Pilgrims of hope

Jubilee Year is focus of KDCCW Convention at St. Mary-Johnson City

By Emily Booker

Women from across East Tennessee made a pilgrimage to the northeast corner of the state for the biennial Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (KDCCW) Convention April 24-26 at St. Mary Church in Johnson City, hosted by the Five Rivers Deanery.

Inspired by the Jubilee Year, the convention theme was “Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope: Where Meaning Meets Purpose.” Around 140 women from all four deaneries and even Virginia gathered for reflection, illumination, and fellowship focused on finding purpose and hope.

“When we started planning on the convention, we knew 2025 was going to be a Jubilee Year, and we honed in on the ‘pilgrimage of hope’ [theme] that Pope Francis chose,” said convention co-chair Susan Collins.

“With St. Mary Parish located at the farthest edge of our diocese, the journey to East Tennessee truly became a pilgrimage,” said convention co-chair Pam Morgan. “It was heartwarming to see so many of our council ladies make the trip to this beautiful part of our state, embracing both the spiritual and scenic journey.”

The convention began on April 24 with a rosary praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, who died just days before the convention. Following the rosary was the Mass of Remembrance for women in the diocese who died in the previous year. The names of the women were read out by priests as the presidents of each deanery CCW held a candle.

Father Dustin Collins, pastor of St. Mary, celebrated the Mass. Father Dan Whitman, chaplain of the KDCCW; Father Zach Griffith, associate pastor of St. Mary; Father Joseph Kuzhupil, MSFS, pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville; Father Emmanuel Massawe, AJ, associate pastor at Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport; and Father Anselm Edu, who has served as chaplain and resident student at St. Mary and chaplain at Johnson City Medical Center, concelebrated. Father Edu will begin serving as associate pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport at the end of June.

Deacons Don Griffith, Jim Haselsteiner, Wil Johnson, and Otto Preske assisted at the Mass.

“It is wonderful to be with you this evening. Welcome, all of you, to our parish,” Father Collins said.

In his homily, Father Collins addressed the theme of the convention.

“The theme of this convention is most timely, seeing as we are in this Jubilee Year—it’s the pilgrimage of hope. In this Easter season especially, we begin to realize this pilgrimage of hope that we find ourselves to be on, to fathom where we’ve been these last few days.”

He spoke about how Jesus met with the Apostles after the resurrection and offered words of peace and consolation.

“There is so much that troubles us in this life—fear of tomorrow, fear of one’s health, the health of another, a struggle with a certain temptation. It becomes our pilgrimage of life, these things we must bear. How depressing would it be if we would just sit out and encounter these things all alone? We must remember that with the risen Lord, by joining ourselves unto Him, that hope always springs forth for us in the midst of every cross, no matter what that cross may be.”

An encounter with Christ will produce hope able to withstand any hardship, Father Collins said.

“Throughout this pilgrimage of life, we also come to bear wounds [like Christ]. Despite these wounds, we cannot just simply give up, lose hope in the midst of our suffering. Instead, let us continue to come to Him with the confidence of faith as He embraces us in His mercy. He comes to exclaim those great words of consolation unto us: ‘Peace be with you.’”

The collection taken at the Mass of Remembrance went to the East Tennessee State University Catholic Center, which serves college students in Johnson City. The collection raised more than $1,300 for much-needed renovations.

Honoring young leaders

Following Mass, there was an opening dinner in which KDCCW president Michelle Peckham welcomed the women and discussed the convention in the context of a pilgrimage.

“Our theme this year is Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope: Where Meaning Meets Purpose. What is the difference between pilgrimage and just being a tourist? A pilgrimage is a religious journey to a sacred place. It can involve physical travel to a specific site, or it can represent a spiritual journey of personal growth and reflection. A tourist visits, takes pictures, sends postcards home. Tomorrow morning, we will begin our pilgrimage.”

