Dec. 6, 2020, ET Catholic, B section

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE

B section

Last two of original Sisters of Mercy retire The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have served in East Tennessee since coming to Knoxville in 1896

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he retirement of the last two Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in the Diocese of Knoxville ends a tradition of more than 120 years of the community’s service in East Tennessee.

Sister Patricia “Pat” Soete, RSM, the pastoral associate at St. Jude Parish in Helenwood since September 1994, retired to Mercy Convent in Nashville in late November. In spring of this year, Sister Yvette Gillen, RSM, pastoral associate at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, retired to Nashville.

Several Sisters of Mercy have retired in recent years, ending a long run of service that began in 1896 when the first Sisters of Mercy came to East Tennessee to teach at St. Mary School, next door to Immaculate Conception Church in downtown Knoxville. The Sisters of Mercy founded St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville in 1930 and served there during its more than eight and a half decades of operation.

Sister Pat has helped serve Appalachia’s poorest of the poor in the Helenwood area of Scott County. As she was preparing for retirement, she was gearing up for the annual Christmastime toy and clothing drive that St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut sponsors for St. Jude Parish.

“The parishioners there give us numerous toys and clothing, brand new. I can’t sing their praises enough,” Sister Pat said. “We’ve been so blessed to have them give us these things. The room is filled with these gifts. Just to see the faces of these people just does something to you. We’ve been doing that for 26 years now. St. John Neumann has been God’s gift to us in a very real way.”

St. Jude is one of the diocese’s

Sister Yvette Gillen, RSM

Sister Patricia Soete, RSM smallest parishes, but its parishioners have big hearts when it comes to serving those less fortunate.

“We get a lot of calls here for helping people with their rent and utilities, with clothing and other odds and ends, people who are in dire need,” Sister Pat said. “We’ve been fortunate here at St. Jude’s.

There have been a lot of people who have given over the years to help the poor.”

As well as her holding the St. John Neumann drive, Sister Pat sets up a gift-giving tree for those with extra needs.

“We take a small tree and put it in our vestibule here,” she said. “The people who call and ask for special help, I make a paper ornament with the mother’s name. I give them pants, coats, shoes, socks, underwear, and a toy. The people in the parish take the tag off the tree, and then they fulfill whatever is on the tag.”

The need never ends.

“We had a lady just today call

me,” Sister Pat said. “She has two children who are like 12 or 14, and the third one is an adult child who is 34 years old and is special-needs.

We have to get things for her that will kind of fit the phase she’s in.

We had a lady who found her daughter dead in bed. They’ve really been struggling. That’s a very heavy burden to carry.”

Sister Pat said that “God is good—I’ve been able to do what I’m doing. Right now it’s going to be very hard to leave St. Jude’s. It’s the people in the parish and also the people in the community who have touched me. Their being present in my life has been God’s gift to me. When these people touch my life, I keep them in my prayers. I lift these people up who have touched my life. That’s a gift that we get throughout our life. When you get feedback on that, it gives you the strength and the courage to do whatever God is asking you to do.

It’s not about the words. It’s about learning the presence, to meet the

By Dan McWilliams

Lord in one another, how to be present to one another.”

Next year will be a special one for Sister Pat, whose first profession was in 1954.

“In 2021, I’ll be 70 years in the convent,” she said. “I entered in 1951.”

Sister Pat, a native of Cincinnati, was a teacher early on in her vocation.

“In those first years, I taught second, third, fourth, and sixth grades for 12 years,” she said. “Then after that I think I got burned out, so I asked to go into nursing, so I took classes for a practical nurse. I served in Springfield, Ohio, when I got the degree. That was another nine years. After that I had to leave nursing because I had an injury to my back. I had two back surgeries. That was in 1977.”

Then she came to Knoxville and St. Mary’s Hospital to serve as a chaplain.

“Sister Marie Moore—we entered together in the same class. She was at the time the president of St. Mary’s Hospital. When she found out I was changing my direction, she asked me if I could come to St. Mary’s,” Sister Pat said. “I was at St. Mary’s for 15 years. Each one of those ministries prepares you for the next one. I live in the now, and so the now is very important to me and what I do with it.”

Sister Pat reflected on being the last Sister of Mercy to retire.

“It’s awesome. It just dawned on me one day that I’m the last one,” she said. “The last two sisters are both from Ohio [Sister Yvette is a native of Findlay, Ohio]. I’ve been here over half my life. I’m part Tennessean. It’s part of God’s plan. It’s Sisters continued on page B2

Looking back, looking ahead

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he celebration of 25 years as a priest for Father Ronald Franco, CSP, incorporated all three of his assignments, including his latest stop at Immaculate Conception Parish in downtown Knoxville.

Slide shows during breaks in Mass on Oct. 29 at IC highlighted Father Franco’s time over a quartercentury at St. Peter’s Parish in Toronto, St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, and finally his 10 years at IC. “You know, 25 years is a nice chunk of time,” said Father Franco, whose ordination was Oct. 28, 1995, at St. Peter’s. “It’s a very special day, a lot to be grateful for.”

Bishop Richard F. Stika attended the anniversary Mass in choir.

Father Franco was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Deacon Joe Stackhouse and Deacon Doug Bitzer assisted. Also present were Knoxville’s four other Paulist priests: Father Tim Sullivan, associate pastor at IC; Father Donald Andrie, pastor of St. John XXIII University Parish; Father Bob O’Donnell, associate pastor of St. John XXIII; and retired priest Father Jim Haley.

The Mass was livestreamed around the world.

“It’s being livestreamed so my family in California and New York and other people, friends from around the country, can see it if they wish,” Father Franco said.

The occasion was rather bittersweet, as Father Franco had already

announced that his time at IC would end after this year. He will be succeeded as pastor by Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, who formerly led Knoxville’s other Paulist community, St. John XXIII. “I’ve had a very good experience here, and I’ve been very happy here,” Father Franco said. “But, you know, time passes and we get older, and it’s time for a younger man to take the helm. I’ll be going to our motherhouse in New York in senior ministry.”

The anniversary Mass highlighted his memories “from three different places,” Father Franco said.

“A lot of people, I’ve passed in and out of their lives. A lot of people that I’ve seen on a weekly basis, people that I’ve buried, people that I’ve married,” he said. “This is an opportunity for me to give thanks to God and to the Church and to the people of the parishes where I’ve served for the wonderful experience I’ve had over these years.”

In his homily, Father Franco referred to the evening’s Gospel reading from Luke 10:1-9.

“It’s the same one that was read at my ordination 25 years ago. Despite the Lord’s explicit command, I must confess that I have not, to my knowledge, cured any sick in these 25 years,” he said. “But I do hope at least to have been better about fulfilling the rest of the Lord’s command: whenever He went to a city, say, ‘the kingdom of God has come here.’

By Dan McWilliams

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Father Ronald Franco celebrates silver anniversary in the priesthood as he prepares for next assignment

‘I press on for the goal of the heavenly call’ Father Ronald Franco, CSP, delivers the homily at his 25th-anniversary Mass on Oct. 29 at Immaculate Conception Church in Knoxville. Father Franco was ordained Oct. 28, 1995, at St. Peter’s Church in Toronto.

Often enough I’ve felt more like Thomas Merton when he prayed, ‘I have no idea where I am going, and I do not see the road ahead of me.’

“But now so many years down that road, I feel closer to St. Paul, writing to his friends in Philippi, straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on for the goal of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Twenty-five years does not seem like such a long time, but it has been a long time, or long enough, to have made a difference in our world.

Back then, as many of us here may remember, we still wrote letters and made phone calls. We read the paper in the morning and watched the news together at the appointed hour in the evening. But that common and shared experience of all living in the same world was sadly not to last. As Pope Francis wrote in his recent encyclical, ‘We no longer have common horizons that unite us.’”

Father Franco then harked back to 1995.

Father Franco continued on page B2

Sisters continued from page B1

just trying to fulfill whatever the Lord is asking me to do. It’s taking it day by day.”

In Nashville, Sister Pat will find friends who also served at St. Mary’s Hospital.

