Dec. 20, 2009, East Tennessee Catholic

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

A blessing for baby Jesus A girl holds a figurine of baby Jesus as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Angelus from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 13. The square was packed with families who brought their Nativity figurines to be blessed by the pope. page 10

THE EAST TENNESSEE

Volume 19 • Number 8 • December 20, 2009

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 www.d ioces eof kn ox ville.or g

Knox Ladies of Charity buy new building B Y DA N MCWI LLIAMS

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heir years-long search for more space ended Oct. 29 when the Ladies of Charity of Knoxville closed the deal on a new building that will allow them to combine their thrift store and emergency-assistance office under one roof.

The Ladies won’t be moving far when they relocate to the former Royal Beauty Supply offices and warehouse on West Baxter Avenue behind Holy Ghost Church. The orLOC continued on page 6

Please pray for our priests Dear Lord: We pray that the Blessed Mother will wrap her mantle around your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry.

We pray that Mary will guide your priests to follow her own words, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse.

May the Blessed Mother’s own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross.

May your priests be holy and filled with the fire of your love, seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls.

Amen.

St. John Vianney, pray for us. ■ Download prayers and a rosary booklet: bit.ly/priestprayers.

BY BISHOP R ICHAR D F. STIKA

ear sisters and brothers in faith: D In the name of Monsignor Xavier Mankel and all those involved in diocesan administration, I wish you a blessed Christmas. We also wish you a New Year filled with the blessings of God and the hope for peace in our world and in your heart!

During these hectic days it is easy to become so enamored with the secular celebration of what some call a “winter break.” This notion of a secular moment in our yearly calendar is anathema to what we are about as a people who have been given the gift of salvation through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The moment of his birth was so simple, and yet the result of this moment in time allows us to know the deeper love of God who sent his Son into the world.

In years past, while serving in various assignments, I often would challenge myself and those to whom I preached not to forget the beauty of the simple expression “Merry Christmas.” Although we may wish to be sensitive to those who do not share our faith, we are also challenged not to forget what we are about as Christians and the importance of the birth of Jesus. To use the greeting “Happy Holidays” is a time-honored custom of expressing our best wishes to others.

To share the words “Merry Christmas” is a reminder to all that this special time of the year is about Jesus Christ.

And so, my friends, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord

CNS PHOTO/NICOLO ORSI BATTAGLINI/ART RESOURCE

Ladies of Charity of Knoxville president Erika Fuhr (right) hugs Sue Greer of Sacred Heart Cathedral after accepting a $2,100 donation from the parish’s recent Holiday Boutique. The gift was presented during the Ladies’ first gathering in their new building behind Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville.

BIG DONATION

The traditional greeting reminds others that the season is about Jesus Christ.

HOLY FAMILY The Nativity is depicted in this detail view from the “Adoration of the Magi” by Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano. The work is housed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

The Christmas season begins with the Dec. 24 evening vigil commemorating the birth of Christ and ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 10.

continue to guide you as he guided the Magi to the birth of our Savior.

“Good news and great joy to all the world! Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!”

Commending you to the care of the Holy Family, I remain

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend Richard F. Stika

Two diocesan parishes engage in ‘Advent Conspiracy’ St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City and St. Mary in Gatlinburg take part in a program that puts the focus of the season ‘back on the true message.’

B Y DA N MCWI L L I A MS

wo diocesan parishes are taking part in the T Advent Conspiracy pro-

COURTESY OF FATHER DAVID BOETTNER

MARY C. WEAVER

merry christmas

‘OUR LITTLE BROTHERS’ Jerry Bodie of Sacred Heart Cathedral and Father David Boettner were part of a mission to the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage in El Salvador in June. They are standing with orphans (from left) Andres, Leandro David Fuentes, and Edgar. Leandro is Father Boettner’s godson, and Edgar is Mr. Bodie’s godson.

gram, and an orphanage in El Salvador will benefit.

St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City has taken the Advent Conspiracy parishwide this year, and St. Mary in Gatlinburg is participating for the first time. The Advent Conspiracy, a U.S.–based endeavor that has spread to other continents, asks churchgoers to focus on four points during the season: worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all.

“It gets back to the true message of making Christmas the world-changing event it’s meant to be,” said St. Thomas’s John Deinhart, who is coordinating the parish program with Susan Scriven de Dragon and Tory Kinson. “It transforms our Conspiracy continued on page 6

letters to the

EDITOR

Divergence with Anglicans has increased

In her letter (“Column missed the mark on ecumenism,” Dec. 6 ETC) Ellen Macek comments on Ginger Hutton’s Nov. 8 column (“Brilliant ecumenism”), which claimed that “Pope Benedict’s decision to allow Anglicans to convert en masse and retain their traditions . . . is brilliant ecumenism.” Conversely, explains Dr. Macek, “Ecumenism is not achieved by individual conversions but by the reconciliation of ecclesial bodies.”

I think there is something to be said for both these approaches, and the Vatican is using the latter in discussions with the Orthodox Churches in the hope that reconciliation will allow the church to “breathe with both lungs,” as John Paul II desired. However, this approach is possible only because both churches are in agreement on the vast majority of basic issues, as they have been throughout history. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Anglican Communion, in which practices unacceptable to both the Orthodox and Catholic churches have been introduced. In 1948 C. S. Lewis wrote that “to widen the divisions between ourselves and other churches by establishing an order of priestesses . . . would be an almost wanton degree of imprudence.” This actually took place less than 50 years later in England, and the Anglican Synod has recently voted to prepare for the ordination of women bishops.

In the United States, Episcopal women bishops have already arrived, and Bishop Gene Robinson has stated that “to say [something] goes against tradition and the teaching of the church and Scripture does not necessarily make it wrong.”

This is the exact opposite of the understanding of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Robinson’s lifestyle reflects these new beliefs, and the Episcopal Church has endorsed his stance. It is not possible to reconcile ecclesial bodies that are constantly changing their basic beliefs, and despite negotiations going back to the 1920s, divergences with the Anglican Communion have actually grown rather than diminished. I remember facing this issue myself when trying to decide whether to join the Catholic Church as an individual or to wait for corporate reunion. If I had chosen the latter course, I would still be waiting, so I too applaud Pope Benedict’s initiative. ■ —George D. Wignall Oak Ridge We welcome letters to the editor and carefully consider all submissions. Letters should be 350 words or less and will be edited for grammar, style, clarity, and length. Submit them by e-mail, mail, or fax: mary@dioknox.org, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37919, 865-5848124. Letters to the editor reflect the opinions of their authors and not those of the editorial staff or the publisher.

Want to try online delivery? he East Tennessee Catholic is now offering 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 snipr.com/onlineETC 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 mary@dioceseof knoxville.org. ■

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living the

READINGS

BY FATHER JOSEPH BRANDO

A body you prepared for me When we make Christ’s life our own we will experience Christmas joy.

The readings for the last Sunday of Advent vividly declare that Christmas was not a spontaneous act by a capricious God. Rather, it was a longplanned and graciously prepared event on the part of a God who is loving and forgiving. Christ’s coming could have occurred in a far more dramatic way. That would have drastically disrupted human events and robbed mankind of free will. God’s plan was to insert himself into the world as unobtrusively as possible.

Such an objective demands many centuries of development before the event—and centuries more for the Christmas message to be known,

loved, and accepted by the whole world. Our reading of the Old Testament gives us an idea of what had to unfold slowly for even a small number of people to be ready for the Messiah.

The reading from Micah reminds us that God’s plan included the establishment of a family for Jesus. It was the house of David: a royal family.

Importantly, David was more than a king. He wrote and sang psalms. He led worship.

He spoke to God. He was a prophet. In later days, this family, so strongly established, had become marginalized. All the better for the newborn Savior to sneak into human history.

Luke narrates Mary’s encounter with Elizabeth shortly after the former became pregnant. The words Mary heard were as reassuring as they were prophetic. Mary heard that, by the power of the Holy

A family affair Jesus’ mother gave her son a dose of reality.

the 12-yearW hen old Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, he knew his life would be spent doing the will of the Father. His preteen plan was to go to the Temple and engage in dialogue with the priests.

When he won them over, he would have a solid base of operation. Being of the house of David would secure his credentials as a leader of Israel.

The priests would use their special relationship with the Romans to smooth over whatever problems they would have—and maybe even help convert them. Once that

was accomplished, the rest of the world would follow in quick succession.

This scenario may explain the cavalier actions of the young Jesus in not letting his parents know where he was or what he was doing. Regardless, his mother did find him and changed his mind about what is possible.

Jesus needed a dose of reality, just as we do at times.

Grandiose thoughts may very well pop up in our minds, but the bubble of a new idea can also pop at the worst times, bursting our hopes and our ego. That’s

Our light will shine

e welcome submissions about parish and community events. Send notices by e-mail (mary@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, Dec. 28, for the Jan. 10 issue ■ Monday, Jan. 11, for the Jan. 24 issue ■ Monday, Jan. 25, for the Feb. 7 issue ■ Monday, Feb. 8, for the Feb. 21 issue ■ Monday, Feb. 22, for the March 7 issue ■ Monday, March 8, for the March 21 issue ■ Monday, March 29, for the April 11 issue ■ Monday, April 12, for the April 25 issue ■ Monday, April 26, for the May 9 issue ■ Monday, May 10, for the May 23 issue.

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

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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.

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DECEMBER 20, 2009

piphany is a feast of light. We celebrate Jesus as the light of the world. Indeed, Jesus is a special kind of light. Some lights, like those projected by lighthouses, warn people of danger. Some, like flashlights, help us find things in the dark. Some lights, such as fire, burn things. Some, like spotlights, identify people. Jesus can be seen as any of those. Yet the kind of light today’s readings attribute to Jesus is one that draws people to himself.

Isaiah prophesies to his people that their Lord and

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Savior will radiate his light on them. The desired reaction is for them to rise up in splendor. Then the nations will gather and come to Jerusalem.

The light of the Messiah will enlighten the citizens of Jerusalem who, in turn, will draw a crowd from all over the world. Isaiah predicts they will bring gifts. The eighthcentury BC text reads “caravans of camels shall fill you.”

A more contemporary translation might be “convoys of semis” will bring you gold and riches. These are words to allay the fear Israel had of

gency of faith. The immediate corrective is loving one another in family. Trying our pet ideas out by explaining them to family and listening to their comments may cost us a bit of temporary embarrassment, but it could save our skins in the long run.

