St. Mary chess team continues to succeed

St. Mary School in Oak Ridge competed in the Secret City Chess Tournament on Nov. 5 at Oak Ridge High School. The tournament hosted 42 teams composed of 76 students. Both unrated and rated levels included teams from grades K-3, 4-6, and 7-12. St. Mary’s Genevieve Robinson, Elliot Barnes, and …

Top-ranked KCHS boys team off to 18-1 start

The Knoxville Catholic High School boys basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA through its first 19 games and had only one defeat going into game No. 20. The Fighting Irish drubbed Christian Academy of Knoxville 74-54 on Jan. 27 to improve to 18-1 overall …

Once Upon a Time: The end of an era at The East Tennessee Catholic? Maybe not yet

Monsignor Xavier Mankel takes a step back from his duties as a columnist and peer reviewer                                         By Bill Brewer A phrase often overused is “the end of an era.” Shoppers staying at home and buying their Christmas gifts online instead of crowding the malls and outlet stores might be a …

Understanding the sacraments: The Word of God in the liturgy

The Lectionary for Mass Supplement contains additions for a number of optional memorials By Father Randy Stice In its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican Council II stressed the multifaceted role of Sacred Scripture in the liturgy. “Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. …

Living the readings: A midwinter retreat

Ten weeks of Scripture meditation will prepare you for Easter By Father Joseph Brando In this issue we will be looking at all the Sunday Scripture readings in February and March. This period of time starts in Ordinary Time following Epiphany and continues until the day before Holy Week. One …

Marriage enrichment: Celebrating the diocese’s longest-married couples

A husband and wife married 69 years share their love story, which began in the ‘Magic City’ By Marian Christiana The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) National Marriage Week annual initiative begins Feb. 7 and ends Feb. 14 this year. Archbishop Charles Chaput, chairman of the Committee on Laity, …

Praying for Perspective: The man on the curb in front of the Krystal

A weekend visit to the fast-food eatery leads to fretting over the circumstances of a seemingly homeless person By George Valadie I love weekends, especially when our Friday night games have gone well and all the students have made it home safely. After these many years, with our girls now …

Lego Crusaders advance to ET Championship

The Lego Crusaders of St. Mary School in Oak Ridge competed with 27 other Lego teams Dec. 3 to qualify to advance to the East Tennessee Championship. The annual Lego Challenge requires participants to identify and research a real-world problem, develop and implement a solution, and communicate their results to …

Knights crown state soccer champs at Challenge

The results are in from the Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge State Championships held at St. Rose School in Murfreesboro. Seven boys and three girls from Tennessee, ages 9 to 14, were recently named state champions in the 2016 Knights Soccer Challenge and have earned the right to compete at …

Gold Award project benefits foster-care children

On a cold Saturday evening in early December, the Blount County Foster Care Association held its annual Christmas dinner and party. For the foster-care children, it meant an opportunity to meet Santa and play with friends. For Erin Smith, it meant the culmination of the biggest project and highest award …

St. Mary student wins VFW essay contest

Students at St. Mary School in Oak Ridge recently had the opportunity to participate in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Competition. Conducted nationwide, the Patriot’s Pen is a VFW-sponsored youth essay competition that gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. This …