Archive for category: Featured Stories

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

“I remember one day during Advent many years ago, I was sitting in the church office by myself. It had been a few years since I returned from a Marian pilgrimage but happened to be reminiscing about it,” Father Jeffrey Von Lehmen, pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Taylor Mill, fondly recalled. “There was a stack of mail which I was not anxious to open, usually just more bills — I felt a sense of spiritual emptiness and exhaustion which sometimes come with the pre-Christmas season. On top of the stack of mail was a brown package. I saw a return address from Florida and recognized that it was someone with whom I had been on the Marian pilgrimage. I opened it, and there was a nice note and a DVD movie — ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’” Father Von Lehmen, who is this year celebrating his 40- year jubilee in the priesthood, noted that he felt “a little vulnerable and humble” at the gift.

“Here is someone who could see who I really was and how I felt at the time,” he said, “Like George Bailey, I didn’t set out to be extraordinary. I just kept showing up — one day at a time, one person at a time. And somehow, mysteriously, God uses these small, ordinary choices to touch lives. Pope Benedict said it best speaking about priests: ‘God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all men and women.’ That’s the miracle of the priesthood. It’s not about doing great things — it’s about making Christ present in the quiet corners of people’s lives … This particular memory has helped me remember what I need to be as priest. People don’t need you to be impressive. They need you to be real — to be an example. That’s when they see Jesus.”

Father Von Lehmen mentioned that his “favorite” part of his calling is when “through the gift of priesthood, the people I am called to serve can feel and know God’s favor upon their hearts and minds — those freeing and loving graces now accessible in Christ.”

He recalled a memory in the old Good Shepherd convent, with a retired Irish nun, Sister Rita, whom Father Von Lehmen said spiritually adopted him, along with the Mother Superior, Sister Kevin. “Surrounding me at a distance in the back of the chapel where I had Mass and heard confessions from time to time were orphans, prostitutes, the lost, angry, hurt — darkened hearts and misguided minds from intense brokenness,” he said. “I saw there on the table a book or article called: ‘You Ain’t Nothing But A Nobody.’ In this true story, a young boy comes home with good grades for the first time and his mom tears up his report card, saying, ‘You ain’t nothing but a nobody.’ I thought to myself the people surrounding me right now have probably lived this story. I wondered how many people in the world must feel this way in various degrees whether wealthy or poor, educated or uneducated.”

Twenty years later, Father Von Lehmen recalled being “privileged to encounter these very same persons again” at the retirement of Sister Kevin. “They gathered to thank her for her vocation and how they came to know God’s favor and grace upon each of them.”

“That evening, I learned what the favorite part of my vocation is: to participate in Christ’s Priesthood to form others, to bring out their true selves in the image of God in this space called grace,” he said. “In short, to evangelize and form others as God’s favorites is a favorite part of my vocation. And formation here does not mean to be better than others, but to help persons to be better for themselves and others in the Kingdom of God.”

Looking back on these experiences in the past 40 years, Father Von Lehmen said that he has learned “some foresight and much more wisdom.”

“Much of my wisdom has come from being with the youth all these years in the classroom and as a chaplain,” he cited, “together each year we learn how easily and with not much thought people misperceive themselves, their image of God, their image of the Church and their image of different cultures. … How many people, including very intelligent and well-educated people, have misinterpreted reality let alone the Scriptures? And how much has false accusation or gossip contributed to false perceptions? … so, my wisdom I have learned over 40 years is this: we must develop a prayer life to see ourselves and each other through God’s eyes with the help Mother Church.”

“Interestingly,” Father Von Lehmen said, “Forty is a number meaning thresholds. I think I have grown inwardly enough to better cross these thresholds through integration from self-knowledge to self-restraint to self-gift for others. St. Pope John Paul II said in his book, ‘Threshold of Hope’, that the real threshold can be summed up in two words of Jesus: ‘Follow Me.’”

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Clergy and laity came together from across the diocese to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for the election of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native recently elected Pope by the cardinal conclave succeeding the late Pope Francis. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop John Iffert, May 12, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.

