Oct. 2, 2011, ET Catholic

This issue

He dwells among us.................. 2 Diocesan calendar..................... 9 Deanery news.......................... 10 La Cosecha............ center pullout

The East Tennessee

Catholic youth......................... 14 In our parishes......................... 16 Columns.................................. 17

dioknox.org October 2, 2011 Volume 21 Number 2

Bishop Richard F. Stika

News from The Diocese of Knoxville

3

Sister and doctor Mercy Sister begins medical residency at UT

4

Today’s leaders Bishop calls youth to assist him

6

New name for health system Mercy becomes Tennova

October a time to focus on the sanctity of life

The month offers opportunities to attend pro-life events and learn more about ‘Life Matters.’ By Dan McWilliams

T

he U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will again launch Respect Life Month on the first Sunday in October, and East Tennessee Catholics can take part in the observance by attending a prolife event or learning more about the Church’s teaching on life issues via materials on the USCCB website.

This year’s theme for Respect Life Month is “I came that all might have life, and have it to the full.”

Oct. 2 is Respect Life Sunday this year.

“It’s a time when we give special emphasis to the sanctity of life from

conception to natural death,” said Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace.

The USCCB’s Pro-Life Activities office provides a number of materials in its Respect Life Program,

MARY C. WEAVER

‘The ethical medical directives of the Catholic Church are beautiful.’

Taking a stand for life Knoxville Catholic High School students and friends helped kick off Knoxville’s 40 Days for Life campaign on Sept. 22, 2010. From left, they are Father David Boettner, rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral, KCHS senior Jessie Punch, Debbie Raines of Choices Pregnancy Center in Oak Ridge, 2011 KCHS graduates Nicole Nabozniak and Natali Knight, and Carolyn Berrong, a member of Trinity Church in Knoxville.

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

including pamphlets and bulletin inserts, a liturgy guide, posters, flyers, and a catalog of pro-life publications. Visit bit.ly/respectlife2011 to learn more.

The pamphlet series is titled “Life Matters” and covers eight topics: abortion, the death penalty, persons with disabilities, reproductive technologies, embryo research, love and marriage, end-of-life issues, and contraception.

“They cover everything from abortion and post-abortion traumatic stress syndrome to destructive research on human embryos to what represents ordinary versus extraordinary [end-of-life] treatment,” said Mr. Simoneau. “The ethical medical directives of the Catholic Church are beautiful.”

One event, the annual 40 Days for Life campaign, is already under way in Knoxville and Bristol, having begun Sept. 28 (Sept. 4 ETC). Participants may sign up to take part in a vigil in front of an

Life continued on page 5

W

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop Stika’s schedule

Which is better?

These are some of Bishop Stika’s public appointments:

We best reverence the liturgy by making an offering of ourselves upon the altar.

hich is more sacred— Mass in the cathedral with a contemporary choir, the extraordinary form of the Mass with Gregorian chant, Mass celebrated on the back of a Humvee in Afghanistan, or the rich liturgy of the Maronite Rite of the Church? I hope you answered that all are equally sacred because in each and every Mass it is Christ who offers the sacrifice and who is offered.

It surprises many to learn that the Catholic Church is actually made up of 23 churches and seven rites. Each of these rites reflects the different cultures and traditions that helped form and shape its particular liturgical and sacramental expression of the one true faith. The rite and church we are most familiar with is the Latin Rite of the Roman Church of the West.

Others may be familiar with the Eastern churches such as the Ruthenian and Ukrainian churches of the Byzantine Rite, which have missions in our diocese. I have bi-ritual faculties in the Maronite Church, which is part of the Maronite/Antiochene Rite. I pray that someday we will also have a Chaldean mission of the

Diocesan policy for reporting sexual abuse

Chaldean Rite in our diocese.

The point of this explanation is that all these churches and the rites that represent their liturgical traditions are of equal dignity and are an integral part of the universal Church in communion with the pope.

When I celebrate Mass, whether it is the Novus Ordo—the new order (ordinary form) of the Mass—that everyone is familiar with or the liturgy of the Maronite Rite, it is still Christ who offers the Mass and who is offered. I am but the sacramental image of Christ, and it is he who pronounces the words of consecration, not I. The value of the Mass does not depend on my sanctity (thank goodness) or that of any priest. It is Christ’s sacrifice, and through holy orders, I but lend my tongue and my hands as faithfully as I can to him.

The liturgy we celebrate is a participation in the heavenly liturgy.

But what makes the liturgy more reverent in its celebration is not the tradition and culture that helped form its particular richness, but what we bring and offer in every Mass in response to God’s gift.

The Mass is a beautiful occasion

of divine exchange. When the priest or deacon pours a drop of water into the chalice of wine during the preparation of the gifts, he quietly prays, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” We offer bread and wine, and Christ gives us his body and blood.

We give him our humanity, and he gives us his divinity.

What is it that we offer with the gifts of bread and wine upon the altar? Christ wants to die in us and for us to die in him. When we offer ourselves and all our works in union with Christ’s, we are no longer passive participants but intimate sharers in the priestly offering of Christ through the actions of the minister of the altar.

Here my thoughts go back to the image of a Mass celebrated on the back of a Humvee in a combat zone. With their sacrifices and vigil upon the battlefield for the moment behind them, and mindful of their own weaknesses and mortality and of those who have lost their life, those participating humbly ap-

The East Tennessee

Oct. 3: 5 p.m., Mass and groundbreaking, St. Mary Church, Athens Oct. 6: 9 a.m., Bishop’s Day, Knoxville Catholic High School; 7 p.m., gathering with young adults, bishop’s residence Oct. 8-9: discernment retreat, The Oaks Retreat Center, Greeneville Oct. 9: 6 p.m., Vespers and investiture for Monsignor Bob Hofstetter, Monsignor George Schmidt, and Monsignor Pat Garrity, Sacred Heart Cathedral Oct. 12: 11:30 a.m., staff meeting, Chancery Oct. 13: 9:30 a.m., Bishop’s Day, Notre Dame High School, Chattanooga Oct. 16: 8 a.m. CDT, Mass, Shepherd of the Valley Church, Dunlap; 10:30 a.m. CDT, Mass, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, South Pittsburg; 5:30 p.m., Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee dinner, Fox Den Country Club, Farragut Oct. 18: 2 p.m., ordination and installation, Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, Savannah, Ga. Oct. 21: 10 a.m., board meeting, Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission, Nashville

Bishop continued on page 5

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

Schedule continued on page 5

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable 805 Northshore Drive, S.W. • Knoxville, TN 37922 cause to suspect an incident of The Diocese of Knoxville sexual abuse should report such The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published monthly by The Diocese of Knoxville, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, information to the appropriate Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn. Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel. civil authorities first, then to the The East Tennessee Catholic is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee. Subscription rate for others is $15 a year in bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or the United States. Make checks payable to The Diocese of Knoxville. the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37939-1127 Reach us by phone: 865-584-3307 • fax: 865-584-8124 • e-mail: webmaster@dioknox.org • web: dioknox.org 482-1388. n

2 October 2, 2011

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

dioknox.org

Religious life

Final profession ‘most profound day’ for Mercy Sister Sister Mary Gretchen is serving as an internal-medicine resident at UT Medical Center. By Dan McWilliams

The East Tennessee Catholic

SISTER CATHERINE MARIE CHONG, RSM

S

ister Mary Gretchen Hoffman started work as a resident in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville in July, then took a break from those duties for what she called “the most profound day of my life”: when she made her final profession as a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Mich.

Bishop Joseph R. Cistone presided at the Mass on Aug. 16 at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw, and Bishop Richard F. Stika concelebrated as Sister Mary Gretchen and four others took their final vows.

“As I was lying prostrate in front of the altar, I was thinking about how my entire life has led me to this point,” she said. “How could God consider me worthy of such a privilege, to give myself completely to him as his spouse?”

Sister Mary Gretchen and those who professed with her had a 30-day silent retreat before the profession.

“We grew in our relationships with one another and in our personal relationship with Christ,” she said. “It allowed us to enter prayerfully into the day when we professed to live our lives in poverty, chastity, obedience, and service until death.”

The ceremony itself was “absolutely wonderful,” said Sister Mary Gretchen, a native of Wichita, Kan. “The cathedral was full of sisters, family, and friends. It was an honor to have Bishop Stika present.

My parents, sister, brother-in-law, grandparents, and two of my uncles and aunts made the trip from Kansas to celebrate with me. I also saw a good friend from the University of Dallas whom I had not seen in seven years.”

Lighting the way Sister Mary Gretchen (third from left) and other newly professed sisters bring up lighted candles, a sign of their baptism, during the offertory procession at the Mass in which they made their final vows.

Professing her final vows capped an eight-year process for Sister Mary Gretchen, who entered the Sisters of Mercy right after graduation from the University of Dallas.

“Formation as a Religious Sister of Mercy includes a year of postulancy, two years of novitiate, and five years of temporary vows before final profession,” she said.

Sister Mary Gretchen graduated from the George Washington University School of Medicine in May and began her internship at UT this summer.

“I was able to consider a residency in Knoxville because the sisters of my community were already living here and had an established convent. I would not have applied anywhere that I could not have lived in community with my sisters.”

UT Medical Center will be like a second home for Sister Mary Gretchen.

“As a medical resident I will be working many hours at the hospital, gaining experience as a physician,

no different from any other intern in internal medicine,” she said.

Sister Mary Gretchen said that after her UT residency she will likely be working at one of the community’s two Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Clinics—at the motherhouse in Alma and in Jackson, Minn.

“I hope to be of service to the Church as a Mercy physician in whatever capacity I am asked to serve,” she said.

Sister Mary Gretchen said that although everyone receives his or her vocation at baptism, she “didn’t picture” herself as a sister when she was young.

“Hindsight is 20/20, and I can now see throughout my life little signs that were pointing toward my religious vocation.”

Her home life served as her “initial formation,” she said, “making me receptive to a call to religious life.”

“My parents are faithful Catholics and taught my sister and me to attend Mass every Sunday as

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

well as to be responsible and active members of our church and school communities.”

Sister Mary Gretchen said that the “most prominent moments” when she began to hear her call occurred in high school and college.

“I was actively involved in youth group while I was in high school, and I was also passionate about my faith and received the sacraments regularly,” she said.

“After graduating from high school, I attended the University of Dallas, a Catholic University in Texas well known for its core curriculum and liberal-arts education, Rome semester, and its faithfulness to the Church.

“I participated in an alternative spring-break trip to Ecuador when I was a freshman at UD, which gave me a keen awareness of the blessings in my life, my faith, and my education. I also had a number of friends at UD, as well as priests back home in Wichita, who were helpful and encouraging as I discerned a call to religious life.”

Sister Mary Gretchen said that “the beckoning to consider a religious vocation wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“I came to a point during my senior year of college when I knew I had to enter a religious community to truly discern whether the Lord was calling me to serve him as a religious sister. While I was discerning, which can be a frightening time, I met with a Missionary of Charity [the religious community founded

by Mother Teresa of Calcutta], who reminded me of the miracle of the wedding feast of Cana.

“She told me to pray to Our Lady that the Lord would change my heart to welcome a religious voca-

Mercy Sister continued on page 7 October 2, 2011 3

Catholic youth

‘We celebrate with the Church of today’ Young people and adults are honored at the 23rd annual Youth Mass. By Dan McWilliams

4 October 2, 2011

DAN MCWILLIAMS

T

he 23rd annual diocesan Youth Mass and “Evening Extravaganza” on Sept. 10 fell two days after the diocese’s birthday and one day before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Bishop Richard F. Stika commissioned the 2011-12 Diocesan Youth Ministry Advisory Council after the Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, and youth leaders presented awards to both young people and adults for their service to youth ministry. The “extravaganza” of food, games, and dancing followed the awards ceremony.

The bishop in his opening remarks mentioned one thing the youth are not.

“We celebrate in a very special way those who are not the ‘Church of the future,’” he said. “We celebrate with our young people who are the Church of today. We pray that they might always be open to leadership positions in the Church.”

The bishop paused to remember the lives taken Sept. 11, 2001, and the “families who still mourn their loss.”

In his homily the bishop spoke of the New York rescue workers who ran into the burning towers of the World Trade Center.

