A story of forgiveness in the face of tragedy inspires students during Catholic Schools Week

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

A story of tragedy, loss, grief and despair turned into a story of love, hope, forgiveness and mercy when Matthew and Rebecca Seifried turned to their faith after the death of their eight-month-old daughter, Lucia Iris. The Seifrieds traveled from their home in Michigan to St. Henry District High School Erlanger, alma mater of Mr. Seifried, to tell students their story.

On April 26, 2025, just days after celebrating the risen Christ at Easter, the young family of four was enjoying a peaceful evening by the lake when, “We see this massive white Toyota Tundra coming straight for us,” said Mr. Seifried. “It ended up continuing to come and hit Lucia. We knew instantly that she had died.”

Mr. Seifried sustained injuries to his knee and leg after the truck pinned him against a tree before tumbling into the shallow lake. The driver, relatively uninjured, was later arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence and was charged with seconddegree murder. The driver pleaded no contest to the felony charge in a January court appearance.

Mrs. Seifried and the couple’s eldest son were uninjured and accompanied the ambulances to the hospital where Lucia was pronounced dead. “We don’t even really have the words to explain the feeling other than just a complete and empty hollowness,” said Mr. Seifried. “It felt like a darkness that was shredding us apart from the inside.”

When the Seifried family was able to see Lucia in the hospital, they made a conscious decision that, “No matter what emotions we feel in the coming days, we will not let this take us from our God, from faith, from Christ. This is the cross that God wants us to carry, and we will bear it,” said Mr. Seifried.

In the days and weeks following Lucia’s passing, the Seifrieds felt God’s presence and knew that he was accompanying them through this journey of loss.

“We say nobody should have to go through what we’ve been through. But we do wish everybody could experience what it was like to have the presence of God in those two-week periods. If you did, you would never question if God is real; you would never question your faith,” said Mr. Seifried.

Together, the Seifried family began to choose forgiveness and eventually offered the driver a plea deal of 13.5 years in prison.

“Through much prayer, we decided that in order to show mercy as Christ has asked, we decided to offer a plea deal,” said Mr. Seifried.

“Us forgiving him doesn’t mean that it just erases what he’s done to us,” said Mrs. Seifried. “It allows us to be able to have peace in our hearts and to then allow him to start reviving his own soul.”

“We could make the choice of anger, bitterness, hate, or we can choose what Christ wants us to choose. We can choose love, forgiveness, mercy,” said Mr. Seifried. “And, while some days it’s much easier than others, that’s the path that we really want to choose. We want to choose love; we want to choose mercy.”

Kentucky March for Life to bring faithful together in Frankfort (copy)

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Participation in post-secondary education has been on the rise since the 1950s, creating a national cultural shift — high school graduates don’t go to work, they go to school. College admissions have been growing steadily over the last half a century and to accommodate this shift, many high schools have turned into centers of college preparation. This leaves little room for the students who wish to pursue what would now be considered a non-traditional career path, such as the trades.

At Holy Cross District High School, Covington, they are bridging the divide, providing opportunities for students to explore a profession in the trades, even before graduation.

James Resing, instructor of the newly revised “Intro to the Trades” class, has three goals for the students in his class: to grow in confidence using power tools, to pick up a new hobby and “the introduction of career paths to students who might not be seeking college,” he said.

Mr. Resing’s class explores the basics of HVAC, plumbing, electric and carpentry. The students build walls, run wiring to plugs and switches, solder copper pipes and build toilets. At the end of each semester, the students participate in an “open workshop,” said Mr. Resing.

The success of the program is evident, with more classes being added due to the demand of students who wish to register. In addition, six students who have gone through Mr. Resing’s class have secured an apprenticeship in the trades.

The apprentice program is for students who have expressed an interest in a career through the trades. Structured as a cooperative education opportunity, the students are gainfully employed in a trade. They attend school for half a day, completing all their core class requirements, before heading to work.

“One of them is in facilities maintenance, one is actually working for a car dealership in mechanics, one is in HVAC and I have a couple that are with builders,” said Mr. Resing.

