Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

The history and future of our Catholic schools

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By David Cooley.

Catholic Schools Week is a wonderful time to celebrate the history of Catholic schools in the U.S. and contemplate the future of our schools.

Historically speaking, the relationship between Catholic schools and the rest of the country has always been a complicated one.  From the very beginning, in the colonial period of North America, Catholics were not tolerated very well. Anti-Catholic sentiments and suspicions ran deep throughout the budding culture.

They were also very outnumbered. In 1790 there were only about 35 thousand Catholics in a population of 4 million. And by 1820 the number of American Catholics was still no more than 200 thousand.

However, in the mid-1800s, there was a deluge of Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Poland, fleeing from the turmoil in their homelands.

At the same time, beginning in the 1830s, the U.S. saw the dawn of schools owned and run by the government, funded by taxes, free from tuition, and available to all children. These were the common schools (now called public schools), and they were not secular or areligious institutions.

The common schools instilled in their pupils a general Protestant understanding of Scripture and Christian morals. These schools were not only used as tools to convert the children of Catholic immigrants but were also historically biased and explicitly anti-Catholic in instruction.

Because of this the emerging Catholic community began to modestly build their own schools. The rest, as they say, is history. By 1920, 6,551 Catholic elementary schools enrolled 1.8 million students taught by 42 thousand teachers. Enrollment continued to climb reaching an all-time high of 4.5 million students by the mid-1960s.

Despite the odds against them, Catholic schools experienced a great deal of success and growth – thanks in large part to the blood, sweat, and tears of faithful priests, women religious, and devout faithful who were willing to sacrifice a lot for the education of children. Today, Catholic schools comprise the largest parochial school system in the world and many successful people can trace their roots back to their Catholic education.

Catholic schools are centered on Christ, and, because of that, they thrive in holistic education and the pursuit of the truth.  Catholic schools teach virtue and truth and hold out holiness as the vocation of all students.

While the common schools over time have evolved into secular entities, the core mission of Catholic schools remains the same as it always has: to provide an integrated education to young men and women – knowledge and virtue combined, a formula for forming outstanding citizens and, most importantly, disciples of Jesus Christ.

Today we celebrate all that has been done, and the Catholic schools that still thrive in an ever-changing, challenging environment. But we can’t rest on our laurels. Future students and families depend upon us to take what we have been given, improve where we can, and hand on to the next generation. It is time for us to double down on the Catholicity of our schools and reaffirm our unwavering faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Turning Dresses into Dreams!

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Bishop John Iffert invites pilgrims to shrine of Indiana saint

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

As part of the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope,” Bishop John Iffert is inviting people to join him on a set of four regional pilgrimages throughout the year. The first of these pilgrimages is upcoming March 1, where a motorcoach of pilgrims will be headed to the shrine of St. Mother Theodore Guerin in Saint Mary-of-theWoods, Indiana.

St. Mother Guerin, born in France in 1798, came to the United States as a missionary with the Sisters of Providence. Although she struggled with various health issues throughout the entirety of her life, her and her fellow sisters established a school in the so-called “new world,” and helped serve the influx of Catholic immigrants to the Americas.

The pilgrimage will invite pilgrims to explore not only the history of Mother Guerin, but grant them time of prayer in the woods of Indiana. Tours and presentations will be part of the day trip, as well as visits to the wood’s chapels and churches.

“I think this is a unique place,” said Jim Hess, director of the Office of Stewardship and Mission, who is organizing the pilgrimage, “Not many people know about, first, that this even exists, and, curious, they may want to go. This is the one of the four pilgrimages Bishop is the most excited about taking people to.”

The pilgrimage, which costs $270 per person, includes travel by motorcoach from Campbell County to Indiana, and back the same day, as well as a buffet lunch and box dinner. Financial assistance is available, and those interested are encouraged to contact the Stewardship Office at (859) 392–1540 to request it.

“I want to stress that this is something we’re doing for the jubilee year,” said Mr. Hess, “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We only have two busses, so space is limited, so we’re encouraging early sign-ups for anyone who wants to participate.”

Interested parties can contact the Stewardship Office, or visit https:// covdio.org/jubilee/ to learn more about the pilgrimage and what the Diocese of Covington is doing to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year.

