February 27, 2015 February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 1 | A Voice of Tennessee Catholic Life since 1937 | www.dioceseofnashville.com Recent gifts show versatility of Catholic Community Foundation Andy Telli E ddie and Kathleen Pearson were at Mass one Sunday listening to the Gospel reading taken from St. Matthew 25:35-40. It is the passage in which Christ speaks of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the prisoner and finally says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” “It just really spoke to me and my wife,” said Pearson. He had been thinking of setting up a donor advised fund through the Diocese of Nashville’s Catholic Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and decided that would be the right tool to help parishes, churches and ministries that serve the poor and needy. “I really believe it can make a big impact and help a variety of organizations,” said Pearson, the chief operating officer of Healthstream and a member of the CCFMTN board of directors. The Pearsons’ decision to set up the Pearson Family Matthew 25:35-40 Fund, and a second fund established by a Hendersonville family to honor their late brother, are two examples of how the Catholic Community Foundation can Continued on page 13 Deacons bring back message of solidarity from Zimbabwe Theresa Laurence A fter a “life altering” trip to Zimbabwe last month, Diocese of Nashville deacons Brian Edwards and John Calzavara are back, ready to share stories about the struggles and triumphs of some of the world’s poorest people, and how local Catholics can act in solidarity with them. “We really are tied together, more so than we realize,” Deacon Calzavara said. Deacon Calzavara, of Holy Family Parish in Brentwood, and Deacon Edwards, of St. Edward Parish in Nashville and Pope John Paul II High School, several months ago were chosen as Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows. They now belong to national pool of more than 50 priests, deacons and seminarians who have witnessed first-hand the plight of the poor and marginalized overseas and can preach about global solidarity and the work of CRS. During their trip to Zimbabwe in late January, Deacons Calzavara and Edwards traveled with a group of nine, including six deacons, one priest and two CRS staff members who acted as guides for the journey. Along the way, they stayed at a Dominican convent, met with local bishops to discuss the struggles and successes they are experiencing in their dioceses, explored some of the natural beauty of the land, and visited sites Continued on page 14 Photo by Andy Telli Rite of Election Deacon Bob Mahoney of Holy Name Church in Nashville presents the Book of the Elect to Bishop David Choby during the Rite of Election held Sunday, Feb. 22, at St. Henry Church. Catechumens and candidates who will enter the church at the Easter Vigil Mass were presented to the bishop during the rite. Watching is Father Gervan Menezes. See photos on page 13. Parishes help shield homeless from cold … page 12 | Tim Forbes named St. Matthew principal ... page 23 2 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Believe in the Gospel Photo by Andy Telli Lilly Anna Cote, 6, the daughter of Kari and Brian Cote, receives ashes on Ash Wednesday from Father Gervan Menezes at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. She is a kindergarten student at Overbrook School in Nashville and she and her family are parishioners at the Cathedral. Ash Wednesday launched the liturgical season of Lent as Catholics prepare themselves for Easter. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 3 Eucharistic adoration Students at St. Henry School in Nashville and St. Henry Pastor Father Mike Johnston kneel before the Eucharist in adoration. The event was the school’s 10th annual Faith Rally. Students took time throughout the day to pray before the Eucharist. The Faith Rally is held at St. Henry each year as part of the school’s annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. During the week, the school also had an eighth grade volleyball competition, a Parent Appreciation Day when faculty and staff handed out pastries to parents during the morning drop-off, and a Service to Others Day. Necrology The Diocese of Nashville asks for your prayers for vocations, for our priests and for the following deceased clergy of the Diocese of Nashville: Rev. Abram Joseph Ryan Februar y 28, 1905 Rev. R. Sterling McGuire March 8, 1994 Rev. Joseph L. Boehmer Februar y 29, 1928 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Reilly March 9, 1981 Rev. John E. Campbell March 5, 1954 Rev. John N. Cain March 15, 2002 Subscription Order Form Please send this form with your payment of $26 to: Tennessee Register, 2400 21st Ave. S, Nashville, TN 37212-5302 New Subscriber Renewal Change of Address Name: _____________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ City: ___________________________ State: ______ ZIP: ___________ Parish: ______________________________________________________ For change of address, please include old address. Bishop Choby hurt in fall B ishop David Choby was in good spirits after being injured in a fall in the chancery office parking lot on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Bishop Choby fell, hitting his left shoulder and elbow on the parking lot. He was taken to Saint Thomas West Hospital where X-rays found that he has a fracture of the proximal humerus bone close to the shoulder on the left arm. He spent the night in the hospital, and said Thursday morning that the medical staff had been able to control the pain from his broken arm with medication and that he rested well overnight. After consultations with his cardiologist and an orthopedic surgeon, plans Hendersonville Knights to host Silent Auction T February 27, 2015 | Volume 78, Number 5 Publisher Most Rev. David R. Choby Editor in Chief Rick Musacchio Managing Editor Andy Telli Staff Writer Theresa Laurence Administrative Nancy Mattson Production Debbie Lane Advertising Byron Warner MAIN OFFICE The Catholic Center 2400 21st Avenue, South Nashville, TN 37212-5302 (615)783-0750 (615) 783-0285 FAX (800) 273-0256 TN WATS [email protected] he Knights of Columbus Msgr. William S. Bevington Council 9132 will host a silent auction to raise money for charity on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville. Hundreds of items will be offered for sale to the highest bidder with all the proceeds going to charities. The auction will feature such items as: one week use of a condo in the Naples, Fla., area, a Ducks Unlimited collector’s edition of a limited number print, certificates and products from area busi- Diocese of Nashville website – www.dioceseofnashville.com The Tennessee Register® (USPS 616-500) is published bi-weekly by the Tennessee Register, Inc., 2400 21st Avenue, South, Nashville, TN 37212-5302. Periodicals postage is paid at Nashville, TN 37212 and additional offices. Subscriptions: $26.00 per year in the U.S., $27.00 foreign. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to the Tennessee Register, 2400 21st Avenue, South, Nashville, TN 37212-5302. were made to stabilize the break with a metal plate and screws. The surgery was scheduled for Saturday. Bishop Choby said he very much appreciates the concern that has been expressed by many, and the interest of those calling to check on his condition. Out of consideration of the other duties of the nursing staff at Saint Thomas Hospital and of his office staff at the chancery, he asked that the primary means of notification of his condition be via e-mail. He asked people to continue to pray for a speedy recovery. Bishop Choby’s schedule is undetermined at this time while he recovers. Ecological, Economical, Ethical (615) 391-3434 www.LandscapeServicesInc.com nesses, and many other valuable items. Among the charities supported by Council 9132 are: the Jason Foundation, which combats teen suicide; the building of group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in Sumner County; the Child Welfare League of America; Food for Families; the Room In The Inn ministry serving the homeless; meals for the homebound; the M.R. Foundation; and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The auction items will be on display for bidding in the social hall of Our Lady of the Lake Church 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday, March 28, and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, March 29. The council is still accepting new or nearly new items, as well as certificates for services or products from businesses, for the auction. Council members will be available to pick up the donations through March 27. To donate an item or to arrange to have it picked up call: Dennis Conley at (706) 8774040, Tom Mikulski at (615) 585-7768 or Tom Ashton at (615) 452-3196. 4 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Register launches annual subscription renewal drive W hether exploring how Catholics in Middle Tennessee are living out the Corporal Works of Mercy or how the Catholic community was affected by the Civil War and the pivotal Battle of Nashville, the Tennessee Register’s writers and photographers strive to bring you stories that matter. With every story we write, our aim is to chronicle the life of the Diocese of Nashville as well as give readers a glimpse of life in the universal church, all while trying to illuminate the teachings of our faith in a deeper way. As the award-winning Tennessee Register observes Catholic Press Month this February, we are asking you to renew your subscription to this valuable publication that has been the “voice of Tennessee Catholic Life since 1937.” The Register is one of the most decorated publications in the American Catholic press. At last year’s Catholic Media Convocation, the paper won eight awards, including three first place awards for individual members of the staff. The subscription rate remains unchanged this year at $26 for 26 issues. For that small sum, the Tennessee Register will be delivered to your home every two weeks, filled with stories from the Vatican, from the smallest parishes in the Diocese of Nashville and everywhere in between. An envelope to renew your subscription will be included in the Feb. 13 and Feb. 27 issues of the paper. Subscription renewal packets will be sent to all parishes this month as well. If you lose your renewal envelope, contact your parish or call Nancy Mattson at the Register office at (615) 783-0750 to get another. You can pay through your parish by dropping your subscription renewal envelope in the collection basket at Mass. If you mail payment directly to the Register office, be sure to specify the parish where you are registered so that your parish will get credit for your payment. According to diocesan policy, a minimum of 70 percent of households in each parish must receive the Tennessee Register. If less than 70 percent of families pay for their own subscription, the parish must make up the difference. Please drop your subscription renewal in the mail or collection basket today so you can stay informed and do your part to support the diocese’s most important communications tool, the Tennessee Register. COMMUNITY CALENDAR March 1 Sunday † St. David French Mass, 5 p.m., Holy Name Church, 521 Woodland St., Nashville. There will be a dinner after Mass. 2 Monday † Bl. Charles the Good Lenten Young Adult Solidarity Supper Series, 6-7:30 p.m., Holy Name, 521 Woodland St., Nashville; enter door on S. 6th St. Share a simple supper (provided) and the Gospel. Info/RSVP: aimee.shelide@gmail. com or 615-426-6047. Foundations of Faith Community Classes for registered nurses, March 6, 7, 20, 21; 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Saint Thomas West Hospital. Cost: $100. Register by Mar. 2: STHS.com. Info: [email protected] or (615)2226603 or www.sthealth.com/fcn. St. Edward Fish Dinner, 5-8 p.m., St. Edward Church, 188 Thompson Ln., Nashville. Tickets: $9 adults, $6 children 12 and under. Wine sold separately. 7 Saturday 11 Wednesday † St. Constantine † St. Abban The Bible and Prayer: a bible study from Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center, 7-8:30 p.m., Cathedral, Fleming Center, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Led by Joan Watson. Registration required: joan.watson@ dioceseofnashville.com or (765) 427-6712. Lenten Young Adult Solidarity Supper Series, 6-7:30 p.m., Holy Name, 521 Woodland St., Nashville; enter door on S. 6th St. Share a simple supper (provided) and the Gospel. Info/RSVP: aimee.shelide@gmail. com or 615-426-6047. Divorced, Separated, or Widowed Support Group, 7 p.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. Info: (615) 883-5351. GriefShare, 6:30 p.m., St. Philip, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. A scripture based seminar and support group for people who are grieving a death. Info: (615) 479-9504. † Sts. Perpetua and Felicity Catholic Men of Faith Conference, 8:30 a.m., St. Philip Church, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. Info/registration: www.catholicmenoffaithconf.com. 12 Thursday † St. Fina Nashville Catholic Business League Prayer Breakfast, Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Mass at 7 a.m.; breakfast and program 7:30-8:30 a.m. in Fleming Center. Info: www.catholicbusinessleague.org. GriefShare, 6:30 p.m., St. Philip, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. A scripture based seminar and support group for people who are grieving a death. Info: (615) 479-9504. Disciples Called, Apostles Gifted Workshop, 8:30 a.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. Discern your spiritual gifts or charisms. Free. RSVP: Francie (615) 758-2424. 3 Tuesday First Saturday Art Crawl, 6-9 p.m., St. Mary Church, 330 5th Ave N., Nashville. † St. Matilda Father Ryan Legacy Gala, 6 p.m., Omni Nashville Hotel. Info: legacygala.fatherryan.org/. Natural Family Planning Class (Creighton method), 9 a.m., Immaculate Conception Church, 709 Franklin St., Clarksville. Info/registration: (931) 645-6275. † St. Katharine Drexel Lenten Mission, Envy, 6:45 p.m., St. Edward Church, 188 Thompson Ln., Nashville. Join Father Mark and Father Dan to learn more about the nature of sin, its deadly effects, and ways to overcome it. 4 Wednesday † St. Casimir The Bible and Prayer: a bible study from Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center, 7-8:30 p.m., Cathedral, Fleming Center, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Led by Joan Watson. Workbooks are $10. Registration required: [email protected] or (765) 427-6712. Divorced, Separated, or Widowed Support Group, 7 p.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. Info: (615) 883-5351. 5 Thursday † St. John Joseph of the Cross Serra Club of Williamson County Potluck Dinner with Speaker, 6 p.m., St. Philip Church, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. 6 Friday 8 Sunday † St. John of God Tridentine Liturgy, 4 p.m., St. Catherine, 3019 Cayce Lane, Columbia. 9 Monday † St. Frances of Rome “Sanctified Seeing: Visual Art as Praying and Praising,” 6:30 p.m., JPII High School, 117 Caldwell Dr., Hendersonville. Dr. Robin M. Jensen will explore the various ways that visual art supports and enriches our worship and prayer life. GriefShare, 6:30 p.m., St. Philip, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. A scripture based seminar and support group for people who are grieving a death. Info: (615) 479-9504. 10 Tuesday † St. John Ogilvie † St. Colette Mass for Vocations, 7:15 a.m., Father Ryan High School, 700 Norwood Dr., Nashville. Sponsored by Serra Club of Nashville. Nashville Area Retrouvaille Program, Mar. 6-8. A marriage recovery program for struggling couples who are considering separation or divorce. For confidential info: (800) 470-2230, nr [email protected], or www.HelpOurMarriage.com. Lenten Mission, Lust, 6:45 p.m., St. Edward Church, 188 Thompson Ln., Nashville. Join Father Mark and Father Dan to learn more about the nature of sin, its deadly effects, and ways to overcome it. 16 Monday 14 Saturday Fourth Degree Exemplification Mass and Banquet, 1:45 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake, 1729 Stop 30 Rd., Hendersonville. Candidates must be Third Degree Knights, certified in good standing. For info, contact your Faithful Navigator or your Grand Knight. If your Council does not have the information: [email protected]. St. Patrick’s Day Party, 6 p.m., Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave, Nashville. Live entertainment, silent auction, and classic fish fry menu. Tickets: $35 each (tables of 10 are $300). Info/tickets: (770) 789-3355. Funds support Knights of Columbus Council 544 charities and the Cathedral. Catholic Underground, 7-10 p.m., St. Mary Church, 330 5th Ave. N., Nashville. Holy Hour, prayer, music, confessions, and refreshments in the basement. 15 Sunday † St. Louise de Marillac Tridentine Mass (The Extraordinar y Form of the Mass), 1:30 p.m., Assumption Church, 1227 Seventh Ave. N., Nashville. Info: (615) 256-2729. Seven Dolors of the BVM Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order Meeting, 2 p.m., St. Philip Church, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. Info: Deacon Simeon Panagatos (615) 459-2045. Creole Mass, 5 p.m., Holy Name Church, 521 Woodland St., Nashville. 17 Tuesday † St. Patrick Lenten Mission, Gluttony, 6:45 p.m., St. Edward Church, 188 Thompson Ln., Nashville. Join Father Mark and Father Dan to learn more about the nature of sin, its deadly effects, and ways to overcome it. 18 Wednesday † St. Cyril of Jerusalem The Bible and Prayer: a bible study from Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center, 7-8:30 p.m., Cathedral, Fleming Center, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Led by Joan Watson. Registration required: joan.watson@ dioceseofnashville.com or (765) 427-6712. Catholic Scout Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Jet Potter Center, Hillsboro Rd. Nashville. Info: [email protected]. Divorced, Separated, or Widowed Support Group, 7 p.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. Info: (615) 883-5351. 19 Thursday † St. Joseph Serra Club of Williamson County Mass, Program, and Coffee, 9 a.m., St. Philip Church, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. Natural Family Planning Class, 6:308:30 p.m., Christ the King, 3001 Belmont Blvd., Nashville. Info: hehoneycutt@gmail. com or (615) 308-7722. Mass of the Two Hear ts, 5 p.m., Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave Nashville. In honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Schedule: 5 p.m. rosar y and confession available, 5:30 p.m. Holy Mass with Consecration of families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Info: (615) 646-5553. ADORATIONS Visit www.dioceseofnashville.com for regularly scheduled adorations. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 5 LENTEN PENANCE SERVICES 19 Thursday 9 Monday LENT March 2015 2 Monday St. Ann, 7 p.m., 5101 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, (615) 298-1782. 3 Tuesday St. Henr y, 7 p.m., 6401 Harding Rd., Nashville, (615) 352-2259. 10 Tuesday St. Philip, 7 p.m., 113 Second Ave., S., Franklin, (615) 794-8588. 11 Wednesday Cathedral, 3:30-5:15 p.m., 2015 West End Ave., Nashville, (615) 327-2330. St. Joseph, 7 p.m., 1225 Gallatin Pike S., Madison, (615) 865-1071. St. Ignatius, 7 p.m., 601 Bell Rd., Antioch, (615) 367-0085. 23 Monday St. Frances Cabrini, 7:15 p.m., 300 S. Tarver Ave., Lebanon, (615) 444-0524. 24 Tuesday St. Matthew, 7 p.m., 535 Sneed Rd., W., Franklin, (615) 646-0378. St. Luke, 7 p.m., 10682 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna, (615) 459-9672. St. Paul the Apostle, 7 p.m., 304 W. Grizzard St., Tullahoma, (931) 455-3050. Holy Name, 7 p.m., 521 Woodland St., Nashville, (615) 254-8847. Christ the King, 7 p.m., 3001 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, (615) 292-2884. 12 Thursday 25 Wednesday St. Christopher, 7 p.m., 713 W. College St., Dickson, (615) 446-3927. Our Lady of the Lake, 7 p.m., 1729 Stop 30 Road, Hendersonville, (615) 824-3276. Cathedral, 3:30-5:15 p.m., 2015 West End Ave., Nashville, (615) 327-2330. 4 Wednesday Holy Family, 7 p.m., 9100 Crockett Rd., Brentwood, (615) 373-4696. Cathedral, 3:30-5:15 p.m., 2015 West End Ave., Nashville, (615) 327-2330. Sacred Heart, 7 p.m., 305 Church St., Loretto, (931) 853-4370. 