April 11, 2004

The Committee on the Home Missions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has awarded the Diocese of Knoxville a grant of $175,000 for 2004-05, which will be used to help support Hispanic ministry in East Tennessee.

“This grant represents a significant share in the costs of supporting this important ministry in our diocese,” said Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz.

“Last October Dr. David Suley of the Missions staff visited our diocese and saw firsthand the fine pastoral work of outreach, evangelization, and catechetical training provided through our diocesan staff of the Office of Hispanic Ministry as well as the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ad Gentes Sisters], from their convents in Chattanooga and Jonesborough.”

In addition, the bishop explained, the diocese will receive a one-time grant of $20,000 to support the work of diaconal formation. “Thirty-three deacon aspirants are now in their second year of formation and preparing for candidacy in late June. These funds will assist us in the costs related to their monthly formation weekend.

“We are deeply indebted to the Catholic Home Missions Office and very thankful to members of our diocesan family who each year generously support the special collection for Home Missions. We are seeing their donations in action right here in East Tennessee.”

This year the Committee on the Home Missions distributed $12 million in grants to about 85 needy dioceses. The 2004 Home Missions Appeal is scheduled for the weekend of April 24 and 25.

The money goes primarily to mission dioceses in Appalachia, the Deep South, the border states, the Rocky Mountain states, and missions in the Pacific and Caribbean. For more information, visit www.usccb.org/hm.