July 3, 2011, ET Catholic

This issue

He dwells among us.................. 2 Diocesan calendar................... 10 Deanery news.......................... 11 La Cosecha............ center pullout

The East Tennessee

Catholic youth......................... 16 Columns.................................. 17 Catholic News Service............. 24

dioknox.org July 3, 2011 Volume 20 Number 18

Bishop Richard F. Stika

News from The Diocese of Knoxville

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6

Immaculata Award Dr. Mont­ gomery receives diocesan honor

New deacon Dustin Collins of Notre Dame is ordained

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Golden jubilee Monsignor Mankel celebrates his 50th

Father Owens ‘presents himself to the Church’ Bishop Stika ordains the diocese’s 39th priest, a convert who became Catholic in 2004. By Mary C. Weaver

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even years after entering the Catholic Church, Father Doug Owens’s journey toward ordination was sealed with the single word present, as he responded to vocations director Father Michael Cummins’s invitation, “Let Douglas, who is to be ordained a priest, come forward.”

“That was easy enough, wasn’t it?” said Bishop Richard F. Stika before ordaining Father Owens during a May 28 Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral. “All those years you were in seminary all came down to that [word].”

“A lifetime has brought him to the moment when he said present. He presents himself to the Church, and after formation and spiritual growth and academic achievement, he

Owens continued on page 4

MARY C. WEAVER

‘You will continually make the commitment to be transformed into another Christ.’

Solemn promises Bishop Richard F. Stika receives promises of respect and obedience from soon-to-be-ordained Douglas Owens during a May 28 Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Also seen are (from left) Deacon Brendan Buckler and diocesan seminarian Jeff Emitt. Behind Mr. Emitt is Father Christopher Riehl, master of ceremonies.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

T

He dwells among us

by Bishop Richard F. Stika

Bishop Stika’s schedule

The least of these

These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments:

So many are concerned about the ‘when’ of Christ’s return that they miss his presence in others.

he world didn’t end May 21 as some had predicted. Personally, I was worried it might until Matt Holliday’s eighth-inning tworun homer broke a scoreless tie and led my St. Louis Cardinals to a shutout win against the Kansas City Royals that day. Humor aside, it seems lately that I cannot change the channel from baseball to the news without groaning “not again,” as yet another story of natural or man-made catastrophe makes the headlines. But out of these tragedies we hear stories of heroism and of neighbors helping neighbors, of strangers helping strangers. In the midst of ruin and sorrow, people are experiencing the coming of Christ in others.

It is hard to look back on the past months without asking ourselves, “Is this the beginning of the end times?” Who can forget the horrible images of apocalyptic scale from the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan or the ravages of so many tornados. Here, I particularly think of all who suffered such terrible loss in Greeneville and Cleveland, in Birmingham, Ala., and in Joplin, Mo., in Bishop James V. Johnston Jr.’s diocese. Our heartfelt prayers

Diocesan policy for reporting sexual abuse

go out to them.

Catastrophes know no boundaries, and no part of the world seems untouched recently. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers, like slowmoving tsunamis, continue to flood and submerge farmland and towns.

Much of China is also suffering record flooding, and an immense volcanic eruption in Chile fills the skies with thick ash clouds. A super-toxic E. coli outbreak in Europe, like the raging wildfires in Arizona, spreads almost unchecked, defying even the best scientific efforts to contain and extinguish the deadly pathogen.

Wars and civil strife have erupted in various countries, and Christian minority populations abroad are brutally persecuted and churches bombed. Fear of nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue nations and terrorists creates national security concerns, and many wonder whether the economy will collapse. Evil is called good, and good evil (cf. Isaiah 5:20), even in our schools, and the addition of a record heat wave only adds to our general discomfort.

And then there are the personal apocalypses of a number of public figures, whose scandalous behavior

has destroyed not only their reputations and careers but also their marriages and family life. Especially in the media there seems to be an almost perverse voyeuristic pleasure in watching others exposed to judgment. Perhaps this same attraction lies in part behind the psychology of apocalyptic speculation and so-called “rapture” scenarios that even Protestant theologians can’t agree on.

The apocalyptic passages and books of the Bible can be especially difficult to understand. When the Apostle Philip asked the Ethiopian official who was reading Scripture, “Do you understand what you are reading?” he responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31). The Church, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is our sure guide.

Certainly we must be ready, watching and praying, for Christ reminds us that he will come when we least expect (Matthew 24:44). But so many people focus on the “when” that they miss his presence now. I think this is the point Christ is making after his long discourse on the end times.

The East Tennessee

July 3: 11 a.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral July 10: 10 a.m., centennial celebration Mass, Epiphany of our Lord Church, St. Louis July 16: 4 p.m., golden jubilee Mass, St. Francis of Assisi Church, Townsend July 17: 9 a.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral July 23: 10 a.m., Mass, Cursillo Diocesan Encounter, Sacred Heart Cathedral; 12:30 p.m., Knights of Columbus area kick-off, Our Lady of Fatima Church, Alcoa July 30: 10 a.m., bishop’s field day with Hispanic youth, Sacred Heart Cathedral pavilion July 31: 11 a.m. CDT, Mass, St. Alphonsus Church, Crossville Aug. 1-3: seminarian retreat Aug. 4: 6 p.m., annual seminarian pic­ nic, Sacred Heart Cathedral Pavilion Aug. 7: 9 a.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral; 5 p.m., baseball game, Howard Johnson Field, Johnson City n

Bishop continued on page 5

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

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Dan Pacitti Intern

Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable 805 Northshore Drive, S.W. • Knoxville, TN 37922 cause to suspect an incident of The Diocese of Knoxville sexual abuse should report such The East Tennessee Catholic (USPS 007211) is published monthly by The Diocese of Knoxville, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, information to the appropriate Knoxville, TN 37919-7551. Periodicals-class postage paid at Knoxville, Tenn. Printed on recycled paper by the Knoxville News Sentinel. civil authorities first, then to the The East Tennessee Catholic is mailed to all registered Catholic families in East Tennessee. Subscription rate for others is $15 a year in bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or the United States. Make checks payable to The Diocese of Knoxville. the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865Postmaster: Send address changes to The East Tennessee Catholic, 805 Northshore Drive Southwest, Knoxville, TN 37939-1127 Reach us by phone: 865-584-3307 • fax: 865-584-8124 • e-mail: webmaster@dioknox.org • web: dioknox.org 482-1388. n

2 July 3, 2011

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Catholic schools

Longtime educator honored

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etiring principal Dr. Aurelia Montgomery received honors from Bishop Richard F. Stika and the St. Joseph School student body, faculty, staff, homeschool community, and more during a school Mass on May 18.

Dr. Montgomery, who had led the North Knoxville school for six years, retired June 1. At the end of Mass, Bishop Stika presented her with the diocese’s second Immaculata Award, a medal and scroll given “in recognition of her total dedication and unselfish service to the Church, for the generosity of her many labors, and the support of the Diocese of Knoxville, her many untold works of mercy as a good Samaritan within the community, and her uncompromising witness to the faith.”

Bishop Stika presided at the Mass, attended by the student body, faculty, staff, school-board members, parents, and guests, including Dr. Montgomery’s son, Paul. Concelebrating were Monsignor Xavier Mankel and Paulist Fathers Ron Franco and Jerry Tully. Deacon Sean Smith, diocesan chancellor assisted.

New principal Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann McCullough, RSM, was among those making presentations to Dr. Montgomery.

The honoree did not know what was in store for her that day.

“I thought in the last few months I was doing a pretty good job of beginning to transfer responsibilities to Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann,” said Dr. Montgomery, “and I believed I was doing a pretty good job of that until I got in here this morning, and I had no earthly idea what was going on.

But I thank you all so very much. It’s been a wonderful six years.”

Bishop Stika said that because Eucharist means “thanksgiving,” a Mass was the best way to honor Dr. The East Tennessee Catholic

Montgomery, who also served from 1992 to 2003 as diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools and as principal of Knoxville Catholic High School.

“Isn’t it appropriate that we celebrate a Mass, which means thanksgiving, to say thanks to Dr. Montgomery for what she’s done?” he said.

Fifth-grader Ben Kilby presented the first honor to Dr. Montgomery, a scrapbook all of the students worked on.

Art teacher Jill Knight presented a copy of Raphael’s Madonna del Granduca to Dr. Montgomery. Students in every grade worked on different segments of the painting, and each child left a thumbprint on the front and a signature on the reverse.

“Because Dr. Montgomery is a woman of great faith and has a special devotion to our Blessed Mother, the choice was easy,” said Mrs. Knight of the artwork’s subject.

Lydia Donahue presented a spiritual bouquet from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Homeschool Group in gratitude for Dr. Montgomery’s work with the group, and she gave Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann an icon and plaque for the school in Dr. Montgomery’s honor.

St. Joseph school-board member Margaret Govelitz presented a monetary gift in the names of Dr. Montgomery and Monsignor Mankel—who celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination May 27—for the St. Joseph Helping Hands program.

Fourth-grade teacher Paula Allen announced the next gift: spiritual bouquets from every grade and from the faculty and staff. Dr. Montgomery received the bouquets one after another and gave a hug to each student or staffer making the

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Dr. Montgomery retires from St. Joseph. By Dan McWilliams

Ceremony at St. Joseph School Dr. Aurelia Montgomery received the diocesan Im­ maculata Award from Bishop Richard F. Stika on May 18. Dr. Montgomery is the sec­ ond person to be presented the honor; former diocesan attorney John T. O’Connor II became the first honoree in August 2010.

presentation.

Superintendent Dr. Sherry Morgan gave Dr. Montgomery and the students Queen of Heaven holy cards.

Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann presented a painting for the school chapel that depicted a favorite saying of Dr. Montgomery: “Let us bless the Lord and give him thanks.”

“What is it that Dr. Montgomery always invites us to do for all of the blessings that we have received and for those that we will receive?” asked the new principal.

“She says, ‘Let us’ . . . ,”and the assembly finished the sentence for her.

Dr. Montgomery thanked the bishop, Monsignor Mankel, Deacon Smith, the Paulist Fathers of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville, and her immediate predecessors as principal: Joan Turbyville, Dr. Johanna Humphrey, and Mercy Sister

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Janice Brink, saying that each leader laid a foundation for her successor.

“It is my sincere hope that with all of you we have continued to lay a foundation on which you can continue to build this wonderful place with Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann. I have every confidence that that will happen and that it will happen in a way that almighty God and his Blessed Mother and St. Joseph will be so very pleased.”

She thanked the parents present for having “trusted us enough to give us your most prized possession: your children. And I hope that as we give them back to you, they go back and forth, loving almighty God more every day. So for all that we have received this day and all that we shall continue to receive, let us bless the Lord and give him thanks, Alleluia, Alleluia.” n July 3, 2011 3

Young and old East Tennessee’s newest priest, Father Doug Owens, receives a blessing from Monsignor Philip Thoni, the diocese’s longest-serving priest, during the former’s May 28 ordination Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Photo by Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey Owens continued from page 1

stands before the people of God. He stands before Jesus and before the Father, praying that the Holy Spirit will continue to enlighten him and to be with him.”

Father Owens, 45, a native of London, Ky., is the 39th man ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville and the fourth ordained by Bishop Stika. He was raised a Southern Baptist and later became a Presbyterian before entering the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil in 2004.

4 July 3, 2011

Before entering Conception Seminary in fall 2005, he worked in hotel management and the restaurant business and later held sales and marketing positions for companies such as Schlage, Shaw Industries, and Edge Flooring.

The new priest completed his theology studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary near Philadelphia. In 2010 Bishop Stika ordained him to the diaconate at his home parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga.

