Aug. 7, 2022, ET Catholic, A section

August 7

| 2022

VOL 31 NO 12

IN THIS ISSUE

A8 WELCOMING YOUNG LIFE

Popular youth ministry at KCHS

A11 BLACKFEET BROTHERS

St. Dominic sister parish on Montana reservation

IT OFFICIAL B1 MAKING Father Miguel Velez is installed as pastor at St. Patrick Parish

He dwells among us ......................... A3 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Columns ............................................. B6 Catholic youth ................................. B10 La Cosecha ............................Section C

‘Created to give glory to the Creator’ Funeral Masses held for Msgr. Bob Hofstetter, dean of diocesan priests and a ‘priest's priest’

By Dan McWilliams

Monsignor continued on page A16

Well done, good and faithful servant Above: Bishop Richard F. Stika prays at the casket of Monsignor Bob Hofstetter as a funeral Mass for the longtime Diocese of Knoxville priest begins on July 15 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Left: Bishop Stika, holding a thurible, incenses the cremains of Monsignor Bob Hofstetter at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport, where a funeral Mass was held on July 18.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Saying goodbye at Sacred Heart Bishop Richard F. Stika was the principal celebrant of both Masses.

Concelebrating the Sacred Heart Mass were Cardinal Justin Rigali; Bishop James V. Johnston Jr., a son of the Diocese of Knoxville and now bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph; Father Augustine Idra, AJ, who formerly served in East Tennessee and is now the regional superior for the Apostles of Jesus; and Fathers Mike Nolan, Michael Cummins,

BILL BREWER

P

riest, confessor, shepherd, friend, teacher, avid reader, writer, theologian, carpenter, cook—the Diocese of Knoxville lost a multifaceted man with the death of one of its founding fathers in Monsignor Bob Hofstetter.

The pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport and priest of 68 years died July 7 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville after a brief illness. The dean of diocesan priests was 94 and believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Catholic priests in the country who was serving as a pastor.

Two funeral Masses were held for Monsignor Hofstetter, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on July 15 and at the Church of the Good Shepherd on July 18, where he was inurned in the parish columbarium. A chalice given to Monsignor Hofstetter by his parents upon his priestly ordination in 1954 was used at each funeral Mass.

Off to a strong start Accreditation, enrollment, leadership reasons for optimism as DOK school year gets underway

T

he 2022-23 school year is underway, and if you’re a student, parent, staff member, teacher, or administrator, you can look at it as a classhalf-empty or class-half-full proposition.

Summer is basically over, although you would never know by the outside temperatures.

Vacations and summer adventures are a memory. The aromas of cookouts and barbecues have wafted away. Swimming pools will soon be empty.

Now it’s back to drop-off and pick-up lines, school-zone congestion, remembering those school-zone speed limits, and the back-to-school shopping lists.

The first day for teachers was Aug. 1, and the first day for students was Aug. 5.

Dr. Sedonna Prater, superintendent of Diocese of Knoxville schools, believes in the class-half-full—or even mostly

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC ARCHIVE PHOTO

By Bill Brewer

Back in class Students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga take part in science class in this photo. Students and faculty across the Diocese of Knoxville have started the 2022-23 academic year. full—philosophy.

So, why would the class be half or mostly full?

Accreditation

All 10 diocesan schools are starting the academic year with

a new five-year accreditation by a leading international accreditation agency, student enrollment is expected to be up again, strong administrations and faculties are in place, academic achievement scores also are strong, and COV-

ID may finally be under control.

“The re-accreditation is affirmation that we not only have met the requirements and the standards and the benchmarks that you have to do to be accredited, but it also affirms that what we’ve done in the last five accredited years—our priorities of focus and target goals, both what the accreditation committee informed us they would like for us to do and what we generated on our own—affirms that we did that, and we did that well,” Dr. Prater said.

“It's a huge compliment to our schools, our school leaders, our staff, and faculty members who have put in place all the actions and target goals to fulfill accreditation,” she added.

Dr. Prater emphasized that the accreditation agency, Cognia, assesses schools based on governance and leadership, budgets and operational sustainability, academics, safety, school environSchools continued on page A8

Sacred Heart Cathedral ministry leads life-saving flight years in the making Haiti Outreach Program is able to fly solar panels, vaccine refrigerator to Caribbean country in political turmoil

By Hiske Jones

Sr. Regina

COURTESY OF HAITI OUTREACH PROGRAM

A

long-awaited flight landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 13, with unusual cargo: solar panels and a refrigerator to store life-saving vaccines.

According to Billy Stair, a longtime volunteer with the Haiti Outreach Program affiliated with the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the idea to send the panels and refrigerator began more than a decade ago.

“In our initial medical mission to Bouly in 2008, we felt we had to do something to bring health care to an area that had never seen any doctors or nurses before,” Mr. Stair said.

Bouly is a remote village, accessible only by foot through rough mountainous terrain, usually a six-hour hike from Boucan-Carré, the small town that is home to St. Michel, Sacred Heart Cathedral’s sister parish.

On the 2008 mission trip, Mr. Stair, Dr. Dean Mire, who practices family medicine in Knoxville

Mission of mercy Joe Hurston, a pilot and founder of Air Mobile Ministries, is shown with his plane, dubbed "Little Donkey," that he flew to deliver critical supplies to Haiti for the Haiti Outreach Program. and serves as medical director of the Haiti Outreach Program, and several other volunteers made the grueling hike.

“It was very hot, just like East © 2022 Handmaids of the Precious Blood

Tennessee in the middle of summer but with no shade anywhere.

It was one of the hardest things our group had ever done,” Mr. Stair said.

Through word of mouth that American doctors were coming, more than 300 people were waiting for them in the hot sun. Surprised by the crowd, the Knoxville group immediately realized the dire need for medical care.

“On our last night in Bouly, sitting on the mud floor of our little hut in complete darkness—there was no electricity—we felt we had to try to do something to bring regular medical care to these people. The scale of the need was immense,” Mr. Stair recalled.

“So many people were severely malnourished and suffering from diseases such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid,” he added.

What followed took years of planning, but in 2013 a medical clinic was finished, complete with four rooms, including two examination rooms, a sleeping room for clinic staff, and one bedroom for guests.

From the outset, the team knew that to make a lasting impact they had to find a way to get vaccines Haiti continued on page A20

How to sign up and qualify for Diocese of Knoxville’s safe-environment program

T This year the Handmaids of the Precious Blood celebrate their Diamond Jubilee: 75 years since their founding in 1947; 75 years of prayer and sacrifice for priests. Did you know you can receive weekly cartoons and short reflections and news from the Handmaids of the Precious Blood?

Visit their website, nunsforpriests.org, and sign up for the FIAT newsletter.

August Prayer Intentions “We pray for small- and medium-sized businesses; in the midst of economic and social crisis, may they find ways to continue operating and serving their communities.”

–– Pope Francis “This month, let us pray for the mission of all Catholic schools. As their doors open for another academic year, remember that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was a teacher. We pray that all the teachers of our diocese instill wisdom and faith in the classroom. And we pray that our Catholic school students listen, learn, and excel in all that they do. Amen.”

–– Bishop Stika

DIOCESE PROCEDURE

FOR

OF

KNOXVILLE

REPORTING

SEXUAL

ABUSE

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such information to the appropriate civil authorities first, then to the bishop's office, 865.584.3307.

he Diocese of Knoxville has implemented the CMG Connect platform to administer the Safe Environment Program, which replaces the former Safe Environment Program (VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children”).

CMG Connect is a web-based platform that will assist in ensuring that all employees and volunteers who are in a position of trust with children and vulnerable adults within Diocese of Knoxville schools and parishes are trained to recognize behavior patterns of potential abusers and provide pro-active measures for preventing abuse in any context.

“Safe Haven-It’s Up to You” is a three-part video that provides vignettes of real-life situations to educate the viewer about methods of grooming, desensitization, bullying, and neglect, all of which can lead to abuse.

Each part of the video is immediately followed by a brief questionnaire to further develop understanding.

Education is a key

FOLLOW US

KnoxDiocese

element of the Safe Environment Program.

All clergy, employees, contracted school personnel, volunteers, members of groups and organizations over the age of 18 who work, volunteer, or participate in any capacity are required to complete the diocesan Safe Environment training and a criminal-background check before they can begin employment, volunteer, or participate with ministries, groups, and organizations affiliated with the Diocese of Knoxville.

In addition, the mandatory renewal training must be completed every five years and a new background check submitted before the five-year expiration of prior training.

The Diocese of Knoxville Safe Environment compliance training and renewal training is a condition of employment and for volunteer ministry in the Diocese of Knoxville.

The CMG Connect

STAY CONNECTED

WATCH UPDATES

dioceseknoxville

A DVERTISE IN THE EAST TENNESSEE C AT H O L I C

DioKnoxTV

platform contains all three elements of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Safe Environment Program: n Annual review of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Policy and Procedures Relating to Sexual Misconduct; n CMG Connect Safe Haven training program to be completed every five years; n Criminal background check to be completed every five years.

In compliance with the Diocese of Knoxville’s Safe Environment Program, all affiliates require that volunteers and employees complete the requirements prior to working and/or volunteering in a parish, school, The Paraclete, or through Catholic Charities and/or St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic.

Go to https:// dioknox.org/safeenvironment on the Diocese of Knoxville website for more information. ■

CHECK US OUT knoxdiocese

> CONTACT US AT 865.584.3307 OR bbrewer @ dioknox.org.

> FIND US AT dioknox.org.

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE PUBLISHER

EDITOR

Bishop Richard F. Stika Bill Brewer COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

bbrewer@dioknox.org ASSISTANT EDITOR

Jim Wogan Dan McWilliams

jwogan@dioknox.org THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC (USPS 007211) is published monthly by The Diocese of Knoxville, 805 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, TN. Printed by the Knoxville News Sentinel. THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee.

DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCER

dan@dioknox.org

MULTIMEDIA REPORTER

Emily Booker Gabrielle Nolan

ebooker@dioknox.org

gnolan@dioknox.org

Subscription rate for others is $15 per year in the United States. Make checks payable to The Diocese of Knoxville.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC, 805 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919-7551.

A2 n AUGUST 7, 2022

www.di o k no x .o rg

CONTACT US 865.584.3307 VISIT US ONLINE dioknox.org | etcatholic.org

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Stretcher-bearers for God Our sufferings have a salvific purpose in Christ's sufferings when we 'offer them up' “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is the Church.”

— Colossians 1:24

I

n the Gospels, we read of a paralytic carried by four stretcher-bearers who, unable to get through the crowds that had gathered around Jesus in the house where He was staying, did something very bold and astounding.

After climbing upon the roof of the house, they made a large hole in it, no doubt to the great dissatisfaction of the homeowner, and lowered the paralytic down before Jesus. And seeing their great faith, Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sins and then healed him of his paralysis (Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).

Who were those four stretcher-bearers? The Gospels offer no details. But each of us can be a “stretcher-bearer” of souls when we offer up our sufferings in union with Christ’s upon the cross.

Three words for life’s sufferings. I still remember as a young boy one of the religious Sisters at the parish school I attended telling me to “Offer it up” as a way of encouraging me after tearfully showing her my skinned elbow from a playground fall. And with a compassionate voice as she dried my tears, she explained what those words meant, saying, “You can make a gift of it to Jesus on the cross, and you can also make a gift of it to help others.” Those three simple words and her short explanation represent one of the great spiritual counsels of the Church— that of “salvific suffering.”

The only answer to suffering. “Why?” This one word, this one question, sums up the universal reaction to the mystery of human suffering in all its forms and intensities for which the world has no answer. We may even have identified, at some point in our life, with the anguished cry of Job to God—“Why then did you bring me forth from the womb?” (Job 10:18). But God’s response to this universal question is also one word: Christ, the Word of God! Christ alone provides the only answer that truly satisfies the "why" of our sufferings: His own sufferings! But if Christ is God’s answer to the mystery of suffering, God also invites us to be a part of this answer to the world as Jesus’ helpers in His work of salvation and peace.

Embracing our cross. Our sufferings are not useless! Far from it if we but embrace them as Christ embraced His cross. But the world is constantly tempting us with those words Je-

James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The Palsied Man Let Down through the Roof (Le paralytique descendu du toit), 1886-1896. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 9 5/16 x 6 9/16 in. (23.7 x 16.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.123.

sus heard on Calvary—“Come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). In the beautiful words, though, of the Second Vatican Council, we are encouraged to find in our sufferings their salvific meaning and purpose: “In the face of (suffering) and death, the riddle of human existence grows most acute. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel they overwhelm us.” For only through Christ and in Christ can our sufferings be supernaturally invested with His redemptive love and power such that they can help others in a most miraculous way. How so? By offering our sufferings and crosses up to Christ.

Purpose and meaning. As it is Christ Jesus who “fully reveals to us who we are and makes

Follow Bishop Richard Stika on Facebook for news and events from the diocese.

our supreme calling clear” (to paraphrase the Second Vatican Council), so, too, it is Christ Jesus who, in His sufferings, reveals to us the meaning and purpose of our own sufferings—a salvific meaning and purpose. The story of the four stretcher-bearers who lowered the paralytic before Jesus illustrates this. And when we offer up our sufferings to Christ, we commit ourselves to that work most important to Jesus—the salvation of souls.

Christ’s co-workers. There are so many people today who are “paralyzed” by sin and vice, addictions, hurts and fears, who are unable to bring themselves before Christ without the help of others. But by virtue of our supernatural life in Christ as baptized members of His Mystical Body, we are not confined to time, space, and physical health and abilities to help others. This is where our sufferings and sacrifices can particularly come into play. For when we offer them up to Christ, He embraces them as His own, and invests them with the redemptive value of His sufferings. As such, they transcend time and place in how and to whom Jesus applies their value for the good of others. We “offer up” our sufferings so we can help “lift up” the many paralytics in their spiritual and corporal infirmities and bring them to Christ so He can say to them, “Your sins are forgiven,” and then take them by the hand so they can stand upright before God again in their dignity.

St. Teresa’s example. In order to bring the love of Christ to the poorest and rejected of the world, Mother Teresa of Kolkata (Calcutta) wanted to do even more than she and her Sisters could do. So she called upon the many people who wanted to help the Missionaries of Charity in their incredible work but were unable to do so because of their own sufferings and crippling illnesses.

Though they could not physically join her in helping, she asked them to enter into a spiritual relationship with the Sisters of her community, and to offer up their sufferings for their work among the poor and destitute. She called these special helpers her “spiritual twins” and her “sick and suffering co-workers” of whom she said: “Every Sister has a second self—to pray and suffer for her. Often when I find the work very difficult, I offer their suffering and I find help comes at once—from their continual suffering, the work of the Sisters… bears fruit” (“Come Be My Light,” 146).

Bishop continued on page A20

Bishop Stika’s schedule of Masses and public events These are some of Bishop Stika’s upcoming public appointments: n Monday, Aug. 1-Wednesday, Aug. 3: Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in Nashville. n Friday, Aug. 26-Saturday, Aug. 27: Ladies of Charity National Assembly in downtown Knoxville. n Thursday, Sept. 1-Thursday, Sept. 8: Beatification of Pope John Paul I in Rome. ■

Taking the pulse of the faithful

A

majority of likely Catholic voters are unhappy with President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress, according to a recent poll commissioned by EWTN News and conducted by RealClear Opinion Research.

The survey, which was taken before the June 24 Supreme Court ruling on abortion, found that while most Catholics support placing some limits on abortion, they are sharply divided when asked whether Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

Of Catholics surveyed, 45 percent say they have a favorable opinion of President Biden, compared with 53 percent who say they have an unfavorable opinion of the president.

President Biden received 52 percent of the Catholic vote in 2020, according to exit polls.

The poll, which was taken between June 13-23, paints a portrait of a Catholic electorate that in the last two years seems to have made a small shift away from the Democratic Party toward the Republican Party.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

By Zelda Caldwell/Catholic News Agency

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/BRENDAN MCDERMID, REUTERS

Catholic voters in the United States present opinions in new poll

Faith-based survey People in the New York City borough of Brooklyn fill out ballots during voting in New York's primary election on June 22, 2021.

According to the survey, 42 percent of likely Catholic voters identify with the Democratic Party. That’s a decrease from the 45 percent of Catholics calling themselves Democrats in 2020. The percentage of

Catholics who identify as Republicans increased from 34 percent to 38 percent in that time, with 20 percent identifying as Independents.

Approval ratings for Democrats in Congress switched from positive to

w ww.di o k no x .o rg

negative among Catholics, and the percentage of Catholics who think the nation is “headed in the right direction” also decreased from what it was two years ago.

John White, a professor at The Catholic University of America, who specializes in political parties, told Catholic News Agency that the poll is reflective of what is happening in the rest of the country but doesn’t indicate a definite shift to the GOP among Catholic voters.

“It is way too premature to conclude that the overall partisan picture for Catholics is changing much,” Professor White said.

“But overall, the differences between those who attend church regularly versus those who do not is now a real divide in American politics,” he said.

According to the EWTN/RealClear poll, Catholics who attend Mass once a week are evenly split between the Democratic and Republican parties. Those who attend Mass less frequently lean DemocratPoll continued on page A21 AUGUST 7, 2022 n A3

Diocese of Knoxville responds to Ukraine war effort

Parishioners step up with generous donations to diocesan second collections

T

hrough a special collection that could be classified as historic for the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Richard F. Stika and Father David Boettner, rector of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have separately wired more than $343,000 to agencies assisting victims of the devastating war in Ukraine.

Funds raised by the cathedral parish have directly benefited war refugees fleeing to Poland and purchased two ambulances used to transport civilian and military casualties. Funds raised by other parishes in the diocese have been sent to the relief effort spearheaded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.

“The generosity of our parishioners has been overwhelming during this collection, and our people continue to reflect the teachings of Jesus. I am very, very grateful,” Bishop Stika said.

“Our parishes always respond with compassion and charity when urgent needs arise, especially ones that come as the result of natural or manmade disasters. This effort seems to have surpassed all others.”

War broke out on Feb. 24 when the Russian military apparatus rolled into Ukraine, the latest in a series of unilateral actions dating back to 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea. In the early stages of this war, millions of Ukrainians, mostly women, children, and the elderly, fled their homes seeking safety in other countries, with most of them going to neighboring Poland, a nation that has courageously welcomed more than 4 million refugees.

As a result, the pilgrim house at the St. John Paul II Shrine in Kraków, Poland, originally built to accommodate around 20 guests, was quickly converted into a refugee shelter, and took in hundreds of people. Father Tomasz Szopa is the director of the St. John Paul II Shrine and is also a friend of Father Martin Gladysz, associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville.

“As soon as the war began, Father Martin and I were in the rectory talking about what could we do, and so I requested from Bishop Stika permission to do a second collection on Ash Wednesday for Ukrainian refugee relief,” Father Boettner said.

In the first days of the collection, the cathedral parish raised $15,000, a substantial amount for an effort that had little advanced publicity. Over the next two weeks, that amount grew to around $70,000. The parish community so far has raised almost $100,000. Their collection was bolstered when members of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, located across Northshore Drive from the cathedral, contributed an additional $12,000.

“I am always humbled by the faith and generosity of our parishioners,

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN NYCZ, COURTESY OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

By Jim Wogan

Desperately needed aid Bishop Marek Solarczyk of Radom, Poland, blesses care packages assembled by the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Radom on April 10. A total of 10,000 packages were assembled by Polish Knights and were delivered to internally displaced families in Ukraine. Each package includes meat, flour, pasta, chocolate, an Easter candle, and other items.

