Once upon a time: Keep cool and remain faithful

By Monsignor Xavier Mankel Although there are some vestiges of the summers of yesteryear still around, the pace that you and I face June, July and August differs measurably from yesteryear. Refrigerated air-conditioning is partially responsible for this. No matter how hot the temperature, we work, worship and relax at …

He dwells among us: Stand beside her

In the struggle against suffering, there is one sword we should all take up By Bishop Richard F. Stika July is always a special time when I give particular thanks to God for the gifts of life, of baptism and of our country. Mom gave birth to me on the …

Diocese of Knoxville welcomes four new priests

By Jim Wogan With words of encouragement and a few more on what to expect, Bishop Richard F. Stika ordained four new priests into the Diocese of Knoxville on June 27. Jesus Guerrero-Rodriguez, Michael Hendershott, Scott Russell and Ray Powell all received their Holy Orders during the Rite of Ordination …

Baseball author goes by The Book

By Jim Wogan Bryan Steverson doesn’t go anywhere, including Mass, without a pen and some three-by-five index cards in his back pocket. The Virginia native and his wife, Barbara, have been parishioners at Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa for 30 years. During Mass, Mr. Steverson’s focus is on the …

Pope speaks as a pastor in call to protect earth, USCCB president says

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Pope Francis speaks with a pastor’s voice and with deep respect for science in calling the world to address threats to all life on earth through environmental degradation and a the mindset of a “throwaway culture” in his encyclical, the president of …

All creation sings God’s praise, but people are silencing it, pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, Pope Francis says in his long-awaited encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.” All who …

Sacred Heart Cathedral School honors three students

Sacred Heart Cathedral School celebrated a few special honors for students at the end of morning Mass on May 22, and Minnesota Vikings safety and SHCS alum Harrison Smith was on hand to present the scholarship award named after him. “This time of year we celebrate a lot of wonderful …

Building the mother church

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus community witnessed one of its brightest days April 19 as ground was broken on a new $25 million cathedral to replace the 59-year-old structure that has been the home church for the Diocese of Knoxville since 1988. Groundbreaking festivities fell on Cardinal …

A Conversation with the Cardinals

It was a fireside chat for the ages – at least for the ages in the Diocese of Knoxville – when Bishop Richard F. Stika emceed an insightful and often lighthearted discussion by three of the Roman Catholic Church’s pre-eminent prelates – Cardinals Justin Rigali, William Levada and Timothy Dolan …

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is featured speaker at Following Jesus Conference

In delivering keynote remarks for the Diocese of Knoxville’s Following Jesus Conference, Cardinal Timothy Dolan summoned the new and not-too-distant legacies of Popes Francis, Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II to illustrate his message on the New Evangelization. And in the process, Cardinal Dolan would help make history in …

Being faithful and fruitful in the New Evangelization

Curtis Martin, the dynamic Catholic lay evangelist who founded the FOCUS missionary movement in the United States and abroad, delivered his unique brand of evangelization to the Diocese of Knoxville on April 18 as a featured speaker for the diocese’s Following Jesus Conference. Mr. Martin started the Fellowship of Catholic …

Cardinal Rigali reflects on a career spent at the altar of Catholic history

Whatever Cardinal Justin Rigali touches turns historic — or so it seems. The walls and shelves in his Chancery office, crowded with photos, documents and items from some of the most heralded Church events in recent time, prove the point. Vatican II, saints, popes, papal visits around the globe, papal …