The Diocese of Knoxville (Latin: Dioecesis Knoxvillensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Tennessee.It was founded on May 27, 1988 from the eastern counties of the Diocese of Nashville.This diocese covers most of East Tennessee; in addition to the see city of Knoxville, it includes Chattanooga and Johnson City. The diocesan Office of Youth, Young Adult, and Pastoral Juvenil Ministry has announced that Paola Bustos Wolaver has been named a full-time Young Adult Ministry coordinator. ATLANTAArchbishop Gregory John Hartmayer, OFM Conv., is pleased to convey the following official announcements regarding priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The church recently asked the judge overseeing the lawsuit by the former church employee to keep any Vos Estis documentation protected under seal. Associate Pastor, All Saints Church, Knoxville (July 13, 2020) Father Alberto Sescon Chaplain of Ascension Living Alexian Village, Signal Mountain (Sept. 9, 2020) Father Randy Stice Diocesan Director of Liturgy and Worship (Sept. 9, 2020) Note: Father Stice has retired from active priestly ministry Father Sam Sturm Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, LaFollette; Christ the King Church, Tazewell; St. Jude Church, Helenwood (Oct. 1, 2020) Father Arthur Torres Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Chattanooga (Oct. 1, 2020) Father Miguel Velez Appointed parochial vicar of St. Patrick Church, Morristown (Sept. 9, 2020). Reverend Paul King, in addition to his current role as Pastor of St. George, Hartford, to Pastor of St. Ann Parish, Humboldt. He was ordained in 2008 and has served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Ss. New assignments are announced for 25 priests; Fr. The Diocese of Knoxville is the Roman Catholic diocese of East Tennessee. Father Vlez-Cardona also has been the diocesan moderator of the Charismatic Movements for Hispanics. Father Moser will be in residence and serving as weekday minister at St. Catherine Labour Parish in Copperhill effective Sept. 9. Father OConnell is retired from active priestly ministry. He continues to serve as pastor of Ss. He continued to serve as diocesan director of Worship and Liturgy with assistance from Father Joe Reed. Stika did not respond to questions about that employee. Knoxville diocese used top priest to take sex abuse complaints, not therapist For roughly 10 months after the death of the diocese's longtime victim assistance coordinator, the diocese. Additionally, Temporary Parochial Administrator, Our Lady of . After due consultation and prayerful reflection, and in order to provide for the proper care of souls entrusted to him, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland is pleased to announce the following pastoral assignments and appointments for the Diocese of Tyler. Additional priest assignments, including those for candidates for priestly ordination, will be announced when they have been decreed. The bishops behavior raised red flags, one priest toldThe Pillar. The settlement means. Reverend William Hamak, from Pastor of St. Joseph, Mobridge, to Pastor of St. Margaret, Kimball, and St. James, Chamberlain. His first assignment was at St. Jude. Effective July 1, 2021, (unless indicated differently) the Most Reverend Donald E. DeGrood has decreed the following priest appointments to parish and other assignments: Reverend Mark Axtmann, from Chaplain, Avera St. Lukes Hospital and Sacramental Minister at St. Mary, Aberdeen, to Parochial Vicar, St. Joseph, Mobridge, St. Michael, Herreid, St. Anthony, Selby, and St. Joseph, Eureka. Reverend Timothy Cone, from Parochial Vicar, Holy Family and Holy Spirit, Mitchell, to to Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart and St. Mary in Aberdeen. The Diocese of Knoxville bid farewell to one of its most beloved priests in January as it celebrated the life of Monsignor Bill Gahagan. Father Joseph Mundakal, CMI, is released from the office of Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Lawrenceburg and is appointed Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Dover. Ordained in 1995, he has served at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bettendorf, Holy Family Parish in Davenport, Assumption & St. Patrick Parish in Charlotte, Ss. Mary & Mathias Parish in Muscatine. Saturday, March 4 at St. Gabriel Parish (Register here)Saturday, March 11 at Ave Maria Parish (Register here) So many of our brother priests have left, have been kept out, or have retired early, he added. All but one of the assignments will become effective on Monday, June 28, 2021. Mike Creson - Pastor, Our Lady of Perpet. Father Arthur Torres, who has served as associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus since his 2013 ordination to the priesthood, has been appointed pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga effective Oct. 1. Father Anthony Stewart is released from the office of Associate Pastor of Holy Family Church in Brentwood, and upon canonical erection of the parish, will be