Hannah Knox, graduation and career counselor, said, “I’ve seen a different confidence. They have found something that excites them so they’re different at school. They want to be here; they want to be involved. Because they know that when they go to their job site, they’re going to also get to do what they love.”

Facilities maintenance apprentice, Grant, said, “I feel like it is giving me a clear path on which trades I want to get into and how to go about getting into this trade. It has given me experience while I’m still in school.” “This is all about exploration,” said Mr. Resing.

“This is all about giving them a place to try and realize it’s not for them, and then I’ll help them find something else.”

Career readiness at Holy Cross District High School means “building successful individuals who are going to be positive members in a community,” said Mrs. Knox.

Kentucky March for Life to bring faithful together in Frankfort

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Laura Keener

Editor

The Diocese of Covington will once again join Catholics from across the Commonwealth for the third annual Kentucky March for Life in Frankfort March 11, beginning with Mass at 9:30 a.m. at Good Shepherd Parish, Frankfort. Bishop John Iffert is scheduled to celebrate Mass and spend the day with participants.

“We will have Mass the morning of the March, and that is where the Catholic community from all the dioceses come together,” said Faye Roch, diocesan director, Pro-Life Office who is coordinating Covington’s participation. “Good Shepherd in Frankfort has hosted us, and Bishop Iffert will be presiding over Mass.”

Following Mass, travelers will have a short break before heading to the rally point — a location still to be determined due to construction at the Capitol. There, participants will gather for a series of speakers before continuing on to the Cemetery of the Unborn in the Frankfort Cemetery for a concluding prayer service. The day typically wraps up around 3:30 p.m., after which buses return to Covington.

This year, the Diocese of Covington expects to take three buses, including two filled primarily with students. The buses will leave Covington for Frankfort at about 7:30 a.m. “Every year it seems like we’ve increased our attendance,” Mrs. Roch said. She added that moving the event back to March should help avoid last year’s weather issues and make travel easier for more families and parish groups.

Mrs. Roch emphasized that even with abortion clinics no longer operating in Kentucky, the March remains vitally important. “We have to love them both,” she said. “A woman many times is in crisis, and we have to love and support our women and show them that the pro life community is not only thinking about the baby, but we’re thinking about you.”

She noted the need for legislators to hear this message clearly. “It’s important that our legislators know that we want to support women and offer them solutions to their crises,” she said, pointing to issues such as health care, child care, and other supports for women and families. With various groups pushing for proposals such as criminalizing women, Mrs. Roch stressed that the pro life position must remain compassionate and comprehensive.

Last year, a notable number of legislators attended both the Mass and the rally — something Mrs. Roch hopes will continue. Their presence, she said, helps make visible “the community that has traveled there, and the importance of this.”

How one prayer group uses Franciscan at Home to grow in their faith— consider a new Lenten practice

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Laura Keener

Editor

As part of the Diocese of Covington’s With One Heart pastoral plan, a collaboration with Franciscan University’s Catechetical Institute allows every individual in the Diocese of Covington free access to the Franciscan at Home library of Catechetical materials.

These materials, accessed via https://franciscanathome.com/ diocese-covington, offer learning tracks for any members of the diocesan community with courses covering many aspects of Catholic teaching, as well as offering “tracks” that cater to the needs of an individual or group no matter their role in their parish and diocesan community.

These courses go hand-in-glove with many parish pastoral plans as adult faith formation and education was identified as a priority for many parishes.

Currently, one friend group who gathers weekly for prayer is utilizing these free resources to follow a mentor track titled “A Vision for Caring for Others Personally.”

Jenni VonLehman, one of the group’s friends, reports a positive experience with the programming. “When my team first started viewing the Franciscan at Home videos, I expected to fill my brain with good information,” she said. “What I wasn’t expecting was to experience a real sense of calm while having a retreat-like encounter with God. I started looking forward to the videos, especially the ones presented by Dr. Willey. Not only were they helpful — they were actually fun to watch.”