She also discussed the Jubilee Year and the significance of the Holy Door in Rome, how people make pilgrimages to Holy Doors and receive an indulgence for entering through the Holy Door. She also talked about the requirements for an indulgence.

“You must be free from all sin, even venial sin, and have a sincere desire for conversion. You must receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Receive the Eucharist on the same day as the act to obtain the indulgence and offer prayer for the pope’s intention, such as in the Our Father, a Hail Mary, and then, of course, you have to make a pilgrimage to one of the four major basilicas, or visit a designated church, perform corporal works of mercy, or participate in official Jubilee events.”

She encouraged the women to approach the convention as a pilgrimage and a spiritual journey. “This weekend, we will pray for the pope’s intention. We will have the opportunity for confession. We will have the opportunity to pilgrimage to several sites on the grounds here at St. Mary. We have a service project to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. And we will have the opportunity to receive the Eucharist. I encourage you to be a pilgrim this weekend and not a tourist.”

Ms. Peckham then introduced the inaugural Golden Rose Award. The award recognizes young women in the diocese who display leadership, spirituality, and service in their parish and community.

Ms. Peckham acknowledged each of the three finalists: Cumberland Mountain Deanery winner Beth Ohmes from All Saints Parish in Knoxville; Five Rivers Deanery winner Laura Thomas from St. Mary Parish in Johnson City; and Smoky Mountain Deanery winner Karen Amayo Castro from Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa.

A video was shown introducing each finalist and her activities as well as a message from Bishop Mark Beckman.

Then Amelia Sweeney, Louisville Province CCW director, announced Miss Thomas as the winner.

As part of the award, Miss Thomas received $500 from the KDCCW, a symbolic “Golden Rose,” and a gift certificate for six months of professional life coaching from Floyd Consulting. She will go on to represent the Diocese of Knoxville in the National Council of Catholic Women Golden Rose competition.

“We are extremely glad to have her representing us at the national award,” Ms. Peckham said.

‘We’re on a pilgrimage’

On Friday, April 25, the women heard from three different speakers about pilgrimage and how to move through the pilgrimage of life with intention and hope.

The first speaker was Evelyn Garcia, pilgrimage coordinator for Dynamic Catholic.

She spoke about leading pilgrimages to places like Rome and the Holy Land, sharing amusing anecdotes, especially how trusting the Lord and receiving His blessings helped her over the years.

“I’m a pilgrimage person because I like to travel, but I don’t want to miss daily Mass. So, if you travel, you get on a pilgrimage to get to go to Mass. The fact that it’s my job now is, like, completely miraculous,” she said.

But Ms. Garcia reminded the women that a pilgrimage is not just an international trip to a holy site—it can be as simple as visiting your local church, and in fact, she said, we are all on a pilgrimage, traveling through life toward God. And part of being on that pilgrimage is helping others along the way.

“We’re all on a pilgrimage from the womb till we get to heaven. We are on a pilgrimage right now. Whether you’re traveling somewhere or doing nothing—sitting at home, going to Mass. We’re on a pilgrimage,” she said.

“You can do local pilgrimages to Mass. We were sitting behind these darling families at Mass this morning, and I thought, God bless them, they had the cutest little kids. They probably make this pilgrimage every single day,”she added. “Every single day these beautiful parents are taking their little kids and getting them used to the Mass. God bless them, because I know it’s not easy. It’s hardly easy to get me ready in the morning. I can’t imagine getting all those kids ready and making it there to Mass.

“You can make a pilgrimage to a neighbor who needs help. You know, you can make a pilgrimage to a party that you know is for a person who’s not that popular. You really don’t want to go, but you know no one else is going to go. So, you’re going to make the pilgrimage to help that person out and keep them happy, keep them busy.”

It is by embracing God’s love and graces that we can fully embrace who we are meant to be, she said.

“God wants us to be fully alive. He wants us to be everything that we can be. Because the more that you allow yourself to be exactly yourself, exactly the way God made you, the more that you can help other people,” she said.

