Bishop Beckman returns to Lawrenceburg for Mass at home church
By Katie Peterson / Tennessee Register
One beautiful Saturday evening, 34 years ago, then-Father Mark Beckman celebrated his Thanksgiving Mass as a new priest at his home church of Sacred Heart in Lawrenceburg.
On Sunday, Sept. 1, he once again joined this community of faith for a Mass of Thanksgiving, this time as Most Reverend J. Mark Beckman, fourth bishop of Knoxville.
“It is a great day in Lawrence County to have you back,” said Father Andrew Forsythe, pastor of Sacred Heart Church. “Welcome home.”
“It feels wonderful to be home,” Bishop Beckman reiterated.
“Way back in the 1800s, as most people know, German immigrants arrived here in a new land, Lawrence County, and the new group of German settlers founded this church of Sacred Heart here in Lawrenceburg,” Bishop Beckman said during his homily, noting the founding of Sacred Heart Church in Loretto and St. Joseph Church in St. Joseph by the same immigrants.
“Their own hands helped make the bricks that form this church, and the carvings that are on the altars, and so this place that surrounds us was built by hands that brought the faith of Christ to this new land,” he added.
Referring to the second reading from the Letter of St. James, he continued, “It reminds us to humbly welcome the word of God that has been planted in you, that is able to save your souls, be doers of the Word, and not just hearers of the Word. And I would propose that those beginning German immigrants who arrived here back in the 1800s humbly welcomed God’s Word, and they let that Word bear rich fruit.
Bishop Mark Beckman celebrates Mass on Sunday, Sept. 1 at Sacred Heart Church in Lawrenceburg, which has served as his family’s home church. Concelebrating the Mass is Father Andrew Forsythe, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and School. (Photo Katie Peterson/Tennessee Register)
“This community of faith has nurtured faith, hope, and charity for more than 150 years, and that incredible gift has also given to us incredible vocations,” he said with a smile. “I am still humbled that Pope Francis asked me to be a bishop, but I’m deeply moved that I’m from the same parishes as Bishop James Niedergeses,” whose crosier he now uses and brought with him to celebrate the Mass.
“Beyond that, this community has produced rich vocations also to religious life and to the priesthood. And it is also rich in married life and the single life,” he noted. “I remember those folks who have never been married in here praying before and after Mass. So, this community has been handing on that faith for all these years, and you all are the next generation. We’re here to hand on that gift now to the next generation.
“Humbly welcome the Word of God into your heart. Jesus in the Gospel today speaks about all the afflictions that touch the human heart, those things that separated us from God. We all must wrestle with these things, but the solution is the presence of the Lord Himself, and that’s why it’s important to humbly accept the Word of God.”
The community of Sacred Heart in Lawrenceburg has done that well, he pointed out.
“This community has always been doers of God’s Word. You don’t simply listen. You put it into practice,” he said. “Another place you do that is in this wonderful Catholic school next door. Many generations of young people have learned about the faith in that environment. I’m so grateful for my eight years there. I was shaped and formed by many of those teachers.”
“So, today is a day of gratitude to the Lord for the grace of His abundance in this community,” Bishop Beckman concluded. “Open your hearts humbly and receive the Word of God. Be doers of the Lord and not just hearers.”
