2024 Church Guide.indd

Page 14 CHURCH GUIDE St. Patrick Catholic Church 2518 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy Morristown, TN 37814 The roots of Catholicism run deep in East Tennessee. In 1540, the first Europeans to see East Tennessee were Catholic Spaniards of Hernando de Soto’s expedition. De Soto’s party camped near Lookout Mountain and celebrated the Mass at that encampment. From 1908 through 1958 there were only two parishes in Knoxville. Since then, the Catholic population in East Tennessee has grown by leaps and bounds. In 1961 the Catholic population of Tennessee was approximately 77,000. By 1970 that number had grown to 120,000. November 1987 a proposal for the Diocese of Knoxville was sub- mitted to the Vatican. On May 27, 1988, His Holiness, John Paul II, announced the formal establishment of the Diocese of Knoxville. The Diocese of Knoxville currently serves 50 parish churches and one mis- sion parish. St. Patrick Church is one of those 50 parish churches and is the only Roman Catholic Church in Morristown. Father Velez has been serving at St. Patrick since September 2021. On June 26, 2022, Bishop Richard F. Stika formally installed Father Miguel Velez as pastor of St. Patrick Parish inMorristown. Fr. Miguel’s mother and sister where able to be there for the ceremony. Parish Priests, Father Miguel Velez, Pastor and Fr. AdamKane, Asso- ciate Pastor, celebrate three Masses each weekend and daily Masses through the week. Masses are offered in English and Spanish to better serve our growing community. Weekend Mass Times - Saturday 5:00pm Sunday 9:30am & 12:00pm (sp) Weekday Mass Times Monday-Thursday-Friday 8:30am Tuesday 8:30am & 6:00pm (sp) Wednesday 6:00pm Confession is offered every weekend on Saturday at 4:00pm and Sunday at 11:00am. Our History- Late in 1955, Fr. Albert Siener called a meeting with an eighteenmember Men’s Club to form a Catholic Church inMorristown. On February 13, 1956, with approval from the Diocese of Nashville, 5 acres of land was purchased as the future home of St. Patrick Church. On March 17, 1959, the Feast of St. Patrick, the First Mass was cel- ebrated in the new church. The church’s parish center was dedicated in 1980, providing a place for parishioners to hold meetings, religious education, gatherings, retreats, and fellowship. In 2002 St. Patrick grew into the church you see today! The addition, added to the original Church, allows seating for over 700 parishioners at each mass! The original Church now serves as a chapel and overflow seating for Mass. St. Patrick currently serves over 1,400 families from Morristown and surrounding areas. The latest addition at the church was the building of a columbarium next to the parish center which was dedicated in 2009. St. Patrick continues to grow in numbers and diversity as a large influx of people from many different nationalities continue to move to the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. With Jesus Christ as our model, we proclaim our mission: To unite ourselves to Christ in Holy Communion and our brothers and sisters in Christ through the celebration of Mass, the sacraments and prayer. To care for the physical and spiritual needs of our members and our community at large. To encourage growth in faith and commitment to our Lord and His Church through lifelong learning with our youth and adult parishioners as well as our community. To promote programs that strengthen family life and address the con- ditions that weaken it. To encourage open communication and a deeper understanding among churches of all denominations. To provide future generations with the skills and tools needed to live out this mission in Christ.