“I am always humbled by the faith and generosity of our parishioners, and this was one of those times when I was kind of in awe. Father Martin was just flabbergasted that people heard the need and responded so strongly. I think it buoyed the spirits of everybody who was depressed by the invasion, but they realized, ‘Hey, I am not powerless. I can do something.’”

— Father David Boettner rector, Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and this was one of those times when I was kind of in awe,” Father Boettner said. “Father Martin was just flabbergasted that people heard the need and responded so strongly. I think it buoyed the spirits of everybody who was depressed by the invasion, but they realized, ‘Hey, I am not powerless. I can do something.’”

The assistance Father Szopa’s refugee center received wasn’t just a charitable gesture from an unknown diocese halfway around the world.

Father Szopa is familiar with East Tennessee. He visited Knoxville in 2018 for the dedication of the new cathedral.

“I met him previously and knew him,” Father Boettner said. “Father Martin got his phone number so we could talk, and we were able to communicate back and forth via e-mail as well. When he told us what they were doing…we just wanted to be a part of that.”

In late March, the cathedral parish received a letter of gratitude from Father Szopa.

“Thank you for the donation of $70,000 to help the Ukrainian refugees,” Father Szopa said. “Thank you for your wide-open hearts. We will use the money for their purposes.

This is a substantial support for the needs of the war refugees from

Ukraine that we are hosting in our pilgrim house.”

In addition to supporting refugees in Poland, $37,000 of the cathedral funds have been used to purchase two ambulances aiding war victims.

Fr. Gladysz Father Gladysz, who was ordained in Czestochowa, contacted his nephew, a Redemptorist seminarian in Poland, and learned about the need for the vehicles.

“We sent funds for ambulances to Father Maciej Zieniec, CCsR, of the Redemptorist Fathers congregation,” Father Gladysz said. “At the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, he arrived at the Polish-Ukrainian border and helped refugees arriving from Ukraine. Father Zieniec collaborates with Caritas Polska, a charity organization of the Polish episcopate. He continues to provide aid to Ukraine, and several times during this war he was in Ukraine, transporting medical aid.”

Father Boettner said that any unused or additional funds will be allocated according to the needs of war victims. The war is moving into its

sixth month.

Inspired by the efforts of the cathedral family, Bishop Stika asked parishes across the diocese to hold a special collection March 19-20. That collection raised $231,194. Those funds have been wired to the USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.

Caritas Ukraine is one of many relief agencies the USCCB supports around the world. A Caritas official told Catholic News Service that the organization delivered about $1.5 million in relief supplies and services — donated by Catholics in multiple nations — by mid-May. When the war began, Caritas Ukraine had more than 35 offices across Ukraine, working in partnership with more than 3,000 parishes. It has steadily added more service centers throughout the conflict.

As a member of the USCCB subcommittee, Bishop Stika has kept an especially keen eye on the situation in Ukraine.

“In April, I was invited to participate in a video conference call with the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk,” Bishop Stika said. “As he described the physical and emotional terror that Catholics and all citizens of Ukraine were facing, I sensed something else. I could see the resolve the major archbishop had to protect the Church and all the innocent victims of the war.”

The Diocese of Knoxville often responds to local and regional crises with special collections, sometimes called second collections. The efforts to assist victims of the war in Ukraine seem to have surpassed all other efforts.

In 2017, parishes in the diocese raised $151,000 for the victims of wildfires that swept through Gatlinburg. The total contribution exceeded $200,000, which also included funds from the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation.

In late 2021, parishes raised more than $65,000 for victims of an earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 2,200 people, including a Catholic priest. Last year, after tornadoes ripped through western Kentucky, killing nearly 60 people and destroying property, the Diocese of Knoxville raised almost $70,000, which was sent to the Diocese of Owensboro to assist relief efforts there.

“Our response to special collections really defines who we are as Christians, and it is clearly rooted in Scripture,” Bishop Stika noted. “St. Paul speaks about this extensively, especially in his letters to the Corinthians.

“We schedule special collections throughout the year for specific purposes like seminarian education and school tuition support. But when something unexpected like a natural disaster occurs and our parishioners respond on short notice and with generosity like they have this time, it Ukraine continued on page A18

All Saints health and wellness expo set for Aug. 19-20

By Jim Wogan

I

n 10 years as a Catholic priest, Father Doug Owens has become proficient at ministering to those in need.

The pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville has anointed the sick, comforted those in distress, and, of course, nourished the faithful through the sacraments. But Father Owens knows that a healthy Catholic—in all aspects of what healthy means—is also a happy Catholic.

“Being a good Catholic and Christian begins with abiding by the tenets of our faith. We know that’s necessary for us spiritually and eventually for our salvation,” Father Owens said. “But life, especially these days, can be extremely complicated and demanding, and there are resources out there that can assist people when it comes to questions about their physical and mental well-being.”

For that reason, when it was presented to him, Father Owens gave

A4 n AUGUST 7, 2022

his blessing to the idea of a Health and Mental Wellness Expo to be held at his parish Aug. 19-20.

All Saints parishioner Christine Lucheon said Fr. Owens the idea for the expo evolved out of discussions in the parish community.

“We wanted to be equipped as a parish to deal with people who might approach our priests and deacons, or even a lay leader, and who might say ‘I am really struggling with an issue, and I need to talk to somebody. I need help,’” Mrs. Lucheon said.

“The light went off, and I thought, why can’t we expand this for people outside our parish and have it encompass a broad approach to health—physical, mental, and spir-

itual? The idea just jumped out to me, and I really credit the Holy Spirit with leading me in that direction,” she added.

Mrs. Lucheon The sessions cover a broad range of topics including stretching and breathing techniques, marriage connection, sports nutrition, intuitive eating, coping with anxiety, trauma healing, assisting friends in need, and children and mental-health issues.

Father Owens will lead a discussion on mental health and the spiritual life. Other session leaders include All Saints parishioner Zach Kramer, owner of Trinity Strength; Deacon Robert Rust; sports dietician Allison Maurer; marriage counselor Joey Wenning; eating specialist

www.di o k no x .o rg

Allison Lowe; Father Michael Maples; Dr. Lisa Padgett, MD; and the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee.

The expo will include several informational booths and the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, which will be onsite Saturday, Aug. 20.

“We’re going to provide some health screenings for glucose and blood pressure, and we will also be available to offer mental health screening,” said clinic executive director Martin Vargas.

“Mental health is a part of overall health. We provide primary health care and that includes seeing people and referring them out for mental health care. We partner with several different mental health agencies throughout the state,” he said.

The expo begins on Friday, Aug. 19, with a Mass celebrated by Father Owens. For more information, contact Mrs. Lucheon at clucheon@dioknox.org or call the All Saints Parish office at 865-531-0770. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Promoting and renewing Catholic education Annual conference places emphasis on values, re-establishing gold standard of learning

By Kurt Jensen Catholic News Service

KATHY RANKIN/ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL

C

an an emphasis on values and what's called a traditional “liberal”—meaning liberal arts—Catholic education rebuild the long-dwindling parochial education system?

Elisabeth Sullivan, executive director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, believes that it can and that the effort begins with acknowledging that America's political and social culture is broken.

“It is. It absolutely is,” she told Catholic News Service. “Renewal is about ordering our conscience, because truth is one in Him.” Noting that Catholic instruction used to be “the gold standard of education,” she added, “this is the culmination of what education should be. And it's for unity, not division. We are living in a postChristian culture.”

Nationally, enrollment in Catholic schools saw an uptick in the past year. And enrollment continues to rise in all 10 of the Diocese of Knoxville's schools.

According to statistics compiled by the National Catholic Educational Association, enrollment across the country increased by 3.8 percent for a total of nearly 1.7 million students enrolled in both grade and high schools.

It was the largest increase NCEA had recorded in two decades and marked a significant improvement from the 6.4 percent decline from 2019-21 attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. The enrollment peak in the early 1960s was more than 5 million.

About 350 attended the institute's annual conference July 1114 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Participants represented 88 schools and organizations and 45 dioceses.

Ms. Sullivan called the mood “in-

Focused on faith Molly Krueger, a teacher at St. Joseph School in Knoxville and a eucharistic minister, gives Communion to a young student during a school Mass. credibly hopeful and joyful.”

The conference drew superintendents, school leaders, teachers, bishops, and other clergy and had as its theme, “For the Life of the World,” reflecting the U.S. bishops' three-year National Eucharistic Revival that was launched June 19, the feast of Corpus Christi.

The institute, founded in 1999, assists Catholic schools “in rediscovering and restoring the intellectual tradition of liberal education that is our heritage,” said Mary Pat Donoghue, executive director of the USCCB's Secretariat of Catholic Education.

“Once discovered, teachers and students alike enjoy the freedom that accompanies the joyful pursuit of faith, wisdom, and virtue,” she said in a statement.

Organizers said the conference was sold out, and livestream viewing of sessions drew even more participants. An evening keynote address by Bishop Thomas A. Daly of Spokane, Wash., opened the conference July 11.

The bishop, chairman of the U.S.

Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Catholic Education, urged attendees to make sure their work was always rooted in the importance of the Eucharist.

In an address July 14, Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Neb., criticized secular education and culture.

“A huge amount of today's educational orthodoxy is about acquiring more technique,” he said. But “real education is about meaning.

In other words, words matter.”

“To the degree that a word accurately reflects reality—unborn child, man, woman, male, female—it tells the truth,“ he said.

“On the other hand, dishonest and misleading words do the opposite.

They confuse and demean and then do massive damage.”

Noting that “verbal engineering always precedes social engineering,” Bishop Conley added, “The deceit and confusion don't stay at the level of our politics. They ... inevitably trickle down into our public classrooms in the form of critical race theory, revisionist civ-

ics, and disordered sexuality.”

“The ferocity of verbal abuse and physical abuse and irrational hatred unleashed by otherwise progressive people with the downfall of Roe is instructive for us, I think,” the bishop said.

Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling legalizing abortion nationwide that the current Supreme Court overturned June 24, “was always a judicial coup—a badly reasoned decision that invented a right to abortion out of whole cloth, unrelated to the Constitution or democratic processes,” he said.

Bishop Conley also bemoaned the changing meaning of some words, without getting more specific. “There were words we used to use—beautiful words—we can't use any more ... because they mean something else.”

He concluded, “A liberal education reminds children why they're human—and what that means.”

On July 13, David Dean, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Tulsa, Okla., reminded the conference: “You bring beauty to these young souls who live in a mostly filthy culture. And they desperately need what you have to offer.”

Also on July 13, Michael Ortner, who is the founder of Capterra, an online marketplace for business software, and a member of the Catholic University board of visitors, reminded teachers to cultivate “a sense of wonder” in their students.

“This sense of wonder I don't think can be understated,” he said.

“It led me to the next important thing: knowledge for the sake of itself.”

“What we're doing at these Catholic schools is very countercultural,” Mr. Ortner said. “It's great to have some support network.” ■

St. John Neumann Donor Establishes SJNCS Endowed Scholarship Jack Kawa, long-time St. John Neumann Catholic Church parishioner who recently moved out of state, has made a gift to establish an endowment at St. John Neumann Catholic School. The John F. (Jack) Kawa Endowed Scholarship, which will provide tuition assistance to students who need financial support, is the first endowment in SJNCS history. Jack made the landmark gift so others could benefit from a Catholic school education just as he did as a child and young adult growing up in New York. “I made this gift to help families who want their children to attend St. John Neumann Catholic School but can’t afford the full tuition,” said Jack. “I was educated in Catholic schools my entire life, from elementary school through college, graduating from Fordham University in the Bronx in 1965. The education I received from all the Catholic schools I attended was excellent. I think it’s very important for private schools to succeed and serve as competition for public schools, as competition makes everyone better.”

Fr. Joe Reed, Pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church and School, said of the impact of Jack’s gift, “I simply cannot overstate how grateful we are for Jack’s endowed scholarship. This is an historic gift for the school that will change the lives of countless students and families for generations to come. This endowment is a blessing that will help us fulfill our mission to serve God with loving hearts, joyfully embrace our Catholic faith, and nurture individual and academic excellence.” Jack and his wife, Jayne Curley moved out of state recently, and miss St. John Neumann parishioners and the state of Tennessee as a whole. “Jayne’s and my time in Tennessee was more than enjoyable; we met so many great people. Now, everyone is realizing how great Tennessee is and moving there!”

Jack Kawa

To learn about how you can give to St. John Neumann Catholic Church or School, please contact Patrick Wade, Director of Development at pwade@sjnknox.org or (865)777-3410. To give online, please visit sjnknox.org/give.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

w ww.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A5

Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools Annual Report 2022

Dr. Sedonna J. Prater, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, SJNCS

Notre Dame High School, Chattanooga, Class of 2022

Catholic Schools Soar The 10 Catholic schools experienced a successful year with student achievement celebrated within the classroom and throughout a number of co-curricular activities. As a system of schools, the 10 schools met the rigorous standards for reaccreditation through Cognia. The schools were commended for initiatives in the key areas of leadership, academic excel-lence, and operational vitality.

Specifically, the schools were commended for: •

Support from pastors, administrators, and teachers for the goal of “intentional planning for leadership succession”

Knoxville Catholic High School Class of 2022

•

An atmosphere of mutual support, respect, and collaboration among the Catholic Schools Office, School Pastors, and the schools

•

Maximizing opportunities by utilizing national and local community partners to enhance leadership programs

•

Compiling a collection of student assessment data to evaluate student performance growth and inform instructional decision-making

•

Strong academic performance reflects the commitment to meet the needs of all learners

•

Strong Catholic identity that is ingrained in the culture of day-to-day work throughout the diocese

•

Prioritizing opportunities for students and faculty to continue their faith development

St. Joseph Regional Catholic School, Knoxville

•

Training sought through the Latino Enrollment Institute at the University of Notre Dame has brought great ideas and enthusiasm for increasing Latino enrollment in the schools

Dr. Caroline Carlin, Principal and students

•

Collection and sharing of data in regard to school budgets enable the schools to establish benchmarks and set sustainability goals

•

Focus of the Catholic Schools Office on development and marketing will positively impact the viability of the schools

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, Chattanooga

While the schools celebrate these successes, our Catholic ANNUAL C2017-2018 schools are eager to embrace the new goals developed in the diocesan strategic improvement plans.

REPORT

Preparing Scholars, Leaders, a

“Be who God intends you to be and you will set the world on fire” St. Catherine of Siena

Grace

A6 n AUGUST 7, 2022

www.di o k no x .o rg

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Enrollment on the Rise The Catholic schools within the diocese are expecting another increase in enrollment for the 2022-23 school year. Last year, the schools welcomed 3,388 students in preschool through Grade 12, an increase of 5% over the last five years. This reflected, for the first time in 11 years, an increase in enrollment in all 10 of the schools from the previous year. School administrators and teachers are preparing for another increase in enrollment with several schools having waiting lists for certain grade levels.

The student population also reflects changes in diversity within the demographic profile. Eighty-five percent of the students identify as white with an increase of Hispanic students to 16%, black students to 4%, and a decrease in Asian student population from 4% to 3%.

Approximately 33% of the students have exceptional learning needs and another 14% have diverse linguistic backgrounds with a native language other than English.

The enrollment increase is attributed to a number of factors. New families report a desire for family-like environments found in our Catholic schools, as well as, the foundation of faith and focus on values. Parents have shared that the academic rigor and continued achievement is another important reason for enrolling their children. During the last few years, the schools have prioritized marketing and outreach to families within our communities. New families moving into the area have also contributed to this increase, as there has been considerable growth within the cities where our Catholic schools exist.

Pictured above: Sister Mary John Slonkosky, OP, Principal St. Mary Catholic School, Oak Ridge, and students

Students Excel on Achievement Exams The Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools Office released the 2021-22 student achievement results for the Iowa Assessments, which demonstrate the students have continued to excel academically in all content areas. While many schools across the nation are struggling to mitigate learning loss due to the pandemic, the students in the diocese have maintained learning with no significant loss. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catholic schools remained committed to ensuring the continuation of learning and evaluating student progress through assessment data.

Results from the 2022 spring assessments reveal: 

76% of students in Grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded grade level expectations in English Language Arts.



73% of students in Grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded grade level expectations in mathematics.



69% of students in Grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded grade level expectations in science



69% of students in Grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded grade level expectations in social studies

2022 ACT COLLEGE EXAM SCORES (DIOCESAN) Total Tested Diocese

260

English State

85436

Diocese

25

Mathematics

Reading

State

Diocese

State

Diocese

20

23

19

Science State

25

20

Diocese

23

Composite State

19

Diocese

24

State

19

Assessment of Catholic Religious Knowledge (ARK) In the Spring of 2022, the Catholic schools administered a nationally normed assessment of Catholic religious knowledge. The Assessment of Catholic Religious Knowledge (ARK) is used by over 100,000 students in 42 dioceses to assess both student and teacher knowledge of Christian doctrine and the application of this faith through practice. Students in grades 2 through 12 were administered the assessment and demonstrated 68% mastery of Christian doctrine as compared to the score of 47% across the nation. In addition, a Catholic identity score was given to the schools based on the student and teacher responses on the beliefs and behaviors score. Compilation of the results indicated a 97% rating on Catholic identity.

The teacher and student scores will be used to further assess religious instruction and curriculum alignment with grade level standards. In addition, the teachers may use their own scores to identify catechetical formation goals.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

w ww.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A7

Knoxville Catholic High School to host Young Life Popular youth ministry will be on campus beginning with fall semester

Schools continued from page A1 ment, and culture.

“There are a number of things.

But we also have to adhere to the national standards and benchmarks for effective Catholic schools. Within those, there are four different domains with a number of benchmarks. The four domains are academic excellence, governance and leadership, mission and Catholic identity, and operational vitality,” she said.

“We’re looking at dual standards. Because we’re looking at an extensive amount of standards and benchmarks that we have to meet, the state of Tennessee recognizes that higher level of accrediting status, so we automatically are accredited by the state of Tennessee,” she added.

Dr. Prater is working to get that message out to parents of diocesan school students and potential parents.

“This is important. This is critical. For example, at our high schools, students wouldn’t be able to get into college if they weren’t from accredited schools.

But it’s the fact that we’re accredited as an entire system, all of our schools, all the way down to pre-school and up through grade 12. Our system has a mark of distinction, and it’s a mark of distinction that is recognized worldwide,” she continued.

Enrollment

Among the accreditation goals diocesan schools have been working toward is increasing enrollment. That process appears to be working, too.

The goal has been to raise enrollment by 5 percent over five years, so basically 1 percent per year.

“We did that, and that was one of the things the accreditation committee commended us on. We did what we said we were going A8 n AUGUST 7, 2022

COURTESY OF YOUNG LIFE

I

n what is likely a first for the Diocese of Knoxville, Knoxville Catholic High School will host a Young Life team for the 2022-23 academic year.

And as part of an effort to double down on evangelizing to Knoxvillearea Catholic youth, the Diocese of Knoxville’s Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry has plans to reinvigorate the SEARCH program for Catholic teens.

Young Life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to middle school, high school, and college students in all 50 states and in more than 100 countries.

The nonprofit ministry, which has been evangelizing to high school students in the Knoxville area for decades, has a presence in all Knox County high schools and also ministers at Webb School of Knoxville and Christian Academy of Knoxville.

While traditionally considered a Protestant evangelical organization, Young Life has a Catholic division dedicated to helping Catholic students grow in their relationship to Jesus and strengthen their faith.

