News - January 2023 RSS Feed

In connection to the Abiding Together podcast, the Catholic Motherhood group will be discussing Be Transformed: The Healing Power of the Sacraments, by Bob Schuchts. The group will meet via Zoom on Tuesday nights from 8-9pm. Contact Nikki Pacitti at (423) 718-2843 for further details and for a discount code for the book.

On Sept. 29, 2022, Cate Mueller went to the hospital for what she thought was a stroke, and she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that has also spread to parts of her brain. She has undergone radiation and chemotherapy, and is receiving immunotherapy through 2023. Cate has tolerated the treatments with grace and even humor, and the treatments are working! Cate is married to Dan Mueller, our Basilica Usher Coordinator and Knights of Columbus Liaison, and she is active at the Basilica as a Lector and a member of the Finance Council. Please pray for Cate and her family. Click to read more.

Kimberly Russell is a recent convert to the Catholic faith. She and her husband Robert and two daughters joined the Basilica parish in 2022. Kimberly had surgery at Vanderbilt on January 24 and is thankful for everyone's prayers. Recovery has been painful, but she is back to her activities including church, and she and her family are preparing to complete their initiation into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Click for details.

Your gift not only funds many of the operations of the Diocese of Knoxville, it funds services that are of great help to the ministries here in our parish, including: Religious Education programs, Campus Ministry, Youth Ministry, Hispanic Ministry, Tribunal, and Catholic Charities. Each Appeal gift enables the diocese to build up the kingdom of God throughout East Tennessee. Please answer Bishop Stika’s request and make a commitment to the annual appeal.

ALL WOMEN are invited to the Knoxville Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Lenoir City, April 20-22. Come 1, 2 or all 3 days. The conference brings together women from across the Diocese to share in spirituality and holy sisterhood. On Thursday, there will be a Memorial Mass with Bishop Stika, honoring women in the Diocese who have died during the last year followed by a banquet with Keynote Speaker Melissa Foley. On Saturday, Fr. John Arthur Orr will speak on the Eucharist as the food for our journey. Early Registration is $125. Click for more information and visit the KDCCW.Org website.

Having trouble hearing the homily? We now have hearing assistance available through listening devices or through your smartphone, with the “Listen Everywhere” app. Look for the “Assisted Hearing” display in the vestibule. We are looking for volunteers to help us get these devices and the app to people at Mass. Click for details.  

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away the morning of December 31, 2022, at the age of 95. Click to read Pope Benedict's own spiritual testament, his obituary, and several articles regarding his illness, death, and funeral. Please pray for the repose of the soul of +Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

We are recruiting volunteers for two very important liturgical ministries in our parish: our Usher/Greeter ministry – to provide welcome and help to all who come through our doors, and our Sacristan ministry - to prepare the altar for Holy Mass. Training will be provided. Contact the parish office to discuss these opportunities.

We have a few spots left for women of all ages for a retreat Feb. 3-5 at the Bethany House in Dickson, TN! The title is Beyond the Noise and it will be led by Fr. Christopher Floersh. Afternoon walks, rosary, lectio divina, divine chapter, quiet time, holy hour, fellowship, and daily Mass. The Dominican Sisters pamper us with home-cooked meals and top-notch accommodations. Friday evening at 5 through Noon on Sunday (Central Time).

It is traditional for parish priests to bless chalk for each family so that they may mark the names of the three Magi over their doors, in the blessing of homes as a witness of their faith and protection against evil. After Mass on the weekend of Jan. 7 & 8, 2023, you can pick up blessed chalk in the vestibule, and take it home for a traditional Epiphany House Blessing. Click to see the instructional flyer.