May 8, 2005

Photo by Mary C. Weaver
Greeneville parish celebrates golden anniversary
The members of Notre Dame Church marked the parish’s 50th anniversary with a Mass on April 29, concelebrated by Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz and numerous priests. Above (clockwise from lower left) are parishioner Dianna Thompson, seminarian Dustin Collins, former pastors Father Alex Waraksa and Father Wiatt Funk, former associate pastor Father Joseph Hammond, Father Phil Thoni, pastor Father Jim Harvey, Bishop Kurtz, and former pastors Father Bill McKenzie, Father Charlie Burton, and Father Bill Casey. A story about the anniversary Mass will appear in the next issue of the ETC.

The second annual Haiti Run for Health is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, May 7, at St. Mary Church in Oak Ridge. Participants may run four miles or walk two miles in the event to help raise money to purchase, transport, and dispense medications to the people of the St. Louis du Nord region of Haiti. All proceeds from the event support the medical mission and are tax deductible. Cash prizes will be awarded to the men’s and women’s overall winners and to the first-place finishers in each of numerous age divisions. Registration cost is $18. Register by visiting www.epivox.com/ortc/ or calling Peggy Gruzalski at 865-482-2910.

Chattanooga Single Catholics will meet for Mass and a baseball game Saturday, May 7. The singles will attend the 5:30 p.m. Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Church downtown and then carpool to that evening’s Chattanooga Lookouts game. E-mail Cathie at singlescatholic@aol.com for more information.

Knights of Columbus Council 610 will hold a first-degree ceremony in honor of Pope John Paul II before its regular business meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 9, at the Knights hall in Chattanooga. Candidates should be at the hall by 6:30 p.m.

The Cursillo School of Leaders will hold its quarterly school from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, in the Shea Room at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville. Theme: “First Conversations at Cala Figuera,” the foundational charisma of the Cursillo movement. Topics include friendship, conviction, and sincerity. Bring a dish. Call Lois Schering at 865-681-7858 for details.

The next Engaged Encounter Weekend will be held May 20 through 22 in Sweetwater. Couples are encouraged to attend a weekend at least three to six months before their wedding. For more information, call Mike or Charla Haley at 865-220-0120 or visit www.engagedencounter.org.

A post-abortion healing retreat, sponsored by Catholic Charities of East Tennessee’s Project Rachel, will be held the weekend of May 20 through 22 at Camp Eagle Rock near Maryville for anyone in need of spiritual and emotional healing after abortion. Confidentiality and privacy will be honored at all times. Contact Catherine at 865-694-4971 or Peace4Lilith@aol.com.

A Seekers of Silence Contemplative Saturday Morning will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 21, at John XXIII Catholic Center in Knoxville. Ruth Queen Smith will present “The Inner Life.” Time will be allotted for group discussion and silent prayer. Coffee and tea will be served at 8:30 a.m. Bring a bag lunch. RSVP by calling 865-523-7931.

Those wanting to learn more about sacred Byzantine icons are invited to attend a free slide/lecture presentation and reception at 4 p.m. Sunday May 22, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 800 Northshore Drive in Knoxville, across from Sacred Heart Cathedral and the Chancery office. The presentation will be given by Father Brendan McAnerney, OP, who will also conduct an icon-painting workshop at the Church of the Ascension from Monday, May 23, through Friday, May 27. Cost for the workshop is $350, which will include all materials, instructions for painting an icon of the Holy Mandylion, and lectures on the spiritual traditions associated with iconography. For more information about the May 22 lecture or the workshop, contact Ann Maxwell at 865-856-6108 or greenback2@aol.com.

Two groups of diocesan priests will hike 35-mile portions of the Appalachian Trail on Monday, May 23, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to raise money for diocesan and parish youth programs. Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Father Paul Hostettler, and Father Phil Thoni will join the teams at the starting point and hike a portion of the trail as a sign of support. Each parish in the diocese will take pledges. Parishioners should pledge through their local parish and may pledge a fixed amount or a certain amount per mile. Seventy-five percent of the money each priest raises will go to the parish youth program of the person donating the money; the remaining 25 percent will go to the diocesan youth program. Pledge forms may be picked up at each parish office. Call parish offices for more details.

Knoxville Catholic High School will hold its 17th annual basketball camp Wednesday through Friday, June 1 through 3, at the school. Ages 8 to 10 will train from 9 a.m. to noon and ages 11 to 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. Family pricing available. Limited to the first 90 players to register. Call Coach Mike Hutchens at 865-560-0514 (day) or 621-1845 (evening).

The Ladies of Charity of Knoxville’s fundraiser dinner and silent auction, “Helping Hands and Generous Hearts,” will be held Saturday, June 11, at Rothchild’s in Knoxville. Knoxville News Sentinel columnist Sam Venable will be the featured guest speaker. The auction will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner to follow at 7. The evening will also include a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. Call Joyce Bacon at 865-588-7777 for reservations. Donations marked “Fundraiser” may be mailed to the Ladies of Charity, 1031 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917.

