The extraordinary ordinary

Beautiful examples teach us how to live righteously in this world As opposed to last month when we were blessed with an abundance of such solemnities as Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi and the feast of John the Baptist, in July we come to the unnamed Sundays in Ordinary Time called …

Close to your heart

Let there be nothing closer to your heart than Christ, Our Eucharistic Lord and Savior  With the end of the Easter season, we enter into another season that the Church calls Ordinary Time, which in truth is anything but ordinary—we are, after all, fully into the baseball season! But seriously, …

‘God shining down on them’ — the Rinnie miracle

In aftermath of tornado, family rebuilding with a hand from St. Alphonsus, Catholic Charities Shannon Bice and husband Paul Vickers have lost almost everything—and they consider themselves blessed. The Cumberland County couple continues to pick up the pieces after a tornado destroyed their house and belongings on Feb. 29. But …

NFL’s Vikings take KCHS grad Harrison Smith in first round

Minnesota move ‘just another extension’ of experiences at Sacred Heart, Knox Catholic, Notre Dame Knoxville Catholic High School and University of Notre Dame graduate Harrison Smith is now a Minnesota Viking after the NFL team drafted him April 26 as the 29th overall pick in the first round. Getting the …

From Cross to Crucifix

Memorial Day has special meaning for me as it does for so many, particularly for those who have lost loved ones in the service of their country. Six years ago on this day, at my retirement from the Marine Corps, I had the great honor to lay my uniform down …

God does not punch a clock as he builds

Jubilees mark growth of the Catholic Church as dioceses plan for milestone celebrations  As we continue to bask in the glories of the faith during April, May and June, we have an opportunity every year to examine, review, reflect and remember such great mysteries as the Incarnation, the Redemption, the …

Chrism Mass: ‘What a Wonderful Night This Is’

Every seat was filled in Sacred Heart Cathedral on April 3 as Bishop Richard F. Stika celebrated his fourth chrism Mass as the Diocese of Knoxville’s shepherd. “What a wonderful night this is as the Church of East Tennessee gathers from all the different corners together with our priests and …

Come to My House and Stay

The mystery of woman and motherhood is intimately connected with the mystery of the Church One of the many things I love about the Easter Season are the daily Mass readings that take us through one of my favorite books of the Bible—the Acts of the Apostles. During these 50 …