5 Thursday 18 Wednesday St. John Vianney, 7 p.m., 449 N. Water St., Gallatin, (615) 452-2977. Cathedral, 3:30-5:15 p.m., 2015 West End Ave., Nashville, (615) 327-2330. St. Rose of Lima, 7 p.m., 1601 N. Tennessee Blvd., Murfreesboro, (615) 893-1843. Good Shepherd, 7 p.m., 2021 Decherd Blvd., Decherd, (931) 967-0961. St. Edward, 7 p.m., 188 Thompson Lane, Nashville, (615) 833-5520. St. Vincent de Paul, 7 p.m., 1700 Heiman St., Nashville, (615) 320-0695. 26 Thursday St. Stephen, 7 p.m., 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory, (615) 758-2424. If your parish is not listed, then it will not hold a service or it has yet to schedule a service. For more information, contact your parish office. Lenten Regulations T he following Lenten times of penance are in accordance with the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and with the directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. These regulations bind all Latin Rite Catholics of the United States of America except as noted. • All are obliged by law to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday, April 3, from the age of 14 years throughout life. The law forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, the products of milk, or condiments made of animal fat. • All are obliged by law to fast – limiting oneself to one full meal and two lighter meals in the course of the day – on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, from the day after their 18th birthday until the day after their 59th birthday. The combined quantity of food at the two light meals should not exceed the quantity of food taken at the full meal. The drinking of ordinary liquids does not break the fast. • All are generally obliged to do penance during the entire season of Lent. In addition to fast and abstinence, the obligation may be discharged by other good works, such as voluntary abstinence, prayer, self-denial, almsgiving and acts of charity. Catechetical Formation Program COURSE 2 (SPRING 2015) Offered 3 ways! Your choice! SATURDAY SESSIONS: Select ONE location most convenient. All sessions are held on a Saturday, 8:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (No cost. Lunch provided.) Mass offered at 8:00 a.m. See the website for details and the agenda. Please register online: www.dioceseofnashville.com March 21, 2015 St. Rose of Lima Church 1601 N. Tennessee Blvd. Murfreesboro, TN 37130 May 2, 2015 Cathedral of the Incarnation 2015 West End Ave. Nashville, TN 37203 TUESDAY EVENINGS SESSIONS: Come and Adore Or choose to participate in Course 2 over two Tuesday evenings. Sessions are held on Tuesday nights, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Please register online: www.dioceseofnashville.com Make weekly adoration part of your plan to grow in your relationship with Christ this Lent. The Aquinas College Corpus Christi Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. New Adoration Times are available for 2015. For more information, contact [email protected] or choose your weekly adoration time by going to http://adorationpro.org/aquinas April 14 and April 21, 2015 Aquinas College, 4210 Harding Road, Nashville, TN 27205 ONLINE SESSION: Or choose to participate in Course 2 online for a small fee of $25. Please register online: www.aquinascollegecatechetics.org Enrollment: February 9 - March 4, 2015 Begins: March 2, 2015 Ends: April 27, 2015 Distinctly Dominican 4210 HARDING PIKE NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37205 615.297.7545 www.aquinascollege.edu CREED “The Trinity” MORALITY“Confirmation” SACRAMENTS “Life In Christ” PRAYER“Revelation” METHODS “Using Scripture to Pray and Teach” 6 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Ukrainian Catholic leader invites pope, says visit could bring peace Carol Glatz CNS V ATICAN CITY. The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church invited Pope Francis to visit the war-torn nation, saying it would help bring peace. “It would be a prophetic gesture that would show the power of prayer and Christian solidarity, give us courage and hope and build a better future for everyone,” said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kiev-Halych. On behalf of Catholics, Orthodox Christians and “people of goodwill” in Ukraine, the archbishop personally invited the pope, telling journalists Feb. 23 that such a visit would “bring peace to that part of Eastern Europe soaked with the blood of so many martyrs for the unity of the church.” The archbishop was in Rome following an “ad limina” visit Feb. 16-21 in which bishops from Ukraine’s Easternand Latin-rite traditions reported to the pope and the Vatican on the state of their dioceses. Archbishop Shevchuk spoke to journalists about the bishops’ Feb. 20 meeting with Pope Francis. He said the pope “truly listened to us with a paternal heart,” asking to hear about how the Ukrainian people, including their “Orthodox brothers and sisters,” were facing the current conflict and crisis. After their closed-door talks with the pope, Archbishop Shevchuk said “our bishops felt not only welcomed, but also encouraged and above all reaffirmed that we have taken the right position” during the recent turmoil in Ukraine – that is, the position of “being at the side of one’s people, having the smell of sheep, listening carefully to the voice of our people – this is what the Holy Father asks us to do.” “Ukraine is the victim” in this war with Russia, and “often Ukrainians feel abandoned, betrayed by politicians, big diplomats by the powerful of this world.” But he said their meeting with the pope left them feeling that “the Holy Father is with us, he gives witness to us that God is always on the side of those who suffer,” he said. “We go home full of hope.” In a written address that was handed out to the bishops, the pope asked them to focus on the social and human tragedies unfolding in their country and avoid politicizing their role as church leaders. He asked the bishops to work together and be a clear moral voice calling for peace and harmony as well as strong defenders of families, the poor and weak. The pope assured the bishops of his prayers and concerns about the “serious conflict” in their nation and the numerous innocent victims and suffering it has caused. “In this period, as I have assured you on many occasions directly and through cardinal envoys, I am particularly close to you with my prayer for the deceased and for all those affected by the violence, with prayer to the Lord that he may soon grant peace,” he said. Pope Francis said he continues to appeal to “all sides concerned” to respect international law and carry out their agreements, especially a recent ceasefire deal. “In these circumstances, what is important is to listen carefully to the voices that come from the places where the people who are entrusted to your pastoral care live” because it is by listening to one’s own flock that they will be able to help uphold the community’s values of “encounter, collaboration, the ability to settle controversies,” he wrote. Archbishop Shevchuk said the path the pope was indicating was “right – to be at the side of your people and listen to the voice of the people,” and that it was the same approach the bishops have been taking the whole time by addressing social injustices and not supporting any political party. When it came to ecumenical dialogue aimed at peace, he said it has been very difficult to get the Russian Orthodox Church’s Moscow Patriarchate to help advocate an end to the violence. He said this has caused the many Russian Orthodox in Ukraine to question “how come these brothers of the same church, or as Pope Francis says, of the same baptism, come to our land to kill us?” “If pastors are not able to listen to the voice of their flock and respect the sensitivity of their faithful, well, it becomes more difficult. If the church hierarchy takes the side of those with power against their own people, they lose their credibility,” he said. The archbishop said the bishops’ visit to the pope and the Vatican Secretariat of State was an important opportunity to tell them “the truth” about the ongoing crisis: that it is not a civil war but “a foreign invasion, a war imposed on us from the outside.” They told Vatican officials that some of the terms that had been used – for example, when the pope said Feb. 4 the conflict was a “fratricide,” a war between Christians baptized in the same faith – had been extremely painful to the people of Ukraine because it echoed the rhetoric in the Russian position on the conflict. He said Christian values can be manipulated by Russian authorities “for political motives,” adding that no state policy or propaganda that “sacrifices millions of human beings for geopolitical aims respects Christian values.” He said he told the pope how more than 2 million people have been displaced by the fighting, among them 140,000 children. He said more than 6,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed to date and another 12,500 people physically wounded. “The pope was touched by these numbers,” especially by how many children are being affected. Through Caritas Ukraine, the church is helping more than 40,000 people a day, he said. The people have opened their hearts to the church as a “stable point of reference” during so much confusion and misguidance, he said. The church has become a true “field hospital” as so many people are suffering spiritually and psychologically from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic disorder, which has become as real a threat to human lives as “the Russianbuilt missiles,” he said. NEWS BRIEFS Catholic News Service Survey: 133 percent increase in attacks on religion in past three years WASHINGTON. A new report from the Liberty Institute in Plano, Texas, shows that incidents of “religious hostility” have more than doubled in the United States over the past three years. The report, “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America, 2014 Edition,” chronicles a series of more than 1,300 court cases recently handled or monitored by the institute, a nonprofit legal group that represents plaintiffs who feel their religious liberty has been violated. “The freedom to openly exercise your faith is under intolerant, growing, damaging attack,” reads the opening statement. “If this hostility is not identified, defeated and deemed socially unacceptable, then we will forfeit the benefits of religion and freedom. We will risk watching our freedom and our American way of life destroyed.” Justin Butterfield, editor-in-chief of the survey, told Catholic News Service: “A lot of people think that this only happens in China or North Korea. We published ‘Undeniable’ to get people to realize that religious persecution is something that happens here in the United States.” The new edition of the report has four main sections: attacks on religious freedom in the public arena, in academic settings, against churches and ministries, and in the military. The thing to remember is that not only are these attacks on liberty becoming more numerous, but the types of cases we’re seeing are getting worse,” said Butterfield. “I never would have imagined that a presidential administration would argue in favor of protecting religious belief but not religious action and practice, but that’s exactly what the government did in the Hosanna-Tabor case.” Religious leaders urge action to combat climate change WASHINGTON. Religious leaders from across the faith spectrum gathered Feb. 20 at the Capitol to seek action to combat climate change and to mitigate its effects, whether it be at the federal level or in local communities. The ongoing buzz about the forthcoming encyclical from Pope Francis on the environment was addressed by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “This is the first time a pope has addressed the issue of the environment and climate change with an encyclical – and for us Catholics and not only for Catholics, this is a big deal,” Archbishop Wenski said, noting, “Encyclicals are an important way for popes to exercise their teaching office.” Archbishop Wenski added, “Although I am not privy to what the pope will say, I think he will insist that the ‘natural ecology’ is inseparably linked to ‘human ecology.’ In other words, we have to recognize the interrelatedness of the various social, economic, political or environmental crises that confront the human family today.” The archbishop made the comments as part of a panel sponsored by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and held in a meeting room at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington. Pope: Don’t let meatless Fridays be selfish, soulless, seafood splurge VATICAN CITY. Real fasting isn’t just restricting food choices, it must also include cleansing the heart of all selfishness and making room in one’s life for those in need and those who have sinned and need healing, Pope Francis said. Faith without concrete acts of charity is not only hypocritical, “it is dead; what good is it?” he said, criticizing those who hide behind a veil of piety while unjustly treating others, such as denying workers fair wages, a pension and health care. Being generous toward the church, but selfish and unjust toward others “is a very serious sin: It is using God to cover up injustice,” he said Feb. 20 during his homily in a morning Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. The pope’s homily was based on the day’s reading from the Book of Isaiah in which God tells his people he does not care for those who observe penance passively – bowed “like a reed,” lying quietly in a “sackcloth and ashes.” Instead, God says he desires to see his people crying out “full-throated and unsparingly” against injustice and sin, “setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless.” In the reading, God also points out the hypocrisy of the faithful who fast, but treat their workers badly and fight and quarrel with others. Pax Christi program in Cite Soleil helps youths become peacemakers PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. Mentor Elison wants peace for the little kids, if for no one else, in Cite Soleil. The 19-year-old aspiring doctor wants the kids to feel safe when going to school, to have a safe haven when they get home. That’s not always the case in Cite Soleil, the sprawling poverty-mired 300,000-strong community on the northern edge of the Haitian capital where violence is common and armed groups often fight over turf in gun battles and through intimidation. Elison finds no attraction in that. “Peace is very important for many things, but it’s primarily important for youth like me growing up and living in Cite Soleil,” he said. “Peace is something very important, and I want to be associated with it.” He has decided to promote peace by how he lives using the skills he has learned through SAKALA, a peacebuilding program for youth sponsored by Pax Christi Haiti. Elison’s quest began eight years ago when he first showed up at SAKALA, which had organized a soccer team and a dance program to give children positive alternative activities. He played soccer and joined the dance troupe and mingled with kids from other Cite Soleil neighborhoods. He said he realized, “We are all one.” February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 7 An unconventional career path: Hollywood, Rome, D.C., home to Albany Patricia Zapor CNS A LBANY, N.Y. Among the residents of the Sisters of Mercy motherhouse, Sister Mary Ann Walsh is something of an unwilling rock star. A native of Albany, Sister Mary Ann moved last summer back to the motherhouse where she first entered the novitiate 50 years ago at age 17. The return from Washington, where she’d lived for nearly 30 years, came as she simultaneously began a new job as U.S. church correspondent for America magazine and learned that she had an aggressive form of cancer, with few options for treatment. Living and working among about 30 sisters – most, but not all, retired – Sister Mary Ann has come home both to her hometown and to life in the religious community. She left Albany in 1983 to work in Rome as a Vatican correspondent for what was then called National Catholic News Service. From there it was on to Washington and jobs as reporter and media editor for Catholic News Service and in media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The highlights that stand out for her, however, aren’t the important people she met as much as the quieter things: having some kids present St. John Paul II with a pair of sneakers at World Youth Day; enabling a terminally ill child to meet the pope there; receiving an album of beautiful professional photos from a long-ago student whom she encouraged to pick up a camera. Like most of the Sisters of Mercy who entered the novitiate in the mid1960s, Sister Mary Ann started as a schoolteacher, one of the few career options for a girl from a poor family who wanted to help others. She stepped into a second-grade classroom while finishing her studies at the local College of St. Rose, where she got bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English. She soon moved on to teach middle and high school, but her love of writing led to a summer job at The Evangelist, newspaper of the Albany Diocese. “That was a radical step,” she said. “It shocked my community. My mother was just astounded that ‘you could do a job like that when here you had a good, secure job as a teacher.’” It was just the first of many nontraditional jobs, especially for a nun, the only daughter of Irish immigrants with little education. But nobody was surprised that she pursued writing as a career. “I told my friends, this is either going to kill me, because they’ll tell me no and I can’t pursue my first love, or it’ll kill me because I’ll find out journalism isn’t all I thought it was,” she said. “But I absolutely loved it. I loved all you could do.” That summer led to a full-time report- CNS photo by Bob Roller Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh is pictured in this 2003 photo holding a book she edited. The book is titled “John Paul II: A Light for the World.” ing position. At The Evangelist she wrote a column and did stories from the state capitol and Attica Prison. She twice received an award from the New York Bar Association for coverage of criminal justice. And she talked her way into a spot on the papal press plane when St. John Paul made his first visit to the United States in 1979. She arranged with Religion News Service to use their name – and thus get a spot representing a wire service – in exchange for RNS having access to her copy. She was the only reporter from a diocesan newspaper on the plane. “I had a good editor, who’d let you do that kind of thing,” said Sister Mary Ann, downplaying the initiative that often defined her reporting. That same editor from The Evangelist, Father Kenneth Doyle, brought her to Rome, when he was bureau chief there for CNS. Although not the first woman reporter at the CNS Rome bureau, she was the first – and so far only – nun. Father Doyle said when her hiring was announced “there was somebody over there in quite an important position – a priest – who called her the uppity nun. That’s what she had to counteract.” He said Sister Mary Ann exhibited a kind of doggedness. “She never stopped in pursuit of what she wanted to find out. She was aggressive but in a kind way.” She also used the bonds of religious life to her advantage, paying attention to the sisters who worked behind the scenes at St. Matthew's Women's Club, Franklin, TN Lambs to Lions Consignment Sale, Mar. 7-8 To consign or volunteer, please visit https://smwc2012.ivolunteer.com/ Sale Sat. Mar. 7, 9-2 pm • Half Price Sale Mar. 8, 12-2 pm Questions? Email: [email protected] or Call: 615-620-1058 the Vatican and getting story tips from them. She arranged for fast turn-around translations of documents issued in Italian by paying the sisters 2 cents a word more than the prevailing rate. She also went on several papal trips – that’s where she got to know St. John Paul – and into the middle of warravaged Lebanon to write about the isolation of the Christians there. That trip had both her family and her religious superior nervous. “I told them at the last minute,” she said. “I thought if anything happens to me they’d be really embarrassed they didn’t know. So I called and told them the travel route, Greece, Cyprus, Beirut. “The superior said, ‘Oh that’s just great, Greece, Cyprus, Beirut!’ I said, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve got a bulletproof vest.’ She said, ‘And you wear that!’ I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just been ordered to wear a bulletproof vest.’” Her experience in Rome helped prepare her for her next reporting gig, as the CNS media editor. “Rome taught me how to cover Hollywood,” she said. “They’re both complete bureaucracies.” “You’d call Hollywood for something and you’d get some anti-Catholic little bigot,” she explained. “They’d say, ‘Well, Sister, could you put that in writing?’ So I’d hang up and call back until I got myself a Catholic schoolgirl or boy and I’d make the same request. They’d say, ‘Oh Sister, we’ll be happy to send that to you.’” For the Hollywood media relations staff, Sister Mary Ann proved a sometimes confusing participant in the press events where TV studios roll out their new shows. “I said, the Gospel is filled with stories, so I’m looking at this story that you’re telling,” she said by way of explaining what she was doing there. “That was a new concept for them.” At one event, someone asked a star how he handled the pressures on him, said Sister Mary Ann. Wordlessly, he started to reach into his pants pocket. “One reporter, said, ‘Oh, he’s going to pull out drugs.’ He pulled out a rosary.” The press handler went nuts, she said. “‘Quick everybody, change seats.’ So I sat next to the guy who pulled out a rosary to keep himself calm.” After that, the watchword among the media reps was “find the Catholic for Sister,” she recalled. Though she wasn’t particularly starstruck by anyone she met on the media beat, one of Sister Mary Ann’s favorite actors she got to know was Chris Burke, the star of “Life Goes On,” centered on a teen with Down syndrome. She also snagged interviews with Raul Julia, Gene Hackman and Bruce Willis. And she became good friends with ABC and National Public Radio correspondent Cokie Roberts and the late Tim Russert, a fellow upstate New Yorker and longtime host of “Meet the Press.” Roberts weighed in while traveling abroad to help Sister Mary Ann find an oncologist to consult. It was Russert who gave her a bit of advice that got her through World Youth Day, her first foray on the spokesperson side of reporting. “He said, ‘You own the pope, so you’re in charge.’” At one point during World Youth Day, she was getting grief from unhappy reporters. “I kept thinking, ‘I own the pope.’ By the time they walked out they were patting me on the shoulder saying, ‘We can work this out, Sister, we can work this out.’ And I thought, of course we can,” she said. Russert’s advice that “it’s my ball, I make the rules” has stood her well. But the side of Sister Mary Ann that managed complex and sometimes delicate media situations and that sometimes got TV stars, White House staffers and one Colorado sheriff up in arms, has been one that her friends and family don’t necessarily see. One of her nieces, Maura Sommer, told CNS she was pretty grown up before she realized the beloved aunt who took her to McDonald’s for “shamrock shakes” on her St. Patrick’s Day birthday was someone known around the world. “When she moved to Rome, she would send us pictures of herself with the pope or things like rosaries that had been blessed by the pope,” Sommer said. “We thought everyone got these from their aunts. When we took those to show-and-tell at our Catholic school, the nuns were really impressed.” Sommer said when she thinks about the hard-scrabble circumstances her grandparents came from, she’s even more astonished at where Sister Mary Ann has been. A visit to the remnants of the Irish villages where her Walsh grandparents were born hammered home for Sommer the humbleness of the upbringing of her father, uncle and aunt. “Here’s this person who’s being stopped around the world and asked for her opinions, a woman, a nun,” said Sommer. “And she came from little more than a pile of rocks.” “We all know what it’s like to be a woman in the workplace now, but she did it on her own, with nobody pushing her,” said her niece. “Yet she’s nothing but kindness and good intentions. She’s plugging along, making a difference.” 8 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Holy Name to host Lenten Solidarity Suppers for young adults Briana Grzybowski D uring Lent, the young adult group at Holy Name Church is hosting a bi-weekly dinner and Scripture study series. Catholics ages 20-45 are welcome to participate in the parish’s Lenten Young Adult Solidarity Supper series. The program they are using is from the international organization Catholic Relief Services, which promotes solidarity with poor and marginalized populations around the world. The idea came from Aimee Shelide Mayer, who is in charge of leading the young adult ministry at Holy Name. “I’m originally from Nashville, but I’ve spent time away from here doing young adult ministry in Wisconsin and at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. My husband and I just moved back to Nashville and joined Holy Name Parish in November. “I got involved in leading the young adult program there, and was trying to come up with some sort of program for the season of Lent,” she said. “I talked to representatives from Catholic Relief Services at the SEEK 2015 conference this past January, and they told me about their faith formation resources for Lent. I thought it was a good idea, talked about it to (Holy Name Pastor) Father Edwidge Carré, and he approved.” The Lenten Guide from Catholic Relief Services includes Scripture readings, prayers to promote solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable people, recipes from nations across the globe, questions for discussion and reflection, and stories of people who have been positively impacted by Catholic Relief Services’ work in their native countries. Meetings will be held 6-7:30 p.m. March 2, 16 and 30. There are three main components to each gathering. The first half hour, participants will share dinner. Afterwards, they’ll study and discuss the readings from the previous weekend’s Mass. They’ll also incorporate the stories and activities found in the CRS study guide. “For the first half hour, we’ll ease into things with dinner and fellowship. And then we’ll have a look at the weekly readings from Mass. I want the Scripture study portion to be a sort of lectio divina, where we listen closely to God’s word and reflect upon a phrase or passage that stands out to us,” Mayer said. “I’m also hoping to show video clips of the stories from those who have been helped by Catholic Relief Services. It’ll tie in well when we discuss almsgiving,” Mayer said. She hopes to have a decent-sized turnout at each meeting. “I’m hoping at least 10-15 people show up to these gatherings. I don’t think too many people know about this, so hopefully the word will get out before our first event,” she said. Mayer hopes that this program will strengthen participants’ solidarity with each other and with the global Catholic community; and that it will help them understand the purpose of Lent in a more profound way. “Many of the people in our group are new to Nashville, new to Holy Name, and new to Catholicism,” she said. “I hope this series will help them have a greater sense of belonging to the parish and to the Church at large. I also hope that they’ll understand why we get involved in fasting, prayer and almsgiving during Lent. I think it’ll give people a greater awareness of what Lent is all about.” Panel looks at ways to bridge divides among groups in shared parish Beth Griffin CNS N EW YORK. Delicate negotiation and open communication are keys to bridging divides among Catholics at parishes shared by distinct cultural groups that retain their own ministries and worship styles. Brett C. Hoover, author of a new book on the subject, said more than one-third of parishes in the U.S. serve ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse communities. Shared parishes are challenged by cultural and power differences, but united by faith, expressions of biblical hospitality and efforts to overcome sticking points. “It’s not about the Trinity or transubstantiation; it’s about the parking or the parish directory,” Hoover said. Hoover is assistant professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and author of “The Shared Parish: Latinos, Anglos and the Future of U.S. Catholicism.” He spoke Feb. 19 at a panel discussion sponsored by the Center for Migration Studies in New York. Shared parishes are those in which two or more distinct cultural communities maintain separate Masses and ministries while sharing the same facilities and usually the same leadership, Hoover said. As the U.S. church grows more diverse, largely through immigration, the percentage of parishes that offer Masses in more than one language also is growing. Hoover said 90 percent of parishes Hispanics attend “might be” shared now, up from 75 percent in 1999. The phenomenon includes other cultural groups in parishes transformed by movement away from urban centers and population shifts associated with economic changes, as well as immigration, Hoover said. Shared parishes are not part of a larger plan within the church, Hoover said. “It’s what happened to accommodate immigration with limited resources.” Shared parishes institutionalize the separation of distinct groups, but also offer safe spaces for them to gather, Hoover said. Both newcomers and established parishioners experience grief from the changes that bring them together. They may also be anxious and uncertain because they “don’t know how to read one another’s reaction,” he said. As a result, they avoid one another and formalize the avoidance by negotiating room use and parking lot timing. He said there is “emotional fraughtness” and anger related to grief. Avoidance also happens when information does not flow between and among the groups, Hoover said. In some cases, each of the groups foresees displacement and “they see themselves as not possessing as much influence and power in the culture as they’d like. This leads to defensive positions,” he said. “God speaks to us in strangers and if we don’t welcome them, we don’t get the message,” Hoover said. Communication is important and some “people from the dominant culture get converted to activism when they learn of other’s stories.” Scalabrini Father Walter Tonelotto, pastor of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in New York, said pastors and lay leaders must work together to ensure shared parishes are vibrant. His parish in the Greenwich Village neighborhood encompasses five groups: an aging Italian community, a newer group of young expatriate Italian professionals, longtime Filipino worshippers, Brazilians who come from throughout the metropolitan region, and Hispanics who work in local restaurants but live elsewhere. The groups have significantly different needs and it is an ongoing challenge to work together, Father Tonelotto said. The first steps are to welcome everyone with a smile and offer liturgy in their language. “But parishes today cannot be limited to liturgical activities,” he said. They have to use new media, organize activities and invite people to social and cultural events. Our Lady of Pompeii used its Web page and other social media to promote an exhibit of Giotto paintings at the parish. It promotes rosary events in parishioners’ homes through the same media and organizes a multicultural food feast, Father Tonelotto said. “If a parish does not go out and present different aspects, it becomes insignificant. If every parish had a Facebook account, we could reach millions of people each day,” Father Tonelotto said. “My main work is liturgical. We have to empower laypeople, meet together at the parish council, ... give enough space to each group and unite without killing initiative,” he said. Maria del Mar Munoz-Visoso, executive director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said integration of parallel communities within a parish entails a process of welcoming, belonging and ownership. The process is impeded by stereotypes, discrimination and racism, she said. “Parallel communities can become eternal rather than intersecting. It’s important to strengthen them, because people integrate better from a position of strength, and then build bridges. Some parts will never intersect, but the process brings the community together,” Munoz-Visoso said. “Attention to cultural diversity is more than a practical matter. It’s a need to grow the knowledge, attitude and skills to carry out the mission of the church,” she said. Shared parishes require cultural humility, Hoover said, which includes understanding “life is a long project of learning and we have to always learn from one another.” Flexibility, humility and curiosity are important qualities for potential pastors of shared parishes, Hoover said. Ideally, the pastor would be passionate about the faith, interested in learning about another culture, and flexible “about seeing my way is not someone else’s way.” “In our country, we tend to identify Catholicism with American Catholicism, even though there are culturally different ways of approaching it,” including popular expressions of religion, he said. “When human beings are faced with cultural differences, we make moral judgments. What you think might be a moral problem, might be a cultural difference,” Hoover said. The Center for Migration Studies is an educational institute devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and newcomers. Fidelity Home Loans, LLC NMLS#894768 Rates Are Back At A Historical Low!! If your current rate does not start in the 3s, you are paying too much and could be saving thousands of dollars over the life of your loan by refinancing. Call today about “No Closing Cost Loans”, bi-weekly mortgage, and HARP loans. If you are looking to buy a home, let me get you pre-qualified to start shopping for that new home. Visit my Website at: www.fidelityhomeloans.net Certified Mortgage Banker Bob Nolte CMB Phone 615-377-0769 • Fax 615-377-0774 NMLS #160882 February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 9 As migration pattern changes, Mexican women adjust methods of service David Agren CNS L A PATRONA, Mexico. Norma Romero Vasquez watched a freight train roll by her residence on a recent Saturday, and she checked to see if any migrants were perched on top. “There’s one,” she yelled, motioning for a friend farther up the line to pass food and drink to the lone rider. The migrant, sunburned and wearing shorts and a hoodie, grabbed the bagged lunch with an outstretched hand. He was the only one to pass that day. It’s drastic decline from six months earlier, when hundreds of Central Americans huddled aboard northbound trains in attempts to reach the U.S. border. Nowadays, “They’re mostly arriving on foot,” said Romero, whose team of 14 women, known as “Las Patronas,” still serve them and even offer a spot to sleep. For 20 years, Las Patronas have tossed meals to migrants riding atop trains passing through their hamlet of cane and coffee farmers in Veracruz state, 175 miles southeast of Mexico City. Las Patronas named themselves for their hometown – La Patrona – and Our Lady of Guadalupe, the national patroness. The women started out with scant resources, but their work has won national awards and international attention. Their work also has contributed to changes in attitudes toward migrants in Mexico, where people have not always welcomed their southern neighbors, despite the fact CNS photo/David Agren Bernarda Romero passes out bags of bread and pastries to migrants passing through La Patrona, Mexico, on a northbound train Sept. 25. Romero is one of the founders of Las Patronas, a group of ladies in Veracruz state who have fed Central American migrants passing through their farming village since 1995. that the country sends so many its own citizens to the United States. “There are more people aware now ... that a migrant is not a person coming here to do harm. It’s someone who is trying to get ahead and help their family,” Romero said, adding that some of those riding the rails will contact her after arriving to give thanks, even though they never met. “They look for us and ask, ‘Why would you give us something to eat?’ I always say to them, ‘Because you’re my brother.’” Priests and religious attending the Feb. 14th 20th anniversary celebration called the women examples of Christian charity and compassion, who always shared what they had, even in times of hardship. “They’re a reference, when speaking of migration and service to migrants,” said Father Prisciliano Peraza Garcia, director of a migrant shelter in Altar, near the Arizona border. “These people know that what little they have, they have to share it,” said Bishop Raul Vera Lopez of Saltillo, who celebrated an anniversary Mass along the railway lines in La Patrona. “The solidarity that exists between the poor is something extraordinary.” After the anniversary Mass, the women cut cake and answered a crush of requests from reporters – such is the sensation of 14 peasant women who have become minor media celebrities in Mexico. Las Patronas started in 1995, when Romero recalls being asked by migrants walking the railway lines for food, though she confessed not knowing anything about migration and confused the people atop the trains with joyriders. The opportunity to serve migrants, she said, was an answer to prayer. “I said, ‘Please show me the road so that I can serve you,’” she recalled praying. The women prepared meals in pots over open flames and passed out bagged food to outstretched hands. When food was hard to find, the women picked mangos. Their work started being noticed, leading to donations from students, universities and local businesses, which would send over day-old pastries and bottled drinks. Las Patronas won the 2013 National Human Rights Award, and Romero rebuked President Enrique Pena Nieto in person for a recently approved energy reform and an ongoing neglect of the countryside. But Romero downplays the attention she receives and credits her colleagues and God for their accomplishments. “This project is not only mine. It’s God’s,” she said. “It is not something we expected, but it completely changed our lives.” Changes in Mexican immigration enforcement are preventing migrants from climbing onto the northbound train – known as La Bestia for the way it maims riders – through a government initiative known as the Southern Border Project. The initiative aims to make the southern border safer, according to the Mexican government, and establishes order in an oft-neglected part of the country. The plan was presented after the child migrant crisis last summer, when thousands of unaccompanied Central American minors tried to travel through Mexico to reach the United States. “The child migrant crisis was a watershed moment,” said Father Alejandro Solalinde, director of the Brothers of the Road migrant shelter in Oaxaca state, for the way it brought increased enforcement, along with detentions and deportations. Critics, including Father Solalinde and the operators of Catholic-run shelters, say the plan makes migration more dangerous by forcing migrants onto new routes, where they are easily extorted or kidnapped by criminal groups as they attempt to avoid the authorities. “The Southern Border Project is not about making immigration safer,” he said. “It’s about making it invisible.” Father Solalinde sees most migrants now arriving on foot, with 90 percent reporting some sort of injury or having fallen victim to crime along the way. Since the Southern Border Project was introduced, Franciscan Brother Tomas Gonzalez Castillo has seen only a minor drop in numbers arriving at his shelter near the Mexico-Guatemala border. But he has seen attempts by migrants to avoid the authorities and a new crop of smugglers starting to offer services – even if they don’t offer anything of value. “We’re receiving people that were lost in the jungle,” said Brother Gonzalez, director of the shelter La 72 in Tenosique, in Tabasco state. The directors of shelters in southern Mexico recently discarded a policy of limiting stays by migrants to three days, “because they arrive extremely tired,” Brother Gonzalez said. Honduran migrant Jose Daniel Sanchez Barahona, 18, arrived in La Patrona after walking most of the distance from Palenque, 375 miles away in Chiapas state. He said he once jumped off the train after criminals carrying baseball bats demanded $100 to stay aboard. Many of the migrants traveling with him “turned themselves in to immigration officials,” he said. With fewer migrants riding the rails, Romero has shifted her approach. She opened a shelter to attend to those walking the railway line and arriving on bus and now feeds around 50 migrants per day on the trains – down from the more than 1,000 meals Las Patronas used to prepare daily. She plans to continue with her project, but hoped to see the day “people did not have to migrate.” 