A St. Louis monsignor elevated to lead the Church in East Tennessee
The East Tennessee Catholic
His episcopal timeline is measured in pages, not columns. As the longest-serving bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Richard F. Stika repeatedly said that he hoped to bring the Catholic Church of East Tennessee into adolescence.
The diocese was barely 20 years old when he arrived as Knoxville’s third bishop. He leaves just shy of its 35th birthday.
“Each year brought joy,” Bishop Emeritus Stika said after Pope Francis announced his resignation as bishop of Knoxville on June 27, a role he held for more than 14 years. “If you add up all the joyous celebrations, events, and moments since I arrived in Knoxville, I have very good memories, and I believe I have done good work. But God also has a unique way of reminding us that we are human, and that we all face human challenges.”
Despite the criticisms he’s faced in recent months, the former bishop said he prefers to focus on the positive.
Pope Francis blesses the cathedral dedication stone presented by Bishop Stika and Cardinal Justin Rigali.
“Thanks to the leadership of past priests and bishops, the diocese was in a good place when I arrived in 2009. I came to teach Jesus, and I believe I have done that. I vividly remember wearing a Tennessee Vols hat at my introductory press conference. It doesn’t seem like it’s been almost 15 years,” he said.
“A lot has happened since that day. Overwhelmingly, most of it has been good. We have built churches and expanded our ministries, especially in the areas of health care and support for those in crisis pregnancies. We have ordained new priests—24 of them since I arrived, and we have almost 50 new deacons. We graduated thousands of Catholic high school students who have gone on in life and remain rich in their faith.”
Right out of the box, just days after donning a UT cap, the bishop went to work. His first year included four church-related dedications, two priest ordinations, and the welcoming of a new religious order: the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich.
“We have added new religious communities, providing this region with a Catholic presence it has never been seen before,” he said. “Our religious sisters and brothers contribute in so many different and vital ways—by educating our children, providing care to the sick and injured, and working with migrant families who legally come to East Tennessee to work in agriculture and other industries.”
In 2010, Bishop Stika brought another women’s religious community to East Tennessee: the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary, an African missionary congregation that has served in diocesan schools and at Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. He also traveled to Mexico to ordain another priest for the diocese.
Bishop Stika leads a procession in downtown Chattanooga to return Father Patrick Ryan’s remains to the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul as part of the priest’s cause for sainthood.
In 2011, Bishop Stika announced that Pope Francis had decreed that Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Chattanooga would be elevated to a minor basilica. He celebrated the inauguration Mass on Oct. 22. From the big churches to small ones, Bishop Stika was determined to build the diocese. Twice in 2011, with active guidance of the Glenmary Home Missioners religious society, the bishop permitted the establishment of two new Catholic Missions—in Grainger and Union counties. Both were later elevated to parishes.
“I have cherished my visits to places like Maynardville, Rutledge, and Erwin, where, through the work of the Glenmary priests, the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee, and many faithful Catholics living in those areas, we were able to establish new parishes and dedicate new church buildings,” Bishop Stika said.
In 2012, he made his first trek to Rome as a bishop, where he met with Pope Benedict XVI as part of his first ad limina visit. He made other trips to Rome in 2014 and 2015 to meet Pope Francis, and two more times in 2019 and 2022.
Dedications and welcomes weren’t confined to church buildings and religious orders. In 2013, a year after establishing the ministry, Bishop Stika dedicated the new St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, a mobile medical facility that travels to remote locations across the region and serves the uninsured.
That same year, for its 25th anniversary, the diocese hosted its first Eucharistic Congress, which brought more than 5,000 people and high-profile Catholic dignitaries together for a weekend of prayer, fellowship, and worship at the Sevierville Convention Center. The bishop also found time to travel to Colombia to ordain Father Andres Cano, who is coordinator of Hispanic Ministry for the Five Rivers Deanery, and Father Arthur Torres, who now serves as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga and is vocations director for the diocese.
Bishop Stika celebrates Mass inside the Sevierville Convention Center during the Eucharistic Congress, which was held in September 2013.
Momentum for growth picked up in 2014 when the diocese announced the creation of the Home Campaign to help fund parish projects, charity, education, priest retirement, and the building of a new cathedral. Once again, he traveled to Rome to attend the canonizations of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII at the Vatican.
In 2015, ground was broken for the new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Side-by-side, the new cathedral’s steel structure began to rise and take shape next to the parish church that had served as the diocese’s cathedral since 1988.
The same year, the bishop went to Rome to have Pope Francis bless a ceremonial granite stone that was later placed in the narthex of the new cathedral. In 2016, he officially petitioned Rome to open the Cause for Sainthood for Father Patrick Ryan, and he ordained 23 new deacons for the diocese.
