December 1
| 2019
VOL 29 NO 2
IN THIS ISSUE A A4 BECOMING DEACON
25 men discerning the permanent diaconate
GROUPS AUDIENCE B1 YOUTH A4 PAPAL New ministries for boys Bishop Stika meeting with Pope Francis on ad limina visit
and girls getting their start in the diocese
He dwells among us ......................... A2 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Columns ............................................. B8 Catholic schools ............................. B10 La Cosecha ............................Section C
St. Faustina Association welcomes Bishop Stika Chattanooga’s Vietnamese faith community growing, with goal of becoming a parish
COURTESY OF FATHER NICK TRAN (2)
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stablished just four months ago, the St. Faustina Public Association of the Faithful, founded by Bishop Richard F. Stika for the Vietnamese Catholic community in the Chattanooga area, appears to be flourishing. Bishop Stika celebrated Mass with nearly 240 attendees and offered the sacrament of baptism to two infants and a 93-year-old woman during his first official visit to the community at its current worship space in Notre Dame High School on Nov. 3. “The bishop goes into a garden and he sees a little sprout, and he wants to nourish it, and then the sprout begins to grow. Soon it’s not a sprout but a tree. And now I see the growth of a tree here and so I have to respond,” Bishop Stika said during his homily. Bishop Stika hopes someday to establish a parish for the Vietnamese community in Chattanooga. But before that, months, and perhaps years, of work will need to be done. “Before we become a parish, I have to make sure you’re all committed to being a parish and that you continue to grow and get taller and taller so that the entire area around Chattanooga will see the new beginnings of a strong community,” said Bishop Stika, who established the St. Faustina Association in July. Father Nick Tran, a Vietnam native, arrived in the Diocese of Knoxville earlier this year from the Archdiocese of Hartford and is chaplain and moderator for the community. “We invited Bishop Stika to come to see our community on Sunday. Our people were very joyful, and they were so happy to see him,” Father Tran said. “Bishop Stika is their shepherd, and they were so thrilled and happy. People know the bishop cares about us and loves us.” Mass attendance was 238, higher
By Jim Wogan and Janice Fritz-Ryken
Welcome St. Faustina Public Association Bishop Richard F. Stika is shown with members of the new Vietnamese Catholic community in Chattanooga, St. Faustina Public Association. Bishop Stika celebrated Mass for the community at Notre Dame High School on Nov. 3.
Bathe these children in light Bishop Stika baptizes two infants during a Mass he celebrated for the St. Faustina Public Association in Chattanooga on Nov. 3 at Notre Dame High School. than the 180-200 people that Father Tran said usually attend Sunday Mass there. The growth and exuberance of
the St. Faustina Association has been evident since its start in July. An initial challenge was to find it adequate worship space.
The association started with Masses in the Notre Dame High School chapel, which isn’t large enough. Masses were then moved to the school auditorium, which can accommodate approximately 600 people. In November, Masses were temporarily moved to the school cafeteria while auditorium renovations took place. Growing the association has taken hard work and a few road miles for Father Tran, who has driven to businesses around Chattanooga where many Vietnamese residents work. He spread word of the Vietnamese Masses at Notre Dame. He also collected information hoping it might lead to home visits. “I go to their houses and nail salons and ask for people who are Catholic. We ride to their houses and where they work, and I invite them to come to Mass, so they are very happy to have a priest appear to their house,” Father Tran said. “They are still active Catholics, but they don’t have a Vietnamese Mass, and they want to go to a Vietnamese Mass.” There is no timetable for the establishment of a parish. Similar to Knoxville, which saw the 2014 establishment of Divine Mercy Parish for the Vietnamese community, growing the St. Faustina association into a Catholic mission and then a parish will take time. “I reminded all the people that as they grow closer and closer to the possibility of becoming a parish, it is great to feel like you are an American, but don’t forget your past and the culture, the suffering of the Vietnamese people, the language, and to teach it for generations to come,” Bishop Stika said. One of the necessities of a faithful Catholic faith community is the availability of the sacraments. St. Faustina continued on page A11
Vandal’s attack on crucifixes unites basilica, N.C. parish By Bill Brewer
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ne vandal’s act of desecration has created fellowship between the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga and St. Joseph’s Parish in Bryson City, N.C., that is a testament to the teachings of Jesus. And the physical attack on the Catholic Church and sacred objects at St. Joseph’s Church has solidified the friendship of basilica rector Father David Carter and St. Joseph’s pastor Father Peter Shaw, who have found they share more in common than the priesthood and a love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. On Aug. 7, a man described by authorities as under the influence of an intoxicant used a sledgehammer to destroy the corpus of a seven-foot-tall exterior crucifix that was part of a parish grave memorial in front of St. Joseph’s. The crucifix had become a city landmark. St. Joseph’s Church is on Main Street, near the center of town, and the grave marker with
“Isn’t this the Gospel message? From the greatest tragedy in human history—the crucifixion—comes salvation. Only God can make good come from evil. But He does that through us in so many mysterious ways.” — Father David Carter the crucifix is placed in front of the church just off the roadway. Once the vandal had crushed the reinforced concrete statue suspended on a heavy wooden cross, he moved inside the church and used a cross from the altar to destroy a crucifix that was placed just behind the altar. Father Shaw said the adult male desecrated the crucifixes in the middle of the day as a women’s group was meeting in the church basement. One of the women confronted the man while another woman called police, who shortly thereafter took the man into custody. According to news accounts that cited the police report, as the man destroyed the sacred objects he was ranting that Jesus wasn’t dead Crucifix continued on page A9
COURTESY OF FATHER DAVID CARTER
Desecration of sacred objects prompts faith communities to help St. Joseph’s
God’s gift Father David Carter, left, presents a basilica crucifix to Father Peter Shaw.