Bishop Richard F. Stika’s Blog
Posted in my column on Jul 8th, 2010
Liberty is more than a political ideal: above all, it is spiritual.
History fascinates me, and every year as Independence Day approaches, my thoughts turn to the events that formed us as a nation. Of course, I love to celebrate baseball and hotdogs—two things that have come to define us as Americans—but [...]
Posted in my column on Jun 13th, 2010
Vocations are a wonderful gift from God and the fruit of many prayers. If prayers are essential for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, the Catholic faithful of our diocese must have been praying a great deal. This was certainly in evidence earlier this month when I ordained Deacon Doug Owens [...]
Posted in my column on May 18th, 2010
There is a long and beautiful tradition within the Church that I have very fond memories of participating in as a child. May is traditionally the month of Mary and is a time when many celebrate her Motherhood and Queenship by consecrating their lives to her and crowning her image with flowers.
As a young boy [...]
Posted in my column on May 5th, 2010
Gardens fascinate me, and what never fails to impress me is how suddenly the beauty of newborn life blossoms around us as if all of nature were celebrating the Easter season too. It seems no coincidence that Jesus’ passion began in a garden and triumphed in another. Even one of the women who first beheld [...]
Posted in my column, my thoughts on Apr 6th, 2010
The “great retreat” of Lent has given way to the great joy of Easter—that of Our Risen Lord! It is a time when we especially speak of joy—a word so often used today interchangeably with “pleasure” and “happiness.” But our joy is so much more than that of the body or the mind.
The joy the [...]
Posted in my column, my thoughts on Mar 19th, 2010
Recently I received a phone call from a friend of mine in St. Louis, and he posed some interesting questions. What is it like to be a bishop, after almost one year? What is it like to be the bishop of Knoxville? Do you miss St. Louis? Do you miss the state of Missouri? Do [...]
