News - October 2015

Laura Smith sits in her living room, her leg involuntarily bouncing, her attention darting between her 4-year-old daughter, her smartphone, and her conversation with a reporter. She apologizes for being easily distracted and anxious; she’s still getting used to managing her time, making decisions for herself, and caring for her daughter, luxuries that were denied while she served a recent four-year prison sentence.

In 2007, Christ the King Principal Sherry Woodman heard about a teaching philosophy called Responsive Classroom, an academic approach centered on students taking ownership for what happens in their classrooms, positive interactions amongst teachers and students, and creating a classroom setting where all students feel loved and respected.

During the eight years that Patty Hession worked on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, she got used to long days of hard work, getting dirty, not seeing land for seven days at a time.

The work of the Serra Club to support vocations to the priesthood and religious life is vital to the Diocese of Nashville’s efforts to spread the faith, said Bishop David Choby.

St. Ann parishioner Thom Druffel was honored recently by the Catholic Business League as the Catholic Professional of the Year for exemplifying the organization’s vision of encouraging Catholic professionals to live their faith at work, at home and in the community.

Knights of Columbus in Middle and East Tennessee have received a shipment of 114 wheelchairs they are distributing to nursing homes, adult day care centers, to veterans groups and others.

Several years ago, two laypeople approached Father John Sims Baker hoping to establish a ministry for post-abortive women and families in Nashville. For the past nine years, the trio have been working on and off to make their dream a reality. This past August, their wishes came true.

Most Americans don’t understand the scale of the conflict in Syria and the humanitarian crisis it has caused, said Cullen Larson, Southeast regional director for Catholic Relief Services.

I invite you to join me in celebrating National Priesthood Sunday. It is a special day set aside to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church.

PHILADELPHIA. Pope Francis speaks often about memory and motion, the importance of remembering where you came from and setting off without fear to share the Gospel.

PHILADELPHIA. Not far from where the Liberty Bell is on display, Pope Francis urged the people of the United States to continue to “proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” as the bell’s inscription says.

In July 2014, nine men were ordained priests for the Diocese of Nashville, the largest-ever group to be ordained in a single Mass in the diocese’s 178-year history. The recent boon in vocations has been a blessing for the Church in Middle Tennessee, and it has also meant that more newly ordained priests than ever before are adjusting to their new roles in parishes, schools, and other ministries.

When Pope Francis greeted St. Henry parishioner Gianna Thacker’s three children by patting and kissing each of them on the head, it was a “surreal” moment, she said. “I don’t even know if I shook his hand,” she said with a laugh. But she does know that it was a moment that she will remember forever.

Pope Francis used his visit to the United States to carry the Catholic Church’s teaching and understanding of marriage and family life to the country and the world, said Bishop David Choby.