Also the homilist for the Mass, Bishop Iffert recalled a quote from St. Augustine he had heard twice in recent times — from the installation of Archbishop Michael McGovern of Omaha, and from Pope Leo XIV when he was first introduced as pope.

“For you, I am a bishop, but, with you, I am a Christian,” Bishop Iffert repeated the quote. But, he said, the quote is taken out of context, explaining that “the former is a duty, the latter is a grace. The former is danger, the latter is salvation.”

Bishop Iffert recalled Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s words during the conclave. He recalled Pope Leo XIV’s fear as the voting ended and his apparent peace after the tally that declared him the next pope.

“Where does that peace come from,” Bishop Iffert asked the congregation during his homily, “for one who is facing stepping onto the world stage in a way that so few will ever have to face? To bear the burden of the weight of shepherding the entire Church of Christ on earth. How does one bear under such a strain?”

“There’s only one way,” Bishop Iffert explained, “These men, Francis, and now Leo — they are practiced at listening for the voice of the shepherd. They are practiced at hearing his call and letting it be their comfort … He is joined to the body of Christ, and he finds there among us, with Christ, the strength to allow himself to be sacrificed in all the various ways he will be sacrificed.”

“We come together today to acknowledge the sacrifice our brother is making,” Bishop Iffert said, “and to give thanks to God for choosing him and for supporting him with his grace, for guiding him in the way of Christ.”

Laura Keener

Editor

Thomas More University announced this week the completion of the Covington Latin School leadership team. Randy Dennis is appointed Head of School for Covington Latin School and will assume the role on July 1, 2025.

Mr. Dennis joins Covington Latin School at an exciting time, with the 2025-26 academic year to be the first under a new affiliation with Thomas More University. As Head of School, Dennis will work collaboratively to leverage the advantages of this new partnership and lead strategic planning initiatives that maintain and advance Covington Latin School’s mission to provide a rigorous Catholic, classical education for the region’s most gifted learners.

“I am thrilled to welcome Randy Dennis as Head of School for Covington Latin School,” says Thomas More University President Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D. “As an experienced and visionary educational leader, Dennis is uniquely suited to lead Covington Latin into a new era.

Mr. Dennis most recently served as principal of St. Lawrence Catholic School in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He successfully led the merge of St. Lawrence with St. Mary School (Aurora, Indiana), while overseeing a period of record growth in enrollment and demonstrating a strong ability to unite faculty, staff, students and families under a shared mission and vision. He holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education from Indiana University and a Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction from University of St. Mary.

Earlier this month three people were appointed to the CLS leadership team: Samantha Darpel Rice, Dean of Studies; James Stebbins, Dean of Students and Madison Light, director of Campus Ministry. They join Amy Darpel, director for Advancement and Zack Ryle, director for Enrollment Management and Marketing, both of whom are currently serving in their respective roles.

“We love the energy and the excitement that people are bringing,” said Dr. Joseph Chillo, president, TMU, not only from the leadership team but also from parents, students, teachers, alumni and supporters.

“The leadership team that’s there in the building has just been really youthful excitement and, more importantly, the focus on mission is critically important at a time when we’re trying to redefine Catholic education with this model that we’re working on.”

Over the last year, leaders at Thomas More University and the Diocese of Covington have been transitioning Covington Latin School to TMU as a University affiliated school. On June 1, TMU will begin oversight of the affiliation and begin to run the CLS based on the model. While there will be no changes to curriculum for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year, Dr. Chillo said that plans are already in the works “in terms of what academic pathways are going to like” for the 2026–2025 academic year. Covington Latin School’s name, motto, accelerated program and classical Catholic education will not change.

“That’s the foundation. We are firm believers that there’s lots of similarities between a classical education and the Catholic intellectual tradition, which serves as a grounding for our university,” said Dr. Chillo. “Being able to integrate both the acceleration format along with the Catholic education component are tremendous assets and benefits that will lead into these new academic pathways that will allow students at Covington Latin to earn college credits at Thomas More and then us those college credits regardless of where they want to go to college after their time at Covington Latin.”

About the TMU/CLS affiliation, Dr. Chillo said, “I think this partnership, this affiliation, is really allowing us to utilize the best talents of both places to advance that educational experience for the students and the families who will be here.”

