Our Lady of Fatima: 75 Years of Faith on Louisville Road
In a quiet stretch of Alcoa, just south of Maryville, a Catholic parish has been gathering the faithful of Blount and Sevier Counties since 1950. Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church sits at 858 Louisville Road, and in 2025 the community marked three anniversaries at once: the 75th anniversary of the parish itself, the 25th anniversary of the present church building, and the Year of Jubilee proclaimed by the universal Church. Today, the parish counts 1,447 families, 3,703 members, 57 ministries and committees, and a clergy team of five. The parish mission is stated in its own words: "To serve the spiritual needs of our community through the sacraments and teachings of the Catholic faith, reaching out through prayer, faith, and charitable works to improve life and bring Christ's love to all." Its vision is to be "an active engaged community of Christ's disciples welcoming everyone through evangelization."
The story of the parish begins with a survey in the summer of 1950, when Bishop William Adrian asked Reverend John Tierney to count the Catholics living across Blount and Sevier Counties. Until that point, those Catholics had driven or taken the bus to Knoxville each Sunday for Mass. The first Mass was celebrated on September 3, 1950, in a funeral home in Maryville, and the Mission Parish of Maryville was formally established under the Reverend Paul Clunan. Within weeks, the congregation moved into the community room at Eagleton Village, where packing cases served as the altar and chairs were sometimes in short supply.
By November 1950, a two-story house at 211 Ellis Avenue in Maryville had been leased and remodeled into a church, with a three-room apartment for the priest and a kitchen that doubled as the parish office. The first Mass in that space was celebrated at 7:00 AM on Sunday, November 5, 1950. Bishop Adrian dedicated the little chapel on January 21, 1951. Within a year, parishioners were raising money to build a permanent home, and on December 6, 1952, a red brick church at the intersection of Hunt and Wright roads in Alcoa was dedicated, the second home of Our Lady of Fatima.
A School, a Diocese, and a New Beginning
In September 1955, Our Lady of Fatima School opened its doors as the first Catholic grade school in the area, staffed by two Sisters of Mercy and two lay teachers. The school operated until 1970. By 1975 the parish had burned the mortgage on both church and school and built a rectory, and by April 1986 it had grown to more than 300 families.
On September 8, 1988, many OLOF parishioners joined five thousand other Catholics for the creation of the Diocese of Knoxville and the ordination of Bishop Anthony O'Connell as the first Bishop of Knoxville, a defining moment in the life of East Tennessee Catholicism. The parish would become part of this new local Church.
By the early 1990s the old church was bursting at the seams, with standing-room-only weekend Masses and a membership split evenly over whether to expand on the existing property or move to a new site. In the fall of 1994, the answer arrived unexpectedly: the local ATT building, soon to become the Fatima Center, went up for sale at a bargain price, and the house in front of it had just hit the market. A careful nest egg built up over previous years allowed the parish to act quickly. The ATT closing came on January 17, 1995, and the house followed on January 30.
After more than a year of weekend Masses held at the Fine Arts Center of Maryville College and daily Masses in the basement of the new rectory, the parish sold the old Wright Road property and broke ground in September 1996. A monthly newsletter called The Dream Scene tracked the construction under the theme "Dream It Possible." On December 8, 1999, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was placed in the niche above the new entry doors, in the rain, just as it had been removed in the rain three years before. The present church was dedicated on March 11, 2000, an event remembered for the moment, traditional in Catholic dedications, when the lights are turned off and then turned on to signify a new church's existence.
The Mass and Confession Schedule
The center of parish life is the Eucharist. Weekend Masses are offered Saturday at 5:00 PM in English (the Vigil Mass) and Saturday at 7:00 PM in Spanish. On Sunday, Mass is celebrated at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM in English. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Saturday at 8:00 AM, with additional noon Masses on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the First Friday of each month, a 7:00 PM Mass is celebrated in Spanish.
Confession is heard on Saturday at 4:00 PM, Saturday at 6:30 PM, and Sunday at 9:45 AM, all available in English and Spanish. Reconciliation is also available any time by appointment through the parish office.
