Noah Readings this week and Fr. Manuel's Homily

This last Tuesday, our week began at KCHS with one of our newest priests in the Diocese, Fr. Manuel, who serves our Cathedral Parish. This week the OT readings began with the story of Noah and how God called him to gather all the animals, load them into the Ark, and then the face of the earth is covered in water with storms raging. Fr. Manuel spoke well and offered the perspective that the Ark was the Church that will be saved from ultimate separation from God of the world at the end of time.

I began to reflect on the role of our school in context of the rest of the world. It's a pretty easy thing to see that Knoxville Catholic is an ARK of sorts, carrying God's Word every day and actually doing the mission of Christ with our students for the last seventy-five years. With each day beginning with morning prayer, followed by the pledge starting each period with prayer, offering the holy Mass each day, and ending each schoolday with a closing prayer, it's impossible to overlook God being called upon so often throughout each day.

The greatest expression of our faith, fidelity to one another, and our commitment to a faith-filled education experience is when we gather around the Eucharist at our All-School Masses throughout the year. It is here that we can clearly see the source and summit of our school: Jesus Christ.

This Week, we will begin the liturgical season of Lent with our celebration of Ash Wednesday. Let us all prepare ourselves for this precursor to the Easter Season by prayerfully reflecting on being contrite, teachable, and open to God's will for each of our lives. -dpat :)

March for Life 2009

The Election: Thoughtful Concern and Hope!

While the vast majority of Americans took time to watch today's inauguration live on TV, some of us chose to spend time in prayer for our country in the context of the holy Mass. So, much to my surprise I found virtually the entire religion dept. from KCHS at the All-Saints 12:10 Mass today. Once again, I wasn't the only one with a bright idea, as is so often the case.

Fr. Michael Woods was the presider to the noon faithful and started the liturgy with an a cappella "God Bless America," and off we went into the "eighth day."

As I listened to the readings and reflected on Fr. Michael's homily, two different thoughts keep coming up in my mind.

First, was my concern for the issue of abortion. Now that the votes have been cast and our 44th President has been sworn in, how do we best continue to push for the dignity of all human persons from natural birth to natural death? Now that the election is behind us, how can each of us do our part in honoring God's commitment to the human race and all issues of life? We need to write letters if we haven't before. We need to write them again even if we have in the past. We need to show up and participate in peaceful demonstrations and witness Christ Jesus to those around us not just with placards but with compassion for our fellow travelers along the way. We need to not be bashful when abortion, so-called mercy killings, euthanasia, genocide, and capital punishment come up in conversations. We need to not just vote every four years, but live each day in thoughtful pursuit of the Gospel and listen closely to that still small voice that speaks to each of our hearts, and then DO God's will for our lives. Abortion is not something we should think about only at election time. We need to, instead, broaden our horizons to all the issues of life that surround us each day. Every day is an opportunity to be Pro-Life.

The second thought was that of Hope for the African-American population of the United States and for all people of color. I thought of my upbringing in the City of Chicago. I graduated from a Chicago Public High School in 1983 in where I was a minority as 90% of the school was African-American. I recently attended my first high school reunion in which one of my classmates assembled a sort of litany of those who had passed away in the last twenty-five years. Out of a class of 220, over forty of my classmates were dead. With one exception, they were all black, and all male. Many had died in prison, from drug addiction, or on the wrong end of a knife or gun. I thought about what it must mean to the black population of our great country to have watched an African-American man place his hand on that bible and swear and oath to God Almighty and promise to lead the United States to the best of his ability. Like him or not, Barrak Obama is now Mr. President and we owe him our fervent prayers, not just on the abortion issue, but all issues facing our country.

As I walked out of Mass, I remember thinking, "America now resembles herself a little bit more now than an hour ago." God Bless America; may we never stop placing human life at the top of our priorities in the voting booth as well as on our journey towards heaven.

- Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey

Greetings from our new Bishop!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay,
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.

- From "Away in a Manger"

It is my sincere hope that all of you have been resting up, and taking full advantage of this time off to reflect deeply on the meaning of Christmas this season. See you soon! -dpat :)

A Quiet Moment from Murfreesboro...

I will be posting a video from the big game laster this week, but I wanted to share with you something that happened to me at the game that I think is worthy of mention...

