Diocese navigates new step in Synod process Dialogue sessions hosted during Lent; diocesan report will be sent to the Vatican By The East Tennessee Catholic
DAN MCWILLIAMS
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hen Pope Francis called the Church to synodality three years ago, no one guaranteed the path would be certain. In January, dioceses in the United States were made aware of an unexpected round of local dialogue called for after the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops concluded its session in Rome in October 2023. With guidance and assistance from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, dioceses jumped into action—with most of them, including the Diocese of Knoxville, hosting their dialogue sessions during Lent. “Getting the sessions put together quickly presented a few challenges. Deciding how they should work and making sure people were aware were critical,” said diocesan communications director Jim Wogan. “Originally, we planned to have them in early March, but at the recommendation of a pastor, we moved them to mid-March. It was a good suggestion.” The sessions in the Diocese of Knoxville were held on March 16 and March 19 at the Chancery office. Participants were able to join the discussion in person and online. Referred to as the Interim Session of the Synod, the meetings were held almost two years after parishes, schools, and ministries conducted “listening sessions” that resulted in the Diocese of Knoxville producing a 10-page Synthesis Re-
Interim Session of the Synod The group attending the March 19 Synod dialogue session at the Chancery discusses a topic. At right, diocesan Hispanic Ministry director Blanca Primm provides a Spanish translation for one of the participants. port that was delivered to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in May 2022. That report eventually made its way to be included in discussions during the 2023 General Assembly in Rome. “We had a great response during the listening sessions in 2022, with more than 4,600 people par-
ticipating in an online survey,” Mr. Wogan said. “Additionally, parishes, schools, and ministries conducted their own sessions, and the diocese, through Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, made a real effort to reach out to people living on the margins.” The 2022 effort was led by Dea-
con Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, and Lisa Healy, recently retired executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. Deacon Al Forsythe and Mr. Wogan organized the dialogue sessions for the Interim Stage. Turnout in March was light but Synod continued on page B2
Breakout sessions a hit at third men’s conference
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dding breakout sessions to the third annual East Tennessee Catholic Men’s Conference, held March 9 at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport, proved to be a popular decision. Two breakout segments took place between the talks by the conference’s keynote speakers: Piotr Ulmer, who spoke in the morning on “Laymen in the World,” and Jim Connors, who spoke in the afternoon on “How to Study in Prayer.” Father Michael Cummins, pastor of St. Dominic, said he thinks this year’s men’s conference “went very well.” Just under 100 men attended. “This was the third year that it was held, and every year I think it grows and it improves,” Father Cummins said. “I know this year, one of the main changes was having breakout sessions, and from what I’ve heard, the men really appreciated that, because it allowed for a variety of topics and then also even more discussion time.” The conference lasted some eight hours and began with breakfast and Mr. Ulmer’s talk. Father Cummins presented a brief talk on the sacrament of reconciliation, after which there was time for adoration, a rosary, and confession. Breakout sessions one and two followed, with a break between them, before lunch. Mr. Connors led off the afternoon part of the conference with his talk. Father Cummins celebrated Mass, and the taking of a group photo and a social concluded the day. Mr. Ulmer is an immigrant from Poland who came to the United States in 1992. He has been involved in Cursillo and the Troops
of St. George. He is a manual physical therapist and a functional wellness coach in private practice. He and wife Agnes worship at either Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville or St. Mary in Athens. Mr. Connors was born in Florida and grew up in Bossier City, La. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned in June 1974. In the Navy, he qualified as a nuclear engineer and as a surface warfare officer. He also worked in the commercial nuclear industry before retiring. Mr. Connors, who also has attended a Cursillo weekend and sponsors several children in the Zion Home for Children orphanage in Kenya, and wife Lynne live in Spring City. They are parishioners of St. Bridget in Dayton. The first breakout session’s talks were “Spiritual Combat and the Battle for Purity, part one,” by Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Office of Justice and Peace; “Modesty, Humility, and the Secular Concept of Power,” by Father Bart Okere, pastor of St. Henry Parish in Rogersville and St. James the Apostle in Sneedville; and “Discernment: Following God’s Will in Your Life,” by Father Andrew Crabtree, parochial vicar at St. Dominic. In the second breakout session were part two of Mr. Simoneau’s talk; “The Treasure of Our Early Church Fathers,” presented by Deacon Frank Fischer of St. Dominic; “The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” by Kevin Roth, a St. Dominic parishioner who with five other men started The Highest Call Men’s Conference in Franklin, Tenn.; and “Strategies for Bringing Family (and Friends) Back into the
By Dan McWilliams
DAN MCWILLIAMS
St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport hosts the annual event that keeps ‘growing and improving’
‘Discernment: Following God’s Will in Your Life’ Father Andrew Crabtree, parochial vicar at St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport, leads a morning breakout session at the third annual men’s conference. Church,” by Jonathan Cardinal, a regional director for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Book suggestions by conference speakers included The Liber Christo Method: A Field Manual for Spiritual Combat, by Dan Schneider; Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith, by Bishop Athanasius Schneider; Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper, by Brant Pitre; The Wisdom of the Saints: 365 Days of Inspiration, introduced by Matthew Kelly; The Art of Living: The Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love, by Dr. Edward Sri; and The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World, by Father Aaron Wessman, GHM.
A conference gift bag each man received contained a program for the day that included a detailed Catholic examination of conscience, a breakdown of the Ten Commandments and the ways each can be violated, a how-to guide to confession, and the joyful mysteries of the rosary. Each gift bag also contained two books, Theology of the Body for Beginners: Rediscovering the Meaning of Live, Love, Sex, and Gender by Christopher West, and Holiness Revolution, by Dan DeMatte. Father Cummins spoke on confession early in the conference. “It was really just talking about the beauty of the sacrament of confession and the healing grace that Men’s conference continued on page B2