marian devotion brings venezuelan community together la divina pastora in santa rosa to the...

Tennessee Register 1September 6, 2019

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 27School: decision on reading Harry Potter left to parents … page 7 | Parish livestreams Masses to reach homebound … page 16

September 6, 2019 | A Voice of Tennessee Catholic Life since 1937 | www.tennesseeregister.com

Mary McWilliams

A good mother strives to gather her children together, and the Marian devotion of La Divina

Pastora, or the Divine Shepherdess, is no exception. She is bringing together her Venezuelan children who have relocated to Middle Tennessee to sup-port and love one another and to pray for those who remain in their danger-ous and chaotic homeland.

Deacon Rafael Bougrat of St. Philip Church in Franklin, along with Marcial Guevara, also of Franklin, and some fellow Venezuelans organized a Nash-ville procession and Mass last year that was held at Sagrado Corazon in the Catholic Pastoral Center to commemo-rate and celebrate a tradition they love and miss so dearly.

“The original plan was just to have a Mass to celebrate the tradition and our devotion to the Divine Shepherdess,” said Guevara. “We had over 150 people. It was more than expected.”

Every Jan. 14 in Venezuela, millions attend the procession from La Iglesia de la Divina Pastora in Santa Rosa to the cathedral in Barquisimeto, Gue-vara’s hometown. The statue of the Virgin Mary, wearing a shepherd’s hat and holding the Baby Jesus in one arm with a lamb to her other side, is carried through the crowded streets for over four miles.

In a country with several Marian devotions, La Divina Pastora is one of great affection due to her interces-

Continued on page 9

Andy Telli

Jim Hagey stood surrounded by fam-ily after he was inducted into the Father Ryan High School Athletics

Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class on Thursday, Aug. 29.

When asked what his alma mater meant to him, he paused for a moment as emotion caught the words in his throat.

“It saved my life,” he said. “I got straightened out.”

Hagey, a 1946 graduate of Father Ryan who starred in four sports, was among the 50 athletes, coaches, contributors

and teams inducted as part of the inau-gural class who thrilled fans, broke bar-riers, and reached the highest levels of accomplishment in their sport.

“It was a lot of great athletes and we still got a lot more,” said Billy Lynch, who was inducted as both a multi-sport athlete and as a member of the 1963-64 basketball team that integrated high school sports in Nashville and the re-gion, and was a member of the hall of fame selection committee. “Kids need to understand there’s great history here.”

The names of the inductees, this year and in the future, are etched into

the stones that ring the touchstone Jerusalem Cross outside the Catignani-Drennan Fieldhouse on Father Ryan’s campus. As part of the ceremonies, this year’s inductees cut a ribbon that sur-rounded the hall of fame stones.

The inductees included football, bas-ketball and baseball players, soccer play-ers and volleyball players, swimmers and wrestlers. They included coaches who set standards of excellence and the teams who met those standards.

“I think we covered a wide spectrum,” said Lynch, whose two daughters, Lind-sey Lynch Magness and Julie Lynch

McWright, also were inducted; Lindsey as a three-sport athlete and both as members of the 1995 state champion-ship softball team.

Hagey, 91, was the oldest of the in-ductees present for the ceremonies.

Before arriving at Father Ryan, “He was trying to find his way,” said his son Tommy Hagey, the executive director of Camp Marymount. It was the priests on the faculty at Father Ryan who took care to make sure his father found the right path in life, Tommy Hagey explained.

“He converted (to Catholicism) because

Marian devotion brings Venezuelan community together

Deacon Raphael Bougrat of St. Philip Parish in Franklin snaps a photo with the Venezuelan Catholic community after a monthly Venezuelan Mass at St. Philip. The group, which has grown recently due to the increasingly dangerous and chaotic political situation in Venezuela, finds comfort in praying and socializing with others from their home country.

First hall of fame class honors Ryan’s athletic legacy

Continued on page 8

2 Tennessee Register September 6, 2019

From staff reports

The Advancement of Catholic Edu-cation’s biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up on Tuesday,

Sept. 17, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Incarnation’s Fleming Center.

The annual event raises money for tu-ition assistance at the Diocese of Nash-ville’s 19 Catholic schools.

This year, ACE has the opportunity to raise well above what it has in the past through an unprecedented match-ing grant opportunity. An anonymous donor has offered to match, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000 raised at this year’s event.

“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Ashley Linville, director of devel-opment for the Diocese of Nashville.

It’s also an opportunity to enthusiasti-cally respond to Bishop J. Mark Spald-ing’s challenge from last year’s ACE event: to grow the ACE endowment tenfold, from $3 million to $30 million over the next five years.

Nearly $100,000 in donations have already been received through sponsor-ships and ticket sales for this year’s fun-draising event, which will be matched by the donor’s grant.

“We’re starting to really plan ways to move forward and meet that chal-lenge,” Linville said. “There’s a lot of people in the community who are ready to help,” he added. “It’s an exciting time

in Nashville’s economy and it lends it-self to meet that goal.”

As the ACE endowment fund grows, more families who want to attend Cath-olic schools can do so.

“ACE is definitely an area where we want to grow,” said Linville. The more tuition assistance the diocese is able to offer, “the more people have the option

to choose Catholic schools,” he said. “We know tuition can be a deciding factor.”

Several speakers, including Dr. John Howington, an alumni of Christ the King School and Father Ryan High School, will speak on the value of tu-ition assistance, as will current high school students receiving tuition assis-tance through ACE.

The Christ the Teacher winner will also be announced and honored at the event, which recognizes an outstanding teacher at one of the diocese’s schools.

With increased tuition assistance, the Diocese of Nashville is looking to re-verse local and national trends of falling Catholic school enrollment.

“We want to have all of our schools 100 percent enrolled,” Linville said.

For the first time this year, the dio-cese is offering ACE Welcome Grants to new students attending certain under-enrolled Catholic schools. ACE also funds general need-based tuition assistance across its 19 schools.

The Advancement of Catholic Educa-tion, (formerly known as the Endow-ment for the Advancement of Catholic Schools) was created in 1992 and is committed to supporting the mission of Catholic education by helping to meet the growing financial needs of paro-chial schools.

Sponsorships for this year’s “Celebra-tion of Catholic Education” fundrais-ing event are available from $1,000 to $10,000 and individual tickets are avail-able for $100 each.

For more information, go to www.dioceseofnashville.com/ace. You may also contact Ashley Linville at: [email protected], 615-645-9768 or Anna Beth Godfrey at: [email protected], 615-645-9769.

Theresa Laurence

The final numbers have been tal-lied from the Diocese of Nash-ville’s 10th annual Seminarian

Education Dinner and Auction held in May, and the big check has been pre-sented to Bishop J. Mark Spalding.

Members of the Serra Clubs of Nash-ville and Williamson County and the Knights of Columbus delivered a check for $325,000 to Bishop Spalding at the Catholic Pastoral Center on Friday, Aug. 23.

“I am so grateful for the prayers and support that the Serra Clubs and the Knights give our seminarians,” Bishop Spalding said.

The 10th Annual Seminarian Educa-tion Dinner and Auction was held at Holy Family Church in Brentwood on May 21, 2019, and once again drew a capacity crowd offering vital support to the “significant and growing” cost of educating the diocese’s seminarians.

“The cost of education isn’t cheap,” said Serra Club member Don Stacy, the chairman of the 2019 event. “We’re proud to raise a quarter of the (annual) cost” of educating the diocese’s semi-narians, he said.

The diocese currently has about two dozen seminarians in various stages of formation, and the total cost to educate and support them is between $1.4 mil-lion and $1.5 million a year.

“The dinner has represented a pretty large chunk of our budget,” Father Austin Gilstrap, diocesan director of vocation formation, previously told the Tennessee Register. “The dinner, Priesthood Sunday (collection) and the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, that makes up

our entire budget.” In addition to the fundraising aspect

of the Seminarian Education Dinner and Auction, the annual event is also a great opportunity to meet the future priests of the diocese.

“It’s always fun to get to know the seminarians,” said Stacy, a seven-year

member of the Serra Club, an interna-tional organization that supports voca-tions to the priesthood and religious life. “It’s very enjoyable to see the qual-ity of the young men” who are prepar-ing to serve as priests of the diocese, he added.

Organizers are already looking ahead

to the 2020 Seminarian Dinner and Auction, which will be held at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hender-sonville, where it was held in 2018. In the future the event will likely alternate between Holy Family and Our Lady of the Lake, which both have the facilities to accommodate 600 or more people.

Serrans, Knights present check supporting seminarian education

ACE fundraiser supports Catholic schools

Photo by Theresa LaurenceMembers of the Serra Clubs of Nashville and Williamson County and the Knights of Columbus presented on Aug. 23 a check for $325,000 to Bishop J. Mark Spalding, raised at the Seminarian Education Dinner and Auction in May. Pictured from left to right are: Lloyd Crockett and Elizabeth Crockett, of the Serra Club; Carole Guthrie, president of the Serra Club of Williamson County; Don Stacy, a member of the Serra Club and Knights of Columbus; Bishop Spalding, Joe Imorde, of the Serra Club and Knights; Gerard Killmeyer of the Serra Club, and Tim Healy of the Knights.

Tennessee Register file photo by Theresa LaurenceRebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Nashville, speaks during the Advancement of Catholic Education fundraising event in 2018.


If you are engaged, just got married, or are celebrating a milestone anni-versary, such as a 25th or 50th, the

Tennessee Register can help you let all your friends in the Catholic community know about it.

On Oct. 4, the Register will publish a special supplement to honor engaged couples, recently married couples and

people celebrating big anniversaries.If you would like to include an an-

nouncement about your engagement, wedding or anniversary, please fill out one of the online forms at: https://tennesseeregister.com/engagement-wedding-or-anniversary-forms.

If you want to make the announce-ment even more special, submit a photo that can be published with the announcement. Email the photo to [email protected].

The deadline for submitting an-nouncements and photos will be Friday, Sept. 20.

Last chance to announce yourengagement, wedding or anniversary

September 6, 2019 | Volume 82, Number 19

MAIN OFFICE

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Nashville, TN 37214-1402(615)783-0750, (615) 783-0285 FAX

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Tennessee Register website - www.tennesseeregister.comDiocese of Nashville website - www.dioceseofnashville.com

Tennessee Register® (USPS 616-500) is published bi-weekly, for $29.00 per year US, $30.00 foreign, by Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN, 37214-1402. Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville TN and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tennessee Register, 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN, 37214-1402.

Publisher Most Reverend J. Mark SpaldingEditor in Chief Rick MusacchioManaging Editor Andy TelliStaff Writer Theresa LaurenceAdministrative Nancy MattsonCreative Services Manager Debbie LaneGraphic/Web Design Yanel PintoAdvertising Terri Francescon

MOST REVEREND J. MARK SPALDINGʼS SCHEDULE

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September 10• Priest Assembly, Catholic Pastoral Center, 11:30 a.m.

September 12• TN Catholic Public Policy Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 10 a.m.

September 13• Mass, St. Ann School, 8 a.m.

• Father Ryan vs. JPII Varsity Football Game, Father Ryan High School, 7 p.m.

September 14• Bicentennial Celebration, Bethlehem High School, Bardstown, Kentucky, 6 p.m.

