Regional accents can highlight distinctions, but communicating with affection brings everyone together By Bill Brewer Older confirmands were again front and center in the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on Pentecost Sunday after a year hiatus due to COVID-19 as Bishop Richard F. Stika welcomed the …
Back in business, thanks be to God
Ladies of Charity weathers the COVID storm through a dedicated team of volunteers, young and older By Bill Brewer The Ladies of Charity and Home Depot share a remarkable achievement: both finished 2020 in the black despite the coronavirus pandemic. And while many home-supply retailers were helped by consumers spending …
2
Leading, learning, proclaiming leads to national award
St. Mary-Oak Ridge pastor Fr. Brent Shelton receives National Catholic Educational Association leadership honor By Bill Brewer Father Brent Shelton is both a student and a teacher, which explains his love for education. Catholic education in particular. Anyone who attends his Masses can attest to how the pastor of St. …
‘He is risen’
Saving us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit By Bill Brewer Easter Masses were again teeming with people two years after pews were last full for the holiest of liturgical celebrations. And the Catholic Church in East Tennessee welcomed nearly 200 new members who joined …
Ground broken on KCHS auditorium
The St. Gregory the Great facility is a missing link for the campus and a long-overdue project By Bill Brewer An auditorium that was part of the master plan for Knoxville Catholic High School when the West Knoxville campus was developed two decades ago is coming to life thanks to …
Chattanooga East Ridge Masses have new ap-peal
Our Lady of Perpetual Help dusts off church bells after a 13-year hiatus By Bill Brewer Parishioners and neighbors alike now know when Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Chattanooga is celebrating Mass. Just listen for the bells. The parish has renewed its long-dormant electronic bell system, and the …
Fr. Imbarrato’s mobile ministry to end abortion makes its way to diocese
Holy Trinity Parish hosts noted priest during 40 Days for Life; rosaries at clinics prayed By Bill Brewer Diocese of Knoxville parishioners keeping prayerful vigil during the 40 Days for Life ministry received an unexpected grace in March when Father Stephen Imbarrato, a national pro-life activist and speaker, brought his …
Bishop Stika celebrates 35th anniversary of priestly ordination
‘The priesthood of Jesus Christ: it’s not only carrying the cross, it’s carrying the Eucharist. And that is a beautiful thing’ By Bill Brewer Bishop Richard F. Stika marked the 35th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 14, a date that is forever ingrained in his memory, …
Fr. Dustin Collins installed as pastor of St. Mary-Johnson City
Bishop Stika presides as diocesan priest becomes 24th pastor to lead Tri-Cities parish and school By Bill Brewer St. Mary Parish in Johnson City has a new pastor. And it’s the same priest who has been leading the parish since July 1, 2019. Bishop Richard F. Stika installed Father Dustin …
2
Father Cummins: 25 years as a priest
The son of Upper East Tennessee is serving in the area he loves as pastor of St. Dominic in Kingsport By Bill Brewer Father Michael Cummins was socially distanced in 2020 in ways that had nothing to do with the coronavirus. And while it was a year indelibly marked in …
East Tennesseans’ faith comes to life
People throughout Diocese of Knoxville demonstrate their support for the sanctity of life By Bill Brewer The 2021 National March for Life in Washington, D.C., may have been canceled, but that didn’t stop East Tennessee pro-life supporters from marking the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision …
God’s special carpenter
St. Joseph assists us in building our heart into a beautiful cathedral dwelling of God By Bishop Richard F. Stika “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor.” — Psalm 127:1 Of the many magnificent feats of construction in the history of human endeavors, …