“There’ll be a few of those sisters there who were at the hospital, so that will be a blessing,” she said.

“It was such a precious time because it was working with people who were ill, who were dying of cancer. I worked in the cancer unit.

When you work with people who are dying, it’s a special gift—the Lord is calling them home, and He is calling me to be with them.

It’s touching. It just grabs me by my heart. It’s very sad, but it’s a rich gift to be with people who are hurting, people who are in need, people who are suffering.

“We’re just responding to the Lord’s call. The Lord calls us from different places to be with people who are in need. We meet the Lord in the people we are with. I believe the Lord invites us into His life, not just the glories. He invites us to be part of that suffering. It’s something that you carry with you all of your life.”

When she first entered the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Pat said “it was difficult because it was the first time I was away from my family. I was 18 years old. You lived by the rule [in the convent]; you did certain things a certain way. As I grow older, I can look back and learn things from those days. I tried my best to answer the Lord’s call in being a sister, a nun. He asked me to be one with Him and to be His presence among God’s people. I can look back over the years at things that have enriched my life or have challenged me through difficult times. I call myself a survivor who is most grateful to the Lord for the gift of His calling me.”

Two aunts helped lead Sister Pat into religious life.

“I had two aunts who were Sisters of Mercy. Both of them have since died. I was born Catholic, so I went to a Catholic school, and there were a lot of sisters there,” she said.

“There was something about being around them, that I guess the Lord goes to work on you. The attraction of doing what they were doing, I wanted to be like them.”

Her aunts “didn’t pull me in,” Sister Pat said. “They let me be who I was. You’ve got to see if this was what the Lord is asking you to do.”

The retiring sister said she has “no idea” what her duties in Nashville will be.

“I know it’s going to be a challenge there. I’ve been living by myself for 27 years. I’m an introvert,” she said. “It takes a while for me to adjust. I have to keep on praying and ask the Lord to help me meet this challenge. At the same time I am grateful that the Lord is taking care of me.”

Sister Pat is still going strong as an octogenarian.

“I’m 87. I’m proud of it. It took me a long time to get here,” she said.

Sister Yvette is well-known in the Our Lady of Fatima community after seven years there, but she became a fixture in Clinton after serving at St. Therese Parish from 1974 to 2013.

Retirement this spring “wasn’t bad,” she said, “because I got a lot of support from the [retired] sisters even after they left, and also I had a lot of friends back in East Tennessee who were supportive. For several years [the sisters in Nashville] were trying to get me to retire, but I wasn’t ready.”

One of the sisters on the leadership team told her when she was at the end of her service in Clinton: “You’re not ready to retire. You’ve got too much energy.”

After her Clinton assignment ended, Sister Yvette went on sabbatical, volunteered at St. Mary’s Hospital, then was hired by Father Bill Mc­ Kenzie at Our Lady of Fatima. After two years of volunteering, she went full time at OLOF in 2015.

In Clinton, she served as a volunteer from 1974 to 1985, then went fulltime as the pastoral associate from 1985 to 2013.

Clinton was a special time in her life.

“Yes, it was,” she said, “working with different ministries I enjoyed very much. The first several years I worked with Father Bill Gahagan and the youth. The last several years it was pastoral work with families and RCIA from 1985 on.

During that time I worked with many different priests. Father Gahagan—he’s the one that started me there. Really, they were all different.”

Being one of the last two Sisters of Mercy to serve in East Tennessee “was very good because I felt like it didn’t matter how many of us were there, I was glad we were there to represent the Sisters of Mercy be-

cause the Sisters of Mercy had been in Knoxville for many, many years,” she said.

Sister Yvette taught at St. Mary School at Immaculate Conception in Knoxville for three years. Sister Mary Jude Toben and Sister Yvette were the last two sisters to teach at the school, which closed in 1970 after more than a century of operation.

For two of those three years, Sister Yvette lived at St. Mary’s Hospital, but she recalled living at St. Mary School.

“Oh, I loved it,” she said. “Even though it was in the inner city, I could open my bedroom window and touch the apartment next door.

I really enjoyed it. It was my first assignment in Tennessee. That’s when I was teaching.”

After her time at St. Mary School, Sister Yvette said she “went to Memphis for a total of five years. I taught in Donelson for one year.”

Sister Yvette entered the convent in 1961. The most satisfying aspect of serving as a sister is “the people,” she said.

“When I worked in the hospital, I worked on the oncology floor, to help people who were dying and their families. It could be draining at times because you got close to them, but it was rewarding work,” she said. “My work as coordinator of RCIA was my second most satisfying work, preparing people to become Catholic [in Clinton and Alcoa].”

Being back with her fellow sisters in Nashville “is different,” she said.

“The pace is not as busy as it was before, but I have a lot of time to catch up on a lot of things, a lot of people I was in novitiate with or taught school with. I’ve enjoyed it better than I thought I would. I’m busy all the time. We’ve got prayers, recreation. I work up at the front desk answering phones.

“The grounds here are absolutely beautiful. I do a lot of walking.

I walk every day. The trees are beautiful, and the birds—I’m a birdwatcher.”

Sister Yvette was influenced by religious life quite early on.

“At a very young age I was taught by sisters,” she said. “As I got a little older, I was at my sister’s recital—I sat on the lap of this Irish Sister of Charity, and I told her ‘I’m going be like you when I grow up.’ In sixth grade, I started praying to God if I had a vocation, but I wasn’t sure because I enjoyed dancing, going

“Of course, if I’m going to go into the past: as the Good Witch said to Dorothy, it’s always best to start at the beginning. By Oct. 28, 1995, I had already lived almost two-thirds of the life allotted to me so far,” he said.

“I had already lived almost half a century, a pilgrim’s progress of fits and starts that had led me to that day and has continued to lead me to this day. Unlike [Paulist founder] Servant of God Isaac Hecker, I did not know already at an early age that God, in Hecker’s words, had a work for me to do in the world. I doubt I knew much of anything then. When I did start knowing things, forming ideas, having hopes and dreams, they were limited by time and space, as are all our ideas and hopes and dreams, apart from the Good News of God’s kingdom.”

Father Franco recalled growing up in The Bronx, N.Y., and his neighborhood church, St. Nicholas of Tolentine.

“Dominating that space in those foundational early years, there was the great Gothic-towered church across the street that took me out of time and beyond the narrow confines of my limited space and taught me that to go to the altar of God would give joy to one’s youth. That was something that I never forgot, both in brief intervals of ephemeral, fleeting success and in times of devastating, frightening failure.”

Father Franco said he admits “that I am easily bored by the parable of the sower, but I have learned to see my time in that story’s space, for at one time or other, I’ve been like the thorns or the rocky ground, B2 n DECEMBER 6, 2020

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Father Franco continued from page B1

Pictures from the past Father Franco preaches at his anniversary Mass as a slide show with photos from his three assignments plays above him. letting God’s grace be choked or withered, but then at other times I have flourished in that rich soil seeded by the Church, in which God’s grace and mercy have taken

root and produced fruit. Like the seed, I may have been all over the place, but God never gives up, because that is who God is and how God is. God never gives up on

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to CYO dances and things like that.

And I liked the boys.

“I started working at the priest’s house [in Findlay] with the priest’s sister, who was the housekeeper.

She said, ‘What about the Sisters of Mercy?’”

The sisters had an aspirants school in Fremont, Ohio, where Sister Yvette went for two years.

“I knew at that time I was thinking of becoming a sister. They closed the school, but I ended up going to another Catholic high school. After that I entered the Sisters of Mercy in Cincinnati, Ohio. That’s when I entered the novitiate, and I made my first vows in 1964. In 1969, I made final vows.”

In 1998, while serving in Clinton, Sister Yvette was featured in an article in the Sisters of Mercy’s newsletter, “Ink-Links.” In the article she referred to leaving teaching behind.

“I’m grateful for the teaching experience,” she said then. “I know that everything I’ve ever done was a steppingstone to the present.”

