Holy Cross Elementary School is seeking a 5th grade teacher for the 2025-2026 school year. The ideal candidate holds a current Kentucky teaching certificate, strong classroom management skills, communicates well and collaborates with fellow faculty members. Interested candidates should send a resume, cover letter, and references to Principal Beth Vieth at evieth@holycrosselem.com
Maura Baker
Staff Writer
Dr. Mandy Sanchez, director of programming at Culture Reframed, an international nonprofit centered around addressing the harms of pornography to youth, returned to the Diocese of Covington, March 3, for a presentation on the dangers of a “pornified world.” Titled “Just a Click Away — Monitoring the Risks and Rewards of Gaming and Apps for Our Youth,” two sessions were held — one in the morning for teachers, counselors and diocesan staff, and an open presentation in the evening for parents and adults of all ages interested in the protection of youth in the digital age.
Previously, Dr. Sanchez visited the diocese in November of last year and spoke on the connection between popular social media apps and the porn industry — which she proposes is “stronger than many think.”
March’s presentation expands on this concept, detailing the specific ways in which teenagers are susceptible to and affected by social media and the sexualization of video games.
“When you combine an adolescent desire for approval with a global digital platform,” said Dr. Sanchez, “this can massively soup up their encouragement to post sexual content.”
Quoting UK psychologist Dr. Elaine Kasket, whose research heavily focuses on social media, apps such as TikTok are called a “supercharged cabinet” for teens, “because he says,” quoted Dr. Sanchez, “teens are naturally interested in taking risks. They are naturally interested in finding out about sex and exploring that. They’re open to flattery. They’re open to seduction.”
Dr. Sanchez posed that if there is “no robust, porn-critical, sexual education curriculum happening, or conversations about the reality of relationships and intimacy, then this (referring to the objectifying and often violent portrayals of sex by the porn industry) is what kids think they’re supposed to do, and other kids think this is what they’re supposed to expect — because porn sets the expectations for violence and abuse. It normalizes the violence and depicts it as enjoyable.”
“We (Culture Reframed) believe that pornography is a stealth public health crisis,” she said, “it’s not an individual failing of morals or a moral failing of society or of an individual. We believe that it’s as pervasive as a public health crisis. So,” Dr. Sanchez said, “We center young people and work to get the message out with all those people who work with young people.”
Between parents and their children, Dr. Sanchez said that “Conversation needs to happen, and we’re going to set reasonable boundaries.” Parental controls are “like putting a band aid on a broken arm,” she said, “we really need to go deeper and have these conversations.”
Bella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
Thirty faithful of the Diocese of Covington boarded a bus with Bishop John Iffert, March 1, to participate in the first of four regional jubilee pilgrimages. This pilgrimage, to the shrine of St. Mother Theodore Guerin on the campus of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, Indiana, served as a way for these faithful to participate in the jubilee theme, Pilgrims of Hope.
“In declaring this jubilee year, Pope Francis established a theme,” said Bishop Iffert on the bus ride, “and his theme was pilgrims of hope. It emphasizes for us that we are on a journey … That’s why we undertake these pilgrimages, reminding us that we are moving through this world, that this world is not our truest home and that our truest home is with God.”
Along with participating in the theme of the jubilee year, the faithful were also able to receive a plenary indulgence. A plenary indulgence, “restores, so that it removes us from the temporal punishments that is also due to us because of our sin. It actually fixes us in a way, it restores us to health,” said Bishop Iffert.
There are a few requirements to obtain a plenary indulgence: prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, receiving the Eucharist, confession and making a pilgrimage. While at the shrine of St. Mother Guerin the pilgrims gathered in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on the grounds of St. Mary-of-theWoods College. Mass, celebrated by Bishop Iffert, aided the pilgrims in furthering their mission for a plenary indulgence by providing the Eucharist and a group prayer for the intentions of the Pope.
As the faithful of the Diocese arrived on campus the members of the Sisters of Providence, who still live on the grounds of St. Mary-of-theWoods College, were waiting outside the Providence Spirituality and Conference Center, where the shrine of St. Mother Guerin is located.
The events of the day began with a provided lunch in the historic O’Shaughnessy Dining Hall inside the Providence Center before the 30 pilgrims were split into two groups. The first group, including Bishop Iffert, went on the outdoor campus tour where they observed many important landmarks in the life of St. Mother Guerin. The second group stayed at the Providence Center and toured the shrine and museum of St. Mother Guerin. Inside the museum there were many second-class relics, and replicas of the items Mother Guerin would have used every day. Also on display was a first-class relic, three finger bones hung in a casing in the shrine portion of the museum. Pilgrims had a chance to venerate these relics before continuing the tour.
While outside, Providence Sister Mary Montgomery led the pilgrims on a guided tour of the grounds. Seeing the rock that denotes the spot St. Mother Guerin and her fellow sisters first arrived on the grounds from France, and a replica of the small log cabin chapel that met them when they first arrived. Also on the outdoor tour, was the St. Anne Shell Chapel, which is adorned with hundreds of shells from the Wabash River that runs near the campus. The outdoor resting place of St. Mother Guerin was visited by the pilgrims, as well as the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto.
Following the official tour portion of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims had free time to return to any sacred site from that day for a moment of quiet prayer and reflection. There was also time for the gift shop inside the Providence Center where paraphernalia of St. Mary-ofthe-Woods College, the Sisters of Providence and St. Mother Guerin were available.
“Our life is a spiritual journey,” said Bishop Iffert, “and we’re called to holiness and that is not just for those people who live in a rarified time or place, but it is for every one of us.”
If you are interested in attending a regional pilgrimage with Bishop Iffert, go to covdio.org/jubilee for more information.
Bella Bailey
Multimedia Correspondent
In the February 28 edition of the Messenger, the faithful of the Diocese of Covington were invited to participate in the Walk with One initiative that was borne out of the National Eucharistic Revival. Encouraged to participate during the Lenten season, many will have begun their journey on March 5, Ash Wednesday. To properly begin Walking with One, the first step is to identify someone in a spirit of humility.
To identify someone you are going to walk with you can write down a list of people you know and pray over that list, you can visit the Lord in Eucharistic adoration or do a novena to the Holy Spirit asking for increased discernment and guidance. This step is heavily focused on discernment and your personal relationship with God as you try and find who God is calling you to walk with.
Tanner Kalina, project manager for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, “Our big encouragement for everyone as they do Walk with One is to surround it with prayer. That starts first and foremost at the very beginning as you discern who the Lord might be inviting you to walk with.”
“We’re careful not to say that the person you walk with has to be a Catholic, has to be a fallen away Catholic, has to be a non-Catholic, because we really want people to enter into it prayerfully and take that first step in listening to the Lord. Ultimately, they won’t be able to pass down what they haven’t first received,” continued Mr. Kalina.
As you begin your journey to walk with one, Kris Frank, vice president of Growth and Marketing for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, “There’s going to be ups and downs, it’s going to be one step forward and one step backwards … so we want to ensure that we are connected to God and it is from that overflow of prayer and our own relationship that we can share with other people.”