Archive for year: 2024
Human Resources Consultant
The Pastoral Center is seeking the right candidate to fill the position of HR Consultant. The HR Consultant will assist the Director of Human Resources in providing leadership to parishes, schools and AOC offices regarding their HR needs and legal requirements and foster a positive work environment based on Catholic values and principles. Within the Human Resources Ministry, the HR Consultant will work with the HR Director when requested, and with key policy and advisory groups to identify strategies that address problematic employee issues that increase legal risks to parishes, schools and the Archdiocese. The HR Consultant works in fidelity with the Mission, Vision and Core Values of the Archdiocese and the Human Resources Department.
Click to view full job description.
All interested candidates should send letter of interest, resume and
Application for Employment to [email protected] or mail to:
Human Resources, 100 E. Eighth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Human Resources Officer – Mercy McAuley High School
Mercy McAuley is seeking a diligent, dedicated individual to join our team. Mercy McAuley High School is a Catholic college-preparatory high school for young women. It is a sponsored ministry of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and is a member of Mercy Education. Mercy McAuley is committed to excellence in education, compassionate service and leadership in a Christ-centered community. This part-time (24 hours per week) position is responsible for processing payroll, recruiting employees, onboarding, managing employee benefits, executing contracts, monitoring licensure, and ensuring compliance with school policies and legal requirements.
Accountability
The Human Resources Officer reports to the Director of Finance.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time.
- Maintain personnel policies and procedures that comply with State and Federal laws and are consistent with school administrative philosophy. Monitor management and employees’ compliance with these policies.
- Keep up to date on government regulations affecting company policies and human resource practices. Implement changes to comply with these changes.
- Process bi-weekly payroll, maintain/monitor PTO system, and make needed entries into 401K system & benefits systems. Working with Director of Finance, maintain payroll, 401k records, & generate related reports when needed for audit purposes, etc.
- Initiate and monitor background check/SafeParish process & submit paperwork to Archdiocese.
- Begin and monitor onboarding and off boarding in payroll system & benefits systems.
- Collaborating with the Director of Finance/Principal/President, produce employee contracts & offer letters.
- Complete the yearly process of Mandated Services.
- Develop and monitor various metrics and analytics used to evaluate effectiveness of various HR programs and activities. (Reporting for Board Meetings, Workman’s comp, Unemployment, Mandated Services, & FLSA etc.).
- Coordinate staffing activities including job postings, recruitment, interviewing, and hiring of personnel.
- Maintain necessary personnel documentation for employee files to include wages, overtime, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, etc.
- Perform special projects when needed.
Qualifications and Skills:
- Strong commitment to all girls’ Catholic, Mercy education by maintaining a personal and professional presence consistent with the charism of the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic teaching.
- Strong sense of ethical conduct and the ability to maintain the highest level of integrity of confidential and sensitive information.
- An understanding of the full spectrum of the human resources professional. Awareness of pertinent updates, trends and issues.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of governmental laws, insurance plans, and technical information furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, leadership, and other employees of the organization.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with leadership of the school.
- Strong time management.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to set and meet goals.
Education and Experience
Requires education generally equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in human resource management or business administration from a four-year college or university plus a minimum of three years related human resources experience.
Please submit cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to Brigitte Foley at [email protected].
Youth Minister — Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Burlington, is seeking a dynamic and outgoing person to be our next Youth Minister. The Coordinator of Youth Ministry (Youth Minister) provides vision and coordination for the parish’s efforts in ministry to young people from 6th through 12th grades. This includes organizing and running high school and middle school youth ministry programs and assisting with catechesis and sacramental preparation programs. The main goal of this position is to assist with the parish’s youth ministry program. The youth ministry and religious education programs strive to provide a safe and welcoming environment for the parish youth to grow their love of God through fellowship, exposure to a wide range of prayer styles, church doctrine, and participation in the Catholic Liturgy.
For more information or a detailed job description, please contact, Amy Malventano at [email protected]
Professional Academic Tutor/Coach – Thomas More University
The Thomas More University Institute for Learning Differences (ILD), is seeking professional tutors/academic coaches. The ILD is a comprehensive support program designed for college students with documented learning disabilities. Working with ILD students the tutor/coach will implement student-centric methods focusing on learning strategies and content knowledge while applying best practices for students with learning differences. Students meet with tutors according to a set schedule each week throughout the semester.
Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in your content area or field related to learning differences required. Excellent English communication skills required. Must possess the ability to interact with a diverse student population. Needs for Biology, Business, Communications, Computer Science, History, Psychology, and Sociology.
For more information, contact Dr. Andrea Milani ([email protected]) or the ILD department at 859-344-3582 ([email protected]).
Despite challenging path to priesthood, Father Owusu celebrates his Silver Jubilee
Bella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
Father Sam Owusu, parochial vicar, Mary, Queen of Heaven Parish, Erlanger, celebrated his Silver Jubilee — 25 years in the priesthood, Sept. 15. His celebration was well attended by the priests of the Diocese of Covington, his family, friends and even a king from back home in Ghana. Though Father Owusu has been a priest for 25 years, it took him 15 years and a lot of challenges to make it to the priesthood.
