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) …

Right before our very eyes

July 16, 2026 7:55 am | By East Tennessee Catholic

As the Synod unfolds, the Implementation Phase is in plain sight By Jim Wogan One of my most persistent and self-loathing traits is something we’ve all probably experienced in life—my not-so-unique but absolutely confounding and frustrating ability to misplace things. My wife affectionately refers to it as “carelessness.” Ouch. Where is my wallet? What did I do with the keys? And the most frequent utterance that emanates from my mind and mouth on a dreadfully consistent basis is…where did I put my glasses? For me, it’s always the simple yet essentially everyday stuff that goes missing. Well, not always. While preparing for the arrival of Fourth of July guests a few weeks ago, I made an effort to locate my old-fashioned, hardly used charcoal grill—which needed some cleaning. And I had just the right tool to assist me. A wire brush that I keep in an old-fashioned, hardly used toolbox... Read more →