The team leaders assigned to KCHS will share their ministry in keeping with the Catholic faith, said Dickie Sompayrac, president of the school.

And according to Young Life, its Catholic Relations arm trains its staff and volunteers to minister to Catholic teens in ways that respect and renew their Catholic faith in Jesus.

The Young Life leaders assigned to KCHS are Katie Schulze, Kate Hoots, and William Linton.

Mrs. Schulze, 26, is a graduate of Bearden High School in Knoxville and Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City. She and her husband, Sam, have been Young Life leaders since 2014. Sam Schulze is a leader at Farragut High School.

Joining Mrs. Schulze at KCHS are Miss Hoots, 21, a University of Tennessee-Knoxville student who is a graduate of Father Ryan Catholic High School in Nashville, and Mr.

New kids on campus The Young Life leaders at Knoxville Catholic High School are, from left, Katie Schulze, Kate Hoots, and William Linton.

"It’s about kids having a personal relationship with Jesus, and that certainly lines up with our mission.

At the heart of Young Life is encouraging kids to have a personal relationship with Jesus."

— Dickie Sompayrac president of Knoxville Catholic High School

Linton, 26, who is from Knoxville and graduated high school from Christian Academy and then Clemson University.

Mr. Sompayrac said he and his staff at KCHS have looked at inviting Young Life to the school “two or three times” in the 17 years he has led KCHS. He pointed out that Young Life’s

dedication to evangelizing Catholic youth through its Catholic Relations arm can be seen in Catholic schools around the country. As part of researching Young Life before inviting the organization to KCHS, Mr. Sompayrac enlisted the expertise of Father Christopher Floersh as chaplain of the school, religion teacher Sister Scholastica, OP, and KCHS academic

to do,” Dr. Prater said. “We want to continue to do that. Our focus is all students, but certainly our Catholic students and our parishes. Those are our first customers, our first line of who we want to serve. In these next five years, we want to make more strides in reaching out to our Catholic families, in particular our Hispanic families, who may be in our parishes but don’t think Catholic schools are for them. Our Catholic schools are for them.”

Based on pre-enrollment numbers, all 10 diocesan schools are expected to see higher enrollment for the 2022-23 academic year, according to Dr. Prater.

Tuition assistance

Aligned with promoting Catholic education to all communities within the Diocese of Knoxville is tuition assistance, and Dr. Prater believes it’s as critical to promote tuition assistance so that the children of all families can have the opportunity to attend a diocesan school.

She said the school system wants to do a better job of communicating the tuition assistance fund that is available for families who may need it. She pointed out that families are made aware of tuition assistance once they come into a school to consider enrolling.

“But if concern for financing education is there, they may never come in through our doors. We have to do a better job of informing them and letting them know it’s out there,” she said.

A second collection at diocesan Masses the weekends of Aug. 13-14 and Nov. 12-13 is for the tuition assistance fund. The annual diocesan schools raffle also is dedicated to tuition assistance, with raffle tickets being sold beginning this month and continu-

By Bill Brewer

dean Jane Walker.

“Then, we went to an annual Young Life dinner and met with Will Acker, Knoxville metro director of Young Life. He invited me, my wife, Jenny, and my sons, Ben and Nicholas, to a Young Life retreat in North Carolina. Ben is in school at KCHS. It was a really positive experience,” Mr. Sompayrac shared.

He observed that years ago there was a fear that a Young Life presence at KCHS would draw students away from the Catholic Church.

“It’s not a denominational separation. It’s about kids having a personal relationship with Jesus, and that certainly lines up with our mission. At the heart of Young Life is encouraging kids to have a personal relationship with Jesus,” he said.

Mr. Sompayrac explained that Mrs. Schulze, Miss Hoots, and Mr. Linton will work closely with KCHS and be present on campus, such as attending lunch two or three times a week while attending extracurricular activities, too.

There also will be a weekly, offcampus Young Life gathering of students.

Mr. Sompayrac said when he was growing up in Hixson and attending Notre Dame High School, he had friends who were in Young Life.

“Everything I’ve always heard has been positive. It’s about journeying with Jesus. I’m hopeful Young Life will help our kids on that journey,” he added. “I think youth ministry has been a struggle for the Catholic Church, especially among adolescent teens. I certainly hope this helps in that regard.”

As a parent, Mr. Sompayrac had questions about how Young Life would integrate into a Catholic high school setting and how an organization well known among Protestant faiths would minister to Catholic teens.

“This is not a Protestant movement. This is a Christian movement.

This is getting closer to Jesus. We’ve Young Life continued on page A23

Sacred Sites & Scenic Sights A Pilgrimage Through

Switzerland Fr. Michael Maples, Spiritual Director 11 Days –April 17-27, 2023

For More Information Contact: Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 lisam@select-intl.com selectinternationaltours.com

Schools continued on page A9 www.di o k no x .o rg

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Schools continued from page A8

ing through December. For every $10 raffle ticket sold, schools keep at least $6.50 for tuition assistance.

“I’m reaching out to St. Catherine of Siena as the patroness of our schools this year. She is a doctor of the Church. ... A quote I would like us to follow is, ‘Be who God intends you to be and you will set the world on fire.’””

Leadership

As the school year begins, some schools will see new leadership.

Andrew Cooper, formerly the development director at St. Mary School in Johnson City, has been named principal of St. Dominic School in Kingsport. He succeeds Darlene Lyons, who requested a return to classroom teaching and will serve at St. Mary.

Mary Sue Kosky has been named the principal of Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Knoxville. Ms. Kosky has been with the school since March, assisting interim principal Joan Turbyville.

Ms. Kosky formerly was an assistant principal at St. John Neumann School in Farragut.

In Chattanooga, former longtime St. Jude School principal Jamie Goodhard has been named interim head of school at Notre Dame High School. She joins Deacon Hicks Armor, who is co-interim head of school at Notre Dame.

Deacon Armor also is director of stewardship and strategic planning for the diocese.

Ms. Goodhard served as principal of St. Jude for 20 years. During the 2021-22 school year, she was coordinator for accreditation and special projects for diocesan schools. Dr. Prater said Ms. Goodhard brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Notre Dame.

Laura Goodhard, who formerly was admissions director at Notre Dame High School, will be an academic dean at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga.

Grants for resources

Four diocesan schools—Notre Dame, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Mary in Oak Ridge, and St. Joseph—will continue to receive grants from a U.S. Department of Education program for non-public schools.

A second round of grants is through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools that’s part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. This act provided $2.75 billion for the EANS program for private and independent schools.

Dr. Prater explained that in the first round of EANS funding in 2021, all 10 diocesan schools received grants during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this second round of funding, the four diocesan schools are receiving $1.3 million.

During the first phase of EANS, schools were required to purchase resources and then be reimbursed. In this second phase, Notre Dame, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Mary, and St. Joseph are being supplied with the resources based on need.

They were selected for the second phase because their enrollment met the Education Department’s poverty-level threshold, according to Dr. Prater.

“This is huge. In EANS I and EANS II, these were things that were not in our budget, that we did not have the means to do in any way, shape, or form. It’s been very helpful,” she said.

Academic performance

Dr. Prater highlighted academic performance among diocesan schools. She said the state of Tennessee reported that 36.4 percent of public-school students in grades kindergarten through eighth in the state are meeting grade-level expectations in English language arts compared to 76 percent of students in Catholic schools.

In math, 73 percent of students in Tennessee Catholic schools are meeting or exceeding proficiency versus 30 percent for state public school students. In science, Tennessee Catholic school students are performing better than 69 perTH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

— Dr. Sedonna Prater superintendent of Diocese of Knoxville schools

cent of all other students. Social studies results were similar.

In religion studies, Tennessee Catholic school students achieved 68 percent mastery compared to 47 percent of U.S. Catholic school students.

“Our achievement data indicate that our students are performing extremely high,” Dr. Prater said, adding that 100 percent of diocesan students take the achievement tests, but there are students with different learning needs, with 35 percent of diocesan students on a learning plan.

She said 76 percent of diocesan school students are meeting or exceeding grade-level academic expectations while 24 percent are not.

She noted that graduation rates at Notre Dame and Knoxville Catholic high schools are right at 100 percent.

“I feel like we’re in good shape, and we’re excited about the new school year.”

‘Learning to hope’

Diocesan school leaders gathered for a leadership retreat at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton from July 20-22 to plan for the new school year.

Also, as part of new school year preparation was new employee orientation on July 28, while FBI officials met with school leaders about crisis management, and the schools manual dealing with students with learning needs was updated to address social/ emotional learning in the wake of COVID. Dr. Prater said the theme for the retreat, which will carry over to the academic year, is “Learning to hope with St. Catherine of Siena.”

“I’m reaching out to St. Catherine of Siena as the patroness of our schools this year. She is a doctor of the Church, and she set things on track when there was a lot of turmoil in the Church,” Dr. Prater said. “A quote I would like us to follow is, ‘Be who God intends you to be and you will set the world on fire.’ The idea is let’s be who God intends us to be in our schools because we’re doing His work. If we do that, we can’t help but be successful.”

undone.’”

“We have fared better than most as our test scores indicate,” she noted.

Dr. Prater recalled the first year of the pandemic, when learning shifted from the classroom to remote, at-home learning, remarking that some diocesan schools were ready to handle that shift, but many were not.

“But they did it, and they did it well. Then, the next year we came back and asked our faculties to do it again, except this time we did double duty. Our teachers were teaching students in the classroom and students at home,” she noted. “Then last year, we’re all in school and not doing double duty. However, we had the highest number of children at home under quarantine or illness. The first two years, we had very little illness and very little quarantining. Last school year, we started out battling COVID with students who were not in school because they were sick or quarantined.”

“There was discontinuity in learning. It’s a fact; it’s really a mark of great achievement that our students have performed in the manner they have given that disruption and that our teachers and our staffs continue to excel,” she continued.

But she observed that along the way, there have been increases in anxiety and social/emotional distress.

“We’ve seen an increase in depression with our children. We’ve seen an increase in mental-health disorders that we did not have pre-pandemic. That’s why I say

Impact of COVID

She said diocesan schools, in some ways, have moved past the COVID school years of 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22, but in other ways the schools are still being affected by the coronavirus.

“We’re treating it as an endemic—something we’re going to have to live with. It’s not a pandemic anymore. It’s endemic. It’s something that’s going to be here.

As far as our policies are concerned, we’re addressing it as we do with all our illnesses. It falls under wellness. But having lived through it, and if I can be honest, we’re not the same nor will we ever be. There has been a lot that has changed and transpired. It has impacted us for three years,” she said.

At the height of the pandemic, diocesan schools approached the outbreak “like the house was on fire,” she pointed out.

“We were trying to save the most important elements and get out while holding on to those most important of things, which for us was keeping our children in school as healthy as possible and educating them as best we can,” she said. “This year, we’re able to look back and say, ‘OK, now that the fire is under control, we can assess what do we need to do to repair what’s been w ww.di o k no x .o rg

we’ve changed; we’re different.

We’ve learned to not take things for granted and to prioritize the things that are most important.

It's been three years. And while the 76 percent achievement level is great, there still are 24 percent who aren’t at grade level expectations. That’s not where we were pre-pandemic. That number was much lower,” she said.

Diocesan educators also are seeing setbacks with young children just entering school because they aren’t as prepared as the students entering pre-kindergarten or kindergarten prior to the pandemic, according to Dr. Prater, noting that during the pandemic, young schoolchildren were not able to play together and interact, which stunted their social/emotional development.

“We had them in school, but we were socially distancing them.

That’s not normal. As a society, I don’t think we’re going to completely understand the impact of these past three years on our kids until down the road. It has been a huge strain on teachers and school leaders because they are dealing with things they’ve never dealt with before,” Dr. Prater said.

So, while the class may have been half empty over the past three school years as COVID dictated the lesson plan, Dr. Prater said the new signs of optimism are unmistakable.

“I feel good about this school year. We have great faculties.

We’ve had some great hires. We have great school leaders. We’re starting in a good place,” she noted. ■

Pilgrimage to

ireland & scotland

Catholic Roots ...Christian Cousins

with Fr. Mike Nolan

12 Days

June 12-23, 2023

For More Information Contact: Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 lisam@select-intl.com selectinternationaltours.com

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A9

A letter about St. Paul and the Philippians Young student Elena Crace wins national essay contest through the Catholic Textbook Project

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

E

lena Crace of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville recently won a national history essay contest through the Catholic Textbook Project with an entry about St. Paul.

Students in Catholic schools and homeschools could participate in the contest. Elena won in the sixth-grade homeschool category with her essay, “Following St. Paul to Greece.” Sixthgraders were asked to choose a country they would like to visit, research the country’s history, and write about two places of historical interest that they would like to visit and why.

Elena is the daughter of Lindy and Morgan Crace. Together with siblings Julian and Marguerite, they attend Holy Ghost Church.

Elena’s family homeschool is Shadow and Light Academy. She attends the St. Benedict’s Catholic Co-op homeschool at Holy Ghost, where she will soon begin seventh grade. Her teacher for the first part of this past year, Christine Blair, discussed the Mary Fabyan Windeatt book St. Paul the Apostle, while her teacher for the second half, Jennifer Baker, encouraged students to enter the contest.

“I am super proud of Elena,” Mrs. Baker said. “She is a hard worker and an excellent student. I do think Elena enjoys writing, as she generally has her writing assignments completed early. She puts a lot of effort into school. The win is well-deserved.”

“Have you ever wondered what St. Paul felt in his missions throughout the world evangelizing hostile pa-

Nationally recognized writer Elena Crace stands with her mother, Lindy, and father, Morgan, at Holy Ghost Church. Elena won a national history essay contest through the Catholic Textbook Project with an entry about St. Paul.

“I was surprised that my essay won out of all the essays that were sent in. I know that someone always wins the contest, but I never thought it would be me.” me ” — Elena Crace gans, facing persecution and possibly death? Last summer, I read St. Paul the Apostle by Windeatt and thought a lot about St. Paul’s courage, faith, and love,” Elena’s essay began. “Visiting the places he visited would help me better understand what he experienced. Of the places St. Paul visited, Greece is the country I would most

like to see because of its importance both historically and biblically. St. Paul traveled through Greece during his second missionary journey from 49-51 AD, spreading the Gospel to many cities.”

In her essay, Elena wrote that she would like to visit Philippi and Athens.

“When St. Paul visited Athens, he saw temples and altars to many Greek gods, especially Athena, patroness of the city. However, one in particular caught his eye,” she wrote.

“On this small altar was inscribed, ‘To an unknown God.’ Paul told the Athenians that this altar was dedicated to the true God of the Christians.

In their wisdom, the Athenians had sensed that there was more than just their gods, something they could not name or really understand. Our catechism teaches that humans can know through observation of the natural world that there is a Creator.

“The Athenians, realizing that their gods fought so much and behaved in silly ways, seem to have felt that they were not enough to have created this world. Paul stepped in with the truth about God. “While in Athens, I would most like to visit the Areopagus because that is where St. Paul spoke to the Athenians about the altar to an ‘unknown god.’ Areopagus means ‘Mars Hill.’ This huge rock was where the elders of the city would discuss important business and decide murder cases. It offers a great view of modern-day Athens, including the Acropolis and agora, which are both historically important. Tragically, I would not be able to see the Athenian altar to the unknown god because it has never been discovered, though a similar monument was found in Rome and is now in a museum in England.

“I would love to retrace St. Paul’s Essay continued on page A11

‘Dustbin of history’ U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tuition aid could render Blaine Amendment obsolete

T

he U.S. Supreme Court's Carson v. Makin ruling could eventually expand educational options for Catholic families and close out a long-standing relic of 19th-century anti-Catholic bias in Missouri and other states, a former Missouri Catholic Conference official said.

The 6-3 decision, handed down June 21, declared that a Maine tuition aid program that excluded religious schools was unconstitutional.

“I would say that this decision puts Missouri's Blaine Amendment in the dustbin of history,” said Mike Hoey, retired executive director and longtime legislative specialist with the state Catholic conference, the public policy arm of Missouri's Catholic bishops.

He said the amendments were part of an attempt in the 1870s by U.S. Rep. James Blaine from Maine to stop any kind of aid to religious schools.

Mr. Hoey has extensively studied the history of anti-Catholic bias in the Missouri Constitution and is the author of “Missouri Education at the Crossroads: The Phelan Miscalculation and the Education Amendment of 1870,”published in the Missouri Historical Review in July 2001.

“A number of states passed socalled Blaine Amendments in the 19th century and were motivated in large part by anti-Catholic bias, which was very prevalent in America at that time,” he said.

People have defended such century-and-a-half-old amendments to state constitutions “as if they were an extension of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.”

“That's a clear misreading of the First Amendment,” he said.

He noted that there are two parts of the First Amendment's first phrase, which deals with religion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” and “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Mr. Hoey said the “no establishment” portion was a response to several of the former colonies that became the United States of America having their own established,

A10 n AUGUST 7, 2022

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/TYLER ORSBURN

By Jay Nies Catholic News Service

Talking about tuition A teacher and students at a Catholic school are seen in this photo. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in "Carson v. Makin" on June 21 could expand educational options for Catholic families across the country. In a 6-3 decision, the court sided with two Christian families who challenged a Maine tuition assistance program that excluded private religious schools. state religions.

“For instance, in colonial Virginia, before there was a 'United States,' when the states were still just colonies, the Church of England was the established religion, and Virginia's colonial government subsidized the Anglican clergy,” Mr. Hoey said.

That did not sit well with Virginia's Baptists and the smaller Protestant denominations.

“That's partly the reason they put 'no establishment of religion' in the Bill of Rights,” Mr. Hoey said.

“They didn't want a particular religion to be the official religion. They wanted people to have freedom to express their religious beliefs in whatever way they wished.”

With that understanding, Carson v.

Makin makes perfect sense, he told The Catholic Missourian, newspaper of the Diocese of Jefferson City.

“The court's decision is simply saying that if a public school system is going to provide grants or vouchers to schools in the private sector, it cannot exclude private religious schools simply because they're religious,” he said.

Excluding religious schools, but not other private schools, would amount to inhibiting the free expression of religion, in violation of the second part of the First Amendment's clause dealing with religion, he pointed out.

He also noted the Carson ruling does not require states to give funding to private schools or to parents

wishing to send their children to private schools.

“If the public school system chooses to only fund public schools, they can do that, they're free to do that, and that's their prerogative as a public body, as a government agency,” he said.

“But if they're going to provide funding in the private sector, you can't single out religious schools as being not eligible simply because they're religiously affiliated,” he added.

He called the decision “a big step forward.”

Missouri has passed several laws in the past 10 to 15 years expanding public education into the private sector, including charter schools and a rather limited voucher program.

“This ruling should open up some of those programs to religious schools,” Mr. Hoey noted.

He said states could still set requirements for participating in such programs, as long as those requirements apply to all people who want to compete for those vouchers or grants and are not intrinsically biased against faith-based schools simply because they're faith-based.

“Catholic schools would have to look at those requirements and decide whether they want to participate or not,” he added.

In the meantime, he said it might take a while for the court's intent in the Carson ruling to filter down to every state.

“There will probably be some

www.di o k no x .o rg

pushback,” he said. “It's going to take a little while for the import of this decision to sort of sink in. It may still be debated for a while.”

“But if you're going to have any kind of voucher program,” he stated, “especially one that goes to parents, the Supreme Court is saying you're not establishing religion by opening it up to religious schools; you're allowing the free expression of religion.”

