Describing the Church’s new leader as a man of peace and prayer, Bishop Richard F. Stika spoke March 13 to the Knoxville media soon after Pope Francis was introduced to the world. Just as Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation was surprising, so was the relatively quick election of Cardinal Jorge Mario …
Synod moves into action in the diocese
Delegates across East Tennessee discuss Bishop Beckman’s ‘guiding questions’ By Jim Wogan On Sept. 19, more than 70 parish and ministry delegates gathered at four locations in the Diocese of Knoxville to reflect on the process of synodality in the Catholic Church. It was a major step in a Vatican-initiated effort that started in 2021—For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission. The concept of synodality isn’t new even if the word itself is unfamiliar. “Every step of the Church is a return to its source,” says the Introduction of the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2024. It’s a sentence that is beautiful in its simplicity and profound in its meaning. It acknowledges that the Church is always moving, addressing the needs of its people, guided by the Holy Spirit, while always returning to its source: the life and teachings of Jesus... Read more →