September 15• Mass for Cursillo Men’s Weekend, Camp Marymount, Fairview, 8:30 a.m.

September 16• Mass for Diocesan Teachers, Father Ryan High School, 11:15 a.m.

September 17• Mass, Christ the King School, 8 a.m.

• Presbyterial Council Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 10 a.m.

• ACE (Advancement of Catholic Education) Fundraising Dinner, Cathedral of the Incarnation, Fleming Center, 5:30 p.m.

September 20• Finance Board Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 8:30 a.m.

• Opening Mass for Retrovaille Convention, Opryland Hotel, 4:30 p.m.

September 21• Dedication of Holy Family Church, Lafayette, 10 a.m.

• Installation Mass for Father James Panackal, CMI, St. Frances Cabrini Church, Lebanon, 5:30 p.m.

September 22• Installation Mass for Father Francis Appreh, St. Vincent de Paul Church, 10 a.m.

• French Mass, Holy Name Church, 5 p.m.

Follow Bishop Spalding on Twitter: @bpspalding

NecrologyThe Diocese of Nashville asks for your prayers for vocations, for our priests and for the following deceased clergy of the Diocese of Nashville.

Rev. William Carmona September 8, 2014

Rev. Charles C. O’Donnell September 9, 1968

Rev. Edgar S. Ballentine September 13, 1998

Msgr. George Rohling September 13, 2010

Very Rev. Martin O. Riordan September 17, 1878

Rev. E.B. Van Troostenberghe September 19, 1878

CorrectionIn the article “Volunteers drive Da-

vidson County seniors to indepen-dence” in the Aug. 23, 2019, issue,

an incorrect time was listed for a Senior Ride training session for volunteer driv-ers. The training session will be held 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Bellevue branch of the Nashville Public Library. For more information, call the Senior Ride Nashville office at 615-610-4040 or visit www.seniorride-nashville.org.

Mike Anastasi, the vice president and editor of The Tennessean, hosted an open house at the paper’s new offices at 1801 West End Ave. in Nashville, Tuesday, Aug. 27. Bishop J. Mark Spalding attended the gathering to meet the staff.

Touring The Tennessean


September

9 Monday† St. Peter Claver

Catholic College Fair, 6:30-8 p.m., St. Ceci-lia Academy, 4210 Harding Pike, Nashville. High School students and parents invited.

GriefShare Sessions (Mondays, Septem-ber 9-December 2), 6:30 p.m., St. Philip, 113 Second Ave., S., Franklin. Info: 615-479-9504.

10 Tuesday† St. Salvius of Albi

Mindful Body Movement Classes, Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m., St. Joseph, Parish Cen-ter, 1225 Gallatin Pike S., Madison. New choreography. Info: 615-860-0128.

12 Thursday† St. Ailbhe

Nashville Catholic Business League Prayer Breakfast, 7 a.m., Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. Info: www.catholicbusinessleague.org.

Catholics Returning Home, 6 consecu-tive Thursdays, Sept. 12-Oct. 17, 7 p.m., St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Rd., Old Hickory. 90-minute sessions to welcome back, up-date, and help returning Catholics transition back into active participation in Church life. Info: [email protected] or 630-362-7150.

Cursillo Men’s Weekend, Sept. 12-15. Info: [email protected].

14 Saturday† St. Notburga

Diocese of Nashville Catechetical Con-ference, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., C.P.C., 2800 Mc-Gavock Pike, Nashville. Theme: “Want help sharing your faith?” Speakers: Mary Ann Wi-esinger, Hosffman Ospino, and Nancy Garza. Registration required: www.dioceseofnash-ville.com/conference. $20 donation optional.

Magnificat, ministry for Catholic women, 8:30 a.m., St. Edward, 190 Thompson Ln., Rm. 211, Nashville. Info: 334-655-2069 or [email protected].

Cancer Support Group, 9 a.m., St. Jo-seph, Parish Center, 1225 Gallatin Pike S., Madison. Info: 615-860-0128.

National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children, 10 a.m., Immaculate Conception Church Chapel, 709 Franklin St., Clarksville. Info: 847-769-9617.

15 Sunday† St. Valerian

Red Cross Blood Drive, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Christ the King, 3001 Belmont Blvd., Nashville.

International Festival, 12-5 p.m., Immaculate Conception, 709 Franklin St., Clarksville. Inter-national food, live entertainment, craft fair, si-lent auction, kid’s area. Free entry, tickets $1, kid’s area wristbands $10. Info: 931-320-5083.

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.

17 Tuesday† St. Robert Bellarmine

Father Ryan High School Academic Blend, 9:30 a.m., 700 Norwood Dr., Nash-ville. Coffee and a look into Father Ryan’s curriculum for parents of eighth grad-

ers. Tour Academic Building, obser ve classes. RSVP: www.fatherryan.org/events.

18 Wednesday† St. Joseph of Cupertino

St. Matthew School Cof fee with the Principal, 8 a.m., 533 Sneed Rd. W., Franklin. Informal Q&A session and tour with coffee and snacks. Registration: www.stmatthewtn.org/school/admissions/.

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 Friday† Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions

Jr. High Girls Night Out, 6-10 p.m., St. Ce-cilia Academy, 4210 Harding Pike, Nashville. A fun night with music and meeting new friends. RSVP: stcecilia.edu/girlsnightout.

The JPII Theatre Department pres-ents “Radium Girls,” Sept. 20-21, 7 p.m., JPII, 117 Caldwell Dr., Hendersonville. Tickets: http://jp2hs.org or at the door. Adults $10; students $8.

21 Saturday† St. Matthew

International Fall Festival, 7 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Luke, 10682 Old Nashville Hwy., Smyrna. Yard sale 7 a.m., breakfast 7-9 a.m., vendor booths, International and American foods 10 a.m.-1 p.m., silent auction, games, beer garden, live music. Info: 615-459-9672.

Diocesan Engaged Couples’ Retreat, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., C.P.C, 2800 McGavock Pike, Nashville. Info: 615-383-6393.

Father Ryan hosts Free Irish Rugger-fest, Sept. 21-22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 700 Nor-wood Dr., Nashville. All skill levels com-pete. Food trucks and vendors. Donations accepted for the Kevin Davis Scholarship Fund. Info: [email protected].

Dedication of Holy Family Church, Lafayette, 10 a.m., 431 Old Hwy 52, Lafay-ette. Refreshments to follow. All invited.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church Fall Fes-tival, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Robertson County Fairgrounds, Springfield. Food, music, corn hole, inflatables, go-fishing adventure, ring toss, face painting, and silent auction. Mass, 1 p.m. Info: 615-384-6200 or [email protected].

BBQ Fundraiser, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Martha, 3331 Bell St. Ashland City. Raffle drawings, live music, cake walk, silent auction, homemade food, vendors, blow-ups for kids. Yard sale starts at 7 a.m.

22 Sunday† St. Thomas of Villanueva

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

Catholic Charismatic Renewal Mass, 6:30 p.m., St. Ignatius, 601 Bell Rd., An-tioch. Celebrated by Fr. Michael Baltrus. Please bring snack to share after Mass. Info: 615-430-9343.

23 Monday† St. Padre Pio

Padre Pio Relics at Cathedral, 12 p.m. Mass-5:30 p.m. Mass, Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave., Nashville. The relics: 1 Glove with blood on it, 1 partial cloth from another glove, 1 bandage from his heart wound, 1 pillow feather from the pillow he used in his youth.

COMMUNITY CALENDARCatechetical Conference provides a refresher for teachers of the faith

St. Padre Pio relics on displayat Cathedral of Incarnation Sept. 23From staff reports

Relics of St. Padre Pio will be on display for people to venerate at the Cathedral of the Incarnation

in Nashville on Monday, Sept. 23, the saint’s feast day.

St. Padre Pio was an Italian priest who was known for his piety and charity, as well as the gift of the stigmata, which are marks or wounds corresponding to those left on Jesus’ body by the Cruci-fixion, according to Catholic Online.

Four relics will be available for venera-tion: one complete glove with the blood of St. Padre Pio on it; one partial cloth from another glove; one bandage from his heart wound; and one pillow feather from the pillow he used in his youth.

Catholics do not worship relics but venerate them as holy objects associated with a saint. “A relic is venerated in rec-ognition of the fact that God has worked through a saint, and that an object as-sociated with a saint is holy and can lead us to God,” according to a brochure pro-duced by the Knights of Columbus.

There are three classes of relics. A first-class relic is a physical part of a saint, such as a piece of bone or a lock of hair.

A second-class relic is an object routinely used or touched by the saint during life, such as a piece of clothing, a book or pen.

A third-class relic is an object rever-ently touched to a first-class relic.

The St. Padre Pio relics will be avail-able at the Cathedral on Sept. 23 from the 12:10 p.m. Mass through the 5:30 p.m. Mass.

A member of the Padre Pio Nashville Prayer Group, which is organizing the event, will be with the relics throughout the day so people can venerate them.

St. Padre Pio was born in Pietrelcina, Italy, in 1887 and was ordained as a Franciscan priest in 1910. The stig-mata first appeared on his hands and feet in 1916. His fame eventually went across the world, and he was known for his piety, charity and preaching. He advised, “Pray, hope and don’t worry,” according to Catholic Online.

When he died in 1968, more than 100,000 people attended his funeral. He was canonized as a saint on June 16, 2002.

The Padre Pio Nashville Prayer Group meets 6:30-11 a.m. on the First Saturday of every month at St. Edward Church in Nashville. Its members come from all over the diocese. Several of the relics that will be available at the Cathedral are also available for veneration at the group’s monthly meeting.

For more information about the prayer group, visit: https://padrepio-nashville.blog.

Jacob Telli

Those who have a passion for the faith and passing it on to others can equip themselves with the

knowledge and tools necessary to fulfill their roles as catechists – teachers of the faith – at the upcoming Catechetical Conference for the Diocese of Nashville.

“Catechesis is of the utmost impor-tance for all Catholics, and our people are hungry to learn,” said Andrew Petiprin, the assistant director for the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, who also noted that some of the basic points of the Catholic faith aren’t being understood as clearly as possible.

Petiprin is organizing the Catechetical Conference, which will be held 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Nashville.

The conference is primarily for people who teach the faith in parish religious education programs and schools.

“The purpose of the conference is to encourage the catechists and give them things to think about,” Petiprin said. “It’s not about the nuts and bolts of being a catechist, it’s more of a refresher.

“This is a chance to sit at the feet of people who are really knowledgeable and inspiring and to absorb points that they can take and share with others,” he added.

Those who attend the conference can expect three talks centered on prayer and the life of the catechist, given in both English and Spanish. Two speakers will speak to the whole conference, and at the end there will be two separate speak-ers presenting for either the English-speaking or Spanish-speaking catechists.

The first speaker is Hosffman Ospino,

Ph.D., who is an Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry. He is also the Director of Grad-uate Programs in Hispanic Ministry.

The next speaker is Mary Ann Wi-esinger, a content editor and speaker for the Franciscan University of Steu-benville’s Catechetical Institute.

Joan Watson, the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Nashville, will give a final talk in English.

