First step to being a witness of Christ and loving others is to love yourself, says Bishop Iffert at Pro-Life Essay contest

/in

Laura Keener 

Editor

The top 20 finalists of the 2025 Pro-Life Essay Contest gathered, March 13, with Bishop John Iffert and Faye Roch, director, Pro-Life Office, for an evening of celebration and to award the top three finishers. The essay contest is organized and hosted each year by the diocesan Pro-Life Office and is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. This year, Rick and Celesta Arnold, Culture of Life Couple, from the Knights of Columbus Kentucky State Council and Jan Buchner, K of C, Northern Kentucky Council, were in attendance.

Nearly 250 eighth graders from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Covington submitted an essay for this year’s contest. The theme, taken from the Jubilee Year of Hope, asked students to “describe how you, a young person, can be a witness to others and convert hearts showing that all life is good and worthy of our care and protection.”

“Your being here tonight, you stand above the crowd,” said Mrs. Roch to the 20 finalists. “Your essays were chosen in the top eight percent of the essays received. That’s pretty incredible. We congratulate you on your achievement. You give us inspiration and hope that the tide is turning and that it will be your generation that can make a difference in promoting the culture of life.”

This year’s top finishers are: Kyndall Ruebusch, St. Anthony School, Taylor Mill, first place; Piper Hagley, Holy Cross Elementary School, Latonia, second place; and Ryan Bennett, Villa Madonna Academy, Villa Hills, third place. Each of the top finishers receives a scholarship from the Knights of Columbus to attend a local Catholic high school. Ms. Ruebusch’s winning essay is published on page 5.

Drawing from the theme, Bishop Iffert emphasized the importance of being a witness for Christ.

“We need the witness of committed disciples of Jesus. We need to live that faith out, and that witness is what is so important,” said Bishop Iffert. “So that theme that you had today, ‘how do I witness to the value of life in my life?’ that’s an extraordinary theme, and I hope it’s a question you ask yourself every day. I hope that you’re growing in that understanding every day of your life, because that means you’re growing towards Christ.”

He also encouraged the students to not only see others as a gift from God, but themselves too.

“How do we witness to the value of life? We accept ourselves as God gives us — our bodies, our minds, our spirit, our limits — and we love ourselves. Having loved ourselves, we can truly love others,” he said. “We’re all the same, going through life having received ourselves as gift and trying our best to be truly grateful for the gift we received. Give that witness. Love yourself. Value yourself the way you are. And when you make friends with that process, then you will be able to love everyone else. Thank you for your witness tonight. And please, please, please, know how good, powerfully wonderful you are, how much are loved in this room and beyond. Love yourself truly, not like ‘I’m so great,’ but ‘I am sheer gift from God to the world.’”

Step two of the Walk with One journey is to intercede in communion with the Holy Spirit

/in

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

This year, during the holy season of Lent, the Messenger has encouraged its readers to take part in the Walk with One evangelization effort. This initiative from the National Eucharistic Congress is a way for people to participate in the call to evangelize, to be fishers of men.

In the March 7 and 14 editions of the Messenger, readers were encouraged to participate in the first of four steps as they began their Walk with One journey. That step, identifying someone in a spirit of humility, involves prayer and close connection with the Holy Spirit. The second step, interceding in communion with the Holy Spirit, involves much of the same.

The person that was identified through prayer and discernment in step one will become the person that is interceded for in step two. There are a few ways to intercede for someone communion with the Holy Spirit: writing down the person’s name on a sticky note and keeping it in a wallet to remember during prayer, asking God to open the heart of the person identified in step one so that they are receptive to him and/or offering a Mass or Holy Hour for that person. “

The other piece for this intercede step … is that it’s a really important step to ensure that we don’t get into the mindset that this other persons conversion is based on our work, our own effort,” said Kris Frank, vice director of growth and marketing for the National Eucharistic Congress.

Mr. Frank continued saying, “God is the one who changes hearts and so as we go before the Blessed Sacrament and intercede for that person, not only is God filling that person with grace and hopefully beginning the work in the depths of their soul but … it reminds me that I am not the savior of this person, and this person needs Jesus.”

Prayer and discernment are key aspects of the first step of Walk with One

/in

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

In the March 7 edition of the Messenger, the first step on the Walk with One initiative was introduced. An evangelization effort from the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, the initiative invites all Catholics to find someone in their life and help bring them closer to God. Symbolically walking with them, to the Lord. The first step, identifying someone in a spirit of humility, invites the participant into prayer with the Holy Spirit so that they might discern with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Recommended ways of prayer and discernment by the National Eucharistic Congress are Eucharistic Adoration and the praying of a novena.

“Our big encouragement for everyone as they do Walk with One,” said Tanner Kalina, project manager of the National Eucharistic Congress, “is to surround it with prayer and that starts first and foremost at the very beginning as you discern who the Lord might be inviting you to walk with.”

Eucharistic Adoration is the practice of quiet contemplation and prayer before the exposed Eucharist, and silently meditating, adoring and listening for God’s word.

Mr. Kalina explained, “That’s just going to prayer, putting yourself in front of the Eucharist, asking Jesus to stir someone in your heart for who to walk with.”

