Tennessee Register 1February 7, 2020 Tennessee Register 1February 7, 2020

Andy Telli

Parishioners had their first chance to comment publicly on the goals and priorities of a potential fun-

draising campaign for the Diocese of Nashville during an information session held at Christ the King Church in Nash-ville on Thursday.

“People in this diocese … they speak up,” Bishop J. Mark Spalding said dur-ing his opening remarks at the meeting, which was the first of four scheduled at parishes around the diocese. “They let you know what they’re thinking. They’re not shy.”

“What we’re looking at for a diocesan campaign really is something that came

from your advice and counsel to me,” Bishop Spalding said. He explained that parishioners often approach him and ask, “What are you going to do about vocations, what are you going to do about Catholic schools, what are you going to do about our outreach to the marginalized … what are you going to do about the growth in the diocese?”

Brian Cooper, Chief Administrative Of-ficer and Vice Chancellor of the diocese, picked up on the bishop’s themes and discussed in more detail five priorities the diocese is considering for a fundrais-ing campaign.

“This is a conversation we’re starting tonight,” Cooper said.

“We want to test some potential priori-

ties,” he added. “We also want to hear about new ideas.

The diocese has contracted with the Steier Group, a national firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, to conduct a feasibil-ity study for a fundraising campaign.

The goal of the campaign would be to ad-dress the funding resources for long-term needs, Cooper said. “We’re looking to a more investment approach,” by building endowments that would provide perpetual support for programs, he explained.

The diocese is considering five priori-ties for a campaign that would address long-term needs “to support a growing and vibrant faith community,” Cooper said. They include:

• Building an endowment to pay for

the education of seminarians.“We’ve got great young men studying

to be priests,” Bishop Spalding said. “But that’s becoming more and more of a (financial) challenge for the diocese.”

With 20 seminarians, the diocese ranks among the top in the country based on a per-capita basis, Cooper said. “But we’re just keeping up with retirements.”

The current endowment to help pay for seminarian education is about $5 million, Cooper said. “We’d like to grow it to $15 million.”

• Increasing the endowment for theAdvancement of Catholic Education to provide more funds for tuition assistance and to support Catholic schools in the diocese.

Pope approves procedures to investigate bishops … page 9 | Bishop re-consecrates diocese to Sacred Heart ... page 27Society of St. Vincent de Paul establishes council ... page 2 | White socks drive to help bring Christmas cheer to prisoners ... 5Pope approves procedures to investigate bishops … page 9 | Bishop re-consecrates diocese to Sacred Heart ... page 278-19 … page 10 | ith … page 16Pope approves procedures to investigate bishops … page 9 | Bishop re-consecrates diocese to Sacred Heart ... page 27Society of St. Vincent de Paul establishes council ... page 2 | White socks drive to help bring Christmas cheer to prisoners ... 5Pope approves procedures to investigate bishops … page 9 | Bishop re-consecrates diocese to Sacred Heart ... page 27es new hires … page 5 | owth … page 15Pope approves procedures to investigate bishops … page 9 | Bishop re-consecrates diocese to Sacred Heart ... page 27Society of St. Vincent de Paul establishes council ... page 2 | White socks drive to help bring Christmas cheer to prisoners ... 5Catholic Business Women’s League marks 70 years ... page 2 | Woman joins Church on way to Holy Land ... page 14

February 7, 2020 | The Voice of Tennessee Catholic Life since 1937 | www.tennesseeregister.com

Continued on page 9

Diocese hears from parishioners on potential fundraising campaign

Ken Fink, president of Wondergy, puts on a Laser Science show as part of St. Henry School’s celebration of Catholic Schools Week in Nashville on Friday, January 24. The 45 minute show began with demonstrations of how the human eye perceives light and culminated with a laser show that projected images on the walls and ceiling of the gym and fog that was floating in the air above the students. See more photos at tennesseeregister.com.

Photo by Rick Musacchio

Let your light shine

2 Tennessee Register February 7, 20202 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

Briana Grzybowski

In June 1949, Gladys Evans dreamed of starting an organization for work-ing Catholic women in Nashville

where they could share faith and fel-lowship together. She and four other women met with the late Father Leo Siener to discuss their idea.

With approval from Father Seiner and Bishop William Adrian, the Nashville Catholic Women’s Business League was formed. Its first official meeting was at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville on Dec. 18, 1949, with a small group of women, mostly teachers and nurses.

Seventy years later with 113 members strong, the oldest business organization in the diocese is kicking off a year-long cele-bration of the anniversary of its founding.

The League, which hosts a variety of social and spiritual events throughout the year, is centering all of its events this year on the 70th anniversary celebration.

“For starters, we’re putting together a historical timeline that highlights who we are in relation to the diocese. And a lot of what we’re doing this year is focused on the number 70 theme,” said Teri Gordon, president of the League. “We want to get 70 new members to join and have a 70 random acts of kind-ness campaign, where we help different local charitable organizations.”

One example of this was the League’s drive in January to collect 70 Kroger gift cards for Catholic Charities’ refu-gee resettlement program.

The League has also been a long-time supporter of Catholic education. Since 1998, its Aurelia Varallo Mariani Memo-rial Scholarship has provided tuition assistance to one deserving freshman student at Father Ryan High School, St. Cecilia Academy and Pope John Paul II High School.

At its Feb. 19 meeting, the League

will award the scholarship to this year’s recipients and recognize notable past winners. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Temple Hills Country Club.

In September, the League’s Pearls of Wisdom fashion show and silent auc-tion will raise the funds for next year’s scholarship winners.

Other events this year include a retreat in the spring, setting up a booth at the di-ocesan Catholic Women of Faith Confer-ence at St. Philip Church in Franklin on Saturday, March 28, and a women’s busi-ness expo in April which will feature sev-eral women-led and owned businesses and social service organizations.

“The business expo is successful every year and something I always look

forward to,” Gordon said. “It’s a great way to see all the wonderful things women in our diocese are doing and network with them.”

The biggest highlight, however, will happen toward the end of the year. “Our big event will be in November,” Gordon said. “It’ll be at the Hermitage Hotel, where everything began. We’ll have Mass celebrated by our spiritual advisor Father Michael O’ Bryan, fol-lowed by a reception. We really want to pay tribute to our organization’s rich heritage and are very excited.”

She strongly encourages all women who are interested in joining the League to sign up. “If you’re a working or retired Catholic woman who’s look-

ing for other women who share the same Catholic values, and want to grow spiritually and intellectually, you’re wel-come here,” Gordon said.

“I remember one time a new member came to her first meeting and abso-lutely loved it. She told me afterwards, ‘I have found my people.’ And I feel the same way,” Gordon said. “I’ve made so many great friends through the League and have grown so much personally. I couldn’t recommend this more.”

All working and retired Catholic women ages 18 and up are eligible to join. Those who are interested in par-ticipating in any of the anniversary ac-tivities or becoming a member can visit the League’s website at ncbwl.org.

NCBWL marks 70 years of helping women share faith, fellowship

The charter members of the Nashville Catholic Business Women’s League are pictured at the group’s 25th anniversary celebration. The NCBWL was established in 1949 to give working Catholic women an opportunity to share their faith and fellowship together. The organization will be marking the 70th anniversary of its founding this year with a variety of events.

School of faithBishop J. Mark Spalding, photo at left, celebrated an all-schools Mass for students from the 19 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Nashville on Wednesday, Jan. 29, as part of Catholic Schools Week. The diocese hosted students from throughout the diocese for the Mass, which was celebrated in Sagrado Corazon Church in the Catholic Pastoral Center in Nashville.

Photos by Rick Musacchio

Tennessee Register 3February 7, 2020 Tennessee Register 3February 7, 2020

February 7, 2020 | Volume 83, Number 3

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MOST REVEREND J. MARK SPALDINGʼS SCHEDULE

February 9• Men’s Cursillo Mass, Camp Marymount, 8:30 a.m.

• World Marriage Day Mass, Cathedral, 2:30 p.m.

• Campaign information session, Holy Family Church, Brentwood, 6:30 p.m.

February 11• School Mass, St. Pius X Classical Academy, 8 a.m.

• Colonna Club Meeting and Lunch, Hillwood Country Club, 11 a.m.

February 13• Campaign Informational Session, Our Lady of the Lake Church, Hendersonville, 6:30 p.m.

February 15• Knights Fourth Degree Exemplification Mass and Dinner, Our Lady of the Lake Church, Hendersonville, 5 p.m.

February 16• Youth 2000 Mass, Catholic Pastoral Center, 10:45 a.m.

• Campaign Informational Session, St. Rose of Lima Church, Murfreesboro, 3 p.m.

February 17• Southern Baptist Convention Executive Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

February 18• Presbyteral Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 10 a.m.

February 18-19• Province Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky

February 22• Mass with Communion and Liberation Group, Cathedral of the Incarnation Chapel, 10:30 a.m.

• Mass for University Catholic Conference, Cathedral of the Incarnation, 5 p.m.

• Father Ryan Gala, Omni Hotel, 6:30 p.m.

February 23• Women’s Cursillo Mass, Camp Marymount, Fairview, 8:30 a.m.

Follow Bishop Spalding on Twitter: @bpspalding

The Catholic Church is vast, touch-ing lives in every corner of the globe and proclaiming the good

news of Jesus Christ to the world.The Tennessee Register brings a

glimpse to our readers every other week of the breadth and depth of the Church, from the grand chapels of the Vatican to the smallest parishes in the Diocese of Nashville and everywhere in between.

The paper is the flagship communica-tions tool of the diocese, delivering in-depth articles and excellent photographs from the Catholic Church in Middle Ten-nessee and around the world.

As the award-winning Tennessee Regis-ter observes Catholic Press Month this February, we are asking you to renew your subscription to this valuable pub-lication that has been the “voice of Ten-nessee Catholic Life since 1937.”

The Register’s excellence has been rec-ognized nationally. It is one of the most decorated publications in the American Catholic press, and several times has received the General Excellence award from the Catholic Press Association, one of the highest honors for diocesan newspapers.

Your subscription of $29 not only funds the operations of the Tennessee Register,but also supports key communications efforts in the diocese, including the websites of the Diocese of Nashville and the Tennessee Register, and design work

provided for other departments and min-istries of the diocese.

According to diocesan policy, a mini-mum of 70 percent of households in each parish must receive the Tennessee Reg-ister. If less than 70 percent of families pay for their own subscription, the parish must make up the difference. So, renew-ing your subscription will not only keep you informed about the Church, local and the universal, you will be able to lighten the financial load of your parish.

An envelope to renew your subscrip-tion will be included in the Feb. 7 and Feb. 21 issues of the paper. If you lose your renewal envelope, contact your par-ish or call Nancy Mattson at the Registeroffice at 615-783-0750 to get another.