At St. Therese, the article stated, Sister Yvette visited homes, hospitals, and nursing homes; gave sacramental instructions; coordinated and participated in the RCIA program; attended meetings; and performed a “heap of administrative tasks.” She also served so long in Clinton that she ministered to two generations. “I prepared one little girl for the sacraments, was present for her wedding and at the baptism of her children,” she stated in the article.

Sister Yvette became known for a particular skill over the years.

“When I was working at the hospital, I started roller skating for the Kidney Foundation and the Columbus Home for a fundraiser,” she said. “It was fun. It was a little scary at first because I hadn’t been on roller skates in 21 years. In about five years I made $45,000, and I was known as the ‘Skating Nun.’” Sister Yvette left Ohio behind when she came to the Volunteer State.

“When I came to Tennessee, I fell in love with Tennessee, and I never went back to do any ministry in Ohio,” she said. “And that was in 1967. I’ve been in Tennessee since then. And most of those years I ministered in East Tennessee. I fell in love with the people I ministered to, the sisters, and the mountains of East Tennessee.” n the commitment He has made to each of us. And despite all of the obstacles real and imagined, that was something somehow I always sensed.”

Father Franco said, “I sensed it long before I had ever studied and been taught by St. Augustine that God has made us for Himself and that our hearts remain restless until they rest in Him. In the 15th century, Nicholas of Cusa, whom I once dressed up as at a Princeton grad student’s Halloween party sometime in the 1970s, prayed this prayer, ‘Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me this far. In your life, I see the light of my life. You persuade us to trust in our heavenly Father. You command us to love one another. What is easier?’

“Well, sometimes, certainly it doesn’t seem so easy. So often in this vale of tears, the Good News that the kingdom of God is at hand can come across as no news at all, or even worse, as bad news, or maybe as Good News sort of learned once upon a time but long since forgotten. That is why the world so desperately needs the Church, to show the world what Good News the kingdom of God really is, Good News that is actually at hand for anyone and everyone.”

In promoting Servant of God Isaac Hecker for sainthood, New York Cardinal Edward Egan called him “a man of the Church,” said Father Franco, who serves as vice postulator of the cause for beatification and canonization of Father Hecker for the Paulist Fathers.

“That indeed he was. That indeed Father Franco continued on page B8 TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C

DR. KELLY KEARSE (4)

Catholic schools

Knoxville Catholic celebrates Hispanic Heritage month To celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, Knoxville Catholic High School held a special Mass on Oct. 15, and all Hispanic-heritage students were invited to dress out wearing something representative of their county, including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Cuba, and Argentina. Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Every Friday during this time, a different student says the morning announcements prayer in Spanish. Students learn about influential Hispanics and Afro-Hispanics like Sandra Cisneros, Victor Cruz, Cesar Chavez, Roberto Clemente, Zoe Saldana, and Sonia Sotomayor. Pictured are (from left, front row) Angelica Francisco Ruiz, Liz De Leon, Alexa Huerta, Alexis Huerta, Paula Stand, Maria Saavedra, Perla Ortega, Luz Ruiz, Erika Sotero-Hernandez, Elina Luna, and Geseel Valladares; (second row) Alonso Vela, Ana Subtirelu, Matthew Primm, Desiree Ruiz, Vivian Ortega, Isabella Ramos, Noe Arias Santiago, and Carolyn Williamson; and (back row) Ore Pumariega, school chaplain Father Christopher Floersh, and Vic Landa.

ALLISON HATTON

COURTESY OF STEVE COY (2)

MELISSA SMITH

Keegan Smith wins more running championships Sacred Heart Cathedral School eighth-grader Keegan Smith won his 21st national title Nov. 22 and his first middle school state title Oct. 17. Keegan finished first in the Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships at Bourbon County Park in Paris, Ky. He won the age 13-14 boys 4K run in a time of 13 minutes, 14.40 seconds, more than 36 seconds faster than the runner-up. Keegan, who won three back-to-back elementary school state cross country titles, won his first middle school state title with a 2K course-record time of 9:39.45. The Tennessee State Elementary/Middle School Cross Country Championships were held at the Knoxville Livestock Center course near Mascot.

Keegan’s time in the finals was nearly 27 seconds faster than the runner-up’s time.

PAM RHOADES

KCHS celebrates stadium Mass Knoxville Catholic High School celebrated its first stadium Mass of the school year on Nov. 4 at Blaine Stadium. School chaplain Father Christopher Floersh was the celebrant.

Sacred Heart students dress up as saints Students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School dressed up as saints during a procession Nov. 2 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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

Father Shelton blesses St. Mary School in Oak Ridge Father Brent Shelton, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, blessed St. Mary School and its students Aug. 14. He blessed the faculty and those students attending school in person and virtually. Father Shelton is pictured with St. Mary principal Sister Marie Blanchette, OP, Deacon Gary Sega, and Zofia Budzynski.

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DECEMBER 6, 2020 n B3

Parish notes Holy Spirit, Soddy-Daisy Knights of Columbus Holy Spirit Council 14079 will have its Smoked Meat Sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 19, at the pavilion at Holy Spirit Church. This will be a first-come, firstserved sale this year with no preorders to cut down on contact between each other. Prices are $25 each for turkey breast and half hams, $60 each for whole hams, $30 each for barbecue pork butts, and $20 each for a full rack of barbecue baby-back ribs.

The Knights donated a $200 check to Soddy-Daisy Middle School for its special-education department to help it buy the supplies it needs for this school year. This is the third year the Knights have had the opportunity to help the kids of this program.

St. Jude, Chattanooga The Alternative Gifts Helping Hands Project to benefit St. Jude’s sister parish in Gros-Morne, Haiti, will run through Jan. 31. Haiti donations have plummeted since the pandemic, and the needs are greater than ever in Gros-Morne. COVID-19, recent hurricanes that washed away life-sustaining gardens, government unrest, and protests that caused last year’s Sea Container and informational visits to be canceled have affected Gros-Morne in a devastating way. Together with the Sisters of the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Haiti, St. Jude parishioners have an opportunity to give a “helping hand” to a Haitian family. For a Helping Hands Christmas gift form, contact the parish office at 423-870-2386.

Forms and donations payable to the St. Jude Parish Haiti Mission may be placed in collection baskets or mailed to the parish office at 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415.

Anniversaries: Gary and Lea Calkins (58), James and Marjorie Goller (58), Jim and Theresia Costello (55), Bob and Karen Adney (54), Thomas and Eileen Witt (53), Charles and Gerri Toeller (45), Paul and Mary Wurm (30), Jonathan and Micheline Parkey (25), Zharkov and Angelica Vadil (15)

Cumberland Mountain Deanery COURTESY OF BILL HEWITT (4)

Chattanooga Deanery

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade The parish completed 40 Days of Prayer and Penance for Peace and Unity on Nov. 3. Parishioners were asked to give a gift of time by celebrating daily Mass at least once each week, pray the patriotic rosary in their homes at 5:30 on each Wednesday, pray each day at 3 p.m. saying an Our Father and a response of “Jesus I Trust in You,” pray silently in periods of adoration, refrain from eating meat on Fridays, and go to confession at least once during the 40 days.

Knights install cross at St. James the Apostle Church Members of Knights of Columbus Council 8860 in Rogersville went to Sneedville on Sept. 30 to install a cross donated by state membership director Jimmy Dee at St. James the Apostle Church. Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry in Rogersville and St. James the Apostle, attended the installation and helped the Knights.

Father Okere is the council’s chaplain and the state associate chaplain for the Tennessee Knights of Columbus.

The retreat “33 Days to Morning Glory” and consecration to the Blessed Mother has been offered to parishioners several times with great success and was offered again in November.

Additional retreats using books by Father Michael Gaitley will begin in January.

The Knights of Columbus have continued providing hot meals to the homeless shelter at Bread of Life ministries.

The food that they prepared is served to the residents by the Bread of Life staff.

Each month the social-action ministry conducts a food drive for one of the three food pantries that it supports with food, funds, and volunteers. At least one of the pantries has been open each week during the pandemic.

St. John Neumann, Farragut

The Knights of Columbus held their annual Coats for Christmas Plus drive Nov. 7 and 8, collecting men’s coats, jackets, sweaters, hoodies, and clothes.

