HOLY Family Catholic Church
Messenger
Top: Read about Audrey Buettner’s experience during the Servio Deo Youth Mission Trip and how this trip influenced her life today. p. 3 Bottom, Left: Take a look at the new diocese-owned property in Nolensville and read Father Joe’s announcement about the property. p. 5 Bottom, Right: Despite the rise in political tensions over the past year at Haiti, the Holy Family Haiti Ministry still strives to support its sister parish in Bahon. p. 4
9100 Crockett Rd., Brentwood, TN 37027 March
www.holyfamilycc.com • @holyfamilycctn 2020
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Holy Family Newsletter
A Message from Father Anthony When you come to mass on the fifth Sunday of Lent this year you’ll find something in the church that maybe you’ve never seen before. Starting this Lent we are going to begin the tradition of veiling the crucifix with purple fabric. You might find yourself asking, “Why are we doing that?” It’s a great question, and I want to share with you the reasons why so we can all better appreciate it when the fifth Sunday of Lent comes. First of all, we use veils to alert us of the special time that we are in. When we walk into church and notice the crucifix is covered, we immediately know that something is different. These last two weeks of Lent are meant to be a time of immediate preparation for the Sacred Triduum, and the veil is a forceful reminder to get ready. Secondly, the veil focuses our attention on the words being said at Mass. When we listen to the Passion narrative, our senses are allowed to focus on the striking words from the Gospel and truly enter into the scene. Third, the Church uses veils to produce a heightened sense of anticipation for Easter Sunday. This is further actualized when you attend daily Mass and see the veil each day. You don’t want it to be there because it is hiding something very beautiful.
And therein lies the whole point: the veil is not meant to be there forever. The crucifix needs to be unveiled; it is unnatural for it to be covered. The unveiling on Good Friday when we recall our Lord’s death is a great reminder of our own life on earth. We live in a “veiled” world, in exile from our true home. It is only through our own death that the veil is lifted and we are finally able to see the beauty of everything in our lives. It can be a good practice to do this in your homes. I once heard it said, “The best kind of sauce is hunger,” meaning, things taste really good when you’re hungry. That’s the idea of the veil. We can cover the crucifix and other holy images during this time of Lent, so when Easter comes we can really celebrate with great joy that our Lord is Risen and has won for us our salvation. Fr. Anthony
Table of Contents
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Contents More Than a Mission
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Holy Family Honduras Ministry
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Bishop’s Annual Appeal and Nolensville Property
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Virtue of Charity
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Parishioner Highlight: Meet Margaret Sharp 7-8 RCIA Faith & Inspiration Winter At Holy Family
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More Than a Mission
More Than a Mission BY AUDREY BUETTNER
Servio Deo is the annual mission trip Holy Family teens have been going on since 2012 to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The term Servio Deo means I serve God. But Servio Deo means so much more than that. Servio Deo means community, compassion, growth, and faith. It means amazing memories and friendship beyond all measures. Servio Deo is so much more than a mission trip. As someone who has gone on Servio Deo since 2013, I can testify this week long mission trip brings people closer to God and to each other like no other trip I have ever been on. Servio Deo includes mission work, fun, worship, and friendship. On Servio Deo, campers are divided into different work groups that are assigned to different work sites. I have worked at all kinds of different places, from a blueberry farm to a soup kitchen. One of my most fond memories was my second Servio Deo in 2014. I was placed at a children’s emergency shelter. This work site opened my eyes and my heart like nothing else has in my life. I got to play with kids who had been displaced from their homes. These kids were confused and sad, yet so joyful. I knew I was supposed to help these kids, but they helped me so much more. They taught me to find joy, even in the darkest times of my life. Volunteering at the emergency shelter that year transformed me to this day. Because of that experience, I am pursuing a career in social work. I want to help kids, just like the ones who touched my heart in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. While Servio Deo is a mission trip about serving others in the Lord’s name, it is also about having a lot of fun. I have so many fond memories of playing football in the Gulf of Mexico or sand volleyball on the beach. One year, my friends and I ran through the sprinklers on the lawn. On rainy days, we like to play card games in the snack room. One thing about Servio Deo is that you will never be bored. During free time, if I was not running to the beach to be the first one there, I was running to meet people to play games. But the part of Servio Deo that truly transformed my faith is Program. Program is every single night of the week where we worship and praise. We sing and dance at the top of our lungs with our friends, all for Jesus. We waffle our hands together as someone speaks a prayer. We listen intently to the speaker pour words of wisdom over us, which helps us view Jesus in a whole new light. We kneel in adoration in the glory of our one true king. We pray and cry with our friends during Sanctus Nova. These many different experiences of Program allowed my faith to begin to grow and blossom into what it is today. These experiences are what I lean on each day to remind myself why faith is all worth it. Servio Deo is my happy place. It is where I have learned to be joyful. I have found the deepest connections with people through this experience because it is unlike any other. I can honestly say I would not be who I am today without Servio Deo. There is truly nothing like it.
