FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE (see flyer)
Sat., Feb. 23 from 6:30-8:30 pm in Varallo Parish Hall
Girls, ask your fathers or that special male role model in your life for an evening of dancing, fun, and lasting memories! DJ, dancing, refreshments, photo booth
$20 per couple. $5 each additional daughter. $35 max per family.
Turn in registration and money by Feb. 17th to Danielle Stradley on Sunday or the parish office.

Pro-Life Oratory Contest for All High School Students:

Greater Chattanooga Right To Life Chapter is sponsoring an oratory contest on Saturday, March 9 at the downtown library. Students may choose to speak about abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, stem cell research. The local winner is sponsored to compete in the statewide contest on April 27. Download the flyer and application here, or pick it up in the vestibule or parish office. The deadline to apply is Saturday, March 2.  Contact righttolifechattanooga@gmail.com or (423) 432-7488 or visit www.tnrtl.org for more information. BE A VOICE FOR LIFE!

Upcoming Liturgy and Devotion Notices:   

• Our next Missa Cantata in the ancient form is Sun., Feb. 24, at 5:00 pm.
• The Basilica invites you to commit to accompany Our Lord during the First Friday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. You may sign up for one or more half-hour periods in the vestibule. Our next First Friday Adoration will be Friday, March 1, from 12:30pm—5:30pm Benediction. Adoration will resume through the night from 9pm Friday—7am Sat., hosted by our Hispanic community. All are encouraged to attend.
• February 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, is a significant feast day for all basilicas worldwide, in connection with the Holy Father. A sung Mass will be offered at noon on Friday, Feb. 22, to celebrate this feast.
• The church will now be open weekdays from 6am until the office closes at 4pm (with occasional exceptions for holidays), and you are invited to visit the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the Tabernacle. We would like to extend the open time, but we will need volunteer custodians to commit to remaining in the church in order to afford this opportunity. If you are interested in this, call the parish office. 
• In accord with Bishop Stika, on Fridays at 7am and noon, the Basilica will offer the Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the reparation of sins against the Church. Mass will conclude with the recitation of an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the assembly. This will be the Mass offered every Friday, except when it is superseded by a feast day.

• Please note our parish office will be closed Monday, Feb. 18, in observance of President’s Day.

Mass Cancellations and Communion Services due to priest travels:

• Thurs. Mar. 7 12pm - Communion service
• Fri. Mar. 8 7am - Communion service
• Mon. Mar. 11 7am - Mass canceled
• Tues. Mar. 12 12pm - Communion service
  

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MINISTRY EVENTS

The Catholic Motherhood ministry is studying Scott Hahn’s book: The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order, which can be ordered on amazon.com. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 12th, from 10-11:30am in Varallo Parish Hall. All mothers are welcome, and a nursery will be available.

The Catholic Motherhood ministry is now offering a study for moms of all ages, entitled, “Momnipotent," facilitated by Sandy Pricer, on the last Tuesday of each month.The next study will be on February 26th from 7-9:30pm. Please bring a snack or drink to share. Contact Rachel Wesson with any questions or to be added to the Catholic Motherhood Group email list.

Men's Evening of Formation with the Saints - Begin your Lent with a really great Spiritual Director!  Men, you are invited to hear the words of St. Francis DeSales during our next Evening of Formation, Wednesday, March 13th, from 7pm to 9pm.  Come experience the grace of a good Confession, along with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, formation and fellowship with other Catholic Men. "Let us advance, meanwhile, let us advance; let us make our way through these low valleys of the humble and little virtues."  - St. Francis DeSales. For more information, call Dan Fisher 423-803-0257. (The next Women's Evening of Formation will be 7-9pm on Wed., April 13th.)

SPANISH Language Class - Ready to start learning Spanish? We have just begun Spanish classes on Wednesdays at 6pm in the St. Dominic Building. It’s not too late to join! For more information, contact our new teacher, Armando Sedeño:  423-208-1011 or armando.sedeno.monge@vw.com.

Lay Oblates of St. Benedict - St. Benedict is known as the Father of Western (European) Monasticism. But his spirituality of prayer and work is valid for even the layman who lives in the world. Our new chapter of Lay Oblates of St. Benedict focuses on applying the Rule of St. Benedict to our lives, learning to pray the Scriptures through lectio divina and offering the Liturgy of the Hours in praise of God. We are now meeting on the third Sunday of each month from 5-6:30pm in Varallo Parish Hall. The next meeting will be on Feb. 17. To find out more, please call the parish office or contact Daniel Sharkey at 877-3239.

Our Book Club meets from 7:40-8:25am Wednesdays in Varallo Parish Hall and is always open to newcomers. On January 9, we began a new book, Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching, by Antholy Esolen.

Natural Family Planning Classes! - We now have a Couple-to-Couple League NFP teaching couple at the Basilica! The next class series is on three Thursday evenings:  March 21, April 25, and May 16, from 6:30-9:00pm. See our Weddings page for details.

The Basilica has recently founded a Trail Life Troop for boys and an American Heritage Girls Troop for girls. These activities provide a great means to develop faith, virtue, skills and leadership for Catholic children ages 5-18. Fr. Carter participates, including attending hikes and campouts. Meetings are Mondays at 7 p.m. New families are welcome to visit and experience what we are all about. Contact Peter or Sherry Ohotnicky at ahgchattanooga@gmail.com for more details. More information may also be found at www.americanheritagegirls.org and traillifeusa.com.

RENOVATED SANCTUARY IS OPEN FOR MASS 

Many thanks to ALL our volunteers! We have re-opened the renovated church for Masses beginning December 15-16!

Photos of Renovations through the Generations at Sts. Peter and Paul

Photos of our Altar Dedication Mass on December 23, 2018 (thanks to parishioner Christina Bankson)

We now have the myParish cell phone app to help you stay connected with the Basilica throughout the week, and give you quick access to daily readings, prayers, homilies, parish staff, bulletins, calendar, and much more. Visit myparishapp.com on your phone or go to your phone's app store to download it. You can also send a text message to the number 88202 with the word app to receive a link to download the app.

We have added Groups to help various ministries communicate. To join a Group, you will need to install myParish app and then create a User Account (My Account option in the main menu). Then you can select the Groups and request to join any of the groups that apply to your ministry or interests.  

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS NEEDED

In order to ensure a safe environment for our children, and in accord with state and diocesan policy, our nursery policy is that we have two adults in the nursery at all times. One of them is our paid staff member, but we are in need of volunteers to be the second person. The second person must be VIRTUS-trained and commit to being present. A sign-up sheet is in the nursery. In order for the nursery to open the following Sunday, someone will need to be signed up to volunteer for the 9am & 11:30 Masses by the end of Masses each Sunday. Each family who uses the nursery is asked to volunteer for at least one Mass per calendar quarter. There is also a donation box in the nursery to defray the $45 cost of keeping it staffed each Sunday. If we do not have your commitment, we will no longer be able to offer nursery services.

VIRTUS Training April 23

Parents and other adults who would like to participate in our youth programs are required to be certified under the VIRTUS program. Deacon Gaspar will be offering a VIRTUS class at the Basilica on Tuesday, April 23, from 5:30 – 8:30pm. You can register for this or any of the upcoming VIRTUS sessions at virtusonline.org (click here and select the Knoxville Diocese).