You can pay through your parish by dropping your subscription renewal en-velope in the collection basket at Mass. If you mail your payment directly to theRegister office, be sure to specify the par-ish where you are registered so that your parish will get credit for your payment.

Readers can also renew their subscrip-tion online at the Register’s website: www.tennesseeregister.com.

Please drop your subscription renewal in the mail or collection basket today or fill out the online subscription form so you can stay informed and do your part to support the diocese’s most important communications tool, the Tennessee Register.

Support the Tennessee Register, renew your subscription

Photo courtesy of Christopher Gunn

Faithful venerate relic of Passionists founderFather Bob Weiss, C.P., holds up a relic of St. Paul of the Cross, the founder of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ – known as the Passionists – as several people venerate the relic, which was on display at the Cathedral of the Incarnation on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The relic and an icon commissioned in honor of the 300th anniversary of the order’s founding is being taken around the country and the world during the Jubilee year.

4 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

February

10 Monday † St. Scholastica

Free Seminar: “Person, Nature, and Human Flourishing,” Mondays, until April 6, 7-8 p.m., Aquinas College, 4210 Hard-ing Pike, Nashville. Presented by Sr. Mary Diana Dreger, O.P., M.D. Info/rsvp: www.aquinascollege.edu/calendar-event/person-nature-human-flourishing/all/.

11 Tuesday† St. Paschal

Mindful Body Movement Classes, Tues-days, 1-2 p.m., St. Joseph, Parish Center, 1225 Gallatin Pike S., Madison. Info: 615-860-0128.

13 Thursday† St. Catherine de Ricci

Nashville Catholic Business League Prayer Breakfast, 7 a.m., Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Speaker: Film-maker Chris Foley, who is producing a film about the life of Father Augustus Tolton. Info: catholicbusinessleague.org.

15 Saturday† St. Walfrid

Holy Rosary Academy Sapphire Soi-ree, 6 p.m., Tucker’s Gap, Lebanon. Cock-tails and silent auction 6 p.m., dinner and live auction 7 p.m. Info/tickets: www.holy-rosary.edu or 615-883-1108.

16 Sunday† St. Daniel

Red Cross Blood Drive, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. Sign up: www.redcross blood.org; sponsor code: ststephen or after Mass. Info: 615-207-9434.

Seven Dolors of the BVM Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order Meet-ing, 2 p.m., St. Philip, 113 Second Ave. S., Franklin. Info: 931-409-8948.

French Mass, 5 p.m., Holy Name, 521 Woodland St., Nashville. Check www.holy-namenashville.com for possible changes. Fr. Edwige Carré, Celebrant.

18 Tuesday† St. Simon

REBOOT! 7-9:30 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake, 1729 Stop Thirty Rd., Hendersonville. Chris Stefanick will lead us to rediscover God and the life we are made for. Tickets: $25, available online: reallifecatholic.com.

19 Wednesday† Bl. Alvarez of Corova

Nashville Catholic Business Women’s League Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Temple Hills Country Club. All welcome. Learn about NCBWL and scholarships it funds. RSVP: www.ncbwl.org/events-1/february-meeting.

Nashville Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Parish Council Room, Christ the King, 3001 Bel-mont Blvd., Nashville. Info: www.ndccos.org.

20 Thursday† St. Wulfric

Nashville Cursillo, Women’s English Weekend, Feb 20-23. Three-Day-Weekend held at Camp Marymount in Fairview. Info: https://sites.google.com/site/nashvillecur-sillo/Home.

22 Saturday† St. Margaret of Cortona

Diocesan Engaged Couples’ Retreat, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Catholic Pastoral Center, 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville.

Magnificat, for Catholic women, 8:30 a.m., St. Edward, 190 Thompson Ln., Rm. 211, Nashville. Info: 334-655-2069 or leah-fish414@gmail.com.

23 Sunday† St. Polycarp

Free “3 vs. 3” Lacrosse Clinic for 1st-8th grade boys, 1st-4th grades from 1-2 p.m., 5th-8th grades from 2:15-3:15 p.m., JPII High School, 117 Caldwell Dr., Hen-dersonville. Info/pre-registration: pat.ken-nedy@jp2hs.org.

Open Arms Kick-of f Event, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Cathedral, Fleming Center, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Community that provides opportunities for special needs adults to serve, socialize, and grow spiritu-ally. Info: Lynn, 615-708-5533 or Pat, 615-668-6262.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

“As iron sharpens iron,so man sharpens his fellow man.”

— Proverbs 27:17

Saturday, February 29, 2020St. Philip Church, 113 2nd Ave. S., Franklin TN 37064

Mass with Bishop J. Mark Spalding at 8:30 a.m.

Greg Willits, “Tied in Knots: Finding Peace in Today’s World”Worked for the Archdiocese of Denver as Exec Director of Evangelization & Family Life, then was Editorial Director for Our Sunday Visitor and now Founder, New Evangelizers and Rosary Army. A new media trailblazer, he and his wife host “Adventures in Imperfect Living” podcast.

Matt Birk, “Faith and Football: Get in the Game”Played as an offensive lineman for both the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens. Awarded 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and a 2013 Super Bowl Champ with the Ravens. Author of “All Pro Wisdom: The Seven Choices that Lead to Greatness”.

Gary Zimak, “From Fear to Faith: Winning the Battle”Leading Catholic speaker for Winning the Battle and Overcoming Stress & Anxiety. Regular guest on EWTN TV & Radio and bestselling author of several books including “Give Up Worry for Lent”. Reaches thousands via parish missions, retreats, conferences.

&STRONGCOURAGEOUS

Info and Tickets:catholicmenoffaithconf.com

Catholic Men of Faith $45.00 Conference Registration Fee Includes Box Lunch $50 At the Door

Student Registration Fee $25.00 (High school and College) Includes Box Lunch

Conference Donation

Conference Registration is Non-Refundable

________________________________

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Send Your Registration Payable to:Catholic Men of Faith Conference

St. Philip Church113 2nd Ave South, Franklin, Tennessee 37064

You will receive your Conference Ticket(s) via mail.

Office use only: February 29, 2020 ticket(s)

_________ _________ _________ _________

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PARISH

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THREE WAYS TO GETS TICKETSOnline: catholicmenoffaithconf.com

Mail: Send this form with paymentSt. Philip Parish Office: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m

St. Andrew,St. Gregoryto host Lenten parish mission

St. Andrew Parish in Sparta and its sister parish, St. Gregory in Smith-ville, will jointly host a Lenten par-

ish mission Feb. 29-March 5.The mission will begin at the 5 p.m.

Mass on Saturday, Feb. 29. There will be an 8:30 a.m. Mass each day of the mission with a talk by an evangelist at 7 p.m.

The mission will be presented in Eng-lish at St. Andrew and in Spanish at St. Gregory.

Everyone is invited to attend. Fellow-ship will follow the talk each evening at St. Andrew.

For more information, call Cathy Ran-dolph, Liturgy Committee chairperson at St. Andrew, at 931-704-9388.

Tennessee Register 5February 7, 2020

Mon.- Fri. 9 am - 5 pm / Sat. 9 am - 4 pm535 W. Thompson Lane, Nashville 37211 • 615-255-4551

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Thursday, February 13, 7:30 a.m.Fleming Center • Cathedral of the Incarnation

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E m p o w e r i n g F a i t h • I m p r o v i n g Wo r k • F u l f i l l i n g L i f e

Chris FoleyFilmmaker

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In Honor of Black History Month, Hear from a

Filmmaker and his Work on

the Life of Father Augustus Tolton

In Honor of Black History Month, Hear from a

Filmmaker and his Work on

the Life of Father Augustus Tolton

The new documentary about Dorothy Day, a co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement,

“Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Lipscomb Univer-sity in Nashville as part of the school’s “HumanDocs” se-ries.

Filmmaker Mar-tin Doblmeier, who has won Emmy awards for his previous work, will par-ticipate in a talk-back discussion after the film.

The documentary profiles Day, an American journalist, social activist and Catholic convert who co-founded the Catholic Worker movement dur-ing 1930s. After converting to Catholi-cism, she started the Catholic Worker newspaper that exposed rampant in-justices during the Great Depression.

The movement eventually expanded to become a network of houses of hospitality for the poor that is still op-erating today.

Day was a prolific writer, exploring subjects like war and peace, justice, pacifism, poverty, charity, faith, prayer and more.

A guild in New York is working for

Day’s canonization.Doblmeier has produced more than

30 award-winning films that have aired on PBS, ABC, NBC, the BBC and the History Channel. He has two Emmy Awards, and his films include the highly acclaimed “Bonhoeffer,” a documentary about German theolo-gian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bon-hoeffer, and “The Power of Forgive-ness,” which included Elie Wiesel, Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh and others.

“Revolution of the Heart” includes rare archival photos and film footage, as well as interviews with actor/activ-ist Martin Sheen, theologian Cornel West, author Joan Chittister, Jim Wal-lis of Sojourners and many others.

The HumanDocs program is a se-ries of social-justice documentaries sponsored by the Lipscomb’s Col-lege of Liberal Arts and Sciences and presented by the Lipscomb Honors College.

The screening of the film is free and open to the public. It will be shown in Shamblin Theater in the Bennett Cam-pus Center at Lipscomb University.

For more information, contact Ted Parks, associate professor of foreign languages and co-curator of Lip-scomb’s HumanDocs Film Series, at ted.parks@lipscomb.edu or 615-966-6616.

Dorothy Day documentary tobe shown at Lipscomb University

Day

For advertising in the Tennessee Registercontact Steve Valiquette at 615-783-0750steve.valiquette@dioceseofnashville.com

Parishes across the Diocese of Nashville will be participating in the “Discovery” Bible study

this Lenten season. “One of the most common requests

we receive in the office is regarding resources for small groups,” said Joan Watson, director of faith formation for the Diocese of Nashville.

“Small groups are an excellent way for adults to delve into Scripture and into the riches of our Catholic faith while at the same time nur-turing friendships and community within the wider parish,” she wrote in a message to pastors introducing them to the “Discovery” program.

Similar to the “Why Catholic?” small group faith study implemented by the diocese years ago, the “Dis-covery” series also has the potential to bring people together for faith and fellowship, Watson said.

This six-week study centers around the “kerygma,” the initial proclama-tion of the Gospel, which Pope Fran-cis often promotes, she said.

Watson has produced her own small faith group Bible studies in the past, but “Discovery” comes from

the Faith Study Series produced by Catholic Christian Outreach. “The CCO Faith Study Series is designed to introduce people again to the Good News and help them respond

to Jesus Christ,” Watson said. “The successive studies walk deeper into the life of faith by studying the Holy Spirit, spiritual growth, and commission and discipleship.”

Watson hopes that small faith sharing groups like “Discovery” will compel people to dig deeper into their faith, “putting them in touch with the person of Jesus Christ.”