In his remarks before the rite of

ordination, Bishop Stika told the ordinand he would be posing several questions, “about service to the Church, about humility in your life, about an ongoing spirituality centered on the Eucharist and on the sacraments,” he said.

“It’s all a part of that moment when you said present. For you present yourself to the Lord, and with an open heart, you made the commitment and will continually make the commitment to be transformed into another Christ.”

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God chooses each Christian to help build his kingdom, the bishop said, whether as a deacon, a priest, a consecrated person, or a single person.

Bishop Stika prayed that throughout the years of Father Owens’s priesthood, “it might never become ordinary to hold that bread in your hands and say ‘Take this, all of you, and eat it.’”

Speaking of the Apostles—who were not yet saints when Jesus chose them—the bishop said, “Just as the Apostles were all kinds of dioknox.org

View a slide show of photos from the ordination at dioknox.org/fatherowens.

The East Tennessee Catholic

MARY C. WEAVER

Young women: Are you exploring a possible vocation to religious life?

Young women between the ages of 18 and 35 who are interested in exploring a possible vocation to the religious life are invited to join the Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., for a weekend retreat at the sisters’ Home of Mercy in Knoxville.

Retreats begin on Friday afternoon and conclude on Sunday after lunch. During the weekend retreatants will be able to enter into the rhythm of life of the Community of Mercy.

Weekends will be offered on the following dates: n Aug. 19 through 21 (register

by Aug. 12) n Sept. 16 through 18 (register

by Sept. 9) n Oct. 14 through 16 (register by Oct. 7).

To register for a weekend or learn more, e-mail saintjustin@ rsmofalma.org or call Sister Mary Christine, RSM, at 865690-9266. n Bishop continued from page 2

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

characters, who had all kinds of gifts and challenges, we priests too have all kinds of characters but also all kinds of gifts.”

Joining Father Owens for the ordination Mass were his mother, Nadene Owens; sister Patti Armstrong; and her children, Bradley, 15, Emily, 9, and Brett, 6.

Also present were two of his former fraternity brothers, now both priests—Father Michael Clark of St. Anthony Parish in Browns Valley, Ky., and Father Andrew Garner of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, Ky. Like her brother, Mrs. Armstrong, a member of St. Peter Chanel Parish in Marietta, Ga., is also a convert.

In an interview after the ordination Mass, she said that when Father Owens first told her about his desire to become a priest, “I thought he was crazy.”

“I had to apologize to him after that, but at first I really didn’t understand why he was doing what he was doing.”

As time went by, she said, she could see how God was working through him.

“He never talked to me about converting, but it just fell into place, and it was the best decision I ever made,” she said.

Father Owens’s mother said that her son was “really excited and happy, and he’s ready to hit the ground running.”

Mrs. Armstrong said that although her mother wasn’t planning to convert to Catholicism, “she has embraced it and couldn’t be more proud” of Father Owens.

The new priest celebrated his Mass of thanksgiving at OLPH the day after his ordination. The experience was “very moving and humbling,” he said.

“And it was fantastic to have three of my classmates from St. Charles Borromeo—two as my deacons and one as a priest.” n

‘All kinds of gifts’ Top photo: Father Owens’s family members sing during the ordina­ tion Mass. From left, they are the new priest’s mother, Nadene Owens; nephews Brad­ ley, 15, and Brett, 6; niece (foreground) Emily, 9; and sister, Patti Armstrong. Bottom photo: The new priest gives Bishop Richard F. Stika a blessing.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

In the final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), Christ tells us that those who will “inherit the kingdom” and be called “blessed of my Father” are those who fed him and gave him drink, who welcomed him in the stranger, and who clothed and visited him when helping those who are sick and imprisoned. In doing it to “the least of these,” they will not have missed the coming of Jesus. But those who have neglected “the least of these” will be the “cursed” ones,” for they will have missed his coming among them. n July 3, 2011 5

Ordination

Dustin Collins ordained to the diaconate in home parish The lifelong parishioner of Notre Dame in Greeneville is humbled ‘to give myself fully to the Church.’ By Dan McWilliams

6 July 3, 2011

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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eacon Dustin Collins received holy orders at a place most familiar to him: the church where he grew up.

Bishop Richard F. Stika ordained the diocesan seminarian to the diaconate June 11 at Notre Dame Church in Greeneville. More than 20 priests and deacons took part in the Mass before an overflow crowd of family, friends, parishioners, and visitors.

The new deacon was all smiles afterward.

“It’s a very humbling experience to give myself fully to the Church, and I’m just filled with the joy of everything—just very happy,” he said at an outdoor reception following Mass.

The ordination was the first at Notre Dame since Father John Milewski’s diaconal ordination in November 1992.

The new deacon had been serving at St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut for the two and a half weeks before his ordination, and his assignment there will continue until August, when he returns to St. Meinrad Seminary for his final year.

“I have one year left in seminary, and God willing, in the summer of 2012, I’ll be ordained a priest,” said Deacon Collins, who would be the 40th priest ordained for the diocese.

The Greeneville native’s parents, Susan and Danny Collins, and sister, Stefania, were the gift bearers at the ordination Mass. Mrs. Collins is the DRE and youth minister at Notre Dame. Deacon Tom Silva of the Archdiocese of Omaha, a former Notre Dame parishioner, proclaimed the Gospel.

“What a great joy it is for this parish, this diocese, Dustin’s family, Dustin himself, and the Church universal to celebrate once again the

‘A great joy for this parish’ Bishop Stika lays his hands on the head of Dustin Collins at the ordination Mass on June 11 at Notre Dame Church. Father Christopher Riehl (back) and Father David Carter served as masters of ceremonies for the ordination.

ordination of a transitional deacon,” said Bishop Stika, “as he continues

on his journey of faith and as all of us continue on our journey of faith

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proclaiming Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior.

“This weekend especially is so important as we celebrate the gift of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, and that is what we pray for today: that the Holy Spirit might come upon our brother as he begins in a very public way his ministry and, in a very special way, as he prepares for priesthood.”

Before the homily Father Michael Cummins—diocesan director of vocations—presented the candidate to the bishop. The ordinand responded “present” when called.

By “presenting ourselves just like Dustin did, to family and friends and parishioners and strangers, we present ourselves as a person who makes a statement of faith,” said Bishop Stika. “We might not say ‘present’ all the time, but the statement of faith we make is the life we choose to live and how authentically we live it.”

The ordination should serve as “a reminder to all of us and especially to you, Dustin, that what you take on today should never place you in a position where you think you’re better than anyone else or that you’re on a pedestal to be served because after all the diaconate reminds us that we are called to serve others,” said the bishop.

The diaconate, like Christianity, “is not a bed of roses,” said Bishop Stika.

“It’s the commitment not only to celebrate the joy of the resurrection but also to carry the cross of Christ in those moments of challenge, in those moments of difficulty, knowing that—as a cleric, as a man who has received the order of deacon— you are called to build the community we call the Church, the mystical body of Christ.” dioknox.org

Diocese offers ongoing Virtus child-protection training sessions

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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At the altar Newly ordained Deacon Dustin Collins assists Bishop Stika. Behind them is Father Pat Garrity, pastor of St. John Neu­ mann Parish in Farragut and diocesan vicar for priests. The ordination was the first celebrated at Notre Dame Church in 19 years.

For a slide show of the ordination, visit www.dioknox.org/dustincollins.

Bishop Stika said the occasion was “a reminder to us to pray for vocations” and that “we also pray to God with a spirit of gratitude for the gift Dustin gives to you, the people of God.” In an April interview, the future Deacon Collins said he was “very excited” about being ordained at Notre Dame.

“I grew up in that parish. I was baptized, received my first sacrament of reconciliation and my first Holy Communion, and was confirmed there. It’s exciting that I can also receive holy orders and be ordained a deacon through the parish.

“Over a seven-year period the parishioners have been really supportive of me, and I think it will be a great joy for me and for them for me to be ordained there. I know I have The East Tennessee Catholic

the parish’s continued prayers and support.”

The new deacon’s parents were “very happy” to see the ordination day come, said their son.

“They’re definitely excited and proud of me,” said Mr. Collins.

“They’ve fully supported my vocation from the start of this journey at Conception Seminary.”

His parents and parishioners, former Notre Dame pastors Father Charlie Burton and Father John Appiah, and current pastor Father Jim Harvey are among numerous people Mr. Collins thanked for helping him along the way to holy orders. Father Harvey was also pastor at Notre Dame from 1999 to 2006 before returning this year.

“Father Charlie Burton was the first priest I got to know, so I

thank him for that time when I was young,” said Mr. Collins.

“Father Jim Harvey was pastor around the time when I heavily discerned the possibility of the priesthood, and he really helped me and encouraged me to start college seminary. Father John Appiah, who was pastor most of the time I was in the seminary, after Father Jim left, was always there and very supportive and very helpful to me when I needed anything. He was a good model of the priesthood for me.

“I’d like to thank those three priests and most definitely the Knights of Columbus in the various parishes who supported me and prayed for me along the way and the Councils of Catholic Women of different parishes who have done the same.” n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

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

The following training sessions have been scheduled: n Holy Cross Church, Pigeon Forge, 9 a.m. Saturday, July 23; Saturday, Sept. 10 (call the parish for the time) n St. Jude Church, Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 28; 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 (sessions will be held in the parish life center) n St. Dominic Church, Kings­ port, 1 p.m. Saturday, July 30 n All Saints Church, Knoxville, 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 n St. Stephen Church, Chattanooga, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17 n St. Mary Church, Johnson City, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20; 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept.

14 (sessions will be held in St. Ann Hall) n St. Alphonsus Church, Crossville, 1 p.m. CDT, Sunday, Aug. 28 n St. Albert the Great Church, Knoxville, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31 Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials. To register, visit virtusonline.org. n

July 3, 2011 7

Golden jubilee

Monsignor Mankel celebrates golden jubilee as a priest The vicar general and pastor of Holy Ghost marks his 50th anniversary with a Mass and dinner. By Dan McWilliams

8 July 3, 2011

DAN MCWILLIAMS

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o get an idea of the scope of Monsignor Xavier Mankel’s service to the Church in Tennessee, one could glance at the speaker list for the dinner celebrating the golden jubilee of his priestly ordination.

Taking the microphone May 27 at The Foundry restaurant in Knoxville were members of parish councils, the Council of Catholic Women, the Knights of Columbus, and the Sisters of Mercy, as well as just a few of the many priests the monsignor has served alongside since his ordination 50 years ago that day.

Monsignor Mankel, at the end of the dinner, said there were too many people to thank for his celebration.

“This has been a wonderful experience, not only for me personally but also I hope for you, who have done so much to bring it to fruition,” he said. “Some wonderful things have been said, and I feel very much like a mirror, reflecting your goodness, reflecting your ability to work together, reflecting your ability to make things happen.”

The dinner followed a 50th-anniversary Mass at Holy Ghost Church, where Monsignor Mankel—also a vicar general—has served as pastor since 1997. Bishop Richard F. Stika presided, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville returned to his former diocese to deliver the homily.

Among the concelebrants were Monsignor Owen Campion, associate publisher of Our Sunday Visitor and a former Holy Ghost associate pastor; Abbot Cletus Meagher, OSB, of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala., and a native of Cleveland, Tenn.; Father George Schmidt, rector of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga and a longtime friend of Monsignor Mankel; Father John Orr, associate pastor of Holy

‘Bless and approve our offering’ Monsignor Mankel (right) and the other concelebrants extend their hands and say with Bishop Stika the words of consecration in the Eucharistic Prayer at the monsignor’s 50th-anniversary Mass. Also pictured are (from left) Fa­ ther Pat Connor, Father Patrick Resen, Father Christopher Riehl, Father Antonio Giraldo, and Father P. J. McGinnity.

