In the three-and-a-half years since a town hall meeting was convened to explore the possibility of establishing a Catholic church in Smith County, Tennessee, much has changed. With no Catholic church in Smith County ever, since its 1799 founding, local Catholics had more recently been advocating for a worship site. The initial group of 32 attendees, who first met in 2022, has now grown to almost one hundred parishioners at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Carthage.
The group initially worshiped at the generous Carthage United Methodist Church.Now they have their own church, St. Peter the Apostle Parish. It’s located on a four-acre property on the banks of the Cumberland River with one building renovated as the parish church and the second as its social hall.
One of many milestones in the parish’s short history occurred on Christmas Eve 2022, when the congregation attended the first Christmas Mass in the new permanent structure.
“No longer did they have to drive as many as 36 to Cookeville or Lebanon,” says Glenmary pastor Father Don Tranel. “They know what it’s like to go from nothing to something. The church gave Catholics a spiritual home and provided a sense of community, especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons.” says Father Don.
The parishioners were proud last year to have Christmas Mass in their own church, says Father Don: “Our church was stunningly beautiful. Volunteers again stepped forward to decorate.” From the nativity set to poinsettias to wreaths and lighted trees, the church, typical for parishes everywhere, reflected the beauty of the season. It’s just nice to have a church to decorate! Because the parish has no staff or committees, “we survive and flourish by sweat equity,” the pastor said of the volunteers’ efforts.
Especially in the deepest sense, Father Don doesn’t view Christmas in small-town Carthage as any different than Christmas in an urban area. “We’re all thanking God for sending Jesus to our humanity and we’re thankful to God for our local communities of faith,” he observes.
The only distinction for those at St. Peter the Apostle Parish: “The folks were thanking God that they had the privilege of attending Mass locally.,” says Father Don. “They were excited to celebrate Christmas in their back yard. Catholics who were inactive due to their inability to travel and observe Holy Days have had their faith reinvigorated.”
One of Father Don’s goals when the parish was established was to “gradually immerse ourselves into the community.” Thus, St. Peter the Apostle Parish entered a float this year in Carthage’s annual Christmas parade.
“It’s less the idea of constructing and entering the float than the fact that Catholics are going to participate. This is a rite of passage. For the first time in the history of Smith County, a Catholic identity was visible in a local Christmas observance, letting people know that we’re around. We try to walk what we talk!” says Father Don.
—Mary Ellen Pellegrini