Holy Family Haiti Ministry
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Holy Family Haiti Ministry BY MIKE HOGREFE
For the past 20 years, Holy Family mission teams annually have traveled to Bahon, Haiti, to visit our sister parish – St. Joseph Parish. These trips have allowed us to build a strong relationship between the parishioners of Holy Family and St. Joseph. Unfortunately this year, due to political instability, food shortages, and gas shortages, we will not be making a trip in the first quarter like we normally do. While we will not be physically present in Bahon this year, we are spiritually present with our Haitian brothers and sisters and our support of the needs of the parish continues. Times have been very difficult in Haiti in 2019. The food and gas shortages have caused great hardships, and our efforts this year are best served by supporting Father Louis and his parishioners without using their valuable resources. After the political tensions forced schools throughout Haiti to be shut down in the first half of the year, over 800 children are now back in school at the two schools we support in Bahon, and we have now opened all three middle school classrooms. Our medical clinic supports the healthcare needs of the community, and our blood pressure treatment program has changed the lives of over 80 patients in the program. St. Joseph Parish now has two priests and a seminarian. Without Holy Family’s financial support, the parish couldn’t survive, and none of this would be possible. We remain hopeful that better times are ahead for our friends in Haiti. Please keep Father Louis and the parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in your prayers. If you’d like to learn more about the Haiti Ministry or would like to be involved, please contact haiti@hfccministries.com.
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Bishop’s Annual Appeal and Nolensville Property
Bishop’s Annual Appeal and Nolensville Property BY FATHER JOE
I want to share good news with you! On January 24 of this year, the Diocese of Nashville purchased a beautiful piece of property in Nolensville, TN. This was a collaborative effort between our parish of Holy Family and the Diocese. The 166-acre property sits right on Nolensville Road, 4 miles south of Nolensville proper and 3 miles north of I-840. With this size and location, this property offers not only the ability to build a new parish and school but also provides long-range “campus” potential for future expansion, including the possible development for a middle school, high school, and other facilities to serve Catholic community needs. The purchase price of $4.2 million dollars was funded through the generosity of two anonymous families giving $3.2 million with the remaining $1 million invested by the Diocese. The reason for conducting this search and purchase of property is due to the incredible growth we are experiencing, not only in Metro Nashville, but even more so in Williamson and Rutherford counties. We, at Holy Family, presently have over 2,800 registered families, and we average 20 new families every month. It appears that approximately 400 of our families live within a 15-minute drive of the new property. Bishop Spalding has prioritized the initial formation of a church on the property which will begin as a ministry of Holy Family under my leadership.
As the Holy Family team and the Diocese work together to accomplish this, more information will be made available. It is likely that no official action will be taken regarding establishing a new parish until at least mid-2021. I invite you to view a video of the property at 7668 Nolensville Road on our website. I also want to share news regarding this year’s Bishop’s Annual Appeal which has already begun. The Diocese is making an effort to shift the primary financial support of our Diocese from a Parish tax-based system to that of support based on voluntary contributions through this annual appeal. Holy Family is currently assessed over 20% of the revenue we receive from weekly collections. The Diocese has committed to reduce our assessment by 2% this year and has set our Bishop’s Annual Appeal goal for this year at $230,000. I strongly encourage us as parish community to meet this goal, to not only support the outreach ministries of the Diocese, but to also contribute to the reduction of our monthly assessment to the Diocese which is currently almost $50,000. Visit dioceseofnashville.com/appeal to pledge. Our Holy Family community receives so many blessings as a result of your generosity, and for that I am grateful. Please join me as we support the Diocesan efforts of outreach and parish expansion in Nolensville.
