About St. Christopher · Jamestown, Tennessee
St. Christopher Catholic Church is a small Catholic mission community serving Fentress County from Jamestown, Tennessee, in the Diocese of Knoxville. It was organized in 1974 as the Jamestown Catholic Mission, attached at that time to Blessed Sacrament Church in Harriman, and for more than three decades worshipped in borrowed spaces — first the home of Bill and Emily Craven, then the Fentress County Bank, and from 1975 the Allardt Presbyterian Church in nearby Allardt. After Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz approved the name "St. Christopher" in 2005 and Bishop Richard F. Stika dedicated a new church on its patron's feast day in 2009, the community was elevated from mission to full parish status on Feb. 15, 2010. Today it is pastored by Father Michael Sweeney, who also serves Blessed Sacrament in Harriman and St. Ann in Lancing, and the parish marked its 50th anniversary on Aug. 23, 2025 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark Beckman.
- Established
- 1974
- Patron
- St. Christopher
- Rector
- Father Michael Sweeney
- Diocese
- Diocese of Knoxville
Why belong here
St. Christopher is the only Catholic community serving all of Fentress County, and it carries a half-century of pilgrim-faith into its third generation of worship. A parishioner here joins an intimate Saturday-vigil Mass of roughly 80 people in a hillside church built and paid for by fellow Catholics, with the option of a bilingual Sunday-morning Communion service begun in 2008. Father Sweeney's steady pastoral presence since 1999, and the parish's bonds with sister communities like Blessed Sacrament in Harriman and St. Ann in Lancing, give a small but deeply rooted Catholic a real family to belong to on the Cumberland Plateau.
Mass times at St. Christopher
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday of the month after Mass
- Anytime by appointment
History of St. Christopher Parish
St. Christopher traces its roots to 1974, when it was organized as the Jamestown Catholic Mission linked to Blessed Sacrament in Harriman. The community's first Masses were celebrated in the home of charter parishioners Bill and Emily Craven, then at the Fentress County Bank, and from 1975 onward at the Allardt Presbyterian Church in Allardt, which served as the mission's home for 33 years. Renamed the Catholic Community of Fentress County when the Diocese of Knoxville was established in 1988, the community formally took the name St. Christopher by decree of Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz on Nov. 9, 2005, and was elevated from mission to full parish on Feb. 15, 2010.
- 1974 — Organized as Jamestown Catholic Mission, a mission of Blessed Sacrament (Harriman).
- 1975 — Moves worship to Allardt Presbyterian Church, where it remains for 33 years.
- 1988 — Renamed Catholic Community of Fentress County upon creation of the Diocese of Knoxville.
- Nov. 9, 2005 — Bishop Kurtz approves the name "St. Christopher" by decree.
- Feb. 15, 2010 — Presbyteral Council elevates the mission to full parish status.
Building the New Church
After decades of sharing the Allardt Presbyterian Church, the Fentress County Catholics set their sights on a church of their own on the Cumberland Plateau. A 12.45-acre hillside parcel on Holt Spur Road in Jamestown was purchased from the Holt family in 2000 with diocesan support and a grant from the Catholic Foundation of East Tennessee. Ground was broken at an outdoor Mass on June 10, 2006; construction began July 30, 2007; and the first Masses in the new church were held on June 7, 2008.
- 2000 — 12.45 acres purchased on Holt Spur Road, Jamestown.
- June 10, 2006 — Groundbreaking outdoor Mass with Bishop Kurtz, Father Sweeney, the Romers, Peggy Dalton, and Marie Cottrell.
- July 30, 2007 — Construction begins.
- June 7, 2008 — First Masses in the new church.
- July 25, 2009 — Bishop Richard F. Stika dedicates St. Christopher Church on the patron's feast day, concelebrating with Father Sweeney and former pastor Monsignor Philip Thoni.
The Church Building
The completed St. Christopher Church cost $650,000 to build and features 3,200 square feet on each of its two levels, with seating for 130. Its hillside site sits just off the U.S. Highway 127 bypass near the Highway 52 intersection, and the structure is clearly visible from Highway 127.
- Cost to build: $650,000
- Seating capacity: 130
- Two floors, each 3,200 square feet
- Site: 12.45 acres, Holt Spur Road, Jamestown
Patron Saint: St. Christopher
When parishioners petitioned Bishop Kurtz to name their new church in 2005, St. Christopher was at the top of their list. In their petition they wrote that "the name…and the powerful message of St. Christopher best suits our history and our aspirations…we have sought to carry Christ in our hearts." Bishop Kurtz agreed, noting that the name means "bearer of Christ" and that the legend tells of the Christ Child being borne across a river by St. Christopher; the cathedral itself has long welcomed pilgrims with a statue of the saint. The parish's feast day is July 25, the date Bishop Stika chose for the 2009 dedication.
