Mercy & Mary Lenten Retreat: ‘God is giving us this time of mercy’

Bishop Stika, Father Michael Gaitley lead two-day event for hundreds from the diocese and beyond                     By Bill Brewer God spoke to Susan Akers, Laura Jones and Jenni Preuett on the feast of St. Joseph. They hoped He could, but they weren’t sure He would. The message they heard, however, …

Pilgrimage to Shroud of Turin stokes teacher’s scientific fire

By Bill Brewer Looking around Dr. Kelly Kearse’s classroom at Knoxville Catholic High School, you can almost hear the big bang when faith and science collide. There are the chemical equations on the white board waiting to be balanced. There is the periodic table of elements on the wall. And …

Sharing the bread of life

By Bill Brewer If she had lived in the 1700s, Marie Noe’s vocation may have been town crier. As a modern-day resident of Claiborne County, Mrs. Noe wants the public to know that people are going hungry here. Hunger is no game in this Appalachian county, where residents living paycheck to …

Our Lady of Fatima Parish hosts Blount County celebration of life

Ecumenical service held as nation prepared to mark the 43rd anniversary of landmark Roe v. Wade decision By Bill Brewer Pro-life supporters from Blount County gathered at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Alcoa Jan. 12 for a celebration of life and remembrance service as the nation prepared to mark …

Confession of a diocesan priest

Sacrament of reconciliation will lift your burdens and is no longer something to be dreaded; everyone welcome By Bill Brewer As the Catholic Church enters the season of Lent on Feb. 10, priests in the Diocese of Knoxville are encouraging parishioners to follow Pope Francis’ lead in this special Year …

A Legacy of Healing

Patients, volunteers in growing numbers are drawn to the mercy of a mobile clinic By Bill Brewer Reimbursements for medical care given by the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic come in various forms when the mobile doctor’s office makes its rounds treating East Tennessee patients. “Thank you,” “I appreciate what you …

Veterans Day 2015 has special meaning at Our Lady of Fatima

Parish becomes first in diocese to have a Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America post                    By Bill Brewer Veterans Day hit a little closer to home this year at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa. OLOF will be the first parish in the Diocese of Knoxville …

Workshop teaches biblical justice in addressing community issues

Diocese of Knoxville parishioners join members of other local congregations at faith-based meeting                                            By Bill Brewer Predatory lending, poverty, joblessness and lack of access to insurance were among the topics addressed Oct. 31 at a social justice workshop for Knox County churches attended by members of several Diocese of …

St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge leads Community Matters public forums

Father Brent Shelton joins pastors at neighboring churches in hosting town hall meetings aimed at bringing city together            By Bill Brewer Black lives matter. Young lives matter. Police lives matter. All lives matter. As those mantras reached a crescendo around the country in recent months, the city of Oak Ridge …

Be a Man! EWTN’s Fr. Larry Richards pounds the message home

Bishop Stika hosts retreat, celebrates Mass for diocesan men who get a crash course in being better servants of Christ           By Bill Brewer Father Larry Richards is all about love. Tough love. His unbridled approach to spreading the Gospel is more akin to a contact sport than “a tiptoe through …

Upon this Rock

Pope Francis blesses dedication stone for new Sacred Heart Cathedral and prays for Church’s foundation in East Tennessee. By Bill Brewer The Church’s building blocks come in all shapes and sizes. One in particular made its way from a Tennessee Valley marble seam to Rome, where Pope Francis blessed it …