Or it might inspire them to join us and add some improvements that would make our plans even more successful.

That’s was Mary’s gift to Jesus when she took her son back from the Temple to his Holy Family. ■ Dec. 27, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 Psalm 128:1-5 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24 Luke 2:41-52

the nations around them. Former enemies will reward Israel for producing the Savior of all humanity. Isaiah encourages them to embrace this festival of light.

Paul struggled on behalf of that concept. In real life, after the resurrection, the Apostles discovered what Christ as light of the world meant. They were so radiant, with Christ’s light shining through them, that they drew crowds. The gentiles in those crowds begged for that light to shine from Readings continued on page 3

Jan. 3, The Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13 Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE

805 Northshore Drive S.W.

Dec. 20, fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:1-4 Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45

what families can do for us. As Mary burst her child’s bubble before it could explode in cataclysmic disaster, we do the same with family members. We protect one another from dismal failure, even at the cost of short-term hard feelings.

John, the beloved disciple, put that into law for the community he was writing to in today’s second reading. “We should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.”

The practical point John is making is that the two parts of the command complement each other. Too often people do very strange and wrong things out of an ur-

Those who shine with Christ’s radiance will attract others.

Take note of ETC deadlines

Spirit, her secret was already known. Instead of Mary telling her cousin of her situation, Elizabeth told her that her child was the Lord. Besides, Elizabeth’s bouncing baby boy, John, responded with the proper reaction to this news. He leapt in Elizabeth’s womb. He announced the joy of realizing that centuries of preparation were over.

So we come to the Letter to the Hebrews. There it is spelled out. All the works of the Law, all the sacrifices, and all the holocausts were but preparation. God’s promise to Israel was fulfilled by the birth of a body. It was the body of Jesus Christ, who came to do God’s will and who is the embodiment of God. All that needs to happen from then on is for people to enter into Christ’s body, making his life ours. Then we can truly possess Christmas joy. ■

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Knoxville, TN 37919-7551

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THE E A S T TE NNE S SE E CATHOL I C

he dwells

AMONG US

BY BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

Prayer reminder We can use Christmas cards to pray for one another throughout the year.

One delightful Christmas tradition that involves a great deal of effort is the great practice of sending Christmas cards. It may be easy to discount the practice because of the cost of cards and postage, but it is a time-honored tradition of wishing another the blessings of this special season—as well as the hope for a blessed New Year.

A few years back I received a short note from friends informing me that my Christmas card to them was chosen

as a reminder for them to pray for me that day. These fine individuals had adopted the practice of saving the cards for that year and to choosing one daily for the next year to serve as a reminder to pray for the sender.

It certainly warmed my heart to know I was remembered on a particular day in July because of a Christmas card from the previous year.

It usually takes a few seconds to open a Christmas card to see the name of the sender. A good question to ponder involves the sentiment of the card. Do we actually read each card to reflect on the message of a friend?

Perhaps the practice of sav-

ing the cards for the next year appeals to you, with the intention of choosing a family or individual to remember in prayer. It was truly a nice moment when I received a Christmas remembrance in July. After all, we all need the prayers!

So I share one message with you that I received this year: May you feel the peace of his presence now and always!

Till next time and next year, Merry Christmas. ■ BISHOP STIKA’ S SCHE DUL E These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments: Dec. 20: 10 a.m., Mass, St. Mary Church, Athens; 1 p.m., Mass in Spanish, St. Mary Church Dec. 22: 6:30 p.m., Advent gathering with priests, bishop’s residence Dec. 23: 6 p.m., seminarian dinner with the bishop, bishop’s residence Dec. 24: Midnight Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral Jan. 3-7: Region V annual bishops retreat, Manresa House of Retreats, Convent, La. ■

Postcard campaign to launch as part of National Migration Week he Diocese of Knoxville will join 194 other U.S. dioceses in a national postcard campaign to encourage immigration reform during the first full week of January. Jan. 3 through 9 is National Migration Week 2010.

The U.S. bishops, writing that the U.S. immigration system is “broken and in need of repair,” are asking the faithful to petition elected officials to support legislation that “keeps immigrant families together, adopts smart and humane enforcement policies, and ensures that immigrants without legal status register with the government and begin a path toward citizenship.”

The diocesan campaign is being organized by the Justice and Peace and Hispanic Ministry offices and will coincide with the solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord, to be celebrated on Sunday, Jan. 3.

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This solemnity is an occasion when the church gives special attention to the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world.

It was after the visit of the Magi, which is recalled on this day, that the Holy Family had to flee from Herod, who intended to kill the Christ Child.

Countless individuals and families continue to flee for their lives from tyrants and also from poverty, hunger, and war.

The national campaign was announced by Bishop John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City and chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, in a letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Dec. 3.

The diocesan postcard campaign will be conducted in the same fashion as the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) postcard campaign held in late January this year.

Packets of cards will be mailed or delivered to each parish in the diocese before Christmas. Pastors will be asked to make the cards available to parishioners during the weekend of Jan. 2 and 3, collect the completed cards, and mail them to the Chancery.

During the week of Jan. 19 the cards will be delivered to the regional offices of Sens.

Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Reps. Phil Roe, John Duncan, Zach Wamp, and Lincoln Davis.

An electronic version of the postcards will also be made available, along with other resources, at www.usccb.org/ mrs/nmw/index.shtml.

For more details, contact Paul Simoneau of the Justice and Peace Office at psimoneau @dioknox.org or Lourdes Garza of the Hispanic Ministry Office at lourdes@dioknox.org, or call 865-584-3307. ■

Faith-formation classes, catechist days to continue in 2010 he 2010 series of adult faith-formation classes begins in January, with additional classes scheduled 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 all interested adults in the diocese. Sessions take place on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 7 p.m. and end at 9.

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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, Jan. 12, St. John Neumann Church, Farragut ■ Tuesday, Feb. 16, Holy Family Church, Seymour Spirituality, 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, Feb. 9, Sacred Heart Cathedral ■ Tuesday, March 9, St. Alphonsus Church, Crossville ■ Tuesday, April 20, location TBD ■ Tuesday, May 11, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLIC

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 who are searching for answers in a confusing world.

■ Tuesday, March 2, St. Dominic Church, Kingsport ■ Tuesday, Oct. 5, St. Stephen Church, Chattanooga ■ Thursday, Nov. 4, location TBD 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.

■ Tuesday, April 20, location TBD ■ Thursday, Oct. 14, location TBD ■ Tuesday, Nov. 9, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Chattanooga To learn more, visit snipr.com/REprograms, or contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong@

dioknox.org or 865-5843307.

Catechist orientation The diocese’s catechetical formation program for adults also continues in 2010, with three catechetical days and one catechist-orientation session.

The program, presented in collaboration with Aquinas College in Nashville, is intended for parish catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, ministry leaders, and other interested adults.

Each catechetical-formation session will take place on a Saturday and will include hourlong modules on the Creed, the sacraments, morality, prayer, and methods. All sessions are offered free of charge.

The orientation session will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 27, at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge.

Those who have already taken part in an orientation session need not attend.

Catechetical days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (choose one) ■ March 6, St. John Neumann Church, Farragut ■ March 20, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville ■ March 27, St. Jude Church, Chattanooga For further details, visit snipr.com/REprograms, or contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong @dioceseofknoxville.org or 865-584-3307. ■

www.dioceseofk noxville.org

pastoral

CHANGES

Priest takes leave of absence; admin changes occur at Chancery n Dec. 4 Bishop Richard F. Stika announced that Father Mike Creson would begin a leave of absence in January to take care of his mother, who is ill. His last Sunday as pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy will be Jan. 3.

Father Alex Waraksa will serve as parochial administrator until a new pastor is announced.

Several staff changes in the Chancery were announced in a Dec. 2 memo from Father David Boettner, moderator of the curia and episcopal vicar. Karen Byrne, who has been serving as a part-time administrative assistant, is now full time and supporting the offices of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment and Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Tracy Hare has been hired as administrative assistant to Father Boettner. Maura Lentz has begun working as administrative assistant to the Finance Office. ■

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Readings continued from page 2

within them. But accepting gentiles alienated pious Jews who were trained to stay clear of them. The light became a cause of dissension.

Matthew encapsulates this attitude in the story of the Magi. Those foreigners saw the light in the form of a star and followed it to Jerusalem. The de facto king of Israel had no clue even where the Messiah was to be born.

He remained in the dark. The wise men, gentiles, validated Isaiah’s prediction and started the process of bringing gifts to Israel, gifts that should have been responded to in kind.

Matthew’s narrative ends on a sad note. The Magi get a divine message to avoid Jerusalem.

We gentile Christians can change the ending.

We can become Magi and shine our lights on Jerusalem and the world. ■ Father Brando is a retired priest of the diocese.

W E EKDAY RE ADINGS Monday, Dec. 21: Song of Songs 2:8-14; Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Luke 1:39-45 Tuesday, Dec. 22: 1 Samuel 1:24-28; 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8; Luke 1:46-56 Wednesday, Dec. 23: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24; Psalm 25:45, 8-10, 14; Luke 1:57-66 Thursday, Dec. 24: morning, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29; Luke 1:67-79; Solemnity, vigil of Christmas, Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25 Friday, Dec. 25: Solemnity, the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)–midnight, Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-3, 11-13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14; dawn, Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1, 6, 11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20; day, Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 Saturday, Dec. 26: Feast, Stephen, first martyr, Acts 6:810 and 7:54-59; Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 16-17; Matthew 10:17-22 Monday, Dec. 28: Feast, the Holy Innocents, martyrs, 1 John 1:5–2:2; Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8; Matthew 2:13-18 Tuesday, Dec. 29: 1 John 2:3-11; Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6; Luke 2:22-35 Wednesday, Dec. 30: 1 John 2:12-17; Psalm 96:7-10; Luke 2:36-40 Thursday, Dec. 31: 1 John 2:18-21; Psalm 96:1-2, 1113; John 1:1-18 Friday, Jan. 1: Solemnity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21 Saturday, Jan. 2: Memorial, Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops, doctors of the church, 1 John 2:2228; Psalm 98:1-4; John 1:19-28 Monday, Jan. 4: Memorial, Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious, 1 John 3:22–4:6; Psalm 2:7-8, 10-12; Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 Tuesday, Jan. 5: Memorial, John Neumann, bishop, 1 John 4:7-10; Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8; Mark 6:34-44 Wednesday, Jan. 6: 1 John 4:11-18; Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13; Mark 6:45-52 Thursday, Jan. 7: 1 John 4:19–5:4; Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17; Luke 4:14-22 Friday, Jan. 8: 1 John 5:5-13; Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20; Luke 5:12-16 Saturday, Jan. 9: 1 John 5:14-21; Psalm 149:1-6, 9; John 3:22-30 ■

Child-protection training sessions he Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children and youth is based on training developed by Virtus and is offered regularly throughout the diocese. A three-hour seminar for adults, “Protecting God’s Children,” is required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact

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with children or vulnerable adults and is recommended for parents and grandparents.

