Catholic Views in Seymour, Tennessee

02/18/2026

Godspeed Bishop Richard Stika...Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Knoxville. Rest in Peace.

05/15/2025

My wife, Louise and I first attended Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church in Seymour before we actually moved here in 2005. And...we decided that this would be our parish. Father Thomas O'Connell was the pastor...and we were fans of his traditional church values and parish day to day encounters. I transferred to the local Knights of Columbus council...and we were content with our 5 children...the youngest 4, who were still in the CCD program.

It was under Father O'Connell that my wife was offered the job of Parish Secretary and Bookkeeper...a position she held until 2019...when she was forced to leave to take care of her dying mother in Florida. And in the years we were members of that parish...we worshiped under, in addition to Father O'Connell...former priest and former Catholic Ragan Schriver; Father Joseph Thomas; and Father Gilbert Diaz. The parish grew to be a second home to Louise and I...and to our 5 children. Many, many strong friendships were formed with other parishioners and several of the Decons assigned over the years...Deacon Dean Burry, Deacon Gil Campos, Deacon Bill Jacob's, and Deacon Bob Ketteringham. Did I mention that this was a family?

Anyway...after the passing of my mother-in-law in 2020...Louise came home. However...things were not the same at Holy Family. Something was amiss...and we all felt it...even our kids.

So...we began attending Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville...which is also the seat of the Diocese of Knoxville. After a while...we officially transferred to that parish, and recently my son and I transferred our Knights of Columbus membership to the Council at the Cathedral.

Father Diaz retired last year, I believe...and I'm really not sure who the current pastor is at Holy Family. Deacons Dean Burry and Gil Campos are still very active Deacons there in Seymour...and are still very much our good friends, along with their families. And we're still very close to some of the other families there...who are also more like extended family to us.

However...we have come to love the more traditional atmosphere...including the Mass...at the Cathedral. The music...the homily...the Latin...the protocols...and the clergy and staff...at the Cathedral. Father David Boettner...with Father Martin Gladzsz, Father Jhon Mario Garcia and Father Danny Herman...and, of course Bishop Mark Beckman have welcomed our family with open arms...and without forgetting the many years of prayer, faith, service and friendship we shared at Holy Family...we joyfully accept our new home at the Cathedral.

We have forged additional friendships at the Cathedral...but still relish the encounters we have with our friends from Holy Family at special occasions, such as the Chrism Mass and other events...and we still cherish our love and friendship.

While we pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis...we also pray for and welcome Pope Leo XIV as the Vicar of Christ.

I still reside in the Seymour area...and I still have staunch and maybe opinionated Catholic views.

09/22/2023

Saint Augustine, bishop

04/05/2023

In the fourth century Roman Empire...Christianity was legalized and the Catholic Church was given freedom to practice it's faith openly. One of the things which began at that time was the reenactment by the faithful Catholics in Jerusalem, of the solemn reentry of Jesus into their city, on the Sunday before Easter, as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew. In those days...the procession included those carrying olive branches. Palms were most likely used beginning in the eighth century in Northern Italy and areas of the Frankish Kingdom and Germanic Europe. This is when the palms were blessed and thus beginning what we Catholics know as the modern day Palm Sunday. But...we must always remember what these palms signify...that the King of Kings is coming. "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."

I've been to Palm Sunday Mass in many different places during my lifetime. Of course...growing up, in Long Island...as a kid, we attended Mass at our parish; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Patchogue. Later on...when my kids were young...we attended Palm Sunday Mass at Saint Jude's Catholic Church in Mastic Beach. But during my tenure in the Army...I attended Mass on Palm Sunday in California...and in Germany. During the times when I was forced to work on Palm Sunday...while I was a cop and a detective with the New York City Police Department...I would attend Mass at the nearest Catholic Church I could find. When the job sent me to Bosnia for a year...I'll never forget the Palm Sunday Mass on the location of the ruins of the bombed out Church of the Assumption in the town of Jajce. The parishioners had no way to get palms...so the carried branches from local pine trees, which the priest blessed. When I was in Iraq...we collected our own palms from palm groves we encountered on patrol...and when we could get a priest in to say Mass...we had him bless these palms. Two years ago...I travelled down to Florida to accompany my wife back home...after my mother-in-law passed away some time earlier. She and I attended Palm Sunday Mass at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach. It was a special time for me...to be with Louise during that solemn time.

Tomorrow we'll be going to the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus...in Knoxville. Me and Louise...with Maria. Mario has to work, so, unfortunately, he won't be able to attend Mass. I hope and pray that if Angelo...out in Salt Lake City...doesn't have to work...that he'll attend Mass. It'll definitely be an occasion that he'll look back on...in years to come...and share with his family. Teresa and Renata are out in Middle Tennessee...and I hope that they're conspiring together as to which church they'll attend Palm Sunday Mass at, come tomorrow morning. And the tradition will continue in our family...for me and Louise and for our kids. I'm not sure...but I think my siblings...their families...my nieces and nephews...are still following this family and Catholic tradition of attending Mass on Sunday...especially during Holy Week and on Palm Sunday. And if not...it will be my prayer tomorrow...that they return to the Church.