St. Jude thanked the Food City in Hixson for donating bags for the parish’s monthly Good Samaritan donations.

The parish held a patriotic rosary on election day, Nov. 3, and held extended adoration for the country the same day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

St. Jude celebrated the annual International Rosary on Oct. 22. The rosary took place in the church and was livestreamed on Father Charlie Burton’s Facebook page.

St. Mary, Athens The parish is accepting donations to the Fall Festival Fund (what parishioners might have spent if the parish was able to have the festival this year).

If families who are able could donate $218, this will replace the lost revenue from the festival.

St. Mary’s Christmas Angel Tree was displayed the weekend of Dec. 5. Gifts benefited school-age parishioners.

The parish gave out Thanksgiving food baskets to needy parishioners.

The Legion of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Curia, held a retreat Oct. 17 at St. Mary. The retreat focused on Venerable Fulton Sheen’s book “The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God.” Parishioners were asked to join Peggy Burnette in a Life Chain in Sweetwater for a silent prayer to end abortion on Oct. 4 at the intersection of highways 11 and 68 St. Stephen, Chattanooga The parish Angel Tree started Nov. 21, and parishioners have until Sunday, Dec. 13, to return an unwrapped gift in a Christmas bag. Gift cards from Walmart and local restaurants are needed. To help out financially, put a check in the weekend collection with a notation saying “Angel Tree.” For more information, call Sandy Mullin at 423-605-3373.

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Sister Patricia Soete, RSM, of St. Jude Parish in Helenwood again asked St. John Neumann parishioners for their help in providing Christmas gifts for children in Appalachia. Clothing items for ages 1 to 17 are needed; however, the greatest need is for toys/games for these children, including the teens.

Unwrapped gifts may be left in the narthex after Mass or dropped off at the parish office during the week until Sunday, Dec. 13. St. Jude members will be picking up the gifts early Monday, Dec. 14.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is current seeking donations of winter coats for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries.

Families in the parish were invited to a Consecration to the Holy Family in early December. Lisa Morris spoke at the church Dec. 2, and the consecration was held at the 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Masses on Dec. 6.

Knights of Columbus Council 8781 thanked all who donated over the past year to the Coats for Kids Drive. The council was able to purchase 99 winter coats for children of poor families within the community and in Appalachia. By leveraging sales and other discounts at the Columbia Sportswear Factory Store in Sevierville, the council procured hooded, water-repellant, thermal-insulated coats at a 60 percent discount. Retail value of these coats exceeded $7,600. Thirty coats went to children at St. John Neumann School, 43 to students at Farragut schools, and the balance to students in Jellico and Erwin. This is the third year the council has done this program, and so far 251 coats have been distributed.

St. Therese, Clinton In lieu of an Angel Tree, the socialaction committee is collecting new and gently used toys and children’s clothing for the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County, an all-volunteer and nonprofit organization that provides toys, books, games, clothing, and food to low-income families in the county.

These items will be distributed to more than 700 families in need. Toys, books, puzzles, games, clothing, or financial donations may be placed in the donation box that will be in the parish hall Parish notes continued on page B5 w ww.di o k no x .o rg

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

Calendar

The Diocese of Knoxville Catholic Schools Raffle is under way. The raffle offers 16 cash prizes totaling $27,000: two $5,000 prizes, two $2,500 prizes, and 12 $1,000 prizes.

Cost is $10 per ticket. Enter online at http://dokschools.org/raffle, or visit any one of the diocesan schools’ websites to enter there. A total of $6.50 of each ticket stays at the individual school.

The remaining proceeds, after expenses, go toward the regional Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance Fund. All winners will be notified by phone and in writing after the drawing Jan. 11.

Tickets are available through Dec. 29.

Friday Masses (English ordinary form, spoken); and noon Monday through Friday Masses (English ordinary form, spoken). Morning prayer takes place at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Latin Vespers are held at 5 p.m. daily (6:30 p.m. Saturday). Confessions are heard 30 minutes before each Mass (except 7 a.m.). Adoration is from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. on first Fridays. For more information, visit www.stspeterandpaulbasilica. com/mass-times.

Advent events at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga include first Friday adoration, which has been moved to 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 11; the Our Lady of Guadalupe procession and Mass in Spanish (Mass at 7 p.m. with the rosary in Spanish at 6:30) on Friday, Dec. 11; ember days (traditional days of fasting or abstaining) Wednesday, Dec. 16; Friday, Dec. 18; and Saturday, Dec. 19; and the confirmation Mass at 9 a.m.

Sunday, Dec. 20 (Mass in English).

“The Late Show,” a free virtual LockIn for high school youth, is set for 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, to 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. The night includes “Among Us” and “Tonight Show” games with prizes for winners. Register on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lateshow-a-virtual-high-school-lock-inregistration-129495042157. Download Zoom in advance at https://zoom.us/ download. For more information, contact Brittany Garcia at 865-776-9635 or bgarcia@dioknox.org.

The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga invites everyone to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The vigil Mass of Christmas will be celebrated Thursday, Dec. 24, with 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Masses in English (with prelude music 30 minutes before Mass) and with a 6:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish. Midnight Mass at 12 a.m. Friday, Dec. 25, will be an extraordinary-form Mass in Latin (with prelude music 30 minutes before Mass). Christmas Day Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in English and noon in Spanish.

The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga has a recently updated Mass schedule, with the addition of a 7 a.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish (ordinary form, spoken) and an 11:30 a.m. Sunday extraordinary-form Mass (Latin, sung).

Also on the schedule are a 5:30 p.m.

Saturday vigil (English ordinary form, spoken); a 9 a.m. Sunday Mass (English ordinary form, sung); a 1:30 p.m.

Sunday Mass in Spanish (ordinary form, sung); 7 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and

The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul is teaching a Men’s Vespers Schola at 4:30 p.m. Fridays. Many men never learned to sing after their voice changed. The basilica is offering an opportunity to rediscover your Godgiven voice and use it in His praise.

Father David Carter, rector of the basilica, is teaching the schola, open to anyone whose voice has changed into the lower octave. Sung Vespers Calendar continued on page B8

COURTESY OF FATHER JULIUS ABUH (3)

NOTE: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous events around the diocese have been canceled or postponed. The events below were still scheduled to take place as of press time; however, those planning to attend/participate should contact the event organizers or visit their websites to make sure the event will be held.

Pet blessing at St. Joseph the Worker On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi in October, the Catholic community and some non-Catholics brought their pets to St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville for a blessing. Father Julius Abuh, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker, uses a squirt pistol to bless the pets and owners with holy water.

Parish notes continued from page B4 through Saturday, Dec. 19.

Father Alan Bower visited St. Therese Nov. 28-29 to speak on behalf of Cross Catholic Outreach, which was founded to create a meaningful link between parishes and priests and nuns working in the Church in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

The parish thanked Stan and Barb Bieleski for donating two brass candlesticks for the altar in honor of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The youth group took part in an Into the Wild Retreat on Oct. 2-5 at Holston Camp in Banner Elk, N.C. St. Mary, Johnson City St. Mary School on Nov. 10 hosted author and Catholic mom Danielle Bean, who spoke via Zoom about the challenges and joys of motherhood and family life. The talk was sponsored by the St. Mary Parish Mom’s Ministry.

St. Patrick, Morristown

A Byzantine Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the church Oct. 25.

Anniversary: Francis and Dorothy Scheer (66) Confirmandi: Peighton BurkhardtHundley, Michelle Helus, Adam Blake Yonce, Porter Burkhardt-Hundley

The Knights of Columbus collected coats, clothes, and toiletries for veterans and children Nov. 14-29.

St. Patrick recently announced the hiring of new part-time facilities manager Mike Leonard.

Smoky Mountain Deanery Five Rivers Deanery DAN MCWILLIAMS

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

The parish thanked those who donated 76 boxes to Operation Christmas Child this year.

Newcomers: Dawid and Malgorzata Fafrowicz St. Dominic, Kingsport Father Doug May of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, who has served as a missionary in Cairo and the Middle East, spoke Nov. 7-8 with parishioners interested in doing overseas mission work.

