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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.”

Good Leaders, Good Shepherds cohort two priests find value in practical and pastoral leadership training

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

In 2024, the Diocese of Covington’s “With One Heart” pastoral plan was released, identifying three key focus areas: evangelization, ongoing faith formation, and leadership development.

One of the primary goals of leadership development is the building up of priests to help them have more confidence as they serve the people God has put in their care. In a partnership with the Catholic Leadership Institute, Bishop John Iffert invited all priests to attend Good Leaders, Good Shepherds leadership training. So far, two cohorts — a total of 38 priests — have completed this leadership training, with great enthusiasm.

The program consists of five, three-day-long sessions, with each session taking place once a month. This allows the cohort of priests to get to know one another and grow with one another over the course of five months.

“To spend those several weeks with them was great because I got to know them better, I got to hear their experience in leadership … I loved gathering that data and listening to their stories,” said Father A.J. Gedney, parochial vicar, St. Joseph Parish, Cold Spring.

Over the course of the leadership training, the priests learn a variety of practical leadership skills, like, “How do you have difficult conversations with people? How do you ask and give effective feedback? How do you motivate people? How can you listen?” said Father Gedney.

However, the program is tailored to priests, so in addition to the standard leadership training one might find in a corporate setting, they learned pastoral and ministerial leadership skills.

“They came in with the understanding that our job is not just the role of the boss of a parish or some ministry, but ministry itself,” said Father Gedney.

For Father Joseph Rielage, pastor, St. Edward Parish, Cynthiana, said that one of his primary takeaways was the need to delegate.

“It lets me know that, with the right group, with the right task and with the right goals, that I am not going to be the one that has to micro-manage. I can let others take care of things and get back to me,” he said. “That’s going to help me free up my time for more pastoral things.”

“What I’ve already seen bearing fruit,” said Father Gedney, “is being a better listener and receiving feedback better. Then, involving other people in solution and gathering solutions.”

A key aspect of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds training in the pastoral plan is the development of priests’ leadership skills. Father Gedney acknowledges the program’s success in this area.

“It’s helping augment my leadership knowledge. This is very much intellectual; you could say book learning. We can’t always learn on the job, although it might be necessary, it’s nice to have a little of intellectual learning before you apply it in real life,” he said.

Father Rielage said in appreciation of the training, “Good Leaders, Good Shepherd gives me the opportunity and the tools to be a good leader, be a good shepherd … no matter how much you think you know, there’s a lot more out there to help that you don’t.”

Eighth graders looking for a leg up to make shoe drive a success

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Eighth graders at Holy Cross Elementary School, Covington, have organized a shoe drive within their school community in an effort to send 2,500 shoes to those in need across the world. Partnered with Funds2Orgs, a company which hosts shoe drive fundraisers, the eighth graders hope to make an impact this Christmas season.

Fundraising and charitable giving is not new to Holy Cross Elementary eighth graders, said Quinn, a leader of the shoe drive. “Every eighth grade has a fundraiser that they do. A couple of years ago they collected old phones, for us it happened to be a shoe drive.”

So far, the students have collected approximately 750 pairs of shoes but need help from community members to reach their lofty 2,500 pair goal.

“Everyone who reads the Messenger should have a very thoughtful heart on why they should help. This is to help guide the heart to do more good,” said Quinn.

“There are other people out there who, unfortunately, are not as fortunate as many in the Holy Cross community. I feel like they should donate because there’s people who really need shoes out there and can’t afford them,” said Madison, also a shoe drive leader.

With the shoes being donated internationally, Quinn emphasized the importance of donating multiple pairs of shoes because, “There are some people in less fortunate countries who have no shoes per person, it’s like there’s one pair of shoes for three children. That’s not enough,” she said.

Quinn and Madison have been diligently emailing news agencies and potential partner organizations like the Latonia branch library and Catholic Charities, Covington. Their efforts have yielded many donation bins throughout the Holy Cross campus. “We have donation bins everywhere,” said Madison.

“Most people donate them to the office. We also have a bin at the Holy Cross High School, and one at the Latonia branch library and we also have a bin at the Holy Cross Daycare closer to the gym,” said Quinn.

Once the shoes are donated, the team inspects them carefully for damage that would make them unwearable. “If they’re dirty that’s fine, but they can’t be beat up,” said Madison.

After they have been approved by the team the laces are tied together, or the pair is banded, so that they will not be separated, before being put in the bag for donations.

The shoe drive ends Dec. 2, just in time for the holiday season. “We are in dire need of help,” said Quinn. “It could be like a present from the community.”

Through his life Father Thomas Barnes sought to honor God

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Father Thomas Barnes, a priest for the Diocese of Covington, died Oct. 28. He was 87 years old.

Thomas Charles Barnes (“Tom”) was born on May 23, 1938, the only child of Charles Joseph Barnes and Florence Evelyn Barnes (nee Simmons). He was born in Grace Hospital, Detroit Michigan. He was Baptized at St. Margaret Mary Church, LeMay Avenue, Detroit on June 26, 1938. He was Confirmed at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Detroit, on June 1, 1950.

Father Barnes attended grades K-8 at Finney Public School in Detroit. He then attended Austin Prep, a Catholic College Preparatory run by the Augustinian Friars in Detroit, for one year (1952-53). He attended St. Augustine Seminary in Saugatuck, Michigan, for his sophomore year, where he met Robert Francis Prevost (later Pope Leo XIV). Father Barnes returned to Austin Prep for his junior and senior years, graduating in 1956.