Ghost; and Father Pat Connor of Nashville, a classmate of the monsignor at St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore and a fellow jubilarian.

Occupying the front pews were Monsignor Mankel’s family—including his 99-year-old mother, Willia, and his brother, George—and many of the diocese’s 13 papal honorees from the class of 2006. The Holy Ghost pastor and Monsignor Philip Thoni, who attended the 50th-anniversary Mass, were elevated to monsignor in fall 2006 as part of those honors.

Archbishop Kurtz deemed it “a great pleasure and joy to be gathered with the family and friends of Monsignor Francis Xavier Mankel.”

Then–Bishop Kurtz and Monsignor Mankel logged many a mile together

during the years (1999 to 2007) when the diocese’s second shepherd served in East Tennessee, often to Nashville for Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission meetings.

“That was enjoyable,” the archbishop said, “but what was truly enriching was the opportunity in those hours for me to come to know the goodness of a priest who has served so well, who knows virtually everyone—if not in Tennessee, in East Tennessee. His journeys may not have taken him to China and Japan, at least on missionary work, but they sure have taken him to Lawrenceburg, to Memphis, to Nashville, to Farragut, and to Knoxville. In each of those travels, we have consistently the example of a humble and holy and very talented

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

priest of Jesus Christ.”

In their car trips together, Monsignor Mankel showed his bishop “a priority to holiness that leads to service, a clear priority to teach and to preach Jesus Christ accurately and with zeal, and a great love and affection for the sacramental presence of Christ in the holy Eucharist as the very center of your life,” said Archbishop Kurtz.

At the end of Mass, Bishop Stika read a letter from a Holy Ghost native son, Bishop James Vann Johnston Jr. of the Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau in Missouri, who was invited to the Mass but was unable to attend in the wake of the devastating tornadoes that struck Joplin, which is in his diocese, on May 22. dioknox.org

The East Tennessee Catholic

DAN MCWILLIAMS

“Monsignor Mankel has played a significant role in my own life and that of my family for more than 50 years,” Bishop Johnston wrote. “He has served so faithfully as a priest during that time. [When I was] a child, he was my parish priest. [When I was] a teenager, he served as my principal at Knoxville Catholic High School. [Later] he has served as my pastor, colleague, friend, and brother priest. His generous spirit of priestly service is legendary, as he has always been willing to take on another hat if it will help the mission of the church that he has served. He is a true man of the Church, and especially he is a man for the Church.”

Rep. Jimmy Duncan of Knoxville delivered the opening remarks at the dinner. “I can tell you this nation is a better place because of Monsignor Mankel and the work he has done,” he said.

Emcees Art Clancy III and Tom Wolf, also Holy Ghost parishioners, were students in the mid-1970s at Knoxville Catholic during Monsignor Mankel’s time as principal (1967 to 1979). The emcees recalled everything from the monsignor’s boiler-to-belfry supervision of the church building and admonitions against kneeler-banging to his booming voice and mechanical skill, the last demonstrated by his rigging of a washing-machine motor to operate the clock and bells at Immaculate Conception Church downtown.

Patty Johnson of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, president of the National Council of Catholic Women, recalled the Holy Ghost pastor’s more than four and a half decades of service as a CCW spiritual moderator on the parish, deanery, and/or diocesan level.

“Monsignor Mankel has been a favorite moderator for the Council of Catholic Women since 1964, when he first served the CCW affiliate Junior Club of Catholic Women in Knoxville, where I was a member,” she said, adding that he has now

Mother and son Monsignor Mankel gives Communion to his mother, Willia. The jubilarian is holding a ciborium that has been in use at Holy Ghost Church since 1908. For a slide show of Monsignor Mankel’s celebration, visit www.dioknox.org/monsignormankel.

served thousands of women as a CCW moderator.

Mercy Sister Albertine Paulus noted that Monsignor Mankel was the first baby born at St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital (now Mercy St. Mary’s) to become a priest. Sister Albertine, a former organist at IC, said it was in that role that she first saw the future monsignor many years ago.

“The first time I was really aware of Xavier Mankel as a person was when he came up to the choir at Immaculate Conception to see the big pipe organ being played,” she said.

“He was about 9. He was 9 once.

He’s been fascinated by both music and machines [since].”

Many Sisters of Mercy taught Monsignor Mankel during his years at IC’s St. Mary School and at KCHS. “In the names of all those teachers, I’d like to claim some credit for how well he turned out,” said Sister Albertine.

Monsignor Campion said the newly ordained Father Mankel— while serving his first assignment at

St. Mary Parish in Memphis—took time to write him at the Baltimore seminary when he was grieving after the sudden death of his father in 1961.

“I’ve never forgotten that: that outreach, that kindness, that graciousness on the part of a newly ordained priest who was in a very busy parish.”

Bishop Stika, who preceded Monsignor Mankel to the microphone, said “today we celebrate a fine gentleman, a Southern gentleman, a man of God celebrating 50 years of service.”

The bishop said that “his first seminary was not the seminary he attended. It’s always said that the first seminary in the life of a priest is the love between his parents. Mrs. Mankel, thank you for being the rector of the first seminary Monsignor attended.”

At the end of the dinner Monsignor Mankel said that families of all kinds were on his mind: parishioners, Sisters of Mercy, Catholics

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

throughout the diocese, the presbyterate, and KCHS. Many names of people past and present who figured in his vocation came up over the course of the evening, including that of Father Bill Sherman, a fellow St. Mary student and eventual KCHS teacher who died young in 1968.

“We still miss him very much,” said Monsignor Mankel.

Monsignor Mankel mentioned two of his teachers: Monsignor Thoni, who came to KCHS in his senior year, and Sister Maurice Dolan, RSM, the only living Mercy sister who taught him.

Before Father Patrick Garrity led a closing hymn of “Come, Holy Ghost,” the monsignor addressed a question he often hears.

“People ask me frequently, what’s your greatest joy as a priest, and I would say without hesitation, celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass because that brings Jesus to the world,” he said. “It’s so important that we make the Real Presence real in the life of the church.” n July 3, 2011 9

Diocesan calendar

by Dan Pacitti Catholic author and apologist Dr. Scott Hahn will speak at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 16. His talks are titled “The Lamb’s Supper,” “Hail, Holy Queen,” and “Lord, Have Mercy.” The sacrament of reconciliation will be avail­ able at 4 p.m., with Mass at 5. Tickets cost $15 and include lunch. For more information, visit ourladyoffatima.org or contact Ken Lhotka at 865-380-1681 or klalcoa@charter.net.

The third Cursillo Diocesan Encounter will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 10, on Saturday, July 23, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Bishop Richard F. Stika will be the principal celebrant and homilist. The theme for the day is “Seeds That Are Sown.” Following Mass a Grand Ultreya and fiesta will be held at the pavilion behind the school.

Bring a dish and a lawn chair. For more information, call Lois Schering at 865-681-7858.

The next Spanish Cursillo for women in the diocese is set for Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 25 through 28, at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleve­ land. For more information, call Nancy Kinerson at 423-476-9009, Aurora Gardner at 715-8235, or Sofía Delgado de Rocha at 790-1742.

The diocese invites altar servers to attend a picnic and Tennessee Smokies baseball game Sunday, July 31, at Smokies Park in Kodak. The an­ nual outing for servers also includes a postgame concert by Sidewalk Proph­ ets and Chris August. Servers should meet in front of the will-call cabin at 3:45 p.m. The picnic begins at 4, and the Smokies will take on the Birmingham Barons at 5. Tickets cost $22.95 and include the picnic and field-level seats for the game and concert. Servers in­ terested in attending should contact their parish altar-server coordinator or pastor. Parishes must purchase tickets directly from the Smokies. Purchase

10 July 3, 2011

deadline is Thursday, July 14. Parishes should reserve their seats by contacting Jeff Martin of the Smokies at 865-2862313 or jmartin@smokiesbaseball.com.

For details, contact Maura Lentz at the Chancery office at 584-3307 or mlentz@ dioknox.org.

An 11-day pilgrimage to Italy is set for Nov. 6 through 16. On “A Spiritual Journey to Rome and Italy,” pilgrims will visit the Italian capital, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padua, Venice, and more.

Mercy Sister Albertine Paulus, diocesan director of pilgrimages, is the coordina­ tor for the trip. The group will depart from Atlanta. Cost is $3,299 (cash discount price) or $3,498, plus airport taxes, security fees, fuel surcharges, and tips. To request information, con­ tact Sister Albertine at 865-545-8270, 207-4742, or smaevang@yahoo.com.

Father John Dowling, pastor of St. Fran­ cis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, will be the spiritual director for a 10-day pilgrimage through Italy beginning Nov. 2. Stops will include Rome and the Vatican, Assisi, Florence, Siena, and Tuscany. A three-day extension trip to Sicily is also available. The basic tour costs $3,046 from Knoxville or $2,996 from Nashville (double occupancy) and includes airfare, motor coaches, guided sightseeing, accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner, fees, fuel sur­ charges, and more. To learn more or re­ quest a brochure, call Fran at 615-3906104, Sandy at 390-6439, or Father Dowling at 931-484-3628 or 456-0415.

The National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers will hold a conference titled “2011 Marriage-Building Construction Zone,” designed to imple­ ment the U.S. bishops’ Pastoral Initia­ tive for Marriage, from Aug. 3 through 6 at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Father Ragan Schriver, executive direc­ tor of Catholic Charities of East Ten­ nessee, will speak on the topic “The Demographic Tsunami: Baby Boomers in Transition” on Aug. 4. Additional speakers include Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill.,

and authors Marcellino D’Ambrosio and Marybeth Hicks. To obtain a brochure and registration information, visit nacflm. org. Call Lorrie or Don Gramer at 815387-3370 or e-mail lgramer@rockford​ diocese.org for more information.

The National Catholic Bible Conference is set for Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, at St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, Ga. The conference theme is “The Great Conversation: Encountering God’s Word.” Sister Mary Timothea El­ liott, the Diocese of Knoxville’s director of Christian Formation, is among the speakers. To register or learn more, visit CatholicBibleConference.com, call 888-842-2853, or e-mail registration@ CatholicBibleConference.com.

The third annual Catholic Writers’ Conference is set for Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 1 through 3, at the Scanticon Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa. Speakers include Catholic publishing representatives and authors Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Michelle Buckman, Angela Breidenbach, and Patti Armstrong. Cost is $90 for Catholic Writ­ ers Guild members, $100 for nonmem­ bers, or $42 for students. Visit www. catholicwritersconference.com for details.

The 2011 Mid-South Regional Catholic Charismatic Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Antioch. This year’s speakers are Father Michael Baltrus and Father Mark Nolte.

For more information, contact Teresa Seibert at 615-430-9343 or tseibert@ bellsouth.net, or visit www.msrcc.org.

The next Marriage Encounter weekend in the diocese is scheduled for Aug. 12 through 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Knoxville. For more information, contact John or Anne Wharton at 423-581-1815 or acw193@bellsouth.net or visit www. loveinthesmokies.org or wwme.org.

The next Engaged Encounter weekend in the diocese will be held July 29 through 31 at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater. To register, call Jason or

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Carmen Jeansonne at 865-377-3077.

For more information on Engaged En­ counter, e-mail Paul or Pam Schaffer at ceeknoxville@gmail.com or visit www. rc.net/knoxville/cee/.

