life itself.” n Stacy Dunn and Dan Pacitti assisted with this article. www.dioknox.org

id you know that Advent starts on Nov. 28? For Catholics, Advent is a season of discovery and anticipation for the birth of Jesus. This preparation for Christmas traditionally incorporates a wreath and candles to symbolize “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness (John 3:19). The Advent wreath has four candles, three purple and one pink, which are lit one by one on each Sunday of Advent. Many Catholics take this time to reflect on daily readings and make special efforts to contemplate their lives. It is a time to renew our faith. We at the Paraclete offer you a wide array of Advent wreaths and candles as well as several excellent books meant to guide your Advent contemplation. One of our Advent traditions is serving our customers wassail, freshly prepared each day. Look for specials on Facebook and come see our “super Tuesday” specials to get your Christmas shopping done early. n Call the store at 865-588-0388 or 800-333-2097. Visit its Facebook page at The Paraclete Catholic Books and Gifts (bit.ly/paracleteknoxville).

Free concerts offered Nov. 14, 20 at All Saints, Holy Ghost churches

he All Saints Choir and the East Tennessee Concert Band will perform a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at All Saints Church on North Cedar Bluff Road in Knoxville. There is no admission charge, but donations will be accepted for support of the choir and the band. Funds will be used to help offset the cost of the annual Catholic Charities Fundraiser Concert, to be performed as an Easter cantata at All Saints in spring 2011. The East Tennessee Concert Band (ETCB) was founded in 1991 and is dedicated to excellence in symphonic band performance. The band is directed by Dr. Ric Best. Annie Nassis and Walt Otey, All Saints parishioners, perform with the band. In addition to a regular schedule of concerts in East Tennessee, the ETCB has performed in Washington, D.C.; London, England; and New York City, at Carnegie Hall. The band was the 2007-08 recipient of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Silver Scroll, the most prestigious North American award for community concert bands. For more information, contact Mr. Otey at 865-691-6537. the pope benedict xvi schola will present “sacred

Choral Music From Byrd to Bruckner” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at Holy Ghost Church, 1041 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917. Organist Charles Walden, Holy Ghost’s music director, will also perform. The schola’s repertory includes Renaissance polyphony, Gregorian chant, and other traditional sacred music. Members belong to churches throughout Knoxville. The concert is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information, visit b16schola.org, e-mail mary@b16schola.org, or call 865-437-8620. The group’s founder and director is Mary C. Weaver, co-founder of Musicam Sacram (musicam sacram.org), the East Tennessee chapter of the Church Music Association of America. n

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sultant on the application of Catholic moral teaching on collaboration and cooperation n establish a review board to hear complaints about the activities of funded organizations and decide whether a grant should be withdrawn n redesign grant applications so they include an explanation that CCHD’s mission is based on Catholic social and moral teaching n start a national strategic grant program to “address emerging challenges,” paid for with funds set aside from the national CCHD collection, which is usually taken up in parishes on the weekend before the beginning of Advent. An example of such a grant is the $300,000 awarded to organizations giving voice to the fishermen and communities affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Other commitments stress the program’s priority for the poor, improving communication about the accomplishments of CCHD-funded programs in local dioceses, strengthening partnerships between the national office in Washington and local dioceses, and addressing moral issues related to poverty. n Note: The full text of “The Review and Renewal of The Catholic Campaign for Human Development” will be published in the Nov. 4 issue of Origins. It is also available at www.usccb.org/cchd/. Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops NOVEMBER 7, 2010

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CCHD adopts stronger policy to ensure funds used match church teaching WASHINGTON (CNS)—Under persistent criticism from a small but vocal group of activists as well as questions from some bishops, leaders of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development have established “stronger policies and clearer mechanisms” to guide how grants are awarded to poverty-fighting groups and strengthen oversight of how funds are spent. Made public Oct. 26, the plan places greater emphasis on the Catholic identity of the 41-yearold program and renews the U.S. bishops’ commitment to fight poverty in all its forms, said Bishop Roger P. Morin of Biloxi, Miss., chairman of the bishops’ CCHD subcommittee. “There were those who were concerned that renewal in some way might mean moving away from a priority of helping the poor achieve greater self-sufficiency. “There is a reaffirmation that CCHD will continue to have a priority for the poor and in helping the poor to help themselves. That has not changed,” Bishop Morin told Catholic News Service. The agency’s “focus always was on poverty” and trying to find the best way to address poverty at the local level, he said. A 15-page document outlining the changes, “The Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” provides a “road map for the renewal” of the program. It includes 10 commitments under which the program will operate. “These 10 commitments are neither an abandonment of CCHD’s foundations nor . . . an effort to repackage ‘business as usual,’” the document states. The effort also aligns itself with the five priorities the bishops established for 2008 through 2011. CCHD goals, according to the document, most closely match three of the priorities: emphasizing the life and dignity of the human person, recognizing cultural diversity, and strengthening marriage and family life. John Carr, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, said broader Catholic participation in the program is expected under the plan. Traditionally, CCHD has funded neighborhood and community organizations, not all of which were Catholic or had formal Catholic participation. “It will be a plus for an application that has Catholic parishes and institutions,” Carr said. “[It’s] not a requirement, but it is a plus. It weighs favorably. The truth is the majority of our projects have substantial Catholic involvement. But we’re going to encourage and reward Catholic participation.” CCHD has been under fire since 2008 from critics who say the program has lost its way by funding organizations that joined coalitions taking positions contrary to Catholic teaching on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In recent years at least eight bishops have decided not to participate in the annual collection, citing questions about the activities of groups being funded. Bishop Morin said five of the 270 organizations funded in the 2008-2009 grant cycle lost their awards for violating grant guidelines. He apologized to donors—people in the pews—for the program’s lapses. “This is not a perfect world or a perfect organization,” he told CNS. “We can only do our best to continue the process with the benefit of finding out where there is failure. Where there is failure, there is the opportunity to build something better.” Bishop Morin said the review allowed CCHD officials to recommit to the program’s founding principles, including its Gospel-based mission of seeking justice rooted in Catholic social teaching and faithful stewardship of human, financial, and institutional resources. Some of those efforts will include community organizing activities to find solutions to common problems, such as getting a fire hydrant fixed in an inner-city neighborhood or improving access to high-quality education for poor children, he said. Ten months in the making, the review and renewal document was approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ administrative committee in September. It will be presented to the entire body of bishops during the conference’s semi-annual meeting Nov. 15 to 18 in Baltimore. The first listed commitment encompasses the program’s Catholic identity and promises to “emphasize the principles of Catholic social and moral teaching in all CCHD materials and communications.” The plan calls for CCHD staff responsibilities to be reassigned so that one person will “focus on promoting, safeguarding, and monitoring the Catholic identify of CCHD” and checking on the work of funded agencies. Other commitments include steps to n bring in at least one moral theologian as conCCHD continued on page 9

