The Diocese of Knoxville Living our Roman Catholic faith in East Tennessee MEDIA ADVISORY The Chancery March 1, 2018 805 Northshore Drive Contact Jim Wogan Knoxville, Tenn. 37919 865-660-0189 ■
[email protected] www.dioknox.org Cathedral of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus dedication Saturday Pope Francis’ diplomatic representative among attendees this weekend KNOXVILLE--- The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the long-anticipated new mother church of the Diocese of Knoxville, will be dedicated at noon Saturday, March 3, in a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard F. Stika. More than a thousand people will be in attendance for this historic celebration and Rite of Dedication, including leaders of the Catholic Church representing the Vatican, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and more than a dozen archdioceses, dioceses, and Catholic communities as well as faithful from the Diocese of Knoxville’s 51 parishes and Catholic missions. The Mass marks the official opening of the Diocese of Knoxville’s first dedicated cathedral, located at 711 S. Northshore Drive in Knoxville. It will replace the current Sacred Heart Cathedral, built in 1955 and opened in 1956. Sacred Heart served as a parish church from Jan. 1, 1956, until Pope St. John Paul II established the Diocese of Knoxville in 1988 and then elevated Sacred Heart to a cathedral. The old cathedral building will be converted into a parish fellowship hall. Joining Bishop Stika for the Dedication Mass will be Cardinal Justin Rigali, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Cardinal William Levada, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Among the archbishops and bishops attending will be Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Archbishop Joseph E.