“What do we do now?” In marking the Diocese of Knoxville’s 27th anniversary on Sept. 8, Bishop Richard F. Stika recalled when he welcomed Cardinal Justin Rigali to the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1994. After being formally introduced as the seventh archbishop of St. Louis, then-Archbishop Rigali turned to …
Bishop Stika assigns deacons to new diocesan parish posts
Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced the appointments of five deacons to parishes in the Diocese of Knoxville. Deacons Gaspar DeGaetano, Gary Brinkworth, Dan Alexander, Bob Lange and Joel Livingston Jr. received assignments to different parishes over the summer. Deacon Lange resumed serving at St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport on …
Once upon a time: Pray that God will grant the increase
Taking a look at the bishops among us provides hope in the future of the Church By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Sometimes comparisons can be helpful. Take dioceses as an example. The Diocese of Memphis has 10,682 square miles and 64,064 Catholics. The Diocese of Nashville has 16,302 square miles and …
Understanding the sacraments: ‘Order of Matrimony’ confirmed
Rome blesses English translation of second edition that outlines marriage rite By Father Randy Stice The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) has approved the English translation of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, Second Edition (OCM). The first edition was issued in Latin in 1969 …
Knights’ Silver Rose visits Tennessee parishes
In September and October, the Silver Rose, the Knights of Columbus’ tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe, made its way through Tennessee. Six silver roses will be carried through the United States to Mexico on different routes as part of a grand relay, being handed off from one Knights of …
CRS Helping Hands project turns out 10,000 meals
A highly organized assembly line of parishioners from across the Diocese of Knoxville gathered at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lenoir City recently as part of an effort to help end hunger in Africa. Those who took part in the Helping Hands project, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, helped …
St. Vincent de Paul Society holds Festival Meeting
The St. Vincent de Paul Society, District Council of Knoxville, held a Festival Meeting and “Day for Spiritual Renewal” hosted by the St. John Neumann Conference on Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There are currently nine parishes within the Diocese of Knoxville that have active St. Vincent …
Sacred Heart Knights Council 5207 changes name
At its annual meeting in Philadelphia, the Knights of Columbus supreme board of directors voted to approve changing the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish council name to Sacred Heart Cathedral Council 5207 from the Vincent J. Gleason Council. “The change in our name represents a new era for our council and …
He dwells among us: Evil without its makeup
By Bishop Richard F. Stika Decades ago, people on another continent shocked the world, saying, “We did not know” regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore. And before that, our own country enshrined as the law of its land the slavery of those we deemed less than human. Yet today, …
Praying for perspective: Kindred spirits among life’s graduates
By George Valadie For those who begin this autumn with school-age children, you have automatic membership in a club of kindred spirit. Public or private, Christian or non-denominational, kindergarten or high school – it’s all the same; you join the club of moms and dads who hate the dastardly teacher …
Baby, we’re back in business
The Catholic Charities Pregnancy Help Center in Chattanooga has some news, and it wants the world to know: It’s back, it’s updated and it has big plans for the future. With the help of two grants, the center reopened in May at 859 McCallie Ave. after two years of inactivity. …
Once upon a time: Beginning steps on the journey to heaven
By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Newspapers are filled these days with “back to school” news about youngsters’ beginning steps as they begin pre-K, or kindergarten, or any of the other early steps we all take, which, in retrospect, were tiny steps indeed. But at that moment, “the first time through” involved …