So...regardless if you're Catholic or not...I hope all of my friends have a wonderful Palm Sunday, and a great week leading up to Easter Sunday. And for my Jewish friends...that this Passover is especially holy and peaceful for all involved. Chag Sameach! And...of course...all those friends who may celebrate Ramadan...may you and your families experience an especially blessed Ramadan!

11/01/2022

You don't bring a hammer to fix squeaky hinges!

10/24/2022

I posted this several years ago…on my page, after returning from a trip to Europe:

I know I've stated this many times...but having just returned to the United States from Europe this past week...and attending Mass at my home parish this morning with my sons...again I found it necessary to thank God for my deep Catholic faith and the ability for Louise and I to instill this faith...pass it down, if you will...to our children.

Europe...and Protestants all over the world...are getting ready to celebrate the quincentenary of Martin Luther's Ninety Five Theses...which began the Reformation and separation of followers from the Catholic Church. My good friend from Germany was lauding this historic anniversary...however, I consider this a dark period in the Church's history...with a break in the Universal Apostolic Holy Mother Church...which was going through a rough time in those days...and seemed corrupt and out of control at the time. And while I don't judge those followers and their ancestors who chose to follow Luther...I'm grateful that mine chose to remain loyal to the Church...and help to steer it back in the right direction...instead of abandoning it. So...instead...Louise and I lauded the centennial anniversary of the Blessed Mother's appearance to the select group of children at Fatima in Portugal.

In Latin...we say "Dignum et Justum est". Last Sunday while attending Mass at Saint Martin's Church in Garmisch...we said "Es ist Richtig zu". While visiting friends from my Bosnia days last week...I thought back on my days attending Mass in the ruins of the Church of the Assumption in Jajce, Bosnia...and Saint Mark's Church in Makarska, Croatia...where we said "To je Pravo na". But nowhere does it sound as good as it does right here in the United States...where I say it loud and proud during Mass: "It is Right and Just"!

A few weeks ago, while attending a football game at MTSU...a group of "Christians" were making their way around the area of the tail gaters...handing out "Chick Publication" pamphlets. For those unfamiliar...these are slanted, hateful and disgusting comic-type booklets which bash other forms of religious affiliations...especially Judaism and Catholicism. They paint other faiths as cults and devil worship...and ridicule Sacred Traditions. As the leader of this group handed me a pamphlet...he heard me say "Oh...a Chick Publication!" He asked me "So...you're familiar with it?" "Oh, yes" I replied, "We're Catholic!" And that's all he needed to hear to begin his tirade, faith bashing and proselytization. This got Louise going...and after going tit for tat for 10-minutes with my wife...the guy thought better of it...and backed down.

Anyway...I believe in "live and let live" with regard to religion...unless my faith is attacked...or another's faith jeopardizes my safety...my country and my lifestyle.

After I had posted this on my personal page in 2017, a guy I knew in high school responded:

“I was once catholic…and then became born again.
I would respectfully ask you without bashing your faith, do you know the history of the Catholic church and why there was a reformation?”

I don’t know why I didn’t respond immediately to his comment. Perhaps I hadn’t seen it…or when I did, I didn’t have the time to respond. So…I saw it recently, when the post appeared in my Facebook memories. So…I responded now, as I obviously had the time.

“I do know the history of the Roman Catholic Church...and I know the history of the Protestant Reformation. And I choose not to hold the Reformation against those Protestants...for the most part...because I fully realize that anything which relies on the frailty of humanity...or particular human beings...be it within the Roman Catholic Church, or those who chose to break away from it...will never be perfect.

The Catholic Church is not holy because of her members. The Church is holy because her founder, Jesus Christ, is holy! It would be ludicrous to believe that any religious entity...comprised of human beings...is without sins or without faults. St. Paul said that Jesus Christ is the head of his body, the Church...and it is through the mystical relationship between Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church where the Chuch's holiness is derived.

Furthermore...on the Feast of Pentecost...Jesus poured out the promise of his Holy Spirit upon the Church and filled her with supernatural life. The soul of the Holy Roman Church is the Holy Spirit!

Ecclesia semper reformanda est is Latin for The Church is always to be reformed. And it will always need to be reformed because it is imperfect. And because the members of the Church are sinners...this will always be the case. But Luther...and other reformists...took this to the extreme, for many different reasons...instead of continuing to attempt to reform from within.

The Catholic Church has it's true roots in the ministry of Jesus, when He told Saint Peter "...And so I say to you...you are Peter...and upon this rock I will build my Church..." We are Apostolic in that we can trace our roots and the lineage of our Pope...back to Saint Peter and the Apostles. And yes...there have been Popes along the way who have been sinners. And that's where internal reform comes in.