Each small group will have a des-ignated leader, and the meetings will include both Scripture study and time for discussion, as well as a com-ponent of action and living the Good News in daily life.

The Bible studies are available in English and Spanish.

More information about Catholic Christian Outreach and the Faith Study Series can be found at their web-site: www.cco.ca/faith-studies-series/

Joan Watson can be reached at joan.watson@dioceseofnashville.com.

Parishes to host Lenten Bible studies

6 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

Info and Tickets:catholicwomenoffaithconf.com

Saturday, March 28, 2020St. Philip Church, 113 2nd Ave. S., Franklin TN 37064

Christine Watkins“How to Save The Souls

You Love”Former atheist began a life of service to the Catholic Church after receiving a mi-raculous healing, as a friend prayed a bedside rosary. Now serving 20 years as an International speaker, best- selling author, radio host, and CEO-Founder of www.QueenofPeaceMedia.com.

Kelly Nieto“My Holy Mess: The Path to Peace and Purpose”

Former Miss America Run-ner-up, received a life chang-ing vision while praying the Stations of the Cross prior to becoming Catholic, which lead to her creating “Cross and Light” the epic multi-sen-sory, Broadway style concert experience of Christ’s Pas-sion to Pentecost.

Kathleen Beckman“When Women Pray”

Author of “When Women Pray,” serving the Church for 25 years as a Catholic evan-gelist, best-selling author, writer, radio host, Ignatian-certified retreat director, and leader in the ministry of healing and deliverance. President-Co-Founder of Foundation of Prayer for Priest.

Taylor TripodiMusical Artist on a mission to put people in an encoun-ter with Christ through true, good, and beautiful music. Her desire to bring hope to hurting souls led her to become a full-time musician, singer-songwriter, and wor-ship leader, opening hearts to the presence of the Lord.

THREE WAYS TO GETS TICKETSOnline: catholicwomenoffaithconference.com

Mail: Send this form with paymentSt. Philip Parish Office: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Catholic Women of Faith $45.00 Conference Registration Fee Includes Box Lunch $50 At the Door

Student Registration Fee $25.00 (High school & College) Includes Box Lunch

Conference Donation $_____

Total enclosed $_____

Conference Registration is Non Refundable

Name:______________________________

Address:____________________________

___________________________________

Phone:______________________________

Email:______________________________

Parish:______________________________

Send Your Registration Payable to:Catholic Women of Faith Conference

St. Philip Church113 2nd Ave South, Franklin, Tennessee 37064

You will receive your Conference Ticket(s) via mail.

Office use only: March 28, 2020 ticket(s)

_________ _________ _________ _________

Join 1,000 extraordinarywomen for an uplifting

spiritual day!

Pope John Paul II High School capped Catholic Schools Week with its annual Gala on Saturday,

Feb. 1, at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville.“I can’t think of a better way to wrap

up Catholic Schools Week than the coming together of our community in thanksgiving for all that Pope John Paul II High School means to our diocese and to each of us individually,” said Mi-chelle Barber, dean of admissions and advancement.

“This evening is dedicated to you, all those who serve our Catholic school students daily, those who donate to an-nual fund drives, and those who spon-sor events such as this Gala,” Barber said. “We are grateful beyond measure.”

During the evening, JPII Headmaster Michael Deely gave special recognition to the Hendersonville Police Depart-ment for their service to the community.

“We wish to thank Chief (Mickey) Miller and the entire Hendersonville Police Department and their families for their continued dedication to the safety and welfare of our city,” Deely said, “especially during the challenges they have faced since the loss of Officer (Spencer) Bristol.”

Bristol was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while pursing a suspect across Interstate 65 near Vietnam Vet-erans Boulevard.

“They handle every part of their job with professionalism and care for all

people, and it reflects the tremendous leadership and example set by Chief Mickey Miller,” Deely said.

Heidi Amorese and Annette Hollis served as the Gala and Auction co-

chairs. Other members of the Gala Committee were Angela Bagsby, Dana Croy, Leslie Garrett-Stephens, Amy Gaynor, Sarah McLeod, Leslie Priest, Michelle Smart, Beth Wettengel, Bar-

ber and Jo Lind Weaver, director of donor and alumni relations.

Sponsors included: • Shield Sponsor: Gordon Carroll

Homes; Rick and Kristie Isaacson – SERVPRO; Pedestal Foods; Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti and Blair PLLC; Drs. Mark and Jenny Uhl; Wayne and Chris Wantz – Modern Construction Com-pany; Bill and Jennifer Wood – Wood Personnel Services.

• Gold Sponsor: Bart and Angela Bagsby – Bagsby Ranch; Scott and Christine Bryant – State Farm Insurance; Stephen and Shannon Cook; Diocese of Nashville; Mechanical Resources.

• Armor Sponsor: NovaTech; Leslie Garrett-Stephens; SunTrust Banks.

• Blue Sponsor: Carlos Figueroa – Cinco de Mayo Restaurant; GradPro; Shay and Julie Oliphant; Pinnacle Fi-nancial Partners.

• Table Sponsors: Clark and Carolyn Baker; Christ the King; Holy Rosary; Fred and Marcie Knox; Our Lady of the Lake; Overbrook; St. John Vianney; St. Henry; St. Joseph; St. Matthew; St. Ste-phen; Kirk and Julie Whittington; Hen-dersonville Police Department; Chad and Kelly Swan – Swan Surgical.

• Friends: Lance and Mary Bentley; Larry and Terri Borders; Chris and Megan Buell; Michael and Sarah Mc-Ghee; Mills Uniform; Charles and Mau-reen Sanger; School Facility Manage-ment; Steve and Michelle Smart.

Pope John Paul II hosts annual Gala and Auction

Pope John Paul II High School held its annual Gala and Auction on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. Heidi Amorese and Annette Hollis served as the Gala and Auction co-chairs. Other members of the Gala Committee were Angela Bagsby, Dana Croy, Leslie Garrett-Stephens, Amy Gaynor, Sarah McLeod, Leslie Priest, Michelle Smart, Beth Wettengel, JPII Dean of Admissions and Advancement Michelle Barber and Jo Lind Weaver, director of donor and alumni relations.

Tennessee Register 7February 7, 2020

St. Rose Knights raise money for ultrasound machineChristie McCullough

As most people reflect back on their Super Bowl Sunday, they may think about the 10-point deficit

that the Kansas City Chiefs overcame to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Or the half-time show people are still dis-cussing on their social media feeds.

Father John Sims Baker, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro, recalls a different memory.

“Super Bowl Sunday was made a lot more flavorful in Murfreesboro by the Knights of Columbus at St. Rose,” he said. “The Knights smoked barbecue ribs as a fundraiser for a great cause: a new ultrasound machine for Portico, the crisis pregnancy support center in Murfreesboro.”

With the Knights of Columbus’ repu-tation for being able to combine family friendly fun with charitable fundraising, it was of little surprise that the Knights at St. Rose spearheaded this inaugural event, according to Father Baker. “The rib fundraiser is one more example of the way the Knights have of combining service with something fun and deli-cious,” Baker said.

As with all new fundraising efforts, the Knights were unsure how St. Rose parishioners would respond to the idea of having the Knights’ efforts featured as a main dish for their Super Bowl party menus.

“With this being our first year, our goal was 150,” said Matt Owens, Family Director for the Knights Council 4563. “We pre-sold tickets for the ribs after Masses over two weekends. And the parish really came through. We were happy with the results, 185 racks.”

The ribs sale follows other efforts of Council 4563 to raise funds to purchase an ultrasound machine for area crisis pregnancy centers, often in conjunction with other area councils.

“Actually, this is the second year that we helped purchase an ultrasound,” Owens said.

Last year, the council at St. Rose led efforts to raise $25,000 for an ultrasound

machine, and this year, the St. Rose Knights are contributing to an effort led by Council 9168 at St. Luke Church in Smyrna to raise $30,000 for another ultrasound machine, Owens said.

“So this and last year we used $5,000 in council funds to pay for them, $10,000 over two years,” Owens said.

“Our Supreme Council has a very suc-cessful program in which they will pro-

vide a matching grant of funds to local councils in support of purchasing ultra-sound machines for pregnancy support centers,” Owens said. “This program has placed over 1,000 ultrasound ma-chines into service since its beginning.

“An ultrasound machine can cost be-tween $30,000 to $50,000 for each ma-chine,” he added. “The program allows for local councils to raise and contribute

50 percent of the required funds and the Supreme Council will provide the matching 50 percent of funds for the purchase of the machine.”

The beneficiaries of the Knights’ generosity for 2020 is Portico, a pro-life pregnancy services organization located in Murfreesboro. Portico Ex-ecutive Director Laura Messick praised the Knights at St. Rose and St. Luke and their ongoing contributions to her organization.

“It is a tremendous tool for ministry and for life,” Messick said of the impact of an ultrasound machine on her clients’ lives. “Having the capacity to show cli-ents the humanity of their child makes all of the difference in the world.”

In addition to the $2,400 raised from their Super Bowl Sunday smoked ribs sale, Owens said, the council sponsors other fundraising efforts to raise money for Portico.

“Each year around Mother’s Day, our council administers a baby bottle cam-paign for Portico,” he said. “Parishio-ners pick up a baby bottle from church and fill it with loose change, bills or a check and return to the church by Fa-ther’s Day, June 18. All monies received support Portico.

“The last total from 2019 for the baby bottle campaign was $9,000,” Owens said.

“On an annual basis, Portico has a major fundraising event that involves a dinner and a silent auction,” he added. “As independent local councils, we pur-chase tickets and send members (and their spouses) to participate in the din-ner and auction.

“Additionally, throughout the year, there will be additional smaller funding events such as a bowling night or some-thing along those lines,” Owens said. “Many Knights are also independent donors on an annual basis directly to Portico. Other Knights volunteer their time by driving the RV Mobile Unit.”

Every penny parishioners contribute is important and works toward the purchase of this essential, yet expensive, piece of medical equipment, Owens said.

Deacon Pete Semich, James Rohr, and Jim Barnes were among those who volunteered for the St. Rose Knights of Columbus Council 4563 event to raise money to purchase an ultrasound machine for Portico, a crisis pregnancy support center in Murfreesboro.

Catholic Charities’ adoption practices unaffected by new lawAndy Telli

The first law to pass during this year’s session of the Tennes-see General Assembly protects

faith-based adoption agencies who refuse to place children with same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs.

But the law won’t mean any changes for Catholic Charities of Tennessee’s adoption services.

“Our methods and practices and policies won’t change,” said Judy Orr, executive director of Catholic Chari-ties.

The law says no licensed adoption agency will be required to participate in a child placement if doing so would “violate the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”

Also under the law, the state can not deny an agency a license or grant application for public funds because

of the group’s refusal to place a child with a family based on religious objec-tions.

