Bishop Stika ordination, part 1

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Pope urges silent prayer Pope Benedict XVI waves from his window to the faithful gathered for the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on March 8. The pontiff encouraged all Catholics to make time this Lent for silent prayer with the Scriptures. page D5

Bishop Richard F. Stika

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

Third bishop of Knoxville March 19, 2009

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Volume 18 • Number 14 • March 22, 2009

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he dwells

AMONG US

BY BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

‘I am a man of faith’ Questions to the bishop about his ideology or agenda have an easy answer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Repeatedly, these words echoed from the lips of the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, as he traveled the globe preaching a message of faith to all who were willing to listen. These words are also what I share with you today.

March 19 marks a special moment in the life of the church of the Diocese of Knoxville as well as in my own life as a fellow pilgrim in faith. We gather—with representatives of the Catholic Church throughout the na-

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tion, along with the personal representative of the Holy Father, Archbishop Pietro Sambi—to begin our journey in continuing to build the kingdom in East Tennessee. I am grateful to God and to Pope Benedict XVI for allowing this to occur.

Recently I was asked whether I am a conservative or a liberal. In addition, what is my agenda for the diocese and in my role as bishop?

People in our day and age seem to enjoy giving these types of tags or labels to individuals. For me, both questions were easy to answer. I am a man of faith, called to be a shepherd in the church and to teach Jesus Christ! In teaching Jesus Christ, I will

BY FATHER AL HUMBRECHT

An eclectic series A final column from the diocesan administrator offers many thank-yous.

The time has come to pen my last column as diocesan administrator.

As I look back over the past year and seven months, this column has truly been an eclectic series of musings on a variety of topics and experiences. Thinking about this, I recalled a note I once wrote on a student’s paper when I was teaching high school. It has been almost 30 years since I wrote that remark, but my former student still reminds me about it when he comes to town to visit his family.

The remark was: “I have more to do with my time than read the ramblings of a confused mind.” I was a young teacher at that point, and he really was a bright student.

He has since gone on to earn several graduate degrees, and we are still friends.

My hope is that none of you have had that same comment about these musings of

mine. I have enjoyed writing them, but I know I have tried the ETC staff’s patience at times with barely making the deadline.

Writing helps me organize my thoughts and gives me the opportunity to reflect on experiences and topics. I recently began journaling my own spiritual commentary on the Gospel of St. Mark. I read a short section each day and pray about what that passage means for me in my life today.

Then I write the reflection in my journal. There are no right or wrong responses because I am recording how God’s Word speaks to me today, and it is a matter of private prayer.

I have been at this for 85 days and am up to chapter 15, verse 16.

Recently I shared a little technique to help begin and end the day with Scripture. If you start to do that, it’s easy to add a prayer journal to the experience. All you need to do is keep a notebook or blank journal and a pen beside the bed. Because it is Lent, you might want to begin with the Passion account in one of the Gospels.

teach and live what the church teaches and lives.

And so, we begin together.

As I write this, I am keenly aware that this is a special edition of The East Tennessee Catholic that both celebrates the life of the church of the Diocese of Knoxville at this special moment and also serves as an introduction to you of a Christian by the name of Richard Frank Stika.

I am most grateful to all who participated in this endeavor, especially to those who gave so much time in its preparation. I extend a special thank you to The East Tennessee Catholic staff—Mary Weaver, Dan McWilliams, and Margaret Hunt. I also wish to thank all those who so thoughtfully placed special advertisements of congratulations and welcome in this edition. Your sentiments and support have added to the depth of this occasion, and I am truly grateful.

Jesus, we trust in you! ■ I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for all of your prayers for me during the 19 months I have served as diocesan administrator. They have been a tremendous support for me.

Our diocesan consultors have also been very supportive and very cooperative in attending meetings to help give broad input for some serious decisions that had to be made. The cooperation and solicitude on the part of our priests, deacons, and religious has been very heartwarming for me. Our consultors realized that even without a bishop, the ministries of the diocese needed to go on as usual. They tried to keep up an air of normalcy during this interim period.

