Aug. 22, 2010, ET Catholic

CNS/AKHTAR SOOMRO, REUTERS

Millions of victims A man leads two donkeys through floodwaters near Sukkur, Pakistan, Aug. 12. Church charities in Pakistan stepped up their efforts to distribute vitally needed relief supplies to some of the millions of people affected by the worst flood in the nation’s history. page 10

THE EAST TENNESSEE

Volume 19 • Number 24 • August 22, 2010

The

N E W S PA P E R

of the D I O C E S E of K N O X V I L L E w w w. d i o k n o x . o r g

Blogging priest wins ‘best of the web’ recognition

Seminarians visit bishop’s hometown Bishop Stika and the young men get to know one another as they see the sights in St. Louis. By Dan McWilliams

BY M A RY C. WE AV E R

Blog continued on page 7

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iocesan seminarians saw the sights in St. Louis this month with one of the best tour guides they could have had: their own bishop.

Bishop Richard F. Stika, vocation director Father Michael Cummins, and 14 of the diocese’s 16 seminarians took in a Cardinals baseball game and visited the St. Louis Arch as part of a full schedule of events Aug. 2 through 5. The traveling party included all five of the diocese’s new seminarians.

The seminarians who reach the priesthood will promise obedience to Bishop Stika and his successors. But the bishop scheduled the visit to his native St. Louis so he could elevate the seminarians directly to the cardinalate.

The St. Louis Cardinalate, that is.

“The ultimate main purpose of this trip was to ensure that someday they will be loyal Cardinal fans,” said Bishop Stika.

“Seriously, the real purpose of the trip is get all of our guys to-

DAN MCWILLIAMS

enoir City priest Father Christian Mathis received an unexpected honor with the publication of the Aug. 15 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. The national Catholic weekly newspaper named his blog, Blessed Is the Kingdom, as among “the very best of the Catholic web” in its annual internet guide. The blog may be found at www.blessedisthe kingdom.com.

“I must admit to having been pretty surprised to find my blog listed in OSV,” said Father Mathis, the pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish.

“I know many of the other bloggers who were listed and consider their websites to be first class. I’m still not sure mine deserves to be in the same category, but I’m happy there are people who think it does.

It’s good to know my work is valuable to others.”

His blog was listed as one of the best in the spirituality category—and, as Father David Boettner put it, “He made the list with some real heavy hitters.” Father Boettner is moderator of the curia and the former pastor of St. Thomas.

OSV reader Susan Windley-Daoust described Blessed Is the Kingdom as a “lovely blog by a younger diocesan priest in Tennessee on matters spiritual.”

Father Mathis said he began the blog in August 2008 “as a place to gather my thoughts.” It grew, he said, as people began to read and comment.

“Two areas that stand out to me are a focus on Eastern Christianity, with the idea of dialogue with Catholics of other rites as well as Orthodoxy,” he said. “Also on occasion there are some discussions with Evangelical Protestants. Another subject that seems to attract good comments is iconography.”

His goal, he said, is evangelization—“to my own parish and other readers as well as dialogue with nonCatholic Christians.”

A NIGHT AT THE BALL GAME

Bishop Richard F. Stika—wearing his Cardinal red—diocesan seminarians, and Father Michael Cummins (front row, left) saw St. Louis defeat the Houston Astros 8-4 on Aug. 4 at Busch Stadium.

Also in front is Harrison Dunegan. Standing in the back row are (from left) Colin Blatchford, Deacon Doug Owens, Ray Powell, Tony Budnick, Christopher Manning, Adam Kane, Adam Royal, Michael Poston, Jeff Emitt, Michael Hendershott, Scott Russell, Arthur Torres, and Christopher Floersh.

gether for a week so I can get to know them in an informal way, and they can know me in an informal way.”

The bishop said he plans similar trips for the seminarians every summer, with a new

destination each year.

Making the 2010 trip were returning seminarians Deacon Doug Owens, Christopher Manning, Adam Kane, Colin Blatchford, Tony Budnick, Jeff Emitt, Scott Russell, Michael Hen-

dershott, and Michael Poston.

New seminarians on board were Arthur Torres, Ray Powell, Adam Royal, Christopher Floersh, and Harrison Dunegan.

Dustin Collins was committed to his

clinical pastoral-education assignment at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and couldn’t go on the trip. He stopped by the Chancery to greet the other seminariSt. Louis continued on page 6

ENDOW courses spread teaching of Church, popes Girls and women can learn more about their God-given dignity and life’s key questions during an introductory presentation on Sept. 11.

B Y MA RY C. W E AV E R

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ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

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FOCUS ON FEMALES

Intended for participants of all ages, the ENDOW program helps women and girls learn more about their God-given dignity and role in the Church. On Sept. 11 ENDOW staffers from the Denver Archdiocese will give a presentation on the program at All Saints Church in Knoxville. A retreat for middle school girls will be given at the same time.

n Saturday, Sept. 11, East Tennessee women will have the chance to learn more about ENDOW, a highly acclaimed program born in the Denver Archdiocese for the purpose of spreading John Paul II and the Church’s teachings on the dignity of women.

“The mission of ENDOW is to educate women to a deeper, more profound understanding of their God-given dignity,” said Brigid Sweeney, the program’s marketing director.

It helps participants answer some of life’s key questions, she said: “Where does [my dignity] come from, where do I come from, what am I made for, and where am I headed?”

The program’s acronym stands for Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women.

Its curriculum is based on Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and draws on the work of theologians and philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Edith Stein, and Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. The Sept. 11 event is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at All Saints Church in Knoxville, 620 N. Cedar Bluff Road, and will ENDOW continued on page 3

letters to the

EDITOR

Fired professor’s words not ‘hate speech’

After reading the Catholic News Service article “Case of dismissed Catholic professor is under review” in the July 25 ETC, I was surprised that the letter by Professor Kenneth Howell wasn’t included in the story. I had to do some research to find the letter, and when I found it I read it so I could have a better understanding of what Dennis Sadowski was writing about.

Calling the professor’s comments [about the Church’s teaching on homosexual acts] “hate speech” is really ridiculous. It seems the gay community wants everyone to accept their lifestyle as normal human behavior. The homosexual lifestyle is anything but normal. It is a very immoral and sinful lifestyle, and those known to participate in this type of behavior should be disciplined by the Church.

If members of the gay community can call the professor‘s comments hate speech toward their way of life, I suppose words like death, killing, abortion, murder, infanticide, and more would be considered hate speech by the pro-choice crowd when used by the pro-life community in discussing abortion.

It really is about time that Americans start calling sin what it is and blessings what they are and live the good life for the good of Our Lord, our creator, who loves us so much he gave his life so we could be with him in heaven, praising him and enjoying his eternal presence forever. ■ —Dave Cochrane Rogersville Letters should be 350 words or less and will be edited for grammar, style, clarity, and length.

Submit them by e-mail or mail: news@ dioknox.org, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37919. Letters to the editor reflect the opinions of their authors and not those of the editorial staff or the publisher.

Faith-formation classes, catechetical days continue he Office of Christian Formation is offering a series of adult faith-formation classes throughout the year and in locations around the diocese. The adult-faith-formation program is one of the educational initiatives funded through the Growing in Faith Together capital-stewardship campaign. Classes are offered at no charge to adults in the diocese. The following sessions begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9.

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Spirituality and faith, taught by Father Michael Woods. Explores the foundations of how our faith is expressed and deepened through prayer and spirituality. The class will examine the concept of spiritual development and how intimate communion with God is available to all people. Tuesday, Sept. 14, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville The sacraments, taught by Amy Roberts. Explores the foundations of what we celebrate as Catholics. The class examines how we encounter the living Christ through each of the church’s seven sacraments. Tuesday, Sept. 21, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville Personal morality, taught by Father Michael Sweeney. Explores the foundations of what we believe as Catholics and why we believe it. How do we know the Church’s position on moral issues is correct? How do we live as faithful Catholics in a world that seemingly rejects the Church’s teachings at every turn? This session will examine the concepts of human dignity, freedom, law, sin, virtue, and conscience as well as current moral issues. It will also provide insight into how we may explain the Church’s position to those searching for answers in a confusing world. Tuesday, Oct. 5, St. Stephen Church, Chattanooga What we believe, taught by Deacon David Lucheon. Explores the foundations of what we profess as Catholics. The class will examine the principal truths of the faith as expressed in the creeds of the Church. Thursday, Oct. 14, St. Mary Church, Johnson City

living the

READINGS

BY FATHER JOSEPH BRANDO

Where are you from?

Those from the kingdom of God will enter the narrow gate.

Several years ago I was hurrying back to the parish to celebrate Saturday evening Mass. Although I had given myself plenty of time, I got caught in a major traffic jam on a two-lane road.

Thousands were on their way home after attending an air show. They weren’t in a hurry.

Carefree, they completely tied up my lane. The oncoming lane was empty.

At Mass time I was still locked in the jam. But by then I had used up my patience and begun driving in the wrong lane, past hundreds of cars, until I got to an intersection where I could drive through a gas station’s lot. The

rest of the drive to church was clear sailing. When I arrived, I saw the people waiting for me, publicly reciting the rosary. All was well.

Today’s Gospel reminds me of that incident. Jesus had been asked whether only a few people would be saved. This was a burning issue because both the Essenes and John the Baptist had indicated so. Jesus replied, saying only that we have to use all our strength to strive to enter the narrow door and that time is against us.

Once the door is closed, it will not be reopened.

Imagine a huge crowd, tightly milling around in a street, thoughtlessly blocking all who have a desire to get through to the narrow gate before it closes. We must be strong and determined to strive with all our might to get through. We all possess

Take a seat Deferring to others can put us in heaven’s front row.

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he scene in today’s Gospel must have been humorously chaotic.

Imagine a wedding party where most of the invitees were fighting with one another, trying to get the best place of honor. It must have amused Jesus.

I’ll not forget a wedding where five minutes beforehand, the father of the groom lost a scuffle with a guest who insisted that he must get to the front seat first. The father had to witness his son’s wedding from a standing position in the back of a crowded church. Such con-

frontations are actually hideous.

Jesus used such displays of human pride to teach us how to live with one another. Exalting yourself at a party could lead to great embarrassment if you were asked to leave the place you thought you deserved, only to be put in a much lower position.

In real life such a manifestation of ego leads to controversy, bitterness, and fighting. The whole of society suffers. God’s plan for the world is upset. That’s the point Jesus was making to the Pharisee and his guests. The

The cost to be Jesus’ disciple is not as high as most Christians think it is.

parents think they are taken for granted by their children?

Do not most sons and daughters judge they are treated like slaves by their parents? And is there a husband or wife who has never thought he or she is being “used”?

Jesus is inviting us to change all that. He wants us to give up possession of our family members. We would look at them with a radical difference. They would be persons beloved of God and fellow disciples of Christ. Instead of putting expectations

esus shocked his listeners in today’s Gospel. He told them there is a price to pay to be his disciple, and he named the cost. They were to give up all their possessions.

More shockingly, he considered parents, children, spouses, and siblings among those possessions. That still shocks most of us, until we begin to realize what Jesus is saying.