Catholic Charities has always pro-vided adoption services in conformity with Church teaching on marriage, which is that it should be reserved to the union of one man and one woman. “Male-female complementarity is es-sential to marriage. It makes possible authentic union and the generation of new life,” according to the U.S. Con-ference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral letter “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan.”

“Attempts to make same-sex unions the equivalent of marriage disregard the nature of marriage,” according to the pastoral letter.

Although Catholic Charities’ adop-tion services office does not place children with same-sex couples, it does refer them to agencies that do.

“Fundamentally, when a couple

comes to us in that circumstance, we recognize that another agency might be a better fit for them,” Orr said. “We have a long-standing relationship with other agencies that will be a better fit.”

“We provide information, education and any kind of referral source along the way with any couple who comes to us” until they find another agency that will work with them, she added.

Referring clients to other agencies for help for social services happens often for Catholic Charities, Orr said. “We have a lot of services, but we don’t have all of them.”

Changes in society have changed the nature of much of Catholic Chari-ties’ work with adoptions, Orr said.

“The adoption business is a very different business than it was even 20 years ago,” Orr said. “Adoption use to be cloaked in secrecy. That’s not the case today.”

In the past, if someone was inter-ested in adopting a child or placing their child with an adoptive family, their only option was to open the Yel-low Pages and look for an adoption agency, Orr said. Today, most adop-tions are handled privately, rather than through an agency, she said.

“The vast majority of adoptions actu-ally take place with private attorneys,” Orr said.

It’s not uncommon for families looking to adopt to set up their own web page describing their family for women searching the internet look-ing for a family to adopt their child, Orr said.

As much of the secrecy surround-ing adoptions has evaporated, the adopting families and the birth moth-ers often establish a relationship that continues past the adoption.

Private adoptions also make it Continued on page 11

8 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

Theresa Laurence

Just as St. Katharine Drexel saw the need for Catholic missionaries to serve and educate Native Americans

and African-Ameri-cans in the early 20th century, Deacon Bill Hill of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Nash-ville sees the need today to expand ac-cess and opportunity to African-Americans who want to attend Catholic schools.

With the newly es-tablished Spirit of St. Katharine Drexel memorial scholarship at his alma mater, Father Ryan High School, “I’m trying to do a small piece” of what she did, said Deacon Hill, and he hopes it will lead to greater efforts to increase diversity in the diocese’s Catholic schools.

By founding the scholarship at Father Ryan and opening it up to all African-American students, Catholic or not, Dea-con Hill is bringing St. Katharine Drexel’s mission of serving marginalized popula-tions forward into the 21st century.

“She helped me get through St. Vin-cent and Father Ryan,” Deacon Hill said of St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955), the wealthy heiress who went on to found the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a missionary order of nuns who worked primarily in the American West and urban South.

“Katharine Drexel had a bigger influ-ence on the Black community than anybody,” funding and staffing Catholic schools that provided essential aca-demic opportunities to African-Ameri-cans in Nashville and many other cities, said Deacon Hill. St. Katharine Drexel personally visited Nashville several times as she was scouting property and again to spend time with students at St. Vincent de Paul School, which operated from 1932-2009.

Her Sisters of the Blessed Sacra-

ment, along with the Josephite priests, “nurtured, built, and sustained” the community during the Jim Crow era of segregation, he said.

Immaculate Mother Academy, Holy Family and St. Vincent de Paul schools were a point of pride in the Black Catho-lic community of Nashville and served minority children from the neighbor-hood and beyond, poor and middle class alike, regardless of their religious background.

Many of the students who enrolled in these schools did not come from Catholic families, but rather from Prot-estant families in the larger community who were seeking a higher quality, Christian-based alternative to the local, segregated public schools.

“If the mission of St. Vincent’s was only to serve Catholics, I would not be Catho-lic,” said Deacon Hill, a self-described “poor black kid from the projects” and convert to the faith who graduated from St. Vincent in 1963 and went on to gradu-ate from Father Ryan in 1967 and attend Vanderbilt University Law School.

Deacon Hill’s mother, a member of a Missionary Baptist church, “didn’t really like Catholics,” he said, “but she wanted us to have a good education.” So she sent her son to St. Vincent, which at that time had the reputation as the best school in the city for Black students.

It was also fertile ground for evangeli-zation and led to Deacon Hill’s conver-sion to the Catholic faith. “The nuns did a job on me,” he said.

Between the Catholic education he received at the school, attending daily Mass with his classmates, and receiving instruction from his parish priest, Hill was prepared to make a formal commit-ment to the Catholic Church and was baptized at age 14.

Evangelization toolLocal Church leaders, especially Bishop

Thomas Byrne, who led the diocese from 1894 to 1923, viewed schools serving the African-American community as an im-

portant evangelization tool to draw more families into the Church, and souls to heaven. And for a time, it worked.

It was not uncommon to have multiple baptisms at Sunday services; according to parish re-cords, St. Vincent wel-comed hundreds of converts into the Catholic Church between 1956 and 1964 alone.

But the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Black community has always been a com-plicated one. For example, Bishop Byrne welcomed St. Katharine Drex-el’s ministry to African-Americans, but he refused to ac-cept a Black priest to serve in his diocese or spon-sor any young Black man to study in the seminary for his diocese, which at that time encompassed the entire state of Tennessee.

And when a handful of Catholic high schools became the first in the state to integrate in 1954, they did not allow Black students to play on varsity sports teams or fully participate in social or ex-tracurricular activities, leading to a sense of isolation among the new students.

And yet, for Black Catholics like Dea-con Hill, the Catholic faith transcends the history of racial inequality of the Church.

“We can argue about all that other stuff,” Deacon Hill said, but in the end, “It always comes back to the belief in Jesus Christ … and the goal to get to heaven.”

Despite the Catholic Church’s minis-try of presence in the Black community that led to conversions and positively impacted many lives, the diocese made

the decision after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of

Education ruling in 1954 to close Holy Fam-

ily and Immaculate Mother and sell the

property. Black students could at-tend St. Vincent or the newly de-segregated Father Ryan or Cathedral high schools.

It was a tough transition for stu-dents and fami-lies, having their

close-knit com-munity disrupted,

and feeling less than fully welcomed at

predominately white parishes and schools.

Like elsewhere in the South, integration of Catholic

institutions in Tennessee was a long, slow and uneven process.

Many Black Catholics today in the diocese remain members of St. Vincent, bound to the parish by history and cul-ture, even though most no longer live in the changing North Nashville neigh-borhood where the church is located. Black Catholics remain a small minority of the overall population in the Diocese of Nashville’s parishes and schools.

African-American Catholic and non-Catholic students “can get a good edu-cation in a whole lot of other places” in Nashville now, but Deacon Hill hopes that the Spirit of St. Katharine Drexel scholarship at Father Ryan can help recruit more Black students to the diocesan high school and “help people experience what I experienced,” a solid education rooted in faith.

Spirit of St. Katharine Drexel can fuel Church’s outreach to Blacks

Deacon Hill

Theresa Laurence

The Diocese of Nashville’s Catholic schools are working to increase access and inclu-

sivity in new ways every year. The diocese’s Advancement of Catholic Education (ACE) endowment fund is committed to supporting the mis-sion of Catholic education by help-ing to meet the growing financial needs of all parochial schools, and every school in the diocese has tuition assistance and scholarships available for qualified students.

If Catholic schools don’t make a concerted effort to welcome a socio-economically diverse student body, “you become exclusive,” said Dea-con Bill Hill, who founded the new Spirit of St. Katharine Drexel Me-morial scholarship fund for African-American students at Father Ryan High School.

The fund, which now has more

than $150,000 in pledges (and is still accepting donations) will award its first scholarship for the 2020-2021 school year, and was designed “to assist Black students-in-need wish-ing to attend Father Ryan, whether Catholic or non-Catholic.”

Father Ryan, Pope John Paul II High School and St. Cecilia Academy each have a number of financial assistance programs available, based on need, merit and other specific guidelines.

For parents looking at the sticker price of tuition who may immedi-ately think a Catholic education is out of reach, “please keep talking to us, we will work with you,” said Sis-ter Anne Catherine, O.P., director of advancement at St. Cecilia Academy.

St. Cecilia, an all-girls high school run by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, is the most expensive school in the diocese, “but we have more diversity than meets the eye,” said Sister Anne Catherine, and that

includes students from 45 different zip codes and a range of racial and socio-economic backgrounds.

About 22 percent of St. Cecilia’s student body is from minority groups, and includes African-Amer-icans, Hispanics, Asians and Middle Eastern students.

No matter their background, the girls “are validated” at St. Cecilia, and are welcome to share their cul-ture with their classmates, Sister Anne Catherine said.

In the first week of February, she noted, a group of African-American students organized a panel to dis-cuss Black History Month and their experiences at St. Cecilia. On another day, a group of Hispanic students could be found in the dance studio practicing a folkloric dance.

St. Cecilia will join the other Catho-lic schools in Davidson and neighbor-ing counties in accepting applications from students utilizing the state’s Ed-

ucation Savings Accounts. ESAs will allow Davidson and Shelby county families who meet income guidelines to access about $7,100 in state funds annually to attend private school starting in the 2020-2021 school year.

The diocese will again offer ACE Welcome Grants next year at St. Anne, St. Edward, St. John Vianney and St. Pius X schools, which in-cludes a 50 percent tuition discount for first year students and 25 percent tuition discount the next year.

The diocese has also expanded its Hand in Hand Options program for students with intellectual and devel-opment disabilities, and these stu-dents can now have access to a K-12 education in local Catholic schools.

“Catholic schools are really meant to be for everybody,” said Sister Anne Catherine. “The main reason for Catholic schools is to preach the person of Jesus Christ, and we want everyone to know about that.”

Diocese aims to keep Catholic schools accessible to all

Tennessee Register 9February 7, 2020

Andy Telli

Parishioners had their first chance to comment publicly on the goals and priorities of a potential fun-

draising campaign for the Diocese of Nashville during an information session held at Christ the King Church in Nash-ville on Thursday.

“People in this diocese … they speak up,” Bishop J. Mark Spalding said dur-ing his opening remarks at the meeting, which was the first of four scheduled at parishes around the diocese. “They let you know what they’re thinking. They’re not shy.”

“What we’re looking at for a diocesan campaign really is something that came from your advice and counsel to me,” Bishop Spalding said. He explained that parishioners often approach him and ask, “What are you going to do about vocations, what are you going to do about Catholic schools, what are you going to do about our outreach to the marginalized … what are you going to do about the growth in the diocese?”

Brian Cooper, Chief Administrative Of-ficer and Vice Chancellor of the diocese, picked up on the bishop’s themes and discussed in more detail five priorities the diocese is considering for a fundrais-ing campaign.

“This is a conversation we’re starting tonight,” Cooper said.

