God Camp counselors reflect on their summer experiences  

Four counselors at the diocesan God Camps this summer looked back on their experiences. Each was in his or her first time on the counseling team. “My experience at God Camp as a counselor was amazing!” said Alex Espinoza, a senior from St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland. “I …

Sacred Heart Cathedral ministry leads life-saving flight years in the making

Haiti Outreach Program is able to fly solar panels, vaccine refrigerator to Caribbean country in political turmoil By Hiske Jones A long-awaited flight landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 13, with unusual cargo: solar panels and a refrigerator to store life-saving vaccines. According to Billy Stair, a longtime volunteer with …

Zulay Pickering named Pastoral Juvenil Hispana coordinator

Zulay Navarro Pickering has been named the new coordinator of Pastoral Juvenil Hispana for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Ms. Pickering is a native Spanish speaker, born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and has lived in the United States since 1990. She has been an active volunteer …

Notre Dame in Greeneville conducts Vatican Express Kidz Camp

Vatican Express Catholic Kidz Camp was the vacation Bible school for 2022 at Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville. VBS was held on Wednesday nights from June 22 through July 13 from 6 to 8:15 p.m. Nineteen adult staff members assisted, along with 10 youth leaders and about 30 students from …

A letter about St. Paul and the Philippians

Young student Elena Crace wins national essay contest through the Catholic Textbook Project By Dan McWilliams Elena Crace of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville recently won a national history essay contest through the Catholic Textbook Project with an entry about St. Paul. Students in Catholic schools and homeschools could participate …

Funeral Mass held at All Saints Church for Donald V. Borst

Donald V. Borst, age 86, of Knoxville, passed away on July 17. A funeral Mass for Mr. Borst was celebrated on Aug. 5 at All Saints Church, with entombment following at Highland Memorial Cemetery. Mr. Borst was born in Staten Island, N.Y., in 1936 and he retired in 1999 to …

Off to a strong start

Accreditation, enrollment, leadership reasons for optimism as DOK school year gets underway By Bill Brewer The 2022-23 school year is underway, and if you’re a student, parent, staff member, teacher, or administrator, you can look at it as a class-half-empty or class-half-full proposition. Summer is basically over, although you would …

Poll: Americans’ belief in God is dropping

The utter lack of God in their lives leads people to commit mass killings or other depraved acts By Deacon Bob Hunt A couple of Gallup polls caught my eye recently. The first has gotten a bit of attention in the press and the second barely any at all. The …

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Giving it up to God

Comunità Cenacolo considering Diocese of Knoxville for fifth U.S. house By Bill Brewer Five men who visited the Diocese of Knoxville in June could easily have been mistaken for Catholic tourists taking in East Tennessee and all it has to offer. But there was more to their trip than hiking …

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After years of trying, he can say, ‘I hate golf’

But after some valuable time in the sport spent with his grandson, he may change his mind By George Valadie I hate golf. Again. This is at least the fourth or fifth time. We’ve battled often. I’ve lost every time. Soundly defeated. Vanquished not by an opponent with better skill …

Knoxville Catholic High School to host Young Life

Popular youth ministry will be on campus beginning with fall semester             By Bill Brewer In what is likely a first for the Diocese of Knoxville, Knoxville Catholic High School will host a Young Life team for the 2022-23 academic year. And as part of an effort to double down on …

All Saints health and wellness expo set for Aug. 19-20

All Saints health and wellness expo set for Aug. 19-20 By Jim Wogan In 10 years as a Catholic priest, Father Doug Owens has become proficient at ministering to those in need. The pastor of All Saints Parish in Knoxville has anointed the sick, comforted those in distress, and, of …