The diocese’s shepherd visits both high schools and four elementary schools during August and September
By Dan McWilliams
Bishop Mark Beckman made several school visits in August and September as he traveled to Notre Dame High School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, and St. Jude School, all in Chattanooga, as well as to Knoxville Catholic High School, St. Dominic School in Kingsport, and St. Mary School in Johnson City.
At Notre Dame, where as a seminarian he received clarity that God was calling him to be a priest
Bishop Beckman on Aug. 21 celebrated Mass and chatted with students at Notre Dame High School in the morning and later toured Our Lady of Perpetual Help School.
The Mass took place in the Michael & Eleanor Miller Theater. Bishop Beckman recalled his seminarian days in the 1989-90 school year when he taught religion at the Chattanooga high school.
“I am so glad to be with all of you here this morning at Notre Dame,” he said to begin Mass. “Some of you all may have heard that I taught here one year 35 years ago. Some of your parents may have been students of mine when I taught at Notre Dame High School. And it was in that year that I got real clarity that God was calling me to be a priest, so I’m really grateful to be back in Chattanooga.”
Ten priests from the Chattanooga Deanery concelebrated the Mass, with Father Mike Nolan and Father David Carter as principal concelebrants. Father Peter Iorio, a native of the deanery who is now pastor at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, also concelebrated. Deacon Hicks Armor was deacon of the Word and of the altar at Mass. Students proclaimed the readings, presented the gifts, and sang at the liturgy.
George Valadie, interim superintendent of Catholic schools in the diocese, attended the Mass, as did Notre Dame head of school Dr. Eric Schexnaildre and an auditorium filled with faculty, staff, and students.
Monsignor Al Humbrecht, pastor of Holy Spirit in Soddy-Daisy, was among the priests at Mass. The future Bishop Beckman served summer assignments as a seminarian at two different parishes led by Monsignor Humbrecht when he was pastor of St. Augustine in Signal Mountain in 1986 and as pastor of OLPH in 1987.
“Chattanooga has for me very wonderful memories, and I’m so glad now to be here as your bishop,” Knoxville’s new shepherd said.
The Mass took place on the memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Today, we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, that final moment when, after Mary having entered into the fullness of life with the Lord forever, began to reign with Christ,” Bishop Beckman said. “We today are invited by the Lord to share in that great mystery.”
The bishop began his homily by recalling a significant experience.
“One of the great moments of my life as a priest was when I had the opportunity to visit for the first time the Holy Land, the places where Jesus Himself was born and lived and ministered around the Sea of Galilee, where He was crucified and died and rose from the dead,” he said. “I will tell you, I never thought I would actually see those places. I never had a strong desire to go. I was a bit afraid, actually, of going to a place like that in the world that is so often troubled with war and violence as it is today.
“But my associate pastor went, and he came back and was so full of excitement that I could see it had changed him. It made me think: I want to go there. One of the places that I will never forget was the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up and spent most of His life, about 30 of those years until He began His public ministry.”
As God had a special plan for Mary, He has one for the students at Notre Dame, Bishop Beckman said.
“I want to say this: every single one of you has also been created by God with great intentionality and love. He formed you from the clay of the earth and breathed into your nostrils the breath of life,” he said. “God, too, has a plan for each one of you. There’s something that you can offer this world that no one else can offer. You have a unique role and vocation in God’s plan.
“I’d like you today to think about God’s invitation to you, saying, ‘I want you to say yes to my call in your life.’ And how do you discover what it is God is calling you to do? He’ll always, I believe, put the desire in your heart at the deepest level, and when you discover what that core desire is and say yes to it, it fits. It feels right. That’s what I discovered the year I was teaching here at Notre Dame, trying to get clarity: ‘God, are you calling me to be a priest? Are you sure about this?’
“The clarity I got was listening to my heart to the deepest desire on the inside, and I knew by the end of that year it was true. ‘God, this is what you are calling me to do,’ and the peace that I felt was profound. So, on this feast of Mary, I want you for a moment to pause and imagine that the Lord Himself is inviting you to say yes again today, and to listen to your heart. Say to yes to the Lord, and continue to let that yes unfold.”