I also want to thank the staff and members of Sacred Heart Cathedral for their patience and understanding as I tried to balance the two responsibilities. My final thank you is to Pope Benedict XVI for appointing Monsignor Richard Stika as the third bishop of Knoxville and to Monsignor Stika for saying yes.

Please keep me in your prayers as I transition back to being a full-time pastor. ■ Father Humbrecht served as the diocesan administrator from August 2007 to March 2009.

Watch the Mass online f you were not able to attend the ordination Mass—or you’d like to view it again—the entire event may be viewed on the diocesan website for 30 days afterward.

To view the Mass, visit dioceseofknoxville.org. ■

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE

805 Northshore Drive S.W.

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Knoxville, TN 37919-7551

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

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

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

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www.dioceseofknoxville.org

Penance services scheduled

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ere is a list of upcoming Lenten penance services in the Diocese of Knoxville. View updates at dioceseofknoxville.org.

Chattanooga Deanery 7 p.m. EDT except as noted. March 23—Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chattanooga; March 25—Our Lady of Lourdes, South Pittsburg, 6:30 p.m. CDT; March 26—St. Stephen, Chattanooga; March 31—Shepherd of the Valley, Dunlap, 6:30 p.m. CDT; April 1—St. Bridget, Dayton; April 2—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Cleveland Cumberland Mountain Deanery 7 p.m. March 23—St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City; March 25—Blessed Sacrament, Harriman; March 30—St. John Neumann, Farragut; April 6—All Saints, Knoxville Five Rivers Deanery 7 p.m. March 23—Good Shepherd, Newport; March 25—Holy Trinity, Jefferson City; March 26—St. Henry, Rogersville, and St. James the Apostle, Sneedville, at St. Henry; March 30—St. Patrick, Morristown; March 31—Notre Dame, Greeneville, and St. Mary, Johnson City Smoky Mountain Deanery 7:30 p.m. except as noted. March 23—Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa; March 24—Sacred Heart Cathedral; March 25—Holy Family, Seymour; March 30—John XXIII, Knoxville; April 1—Holy Cross, Pigeon Forge, 7 p.m., and Holy Ghost, Knoxville, and Immaculate Conception, Knoxville, at IC. ■

Catechetical-formation program for adults continues he diocese’s catechetical-formation program for adults will continue in 2009, with two additional catechetical days and one catechistorientation session.

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

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

The orientation session will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 30, at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge. Those who have already taken part in an orientation session need not attend.

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Formation days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (choose one) ■ ■

March 21, All Saints Church, Knoxville March 28, St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church, Cleveland To learn more, visit the Religious Education page on the diocesan website snipr.com/ REprograms, or contact Rich Armstrong, the director of Religious Education, at rarmstrong@ dioceseofknoxville.org or 865-584-3307.

To register, visit dioceseofknoxville.org, click Resources/ETC, then click Event registration in the left frame. ■

Child-protection training sessions he Diocese of Knoxville’s program for the protection of children and youth is based on training developed by Virtus and is offered regularly throughout the diocese.

A three-hour seminar for adults, “Protecting God’s Children,” is required for parish and school employees and regular volunteers in contact with children or vulnerable adults and is also recommended for parents

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and grandparents.

The following training sessions have been scheduled: ■ Notre Dame High School, Chattanooga, 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 24 ■ St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Lenoir City, 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25 ■ St. Mary Church, Johnson City, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, April 27 (session will be held in St. Ann’s Hall).

To register, visit virtusonline.org. ■

Diocese of Knoxville procedure for reporting sexual abuse Anyone who has actual knowledge of or who has reasonable cause to suspect an incident of sexual abuse should report such information to the appropriate civil authorities first, then to the bishop’s office, 865-584-3307, or the diocesan victims’ assistance coordinator, Marla Lenihan, 865-482-1388.

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COURTESY OF BISHOP RICHARD STIKA

MEETING THE HOLY FATHER

Pope John Paul II greets then–Monsignor Richard Stika in Rome. The new bishop of Knoxville met John Paul II more than two dozen times.

