‘A joyful celebration’ at Our Lady of Fatima

The Alcoa parish holds a 75th-anniversary Mass and dinner to cap a yearlong series of events

By Dan McWilliams

Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa completed a Jubilee Year of celebration on Nov. 22 as it marked 75 years from its humble beginnings in 1950 to its thriving community of more than 1,500 families today.

Bishop Mark Beckman joined host pastor Father Peter Iorio and a church filled with parishioners, visitors, and Our Lady of Fatima’s fellow Blount County church and community partners for a bilingual anniversary Mass and a dinner and program that followed at the Airport Hilton. The Mass was held on the vigil of the feast of Christ, King of the Universe.

“Brothers and sisters, what a beautiful evening to gather to celebrate 75 years in which this community has lifted high the cross of Christ,” Bishop Beckman said in his greeting at the start of Mass. “Jesus Christ is the true King of the Universe.”

Father Iorio also welcomed the gathering “for this joyful celebration of our parish’s 75th anniversary. It is also, thanks be to God, the vigil of the solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe. We warmly welcome our parishioners, guests, community partner agencies and organizations, and all friends of our parish.”

Our Lady of Fatima Parish held celebrations from March through October to mark its jubilee year. A Mass on March 11 celebrated the 25th anniversary of its current church building. Events were held on the 13th of each month from May through October, the particular day being chosen because the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, occurred monthly on the 13th from May to October 1917.

A “Fatima Pilgrimage Passport” was given to all parishioners that could be stamped at each monthly event. Those receiving all six stamps were given a special recognition at the anniversary dinner.

“Throughout this jubilee year, we have journeyed together month by month in prayer, remembrance, and renewal. We have honored the generations who have come before us, celebrated the blessings of the present, and embraced with hope the mission that continues to lead us forward,” Father Iorio said. “All of those moments come together today in this beautiful Mass of thanksgiving. We give thanks for the countless parishioners, families, clergy, neighbors, community partners, and friends who have shaped this community over 75 years and for all who continue to make Our Lady of Fatima Parish a place where we learn, pray, and serve together.

“Thank you for celebrating this joyous occasion with us. May God bless you and your families as we begin this liturgy of gratitude and praise.”

A founding parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima, 84-year-old Florence McCain Shirley, was among those attending the Mass and dinner, during both of which the parish looked forward to its next 75 years.

Our Lady of Fatima parochial vicars Father Joseph Austin and Father Renzo Alvarado Suarez concelebrated the Mass along with Father Jhon Mario Garcia and Father Elijah John Joseph. Father Elijah is from the Benedictines of Divine Will in Blount County, and members of his order along with local Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will were present at the Mass.

Deacon Bill Jacobs, who emceed the dinner with parish secretary Ana Carballo, and Deacon Leon Dodd assisted at Mass. Former pastor Father Bill McNeeley attended the dinner.

Luis Ramos, Our Lady of Fatima pastoral associate and coordinator of high-school and young-adult ministry, translated Bishop Beckman’s homily into Spanish at the Mass, and Father Iorio gave his remarks at Mass in English and Spanish.

Dr. Christy Lee, director of music and liturgy for the parish, led a group at Mass that included members of the Fatima Blue and Fatima Gold choirs and Coro Hispano, as well as guest cantors and instrumentalists. A Communion meditation song, “Jubilate Deo,” made its world premiere at the anniversary Mass, having been composed by Bahamas native Sonovia Pierre after it was commissioned by Our Lady of Fatima’s music ministry.

In his homily, Bishop Beckman spoke of another anniversary marked this year.

“One hundred years ago, 1925, was the first time that the Church celebrated the great feast of Christ the King,” he said. “Pope Pius XI inaugurated the feast day for the Church universal because of the world that was unfolding in those days. They had just been through the Great War that was to end all wars, what we call today World War I. The communist revolution had taken place in Russia and the revolution in Mexico, and Mussolini and Hitler were rising in Europe.

