Gatlinburg wildfires | East Tennessee Catholic

Fleeing the flames on foot: At age 82, the Hullanders outran the Great Smoky Mountains firestorm

January 1, 2017

By Bill Brewer Rains have finally fallen on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offering much-needed relief to an area parched from months of drought and now scarred from the perfect firestorm. But the rainfall was a day late and several inches short for scores of victims of the fires, …

‘It looked like Armageddon’: David and Debbie’s prayer-filled escape from the raging fires

January 1, 2017

By Bill Brewer Photography by Stephanie Richer David and Debbie Reed’s home in the Norton Creek area of Sevier County is hallowed ground. You don’t have to look much farther than the name the couple gave their property in 2003, “Bella Lisieux.” But just how sacred “Beautiful (St. Thérèse of) …

Lending a helping hand

October 17, 2025 10:41 am | By East Tennessee Catholic

St. Alphonsus Community Services provides assistance to those in need By St. Alphonsus Community Service Volunteers “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God, and the one most helpful to us.”— St. Alphonsus Liguori In 1986, six ladies, led by Laura Brenn and Jane Aiken, established a food pantry in the basement of the old St. Alphonsus Church in Crossville. In the ensuing decades, the scope of St. Alphonsus Community Services (SACS) has broadened to encompass residents across Cumberland County. SACS’ community- service beginnings were small, and its facilities inadequate. In those early years, the volunteer staff quickly found itself running out of space. In the 1990s, the people of St. Alphonsus Parish undertook a fundraising campaign to build a new worship space. A suitable 37-acre parcel was purchased, on which stood a circa-1880 farmhouse commonly... Read more →