Nancy Garza, the parish secretary for the Immaculate Conception Church with more than 17 years of preaching experience for workshops and retreats, will give a final talk in Spanish.

The conference marks the highlight of the Office of Faith Formation’s calendar year, with more than 500 people expected to attend. In addition to the conference, the office also offers formation courses as well as speaker series throughout the year.

Though the conference will mainly be attended by catechists, Petiprin noted that the conference is open to anyone with a desire to help spread their faith.

“We are really hopeful anyone inter-ested in sharing their faith with others will attend this conference,” he said. “People who go to Mass but want to know more and be a better resource for people in their lives, people involved in catechesis, RCIA leaders, Sunday School teachers, all are welcome.”

The diocese is asking for a donation of $20 to help cover the cost of the confer-ence.

If interested in attending the confer-ence, one can register at www.dioce-seofnashville.com by going to the “Up-coming Events” section and clicking the “Catechetical Conference” link.


Briana Grzybowski

On March 19, 2012, Father Ryan High School Principal Paul Davis and his wife Teresa got a

phone call that no parents should ever have to receive. Their youngest son, 2009 Father Ryan alum Kevin Davis, had died while on a trip to Mexico.

Kevin, then a junior at the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, was on a spring break trip with his then-girlfriend Audrey McInturff. The pair rented a moped in Cozumel to explore the city and got into an accident. Au-drey survived, though she was badly injured.

Ever since that tragic day, the Da-vises have seen signs of God’s faithful-ness everywhere.

One reflection of that is their annual Raise Your Glass event, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 21, at Father Ryan High School. Raise Your Glass, which is the Davis family’s fundraiser for the Kevin Davis Memorial Scholarship benefitting students in need at Father Ryan, has been well-attended every year since its inception in 2013.

Christ the King parishioner Saman-tha Grover is honored to have been one of this year’s eight scholarship re-cipients, and one of 28 since 2013.

“It’s humbling to have received this award,” she said. “Kevin’s love for life really has been an inspiration to me, and to think that the Davises see that in me really is an honor.”

Other 2019 winners were Jack Vetter-Sills, Bella Cartwright, Aaron Spahic, Sofia Lombardini, Ella Rose Murphy, Hayley Bennett and Jayden Wright.

Scholarship applicants must be a ris-ing senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA, been actively involved in their school and local communities, have par-ticipated in the Diocese of Nashville’s SEARCH and/or Youth Leadership Workshop retreats, and must need the money to continue their education at Father Ryan. They must also write a brief essay describing their own personal definition of living life to the fullest, as that is what Kevin was best known for.

“To me, it’s about helping others and doing my best in all I do every day,” said Grover, a member of Father Ry-an’s soccer team, SEARCH participant, and Room in the Inn volunteer.

The first Raise Your Glass was not the Davis family’s idea. Their friends Mike and Barbara Barrett hosted it at their home.

“They were very supportive of us and just made everything happen. They put it all together themselves,” Teresa Davis said. “So, we’re really just con-tinuing something they started.”

Raise Your Glass also incorporates many traditions that have helped the Davis family cope with Kevin’s pass-ing. One such tradition is a sky lantern launch. Olivia Chan, a friend of the Da-vises whose father is from Hong Kong, introduced them to this ancient Chi-

nese custom practiced during China’s Ghost Festival to honor the dead.

As the Davis family releases the lan-terns, Raise Your Glass participants remember those in the Father Ryan community who have died within the past year. This year, the Davises are remembering former Father Ryan Vice Principal Sara Hayes, Father Ryan alum and Paul Davis’ father Bobby Davis, and Bobby Davis’ brother-in-law Roy Manning. Hayes, Davis and Man-ning were all close to the Davis family and longtime supporters of Father Ryan and the Kevin Davis Memorial Scholarship.

Though they wish it didn’t have to come at so steep a cost, the Davises are thankful that Kevin is still able to touch people’s lives through the stu-dents who have received the scholar-ship named in his honor. To them, it’s a sign of God’s providence amidst their sorrow.

“New life starts in the dark. A seed in the darkness; a baby in the womb. Seven years without Kevin’s earthly presence has brought about much grief, but also joy in remembering his impact while on this earth and his

continued impact,” Teresa Davis said. “Through the darkness of losing Kevin we choose to experience new life, or a new way of experiencing life. It pro-motes a gratitude and a deeper kind of love that can only be gained walking through it and turning the darkness into light by paying it forward with this scholarship in his name.”

Davis strongly encourages all who are interested to attend Raise Your Glass. “Please join us as we remember all those gone before us and the love for them we continue to carry in our hearts,” She said.

Raise Your Glass begins with Mass in the Father Ryan Chapel at 4:30 p.m., with food and fellowship afterwards in the school’s dining hall from 5-6:30 p.m. Father Ryan English teacher Randy Lancaster will provide live music. The lantern release will be at 6:30 p.m. in the courtyard.

All who are interested may RSVP to Teresa Davis by Sept. 12 at [email protected]. All who would like to donate to the scholarship fund may do so online at fatherryan.org and specify it is for the Kevin Davis Tuition Assistance Fund.

Kevin Davis Memorial Scholarship carries on his love for life

Honoring Our 2019 Catholic Professional of the Year

Thursday, September 12, 7:30 a.m.Fleming Center • Cathedral of the Incarnation

cathol icbusiness lea gue.org

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

Betty Lou BurnettDirector of Pastoral Care at Holy Family Catholic Church & CBL Co-Founder

All are welcome to join us for coffee and networking as we listen to Betty Lou Burnett share stories of her career and her faith. Free onsite Guest Registration provided.

Join Nashville’s largest, growing network of over 300+ Catholic professionals!

Honoring Our 2019 Catholic Professional of the Year

St. Anthony Church in Fayetteville will host its 39th annual Harvest Happening festival 8 a.m. -3 p.m.

on Saturday, Oct. 5.The festival will feature vendors sell-

ing clothing, accessories, linens, books and media, as well as a yard sale and a silent auction. There also will be a crafts and jewelry boutique.

Festival goers also can enjoy games

and activities as well as Mexican cuisine.One of the highlights of the festival

every year is the Lasagna and Spaghetti Dinner that will be served from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. People can dine in or carry out. The cost of the dinner is $8 for adults and $4 for children under 12.

All proceeds will benefit local charities.St. Anthony is located at 1900 Hunts-

ville Highway in Fayetteville.

St. Anthony’s ‘Harvest Happening’ fall festival set for Oct. 5

St. Stephen Catholic Community will host its annual Treasure Hunt/Yard Sale on Friday and Sat-

urday, Oct. 4-5.The items for sale will include furniture,

appliances, kitchen items, home decor, linens, holiday decorations, luggage and handbags, toys, shoes, sports equipment, electronics, yard tools, and more.

Lunch and homemade baked goods also will be available for sale.

The proceeds will be used to support the parish and several local charities.

The Treasure Hunt/Yard Sale will be held 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, and 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat-urday, Oct. 5.

St. Stephen is located at 14544 Leba-non Road, across from U-Haul.

St. Stephen Church to hostTreasure Hunt/Yard Sale

Purchase $1 raffle tickets to be eligible to win one of three

prizes! $1000, $400 & $200

Fundraiser

St. Martha Church

BBQSaturday, September 21

11 a.m.-5 p.m.

3331 Bell St., Ashland City

Pork BBQ, chicken plates, Vietnamese food, music, silent auction, craft vendors, cake-walk, children’s blowups, and

yard sale at 7 a.m.

Live music featuring local groups including Up The Creek

& Jay Hennessy


The Nashville Catholic Business Women’s League is hosting its biggest fundraising event of the

year on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Rich-land Country Club.

The annual “Pearls of Wisdom” fashion show, luncheon, and auction is a vital for the NCBWL, a 70-year-old non-profit organization open to all Catholic women in the Diocese of Nashville. Funds raised at the event provide four-year scholarships to girls attending the three Catholic high schools in Nashville.

The NCBWL just announced its two newest Aurelia Varallo Mariani Schol-arship recipients, named in honor of Mariani, 1951 graduate of St. Cecilia Academy who died in 1998.

The NCBWL originally established a memorial scholarship fund in her honor to support a deserving and financially needy student at St. Ce-cilia through all four years of her high school education. Since then, proceeds from the annual fashion show have expanded the program to also include one female Father Ryan High School student and one female student at Pope John Paul II High School, offering each recipient $10,000 in scholarship money per year for all for years of their high school education at a Catholic high school in the diocese.

Naomi Mejia is the new scholarship recipient from St. Cecilia Academy. One of four children, she is a gradu-ate of St. Henry School and attends

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish with her family. She is de-scribed by members of the St. Henry School community as a positive, hard-working and kind young woman with academic, athletic and artistic talent.

Mia Picchietti is the new scholar-ship recipient attending JPII. She is a graduate of St. Joseph School. She likes to run, play tennis, listen

to music, and learn about different parts of the world. She has

five older brothers, grew up in Chi-cago, and moved to Nashville about five years ago. She hopes to become an environmental engineer.

Tatiany Morales Irizarry, the 2018 Father Ryan High School scholarship recipient, attended Stratford Stem Magnet School. She is a parishioner

of Holy Rosary Church. She is a member of the Father Ryan Marching Band, and a member of the American Sign Language Club and volunteers to help with Mass at Father Ryan.

Tickets for the Sept. 14 Pearls of Wisdom event are now on sale and online bidding is open to the public on a variety of items, including Nash-ville Predators and Nashville Ballet tickets, original artwork, spa pack-ages, jewelry, clothing, hotel stays, and restaurant gift certificates.

More information is available at www.ncbwl.org.

St. Martha Barbecue Picnic carries on spirit of parish’s foundersAndy Telli

St. Martha Church in Ashland City will host its annual Barbecue Picnic and Yard Sale on Saturday,

Sept. 21, to raise money to support Catholic education.

And as usual, it will require the vol-unteer efforts of a large segment of the parishioners to make it a success, said Valerie Cummings, a St. Martha parishioner for 24 years and one of the organizers of the picnic.

It’s an event that draws parishioners together, she said.

That volunteer spirit has been part of St. Martha Parish from the beginning, when a handful of Catholics gathered in the home of Bob and Enis LaCrosse nearly 50 years ago to discuss the pos-sibility of building a Catholic church in Cheatham County.

“We did all the work,” recalled Mar-tha West, one of the original parish-ioners. “Nobody was ever hired to do anything.”

“The women, none of us worked (outside the home), all we did was raise money all the time,” said Gwen Smith, another of the original parish-ioners.

St. Martha was established as a mis-sion of St. Henry Church in Nashville in 1968, and two years later Bishop Jo-seph Durick appointed Father George Hutton, at the time an associate pastor at St. Henry, to minister to the Catho-lics in Cheatham County.

“He loved people,” Smith said of Fa-ther Hutton, who died in 1983. “He re-ally enjoyed visiting in people’s homes.

He loved the small town up there.”And it wasn’t just the Catholics in

Cheatham County that Father Hutton befriended.

“Father Hutton was very active in that community,” Smith said. “He was always down in the town and visiting those shops and talking to people.”

“The non-Catholics were always helping us,” Smith added. “They loved Father Hutton.”

The small Catholic community in Cheatham County began with Mass on Saturday nights at the Farm Bureau Building in Ashland City. About 10 families attended the first Mass, West said.