“Pope Pius XI wanted to remind the Catholic faithful throughout the world that to Christ alone belongs the allegiance of our hearts.”

A quarter-century later, “the seed of God’s kingdom was planted here at Our Lady of Fatima in East Tennessee,” the bishop said. “The good news of Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, was proclaimed here 75 years ago.”

The destructive events of the 20th century foretold at Fatima continue to this day through “powers that have risen that claim to be universal,” Bishop Beckman said.

“Today more than ever, we are here to acknowledge Christ as King. But did not the mother of Jesus, Our Lady of Fatima, warn us about the unfolding clouds of the 20th century?” the bishop asked. “Her protective care, a mother’s care for us, her children, is still with us here. Today, we celebrate. We thank Christ, our king. We sign ourselves with that beautiful mystery of God’s love that is the sign of the cross.

“May the Lord in His goodness continue to allow the seeds of His Word here at Our Lady of Fatima to grow and to flourish in the coming century. This we ask through Christ, Our Lord.”

In his closing remarks at Mass, the bishop offered words of gratitude to Father Iorio—also the diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia—and to Dr. Lee for the music ministry.

“I’m always grateful to celebrate with you here at Our Lady of Fatima. What a beautiful community of prayer this is,” Bishop Beckman said. “In lifting up to the Lord our voices in song, I’m reminded of St. Augustine, who said, ‘a song is a thing of joy and a thing of love.’ You all have helped us to lift our hearts and minds to God in praise. Father Pete, I want to thank you for the beautiful pastoring that you are doing here at this parish of Our Lady of Fatima and for your generosity in also assisting me now in the diocese in every way.”

Father Iorio returned the bishop’s thanks as the Mass ended. The Alcoa pastor connected the founding of his parish to the Diocese of Nashville, which in 1950 encompassed the entire state and gave Knoxville its fourth bishop in 2024.

“Of course, we have a special word of gratitude to you, Bishop, for being here and celebrating the 75 years of Our Lady of Fatima here in Blount County,” Father Iorio said. “I am remembering that as you came to us from Nashville, we were originally 75 years ago under the Diocese of Nashville. Bishop William Adrian is the one who established this parish, so it is full circle, and we are most grateful for your pastoral leadership of us now. Thank you,” he ended, to a round of applause.

Deacon Jacobs gave the opening prayer at the dinner, during which a slide show played, depicting the life of a thriving parish over three-quarters of a century.

“We’re going to take a few moments to look back on this incredible journey that brought us here: 75 years of worship, ministry, and love in action,” Deacon Jacobs said.

Father Iorio commented on the packed dinner space at the Hilton as he gave a reflection on the anniversary. The pastor made pilgrimages in 2024 and this year not only to Fatima, Portugal, but also to the original Our Lady of Fatima Church site in Maryville and to the parish’s longtime home on Wright Road, where it also operated a school from 1955 to 1970. He concluded with a visit to the Fatima Center, a former AT&T building now part of the church’s current campus on Louisville Road that served as the worship space between the departure from the Wright Road site and the dedication of the new church in 2000.

“It’s awesome to see so many celebrating the anniversary of our parish. My reflection begins on last year, when I went on pilgrimage, and one of the places I went to was Fatima, Portugal. I call it the mother ship,” he said. “Our Lady of Fatima Church was named after the apparition that took place in that little village of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, to three shepherd children in the year 1917. News of that miracle spread throughout the world quickly.

“The miracle was accepted as worthy of belief as proclaimed by the bishop of that local church in Portugal only in the year 1930. Then 10 years later, in 1940, the Holy Father proclaimed that it is a miracle accepted by the Church. When you think about that, only 10 years later, in 1950, the bishop of Nashville, William Adrian, named the new Catholic church in Maryville-Alcoa-Blount County after Our Lady of Fatima. I think that’s quite remarkable.”

