Knoxville Catholic High School is accepting applications for the 2014-15 school year. Visit www.knoxvillecatholic.com/admissions/apply to access the online application. All applications and supporting documents are due by Friday, Feb. 14.
Sister Mary Timothea Elliott, RSM, director of the diocesan Office of Christian Formation, will present the third of three conferences for RCIA participants in the Diocese of Knoxville at Holy Trinity Church in Jefferson City on Saturday, Feb. 8. The conference will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Sister Timothea at 865-584-3307 or srmarytimothea@dioknox.org.
The Vespers service for the World Day for Consecrated Life will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Bishop Richard F. Stika will preside. All priests, religious, and laypeople are invited to unite their prayers at this event. A reception will follow the Vespers in the front lobby of the school. For more information, contact Sister Mary Christine Cremin, RSM, at 865-243-7708.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga is hosting a program presented by Family Honor Inc. for seventh- and eighth-grade students and their families on God’s gift of sexuality and chastity from 7 to 9:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. The program is free, but donations will be accepted. Register online at familyhonor.org. For more information, contact Marian Christiana at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.
Several Search weekends for high school juniors and seniors are scheduled in the diocese during winter 2014. Search is a retreat program intended to assist young people with developing their faith lives and to discern how they can use their gifts to build the Church. The first Search is planned for the weekend of Feb. 7-9 at Knoxville Catholic High School. For more information, contact Deacon Dan Hosford at 865-603-9682. The second is scheduled for Feb. 14-16 at St. Dominic Church in Kingsport. Contact Deacon Jim Fage at 423-748-2836 for more information. The third Search will take place the weekend of Feb. 21-23 at All Saints Academy next door to the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga. Contact Donna Jones for more information at 423-718-4387. The cost to attend any of the Search weekends is $55.
The annual Catholic Day on the Hill and Catholic Schools Day on the Hill are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18. Meet with state representatives to discuss and lobby issues impacting the dignity and life of the human person, including abortion, stem cell research, health care, immigration, predatory lending, and the death penalty. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 4. Fees include lunch and are $20 per adult and $10 per student, teacher, or chaperone. Visit tncppc.org for registration forms. For more information, contact Kathleen Murphy at 615-828-4713 or tncppc@bellsouth.net.
The 15th annual Bishop’s Gathering in support of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, in the gym at St. John Neumann School in Farragut. The day will include lunch, a dessert cook-off, and a living display showdown. The cost is $30 per family or $15 per person. Register online at www.kdccs.org/wscd or mail checks to Joann Preske, 535 Buckhorn Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Proceeds from the gathering will fund need-based religious-emblem awards, the annual Scouting retreat, and other activities. For more information, call George LeCrone at 865-719-1548.
The next Picture of Love engaged-couples retreat will take place the weekend of Feb. 28-March 1 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga. The retreat will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and continue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The cost is $135 per couple, which includes a certificate good for a $60 discount on a marriage license. For more information, contact Marian Christiana, director of the Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, at 423-892-2310 or mchristiana@dioknox.org.
Two Engaged Encounter weekends are scheduled for Feb. 21-24 and April 11-13, at the Holiday Inn Express in Lenoir City. For more information, contact Jason or Carmen Jeansonne at 865-377-3077 or ceeknoxville@yahoo.com.
A Retrouvaille weekend for couples who struggle with their marriages or are separated or divorced and want to reconcile is planned for the weekend of March 7-9 in Nashville. For confidential information about the weekend or to register, call 800-470-2230 or visit the website www.helpourmarriage.com. More information about Retrouvaille can be found at www.retrouvaille.org.
Course 6 of the Catechetical Formation Program co-sponsored by the diocesan Office of Christian Formation and Aquinas College is scheduled for three locations this spring: St. Stephen Church in Chattanooga on Saturday, March 15; The Chancery on Saturday, March 29; and St. Dominic Church in Kingsport on Saturday, April 12. All of the sessions will meet from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is no charge for the class. Register for one of the three classes on the Eventbrite page, http://www.eventbrite.com/o/diocese-of-knoxville-office-of-christian-formation-3149767104. For more information, contact Father Richard Armstrong at 865-584-3307 or rarmstrong@dioknox.org.
The National Association of Catholic Nurses USA annual conference, “The Art of Nursing: Beyond Technology,” will take place March 21-23 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Registration is $250 for members and $300 for non-members. A $325 registration fee includes membership to the NACN. A $125 student rate is available. The registration deadline for the conference is Friday, March 7. Hotel reservations can be made through Wednesday, Feb. 19, by calling 800-457-4460 or visiting the website www.maxwellhousehotel.com. Mention group code 1040CATHOL to receive the $103-per-night rate. For more information, visit www.nacn-usa.org.
Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ, founder and president of Ignatius Productions, Scripture scholar, lecturer, and EWTN television and radio host, will hold “A Day of Lenten Reflection with Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ” from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at St. Jude Church in Chattanooga. The event is sponsored by the Isaiah 58/World of Hope Ministries. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 9:30. Father Pacwa will lead the Divine Mercy Chaplet after the close of the retreat. The cost of registration before March 8 is $20. A boxed lunch is $5 extra. After March 8, registration will be $25 per person/$30 with a boxed lunch. Register online at fathermitchellpacwa.eventbrite.com.Proceeds from the event will support medical missions for the poor. For tickets or more information, contact Sandra Leffew at 423-544-4445 or Terri Ward at 423-987-3315.
The Emerald O’ccasion dinner benefiting the Knoxville-area Catholic Charities programs is scheduled for 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Knoxville Marriott Hotel. A cocktail hour will precede the event from 5:30 to 6:30. The master of ceremonies will be Knoxville radio and television personality Hallerin Hilton Hill. Special recognition will be given to Father Ragan Schriver for his many years of service as executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. Tickets are $125. Contact Sherrie Shuler at 865-524-9896, extension 1005, or sherrie@ccetn.org.
The Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention will take place April 10-12 at the Doubletree Hotel in Chattanooga. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at the hotel. The opening Mass will be at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul at 5:30 p.m. Susan Conroy, author of Mother Therese’s Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet following the Mass. Other speakers during the weekend will include Mary Jo Peyton, who will speak on the Mary, Mother of God Society’s work to re-establish the Catholic faith in Eastern Russia, and Jim Bello, who will speak about pro-life ministry. The registration fee is $89. Hotel accommodations are $115 per night plus tax and can be made by calling 800-222-TREE. The registration deadline for the hotel is March 13 to receive the discounted rate. The group code is KDC. Registration forms are available at www.kdccw.org or by contacting Emily Knoch at Emily@livingstoncompany.com.
Two upcoming Catholic Charities fundraising events are set. The Kids Helping Kids Fun Walk will take place on May 4 at Knoxville Catholic High School, and the Common Good Golf Classic is planned for June 9. Visit www.ccetn.org for details.
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 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 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 the first and third Sundays at St. Mary Church in Johnson City. Visit www.knoxlatinmass.net for updated information.
The St. Thomas the Apostle Eastern (Byzantine) 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.
