Bulletin Article: January 30

Today kicks off Catholic Schools Week. Our parish has been blessed with being entrusted with the care of a school. I am thankful for our principal, teachers, staff, and families who help to make our school an outstanding example of education and the Catholic faith. If you are interested in enrolling your children in our school or taking a tour of the school please contact Andrew Cooper at the school office.

Next weekend will be the annual bishop’s appeal. The bishop’s appeal assists in funding many ministries of this diocese. Therefore, through your assistance we are able to assist in funding Catholic Charities, Christian formation, the mobile clinic, campus ministries, efforts of justice and peace, seminarian formation, and clergy formation. I ask that you prayerfully consider giving to this appeal especially through  your prayers concerning the continued success of these ministries of the diocese.

February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. On this day the candles for the parish for the next year will be blessed at both Masses, 7am and 8:30am. You are invited to bring candles with you to Mass to have blessed. On the Memorial of Saint Blaise, February 3rd, throats will be blessed at both Masses, 7am and 8:30am. Throats will also be blessed at the conclusion of ever Mass on the weekend of February 5/6.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

4th Sunday in OT Year C Homily

Today we officially begin Catholic Schools Week. This week serves as a celebration of Catholic education and its continued importance for the church and the world. As a parish we have been entrusted with the ministry of a Catholic school. Saint Mary School is a blessing to this community and continues to be a vibrant school which oversees the education of the children entrusted to its care. Please continue to pray for the students, teachers, and staff of our school. Following Mass there will be an open house of our school. I invite you and your family to walk the halls of our school for this is indeed one of the ministries of our parish.

Next weekend we will hold the annual bishop’s appeal. This year the bishop’s appeal has been entitled, “Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries: Building up the Church in East Tennessee.” This is the perfect title to this appeal because it highlights the importance of ministry and how ministry helps to build up the Church. Inside of your bulletin you will find an insert which outlines the many ways in which this appeal goes to aid the many ministries which make up the Diocese of Knoxville, and in some ways even serve our own parish community.

At our parish we continue to have many generous people who make up the many ministries of this parish. This is seen through our financial commitment to this parish, our gift of time to the various activities of this parish, and the gift of the talents of so many who use what they are good at to the benefit of this parish community. About six months ago our parish held it’s Stewarship Appeal where many committed themselves to this important area of parish life known as stewardship. Among our parish life we have so many ministries which continue to function despite the difficulties with modern day life when it pertains to the struggles that exist due to COVID-19.

Likewise, the diocese has many ministries which it continues to oversee. In order to fund these various ministries the success of the bishop’s appeal is very important. The bishop’s appeal assists the local Church of East Tennessee to going out from itself and reaching so many who find themselves in need. Through the bishop’s appeal we are able to provide for the needs of Catholic Charities and the mobile clinic which goes out to impoverished areas of our diocese. We are able to assist with the education of our youth in the faith especially those at college campuses such as ETSU. We are able to provide for the education of seminarians and clergy which serves the whole church of East Tennessee no matter our parish.

Saint Paul’s Epistle documented to us the importance of the virtue of love. To enter into ministry is to participate in the love of Christ. The love of Christ always sends us outward to be found in service for others. In this manner we assist in building up the Church for all. I thank each of you for your continued commitment to ministry at our parish for this is indeed a form of love. Please pray for the success of this year’s bishop’s appeal in order that we may continue to provide for the many ministries which make up the Diocese of Knoxville.

Bulletin Article: January 23

I thank those who have participated in the synod survey and our Synod listening sessions. Our listening session in Spanish was postponed due to weather and has been rescheduled for February 6th following the 12pm Mass. the survey and listening sessions have helped to give feedback which will be helpful for future parish council meetings and future parish open forums. Our next parish open forum will be February 28th from 7-8pm.

Next Sunday we kick off Catholic Schools Week. Our parish is blessed to have a parish school that is attached to it. Following each Mass there will be an open house at our school. I think that it is important that all parishioners take time to see our school. There are many who have commented that it has been a long time since they have seen our school. During this time the classrooms will be open, student artwork will be on the walls, and refreshments will be served. Please join us in coming to see Saint Mary School.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins 

3rd Sunday After Epiphany Homily

A leper came to adore Him. 