“The thing I find so difficult to understand . . . is those firefighters with 80 pounds of equipment on their backs and EMTs and those police officers—when they saw the smoke coming out of those buildings, why in the heck did they run into those buildings and up those steps as everybody else ran past them down the steps?”

Those men and women will be remembered for their “service to one another,” said Bishop Stika.

“In theory that is what we believe as a church: that Jesus calls us to serve one another, not to be

Bringing forth the gifts Katie McDowell (center) of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga and Emily Keane of St. Augustine in Signal Mountain present the bread and wine to Bishop Stika during the Youth Mass.

served by others. How many of us, knowing that there were others in that [World Trade Center] building would have said, ‘They’re on their own’? Any of those rescue workers could have hidden behind the chaos of the moment, thinking of their children, their spouses, their friends, or their own lives.”

The day’s Gospel contained the verse about forgiving people “not seven times but 77 times.”

“But what does Jesus say? It’s not just about forgiveness, it’s going beyond what’s expected, just like those men and women going up those steps, going beyond what was expected by the contract they had signed with the city of New York or the Port Authority.”

The bishop concluded his homily with a plea to the young people.

“I need you as I need everyone in this Church to build the kingdom of God. I need you to participate. I need you to be involved. I need you to be

people of prayer. I need you to discern vocations to the priesthood or religious life. For all of us, I need you to help build the kingdom of God.” The awards ceremony followed Mass. First to be presented were the Discipleship Awards for youth and the Light of the World Awards for adults. Discipleship Awards are presented for “service to the family, community, school, and parish.”

Light of the World honors go to adults “who have faithfully lived out their baptismal call of service through dedication to youth and youth ministry.”

Receiving Discipleship Awards were Luis Ramos of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, Dani Waldrop and Adrian Garcia of All Saints in Knoxville, Jared Martin and Monse Rincon of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland, Jonathan Quilliams and Megan Miklusicak of Holy Family in Seymour, Kali Bishop and Terrence Long of

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

Blessed Sacrament in Harriman, Alexa DiBella and Mary Ann Murphy of Notre Dame in Greeneville, Neil Howard and Ellyn Stangarone of St. Jude in Chattanooga, Jay Nguyen and Maggie Kalafut of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, Michelle Walters of St. John Neumann in Farragut, Maria D’Azevedo and Brandee Chain of St. Mary in Oak Ridge, Andy Granger of St. Mary in Athens, and Christy Le and Kyle Runyan of St. Bridget in Dayton.

Light of the World Awards went to Andy Schneider of Our Lady of Fatima, Kelli Drury and Scott Drury of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Lynnette Currie of St. Joseph in Norris, ReNeé Pelicano of Holy Family, Connie Beaubien and Laurie Cooney of Blessed Sacrament, Barbara Price and Belinda Fenter of Notre Dame, Jason Taylor of St. Jude, Victor Brown of OLPH, Tom Perry of St. John Neumann, Dan Miles and Kathleen Cooksey of St. Mary in Oak Ridge, and Christina Mugridge and Patrick Mugridge of St. Bridget.

Three young people received the St. Timothy Award, “the highest recognition that the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry and the diocese confer on a high school youth.”

The award is presented to youth “who selflessly serve their peers and youth ministry with unwavering commitment and dedication.”

This year’s St. Timothy honorees were Matt Drury of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Dylan Jones of Notre Dame, and Eric White of Holy Family.

Four adults were presented the Companions on the Journey Award, “the highest recognition the NFCYM and the diocese confer on an adult,” given for “extraordinary adults whose service to youth and youth ministry is truly exceptional.”

Receiving the Companions on the Journey honor—and a standing ovation to go with it—were John Seymour of St. Joseph in Norris, Beth Parsons of Our Lady of Fatima, Jason Taylor of St. Jude, and Susan dioknox.org

Collins of Notre Dame.

The members of DYMAC help plan and direct many activities of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Bishop Stika commissioned the 2011-12 group, securing several promises from the youths, including ones “to share my faith wherever I go” and to “faithfully work to the best of my ability for the betterment of youth ministry throughout our diocese.” Each DYMAC member received a cross blessed by the bishop.

DYMAC members from the Chattanooga Deanery are Lindsey Limerick, Cooper Manley, Emily Keane, Jay Nguyen, Andy Granger, Matt Drury, Katie McDowell, and Savannah Miller. Representing the Smoky Mountain Deanery on the council are Luis Ramos, Bernadette Hunt, and Megan McCormick.

Cumberland Mountain Deanery members are Maria D’Azevedo, Rachael Arnold, Dani Waldrop, Adrian Garcia, Michael Ptacek, and Anielle Duncan. The Five Rivers Deanery DYMAC representatives are Rebecca Mai, Brandon Lawson, Trevor Jones, Adelina Whittington, and Raechel Jacobs.

At the end of the awards ceremony, Bishop Stika told the youth that Life continued from page 1

abortion clinic, or they may choose to support the cause by praying or fasting. Visit www.40daysknoxville.com to sign up for a vigil in Knoxville or learn more. To participate in the Bristol vigils, contact Linda Edwards at 423-477-0774 or edwards724@ earthlink.net, or reserve a spot at www.40daysforlife.com/tri-cities.

On Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 2, Kingsport will hold its 24th annual Life Chain as part of the National Life Chain movement. Everyone is welcome; signs will be provided.

The Life Chain will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Eastman Road at Center Street in Kingsport.

The annual silent prayer chain The East Tennessee Catholic

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Bishop continued from page 2

Applause for award Recipients of The Companions on the Journey Award were given a standing ovation during the Youth Mass. From left are Susan Collins, Alicia Bradshaw, Beth Parsons, and John Seymour. Mrs. Bradshaw accepted the award for Jason Taylor.

he had a vision during it.

“It was like I saw at some point in my life putting my hands on the head of a young man and getting ready to ordain him to the priesthood. Then I had a vision of our postulants and our sisters, somebody joining the Sisters of Mercy or the Dominican Sisters or one of the other religious communities. . . .

My prayer for you is not that you become a priest or a sister because God calls people to that.

“I just pray that you keep an open mind and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

To the youth leaders commissioned at the Mass, Bishop Stika said, “I expect great things of you because in one way or another you’ve been chosen by the Lord at this moment in your life to be of help to me and the Church in the Diocese of Knoxville. Be open to the spirit of the Lord, and he’ll give you direction.” n

will also be held in front of Sacred Heart Cathedral from 4 to 5 p.m.

Oct. 2. Participants should meet in the cathedral parking lot for an opening prayer before forming a line along Northshore Drive.

Also Oct. 2, the annual Respect Life Sunday silent prayer chain will be held in Chattanooga from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. rain or shine in front of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 501 S. Moore Road. The chain is sponsored by Notre Dame High School, the Chattanooga Deanery Council of Young Catholic Women, and Chattanoogans for Life. For more information, call Chattanoogans for Life at 423-290-7314.

Parishioners of St. Mary in John-

son City are encouraged to take part in a Life Chain on Oct. 2. Participants will gather at 2 p.m. at Heritage Baptist Church on John Exum Parkway across from Science Hill High School. After a short prayer and orientation, they will stand on the sidewalk along the parkway until 3:30 p.m. holding respect-life signs. Signs will be provided, or participants may bring their own.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will have its annual Celebrate Life Banquet with speaker Lila Rose.

See the calendar on page 9 for details.

For more information on pro-life events, call Mr. Simoneau at 865584-3307. n

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

proach Christ’s sacrifice upon Calvary, which is present in every Mass. It is this disposition that helps make the celebration of a Mass of any rite truly reverent.

Let us thank God for diverse ways he gives us to take part in the heavenly liturgy, whether the ordinary or the extraordinary form or one of the rites of the Eastern Church. May they never be a source of tension among us nor the cause of harm to our unity as the people of God. n

Schedule continued from page 2

Oct. 22: 11 a.m., Mass of inauguration of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga Oct. 23: 10 a.m., Mass celebrating 125th anniversary of Immaculate Conception Church, Knoxville Oct. 24-27: priest retreat, Maggie Valley, N.C. Oct. 29: 10 a.m., Hispanic gathering, Mass, and recreation, Sacred Heart Cathedral Oct. 30: 11:30 a.m., Mass, St. Anne Church, Bristol, Va. Nov. 4: 8:05 a.m., all-school Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral n

October 2, 2011 5

Health care

The Office of Christian Formation, in collaboration with Aquinas College in Nashville, will again offer its catecheticalformation program this fall, with three catechetical days, all on Saturdays. The program is intended for parish catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, ministry leaders, and RCIA teams. There is no charge.

Each day will include hourlong modules on the sacraments, morality, prayer, and creative methods for teaching. The sessions will be conducted by the Nashville Dominican sisters.

Formation days, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (choose one) n Oct. 8: St. Jude Church, Chattanooga n Nov. 5, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville n Nov. 12, Sacred Heart Cathedral A mandatory catechist-orientation day for all new catechists, catechists certified before 2008, and catechetical leaders is set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 3, at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland.

For details, contact Father Richard Armstrong at ­rarmstrong@dioknox.org or 865584-3307 or e-mail jperkins@ dioknox.org. Register online at bit.ly/faith-formation. n

6 October 2, 2011

Mercy Health has new name: Tennova Six hospitals in the system will also undergo name changes. By Dan McWilliams

M

onths of research by Health Management Associates went into the choice of a new name—Tennova Healthcare—for Mercy Health Partners, the system HMA acquired in a recently announced purchase.

With the name change will come new names for six of the seven Mercy hospitals. The changes will take effect when the sale closes, as it is expected to do on or before Oct. 1.

HMA Division 1 president Britt T. Reynolds unveiled the Tennova name at a press conference Sept. 1 at Mercy St. Mary’s Medical Center.

“We’re thrilled with this new name and new emblem and logo associated with it, and I want to point out the significance of the name,” he said.

“Maintaining the heritage and Tennessee presence was important,” he added, pointing out the “Tenn” part of the name. Nova “is a Latin derivative meaning to make new, so as you look at the name, it is literally to make new Tennessee health care, and that is what we would present to you as the overriding principle [behind] the name as we go forward. It’ll be a hallmark of what we do.”

The t in the “Healthcare” half of the name is in the form of a cross.

In a statement Sept. 1, Bishop Richard F. Stika said he was pleased with the new name, including the way the “Tenn” portion of Tennova acknowledges the system’s roots in the state.

“Since 1930, with the opening of St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital by the Sisters of Mercy, the Knoxville community has enjoyed the many benefits of Catholic health care—benefits that were not merely physical but also spiritual,” the bishop said.

“In recent years that Catholic pres-

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Three catechetical days offered this fall

Name and logo change Britt T. Reynolds, president of Health Management Associates’ Division 1, stands before the newly unveiled Tennova Healthcare name at a press conference Sept. 1.

ence spread to numerous regional facilities as St. Mary’s became Mercy Health Partners and extended the healing touch of Jesus Christ throughout East Tennessee.

“I am also pleased that the Tennova emblem has been carefully crafted to include a cross that appears at the letter t in Healthcare and that this is intended to honor the faithbased legacy of St. Mary’s.”

Health Management Associates of Naples, Fla., announced July 1 that it would purchase Mercy Health Partners for $525 million (Aug. 7 ETC). At that time HMA also assured Bishop Stika that it would not perform abortions or euthanasia at any of the hospitals it acquired from Mercy. Mercy itself was formed with the 2008 acquisition of Baptist Health System by St. Mary’s Health System.

Months of “community involvement; discussions with a broad array of our constituents here in East

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Tennessee; and work with hospital associates, physicians, board members, and focus groups” all led to the new name, said Mr. Reynolds.

“One of the pillars our organization is founded on is innovation,” he said. “It drives what we do each day, and you’ll notice that nova is a root in the word innovation and ties back to what we do on a day-to-day basis.”

The cross on the t coincides with the one at the end of Management in HMA’s logo. In the name Tennova Healthcare, the words heal and care appear on either side of the cross, Mr. Reynolds said.

The emblem’s icon is an “embracing logo that we hope symbolizes the embracing of our hospitals and other delivery vehicles in our system and the embracing of our caregivers together,” said Mr. Reynolds. “We also hope you will see an uplifting figure in that logo, and we hope you will see—as the dioknox.org

sisters would share with you—a resurrection symbol and Christian symbolism.”