A Weekend for the Engaged will be held June 11 and 12 at St. Augustine Church in Signal Mountain for couples planning summer and fall weddings. To learn more or to register, call Bob or Ann Dougherty at 865-899-1060.

The Steubenville South Catholic Youth Conference will be held the weekend of June 24 through 26 in Alexandria, La. Theme: “Experience the Glory.” The youth group from St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga has a few openings for high-schoolers interested in going. For more information, call Jeanette Hart at 423-855-2911 or visit www.steubenvillesouth.com.

Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga is offering the following programs:

• A diabetes diet class focusing on diabetes meal planning and carbohydrate counting will be offered from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10; from 8:45 to 11 a.m. Friday, May 13; from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17; and from 8:45 to 11 a.m. Friday, May 20, at the Diabetes and Nutrition Center. To register, call 423-495-7970.
• The Mobile Health Coach will be available for mammograms and health information from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Health Place at Hamilton Place. Call 495-6227 for an appointment.
• Free abdominal aortic aneurysm screening to detect bulges in the artery wall will be offered the week of May 16 through 20 at Memorial and North Park hospitals to men and women 65 and older who have had no previous diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm and no abdominal CT in the past five years. Registration and an appointment are required; call 495-6000.
• The Diabetes Self-Management Program, a two-session program for diabetes control, will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at the Health Place at Hamilton Place. The second session is May 24. The first session of a second series will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 19, at the Chattanooga Heart Institute. The Diabetes and Nutrition Center can assist participants in obtaining a physician’s referral. To register, call 495-7970.
• A talk titled “The Role of Nutrition in Controlling Your Blood Pressure” will be offered from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at the Chattanooga Heart Institute. To register, call 495-CARE.
• A free “Is Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y Surgery an Option For You?” seminar will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, in the community rooms at Memorial. Call 495-2244 for reservations or register online at www.memorial.org.
• Tess Canlas, a registered dietitian, will demonstrate how to make healthy shakes and nutritional supplements for cancer patients from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the Cancer Resource Center. Call 495-7778 to register.

The second annual “Double Up for Catholic Charities of East Tennessee” tennis tournament will be held the weekend of June 17 through 19 at the Knoxville Racquet Club, 5535 Lonas Road. See the April 24 ETC for more details. Call Lisa Ingle at 524-9896, extension 107, to volunteer or obtain a tournament brochure.

Knoxville Area Catholic Singles upcoming events include the following:

• Monday, May 9: Walk in the park at Lakeshore Greenway, 6 p.m. Call Kathy S. at 865-694-8209 or Alan S. at 982-4208.
• Friday, May 13: Alive After Five at the Knoxville Museum of Art, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 14: Tennessee Theater tour, 10:30 a.m. Call Kathy S. at 694-8209.
• Sunday, May 15: Lunch at O’Charley’s on Kingston Pike across from Downtown West, 1 p.m. Call Alan S. at 982-4208 to RSVP.
• Monday, May 16: Walk in the park at Lakeshore Greenway, 6 p.m. Call Kathy S. at 694-8209 or Alan S. at 982-4208.
• Thursday, May 19: Sundown in the City on Market Square, 6:30 p.m. RSVP at 368-0404 by May 17. “Single and Thriving” workshop series at the Blount County Library, 7 to 8:15 p.m. Contact Jack Bippus a 983-5618 or jgbippus@charter.net.
• Friday, May 20: Terrific Friday Games Fun Night at Church Street United Methodist Church, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Call 521-0298.
• Saturday, May 21: Hike in the Smokies, 8:30 a.m. RSVP to Ted at 379-6458 or tedkrauss@earthlink.net.

Photo courtesy of Susan Collins
Notre Dame Knights honor priests
The Knights of Columbus at Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville sponsored a pastor and priest appreciation dinner at Link Hills Country Club recently. Deputy Grand Knight Bob Moore (right) thanked the 79 in attendance and gave a special welcome to the guests of honor, Notre Dame pastor Father Jim Harvey (center) and Father Bill Casey, who retired from Notre Dame. Associate pastor Father Joe Hammond was unable to attend. Mr. Moore presented the priests with a gift from the Knights in appreciation of their hard work and dedication.

Holy Family statue dedicated at KCHS
A statue of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus was dedicated April 28 in honor of outgoing Knoxville Catholic High School principal Dr. Aurelia Montgomery. Posing with the sculpture are (from left) KCHS development director Jan Johnsson, school spiritual director Father John Orr, Dr. Montgomery, Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, and Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Sherry Morgan.
Photo by Nina Fortunato