Oct. 24, 2010, ET Catholic

CNS/CARLOS VERA, REUTERS

Thanksgiving for rescue Rescued Chilean miner Alex Vega, center, arrives with family members at the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile, Oct. 17. Some of the 33 miners rescued last week after 69 days trapped underground returned to the mine for a Mass of thanksgiving. page 6

THE EAST TENNESSEE

Volume 20 • Number 4 • October 24, 2010

The

newspaper

of the D iocese of K noxville www.dioknox.org

B

ishop Richard F. Stika praised “the beauty of Catholic education” on Oct. 9, when St. Mary School in Oak Ridge celebrated its 60th anniversary. About 100 friends, staff, alumni, priests, and sisters turned out for a dinner and dance held at the DoubleTree hotel to honor the school’s six decades.

“The public schools do a wonderful job,” the bishop said. “But one thing that’s missing in a public school is that you can‘t talk about God; you can’t talk about religious vocations.”

But at St. Mary School, where Dominican sisters are part of the faculty, he said, “we’re blessed.”

He cited the presence of several congregations of women religious now making their home in the Diocese of Knoxville and added, “We have to be so grateful to the sisters who are here today. They’ve been educating children for 60 years along with the wonderful laity who are so involved in this parish and school.”

Catholic education, he said, nurtures the leaders of the future in an environment where students can “learn about conversation with God and the power of prayer.”

“They can learn about Jesus and learn that he invites us to be his face and his hands and his voice.”

The bishop asked alumni and current school families and St. Mary parishioners to “continue to support this parish and Catholic education.”

Those dollars, he said, will continue to work well into the future, helping teachers educate and form the young people who will “allow the light of Christ to be seen by others.”

Father Chris Michelson, the pastor of St. Albert the Great in Knoxville and an alumnus of St. Mary School, kicked off the evening, telling stories about his earliest school memories, from St. Mary continued on page 6

Bishop Stika congratulates the high school on being chosen one of the country’s top 50 Catholic secondary schools.

N

otre Dame High School, Chattanooga’s oldest nonpublic school, has been named one of America’s Top 50 Catholic secondary schools by the Catholic High School Honor Roll.

The Honor Roll “acknowledges those schools that maintain high academic standards, uphold their Catholic identity, and prepare students to actively engage the world.”

Bishop Richard F. Stika announced the honor Oct. 15 to students, faculty, and parents in a video message in which he told the students: “I am very proud of Notre Dame, especially the students, faculty, and staff. It is due to all of your support, dedication, and hard work that Notre Dame received this prestigious honor. Know I am so proud to be the bishop of Knoxville and in particular the bishop of Notre Dame High School. To all of you I wish to offer my congratulations. God bless, and ‘go Irish!’”

Perry Storey, principal of Notre Dame since 1996, called the selection a validation of NDHS’s true mission as a Catholic school.

“The outstanding young men and women who have been part of the Notre Dame experience know the quality of our school and are reaping the benefits of a well-rounded education,” he said. “Our students are academically prepared, civic-minded, and formed in their faith. This combination of traits puts them in high demand for colleges and universities.”

Mr. Storey said that over the last decade the school has constantly exceeded local, state, and national test scores; held a 100 percent graduation rate; and averaged a 99 percent college matriculation rate, with the remaining 1 percent pursuing military or national service careers.

The Honor Roll is an independent project of the Acton Institute, an Notre Dame continued on page 6

GAYLE SCHOENBORN

B Y M A R Y C . WEAVER

NDHS named to national Honor Roll

Dr. Sherry Morgan, superintendent of Catholic Schools, and Perry Storey, principal of Notre Dame High School, pose after a press conference announcing that the Chattanooga school had been named to the Catholic High School Honor Roll.

IN THE TOP 50

Pro-Life Freedom Ride for the Unborn kicks off in Knox Father Frank Pavone, Dr. Alveda King, and Bishop Stika speak at a rally on the eve of a caravan to the Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga.

BY DAN MCWILLIAMS

M

ore than 400 attended a rally Oct. 15 in Knoxville to kick off a ProLife Freedom Ride for the Unborn that took the fight for life to a local Planned Parenthood clinic the next day and on to Chattanooga for a service at the National Memorial for the Unborn.

Sponsored by Priests for Life, the rally at the Tennessee Theatre featured the organization’s founder, Father Frank Pavone, and its pastoral associate and director of African-American Outreach, Dr. Alveda King. Bishop Richard F. Stika delivered the opening prayer and remarks at the more than two-and-a-halfhour–long event that included numerous additional speakers, performances by several musicians, and prolife videos.

DAN MCWILLIAMS

St. Mary School in Oak Ridge celebrates its 60th anniversary

Bishop Stika hosted Father Frank Pavone and Dr. Alveda King for lunch on the afternoon of the rally Oct. 15. The three were among numerous speakers giving talks at the event later that evening at the Tennessee Theatre.

RALLY SPEAKERS LUNCH TOGETHER

Twelve members of the Priests for Life staff, including four priests, attended the rally. Sitting on stage

with Bishop Stika was Monsignor Xavier Mankel, a vicar general of the diocese.

Area priests, deacons, and

members of Knoxville Catholic High School’s Fighting for Life Club also were present.

Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace, welcomed the crowd and introduced the bishop.

“All I can think of is the word solidarity—solidarity with God, solidarity with one another,” he said.

“What can’t God accomplish when we come together in solidarity to witness to the cause of life, born and unborn?”

Bishop Stika told the gathering of two landmarks in his native St. Louis: the first cathedral west of the Mississippi—the Basilica of St. Louis, King—and the old St. Louis Courthouse, where arguments in the infamous Dred Scott case Freedom continued on page 8

letters to the

EDITOR

No Catholic voice condemning hate crimes

U.S. Catholics at the beginning of the 21st

century ought not to forget that we have faced intolerance and even violence because of our faith from colonial times until the present. One of the latest manifestations of anti-Catholicism occurred within our own diocese in Pigeon Forge earlier this year. Having been on the receiving end of such religious bigotry, Catholics might be expected to be more vocal in opposing the hate crimes that have occurred recently against the Muslims in our midst.

On Sept. 9 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned threats of Quran burning by stating that “All acts of intolerance aimed at a religious community should find no place in our world, let alone in our nation, which is founded on the principle of religious freedom.”

In light of the bishops’ national statement, Catholics in Tennessee might expect an equally forceful statement from their local leadership condemning the recent religious hate crimes in Knoxville and Murfreesboro. A Unitarian pastor and the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, both of whom represent religious groups persecuted in the past for their religious beliefs, have addressed such acts in the press. Should an official Catholic voice of protest against such disturbing events be added to theirs? n —Ellen A. Macek Farragut Letters should be 350 words or less and will be edited for grammar, style, clarity, and length.

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

living the

READINGS

BY FATHER JOSEPH BRANDO

Seeking justice Being humble and honest before God will help us receive his mercy.

All three readings for this Sunday have to do with finding justice. The theme of the day can be found in the first reading from the book of the wise man Sirach.

He writes, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal . . . till the Most High responds, judges justly, and affirms the right.” Let’s see how this principle works out in the case of Paul and in Jesus’ parable of the publican and Pharisee.

Tradition tells us Paul wrote his letters to Timothy from jail. In today’s passage Paul tells of his experience when he had his day in court. No

one showed up to witness on Paul’s behalf. It seems Paul was devastated. He said he felt deserted. But as we’ll see, that is exactly where he needed to be to find true justice. Alone in a strange city with the power of Roman law looming over him, Paul found strength in the Lord, who was standing by him and rescuing him from every evil. Paul not only found justice but also experienced the power of prayer.

He knew he was safe because while looking into his own soul, he saw Christ.

What Paul discovered by experience, Jesus taught with a parable in today’s Gospel.

Jesus presents two fictional characters who came to the Temple to pray: a tax collector and a devout Pharisee. Both sought justification from God. The Pharisee thanked God. But he did at least three things

wrong. He spoke his prayer to himself. He was looking at and speaking in relation to the tax agent. His prayer was merely a list of his own external good traits: he never looked inside himself.

The publican, on the other hand, did look into himself.

He found the same sins the Pharisee said would be there.

He begged God for forgiveness. Jesus reports that he went away justified. That is, he departed walking with God. The Pharisee was not justified, however, because his pride prevented it. When you’re humble and honest in God’s presence, God will be on your side with his mercy.

The Pharisee was not a bad man. He had merely allowed his love for God to turn into an idolatrous self-love. If we aren’t humbled on occasion, as Paul was, the same could happen to us. n Oct. 24, 30th Sunday in ordinary time Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 Psalm 34:2-3, 17-19, 23 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 Luke 18:9-14

Is the Lord coming soon?

Christ will return, but that future event is no reason for believers to panic today.

Diocese offers ongoing Virtus child-protection training sessions

T

he 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:

All Saints Church, Knoxville, 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 n Holy Cross Church, Pigeon Forge, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 26 (session will be conducted in English and Spanish) n St. Patrick Church, Morristown, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 11 (session will be conducted in Spanish) n Notre Dame Church, Greeneville, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 16 Participants are asked to donate $1 for session materials. To register, visit virtus online.org. n n

Update on ENDOW program

W

omen from around the diocese heard a presentation on the ENDOW program on Sept. 11, and more than two dozen signed up for facilitator training. ENDOW courses present women and teenage girls with in-depth information on the teachings of the Church. (To learn more, read the ETC article at bit.ly/aDNeRR.) Those who wish to become facilitators will be trained from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Training for those who wish to facilitate ENDOW for middle school (“Girl Genius”) and high school girls (“True Beauty Revealed”) will be trained at All Saints from 3 to 4 p.m. the same day.

In mid-October it was announced that Terry Polakovic, one of ENDOW’s founders, was to receive the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award from Pope Benedict XVI for her part in founding and developing the program.

On Nov. 9 Mrs. Polakovic will return to Knoxville to make a presentation to DOK priests during their regular meeting at the Chancery.

The ENDOW program should be operational in East Tennessee by January, said Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, director of the diocesan Office of Christian Formation. n

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.

2

n

OCTOBER 24, 2010

P

aul had a big fire to put out.

The Christian community in Thessaloniki was in an uproar.

They had distinctly heard from some source (some said it was Paul himself) that Christ’s second

coming was about to take place. When that news got back to Paul, he had to do something to calm them down.

Perhaps the Thessalonians were a bit like us. They were confused. They

needed to be set straight on this most important and tricky subject.