“We want to test some potential priori-ties,” he added. “We also want to hear about new ideas.

The diocese has contracted with the Steier Group, a national firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, to conduct a feasibil-ity study for a fundraising campaign.

The goal of the campaign would be to ad-dress the funding resources for long-term needs, Cooper said. “We’re looking to a more investment approach,” by building endowments that would provide perpetual support for programs, he explained.

The diocese is considering five priori-ties for a campaign that would address long-term needs “to support a growing and vibrant faith community,” Cooper said. They include:

• Building an endowment to pay for the education of seminarians.

“We’ve got great young men studying to be priests,” Bishop Spalding said. “But that’s becoming more and more of a (financial) challenge for the diocese.”

With 20 seminarians, the diocese ranks among the top in the country based on a per-capita basis, Cooper said. “But we’re just keeping up with retirements.”

The current endowment to help pay for seminarian education is about $5 million, Cooper said. “We’d like to grow it to $15 million.”

• Increasing the endowment for the Alliance of Catholic Education to provide more funds for tuition assistance and to support Catholic schools in the diocese.

“We are the largest non-public K-12 school system in the state, and I think the very best,” Cooper said. “Catholic education has a positive impact on building citizenship and holy families. It’s a priority for the diocese.”

Two years ago, the diocese restruc-tured its efforts to raise funds for tu-ition assistance as the Advancement of Catholic Education, which set a goal of building its endowment to $30 million, Cooper said. The endowment currently has about $5 million.

An endowment of $30 million would earn about $1.5 million a year to provide more money for tuition assistance, thus making the Catholic school experience available to more students, and to sup-port schools’ efforts to offer a better education, Cooper said.

Currently, the 19 schools in the diocese have a combined enrollment of 4,776 stu-dents, Cooper said. That number has been steadily declining over the last decade.

The diocese initiated the Welcome Grants program for this school year to help attract more families to enroll their children in Catholic schools. And the new state Education Savings Accounts program, which will make public funds available for qualified families to enroll their children in private schools, could provide an enrollment boost for Catho-lic schools, Cooper said.

“We have to work to make the system excellent,” Cooper said. “It comes down to a commitment of funds and the com-mitment of every school.”

• Raising money for parish growth

and expansion.There are currently about 84,000 reg-

istered Catholics in the Diocese of Nash-ville and about 100,000 regular church-goers, Cooper said. And as the popula-tion around Nashville and throughout Middle Tennessee grows, so will the number of Catholics and the need for new and expanded parishes, he said.

The diocese would like to create an endowment of $7 million to $10 million, which would provide money to support the needs of individual parishes as well as funds to buy land for new parishes as it becomes available, Cooper explained.

Last year, the diocese gave $300,000 to parishes in need. With a full endow-ment, that amount could increase to about $650,000, Cooper said.

• Creating an endowment for Catholic Charities of Tennessee to support its ef-forts to serve the marginalized.

The diocese has no endowment to support Catholic Charities. “We would like to raise $5 million to $10 million in the future,” Cooper said.

Such an endowment would provide a large, permanent, sustainable funding source. Currently, the diocese provides $500,000 to $600,000 a year to Catholic Charities to support its many services, Cooper said. A full endowment would allow the diocese to double that contri-bution, he said.

• Individual parish needs. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised in a parish would remain in that parish for what-ever projects they deem necessary.

“We want to have every parish prosper and to benefit,” Cooper said. “What’s the big idea you have as a par-ish to grow the mission?”

The presentation drew several com-ments from the people attending the meeting.

“I was looking for the section that deals with social justice,” Irene Boyd said. “I would like to see the Church speak out more about social justice issues,” such as the need for more affordable housing, and addressing climate change.

The diocese addresses many of the social justice issues through the work of Catholic Charities, and it makes afford-able housing available to senior citizens and child care available to families of all income levels by using a sliding fee scale based on a family’s income, dioc-esan officials said.

Noting that the diocese is considering raising more money for vocations, Jim O’Hara asked about the substance of the seminarians’ formation. He said the diocese needs more involvement from the laity, particularly women, in select-ing and forming seminarians.

Bishop Spalding answered that Pope Francis had made the same point while meeting with bishops from the region

Diocese hears from parishioners on potential fundraising campaign

Photos by Andy TelliBishop J. Mark Spalding and officials from the Diocese of Nashville hosted an information session about the priorities that would be funded by a potential fund-raising campaign. The first of four sessions was held Thursday, Jan. 30, at Christ the King Church. Other hearings will be held at Holy Family Church in Brentwood, Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville and St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro. Bishop Spalding addresses the crowd during the first session at Christ the King.

Bishop Spalding speaks with Clark Druesedow of St. Patrick Church in Nashville after the information session at Christ the King.

Information meetings scheduledThe Diocese of Nashville is hosting several information sessions at par-

ishes around the diocese to collect people’s opinions and ideas about the possibility of a fundraising campaign to fund long-term needs of the diocese.

The first meeting was held Jan. 30 at Christ the King Church in Nashville. The other meetings will be held:

• Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m. at Holy Family Church in Brentwood. • Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hen-

dersonville.• Sunday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. at St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro.The meetings are open to everyone.

Continued from front page

10 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

Above, students from Father Ryan and St. Cecilia Academy as well as students from across the diocese traveling with officials from the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry all participated in the March. At right, students from St. Joseph School and their teachers made the trip to the nation’s capital for the March for the first time.

Marching for lifeThe Diocese of Nashville was well represented at the

March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 24. Thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital to

demonstrate their support for the respect for life and their op-position to legalized abortion. As it has every year, the March was held to mark the sad anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v Bolton, which legalized abortion. Among the groups from the diocese attend-ing the March were students with University Catholic, the min-istry to college students in Nashville, students at Father Ryan High School, St. Cecilia Academy and St. Joseph School, and students organized by the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

At left, Nick Aguirre, director of campus ministry at University Catholic, joined college students from University Catholic in the March, that ends outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building.

Tennessee Register 11February 7, 2020

easier for people to work across state lines to place a child, Orr said. In those cases, both the adopting family and the birth mother are required to

have their own attorney in the state where they live.

If the adopting family lives in Ten-nessee, the state requires a home study be conducted for the adopting family to determine if they meet all

the state-mandated requirements to adopt.

“That is actually our expertise,” Orr said. Catholic Charities has a contract with the state to conduct adoption and foster care home stud-ies to determine if a family is ready to parent.

“We’re placing on average of about five children a year in the more tra-ditional adoption situation,” Orr said, but Catholic Charities each year con-ducts 25-30 home studies for interna-tional adoptions, 30-35 home studies for domestic adoptions, and about 450 home studies for foster care.

“We are called sometimes to do a home study for a situation like that and we do those,” Orr said of con-ducting for the state a home study of a same-sex couple.

“We don’t recommend a placement, we don’t do a placement, we simply do the home study,” to determine if the family meets the state criteria to adopt or be a foster parent, Orr said.

“People are more open about their same sex relationships than they used to be, particularly because same sex marriages are legal,” Orr

said. “We’ve always respected those individuals and kept the interest of the child foremost in recommending whether a family is fit to parent.”

Catholic Charities is conducting more home studies in situations where a family has fallen victim to the opioid crisis and lost custody of their children, Orr said. The state will often look to place the children with a willing and qualified relative, she said, and ask Catholic Charities to conduct the home study.

“For us the foremost concern is a safe, loving place for a child,” Orr said. “That might be with a family member who is in a same sex rela-tionship.”

Although the number of adoption placements Catholic Charities com-pletes in a year is declining, “We do plenty of crisis pregnancy counsel-ing,” Orr said. “Many of those people choose to keep their babies” rather than place them through an adop-tion.

“That model has really changed because of the openness of adoption and less stigma related to being an unwed parent,” Orr said.

Briana Grzybowski

When sisters Katherine, Dani, Christina, Lauren, Amy and Lisa Cimorelli were growing

up in California, their mom taught them how to sing and play piano. The girls, six of 11 kids in a musical Catho-lic homeschooling family, fell in love with it.

Eventually, they dreamed of starting their own band and started playing at coffee shops and church festivals in their small town of El Dorado Hills.

Their first big break came in 2009, when they uploaded to YouTube a video of themselves singing Miley Cyrus’s song “Party in the USA.”

Since then, their journey in the music industry has taken them from Los Angeles, where they spent five years at Island Records UK working with famous producers and collaborating with well-known artists, to the count-less cities they’ve visited on tour across the U.S., Europe and South America; to Nashville, where they now reside as independent artists.

Additionally, they were nominated for a Teen Choice Award three years in a row, winning once in 2013 for Choice Web Star. They have also amassed quite a large following on social media, with 5.3 million subscribers to their YouTube channel and 2.2 million fol-lowers on Facebook.

The sisters decided to break away from the Hollywood life and make a fresh start in Nashville in 2015, looking for a greater sense of creative freedom than what they were given in the tradi-tional music industry mold.

But that also meant they would be re-sponsible for a lot of the business and production work that other people used to do for them. Since then, the band has become a family business, with the girls’ parents and older brother Mike pitching in to help.

“Our mom is our manager, helping

us out with booking gigs and being our media contact person,” Katherine said. “Dad helps out more with the business side of things, with legal work and contracts. And our brother Mike goes with us on the road as our sound technician.”

Although the sisters are devout Catholics, they cannot necessarily be labeled as Christian musicians, as

they’ve experimented with many dif-ferent genres of music. But their faith is the main driving force behind every-thing they do.

“Our faith is a part of every decision we make as a band,” Katherine said. “It determines what songs we cover, whether or not we need to slightly edit the lyrics in more explicit songs, and what type of messages we put out as a

group. We really want our work to be positive and uplifting for everyone who listens to us.”

That is, in fact, their main goal as a group. “A lot of the media out there nowadays is really toxic to young peo-ple, selling them these negative ideas about self-worth and relationships and body image and what have you,” Kath-erine said. “And a lot of young people have reached out to us sharing their personal struggles with these issues. We want our music to give them a mes-sage of hope and spread some light to those dark places in their lives.”

In addition to their music, the girls also have their own podcast and have recently written a book. “Our book, ‘Believe in You,’ was published this past October,” Katherine said. “All six of us collaborated on it, and it’s especially aimed at teenaged girls. It’s basically the book that we wish we could have read when we were younger, where we share stories and advice about things that were helpful and not so helpful for us as we were growing up.”

Their podcast, called the Cimorelli Podcast, operates in a similar vein. “The podcast episodes have a lot of girly, relatable things in them; from personal stories to discussing body image and mental health,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of fun with it.”

The near future for the band holds a lot of changes and learning how to adjust to them. “Our youngest sister Dani just recently left the band within the past few weeks to pursue a career in graphic design, and my sister Lisa and I are both getting married later this year. We’ll still be putting out new music and uploading new videos to YouTube every week, but we need to figure out how to be innovative about that and accommodate all these changes that are happening.”