She continued, saying, “In the catechetical formation classes, we were given the unexpected opportunity to work on our own catechesis and our own personal relationship with Christ. We learned that we can’t give what we don’t have ourselves, so we were immersed in it first. It was exhilarating,” she said. “I’ve actually watched a couple of the videos again on my own, and I learned even more the second time … the fact that the Covington diocese generously provides this free program to every member of the diocese is pretty awesome. I’m sure most people aren’t even aware of this treasure.”

This Lent, parish groups are asked to consider how Franciscan At Home might benefit members by hosting a similar prayer/study session. There are over 200 tracks to choose from, or you can start with the same track that Ms. VonLehman has found inspiring.

“It’s an excellent tool for your own personal growth,” said Ms. VonLehman, “or to use to help others growth in their faith.”

For details regarding registration and usage of Franciscan at Home learning materials, visit https://covdio.org/catechetical-institute/.

As the second survey approaches, parish point of contact reflects on how first DMI helped two parishes to grow in faith and community

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

With the Lenten season rapidly approaching, the return of the Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey is also on the way — with online portals opening this month, Feb. 18.

Online survey portals and paper materials for the second DMI will be distributed by parishes this month, with the survey running seven weeks. Results of the survey are projected to be published in June 2026.

Three years ago, the DMI was integral in developing Parish Pastoral Plans. With the feedback from parishioners, pastors and parish leaders — as well as the diocese at large — were able to curate and act on plans that promoted important aspects of parish life such as catechesis, evangelization and improved ministries to youth and Hispanic individuals.

Toni Zilliox, the parish point of contact for Divine Mercy Parish, Bellevue, and St. Bernard Parish, Dayton, particularly credits the DMI and the “excellent response” from their parishioners for the growth seen in both parishes over the past few years.

Following the survey, Ms. Zilliox reported on some positive changes in the parishes, including a “young adult group that has been busy forming that has really flourished.”

Parishioners who responded to Divine Mercy and St. Bernard’s DMI’s also expressed a desire for “more community,” said Ms. Zilliox, “They wanted to come together more. They wanted more activities and social events, and they wanted more outreach in the community, as well … we now have so many things to offer in the parishes that I’m sure there’s nothing you can’t find at our parishes!”

Looking back at the first DMI, and the pastoral planning process as a whole, Ms. Zilliox said that the parish wanted to hear everything, including complaints. “Hearing all of that is the opportunity to help us grow,” she said.

“It helps us increase our faith, increase our discipleship, increase our spirituality and increase the Sunday Mass experience. That’s what we wanted. We wanted to hear all the responses so that we could take that as an opportunity to help us improve and grow,” she said.

And now, three years later, the DMI’s second round will help to take a pulse on the success of the efforts of parishes like Divine Mercy and St. Bernard. “I hope that we have met the expectations, and maybe even exceeded the expectations, of our parishioners,” said Ms. Zilliox, “so that they are inspired to come to Church, to come to events, to participate as active parishioners and ask others to join them.”

Solicitors Luncheon launches phase one of the 2026 DPAA, “Live as Children of Light”

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Fifty-five volunteers from parishes across the Diocese gathered, Jan. 21, to quietly launch the Leadership Gifts Phase of the 2026 Diocesan Parish Annual Appeal (DPAA), at the DPAA solicitor’s luncheon. These 55 volunteers are responsible for reaching out to the top 250 donors of the 2025 DPAA to solicit donations before the public phase of the DPAA.

Last year, the Leadership Gifts phase raised 33 percent of the lofty $2.7 million goal. This year, the goal of the DPAA marks a slight increase to $2.754 million with the theme “Live as Children of Light.” Born out of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the theme, “is a reminder that we have been called out of darkness, we’re being called out of darkness and being baptized into Jesus. Because light produces every goodness, kindness and truth. That’s the call to be children of light,” said Bishop John Iffert.

New to the DPAA this year is the introduction of a parish participation goal. Calculated by increasing the total number of donors at a parish by five percent from the previous year, the participation goal “is not at all linked to the dollar goal. It’s not linked to a monetary incentive, or a prize,” said Jim Hess, director of the Office of Stewardship and Mission Services. “The DPAA has raised more and more money every year, but we’ve done it with fewer and fewer donors, so we’re trying to reverse that,” he said.

