The St. Patrick School community rallied to pack 5,000 bags of food for children overseas

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Students, families, faculty and staff at St. Patrick School, Taylor Mill, were abuzz with feelings of gratitude and giving, Nov. 21, as they participated in an on-campus service project, Feed the Need. As students packed meals to send overseas, smiles filled the room while they scooped, poured and sealed 5,000 bags of food.

“They [Feed the Need] take meals mostly to third world countries. Most of the food we pack will go to Bangladesh to feed the people there. Then they take them the message of the Gospel along with the meals,” said Pam Nunnelley, principal.

Simon, sixth grader at St. Patrick School, said, “It’s an organization that helps kids get food.”

Fifth grader, May, explained that “Everyone gets a scoop of vegetables, vitamin powdered, rice and lentils. We put it in a bag and then we measure to make sure it’s 380 to 400 grams. Then we seal the bag and put it in boxes.”

Together the school community packaged enough meals “to feed a student for a whole school year,” said Mrs. Nunnelley. “I was just trying to find a way to have the kids outside of themselves and to do something for other people,” she said.

Feed the Need provided St. Patrick School with all the packing supplies, food and event management, but they could not provide the excitement and spirit the students brought.

“They’re excited about being able to do something to help other people,” said Mrs. Nunnelley. “I’m excited to see the excitement on them. Some of them, since the day we talked about doing this … they’ve been asking every day ‘when do we get to do this?’”

Tristin, a fifth-grade student, said about his experience, “I just don’t want kids feeling hungry, especially in the wintertime when they can’t grow crops or anything.” Tristin wants people to remember that “You’re a human and they’re human, they just have a different life than you.”

Franciscan Daughters’ turkey giveaway fed 558 families ahead of Thanksgiving

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

An annual tradition, 558 families received turkeys, shelf-stable essentials, bread and produce from the Franciscan Daughters of Mary’s “Turkey Giveaway,” held Nov. 25 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Alongside a team of volunteers, the sisters operated the giveaway out of their Rose Garden Mission, Covington.

Despite heavy rain on the day of the event, volunteers and sisters alike described it as both “peaceful” and “beautiful.”

“The Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways have been part of our holiday season since our kids were babies,” said one volunteer. “We’re humbled to be a small part of the beautiful work the mission does to bring Christ’s love to the community.”

“I got home and was so sore, and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I witnessed the loaves and the fish — the food just kept coming,” said another. “Each person got so much food with their turkey that they needed a volunteer to bring it to their car in a grocery cart.”

Future Deacons take a big step

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Bishop John Iffert, Diocese of Covington, accepted the petitions for “candidacy” of nine men taking the first formal step in deacon formation. With the support of their wives, they were admitted as Candidates for Ordination to the Diaconate at a Mass, Nov. 23. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Robert Casey of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati at Mt. St. Mary Seminary and School of Theology, Cincinnati.

The candidates and their wives are: G. Michal and Juliette Bezold, St. Mary Parish, Alexandria; Jeffery and Susan Bier, St. Henry Parish, Elsmere; Kevin and Judine Hooker, St. Paul Parish, Florence; Juan Carlos and Julia Montes, Cristo Rey Parish, Florence; Thomas and Jennifer Paolucci, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Burlington; Gregory and Angie Smorey, St. Mary Parish, Alexandria; Jason Snapp, St. Augustine Parish, Augusta; Kevin and Mary Stamps, St. Timothy Parish, Union and Jerome (JJ) and Pamela Wurtz, St. Joseph Parish, Cold Spring.

In the candidacy ceremony, a man makes a public declaration of his resolve to complete his preparation for diaconate so as to give faithful service to Christ the Lord and his body — the Church. In turn, the sponsoring diocese receives the man’s declaration and expresses its joy and support.

Please continue to pray for the men in deacon formation and their wives as they continue to discern a call to diaconal ministry in the Diocese of Covington.

The Retired Fund for Religious helps retired religious and their communities with rising healthcare costs

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Benedictine Sister Emmanuel Pieper dedicated her life and ministry to students through art. Teaching grade school and high school art classes, Sister Emmanuel saw firsthand the impact that one person can have on another. Now, in her retirement, she stays busy making art and enjoying life at St. Walberg Monastery, Villa Hills. At 97 years old, however, Sister Emmanuel finds herself in need of additional healthcare, living at the onsite infirmary at St. Walberg Monastery.