Eucharistic Adoration Through the Week
Beyond Mass, Our Lady of Fatima offers extensive hours of Eucharistic Adoration, with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on four days of the week. On Tuesdays, Exposition follows the 12:00 PM Mass and closes with Benediction at 6:00 PM. On Wednesdays, Exposition follows the 8:00 AM Mass and closes with Benediction at 8:00 PM. On Thursdays, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 1:00 PM until 9:00 PM. On Fridays, Exposition follows the 8:00 AM Mass and closes with Benediction before the 7:00 PM First Friday Spanish Mass. The Exposition team is always looking for new scheduled adorers, substitutes, and visitors who simply want to spend quiet time with the Lord.
Mass by Livestream
For those at home or traveling, several Masses each week are livestreamed and made available through the parish Vimeo channel. The livestreamed schedule includes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:00 AM; Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 PM; Saturday at 7:00 PM (Spanish); and Sunday at 11:00 AM. A complete archive of recent Masses is kept online so the parish community can stay connected in prayer and worship across distance.
Clergy of Our Lady of Fatima
The parish is served by a team of three priests and two deacons. Father Peter Iorio is the pastor. Born in New Jersey and raised on Signal Mountain outside Chattanooga, Fr. Pete was ordained on the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 1993. He has served at parishes and schools across Tennessee, including St. Dominic's in Kingsport, Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville, St. Augustine on Signal Mountain, St. Joseph the Worker in Madisonville, St. Therese of Lisieux in Cleveland, and eight years as pastor of St. Mary's in Johnson City before coming to Our Lady of Fatima. He is a member of the Focolare movement, an ecumenical community focused on unity, and speaks Spanish, French, and some Italian.
Father Renzo Alvarado Suarez serves as Parochial Vicar. Born in Santo Tomas, Atlantico, in Colombia, he grew up in a Catholic family and was shaped early on by the Charismatic Renewal. After studies in psychology, philosophy, and theology, he was sent to the United States in 2015 to the Diocese of Baton Rouge to support Hispanic ministry. He entered the Diocese of Knoxville in 2020, completed his theology studies at the Hispanic Seminary of Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Mexico City, was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Richard F. Stika in 2023, and has served at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Chattanooga and Saint Patrick Parish in Morristown.
Father Joseph Akkara, CMI, joined the parish as associate pastor on July 1, 2026. A member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate from Kerala, India, he was ordained on January 2, 1994, and has served as a parish priest, school headmaster, and orphanage director in India, founded eight Syro-Malabar communities during eleven years in New Zealand, and most recently served as parochial administrator at Mary Queen of Peace Parish in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Deacon Bill Jacobs is a Blount County resident who has served the parish for more than ten years. A retired physician, he and his wife Toni have three grown sons and two grandchildren. He also helps lead missions for the Sacred Heart Apostolate and serves as Spiritual Advisor for the Diocese of Knoxville Cursillo.
Deacon Leon Dodd was born and raised in Nashville, attended Christ the King Catholic School and Father Ryan High School, and went on to a forty-five-year career in aviation with the United States Air Force. He and his wife Ellen have been members of OLOF since 2001. They have one son, also working in aviation.
Team Fatima Behind the Scenes
The parish staff, known as Team Fatima, is led day-to-day by a director of music and liturgy, a director of religious education, a family life coordinator, and a pastoral associate, supported by business, office, and facilities staff.
Dr. Christy Lee directs Music and Liturgy, leading choirs and ensembles including the bilingual Coro Bilingue. She holds a Doctorate from Florida State University, a Master's from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor's from the University of Alabama, and also serves as Director of the Knoxville Opera Chorus. Jessica O'Boyle is the Director of Religious Education, with a background in special education and elementary teaching and nineteen years of involvement in children's religious education. Sarah Parsons is the Family Life Coordinator, a parish alumna who grew up at OLOF, sang in the children's choir, served as an altar server, and returned to parish ministry after working in Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. Luis Ramos is the Pastoral Associate and Coordinator of High School and Young Adult Ministry. A native of Veracruz, Mexico, who has called East Tennessee home since 2000, he is a Certified Catechist through the Aquinas College program, holds Youth Ministry Certification from Franciscan University of Steubenville, completed Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in 2024, and serves as a Mercy Associate of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
Faith Formation for Children and Teens
Faith Formation at OLOF is offered for children ages three through fifth grade on Sundays from 9:45 to 10:45 AM. The program incorporates several trusted curricula: Gospel Weeklies by Pflaum, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the Faith and Life Series by Ignatius Press, and Dynamic Catholic's Blessed and Decision Point. Preparation for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Year One Confirmation is built into the curriculum.
