The Diocese of Knoxville and the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi, Townsend
are jointly preparing to do our part to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus.
Please check the information and links below for current plans and procedures.
Bishop Stika’s E-Mail to the Clergy and Parish leaders:
On Monday, March 16, 2020, Bishop Rick Stika wrote:
Brothers and Sisters,
It seems like I am the holdout in my decision to cancel all public Masses as the other dioceses of the Province have announced in the last days. But given the announcement of the President today as well as the logic of doing what we can to limit the spread of this virus, I have decided to mandate the cessation of all public Masses to be celebrated in the Diocese of Knoxville effective March 20, 2020. Thus the last public Masses for a bit will be celebrated on March 19, 2020, the Solemnity of St. Joseph. I will revisit this on April 1, 2020. Tomorrow I will share more details but please know that I am trying to be a good shepherd and know that I can count on you.
Reminder also, all parish meetings as well as diocesan events are canceled until further notice. The same is true for penance services. All Confirmations scheduled in the next weeks will be rescheduled. Given as I am the lone celebrant this year, I may ask the smaller groups to bridge together.
More to come tomorrow. Remember that which guides us is faith and common sense.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop Richard F. Stika
Fr. Antonio’s Comments to St. Francis of Assisi Parishioners:
- Starting Friday, March 20, all Masses (weekday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning) are cancelled until at least April 1st. The Bishop has given dispensation to all for missing Mass.
- All Parish meetings and special events are cancelled until April 1st.
- Stations of the Cross (March 20th and March 27th)
- Lectio Divina (March 17th, March 24th, and March 31st)
- Holy Grounds (March 24th)
- I strongly encourage all parishioners to pray the Stations at home with your family.
- The weekly bulletins will continue to be published and, as always, will be available on the parish website. A limited number of paper copies will be available in the church office for those who are unable to view or print the online bulletin.
- Any Mass intentions which were scheduled during this period will be resceduled once we know when we are resuming Masses. Those who currently have a Mass intentions scheduled will be contacted by the office for rescheduling.
- The office will still remain open from 9 am – Noon, Monday through Friday, should you have further questions (865-448-6070).
- Please pray that these pro-active measures we are taking will help control the spread of this pandemic. Also please pray for the health of all those who have been affected by the coronavirus and for the medical and health professionals who are working tirelessly in response to this pandemic.
Yours in Christ,
Father Antonio Giraldo
Join Bishop Baron online for daily Mass
Mass at the Diocese of Knoxville Sacred Heart Cathedral (YouTube Channel)
USCCB Resources in Response to the COVID-19
Hand and Respiratory Etiquette
Center For Disease Control (CDC) Up-to-date Information
Stations of the Cross with Fr. Reed
This presentation of the Stations of the Cross is on the Catholic TV Network YouTube channel. It can be viewed live each Lenten Friday at 6:00 AM, 12 Noon, and 6:00 PM. It can also be viewed on-demand at any time. The presentation is 28 minutes and 19 seconds long.
MyParishApp
- New to MyParishApp? Want to install it on your phone and get connected with your parish family? Text APP to 88202
- Already have MyParishApp? Check out the app for prayers, online Mass times and locations, bulletins, and much, much more.