With the clock ticking down the last few seconds of the game, I left my big lenses with big Sean Beeler so I could concentrate on shooting in the bench area. There was a lot of celebrating going on and I wanted to get into the thick of it all. I began working my way through the sideline, shooting as many players as I could. Most often, some yell, "shoot my picture." As the clock neared zero, however, I approached one player, raised the camera to my eye, and framed up a nice shot of him. When he saw me do this, he yelled these words to me, "DPAT! don't shoot my picture, shoot them... the Seniors and the Juniors." Then he ducked away from my vision as the clock hit zero.

I want to be clear on something having said all of that... It's wonderful to be cheering for our victory, so I don't want to take anything away from any member of the Fighting Irish that won that game. You all deserve everything you got as you worked for every inch of our gains this year as a team. Having said all that, you have to hand it to that freshman...

It was a very selfless act and one born out of humility even in the moment of certain victory at the State Championship Game. I was stunned at his clear vision in the midst of chaos, wanting his deserving team-mates to get credit, rather than himself. It was one of those moments you remember, and I have to say, I can think of others looking back over the two years I've spent at KCHS in my "loitering ministry." I'm proud as ever, as we all are, to have gone all the way with a perfect season, and to win out our final game. But I'm even more proud to work in a school where we wear red instead of green sometimes. Where we can feel good about our sports teams because we do such a good job in academics. But most of all, I'm proud to be part of a community of believers working our way towards heaven together. That kid got that moment in Murfreesboro... "It's not about me..." had to be his thought. When we think like that, and then act on it, we live out our baptismal call to be Christ to one another... and THAT is something to cheer about!

A Hall Pass and a Letter from Scott Co...

Today I was approached by two girls in the commons who were running late for class after break. They asked me if I'd be willing to give them a hall pass to get into their next class without being penalized for being late. Sometimes kids that I know try to get me to give them passes like this without good reason, so I questioned why they were late. They told me that they had been in the Chapel praying for the dead. I asked them why it took so long, and they told me that they had been working on a list. They were pretty excited and shared with me that once they got started, they kept thinking of additional people that had passed away and so they continued to pray for each of them and their families.

It was just one of those moments of great blessing for me as a Deacon serving here at Catholic. Our kids can get in real trouble sometimes, but they can also provide us with much grace. Mr. Sompayrac shared with us all a letter from a parent of one of the four girls that was killed in the car accident in Scott County recently. I copied it below for you all to see, and be reminded that Christ Jesus is at the center of not just what we do here at KCHS, but WHO WE ARE as baptized Christians.

"Dear KCHS friends:

As a parent of a cheerleader at Scott High, I was reluctant to attend Scott's football game at Knoxville Catholic. My son and wife were emotionally drained by a week that included more than a dozen hours in funeral homes and four emotional funerals. We went only to support players and coaches, knowing there would be little cheer about on this night.

I had heard that a special ceremony was planned, and that some Knox Catholic students would be wearing red. I didn't think any of that would have much affect on me.

The sight of all those Knox Catholic people wearing red, however, was surprisingly comforting. It removed that invisible wall that is usually so apparent on the campus of an opponent.

The pre-game ceremony was a moving experience. The man who offered a well-crafted pre-game prayer did a marvelous job. More importantly, his concern seemed to come from the heart. His prayer, amid the other gestures, gave us a strong reminder that we (most of us, like myself, longtime Baptists) were among caring Christian brethren.

Being in a stadium where the name Jesus Christ was being proclaimed over the PA system was quite a comfort. I happened to sit behind a group of our cheerleaders, and I know they were very surprised by the kindness shown them. A group of girls who were part of a dance routine at halftime came over to offer a hug (and cookies), and I could tell by the looks on our kids' faces that they considered the gesture very meaningful.

I was stunned by the announcement that more than $7,000 was raised. For your families to donate so much surely required sacrifices. Tears welled up yet again, in part because I knew that those families badly needed the financial help and the emotional lift that comes with it.

The entire experience made me glad that I was on the campus of school were the name Jesus Christ could be exhaulted and where his spirit could shine without legal concerns. By the time we left the stadium, I was indeed glad we made the trip.

I had one large regret. As we observed the expressions of unusual hospitality, we were appreciative but subdued. Many in our section made positive comments about your efforts, but I feel that few of those comments reached your fans.

Please tell the KCHS family that we were humbled by their many acts of kindness last Friday. We were just too heartbroken to express it at the time.

-Abe Hardesty, Huntsville, Tenn."

May God bless all of our beloved dead this month, and may Jesus help each of us honor their memories by living for others before ourselves... -dpat