In addition to, or in conjunction with, Eucharistic Adoration, it is also recommended to pray a novena — a nine-day period of prayer which can be dedicated to a specific saint for their intercession on personal intentions. Rooted in Scripture, it is commonly said that the first novena was prayed by Mary and the apostles in the upper room as they were waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

An important part of identifying someone in a spirit of humility is not to become frustrated. Kris Frank, vice president of Growth and Marketing for the National Eucharistic Congress said, “Evangelization, accompaniment is not for the faint of heart. There’s going to be ups and downs, it’s going to be one step forward, one step backward … We might think we know what needs to happen but God truly is the one that can change hearts and so we want to ensure that we are connected to God.”

TMU announces affiliation with Covington Latin School

/in

Laura Keener 

Editor

Thomas More University announces an affiliation with Covington Latin School following a unanimous vote of its board of trustees on March 6, that gives final approval for Covington Latin School to become a part of the university.

“This is a transformative step forward for Catholic education in Northern Kentucky,” said Thomas More University President Joseph Chillo. “The affiliation unites the academic rigor and Catholic classical education Covington Latin School is known for with the resources of Thomas More University to enrich the mission and academic programs of Covington Latin and secure a thriving future for generations of students.”

The announcement follows a comprehensive, year-long assessment to define the benefits and processes of affiliation. The assessment was conducted by a team that includes members of the diocesan Curia and university leadership. Through townhall-style forums, surveys of alumni, parents, teachers and staff and one-on-one meetings with stakeholders, the team has utilized feedback from the Covington Latin School community to create a strategic vision for the school as part of the university.

“True to its mission as a classical Catholic school for gifted learners, for over 100 years Covington Latin School has formed students to engage with the world thoughtfully and critically, fostering a sense of responsibility to contribute positively to society and the Church,” says Bishop John Iffert of the Diocese of Covington. “I am truly grateful to the Thomas More University Board of Trustees for its support of the affiliation and to Dr. Chillo and his team for continuing the Covington Latin School legacy of teaching ‘Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge.’ I am confident that Covington Latin School’s affiliation with Thomas More University will enhance its rigorous academic standards by providing access to advanced resources, faculty expertise and a broader academic community, while maintaining a deep commitment to the values of the Catholic faith.”

While plans for curriculum are still being fully formed, under the affiliation Covington Latin School students will be able to access Thomas More University courses as part of defined pathway programs and dual credit. This integrated approach will allow Covington Latin students to begin their college journey early and explore their academic interests.

“Knowing the success of university-affiliated schools in the United States, it is exciting for Thomas More to be the first instance of a private, nonprofit university in the Commonwealth to undertake this model,” President Chillo says. “It is yet another demonstration of the innovative mindset that is shaping the future of Thomas More University as the regional leader in Catholic higher education.”

In an interview following the announcement, Dr. Kevin Reynolds, senior vice president, Mission and University Advancement, Thomas More University, who has been leading the affiliation process, said that the Board’s approval sets in motion several key steps, the first of which is hiring a permanent Head of School for Covington Latin. For the last year, Dr. Racheal Noll has been leading Covington Latin on an interim basis.

“From the very beginning of the process, we’ve said that our goal was to do a full search for that next leader,” Dr. Reynolds said.

To aid in that search, a committee has been formed made up of TMU representatives, and CLS faculty, alumni and current and prospective parents, he said.

Additionally, the TMU/CLS affiliation team will, next week, begin meeting with CLS faculty and staff to discuss things like compensation and employee benefits.

“For a lot of the current faculty, they’re excited about the opportunity for tuition remission at Thomas More University, which is something that we’re going to be offering to them,” Dr. Reynolds said.

While details of the curriculum have yet to be finalized, the school will still be dedicated to a classical, Catholic liberal arts curriculum. “It fits very well in alignment with Thomas More University’s mission as a Catholic liberal arts college, as a curriculum founded in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Certainly, those things are highly synonymous and work well together,” Dr. Reynolds said.

Some enhancements that will be new and unique to Covington Latin School that the affiliation will bring is access to college resources.

“We intend on operating Covington Latin out of its current building in Covington, that doesn’t change. Certainly, our (TMU) facilities, our labs, our faculty, our expertise, can be brought in to advance and supplement that educational experience,” said Dr. Reynolds.

As examples, Dr. Reynolds said that already this year the CLS Christian Awakening Retreat was held on TMU’s campus, the schools upcoming Spring musical, “Shrek,” will be performed at TMU’s theater. TMU is home to an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified biology field station, a state-of-the-art observatory and anatomy lab. “These are resources that the faculty at Covington Latin will now have access to use for their students to assist in their educational experience,” said Dr. Reynolds.

With the affiliation, student enhancements will also continue outside of the classroom. “Our intent is to grow the co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities within the school,” said Dr. Reynolds. “Certainly, athletics is a big part of that. There’s something to be said about how young people grow in the athletic experience. Even if you’re not winning state championships, it’s the competition that takes place on the field, on the court, in the practice. The personal growth that happens learning how to work as a team, overcoming adversity, perseverance — these are all things that students today need. Athletics is a big way of providing that opportunity, and so we’re going to invest there.”

