St Mary's Catholic Church
St Mary's Catholic Church
St Mary's Catholic Church
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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5.0
168 reviews
Excellent
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🥳 🎉 🥳 Keep Life Simple 🥳🎉🥳
Pittsburgh, PA126,587 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Wow a great self tour of visitors center. We were pleasantly surprised. You learn the story of how Bush family started with Canned Tomatoes and branched into Baked Beans. A wonderful surprise in Gatlinburg Tennessee.
Written November 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
speechpath70458
Slidell, LA21 contributions
Sep 2021
This is one of the few Catholic Churches in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. I'm from Southeast Louisiana hand have at least 5 Catholic Churches less than 20 minutes from my house. We were thankful to have found, so we could attend Mass. Please help support them. They also have parking during non Mass times. Unfortunately we witnessed a couple park right before Mass and not put money in for their parking space.
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom
Mishawaka, IN5 contributions
Jun 2021
We just arrived into town and attended Saturday evening Mass. The church was small and very nice. The buildings and grounds were immaculate. We enjoyed Mass and the atmosphere. We will return here for worship on our next return trip.
Written July 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Invictus1906
Dallas, TX31 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
We attended mass while on vacation. This was a small church with lots of character. The parishioners and priest were friendly and mass itself was excellent. They have done an really good job with the grounds as well. Very glad we decided to attend.
Written March 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
daisyferret1
Bear, DE27,286 contributions
Jul 2011 • Couples
My husband and I passed this church several times when we used to stay at the Sidney James Mountain Lodge on Historic Nature Trail during vacation. A couple of times we thought about attending Sunday Mass. Finally, this year we were able attend the 9am mass on Sunday July 3, 2011. We arrived around 8:45am to find the church almost completely empty. However, over the next 15 minutes the place began to fill up.
While we waited for Mass to start, I took notice of the inside of the church. It is a pretty modern church on the inside. So there are not any amazing marble pillars, intricate details in woodwork, stained glass windows or anything like that. However, the inside is still beautiful. The walls are painted a pale blue & the wooden pews are made out of a light colored wood. This gives the place a nice airy feeling. There are pretty substantial sized lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling & provide lots of light. The windows to the church are just regular windows, but each window had a small stained glass panel hanging inside it. At the front by the altar, there is a beautiful painting of a dove with its' wings spread, almost floating in the clouds. Above the altar, there is a huge wooden cross & to the right of the altar is a small table with votive candles. Beside the altar, there is another small chapel, that attaches to the main chapel. This accommodates more parishioners. In the back of the church, there is a small church gift shop.
Our Pastor on July 3rd was Rev. Joseph J. Brando. We felt that his sermon was done rather well. We enjoyed his story about the people who were carrying rocks to build a church. Each person had a different answer when asked what they were doing. In the end, we appreciated the story of how each person had a different outlook on life & the importance of what they were doing. The summary of the story was that God will give you rest, when everything in your life is complete. It was a really nice story that related to our Mass. In addition to the story, we also appreciated that Rev. Brando made ALL the visitors feel welcome. He asked the local parishioners raise their hands & there were only a handful there. It showed HOW much this Catholic church depends on the visitors for its' attendance. Another nice touch to this Mass, was the singing & song selection. There was no organist or choir this day, but there was a gentleman that lead us in song. He had a really beautiful & powerful voice that was such a delight to hear. My favorite part of the song selections, was in the end when whole church rejoiced in singing America the Beautiful in honor of July 4th. It was really beautiful! In total, the Mass lasted about 45 minutes. At the end of Mass, Rev. Brando suggested that we all stop in the gift shop in the back of the church. He reminded the visitors that starting the following week (Sun. July 10th, 2011) that they would be offering donuts & refreshments after the 11am Mass. He said this would give the parishioners a chance to mingle, talk and get to know each other.
After Mass, we did visit the gift shop. It is a TINY gift shop, but they had lots of nice items crammed into that small space. They had a church cookbook, a black bear nativity set, statues, rosary beads, crosses, post cards, Christmas ornaments and MORE. We purchased a nice wooden cross and the church's cookbook. The clerk told us that it has local recipes in it from the local parishioners & their families. I thought about purchasing the black bear nativity set since it was REALLY cute. Later I saw a set that was NOT even half as nice for THREE times the price at the Christmas Place. So, I know the prices at the church are VERY reasonable! Maybe next time I'm in town, I will see about getting one of those Nativity sets.
On our way out, we ran into Rev. Brando who chatted with us for a few minutes & thanked us for attending his Mass. He seems like a really shy, quiet spoken and gracious person. We really enjoyed meeting him and attending his service. After talking with him for a few minutes, we made our way around back to take a peek at the small garden area (behind the parking lot) with the blessed mother statue. It really is a beautiful church from the stone exterior to the airy interior & beyond into the garden area. We would recommend this church to anyone seeking a nice Catholic Mass in the Gatlinburg area.
While we waited for Mass to start, I took notice of the inside of the church. It is a pretty modern church on the inside. So there are not any amazing marble pillars, intricate details in woodwork, stained glass windows or anything like that. However, the inside is still beautiful. The walls are painted a pale blue & the wooden pews are made out of a light colored wood. This gives the place a nice airy feeling. There are pretty substantial sized lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling & provide lots of light. The windows to the church are just regular windows, but each window had a small stained glass panel hanging inside it. At the front by the altar, there is a beautiful painting of a dove with its' wings spread, almost floating in the clouds. Above the altar, there is a huge wooden cross & to the right of the altar is a small table with votive candles. Beside the altar, there is another small chapel, that attaches to the main chapel. This accommodates more parishioners. In the back of the church, there is a small church gift shop.