In 2017, he blessed the official cornerstone for the new cathedral. Less than a year later, in March 2018, Bishop Stika celebrated the dedication Mass for the new cathedral. Five cardinals attended the Mass, as did the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre.
“It’s challenging to choose my favorite memories as bishop,” he said. “Clearly, building the cathedral wasn’t only important, it was imperative. Our diocese was 30 years old when it was dedicated and up until then had been using a parish church built in 1956 as its cathedral. I recognize that not everyone was on board with this vision. But it was an earnest and genuine undertaking, and our cathedral will stand as a testament to the faith of this diocese for centuries to come.
“None of these cherished memories would have happened without the hard work and financial support of the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville and our diocesan stewardship team. This year, the annual Bishop’s Appeal for Ministries surpassed $3 million for the first time, and it has raised more than $23 million to support our ministries since 2009.”
Bishop Stika’s building campaign wasn’t limited to grand projects. Over the years, he dedicated many churches—both at the mission level and as full parishes, and those dedications and blessings extended to chapels, gymnasiums, auditoriums, a few homes, and countless religious icons, medals, and rosaries.
He wanted the diocese to grow, not just in numbers but in ethnic diversity. In 2012, he established a Vietnamese Catholic Mission in Knoxville, which later grew into Divine Mercy Parish. Seven years later, in 2019, he established the St. Faustina Public Association for the Faithful, the first step in what he hopes will be a new Vietnamese parish in the Chattanooga area.
The following year turned the world and the diocese upside down. Churches and other institutions and businesses shut down in early 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Bishop Stika agreed that the Diocese of Knoxville should join more than 160 other dioceses around the United States and suspend live attendance at Masses. The suspension lasted from March until May. It was a contentious time, but the bishop’s decision to only offer holy Communion under COVID restrictions was upheld by Pope Francis.
In 2021, Bishop Stika presided at the re-entombment Mass for Father Patrick Ryan, a necessary step if the Vatican is one day to name the Chattanooga priest a saint. He celebrated Mass for the diocese’s Hispanic community as it completed a five-year strategic plan, V Encuentro. In 2022, he ordained 24 new deacons for the diocese. In 2023, just before his resignation was announced, Bishop Stika had completed his spring confirmation schedule, which saw him travel to 37 parishes.
“Thanks to our Office of Christian Formation and the many, many volunteers across our diocese, our sacramental programs are strong. I confirm thousands of children in our faith every year, and this spring I did so at 37 parishes, traveling more than 4,200 miles across our diocese. There have been thousands of baptisms, marriages, first Communions, blessings, dedications, and yes, many funerals,” the bishop noted.
Timelines are a convenient way to highlight accomplishments—but missing between the lines are the hard numbers that show the growth of the diocese during the Stika era. There are now more than 70,000 registered Catholics living in the diocese. The faithful are served by more than 50 churches. Masses are celebrated in Spanish in 33 parishes.
“I want to thank all our ministry leaders and volunteers. The Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment, the Office of Hispanic Ministry, the Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, the Office of Vocations, Justice and Peace, Clergy and Deacon Formation, Communications, our new Marriage Tribunal, the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic and Foundation, and the Office of Worship and Liturgy,” he said.
Bishop Stika admitted some recent setbacks including two civil lawsuits filed against the diocese in 2022, one of which names him as a defendant, and the associated media coverage, have taken a toll.
“It’s been frustrating that I can’t speak to these specific issues,” Bishop Stika said. “It has been a test for me personally, mostly because I can’t address complaints publicly other than to acknowledge that they exist. For that, I want to offer an apology and acknowledge the difficulty this has created for our parishioners and those who are doing good work here.
“Some people within the diocese have taken issue with my leadership style and the decisions I made. Jesus asks us to build His Church and to be Christ-like in all that we do. This diocese has grown tremendously since it was established in 1988. I just happen to be part of that history, and I have always taken the responsibility seriously.
“In my days as a priest and bishop, I have made service to God my life’s calling––a vocation that is both tremendously rewarding, and at times, challenging. The good news is that the diocese is in good shape. Its foundation is stable. Its finances remain strong. Its future is bright, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have served here,” he concluded.
Bishop Richard F. Stika Episcopal Timeline
2009
•Ordained third Bishop of Knoxville
•Dedicates new St. John Neumann Church, Farragut
•Dedicates new St. Albert the Great parish center and worship space, Knoxville
•Dedicates new St. Christopher Mission Church, Jamestown
•Dedicates new addition of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, LaFollette
•Ordains Father Jorge Cano and Father Christopher Riehl, Knoxville
•Welcomes new religious order: Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich.