To give up our family members as our possessions is not to downgrade them but to free them to be more precious than ever to us. How many

Aug. 22, 21st Sunday in ordinary time Isaiah 66:18-21 Psalm 117:1-2 Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 Luke 13:22-30

world is a wedding party at which a fight broke out.

The thought of fighting at so precious an affair probably brought tears to the original hearers of Jesus’ parable.

They must have been touched to the heart when Jesus applied the story to their lives.

Everyone needs to live humbly. If God’s plan for the world is to succeed, people must defer to one another. That is, they should recognize the worth of their neighbors and respect them. It is not a question of judging or measuring but of appreciating the value of a fellow human being. We must discern our neighbor’s good qualities and reveal them to that

The price is right J

the attributes to succeed.

If the door is closed when we get there, there is no chance of getting in. The key words of Jesus are “after the master of the house has arisen and locked the door.” This could refer to the second coming of Christ or, similarly, our personal death. Then it is too late.

Our protests would draw the question, “Where are you from?” The right answer would be, “I come from the kingdom of God.” But that would be patently untrue if we were locked out. Everyone who belongs to the kingdom of God on earth has already bucked the crowd to enter the narrow gate. Without that accomplishment, we remain strangers to the kingdom, even if we saw the Lord in our town or ate with him or knew his friends.

What are you waiting for? ■

person.

If people acted in such a way, the natural phenomenon Jesus also noticed (that people invited to a party usually invite their hosts to come to their home) would make the world a better place. That is, with one major difference. The people we would invite would be the poor and the cripples, the lame and the blind.

Those people couldn’t repay you.

That’s the good part.

God loves those people a lot. And God will be the one to repay you with a frontrow seat in heaven. ■ Aug. 29, 22nd Sunday in ordinary time Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 Psalm 68:4-7, 10-11 Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 Luke 14:1, 7-14

on them, we would respect them for their dedicated service to the Lord.

The second reading gives us a taste of how Paul used this principle in a practical manner. A slave, Onesimus, ran away to him from his Christian owner. While with Paul, Onesimus not only served him well but also became a Christian. Paul sends him back to his owner, Philemon, with this letter, which became part of the New Testament. As Readings continued on page 3

Sept. 5, 23rd Sunday in ordinary time Wisdom 9:13-18 Psalm 90:3-6, 12-17 Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33

THE OFFICE OF CHRISTIAN FORMATION, IN COLLABORATION

with Aquinas College in Nashville, will continue its catechetical-formation program for adults this fall, with three catechetical days, all on Saturdays.

The program is intended for parish catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, ministry leaders, and other interested adults. There is no charge.

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

Formation days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (choose one) ■ Oct. 30, St. John Neumann Church, Farragut ■ Nov. 6, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville ■ Nov. 20, St. Jude Church, Chattanooga

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE

805 Northshore Drive S.W .

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Knoxville, TN 37919-7551

The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published twice monthly by the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, 805 Northshore Drive S.W., Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn.

Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, P.O. Box 11127, Knoxville, TN 37939-1127 How to reach us:

For further details, contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong@dioknox.org or 865-5843307. Online registration is available at bit.ly/ faith-formation. ■ 2

■

AUGUST 22, 2010

Phone: 865-584-3307 • fax: 865-584-8124 • e-mail: webmaster@dioknox.org • web: dioknox.org The East Tennessee Catholic is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee. Subscription rate for others is $15 a year in the United States. Make checks payable to the Diocese of Knoxville. www.d ioknox.org

TH E E A S T TE N N E S S E E C ATH OLI C

he dwells

AMONG US

BY BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

‘Remember me’ Those imprisoned, physically or spiritually, need our help and prayers.

“Remember me . . .”

These words recorded in the Gospel of St. Luke (23:42) begin the last prayer of a condemned and dying man—the Good Thief. Addressed to Jesus, who was crucified next to him on Calvary, this prayer was certainly his last, and it may have been his first. But God’s mercy is so rich that with those simple but sincere words, the thief received infinitely more in his conversion than he could ever have stolen in his lifetime.

I couldn’t help but think of these words of Dismas, the Good Thief, as I finished a pastoral visit to the Morgan County Correctional Complex last month. The humble men Father Michael Sweeney, Deacon Norm Amero, Sean Driscoll, Paul Beanblossom, John Cross, and I met that day asked only one thing: to be remembered.

Many movies have been made about the life of Christ, but the 1927 silent film The King of Kings made a great impact on me, especially two of its significant scenes.

The first depicts a group of grieving men and women, mourning Christ as he carries his cross to Calvary. But their mourning suddenly turns to anger, as the two thieves carrying their own crosses behind Christ come into view.

In striking contrast to their earlier demeanor, these same people begin hurling both insults and garbage at the thieves.

The second scene shows the grieving mother of Dismas standing beneath the cross of her son. The caption accom-

panying the image of this silent film has the anguished mother saying, “He was my son.” At these words, Mary leaves her place beneath the cross of Christ, walks over to the woman, and embraces her.

These scenes are a powerful reminder of how we must all be the face of Jesus, not only to those we feel deserve mercy but also to those the world believes are undeserving. We can at times be tempted to act like the unmerciful servant in the Gospel parable who has been forgiven the greater debt but who nonetheless turns on someone who owes a far lesser debt (Matthew 18:23). We can be tempted to ignore the pain of the imprisoned and their families, or we can, like Mary, stand beneath their cross to offer consolation and help. Is this not the heart of the works of mercy?

We mustn’t overlook the fact that many today are imprisoned spiritually by sins that are sometimes far worse than the offenses that have led others to be physically incarcerated. As with the debtor in the parable of the unmerciful servant whose family was also threatened with imprisonment, people’s attachments and addictions can also create a horrible imprisonment for their family members.

Still others, suffering from illness or old age, can experience a kind of physical imprisonment that calls no less for our help. Our works of mercy must be both corporal and spiritual if we are not to neglect any of the forms of imprisonment.

It is also good for us to remember that because of sin, we all deserve punishment.

Christ was crucified between two thieves to show us the two ways of responding to

ENDOW continued from page 1

weeks for two hours for a total of eight sessions. During that time they cover an ENDOW course, with a study guide, focused on topics such as John Paul II’s “Letter to Women,” Humanae Vitae, “Aquinas for Beginners,” the Christian meaning of suffering, and St. Edith Stein. To learn more about all 11 adult courses, as well as the middle school and high school modules, visit bit.ly/endow-classes.

“There’s no homework outside of the classes,” Ms. Sweeney said.

“The study guides are really exceptional, high-quality material, so they can stand on their own,” she said. But if theological questions come up and facilitators need expert advice, they can consult with a priest or contact the theologians available in the Archdiocese of Denver.

“We have seen tremendous success over these last seven years, as women and girls have gone through the study guides and taken time out of their busy lives to study and reflect about these concepts that the Church has promoted over the last 2,000 years.”

“We are not inventing anything new here in the ENDOW office,” said Ms. Sweeney. “We are simply offering a chance for women and girls to understand the truths our Catholic Church has always taught.”

Each course for adults costs $60; some scholarship funds are available for those who want to take part but cannot afford to pay the full price.

ENDOW also offers “True Beauty Revealed” for high-

include separate tracks for middle school girls and for adults. High school girls may attend the adult track.

Attendees may come for Mass at 9 a.m., with coffee and doughnuts afterward. The program is sponsored by the diocesan Office of Christian Formation.

Cost for middle school students is $30. There’s no charge for adults. All participants will pay an additional $5 fee for lunch.

Middle-schoolers will complete ENDOW’s “Girl Genius” course, which helps girls ages 10 through 13 learn about inner and outer beauty, self-esteem, coping with cultural expectations of young women, and young female saints who lived holy lives despite the pressures and temptations of their time.

Participants receive a workbook to take home.

Ms. Sweeney will lead the girls retreat.

Terry Polakovic, ENDOW’s co-founder and executive director, will lead the session for adults (and high-schoolers).

“This track is for adult women who are interested in learning more about ENDOW: what it is, how it works, how would people to be involved,” said Ms. Sweeney.

“It’s a chance for us to introduce them to ENDOW and to do a brief overview of our first course, John Paul II’s ‘Letter to Women,’ to whet their appetite.”

Once ENDOW begins in a diocese, small groups of eight to 12 women meet every two T H E EA S T TE N N E S S E E C AT H OL IC

God’s mercy. One thief wanted to be taken down from his cross and rejected the Divine Mercy, but the other accepted his place on the cross and embraced what the other had rejected. But how few today take advantage of those healing words of Christ, not unlike those spoken to the Good Thief, which we hear pronounced in the confessional: “Your sins are forgiven.”

I think it is especially profound that before receiving Holy Communion in some Eastern Catholic Churches, everyone repeats aloud the words of the Good Thief: “Remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom . . .”

I am so grateful to those whose works of mercy include visiting the imprisoned.

Although many people routinely do so, like those who accompanied me last month during my pastoral visit to the prison in Wartburg, I would also like to thank Father Jim Harvey in Crossville, Deacon Tom McConnell in Chattanooga, and Deacon Mark White in Fairfield Glade for their many years of tirelessly reaching out to the imprisoned and those on death row.

Such efforts help to bring Christ to the “upper room” of those living behind barred doors (cf. John 20:19). ■ BISHOP STIKA’S SCHEDULE These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments: Aug. 22: 9 a.m., Mass with Cardinal Justin Rigali, Sacred Heart Cathedral Aug. 27: 8 a.m., Mass, St. Joseph School, Knoxville Aug. 28: 3:30 p.m., annual Mass with altar servers, Holy Trinity Church, Jefferson City, followed by Smokies baseball game, Kodak Aug. 29: 9 a.m., Mass in Spanish, Guadalupe Chapel, Scott’s Strawberry & Tomato Farms, Unicoi Aug. 30: 6 p.m., Mass honoring John O’Connor, Sacred Heart Cathedral Aug. 31: 10 a.m., Presbyteral Council meeting, followed by general priest meeting, Chancery Sept. 1: 10 a.m., Mass, Notre Dame High School, Chattanooga Sept. 7: depart for Rome ■

schoolers.

Most adult groups, Ms. Sweeney said, study two courses per year: one in spring and one in fall.

Founded in 2003, ENDOW came together after an archdiocesan staffer, Dr. Marilyn Coors, traveled to Mexico for a conference on Pope John Paul II’s writings on the dignity and vocation of women.

During the meeting she learned “these amazing things that the Church teaches about women and that John Paul II had been writing about,” said Ms. Sweeney.

She began telling colleagues Betsy Considine and Ms. Polakovic about everything she’d learned, Ms. Sweeney said. “They realized this was really good stuff and that if they hadn’t known about it, probably a lot of women hadn’t heard about it either.”

In response, they helped found ENDOW, with the blessing of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. In his March 18, 2009, column in the Denver Catholic Register, he called the program “one of the best success stories of lay Catholic action in Colorado in my 12 years as archbishop.”

ENDOW is for women of all ages, he noted, “but it has a special appeal for young women seeking to develop their talents and leadership skills in a way that serves the Gospel.”

For more information, contact the Christian Formation Office at 865-584-3307 or Ms. Sweeney at 303-715-3224.

Register online at bit.ly/ endow-calendar by Sept. 4. ■ www.d ioknox.org

Want to try online delivery? he East Tennessee Catholic offers online delivery for those who would prefer to read a digital copy and to discontinue the print edition. If you would rather read the ETC online, visit bit.ly/subscribe-online to sign up.

