By Dan McWilliams Rain plagued the Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament at Knoxville Catholic High School for the second straight year but didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the event’s donors. The second annual tourney took place April 21 and 22 at KCHS’s Blaine Stadium and featured the semifinals and finals of …
Knoxville Catholic holds third annual Academic Signing Day
By Dan McWilliams Knoxville Catholic High School hosted its third annual Academic Signing Day event May 8 in the school gym. The event honors those students who have been offered academic scholarships, covering all of their tuition and fees, at the college where they plan to attend next fall. The …
Scouting committee holds 17th annual Bishop’s Gathering
By Dan McWilliams The Knoxville Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting held its 17th annual Bishop’s Gathering and Adult Recognition on April 8 at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The day began with morning Mass, followed by a breakfast in the school cafeteria. Bishop Richard F. Stika presided at Mass, which was concelebrated …
College lacrosse coming to second annual Knights Cup
Conference tournament semifinal and title games have been added to a busy schedule of youth and high school contests By Dan McWilliams The second annual Knights Cup Lacrosse Tournament at Knoxville Catholic High School is adding on to last year’s inaugural event by incorporating three college conference tournament games into …
‘Historic’ KCHS boys basketball team reaches state finals
Knoxville Catholic finishes 31-2 after posting a 28-game winning streak and going wire to wire ranked No. 1 By Dan McWilliams The Knoxville Catholic High School boys basketball team’s dream of its first-ever state championship ended in the title game, but the Fighting Irish finished as one of the greatest …
A faith reboot
As Easter nears, more than 200 believers prepare to enter the Church in East Tennessee. By Dan McWilliams Candy Chandler, looking to join a new faith community, visited the Our Lady of Fatima Church parking lot in Alcoa numerous times in 2015 without ever going in to Mass. Then she …
Colleges come calling
KCHS seniors join long list of athletes to sign scholarships By Dan McWilliams Knoxville Catholic High School has launched many collegiate and professional athletic careers, and National Signing Day on Feb. 1 served as the latest springboard for eight student-athletes committing to colleges and universities. Highly sought-after Fighting Irish wide …
Diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry has new director
Veteran assistant Blanca Primm, who succeeds Lourdes Garza, will help parishes answer discipleship call By Dan McWilliams Blanca Primm is planning to carry out that mission of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry as she has now been named its director. Mrs. Primm received her promotion on Dec. 12, the …
Funeral Mass held at basilica for Monsignor George Schmidt
Priests join Bishop Stika in celebrating longtime Chattanooga pastor By Dan McWilliams There was no better place for the funeral Mass for Monsignor George Schmidt than the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, “this place that he loved so much,” as Bishop Richard F. Stika called it. Monsignor …
KCHS sports staying in Division I; NDHS opts for Division II
By Dan McWilliams The diocese’s two high schools reached an athletics crossroads this fall when they had to decide whether to remain in Division I, the non-financial-aid division, or move to Division II. Each high school made a different choice. Knoxville Catholic High School opted to stay in Division I, …
A deacon at last
Larry Rossini’s path to ordination was briefly sidetracked, but now he serves Union County’s parish By Dan McWilliams When the other 23 members of his deacon class were being ordained June 11, deacon candidate Larry Rossini was lying in a hospital bed, only three days removed from heart bypass surgery. …
Runner Keegan Smith wins elementary state, national crowns
By Dan McWilliams Fourth-grade cross country runner Keegan Smith of Sacred Heart Cathedral School repeated as state champion Oct. 22 and captured his second national championship Nov. 19. Keegan, who also won this year’s AAU indoor track-and-field national title in March, placed first in the nation among 10-year-olds with a …









