In the beginning…
During the 1850’s, a number of Irish
Catholics were employed in the construction of the East Tennessee and Virginia
Railroad, making their temporary home in Newport and surrounding counties. The
first Catholic Church in East Tennessee was built in 1855 in
In 1904, FR. Emanuel F. Callahan, a native of
East Tennessee, was given thirty-four counties, an area 280 miles long and 150
miles wide, as his mission field. He was head-quartered in
In late 1907, the first Mass was offered in
Mr. A. A. Hirst, a
The altar, the stations, and five statues
were donated by Mrs. Hirst. Altar linen and vestments were provided by Mrs.
Frawley who also offered her home as shelter for any of the missionary priests
who came to
St. Agnes Chapel served the area Catholics
for thirty years. With the completion of the railroad, most of the Irish
families began to leave
During the 1940’s and 1950’s, area Catholics
gathered in various places to offer Mass, including private homes and the
dining room of the Kingmeyer Hotel in Morristown, Tennessee. Thanks to the
generosity of the city’s public officials, the Eucharist was also celebrated in
the
The decade of the fifties produced an influx
of industry to
When Fr. Siener was transferred to
The
Good News
When Fr. Luzerne A. Schnupp became pastor of
St. Patrick’s parish and its surrounding five counties in 1965,
Industry had increased the population much as
it had in
In May 1967, the property was purchased by
the Most Rev. Joseph A. Durick, Bishop of Nashville, as the site for future
Catholic worship in
A $10,000 bequest from the Catholic Church
Extension Society, a generous $4,000 gift from J. Lacy Myers, previous owner of
the property, $2,200 from the parishioners of Morristown, as well as $3,200
from the Newport Building Fund, subsidized by separate Sunday collections,
enabled area residents to have their own church. The inauguration of a Catholic
mission in
After purchasing the property, Fr. Schnupp
worked with parishioners, supervising the remodeling of the building. An inside
staircase was enclosed and a wall removed in order to make the large living
room Suitable for a chapel. The front porch was enclosed to provide a
vestibule, and two windows were converted into entry doors. Cost of this
initial project was approximately $5.000. Remodeling continued through the
summer; later, several women of the new congregation labored diligently,
washing windows, shampooing carpet, and scrubbing floors. The celebration of
the first Eucharist took place on Sunday, September 24, 1967, at 11:00 A.M. Fr.
Schnupp was the celebrant of the historic Mass, the first to be offered in
On October 5, 1967, our first Parish Council
meeting was held. The order of business was to initiate religious instruction
classes as well as to organize various committees to care for the chapel and
its grounds. The first officers were:
President: Mrs. Richard Wood
Vice-President Mr. Andrew Goehl
Secretary: Mrs. David Gottwald
Treasurer: Mrs. Cleve Mathis
In November, 1967, ecumenical dialogue
between Fr. Luzerne Schnupp and Fr. James Patrick, the pastor of All Saints
Episcopal Church in
This venture in ecumenism worked out extremely
well over the years. It was, at that time, the only such arrangement in
In January, 1968, Bishop Durrick announced
that our new mission’s official name would be the Church of the Good Shepherd.
The name seemed especially appropriate and meaningful since our priest must
frequently travel great distances to administer to the needs of his flock, just
as Christ the Good Shepherd did centuries ago.
On Sunday, September 30, 1973, Bishop Joseph
A. Durick offered Mass in our chapel, honoring the sixth anniversary of the
mission’s founding. It was the Bishop’s first official visit to
Sunday, January 25, 1976, was a memorable day
for the people of Good Shepherd Mission. The sacrament of Confirmation was
administered for the first time in our mission church. The Most Reverend James
D. Niedergeses, Bishop of Nashville, traveled to Newport, allowing the
confirmands to receive the sacrament in the company of their mission family,
rather than going to Morristown.
The hospitality of the parishioners was shown
to Bishop Niedergeses with a bountiful covered dish luncheon in the church’s
meeting rooms. We were gratified when Bishop Niedergeses returned two years
later. Despite a very busy schedule, he found the time to celebrate the
Eucharist with us in
During the winter of 1979-80, the growth of
our parish necessitated remodeling, renovating, and some rearrangement of
existing space for more practical use. The chapel was expanded to include the
adjoining room, a new office for the priest was created, two new bathrooms and
a small library were added. In addition, the Chapel of Penance was remodeled to
offer penitents the option of private or open confession. Final touches
included new carpet for the altar, office, and confessional, new draperies for
the first floor, and fresh paint throughout the building. In the spring of
1981, we purchased approximately three-fourths of an acre of land, located on
the south corner of our lot. This acquisition was made with the hope of future
expansion.
The year 1981 brought two major changes to
Good Shepherd Catholic Mission. In May, after thirteen years of sharing the
same chapel, our Episcopal brothers and sisters moved to their own church. We
rejoiced with them as they renovated and redecorated their new house of
worship, which was dedicated on September 14, 1981. In July, parish
jurisdictions were modified, and the
The parishioners of Good Shepherd reach
beyond the boundaries of geography to participate in deanery and diocesan
activities. Our members have been active in Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, and
the Charismatic Renewal. In February, 1983, Good Shepherd enjoyed a Parish
Renewal Weekend under the direction of our pastor, Rev. Wiatt Funk. We have
ministered locally to the Nursing Home and transient people in need. The local
migrant population has benefited from a Spanish baptism and funeral which we
arranged as well as clothing and Catholic literature in Spanish which we have
provided.
In December of 1984, the Women’s Club decided
that a food ministry to feed the hungry of
In November, 1985, the faith community of
Good Shepherd rejoiced in the ordination of two long-standing members to the
permanent diaconate – Francis D. Ethier and Robert P. Mehren. We are especially
proud of these men and their commitment.
Whether it is singing during the liturgy,
raking the fall leaves, hosting a card party, or organizing a rummage sale, the
parishioners of Good Shepherd actively take part. There have been volunteers to
mow the lawn, clean the church, cook the priest’s breakfast, teach, wash altar
linen, check the plumbing, service the furnace, plant flowers, make banners,
write letters, paint the building… the list is endless! It’s difficult to
"get lost in the crowd"!
In 2001, new property was purchased and a
team from Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation evaluated the building site
on October 13, 2001. Finally the building plan was approved, ground was broken
on June 26, 2004 by Bishop Kurtz and construction was begun. The original
church property on Broadway was sold along with the parish house next door.
The new church is now a reality on the