Knights of Columbus Council 6992 is hosting a monthly Virtual Rosary Program at 7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday. Those interested should contact David Austin at austindrtx@gmail.com for the necessary link.

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Knights of Columbus Council 645 is sponsoring its annual Children’s Hospital Toy Drive, a drive-through event from noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at St. Joseph School in Knoxville.

Three stations will be set up at the school: one for toy/donation drop-offs, one for lunch pick-up, and one for saying hello to Santa. Those unable to attend but who would still like to donate a toy or cash can visit the manned table at IC on Dec. 13. The Knights are hoping to improve on 2019’s total of $4,000 in gifts and donations. For information about the drive-through, contact Ken Houbre at 865-363-9191 or khoubre@knology.net. For information about dropping off gifts at IC, contact Phil Flanagan at 865-679-2465 or utkncr@utk.edu.

Honoring veterans Father David Boettner is shown with Diocese of Knoxville veterans after celebrating the Green Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart on Nov. 8. The annual Mass is celebrated in honor of men and women who have served the United States in military service.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

The church has a new Italian-created statue of the Sacred Heart. The purchase of the statue was made possible by benefactor Kathleen Austin, who left her estate to the parish in 2016.

The annual holiday brunch for parish volunteers took place Dec. 6 at The Foundry.

The women’s group sponsored a Bountiful Basket Event this year in place of its annual craft fair. The group also Parish notes continued on page B7

In praise of the rosary John Hitt of Knights of Columbus Council 16523 at Holy Ghost Church leads the rosary on Oct. 10 for World Rosary Day. Several faithful joined to say the rosary at the corner of Central Street and Baxter Avenue in Knoxville.

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DECEMBER 6, 2020 n B5

COURTESY OF MARLENE YURICK

Parish and community news

St. Henry Knights receive Star Council Award For a second year, the Knights of Columbus Star Council Award, the international organization’s top honor for local councils, was accepted by past Grand Knight Bob McDaniel on Oct. 19 at St. Henry Church in Rogersville. Presenting the award is district deputy Michael Opiela, along with Father Bart Okere, St. Henry pastor and council and associate Knights chaplain. Looking on but not pictured were many members of Knights Council 8860 at St. Henry.

Soddy-Daisy Knights raising funds for new Choices ultrasound machine

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kevin_b_perry@hotmail.com or call 423-774-2392. To donate, visit GoFundMe.com and search for “Ultrasound Fundraiser Hixson” or “Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Fundraiser.” Mail donations to 1309 Rockdale Lane, Hixson, TN 37343.

Make checks payable to K of C Ultrasound Fundraiser. n

Knights present check for Special Olympics Bill Hewitt, Grand Knight for Knights of Columbus Council 8860 in Rogersville, on Nov. 16 presented a $1,300 check on behalf of the council to Christy Thacker, Area 32 coordinator for Hawkins and Sullivan counties for Special Olympics. The presentation was held at St. Henry Church in the parish hall among Knights of Columbus council members. These funds to support Special Olympics were made possible through a grant written by Ron Campbell and submitted earlier this year to the MR Foundation board of directors. Ms. Thacker shared an update on the state of Special Olympics for Area 32 during the pandemic. The Knights of Columbus have partnered with the Special Olympics organization since its inception and continue to be a strong advocate and supporter in Hawkins County. The funds presented will go to help with future Special Olympic events for the area’s special-needs population.

From left are Chuck McCann, Stephen Derosia, Beverly Carmack, Patrick Knopp, Ms. Thacker, Michael Opiela, Father Bart Okere, Jerome Schartz, and Mike Rogan.

COURTESY OF MARIA RIST (4)

nights of Columbus Holy Spirit Council 14079 in Soddy-Daisy is raising money to buy a new ultrasound machine for Choices Pregnancy Resource Center.

Choices has many free programs and resources to help women during and after pregnancy.

For more information, e-mail

BILL HEWITT

COURTESY OF BILL HEWITT

Holy Trinity parishioners witness for life Father Patrick Resen and parishioners of Holy Trinity in Jefferson City pray the rosary and witness for life in a Prayer Chain for Life in front of the church Oct. 11. The Prayer Chain is one of the 40 Days for Life campaign events to end abortion in which the church has participated for a number of years.

Basilica celebrates All Souls Mass at Mount Olivet Father David Carter, rector of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, celebrates the annual All Souls Day Mass on Nov. 2 at Mount Olivet Cemetery, assisted by Father Valentin Iurochkin, IVE, and Deacon Gaspar DeGaetano.

B6 n DECEMBER 6, 2020

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COURTESY OF SUSAN UNBEHAUN (7)

Parish and community news

Annual Ladies of Charity golf tourney raises more than $14,000

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he annual Ladies of Charity of Knoxville Golf Tournament was held Sept. 3 at Egwani Farms Golf Course in Rockford. The slightly windy day kept the golfers cool and the play fast. Eighty-two men and women brought their clubs to support the Ladies of Charity mission to serve those in need.

New to the tourney this year because of COVID-19, a registered nurse checked temperatures before anyone signed in for the day. Each participant received a “health bag” with a mask, hand sanitizer, and instructions for social distancing in the clubhouse. Everyone was grateful for the extra measure of caution.

Joe Sutter, golf tournament chairman, was pleased with the 2020 turnout. He said that many people have been golfing, but the tourney gave the organization a chance to see friends and have some friendly competition.

This year’s winning foursome was Vinyard Floor Covering. Jim Wright Jr., Ricky Gregg, Robert Wright, and Kevin Teetel took

home Connors gift cards.

Second place went to the Pilot No. 1 team of Harriet Houchin, Ricky Wood, Mike Brundage, and Todd Roberts.

The third-place team sponsored

by Erika Fuhr was composed of Trent Farrell, Mark Bialik, Dave McCorkle, and Bob Gantt.

The Kentucky Derby theme on hole 18 offered a chance to “rock the horse.” All golfers who hit the horse with their golf ball were considered in the hole for the team.

The usual “closest to the keg” hole sponsored by Fanatic Brewery is always a fun hole. This year, Jane Cohen won.

Overall, the day was a success, thanks to many sponsors, volunteers, and players. The Ladies of Charity raised more than $14,000 for the emergency-assistance program and for their operations.

Board president Lisa Daley expressed her gratitude to all who made the tournament a wonderful event and fundraiser for the organization. n

Parish notes continued from page B5 sponsored the Cross Catholic International gift-giving program Box of Joy. Last year, IC sent 232 boxes to benefit children in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Bahamas, and Grenada.

The Monsignor Grady Assembly of the Knights of Columbus conducted an Enthronement of the Sacred Heart on Nov. 8 at IC. The schedule included a tour of IC, a rosary in the church, and dinner at the Crowne Plaza.

St. John XXIII, Knoxville The parish could not do an actual Advent Tree this year to sponsor gifts for adults with developmental disabilities, but St. John XXIII decided to serve the residents of RHA Health Services in Knoxville by offering a fund from TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

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which RHA could purchase gifts for the residents. Donations were accepted through Nov. 30.

St. John XXIII parishioners collected Coats for the Cold in October and November to benefit Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries.

Parishioners took part in a Baby Bottle Drive in November to benefit Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Help Center.

St. Joseph the Worker, Madisonville The Knights of Columbus will sell poinsettias in the rear of the church parking lot Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 19-20.

The parish thanked Ron and Terri Schmieder for donating face masks to the church and Tina Doud for donating hand sanitizers. n DECEMBER 6, 2020 n B7

Praying for Perspective

by George Valadie

Focusing on COVID, which is no laughing matter With a case of the virus himself, the columnist has mild symptoms and is trying to ‘keep it light’

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hey call it the biggest shopping weekend of the year, cars and chaos out early and everywhere, and just like the masses, there we all were as well, having arrived early ourselves, lining up in an orderly fashion, patiently waiting for the place to open.

Just like millions of others across the country, we had each gotten ourselves out of bed early in hopes of beating the others to the front door.