But the mission began to grow. And in 1973, Father Hutton and several parishioners attended an auction for land on Bell Street in Ashland City. He paid for the down payment himself to secure the site for the church.

Plans for the construction of the church moved into high gear. “He worked very hard to get this church built,” West said. “It was all due to him.”

To raise the money to build the church, Father Hutton sought help from many of his friends at St. Henry.

“A lot of parishioners at St. Henry gave a lot of money,” Smith said. “The people at St. Henry, they couldn’t say no to Father Hutton.”

The mission also received help from Saint Thomas Hospital, which donated pews, the altar and other items from its chapel. “Saint Thomas Hospital do-nated everything on the inside of that church,” Smith said.

Father Hutton donated his own money to the project. “Father Hutton said whoever makes the biggest con-tribution to build the church would have the right to name the church,” West said. “Well, he was the biggest donor.”

And the church was named in honor of Father Hutton’s mother.

St. Martha became a mission of St. Lawrence Church in Joelton, and Bishop James Niedergeses dedicated the church in 1975. “The church was built to hold 150 people,” West said. “It was pretty full in a few months.”

The parish continued to grow and eventually became too big for the space.

In 1993, when Father Peter Do Quang Chau was pastor, an expansion of the church worship was dedicated. The expansion provided a greatly ex-panded worship space and altar area, stained glass windows, a steeple, and a parish hall. The parish has added more expansions in the facilities, including a new rectory and office space, in the years since.

Father Hutton died in 1983 after suf-fering from a massive heart attack, and his funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Martha.

“He poured his heart and soul into that parish,” Smith said.

The spirit that Father Hutton estab-lished at the beginning is still evident in the parish with events such as the annual Barbecue Picnic.

“The picnic is our major fundraiser of the year,” West said. “It brings the par-ish together.”

The day will begin with the Yard Sale sponsored each year by the Knights of Columbus council at St. Martha. The Yard Sale begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.

The picnic will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. The day will include live music, local vendors selling home-made crafts and other products, a cakewalk, games for the children, a raffle with cash prizes, and a silent auction, Cummings said.

People can also enjoy plate lunches with their choice of barbecued chicken or pork shoulder, Cummings said. All the side dishes are prepared by parishioners, she said. “We have broc-coli salad, potato salad, baked beans. Your meal will include a dessert and a drink.”

The plate lunches will cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for chil-dren.

The large Vietnamese Catholic Com-munity at St. Martha also will have Vietnamese dishes for sale.

The picnic draws more than parish-ioners, Cummings said. “It’s the entire community that comes out for it,” she said. “We have well over 300 people on a typical day.”

The money raised at the picnic is used to support the parish religious education program and to pay the par-ish tuition subsidy for St. Martha stu-dents attending Catholic schools.

This year’s picnic will be the first for St. Martha’s new administrator, Father Ben Butler.

St. Martha is located at 3331 Bell St. in Ashland City.

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New cardinals: Pope’s choices stress dialogue, care for poor

School leaves decision on reading Harry Potter books to parents

Cindy Wooden CNS

VATICAN CITY. After the consis-tory to create new cardinals in early October, Pope Francis will

have chosen more than half of the men who will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor.

And despite what critics of Pope Fran-cis filled social media with Sept. 1 about him setting up the college to elect a successor just like him, it should be re-membered that then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was created a cardinal by St. John Paul. And he was elected pope in 2013 in a conclave where 42 per-cent of the cardinal electors were cre-ated cardinals by St. John Paul and the remaining 58 percent of the voters were named by Pope Benedict.

Personal opinions about the needs of the Church at any given moment and about who would be the best person to lead obviously are at play in a con-clave. But the cardinals also invoke the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and make a very solemn oath in casting their bal-lots: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.”

After arriving late for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer Sept. 1 because he was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes, Pope Francis announced he would create 13 new cardinals Oct. 5.

Ten of the prelates he chose are under the age of 80 and, therefore, would be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a pope. A cardinal who has turned 80 before the papacy is vacant participates in pre-conclave meetings to discuss the needs of the Church but does not pro-cess into the Sistine Chapel and does not cast ballots for a new pope.

Barring any deaths or resignations, once the new cardinals receive their red hats in early October, the College of Car-dinals will have 128 members eligible to vote in a conclave. Within 10 days of the consistory, four cardinals will celebrate

their 80th birthdays, leaving 124 electors.Of those 124, Pope Francis will have

made 66 of them cardinals, which is 53 percent of the electors. The other elec-tors will include 16 cardinals created by St. John Paul II and 42 made cardinals by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI.

While a majority in the next conclave will have Pope Francis to thank for their red hats and new responsibilities, to be elected pope a candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes.

Announcing the new cardinals, Pope Francis said they illustrate “the mission-ary vocation of the Church that contin-ues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all men and women of the earth.”

A commitment to the poor, to caring for migrants and refugees and to engag-ing in dialogue with all people are char-acteristics many in the group of 13 share.

Among the over-80 cardinals is Lithu-anian Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius, who, a year ago, joined Pope Francis on a prayerful tour of the former KGB headquarters in Vilnius.

The archbishop had been imprisoned from 1983 to 1988 for “anti-Soviet pro-paganda.” As a Jesuit priest, in 1972 he began publishing the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, an underground newsletter documenting communist repression of the Church. Despite repeated questioning by the KGB, he managed to publish and dis-tribute the chronicle for more than 10 years and, once he was arrested, others continued his work.

One of the new cardinal electors will be Guatemalan Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of Huehuetenango, a human rights defender whose support for environmental activists has earned him death threats.

Two Roman Curia officials tapped to become cardinals hold positions that would have been considered automatic red-hat posts before Pope Francis came on the scene: Spanish Bishop Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, 67, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious

Dialogue; and Portuguese Archbishop Jose Tolentino Medonca, 53, Vatican archivist and librarian.

The surprising Curia pick was Jesuit Father Michael Czerny, one of two un-dersecretaries for migrants and refugees in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Cardinal-designate Czerny, who was born in 1949 in what was Czechoslovakia and who migrated with his family to Canada when he was 2, worked in a variety of social justice min-istries in Canada, Central America and Africa before coming to the Vatican.

According to canon law, he will need to be ordained a bishop before receiv-ing his red hat Oct. 5, although he could request a dispensation. He did not

respond Sept. 1 to a question about his possible ordination.

Pope Francis’ choices continue to pay little attention to the large archdioceses traditionally led by cardinals, such as Milan and Venice. But he will give a red hat to Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, where all but one of the archbishops in the last 400 years had been a cardinal. The only exception was Archbishop Enrico Manfredini, who led the archdiocese for only eight months in 1983 before he died at the age of 61.

In selecting cardinals, Pope Francis has made it a point to increase the geo-graphical profile of the College of Car-dinals. The conclave that elected him included participants from 48 nations; the 128 electors in the expanded college will include prelates from 68 countries.

The men to become cardinals are:• Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hard-

joatmodjo of Jakarta, Indonesia, 69.• Archbishop Juan Garcia Rodriguez

of Havana, 71.• Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Be-

sungu of Kinshasa, Congo, 59.• Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich

of Luxembourg, 61.• Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of

Huehuetenango, Guatemala, 72.• Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bolo-

gna, Italy, 63.• Archbishop Cristobal Lopez Romero

of Rabat, Morocco, 67.• Retired Archbishop Sigitas Tam-

kevicius of Kaunas, Lithuana, 80.• Retired Bishop Eugenio dal Corso

of Benguela, Angola, 80.• Retired Archbishop Michael

Fitzgerald, a Missionary of Africa born in England, 82.

• Bishop Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 67.

• Archbishop Jose Tolentino Medo-nca, Vatican archivist and librarian, 53.

• Father Michael Czerny, S.J., under-secretary of the Section for Migrants and Refugees at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, 73.

From staff reports

A decision to remove the Harry Potter book series from the shelves of the St. Edward

School library has “the world’s atten-tion focused on our Thompson Lane campus,” St. Edward Principal Dr. Marsha Wharton said in a letter to parents.

The decision was reported and dis-cussed by news organizations such as The Tennessean, the Washington Post and radio talk show in Montreal, Canada.

“Although the books were removed from the library during the renovation process, they were not banned, as has been falsely interpreted,” Wharton said.

Over the summer, the school campus was renovated and school officials brought in a library science professional to review what materials would be offered in the new library space, removing some books for age-appropriateness and others due to poor circulation, school and diocesan

officials said.Father Dan Reehil, in his role as

pastor of St. Edward Church, joined the library science professional and several members of the school admin-istration in the review of the materi-als. The Harry Potter books were not used as part of the curriculum but were available for enrichment reading by students.

According to press reports, Father Reehil expressed concerns about the Harry Potter series and its depiction of magic and witchcraft as contrary to Church teaching. He asked that the books be removed from the library’s collection.

“Whether popular or not, as the religious head of a parish school, he made a decision, based on his role, that he believed to be in the best interest of our students,” Wharton wrote to parents.

In a separate letter to parents, Re-becca Hammel, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Nashville, said, “Students who obtain the books

from other sources are still able to read the books at school; the school library will simply not offer them as part of its selection.”

The decision of whether to allow children to read the books is left to their parents, Hammel said.

“Over the years this series has re-ceived attention over its presentation of magic and witchcraft,” Hammel said in her letter. “While the Catholic Church has expressed no formal posi-tion on the books and related movies, many voices in the Church, even at higher levels, have expressed that the subject matter may be appropriate when due consideration is given to the maturity of the reader. We leave these decisions to you as your chil-dren’s primary educator.”

In her letter, Wharton acknowl-edged the uproar that has followed in wake of the articles about the deci-sion and the impact on parents and the school.

“Today, unfortunately, parents who have made financial sacrifices

are questioning their decision. This news story, and the response to it, has upset and embarrassed many in our school community who have now been questioned and even ridiculed by families, neighbors and co-workers around the country,” Wharton wrote.

But, she said, the news stories don’t reflect the strengths of the school, which has a history of six decades of academic excellence. “Families know that when they enroll their children they can expect a solid moral, aca-demic and religious experience for their children, consistent with the suc-cessful history of Catholic schools,” Wharton said.

“The past, present and future suc-cess of our students is not defined by what is or what is not on our library shelves,” she added. “Rather, it is rooted in the fine educational experi-ence our students receive through the support of highly qualified, dedicated teachers working in partnership with our families. That is the true essence of this school community.”

CNS photo/Paul HaringCardinals attend a consistory led by Pope Francis to create new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this June 28, 2018, file photo. The pope announced Sept. 1 that he will create 13 new cardinals at an Oct. 5 consistory.


of his experience here at Father Ryan,” Tommy Hagey said. “We’re extremely proud. My dad has talked all my life about Father Ryan and his experience here.”

Jim Hagey found a home at the school where he moved from one sport to the next starring in baseball, basketball, football and tennis. “I didn’t want to do anything else,” he said. “That’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Joining Hagey in the inaugural class was Lou Graham, a 1956 graduate of Father Ryan who starred as a golfer and basket-ball player at the school and went on to become a professional golfer. He won the U.S. Open Championship in 1975.