Paul begins the lesson even before he mentions the problem. In the introduction of the letter, Paul prays for

his readers “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him in accord with the grace of our God Readings continued on page 7

Oct. 31, 31st Sunday in ordinary time Wisdom 11:22–12:2 Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2 Luke 19:1-10

WEEKDAY READINGS Monday, Oct. 25: Ephesians 4:32– 5:8; Psalm 1:1-4, 6; Luke 13:10-17 Tuesday, Oct. 26: Ephesians 5:2133; Psalm 128:1-5; Luke 13:18-21 Wednesday, Oct. 27: Ephesians 6:1-9; Psalm 145:10-14; Luke 13:22-30 Thursday, Oct. 28: Feast, Simon and Jude, apostles, Ephesians 2:1922; Psalm 19:2-5; Luke 6:12-16 Friday, Oct. 29: Philippians 1:1-11;

Psalm 111:1-6; Luke 14:1-6 Saturday, Oct. 30: Philippians 1:1826; Psalm 42:2-3, 5; Luke 14:1, 7-11 Monday, Nov. 1: Solemnity, All Saints, Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 Tuesday, Nov. 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

Wednesday, Nov. 3: Philippians 2:12-18; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Luke 14:25-33 Thursday, Nov. 4: Memorial, Charles Borromeo, bishop, Philippians 3:3-8; Psalm 105:2-7; Luke 15:1-10 Friday, Nov. 5: Philippians 3:17–4:1; Psalm 122:1-5; Luke 16:1-8 Saturday, Nov. 6: Philippians 4:1019; Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 8-9; Luke 16:9-15 n

Synod members discuss threats to Christian survival in Middle East

BY C I N D Y W O O D E N

VATICAN CITY (CNS)— The survival of the Christian communities of the Middle East is threatened not only by violence and political repression but also by the churches’ weakened sense of mission, failure to work ecumenically, and loss of their traditional liturgical heritage, bishops told the special synod for the Middle East.

“The Palestinian events, the civil war in Lebanon, the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the invasion of Iraq . . . Christians of all churches without distinction are martyred, forced to emigrate, forced to leave,” Armenian Archbishop Boutros Marayati of Aleppo, Syria, told the synod Oct. 11.

“This is a real ecumenical concern,” the archbishop said.

He urged synod members to find ways to strengthen the bonds among all Christians in the Middle East, “encouraging a spirit of fraternity, dialogue, and communion among the churches.”

After a morning of listening to formal presentations Oct. 11, the 185 synod members began making their own speeches to the synod during the afternoon session.

Archbishop Marayati said that although Christians throughout the region share many similar challenges, the situation of the communities varies from country to country. He suggested the synod be followed by ecumenical con-

Synod continued on page 3

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE

805 Northshore Drive S.W .

ferences in each country to offer specific, united responses to local needs.

Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour of Haifa, Israel, told the synod that 2,000 years ago “my ancestors started spreading around everywhere the exciting news revolving around an empty tomb and a risen man.”

Despite oppression and persecution throughout the centuries, the Christians of the Holy Land continue to proclaim to the world the good news that Jesus rose from the dead, he said.

“He is risen, but his cross is still high in our sky. Our Christianity is hanging on that terrible cross,” the archbishop

Margaret Hunt Administrative assistant Toni Pacitti Intern

Knoxville, TN 37919-7551

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

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

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

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

he dwells

AMONG US

BY BISHOP RICHARD F. STIKA

Heroes and saints November is a time to celebrate those who have gone before us.

So many people are hailed as heroes today that the meaning of the word has become diluted. Perhaps because of my love of baseball, I often hear the word associated with sports figures who make millions of dollars to catch or pitch a ball. Talent, though, does not necessarily make the hero.

But there are people who I think do deserve the title, people who have influenced the world in a special way with their gifts and talents. And then there are our personal heroes, people whose example and sacrifices inspire us to become more than we thought we could be. In November—a time when the Church celebrates those who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith—there’s one such person I will especially recall.

During my nearly 25 years as a priest, numerous men and women who have since been called home to God have touched my life. They were family members, parishioners, fellow priests and teachers, those I knew well and those whose path crossed mine only briefly. I discovered that God spoke to me through them, often in the most ordinary ways.

Although such people are no longer with us in this life, they continue to help and pray for us. They are no less a part of the body of Christ, for there are not two bodies of Christ—one for the living and one for the dead.

This truth of our faith has been a great consolation to me and for many who have

mourned the loss of loved ones. With the passing last month of my dear friend and mentor, Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek, I have again drawn near this treasure of truth and consolation.

It seems fitting that God called Archbishop Zayek to his heavenly reward this Sept. 14, on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. His faithfulness, deep love, and many sacrifices for the Gospel brought about triumphs in the hearts of those whose lives he touched. And there were many such people.

He was a tireless laborer in the Lord’s vineyard, which spanned many countries and decades. These included his birth country of Cuba as well as Lebanon, where his family emigrated when he was a young teen. He began his studies in Lebanon to be a priest of the Lebanese Maronite Catholic Church and was eventually ordained in Rome in 1946. He served as a priest in Egypt and later as a bishop in Brazil and the United States, establishing a Maronite diocese in both countries. In 1982 he was elevated to archbishop. He retired in 1996. He was one of the last surviving bishops to have attended all of the sessions of the Second Vatican Council.

The word saint, like hero, is overused today. But I don’t think it’s inappropriate as I recall Archbishop Zayek. He was a man of great holiness, integrity, and vision, and I believe he is numbered among the saints in heaven.

He is the first person to whom I said I felt called to the priesthood, and I credit his wise counsel and prayers for helping me to better follow God’s calling—as a lay

person, then as a priest and a bishop. I continue to call upon him for his prayers and his help. The ring and pectoral cross he gave me are more than gifts from a dear friend: they are sacred relics.

It was Archbishop Zayek whom I intended to visit in Florida last year when I was struck ill and hospitalized, lying in a coma and near death.

A close friend, Tim Trout, who was keeping vigil at my bedside in the ICU, has told me how Archbishop Zayek came to visit me while I was in such a critical state.

The archbishop started to pray out loud for me and for my recovery, and at that very moment, Tim said, my feet began to move, and I started to come out of my coma. In just a few days I was walking, and after a few more days later I was back in Knoxville.

Without a doubt, I consider him a saintly model because he brought Christ to me along with the thousands whom he touched during the 65 years of his priesthood.

Not all heroes are saints, but saints are definitely heroes. Through Archbishop Zayek, I was blessed to have been introduced to another saint in 1988: Pope John Paul II. Both those men are heroes of mine and both are saints.

May we strive to be saints and heroes to all we meet.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. n BISHOP STIKA’S SCHEDULE These are some of Bishop Stika’s appointments: Oct. 24: 9 a.m., Mass and blessing of Emma Strahle “Bootie” Varallo Parish Hall, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Chattanooga; 5:30 p.m., meeting with Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, bishop’s residence Oct. 25-28: priest retreat, Maggie Valley, N.C. Nov. 3: conference, St. Meinrad Seminary, Ind. Nov. 5: 8:05 a.m., Mass with schoolchildren, Sacred Heart Cathedral Nov. 7: 10:30 a.m., Mass for candidates, St. Meinrad Seminary n

from the bishop’s

OFFICE

New pastor appointed for St. Augustine

B

ishop Richard F. Stika has appointed Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Signal Mountain, effective Oct. 18, 2010. Father Kuzhupil has served as associate pastor for the parish since June 1.

Father Patrick Brownell, who has been pastor, is participating in four weeks of military training in preparation for deployment to Iraq in January.

Watch for a story about Father Brownell’s military chaplaincy in an upcoming edition. n

Everyone invited to celebrate Bishop Stika’s jubilee

B

ishop Richard F. Stika’s silver jubilee of priestly ordination (Dec. 14, 1985) will be celebrated at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The focus of the event is prayer for vocations, and Bishop Stika has asked the diocese’s seminarians to serve the Mass. A reception will follow in the Sacred Heart Cathedral School gymnasium. Everyone is invited to attend. n

Faith-formation classes, catechetical days continue

T

he Office of Christian Formation is offering a series of adult faith-formation classes throughout the year and in locations around the diocese. Classes are offered at no charge to adults in the diocese. The following sessions begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9.

The sacraments, taught by Amy Roberts. Explores the foundations of what we celebrate as Catholics. The class examines how we encounter the living Christ through each of the Church’s seven sacraments. Thursday, Oct. 21, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Cleveland Personal morality, taught by Father Michael Sweeney. Explores the foundations of what we believe as Catholics and why we believe it. How do we know the Church’s position on moral issues is correct? How do we live as faithful Catholics in a world that seemingly rejects the Church’s teachings at every turn? This session will examine the concepts of human dignity, freedom, law, sin, virtue, and conscience as well as current moral issues. It will also provide insight into how we may explain the Church’s position to those searching for answers in a confusing world. Thursday, Nov. 4, Our Lady of Fatima Church, Alcoa

Synod continued from page 2

said. Christians in the Holy Land “still live under daily threats” from governments that want to transfer Arabs from their ancestral lands, he said.

Archbishop Chacour called the small Arab Christian communities in Israel and the Palestinian territories “the remnant of the family of Christ” and asked the universal Church to be more supportive of the land’s native Christians.

“We need your friendship more than your money,” he told the bishops.

Coptic Bishop Youhannes Zakaria of Luxor, Egypt, said national conflicts, doctrinal differences among Christians, and the rise of Islam have combined to weaken the missionary enthusiasm of the region’s Christians, an enthusiasm that was responsible in the first place for the spread of Christianity around the world.

“The Church in the Middle East today is a minority living in the midst of a non-Christian majority. . . . [It] is fighting against the danger of its own decline and is struggling to maintain Christian faith in the hearts of its faithful,” he said.

Another Coptic bishop from Egypt, Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut, told the synod that the liturgies of the Coptic and other Eastern Catholic churches always have been the primary means of drawing the faithful together, educating them and inspiring them to go out to evangelize.

From early in the 10th THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

century, he said, the Copts translated their liturgy into Arabic and into the dialects spoken by the people.

The fact that the liturgy was in the vernacular, he said, “helped to preserve the faith, and if we compare our situation with that in neighboring countries of North Africa, we observe that several centuries later, Christianity, which flourished at the outset, has vanished because a foreign liturgy in a little-known language had been imposed on them.”

The problem today, Bishop William said, is that Latinrite missionaries have come into Egypt and have started celebrating the Mass in Arabic just like the Copts do; “they celebrate Mass for our Eastern faithful, helping them separate from their churches and weakening their belonging to them.”

The question of Latin-rite Catholic communities expanding at the expense of the Eastern churches also was addressed by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles, who represented the U.S. bishops at the synod.

The cardinal acknowledged that in the countries where Middle Eastern Christians have immigrated, the dominant Latin Church often unwittingly encourages the newcomers to switch rites.