Like Sister Emmanuel, tens of thousands of retired religious find themselves in need of additional healthcare, with the median age of nuns in the United States reaching 80 years old. As the aged and infirmed population is on the rise, religious orders are facing difficulties with the increasing cost of additional healthcare. Because of this, over 260 religious communities rely on funds from the Retirement Fund for Religious.  The retirement fund for religious has given over $1,000,000,000 to retired religious since their inception in 1988. This year, there will be a second collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious at Masses, December 12-14, so they can continue to provide for those retired religious in need.

“I think I have a wonderful life,” said Sister Emmanuel, “I thank God every morning for a new sunrise and a new day to live in his wonderful world.”

Her vocation story began at baptism, when she was named after her aunt who was a Benedictine Sister. She carried this with her throughout her life. “All my life I had an inclination to enter the monastery,” she said. Sure in her vocation, Sister Emmanuel entered the Order of St. Benedict at 17 years old, where they allowed her to continue her passion for art. She holds both her Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

“I think I was born with a love of beauty, anything beautiful just attracts me so strongly,” she said of her affinity for the craft. Her artwork can be seen at Holy Cross District High School, Covington; St. Henry District High School, Erlanger, and Thomas More University, Crestview Hills.

She shared her love of art with the students she taught, whether in grade school or high school. “My favorite part was seeing how kids could develop,” she said, “seeing people catch on to something, be able to do it, be satisfied with themselves.”

Donating to the second collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will help more sisters like Sister Emmanuel continue their ministry into retirement. Providing funds to those religious communities in need of help to offset healthcare costs.

National Catholic Youth Conference provides opportunities for deepening relationships with Christ

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Four hundred students and chaperons made their way back to the Diocese of Covington, Nov. 22, following the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), Indianapolis. The annual conference has become the premier destination for young Catholics to grow and reignite their faith, while growing in relationship with Christ and others. While there, the students participated in all the conference had to offer, Adoration, confession, prayer, games, breakout sessions, and most notably, a conference wide dialogue with Pope Leo XIV.

Covington Catholic senior, Brayden, had the unique opportunity to be part of the group of students from around the country to give input on the discussion topics for Pope Leo.

Even though the students gathered were from across the country, the central themes for their desired dialogue were the same. “Relationships, friendships, discussing things like technology, and things like that,” said Brayden. “We all have the same overarching ideas about our faith and the struggles with our faith and the things we go through in our daily lives.”

“It’s really cool to see how many different people can come together and share ideas and be able to hear different perspectives on things from people around the country,” he said.

Young Catholics uniting and forming relationships is a common theme of NCYC. One Notre Dame Academy, Park Hills, student, Noelle, said, “I really didn’t expect there to be a lot of people my age … but going out there and seeing all these young teenagers around my age and trying to grow deeper in their faith really inspired me to grow deeper in my faith as well.”

While the attendees form relationships with their peers from across the country, the true focus of the National Catholic Youth Conference is forming a strong relationship with Christ.

“I remember something that Pope Leo said and it really stuck with me,” said Noelle. “He basically said you have to deepen your relationship with God and want to have that relationship with him in order to give him your problems or struggles.”

Both Brayden and Noelle identified the Friday evening adoration at Lucas Oil Stadium as one of the most impactful moments of the conference in growing their relationship with Christ.

“Our entire diocese was able to sit down on the main floor of the stadium and so we were basically circled around the monstrance and Eucharist … the focus that people had on the Eucharist was amazing for me,” said Brayden.

Being down on the main floor of the stadium meant that there were approximately 16,000 other Catholics filling the stands of the stadium during Eucharistic adoration. But for Noelle, there was only one person she was focused on.

“I was surrounded by a huge crowd, but I was so zoned in on the Eucharist that I honestly forgot, I forgot everyone else was there, almost like it was just me and God in that instant,” she said. “Staring up at the host really got me feeling a lot about my faith, and very emotional. It brought me to tears a bit.”

The 2026 National Youth Conference will be held in Long Beach, California, and will return to Indianapolis in 2027.

“If you’re ever thinking about going to the conference, go in with an open heart and open arms, wanting to get the whole experience,” said Noelle.