Pilgrimages are “an important theme and part of my spiritual life,” Father Iorio said. “In the course of preparing for this night, I made a little pilgrimage—prayerful visits—to important locations connected to the history of our parish. To 211 Ellis Ave. in Maryville, right near the courthouse, where the first church was transformed from a house, and then to the current standing building that is the former church. How many of you went to that church on Wright Road?”

A number of hands were raised.

“That’s a good number. It’s still in good use as a church, and the school right next to it is now a child-care center,” Father Iorio said. “Then I went on a meditative walk through our social hall, because that was the place of worship. How many of you worshiped in the Fatima Center, the social hall, during the transition from the Wright Road church to our current place of worship?”

The Fatima Center has on a back wall a “rogues’ gallery,” as Father Iorio called it, of former pastors, including the founding one, Father Paul Clunan.

“What caught my eye were the pictures of my predecessors, and I was amazed to discover—looking at the 13 pictures on the wall—that I have personally known 10 of them. Some of those priests have gone to God. Some are serving faithfully still. I’m glad that my immediate predecessor, Father Bill McNeeley, is able to join us tonight,” Father Iorio said.

That same back wall has, farther down, “a group of pictures of saints with ethnic diversity that a young women’s prayer group in the parish put up, and it reflects the universal Church and the reality of our church being an immigrant parish, as we have people from all over the globe worshiping within our walls,” the pastor continued. “That tells me how amazing God is and how He works in different times and places in our world and brings us all together. Part of my pilgrimage was spent praying in front of the columbarium, the final resting place of those who have gone before us, and the souls of those who have died speak to me not only of the history of our parish but to the legacy of faith, community, and love that they set firmly and want us to continue.”

Our Lady of Fatima Parish has a connection to those shepherd children in Portugal more than a century ago, Father Iorio said, drawing a line from the founding families in the late 1940s and early 1950s “to those who were part of the move to the current church and our campus in the millennium year, and today, to all of us celebrating the 75th anniversary. We’re all ordinary people. We’re beloved sons and daughters of God, and yet in some way, great or small, we have been inspired by the extraordinary power and love of our God.

“The people who make up our parish of Our Lady of Fatima make a difference. We are important citizens and neighbors in our community who want our love of Christ to help the common good. This has been a wonderful jubilee year for us as a parish and for the universal Church at large. Pope Francis named it ‘A Pilgrimage of Hope.’ Let us continue to hope in our Lord and trust in Him as we go forward for the next 75 years and beyond.”

Deacon Jacobs asked parishioners at the dinner to stand if they were members when Our Lady of Fatima moved to its current church in 2000, then to remain standing if they were parishioners in 1990, 1980, 1975, 1970, 1965, and 1960. As less than three or four were standing by that point, he counted down each year from 1959 to 1950, and only Mrs. Shirley remained standing.

The deacon recognized the bishop and the priests at the dinner along with area church leaders and anniversary-committee members.

The Knights of Columbus were one of the first ministries of the young Our Lady of Fatima Parish, as Council 3832 was established in 1954. Current Grand Knight Peter Lloyd showed the dinner audience a plaque with all past Grand Knights’ names, with a blank nameplate at the end “that’ll probably be for me,” he said.

“There probably weren’t very many ministries in that setting in 1954,” Mr. Lloyd said, comparing them to branches of a tree that start with the bishop as the trunk. “The ministries are all the limbs that come from that. I think that’s what shows you the growth of the church: the ministries.”

He then asked anyone involved with a parish ministry to stand up, and a number of people did and received an ovation.

“This is what makes our church grow, from one ministry and now look at all these people here. I’d like to thank them all and wish we could continue to grow this church tremendously,” he said.

Mr. Lloyd said the Knights recently cleaned out a storage room they used at the church that Father Iorio needed for another use, and in it they found a cross from the Wright Road site, which the Grand Knight then presented to Father Iorio.

“Father, I’d like to pass this on to you and see if you had a place to put it in our church right now. It’s been around for a long time,” Mr. Lloyd said.