Bishop Stika’s ‘episcopal grandfather’

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Cardinal Justin F. Rigali is pictured in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in August 2002. The cardinal will serve as principal consecrator for his good friend Bishop Richard Stika on March 19.

LONGTIME FRIEND

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

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Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville will also be a co-consecrator for the ordination Mass. Archbishop Kurtz served as second bishop of Knoxville, from December 1999 to June 2007. www.dioceseofknoxville.org

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

ishop Richard F. Stika will be only two steps removed in apostolic succession from Pope John Paul II. The Diocese of Knoxville’s third bishop will be ordained March 19 with Cardinal Justin F. Rigali—a close friend of the ordinand—as his principal consecrator. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Knoxville’s second bishop, will be a coconsecrator along with Bishop Robert J. Shaheen of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles.

The cardinal, formerly archbishop of St. Louis and a longtime friend of Bishop Stika, was ordained an archbishop in 1985 by John Paul II. “There was a man in Florida who contacted me, and he has a hobby of tracing the episcopal lineage of bishops,” said Bishop Stika. “I will be ordained by Cardinal Rigali, who was ordained an archbishop by Pope John Paul II, who was ordained a bishop by his bishop in Kraków, and it goes back almost three centuries.”

St. Józef Bilczewski, ordained archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine, in 1901 and canonized in 2005, was the principal consecrator of Archbishop Boleslaw Twardowski of Lviv in 1919. Fourteen years later, Archbishop Twardowski ordained Father Eugeniusz Baziak as auxiliary bishop of Lviv.

Succeeding Archbishop Twardowski upon the latter’s death in 1945, Archbishop Baziak would go on to become apostolic administrator of Kraków in 1951. It was in that role that he ordained Karol Józef Wojtyla as auxiliary bishop of Kraków in 1958.

Cardinal Wojtyla would be elected pope 20 years and 18 days later and take the name John Paul II. “The person [in the lineage] I think I’m most

Bishop Robert J. Shaheen will serve as a co-consecrator.

Bishop Shaheen has known Bishop Stika since he was a young man. He is ordinary for the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, based in St. Louis.

parish I got to know the rite, so I kind of stuck with it. Eventually I was ordained a priest and got the bi-ritual faculties.”

Father Shaheen “preached my first Mass,” said Bishop Stika.

“Now he’s the bishop of that Maronite diocese, and its headquarters is in St. Louis. His diocese is about two-thirds of the United States.” ■

proud of, because I’ve always had a special sense of him, is Pope John Paul II,” said Bishop Stika.

“It’s like he’s my episcopal grandfather.”

Principal consecrator Cardinal Rigali is a good friend of the entire Stika family, so much so that certain young members of the clan have the cardinal’s cell-phone number and call him when they have difficult questions, said Bishop Stika. His younger relatives also call the Archbishop of Philadelphia “Uncle Cardinal.”

Cardinal Rigali chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, whose members include Archbishop Kurtz. Both have many popes in their episcopal lineage. Archbishop Kurtz’s principal consecrator was apostolic nuncio Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, who was ordained a bishop

by Pope Paul VI. Bishop Shaheen is another old friend of Bishop Stika’s. The former once hired Knoxville’s future ordinary to answer phones at St. Raymond Maronite Cathedral in St. Louis. When he became a priest, Father Stika was granted bi-ritual faculties to celebrate Masses for Maronite Catholics.

“In the neighborhood I grew up in, two families down was the Slay family, and they’re Lebanese. I became good friends with them,” said Bishop Stika. “The father, Francis, owned a restaurant with his brothers, and they were Maronites—Lebanese Catholics. I was looking for a job, and I used to do some yard work for Mr. Slay. He said the pastor of St. Raymond’s, Father Robert Shaheen, was getting ready to build a new church and a whole new complex, so he was looking for someone to help.

“He hired me, so I started working for him through high school and college. I dated a lot and did normal things, and when I went to the

BY DAN MCWILLIAMS

Archbishop Pietro Sambi is the apostolic nuncio to the United States. At a bishop’s installation, the nuncio reads the Holy Father’s apostolic letter, announcing the new bishop’s appointment.

