Donelson KC

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

On Memorial Day, May 25, the Knights of Columbus Council 3763 out of St. Joseph Church in Madison led a graveside wreath-laying ceremony at the Nashville National Cemetery.

05/21/2026

Today the Church observes the memorial of the Mexican martyrs, among them six priests who were members of the Knights of Columbus. When the Cristero War broke out 100 years ago, Catholics in Mexico faced increasing persecution and even martyrdom at the hands of the government. In the face of these difficulties, the Knights of Columbus mounted an international campaign to defend the rights of the Church, raising $1 million for a campaign to educate the public and assist those affected.

Pope Pius XI explicitly recognized the Order’s role in his encyclical Iniquis Afflictisque, published Nov. 18, 1926, in response to the persecution in Mexico: “First of all we mention the Knights of Columbus … made up of active and industrious members who, because of their practical lives and open profession of the Faith, as well as by their zeal in assisting the Church, have brought great honor upon themselves.”

Read more: https://www.columbiamagazine.org/news-culture/catholic-history/2026/05/viva-cristo-rey/

(Photo provided by Knights of Columbus Multimedia Archives)

05/21/2026

Official Appointments for Priests
*All Appointments effective June 29, 2026*

Renewal of Pastors’ Six-Year Terms
Very Rev. Andrew Bulso, V.E., J.C.L., S.T.L. is reappointed to an additional six-year term as Pastor of St. Edward Church in Nashville.
Rev. Austin Gilstrap is reappointed to an additional six-year term as Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville.
Very Rev. Daniel Reehil, V.F. is reappointed to an additional six-year term as Pastor of St. Catherine Church in Columbia.
New Pastor Appointments
Rev. George Chalbhagam, C.M.I., a newly arrived priest of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, is appointed Pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church in Centerville, Pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Hohenwald, and Pastor of St. Cecilia Church in Waynesboro, all for terms of six years.
Rev. Richard Childress is concluding his six-year term as Pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Gallatin. He is appointed Pastor of St. Martha Church in Ashland City for a term of six years.
Rev. Zachaeus Kirangu, Ph.D. is released from the office of Pastor of St. Patrick Church in McEwen and is appointed Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Old Hickory for a term of six years.
Rev. Seth Reed is released from the offices of Associate Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro and chaplain of University Catholic at Middle Tennessee State University, and is appointed Pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Gallatin for a term of six years.
Rev. Tien Tran is released from the office of Associate Pastor of St. Matthew Church in Franklin and is appointed Pastor of St. Patrick Church in McEwen for a term of six years.
Associate Pastors, Chaplains, and Special Ministry Assignments
Rev. Rhodes Bolster, S.T.L. is released from the office of Director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain for University Catholic Nashville and is appointed Associate Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville.
Rev. Benjamin Butler is concluding his six-year term as Pastor of St. Martha Church in Ashland City. He is assigned to hospital ministry at the Ascension St. Thomas hospitals, in residence at Holy Rosary Church in Donelson.
Rev. Davis Chackaleckel, M.S.F.S. is concluding his six-year term as Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Old Hickory. He is appointed Senior Associate Pastor of St. Ann Church in Nashville.
Rev. Titus Chullikkattu, C.P., a newly arrived Passionist priest, is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Henry Church in Nashville.
Rev. Martin de la Cruz, a priest of the Diocese of Brownsville spending a sabbatical year in the Diocese of Nashville, is appointed to provide sacramental support at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Cookeville.
Rev. Mr. James Grossheim to be ordained priest on June 12, will be appointed Chaplain of Pope St. John Paul II Preparatory School and Chaplain of the Catholic Youth Office, in residence at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville.
Rev. Christian Hamrick is appointed Chaplain of Father Ryan High School, Chaplain of Camp Marymount, and Associate Pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Antioch, in residence at St. Edward Church in Nashville.
Rev. Mr. David Herrera, to be ordained priest on June 12, will be appointed Associate Pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Franklin.
Rev. Joseph Kattakayathil, C.M.I. is recalled from hospital ministry at the Ascension St. Thomas hospitals and is appointed Associate Pastor of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, where he is already in residence.
Rev. David Lee is released from the office of Associate Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Hendersonville. He remains Associate Director of Vocations and is appointed Director of the Propaedeutic Program.
Rev. Augustine Mang is released from the office of Associate Pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Franklin and is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Edward Church in Nashville. He remains chaplain to the communities of persons originating in Myanmar.
Rev. Sony Mathew, C.M.I. is released from the offices of Parish Administrator of Christ the Redeemer Church in Centerville, Parish Administrator of Holy Trinity Church in Hohenwald, and Parish Administrator of St. Cecilia Church in Waynesboro. He returns to his duties as Associate Pastor of Mother Teresa Church in Nolensville.
Rev. Mark Nolte, a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha who has previously ministered in the Diocese of Nashville, is returning the diocese and is appointed Senior Associate Pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Franklin.
Rev. Chukwunonso Ohanaka is released from the offices of Chaplain of Pope St. John Paul II Preparatory School and Chaplain of the Catholic Youth Office, and is appointed Director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain for University Catholic Nashville, in residence at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Rev. Anh Tuan Phan is released from the offices of Chaplain of Father Ryan High School, Chaplain of Camp Marymount, and Associate Pastor of St. Edward Church in Nashville, and is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro and Chaplain of University Catholic at Middle Tennessee State University.
Rev. Mr. Reed Robinson, to be ordained priest on June 12, will be assigned to ongoing theological studies.
Rev. Jesuraj Samynathan, M.S.F.S. is recalled from hospital ministry at the Ascension St. Thomas hospitals and is appointed Associate Pastor of Christ the King Church in Nashville.
Rev. Anthony Stewart is released from the office of Associate Pastor of St. Henry Church in Nashville and is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Matthew Church in Franklin.

