Archive for year: 2024

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys recalled the founding of the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, 25 years ago when one of the diocesan priests recommended a small group of women who were “looking to follow the footsteps of St. Francis” — with hopes of being received into the Diocese of Covington.

Bishop Foys remembered asking them what they were about, to which the sisters replied with their special concern — “To care for others. To preserve life in any way.”

The rest, he said, is history.

On the evening of Oct. 4, the feast of the sisters’ patron, St. Francis of Assisi, a Mass was held celebrating not only this feast day, but the 25-year anniversary of the sisters’ founding.

Celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Bishop Foys served as celebrant and homilist. Joining him in concelebrating were priests from the Dioceses of Covington, Cincinnati and Indianapolis — representing all from the tri-state whom the sisters have come to serve through their charism of stewarding and preserving life.

Joining in the celebration was a crowd of individuals all gathered to celebrate the sisters and their work, and to pray for them.

In his homily, Bishop Foys recalled the story of St. Francis — how he was born to a wealthy family, his conversion and turning to a life of prayer, solitude and meditation.

In addition, he shared a story of St. Francis from the “Little Flowers of St. Francis” — a collection of vignette stories from the people who knew him.

With the congregation, Bishop Foys recounted the story of the Wolf of Gubbio — a vicious wolf who was attacking all the animals, and eventually, the people, of the village.

“Francis visited Gubbio when he heard of this, and told the villagers that he wanted to see the wolf,” said Bishop Foys. And, although the villagers advised St. Francis not to, he made the sign of the cross, and insisted.

As the wolf rushed at St. Francis with open jaws, “Francis made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to cease his attacks in the name of God,” Bishop Foys recanted from the “Little Flowers.”

Calling him “Brother Wolf,” St. Francis was able to make peace between the wolf and the people of Gubbio — saying that the wolf played “one of his forepaws on Francis’s outstretched hand.”

“Is it any wonder that Francis is such a popular saint?” Bishop Foys asked the congregation. “He is genuine. He is real. He is committed by his actions to the words he preaches and teachers. Francis saw God’s hand in everything and everyone.”

He continued, saying, “Everything and anything we have comes ultimately from the hand of God. And, so, you see God’s beauty in a sunrise or a sunset, in a bird or a dog or a wolf.”

Circling back to the sisters celebrating their anniversary, Bishop Foys commented on their “remarkable” mission to “care for anyone who comes. No questions asked — because anyone who comes is a child of God to be treated with dignity and respect.”

“We pray that the ministry will continue to flourish and to grow,” Bishop Foys concluded, “and just as Francis brought peace to the wolf and the people of Gubbio, may the sisters bring peace and reconciliation to all who walk through their door.”

Bella Young

Multimedia Correspondent

Bishop John Iffert gathered with the Florence community and St. Paul Church, Florence, parishioners to celebrate Mass in honor of the parish school’s 100-year anniversary. Saturday, Sept. 28, St. Paul Church was standing room only with overflow seating in the narthex, a testament to the impact that the school and church have had on the Florence community.

Bishop Iffert took a moment in his homily to reflect on the last 100-plus years of St. Paul Parish and School, using a “History of the Diocese of Covington Kentucky” by Paul E. Ryan as his main point of reference.

“There was a fellow who came here, his name was Cornelius Ahern. He moved into the Florence area, and he tried to find out how many Catholics were here, and he could identify three Catholic households in Florence,” Bishop Iffert said.

One of the Catholics living in Florence was the wife of a protestant doctor, Mrs. Scott. The others were Mr. and Mrs. Ferneding, keepers of the local tavern. Despite the absence of Catholic church in Florence, Mr. Ahern traveled to Covington where he met with the pastor of St. Mary Church, Father Thomas Butler and asked him to come back to the village of Florence and celebrate Mass for the small number of Catholics. It took a few months, but Father Butler made his way to Florence, and in 1851, in the small living room of the Ahern house, the Catholic faith had a new spark in Florence.

That first gathering was larger than expected, however. As Father Butler made his way to Florence, in those few months word had reach Boone County and Taylorsport. People traveled from up to 15 miles away, across counties, to come to the celebration of Mass.

