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On Sunday, Bishop Mark Beckman provided an update on efforts by the Diocese of Knoxville and its Catholic Charities of East Tennessee to provide emergency assistance to individuals and communities in need.

When guests stepped into the Knoxville Convention Center on July 26 for the ordination and installation of Mark Beckman as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, they were eager to begin a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church in East Tennessee. But it took weeks of preparation and thousands of man-hours to take care of every detail to reach this monumental day.

Beautiful. Impressive. A great day for the Diocese of Knoxville. Those were among the reactions, from just a few of the 4,000 attending, to the July 26 ordination and installation of Bishop Mark Beckman as the Church in East Tennessee’s fourth leader.

Get to know the Diocese of Knoxville's new bishop as he shares about his background, from his family in Middle Tennessee to his call to the priesthood.

A gathering of 4,000 at the Knoxville Convention Center attended the Mass on July 26, the memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, that elevated the longtime Diocese of Nashville priest to bishop of the Church in East Tennessee.

The live-stream of the ordination and installation of Bishop Mark Beckman can be watched on the diocesan YouTube page DioKnox TV beginning at 1 p.m. EST on July 26.

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will pray solemn Vespers with family, friends, and special guests on Thursday, July 25, the evening before his ordination and installation as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. Live-stream of the Vespers service will begin at 6 p.m. on the cathedral YouTube channel.

This page offers information, including directions and parking, for those attending the ordination and installation Mass of Bishop Mark Beckman.

The Diocese of Knoxville is abuzz as the ordination and installation of Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman is only days away. Catholic faithful and others from across East Tennessee are making plans to attend the historic Mass that will ordain the Diocese of Nashville priest as the fourth shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Bishop-elect Beckman is an avid hiker and has a deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. His coat of arms reflects this part of his life, in which he has found much solace and communion with God in prayer. His personal arms display a symbolic natural setting, which also has ties to the bishop’s heritage, and to Sacred Scripture.

Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman will be ordained the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville on Friday, July 26 at 2 p.m. at the Knoxville Convention Center. Tickets are required for entry. Doors will open at 11:45 a.m. Please be seated by 1:30 p.m.

The 5,000 who attended the ordination of Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell and the formal establishment of the Diocese of Knoxville on Sept. 8, 1988, did not know it, but the fourth bishop of Knoxville was seated among them at the old Knoxville Convention and Exhibition Center as the first bishop was installed.

News that Nashville priest Father Mark Beckman will be the Diocese of Knoxville’s fourth bishop was met with an immediate air of familiarity and comfort by many across East Tennessee.

Pope Francis reached into the ranks of Tennessee priests to select the Diocese of Knoxville’s next bishop. Bishop-elect James Mark Beckman was introduced on May 7 as the fourth shepherd of the Church in East Tennessee immediately following an announcement by the Holy Father.

Pope Francis has appointed Father James Mark Beckman, 61, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville for more than three decades, as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville. The appointment was announced in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Richard F. Stika has issued a pastoral letter on sin and the worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Bishop Richard F. Stika has lifted mask mandates for all Masses in the Diocese of Knoxville beginning this weekend, May 22-23, which includes Pentecost Sunday.

Bishop Richard F. Stika has issued updated COVID-19 safety procedures for parishes with an eye toward restoring the Sunday Mass obligation on Pentecost weekend. 

Bishop Stika will celebrate Mass today at noon at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in celebration of the cathedral's third anniversary.

Of the many magnificent feats of construction in the history of human endeavors, none compare with that which St. Joseph, a humble carpenter, labored to build.