The following training session has been scheduled: ■ Sacred Heart Cathedral, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 (session will be held in the Shea Room).

To register for a session, visit virtusonline. org. ■ DECEMBER 20, 2009

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BY TONI PACITTI

OLPH, Chattanooga ■ Volunteers are needed to host fami-

lies for the Interfaith Hospitality Network from Sunday, Dec. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 3. Overnight hosts, meals, greeters, and directors for activities are needed. Call Lisa Kosky at 423-8775982 or Anne Wells at 706-937-6953.

■ The Knights of Columbus presented “Light Up for Christ,” a tree-lighting ceremony with a chili bar, holiday snacks, and caroling Dec. 1.

■ Finalists from the preliminary rounds of the seventh- and eighthgrade geography bee at OLPH School are Christopher Coles, Shakayla Dews, Medardo Espinoza, Ethan Linehan, Brandon Harris, Gabby Mullin, and Lowell Shimel.

■ The eighth-grade class at OLPH School recently made Bishop Richard F. Stika an honorary member.

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain ■ The parish collected flour and sug-

ar this month for Signal Mountain Social Services’ Christmas baskets, which were delivered to 50 families in Signal Mountain.

■ The American Haitian Foundation, an extension of the parish Haiti Committee, held a Christmas bazaar the weekends of Dec. 5 and 6 and Dec. 12 and 13.

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill ■ The Knights of Columbus sold

handmade food gifts from the monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit after Masses on Dec. 12 and 13 and will do so again after Masses on the weekend of Dec. 19 and 20. Proceeds will benefit charities supported by the Knights.

■ Newcomers: Hal and Mary Williamson

St. Jude, Chattanooga ■ High school juniors and seniors are invited to help with the Epiphany dinner Tuesday, Jan. 5.

■ The Books and Lemonade group will meet at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4, in the parish library to discuss Shepherds Abiding (Penguin, 2004) by Jan Karon.

■ The Haiti Ministry group has a trip to Haiti planned for Feb. 13 through 20.

Deadline for travel commitments is Thursday, Dec. 31. Call the parish office at 423-870-2386 for more details.

Paul (59), Earle and Nell Boner (57), Edwin and Grace Johnson (56), Jack and Marilyn Alderton (55), Ed and Angela Crowley (55), Fred and Laura Reed (53), Philip and Rosalie Poynter (45) ■ Newcomers: Jim and Lori Hyland

St. John Neumann, Farragut ■ A DVD presentation of Scott

Hahn’s Letter and Spirit began Dec. 13 and will continue at 2 p.m. on second Sundays through March in the school gym. A free spaghetti dinner will be served in the cafeteria after each presentation. Call the church office at 865-966-4540 to sign up.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge ■ Bishop Richard F. Stika will cele-

brate an Advent Mass at the school at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, with a prelude at 6.

■ Planning has begun for St. Mary School’s 60th-anniversary homecoming celebration in fall 2010. Call Kathryn Chou at 865-685-5703 for more information.

■ Joyful Voices, a new chorus for students in grades three through eight, will rehearse from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturdays in the church. Call Francine at 457-8580 to audition.

■ The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a bus to the Living Christmas Tree show at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on Sunday, Dec. 20. Tickets are free; cost of bus transportation is $8. The bus will leave St. Mary’s parking lot at 5 p.m. and return at 10:30. Seating is limited to 50. Call Bill Olka at 483-1564 to make reservations.

■ A total of 300 attended the Knights of Columbus pasta-dinner party Nov. 5.

■ The Three Kings Christmas party will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, in the family-life center. A tamale dinner will be served. The event is free. Drop RSVP cards, available at each Mass, in the offertory basket or the box in the family-life center.

■ Baptism: Karoll Wrhisto Rojas Mendez, son of Juan Rojas and Maria Mendez Five Rivers Deanery

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City ■ A children’s Christmas party will be

■ The parish book club is reading The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew—Three Women Search for Understanding (Free Press, 2007), by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga

Notre Dame, Greeneville

■ The women’s guild met Dec. 7, and

■ The Council of Catholic Women

members were asked to bring a paper product to donate to The Home Place.

sponsored a Christmas party Dec. 10 for all women of the parish.

■ A total of 234 pounds was collected for the local food bank in a Scouting for Food project.

■ Anniversaries: Thomas and Esperanza Joseph (40), Scott and Lisa Fisher (10)

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Cleveland ■ Parishioners helped the New Hope

Pregnancy Center raise $3,173 in its recent Walk for Life.

■ A celebration to honor the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 began with Las Mañanitas and a rosary and ended with an offering of roses to Our Lady.

Cumberland Mountain Deanery

All Saints, Knoxville ■ Parishioners sent Christmas cards

to All Saints’ members serving in the military around the world.

■ Baptisms: Alexis Rose Alexander, daughter of Jason and Marissa; Thomas Matthew Cox, son of Ryan and Kimberly; Audrey Kathleen and Thomas Weaver, children of Fred and Elizabeth

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman ■ The Council of Catholic Women held

its annual Christmas party Dec. 13.

■ Donations of canned and dry foods are requested for the needy of Roane County. Monetary donations are welcome.

OLPH, LaFollette ■ The Thursday evening Mass has been moved to 9 a.m. Fridays.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade ■ Mass will be celebrated at 5 p.m.

on Christmas Eve and 10 a.m. on Christmas day.

■ Carol Campbell and the religious-education class have been in charge of the parish’s Jesse Tree this Advent.

■ Anniversaries: Jack and Audrey 4

■

DECEMBER 20, 2009

Communion services in Spanish begin at St. Christopher On the first Sunday of Advent, St. Christopher Parish in Jamestown began holding what will be a weekly Communion service in Spanish on Sunday mornings. Pictured preparing for doughnuts and coffee following the first service are (from left) Oscar Gonzales and Lucio Garcia from neighboring Pickett County and parishioners Cruz Salenas, Jim Romer, Juan Hererra, Marti Posey, and Denise and Anderson Salenas.

The parishioners received help from Lourdes Garza, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry. The website epriest.com provides a weekly homily read in Spanish that is downloaded and played at the services, which are conducted at the new St. Christopher Church dedicated earlier this year. “We have been given much in having this beautiful facility, and it is our obligation to reach out to those Catholics we have among us who feel more comfortable worshiping in their native language. We hope these services can be a first step leading to being full parish brothers and sisters—all of us together,” said Mr. Romer, the parish finance manager.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City

held after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Dec. 20, in Trinity Hall.

■ Anniversaries: Bill and Jo Hyslop (52), Raymond and Helen LaShier (50), Deacon John and Shirley Riehl (40), Michael and Connie Mace (15) ■ Marriage: Meredith Morrill and Adam Stashick

St. Mary, Athens

COURTESY OF JIM ROMER

Chattanooga Deanery

COURTESY OF DEACON DEAN BURRY

NOTES

Birthday present for the pastor Father Ragan Schriver received a present from his new flock at Holy Family Church in Seymour at the vigil Mass on Nov. 28, the day before his birthday. Parishioners pooled their money and bought their pastor a vestment set for the Advent season so he no longer has to borrow vestments from other priests. Bishop Richard F. Stika appointed Father Schriver as Holy Family’s pastor in October.

COURTESY OF PAULA REILAND

parish

St. Patrick, Morristown ■ Children of the parish will sing

carols and present a short Christmas play after the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Dec. 20. Cookies and drinks will be served afterward.

■ The Knights of Columbus and the Council of Catholic Women will hold a New Year’s Eve party and dance.

Purchase tickets in the narthex after Masses.

Picnic time at St. Stephen St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga held its annual picnic Oct. 25. Bishop Richard F. Stika joined parishioners for Mass and the meal. Above, the bishop and then–Deacon Christopher Riehl (now a priest) dig in, joined by (foreground) Jerry and Abbie Nunley and (center background) Jill Walsh and John Vannucci. More than 300 parishioners attended the picnic, which featured a magician, cotton candy, and inflatable games. Knights of Columbus Council 6099 cooked and served 300 hamburgers, 150 hot dogs, and 200 bratwursts.

Smoky Mountain Deanery

Holy Ghost, Knoxville ■ Father Richard Cortese of the Dio-

cese of Memphis, brother of parishioner Jim Cortese, visited Holy Ghost during Thanksgiving weekend and early December.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville ■ A series of movies about priests began Dec. 6 with The Bells of St. Mary’s.

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa ■ The Art and Environment Committee has constructed a new traveling Nativity scene.

■ Knights of Columbus Council 3832 thanked parishioners for contributing $5,312.55 through the council’s golf outing and pork sale this year. The Knights will add the money to their pavilion fund.

■ Anniversary: Raymond and Shirley Seib (50) ■

Family Honor program set for eighth-graders, parents t. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga will be hosting the “Real Love & Real Life” Family Honor program on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30.

The program is designed for parents and their eighth-grade son or daughter. This is the fourth year that a Family Honor program will be held in the Chattanooga Deanery, and parents have consistently given the program excellent reviews.

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Family Honor Inc. is a nonprofit Catholic organization created in 1987 whose mission is to strengthen families by providing opportunities for parents and children to communicate effectively about important life values, with a special focus on the truth and goodness of God’s gift of human sexuality and the virtue of chastity.

The program presents the Catholic understanding of

sexuality, marriage, and family as revealed through Scripture and Tradition and articulated in documents such as “The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality” and Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body.

