2019
Father Bob O’Donnell gave a presentation at our December meeting about St. Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1446), a German priest and later cardinal in the Catholic Church. He was one of the first German proponents of “Renaissance humanism.” In his mystical writings on Christianity, he suggested that while God could not be fully known in the human mind through “mere human means” he could be known through “learned ignorance.”
The saint wrote: “The real nature of what exists, which constitutes its truth, is therefore never entirely attainable. It has been sought by all the philosophers, but never really found. The further we penetrate into informed ignorance, the closer we come to the truth itself. … All we know of the truth is that the absolute truth, such as it is, is beyond our reach.
One of the quotes he cited from St. Nicholas of Cusa was particularly apropos to Seekers of Silence. “In all faces, the Face of faces is seen in veiled and symbolic manner. But it is not seen in unveiled manner as long as the SEEKER does not enter, above all faces, into a certain and hidden SILENCE wherein there is no knowledge or concept of a face.
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Father O’Donnell, associate pastor of St. John XXIII University Catholic Parish on the University of Tennessee campus, came to Knoxville July 1, 2016, from Berkeley, California, where he served three years as a campus minister at Holy Spirit Parish/Newman Hall. Previously, Father O’Donnell served as a campus minister at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Connecticut. He was pastor of the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, the Paulists’ mother church in New York City, from 2002 to 2005, and he has served the Paulist community in various other posts, including associate director of formation, first consultor, and vice president. He holds a master’s degree in American history from the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. in religious studies from the Catholic University of America. He is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.
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At our November meeting, Joan Easterly, Ph.D., presented an in-depth look at the life and death of “Joan of Arc: Mystic and Martyr.” From records of her interviews with officials, she was able to give us a look at the French saint’s thoughts as she faced an unjust political trial.
Joan has been a part of Seekers of Silence since it began at St. John XXIII University Parish and Student Center on the University of Tennessee campus and has been an SOS presenter in the past. Joan is retired as a professor of French at Pellissippi State Community College. She earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in French from Vanderbilt University and a master’s in French from the University of Tennessee. She and her husband, Clay, are parishioners at St. John XXIII where Joan has been active in the music since the 1970s. She was in charge of the music at the 11 a.m. mass as a volunteer for more than 15 years. She was trained in music at Cadek Conservatory. She is a lifetime member of Ladies of Charity, a Catholic ministry for the needy.
Joan was the 2001 recipient of the prestigious Jacqueline Elliott Award presented annually to a foreign language educator at the post-secondary level for outstanding service to the profession by the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association.
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John Prados, an active SOS member and presenter since the group’s beginning, gave a presentation on “The Second Vatican Council: A Discontinuity in Tradition” at the October meeting. The presentation looked briefly at the previous councils of the Catholic Church and examined in detail the Second Vatican Council and its impact not only on the Catholic Church but on its relations with other churches and other faith traditions.
John, along with Dr. Harry C. Jacobson, Dr. Albert J. Paulus, and Father Sterling McGuire (the latter three now deceased) were instrumental in the founding of St. John XXIII University Parish and Student Center in the 1960s. John and his wife, Lynn, are still active parishioners at St. John XXIII.
During John’s 50 years on the UT engineering faculty he served as department head in Chemical Engineering, associate dean of Engineering, dean of Admissions and Records, acting chancellor of the Knoxville and Martin campuses, and vice president for Academic Affairs of the statewide UT system. He also has been a consultant for industry, government, and higher education in the United States and abroad. He was senior education associate in the National Science Foundation Engineering Directorate (1994-97). John received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Mississippi and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Tennessee, all in chemical engineering. He has been the recipient of multiple national and international awards and honors for his outstanding service to the profession.
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The Right Rev. Brian L. Cole, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee, spoke on “Thomas Merton and Monastic Prayer for All,” at our September meeting. His talk covered the life and times of Merton as well as his writings. Bishop Cole was ordained and installed as head of the diocese on December 2, 2017, succeeding the Right Rev. George Dibrell Young, who retired December 2, 2017. Bishop Cole has under his pastoral and administrative care 51 parishes and worshiping communities in East Tennessee and Northern Georgia. A southeast Missouri native, Bishop Cole graduated from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1989. In 1992, he earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with additional studies in Anglican Church History at The University of the South School of Theology, Sewanee, in 2001. He also pursued studies in Art and Prayer at General Theological Seminary (GTS), New York City, in 2006, and studied liturgics In Asheville, N.C., from 2002 to 2005.
In 1998 he married Susan Weatherford, a poet, musician, avid gardener, and graduate of Berea College and University of Kentucky. They have one son, Jess.
Ordained a priest in 2002, he served as vicar at Church of the Advocate, a worshiping community of the Diocese of Western North Carolina for homeless in downtown Asheville. From 2005 to 2012, he was sub-dean at the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville. He served as rector at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lexington, Kentucky, from 2012 until his election as bishop.