Thankfully, there was no more than a handful of us at this particular site. Little chance of rowdiness or shoving to be first. In fact, as sometimes happens in such circumstances, we exchanged pleasantries while waiting across our six-foot distances.

When the doors were unlocked, we were even spared that mad and unruly rush that often makes the news.

Truth is, none of us felt up to it.

“If you’re here for COVID testing, please step to the right.”

There’s a good chance you’ve been through the process yourself.

Many of us have.

While the rest of the world was shopping for Christmas, I was seeking a rapid test for which my insurance company and this urgent-care center required if I have symptoms.

Mine were legit—I’d been coughing on and off for the previous 36 hours.

But since my lungs were at peace at that moment, the desk attendant seemed suspicious. I get it; he’s likely heard it all.

When I tossed in the fact that I work in a high school, he was sold.

Two days before I’d been feeling just fine and looking forward to the family Zoom on Thanksgiving Day. Daughters in Texas and Arkansas,

later, the doctor informed me that I indeed had tested positive for COVID-19.

Every single day at 3 p.m., our local county health department releases its updated statistics to the media, enabling its citizens to keep constant watch on the trends and numbers we’ve all come to know.

Hospitalizations. Deaths. New cases.

And every single day I pay attention.

Truthfully, for the last four months, I’ve found myself focusing on the “new cases” stat since that’s the one that seemed most indicative of how quickly things were spreading, a matter of greatest concern when you’re trying to keep 400 students and 50 adults safe and on campus in the same building every day.

That is until I actually became one of those new cases.

Now I’m suddenly a lot more interested in those other two stats: the hospitalizations and the deaths.

I don’t want or need to be overly dramatic. I’m so very blessed. My symptoms have thus far remained mild.

According to the $5.95 “Finger Pulse Oximeter” my wife ordered months before in preparation for end-times (I didn’t even know we had one), my pulse-ox reading is OK … I think. If a reading of 95 is normal, then the 97 I saw says I’m on top of the world; the 71 not so much. So who knows?

At this stage, I think it’s the unknown that most has my attention.

I have no idea where I got it, and I have no idea where it’s going. Or if.

Preliminary contact tracing points to Nancy’s turkey, but that remains

inconclusive.

A friend was kind enough to send a fruit basket. Thus far I can still taste and smell but am eating with great haste before those senses dissipate altogether.

I joke to keep it light. But we all know this can and does and has gone bad. Real bad.

And nothing was funny for them.

So there we are, millions of folks just like me who have tested positive but whose symptoms are mild to none at all.

Got it. Had it. Got the T-shirt.

Absolutely thankful, but still not exactly sure how I’m supposed to feel.

And maybe that’s the thing about this pandemic—it’s confusing, it’s silent, it’s invisible, and yet it’s able to impact so many in ways great and small.

Families have lost loved ones.

Others have lost incomes, jobs, livelihoods. While others have barely missed a beat.

Nancy and I are blessed with the jobs we have—we won’t be negatively impacted in the least. The two of us will be isolated for a total of 38 days between us. Yet between working remotely and catching the school’s holiday break at the perfect time, we remain basically unaffected.

But that’s not at all true for so many others. For them, life is a big old mess.

May 2021 be a lot less messy.

Dear God—We always need your help; now we need your miracles. Please help us end what we don’t know how.

Amen. n

Youth Day in Germany . . . And finally back here, to this beautiful and historic Knoxville church, and the amazing adventure of chairing meetings, paying bills, replacing a boiler, restoring the church ceiling, and climbing the scaffolding of the church so I could say I touched one of those beautiful ceiling paintings.

“Blogging and e-mailing and eventually now livestreaming, teaching and learning, preaching, praying for the sick, baptizing babies, burying the dead, caring for the cemetery, then ending up in a global pandemic that has challenged and stretched all of us in ways that we hardly ever expected or imagined. As Pope Francis recently wrote of this pandemic experience: ‘having failed to show solidarity in wealth and the sharing of resources, we have learned to experience solidarity in suffering.’”

Until recently, Father Franco said, “I never expected to celebrate this anniversary Mass here in this community at Immaculate Conception, whose priest and 24th pastor I have been so privileged to be these last 10 years. Paradoxically, I could thank this terrible pandemic for that. In this terrible time, when almost everything we took for granted seemed to have

evaporated all at once, this terrible time, which has so separated and isolated us, so divided and diminished us, and so shattered all the empty illusions of individualism, national exceptionalism, and personal self-sufficiency—I still cannot cure the sick.

“But, I am at least able to witness how God has revealed Himself to us in Jesus, our Lord, who brings us together in His Church, through which we may have hope that the kingdom of God really is at hand to heal our broken world.”

Father Franco concluded his homily with an expression of gratitude to God. “So yes, thank you, Lord, for bringing me this far, and thank you all of you for making this journey with me.

It has been my great honor and joy to have been your priest, and I will miss it very much. And now may all of us together continue to help one another on our ongoing journey into the kingdom of God, where the news is always good and always true for all.”

Bishop Stika thanked Father Franco at the end of Mass.

“Thank you for your 10 years of service to this church. I’m starting to feel like an old priest—this is my 35th anniversary, but Ron had a much more varied background, at Princeton and all his other experiences,” the bishop said. “He’s a well-respected member of the presbyterate here in our diocese.

He’s into his second or third term as dean of this [Smoky Mountain] deanery—he’s been so cooperative. In the diocese, we’re very blessed to have the Paulist community, both here at Immaculate Conception and as well as at St. John XXIII. They bring a good gem into this ring that we call the Diocese of Knoxville, created in 1988.

“Ron, I really am going to miss you. I know that other Paulists will follow you, and they, too, will add to

the fabric of this beautiful community of Immaculate Conception. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Ad multos annos— many more years. I look forward to your 50th. I have my own in 15 years, so we’ll see how that all looks.

Again, in the name of all the people you have served in Canada and New York, here in Knoxville, and all those in-between places, thank you for being the hands of Jesus, both in sacrament and in friendship. Happy anniversary!”

Father Franco returned the bishop’s words in kind.

“Thank you, Bishop Stika, for your kind words, and thank you for all the support you’ve given me all these years, all these years when I was chair of all those meetings,” the IC pastor said. “It’s been a great 10 years. Thank all of you who are celebrating this Mass with me tonight. I don’t want to keep repeating myself, but as I thank God and the Church for these 25 fulfilling years, I am especially grateful to all sorts of people: to the bishop, to the priests of the diocese, who have given me so much fraternity and solidarity and have supported and encouraged me in living my priestly vocation here in Knoxville.

“In a special way, I want to thank the parishioners of St. Peter’s Parish in Toronto, St. Paul the Apostle Parish in New York, and here at Immaculate Conception in Knoxville for having been wonderful welcoming communities in which I have lived and experienced my life and ministry as a priest these past 25 years. Thank you also to all who have contributed to my 25th-Anniversary Fund for a Post-Pandemic Parish Future, intended to help this parish adapt to the new needs and ongoing challenges going forward from this time of pandemic.” n

each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; every Sunday at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Athens; at 2 p.m. each Sunday at St. Mary Church in Johnson City; at 6 p.m. most Thursdays at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge; and at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chat-

tanooga. Christmas Day Latin Masses are scheduled at 8 a.m. at St. Mary in Athens and St. Mary in Johnson City, at midnight at the basilica, and at noon at Holy Ghost. For more information on the extraordinary-form Masses, visit www.KnoxLatinMass.net.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byz-

antine) Catholic Mission located at 2304 Ault Road, Knoxville, TN 37914 meets for Divine Liturgy every first, second, and fourth Sunday at 3 p.m. All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-621-8499 or visit www.facebook. com/SaintThomasKnoxville/ for details. n

Every single day at 3 p.m., our local county health department releases its updated statistics . . . enabling its citizens to keep constant watch on the trends and numbers we’ve all come to know. Hospitalizations.

Deaths. New cases. And every single day I pay attention. the third in our living room, our holiday, like so many others, was to be different.

With a greatly reduced group expected for our annual feast, Nancy had opted for one of those smaller and more unconventional turkey breasts rather than the traditional big ole Butterball. And using our family text chain, she had shared a photo of it in mid-preparation.