If you decide online delivery isn’t for you, you can return to a print subscription at any time. If you have questions, e-mail mhunt@dioknox.org. ■

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Take note of ETC deadlines e welcome submissions about parish and community events. Send notices by e-mail (news@dioknox.org), fax (865-584-8124), or mail (805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37919). To make sure we receive information about upcoming events in time for publication, please submit it by the following deadlines: ■ Monday, Aug. 30, for the Sept. 12 issue ■ Monday, Sept. 13, for the Sept. 26 issue ■ Monday, Sept. 27, for the Oct. 10 issue ■ Monday, Oct. 11, for the Oct. 24 issue ■ Monday, Oct. 25, for the Nov. 7 issue ■ Monday, Nov. 8, for the Nov. 21 issue.

When submitting photos or information about past events, please keep in mind that we have a backlog of submissions. ■

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Readings continued from page 2

you can read, Paul tells the owner he is returning not merely a slave. Onesimus is now a fellow Christian. That development changes everything. He is now a specially beloved brother.

If becoming a baptized Christian changes the status of a slave to one who shares the life of Christ with us, how much more should it be a cause of great personal joy to know that our parents, our children, and all our family members share eternal life with us. The price Jesus wanted us to pay to become a disciple was not as bad as we might have originally thought.

The price is to stop making our closest relatives conform to our expectations of them.

One instant reward comes when they free us to become the disciple we know Christ wants us to be. ■ Father Brando is pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

WEEKDAY READINGS Monday, Aug. 23: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12; Psalm 96:1-5; Matthew 23:13-22 Tuesday, Aug. 24: Feast, Bartholomew, apostle, Revelation 21:9-14; Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18; John 1:45-51 Wednesday, Aug. 25: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18; Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5; Matthew 23:27-32 Thursday, Aug. 26: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; Psalm 145:2-7; Matthew 24:42-51 Friday, Aug. 27: Memorial, Monica, 1 Corinthians 1:17-25; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11; Matthew 25:1-13 Saturday, Aug. 28: Memorial, Augustine, bishop, doctor of the church, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Psalm 33:12-13, 1821; Matthew 25:14-30 Monday, Aug. 30: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Psalm 119:97102; Luke 4:16-30 Tuesday, Aug. 31: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Psalm 145:814; Luke 4:31-37 Wednesday, Sept. 1: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Psalm 33:1215, 20-21; Luke 4:38-44 Thursday, Sept. 2: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Psalm 24:1-6; Luke 5:1-11 Friday, Sept. 3: Memorial, Gregory the Great, pope, doctor of the church, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Psalm 37:3-6, 2728, 39-40; Luke 5:33-39 Saturday, Sept. 4: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15; Psalm 145:1721; Luke 6:1-5 Monday, Sept. 6: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8; Psalm 5:5-7, 12; Luke 6:6-11 Tuesday, Sept. 7: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11; Psalm 149:1-6, 9; Luke 6:12-19 Wednesday, Sept. 8: Feast, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Micah 5:1-4; Psalm 13:6; Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 Thursday, Sept. 9: Memorial, Peter Claver, priest, 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13; Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 23-24; Luke 6:27-38 Friday, Sept. 10: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27; Psalm 84:3-6, 12; Luke 6:39-42 Saturday, Sept. 11: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Psalm 116:12-13, 17-18; Luke 6:43-49 ■

Diocese of Knoxville procedure for 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, or the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865-482-1388.

AUGUST 22, 2010

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3

St. Stephen Parish turns 50, seeks founding members

Chattanooga Deanery

OLPH, Chattanooga ■ Mike Lucas was selected as Knight of the month for July and the Ralph Runge family as family of the month.

■ The OLPH School football team will kick off the season at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 26, at Grace Baptist.

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain ■ Sponsorship opportunities are available to help support the religious-education program. For $450, a sponsor can provide a year’s worth of Magnifikid magazine for parish children, and for $300 a year’s worth of Catechist magazine. A donation in any amount can cover DVDs, audio CDs, and books for the parish library.

■ St. Augustine no longer uses a post-office box. All mail should be addressed to 1716 Anderson Pike, Signal Mountain, TN 37377.

St. Jude, Chattanooga

Approach” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at the family-life center.

Tickets are $25 and include lunch. Call Pam at 865-408-9817 or Mitzi at 4589612 for more information.

■ Newcomers: Blanche LePlaca, Russell and Jill Osborne, Richard and Joann Truntz, Mark and Susan Werner Five Rivers Deanery

Good Shepherd, Newport ■ The parish is planning a new directory. Photos will be taken in October.

■ The Council of Catholic Women will help Arise Ministries support the Queen’s Banquet on Saturday, Sept.

11, at Del Rio Elementary School. The event benefits low-income women.

■ Good Shepherd’s 43rd anniversary will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, with Mass and lunch in the parish hall afterward.

■ The CCW will work at a benefit for a local cancer patient Sunday, Oct. 3.

■ Father Charlie Burton celebrated a

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

Mass on Aug. 9 to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The vocations Mass takes place on second Mondays.

■ Town-hall meetings regarding the parish’s “Journey Together” capital campaign took place Aug. 15 after three Masses.

■ Yoga classes began Aug. 17 in Trinity Hall. Call Connie Rhoades at 865712-8136 for more information.

■ Anniversary: Leo and Rita Savard (59) ■ Newcomers: LeAngelon Greene, Frank Kovacs, Edmund and Janet Krasinski, Earl and Elizabeth Smith, Charles Williams

St. Mary, Athens

Notre Dame, Greeneville

■ “Theology of the Body for Teens”

■ Orders for a commemorative DVD, depicting the building process for the new religious-education addition and its dedication, are being accepted.

Cost is $10.

■ Anniversaries: Eugene and Ruth DuBois (55), William and Barbara Price (54), Michael and Mary Maggert (40), Michael and Jennifer Hollowell (25), Remy and Jan Hebert (20)

will be the theme of the high school CCD program for the coming year. A mandatory meeting for students and parents will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 1. Call Scott or Christine Maentz at 423-413-4088 for more information.

St. Stephen, Chattanooga ■ The parish delivered six truckloads of food, collected during a recent drive, to Catholic Charities to assist those in need.

Cumberland Mountain Deanery

All Saints, Knoxville ■ The social-action committee’s recent baby-bottle collection to benefit Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Help Center had raised $6,119.99, with nearly 500 bottles still to be returned by parishioners.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman ■ The Seton Thrift Store’s food pantry needs donations of peanut butter, crackers, jelly, flour, meal, spaghetti and sauce, and other nonperishable foods.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade ■ Bridge players are needed for the Friendly Social Rubber Bridge Flight League to play in the 2010-11 season, from September to May. Sign up at the bulletin board in the church hall.

■ The Council of Catholic Women will have its opening meeting for the upcoming year after the 8 a.m. Mass on Wednesday, Sept. 8. All women of the parish are invited. The program includes a social gathering with a get-acquainted breakfast buffet, and the CCW will install its new officers. Members also will view a DVD of St. Bernard Abbey and the Ave Maria Grotto, a possible pilgrimage site for November.

■ Anniversaries: Andrew and Helen Laurino (68), Charles and Mary Russella (62), Darwin and Margaret Reiley (61), James and Earline Jenny (56), Harold and Eileen Metzger (54), John and Ronnie Flanagan (54), Eugene and Elaine Riggleman (53), E. Russell and Edith Uboldi (52), Ken and Carol Kaczkowski (52), Roy and Jackie Richardson (51), Paul and Carole Forkapa (51), Keith and Fritzi Farber (40), Don and Cheryl Chrobot (40), Val and Mercedes Moss (35)

St. John Neumann, Farragut ■ Parishioners are invited to pray for expectant mothers and their unborn children through the St. Gerard prayer ministry. Contact Marilyn Derbyshire at 865-966-4540 or mderbyshire@tds.net.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge ■ Donations are being collected for the fall-festival auction. Call Lynda Vinyard at 865-556-1355 or 220-5184 or Kim Bellofatto at 483-2683.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City ■ Dr. Margaret Nutting Ralph of Lex-

ington (Ky.) Theological Seminary will give a presentation titled “Understanding Scripture: A Contextualist 4

■

AUGUST 22, 2010

St. Dominic, Kingsport ■ Sister Mary Michael, OP (Michelle Carlton), of St. Dominic made her final vows Aug. 7 with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

■ Father Mike Nolan celebrated his 50th birthday Aug. 6.

■ Anniversary: Duke and Charlotte Taraschke (50) ■ Baptisms: Alexandria Lauren Cairns, Marco Antonio Chavez, Ian Gregory Gordon, Shawn Michael Hamm Jr., Janie Angela Spelman

t. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga is searching for founding members, who will be honored during the parish’s 50th-anniversary celebration this fall.

Those who were

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members in 1960-61 are asked to call John Vannucci at 423-3095133 or Paula Reiland at 423-400-6508.

Plans are to celebrate the golden anniversary with a Mass and consecration to

the Holy Spirit at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. A banquet and program, including a blessing of the new kitchen, will follow at 6:30. A foundingmember brunch is set for Sunday, Nov. 21. ■

Dickenses of St. Francis of Assisi married 50 years oe and Amy Dickens of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 4.

They were married at St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro with Father (now Monsignor) Philip Thoni officiating.

The couple have three children, Mike Dickens of Mooresville, N.C.; Edward Dickens of Charlotte, N.C.; and Beth O’Malley of Nashville. Father Thoni baptized Mike Dickens and Mrs. O’Malley. The Dickenses have seven grandchildren.

They retired from E.I. Dupont in Charlotte and the U.S. Army and moved to the Glade in 2002.

Mr. and Mrs. Dickens celebrated the anniversary with family.

The couple’s hobbies include

J

COURTESY OF ROSEANN STRAZINSKY (2)

BY TONI PACITTI

Joe and Amy Dickens, with Father Thoni

golfing, stamping, carding, and sewing. ■

Glade’s Walasinskis celebrate 60th anniversary oe and Millie Walasinski of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade celebrated 60 years of marriage July 1.

The Walasinskis were married at Immaculate Conception Church in Toledo, Ohio, with Father A. R. Lamantia officiating.

Their five children are Michael, Joseph, and Robert Walasinski; Cynthia Warren; and Mary Kroeger, all of South Bend, Ind. The couple have 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Mr. Walasinski retired from A.M. General Co. in South Bend, and Mrs. Walasinski was a homemaker.

They moved to the Glade in 1989.

The Walasinskis celebrated their anniversary in Pigeon Forge.

Mr. Walasinski is a member of

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Joe and Millie Walasinski

the Knights of Columbus. He serves as an usher at St. Francis, and both he and his wife are greeters. ■

St. Elizabeth, Elizabethton ■ Volunteers prepared and served meals for 278 homeless and elderly people Aug. 7 at St. John Episcopal Church as part of the communitywide Food for the Multitude program. The next opportunity for parishioners to volunteer is Saturday, Sept. 11.

■ The Knights of Columbus raised $544 for charitable food programs when they served 75 people at their barbecued-chicken dinner Aug. 7. The women’s guild provided desserts. Area businesses donated a grill and door prizes.