Registration for the Family Honor program is limited to 40 families. For further information, contact Mary Pat Haywood at 706-278-6391 or Jan O’Boyle at 2269110. ■

THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLI C

BY TONI PACITTI

The Ulster Project of Knoxville will offer a multicultural, faith-based, peace-education project for teens ages 14 to 16 during July 2010. Eight teenagers from Derry, Northern Ireland, will arrive in Knoxville, as they have done since 1993. Equally divided between boys and girls and Catholics and Protestants, the teens will spend the month with a host teen of the same sex and age. The 16 teens will get together daily for activities focused on service, fun, and team building. The project promotes peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland while developing youth leaders in Knoxville. For more information, visit www.theulster project.com or contact Katie O’Farrell Allen at 865-583-0075 or roadwarriorkt@yahoo.com. Applications to participate must be received by Feb. 1.

A pilgrimage to Fatima and Ireland with Father Patrick Resen of St. Catherine Labouré in Copperhill, departing from New York City, is planned for April 12 through 21, 2010. The pilgrimage group will have a meeting at 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 12, in room 206 of Fatima Hall at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa. The cost from New York is $2,899, and the trip is under the auspices of 206 Tours. For more information, contact Dolores Maglione at 865-982-0090 or maglioned@bellsouth.net.

Search for Christian Maturity retreats, which are open to high school juniors and seniors, have been scheduled in Knoxville and in the Chattanooga and Five Rivers deaneries.

■ Search 88 has been set for the weekend of Jan. 15 through 17 at Knoxville Catholic High School. Students should see their youth minister for a registration form. For more information, contact Kristen Lehman at 865-689-7011 or kristen.lehman@ satgknox.org, Annie Nassis at 5310770 or annieatallsaints@yahoo.com, or Deacon Dan Hosford at 603-9682 or djh2@comcast.net.

■ Upcoming Chattanooga Deanery dates are Feb. 19 through 21 for Search 128 and March 19 through 21 for Search 129. To request a registration form or learn more, contact Donna Jones at 423-718-4387 or djones6029@gmail.com.

■ In the Five Rivers Deanery, Search 40 is scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 5 through 7. For forms or more details, contact Deacon Jim Fage at 423-748-2836 or djim5rivers@ charter.net.

The Sevier County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will sponsor its fifth annual march and rally Sunday, Jan. 10, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Pigeon Forge Community Center and continuing along the Pigeon Forge Parkway to the Country Tonite Theatre.

A program will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and will include a play by the chapter’s youth board, interpretative dances, music by Kirk Tally, and a talk by inspirational speaker Marc Newman. Contact Terry Aparicio at 865-654-7685 or sevcrtl@bellsouth.net.

The Sevier County RTL chapter is also conducting a pro-life video contest for all high school students in the county. The videos will be shown at the chapter’s rally on Sunday, Jan. 10, in Pigeon Forge. Places will be determined by the strength of applause from the audience. Prizes are $200 for first place, $150 for second, and $100 for third. Application deadline is TuesTHE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLI C

day, Jan. 5. For details, contact Terry Aparicio (see above).

In 2010 Bishop Richard F. Stika will host celebrations in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Kingsport to honor married couples and their commitment to the sacrament of marriage.

Each celebration will include Mass and an opportunity to renew wedding vows. Mass will begin at 11 a.m. with a luncheon following each event. The first celebration will be held Jan. 9 at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut.

The second is set for Feb. 6 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga and the third at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport on July 24.

To attend one of the celebrations, RSVP to Marian Christiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioceseofknoxville.org.

Divorce and Beyond is a structured nine-week program for Catholic men and women who have experienced or are experiencing divorce. In Knoxville a group will begin meeting Sunday, Jan. 10, in the Shea Room at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Sessions, held from 2 to 4 p.m., will conclude March 7. To register, call 865-691-2256. In Chattanooga a group will begin meeting Monday, Jan. 25, in the parish life center at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Sessions will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. through March 29. To register, contact Marian Christiana at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org. Cost is $15.

The Serra Club of Knoxville is sponsoring an essay contest for grade school children, offered in memory of Serrans Paul and Katherine Murphy. The theme is “A Year for Priests.” Winning essays will be selected from two divisions: one for third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders, with a maximum length of 150 words, and one for sixth- through eighth-graders, with a maximum length of 300 words.

First-place finishers in each division will receive $50 and a plaque, and runnersup will be awarded $25 and a plaque.

Submit essays to Catholic school teachers or CCD teachers. A parent must sign the entries of homeschooled students.

Essays, with the entrant’s name, grade, address, and telephone number on the first page, should be mailed to Colette Seitz, 3630 S. Creek Road, Knoxville, TN 37920. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 15.

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. For more details, call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-256-4880.

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

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

Upcoming events for Catholic Singles of Greater Knoxville (40 and over) include the following: ■ Monday, Dec. 21: Reservations due for annual singles Christmas dinner.

Contact Alan at 865-982-4208 or gasieve@hotmail.com for RSVPs and dish assignments.

■ Thursday, Dec. 24: Ronald McDonald House Christmas party service project. Bring finger food to the house by 4 p.m. Call Donna T. at 531-3839.

■ Friday, Dec. 25: Christmas dinner hosted by Alan and Janlyn. 12:30 p.m.

■ Thursday, Dec. 31: First Night Knoxville at Market Square. Meet at Downtown Brewery and Pub, 424 S. Gay St., at 6:30 p.m. Call Randy S. at 556-3781.

RSVP by 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31. ■

COURTESY OF SISTER MARY JOSEPH, DCJ

A “Community for Discernment” meets monthly at the Lakeview Center for Spiritual Formation in Knoxville and will accept new members in January.

Through small-group sharing, participants, assisted by an experienced facilitator, focus on discerning and articulating God’s presence in their daily life. Call Barbara Haning at 865-6710766 or 588-9194 for more information.

Bishop Stika celebrates Carmelite Sisters’ anniversaries Bishop Richard F. Stika returned to his native St. Louis on Dec. 8 for a Mass with the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus. The liturgy celebrated the 60th anniversary of profession for Sister Mary Regina and the golden jubilee of Sister Mary Rose.

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

The Memorial Health Care System Foundation’s fifth annual Pink! gala will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Proceeds will go toward the MaryEllen Locher Breast Center satellite facility in Ooltewah, scheduled to open in mid-2010. Alexis and Barry Bogo are chairing the gala’s volunteer committee.

The gala includes cocktails, dinner, entertainment, a silent auction, and dancing, with the Party on the Moon band providing the music. Tickets for Pink! are $200 and include cocktails and dinner. Patron tickets of $350 provide access to an exclusive party in addition to dinner, table-side bar service, valet parking, and premium seating at the gala. To purchase tickets or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, call the foundation at 423-495-PINK or visit www.memorial.org/pink.

Bishop in the bleachers Bishop Richard F. Stika visited Notre Dame High School on Nov. 23 to watch the Fighting Irish basketball teams take on Silverdale. Above, the bishop sits with students, diocesan chancellor Deacon Sean Smith, and Father Augustine Idra, AJ, Notre Dame’s spiritual director.

COURTESY OF JOYCE CARBALLO

CALENDAR

Knoxville Serrans honor priests with Shepherd’s Dinner Bishop Richard F. Stika speaks at the Serra Club of Knoxville’s annual Shepherd’s Dinner on Oct. 1 at Copper Cellar. With the bishop are club trustee John Smith and president Hazel Brimi. The Serrans hold the dinner as a thank-you to priests for their service. In attendance at this year’s event were Monsignors Xavier Mankel and Philip Thoni and Fathers Bede Aboh, Jorge Andres Cano, Joe Ciccone, CSP, John Dowling, Bill Gahagan, Ray Gelineau, Al Humbrecht (since elevated to monsignor), Bob Hofstetter, Christian Mathis, John O’Neill, Manuel Pérez, and Patrick Resen.

The bishop also spoke at the Serrans’ regular meeting Nov. 12 in Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Shea Room.

Serra Club of Chattanooga holds Appreciation Picnic he Serra Club of Chattanooga held its annual Appreciation Picnic recently at Camp Columbus.

The event always begins with a Mass, usually celebrated by the bishop. This year Bishop Richard F. Stika, having just recovered from his illness in Florida, was the principal celebrant.

In attendance at the picnic were club members, spouses, guests, and priests, brothers, and sisters from the Chattanooga Deanery. The picnic featured its traditional barbecue dinner.

Father Charlie Burton of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga spoke at the club’s regular lunch meeting Nov. 9.

On Nov. 23 the club held its annual me-

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COURTESY OF SHARON KING

on the

President Pat Jabaley and the Serra Club of Chattanooga welcomed Bishop Richard F. Stika to the annual Appreciation Picnic.

PICNIC WITH THE BISHOP

morial ceremony to honor deceased members. Surviving spouses and other family members were the honored guests.

Bishop Stika visited the club again Dec. 14 for its annual Christmas luncheon, with area priests, religious, and deacons

also in attendance.

The Chattanooga Serrans have 83 members representing all local parishes. Pat Jabaley is the president, and Father George Schmidt of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish is the club chaplain. Mike St. Charles is the president-elect ■ DECEMBER 20, 2009

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Conspiracy continued from page 1

ganization’s thrift store is in the old Holy Ghost building on Central Street, next door to the current church, and the emergency-assistance office and food pantry are in the next block on Dameron Avenue.

The general membership got its first look at the new building Dec. 11 when the Ladies held their Christmas meeting and party there.

Space has been at a premium for many years at both of the Ladies’ locations, especially so at the pantry. The Royal Beauty building will provide the Ladies with 25,000 square feet, more than six times their current usable space.

The new building “will allow us to treat clients with much more dignity than in the past because there will be space for them,” said Ladies of Charity president Erika Fuhr.

“Currently the pantry is very crowded. The waiting room holds 13, I think, which is not many.

Frequently clients are having to wait outside until they can get into the waiting room, and that’s not a good situation. It’s one thing in the summer when it’s hot; it’s another thing in the winter when it’s cold or raining.”

Monsignor Xavier Mankel, Holy Ghost’s pastor and the Ladies’ spiritual moderator since 1997, is pleased to see the new building come to pass.

“They’ll be able to accommodate so many more people and with greater ease on the part of the workers, most of whom are volunteers,” he said. “To have it all under one roof is fantastic.”

