Fr. Mike Clark, pastor of St. Thomas More in Paducah, celebrates Mass for the youth and adults attending the May 2026 trip to the Cherokee National Forest and the Ocoee River in southeastern Tennessee. COURTESY OF SHERI BABBS
St. Thomas More’s 2026 youth trip to Cherokee, Ocoee River, helps all encounter God in nature
BY SHERI BABBS, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
St. Thomas More Parish youth enjoyed praising God, praying, and celebrating the outdoors in the Cherokee National Forest and on the Ocoee River in southeastern Tennessee during the final weekend of May 2026.
Fr. Mike Clark, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, celebrated Mass on the side of the mountain. Seminarian Wes Wheatley led the group in morning prayer. The highlight of the weekend was on May 30, when they rafted down the Upper and Middle Ocoee River – which was used for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Thankfully, all adults and youth safely returned, and all that was lost was three shoes and one earring.
Sheri Babbs is the chaplain for Troop 2007.
The St. Thomas More parish youth and adults who went on the May 2026 trip to the Cherokee National Forest in southeastern Tennessee are seen after their rafting trip on the Ocoee River. COURTESY OF SHERI BABBS