■ Anniversaries: Ben and Betty Clark (45), Louis and Sheila Clark (45), Leonard and Irene Whitehead (40) ■ Newcomer: L. A. Keuren

St. Patrick, Morristown ■ For a parents’ night out, the youth

will provide child care and activities for children ages 18 months to 10 years from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20.

Crafts, movies, games, and snacks will be provided. Children should eat dinner before arriving. Donations will be accepted. RSVP to ColleenMJacobs@ gmail.com.

■ Food-sale coupons for Ingles and Food City are being sold before and after all weekend Masses. Purchasing the certificates helps the Knights of Columbus raise money for parish debt reduction. The certificates are available in different denominations.

■ On the weekend of Aug. 21 and 22 the social-action committee will collect paper products, peanut butter, and soups for the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen. Place donations in the container in the narthex.

■ Parish youth will sponsor a yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, in the church basement; the Knights will hold a yard sale at the pavilion at the same time. Parishioners are welcome to drop off items Tuesdays through Fridays during regular business hours for the youths’ sale. Contact Mike Parish notes continued on page 5

COURTESY OF SUSAN COLLINS

NOTES

Notre Dame has its largest first Communion class First Holy Communion was celebrated at Notre Dame Church in Greeneville on May 1. Pastor Father John Appiah (center) was the celebrant. Twenty-two students received the sacrament, a record-breaking number for the parish. Sandy Alter (far left), Alicin Sahr (back row, second from right), and Irma Vazquez (far right) were the catechists.

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH CONWAY

parish

Holy Spirit’s VBS has events for children and adults Children listen to Bible stories told by Teresa Dyer during the recent vacation Bible school at Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy. Parishioners and Knights of Columbus Council 14079 provided meals throughout the week. Children at the VBS were encouraged to take the parts of characters in the stories of Sts. Peter and Paul, and there were craft classes for all ages. There were also sessions for adults. Speakers and topics were Father Charlie Burton, “The Apostles”; host pastor Monsignor Al Humbrecht, “And Now the Rest of the Story,” on St. Peter’s wife speaking out; Father Mike Creson, “New Prayers for the Mass: Understanding the New Missal”; and Father Jim Vick, “The Word Incarnate: Who is Jesus?”.

www.d ioknox.org

TH E E A S T TE N N E S S E E C ATH OLI C

BY TONI PACITTI

Knights of Columbus Council 610 in Chattanooga is sponsoring its 68th annual Labor Day Picnic and Family Outing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6, at Camp Columbus’s Bork Pavilion. The event will feature a whiteelephant yard sale at 9 a.m. and charity bingo at 3 p.m. Games and activities for all ages will take place throughout the day. Barbecue will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The menu offers a choice of barbecued beef, pork, chicken, or ribs. Costs are $6 for adults and $3 for children. Proceeds will support the Knights’ charitable activities throughout the year. Call Chris Snellgrove at 423-892-5695 for more information. Call Gloria Deml at 877-9303 to donate items for the cake booth. To donate items for the yard sale, call Scott Louisell at 667-6936 or John Chrnalogar at 544-1562.

The annual Altar Server Day in the Smokies is set for Saturday, Aug. 28.

Altar servers can attend Mass with Bishop Richard F. Stika as principal celebrant at 3:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City. A picnic at 5 p.m. and a Tennessee Smokies baseball game will follow at 6:15 at Smokies Park in Kodak. Registration forms will be sent to all parishes.

Servers interested in attending should speak to their pastor, youth minister, or altar-server coordinator.

The Sevier County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will present an “Equipping For Life” seminar led by Christian counselor Karen Black Mercer, who has been involved in pro-life activities for more than 40 years. The seminar is set for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 25, at Holy Cross Church in Pigeon Forge. The event will help participants speak to women in crisis situations who are considering an abortion. In 1996 Dr. Mercer became the first woman to receive the Power of One Award from Focus on the Family for her pro-life efforts. The event is free, but registration is required by Monday, Sept. 20. Call 865908-2689 or e-mail Missmouse53@ comcast.net to register or learn more.

Bishop Richard F. Stika will serve as spiritual director for “In the Footsteps of Jesus: A Lenten Pilgrimage” to the Holy Land, set for March 20 to April 2, 2011. Pilgrims will visit Mount Scopus, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Bethlehem, the Old City of Jerusalem, Jericho, Masada, Qumran, Emmaus, Tiberias, Nazareth, Cana, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Mount Carmel, Caesarea, and more. Cost is $3,199 (cash) or $3,398, plus $499 in airport taxes (from Atlanta), fuel surcharges, and $150 in tips. There is a $400 deposit. Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, is the pilgrimage coordinator. For a brochure and registration form, contact Sister Albertine at 865-545-8270 or 207-4742 or smaevang@yahoo.com.

The Knoxville Catholic High School class of 1969 is holding a “40 Years + 1 Reunion” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Calhoun’s on the River, 400 Neyland Drive in Knoxville. Cost is $40. RSVP to 865-925-2166 or ksm216@aol.com.

“Bowl for Life” will be held at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 19, at Strike and Spare Lanes, 5700 Western Ave. in Knoxville, to raise funds for the Knoxville chapter of Tennessee Right to Life. Registration fee is $15 per person or $70 for a team of six; includes shoe rental. Contact trlknox@knology.net or 865-689-1339, or visit www.trlknox.org. Registration deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Holy Family Parish in Seymour is holding its annual Holiday Craft Bazaar and “Granny’s Attic” fundraiser Friday through Sunday, Sept. 24 through 26, at the church. The benefit will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and after Mass on Sunday.

Call Mary Waldmann at 865-429-3999 or Mary Ann at 983-6611 for further details.

Registration is under way for Diocese of Knoxville young people who plan to attend World Youth Day in Madrid in August 2011. Total cost is $3,321 per person, which includes accommodations (double occupancy), daily American buffet breakfasts, WYD TH E EA S T TE N N E S S E E C AT H OL IC

fees, and airline taxes and fuel charges. A second option offers simple accommodations on school-gym floors but includes everything else above, at a cost of $2,299. A deposit of $250 is needed to hold a reservation. Second and third payments of $500 each are due by Oct. 31 and Feb. 15, with the final payment due no later than May 15, 2011. For more information, contact Al Forsythe, diocesan director of Youth and Youth Adult Ministry, at 865584-3307 or aforsythe@dioknox.org, or Lucille of Regina Tours at 800CATHOLIC, extension 208. Obtain information online at bit.ly/9iuuKS. An afternoon prayer retreat will be held at All Saints Church in Knoxville from 1 to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18.

Men and women are invited to pray and reflect with lay associates of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. For more information, call Priscilla Hales at 865-531-4537 or Louiane Lawson at 675-3818.

The next “Picture of Love” engagedcouples retreat will be held Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. This marriage-preparation retreat supplements couples’ marriage formation with their parish priest and is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of living the sacrament of matrimony. Cost is $135 per couple and includes meals. The retreat certificate is good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. To register or learn more, contact Marian Christiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.

The New Hope Pregnancy Help Center in Cleveland is holding its annual Walk for Life on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Cleveland High School. Registration will start at 8:15 a.m. and the walk at 9:15. Call 423-479-5825 for more information.

Register online at newhopepcc.org.

The Catholic Committee of Appalachia’s annual meeting is set for the weekend of Sept. 17 through 19 at St. Patrick Church in Hinton, W.Va. This year’s event will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the committee, and its theme is “The Presence of the Divine in Creation: Reigniting Our Spiritual Tradition.” The keynote speaker is Joe Holland, a principal writer of the Appalachian bishops’ pastoral letters.

CCA members will lead sessions at the meeting. To request a registration form or learn about costs, accommodations, and partial scholarships, contact CCA at 304-927-5798 or ccappal@citynet. net, or visit ccappal.org.

Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga will hold a class for registered nurses who wish to participate in its Faith Community/Parish Nursing Program. The class is divided into six sessions, all of which must be completed in order to participate in the program. Three eight-hour days are scheduled for Wednesdays, Sept. 22 and 29 and Oct. 6. Three-hour evening sessions will be held Tuesdays, Oct. 12 and 26 and Nov. 9. A commissioning and graduation ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The registration deadline is Thursday Sept. 9. To learn more about the program or tuition costs, contact Connie Blake at 423495-6163 connie_blake@memorial.org.

The August calendar at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga includes an AARP driver-safety program for those ages 55 and up, set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at Memorial’s Home Health Office. Call 423-495CARE (2273) to register. Cancer, heart, and diabetes patients should call 4957778, 495-7764, or 495-7970, respectively, to learn more about Memorial’s classes for them.

EWTN will host a free Family Celebration the weekend of Oct. 9 and 10 at the Canton (Ohio) Civic Center. The event will celebrate the life and legacy of EWTN founder Mother Angelica and feature talks by Doug Keck, Raymond Arroyo, Marcus Grodi, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Mother Assumpta Long, and others.

Those attending may meet EWTN hosts and clergy. A children’s area will feature performances by Rob Wahl and Calendar continued on page 6

ANDY TELLI

CALENDAR

STATE LEADERS The new Knights of Columbus state officers are pictured with their wives. From left are (front) Kathleen and Mike Wills, Anita and Bob Rounsefell, and Sandra and Mike Porter, and (back row) Sharon and Tracy Staller, Steve Comm, and Polly and John Park.

New state Knights officers include two from DOK

BY A N DY TE L L I

ike Wills of Knoxville and Tracy Staller of Seymour were installed as state officers for the Tennessee Knights of Columbus on July 10.

Mr. Wills, a member of Council 5207 and a parishioner of All Saints in Knoxville, was installed as the state secretary, the second highest state

M

office for the Knights.

Mr. Staller, a member of Council 12961 and a parishioner of Holy Family in Seymour, was installed as state warden.

Other officers installed with Mr. Wills and Mr. Staller, at the conclusion of the kickoff meeting for council leaders in Middle Tennessee held July 10 at St. Edward Church in

Nashville, were Bob Rounsefell of Cordova, state deputy; John Park of Nashville, state treasurer, Steve Comm of Nashville, state advocate; and Mike Porter of Nashville, immediate past state deputy.

The kickoff meeting for East Tennessee council leaders was held July 24 at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut. ■

All Saints ‘coming together’ for prayer, outdoor Mass ith close to 7,000 parishioners registered in the parish, All Saints in Knoxville has been looking for a way to capture the sense of togetherness and purpose that marked its beginnings 16 years ago.

“So many people are new, coming from other places,” said Father Michael Woods, pastor. “The

W

tendency is to become part of the crowd, hoping for some sense of support and belonging.

Of course the common ground is Eucharist, but with crowds like ours it is easy to feel alone, even at Eucharist.

Those who are established tend to stick to those they know and leave the work of creating the sense of be-

longing to a few.”

All Saints has come up with a plan to involve all parishioners in that work: to “have as many people as possible do something valuable and specific for the parish that all can do in a short period of time and then come together to celebrate what we have accomplished.” The “valuAll Saints continued on page 6

COURTESY OF KATIE ALLEN

on the

Northern Ireland, Knoxville teens unite Teens from Northern Ireland and their host teens from Knoxville gather for a photo during a yacht ride July 2, part of a busy schedule of activities sponsored by the Ulster Project of Knoxville. The Northern Ireland teens arrived June 25 and flew home July 23. For ETC articles on this summer’s Ulster Project, see the May 19 and July 25 issues.