Bishop Beckman concluded his homily by expressing good wishes for the students.
“I hope all of you have a fantastic school year. I know it’s still brand new—it just started last week, right?” he said. “Some of you all are new here, freshmen. Welcome to Notre Dame. It’s good that you are here. Some of you are seniors, preparing for your last year, looking to the future already probably. Enjoy this year. Be good leaders, be good role models. And all of you between, sophomores and juniors.
“I loved teaching here. My religion class, you go out that auditorium door right back there, head down the hall to the right—my classroom was on the right-hand side of the hallway, three sophomore classes, one freshman class, and a senior class that year.”
Some hands went up when the bishop asked if any of the students’ parents were taught by him at Notre Dame.
“It is good that we are here today. It is good to know that Mary is praying for us from her place with the Lord, and she is praying that we’ll say yes—yes, Lord,” he said.
In his closing remarks at Mass, Bishop Beckman thanked three groups, all of whom received a hearty round of applause.
“This morning, a few words of acknowledgement and gratitude. I want to thank all of my brother priests for being here today,” he said. “What a blessing it is to have so many members of our presbyterate right here in the deanery but also even beyond the deanery. I welcome you, brothers, and I’m grateful for your presence here at Notre Dame.
“All of you probably know that the name Notre Dame means Our Lady, so this school is under her protection always. It was created a long time ago by the Dominican Sisters. It’s so nice to have the Sisters here today as well, back in the ministry of the high school, and Deacon Hicks for his continuous ministry, but all of you for your roles today, especially those of you in the music ministry—what a gift you are to help us to celebrate well.
“A final word of gratitude to all of you involved in Catholic education—our administrators, we have our superintendent of schools here today, the head of school, all of those of you working on the staff and faculty, the administration. The role that you play preparing young people for their mission in life and indeed for eternity is irreplaceable. Thank you for doing what you are doing.”
The bishop met afterward with Notre Dame seniors over lunch. He then took numerous questions from students.
Bishop Beckman was asked about his family and his day-to-day life as a bishop. Having just been ordained and installed July 26, he answered, “I don’t know yet” to the latter query.
He said his favorite part of his new role is “meeting everybody and celebrating the Eucharist with you.” If he were not a bishop, he said with a laugh, “I’d be a pastor of a parish back in Nashville. If I were not a priest, I might be a professor at a college or a park ranger.”
If he could teach school again, he said, “If I was a professor, probably history—I was a history major as an undergraduate, or certainly religion or theology.”
He was asked what brought him to his vocation, and he credited the inspiration of Father John Kirk, who served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in the bishop’s native Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
“God probably reached out to me through a pastor who was sent to our parish when I was a teenager. I was in the seventh or eighth grade when he arrived,” Bishop Beckman said. “He was a priest who was born in Knoxville, Tenn., Father John Kirk. It was the first time he was a pastor. He was so incredibly good for us as a pastor. He really cared about the young people. He did a lot of activities with us. He seemed very close to God, and I remember thinking at one point, if I could be as a close to God as he seems to be and as close to people as he seems to be, I would like to be a priest. That was the seed that got planted in me.”
Questioned about his hobbies, the bishop said, “If you ask me when I’m in my happiest place, it’s usually when I’m outside hiking somewhere. I love exploring the national parks of the United States. I’ve been to most of them. I love hiking, love camping, love backpacking, so anytime I’m outside—mountains, ocean—I’m happy. I love good films. I love reading good books. I like having dinner with friends. Those are some of my favorite things to do.”
The bishop said his favorite places to visit include Banff National Park in Canada along with Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and the Desert Southwest, adding that he completed a visit to every U.S. state this summer when he “got my 50th.”
He added that there are only a few hard-to-get-to national parks that are among the few he has not been to.
Bishop Beckman was asked about his favorite Bible passage, and he said the first one that came to his mind was Matthew’s Gospel account of Jesus saying, “come to me, all of you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.”
