About Immaculate Conception · Knoxville, Tennessee
Immaculate Conception Church is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Knoxville, Tennessee, founded in 1855 by Father Henry Brown at the direction of Bishop Richard Miles of Nashville. The parish sits on Summit Hill at 414 West Vine Avenue in downtown Knoxville, and has been served by the Paulist Fathers (Congregation of St. Paul the Apostle) since 1973. The current Victorian Gothic sanctuary was dedicated on September 19, 1886, and is one of the city's most historic religious buildings. Today the parish offers weekend and daily Mass, livestreamed Sunday liturgies, a full sacrament schedule, faith formation, outreach and a twin-parish relationship with St. Francis Xavier in Fond des Blancs, Haiti.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Charlie Donahue, C.S.P.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Knoxville
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is the spiritual home of Knoxville Catholicism, with more than 165 years of continuous worship on Summit Hill in downtown Knoxville. A downtown parish served by the Paulist Fathers, it offers multiple Sunday Masses (livestreamed at 8:15 and 10:00 AM), daily noon Mass, weekly adoration and benediction, and a robust sacramental life. Parishioners of every age find a place here through faith formation for Pre-K through high school, RCIA, youth ministry, music ministry, and a longstanding twin-parish mission relationship with St. Francis Xavier in Fond des Blancs, Haiti.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Tuesday: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Adoration & Benediction)
- 1st Friday: 12:30 PM, following the 12:10 PM Mass
Parish History
Immaculate Conception is the oldest Catholic parish in Knoxville. Irish Catholics were present in the area from the city's founding in 1794, and as early as 1810 there was talk of building a church on the Holston River, but no resident priest was available. The creation of the Diocese of Nashville in 1837 and the railroad boom of the 1840s brought a wave of Irish Catholic immigrants to East Tennessee, making a parish in Knoxville feasible.
Founding and the 1855 Church
In the early 1850s Bishop Richard Miles, first bishop of Nashville, appointed Father Henry Brown as Knoxville's first resident priest. In February 1855 Brown purchased land on Summit Hill at Vine Avenue and Crooked Street (now Walnut). Brown, an amateur architect, drew up plans in the Gothic Revival style, and the parishioners — most of them stone and marble workers — built the entire church themselves. Its contrasting stonework and graceful proportions made it an architectural gem on Knoxville's highest hill, and Bishop Miles dedicated it in the fall of 1855.
- Founded 1855 by Fr. Henry Brown
- Gothic Revival stone church built by parishioners
- Dedicated by Bishop Richard Miles, fall 1855
- Parish name honors Pope Pius IX's 1854 definition of the Immaculate Conception
The 1886 Sanctuary
By the 1880s a larger church was needed. The present sanctuary was constructed in 1886 directly in front of the original 1855 building. Designed by Joseph Baumann — one of Knoxville's first major professional architects — the brick building was built in the Victorian Gothic style and rises two stories, crowned by a central clock tower in a turreted spire. It was dedicated on September 19, 1886, and remains the parish's home today.
- Architect: Joseph Baumann
- Style: Victorian Gothic
- Two stories with central clock tower and turreted spire
- Dedicated September 19, 1886
The Paulist Fathers
The parish has been served by the Paulist Fathers (Congregation of St. Paul the Apostle) since 1973. The Paulists — America's first Catholic religious community, founded in 1858 — are devoted to evangelization, reconciliation between divided Christians, and parish missions. Their long tenure at Immaculate Conception makes the parish part of a nationwide Paulist network of parishes.
- Served by the Paulist Fathers since 1973
Sacraments
Parish staff help families prepare for and celebrate each of the seven sacraments. Marriage requires six months of preparation and a deposit to secure the date; Baptism requires parents to attend a preparation class.
- Baptism — preparation class required; register in advance
- First Eucharist & First Reconciliation — through Faith Formation
- Confirmation — through Faith Formation
- Marriage — 6 months preparation; contact a priest
- Anointing of the Sick & homebound visits — contact the parish office
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for adults entering the Church
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation is offered for children from Pre-K (age 4) through high school, with classes meeting on Sundays during the school year. Adult faith formation opportunities are offered throughout the year, and RCIA is available for adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church.
