Two Centuries on Cumberland Avenue
St. John's Episcopal Cathedral has shaped downtown Knoxville since before Tennessee was a state. Episcopal worship began in the pioneer town in 1826, and a worshipping community formally took the name St. John's soon after. On May 9, 1844, with 25 communicants, the congregation became the first mission in the eastern part of the state admitted to the Diocese of Tennessee, and the fifth church established in Knoxville itself. Two centuries later, St. John's still stands on the original lot at the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Walnut Street, designated the mother church, or Cathedral, of the newly formed Diocese of East Tennessee in 1986.
The congregation's motto, "There is Room for You," greets visitors on signs and in programs. Its identity is rooted in a deep musical and architectural heritage, but also in a long tradition of outreach that places the Cathedral at the center of life in Knoxville's urban core.
The Building on the Corner
The current Cathedral rose on the same site as the first church, a red brick Neo-Gothic structure completed in 1846. By 1891 it had outgrown its congregation, so the parish pulled down the old walls and built the present edifice, completed the following year. The architects based the new design on the Romanesque churches of eleventh- and twelfth-century France and northern Spain, with massive rusticated stone surfaces and rounded arches. The Chapel and Parish House were added to the north end of the church in 1914, and a devastating fire in 1919 destroyed many of the original stained-glass windows before the building was restored. An extensive renovation in 1963 lowered the Nave floor to excavate an Undercroft beneath.
Decades of careful stewardship have produced a working catalogue of art: a mosaic altarpiece depicting the Ascension of Christ, an Eagle Lectern carved from walnut that predates the 1892 building, a marble Font from 1846, fourteen Stations of the Cross, and a Rose Window on the west wall that incorporates symbols of the seven Holy Sacraments. The Stations begin at the front of the South Transept and continue clockwise around the nave.
Walking Through the Nave
Stepping inside, worshipers enter a cruciform space: a long Nave, two Transepts at the crossing, and a Chancel to the east. Three steps raise the Choir above the Nave floor, recalling faith, hope, and love, while three more raise the dais that holds the Altar in a graceful apse, a reminder of the Trinity. Two large stands hold Eucharistic Candles flanking the Altar, and to its left rises the Bishop's Throne, a reminder that "Cathedral" comes from the Latin "cathedra," or seat. The pulpit stands on the right side rather than the usual Anglican left, a custom borrowed from the Church of Scotland by founders who were largely of Scottish descent.
Stained glass tells its own stories throughout. The mosaic Altarpiece depicts the Ascension, surrounded by figures of St. John, the patron of the Cathedral, and his brother St. James the Greater. Three lancet windows above a trompette en chamade in the North Transept came from the original 1846 structure, including a center window of Christ bestowing benediction. The three windows in the South Aisle form a Christmas grouping - the Nativity, the Visitation of the Shepherds, and the Adoration of the Magi - while the three windows in the North Aisle mark moments from Christ's adult life: the Baptism, Jesus Teaching, and the Last Supper.
Sunday Worship
Two principal Sunday services shape the Cathedral's rhythm. An early spoken Eucharist gathers at 8:00 in the morning, followed at 9:30 by a Sunday Lectionary Bible Study with clergy, September through May, and at 10:30 by the principal Holy Eucharist, a sung service led by the Cathedral Choir and livestreamed on YouTube.
St. John's welcomes every baptized Christian to receive Communion at the altar rail. Gluten-free rice wafers are available, and worshipers may receive the bread alone, drink from the common cup, or have the wafer intincted by a chalice bearer. The priest lays the consecrated bread in an open palm, and the Cathedral asks no guest to arrive rehearsed in its customs. A customary genuflection or sign of the cross on the way to the rail is welcome but never required.
Children have a place in worship from their first Sundays. The Nursery and Childcare room, staffed by caregivers trained in CPR and First Aid, opens at 9:20 AM on Sunday mornings on the second floor of the Cathedral Building and remains in service through the end of the 10:30 service.
