La Cosecha

Bishop installs Father Velez as pastor of St. Patrick

August 5, 2022 8:28 am | By Emily Booker

The priest’s mother and sister from Colombia attend the Mass, which comes ‘as a surprise for them’ By Dan McWilliams Bishop Richard F. Stika installed Father Miguel Velez as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Morristown on June 26, and there were two special guests on hand to witness it. Father Velez’s mother, Cielo Cardona, and sister, Ana Velez, from Pereira, Colombia, were in the assembly as their loved one took the oath of fidelity to be pastor. The two spent a couple of weeks with Father Velez in East Tennessee “This is a surprise for them. I didn’t tell them about my installation,” Father Velez said afterward. “I agreed with the bishop to have the installation during their visit so they would be able to be part of the celebration.” The bishop celebrated the Mass with Father Velez and associate pastor Father Adam Kane. Deacon Agustin Ortega, who was... Read more →