Knights of Columbus donate American, Vatican and Knights of Columbus flags to display in school chapel

CLARKSVILLE, TN – Aug. 15 marked the Catholic Feast Day of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast, coinciding with the first Mass of the school year at Immaculate Conception Catholic School (ICS), was celebrated at 8 a.m. Father Jacob Dio, pastor, celebrated Holy Mass and welcomed the ICS community to the school year, invoking special prayers and blessings for the success of the year.

A truly special ceremony took place at the conclusion of Mass, before the final blessing; the presentation and dedication of three flags — American, Vatican and Knights of Columbus.
Through the generosity of Council 3537 Clarksville Knights of Columbus, three new flags and all accessories are being donated for the chapel at ICS. These are the same three flags that stand near the altar at Immaculate Conception Church on Seventh Street, a mere 3.3 miles from ICS. The symbolism of the flags will help students and families from ICS appreciate the connection with Immaculate Conception Parish, which was established in 1845 at the corner of Franklin and Seventh Streets.

The original St. Mary’s School was located at the corner of Seventh and Franklin Streets and a larger and more permanent structure was constructed in 1919. This two-story school served to educate hundreds of children, mostly Catholic, until the early 1970s when it was demolished as a result of diminished enrollment.

While co-location of Catholic churches and schools is the norm, the Catholic community in Clarksville took advantage of prime real estate in 2000 to reopen St. Mary’s Catholic School.
To clarify the school’s affiliation with Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish, the name was changed to Immaculate Conception Catholic School in 2010.

The flag ceremony was coordinated by Sir Knight Kent Booker. Kent is the Honor Guard Director for Council 3537. Drawing on his 24 years of service in the Army as a military policeman, Kent had the opportunity to serve additional duty on Honor and Color Guards throughout his military career.

The ceremony participants included students from the 8th grade. The Color Guard is bearing the American flag, the Vatican flag, and the Knights of Columbus flag. The short flag dedication ceremony includes presentation of the colors, pledge of allegiance, posting the colors and explanations of the significance of each flag read by participating 8th grade students.

The Mass and ceremony are coordinated by middle school teacher of Religion, Kathy Kerchief, with music provided by the ICS choir, directed by Ben Hickson.