appointed as Pastor of Mother Teresa Church in Nolensville for a term of six years. During the exhumation of the remains of a priest with an open cause for sainthood, the bishop made repeated remarks about the clearly evident pubic hairs of the departed priest, remarks which are now widely known among the faithful, and which, sadly, will now be popularly associated with the cause of this priest for years to come.. Babu, Pastor, St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro. Bishop Stika said he has nothing to hide and does not want to comment on those who might criticize his management style, a spokesman toldThe Pillaron Thursday. Reverend Robert Krantz, from Pastor of St. Patrick, Montrose, and St. Ann, Humboldt, to Pastor of St. Mary of Mercy, Alexandria, St. Martin, Emery, and St. Stephen, Bridgewater. Father John ONeill is officially an American citizen following Nashville naturalization ceremony By Katie Peterson Tennessee Register After 30 years in the United States, Father John ONeill is officially an American citizen after taking his Oath of Allegiance during his naturalization ceremony on Jan. 18 at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville. He currently serves as pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Bettendorf. Buckman, Rev. Father Sappenfield was ordained on May 30, 2008. Father Paul Nguyen is released from the offices of Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Loretto and Pastor of St. Joseph Church in St. Joseph and is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Edward Church in Nashville. Not unlike the day of my ordination, Im in a complete daze this morning. He has served as Administrator of the parish since Summer 2020. Keep your finger on the pulse of Catholic life in Middle Tennessee by subscribing to the weekday Priest Assignment Changes -July 2021. The priest assignments for 2021 are listed below. Father Sturm, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1999, has served as pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Dayton since July 2007. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to The East Tennessee Catholic and receive notifications of new posts by email. Father Zachary Griffith, who also was ordained to the priesthood Aug. 29 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, is the new associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga as of Sept. 9. Your email address will not be published. Reverend Christopher Hughes, from Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle, Faulkton, and St. Liborius, Polo, to Pastor of St. Mary, Clear Lake, St. Peter, Gary, St. Francis de Sales, Estelline, Holy Rosary, Kranzburg, and St. John, Castlewood. Father Mundakal was ordained on May 12, 1983, in his native India. The new associate priest speaks five languages: Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese, and has performed two livestreamed piano concerts for the diocese from the basilica since his arrival. We commit ourselves to bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to all we encounter. Unless noted, the appointments are effective July 1. Father Edward R. Kolla, Parochial Vicar, Christ the Good Shepherd, Vineland. A signed copy was sent to the Apostolic Nuncio office. Mary & Joseph Parish in Sugar Creek and St. Patrick Parish in Delmar. All Rights Reserved. Father Franco, who has served as pastor of Immaculate Conception since August 2010, is a New York City native who was ordained a priest in October 1995. He wanted to give him more chances and he kept raising objections. "We do not wish, in hindsight, to be accused on remaining silent, or of not having done enough in the interests of justice and charity," they wrote. Father Michael Spiekermeier, 77, will retire. This includes three retirements, one priest assigned to advanced studies and three deacon assignments. Bishop Richard F. Stika recently announced new pastoral assignments for the Diocese of Knoxville and a priest retirement. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to The East Tennessee Catholic and receive notifications of new posts by email. Father Resen came to holy orders after a long career in the legal profession. In 2018, another Tennessee bishop, Bishop Martin Holley wasformally removed from officeafter two years leading the Memphis diocese, after a Vatican-ordered investigation concluded his leadership was ineffective. He was ordained in 1984 and has served in the Diocese of Des Moines at St. Mary Parish in Portsmouth, St. Boniface Parish in Westphalia and St. Albert High School in Council Bluffs. Stika has beenmore recently criticized for permitting a Knoxville seminarian to live in the bishops residence, work as his personal assistant with an office in the diocesan chancery, and remain formally a diocesan seminarian, even after the man was dismissed in February from a seminary outside the diocese, for multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and was accused in 2019 of sexually assaulting a parish employee. The Vatican has