Music as Prayer
Music has stood at the heart of St. John's since its earliest days. The Cathedral Choir is made up of students, volunteers, professionals, trained singers, and amateurs who provide music for the 10:30 Holy Eucharist as well as for services of Evensong and other liturgical events throughout the year. The Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 in the Music Suite on the second floor of the Cathedral Building, and the Treble Choir, open to children from second grade and older, rehearses at 5:30 the same evening.
In early 2020, St. John's commissioned a 70-rank pipe organ from Indianapolis builder Goulding and Wood, replacing a Schantz instrument from 1957 and 1998. New twin cases flank the chancel, housing the Great and Pedal divisions, with a 16-foot Pedal facade in the Gospel transept and twin Antiphonal cases on the west wall framing the Great Window. The English accompanimental style of the organ emphasizes plenteous 8-foot pitches, a wide variety of colors, and an expansive dynamic range. The instrument was profiled in The American Organist magazine in January 2021.
Jason Overall, Canon Precentor and Director of Music, joined the staff in November 2014. He is the principal organist for all services, leads the choirs in rehearsal and performance, and oversees the Cathedral Arts concert series. Music Associate Eunjin Choi, an organist trained at Yonsei University in South Korea, the University of Iowa, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, supports the program in rehearsal and performance.
Cathedral Arts and Choral Events
Beyond Sunday worship, the Cathedral presents the Cathedral Arts Series, a roster of recitals, concerts, and special events throughout the year. Choral Evensong, drawn from the monastic offices of Vespers and Compline and folded into the first Anglican Book of Common Prayer, is sung occasionally throughout the year, including as part of "Evensong for Everyone," a chance for the wider Knoxville community to step into this contemplative tradition. Candlelight Compline services take place several times a year, drawing on the monastic night office with chant and incense in the candlelit Cathedral.
The choir has traveled internationally for residencies, singing at storied English and Scottish venues and bringing the Anglican choral tradition back home for the Knoxville congregation.
Formation for Every Stage of Faith
The Cathedral offers a generous slate of adult formation. Two lectionary Bible studies meet during the week - Sunday at 9:30 AM and Thursday at 10:00 AM in the Tucker Room - along with a women's Bible study on Tuesday afternoons at Cherokee Country Club, an alternating Wednesday women's study at a member's home, an online book study on Thursday afternoons via Zoom, and a men's Bible study on alternating Thursday mornings. Daughters of the King, a women's group, meets on the first Sunday of the month at 9:15 AM.
Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year program developed by the School of Theology at Sewanee, the University of the South, meets on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 in the Haslam Room and on Zoom, September through May. The Wednesday group is mentored by Anne Hawkins and Denise Moretz. Centering Prayer gathers on Thursday mornings at 9:15 in Room 7, and the Cathedral Library Book Group meets on the first Thursday of the month from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Tucker Room.
Confirmation is offered for youth in seventh grade and older and for adults who would like to be received into the Episcopal Church. The Very Reverend Chris Hackett, Dean, oversees both programs.
Children, Youth, and Families
Children and youth have a place in the Cathedral's worship, formation, and music programs. SKiP (St. John's Kids Praise) is the year-round children's education and worship ministry for children ages four and older. Children join the clergy and choir in procession at the opening hymn of the 10:30 service and return to their parents before Communion.
Older youth are invited to Donuts and Discussions on Sunday mornings at 9:20 during the school year for games, conversation, and community. Youth Confirmation class meets seasonally on Sundays from 9:30 to 10:20 in the Haslam Room. Children and youth also serve as Acolytes in worship. Crissa Smith joined the staff as Director of Youth and Children's Ministries to lead this work.
Yoga, the Labyrinth, and Centering Prayer
St. John's opens its body as well as its doors. Bonnie Hammond leads St. John's Serenity Yoga with sessions throughout the week: Monday at 5:30 PM, Tuesday and Wednesday at 11:30 AM, Wednesday evenings at 5:30, and Friday at 11:30 AM, a Yin Yoga practice open to all levels. Hammond, a Registered Yoga Alliance instructor with a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and certification as a Healing Touch Practitioner, builds a trauma-informed practice rooted in the Cathedral's motto, "There is Room for You."
