The Apostle of Tenn: The Indefatigable Life & Ministry of Father A. Orengo

Nashville became a Catholic diocese in 1837, it was mostly an aspirational exercise. That all changed when Father Aloysiud Orengo arrived.
About this Event

When Nashville became a Catholic diocese in 1837, it was mostly an aspirational exercise. The few Catholics scattered throughout the state were ministered to only occasionally by missionary priests who traveled by horseback from Kentucky. It is believed that Hugh Rogan, who arrived in Middle Tennessee in 1780 after working as a surveyor for the Continental Army, did not see a priest for 50 years.
That all changed when the Italian-born Father Aloysius “Luigi” Orengo arrived in Nashville in 1848. He traveled all over the state, sleeping in the woods, using his saddle for a pillow, and eating cheese and crackers. He’s credited with building churches in Franklin, Columbia, Pulaski, East Nashville, Tracy City, Gallatin, Humboldt, Brownsville, Grand Junction, Covington, Jackson, and McEwen.
But for as influential as he was, Father Orengo’s story remained untold, until now.
Joe Pagetta began his career writing for the Jersey Journal in his hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey, and has called Nashville, Tennessee, home for close to thirty years. His personal essays and writings on faith and culture have appeared in America: The Jesuit Review, Ambassador Magazine, Today’s American Catholic, Chapter 16, Tennessee Historical Quarterly, and Tennessee Home & Farm. He currently serves as the director of communications for the Tennessee State Museum.

Our moderator Katie Peterson has been a journalist with the Diocese of Nashville’s Communications Office since August 2021, writing and taking photographs for the bi-weekly Tennessee Register newspaper, the quarterly Catholic Awakenings magazine, and NashvilleCatholic.org. She currently serves as Associate Editor and Multimedia Journalist.

Peterson is originally from Leavenworth, Kansas. She graduated from Seton Home Study School in 2012 and the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth with a bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts in 2015. She began her journalism career in October 2015, working as a part-time production assistant with the Fort Leavenworth Lamp newspaper. She was promoted to the full-time staff writer position in September 2017 and remained there until she accepted the job with the Diocese of Nashville. During her time at the Fort Leavenworth Lamp, she also worked as a freelance writer and photographer for The Leaven, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Peterson currently lives in Donelson with her 10-year-old rescue dog, Sadie Lynn. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, taking walks, reading, and being with those she loves most. She is a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Madison and is a proud member of the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass Contemporary Choir.

This event is part of our TN Writers | TN Stories series. To reserve your ticket please use code Italy1848. Readings and discussions take place in the Digital Learning Center at the Tennessee State Museum. All events include an opportunity to purchase books through the Museum store and get them signed by the author.