For example, he said, although the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has supported and even offered financial assistance to the Chaldean, Coptic, Melkite, Maronite, and

Syrian Catholic communities in Southern California, most of the Catholic schools are operated by Latin-rite parishes that give a significant tuition break to families who are active members of the parish.

The cardinal also called for “greater sensitivity” to the rites and practices of the Eastern churches and for a greater effort to educate all Catholics about them.

Catholic colleges and universities, he said, “are keen to offer courses and seminars on other religions—Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism—but little if any attention is given to the theology, liturgy, or spirituality of the Eastern churches.”

The cardinal also called for greater efforts to help Middle Eastern Christian immigrants reconcile with their past and become models of forgiveness and dialogue.

“Often Middle Eastern Christians come to North America with attitudes and opinions toward Muslims and Jews that are not in keeping with the Gospel or with the strides we have made in the Church’s relations with other religions,” he said.

As with any immigrant who fled oppression or persecution, “the biggest challenge is helping them respond to the grace of giving witness to the Gospel by forgiving [their] enemies,” Cardinal Mahony said. n Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops www.dioknox.org

What we believe, taught by Deacon David Lucheon. Explores the foundations of what we profess as Catholics. The class will examine the principal truths of the faith as expressed in the creeds of the Church. Tuesday, Nov. 9, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Chattanooga the office of christian formation, in collabo-

ration with Aquinas College in Nashville, will continue its catechetical-formation program for adults this fall, with three catechetical days, all on Saturdays. The program is intended for parish catechists, teachers in Catholic schools, ministry leaders, and other interested adults. There is no charge.

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

Formation days, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (choose one) n Oct. 30, St. John Neumann Church, Farragut n Nov. 6, Notre Dame Church, Greeneville n Nov. 20, St. Jude Church, Chattanooga For details, contact Father Richard Armstrong at rarmstrong@dioknox.org or 865-584-3307.

Register online at bit.ly/faith-formation. n

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

Only you can divide your own property as you want it divided.

A bequest to your church can be a living memorial to the nobility of your life.

OCTOBER 24, 2010

n

3

BY TONI PACITTI

St. Augustine, Signal Mountain

n The parish held a farewell dinner

for Father Patrick Brownell on Oct. 15. The St. Augustine pastor and Army chaplain left that weekend for four weeks of military training to prepare for his unit’s deployment to Iraq in January (see page 3).

St. Catherine Labouré, Copperhill n The second annual Christ-

kindlemart will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, in the parish hall. Women of the parish will sell handmade autumn and Christmas crafts and baked goods, including Lebanese meat pies, to benefit the Divine Mercy Society.

St. Jude, Chattanooga

n The St. Jude Rosary Makers need

donations of new or gently used religious articles to send to Ghana.

Leave items in the box in the church vestibule or bring them to the parish office. Donations will be shipped in December to Father Akwasi Asare of St. Anthony Village Church. n A used-uniform sale will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, in front of the church. All items will be priced at $5, and proceeds will benefit St. Jude School. Call Kelly Hix at 423-332-6775 for details.

St. Mary, Athens

n Parish youth are invited to attend

the 10 a.m. Mass and CCD classes Sunday, Oct. 31, dressed as their favorite saint. Call Holly Gates at 423507-5899 for more information.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Chattanooga

n The parish treated altar servers to

the Chattanooga Mocs’ game, along with hot dogs and soft drinks, against Georgia Southern on Oct. 16 at Finley Stadium.

Cumberland Mountain Deanery

All Saints, Knoxville

n Parishioners are invited to sign up

in the narthex for an hour of prayer during All Saints’ 40 hours of devotion that will begin Saturday, Oct. 30, and end with a 7 p.m. Mass on Monday, Nov. 1, to celebrate the parish feast day. n The Knoxville-area Catholic singles group will host its sixth annual Halloween party for children from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at the playground pavilion.

shots for Good Shepherd families through Rural Medical Services. n The fall craft bazaar and bake sale will be held in the Dennis Bible Parish Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. n The annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner will take place after the 11 a.m.

Mass on Sunday, Nov. 14. The parish will provide the meat; bring a dish or dessert. n Deacon Otto Preske will celebrate his 25th anniversary as a deacon Nov. 30. n The fall potluck picnic was held Oct. 17 at the Cosby pavilion in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. n Anniversary: Ed and Jan Nowak (50)

Holy Trinity, Jefferson City

n Unused coats, blankets, hats, mit-

tens, and scarfs are needed for Appalachian Outreach’s annual Coats for the Cold drive. Items (which must be clean) may be dropped off in the narthex through Sunday, Oct. 31. n Anniversaries: Kenneth and Ethel Bridgman (62), Ron and Linda Henry (50), Bob and Carol Root (30), Gary and Nancy Zander (20), Joe and Megan Vuono (10) n Baptism: William Emerson Richards, son of Chris and Katie Richards

St. Dominic, Kingsport

n St. Dominic is holding a blood drive

from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in conjunction with its sister church, Mafair United Methodist. n The rummage sale Sept. 11 raised $10,442. The book sale ($1,674) and bake sale ($889) held the same day brought the total contributed to $13,005, not including $300 worth of computers and supplies donated to St. Dominic School from the rummage sale.

St. Patrick, Morristown

n The Knights of Columbus need

parishioners to help them collect money during their Tootsie Roll drive Saturday, Oct. 23; Friday, Nov. 26; and Saturday, Dec. 4. The drive raises money to benefit those with intellectual disabilities. Contact Luis Crespo at 865475-4433 or koc_crespo@yahoo.com. n A costume party is set for 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 27, followed by Trunk or Treating at 7:30. Prizes will be awarded for best-decorated vehicles and best-designed jack-o’-lanterns. n The Council of Catholic Women is recycling Christmas decorations. Place donations in the box in the narthex.

St. Francis of Assisi, Fairfield Glade

Smoky Mountain Deanery

a “Fun, Food, and Games” event at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 4. Cost is $5. n Anniversaries: Roger and Marguerite Audette (60), Tom and Pat Bluemle (57), Ron and Terry Gleusner (54), Robert and Jacqueline Yoesting (52)

n The parish will host the annual me-

n The social-life committee will host

St. John Neumann, Farragut

n Knights of Columbus Council 8781

held a Soccer Challenge on Oct. 10 at the St. John Neumann School soccer field. Boys and girls ages 10 to 14 had an opportunity to progress through local- and district-level competitions on the same day.

St. Mary, Oak Ridge

n Knights of Columbus Father McRed-

mond Council 3175 recently elected and installed new officers for 201011. John Hough is the Grand Knight.

Also installed were John Wheeler Jr., financial secretary; Philip Dalton, deputy Grand Knight; Robert Childs, recorder; Santiago Parra, treasurer; John Wesh, advocate; Thomas Barber, warden; Kevin Dick, inside guard; David Mikeska, outside guard; Michael Haley, one-year trustee; Joseph Wilder, two-year trustee; and Mark Patrick, three-year trustee. n Newcomers: Michael and Mary Anne Alt, Melinda Bousfield and family, Kelley Cotton and family

St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City n The parish will host a community

Veterans Day celebration Thursday, Nov. 11. All veterans and active members of the military are invited to share stories and experiences. Bring photos and other items of interest. Contact Lenny Theobald at Lennytheobald@ yahoo.com or 615-828-9950.

Five Rivers Deanery

Good Shepherd, Newport

n Parishioner Phil Ruch is providing flu 4

n

OCTOBER 24, 2010

COURTESY OF ANNIE NASSIS

Chattanooga Deanery

Holy Ghost, Knoxville

morial Mass for deceased members of Knights of Columbus Council 645 at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7.

Immaculate Conception, Knoxville n The youth ministry is collecting

used eyeglasses and cases through Oct. 31 to donate to Lions Club International. Place items in the decorated shoe boxes in the church vestibule and parish hall.

Blessed John XXIII, Knoxville

n A memorial Mass was held Oct. 13

at All Saints Church for Kay Bacon, 84, a founding parishioner of John XXIII who died Sept. 22.

Our Lady of Fatima, Alcoa

n The Knoxville Catholic High School

baseball team’s annual flu-shot fundraiser will be held in the parish hall after all Masses on the weekend of Oct. 23 and 24. Donations will benefit the team. n The Council of Catholic Women will sponsor a Christmas retreat Saturday, Dec. 4, that will begin with Mass at 9 a.m., followed by a luncheon in the social hall. Sisters Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, and Mary Elizabeth Ann McCullough, RSM, will speak on lectio divina. All parish women are invited. n The CCW will sponsor a “Bake/ No Bake Sale” in the narthex after each Mass on the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. Donations of baked goods are needed. Call Fran Gallagher at 865-681-4753.

St. Albert the Great, Knoxville

n The Knoxville Catholic High School

baseball team will sponsor flu shots after Masses on Oct. 30 and 31. n The youth group served food at the Volunteer Ministry Center on Oct. 6. n

Father Antonio Giraldo (fourth from left, back row) stands with the 2010 missionaries. The youth and adults on the trip represented four East Tennessee parishes.

MISSION TO MARSELLA

ET young people go on 16-day mission to Colombia

E

ighteen youth and young adults from All Saints Parish in Knoxville, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga, St. John Neumann in Farragut, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland traveled to Marsella, Colombia, for a 16-day mission this summer.

Father Antonio Giraldo, then associate pastor at All Saints, coordinated the mission trip. Father Giraldo formerly served as a priest at Immaculate Conception Church in Marsella before coming to serve in the Diocese of Knoxville.

This trip marked the fifth time that representatives from the diocese have traveled to Colombia.

For many years, Father Giraldo worked with the Miami-based charity Minicol (Misión Niños Colombia).

Because of the great need in Marsella, he founded a partner organization, Minimar, specifically to help the poor children of the Marsella region.

Mission tasks included painting and repairing a local school and organizing and executing a vacation Bible school, which was attended by more than 200 local children ages 5 to 13. The mission team also made multiple home visits in the community and distributed rosaries, prayer cards, and prayer blankets. Mission-team members met with the mayor of Marsella and the local physician to discuss potential future mission sites and medical missions.

Each participant in the VBS received a food bag that contained enough food to feed his or her family

for a month.

“The people of Marsella said they were so blessed by having us there,” said Matt Toman of All Saints. “In reality, we were the ones who were blessed to have the opportunity to serve. They have so little, yet they are so happy and so grateful for what they do have.”

The mission team experienced local culture and celebrated major holidays in Marsella.

Celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Marsella and Colombian Independence Day occurred while the mission team was in the country.

