Knoxville Bishop Opens Inquiry Into Possible Miracle

A miracle may have occurred in the Diocese of Knoxville.

Bishop Richard F. Stika, bishop of Knoxville, has launched a diocesan inquiry in the diocese of Knoxville, to determine whether a miracle has occurred through the intercession of Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers.  If it is found that a miracle has occurred, that would advance the process of declaring Father Hecker a saint.

Cardinal Edward Egan, former archbishop of New York, formally opened Fr. Hecker’s cause for sainthood on January 25, 2008 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in New York City, mother church of the Paulist Fathers.  Fr. Hecker, who died in 1888, is now known as Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker.  The postulator for the Cause of Canonization for Father Hecker is Father Paul Robichaud, C.S.P.

Bishop Stika appointed four members and officers for the diocesan inquiry—including Justin Cardinal Rigali, former archbishop of Philadelphia, who will serve as the Episcopal Delegate.

This is the first time that a Catholic religious miracle has been investigated in the Diocese of Knoxville.  According to a press release on the diocesan website:

“Circumstances surrounding the possible miracle aren’t being released. The board for diocesan inquiry has taken an oath, required by the Church, to fulfill their duties and observe secrecy during this process.”

Father Hecker is important in the history of Catholicism in America because of his founding of the Paulist Fathers, but also because of his support for a community of women religious from France.  In 1868, Father Hecker helped the first missionaries to America from the Little Sisters of the Poor.  The group of Sisters had just arrived in Brooklyn, New York.  He was their first donor, giving them a gift of $20 toward their work with the poor and elderly.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are the religious sisters currently facing millions in fines because they cannot, in good conscience, comply with federal rules requiring that they provide their employees with free access to contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs.  On September 24, 2013, the Little Sisters of the Poor filed a class action lawsuit, hoping to avert closing their doors and ending their more than 100 years of ministry in this country.