Parish notes continued from page 4

Sandlock at 423-581-3025 or msandlock@bellsouth.net about donations for the Knights’ sale.

■ The Knights will hold their Hawaiian Luau family picnic at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 at the pavilion. The free event is for all parish Knights, their families and friends, and any prospective Knights. The menu includes Hawaiian pork, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Those attending should bring a tropical dish and may wear tropical clothes. RSVP to Mike Sandlock (see above).

Smoky Mountain Deanery

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa ■ The Knights of Columbus named Steve Kintzele as Knight of the month for May and Marc Horton and Joe Zappa as Knights of the month for June. Frank and Joyce Carballo in May and Mike and Sandi Smith in June received family-of-the-month honors.

■ The Moms Group is taking orders for its flower-bulb sale through Sunday, Sept. 5. Make checks payable to “OLOF” with “Moms Group” on the memo line.

www.d ioknox.org

■ The Council of Catholic Women is

holding a “Pennies From Heaven” collection for Catholic Relief Services to benefit women and children in Africa who have AIDS or are HIV–positive.

Members should bring change to the next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, in the Fatima Center social hall.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville ■ A women’s group retreat will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Pat Ryan’s house. Bring a dish for lunch.

■ The women’s group’s kitchen– household sale will be held in the parish hall after all Masses on Sept. 11 and 12. Bring donated items to the parish hall and mark them for the ICWG.

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville ■ The parish’s Ministries Day on

Sunday, Sept. 12, will begin with an outdoor Mass at 11 a.m. and continue with a picnic afterward. Parishioners will have the opportunity to learn about the different ministries offered at St. Albert the Great. ■ AUGUST 22, 2010

■

5

St. Louis continued from page 1

Brother Leo. Visit ewtn.com or call Viewer Services at 205-271-2989 to learn more.

ans before they departed. Also not traveling was Deacon Moises Moreno, who will be ordained to the priesthood in November.

The first visit in St. Louis was to the home of Don and Nancy Ross, friends of the bishop who hosted the group for Mass and dinner Aug. 2. The next day began with Mass at St. Roch Church, where the pastor, Monsignor Salvadore Polizzi, is a priest of 55 years.

A visit to the Museum of Westward Expansion at the base of the Arch helped pass the time while the seminarians waited for tram rides to the top of the St. Louis landmark. After the seminarians returned to earth, Bishop Stika took them to the archdiocese’s original cathedral, the Basilica of St. Louis, King, which stands near the Arch. Tim and Lynn Trout hosted the group for dinner on the evening of Aug. 3.

On the following morning the bishop and seminarians toured the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

Bishop Stika added to tour guide Claudia Wright’s comments at several points.

Bishop Stika next took the group to St. Raymond’s Maronite Cathedral. The bishop celebrated Mass there, and afterward the seminarians met one of the bishop’s co-consecrators at his installation last year, Maronite Bishop Robert J. Shaheen.

The group then toured the Vatican Splendors exhibit. A visit to the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, a.k.a. the Pink Sisters, turned into a family reunion for Mr. Hendershott. He met his sister, Christine, who was participating in a two-week observer program with the community.

The bishop’s favorite team defeated Houston 8-4 at Busch Stadium that evening. The seminarians, Bishop Stika, and the bishop’s brother Joe Calabro watched the Cardinals victory from a private box.

Alexian Brothers Senior Ministries has numerous events planned in coming weeks. An Alexian Village open house will be held at noon Thursday, Oct. 26.

The event features 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s music; apartment tours; and door prizes. Call 423-886-0542 to RSVP. Visit www.AlexianBrothers.net to view the “Alexian Chat” newsletter and a calendar of events.

The next charismatic Mass in the diocese will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy. Father Dan Whitman of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City will be the celebrant. A healing service will follow the Mass. Another charismatic Mass is set for Oct. 24 at Holy Spirit. Call Dee Leigh at 423-842-2305 for more information.

The next Marriage Encounter weekend is scheduled for Aug. 27 through 29 at the Hilton Garden Inn in West Knoxville. To register, contact John or Manuela Ptacek at 865-531-1719 or celebrate-love@ earthlink.net, or visit www.loveinthesmokies.org. For more information, contact John or Anne Wharton at 423-581-1815 or ACW193@bellsouth.net.

The Serra Club of Knoxville meets on second and fourth Thursdays in the Shea Room at Sacred Heart Cathedral’s office building. Meetings begin with Mass at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch at noon and a speaker at 12:30 p.m.

The Serra Club of Greater Chattanooga meets on second and fourth Mondays at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Meetings begin with Mass at 11:40 a.m. celebrated by club chaplain Father George Schmidt, with lunch and a speaker following. Visit www.serra chatta.org for more details.

Next month’s Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held Sept. 11 at the home of Bill and Cathy Toth, 100 Westview Lane in Oak Ridge. The Toths will facilitate a “morning of recollection,” which will begin at 9. A potluck lunch will be served at noon. RSVP by Saturday, Aug. 21, by calling 865-220-8743 or 310-5267.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville, at 3 p.m. on first and third Sundays at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland, and at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville. Visit www.knoxlatinmass.net for details.

Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 3:30 p.m.

Sundays at Holy Ghost Church, 1041 N. Central St. in Knoxville. Call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865256-4880.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission celebrates Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. Sundays in the chapel at the Chancery. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307.

The Community of Sant’Egidio is a Catholic lay ecclesial movement that focuses on prayer and service to the poor. Two Sant’Egidio groups regularly meet in the Diocese of Knoxville, in Knoxville and Johnson City. For more information on the Knoxville group, call Ellen Macek at 865-675-5541. Call Father Michael Cummins at 423-926-7061 for more details on the Johnson City group. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Upcoming events for Catholic Singles of Greater Knoxville (40 and over) include the following: ■ Wednesday, Aug. 25: Meet at Panera Bread in Bearden for coffee, 6:30 p.m. Call Randy S. at 865556-3781.

■ Friday, Aug. 27: Smokies baseball game, 7:15 p.m.

Meet host Gail B. in the Sacred Heart Cathedral parking lot at 6 p.m. to carpool. RSVP to Gail at 3997617 or gbraunsroth@charter.net.

■ Saturday, Aug. 29: Pontoon-boat outing on Douglas Lake, 2 to 7 p.m. Bring lunch, beverage, chair, and swim necessities. Cost will be $20 to $25. Contact Gail B. at 966-8205 or gbraunsroth@charter.net before Sunday, Aug. 22. ■

DAN MCWILLIAMS (3)

Calendar continued from page 5

BEGINNING THE DAY WITH MASS

Colin Blatchford prays the Liturgy of the Hours before morning Mass at St. Roch Church in St. Louis on Aug. 3. The seminarians also visited three cathedrals in St. Louis during their trip Aug. 2 through 5.

New baseball Hallof-Famer Whitey Herzog posed for a photo with the group when it entered the stadium.

Morning Mass at the Church of the Annunziata in Ladue concluded the trip Aug. 5. Bishop Stika was pastor there at the time he was appointed as Knoxville’s shepherd.

Bishop Stika contrasted the serious encounters he has with seminarians, such as in Mass or meetings with the men before they enter seminary, with the informal atmosphere of the St. Louis trip.

“I’ve gotten to know them this past year and a half, but it’s different when you see somebody in liturgical settings or informal meetings as opposed to just going to a ball game or doing something else enjoyable.”

Bishop Stika lived virtually his entire life in St. Louis before his 2009 appointment to lead the Church in East Ten-

nessee. His numerous friends in St. Louis made it a good choice for the bishop’s inaugural summer trip with seminarians.

“St. Louis is my history, my background,” said Bishop Stika.

“One of the reasons I chose St. Louis is that I have so many contacts here. We got some freebies, so I’m watching the budget.”

The group visited three cathedrals in the Gateway to the West, and Bishop Stika pointed out numerous Catholic churches to those riding with him from one stop to the next.

The 184-year-old Archdiocese of St. Louis has more than 560,000 Catholics— 26 percent of the population.

“St. Louis is an old church,” said the bishop. “There’s a lot of history here, and I wanted to show the guys that the church is vibrant in older places as well as in a place like the Diocese of Knoxville.”

Mr. Kane, Mr. Blatchford, Mr.

Floersh, and Mr. Dunegan are enrolled at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. Bishop Stika is reviving an old diocesan tradition, started by another ordinary ordained a priest in Missouri, by sending seminarians there.

“Bishop O’Connell sent seminarians there because he went to Kenrick,” said Bishop Stika.

“You always have a loyalty to your own school.”

Father Cummins called the week “a very good experience for everyone.”

“For me there were many positives, mainly the opportunity for these guys from the different seminaries to spend time getting to know one another and getting to know their bishop as well as for the bishop to interact with them in an informal way,” he said.

Deacon Owens said that getting the seminarians “all together in one place is no small feat.”

St. Louis continued on page 8

Michael Hendershott greets his sister Christine during the seminarians’ visit with the “Pink Sisters” on Aug. 4. Miss Hendershott and Anne McGuire (center) took part in a two-week observer program with the community this summer.

All Saints continued from page 5

able and specific” plan decided upon was for members to pray for the parish. For the last month parishioners have been encouraged to donate an hour of prayer for All Saints. The week of Aug. 22 through 28 has been set aside for that purpose. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament will be continuous, 24 hours a day for seven days.

“It’s amazing,” said Father Woods, “More than 700 people have signed up already. It seems God is blessing our efforts.”

After the week of prayer, the parish will have only two Masses on the weekend of Aug. 28 and 29, one at 5 p.m. Saturday and one large celebration at an outdoor Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday. The celebration’s theme is “All Saints Coming Together.”

All have been encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to eat after the Mass and “get a sense of the beauty of their large, diverse parish.”

“I can’t wait for them to see how beautiful they are,” said Father Woods. ■ 6

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AUGUST 22, 2010

Bishop Stika, Father Cummins, and the seminarians met brand-new baseball Hall-of-Famer Whitey Herzog (center) as they entered Busch Stadium for the Cardinals game on Aug. 4. Mr. Herzog, who managed the Cardinals to a World Series championship in 1982, was inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y. www.d ioknox.org

TH E E A S T TE N N E S S E E C ATH OLI C

PRIESTS

BY MARGARET HUNT CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO

our

Led from a legal career to the priesthood Father Christopher Riehl says the idea of becoming a priest ‘wouldn’t leave me alone’ as he discerned God’s call.

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ather Christopher Riehl is associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville. He was ordained there on Nov. 14, 2009. He is the fourth of seven children born to Deacon John and Shirley Riehl of Jefferson City. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, camping, and off-roading with his truck.

the catholic

MARY C. WEAVER

When did you decide you wanted to be a priest?

I thought I was going to be a lawyer and have a big Catholic family. I studied at Walters State to be a paralegal. My third year there was when I really started thinking about priesthood, but I didn’t think it was for me. I thought the Holy Spirit was telling me I needed to get my brother to go because he’s a prayerful guy; he’s a good guy. He seemed like he’d make a good priest, but the idea of the priesthood wouldn’t leave me alone. So after six months, it became so intense that I finally brought it up after I went to confession to Father Joseph Hammond and said, “Hey, what about this priesthood thing?” He said, “What do you think?” He’d known me for a while, and he said, “Well, you’ve dated a couple of women for a while.” I’d dated one woman for almost two years. So he said, “You’ve tested that—what do you think about the priesthood?”