“That was my dream. All my life I wanted to be a PGA tour golfer,” said Graham, who grew up in East Nashville, playing and caddying at the golf course at Shelby Park.

As a youngster, he would listen to the radio broadcasts of the major golf tour-naments, Graham said. “I was always saying, ‘One day I’m going to play golf on the radio.’ Now, they’re saying, ‘One day I’m going to play golf on the moon.’ That’s how much things have changed.”

Graham was happy to return to his alma mater for the ceremony. “One of the great things about this is coming back with all your buddies and catching up,” he said. “We had a great time.”

The inaugural class was selected from more than 350 people and teams who were nominated. The selection team included Lynch, fellow Hall of Fame in-ductee Jinx Cockerham; former teacher and Ryan’s first girls basketball coach John Gorham; former Ryan athlete and parent Sarah Petre Mullins; former Ryan baseball player and retired Major League Baseball umpire Chuck Meriwether; Di-rector of Advancement Brooke Reusch; Director of Alumni and Communications Angela Mills; and former Athletics Di-rector Devin DeLaughter.

To be eligible, an athlete must be at least 10 years out of Father Ryan and distinguished themselves in the commu-nity, and a coach must be retired from Father Ryan for at least two years.

Among the athletes inducted were people whose impact went beyond their athletic accomplishments. The late Willie Brown, who was one of the best basket-ball players ever at Father Ryan, helped end the racial segregation of high school sports in Nashville when he and Jesse Porter joined the 1963-64 basketball team.

After Father Ryan, Brown, who played at Middle Tennessee State University, was the first African-American to sign a scholarship with a team in the Ohio Val-ley Conference.

Although Lynch earned all-city and all-state honors as a three-sport athlete at Father Ryan, it was being a member of the team that integrated high school sports that was the highlight of his ath-letic career, he said.

“It was difficult sometimes,” he said, but “integrating sports was the most im-portant thing.”

Other highlights of the inaugural class were:

• James “Boots” Donnelly, who was honored three times as an athlete, coach and the coach of the 1974 state cham-pion football team. Donnelly who left Fa-ther Ryan for a long career as a college football head coach at Austin Peay State

University and Middle Tennessee State University, is also a member of the Col-lege Football Hall of Fame.

• Jinx Cockerham, who helped build the girls athletic program at Father Ryan as the longtime volleyball and girls bas-ketball coach, led the Irish to five state championships in volleyball and two state runner-up finishes in basketball.

“I’m so thrilled women are being honored in this select group,” said Cockerham.

Her former players still look up to their coach.

“Jinx really set the stage for us to be strong, independent women,” said Kate Maffei McGuinness, who was inducted as an athlete, starring on the basketball and volleyball teams at Ryan, and as a member of the 1992 state championship volleyball team, the school’s first. “We

still talk about Jinx, how important she was in athletics and in life.”

• Joe Drennan, who brought the wres-tling program at Father Ryan to promi-nence, led the team to its first state championship in 1969, the first title won by a school outside Chattanooga.

“They don’t come any better,” said John “Bubba” Donnelly, a hall of fame inductee who was a member of the 1969 championship team and won an indi-vidual state title that same year. “He was an unbelievable coach.”

“The amazing thing about Joe Dren-nan was he never wrestled,” said Emile Catignani, a member of the 1969 team and the son of fellow hall of fame coach Louis Catignani.

In the early days, Drennan would hold an instruction book as he taught moves

and techniques to his wrestlers, learn-ing the sport along with them.

• For some inductees, success ran in the family. Besides Lynch and his daughters and the Catignanis, other family combinations included: Cocker-ham and her daughter Kelly Cockerham Reilly, inducted as a member of the 1992 volleyball state championship team; Paula Holloran Kennedy, who starred in basketball and track, and her daughter, Katie Lee Carter, who was a standout in volleyball and basketball; and the Mon-delli brothers, Jim and Mike, twins who starred for the football, basketball and baseball teams for Father Ryan.

Many of the inductees were surprised by their selection. “I had no idea it was hap-pening,” said Brooke Siebel, the pitcher

Continued from front page

First hall of fame class honors Ryan’s athletic legacy

Photos by Andy TelliFifty athletes, coaches, contributors and teams were inducted into the Father Ryan High School athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday, Aug. 29. The inductees were the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame. Members of the 1995 state championship softball team, Brooke Davidson Dil, from left, Heather Carpenter Barnett, Melissa Grace Grimes and Lyndsey Lynch Magness prepare to cut the ribbon around the stones engraved with the names of Hall of Fame members outside the Catignani-Drennan Fieldhouse.

Left photo, Megan Stack Emerson, left, and Robin Dieterich, a player and the coach of the 1998 state championship girls soccer team, listen to the National Anthem during the induction ceremonies. The 1998 girls soccer team was one of seven teams included in the inaugural class. Above, Principal Paul Davis, left, presents a plaque to Hall of Famer Jim Hagey.

Continued on page 14


sion for ending a cholera epidemic in the 1700s that devastated families in Barquisimeto.

Celebrating the tradition of La Divina Pastora in Nashville that first time was a profound moment for Deacon Bou-grat.

“During the Our Father, Father (David) Ramirez told me to open my eyes and look up. He said, ‘Look at your people,’” Bougrat recalled. He saw his fellow countrymen join-ing hands and praying together. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

Prayers for the homelandWith the help of Father Ramirez,

director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Nashville, and other priests in the diocese, the growing Venezuelan community of Middle Tennessee con-tinued to meet for a monthly Mass, of-fering special intentions for the people still in their homeland.

It became difficult to find priests each month to celebrate Mass specifi-cally for the Venezuelan community, so Father Bala Showraiah, OFM, pastor of St. Philip, invited them to join the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass there every week. Mass for the Venezuelan community is now held on the fourth Sunday of the month.

The Franklin location is central for many coming from Nashville, Clarks-ville, Hendersonville, and Murfrees-boro, which Deacon Bougrat noted has the fastest growing community of Ven-ezuelans. Although they cannot hang the Venezuelan flag in the church, the colorful flag, with its yellow, blue and red bands and arc of white stars, is draped over the shoulders of someone bringing the gifts to the altar at each Mass.

During the Mass, special intentions—for justice, the health of the people, or for refugees—are offered for the folks back home.

“I try to connect the Gospel reading with the intention of the Mass and suf-fering around the world,” said Bougrat, who came to the United States 19 years ago.

There is no shortage of prayer inten-tions for the people in Venezuela, who are currently suffering from shortages of food, medicine, and electrical power. The regimes of Nicholas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez have changed the country dramatically in the last 20 years, and forced millions of people to flee.

In April, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel Advi-sory, citing “crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, and arbitrary ar-rest and detention of U.S. citizens.”

‘Abuses of humanity’Deacon Bougrat said for Venezu-

elan citizens, daily life has stopped. His in-laws remain in Venezuela, which is a concern for him and his wife, Ana. They send supplies to them via private delivery and receive a photo to prove that the items were received.

Guevara, who earned a degree in veterinary medicine in Venezuela, and came to the United States to study animal nutrition, said that personal

safety is also a big issue for those still in Venezuela. It is dangerous to travel there after dark, he said, and that was a factor that swayed him and his wife, Marijo Hernandez, to stay in the U.S. after he completed his doctoral degree in 2011.

“We had to make a decision,” he said. “We could have gone back, but the situation was worsening. We prayed a lot and then I got a very good job offer in Ohio.”

He, Marijo, and their three sons, two of whom are in college and one in high school, moved to Franklin four years ago. Now Guevara works for Mars Pet Care as a veterinarian specializing in dog and cat nutrition.

He has seen his family scatter from Venezuela as a result of the unrest. His brother has resettled to Spain, his brother-in-law went to Portugal, and two nephews moved to Argentina.

But his mother does not want to leave Venezuela. She has spent some time with her son in Franklin and is in Spain now with her other son because of the

numerous power outages back home. At 82, she is still a working pharmacist, but with the medicine shortages, she has been unable to fill many prescrip-tions.

Caracas is just over 2,000 miles from Nashville, a slightly shorter distance than it is from Middle Tennessee to Seattle, and Venezuela is closer than some Americans may realize.

“Right beside us one of the greatest abuses of humanity is happening,” said Deacon Bougrat.

Both Deacon Bougrat and Guevara said that Venezuelans coming to the United States have traditionally been highly educated professionals and that continues, but Guevara said that in the last 18 months, he’s seen a larger influ-ence from his country and, in the last year, they are arriving with increased need and under more desperate condi-tions. They earn a living driving for Uber or working in a kitchen, very different from the livelihood they left behind. Some have come to request asylum.

“They’re doing whatever they can do to survive,” Guevara said.

Stronger faith, stronger countryThis is true of Miriam Bracho, who

is a member of the Mass team and a native of Barquisimeto. Bracho, a long-time journalist in Venezuela, was one of the country’s first female sports report-ers. For 15 years she served as sports editor for Notitarde, the country’s sec-ond largest newspaper.

The editorial position of the paper opposed the country’s political regime. When the government took over the publication it fired the senior staff, Bracho included. Additionally, she said, the government began following and harassing her. She applied for asylum and came to Franklin in 2016.

“I love Franklin,” Bracho said. “But my life here is different.” It was diffi-cult leaving her country, and she would like to be a journalist again. Like others from her country, she is doing what she has to do to survive: housekeeping, cashiering, delivery driving. She is a volunteer at St. Philip where she edits the Spanish version of the bulletin.

“I love that job,” she said. “It’s my way to help the church and the Hispanic community. It’s a big Hispanic commu-nity at St. Philip.”

The monthly Mass, meeting up with fellow Venezuelans, and the chance to help her countrymen who are still in Venezuela are fortifying her.

“We have to keep them in our prayers. I feel good because we pray for our families, our friends, and our coun-try in general.” Bracho said. “Every month my faith is stronger. And I hope my country will be stronger.”

She calls La Divina Pastora her “pro-tector” and until she left Venezuela, participated in the procession every year with her family.

Building communityThe Venezuelan community in Ten-

nessee is growing; asylum applications from Venezuelans have spiked recently, and they currently represent the larg-est group of asylees served by Catho-lic Charities of Tennessee. Deacon Bougrat and others on the Venezuelan Mass team continue to reach out to the community by word of mouth and social media.

At the fourth Sunday Mass, they ex-pect anywhere from 40 to 100 to join other Spanish speaking residents of the area. Venezuelans are encouraged to wear white so they can be spotted easily and invited to a pot luck or social event following the Mass.

“This is bringing the Venezuelan com-munity together,” said Bougrat. “When you emigrate from a country where things are bad … you feel this empti-ness. Seeing the flag, others from your country, binds you together.”

It is also a time for them, Guevara says, to perform their “ora et labora” – prayer and work. They take up a collec-tion and draw the name of a foundation or other organization to send to perhaps a food pantry, or home for the elderly or children. Each month, a different orga-nization is chosen to receive the dona-tion via electronic transfer so they know the money is going where it’s intended.

“With the little bit we can collect, we try to do something,” Guevara said.

Marian devotion brings Venezuelan community together

The Venezuelan Catholic community in Middle Tennessee joins at least once a month for Mass at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin. Deacon Raphael Bougrat, at left, a native of Venezuela, is a leader of the group. The Venezuelan flag can be seen draped over the shoulders of a gift-bearer.