- Name means "bearer of Christ".
- Feast day: July 25.
- Dedication date: July 25, 2009, by Bishop Richard F. Stika.
Parish Leadership & Clergy
Father Michael Sweeney has served as pastor of St. Christopher since 1999 while also pastoring Blessed Sacrament in Harriman and St. Ann in Lancing. With his arrival, care of the Jamestown mission returned to its original parish in Harriman. He is the long-tenured spiritual shepherd of this faith community and concelebrated both the 2009 dedication and the 50th-anniversary Mass in 2025.
- Father Michael Sweeney — Pastor since 1999; also serves Blessed Sacrament (Harriman) and St. Ann (Lancing).
Charter Parishioners & Founders
The parish's early identity was shaped by Bill and Emily Craven, who hosted the first Masses in their home and at the Fentress County Bank, and who established the mission's building fund; Bill Craven became a Catholic himself in 1983. Their legacy continues through their daughter Denise Romer and her husband Jim Romer — married at Allardt Presbyterian on Oct. 11, 1975 — who have served as parish leaders since 1990.
- Bill and Emily Craven — first hosts; Bill established the building fund, became Catholic in 1983.
- Jim and Denise Romer — parish leaders since 1990; Jim Romer is a Jamestown attorney.
- Peggy Dalton — longtime parishioner, present at the 2006 groundbreaking.
- Marie Cottrell — longtime parishioner, present at the 2006 groundbreaking.
Diocese & Wider Catholic Family
St. Christopher belongs to the Diocese of Knoxville, led since 2024 by Bishop Mark Beckman, who celebrated the parish's 50th-anniversary Mass in 2025. The mission was originally attached to Blessed Sacrament Church in Harriman, and today Father Sweeney continues to shepherd Blessed Sacrament and St. Ann in Lancing alongside St. Christopher. Sister parishes including St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade and St. Mary in Gatlinburg, along with Catholic Extension, contributed to the building fund that made the new church possible.
- Diocese of Knoxville — Bishop Mark Beckman (since 2024)
- Sister parishes: Blessed Sacrament (Harriman), St. Ann (Lancing)
- Building-fund contributors: St. Francis of Assisi (Fairfield Glade), St. Mary (Gatlinburg), Catholic Extension
50th Anniversary (2025)
St. Christopher proudly marked its golden jubilee on Aug. 23, 2025, with Bishop Mark Beckman celebrating a 6:30 p.m. CDT (7:30 p.m. EDT) vigil Mass and serving as the featured guest at a golden-anniversary dinner afterward in St. Teresa Hall. Father Sweeney concelebrated the anniversary Mass, having served the parish for 26 years by that point. Bishop Beckman — familiar with the area from hiking trips before his assignment — called it a joy to mark the milestone at what he described as the northwestern tip of the diocese.
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025
- Celebrant: Bishop Mark Beckman
- Concelebrant: Father Michael Sweeney
- Reception: Golden-anniversary dinner in St. Teresa Hall
Visiting St. Christopher
St. Christopher's hilltop setting on Holt Spur Road makes it easy to find. From the U.S. Highway 127 bypass, turn onto White Oak Road (one block north of the Highway 52 overpass), go west on White Oak about 100 feet to Holt Spur Road, then north on Holt Spur Road 0.3 mile to the church; the building is visible from Highway 127. Visitors are asked to call (865) 882-9838 for the latest schedule or to make an appointment for confession outside the monthly First Saturday time.
- Address: 160 Holt Spur Road, Jamestown, TN 38556
- Phone: (865) 882-9838
- Website: blessedsacramentchurchandmissions.com/saint-christoper
- From Highway 127 bypass: White Oak Rd. (north of Hwy 52 overpass) → west 100 ft to Holt Spur Rd. → north 0.3 mi to church.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Leo Schroeder, SJ1974–1976
Jesuit priest based at Blessed Sacrament, first pastor of the Jamestown Catholic Mission.
- Father Charles Reiner, OSB1976
Benedictine priest based at St. Alphonsus in Crossville.
- Father Gabriel Germann, OSB1976–1978
Benedictine priest based at St. Alphonsus in Crossville.
- Father Paul Koehler, OSB1978–1983
Benedictine priest based at St. Alphonsus in Crossville.
- Father George Sheehan, SDS1983–1996
Salvatorian priest; lived at St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade while serving Fentress County.
- Monsignor Philip Thoni1996–1999
Longtime Diocese of Knoxville priest; lived at St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade; concelebrated the 2009 dedication.
- Father Michael Sweeney1999–present
Arrived at Blessed Sacrament in 1999; care of the mission returned to its original parish in Harriman; concelebrated the 50th anniversary Mass on Aug. 23, 2025.