A bit misshapen, odd in appearance, and wrapped in what can only be described as fishnet stockings, these compressed pieces of a bird were looking particularly rough at that juncture. And she had dared to ask her daughters’ opinions.

What ensued was hilarious with lots and lots of laughter. Nancy’s too. Thank God for her sense of humor.

What started as a few snickers evolved into one of those sorts of asthma-inducing, deep-down bellylaugh laughters none of us had enjoyed in I don’t know how long.

It was a release and a blessing.

I avoided the asthma, but not the coughing.

A day and a half later, it persisted.

It’s one of those things that doesn’t seem possible. Can laughter lead to coughing and coughing lead to COVID? That’s not scientifically sound, is it?

Turns out yes is the short answer.

Two nasal swabs and 20 minutes

George Valadie is president of Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga.

Father Franco continued from page B2

is what any and every priest is challenged to be; not his own man, purveying the fake news of worldly wealth and creative power, but a man of the Church, tasked to try to show a way for all to see God’s light, to trust God’s love, and to live that love together among God’s people. God’s people, with whom we share our common home on this poor planet, this poor, fragile planet, dangerously overheated in so many frightening ways, but desperate for the warmth of God’s grace and mercy.”

Father Franco said that in 1995, “I made my own this eighth-century prayer of St. John Damascene: ‘Now you have called me, Lord, by the hand of your bishop, to minister to your people. I do not know why you have done so, for you alone know that. Lord, lighten the heavy burden of my sins, through which I have seriously transgressed. Purify my mind and heart. Like a shining lamp, lead me along the path. When I open my mouth, tell me what I should say. By the fiery tongue of your Spirit, make my own tongue ready. Stay with me always, and keep me in your sight.’

“I did not know then whether I might make it to this day or what path might take me here. It has been an amazingly grace-filled path, punctuated by thousands of Masses: daily Masses, Sunday Masses, school Masses, Spanish Masses, Italian Masses, wedding Masses, funeral Masses—an amazingly grace-filled path from Toronto, Canada, to New York, New York, to Knoxville, Tenn.”

That path included “singing Christmas carols on Bloor Street” in Toronto, “living through the soul-searing sadness of 9/11 . . . The spiritual uplift of pilgrimages to famous shrines, and a summer spent studying at Windsor Castle. The challenge of walking for miles in the pre-dawn dark of World Calendar continued from page B5 in English follows at 5 p.m. No musical experience is required. E-mail music@ stspeterandpaulbasilica.com to ask questions or be added to the e-mail list.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at noon B8 n DECEMBER 6, 2020

Father Charlie Donahue, CSP

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Scripture and the Spiritual Life

by Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM

Understanding God’s wisdom in the Old Testament Books of literature express the longing of the human heart for God

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he Wisdom literature of the Old Testament is an eclectic collection of proverbs, moral lessons, riddles, warnings, extended meditations, and philosophical inquiry and debate. It also includes hymns and even love poetry in the Song of Songs. The authors of the Bible took an interest in more than just religious subjects, as anyone who reads the Bible can attest. The Wisdom literature is a prime example of that broad outlook.

The reason for this length and breadth of interest is that wisdom comes to us in many forms. There is, of course, the wisdom that we learn from God Himself through revelation. There is also wisdom to be gained from human experience and reflection. For example, the question “What is it to be just?” or “What does the just man do?” can be answered from a religious perspective or from a more secular bent. The answers may be different, but they are not contradictory. The Wisdom literature exposes us to both types of reflection, especially in the books of Proverbs and Sirach. Some of the proverbs or sayings could be considered truisms, but they do contain ageless, sage advice, along with a lot of common sense. For example, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19). Or, “Unrighteous anger can-

Hear more from Sister Anna Marie on her podcast, Scripture and the Spiritual Life. not be justified, for a man’s anger tips the scale to his ruin” (Sirach 1:22).

Besides giving sound advice, the biblical authors were not afraid to ask hard questions. In fact, they challenged inadequate understandings of wisdom and insufficient answers to questions about the meaning of suffering, diminishment, and death. This, for example, is clearly the case in the book of Job. The question behind the book of Job is the enigma of the just man who suffers.

The answers given by Job’s friends, namely, that he is being punished for his sins or that there is some hidden thing he has done to displease God, are proved inadequate again and again as Job verbally spars with his interlocutors. The poetry of this book is powerful; according to some authors, it is by far the most skillful and elevated poetry in the Bible.

The final chapters are quite surprising because God answers Job, in a certain sense, but does not allow Job’s human intelligence to have dominance over the mystery of suffering. The poetry of God’s speech is breathtaking; his descriptions of the crocodile (Leviathan) and the hippopotamus (Behemoth) are fascinating.

Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful

His descent into the conversation takes the form of a whirlwind, and that is what the poetry feels like.

The book of Qoheleth or Ecclesiastes also does not shy away from critiquing canned answers to difficult questions. In this book, the “preacher” informs the readers that he has examined the world and “All is vanity!” He proclaims in the first chapter: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

This sounds rather nihilistic. Indeed, at times the author seems quite despondent, yet he also writes things like this: “As you do not know how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good” (Ecclesiastes 11:5-6). There is a certain humility requisite for the wise man. It is not in our power to know all things, but we do have to decide how to live the life we have been given.

The book of Psalms is sometimes called the prayer book of ancient Israel. It is also the prayer book of Jews and Christians today. The psalms are written in poetry, and, like other books, the poems often

have a parallel structure. This means that the verses are written in two or three lines, and the second and third lines are in relation to the first by interacting with its meaning. This can be through synonym, antithesis, the completion of an idea, etc. The lines within the poem can play together in lots of different ways. It can be fun to try and find the parallel meanings as one reads the psalm.

The book of Wisdom, though not included in the Hebrew Bible, also belongs to the Wisdom Literature and is an extended meditation on wisdom, law, and the just man. At the center of the book is a prayer for wisdom, which expresses the deep longing of each human heart for God, a longing that never goes away. Almost certainly this was the last book of the Old Testament to be written. The fact that it expresses so eloquently a personal desire for the Wisdom of God sheds light on the subsequent Incarnation of the Wisdom of God in Jesus. Among other things, it points to God’s merciful condescension as He not only creates our heart’s longing but also responds to it so perfectly. ■ Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM, is the former director of the Office of Christian Formation for the Diocese of Knoxville. She also writes for SimplyCatholic.com, a ministry of Our Sunday Visitor. This column originally appeared at SimplyCatholic.com.

by Bob Hunt

How God has made His presence known to us Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus left us with His glorious presence in the Eucharist

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he Advent and Christmas seasons are a good time to reflect on the presence of God in our Church and in our lives.

God made His presence known in glory to Moses on Mount Sinai in an overshadowing cloud and a consuming fire (Exodus 24:16-17).

This sense of the Lord’s glorious presence is called the shekhinah by Jews, from the Hebrew verb shachan, which means “to dwell or abide.”

God told Moses while on the mountain, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8). The shekhinah then filled the Tent of Meeting that served as God’s dwelling place while the Jews traversed the desert on their way to the Promised Land and filled the Holy of Holies when the Temple was built in Jerusalem.

1 Kings 8:11b-12 reads, “For the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, ‘The Lord has set the sun in the heavens, but has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built thee an exalted house, a place for thee to dwell in forever.’”

The Ark of the Covenant, which held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments as well an urn of manna and the rod of Aaron,

Daily readings Tuesday, Dec. 1: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Luke 10:21-24 Wednesday, Dec. 2: Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23:1-6; Matthew 15:29-37 Thursday, Dec. 3: Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, priest, Isaiah 26:1-6; Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27; Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Friday, Dec. 4: Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 9:27-31 Saturday, Dec. 5: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Psalm 147:1-6; Matthew 9:35– 10:1 and 10:5-8 Sunday, Dec. 6: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85:9-14; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8 Monday, Dec. 7: Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church, Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 85:914; Luke 5:17-26 TH E EAST T E N N E S S E E C AT HO L I C

was housed in the Tent of Meeting and then in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. It was from the mercy seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant that God spoke to Israel through Moses: “And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel (Exodus 25:21-22).