Through the Eucharist we have the opportunity to adore the same Lord that this leper came to adore. In the Church we have the beautiful expression of faith which is known to us as Eucharistic adoration. It is here that we have the opportunity to remain with the Lord in prayer as He is present with us in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

The centurion came to state, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou should enter under my roof: but only say the word and my servant shall be healed.” These are the same words which we exclaim with the confidence of faith prior to receiving Holy Communion. The USCCB reminds us that Eucharistic adoration is an extension of this invitation that comes to us during the Mass. As they state, “Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church.”

Saint John Paul II understood the importance of the Eucharist in writing “Dominicae Cenae” “On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist.” Here he wrote, “Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love… Let us be generous with our tine in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world by our adoration never cease.” These words are so true for they remind us of Christ who is present with us in the Eucharist and remind us of the importance of coming to adore Him.

Within this world there is so much to which we devote our time. Christ is indeed the answer to which our heart longs. The leper longed for Him and came to be healed. The centurion understood the importance of the one to whom he invited to enter into his home. So too we have the opportunity to dwell with Christ. There is indeed a lot which is going on within this world, but may we always make Him the priority of our life. There is always time if only we would make Him the priority.

At one time our parish was able to sustain perpetual adoration. Due to COVID-19 we had to close our chapel and since it has been hard to fill the various hours of the day. Let us continue to pray for the restoration of perpetual adoration to our parish. When we are able let us respond to by filling the various hours of the day with adores. Currently we are able to fill Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Very soon I hope to move towards adding an additional day to the schedule. Hopefully, we will place our trust in the Lord and one day be able to reopen our perpetual adoration chapel by filling the 24 hour period for each day of the week.

Therefore, like the leper let us come to adore Him. Let us invite Him under our roof and from this encounter be moved towards adoration of our Lord and God. There is no greater reality then this for the Eucharist should be the source and summit of our life. Even when exposition is not taking place we can pray before the tabernacle; even when we are unable to come before the tabernacle in prayer we can allow our mind to go there. Let us adore the Lord always in thought, word, and deed.

3rd Sunday of OT Year C Homily

The first line of the prayer given to us for the Synod states: “We stand before You, Holy Spirit as we gather together in Your name.” This image of the Holy Spirit is one which is important because it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into an encounter with truth. It was the Holy Spirit who came down upon the apostles and drove them forth into the world to carry out their ministry. Along the way there was hardship and moments of contention, but in the end the Holy Spirit continues to move the Church into this modern age and for all eternity.

Likewise, with an open heart we must ask the Holy Spirit to come down upon us. Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians reminds us that despite being many parts we become one body in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit which joins us together as one through our baptism. Despite the complexities of the body we must remain one. There is not a piece of the body that is unimportant because we need to be one. It is the Holy Spirt who we must remain open to in order that all division may cease.

As our Epistle states: “But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body.” Whenever division enters into a community a cancer enters into it. Division is highlighted by an unwillingness to enter into dialogue and listening to a reason for difference. So often we go closed off to developing an openness to the Holy Spirit who desires that we discern where we ought to be headed. We must join together for the good of the Church by remaining open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. These promptings will lead us into acting with charity.

Saint Paul beautifully points out the many ways in which we have been sent forth. Some apostles, some prophets, and some teachers. We are each a part of “Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” We each have our role to play that was begun in us at the very moment of our baptism. Through the waters of baptism we were claimed for Christ Jesus and sent forth by Him through the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Concerning the Synod Pope Francis has remarked, “The synodal process in a path of engagement that makes room for the Holy Spirit, and not a majority consensus like a parliament to guide the universal church.” Let each of us, no matter our role, continue to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, let us do what we can in order to remain one, and let us be willing to work for the good of Christ and His Church on this earth.

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.