- Pre-K through High School religious education
- Children's Liturgy of the Word during Mass
- RCIA for adults
- Adult formation as announced
School — St. Joseph School
Immaculate Conception partners with St. Joseph School, a K–8 Catholic school located at 1810 Howard Road in Knoxville. The parish bulletin lists St. Joseph School (www.sjsknox.com, 865-689-3424) as the parish school, and faith-formation classes for Pre-K through high school meet there on Sunday mornings during the school year.
- St. Joseph School (K–8), 1810 Howard Road, Knoxville, TN 37918
- Phone: (865) 689-3424
- Website: www.sjsknox.com
Youth Ministry
Parish youth ministry supports middle- and high-school-aged parishioners through formation, fellowship, service, and liturgical involvement.
- Jr. and Sr. youth ministry opportunities
- Faith-formation classes on Sunday mornings
Parish Ministries & Volunteer Life
Immaculate Conception's liturgical life depends on a large corps of lay volunteers serving in the sanctuary and behind the scenes. Musicians, lectors, servers, sacristans, ushers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion all help the parish worship together each week.
- Music Ministry / Choir
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Altar Servers
- Ushers
- Sacristans
- Parish Bulletin / Communications
Twin Parish: Fond des Blancs, Haiti
Immaculate Conception maintains a long-standing twin-parish relationship with St. Francis Xavier in Fond des Blancs, Haiti. The partnership links the Knoxville parish in prayer, financial support, and missionary exchange with the Haitian community.
- Twin parish: St. Francis Xavier, Fond des Blancs, Haiti
Pastoral & Administrative Staff
The parish is currently staffed by three Paulist Fathers and a parish team serving downtown Knoxville.
- Fr. Charlie Donahue, C.S.P. — Pastor (since January 2021)
- Fr. Tim Sullivan, C.S.P. — Associate Pastor
- Fr. James Haley, C.S.P. — Senior Ministry
About the Pastor — Fr. Charlie Donahue, C.S.P.
Fr. Charlie Donahue became pastor of Immaculate Conception in January 2021. A native of Massapequa, NY, he earned his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut and worked in publishing before entering the Paulist novitiate in 1999. He made first promises on August 5, 2000, and was ordained a priest on May 21, 2005. He served as associate director of Newman Hall–Holy Spirit Parish at UC Berkeley (2005–2009) and as pastor of St. John XXIII University Parish at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (2009–2014). He later served as the Paulist seminary's director of formation and superior of the Paulist Fathers in Washington, D.C. (2014–2016), and as associate director of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at The Ohio State University before returning to Knoxville in 2021. He also serves as a law enforcement chaplain.
Livestreams & Online Worship
For parishioners who are homebound, traveling, or otherwise unable to attend in person, the 8:15 AM and 10:00 AM Sunday Masses are livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
- Sunday 8:15 AM — livestreamed
- Sunday 10:00 AM — livestreamed
- Facebook: Immaculate Conception Church
- YouTube channel available via the parish website
Office & Bulletin
Parish office hours and bulletin submission guidelines are published regularly. The bulletin deadline is noon on Monday; announcements may be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to the parish office.
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–12:45 PM and 1:45–5:00 PM
- Bulletin deadline: Monday at noon
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Henry Brown1855–
First resident priest of Knoxville; purchased the Summit Hill site and designed the original Gothic Revival stone church, dedicated fall 1855.
- Fr. Ronald Franco, C.S.P.pre-2021
Listed as pastor in parish bulletins circa 2011–2013.
- Fr. Jerry Tully, C.S.P.pre-2021
Listed as associate pastor in bulletins circa 2011–2013.
- Fr. Charlie Donahue, C.S.P.2021–present
Current pastor; Paulist Father who previously served at St. John XXIII University Parish at the University of Tennessee and as a police chaplain.