August | 2025 VOL 34 NO 12
IN THIS ISSUE
CHOICE? A5 SCHOOL WHY NOT?
Early advocate Bill Dunn sees his dream come true
SPECIAL DAY REST B1 ETERNAL B1 ABishop Beckman leads GRANT UNTO HIM Fr. Joseph Hammond praised for his ministry
faith-based fun for the differently abled
Catholic commentary ....................... A3 Parish news ....................................... B4 Diocesan calendar ............................ B5 Columns ..........................................B6-7 Catholic schools ............................. B10 La Cosecha ............................Section C
Starting a new chapter Students, faculty report back to diocesan schools By Bee Goodman
New leaders
In addition to the celebrations, some Schools continued on page A12
STEVE COY
J
ust as quickly as summer arrived, we are finding autumn leaves falling into place, Tennessee football not-so-subtly creeping back into play, and schools have started across the diocese. Though summer is a shorter break than we realize, many things have already been planned for the new school year ahead. Many schools are celebrating anniversaries this academic year. St. Dominic in Kingsport is commemorating 80 years, with a Mass and Memories event set for Saturday, Sept. 27, that begins with a vigil Mass at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception for memorabilia-viewing and tour of the school. Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga celebrates 150 years in 2026, while St. Mary in Johnson City celebrates 115 years, Sacred Heart Cathedral School (and parish) 70 years, St. Mary in Oak Ridge its 75th jubilee, and St. Jude of Chattanooga 60 years.
Welcome back Thursday, Aug. 7, marked the first day of school for the 2025-26 academic year as nearly 3,600 students fill classrooms around the Diocese of Knoxville, which is an increase of more than 100 students from 2024-25, according to the diocese's Office of Schools.
A dress that still hangs in her closet Notre Dame High School hosts belated prom for class of 2020 By Bee Goodman
BEE GOODMAN
T
ake a moment to remember what the final months of high school felt like. There was a daily rush of excitement, anxiety for what the future held, and celebrations like prom and graduation that were right around the corner. However, in 2020, Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga had to close its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic just like nearly every school in the country. For the class of 2020, this meant a delayed walk across the stage, no prom, and altered final goodbyes for many. Five years later, on Friday, July 18, the school reunited for its annual alumni weekend. This year’s weekend held a unique sentiment for the class of 2020. To give the special moment to the seniors who missed out, the school decided to host the class’
Trivia pursuits Members of the Notre Dame High School class of 2020 gather for their senior prom on July 18. The classmates played trivia to see who would be named prom queen and prom king. prom five years post-graduation. The theme was fitting, “Better Late
Than Never,” and the class couldn’t have agreed more.
Domenic Mariani is part of the 2020 class, but he also returned to his alma mater as the theology and social studies instructor. As a member of the school faculty, Mr. Mariani has had an uncommon point of view when seeing seniors prepare for their final walk down the halls of Notre Dame. As happy as he was to see recent seniors complete their classes, he admits it is bittersweet to see these students get to have such a special experience, which feels almost like a rite of passage that he had to miss. “I’ve seen all the traditions and things that you do in your senior year, and I kind of look back on it and it's like, wow, I guess I missed out on a whole lot that I never really realized.” The prom, held in Notre Dame’s atrium, featured green and white decorations that were spread among Prom continued on page A18
School choice is now law of the land in Tennessee By Bill Brewer
D
iocese of Knoxville schools are feeling the impact of state-funded, school-choice scholarships, which are affecting all 10 campuses from Chattanooga to the Tri-Cities. Diocesan schools, for the first time, are participating in a program that allows families to choose
where their children attend school, and this month those schools began seeing the Tennessee Education Freedom Act in action. The new law creates 20,000 schoolchoice scholarships, half of which are awarded to families based on income and half of which are unrestricted. Since classes began earlier this month, Diocese of Knoxville school
leaders have been assessing the levels at which the new scholarships will make a difference on school budgets and enrollment. When the General Assembly passed the Education Freedom Act in January, and Gov. Bill Lee signed the measure into law on Feb. 12, scholarships valued at $7,295 each were made available to students. The scholarships are being used at
state-approved private schools beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. No diocesan school has seen a more dramatic effect from the scholarships, commonly called vouchers, than St. Joseph in Knoxville. “More than 50 percent of our kids received scholarships. We far Choice continued on page A14