KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The spiritual leader of East Tennessee's Catholic community is celebrating a decade at the Diocese of Knoxville.
Bishop Richard F. Stika is now the longest-serving bishop in the history of the local diocese.
“I am grateful that Pope Benedict XVI, through the Holy Spirit, placed me here more than 10 years ago to serve, in Christ, the faithful of the Diocese of Knoxville,” Bishop Stika said upon learning of this milestone.
Stika celebrated the milestone on July 1, just three days before his 62nd birthday on July 4.
Bishop Stika’s tenure as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church in East Tennessee has been highlighted with growth and stability, according to a press release.
When he arrived in 2009, the Diocese of Knoxville had 45 parish churches, 72 priests, 26 deacons, and 36 men and women religious. There were roughly 58,500 registered Catholics in the diocese. Now, those numbers have grown to 50 parishes and two Catholic missions served by 5 priests, 78 deacons, and 59 men and women religious. The diocese has nearly 73,000 registered Catholics, a new cathedral, and new parish churches where Catholic missions once existed.
In addition, the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, a mobile medical clinic serving in mostly rural areas of East Tennessee, began in 2014.
There are also 13 men studying for the priesthood in the diocese.
“The Diocese of Knoxville is very different from where I was ordained as a priest and lived my entire life,” Bishop Stika, a St. Louis native, noted. “It is, at its core, a mission diocese that is vibrant, and exudes a spirit that guided the Apostles in the early days of the Church. We are still relatively young, and we continue to grow. I am very blessed to be here and I thank God for this gift,” Bishop Stika added.
July 1 marks 3,822 days since Bishop Stika was appointed bishop on Jan. 12, 2009, making him the longest-serving bishop in the history of the Diocese of Knoxville.