The pantry at the new site also will offer privacy for interviewing clients. “Our [current] interview room is shared by two caseworkers, so that means two clients are there at the same time and in a very small room,” said Mrs. Fuhr.

The Ladies have benefited from generous donors to school and parish food drives over the years, but their pantry often cannot contain the contributions. Some food is either stored elsewhere or donated to Second Harvest Food Bank, said Mrs. Fuhr. “We haven’t been able to take all that’s been given,” she said.

The thrift shop will soon have plenty of room to display its merchandise, which includes reducedprice items ranging from clothing and kitchenware to books. The extra space at Royal Beauty will also allow the shop to sell larger pieces of furniture, said Mrs. Fuhr.

“We’re thinking our sales will be better as we’re able to take in not just more furniture but also more of everything and to display it better. It will certainly be a lot nicer for clients and shoppers.”

The Ladies had only about 3,000 square feet of usable space in the thrift store and less than 1,000 in the pantry. They’ll have 10,000 just in the two-story office half of the Royal Beauty building, with another 15,000 in the warehouse half.

The Royal Beauty owners were in New York, but the Ladies were able to do some long-distance negotiating to whittle the building’s price from $950,000 to $825,000, said Mrs. Fuhr.

Funds for the purchase came largely from the estate of Helen Marks, a Ladies of Charity member who bequeathed $384,000 to the organization.

“That, combined with the $200,000 we had saved in our building fund, gave us a good down payment,” said Mrs. Fuhr.

The purchase price included an empty lot next to Holy Ghost’s back parking lot and a smaller parcel of land behind the Royal Beauty building.

After the purchase was complete, the Ladies resold those parcels to Holy Ghost for $160,000.

Renovations to the Royal Beauty Supply building will delay the Ladies’ relocation for another few months. Bishop Richard F. Stika will bless the building when the work is complete.

“Money is an issue because the renovations will be costly,” said Mrs. Fuhr. “We hope to get emergency assistance in there as soon as we can.”

Architects from the East Tennessee Community Design Center, a United Way agency that assists nonprofits, are working with the Ladies on the renovations.

Monsignor Mankel “has been extremely supportive and has been encouraging us” in the building search, said Mrs. Fuhr. The Royal Beauty building didn’t come on the market until this past February. Before that, the Ladies looked at the former Merita Bakery building across Central on East Baxter and a former gas-station site at West Baxter and Central.

“It’s been a lengthy process,” said Mrs. Fuhr. ■

celebration of Christmas away from the materialism and the hustle and bustle and the stress we all get caught up in and gets back to the true opportunity Jesus came for: to make a difference in the world.”

The program’s tips for “spending less,” whether that refers to money blown on frivolous things or time spent in shopping malls, helps participants contribute more money to charity or find additional time for worship and family. The dollars saved this year by St. Thomas the Apostle and St. Mary parishioners will go toward the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage in El Salvador.

Diocesan moderator of the curia and episcopal vicar Father David Boettner is the common thread between the two “conspiratorial” parishes.

A former longtime pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle, he is now the administrator for St. Mary. At St. Thomas last year Father Boettner and 10 area parishioners in the JustFaith adult social-justice formation program got wind of the Advent Conspiracy and participated in it as a small group.

“If we thought it was relevant for 11 of us, what would it look like if we introduced it to all 850-some families [at St. Thomas]?” said Mr. Deinhart.

“We decided this year to introduce it to the entire parish.”

The JustFaith group also included parishioners of St. John Neumann in Farragut and St. Joseph the Worker in Madisonville, and their donations benefited the Volunteer Ministry Center in Knoxville.

The Advent Conspiracy “is a wonderful idea,” said Father Boettner.

“It really helps us reclaim the lead-up to Christmas and the Christmas celebration for a religious holiday, as opposed to a materialistic holiday, and it doesn’t come off in a negative sense,” he said.

“It’s not being a Grinch and saying, ‘Don’t do anything for Christmas.’ It’s saying to look at what you do for Christmas and see whether you might simplify what you do. By simplifying what you do, [you can] allow the Christmas season to be a time of joy and hope instead of frenetic activity, shopping, and traffic and being frustrated and exhausted.”

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (“our little brothers and sisters”) was founded in Mexico in 1954 by the late Father William B. Wasson.

More than 16,000 children have grown up in an NPH orphanage over the years, and today more than 3,300 are being cared for in an NPH home. The program has

COURTESY OF DANA HOGAN

LOC continued from page 1

Molly (left), 6, Jack, 12, and Lily Deinhart, 9, stand next to a shopping cart in the St. Thomas the Apostle Church narthex that contains Lego blocks bearing the Advent Conspiracy tenets.

The Deinharts are the children of John and Crystal Deinhart.

BUGGY-FUL OF IDEAS

spread from Mexico and now has homes in Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Bolivia, and El Salvador, and it receives support from organizations worldwide.

Children remain in the orphanages until they are of age; they are neither separated from siblings nor given up for adoption.

Father Boettner learned about NPH as a seminarian in the early 1990s and visited the El Salvador orphanage as St. Thomas pastor and again this summer after he became full-time moderator of the curia. A seminary friend introduced him to the program in 1991 and accompanied him on a trip to the orphanage in Mexico that summer, when the future priest was in Cuernavaca to study Spanish.

“Since then I’ve stayed in touch with NPH and been aware of what they were doing,” said Father Boettner.

“More recently, about four and a half years ago, a priest who’s a friend of mine, Father Ron Hicks, became the director for Central America for NPH. He was the spiritual director for all the Central American houses and lived in El Salvador, and so that’s how I got more involved with the house there.

“We focused on the house in El Salvador because it was newer, had some pretty big needs, and didn’t have very many outside supporters.”

This year at St. Thomas, bulletin inserts describe many ways parishioners can observe the four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy. They can also take home an item that keeps one of the tenets literally before their eyes throughout the week.

“There’s a shopping cart in the narthex that holds four boxes, and each box has a different color Lego,” said Dana

Hogan of the St. Thomas communications team. “Every week people are encouraged to take a Lego, which has one of the four themes, and to use that as a visual reminder for what they’re to do for the week and then return it the next week.”

St. Thomas and St. Mary are hoping to raise $40,000 to help the El Salvador orphanage expand its medical clinic, said Father Boettner.

“Currently there are about 500 children at the orphanage in El Salvador, and it’s going to cost them about $40,000 to expand their clinic so that they could serve about 1,500 people who live in the area surrounding the orphanage.”

New St. Thomas pastor Father Christian Mathis said he hopes the financial goal for the orphanage is met but added that there are other benefits to consider.

“We may not [reach the goal] or we might raise even more, but I don’t think it’s about the money,” he said. “I think it’s primarily about preparing people for Christmas, and we’re doing that by challenging people to do all four things.”

For the first tenet, “worship fully,” Father Mathis gave his parishioners a few tips.

“I challenged the parish not just to pray more but to pray more deeply and really give themselves to worship. My challenge for the first week was, ‘When you come back next week for Mass, would you be willing to offer everything you did this week to God, whether it was a success or a struggle or even a failure?’”

Father Boettner said he is glad the Advent Conspiracy has come to St. Mary Parish because “the whole idea of a conspiracy is that you want it to spread.”

Conspiracy continued on page 9

COURTESY OF FATHER WILLIAM ORUKO, AJ

The good we do lives after us— when we remember to make a will.

Only you can divide your own property as you want it divided. A bequest to your church can be a living memorial to the nobility of your life.

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DECEMBER 20, 2009

High school youth gather for Vocation Summit in Athens Students from Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga and Knoxville Catholic High School attended a Vocation Summit on Dec. 3 at St. Mary Church in Athens. Bishop Richard F. Stika and Father Michael Cummins, diocesan director of Youth Ministry, join the students for a photo. Also at the summit were diocesan vocation director Father Peter Iorio, host pastor Father William Oruko, AJ, and principals Perry Storey of NDHS and Dickie Sompayrac of KCHS. Participants began the day by reflecting on “what is vocation?” Then the schools broke into separate groups, and students brainstormed about promoting vocations throughout the school year. www.d ioceseofknoxville.or g

THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOL I C

catholic

YOUTH

COURTESY OF KATHY MCGEE

COURTESY OF DIANNAH MILLER

KCHS student swims San Francisco Bay for Big Brothers, Big Sisters Knoxville Catholic High School senior Michael Ferowich recently joined fellow East Tennesseans Bill Jolly, 73, and Martin Ellis, 58, in California to participate in “The Big Swim: Escape From Alcatraz.” The trio braved cold and turbulent waters to swim one and a half miles in San Francisco Bay, launching from the Alcatraz prison site. Michael was able to negotiate the choppy waters to successfully complete the swim in 50 minutes, ending at the Aquatic Park in San Francisco.

Their goal was to help raise money and awareness for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of East Tennessee, which matches disadvantaged children with an adult mentor.

The team has raised more than $3,000. They hope to raise additional funds and inspire others to become volunteers for the organization.

Jonathan McGee

Knoxville Catholic students receive National Merit honors

Holy Family parishioner receives Eagle Scouting honor Nov. 29

noxville Catholic High School seniors Kristen Botica, Kathleen Connelly, Rachel Floyd, and Amy Yoder have been chosen as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Out of 1.5 million students nationwide who took the Preliminary SAT last year, only 16,000 were chosen as National Merit semifinalists. Former KCHS student Ricky Schulte was also selected as a semifinalist.

The semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of Tennessee’s high school seniors.

KCHS students Hannah Armendarez, Renee Maggart, and Lydia Prevost have achieved the rank of

onathan McGee of Holy Family Parish in Seymour received his Eagle Scout award Nov. 29 at First United Methodist Church in Maryville.

He began Scouting as a Tiger Cub and advanced through Cub Scouts to the Webelos rank, earning the Arrow of Light award. He joined Boy Scout Troop 83, led by Scoutmaster Ron Longmire, in 2002. Jonathan transferred to Troop 81 in 2006, with Dean Moss as his Scoutmaster.

Jonathan is also a member of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout honor society.

For his Eagle project Jonathan reorganized and disbursed medical equipment for the Shriners at their Alcoa facility. He wanted to give back to the Shriners after having three major hip surgeries at the St. Louis Shriners Hospital.