“People came from all over … keep in mind in those days that would be 15 miles of walking, or 15 miles of horseback,” said Bishop Iffert. “Father Butler continued to send a priest out there every couple of months to celebrate Mass in this small Catholic community. In 1855 he established a parish, and the first church was built in 1856, the first resident pastor in 1873,” said Bishop Iffert.

It was that first resident pastor, Rev. Joseph Bent, who worked to open St. Paul School sometime between 1873 and 1877.

“To have the courage to go ahead and build a little room on the back of the small church and start a school. Open to educating Catholic children, hoping to keep them from falling under the influence of the anti-Catholic Know Nothings. Can you imagine how lonely that felt, and how difficult it was,” asked Bishop Iffert. “It was a one room school along the back of the church, and it functioned until 1913, when it closed. I don’t know why it closed, but I know exactly why. It closed for the same reason that Catholic schools always close. Three things open Catholic schools, three things close Catholic schools — Catholic faculty, sufficient students and money,” said Bishop Iffert.

However, as had been made evident, the resiliency of the Catholic community of Florence shone forth once again, and in 1923 Father Herbert Egbring re-opened the school under the care the Sisters of St. Benedict.

In 1924, 100 years ago, the interior of the church was decorated and a new altar installed. It took only two years after the reopening of the school for the number of pupils to outgrow the small one room classroom and in 1925 ground was broken for a new school building. Twenty-six years later, once again, the need for a new school building arose and in 1951, the new, modern school building was blessed upon completion of construction.

The intertwining history of St. Paul Parish and St. Paul School have left an impact on not only the city of Florence but also on the counties surrounding them. It was the bravery of Cornelius Ahern, Rev. Joseph Bent and Father Herbert Egbring, that brought St. Paul Parish and School to the city of Florence where it has shone as a beacon of faith for those near and far, for over 100 years.

Bella Young

Multimedia Correspondent

Holy Cross District High School, Covington, has been awarded its first distinction as a National Blue-Ribbon School. They are the only school in the Diocese of Covington be awarded the blue ribbon in 2024. The National Blue Ribbon program recognizes outstanding public and nonpublic elementary, middle, and high schools based on overall high academic achievement or success is closing the achievement gap among diverse groups of students.

The path to recognition as a Blue-Ribbon School is not an easy one. The application process is rigorous, requiring the submission of test scores, faculty interviews and a written application. This process alone deters many.

“I did some research over the last few days,” said Mike Holtz, principal, Holy Cross District High School, “there are over 30,000 high schools and grades schools in the United States of America, only 356 are recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, and that’s us.”

This distinction sets Holy Cross apart as one of the top 1.2 percent of schools across the United States. Each year, the National Blue Ribbon accepts 420 nominations of which 356 are selected.

Upon seeing their school listed as a Blue Ribbon recipient the students, who had all been gathered in the gymnasium, erupted into cheers as confetti and balloons rained down around them. Students hugged and high fived as chants of “We are H.C.” rang out among them. The students, faculty and staff cheered and jumped for five consecutive minutes, celebrating the achievement that marks not just their success, but the successes of those that helped get there.

“One hundred years ago was Holy Cross’ first graduating class … This honor is a long time in the making. Yes, we sent our test scores in, we filled out the form, answered the questions of what we’re doing now, but there have been a ton of people who have gotten us to this point,” said Mr. Holtz standing in front of teachers past and present, and a few alumni who were in attendance. “What we’re being recognized for now is what we have been doing for a long, long time. This honor is not only about the now, it’s for everybody who got us here.”

“I just want to tell you how awesome it is to be here. You are the only school in the Diocese of Covington who is being recognized for a Blue Ribbon today, so congratulations,” said Kendra McGuire, Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Covington, as the students erupted into more cheers. “On behalf of Bishop Iffert and the Diocese of Covington, and in particular our Schools Office, we send our sincere congratulations to you for all this hard work. I will tell you; this is a lot of hard work.

“As your principal pointed out, very few schools are recognized each year for this award. This is a testament to the leadership here at Holy Cross, to your incredible teachers and especially you. The only way you can get your Blue Ribbon application in is to have good test scores, so that means you are working hard, and you are doing a great job,” said Mrs. McGuire.