Continued from front page


Charities counselor inspired by children with autism to write bookKristina Shaw

For Catholic Charities of Tennes-see counselor Amy Sturm, it was a nickname pinned on her by her

son that brought into focus the idea for her new children’s book designed for kids with autism.

“He turned around and he called me and he said, ‘Oh goodness gracious. Hurry up Cock-a-Doodle Sue,’” Sturm said. At the time she was putting on her boots to take care of the family chickens. Her then 8-year-old son, Hayden, thought she was taking too long.

Sturm had been toying with the idea of writing a book, but that moment lit the match. The result was the book “Cock-a-Doodle Sue,” which was re-leased on Aug. 9.

The story follows a young hen who adventures around her farm learning about the other animals and what they do, while trying to understand her own role.

“In a very small way, it’s just embrac-ing your differences and what you bring to the table, because that’s what I was seeing with so many of the kids that I work with,” Sturm said. “These kids that are on the spectrum, they have these amazing gifts to see the world in such a completely different way but sometimes we miss that and sometimes they don’t even know what that is.”

Sturm has a master’s degree in so-cial work and is a school counselor at Immaculate Conception School in Clarksville, as part of a Catholic Chari-ties program. She works with students on an individual or group basis by referral and does workshops on issues like friendship, bullying and divorce.

She also does a monthly program for children with parents in the military at nearby Fort Campbell.

A large portion of the children Sturm works with are autistic and her eldest son also has mild Asperger syndrome. She often uses children’s books to

teach her lessons, and she plans on incorporating her book.

“A lot of the time with the kids that

are on the spectrum I’m saying you have something special to offer and I tell them how much I love their out-of-the-box thinking,” she said.

She would like to have readings at other diocesan schools.

Later in September Sturm will par-ticipate in a Franklin festival as a local author. She was thrown a book-launch party by Immaculate Conception School on Aug. 16. The party was out-doors in keeping with the farm theme, complete with hay bale seating.

“That’s what it was all about,” Sturm said, about being able to read to the kids and knowing that they understood the message.

The book is self-published and is illustrated by Chicago-based artist Brooke O’Neill. The two were con-nected through social media. She also used an editor located in England, who according to Sturm, did not under-stand all of the Southern colloquial-isms in the book.

“She would say, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Sturm said.

This is the counselor’s first book, but not the last.

“I’ve got several ideas, but I haven’t done anything with those yet. (I’m) just enjoying the moment right now,” she said.

Sturm lives in Franklin on 32 acres with her sons, husband Stacy and eight chickens. She calls herself a “wanna be farm girl” and loves to be outside and around animals.

“Cock-a-Doodle Sue” is available through Amazon in paperback and as an e-book.

Amy Sturm, a Catholic Charities counselor who works at Immaculate Conception School in Clarksville, recently self-published a book about “embracing your differences and what you bring to the table,” she said. Sturm is pictured here at her book launch party with IC fourth grader Charlie McCoy.

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The Faith and Justice Ministry at St. Henry Church in Nash-ville will present a showing

of the movie “Dead Man Walking”, followed by a discussion of the death penalty, 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in the Parish Conference Meeting Room.

Nashville news veteran Demetria Kalodimos, who regularly visited an inmate on death row for years, will be on hand to help with the discus-sion.

“Dead Man Walking” is the story of Sister Helen Prejean, who became the spiritual advisor to an inmate on Death Row in Louisiana. She is a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

In 2018, Pope Francis approved a change in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, stating that the death penalty is inadmissible in all circumstances “because it is an at-tack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

In light of the State of Tennessee resuming the execution of inmates on death row, the Faith and Justice

Ministry is striving to help all under-stand the importance of this change of stance by the Catholic Church.

For more information, contact ministry coordinator Aimee Shelide Mayer at 615-426-6047 or [email protected].

St. Henry to host movie, discussion on death penalty

Sister Helen Prejean wrote the book “Dead Man Walking” about her experience ministering to a death row inmate in Louisiana who was executed.


Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Fraternus, a

youth program in which adult men

mentor young men in leading authen-tic lives of virtue.

Fidelis, the sister program for Catholic women and girls is celebrat-

ing its first two years at Our Lady of the Lake.

The annual fundraiser banquet for both programs, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, will feature na-tional speaker Jimmy Mitchell, who is known for his inspiring talks and helped bring Fraternus to the Dio-cese of Nashville.

Guests will additionally enjoy brief talks from a Fraternus brother, a Fraternus mom and a Fidelis sister.

Proceeds from the banquet allow Fraternus boys and girls to attend the summer camps, Fraternus Ranch and Fidelis Inspire. The summer camp experience is often the culminat-ing spiritual experience of the year, which leads to the transformation of young hearts.

Donations can be made online at ololcconline.com in the Fraternus or Fidelis category under the Donate link or mailed to 1729 Stop Thirty Road, Hendersonville, TN 37075.

For more information about Frater-nus or Fidelis, contact the office at Our Lady of the Lake at 615 824-3276.

Fundraiser banquet to benefit Fraternus, Fidelis

St. Stephen parishioner to start transportation service for disabledBriana Grzybowski

Rhonda Clark, a parishioner at St. Stephen Catholic Community in Old Hickory, is one of many

Nashvillians who to face difficulties navigating through the city’s increas-ingly overpopulated streets.

Born with cerebral palsy, Clark uses a wheelchair and a service dog to help her live as indepen-dently as pos-sible. But that makes it hard for her to find reliable and affordable transportation to go where she wants to go.

Metro transportation services only operate within Davidson County. The one she uses, WeGo Access on De-mand, isn’t available on weekends.

Fed up with these restrictions, Clark is starting her own transportation service, Able and Ready, Inc., to help people who are in the same boat as her.

She is still in the process of raising money to begin with four wheelchair accessible minivans, which cost $200,000 total. Able and Ready will be available to all elderly and disabled people in Davidson and surround-ing counties. “The need is definitely there,” Clark said. “A lady from Penn-

sylvania who follows me on Facebook told me, ‘We need this where I live too.’”

Her passengers will be able to travel to any county in Middle Tennessee for no additional cost. “One time I used a private transportation company to get my wheelchair fixed in Rutherford

County and it cost me $190 one way,” she said. “That’s ridiculous.”

She sees Able and Ready as a means of helping people with disabilities to reach their God-given po-tential.

“I want everyone to understand that people with disabil-ities are people too. We don’t just go to the hospital or the doctor’s office. We want to live full and independent lives just like you. If you are elderly or disabled and want to go to church or a concert or the grocery store, you should be able to do that. The main reason people with disabilities can’t keep a job is because they can’t find reliable, affordable transportation. Able and Ready is a non-medical, non-emergency service to help people do those normal, everyday things.”

She promises that her employees will provide the best in customer ser-vice.

“Able and Ready will be a cut above the rest, guaranteed,” she said. “One time a while back I was working late and got off at 9:15 at night. My ride did not show up until 11:30. I won’t tolerate that type of employee behav-ior. It’s unacceptable.”

So far, Clark has been spreading the word to the local community on Facebook and through a few TV news appearances on News Channel 5 and Fox 17. “The feedback I’ve gotten so far has been great and I can’t wait to get this off the ground,” she said.

Ultimately, Able and Ready is her

way of giving back to people who need it. “Able and Ready is not all about me. One day, it could be you or your fam-ily member who needs help, and what will you do then?” she said.

“Recently, I was blessed to celebrate my 50th birthday after doctors told my parents I would not survive 48 hours after birth,” she added. “As long as God gives me a pulse, I have a pur-pose. My purpose is to help others.”

Those wanting to help with Able and Ready’s fundraising may do so online at its GoFundMe page: gofundme.com/f/able-amp-ready-transportation-inc. Donations are also acceptable at any First Farmers Bank branch in Tennessee, with Able and Ready Transportation, Inc. as the account. Checks can also be sent to Able and Ready Transportation, Inc. P.O. Box 110275 Nashville, TN 37222.

St. Stephen parishioner Rhonda Clark, pictured with her service dog, is starting a new transportation service for those with physical disabilities. She is currently accepting donations to launch Able and Ready Transportation, Inc. through a Go Fund Me campaign.

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September 6, 201912 Tennessee Register

It can be a dicey proposition for a curious Catholic to push out into the choppy

waters of Church statistics. The further out you venture, the more grim things look; and as you peer toward the horizon, the clouds appear darker and the waves higher.

Although happily the Dio-cese of Nashville is bucking the national trends in some areas, particularly vocations and parish growth, nationally, there are fewer priests serv-ing fewer parishes and fewer seminarians to take their place. Religious orders have a fraction of the brothers and sisters they had a generation or two ago. Infant baptisms are down, as are adult bap-tisms. Fewer children are receiving their first Com-munions. Church weddings are down. Mass attendance is down. There are fewer Catholic elementary schools educating fewer grade-school children; the trend is simi-lar in Catholic high schools throughout the United States.

While the storm is swirling around us, no doubt, one sta-tistic stands out like a beacon of hope. This fall, assuming recent trends continue, a re-cord number of students will be roaming dorm hallways and filling up lecture halls on the campuses of Catholic colleges and universities across the country. Accord-ing to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the student population at Catholic colleges has nearly doubled over the past 50 years – from more than 400,000 in 1970 to 770,000 in 2018.

Certainly, not all of those students are Catholic, and sta-tistics tell us that a good num-ber of those who identify as Catholic eventually will stray from the faith. But to focus only on potential negative outcomes would mean miss-ing the very real opportunity the Church is presented with in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to a population that sorely needs it.

St. John Paul II, in a 1984 meeting with Catholic educators in Newfoundland, stressed the importance of the Church for young people.

“Young people today are buf-feted in every direction by loud and competing claims upon their attention and al-legiance,” he said. “From around the world, they hear daily messages of conflict and hostility, of greed and injus-tice, of poverty and despair. Amidst this social turmoil, young people are eager to find solid and enduring values which can give meaning and purpose to their lives. They are searching for a firm place – a high ground – on which to stand. They seek a sense of direction, a goal which will give meaning and purpose to their lives.”

Most accredited colleges or universities – Catholic or secular – have the ability to provide a quality education that prepares students for their future career. And while learning how to solve algebra equations or format paren-thetical citations might not be dependent on there being a crucifix on the classroom wall, Catholic colleges help students develop more than just their intellect; they help to form men and women of character.

Students on Catholic cam-

puses are surrounded by a support system that accompa-nies them on their academic and spiritual journeys – from professors who model the faith in their classrooms, to chaplains offering the sacra-ments as well as spiritual guidance, to faith-filled friends who are there to lean on.

When these students gradu-ate and move on to their ca-reers, they do so as young men and women equipped not only with the skills to excel in their particular fields, but also with their moral compass pointed toward serving Christ and serving others. It is in this formation of disciples that we find an abundance of hope.

In “Christus Vivit” (“Christ is Alive”), the apostolic ex-hortation that followed the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment, Pope Francis responds to a friend asking what he sees in today’s young person. He writes: “I see someone who is searching for his or her own path, who wants to fly on their two feet, who faces the world and looks at the horizon with eyes full of the future, full of hope as well as illusions. ... To talk about

young people is to talk about promise and to talk about joy. Young people have so much strength; they are able to look ahead with hope.”

