Eucharistic Pilgrimage makes stop at basilica Large crowds gather for Mass at the downtown Chattanooga church and take part in a procession By Bill Brewer
BILL BREWER
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Blessed Sacrament exposed Scores of people kneel in front of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Newman Center on June 24 at the end of a eucharistic procession from the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. Basilica rector Father David Carter is speaking to the gathering. Stadium in Indianapolis. The Diocese of Knoxville is leading a large group of East Tennessee parishioners to this month’s congress. Four pilgrimage routes traversed the United States May 17-July 16
DAN MCWILLIAMS
he National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, referred to as “Our National Emmaus Moment,” trekked through Chattanooga June 24-25 on its way to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress this month. The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul was one of the stops on the U.S. pilgrimage’s St. Juan Diego (southern) Route, which extended from the Diocese of Brownsville, through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Dioceses of Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee, then through Kentucky on its way to the Eucharistic Congress. The congress is a gathering of tens of thousands of Catholics from around the country who are prayerfully engaged in renewing awareness and veneration of the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Catholic faith. Also, the congress is the culmination of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year faith initiative by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to inspire, educate, and unite the faithful in a more intimate relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. It is the first national eucharistic congress in more than 80 years and takes place July 17-21 at Lucas Oil
Leading the way Father David Carter starts a eucharistic procession just outside the doors of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.
as part of the National Eucharistic Revival and its National Eucharistic Congress. Joining the St. Juan Diego Route to Indianapolis are the Marian Route to the north, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route to the east, and the St. Junipero Serra Route to the west. Thirty young “permanent” pilgrims have been joined by clergy along the four routes as they have continually kept vigil with the holy Eucharist on their journeys. The pilgrims traveled by four vans specially equipped to hold four monstrances with the Eucharist. Eight of the permanent pilgrims were on the St. Juan Diego leg and spent time in Chattanooga in prayer, adoration, Mass, and in eucharistic procession in celebration of the Eucharist. East Tennessee Catholics convened with the pilgrims at the basilica on June 24 for a Holy Hour with midday prayer and reflections, a noon Mass, and a eucharistic procession from the basilica
through downtown Chattanooga to the Newman Center on the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga campus. The pilgrims, Camille Anigbogu, Shayla Elm, Issy Martin-Dye, Charlie McCullough, Noah U’ren, Joshua Velasquez, Mackenzie Warrens, and Dylan James Young, were joined by Father Michelangelo Pio, CFR, and Brother Thomas McGrinder, CFR, in celebrating the Eucharist in Chattanooga. More than 800 people attended the noon Mass celebrated by Father David Carter, rector of the basilica, and concelebrated by Father Pio and Father Michael Woods, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade. Assisting at the Mass were Deacon Jim Bello, Deacon Brian Gabor, Deacon Hicks Armor, and Deacon Wade Eckler. Father Woods accompanied several tour buses of parishioners from St. Francis of Assisi and St. Alphonsus in Crossville to the basilica for Eucharistic continued on page B4
DOK submits results from latest Synod sessions The diocese holds a second round of listening sessions in March to collect more input for the final phase The East Tennessee Catholic
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he Diocese of Knoxville on April 5 submitted results from a second round of listening sessions in the diocese for the Synod on Synodality, which is being led by Pope Francis. Pope Francis convened the universal Church phase of the Synod on Synodality last October in Rome, and afterward he asked dioceses to conduct another round of listening sessions to collect more input for the final Synod phase this October. Pope Francis’ aim in the Synod is to involve the entire Catholic Church at the diocesan, national, and continental levels through a process of “listening and discernment” on the important theme of synodality: “For a synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission.” This synodal process began in the Diocese of Knoxville in October 2021. The official diocesan report was submitted to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in spring 2022. The 10-page report
is a synthesis of the months-long Synod process utilizing an online survey and listening sessions held at parishes, schools, and ministries around the diocese from December 2021 until March 2022. In January, dioceses were asked to hold another series of meetings to discuss the topics in the Synthesis Report and submit a summary to the General Secretariat of the Synod. Listening sessions were held in person and online in the Diocese of Knoxville in March. The full report from the 2024 interim stage of listening sessions is available on the Diocese of Knoxville website Synod page, dioknox. org/synod-2023. The National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Interim Stage of the 2021-24 Synod report can be found at www.usccb.org/resources/ national-synthesis-people-godunited-states-america-interimstage-2021-2024-synod. In February, the diocese assembled members of its Synod Team of 2021 to help guide the new step to “continue the journey initiated by
the Holy Father.” That journey began on Oct. 9, 2021. Following the request by the USCCB to conduct additional U.S. listening sessions related to the contents of the Synthesis Report issued by the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops in Rome from Oct. 4-29, 2023, the Diocese of Knoxville listening sessions were held in two meetings, on March 16 and March 19. Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, Deacon Al Forsythe, and Jim Wogan, diocesan communications director, were appointed as co-leaders of the new listening sessions. Participating Synod Team members included laity, religious, and a pastor. “In the spirit of authentic synodality but taking into consideration the vast area of the Diocese of Knoxville, which includes many rural counties in East Tennessee, it was decided that in-person dialogue sessions would be held at a central location—the Chancery in Knoxville—and would also be available for online participation,” the diocesan co-leaders reported.
And while it was also understood that these sessions were not “repeating the process of listening and consultation undertaken during the first stage,” it was decided that the diocese would again invite participation in an online survey, this time using the “guiding questions” presented in the organizing documents the diocese received for this session. According to the co-leaders, despite advance notice of the session dates on all diocesan electronic platforms, including a weekly newsletter, the diocesan website, social media, and parish bulletins, participation was much lower than anticipated. Unlike the townhall-style meetings conducted by the diocese and its parishes and ministries during the listening sessions of 2022, the in-person and online dialogue sessions in March were held in small groups. Abiding by the closing letter in the 2023 Vatican Synthesis Report, which compared this effort to a “small seed” that will grow and mature for many, the dialogue sesSynod continued on page B5