Chesterton Academy Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated at Holy Ghost

Father Neil Blatchford, chaplain for the Chesterton Academy of St. Margaret Clitherow in Knoxville, celebrated a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 10 at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville with students, staff, and families attending. The Mass is a Chesterton Schools Network tradition to celebrate the start of …

St. Mary Parish in Johnson City receives Haiti foundation honor

Don and Cynthia Davis of St. Mary in Johnson City, coordinators of the parish Haiti Twinning Ministry, traveled to Christ the King Church in Nashville to accept the Fiat of Ecclesial Magnanimity Award on behalf of the parish. The award, presented on Sept. 20 by the Visitation Hospital Foundation, is …

Holy Ghost Parish seeking names for books of ‘Our Dearly Departed’

In advance of next year’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of its current church building, Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville is creating volumes of “Our Dearly Departed” to be placed permanently near the St. Joseph altar. The parish would like to devote one page to each of its deceased members …

KDCCW’s 2025-27 board holds first meeting in Shea Room at cathedral

The first meeting of the 2025-27 Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (KDCCW) board was held Sept. 6 in the Shea Room at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. A rosary, prepared by Spirituality Commission chair Mary Wilson, was said before the meeting. The board consists of …

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A love-hate relationship with country music

And missing the mentor who loved it and the family life it reminds me to cherish By George Valadie It’s my new favorite song. I’ve always felt like a bit of a music oddball when compared with my friends, but it was especially true when I was growing up. While …

Jane Fraker Fisk

Jane Fraker Fisk, age 82, of Knoxville, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 20. Mrs. Fisk was a member of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut. She was the former vice president of Fraker Sales Company Inc. and a former personal shopper for Proffitt’s department store. Mrs. Fisk …

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Lending a helping hand

St. Alphonsus Community Services provides assistance to those in need By St. Alphonsus Community Service Volunteers “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God, and the one most helpful to us.”— St. Alphonsus Liguori In 1986, …

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Addressing an epidemic of violence

We are all invited to do an examination of conscience and a conversion from the culture of death By Bishop Mark Beckman On Thursday, Sept. 11, I celebrated Mass for the students at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The day before, …

Harold Goans

Harold “Hal” Goans died peacefully at his home in Oak Ridge on Sept. 4. Mr. Goans was born on May 25, 1936, in Clinton to the late Charles and Lillian Goans. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years. He met and married his wife, Rita, in 1958 …

The culmination of the sacraments of initiation

Pope Francis: baptism, confirmation, and first Communion ‘form a single saving event’ By Father Randy Stice In recent columns, we have explored the relationship between the Eucharist and the other sacraments. In the final column in this series, we will look at the Eucharist as the culmination of the sacraments …

Staying true to your faith

UT-C students engage with Bishop Beckman at Mass, dinner By Maggie Parsons In continuing to share his gratitude with communities around the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated Mass at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Catholic Center on Sept. 10, preaching to the students about staying true to their faith …

Katherine Kon

Katherine Kon, age 102, of Deer Lodge, passed away comfortably in her sleep on Oct. 5 at Life Care Center of Wartburg. Ms. Kon was born in Lancing on Dec. 25, 1922. She was always honored to share the same birthday with Jesus. In life, she enjoyed putting puzzles together, …