Mr. Hoey believes Missouri's current, fairly limited voucher program for parents who want to send their children to charter schools or to public schools in neighboring districts, would provide the best opportunity for parents seeking tax relief for sending their children to religious schools.

“As it is now with the ruling, if someone brings out legislation to start up a voucher or tax-credit program that includes public and private schools, no one will be able to argue that it's unconstitutional,” he said.

“As long as the choice is in parents' hands, it's certainly an opportunity for the advocates of school choice, especially in the Catholic sector, to make sure Catholic schools are included in such a program,” he added.

In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee recently met with nearly 50 private school leaders in the Memphis area as the state rolls out its school voucher program in Memphis and Nashville.

The state Supreme Court ruled in May that Tennessee's private school voucher law is constitutional, overruling two lower courts.

Gov. Lee announced in late July that some 600 families had completed paperwork to attend private and parochial schools through the state voucher program, and more than 40 private schools in Memphis and Nashville had committed to making seats available to voucher students for the 2022-23 school year.

The Tennessee voucher law now only applies to Memphis and Nashville, although observers believe Gov. Lee is interested in extending it statewide. If that happens, it would make the Diocese of Knoxville's 10 schools eligible to participate in the state voucher program. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

St. Dominic parishioners meet with new sister parish Blackfeet Reservation in Montana is site of a mutually inspirational, faith-filled relationship

By Emily Booker

Essay continued from page A10

missionary journeys completely, but Athens and Philippi make a good start. These are places where my favorite stories from Acts took place, and I would leave with a small sense of Paul’s experience. Finally, before returning home, I would certainly need to stop into a bakery and buy some baklava because after all, it’s Greece.”

Mrs. Crace said it was prestigious for her daughter to win a national contest.

“But what I loved most was hearing the way Elena was moved by the stories and words and sacrifices of St. Paul. That touched my heart,” she said. “Writing and writing contests are just another way to help children connect with history and our faith, and I’m so thankful for the people at Catholic Textbook Project for trying to support this work in our families.”

Elena “was clearly happy she had won” the contest when she learned of the results, Mrs. Crace said. “Elena is not an easily excited child. ... She was the one who read the news in her e-mail, and she called me in from the kitchen to let me know. I have to confess that I thought she was pulling my leg or trying to tease her brother.

I think it took all of us a while for the reality to set in.”

Researching St. Paul was fairly straightforward.

“She kind of explained why she chose St. Paul in her essay, but once she had settled on that topic, she was able to find a surprising number of books on St. Paul at the public library,” Mrs. Crace said. “We also travel every month to a home library at a friend’s house to check out books that are out of print or no longer carried in public libraries. Our friend there was able to point out several books to her as well. And then the travel information came from websites.”

Elena said she was surprised to win the contest.

“I was surprised that my essay won out of all the essays that were sent in.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

COURTESY OF ST. DOMINIC PARISH (2)

W

hether in the green valleys of Appalachia or the windy buttes of Montana, you can find Catholics full of faith and love of Christ.

The universality of the Church makes it possible to find family all over the world, among people of various backgrounds.

St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport and Little Flower Parish on the Blackfeet Reservation are turning that fact into a lived reality as they establish a new relationship as sister parishes.

Last year, as COVID restrictions loosened and many parishes began resuming regular, in-person activities, parishioners of St. Dominic wanted to reassess what being a parish truly entailed.

“The thought was not just kind of return to the normal but also maybe even continue or even do more in regard to being church. So, the thought of establishing a second sister parish relationship was something that came out of that,” explained pastor Father Michael Cummins, pastor of St. Dominic.

St. Dominic already has an ongoing relationship with a sister parish in Malawi, a country in southern Africa.

“It’s a blessing. But there are limits. We can’t really go over and visit very often,” Father Cummins said of Malawi. “So, the thought of maybe doing something here in the country was very appealing.”

“People liked the idea of helping the Native American community, because I think there is an awareness that there is a need there. And people also liked the idea of having a community within the United States. So often we look to other places like Africa or other impoverished places of the world to help, which is wonderful; that’s great to do, but there’s a value to recognizing that we have needs in our country and asking how can we

Embracing Little Flower St. Dominic pastor Father Michael Cummins (right) and parishioners traveled from East Tennessee to Montana to meet with Father Rod Ermatinger (back, second from left) and parishioners of their newest sister parish, Little Flower. Missionaries of Charity also were visiting and hope to establish a permanent presence in Montana in the future. help those needs and build bridges in our country? I think there’s a blessing that’s going to come out of that,” Father Cummins added.

For a while, Father Cummins was having trouble finding a par-

ish to partner with. But with the intercession of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized, St. Dominic and Little Flower finally found each other.

“I have a strong devotion to St.

Where two or three are gathered... Little Flower Parish and its mission churches, like Sacred Heart in Staar School, Mont., span across rural northwestern Montana and are part of the Diocese of Helena.

I know that someone always wins the contest, but I never thought it would be me,” she said.

Elena learned of her essay winning the contest via an e-mail in May. She received a check for $100 and a free textbook as prizes. She joked that she put “too much” work into researching and writing the essay.

“Just kidding. I checked out a bunch of books and read the sections that applied to the topic. Then I wrote a draft of the essay. I spent an entire Saturday adding details and information and then deleting unnecessary sentences to make it fit within the word limit,” she said.

Elena credited her mom for helping her win the contest. “I would like to thank my mother for helping me and teaching me how to write properly throughout my life. I’m also glad Mrs. Blair chose St. Paul for us to read during the summer.”

Mrs. Blair said she also is proud of Elena.

“I taught literature/composition for her class at the St. Benedict Catholic Co-op at Holy Ghost,” she said. “I am so proud of Elena for winning the Catholic Textbook Project history essay contest. She is an incredible writer and truly made Scripture come alive in her writing as she followed the footprints of St. Paul in these ancient cities.

"When I led the discussion in class about the book the class had read, St. Paul the Apostle: The Story of the Apostle to the Gentiles by Mary Fabyan Windeatt, and discussed St. Paul's heroic virtues, I could tell that the book had really struck a chord with Elena. She greatly admired his courage, faith, and love in his mission to the Gentiles. The saints choose their special friends, too, and I believe St. Paul has chosen a special friend in Elena.”

The St. Benedict Catholic Co-op serves Catholic homeschool families in East Tennessee. The co-op offers a classical education curriculum that enhances the academic curriculum used at home. ■ www.di o k no x .o rg

By Emily Booker

Kateri Tekakwitha, and I think that’s part of this, too,” Father Cummins explained. “I wasn’t getting very far in connecting with another parish. So, I decided to pray a novena to St. Kateri. And as soon as I prayed that novena, it’s like doors began to open up.

It was really kind of interesting. I was able to make contact with the priest who’s the head of the Native American ministry for the USCCB, and he put me in touch with Father Rod [Ermatinger, pastor of Little Flower Parish].”

“We wanted to establish this relationship, and that means going and being with others and being with them and worshiping with them, just beginning that friendship and that relationship,” Father Cummins continued. “Also, being able to visit you get more of a sense of the needs that are there.

We certainly hope to help with the needs as much as we can. It’s more than that, though. It is a relationship.”

In June, Father Cummins and three other parishioners went out to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana to meet the people of their new sister parish. The goal of this visit was to simply establish a relationship with Little Flower that will hopefully blossom for years to come.

“Along with four joyful Sisters visiting from the Missionaries of Charity, we were able to visit, listen to, and meet people from the six communities that comprise the two parishes and four mission churches pastored by Father Rod on the 3,000-square-mile reservation,” noted St. Dominic parishioner Patricia Evans.

The visitors handed out 500 bags of food, rosaries, miraculous medals, and holy cards to people in the Montana towns of Browning and Heart Butte.

“This would not have been possible had it not been for the very Reservation continued on page A12

One Heart, One World Pilgrimages with Lisa invites you on a pilgrimage to

GREECE

In the footsteps of St. Paul with Fr. Steve Pawelk including a 4-Day Aegean Cruise

12 Days September 18-29, 2023

For More Information Contact: Lisa Morris at 865-567-1245 lisam@select-intl.com www.selectinternationaltours.com

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A11

Indigenous and Catholic: One can proudly be both, pope says Pontiff visits Canada to offer apology for Church's treatment of native peoples

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

P

Making amends Pope Francis kisses the hand of an Indigenous leader during a meeting with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities at Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, on July 25. ed many children from their families” in an address before Canada’s governor general, Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, civil and religious authorities,

Reservation continued from page A11 generous Blackfeet parishioners, who lovingly worked on the agenda and accompanied us throughout the visit, describing how their cultural background was a natural connection to the Catholic faith. The Blackfeet are rooted in both nature and community. The latter was evident as everyone in the community seemed to know by name, love, and respect each other….

Though material wealth was lacking, their spiritual thirst and strength seemed as strong as the 47 mph winds we experienced in Babb, which was most normal to them,” Ms. Evans pointed out.

The Blackfeet Reservation is situated in northwestern Montana, with the Rocky Mountains to the west and the Canadian border to the north. There are six Catholic churches, Little Flower and St. Anne, and mission churches, St. Mary in Babb, Sacred Heart in Staar School, Chapel of the Ascension in East Glacier, and Holy Family, which borders Two Medicine Creek. There is the De La Salle Blackfeet School for grades 4-8 in Browning.

Father Ermatinger is the only priest on the reservation. He and one deacon travel among the churches and missions.

For St. Dominic parishioner Alma Velasco, seeing how the missions had to make do with limited clergy and resources made her better appreciate having regular access to the sacraments.

“Visiting our sister parish and its mission churches in the Blackfeet Reservation made me realize how very blessed we are here at St. Dominic to have daily—twice even on Wednesdays—Masses, multiple weekend Masses, and the opportunity to walk into church anytime for personal prayer, adoration, or just for simple quiet moments,” she said.

“Having only one priest and one deacon, some of the mission churches may only have Communion services on a regular basis. However, the communities we visited are not at all lacking in their devotion to the Divine Mercy and trust in God,” she added.

Father Cummins reflected that life on the reservation is stark in many ways.

“The terrain itself is very stark. In some ways it’s very beautiful. Immediately to the west is Glacier National Park, so you have these beautiful mountains. But where they’re at, it’s a stark landscape,” he said.

“And the wind there. I’ve never experienced wind that blows constantly. So, it’s a stark

Sharing resources With only one priest stretched across the parish, missions, like St. Mary in Babb, Mont., celebrate Sunday Mass only once a month.

A12 n AUGUST 7, 2022

representatives of the indigenous peoples, and members of the diplomatic corps in Québec.

During what he has called a “penitential pilgrimage” in Can-

ada, Pope Francis has publicly apologized for the harm done to indigenous Canadians and has repeatedly expressed his shame and sorrow.

“The Christian faith has played an essential role in shaping the highest ideals of Canada, characterized by the desire to build a better country for all its people,” he said July 27. “At the same time, it is necessary, in admitting our faults, to work together to accomplish a goal that I know all of you share: to promote the legitimate rights of the native populations and to favor processes of healing and reconciliation between them and the nonindigenous people of the country.”

After meeting with representatives of the indigenous peoples in Rome and, now, in Canada, Pope Francis looked to the future.

“The time we spent together made an impression on me and Pope continued on page A19

landscape, and in many ways stark conditions.

There’s a lot of poverty, and out of that there’s a lot of drug issues and alcohol issues. There’s not much opportunity, although they’re trying to do things to bring in opportunity for the people on the reservation. But, all that being said, I was struck by the faith of the people and their love for Christ and for the Church.”

Father Ermatinger estimates that 90 percent of the people who live on the reservation are baptized Catholic. While the stark conditions of life on the reservation bring many challenges, the people remain strong in their love for Christ. In fact, it may be those challenges and the generations of perseverance that have taught them how to persevere in the faith.

The parishioners of Little Flower have a deep pride in both their faith and their culture.

“I asked one lady, ‘Can you hold together both your faith in Christ and also your heritage?’” Father Cummins recalled. “In a very strong voice she said, ‘Yes.’ There’s a desire that they have to do that. They’re very proud of their heritage, and they hold those two [faith and heritage] together, I think, in a very good way. I’m sure that’s a challenge. I was struck by the faith of the people and their perseverance in these stark conditions and historically what they’ve had to endure.”

The parish relies heavily on donations from

people who don’t live on the reservation. Father Ermatinger expressed his deep appreciation for those who support them.

“We are so very grateful for how generous the people of St. Dominic Parish have been with us financially and also by delivering three crates and a large duffel bag of clothing for our people,” he said.

“There is a deep hunger for what the Catholic Church has to offer here. Jesus said the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. Together we can become better laborers and in so doing help others to become laborers in our Lord’s vineyard.”

“The experience taught me what being the body of Christ truly is,” St. Dominic parishioner Danyelle Porter said. “Working alongside people with hearts so on fire for Christ instilled in me a call to action for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Hearing the beautifully articulated and often painfully tragic stories has shaped me in ways that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

“My hope going forward is to strengthen our relationship through more awareness, outreach programs, and helping to build up Little Flower as a beacon of hope for the Blackfeet community.”

Experiencing a different culture in a different part of the country has been inspirational.

“There was a peace in stepping out of our perception-driven world and witnessing the natural beauty of the people and the land, focusing on simple goodness and truth. That is what I hope they can continue to share with us, and teach us to better appreciate,” Ms. Evans said.

Ms. Velasco agreed.

“As we continue to develop our relationship with our sister parish, my hope is that they may inspire us with their strong faith and sense of community, and may we in turn be generous in sharing our resources with them,” Ms. Velasco said.

Father Cummins hopes this is just the first of many visits between the two parishes, and that the visits will go in both directions.

“I think part of the beauty and the reality of a sister parish is it is a relationship, and we realize there are blessings that go both ways. Hopefully, as the relationship grows and as people meet one another and share faith together, we will receive just as much from them as we are able to give. It’s all about being church and recognizing that we’re church together and receiving the benefits from that,” he observed. ■

Serving the community Little Flower Church in Browning, Mont., along with its mission churches, serves the Catholic community on the reservation.

Holding onto traditions The people have both a deep love of a Christ and a deep connection to their heritage, as seen at Holy Family Mission.

COURTESY OF ST. DOMINIC PARISH (4)

ope Francis asked for forgiveness for the harm done to indigenous Canadians by Catholics in a July 27 address before top government officials and representatives of the indigenous peoples in Canada.

“I express my deep shame and sorrow, and, together with the bishops of this country, I renew my request for forgiveness for the wrong done by so many Christians to the indigenous peoples,” the 85-year-old pontiff said, citing the Catholic Church’s role in running many of the country’s government-sponsored residential schools for indigenous children.

These residential schools, in place until the late 1990s, worked to stamp out aspects of native culture, language, and religious practice. Former students have described mistreatment and even abuse at the schools.

Pope Francis condemned the “deplorable system” that “separat-

By Katie Yoder/Catholic News Agency

A helping hand A Sister of the Missionaries of Charity hands out food to a child on the Blackfeet Reservation. The sisters spend a few weeks every summer helping the impoverished families there.

www.di o k no x .o rg

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Giving it up to God Comunità Cenacolo considering Diocese of Knoxville for fifth U.S. house

By Bill Brewer

BILL BREWER (3)

F

ive men who visited the Diocese of Knoxville in June could easily have been mistaken for Catholic tourists taking in East Tennessee and all it has to offer.

But there was more to their trip than hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A potential ministry was at the forefront of the weeklong tour by members of Comunità Cenacolo, a faith-based community founded

by Mother Elvira Petrozzi, an Italian religious who believes that prayer and the sacraments can heal the deep emotional wounds that lead many young men and women down the path of drugs and other destructive addictions.

The Comunità Cenacolo (Community of the Cenacle) name refers to the Upper Room, where Christ and his disciples gathered for the Last Supper and where the Holy Spirit later descended upon the 12 Apostles and Mary at Pentecost.

In 1983, Mother Elvira, a Sister of Charity, opened the first Comunità Cenacolo home in Italy. A decade later, Our Lady of Hope residence for men was established in St. Augustine, Fla., and there are now four homes in the United States—three in St. Augustine and one in Hanceville, Ala., near where the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels Monastery are located.

The members of Comunità Cenacolo fraternity—Jason Haig, Luke Crouse, Michael Cimino, Clifford Hearn, and Nick Carlin—allowed people in the Knoxville diocese to get to know them as they got to know the Catholic Church in East Tennessee and assessed the diocese’s interest in hosting a Comunità Cenacolo home.

Mr. Haig, 44, is originally from South Carolina; Mr. Crouse, 25, is originally from Maryland; Mr. Cimino, 38, is originally from New Jersey; Mr. Hearn, 34, is originally from California; and Mr. Carlin, 21, is originally from Florida.

Mr. Haig, Mr. Cimino, and Mr. Carlin are with the Hanceville house, and Mr. Hearn and Mr. Crouse are with the St. Augustine location.

While in East Tennessee, they shared their stories of addiction and how Comunità Cenacolo, through its Catholic-centered support ministry, was instrumental in their turning their lives around. Now, the five men work with others who are struggling with addiction.

The men met with Bishop Richard F. Stika on June 19 and also met with Paul Simoneau, vice chancellor for administration and director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the diocese, on June 14.

While any decision on expanding Mother Elvira’s ministry to the Diocese of Knoxville is in the future, the Comunità Cenacolo men liked what they saw.

“It’s been good. We’ve been very blessed to come up here and try to bring the light of our community here to this part of the country and to see what the Lord might have in store for us. Also, we wanted to give testimony to God’s mercy in our lives and the beauty that is living the light of that mercy and to share our stories, and also for each other to experience that camaraderie among us brothers to have a retreat for ourselves, to work together and pray together in a different setting than our normal community life,” Mr. Crouse said.

During their week in East Tennessee in midJune, the men also met with Cardinal Justin Rigali and attended a Mass he celebrated, they shared vespers with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., at the Sisters’ Knoxville convent, participated in work projects, took part in a eucharistic procession through down-

Divine inspiration Above: members of Comunità Cenacolo in America receive a tour of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus from Mary Mac Wilson with the parish. The Comunità Cenacolo members, from left, are Jason Haig, Clifford Hearn, Nick Carlin, Luke Crouse, and Michael Cimino. Below: Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, shows the members of Comunità Cenacolo around the Chancery, including Our Lady of the Mountains Chapel. town Knoxville, and toured different parts of the diocese, including the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

East Tennessee is not unknown to Mr. Crouse, who has relatives living in the diocese who are Catholic church members.

“Coming up here, we had an idea of maybe bringing it (Comunità Cenacolo) here if God were to provide for us. Absolutely!

But I don’t think our visit has made the decision any more so or less so. We’re the first group to come up here and see and check out East Tennessee to see what it looks like and see if there is a need,” Mr. Crouse said.

“In my time in the community, I see the need for another home. But that’s really up to our superiors and what they think. All we can do is pray and return with our experience and give that up to the Lord,” he added.

Mr. Cimino agreed that East Tennessee would be “a great place to start a new house if God wills it.”

“There is a need. There’s always a need for someplace where people can come as a refuge, to come out of the darkness, to come into the light to receive God’s mercy. Drugs, and addiction in general, are a big issue now. To be able to open a new (Comunità Cenacolo) house would be incredible work for God to do. It would be incredible,” Mr. Cimino said.

Mr. Crouse and Mr. Cimino stressed that there are needs for both men’s and women’s homes in the Comunità Cenacolo community.

Mr. Crouse noted that the community is very deliberate in its decisions on establishing houses.

