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Diocese of Knoxville

Knoxville bishop: ‘Not appropriate’ to add prayers to Mass

“My hope is not at all to discourage prayer.”

The Pillar
Oct 24, 2026

The bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee told The Pillar this week that a plan to curtail the St. Michael prayer and other public devotions before and after Masses in his diocese is meant to ensure respect for Catholics wishing to pray silently in parish churches, and that he hopes priests will offer “good catechesis” amid the change on prayer and the Church’s liturgy.

Bishop-elect Mark Beckman speaks at a May 7, 2024, press conference. Credit: Diocese of Knoxville/YouTube.

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