Outside in the courtyard sits a labyrinth for meditative walking, with the gates open Tuesday through Friday, opening by 9:00 AM and closing at 3:30 PM unless otherwise scheduled. A downloadable guide is available, and the Sub-Dean, the Reverend Canon Thom Rasnick, oversees the labyrinth ministry. Cocktails and Conversation, a gathering for young adults, meets on Wednesday evenings at 5:45 with a rotating location.
Green Magnet Academy Partnership
For more than a decade, the Cathedral has poured time, talent, and treasure into Green Magnet Academy, a Knox County public elementary school nearby. Parishioners serve through several programs:
- The Backpack Program packs supplemental weekend food bags for students in need.
- Reading Buddies provides one-on-one reading practice during the school day.
- Garden Helpers tend the front beds to provide a welcoming entrance for students and staff.
- Adopt-a-Grade invites family groups or friends to adopt a grade level and meet teacher-identified needs.
- Special projects include Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, Thanksgiving Food Baskets, and Christmas gifts.
The Cathedral maintains a long-term parish commitment to the school, with named coordinators for each outreach.
The Endowment for Outreach
Each year St. John's Endowment for Outreach distributes roughly $140,000 to nonprofits in Knoxville, funded through honorariums, memorials, direct donations, and planned giving. Ongoing Mission Partners include the Volunteer Ministry Center, Green Magnet Academy, Vine School Health Center, Community School for the Arts, Scouting (Mount Cammerer District), and the YWCA. Recent grant recipients have included SEEED, Bridge Refugee Services, Men of Valor, Ujima Soccer Academy, and Young Voices.
The Endowment favors Knoxville-based programs, particularly those in the urban core, that promote individual self-sufficiency and come from private, non-profit, and faith-based agencies. The Cathedral also welcomes planned gifts - bequests, charitable lead and remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, gifts of real estate, life insurance, and retirement accounts - and offers a Courtyard Memorial Garden for those wishing to be buried on the Cathedral grounds.
The Library and Book Group
The Cathedral Library, given in thanksgiving for the lives of Wadie Joseph Harb and Alice Makla Harb, is open on Sundays from 8:30 to 10:25 AM and following the 10:30 service. The collection includes interpreters' Bibles, commentaries, spiritual formation, novels, history, gardening, cooking, music, and a children's and juvenile section. Rick Boyd serves as Cathedral Librarian. The Cathedral Library Book Group meets on the first Thursday of the month from September through May, reading a mix of novels and nonfiction.
Visiting St. John's Cathedral
St. John's sits at 413 West Cumberland Avenue in downtown Knoxville. The mailing address is P.O. Box 153, Knoxville, TN 37901-0153. The main office can be reached at (865) 525-7347 or info@stjohnscathedral.org.
Sunday parking is straightforward. The lot adjacent to the Cathedral is open Sundays, as is the lot across West Church Avenue from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM, with no QR code required. The Wednesday evening lot opens at 4:30 PM for those displaying a Cathedral parking decal. On weekdays, designated "Purple spaces" in the shared lot are reserved for visitors to the Cathedral. The lot is at 414 Church Street, Knoxville, TN 37902.
Livestreamed services appear on the Cathedral's YouTube channel, and recordings of past services are archived. The 10:30 AM Eucharist is also broadcast throughout the region on Comcast Channel 12, Charter Channel 193, Wow! Channel 6, KUB TV Channel 1019, and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. A sermon podcast and a Spotify channel offer additional ways to follow along.
Those interested in having a wedding at the Cathedral, holding an event in the building, or arranging a burial in the Courtyard Memorial Garden are invited to contact the Cathedral office, where staff are ready to connect newcomers with the many ministries and groups that gather throughout the week.