10 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 FAITH|WORSHIP|WITNESS Support the Collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign Catholic Communication Campaign | Office of National Collections 3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017-1194 | www.usccb.org/nationalcollections © 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Photos: © Jack Hollingsworth, Corbis; © Erik Isakson, Fotosearch; iStockphoto. Please be generous. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 11 Texas judge blocks immigration changes; administration to appeal Patricia Zapor CNS W ASHINGTON. A little more than one day before an expansion was to take effect in a deferred deportation program known as DACA, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Obama administration’s effort. In a 123-page memorandum released by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott late in the evening Feb. 16, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen granted the request of Texas and 25 other states to temporarily block a planned expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to certain people who were ineligible for the original 2012 program. The expansion of DACA was to be rolled out Feb. 18, but Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security, said Feb 17 that the implementation would be delayed while the administration appeals. Meanwhile, organizations that have been helping people prepare to apply for the programs said they would continue that work, in anticipation of what they hope will be a reversal of the injunction. In Nashville, Donna Gann, program coordinator for Catholic Charities of Tennessee’s Immigration Services department, has been maintaining a spreadsheet with the contact information of people who have called the office in recent months, asking, “Can you Tennessee Register file photo by Theresa Laurence Terry Horgan, program manager at Catholic Charities’ Hispanic Family Services office in Nashville, assists Sandra Martinez organize her paperwork to apply for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which offers relief from deportation to certain young adult immigrants. DACA experienced a setback last week when a federal judge issued an injunction blocking the Obama administration’s effort to expand the program. help me?” Once Gann determines that if callers are eligible for relief under one of these programs, she saves their information and promises to call them as soon as they can move forward. “Right now we have about 150 names Need help with one of these investment situations? Recently retired or changed jobs and need to rollover my 401(k) Assets are spread out and need to simplify financial affairs Getting ready to retire and need to live off our portfolio Recently widowed and need help managing a trust Need a second opinion on our portfolio risk and expenses Sold business and need help managing proceeds Don’t have time to create and manage our portfolio(s) I’m a fiduciary of a trust, endowment, foundation or retirement plan Call John J. Glennon at 615.312.7130 • Managing Director, Avondale Partners, LLC • Financial Advisor since 1982 • Only Middle Tennessee Member of the Elite IRA Advisor Group • Volunteer, Diocese of Nashville, for more than 25 years John Glennon is a registered representative of Avondale Partners, LLC Securities offered through Avondale Partners, LLC Member FINRA / SIPC For a FREE copy of “Thinking Differently – Investing & Retirement” contact John at 615.312.7130 or [email protected] 3102 West End Avenue, Suite 1100 | Nashville, TN 37203 | 615.312.7130 [email protected] on the list, and it grows every day,” she said. Johnson and legal experts who support the administrative actions said they were confident that Hanen’s order would be reversed on appeal and that the programs are on sound legal footing, within the government’s exercise of prosecutorial discretion. A second variation of DACA, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, called DAPA, was to take effect in the spring but it also will be suspended until further notice, Johnson’s statement said. Hanen’s order did not address the legality of the program but focused on a government procedure and whether the administration needed to follow its requirements for how to promulgate a “rule change.” The judge’s order affects the two new programs nationwide. The existing DACA program is unaffected, Hanen said. It allows certain people who were brought to the United States as children to apply for deferral of deportation. In return for registering with the government, undergoing a background check, showing they are in school or completed a high school education, and paying a fee, approved applicants receive a work permit, a Social Security number and the opportunity to obtain drivers’ licenses. Also unaffected by the judge’s order are other aspects of President Barack Obama’s November orders, related to the administration’s priorities for enforcement of immigration laws. Catholic legal assistance agencies around the country – many working through parishes and neighborhood organizations – have been gearing up to help immigrants apply for the programs since they were announced by Obama shortly after the November elections. “The unfortunate decision by the Texas ... court has the effect of confusing, frightening, and discouraging eligible immigrants from applying,” said Jeanne M. Atkinson, executive director of CLINIC, the Catholic Legal Immigra- tion Network. CLINIC has been training people to advise potential applicants and help them prepare applications. “We believe this is a temporary setback and look forward to the decision of the appellate court,” Atkinson said in a statement. “In the meantime we are moving forward undeterred with plans to implement the administration’s immigration action, which will give millions of people the chance to live, work and stay in America with their families.” So many times when it comes to immigration reform, the refrain seems to be “hurry up and wait,” said Gann of Catholic Charities. Mercy Sister Patricia McDermott, president of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, said in a statement that “without this executive action, 150,000 children annually would continue to lose a parent to deportation.” She said deportations not only harm the person who is removed but that “it destroys the people they leave behind, many of whom are innocent children.” “We know these people as our neighbors, as our friends and as our brothers and sisters in Christ,” she said. In a Feb. 17 teleconference, several attorneys who wrote an “amicus” or friend-of-the-court brief opposing the states’ effort to block the programs said they remain confident that the administration’s orders will withstand the legal challenge. “Our recommendation is don’t panic,” said Debbie Smith, associate general counsel for the Service Employees International Union. “Keep preparing your documentation. Think of this as a timeout, a bump in the road, it’s not the end of the game. Justice will prevail.” She said she expects the suspension of the programs is temporary and urged people who might want to apply for any of the deportation deferral programs to “stay tuned in. This is just the beginning of the fight.” For now, Gann is telling immigrants who call her office that even though things are on hold with the immigration order, they should still be gathering the documentation needed to qualify, stay tuned to the news, and “be ready for when it does pass,” she said. She is also reminding people to be wary of possible scams that target the vulnerable immigrant community, promising that they can rush paperwork through for a fee. “We are still trying to educate the community,” she said. In another teleconference, White House Domestic Policy Director Cecilia Munoz observed that Hanen’s order blocking the programs “was not a constitutional decision,” and that it “wouldn’t be the first time such a ruling was overturned.” Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement that his organization “will continue educating workers, training union activists and helping eligible applicants gather the documents they will need to qualify.” He said the lawsuit “represents a misguided effort to use a false economic basis to block the immigration relief that millions of hardworking, longtime members of our community deserve.” Theresa Laurence contributed to this report. 12 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Parishes respond to cold by boosting help for homeless Andy Telli A s overnight temperatures have dropped to dangerously cold levels during February, the Room In The Inn program and the congregations it partners with, including many Catholic parishes, have ramped up efforts to provide a warm, safe place for the homeless to stay. “What we’ve done for really almost every night for the last two weeks is call on our congregations to open up additional beds,” said Jeff Moles, community development coordinator for Room In The Inn. “We’ve had a pretty good response from that. Over the two-week period, we added over 850 beds over what we would normally offer.” As part of the Room In The Inn program, churches and congregations throughout Nashville host the homeless overnight during the winter months, providing a warm, safe place to sleep, dinner and breakfast, and transportation from and to the Room In The Inn campus on Eighth Avenue South near downtown. On a typical night, congregations have about 315 beds available, Moles said. “On these nights with extremely cold weather the average has gone up to 468 beds.” The Cathedral of the Incarnation Continued on page 23 Photo by Andy Telli Nancy Anderson prepares to serve homemade yeast rolls to the guests of the Room In The Inn program at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. The Cathedral, which normally hosts Room In The Inn guests on Tuesday nights, has been hosting guests every night for more than a week because overnight temperatures have dipped dangerously low. Anderson was volunteering with her daughter Leigh Sutherland and her sister Therese Fleetwood. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 13 Photos by Andy Telli Rite of Election Catechumens, above left photo, who will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass, are presented to Bishop David Choby during the Rite of Election, held Sunday, Feb. 22, at St. Henry Church. Kathryn Moran, above left, who will enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Matthew Church, was one of the cadidates presented during the Rite of Election. She is accompanied by Margaret Cook who filled in for Moran’s sponsor Colleen Meffe. For more photos, go to www.dioceseofnashville.com. Recent gifts show versatility of the CCFMTN Continued from front page help people with estate planning while providing help to the ministries they are most passionate about, said Ron Szejner, executive director of the CCFMTN. Both funds were established late last year, Szejner said. “They came out of nowhere, which is terrific.” The foundation Eddie Pearson offers a variety of tools for estate planning that gives donors tax advantages while also allowing them to stipulate which parish, institution or ministry they want to support, even beyond their death. Kathleen The individual Pearson funds can be large or small, Szejner said. “Most people still think what we do is only for wealthy people,” he said. “Even a small gift can be helpful.” The CCFMTN pools all the funds and invests them, which means the fees for managing the funds are less, Szejner explained. Less money spent on fees means more money is available to help the ministries that mean so much to the donors, he added. With their donor advised fund, the Pearson family will tell the CCFMTN board of directors which parishes and ministries they want to receive a grant. “We indicate where we want the money to go and they take care of all the paperwork and all the administration,” said Pearson, which makes it much easier on his family than if they were administering the fund themselves. The first two grants from the Pearson Family fund were to their parish, Christ the King Church in Nashville, and to the Good Samaritan Fund at Fairfield United Methodist Church in northern Sumner County, where Eddie Pearson’s parents are members. “I wanted to give back to the place where I was raised and (honor) the influence of the people who shaped me a long time ago,” Pearson said. And by being able to designate what kind of ministries they want to support, Pearson said, he and his wife can pass along to their three daughters and their families the value they place on “giving back to the community that’s provided a lot for us.” A variety of options Richard Russo was a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville. During his life, he was heavily involved in the parish’s Room In The Inn ministry and helping the homeless. After he died last year, he left a modest estate to his family. His brother, Dr. Donald Russo, and other members of the family decided to use the estate to honor Richard by establishing an endowment to sup- port the Room In The Inn ministry at Our Lady of the Lake through the CCFMTN. Dr. Russo shared the family’s plans with friends and relatives, and they have responded by making their own donations to the endowment, Szejner said. “I’m getting checks from all kinds of places,” Szejner said. The amounts vary from $100 to $1,000 or more, he added. The Pearson and Russo funds are just two ways the CCFMTN can help people support the ministries they care the most about. Currently the foundation has just under $7 million in assets, Szejner said, and the funds support a variety of ministries, including Catholic Charities of Tennessee, institutions that help abused women and expectant mothers; and various parish ministries. “We can help people whatever their passion is about the Church,” Szejner said. “We can help them do it the way they want to do it.” “We were able to design our fund based on how we want it to impact” the community, Pearson said. “Somebody else could set it up to support Catholic schools or the elderly or the hungry or whatever cause they find important to them.” The CCFMTN offers a variety of investment tools, Szejner said. “There are so many ways to do it. We can do it in a way to honor their intent but in a way that is tax advantaged, given their unique circumstances.” The goal of the foundation is to build an endowment that will support the ministries in the diocese. “We obviously need to build endowment to support ministries in our diocese,” Szejner said. “Our diocese is growing; our needs are growing.” For more information about the foundation contact Szejner at (615) 783-0278 or [email protected] for visit its website at www.ccfmtn.org. 14 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Deacons bring back message of solidarity from Zimbabwe Continued from front page where CRS manages programs designed to uplift the poor. Catholic Relief Services has been working in Zimbabwe since 1989, partnering with the local Catholic Church, community-based organizations and government institutions. During that time, CRS Zimbabwe has built strategic Deacon partnerships with Calzavara more than 20 local organizations, bringing humanitarian, recovery, and development programming to the impoverished country’s urban and rural communities. Two of the CRS programs that made Deacon a big impression on Edwards the deacons were the Savings and Internal Lending Communities program, known as SILC, and the Bicycle Project. SILC is a community-based microlending program that allows people to invest money and take out loans for small projects. Deacons Calzavara and Edwards heard the story of one woman who took out a loan out for $6 to buy chicks, and then six weeks later when they reached maturity sold them for $12 and made a profit. She continued this for some time until she saved up about $150, and was able to replace the clay and cow manure floor in her home with a concrete floor. “Her modest improvements gave her confidence and made her feel like a modern woman who was capable of Photos by Mikaele Sansone/Catholic Relief Services Deacon John Calzavara of Holy Family Parish in Brentwood and Deacon Brian Edwards of St. Edward Parish in Nashville recently traveled to Zimbabwe as Catholic Relief Services Global Fellows. While there, they observed several CRS-sponsored programs designed to uplift the poor. Above, several other members of their group, Father Ed Rooney, CRS employee Roberto Rojas, and Deacon Tom Berna dance with Zimbabwe locals who were welcoming them to their village to learn about a micro-lending program. making progress,” Deacon Edwards said. “The joy in her voice and smile on her face was so inspiring.” “The greeting we received in the village with the SILC program … people singing and dancing as we arrived was so vibrant,” Deacon Calzavara recalled. “They have nothing in the way of material goods, but the spirit is so alive.” When the group visited the site where CRS runs the Bicycle Project, the deacons met with a teenager who, before receiving a bike, walked more than 10 miles each way to school every day. While it’s hard to imagine any American school child undertaking such a task, the boy told Deacon Edwards that he did it “because I want a good education, and I want a better life.” Now after receiving a bike, the boy’s former five-hour daily commute has been cut to just over an hour, vastly improving his quality of life. While Zimbabwe’s education system Continued on next page Above, left, students in Zimbabwe ride bikes that are part of Catholic Relief Services’ Bicycle Project, which provides bikes to students in remote communities who sometimes were walking over 20 miles to and from school every day. At right, a boy from rural Zimbabwe fills a barrel with water from a public spring, which he will carry back to his home via ox-driven cart. Many in Zimbabwe do not have access to fresh drinking water, or have to walk long distances to collect it every day. Catholic Relief Services has worked in Zimbabwe since 1989 and helped establish a number of programs that improve the lives of the country’s poorest people, including water and sanitation, agricultural, and educational programs. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 15 Ryan educator, mentor, honored with Christ the Teacher award Theresa Laurence C .A. Williams, a teacher at Father Ryan High School for more than 40 years, has “worn many hats at Father Ryan and I’ve loved them all.” She’s been an art teacher, history teacher, launched the Cooperative Support and Early Intervention programs at Father Ryan, coached tennis, sponsored the chess club and served as moderator for the Model UN club, among other roles. But more than developing history whizkids or chess champions, “I want every kid walking out of my classroom knowing I love and respect them,” she said. For her selfless attitude, along with her “example of Christ like leadership” and her “dedication, commitment, selfsacrifice and kindness to everyone,” representing the heart of Catholic education, Williams was recently presented with the Diocese of Nashville’s Christ the Teacher Award, given annually to an outstanding teacher in the diocese. “It was a total surprise,” Williams said of receiving the award at a Feb. 13 diocesan-wide teacher in-service day. Coming to school every day and teaching is a reward enough in itself, she said. “I’ve never felt depressed about going to school on Monday morning. … I so love what I do.” Moving through the halls of Father Ryan, clad in sparkly Sketchers tennis shoes and a jacket, shirt, and dangling earrings bearing the Ryan logo, Williams greets individual students from among the crowd, sharing a high five and a smile with them. When she gets to her study skills classroom, she moves around the room, talking sports with some of the guys, then helping one of the girls with a history assignment. It’s clear that she is in her element, connecting with her students at every turn. In nominating Williams for the Christ the Teacher award, Father Ryan Principal Paul Davis noted that “she never seeks recognition, and simply goes about the day each and every school day to teach ‘her children.’” He added that “she has given her entire career to the advancement of all students whether teaching the valedictorians … or those students who have the most significant learning differences. She treats all students with unconditional love no matter their struggles.” Some of Williams’ brightest students have gone on to have successful careers as doctors; she notes with pride Photo by Theresa Laurence Father Ryan High School teacher C.A. Williams helps junior Brooke Ozment with an assignment in her study skills class. Williams, who has taught at Father Ryan for over 40 years, was recently honored with the Christ the Teacher award from the Diocese of Nashville Catholic Schools office. The award is given annually to an outstanding teacher in the diocese. that all of her personal physicians “who keep me ticking” are former students. But it’s often the students who are the “undiscovered diamonds” for whom she has the softest spot. That’s one reason she helped start the Cooperative Support Program nearly 30 years ago. “We set up that program because there were some really good kids who were doing poorly” academically, she said, and she wanted to change that. The program exists to assist students with clinically diagnosed learning disabilities, as well as those with different learning styles who need additional, individualized plans to help them succeed in school. Williams sees this program as an extension of what every teacher should do for their students: “build and support their self-esteem,” she said. “I look at people like a puzzle. You’ve got to figure out where they’re coming from. Everybody has a story.” In addition to the Cooperative Support Program, Williams also helped launch the Early Intervention Program in the late 1970s to help students struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. “We were seeing kids go down the tubes who could have been saved,” she said, getting kicked out of school and ending up as dropouts, in jail or worse. Instead of being kicked out of school, Williams wanted to give students an alternative, to enter treatment and return to school. “Chemical dependency needs to be treated as an illness,” Williams said. “To say that she and others at Father Ryan were thinking outside of the box to implement this program is an understatement,” Davis said. “It took decades for other secondary schools to see that this issue was crucial to the well-being of students. The early days of this program were controversial, but these dedicated educators pursued what they thought was best for our student community.” The program has since evolved and has been copied by schools in Tennessee and other states. At Father Ryan, it is now part of the school’s comprehen- sive Personal Counseling Department. Williams is no longer involved with Early Intervention; today she serves as the chair of the Social Sciences Department, and is the faculty moderator for the Model United Nations and Youth Legislature clubs. “My whole life and career here have been such a ride,” she said. One of her greatest sources of pride these days is seeing former students with their families at Mass at Christ the King Church, where she attends the Saturday evening service. “That validates what we do here” at Father Ryan, she said, building a strong foundation of faith in students. Williams, who counts Albert Einstein, humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa and Ghandi among her heroes, never had children of her own, but considers the thousands of Father Ryan students she has taught over four decades as hers. “They mean everything to me,” she said. “I’ve had a blessed life doing what I love.” Deacons bring back message of solidarity from Zimbabwe Continued from previous page is quite good, and more than 80 percent of the adult population is literate, the country has an extremely high unemployment rate. “There are a lot of able bodied people with no way of making a living,” Deacon Edwards said. While the work that CRS does creates some jobs, it barely makes a dent in the problem, he added. But, Deacon Calzavara said, they are “focused on direct aid and looking at the root causes of the problems … asking why is this happening?” To a large extent, in Zimbabwe, “economic change depends on government change,” said Deacon Edwards. In recent decades, the country has been at the mercy of dictator Robert Mugabe, who has dominated the country’s political system since the country gained independence in 1980, and has served as president since 1987. Zimbabwe is one of more than 30 countries in Africa where Catholic Relief Services has worked for many years, and strives to empower the poorest of the poor. Global Fellows who travel to one of these countries on CRS-sponsored trips are expected to give at least three presentations about their experience to help spread awareness about the organization. Deacon Edwards is so eager to share his experiences, in fact, that he has to remind himself, “don’t talk about it too much, feed it to people a little bit at a time to keep their interest.” He has started a blog, available at https:// catholicdeaconthoughts.wordpress. com, and has been speaking about his experiences during homilies. Deacon Calzavara will formally share his experiences for the first time this weekend at Holy Family with small faith sharing groups. He is exploring how to best integrate CRS’ work into the fabric of the parish, one that already makes annual international outreach trips to Honduras, Haiti and India. For Deacon Calzavara, the trip was a reminder of how “the social justice teachings of the Church are intrinsically tied to our spirituality.” The message he wants to spread is simple and universal: “Whatever you do to the least of my people, you do to me.” 16 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Former Hispanic ministry director retires after ‘an interesting life’ and can they?” he said. “I don’t see anything in Church documents about changing their ethnicity,” he said. St. John Paul II stated clearly that the Church should let migrants develop their faith in the context of where they started, Father Gagnon said, and the people have the freedom to change if they want. Andy Telli W hen Father Richard Gagnon, S.D.S., came to the Diocese of Nashville in 1991 to serve as director of Hispanic ministry, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated there were 13,000 Hispanics living in Middle Tennessee. “That was more than enough anyway,” for Father Gagnon to take care of, he said. As he leaves the Diocese of Nashville to begin his retirement in Milwaukee, the Hispanic population in Middle Tennessee has ballooned to more than 145,000, about 11 times larger than when he started. And that doesn’t count all the people who don’t participate in the census, Father Gagnon said. The growth of the Hispanic population in the Nashville diocese is part of a national trend in the United States, where the American Church is becoming more Hispanic. The diocese will need a Hispanic ministry to provide pastoral care to Spanish speakers for a long time, Father Gangon said. Father Gagnon, who also served as pastor of St. Luke Church in Smyrna for 21 years and as pastor of St. William Church in Shelbyville for the last two-and-a-half years, left Tennessee last week to move to a retirement home in Milwaukee, Wisc., operated by his order. During the first 25 years of his priesthood, Father Gagnon had served in several parishes with large numbers of Latinos, including several in Texas near the Mexican border. It was there that he became fluent in Spanish. In 1991, Bishop James Niedergeses invited him to come to Nashville to lead Hispanic ministry and serve as pastor of St. Luke. The major migration of Hispanics to the area began a few years after he arrived in Middle Tennessee. The diocese’s Hispanic ministry got a huge boost from the Diocese of Parral, Mexico, Father Gagnon said. Father Lorenzo Martinez was a priest from Parral who was working with Hispanic ministry in Nashville, Father Gagnon recalled. Father Martinez invited his bishop to visit Nashville. The bishop was surprised to see so many Latinos living here and agreed to send more priests and religious sisters from his diocese here to provide pastoral care to the Hispanic community. Hispanics started flocking to the new Mexican priests and sisters, Father Gagnon said. “They understood the culture and the language, so the people naturally went to them for spiritual help,” he said. “Why would they go to anyone else?” As the Latino population continues to grow, so does the need for more priests who speak Spanish and can provide pastoal care to migrants from Central and South America, said Father Gagnon. “They need more pastoral care, more pastoral attention,” said Father Louis Rojas, who came to the Nashville Diocese in 2008 to work with the Hispanic ministry office and is now replacing Father Gagnon as pastor of St. William. “We’re in need of priests who can Photo by Andy Telli Father Richard Gagnon, S.D.S., right, the former director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Nashville, and the former pastor at St. Luke Church in Smyrna and St. William Church in Shelbyville, has retired. He will be succeeded as the pastor at St. William by Father Louis Rojas, left. speak Spanish.” Some help should be coming from several of the diocese’s seminarians who speak Spanish. “We pray that they make it through and become priests,” Father Rojas said. The current wave of immigrants coming into the American church is different than the European immigrants that came in earlier centuries, Father Gagnon said. “Most Catholic Americans are expecting them to follow the same path as their ancestors did in coming here,” Father Gagnon said. “But because of the differences in language, culture and even appearance, it’s harder to assimilate. “The first migration that came from Europe couldn’t go back. They were here to stay,” Father Gagnon added. But many Hispanic immigrants travel back and forth between the United States and their country of origin, he said. Father Gagnon doesn’t think Hispanic ministry’s first priority should be to help new immigrants assimilate into American culture. “Do you want to bring them closer to the Lord or do you want to Americanize them? Do they want to become Americanized ‘An interesting life’ Father Gagnon, 81, grew up in Philadelphia. He began to discern a vocation to the priesthood because “religion meant a lot to me, also the goal of religion: eternal happiness,” he said. “That was a way I could serve others.” Father Gagnon was interested in becoming a missionary and contacted the Salvatorians after reading about them in Our Sunday Visitor. He studied at a Salvatorian seminary in Michigan and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., before being ordained on June 5, 1965. Before coming to Nashville, he served as a teacher in New Jersey and Indiana, before working in parishes in Texas, California, Nevada and Florida. He was able to serve as a missionary, but in the home missions, he said. “Nothing went the way we thought it would,” Father Gagnon said. “There’s no sense having any plans because you can’t predict what will happen in life. The Lord said don’t worry about tomorrow. Live (one) day at a time, because you may not see tomorrow. “You’re always adapting,” he said. “You have to adapt until you can’t adapt and that means you’re dead,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s an interesting life,” Father Gagnon said. “I’ve been very happy about the whole thing.” Tennessee Register file photo by Rick Musacchio Father Richard Gagnon, former director of the Diocese of Nashville’s Hispanic Ministry program, sprinkles holy water while blessing palms outside of Holy Rosary Church in Donelson in this file photo from 2000. The Hispanic population in Middle Tennessee has grown more than ten-fold since Father Gagnon arrived in Nashville in 1991. February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 17 Bob Frensley recalled for his love, support of the Church R obert “Bob” Frensley was remembered as a successful businessman and a devoted family man and friend who loved his church. Mr. Frensley, a well-known auto dealer and a frequent supporter of Catholic institutions and activities, died after a long illness on Friday, Feb. 12, at his Frensley home surrounded by family. “I’ve never met a man more devoted to his church than Bob,” recalled his friend John Lentz during a eulogy at the funeral Mass celebrated on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. “He gave generously of his time, his money and himself to his church.” In a eulogy read at the funeral, his wife Kaye Duke Frensley said her husband held onto his faith even as his illness worsened. “Bob never once turned on the Lord,” instead drawing strength from his faith, she said. “He remembered the words of his mother, ‘Do the right thing,’” Mrs. Frensley said. “He tried all his life to do the right thing. … It’s been a great journey. I’m proud to have been his wife.” Mr. Frensley, 76, was born Jan. 7, 1939, the son of the late Effie Marie Miller Frensley and Thomas Edward Frensley III. He was a parishioner at the Cathedral and attended school there through the fourth grade. The family moved to East Nashville where he graduated from Holy Name School and later Father Ryan High School in 1957. He was a student at Father Ryan in the fall of 1954 when it integrated, and was remembered by his African-American classmates decades later as someone who welcomed them as friends. Mr. Frensley remained close to his classmates and other Ryan graduates and teachers throughout his life. As a teen, Mr. Frensley developed a lifelong love of cars. He became a champion drag race driver who was known as the “King of the Hill” at the Union Hill Dragstrip. Because of his success, Goodyear Tire Co. became his national sponsor. Mr. Frensley also served in the Tennessee Air National Guard, rising to the rank of captain and received the Governor’s Medal of Recognition. He began his career in sales with the Genesco shoe company in Nashville. But Mr. Frensley was “born for the car industry,” said his family. He became a top salesman at Capitol Chevrolet in Nashville, and in 1965, Ford Motor Co. offered him his first dealership in Louisville, Ky. In 1970, Mr. Frensley returned to Nashville as the owner of a Ford franchise, the “Home of the Superdealer.” The site of the dealership is now the location of the Joe Casey Police Precinct, named after Mr. Frensley’s baseball coach as a youth and life-long friend, former Nashville Police Chief Joe Casey. During the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Frensley owned nine successful automobile franchises, including Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Suzuki, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Lincoln Mercury and Subaru, and later he acquired Jeep. Mr. Frensley also built and was coowner of Rivergate Station Mall in Madison and brought the Broadway Dinner Train to the Nashville area. Later Mr. Frensley downsized his operations to Bob Frensley Chrysler Jeep Dodge after selling his other franchises. His motto for the dealership was, “Enter as a stranger, leave as a friend.” In the 1990s, Mr. Frensley served on the Municipal Auditorium Commission and the Metro Parks Board. Under his leadership, numerous Metro Park projects were begun and completed to put Nashville in competition with many other top cities in the country. Mr. Frensley developed a passion for golf and began making his own golf clubs. He often played in charity golf tournaments. Mr. Frensley dedicated his life to God and supported his Catholic community’s beliefs of giving of yourself and talents to better the lives of others, his family said. He often commented about how good Nashville residents had been to him and took pride in the contributions he made to give back to the city he loved so much. “He helped out so many people and he did it in so many ways,” recalled his cousin Hendersonville Police Chief Mickey Miller. “It made Bob truly happy to help other people.” Mr. Frensley would often remark that “the people in this town have been so good to me, I’m so lucky,” Chief Miller said. “He wasn’t thinking of all the good he had done.” “I love Bob and I’m sure most of you … felt the same way,” Chief Miller said in his eulogy at the funeral. “And I can assure you Bob loved you too. … “The true measure of greatness is the love you show other people, and an even greater measure than that is the love other people show for you,” said Chief Miller. He noted that Chief Casey spent hours every day at Mr. Frensley’s side during the last months of his life. Mr. Frensley also was devoted to his family, Chief Miller said. “He loved his family with a passion. Family meant everything to Bob, and friends were forever.” Besides his parents, Mr. Frensley was preceded in death by his sisters Agnus (Amie) Patricia Cunningham, Betty Frensley, and Effie Marie Humbrecht; and his brother, Thomas Edward “Bo” Frensley IV. Continued on page 23 18 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 U.S. should pursue detention alternatives for migrants GUEST EDITORIAL T he children appeared sick and malnourished. They lived in large dormitory style rooms and were forced to use the bathroom in public view. Some had to wear prison style clothes and sleep with the lights on. Schooling was infrequent at best. This catalog of ills, taken from legal proceedings and cited in The New York Times Magazine Feb. 4 described conditions at a federal detention facility for undocumented mothers and children near Austin, Texas. Lawyers for the government called them exaggerated, but if any of these allegations are true, they represent a violation of human rights standards and must be addressed. The U.S. bishops have repeatedly called attention to the potential for abuses in family detention centers. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security dated Oct. 1, 2014, Seattle Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo, chairman of the Committee on Migration of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote: “Family detention is harmful to the physical and mental health of these families, as children are often depressed and in weak physical condition due to emotional stress. ... Mothers, already traumatized by violence, including sexual assault ... remain traumatized and confused by the detention setting and the inability to access family or other emotional support.” The bishops argue, persuasively, that mothers and children pose little security risk and can be safely released to relatives and “alternatives to detention” programs. The influx of thousands of children and families has posed a unique challenge. It is not surprising that government facilities were unable to handle the increased numbers. But a policy that relies on detention of families is fundamentally flawed. What parents would want their children living in rooms with bars, with little opportunity to play with other children? Alternative detention programs, which range from nonprofit residential facilities to monitoring programs that include curfews and regular check-ins, meet many needs. They allow women to seek legal help while their children receive schooling and other basic services. At federal detention centers, families do not have ready access to lawyers, whose help has been shown to greatly increase chances of gaining legal asylum. According to one study, detainees placed in a well-managed monitoring program had a court appearance rate of 93 percent. The Obama administration has made some important steps toward reforming our nation’s immigration policies. Unfortunately, the president’s recent executive actions apply only to individuals who have been in the country more than five years. Many of the families who have come from Central America do not qualify, although they can be legitimately considered refugees. A generous government policy would give them the resources to investigate their legal options while allowing their children to live in the best possible environment – someplace without fences and barbed wire. This editorial first appeared in the March 2 issue of America, a national Catholic weekly magazine run by the Jesuits. We all are called to advocate for those on society’s margins GUEST COLUMN Collen Mayer W ashington, D.C., has always been a vacation destination of mine since I was a kid. I still enjoy the local restaurants, including my favorite falafel shop, the museums and monuments, and the great shows and live music. However, earlier this month I found myself in Washington for a very different purpose than vacation when I was invited to attend the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. Little did I know when I accepted the invitation that this would become my most meaningful and rewarding visits to D.C. yet. The Catholic Social Ministry Gathering is a conference hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops each year that brings together social service leaders and activists from a variety of faith-based organizations, including Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, as well as staff from parishes and dioceses around the country. The USCCB Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development organizes the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering to educate and inspire leaders in the Church to take action, guided by Catholic social teaching, on pressing domestic and international challenges related to poverty, war and other injustices. As this was my first time at the gathering, I was not sure exactly what to expect and how we would spend our time in Washington. Once I saw our itinerary, I quickly realized that I would not have much time for sightseeing and relaxing; the schedule was jam packed with workshops, networking events, social issue briefings, and trainings. At our first meeting, the host of the conference invited all of us to commit to do four things at the conference, to take four tangible steps to make the most out of the gathering: to connect, learn, pray, and advocate. I tried my best to take this advice to heart throughout my time there. Connect The conference was attended by Catholic leaders throughout the country and throughout the world who are working on the ground to fight poverty and to bring hope to those living in desperation. I work at Catholic Charities of Tennessee, and it was such a privilege to share stories with other participants who do similar work. Through multiple opportunities to connect with staff and volunteers of faithbased service organizations, I was reminded that our work at Catholic Charities of Tennessee is part of a much larger movement of Christians committed to serving and lifting up those in need throughout the country and throughout the world. For example, I spent the first morning of the gathering with the staff and diocesan directors of Catholic Relief Services, talking about the challenges of addressing injustice both domestically and globally, and discussing different strategies to combat hunger and poverty in the various communities in which we work. Learn I was particularly inspired by the opportunity to learn more about the ways Churchsupported organizations like the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Charities USA are making real progress in addressing some of the most pressing social problems in local communities. For example, we learned how the Catholic Campaign for Human Development identifies small nonprofit organizations doing effective work in their communities, and provides them with grants to help them build capacity and expand their work. We heard story after story from CCHD Leaders about how small groups of poor people can influence local governments and change entire communities, in order to bring justice and hope to those who are marginalized. Pray Faith was the center and foundation of all that we did at the gathering, and there was a consistent rhythm of prayer throughout each day. We prayed at the start and end of the day, we prayed before each workshop, and we prayed before each meal. Our prayer at the gathering was as diverse as the people our agencies serve: we prayed in multiple languages; we prayed by celebrating Mass, and singing songs from different parts of the world; we prayed with the Scriptures and by celebrating Adoration. And we prayed for the many vulnerable populations in our communities: refugees, families who are homeless, the uninsured, prisoners on death row, the unborn. Indeed, throughout the conference, we were reminded that, as people of faith, prayer should inform and inspire every facet of our service to those in need. This was a message that I know I will take back with me in my work at Catholic Charities. Advocate On the last day of the conference, after being thoroughly briefed by USCCB advisors on key social issues, we were literally sent forth into the streets of Washington. We locked up our meeting rooms, packed up our things, checked out of our hotels, and headed to Capitol Hill by the hundreds to meet with our representatives, senators and their staffs. I had the opportunity to meet both of our Tennessee senators and to have in-depth conversations about social issues with their key staff and advisors. We talked about domestic poverty programs, international adoption, the ongoing conflict in the Holy Land, and foreign aid. When possible, I tried to share stories from my work in the local community, as it became clear that the congressmen and women were very eager to hear about the needs in their district and their state. One of our senators’ policy advisors made a very direct request to me: “flood my inbox,” she said, with statistics and stories about those in need in Tennessee, and how Catholic Charities is making a difference in their lives. She recognized, as I did, that the stories of those in need must be told, that they need to be part of the conversation on Capitol Hill. As we were navigating Capitol Hill, walking from meeting to meeting, a colleague and I had an important realization that I believe was a fruit of the prayer and reflection that took place throughout the conference. We came to see a deeper purpose in our congressional visits than we had originally realized: we were being sent out to advocate for those in society who often do not have anybody else to speak for them. I have learned in my work with those in need over the years that those who are poor always suffer from more than just financial poverty. To be poor often means to be powerless, to lack influence, to seem insignificant. During my congressional vis- its, our clients back in Tennessee that my agency works with continually came to mind. It occurred to me that our clients struggling with homelessness, for instance, will likely never have the means to visit Washington to talk about their need for affordable family housing in our state. Similarly, the clients to whom we distribute food boxes will likely have little say in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which will determine if their family’s food benefits are cut yet again. In short, being an advocate means bringing forth the needs and the hopes of the marginalized, to tell their story when they are not able to do so themselves. The theme of this year’s Catholic Social Ministry gathering was, “To Go Forth: Encountering Christ in the Heart of the World.” This theme speaks to a call we all share as people of faith: to encounter Christ in those on the margins of society, and to advocate for their needs, not just on Capitol Hill, but every day in our local communities. In his Lenten Message, Pope Francis makes this call explicit: “Every Christian community is called to go out of itself and to be engaged in the life of the greater society of which it is a part, especially with the poor and those who are far away.” This Lent, we pray that our hearts may be open wide to God’s many gifts, and that we may hear God’s gentle, but firm, voice sending us out to serve Christ in the poor and the marginalized, and to bring to them hope and healing. Collen Mayer is the Director of Social Services for Catholic Charities of Tennessee. He also serves on the national Board of Directors of JustFaith Ministries and serves as a consultant on the USCCB’s Salt and Light Committee. Tennessee Register 19 February 27, 2015 Lord charts path of our lives: obey the Commandments, obey God NEXT SUNDAY Msgr. Owen F. Campion B ACKGROUND. The Book of Exodus is the source of the first biblical reading the weekend of March 8. This book is about the Hebrew people, enslaved and dreadfully mistreated in Egypt. Eventually they escaped from Egypt and found their new homeland. None of this good fortune, of escaping and of ultimate settlement in a land of their own, happened as a result of coincidence, luck or human strategy. Rather. God’s power Sunday, March 8, 2015 Third Sunday of Lent Readings: Exodus 20:1-17 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 John 2:13-25 Sunday, March 15, 2015 Fourth Sunday of Lent Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 Ephesians 2:4-10 John 3:14-21 led the Hebrews to a successful escape from Egypt. Moses, their leader in this endeavor, was God’s representative, chosen by God for the task. As the flight was underway, and as the people wandered across the bleak Sinai peninsula in search of the land God had promised them, Moses received from God, and gave to the people, what long has been called the Ten Commandments. By observing these commandments, the people fulfilled their obligations under the Covenant. They also followed the path to peace and justice in life given by God, a path that they themselves could not have devised. St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians supplies the second reading. For persons living in the First Century AD, the proclamation, and beyond this the deification, of a convicted felon was hard to accept. The Jews, suffering under Roman oppression, and enduring so much, were not so apt to revere Roman law or to see profound wisdom and justice in the system established to enforce Roman law. However, the Corinthian Christians, many of whom had been pagans, regarded Roman jurisprudence to be supremely The Ten Commandments, illustration from a 1907 Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company. wise. Yet, a Roman court tried Jesus for, and convicted Jesus of, high treason. The consequence of treason, again as set forth in Roman law, was death by crucifixion – for persons who were not citizens of Rome itself. Here, in this reading, Paul as- serts that Jesus, the convicted felon, is the key to salvation. The Apostle preaches, “Christ crucified.” It is a “stumbling block for the Jews, and an absurdity for the Gentiles.” For its Gospel reading, the Church this weekend furnishes us with St. John’s Gospel. This weekend’s reading recalls the time when Jesus, shortly before Passover, entered the temple precincts and found a brisk traffic underway in the things needed for ritual sacrifice. Furious, as described by this Gospel, the Lord drove the merchants away. He then predicted that the temple would fall, in itself a virtual blasphemy, and then made the astonishing announcement that he would rebuild the colossal structure in three days. It had taken many people many years to build the temple in the first place. Scholars and leaders later used this occasion to make the case that Jesus was a blasphemer and a troublemaker. The reading establishes Jesus as God’s voice and God’s agent. As bystanders watch this happening unfold, they are reminded of God’s word in the Scriptures. The Lord’s actions remind them of God. They do not fully compre- hend the Lord’s words and actions, however, because they are humans, nothing less but nothing more. Reflection Lent reminds us of our humanity, but, everlastingly, it is hard for humans to admit their human limitations. Admitting our limitations frightens us. So, we celebrate our human accomplishments. We congratulate ourselves, for example, on the brilliant design of spaceships. Then, not knowing how to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids reminds us that we never think of everything or control everything. Epidemics, such as ebola, leave us at the mercy of forces greater than we. Humans also are shortsighted and irrational. God loves us. Amid our inadequacies, he forgives us and redeems us, as the ancient Hebrews escaped Egypt. He has given us Jesus, the Son of God, as our Savior. How do we attain this blessing? In the Ten Commandments, God gave us the pattern of our lives. Obey the Commandments. Obey God. Msgr. Owen Campion, former editor of the Tennessee Register, is Associate Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. No matter its name, winter storm spells trouble PINCH OF FAITH Mary Margaret Lambert “W e are gonna have a snowstorm.” “The weatherman said get ready for a blizzard headed our way.” “Better get lots of groceries before the snow hits.” “Winter storm is forecast later this week, with lots of snow.” These are phrases that bring fear, stress and dread into the hearts of many. While the children pray that the dire warnings come true, those that have to get out in the mess hope that the predictions are wrong. I personally have a sneaking suspicion that the grocery stores offer a commission to the weather forecasters each time they forecast snow. If sales are in a winter slump, just watch them explode if there’s even the slightest chance of the white stuff. Winter storms were always just “winter storms.” They didn’t need to have names, until the Weather Channel changed all that by dubbing each storm with a name, begin- ning in November, 2012, with Athena. Along with the storm naming phenomena came new terms to describe winter weather forecasts. My personal favorite, “wintery mix” can encompass anything from rain drizzle to a deluge of snowflakes as massive as a dinner plate. This is a phrase that allows weather forecasters to alert the public to the fact that something out of the ordinary might happen, and no matter what happens to fall from the sky, they have covered their predictions. Another new unfamiliar term surfaced recently here in the Midstate area. After dozens of reports of frightening loud noises thought to be explosions, it was learned that we were experiencing ice “quakes,” caused by water expanding quickly as it freezes underground. This new terminology, known now as “cryoseismic booms” can be added to our growing winter vocabulary. Do we know enough about it to dispute this theory? While our Northern neighbors have been snowed under and inside for weeks on end, we have been hit with ice storms here in the South that were destructive and serious enough to cancel everything for an entire week, have our state declared a disaster, and give us all a bad case of cabin fever. We have been blessed with a warm house and plenty of food and water, but others have suffered greatly from lack of shelter, heat, and sustenance. Churches and various charitable organizations have quickly responded by supplying assistance to those affected by the severe cold temperatures, but some still refuse to accept the help and they suffer the potentially fatal consequences. The winter season of 20142015 has brought us storms named Astro, Bozeman, Cato, Damon, Eris, Frona, Gorgon, Hektor, Iola, Juno, Kari, Linus (not the well known friend of Charlie Brown), Marcus, Neptune, Octavia, and most recently, Pandora. All of these storms, with the exception of Bozeman, which was a name chosen by a Latin class from a town in Montana by the same name, were named for mythological Greek and Roman gods. Pandora was the legendary first human woman created by the gods who came complete with a jar. That jar, later translated to the word “box” supposedly contained all “the burdensome toil and sickness that brings death to men, diseases and a myriad of other pains.” As the legend goes, Epimetheus, despite warnings from his brother, accepted Pandora. She became curious about the contents of her jar, opened it, and released all of them, with the exception of one. The remaining item in Pandora’s box was hope, and like this namesake storm, that is the thing that continues to sustain us until spring arrives. The next storm will appropriately be named Quantum, from the Latin word quantas, meaning how much. This will be the question on the minds of everyone who will be affected by Quantam, except they will wonder “how much more?” All the alphabet has been utilized to name the-yet-to-come storms: Remus, Sparta, Thor, Ultima, Venus, Xander and Yuli. You will note that there is not a storm name yet for the letter “W”, and the Weather Channel is conducting a public poll for suggestions. My personal suggestion would not be based upon Greek or Roman mythology. I want to submit the name of “Wallop” for consideration. According to the dictionary this means a beating or a crushing defeat, so the definition would certainly apply. Just as soon as the ice melts on our street, I will join the multitude who will be headed back to the grocery store to prepare for Quantam’s unwelcome arrival. Columns and letters to the editor represent the views of authors alone. No viewpoint expressed necessarily reflects any position of the publisher, of any Tennessee Register staff member, or of the Diocese of Nashville. Tennessee Register 2400 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212-5302 Copyright © 2014 Mary Margaret Lambert The Tennessee Register is published by the Diocese of Nashville and welcomes your comments and opinions. Please clearly mark letters to the editor and send to: You may fax your letters or comments to the Register at (615) 783-0285. By e-mail: tnregister@ dioceseofnashville.com. 20 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 SUPPORT THE CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES COLLECTION HELP esus IN DISGUISE Copyright © 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo credit: © Bartosz Hadyniak/the Agency Collection/Getty Images. Please be generous March 14-15 February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 21 Liturgies need to help people experience awe, mystery of God, pope says Carol Glatz CNS V ATICAN CITY. The liturgy should help the faithful enter into God’s mystery and to experience the wonder of encountering Christ, Pope Francis told priests of the Diocese of Rome. People should feel the wonder and allure “that the apostles felt when they were called, invited. It attracts – wonder attracts – and it lets you reflect,” the pope said during an annual Lenten meeting with Rome pastors in the Paul VI audience hall. Sitting behind a table and talking off-the-cuff, glancing occasionally at a few pages of notes in front of him, the pope led the pastors Feb. 19 in a reflection on the homily and “ars celebrandi,” the art of celebrating the liturgy well. The Vatican press hall mistakenly broadcast via closed-circuit television the first 15 minutes of the encounter, which was meant to be closed to the media at the pope’s request so that he could speak more freely with his audience, said Passionist Father Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman. While the annual meeting had always been open to news coverage, Pope Francis has preferred private meetings with local clergy during his visits to different parishes in Italy, the spokesman said. Priests who attended the two-hour meeting said the pope spent about 40 minutes after his talk with a question-and-answer session – a format used frequently by St. John Paul II in meetings with priests and seminarians and by Pope Benedict XVI in the beginning of his pontificate. Pope Francis told the priests that “the homily is a challenge for priests” and he said he, too, had his own shortcomings – pointed out in a reflection he prepared for a plenary meeting of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments on “ars celebrandi” in 2005. As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was a cardinal-member of the congregation. After he presented the reflection, he said, Cardinal Joachim Meisner “reprimanded me a bit strongly over some things,” as well as then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who “told me that something very important was missing in the ‘ars celebrandi,’ which was the feeling of being before God. And he was right, I had not spoken about this,” he said, adding that both cardinals had given him good advice. “For me the key of ‘ars celebrandi’ takes the path of recovering the allure of beauty, the wonder both of V ATICAN CITY. Pope Francis once again urged solidarity with migrants who risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea for Europe, and assured prayers for the victims of a deadly crossing in early February. During his general audience Feb. 11, the pope called for a spirit of solidarity with migrants “so that no one lacks necessary aid.” He said he was following the news coming out of Lampedusa “with concern.” Lampedusa is a southern Italian island that serves as a port of entry for many of the migrants illegally entering Europe by sea. The pope was responding to reports Feb. 9 that 29 migrants had died of hypothermia after being rescued by the Italian coast guard; they were part of a group of 105 African migrants whose raft had capsized in the Mediterranean. Their raft had set off from Libya Feb. 7. Later, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the