St. Elizabeth announcement

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish rejoices in the announcement from Bishop Mark Beckman regarding the 2026 priest assignments for the Diocese of Knoxville. With hearts full of gratitude and excitement, we share the wonderful news that Fr. Joseph Austin has been appointed as a part time Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) of both St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Anthony of Padua as well as part time ETSU Campus Minister. His new assignment is effective July 1, 2026. He will be residing at St. Elizabeth’s rectory.
Just clarifying, I remain the pastor of both St. Elizabeth and St. Anthony. †
A little background on Fr. Joseph Austin
Born in Alabama and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee, Fr. Joe kept traveling north and attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, majoring in Computer Science. Fr. Joe’s six-year seminary formation was spent at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in southern Indiana.
Fr. Joe was ordained in 2023, with Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, TN being his first parish assignment.