•Ordains Father Andres Cano, Pereira, Colombia
2010
•Elevates St. Christopher Catholic Mission, Jamestown, to full parish
•Ordains Father Moises Moreno, Guanajuato, Mexico
•Welcomes new religious order: Evangelizing Sisters of Mary
•Celebrates 25th anniversary of priestly ordination with Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral
2011
•Announces Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Chattanooga, will become a minor basilica
•Celebrates inauguration Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Chattanooga, to a minor basilica
•Ordains Father Douglas Owens, Knoxville
•Establishes Blessed Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Mission, Maynardville
•Establishes Blessed John Paul II Catholic Mission, Rutledge
2012
•Meets with Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican
•Ordains Father Dustin Collins, Knoxville
•Announces papal designation of monsignor for Father Patrick Garrity, Father Bob Hofstetter, and Father George Schmidt
•Establishes Divine Mercy Catholic Mission, Knoxville
•Establishes St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation to continue the ministry of the former St. Mary’s Hospital
2013
•Celebrates 25th Jubilee Anniversary of the Diocese of Knoxville with a Eucharistic Congress
•Dedicates new St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, a mobile medical ministry
•Presides at first Eucharistic Congress in the Diocese of Knoxville, Sevierville
•Welcomes new women’s religious order: Handmaids of the Precious Blood
•Ordains Father Christopher Manning, Knoxville
•Ordains Father Arthur Torres Barona, Cali, Colombia
•Dedicates new Divine Mercy Church, Knoxville.
2014
•Meets with Pope Francis, Vatican.
•Announces beginning of Home (capital) Campaign to improve parishes, education, charity, and build a new cathedral
•Elevates St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Mission, Maynardville, to full parish
•Attends canonizations of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, Vatican
•Ordains Father Colin Blatchford, Father Julian Cardona, and Father Adam Kane, Knoxville
•Establishes Secular Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Transfiguration in the Diocese of Knoxville
2015
•Visits Pope Francis, Vatican
•Ordains Father Jesus Guerrero-Rodriguez, Father Michael Hendershott, and Father Ray Powell, Knoxville
•Groundbreaking for new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Knoxville
2016
•Signs decree establishing petition of Cause for Sainthood for Father Patrick Ryan
•Ordains Father Adam Royal, Knoxville
•Ordains 23 permanent deacons for the Diocese of Knoxville
2017
•Leads liturgical service and blesses cornerstone of new diocesan cathedral, Knoxville
•Celebrates final Chrism Mass at old Sacred Heart Cathedral
•Receives report approving diocesan-wide accreditation of all 10 Catholic schools
•Ordains Father Christopher Floersh, Knoxville
2018
•Celebrates final Mass at old Sacred Heart Cathedral
•Dedicates new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Knoxville
•Elevates St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Mission, Erwin, to full parish
•Dedicates new St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Church, Maynardville
2019
•Visits Pope Francis, Vatican
•Ordains Father Mark Schuster, Knoxville
•Ordains Glenmary Home Missioners Father Charles Aketch and Father Richard Toboso, Cincinnati
•Establishes St. Faustina Public Association of the Faithful for Vietnamese community, Chattanooga
2020
•Presides at opening of Inquiry into the Cause for Sainthood for Father Patrick Ryan, Chattanooga
•Joins more than 160 U.S. bishops and archbishops suspending Masses due to COVID pandemic
•Announces Masses will resume in the Diocese of Knoxville on Pentecost weekend
•Decision to offer Holy Communion under COVID restrictions validated by Pope Francis
•Ordains Father Zach Griffith and Father Alex Hernandez, Knoxville
•Appoints Father David Carter, JCL, as judicial vicar of the Diocesan Tribunal of Knoxville
2021
•Presides at re-entombment Mass for Father Patrick Ryan, Servant of God, Chattanooga
•Celebrates Mass for Diocese of Knoxville V Encuentro Hispanic strategy pastoral plan
•Initiates new class of permanent deacons for the Diocese of Knoxville beginning in 2022
•Ordains Father Matthew Donahue, Knoxville
•Celebrates Mass at Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus marking 35th anniversary of his priestly ordination
2022
•Visits Pope Francis, Vatican
•Dedicates new church for St. John Paul II Catholic Mission, Rutledge
•Ordains 24 permanent deacons for the Diocese of Knoxville
2023
•Welcomes new religious orders: Benedictines of Divine Will and Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will
•Ordains Father Joseph Austin, Father Neil Blatchford, Father Andrew Crabtree, Knoxville