Bulletin Article: January 16

I thank those who helped to organize and prepare food for our parish Epiphany party. We had close to 100 who were in attendance and the three kings even made an appearance. As we approach the month of February we will begin to hear more concerning our annual school auction which will be held February 26th. This auction is a major fundraiser for our school and is always a great evening of fraternity. Finally, if you have not already done so please take the synod survey at synodsurvey.org.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

2nd Sunday of OT Year C Homily

The Gospel of Saint John is the only gospel to include this account of the wedding feast and the changing of water into wine. This wedding celebration by Jewish custom was as ordinary as any wedding celebration to be celebrated and the water which was eventually transformed into wine was as ordinary as any water that could be found. It is Christ who takes this ordinary celebration and transforms it into something greater. It is Christ who takes ordinary water and transforms it into something more. 

In this instance not just any wine, but as we were told “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This verse puts all of this into its proper context. At a wedding celebration the good wine would be served first and as the celebration would go on a lesser wine would begin to be served. This wine was not ordinary, but through Christ it had been transformed into something so much greater.

This whole account reminds us of the transforming effect of Christ upon that which is found to be ordinary. There is nothing special about bread and wine, but through Christ these elements become His Body and Blood. There is nothing special about water, but through Christ it cleanses us from sin in baptism and incorporates us into the life of the Church. So too there is nothing out of the ordinary when it pertains to a couple, but through the sacrament of matrimony they are transformed in coming to love one another faithfully and unconditionally.

We are now in the time between seasons which is known to us as Ordinary Time. Despite this name there is nothing that is truly ordinary here because Christ continues to take that which is ordinary and transforms it into something greater. In ordinary life we encounter the mundane of waking up, going to work, coming home, going to sleep, and all that fills in the gaps. There are the people who we meet, those whose company we enjoy, and those who cause us stress. There are the temptations that tug upon us and seem to hold us captive. The answer to all of this is Christ. How much time do we truly take to invite Him into our life? Are we truly convinced that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Can we see that He is the choice wine that we are in search of?

At the wedding feast the choice wine was that ordinary water which was transformed by Christ into wine. It was this wine which was better than any other wine for it was a gift of Christ Himself. Through the sacraments we receive the abundant gift of grace which continues to transform the ordinary and gives us the strength to move forward in this life. Let us do nothing separate from Christ, but come to do all things through Him. May we allow Him to transform all that we do no matter how ordinary into something otherworldly. Christ alone can work this miracle within our life. Let us not be content with the ordinary alone, but desire the choice wine that Christ brings into our life.

Bulletin Article: January 9

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which brings about the conclusion of the Christmas season. We will now enter back into Ordinary Time until we come to observe Ash Wednesday and the sacred season of Lent on March 2, 2022.

Please remember that we have now entered into the parish stage of the Synod. Our parish has been tasked with preparing a one page document which will be submitted to the Diocese of Knoxville at the start of March. I ask that you attend one of our listening sessions: January 10 at 6:30pm (Zoom), January 15 at 9:30am (parish gym), and January 16 following Mass in Spanish (Spanish). I also invite the ministries of our parish to hold their own listening sessions among members of their ministry and submitting up to one page by February 15 to the parish office or a member of our Synod team.

If you have not already done so I ask that you please fill out the Synod survey.I also ask that you continue to pray the Synod prayer at least until the end of February when we conclude the parish portion of the Synod.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Baptism of the Lord Homily

For one last time Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is this feast which brings about the conclusion of the Christmas season.

Neither Saint John the Baptist nor Jesus invented the concept of baptism. It is Christ who elevated baptism to the status of a sacrament as He also did with marriage. The Jewish people have a ritual of cleansing where they would enter into a pool called a Mikveh which means a collection of water. Men would take this bath on the eve of the Sabbath, women monthly, and converts would need to take this bath prior to entering Judaism. This bath is made to bring about spiritual cleansing.

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan He did not receive the sacrament of baptism that we receive. The baptism of John was made in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Through entering into this baptism one was motivated to change their life and to leave sin behind. This baptism was made as an exterior sign in reflection of an interior conversion from sin which was taking place.

Jesus is God made Flesh and has nothing to repent for, He needs not to reform His life, and He is also the Messiah. Therefore, He entered into the waters of baptism not to receive these things, but to accept His mission as suffering servant. It was at His baptism that the Heavens opened and God said “this is My beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased.” These words reflect the beginning of His public ministry where He would go out to lead others to a true spirit of conversion reaching its culmination with His death upon the cross.