05/09/2026

Kick off Mother's Day weekend with a delicious pancake breakfast, featuring several HRA alumni at Troop 1204's event at St Stephen's this morning.

05/09/2026

The Knights of Columbus congratulates Pope Leo XIV on the first anniversary of his election as the successor of St. Peter. During the first year of his pontificate, Pope Leo has called the Church to deeper unity in Christ and greater concern for the poor, the unborn and all those suffering from war and displacement.

In a statement shortly after Pope Leo’s election on May 8, 2025, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly affirmed the Order’s solidarity with the Holy Father: “I pledge our loyalty to Pope Leo XIV as well as our prayers today and every day of his pontificate. In the years ahead, we will proudly stand with him as we seek together to build up the Kingdom of God.”

(CNS Photo/Vatican Media)

05/05/2026

On July 18, 2026 6:00 at St Stephen's Church the Albert Seiner 4th Degree Assembly in conjunction with District 13 councils of St. Stephen's, St. Frances Cabrini, Holy Rosary, St. Joseph & St. Peter the Apostle will hold a celebration event recognizing our nation's 250th Anniversary & the 4th Degree and most importantly all our veterans regardless of degree status.

The event will include food, music, dancing, recognition of our brother veterans, video presentation, and a few key note speakers.

Please respond ASAP as seating will be limited.

Vivat Jesus,

Willie Brezsnyak

District Deputy
District 13

05/05/2026

Look for an exciting announcement regarding relics of these martyrs at Holy Rosary soon!

This is the story of the Cristeros, the forgotten martyrs of Mexico: They were mocked. Outnumbered. Poor.

But they had priests, processions, and the fire of faith.

Mexico, 1926. The Church is outlawed. Mass is suspended. Priests are hunted.

Catholics are treated as criminals.

On July 25, the bishops suspend all public worship to protest the regime.

On August 1, the anti-clerical laws take full effect.
The persecution has begun.

But this was not sudden. It started decades earlier with Enlightenment liberalism.

