Fraternal organization working on bringing chapters into closer cooperation with churches By Liz O’Connor, Andy Telli The Knights of Columbus is working to bring the order into closer cooperation with parishes. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson launched the new initiative late last year. “We will use our resources of time, …
Funeral Mass held for Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma foundress
Mother Barbara Anne Gooding, RSM, a foundress of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., who was in residence in the Diocese of Knoxville, died April 1, following a brief illness. Called in religious life Sister Barbara Anne Marie, she was born on Feb. 12, 1940, in Cincinnati and …
Perspective from a child of God
By Rhetta Botts From the perspective of someone who converted to Catholicism and was confirmed during the high school years, I can say that I wish I had received the graces sooner. “Confirmation isn’t magic,” Sister John Catherine Kennedy, OP, once told me. We must desire the graces, and we must …
Bishop Stika lowers confirmation age to fifth, sixth grades
By Rhetta Botts Following an extended period of study, the age of confirmation in the Diocese of Knoxville is being lowered to a middle-school grade level. Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced that the confirmation age will drop from high school to fifth and sixth grades. With this change, Bishop Stika …
Once upon a time: Building His Church, living stone by living stone
By Monsignor Xavier Mankel With the canonizations of Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Louis and Zelie Martin, and many other lesser-known saints, we should have at our disposal a sufficient number of saints from a catalogue of the saints to cultivate devotions for many years to come. …
He dwells among us: Ocean of mercy
In life’s hard journey, we all must dive into the ocean of mercy By Bishop Richard F. Stika As the media began reporting last month on the release of Pope Francis’ document on marriage and family, titled The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia), I thought of the story of the …
Understanding the sacraments: A multilingual celebration of Mass
Guidelines for liturgy can enhance our cultural and linguistic diversity By Father Randy Stice One of the riches of diocese is its growing cultural diversity, with Mass celebrated in a number of different languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, and Korean. In this respect we mirror the diversity of the Church in …
Marriage enrichment: Helping couples blend their faith
Ecumenical, interfaith marriages should openly discuss religious practice By Marian Christiana Marriage preparation is one of the great joys of my job. I love working with couples of all ages who are beginning their marital journey. Their happiness and optimism is infectious, and their enthusiasm spills over into my own …
Once upon a time: The Holy Week(s) of Easter
Celebration of Christ’s triumph over death has expanded through the years Holy Week always has been special. Before there was a Holy Week, Easter began with the Easter vigil. And before many years had passed Easter included seven days beginning on Palm Sunday. Gradually the week turned into two weeks, …
Living the readings: The Easter season
Fifty days of rejoicing lead the faithful to feast of Pentecost By Father Joseph Brando In this previous column, we explored the entire season of Lent. Today, we will delve into the Sundays of the Easter season, including the great day of Pentecost. Since we are covering twice as many …
The gift of sight
Bishop, cardinal, St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners form bonds with visiting children from Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos By Ashley Siferd Leave it to an endearing group of young people from El Salvador and their East Tennessee hosts to bring to life a key teaching of Jesus Christ. In early March, a …
NCYC gets rave reviews from DOK youth at conference
By Noah Goodson More than 23,000 youth from around the country, including the Diocese of Knoxville, journeyed to Indianapolis to experience the National Catholic Youth Conference. Held at Lucas Oil Stadium, NCYC is a biennial event intended to help Catholic youth develop a more powerful faith. It was held Nov. …