Director of Maintenance – St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption Parish

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St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption Parish invites qualified individuals to apply for the full-time position of Director of Maintenance. We require a motivated, personable self-starter who possesses practical maintenance and mechanical skills and abilities. Knowledge and/or experience with plumbing, electrical, carpentry, mechanical maintenance, painting, and general safety procedures are essential elements of the job. This position will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Cathedral Basilica and its grounds, the Cathedral Rectory, and the Cathedral Parish offices. The Director will lead and supervise other maintenance and custodial staff in scheduled and unscheduled activities related to the ongoing functioning and usage of the Cathedral properties. In addition, this individual will serve a very necessary role as an additional ambassador to the many visitors the Cathedral Basilica welcomes on a regular basis. The workweek will ordinarily be Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. However, the nature of the position may require the Director to occasionally work outside of that schedule in order to repair, or to arrange repair for, something that breaks or malfunctions and needs immediate attention. Interested candidates may contact Stephen Koplyay, SPHR by email at [email protected] to apply.

 

Community-School Liaison

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The Alliance for Catholic Urban Education (ACUE) is seeking a full-time Community-School Liaison to support its five elementary schools located in Covington, Bellevue, and Taylor Mill, Kentucky.  The Community-School Liaison will work to build relationships with our Latino community, assist families with tasks relating to attendance at our schools, and work with faculty and staff to communicate with, and support their Spanish speaking families.  Candidates must be fluent in Spanish and have excellent verbal and written skills.  The ideal candidate will be able to work independently, take initiative as needs arise, enjoy working with others, and be respectful of different cultures.  A minimum of a high school diploma is required with an associate or bachelor’s degree preferred.  Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Michele Ulrich, at [email protected].

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.”

English Teacher (Full-time) – Notre Dame Academy – 2025-26

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Notre Dame Academy (NDA) in Park Hills, Kentucky, seeks a mission-driven, qualified professional to serve as a full-time English teacher for the 2025-26 school year.  The ideal candidate will be an experienced teacher, hold at least a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree is preferred, and be certified by the state of Kentucky to teach English.

Notre Dame Academy is a Catholic all-girls high school sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame. NDA has a rich tradition of success and excellence.  Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to Jack VonHandorf at [email protected].

 

Substitute Teacher (Long-term) – 7th grade Language Arts – Saint Mary School

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Saint Mary School in Alexandria is seeking a long-term substitute teacher in 7th-grade language arts beginning 2/27 and lasting until the middle/end of May. Requirements include instruction in reading, writing, grammar, communication skills, classroom management, grading, and collaboration.  Teaching experience is preferred. If interested, please reach email Principal Jennifer Geiman at [email protected].

 

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/.