The team marked the end of its mission by having a retreat and reflection at a convent in Pereira.

Plans for the 2011 mission trip are already under way. n

Curries of St. Jude in Chattanooga married 50 years

F

rank and Liz Currie of St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 14.

The Curries were married at St. Stephen Church in Port Huron, Mich., with Father Peter Van der Linden officiating. Their children and extended family celebrated the milestone with a Mass and dinner party at the home of Danny and Susan Philpott, a daughter of the Curries, in Hixson.

The couple’s other children are Kathy Martin of Hixson, David Currie of Ringgold, Ga., Sheila Gwaltney of Johnson City, and Karen Spreha of Danville, Va. The Curries have 12 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

COURTESY OF KATHY MARTIN

NOTES

Liz and Frank Currie

Mr. Currie retired from a sales career, and Mrs. Currie was a registered nurse. They became full-time “RVers” 10 years ago and have traveled the country. They currently spend most of their time in Florida and Tennessee. n

FATHER MICHAEL SWEENEY

parish

Blessed Sacrament CCW treats ‘golden’ parishioners to lunch The Council of Catholic Women at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Harriman held its annual Golden Girls Luncheon for parishioners 70 and older Aug. 10 at The Gibson Girls at Adelaide’s in Kingston. Twenty-six women and Blessed Sacrament pastor Father Michael Sweeney dined on food prepared by owner and parishioner Michael Blanchard and his staff at Adelaide’s, a Civil War–era mansion.

www.dioknox.org

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

“One Step Beyond,” a social group for mature adults who are alone, will have its 11th annual Christmas luncheon at Forte’s on the Square in Crossville at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2.

The menu is roast pork, potatoes, vegetable, salad, roll, and dessert. Cost is $13. Reservations are required and must be received by Monday, Nov. 22. Make checks payable to One Step Beyond and send them to Mary Greenwood, 2698 Dunbar Road, Crossville, TN 38572. For more information on the group, call Carolyn Oshry at 931-788-1155.

The Ladies of Charity of Knoxville’s annual Holiday Gift Boutique is set for 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, in the Sacred Heart Cathedral School gym. Items for sale will include candles, home decor, jewelry, plant art, makeup, cookbooks, handbags, ornaments, and toys. Sales will benefit the Ladies’ thrift shop and emergency-assistance fund. Lemonade and cookies will be served on Friday, and breakfast and lunch will be available at the “Soul Food Café” on Saturday.

For more information, call Sue Greer at 865-584-7929.

The diocesan Office of Marriage Prepa­ration and Enrichment will be conducting a Divorce & Beyond facilitator training from noon to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Chancery office in Knoxville. The workshop is based on the Divorce & Beyond support-group program. Anyone interested in learning more about this ministry for separated and divorced Catholics is encouraged to attend the training.

Lunch will be provided. To register or learn more, contact Karen Byrne at 865-584-3307 or kbyrne@dioknox.org.

A Search for Christian Maturity retreat is planned for high school juniors and seniors in the Cumberland Mountain and Smoky Mountain deaneries.

Search 90 is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 19 through 21 at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge. The retreat will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue through a closing Mass at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Search program helps the youth see how they can become faith leaders in their schools and parishes.

Cost is $55. Contact: Deacon Dan Hosford at 865-603-9682 or djh2@ comcast.net for more information.

High school juniors and seniors in the Chattanooga Deanery are invited to attend one of the next three Search for Christian Maturity weekend retreats, all at All Saints Academy in Chattanooga. Search 131 is set for Nov. 19-21, Search 132 for Feb. 25-27, and Search 133 for March 25-27. Cost is $55, and scholarships are available. To obtain a form, see a youth minister, visit the Notre Dame High School office, or contact Donna Jones at 423-718-4387 or djones6029@gmail.com.

Mercy Health Partners is sponsoring Farragut’s 2010 Hot to Trot 5K/10K Road Race, which will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25, on Parkside Drive. This year’s race will benefit the Farragut Department of Recreation as well as Catholic Charities of East Tennessee and Sister Martha’s Food Pantry. Those bringing a canned food for the pantry may enter to win a pair of New Balance shoes.

Interested runners can register by following the links on the Mercy website, www.mercy.com, or by visiting www. fleetfeetknoxville.com/hottotrot. Early registrants are guaranteed a longsleeved, technical T-shirt. The race fee is $20 through Sunday, Nov. 7, $25 through Sunday, Nov. 21, and $30 during race week. For more information, visit the Fleet Feet Knoxville website,

call 865-675-FEET (3338), or e-mail hottotrot10@fleetfeetknoxville.com.

The women’s guild from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City will host a fall brunch and fashion show at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 25, in the family-life center. Kim’s Just for You will display and sell fashions and jewelry at the show. Tickets are $12.

Call Jean Harvey at 865-458-6344 for tickets, which will not be sold at the door. The fashions will also be sold at the family-life center after Masses from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24. Proceeds will benefit local charities supported by the guild. The guild is holding a one-day retreat titled “Understanding Scripture: A Contextualist Approach” and featuring author Dr. Margaret Nutting Ralph. The retreat is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at the church. Cost is $25 and includes lunch. Call Pam Skinner at 865-408-9817 or Mitzi Caldwell 4589612 for more details.

T

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

Club members were joined by priests, sisters, brothers, and deacons from the Chattanooga Deanery.

The event always begins with a Mass, and this year the celebrant was Father Michael Cummins, the director of vocations for the diocese.

Special guests this year were the four Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville who moved to Chattanooga this fall to be teachers at Notre

COURTESY OF SHARON KING

St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga is celebrating its 50th anniversary Saturday, Nov. 20. Bishop Richard F. Stika will celebrate the anniversary Mass at 5:30 p.m. Afterward there will be a blessing of the parish’s new kitchen, followed by a banquet in the large hall. Tickets for the banquet are being sold after each weekend Mass. Costs are $15 per adult and $5 per child 12 and under. Seating is limited. For more information, call John Vannucci at 423-296-0537 or Paula Reiland at 400-6508.

THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

NDHS sisters guests at Chattanooga Serrans’ picnic

BY TONI PACITTI

Father Charlie Burton of St. Jude in Chattanooga and Sister Anna Wray, OP, were among the Serra Club’s guests.

PICNIC PARTICIPANTS

Dame High School.

Most club members remembered having Dominican Sisters at Notre Dame, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, and St. Jude School in the past.

The “new” Domini-

can Sisters are Sister Mary Evelyn Potts, a native of Chattanooga, and Sister Thomas More Stepnowski of Chicago, Sister Peter Verona Bodoh of Wisconsin, and Sister Anna Wray of Connecticut. n

Those experiencing emotional or spiritual difficulties after abortion are invited to attend a Catholic Charities Rachel’s Vineyard healing and recovery retreat on the weekend of Oct. 22 through 24 in Tellico Plains.

For more information, contact Sandi Davidson at 865-776-4510 or sandi@ ccetn.org or Catherine McHugh at 694-4971 or peace4lilith@aol.com.

Rachel’s Vineyard of Nashville will hold its next retreat weekend Nov. 5 through 7 at the Sisters of Mercy Convent, 2629 Pennington Bend Road in Nashville. For more information, e-mail info@hopeafterabortiontn.com, visit hopeafterabortiontn.com, or call Phil Trevathan at 615-525-8239. Confidentiality is honored at all times.

An admissions-information meeting for students interested in attending Knoxville Catholic High School will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, in the KCHS gym. Application materials for the 2011-12 school year will be available. For more information, contact Barrie Smith at 865-560-0502 or bsmith@knoxvillecatholic.com.

A Sacred Heart Cathedral School admission tour will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 27.

Admission open houses will be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, for grades kindergarten through five and Thursday, Nov. 11, for grades six through eight. For more information, e-mail jpunch@shcknox.org.

The fourth annual Ram Run benefit­ ing Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga is set for Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Chattanooga Market during its annual Oktoberfest celebration. The event includes a 5K run that starts at 9 a.m. and a onemile fun run/walk that begins at 10, as well as German food, live music, handcrafted art sold by local vendors, door prizes, and awards. Register at myolph.com. Day-of-race registration begins at 8 a.m. at the First Tennessee pavilion, 1826 Carter St., where the race itself begins. Overall winners will receive a trophy, a $20 gift card from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and a pair of Mizuno running shoes. Costs are $25 for adults and $15 for youth 14 and under for the 5K, and $12 for the fun run/walk. For more information, contact Colleen Teal at 423-605-6006 or c_c_teal@yahoo.com.

COURTESY OF FATHER PATRICK RESEN

CALENDAR

St. Catherine Labouré Parish sign greets Copperhill visitors Visitors to Copperhill now are aware of St. Catherine Labouré Parish there, thanks to signs installed recently by the Knights of Columbus at three locations on the perimeter of the city.

St. Thomas Parish charity auction raises $4,235

T

he live auction Sept. 30 during the fall festival at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City raised $4,235 to benefit Catholic Charities and Loudon County charities.

The auction was part of the “Wine, Cheese, and All That Jazz” evening of wine tasting, music, and dancing.

St. Thomas parishioners won items donated by fellow parishioners and area businesses. Jean and Gene Kray, Janet and John Cooper, Marrie and Jim Walsh, and Pat and Morgan O’Brien cast the highest bid of the evening for a dinner for eight with Bishop Richard F. Stika.

The parish council is sponsoring the dinner. Members will prepare and serve cocktails and the meal at the home of Lenny and Renee Theobald for the bishop,

Mr. Kray, his seven guests, and St. Thomas pastor Father Christian Mathis and associate pastor Father Tom Moser.

Ron and Tanny Williams won a jersey signed by NBA star Kevin Durant with a bid of $165. The Theobalds made top bids of $750 to win a one-week stay at a Hilton Head condo and $105 to receive a football signed by Kansas City Chiefs rookie and former Tennessee Vol star Eric Berry.

Other winning bids included $470 for a six-course Chinese mystery dinner for eight, $425 for dinner for eight with Father Moser, and $300 for an electronic telescope. Also sold were a fallcolors cruise on the Tennessee River, a dinner and movie for two, a 29-bottle-capacity wine cooler, a mantle clock, a garden shovel, and a miter saw. n

The Sevier County chapter of Tennessee Right to Life will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Pigeon Forge Library. Call 865-908-2689 or 335-7764 for more details.

A free two-hour seminar on the annulment process will be held at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, at Notre Dame Church in Greeneville. Father David Carter will be the presenter, and simultaneous Spanish translation will be available. Contact Marian Christiana at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@ dioknox.org for more information.

The next “Picture of Love” engagedcouples retreat will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, in Siener Hall at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga.

