Our spiritual growth and that of our diocese requires repentance and hope.

“To be young again!” The older we get, the more this thought occurs to many of us, or at least it does to me. But in a certain sense, when I left the Archdiocese of St. Louis to come to Knoxville, I became young again. I left a diocese that’s 184 years old and was established in 1826 for one that turns 22 this month. On Sept. 8, when the Church celebrates the birth of Mary—the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin—we celebrate our youth and our growth.

I wish I could first speak about this youthful joy that many of us take for granted. But for some, memories of youth are just too painful to recall. Such is the case for Warren Tucker, a very private man whose courageous act in exposing the ultimate form of betrayal made him a very public figure. Mr. Tucker was the victim of the heinous crime of sexual abuse perpetrated by Bill Casey, one who will never again bear the title of a priest of the Catholic Church, much less serve in that capacity.

Victimized long ago and for many years, Mr. Tucker has tragically become a victim again, this time in the form of death threats he has received for exposing this most grave offense against the dignity of the human person. As bishop of this diocese, I wish in no uncertain terms to condemn this horrible act against Mr. Tucker. I renew my total pledge of support to him and to his family and especially ask your prayers for him. I pray Mr. Tucker’s example will in some way inspire and help other victims of abuse to come forward. As they initiate the process of justice, I pray that the process of healing may begin for them.

With feelings of sadness for those victimized by others’ sin but also inspired by the Gospel message of hope, I must look to the future but never forget the past. If there is to be spiritual growth for each of us and for our diocese, we must all do this. Now, with our 22nd anniversary, we move a year closer to the diocese’s silver anniversary. We will celebrate our 25th in 2013, and I hope we can celebrate with great solemnity and thanksgiving.

Although our young diocese is very small in comparison with the other 195 U.S. dioceses, we are vibrant and growing. You might be surprised to learn that within the next 15 years, it’s projected that we will more than triple our current population of about 60,000 Catholics. In 2025 our Catholic population is expected to reach 200,000!

With 15 seminarians studying for the priesthood this year and two new religious orders in our diocese, I am overjoyed by the prospect of a bountiful harvest, the result of many years of labor and sacrifice, especially by our faithful priests.

This month I will be in Rome for two weeks to attend what my hospitalization last year postponed—“new bishops’ school.” I’ve always had a competitive side, and one thing I’m looking forward to is bragging to all the other bishops I meet about the Diocese of Knoxville. We are not afraid to shine a light where it will identify our faults and sins, but neither will we let them paralyze us or prevent us from endeavoring to grow and become a better representation of the face of Jesus.

Growing pains are to be expected. In order to help prepare for the challenges that come with such growth, we have had to make some changes, and more can be expected. Change is not easy nor always welcome. But if we are to feed the Lord’s sheep (John 21:7)—a task you share with me—we must labor efficiently but above all, prayerfully.

As I mentioned during Diocesan Day on Aug. 21 (see the story on page 1), every person who encounters us each day, even for the briefest moment, has a certain hope of encountering something of the divine in us. This expectation echoes like the request of some foreigners to the disciple Philip: “We should like to see Jesus” (John 12:21).

Everyone we meet has the expectation of seeing Jesus in us. Only when we approach each day striving to be the face of Jesus can we hope to grow from youth to maturity in the image in which God created us.

Let us recall the words of the patroness of our diocese, Our Lady, who tells us simply, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

Tags: Bishop Richard F. Stika, He dwells among us, Warren Tucker, William Casey