Bishop Stika's Response to HHS Mandate

Bishop Stika has released his letter concerning the HHS Madate. I encourage you to read it and also do everything possible to help combat it. As a nation where the people value the freedom that has been bestowed upon them we cannot allow these freedoms to begin to be pushed away. Above all may we join in prayer concerning this mandate. You can also view this response at the Diocese of Knoxville website by clicking here.

February 2, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you having just returned from my Ad Limina visit with Pope Benedict XVI who shares deeply the concerns that I and all the U.S. bishops have regarding a matter that calls for our steadfast prayer, solidarity and action. On January 20th, the federal government cast aside the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and essentially stripped Catholics and citizens of any faith of our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom—our religious liberty.

In a decision that the Obama Administration calls “fair and balanced,” the mandate of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services forces almost all employers, including Catholic employers, to include sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception in their employees’ health coverage. Additionally, almost all health insurers will be forced to include these “services” in their health policies. And regardless of a person’s conscience, almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of this Administration’s policies.

This ruling will have dire consequences upon Catholics nationwide and the millions who are ministered to and served through our Catholic schools, higher education institutions, hospitals and charities. It is these that bear the name “Catholic,” founded as expressions of our Christian witness as disciples of Christ, that the Administration now deems to be secular in nature and subject to their manipulation. In so ruling, Catholics are compelled to either violate their consciences or to drop health coverage for employees and to suffer the penalties for doing so.

Let us not be deceived. What we are witnessing, as Pope Benedict XVI stated, is the drastic shift from “religious freedom to a mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.” This shift is but a thinly disguised way of silencing the moral witness of Catholics in protecting the sanctity and dignity of every human life, in defending marriage and family from attacks upon it, and from sowing the seeds of our faith through our works of mercy. It is an attempt to put a bushel basket over the light of our Catholic faith (Luke 11:33) and to keep it a private matter to be expressed only inside a church, and even then with limits.

And so I join with my brother bishops throughout our nation in emphatically stating that we cannot and will not comply with this unjust law! It is time for Catholics to act.

But no call to action is first without a call to prayer. And so I ask you to join me in prayer and fasting to ask God for the strength and wisdom to fight this unjust law. I ask you also to contact Congress and to ask them to reverse this decision and enact legislation that protect the rights of conscience. You can do so through the U.S. bishops webpage at www.usccb.org/conscience

With my blessing and prayers for all of you and your loved ones.

Sincerely in Christ,

The Most Reverend Richard F. Stika

Bishop of Knoxville

Fathers of Mercy Pictures

I have attached a few pictures from my retreat with the Fathers of Mercy in Auburn, KY. I was blown away by the community's hospitality, prayer life, and love for the tradition of the faith. This retreat was the one that Canon Law requires me to make prior to ordination to the priesthood, so I have one more step crossed off the list. You can check out their website by clicking here.

Fri 2nd Year of OT Homily

1st Reading: 1 Sm 24:3-21
Responsorial Pslam: Ps 57:2-4,6,11
Gospel: Mk 3:13-19

In today's Gospel Jesus called twelve men who would serve Him as His first priests. We have twelve men who each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Not one of these twelve was perfect, and all of them still needed the sacrifice that would take place upon the cross. We know that Judas was the one who would betray Jesus. We know of situations that Peter put himself in where he later had to be put in his place. The other ten apostles also had their situations where they showed their own humanity and therefore did something that was not in line with the teachings of Christ. Despite these limitations these men were still called to follow Christ as His first priests. We must therefore pray for all of the clergy of the Church that those who have been called to this specific ministry may be strengthened.

We have all been set apart through our baptism. Each of us who have been baptized have been called to go into the world and live out the Gospel. We are similar to the twelve apostles who were called because we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. May we be willing to live out a life where we try our hardest to live out our baptismal promises. At times when we fall may we take the example of Peter and return to Christ for forgiveness and mercy. Do to the fact that we have been called by Christ in this special way we must take it upon ourselves to preach Christ to the world through our words and actions. We must go into the world of darkness and sin and bring forth the light of the Gospel. All of this can only be possible if we place ourselves around Christ.

We have come to this Mass, so that we may draw closer to Christ. Through the reception of Christ in the Holy Eucharist we are being prepared for the ministry that we must bring to the world. "Go forth, the Mass is ended" does not mean that our work on this earth has come to an end, but shows that we must depart from this Church and bring Christ to the world. May the Holy Apostles intercede for us as we work with great fervor to bring the light of Christ into the world.