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

Congratulations

Bishop Richard F. Stika

Incarnate Word Parish, 13416 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield, MO 63017

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‘The type who’d become a priest’ Bishop Stika’s brothers reflect on their years with him, and friends recall how he touched their life. By Dan McWilliams wo of Bishop Richard F. Stika’s brothers and a pair of his longtime friends are among many who will miss him as he moves to East Tennessee after a lifetime in St. Louis.

In looking back over their years with him, the four shared their memories of the bishop, including kindnesses he performed for them involving the Holy Father and a baseball Hall-of-Famer. One friend left behind a career in politics to work for the church, and he credited the bishop in part for helping him make that move.

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‘Great place to be a kid’ Bishop Stika grew up in a twobedroom home on Scanlan Avenue, where parents Frank and Helen Stika raised him and their other sons, older siblings Lawrence and Robert Stika and youngest brother Joseph Calabro.

“It was just a small brick bungalow and just a normal neighborhood of South St. Louis,” said Bishop Stika. “On our street we had, I’ll bet, 35 to 40 kids my age growing up in the same era. One family, the Slay family—the current mayor [Francis G. Slay] is a part of that family—had 11 children, so that made a big difference. We used to play kickball and play in the streets.”

Neighborhood children didn’t need a watch to remind them of two important times.

“There was always the understanding that when the church bell rang at 6 o’clock in the evening, it was time to come home for dinner,” said Bishop Stika. “And in the summertime when the street lights went on at 8 o’clock, it was time to go home.”

The bishop said he still “keeps in contact with a number of the individuals I grew up with. It was a great place to be a kid.”

Bob Stika, 61, said the Scanlan Avenue home was in a “blue-collar, middle-class neighborhood. It was a quiet neighborhood.”

Mr. Calabro echoed those last two words and told of the bishop’s love of being outdoors.

“One time we built a nice grotto in the back yard for Mary, and that was really nice,” he said.

Bishop Stika could often be found behind a lawn mower in his earlier days, said Mr. Calabro.

“I know it sounds silly, but he liked to be out cutting the grass,” he said. “It didn’t make any difference if it was 110 degrees outside, he’d be out there cutting it and sweating.”

The bishop attended church and school nearby at Epiphany of Our Lord, while Bob Stika—who was 15 at the time of the move to Scanlan—continued his education at St. Francis de Sales grade and high schools.

“We moved half a block from the school and church he went to,” said the latter.

The Stikas moved to the house in 1963, when the future bishop was about 5, and sold it in 1989, after Mrs. Stika moved to the St. Agnes retirement home in Kirkwood, Mo. “It was a great old house,” said Bishop Stika. “The people who purchased it still live there, but they added a second story, which was quite an investment for them, given the nature and age of the house, but it probably was a reflection on the fact that the neighborhood was a good place to raise a family.”

That work by the new owners scuttled much effort put in by the previous family.

“My younger brother Joe and I, we went through that house and put a new porch on the back,” said Bob Stika. “My older brother rewired the place, and they came in and tore everything out when they put that second floor in.”

‘A real good kid’ Mr. Stika recalls the bishop as “a real good kid.”

“He seemed like the type who’d become a priest,” he said. “Never really got in trouble or anything like that.”

At the same time, the older brother didn’t see any obvious signs that his sibling was discerning a call to the priesthood.

“Not really. He was religious, but he dated all through high school and college,” said Bob Stika, a member of St. John Parish in Imperial, Mo. “It wasn’t until after college when he broke up—with a very beautiful girl, I might add.”

Mr. Stika said he had two reactions to the news that his brother would be coming to East Tennessee as bishop.

“It was a shock, but truthfully, I’d been kind of expecting it,” he said.

Golf woes Mr. Calabro suggested that his brother is a better sports fan than participant, citing early attempts

by Bishop Stika to bowl and golf.