March for Life returns to Frankfort for a second year — here’s how to participate

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Feb. 12 marks the second year for the March for Life in Frankfort, Ky. — organized by the Kentucky Right to Life organization, this statewide event brings the message of life, from natural conception to natural death, to the state capitol.

Since the first event, organizers have gained a little bit more experience, said Faye Roch, director of the Diocese of Covington’s Pro-Life office. This year, they’re hoping for less rain and less hiccups as the date of the March approaches.

The gathering begins at 9:30 a.m. with Mass at Good Shepherd Church, Frankfort, with marchers meeting at the front steps of the capitol at 11:30 a.m. for music, prayer and a rally before walking from the steps to the Memorial for the Unborn in Frankfort’s cemetery.

Currently, the Diocese of Covington has chartered three buses to take individuals interested in participating from Covington and Florence to Frankfort. Among the participants will be students of diocesan high schools, as well as from Thomas More University and Northern Kentucky University’s Newman Club.

Last year, according to Mrs. Roch, the Diocese of Covington had a recorded attendance of around 200. This year, she hopes to double that number.

“We have this battle within our state,” she said, “and we need to come together in the state of Kentucky to show our legislators the importance of respect for life, especially at conception.”

Transportation to the March for Life via the buses will be free of cost, although space is limited. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the diocesan Pro-life Office at (859) 392-1545 for information.

Father John Judie speaks on racism past and recent at annual MLK Breakfast

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Our Savior Parish, Covington, upheld a long-standing tradition by once again hosting the annual Martin Luther King Discussion Breakfast. The yearly gathering of parishioners and community members boasted a crowd large enough to fill the parish hall. Father John Judie, humanitarian and retired priest from the Archdiocese of Louisville, was the keynote speaker.

Father Judie is well known for his speaking engagements both in the Archdiocese of Louisville and in various countries throughout Africa. His primary ministry, however, is Father John Judie Ministries Inc., which works to provide humanitarian aid to economically undeveloped areas of Africa.

“It is wonderful to be here with all of you,” Father Judie began, “I always look forward to the opportunity when I can come to Covington. Most of the time it is celebrating the Mass and preaching but it is just so wonderful to see everyone today,” he said addressing the crowded parish hall.

“We know so much about Dr. King and his work, and his ministry, and the influence and the impact he had on this country. Raising people’s level of awareness about racism and particularly the injustice that has been rendered against people of color for years and years and years. Part of honoring him and his ministry and his life, we have to really take a look at the larger picture that he recognized and was clearly focused on at the end of his life and ministry. That means we have to go back a lot further than Dr. King and his ministry,” said Father Judie.

His presentation, entitled “Racism Yesterday and Today,” focused on the history of racism and its origins in the United States, as well as modern racism in society today.

The origins of racism in the United States, Father Judie said, began as soon as European settlers stepped foot in and took over the modern-day United States of America.

“Racism has been labeled as Americas original sin. Since there was an America before the Europeans came, it is more accurate to say that racism is the United States of America’s original sin, there is a difference. The indigenous people of this land inhabited it for more than 12,000 years before the Europeans and other settlers showed up,” said Father Judie.

While racism is deeply rooted in the history of the United States, it permeates through society today. Father Judie turned the attention of those in attendance to the language used for immigrants. Today, when someone would like to immigrate to the United States of America, they must apply for Resident Alien Status.

“Why would we call any human being on this planet an alien,” Father Judie said, posing the question to the crowd. “You can see how the lie continues. Alien means you don’t belong here. You came from some outer space; therefore, we don’t know anything about you, so we fear you and we’ll treat you that way. Why would anybody want to be labeled, or have your loved ones labeled, as an alien? We ourselves have to be aware.”

The audience participation portion of the breakfast gave way to personal testimonies of those in the audience who have experienced racism or racial injustice in the Northern Kentucky area and beyond. Racism is not an alien issue; it effects people close to home.

Father Judie encouraged people to look inward and reflect on racism in their own lives as a first step.

“It occurs to me; we may need to dig more deeply into the essential elements of racism at work in our own lives and in our involvements with others,” he said. “We can always talk about something not there, but we need to bring it home, we need to deal with it at home. We have to recognize it first and then know how we are prepared to respond to it once we encounter it in our everyday interactions with others.”

