NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE
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Bishop celebrates Mass for vocations Men and women religious in the diocese and members of lay orders ‘live well’ the beatitudes By Dan McWilliams
DAN MCWILLIAMS
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everal inches of snow curtailed the attendance at a special Mass for vocations on Jan. 31 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, but Bishop Mark Beckman complimented the handful of consecrated women religious and members of lay orders who joined parishioners for the liturgy. Five Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., were present at the vigil Mass as were two members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. “I think of the saying of the Marines: ‘the few, the proud, the Marines,’ so we’re the few, the proud, the Catholics who appear tonight in our cathedral church,” the bishop said in his welcoming remarks. “Tonight, we are blessed. We are celebrating a Mass aware of the consecrated religious life in our diocese and are so grateful for the many consecrated women and men who are present here in (the Diocese of) Knoxville. We invited many. Many were going to come, and of course the weather has kept them away, but we have our faithful Sisters of Mercy and some members of our lay religious communities as well. With gratitude for that gift to the Church tonight, we gather.” The Mass was held in advance of the World Day for Consecrated Life on Feb. 2, honoring those who have answered God’s call to the priesthood, religious life, or consecrated virginity. The cathedral’s Deacon Walt Otey assisted the bishop. Also at the Mass was Beth Par-
Sisters sing Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., attend the Mass for vocations on Jan. 31 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. From left are Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, Sister Joan Miriam Nelson, Sister Gianna Marie Savidge, Sister Marie de Paul Stokes, and Sister Claudia Marie Murray. sons, Vocations Office manager for the diocese. Mrs. Parsons said the special liturgy dates back to one coordinated by Sister Mary Simone Haakansson, RSM. “In December of 2023, Sister Mary Simone coordinated a Mass for religious during Advent. It was a candlelit Mass with a reception afterward,” Mrs. Parsons said. “Last December, I hosted the same on Dec. 7. When planning this year, it seemed more appropriate to have it
close to the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, which is also World Day for Consecrated Life. She said 70 men and women religious and religious-order priests were expected to attend the Mass before the severe winter weather arrived, including members of the Sts. Francis & Clare Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order and consecrated virgins. The readings were proclaimed by Sister Marie de Paul Stokes, RSM,
and Jackie Foster, OCDS. Bishop Beckman connected the evening’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, where Jesus on the mountaintop gave the beatitudes to the disciples and others gathered, to the celebration of vocations. “For the Gospel of Matthew, the mountaintop is an extraordinary place where God reveals something of great importance. Just as Moses himself went up Mount Sinai, and Vocations continued on page B2
Catholic Charities holding mental-health summit One-day event at cathedral will focus on strengthening parish-based mental, emotional health care By Bill Brewer
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atholic Charities of East Tennessee is reaching out to Diocese of Knoxville clergy, parish leaders, lay ministers, diocesan school personnel, and faith-based partners to address mental-health concerns that every community in the diocese is facing. Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Knoxville are leading a one-day summit focused on strengthening parish-based mental and emotional health care that is guided by the heart of the Catholic Church’s mission: accompaniment, compassion, and healing in Christ. The summit will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 20, in the parish hall at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. There is no cost to attend. RSVP to Sloane at sschneller@ ccetn.org. “We’re inviting community partners; we’re inviting our parishes; we’re inviting our clergy. We would love to see our priests and our deacons. And we want them to bring their lay ministers,” said Deacon David Duhamel, executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. “If we have 51 parishes and one Catholic mission, and if we have three or four laypeople per parish, we’re looking at around 250 or 300 people. That would be a great success for us. If nothing else, they will walk away more informed about what’s going on in their communities regarding
mental-health services that are out there.” According to Deacon Duhamel, mental health continues to be a leading issue throughout East Tennessee, and Catholic Charities feels called on to respond by partnering with parishes. Deacon Duhamel explained that diocesan priest Father Michael Maples served Catholic Charities for years as a licensed psychologist who provided counseling to adult individuals and couples. However, Father Maples is no longer at Catholic Charities. Last year, he accepted the positions of associate director of counseling services and assistant professor at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Mo. “Since Father Maples’ departure, we’ve been trying to brainstorm what it is we need to do for mental-health services here in East Tennessee. Our chief operating officer, Paul Ritter, and I talked to different groups and community partners in the area to find out what services are out there. There are the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, the Metro Drug Coalition, and counselors,” Deacon Duhamel said. “What we’ve come to recognize is, as good of a program as what we had with Father Maples, we probably needed something different and something broader,” he added. “We can’t afford to have five or six therapists on staff, and the reality is we wouldn’t be able
to staff a clinic like that. So, we’ve started thinking about what the needs are out there.” Deacon Duhamel said Catholic Charities’ study of the issue found that everyone struggling with a mental-health issue doesn’t necessarily need a clinical therapist. He said some individuals may just need someone to talk to, or they may need emotional support. Some may need to be part of a group of peers in grief support. Catholic Charities is turning to parishes in the diocese for assistance in meeting the challenge where it exists: in communities throughout East Tennessee. Deacon Duhamel believes each parish has staff or volunteers who want to help their neighbors.
“The problem is they may not have the training; they may not have the knowledge; they may not understand what early-childhood trauma looks like,” he said. The deacon, who serves at St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, has personally experienced the uncertainty of what to do in certain situations. He described assisting the homeless as part of CCETN’s Bridge Ministry and encountering people in mental- or emotionalhealth crises. “I started wondering how I can help this person. I don’t feel properly trained to help this person, so what do I have to do to be in that position. I was observing some of our other volunteers. We Summit continued on page B3