Dear Cathedral Parish Family,
It is with great joy that I want to let you know that our Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed Reverend James Mark Beckman as Bishop of Knoxville. Bishop-elect Mark Beckman is a
priest of the Diocese of Nashville, and currently serves as Pastor of St. Henry Church in Nashville, TN, and as Director of Priest Personnel for the Diocese of Nashville. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C., at 6:00 a.m. this morning, May 7, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
Bishop-elect Beckman was born on October 19, 1962, in Lawrenceburg, TN, in the Diocese of Nashville. He attended Sacred Heart School and Lawrence County High School in Lawrenceburg, TN, before pursuing further studies at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, IA, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. Bishop-elect Beckman then pursued further studies at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he studied together with Archbishop Fabre and earned a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Nashville on July 13, 1990, by Bishop James D. Niedergeses at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville.
Bishop-elect Beckman’s assignments after ordination include: Associate Pastor, Holy Rosary Parish, Nashville, TN (1990-1991), Part-time Teacher, Father Ryan High School, Nashville, TN (1990-1996), Associate Principal for Pastoral Affairs, Father Ryan High School, Nashville, TN (1991-1996), Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes, Springfield, TN and St. Michael Mission, Cedar Hill, TN (1996-2002), Pastor, St. Matthew Parish, Franklin, TN (2002-2015). Since 2015, Bishop-elect Beckman has served as Pastor of St. Henry Parish in Nashville, TN.
In addition to his pastoral assignments, Bishop-elect Beckman has also served as a member of the Presbyteral Council, the Diocesan Clergy Personnel Board, the Priests’ Vocation Advisory Council, the College of Consultors, and the Episcopal Council for Removal of a Pastor. He has also served as director of the Diocesan Youth Office, chaplain for the Knights of Columbus Council #119925, and dean of the Northwest (2001-2002) and Central (2008-2013) deaneries. Bishop-elect Beckman has served as Director of Priest Personnel for the Diocese of Nashville since 2018.
The ordination and installation of Bishop-elect Beckman will be on July 26, 2024. More details with regard to this will follow, but please mark this date in your calendars now.
In place of the “Prayer to Receive a New Bishop” which we pray at the end of Mass, please find attached a new prayer in gratitude for the appointment of Bishop-elect Beckman and for many blessings upon him as he prepares for his Episcopal consecration in July.
We owe Archbishop Shelton Fabre a debt of gratitude for serving as our Apostolic Administrator during this time. He will remain in this role until Bishop-elect Beckman’s ordination and installation on July 26. I am so excited to share this long-awaited appointment, and I know from personal experience that Bishop-elect Beckman has been entrusted with a wonderful diocese to shepherd and walk with.
Let us continue to pray for each other, and let us today pray in great gratitude for this great news which we have received.
In Christ,
Fr. David A. Boettner,
Rector, Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus