Archive for year: 2024

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

The twilight of Oct. 1 brought together people across the diocese in support of life. The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, had its pews filled for the 2024 annual Pro-life Mass, organized by the diocesan Pro-life Office.

Bishop John Iffert celebrated the Mass, with Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys in choro, and concelebrated with priests from across the diocese — all having come together to reinforce the Catholic truth of the dignity of life from natural conception to natural death.

Earlier the same day, the Republic of Iran fired missiles upon the state of Israel, with natural disasters and armed conflicts worldwide at the top of many headlines.

Father Daniel Schomaker, pastor, St. Augustine Parish, Covington, and director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy, served as homilist for the 2024 pro-life Mass, and brought attention to these world events as a pro-life issue.

He began his homily quoting the 1996 film “Matilda,” “Everyone is born, but not everyone is born the same. Some will grow to be butchers, or bakers, or candlestick makers. Some will only be really good at making Jell-O salad. One way or another, though, every human being is unique, for better or for worse.” “It is that uniqueness that makes us so concerned about the preciousness of human life,” Father Schomaker said, “because we have been made unique. There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be again in the history of the universe another you.”

“Think about that,” he continued, “There is only ever one you and that is true for every human being God has thought into being.”

Clarifying, Father Schomaker said that existence doesn’t begin at conception — but “at the moment God thinks of you, because it is from that moment God has loved you.”

Because of this uniqueness, “there has to be a dignity in every single one of us,” said Father Schomaker, “because every single one of us brings something new into the world.

During his homily, Father Schomaker recalled a child named Matthew — 24 weeks in utero when he died. When Father Schomaker entered the hospital room, Matthew’s grandfather, who was holding him, said to Father Schomaker, “Look, Father, he’s perfect.”

“That child is perfect because he had been made in the image and likeness of God, and he was unique,” said Father Schomaker.

“Every life is perfect, made as God has chosen,” he said, “which is why we uphold every life as having an innate dignity … the sad thing is, my friends, we live in a world that doesn’t like to recognize the dignity of the human person.”

“As most of you know, there is a conflict going on in the Middle East,” Father Schomaker brought to the congregation’s attention, “and as I was listening to the radio, I hear different sides rejoicing over this conflict — yet no one on the radio seems to be mourning the fact that one group of human beings is taking out after another, and unwilling to recognize the dignity that they each have.”

Towards the end of his homily, Father Schomaker brought up one of his favorite saints: St. Theresa of Calcutta.

“She did not care if you were rich or poor,” he said, “she did not care where you were from; She cared if you were in need.”

Father Schomaker continued, saying, “she was asked one time why she cared for everyone and anyone, and she said ‘I see Jesus in every human being … I serve because I love Jesus.’”

“This is our call, my friends,” he said, “to see Jesus in our neighbor. To see Jesus in our family, to see Jesus in our friends, to see Jesus in the stranger, to see Jesus in the one who might be classified as enemy. It is too easy to get pulled away from recognizing the dignity of every single person who exists on Earth, everyone we are called by the Lord to love. Even those who hate us.”

“Today,” Father Schomaker concluded, “as we come together to pray for life in every stage, from the moment of conception until natural death, let us love. Let us will the good of the other, and see Jesus in everyone.”

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.