“We move very slow with things. We don’t

Sharing the faith Jason Haig of Comunità Cenacolo America addresses members of the Diocese of Knoxville Chancery during a lunch gathering on June 14. Mr. Haig and his Comunità Cenacolo brothers shared information about their organization and their personal journeys of faith.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

www.di o k no x .o rg

really rush into anything. We just converted one of the men’s homes in Florida to a women’s home, which has been really special. It’s been cool to see how those girls have really made it their own. It’s been cool to see how God has provided for them there,” Mr. Crouse said. “There is a strong discernment process. If it’s right, it’s right. If the providence is there, it’s there. If God makes a way, that’s when we move. It just depends on the path set before us.”

The men explained that Comunità Cenacolo and its locations operate independently and do not use diocesan resources.

“Comunità Cenacolo depends and lives totally on the providence of God, who sustains us through the gifts and contributions of those who desire to help in this work of God’s mercy.

We receive no government funds, diocesan funds, nor do we ask payment of anyone living in the community. We learn to live on gratitude, realizing that our joy does not depend on what we have or what we lack. We know and trust that the Father, who is rich in mercy, will give us all that we need,” according to Comunità Cenacolo’s website.

Bishop Stika said following his meeting with the five men that he’s very supportive of Comunità Cenacolo’s work and would welcome a Comunità Cenacolo house in the diocese. The bishop said the diocese is in touch with the director of Comunità Cenacolo America and looks forward to a meeting in the near future to discuss next steps.

“I spent about three hours with them. They shared their stories. They have all faced strong addictions and lost their sense of purpose in life, and through the invitation of somebody who was involved, now they are good citizens.

It was very impressive spending time with them,” Bishop Stika said.

“If they do come, they would have their donors purchase a residence. We would offer them moral support. They are good friends with the retired ordinary in Birmingham, Bishop (Robert J.) Baker, who I am good friends with. He knew them from St. Augustine, Fla., where he used to serve, and where their first residence in the United States was located, so I would welcome them with open arms,” Bishop Stika added.

The bishop said there are a number of factors in appreciating what Comunità Cenacolo has accomplished.

“For one, it's successful. It was founded by Cenacolo continued on page A22 AUGUST 7, 2022 n A13

LEFT PAGE

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Catholic Ministry Insists Poverty Relief Must Include An Encounter with Christ

If you are like most people, you’ve probably never heard of Suchitepéquez, Guatemala. It isn’t home to the country’s capital city.

It’s not a tourist hot spot, and it doesn’t have an abundance of the natural resources the world craves.

Almost nothing about this remote part of Guatemala stands out as noteworthy or would draw your attention — except for its people and the miraculous material and spiritual work God has begun to accomplish there.

“...it takes an encounter with Christ to change lives and communities profoundly and forever.”

Jim Cavnar, President Cross Catholic Outreach “Suchitepéquez, Guatemala, has become an area of great interest to Cross Catholic Outreach, and we expect many in the Catholic Church will eventually celebrate its significance in the years ahead. We believe that people and communities are being transformed there, and the way that change is being achieved will soon be a model for ministries working to end poverty elsewhere in the world,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach. “Great changes have already taken place there,

and I’m confident even greater advancements will be made in the year ahead.”

Cavnar is also encouraged by how so many American Catholics have stepped forward to help with the mission work underway in Guatemala. His ministry — well known for its relief and development work around the globe — needs this support in order to undertake new initiatives and expand the diocese’s current outreaches to help the poor. (See related story on opposite page.)

Contributions from U.S. donors have already helped Cross Catholic Outreach and the bishop of the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu begin several community transformation programs that provide both material and spiritual blessings to families living in the area.

“We believe there are two key factors that produce real, lasting change in poor communities. Part of the process involves addressing the serious material needs of the people by ending extreme hunger, providing safer water sources, seeing that families have basic medical care, improving housing, educating children and doing other outreaches of that kind. Because poverty touches on many areas, you can only produce long-term prosperity in an area by having a relief plan that considers all of a community’s needs,” Cavnar said. “The other

part of the process focuses on the spiritual condition of the people, and we consider it a critical reason for our success. Some try to attack poverty with only material solutions.

While that may help for a time, it rarely creates a healthy community or makes improvements that will last. Real transformation and progress are only possible when Christ is part of the solution. As people, we can offer temporary fixes to a momentary need, but it takes an encounter with Christ to change lives and communities profoundly and forever.”

The work Cross Catholic Outreach has underway in Guatemala clearly reflects the development strategies Cavnar outlined, and many American Catholics have already shown their enthusiasm for the mission by supporting it financially.

These contributions will continue to be important, especially in new communities that are still waiting to be helped.

“Suchitepéquez is a rural area and most of the families living there are very poor, typically relying on subsistence farming to survive,” Cavnar explained. “The diocese is a reflection of the community and works with a very meager budget. It will continue to need our help to accomplish the social and spiritual outreaches local families desperately need. With our support, the diocese can feed the hungry, dig wells to supply fresh water,

build houses for the homeless, set up medical clinics, provide educational scholarships, support spiritual outreaches and do the other things community transformation requires.”

As these improvements take place and prove successful, donors to the cause often want to become even more involved, Cavnar added.

“In my experience, most American Catholics want to support meaningful outreaches to help the poor. But they are looking for something specific and they want to know their gifts will have a significant impact,” he said. “When they see what they can accomplish through Cross Catholic Outreach by empowering a diocese like this one, they often ask us, ‘What can I do next?’ They feel such fulfillment from the experience that they want to do more.”

Readers interested in supporting Cross Catholic Outreach’s outreaches to the poor can contribute through the ministry brochure inserted in this issue or send tax-deductible gifts to: Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02108, PO Box 97168, Washington DC 20090-7168. The ministry has a special need for partners willing to make gifts on a monthly basis. Use the inserted brochure to become a Mission Partner or write “Monthly Mission Partner” on mailed checks to be contacted about setting up those arrangements.

Cross Catholic Outreach’s “Day of Prayer” Blesses Catholics Spiritually Each year, one of the nation’s leading international relief and development ministries sets aside a special day to offer prayer as a gift to those in need — particularly to Catholics in America who have been supporting its work overseas. It is yet another sign of the organization’s deeply spiritual approach to charity.

“Since our inception, we have always set aside a day of the week to pray for those who have shared their intentions, and those requests have typically come to us through the many priests who visit U.S.

A14 n AUGUST 7, 2022

parishes to share about our mission during the homily of the Mass,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach. “The Day of Prayer we celebrate in August is a full day dedicated to prayer for others, and it also includes a wonderful additional blessing. The prayer petitions we gather during that time are sent to His Eminence Cardinal Konrad Krajewski at the Vatican, who intercedes for the many prayer intentions during a special Mass celebrated on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Individuals interested in participating in the Day of Prayer are encouraged to use the ministry’s special internet page to submit their prayer intentions.

It is found at CrossCatholic.org/ dayofprayer.

“While Cross Catholic Outreach is best known for the many things it does to support Church missions serving the poor — delivering shipments of food and medicines, funding educational and housebuilding initiatives, and developing self-help projects that allow people to escape poverty — we are very

www.di o k no x .o rg

intentional about serving the poor spiritually as well,” Cavnar said.

“That is not always the case with charities, even religious ones, but we believe communicating the Gospel of Christ and promoting the means of grace — including prayer — must be part of our relief and development mission.”

“This approach is also in keeping with the points made in the Papal Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est,” he added. “It very clearly states that those of us who become involved in works of mercy must also be people of prayer.”

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

RIGHT PAGE

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

U.S. Catholics Help Poor Guatemalan Families Break the Bonds of Poverty

Many of the poor families in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu live in fragile homes constructed from scrap wood, plastic or canvas sheets, and discarded metal. Few can afford even the most basic furnishings and most rely on wood-burning stoves that fill their tiny houses with smoke. They long to provide their children with a better life, so the Church is working to transform their communities and help them escape the bondage of this extreme poverty.

There is a terrible and destructive myth about the poverty in Central America. It suggests that the poor families living there are unwilling to work hard to succeed and are eager to leave their communities to find an easier life elsewhere.

“Nothing could be further from the truth, in my experience,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, one of the leading Catholic ministries working to alleviate poverty in the developing world. “Yes, many rural families are mired in extreme poverty and desperately want to provide their children with a better way of life, but most men and women I’ve encountered want to find solutions at home, because they love their country, their communities and their families.”

Cavnar has worked and traveled through South and Central America for nearly two decades, and his work with Catholic dioceses in countries such as Guatemala have proven out his sentiments. The

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

poor are not looking for a handout but rather for “a hand up,” as he explained.

Working under this premise, Cross Catholic Outreach typically supports diocesan efforts to provide both urgent relief with supplies of food and long-term development with self-help initiatives that allow families to improve their lot in life through agricultural and animal husbandry programs and other small business ventures. When families are offered access to opportunities like these, he says, they put an incredible level of energy into the work it involves.

“When you improve a farmer’s crop yield so he can earn a higher income or you set up a pig-raising project so he can pay his bills and send his kids to school, you are triggering a major transformation in a family’s life. The economic chains that have bound the family in poverty for generations are broken, and a life of greater prosperity begins,” Cavnar said. “It’s an

incredible experience to be part of that transformation — to see God restoring hope and opening a path to a brighter future for these precious people and their children.”

According to Cavnar, this idea of addressing both a family’s material and spiritual needs is what has been fueling his ministry’s current efforts in Guatemala. (See related story on the opposite page.)

“We believe this life-changing mission of mercy could sweep the globe and change millions of lives if we continue to be supported by American Catholics,” he added.

For twenty years, donors to Cross Catholic Outreach have generously supported the ministry’s efforts to provide the poor with food and other urgent needs, and those objectives will remain an important part of the organization’s mission, but Cavnar hopes those same compassionate people will also want to support the long-term sustainable solutions the charity is undertaking.

“Together, we can partner with Caritas Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu to help families grow their own food and increase their crop yields through improved tools and training,” Cavnar said. “These families are willing to work hard, and they want to become self-

sufficient and prosper in their home communities. The Church should be helping them achieve those noble goals.”

With the help of American Catholic donors, Caritas SuchitepéquezRetalhuleu could double its agriculture program in the year ahead, he said.

“In the past, Caritas successfully trained 200 families on proven techniques to grow healthy, sustainable home gardens, and the impact of that outreach was an incredible blessing. More recently, Caritas trained 400 farming families to grow native herbs, vegetables and local citrus fruits. This will help parents provide nutritious meals for their children, and those families would also be able to sell their surplus crops to increase their income,” Cavnar said. “Catholic donors in the U.S. will play an important role in continuing this outreach. Their gifts will fund the technical assistance, cover the cost of seeds and organic fertilizer, and purchase the fruit trees we will provide the next group of participating families. With these benefits and the spiritual support the diocese provides, these families can have hope again. Their dignity will be restored and their faith will be strengthened.”

How to Help

To fund Cross Catholic Outreach’s effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper, or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02108, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 20090-7168. The brochure also includes instructions on becoming a Mission Partner and making a regular monthly donation to this cause.

If you identify an aid project, 100% of the donation will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry.

www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A15

give thanks to almighty God for the spirit of God that will indeed live through his memory. May his memory be eternal.”

Bishop Johnston led the final commendation for Monsignor Hofstetter.

“May our farewell express our affection for him,” he said. “May it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope that we will one day joyfully greet him again when the love of Christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death itself.”

Father Nolan then sang the “Celtic Song of Farewell” as the Mass concluded.

One of Monsignor Hofstetter’s final wishes was to have diocesan priests sprinkle his casket with holy water, and that took place after Mass.

A16 n AUGUST 7, 2022

Farewell to the dean of diocesan priests Monsignor Bob Hofstetter is shown outside Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport. Monsignor Hofstetter died July 7 following a brief illness. He served as a priest for 68 years. reflections, and at the age of 88 he published a book. It wasn’t on The New York Times bestseller list; it probably should have been. I read through all of these reflections. I actually picked up some homily hints. But there was one he wrote, and I don’t know when he wrote this, but to me it speaks what he probably would say today. It goes: “'Who am I. A rose in bud, full bud, rich, dark red, perfectly formed. No camera to capture my beauty, no eye or nose to savor my richness, not even a beetle to taste my petals, but no matter.

The very reason I came to be, the very reason I am created is to give glory to the Creator, the God, who created me.

And I stand in my beauty, announcing His beauty. I have no intention but to give glory to my Father, the Creator. Standing open to the nourishing warmth of the sun, to the life-giving and thirst-quenching abundance of His soil and of His grace, I grew and grow to full, glorious blossom. I claim nothing for myself, give nothing to a passing admirer. I stand lifting my face in a song of glory to God, who gave me life.’

“And if I could add, ‘who gave me priesthood, who gave me people to serve, to share, to teach, and to be taught, to give glory to God.’” The bishop talked of his final moments with Monsignor Hofstetter.

“This week I’ve had a long conversation with Monsignor Bob. Tests showed he had lung cancer.

But he wasn’t worried about a test at the age of 94. He was calm. He was serene, and he was trusting in God. And as he was put under anesthesia, I wonder if he prayed, as they tell you to count backwards. I’m sure he prayed, because he always trusted in God, and he never awakened. And on that day when it was decided to take him off all that life support, the group that was with him, we prayed with him, we shared stories with him, we chanted the Our Father with him. When I first went into the room, as I always do, I talk to people, even if they’re in a coma.

He moved his shoulder and kind of moved his head a little bit. I don’t know if he was trying to run away

from me. But he was ever present with us. . . . A few hours later, in a gentle way, the Shepherd called him home.”

Bishop Stika said, “I’m sure we all have stories about Monsignor Bob. He had a subtle sense of humor. . . . He was and is indeed a priest’s priest. And so now he is at peace, but he was at peace before he died, but now he stands before God, we pray. I think he received the apostolic blessing about 10 times, so if there’s anybody that I’m sure might be in the presence of God today, it’s him. I can see him standing before Jesus with all of the angels and all of the saints, and his question will be, ‘Lord, are you the Cosmic Jesus?’”

The bishop concluded his homily by thanking the parishioners of Good Shepherd.

“I’m grateful to all the people of Newport who took such good care of him. . . . I was there this past Sunday, and I could see the love that people had for Monsignor Bob. He told me he loved the people, but I could see the young and the old, they knew he truly was anointed to be their shepherd.

So now this day, we commend our brother to almighty God, in thanksgiving for his many years of service, for his many years of life itself. We pray that he be at peace, even a deeper peace than he had when he was alive. Monsignor, thank you for your priesthood.”

In his closing remarks, Bishop Stika referred to a nephew of Monsignor Bob who was watching the livestreamed Mass from Copenhagen. Parishioners from Good Shepherd helped fill the seats in the cathedral.

“There’s a great representation from Good Shepherd in Newport.

To the people of Newport, thanks so much for taking such good care of Monsignor Bob,” the bishop continued. “I’m going to do a little research—I think he might be the oldest priest in the United States to continue to serve as a pastor.

That’s why we gather. That’s what all the fuss is about today, is to

BILL BREWER

Doug Owens, and Peter Iorio. Deacon Sean Smith, diocesan chancellor, was deacon of the Word, and Deacon Otto Preske of Good Shepherd was deacon of the Eucharist.

Deacon Walt Otey was master of ceremonies. More than 25 priests and more than 20 deacons attended altogether.

Bishop Stika looked out at the assembly of family, friends, and others who filled the pews at Sacred Heart and speculated on how Monsignor Hofstetter would view the proceedings.

“I would dare think that Monsignor Bob would say, ‘What’s all the fuss about?’ knowing Monsignor Bob,” the bishop said. “Well, the fuss is, we give to God what He has given to us. We have a holy man, and so we give to the Lord praise and thanksgiving for 94 years and 68 years of priesthood.

‘Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’”

Bishop Stika said he chose all of the readings at Mass from the Rite of Ordination, “because I think Monsignor exemplified what a priest should be. He was a man of curiosity. He was a carpenter.

He made his own casket. He was a cook. He fed people. . . . By the way, I don’t know if his family knows this, but today I received his recipe for caramels that belonged to your great-grandfather, I guess.

And I’m waiting for the recipe for applesauce, which he would share with me.”

Monsignor Hofstetter was a theologian, according to the bishop.

“It’s part of that sense of curiosity. I’m still trying to figure out that one book he sent to me a long time ago, The Cosmic Christ,” he said. “But truly, if you take it all, it’s kind of a reflection of the readings—he was a shepherd. And I guess by an act of God, in his last years he loved so much the people of Newport, Tenn., the Church of the Good Shepherd. But he also loved all those other people that he shared his life as a priest with, for the Spirit of the Lord was indeed upon him, and he shared that grace with the people of St. Augustine [in Signal Mountain], of St. Jude [in Chattanooga], of St. Mary in Oak Ridge, of the cathedral, and of Good Shepherd,” the bishop added, naming the diocesan churches where Monsignor Hofstetter served as pastor.

The late priest “also had other varied ministries,” including serving at Camp Marymount in the Diocese of Nashville, the bishop said.

“He told me he was in charge of making sure that the termites would not win with those wooden buildings,” Bishop Stika said. “He worked at the student center, a relationship with young adults, because he had that Spirit of the Lord upon him. He wanted to share the faith. He wanted to share the love of Jesus. And as he kind of looked into the concept of God Himself, he had many questions, maybe not all the answers, but as the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, there was such a powerful sense that for 68 years he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I’m a little disappointed in him because he told me at one time he would retire at the age of 100. But again, ‘thou art a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.’

“So often we hear the expression, ‘He was a man’s man.’ He was a priest’s priest. He loved the priests of this diocese and the priests of the Diocese of Nashville. He loved the people that he was called to serve, without any concern, without any bias—he just wanted to teach Jesus, and he did.”

Monsignor Hofstetter wrote two books, Love Pages and Reflections in Gratitude for 88 Years of Life & 61 Years of Priesthood. The bishop quoted from “Parable of a Rose” from the latter publication.

“How do you sum up somebody’s life of 94 years and 68 years of priesthood? How do you sum that up?” Bishop Stika asked.

“Well, in some ways, he did. He was a poet. He wrote essays and

COURTESY OF CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Monsignor continued from page A1

With deepest sympathy Bishop Richard F. Stika receives the gifts from parishioners of Good Shepherd in Newport as members of Monsignor Bob Hofstetter's family watch in the front pews of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where a funeral Mass for Monsignor Hofstetter was celebrated on July 15. www.di o k no x .o rg

Laying him to rest in Newport Concelebrating the funeral Mass at a standing-room-only Good Shepherd were cathedral rector Father David Boettner, Father Cummins, Father Gilbert Diaz, and Father Emmanuel Massawe, AJ. Deacon Preske was deacon of the Word, and Deacon Eric Dadey was deacon of the Eucharist. Deacon Smith assisted.

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever had a funeral Mass for a priest twice, but it would be incomplete if we did not do a Mass here,” Bishop Stika said. “The cathedral was a grand celebration; it was a diocesan celebration, but this is family.”

As a pall was placed over the handcrafted casket at Sacred Heart, a pall was placed over Monsignor Hofstetter’s cremains at Good Shepherd.

“The pall is a representation of our baptismal gown. With this rosary and his prayer book and his cross and his glasses, it’s just a reminder that even though we have cremains, we also have the presence of his body and the presence of his spirit,” the bishop said.

In his homily at Good Shepherd, the bishop assured the faithful that he will provide them a new shepherd.

“It’s going to take a while . . . but I’ll provide. Don’t worry about that. It may take a little time, but I’ll provide. Maybe I’ll resign as bishop and make myself pastor,” he added, drawing applause.