“He tried to play sports, but he had three left arms, and he wasn’t too good at that,” he said. “He tried to play golf. I remember at Mary, Queen of Peace [Parish in Webster Groves, Mo.], he was trying to tee up on the fairway. I said, ‘You can’t tee up on the fairway.’ He said, ‘Why not?’ I said, ‘It’s one of those things you just don’t do.’”

What to call him Bishop Stika’s new title has caused a little confusion for at least one sibling.

“I’m still having trouble calling him Bishop,” said Bob Stika. “I call over to the rectory where he’s at, and I go, ‘Is Monsignor, er, Bishop—oh, heck, is my brother Rick there?’”

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“The people of Knoxville will look at him as the bishop, whereas he’ll just be ‘my brother’ to me,” said Mr. Calabro.

“I catch myself calling him Rick because it’s something natural, but we’ll have to get used to calling him Bishop.”

Bob Stika was hesitant to share any silly stories about the bishop.

“I’ve still got to be his brother after this,” he said.

Mr. Stika and Mr. Calabro both described their brother as a “people person.” Mr. Stika said the bishop can be silly but knows when to get serious.

“He likes to mingle with people to find out what they like, what they want,” he said.

“I think he’s a ham, but when it comes to the church business part, he’s 100 percent business.”

Favorite soda The bishop may make Knoxville delis and softdrink manufacturers happy.

“He had to have his salami every day and Diet Pepsi no matter what. Those are his two favorite things,” said Mr. Calabro.

A certain animal carries its own supply of water in the desert, but the bishop made sure he took his preferred drink when he rode such a beast.

“We went on a papal retreat once to the Holy Land, and we landed in Tel Aviv airport. We got out and it was extremely hot, and we eventually talked him into taking a ride on one of the camels,” said Mr. Calabro.

“We actually got him up on the camel, and we teased him—he carried his Pepsi with him.

As long as he had his Pepsi with him in the desert, he was all right. It was quite comical.”

Love of children The bishop has always liked “working with the kids no matter what parish he went to,” said Mr. Calabro.

“Especially at Mary, Queen of Peace—he did a lot of work with the kids over there,” he said. “I was fortunate to work with them on different plays, haunted houses, and whatnot, just to get the kids organized and together and give them something to do.

“Along that line, he would just sneak in a little advice and some comments to them, which was really nice.”

All four Calabro children have been baptized

by Bishop Stika, and he recently confirmed his brother’s oldest son. Second son Paul Richard Calabro, 10, “is the namesake of his uncle,” said Mr. Calabro, who lives in Fenton, Mo., with wife Tracy and attends Sacred Heart Parish.

Meeting the pope Being Bishop Stika’s brother has allowed Mr. Calabro and his family to meet the Holy Father four times, including once on John Paul II’s trip to St. Louis. Bishop Stika coordinated the papal visit on the St. Louis end for the archdiocese.

“If it wasn’t for him, that wouldn’t have been possible,” said Mr. Calabro, who added that he “cried a little at the news of his brother’s new assignment in Knoxville.

“He gave me a hug and said not to worry— he wouldn’t be that far down the road.”

Bishop Stika chose March 19 as the date for his episcopal ordination, which is the feast day of St. Joseph—and the 43rd birthday of Mr. Calabro.

‘Heck of a priest’ Bishop Stika has lived virtually all of his 51 years in the St. Louis area. The six Calabros will lose that “nice feeling of having him right here,” said Mr. Calabro.

“We probably go out to a movie or dinner once every other week, and obviously with the distance between here and there, that will be much more difficult,” he said. “We get together every year at Christmastime, especially on Christmas Eve. He spends a lot of time with the kids.

“He’s very approachable and just a good brother overall. He taught me a lot of life lessons, and I will certainly miss him tremen-

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dously, there’s no doubt about that.”

Mr. Calabro said that East Tennesseans are getting “one heck of a priest and bishop” in his brother.

“He’s a great speaker—excellent homilies, always delicately intertwining a bit of humor,” he said. “On Saturday [March 7], he had us laughing. He said there was a person out in the congregation who kept looking at his watch.