loss of life in the Mediterranean over the weekend of Feb. 7-8 was feared to be as high as 300 people, including children. The revised report came after nine more migrants, who were saved from the Mediterranean Feb. 9 and arrived in Lampedusa Feb. 11, told UNHCR officers that a total of four boats had set off together from Libya. The 29 who died of hypothermia were on the first boat. But, the nine survivors said, the other three inflatable rafts each had about 100 people on board and they were the only ones who survived. Fidelity Home Loans, LLC NMLS#894768 Rates Are Back At A Historical Low!! Find this and other inspirational titles that will help us know Him! In stock now at St. Mary's Bookstore 1909 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 Call Toll Free 1-800-233-3604 615-329-1835 www.stmarysbookstore.com claiming God’s Message: A Study in the Theology of Preaching” and Jesuit Father Hugo Rahner’s “Theology of Proclamation,” adding that what distinguished Father Hugo Rahner from his theologian brother, Jesuit Father Karl Rahner, was that “Hugo writes clearly.” Before the pope’s talk, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of Rome, said he and his audience were ready to reflect together with the pope on what French theologian Father “Louis Bouyer called the danger of the ‘nausea of the word’ in the liturgy caused by an inflation of words that are at times repetitive, a bit trite, obscure or moralistic and that do not pierce the heart.” The cardinal said they try to preach well, but are always looking for improvement. “A good homily leaves its mark,” he said, while a homily “that is lacking does not bear fruit and, on the contrary, can even make people give up on Mass.” “We want our words to set people’s hearts on fire” and want the faithful “to be enlightened and encouraged to live a new life and never be forced to suffer through our homilies,” he said. Pope calls for solidarity with migrants Laura Ieraci CNS Come to know Jesus as friend and brother the person celebrating and the people, of entering in an atmosphere that is spontaneous, normal and religious, but isn’t artificial, and that way you recover a bit of the wonder,” he said. Sometimes there are priests who celebrate Mass in a way that is “very sophisticated, artificial,” or who “abuse the gestures” he said. If the priest is “excessively” focused on the rubrics that indicate the movements and particular gestures during Mass and “rigid, I do not enter into the mystery” because all one’s energy and attention are on the form, he said. The other extreme, he said, is “if I am a showman, the protagonist” of the Mass, “then I do not enter into the mystery” either. While the idea is simple, “it is not easy” to elicit this sense of wonder and mystery, he said. But nonetheless, he said, the celebration of Mass is about entering into and letting others enter into this mystery. The celebrant “must pray before God, with the community,” in a genuine and natural way that avoids all forms of “artificiality,” he said. Concerning the homily, the pope again suggested clergy read Jesuit Father Domenico Grasso’s “Pro- If your current rate does not start in the 3s, you are paying too much and could be saving thousands of dollars over the life of your loan by refinancing. Call today about “No Closing Cost Loans”, bi-weekly mortgage, and HARP loans. If you are looking to buy a home, let me get you pre-qualified to start shopping for that new home. Visit my Website at: www.fidelityhomeloans.net Certified Mortgage Banker Bob Nolte CMB Phone 615-377-0769 • Fax 615-377-0774 NMLS #160882 Several church organizations have responded to the tragedy by once again issuing a call for better searchand-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, migration reform and joint government cooperation in Europe. So long as “Europe looks the other way and pretends not to understand that Italy is really the door to Europe and that what happens in Italy belongs to everyone, things will continue like this, with these tragedies at sea,” Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa told L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. The cardinal serves as president of the Italian bishops’ conference and vice president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences. In a statement Feb. 11, Jesuit Refugee Service said the latest deaths demonstrate “the failure of European border policy” and “may have been avoided if the European Union had implemented a search-and-rescue operation of the same size and scope as the former Italian rescue program, Mare Nostrum.” The E.U.’s Operation Triton, which replaced Mare Nostrum, is “vastly under-equipped and focuses almost exclusively on border security and surveillance,” the statement said. JRS also accused European states of setting up “legal obstacles” to those fleeing conflict in Africa and the Middle East and of not taking “the necessary measures to save lives in the Mediterranean.” “We will not and cannot accept that the Mediterranean continues to be a migrant graveyard,” said Jesuit Father Camillo Ripamonti, director of JRS Italy. “It is crucial that the E.U. and its member states swiftly act to ensure the safety of refugees.” 22 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Lenten journey starts here your Pray as a family Fast in solidarity Give to change lives Bring YOUR Lent to life. Start today. Download the CRS Rice Bowl app! And visit crsricebowl.org or contact your CRS Diocesan Director to get involved! Local Diocesan Contact Diocese of Nashville • [email protected] • (615) 383-6393 Nashville Ad US1493 A.indd 1 2/23/15 1:48 PM February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 23 Forbes moves from pew to principal’s chair at St. Matthew Andy Telli W hen St. Matthew School went looking for a new principal, it found one in its own community. Tim Forbes, whose family was a founding member of the parish and whose two daughters attend St. Matthew School, has been hired as Forbes the principal to succeed Barby Magness, the school’s founding principal who is retiring. “I can’t tell you how excited I am,” said Forbes, who will move to St. Matthew from his position as Dean of Student Life and Campus Ministry at Father Ryan High School. “I’ve had the opportunity as a parent to see first-hand how wonderful that community is.” Leaving Father Ryan, where he graduated from in 1993 and has worked for the last nine years, is bittersweet, Forbes said. “Obviously, I have the support of the Father Ryan community, which was important to me,” he said. “They understood this was a great opportunity for my family.” Forbes and his wife Ann have observed the school as parents. Their daughters Grace and Marie are in the sixth and fifth grades there. “There were two things that really stood out for me,” Forbes said. “First, the academic rigor my children have gone through. … Second is the love and the care my children have received. … The faculty and staff at St. Matthew genuinely love and care for my children beyond the classroom.” Magness has steered the school since it opened in 2001. The school grew more quickly than the parish had planned and began adding a second class to each grade in the fall of 2003, five years ahead of schedule. In the fall of 2005, St. Matthew completed an expansion of the school and parish, which included additional classrooms and a full gymnasium. Forbes praised Magness for her leadership of the school. “She’s put that school in an amazing position,” he said. “She’s done some great things there.” The school’s first graduates have recently graduated from college and have moved on to graduate schools and careers, Forbes noted. St. Matthew has alumni in medical school, the Peace Corps, physical therapy school and business school, he said, and graduates have come back to St. Matthew to help in parish ministries. “That school is producing excellent young people,” Forbes said. “It’s producing students who are already making an impact not only in the Catholic community but the community at large.” After graduating from Father Ryan, Forbes went on to Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., where he played lacrosse for four years and earned a degree in communications and political science. He then earned a master’s degree from Loyola University in New Orleans in pastoral studies with an emphasis on adolescent development. While working for the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina, Forbes completed 18 hours of graduate work toward a master’s degree in teaching from The Citadel. In 2004, he received the Light of Christ Award, the highest honor for any person within the Diocese of Charleston. Forbes and his family returned to Nashville and Father Ryan in 2006. As Dean of Student Life and Campus Ministry his responsibility has been to oversee the Catholic identity of the school along with the school chaplain. He’s also been a member of the school’s senior administrative team, which has given him the opportunity to be involved with other aspects of the school, such as helping to develop a five-year strategic plan for the school and with the accreditation process. He’s also completed a fellowship in independent school leadership from Vanderbilt University. Several years ago, Forbes said, he approached Father Ryan President Jim McIntyre, Principal Paul Davis and Vice Principal and Dean of Academics Sara Hayes about his desire to become an elementary school principal. They talked to him about how he could prepare for such a transition, Forbes said. “They’ve given me opportunities to grow.” Working at an elementary school “would give me the opportunity to stay in Nashville and continue to work in education, continue to minister to families, and challenge me to grow in my own professional life and my own faith life,” Forbes said. The types of relationships an elementary school principal has will be different than on the high school level, Forbes said. But both settings, he said, are opportunities to serve Christ by serving the students. “You can see when there’s good teaching going on in the classroom,” he said. “To that end, the jump will not be as difficult.” When the position at St. Matthew opened, “I had been praying about it,” Forbes said. “A lot of things lined up that felt like it was God’s call.” “We are fortunate to have a person as principal who is so familiar with our community, so familiar with our mission and so committed to Catholic education,” said Father Mark Beckman, pastor of St. Matthew. “His work at Father Ryan over the last nine years has provided him opportunities for leadership and educational development that will benefit our students and faculty. We are excited to have an educator with such an exceptional combination of experience and ideas to lead our school.” St. Matthew has an enrollment of about 420 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Enrollment at the school has been steady, but St. Matthew is competing for students with Williamson County public schools and other private schools in the area, Forbes said. When he started working at Father Ryan nearly a decade ago, one of the challenges the school faced, Forbes said, was communicating its story to the community. St. Matthew is in a similar position, he said, and it needs to share its story of academic excellence and a strong Catholic identity. Forbes will begin work as St. Matthew’s principal on June 1. Parishes respond to cold by boosting help for homeless Continued from page 12 is one of the congregations that has expanded its efforts to house the homeless during the cold spell. The Cathedral’s Room In The Inn ministry normally hosts homeless guests on Tuesday nights. But during the cold stretch, it has hosted guests every night temperatures are forecast to drop below 25 degrees, said Jim Coode, the ministry’s coordinator at the Cathedral. “We’ve done it every night for the last week,” Coode said. “These last two weeks have been a killer.” The increased activity has meant that the stock of clothing items donated for the homeless guests has been depleted, Coode said. And there have been some nights when they’ve had to make do with fewer volunteers to help, he added. On its regular night, the Cathedral hosts 30 guests, Coode said. But when the temperatures fall and the need rises, the Cathedral can accommodate an additional 10 guests, he added. The Room In The Inn campus also has been hosting more guests overnight, Moles said. When the temperatures drop below 27 degrees, the campus will house 30 people, and when the temperatures go below 19, it houses 60 people, he explained. They also are welcoming more homeless during the day, giving them a chance to get out of the cold, snow and ice that have hit Nashville in February, Moles said. “We’ve been providing extra lunches during the day to keep people inside,” and staying open extra hours during the day, Moles said. “We’ve been seeing between 450-500 people in our building” during the day, Moles said, and serving lunch to more than 300 people a day, “which is a very high number.” “There’s quite a cost but we think it’s really important to respond to the cold weather,” Moles said. Room In The Inn and other agencies that serve the homeless learned some lessons from a similar cold snap last winter, Moles said. “Over the summer we worked in partnership with other agencies to develop a cold weather response plan that has been implemented this year,” Moles said. By reviewing the data from last winter, Moles said, they were able to determine that when temperatures dip below 27 degrees there will be an expected level of increased demand for beds and if it drops below 19, the demand rises to another level. The call for the additional beds were based on that data and was a part of the city-wide coordinated response, Moles said. Agencies also are doing a better job communicating with each other about what space they have available, he said. “It’s been much more effective.” Room In The Inn and other agencies encourage the homeless to seek a warm, safe shelter rather than trying to tough out the cold, Moles said. “Nobody can withstand the cold we’ve had,” which has fallen into the single digits on some nights, he added. The Room In The Inn program continues through March, and donations are welcome, Moles said. The agency always needs winter clothing such as hats, scarves and hand warmers, as well as hot chocolate and petroleum jelly, which is an effective insulator when spread on the hands and face, Moles said. People can also make monetary donations to Room In The Inn through its website at www.roomintheinn.org. Bob Frensley recalled for his love, support of the Church Continued from page 17 Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Kaye Duke Frensley; his stepson, Don (Janet) Duke; his first wife, Patricia Garner Frensley; his daughters Sharon (Kelly) Potter, Tracey Anderson, Jennifer (Jeff) Webb; 12 grandchildren, Ace Potter, Jenni, Jesi, Amiee and Annie Anderson, Katie (Michael) Lumpkins, Lexie, Jeffery and Jerrett Webb, Jack, Molly and Matthew Duke; four great-grandchildren, Dylen Anderson, Camden Potter, Brice and Blair Lumpkins; and numerous nephews and nieces, great-nephews and nieces and cousins. Bishop David Choby presided at the funeral Mass and the main celebrant was Msgr. Al Humbrecht, Mr. Frensley’s nephew. Several priests of the diocese were concelebrants. Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc., Room In The Inn, or the Tennessee Diabetes Association. Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. 24 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Four JPII seniors named National Merit finalists F our seniors at Pope John Paul II High School have been named National Merit Scholarship finalists, making them eligible for college scholarships. They were among about 15,000 high school seniors from across the country to be named finalists, which represents about 1 percent of the students who entered the scholarship competition in their junior year when they took the Preliminary SAT standardized tests. The four students are: • Tyler Dorr, who is president of JPII’s House Council this year and will also serve as governor at this year’s YMCA Youth in Government conference. He is a member of the men’s bowling team, JPII Film Association, Conference on National Affairs and the Mock Trial program. • Daniel Edwards, a parishioner at St. Edward Church who is a member of the wrestling team, the Quiz Bowl team, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and president of Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society. • Anna Reding, a parishioner at St. Stephen Church and a graduate of Holy Rosary Academy, who is on the varsity women’s bowling team, a member of the school honor and leadership organization Societas, National Honor Society, Youth in Government and Conference on National Affairs, and has participated in theater productions. • Jacob Telli, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville, who is a three-year captain of the wrestling team, a starter on the baseball team, a member of the National Honor Society, and a SEARCH group leader and co-director. As finalists, the four students will be eligible for college scholarships sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., colleges and universities, and businesses. Photo by Andy Telli Four seniors at Pope John Paul II High School, from left, Jacob Telli, Daniel Edwards, Anna Reding and Tyler Dorr, have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Scholastic Art Award winners at SCA Students at St. Cecilia Academy brought home honors from the recent Nashville area Scholastic Art Awards, competing among more than 1,300 entries. Winners include: Gold Key winners Cecilia Moore, mixed media, and Virginia Green, mixed media; Silver Key winners Sarah Crutcher, photography, and Clara DeHart, drawing; Honorable mention winners Merrie Luton, mixed media, Patience Thompson, mixed media, Ellen Timoney, photography, Lauren Wigginton, drawing, Katie Norris, photography, Emily Neeley, photography. Pictured are: (front row, L-R) Virginia Green, Cecilia Moore, Sarah Crutcher, Merrie Luton; (back row) photography teacher Amie Pike, Emily Neely, Clara DeHart, Katie Norris, Lauren Wiggenton, Patience Thompson, and art teacher Barbara Gronefeld. St. Edward School introduces bullying prevention program S t. Edward School recently implemented its new “Be the Difference” Initiative, an adaptation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, to help prevent bullying at the school. This research-based program has been used successfully in schools all over the country and around the world. As part of the program, students participate in weekly class meetings to learn about the effects of bullying, what they can do about it, and how they can work with adults at school to put a stop to it, even as bystanders. Leading the program at St. Edward is a committee made up of the school’s principal, Dr. Lisa Redmon, teachers from various grade levels, staff members and volunteering parents. The “Be the Difference” committee has been responsible for training the teachers and staff at the school, organizing a kick-off event, and preparing for the school-wide implementation. “While bullying has not been an issue at St. Edward, we acknowledge that it can happen anywhere, and we want to make sure that our students are aware of its effects, especially at these crucial stages of growth,” said Redmon. “We have a diverse school with students from many different nationalities and backgrounds. Our hope is that implementing this program will ensure that every student at St. Edward has a positive experience, helping them grow into mature and loving people.” The initiative kicked off on Monday, January 26, the first day of the national Catholic Schools Week. The kick-off event included a barbecue dinner, a short talk by renowned bullying prevention expert Rodger Dinwiddie, a performance by the school’s Kidz Jam and liturgy choirs, and a presentation by the “Be the Difference” Committee. St. Ann students honor classmate St. Ann School honored one of their favorite classmates, sixth grader Michael Stanley with a special day devoted just to him that they dubbed “Michael Monday” as part of the school’s Catholic Schools Week celebration. In 2005, Michael was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer, which he beat after a yearlong battle. This past December test results showed the cancer returned. On Monday, Jan. 29, students, faculty and friends of St. Ann donned hats of all shapes and sizes and collected more than $1,000 to support