Students (and parents) get hands-on experience at St. John Neumann School as they explore space By Bill Brewer The 2025 version of the STAR Ex camp did not disappoint when it came to engaging young students in the wonders of space exploration, astronomy, rocketry, telescopes, robotics, satellites, rovers, and drones. …
‘The most caring, faithful community’
Notre Dame Parish in Greeneville celebrates its 70th anniversary as an overflow crowd attends By Dan McWilliams Founding parishioner Judy Miniat Collins has served in many leadership roles at Notre Dame in Greeneville, and upon the community’s 70th-anniversary celebration on April 27 she reflected on a recent occasion when the …
A diamond in the faith community
St. Mary gala is a testament to Oak Ridge school’s legacy and future By Dan McWilliams The community of St. Mary School in Oak Ridge turned out in full May 3 for a Diamond Anniversary Gala. The 75th-anniversary event in the school gym, attended by 160, paid a well-deserved tribute …
10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ prompts global events
Programs to honor encyclical are planned at parishes around the Diocese of Knoxville By The East Tennessee Catholic “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1) Catholics around the world are marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking …
Plaque at St. Mary-Gatlinburg honors Father Brando’s bequest to Legacy Clinic
St. Mary Parish in Gatlinburg placed a plaque in honor of former pastor Father Joe Brando in its family life center to recognize the late priest’s bequest of funds to the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, whose mobile medical van now visits St. Mary monthly. “We certainly appreciate Father Brando’s leadership …
Bishop celebrates ‘profound’ Chrism Mass
More than 60 of the diocesan presbyterate join Bishop Beckman as he presides at the Holy Week liturgy By Dan McWilliams Bishop Mark Beckman participated in many Chrism Masses as a priest of the Diocese of Nashville, hearing his bishops receive the annual renewal of promises made by the presbyterate …
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Singer-songwriter leads St. Thérèse of Lisieux retreat
Grammy-nominated Sarah Hart delivers a message of love in word and music By Gabrielle Nolan The St. Thérèse of Lisieux Women of Faith and the Chattanooga Deanery Council of Catholic Women presented a Lenten day retreat for women on March 22 at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Church in Cleveland. More …
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St. Dominic hosts fourth men’s conference
This year’s event draws 112 men from around the diocese and beyond for a day of talks, breakouts, and Mass By Dan McWilliams The fourth annual Appalachian Highlands Men’s Conference hosted by St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport on March 8 underwent a name change this year to reflect the wider …
Diocese of Knoxville reacts to news of Pope Francis’ death
By The East Tennessee Catholic Catholic faithful across East Tennessee, led by Bishop Mark Beckman, are responding in prayer to the news that Pope Francis has died. The Holy Father passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, at 7:35 a.m. Rome time at the age of 88. Pope Francis had …
Sisters reflect on St. Mary School’s 75th jubilee
‘A love for learning, a love for the Lord, and a love for other people’ By Gabrielle Nolan St. Mary School in Oak Ridge is celebrating 75 years of education and service of its kindergarten-through-eighth-grade students. The school, which will have jubilee celebrations in the spring and the fall of …
‘Not head knowledge: a personal encounter’
Father Randy Stice encourages devotion to the Eucharist, ‘the wonder of the Mass,’ in his latest book By Gabrielle Nolan Initially drawn to the Catholic Church in the 1990s because of the Church’s teachings on the Holy Eucharist, Father Randy Stice decades later has written a book on cultivating a …
In Mountain City, there’s a silver lining in every cloud
God sent His workers to help in disaster recovery By Dan McWilliams Father Jesús Guerrero, having been in Texas for a family event when Hurricane Helene’s flooding ravaged East Tennessee on Sept. 27, noticed one thing when he flew back in to Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville two days later. The …