Asked for advice for those struggling with finding a relationship with God, the bishop said, “Every single one of us is already held in God’s care and love, so we’re always close to God whether we know it or not. God is always close to us. How do we get in touch with God? I think we get in touch with God by going into our hearts and finding that place of realness and authenticity and by talking to God about where we really are today.”
For those having difficulty in discerning a vocation, Bishop Beckman said, “I think that when God created each one of us, He gave us certain gifts and aptitudes, things that we enjoy doing, so if you discover something you love to do and you’re good at it, then that would be a great vocation.”
That reply led to the bishop recommending that students take part in SEARCH for Christian Maturity weekends.
He said his biggest role models growing up included his parents and grandparents, teachers, and Father Kirk.
Bishop Beckman was asked about his favorite moment from his year of teaching at Notre Dame, and he recalled a funny incident involving longtime principal Jim Phifer.
“Day one, I was a brand-new teacher at Notre Dame High School. I taught one freshman class, three sophomore classes, and one senior class. I walked into one of the sophomore classes, and there was a student on the front row, and she said, ‘Mr. Beckman, I’m so glad you’re here. I found you’re our new tennis coach.’ She said, ‘Our coach last year didn’t know anything about tennis.’
“Well, Mr. Phifer was the principal, and he never told me I was coaching tennis. After class, I walked up to the office, and Mr. Phifer was there, and I said, ‘Mr. Phifer, one of my students thinks I’m coaching tennis this year.’ He said, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, yeah, you’re going to coach tennis.’ I said, ‘I don’t know anything about tennis,’ and he said, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, the kids know everything, you just show up.’ I said, ‘OK.’ That was one of my funny moments at Notre Dame. The students always made me laugh. What great moments in class that inspired me.”
The bishop was asked if he had met Pope Francis, and he said he had not but would in September when he attended a school for new bishops at the Vatican.
At OLPH, principal Dr. Caroline Carlin led the bishop, accompanied by pastor Father Arthur Torres and associate pastor Father Matthew Donahue, on a tour of the school. The bishop visited teachers and students, getting an opportunity to look through microscopes in a science class.
KCHS: ‘It is great to see a church full of young people’
Bishop Beckman celebrated Mass with the students and staff of Knoxville Catholic High School at All Saints Church on Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It was Bishop Beckman’s introduction to the KCHS community, and during his visit he also toured part of the school and had lunch with a group of school leaders.
Bishop Beckman shared with the students at Mass that one of his greatest joys as a young priest was working with high school students. He served in high school ministry as a teacher, as a chaplain, and as an administrator for about eight years.
He also noted that he served with the SEARCH retreat program for high school students for 13 years while in the Diocese of Nashville.
“It is great to see a church full of young people,” the bishop said to begin the Mass.
Concelebrating the all-school Mass was Father Doug Owens, pastor of All Saints Parish, Father Randy Stice, who serves at the school, Father Chris Michelson, who serves as an adviser to KCHS, Father Joe Reed, pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, and Monsignor Patrick Garrity. Deacon Joe Stackhouse assisted at the Mass.
In his homily, Bishop Beckman described to the students his visit to the Holy Land a number of years ago and the profound impact visiting the landmarks unique to Mary, such as the site of the Annunciation, had on him.
“Mary said, ‘Yes. Let it be done to me,’” he told the students, explaining that as the angel appeared to Mary, she was very afraid. “And yet her openness to God was so great that she said yes.”
The bishop then pointed out to the students that God has singled out every one of them, and they have been called by God to do something great.
“He created you with a purpose,” Bishop Beckman said, emphasizing that God made each one of them and breathed life into each one. “There is something in you that no other person in this world has been given that you can offer our world today. And your willingness to say yes, as Mary did, is an opening to allow the love of God to use you to do something beautiful in the world.”
The bishop assured the students that he will be praying for them as they continue their education at KCHS and beyond, and that on their journey they will be open to the voice of God, who is calling to them, and like Mary, they will say yes to God.
Bishop Beckman then had lunch with about 20 student leaders, who asked him questions about his priesthood, about becoming a bishop, and about some of his personal interests, like hiking.
Joining the bishop and students at the lunch were George Valadie, interim superintendent of diocesan schools, KCHS president Dickie Sompayrac, Dr. Sedonna Prater, KCHS vice president of academics, Father Michelson, Father Stice, and Sister Madeline Rose Kraemer, OP, who chairs the KCHS religion department.
Visiting St. Dominic School and Parish on their patron’s feast day
Bishop Beckman made his first school visit in the Diocese of Knoxville at St. Dominic School in Kings-port on Aug. 8. Appropriately, it was the feast day of St. Dominic.
Bishop Beckman visited classrooms and met with each grade level.
That evening, he celebrated Mass with the St. Dominic Parish community who were celebrating their patron’s feast day.
“This is the first time I’ve been up to the Tri-Cities as your bishop. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to come to this edge of the diocese,” Bishop Beckman said. “It is good to be with you, especially on your parish feast day.”
In his homily, the bishop spoke of St. Paul and St. Dominic’s joyful evangelism for Christ.
“Paul undoubtedly never forgot how he had persecuted the Church of God and the moment the Lord knocked him to the ground and he was left stunned, and yet, the grace of God in him transformed him from the inside,” Bishop Beckman said. “He became a profound witness to the power of the crucified and risen Christ. And because of that so many centuries later, 1,200 years or so, Dominic had also heard the Good News of Jesus, became transformed by him and became a preacher of the Gospel. It is said that Dominic had such a gentleness, such a radiance, such an attractiveness, that people were drawn to the Gospel.”
This love of Christ and joy in sharing the Gospel is what will lead others to Him, the bishop said.
“I’m convinced that’s what drew people to Jesus, through Paul, through Dominic, and so many others through the lives of the Church. Humble, joyful witness of the Lord.”
At the end of the Mass, a group of youths on behalf of the parish presented Bishop Beckman with a gift basket full of items representing Kingsport and East Tennessee.
St. Dominic pastor Father Michael Cummins thanked Bishop Beckman for his presence.
“I wanted to take the opportunity on behalf of the whole parish, Bishop, to thank you for being here with us, thank you for celebrating our parish’s feast day with us, and thank you for your ‘yes’ to be our shepherd in this diocese. We believed we are graced, and please know that we are here to support you and to work with you in building up the kingdom of God here.”
After Mass, the parish community held a celebration in the parish life center, where they had dinner and met with Bishop Beckman.
On to St. Mary School in Johnson City
Bishop Beckman visited St. Mary School in Johnson City on Aug. 9. He celebrated St. Mary’s first all-school Mass of the school year.
In his homily, Bishop Beckman told the students how Jesus calls us to love one another and help each other.
“The words of Jesus are always inviting us to be different from the world that surrounds us,” he said.
He commented on a recent news story of an Olympic runner who fell. A fellow competitor stopped to help her.
“She wasn’t concerned with herself. She was concerned with what had happened to her competitor…. That’s the way of the Gospel, of Jesus Christ. We are nothing without each other. Lift each other up, help each other throughout the race. Help each other across the finish line.”
After Mass, Bishop Beckman toured the school, meeting with each grade level and answering students’ questions about himself and his life as a new bishop.
While meeting with the eighth-grade class, Bishop Beckman recalled his own Catholic schooling at Sacred Heart School in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. He reminded the eighth-graders that they had a responsibility to the younger students.
“You all are the leaders of the school this year,” he said. “I know you’ll be good role models.”
A spiritual bouquet presented at St. Jude in Chattanooga
Bishop Beckman visited St. Jude School in Chattanooga on Sept. 30.
He celebrated an all-school Mass with St. Jude pastor Father Charlie Burton and associate pastor Father Alex Waraksa. Assisting were Deacon Brian Gabor and Deacon Hicks Armor.
Victoria Bewley, an eighth-grade student, presented Bishop Beckman with a spiritual bouquet from all of the students. To his delight, it included homemade cookies. The cookies were made by eighth-grade teacher Jordan Kidwell.
Bishop Beckman visited multiple classrooms and the cafeteria. He was escorted by eighth-graders Ali Osborne and Ava Lovelace.
Emily Booker and Bill Brewer contributed to this article.