Part of the search for a new name involved “providing a link and an acknowledgment of our mission over these last 80-some years between the St. Mary’s health-care system and the Baptist health-care system,” said Jeff Ashin, Mercy president and CEO. Six of the seven hospitals in the Mercy system will be undergoing name changes “because Mercy is a name that is retained by our current parent company, Catholic Health Partners,” said Mr. Ashin.

The original St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital, now Mercy Medical Center St. Mary’s, will be renamed Physicians Regional Medical Center.

Mercy Medical Center West will be renamed Turkey Creek Medical Center. St. Mary’s Jefferson Memorial Hospital will become Jefferson Memorial Hospital. St. Mary’s Medical Center of Campbell County will be renamed LaFollette Medical Center. Baptist Hospital of Cocke County will become Newport Medical Center, and Mercy Medical Center North will be renamed North

Knoxville Medical Center. The name of St. Mary’s Medical Center in Scott County will remain the same, as this facility will not be part of Tennova Healthcare in 2012.

Mr. Ashin said that in talks with

the Sisters of Mercy and hospital associates, an associate asked why the St. Mary’s name was not retained.

“We felt that both the St. Mary’s name and the Baptist name carry a true legacy in East Tennessee, and to try to combine those in some way or to use them in another fashion would cheapen the legacy of those fine organizations, so we chose instead to memorialize those in other ways,” he said. “Specifically on this [original St. Mary’s] campus, the Sisters of Mercy are working on a plan to incorporate St. Mary’s into the campus, which they will reveal to us at a later time.”

Marble and stained-glass windows from the acquired Baptist properties are “being encased and redeployed to campuses throughout

the system for enjoyment for others as well,” said Mr. Ashin. “So those two names [St. Mary’s and Baptist] will be vivid in our legacy and vivid in our memory and honored, but they will not be a part of the new name.”

Mr. Ashin said the fact that the original St. Mary’s hospital covers a 16-county region was the reason for its new “Physicians Regional” name, whereas the other renamed hospitals maintained a specific region in their new names.

“We felt that physicians, first of all, was all-encompassing and all-welcoming and second, regional does describe the type of care we provide across the span of our community,” he said.

Day-to-day operations will not change with the switchover to Tennova, said Mr. Reynolds.

“This is about bringing the hospitals together and about a local identifier giving that local flavor too. It has nothing to do with any services provision other than we’re excited to be providing those services.”

For more information on the Tennova transition, visit www.mercy in2great.com. n

Sister Mary Gretchen Hoffman, RSM

been in Knoxville since 2009.

“The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma who live here in Knoxville are a prayerful group of women I am privileged to know,” said Sister Mary Gretchen.

The newcomer to Tennessee said that “in some ways the South is much like my home in the Midwest.

The people here are warm and welcoming, and I can truly say that Southern hospitality is not a myth.

I have not been here very long, but I have already experienced tremendous respect for my religious vocation, both in the churches and in the hospital.” n

The East Tennessee Catholic

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Mercy Sister continued from page 3

tion if that was what he was calling me to; so I did, and here I am.” n Sister Mary Gretchen said to “keep in mind that everyone’s story is different” when asking a person how the call to religious life came.

“Although I come from a religious background and fell in love with the Church at an early age, this is definitely not the case for everyone,” she said.

“One of my classmates in the community would tell you all about how she grew up convinced that God didn’t exist.”

The Sisters of Mercy of Alma have

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

Diocese offers ongoing Virtus child-protection training sessions The Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children and youth—a threehour seminar called “Protecting God’s Children”—is offered regularly throughout the diocese. The seminars are required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact with children or vulnerable adults and are recommended for parents and grandparents.

The following training sessions have been scheduled: n Holy Spirit Church, SoddyDaisy, 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 n Sacred Heart Cathedral, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 6; 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 (sessions will be held in the Shea Room) n St. Stephen Church, Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6 n St. Alphonsus Church, Crossville, 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 n St. Mary Church, Johnson City, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17 (session will be held in the gathering area) n Holy Cross Church, Pigeon Forge, 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 n St. Dominic Church, Kingsport, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 n St. Jude Church, Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 (session will be held in the parish life center).

Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials. To register, visit virtusonline.org. n

October 2, 2011 7

ETC people

Father Ray Gelineau, who retired to Knoxville, dies at 80

Ordained for the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., he came to East Tennessee in 2003 and served as a full-time backup priest. degree in photographic engineering and worked in research in Houston; Rochester; Hoboken, N.J.; and Lexington, Mass.

He entered Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass., in 1965 and graduated in 1969. Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan ordained him a priest May 3, 1969, at St. Peter Church in Worcester.

Father Gelineau served as an associate pastor at three parishes in Worcester and at parishes in Linwood, East Douglas, Webster, and Leominster, Mass.

He retired June 25, 2003, and served as a full-time backup priest for the Diocese of Knoxville. He served for many years as sacramen-

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

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ather Ray Gelineau, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., who retired to Knoxville and served East Tennessee Catholics for several years, died Monday, Sept. 12, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after a brief illness. He was 80.

Henry Raymond Gelineau was born Sept. 1, 1931, in Worcester, the son of Henry W. and Irene (Lonergan) Gelineau. He attended St. Peter elementary and high schools and graduated from St. John High School in 1949. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954 as an aviation electrician with the Atlantic Fleet.

He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1959 with a

Father Ray Gelineau

tal minister for St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Madisonville, and it was there that he celebrated his 40th anniversary of priestly ordination May 3, 2009.

Father Gelineau was preceded in death by his sister, Catherine Culpepper. He is survived by his nieces, Valerie Simpson and Kristine Anders, and a brother-in-law, Warren Culpepper.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Friday, Sept. 16, at Sacred Heart Cathedral with Bishop Richard F. Stika officiating. Father Gelineau was buried with full military honors in the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Knoxville on Monday, Sept. 19. n

Knoxville man chosen to lead Knights in Tennessee An All Saints parishioner is elected state deputy during the state Knights’ recent convention. By Andy Telli

8 October 2, 2011

ANDY TELLI/TENNESSEE REGISTER

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ike Wills joined the Knights of Columbus to make friends in his new community. It opened the door to a deeper involvement in his parish and the church.

Mr. Wills, a member of Council 5207 in West Knoxville and a parishioner at All Saints Church there, was elected as the new Tennessee state deputy, which is the top official in the state, during the Knights’ recent state convention.

Mr. Wills, an attorney for the Tennessee Valley Authority, joined the Knights in 1984 because he wanted to meet people in his parish. His wife, Kathy, was involved in several parish organizations at Sacred Heart Cathedral and, through them, got to know people in the parish, he explained. “I wanted to know people. So I joined the council to

Mike Wills

meet people in the parish,” Mr. Wills said. “Along the way, my faith deepened.”

So did his involvement in the Knights. He served as deputy Grand Knight of his council, Grand Knight twice, and district deputy twice before being elected state warden and then progressing through the other state offices.

“I’ve served under five state deputies, and I’ve learned things from all of them,” including how to build relationships, focus on details, and speak before crowds, as well as responsibility, Mr. Wills said.

During his term as state deputy, Mr. Wills wants to grow the order’s membership in Tennessee.

“I want to see the Knights become almost a partner with our parish priests,” he added. “We need to make ourselves essential to them.”

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

He also wants the Knights to develop a stronger relationship with the three dioceses in Tennessee: Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.

Mr. Wills wants to make not only the order healthier but also individual Knights. He wants to establish a Healthy Knight program to help members adopt a healthier lifestyle, he said.

Mr. Wills’s home council in West Knoxville serves two parishes, Sacred Heart and All Saints, where he is a charter member of the parish and served as its first parish-council chair.

He and his wife are natives of Indiana and have three grown sons, David, Kevin, and Steven. n Mr. Telli writes for the Tennessee Register, published by the Diocese of Nashville. dioknox.org

Diocesan calendar

by Toni Pacitti Lila Rose, president of Live Action, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Celebrate Life Fundraising Banquet, sponsored by the Knox County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life. The banquet will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Knoxville Convention Center, with seating at 6 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. Cost is $50. Sponsorships are available. To make a reservation or learn more, contact the TRL chapter at 865689-1339 or trlknox@knology.net.

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee is holding a Rachel’s Vineyard weekend, a healing and recovery retreat for those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties as a result of abortion. The retreat will be held Oct. 21 through 23 in Tellico Plains. Complete confidentiality is honored at all times. For more information, contact Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ccetn.org or Catherine McHugh at 694-4971 or peace4lilith@aol.com. Another Rachel’s Vineyard retreat is scheduled for Oct. 21 through 23 in Maggie Valley, N.C. Contact Carla Haire at cwool76@frontier. com or 828-342-4655. A Rachel’s Vineyard retreat will be held in the Nashville area Nov. 18 through 21. Contact Mary at info@hopeafterabortiontn.com.

The All Saints choir and the East Tennessee Concert Band will perform a joint concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support the choir and the band. The program will feature classical transcriptions, sacred music, contemporary concert-band tunes, and patriotic music. Annie Nassis, Dr. Aaron Snyder, and Walt Otey of All Saints perform with the ETCB. For more information, call Mr. Otey at 865-691-6537.

St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge will hold its 61st annual fall festival Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15.

The first day’s schedule includes a white-elephant sale from 3 to 5 p.m.

The East Tennessee Catholic

with new fall and winter clothing and holiday decorations. A spaghetti dinner will begin at 5:30, followed by an auction at 7 that includes Queen Anne settees and chairs, Gucci and Louis Vuitton items, a Wurlitzer organ, and more. Friday will also feature a bake shop and pie-baking contest, a general store, and a silent auction. Saturday’s program, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the parish grounds, includes $20 armbands for unlimited rides, festival games and a prize booth, a Biergarten, football on a big screen, and a silent car auction. To learn more or become a festival sponsor, call John or Annette Hough at 865300-7575 or 405-5929 or visit www. stmarysoakridge.org/Parish/fallfest.html.

Knights of Columbus Council 8152 of Crossville will host its 21st annual Oktoberfest from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8. Both days will feature German food, music, and dancing. Tickets are $7.50 at the gate. Advance tickets cost $6 and can be purchased at Cancun Mexican Restaurants, Addicted 2 Hobbies, Dylan’s Restaurant, and the Lace Place in Crossville; the Glade Community Center in Fairfield Glade; and Star Realty in Lake Tansi, or by calling 931-707-7291.

Children under 14 are admitted free.

Visit www.crossvilleoktober​fest.com for more information.

Suzanne Erpenbach will speak on the topic “Living a Legacy of Faith and Love” at the next meeting of the Cumberland Mountain Deanery Council of Catholic Women at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, and continue with Mass at 11 a.m., luncheon at 11:50, and the speaker at 12:30 p.m. (all times Central). The meeting will close at 1:30. Luncheon cost is $10. RSVP by Monday, Oct. 3, to Gay Moreno. Contact her at 931-456-1523 or mahjongggal@gmail.com.

Knights of Columbus Council 5207 in Knoxville will celebrate its 50th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 1. The celebra-

tion will be held at Rothchild’s Catering & Conference Center in Knoxville. Contact Jim Bruun at 865-705-7526 for tickets.

Knoxville Catholic High School will have an admissions information meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, at the school. Participants can learn about KCHS; meet administrators, academicdepartment chairs, and coaches; register for the placement test; tour the campus; and pick up an application packet for the 2012-13 school year. For more information, contact Barrie Smith, dean of admissions, at 865-560-0502 or bsmith@knoxvillecatholic.com.

The second annual St. Vincent de Paul Friends of the Poor Walk, to benefit CROSS (Christians Reaching Out Serving Seymour), is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2. The walk is sponsored by Holy Family Parish’s Conference of St. Vincent de Paul. Location of the walk is the First Baptist Church in Seymour on Chapman Highway. Walkers will receive a free T-shirt. Register on the day of the walk. To learn more or request a pledge form, call 865-573-1586.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, “Journey With the Lord During Lent,” is set for Feb. 27 through March 11, 2012.

Pilgrims will visit holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, and elsewhere. Monsignor Al Humbrecht will be the spiritual leader of the pilgrimage, and Mercy Sister Albertine Paulus is coordinator for the trip. The group will depart from Atlanta. Cost is $3,199 (cash-discount price) or $3,398, plus airport taxes, fuel surcharges, and tips.

Registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 14.

