WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In the midst of their New Year’s Eve celebration with low-income elderly residents, the Baltimore-based Little Sisters of the Poor learned that the Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily protecting them from the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate. The order by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, issued …
USCCB asks President Obama for exemption from fines over compliance with ACA law
By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked President Barack Obama to exempt religious institutions from fines related to health insurance requirements while legal challenges work their way through the courts. “The administration’s flexibility in implementing the (Affordable Care Act) has not …
Father Arthur Torres Barona ordained Dec. 14 in Colombia
Bishop Richard F. Stika ordained Deacon Arthur Torres Barona a priest on Dec. 14 at St. Anne Church in the ordinand’s native Cali, Colombia. Father Torres Barona becomes the 42nd priest ordained for the Diocese of Knoxville and the seventh ordained by Bishop Stika. He is also the second priest …
Men’s Winter Conference 2014 set for January
Bishop Richard F. Stika will lead the Diocese of Knoxville’s Men’s Winter Conference 2014. Registration is now open for the conference, entitled “A Dialogue with Our Shepherd.” All men of the diocese are invited to attend the special day with our bishop on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9:30 a.m. to …
Pope Francis named Time magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year
By Catholic News Agency/EWTN News New York — Time Magazine has announced its choice of Pope Francis for the 2013 “Person of the Year,” stating that he is changing the “tone and perception” of the Church. The announcement was made Dec. 11 on the Today Show. Reacting to the news, …
SHCS Heart to Heart Players present ‘A Christmas Carol’
If it’s the Christmas season, then it must be time for A Christmas Carol. And so it was Dec. 7 as Sacred Heart Cathedral School’s Theatre Arts Program staged the Charles Dickens classic at the Bearden High School auditorium. Sacred Heart Cathedral School’s Heart to Heart Players presented the holiday …
Bishops, priests gather in Knoxville for Louisville Province meeting
Bishops and priests from Tennessee and Kentucky convened in Knoxville Dec. 3-4 for a province meeting of the Archdiocese of Louisville. The province meeting was hosted by Bishop Richard F. Stika, who was joined by Bishops David R. Choby of the Diocese of Nashville, J. Terry Steib of the Diocese …
Basilica, Sevier churches, Catholic Charities see assignment changes
Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced several assignment changes for the Diocese of Knoxville in Chattanooga and Knoxville. Due to health concerns with Monsignor George Schmidt, pastor of the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga since 1986, Bishop Stika has appointed Father David Carter parochial administrator of the …
Diocese’s newest church is dedicated
Growing Vietnamese Catholic community begins to build a parish at Church of Divine Mercy Some 20 years of prayer, planning, hard work, and trust in Christ by Knoxville’s Vietnamese Catholics culminated Nov. 17 in a Mass celebrating the community’s first church. Bishop Richard F. Stika dedicated the Church of Divine …
He dwells among us: Hope and new beginnings
Advent reminds us of what a new beginning truly is when our hope is Christ We all look forward to the new beginnings that mark life’s journey, which we hope will be filled with much good in our future and in the lives of others. And with every life disappointment …
Archbishop Kurtz elected USCCB president
Diocese of Knoxville’s second bishop succeeds Cardinal Dolan BALTIMORE — The newly elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a bishop for nearly 14 years, but it’s as a priest, family member and social worker that he describes himself. By way of introduction to American Catholics, …
Diaconate class takes key step on faith journey
23 permanent deacon aspirants take part in Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders Newly admitted deacon candidate David M. Oatney said he and his fellow members of the Diocese of Knoxville’s next diaconate class “are really not at a midpoint” after two and a half years of study …