The Story of Immaculate Conception Church

                The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception

           Catholics honor Mary because of the unique role she played in man's salvation by

           giving birth to our Savior. The Catholic Church affirms that, in view of Mary's

           calling to be the Mother of Christ and in virtue of his merits, Mary was conceived

           without original sin and was filled with grace from the very beginning of her life.

          This belief has been held to be true since the early centuries of Christianity, but

           was only officially defined as a doctrine of the Church on December 8, 1854 by

          Pope Pius IX. It is not then surprising that when a Catholic parish was established

          in Knoxville in 1855 that the name Immaculate Conception was chosen for the

          church.

                                                                 Acknowledgements

                   We wish to thank Mr. Laurence V. Gibney, author of The Church on Summit Hill and

                          The Catholics of Knoxville and East Tennessee for his tireless efforts to preserve 

                                 the history of our parish. This brief history is based on his books.

                         Painting by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 17th century, Villaneuva Art Gallery, Spain.