Calendar continued on page 7

ROY EHMAN

on the

Our Lady of Fatima Knights present check for pavilion project Grand Knight Dave Bender presents a check for $26,000 to pastor Father Bede Aboh during the vigil Mass on Sept. 25 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa.

Altar server Garrett Parsons looks on at right. The parish Knights of Columbus have been saving half of the proceeds of their barbecues and golf tournaments over the last three years toward funding a 40- by 80-foot general-purpose pavilion at the church.

The check marked the first payment toward the $45,000 cost of the project. The balance will be paid by the Knights with a portion of the proceeds from future events.

Ground was broken Sept. 9 for the facility (Sept. 26 ETC).

www.dioknox.org

OCTOBER 24, 2010

n

5

COPIAPO, Chile (CNS)—As miners were pulled one by one from the tunnel in the San Jose mine in Copiapo on Oct. 13, celebrations of thanksgiving replaced the round-the-clock vigils and special Masses appealing for the men’s safety.

Many of the miners, who had last been above ground Aug. 5, came out of their rescue capsule making some gesture to God, kneeling in prayer, crossing themselves, and voicing prayers.

“By their witness of unity and solidarity, these 33 brothers have united all Chileans,” said a statement issued by the standing committee of Chile’s Catholic bishops the day after the rescue operation was completed.

“Their strength and hope invite us to work together as a society to ‘rescue’ so many brothers who suffer from poverty and marginalization, looking to make Chile ‘a table for everyone,’” the Oct. 14 statement said.

Among the thousands of people waiting at Camp Hope outside the mine in the daylong culmination of a two-month rescue effort, Bishop Gaspar Quintana Jorquera of Copiapo spent time with miners’ families, sharing in celebrations with those already out of the mine and encouraging those awaiting their loved ones’ return. The bishop also celebrated Mass at the camp, asking God’s protection for the miners, seeking guidance for the rescue and offering thanks for all those involved in the effort.

Masses and prayer services of thanksgiving near the mine and around the country quickly replaced the Masses and prayer services of the previous days that had focused on asking for protection for the miners and for the success of the rescue effort.

An image of Our Lady of Candelaria, the patroness of Chile’s miners, which had been a fixture at Camp Hope, was to be moved back to its place in Candelaria Church in Copiapo in a procession Oct. 14.

At a Mass that began late Oct. 12, as the first miner was being brought to the surface, Santiago Auxiliary Bishop Cristian Contreras Villarroel said the lives of the 33 miners should be seen as a sign of the need all people have for redemption.

“There is no saint without a past nor sinner without a future,” he reminded the congregation in El Sagrario chapel next to Santiago’s Metropolitan Cathedral.

In a daylong drama watched worldwide on television and the Internet, miners were raised to the surface one at a time from the tunnel where they had been trapped in a collapse of the mine on Aug. 5. Family members, medical personnel, politicians, reporters, and well-wishers were there to meet each man as he left the capsule that drew him to the surface.

The bishops’ standing committee expressed the “immense joy and thanks to God” for the rescue of the “33 miner brothers” and noted that it had been a time of prayers from millions of people around the world, in particular Pope Benedict XVI, who showed special concern.

“We are happy to see and hear our brother miners, their loved ones, the authorities, and people throughout Chile thanking God for this gift, for this miracle with which we have been blessed,” the bishops said. They also expressed their appreciation for the “admirable efforts of technicians, professionals, laborers, countrymen, and foreigners, who have contributed to the preparation for and execution of the rescue.”

They said they would continue to pray for the miners and their families that “this re-encounter with life will be an opportunity for them and for all of us to appreciate the most precious things we have: life, dignity as children of God, faith, the treasure of family, the value of work justly compensated and in secure and dignified conditions.” n

Notre Dame continued from page 1

GAYLE SCHOENBORN

As Chilean miners are rescued, people worldwide unite in prayer

Notre Dame students applaud the good news about their school’s having been named to the Honor Roll. Bishop Stika congratulated the school in a video message delivered Oct. 15.

NATIONAL AWARD

international research and educational organization. The Honor Roll was produced in consultation with a national advisory board composed of Catholic college presidents and Catholic scholars.

The best schools demonstrate a balanced excellence, which includes an active Catholic culture, sound college preparation, and integration of Church teaching in all departments. These schools also display sound moral, catechetical, and civic formation that prepare students for vocations in the world as political, religious, scientific,

and business leaders.

There are more than 7,000 Catholic schools in the United States serving more than two million students each year. Notre Dame is one of only two schools in Tennessee to receive the Top 50 honor this year (St. Cecilia Academy in Nashville is the other). Knoxville Catholic High School received the honor in 2008, and St. Cecilia has won the award five times since the Honor Roll’s inception in 2004.

This is the third national award for Notre Dame in the past two years. In April the

school was honored with the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception’s Charity and Social Service Award, and in 2009 Notre Dame received the Life Care Centers of America’s Group Volunteer Award.

In January the school will begin its 135th year of operation and will celebrate the benchmark with many public events, including the annual alumni weekend in July that attracts more than 1,200 alumni and friends. To learn more about the award and the school, visit the school’s website at www.myndhs.com. n

St. Mary continued from page 1

the fresh rolls baked in the cafeteria to one of the sisters’ “great big paddle.”

When he entered first grade, he said he was probably “the most excited kid” there because he “just knew I was going to get to play on the coolest and biggest pile of dirt I had ever seen.”

But the pile—from the recent groundbreaking for St. Mary Church—was off-limits to students he learned, and he ended his first day of school in great disappointment.

“We need to pass that on to the sisters,” said Father Michelson.

“Dirt piles are fun.”

Father Bill McKenzie, pastor of St. Mary Parish, introduced Bishop Stika and thanked all who came out to support the

school and those who coordinated the event.

“You know, what makes a parish is not the school or the building. It’s all of us as the people of God,” said Father McKenzie.

“I am so blessed to be a part of St. Mary’s, and I thank you for your presence, your prayers, and your continued support of the school and the parish.”

After the meal, school principal Sister Andrea Marie Graham, OP, made a special presentation to Bishop Stika—one that will remind him vividly of each St. Mary’s student.

Each year, she explained, the parish’s fall festival produces a commemorative Tshirt. “We thought it would be nice if we had all the kids sign

the T-shirt [for Bishop Stika],” she said.

“I’m sorry if it smells a little bit like a Sharpie marker, but it’s permanent, so it won’t come off, and it’s free.

All of the children of St. Mary’s signed it for you.”

The bishop commented that since he came to the Diocese of Knoxville, he never had to buy T-shirts and sweatshirts because so many people gave them to him as gifts.

Then it was time for Sister Andrea to receive a gift. Tennessee Sen. James R. “Randy” McNally, a resident of Oak Ridge and a graduate of the school, presented her with a certificate from Gov. Phil Bredesen, announcing a “day of recognition” for St. Mary School.

Sister Andrea noted

that it “added a little bit of luster” that during the school’s 60thanniversary year it was acknowledged as a Department of Education Blue Ribbon School, along with St. Joseph School in Knoxville (See “Two DOK schools earn national Blue Ribbon award,” Sept. 26 ETC).

“This year, there were four Catholic schools in the state of Tennessee [to receive the award]—two in this diocese. This is a phenomenal recognition of the fact that we are literally in the top 10 percent of schools in the nation,” said Sister Andrea Marie.

“Along with the 60th anniversary and your presence here tonight and the Fall Festival weekend, I’d say we have a lot to celebrate.” n

Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Ukrainian bishop to visit Knoxville, celebrate Divine Liturgy on Oct. 31

B

MARY C. WEAVER

ishop John Bura, apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, will be visiting St. Thomas the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission for its Divine Liturgy at noon Sunday, Oct. 31, in the chapel at the Chancery in Knoxville.

A reception will follow the liturgy. For more information, contact Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or rarmstrong@dioknox.org.

The mission celebrates Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. Sundays in the Chancery chapel; the Oct. 31 liturgy has been moved to noon for Bishop Bura’s visit. n

Sister Andrea Marie Graham, OP, the principal of St. Mary School in Oak Ridge, receives an honor from Gov. Phil Bredesen, presented by alumnus and Tennessee Sen. James R. “Randy” McNally.

‘DAY OF RECOGNITION’

6

n

OCTOBER 24, 2010

www.dioknox.org

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

YOUTH

Readings continued from page 2

COURTESY OF KATHY SUMRELL

catholic

Guardsmen lead team-building activities at OLPH School The Tennessee National Guard Counterdrug Task Force came to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga on Sept. 2 to do team-building activities with students in sixth through eighth grades. Pictured are 1st Sgt. Danny Kelley (left) and Sgt. Tremayne Wade with eighth-grade students. Sergeant Kelley, the Guard’s Drug Demand Reduction area team chief, said the purpose of the task force is to educate youth on the danger of drug and alcohol abuse through team-building activities and communication.

AP Scholar recognition goes to 34 at Notre Dame High School

Father Brando is the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg.

Calendar continued from page 5

Notre Dame’s AP Scholars include (from left, front row) Tina Nguyen, Dylan San Miguel, Alexis Boaz, Caroline Clark, and Kendric Ng and (back) Sarah Anderson, Nick Wurm, John Dorris, Joseph Dorris, and Franklin Wexler. Not pictured are Kenna Rewcastle and Machen Picard as well as other honorees who graduated in 2010.

AP STANDOUTS

Curdy, Mary McGuire, James Meaney, Patrick Wagner, Katherine West, and Sangmin You. Wesley Conn, John Dorris, Joseph Dorris, Taylor Dray, Addison Musick, Kenric Ng, Victoria Thompson, and Nicholas Wurm qualified for the AP Scholar With Honor

Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Thirteen students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by earning scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

These students are Sarah Anderson, Alexis Boaz, Caroline Clark, Michael Cleary, Mary Gorman, Andrea Hand, Nathaniel Hendricks, Megan Mahoney, Tina Nguyen, Dylan San Miguel, Machen Picard, Kenna Rewcastle, and Franklin (Cody) Wexler. n

This marriage-preparation retreat supplements couples’ marriage formation with their parish priest and is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of living the sacrament of matrimony. Cost is $135 per couple and includes meals. The retreat certificate, for those attending the entire event, is good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. To register or learn more, contact Marian Christiana of the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.

The next charismatic Mass in the diocese will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy. Father Dan Whitman of Holy Trinity Parish in Jefferson City will be the celebrant.

Singers and instrumentalists who would like to participate in the choir should arrive at 4:30. Prayers for healing will follow the Mass. Call Dee Leigh at 423842-2305 for more information.

