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The Birth of a
Parish
Jackie
Owen and Beth Beazley
 Knoxville's second Catholic parish came
to life in the early 20th Century, when Bishop Thomas Byrne
commissioned Father James Lorigan, assistant pastor at Immaculate
Conception, to build a new church in the north part of town. Named
Holy Ghost, the announcement about the new church and its location
was made not coincidentally on the Feast of Pentecost, 1907, from
the pulpit of Immaculate Conception
Church.
Built in 1908, the original
church featured an altar of Tennessee marble. It served as the
parish's church until 1926, when the current building was dedicated.
Father Lorigan was named Holy Ghost's first pastor, celebrated its
first Mass and baptized its first infant, James Edward Harris. Holy
Ghost School (now St. Joseph's School) opened with 80 students in
September, 1908, and was managed by the Sisters of
Mercy.
Holy Ghost's fourth pastor,
Rev. L.J. Kemphues, announced plans for construction of a new
church. Cincinnati architects Crowe and Schulte were retained, along
with Knoxville contractor J.M. Dunn and Son to design and build the
current Indiana Bedford stone Norman-Gothic structure, one of the
most beautiful churches in Tennessee.
Ground breaking was held in
1925. A year later, the new and current Holy Ghost Church was
dedicated with a 20-piece band and a large mixed
choir.
During the pastor ship of
Father John V. Cunningham, the church experienced its first crime.
Three days after Christmas, 1931, the tabernacle and Blessed
Sacrament were chiseled from the altar and stolen. They were found
undisturbed three days later in a vacant house
downtown.
Rev. Joseph P. Follman served
the parish for 16 years until his death in 1954. He instituted many
new practices, including the elimination of pew rent, installation
of automatic kneelers, a new pipe organ and two side altars. He
began the use of missals and formed a CYO and an all-male choir, in
line with Vatican directives. In 1943, he founded the Knoxville
Ladies of Charity. This legacy of support for the area's poor
continues even today. In the mid-1940s, he purchased a convent for
the Sisters of Mercy, the white clapboard house at 114 Hinton
Avenue.
During the four-year pastor
ship of Father Leo Baldinger, the convent was remodeled and planning
began for a new elementary school. But St. Joseph School ultimately
became a reality in large part due to Father Baldinger's successor -
the priest who set the record for Holy Ghost pastor ship - Rev.
Albert J. Henkel.
During Father Henkel's 38
years as pastor of Holy Ghost, he managed the Trinity Society, a
guild to raise money for the school building fund. He established
our current envelope donation system, doubled CCD participation and
formalized ushers. Most importantly, he built the school to which he
became so devoted. His support and sponsorship of the Ladies of
Charity exemplified his well-known devotion to the
poor.
One of Father Henkel's
greatest accomplishments was helping to make the church debt-free.
On Pentecost Sunday, 1976, the mortgage was burned to celebrate the
achievement. In June 1990, Father Henkel hosted the first ordination
to take place at Holy Ghost. Rev. Vann Johnston, Jr., our current
associate pastor, was ordained by Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell.
Father Albert Henkel died December 26,
1996.
Several months following
Father Henkel's death, one of his former associates, Monsignor
Xavier Mankel, was named Holy Ghost's tenth pastor. In his short
time at Holy Ghost, he has renovated the rectory, re-instituted the
Parish Pastoral Council, begun expansion at St. Joseph School and
initiated several projects to affirm the beauty and architectural
significance of our church.
Holy Ghost is often described
in one word: Tradition. It is devotion to the traditions of the
Church and to the parish's long and prayerful history that keeps
many members of our family commuting each week from all over east
Tennessee to worship and participate in the life of Holy Ghost
Church.
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