The Bambinelli and Christmas tree blessing returns for a fourth year, celebrating the local church

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Bambinelli and Christmas tree blessing is back for another year, Dec. 13, at St. Mary’s Park, Covington, immediately following the 4:30 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.  This will be the fourth of what has become an annual diocesan tradition, where Bishop John Iffert blesses the bambinelli (infant Jesus) of home nativities and lights the diocesan Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree will stand tall in St. Mary’s Park as a representation of the local church of Covington, as churches and schools decorate the ornaments which adorn the tree. While the blessing of the bambinelli is an active participation in the local church, “it’s a way to celebrate together,” said Jamie Schroeder, chancellor.

“It reminds us of the reason for season, which is the spirit of it. We’re celebrating the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ,” she said. The blessing of the bambinelli is a tradition popularized by St. Pope John Paul II in 1969. He invited children to bring their bambinelli to St. Peter’s Square where he blessed them. Now, the tradition lives on in the local church of Covington.

“It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the season, it’s kind of like the Curia’s gift to the diocese. It’s one way for us to show our gratitude and appreciation for the people of the diocese,” said Mrs. Schroeder.

This year, the Bambinelli and Christmas tree blessing will feature a performance by the St. Thomas Chrildrens Choir and the reading of a classic Christmas story by Bishop Iffert. Also available will be cookies, homemade by Curia staff members, as well as hot chocolate and hors d’oeuvres.

So far, the event as yielded an average attendance of “250 to 300 people who come each year,” said Mrs. Schroeder. “It lifts your heart,” she said, “to see how many people are out there. It’s just exciting.”

There is no registration required for the event, “all are welcome to come and be with us, to celebrate the season of Advent and to have their little baby Jesus blessed,” said Mrs. Schroeder. Like last year, small bambinelli will be provided so all may be included in the blessing.

Thomas More University professor takes part in Vatican-sponsored AI Builders Forum

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Laura Keener

Editor

A Catholic cruise with Catholic Answers has found Dr. John Rudnick, a year later, at a completely unexpected destination — the Vatican-sponsored AI Builders Forum.

“Catholic Answers reached out to me knowing that I was working in higher education and asked me what we were doing in artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Rudnick. “They thought it sounded interesting,” and offered Dr. Rudnick an invitation to the Forum.

When Catholic Answers extended the invitation and he accepted, Dr. Rudnick said he had no idea where the Forum was being held. The awe of being at the Vatican and among 200 like-minded Catholic leaders — educators, healthcare workers, innovators, priests, bishops and others — has left Dr. Rudnick on an “academic and spiritual high.”

“It was a wonderful time. The people that I met were just as kind and as welcoming and giving and sharing as one could have. It was very much a Catholic community and we were all rolling in the same direction,” Dr. Rudnick said. “You could say that our goal is to get each other to heaven, and our goal is to try to make sense of artificial intelligence in a positive way.”

Dr. Rudnick is a professor at the College of Business, Thomas More University, Crestview Hills. In addition to Thomas More University, other institutions of higher education with representatives at the Forum included Ave Maria College, Boston College, Catholic University of America and Notre Dame University.

His attendance at the AI Builders Forum is beneficial not only for TMU but also the Diocese of Covington. Already, Dr. Rudnick is working with Deacon Jim Fortner, chief operating officer, and Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Schools, to develop ways to share the information and to develop AI best practices with educators and leaders throughout the diocese.

The Church now stands at a pivotal moment comparable to the introduction of the printing press — an inflection point calling not for hesitation but for imaginative, evangelizing leadership, said Dr. Rudnick. AI presents new possibilities to expand access to learning, deepen pastoral outreach and strengthen global mission impact. Rather than retreat, the Church is invited to guide the development of Christian digital humanism, ensuring that emerging technologies serve truth, beauty, justice and communion, he said.

During the AI Builders Forum, the 200 members broke into six workshop groups. These six groups are now forming global cohorts to continue discussing, evaluating and recommending policies on AI. Dr. Rudnick is part of the education cohort.

“We will try to help shape policies and guidelines in relation to guardrails, privacy, cybersecurity and how artificial intelligence can be applied in education to make things more efficient and effective for faculty members and for staff, and to also be flexible and adaptive to the needs of diverse student learning types,” said Dr. Rudnick.