Shriner Bob Landers supervised the local project. Jonathan led a group of Boy Scouts who moved out old or broken medical equipment.

Equipment was given away and broken equipment hauled off. Scrap metal was recycled, with proceeds given to the Shriners Children’s fund.

Jonathan has earned the Ad Altare Dei award and is an altar server at Holy Family. He participates in Blount County Area 15 Special Olympics in track and field, basketball, and bowling. He is graduating from William Blount High School in Maryville this year. ■

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COURTESY OF DIANNAH MILLER

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STUDENTS OF MERIT Knoxville Catholic’s National Merit honorees are (from left) Rachel Floyd, Hannah Armendarez, Lydia Prevost, Kathleen Connelly, Renee Maggart, Kristen Botica, and Amy Yoder.

National Merit Commended Scholars.

Fewer than 3 percent of students who

took the 2008 PSAT were chosen as Commended Scholars.

Hannah was also

named a 2009-10 scholar by the National Hispanic Recognition Program. ■

Twenty-five Notre Dame students earn AP Scholar recognition wenty-five students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program provides students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.

Seven NDHS stu-

COURTESY OF PAT VON CLEF

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

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EXAM ACES Students earning AP Scholar recognition at Notre Dame include (from left, front) Zach Boyette, Ethan McCurdy, Victoria Godwin, Patrick Wagner, and John David Bruce, and (back) Alex Jordan, Christopher DeBarge, and Alexander Blanton.

‘Wild things’ spotted in OLPH kindergarten class Guest reader and alumnus David Schenk recently came to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga to read Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to the kindergarten class. Mr. Schenk brought crowns so the children could decorate them and pretend to be character Max from the story.

THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLI C

Christopher DeBarge, Anna Flynn, Victoria Godwin, Alexander Jordan, and Mary McGuire qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Thirteen students qualified for the AP

Scholar Award by earning grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. The students are Alexander Blanton, Ashley Boaz, Zach Boyette, John David Bruce, Michael Cleary, Conor Delaney, Robert Ellington, Ethan McCurdy, Lauren Miller, Robert Snider, Patrick Wagner, Katherine West, and Nancy Willis. ■

COURTESY OF KATHY SUMRELL

dents qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The students are Victoria DiStefano, Christopher Freye, Natalie McGirl, Joanna Poinsatte, David Sapala, Kevin Spellman, and Daniel Starry.

www.dioceseofk noxville.org

American Heritage Girls who received awards are (from left) Brianna Donahue, Michelle Walter, Theresa von Clef, Mary Armitage, Meghan Donahue, and Maggie Melhorn. They are standing with troop co-coordinator Lydia Donahue, George LeCrone Sr., and Father John Dowling.

PATRIOTS AND PIONEERS

Awards presented to members of American Heritage Girls troop he first American Heritage Girls troop in Knox County, Troop 0215, recently celebrated the awarding of the Marian Medal with Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting chair George LeCrone Sr. and Father John Dowling, pastor of St. John Neumann in Farragut.

St. John Neumann, which hosted the ceremony, is the charter organization for the troop.

Receiving Marian awards were Patriots Mary Armitage, Maggie Melhorn, and Michelle Walter and Pioneers Brianna Donahue and Theresa von Clef.

The five girls were prepared for the award in regular meetings with one of the co-coordinators of the troop, St. John Neumann parishioner Lydia Donahue. The Marian Medal program is designed for Catholics in grades seven through 10 to enable them to “proclaim the greatness of the Lord.” This is accomplished by actively involving the participants in an understanding of Mary as a model of openness and spirituality.

At the same ceremony Meghan Donahue, an Explorer, received her I Live My Faith medal and patch. The I Live My Faith program is designed to help American Heritage Girls, Girl Scouts, and Camp Fire members (grades four through six) appreciate more deeply the place that God and religion occupy in their daily life. ■

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DECEMBER 20, 2009

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Sign up for March for Life he national March for Life is set for Friday, Jan. 22, in Washington, D.C., and East Tennesseans are organizing transportation and hotels for those who wish to attend. A group will leave East Tennessee early in the morning on Thursday, Jan. 21, so participants can attend Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that evening. Friday’s rally begins at noon, with a march down Pennsylvania Avenue. Afterward, attendees have the option of listening to “Silent No More” presentations in front of the Supreme Court and/or visiting elected officials.

Participants will spend two nights in the newly opened Residence Inn in Arlington, Va., just one block from a Metro stop. The rate is $110, including taxes, per night. Reservations must be made before Dec. 31. Those who would like to reserve a room should contact Esther Golightly at 865-310-0690 or egolightly@charter.net to obtain a group code and then make reservations online or by phone.

Vans have been reserved for passengers and would cost approximately $60 per person. If enough people wish to go, a bus will be chartered, at a cost of about $100 per person. Deacon Mike Gouge is coordinating bus travel and can be reached at 865-966-9504. Mike Colicchio is coordinating vans and may be contacted at 865-397-5153 or bandsawmqc@bellsouth.net. ■

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Mercy president and CEO resigns ercy Health Partners president and CEO Debra London resigned her position, effective Nov. 30. In August, London who also served as Southern Division CEO of Mercy’s parent corporation, Catholic Healthcare Partners, announced that she would take a sabbatical from her duties to spend uninterrupted time with her family, with plans to return no later than March 1.

In announcing London’s resignation, CHP chief operating officer A. David Jimenez, who has been serving as president and CEO of Mercy Health Partners during London’s sabbatical, said, “Clearly, Debra’s tenure with CHP, and especially at Mercy, has been marked by many successes.

Since 1992 she has helped steer the organization through some of its greatest challenges—including the merger of the St. Mary’s and Baptist Health Systems. All of us value Debra’s leadership, professionalism, integrity, and deeply held and very visible commitment to our mission and core values. It is with sadness that we accept her resignation, but we respect her decision not to return and support her in this choice.”

Mercy board chair Mintha Roach, in acknowledging London’s departure, said, ”Debra has been an extraordinarily gifted, mission-oriented leader whose commitment to our patients, staff, and physicians has been an inspiration for us all.

She has provided outstanding leadership not only to Mercy but also to our entire region. All of us on the board will miss her.”

Jimenez will continue to serve as president and CEO of Mercy through the end of 2010. A search for a permanent president and CEO will likely begin in next summer. ■

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Counseling available for couples, individuals, groups ister Mary Christine Cremin, RSM, is now available for individual, group, and couples counseling in the Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Athens areas. All services are provided on an income-based sliding-fee scale and are available to anyone in the community, regardless of religious affiliation. For confidential counseling services or more information, call Sister Mary Christine at 865-399-3832 or Catholic Charities 865-524-9896 in Knoxville or 423-267-1297 in the Chattanooga and Athens areas. ■

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Sisters continued from page 10

to her office. She also declined to otherwise discuss how the study is being funded.

Three months after the visitation was announced, a second unrelated study of women religious became public. The study, deemed a “doctrinal assessment,” is focused on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and was being conducted by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada.

LCWR is based in Silver Spring, Md., and represents 59,000 sisters, about 95 percent of all women religious in the United States.

Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio, a member of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, has been charged with conducting the assessment. Bishop Blair said through a spokeswoman Dec. 10 that his work with the assessment was continuing.

LCWR representatives met with Cardinal Levada and other Vatican officials in April, but they have declined to say what was discussed. ■ Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 8

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DECEMBER 20, 2009

life and

DIGNITY

BY PAUL SIMONEAU

Gift exchange ‘If you knew the gift of God . . .” (John 4:10)

A Portuguese proverb reminds us that “what is bought is cheaper than a gift.” Perhaps this explains why in our culture nearly half of the gifts bought, to borrow a slang term, are “regifted”—returned and exchanged for things people feel make better presents. Unfortunately, ever since Adam and Eve exchanged the truth of their gifts from God for Satan’s false promise, man has been tempted to “re-gift” what he receives from God. Gift and thanksgiving are meant to be transforming.

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that “The human being is made for gift” (Caritas in Veritate, “Charity in Truth,” No. 34) and that “God gives that we may give” (God Is Near [Ignatius, 2003], p. 47). “God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 358). Love is God’s first gift (cf. 1 John 4:16), and it is also what we must first give. It begins with offering thanks, which seals the gift. As the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero (106 to 43 BC) stated, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all other virtues.”

The greatest gift God gave to innocent Adam and Eve was the supernatural gift of participation in his divine life (cf.

Lumen Gentium, No. 2). In addition, God bestowed upon them three extraordinary, or “preternatural,” gifts that surpassed and strengthened the capacities of their ordinary human nature. These were the gifts of bodily immortality (freedom from sickness and death), integrity (harmony between flesh and spirit, between man’s passions and reason) and infused knowledge (freedom from ignorance).

With these gifts, man was to cultivate and tend the garden of his communion with God. And in the unwrapping of the gift of creation, human beings, as its stewards, were to reveal its hidden beauty and give it voice, forming a symphony of thanksgiving that would ceaselessly “bless,” “praise,” and “exalt the Lord” (see Daniel 3:52-90).

But instead of using their gifts to cooperate with God and grow in their communion with him, man doubted their value and reached out instead for Satan’s promise of something better. In so doing, our first parents let fall from their arms God’s gifts, shattering the harmony of original justice and holiness (cf. CCC, No. 400). Because Adam and Eve exchanged gifts of eternal value for what would spoil and decay, the wellspring of man’s nature, bereft of God’s gifts and sanctifying grace, became as a broken cistern emptied of living water (cf.

Jeremiah 2:14).

But God did not abandon man to the sad consequences of this tragic exchange. In an infinitely more amazing gift than what God had given in

creating man, God became man and “re-gifted” humanity-exchanged the image of the fallen man with that of the Risen Man, Christ Jesus. God made the ultimate gift exchange, and making the first payment for the price difference with the wood of the manger and paying in full with the wood of the Cross.

In the words of the author of Wisdom, “Blest is the wood through which justice comes about” (Wisdom 14:7).

In redeeming man, God also “re-gifted” his thanksgiving because a gift as great as our Redemption must be sealed with an equally great act of thanksgiving. In Greek, Eucharist means thanksgiving, and this is “the essence of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ” (God Is Near Us, p. 47).

In the Eucharistic prayers we discover the true heart of the Mass, “the transformation of existence into thanksgiving” (ibid, p. 51). For “where we receive gifts with thankfulness, a new heart comes into being, which also changes us ourselves” (ibid, p. 52). This thanksgiving is the source for transforming the world.

