Diocese ‘shaking with joy’ amid record numbers entering the Catholic Church

Parishes celebrate the Light of Christ during Holy Week, Easter Masses

By Olivia Kuhens and Bill Brewer

Churches from South Pittsburg to Mountain City and Copperhill to Crossville were filled with faithful celebrating the risen Lord April 4-5 as Easter illuminated the Diocese of Knoxville

Across the nation and right here in East Tennessee, the Catholic Church is experiencing a record number of newcomers. Parishes throughout the diocese officially welcomed their new members at Easter Vigil on April 4, and it is clear records definitely were set.

The Church in East Tennessee saw 851 people enter during Easter Vigil this year, a 39.5 percent increase over last year’s Easter Vigil. Along with new Catholics entering the Church at other times throughout the year, the diocese is on target to see around 1,100 people enter the Catholic Church in East Tennessee this year.

Parishes are feeling the effects of this growing number of converts, and the proof is in the pews. One group of parishes where this trend is especially evident is Our Lady of Perpetual Help in LaFollette, St. Jude in Helenwood, and Christ the King in Tazewell, all under the pastorship of Father Sam Sturm.

At this year’s Easter Vigil, 24 people from Father Sturm’s parishes received the sacraments of initiation. Because of the size of the group, Father Sturm and Deacon Chad Shields decided to move Holy Week Masses to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the largest of the three parishes and the most centrally located.

That decision turned out to be wise and informed. At Christmas, the number of candidates for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults had swelled to around 27, and it was at that point that Father Sturm got a little worried.

“I said to Deacon Chad that if all of these people follow through, we won’t have room for them [in the church] at the Easter Vigil,” Father Sturm said. “Deacon Chad suggested moving Easter Vigil to OLPH,” which could more easily accommodate the large group.

As OLPH’s and Christ the King’s OCIA programs steadily grew, the relocation to OLPH seemed imminent. Along with St. Jude, the parishes came together at Our Lady of Perpetual Help for Holy Week Masses. And at Easter Vigil, the 23 OCIA candidates brought their friends and families to fill the first five rows of pews on both sides. The church, too, was fuller than at past Easter vigils.

“In my 26—almost 27—years of priesthood, I’ve never been at a Triduum liturgy with that size crowd,” Father Sturm said. “That was a first for me, and never have this many people come into the Church.”

It’s unclear what’s behind this recent influx of converts—not just here in East Tennessee but across the United States as well. Many dioceses are seeing the same uptick in numbers.

For Father Sturm, some of the answers may lie in what’s happening on a national and international scale. He cited events like the death of Charlie Kirk as a possible catalyst for the growing interest in various faiths. Still other schools of thought point to the election of the first American pope, which may have put religion—specifically Catholicism as Pope Leo XIV settles deeper into his role—at the forefront of people’s minds and conversations.

“Ever since Charlie Kirk died, I think that started a tsunami and got people to start talking about church again,” Father Sturm said. “Not just the Catholic Church but across all Christian religions.”

Whatever the reason, the Catholic Church is feeling the effects, and parishes large and small across the diocese are thrilled at putting new parishioners in the pews, all at various stages in their journey to becoming fully Catholic.

In all, Christ the King had five catechumens and 13 candidates this year, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help had five catechumens and one candidate. Parishioner Andy Pungratz led the OCIA group at OLPH, while Deacon Shields was in charge of the OCIA program at Christ the King.

Each OCIA candidate’s journey to the faith is unique, and Mr. Pungratz and Deacon Shields were privy to those personal stories as they got to know the members of their groups. One particular candidate was Jennifer Houser, who joined the Church with her husband after a 15-year journey of looking at and studying the Catholic Church.

For Mrs. Houser, a Christ the King parishioner, the decision to join the Catholic Church was one that came after much thought and research.

“I was raised in a pretty non-religious household,” Mrs. Houser said. “We didn’t grow up going to church. But then I got married and had kids, and I started considering my relationship with God.”

Mrs. Houser began studying the Church Fathers as well as the history of the Church, saying she “wanted to know where all this came from.” Along the way and over the course of about 15 years, she shared what she was learning with her husband, Joe, who grew up in a Protestant household.

Their journey led to OCIA at Christ the King with Deacon Shields, who Mrs. Houser described as “wonderful, very thorough, and so informative.” Together, the Housers joined the Church. Mrs. Houser was baptized, received her first Holy Communion, and was confirmed at the Vigil Mass; Mr. Houser was confirmed and received first Holy Communion that evening as well.

According to Father Sturm, both Mr. Pungratz and Deacon Shields were instrumental in guiding the Housers and their 22 counterparts through the OCIA program and in organizing and coordinating the many details that go into a Mass like the Easter Vigil.