>1857: Anti-clerical clauses entered the Constitution
>1917: A new Constitution bans public worship, expels religious orders, and makes education aggressively secular

Priests must be native-born and registered

Marriage is declared purely civil

The government declared war on the soul of Mexico.

And then came President Plutarco Elías Calles.

A radical secularist, he enforced the laws with brutality.

>Churches closed.
>200+ foreign priests deported.
>Religious orders dissolved.
>Priests jailed for preaching.
>Even bishops were arrested.

Faith was criminalized.

Catholics resisted, first peacefully. Groups like:

>Asociación Católica de la Juventud Mexicana (ACJM)
>Unión Popular (UP)
>Liga Nacional Defensora de la Libertad Religiosa (La Liga)

Launched protests, petitions, and civil resistance.
But the government ignored it.

Mocked it.
Crushed it.

So the faithful took up arms.

On January 1, 1927, an uprising begins. It’s not for power. Not for land. But for the freedom to worship. To baptize. To confess.

To live for Christ the King.
They called themselves the Cristeros.

They were peasants. Teachers. Ranchers. Shoeless boys.

But they fought with Rosaries on their rifles.
And cried out as one: ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
(Long live Christ the King.)

They held processions before battle.
Some went to their death praying the Ave Maria.

Their weapons were few. But their saints were many.

St. José Sánchez del Río, Age 14: Tortured, feet slashed, stabbed to death. He only cried louder: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”

Blessed Anacleto González Flores: Layman, catechist, lawyer, tortured and martyred for resisting tyranny.

Blessed Miguel Gómez Loza: Peaceful governor of Jalisco, executed for defending the Church.

The Church's response was cautious.

At first, Rome hoped to avoid bloodshed.
Pope Pius XI issued letters, pleas, and in 1926, the encyclical Iniquis Afflictisque, encouraging Mexican Catholics.

Many clergy fled or hid.
But the people held the line.

It was the laity who carried the Cross.

A general with no faith joins the fight.

In 1927, the Cristeros gain a commander: Enrique Gorostieta, a former general and secular man.

He joins not for doctrine, but to defend liberty and tradition. His strategy unifies scattered fighters.

The war rages, but history tries to forget.

By 1929, under U.S. pressure, a truce is brokered.
The Cristero War ends, but nothing fundamental changes.

The anti-clerical laws remain.
The bishops return.
The Cristeros are betrayed, many are executed.

But their cry lives on.

For decades, silence.

Schools omit them. Books ignore them.

It was a war the government wanted forgotten.
But the martyrs still speak.

Their canonizations began.

30+ Cristero martyrs are now saints or blesseds

Others received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal

Films like For Greater Glory and books like The True Story of Cristiada reignite memory

Today, VivaCristoRey website preserves their stories

They were not rebels. They were defenders.

The secular world called them insurgents.
But they fought for something older than the state:
>The Body of Christ.
>The law of God.
>The liberty of conscience.

They were Soldiers of the Cross.

The Church in Mexico still bears the scars.

The state never repealed the anti-clerical laws, only agreed not to enforce them.

Even today, the tension between faith and revolution persists.

But the Cristeros showed: Christ’s Kingship is worth dying for.

Remember them. Teach your children.

They marched with Rosaries.
They sang into the guns.
They died with Christ’s name on their lips.

Their legacy is not in museums.
It’s in the hearts of the faithful.

05/01/2026

Blessed feast day of St. Joseph the Worker!

Work does more than build the world around us. It shapes our character. Through work we learn perseverance, responsibility, and humility. St. Joseph shows us that faithful labor forms the soul.

St. Joseph, example of humility, help us to approach our work with patience and perseverance. May our efforts help build God’s kingdom. Amen.

Explore how daily work can shape our character and draw us closer to God.

➡️ Watch Into the Breach: The Dignity of Work kofc.org/intothebreach

04/30/2026

04/29/2026