Sept. 12, 2004

World Priest Day

Every vocation to the priestly ministry is an extraordinary gift of God’s love.

On Wednesday we reached our 16th diocesan birthday. Happy sweet 16 to all the diocesan family! As in the past, I will celebrate the diocesan Youth Mass this Saturday evening, and fittingly so many participants will be preparing for or will just have celebrated their 16th birthday. We have so much in which to rejoice within our diocese. In preparation for my ad limina visit to Rome in early December I have been reflecting on the gifts and challenges of the Diocese of Knoxville. God willing, I will have the privilege of meeting with our Holy Father Pope John Paul II for the allotted 15 minutes to discuss the state of our local church—the joys and the challenges.

One of the great joys is the presence of faithful priests. Next Sunday, Sept. 19, World Priest Day is being promoted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter. We are invited to make efforts to let our priests know of our affection and respect for them. This national celebration holds a special place in the Diocese of Knoxville, for it is here in East Tennessee that the celebration originated. In September 1998 the Marriage Encounter community of our diocese wanted to show our priests how much they love and appreciate them. The event coincided with the 10th anniversary of our diocese. Through signs and gifts secretly placed at rectories (and bishops’ residences), the message came forth loud and clear: we love our priests. In 2000 the National Board of Marriage Encounter, hearing of the great news from Knoxville, decided to promote it as World Priest Day, paralleling World Marriage Day, which has been celebrated on the second Sunday of February since 1981.

More recently the National Federation of Priest Councils began promoting a similar day for the last Sunday of October. This coming year there will be efforts to coordinate so that in the future there will be just one day. However, better to have two than none, and the fact that more than one group has this idea is significant. Note that this is a celebration for priests and not another event for which they are to work in preparation.

Thus, next Sunday, Sept. 19, you have an opportunity to say a prayer of thanks to the Lord for your priest. If the occasion arises for you to say thanks personally through a note or greeting outside of church, please do so. By happy coincidence I will be celebrating a number of Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral next Sunday and will preach on this theme. Not surprisingly, the readings are uniquely suited. The themes emphasize relying on the one mediator, Jesus, and following his call to serve God rather than mammon. How easily they move us to pray in thanksgiving for generous and holy priests.

One other very concrete way in which we will show our love of our priests is through support of Growing in Faith Together. As you know from other articles in The East Tennessee Catholic, the diocesan stewardship campaign continues to progress well. Seven pilot parishes have very successfully completed their campaign, and 15 others are now embarking on their campaigns this fall. We will communicate regularly on the successes as well as the purposes. The first purpose is, of course, vibrant parishes, and each parish will design the local campaign to fit its unique needs.

Of the diocesan uses, a significant portion will be used to bolster the priest pension fund. Since its establishment in 1982 as part of the Diocese of Nashville, the fund has never been fully funded. This campaign will put this necessary fund on firm footing and will show in tangible ways the love we have for our priests as we help prepare for their future. Some have also asked about women and men religious and their retirement needs. This very important pastoral need was recognized some years ago and resulted in a national annual collection in early December. I am happy to report that the response to this annual collection in the Diocese of Knoxville has been among the most generous throughout the year. We plan to continue to promote this collection each December.

How blessed we are with good and faithful priests. Unlike many dioceses throughout the country, we are fortunate to have a priest to serve each of our 46 parishes. This is the time of year in which I visit parishes to install newly appointed pastors. Invariably I am reminded of the three-fold task of the bishop, shared by the priests: to preach faithfully and accurately the Gospel of Jesus as given to us by his church, to celebrate the sacred mysteries of the Holy Eucharist and other sacraments, and to provide pastoral care and leadership for the flock. Our priests fulfill these mandates from the Lord in extraordinary ways.

During the 2003 Chrism Mass Pope John Paul II said of priesthood: “Every vocation to the priestly ministry is an extraordinary gift of God’s love.” World Priest Day allows us to take a step back and see this extraordinary gift of God’s love: the priesthood of Jesus Christ, lived out in an extraordinary way through the Diocese of Knoxville. Join me in saying thank-you to the Lord for our fine priests—good and holy and faithful men who serve you each day.

Bishop Kurtz’s Schedule

Sept. 12-13: USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities meeting, Washington, D.C.

Sept. 13-17: Diocese of Allentown priests retreat, Allentown, Pa.

Sept. 18: 6 p.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sept. 19: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and noon Masses, Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sept. 21: 11:15 a.m., Mass, followed by diocesan staff lunch and meeting

Sept. 23: 8:05 a.m., Mass, Sacred Heart Cathedral School; 11 a.m., groundbreaking for new unit, Alexian Village, Signal Mountain; 6:30 p.m., GIFT campaign reception, Chattanooga

Sept. 24: 8:30 a.m., Mercy Day, Holston Health and Rehabilitation Center, Knoxville; 11 a.m., Mercy Day, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Knoxville

Sept. 25: 11:30 a.m., lunch with Marriage Encounter weekend couples, Johnson City; 1:30 p.m., service welcoming new Methodist bishop for Holston Conference, Johnson City

Sept. 26: 8 a.m., deacons retreat