To request information, contact Sister Albertine at 865-545-8270, 207-4742, or smaevang@yahoo.com.

Young women between the ages of 18 and 35 who are interested in exploring a possible vocation to religious life are invited to join the Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., for a weekend retreat at the sisters’ Home of Mercy in Knoxville. Retreats begin on Friday afternoon and conclude on Sunday after lunch.

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

During the weekend retreatants will be able to enter into the rhythm of life of the Community of Mercy. One weekend remains: Oct. 14 through 16 (register by Oct. 7). To register or learn more, e-mail saintjustin@rsmofalma.org or call Sister Mary Christine, RSM, at 865-690-9266.

The next Engaged Encounter weekend in the diocese will be held Oct. 14 through 16 at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater. To register, call Jason or 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/.

The next charismatic Mass in the diocese will be celebrated at 5 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 23, at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy. Father Dan Whitman of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City will be the celebrant. Singers and instrumentalists who would like to participate should arrive at 4. Prayers for healing will follow the Mass. Call Dee Leigh at 423-842-2305 for more information.

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 updated information.

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

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 865-5843307 for more information. n October 2, 2011 9

Parish notes: Chattanooga Deanery OLPH, Chattanooga Parishioner Emily McKenzie celebrated her 100th birthday Sept. 10.

OLPH School second-grader Ross Norman’s summer baseball team won the Dizzy Dean 6-year-old World Series in Rome, Ga.

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain The Knights of Columbus hosted their annual Oktoberfest celebration Sept. 18.

Women of the parish gathered for a wine-and-cheese get-together Sept. 15 to celebrate the new parish Council of Catholic Women.

The parish sponsored a back-to-school program to benefit Signal Mountain Social Services. A total of $6,900 was collected for backpacks, school supplies, shoes, and clothing vouchers for 97 needy children in the area.

COURTESY OF JEFF RAABE

The parish ministry fair was held after weekend Masses on Sept. 17 and 18.

Ladies of Charity of Chattanooga induct new members The Ladies of Charity of Chattanooga inducted 18 new members during their recent general meeting and Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Father Jim Vick (pictured above) encouraged the new members to follow in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul—the founder and model of the Ladies of Charity—by continuing to serve those who are victims of poverty as well as those who are poor in spirit. The Ladies serve the Chattanooga-area needy with resources provided through their Greater Good thrift store. Members support the organization through their dues, volunteer hours, and prayers. The new inductees are Christy Call, Pat Call, Florence Cerantonio, Chuck Dietzen, Linda Duff, Cissy Hackworth, Joni Hotchkiss, Joyce Kent, Sara Makemson, Peggy Miles, Sandi Radant, Erlinda Ramirez, Cathy Rymer, Jim Shaughnessy, Marty Stroop, Sheila Trudell, Betty Dahlstrom, and Ingrid Walstead.

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill The parish picnic was held Sept. 18 at Horseshoe Bend Park. The event began with a bilingual Mass followed by a picnic by the river.

Crafters and supporters met on Sept. 20 to discuss plans for this year’s Kristkindlemart.

Parishioners have been voting since Sept. 15 for three new members of the parish council. Voting ends Sunday, Oct. 2.

St. Jude, Chattanooga

Knights of Columbus Council 8576 held an open house for men and their families Sept. 26.

The Chattanooga Area Food Bank thanked the parish for donating 913 pounds of food recently.

St. Mary, Athens

The parish fall festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 22. Volunteers are needed. Call Tim or Beth Pysell at 423-505-8321 for more details. n

10 October 2, 2011

COURTESY OF CAROL BIRD

The Hispanic community prepared a Mexican-food dinner Sept. 17 to commemorate Mexico’s independence from Spain.

Knights of Columbus Council 8396 hosted a Knights-and-wives social Sept. 18.

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Father Charlie Burton hosted his monthly potluck lunch Sept. 15 in the family-life center.

Thirteen confirmed at St. Augustine Bishop Richard F. Stika confirmed 13 young people recently at St. Augustine Church in Signal Mountain. With him are (from left) Tess Brock, Christian Brock, Lana Bednarczyk, David Enicks, Liana Rodrigues, Cameron Beeching, Samantha Vargo, Reif Garrett, Josh Stark, Cooper Manley, Marlena Johnston, Erin Trageser, and Brittany Brock.

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

dioknox.org

Parish notes: Cumberland Mountain Deanery All Saints, Knoxville The Senior Kids met Sept. 16 for a “getting-to-know-you” dinner.

Middle school youth ministry and religious education moved to Sunday evenings effective Sept. 18.

COURTESY OF CHRIS HILL

Volunteers are needed to oversee parish weddings. E-mail Shiona at shionatree@ gmail.com.

Watts Bar cruise for St. Mary parishioners The women pictured above enjoyed a recent sunset cruise and concert on Watts Bar Lake with the Mount LeConte Jug Band. They won the cruise last year in an auction at the fall festival at St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge. From left are St. Mary parishioners Pearlie Rivas, Jane Durbin, Mary Agnes Schoenberger, Margie Conlin, and Phyllis Townes. Also pictured are Jug Band members (front) Chris Hill and (from left) Jim Radle and Terry Dickson. For information on scheduling the Jug Band, call Mr. Hill at 423-365-9524.

Crossville Knights donate $7,500 to The Arc

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nights of Columbus Council 8152 in Crossville, a longtime supporter of The Arc of Cumberland County and its programs, recently presented the organization with donations totaling $7,500.

The money comes from $2,500 in collections during the council’s annual Tootsie Roll Drive and a $5,000 grant from the MR Foundation of Tennessee, which was founded by the Tennessee Knights of Columbus to support individuals with intellectual disabilities and agencies dedicated to serving them.

The money is earmarked for The Arc Cumberland County Special Olympics and Structured Athletics programs.

The checks were presented to board president Lois Davis at The Arc’s annual meeting and family picnic earlier this summer by Grand Knight Walt Peterson.

Knight Denny Roy also was honored at the meeting with the 2011 Friend of The Arc award. For several The East Tennessee Catholic

years, Mr. Roy has chaired the adult division of The Arc Special Olympics games and volunteered in many seasons of Structured Athletics team sports. He is also primarily responsible for collaborating with The Arc to obtain the MR Foundation grant.

At the same meeting Kyle Johnson was named The Arc Cumberland County Self-Determination winner.

Mr. Johnson will have the honor of leading the 2011 The Arc Special Olympics Parade of Athletes on Oct. 2. Mr. Johnson also was recently recognized as The Arc of TN SelfDetermination winner in Nashville.

Glenda Bond, The Arc of TN board president, also was on hand and said, “The Knights of Columbus motto, ‘a Knight by their side,’ is truly meaningful to both The Arc and the folks we support. They have been by our side for over 20 years, and we appreciate all their efforts to make a difference in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.” n

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The Council of Catholic Women sponsored a day of reflection for parishioners Sept. 3.

The CCW will sponsor its annual fall bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in the church hall. The event includes “attic treasures,” baked goods, crafts, and plants for sale, as well as a silent auction. Lunch will be available.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade The next prayer-blanket workshop will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. Lunch will be provided.

The parish book club will meet at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, in the conference room to discuss Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution (Crown, 2011) by Michelle Moran.

Anniversaries: Walter and Delores Novak (65), Roger and Marguerite Audette (61), Dion and Emily Frate (61), William and Arlene McShane (58), Tom and Pat Bluemle (58), Herb and Ginny Adams (56), Marvin and Patti LaPrese (56), Tom and Terry Boylson (55), Ron and Marilyn Horstman (53), Robert and Jacqueline Yoesting (53), Ron and Catherine Debels (51), Fred and Dottie Belvo (50), John and Virginia Smith (50)

St. John Neumann, Farragut Woodwind and string musicians are needed for the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass.

Call Barbara Maples at 865-966-4097.

The blessing of the new rectory and an open house were held Aug. 27.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge Sunday-night religious-education classes (for grades nine through 11) began with a potluck dinner and prayer service on Sept. 18.

The youth held a rummage sale Sept. 24 in the St. Mary School gym.

The youth ministry is selling “We Glow for Christ” glow-in-the-dark T-shirts as a fundraiser for a trip to the National Catholic Youth Conference. n

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

October 2, 2011 11

Parish notes: Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City Donations to the food pantry during a recent weekend benefited the children at Kingswood School in Grainger County.

A Mass to honor parishioners 90 years and older will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, Oct. 16. A potluck dinner will be served in the parish-life center after Mass. Sign up for the dinner in the narthex.

The Jefferson Rural Clinic fundraiser Aug. 26 drew approximately $33,000 in contributions.

Notre Dame, Greeneville A “welcome back” reception for members of the Council of Catholic Women was held Sept. 18.

The parish recently delivered 174 pounds of food donated by parishioners to a local food bank.

Families are invited to a corn maze at Myers Farm in Mosheim on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Hot dogs and hayrides will be available. Cost is $5 for adults and free for youth. Sign up in the narthex.

Anniversary: George and Jean Weaver (57), Robert and Ruth Schell (51), Charles and Karen DiBella (35), Bill and Leigh DeBall (20), Bruno and Mary Jane Keparutis (5) Newcomers: Terry and Rebecca Barekman and family; Bill and Leigh DeBall and family; Bernadette Dutson; Francis (Frank) and JoAnn Dwyer; Pablo and Patricia Figuero and family; Zhuang Li Wang

St. Dominic, Kingsport The parish will provide 50 goody bags for patients beginning chemotherapy at the Wellmont outpatient facility in October. Visit www.greenbaglady.org or www. headhuggers.org to make bags or knit or crochet caps. Items needed are hard candy or Tic Tacs, anti-bacterial wipes or gel, ChapStick, relaxation CDs, puzzle books, snacks, playing cards, or postage stamps. Place items in the basket in the vestibule.

Parish youth will sell mums on the weekend of Oct. 1 and 2 after all Masses.

Prices range from $5 to $25. Proceeds will benefit those attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in November.

St. Mary, Johnson City Eugene (Gene) Handza, Ray Jasniecki, and Nathan Jarboe were elected to the parish pastoral council July 1.

St. Patrick, Morristown St. Patrick will have its annual Oktoberfest celebration and parish picnic Sunday, Oct. 2, following a special 10 a.m. Mass. n

12 October 2, 2011

COURTESY OF MURVIN PERRY

Anniversaries: Bill and Mary Lou Jenkins (53), Gary and Betty Noel (40), Kevin and Peggy B. Lehman (5), Ron Williams and Stephanie Holacka-Williams (5)

Madonna and Child The new Respect Life memorial at St. Mary in Johnson City includes a quote from Mother Teresa.

St. Mary Parish dedicates Respect Life memorial

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t. Mary Parish in Johnson City dedicated a Respect Life Memorial on May 14 with a Liturgy of the Word that joined the celebration of life with an observance of the feast of the Assumption of Mary.

The parish Respect Life Committee had chosen the vigil of Mary’s feast as the date for dedicating the memorial to life.

The liturgy featured pro-life music and Scripture preceding a pro-life homily by Father Peter Iorio, St. Mary pastor.

The Knights of Columbus provided an honor guard that led the procession of celebrants and parishioners from the sanctuary to the site of the memorial, near the entrance to the church, where the dedication and blessing took place.

The choir closed the ceremony with the hymn “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman.”

The Council of Catholic Women hosted a reception following the cer-

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

emony. A digital screen in the gathering area featured a video rendition of “Choose Life Like Your Mother Did for You,” an original song with words and music composed by Mike Dole, a member of the parish.

The memorial is an eight-inch slab of mahogany-colored granite, four feet high and two feet wide with a sculpted image of Madonna and Child and three inscriptions: “Every life is a gift from God” (Mother Teresa), “Dedicated to the sanctity of all human life,” and “May God bring healing to all who have suffered from abortion.”

The memorial was financed by a major gift from parishioner Bill Booth on behalf of himself and his deceased brother Jim, in memory of their mother, Mary Donnelly Booth, and by proceeds from the “Pennies for Life” campaign conducted annually on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. It stands on a base inscribed with “In memory of Mary Donnelly Booth.” n dioknox.org

Smoky Mountain Deanery calendar Paulist mission preacher Father John Collins will be conducting a parish mission at Immaculate Conception Church in Knoxville at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 17 through 19. The mission theme is “Give God a Second Thought.” Nightly topics are “What Good Is God?,” “Why Prayers Don’t Work,” and “Ten Kinds of People We Don’t Have to Love.” For more information, call Immaculate Conception at 865-522-1508 or visit www.icknoxville.org.

