While many teens are busy planning the next road trip with their friends to Panama City Beach or Daytona for the summer, three young ladies from St. Joseph Parish in Norris are planning for a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland, in July. Rebecca McDonald-Harber, 19, Paley Perry, 17, and Sloan Perry, …
Understanding the sacraments: Revising the Liturgy of the Hours
Also known as the Divine Office, it is the official prayer of the Catholic Church By Father Randy Stice In recent columns we have looked at several revised liturgical books: the Order of Celebrating Marriage, the Order of Confirmation, and the third edition of the Misal Romano, the Spanish Missal. …
Marriage Enrichment: The secret to wedded bliss
Diocese’s longest-married couples share thoughts on matrimonial longevity By Marian Christiana It is February and love is in the air! February is the month that is dedicated to valentines, candy, flowers and special dates. Although those expressions of love are wonderful, they are not the foundation of lasting love. In …
Once upon a time: Preparing for a ‘good’ Lent
Churches old and new are inspiration for a closer relationship with God By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Immaculate Conception Church has covered Summit Hill in Knoxville since the 1880s. Typical of many churches of that era, architects saw little need for a large vestibule. People came to church to pray and …
Living the readings: Preparing to meet the Lord
Scripture shows us how God makes himself visible to humans By Father Joseph Brando It’s hard to believe. With my Christmas tree still shining forth in my living room, I am writing a column that features the first three Sundays of Lent. One of the factors of getting old is …
Funeral Mass held for Deacon Donald Hathaway
A funeral Mass for Deacon Donald Hathaway was held on Jan. 22 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Mountain City. Deacon Hathaway died Jan. 16 at his residence. He was 89. The funeral Mass was celebrated by Father Dennis Kress, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua. Deacon Hathaway, who …
St. John XXIII Parish ranked among top U.S. Newman centers by Pew
Best College Reviews, an independent college review journal that provides information on schools, ranks the Diocese of Knoxville’s St. John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center as the 14th best Newman Center in the United States. A Pew Research study found that Christianity makes up 70 percent of the total …
He dwells among us: He must increase
May we always give both the gifts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our hearts to others By Bishop Richard F. Stika Our Lenten pilgrimage begins early this year, before St. Valentine’s day, so if you’re giving up candy or chocolate, you might be challenged when the heart-shaped boxes …
Praying for perspective: Searching for that inner piece making us more Scrooge-like
By George Valadie Consider just for a minute — when did you first notice it had happened to you? I’m not sure it hit me at any one particular moment. It was more like a collection of moments. Each a sad one, now that I think about it. First, there …
SMLF grants total $720,000 for 2016
The St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation and Bishop Richard F. Stika have announced grant distributions for 2016 totaling $720,000 for local charities and nonprofit organizations serving Catholics and non-Catholics across East Tennessee. Since its creation in 2011, the St. Mary’s Legacy Foundation has now provided more than $3 million to benefit …
Once upon a time: Seeking the passage to salvation
By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Doors. We so often take them for granted. Cellar doors protected crops stored for the winter, or Christmas presents, or family stills during Prohibition days. Basements store furnaces, air-conditioning units, and family treasures. The doors to our houses offer safe passage to those who enter invited …
He dwells among us: The eyes of mercy
What we receive without cost, we must give without cost By Bishop Richard F. Stika The Religious Sisters of Mercy have a picture at their motherhouse in Alma, Mich., that depicts a sobbing St. Peter being comforted by the Blessed Mother. In her hands, Mary holds her son’s crown of …