Open House

Sunday afternoon was our open house at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Mission in Maynardville, TN.  This was our first major event.  Many folks were involved in the planning.  Over a 150 invitations were sent out including important political figures and religious leaders.

Window preparations

During the week, the final details of preparation included putting up our new sign, finishing the windows and getting the food together.  None of us were sure how it would turn out or who would respond.  We were delighted with the results.

Getting the food ready

Most of the members of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta arrived early and stayed until the end.  Each did there part.  Br. Craig gave a wonderful talk on the History of the Catholic Church.  There was also a talk on who is Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  The day ended with a prayer service of thanksgiving.  Here the music was provided by a 14 year old with her flute and an 81 year old with his harmonica.  This was truly wonderful.

Follow up questions after Br. Craig's talk

Over forty visitors were present beyond the current membership.  This included two ministers, several business people, many friends of Catholics and a few inactive Catholics who visited for the first time.  The spirit was joyous and friendly.  Of the many blessings were the opportunity for our small community of Catholics to spend an afternoon together with good food and begin to become deeper friends and bond more as a new faith community.

The joy of day

We give praise to God for this beautiful success.  We hope that we will be able to reach out to those most suffering, most lost and most in need of Christ.  Like our namesake, we hope to demonstrate the dignity of each individual by our actions in service to them in the name of Jesus.

Finally, typical of any event, the official crucifix for the church did not arrive in time for the event.  This is the way of life, always some detail is not complete.  Yet, no one notices.  However, this crucifix has special meaning for me since a donor purchased this in memory of my nephew Tyler who died many years ago at the age of 23 months.  Another crucifix identical to this one was purchased by the same donor for Blessed John Paul II in Rutledge in memory of my other nephew, David, who died at 19 years of age several years ago.  They arrived today, one day after the event.  Why?  They were ordered from a company that makes them in Peru and they got tied up in customs.  Yet, the event was a success and these images of our Lord Jesus Christ will welcome people in these churches for many years to come.

In memory of nephew, Tyler