He Dwells Among Us

We were going to surprise him for his birthday. For a number of months, my brother Joe, a good friend Tim Trout and I were going to fly to Philadelphia and surprise Cardinal Justin Rigali for his 70th birthday. But history changed our plan. Just a few days earlier, the Servant of God, John Paul [...]

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First video blog entry from Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey on Vimeo.

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Please excuse me for this very personal moment, but April 13, 2010, marks the 100th birthday of my late father, Frank Joseph Stika. Although my father died on Oct. 3, 1986, he is still with me in all that I do as a priest and now as a bishop. My father was not an emotional [...]

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I am  slowly working on the conversion of my brothers and sisters of faith in East Tennessee to become Cardinal fans. Today marks the Opening Day celebration of the Cards in St. Louis and I must admit, I am a bit homesick. I miss attending opening day!
In years past, I had the real treat of [...]

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Recently, the former Mayor of New York, Ed Koch shared with the good people of New York the following. It is good material to reflect on given the recent news media blitz on the Catholic Church.
April 6, 2010
He [Or She] That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Him [Or Her] Cast The Next Stone…  Enough [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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