About St. Mary · Gatlinburg, Tennessee
St. Mary Catholic Church is a Roman Latin rite parish in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, within the Diocese of Knoxville. Known affectionately as 'the parish of the Smokies,' St. Mary's traces its origins to 1935, when a Knoxville couple donated a log cabin to serve as the first Catholic church in the Smoky Mountains valley. The current church building was completed in 1953 and has since been expanded to include a parish hall, rectory, and a newly dedicated Parish Life Center. With only around 200 permanent registered families, the parish draws many hundreds—sometimes up to 800 per Mass in peak tourist season—from the millions of visitors to nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The parish is bilingual, celebrating Mass in English and Spanish, and runs a robust CCD religious education program for its youth.
- Established
- 1935
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary)
- Rector
- Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Knoxville
Why belong here
St. Mary's offers a warm, bilingual Catholic community in the heart of the Smokies, where visiting tourists and local families worship side-by-side. With only about 200 registered families, the parish has the feel of a close-knit family, yet welcomes hundreds of visitors at every weekend Mass—making it a uniquely hospitable place to experience the Eucharist. The newly dedicated Parish Life Center provides expanded space for the thriving CCD program (which grew from 20 to 90+ students in just one year), parish gatherings, and faith formation for all ages. Whether you live in the Smokies or are just passing through on vacation, St. Mary's treats every Catholic like a member of its home parish.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 5:15–5:45 PM (per catholicmasstime.org)
- Saturdays 3:45–4:15 PM or by appointment (per discovermass.com)
About St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Catholic Church in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a Roman Latin rite parish of the Diocese of Knoxville, founded in 1935 when a Knoxville couple donated a log cabin to become the first Catholic church in the Smoky Mountains valley. The current church was completed in 1953 after the original 40-seat chapel was overwhelmed by post-1940 national park visitors, and it has been expanded over the decades to include a parish hall, rectory, and a new Parish Life Center dedicated in 2021. The parish warmly welcomes both locals and the millions of tourists who visit nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year.
Parish Life Center
St. Mary's new Parish Life Center is a 3,200-square-foot, single-story building dedicated by Bishop Richard F. Stika on August 22, 2021. It was built to address explosive growth in the CCD program and the parish's expanding ministry to Hispanic families and tourists. The center provides a large multi-purpose meeting area, three enclosed classrooms, a parish business office, a separate pastor's office, conference rooms, and an upgraded kitchen. Construction required relocating the parish's Marian Grotto and creating a new rosary garden at the front-right of the church.
- Groundbreaking: October 19, 2020 (Bishop Stika presiding)
- Dedication: August 22, 2021
- Approximate cost: $1 million
- Features: meeting hall, 3 classrooms, parish office, pastor's office, conference rooms, kitchen
- Outdoor rosary garden and relocated St. Mary's Grotto
CCD / Religious Education
St. Mary's CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program was dormant until it was restarted under Father Antony Punnackal and director of religious education Stacy Champagne. It grew from about 20 students in its first year to more than 90 the next year, and it now serves as the core faith-formation program for the parish's children. CCD classes meet immediately after the Wednesday 6:00 PM Spanish Mass, and the new Parish Life Center provides three dedicated classrooms for the program's continued growth.
- Director of Religious Education: Stacy Champagne
- CCD classes: Wednesday evenings after the 6:00 PM Spanish Mass
- Registration forms available on the parish website
- Enrollment growth: ~20 to 90+ students in one year
Hispanic Ministry
St. Mary's serves a significant and growing Hispanic community through its weekly Spanish Mass on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM, followed by CCD religious education classes. The parish has been led in Hispanic ministry by priests including Father Moisés Moreno (associate pastor 2021–2023) and Father Pontian Kiyimba, who also served in the diocesan Hispanic Jail Ministry.
- Spanish Mass: Wednesdays 6:00 PM
- CCD in Spanish: follows the Wednesday evening Mass
- Diocesan Hispanic Jail Ministry partnership
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Mary is currently served by Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ, who became pastor in 2023 after serving as parochial administrator. Father Kiyimba is a member of the Apostles of Jesus religious order, originally from Uganda, was ordained in 2005, became a U.S. citizen in 2022, and also celebrates Mass in Swahili for the African Catholic community in East Tennessee. He is assisted by Father Emmanuel Massawe, AJ, who was assigned as parochial vicar in 2023. Both priests also serve Church of the Good Shepherd in Newport.
- Pastor: Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ (Apostles of Jesus)
- Parochial Vicar: Father Emmanuel Massawe, AJ (Apostles of Jesus)
- Long-serving predecessor: Monsignor Phil Thoni
- Previous pastor: Father Antony Punnackal, CMI (Carmelites)
Outreach and Community Partnership
St. Mary's has long extended its ministry beyond the parish boundaries. The church serves as a monthly host site for the Legacy Clinic's mobile medical van, which comes to the parish every third Thursday of the month. A plaque at the church honors the bequest of former pastor Father Brando, whose gift helped sustain the clinic's work. Bishop Stika has described St. Mary's as a 'parish of hospitality'—a community that reaches out to the poor, immigrants, and tourists alike.
- Legacy Clinic mobile medical van: every third Thursday of the month
- Father Brando bequest plaque honors ongoing support
- Outreach to tourists, immigrants, and the local poor
Visiting Gatlinburg and the Smokies
Because the majority of St. Mary's worshippers are visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the parish operates as a 'parish of the Smokies'—welcoming traveling Catholics as if they were members of the home parish. Mass attendance can swell to 800 during peak park visiting seasons, and the parish has a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence (2018) and was ranked the 10th best 'Thing to Do' in Gatlinburg out of 119. Visitors are encouraged to attend Mass during their stay and to support the parish's continued growth.
- Rated 10th of 119 'Things to Do' in Gatlinburg (Tripadvisor)
- Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence, 2018
- Up to 800 worshippers at a single weekend Mass in peak season
- Comments page on the parish website shares visitor testimonials
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Mary Catholic Church by phone at (865) 436-4907 or by email at [email protected]. The parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The church is located at 304 Airport Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738. Fax: 865-430-3623.
- Phone: (865) 436-4907
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: 865-430-3623
- Office hours: Mon–Fri, 9 AM–3 PM
- Address: 304 Airport Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Phil Thoni
Longtime pastor under whose leadership the parish became known for its generous contributions to diocesan parishes and schools.
- Father Antony Punnackal, CMI
Carmelite priest; restarted and dramatically grew the CCD program; oversaw planning and construction of the new Parish Life Center. Took a leave of absence in 2023.
- Father Moisés Moreno2021–2023
Associate pastor who also led the Hispanic ministry in Sevier County parishes; assigned Aug. 1, 2021.
- Father Pontian Kiyimba, AJ2023–present
Member of the Apostles of Jesus religious order from Uganda; named parochial administrator July 1, 2023, and later pastor by Bishop Beckman. Also serves as pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Newport.