The importance of the baptism that we have received is summed up for us in paragraph 1279 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated in the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ.”

Baptism is something that we receive on only one occasion. Despite this it is a sacrament which is important not only on the day of its reception, but for our whole life and into eternity. Let us take this celebration of the Lord’s baptism to heart and continue to renew each day what was begun within us at our baptism. To be baptized is to be transformed. May we turn towards the Lord and live what was begun in us at our baptism always.

Bulletin Article: January 2

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

I thank Andrew Cooper for his time as Development Director for our parish and school. I congratulate him on becoming the new principal of Saint Dominic School effective July 1, 2022. He has been an asset to our parish and school community and will be missed. Please pray for him and his family during this time of transition.

Our parish fraternal activity for the month of January will be on Saturday, January 8th, following the 5pm Mass. Therefore, I welcome all to attend our Epiphany party and to bring something to share for the potluck dinner. This evening is a time of fellowship as we continue to celebrate the birth of Christ. 

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Feast of Most Holy Name of Jesus

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today we observe the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The angel Gabriel came to Jospeh in a dream and said, “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” From the Books of Acts we are told, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

In Hebrew the name of Jesus means, “God saves.” At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” It is this name which expresses both His identity and His mission. Therefore, He came in order that we would be freed from our sins. It was His identity and His mission to bring about salvation.

Psalm 79 instructs, “Help us, God our savior, on account of the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name’s sake.” This was a prayer for the Israelites for they came to understand the issue of sin. They were delivered out of their bondage in Egypt and it is God who saves them from their sin. It is God alone who is able to forgive one from their sinfulness. It was for this reason that God took on our human flesh and dwelt among us.

Saint Paul understood the importance of this most holy of Names. In Philippians we were instructed, “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!” Also, in the Book of Romans, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It is Jesus Himself who states in the Gospel of Saint John, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” Therefore, let us never grow hesitant in calling upon the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The 14th century mystic Richard Rolle professed, “If you think on the name Jesus continually, and hold it stably, it purges your sin and kindles your heart.” Truly, let us keep the Name which saves upon our heart, mind, and lips in order that all sin, temptation, and hardship may be removed from our midst. In such manner we place our trust in God who saves.

Epiphany Homily

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today we observe the Transferred Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord from its proper day of Thursday January 6th. This word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘manifestation.’ Therefore, we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus as God to all people. We see this taking shape through the Magi who traveled via the light of the star in order to encounter the Savior of the World.

Despite how bright this star may have been for the magi it was nothing compared to the light which they would encounter through Christ. In the manger they not only encountered a child, but God who has come to dwell among us. Throughout humanity there has been a longing to encounter this great light. The darkness of sin and death was thrust upon us through the action of Adam and Eve, but Christ has come to restore us to this light.

As the Prophet Isaiah attests, “Arise! Shine, for you light has come, the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, Upon you the Lord will dawn, and over you his glory will be seen. Nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning.” 

This is the same light to which we must come to orient our life. In our own life there are many stars which lead us unto this light which is Christ. One’s parents play an important role in the formation of their children in the faith. When one attends a retreat or reads a good spiritual book they are led unto the Lord. When one begins to study Sacred Scripture it points the way towards the coming of Christ. What are the many stars that have led us towards the Lord and how can we do better at being a star which leads others towards an encounter with Him?

If we are willing to lead other unto the the light which is the Lord we must be like the magi and be willing to turn our sight towards Him. As Pope Benedict XVI reminded at World Youth Day in 2015, Matthew’s Gospel “is not a distant story that took place long ago. It is with us now. Here in the sacred Host he is present before us and in our midst… He is present now as he was then in Bethlehem. He invites us to that inner pilgrimage which is called adoration.”

Therefore, may we be like the magi. Let us be moved unto the Lord. Let us come to discover the great light which dispels the darkness of sin and death. This is the light which must come to illuminate our life. It is this light alone which will come to bring us solace in the midst of darkness. He who we desire, this great light, is Christ our Lord, He who is present with us in the Most Holy Eucharist. Come let us adore Him!