Middle School Youth Ministry meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, with dinner provided each week. Using the LifeTeen EDGE program and additional Catholic resources, the ministry serves as the home for Confirmation Year Two preparation. High School Ministry is rooted in the broader vision of comprehensive youth ministry, with catechesis, prayer and worship, service, community life, evangelization, leadership development, advocacy, and pastoral care. The High School program uses Life Teen as its primary catechetical resource.
Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered at the 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Sunday Masses during the school year for children preschool age four through first grade. Children leave after the Collect and return during the Presentation of the Gifts.
Becoming Catholic and Continuing in the Faith
Adults who are unbaptized, baptized Christians exploring Catholicism, or simply curious are invited into the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Sessions are held on Tuesday evenings from September through Easter. The parish also supports couples preparing for marriage, with the request that preparation begin at least six months before the desired wedding date and that an initial meeting with clergy take place before the date is set.
For adults already Catholic, the parish offers a rich menu of ongoing formation. Bible and Breakfast meets every Thursday morning from 9:00 to 10:30 AM in the Social Hall, with coffee provided and participants bringing their own breakfast. The studies move through the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the teachings of the Church, often led by an associate priest. Women's Faith Studies offers three or four studies each year on Wednesday mornings and Thursday evenings, drawing on video series, books, or a combination of both. There is a Tuesday Morning Young Women's Group that meets from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 126, with childcare available.
For men, That Man Is You gathers on Saturday mornings beginning with a light breakfast at 6:15 AM, followed by video and small group discussion, finishing in time for morning Mass. The Catholic Men's Social Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:00 PM at a local tavern for fellowship, pizza, and pool. The Men's Night of Recollection is a monthly gathering that combines Eucharistic adoration, a preached meditation, examination of conscience, and the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Called and Gifted class, sponsored by the Catherine of Siena Institute, runs for six to eight weeks and helps participants identify the charisms they received at Baptism and were sealed with at Confirmation. A Faith Formation Parent Study gathers parents in the Social Hall during the Sunday Faith Formation hour for coffee, donuts, and light faith formation, with childcare available.
A Parish of Many Movements and Devotions
Our Lady of Fatima hosts a number of ecclesial movements and devotional groups. The Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara Lubich and present in 182 nations, meets on the first Sunday of each month for a potluck and the sharing of the Word of Life. The parish hosts a local Cursillo community, with a monthly Ultreya gathering on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Social Hall. The Seven Sisters Apostolate is an international organization in which women pray one hour each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest or bishop; the OLOF chapter has women praying each day for Fr. Iorio and Fr. Austin.
The Holy Souls Rosary Prayer Group gathers to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, particularly those with no one else to pray for them. The Prayer Team receives prayer requests from clergy, staff, and parishioners and lifts them up confidentially. The Healing Ministry offers prayer for those seeking physical, emotional, or spiritual healing every third weekend of the month, with Spanish healing prayer available immediately after the 7:00 PM Saturday Spanish Mass and English prayer available after the Sunday 11:00 AM Mass in the Adoration Chapel.
Music That Supports the Liturgy
Under the direction of Dr. Christy Lee, the music ministry at Our Lady of Fatima is built around volunteer ensembles who share their gifts each week. The Contemporary Choir rehearses every Thursday at 7:00 PM and sings every Sunday at the 8:30 AM Mass, as well as the second Saturday of the month at the 5:00 PM Mass. The Fatima Choir rehearses every Wednesday at 6:30 PM and sings every Sunday at the 11:00 AM Mass. The Coro Bilingue, a Spanish and English choir, provides music at bilingual Masses throughout the liturgical year. Instrumentalists of high school age and up are invited to participate whenever they can, and rehearsals are arranged on an individual basis.