“I’m amazed at the patience and dedication both men showed this past year as the groups grew and grew,” Father Sturm said.

Deacon Shields came into his role as OCIA coordinator at Christ the King when it became apparent that the physical distance between OLPH in LaFollette and Christ the King in Tazewell (about a 40-minute drive) would leave Father Sturm in a time crunch on Sunday mornings.

“Deacon Chad just stepped in and filled that role for the first time ever,” Father Sturm said.

And the role seems to suit Deacon Shields.

“I would show up halfway through class because I was in transit from OLPH, and I would walk in and Chad would just be so animated. He was so excited and ecstatic the way he would teach,” said the pastor of OLPH, St. Jude, and Christ the King.

Deacon Shields, who was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2022, was instrumental in growing the OCIA program at Christ the King. Not only did he welcome those seeking initiation into the Church, but Father Sturm credits him with making the OCIA process a church-wide affair.

“You have all these candidates, but now you need just as many sponsors,” Father Sturm explained.

Deacon Shields wisely turned to those around him each week at Mass. Tapping into the pool of Christ the King parishioners, he pulled many longtime Catholics into this special occasion by asking them to work with and sponsor the growing number of OCIA candidates.

“The kicker was, many of these people were honored to be asked to be a sponsor,” Father Sturm said. “Chad did a great job with the classes but just as good of a job getting sponsors and involving the rest of the parish.”

Deacon Shields, himself a convert, did not shy away at the prospect of having a group that kept adding members. He notes the time commitment of leading such a group but also the importance.

“All the energy and hours spent being a catechist become instantly worth it the moment you watch one of your students get baptized or receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time,” Deacon Shields said.

While the Church celebrates its growing numbers and watches this somewhat surprising trend, the growth does come with a price: larger flocks for the same number of priests who already struggle with meeting the needs and demands of not just one but sometimes multiple parishes.

Father Sturm, himself in charge of three parishes, feels blessed to have dedicated parishioners such as Mr. Pungratz to step in and fill pivotal roles like OCIA coordinator. The pastor also points to the tremendous growth and change in his relationship with Deacon Shields—and the deacon’s place at Christ the King.

“I was tickled pink and genuinely excited and happy that Deacon Chad stepped into this role,” Father Sturm said. “I would come in halfway through class sometimes and Chad seemed just as excited as the people were.”

Father Sturm has come to rely on and trust Deacon Shields as each of the parishes’ number of members steadily increases.

“I was truly blessed that he took this on,” Father Sturm said of Deacon Shields’ instant willingness to lead the Christ the King group, “and he can do it so much better than I can, in my opinion, because he is fresher. I never asked him; he never complained. He just took the program and made it happen. That made the Easter season very fun for me.”

The final tally of newcomers for the diocese remains to be seen as parishes continue to report Easter Vigil numbers. One thing seems certain, however: this truly marks an exciting time in the Catholic Church and right here in East Tennessee, too.

The great Christian Passover

The 40 days of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, led the Catholic faithful to Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week on March 29, ending on Holy Thursday, April 2, giving way to the holiest time of the Christian year.

Bishop Mark Beckman began Holy Week celebrations with the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Tuesday, March 31. Priests from around the diocese gathered at the annual Mass to renew their priestly vows, joined by their brother deacons and many parishioners from around the diocese.

The sacred paschal Triduum commenced on Holy Thursday, April 2, as the three-day pinnacle of the liturgical year ushered in the Passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Parishes marked Holy Thursday by holding the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Bishop Beckman commemorated the Last Supper at Sacred Heart Cathedral by washing the feet of 12 parishioners just before celebrating the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

In his Holy Thursday homily, Bishop Beckman spoke of the Apostle Simon Peter, who is quoted in the Gospel saying, “Lord, you will never wash my feet.”

“Why did Peter object to Jesus washing his feet? It was the job of the lowest slave of the household to wash the dirty feet of people when they arrived in a home. And Simon Peter, having been called by Christ and knowing Him to be Lord and Master, thought ‘He will never wash my feet.’ He did not understand at that moment what the Lord was doing for him,” Bishop Beckman said.

Bishop Beckman related a personal story to illustrate Jesus’ position with Peter. The bishop, when once prompted by a question from a college student, divulged that his favorite meal was homemade ravioli that his Italian grandmother would make.

But as she became older and her hands and fingers grew more arthritic, it became painful for her to knead the dough for the ravioli.