Our Pastor on July 3rd was Rev. Joseph J. Brando. We felt that his sermon was done rather well. We enjoyed his story about the people who were carrying rocks to build a church. Each person had a different answer when asked what they were doing. In the end, we appreciated the story of how each person had a different outlook on life & the importance of what they were doing. The summary of the story was that God will give you rest, when everything in your life is complete. It was a really nice story that related to our Mass. In addition to the story, we also appreciated that Rev. Brando made ALL the visitors feel welcome. He asked the local parishioners raise their hands & there were only a handful there. It showed HOW much this Catholic church depends on the visitors for its' attendance. Another nice touch to this Mass, was the singing & song selection. There was no organist or choir this day, but there was a gentleman that lead us in song. He had a really beautiful & powerful voice that was such a delight to hear. My favorite part of the song selections, was in the end when whole church rejoiced in singing America the Beautiful in honor of July 4th. It was really beautiful! In total, the Mass lasted about 45 minutes. At the end of Mass, Rev. Brando suggested that we all stop in the gift shop in the back of the church. He reminded the visitors that starting the following week (Sun. July 10th, 2011) that they would be offering donuts & refreshments after the 11am Mass. He said this would give the parishioners a chance to mingle, talk and get to know each other.
After Mass, we did visit the gift shop. It is a TINY gift shop, but they had lots of nice items crammed into that small space. They had a church cookbook, a black bear nativity set, statues, rosary beads, crosses, post cards, Christmas ornaments and MORE. We purchased a nice wooden cross and the church's cookbook. The clerk told us that it has local recipes in it from the local parishioners & their families. I thought about purchasing the black bear nativity set since it was REALLY cute. Later I saw a set that was NOT even half as nice for THREE times the price at the Christmas Place. So, I know the prices at the church are VERY reasonable! Maybe next time I'm in town, I will see about getting one of those Nativity sets.
On our way out, we ran into Rev. Brando who chatted with us for a few minutes & thanked us for attending his Mass. He seems like a really shy, quiet spoken and gracious person. We really enjoyed meeting him and attending his service. After talking with him for a few minutes, we made our way around back to take a peek at the small garden area (behind the parking lot) with the blessed mother statue. It really is a beautiful church from the stone exterior to the airy interior & beyond into the garden area. We would recommend this church to anyone seeking a nice Catholic Mass in the Gatlinburg area.
Written July 15, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris P
Walker, LA39 contributions
Nov 2013 • Family
We went to Sunday Mass at St. Mary's and it was a wonderful experience! The community was very welcoming as it is comprised of very few actual parishioners, most of the support for the church operation comes from donations from tourists.
Written June 3, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Terrye916
Loretto, TN30 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
We have visited here a few times and just love the amazing Indian priest. He is so easy to understand and gives a very moving homily. We will return to this quaint little church when we return. We like the 7 PM mass on Saturday night.
Written September 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dobbydoo
Herndon, KY96 contributions
We have been attending Mass here for 6 to 8 times a year for about 25 years. The parish is small but very friendly, and extremely gracious to visitors. The stained glass Stations of the Cross hang in front of the windows and are beautiful. If you are looking for a friendly gracious Mass, this is your place!!!!
Written February 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill W
Bensenville, IL17 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
7pm Saturday night mass was packed with mostly tourists. Beautiful little church. Has a gift shop which is open after mass. The church is always open so you can drop in anytime. Nice mass; the priest is very nice & has a good sense of humor.
Written August 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie E
Missouri City, TX97 contributions
We went to the 11:00 Mass and it was prefect for us. The singer at Mass was wonderful. We felt very welcome and at home, as we always do when attending a Mass in whatever town we are vacationing.
The church building was quaint and very nicely appointed, and I might add their A/C was working well.
The church building was quaint and very nicely appointed, and I might add their A/C was working well.
Written September 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It looks like a normal church built around 1953 except somebody in the later 20th century remodeled the inside for complete practicality. There's nothing inside worth seeing on it's own. I have no idea how it got a 5 star rating other than people happy about the people they met. It's not all that historic and it's not all that interesting, unfortunately. This is was a complete fail for Tripadvisor for us.
Written July 8, 2018
According to the St. Mary's church website, Easter Mass times are (on 3/27) 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm
Written February 19, 2016
I checked Google Maps, it says 10 min drive, 2.8 miles.
Written February 19, 2016
Hello, I was just vacationing in Gatlinburg, and attending the church for Sunday Mass. I do not recall if it was or not. The front entrance if I remember correctly had steps. There was a side entrance I think, but dont recall if it was wheelchair accessible. They do have a website; as that is how I found the church and they may be able to tell you.
Written December 25, 2015
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday Vigil Mass for Sunday – 5:30 pm
Sunday – 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 12 noon
Spanish Mass – Sunday 2:00 pm
Signing for the Deaf: 4th Sunday 12:00 pm
Child care for children under 5 is available during the 10 and 12 o’clock Sunday Masses in the Chapel Nursery
Written November 10, 2015
My husband and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary on Monday the 15 of June. We are staying in a cabin 2 1/2 miles from Gatlinburg. I wanted to suprise him and renew our vows. Is this something that could be arranged. Thanks Lori Brooker. 740-516-3417.
Written June 2, 2015
You need to check with the Parish. This isn't a "Wedding Chapel", but a regular church. You'll probably need to be Roman Catholic as well.
Written June 3, 2015
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