Born in Ghana, Africa, to a large Catholic family, Father Owusu knew from a young age that he wanted to be a priest.
“When I was a kid, it started right from infancy, I was just a small boy. We are born into the Catholic faith; our great grandmothers introduce us to the Catholic faith,” said Father Owusu. “As I grew up, I developed a special interest, going to Mass every Sunday and other weekdays, more especially when I was an altar boy. I was in a mission house with a priest, I was an altar boy. I learned from the priest and that enticed me a lot to be someday like them.”
In Ghana, however, the path to the priesthood is long and difficult, taking 15 total years before becoming ordained. Father Owusu, however, was determined.
“The priests brought the information to those who were willing to enter into the seminary. They have entrance exams, one Saturday we went to the exams and behold, I got admission because I passed. Then it was time for us to get ready for seminary training,” Father Owusu said.
And though he was resolute in his conviction to join the seminary his parents were worried. “It was not until I was ready, when I was about to go, that I told them that this was my plan. I want to go to the seminary and be trained, if possible, to become a priest. They asked me if I could make it because many had attempted but couldn’t succeed. Many went and they failed, and they came back. They were worried if I could make it, if it is my choice, they give me their support,” he said.
With his parent’s support, Father Owusu began “Minor Seminary” which is the equivalent of high school. He attended St. Hubert Seminary in Kumasi for seven years. At the end of each year the seminarians must sit in front of a panel and be asked questions, to ensure that they are ready to move on to the next stage of their formation.
“Every single year you have to appear before a panel at the end of the academic year. You will be with them, and they will give you questions, assessing you. If they have any faults about you, it is there that they make it known to you … When you are in front of the panel, they will be bombarding you with questions. If you are not able to satisfy them, there is another question. During the time you are gone they will cast a lot on you by voting, ‘those who want him to be promoted to the next level show your hand,’” Father Owusu said.
Once Father Owusu completed Minor Seminary he had to complete one year of service to the nation.
“After the seven years we are asked by the Church and the National Government to national service, which is one year. That year is exposure to the world, exposure to people around you, to socialize, to mingle, in school you are not able to, so you are given that freedom and liberty. During that one year I was made a teacher. I was a full-time teacher. I was in elementary,” Father Owusu said.
After the completion of his year of national service he reapplied to attend Major Seminary, which would be another seven years of formation to the priesthood. The curriculum of Major Seminary is broken into three parts. There is one year for the study of spirituality, two years for the study of philosophy and four years for the study of theology.
Major Seminary is the last of many hurdles to becoming a priest, but the greatest of challenges still faced Father Owusu. When it was time to be ordained a deacon, the seminary would send banners to be published at the seminarian’s home parish, and any place they stayed doing mission work. These banners notified people of the seminarians upcoming ordination and invited anyone with grievances against them, or reasons that they should not be made a deacon, to come forward.
“Many people have suffered calamity of that,” said Father Owusu, “because based on the report from those mission churches, from your home parish, from the seminary, it can go against you. Normally, you always have to keep your fingers crossed, praying that you might not fall victim, otherwise it can be a big blow to you. You can become a disgrace to your family, very humiliating, and people look at you in a different eye. You pray that God will always save you out of trouble.”
After being ordained a deacon, Father Owusu was well on his way to being ordained a priest. On July 17, 1999, he was ordained a priest, making him one of only four people from the seminary class of 55 to make it all the way through the 15 years. Once ordained he worked at six different parishes within Kumasi, which is a city in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
In June 2007 he was asked by his Bishop to go serve the West African immigrants in Italy. During his five-year tenure there he was able to establish an additional Catholic church for the immigrant community. While in Italy he had the opportunity to travel to the Island of Malta, Germany, Spain, Sicily and France. While in Spain he attended the 2011 World Youth Day where he and the opportunity to concelebrate Pontifical Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. Upon his return from Italy to Ghana his Bishop asked him if he would consider going to Northern Kentucky.
“And I, like the prophet Isaiah said, ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: whom shall I send and who will go? Then I said here I am Lord, send me,’” Father Owusu said.
Father Owusu’s first assignment in the Diocese of Covington was to St. Joseph Parish, Cold Spring. After leaving St. Joseph Parish he was assigned to St. Timothy Parish, Union, before landing in his current position as Parochial Vicar at Mary, Queen of Heaven, where, he said, he thoroughly enjoys saying Mass and the people of the parish and school.
Holy Cross District High School is recognized as a National Blue-Ribbon School
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.
In Favor of School Choice
By Jason Hall.
In November, Kentucky voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment on educational choice. This is a unique opportunity to advance the well-being of all Kentucky students and I encourage everyone to support it.
All of our neighboring states have educational choice programs that provide widespread opportunity for their students. Kentucky has none of these programs.
This is because the Kentucky Supreme Court has interpreted our state Constitution in a very narrow way, preventing the legislature from passing similar laws. In fact, the Court has ruled that any educational support for students outside of public schools is prohibited.