The next Marriage Encounter weekend is scheduled for Nov. 19 through 21 at the Meadowview Marriott in Kingsport. To register, contact John or Manuela Ptacek at 865-531-1719 or celebrate-love@ earthlink.net, or visit www.loveinthesmokies.org or wwme.org. For more information, contact John or Anne Wharton at 423-581-1815 or ACW193@ bellsouth.net.

The next Engaged Encounter weekend in the diocese will be held Feb. 11 through 13 at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater. To register, call Mike or Charla Haley at 865-220-0120. For more information on Engaged Encounter, e-mail Paul or Pam Schaffer at ceeknoxville@gmail.com or visit www.rc.net/ knoxville/cee/.

COURTESY OF GEORGE LECRONE SR.

Light of Christ award presented in Madisonville Sean Webb received his Light of Christ award Aug. 22 at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville. With him are his pastor, Father P. J. McGinnity, parents Brian and Barbara, and siblings Andrew and Amanda. George Le­ Crone Sr., chairman of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, assisted Father McGinnity in the ceremony.

­COURTESY OF GAYLE SCHOENBORN

T

hirty-four students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

Christopher DeBarge qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning a 5, the highest possible score, on nine different AP exams.

Thirteen students qualified for the AP Scholar With Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Alexander Blanton, James Boyette, John-David Bruce, Christopher DeBarge, Conor Delaney Victoria Godwin, Alexander Jordan, Ethan Mc-

and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

With those words Paul is saying that the Lord has already come into their souls. He is here. They have nothing to be afraid of in the near future.

In that sense all baptized Christians are inoculated against being afraid of God. Nonetheless, we should remain in a state of awe of the God who makes his home in us.

The Book of Wisdom, our first reading, presents another way of looking at the subject.

God has always loved his creation. Creation is an object of God’s love, and his “imperishable spirit is in all things.”

God always has been with us. Therefore, he is kind to us and warns us of our sins so we might abandon our wickedness. Once again, we do not have to worry.

Today’s Gospel concludes with Jesus’ saying, “Today salvation has come to this house.” He was referring to Zacchaeus, who had formerly cheated people.

When Jesus noticed him and asked to stay at his house, the tax collector responded to his love by abandoning his wickedness and lavishly repaying all whom he had hurt. God’s everpresent love is here in the person of Christ, and it works.

The kingdom of God is growing stronger every day. Yet we still wait for the Lord’s Second Coming. It will come. But that future day is no cause for present panic, no matter how near or far it is. We need only look around and see Christ present in the people who assemble for Mass, in the Eucharist itself, and in all the sacraments. Don’t panic! He is here with us. n

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

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

COURTESY OF KATHIE ETHERTON

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

St. Jude School raises money for teachers’ wish list St. Jude School in Chattanooga kicked off its annual Innisbrook fundraiser recently with a school assembly highlighted by spirited competitions between staff members using some of the fundraiser prizes. Above, third-grade teacher Jessica Gadd (left) and kindergarten teacher Mandy Mroz sharpen their skills with Marshmallow Shooters. Fifth-grade teacher Meghann Nabor and middle school teacher Keith Leckenby also demonstrated their talents with hula hoops. The fundraiser, sponsored by the St. Jude Home and School Association, annually raises approximately $20,000 for the purchase of items on the faculty wish list.

THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

www.dioknox.org

A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held Nov. 6 at Blessed John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. Peg Becker will give a talk titled “The Roles of Right and Left Brain on the Spiritual Path.” 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 Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 3:30 p.m.

Sundays at Holy Ghost Church, 1041 N. Central St. in Knoxville. Call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865256-4880. n OCTOBER 24, 2010

n

7

life and

Freedom continued from page 1

DIGNITY

BY PAUL SIMONEAU

Reflecting God’s glory

DAN MCWILLIAMS

Those we elect must closely imitate the Lord’s manner of governing.

Father Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life, speaks at the rally at the Tennessee Theatre on Oct. 15. Priests for Life sponsored the rally and the Pro-Life Freedom Ride for the Unborn that took place the following day, when a caravan traveled from Knoxville to a service in Chattanooga at the National Memorial for the Unborn.

‘WRITING NEW LINES OF HISTORY’

began. The bishop compared that decision in 1857 with another made in 1973 by the successors of those justices, Roe v. Wade.

“Decades later, different men of the Supreme Court made a decision . . . to limit the potential of so many—millions now—from life itself,” said Bishop Stika. “We gather together this evening in the name of our creator, God . . . to witness to life.

“The Lord himself invites us to remind those in our nation and in effect those in the world that life is filled with the presence of God, and part of that gift is the potential to make a difference in the world.”

Father Pavone said the theater crowd was “gathered here tonight to write new lines of history, to proclaim freedom to our land, freedom for our unborn brothers and sisters: for their parents and for our nation as a whole.

We are here to proclaim the true meaning of freedom.”

The first leg of the freedom ride took place from Birmingham to Atlanta in July, as Priests for Life purposely chose two sites important in the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and ’60s. The vigil at a Planned Parenthood clinic on Cherry Street on Oct. 16 was followed by a caravan to the memorial in Chattanooga, which is on the former site of an abortion clinic.

“We chose Chattanooga for a special reason,” said Father Pavone. “[The memorial is at] a place that used to be a killing center but is now a place where women and men from around the world—who have lost children to abortion, who have been deceived by the lie, who did not exercise their freedom of choice but were driven by the coercive power of despair to think that they had no freedom and no choice, and so they went to have those babies killed—will stand tomorrow.

“They will not kneel; they will not have their faces to the ground, as if in the dark shame of sin they could no longer raise up their eyes.

No, they will stand there in the light of the risen Christ who sets them free from sin. They will declare that he has forgiven them.”

Father Pavone spoke of the simplicity, for advocates of life, of choosing whom to vote for.

“The same hands that pull the lever in the voting booth are the hands that are lifted up to Freedom continued on page 9

Link continued from page 9

Coast Guard Academy. Notre Dame’s students and faculty are every bit as impressive.

If you’re worried about young people these days or discouraged about the future of our country, do yourself a favor: call Perry Storey, Notre Dame’s principal, and ask him to show you the school’s magnificent campus and immaculate facilities. You’ll meet exceptionally well-behaved students and caring, gifted mentors. Most important, you’ll experience a vibrant Christian community.

Want to do something great for yourself?

Visit Notre Dame. Your faith in America’s future will be renewed.

Want to do something great for the Church?

Send Perry a check. A growing number of students come from families who have been hurt by the recession and can attend Notre Dame only because of its loyal alumni and generous friends.

Perry and his colleagues are doing a phenomenal job. Their students deserve our prayers, encouragement, and support. n Mr. Link is director of the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Planned Giving.

8

n

OCTOBER 24, 2010

“You would have no power over me unless it was given to you from above” (John 19:11).

Jesus’ words to Pontius Pilate remind us that all political power is an exercise of the authority of our heavenly Father (cf.

Romans 13:1). And if the common good is to be served, those we choose to represent us in governing society must demonstrate God’s love and imitate his manner of governing.

In discerning our vote, we should have particular recourse to the first and oldest voter guide—the only one to bear the imprimatur of God— the Ten Commandments.

Traditionally, the Church has depicted the first three commandments, which concern love of God, on the first tablet of the Law and the remaining seven commandments, concerning love of neighbor, on the second.

These represent the spiritual and social dimensions of justice: the giving of one’s due to God and to neighbor (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1807). The two tablets form a profound unity, for our relationship with God serves as the foundation for our relationship with neighbor.

The first three commandments instruct us to have no other gods before us and to keep holy both the Lord’s name and the Sabbath. These form a beautiful trilogy of love, fidelity, and obedience the new

MISSAL

to God and bid us to love him with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). They protect us from the temptation of falsely believing that justice is only of man’s making or that the kingdom of God will be the outcome of politics and changes in social structures.

The remaining seven commandments form an “order of charity” (CCC, No. 2197) that begins with the family, the smallest cell of society.

It is these commandments that speak to the three main principles of Catholic social teaching: dignity, subsidiarity, and solidarity. They are profoundly interrelated, and to neglect one principle is to impoverish the expression of the others and to render justice sterile.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth commandments (to honor one’s parents and not to take innocent life or commit adultery) form a trilogy of respect for the sanctity and dignity of the human person. This is the core principle from which all other human rights flow.

Abortion in particular is the antithesis of this principle.

The fourth commandment, to honor one’s father and mother, comes before the fifth commandment not to kill because it frames and illuminates all our social relationships (cf. CCC, No. 2212). And the family’s first responsibility, as it should be with those for whom we vote, is to safeguard and protect the lives of those entrusted to them. Voting for a candidate for public office is like entrusting medical decisions to a proxy, someone who will make decisions in your name.

BY FATHER RANDY STICE

‘I believe’: the Creed ‘The liturgical word and action are inseparable.’

The Creed, also known as the profession of faith, is recited after the homily as our response and assent to the word of God proclaimed in the readings and in the homily. We confess the great mysteries of our faith before we celebrate them in the liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Creed began as a baptismal formula in the first person, “I believe.” It was expanded following the definition of the divinity of the Son at the Council of Nicea in 325 and the divinity of the Holy Spirit at the Council of Constantinople in 381. It first entered the Latin Mass in Spain in the sixth century.

The first difference in the new Missal is the change from “We believe” to “I believe.”

This is not an expression of American individualism but rather of the one voice of the mystical body of Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas explained it thus: “the confession of faith is handed down in the Creed, as it were, as coming from the person of the whole Church, united by means of the Faith” (Authentic Liturgy, No. 65).

A second difference is the change from “all that is seen and unseen” to “things visible www.dioknox.org

and invisible,” referring to all that God has made. First, this is a more accurate translation of the Latin phrase visibilium omnium et invisibilium. But second, it is more precise language. Something that is unseen can, by changing one’s position, become seen. But something invisible remains invisible, regardless of one’s perspective.

A third change is from “one in Being with the Father” to “consubstantial with the Father,” referring to the relationship of the Son to God the Father. The creeds produced by the first two ecumenical councils, Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381, described the Son as “from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, the same substance [homoousion] with the Father.”

When these two ancient creeds were translated into Latin, the term homoouison (homo means same; ouison means substance) was rendered as consubstantialem.

Before the Second Vatican Council, consubstantialem was rendered as “consubstantial” in the English translation of the Creed. In the opinion of theologians and the Holy See, consubstantial is a more accurate translation than “one in being.”

This also reflects one of

How necessary it is, then, that those who receive our vote value the gift of every life as God does.

The sixth commandment, against adultery, seeks to preserve the dignity of the selfless gift of love. Whatever harms marriage and the family ultimately harms society.

