Our Lady of Fatima Parish celebrates 25 years in Alcoa church building
By Gabrielle Nolan
The parish community at Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa has multiple reasons to celebrate this year.
With a Mass on March 11, the parish recognized 25 years of worshiping in its current church building at 858 Louisville Road. For the next several months, the parish will be celebrating its 75th jubilee as a parish, culminating with an anniversary Mass and dinner later this year in November.
Pastor Father Peter Iorio celebrated the bilingual Mass, with Father Joseph Austin concelebrating. The deacons of the Mass were Bill Jacobs, Leon Dodd, and Renzo Alvarado Suarez. Readers for the Mass were Karen Amayo Castro and Dr. Liz LeBrun.
At the beginning of Mass, Father Iorio mentioned prior pastors Father Alex Waraksa and Father Bill McNeeley, who could not attend the 25th celebration.
“Welcome, everyone, as we celebrate this great occasion for our local parish community, the 25th anniversary of the dedication of this beautiful church building,” Father Iorio said. “We come together in joyful praise of God for the gifts that we have received during especially these 25 years, but really of 75 years as the parish of Our Lady of Fatima.”
Father Iorio’s homily largely focused on the significance of the date, March 11, for the local and universal Catholic Church, as well as the entire world.
“On this day in the year 1910, the youngest non-martyr saint was born. St. Jacinta Marto was born in Portugal and was one of the three children who saw the vision of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917,” he explained.
The Our Lady of Fatima choir gives the music liturgy on March 11 during one of a number of 75th Jubilee Masses that will be celebrated in 2025. (Photo Gabrielle Nolan)
“March 11 is a significant date for the Catholic Church in Blount County, Tenn. We’re all here tonight because we know that on this date, March 11 in the year 2000, Bishop Joseph Kurtz dedicated these walls, this sacred space, and this altar for the sacred rites of the Catholic Church,” he continued.
When Father Iorio asked the congregation how many people were present for that dedication Mass, a large number of those present raised their hands.
“I was a young priest visiting at the time,” Father Iorio remembered. “But it was a beautiful celebration. It included the handing on of the keys of the church, the official opening of the door, the anointing of the walls with sacred chrism marked by these candles around the walls of the church, and also smearing, anointing the altar with sacred chrism.”
For the third time, Father Iorio acknowledged the date of March 11. This time, he shared that five years ago in 2020, that was the date the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic due to COVID-19.
“We remember what a time that was and especially just a few days afterward, how it changed our lives,” he said. “As human beings bound in time and space and geography, we recognize the importance of dates in order to connect us to the past and to give thanks to God for the gifts that we have received. And also, dates give us hope to look forward to the future.”
The pastor invited those in the congregation to take a moment and reflect on their experiences in the parish, inviting everyone to contemplate how God had spoken to them through their five senses.
“Within these walls, people have sought and found comfort through individual prayer before the presence of God in the tabernacle, the celebration of Holy Mass, celebrations of baptism and confirmations, as well as praying the rosary, as Mary Our Lady of Fatima told the children, and praying the Stations of the Cross, and much more,” Father Iorio said.
“As we recognize that the Stations of the Cross connect us to the Passion of the Lord, we went through a different kind of passion or suffering when we had to practice love of God and love of neighbor when we did not come together in person, but when we stayed apart,” he continued. “For months during the pandemic, we were not gathered in person and as a community of faith. In order not to spread sickness, I remember celebrating Mass here in this sacred space but not looking out and seeing your beautiful faces like I do today, but seeing pictures of you taped to the pews. Many of you remember that. And I was trusting that you were looking back at me through the video, taking part in the way that you were able to do so. And absence makes the heart grow fonder. What joy it was to return home to this holy place of Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa.”
At his homily’s conclusion, Father Iorio said there was no way to thank all the individuals who have been involved in the parish, both past and present.
“My heart is full of gratitude for bringing me here and giving me the opportunity to serve you as pastor these last nearly six years,” he said. “May God continue to bless Our Lady of Fatima as we continue our jubilee year of celebration.”
Following the Mass was a reception in the parish hall, where attendees enjoyed finger foods, desserts, and punch.
Francis Brown, a parishioner of 41 years, attended the 25th-anniversary celebration with his wife.
“We moved here in 1984, and somewhere along the line Father (Joseph) Brando asked if I would be in charge of the fundraising of the building of this new building. We had our first fundraiser in February of 1995,” Mr. Brown explained.
“But it was exciting times, and one of the problems we had to face was we were running out of space over there, our old church,” he continued. “And at the time, the requirement for a new church, the diocese required 25 acres if you’re going to build new. So, that’s a hurdle that had to be overcome. By God’s grace, a man by the name of Frank found out from AT&T that this particular building was for sale. And we had the money to pay cash for it. As soon as that information was out to the parish, there was no question we were going to move over here.”
The five-year process of fundraising and building the church was completed in March 2000.
“It was exhilarating to me, anyway. One of the best times of my whole life,” Mr. Brown shared. “I look around and probably one of the most poignant times of my life … was when the lights went dim, went off, and they sang ‘Sing a New Church.’ There were tears in my eyes … because it was the end, we had dreamed it possible.”
To continue celebrating the jubilee of 75 years as a parish, events will be held at Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th day of each month through October to commemorate the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to the Portuguese shepherd children on that day:
- A bilingual confirmation Mass with reception following will take place at the parish on Tuesday, May 13, at 7 p.m.
- On Friday, June 13, an evening walk on the Alcoa greenway and a parish picnic under the Fatima Pavilion will occur.
- A 6 p.m. concert featuring sacred music from the Americas will be performed on Sunday, July 13.
- A focus on catechism and sacred space will happen at the parish on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
- Saturday, Sept. 13, will feature a day dedicated to the exploration of nature and Hispanic Kermés.
- A day of adoration will occur at the parish on Monday, Oct. 13.
Lastly, the parish jubilee celebration will conclude with a bilingual Mass with Bishop Mark Beckman on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The parish has created a pilgrimage passport that pilgrims can pick up and have stamped at all of the events.
For more information regarding the Our Lady of Fatima 75th jubilee, visit the parish’s website at ourladyoffatima.org/75years.