The next charismatic Mass in the diocese will be celebrated at 5 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 28, at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy. Father Dan Whitman of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City will be the celebrant. Singers and instru­ mentalists who would like to participate should arrive at 4. Prayers for healing will follow the Mass. Call Dee Leigh at 423842-2305 for more information.

The Community of Sant’Egidio is a Catholic lay ecclesial movement that fo­ cuses on prayer and service to the poor.

Two Sant’Egidio groups regularly meet in the Diocese of Knoxville, in Knoxville and Johnson City. For more information on the Knoxville group, call Ellen Macek at 865-675-5541. Call Father Michael Cummins at 423-926-7061 for details on the Johnson City group. Everyone is welcome.

Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville, at 3 p.m. on first and third Sundays at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland, and at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madi­ sonville. The only 3 p.m. extraordinaryform Mass at St. Thérèse in July will be celebrated July 17. Visit www.knoxlatin​ mass.net for updated information.

Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 3:30 p.m. Sundays at the old Holy Ghost Church, 1031 N. Central St. in Knoxville. 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 in Knoxville. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-5843307 for more information. n dioknox.org

Chattanooga Deanery calendar Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga’s “Let the Fun Begin” summer camps for rising kindergarten to eighth-grade students will continue throughout July. Art, drama, writing, and volleyball camps remain on the sched­ ule. Camp descriptions and registration forms are available on the school web­ site, www.myolph.com. For more infor­ mation, contact Kathy Sumrell at ksum­ rell@catholicweb.com or 423-622-1481.

matrimony. Couples will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23 and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sept. 24. Cost is $135 per couple and includes meals on Saturday. The retreat certificate, for those attending the entire event, is good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. To register or obtain more information, contact Marian Chris­ tiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423-8922310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.

The next “Picture of Love” engagedcouples retreat will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24, at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy. This marriagepreparation retreat supplements cou­ ples’ marriage formation with their parish priest and is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of living the sacrament of

The Serra Club of Greater Chattanooga meets on second and fourth Mondays in the Crystal Room at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Meetings begin with Mass at 11:40 a.m. cel­ ebrated by club chaplain Father George Schmidt, with lunch and a speaker fol­ lowing. Visit www.serrachatta.org for further details. n

Parish notes: Chattanooga Deanery OLPH, Chattanooga Parishioner Rosemary Moffitt recently became Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s coor­ dinator of homebound ministry.

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain The parish council and Knights of Columbus Council 14521 sponsored a Memo­ rial Day picnic May 30.

The Knights named Brian and Beth Dowling as family of the month for May. Mike and Tonya Riccio received the honor for April.

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill The Knights of Columbus sponsored a baby-bottle campaign to collect donations for the Woman’s Enrichment Center in Blue Ridge, Ga., a newly opened pregnan­ cy-counseling center.

St. Jude, Chattanooga C. J. “Hap” and Edith Louisell celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a Mass of thanksgiving June 18.

The high school youth joined the Venture Scouts for climbing activities June 25.

St. Mary, Athens The parish picnic took place June 5.

Vacation Bible school will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thurs­ day, July 18 through 21. To volunteer, call Holly Gates at 423-507-5899, Paulette Croteau at 615-513-6321, or Rhoda Whitaker at 423-744-3906.

Anniversary: Kim and Cathy Gossett (35)

GREG FOREHAND/CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS

St. Stephen, Chattanooga

St. Augustine children receive first Communion Fourteen children from St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain celebrated their first Holy Communion on May 1. The morning began with a May crowning.

From left are (front) Matthew Baker, Jack DiMisa, Annalise Micus, Josie Portilla, Haleigh Ward, Bella Jackman, and Dylan McClain and (back) Paul Marsden, Joseph Nemec, Michael Buckley, St. Augustine pastor Father Joseph Kuzhupil, Tess Margio, Chad Waye, Ryan Griggs, and Braden Casner.

The East Tennessee Catholic

The parish thanked those who donated to disaster-relief efforts sponsored by Bishop Richard F. Stika and Catholic Charities. A total of $10,260 was raised.

Knights of Columbus Council 6099 congratulated Ray Fox Jr., who was recently named Knight of the month. John Laliberte’s family was named family of the month.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga The Women’s Guild hosted a coffee-and-doughnut social on Father’s Day, June 19, to honor the fathers in the parish as well as longtime parishioner Stephen Bartlett, who is moving away. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

July 3, 2011 11

Parish notes: Cumberland Mountain Deanery All Saints, Knoxville The RCIA program sponsored a Pentecost potluck June 11 for former RCIA can­ didates and sponsors.

Blessed Sacrament, Harriman The Council of Catholic Women sponsored a Father’s Day breakfast after Mass on June 19.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade Anniversaries: Guy and Billie LaBorde (63), Joe and Millie Walisinski (61), Al and Kathleen Evans (61), Art and Margaret Scott (61), Bernard and Darlene DeFillipi (57), Deacon Mark and Eileen White (56), Victor and Loretta Galdes (56), William and Janette LaRou (56), Larry and Reva Lanzerotti (55), Ken and Norma Guillory (54), Philip and Johanne Ardire (53), Bernard and JoAnne Bunyak (51), John and Sally Price (51)

COURTESY OF KLIMAS STUDIO

The parish has a new website at www.saintfrancisfairfield.org.

Oak Ridge parish celebrates first Holy Communion St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge celebrated first Holy Communion for 44 children on May 7. Priests in the back row are (from left) St. Mary pastor Father Bill Mc­Kenzie and Father Alex Waraksa.

St. John Neumann, Farragut Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Services thanked parishioners who supported its annual Baby Bottle Drive. More than $3,500 was donated.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge The Dominican Sisters thanked parishioners for their contributions to renovate their convent and construct a new chapel.

The Knights of Columbus hosted a farewell cookout for pastor Father Bill Mc­ Kenzie and associate pastor Father Jorge Cano on June 29. On July 1 Father McKenzie became the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, and Father Cano became an associate at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City

12 July 3, 2011

COURTESY OF SARA CAREY

The parish welcomed its new music director, Cormac O’Duffy, on May 23. n

Bishop confirms youth at St. Alphonsus St. Alphonsus Parish in Crossville celebrated the sacrament of confirmation May 15. With Bishop Richard F. Stika are (from left) pastor Father Antony Punnackal, CMI, Robert Minneci, Amanda Higgins, Michael Barton, Francis Marasigan, Benjamin Gudet, Patrick Zazzaro, Abigayle Claflin, Jacqueline Fraga, Jimmy Weismuller, and Denny Cope. Jimmy and Denny are parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Mother’s Day first Communion St. Elizabeth Parish in Elizabethton celebrated first Holy Communion on Mother’s Day, May 8.

With pastor Father Dennis Kress at the reception following Mass are Tarah Sexton (left) and Alexandria Cruz.

Parish notes: Five Rivers Deanery Holy Trinity, Jefferson City Father Bill Kiel of Indiana, Pa., in the Diocese of Greensburg returned to Holy Trin­ ity to celebrate healing Masses on June 28.

The parish hosted a family picnic with a Hawaiian luau theme June 19.

TOM MANNING

The Council of Catholic Women hosted a “Festival of Tables” fundraiser June 11.

Mary Lou Jenkins and Donna Nicole co-chaired the event.

Anniversaries: Ken and Karen Booker (55), Stan and Virginia Borzick (53), Vin­ nie and Katherine Clossey (53), James and Margaret Ray (52), Joe and Betty Jo Lavelle (50), James and Mary Eslinger (40), Scott and Patty Hosea (35), Steve and Michelle Cate (20), Wes Johnson and Karin Collins (20), William and Christine Dzyngel (15), Jason and Maria Acuff (10) Baptism: Emma Grace Nichols, daughter of Shane and Lisa Nichols

Notre Dame, Greeneville The parish thanked Father John Aiken Fourth Degree Assembly 1840, the Council of Catholic Women, Knights of Columbus Council 6784, and parishioners who contributed their time and talents to the ordination Mass and reception for Dea­ con Dustin Collins on June 11.

COURTESY OF MAGGIE MAY

Anniversaries: Richard and Edna Nojeim (56), Landon and Marlene Wilds (56), William and Shirley Kelly (51), Kenneth and Patricia Fay (35), Danny and Susan Collins (30), Jack and Aimee Place (25)

Notre Dame Parish honors high school grads Ten high school graduates were honored at Mass on May 15 at Notre Dame Church in Greeneville. They represented both Greeneville and Greene County high schools. Gary Laun, Grand Knight of Notre Dame’s Knights of Columbus, presented each graduate with a clock that displayed praying hands and the graduates’ names as a commemorative gift. Mr. Laun is pictured with Notre Dame pastor Father Jim Harvey. The Council of Catholic Women hosted a reception for the graduates and their families after Mass.

St. Mary CCW elects new officers

T

he Council of Catholic Women at St. Mary Parish in Johnson City recently elected new officers for 2011-13.

They were installed by St. Mary pastor Father Aniete Akata, the council’s spiritual moderator, on May 12 at the CCW’s annual spring luncheon. The officers are Mary The East Tennessee Catholic

St. Dominic, Kingsport The annual St. Dominic vacation Bible school, with the theme “Safari Adventure: Discover Jesus the King,” took place June 28 through 30.

The parish thanked an anonymous donor who recently contributed $12,500 to the diocesan seminarian fund and $12,500 to benefit St. Dominic School.

St. Patrick, Morristown The Bernard A. O’Connor Fourth Degree Assembly of the Knights of Columbus honored veterans on Memorial Day, May 30. A plaque honoring veterans was un­ veiled in the narthex following the Memorial Day Mass.

The St. Patrick Parish Center is closed for renovations while new ceiling tiles, lights, windows, and kitchen flooring are installed. Volunteers are needed to help with the renovations. Sign up in the narthex. Donations are also welcome. For more information, call Bonnie at 423-586-9479. n

Meeks, president; Gail Taylor, vice president; Helen Williams, recording secretary; Joanne Bossert, treasurer; and Maria Whiston, corresponding secretary.

The council held a Mother and Daughter Tea on May 22 at St. Mary Church. Parishioner Shirley Cecconi was the speaker. n The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

July 3, 2011 13

Smoky Mountain Deanery calendar The 2011 Sacred Heart Cathedral School Summer Basketball Camp for rising fourth- through sixth-grade boys will be held Monday through Thursday, July 11 through 14. A shooting camp for fourth- through eighth-grade boys will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26 and 27. Download a registration form at www.shcschool.org. For more informa­ tion on the camps, call coach John Hig­ don at 865-712-9561.

Sacred Heart Cathedral and Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa will host Totus Tuus, a summer catechetical program, in July. Sacred Heart’s program will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. week­ days, July 18 through 22, for grades one through six and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17, through Thursday, July 21 for junior high youth. Cost is $15. Register on­ line at www.schknox.org. For details, call Brigid Johnson at 865-584-4528. At Our Lady of Fatima rising first- through sixth-

Parish notes: Smoky Mountain Deanery

graders will meet from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, July 18 through 22. Junior high and high school youth will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17, through Thursday, July 21. To learn more, call Beth or Joyce at 982-3672.

Blessed John XXIII, Knoxville The parish hosted a summer picnic after Mass on June 26.

Confirmandi: Kevin Grady Curtin, Ashley Blamey Longnecker, Ethan Graham Ro­ eder, Jesse Rufus Haynes Smith, Daniel Steven Splane, Justin Anthony Splane

A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held July 16 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. Father Joe Ciccone, CSP, will give a talk titled “The Power of the Prayer and Music of Taizé.” Coffee and tea will be served at 8:30 a.m.; the workshop will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring a bag lunch. To RSVP or learn more, call 865-523-7931.