The seventh commandment, not to steal, gives expression to the little-understood principle of subsidiarity—the principle of social dignity.

First articulated by Pope Pius XI in 1931 against the error of socialism, this principle seeks to protect the extension of human dignity into the social realm from an undue micromanagement by the state or from being absorbed by it.

The remaining three commandments, against bearing false witness and not coveting our neighbor’s wife or goods, form a trilogy of solidarity.

This principle calls us not to exploit others, especially the poorest among us, but to build relationships of interdependence and equality based upon Charity in Truth.

According to the Catechism, solidarity is a virtue that “practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones” (No. 1948).

Jesus reminds us, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21). In the words of an ancient Christian writer, “The image of God is not depicted on gold but is imaged in humanity. The coin of Caesar is gold: that of God, humanity. . . . [which must] reflect his glory.”

So too must those we vote for and entrust with representing us in government reflect God’s glory.

Ending with a traditional play upon the words of Pope Paul VI, “If you want peace . . . ,” seek God’s glory. n Mr. Simoneau directs the Office of Justice and Peace. the principles from Authentic Liturgy, the document that guided the translation of the Latin text into the vernacular: “Certain expressions that belong to the heritage of the whole or of a great part of the ancient Church, as well as others that have become part of the general human patrimony, are to be respected by a translation that is as literal as possible” (No. 56).

A fourth difference is the change from “born of the Virgin Mary” to “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.” Although it is true that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, the current translation obscures the uniqueness of the incarnation: all of us have been born, but only the Second Person of the Trinity was incarnate and took on a human nature.

This is also consistent with Authentic Liturgy’s principle that particular words be rendered “according to the precise wording that the tradition of the Latin Church has bestowed upon it” (No. 65).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses the power of the liturgical word: “The liturgical word and action are inseparable both insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify” (1155). That is, the words of the liturgy both teach and make present the reality they signify. In the Creed they teach us about our unity as the one body of Christ and about God the maker of all things, the unity of the Son and the Father, and the mystery of God becoming man.

In the liturgy we speak the Missal continued on page 9

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC

our

PRIESTS

from the

BY MARGARET HUNT

‘We are so blessed by so many people’ Father John Dowling finds that ministering to others is a two-way street.

F

What aspect of the priesthood has given you the greatest joy?

Working with people, day in and day out, in the many ways you can serve the people of God. Probably the highlight for me is the diversity in the priesthood, which enables you to use your God-given gifts in so many ways that it’s always exciting. You meet people of all walks of life in every imaginable situation, in the good times and bad, in sickness and in health, and in death. You represent Christ’s face to the world and especially to the parish, to the young and the old and people who are suffering greatly—emotionally, physically, and spiritually. You see people who are at the top of their game who certainly can minister to you.

We priests are so blessed by so many people who are ministering to us, and I feel guilty at times. Sometimes it’s difficult to minister to people because they are so busy taking care of you. I meet so many people whose spirituality far surpasses mine, and they give me an opportunity to reflect on whether I’m really measuring up. They challenge me but in very positive ways. Not in-your-face challenges but by their very presence. They reveal God’s love through their sacrificial giving and their willingness to help and reach out.

Who first influenced your decision to consider the priesthood?

Father Frank Schilling was instrumental when I was

guest

COLUMN

DEACON PATRICK MURPHY-RACEY

ather John Dowling is the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Fairfield Glade. He was ordained on June 17, 1983, at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga by Bishop James D. Niedergeses.

Father Dowling is the eldest of seven children born to the late Joseph and Margaret Angela Ryan Dowling. Before entering the seminary, he was employed by the Coca-Cola Co. in the marketing and sales department.

Father John Dowling

growing up. He was a good friend when I was in high school, and he took the time to take several of us to Florida and let us become aware of what a priest does. My brother [Father Kevin Dowling of the Diocese of Nashville] entered the seminary before I did.

At the same time I thought about what I was doing at Coca-Cola, but I felt as if I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life. I had one life to live, and did I really want to be involved in selling Coca-Cola? They didn’t seem to need a whole lot of help in what they were doing, and I didn’t see that I was really going to make an impact in the world doing what I was doing.

So I thought of some other things that might be more meaningful in this one life I’ve been given, and I wanted to do more to bring about the kingdom of God. At that time of my life I thought, “What about the priesthood?”

I wasn’t married—I wasn’t even dating—so I was free to make those kinds of decisions.

I went out to California to a religious order there. That didn’t pan out, but I returned to the job that I left at Coca-Cola, and after a couple more years I really decided I thought the Lord was calling me.

I went on a retreat to a Benedictine monastery in Kentucky, and after that I decided that yes, the Lord was calling me to priesthood. He wasn’t calling me to a religious order; he was calling me to the diocesan priesthood.

BY JIM LINK

Reasons for hope Notre Dame’s students are ‘exceptional’ and its staff ‘committed.’

There’s been a lot of talk about hope in recent years.

Americans have been encouraged to place their hope in political leaders. We’ve been told to hope in change. As Christians, we know the only hope worthy of our trust is in God alone.

Recently, I had that hope renewed. Many teachers will tell you they learn from their students. As a former educator, I found myself in the same situation. Only this time, they weren’t my students, and I wasn’t prepared for how much they would impress and inspire me.

I started my career as a teacher in the Archdiocese of New York. During the past 25 years, I’ve worked at some amazing schools, including an Ivy League college and a federal service academy. As you’d imagine, the start of a new school year brings a certain degree of excitement for me. Crisp fall days. Eager students. Freshly painted classrooms. Clean football uniforms.

THE E A S T T E N N E S S E E C A T H OLIC

Having known exceptional students over the years, I’m not easily impressed. Yet I found myself inspired during a recent visit to one of our schools. I was unprepared for the grace, poise, and confidence I found in students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. I was especially struck by the depth of their faith. I spent six years at a Catholic school in suburban New York, three of them directing its campus ministry program and chairing the religious-studies department.

I saw more student participation in one Mass at Notre Dame than I did in six years at this elite prep school.

Some might think the Chattanooga youth were at their best because Bishop Richard F. Stika presided at the liturgy, but I knew it wasn’t a fluke. I sat behind members of the sophomore class after they were seated. Sophomores! None of them knew I was there, and there were no faculty members nearby. I used to dread bringing a few

What’s the most challenging thing about being a priest?

The culture in which we live.

It does not support what the Church teaches about God and about the human person.

The challenge is to somehow communicate God’s love and the dignity of the human person in the midst of so many things that work against and undermine that.

We are called not to compromise our beliefs or to fit in but to announce the Lord’s love [and] the great good news that the world does not contain the ultimate meaning of human history. God’s plan in history is unfolding in a wonderful way, and we’re part of that plan. Every person has a purpose that goes beyond this world, and this world is good. It’s being transformed, and we have the wonderful privilege of participating in that transformation by the grace of Almighty God in his Church.

What sustains you in the challenging task of representing Christ?

Prayer is the No. 1 way we are able to sustain that. [We have to open] ourselves up to the living word of God that enables us to encounter every situation in a fresh way, to trust that the Lord will bring us through it and that there’s no burden in life that can overcome us.

How would you advise young men who thought they might have a vocation to the priesthood?

I would recommend that they talk to their pastor or associate or even a seminarian in their parish and ask him what his experience has been. Praying and reading the Scriptures are crucial.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. Priests are well equipped to get you in touch with the vocation director in the diocese and the bishop and all those kinds of things—not to fear. n

Mrs. Hunt is administrative assistant for the Media Office.

dozen students to Mass, much less several hundred. We’d deploy faculty strategically, much like the Secret Service surrounds the president.

Only we weren’t protecting the students but monitoring them, ready to pounce on bad behavior.

Not only were Notre Dame’s students self-disciplined and respectful, but they actually participated in the Mass.

Imagine that!

They sang. Sincerely, reverently, and with gusto. They knew all the words to the prayers and songs. They held hands during the Our Father.

They prayed quietly during the distribution of Holy Communion.

Afterward I joined some faculty members for lunch— in the student cafeteria. Students and faculty ate together, sharing jokes and conversation. I could tell the students admired the faculty and that the feelings of trust, respect and admiration were mutual.

When classes resumed, I walked the halls and poked my head into a few rooms.

There I saw bright, engaged, motivated students being taught by passionate, committed mentors. The scene was not unlike what I observed at Dartmouth College or the Link continued on page 8 www.dioknox.org

PARACLETE

BY BETHANY MARINAC

Preparation for Advent

B

y this time of year most of us are in some mode of preparation—for the Thanksgiving holiday or the Christmas celebrations. The Church too is entering a time of preparation. The liturgical season of Advent is around the corner.

This is a time of prayer and joy for Catholics around the world. In Magnificat’s Advent Companion (Magnificat, 2010) you can read about how Catholics in Switzerland prepare for Christmas. You’ll find readings and prayers to help guide you through the longer nights of growing darkness that precede the birth of Christ.

If you are interested in following a scriptural path for Advent, we offer the Little Blue Book for the Advent Season (Little Books, 2010). This traditional book guides you through a liturgical season with a six-minute reading each day. This Little Blue Book looks at the first few chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. It follows the style of lectio divina, or sacred reading, which allows God to guide us from the word to reflection.

We also have many more books for reflection in the joyous season of Advent. n Call the store at 865-588-0388 or 800-333-2097.

Visit us on Facebook at The Paraclete Catholic Books and Gifts (bit.ly/paracleteknoxville).

Freedom continued from page 8

God in prayer, and the same eyes that read his word read the names of the candidates. That’s the comparison we make, and we stand up as people of freedom, and we say we don’t want any public servants who can’t tell the difference between serving the public and killing the public.”

Dr. King, a niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is a former college professor and Georgia state representative. She has long been involved in the pro-life movement and testifies of her two abortions and the healing and forgiveness she later experienced.

“We ride this weekend to bring freedom to the oppressed,” she said. “We ride for the babies, whose most fundamental civil right—the right to life—is trampled upon. We ride for the mothers, fathers, and families whose lives are weighed down by the grief that abortion advocates tell them they’re not supposed to feel. And we ride for those who make their living in the business of death. We pray for them, knowing there is mercy, hope, and healing for everyone.”

Dr. King referred to her uncle’s famous “dream” but said it cannot come true as long as abortion is available.

“As a repentant and forgiven post-abortive woman, one who was guided into the paths of the pro-life movement by my grandfather, Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., my father, Rev. A. D. King, and my uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I stand before you today to ask you, how can the dream survive if we murder our children?”

Her mother nearly killed her in the womb, Dr. King said.

