St. Mary Parish in Johnson City receives Haiti foundation honor

Don and Cynthia Davis of St. Mary in Johnson City, coordinators of the parish Haiti Twinning Ministry, traveled to Christ the King Church in Nashville to accept the Fiat of Ecclesial Magnanimity Award on behalf of the parish. The award, presented on Sept. 20 by the Visitation Hospital Foundation, is …

Holy Ghost Parish seeking names for books of ‘Our Dearly Departed’

In advance of next year’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of its current church building, Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville is creating volumes of “Our Dearly Departed” to be placed permanently near the St. Joseph altar. The parish would like to devote one page to each of its deceased members …

KDCCW’s 2025-27 board holds first meeting in Shea Room at cathedral

The first meeting of the 2025-27 Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (KDCCW) board was held Sept. 6 in the Shea Room at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. A rosary, prepared by Spirituality Commission chair Mary Wilson, was said before the meeting. The board consists of …

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A love-hate relationship with country music

And missing the mentor who loved it and the family life it reminds me to cherish By George Valadie It’s my new favorite song. I’ve always felt like a bit of a music oddball when compared with my friends, but it was especially true when I was growing up. While …

Messengers on a mission

Diaconate candidates entrusted as lectors, permanent deacons renew their promises By Bill Brewer The Diocese of Knoxville has the distinction of ranking third in the United States, and possibly the world, in the number of ordained men serving as permanent deacons. “We are per Catholic capita No. 3 in the …

Jane Fraker Fisk

Jane Fraker Fisk, age 82, of Knoxville, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 20. Mrs. Fisk was a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut. She was the former vice president of Fraker Sales Company Inc. and a former personal shopper for Proffitt’s department store. Mrs. Fisk …

Lending a helping hand

St. Alphonsus Community Services provides assistance to those in need By St. Alphonsus Community Service Volunteers “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God, and the one most helpful to us.”— St. Alphonsus Liguori In 1986, …

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Addressing an epidemic of violence

We are all invited to do an examination of conscience and a conversion from the culture of death By Bishop Mark Beckman On Thursday, Sept. 11, I celebrated Mass for the students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The day before, …

‘A school of love’

St. Dominic looks to the future as it commemorates 8 decades By Dan McWilliams Rosie Henderson LaMont, a student at St. Dominic School in Kingsport in the 1950s and ’60s, certainly learned many right things to do in her classes but also realized one thing not to do, at least …

Harold Goans

Harold “Hal” Goans died peacefully at his home in Oak Ridge on Sept. 4. Mr. Goans was born on May 25, 1936, in Clinton to the late Charles and Lillian Goans. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years. He met and married his wife, Rita, in 1958 …

The culmination of the sacraments of initiation

Pope Francis: baptism, confirmation, and first Communion ‘form a single saving event’ By Father Randy Stice In recent columns, we have explored the relationship between the Eucharist and the other sacraments. In the final column in this series, we will look at the Eucharist as the culmination of the sacraments …

Staying true to your faith

UT-C students engage with Bishop Beckman at Mass, dinner By Maggie Parsons In continuing to share his gratitude with communities around the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated Mass at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Catholic Center on Sept. 10, preaching to the students about staying true to their faith …