I said, “I don’t know. I don’t know whether I’d be a good one.” He said, “Have you ever been a priest?” I said no, and he said, “Well, maybe you would be a good one.”

He said, “The only way to test a vocation to the priesthood is to go into the seminary. The only way to test a vocation to the married life is to date, and you’ve dated, so if you want to test it, you have to go into the seminary.”

So that’s how it started.

I think what Father Joseph

ciding factor in not going in a religious community because I knew I wouldn’t be around my family. I was looking at the Franciscans and the Jesuits quite strongly, and they’re great. I love a lot of the spirituality and the writings, but for me that would have been too difficult.

Father Christopher Riehl

said was right on. That’s what I tell people. There’s no vocation in a vacuum. A vocation means just that: a call. It’s a call from God, and the response to the vocation is on you. People have to respond.

A big danger people have is being too afraid to respond.

People need to have courage.

With every vocation, you put yourself out there: you can be hurt; you can be disappointed.

Did you have any fears about going into the seminary?

I knew that giving up a wife and children would be difficult. That was something I needed to work on a lot—I worked on it for years, dealing with that and getting over it and embracing a different understanding, a different model of family, a different model of fatherhood. That was a big one.

The other one I wasn’t too concerned about, but it was there, was that I would take this promise of obedience, and the bishop can send me anywhere in the diocese. But I knew I would never be more than two hours from my parents. Luckily, they live in the center of the diocese, and most of my siblings, even back then, had the idea that if we could, we would all try to live around Knoxville. Being around family was also a de-

DIFFERENCE

BY GEORGE WEIGEL

In praise of Father Schall A giant of Catholicism, he ‘wears his learning lightly.’

One does wonder sometimes about God’s ways with his most devoted servants.

Several years back, Father James Schall, SJ, one of the greatest of American Jesuits and the living embodiment of Catholic liberal learning at Georgetown, was struck by an illness that cost him an eye. This summer Father Schall is recovering from some nasty surgery, which involved removing a cancerous jawbone and its attendant teeth and replacing the jaw with bone taken from his leg. Father Schall has taken this with his customary faith, good humor, and sang-froid. His convalescence, and his enormous grace amidst suffering, prompt me to pay him longoverdue tribute.

He is a deeply learned man, yet he wears his learning lightly. He looks the part of the old-school Jesuit he is: if someone told me that, like the late Cardinal Avery Dulles, Schall uses duct tape TH E E A S T TE N N E S S E E C AT H OL IC

to fix his battered shoes or that he cut chunks out of old Clorox bottles to make the tab collars for his faded clerical shirts, I wouldn’t be surprised. He is a marvelous teacher and a great spiritual director, and he is both because he is a man at peace with the absurdities of the world, which he knows to be part of a divine plan he doesn’t presume to grasp fully.

Yet he is no ambiguist: he would rather thrust his hand into the fire than put on paper a thought not congruent with the truths of Catholic faith. I imagine he would happily die a martyr. The thought of the executioner’s face, confronted with Father Schall’s smiling, one-eyed visage, is worth a meditation.

He is the author of many books: some are exercises in political philosophy of the highest caliber, others are of a more popular sort. His scholarly work is finely balanced between Jerusalem and Athens, embracing both revelation and reason. And although he has written on just about everything, from Plato to American sports, he brings to whatever engages his attention that sense of wonder

You’ve been a priest for less than a year. What’s it been like?

It’s been great. I get to offer the sacrifice of the Mass every day. I like it a lot. That and confession. [They’re] different means of contact with the risen Lord, so I can’t say I like one more than the other. Cardinal [Justin F.] Rigali, when he was addressing my deacon class up in Philadelphia, said where there’s the communal aspect of the Eucharist, it’s so powerful when people really enter into the mystery. It’s a real vision of heaven. But he said you’ll never feel more like a priest than when you hear confessions, and I totally agree with that. Those are the two sacraments that drew me into the priesthood.

What is the best advice you received while in discernment?

Father [Pat] Garrity had a rule that he encouraged everyone to follow: that if you start a year, you should finish the year because you can let the year unfold naturally.

What would you say to a man who wants to become a priest?

Good for you. Talk to your family and friends. And talk to a priest you’re comfortable with. Discernment never occurs in a vacuum. True discernment is in community. If the general response is positive, you should go into the seminary. ■

Mrs. Hunt is administrative assistant for the Media Office. with which all true thinking starts.

The man is also very, very funny. Indeed, he once concocted the greatest book subtitle since Gutenberg. Another Sort of Learning (Ignatius Press, 1988) is a guide for university students adrift in the vacuities and disarray of so much of contemporary higher education. An insight into Father Schall’s qualities as mentor to those lost in the groves of academe (or to those wondering, years later, what happened to them there) may be gleaned from what follows the invitation to “another sort of learning” on the book’s cover: “Selected Contrary Essays on How Finally to Acquire an Education While Still at College or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advice about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to Be Found.”

Were I ever to find anything I had written on a James Schall book list, I would face the final assize confident that I could give a satisfactory answer to the question of what I had done to all those trees.

How did Catholicism get great priests and teachers like Father Schall? That’s perhaps the most urgent question facWeigel continued on page 10

www.d ioknox.org

BISHOP COMING TO DOK Pope Benedict XVI meets with Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim of the U.S. Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle on Jan. 22, 2009, at the Vatican. Bishop Ibrahim was among Chaldean bishops making their ad limina visits to the Vatican.

Chaldean Bishop Ibrahim to visit Knoxville in September ishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit Chaldean Eparchy will visit the Diocese of Knoxville over the weekend of Sept. 24 through 26 to meet with the growing Chaldean community in East Tennessee.

Chaldean Catholics are native to Iraq, but migrant communities are found in the United States, Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon.

East Tennessee is home to a growing number of Chaldean Catholics, said Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Justice and Peace Office.

“Presently, there are approximately 50 Chaldean families in Knoxville, with many more expected,” said Mr. Simoneau. The Chaldean population of the United States is growing as Iraqi refugees flee severe religious persecution.

“As a result, an effort has been made to reach out to the Chaldean community, including efforts by individual parish groups through Bridge Refugee Services,” he said.

Bishop Ibrahim will be accompanied by Father Anthony Kaphawa, who will soon begin making monthly visits to Knoxville to celebrate the liturgy with the Chaldean community.

“Because of the close relationship members of the Chaldean community in Knoxville have with Bishop Ibrahim, he is interested in starting a Chaldean mission here,” Mr. Simoneau said.

Father Kaphawa was recently ordained by Bishop Ibrahim.

The bishop is a native of Iraq and was consecrated a bishop in Baghdad in 1982. He is the first and only bishop to shepherd his eparchy, which was erected by Pope John Paul II. Mr. Simoneau added that Susan Dakak of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, Paul Schmidt of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville, and he have been exploring the possibility of creating a U.S. chapter of the United Kingdom– based charity Iraqi Christians in Need (ICIN). The organization assists Christians who have fled Iraq and are living in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, as well as those who have recently migrated to the United States.

To learn more about Bishop Ibrahim’s visit or ICIN, call Mr. Simoneau at 865-584-3307. ■

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Blog continued from page 1

Father Mathis said he sometimes posts new articles to the blog four to six times a week, although when life becomes busier, his frequency may drop to once a week. When he’s posting often, he said, the blog gets between 100 and 120 visitors a day. At its slowest, Blessed Is the Kingdom draws 40 or 50 daily visitors.

He believes most readers are Catholic, “although there are quite a few Orthodox Christians and Evangelicals who read the blog too,” he said.

“I know of at least a couple of non-Christians as well. I am glad to have some readers from other traditions who contribute to the dialogue from time to time.”

Not all of Father Mathis’s contributions are text only: he also posts podcasts, or sound files, such as his discussion of the Solemnity of the Assumption, published on Aug. 16. The podcasts may be found on the parish website, at sthomaslc.com/podcasts.

But a blog isn’t a one-way street. Reader comments generate some “very interesting” discussions, Father Mathis said.

As examples, he cited two lively exchanges— the first on the topic of the sacraments of initiation among Western and Eastern Catholics.

Romans celebrate baptism, confirmation, and first Eucharist on three separate occasions, years apart. Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians “celebrate all three together, even for infants,” he explained.

“The discussion over whether we need to wait till the age of reason was fun.”

The second example was “a recent discussion on whether humanity is basically good or evil.

This discussion came out of some conversations with some Protestant readers who have more of a Calvinistic approach to theology,” he said.

“Discussions like these are the ones that make blogging worth the time and effort.” ■ AUGUST 22, 2010

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Deaths

life and

DIGNITY

BY PAUL SIMONEAU

SISTER MARY ADRIAN MULLOY, RSM

Sister Mary Adrian Mulloy, RSM, 84, died Saturday, July 24, at Mercy Convent in Nashville.

A native of Nashville and a graduate of Cathedral High School, she entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1943. Having earned degrees in education and administration, she was principal of Immaculate Conception High School in Memphis for 11 years.

In October 2008 she was honored for her contributions to IC when the science building was rededicated as Mulloy Hall. Sister Adrian served as a member of the Sisters of Mercy Provincial Council and as the provincial administrator for six years. She was a member of the Jesuit spirituality staff in both Denver and Milford, Ohio.

Sister Adrian had served as director of religious education at St. Stephen Catholic Community in Old Hickory and director of ministry formation for the Nashville Diocese. She continued to serve by conducting directed retreats and days of reflection, and she prepared catechists for certification and was involved with the RCIA program at St. Edward Parish in Nashville.

Sister Adrian was preceded in death by her parents, James and Mary Mogan Mulloy; her sisters, Sister Mary Clare Mulloy, DC, Anne Mulloy Gray, and Patsy Mulloy Smith; and her brothers, Joe “Buddy” Mulloy, Vincent Mulloy, and John Mulloy.

She is survived by her brother-in-law, Bob Gray; nieces and nephew, great-nieces and -nephews; cousins; and members of her Mercy community, among whom are many friends, including Sister Louise Shoulta, RSM. The funeral Mass was held at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville on Wednesday, July 28, with Bishop David R. Choby, Father Patrick Connor, Father Joseph Patrick Breen, and attending priests officiating.

Donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy at Mercy Convent or the House of Mercy. ■

DAN MCWILLIAMS

St. Louis continued from page 6

CARDS’ GREETING

The Busch Stadium scoreboard recognized the visitors from East Tennessee during the Cardinals’ game with the Astros.

The only deacon in the group enjoyed seeing the large contingent of younger seminarians. “It’s edifying to see that there are 15 guys coming after me in the pipeline and not just two or three or four like it used to be,” he said.

“They’re solid guys too.”

Mr. Floersh, a Knoxville Catholic High School graduate, said he “enjoyed every event a lot” on the St. Louis trip.

“It’s nice getting to know the bishop a little better and getting to know all my brother seminarians,” he said.

Mr. Dunegan graduated from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga this spring and is the youngest DOK seminarian. He said he was “really impressed” with the visit to St. Louis.