Mrs. Carballo followed next by asking for a moment of silence to honor deceased parishioners.

Bishop Beckman then spoke about “what a beautiful evening this has been” after having seen the slide show during the dinner.

“When I look up at the photographs of the whole story of the history of the parish, it’s so beautiful to see that this beautiful tradition of faith has been handed on and that you all continue to live that faith and hand it on to the next generation, so congratulations on all 75 years and blessings for the 75 to come.”

Parish council chairman Greg Ward and finance council chair Monica Gawet talked about the future of the parish.

“As we celebrate this wonderful 75 years of God’s faithfulness, I want to take a moment and recognize something at the heart of our parish strength: it’s you. It’s all of us who make this such a special place,” Mr. Ward said. “You sustain the church. You give of your time, your generosity, your talent, and your finance.”

Ms. Gawet said, “I’m pleased to share that Our Lady of Fatima is strong and very stable and in a very stable financial position. This is the direct result of consistent leadership, thoughtful planning, and incredible support of parishioners who believe in our mission. We continue to meet our operating needs. We invest in necessary improvements, and we plan constantly for the future.

“Over the next few years, we’ll be able to strengthen our ministries, maintain and improve our campus, and expand programs that support families, youth, outreach, and faith formation. We have paid off our debt”—which drew a round of applause—and “we’ve received some extraordinary gifts. We’ve added staff to improve overall office functions. We’ve gathered feedback from the parish on church needs, and your support allows us not only to sustain what we have but to continue to build a vibrant and welcoming parish for the next generation.”

Mr. Ward said that “every gift, whether it’s financial or whether it’s a gift of volunteering or giving of your time and talent, all of that is simply being present in our parish life and making that lasting impact. You make it possible for our parish to remain a spiritual home where people can encounter Christ, grow in faith, and serve with purpose.”

He said that when Mr. Lloyd asked for those involved in parish ministries to stand, “about half the room stood up.”

“One of the things as we look forward to our next 75 years is we need everybody to stand up,” Mr. Ward said. “There is so much going on at Our Lady of Fatima, and to be a part of that is such a rich and rewarding experience. There is so much that you get by giving and showing up. As we look to these next 75 years and beyond, we do so with confidence and with hope. With your continued partnership, we’ll continue to strengthen these ministries, care for our parish home, and invest in the future of our community.

“Thank you for your faith and your trust. Thank you for believing in the mission of Our Lady of Fatima, and with God’s help, for continuing that mission as we go forward. On behalf of the pastoral parish council and the finance committee, we thank you for your generous stewardship, your faith and love for this community, and together we look forward to all that God has in store.”

Deacon Jacobs asked jubilee event committee member Bruce Damrow and wife Donna to stand, and the couple received applause as they were celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary that night.

Mrs. Shirley noted that she was 9 years old when Our Lady of Fatima Parish was founded in 1950.

“I was in it from the beginning,” she said.

Two other longtime parishioners, Teresa McKinnon and Philip Malach, attended the celebration.

“I was born in ’57, and I was baptized that October at Our Lady of Fatima,” Mrs. McKinnon said.

Mr. Malach was an altar server at the church on Ellis Avenue in Maryville at age 7 in 1952.

“They had it in the house first. I remember the house,” he said.

Mrs. McKinnon remembered an early pastor who followed Father Clunan. Father John Baltz was a longtime priest of the Diocese of Nashville who served a number of parishes in East Tennessee.

“He always kept his Kleenex in his sleeve,” Mrs. McKinnon recalled.

Mr. Malach remembered Father Baltz as well.

“Right after Mass, he was out there in his coveralls doing yardwork,” he said.

Mrs. Shirley said her father and her two oldest brothers “helped put the roof on” the Ellis Avenue house.

Mrs. McKinnon described the growth of the parish as “wonderful.”

