FOCUS missionaries are changing lives by bringing the Catholic faith to university students By Claire Collins My sophomore year of college at the University of Tennessee, I was getting closer and closer to leaving the Catholic Church. While my Dominican Catholic education had convinced me of Jesus’ presence in the …
Bishop Stika, priests enter Lenten season by celebrating Ash Wednesday
From staff reports Diocese of Knoxville faithful entered the holiest of Christian seasons on March 2 by receiving the sign of the cross during Ash Wednesday Masses. Diocesan priests welcomed full churches as adults and students enthusiastically took part in the liturgy to begin Lent. Ashes were plentiful as were …
State Knights of Columbus first with evangelization position
Diocese of Knoxville parishioner Jimmy Dee to lead efforts to bring men into organization By Andy Telli/Tennessee Register In its ongoing efforts to become more Christ-centered, the Tennessee Knights of Columbus have become the first jurisdiction in the international fraternal organization of Catholic men to create the position of director …
Divine Mercy Parish celebrates Year of the Tiger
Knoxville’s Vietnamese community welcomes both the Lunar New Year and Bishop Stika By Bill Brewer Dragons, tigers, and Xoi, oh my! No, it wasn’t Oz; it was better. You might even say it was heavenly. The Church of Divine Mercy offered a cornucopia for the soul and senses on Jan. …
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St. Jude School-hosted Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit touches all lives
Touring display, created by Blessed Carlo Acutis, is being shown at Diocese of Knoxville locations By Janice Fritz-Ryken Parents often complain that teens’ lives are run by computer technology, and yet one inspirational teenager in Italy used the computer to evangelize Christ and create an exhibit that is still drawing …
Parishes hold listening sessions as Synod process moves forward
By Jim Wogan If your parish seems especially chatty this month, the voices you hear might be coming from special listening sessions or town hall meetings organized to gather opinions on the Church and its mission. The 2023 Synod of Bishops, commissioned by Pope Francis, is calling on every diocese …
Silver anniversaries abound at Holy Trinity Parish
The Jefferson City community and newly installed pastor Father Jim Harvey each celebrate 25 years By Bill Brewer The number 25 was especially meaningful for Father Jim Harvey on Dec. 5, when Holy Trinity’s new pastor helped the Jefferson County parish celebrate its 25th anniversary. Father Harvey also is in …
Catholic Charities plans to rebuild after arson fire
Knoxville diocesan agency to serve its East Tennessee clients from temporary site By Bill Brewer The Diocese of Knoxville and its Catholic Charities of East Tennessee are determined to rebuild after an arsonist burglarized Catholic Charities’ administrative offices in North Knoxville on Nov. 28 and set the building on fire, …
‘Lights!’ ‘Camera!’ ‘Procession!’
Holy Ghost Church serves as setting for national Knights of Columbus training video on eucharistic processions By Bill Brewer Happy Holler is going Hollywood, or at least it looked that way on Nov. 12 when professional videographers descended on Holy Ghost Church and surrounding streets to make a Knights of …
Annual Christmas donations bring joy to families
St. Albert the Great Parish ministry serves kids from Appalachia through Crazy Quilt By Gabrielle Nolan For some children living in East Tennessee, the only Christmas presents they’ll receive each year are the ones gifted to them by charities and churches. And for St. Albert …
Glenmary volunteers meet on ‘Toppa Joppa’
The program on Joppa Mountain in Grainger County draws teens and adults ‘to serve others first’ By Dan McWilliams Jesse Butler, a wheelchair-bound resident of Luttrell, can attest to the benefits of the Glenmary Group Volunteer Program based on Joppa Mountain in Grainger County. During the week of Oct. 17-22, …
Chattanooga hosts U.S. Catholic youth ministry convocation
Thriveanooga! event rejuvenates parish youth ministers, looks at ways to re-emphasize student outreach amid pandemic, cultural distractions By Janice Fritz Ryken “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a parish to do youth ministry.” These words, uttered by Sister Thea Bowman more than 40 years ago, …