The 31st annual St. Joseph School Fall Festival will take place at 5 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 and 22, at the Knoxville school. Both days will feature a barbecue meal, inflatable

Parish notes: Smoky Mountain Deanery

games, and live entertainment. A children’s movie, a middle school dance, and hayrides are set for Friday. Football games may be viewed on a large screen Saturday, and the second day will also include a country store and a white-elephant sale. For more details, call the school at 865-689-3424.

Blessed John XXIII, Knoxville The Knights of Columbus served a pancake breakfast Sept. 11 and have two more planned Sundays, Oct. 9 and Nov. 20.

Holy Family, Seymour The St. Joseph School Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Friday, Oct. 21, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville.

Check-in and lunch will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m.

The tourney has a scramble format, and costs are $75 per person and $250 for a team of four. Sponsorships are available, as are prizes for the top three teams. Call Danny Clancy at 865-384-6861 for details. n

The Crafty Ladies are hosting their annual Holiday Craft Bazaar and “Grannie’s Attic” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15, and 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at the church. Crafts, baked goods, knitted and crocheted items, and holiday décor will be among the items available. Grannie’s Attic has used items at low prices.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville IC will have walkers in the 21st annual Hike Against Hunger on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Lakeshore Park. One hundred percent of money pledged for an IC walker will benefit the parish food pantry. To walk in the event, pick up a brochure in the vestibule. For more information, call Bobbi Newsom at 865-387-6981.

Knights Council 645 wins two top state awards

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The East Tennessee Catholic

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa

COURTESY OF BERT BENEDICT (2)

nights of Columbus Council 645, representing Knoxville’s Immaculate Conception and Holy Ghost parishes, won two of the top eight awards at the recent Knights state convention in nNashville.

Paul Schmidt of IC Parish received the State Knight of the Year award for his work with the Iraqi Catholics in Need organization, his service to veterans at the Ben Atchley State Veterans’ Home, and his support of St. Joseph School in Knoxville. Mr. Schmidt’s work was acknowledged as exemplary of the 15,000 Knights across the state.

Council 645 was also awarded the 2010-11 award for having the most outstanding church-activities program of the state’s 82 councils. The award was based on the council’s wide range of activities, including the annual Blue Mass, fundraisers for burn victims at Immaculate Conception, and monthly breakfasts at IC and Holy Ghost, and for the council’s dedication to St. Joseph School.

Council 645 is celebrating 110 years of service. For membership or other information, call Greg at 865705-9635 or Bert at 414-1283. n

The Knights of Columbus sponsored their 13th annual Community Golf Outing, the largest fundraising event of the year for the council, on Sept. 9 at Lambert Acres Golf Club in Maryville.

Sacred Heart, Knoxville The youth rummage sale is set for the weekend of Oct. 8 and 9. Items will not be accepted before Friday, Oct. 7. Contact Kathleen Edwards at KEdwards@ shcknox.org or 865-558-4133.

Volunteers are invited to form a welcoming committee for the parish. Contact Geri Sutter at 558-4117 or gsutter@shcknox.org.

The young-adult ministry began a “Walk Through the Mass” Bible study in September.

Sacred Heart Cathedral School placed third in Knox County for the most money raised in support of the American Heart Association and the Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart program.

Mothers of college students are invited to a support group that will meet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 14 and Nov. 11, in the Shea Room. Call Kirstin Kropilak at 525-9070 for details.

State honors for Knox council State deputy Bob Rounsefell (top photo, left) presents the Knight of the Year award to Paul Schmidt and wife Judy. Council 645 officers Bert Benedict (bottom photo, left) and Jack McCusker accept the state award for most outstanding church activities.

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville Baptisms: Anna Mae, daughter of Jane and Daniel Starnes; Kellan Michael, son of Melanie and Jeffrey Morris n

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

October 2, 2011 13

Catholic youth

Light of Christ award presented at OLPH Church Alex Evans received his Light of Christ award during the 10 a.m.

Mass on July 17 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga.

Making the presentation were Father Jim Vick, OLPH pastor, and George LeCrone Sr., chair of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting. n

14 October 2, 2011

Bishop blesses outdoor Stations at St. Joseph School Bishop Richard F. Stika blessed outdoor Stations of the Cross—which were made by five students in an enrichment class last spring—at St. Joseph School on Aug. 19 following the 8 a.m. Mass. From left are Karen Byrne of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who designed and cut the stained-glass images and made plaques with the students; Sister Mary Marta Abbott, superintendent of Catholic Schools; Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann McCullough, principal of St. Joseph; Bishop Stika; and students David Lacey, Brody Whitehead, Cameron Trammel, and Nathan Thress. Not pictured is Austin Spangler, now a freshman at Knoxville Catholic High School. Jerry Jennings, husband of former St. Joseph second-grade teacher Liane Jennings, made all of the crosses for the Stations.

Diocesan DREs attend national conference in Atlanta Directors of religious education from around the diocese recently attended the 75th annual National Conference for Catechetical Leadership in Atlanta. From left are Susan Collins of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville, Kathy DeAngelis of St. Patrick in Morristown, Brigid Johnson of Sacred Heart Cathedral, and Sara Carey of St. Alphonsus in Crossville.

COURTESY OF SARA CAREY

Several American Heritage Girls and one Eagle Scout received awards during a recent Mass at St. John Neumann in Farragut.

Anne Marie Carter, Clare Don­ ahue, A. J. Jackson, Sophia Rueda, and Mary Walters each received the I Live My Faith award. Brianna Donahue and Michelle Walters were presented the Spirit Alive award.

Matthew Donahue received the Pope Pius XII award.

Father Pat Garrity, St. John Neumann pastor, celebrated the Mass. George LeCrone Sr., chair of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, made the presentations. n

STEPHANIE RICHER PHOTOGRAPHY

St. John Neumann site of Scout award presentations

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

dioknox.org

Catholic youth

Lady Irish volleyball team sweeps two district opponents

Sacred Heart makes technology upgrades The school unveils new iPads, desktop computers, and Smart Boards for 2011-12.

COURTESY OF PAM RHOADES

T

New technology for SHCS Lisa Maki’s fourth-grade class uses iPads during science.

From left are Emmanuel Mata, Harrison Huntsinger, Callie Tucker and Clara Stucke.

retain what is visually presented to them.”

Additionally, SHCS added: n three Macintosh desktops for the library n the latest version of CCC (educational software for math, reading, and language) n AIMSweb (teacher support software to identify areas of focus)

Microsoft Office 2010 26 teacher laptops.

“We are thrilled to offer our students these new technological resources, and we are grateful for the support of our families and community,” said Mrs. Prater.

For more information, contact Mrs. Prater at sprater@shcknox.org or 865-588-0415. n n n

RUSINOL PHOTOGRAPHY

hrough Sacred Heart Cathedral School’s new strategic technology initiative, kindergarten students in the 2011-12 school year will work on Smart Table learning centers, and students in grades one through eight will learn on the Apple iPad 2 and brand-new laptop computers.

Sacred Heart students returned to school this fall with the following new learning tools: n mobile iPad labs (68 iPads) n a mobile computer lab (32 laptops) n three Smart Table Interactive Learning Centers for kindergarten n Smart Boards in every classroom in grades one through eight.

Sacred Heart is among a growing number of schools embracing the iPad as the latest tool to teach to multi-tasking, millennial students with Jeopardy-like history games and math with animation.

“Students today are more visually literate than any previous generation,” said SHCS principal Sedonna Prater. “They prefer image-rich rather than text-only environments.

Today’s students are more apt to

The East Tennessee Catholic

First Communion celebrated at St. Mary in Johnson City Seventy children received their first Holy Communion recently at St. Mary Church in Johnson City. St. Mary pastor Father Anietie Akata, who stands in the center of the group at left, celebrated the Mass with Father Vijayan Joseph concelebrating. Adults pictured from left are St. Mary catechists Kara Brown, Tammy Kota, and Deborah Juszak; St. Mary School teacher Tamela Combs; and St. Mary School principal Randi McKee.

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

The Knoxville Catholic High School volleyball team swept district opponents William Blount and Lenoir City on Sept.

20 at Farragut.

KCHS took all three games from William Blount, 25-20, 2624, 25-11, and the Lady Panthers, 25-18, 25-16, 25-11.

Susan Walker made seven kills and recorded 14 points with two aces and two digs in the first match against the Lady Governors. Teammate Rachel Kozemko had six kills against William Blount.

In the Lenoir City match, Morgan Lyke amassed 14 assists with three aces, eight points, and a kill, and teammate Stephanie Gleason scored seven points with four aces and two digs.

The wins lifted the Lady Irish’s record to 12-16 overall and put them above .500 in the district at 4-3.

Earlier in the season, the Lady Irish finished second in the inaugural Newk’s Café Blarney Stone Volleyball Classic at KCHS. n

Cross-country teams from KCHS shine in Nashville event The cross-country teams from Knoxville Catholic High School stood out at the Junior Ward Tennessee Classic on Sept. 17 at the Steeplechase course in Nashville.

Ashley Welborn, Annie Batcheller, and Elyse Eilerman helped the girls team to an overall thirdplace finish. Elliot Consoli, A. C. Cabrera, and Allen Zinkle led the boys team to fourth place in the meet. n October 2, 2011 15

In our parishes

Immaculate Conception’s church turns 125

The Knoxville parish is celebrating with Mass, a dinner, and a mission. By Dan McWilliams

16 October 2, 2011

DAN MCWILLIAMS

I

mmaculate Conception in downtown Knoxville has the oldest church building in the diocese, and the parish is throwing a birthday party in October as the edifice turns 125 years old.

The celebration will be capped with a 125th-anniversary Mass of thanksgiving at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. Bishop Richard F. Stika will be the principal celebrant. Also in attendance will be the president of the Paulist Fathers, Father Michael McGarry.

IC’s founding pastor, Father Henry Vincent Brown, purchased the land on Summit Hill where the church now stands in 1855. The parish’s original small Gothic Revival stone church was dedicated in fall 1855 and served Knoxville’s first parish until 1886, when a much larger Victorian Gothic brick church was completed next door. The top of the new church’s clock tower was the highest point downtown at the time of its completion. The four-sided timepiece, which still functions, served as the town clock in its early days.

“They built the current church, which was much bigger, and it was dedicated Sept. 19, 1886,” said IC pastor Father Ron Franco, CSP. “It’s been in continuous use for 125 years, and we are very happy that we’re still here, a prominent presence on the hill. We’re kind of a beacon for downtown Knoxville, and I hope all who live and work or visit in the shadow of our tower can come in and experience Christ’s presence and action in their lives through this parish community.”

A photo well known to IC parishioners depicts parishioners in 1886 standing in front of their original stone church, with the new church rising alongside it to the left.

“The photo was taken a week af-

The church on the hill Immaculate Conception’s current church has stood atop Summit Hill in Knoxville since 1886. The Victorian Gothic structure replaced the parish’s original 1855 stone building.

ter the dedication of the new church, and they all posed in front of the old stone church, which was then going to be demolished to make room for the construction of the apse, the sanctuary of the new church,” said Father Franco. “It was both a celebration of what they had accomplished in the old church and of their great joy at what they had built with the new church.”

History will repeat itself, in a way, after this month’s anniversary Mass, said Father Franco.

“Following that Mass we will take a parish photo, and we will invite everybody to stand outside the main door of the church for a photo that will replicate the experience of the photo taken after the dedication of the church 125 years ago.”

The art and architecture of IC includes three marble altars installed in 1891, one of which includes a carved relief of the Last Supper. The church’s stained-glass windows were

manufactured in Cincinnati, and the glass is believed to be the only material for the new church not produced locally. A group of itinerant painters around 1910 painted three oil paintings on canvas on the ceiling of the nave and made additional paintings on the walls; only the ceiling paintings remain. The pews date from the turn of the 20th century and once contained small hinged gates.

IC operated St. Mary School from 1857 to 1970. The building, which included rooms for the Sisters of Mercy teachers on the top floor, stood next-door to the church. Behind the school was the parish’s first rectory, constructed in 1914 (before then, priests lived in the sacristy). Both the school and rectory were torn down in the early 1970s. A new rectory was built on the site of the school in 1976, which now houses the parish offices.