The Virtue of Charity
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The Virtue of Charity BY CAROLINA BRYANT
I have spent the majority of my career as a student in catholic schools. This means that I have had the theological virtues incorporated into my everyday learning. From this, I have come to understand virtue as a sort of habit that is needed to grow closer to God and therefore Heaven. I have also learned that among these virtues, it is understood that the greatest is charity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, charity is, “the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” This is similar to what I have learned in school; However, like many Catholics, I have simplified this definition of charity to love. I think of charity as love for God and also our neighbors. Based on how much emphasis is put on charity as a virtue, I think it is important that I try my utmost to exemplify charity to others. As previously mentioned, I view charity as love. I have found that the greatest way to show love to others is to offer forgiveness. Forgiveness is very hard, but personally, I find it very rewarding. Holding a grudge puts a burden on the soul, so by embodying charity and forgiving others, not only does it help them, but it also helps me to grow as a person. Another way I try to exemplify charity is by helping people who might be left out feel included. I think a big part of charity is treating others how I would want to be treated. Feeling left out hurts a lot. If embodying charity is what I need to do to alleviate others of that pain, then I am
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happy to do whatever it takes. It is very rewarding, in my opinion, to incorporate charity into my life. Demonstrating love to others has helped me create many new relationships, and I hope that it has helped some other people too. While exemplifying charity to others is very important, demonstrating charity in my relationship with God is also something I really strive for. Charity isn’t just about loving God. It is about putting Him above all things. I struggle with that sometimes. In an age of endless new advancements in technology, and many hours of homework, I struggle to commit time to God. Even though I struggle a little more with this aspect of charity, something I have found to be beneficial has been making nightly prayer mandatory. I have decided that I will not go to sleep without talking to God first. I have a long way to go, but other things like talking to God when I feel overwhelmed has been a great way to ground myself and remind myself what my main focus should be. Things like adoration, and confession remind me how much God loves me, and help me to communicate with Him my love and gratefulness for Him. Charity is a great virtue to work towards. It is needed to grow in relationships with others, as well as God. Demonstrating charity might inspire others to practice it as well. By exemplifying charity to others, it is easy to grow in relationships and make new ones. By exemplifying charity in my faith I have found that it makes growing in my relationship with God much easier.
This essay, written by Carolina Bryant, was the winner for the Knights of Columbus annual Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest for our Council. Carolina’s essay reflected her Catholic education and her understanding that charity is the greatest of all virtues. Congratulations to Carolina for her winning essay!
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Parishioner Highlight: Meet Margaret Sharp
Parishioner Highlight: Meet Margaret Sharp BY MARK SHARP
“Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.” - Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Independent, strong willed, active, and adventurous – not often words associated with a 91-year-old; however, both the quote and the adjectives couldn’t be truer for Margaret Sharp. The oldest of two girls, Margaret was born on December 7, 1928. During her youth, she and her family were members of St. Patrick Parish and later The Cathedral of the Incarnation. Growing up during The Great Depression shaped much of Margaret’s character and developed many of her core values – namely, the importance of family. Throughout her life, both of Margaret’s parents worked full time jobs, not only to help support extended family members during The Depression and beyond, but also to ensure that Margaret and her sister received a good, Catholic School education. Except for grades 6 – 8, Margaret attended St. Bernard Academy from first grade through twelfth grade. (In an effort to save money during the leanest years of the depression, Margaret and her sister attended Cathedral, because its tuition was only $1 a month, as opposed to $5 a month at St. Bernard!) In 1948 Margaret married her high school sweetheart, Tom Sharp, a member of Holy Name Parish and a graduate of Father Ryan. Margaret and Tom joined Christ the King Parish in 1953 where they raised their nine children. Like their parents, they worked very hard to ensure their children received a good, Catholic School education. In 1999 when Margaret and Tom moved from Nashville to Brentwood, with Margaret’s aging mother, they joined Holy Family Parish. Though they had both been very active members of Christ the King Parish, it was at this time when the quote, “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind,” became especially true for Margaret… At 70, with her previous experience at Christ the King, Margaret helped build the Room in the Inn program at Holy Family. The first year of the program, she brought homemade desserts (one of
her culinary specialties) every Saturday night for the homeless and the Inn Keepers. The following two years, Margaret served as part of the cleanup crew every Sunday morning. Four of Margaret’s sons and one of her daughters married non-Catholics, and when one of her daughters-in-law began the RCIA program at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in 1988, that same year Margaret answered a call to join the RCIA team at Christ the King. It was only natural she wanted to join at Holy Family, so at 73, she became an active member of Holy Family’s RCIA ministry, and over the next 10 years she sponsored half a dozen new candidates. Margaret was an inspiration to her children’s spouses, as her sonin-law and three of her daughters-in-law went through the RCIA program. Like Margaret, all four serve in ministries at their parishes.