not yet announced whether it will launch a formal investigation. Priests in the diocese say the circumstance is part of a pattern of questionable relationships and troubling judgment on the bishops part, which have been noted in complaints about Stika sent recently to the Vatican. One Knoxville priest toldThe Pillarhe appreciated, and even regarded as noble, Stikas willingness to order new evaluations for the deacon and investigate the claims against him. Ordained in 2004, he has served at Prince of Peace Parish in Clinton, St. Mary Parish and Newman Catholic Student Center in Iowa City, and director of vocations and associate director of vocations for the diocese. Deacon Chris Kabat, while remaining a deacon at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City, also assigned as deacon at St. Bernadette Parish in West Branch. Succeeding Father ODonnell at St. John XXIII is Father Richard Whitney, CSP. Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced the following priest assignments with their effective dates: Father Colin Blatchford Associate Director of Courage International, Trumbull, Conn. for a 5-year term (Sept. 8, 2020) Father Andrs Cano Appointed Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry in the Five Rivers Deanery and sacramental minister to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood (Sept. 9, 2020) Father David Carter Re-appointed pastor of the Basilica of Sts. He urged other priests both to prayer, and to express their concern to Stika directly. Manning conceded that the optics are bad on this, even while he defended the bishop. Father Ebulueme was ordained on July 22, 1995, in his native Nigeria. Please keep the priests and parishes in your prayers as they settle into new assignments. Father Torres also has served as deanery coordinator for vocations and master of ceremonies for diocesan Masses and as moderator of the Hispanic Marriage Encounter Ecclesial Movement. He was ordained in 2005. Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2007, Father Stice served as a parochial vicar in two parishes. Effective July 1, 2021, the Most Reverend Donald E. DeGrood has decreed the following appointments which have the effect of creating new pastoral linkages between parishes: Reverend Thomas Anderson, in addition to his current role as Pastor of St. Benedict, Yankton, to Pastor of Sacred Heart, Yankton. Office of Chancellor & Chief Operating Officer, Office of Stewardship & Strategic Planning, Youth, Young Adults, and Pastoral Juvenil, Cause of Sainthood for Father Patrick Ryan, https://etcatholic.org/2021/07/bishop-stika-announces-priest-assignments/. He was ordained in 1985 and has served at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport, Sacred Heart Parish in Kinross, Holy Trinity Parish in Richmond, St. Joseph Parish in Wellman, St. Patrick Parish in Melrose, St. Patrick Parish in Georgetown and St. Peter Parish in Lovilia. Following his 2017 ordination to the priesthood, Father Floersh was assigned as chaplain at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga and part-time parochial vicar at St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga. Reverend Michael Griffin, from Pastor of St. Mary, Aberdeen, and Administrator of Sacred Heart, Westport, to Pastor of St. Joseph, Mobridge, St. Michael, Herreid, St. Anthony, Selby, and St. Joseph, Eureka. Father Bala was ordained on May 29, 1990, in his native India. His first assignment was as an associate priest at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga in 2011 until he was assigned to the basilica in September 2020. SupportThe Catholic Messengersmission to inform, educate and inspire the faithful of the Diocese of Davenport and beyond! And so the diocese needs help., For his part, Stika told The Pillarlast week that the majority of Knoxville priests support his recent decisions regarding the seminarian, and that a minority criticizing him are doing so because they dont have all the facts.. Sister Peter Miriam also is a certified EMT. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; }
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We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. He also is doing studies at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Will Schmid has been appointed Director of Spirituality Year for our seminary. Long before the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville received an investigative visit from high-ranking church leaders, a group of priests sent a blistering letter about Bishop Richard Stikas leadership to the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church in America, Knox News has learned. Father John Burns, who was granted senior status on March 1, is pictured with gifts he received May 2 from members of the three parishes he served since 2005 -- St. John the Apostle in Woodhull, St. John the Evangelist in Galva, and St. John Vianney in Cambridge. Thomas, Pastor, St. Mary Parish in Franklin and Christ the King Parish in Scottsville. Kulathumkal, Rev. Father