Dr. Greg Salzman, leadership gifts chair, told the solicitors, “What we’re really doing is inviting someone to fulfill their need to give. Everyone has things that are a gift from God, and we’re just stewards of those gifts.”

“This is about our call to respond to God in gratitude,” said Bishop Iffert to the solicitors. “We are grateful for everything that God has poured on us. Because of that gratitude we need to respond to God by contributing again to the mission of Jesus Christ.”

Results of the leadership gifts phase will be announced at the DPAA kick-off dinners March 3 in Mount Olivet and March 5 in Erlanger.

During Mass celebrating cathedral’s 125th anniversary, Bishop Iffert refers to Christ as the ‘capstone’

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Muara Baker

Staff Writer

On a cold, winter morning, the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption welcomed parishioners and guests alike to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the cathedral’s dedication with Mass, Jan. 27.

While winter storms the weekend prior kept students from Covington Latin School, Covington, from joining in the Mass due to school closings — the celebration proceeded, with Bishop John Iffert as celebrant and homilist.

Bishop Iffert began his homily referencing an activity at a local science museum in St. Louis, Missouri. As the Gateway Arch is a major landmark of the city, children are given blocks to place and balance and construct their own arches.

“It’s a great little way to teach how the arch is built,” Bishop Iffert said, “and the importance of that capstone that slips right into the middle.”

He continued, saying that “Jesus Christ is the capstone of the Church … He is the greatest gift. His love, his salvation, his sacrifice, his offer of redemption — a gift greater than our existence itself.”

Bishop Iffert said, “It’s a sign of that, that those who came before us built up the local church … We are truly blessed to be able to come here day after day, Sunday after Sunday, week after week, and offer worship and pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to purify us and make our worship true and honest and loving.”

“Here in the Diocese of Covington,” he said, “this particular cathedral facility; It stands like a tabernacle lamp for all the world to see — that the love of Jesus Christ is here in Northern Kentucky. We pray that our lives might be like this cathedral — that our lives might witness to the grandeur of Christ and that the community we share might help us to draw attention to the capstone as it slides into place in our lives and takes all the force, vectors, pressures and tensions and holds us together.”

“We celebrate 125 years in this glorious place,” Bishop Iffert concluded.” We pray that each of us, and all of us together, will be the living witness to Christ — the trueness of God, the temple of God — where worship is offered constantly and truly through Christ.”

Faithful are enlivened as With One Heart plan continues to bear fruit at the parish level

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

“Empowering priests. Igniting parishes. Enlivening the faithful.” This is the tagline for the With One Heart Pastoral Plan and lays out the marks of success, the hoped for fruit of the strategic plan. Since the announcement of the plan, many strides have been taken in target areas — priests participating in pastoral and leadership training, and laity being enlivened with Parish Missionary Disciples trainings.

From a core group of parishioners that participated in the Parish Missionary Disciples training by the Catholic Leadership Institute, a group of lay faithful joined together and formed the GYMM, the practice of Growing Your Missionary Muscles. GYMM meetings provide structured time for PMD graduates to practice evangelization skills and support one another.

From the GYMM, the mini–Parish Missionary Disciples workshop was developed — a series of three, two-hour sessions. The mini PMD was first presented at Mother of God Parish, Covington, with much success. Encouraged by what they learned, parishioners from St. Mary Parish, Alexandria, are hosting the second mini PMD.

“We need more people active in the parish,” said host team member and St. Mary Parishioner, Ken Glaser. “This seemed to be one way to be able to start down that road, to try and get more people talking a similar language, to try and get more people thinking in a manner that while faith can be a very personal thing, it can also be a very public thing.”

Mr. Glaser hopes that those who are attending, representing more than a dozen parishes, feel emboldened to host the mini-PMD at their parish.

“We don’t want this to be the last one,” said Mr. Glaser. “We hope that somebody that sat in the room goes, ‘This would be really neat to do at my parish.’”

Jerry Otto, host team member, Mother of God parishioner and founding GYMM member, said at the workshop, “We dare to stand at the crossroads of our society and let others see what we believe, because God first stood at those crossroads waiting for us and welcoming us with mercy and love. God has forgiven us and now we help others know. We want to show God’s mercy to all.”