This is the hope to which we cling amid rough seas. De-spite the storm clouds, we see light on the horizon piercing the darkness.

This unsigned editorial first appeared online Aug. 13 on the website of Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic newsweekly based in Huntington, Indiana. It was written by the editorial board.

John Bosio

Recently I came across an article published a few years ago in Psychology

Today. The title caught my at-tention because it is counter intuitive: “Happiness is not a feeling.”

The author, Dr. Ben Fletcher writes that, although we per-ceive happiness as an emotion, what drives our happiness is what we do, the habits we develop. The feelings we call happiness come about because of the way we behave. If we are unhappy and want to be happy, we cannot just imagine ourselves to be happy, we need to do something that will cause us to experience positive feel-ings.

In other words, we need to change what we do and act in a way that will generate the emo-tions we want.

What I learned in working with couples is that many who are in pain know that they need to make some changes to feel better. What they lack is often the motivation, the strength to challenge the situ-ation they find themselves in. Often it is easier to stay stuck

than to find the courage to shake things up to bring about much needed changes.

What I also learned in my life is that one of the driving forces that can help people make changes in their life is the power of meaning. There actu-ally is a school of psychother-apy, founded by Victor Frankl, that is dedicated to exploring the power of meaning in our life. It is called: “Logotherapy.”

The meaning we give to our existence, the way we under-stand who we are, and the pur-pose we give to our life can be the source of the strength we need to make change happen.

Religious faith is a clear source of meaning and pur-pose in life. If you are a person of faith, a spouse who feels stuck in a relationship that is causing you more negative feelings than positive ones, re-solve to do something small to start the process of getting you and your spouse unstuck.

I am not talking about some-thing drastic. What I am sug-gesting as a first step is even simpler than going to counsel-ing, and yet very powerful. It is prayer. Pray to discern what you need to change, and to find the courage to get started.

An article by Mark Butler and Hannah Herring published by the Institute for Family Studies makes a strong case

for the power of prayer in mar-riage.

According to the authors, prayer establishes a therapeu-tic triangle between husband, wife and God. Prayer and the graces that it brings help you open your heart for change inspired by God’s benevolence toward you and your spouse. Prayer connects you with the source of meaning in your life and leads you to forgive yourself and your spouse, ap-preciate what you have, and be willing to make sacrifices for the common good.

Let God’s graces be the source of energy to guide you and give you the courage to act in a way that will help you ex-perience joy in your life more and more often.

A lot of research has been done on this phenomenon. An article published in March 2019 in Christianity Today finds that religious practice helps couples find happiness in mar-riage. Drawing from a report called “The Ties That Bind” the researchers found that couples who attend religious services two to three times per month or more are much hap-pier than couples who never attend religious services.

For example, 67 percent of wives in the first group rate the quality of their marriage relationship above average,

while only 47 percent of wives who are less religious do so. A similar correlation seems to exist when it comes to sexual satisfaction.

However, “The Ties That Bind” report shows that reli-gious faith alone may not help heal couples that suffer from intimate partner violence. Here prayer can be a start but the guidance of a therapist is also needed. The study found that about 20 percent of couples suffer from some form of inti-mate partner violence: hitting, threats, controlling behaviors and others. If you find yourself in this situation, seek profes-sional help.

I am not suggesting that prayer is the cure for all prob-lems. Prayer can be the start-ing point. It gives us the graces and the wisdom we need to make the first move toward improving our life. There are times in life when the help of a priest or a counselor is neces-sary.

Happiness – joy in our per-

sonal life and as a couple – is a work in progress, one that de-pends on the choices I make, and not on the choices that my spouse makes.

Questions for Reflection: Is prayer part of your life? What do you pray for? Do you pray for your spouse?

John Bosio is a parishioner of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Old Hickory. He is the au-thor of two books on marriage: “Happy Together: The Catholic Blueprint for a Loving Mar-riage,” and “Blessed is Mar-riage: A Guide to the Beatitudes 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: [email protected].

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.

GUEST EDITORIAL

FAITHFUL MARRIAGES

Happiness is not a feeling but a result of behavior

Finding hope on Catholic college campusesCollege Fair

St. Cecilia Academy will host its annual Catholic College

Fair 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9. Representatives of nearly 30 Catholic col-leges and universities from around the country will be on hand to provide information about their schools. The fair is open to all interested students and their families.

Tennessee Register 13September6, 2019

Mary Margaret Lambert

I come from a long line of great cooks, with the no-table exception of my ma-

ternal grandmother. Poor, sweet soul could not

even boil water without burn-ing it, but it was part of her charm, and she could slice a mean piece of apple pie she purchased every week from Harvey’s bakery. After her standing weekly hair appoint-ment in their beauty salon, she always bought a pie to bring home on the bus with her.

Because it was necessary for her to work full time, Gram-mie left the cooking to her husband, (my “Pop”) and to my mother.

Mamma learned to cook in self defense when both par-ents were at work. She had

two hungry younger broth-ers in addition to her mother, father and herself, so she just taught herself to prepare weekday meals for the family.

Pop was in charge on week-ends and he was a whiz at making a mouthwatering roast in the pressure cooker. Mamma got some coaching from her aunt, who had been taught by her mother, Mam-ma’s grandma. Nanny was known as a “country cook” who fried chicken and made dumplings with lard, made daily cornbread with butter-milk, and never heard of any meat being broiled.

My daddy’s mother, on the other hand, was always in the kitchen preparing some Ital-ian dish. It was nothing for her to make a vat of meatballs and gravy every Sunday and feed the entire family and anyone else who was fortunate enough to stay for dinner.

She taught my mother how to make meatballs after she

married my father, and the results were amazing. I have made mine just as I was shown by them and have made some reference notes for my own children and grandchildren.

Grandma always selected a lean chuck roast and asked the butcher to grind it twice. Since it is no longer an option for me, I purchase extra lean pre-packaged ground beef and prepare myself to dodge the lightning bolts sent down from above.

The only problem with all these cooks is the fact that they seldom wrote anything down. They used a pinch of this, a handful of that, a dab of something else and neglected to write it somewhere for fu-ture generations. We learned by observing and tried to rep-licate whatever they did, some-times with less than palatable results.

I have a collection of nap-kins, envelopes and scratch pads with scribbled recipes

obtained from friends of my female predecessors. I have copied these jewels onto three-hole punch paper and created a notebook for posterity. These recipes were pre-cholesterol, sodium, and heart healthy days, and I occasionally must tweak them a bit to avoid a visit to the hospital ER.

As a subscriber to several womens’ magazines, I am disil-lusioned with the recipes they contain. Many of them call for unusual spices or unheard-of ingredients. The last time I de-cided to follow one of the reci-pes, I spent $10 on items that I’ll never use again, and the finished product wasn’t even recycled into leftovers.

When I see a new recipe, if it contains more than five ingredients or four prepara-tion steps, I refuse to even consider making it, no matter how appealing it might be. I am not interested in making cupcakes that look like sharks or table settings that involve

elaborate preparations and multi-purchases at craft stores. I just want plain, no frills, down-to-earth meals that don’t require me to spend hours in the kitchen doing preparation and clean up.

When I think of great cooks, I don’t even consider Emeril Lagasse, Ina Garten, Julia Child or Rachel Ray, I think about my grandmother, mother, aunts and the gen-erations of family members whose culinary skills are the stuff that make sweet dreams and mouthwatering memo-ries.

Andy Rooney sums up cook-ing rather well:

“The two biggest sellers in any bookstore are the cook-books and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food, and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it.”

Copyright © 2018 Mary Mar-garet Lambert

Msgr. Owen F. Campion

BACKGROUND. The first reading for the weekend of Sept. 15

is from the Book of Exodus. This book roughly chronicles the passage of the Hebrew people from Egypt, where they had been slaves.

Moses guided them, but the Hebrew refugees believed that God guided Moses, since Moses could not have accom-plished such a task without God’s help. So, while they had Moses to thank for their successful and safe passage across the Sinai Peninsula to the land God had promised them, they ultimately gave thanks to Almighty God.

In this reading, God indeed speaks to Moses. God indicts

the people, first, for sinning, but also for committing the greatest of sins. They had constructed, and then wor-shipped, an idol, a calf crafted from metal.

Harsh punishment would follow, not because of divine wrath, but because they had pushed God away and were left with their inadequacies.

Moses implored God to for-give the people, pleading that God remain the people’s guide and protector even though they had sinned.

The First Epistle to Timothy provides the second reading. Timothy was St. Paul’s dis-ciple. Together with Silvanus, Timothy had accompanied Paul on some of Paul’s mis-sionary travels.

While elsewhere in his writ-ings Paul seemed to express some doubts about Timothy’s skills for leadership, Paul nev-ertheless regarded him as a special associate and faithful disciple.

To fortify Timothy’s fidel-ity, Paul explained his own personal devotion to Christ. Paul described his vocation as an apostle and as a believer. In this effort, Paul made very clear that he was a sinner, un-worthy of God’s saving grace. Despite all this, Paul insisted, God had saved him from eter-nal death, through Jesus the Redeemer.

St. Luke’s Gospel supplies the last reading. It is a story of the willingness of the Lord to associate with tax collectors and sinners. Today, some ex-planation helps to understand why the critics of Jesus so dis-

dained tax collectors.Tax collectors at that time

were very bad people, for two main reasons. In the first place, they were turncoats and traitors. They were tools of the detested Roman occupa-tion, collecting taxes for the imperial treasury. Secondly, they were legalized thieves and extortionists. Under the Roman system, tax collec-tors could assess taxes in any

amounts they themselves chose. Then they could take whatever they received above and beyond what was sent to Rome and put it in their own pockets.

They were the worst of the worst.

Jesus associated with them and with all despicable types. Not surprisingly, Jesus was criticized. The Lord answered the criticism with three beauti-

ful parables. The last of these parables is the story of the Prodigal, one of the most be-loved of the parables.

Lessons are clear. God’s mercy never ends, nor is it ever limited. It awaits even the worst of sinners, if only they repent. God reaches out to all with forgiveness and mercy.

Actually, no one is perfect. We all are sinners, maybe as heartless as the ancient tax collectors. We all need forgive-ness.

ReflectionIn the Vatican Museum

is a splendid item that the Austrian emperor and Hun-garian king, Francis Joseph, gave to Pope Leo XIII on the pontiff’s 25th anniversary in the papacy in 1903. Mounted on a magnificent marble pedestal are exquisite gold figures of 99 sheep, following a shepherd holding one sheep in his arms. They represent the Good Shepherd who has found the stray sheep and literally is carrying this sheep to safety.

This beautiful artwork illus-trates the first of the weekend of Sept. 15’s parables and teaches us about the mercy of God. We are apt to lose our way, but the Good Shepherd will search for us and bring us home. He loves us that much.

We all wander and need God. God never forsakes us, not even corrupt tax collec-tors.

