Msgr. Robert Hofstetter dies at age 94

Monsignor Robert Hofstetter, a priest of 68 years and most recently pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport, passed away at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville on Thursday, July 7. He was 94.

Monsignor Hofstetter was in active ministry until his hospitalization last week. He was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Nashville in 1954 and first served in East Tennessee at St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge beginning in 1974. Monsignor Hofstetter also served at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville and St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga.

Bishop Richard F. Stika called Monsignor Hofstetter "a good and holy man and a magnificent priest."

The wake for Msgr. Bob Hofstetter will begin on Friday, July 15, at 1 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville with the funeral Mass to begin at 3 p.m.

A second wake will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport on Monday, July 18, at 10 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. with interment at the parish columbarium following.

Read more about Monsignor Hofstetter's long life and vocation in the Catholic Church in an upcoming edition of The East Tennessee Catholic newspaper