Holy Ghost, Knoxville The annual parish picnic was held June 11.

Confirmandi: Matthew Jared Armstrong, John Paul Cortese, Trisha Lynn Crow­ ell, Jonathan Michael Frederick, Caitlyn Annette Griffin, James Thomas Hunter, Andrew Grady Jones, John Clancy Pickering, Thomas Adam Pickering, Elizabeth Clare Sullivan, Anna Ngoc Kim Truong, Michael Anthony Woods

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville

The Serra Club of Knoxville meets on second and fourth Thursdays in the Shea Room at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Meetings begin with Mass at noon, fol­ lowed by lunch and a speaker. For more information, call Florence Holland at 865483-0624. n

IC will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the church’s dedication in October with a mission, parish dinner, and Mass of thanksgiving.

Parishioner Paul Schmidt was named State Knight of the Year for his work with Iraqi Christians in Need, service to veterans at the Ben Atchley State Veterans’ Home, and support of St. Joseph School.

The parish celebrated Father Jerry Tully’s 50th birthday on May 22. Father Jerry was born May 27, 1961.

The women’s group sponsored a Christ the Child Baby Shower after Masses on June 11 and 12. Gifts from the event were given to the Ladies of Charity babylayette ministry.

The youth sponsored a Summer Game Night on June 8 and went on a mission trip to Chattanooga from June 14 through 19.

Confirmandi: Spencer Canady, Russell Emory, Arianna McElyea, Ian Powers, Bridgette Fritz

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa

COURTESY OF DEB PEACHEY

The parish thanked all those who have donated to the Haiti Outreach program.

The Haiti Outreach Committee recently sent payment for teachers’ salaries and $4,000 for summer camp and student meals.

CCW awards Monsignor Thoni Scholarship The Council of Catholic Women at St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg recently presented its annual Monsignor Philip Thoni Scholarship to Hayden Peachey. Lee Murray, pictured with Hayden and St. Mary pastor Father Joe Brando, made the presentation. The parish also recognized all three of its high school graduates, Hayden, Michael Patton, and Brianna Mirakaj.

14 July 3, 2011

Sacred Heart, Knoxville The parish held a benefit for the Haiti Outreach Program on June 25. Donations went toward continuing health care in Boucan-Carré, the site of Sacred Heart’s twin parish, and building a new clinic in Bouly.

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville The parish will host farewell receptions for ministries coordinator Kristen Lehman after Masses on July 9 and 10 and for Deacon Dan Alexander after Masses on July 23 and 24. Both are moving outside the parish. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

Sports

NDHS Lady Irish capture state track medals Notre Dame’s girls distance runners are among Irish athletes having strong spring seasons.

The East Tennessee Catholic

Second in the state The girls 3,200-meter relay team of (from left) Alex Mullin, Taylor Saw­yer, Sophie Mullin, and Caroline Heider placed second at the state meet.

Also in springs sports for NDHS: n Megan Luketic placed third in the state in the high jump—the highest a Lady Irish athlete has ever finished in that event—with a jump of 4 feet, 10 inches. The 4-10 mark tied her own school record.

Defending 2010 boys tennis state champion John Dorris paired with Nick Wurm to compete for the doubles title. The pair finished second in the state, falling only to the defending doubles state champions from Christian Academy of Knoxville. n n

Knoxville Catholic High School on May 18 saw nine student athletes make the commitment to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.

Those seniors joined 13 others from KCHS who have already signed on to play collegiately. The athletes earned both partial and full scholarships.

Signing letters of intent were Joey Bodewig and Philip Stephens in basketball with Maryville College; Lucas Branch in basketball with Union College; Dominic DiGiovanni, Chase Fox, and Jonathan Pfleger in football with Emory & Henry; Drew Ferguson in baseball with Belmont University; Spencer Roth in football with Baylor University; and Zach Quayle in baseball with Ave Maria University.

“I am extremely proud of our athletic department, our coaches, and, of course, our student athletes for their dedication to athletics as well as studies,” said Knoxville Catholic athletics director Jason Surlas.

“They earned the opportunity to continue their careers in college, and they should be proud.” n

NDHS baseball team bounces back with strong season The Notre Dame High School baseball team more than tripled its win total this spring, going 19-11 after compiling a 6-18 record in 2010, and capped the season by winning the district championship for the first time in four years.

The Fighting Irish won four consecutive games against the top two teams to earn the District 7-AA Tournament title. n

COURTESY OF RYAN HUNSE

St. Joseph wins KISL title The varsity soccer team at St. Joseph School in Knoxville completed its season May 5 with a 3-2 victory over St. John Neumann in the Knoxville Independent School League Soccer Tournament championship game. The Bulldogs struck early with quick goals by Michael Aleman and Julian Knudsen before St. John Neumann answered midway through the first half.

Michael scored another goal late in the first half that proved to be the gamewinner. St. John Neumann added a late penalty kick for its final goal. The tourney championship was St. Joseph’s first since 2008 and its seventh overall since 1994.

COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

T

he Lady Irish track team at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga led the way to a successful spring season for the school by earning its third consecutive runner-up finish in the most competitive track region in the state.

The Lady Irish finished ahead of 24 teams, including the defending state champions from Howard, in the Class A-AA East Sub-Section at Red Bank.

Alex Mullin, who will continue her track career at the University of South Carolina, earned three additional medals at the state meet in the 3,200-meter run, 800 run, and 3,200 relay, giving her a school-record 13 state medals in track and cross country. The other members of the relay team were Caroline Heider, Sophie Mullin, and Taylor Sawyer.

Alex placed third in the 3,200 run with a time of 12 minutes, 14.18 seconds. She took fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:26.05. The 3,200 relay foursome finished second in the state meet with a time of 9:57.61.

The Lady Irish placed 10th out of 44 scoring teams at the state meet.

Nine from KCHS sign with colleges

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

July 3, 2011 15

Catholic youth

16 July 3, 2011

The new mentorship program is sponsored by the Chattanooga Deanery CCW.

N

ine new officers and commission chairs were installed April 2 for one year of service in the Chattanooga Deanery’s newly formed Council of Young Catholic Women (CYCW).

The installation took place at a Spring Mother–Daughter Tea held at Notre Dame High School. After their installation, the girls sang an a cappella version of “Amen,” which they learned from their voice teacher, Sister Anna Wray, OP. Sponsored by the Chattanooga Deanery Council of Catholic Women, the CYCW is a mentorship program for high school girls in the areas of spirituality, leadership, and service. Any female teen in the deanery is welcome to participate.

For more information, visit www. kdccw.org/cycw, or e-mail Lisa Tuggle at lisadtuggle@gmail.com.

Officers and chairs for the CYCW are Elizabeth Tuggle, president; Mary Flynn, vice president; Jackie Schulz, secretary; Becca Simerly, treasurer; Anna Lawson, leadership chair; Amy Malo, leadership co-chair; Olivia Anderson, spirituality co-chair; Vivian Anderson, spirituality co-chair; and

Newly installed Council of Young Catholic Women officers and chairs are pictured with Lisa Tuggle (far left), Chattanooga Deanery CCW president and founding director of the CYCW, and Pat Lindley, director of Choices Pregnancy Resource Center. From left are (front) Becca Simerly, Anna Lawson, and Jackie Schulz and (back) Olivia An­ derson, Mary Flynn, Vivian Anderson, Amy Malo, and Elizabeth Tuggle. Not pictured is Erica Cyrul.

Erica Cyrul, service chair.

On April 21 the entire CYCW board visited the Choices Pregnancy Help Center in Chattanooga. They met with director Pat Lindley and heard the story of how an abortion clinic on the site was closed in 1993 and the current help center established in its place, on the exact spot where more than 35,000 babies were

Eagle Scout award for Andrew Andrew Hanson received his Eagle Scout award in a ceremony March 27 at St John Neumann Church in Farragut. Andrew stands between parents Robin and Walter Hanson. At right is George LeCrone Sr., chairman of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting.

Mr. LeCrone presented Andrew a certificate from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and a letter from the national-committee chairman (Col. John Halloran) and national chaplain (Father Stephen Salvador).

aborted over a span of 18 years.

CYCW board members Elizabeth, Jackie, and Anna on May 6 attended the annual Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention in Kingsport, where they presented a workshop titled “From Choice to Choices: Transforming an Abortion Clinic Into a Pregnancy Help Center.” n

COURTESY OF GEORGE LECRONE SR.

Twenty-three members of Sacred Heart Cathedral School’s seventh-grade class recently participated in the Duke University Talent Identification Program by taking the ACT college entrance exam.

The Duke TIP identifies gifted children and provides resources to nurture their development, including services and programs beyond what is offered in the classroom.

All twenty-three of Sacred Heart’s students qualified for the Academy of Summer Studies or the Center of Summer Studies.

Fourteen received state recognition, and two students, Michael Shipley and Jake Tidwell, received grand recognition as participants with the highest scores on the ACT. Other students participating were Jones Albritton, Addison Bond, Johnathan Chavez, Robert Davis, Sasha Erpenbach, Zebadiah Evans, Alex Harold, Kathleen Harrigan, Effie Kropp, Nolan McKeown, Victoria Montefusco, Thomas Morris, Abigail Mynatt, Mary Mariah Natividad, Laura Patterson, Emily Plank, Hayden Smith, John Staley, Anne Tierney, Andrew Wells, and Caroline Wilson. n

Council of Young Catholic Women formed

COURTESY OF LISA TUGGLE

Sacred Heart students take part in Duke Talent ID Program

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

The new Missal

From the Paraclete

by Father Randy Stice

The Roman Canon: Eucharistic Prayer I

E

The new Missal’s ‘formal equivalence’ clarifies what was obscured in previous English translations.

ucharistic Prayer I, also known as the Roman Canon, is the most ancient and venerable eucharistic prayer of the Roman Church. The central orations were set by the year 380.

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, it is especially suited on days when it has a proper text for either “In union with the whole Church . . .” or “Father, accept this offering . . .”; “it is likewise especially appropriate for Sundays” (No. 365).

A number of the changes in the translation of this eucharistic prayer illustrate the difference between the method of translation that guided the translation of the first (1974) and second (1985) editions of the Roman Missal and that which guided the translation of the third edition (2011).

The translation of the first two editions was guided by the document Comme le prevoit, issued in 1969. It represented the method of translation known as dynamic equivalence.

Monsignor James Moroney, secretary of Vox Clara (the committee of bishops and experts who advised the Holy See during the translation process), has said that dynamic equivalence “sought to re-imagine the Latin liturgical texts in a fairly dynamic process which often reconfigured the text and obscured certain aspects of its real meaning.”

The translation of the third edition was guided by Liturgiam authenticam (“Authentic Liturgy”), issued in 2001. It reflects a method known as formal equivalence, according to which “the original text, insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or The East Tennessee Catholic

additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses” (No. 20). In contrast to dynamic equivalence, formal equivalence accounts for both meanings and words.

Let me give a couple of examples. Comme le prevoit says that, although in Latin “a piling up” of adjectives “may increase the sense of invocation,” in other languages “a succession of adjectives may actually weaken the force of the prayer” (No. 12). This principle produced the following translation: “from the many gifts you have given us, we offer you, God of glory and majesty, this holy and perfect sacrifice.”

Omitted were three adjectives: pure, holy, and spotless. This prayer, translated according to the principle of formal equivalence, will now read: “we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty, from the gifts that you have given us, this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim,” translating the three adjectives pure, holy, and spotless (emphasis added).

