Bishop Richard F. Stika has asked the clergy, religious, and faithful of East Tennessee to pray for three Immaculate Conception parishioners who were injured in a freak accident during the lighting of the Easter fire at the start of the Knoxville parish’s Easter vigil on April 3.
Deacon Joseph Hieu Vinh; his daughter, Trang; and Patrick Connelly suffered burns to their faces and upper bodies when the fire “flashed” and set their vestments ablaze, said Captain D. J. Corcoran of the Knoxville Fire Department.
Miss Vinh, a 2009 graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School, and Patrick, a ninth-grader at KCHS, were altar servers for the vigil.
The three were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center immediately after the accident and later airlifted to the burn unit of Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
Patrick and Miss Vinh are listed in stable condition; Deacon Hieu is listed as critical.
Father Joe Ciccone, CSP, the pastor of Immaculate Conception, also suffered burns to his hands in the process of landing on one of the victims to put out the flames. He was not hospitalized.
“I am praying for those who were injured, and I have asked all our priests and the Catholic faithful to keep them in their prayers,” the bishop said. “We ask Our Lord to bring them swift healing and to comfort their loved ones at this difficult time.”
Deacon Sean Smith, chancellor for the Diocese of Knoxville, drove to Nashville on Easter Sunday and visited with all three patients. “They are in good spirits and had big smiles when they saw me and when they spoke to Bishop Stika on the phone.”
“I spoke to Hieu and Patrick and assured them of the prayers of the good people of Knoxville,” Bishop Stika said Sunday night. “I plan on traveling to Nashville tomorrow to visit them in person.”
Vanderbilt’s Catholic chaplain and Dominican sisters in the Nashville area also paid visits to the injured parishioners on Sunday, said Deacon Smith.
Deacon Smith said that Deacon Vinh and his daughter were given rooms across the hall from each other so they could make eye contact. He added that the deacon’s wife and son wished to thank everyone for the many prayers that have been offered.
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