In the Book of Sirach, Wisdom is portrayed as seeking a place to dwell among the nations, until God commands her to dwell with Israel: “Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and the one who created me assigned a place for my tent. And he said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in Israel receive your inheritance’” (Sirach 24:8).

Now, consider the words of the preface to the Gospel According to John: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14). Bibli-

cal commentaries tell us that the literal meaning of “dwelt among us” in this verse is “pitched his tent or tabernacle.” Jesus in the flesh is God dwelling among us. He is the shekhinah of God, the glory of God in our midst. Joseph Ratzinger, in Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narrative, wrote, “The man Jesus is the dwelling-place of the Word, the eternal divine Word, in this world.

Jesus’ ‘flesh,’ his human existence, is the ‘dwelling’ or ‘tent’ of the Word: the reference to the sacred tent of Israel in the wilderness is unmistakable. Jesus is, so to speak, the tent of meeting—he is the reality for which the tent and the later Temple could only serve as signs.”

We are tempted to think of Christmas as a fantastical holiday for children or, in secular terms, a time for peace and harmony among people. The Scriptures tell us that it is so much more than that. Advent is when we prepare for and Christmas is when we celebrate God’s shekhinah, His coming to dwell among us as one of us. The Gospel According to Matthew announces that the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled, that “‘the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which

means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23).

God with us! No longer only a transcendent Being, the God of the philosophers, who made and sustains us. No longer only the One who guided us through history, out of human bondage and into an earthly kingdom. Now He is God with us, one of us, having made His dwelling among us and been born among us.

Before He ascended into heaven after the Resurrection, Jesus left us with His shekhinah, his glorious presence among us in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. In each tabernacle in every parish there is reserved the glory of Jesus’ presence.

This Advent and Christmas, make a point of celebrating and basking in the glory of His Real Presence among us in daily Mass or visits to the Blessed Sacrament. What a privilege and grace to sit and rejoice in the presence of the Lord who dwells among us!

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all. ■

Tuesday, Dec. 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Psalm 98:1-4; Ephesians 1:3-6, 1112; Luke 1:26-38 Wednesday, Dec. 9: Isaiah 40:2531; Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10; Matthew 11:28-30 Thursday, Dec. 10: Isaiah 41:13-20; Psalm 145:1, 9-13; Matthew 11:11-15 Friday, Dec. 11: Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Matthew 11:16-19 Saturday, Dec. 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Zechariah 2:1417; Judith 13:18-19; Luke 1:26-38 Sunday, Dec. 13: Isaiah 61:1-2, 1011; Luke 1:46-50, 53-54; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 Monday, Dec. 14: Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church, Numbers 24:2-7, 1517; Psalm 25:4-9; Matthew 21:23-27 Tuesday, Dec. 15: Zephaniah 3:1-2,

9-13; Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-19, 23; Matthew 21:28-32 Wednesday, Dec. 16: Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-25; Psalm 85:9-14; Luke 7:18-23 Thursday, Dec. 17: Genesis 49:2, 8-10; Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17; Matthew 1:1-17 Friday, Dec. 18: Jeremiah 23:5-8; Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Matthew 1:28-25 Saturday, Dec. 19: Judges 13:2-7, 2425; Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17; Luke 1:5-25 Sunday, Dec. 20: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 Monday, Dec. 21: Song of Songs 2:814; Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1:39-45 Tuesday, Dec. 22: 1 Samuel 1:24-28; 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8; Luke 1:46-56 Wednesday, Dec. 23: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14; Luke 1:57-66

Thursday, Dec. 24: Mass in the morning, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29; Luke 1:6779; vigil Mass for Christmas, Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25 Friday, Dec. 25: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the night, Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-3, 1113; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14; Mass at dawn, Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20; Mass during the day, Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 Saturday, Dec. 26: Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr, Acts 6:8-10 and 7:54-59; Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 16-17; Matthew 10:17-22 Sunday, Dec. 27: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128:1-5; Colos-

w ww.di o k no x .o rg

Bob Hunt is a husband, father, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville and is a candidate for the permanent diaconate.

Readings continued on page B10 DECEMBER 6, 2020 n B9

COURTESY OF TSSAA (3)

COURTESY OF BETH PARSONS (2)

Catholic schools

Knoxville Catholic and Notre Dame runners place at state championships

Bishop commissions new DYMAC members Bishop Richard F. Stika commissioned the new members of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Advisory Council at a Mass on Oct. 17 in the Cathedral Hall at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

COURTESY OF LAURA GOODHARD (2)

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for the Lady Irish were sophomore Sophia Huelskamp, seniors Annamarie Todd and Maia Delaney, and freshman Riley Share. The NDHS girls finished ninth as a team.

Colton Sanborn, a senior, led the Notre Dame boys team with a 13thplace finish in a time of 17:21.35.

Joseph Shramko, a sophomore at NDHS, was close behind in 16th.

Senior Jack DiMisa, freshman Patrick Osborne, sophomore Ben Jungels, senior Evan Nowell, and senior Max Flasch also finished for the Fighting Irish, who placed fifth as a team overall. n

DR. KELLY KEARSE

Notre Dame seniors build beds for kids in need Seniors at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga recently had an afternoon of service with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a local organization that builds beds for kids who don’t have a place to sleep. Notre Dame parents donated $3,000 to purchase materials (wood, mattresses, and bedding). Students were able to build 30 beds for local families in need. In the top photo, Maddie Lundberg, CJ Petrin, and Khalil Spence work on sanding sideboards. At bottom, Zach Naessig stains headboards.

unners from Knoxville Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga stood out at the 2020 TSSAA State Cross Country Championship meets held at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville on Nov. 6.

Senior Riley Smith of KCHS placed third in the state in the Division 2, Class AA meet, with a time of 16 minutes, 30.55 seconds over the 5K course. Teammates Alonso Vela and Wyatt Duvall, both juniors, placed 29th and 31st, and sophomore Evan Deichert of KCHS finished 42nd. Also finishing for the Fighting Irish were junior Dominic Spezia and sophomore Mason Burkhardt. As a team, the KCHS boys finished eighth overall in the state.

Kaylee Estridge, a sophomore, placed seventh in the Class AA state meet in a time of 19:57.64 for the KCHS girls team in the 5K race.

Classmate Elaina Daddabbo finished 23rd. Other Lady Irish finishers were sophomores Maggie Trent and Molly Brinkmann and junior Tiffany Vo. The KCHS girls team placed 10th overall.

Notre Dame junior Sophie Welch recorded a ninth-place finish in a time of 20:55.65 in the Class A meet. Teammate and junior Anna Young placed 43rd. Also finishing

BILL BREWER

PAM RHOADES

KCHS volleyball player signs with Penn State Knoxville Catholic High School volleyball player Cassie Kuerschen signed to play with Penn State in a ceremony Nov. 12 in the All Saints Church parish hall.

Cassie is pictured with her parents, Kathy and Ted Kuerschen. Also attending were Cassie’s volleyball coaches: head coach Brent Carter and coaches Andre Alves and Michelle Dougherty.

Sacred Heart students serve as ‘principal for a day’ Sacred Heart Cathedral School third-grader Sisi Wortham and first-grader William Wortham got to play “principal for a day” on Oct. 9. They are pictured above at the Chancery office with Sedonna Prater, superintendent of Catholic Schools, and Jake Rodgers, Sacred Heart principal.

B10 n DECEMBER 6, 2020

Bishop visits KCHS football seniors Bishop Richard F. Stika visited with Knoxville Catholic High School senior football players Nov. 5 at the school.

Readings continued from page B9

sians 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40 Monday, Dec. 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs, 1 John 1:5–2:2; Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8; Matthew 2:13-18 Tuesday, Dec. 29: 1 John 2:3-11;

www.di o k no x .o rg

Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6; Luke 2:22-35 Wednesday, Dec. 30: 1 John 2:12-17; Psalm 96:7-10; Luke 2:36-40 Thursday, Dec. 31: 1 John 2:18-21; Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13; John 1:1-18 n TH E EA S T TEN N ES S EE C ATH OLI C