The good news is that Kentucky voters now have the opportunity to right this wrong. A YES vote on Amendment 2 supports giving the Kentucky General Assembly the ability to pass educational policies that support all students.
Opponents of Amendment 2 often paint a bleak picture of destructive policies that the legislature could theoretically adopt if the amendment is approved. They assert that Amendment 2 will destroy public education.
However, that has certainly not been the experience of the 48 states that have some form of educational choice. States like Ohio and Indiana, which have some of the oldest and most robust choice programs, boast public school student outcomes that surpass Kentucky’s.
Furthermore, the opponents’ claims run contrary to the laws that have already been passed in Kentucky, that were subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court.
The primary school choice policy that has been pursued by legislators and thwarted by the Court’s ruling was HB 563, passed in 2021 and strongly supported by the Catholic Conference. HB 563 provided a tax credit for donations to fund assistance based on financial need and required that a majority of the aid awarded go to high need students.
The assistance awarded under this program could have been used for non-public school tuition, but also for many other educational needs. A student could be awarded funds to pay for online learning, tutoring, computers and software, testing fees, educational therapies, fees for dual-credit courses, among other needs.
These accounts would have met the needs of thousands of students and enhanced opportunities for students in non-public schools, public schools, or homeschools, all based on need. And this would have been new educational funding raised through the tax credit program, not money redirected from existing education funding. In fact, the same year legislators passed HB 563, they provided over $100 million in new funding for public school systems.
Education is a justice issue. The state has an obligation to ensure that every student has access to a quality education, and to do that in a way that provides parents with, as Pope St. Paul VI said, “true liberty in their choice of schools.”
There is no reason we should not have well-funded public schools alongside programs providing for other choices where there is a need. Amendment 2 will allow Kentucky to consider and adopt creative solutions to Kentucky’s educational challenges.
Jason Hall is the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky.
In favor of school choice
Jason Hall
Executive Director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky
In November, Kentucky voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment on educational choice. This is a unique opportunity to advance the well-being of all Kentucky students and I encourage everyone to support it.
All of our neighboring states have educational choice programs that provide widespread opportunity for their students. Kentucky has none of these programs.
This is because the Kentucky Supreme Court has interpreted our state Constitution in a very narrow way, preventing the legislature from passing similar laws. In fact, the Court has ruled that any educational support for students outside of public schools is prohibited.
The good news is that Kentucky voters now have the opportunity to right this wrong. A YES vote on Amendment 2 supports giving the Kentucky General Assembly the ability to pass educational policies that support all students.
Opponents of Amendment 2 often paint a bleak picture of destructive policies that the legislature could theoretically adopt if the amendment is approved. They assert that Amendment 2 will destroy public education.
However, that has certainly not been the experience of the 48 states that have some form of educational choice. States like Ohio and Indiana, which have some of the oldest and most robust choice programs, boast public school student outcomes that surpass Kentucky’s.
Furthermore, the opponents’ claims run contrary to the laws that have already been passed in Kentucky, that were subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court.
The primary school choice policy that has been pursued by legislators and thwarted by the Court’s ruling was HB 563, passed in 2021 and strongly supported by the Catholic Conference. HB 563 provided a tax credit for donations to fund assistance based on financial need and required that a majority of the aid awarded go to high need students.
The assistance awarded under this program could have been used for non-public school tuition, but also for many other educational needs. A student could be awarded funds to pay for online learning, tutoring, computers and software, testing fees, educational therapies, fees for dualcredit courses, among other needs.
These accounts would have met the needs of thousands of students and enhanced opportunities for students in non-public schools, public schools, or homeschools, all based on need. And this would have been new educational funding raised through the tax credit program, not money redirected from existing education funding. In fact, the same year legislators passed HB 563, they provided over $100 million in new funding for public school systems.
Education is a justice issue. The state has an obligation to ensure that every student has access to a quality education, and to do that in a way that provides parents with, as Pope St. Paul VI said, “true liberty in their choice of schools.”
There is no reason we should not have well-funded public schools alongside programs providing for other choices where there is a need. Amendment 2 will allow Kentucky to consider and adopt creative solutions to Kentucky’s educational challenges.
Jason Hall is the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky
Coming to a yard near you — Yes On 2
Students from Covington Latin School, Covington, lend a helping hand to the Yes On 2 campaign by taking time out of their school day to assemble yard signs in support of Issue 2. If passed, Issue 2 would amend Kentucky’s constitution to allow Kentucky lawmakers to craft legislation that could provide funds to help students attend non-public schools or receive other educational services outside of the public school system. The amendment puts students first when considering educational opportunities. Kentucky is one of only two states that do not offer financial support for some kind of educational options for parents beyond local public schools. Every state surrounding Kentucky does offer financial support for educational options. In addition to displaying a yard sign, there are many ways to help pass this important amendment for the children of Kentucky. Visit https://covdio.org/yesontwo or contact David Cooley, Diocese of Covington project manager, at [email protected].