Mr. Otto encourages those in attendance to be the hands and feet of Christ in their everyday lives, and to evangelize with “warmth, humor and happiness.

FIRE Foundation reaches fundraising goal, prepares for next steps

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

The FIRE Foundation of Northern Kentucky, a nonprofit dedicated to funding and supporting inclusive education in Catholic schools, announced that their fundraising goal for 2025 has been met.

The foundation, which currently is supporting St. Therese, Southgate, is now able to offer grants to three to four additional schools in the Diocese of Covington — allowing the chosen schools to provide training, resources and other needs for students with disabilities.

Following their major event, Ignite the Mission, Oct. 2, 2025, the FIRE Foundation has been working to follow up with supporters, growing their website and board and establishing their finance committee, according to Missy Hail, board president.

In addition to being able to offer their services and funding to more schools, the foundation will also be helping to fund a part-time position in the diocesan Curia — the Coordinator for Inclusive Education.

“We’re so excited because we feel like that position can help when all issues arise,” said Mrs. Hail. Although FIRE partners with only a few schools right now, Mrs. Hail believes the new coordinator will help ignite a future where every school in the diocese can access the support.

As for the grants going to the schools, the FIRE Foundation will be accepting and reviewing grant applications until mid-February. From there, funding and support will be provided for the 2026–2027 school year, with a target date of announcing partner schools on April 1.

To learn more about the FIRE Foundation, and their mission, visit https://www.firefoundationnky.org.

Living and sharing Christ’s love through consecrated life

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Diocese of Covington is celebrating World Day of Consecrated Life with Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Feb.7, 10 a.m. The Mass, celebrated by Bishop John Iffert, is an invitation to come together in communion with one another to celebrate those who have consecrated their life to Jesus.

Currently, there are five communities of women religious in the Diocese of Covington, in addition to six communities of men religious serving in the Diocese. These communities live out their charism and spiritualities in a variety of ways, each of which is beneficial to the wellbeing of the Diocese. Whether a charism of prayer, healthcare, education or social work, the work of consecrated religious in the Diocese cannot be understated.

Claire Thérèse lives her vocation as a consecrated virgin through her work as a wife of Christ, spiritual mother and director, professor, author and the operation of a non-profit, private retreat cottage. Sister Lynn Stenken answered God’s call when she made first vows with the Congregation of Divine Providence at 23 years old. Now, Sister Lynn serves as director of Religious Education at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, California.

Though answering different calls to consecrated life Ms. Claire Thérèse and Sister Lynn both model Christ’s love through their vocations.

The often-misunderstood vocation of a consecrated virgin is the oldest form of consecrated life within the Catholic Church, predating organized religious life, dating back to pre-apostolic times. “The women first called to be spiritually wed to Christ were not nuns or religious Sisters; they were consecrated virgins,” said Ms. Claire Thérèse.

While other consecrated religious communities, like the Congregation of Divine Providence, focus on living their vocation through a charism, consecrated virgins, can “‘only’ boast of the most foundational aspect of all consecrated life: being the bride of Christ,” Ms. Claire Thérèse.

While members of the Congregation of Divine Providence are also wed to Christ, they share additional responsibilities, through community life and the fulfillment of a charism and spirituality. Given to them by founder, Blessed John Martin Moye, the spirituality flows through four fundamental virtues: poverty, simplicity, apostolic charity and abandonment to Divine Providence.

These provide a framework for living out a charism “rooted in an understanding of God’s great love for all of us and for each of us, individually. And those of us who are attracted to that charism, then live that out through practicing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy,” said Sister Lynn.

Traditionally, sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence lived their charism through “ministries of teaching and nursing,” said Sister Lynn. “As time went on and minds expanded, we began to see the others way which we can live out the spiritual, corporal works of mercy.” Now, sisters can be found in social work settings, teaching, nursing and providing spiritual direction.

Both consecrated virgins and the sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, though different, share a love of Christ and a dedication to him. Serving as reminders of his love through their earthly ministry.