Immaculate Conception Church has been designated the first of 11 pilgrimage stops in the Smoky Mountain Deanery in observance of the 25th anniversary of the diocese. Bishop Richard F. Stika will preside at the 11:30 a.m. Mass at IC on Sunday, Oct. 6. The faithful attending the Masses will receive a plenary indulgence. Pilgrims are encouraged to bring donations for the parish FISH pantry. Following the Mass, there will be a historical program and poetry reading by Dr. Thomas Haddox, an English professor from the University of Tennessee, titled “Father Abram Ryan: Priest/Poet of the U.S. South.” Father Ryan was pastor at Immaculate Conception Church from 1865-1867. The pilgrimage Masses will be held on the first Sunday of each month during the diocesan anniversary celebration. For more information, call the parish office at 865-522-1508.
The Home Place, Catholic Charities’ housing for homeless adults with HIV/AIDS, is collecting toiletry items for clients of the agency. Donations may be delivered to the Catholic Charities office at 859 McCallie Ave. during regular business hours. For details, contact Krisie Long-Withey at 423-698-9079 or krisie@ccetn.org.
Openings are available in a spiritual-direction group led by Dr. Barbara Haning, an experienced group facilitator and spiritual director. Participants will focus on discerning and articulating God’s presence in their daily lives. The group meets monthly and is intended for those willing to meet the expectations and commitments involved in this process. Call Dr. Haning at 865-671-0766 for more information.
The next men’s Cursillo in Spanish will be Aug. 8-11. The next women’s Cursillo in Spanish will be Aug. 29-Sept. 1. Both Cursillos will be at the Apison Retreat Center in Apison. Applications are available online at www.knoxville
cursillo.org or by contacting Lois Schering at schering4@aol.com.
The 2013 Celebrate Life Banquet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Knoxville Convention Center. Shari Rigby, the actress who played the birth mother who reconsidered her decision to abort her child in the pro-life film October Baby, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $50 per person. Corporate sponsorships also are available. To learn more or purchase tickets, call the Tennessee Right to Life office at 865-689-1339.
The diocesan Office of Christian Formation will be hosting two catechist-orientation sessions for new catechists, RCIA teams, adult faith formation facilitators, and other ministry leaders Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Chancery in Knoxville and Thursday, Aug. 22, at St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga. Both sessions will meet from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Registration for both events can be completed online at www.eventbrite.com/org/3149767104. For more information, contact Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or rarmstrong@dioknox.org.
The Notre Dame Parish youth group in Greeneville is planning a trip to Doe River Gorge Day Quest on Saturday, Aug. 3. The cost is $26 per person and includes lunch. Space is limited. Visit www.doerivergorge.com for a list of activities. Call Susan Collins at Notre Dame Church for more information at 423-639-9381.
A Retrouvaille weekend for couples who are experiencing difficulties in their marriages, or are separated or divorced and want to reconcile, is scheduled for Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Nashville. For confidential information or to register, call 800-470-2230 or 615-523-0631, e-mail nrv3043@gmail.com, or visit the website at www.HelpOurMarriage.com.
Monsignor Al Humbrecht and Father Michael Nolan will be the spiritual directors of a pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal from Oct. 29 through Nov. 9. Pilgrims will visit important shrines and holy sites in Madrid, Segovia, Avila, León, Santiago, Fatima, and Lisbon. The cost per person is $3,599 from Atlanta. To obtain a brochure or register, contact Sister Albertine Paulus, RSM, at 865-207-4742, 545-8270 or smaevang@yahoo.com.
The next Picture of Love engaged-couples retreat will take place Nov. 15 and 16 at the Holy Spirit Church parish life center in Soddy-Daisy. The retreat will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and continue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The program is designed to help couples gain a better understanding of the joys and challenges of being married in their day-to-day lives. The cost is $135 per couple, which includes a certificate good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. Couples must attend the entire retreat to receive the certificate. For more information, contact Marian Christiana, director of the Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.
Father Charlie Burton and Deacon Gaspar DeGaetano will be the spiritual directors of a pilgrimage to Italy from March 16-28, 2014. The group will visit Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Sicily, and many other places during the trip. The all-inclusive cost is $4,199. For more details, call Proximo Travel at 855-842-8001 or visit www.proximotravel.com.
Father John Dowling will be the spiritual director for a 10-day pilgrimage to France June 30–July 9, 2014. The group will visit several shrines and holy sites around France, including the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Sainte-Chapelle, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens, the tomb of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Chartres Cathedral, the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Paray-le-Monial, and the basilica in Ars that houses the incorrupt body of St. John Vianney. The final day will feature a drive through the French Alps. Mass will be celebrated daily. The price for the pilgrimage including airfare from either Nashville or Knoxville is $3,945, which includes U.S. government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges up to $665; economy-class round-trip airfare, three- and four-star hotel accommodations (based on double occupancy), eight breakfasts and dinners, a professional tour manager, local English-speaking guides, all scheduled sightseeing and entrance fees, a modern motor coach, and group tips. Interested pilgrims can also arrange their own airfare and pay $2,849 (if 30 pilgrims register). Register early and make a deposit by Aug. 25, 2013, and receive a $50 discount. For more information, contact Father Dowling at 931-484-3628 or frjohndowling@gmail.com.
Mass in the extraordinary form (“traditional Latin”) is celebrated at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville; at 3 p.m. on first and third Sundays at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland; at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Madisonville; at 11 a.m. on most Sundays at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Townsend; and at 3 p.m. on second and fourth Sundays at St. Mary Church in Johnson City. Visit www.knoxlatinmass.net for updated information.
The St. Thomas the Apostle Ukrainian Catholic Mission celebrates Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. Sundays in the lower level of Holy Cross Anglican Church, 515 Herron Road, Knoxville, TN 37934. Note the time change. All services are in English. Call Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or visit www.saintthomas-knoxville.org for details.
Holy Resurrection Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Mission has Divine Liturgy celebrations at 9:30 a.m. Sundays at the old Holy Ghost Church, 1031 N. Central St. in Knoxville. For times of holy-day services or for more information, visit www.knoxbyz.org or call Father Thomas O’Connell at 865-256-4880.