“I can remember when I was in high school in ’74-75. To me it felt like the church was getting smaller,” she said. “I actually left the church for a little while and came back in ’96, and when I came back, I couldn’t believe the number of people who were coming then.”

Mrs. Shirley said she didn’t expect such growth, thinking we would never “grow out of” the Wright Road church.

Mr. Malach, a cradle Catholic, said his father was born in 1898 and his mother in 1903.

“They were German Catholics. All the brothers and sisters were born up in Illinois. In 1941, they decided to move to Chattanooga. He got hired as a plumber. In 1943, he went to work on the Manhattan Project,” he said. “We stayed here for that, and we’ve been here ever since then.”

Mr. Malach attended the Mass and dinner in uniform. He has served in the Naval Reserve, including two and a half years on the USS Quillback, a submarine that saw its first service in World War II, before going to the Army National Guard and a 28-year career with the Knoxville Police Department.

Mrs. Shirley is also a lifelong Catholic, born in Maryville. She attended Mass as a child at Knoxville’s downtown church and was educated at its former school.

“We used to go to Knoxville to go to church before they had the church here, at Immaculate Conception. I went to school there at St. Mary’s and then Knoxville Catholic (High School), class of 1959.”

Mr. Malach is a KCHS grad from 1963.

After dinner, Father Iorio called the day’s events “a beautiful celebration and a perfect way to end the year.”

He said he had visited that day the Wright Road church, now Springbrook Church, and the former Our Lady of Fatima School, now Little Sprouts Learning Center.

The tremendous expansion of the parish from a handful of families in 1950 to 1,500-plus is another blessing, Father Iorio said.

“It’s great to see the growth, and the growth continues: we have a lot of new people moving into the parish and to our diocese, so that just adds a richness to our experience of the faith,” he said.

Bishop Beckman said following the dinner program that “it’s incredible that this community after 75 years has grown to be such a large, vibrant, faith-filled community.”

Bishop Beckman grew up in Lawrenceburg in the Diocese of Nashville and was serving in the city of Nashville when he became bishop of Knoxville on July 26, 2024.

“Bishop Adrian would have been the bishop of Nashville when this parish was created. It was part of the Diocese of Nashville, and then of course Pope Francis called me from Nashville to be the bishop here,” he said.

A number of church leaders of other faith traditions attended the dinner, including Ann Owens Brunger of Highland Presbyterian Church in Maryville.

“I am a minister of the Presbyterian Church USA, and I have served a congregation in Maryville for 20 years,” she said. “I am retired now, but during those 20 years I was very involved in the community and in ecumenical ministries, and that’s how I started working with the wonderful people at Our Lady of Fatima.”

The Rev. Brunger said her church’s collaboration with Our Lady of Fatima “was really fruitful in the ’90s. We have an organization in this community that’s called the Blount County Ecumenical Action Council, and all the different churches would come to our monthly meetings, and at those meetings we began sharing the issues that all of our churches faced, which was constant phone calls from people needing help with their electric bills or car repairs, just emergencies.

“Out of that discussion, we were inspired to create a program called Good Neighbors. My congregation, Highland Presbyterian, and Our Lady of Fatima got together to do a pilot project to see if this concept would work, and it did, and Good Neighbors is really thriving today. It’s been going for over 30 years. The idea is that the different churches would pool their resources, send their volunteers to work with this, and meet with our neighbors who needed a helping hand, who needed to get through a crisis, and we wanted to give them that boost in that way. That cooperation with the churches was a beautiful, beautiful example of ecumenical partnership and fellowship.”

For more on the history of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, see the November issue of The East Tennessee Catholic or visit either etcatholic.org/2025/11/our-lady-of-fatima-
parish-celebrating-75th-anniversary or www.ourladyoffatima.org/history.

Bishop Beckman said it “was very, very moving” to meet Our Lady of Fatima parishioners of long standing, including Mrs. Shirley, “to know that there was at least one parishioner here when it was created. I love that.”