According to Dr. Rudnick, in the United States, Hollywood’s fascination and representation of AI, often as an antagonist in its movies, is a formidable hurdle to overcome in the general public’s understanding of AI.

“The Internet can be used for good things or bad things, and artificial intelligence can be used for good things or bad things,” Dr. Rudnick said.

The overarching theme at the Forum and one that will help guide the ongoing work of the cohorts is to leverage AI always with the dignity of the human person and the common good at the forefront. That, like with all human innovations, AI is a tool to be used by and for persons, not to replace persons.

“AI is changing hourly, and it’s something to be reckoned with,” said Dr. Rudnick. “But if we approach it with the foundation of truth, beauty and goodness, with regard to the need for the Catholic bias to be at the root, and for this to be aligned with our souls, then we’ll be okay.”

Together with community, sisters pray for national immigration reform

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops continued their sessions of the Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, faithful nationally were called to pray in solidarity with migrant communities and for the reform of laws surrounding immigration, Nov. 12, on the vigil of the Feast of St. Frances Cabrini — the first canonized American saint and an Italian immigrant.

The Intercommunity Sisters Peace and Justice Committee led the prayer service at St. Mary’s Park, Covington, joining with a sizeable crowd of sisters and laity for prayer and the recitation of the Rosary.

Divine Providence Sister Kay Kramer, a member of the committee, quoted Pope Leo XIV, saying, “Migrants and refugees remind us and the whole Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by hope that is a theological virtue.”

“Hope should be our big resounding feeling today,” said Sister Kay, “Not despair, not sadness, but hope … We know with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious and faithful already accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs … We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialog with public and elected officials.”

New Marriage Catechumenal Pathways journeys with individuals from kindergarten through marriage to strengthen the home church

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Diocese of Covington’s marriage preparation program is currently undergoing a transformation in line with Pope Francis’ request for more intensive preparation and the ongoing With One Heart Diocesan Pastoral Plan. The new program, Marriage Catechumenal Pathways, is broken into four phases: Remote, Proximate, Immediate and Enrichment. These four phases intend to strengthen the sacramental faith formation and marriage preparation beginning in childhood and extending beyond the wedding.

Deacon Jim Fortner, diocesan chief operating officer and deacon assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish, Ft. Mitchell, said, “Bishop Iffert laid out three strategies in the pastoral plan: faith formation, evangelization and leadership. This is faith formation.”

Marriage Catechumenal Pathways is not a new concept to those in the Church, said Deacon Steve Alley, St. Timothy Parish, Union, who is a member of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways development team.

“The Catechumenal Pathways for Marriage was a request from Pope Francis. (The Pope’s concern) was that we, as a Church, don’t spend enough time training couples for sacramental marriage,” he said.

The first of the four phases is the Remote phase, where a stronger emphasis is placed on the age-appropriate education of the sacrament of matrimony.

“I think the main focus for children is always on first Communion and confirmation. This is going to put emphasis also on marriage,” said Deacon Alley.

Starting in kindergarten through 12th grade, students will learn about marriage in a foundational way. The ideal will be that when students graduate high school, they will be equipped with the knowledge needed to discern what God asks of them.

This discernment is phase two of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways, the Proximate phase. In this phase, high school graduates who have not yet found their vocation discern God’s calling for their life.

“They’re discerning whether they want to be married, be single, maybe go into some religious order. It’s that searching,” said Deacon Alley. “This is just a lot deeper, personal and faithful way to journey through life. When you come out of high school, you immediately start that discernment process.”

Phase three of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways is the Immediate phase, which begins right after a couple’s engagement. One year prior to marriage, the engaged couple will receive a mentor couple from their home parish. This couple will journey with the engaged up to the wedding day and for the first five years of marriage.

“We marry couples, but then we don’t accompany them after they get married,” said Deacon Fortner. This new structure will accompany the engaged and newly married on their journey. “Our hope is that once this program is set, it will be self-perpetuation. The couples graduating out of the five-year program would then become mentor couples for the next group,” said Deacon Fortner.

Also new in the Immediate phase is the betrothal ceremony where the engaged couple, in the presence of the priest, their family and friends, will receive a blessing as they make a commitment — a betrothal — to one another, said Deacon Alley.

Following the Immediate phase is the Enrichment phase, which is the first years of marriage, journeying with a mentor couple, to discover ways to practice the faith at home and to engage in parish life as a couple.