Cathletics Highlight: Meet Margaret Sharp Parishioner At 74, (though she’d never had any formal teaching experience), Margaret volunteered to teach 3rd grade CCD because, “They needed somebody.” She taught CCD for two years and, though she enjoyed it, it was a challenge. For the past 20 years, Margaret’s love of, and talent for, cooking have made her a very valuable member of the Helping Hands Ministry and the Funeral Reception Committee. Woven throughout the years and the ministries, Margaret could also be found helping assemble church mailings, answering the phone during staff meetings, and delivering baked goods and an occasional birthday cake to the priests and office staff because, “They’re like family to me.” Parallel to the ministry work Margaret has done at Holy Family are the many Bible Study classes Margaret has enrolled in over the past two decades. (If one could earn a degree in Margaret McPherson’s Bible Study classes, Margaret Sharp would have a PhD behind her last name!) She has continuously been enrolled in one or more Bible Study classes since joining Holy Family. When asked, she will tell you how much she enjoys reading books about saints and by famous Catholics, but her favorite thing to study is the Bible because, “We never learned it growing up.” In the fall of 2016, at 88, Margaret decided to enroll in the Catholic Biblical School Program, an intense and challenging, four-year Bible Study class. Armed with her cane and a little, blue, rolling backpack, a hand-me-down from her youngest granddaughter, she was a very determined, conscientious, hardworking student who devoted many hours a week to her homework. Near the end of the 2nd year, Margaret had to have her aortic valve replaced and, though she gave it her best effort, she didn’t have the energy and stamina required to complete the final two years of the class. Back in regular Bible studies classes, Margaret will occasionally have weeks where she’s unable to complete the homework. However, when “auditing” a class has been suggested, her response is, “You don’t get to participate if you don’t do your homework.” The week of her husband’s death, in 2013, Margaret really
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wanted to go to her Thursday morning Bible Study class because she’d done the homework and she felt comfort in the study group, but she was torn with loss and details for the funeral. With encouragement, she went, and she shared the word THANKS vertically down the page, mostly with thoughts of Tom. It was great for all the women there and healing for Margaret. “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.”- Not to be deterred by the replacement of her aortic valve in May of 2018, Margaret bravely took on the adventure of going to Italy with Fr. Justin, (former associate here), and the group from Holy Family in October 2018, (two months shy of 90!). The highlights for Margaret were the comradery of the group; visiting the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti which The Cathedral of the Incarnation was modeled after; seeing the portraits of all the popes on the walls of St Paul’s, where she was humbled to see Pope Linus, the second pope, whom her father was named after; The Vatican; and being within arms’ distance of Pope Francis when he rode through the square- it was a dream come true and an unexpected joy for Margaret! At 91, Margaret is still going strong – driving herself to Daily Mass, continuing with Bible Study classes, and volunteering with various ministries. Based on all that she’s been involved within the past twenty years, it’s easy to see how much she loves her Catholic faith and Holy Family Parish. Lastly, in June, Margaret will be going on her first cruise! “Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.”
