By George Valadie Happy birthday, ol’ girl! We salute you. We salute your age, your impact, you unending and uplifting spirit. After all, who even gets to be 140 years old these days? Few institutions, traditions or inventions (think 8-tracks) — have that sort of life. Moreover, who or what leaves …
Sister Mariana Koonce, RSM, professes perpetual vows
Sister Mariana, along with two other sisters, made their professions at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw, Mich. In attendance from the Diocese of Knoxville were Bishop Richard F. Stika, Cardinal Justin Rigali, and Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor and chief operating officer of the Diocese of Knoxville. …
Gov. Haslam tours Sacred Heart Cathedral project
Gov. Bill Haslam highlighted construction of the new Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Oct. 14 when he toured the building and held a press conference there to raise awareness for opportunities in the construction trades. Gov. Haslam was greeted by Bishop Richard F. Stika, Cardinal Justin Rigali, …
Understanding the sacraments: Pope Francis on the sacrament of penance
Priests must remember that in the confessional it is Christ who listens, forgives By Father Randy Stice In a recent message for National Liturgical Week in Italy, Pope Francis wrote that “all the liturgy is a place where mercy is encountered and welcomed in order to be given; a place …
Once upon a time: Basking in the graces of the Risen Lord
God has blessed our diocese with men and women who are committed to spreading the faith By Monsignor Xavier Mankel As the Diocese of Knoxville celebrates its 28th anniversary, we ask ourselves where did all this come from. The term “created” is used in a broad sense. The Diocese of …
Marriage Enrichment: Mornings spent reflecting on mercy
Parishioners urged to explore one of God’s greatest gifts with Monsignor Humbrecht By Marian Christiana On Sept. 10, Monsignor Al Humbrecht partnered with the diocesan Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment to offer the first of four Mornings of Reflection on Mercy. As one of about 1,000 missionary priests of …
Praying for Perspective: Life’s like a bowl of cherries — pits and all
Coming to terms with what we want and what we really need as children of God By George Valadie I suppose this train of thought left the station while I was at a recent meeting of school principals. Our superintendent, a Sister of Mercy, had invited the 10 of us to …
Living the readings: The end of the road
Christ’s journey that we have been taught is our journey as well By Father Joseph Brando Way back on June 26, the Gospel for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time was taken from Luke 9:51-62. “When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey …
The East Tennessee Catholic wins national award for WMOF coverage
Newspaper cited by Catholic Press Association judges By The East Tennessee Catholic The East Tennessee Catholic, which has been providing news and information about the Diocese of Knoxville since 1991, was recognized by the Catholic Press Association for its coverage of the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’ first …
Deans named for Five Rivers, Cumberland Mountain deaneries
By The East Tennessee Catholic Father Michael Cummins, pastor at St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport, and Father Doug Owens, pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City, have been appointed by Bishop Richard F. Stika to serve as deans in the Diocese of Knoxville. Father Cummins will lead …
Year of Mercy sets theme for diocesan Ministries Day
More than 250 parish leaders take part in ministry leadership workshops at All Saints Church By The East Tennessee Catholic The Diocese of Knoxville’s Ministries Day, now in its sixth year, attracted 256 participants Aug. 20 to All Saints Parish, where parish leaders throughout the diocese gathered to strengthen their …
He dwells among us: Deliver us from evil
The Church, as guardian of the truth, help us discern between good and evil By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Begone, Satan!” These were the last words spoken by the French priest Father Jacques Hamel as two ISIS terrorists attacked him while he celebrated Mass in his parish church in July. …