The words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well—“If you knew the gift of God . . . (John 4:10)—are an invitation to draw from the wellspring of sanctifying grace from the church, the baptismal font, and to drink of the gift of the New Adam, “who fully reveals to us who we are and makes our supreme vocation clear” (Gaudium et Spes, No. 24).

This vocation is to “re-gift”— to renew all things in Christ.

Ending with my traditional play upon the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace . . . ,” give thanks! ■ Mr. Simoneau directs the diocesan Justice and Peace Office.

The church believes as she prays

BY FATHE R R ANDY S TI CE

n my previous column on the new missal (“God meets with his children: the nature of the liturgy,” Nov. 22 ETC), I discussed the nature of the liturgy, especially as it is described by the two documents that guide the translation of the Mass into the vernacular: Legitimate Differences (1994) and Authentic Liturgy (2000).

In this article I want to discuss the relationship between faith and liturgy, between what the church believes and the way she prays.

The liturgy expresses not only our worship of God but also the content of our faith: what we believe. Both of the documents guiding the current translation stress this aspect of the liturgy. According to Authentic Liturgy, in the liturgy “the church perpetuates and transmits all that she herself is and all that she believes” (No. 19). For this reason the language of the liturgy “must always express, along with the truths of the faith, the grandeur and holiness of the mysteries which are being celebrated” (Legitimate Differences, No. 39). The translation of the Mass into the vernacular is of vital importance because it expresses the faith of the church.

This is why, according to Legitimate Differences, the church oversees “the organization of worship, the preparation of texts, and the celebration of rites.” Christ has entrusted to the church the responsibility of ensuring “the orthodoxy of worship: that is to say, not only to avoid errors, but also to pass on the faith in its integrity so

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that the ‘rule of prayer’ (lex orandi) of the church may correspond to the ‘rule of faith’ (lex credendi)” (No. 27).

The terms “rule of prayer” (lex orandi) and “rule of faith” (lex credendi) refer to a principle that dates back to Prosper of Aquitaine (fifth century).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this principle: “The law of prayer is the law of faith: the church believes as she prays. Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and living Tradition” (CCC, No. 1124). Another church father, St. Irenaeus (late second century), expressed this principle with respect to the Mass: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking” (CCC, No. 1327).

From the earliest days the church has understood the inseparable relationship between her worship and her faith, and the new missal builds on this tradition.

I would like to give two examples of this principle in the new missal. The first comes from the dialogue between the priest and the people in the Preface. In response to the priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you,” the current response is, “And also with you.” The Latin for the people’s response is, “Et [and] cum [with] spiritu [spirit] tuo [your].” The new missal translates this as “And with your spirit,” as do all other major languages in the Roman Rite. This response, “Et cum spiritu tuo,” is found in the liturgies of both East and West as early as 215 AD. There are important theo-

www.dioceseofk noxville.org

logical reasons for translating this phrase as “And with your spirit.” The priest’s greeting— “The Lord be with you”—“expresses his desire that the dynamic activity of God’s spirit be given to the people of God,” empowering them to transform the world (USCCB).

The people’s response, “And with your spirit,” refers to the gift of the Spirit the priest receives at ordination.

This was the explanation given by Narsai of Nisibis in the fifth century: “He gives the name spirit not to the soul of the priest but to the Spirit he has received through the laying on of hands.” Thus the people are assuring the priest of the assistance of God’s Spirit and even more, help “to use the charismatic gifts given to him in ordination and in so doing to fulfill his prophetic function in the church” (USCCB).

A second example comes from Eucharistic Prayer I, the Roman Canon. The current edition does not translate the word clementissime, “merciful,” and so addresses God simply as “Father.” The new missal correctly translates this as “merciful Father,” reminding us of one of the most important attributes of God—his mercy. Indeed, the Mass represents the supreme expression of God’s mercy—the gift of his Son. In every generation the church makes the words of St. Irenaeus her own: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”

Lex orandi, lex credendi— Translation continued on page 9

THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLI C

health

CARE

from the

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

Bishops: Senate vote ‘a grave mistake’ WASHINGTON (CNS)—The U.S. Senate’s rejection of a bipartisan abortion amendment to its version of healthcare-reform legislation was “a grave mistake and a serious blow to genuine health reform,” said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago and three USCCB committee chairmen commented on the Dec. 8 vote in separate statements on Dec. 9.

Following several hours of debate on the Senate floor, senators voted 54-45 to table the amendment sponsored by Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Robert Casey, D-Pa.; and at least five others.

Cardinal George said he remained “hopeful that the protections overwhelmingly passed by the House will be incorporated into needed reform legislation.”

“Failure to exclude abortion funding will turn allies into adversaries and require us and others to oppose this bill because it abandons both principle and precedent,” he added.

Similar comments came after the vote from Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on ProLife Activities; and Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, who heads the Committee on Migration.

Bishop Murphy said both houses of Congress need “to retain existing abortion-funding

CNS PHOTO/LARRY DOWNING, REUTERS

The current bill would not prevent federal funds from paying for abortion.

OPPOSED TO THE PLAN Bruce Rogers of Falls Church, Va., holds a sign before the start of a community meeting on health reform at the South Lakes High School gymnasium in Reston, Va., in an Aug. 25 file photo.

restrictions and safeguard conscience protections because the nation urgently needs health-care reform that protects the life, dignity, conscience, and health of all.”

“We hope the Senate will address the legislation’s fundamental flaw on abortion and remedy its serious problems related to conscience rights, affordability, and treatment of immigrants,” he added.

Cardinal DiNardo said Congress ‘needs to separate facts and truth from political rhetoric on abortion funding.”

“Even our opponents claim they do not support federal funding for elective abortions and [that] they want current restrictions to apply,” he said. “The way to settle this often-misleading debate is simply, clearly, and explicitly to apply Hyde restrictions to all the federal funds

in this legislation.”

The Hyde amendment, first approved in 1976, prohibits federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the mother’s life.

Bishop Wester said health reform “must respect, not threaten, human life and dignity” and “respect, not violate, consciences of providers, taxpayers, and others.”

He also urged senators “to resist amendments that would leave immigrants and their families behind as the nation reforms health care” and to support amendments “that improve healthcare access for immigrants and their families.”

In a Dec. 7 letter to senators the three committee chairmen had thrown their support behind the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment, saying it would “keep in place the long-standing and widely supported fed-

eral policy against government funding of health coverage that includes elective abortions” and was similar to one approved by the House in November before passage of its Affordable Health Care For America Act. “Like that amendment, it does not change the current situation in our country: abortion is legal and available, but no federal dollars can be used to pay for elective abortions or plans that include elective abortions,” the bishops said.

“This amendment does not restrict abortion or prevent people from buying insurance covering abortion with their own funds,” they added. “It simply ensures that where federal funds are involved, people are not required to pay for other people’s abortions.”

Along with their letter, the three chairmen sent each senator copies of two fact sheets: one on abortion and conscience problems in the Senate health-reform bill and the other detailing what the Senate amendment would do.

During the Senate debate several senators read from the fact sheets or the USCCB letter to support their arguments in favor of the amendment.

“Sadly, the current Senate bill fails to keep in place the long-standing federal policy against the use of federal funds for elective abortions or health plans that include elective abortions,” the letter said.

“We believe legislation that violates this moral policy is not true health-care reform and must be Senate continued on page 10

PARACLETE

BY VONNIE SPICER

Perfect stocking stuffers nce upon a time stockings were stuffed with treats for the body: apples and oranges, nuts and candies. For today’s stockings, the Paraclete offers stuffers for the spirit.

To find gifts under $5, pick through tins of pure incense granules in traditional frankincense or myrrh as well as Celtic, Three Kings, and other blends ($3.50).

Choose popular rubber-band bracelets proclaiming Keep Christ in Christmas and Jesus Is the Reason for the Season or featuring raised “beads” for praying the rosary ($1.95).

Other one-decade rosaries include carved wood-bead finger rosaries ($4.95) or ring rosaries of olive wood ($3.95) or metal ($1.95). Nylon cord rosaries are $3.95.

Various wood crosses with cords are available for just $2.95.

Elastic wood icon bracelets start at $3.95. Byzantine icons of the Nativity, St. Nicholas, and guardian angel ($2.95) are stuffer-sized at 2 by 3 inches. Small magnets of favorite icon images such as the Archangels Michael or Gabriel, Rublev’s Holy Trinity, or the Theotokos of Vladimir are $3.75.

Perfectly sized for stockings is the 64page My Little Prayer Book, with time-honored Catholic prayers as well as instructions for praying the rosary and its mysteries and the chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

Silvertone framed pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Madonna, and St. Thérèse are only $3.50. For $1.50 you can select from 48 pa-

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tron and prayer coins to jingle your stocking.

For the young at heart, slip in a colorful plastic bottle of bubbles topped with a cross for 75 cents.

For stocking gifts under $10, browse through our visor clips, key rings, and auto rosaries. Cell-phone accessories of rosary decades and religious medals are $9.95.

Bring in those empty stockings, sip complimentary hot wassail, and shop until the stockings are stuffed.

New for the 2009 season are assorted CDs of favorite Christmas carols sung in French, German, Latin, Italian, and Spanish ($16.95). Just arrived is the anticipated DVD The Thirteenth Day, recounting the 1917 apparitions of Fatima as recalled by Sister Lucia Santos, one of the visionaries, and other witnesses.

The Paraclete now offers a reusable shopping bag with our name and logo.

Our normal hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although we will close at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and reopen on Dec. 28, when we start our after-Christmas sale. Seasonal items will be discounted 40 percent on Monday, Dec. 28; 50 percent on Tuesday, Dec. 29; 60 percent on Wednesday, Dec. 30; and 70 percent on Thursday, Dec. 31. If you’re a late (or exceptionally early) Christmas shopper, join us for some great bargains before we close Jan. 1 for inventory. We will resume regular business hours on Jan. 4.

Merry Christmas! ■ Call the store at 865588-0388 or 800-3332097.

Translation continued from page 8

“the law of prayer is the law of faith”—is an important and ancient principle of the church.