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

Sunday, September 15, 2019Twenty-fourth Sunday

in Ordinary Time

Readings:Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14

1 Timothy 1:12-17Luke 15:1-32

Sunday, September 22, 2019Twenty-fifth Sunday

in Ordinary Time

Readings:Amos 8:4-7

1 Timothy 2:1-8Luke 16:1-13

NEXT SUNDAY

PINCH OF FAITH

When we lose our way, God never forsakes us

“The Return of the Prodigal Son,” 1773, by Pompeo Batoni

From Mamma with love: recipes for a lifetime


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who led the softball team to its first state championship in 1995. “It’s awesome. I love the school. It was just nice to be rec-ognized for representing Father Ryan.”

“Everything I am today is because of what I learned here. My foundation was laid here,” said Eva Lemeh, a 1979 grad-uate who was a standout in basketball, softball, track and field, and volleyball at Father Ryan before going on to play bas-ketball at Vanderbilt University.

The hall of fame celebration evoked “the sense of community that we all share, the memories, the wonders and the woes,” said Deacon Jim Holzmer, a wrestler on the 1969 state championship team. “We share the blessed opportunities to be a part of this place. I just treasure it.”

The inaugural class of the Father Ryan Athletics Hall of Fame included:

Athletes• Tommy Bateman, Class of 1975,

football, wrestling• Joe “Flip” Bates, ’56, football, track

and field• Thomas “Tricky” Beehan, ’29, bas-

ketball• Willie Brown, ’65, basketball• Tony Carletello, ’89, football, wres-

tling• Katie Lee Carter, ’99, basketball, vol-

leyball• John E “Itch” Curley, ’40, baseball,

basketball, football

• James “Boots” Donnelly, ’61, base-ball, basketball, football

• John “Bubba” Donnelly, ’69, football, wrestling

• Peter J Ferreira, ’83, swimming• Bob Forster, ’75, football• Willie Geny, ’32, basketball, football• Lou Graham, ’56, basketball, golf• Jim Hagey, ’46, baseball, basketball,

football, tennis• Donna Harris, ’89, basketball, soccer• Kim (Caughron) Hulse, ’90, basket-

ball, softball, volleyball• Paula (Holloran) Kennedy, ’75, bas-

ketball, softball, volleyball• Eva Lemeh, ’79, basketball, softball,

track and field, volleyball• Billy Lynch, ’64, baseball, basketball,

football• Lindsey (Lynch) Magness, ’95, bas-

ketball, softball, volleyball• Kate (Maffei) McGuinness, ’94, bas-

ketball, volleyball• Jim Mondelli, ’64, baseball, basket-

ball, football• Mike Mondelli, ’64, baseball, basket-

ball, football• Kurt Page, ’81, baseball, basketball,

football• Bobby Reese, ’42, basketball, tennis• Bernie Rohling, ’40, football• Karen (Harris) Russell, ’74, basket-

ball• Brooke Siebel, ’97, softball• Joe Stamps, ’78, baseball, basketball,

football• David Thoni, ’83, wrestling

• Thomas “Yogi” Walsh, ’67, football, wrestling

• Chris Wilson, ’78, football, track and field, wrestling

• Mike Wright, ’75, baseball, basket-ball, football

Coaches• Louis Catignani, ’44, football• Jinx Cockerham, girls basketball,

volleyball• Bill Derrick, ’48, basketball, inte-

grated sports at Father Ryan• James “Boots” Donnelly, ’61, football• Joe Drennan, ’57, wrestling• Leo J Long, first head coach: base-

ball, basketball, football

Contributors• Jim Carell, ’54• Father Charley Giacosa• Msgr. James Hitchcock, ’39

Teams• 1963-64 Boys Basketball Team, first

integrated sports team in Nashville• 1969 State Champion Wrestling Team,

first wrestling champions from Nashville• 1974 State Champion Football Team• 1988 State Champion Wrestling

Team (Duals)• 1992 State Champion Volleyball Team• 1995 State Champion Softball Team• 1998 State Champion Girls Soccer

TeamTo learn more about each inductee,

visit www.tenneesseeregister.com.

Hall of fame class honors Ryan’s legacyContinued from front page

Father ofSt. Stephen’sassociate pastor dies

Aloysius Dirichukwu, father of Father Emmanuel Di-richukwu, associate pastor of

St. Stephen Catholic Community in Old Hickory, has died at age 71.

The Dirichukwu family is from Ni-geria, and Father Emmanuel came to the United States in 2011 to con-tinue his seminary studies. He at-tended Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Nashville in 2015 by the late Bishop David Choby.

Father Emmanuel’s father Aloysius Dirichukwu and other family mem-bers traveled to Nashville from Nige-ria for the ordination; it was the first time they had seen him since 2011. Seeing his son ordained made Father Dirichukwu’s father “very happy,” he told the Tennessee Register in 2015. “I thank the diocese,” he said.

Father Emmanuel celebrated a memorial Mass for his father at St. Stephen on Aug. 31.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent to Father Emmanuel at St. Stephen, 14544 Lebanon Road, Old Hickory, TN, 37138.


St. Joseph launches new school year with praise and worshipFrom staff reports

St. Joseph Church launched the school year with a special event featuring some of the country’s

top Catholic musicians.“We just wanted to celebrate and pray

the kids into a new school year, making sure the focus was on Jesus for the start of the year,” said Kristin Maher, the de-velopment director for St. Joseph School.

The event, which was held Sunday, Aug. 25, was open to students of all ages and their families, and about 200 people attended, Maher said.

It started with the celebration of the parish’s regular youth Mass at 5 p.m., and included adoration and praise and worship led by musicians Matt Maher, who has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and was the GMA Dove Awards Songwriter of the Year in 2015, PJ Anderson and Sarah Kroger, who are all parishioners at St. Joseph.

The crowd included “a lot of St. Jo-seph families,” students from Pope John Paul II and Father Ryan high schools, 33 Dominican Sisters of St. Ce-cilia, and several people who were visit-ing from out of town, Maher said.

“We went through 85 large pizzas,” she said.

“We’re probably going to do another one this year because it was so well re-ceived and so much fun,” Maher said.

St. Joseph has been offering a youth and young adult Mass for about a year, after the Maher and Anderson families approached St. Joseph Pastor Father Jean Baptiste Kyabuta about the possi-bility, Kristin Maher said.

Her husband, Matt Maher, along with Anderson and Kroger, provide the music for the Mass.

The Mahers were involved with a similar Mass when he worked at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona, where the Life Teen program started, Kristin Maher said.

All families are encouraged to come to the youth and young adult Mass, which is held at 5 p.m. Sundays at St. Joseph on Gallatin Road in Madison.

St. Philip Ministry Fair draws 1,600St. Philip Church in Franklin held its annual Ministry Fair on the weekend of Aug. 24-25 with more than 1,600 people passing through the Ministry Maze set up in the parish’s Community Center. With more than 60 active ministries in the areas of service, liturgy, education and evangelization, parishioners have many choices in serving others and growing in their faith.

St. Joseph School hosted a back to school bash on Aug. 25 that included praise and worship music with top Catholic musicians. PJ Anderson, above, left, Matt Maher, and Sarah Kroger, all St. Joseph parishioners and prominent Catholic musicians, performed at the event. At right, Father Tien Tran, associate pastor of St. Joseph Church, joined in the festivities.


Andy Telli

Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville wanted to find a way to share Mass with parishio-

ners who can’t attend because of illness or because they are homebound.

Since last spring, the parish has been livestreaming online its weekend Masses.

“The fruit of it already has been great,” said Father Eric Fowlkes, Our Lady of the Lake’s pastor. “I’ve received so many notes, emails and messages of apprecia-tion.”

Watching the Mass online doesn’t fulfill the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, Father Fowlkes said, and the livestreaming is intended for those who can’t get to church. But the audience for the livestreamed Masses is wider than anticipated.

The livestreamed Masses have been watched by residents of local nursing homes, and family members from out of town have used it to watch special events like Confirmations and First Communions, said Doug Blake, who organized the program along with pa-rishioner Tim Kolp.

Former parishioners who have moved out of town have reconnected with Our Lady of the Lake by watching the livestreamed Masses, Blake said.

“The biggest surprise we’ve had is the family of Father Thomas in India have been watching,” Blake said of the family of Associate Pastor Thomas Kalam, CMI.

When the parish held a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of Father Kalam’s ordination, his family in India watched it online. His nephew later texted Father Kalam a photo of the fam-ily watching the celebration, Blake said.

“Father Eric watched us from Italy when he was on vacation. And we have regular viewers in Australia who had vis-ited our parish previously,” Blake said.

The parish started investigating the possibility several years ago, Blake said.

“It took a lot of research and develop-ment,” trying to find the right camera, equipment and software, Blake said. “It was a lot more difficult to find the infor-mation than actually doing it.”

The parish uses a remote-controlled camera mounted on a wall at the back of the sanctuary. Volunteers, using vMix software, control the camera from a small storage room in the narthex of the church.

Close-ups of the altar, ambo, presider’s chair and other locations are pre-set, and the controllers can zoom in and out

as needed, Blake explained.“It’s a unique way of attending Mass,”

Blake said of the volunteers controlling the camera. “They’re a lot more focused without distractions.”

Our Lady of the Lake livestreams all four weekend Masses, including at 5 p.m. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, and the Spanish Mass at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Viewers can watch the Masses live

through the parish website: www.ololon-line.com.

After the Mass, the video is uploaded to a server and can be watched later, Blake said. “We currently have about 80 masses and events that can be viewed.”

“The server we use has a monthly fee,” Blake said, and the Msgr. William S. Bev-ington Knights of Columbus Council 9132 at the parish pays the fee. “So this is being sponsored by the Knights,” he added.

People can also watch the livestreamed Masses on their mobile devices using the My Parish app, Blake said.

The parish uses a team of about 12 volunteers who operating the camera, Blake said. “We have a rotation, so one person doesn’t have to do it every week,” he added.

Most of the volunteers are Knights of Columbus, Blake said. “Some of the younger members of the Hispanic com-munity are also helping.”

“One of my patients is in assisted liv-ing and she uses it,” said Dr. Robert Krauth, one of the volunteer camera operators.

“It’s gratifying to know people are reaching out and using it,” said Sam Schott, another of the volunteers.

Parish livestreams Masses to reach those who can’t attend

Photo by Andy TelliOur Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville is livestreaming its Mass for people who can’t attend Mass because they are homebound or are ill. Dr. Robert Krauth, left, and Sam Schott, members of Knights of Columbus Council 9132 at Our Lady of the Lake, operate the camera to livestream Mass.

WASHINGTON. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and presi-

dent of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has called for “Catho-lics and all people of good will” to make donations in support of relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

“As we continue to be vigilant for the effects of Hurricane Dorian as it approaches the U.S. coast, we are extremely mindful of the dire need faced by the community in the Baha-mas so devastated by this catastrophic storm,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

Hurricane Dorian left seven people dead in the Bahamas before heading toward the East Coast of the United States.

“We pray for all affected and invite Catholics and all people of goodwill to donate to Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

The donations to Catholic Relief Services can be made at https://sup-port.crs.org/donate/hurricane-dorian and to Catholic Charities USA at https://app.mobilecause.com/form/RTKRvQ?vid=1snqm.

USCCB calls for prayers, donations to help Dorian victims

CNS photo/Dante Carrer, Reuters People carry their belongings through rubble Sept. 2, 2019, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.

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