“He made you with your personality, with your quirks, with everything that you’ve got going. He made you you. So, you being you is the glory of God. And you have to be you, because other people have forgotten it. And we’re all on the same pilgrimage, and you have to help everybody out. … Somebody needs your help now. Like Mother Teresa said, if you want to change the world, go home and start with your family. Oh, it’s so much easier to just shut that door and go somewhere else, you know? But start with your family.

“You have somebody who needs a lot of attention. You give them attention. You have somebody who’s kind of lonely? Talk to them. You have somebody who’s got a lot of burdens? Give them an ear, you know, listen to them. Things will change.”

The second speaker was Michele Marquis, executive coach at Floyd Consulting.

She spoke about living life as a pilgrimage and living with intentionality.

“We can start right now really thinking about what matters most to you, and how are you going to be more intentional about living the life that you really want to live.”

She led the women through a condensed study of several chapters from Matthew Kelly’s book The Fourth Quarter. The book breaks life into four quarters: age 1-20 is formation, age 21-40 is building, age 41-60 is prime, and 61-plus is harvest. It is in this fourth quarter that the values and knowledge formed in your younger years fully blossom and can be put to use with intentionality.

“After all God has given us and put us through, through those ups and downs of life, you finally go, ‘Oh, I get it. I know why I took them right when I wanted to go left.’ You’re going to really think back,” she said.

Ms. Marquis led the women in an inventory that sparked reflection on where they were in life, in their goals, and in their spiritual development.

“Were you able to truly devote yourself to your faith as much as you’d like, or did you learn as much in this past year as you feel you should have? Are you as healthy as you would like to be? If your life were to end tomorrow, do you feel you have left behind a legacy you would be proud of?” These were some of the types of questions the women were asked to consider.

She then spoke about how taking this inventory and understanding where one is at in life helps in setting goals and making choices with the intention of reaching certain goals. She also spoke about letting go of regrets and mistakes.

“How you handle your regrets or your mistakes can lead to healing and forgiveness or resentment and multi-generational wounds. It’s up to you. The fourth quarter is a wonderful time to cherish memories from the past and a wonderful time to make new memories. That’s what we’re doing today, right? Are you meeting new people, or spending time with people that you love to spend time with but you don’t have time because we’re busy?” she asked.

By doing this type of personal inventory and assessment, one can be more intentional with actions and goals, she explained, including one’s relationship with God.

“Stay open to the expected and unexpected. Live in the hope that something wonderful is about to happen. Can you do that? Can you stay open? I think that’s what the pilgrimage is all about, right? It’s staying open, connected to God, knowing that He’s got us,” Ms. Marquis advised.

After Ms. Marquis’ talk concluded, the participants broke into roundtables to dive deeper into the ideas she had presented and to share their discoveries.

The final speaker was Dr. Anne DeSantis, executive director of the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation, which offers counseling to families and individuals in crisis. She spoke to the women about the virtue of hope, prayer, perseverance, and positivity.

“I have a quote from Pope Francis. He says that hope is not a positive optimism but a firm anchor in God’s love and promises. And I think that’s good for us to know, because it’s the key word. Hope is active. It’s something that we do. It’s something that we desire, and it’s something that we run after, because heaven is our goal.”

Dr. DeSantis spoke about being active in one’s faith journey.

“I think there’s a time in all of our lives when we realize that our faith really is something that’s very important to us, and it’s not something that we do just because we want to go through the motions,” she said.

She shared how experiencing a rare medical condition after the birth of her second child, followed by a miraculous recovery, brought her closer to the Lord and led her to realize the power of prayer and the sacraments.

She recalled a priest offering her the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

“I didn’t even know that the sacrament of the sick was something that you could get,” she said. “I thought it was something that you’re on your deathbed and you’re ready to die, and then the priest comes and gives you last rites. Which is still true, of course, but the sacrament of the sick is one that you can get if you’re in danger of death. I was afraid. I thought, well, does this mean I’m going to die? And he said, no, it’s going to give you strength for the journey. And that’s what it does. The sacrament gives us strength for the journey.”

Dr. DeSantis also spoke about what it means to have an active, intentional faith. She said that service and compassion are ways we share Christ’s love with others in the world, whatever our situation or stage of life.

“It’s the things that we do, maybe the things that you do in CCW and within the church. But the pilgrimage of hope is also about those every day circumstances of life that present to you to be Christ to other people,” she said.

“God is using you every day in so many ways that you can’t even imagine. And that’s part of what the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope is all about, using our gifts and talents so that we can help other people.”

She shared how her ministry with the Raymond Nonnatus Foundation focuses on reaching people and helping them in moments of crisis or doubt.

“We make free pastoral outreach to individuals and families in crisis….We help people who have gone through all kinds of things, whether it be in relationship crisis, divorce, separation, trauma, job loss, loss of a loved one, health crisis, you name it. We’ve helped people. We have priests that connect with people. Mercy is what it’s all about,” she shared.

Dr. DeSantis said that Pope Francis’ message around the Pilgrimage of Hope was to be present and actively listen to another’s struggles, accompanying them on their journey.

“Active listening is a gift. We give another person a chance to tell their story without judgment….Active listening is giving someone a chance to speak without interruption and having good eye contact with someone. It’s being able to repeat back what they said there. That’s a real art. It’s something that’s not easy to do. We live in a culture that wants to finish people’s sentences. Don’t you think? And even us as Catholics, I mean, we’re not perfect people. And not everybody wants our help or listening ear. But God will send you the people that that do need our help.

“They need to know we really care. And this offers hope. When we show people that we care in the smallest of ways, it could be a text, a phone call, a little gift, an appreciation, going the extra mile, it makes a difference for others in their journey of faith.”

“Our lineup of speakers brought wisdom, inspiration, and joy,” said Ms. Morgan. “Evelyn Garcia entertained and inspired us with her humorous and magical experiences from her Dynamic Catholic pilgrimages. Michele Marquis energized the group with reflective questions and engaging ideas to help women find renewed purpose during their golden years. Anne DeSantis, our keynote speaker, shared her compelling testimony and offered practical steps for living out missionary discipleship, encouraging us to deepen our connection to parish and community life.

“Together, their stories and messages wove a beautiful tapestry of hope, perfectly aligned with our convention’s theme.”

Spirituality and service

In the afternoon, six different stations across St. Mary’s extensive campus offered mini-pilgrimages within the convention: Lectio divina in the day chapel, outdoor Stations of the Cross, the labyrinth, the Our Lady of Fatima grotto, the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine, and the perpetual adoration chapel. The light rain did not deter the women from enjoying the outdoor spaces and embracing the time of prayer and reflection.

This was Christina Seaman’s first KDCCW convention. Ms. Seaman, a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Fairfield Glade, came to the convention at the invitation of a friend.

“It’s been an excellent convention, and I really enjoyed it. Especially the speakers were great,” Ms. Seaman said.

Each attendee was given a “spiritual warfare kit” that included holy salt, holy water, and holy oil, as well as a handmade rosary and a booklet of special prayers.

The rosary featured a special Divine Mercy medallion, Ms. Morgan noted, as “an enduring symbol of guidance and devotion.”

Margarita Audette, a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, said she enjoyed the time to step out of her regular routine and get closer to God. She added that she always enjoys getting to know other women of faith at the KDCCW convention.

“I come here because I like to find out about other people who share the same faith as I do and get to know them, and it just kind of reaffirms your faith and gives you courage to continue on with that,” she said.

Along with spirituality, service was at the heart of the convention. The convention’s service project focused on Hurricane Helene relief, supporting families that are rebuilding with the assistance of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. The women collected around $5,000.

Seventy-seven items were donated for the silent auction, which raised around $4,400, half of which went to National Council of Catholic Women service projects and half to Catholic Relief Services’ work in the Holy Land.

At the KDCCW business meeting, held during the convention, the women voted on two resolutions. The first was acknowledgement of the Jubilee Year, by prayer, outreach, promoting spiritual growth, and by encouraging members to “cultivate hope in their lives through acts of faith, charity, pilgrimage, and prayer.”

The second resolution addressed modern slavery and human trafficking. The resolution called for continued prayer for the victims of human trafficking, for service projects that “will help eradicate the blight of human trafficking on our society,” and a pledge to “protect those most vulnerable in our society through awareness, education, and support of anti-human trafficking programs.”

The second day of the convention ended with a toe-tapping performance from Pythagoras, a bluegrass quintet from the world-renowned East Tennessee State University bluegrass program. The band played a mix of covers and original songs, blending traditional and contemporary bluegrass style to the delight of the audience.

On Saturday morning, the convention attendees joined St. Mary parishioners for a memorial Mass for Pope Francis, whose funeral Mass had been celebrated in Rome earlier that morning.

After Mass and breakfast, Dr. DeSantis gave her final talk.

She started by asking who had awakened early to watch the pope’s funeral live.

“It was just beautiful, learning about Pope Francis and his charism. So much of it we already know, that he was focused on missionary discipleship, which is basically living out our baptismal call to holiness, isn’t it? It’s living out that call to love and serve the Lord. There are two great commandments: loving God above all else and also loving our neighbor as ourselves. And all of you are doing that all so well with the work that you are doing. All this work with CCW. So, Pope Francis’ missionary discipleship is living in hope and sharing it with others prayerfully.”

She spoke about missionary discipleship and forming a strong foundation of prayer and the sacraments. From there, we go out and take care of and love others.

“Who in my life needs to experience hope through me?” she asked. “Sometimes we give hope to others, and sometimes we are the ones in need of it. But working together on the journey of life, we can all find hope.”

“Pope Francis reminds us of this in fact: the three cardinal virtues of faith, hope, and love all work together. Faith reinforces hope and can keep us going. When hope seems dim, hope can increase our faith when we have trouble believing. Love works with both because it is when we love that both faith and hope are renewed,” she said.

“All of these gifts are given to us to share, and it’s when we share them in trusting obedience to God that we can see how they are working in others’ lives, too. This gives us power and strength for good. I know that was a lot to read and digest, but the point being is that he starts out by saying that hope is not in a vacuum, right? Hope is one of those theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. They all go together. But hope is something that helps us to get through life.”

The convention closed with the induction of the new KDCCW officers.

“I have enjoyed being your president, and your support these past two years has been amazing,” outgoing-president Ms. Peckham said. She acknowledged the hard work of the convention co-chairs and thanked the board members for their patience and hard work during her tenure.

New KDCCW officers installed include: Karen Meiring, president; Rose Colasuonno, vice president; Mary Cooper, secretary; and Donna Dunn, treasurer. Each officer was given an icon of a particular saint to ask for intercession in her KDCCW role.

Ms. Morgan was thrilled by the turnout at the convention and was happy to see so many women embracing the pilgrimage theme. She was grateful for the many parishioners of St. Mary who made the convention run smoothly.

“The planning committee had been hard at work for the past year, crafting an experience that would uplift and honor our attendees. The ladies of St. Mary, along with the Knights of Columbus, lovingly prepared and served simple meals and homemade desserts that were both delicious and comforting. Their hospitality made everyone feel warmly welcomed and cared for,” she said.

Mrs. Collins agreed that St. Mary served as a wonderful location for a pilgrimage-themed convention and that the parishioners’ hospitality made the convention special.

“St. Mary’s CCW has only been affiliated for maybe three years. The ladies here are on fire and ready to share their faith and hospitality. They’ve done a great job,” Mrs. Collins said.