The new missal strengthens the vital relationship between the church’s faith and her public worship and ensures that the faith is passed on in its integrity. ■ If you have questions or comments, e-mail Father Stice at frrandy@dioceseofknoxville.org. Father Stice is the director of the diocesan Worship and Liturgy Office.

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

Conspiracy continued from page 6

Expanded field house dedicated at KCHS John Faris and Bishop Richard F. Stika talk Dec. 13 following the dedication of the Faris Field House at Knoxville Catholic High School, an expansion of the school’s All Sports Complex. The name honors Mr. Faris and wife Sondra, school parents who were the principal donors to the project. A story on the dedication will appear in the Jan. 10 ETC. THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOLIC

www.d ioceseofknoxville.or g

The approach to the program is different at St. Mary, he said.

“St. Thomas has kind of a consistent congregation each weekend, whereas in Gatlinburg every weekend, 90 percent of our people are tourists,” he said. “What we did is hand out envelopes and ask people to take those with them to wherever they’re from and to spread the idea of the Advent conspiracy to other folks.”

The four tenets of the program and the adventconspiracy.com web address are printed on the envelopes, which also provide space for worshipers to indicate how they’re observing one of the tenets. They can mail the information back to St. Mary or enclose a contribution for NPH. When he was interviewed Dec. 9, Father Boettner had just heard from one out-of-state family who recently attended Mass at St. Mary.

“I just received in the mail today an envelope from some folks who were visiting St. Mary’s about a week ago, and their family decided collectively to spend less this Christmas season.

They sent me checks for NPH in El Salvador.” ■ DECEMBER 20, 2009

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from the

WIRE

Apostolic visitation of communities set for 2010

Children hold figurines of baby Jesus and an angel as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Angelus prayer from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Dec. 13.

NATIVITY SCENE

Joy comes not from possessions but from receiving God’s love B Y CA R OL GL ATZ

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The secret to experiencing true joy is found not in accumulating lots of things but from feeling loved by the Lord and being generous to others, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Real joy is feeling that one’s personal and social life “is touched and filled by a great mystery, the mystery of God’s love,” he said Dec. 13 before his midday recitation of the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.

On the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete (Latin for “rejoice”) Sunday, the pope said Advent helps people “rediscover the meaning and pleasure of Christian joy, which is so different from that of the world.”

The square was filled with children and families who brought statues of the baby Jesus for the pope to bless before placing them in Nativity scenes at home and at school.

Before blessing the figurines, the pope expressed his happiness that families continue to keep the Nativity scene tradition alive. But, he said, “following a tradition, as important as it is, is not enough.”

“It’s necessary to try to live every single day in the way the Nativity represents, that is, with Christ’s love, his humility, and his poverty,” he said.

The Nativity scene is a lesson for life, a scene depicting the secret to true joy, he said.

The Holy Family, gathered in a stable and facing so many hardships, does not look like a very lucky family on the surface, he said.

“And yet they are full of an intimate joy because they love each other, they help each other,” and above all they are certain that their lives are fulfilling God’s work, said the pope.

True joy, therefore, “does not consist in having lots of things but in feeling loved by the Lord, in letting ourselves be a gift to others, and in loving ourselves,” he said.

To feel joy, people need love and truth and to be close to God, who “warms our hearts and responds to our deepest needs,” he said.

Earlier in the day the pope visited the Rome Foundation Hospice and met with the center’s health-care workers and 30 terminally ill patients.

The patients, many of whom suffer from cancer, Alzheimer’s, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, receive free palliative care and treatment.

The pope said today’s world tends to marginalize people suffering from a terminal illness, considering them a problem or a burden to society.

People who understand the inherent human dignity of these patients, however, know that the ill must “be respected and supported while the difficulties and suffering tied to their condition [are] dealt with,” he said.

The pope said it is essential that health-care workers “offer the sick concrete gestures of love, intimacy, and Christian solidarity” in order to meet their need for understanding, comfort, and constant encouragement. ■

WASHINGTON (CNS)—The apostolic visitation of U.S. religious communities of women continued to move forward as 2009 came to a close, with plans being drawn up for visits to congregations by official representatives of the church to begin in the spring.

The visits will mark the start of the third phase of the apostolic visitation initiated by Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Announced Jan. 30 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the apostolic visitation process was opened “in order to look into the quality of life” of U.S. congregations of women religious.

Mother Mary Clare Millea, a Connecticut native who is superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is overseeing the study of 341 congregations as apostolic visitator. The study covers nearly all of the country’s 67,000 sisters. Only nuns who live in cloisters are exempt.

The website www.apostolic visitation.org provides basic information about the project and outlines the reasons the study is being undertaken.

Once the study concludes in mid-2011, a confidential report will be sent to Cardinal Rode, said Mother Clare.

The announcement took many religious communities by surprise and was met with numerous questions about its purpose. Little information about what prompted the Vatican congregation to order the study and why the U.S. was singled out was released at the time of its announcement.

Cardinal Rode addressed the apostolic visitation’s purpose nine months after it was made public.

In a Nov. 3 statement released at the Vatican the cardinal said he requested the visitation to help American sisters and to respond to concerns for their welfare. “The apostolic visitation hopes to encourage vocations and assure a better future for women religious,” the statement said.

On Vatican Radio a day later he refuted media reports that presented the visitation “as if it were an act of mistrust of American female religious congregations or as if it were a global criticism of their work. It is not.”

Senate continued from page 9

amended to reflect the Hyde restrictions. If that fails, the current legislation should be opposed.”

In the end the vote was not on the NelsonHatch-Casey amendment itself but on a motion to table the amendment from Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

In addition to Casey and Nelson, five other Democrats—Sens. Edward E. Kaufman of Delaware, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and Evan Bayh of Indiana—joined all but two Republicans in opposing the tabling of the amendment.

Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both Republicans from Maine, supported the Boxer motion to table.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who has said he opposes abortion, voted to table the Nelson amendment, saying, “This is a health-care bill, not an abortion bill. We can’t afford to miss the big picture.” ■ Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 10

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DECEMBER 20, 2009

U.S. women religious pray during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington in this Sept. 11 file photo. The Vatican initiated a study of U.S. orders of women religious early in 2009. Apostolic visits of various communities will begin in the spring.

CONSECRATED LIFE

In the interview he said the investigation was a response to concerns regarding “some irregularities or omissions in American religious life. Most of all, you could say, it involves a certain secular mentality that has spread in these religious families and perhaps, also a certain ‘feminist’ spirit.”

The visitation was deep into its second phase as information gathered from questionnaires sent in September to the religious communities was being tabulated. The orders had until Nov. 20 to respond, but responses continued to be received at the visitation office in Hamden, Conn., on Dec. 8, Mother Clare wrote in an e-mail to Catholic News Service.

The three-part questionnaire sought information related to congregational membership, living arrangements, the ministries in which members participate, spiritual life, including the practice of prayer and the frequency of Mass attendance, and the promotion of vocations.

After concerns were raised by several congregations about information being requested in one part of the questionnaire, Mother Clare, with the approval of Cardinal Rode, decided to drop several questions covering membership, properties the congregations owned or sponsored, and financial data.

Mother Clare said the responses to the questionnaire will be used to determine which religious communities will receive visits beginning early in 2010.

“We know we cannot possibly visit all the congregations,” Mother Clare said in June as she was concluding the first

round of discussions with congregational leaders. “So we want to give a representative sample to the Holy See.” Teams of apostolic visitors were being assembled in midDecember. Mother Clare had hoped to receive up to 150 names of women religious and men religious willing to visit a cross section of congregations. Nominations of individuals to fill slots on the teams were requested last spring. Suggestions for team members were received for two weeks after the original June 17 deadline.

“Potential visitation team members, representing various congregations, ministries and areas of expertise, are still being chosen from among the many fine religious who were recommended by their major superiors, bishops, priests and sisters,” she wrote CNS in the December e-mail message.

Although some congregations sent “incomplete answers” to the questionnaire, the visits will go forward, Mother Clare said.

“The apostolic-visitation office continues to receive many fine responses to the questionnaires from major superiors and is in the process of reviewing these responses,” Mother Clare wrote. “Because of the confidential nature of the visitation, the office is not at liberty to disclose the number of responses received or from whom.”

As the questionnaires were being sent to the congregations, Cardinal Rode asked the U.S. bishops to cover the cost of the visitation, estimated at $1.1 million. Mother Clare declined to say what, if any, funding has been contributed Sisters continued on page 8

NIH approves 13 embryonic-stem-cell lines for funding; more expected

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC

CNS/PAUL HARING

Teams will examine religious congregations and report to the Vatican. By Dennis Sadowski

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Thirteen human embryonic stemcell lines have been approved for use in federally funded research, and approval of many more lines is expected to follow, the head of the National Institutes of Health announced Dec. 2.

Dr. Francis S. Collins, who took over as NIH director in August, said in a telephone briefing with media that it was a “significant day” in efforts to achieve President Barack Obama’s goal of “loosening up . . . what had been considered too stringent requirements” for federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells.

Collins said the 13 stem-cell lines were approved after NIH staff determined that the scientists who created the lines had followed the “very detailed informed consent process” outlined in NIH guidelines published in July.

“In accordance with the guidelines, these stem-cell lines were derived from embryos that were donated under ethically sound informed-consent processes,” said Collins.

When the guidelines were published July 7, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, then chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said they ignored the comments of tens of thousands of Americans who expressed opposition to embryonic stem-cell research during the public comment period and failed to respect “existing federal law against funding research in which human embryos are harmed or destroyed.”

The guidelines allow the use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research only on embryos created for reproductive purposes at in vitro fertilization clinics and no longer needed for that purpose.

Not permitted is funding of research in which stem cells

www.d ioceseofknoxville.or g

“are introduced into nonhuman primate blastocysts” or research “involving the breeding of animals where the introduction of human embryonic stem cells or human-induced pluripotent stem cells may contribute to the germ line.”

When he announced the final NIH guidelines in July, Dr. Raynard S. Kington, then NIH acting director, said 30,000 of the approximately 49,000 comments received by NIH during a monthlong period of public comment opposed any federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research.

But those responses were “deemed not responsive to the question put forth” and were therefore not considered, Kington said. “We did not ask them whether” to fund such research, he said, “but how it should be funded.” ■ Copyright 2009 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops THE E A S T TE NNE S S E E CATHOL I C