The 1914 building’s cornerstone was relocated to a spot near the front door of the new rectory.

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

Before urban renewal came to Summit Hill in the 1970s, IC was in danger of closing. The parish, as well as John XXIII Parish on the University of Tennessee campus, came under the care of the Paulist Fathers in 1973.

“At the time we were expanding into growing areas of the country, so we took two places in Knoxville,” said Father Franco. “We’ve been very happy to be here ever since.”

IC’s celebration also includes a parish mission led by Father John Collins, CSP, from Oct. 17 through 19 (see calendar on page 13 for details), and an anniversary dinner the night before the Mass.

“Parish missions have a long tradition in the Paulist community,” said Father Franco. [Paulist Fathers founder] Father Isaac Hecker was in the first English-language mission preached in the United States in 1851 in Greenwich Village in New York City. When the Paulists were founded, it was still seen as their main mission to continue to preach missions, primarily to Catholic communities but reaching out also to non-Catholics.”

The dinner is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at The Foundry restaurant, with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m.

Cost is $25. Monsignor Xavier Mankel, a diocesan vicar general and a graduate of IC’s St. Mary School, will speak at the dinner. For more information, call the parish office at 865-522-1508.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Mass, dinner, and mission, said Father Franco.

“The theme [of the mission] is ‘Give God a Second Thought,’ and Father Collins will also give a presentation for parents that Sunday after the last morning Mass titled ‘Sharing Our Heritage: Becoming Missionaries to Our Own Children.’

“We’re hoping these will meet people’s needs and encourage them to become even more excited about our life together as a Catholic community in downtown Knoxville.” n dioknox.org

The new Missal

by Father Randy Stice

From the Paraclete: enrich your faith

Eucharistic Prayer IV

E

The new translation of the Missal is more faithful to the words of Jesus.

ucharistic Prayer IV is the longest of the three Eucharistic prayers composed as part of the liturgical reform initiated by the Second Vatican Council. It incorporates elements of Eastern Orthodox Eucharistic prayers, including an invariable preface (the part that begins, “The Lord be with you” and concludes with the “Holy, holy, holy”) and a more comprehensive account of salvation history. Since it has an invariable preface, it may be used only when a Mass has no preface of its own and on Sundays in ordinary time.

One of the strengths of the new translation of this prayer is that it more faithfully translates the words of Jesus. For example, in his high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus addresses his Father as “holy Father” (Latin: Pater sancte, 17:11). God is addressed as Pater sancte throughout Eucharistic Prayer IV. In the current Roman Missal, however, it is variously translated as “Father in heaven,” “heavenly Father,” or simply “Father.” In the new translation it is consistently translated as “Father, most holy.” Jesus’ address to the Father becomes ours as well.

Another example of accurately translating the words of Jesus is in the introduction to the words of consecration over the chalice. The current translation reads, “he took the cup, filled with wine.”

But in the new translation the priest will say, “taking the chalice filled with the fruit of the vine.” The phrase “fruit of the vine” is found in both Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts of the Last Supper: “I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father” (26:29; cf. Mark 14:25; emphasis added). The new Missal gives The East Tennessee Catholic

us the words spoken by Christ rather than a paraphrase.

These scriptural references are important because, as the Second Vatican Council taught, Christ “is present in his word, since it is he himself who speaks when Scripture is read in Church.” Furthermore, “It is from the Scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw their inspiration and their force and that actions and signs derive their meaning.” Accurately translating the words of Christ increases the power of the prayer and the reality of his sacramental presence.

The new Missal also offers a more theologically precise translation of Eucharistic Prayer IV. The current translation says that Jesus is “a man like us in all things but sin,” whereas the new Missal translates this as, “he shared our human nature in all things but sin” (emphasis added). It is an important difference.

Jesus is not “like us in all things but sin” since he “possesses two natures, one divine and the other human, not confused, but united in the one person of God’s Son” (CCC, 481) and we do not. But he is like us in that he did share “our human nature in all things but sin” (emphasis added). The new translation affirms that Christ is like us in all things pertaining to his human nature without obscuring the incomprehensible uniqueness of God become man.

The new translation also emphasizes the merciful action of God toward sinners. In its summary of salvation history, Eucharistic Prayer IV says that after the Fall, God did not abandon us “but helped all men to seek and find you.” Omitted from the current translation, though, is the Latin adverb misericórditer— “mercifully.” This is restored in the new Missal, which reads, “you

came in mercy to the aid of all, so that those who seek might find you” (emphasis added).

The affirmation of “God, who is rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4) has a special urgency in our day, for, as Blessed John Paul II noted, “The present-day mentality . . . seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy.” It is, he writes, “in Christ and through Christ” that the Father “becomes especially visible in his mercy.” Christ “himself, in a certain sense, is mercy.” He continues to come in mercy to our aid by giving us his body and blood.

Finally, the new translation more accurately describes the comprehensive scope of Christ’s redemptive work. The current translation says that the Spirit was sent to “bring us to the fullness of grace.” The new Missal says that God sent his Spirit that “he might sanctify creation to the full,” highlighting the cosmic dimension of salvation (emphasis added). In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul asserted that “creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Christ’s redemptive work embraces the whole of creation, not just us.

The words and actions of the liturgy are signs that contain the very mystery to which they point and accomplish what they signify. The “new words” of Eucharistic Prayer IV discussed here will enable us to better pass from the signs to the mystery they contain and to enter into that mystery in every aspect of our life. n Father Stice directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

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

By Bethany Marinac Fall is here: students are back at school, and parish faithformation classes for adults are in full swing. There are classes on revisions to the texts used at Mass, Bible studies that cover history and Scripture, and classes on popular authors with messages to deepen our faith.

We’re excited about a new Doubleday series called Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. Created by Father Robert Barron, this book and study set does more than define the faith. In his book (2011, $27.99) Father Barron explores the mysteries of our Catholic culture and demonstrates that our faith is as relevant in today’s daily struggles as it was when Jesus founded the Church.

The book is accompanied by a boxed set of DVD documentaries titled Catholicism (2011, $149.95), covering journeys to 15 countries and 50 locations around the world. The set includes five DVDs with two episodes each; each episode is 50 to 60 minutes long. The DVD set can be used with the leaders’ guide to facilitate a highly enriching class. The stunning student guide and workbook come in a three-ring binder (2011, $35.99) and cover 10 topics. The leaders’ kit includes the DVD boxed set, the Leaders Edition Study Guide and Workbook, the book, 40 prayer cards, and promotional materials to get folks into the classroom. n Call the store at 865-5880388 or 800-333-2097. Visit its Facebook page at bit.ly/ paracleteknoxville.

October 2, 2011 17

Living the readings

Weekday Readings

Invitation to the good times

Sunday, Oct. 2: Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:9, 12-16, 19-20; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43 Monday, Oct. 3: Jonah 1:1–2:2, 11; Jonah 2:3-5, 8; Luke 10:25-37 Tuesday, Oct. 4: Memorial, Francis of Assisi, religious, Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8; Luke 10:38-42 Wednesday, Oct. 5: Jonah 4:1-11; Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10; Luke 11:1-4 Thursday, Oct. 6: Malachi 3:13-20; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 11:5-13 Friday, Oct. 7: Memorial, Our Lady of the Rosary, Joel 1:13-15 and 2:1-2; Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9; Luke 11:15-26 Saturday, Oct. 8: Joel 4:12-21; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Luke 11:27-28 Sunday, Oct. 9: Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23:1-6; Philippians 4:12-14, 1920; Matthew 22:1-14 Monday, Oct. 10: Romans 1:1-7; Psalm 98:1-4; Luke 11:29-32 Tuesday, Oct. 11: Romans 1:16-25; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 11:37-41 Wednesday, Oct. 12: Romans 2:1-11; Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 9; Luke 11:42-46 Thursday, Oct. 13: Romans 3:21-30; Psalm 130:1-6; Luke 11:47-54 Friday, Oct. 14: Romans 4:1-8; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11; Luke 12:1-7 Saturday, Oct. 15: Romans 4:13, 16-18; Psalm 105:6-9, 42-43; Luke 12:8-12 Sunday, Oct. 16: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; Psalm 96:1, 3-5, 7-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21 Monday, Oct. 17: Memorial, Ignatius of Antioch, bishop, martyr, Romans 4:20-25; Luke 1:69-75; Luke 12:13-21 Tuesday, Oct. 18: Feast, Luke, evangelist, 2 Timothy 4:10-17; Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18; Luke 10:1-9 Wednesday, Oct. 19: Memorial, John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, martyrs, and their companions, mar-

Readings continued on page 19

18 October 2, 2011

by Father Joseph Brando

God continues to send out requests. How will we respond?

I

t’s remarkable how much people take for granted. One area in particular where folks become negligent is in the realm of invitations to special occasions. Whether it’s families preparing for a wedding, organizations getting a convention under way, or parish liturgical committees working to make Holy Week a profound experience for their communities, it seems few appreciate all the work they put in. People often forget to respond—or they take the event for granted, noticing only the few things that go wrong.

This month we will look at the world from God’s point of view. He too has an event he strongly desires all of us humans to attend. It’s nothing less than God’s sharing eternal life with us both here during our life on earth and in heaven after we experience death.

The Lectionary selections for October’s Sunday liturgies reveal God’s preparing the most joyful experience human beings could ever want. After accomplishing all that, God invites us to come and enjoy. Yet our responses are mixed at best. Those who receive the first invitations turn them down, refusing follow-up calls to come. More invitations are sent out to the whole world. Some do respond favorably and with joy. They experience anticipated joy here on earth. Others do not accept the invitation and suffer the results of their decision.

The main question is how we will respond to God’s request for our participation in his kingdom.

The Old Testament readings: God’s preparation The readings taken from the Old Testament this month illustrate God’s handiwork as he prepares an ideal place for human beings. Since

Adam’s sin, the Earth would no longer suffice as a suitable domain for mankind to experience God’s love.

Each Sunday of October we contemplate, in the first readings, God’s plan for our welfare.

In the first three weeks we read from the Book of the prophet Isaiah.

On the first Sunday the prophet abandons straight prose and writes a song for us. Its subject is a vineyard. People who have grown a garden from scratch know how difficult a task it is. It is a labor of love, especially when its purpose is to establish a beautiful venue for two people in love.

But however hard it is to start a garden, it is much more complex to plant a vineyard. It takes years of arduous planning and hard work.

When you’re finished, though, the satisfaction is sublime as you drink a glass of wine under the grape arbor with the people you love.

That was God’s plan. His vineyard unfortunately yielded wild grapes.

The vineyard stands for Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. The inhabitants had not cooperated with God, and the result was devastation at the hands of the Babylonians.

The following week Isaiah predicts that God’s people will have their reproach removed. Once again God promises a utopia on top of Mount Zion. The people’s tears will be wiped away. That is to say, our God is a God of Plan B. Even if his beloved people frustrated his previous plans for them, he will continue to promise salvation. Of course, the people will have to reform. That usually involves pain and is taken to be punishment. But it is an effort on God’s part to re-focus our thoughts and attitudes on the will of God, who loves us despite our faults.

By the following week Isaiah cel-

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

ebrates the end of the Babylonian captivity. Plan B has been successful.

God has used a pagan ruler, Cyrus of Persia, to defeat Judah’s captors and lead the Jews back to their homeland. Even though Cyrus had no idea that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had given him the power to conquer Babylon and most of the Middle East, he was nonetheless God’s instrument. The shame of Israel had been wiped out, and its people had won the admiration of the rest of the world. No people had ever before been so soundly defeated and deported and then lived to return to their own land. Thus the whole world would learn of the goodness of their God. The next week takes us back to the first method God used to create a people who would live in God’s loving care. Here, in a passage from Exodus, we see the practical side of living by God’s plan. Fairness to everyone, including aliens, is essential if a society is to be based on love.

Lending money should be a favor, not a business where a person can go bust. In short, God’s people must be compassionate. Only then would the vineyard produce good fruit.

Finally, centuries later, Malachi announces the need for another Plan B. The people, led by the high priests, had broken faith with one another and with God. They turned aside from the way and voided the covenant. What they needed to do was listen to God and give glory to his name.

The Gospel readings: the invitation That brings us to the Gospel message of these five weeks of October.