“The idea is that you become a community in your church, a community with other couples who may be dealing with the same things you’re dealing with as a couple,” said Deacon Alley. “The idea is that you have this small group of like-minded Catholic faithful couples.”

The formation of Marriage Catechumenal Pathways will change the way that the Diocese of Covington prepares couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and marriage. Bestowing in them a renewed heart of spirit for the journey which lies ahead.

“The home church is the most important institution here. We have to form husbands and wives to create a strong home church,” said Deacon Fortner.

The Diocesan Pastoral Plan — welcoming new and continuing the formation of the people the Lord calls his own

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Laura Keener

Editor

The Catechesis and Evangelization Office has been working on the implementation of several goals following the priorities of Ongoing Faith Formation and Evangelization of the Diocesan “With One Heart” Pastoral Plan.

The grandest in scope has been faith formation and the Diocesan partnership with the Franciscan University’s Catechetical Institute. Through the Institute, the Diocese has been offering the complete Franciscan At Home library of courses and workshops free of charge to every person in the diocese. To date, over 1,100 learners have registered with Franciscan At Home. However, according to Isaak A. Isaak, director of the Office of Catechesis and Evangelization, 717 of those registered accounts are dormant.

“The challenge here is how to really engage all the people who are involved,” said Mr. Isaak.

To help engage learners, in October Mr. Isaak hosted an in-person workshop on how to navigate the Franciscan At Home website. The workshop was led by Brady Webb, the Catechetical Institute’s webmaster.

“He helped walk through the clutter of the website,” said Mr. Isaak. Mr. Webb also showed school and parish leaders where they can track the progress of learners and offered strategies on how to encourage them. “It was really helpful,” said Mr. Isaak.

Another way to help meet the engagement challenge is through the help of mentors. Currently, nearly 60 people from across the Diocese have been trained as mentors to help journey with learners taking the online Franciscan At Home courses. These mentors have been described as the “secret sauce” that differentiates Franciscan At Home from other online faith formation programs.

Additionally, the Office of Catechesis and Evangelization has developed and hosted 23 in-person courses for catechists and others. These courses were held during the summer of 2025. Mr. Isaak said, he is currently developing over 60 in-person courses to be held in the summer of 2026.

“We’re just trying to intensify our in-person workshops, because that’s a priority for the diocese. It brings people together, people network. They create friendships around faith formation,” said Mr. Isaak.

Another goal Mr. Isaak is working on is to boost implementation of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The two programs both are the process by which the Church welcomes new members and prepares them for the sacraments of initiation — baptism, Communion and confirmation. But, Mr. Isaak said, it is more than just a name change. “It’s even the way, the methodology, of transmitting the faith,” said Mr. Isaak.

Approved by the USCCB in 2021 for implementation starting in 2023, OCIA emphasizes the nature of the process as an “order” rather than solely a “rite” while retaining the core structure and purpose. A fundamental difference is that with OCIA, inquirers are welcome and encouraged to begin the process at any time, instead of waiting until the fall when the formal process would typically begin. And, it emphasizes continual spiritual formation as opposed to fixed checkpoints in a 10-month period.

Again, reaching out to its Franciscan University Catechetical Institute partner, the Office of Catechesis and Evangelization held two workshops, most recently on Nov. 9. Over 50 catechists and others attended the workshop led by Dr. William Keimig, deputy director of the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University, focused on revitalizing OCIA ministry and reigniting parishes.

“OCIA becomes an instrument of renewal for the entire parish,” said Mr. Issak, “because the people who initiate OCIA are the entire community. It’s not just the ones who are involved on the OCIA team, and it’s not just the pastor’s responsibility. The hospitality, the teaching, the witnessing of faith, it’s the entire parish’s responsibility to initiate.”

Mr. Isaak said that implementation of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan has been a time of renewal not just for the OCE but for the entire Curia.

“It helps us to really renew our office. How do we look at the things we’ve been doing in a new way?” he said. “I think the Diocesan Pastoral Plan came as a blessing to the Diocese, because every office is engaging with the people of the Diocese. We really are keeping the vision of the Bishop, which is the pastoral plan, and to make it alive in the parishes, to make it alive in the schools, to make it alive with our people and with whoever we meet.”