Pope Francis to celebrate Jubilees for communications, and many other vocations throughout the Jubilee Year

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

With the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Papal Bull by Pope Francis announced the year to be marked by the “hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.”

This hope is especially highlighted as part of the Jubilee Year’s theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” which likewise highlights our collective role as pilgrims.

As part of the Jubilee Year, the Holy See has declared special Jubilees through the holy year — each of which promote a different vocation, a different stage of life or a particular theme of the Jubilee. Notably, one of the first jubilees celebrated will be the Jubilee of the World of Communications, celebrated January 24–26. This jubilee will open with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis, followed by cultural meetings, dialogues and round tables all in celebration and correspondence with the role of media and communications professionals as they relate to the Jubilee — a pattern that will repeat for each special jubilee throughout the year.

Jim Hess, director of Stewardship and Mission Services, describes these jubilees as a way that the “Church is celebrating different vocations and pathways we take in the world,” he said. “The jubilees celebrate holiness in these different stages of life.”

Following the Jubilee of the World of Communications, the next jubilees to join in the celebration are the Jubilees of Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel, Feb. 8–9, and of Artists, Feb. 15–18. The faithful are encouraged to take moments of prayer and celebration during their respective jubilees, and to offer prayers in support of loved ones during theirs.

A full list of jubilees can be found on the jubilee calendar online at https://www.iubilaeum2025.va. For more information on jubilee celebrations in the Diocese of Covington, visit https://covdio.org/jubilee/.

TMU Compassion Pantry co-directors, organize shoe drive to help the most vulnerable

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

As part of the Diocesan-wide Campaign of Mercy, the Messenger has been highlighting a different work of mercy each month. For the month of January, the focus is on the corporal work, clothing the naked.

In conjunction with the December work of mercy, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked focuses on aiding the most vulnerable. With temperatures falling, and snowbanks piling high, those without consistent shelter are at risk of frostbite and hypothermia, making warm clothes a necessity. Unfortunately, those that need warm clothes the most often have the least access. Whether it is low volume and high demand, or even cost, access to warm clothes is limited.

Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, students MaryKay Birtcil and Noah Francis, co-directors of Thomas More University Compassion Pantry, took note and are doing what they can to help. The Compassion Pantry typically focuses on nonperishable food items for students on campus, but the heart of the organization is in giving back. Ms. Birtcil and Mr. Francis met with their team of students and, in an effort to combat the lack of access, organized a shoe drive.

“I got the idea because I volunteered at the CCRU clinic, which is through the University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University College of Medicine. They would see 45 patients a night that would come into the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky in Covington, and I noticed that one common thing among all the patients was that they really needed a new pair of shoes,” said Ms. Birtcil. “The people that come to the shelter,” she continued, “do a lot of walking so it felt like a really important need for them.”

While the Compassion Pantry primarily serves the immediate Thomas More community, Ms. Birtcil and Mr. Francis saw this as the perfect opportunity to give back.

“We receive a lot from our greater community,” said Mr. Francis, “we have partnerships with Panera, they donate all of their leftover bread every Sunday night. Master Provisions lets us come in and do some grocery shopping. We get  donations from High Schools and the alumni all the time. It is all one big family in Northern Kentucky. I think that, as much as people have helped us, we should also help people.”

Giving back to the community that has given the Compassion Pantry so much is a hallmark of the shoe drive. All of the shoes that are collected are going to be donated to the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, to help them ncombat cold related injuries and illnesses.

The coordination of Ms. Birtcil, Mr. Francis, the Compassion Pantry team and the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky is a testament to the Northern Kentucky community and Mr. Francis said, their faith. “I would say faith does drive us in all aspects,” he said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, Christ died for us, showing that love back into the community is our goal. I would say that is why we do everything.”

For those interested in donating to the shoe drive the drop off box is located inside the doors of the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, Crestview Hills, and to the left. The Chapel is on the campus of Thomas More University. The donation box will remain in the Chapel until Friday, Jan. 24.

“I hate when my feet are cold,” Mr. Francis said, “So I can only imagine what it is like for other people that don’t have roofs over their heads to not have shoes and warm feet.”