So, yes...I do know the history of the Catholic Church. I know what caused the Reformation. And today...and as far back as I know...we, our family, are proud Catholics. And we always will be.”

I’m certainly not a Catholic scholar. But rather…just a regular guy…a “Cradle Catholic” for the past almost 64-years.

09/15/2022

Please join us for a Day of Prayer - October 1st from 9am to 11am here at Holy Family Church.

01/30/2021

Ever since I was a kid I was curious about anyone who was skeptical about their belief in God. And I'm not talking about a different belief system than I have. I'm from New York where most people I grew up with were either Catholic or Jewish...with some other Christian denominations in the mix as well. Then I went into the Army...and I became aware of many other religious affiliations. And now...having traveled the world...I am well aware and well acquainted with a plethora of other Faith's and beliefs.

Several years ago...I wrote a Facebook post based on something I read from a fellow veteran who claimed to be an atheist. Here is that post:

I recently read a piece about an atheist veteran speaking out against religious bias in the military. Religious bias in the military is not something that I have ever experienced or observed in all my days serving in, with and along side our military. When my son, a US Marine Rifleman, was assigned to Camp Gannon in the volatile and "wild, wild west" province of Al Anbar in the early days of the war in Iraq, he wore a Rosary around his neck. There were no Catholic services available to those guys so he volunteered to be the unit Catholic lay person, and thus would serve whatever Catholic needs he could, while still performing his infantry duties. It began with him writing home for a few more sets of Rosaries, and after that, he wrote: "Dad, can you get your hands on as many sets of Rosaries as possible and send them here...I can't seem to keep up with everyone who wants a set." Now, I know that the Marine Corps has the highest percentage of Catholics, of all the military branches, but I was curious about this phenomena, since there just couldn't be that many Catholics in his camp. I contacted several people I knew from the Knights of Columbus, and forwarded my son's request. They acted swiftly, most of them veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and before long there was a steady flow of Rosary beads being received there, amongst the intense fighting in Al Anbar. I finally received a message from Mario, who answered my curiosities: "Dad, I can't explain it. Yes, there are some Catholics, but not very many of them are practicing Catholics, but Marines and sailors of all religions asked for a set of Rosary beads, and a lot asked how to pray the Rosary"

Going back to this piece I read by the atheist; in it, he used a pun from the famous New York Sun editorial from 1897, where a little girl named Virginia had her fears allayed in an editorial to her letter in regard to her doubts about Santa Claus, entitled "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". In this atheist version of this tag line, the quote was "Yes, Virginia, there are atheists in foxholes". Foxholes are rarely used in warfare any longer, but the gist of the slogan "There are no atheists in foxholes" is that when your death appears imminent, and people around you are being killed, regardless of your beliefs, you will turn to God for salvation, if only out of fear...but turn to God, you will. I wonder how close to death or how much killing was going on around the writer of this article during his service to our military...and, since he's obviously now out of the military and leading a normal life, how imminent is his death at this juncture? Or, is he feeling a renewed vigor in regard to his lack of beliefs, because he is far from the battlefield and of that imminent death that so many servicemen experience?

I challenge this statement...and I challenge the writer. I agree that "there are no atheists in foxholes" but will concede that once these imminent death believers are removed from the threat and sight of death, that they become swayed back to their lack of beliefs by whatever weakness they have which caused them to not believe in the first place.

So, you might call them "closet believers", since their belief in God is held close inside of them, and they remain afraid, for whatever reason, to show any signs of this belief...until they find themselves in the proverbial "foxhole".

Anyway...that was my post...mandvi still believe it now. But my curiosity if atheism is still there...my curiosity for those who can see, feel, smell and touch the miracles of life and the world around us...but not the God who clearly had everything to do with it.

I read this list of atheist celebrities...some were a surprise...but most were not. Still the same...it was interesting to read their rationale...and it made me wonder how that had played out when some of them were at death's door. And I wondered if those others would sing a different tune at the moment of their deaths.

https://alotliving.com/entertainment/surprising-celebrities-who-dont-believe-in-god--15637?camp_id=71435&utm_campaign=71435&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=n.15+-+celeb+fan&utm_content=Kevin+Bacon+-+Copy&fbclid=IwAR0BQkvInFmoOdppwgYbkp7J5P2XGEMyFlQWHvQnldJ7DigpuMqY7JtPM_8

There are a surprising number of celebrities who participate in religious or spiritual productions who, in reality, don't believe in God.

12/10/2020

Which Covid-19 Vaccines Are Morally Acceptable for Catholics? - Relevant Radio

11/30/2020

The memoirs of J.D. Vance...a boy and man who overcame obstacles in his life in the hopes of following his dreams...while putting his family first. J.D. recently became a convert to Catholicism.

I highly recommend this Netflix film.

J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis fo...