We know God wants the best for us.

He constantly calls us to reform and open ourselves to accept the beauty of his presence. Jesus, the Word of God, becomes the living, breathing herald of God’s invitation to mankind. He urges us to accept his plan and live in peace and love both here and in heaven. dioknox.org

Readings continued from page 18

In Matthew’s Gospel the kingdom of God is a central feature. Jesus continually calls us to enter that kingdom. On the first Sunday of the month the kingdom is presented in the image of a vineyard. Matthew’s listeners knew its Scriptural significance, so they had to have been hurt to the core to hear that they had been likened to those who refused to give the builder of the vineyard the just rent he expected for their use of the vines.

The “rent” can refer to the recognition we need to pay God in thanks for what he has given us. We need to see that the glory belongs not to us but to God. If we did praise God, we would rejoice in sharing his beautiful world with our brothers and sisters.

If we became the problem and not the solution needed to make this world a new Garden of Eden, we might have to be removed for the next Plan B to work. The chief priests and the elders Jesus was talking to did not like what they heard.

Jesus changed the metaphor in the Gospel of the second Sunday, using the image of a king who gave a wedding feast. It’s a wedding, an affair of great joy for the entire kingdom.

Reading carefully, you notice several reactions to the king’s invitation. The first reaction was a plain refusal to come. This was virtually an act of treason and rightly enraged the king.

Yet he gave people a second chance.

He was met with continued defiance. Some made excuses but still did not come. Others mistreated and even killed the king’s servants. After those folks were dealt with, others were invited. Most of them responded by coming and enjoying the whole affair. But one displayed the attitude (betrayed by his attire) that he didn’t care much for the wedding. He was lackadaisical. Interestingly, he got the same treatment as those who had outright refused to come. Jesus wanted everyone at his wedding feast to be happy.

We next see Jesus, the herald of God’s invitation to eternal joy, conThe East Tennessee Catholic

fronted by two groups who were natural opponents. The Pharisees were religious, ostensibly spiritual, and self-proclaimed keepers of the Mosaic Law. The Herodians were worldly politicians who demanded that civil law be respected along with the individuals who ran the government. But they joined forces in an attempt to discredit Jesus.

Jesus’ response to their proposed dilemma about paying or not paying the poll tax reveals his attitude and demeanor. His answer was loving as well as clever. He asked them to produce the coin (which exposed their answer to the question) and then satisfied both sides with his answer. Pay to Caesar what is his and God what is his. Two people who were looking to create a fight instead found wisdom both could live with. Instead of rancor, there were agreement and peace. The kingdom was making itself known.

Another test from the Pharisees came in the form of a dare to Jesus to synopsize the 618 laws of Moses into one. Jesus passed the test. As in the previous Gospel, Jesus took the tension out of the situation and, in this case, won the admiration of the Pharisee. At the same time Jesus showed his love for us not only by subjecting himself to this questioning but also by answering with an inclusive wisdom that makes present the kingdom to which he invites us.

In the final Gospel of the month Jesus took the negative attitudes he faced and used them to illustrate what should not exist in the Church he was to establish on Earth. We are not to possess a superior attitude.

Works are not done to be seen.

They are, rather, actions that give praise to God and help the community. The leader is the servant who humbles himself. When we take that attitude, the kingdom, the wedding feast, and the vineyard all become the heavenly reality they point to: a reality in which God is present in full glory and receives our devotion and praise.

The New Testament readings: the invitation accepted This leads us to the second readings of October. The first two are taken from Paul’s letter to the Philippians; the next three, from his first letter to the Thessalonians. These writings tell us what life can be like when we respond correctly to God’s invitation.

Right here on Earth we can experience the joy of receiving the gift God offers to all mankind. Our yes to God’s invitation is the entrance ticket to the wedding feast. Eavesdropping, as it were, on Paul’s message to the churches he founded reveals what it might have been like to be a firstcentury Christian enjoying the experience of God’s wonderful presence.

Paul orders the Christians in Philippi to have no anxiety. In our day and age that seems foolish and impossible.

Their times weren’t any less hectic.

Yet the order was doable. Anxiety, then and now, can be dissipated when we replace it with prayer of petition and thanksgiving. Paul knew that the result of that kind of prayer is inner peace. Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious, says St. Paul, will assure you that the God of peace is with you. That really happened in Philippi, and it can happen in our lives now.

No wonder Paul could further testify to the Philippians that he had been through all sorts of situations—some very comfortable and others filled with pain and deprivation. Neither state makes any difference. In all circumstances God strengthened him. Living in the kingdom gives us a happiness that no earthly situation can take away.

The second readings for the last three Sundays of October are taken from the beginning of Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy’s letter to the Thessalonians. With a good degree of agreement, scholars have dated this letter to have been written in 51 ad. That would make it the very earliest of the inspired words that form the New Testament.

Brando continued on page 22

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

tyrs, Romans 6:12-18; Psalm 124:1-8; Luke 12:39-48 Thursday, Oct. 20: Romans 6:19-23; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 12:49-53 Friday, Oct. 21: Romans 7:18-25; Psalm 119:66, 68, 76-77, 93-94; Luke 12:54-59 Saturday, Oct. 22: Romans 8:1-11; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 13:1-9 Sunday, Oct. 23: Exodus 22:20-26; Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40 Monday, Oct. 24: Romans 8:1217; Psalm 68:2, 4, 6-7, 20-21; Luke 13:10-17 Tuesday, Oct. 25: Romans 8:18-25; Psalm 126:1-6; Luke 13:18-21 Wednesday, Oct. 26: Romans 8:2630; Psalm 13:4-6; Luke 13:22-30 Thursday, Oct. 27: Romans 8:31-39; Psalm 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31; Luke 13:31-35 Friday, Oct. 28: Feast, Simon and Jude, apostles, Ephesians 2:19-22; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 6:12-16 Saturday, Oct. 29: Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29; Psalm 94:12-15, 17-18; Luke 14:1, 7-11 Sunday, Oct. 30: Malachi 1:14–2:2 and 2:8-10; Psalm 131:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12 Monday, Oct. 31: Romans 11:2936; Psalm 69:30-31, 33-34, 36; Luke 14:12-14 Tuesday, Nov. 1: Solemnity, All Saints, Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 Wednesday, Nov. 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40 Thursday, Nov. 3: Romans 14:7-12; Psalm 27:1,4, 13-14; Luke 15:1-10 Friday, Nov. 4: Memorial, Charles Borromeo, bishop, Romans 15:14-21; Psalm 98:1-4; Luke 16:1-8 Saturday, Nov. 5: Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27; Psalm 145:2-5, 10-11; Luke 16:9-15 n

October 2, 2011 19

Life and dignity

Marriage enrichment: the gift of hospitality

Heroes of the Church

By Marian Christiana This month my cousin Dona Lindsey and her husband, Merle, are celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary. Dona and I grew up on opposite sides of the country, and I first met her and her husband when my husband, children, and I moved to Chattanooga 24 years ago.

When we arrived, I knew only a few of the people who worked with my husband, and back then he did a lot of traveling for his job.

In those early days we spent a lot of time with Dona and Merle: holidays, afternoon visits, dinners. The kids would play in their yard and even spend the night. The two of them made our transition to East Tennessee much smoother. To this day I’m thankful that they are in our lives. When you meet Dona and Merle, you immediately feel as though you have known them all your life. Their marriage truly exemplifies the gift of hospitality.

1 John 3:18 reminds us not to “love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.” What a good mission statement for a marriage. This month let’s practice the gift of hospitality, and let’s start with the way we act day to day with our spouse. n Consider how you greet each other at the start of your day.

Are you reinforcing your love through a kind word or action? n During your busy day, do you take time to touch base with your spouse? With today’s technology, it takes only a few seconds to text, e-mail, or call and leave a message. n How do you welcome each other home in the evening?

A warm embrace takes just a

Marriage continued on page 21

20 October 2, 2011

by Paul Simoneau

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Without the virtue of fortitude, one cannot be a true gift of self to God and neighbor.

is Medal of Honor citation begins with the words, “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. . . .” Recognized by our nation with its highest award for valor upon the field of battle, he may soon be recognized as a hero of the Church for his courage in the spiritual battles we all must wage as milites Christi—soldiers of Christ. I am speaking of Father Vincent Capodanno, a Maryknoll priest and missionary who, while serving as a military chaplain during the Vietnam War, made the supreme sacrifice of himself for love of others.

Affectionately nicknamed the “Grunt Padre” by the Marines he so faithfully served, Father Capodanno heroically came to their aid during an enemy ambush on Sept. 4, 1967. Repeatedly exposing himself to intense enemy fire, he aided the wounded upon the battlefield and administered last rites to the dying, even after receiving multiple debilitating wounds. He was fatally struck down in a valiant attempt to reach another of the fallen. But it was in recognition of his life of heroic virtue in the spiritual battles of life that the Church officially opened his cause for beatification in 2006 (visit www.vincentcapodanno.org).

Similarly, the cause for the beatification of another decorated Catholic chaplain was opened in 2008. During the Korean War, Father Emil Kapaun volunteered to remain with the wounded on the battlefield as his unit retreated before an overwhelming enemy assault. Enduring the brutally harsh conditions of a North Korean prisoner-of-war camp, he heroically and sacrificially cared for the sick and dying, finally succumbing to horrible maltreatment in 1951 (visit www.frkapaun.org).

In light of their example as soldiers of Christ, we can perhaps better understand why the French Dominican Father Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire (1802-1861) described “the vocation of a soldier [as] next in dignity to the priesthood, not only because it commissioned him to defend justice on the field of battle and order on the field of peace but also because it called him to the spirit and intention of sacrifice” (Wartime Prayer Book by Archbishop Fulton Sheen [Sophia Institute, 2003], page 15).

We are reminded no less than 35 times in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that man’s life resembles “a hard battle” (No. 409). And in the examples of Father Capodanno and Father Kapaun, we see the true measure of courage required of soldiers of Christ. It consists in the free, total, faithful, and fruitful offering of oneself to God and to neighbor (cf. Humanae Vitae, No. 9). Indeed, if mercy and love are to triumph, we must be ready to lay down our life in battle—to die to ourselves: “Whoever loves his life will lose it” (John 12:25).

Cowardice, then, is the contracepting—the withholding—of the total gift of oneself to God and neighbor.

Adam’s cowardice both preceded and followed his sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam failed to make a selfless gift of himself in defending Eve from the serpent’s temptation, and afterward he hid himself, fearing the consequences of his sin (cf. Genesis 3:1-10).

But Jesus, the New Adam, though he experienced fear in the garden of our world (Mark 14:34), did not flee from the specter of the cross of our sins. Instead he freely offered himself for love of us, even after his disciples ran away. Only John would draw near the cross, taking for

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courage Mary’s total gift of herself, expressed in her fiat at the Annunciation (Luke 1:38). Only with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost did the Apostles finally begin to proclaim the Gospel without fear.

Overcoming fear is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

What is it we are afraid of? Too often we fear picking up our cross— dying to ourselves in order to love as Christ loves. Benedict XVI reminds us that “the Cross often frightens us because it seems to be a denial of life. In fact, the opposite is true! It is God’s ‘yes’ to mankind, the supreme expression of his love and the source from which eternal life flows. Indeed, it is from Jesus’ heart, pierced on the Cross, that this divine life streamed forth . . .” (Aug. 6, 2010).

Pope Benedict XVI, once the reluctant soldier of a forced conscription under a cruel military dictatorship, by the grace of God now commands the largest army on earth—the Church Militant. Speaking of her heroes—her saints and martyrs—the pope reminds us “that only through personal intimacy and a profound bond with Christ is it possible to draw the spiritual vitality needed to live the Christian vocation to the full. Only the love of Christ can make the apostolate effective, especially in moments of difficulty and trial” (Sept. 26, 2009).

In our next reflection upon the Church Militant, we will examine those virtues that help us to “be all you can be.”

Ending with my traditional play upon the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace . . .,” be a hero of the Church. n Paul Simoneau is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He directs the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace. dioknox.org

Once upon a time

by Monsignor Xavier Mankel

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The house of the king

T

The pope honored Chattanooga and all of East Tennessee by designating Sts. Peter and Paul as a basilica.

here are 69 basilicas in the United States, all of them in the lower 48. This includes the newest named, on May 3, of this year: The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. Although the designation by his holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, is recent, the basilica itself is not new; it was dedicated in 1890 and still stands as one of the most beautiful and spacious churches in all of Tennessee.