The bishop announced that Deacon Dadey would be appointed parish administrator until a pastor is named and that priests from Sacred Heart and All Saints in Knoxville and elsewhere would fill in for Masses.

“You’re going to be taken care of,” the bishop said.

Monsignor Hofstetter had two sisters who became Dominican Sisters, Bishop Stika pointed out.

“He had great faith because of family,” he said.

Along with the late Monsignors Xavier Mankel and George Schmidt, Monsignor Hofstetter helped get the Diocese of Knoxville off to a solid start financially when it was founded in 1988, the bishop noted.

“I think that foundation is what allows this diocese to continue to do well with vocations and growth and beauty,” he said.

Monsignor Hofstetter donated a log cabin rectory to Good Shepherd, Bishop Stika shared.

“He gave this rectory to you, maybe because he wanted to sit on the front porch of a log cabin, but that was his gift to you because he loved you,” he said.

The bishop explained why Monsignor Hofstetter was being laid to rest at Good Shepherd.

“In his will, originally he was going to be buried in the cemetery in Knoxville where a lot of our priests are buried, but he scratched that out and said, ‘the columbarium at Good Shepherd,’ because he loved you folks for so many years as a priest.”

Monsignor Hofstetter “fed his people” at each of his stops along the way in his priesthood, Bishop Stika said.

“In every assignment that MonMonsignor continued on page A17 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Friends and family remember ‘Monsignor Bob’ Bishop Johnston recalled an early assignment as a young priest: serving under the future Monsignor Hofstetter in the early 1990s.

“I went to St. Jude in Chattanooga from ’92 to ’94. It was my second assignment as a priest, and I loved being in the rectory there with Monsignor Hofstetter.

We also had a retired priest from the Philippines, Father Pio Palad, so we had a really great house. I learned so much from Monsignor Hofstetter, just about being a good pastor,” he said.

Bishop Johnston remembered the meals the monsignor served.

“I remember he would make so many meals for us priests and make it like a true community, and he was a really good cook. He had this really great bread maker, and so I always looked forward to the evening meal with Father and Father Pio Palad.”

The atmosphere in the St. Jude rectory “was a welcoming place— he just built fraternity among the priests in the house,” Bishop Johnston recalled.

The bishop remembered Monsignor Hofstetter’s penchant for poetry.

“He was fascinating. He was a very intellectually curious man and was fascinated by creation, fascinated by the world, and was just a lifelong student,” he said.

The Mass at Sacred Heart offered a chance for celebration as much as it did for mourning, Bishop Johnston pointed out.

“He lived a real full life and touched so many lives. It is sad, but in a sense you see from so many people here it’s like a reunion of all the parish families that he served in as well as the priests who served with him,” he said.

Aurelia Montgomery attended the funeral Mass at Sacred Heart.

She is a former longtime diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools and former school principal who knew Monsignor Hofstetter from the days of her youth.

Monsignor Hofstetter “was very good friends with the family, ran around with all my cousins, took my sister to dances and proms in Nashville when I was growing up,” she said. “But when I came here [to Sacred Heart] and he came here [as pastor], we got to know each other better.”

The two made a pact at the funeral Mass of Monsignor Mankel in 2017.

“When we were at Monsignor Mankel’s funeral, Father Bob said to me, ‘Aurelia, who is going to come to our funeral?” Mrs. MontTH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

BILL BREWER (2)

Honoring Monsignor Hofstetter Top: Diocese of Knoxville priests and deacons join Bishop Richard F. Stika in celebrating the funeral Mass for Monsignor Bob Hofstetter at Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport on July 18. Above: Good Shepherd parishioners fill the church for the funeral Mass. gomery recalled. “And I said, ‘Well, Monsignor, I don’t know, but if you go before me, I’ll come for you.’ He said, ‘OK, and if you go before me, I’ll come for you.’

So, when I got ready to say the prayer up there, I knelt down and said, ‘Here I am.’”

Deacon Preske’s wife, JoAnn, talked of Monsignor Hofstetter’s 17 years in Newport, which was the longest assignment of his career.

“We’ve been there almost that long,” she said. “He was just the best person who could be there for us. He was always so proud of us being in the school of saints, as he always called us.”

Deacon Preske echoed his wife’s words about Good Shepherd and Monsignor Hofstetter.

“He was the life of the place.

He always said this church is a school for saints,” the deacon said.

“He had a rapport about him that people just really wanted to do something in that parish, I mean without even asking. He would tell me, ‘I just don’t understand it. I’ve never been in a parish like this before. Everybody here is so helpful. Everybody wants to do something.’ It was because of him, but he would deny that—he would think it was the parish. It was him.”

The monsignor “was a priest who enjoyed his priesthood,” Deacon Preske observed.

“And he really did—it showed.

He didn’t let anything bother him.

He had a sense of humor. He said, ‘In my family there were three lawyers to keep people out of jail and one priest to keep them out of hell.’ That was Father Bob. We’re all going to miss him.”

Richard Prier, a parishioner of Good Shepherd, remembered his late pastor.

“He’s the only one in the whole parish who has actually been to my house. I’m at the top of nowhere on a goat trail is the way he used to describe it,” Mr. Prier said.

“I’d come and I’d paint his house, and we’d mow the grass, and every time he was so helpful and nice.

At lunchtime, he’d cook for us and make sandwiches. He was just a blessing to have around.

“I think he was the heart and soul of this place, as far as a leader or a shepherd. I couldn’t imagine how it could be done any better.

He’s the only priest I’ve ever really known who I could call a friend.

He seems to be on everybody’s level. He could be with the smartest and the not-so-smart, but the gifts of God he could bring out in everybody. He’s an inspiration to us all, I’m sure.”

Tom Tenbrunsel of Weaverville, N.C., attended the funeral Mass at Good Shepherd. He served at Monsignor Hofstetter’s first Mass as a priest at Holy Name Church in Nashville in 1954.

“Bobby was a friend of the family. My father and he grew up on

the same street,” Mr. Tenbrunsel said. “Father Bob—we called him Bobby when no one else was around.

“Bobby and I have known each other through the whole time. He was a mentor, a friend, a hiker. He was my professor, a teacher of religion, at Father Ryan High School.

I remember the one class we all gathered around his old wooden radio, and we listened to Sputnik.

He was always technologically oriented. We did a lot of hiking in the Smokies. He loved the Appalachians and so did I. My sisters here, they’ve hiked with him to LeConte seven or eight times. He took a group up there.”

Monsignor Hofstetter “was one of the most caring, compassionate, genius persons that ever led souls to heaven,” Mr. Tenbrunsel said.

“He was a shepherd, for sure— ended up at Good Shepherd and is buried here,” he said. “He was a shepherd of souls to heaven.

There’s nobody else who has been like him. I would call him St. Robert Hofstetter, even though the bishop might chase me out of here over that. He was that type of person, loved by everybody. I shall miss him. My last visit to him was two months ago in the log cabin, right up the hill from the church.

He and I would sit and chat for hours.

“All the times I’ve been with him, I’ve never asked him for his blessing. He was just Father Bob to me. He always had his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ I turned as I walked out the front door two months ago and said, ‘Bobby, can I get your blessing?’ He gave me his blessing. Wow—there are some things that just happen. There are coincidences that are driven by heaven, and he’s one of them.”

Father John O’Neill, whose first assignment was under Monsignor Hofstetter at St. Jude, was among the many priests attending the funeral Mass at the cathedral.

“Father Bob was my first pastor, and God couldn’t have given me a better pastor and a better parish,” he said. “He was a wonderful brother, father, and fellow priest.

He had a great emphasis on sitting down every single day and having supper together, and we chatted.

We shared the rectory together. I look back now and realize 22, 23 years later how patient he was with me as a junior priest.”

“Father Bob” always had his back, said Father O’Neill, who visited with Monsignor Hofstetter when in East Tennessee.

“Whatever we tried, starting the Legion of Mary, going to visit the jails, preaching about Humanae Vitae, whatever happened, I always felt I had a companion and an enormous supporter at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga,” he said.

“He was so interested in other people. He was so interested in where their minds and hearts were Monsignor continued on page A18

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Monsignor continued from page A16 signor Bob did, whether it was working with college students or high school students, in the various parishes he served, as pastor, as associate, he allowed the Spirit of the Lord to continue to work with him,” he said.

God “gives us a memory of Monsignor Bob,” the bishop added. “His spirit will live on.

His spirit will live with the family. Stories will be told. Stories will be shared. He donated his library to the parish. I may take out that book about the Cosmic Jesus. His memory will live on. The Spirit of the Lord will continue to live on in this parish. There will be a different shepherd, but it’s still the Good Shepherd, Jesus. . . . This parish that sits on a hill will continue on.

“What do we say today? We say thank you for the many years that he was here and at his other parishes.”

The bishop spoke of the moments after Monsignor Hofstetter was taken off the ventilator at the hospital during his final illness.

“Two hours later, God reached into his life, and I can imagine the Lord saying this: ‘It’s time, O good and faithful servant, it’s time.

Come home to see my Son, Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Come home, Bob, and thank you, O good and faithful servant.’ May he rest in peace.”

Remembering a mentor Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. uses incense during the final commendation for Monsignor Bob Hofstetter during the July 15 funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bishop Johnston served under Monsignor Hofstetter at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga early in Bishop Johnston's priesthood. www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A17

A call to the priesthood in Msgr. Hofstetter’s words

Monsignor continued from page A17 going, and what moved them along. When he listened to you, he put both of his forearms on the table and leaned forward. Nobody except my mother gave me the same undivided attention. When I was speaking to him, it was always very dear. He was never too tired to listen to you, and he always wanted to hear what adventures you were having in the parish.”

Father O’Neill formerly was a priest in the Diocese of Knoxville and is now serving in the Diocese of Nashville. He is pastor of Holy Trinity, St. Cecilia, and Christ the Redeemer churches in Waynesboro, Hohenwald, and Centerville.

“Monsignor Bob accepted people very much as they were,” he said.

“He taught me, and I’m learning now all these years later—almost a quarter of a century later—how important it is to try and accept people and receive them and understand them and realize that we don’t know everything, and we don’t have access to their souls.

Only God has that.”

Monsignor Hofstetter’s niece, Mary Beth Adgent of Nashville, attended both funeral Masses.

“He’s just always been there for all of us, from when we were little and we would go to Camp Marymount, when he would offer Mass at my grandparents’ house when he could, when that was finally permissible,” she said following the Good Ukraine continued from page A4 means so much. We are living our faith in word and deed, just as Jesus asks us to.”

Unlike an earthquake or tornado, what happened in Ukraine was manmade and Bishop Stika noted the difference.

“When human beings inflict pain on each other, and in this case great pain and death, it is clearly an evil act,” Bishop Stika said. “What we have been able to do, we hope and believe, is bring goodness to the lives of those who have been hurt by supporting them when they most need it.”

Shortly after the war began, Bishop Stika heeded the call of Pope Francis to consecrate and entrust Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The bishop also has been in touch with members of the Catholic clergy in the war-torn region.

The war in Ukraine has prompted Church leaders, from the Holy Father to Ukrainian and Polish parish priests along their border, to try to find solutions to the human rights crisis.

Prevented by war from meeting in Kyiv, 40 Ukrainian Catholic bishops from around the world met in Poland, less than 10 miles from the border with their homeland, in July.

The meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Eastern-rite Church had been A18 n AUGUST 7, 2022

Answering the call Several years ago, Monsignor Bob Hofstetter, who was one of the longest serving active parish pastors in the United States, if not the longest serving, shared his story of answering the call to the priesthood.

Congregation in Nashville, was appointed to the Commission for Ecumenical Affairs, was named examiner in liturgy for the Junior Clergy Exams, and was named assistant vicar for religious in the Nashville Deanery.

He became pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Madison in 1970 and later served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge from 1973 to 1981. At that time, he was assigned as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Knoxville,

and in 1982 he became episcopal vicar for the Knoxville Deanery. In 1987, he was appointed pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain before moving to St. Jude as pastor in 1990, where he served until 2005. The Hofstetter Family Life Center at St. Jude was named for him in 2005. In that year, he became pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport, where he served until his death.

While at St. Jude in 1995, he wrote

DAN MCWILLIAMS

R

obert Joseph Hofstetter was born Nov. 19, 1927, in Nashville to Oscar B. and Marguerite Sanders Hofstetter.

He was baptized at Holy Name Church in Nashville, where he attended Holy Name Grade School and Father Ryan High School. He went to the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelor of arts in philosophy before enrolling in the Theological College in Washington, D.C. He was ordained to the diaconate on Sept. 30, 1953, at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by Bishop John M. McNamara, auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest May 1, 1954, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville by Bishop William L. Adrian.

Father Hofstetter’s early assignments included serving as an associate pastor at Holy Name Parish and as director of Camp Marymount. He was also a professor at Father Ryan High School, where he served for many years. In 1956, he became an associate at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, and in 1961 was named diocesan director of Newman clubs. He also became chaplain for the convent of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC ARCHIVE PHOTO

By Dan McWilliams

Celebrating an anniversary Monsignor Bob Hofstetter concelebrates Mass for the 50th anniversary of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport on Sept. 24, 2017.

Celebrating the Mass was Bishop Richard F. Stika. Also concelebrating was Father Alex Waraksa, left. Assisting was Deacon Otto Preske.

Shepherd funeral Mass. “My aunts, who are nuns, would be there. He kind of kept us together. There were six siblings, and all had special gifts, but they all revered him. All I could think about is him getting to see my grandma. She is waiting.”

Monsignor Hofstetter’s mother died around 1975; his father died about three years before that, according to Ms. Adgent. The Nashville house that Monsignor Hofstetter grew up in stayed in the family for many years. Ms. Adgent said having Mass celebrated in the Hofstetter home was frowned on because Mr. and Mrs. Hofstetter were strict Catholic traditionalists delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the war in their homeland, the heightened need for ministry to their people, and the pastoral and psychological care of Ukrainians forced from their homes made the synod July 7-15 even more essential.

“We, as the Church, have found ourselves on the front line of the information war. That is why it is essential for us to experience this synod, to feel the fraternal unity of our global Church, which unites all Ukrainians around the world in Ukraine and in the diaspora,” said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, at the synod's opening Divine Liturgy July 7 in the Ukrainian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Przemysl.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church at home and abroad, he said, has become “a powerful voice” for sharing with the world “who Ukrainians are, what they fight for, what they live and die for.”

Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Vatican nuncio to Poland, spoke before the Divine Liturgy, conveying the greetings of Pope Francis, who entrusted the bishops and their deliberations to the care of Blessed Mykola Charnetsky and the two dozen bishops, priests, nuns, and laypeople beatified with him in 2001 as martyrs of Soviet persecution. ■

and believed Mass should only be celebrated in a church. The parents were the soul of that family, she said.

Ms. Adgent was not surprised that Monsignor Hofstetter was an active parish pastor at age 94.

“That was just him,” she said.

“He kept going. He never stopped.

It was his gift to be here. He did so much hard work through many parishes, with schools, large churches, fundraising, and all that.

This was his gift from the bishop to himself to be in that little house (Good Shepherd rectory). It was all he wanted. He was a hiker. He was where he needed to be.”

in The East Tennessee Catholic about his vocation: “Most boys who some 50 years ago attended a parochial school taught by Sisters heard the question: ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a priest?’ I did. In various ways, Sister Veronica, Sister Eileen, and Sister Dominica, St. Cecilia Sisters who taught at Holy Name in Nashville, spoke this question to me.

“I must have listened, because in the second or third grade I made a statement that caught me by surprise.

It was at my confirmation. Bishop Adrian always quizzed the children during the ceremony. When he asked the names of the seven sacraments, my hand went up. And when he nodded in my direction, I named the seven as unhesitatingly as I had done in class when Sister prepared us.

“Then the bishop slipped in a question that we hadn’t studied—and directed it at me: ‘And how many have you received?’ With a little thought, I replied, ‘baptism, penance, and Holy Communion.’ But I didn’t stop there.

To my surprise, I continued, saying, ‘And I hope to receive holy orders someday!’”

Father Hofstetter wrote that high school at Father Ryan “was fun.” He Priesthood continued on page A21

Ms. Adgent said all the siblings and their children attended Father Ryan High School in Nashville. Her brothers, her cousins, and her husband were all taught by then-Father Hofstetter at Father Ryan, where Monsignor Hofstetter attended school as a youth. Her daughters also attended Father Ryan after it converted from an all-boys school to co-ed.

Her father was John Hofstetter, the second oldest of Monsignor Hofstetter’s siblings. Oscar Hofstetter was the oldest sibling.

Sister Adrian Marie Hofstetter, a Dominican Sister, was next, followed by Sister Margaret Marie Hofstetter, also a Dominican Sister, then Bill Hofstetter, and Monsignor Hofstetter.

Briana Harricharan Singh has been attending the Church of the Good Shepherd since 2015.

“Monsignor Bob married my husband and I in 2012. He just had such a down-to-earth personality. I appreciated that he combined religion and science and made it relatable for me. I always enjoyed his homilies,” she said.

She said his generous personality made him accessible to his parishioners. “The Church of the Good Shepherd is like family, and he made everybody feel like family and everybody reciprocated that, and we really just felt like he was a special person. He made this church special because of that.” ■

PROVIDING CHRISTIAN BOOKS & GIFTS

•jewelry art • books • videos • candles • sacraments • seasonal gift• OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9AM - 6PM & SATURDAY 9AM - 5PM

I

417 ERIN DRIVE KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE

865.588.0388

C

www.di o k no x .o rg

OWNED AND OPERATED BY

THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE pa r a clet e c atho lic.o rg

I

ID�

7

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

USCCB issues annual audit on compliance with child protection charter by dioceses, eparchies

By Catholic News Service he U.S. bishops’ annual report on compliance with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” shows that 2,930 victim survivors came forward with 3,103 allegations during the audit year of July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

The number of allegations is 1,149 less than that reported in 2020, according to the audit report released July 12 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.

“This decrease is due in large part to the resolution of allegations received as a result of lawsuits, compensation programs, and bankruptcies,” according to a news release accompanying the report. “Of the allegations received, 2,284 (74 percent) were first brought to the attention of the diocesan/eparchial representative by an attorney.”

The majority of allegations received were “historical in nature,” meaning the alleged victim is now an adult and the abuse happened in years or decades past. During this audit year, there were 30 new allegations.

The report is based on the audit findings of StoneBridge Business Partners, a specialty consulting firm based in Rochester, N.Y. Also included in the report are results of a survey on allegations conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

The charter was adopted in 2002 by the U.S. bishops following widespread reports of clergy abuse and has been revised several times since to adapt to changing situations surrounding the question of clergy sexual abuse of minors. It was revised in 2005, 2011, and 2018.

Of the new allegations made by current minors, six were substantiated; nine are still under investigation; nine were unsubstantiated; five could not be proven; and one was referred to the provincial of a religious order.

“This year’s audit, once again, shows that new cases of sexual misconduct by priests involving minors are rare today in the Catholic Church in the United States,” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez, who serves as USCCB president, said in a preface to the report.

He added that “every offender was removed from ministry. Every allegation was reported to law enforcement.”

“As we know, one allegation of abuse is too many,” he said, “But my brother bishops and I remain firmly committed to maintain our vigilance in protecting children and vulnerable adults and providing compassion and outreach to victimsurvivors of abuse.”

“On behalf of my brother bishops, I again want to express our

sorrow and apologies to every person who has suffered at the hands of someone in the Church. And again, we pledge our commitment to the healing of victim survivors and to doing everything in our power to protect children and vulnerable adults,” Archbishop Gomez continued.

