Rorate Mass for religious communities is celebrated

By Gabrielle Nolan On the darkest night of the year, the winter solstice, the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was aglow with candlelight. A Rorate Mass in honor of Our Lady for the religious communities of the Diocese of Knoxville was held on Dec. 21, with the …

’Tis the season of Advent

Services abound as parishes prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ By Dan McWilliams Holy Ghost Parish in North Knoxville marked two feast days in late October with a eucharistic procession and a healing Mass to help its community mark the coming of Christ that will be celebrated diocesan-wide …

Young adults learn to ready homes, hearts for Advent season

Diocese of Knoxville’s young adult ministry and Office of Christian Formation join to present a seasonal retreat By Gabrielle Nolan As Christians, we know that the liturgical season of Advent is a preparation for welcoming the Christ child on Christmas day, ushering in a season of light, joy, hope, and …

It All Comes Clear Now

By Father Joseph Brando November, in these parts, is the time when trees reach their brightest glow. Then their leaves, by means of a parachuting parade of color in a gloriously choreographed leap, dance to the ground. When that display is completed, the people who lived, spring and summer, under …

Families often are where we first learn about God

The Catholic Church has referred to the family as the “domestic church” ever since Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, was published during the Second Vatican Council. The term domestic church means that it is within our families that we first learn about God and the Catholic Church. …

Celebrating the reason for the Advent season

It’s the season of Advent and activities are under way at churches and schools around the diocese. About 100 parishioners at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville gathered Dec. 5 on the cathedral’s front lawn for a program featuring Christmas carols, prayers and readings. And Christmas …

Prepare for Christmas with a strong Advent

It is incumbent for Catholics to remember that Dec. 25 is a holy day, not a secular holiday          Bishop Richard F. Stika is urging the faithful to use Advent to approach this Christmas season spiritually. Bishop Stika is encouraging parishioners across the diocese to keep Christ in Christmas at this …

Diocesan schools schedule Christmas season events

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to sing praises to God and give to those in need. The children of the diocese plan to do just that this Christmas season in the many school programs and service projects being held across East Tennessee. For more details on each school’s events, …