The Tiffany windows and the very large Stations of the Cross would in themselves make a visit worthwhile.

Designed to seat 1,000 people, the floor slants down from the vestibule (itself opening to East Eighth Street) all the way to the sanctuary. The benefit is that everybody in the nave can actually see the actions in the spacious sanctuary. The parish is Chattanooga’s oldest and was the only Catholic community in the area until 1937, when then–Father John Harold Shea (later Monsignor Shea) built Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

The purpose of this column is to offer you some statistics about basilicas in the United States to help us appreciate what a unique honor has come to Chattanooga, to that venerable parish, and to her pastor of nearly a quarter of a century, the Rev. Monsignor George E. Schmidt Jr. The title basilica is assigned to certain churches because of their antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as centers of worship. Minor basilicas (those

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outside Rome and Assisi) enjoy certain ceremonial privileges. In other places you will read about the special umbrella, bell, and coat of arms that will be permanent fixtures at Sts. Peter and Paul. A very public celebration will be held to recognize the Chattanooga basilica at 11 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 22.

Statistically speaking, just how important is our basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul (the only such church in all of Tennessee)? Some neighboring states have basilicas of their own: n Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Mobile, Ala. (March 10, 1962) n Basilica of the Blessed Virgin of Gethsemani, Trappist, Ky. (May 3, 1949) n Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz’s cathedral, Covington, Ky. (Dec. 8, 1953) n St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral Basilica, Bardstown, Ky. (July 18, 2001) n St. Mary Basilica, Natchez, Miss.

(Sept. 8, 1998) n Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville, N.C. (April 6, 1993) n Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, Belmont, N.C. (July 27, 1998) n Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk, Va. (July 9, 1991) n Sacred Heart Basilica, Atlanta (Feb. 22, 2010) n Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Conception, Mo. (Sept. 14,

1940) n Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (Jan. 27, 1961) and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (April 4, 1997), both in St. Louis.

Arkansas is the only neighboring state that has no basilica at the moment.

The first church named a basilica in the United States was the Basilica of St. Adalbert in Buffalo, N.Y. (Aug. 11, 1907).

In the worldwide Church, there are 1,595 or 1,596 basilicas (I’m still researching the status of the major churches in Assisi and Jerusalem).

There are 999 basilicas in Western Europe (539 in Italy); 189 in Eastern Europe (119 in Poland); 118 in North America; 20 in Central America; 199 in South America; 38 in Southeast and East Asia; 11 in Central and Southwest Asia; five in Australia; one in Guam; 13 in Western and Northern Africa; and five in Eastern and Central Africa.

Although Italy and Poland enjoy having large numbers of basilicas, the entire planet is well-dotted with these blessed arenas of worship. Just knowing of the Holy See’s interest in designating these places should give each of us a greater appreciation of the universal Church, especially since we now have a basilica in our own Diocese of Knoxville. n

minute and can help refresh you both after a long day. n What is your bedtime ritual?

Set a few minutes aside each night to say a prayer together for your marriage and your family. You don’t have to go to bed at the same time to make this a nightly ritual. n Together decide how you as a couple can better show hospitality to others.

The gift of hospitality helps us remember that when we give with love, love is our reward.

Happy Anniversary, Dona and Merle! Thank you for sharing your hospitality with us and for being such a wonderful example of married love to all of us lucky enough to know you. n Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

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

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

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

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October 2, 2011 21

Brando continued from page 19

On the 29th Sunday of ordinary time we read those first words. They are words of grace and peace. Those Christians were living life at the wedding feast. Paul offers his reasons for giving God thanks for the community. Finally, he reminds them that their faith came to them not just by words but also in the power of the Holy Spirit. Such was the reality that was spreading around the world to all who accepted God’s invitation.

Paul goes on to praise the Thessalonian Christians for living in joy at a time of great affliction. There was no excuse, no postponement, no rejection.

They were a model for all of Greece. For that matter, they are still a model for us in America 1,960 years later.

The last Scripture readings of October hearken to the invitation. Paul reminds the people how he had preached the good news to them. He’d been as gentle as a nursing mother, yet he had worked hard day and night to earn money to support himself. He is telling us how to offer the divine invitation to others. We do it as Jesus did it. He was positive, loving, determined, and expecting an answer now.

So we return to God’s basic message to us during this month of October. How should we respond to Jesus’ invitation? We need to discover that God’s offering to us and all mankind is a total love relationship with him.

Realizing that God has been and is still refused by many, we need to give a resounding yes to his RSVP. Then we can start to experience true joy as we become more like Christ and more apt to begin offering the same invitation to others. n Father Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

22 October 2, 2011

From the wire

Fight against DOMA will undermine marriage Archbishop Dolan writes Obama to outline ‘federal threats to marriage.’ By Cindy Wooden WASHINGTON (CNS)—New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, told President Barack Obama in a Sept. 20 letter that his administration’s fight against the Defense of Marriage Act will undermine marriage and create a serious breach of church–state relations. The law, known as DOMA, defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

“It is especially wrong and unfair to equate opposition to redefining marriage with either intentional or willfully ignorant racial discrimination, as your administration insists on doing,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Dolan underscored the church’s position recognizing “the immeasurable personal dignity and equal worth of all individuals, including those with same-sex attraction” and said “we reject all hatred and unjust treatment against any person.”

But he called for dialogue with the president on the Defense of Marriage Act and the “definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman.”

“I am convinced that the door to a dialogue that is strong enough to endure even serious and fundamental disagreements can and must remain open, and I believe that you desire the same,” the USCCB leader wrote.

He predicted that the administration’s actions in relation to the Defense of Marriage Act would “precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions.”

He said the administration’s decision last spring not to defend DOMA in court was “problem enough, given the duty of the executive branch to enforce even laws it disfavors.”

But now the Justice Department “has shifted . . . to actively attacking

DOMA’s constitutionality,” he said.

Archbishop Dolan also sent Obama a three-page analysis prepared by USCCB staff on “recent federal threats to marriage.” The analysis cited the following: n the Department of Justice’s July brief in Golinski v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which argued that DOMA “should be struck down as a form of sexual-orientation discrimination” n a White House official’s comments in May indicating that Obama supports the imposition of a federal mandate to “ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation” n moves reported in June to require all federal employees to undergo a sexual-orientation “sensitivity training” program that describes support for DOMA as an actionable form of “heterosexism” and pressures federal employees opposed to redefining marriage “to ignore their moral and faith-based convictions” n a directive in April from the Office of Navy Chaplains requiring access to Navy chapels for same-sex wedding ceremonies. The Navy suspended the directive in May “but did not reject it outright,” the analysis said.

“The administration’s efforts to change the law—in all three branches of the federal government—so that support for authentic marriage is treated as an instance of ‘sexualorientation discrimination,’ will threaten to spawn a wide range of legal sanctions against individuals and institutions within the Catholic community and in many others as well,” the analysis said.

“Society will suffer,” it added, if religious institutions are compelled to end participation in the social-service network as a result of “their duty to maintain their institutional integrity.”

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The analysis noted that Obama himself had commented on “the indispensable role of both mothers and fathers” in his 2011 proclamations for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, which “appeared to affirm on the president’s part that neither a mom nor a dad is expendable.”

Quoting from the proclamations, it said, “These stated commitments to the importance of both a mother and a father cannot be reconciled with a policy that supports adoption by same-sex couples, which are always missing either a mother or a father.”

Archbishop Dolan told Obama that his letter “reflects the strong sentiments expressed at a recent meeting by more than 30 of my brother bishops” and shared by “hundreds of additional Catholic bishops throughout the nation.”

“The Catholic bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by you and your administration to strengthen marriage and the family,” he said. “We cannot be silent, however, when federal steps harmful to marriage, the laws defending it, and religious freedom continue apace.”

Urging Obama to “push the reset button on your administration’s approach to DOMA,” the archbishop said to do otherwise ignores the will of millions of Americans who have voted in favor of state constitutional versions of the law.

“Our federal government should not be presuming ill intent or moral blindness on the part of the overwhelming majority of its citizens,” he said. “Nor should a policy disagreement over the meaning of marriage be treated as a federal offense by federal officials.” n Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops dioknox.org

From the wire

Pope warns against the dangers of religious indifference BERLIN (CNS)—Arriving in Germany for a four-day visit, Pope Benedict XVI warned that growing indifference to religious values was threatening true freedom and replacing it with a purely individualistic culture.

In his first speech in Berlin on Sept. 22 the pope said he had come to remind the German people of their “responsibility before God and before one another.” He said this perspective was essential in a world that is losing the sense of social solidarity.

The world, he said, needs “a profound cultural renewal and the rediscovery of fundamental values upon which to build a better future.”

The pope made the remarks at a welcoming ceremony hosted by President Christian Wulff at the Belle­vue Palace, the presidential residence, shortly after he landed in the German capital.

Speaking to reporters on his flight from Rome, he said he recognized that increasing numbers of Catholics in Germany were leaving the Church. Some, he said, were motivated by recent revelations of “terrible” scandals, a reference to priestly sex-abuse cases that have come to light over the last two years.

The pope said he could understand their feelings. But he said that if they accept the Church as the “people of God,” and not as a typical social organization, Catholics should “withstand and work against these scandals, precisely because they are on the inside.”

He was greeted as he stepped off his plane by Wulff and Chancellor Angela Merkel. The pope smiled as a boy and a girl presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

A small group of Catholics cheered on the edge of the tarmac, and small The East Tennessee Catholic

CNS PHOTO/THOMAS PETER, REUTERS

Benedict reminds his countrymen of their ‘responsibility before God and before one another.’ By John Thavis

Returning home Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by children after he arrived at Tegel Airport in Berlin on Sept. 22. The pontiff had begun a four-day visit to his native country.

cannons boomed out a 21-gun salute.

It was the German pontiff’s third trip as pope to his homeland and his first official state visit.

At the ceremony in the manicured gardens of Bellevue Palace, the pope was applauded by nearly 1,000 civil dignitaries and ecclesiastical leaders. He looked happy and relaxed as he walked through a receiving line with the president and watched a 350-soldier honor guard march past.

In his speech the pope said he had not come to propose political or economic strategies but simply “to meet people and to speak about God.” “We are witnessing a growing indifference to religion in society, which considers the issue of truth as something of an obstacle in its decision-making and instead gives priority to utilitarian considerations,” he said. Yet history—including Germany’s own “dark pages”—shows that religion is one of the foundations

for successful social life, he said.

“Freedom requires a primordial link to a higher instance. The fact that there are values which are not absolutely open to manipulation is the true guarantee of our freedom,” he said.

In his speech to the pope, Wulff, 52, said that although the Church’s message is not always an easy one, it is needed in modern society. The recent economic crisis has left many Germans searching for meaning in their lives, he said, and the Church is in a position to offer answers.

Wulff added that the Church itself is challenged by important questions today: “How compassionately will it treat points of rupture in the lives of individuals? How will it approach points of rupture in its own history or the wrongdoing of members of its clergy?”

Wulff, a Catholic, is divorced and civilly remarried. He told newspa-

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pers Sept. 21 that he would ask the pope to be more understanding toward people in that situation.

During his on-board press conference with reporters on the flight from Rome, the pope answered four pre-submitted questions. He spoke candidly about the challenges facing the Church in Germany and said the Church’s problems need to be seen in the context of widespread secularization.

When people leave the Church, he said, it’s usually the last step in a long process that has multiple causes.

German Church officials have acknowledged a steep drop in religious practice in recent years, with record low numbers of Catholics attending Mass regularly, baptizing their children, and marrying in the Church. Over the last 35 years the number of German Catholics has dropped from more than 30 million to fewer than 25 million, and during the last year—which saw new revelations of priestly sex abuse in German dioceses—approximately 180,000 Catholics formally left the Church.

Pope Benedict told reporters that despite opposition to the Church’s message and its teachings, he was convinced there was still “great expectation and great love for the pope” among Germans, along with a growing sense that society needs morality.

The pope’s first day in Berlin was a particularly demanding one. Later in the day he was scheduled to address the German parliament, meet with representatives of the country’s Jewish community, and celebrate Mass in the city’s Olympic Stadium. n Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops October 2, 2011 23

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