Dr. Reynolds said that TMU/CLS’s first investment will be in its faculty. “The best thing we can do for students is to make sure they have the best possible teachers. So, we’re going to be investing in the teachers. We’re going to be providing continuous education opportunities for teachers to get advanced degrees, and provide the opportunity to, if they’re not yet certified, to get certified, and then just continuing that pedagogy. Professional Development is going to be really important for us to make sure that our teachers are the most prepared to serve the region’s most gifted learners and leaders. That’s the biggest thing for us right now, investing in the teachers.”

In an interview about the affiliation, Bishop Iffert said that what he believes will be a benefit with CLS/TMU is a “collegial” approach to education. An approach that is foundational to CLS.

“When I look back on the strength of Covington Latin School, one thing that was very clear to me is that the strength of the school, for years, was the priests who were teaching there and some of the lay people, too,” said Bishiop Iffert. Noting that at one time in CLS’s history over 30 priests were involved with the school, as faculty members or administrators. “When priests work together like that, they function as a college. That’s one of the things that people often miss about priests, and that priests sometimes we forget, is that we are not lone rangers, we are not working independently, but we function properly as a college. That strength was so important for establishing the strong reputation that this school has.”

To capitalize on that foundational strength of CLS, Bishop Iffert said he began to search for a current resource that functioned similarly. “We have a college with its administrative team, with its faculty, who are experienced
in working with gifted young people, and people who are preparing for both college and graduate study, who can bring their expertise and their wisdom to bear on helping gifted young people who are developing those kinds of study and career tracks,” Bishop Iffert said. “It seemed to me like the application of that collegial approach was likely to bear the best fruit for Covington Latin School.”

“Covington Latin School continues to be a school with a program that is strong,” Bishop Iffert said. “We are committed to trying to strengthen that program. We hope to capture again that commitment to a classical, Catholic curriculum so that students can be distinguished as being students who are well educated, well-rounded students going into their college years. Many of the faculty who have brought so much excellence and joy to Covington Latin School in the past several years will continue there, under the leadership of Thomas More University.”

A list of responses to frequently asked questions for Covington Latin families is available online at https://more.thomasmore.edu/wp-content/uploads/CLS-and-TMU_-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf.

Rite of Election — a continuation of God’s love for his people

/in

Bella Bailey 

Multimedia Correspondent

Thirty-four parishes gathered across two separate ceremonies to celebrate the annual Rite of Election, March 9, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington. Celebrated by Bishop John Iffert, the Rite of Election marks the moment catechumens and candidates are presented to the bishop. Candidates, baptized Christians seeking to enter into full communion with the faith, are presented to the bishop for approval.

“Candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church, those of you who have already received the grace of baptism and are already one with Catholics in faith in Jesus, we recall that you too, along with all of us are beloved and chosen by God. Now that baptismal gift and the graces you received in that holy sacrament led you to seek to continue your Christian journey in the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Iffert during his remarks.

Catechumens, unbaptized people seeking to enter the Church, are presented to the bishop for their election to participate in the sacraments of initiation at Easter Vigil. Through this process of election, catechumens are registered as “the elect.”

“For those of you who are preparing for baptism,” said Bishop Iffert, “you are gathered here today to receive a new designation, a new name, a new way to be called. You will be recognized, those of you who, until now, have been called catechumens, you will be called ‘the elect.’”

The change in name is rooted in ancient Scripture said Bishop Iffert. Saul became Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles; Abram became Abraham, the father of nations; and Simon became Peter, the rock on which Jesus built his Church. The changing of names in Scripture indicates the acceptance of a new vocation.

Bishop Iffert said, “election, to be chosen, is an act of gratuitous, unmerited love on Gods part. However, to be chosen also implies a vocation a response to a calling. A responsibility to be chosen and received.”

One by one, the catechumens and their godparents shook Bishop Iffert’s hand and shared a brief conversation before Bishop Iffert turned to sign the parishes Book of Elect, which holds the names of those seeking to be elected. Once the book is signed, the catechumens are now the elect, having been granted permission to seek the sacraments of initiation. There were 29 parishes with catechumens for a total of 130 catechumens, marking a 21.5 percent increase from the year prior.

The candidates stood to be recognized by Bishop Iffert where he asked the candidates sponsors to confirm that their candidate has been diligent in their preparation of first Eucharist and confirmation. Bishop Iffert then greeted each candidate and sponsor, of which there were 111 from 27 different parishes, an increase of nearly 3 percent from the prior year.

As the newly elect and candidates enter this Lenten season, for them, a period of purification, they are showered in the love and support of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Bishop Iffert said, “We have entered into this desert season of Lent. For you who are making a journey to the sacraments we call it the period of purification and enlightenment. Your call by God is an act of gratuitous love and your election, by me, in the name of the Church, is an act of our brotherly and sisterly love. It is a continuation of the way God has loved you all along.”

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

/in

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

/in ,

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

/in ,

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.”

Marriage

The foundation of love

/in

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

/in , ,

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.