Annual rosary held to mark All Saints Day at Calvary Cemetery

By Bill Brewer More than 50 people attended the annual All Saints Day rosary at Calvary Cemetery in East Knoxville. The rosary this year was said on Sunday, Nov. 6, with Father Ron Franco, CSP, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville, leading the prayer. Among the priests joining Father …

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Father Joe Campbell remembered as diocese’s ‘gentle giant’

Bishop Stika, Father Harvey lead funeral Mass for pastor of St. Henry, St. James the Apostle parishes By Bill Brewer A wrestler, football player, retail manager, woodworker, and boater who was a bit of an intimidating rebel, Father Joe Campbell also was a gentle giant of a teacher and pastor. …

Bill Waskelis’ will to win

St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner and lifetime Cubs fan almost gets to witness his lifelong dream                      By Bill Brewer Bill Waskelis’ lifelong dream came true on Nov. 2. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after a 108-year drought. His son, Kevin, wishes his dad had been here to …

Parishes preparing to launch V Encuentro

National program’s focus is to strengthen cultural communities, identify and develop more lay leaders             By Bill Brewer At Pope Francis’ urging, the Catholic Church is embarking on a four-year program to create a culture of encounter that calls on all Catholics to share their heritage with each other, remove …

Blue Mass celebrates those serving in public safety

By Bill Brewer East Tennessee law-enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical responders took part in the Diocese of Knoxville’s Blue Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Oct. 2, where the reading from Habakkuk was especially poignant at a time when public safety personnel increasingly feel under pressure in their communities. …

Tour de Mary is a labor of love for St. Mary School student

By Bill Brewer Good teachers make an impact on students’ lives, even outside the classroom. Darlene Adams was an influence on her students at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge even though she had been away from them since last spring after relocating to Seattle. Molly Deinhart is one of …

Ladies of Charity working to get Knoxville operation to the next level

Elevator project will allow charitable organization to open spacious second floor to public for office, meeting space By Bill Brewer One of Tom Shannon’s goals for the Ladies of Charity thrift store, food pantry, and donation center in Knoxville has been the installation of an elevator. In fact, the longtime …

World Youth Day ‘life-changing’ for diocesan pilgrims

Youth from East Tennessee among 3 million people who traveled to Poland to see Pope Francis By Bill Brewer As some 3 million pilgrims from around the globe descended on Poland July 26-31 for World Youth Day 2016, including a half-dozen from the Diocese of Knoxville, there was not a …

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta becomes St. Teresa of Kolkata

As Pope Francis elevates revered nun, Maynardville parish celebrates canonization with an official name change By Bill Brewer “Peace begins with a smile.” – Mother Teresa Peace was apparent Sept. 11 in a storefront along Highway 33 in Union County, and smiles were abundant as one of the Diocese of …

‘Jesus, I trust in you’

Cathedral construction reaches its halfway point as Bishop Stika inscribes his motto in dome of our new mother church By Bill Brewer “Jesus, I trust in you.” These world were never more appropriate than when Bishop Richard F. Stika strapped  on a safety harness, climbed into a mechanical boom lift, …