“One time I watched her do it, and she looked in considerable pain. I said, ‘Grandma, why are you making these if your hands hurt so badly?’ She just looked at me and smiled with a sparkle in her eye and continued her work. I realized later that feeding us was more important to her than her hands. ‘Lord, why would you wash my feet?’ He loved them (the Twelve) to the very end. His washing of the feet is an embodiment of His love for us from the Father. It is the same love with which He will take ordinary bread and wine and transfigure them into His own body and blood as food for them. ‘This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, my life poured out for you.’

“It is the same love with which he will stretch out His arms the next day on the cross at Calvary and receive the nails into the wood of the cross. It is the same love with which He will appear in the upper room on Easter Sunday evening to show them once more the marks and allow them to touch them though they hide behind locked doors,” Bishop Beckman said.

The bishop explained that the congregation was gathered in church because of Jesus’ love for His people.

“In a very powerful way, He has washed us, even our feet, the most embarrassing, dirty parts of who we are. And He feeds us tonight with the gift of Himself, His own body and blood poured out for us,” Bishop Beckman continued. “That is the reason we are drawn here tonight. And once we understand that mystery, then we know that we must love one another, even as we are loved by the Lord.”

Bishop Beckman was reminded of an exchange between legendary artists Renoir and Matisse. Renoir, at the end of his life, had severe arthritis and had great difficulty painting. He was forced to tie paint brushes to his hands to paint to overcome the pain.

Matisse asked why he continued that way if he was in so much pain. And Renoir responded, “The pain passes, but the beauty endures.”

“The pain of what the Lord did for us does pass. But the beauty He creates in us lasts forever. Having loved us, He loves us to the end,” the bishop concluded.

Walking in Christ’s footsteps

Just as priests and deacons lead the faithful in the Stations of the Cross inside churches in the diocese each Friday, the grounds of diocesan parishes were the scenes of Living Stations of the Cross, where parishioners reenact Jesus’ excruciating trek from Jerusalem to Calvary, where He was crucified.

Each of the 14 stations along the path is highlighted during the Way of Sorrows, and at the end, men from the parishes taking part are suspended on the crosses. It is an impactful moment that grips the people who follow along on the Living Stations path.

The parishes that held Living Stations of the Cross included St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cleveland, St. Mary in Johnson City, St. Dominic in Kingsport, Notre Dame in
Greeneville, St. Patrick in Morristown, St. Joseph the Worker in Madisonville, St. Teresa of Kolkata in Maynardville, St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City, Holy Cross in Pigeon Forge, Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, and Holy Ghost and All Saints in Knoxville.

And a number of parishes held Tenebrae services during the Triduum commemorating the Passion and death of Jesus. During the service, lit candles are extinguished symbolizing the abandonment of Jesus by His disciples leading to darkness, silence, and then the strepitus representing the earthquake at His death.

The cathedral hosted an the ecumenical service on the Seven Last Words of Christ (see the story on page 16). Seven pastors representing different denominations each spoke on the last words spoken by Christ during His Passion. The annual service brings together Christians of all stripes to reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus.

The observance of Triduum culminated in Easter Vigil Masses celebrated in each church that began at dusk on April 4 with the lighting of the Paschal candle representing the risen Lord, who is the light of the world. That light of the world is then spread as parishioners light each other’s individual candles throughout each church.

In addition to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the highlight of Easter Vigil is the catechumens and candidates entering as the newest members of the Body of Christ.

Growing the Body of Christ

Bishop Beckman celebrated Easter Vigil at the cathedral, which was filled to capacity with faithful and was standing-room only. Parishes around the diocese reported similar turnout.

Bishop Beckman and Father David Boettner, rector of the cathedral, welcomed 108 people into the cathedral parish during the Easter Vigil Mass as many of them were baptized and all of them were confirmed and received their first Holy Communion.

In addition to Father Boettner, concelebrants of the Vigil Mass were cathedral associate pastors Father Martin Gladysz, Father Danny Herman, and Father Diego Rivera, who were joined by Father Elijah Cirigliano of the Benedictines of Divine Will. Cathedral deacons Fredy Vargas (deacon of the Word), Mike Mescall (deacon of the Eucharist), and Walt Otey (master of ceremonies) assisted at the Easter Vigil Mass.

At the beginning of Mass, during the Service of Light outside the cathedral, Bishop Beckman exclaimed that the cathedral was “quaking with joy” as sung in the “Exsultet.”

During the Service of Light, Bishop Beckman blessed the new fire that lit the Paschal candle as the congregation, gathered on the cathedral’s front steps, entered the church in a candlelight procession marking the transition from death to resurrection.