Bishop John Iffert welcomes the new head of school and expressed gratitude for the TMU/CLS transition team.

“I welcome Mr. Dennis to the Diocese of Covington as he accepts the position as Head of School for Covington Latin,” said Bishop Iffert. “In our meeting I found Mr. Dennis to be an energetic and mission-oriented leader. He is an accomplished educator who has effectively led Catholic schools through a period of transition. I thank Dr. Chillo, Kendra McGuire, our diocesan superintendent of Schools, and the TMU and CLS transition team for their expertise in leading this unique and innovative model in Catholic education for Northern Kentucky. My prayers and blessings to all as we continue to provide our children the highest quality academic education, grounded in Catholic teaching and modeled after Jesus Christ.”

Laura Keener

Editor

Over 200 people gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, April 22, the day after the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, as Bishop John Iffert celebrated a stational Mass commemorating the death of the Holy Father. The Mass was the first of several liturgical celebrations in the Diocese joining local prayers to those of all the world for the peaceful repose of Pope Francis, who has led the Universal Church since March 2013.

“We join our prayers to all the Church in assisting Pope Francis as he journeys to the final shore. May he have, for all eternity, the freedom that he tried to share with us by his witness on the largest of stages,” said Bishop Iffert as he closed his homily.

Earlier in his homily Bishop Iffert said that since Pope Francis’ passing, “we’ve heard lots of memories that have no doubt moved us, stirred up in us sadness and moved us with joy.”

From as early as the first days of his election to the papacy, when Pope Francis returned to his hotel to personally check-out and pay his bill, to his final days, when, for years now, he has been calling the last remaining Catholic parish in war-torn Gaza every day asking the hundreds of displaced people gathered there if they have food, water and the ability to charge their cell phones so that they can communicate with loved ones. “Like a father. Right? Thinking about all the necessities of what’s needed there,” said Bishop Iffert.

Many have noted that Pope Francis was the first Jesuit priest in the history of the Church. As a Jesuit, Pope Francis valued the process of discernment of God’s will for individuals and the Church.

“He shared that in a special through that Jesuit practice of spiritual conversation, which was so manifest in his call for synodality in the life of the Church,” said Bishop Iffert. “He wanted to lead us to be a people who could talk to one another and listen to one another without judgement; who could come to conversations without preformed opinions but who could come together and hear the experience of others and pray and ask God to open us to the movement of the Holy Spirit, so that we could discern the will of God and the way forward for us together as the ecclesial Body of Christ on earth.”

Bishop Iffert said that his favorite aspect of Pope Francis was his interior freedom.

“When he believes that the Lord, God is calling him to something, he does it — speedily! He is faithful to the Word of God as he recognizes it in his life and he doesn’t care what people say about him or how they attack him … if he thought something was right, he did it,” said Bishop Iffert. “He was a man, and is a man, who understands that freedom comes from being a child of God and that God intends for us to live as free children.”

Additionally, in the Diocese of Covington, on the day of Pope Francis’ death, churches throughout the diocese rang bells for 10 minutes beginning at 3 p.m. Church doors are draped in black or purple bunting or decorated with black or purple bows or wreaths as a sign of mourning until a new pope is announced. At that time, the buntings will change to the papal colors of white and gold.

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Over 100 people attended this year’s Memorial Mass for the Loss of Child, April 7, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Burlington. The annual Mass, hosted by the diocesan Pro-Life Office, invites parents, grandparents and others grieving the death of a child to gather to memorialize their child and to surrender to God’s loving embrace. Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys was the celebrant and homilist at the solemn event.

“A child is a child to their parents for as long as they live,” said Bishop Foys. “… one of our hopes, that all of us, please God, being faithful to the Lord, to his word and to his Church, will one day enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We firmly believe that we will join those who have gone before us. So, mothers and fathers can hope to embrace those children who have gone on before them, just as they embraced them in this life. The one thing, St. Paul said, that does not end in death is love. Love remains, that bond of love between parent and child. That is where our comfort comes and hopefully lessens our grieving.”