Whitney was ordained a priest on May 22 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, where the Paulist Fathers are based. Bishop Richard F. Stika is bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. news from the archives, original podcasts, saint bios, trivia and more! Father Collins previously has served as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa and St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge. When the results came back and were evaluated by the personnel of the Diocese of Knoxville the vocations director and the leadership of the Diocese of Knoxville they 100% said he should not be admitted [as a candidate for] our diocese under any circumstances. Father Simpson was ordained on May 25, 2019. Father Andrs Cano, who has been serving as associate pastor at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa, has been appointed coordinator of Hispanic Ministry in the Five Rivers Deanery and as sacramental minister to the Handmaids of the Precious Blood contemplative community at their Cor Jesu Monastery in New Market effective Sept. 9. Suscribe to the eRegister, our electronic news bulletin, and keep up with the breaking news from the Tennessee Register. This includes three retirements, one priest assigned to advanced studies and three deacon assignments. Quietly over a period of weeks in 2021, 12 priests from across the diocese began discussing concerns they felt were not being properly addressed by Stika. Diocesan officials had concerns about that seminarian, priests toldThe Pillar, and were confused that Stika was insistent about keeping him in the diocese after objections were raised, even while the bishop was willing to dismiss other seminarians about whom similar concerns had been raised. Bishop J. He is simply not capable, another said, no matter how much he means well. Father Hai Dinh, 58, will become pastor of St. Mary Parish in Lone Tree, St. Joseph Parish in Hills and St. Mary Parish in Nichols. He succeeds Father Edward Steiner, whose tenure as Director of Ongoing Clergy Formation is concluding. He remains Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Cookeville and Dean of the Northeast Deanery. The priests have not received a response from the Apostolic Nuncio in the nearly year and a half since they sent it. The alleged victim, John Doe, has since filed a lawsuit against the diocese and Stika. Father Brant will remain in the Diocese and will continue to assist in priestly ministry as . Bishop announces new priest assignments. Multiple sources in the Diocese of Knoxville toldThe Pillarthat Stika did eventually seek to ordain the deacon a priest of Knoxville, despite objections from senior diocesan officials and additional psychological experts. All but one signed it electronically. The Bishop of Knoxville accepted a transitional deacon for parish ministry, even after the deacon was dismissed from seminary because of sexual misconduct allegations. Several Knoxville priests toldThe Pillarthat Stikas apparent intention to ordain the aspiring priest is part of a pattern of questionable judgment, failure to listen to advice from both priests and experts, and, in some cases, failure to appreciate the significance of allegations of sexual misconduct. Through a spokesman, Stika said that seminarian was dismissed from the Diocese of Knoxville in December 2017, but he would not convey the reasons, and declined additional questions. Reverend Terry Weber, from Pastor of St. Michael, Sioux Falls, to Pastor of St. John, Plankinton, St. Peter, White Lake, and St. Mary, Stickney. Receive our weekly newsletter in your email inbox. Father Valentin Iurochkin, IVE, a Russian priest who joined the Diocese of Knoxville in October 2019 and has been in residence at the basilica, has been appointed associate pastor of the basilica and chaplain at the University of TennesseeChattanooga Neumann Center effective Sept. 9. The diocese is home to 50 Catholic churches, one mission parish, and 10 Catholic schools. The letter alleges the bishop and the seminarian traveled together in the summer of 2021, evidenced by a video posted on Facebook. Father Theo Ebulueme is reappointed to an additional six-year term as Pastor of Holy Name Church in Nashville. Father Bob ODonnell, a Paulist priest who has been serving as associate director of St. John XXIII University Parish on the University of Tennessee-Knoxville campus, will be transitioning into senior ministry status on July 1, according to the Paulist Fathers. Father Moser was born in St. Paul, Minn., and studied at the University of Minnesota before graduating from Loyola College in Baltimore. Father Carter, a canon lawyer, also was appointed earlier this year by Bishop Stika to lead the new Tribunal of the Diocese of Knoxville. He began seminary training in Colombia and completed his training at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. John Burns to senior status. Bishop Richard F. Stika has announced the following priest assignments, effective July 1, 2015: Fr. Father Blatchford, who was ordained to the priesthood in May 2014, also has served as sacramental minister to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Catholic Center and previously served as associate pastor at All Saints Church in Knoxville. Father Albert announced that he will be the new Chaplain of Ascension Living Alexian Village in Signal Mountain (Effective September 9, 2020). Your email address will not be published. Mark Spalding has announced new assignments for some priests serving in the Diocese of Nashville; seven churches will receive new pastors, administrators, or associate pastors. Im mourning the loss of many of our brothers who could not take it in this insanity. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz. Reverend Gregory Tschakert, from Pastor of St. Katharine Drexel, Sioux Falls, to Pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Groton, and St. Joseph, Turton. Those reports are expected to trigger an investigation into the bishops leadership of his Tennessee diocese. Her most recent service was in the Archdiocese of Seattle, where she served as the pastoral assistant for Faith Formation and Youth and as Young Adult minister for St. Mary Church in Anacortes, Wash., and St. Paul Church. After the deacon was dismissed from seminary, Stika agreed in 2017 to assign him to a year of parish ministry in the Knoxville diocese, and to reevaluate the mans suitability for both ordination to priesthood and possible incardination in the diocese, according to diocesan records. . We do not wish, in hindsight, to be accused on remaining silent, or of not having done enough in the interests of justice and charity, they wrote. Reverend Robert Lacey, effective April 12, 2021, from Pastor of St. John. He was ordained in 2015 and has served at St. Peter Parish in Buffalo, St. Alphonsus Parish in Davenport and St. Mary Parish in Davenport. Following her time with NET Ministries, she attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and graduated with a degree in theology and philosophy. Father Moreno, who is originally from the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and attended seminary at Leon Guanajuato, accepted an invitation from then-Bishop Kurtz to join the Diocese of Knoxville. Chris Manning, a member of the Knoxville diocesan review board who recently investigated allegations against the seminarian, toldThe Pillarthat his investigation did not include interviews with anyone but the accused seminarian, but said that was not Stikas decision. He also will lead the Hispanic communities in those parishes. in Chattanooga. A lot of people do even in our local churches they go to the pastor without going to the person, they said. In 2009, he was named pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga, and prior to that he led St. Mary Parish in Athens and also served as associate pastor of OLPH in Chattanooga. We are a vibrant and diverse community of Roman Catholic believers, numbering 1.6 million throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California. It is unclear if the letter precipitated the apostolic visit last fall. Mary & Joseph Parish in Sugar Creek, Immaculate Conception Parish in Petersville and St. Patrick Parish in Delmar. CATHOLIC PASTORAL CENTER 2800 MCGAVOCK PIKE | NASHVILLE, TN, 37214-1402. Effective July 1, 2021, at the recommendation of the Pro Ecclesia Sancta community and the endorsement of their religious superior, the Most Reverend Donald E. DeGrood has decreed the following appointments: Reverend Yamato Icochea, PES to Parochial Vicar of the parishes of Holy Family and Holy Spirit in Mitchell. Sister Maria Juan Anderson, RSM, has transitioned from serving as director of Christian Formation for the diocese to executive secretary for Bishop Stika. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Reverend Andrew Young, effective May 1, 2021, after having completed his service to the United States Air Force, to Vicar General and Pastor of Risen Savior, Brandon. Father ODonnell will continue to have an office at St. John XXIII and live in Knoxville near the Paulist residence. They felt they had no other recourse. Father Resen has relocated to El Paso, Texas, where his mother lived. Philip and James Parish in Grand Mound. Reverend Michael Kapperman, in addition to his current role as Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart Parish, Aberdeen, to Parochial Vicar at St. Mary Parish in Aberdeen. Philip and James Parish in Grand Mound. He was ordained a deacon in 2007 by Bishop Kurtz and then had to wait for nearly three years until Bishop Stika was installed as the new shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville before he was ordained a priest in November 2010. Before immigrating, he was working as a vascular surgery resident in Ireland, England, and even Read more . Father Francis Odoom, 44, will remain pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Lost Nation and become pastor at Assumption & St. Patrick Parish in Charlotte, Immaculate Conception Parish in Petersville, Ss.