A second example of the difference between dynamic and formal equivalence concerns the use of deprecatory language expressing reverence and humility toward God. Correctly noting that phrases such as “We beseech,” “majesty,” and “most merciful” were taken from forms of address to the sovereign in the courts of Byzantium and Rome, Comme le prevoit (1969) says that “it is necessary to study how far an attempt should be made to offer equivalents in modern English” for these words.

Liturgiam authenticam also acknowledges these origins but contends that their inclusion is one of

the distinctive characteristics of the Roman Rite (the Catholic Church comprises more than 20 different rites, of which the Roman Rite is the largest): “The Roman Rite is marked by a signal capacity for assimilating into itself spoken and sung texts, gestures, and rites derived from the customs and genius of diverse nations and particular Churches—both Eastern and Western—into a harmonious unity that transcends the boundaries of any single region” (No. 5).

A clear example of the different ways of translating expressions derived from imperial courts is the prayer immediately following the “Holy, holy, holy.”

In the current missal it reads, “We come to you, Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your Son.” In the new missal this will read, “To you, therefore, most merciful Father, we make humble prayer and petition through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord” (emphasis added).

The translation of the liturgy into vernacular languages is a relatively recent development—the Church has only been doing this for about 45 years. In her humility, she has acknowledged her own learning curve concerning the best method of translation and affirmed her desire to ensure that the public prayer of the Church “may stand secure as the authentic voice of the Church of God” (Liturgiam authenticam, No. 7). n Father Stice is the diocesan director of the Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox. org. Comme le prevoit may be read online at bit.ly/comme. Liturgiam authenticam may be read online at bit.ly/liturgiam.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

By Bethany Marinac It’s time for our annual summer Super Tuesday sales. Every Tuesday items in a different section of the store will be on sale.

We are also extending our annual summer sale of books and gifts. Discounts will range from 25 percent to 75 percent.

We have many choices for those seeking more information on the new translation of the Roman Missal, which will be implemented on the first Sunday of Advent this year. Those interested in a DVD will appreciate A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do in the Liturgy by Dr. Edward Sri (Ascension Press, 2011, three-disk set, $74.95).

The title is also available in book form. Another good book on the new translation is The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition by Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina (Image Books, 2011, $21.99).

Recently our managers traveled to a trade show where they were able to talk to publishers of the new Missal. New editions of Sunday and weekly missals for the faithful will not be available until after the first of the year.

Our managers also spoke with publishers about the revised edition of the New American Bible, which includes changes to the Old Testament translation.

From the trade show they brought back hundreds of books, music, videos, and gifts.

If you haven’t been in lately, you will be surprised at all the choices. n Visit The Paraclete at 417 Erin Drive in Knoxville; call 865-5880388; e-mail theparaclete @comcast.net; or visit the store’s Facebook page at bit.ly/ theparaclete.

July 3, 2011 17

Living the readings

Weekday Readings Sunday, July 3: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 Monday, July 4: Genesis 28:10-22; Psalm 91:1-4, 14-15; Matthew 9:18-26 Tuesday, July 5: Genesis 32:2333; Psalm 17:1-3, 6-8, 15; Matthew 9:32-38 Wednesday, July 6: Genesis 41:55-57 and 42:5-7, 17-24; Psalm 33:2-3, 1011, 18-19; Matthew 10:1-7 Thursday, July 7: Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29 and 45:1-5; Psalm 105:16-21; Matthew 10:7-15 Friday, July 8: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30; Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; Matthew 10:16-23 Saturday, July 9: Genesis 49:29-32 and 50:15-26; Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7; Matthew 10:24-33 Sunday, July 10: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10-14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 Monday, July 11: Memorial, Bene­ dict, abbot, Exodus 1:8-14, 22; Psalm 124:1-8; Matthew 10:34–11:1 Tuesday, July 12: Exodus 2:1-15; Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Matthew 11:20-24 Wednesday, July 13: Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12; Psalm 103:1-4, 6-7; Matthew 11:25-27 Thursday, July 14: Memorial, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin, Exodus 3:1320; Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27; Mat­ thew 11:28-30 Friday, July 15: Memorial, Bonaven­ ture, bishop, doctor of the Church, Exo­ dus 11:10–12:14; Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18; Matthew 12:1-8 Saturday, July 16: Exodus 12:37-42; Psalm 136:1, 23-24, 10-15; Matthew 12:14-21 Sunday, July 17: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Ro­ mans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 Monday, July 18: Exodus 14:5-18; Exodus 15:1-6; Matthew 12:38-42 Tuesday, July 19: Exodus 14:21–15:1; Exodus 15:8-10, 12, 17; Matthew 12:46-50 Wednesday, July 20: Exodus 16:1-5,

Readings continued on page 19

18 July 3, 2011

by Father Joseph Brando

Battlefield Earth

F

The five Sundays of July depict the conflict between good and evil.

or the next five weeks the Sunday liturgy will offer us a close-up view of the most important battle that ever took place, namely the struggle between good and evil. On one side we have Jesus, the Son of God; on the other we find the evil that corrupts the human condition. Theologically, we know the war is over and evil has been defeated. Yet here in our world of space and time, we are still in combat. We live in an environment that continues to defy God. The readings for July present a battle scene in which the Lord and our sinful world are engaged. We learn how to live holy lives while we are surrounded by sin. As we read the New Testament passages week by week, we are also treated to an exquisite duet between the 13th chapter of Matthew (the parables of the kingdom) and the eighth chapter of Romans—two of the most poignant chapters in the entire Bible.

When they are juxtaposed, we are opened up to amazing insights about God’s active participation in our personal life. Finally, providing a background for these biblical giants, the Old Testament masters succinctly express perennial truths.

July in Year A is truly an operatic masterpiece.

Sunday, July 3: The battle lines are drawn The prophet Zechariah opens the first movement with the lovely vision of a little girl who is found and adopted by a kind but powerful king. Thus begins the battle between good and evil. The king is divine, and the young lady is innocent yet tainted by her environment. The king must eliminate the various armaments stored in Israel that presume war is the only answer to life’s

problems. The girl could not survive with armed conflict as the only alternative. The king’s ardent desire is to bring her and her world to peace.

What the king must do for his adopted daughter, God must do for us.

Accordingly, Matthew publishes a writ of freedom from God, inviting humanity to seek rest from the labor and heavy burdens the sinful world has laid upon us. We must rise up and become aware of the power God has given us.

Then Paul makes the scene dramatic with his description of the power we are given: “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”

With these words Paul encourages us to join the king. When we are with Christ, the power that raised him from the dead is also with us.

No demonic force can defeat us. It is with this power that we enter the battle between good and evil.

Sunday, July 10: The battle begins Isaiah sets today’s scene. He reveals the continuing cycle of life that starts with rain. The rain renders the soil fertile. Into this prepared ground, the sower plants his seeds.

Finally, we rejoice in the bread that results. Then the cycle is repeated.

If that’s the big picture, Jesus’ parable of the sower zooms in on the details. He introduces the sower after he has prepared the soil. He is doing the hard work of transporting the seed to the field and scattering it. There some of it falls on roads or rocky ground or among thorns.

These seeds don’t survive. Only the seed that falls on good ground, which the farmer presumably had tilled and fertilized, grows to pro-

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duce as much as a hundredfold.

There is the victory, but it’s not without casualties.

Paul gives the Romans what might be his moral to that story: “The sufferings of this present time are nothing compared to the glory to be revealed.”

Yes, the good experience pain in our fight against evil. But these are labor pains promising the birth of new life in us who will experience the redemption of our bodies. Thus, we receive the information we need to explain the problem of pain. Putting it all together, we can see that pain is unavoidable, but God can make it lead to true freedom and salvation.

Sunday, July 17: God heals our battle wounds In the background we hear strains from the Book of Wisdom. It tells us that the goodness of God is made manifest when we recognize that he allows us to repent for our sins. God is clement. When we find ourselves wounded in our struggles with evil, we can depend on God to heal us.

All we need to do is approach God with repentance. No matter how deeply sin has scarred us, we can recover and press on.

Looking at today’s parables of the kingdom, we learn about our master’s patience. His coolness in the heat of battle is a true comfort. The parable of the weeds and the wheat teaches us how God defeats evil.

Whereas most farmers would immediately have made their workers pull out the weeds the enemy had planted, Christ is looking not so much to win a momentary success at the beginning but rather total conquest at the end. That triumph comes at the harvest, when the weeds are pulled up and burned.

In the parable of the mustard seed Jesus teaches that we may look small now and be unwanted, but our growth is unstoppable and our presence at the end inevitable.

The message of the parable of dioknox.org

the yeast is that the job may take us as much time as it would for a small amount of yeast to leaven 200 pounds of flour, but we can change our surroundings from bad to good.

The mission will be accomplished despite our shortcomings and deficiencies.

Paul adds another factor supporting our side: the Spirit. Even if we have no idea how to pray when times get tough, the Spirit will surely provide us the aid we need: “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness . . . [he] intercedes [for us] with inexpressible groaning.”

The Trinity is with us as our autoimmune system. The Holy Spirit starts working within us even when we are not conscious of our own needs or how to deal with them.

God is with us now to lead us out of temptation and deliver us from evil.

Sunday, July 24: We can become God’s special agents The Old Testament introduction to this Sunday’s Scripture readings is the story in which Solomon, at the beginning of his reign, responds to God’s offer to give him any gift he wanted. The king asked for an understanding heart, and he received much more along with it. We must develop the same kind of cleverness if we want our actions to be blessed

by God. What makes Solomon’s decision so important? Historically, it averted a civil war and led to an era of growth, wealth, and peace that has not since been seen in the Holy Land. The son who reigned after Solomon did not possess such wisdom, and the country split violently in two.

Jesus presents us with just such wisdom in today’s Gospel: three short parables of the kingdom that let us know how to live.

First we find a buried treasure. A not-so-wise man would grab it and cash in as soon as possible. Chances are he wouldn’t keep his money for any length of time. If he were wise, he’d look around and consider the The East Tennessee Catholic

field in which he found the treasure.

The field too was valuable. Perhaps people around him could use his help and do him favors in return.

Then the fortune he found might have yielded more joy than the original treasure.

The kingdom of God is not for individualists. It’s only when our soul touches and makes a difference in another person’s life that the kingdom becomes alive and continues to grow as we all grow closer in Christ.

Like a pearl of great price, the kingdom is worth going “all in” to possess. It is a wise move in life to bet everything we have (even accepting poverty) in order to gain Christ and his kingdom.

Paul, once again, delivers the closing line. He sums up this episode by teaching that “all things work out for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

He calls us, justifies us, and glorifies us in one great sweep. That’s why we do not have to worry in the battle between good and evil. We are already conformed to the image of the Son. We should live as conquering heroes.

Sunday, July 31: A taste of reality We have completed the parables of the kingdom, but now, after the theory, comes bleak reality. The parables were not meant to present piein-the-sky feel-good theology. Jesus meant every word seriously.

Right after the parables of the kingdom, Matthew narrates the execution of John the Baptist. Jesus retreats to Galilee, and the crowd follows him. It is the worst of times.

The enemy is violent and strikes with tragic effect. Yet the force of good responds with love. With charity, we can turn the tide and create the best of times.

That’s what happens in the Gospel. The crowd finds Jesus and shows him love. They moved Jesus’ heart. He responded by giving them a gift in return. It was the greatest

gift he could give.

Externally, it looked like a miraculous meal of loaves and fish. Actually, he was offering them his very life for food. It was what was to become the Eucharist. First he healed them, then he offered them himself.

But his gift was not merely for those present. He had seen to it there were leftovers to be distributed to others. Like the mustard seed and the yeast, the kingdom of God was expanding and growing more and more powerful. It was starting to bear a hundredfold, as the sower’s seed became the bread of life for everyone.

