Diocese of Knoxville Synod gatherings set for September, November
By Jim Wogan
Over the past several years, I’ve watched the Catholic Church undertake one of the most ambitious efforts at renewal and consultation in modern history through the global Synod process. Now, here in East Tennessee, we are entering the phase where all of that listening must finally become action.
The Diocese of Knoxville is preparing to move into what Church leaders call the “Implementation Phase” of the Synod, and in many ways this is where the process becomes real for all of us.
When the Synod first launched in 2021 under the direction of the Vatican, the emphasis was on listening. Catholics around the world, including here in the diocese, were invited to share their experiences, hopes, frustrations, and ideas about the life of the Church. That effort culminated in the release the Synod’s Final Document in 2024, a substantial and sometimes challenging text intended to help shape the future direction of Catholic life.
But listening alone was never meant to be the endpoint.
The Church is now asking dioceses to move from conversation to discernment and practice—from simply hearing voices to responding to them in meaningful ways. At the heart of the Synod is the vision of a more participatory Church where clergy and laity share responsibility more intentionally and collaboratively.
That vision can sound abstract until you begin to see how it might actually unfold at the local level.
In Knoxville, the implementation effort will center on two major Synod-style gatherings this fall. The first, scheduled for September, will take place at the deanery level, bringing together smaller regional groups from across the diocese. All of the deanery meetings will happen on the same day—a symbolic decision meant to emphasize unity while still allowing conversations to remain grounded in local realities.
These gatherings are not being designed as ceremonial meetings or passive presentations. Instead, participants will engage in structured dialogue, guided by members of the diocesan Synod Team.
A second, larger diocesan-wide gathering will follow in November, bringing together delegates from across East Tennessee. That assembly is expected to synthesize the discussions from the deanery meetings and help prepare the diocese for a Vatican-requested Evaluation Assembly in early 2027.
What stands out to me is that participation begins at the parish level. Pastors are being asked to select two delegates from each parish to represent their communities in the discernment process. Registration has already begun.
The diocese also appears mindful of avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. The Synod Team will handle facilitation and planning, while participants will receive study materials, discussion guides, and online preparation resources ahead of time. Priests are invited to attend, and efforts are underway to include religious orders and other diocesan ministries.
There also is a significant communication effort developing around this process. Updates and study resources will be shared through diocesan media platforms and through a bimonthly newsletter sent directly to pastors and delegates. That may prove especially important because the Synod’s Final Document is not light reading.
As I’ve said to others, it is a rich document, but it’s not easy to digest. The challenge now is helping Catholics connect it to everyday life in the Church.
To guide that effort locally, Bishop Mark Beckman has identified three key questions drawn from the Final Document. They are simple in wording, but potentially profound in impact.
First: How can parishes strengthen and rebuild community?
Second: What does genuine collaboration between clergy and laity actually look like?
And third: How can the Church become more welcoming and mission-oriented, especially toward the poor, marginalized, and those who often feel disconnected from Church life?
Those questions strike me as timely and necessary.
Each of them are drawn from the Vatican’s Final Document, which can be found—along with many other Synod resources—on our diocesan website (dioknox.org) on the “For A Synodal Church” page.
The success of the Implementation Phase in the diocese will not be measured by meetings held or documents produced. It will depend on whether local parishes can cultivate a deeper understanding of participation, shared responsibility, and authentic dialogue.
That kind of renewal doesn’t happen quickly.
While many dioceses across the country continue struggling with declining participation and the effects of division and disruption, the Diocese of Knoxville finds itself in a different position. Our parishes are growing, new members are arriving in record numbers, and the Catholic population across East Tennessee continues to expand in many different ways.
That growth brings energy and opportunity, but it also brings challenges. Building strong parish communities in a rapidly growing diocese will require more than simply accommodating larger numbers. It will require Catholics willing to listen to one another honestly, working collaboratively, and ensuring that growth is accompanied by deeper engagement, stronger relationships, and a shared sense of mission.
This Synod is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. I think that’s important to remember. The Church is not trying to complete a project and we’re not here to check a box.
In preparing for this column, I was struck by the timing and relevance of some of our Easter season Scripture readings, especially on May 6, which focused on disagreements among the Apostles and others about rules for acceptance to the early Church.
“There arose no little dissension and debate…” (Acts 15:2). To resolve issues, the resulting Council of Jerusalem did not simply impose decisions; it listened, heard testimony, and allowed space for the Holy Spirit to guide it toward consensus.
At the same time, it is important to remember what this process is—and what it is not. Church and pastoral authority are not changing. This is clear.
“All authority in the Church proceeds from Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit. A diversity of charisms without authority becomes anarchy…”, according to a working document released by the Vatican when the Synod process began.
As Knoxville moves toward this year’s synodal-style gatherings and the 2027 Evaluation Assembly, our local experience will become part of a much larger global conversation taking place throughout the Catholic world.
But for now, the work remains close to home: gathering people, fostering conversation, and taking the first practical steps toward implementation.
If the first phase of the Synod was about listening to the voices of the faithful, this next phase is about what we choose to do with what we heard.
Jim Wogan, who is a former communications director for the Diocese of Knoxville, is the diocesan Synod Team leader. He and his wife, Mary, are members of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City.