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 skoplyay@covdio.org to apply.

 

Fifth Grade Teacher – Holy Cross Elementary School – 2025-2026

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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

 

Pornography is ‘as pervasive as a public health crisis, ’ said Dr. Mandy Sanchez at March presentation

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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.”

Faithful of the Diocese attend first of four regional jubilee pilgrimages with Bishop Iffert

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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.

Identify someone in a spirit of humility as you begin your Lenten Walk with One journey

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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.”

Religion Teacher – Holy Cross High School – 2025-2026

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Holy Cross High School is seeking a full time Religion Teacher for the 2025-2026 school year.   The ideal candidate would have experience in the position and be certified to teach Religion in the Diocese of Covington.  Please send cover letter and resume to Principal Mike Holtz – subject Religion Teacher Position at mike.holtz@hchscov.com and to Academic Dean  Ashley Moseley ashley.moseley@hchscov.com subject Religion Teacher Position

Varsity Volleyball Head Coach

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Notre Dame Academy is looking for a Varsity Volleyball Coach for the 2025-26 season.  This position will oversee the program and report directly to the Athletic Director. Head Coaching experience at the high school level is desired. All coaches must go through KHSAA and Diocese onboarding and training once hired. Please send a letter of interest and resume to carlj@ndapandas.org. Notre Dame Academy is a Catholic all girls high school sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame.

 

Marriage

The foundation of love

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By David Cooley.

The love between a husband and a wife is beautiful and unique. It is both unitive and procreative and ordered toward a life filled with charity, fidelity, faith, and sacrifice. It is a life-long spiritual journey toward heaven that begins with the sacrament of marriage.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously said, “It takes three to get married.” Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman and Jesus Christ.

Marriage, like life, is a great adventure, but it can be difficult and complicated to say the least. To persevere in holiness, couples need the Lord’s presence and his grace that he bestows through the sacraments. With that grace and constant support from the Catholic community, a husband and wife can persevere in love when facing daily difficulties and lifelong hardships.

Jesus shows us the kind of love we must strive for. He taught us that there is no greater love than laying down your life for others, and he demonstrated what love looks like when he allowed himself to be hung on a cross for our sins.

Jesus never held anything back or tried to diverge from his Father’s will. Jesus reveals to us that love is a complete outpouring of oneself as a gift. Holding nothing back and giving yourself over as a complete gift to your spouse is the vocational call of a husband and a wife.

St. Paul emphasized that “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right.” (Cor 13:4-6) And when a man and a woman learn to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things, their marriage becomes one of the most beautiful signs of Christ’s love for His Church.

We learn in the earliest parts of Genesis that God is the author of marriage and that the family is the foundational element of society. Strong, blessed, and happy marriages are the key to a strong, blessed, and happy society.  Pope St. John Paul II pointed out that “as the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

Today we must face the fact that there are popular alternative messages about love and marriage. These views bereft of God leave couples susceptible to confusion and disorder. Relationships are set up for failure.

In the Diocese of Covington, we have certain requirements that we ask couples to meet before their wedding day. These requirements are not meant to burden the couple by adding arbitrary tasks to their already-full schedule, but, on the contrary, are meant to help couples lay a solid foundation on which they can build the rest of their lives.

This solid foundation is a person — Jesus Christ. Strong Catholic marriages lead to strong Catholic families, which will in turn bless our parishes, communities, and culture. We must all do our part to recognize and defend the beauty of marriage and support the couples that the Lord brings into our lives.

David Cooley is co-director of the Office of Catechesis and Evangelization in the Diocese of Covington.

This Lent take the first steps to ‘Walk With One’ in the Campaign of Mercy

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Laura Keener

Editor

With the announcement of the Campaign of Mercy last June, Bishop John Iffert is inviting the people of the Diocese of Covington to prayerfully consider a work of mercy and to engage in service to others, allowing that service to deepen their faith life and to draw them closer to Christ.

In support of the Campaign of Mercy, the Messenger has been highlighting a spiritual or corporal work of mercy and a person, parish ministry or local social service that embodies that work. The goal of the Campaign of Mercy is to evangelize through that work of service inviting someone — a family member, friend or acquaintance — to join you in that service work and through that relationship grow in faith.

With the onset of Lent, the Messenger is pausing its series on the works of mercy and turning attention to the foundational aspect of the Campaign of Mercy — personal and intercessory prayer. Lent is a penitential season of the Church that invites its members to a deepening of faith through the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For the Campaign of Mercy, the Messenger invites readers on a Lenten journey to Walk With One.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Congress last July, the U.S. bishops launched a national evangelization initiative entitled “Walk With One.”

