NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE
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Holy Spirit Parish expands hunger-relief outreach Soddy-Daisy Catholics are partnering with Rise Against Hunger to help people worldwide By Bill Brewer
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unger impacts parishes across the Diocese of Knoxville, and many are doing their part to alleviate the need in their communities and in other parts of the world. Holy Spirit Parish in Soddy-Daisy is among them and is now expanding its outreach beyond Hamilton County. Parishioners there, who for years have been volunteering in local hunger-relief efforts, are now partnering with Rise Against Hunger, an international nonprofit group dedicated to ending global hunger “by nourishing lives, empowering communities, and responding to emergencies.” Rise Against Hunger relies on volunteer partners like Holy Spirit to purchase food staples and efficiently package them to be shipped to hunger-crisis points around the world. Holy Spirit members rallied on Feb. 1 in the parish hall to assemble boxes of nutritious, rice-based meals designed to feed one child for a year. They filled pallet after pallet that Rise Against Hunger picked up and shipped to a country where people are in need. Each sealed meal bag contains enriched rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables, and a specialized micronutrient packet containing 20 essential vitamins and minerals. In each meal bag, the enriched rice provides carbohydrates and energy, the soy protein is a crucial source of protein for growth, the dehydrated vegetables add flavor and essential nutrients, and the micronutrient packet is
Teamwork Holy Spirit parishioners, including Matt Neisen, Leila Neisen, 10, Colin Neisen, 8, Lilly Ann Neisen, 8, and Kylen Jackson, 6, prepare meals for the Rise Against Hunger food campaign the parish was taking part in. a blend of nearly two dozen vitamins and minerals to combat deficiencies such as iron, iodine, and vitamin A. The meals are specifically designed to be easily transported, stored, and prepared in areas with limited resources. They often are used in school feeding programs to encourage education while providing necessary nutrition. Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit, described how parishioners turned the Rise Against
Hunger ministry idea into reality. “It was suggested by a member of our social action committee, who had read about it and saw it and asked me if we could do that here. I looked at him and said, ‘Yes, we can!’ I said that as I pointed to Mike (Grosso) for him to direct it. He has taken the ball and run with it,” Monsignor Humbrecht said. “It is so important for us, especially as Catholics, to always have a global vision. We are not parochial
in our service to others. We might be parochial in getting our support for one another to then reach out to those beyond us,” he added. Holy Spirit parishioners had to raise $4,400 to pay for the food that was sent to the church in industrialsized bags. They then placed the ingredients into individual meal packets, which were placed in boxes to be shipped overseas. “We needed 60 volunteers spread Hunger continued on page B2
Bishop dedicates St. Mary-Athens columbarium The blessing falls on March 19, which is the feast day of St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death By Dan McWilliams
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ishop Mark Beckman dedicated a columbarium at St. Mary Church in Athens on March 19, a day that was ideal for the event. “It is so good to be back with you here at St. Mary, particularly today as we celebrate the feast day of her spouse, St. Joseph. What a blessed day to bless our new columbarium here at this parish,” the bishop said in his opening remarks at a morning Mass before the dedication. St. Mary pastor Father Christopher Manning concelebrated the liturgy, and the parish’s Deacon Al Forsythe assisted. Deacon Hicks Armor was master of ceremonies. The new columbarium highlights a trend in parishes—large and small—around the Diocese of Knoxville to have a place for the inurnment of cremated remains. For St. Mary, a columbarium is a nice addition as the Athens parish is not close to the diocese’s Catholic cemeteries in Knoxville and Chattanooga. The dedication of the St. Mary columbarium capped an effort in the parish that took several years, predating the arrival of Father Manning as administrator in 2024 and his appointment as pastor last year. “Today is a marvelous feast day, the feast day of St. Joseph, who cared for the Christ Child and also the Blessed Mother,” Bishop Beckman said as he began his homily. “But the prominence of Joseph in the history of the Church didn’t come about until more recently, ac-
‘A place of rest and hope’ Bishop Mark Beckman, assisted by Deacon Hicks Armor, blesses the columbarium at St. Mary Church in Athens on March 19. tually. Very rare was it to see Joseph depicted in art, except for the Nativity scenes, until about the 1600s, and then popularity of Joseph being depicted holding the Christ Child became more common. “In the late 1800s, he was added as the patron of the Church universal, and most recently Pope Francis had his name added to our eucharistic prayers in the liturgy,
so that when we use those ordinary prayers, the first four eucharistic prayers, now the name of Joseph appears.” St. Joseph took on a tremendous assignment, the bishop said. “It’s interesting that Joseph as a figure in the history of the Church often remained in the background, as he does in the Gospels as well,” he said. “And yet, the significance
of his vocation: chosen by God to accompany Mary and Jesus during those most important years as Jesus was formed and prepared for His ministry, a beautiful and irreplaceable vocation. “Every one of us has been chosen by God. We have our own vocations in the Church. None of us should ever think that our vocaColumbarium continued on page B3