The eighth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans has been following Matthew’s 13th chapter all month.

Who else could put the final word on what had just happened between Jesus and his people as they heard of the death of John?

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?”

The right answer is an emphatic no.

Rather, we conquer even in the face of the senseless murder of a saint.

That is the bottom line. God’s love is invincible. With that love, we can accomplish mighty deeds in Christ.

This leaves us with a melodic conclusion from the Prophet Isaiah, which completes the month of struggle and victory, of death and eternal life: “All who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat. . . . Come to me heedfully. Listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.”

So the curtain comes down on a month of readings that take us from the brink of defeat to ultimate victory. All that remains is us and the saving water. We enter it and find eternal life with God. n Father Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Readings continued from page 18

9-15; Psalm 78:18-19, 23-28; Matthew 13:1-9 Thursday, July 21: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20; Daniel 3:52-56; Matthew 13:10-17 Friday, July 22: Memorial, Mary Mag­ dalene, Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:811; John 20:1-2, 11-18 Saturday, July 23: Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15; Matthew 13:24-30 Sunday, July 24: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130; Ro­ mans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52 Monday, July 25: Feast, James, apostle, 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Matthew 20:20-28 Tuesday, July 26: Memorial, Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Exodus 33:7-11 and 34:5-9, 28; Psalm 103:6-13; Matthew 13:36-43 Wednesday, July 27: Exodus 34:2935; Psalm 99:5-7, 9; Matthew 13:44-46 Thursday, July 28: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38; Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11; Matthew 13:47-53 Friday, July 29: Memorial, Martha, Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37; Psalm 81:3-6, 10-11; John 11:19-27 Saturday, July 30: Leviticus 25:1, 8-17; Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8; Matthew 14:1-12 Sunday, July 31: Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145:8-9, 15-18; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21 Monday, Aug. 1: Memorial, Alphonsus Liguori, bishop, doctor of the Church, Numbers 11:4-15; Psalm 81:12-17; Matthew 14:22-36 Tuesday, Aug. 2: Numbers 12:113; Psalm 51:3-7, 12-13; Matthew 14:22-36 Wednesday, Aug. 3: Numbers 13:1-2 and 13:25–14:1, 26-29, 34-35; Psalm 106:6-7, 13-14, 21-23; Matthew 15:21-28 Thursday, Aug. 4: Memorial, John Mary Vianney, priest, Numbers 20:1-13; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; Matthew 16:13-23 Friday, Aug. 5: Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Psalm 77:12-16, 21; Matthew 16:24-28 Saturday, Aug. 6: Feast, the Transfigu­ ration of the Lord, Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9 n

July 3, 2011 19

Marriage enrichment: NFP Awareness Week

Life and dignity

Time management and prayer

By Marian Christiana Would you like to have a deeper level of intimacy with your spouse? How about better communication? Is it hard to find time for each other? What if I told you there was something you both could do for your marriage that would benefit all of these areas, and you wouldn’t have to leave your home to do it? Would you be interested?

If the answer is yes, here’s your chance to explore the benefits of natural family planning (NFP). Each year the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops designates an NFP Awareness Week to coincide with the anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae, promulgated by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968.

The document, which can be read online at bit.ly/humanaevitae, articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love, and responsible parenthood. This year’s awareness week runs from July 24 through 30.

Consider five benefits NFP can provide to your marriage: n Open communication: You cannot effectively practice NFP without improving your level of communication with your spouse. n A stronger bond: Talking about the intricacies of fertility signs and interpreting those signs creates a bond that only the two of you share. n Increased appreciation of intimacy: Experiencing times of periodic abstinence helps couples find other ways to show their love and respect for each other. n Mutual decision making: For NFP to be successful, both spouses must be involved 100 percent. Decisions concern-

Marriage continued on page 21

20 July 3, 2011

by Paul Simoneau

O

The Church and her saints remind us that prayer transforms our finite time and works.

nce again I was late submitting my column. Time got away from me, and I was reminded of the old maxim on which all time-management practices are based: “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” But honestly, my lack of time lately has more to do with a lack of prayer than with a lack of organizational skills.

In a day when so many obsess over their use of time, Catholic author Dr. Peter Kreeft offers a muchneeded perspective. “We have time and prayer backwards,” he says.

“We think time determines prayer, but prayer determines time. We think our lack of time is the cause of our lack of prayer, but our lack of prayer is the cause of our lack of time” (www.peterkreeft.com).

Properly speaking, one cannot manage time but only activities within a given time frame. Unfortunately, too few identify prayer as the most critical element for the efficient and effective use of time.

That is why Pope Paul VI reminds us that “in the tradition of the Church every call to action is first of all a call to prayer.”

It is safe to say that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta never took a course in time management, yet few people were more efficient with their time and resources.

When asked how she was able to accomplish so much and with such renewed vigor each day, she pointed to the tabernacle before which she spent so much time in prayer.

She knew that if she was to do the seemingly impossible, she needed a daily miracle of the multiplication of loaves, as when Jesus fed 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:34-44, Luke 9:10-17).

Each day Blessed Mother Teresa would take up anew our Lord’s command to feed the multitude: “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). Certainly she may have been tempted to ask the same question the disciples did: “Are we to go and spend 200 days’ wages for bread to feed them?” (Mark 6:37).

But she never forgot that the second part of this command—“Bring them here to me”—required her first to give Christ the “five loaves and two fishes” of her finite time and resources (Matthew 14:18).

Each day she would confidently bring her meager offering before Christ as the disciples first did when Jesus “looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to his disciples . . .”

(Matthew 14:19).

Although at the end of some days it may not have looked as though there were any baskets of leftovers, at least in the material sense, Blessed Mother Teresa always seemed to have an excess of love.

Because she never withheld from God the gift of her time, and above all the gift of herself, she was always able to give love in a measure of superabundance. Above all, she gave Christ.

Her prayer allowed God’s grace and love to fortify her human works and to transform them into divine works of human hands.

She never worried about whether she had enough food to give, only whether she had enough love to offer. Somehow the material needs were also met.

It was not the fruit of her own time and resources she sought to give but the fruit of her communion with God. This is what distinguished her works from that of a

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

humanitarian. That’s why Blessed John Paul II would say, “The world needs more than just social reformers. It needs saints” (address to Catholic educators, Sept. 12, 1987, No. 10).

Pope Benedict XVI highlights Blessed Mother Teresa’s example as “a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service,” he writes.

“It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work” (Deus caritas est, “God is Love,” Nos. 36, 37).

Blessed Mother Teresa’s prayer was not unique to her or other saints. Her spiritual practices were steeped in the prayer of the Church: the Liturgy of the Hours.

As the prayer of the body of Christ, its purpose is “the sanctification of the day and of the whole range of human activity” (General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, No. 11).

There is no better time management than time sanctification. To learn more, visit www.divineoffice. org.

In closing, let us heed the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II: “Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ!” He “knows the secret of time . . . and time given to Christ is never time lost, but is rather time gained” (Dies Domini, “On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy,” No. 7).

Ending with my traditional play upon the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace . . . ,” offer your time to God. n Mr. Simoneau directs the diocesan Justice and Peace Office. dioknox.org

Once upon a time

by Monsignor Xavier Mankel

Marriage continued from page 20

Turning back the clock a half-century

M

A golden jubilarian recalls the eve and day of his priestly ordination and remembers his classmates.

ay 27, 2011, will be a date that in the future years might be researched by biographers, church historians, musicians, and genealogists because of a solemn Mass celebrated at 6 that evening at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville on the occasion of this writer’s golden jubilee of ordination to the holy priesthood.

We shall not treat of the event here for at least two reasons: we already have well-done CDs and DVDs of the event, and we are much too close to that splendid evening to term it history—yet.

However, it might be worth our while to turn back just one halfcentury and speak of those things that brought us to that delightful celebration a few weeks ago.

It was quite cool in Nashville on May 26, 1961. I spent the night at beloved St. Bernard Convent on Hillsboro Road, as many ordinands before me had done over the years.

My aunt, Sister Mary Scholastica Mankel, RSM, had walked those very halls before succumbing to the Spanish influenza on Oct. 18, 1918, when on mission to Sacred Heart School in Lawrenceburg. Sister was only 28 years old when God called her home.

At the convent that evening were my own blood sister, Sister Georgeanna Mankel, RSM, and my classmate from old St. Mary’s School and Knoxville Catholic High School (the Magnolia Avenue campus) Sister Jolita Hughes, RSM, whom God called home on February 22, 2001, at age 65.

I joined my six classmates (four others from St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, and one each from St. Meinrad Seminary and Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington) in the The East Tennessee Catholic

sacristy of Nashville’s Cathedral of the Incarnation for vesting as the deacons we still were.

We processed into the beautiful cathedral, which then seated more than a thousand persons. The place was packed with families and other friends, priests, and laity, to see Bishop William L. Adrian, D.D., ordain to the priesthood seven men who had spent at least eight years in proximate preparation for the sacred moment: Jack Atkinson and Bill Boltman (Memphis), Pat Connor and George Hutton (Nashville), Bill Jolly (Norris), Xavier Mankel (Knoxville), and Jim Sullins (Nashville).

I remember that the carpeted floor was not all that hard as we lay prostrate for the Litany of the Saints, that the cathedral choir was good, and that Bishop Adrian preached a good sermon that took a long time.

In those days before concelebration we participated in the ordination Mass clad in priestly vestments. Our first Masses were celebrated the next day at our various parishes from Memphis to Norris. The Catholic Church of the early sixties was still giving the appearance that the Church Militant was almost the Church Triumphant.

Please remember that this was more than a year before the Second Vatican Council convened. People knelt along the marble Communion railing to receive our first priestly blessing. Some folks received that blessing from all seven of us, others from only one.

The eighth member of our class of 1961, Richmond Gill (Memphis), had been ordained in summer 1960, a reward for being among the very top students at the North Ameri-

can College in Rome. We also try to claim as a classmate sometimes another priest who was ordained in December 1961, Father Joe Breen (Nashville), but he is still listed as a member of the class of 1962. He too studied at the North American College.

Where are these priests today?

Father Bill Boltman left active ministry several years ago and has died. Father George Hutton died before his silver jubilee as a priest.

Father Bill Jolly left active ministry and stays busy at his home parish, St. Joseph in Norris.

Father Jim Sullins also left active ministry and died recently. Father Richmond Gill left active ministry before Memphis became a separate diocese and lives out west.

Father Jack Atkinson is retired and lives at Villa Vianney in Memphis. He adopts neglected greyhounds. Father Pat Connor is retired, living in Nashville’s St. Henry Parish, where he helps out with both weekday and Sunday Masses very regularly.

I am number eight.

I serve as the pastor of Knoxville’s Holy Ghost Parish, having come in August 1997, and as one of the diocesan vicars general to Bishop Richard Stika. I am the moderator of the diocesan, deanery, and parish councils of Catholic Women; moderator of the Knoxville Ladies of Charity; and chaplain of Knights of Columbus Council 645.

My great joy is transporting my 99-year-old mother to daily Mass.

She joined into full communion with the Catholic Church in March 1942 and maintains the “first fervor” of a recent convert to this very moment.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

ing sexual activity cannot be one-sided. n Lifelong marriage: The divorce rate for couples practicing NFP is less than 5 percent. Divorce in the general population in 2010 was slightly more than 50 percent.

To learn more, visit the U.S. bishops’ NFP page at usccb. org/prolife/issues/nfp or for yourmarriage.org/catholicmarriage/church-teachings/ family-planning.