St. Charles Communities geographic footprint expands to current site of St. Joseph Heights

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

In a joint statement by the Sisters of Notre Dame and St. Charles Community, it was announced that the two organizations had “reached a preliminary agreement for an expansion of the St. Charles’ ministry to take place on the Dixie Highway campus of the SND.”

The Dixie Highway campus is known by many as the beloved St. Joseph Heights, Park Hills. With St. Charles Community acquiring the property, it was announced that St. Joseph Heights will be razed this summer.

In January of 2023 the Sisters of Notre Dame began officially moving out of the historic, storied home at St. Joseph Heights. Though the physical moving process began in 2023, the spiritual process of discernment began many years ago as the Sisters’ need for physical space began to diminish.

As the average age of the sisters grew, so too did the number of sisters whose level of care exceeded the capabilities available at St. Joseph Heights. As a result, the hallowed halls of St. Joseph Heights became increasingly empty as did the need for such a large space.

“Two years ago, that was a big piece of it, where we had to come to grips with what was happening. Here we had a big building, the number of sisters was shrinking, the expense was beginning to outweigh the gift of what was happening … We realized that it’s too big for us, and also, not necessarily the best for us,” said Notre Dame Sister Shauna Bankemper, assistant provincial and Leadership Team Member.

“The upkeep of such a large building, we felt, was not a good use of resources … Ten years ago Pope Francis declared the Year of Consecrated Life and one of the things he said to religious communities is look at your buildings and see how they need to be repurposed … For him and for us it is always how can that promote the mission? How can it serve the mission? Because that is why we exist in the first place,” said Notre Dame Sister Marla Monahan, vicar for religious, Diocese of Covington.

“All of us realize that the brick and mortar of this building holds beautiful memories, but we also want our mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame to go forward and if we can provide an environment for that mission … to thrive that’s, what I think, the future of this property is about,” said Sister Shauna.

Sister Marla added to this sentiment, “For us, we tried to see if there was a potential other us for the building. The cost of renovating an old building and what would be the mission needs. To be good stewards of resources, to keep the focus on mission, we first  reached out to Notre Dame Academy to see if their future plans might include some- thing of the property or building and it did not. Secondly, we reached out to our sponsored ministry, St. Charles Community.”

St. Charles Community is one of several sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Notre Dame, and where many of the sisters now live after moving from St. Joseph Heights.

“We made a decision that we would send our skilled care, our infirmary, to St. Charles. They have a wing called the Homestead available and we wanted to be able to pro- vide for our sisters there in that facility and we would bring our own staff… We have 18 sisters that live there and are getting the skilled care that they need,” said Sister Shauna. In addition to the sisters needing skilled care, other sisters wished to be close to healthcare and their fellow sisters.

“We realized that the future of our sisters would be on the St. Charles campus and so the sisters moved to St. Charles Lodge,” said Sister Shauna.

St. Charles Lodge is the assisted  living facility of the St. Charles Community. Its residents are independent enough to live on their own but need more support than what is typically practical at home.

In total, there are 38 sisters now living in the St. Charles Community at either the Lodge or Homestead.

Sister Shauna said that while the decision to move was not an easy one, the 38 sisters now living at St. Charles feel at ease in their new home. “It was a communal decision that we would be moving from the building, that was two years ago, that made the move a little bit easier. The sisters at St. Charles are very happy and content, that makes it a little easier.”

While the Sisters of Notre Dame may not have a use for the building they used to call home, St. Charles Community has found a use for the property on which the building sits.

“We believe that this expansion will enable us to reach more seniors in desperate need of compassionate care and services, while honoring and preserving the legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame,” said Nichole Smith, executive director of the St. Charles Community, in the joint statement.

Sister Shauna assured those who love St. Joseph Heights that while the building will no longer be standing, the mission for which it stood will remain steadfast.

“In making decisions about the future, our goal is to maximize our mission-related impact and to continue to strengthen our existing ministries. We believe that transitioning the St. Joseph Heights property to St. Charles will provide significant benefits to both the sisters and St. Charles, and to the broader Covington/Park Hills communities,” she said in the joint statement. “This is the next step in St. Joseph Heights’ further service to mission.”

