This issue
He dwells among us ................ 2 Diocesan calendar ................. 10 Deanery news ........................ 11 La Cosecha ......... center pullout
The East Tennessee
Catholic youth .......................15 Columns...................................26 Virtus training...........................29
August 3, 2014 Volume 23 Number 6 Bishop Richard F. Stika
News from The Diocese of Knoxville • Visit us at dioknox.org or etcatholic.org
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The next step Transitional deacons ordained
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A helping hand Catholic Charities begins pregnancy education program
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School changes OLPH, St. Dominic get new principals
Bishop urges thoughtful solution to border crisis At-risk Central American children find sanctuary at faith-based Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos By Bishop Richard F. Stika
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magine being a parent of five children and living with the very real expectation and fear that one of them, or worse yet, all of them, could be the targets of a ruthless and violent gang that you have no power to stop. The circumstances that have led to our recent crisis on the border are complex and the solutions have fueled debate. The images of children “The images of children fleeing their homes in fleeing their homes in Central America and Central America and ararriving at our south- riving at our southwest border seeking help have west border seeking help have ignited the ignited the passions of passions of many peo- many people—including ple — including mine.” mine. I have been moved by — Bishop Richard stories of these children F. Stika traveling hundreds, and in some cases thousands of miles, through strange cities, over land barely habitable for cactus and rattlesnake, putting their lives at risk by moving on without adult supervision, or worse yet, accompanied by an adult more interested in exploiting their situation than helping. What is taking place far from East Tennessee, in Texas and California, is a humanitarian crisis that is often framed politically. Bishop continued on page 23
Turning crisis into care—1 child at a time By Ashley Siferd
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Making a difference Bishop Richard F. Stika holds cards featuring two children he is sponsoring who are cared for by Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a Central American faith-based organization that houses and educates orphans in the region.
The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee
his is the story of one family. A family terrified of the all-tooreal threat of rampant and outof-control gang violence that struck too close to home. This is not fiction. This story is about the sobering reality for children who live at risk every day of their lives. Their choices: face death at home, or face death making a daunting and almost unimaginable journey to save and make something of their lives. In the process they have become pawns in a political argument. Born in Honduras, the Guzman children entered a world rife with poverty. Their parents could not afford to feed and care for all of their children. The family was living in extreme social risk. Their parents, both of them, were killed because of gang violence that has turned Honduras into one of the most violent places on earth. After
NPH continued on page 23