Those who want to follow Cimorelli on social media can find them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Cimorelli sisters bring their Catholic faith into their music

The Cimorelli sisters, Katherine, Dani, Christina, Lauren, Amy, and Lisa, six of 11 children from a Nashville-based musical, Catholic homeschooling family, aim to bring a positive message to their fans, which include 5.3 million subscribers on their YouTube channel and 2.2 million followers on Facebook.

Catholic Charities’ adoption practices unaffected by new lawContinued from page 7

January 24, 202012 Tennessee Register

We write once again in defense of life and against the use of the

death penalty. We draw on our Catholic faith and our belief that every life, from concep-tion to natural death, no mat-ter how a person lives it, is a gift from God and, as such, carries with it a powerful dig-nity and everlasting value.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, the State of Tennessee will ex-ecute Nicholas Todd “Nicky” Sutton. He will be the seventh man executed by the state since August 2018.

Sutton was sentenced to life in prison in 1981 after being convicted of murdering three people, included a high school friend and his grandmother who had adopted him. While in prison, he was convicted of stabbing to death another prisoner and given the death penalty.

There was never much doubt about Mr. Sutton’s guilt. He willingly confessed to the first three murders

and even some murders that never happened.

The way Sutton lived his life, it’s hard to see that he did much to earn people’s com-passion. But God does not require us to earn the value of his gift of life before he bestows it upon us. The sanc-tity and value of every life is inherent in its very existence because they flow from the Creator.

Despite the callous violence that marked Sutton’s life as a young man, according to those who know him, he has changed. He became a devout Christian while incarcerated, and several prison guards have asked Gov. Bill Lee to spare Sutton’s life because he stepped in to save them when their lives were threatened by other inmates.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on the death penalty is clear and consistent. Fol-lowing in the footsteps of his predecessors St. John Paul II and Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis changed the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say that the use of the death penalty is inadmis-sible in all circumstances

“because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

Bishop J. Mark Spalding and his fellow bishops in Tennes-see have followed the lead of Pope Francis in repeatedly and publicly opposing the state’s use of the death pen-alty.

In the past, they acknowl-edged that the state has the obligation to protect all people and to impose just punishment for crimes. But, they have ar-gued, in the modern world the death penalty is not required for either of these ends.

Opposing the death penalty does not mean we disregard the pain and grief inflicted on the loved ones of the victims of heinous crimes, nor are we blind to the value of the lives lost. We seek justice for the victims and their loved ones and pray for their peace. But the Church does not believe the death penalty delivers either. Justice and peace can only flow from the example of Christ, who stepped in to protect the woman about to be stoned for adultery. In the end, Christ sent the woman on her way with the instruc-

tion, “Go and from now on do not sin anymore.”

When we see the state ig-nore our pleas for mercy, it can feel that we are simply shouting into the wind, our words floating into nothing-ness. It can be discouraging.

What God asks of us is not easy, but his call to us to follow him is ever present. Even when the path is rocky and winding, even when we stumble, God urges us on, walking beside us, reminding us that this way lies holiness and eternal salvation.

To counter our discourage-ment we can recall a time when our message pierced the wall of resistance and al-lowed mercy to blossom.

In 1999, St. John Paul II vis-ited the city of St. Louis. Be-fore 100,000 people, he made his strongest statement ever on American soil against the use of the death penalty. He called on Catholics to be “un-conditionally pro-life,” which includes opposition to the death penalty. “Modern soci-ety has the means of protect-ing itself without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform,” the pope said.

Later in that visit, the pope personally asked the governor of Missouri to commute the death sentence of a prisoner scheduled to be executed a few weeks later. Touched by the pope’s appeal, Gov. Mel Carnahan, a supporter of capi-tal punishment, commuted the death sentence to life in prison without parole.

“I’ll have to say I was moved by his concern for this pris-oner,” Gov. Carnahan told The New York Times.

St. John Paul II had asked for mercy for condemned pris-oners before without success. But just as God keeps calling us to follow him, St. John Paul kept asking for mercy for those condemned to die. Finally, his message broke through.

We draw comfort and strength from St. John Paul II’s example. We too must continue to call our brothers and sisters to turn away from the death penalty, to choose mercy over vengeance. We must never relinquish our hope that our message and our prayers will finally find a home in the hearts of all people.

John Bosio

The Public Address system in the mall was playing Billy Joel’s

words: “Don’t go changing to try and please me … I love you just the way you are,” and couples were strolling on the eve of Valentine’s Day. My counseling office, tucked away in a corner of the mall, was filled with sadness. A young lady in tears was sitting with me.

The contrast was striking. Outside my door the world was celebrating romantic love, and inside my office I was collecting pieces of bro-ken dreams.

My client was complaining of feeling inadequate in her own home. “I do not seem to do anything right. My hus-band criticizes my cooking; he does not agree with the way I correct our children. He wants me to be more like his mother – run our home as she did when he was growing up.”

That evening, while the words “I love you just the way you are” echoed in the mall, the young lady in my office was telling me that her husband was asking her to change. She was deeply hurt

and angry.Marriage is a collaborative

venture. To build a marriage, spouses start by bringing to the relationship the best of their selves: their personali-ties, talents, dreams, experi-ences and personal prefer-ences.

In the marriage vows we promise to give ourselves and to accept each other without conditions. That is a tall prom-ise.

As married life moves for-ward spouses discover that to become a couple each one has to make some changes; each has to give up something to accommodate the other. This is how we become one and stay one.

Change is necessary. But change cannot be imposed or demanded. It must come as an act of self-giving. That is love.

According to Benedict XVI, as love grows it moves from a love that is self-seeking to one that seeks the good of the beloved and is even willing to sacrifice. (“Deus Caritas Est”). When this self-giving love is mutual, the relation-ship thrives.

Often, we seek the good of our spouse by encouraging change through helpful sug-gestions; some would say that we are nagging. Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, soci-ologists at the University of

Chicago, talk about the ben-efits of nagging in marriage, in their ground breaking book “The Case for Marriage.” They write: “A spouse’s nag-ging can have a powerful im-pact on one’s health for both men and women.”

Change cannot be de-manded, but it can be encour-aged through gentle sugges-tions.

I remember a day, after 25 years of marriage, when upon returning from a business trip to Asia in the midst of the SARS epidemic, and not feel-ing well, my wife pressured me to go see my doctor. I did not want to go, but I con-sented because I sensed that she was concerned for me.

When the doctor asked why I was there, my first words were: “Because my wife made me.” The doctor laughed and then said: “Always listen to your wife, she only wants what is best for you. That is love.”

It is out of love and care that sometimes we pressure each other to do certain things or to make the changes that we would not make on our own.

Dr. John Gottman, an expert on marriage relationships, explains in “The Seven Prin-ciples for Making Marriage Work” that the most stable marriages are those in which husbands listen to their wives’ suggestions, especially in

decision making. He writes, “Statistically speaking, when a man is not willing to share power with his partner, there is 81 percent chance that this marriage will self-destruct.”

“Don’t go changing …” is a well-intended message of a popular song, but in reality, for a marriage to thrive and to grow both spouses need to make changes. What is critical to the health of the marriage is how we help each other to change and grow so that together we bring out the best of the two lives we are trying to merge.

In my client’s marriage the accommodations were not mutual. In addition, the re-quests for change came in the form of criticism and not as polite “helpful suggestions.” Criticism is quite different from “helpful suggestions.” Criticism and sarcasm are deadly to the relationship be-cause they attack the person. It tells the other: “You don’t count.”

Married life is a long jour-ney of negotiating and adjust-

ing to each other. It is a life of constant change to build a life together that is fulfilling to both spouses.

Question for reflection: As you think about your mar-riage consider how you go about accommodating each other. When was the last time you made a change to accom-modate your spouse?

John Bosio is a parishioner of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Old Hickory. He is the author of two books on mar-riage: “Happy Together: The Catholic Blueprint for a Lov-ing Marriage,” and “Blessed is Marriage: A Guide to the Be-atitudes for Catholic Couples.” John is a former marriage and family therapist. Find out more about his books at www.happy-together.net.

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:

Tennessee Register2800 McGavock PikeNashville, TN 37214

You may fax your letters or comments to the Reg-ister at (615) 783-0285. By e-mail: tnregister@dioce-seofnashville.com.

Columns and letters to the editor represent the views of authors alone. No view-point expressed necessarily reflects any position of the publisher, of any Tennessee Register staff member, or of the Diocese of Nashville.

EDITORIAL

FAITHFUL MARRIAGE

Change in a marriage can help build fulfilling life for everyone

We can never give up the struggle for life, for mercy

Tennessee Register 13January 24, 2020

Mary Margaret Lambert

In 2005, in order to comply with U.S. Homeland Se-curity’s increased regula-

tions, the federal government enacted the REAL ID Act. All citizens must be in compliance with this act beginning Oct. 1, 2020, if they board domestic airline flights, need access to some federal facilities, or enter nuclear power facilities.

Because of this, all state agencies are issuing gold star drivers’ licenses. Although a valid passport will suffice as TSA approved form of identifi-cation, a huge number of citi-zens are intent on securing the approved drivers’ license with a gold star.

We had seen the newscasts that showed long lines of people waiting for hours to

secure their new licenses, but assumed that once the initial influx had subsided, the wait-ing period would diminish. We were wrong in our assump-tions.

Because my husband’s li-cense was due for renewal and he had to have a new photo for his license, I opted to go with him and get my REAL ID when he did.

One of our friends told us that if we went to another county in the state, other than the county of our residence, the wait would be much less. She and her husband had done this and were out in less than an hour.

We picked a mutually agree-able date and headed over the county line like Poncho and Lefty from the legendary country song. In less than 30 minutes, we arrived at our des-tination and felt encouraged that there were no people lined up outside the concrete block building. We discussed plans

for lunch after we were done and entered the building.

Every chair in the waiting area was occupied, but some kind souls moved coats and other gear to make room for us. Their demeanor was quiet and somber.

We were advised to obtain a number from the automated kiosk in front of the vacant receptionist’s desk, take a clipboard, pen and information form to complete. We did as we were told and took some com-fort in the fact that we both had tickets with “A” on them. Everyone else had “Q” or “K”.

On the wall was a large auto-mated board where numbers were posted. My husband’s A number was posted as “next”, so we felt confident that this was going to be a breeze.

Thirty minutes later, after hearing several Q’s and K’s called, we began to wonder why the A’s were being ig-nored. After an hour of fidget-ing, and jealously watching the

toddler seated across from us consume all the snacks her mother had wisely packed, I sought help from the recep-tionist who recently returned to her desk. She had no an-swer for us but said she would check with her supervisor after she returned from lunch. Two hours into the wait, we were told that our numbers would be coming up next.