St. Augustine celebrates rededication of the parishes ‘temple of living stones,’ blessing of refurbished altar

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

A cold Sunday, January 12, marked a special celebration for St. Augustine Parish, Covington, as the pews were filled in honor of the re-dedication and the blessing of a new altar for the more than 100-year-old Church.

Father Daniel Schomaker, pastor of St. Augustine, began a capital campaign in February of 2018 with the goal of restoration, conservation and renovation of the church and other parts of St. Augustine’s campus. And now, after the trials of COVID-19 which interrupted and delayed parts of the project’s progress, St. Augustine was able to celebrate these achievements with the final piece — a new frontal was added to the Altar of Sacrifice, featuring the Eucharistic symbol of a mother pelican, and the whole of it was accentuated with gold ornamentation and a reliquary vault. First class relics, including examples of those such as St. Andrew, St. John Vianney, St. Pius X were entombed in the reliquary vault as part of the altar’s blessing.

Bishop John Iffert celebrated the Mass as well as blessed the updated altar and rededicated the Church, in choro with Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys and concelebrated with Father Michael Grady, pastor, St. Therese parish, Southgate; Msgr. Kurt Kemo, vice rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, and Father Stephen Bankemper, pastor, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Ft. Thomas. The ceremony was joined by many of St. Augustine’s parishioners participating as well.

In his homily, Bishop Iffert emphasized the importance of Christ’s baptism — a feast day celebrated the same day as the re-dedication. “People were coming from all over the region to be baptized,” he said, “… amid all the people, Jesus is revealed to be the new temple of God and the hope of divine life for all.”

He mentioned how the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus during his baptism, and that that “same spirit descends upon Christ’s holy people gathered in prayer … it will be made manifest that the same holy people gathered by Christ are the Church. That is the holy people.” Of course, representing the mirror event of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples at Pentecost.

“The Church has also been the name given to the buildings in which the Christian community gathers to hear the word of God,” said Bishop Iffert, “and, so, we gather this morning, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, to rededicate this lovingly restored building and the temple of living stones that worships here, and goes out into the world from here to be the living mission of Jesus.”

“May the renewal of this building bring restored life to the temple …remind us to embody St. Augustine’s sacred truth, ‘One loving heart sets another on fire,’ and may God continue to pour out graces upon the people of St. Augustine and the Diocese of Covington … May the Lord make you and me his Eucharistic people and missionary disciples and use us to convey his peace to our neighbors and to all whom seek the truth.”

At the conclusion of Mass, Father Daniel Schomaker, pastor of St. Augustine, Covington, thanked all who came together for the celebration, but, also, in a special way the bishops present — both Bishop Iffert and Bishop Emeritus Foys, who initially gave Father Schomaker permission to begin the restoration project in 2018.

The bishops were presented with gifts from the parish, including ornaments from St. Augustine’s “Be Their Light” ministry, who care for sick and homebound parishioners, but this year honored specifically parishioners who had passed with ornaments on a tree at the front of the Church. The ornaments given to the bishops included the names of both of Bishop Foys’ late parents, and Bishop Iffert’s mother who passed in 2022.

The bishops were also both presented with images of commissioned pectoral crosses that they will soon be receiving on behalf of St. Augustine Parish. The crosses include a shell-engraved image of the Restless Heart of Jesus, a symbol pertinent to St. Augustine’s patron.

Campaign of Mercy — BBHS delivers Christmas cheer

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Every year, Mark Messmer, a Catholic Charities jail ministry volunteer, works with the Campbell County Detention Center, Newport, to get permission for jail ministers to bring a bag of Christmas cheer to each inmate and guard at CCDC. Each November, Bishop Brossart High School hosts a Turkey Bowl gathering donations for a variety of charities. In addition to the generous donations collected, the Turkey Bowl provides awareness of the people being served by the various ministries. This year, CCDC was added to the BBHS list of ministries.

BBHS generously responded with over 600 individually wrapped snack cakes and ChapStick for every inmate. Jail ministers had the privilege of personally handing out each bag individually. The inmates responded with great joy and thanks, grateful that people are remembering them. Jail ministers at CCDC lead weekly Bible studies. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington can always use more volunteers. It’s an important ministry of hope and comfort. Contact Jill Walsh at (859) 581-8974 or jwalch@covingtoncharities.org.