Bridge Ministry partners with Catholic Charities The effort to feed the homeless, founded by Deacon Scott and Christine Maentz, will continue By Gabrielle Nolan
BILL BREWER
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fter nearly nine years of ministry of feeding Knoxville’s homeless, Deacon Scott and Christine Maentz have handed over the reins of their local ministry. Bridge Ministry serves food on the fourth Sunday of each month at Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) in downtown Knoxville, located at 418 N. Broadway. The husband-and-wife duo, who moved to Florida in April for retirement, were parishioners at Holy Ghost in Knoxville, where Deacon Maentz served. They leave behind a team of volunteers that is eager to continue the mission of Bridge Ministry. This time, however, the ministry will run under Catholic Charities of East Tennessee (CCETN). Deacon Dave Duhamel, executive director of CCETN, said that operationally, most people will not see changes with the ministry. “Bridge Ministry will be led by DeeDee and Tom Quinones as CCETN Ministry volunteer leaders,” Deacon Duhamel said. “CCETN will serve as the sponsoring and supporting agency— providing assistance and infrastructure in the areas of logistics and finances so that the work will continue uninterrupted. This ministry will remain entirely volunteer-based with designated donations going directly to Bridge Ministry.” Mr. and Mrs. Quinones are parishioners at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, but they also attend Holy Ghost. They have been involved with Bridge Ministry since the beginning, with Mrs. Quinones organizing volunteers and goods, and Mr. Quinones cooking hot dogs on his hot dog cart. The couple said they “wanted to teach our children to see the other side of life.” April 28 was the first Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Quinones leading the operation with CCETN. “We are very sad but of course happy for them,” Mrs. Quinones said of the Maentz family. “We look forward to continuing what Deacon
Passing the reins Deacon Scott Maentz (left) and wife Christine pose for a photo with Deacon Dave Duhamel and DeeDee and husband Tom Quinones. Mr. and Mrs. Quinones, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee ministry volunteer leaders, are the new leaders of the Bridge Ministry. Deacon Duhamel is executive director of CCETN. and Christine have created.” Deacon Maentz said that leaving Bridge Ministry behind is “bittersweet.” “It’s sweet in the sense that it was probably time for somebody else to take it over. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and you know, ministry can be difficult after a while,” he said. “It’s bitter in the sense that we put almost eight years of our life into this, and it’s hard to let it
go. But on the other hand, I’m so happy that it found a home under Catholic Charities. It’s the perfect place for it, and Deacon Dave is a good friend of mine, and I know he’s going to do a super job…And DeeDee and Tom Quinones have been fantastic.” The transition leads to new service opportunities for CCETN, for which the organization is Bridge continued on page B2
KCHS wins tennis, track state championships Notre Dame’s boys soccer team finishes runner-up as both high schools stand out at Spring Fling By Dan McWilliams
LORI LIAKONIS
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he TSSAA’s annual Spring Fling championships saw Knoxville Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School achieve great things, as KCHS won tennis singles and team titles and multiple track-and-field state crowns, while Notre Dame finished runner-up in boys soccer and placed several track athletes in the state meet. Knoxville Catholic junior tennis standout Lillie Murphy won her first singles state championship on May 24 at the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro. Lillie defeated Melanie Woodbury of Hutchison 6-4, 6-3 in the Division II, Class AA title match. Lillie, also a two-time state doubles champion in 2022-23 with senior teammate Eleni Liakonis, advanced to the singles final with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Avery Franklin of Ensworth in the semifinals May 23. Lillie also swept her first-round match earlier in the day, blanking Estelle Denker of Ensworth 6-0, 6-0. The Lady Irish have won the singles title four straight years, with three-time champion Maeve Thornton graduating last spring. Eleni fell in the first round of the singles tourney this spring 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 to Melanie of Hutchison as KCHS had two players in the final eight. The Lady Irish won the team state title for the fourth straight year and sixth time overall with a 4-3 win over Baylor on May 22. Sophomore Lauren Murphy battled back from the brink of defeat to outlast Molly Donovan in the No. 5 singles match 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 to clinch the championship. Knoxville
Four straight titles The Knoxville Catholic High School girls tennis squad won its fourth straight team state championship in May. From left are assistant coach Derek Stultz, Ella Connelly, Mary Caroline Ellis, Emery Hussar, Karenna Thurman, Marianna Hurley, Lauren Murphy, Lillie Murphy, Payton Carroll, Eleni Liakonis, and head coach Rusty Morris. Catholic also won at No. 1 singles as Lillie defeated Margarette Berdy 6-1, 6-1. Eleni at No. 2 swept Helen Guerry 6-3, 6-3. Eleni and senior Payton Carroll won at No. 1 doubles 8-4 over Helen and Sloane Proffitt, and Lauren and Lillie triumphed in No. 2 doubles 8-6 over Margarette and Molly. KCHS defeated Hutchison 4-2 in the semifinals of the team tourney
May 21. Lillie coasted to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Melanie while Eleni had a slightly easier win over Olivia Evans 6-0, 6-1. Payton defeated Elizabeth Dunavant 6-1, 7-5. Eleni and Payton outlasted Melanie and Olivia 9-7 in doubles, while Lauren and Lillie shut out Elizabeth and Anna Caroline Domas 8-0. Knoxville Catholic junior Maggie Frana won the Lady Irish’s first-
ever discus state title with a throw of 110 feet, 5 inches, in the Division II-AA track-and-field meet at Dean Hayes Stadium on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Maggie edged Tessel Visser of Lipscomb Academy by 7 inches. The track-and-field events took place May 22. Sophomore Chloe Truss of KCHS, Spring Fling continued on page B2