The report shows that dioceses and eparchies provided outreach and support to 285 victim survivors and their families who reported an allegation during the audit period.

Continued support was provided to 1,737 victim survivors who had reported in prior audit periods.

In 2021, the Church conducted 1,964,656 background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers.

In addition, over 2 million adults and over 2.4 million children and youth were trained in how to identify the warning signs of abuse and how to report those signs.

Data from CARA said the costs related to allegations for diocese and eparchies for fiscal 2021 were: n Settlements, $118,516,493; n Other payments to victims, $13,103,289; n Support for offenders, $9,972,414; n Attorneys’ fees, $45,597,100; n Other costs, $6,930,931.

The grand total was $194,120,218,

which is a 38 percent decrease from fiscal year 2020.

“Six-tenths of the payments made by dioceses and eparchies between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, were for settlements to victims (61 percent), and almost a quarter of the total cost is for attorney’s fees (23 percent),” CARA said.

Despite restrictions experienced due to the pandemic, elements included in the charter audit process conducted by StoneBridge Business Partners, were not altered: n Seventy dioceses/eparchies were visited either in person or via remote technology, and data was collected from 122 others; n There were four instances of noncompliance due to the inactivity of their review boards: the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas; the Diocese of Lafayette, La.; the Diocese of New Ulm, Minn.; and the Eparchy of Newton were found noncompliant with Article 2 of the charter.

Article 2 requires they have a layrun review board that functions as a confidential consultative body to the bishop/eparch.

Subsequent convening of the review boards of the dioceses and the eparchy brought each of them into compliance with Article 2. n Three eparchies and one diocese

did not participate in the audit: the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, and the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

“May the Lord bless and preserve our efforts to make good on our promise to protect and pledge to heal,” Suzanne Healy, who chairs the National Review Board, said in a letter to Archbishop Gomez included in the report.

Ms. Healy said the NRB “continues to recommend that all dioceses and eparchies participate in the audit, but also audit every single parish in their ordinances. Parishes and school audits provide the most effective evaluation tool for diocesan/eparchial safe environment efforts.”

The board also “recommends examination of the efficacy of safe environment programs for both adults and children to ensure the training is working toward our promise to protect,” she added.

She said the board recommends enhancing the audit process with “possible expansion of the audit scope to include measures” in Pope Francis’ 2019 motu proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi establishing procedures for reporting allegations of sexual abuse and for holding accountable bishops, eparchs, and religious superiors who protect abusers.

The process could also include, she said, a new section of the Code of Canon Law dealing with crimes and punishments in the Church: “Book VI: Penal Sanctions in the Church.”

The NRB suggested a voluntary “mentorship” program between eparchies that do not participate in the audit and other eparchies that do, she said, and it also proposed there be one day when parishes in every diocese offer “a liturgy of lament for victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their families.”

“Through the efforts of many individuals, both lay and ordained, the culture and attitudes surrounding the abuse of children has and will continue to change,” Deacon Bernie Nojadera, director of the Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection, said in a letter to the archbishop in the report.

He has been blessed by the survivors he has come to know, he said, by them “sharing their stories and how they learned to cope and survive and, in some cases, thrive.

I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of such holy people.”

“The Church will be successful in her journey toward conversion, reconciliation, healing, and hope through the relationships with victims/survivors,” he said.

The full annual report on compliance with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops can be found online at https://bit.ly/3aHxm59. ■

Pope continued from page A12 left a firm desire to respond to the indignation and shame for the sufferings endured by the indigenous peoples,” he said, “and to move forward on a fraternal and patient journey with all Canadians, in accordance with truth and justice, working for healing and reconciliation, and constantly inspired by hope.”

He cautioned against forms of colonization, particularly “ideological colonization,” that he said is practiced today.

“In the past, the colonialist mentality disregarded the concrete life of people and imposed certain predetermined cultural models,” he said, “yet today, too, there are any number of forms of ideological colonization that clash with the reality of life, stifle the natural attachment of peoples to their values, and attempt to uproot their traditions, history, and religious ties.”

He tied this kind of colonization to what he called “cancel culture.”

“This mentality, presumptuously thinking that the dark pages of history have been left behind, becomes open to the ‘cancel culture’ that would judge the past purely on the basis of certain contemporary categories,” he said. “The result is a cultural fashion that levels everything out, makes everything equal, proves intolerant of differences, and concentrates on the present moment, on the needs and rights of individuals, while frequently neglecting their duties with regard to the most weak and vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.”

He identified the vulnerable as the poor, migrants, the elderly, the sick, and the unborn—or “the forgotten ones in ‘affluent societies’” who “are cast aside like dry leaves to be burnt.”

“Instead, the rich multicolored foliage of the maple tree reminds us of the importance of the whole, the importance of developing human communities that are not blandly uniform, but truly open and inclu-

sive,” he said, referencing the tree leaves holding national significance in Canada.

Throughout his speech, he repeatedly drew from the imagery of the maple leaf.

“How much we need to listen to and dialogue with one another, in order to step back from the prevailing individualism, from hasty judgments, widespread aggressiveness, and the temptation to divide the world into good people and bad!” he exclaimed at one point.

“The large size of the maple leaves, which absorb polluted air and in turn give out oxygen, invite us to marvel at the beauty of creation and to appreciate the wholesome values present in the indigenous cultures.”

He added: “They can inspire us all, and help to heal harmful tendencies to exploitation.”

The pope repeatedly highlighted indigenous Canadians as a model to follow in the care and protection of the family, making the world a better place for future generations, and

“recalling the importance of social values.”

“The Catholic Church, with its universal dimension, its concern for the most vulnerable, its rightful service to human life at every moment of its existence, from conception to natural death, is happy to offer its specific contribution,” the Holy Father added.

The past, he said, should inform the future. “May the wrongs that were endured by the indigenous peoples serve as a warning to us today, lest concern for the family and its rights be neglected for the sake of greater productivity and individual interests,” he said.

He concluded with a message of unity.

“It is by working in common accord, hand in hand, that today’s pressing challenges must be faced,” he said. “I thank you for your hospitality, attention, and respect, and with great affection I assure you that Canada and its people are truly close to my heart.” ■

T

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

“On behalf of my brother bishops, I again want to express our sorrow and apologies to every person who has suffered at the hands of someone in the Church. And again, we pledge our commitment to the healing of victim survivors and to doing everything in our power to protect children and vulnerable adults.” .”

— Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A19

Pope renews call for care as global consumption soars Holy Father says unbridled rate of resource use 'has shocked me'

Feeling the heat Local men try to put out a wildfire near Kecskemet, Hungary, on July 14. Farmers across Hungary have reported "historic" drought damage affecting some 550,000 hectares of land, the ministry of agriculture said in July. weeks of July this year, including his in-depth message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, celebrated Sept. 1.

In a message to participants at a European youth conference in Prague in early July, the pope encouraged young people to

take the lead in protecting the environment.

Resist the temptations “of a life of luxury” reserved for the few who continuously exploit resources in a “self-destructive trend,” he said in the message released July 11.

“May you aspire to a life of

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/MASSIMO PINCA, REUTERS

A

mong the many environmental issues Pope Francis is concerned about, the one that “has shocked me the most,” he once said, is the way resources are increasingly being consumed faster than they can be regenerated.

“Earth Overshoot Day” is the day when resource consumption goes into “debt” because the annual demand on nature exceeds nature’s annual “budget,” that is, what the earth can regenerate in that year. The faster humanity consumes resources and generates waste compared to how fast nature can recover, the bigger humanity’s “ecological footprint” and the earlier that overshoot date falls in the year.

“It’s very serious. It’s a global emergency,” the pope said in an interview in the summer of 2019, when Earth Overshoot Day fell on July 29.

In the pandemic year of 2020, Earth Overshoot Day was Aug. 22.

This year, the day fell on July 28, with the treasures of Earth’s yearly budget again being exhausted in less than eight months. It would take having another planet Earth and tapping into 75 percent of its resources in order to “break even.”

Moving the overshoot date to later in the year and building up resource security require the kind of changes Pope Francis has long been advocating and compiled in his 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, or “Care for Our Common Home.”

He urgently repeated his call to safeguard creation and stepped up his reminders with pointed appeals in three separate messages in the first two

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO/MARTON MONUS, REUTERS

By Catholic News Service

Climate concern A man walks on the dry riverbed of the Sangone River, a tributary of the Po River, in Beinasco, Turin, Italy, on June 19. Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years.

Though the ordained priest of the altar is vested to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass, we, too, are vested in the sufferings and sacrifices we offer, particularly in the Mass we are to live throughout the week.

The other colors of our vestments. And may the vestments of the Mass we live include the other liturgical colors—that of “white” representing the baptismal garment of our purity in Christ as His bride; that of “gold” reflecting the kingly dignity of the moral life we live in Christ; that of “green” for the ordinary sacrifices we make in the various vocations of life and daily labors; and violet for the penitential practices that help us say “yes” to

Bishop continued from page A3

Suffering’s sacred vestment.

Consider this as well. When we offer up our sufferings and sacrifices, we exercise our “common” share in the priesthood of Christ! And when we do so, Jesus transforms these into His most beautiful crimson red priestly vestments. How could it be otherwise? For by virtue of our baptism, we are commissioned to offer worship to God. As the highest form of worship, as it is for love, is sacrifice, we exercise our baptismal priesthood in a most privileged way in the holy sacrifice of the Mass in the offering we make of our “spiritual sacrifices” that Jesus unites in the Mass to His offering to the Father.

God and all He asks of us in the various circumstances of life.

But we must not forget the “rose” vestment of our “sacrifice of joy” (Psalm 27:6) that should accompany all our sacrifices for love of God and neighbor. And as often as we mortify ourselves and “die” to selfishness and sin, there is the “black” vestment, sometimes worn for funerals, that reminds us not only of life’s brevity, but also of the vestment of “light and joy” that awaits us, having died in Christ so as to rise with Him in eternal life.

Sacrifice with love. Therefore, let us follow the counsel of St. Paul and “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14), and allow Him to

A20 n AUGUST 7, 2022

COURTESY OF HAITI OUTREACH PROGRAM

Haiti continued from page A2

to the clinic, no easy feat in a country like Haiti.

Fatal illnesses the villagers were experiencing are easily preventable through vaccines but they have to be handled carefully and require refrigeration and protection from light. In remote, rural areas where electricity is nonexistent, small solar-powered refrigerators are the only option to store the vaccines.

From the initial planning stages for the building of the clinic, the planning team, including engineers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, designed the building to be wired for solar panels, even though at the time they had no idea how they’d get the panels to Bouly.

Through fundraising, the Haiti Outreach team was able to purchase five solar panels and a small, energy-efficient refrigerator in 2019. Unfortunately, Haiti’s political situation quickly deteriorated, and lawlessness and gang activity made the trip too dangerous.

“Ever since we purchased the panels and refrigerator, we’ve been eager to get them to Bouly. We knew it was the only way to make

Serving those in need Haitian residents wait to be seen at the medical clinic in Bouly, which receives resources from the Haiti Outreach Program. a lasting dent in the horrific mortality rates, in particular among infants and young children,” Dr. Mire said.

Through a connection Matt Webster, chairman of the Knoxville Haiti Outreach Program, had with Joe Hurston, a pilot and founder

of Air Mobile Ministries who had flown over 150 times to Haiti to deliver water purification systems, the plans were becoming a reality.

In early June, the panels and refrigerator were picked up from a basement in Alcoa, driven to Mr. Hurston’s home in Hancock

www.di o k no x .o rg

dignity and sobriety, without luxury and waste, so that everyone in our world can enjoy a dignified existence,” the pope wrote.

“There is an urgent need to reduce the consumption not only of fossil fuels but also of so many superfluous things,” which, for some parts of the world, would include consuming less meat; “this, too, can help save the environment,” he further wrote.

The care of the environment and the fight against climate change are not lofty goals for humanity but a moral imperative, Pope Francis told experts attending a Vatican conference on “Resilience of People and Ecosystems Under Climate Stress.”

“The Christian faith offers a particular contribution” because it advocates “protecting both individuals and our planet,” he said in his message July 13.

An integral ecology promotes “gratitude for God’s loving and generous gift of creation,” acknowledges “we are joined in a universal communion with one another and with the rest of the world’s creatures,” and addresses environmental problems “not as isolated individuals but in solidarity as a community,” he wrote.

In his message for the Sept. 1 world day of prayer, the pope wrote, “we must repent and modify our lifestyles and destructive systems.”

Humanity must develop models of consumption and production, as well as lifestyles, “in a way more respectful of creation and the integral human development of all peoples, present and future, a development grounded in responsibility, prudence-precaution, solidarity, concern for the poor, and for future generations,” he wrote. ■ “vest” our sufferings in His so that we might offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice” and “complete what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ,” that is, His Body, the Church (Hebrews 9:11; Romans 12:1; Colossians 1:24).

In understanding the redemptive value of our sufferings in Christ’s upon the cross, we can better become the “suffering” co-workers and helpers of Christ in His work of salvation for souls. As Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen observed, “Sacrifice without love is pain— pain with love is sacrifice.”

May the love of Christ transform your sufferings into Christ’s redemptive love in action. ■ County, then driven to Titusville, Fla., where Mr. Hurston’s plane, a turbocharged Cessna 337 lovingly called “Little Donkey,” was loaded for the flight to Port-au-Prince.

There, Mr. Hurston was met by a missionary from Mission Aviation Fellowship, who continued the journey by plane to Pignon, a small village 60 miles north of the capital and outside of gang control. In Pignon, St. Michel partners Father Michelet Lamare and Julio Geffrard drove the panels and refrigerator first to Boucan-Carré and then to the village of Sivol, and from there they were carried over the mountain to Bouly.

“We’re thrilled everything arrived safely! It is a testament of God’s will and people’s determination,” Mr. Webster said. “The panels and refrigerator are being installed now, and Dr. Olgenn Octave [the Haiti clinic’s doctor] is hopeful to procure vaccines quickly with the help of the Haitian government or through fundraising.”

To learn more about the Knoxville Haiti Outreach Program, and to donate, visit https://haitioutreachprogram.org. ■ TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

By Catholic News Service

ings that declared HHS violated religious freedom laws the last time they tried to impose such a mandate."

They added: "The proposed regulations announce that HHS is also considering whether to force health-care workers to perform abortions against their will or lose their jobs. We call on HHS to explicitly disavow any such intent."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released the joint statement from Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman, Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman, Commit-

T

he chairmen of four U.S. bishops committees said July 27 that proposed regulations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on abortion, transgender services, and other procedures threaten the Catholic Church's ability "to carry out our healing ministries" and others' ability "to practice medicine."

They called the proposed regulations—a 308-page document released July 25 by HHS—"a violation of religious freedom and bad medicine."

"They mandate health-care workers to perform life-altering surgeries to remove perfectly healthy body parts," the bishops said. "Assurances that HHS will honor religious freedom laws offer little comfort when HHS is actively fighting court rul-

Priesthood continued from page A18

enjoyed playing sports, dated a little, and “graduated without ever consciously wrestling with the question: ‘Should I be a priest?’”

“All went well” until the Sunday after Christmas during his first year in college at Notre Dame, he wrote, saying he had planned to major in physics there.

“I was home for vacation, and Monsignor Joe Siener chose that Sunday to speak on vocations and to ask the young men and boys to pray and give serious thought to the priesthood. After Mass, I went to the sacristy and said, ‘I’d like to study for the priesthood.

What do I do?’”

Father Hofstetter said “there is no recollection of Mother or Dad ever saying that they would be pleased if I chose to be a priest, but I knew by their respect for priests and their love for the Church that they would OK my decision. They did. And I returned to Notre Dame to change my major to

philosophy and begin my studies for the priesthood.”

He concluded that 1995 column by saying, “It is humbling to feel that God spoke a word in me almost 60 years ago as I stood there answering Bishop Adrian’s question, and that He continues to speak that word.”

Father Hofstetter celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest April 30, 2004, while serving as pastor of St. Jude.

Some 600 of the faithful and more than 30 priests attended a Mass, a dinner, and a reception, including Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, the principal celebrant of the Mass.

“It was a great gift to see the wonderful spirit the people had in cooperating and putting together a very fine dinner for the priests; the music, the song, and everything at the Mass; and then the wonderful reception afterward,” Father Hofstetter said. “It’s very edifying. I kind of told them I didn’t want all this stuff, but they did it anyway. It was wonderful, and I’m very thankful.”

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE PHOTO

USCCB leaders voice opposition to proposed changes in HHS mandate

Voicing opposition Pictured in this composite photo clockwise from top left are: San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone; New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan; Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori; and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City. tee for Religious Liberty.

Last year a number of Catholic health-care organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the mandate.

A federal court blocked the mandate last August, granting the plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction. ■

Father John O’Neill, whose first assignment as a priest was under Father Hofstetter at St. Jude, was the homilist for the 50th-anniversary Mass. He recalled how he found it inspiring to wake up early and discover that Father Hofstetter already had prayed the rosary and placed his beads on the hall table. “It was an inspiration to me about early-morning prayer,” Father O’Neill said.

He added that Father Hofstetter also sat “very quietly” before the Blessed Sacrament in the rectory oratory each day before supper and provided wonderful fellowship to priests at mealtime.

“Father Bob showed us [priests] how to pray and to await in silence just as Jesus Christ the priest did,” Father O’Neill said.

Father Hofstetter called it “a very rich 50 years. It’s been a very rich life, getting to know the wonderful people both in the Diocese of Nashville and now the Diocese of Knoxville. We have

a very gifted and wonderful group of people here at St. Jude, and it’s always been a pleasure to serve with the priests in the diocese. We’re blessed in Tennessee to have had such a wonderful group of priests.”

Father Hofstetter was conferred the title of Prelate of Honor to His Holiness on Aug. 11, 2011, and given the title of monsignor.

He was preceded in death by his parents; by his brothers, O.B. Hofstetter Jr., John C. Hofstetter, and William S. Hofstetter; sisters, Sister Adrian Marie, OP, and Sister Margaret Marie, OP; and nephews, John C. Hofstetter Jr. and George B. Hofstetter.

Survivors include his nephews and nieces, O.B. Hofstetter III, Robert B. Hofstetter, James C. Hofstetter, Christian S. Hofstetter, Mary Beth Adgent, Katherine H. Elcan, William S. Hofstetter Jr., Julie H. Fisher, Barbara H. Sneed, David C. Hofstetter, and Holly H. Spell, and numerous great-nephews and great-nieces. ■

2022. While those who say the country is “off on the wrong track” only increased from 57 percent to 59 percent, the number who are “not sure what direction the country is headed in” increased from 13 percent to 17 percent.

Few favor abortion on demand.

The poll found that a majority of Catholics oppose abortion being legal at any time during a pregnancy.

Taken days before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the poll shows a plurality of Catholics (47 percent) supporting Roe, compared with the 42 percent in favor of reversing the decision and sending the issue to the states.

Most Catholics (60 percent), however, say they would be less likely to vote for a political candidate who supports abortion at any time during a pregnancy. As many as 53 percent of Catholics would be less likely to support a candidate who favored taxpayer funding of abortion.

Views on contraception mandates.

A plurality of Catholics is more likely to vote for a candidate who supports contraception mandates for Catholic organizations.

Forty-six percent of Catholics would be more likely to support a candidate who believes that Catholic organizations should be required to provide insurance coverage for contraception to their employees. Only

37 percent say they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate.