In his homily, Bishop Beckman remarked how the congregation gathered as the day turned into night and lit a new Easter fire, and from that Easter fire the paschal candle, a symbol of Christ risen from the dead, was carried into the darkened church, “and that light began to spread on the faces of you who believe in Him and in His resurrection.”

The bishop cited the Book of Genesis, which told of darkness covering the face of the abyss, and a mighty wind swept over the waters, and God said, “Let there be light.”

“And there was light, the beginning of God’s creation,” Bishop Beckman said, again citing Scripture as God guided His people through the parting of the Red Sea, and “God was present to them in a column of fire by night. … And the Light of Christ, risen from the dead, greeted the women, who began a journey in darkness to the tomb of Jesus.”

“Dear brothers and sisters preparing tonight for the gift of baptism. You began this great journey, most of you, about nine months ago. It spans the time of a child conceived in the womb of his or her mother, which also begins in darkness. Nine months later, that baby is born into the world of light and greeted with joy,” the bishop said.

“My dear friends, tonight those of you who approach the waters of baptism will be born anew. You will meet Christ, your light, in a profoundly new way: in the waters of baptism. Whatever darkness that you have had in your hearts will be scattered tonight by the light of Christ, risen from the dead.

“But the light does not stop here in this holy place. The light of Christ will touch the universe. … The power of God will scatter the darkness that still touches our world. That is the power of the spirit of God, of the Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,” he added.

The 108 catechumens and candidates, along with their godparents and sponsors, filled the front pews of the cathedral as Bishop Beckman came down into the center aisle and spoke among them. Every seat in the cathedral was taken and members of the congregation lined the aisles and filled the narthex for the sacred liturgy.

“Brothers and sisters, may this building tonight indeed shake with holy joy as we celebrate the baptism of these beloved daughters and sons of God most high. May the light of Christ dispel all darkness,” the bishop said, concluding his homily.

Bishop Beckman then proceeded to baptize the 42 catechumens who joined him, one by one, at the cathedral baptismal font.

Bishop Beckman and Father Boettner then confirmed all 108 catechumens and candidates, sealing them with the Holy Spirit, before they received their first Holy Communion.

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Many, if not most, churches in the Diocese of Knoxville were at capacity for Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses, prompting smiles of joy for priests, who were ministering to the masses.

The expected surge in attendance led the cathedral parish to establish a satellite location for Easter Sunday Masses at the Lighthouse, a nearby event center. The Lighthouse Masses were at capacity, too.

While not faced with opening satellite Mass sites, many parishes did have to open overflow areas to accommodate swelling attendance.

And while Mass attendance at Easter and Christmas is typically high for Catholic churches, Catholic evangelization experts are seeing sudden and significant increases in people coming into the Church in recent years.

It is apparent that the Diocese of Knoxville is part of this trend.

Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, like Bishop Beckman, has been made aware of the impressive attendance at the 2026 Holy Week and Easter Masses.

“From every parish I have heard from, it has been standing-room only plus some. At my own parish, we had four Masses on Easter Sunday, and all four were jam-packed, including the
7 a.m. Mass,” Deacon Smith said.

“At my parish, St. Thomas the Apostle in Lenoir City, on Good Friday it took more than an hour just for reverencing the cross during the two-hour Mass,” the chancellor said.

Deacon Jim Bello, who serves at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy and is director of Christian Formation for the diocese, has been receiving similar reports.

“I’m hearing that all over the place. I can tell you at Holy Spirit, every liturgy we had was bursting at the seams practically. We had a lot of people for the Triduum. And we had a lot of people for our Seven Last Words service on Good Friday at noon. It was more crowded than I have ever seen it for that,” Deacon Bello said.

“All over the diocese I’m hearing this,” he added. “There is a tangible excitement right now. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen.”

Thirteen people were welcomed into the Church at Easter Vigil at Holy Spirit, a number that is high for the Hamilton County parish. Holy Spirit had a similar number of people join the Church at Easter Vigil 2025.

Deacon Bello noted that just since Easter, five people who attended Easter Mass at Holy Spirit have told him they want to join the Church, and he is seeing news reports about the surge of people joining the Catholic Church nationally and internationally.

“Nobody can look at this and say God isn’t on the move with this Church,” he said.

As Deacon Bello surveyed the numbers of people joining the Church at Easter and thought about the individual churches that were stretched to the limit to accommodate all the people, he said the surprising growth could be an issue for parishes going forward.

“It’s a beautiful problem,” he said. “What a beautiful time it is now to say, ‘I’m part of the Catholic Church. This appears to be a historical time in the Church. This feels biblical. And it sort of sets an expectation. I expect the Holy Spirit will continue this work.”

 

View more pictures from Holy Week here.