A catalytic assembly (40,50) comprising: a plurality of honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) bonded to one another by a ceramic cement, the honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 4 x 10 -6 /°C to 8 x 10 -6 /°C and comprising an outer peripheral wall and a plurality of inner partition walls defining flow channels extending longitudinally through the catalyst segments (41,43,51,54), wherein the outer peripheral wall and inner partition walls have dispersed throughout a chemical composition comprising 50-99.9 weight percent titania and at least 0.1 weight percent a catalytically active metal functional group; and an outer coating (42,52) surrounding axial dimensions of bonded honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54)at the periphery of the catalytic assembly (40,50), wherein a peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54) has a ratio of weight of the catalytic assembly (40,50) to bonded area of the peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54) of 0.02-0.25 Kg/cm 2, the catalytic assembly (40,50) operable to remain suspended for a time period of 60 seconds when raised by an apparatus coupled solely to the peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54), wherein the catalytic assembly (40,50) is raised subsequent to thermal cycling 500 times from 150°C to 500°C to 150°C, the catalytic assembly (40,50) heated to 500°C by flowing a flue gas stream through the honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) of the assembly (40,50), the flue gas stream increasing in average temperature at a rate of 3.8-4.0°C/s and cooling the catalytic assembly (40,50) to 150°C at an average rate of 0.4-0.6°C/s. a plurality of honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) bonded to one another by a ceramic cement, the honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 4 x 10 -6 /°C to 8 x 10 -6 /°C and comprising an outer peripheral wall and a plurality of inner partition walls defining flow channels extending longitudinally through the catalyst segments (41,43,51,54), wherein the outer peripheral wall and inner partition walls have dispersed throughout a chemical composition comprising 50-99.9 weight percent titania and at least 0.1 weight percent a catalytically active metal functional group; and an outer coating (42,52) surrounding axial dimensions of bonded honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54)at the periphery of the catalytic assembly (40,50), wherein a peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54) has a ratio of weight of the catalytic assembly (40,50) to bonded area of the peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54) of 0.02-0.25 Kg/cm 2, the catalytic assembly (40,50) operable to remain suspended for a time period of 60 seconds when raised by an apparatus coupled solely to the peripheral honeycomb catalyst segment (43,54), wherein the catalytic assembly (40,50) is raised subsequent to thermal cycling 500 times from 150°C to 500°C to 150°C, the catalytic assembly (40,50) heated to 500°C by flowing a flue gas stream through the honeycomb catalyst segments (41,43,51,54) of the assembly (40,50), the flue gas stream increasing in average temperature at a rate of 3.8-4.0°C/s and cooling the catalytic assembly (40,50) to 150°C at an average rate of 0.4-0.6°C/s.