Now at three hours, hungry, tired and more than a little bit out of sorts, they called my husband’s number. I had looked up a list of required documentation to bring with us but neglected to check what he actually brought with him. I had both our passports for safekeeping.

Five minutes after he went to the service desk, I heard him calling my name loudly. When I got to him, he was distraught because he had not brought his social security card nor a tax document showing his number. He brought his old

Medicare card that showed his Social Security number. It was not acceptable, so he was only able to get a renewed regular drivers’ license.

When my turn came, I pointed to my own Social Secu-rity card which plainly stated that it was “not to be used for identification” purposes. The clerk responded that it was required as proof of Social Se-curity not as an ID.

Although I disagreed, it was a requirement, and as the old saying goes, “you can’t fight city hall.”

I now have my temporary REAL ID and am awaiting the permanent document in the mail.

If you decide to pursue this means of obtaining your REAL ID, I strongly suggest you pack a bag of Cheerios®, some juice boxes, a coloring book and a sleeping bag.

Copyright © 2020 Mary Mar-garet Lambert

Msgr. Owen F. Campion

BACKGROUND. The Book of Sirach, that is the source of the first

reading for the weekend of Feb. 16, is part of a collection of biblical writings that in their very origin teach an important lesson.

As various fortunes, politi-cal, economic, and individual, changed, and changed again, among God’s people in the decades after the Babylonian Captivity, and as new alien empires seized the Holy Land, Jews emigrated from the homeland of their ancestors to other places.

Understandably, many went to places where opportunities were more plentiful.

While certainly some of these emigrants not only sur-

vived, but possibly, did well in their new surroundings, some-thing important was lacking. They were living in a society ignorant, and even disdainful, of the God of Israel.

To record their ancient religious beliefs, and very im-portantly to pass these beliefs along to oncoming genera-tions, Jewish scholars com-posed books such as Sirach.

The essential point in Sirach was that human reason and honoring God are not ideas at odds with each other. Obeying God, logic can prove, is the way to order, peace, justice and reward in human life.

St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians is the source of the second reading. Paul, who would have been no stranger to this notion of a compatibility between divine revelation and human wisdom, as he was so well trained in Judaism but also exposed to Greek philoso-phy, added a new dimension to the story. Revelation is of a reality that human knowledge often cannot comprehend.

He refers to “hidden wis-dom” and “mystery.” Bluntly, humans simply cannot under-stand all. In great love, God therefore has revealed to us what otherwise we would never know.

The Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Speaking of the Commandments, familiar to every Christian today as they were familiar to the Jews who heard Jesus, the Lord ex-pounds on the meaning of sev-eral of these rules for life given by God to Moses on Sinai.

This process reveals two important factors. The first is

that God’s law is permanent and unchanging. This is logical. The law touches basic instincts and conditions among humans, all attached deeply and intrinsi-cally to human nature itself, and as such it is not open to quali-fications or to exemptions that humans might wish to make.

Secondly, here the Lord speaks with authority. He de-fines and explains the law of Moses. Jews did not regard the law of Moses as merely a set of principles composed by Moses. Rather, Moses was the medium through which God revealed the divine law to humanity. God is the author of the divine law. He is the author of the Commandments. He is the lawgiver.

By defining and making more precise this law, the Lord acts as God. It is an important rev-elation of the identity of Jesus.

ReflectionThe weekend of Feb. 16

looks to the past weeks, and feasts, as background, and it looks ahead. In both cases, it confronts us with the realities of our nature. It places us in relationship with God. It shows us that God loves us with a divine love.

At Christmas, the Epiphany, and at the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, the Church cel-ebrated the events of salvation achieved for us by Christ, but it also told us about the Lord.

It identified the Lord.In these readings, the

Church tells us that to wander away from God’s law and fol-low our instincts or our limited reasoning is folly. It does not make sense. Humans, im-paired by Original Sin, always have trouble in understanding this.

Soon, the Church will lead us into Lent, a time in which we strengthen ourselves to know our limitations and con-form ourselves to what we are, human beings, but humans destined for eternal life with God, in Jesus.

Msgr. Owen Campion is a former editor of the Tennessee Register.

Sunday, February 16, 2020Sixth Sunday

in Ordinary Time

Readings:Sirach 15:15-20

1 Corinthians 2:6-10Matthew 5:17-37

Sunday, February 23, 2020Seventh Sunday

in Ordinary Time

Readings:Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-181 Corinthians 3:16-23

Matthew 5:38-48

NEXT SUNDAY

PINCH OF FAITH

We humans are destined for eternal life with God, in Jesus

A day at Drivers Services Center leaves you hungry, tired and out of sorts

“The Sermon on the Mount,” Carl Bloch, 1890

14 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

SERVING MIDDLE TENNESSEE SINCE 1974

Sacred Heart Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Louisville, Kentucky seeks a Principal beginning July 1, 2020. The Principal will promote the Catholic educational development of the school’s staff and students, with emphasis on the Ursuline core values. The Principal is responsible for personnel management including recruiting and supporting highly qualified faculty and staff. This position ensures the ongoing development of rigorous academic standards, works collaboratively with the administrative team and is an integral part of the planning, managing and monitoring of the annual budget.

Sacred Heart Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees working at least 30 hours per week, which includes a 50% tuition discount at all four campus schools. Sacred Heart Schools is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Doctorate in education or related field preferred. Current state certification in education specializing in administration. Experience as a teacher. Experience as a Catholic school Principal. Supportive member of a Catholic parish. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest and resume to shsemployment@shslou.org.

PRINCIPAL

Catholic Church welcomes woman before she departs for Holy LandKristina Shaw

On Nov. 4, 2019, Linda Freund decided that after 10 years of discernment, she was ready to

be received into the Catholic Church. The trouble was that she, along with

the rest of a group from St. John Vian-ney Church in Gallatin, were at the gate in the Nashville International Airport about to depart for a nine-day trip to the Holy Land. Regardless, she immedi-ately sought out St. John Vianney Pas-tor Father Stephen Gideon.

“I saw Father Gideon sitting over there and I said, ‘Father Gideon, I want to be Catholic so I can receive commu-nion in the Holy Land,’” Freund said. “He about fell out of his chair.”

Father Gideon estimated that the plane was half an hour from take-off and wondered, ‘What do I do now?’ He did not have chrism oil to complete the sacrament of Confirmation and he did not have the proper liturgical books.

“Providentially, Father Hammond an-swered the phone,” he continued.

Father John Hammond, JCL, is the diocesan Vicar General and also the Judicial Vicar. The two discussed Freund’s religious formation through involvement with the Church and her years-long participation in weekly Bible studies as well as RCIA classes.

“She knew what it meant,” Father Gideon said. “She knew what she was doing, and I knew that she did, so I felt confident that if she was ready, I was ready to receive her into the Church.”

Freund’s previous religious affiliation was with the Church of Christ and she had therefore already received a valid Christian baptism.

Father Hammond advised that she complete the Rite of Reception and gave the delegation for Father Gideon to do so, since he was outside of his own parish boundaries. The airport is in the boundaries of neighboring Holy Rosary Church and her reception into the Church would be registered in their records.

Because Father Gideon did not have the proper liturgical materials, Father Hammond texted him a picture of the page of a book with instructions and the proper exchange of phrases for the rite.

To complete the Rite of Reception the individual says, “I believe and pro-fess all that the Holy Catholic Church

believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.”

The priest finishes the exchange by saying, “The Lord receives you into the Catholic Church. His loving kindness has led you here so that in the unity of the Holy Spirit you may have full com-munion with us in the faith that you profess in the presence of this family.”

This exchange normally follows the renewal of baptismal promises at Mass and the celebration of confirmation occurs after. Father Hammond also gave permission for her confirmation to be postponed and occur when she returned.

To further complicate matters, the Reception had to be done before they left the airport and while they were still in the Diocese of Nashville.

“It gets sticky because it would have been even more unusual if Father Gideon were trying to receive her into the Church outside the Diocese of Nashville,” Father Hammond said. “We just wanted to avoid any of the compli-cations that might have arisen because of that.”

Freund’s first Holy Communion was made at the first Mass on their trip itin-erary – the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

She admitted that while being fo-

cused on being reverent and wanting to participate in taking the Precious Body correctly, that she did not “feel it.” However, back at home on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she was overcome with emotion during Luke’s Gospel during which Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel.

“I started bawling,” she said. “It was like the Holy Spirit came down on me. It was unbelievable, so I know that I have done the right thing.”

Freund started attending Mass regu-larly with her now-husband and St. John Vianney parishioner Ken, when they were dating 10 years ago. The two met at a water aerobics class and have been married for three and a half years.

Curious about the Catholic faith, she attended RCIA classes, but still also at-tended her Church of Christ. She later joined a Methodist church when her church closed. The couple began at-tending Father Gideon’s weekly Bible study sessions in 2013.

“I prayed to God all the time, ‘God I am willing to worship you any way you want me to, just make it evident. Make it evident to me what I need to do,’” she said.

Additionally, she participated in the church’s Lace and Grace program,

hosted the pilgrimage information sessions, and was married by Father Gideon at St. John Vianney. It was not a Catholic Mass but she did insist on Ave Maria being sung.

The more Freund came to learn, the more that teachings of the Catholic faith made sense to her, citing John 6:53 and words spoken at the Last Sup-per.

“And too, when He said to the apos-tles at the Last Supper ‘This is my body and this is my blood,’” she said. “Now if he can call it that, it’s what it is. … I just kept thinking about that.”

She also said that she was drawn to the faith because of the Mass.

“Mass is a praise and I had never seen that much praise in any other church, in that the whole Mass is praising God and Jesus,” she said.

However, she was still hesitant about the reaction she would get from one of her sisters who was a Church of Christ follower.

Her youngest sister, Margaret, spoke to her as she drove her, Ken, and a few members of the pilgrimage group to the airport.

“She told me that that was her prob-lem. You’ve got to do what you feel like you’ve got to do,” Freund recalled.

The conversation spurred Freund to speak to Father Gideon and turned into what he called “a very happy occasion.”

“Whether she decided to take the step to become a Catholic or not was something that we had been hoping for because many people in the parish know her and love her,” he said.

Parishioner Shirley Lafferty is a con-vert and was one of the 24 parishioners who went on the pilgrimage.

“I told her that once you know and understand the truth, there is no going back,” she said. “It could not have been more special for all of us to have seen that.”

Another St. John Vianney parishioner Jim Opalek remembered Freund’s gid-diness on the final night of the trip.

“It was very nice to be around the enthusiasm of a new convert that’s con-tagious,” he said.

Freund recalled nothing but kind words at the airport and once she re-turned to St. John Vianney before and after her Confirmation.

“That’s the kind of people they are,” she said. “I’m home.”