Finally he asked that person, ‘What do you think of my homily? I noticed you kept looking at your watch. Were you checking what time it was?’ And the person said, ‘No, I wasn’t checking what time it was; I was trying to figure out what day it was.’”

www.dioceseofknoxville.org

‘Won’t forget he’s a priest’ Martie Aboussie of St. Louis has been a friend of Bishop Stika for more than 30 years and Friends and family continued on page A8

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Photo captions 1. The newly ordained Father Richard Stika poses with parents Frank and Helen on Dec. 14, 1985. He was ordained by the late Archbishop John Lawrence May. 2. The bishop’s boyhood home on Scanlan Avenue in St. Louis now sports a second story and other additions. The photo was shot in February 2009.

3. New priest Father Stika is seen with older brothers Bob (left) and Larry.

4. In mid-February the bishop-elect stands with younger brother Joseph Calabro (right), his wife, Tracy, and their son Joseph Jr., who had just been confirmed.

5. Bishop Stika assisted St. Raymond Parish, a Maronite church, when he was a young man in high school and college. Its former pastor, now Bishop Robert Shaheen, is one of the co-consecrators for Bishop Stika’s ordination Mass on March 19.

6. In February 2009 the bishop-elect traveled to Rome and had the opportunity to thank Pope Benedict XVI for naming him the bishop of Knoxville. Also seen is Cardinal Justin Rigali.

7. The Stika family were members of Epiphany of Our Lord Parish, and Bishop Stika attended its school.

The church is shown as of February 2009. The bishop planted the pine trees visible at right.

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said that East Tennessee Catholics “will really love the new bishop.”

He said it is hard to put an exact date on the beginning of their friendship, only that it’s a “long time we’ve known each other.”

“I was on the board of aldermen in St. Louis city and was a city official for many years,” he said. “I knew Monsignor before I was in politics, and I was in politics for about 30 years.”

Being a good listener will help Bishop Stika in his leadership of the Diocese of Knoxville, said Mr. Aboussie.

“He has a wonderful knack when people would come to him who are passionate about an issue or upset about something—when they leave him, they feel better about it,” he said.

“He’s exceptional with kids. I’ve seen him on many occasions go into a crowd, and it seems that he gravitates to the young people there, takes his time, answers their questions, and lets them know they’re the future of the church—and that the Lord needs them and that they need to look at the priesthood.”

Mr. Aboussie said that Bishop Stika will “get along with the business community and be able to communicate with the political community.”

“But he recognizes that the most important part of it is his flock that he has to minister to,” he said. “You’ll find you can have legitimate disagreements with him

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without being disagreeable. What you see is what you get.

“Once he gets there, I think you’ll see that I’m right about these things from your own experiences.”

Mr. Aboussie had the same bittersweet reaction as other friends and family members when asked how they took the news of his becoming a bishop.

“There are people in life you kind of take for granted. One of them is your priest, and you feel he’s always going to be there,” he said. “In his case, he’s always going to be ‘there,’ but he won’t be ‘here’ and with us.”

He said he can’t envision his friend “getting so involved in the important work” of a bishop that he “forgets he’s a priest. Those beautiful priestly attributes—I can’t see him ever losing those.”

‘You ought to work for God’ Mr. Aboussie, who plans to attend the bishop’s ordination in Knoxville, “decided a few years ago that I wanted to leave everything I’ve been involved in” and start a new career.

“One day Monsignor said, ‘You ought to work for God,’ and he and Archbishop [Justin R.] Rigali were instrumental in bringing me to the Archdiocese of St. Louis,” said Mr. Aboussie.

He now heads an archdiocesan agency that provides transitional housing.

“I’m the director of Father Dempsey’s Charities.”

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Instant friends Mike Stillman lives in Waterloo, Ill., across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. He has known Bishop Stika since the two met as students at Bishop DeBourg High School in St. Louis in 1972. Their friendship was “almost instantaneous,” he said.

“In a couple of days we were talking all the time and eating together in the school cafeteria, and before too long we were spending the weekends together. I’d come over to his house and hang out with him and his mom and dad, and he would come over to my house and hang out with our family.”