To find an NFP teacher in your area, visit bit.ly/dioknox-nfp, www.ccli.org, or www.fertility care.org. Note that home-study materials are also available from www.ccli.org. n Mrs. Christiana is coordinator of the diocesan Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Office.

Chattanoogans for Life hosts annual banquet Chattanoogans for Life held its eighth annual Respect Life Banquet on May 6 at The Chattanoogan hotel. This year’s speaker and entertainer was pro-life advocate and singer Tony Meléndez.

Mr. Meléndez was born without arms and plays guitar with his feet. He gained national fame when he played “Never Be the Same” on his guitar for Pope John Paul II on Sept. 15, 1987, in Los Angeles. Since then Mr. Mélendez has performed across the United States and in 40 foreign countries and been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

The opening invocation at the banquet was given by the Rev. Gary Scott of Middle Valley Life continued on page 23

July 3, 2011 21

Signal Mountain man ordained a Jesuit priest he Jesuits of the New Orleans Province celebrated the ordination of four men to the priesthood—including Father Jeffery C. Johnson, SJ, originally from Signal Mountain—on June 4.

Bishop Roger P. Morin of Biloxi, Miss., presided over the Mass and ordination at the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in New Orleans.

Father Johnson, the son of Clint and Helen Johnson, attended Vanderbilt University on scholarship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English before serving for five years as a naval officer. As a diocesan seminarian, he studied theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake near Chicago. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2001, after which he earned a master’s degree in English literature and creative writing from Fordham University.

Before beginning his regency, he coproduced the hourlong documentary film Father Jeffery C. Johnson, SJ Xavier, which was narrated by actor Liam Neeson, televised nationally on PBS, and distributed to Jesuit schools throughout the United States. He then went on to Jesuit High School in Tampa as a teacher, chaplain of the baseball and soccer teams, and moderator of the school newspaper. He also developed the school’s first advanced-placement course in English literature.

Father Johnson will soon complete his licentiate in sacred theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, after which he will become associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in New Orleans. n

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Workshop set on new edition of Roman Missal ather Randy Stice; Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM; and Faerie Pabich will present a workshop on the third edition of the Roman Missal from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6 at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Father Stice, director of the diocesan Worship and Liturgy Office, will present “Introducing the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.” Sister Timothea, director of the Christian Formation Office, will speak on the topic “The Bible in the Mass.” Mrs. Pabich, director of music and liturgy at Sacred Heart, will present “New Music for the New Missal.”

Cost of the workshop is $15, and lunch is included if payment is received

by July 29. Vegetarian lunches are available.

Register and pay online by visiting bit.ly/missal-workshop. To pay by check, download a registration form at dioknox.org/wp-content/events/ RegFormAug6.pdf and return it with payment. For more information, call Eunice Stearns or Father Stice at 865-584-3307. n

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Choirs are invited to take part in ‘festival of choirs’ hurch choirs are invited to be part of a “festival of choirs” at Worship in the City, to be held Aug. 26 and 27 at World’s Fair Park in Knoxville.

Interested choirs should e-mail info@worshipinthecity.com. Tickets and more information may be obtained online at worshipinthecity.com. n

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22 July 3, 2011

Catholic high schools celebrate graduation 2011 Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga celebrated its 130th graduation weekend with a May 21 Mass at the Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul and commencement at Memorial Auditorium the following day. Seen in the commencement photo at top are (from left) Bishop Richard F. Stika, superintendent of Catholic Schools Dr. Sherry Morgan, Sts. Peter and Paul rector Father George Schmidt, school spiritual director Father Augustine Idra, AJ, academic dean Pat Landry, dean of students John Mullin, and principal Perry Storey. The top five students of NDHS’s class of 2011 were Joseph Dorris, valedictorian; Kendric Vaughn Ng, salutatorian; Kenna Rewcastle; Machen Picard; and Renee Prochazka. Ninety-six percent of the 125 graduates will attend four-year colleges. About 90 percent of the class received scholarship offers. Knoxville Catholic High School’s commencement was held May 21 at the school’s Blaine Stadium. In the bottom photo Dr. Morgan embraces Susie Rowland, chosen as the school’s teacher of the year. The top five KCHS students were Carla Javier, valedictorian; Alex Daigle, salutatorian; Hillary Lawrence; Anna Mire; and Marek Twarzynski. Ninety-three percent of the 169 graduates have been offered scholarships, and the same percentage of the class will attend four-year colleges. KCHS’s class of 2011 has seven National Merit Semifinalists—more than the 10 other Catholic high schools in the state combined. Top photo courtesy of Gayle Schoenborn. Bottom photo by Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

dioknox.org

MARY C. WEAVER

Life continued from page 21

Nearly $1.8 million in volunteer work Jane Carter, immediate past president of the Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, poses with a check that represents the dollar value of KDCCW members’ volunteer work for the Church over a 12-month period. The photo was taken May 6, during the organization’s annual convention. Council members presented the check to Bishop Richard F. Stika on June 21.

Brother Maro Cannon, CFA, dies at age 95

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lexian Brother Maro (Joseph) Cannon of Signal Mountain died Saturday, June 4, at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. He was 95.

Born July 11, 1915, he was ordained a priest in 1985. He had been an active member of the Alexian Brothers since entering the congregation in 1941.

He served the congregation as a registered nurse, a food-service director, a bookkeeper, the director of candidates, and a member of the pastoral care staff.

Brother Maro was preceded in death by his parents, Patrick Joseph Cannon and Ella Josephine Walsh Cannon, and his four brothers and The East Tennessee Catholic

two sisters.

Survivors include nieces Patricia Kelliher and Sister Judy Cannon, RSM; nephews Gerry and Patrick Cannon; and numerous cousins, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lone Oak Community Center in Signal Mountain or to the Alexian Village Employee Education Fund.

A vigil service was held in the St. Augustine Chapel in Signal Mountain on Wednesday, June 8.

The funeral Mass was held Thursday, June 9, with Bishop Richard F. Stika presiding. A graveside service followed in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chattanooga.

Brother Maro Cannon, CFA

Condolences may be posted at www.chattanoogaeastchapel.com. n

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

Baptist Church in Hixson. Jim Bello again served as emcee.

Monsignor Al Humbrecht gave the closing invocation.

The Brother Cajetan Memorial Award, named for the late Alexian Brother Cajetan Gavranich, was presented

by Frances King to Donald O’Connor. Mr. O’Connor, a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, has been involved in the pro-life movement in Chattanooga since the days of Roe v.

Wade. He has spent countless hours praying in front of abortion clinics and handing out pro-life literature. He has been a longtime member of the Pro-Life Majority Coalition of Chattanooga (ProMaCC), a group that helped rid Chattanooga of its abortion clinic 18 years ago and helps keep the city the largest metropolitan area in America without an abortion clinic.

The banquet drew more than 300 guests from Chattanooga, Cleveland, and Knoxville.

The day began with a prayer service at the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga. Father Augustine Idra, AJ, led the service, and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann spoke about pro-life bills in Congress and reaffirmed his commitment to the cause.

A pro-life Mass at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, celebrated by Monsignor Humbrecht, followed the prayer service.

The choir was led by Jeff Roueché of St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga.

Mr. Meléndez also performed earlier in the day for children, adults, and staff at Signal Centers in Chattanooga.

Chattanoogans for Life is searching for a new leader, as longtime president Cindy Kedrowski is stepping down. Those interested should call the organization at 423-290-7314. n July 3, 2011 23

From the wire

Seminarians want to be ‘part of solution’ to abuse crisis WASHINGTON (CNS)—Most of them hadn’t even been born when the events occurred that came to define the U.S. sexual-abuse crisis among priests. But many men who entered the seminary in the past decade say they want to prove that priests are good people.

A decade after the clergy sexabuse scandal exploded in the news, several seminaries contacted by Catholic News Service reported the same motivation among men who have entered the schools in the past 10 years: “They all said they want to be part of the solution,” said Father Thomas Baima, vice president and provost at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.

Seminaries have adapted their admissions process and curriculum to reflect an increased emphasis on understanding the role and demands of celibacy and on what is called “human development.” But the common theme voiced by seminary administrators asked about what has changed is that applicants say they want to counteract the negative image of the priesthood that the abuse scandal created.

“More often than not they say they come because they want to prove that there are good priests,” said R. Scott Woodward, dean at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. “They want people to know that religious life and the priesthood are still valuable. They feel that’s a part of their mission.”

Father Peter Drilling, rector of Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, N.Y., said he also has noticed a marked change in attitudes in the 25 years he has been associated with the seminary. More recent applicants are much more aware of and willing to discuss the problems

24 July 3, 2011

behind the abuse scandal.

“Just yesterday,” he said, one of the five men interviewed as part of the admission process said “one reason he wanted to pursue the priesthood is that he has had good experiences with priests and he wants to show that priests are good and that priests are part of the solution.”

All three administrators said their seminaries didn’t add much material to the curriculum related to celibacy and appropriate behavior but began emphasizing it more.

In a “causes and context” report on sexual abuse released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in May, the section on seminaries described a slow evolution in the emphasis on chaste celibacy in the curriculum at seminaries.

The report, “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010,” was conducted by researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York and commissioned by the National Review Board, a lay body created in 2002 under the bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

It said that in the five editions of the “Program of Priestly Formation” published between 1971 and 2005, the section devoted to formation for chaste celibacy grew from “four relatively brief paragraphs” in the first edition to greatly expanded information on celibacy and the integration of “human formation” into all other aspects of formation.

“High standards and vigilance are urged pertaining to sexuality, affective maturity, and capacity to live celibate chastity,” the report advised. It also commented on expanded norms for admission, with

CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

Rectors say candidates for the priesthood are more thoroughly vetted than ever before. By Patricia Zapor

Well screened Students attend a Scrip­ ture class at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yon­ kers, N.Y., in this 2008 file photo. Several seminary administrators say that many ap­ plicants cite an interest in being “a part of the solution” after the sexual-abuse crisis.

reference to “psychosexual development, capacity to live a celibate life, and a minimum of two years of continent living before entry.”

Franciscan Sister Katarina Schuth, a professor of religion at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and an expert on seminary education who consulted on the John Jay study, told Catholic News Service that seminaries started putting more emphasis on healthy development of relationships and the role of celibacy in the early to mid-1990s.

Like the seminary administrators, Sister Katarina said the subjects of celibacy and appropriate behavior have long been addressed in seminaries but perhaps without a deep understanding of the psychology of those topics and appropriate education on how they affect people.

By the time an applicant gets to a seminary these days, he’s already

The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee

been thoroughly vetted by the diocese or religious order he hopes to join. All three administrators said recent seminary students have had background checks and more psychological screening than previous generations ever received. The students are also more open to discussing topics such as sexuality, celibacy, and appropriate relationships, they said.

Woodward said that 20 years ago, “you would mention the word celibacy, and everyone froze. It was like you took all the air out of the room.”

Even 15 years ago, Woodward said, “it was as if they had never heard the word, as if it had not been mentioned as a part of the job description, even though we know it had been.”

Father Drilling said at Christ the King, which is now the seminary of the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y. (it was administered by the Franciscans’ Holy Name Province until 1990), all seminarians receive Virtus training about sex abuse. That includes receiving and responding to monthly updates, just as do all the priests of the Buffalo Diocese.

Father Baima, who has been at Mundelein for 11 years, said that as the abuse scandal exploded a decade ago, “the worry was that it would destroy vocations. We’ve found the opposite.”

The men who come emphasize that they want to be part of the solution, and “it’s a theme that cuts across all types of students,” no matter whether they’re young or older.

“They say, ‘We want to serve the church, and we want the church to be proud of us,’” he said. n Copyright 2011 Catholic News Service/ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops dioknox.org