After 10 years of discernment, Linda Freund was received into the Catholic Church in the Nashville airport by St. John Vianney Pastor Father Stephen Gideon ahead of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Tennessee Register 15February 7, 2020

Christ the King School offers help to Filipino volcano victims

Medical Advisory Committee offers new resource for Ryan community

Robert Alan Glover

Grace Yago and her children Ga-brielle and Grant were visiting relatives in the Philippines when

the Taal volcano erupted, Jan. 12, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.

The Yagos quickly jumped in to help relief efforts and reached out for help from students, faculty and families at Christ the King School in Nashville, where Gabrielle and Grant are in the eighth and sixth grade, respectively.

“Within three hours, the parents of these students had sent money, close to $500,” Grace Yago said. “I was not surprised at the amount of support we received from Christ the King School, because I know our parents there as people who are always ready to help.”

“We were passing the volcano en route to a tourist spot, I’d say we were about 19 miles away, and there were no signs of anything about to happen at all,” recalled ago.

“We were beyond the danger zone, but still felt the eruption and soon after had to start wearing masks,” she said.

“I was a little afraid, but our mom said that it would all be OK,” Gabrielle said. “For me the biggest problem was really the language barrier, because I don’t speak Filipino well and hadn’t been there since I was younger.”

If anything really affected Gabrielle – and in a positive way – it was, she explained, “how the people were still smiling, even though they had lost ev-erything; their chickens, cows, water buffalo, and even the fish had died” from the ash fallout, Gabrielle said.

The Yago family’s return to Nashville was delayed five days until Jan. 19 because the volcanic eruption closed down flights into and out of the area.

Miraculously, no one was killed in the eruption but many domestic animals perished because the area was on lock-down, and no one could remain to care for them. The government only began

allowing people to return to the af-fected areas more than two weeks after the volcanic eruption.

After the eruption, “We visited our local Catholic school and discovered that it had been converted into a reloca-tion center, with the evacuees sleeping on cardboard, for lack of anything bet-ter,” Yago said.

The make-shift shelters were filled to capacity – anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 people sought refuge at one site alone – and the Yago family helped at least 500 families over two days.

With the initial donation of $500 from Christ the King families, “we were able to buy blankets and mattresses,” Yago said.

“At Christ the King School we teach

students to reach out to others who need it, and Grace’s sharing of her photos with everyone here at CKS re-ally brought it home to us,” Principal Sherry Woodman said.

Offertory contributions from the week of the eruption, Woodman said, “were designated for relief to the area, and contributions the following week came from our teachers, families and students.”

The community “raised $800 in a short period of time,” she said.

“It feels good to have been one of the helpers, and I am happy to have done it, because no matter how small this gesture was, it still meant a lot to many people,” said Grant Yago, a student in

Kenneth Stephens’ sixth grade class at Christ the King.

Grace Yago said the affected area around the Taal volcano “is mostly farmland and some fisheries, and these were the places evacuated, but I fear that the worst is yet to come.”

She recalled that, “Mount Pinatubo’s eruption (in 1991) was even longer, and as we all know, the ash fall from that eruption alone closed a U.S. military base permanently; with Taal we are still waiting for THE big one.”

Yago, who grew up in the Philippines and still has siblings who live there, described Taal as “a volcano within a volcano, and I believe that we need to pray for the people in those villages.”

Jacob Telli

Father Ryan High School held its first ever Medical Advisory Forum on Thursday, Jan. 30, to

address the issue of the dangers of vaping.

Buoyed by the success of the forum, school officials are looking to use the expertise of the members of the new Medical Advisory Committee to educate Father Ryan students and families about other medical issues facing teens.

“It’s going to be a staple for Father Ryan,” said Dean of Students Joe Crumby, who helped organize the Medical Advisory Committee. “It’s kind of taken on a life of its own, and it’s been very well received by parents.

The idea for the Medical Advisory Committee began when Crumby was looking for ways to better educate stu-dents and parents about vaping.

“Vaping hits home for a lot of par-ents right now, and we aren’t the only school fighting this,” he said. “What’s alarming is that when we do catch

kids using them, they don’t know what’s in the devices. They don’t know what they’re inhaling.”

After discussing the issue with Father Ryan President Jim McIntyre, Crumby thought of creating the committee as a way of making the best use of the re-sources available to the school.

“I initially wanted to do something on the vaping, but then we thought that maybe we could take it a step fur-ther, a committee that can help with all issues that keep our students safe,” Crumby said.

He sought out medical professionals among parents of students, and not a single one declined to volunteer their time to help educate the community.

The forum on vaping featured a more than hour-long question and an-swer session with a panel of medical professionals who are members of the school’s new Medical Advisory Com-mittee. The seven committee mem-bers that participated were: Mike Cuffe, MD, MBA; Robert J. Mangi-alardi, MD; Shindana Feagins, MD; John Howington, MD, FACS, FCCP, a

1981 graduate of Father Ryan; Robert F. Labadie, MD, PhD, MMHC, FACS; Mark Marsden, MD; and A. James Slandzicki, MD.

Those who missed the forum on vaping will soon be able to find the information that was presented and discussed posted to the Father Ryan school website: www.fatherryan.org.

The feedback from the forum has been nothing but positive, and Crumby believes the turnout was indicative of how prevalent the vap-ing issue is and how hard it can be to keep track of its dangers.

“Vaping is so new that stats can say one thing and the next day they change,” he said. “The whole thing is that we’re not medical professionals. We educate students, and when we don’t have the facts we’ll lean on the committee to educate us.”

Crumby is already looking to use the expertise of the Medical Advisory Committee to educate the Father Ryan community about other health issues.

“We want to be as educated on top-

ics as we can,” Crumby said. “We want to educate students, parents, and stakeholders, and who better to lean on than the medical professional community?”

Currently, Crumby is taking steps to get more information about the coro-navirus, which has killed at least 132 people and sickened nearly 6,000 oth-ers, as well as the connection between opioid addiction and athletic injuries.

He noted, however, that not every medical issue will warrant an open forum. They may just send out informa-tion in emails and post it to the school resource board. In each scenario, the Medical Advisory Committee will make the decision on what the best steps are for keeping students safe.

Crumby hopes the continued pres-ence of the Medical Advisory Com-mittee will mark a change in the community. “If this can help promote awareness, then I feel like I’m keep-ing more students safe,” he said. “The more communication there is about it, then it means our message is being received and people are listening.”

Grant and Gabrielle Yago, students at Christ the King School in Nashville, were visiting family in the Philippines when the Taal volcano erupted last month. They contacted members of Christ the King who quickly donated money to help purchase relief supplies for those affected by the disaster.

16 Tennessee Register February 7, 2020

Andy Telli

On Friday, Jan. 24, the eve of the Chinese New Year, a group of international exchange students

from China at Pope John Paul II High School shared a taste of home with their American classmates.

As the students enjoyed a lunch menu filled with Chinese food, the Chinese students explained a variety of tradi-tions that surround the celebration of the New Year.

It was a glimpse of the cultural ex-change that happens everyday in class-rooms and club meetings, in the cafete-ria and on the practice fields.

“This gives us the opportunity to infuse our student body with interna-tional students,” Michelle Barber, dean of admissions and advancement at JPII, said of the school’s international schol-ars program. “And we’re able to pro-vide them with a faith-based education in a college-prep environment.”

In the past, JPII has hosted students from Germany, Vietnam, Korea and China. This year, JPII has nine students from China, who found the school through the firm Cambridge Network, which places international students in American high schools throughout the country.

For the families of all nine Chinese students at JPII this year, they decided to send their children to a high school halfway across the globe with an eye to the future: getting into a top American college or university.

“I was going to go to college here,” said Darren Liu, who is in his third year at JPII. “My dad thought it’s better to go to high school here” so he could get use to American schools and culture.

“Education in the U.S. is generally more well-rounded than in China. That helps them land a job,” said Diandian Liu, Cambridge’s student development manager who works with the JPII stu-dents. “There is a big demand for the in-ternational education market in China.”

Gloria Feng, in her third year at JPII, prefers the American style education.

“There’s less busy work,” she said. “It challenges you in all kinds of ways.

“JPII has really good academics,” she said. “The teachers are really good. They will make you really think in a creative way. You get to know a lot of knowledge beyond what the textbook provides you.”

One obvious difference between the two educational systems is the length of the school day. In her Chinese middle school, Feng was in school from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and spent time at night doing homework.

“Chinese students always think study-ing in America is easier than in China, but it’s not,” said Chris Yang, who is in his first year at JPII.

Part of the struggle is that the classes are taught in English, and students are still learning the language when they first arrive. Cambridge provides the students extra help with the language. Diandian Liu also serves as an English as a Second Language teacher for the Chinese students in their first year.

And JPII’s teachers try to help all the exchange students feel comfortable in their classes, Liu said. “They are very accommodating here.”

Part of Liu’s job is helping the stu-dents bridge the cultural gap between China and the United States. It’s some-thing she has lots of personal experi-

ence with.Liu herself was an exchange student

at Montclair State University in New Jersey as an undergraduate, and spent a year teaching Chinese language and culture at Logan County High School in Kentucky while a graduate student.

While in graduate school in China, she met her husband, Taylor Holmes, a 2010 graduate of JPII who works for a medi-cal equipment company with several factories in Asia. They are in the midst of moving to Hendersonville, Liu said.

“I’ve been through a quite similar experience” as her students, Liu said. “Having an international family myself, I know the cultural differences, the lan-guage differences sometimes. … At the end of the day, we’re all the same. We want to do good things.”

All the international students live with American host families during their time at JPII.

“We couldn’t do this without the host families who step up every year and take these kids into their homes and … their family,” Barber said.

“The impact the host families have on these international scholars is life changing,” she said. “It creates some beautiful long-term relationships.”

Cambridge Network conducts back-ground checks and home visits with families interested in hosting an in-ternational student, Liu said. She also serves as the local support system for the host families, answering questions that arise through the year.

The host families receive a stipend to offset some of the cost of hosting a student. “But at the same time we want to make sure that’s not their goal,” Liu said. “We want to make sure our stu-dents are put in a good home.”

For more information about serving as a host family, contact JPII at 615-822-2375.

International students add new flavor to JPII

Photo by Andy TelliThe international students from China at Pope John Paul II High School led their classmates in a celebration of the Chinese New Year on Friday, Jan. 24. Several JPII students participate in a chopsticks contest.

Nine students from China are studying at Pope John Paul II High School this year. They include, from left, Gloria Feng, Oscar Xiong, Darren Liu, Chris Yang, Rita Fan, Peter Dan, Hao Yi and Steven Zhang. Not pictured is Yolanda Huang. At the far right is Diandian Liu, who serves as the student development manager and English as a Second Language instructor for Cambridge Network, the firm that helps place foreign students in high schools across the country, including JPII.