Mr. Stillman said his friend was “probably the nicest, most likeable guy you could ever meet.

He never got into trouble in school. He was a lot of fun to hang around with. He loved sports.

He was always the voice of reason, even way back [when we were] high school students.”

Bishop Stika also baptized the Stillmans’ two daughters.

Mr. Stillman said he was “ecstatic and thrilled” at the news of his friend’s elevation to the episcopacy.

“I will be there on March 19,” he said. “I wouldn’t miss it, and I’m a CPA in the heart of my busy season, but I’m taking some time off, and this is the first time in 25 years I can honestly say I’m taking time off during tax season to go anywhere. The only reason I’m doing that is because of Father Stika.”

Mr. Stillman will never forget at least one act of Bishop Stika’s that involved a baseball Hallof-Famer who happens to be a parishioner at Annunziata.

“I have a nephew named David Stillman, and he’s a special-needs teenager,” he said.

“When Father Stika was over talking to Stan Musial one day, he asked him if he would autograph a baseball bat for my nephew. Father Stika was baptizing one of my other nephews, and after the baptism he came up to David and said, ‘Hey, Dave, here’s a baseball bat from Stan Musial.’

“The look in David’s eyes was unbelievable.

His eyes were as big as apples, and he had a grin from ear to ear.” ■

COURTESY OF BISHOP RICHARD STIKA (4)

The Aboussie family lost a son to a “rare form of a tumor that only responded to surgery, and it got him a few years ago,” said Mr. Aboussie.

“Monsignor would always call to find out how Jay was doing and say, ‘I’m praying the rosary for him,’ or when he was going by the basilica in Rome he would say, ‘I’m going to be praying for Jay.’”

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A statement from Mayor Francis Slay have known Bishop-elect Richard Stika for more than 40 years. He and I grew up in St. Louis on the same block, living two doors away from each other. We attended the same Catholic elementary school, Epiphany of Our Lord. Although I am two years older than he, we were at each other’s homes frequently.

He has been a good friend of mine and my family over the years.

I think the world of Bishop-elect Stika. He always has been very caring and compassionate and a person of strong faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am sure he will make an outstanding bishop.

Bishop-Elect Stika has demonstrated his strong ability to lead as a monsignor, a vicar general, and a pastor. He is an extremely personable, disciplined, take-charge individual who also knows how to listen and has a wonderful sense of humor. He can also inspire others, as he has inspired me, by his strong faith, convictions, and principles, which are evident in the way he treats others and how he conducts himself.

Knoxville’s gain is St. Louis’s loss. Although we will miss Bishop-elect deeply here in St. Louis, we are very proud of him and are comforted in our loss, knowing that a man of his caliber has risen in leadership within the Catholic Church. ■ —Francis G. Slay, mayor of St. Louis

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Photo captions 8. Bishop-elect Stika celebrates Mass at the Church of the Annunziata, his parish in Ladue, Mo., on Feb. 20.

9. A 6-year-old Richard Stika makes his first Holy Communion in April 1964.

10. Then–Monsignor Stika holds his brother Joseph Calabro’s baby son, Thomas, and poses with Mr. Calabro’s other children (from left), Paul, who is holding Grace, and Joseph Jr. The picture was shot at Sacred Heart Church in Valley Park, Mo., the Calabros’ parish, on Thomas’s baptismal day in 2004.

11. Parishioner Alisa Goessling of the Church of the Annunziata shows Monsignor Stika a cake to celebrate his 50th birthday on July 4, 2007.

12. Baby Richard Stika smiles for the camera.

13. Monsignor Stika plays Santa Claus for family and friends at then–Archbishop Rigali’s home in St. Louis.

14. Baseball great Stan Musial and his wife, Lil, parishioners of the Church of the Annunziata, stand with Monsignor Stika.