Religious freedom an issue of concern.

Fully 82 percent of those surveyed say they are more likely to back a candidate who supported “the religious freedom of people of faith.”

Catholics also are worried about attacks on churches (61 percent very concerned) and pro-life clinics (56 percent very concerned).

Majority concerned about transgender ideology. Sixty-seven percent of Catholics say they oppose allowing biological boys who identify as female to use girls’ school bathrooms and locker rooms.

The same percentage opposes allowing them to compete against girls in school team sports. Sixty-eight percent oppose school administrators’ “hiding a student’s gender identity or a new name” from the parents.

Catholic parents say they need more school information.

An overwhelming 90 percent of Catholics surveyed say they favor giving parents more information about “the curriculum and what children are being taught in school.”

Of these, 60 percent “strongly favor” sharing this information with the parents. As many as 65 percent say they would like parents to be involved in determining the curriculum at school.

A window into Catholic devotional practices.

As many as 57 percent of Catholics polled say they pray daily, but only 40 percent say they go to Mass at least weekly. When asked if they believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist, 50 percent responded “yes, the transformed bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Christ and not symbols.” Thirty-eight percent say “no, the bread and wine are symbols.”

The survey, which was conducted online, has a 95 percent credibility level of +/-2.58 percentage points, according to RealClear Opinion Research. ■

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

Poll continued from page A3

ic. As many as 42 percent of monthly Mass attendees identify as Democrats, compared with 33 percent who consider themselves Republican.

Karlyn Bowman, a distinguished senior fellow emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an expert on public opinion polls, told CNA that the poll “isn’t surprising.”

She said it is consistent with past polls of party identification among Catholics.

In 2018, Ms. Bowman noted, 50 percent of Catholics cast their ballots for Democrats and 49 percent for Republicans. She cautions that “a lot can happen in the roughly 100 days until the election” and that the political landscape may have changed since the June 24 Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

“In the last few days, however, a few new national polls have shown a shift in party ID toward the Democrats, and some commentators have suggested that it is a response to the abortion decision. I think we need to see more polls,” Ms. Bowman said.

Nevertheless, the “right track/ wrong track” question, she said, “has to be a worrying one for Democrats.”

“The negative picture this poll provides is consistent with all the major polls,” Ms. Bowman said.

Catholic voters don’t always take political stands that are in line with Church teaching, the survey showed. On the issue of abortion, for example, they are sharply divided, and their support for mandating that Catholic organizations provide insurance coverage for contraception to their workers puts them at odds with guidance from the Church.

Opposition to “transgender ideology” and K-12 school curricula emerged as issues of importance to Catholic voters.

In terms of how they practice the faith, while 57 percent of Catholic voters say they pray daily, 40 percent say they attend Mass at least weekly.

On a question that has received much attention of late, inspiring the Catholic bishops’ National Eu-

charistic Revival, only 50 percent of Catholic voters said they believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist.

Here are some key findings from the survey of likely Catholic voters: n Democrats in Congress went from “favorable” to “unfavorable”; n Among Catholic voters, 47 percent see Democrats in Congress as favorable (compared with 53 percent in 2020), and 49 percent see them as unfavorable (compared with 47 percent in 2020). Republicans are just as unpopular, but their numbers haven’t changed since 2020; n President Biden’s approval rating is lower than President Trump’s; n Forty-five percent of Catholic voters give President Biden a favorable rating compared with the 49 percent who give Donald Trump a favorable rating—an improvement over the 44 percent President Trump received two years ago; n One-third of Catholics don’t know that President Biden is Catholic; n While 61 percent believe President Biden is Catholic, 6 percent think he is Protestant or Evangelical, and 27 percent don’t know his religious affiliation; n Only 24 percent say the nation is headed in the right direction; n The percentage of Catholics who like the way the country is headed decreased from 30 percent to 24 percent from the summer of 2020 to

www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A21

Webb telescope images feed the mind and spirit Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory are amazed by the beauty of images from deep space

T

he Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory were wowed like most people by the beauty of the photos from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, but the director said they also are excited by the scientific information the telescope will reveal.

“Such images are a necessary food for the human spirit—we do not live by bread alone—especially in these times,” said Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, the observatory director, after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration released a first batch of images from what the space agency describes as “the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built.”

“The images are gorgeous, as anyone can see for themselves,” Brother Consolmagno said. “It's a tantalizing glimpse of what we'll be able to learn about the universe with this telescope in the future.”

NASA described Webb's mission as studying “every phase of 13.5 billion years of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe, and everything in between.”

“The science behind this telescope is our attempt to use our God-given intelligence to understand the logic of the universe,” Brother Consolmagno said. “The universe wouldn't work if it weren't logical. But as these images show, the universe is not only logical, it is also beautiful.”

“This is God's creation being revealed to us, and in it we can see both his astonishing power and his love of beauty,” the Jesuit said.

The Vatican Observatory director also noted that “astronomy is a small field,” so he knows many of the scientists who helped build the instruments on the telescope and plan its observations.

Their years of effort, he said, “is a tribute to the power of the human spirit, what we can do

Cenacolo continued from page A13

a religious sister in Italy to help those rehab their lives from addiction. They have their own lay leadership. They don't work outside the facility, but they work in their home, they volunteer in their surrounding area and pray the rosary three times a day, and they go to Mass, they have morning prayer, and they also don't rely on a lot of technology. They told me that when they wash clothes they use a washboard, just to show them that they can do these things. So, they are trying to rebuild the lives of people based on faith through peers,” he observed.

Life in the Comunità Cenacolo community is akin to life in a religious order.

Comunità Cenacolo selects individuals who are experienced community participants to be servants of hope and will serve as the first personal contact for those struggling with dependency interested in entering Comunità Cenacolo.

A22 n AUGUST 7, 2022

when we work together.”

“And at the same time,” he said, “I am amazed and grateful that God has given us humans, His creation, the ability to see

and understand what he has done.”

Pointing to the telescope's “first spectrum of water vapor in the atmosphere of an exoplanet,”

a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system, Brother Consolmagno reminded readers of one of his Jesuit-scientist predecessors.

“It was about 150 years ago when Father Angelo Secchi, SJ, put a prism in front of his telescope lens on the roof of the St. Ignatius Church in Rome, and made the first spectral measurements of the atmospheres of the planets in our own solar system,” he said. “I can only imagine how delighted he would be to see the science he pioneered applied to planets unknown to him orbiting distant stars.”

With roots dating to 1582, the Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world. Its headquarters are in Castel Gandolfo, a town just outside Rome and the location of the summer residence of the popes.

The Vatican Observatory also operates the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, located in rural Arizona about 200 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Brother Consolmagno said that he is personally delighted by the success of the Webb telescope because he is friends with many of the scientists who built the instruments and planned the observations.

“I know how long and how hard they and their colleagues have worked to make this incredible machine work. It is a tribute to the power of the human spirit, what we can do when we work together,” he said.

The Jesuit brother added that he is amazed and grateful to God that He has given humans, His creation, “the ability to see and understand what He has done.”

He quoted Psalm 8, which says, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” ■

The servants of hope provide general information as well as their own personal experience with the community.

If approved by a servant of hope, individuals and their families set up an appointment for a three-day orientation in St. Augustine. Candidates for entry into the community must be accompanied by parents.

The candidates pray and work with the community, living its daily schedule. At the end of the three days, the candidates meet individually with the director of Comunità Cenacolo America. The parents then meet with the director. And if the family and the community agree that Comunità Cenacolo is an appropriate answer for a candidate’s need, he or she is accepted, and an entry date is established.

On average, those being ministered to in the Comunità Cenacolo houses stay for three years, according to Mr. Crouse.

Comunità Cenacolo accepts men ages 18-40 and women ages 18-30.

The community further explains that because physical labor is integral to the life of Comunità Cenacolo, the community must assess that each candidate can handle the demands of its physical working life.

In Latin America and Africa, Comunità Cenacolo also ministers to orphaned and abandoned street children as well as underprivileged youth.

There are 72 Comunità Cenacolo houses in 20 countries.

The ministry started by Mother Elvira, who is 85 and still serves the Church in Italy, is often referred to as a school of life.

“The ways young people and those who struggle come to community are often different, but all are united by suffering. They’re united by this cross, and it is not just drug addiction, but more so the inability to love and live one’s life. From the beginning, Mother Elvira loved to define the community journey as a ‘school of life,’

explaining what community wants to offer to people. Those who ask for help learn to live life in all of its different aspects: joy, pain, fatigue, friendship, celebration, simplicity, struggle, fear, courage, fragility,” according to Comunità Cenacolo America.

“The community journey is formed over time and collective experiences. We developed it by listening and learning from the young people themselves and their families. Through the experience and service of those who’ve put in the hard work, we can welcome and God can heal more hearts than ever. Over the years, this journey has become a source of hope and salvation not only for many who’ve been dependent on drugs and distractions, but also for those who crave to encounter a true answer to the suffering they have experienced. They search for a solution to the deep search for meaning in their life,” the ministry statement continued. ■

CNS PHOTO/NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, WEBB ERO VIA REUTERS (4)

By Catholic News Service and Catholic News Agency

Wowed by Webb The "Cosmic Cliffs" of the Carina Nebula are seen in an image released by NASA on July 12. The "cliffs" are divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. The image is from data provided by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a revolutionary apparatus designed to peer through the cosmos to the dawn of the universe. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes.

Galaxy heaven A group of five galaxies that appear close to each other in the sky is seen in this image released by NASA on July 12. Two galaxies in the middle, one toward the top, one to the upper left and one toward the bottom are seen in a mosaic, or composite, of near- and mid-infrared data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a revolutionary apparatus designed to peer through the cosmos to the dawn of the universe.

www.di o k no x .o rg

TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to Diocese of Knoxville students

D

iocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

Young Life continued from page A8

been using this language at Knoxville Catholic High School for years. Young Life is going to help us do that. It’s going to help our students grow in their relationship with Jesus,” he said.

“There’s a real willingness by Young Life to come in and respect Catholic teaching and tradition and not do anything contradictory to Catholic teaching,” he continued.

“We really feel like we’ve vetted this well and that it will be a really good thing for Knoxville Catholic High School.”

While Mr. Sompayrac wasn’t involved in Young Life as a teen growing up in the Chattanooga area, he did participate in SEARCH, which is an experience in encountering Jesus Christ that will assist teens in living a Christian life as they enter into young adulthood. SEARCH aims to ignite the disciple in each participant to go forth and proclaim the Gospel.

He is working with the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry to re-energize SEARCH in the Knoxville area after it has been inactive in recent years. He would like to see it approach the popularity it enjoys in Chattanooga.

“Growing up in Chattanooga, I was involved in two SEARCH experiences, and I was able to go back as a leader in 1987-88. It’s such a part of the Catholic youth community in Chattanooga. The priest at Notre Dame always headed up SEARCH. The diocese is interested in Knoxville getting that back,” Mr. Sompayrac said.

He pointed out that in Chattanooga, SEARCH sponsors three weekend retreats each year—in the fall, winter, and spring, with 35-40 students attending each retreat.

He noted that for SEARCH to be successful in the Knoxville area, it will need someone to consistently lead it like the priest does at Notre Dame.

“For it to really work, you have to have boots on the ground. I would love to see SEARCH take off. I think both SEARCH and Young Life can be successful,” Mr. Sompayrac said.

Mrs. Schulze said she is excited to start a new Young Life chapter at KCHS. “It’s been a little daunting, but very encouraging. It’s very exciting, not scary at all,” she said. “I feel like a lot of kids are itching to have this.

I’m really excited to just show up for these kids and be a constant in their lives. We’re going to be there as much as possible, during lunch a couple of times a week, before and after school, and at sporting events and plays.

We like to show up for anything the school and the kids are doing.”

And the high school’s new Young Life leaders are just as excited about starting Young Life Club on Monday nights each week off campus.

“My hope and goal with Knoxville Catholic are to have the Young Life Club in the same place every week,” Mrs. Schulze added, pointing to the importance of reaching kids where they are. “In Young Life, we call it the right to be heard.”

She noted that as Young Life gets established at KCHS, there is an offshoot Bible study program called Campaigners. There is a Campaigners group for girls and one for boys.

Mrs. Schulze credited the KCHS parents and Mr. Sompayrac for making Young Life available to the students.

“Dickie has been phenomenal and the parents, too. Dickie has been a major champion, and the parents have been instrumental in Young Life being welcomed on campus,” she said.

She acknowledged that Young Life at KCHS will be different than it is at the other public and private high schools. “But our intention is to do what Young Life does best, and that’s walking alongside kids and helping them grow in their faith.”

She encouraged any parent or student wanting to know more about Young Life to visit the organization’s websites, younglife.org, knoxville.

TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

younglife.org, and catholicrelations. younglife.org.

While the mission and ministry of the new Young Life chapter at KCHS is to strengthen students’ relationship with Jesus, Young Life will not be a substitution for the Catholic Church or a conduit to other faiths, Mr. Sompayrac and Mrs. Schulze agreed.

“We are not the Church. We come alongside the Church. We want kids to continue to go to Mass. We want to help them let their faith come alive in the Catholic Church,” Mrs. Schulze said. “We want our leadership teams to reflect the students. We’re not there yet at Knoxville Catholic, but Kate (Hoots) is a practicing Catholic who is helping us understand the faith.”

Brittany Garcia, director of the diocesan Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry, is looking forward to Young Life and SEARCH getting underway now that the diocese has laid the groundwork.

“The fact that both Young Life and SEARCH are starting up at Knoxville Catholic High School in the same academic year is quite exciting! These are two very distinct ministries but together they have the possibility to embolden the students’ faith lives and to strengthen them on their individual journeys as disciples of Christ,” Mrs. Garcia said.

Deacon Al Forsythe, formerly director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, led discussions to bring Young Life into the diocese more than five years ago.

He remembers that both organizations had much to learn about each other.

“Our first discussions were not about anything more than establishing relationships between the Catholic Church and Young Life. I believe both groups had some misconceptions about each other. But when we took the time to get to know each other and really understand each other, then that relationship could move us forward,” Deacon Forsythe recalled.

He also remembers meetings with Tim Teague, then the area coordinator for Young Life, at Chick-Fil-A in Bearden and being introduced to Will Acker and Michael Havercamp, the national coordinator for Young Life and Young Life’s Catholic Relations arm.

“As far as I can remember, this all started back in 2016,” he said, noting that discussions were overshadowed by misperceptions about the Catholic faith and Young Life’s intentions.

“Now that we have been in a relationship for a while and a sense of trust has been established, we all have earned the right to be heard.

And the teens pick up on that, so instead of adversaries we are now coworkers in the same vineyard, with the same goal of bringing teens back into a relationship with Christ and His Church,” Deacon Forsythe said.

He is thankful that his efforts over the past several years are bearing fruit.

“I would like to think I had a small part in making this progress, and I’m happy that the diocese has accepted the fact that Young Life is an organization who we can learn from, and Young Life has come to learn a lot about the diocese and what we can do to help each other connect teens to their home parish,” Deacon Forsythe noted.

He just prays that everyone involved will support this ministry to bring Jesus closer to those who are the future of the Church.

“We as the Catholic Church need to be ready to welcome our teens home and give them a place where they feel welcomed and appreciated for the gifts they bring to the Church. If we embrace this opportunity, we will surely see the fruits in our local youth ministry programs and parishes,” Deacon Forsythe concluded. “I am excited to learn about Young Life coming to Knoxville Catholic. I believe they have a great energy about them and a heart for young people and bringing them to a relationship with Christ.” ■

They do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other schooladministered programs. ■

East Tennessee Catholic News Zulay Pickering named Pastoral Juvenil Hispana coordinator Zulay Navarro Pickering has been named the new coordinator of Pastoral Juvenil Hispana for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Ms. Pickering is a native Spanish speaker, born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and has lived in the United States since 1990.

She has been an active volunteer in her parish and for the diocesan office of Hispanic Ministry over the past decade, working with a variety of ages from small children to parents and grandparents.

She is excited to now work more closely with Ms. Pickering youth and young adults as the coordinator of Pastoral Juvenil Hispana.

The Pastoral Juvenil ministry recognizes the large number of young Hispanics in the Diocese of Knoxville and seeks to reach out to them in a culturally and linguistically sensitive fashion. Pastoral Juvenil is dedicated to being a source for Spanish and bilingual resources, events, retreats, workshops, and leadership development for Hispanic youth and young adults. Pastoral Juvenil collaborates with the Hispanic Ministry office and other regional and national Hispanic associations and events.

Funeral Mass held at All Saints Church for Donald V. Borst Donald V. Borst, age 86, of Knoxville, passed away on July 17.

A funeral Mass for Mr. Borst was celebrated on Aug. 5 at All Saints Church, with entombment following at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

Mr. Borst was born in Staten Island, N.Y., in 1936 and he retired in 1999 to Vonore. He was the president and CEO of Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, where he retired.

He earned his bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of TenMr. Borst nessee-Knoxville in 1957. He then completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School in 1974. As a chemical engineering student, he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Rohm and Haas.

During his career, Mr. Borst was senior vice president of CF Industries Inc., one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash fertilizers in North America.

He also served as president and CEO of Agritrans Corp. In 1984, he joined SCM Chemicals as vice president, and two years later he was appointed president and CEO of the company’s global business. In this position, he managed the second-largest U.S. producer of titanium dioxide and the third-largest in the world. It was among the most modern and productive titanium dioxide facilities.

Upon retirement, Mr. Borst received the 1997 Industry Statesman Award from the National Paint and Coatings Association. In 1987, he took part in the chemical engineering department’s Distinguished Alumni Seminar Series at UT-K. He also served the university as chair of the Advisory Council for Enhancement under UT chancellor William T. Snyder. He was the 2001 Nathan W. Dougherty Award recipient and was a 2002-03 member of the UT Tickle College of Engineering’s board of advisers.

Mr. Borst was preceded in death by his parents, Vincent Henry Borst and Clara Dell Stair Borst; sister, Linda Louise Borst Jachetti; brothers, Joseph Rosco Borst and Vincent Joseph Borst.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Jane Harber Borst; children, Mary Jane Borst Myers, Vincent Thomas Borst (Linda), Robert Harber Borst (Mary), and Mark Andrew Borst (Danthika); grandchildren, Stephen Aaron Myers (Miki), Andrew Donald Borst, Ethan Alexander Borst; great-grandchildren Cooper Aaron Myers and Zoe Adele Myers; sisters, Marlene Borst Monforte and Clara Borst Defazio; sister-in-law, Betty Claire Harber Jones (Kenneth); numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Steven Prince and the nurses at Parkwest Medical Center. Memorials in Mr. Borst’s name may be made to Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, 318 N Gay St., Suite 100, Knoxville, TN 37917. ■

www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A23

Commit

ted

to Catholic

Education

"To say that the gift given to my children through the Tuition Assistance Program is greater than gold may not even be enough-it is truly priceless.

And whereas it is always my hope to be in a position where we will no longer need monetary support, and be in a place where we can offer it to others, I know there is no amount of money that can ever be given that will compare to the bounty of love, support, friendships, and profound teachings we have gained by being able to access schools in the Knoxville Diocese."

-Parent of children currently receiving Tuition Assistance through the generosity of donors like you.

Your Commitment Changes Lives

Commit to changing lives with your donation by visiting: https://dioknox.org/schools-qrgive

or scanning the QR code Catholic Schools Second Collection weekends: August 13-14 & November 12-13 TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

www.di o k no x .o rg

AUGUST 7, 2022 n A24