Baby bottles prove to be a valuable tool in promoting life

‘Crazy fun’ fundraiser at St. Mary in Johnson City benefits Catholic Charities’ pregnancy help centers                          By Emily Booker What better way to promote life than through a fundraiser using baby bottles during Respect Life Month? And who better to assist in the fundraiser than Catholic Charities of East Tennessee? The …

All Saints youth experience lesson on poverty firsthand

Cardboard city, work with KARM, Second Harvest, Operation Backyard are part of parish project By Emily Booker Learning about homelessness meant actually living it for several All Saints Parish youth. The annual Life on the Streets Retreat Oct. 23-25 focused on learning more about what it means to be homeless …

Workshop teaches biblical justice in addressing community issues

Diocese of Knoxville parishioners join members of other local congregations at faith-based meeting                                            By Bill Brewer Predatory lending, poverty, joblessness and lack of access to insurance were among the topics addressed Oct. 31 at a social justice workshop for Knox County churches attended by members of several Diocese of …

All Saints Day rosary is held

By Dan McWilliams More than 80 people attended the annual All Saints Day rosary Nov. 1 at Calvary Cemetery in Knoxville. “It’s about 85 people, which is the biggest in the last few years anyway,” said Father Ron Franco, CSP, pastor of Immaculate Conception in downtown Knoxville, which maintains the …

St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge leads Community Matters public forums

Father Brent Shelton joins pastors at neighboring churches in hosting town hall meetings aimed at bringing city together            By Bill Brewer Black lives matter. Young lives matter. Police lives matter. All lives matter. As those mantras reached a crescendo around the country in recent months, the city of Oak Ridge …

Understanding the sacraments: Misal Romano, Tercera Edición

Latest edition of Roman Missal’s Spanish translation may speed up approval of U.S. version By Father Randy Stice In recent columns I have discussed the new Order of Matrimony and the new translation of the Order of Confirmation. In this column I want to introduce the Misal Romano, Tercera Edición, …

Be a Man! EWTN’s Fr. Larry Richards pounds the message home

Bishop Stika hosts retreat, celebrates Mass for diocesan men who get a crash course in being better servants of Christ           By Bill Brewer Father Larry Richards is all about love. Tough love. His unbridled approach to spreading the Gospel is more akin to a contact sport than “a tiptoe through …

Marriage enrichment: Celebrating marriage

Strong, long-lasting partnerships serve as role models for us all By Marian Christiana Bishop Richard F. Stika and the Office of Marriage and Enrichment will be honoring long-lasting marriages in February. Before I get into the details of that, let me discuss the importance of long-lasting marriages. Long-lasting marriages are …

Funeral services held for Sr. Mary LaStant

Sister Mary LaStant, BVM, died Nov. 2 at Marian Hall in Dubuque, Iowa. She was 89. A funeral Mass was held last month, and the burial was in Mount Carmel cemetery in Dubuque. In the Diocese of Knoxville, Sister Mary taught at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga …

Once upon a time: ‘Tis the season for the Prince of Peace

Christmas evokes memories of people who decorated our lives during the sacred holiday By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Christmas time again. While it’s one thing to wish peace on earth o people of good will, those sentiments won’t fit in all cases (as much as you and I wish such sentiments …

‘We stand on the shoulders of many’

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish celebrates a century of Catholicism in Cleveland, looks forward to the future By Jim Wogan Long before the Diocese of Knoxville existed, back when the seeds of Catholicism were starting to sprout roots in the spiritual soil of East Tennessee, Father Paul Hostettler was helping …

Living the readings: Preparing for the end

We live in time and eternity as Christ offers us eternal life By Father Joseph Brando It may seem strange to many that the liturgical calendar begins with our preparation and celebration of the birth of the Messiah whereas our daily calendar (which is a Christian product) begins on the …