15. Monsignor Stika throws out the first pitch at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in September 2004. www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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‘The fullness of the priesthood’ The bishop-to-be reflects on ‘the excitement about being Catholic’ that surrounds his ordination. By Dan McWilliams ishop Richard F. Stika said the enthusiasm in East Tennessee over his approaching ordination and installation as bishop of Knoxville represents something greater than himself.

“The excitement is not so much that I’m becoming the bishop, but it’s kind of a joy to see the excitement about being Catholic,” he said. “I hear it in people’s voices, and that’s very exciting.

“All the different parishes and all the different age groups, and bishops and people from around the country all are coming together in Knoxville to celebrate faith, and to me that’s something very spectacular and special.”

The ceremony is “a celebration of the church of Knoxville—the vibrancy in its life and its history,” he added.

The ordination also means “that I’m approaching a moment in my life when I will be gifted with something so special: the fullness of the priesthood,” he said. “I was ordained a deacon May 1, 1985, a priest in December of ’85, and now a bishop, March 19 of 2009.

It’s a humbling experience.”

Bishop Stika said he’s “not so much nervous” as the day approaches but that he does have one overriding concern.

“It’s that I just hope to be a good bishop, and that’s what my prayer is every day when I make my holy hour, that God will use me as an instrument to be a good bishop and a holy bishop and a prayer-filled bishop,” he said.

Since learning he would become the leader of the church in East Tennessee, Bishop Stika has had to select an episcopal motto as well as a name for his ETC column. He chose “Jesus, I trust in you” as his motto.

“Over the last two or three years, there’s one prayer I pray consistently: ‘Jesus, please let me

RICK TERRY

B

The episcopal ring is a symbol of a bishop’s fidelity to and his nuptial bond with the church. Bishop Stika’s ring, cast in solid gold, bears his personal coat of arms. On the ring’s right side can be seen his motto, Iesu confido in te (“Jesus, I trust in you”). On the left side is the date of his ordination as a bishop, rendered in Roman numerals: III XIX MMIX. The ring, a gift from the Chancery staff, was designed by jewelry artist Blake Terry, a 2005 graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School, and cast by his father, Rick Terry, of Rick Terry Jewelry Design.

KCHS GRAD DESIGNS RING

trust in you,’” he said. “He leads us in different directions, so ‘Jesus, I trust in you.’”

His column will be titled “He dwells among us” (see page A3).

“It’s from the first chapter of St. John’s Gospel, and to me it be-

speaks what we are as a church,” he said. “Pope Pius XII talked about the mystical body in one of his encyclicals. He dwells among us in faith as we celebrate the sacraments, as we live out Gospel values, as we celebrate what it

means to be a true family.

“All of those are indications of what that means, that Jesus dwells among us. I think that term and also my episcopal motto are a pretty good one-two introduction to a life of faith.” ■

Bishop Stika— May the LORD grant you peace, strength, and all that is good.

1 The Pope Benedict XVI Schola and Musicam Sacram, the East Tennessee chapter of the Church Music Association of America b16schola.org 1 musicamsacram.org

Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.

“The love of Christ has gathered us together into one.”

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www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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The Parishioners of St. Albert the Great Parish

Welcome Bishop Stika

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www.dioceseofknoxville.org

MARCH 22, 2009

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MARCH 22, 2009

www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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BIENVENIDO REV. SEÑOR OBISPO RICHARD FRANK STIKA La Congregación de Misioneras del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Ad-Gentes Le da la más cordial bienvenida a la Diócesis de Knoxville.

Y ruega al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús que bendiga abundantemente su Ministerio Pastoral.

Bienvenido a Knoxville Reverend Bishop Richard Frank Stika La Comunidad Hispana del Decanato de Cinco Ríos, le da la más cordial Bienvenida a la Diócesis de Knoxville.

Parishes: St. Patrick, Morristown St. Dominic, Kingsport Notre Dame, Greeneville St. Mary, Johnson City Good Shepherd, Newport

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www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic Church 6596 Smiley Avenue St. Louis, MO 63139 314-781-1199

Best wishes from your home parish.

Congratulations on your appointment and Episcopal ordination!

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MARCH 22, 2009

www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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www.dioceseofknoxville.org

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