Welcome to the online home of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic church in Carthage, TN (est. 2021).
Smith County was founded in 1799. For over two-hundred years, the presence of a brick-and-mortar Catholic church was nowhere to be found within the county lines. For generations, local Catholics would travel to nearby parishes, often in Wilson, Macon, or Putnam county to practice their faith and attend Holy Mass. Then, in January, 2021, Glenmary Home Missioners set their sights on Smith County and sent Fr. Don Tranel to assess the viability of establishing a Catholic Church in the city of Carthage – the heart of Smith County, TN.
After settling into the area, Fr. Don visited nearby parishes and met with locals, spreading the word on his desire to start a new Catholic community of faith. During these meetings, he collected names and addresses of Catholics residing in Smith County. Using this information, letters were sent inviting the all interested parties to a public meeting to discuss this exciting initiative. On May 27, 2021, a public meeting was held at the Smith County Chamber of Commerce. Thirty-two individuals participated in this meeting, many of whom had never met one another before. Individuals from all walks of life were present that night, but all of them shared one thing in common – the desire to start a Catholic community.
This first meeting was followed by a second on June 24th. Staff from the Diocese of Nashville were present at this gathering and the Smith County eucharistic community was officially born. Thanks to a gracious offer from the pastor of the Carthage United Methodist Church, the first public Mass in Smith County’s history was held in July, 2021 at the Methodist Church. Holy Mass continued to be held in Smith County every week thereafter. For the first nine months, we enjoyed the hospitality of the Methodist Church and met there for Eucharist.
The Catholic community of Smith County owes a debt of gratitude to our Methodist brothers and sisters for allowing us to use their holy space to worship and practice the Eucharist!
Less than a year after the mission began, the Smith County Catholic community acquired a permanent space for worship. On November 21, 2021, the Diocese of Nashville purchased property previously owned by New Level Church.
“The purchase of this church lends stability and permanence to our initiative of starting a Catholic Church in Smith County,” said Father Don. “A permanent church structure will allow us to have more weekday Masses, enhance our visibility in the community, bolster our education programs, enhance our outreach efforts, attract inactive Catholics to come home and those unchurched to discern their future in the Catholic Church.”
The property is approximately four acres on Upper Ferry Road, on the banks of the Cumberland River in Carthage, TN and includes two buildings. At the start of Holy Week 2022, Holy Mass was held for the first time at the new St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church by the Cumberland River.