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Parishioner Highlight: Meet Joe Reagan
Knights of Columbus Exemplification Ceremony BY DAN BRODBECK
After 142 years, the Knights of Columbus is pulling down a veil of secrecy that has surrounded its initiation ceremonies in an effort to better showcase the order’s core principles and its drive to help Catholic men become disciples. Since its founding in 1882, the initiation ceremonies for the first three degrees of Knights membership — focused on the principles of charity, unity, and fraternity — have been separate and open to members only. The fourth degree, dedicated to the principal of patriotism, was added later, and this initiation also is secret and for members only. But starting this year, the Knights have adopted a new ceremony. Called the Exemplification of Charity, Unity and Fraternity, it combines the initiation for the first three degrees into a single ceremony that will be open to family, friends, and fellow parishioners. “There is nothing we do that is secret or needs to be secret,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville. “We decided this is a way to let other parishioners know, family members know, what the Knights of Columbus is all about. We think that’s a good thing.” The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal organization of Catholic men that was founded by Fr. Michael McGivney, a young priest serving at St. Mary Church in New Haven, Connecticut. McGivney is a candidate for sainthood and has the title “Venerable.” Since 1882, membership in the Knights of Columbus has been open to men 18 years of age or older who are “practical” (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. Since that time, the Knights of Columbus has understood “practical catholic” to mean a Catholic who accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church. We are Catholic men building a bridge back to faith. There is much good and necessary work to be done in this world, and that’s what Knights do every day. Our goal is to help men, their families, and their parishes grow closer to Christ. Through our programs and resources, we provide opportunities to live and spread the Catholic faith. Today, the order has more than 2 million members worldwide who are involved in charitable and service works. Here at Holy Family we have more than 170 men involved in making a difference. Would you like to join us? Visit KofC.org/JoinUs; reference Holy Family Council 15234.
Faith & Inspiration
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Columbarium BY MIMI BUETTNER
“The souls of the just are in the hands of God . . . . They are in peace.� Wisdom 3: 1,3
Engraved on the wall in our Columbarium & Prayer Garden, this scripture is not only beautiful, it will be comforting to all who visit. Historically, people used to be buried in family cemeteries with relatives. Others were buried in small cemeteries within their communities where they had lived their entire lives. Today, we are a somewhat transient society, moving from our hometowns and away from our families for many different reasons. Brentwood is a melting pot, consisting of people from all areas of the world. Having moved away from our families, we joined a wonderful community here at Holy Family. For so many of us, Holy Family is home. What better place to rest for eternity than right here within our own community and chosen family. The Prayer Garden is going to be a beautiful space where families can visit loved ones. It will have an altar, benches to sit and reflect, meandering sidewalks, and natural landscaping. In addition to entering the Prayer Garden through the church building, there will be a separate entrance with a sidewalk leading directly to the parking lot. We will have space on the wall behind the altar for a memorial to deceased family members who are buried elsewhere. In addition to this, we will have a wall dedicated as a memorial to deceased parishioners of Holy Family who served in the military. Please plan to join us on May 24. Bishop Spalding will be joining us for a special dedication and blessing of our Columbarium & Prayer Garden. Watch the bulletin for details.
A Prayer for Workers
O glorious Joseph! Who concealed your incomparable and regal dignity of custodian of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary under the humble appearance of a craftsman and provided for them with your work, protect with loving power your sons, especially entrusted to you. You know their anxieties and sufferings, because you yourself experienced them at the side of Jesus and of His Mother. Do not allow them, oppressed by so many worries, to forget the purpose for which they were created by God. Do not allow the seeds of distrust to take hold of their immortal souls. Remind all the workers that in the fields, in factories, in mines, and in scientific laboratories, they are not working, rejoicing, or suffering alone, but at their side is Jesus, with Mary, His Mother and ours, to sustain them, to dry the sweat of their brow, giving value to their toil. Teach them to turn work into a very high instrument of sanctification as you did. Amen.
Holy Family Testimony BY KEN KLEESPIES
Since joining the parish, I have been involved with Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, Green Team, UNUM, other groups, and became a Eucharistic Minister. I also meet with a small group for Cursillo. I have met some of the friendliest people here and feel connected. As Father Joe has said, he wants Holy Family to be a second home for parishioners. It is. I told many people I think the Holy Spirit knew I was missing and needed something to get me through some trying times and led me to Holy Family.
Winter at Holy Family
Top: Although we experienced a lot of rain this winter, we were given the most beautiful rainbow. Left: During the snow day at Holy Family Father Anthony had a fun snowball fight after Daily Mass. Right: Each January, Holy Family hosts a Daddy Daughter Dance for those of all ages. This year’s theme was Roaring 20’s. Bottom: In February, Holy Family’s IGNITE Life middle school group helped sort food for Second Harvest Food Bank.
For more ways to stay connected with holy family: Text “HFCC” to 22828 to join the email list. @holyfamilycctn /holyfamilycctn www.holyfamilycc.com