Holy Cross Parish pastor Father Ron Stone dies

Father Ron Stone, 69, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Pigeon Forge and a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville since 2014, passed away Friday evening, Dec. 8, following a recent battle with cancer.

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre made the announcement to priests, deacons, seminarians, and religious of the Diocese of Knoxville shortly after Father Stone’s passing.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed for Father Stone at 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, at Holy Cross Church, 144 Wears Valley Road, in Pigeon Forge followed by a rosary at the church at 4 p.m., a wake at 5 p.m., vespers at 6 p.m., and then visitation 6:15-9 p.m., ending with the Compline.

The funeral Mass for Father Stone will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 711 S. Northshore Drive in Knoxville. Archbishop Fabre will be the main celebrant.

He will be laid to rest in New Mexico.

Father Stone was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 2001, and came to East Tennessee from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He first served the diocese as parochial administrator of Holy Cross before becoming pastor of the Sevier County parish in July 2018.

He has also served as a priest for the Handmaids of the Precious Blood at their Cor Jesu monastery and at St. Jude Parish in Helenwood.

Father Stone was raised in Germany with a Catholic upbringing, spending the first part of his life in homes and in an orphanage. He came to the United States when he was 11, not being able to speak any English, but he learned the language very fast as he settled in Arlington, Va.

After finishing high school, he entered the U.S. Navy, and following his service began a years-long sojourn to the priesthood and his ministry.