“In 1950 my mother wanted to abort me, and my grandfather, Daddy King, came to our rescue. He and my father offered my mother the choice of life for me and protection and shelter for her. Daddy King told my mother, Naomi, ‘You can’t abort this baby. I saw her in a dream three years ago. She is not a lump of flesh. She is a little girl with bright skin and bright red hair.’

“Yes, my friends, Daddy King had a dream— not an ultrasound, but a dream. I stand here today to tell you that I have a dream. It’s in my genes.”

Also addressing the audience were Rachel’s Vineyard founder Theresa Burke and husband Kevin (Rachel’s Vineyard is a Priests for Life ministry); Silent No More Awareness Campaign cofounder Janet Morana; and a young mother who had been encouraged to have an abortion by her own mother. The evidence that she did not—her toddler daughter, having fun with the microphones and other stage equipment as her mother spoke—was plain to see.

True Vine is across the street from the Planned Parenthood facility and was the meeting point the next morning for vigil participants, who prayed silently before the clinic for 30 minutes.

At the memorial to the unborn that afternoon, families of aborted babies added plaques with the infants’ names on a wall to join others placed there over the years.

For more information, visit prolife freedomrides.org. n Missal continued from page 8

words of the Word and so participate “in Christ’s own prayer addressed to the Father in the Holy Spirit” (CCC, 1073). n Father Stice directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@ dioknox.org.

OCTOBER 24, 2010

n

9

from the

WIRE

VICTORIA, Canada (CNA/EWTN News)—Addressing a conference in British Columbia, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver said that Catholics today have failed to transmit the faith to the next generation, which has resulted in young people’s losing their “moral vocabulary.”

The Denver prelate made his remarks on Oct. 15 at the “Faith in the Public Square” seminar sponsored by the Diocese of Victoria. He opened his speech with a reference to Shirley Jackson’s famed short story “The Lottery.”

Jackson’s story—set in rural 1940s America— describes a small town whose people gather every year to implore an unnamed force to grant a good corn harvest. Each year townspeople draw a piece of paper from a wooden box to see who will be chosen for human sacrifice. A young mother ends up drawing the ominous black slip and is stoned to death by the community as part of the annual ritual.

Reflecting on Jackson’s story, Archbishop Chaput cited professor Kay Haugaard’s analysis on how young people in academia in decades past would react passionately to the tale with intense classroom debate and discussion.

“She said that in the early 1970s students who read the story voiced shock and indignation,” Archbishop Chaput noted. “The tale led to vivid conversations on big topics: the meaning of sacrifice and tradition; the dangers of groupthink and blind allegiance to leaders; the demands of conscience and the consequences of cowardice.”

“Sometime in the mid-1990s, however, reactions began to change,” he said. “Haugaard described one classroom discussion that—to me—was more disturbing than the story itself.

The students had nothing to say except that the story bored them. So Haugaard asked them what they thought about the villagers’ ritually sacrificing one of their own for the sake of the harvest.”

“One student, speaking in quite rational tones, argued that many cultures have traditions of human sacrifice,” the archbishop continued. “Another said that the stoning might have been part of ‘a religion of long standing’ and [was] therefore acceptable and understandable.”

Another student brought up the idea of “multicultural sensitivity,” saying she learned in school that if “it’s a part of a person’s culture, we are taught not to judge.”

“I thought of Haugaard’s experience with ‘The Lottery’ as I got ready for this brief talk,” the prelate said. “Our culture is doing catechesis every day. It works like water dripping on a stone, eroding people’s moral and religious sensibilities and leaving a hole where their convictions used to be.”

“Haugaard’s experience,” he added, “teaches us that it took less than a generation for this catechesis to produce a group of young adults who were unable to take a moral stand against the ritual murder of a young woman. Not because they were cowards. But because they lost their moral vocabulary.”

Western Christians, he said, “have done a terrible job of transmitting our faith to our own children and to the culture at large.”

“We Christians have allowed ourselves to be changed by the culture. We’ve compromised too cheaply. We’ve hungered after assimilating and fitting in. And in the process we’ve been bleached out and absorbed by the culture we were sent to make holy.”

“We need to confess that, and we need to fix it,” he asserted. “For too many of us Christianity is not a filial relationship with the living God but a habit and an inheritance. We’ve become tepid in our beliefs and naive about the world. We’ve lost our evangelical zeal. And we’ve failed in passing on our faith to the next generation.”

Renewing Catholic catechesis then, Archbishop Chaput added, “has little to do with techniques or theories or programs or resources.”

“The central issue is whether we ourselves really do believe. Catechesis is not a profession.

It’s a dimension of discipleship. If we’re Christians, we’re each of us called to be teachers and missionaries.”

The Denver prelate noted that “we can’t share what we don’t have.”

“If we’re embarrassed about Church teachings or if we disagree with them or if we’ve decided that they’re just too hard to live by or too hard to explain, we’ve already defeated ourselves.”

“We need to really believe what we claim to believe,” he stressed. “We need to stop calling ourselves ‘Catholic’ if we don’t stand with the Church in her teachings–all of them.”

Archbishop Chaput said that “if we really are Catholic, or at least if we want to be, we need to act like it with obedience and zeal and a fire for Jesus Christ in our hearts.”

“God gave us the faith in order to share it. This takes courage. It takes a deliberate dismantling of our own vanity. When we do that, the Church is strong. When we don’t, she grows weak.” n Copyright CNA 10

n

OCTOBER 24, 2010

CNS PHOTO/TONY GENTILE, REUTERS

Chaput: Young people have lost ‘moral vocabulary’

Pilgrims hold pictures of new saints, Australian Mary MacKillop and Canadian Andre Bessette, as Pope Benedict XVI leads a Mass for the canonization of six Catholics in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 17. Mary MacKillop is the first Australian to be canonized.

A SAINT FROM OZ

Pope canonizes six Benedict XVI calls the Church’s newest saints ‘shining examples’ of holiness. By John Thavis VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed six new saints, including an Australian nun and a Canadian brother, calling them “shining examples” of holiness and the power of prayer.

Thousands of pilgrims from Australia applauded and waved their national flags after the pope pronounced the formula of canonization Oct. 17 in St. Peter’s Square for Blessed Mother Mary Mac­ Killop, who educated poor children in the Australian outback in the late 19th century.

She became the country’s first saint.

In his homily Pope Benedict said St. Mary MacKillop, 1842-1909, was a model of “zeal, perseverance, and prayer” as she dedicated herself to the education of the poor in the difficult territory of rural Australia, inspiring other women to join her in the country’s first community of religious women.

“She attended to the needs of each young person entrusted to her, without regard for station or wealth, providing both intellectual and spiritual formation,” he said.

Her feast day is celebrated Aug. 8.

Canadians cheered the canonization of Blessed Andre Bessette, 1845-1937, a doorman known for his devotional practices and his healing touch. He became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal.”

The pope said St. Andre “showed boundless charity and did everything to soothe the despair of those who confided in him.” Although he had little instruction, he “understood what was essential to the faith” and had an intense prayer life, the pope said.

“For him, everything spoke of God and his pres-

ence,” the pope said.

Thanks to this simplicity, St. Andre led many people to God, he added.

St. Andre “lived the beatitude of the pure of heart,” the pope said. “May the example of Brother Andre inspire Canadian Christian life!”

Relics of the six saints were brought to the altar during the two-hour liturgy.

Tapestry portraits of the newly canonized hung from the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica behind the papal altar, and many pilgrims carried their own personal pictures of the saints.

The others canonized were n St. Camilla Battista Varano, 14581524, the illegitimate daughter of an Italian nobleman, who had to overcome her father’s objections to enter the convent of the Poor Clares.

Known for her mystical experiences during prayer, she died in an outbreak of the plague. n St. Stanislaw Soltys, 1433-1489, who devoted his life to caring for the poor in his native Krakow, Poland. Famed as a preacher and confessor, he was known as the “Apostle of the Eucharist” for his taking Communion to the sick and lonely. n St. Giulia Salzano, 1846-1929, who taught catechism to schoolchildren near Naples, Italy, and later founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to continue her work, which offered religious education to children of all ages, to their mothers, and to laborers. n St. Juana Cipitria Barriola, 1845-1912, who was a champion of education for girls and young women in her native Spain.

Known in some countries as Mother Candida Maria de Jesus, she founded the Daughters of

www.dioknox.org

Jesus with five other young women. She ran a special school on Sundays for girls who were employed as domestics because Sunday was their only day off.

In his homily the pope said the new saints exemplified the effectiveness of prayer as an expression of faith.

“Sometimes we get tired of praying, we have the impression that prayer is not very useful in life, that it is not terribly effective.

So we are tempted to dedicate ourselves to activity, to using all human means to achieve our aims and without turning to God,” he said.

The canonization brought some 8,000 Australian pilgrims to Rome, where Australian flags waved in abundance during the papal liturgy.

Peter Haynes, a 26-year-old Australian living in England, came to Rome for the Mass.

He studied St. Mary MacKillop in primary school and was impressed by the fact that “she started from nothing and made something out of it.

And her legacy continues today. That’s something.”

At age 24, St. Mary, the oldest of eight children of Scottish immigrants to Australia, began working with a priest to provide free education to the country’s rural poor. Three years later, 60 sisters were working in schools, orphanages, and women’s shelters.

The sisters were also committed to following poor farm workers, miners, and other laborers into remote areas of the country to educate their children.

Local church officials, however, disapproved of the sisters living in tiny, isolated communities—sometimes only two to a hut—frequently cut off from the sacraments in the remote

Australian outback.

She was even briefly excommunicated by the local bishop, who disbanded her order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart. But within a few months, the bishop lifted his censure, and a Church commission cleared the sisters of all wrongdoing.

In 1901 she suffered a stroke during a trip to New Zealand, and her health declined until her death in 1909.

Canadians in the square spoke warmly of St. Andre Bessette; some of the pilgrims even had personal connections to him.

Diane Guillemette of Montreal said that when her mother was 16 years old “she had a problem with her ear, and she went to Brother Andre and he healed her.”

Guillemette called St. Andre “an example of patience, humility, and love of work.”

One of 12 children, St. Andre suffered from a chronic stomach ailment that kept him out of school. His father and mother died when he was young.

When he entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870, his childhood parish priest, Father Andre Provencal, sent a letter to the novice master, saying, “I am sending a saint to your congregation.”

St. Andre served as the doorman of Notre Dame College, the community’s school in Montreal, for 40 years. His devotion to St. Joseph and his reputation for healing attracted thousands of people, and he began to be known as a miracle worker.

When he died at age 91, a million people came to pay homage to him.

His feast day is Jan. 6. n Copyright 2010 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

THE EAST TENNESSEE CATHOLIC