The baseball game was his favorite part of the trip, since his only previous experience with the national pastime involved his city’s minorleague team.

“I’d only been to one baseball game before. It was the Lookouts,” said Mr. Dunegan. “It wasn’t quite as impressive.”

Mr. Powell called the four-day visit to St. Louis “a nice send-off” before heading to the seminary.

He didn’t take long to reply to a question about his favorite stop on the trip.

“It had to be the Cathedral Basilica,” he said.

“It was gorgeous. It was really an inspiration.”

Speaking from the Busch Stadium box late in the Cardinals game, the bishop said he liked seeing the seminarians enjoying themselves.

“As I stand here in this room, I’m looking at all the seminarians smiling and having a good time, joking with each other,” he said. “These guys are the future leaders of the diocese.” ■ View a slide show from the St. Louis visit at dioknox.org/st-louis-slideshow/.

Correction n the Aug. 8 issue, the article on William Casey (“Casey sentenced after pleading guilty in North Carolina”) states that plaintiff Warren Tucker made a statement in the courtroom and that Mr. Casey responded to it with a statement.

Mr. Tucker did not make a statement in the courtroom, so the article was incorrect on the point of Mr. Casey’s making a reply. Also, Mr. Casey’s statement was not read by him in court, as the article states, but by his attorney. ■

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AUGUST 22, 2010

False solutions When man’s endeavors resemble those of Babel, fear and failure result.

In the biblical account of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) we find the prototype of every failed attempt to create a more just society.

The refrain, “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower . . .”

(11:4) has echoed in every ideology and political program that has sought to divinize an earthly kingdom and raise it into the heavens. As Pope John Paul II observed, “The tragedy of humanity today, as indeed of every period of history, consists precisely in its similarity to the experience of Babel” (Reconciliation and Penance, No. 13).

Babel, in its native language, literally means “gate of the gods” (see footnote to Genesis 11:9 of the New American Bible). This meaning seems particularly appropriate, given man’s forfeiture of the garden of Eden for the false promise of Satan, “You will be like gods” (Genesis 3:5). In the Hebrew word for Babel, which means “he confused,” we see the consequences of not having God as the beginning and end of our endeavors.

This is why Babel failed.

Man wanted to be his own architect, using blueprints of his own design, as with so many other failed efforts in history to create a more just society. But as Pope Benedict XVI notes, efforts to create “right relationships of men with one another and with all creation . . . depend on the

the new

MISSAL

‘covenant’” and “cannot be conceived and formed by man alone; they depend on the fundamental relationship that orders all other relationships: the relationship with God (Church, Ecumenism, and Politics [Ignatius, 2008], p. 249).

When this “vertical dimension” of adoration, praise, humility, obedience, and thanksgiving to God is neglected or rejected, even projects of social justice become sterile and fail. We can be lured into thinking that solutions to injustice lie within man’s ingenuity alone and with a more just ordering of our political, economic, and technological structures.

We find evidence of this temptation in Peter’s enthusiasm shortly after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Unable to envision the kingdom of God beyond earthly proportions, he exclaims to Jesus, “Teacher, look at the huge blocks of stone and the enormous buildings” (Mark 13:1). Jesus’ reply concerning the earthly temple is an ominous warning to all who seek a kingdom of man’s design: “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be torn down” (13:2).

In overturning the money changers’ tables in the Temple, Jesus sternly warned, “Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

(John 2:16). But is not the opposite the case today? Man has made the marketplace a substitute for the Father’s house, and how many fear an overturning of its tables?

The Church, “the Holy City” of God, stands in stark

BY FATHER RANDY STICE

Glory to God in the highest When we sing the hymn, the Church ‘continues the words of the angels.’

The Gloria is one of the Church’s most ancient and solemn hymns. It is modeled on the canticles found in the New Testament: the Magnificat of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:46-55), the Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79), and the Christological hymn in Philippians 2:611. Trinitarian in its structure, it praises the Father and contemplates the Son with the Holy Spirit. In the box below is the new translation of the Gloria.

The Gloria was first used in the morning prayer service celebrated by the bishop in his cathedral in the fourth century. In the sixth century Rome introduced it into the Mass for Christmas, then into Masses for Sundays and feasts of the martyrs when the bishop presided. Priests were permitted to use it in the Easter Vigil and at their installation after ordination. Finally, in the eighth century it was included in Masses for Sundays and feasts of the martyrs celebrated by priests.

The basic structure of the Gloria is biblical, and the new translation closely follows the biblical texts. The opening sentence is taken from Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus: www.d ioknox.org

“And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:14).

The section that contemplates the Son (beginning with “Lord Jesus Christ”) cites two verses from John 1. In John 1:18, John describes Jesus as “the only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side.” This is the basis for the phrases “Only Begotten Son” and “Son of the Father.” The second verse is from John 1:29. When John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching, he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

The concluding section— “For you alone are the Holy One”—references the New Testament book of Revelation and one of the psalms from the Old Testament. “For you alone are the Holy One” is a

contrast to Babel and the many failed attempts in history to clone the paradise of Eden lost because of sin. Unlike the human hands that labored in vain in Babel, the Church is built by hands both human and divine—the hands of Christ, true God and true man. He is both the “cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42) and “capstone” (Ephesians 2:2022) and its structure made with “living stones” (1 Peter 2: 4-5).

Unlike the tower of Babel, whose ascent was never completed, Christ, who first descended, has “ascended into Heaven.” With the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we now have but one “language of faith,” in which all should seek to become fluent.

It is the Church, who speaks with the voice of Christ, teaches us this language, and safeguards the divine vocabulary and grammar of faith and morals. In Christ’s body, the Church, the scattered migrants of Babel find true unity.

Benedict XVI reminds us that it is not “our kingdom” we should seek. “Earth becomes ‘heaven’ when and insofar as God’s will is done there; and it is merely ‘earth,’ the opposite of heaven, when and insofar as it is withdrawn from the will of God” (Jesus of Nazareth [Doubleday, 2007], p. 146-7). He further warns us that “where God is viewed as something secondary, which can be set aside temporarily or altogether for the sake of more important things, then precisely these supposedly more important things fail” (On the Way to Jesus Christ [Ignatius, 2005], p. 90).

Ending with my traditional play on the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace . . . ,” “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). ■ Mr. Simoneau directs the diocesan Justice and Peace Office. reference to Revelation 15:4: “For you alone are holy.”

“You alone are the Lord” is a reference to Psalm 83:19: “Show them you alone are the Lord, the Most High over all the earth.”

Once again we see the importance of the principle from Authentic Liturgy concerning translations into the vernacular: “The manner of translating the liturgical books should foster a correspondence between the biblical text itself and the liturgical texts of ecclesiastical composition which contain biblical words or allusions” (No. 49).

Finally, it is worth noting that the sequence “we praise . . . we bless . . . we adore . . . we glorify” was originally addressed to earthly rulers. The early Church rightly applied these expressions of adoration to the one who is truly “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15).

Dom Prosper Gueranger (1805-1875), abbot of Solesmes and one of the fathers of the liturgical movement, described the Gloria in these words: “Here . . . all is enthusiasm and fervent lanStice continued on page 9

New text (changes from old text appear in bold italics) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

TH E E A S T TE N N E S S E E C ATH OLI C

catholic

YOUTH

from the

PARACLETE

BY BETHANY MARINAC

Sacred Heart hosting 22nd annual Youth Mass and Evening Extravaganza Try a movie night at home he 22nd annual Youth Mass and Evening Extravaganza is set for 4 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 11, at Sacred Heart Cathedral and School.

This year’s theme for the event is “I will rise and go to my Father,” from Luke 15:18.

The Mass, celebrated by diocesan vicar general Father David Boettner, will begin at 4 p.m. During the liturgy, Father Boettner will present youth-recognition awards and commission the 2010-11 members of the Diocesan

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Youth Ministry Advisory Council.

The extravaganza at the school includes a dance led by DJ Chris Granger, pizza and cold drinks, inflatable games, karaoke, and a photo booth.

New to this year’s extravaganza is a nine-hole “Putting for Priests” fundraiser for seminarians that begins at 6:30 p.m. The grand prize is a $50 Visa gift card. The suggested donation for each fourperson team is $20. Forms may be mailed with Youth

Mass registration forms. Starting times for the individual teams will be announced.

All high school youth are invited to attend. The cost is $20 and includes a T-shirt. Youth should see their youth ministers for registration forms, which are due by Friday, Sept.

3. For more information, contact Deacon Dan Hosford— Youth Ministry coordinator for the Smoky Mountain and Cumberland Mountain deaneries—at 865-603-9682 or djh2@comcast.net. ■

SCOTT MAENTZ

Chattanooga Deanery hosts God Camps Amanda Henderson (left) and Kali Bishop were among many participants in “Discover,” one of three annual God Camps hosted by the Chattanooga Deanery office of Youth Ministry and held at the group camp at Harrison Bay State Park in Harrison. Amanda is from St. Mary Parish in Athens and Kali from Blessed Sacrament in Harriman. The “Discover” camp, for rising fifth- and sixth-graders, was held July 1 through 3. A “Dare to Dream” camp for rising high school students took place June 21 through 26. A “Reach Camp” for rising seventh- and eighth-graders was held June 28 through July 1.

‘La La Palooza Fest’ for junior high youth set he annual “La La Palooza Fest,” for all sixth- through ninth-graders in the diocese, is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 501 S. Moore Road in Chattanooga.

The event’s sponsor, the Chattanooga Deanery Office of Youth Ministry, defines “La La Palooza” as “something outstanding of its kind.”

Mass will be followed by a lunch of pizza, snow cones, and popcorn, as well as activities that include inflatable games, a Slip ’n Slide, and an 18-foot water slide.

Cost is $20 before Monday, Aug. 23, and $25 afterward. To download a flyer or registration and medical-release forms, see a youth minister or visit bit.ly/dcakWx. Youth may also register or learn more by contacting the deanery’s Youth Ministry coordinator, Donna Jones, at 423-6227232 (office), 7184387 (cell), or djones 6029@gmail.com. ■

COURTESY OF GEORGE LECRONE (3)

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Justin receives Parvuli Dei award Justin Statile of St Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City received his Parvuli Dei (“children of God”) award May 30. With him are St. Thomas pastor Father Christian Mathis; Justin’s parents, Don (left) and Michelle Statile; and George LeCrone, director of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting.

Parvuli Dei awards presented at All Saints Three Scouts received Parvuli Dei awards May 15 at All Saints Church in Knoxville.

The honorees (from left) are Jeremy Uhl, Max Suchomski, and Riley Landen. Each Scout is from Pack 630 at All Saints. With them are diocesan Scouting committee director George LeCrone (left) and Tom Ciaccia, Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 5207 in West Knoxville. All Saints pastor Father Michael Woods presented the awards.

Light of Christ award for Zack Zack Sirek received the Light of Christ award June 27 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. John XXIII pastor Father Charlie Donahue, CSP, pins the award on the Cub Scout. With Zack on his big day were parents Andrea and Nick and brother Will.

TH E EA S T TE N N E S S E E C AT H OL IC

hen I was a child, we set aside one night a week as family time.