the Child Life Services Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Michael, far right, is pictured with his parents, Tony and Cindy Stanley, and Champ, the mascot of the Children’s Hospital. February 27, 2015 Help for Ronald McDonald House St. Bernard Academy kindergarten student Ava Malucci has a passion to help Ronald McDonald House Charities. After several visits with the kindergarten class, she asked for drink can pull tabs for Christmas that she could donate as part of a fundraiser to help the families at Ronald McDonald House. Ava and St. Bernard kindergarten teacher Nancy Mattingly were thrilled to deliver the pull tabs. Tennessee Register 25 St. Joseph inducts new members of honor society S eventeen seventh and eighth grade students at St. Joseph School were inducted into the St. Catherine of Siena Honor Society on Jan. 29, during this year’s Catholic Schools Week. These St. Joseph students have achieved a cumulative scholastic average of 92 percent or above in the core classes and have demonstrated the qualities of Christian Leadership, Chris- tian Service, Christian Citizenship and Christian Character. The students inducted were: Brady Beecham, Monica Bennett, Austin Wilhite, Natali Arms, Bryson Dieterich, Ethan Donnelly, Harmon Fussell, Felicity Grant, Brooks Heagarty, Sophia Heeren, Luke Kroeger, Keegan Lampley, Michael Martini, Jill Nguyen, Evan Sanders, Alyssa Staggs and Rory White. They joined the 18 eighth graders who were inducted last year: Charles Albert, Gloria Aligbe, Janeth Angel, Sarah Barry, Henry Becker, Ben Castiello, English Chesser, Jack Florek, Paul Gammon, Maddie Henson, Peyton Knight, Annabelle Leddy, Abby McNair, David Nguyen, Esosa Osaitile, Jake Shaver, Hanna Tan and Emilie Williams. “Greystone” 2015 West End Avenue Historic Nashville Photographs For Home, Office, or a Special Gift Photographs available from The Joe Horton Studio Historic Nashville Collection Order information available at www.nashvillehistoricprints.com ~ Restoration of old photographs ~ By appointment only 615.370.4584 Rebecca A. Horton Yvonne H. Hobbs Serving Nashville for over 50 years Mass marks anniversary of Boy Scouts’ founding Holy Family Church hosted a Mass on Sunday, Feb. 8, as part of nationwide celebration for the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. Many churches across the Nashville area and nationwide organized special services in recognition of Scout Sunday. Various local units of Cub, Boy, and Girl Scouts were represented, along with leaders and professional scouters. Holy Family has been a sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 418 since 1995, which marked the 20th anniversary of its founding at the Mass. Father Justin Raines was the celebrant. Scouts acted as ushers, lectors and servers. Prices starting at $2,699 ~ with Airfare Included in this price Prices are ALL-INCLUSIVE w/Airfare from anywhere in the continental USA Several trips to different destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France, Portugal, & Spain; Poland; Medjugorje, Lourdes, & Fatima; Ireland & Scotland; Austria, Germany, & Switzerland; Greece & Turkey; Camino de Santiago; Viking Cruises; Budapest, Prague; etc... Call us 24/7 508-340-9370 or 855-842-8001 www.proximotravel.com [email protected] [email protected] Carmela Manago Executive Director We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. Schultz Monuments Joey Mason [email protected] 615.573.1214 • 615.712.9521 office 479 Myatt Dr. • Madison, TN 37115 www.schultzmonument.com 26 Tennessee Register February 27, 2015 Up to 100 Christians abducted in Islamic State offensive in Syria Catholic News Service D OHUK, Iraq. Dozens of Assyrian Christians were abducted by Islamic State forces during a new offensive against a string of villages in northeastern Syria, aid and civil rights organizations reported. The exact number of people being held was unknown, but Father Emanuel Youkhana, who heads the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, CAPNI, said that more than 100 residents had been captured during the assault, which began in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 23. “Knowing the brutal barbaric record of IS with the captured, the destiny of those families is a major concern to us,” Father Youkhana said in a Feb. 24 email. The priest said at least two villages – Tal Shamiran and Tal Hermiz – remained surrounded by Islamic State forces overnight. It was not immediately clear what the militants would do with the abductees. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need reported that thousands of people fled the villages nestled along the Khabur River and were able to reach the largely Kurdish-controlled city of Hassakeh, Syria, to the east. Bishop Aprim Nathniel of the Assyrian Church of the East reported that a local church and community hall were overloaded with people who fled the villages. Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said he had been unable to reach Bishop Jacques Hindo in CNS photo/Rodi Said, Reuters A member of the Kurdish Security Forces holds an injured civilian to evacuate him in Tal Tamar, Syria, Feb. 25. Kurdish militia pressed an offensive against Islamic State militants in northeast Syria as fears mounted for dozens of Christians abducted by the hardline group. Hassakeh. “We pray and hope that these latest tragic events end without killing and abusing our Christian community,” the patriarch told Catholic News Service Feb. 24 from the patriarchate in Beirut. “It is shameful that the whole world, beginning with the so-called Western nations, became accustomed to these ab- Dean of Campus Ministry and Student Life Father Ryan High School Administrative position, beginning July 1, 2015 Youkhana said, Arab Sunni villagers from a nearby Assyrian village rescued 15 Assyrians who were expected to make their way to Hassakeh. Kurdish forces managed to join the fight to slow the Islamic State advance, various media reported. The Associated Press also reported that the Islamic State group’s online radio station, Albayan, said in a report Feb. 24 that Islamic State fighters had detained “tens of crusaders” and seized 10 villages around Tal Tamr after clashes with Kurdish militiamen. Islamic State militants frequently refer to Christians as “crusaders.” Assyrians are an ethnic group whose origins are in ancient Mesopotamia. They are a Christian people; the Chaldean Catholic Church was formed by a group of Assyrians who broke away and joined the Catholic Church in the 16th century. The Assyrians have traditionally lived in what is now Iraq, northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey. Contributing to this story was Doreen Abi Raad in Beirut. POSITION AVAILABLE PRINCIPAL St. Ann School, 3K-8th Grade, Decatur, Ala. A dynamic, Christ-centered leader is needed to serve as principal at St. Ann School (www.saintanndecatur.org) in Decatur, AL. The ideal candidate will be skilled in curriculum/instruction, sound leadership, management, and finance. A Master’s degree in Education (or related field), Alabama administrator certification, teaching experience, administrative experience, and demonstrated leadership ability are preferred. The new principal is expected to bring energy and enthusiasm to growing enrollment and create a welcoming environment for current and prospective families. Candidate must be a practicing Roman Catholic. Fluency in Spanish is a plus. Interested and qualified candidates should submit (1) letter of introduction, addressing the requirements/skills listed above; (2) resume; (3) names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of five professional references; and (4) statement addressing the value of today’s Catholic elementary school, including its unique Catholic identity, to: The Dean of Campus Ministry and Student Life ensures that the Catholic faith vision is promoted, nurtured and developed in the total life of the school, in all of its aspects. It is a role of leadership in calling all members of the community to live by our mission as a Catholic Diocesan school in faithfulness to our purpose and tradition. Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church, Principal Search Committee 3910 Spring Avenue, Decatur, AL 35603 [email protected] or fax to (256) 353-8994 The Dean of Campus Ministry and Student Life is responsible for overseeing all formation programs (retreats, liturgies, community service, immersion experiences) by ensuring that departmental programs are planned in a way that articulates and incorporates the vision and mission of Father Ryan High School. Administrative responsibilities include the supervision of the Campus Ministry and Student Life leadership, serving as a liaison to parishes and the Catholic Youth Office, leading the Theology department, serving on the Financial Aid committee, supporting liturgical services, and the monitoring of 46 student life activities. Applicants should have the following qualifications: · Be a practicing Catholic in good standing · Hold a Master’s Degree in Theology or related field · Have a minimum of three years of Catholic Campus or Youth Ministry experience · Possess excellent communication, technology, and pastoral skills errations of religious and ethnic cleansing, in the name of a volatile, unrealistic Western democracy that never existed in countries ruled by Muslims. This is why the eradicating fanaticism is spreading in the latter nations,” said Patriarch Younan, who was born in Hassakeh. He said the Islamic State raids on the Assyrian villages were in an area fueled by confessional hatred. “So it is quite possible that they attacked innocent, defenseless Christians, where no Syrian army exists, but only civilian defenders, in order to revenge serious losses suffered up north, near Qamishli,” he said. Nuri Kino, head of A Demand for Action, which works to protect religious minorities in the Middle East, told the Associated Press that the militants took between 70 and 100 Assyrians, including women and children. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, with a network of activists in Syria, also reported the abductions and said that about 90 Christians were being held by Islamic State forces, the Associated Press reported. As the assault unfolded, Father PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY Qualified candidates should submit cover letter, resume, and philosophy of Campus Ministry, to the attention of: Mr. Paul Davis Principal 700 Norwood Drive Nashville, TN 37204 Attorneys-At-Law Home MAINTENANCE Penny Harrington Harrington Law Office, Elder Law, Probate 1215 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37208-2605 (615) 320-9977 www.harringtonlawoffice.com [email protected] CWC Remodel est 1997 Custom Remodeling, Flooring,Bathroom/ Kitchens & Repairs (615) 330-8570 www.cwcremodel.com AUTO Hillsboro Village Auto Service www.hillsborovillageautoservice.com 1820 21st. Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212 (615)298-2079 [email protected] 10% Discount for Diocese Parishioners Father Ryan High School is a diocesan co-educational Catholic high school in the diocese of Nashville, TN, founded in 1925. 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February 27, 2015 Tennessee Register 27 Ryan claims state wrestling crown with seven champs Andy Telli F ather Ryan High School, with seven individual champions, pulled away in the final round of the Division II State Wrestling Championships to claim the team championship, the 21st state title in the program’s history. By taking the team championship, finishing 10.5 points ahead of the Baylor School of Chattanooga, the Irish reversed the outcome of the Duals State Championship two weeks before when they lost to Baylor in the finals 32-30. “When you lose you don’t really have to tell them anything” to get ready for the individual state championships, said Father Ryan Coach Pat Simpson. “It’s easy to say we have to work hard.” After the loss in the duals finals, “we knew we had work to do,” said senior Christopher Wesnofske. “We practiced harder this week than we had all year. We knew what we had to do and we did it.” Wesnofske, who won the crown at 145 pounds, his second state championship, was one of nine Irish wrestlers to make it to the finals and one of seven to claim titles at the tournament, held Feb. 13-14 at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center. Joining Wesnofske on the top of the medal stand were: sophomore Christian Simpson, 106 pounds; sophomore Raymond Eason, 113; junior Trey Chalifoux, 120; junior Kirby Simpson, 126, sophomore Eli King, 132; and junior Ben Stacey, 220. It was the most state champions Father Ryan has had in one year. “We’ve had as many as five,” said Coach Simpson, who has guided the Irish to 17 of its team titles. Other Irish wrestlers to place in the tournament were: senior Marcello Morrice, 152, and senior Nick Naughton, 160, second place; junior Daniel Wesley, 138, and junior Robert Garston, 182, third; sophomore Andrew Wesnofske, 170, and junior Jeremy Darvin, 285, fifth; and sophomore Will Shaw, 195, sixth. On Friday, the first day of the tournament, “we felt like we had a chance to get nine in the finals,” Coach Simpson said. “We won every match we should have won.” Among the key first day victories were a 9-5 win by the coach’s son Kirby Simpson over returning state champion James Westbrooks of McCallie, and a come-from-behind, last second 7-6 win by Christopher Wesnofske over Caleb Powell of Baylor. Wesnofske had lost to Powell in the finals of the duals tournament two weeks earlier. “When the tournament starts you look at some matches if you don’t win there you don’t win the tournament,” Coach Simpson said, putting the WesnofskePowell matchup in that category. “We started out down 5-2 after the first period. It was great. He lost in the duals. To come back and beat the same kid who beat him was huge.” “I lost to that kid twice this year,” Wesnofske said. “That was probably my favorite match of my whole life.” After he fell behind 5-2, Wesnofske said, “I just had to keep working. If I kept working I knew I could come out on top.” At the end of the first day of wrestling, Father Ryan built a 27.5 lead over Bay- Photos by Andy Telli Father Ryan High School junior Trey Chalifoux celebrates winning the state championship in the 120-pound weight class at the Division II State Wrestling Championships held Feb. 13-14 at the Williamson Ag Expo Center. Brett and Connie Wesnofske watch their son Christopher wrestling in the 145-pound finals at the Division II State Wrestling Tournament. Christopher Wesnofske won his second state championship, defeating Braxton Kinney of Battle Ground Academy. For more photos visit www.dioceseofnashville.com. lor. But the Red Raiders made a charge in the consolation rounds on Saturday morning and cut the lead to 1.5 points coming into the finals. Christian Simpson’s pin of Thomas Bellett in the first match of the championship finals ignited a run of Irish victories. Father Ryan wrestlers won championships in the first five weight classes, including Eason, Chalifoux, Kirby Simpson and Eli King, who took his second straight state title. Watching his son take the state championship, something Coach Simpson fell just short of in his own wrestling career at Ryan, was “unbelievable,” Coach Simpson said. “I got second. … I know what second feels like.” Kirby Simpson had finished as state runner-up last year. After winning the title this year with an 11-0 major decision over Mason Reiniche of Baylor, the younger Simpson leapt into his father’s arms. The coach carried his son off the mat as the two shared a few tears. “Probably it was harder for him, thinking he had to win a state title for me,” Coach Simpson said. “We’ve been going at it since he was 4 years old. I’m just happy for him now. “We can get to baseball now,” said a smiling coach. Kirby Simpson is a returning starting outfielder for the Ryan baseball team. By the time Wesnofske faced Braxton Kinney of Battle Ground Academy, who is a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Brentwood, in the finals of the 145-pound weight class, the Irish had already clinched the team championship. Wesnofske took the title with a 6-0 victory. “I knew I had the ability to win, I just had to keep my mental toughness and do what I know I had to do,” Wesnofske said of capturing his second state championship. Stacey capped off Ryan’s night by claiming the state championship at 220 pounds with a 4-2 win in overtime over defending state champion D’On Coofer of Montgomery Bell Academy. “Everybody contributed” to the championship, Coach Simpson said. “I’ve got great assistants, that’s half the battle.” The Nashville Catholic Wrestling feeder program does a great job, he added. “It all goes into winning a state championship.” Other Catholic wrestlers from the area also saw success at the state tournament. Pope John Paul II High School senior Jacob Telli, the only Knight to qualify for the state tournament, placed fifth at the 152-pound weight class. Holy Family parishioner Braxton Kinney of BGA placed second at 145 pounds. Montgomery Bell Academy, which finished fourth in the team standings, had several Catholic wrestlers place, including: freshman Thomas Bellet, second at 106 pounds, and his brother senior Sam Bellet, fifth at 138 pounds, both parishioners at The Church of the Assumption; senior Ben Kelly, fourth at 195 pounds; and sophomore John Michael Glover, sixth at 126 pounds, a parishioner at St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro. February 27, 2015 Appeal f ual or n n ces il le D io stries ini M Bishop’ sA 28 Tennessee Register v e of N ash 2015 Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries Your support helps to provide vital ministries in support of the mission of the Catholic Church in Middle Tennessee. “...o n the Sabba th Jesus en an e u g o g a n y s tered the d .” t h g tau Mark 1:21 — We, as Catholics, are called to serve one another and to build God’s kingdom on earth. We, as Catholics, are acting out our faith by following what Jesus Christ taught. Thank you for your generous support of the 2015 Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries. Donor Information: Date ______________________________ BAA ID #_______________________________ Name ______________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Parish Name and Town ________________________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________ Phone _____________________ $25 $50 $100 $300 $400 $500 or more Total Pledge: __________________________________________________ Amount Enclosed: _____________________________________________ Balance Due:__________________________________________________ Payable: ____Monthly ____Quarterly ____Annually Bishop’s Annual Appeal Donor Societies: To pay by credit card, please complete the following: c American Express c Discover c Master Card c Visa Thank you for considering one of the following gift options to the 2015 Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries: Payable at $ _____________ per month Other Instructions:__________________________________________________________ $10,000 or more The Marian Society $5,000 to $9,999 The St. Joseph Society $2,500 to $4,999 The Society of Angels and Saints Card No.____________________________________________ Exp. Date_____________ $1,500 to $2,499 The Society of the Apostles Signature_________________________________________________________________ $1,000 to $1,499 The Society of All the Faithful Check # _______________________(Payable to Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries) Stock Gift (Please call Ella Bell-Vannoy at 615-783-0253) Monthly Bank Debit: I hereby authorize the Diocese of Nashville to initiate debit entries to the checking account as it appears on the attached voided check. My pledge will be deducted in monthly installments beginning February 1, 2015, through January 31, 2016, unless otherwise instructed. Signature _________________________________________________________________ c I/We are unable to make a pledge to the 2015 Bishop’s Annual Appeal for Ministries at this time but will pray for the success of the Appeal. c Dear Bishop Choby, in your prayer intentions, please include: ________________________________________________________________ c I have included my parish or the Diocese in my will. c Please send information on how to include my parish or the Diocese in my will. Please return this bottom portion to your parish. Thank You!
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