Former Knoxville Bishop Richard Stika was often criticized for being imperious and extravagant.
His most visible legacy is the construction he spearheaded of the $30.8 million Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, which was inspired by the Florence cathedral and towers 144 feet above Northshore Drive. Less well known was Stika's Knoxville home, a place notable for how far more luxurious it is than those occupied by many Catholic leaders.
In June, the diocese sold the opulent mansion where he lived for $1.4 million.
The 5,943-square-foot home on Westmoreland Boulevard in the Rocky Hill neighborhood has three floors, five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, two fireplaces, an elevator and a three-car garage, according to the real estate listing.
The extravagance is in tension with Catholic Church policy, which instructs clerics to “refrain from all things that have a semblance of vanity.” Stika lived at the home with Cardinal Justin Rigali, who retired to Knoxville.
The diocese purchased the home in 2010 for $825,500, the same year it received a $950,000 donation from the Dan Murphy Foundation, a California-based Catholic charity, according to property records and the organization’s tax filings.
The bishop is listed as the owner of the home, but the address associated with his name is the diocese's chancery. It is common for the diocese to put property under the name of the bishop.
A diocesan spokesperson declined to say whether the donation was used for the purchase. In a 2010 edition of the East Tennessee Catholic, the diocese’s newspaper, Stika lauded a donation from an “outside party” for the purchase of the home and said it would be the “Father’s House.”
“A bishop’s residence is far more than simply a home. It’s a center of diocesan hospitality as an inviting expression of the ‘Father’s House,’” he wrote. “It’s a place where the bishop can gather with not only his priests and with civil and religious leaders from the community but also with members of his flock and parish leadership teams. It is, as President Andrew Jackson once said of the White House, the ‘people’s house.’”
The sale was finalized June 20. The purchaser was listed as a trust that Knox County property records connect to Raymond Hand, the owner and president of Eagle Distributing, the region’s Budweiser distributor.
The diocesan spokesperson, Jim Wogan, declined to answer a list of questions from Knox News, including how the diocese will use the $1.4 million and where Bishop-elect Mark Beckman will live after he arrives in Knoxville ahead of his episcopal ordination July 26.
Stika resigned in June 2023 amid several scandals and multiple lawsuits against the diocese, including one lawsuit that alleges church leaders did not properly investigate sexual abuse allegations and instead worked to discredit an alleged victim.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
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