Bishop Iffert celebrated first of two anniversary Masses, visiting the diocese’s southernmost deaneries

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Bishop John Iffert gathered with the people of the Diocese of Covington’s two southernmost deaneries, Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, to celebrate his fifth anniversary as Bishop of the Diocese of Covington.

His first Mass was celebrated with the people of the Southwest Deanery at All Saints Parish, Walton, with the second Mass celebrated for the Southeast Deanery at St. Patrick Parish, Maysville. Both parishes welcomed Bishop Iffert with their own receptions and celebrations following the services, and people from across each deanery — including clergy, religious and laity — joined in the festivities.

After greeting those gathered, Bishop Iffert spoke in his homilies about vocations and his experience becoming bishop five years ago.

“I know how terrified I was five years ago when I was standing, waiting for my brother bishops to lay hands on me and to share with me the gift of the Holy Spirit that they had received in their Episcopal consecration,” he said. “I remember how nervous I was at the idea of taking on the leadership of the diocese and trying to be the chief pastor of 90,000 people. I kept thinking to myself, ‘How do you do that? How do you pastor 90,000 people?’”

Bishop Iffert recalled the commandment of Jesus to his disciples, where he told them to go and make disciples of all nations, fashioned in the image and likeness of himself, Jesus.

“Can you imagine how nervous they were, can you imagine how overwhelming it felt to be given that mission,” he asked the congregation. “The only reason anyone takes up that kind of life is because of the promise of God, that God himself will be the shepherd, that God will use the gifts of so many in a wondrous way to call others to follow after Christ. To be the community where we can form one another as disciples,” he said.

“A disciple is a person who has spent time at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching,” he said. “A disciple is one who has encountered the Lord and who knows what it is to have a relationship with Jesus and to be called by him. A disciple has heard that call and taken it to heart. A disciple has begged Jesus to teach him how to pray, and has received that instruction, and has a life of prayer to sink into and to rely on. A disciple is a person who knows that they are called to be Jesus’ healing hands in the world, and who are so converted by the Gospel, of love of neighbor, that it oozes out of them in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy that Jesus invites us to.”

“This is the life of disciple,” Bishop Iffert said. “It’s nothing less than the life of laying down one’s own life’s breath for one’s friends. It is picking up the cross and following Jesus.”

Remembering his consecration, and Jesus’ great commandment, he said, “That’s what I’m doing here in Northern Kentucky [making disciples], that’s what I’m sent here to accomplish.”

Elaborating more on his time as Bishop of Covington, Bishop Iffert said that “after five years with you, I continue to be awed, and I continue to be amazed. Not simply by that Cathedral Basilica and by its beauty, but after five years of getting to know you and living with you and learning to love with you, I am awed in the same way by the goodness of the people of God here in this diocese, by your hospitality, your warmth, your devotion to care for your neighbor, the movements of love among us, and I still think to myself, God, I can’t believe that you allow me to celebrate in the midst of this holy Church!”

“I am blessed, and so I thank you for journeying with me,” he said.