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 …
Students share a window to the world of cathedral construction
By Emily Booker When one of the largest church construction projects in the country is happening right outside your classroom, you can’t help but watch and wonder. And talk about a teaching moment. It’s a feild trip right outside the school doors. Sacred Heart Cathedral School students and faculty have …
Completing their mission: St. Michael the Archangel community working to fulfill dream of becoming parish
By Dan McWilliams God has performed many marvelous deeds for St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Mission in Erwin, and the story is not finished yet. The Unicoi County mission has now outgrown a second location, as it looks forward to the construction of a multipurpose building on its 12½-acre plot …
Bishop Stika, Jim Wogan launch diocesan TV show A Call to Discipleship
By Bill Brewer The Diocese of Knoxville is turning to television as an evangelization tool to help spread the word of God throughout East Tennessee. A Call to Discipleship is a new TV show being produced by the Diocese of Knoxville that features stories and conversation on discipleship taking place …
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 …
Funeral Mass celebrated for former St. Jude priest Father Philip Breen
By Andy Telli, Tennessee Register NASHVILLE — Father Philip Breen, 77, who died Feb. 29 after a relapse of leukemia, was remembered as a wonderful priest, pastor, brother and friend. “It’s an honor and privilege to be with all of you to give honor to God for one who lived …
Sacred Heart eighth-grader moving up the diving ranks
Nicholas Cassell, in less than two years, has advanced to the national level of competition in his sport By Dan McWilliams Sacred Heart Cathedral School eighth-grader Nicholas Cassell has moved up the diving ranks quickly despite having taken up the sport less than two years ago. Nicholas, 14, practices five …