Catholic performers bringing national Cathedrals Tour to Diocese of Knoxville
By Dan McWilliams
Dr. Patrick and wife Barbara O’Brien are excited to bring Catholic musicians Matt Maher and Sarah Kroger to St. John Neumann Church in Farragut on Friday, Dec. 5, for “Cathedrals: An Advent Night of Worship.”
The concert at 7 p.m. is part of the singers’ nationwide Cathedrals Tour, which began last year and is sponsored by the International Justice Mission (IJM). Mr. Maher and Ms. Kroger, both songwriters and worship leaders, performed at the National Eucharistic Congress last year in Indianapolis.
Mr. Maher, who was born in Newfoundland, Canada, is a nine-time Grammy nominee and has won three Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, with three of his nine albums reaching the Top 25 Christian Albums Billboard chart. His singles include “Lord, I Need You,” “Because He Lives (Amen),” “I Will Rise,” “Christ Is Risen,” and “Your Grace Is Enough.” He has performed at major Catholic and evangelical events since 2004 and has been featured in “The Chosen” series’ Christmas theatrical releases.
Ms. Kroger is from Nashville and is a Dove Award-nominated artist, songwriter, and worship leader. Her first album appeared in 2011, with her most recent being “A New Reality” in 2024. She has written a children’s book, My Beloved Child, and a lullaby based on her song “Belovedness.” Her albums also include “Your Time,” “Hallelujah Is Our Song,” “Bloom,” “Light,” and “London Sessions,” and her popular songs include “This Is My Story,” “Pieces,” “Freedom in the Spirt,” and “When I See You.”
“We are going to be blessed by having two amazing artists at one performance. Besides sharing their individual songs, they share their testimony to enrich us and draw us closer to God during the Advent season,” Mrs. O’Brien said.
The O’Briens heard the performers in Indianapolis in 2024.
“We were inspired by all the music at the National Eucharistic Congress that we attended in Indianapolis last year,” Mrs. O’Brien said. “When we heard about Sarah and Matt performing at dioceses across the U.S. during Advent, we thought, ‘Why can’t we have them in Knoxville?’”
The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville did not have an opening for the December concert, Dr. O’Brien said, going on to thank diocesan chancellor Deacon Sean Smith; Deacon Jim Bello, diocesan director of Christian Formation as well as of Deacons and Deacon Formation; and St. John Neumann pastor Mark Schuster for their help.
“We are parishioners at St. John Neumann, and we brought this idea to the diocese for consideration. We found out that the cathedral was booked in December, so a decision was made to go with St. John Neumann as the location and to have SJN be the primary sponsor,” Dr. O’Brien said. “Thanks go to Deacon Sean Smith and Deacon Jim Bello at the Chancery for their guidance and to Father Mark Schuster at SJN for taking on this project.”
Dr. O’Brien also expressed gratitude to “generous donors who are helping to defray the cost of general-admission tickets to make attending the concert more affordable. In addition, these donors’ efforts are indirectly allowing us to sponsor up to 70 tickets for the religious of the diocese to attend. Due to these generous donors, excess donations are being directed to St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic and St. Vincent de Paul of St. John Neumann Parish.”
Ticket sales were limited to 700 “so as to give each concertgoer a comfortable experience,” Dr. O’Brien said. “St. John Neumann Catholic Church has a higher capacity, which, if utilized, could feel crowded. Our intent is to evangelize through sacred music and adoration to this select audience.”
Eucharistic adoration will be incorporated in the second half of the concert at St. John Neumann, Dr. O’Brien said, adding that “it will draw us closer to Christ in His precious Body. It will be approximately 15 minutes and reminiscent of adoration held at the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024 in a small way.”
The event has proven to be popular among Diocese of Knoxville fans of Mr. Maher and Ms. Kroger. Tickets were sold out a month in advance. VIP tickets that were sold provide access to special seating, heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and to a meet-and-greet with the performers before the concert.
“VIP tickets actually sold out on day one of sales,” Dr. O’Brien said. “We are looking at the possibility of converting any unused religious tickets to VIP tickets in November to allow more people to attend in this category of ticket. The website itickets.com will show availability if we are able to make the conversion of unused tickets.”
Doors open at 6 p.m. at St. John Neumann Church, which is at 633 St. John Court in Farragut.
To learn more about the Cathedrals Tour or IJM, visit www.itickets.com/events/484242. The IJM’s mission is to “protect people in poverty from violence by rescuing victims, bringing criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts.”
The website includes a brief video featuring Mr. Maher and Ms. Kroger talking about their St. John Neumann appearance. The musicians’ websites are mattmahermusic.com and sarahkroger.com.
“Our hope is that every seat will be filled on the evening of Dec. 5 with people anxious to praise God through sacred music and adoration,” Dr. O’Brien said.