The Hispanic Ministry and a Bilingual Parish
Hispanic Ministry is one of the defining features of Our Lady of Fatima, both at the altar and throughout parish life. The Saturday 7:00 PM Vigil Mass in Spanish, the First Friday Spanish Mass at 7:00 PM, and the bilingual Masses served by the Coro Bilingue form the backbone of Spanish-language sacramental life. Healing prayer in Spanish is offered after the Saturday evening Mass, and many ministries and small groups meet bilingually. Luis Ramos, the Pastoral Associate, is himself a native of Veracruz and an interpreter at Blount Memorial Hospital. Ana Carballo on the parish staff is a cradle Catholic from Mexico who serves the parish in both English and Spanish.
Parish content is available in English, Spanish, Filipino, and Vietnamese, with translation offered as part of the parish's outreach to a diverse Catholic community in the Maryville and Alcoa area.
Reaching Out Beyond the Parish
Our Lady of Fatima's service to its neighbors is as wide-ranging as its sacramental life. The Haiti Outreach Mission has been supporting efforts in Haiti for more than thirty years through the Parish Twinning Program of America. The parish is twinned with the College Monseigneur Jean Baptiste Decoste, a Catholic middle and high school in Thomonde, and funds raised by the parish go directly to teacher salaries and administrative costs for the school.
Closer to home, Martha's Hands provides free meals to those in need in the Maryville and Alcoa area on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Volunteers prepare, serve, clean up, and deliver meals to local shelters and individuals in vehicles. A shower truck is available on the third Wednesday of the month, and the ministry also provides hygiene items and seasonal cold-weather essentials. The Blessing Box, stocked daily, offers non-perishable food to anyone experiencing food insecurity in a discreet, dignity-preserving way. The Blount County Warming Station for Homeless Neighbors rotates through area churches to provide a safe, warm place for individuals experiencing homelessness when temperatures are projected to be 25 degrees or lower. Our Lady of Fatima serves on Wednesday evenings, with volunteers typically arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 PM to set up cots, prepare the evening meal, and welcome guests in from the cold.
English classes for adults are offered on Sundays from 9:45 to 10:45 AM in the Columbus Room. The Comfort Food Ministry provides meals to families after a Funeral Mass or burial, with the main dish prepared and sides, desserts, and drinks donated by volunteers. St. Elizabeth's Workers gather on the second Friday of each month to recycle plastic grocery bags into plarn, which is then crocheted into sleeping mats for the homeless. Quilters and Crafters meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month to make prayer quilts and prayer shawls that are blessed by a priest before being given to parishioners, family members, or friends who are ill.
The Respect Life Ministry promotes a culture of life from conception to natural death, meeting every other month on the third Tuesday at 12:45 PM. The Care for Creation Ministry is dedicated to the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', meeting on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 3:00 PM in the Columbus Room.
A Welcoming Place for Every Stage of Life
Our Lady of Fatima works hard to be a home for families and individuals at every stage of life. Fatima Families coordinates family-focused events throughout the school year, including an Epiphany Pageant, St. Joseph Celebration, Easter Egg Hunt, Mary in May, and the annual Truck or Treat. The parish offers a Nursery during Sunday morning Faith Formation, on Tuesdays from 8:45 to 11:30 AM, and on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 8:15 PM. Children's Liturgy serves younger children during Sunday Mass.
The Fellowship of Young Adults, or FOYA, gathers young adults ages 18 to 35 twice each month for refreshments and honest conversations about faith, work, relationships, and prayer. The Suppers Club connects parishioners in small groups of six to eight adults who meet once a month to share a meal, with registration for four-month sessions. The Handmade Card Ministry reaches out to the homebound by sending tangible greeting cards, meeting on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 1:00 PM in Room 125.
St. Paula's Ministry welcomes widows and widowers, meeting on the third Tuesday of each month at 12:45 PM in the Columbus Room for fellowship, social activities, and shared prayer. Wisdom and Grace offers a gathering for those whose family life has changed, whether empty nesters or those living child-free. Seniorcising meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:00 AM for chair and standing exercises designed to improve core and balance stability.