Sometimes we played games; sometimes we watched a movie. We didn’t go out, and we didn’t dress up. My mother made comfort food, and we all pitched in to clean up after dinner.

Now that my children are getting older, stay-at-home nights are increasingly hard to fit into our busy lives. Sports and work schedules get in the way, and we find ourselves eating and talking with one another while on the run between activities. This school year, I resolve to schedule one night per week for us to spend together, even if our time is abbreviated to accommodate other obligations.

We like movies, and as parents, we prefer movies with a message. The Paraclete has a large stock of family-friendly movies for all age groups. I Am David (Lionsgate, 2005, $19.95), starring Jim Caviezel, Joan Plowright, and Ben Tibber, is the story of 12-year-old David. He has lived a life of imprisonment and must

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escape with little more than a compass and a note. It is an endearing story of growth and perseverance.

We also recommend The Perfect Stranger and Another Perfect Stranger (Kelly’s Filmworks, 2005 and 2007, $19.95 each). Nikki (Pamela Brumley) is unhappy with her life because it isn’t what she considers perfect—until she receives a mysterious invitation to dinner with Jesus Christ. The sequel, Another Perfect Stranger, takes up the story 10 years later, with Nikki’s daughter, Sarah, who is on her own spiritual journey.

Forever Strong (Crane Movie Co., 2009, $19.95) is the story of a troubled boy named Rick (Sean Faris) whose rugby rise to stardom is sidelined by a DUI. While he grows in spirituality and understanding, he is challenged to help his teammates to grow too.

We plan to watch all of these and many more. Have a great start to the new school year! ■ Call the store at 865588-0388 or 800-3332097.

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

The following training sessions have been scheduled: ■ St. Mary Church, Johnson City, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21; 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 15; 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18 (sessions will be held in St. Ann’s Hall) ■ St. Dominic Church, Kingsport, 1 p.m. Sat-

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urday, Aug. 21 ■ Sacred Heart Cathedral, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24; 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21; 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 19 (sessions will be held in the Shea Room) ■ St. Albert the Great Church, Knoxville, 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 ■ St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Lenoir City, 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 ■ Our Lady of Fatima Church, Alcoa, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 (session will be held in room 206 of the Fatima Center) ■ St. Alphonsus Church, Crossville, 1 p.m. CDT Sunday, Oct. 3 (session will be conducted in Spanish).

Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials.

To register, visit virtusonline.org. ■

Stice continued from page 8

guage of the soul. The angels themselves intoned the hymn; and the Church, inspired as she is, by the Holy Ghost, continues the words of the angels.”

When we sing the Gloria, we make our own the words of the angels and the heavenly host, the prophecy of John the Baptist, and the praise of the Church Triumphant in heaven. ■ Father Stice directs the diocesan Worship and Liturgy Office. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

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WIRE

Cardinal denounces Mexico’s decision on marriage

BY DAV I D A G RE N

MEXICO CITY (CNS)—Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City denounced a recent Mexican Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of a same-sex marriage law in the nation’s capital as an “aberrant judgment.”

The church “cannot stop calling evil, ‘evil,’” he said in a statement read after his Aug. 8 homily in the city’s Metropolitan Cathedral.

“The absurd approval of this law that can be legal but never moral allows us to be conscious of the unequaled value of family . . . and is an opportunity to continue raising our prayers to God for our leaders,” he said.

“Even though we are called to be respectful of the civil laws, we have a moral duty to not make vain God’s commandments and avoid falling into permissiveness that damages the fundamental principles of our faith and the precious value of family,” the cardinal said the statement, which was read by two congregants.

Other Catholic leaders also criticized the ruling.

“We strongly condemn the approval of civil weddings between [people] of the same gender,” said Father Raul Villegas, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Leon, in comments to the newspaper A.M. Leon.

The court ruled 8-2 against a constitutional challenge launched by the attorney general’s office. Some of the judges supporting the law said states were free to write their own marriage rules—a similar reasoning they used to uphold a 2007 law decriminalizing abortion in Mexico City.

Other judges spoke of promoting equality and said the constitution did not specifically define family.

The court clarified a jurisdictional question surrounding the law Aug. 10, declaring that all of Mexico’s 31 states must accept the legality of same-sex marriages registered in Mexico City.

Debate on the constitutionality of same-sex couples adopting children was to continue Aug. 12.

The National Pro-Life Committee—known locally as Pro-Vida—held a small protest outside the court in anticipation of the deliberations.

“The fear is that this court decision is going to impact all of the country,” Pro-Vida director Jorge Serrano Limon said Aug. 8.

David Razu, sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill, told Catholic News Service that Mexico City is generally more left-leaning in social matters than the rest of the country.

Polls taken in Mexico City at the time of the bill’s approval in December showed the public split 50-50 on gay marriages and generally not in favor of same-sex couples adopting children. ■ Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Help Notre Dame sisters make their Chattanooga convent a home otre Dame High School in Chattanooga is asking the faithful to help support the four Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation who will begin teaching at the school this fall.

The sisters are living in a furnished home in East Brainerd while the school renovates a home on Glenwood Avenue that will be their convent.

The sisters have anticipated their needs for the new convent and registered at Walmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond. To assist the sisters, use these registry links so that gifts will be recorded and duplicates avoided: bit.ly/bqYVPb and bit.ly/czs8cd.

The sisters are listed on the Walmart registry as “Notre Dame” (first name) and “Sisters” (last name) and on the Bed, Bath & Beyond registry as “Notre Dame Sisters” for both first and last names. ■

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Weigel continued from page 7

ing Catholic higher education today, as the generation of giants that emerged from the Catholic intellectual renaissance of the mid20th century passes from the scene.

My hunch is that the giants we have known—and, in the case of Father Schall, hope to know for years to come—combined a distinctively Catholic rootedness in the intellectual tradition of the West with a sense of adventure in engaging a modernity of which they were neither overawed nor afraid. A solid son of the American Midwest (Pocahontas, Iowa, in his case), James Schall could think clearly in the turbulence of the late 20th and early 21st century because he was solidly grounded in the enduring truths and because he was a man of faith who knew that God’s purposes would finally win out in history. May God grant him a swift recovery and many more years of showing us the way. ■

Agencies struggle to help Pakistani flood victims Millions need aid following the worst such disaster in the country’s history. By Anto Akkara BANGALORE, India (CNS)— Church charities in Pakistan stepped up their efforts Aug. 12 to distribute vitally needed relief supplies to some of the millions of people affected by the worst flood in the South Asian nation’s history.

The response gained momentum as Pope Benedict XVI expressed his condolences in a telegram to Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore, head of the Pakistan bishops’ conference. “The Holy Father commends the deceased to the Almighty” and “prays for all involved in providing assistance to the victims,” the pope said in his message.

Cooking equipment, hygiene kits, and bedding were being delivered Aug. 11 to severely hit areas, but workers said devastating conditions were hampering the efforts of relief workers.

“Access to a lot of the affected areas is still impossible, and it’s hard to organize distribution amid the panic,” said John Joseph of Caritas Islamabad-Rawalpindi.

He spoke in the compound of Holy Name Church in Nowshehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where distribution began after prayers and blessings from Father Amir Yaqub, the parish priest.

Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella agency for national Catholic charities, launched an appeal Aug. 12 asking member agencies for $5.5 million to fund Catholic relief efforts in Pakistan over the next three months.

“The situation grows increasingly desperate,” the appeal said, adding that more than 1,600 people had died and about 14 million people were directly affected by the flooding.

“Raging floodwaters have washed away homes, bridges, schools, water systems, and medical facilities” in five provinces, said the Caritas Internationalis appeal.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs launched an appeal Aug. 11 for $460 million to meet the humanitarian needs of flood victims.

John Holmes, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said quick action is needed to bring food, shelter, and medicine to Pakistan.

“The death toll has been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters.

But if we don’t act fast enough, many more people could die of disease and food shortage,” Holmes said.

“With continuing rains and floods spreading to more areas, the challenge before us is growing by the day,” Carolyn Fanelli, head of programming and acting country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Pakistan, told Catholic News Service Aug. 10 from her office.

CNS PHOTO/ADREES LATIF, REUTERS

from the

DESPERATE SITUATION

A flood victim holds out a pot for food while chasing a vehicle along a roadside in Pakistan’s Muzaffargarh District in the province of Punjab on Aug. 13. Disease outbreaks pose new risks to victims of Pakistan’s worst floods ever, aid agencies said. The floods, triggered by torrential monsoons, have engulfed Pakistan’s Indus River basin, killing more than 1,600 people and forcing two million from their homes.

“We have already distributed emergency relief material to 6,400 people and our target is being regularly revised upward,” she said.

The United Nations reported Aug. 9 that the floods have affected more people than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in the Kashmir region of Pakistan, and the January earthquake in Haiti combined.

Nasrullah Khan, head of the CRS office in mountainous Besham, 185 miles north of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, said, “Our staff have covered up to 40 kilometers [25 miles] on foot to remote areas where the people are in great suffering. Mules remain the only option for us to [get] the material to those in remote areas made inaccessible by landslides,” Khan told CNS Aug. 10.

CRS has already started a cash-for-work program in the mountainous region to repair the drinking-water supply system the agency built after the 2005 earthquake.

“Ironically, though water caused all the problems, people are struggling for water now. They have to walk miles to fetch drinking water,” Fanelli said.

As the flood-affected area grows, roads and bridges have been washed away and much of the country’s communication network has been destroyed. An official of Caritas Pakistan said some supplies, including plastic sheeting for shelter, water purification tablets, cooking utensils, and food items, have gotten through.

“The destruction and human suffering caused by the floods is colossal. Thousands have nothing left and are living in the open,” Anila J. Gill, national executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan, told CNS from her office in Lahore.

Gill said all Catholic dioceses in Pakistan are involved in the relief work. By Aug. 9 the agency had assisted 4,800 families with tent materials and hygiene and kitchen kits.

“For the next three months

we will concentrate on the relief work,” Gill explained.

“The people are in trauma.

The challenge now is to support them to survive and overcome the tragedy.”

An outbreak of disease and diarrhea because of the lack of safe drinking water is affecting the population in flooded areas.

Meanwhile, Caritas Korea is preparing to send $30,000 to its sister organization in Pakistan to help with relief efforts, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.

“The money will be sent to Pakistan as soon as possible,” said Theresa Kim Jou-yeon, the agency’s public-relations officer.

“It’s unfortunate that we have already used much of our urgent relief funds. We sent $400,000 to aid the earthquake victims in Haiti and $50,000 to Chile earlier this year,” she said.

In addition, Caritas Australia has called for urgent support for those suffering.

Launching Caritas Australia’s South Asia Floods Appeal–Pakistan on Aug. 10, the agency’s chief executive, Jack de Groot, said the task of getting assistance to the devastated communities is “incredibly challenging,” with roads and bridges damaged or completely swept away and landslides adding to the isolation and destruction of many areas.

De Groot said Caritas Australia had joined Pakistani partners in providing for immediate needs such as food, water, and shelter in the Shangla, Kohistan, and Swat districts in the northwestern part of the country.

“But the emergency response needs to be significantly increased. I urge all Australians to dig deep to support partners in Pakistan to deliver this much-needed assistance,” he said. ■ Contributing to this story was Anthony Barich in Perth, Australia. Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. 10

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