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October 11, 2023By Katie Peterson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSV News) -- After 22 years of dedicated service to the Catholic Church and the people of the Diocese of Nashville, Andy Telli, longtime managing editor of the Tennessee Register, has officially said farewell and entered the next chapter of his life -- retirement.
"I tell people all the time this is the best job I've ever had, and I've had a few, and part of it is because I've learned so much about my faith working here," Telli told the employees of the Diocese of Nashville during a recent surprise retirement party at the Catholic Pastoral Center. "But the best part is all of you and all the people I've gotten to meet and work with. You've made it so wonderful, so I want to thank all of you."
At the start of the party, Bishop J. Mark Spalding noted his first introduction to Telli came during his press conference after being named Nashville's next bishop in 2017.
"I've always said, he asked the toughest questions of all the reporters that day, which was great for me so that I could deal with some of the more demanding and challenging issues that any bishop faces in his ministry."
In a separate interview, Bishop Spalding noted that with everything Telli has done with the Register and beyond, his faith is the driving force.
"Above all, Andy is a good Catholic man and his perspective he brings to any of his stories, any of his opinion pieces, is the view from the pew. … Everybody wants to know what their church is doing, and there are many profound and good works the church does, and Andy made sure people knew those as much as he could," the bishop said.
Telli has reported on a plethora of things from parish anniversaries to school events, various Catholic organizations, and everything in between, including the deaths and elections of popes and changes in leadership within the Diocese of Nashville such as the June 3, 2017, death of Bishop David R. Choby, who had headed the diocese since 2005, and the appointment and installation of Bishop Spalding.
Telli has been a dedicated supporter of the Catholic schools in the diocese as well, making a point to highlight both education and sports.
"The sharing of what happens in our Catholic schools is valuable in that it allows a window into our community. Andy Telli is often present at our school, allowing others to see the incredible work of our teachers and students, the joy experienced in our celebrations and our continual growth as a community of faith," said Jennifer Dye, interim principal of Pope John Paul II Preparatory School in Hendersonville.
Telli's sons Joseph and Jacob are alumni of the school: class of 2011 and class of 2015, respectively, Dye noted.
Paul Davis, president of Father Ryan High School, said that with his range of coverage, from students' achievements to athletic signings to graduation and more, "Andy has helped connect our school community to the broader Middle Tennessee community. ... He has furthered the awareness of and importance of Catholic education ... helping to strengthen our schools as important and distinctive members of Middle Tennessee's educational landscape."
Telli also is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Fred Laufenberg, the fraternal order's former Tennessee state deputy, said the Knights in the state "appreciate him so, so very much for what he's done in his role to help to support us and to help us get the message out there that we are Catholic men on a faith journey to heaven."
Rick Musacchio, former editor-in-chief of the Register and now executive director of the Tennessee Catholic Conference, has worked with Telli throughout his entire career with the diocese.
"We've had a good run. Four times, we've had the top newspaper in the Catholic press in our categories. Tons of awards," Musacchio said. "Through the Register, we served the bishop and the people of the diocese, following the guidance from the catechism, which says, the information provided by the media is at the service of the common good because society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity."
"Mostly what I'm proud of beyond those awards though is working together. We built a team; the team has been together for a long time, and it has been tremendous working together," he added.
The team includes Debbie Lane, creative services manager, who has worked with Telli for the last 18 years; Nancy Mattson, administrative assistant, who has worked with Telli for the last 14 years; and Erik Ritland, email specialist and audience analyst, and Katie Peterson, multimedia journalist, both of whom have worked with Telli for the last two years.