March 5 | 2023 VOL 31 NO 7
IN THIS ISSUE US A4 LEADING INTO LENT
Bishop Stika celebrates Ash Wednesday Mass
A8 BEING NEIGHBORLY
Habitat for Humanity is a parish project
OF LIFE B1 CIRCLES Daughter-mother duo
connect on and off the tennis court
He dwells among us ......................... A3 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Columns ..........................................B6-7 Catholic schools ..........................B9-10 La Cosecha ............................Section C
Bishop’s Appeal reaches $3 million Key funder of Diocese of Knoxville ministries hits historic benchmark By Jim Wogan
JIM WOGAN
T
he Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries, a vital source of annual funding for diocesan works of mercy, formation, and outreach, set a record in 2022—surpassing the $3 million mark for the first time in diocesan history. “Support of the appeal in 2022 has been astonishing,” said Deacon Hicks Armor, director of stewardship and strategic planning for the Diocese of Knoxville. “The fact that parishioners have always understood our mission has been, quite frankly, humbling and fulfilling. “We owe a great debt of gratitude and thanks to the parishes, the priests and deacons who communicated our message, and of course the parishioners who heard our call and supported the appeal.” With the 2023 Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries now underway, the official total for the 2022 appeal won’t be settled until sometime in late March, after all receipts are reviewed. The stewardship office, which oversees the annual campaign, says “gifts received” have now surpassed $3 million, with some commitments still outstanding. “Absolutely amazing for a diocese our size,” Bishop Richard F. Stika said. “The appeal has grown almost every year since I have been here, and it’s not me. It has been the hard work of our stewardship office over all these years that has allowed this to happen. Each year, they have formed a message, one that clearly defines who we are as a Catholic Church, and it’s been uplifting to see parishioners across the diocese respond the way they have, each year, to support our work.” Growth is nothing new for the Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries. In 2010, one year into Bishop Stika’s episcopacy in Knoxville, the appeal raised $920,000. It surpassed $1.2 million in 2013. By 2019, the appeal reached $2.7 million. Last year, the annual Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries raised $2.9 million. “We’ve come a long way since 2009,” Bishop Stika said. “We might be a small diocese, but
Bishop's Appeal in action Catechesis of the Good Shepherd leader Mary Flores helps children at All Saints Parish in Knoxville understand the liturgy and other elements of the Mass. we are doing great things. The growth of the appeal has allowed us to expand the work our ministries do, ministries like Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. It helps keep our St. Mary’s mobile medical clinic on the road. It helps fund seminarian education and continuing formation for our priests. And it allows us to shape the lives of children and young adults in our faith. We get a lot done with the $3 million that our parishioners give us,” Bishop Stika said.
Catholic Charities of East Tennessee
Last August, Catholic Charites of East Tennessee announced the resumption of an Adoption Services program, allowing women facing an unplanned pregnancy a life-saving option
for their child. “While adoption was suspended in 2014, the idea was to really bring it back and create a complete circle of service around the women that we serve,” said Lisa Healy, CCETN executive director. “We started to talk about adoption with the board about three years ago. It has taken us about 18 months to put the whole program together.” Having adoption services through Catholic Charities is welcome news to Darlene and Terry Leitz, who adopted two sons through Catholic Charities decades ago. “We got called on a Friday night saying Christopher was born and we were supposed Appeal continued on page A21
Fostering eucharistic renewal
Author, theologian Dr. Timothy O’Malley discusses Becoming Eucharistic People By Gabrielle Nolan
GABRIELLE NOLAN
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he Diocese of Knoxville has begun its efforts to support the National Eucharistic Revival, which formally launched on June 19 on the feast of Corpus Christi. Two years of diocesan and parish renewal will culminate with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024. The diocese is hosting local parish events such as retreats, eucharistic revivals, and presentations on the Eucharist. Dr. Timothy O’Malley returned to his home diocese to discuss his latest book, Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life, at All Saints Church in Knoxville. More than 120 adults attended the presentation inside the West Knoxville church, which took place on Jan. 28. The event was a response to the National Eucharistic Revival,
Becoming eucharistic people Dr. Timothy O'Malley signs a book for a woman attending his presentation on the eucharistic renewal on Jan. 28 at All Saints Church. The Diocese of Knoxville has begun observing the Eucharistic Revival. a movement in the United States to restore understanding and devotion to the mystery that is the Eucharist. The revival is sup-
ported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Dr. O’Malley is on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops execu-
tive committee for the Eucharistic Revival. “[The book] was written precisely to the ends of helping the Eucharistic Revival in the Church in the United States but doing so not just in such a way that tells people things about things, as I think a lot of people do,” Dr. O’Malley said. “Part of the revival’s purpose— it’s certainly sort of teaching more things about the Eucharist, right, but it’s a sort of renewal of the Church according to not merely bureaucracy or strategic planning but really the heart of our faith, which is the self-giving love of Christ, which is given in the sacrament of the Eucharist,” he said. “And so it’s an invitation for parishes in particular to think about what it would mean to participate in the revival in a significant way, to become ever more what we receive in the Eucharist, the love of Christ poured out for Renewal continued on page A16