He was an instructor in Appalachian Religion, Faith and Practices, and Appalachian Religion and Culture at Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. N.C.; Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Prior to his ordination as a priest, he served for seven years on the staff of the Appalachian Ministries Education Resource Center (AMERC) in Berea, Kentucky. Much of his work then involved teaching seminarians, listening to Appalachian leaders, both in and out of the Church, and learning how to read and appreciate the culture of the region.
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Father Stephen Freeman, an archpriest in the Orthodox Church in America, and pastor of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, spoke on “Hesychasm: The Meaning of Silence in the Eastern Christian Tradition” at our August meeting. A convert from Anglicanism (he was an Episcopal priest for 20 years before entering the Orthodox faith), he has served St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge for the past 20 years as its rector. He has written more than 2,000 blog articles and has been translated into some 12 languages to date. He frequently travels and speaks at various venues in the U.S. and England.
“Hesychasm,” he explained, “is both the name of a form of prayer that is normative in the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as an approach to theology — and they go together.” He said he will explore that connection and also discuss the “the place of silence in the soul, or deep heart. It is a great gift of God to find this place and an even greater gift to remain there.”
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Our June meeting, Walking the Labyrinth: A Spiritual Journey, was a reprise of the labyrinth experience that was so successful at our August 2016 meeting. Instead of our usual program at the Church of the Savior, which was unavailable to us that weekend, we met at the labyrinth at the University of Tennessee Gardens off Neyland Drive near the College of Agriculture campus.
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Father Tim Sullivan, the associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Knoxville since July 2016, gave our May presentation on “Befriending my Imperfections: The Gift of Forgiveness.” A native of Massachusetts, he is the second oldest of 10 children. He was ordained as a priest May 18, 1985, and has served in Paulist parishes in Houston, Columbus Ohio, Memphis, New York City, and Toronto. He is a graduate of Notre Dame University and holds a master of divinity degree from the Washington, D.C., Theological Union, as well as a master’s degree in rehab counseling from Boston State College. Throughout his priesthood he has focused on issues of social justice and outreach to the poor, and currently serves a co-chair of a community organizing group in Knoxville called the Alliance for Community Transformation.
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The April meeting was the group’s annual Bookshare and Roundtable Discussion led by Val Whiting. A list of the books discussed at the meeting will be posted soon.
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At our March meeting we observed United in Prayer Day by viewing and discussing a video called “A Taste of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness,” featuring Trappist Father Thomas Keating, the late founder of Contemplative Outreach, and Father Richard Rohr, Franciscan friar, author and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.”
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Edward Groody, a businessman and longtime student of contemplative practices, discussed the ancient and current practice of Poetry Divina at our February meeting. “Sacred poetry and scripture from all religions and traditions,” he says, “are recited from the heart in order to remove obstacles and open to the divine indwelling, the Great Love.” During the presentation he worked with poems individually and as a group, having participants read excerpts from various poems.
Edward is President of Ed Groody Associates Inc., a Knoxville-based organization development consulting firm specializing in helping companies change in a way that engages and honors people. He is the founder and president of the nonprofit Community Building Institute, and one of a handful of individuals to train and work with M. Scott Peck, M.D., bestselling author of “The Road Less Traveled,” and developer of the innovative group trust building process called Community Building. Edward was also a part of the leadership group that organized and facilitated the first men’s conferences with renowned poet and author Robert Bly in Minnesota in the 1980s and 1990s. Edward is a longtime student of contemplative practices. In addition to his full-time consulting work, he leads Poetry Divina, Community Building, Centering Prayer and other contemplative workshops for retreat centers, universities, nonprofits, businesses, and religious groups.
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Theresa Nardi, HTCP, a Healing Touch certified practitioner, a certified spiritual director, and a registered yoga instructor of Babaji’s Kriya Kundalini Yoga, spoke and led demonstrations on the importance of breathing in medication at our January 2019 meeting. Her presentation was titled “Mysticism is Only a Breath Away: A Disciplined Approach.” She pointed out that many people are not aware that something as simple and automatic breathing can open us to the mystical world all around us. “The ancient techniques of breath and meditation not only help heal us physically, mentally and emotionally but also enhance our spiritual lives, expanding our understanding of what it means to be more conscious in every precious moment.”
Theresa’s life-time discipline of meditation led to a passion for synthesizing mysticism of both Eastern and Western thought, traditions, practices, and healing techniques by frequenting ashrams, monasteries, and retreat centers throughout the U.S., Canada, India, Brazil and France. She holds degrees in accounting and general business. Theresa and her husband, Dean, created and successfully managed a magazine publishing company for 17 years. Currently, they reside in Blaine, Tennessee, with their three horses and dog and cat. Their two children and three grandchildren live in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.