2nd Sun of OT Year B Homily

1st Reading: 1 Sm 3:3b-10,19
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2,4,7-10
2nd Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a,17-20
Gospel: Jn 1:35-42

It is truly great to be back at this parish. I will be returning to the seminary on the 21st of January to finish up my final semester of the seminary. Following this upcoming semester I God willing will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville. I take each day with great excitement as I finally draw closer to something that I have spent the past eight years of my life preparing for. This final semester of studies will continue to help me prepare to minister to the people of God as a priest. Through my preparation I am preparing to "behold the Lamb of God" in a very profound way. Each of us here find ourselves upon different paths towards holiness, but our goal remains the same and that is to do everything possible to draw closer to Christ.

"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." We have taken the time out of our day, so that we could come to this Church and do just that. We have made the sacrifice out of our day, so that we can gather as a community of faith who desires to "behold the Lamb of God." To fathom the things that are going on in the world around us such as television, sports, movies, work, and the need to get some much needed rest, but we have still drawn ourselves to this Church for a reason. We have taken time away from these daily events even if we were pulled here by somebody that we love. For this hour we step outside of the noise of the world and we allow our hearts and souls to enter the realm of the divine. It is here at this Mass that we join with all of the Heavenly Host of Heaven and allow time to stand still. It is only here that we will be able to "behold the Lamb of God" through the Eucharist.

If we indeed dare to "behold the Lamb of God" we have a lot of work that needs to be done. In our second reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians we are told that our "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you." If we truly believe that the Holy Spirit dwells within us how can we continue to fall into sin even if it is the smallest of sins? With the knowledge that we have been created within the image and likeness of God we should strive our hardest to do away with any impurity which might cause harm to ourselves or to those who surround us. Each of us are joined to Jesus Christ because we share in Holy Communion. It is through this great Sacrament that we are all joined together no matter where we may be. Therefore the reality of sin does more then effect you, but it effects all of us. Sin gets in the way of being able to "behold the lamb of God" because through our own sinful behavior we have decided that we do not want to behold Him inside of the Sacrament of the Altar.

Thankfully we are reminded through today's first reading from the first Book of Samuel that the Lord keeps calling out to each of us. It took the Lord four times to be able to actually get Samuel to hear and to understand. How many times have we heard the Lord calling out to us in our lives and yet decided that we were not ready to respond? In this passage Samuel hears the Lord calling, but needs the assistance of Eli in order to understand how he is to react to this call. It can indeed be difficult to understand where we need to orient our lives when we have so many voices and distractions that get in our way. Despite any distractions that arise in our lives it can be important to seek out help from another person. A close friend or family member could be the perfect place to begin to seek the direction that we need in our lives in order for us to hear this call from God. Taking advantage of different classes and occasions of prayer that this Church offers can also open up hearts and souls to "behold the lamb of God."

John's Gospel presents the apostles to us and tells how they were called to follow Jesus Christ. They saw Christ walking towards them and John pointed out the fact that this was the man that they were now to follow. At this moment the living Gospel of Christ had walked into their lives and all written in the Law would be fulfilled. The fact that John pointed out that He is "the Lamb of God" is very profound. Through this statement he is making reference to the spotless lamb who is sacrificed upon the altar. He is making the statement that Jesus Christ is the one who is free of sin and has arrived in order to be a sacrificial offering for each of us. This is truly the arrival of the Messiah. The apostles had no other option then, but to follow Christ because this is what they were preparing for. They had been called to follow Christ because He was "the Lamb of God" and they did so with great faith. Therefore it was out of the faith of these two apostles that Jesus finally turned his face towards them. They were finally able to come in this close contact with the Divine Savior of the World.

Christ desires to come into contact with each of us. It is His desire to show His face to us, but we must have the faith to actually desire it. Prayer creates this relationship and helps us to grow closer and closer to God each day until we are able to clearly see His face. No matter how wonderful or grim our life may seem to be Christ is still present in those moments and continues to walk into our lives. We must never take for granted "the Lamb of God" who has walked into our lives. It is because of His sacrifice that we have been granted everlasting life. Therefore when we say "Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world" we should not be saying only words, but should be crying out with joy that Christ overcame the sin of the world through His sacrifice on the cross. Following that moment the priest will raise the Body of Christ over the chalice and will proclaim to each of us "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb." At this moment the priest is calling to us like John called to the two apostles. The priest is inviting us to this divine union with Jesus Christ. May we truly "behold the Lamb of God" and profess that we are here to do His will upon this earth.

Rosary for Life

The third annual Rosary for Life was held today across the street from an abortion clinic in the downtown area of Knoxville. Justin Cardinal Rigali led the rosary in Bishop Stika's absence, due to death in his family. This year the weather was good and we had a huge turnout from the Knoxville faithful. I have attached a few pictures from this year's event. May all of us continue to join our hearts in prayer that one day life will be respected and thus abortion will come to an end in this country and around the world.