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CNS PHOTO/MOHAMMED AMEEN, REUTERS

B Y D E N N I S S ADOWSKI

Men mourn outside the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 1. Dozens of hostages and police were killed the day before when security forces raided the cathedral to free worshippers being held by gunmen wearing explosives. ‘SAVAGE ATTACK’

Pope urges action to end ‘absurd violence’ Dozens die in Baghdad cathedral during an attempt to free hostages. By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS)—A deadly militant siege of a Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, was a “savage” act of “absurd violence,” Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope urged international and national authorities and all people of good will to work together to end the “heinous episodes of violence that continue to ravage the people of the Middle East.” “In a very grave attack on the Syrian Catholic cathedral of Baghdad, dozens of people were killed and injured, among them two priests and a group of faithful gathered for Sunday Mass,” the pope said of the Oct. 31 incident. “I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, which is even more savage because it struck defenseless people, gathered in God’s house, which is a house of love and reconciliation,” he said after praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 1, the feast of All Saints. He expressed his closeness to Iraqi Christians, who have suffered another attack in their homeland, and he encouraged the nation’s priests and lay faithful “to be strong and steady in hope.” Pope Benedict renewed his urgent call for peace in the Middle East. Although peace may be a gift of God, “it is also the result of efforts by people of good will and national and international institutions,” he said. “May everyone unite their efforts so as to end all violence,” he said. Armed militants wearing explosives stormed the cathedral Oct. 31 while

an estimated 100 members of the faithful were celebrating evening Mass, news reports said. The terrorists first set off a car bomb across the street in front of the Baghdad Stock Exchange, which left at least two people dead. Then they stormed the church, killing another two people, according to reports. The militants, who said they were part of the Islamic State of Iraq—a group with suspected ties to al-Qaida—held parishioners and priests hostage in hopes of leveraging the release of prisoners from their network. The terrorists demanded prisoners linked to al-Qaida be set free from detention in Iraq and Egypt, and they threatened to blow up the church if military forces attempted to break the siege, according to Italian state media RAI. Iraqi security forces ringed the church, and U.S. military flew overhead in helicopters. After a standoff that lasted hours, Iraqi forces stormed the cathedral and the ensuing firefight and a series of explosions left a large number of people dead and injured. The Associated Press reported Nov. 1 that at least 39 people were killed, which included hostages, Iraqi security forces, and suspected militants. Other agencies were reporting 52 people dead and 56 wounded. One report said Iraqi church sources included three young priests among those dead. Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan was in Canada when the blasts occurred. In an e-mail to Catholic

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News Service Nov. 1 while he was en route to Baghdad, he criticized the lack of security for Christian places of worship and called on “Iraqi parties to overcome their personal and confessional interests and look for the good of the Iraqi people who have elected them.” “There are a few churches and Christian institutions left in Baghdad, not so great a number that it is unreasonable for them to be protected, security-wise,” he said. He noted that the security being provided by the government is “far less than what we have hoped for and requested.” “Christians are slaughtered in Iraq, in their homes and churches, and the socalled ‘free’ world is watching in complete indifference, interested only in responding in a way that is politically correct and economically opportune but in reality is hypocritical,” said the patriarch, who served as bishop of the New Jersey-based Syrian-rite diocese in the United States and Canada from 1995 until his election as patriarch in 2009. The patriarch demanded “that the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, the International Commission for Civil Rights, and the League of Arabic States” condemn the actions at the church and “take the appropriate action to defend innocent Christians brutally singled out because of their religion, in Iraq and some other Middle Eastern countries.” Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad told Vatican Radio Oct. 31 that at least one child was killed in the incident.

During the siege he asked people to pray that God would give the hostage-takers the grace to take into consideration the women, children, and all the innocent who were threatened by their actions. Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi told reporters at the time of the siege that “it’s a very sad situation, which confirms the difficult situation in which Christians live in the country.” “Christians live with great insecurity, and we express our solidarity with them,” he said. Iraqi bishops had just participated in a special Synod of Bishops Oct. 10 through 24 with the pope at the Vatican; the synod drew attention to the challenges facing Christians in the Middle East. During the synod Iraqi bishops said kidnappings for ransom, bombings of churches and other Christian buildings, and a general lack of security have made life so precarious for the vulnerable Christian community that about half have left their homeland for safer destinations in the past seven years. At least one bishop raised the question of systematic attacks as part of a “plan” to drive all Christians from the Middle East. The cathedral and four other churches were the target of a string of bombings Aug. 1, 2004, when parishioners were leaving Sunday Mass; 15 people were killed in those attacks. n Contributing to this story was Doreen Abi Raad in Beirut. Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC