CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
Praying for the dead A statue of an angel overlooks a grave at the Sisters of St. Joseph cemetery in Brentwood, N.Y., on Oct. 20. All Souls’ Day, the commemoration of all the faithful departed, was Nov. 2, and Catholics traditionally remember and pray for the dead throughout the month.
THE EAST TENNESSEE
Volume 19 • Number 5 • November 8, 2009
The
N E W S PA P E R
of the D I O C E S E of K N O X V I L L E www.d ioces eof kn ox ville.or g
WASHINGTON (CNS)—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts to almost 19,000 parishes across the country in an effort to urge Catholics to prevent health-care reform from being derailed by support for abortion funding. “Health-care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them,” the insert states. It urges readers to contact Senate leaders, asking them to support efforts to “incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights” in health-reform legislation. “If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed,” it adds. The insert highlights an amendment sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., which “addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights.” “Help ensure that the rule for the bill allows a vote on the amendment,” the insert states. “If these serious concerns are not addressed, the fiAction continued on page 2
Please pray for our priests
‘Thank you, Sister Albertine’ Priests, sisters, and laypeople fill the cathedral to honor the diocese’s director of Evangelization. By Dan McWilliams ister Albertine Paulus has always been up to the challenge when it comes to fulfilling an assignment, but at the Mass on Oct. 18 celebrating her decades of service she nearly faltered when she was asked to deliver a few closing remarks. As the retiring Sister of Mercy looked out at the assembly in Sacred Heart Cathedral, the emotion of the moment hit her. Filling the pews were many of her fellow Mercy Sisters from Knoxville and Nashville, brothers Jim and T. J., more than a dozen priests and deacons, current and former Chancery staffers who served alongside her during her 18 years as diocesan director of Evangelization, former students from her long teaching career, Mercy Health Partners officials from St. Mary’s Medical Center, and many more friends. “I saw so many people come up to
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MARY C. WEAVER
Bishops urge faithful to act now for moral health-care reform
The congregation claps for Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, during an Oct. 18 Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral to celebrate her service to the diocese. At Sister Albertine’s left is sister-in-law Sue Paulus, the wife of Sister Albertine’s brother T. J. The retired Sister of Mercy was also joined by brother Jim and his wife, Sue.
APPLAUSE FOR ALBERTINE
Communion: people I taught, people I’ve worked with, even sisters who came from Nashville, people who have been on pilgrimage with me— whom I’ve been on pilgrimage with, really—people from so
many years,” said Sister Albertine. She choked up as she recalled all of those faces. “That’s the first time I lost it, but I won’t stay lost,” she said. Sister Albertine,
one of the original Chancery staffers when the Diocese of Knoxville was created in 1988, retired Oct. 19 (see Oct. 11 ETC). Her service to the church in East Tennessee included decades of elementary
and high school teaching before the establishment of the diocese, along with roles as director of Renew, the Landings program for Catholics wishing to return to the church, the RCIA Sister continued on page 6
Bishop Stika dedicates new facility at Holy Family The bishop blesses a family-life center and also tells Seymour parishioners that parochial administrator Father Ragan Schriver will become their pastor. BY MARY C. WEAVER
But the bishop had a surprise in store for members of the Seymour church. During the evening celebration, he announced that their parochial administrator, Father Ragan Schriver, was about to become their pastor.
Dear Lord: We pray that the Blessed Mother will wrap her mantle around your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry. We pray that Mary will guide your priests to follow her own words, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse. May the Blessed Mother’s own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross. May your priests be holy and filled with the fire of your love, seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls. Amen. St. John Vianney, pray for us. ■
undreds of Holy Family parishioners gathered in their brandnew family-life center on Oct. 18, welcoming Bishop Richard F. Stika, who had come to dedicate the facility.
Download prayers and a rosary booklet: bit.ly/priestprayers.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER Bishop Richard F. Stika blesses members of Holy Family Parish during the Oct. 18 dedication of the Seymour community’s new family-life center. Behind the bishop is song leader Karen Burry, the wife of Holy Family’s Deacon Dean Burry.
MARY C. WEAVER
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Explaining that Father Thomas O’Connell—who had served as Holy Family’s pastor since summer 1997— was retiring for health reasons, the bishop said, “I had to ponder who would be a good new pastor. I figure while he’s already here, why not make Father Ragan pastor?” Father Schriver is also executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee Inc. The bishop’s decision was obviously popular with the assembly, who rose to their feet and applauded. “At some point I’ll come back to officially install [Father Schriver] as pastor during Mass, but effective tomorrow, he has to figure out how to pay for all this,” the bishop said. Ground was broken for the 7,000square-foot facility in August 2008. The building will be used for youth and family activities and will provide space for meetings, instruction, and the parish office. Costing about $965,000, the structure was designed by Thom Haeuptle of Johnson Architecture in Knoxville. The building contractor was Evans Contracting Co. Inc., also of Knoxville. Parishioner Dr. Mica Bentley served as chair of the building committee. Before the dedication ceremony, Father Schriver said he was honored to be part of the event. Holy Family continued on page 8