The parish also hosts two Neurodiversity Groups for autistic and ADHD individuals and their families. A Kids and Teens group meets on the first, third, and fifth Saturdays of each month in the Social Hall, with arts and crafts, creative play, board games, video games, and social time. An Adult group for those 18 and older meets as a free social group that is explicitly non-religious in focus, though it is held at First Baptist Church of Maryville's Craft Room.
Organizations with Deep Roots
The Knights of Columbus Council 3832 meets on the first Tuesday of each month in Columbus Hall, beginning at 7:00 PM with the Rosary and continuing with a business meeting at 7:30 PM. A family social meeting is held on the third Tuesday at 6:30 PM in the Fatima Center. The Council supports seminarians, participates in Right to Life causes, sponsors a Christmas party for local children's homes, and helps families in need at Christmas.
The Council of Catholic Women welcomes all women of the parish aged 16 and older, gathering on the second Monday of each month for fellowship and faith formation. The Catholic War Veterans Post, an outgrowth of a national organization formed in 1935, brings together Catholic veterans of any branch of the service, including those on active duty or in the reserves. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM.
The Fatima Faithful Newsletter
The parish's monthly newsletter, The Fatima Faithful, is included at the end of each month in the bulletin. It typically features a Saint of the Month written by a guest contributor, a column on a different aspect of the Catholic faith each month, and a spotlight on one of the parish's many ministries or community organizations. Each month, the priests and deacons take turns writing the front-page article, ranging from serious and instructive to slightly whimsical and inspirational. Two full pages are usually given over to photographs of parish events.
Worship in Sacred Spaces
The Columbarium Committee oversees the parish columbarium, located in a garden setting between the office and the chapel entrance to the church. A representative meets with parishioners interested in purchasing a niche for cremains, with the purchase including the plaque and urns.
Weddings at Our Lady of Fatima begin with an initial meeting with clergy at least six months before the desired date. The parish also offers Funeral Masses and Anointing of the Sick. Couples seeking annulments and those interested in becoming Catholic through OCIA receive support from the parish office.
The parish grounds include facilities that can be rented for private receptions and community events such as birthday parties, baby showers, wedding receptions, and family reunions, subject to availability, parish functions, and pastoral approval. An Event and Facility Usage Policy and a fee structure apply, and a thirty-to-sixty-day advance notice is sometimes required.
Safe Environment and Care for the Vulnerable
Our Lady of Fatima is committed to the safety, dignity, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults as a serious and ongoing responsibility. The parish follows the safe environment policies and procedures of the Diocese of Knoxville and supports the broader child-protection standards established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Adults who serve in positions of trust with children or vulnerable adults are required to complete diocesan safe environment training and a criminal background screening through CMG Connect, with renewal every five years.
The church is accessible, with accessible entrances and seating throughout, and a Listen Anywhere hearing assist is installed in the audio system. The parish provides clear guidance for reporting concerns. In an emergency, anyone in immediate danger is directed to call 911. Suspected child abuse or neglect in Tennessee may be reported to the Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline at 1-877-237-0004 or through the Tennessee Department of Children's Services secure online portal. Allegations involving a priest, deacon, religious, or layperson in the Diocese of Knoxville are directed to the McNabb Center, the diocesan sexual assault victim's reporting provider, at 865-321-9080. Allegations involving a bishop are directed to ReportBishopAbuse.org or 1-800-276-1562. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-422-4453.
Reaching the Parish
The parish office is located at 858 Louisville Road, Alcoa, TN 37701, and can be reached by phone at (865) 982-3672 or by email at communications@ourladyoffatima.org. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and Friday from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The parish livestreams Masses on Vimeo, publishes a weekly bulletin, and maintains active presences on Facebook and Instagram under the name Fatima Faithful.
Online giving is available through the parish's Realm stewardship platform, where recurring gifts and giving history can be managed. The parish is also enrolled in the Kroger Community Rewards program, with organization number 17365. Visitors and newcomers can register as parishioners, request prayers, or sign up to learn more about the parish through the main parish office.
For seventy-five years and counting, Our Lady of Fatima has been a Catholic home in Alcoa where English and Spanish speakers pray side by side, where families form their children in the faith, where the Blessed Sacrament is adored for hours each day, where the hungry are fed and the cold are welcomed, and where every season of life has a place at the table.