During their General Chapter on June 18, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation elected Mother Anna Grace Neenan, OP, as the prioress general of the congregation to lead the religious community for a second six-year term from 2024 through 2030.
The Diocese of Knoxville is abuzz as the ordination and installation of Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman is only days away. Catholic faithful and others from across East Tennessee are making plans to attend the historic Mass that will ordain the Diocese of Nashville priest as the fourth shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville.
“Together with my brother bishops, we condemn political violence, and we offer our prayers for President Trump, and those who were killed or injured. We also pray for our country and for an end to political violence, which is never a solution to political disagreements. We ask all people of goodwill to join us in praying for peace in our country. Mary, Mother of God and Patroness of the Americas, pray for us.”
Three new priests and a new transitional deacon joined the ranks of Diocese of Knoxville clergy on June 8 as Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre ordained the quartet at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Bishop-elect Beckman is an avid hiker and has a deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. His coat of arms reflects this part of his life, in which he has found much solace and communion with God in prayer. His personal arms display a symbolic natural setting, which also has ties to the bishop’s heritage, and to Sacred Scripture.
Father Chris Michelson, pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish since 2007, has retired as an active pastor but will continue to serve the Diocese of Knoxville as president of St. Joseph School and as special advisor to the president of Knoxville Catholic High School.
Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman will be ordained the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville on Friday, July 26 at 2 p.m. at the Knoxville Convention Center. Tickets are required for entry. Doors will open at 11:45 a.m. Please be seated by 1:30 p.m.
Every year, the Diocese of Knoxville holds a special Mass of confirmation for those adult Catholics who have been baptized and received their first Holy Communion but have not been confirmed.
The 2023-24 school year is now in the history books, and more than 240 graduating seniors at the Diocese of Knoxville’s two high schools are transitioning to the next phases of their lives.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be traveling the country May 17 - July 16, 2024 culminating at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. The St. Juan Diego Route, the southern portion of the pilgrimage, will come through the Diocese of Knoxville, stopping at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga on June 24.
As part of the Synod process, listening sessions were held in person and online in the Diocese of Knoxville in March 2024. You can find the full report from the 2024 interim stage of listening sessions on the Diocese of Knoxville Synod page.
Father Bertin Glennon, a longtime priest in the Diocese of Knoxville who was a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity religious order, passed away on May 21 in Chattanooga, where he ministered during much of his priesthood.
The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) announced 11 winners of its “Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award” at its annual convention, which was held in Pittsburgh April 2-4. Representing Knoxville Catholic High School was award-winner Dickie Sompayrac, who serves as president of the diocesan school.
Picture Christ. What image comes to your mind? Sacred art forms our understanding of religious concepts, like who Christ is, and educates us on the faith, using rich imagery and symbolism to pass down stories and meaning.
The 5,000 who attended the ordination of Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell and the formal establishment of the Diocese of Knoxville on Sept. 8, 1988, did not know it, but the fourth bishop of Knoxville was seated among them at the old Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center as the first bishop was installed.
News that Nashville priest Father Mark Beckman will be the Diocese of Knoxville’s fourth bishop was met with an immediate air of familiarity and comfort by many across East Tennessee.
Pope Francis reached into the ranks of Tennessee priests to select the Diocese of Knoxville’s next bishop. Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman was introduced on May 7 as the fourth shepherd of the Church in East Tennessee immediately following an announcement by the Holy Father.
Pope Francis has appointed Father James Mark Beckman, 61, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville for more than three decades, as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. The appointment was announced in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
