Blog

"In June, our parish celebrated a beautiful Corpus Christi procession. Seeing parishioners from so many different cultural backgrounds representing their regions at designated stations and singing in their native languages gave me chills. It was a powerful reminder of the World Youth Day theme song, 'We Are One Body.' Witnessing so many cultures and people at different stages of their faith journey come together in worship was truly moving and a beautiful reflection of the universal Church."

"We recently had our planning meeting for the next ministry year with the Young Adult team, and I made sure to make some time for all of us to catch up on how life has been! It was the most fun we have had as a team, and it really goes to show that some unstructured time like that can have a huge impact on the way a leadership team works together."

"Just trying to make sure we coordinated our events well and getting everyone on the same page was hard this month. That is just how planning out the year is, though – somewhat tedious, but it was intentional and worth every minute. We have a great plan for the year, and I am pumped to see it come to fruition!"

"We were excited to host a family fun day event at our local career and vocational education center. Parishioners in attendance enjoyed pizza and snacks, crafts, swimming, soccer, pickleball, and a video game tournament. It was a great day connecting with others, and many in attendance were asking about additional events and activities that we coordinate."

"This month, while coordinating a potential young adult event, the contact was a young adult parishioner that I had not yet met. We were having a wonderful conversation about our shared experience of having a young child at home and how important it is to stay involved in parish life and ministry, even during this busy season of life. Before leaving, he told me he was going to make a point to attend our next event and felt inspired to become more active. That small encounter was a wonderful reminder how those small moments can make a big impact."

"We had an inquirer who came to OCIA; she is 20 and looking for the truth. I am happy to say that she has returned to Inquiry and will be moving on to the Catechumenate phase soon!"

"The Hispanic young adult group hosted a Young Adult Retreat with more than 40 participants, including attendees from neighboring parishes. It was a great success, especially since they welcomed 16 new members. The retreat included Adoration, worship, and talks from two guest speakers, as well as a leader from our parish’s Charismatic Prayer Group, providing participants with an opportunity to deepen their faith and build lasting community."

"LIGHT Young Adults (bilingual young adult group) enjoyed a social outing at the quarry, where members kayaked and paddle-boarded alongside young adults from other parishes in the Diocese of Knoxville. We also continue practicing Lectio Divina during our gatherings, helping members reflect on Scripture and grow in their relationship with Christ. For our annual parish Corpus Christi procession all the young adults assisted with the construction and decoration of their altar prepared for this special celebration, which is well attended by the entire parish."

"Our new pastor has been giving such powerful homilies in his first two weekends here, and it has been incredibly moving. His simple reminders of what a beautiful life is and reminding us to enjoy all of God's gifts have been great. We also participated in the 4th of July parade this year, and although it was hot, it was a tremendous success! Many onlookers were chanting the name of our new pastor as he walked by, showing how well he is loved by the community at large and not just the parish community."