“As we prayed, we realized that perhaps the profundity is found in the simplicity,” said Kris Frank, vice president of Growth and Marking for the National Eucharistic Congress, about the Walk With One Campaign. “That if one person can just reach out to one other person, that’s where we could see great results. That’s where we could see change really start to take root as the revival takes root in each one of us.”

Walk With One and the Campaign of Mercy dovetail perfectly. Both start by developing or increasing a personal relationship with the Lord through prayer. Both invite the Holy Spirit to lead to the person God has in mind for you to journey with. And both encourage daily intercessory prayer for the person so that their heart and mind will be open to Lord.

“When we’ve encountered Jesus, that changes us,” said Tanner Kalina, project manager, National Eucharistic Congress. “The Eucharist is not our private possession. The Eucharist longs to be shared with others and Jesus desires to do that through us.”

Resources developed by Eucharistic Congress organizers for the Walk With One campaign offer a four-step process: identify someone in a spirit of humility; intercede for that person in communion with the Holy Spirit; connect in Eucharistic friendship and invite that person on a path most suitable for him or her. With the help of the National Eucharistic Congress team, each of these four steps will be explored throughout the weeks of Lent, in print, on the web and the diocese’s YouTube page.

“The Church’s invitation for us to Walk With One is not an invitation for us to add one more task to do, it’s actually an invitation for us to step into the fullness of the Christian life by walking with someone and inviting them into different stages of the spiritual journey,” said Mr. Kalina. “We actually become more alive and closer to Jesus. It is about getting us to be a Eucharistic people, a people who are really living the fullness of the Christian life and, therefore, tasting the abundance and joy of the Christian life.”

The Messenger’s Lenten feature will be available online at covdio.org/messenger. For additional Walk With One resources from the National Eucharistic Congress visit eucharisticrevival.org/walk-with-one.

St. Thomas Parish growing and connecting With One Heart

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Laura Keener

Editor

One of the truly unique aspects of the With One Heart pastoral plan is that it includes not only the diocesan pastoral plan but also the pastoral plans of every parish in the Diocese. And while each parish’s pastoral plan is unique, common themes and initiatives have developed, especially around the need for faith formation and evangelization.

St. Thomas Parish, Ft. Thomas, has made great strides in implementing its parish pastoral plan. Its three stated priorities are welcoming, faith formation and outreach. What has been foundational to all three of these priorities has been updating the parish Camino database.

“Before we could do any outreach, we had to make sure that we know who we are and making sure that we have a good, accurate database of our parishioners so that we can communicate with them,” said Father Ross Kelsch, pastor.

Updating the parish database took a lot of time and effort by the parish staff. Data sheets for each family were distributed at Masses. Families that did not pick up a data sheet were called. What the parish found was that for the 1,000 families in the database, nearly 80 percent had inaccurate information — phone landlines were discontinued and replaced with mobile numbers, e-mail addresses had changed, some had new home addresses, children had moved out of the family home and started a new family of their own — all of these updates are important when trying to communicate with parishioners.

“What that has provided us now is a clean snapshot of who our parishioners are,” said Father Kelsch.

With the updated database, parish ministries can now accurately contact parishioners. So far, the parish is working on a new parish directory, with parishioners uploading their favorite photo to the database.

“Now, in the office here, we get to see those photos in Camino. When we’re talking on the phone with somebody, we can see their face and be like, oh, I see him at Mass every weekend or oh, I see her in the school pickup line. It’s been a real community builder to be able to put the face with the name,” said Elizabeth Gruenschlaeger, parish business manager.

Ms. Gruenschlaeger and her coworker, Audrey Wilson, helped Father Kelsch with the arduous task of updating the database. Their hard work is being rewarded. A ministry fair was held which garnered over 150 new registrations for parish and school ministries — from adding lectors and Eucharistic ministers, to servers, choir members, landscape help and more.

“It’s lightened the burden for everyone who has been serving, but it’s also just nice to have more people involved in ministry roles here,” said Ms. Gruenschlaeger.

Parishioners also receive a weekly digital communication from the parish right to their phone or e-mail through Flocknote.

“We went from no clear vision of who our parishioners are to being able to engage them intentionally and get them involved,” Father Kelsch said. “Outreach is not only helping people outside of the parish, it’s also helping us reach our own people and strengthening those connections, deepening those relationships, so that, ideally, people feel like they belong; to know that we would miss them if they were not here.”