In 1956, Father Barnes spent the summer at St. Sylvester Benedictive Monastery in Detroit and attended St. Benedict College, Acheson, Kansas, for three semesters, working toward a Bachelor of Science Degree.

On April 1, 1958, Father Barnes entered Gethsemani Monastery in Central Kentucky, where he remained for two years under the guidance of Father Louis Merton (Thomas Merton). Despite his love for monastic life, he decided to leave after two years, maintaining good friendships.

Father Barnes’s experience at Gethsemani profoundly influenced his spiritual life, particularly his commitment to reading and developing an interior life of prayer.

“He had a great respect for Catholicism and the interior life,” said Father Mark Keene, a close friend and vicar general of the Diocese of Covington.

After leaving Gethsemani, Father Barnes returned to Detroit, attended the University of Detroit, and worked on an assembly line for Ford. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree and later enrolled at the Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies (PIMS) at the University of Toronto, where he earned a Master of Arts degree.

Father Barnes then attended Western Michigan University, earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA). Despite his MBA, his interest in religious life led him to try the Order of Friars Minor. After a few years, he decided he wasn’t called to this life and separated from the Franciscans.

From 1966 to 1968, Father Barnes worked for Mid-American Publishing’s Ultra-Van Division in Hutchinson, Kansas. From 1968 to 1970, he taught business at Kansas State University, Pittsburgh, Kansas. Former students thanked him for his teaching.

“He just seemed to positively change so many people’s lives,” Father Keene said.

From 1970 to 1972, he directed the Wichita Art Association. In 1972, he joined Citizens Union National Bank in Lexington, Kentucky, as executive vice president of the Trust Division, where he developed and expanded the clientele. He was also involved in civic organizations like the Lexington Council for the Arts.

Father Barnes left his position at the bank and Lexington to enter the seminary to study for the Catholic Priesthood in the fall of 1983. It was there that he met, then seminarian, Father Jeff VonLehman, pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Taylor Mill, who remembers Father Barnes as an “active contemplative, he spoke out of a very contemplative mindset,” he said. “You never had a dull conversation with Father Barnes.”

Prior to entering the seminary, Father Barnes’ mother had spoken to him about how he had done so many things in his life and been successful at them except for the one thing that he really wanted, which was to be a priest. Father Barnes figured at his age he probably only had one more chance. He explored the idea with some priests he knew and other friends and decided to try.

At a luncheon at a Chinese Restaurant with some clients of the bank, after he had decided to try the seminary, his fortune cookie at the end of the meal read simply: “You have made the right decision.” Father Barnes taped that fortune into his Christian Prayer Book. It is still there.

Father Barnes studied for the Catholic Priesthood as a seminarian for the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky. He always had a natural gift for counseling people, and so his working toward and achieving a master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling came very naturally.

Father Keene remembered him as a “great listener to people, sort of wedding the spiritual life and emotional growth and maturation of people. He was able to see that as one reality in a pretty neat way.”

Father Michael Hennigen, who succeed Father Barnes’ as pastor in 2019 before moving onto other roles, said, “Father Barnes really cared for people. He was a beautiful listener, and he loved to listen, really a counselor in many ways to many people.”

Father Barnes was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Covington on May 30, 1987. After ordination, Father Thomas Barnes served as a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish, Edgewood, for a year. Bishop Hughes asked if he would move to Holy Cross Parish, Latonia, to help Msgr. Elmer Grosser, who had come out of retirement to serve as an administrator of Holy Cross. Father Barnes served as parochial vicar for several years. In 1992 Father Barnes was named pastor of Holy Cross Parish, where he served as pastor until 2019.

During his pastorate at Holy Cross he created a welcoming environment for students and parishioners, recalled Father VonLehman. “He was always so accommodating to me as the chaplain and to the school, to the students. He was always helping to just make a welcoming atmosphere for them,” said Father VonLehman.

Upon Father Hennigens arrival to Holy Cross Parish he remembers Father Barnes, “really stressing the community feel and aspect of Holy Cross. That community included the parish, the elementary school, the high school, Catholic Charities and also the Child Care and Learning Center.”

Parishioner Terry Foster wrote in a Facebook post remembering Father Barnes, “We joined Holy Cross in the summer of 1996. We really felt ‘at home’ and Father Barnes was very much a reason for that … we felt very accepted at both the school and church.” Mr. Foster recalled in a <<Messenger>> interview that when he and his daughter joined Holy Cross Parish his daughter said, “Father Barnes makes going to Mass fun.” Father VonLehman said, “his humor always came out, he had a good sense of humor.”

While Father Barnes will be remembered for many notable things, perhaps most frequently mentioned by people has been that when you were with him you had his undivided attention.

“He was really genuine, he just seemed to really be able to pay close attention to people,” said Father Keene.

Father Barnes had a preternatural ability to see the potential in people and to then ask just the right questions to challenge people to see and believe what he saw in them. Many persons have commented how he “changed their lives.” This would include friends from his high school days, friends at the end of his life and Father Keene who said, “We met at a time in my life when I needed someone like him to be a mentor and really kind of challenge me in ways I needed to be challenged. That was kind of hard at times but I’m very grateful for it in hindsight now.”

Father Barnes’ interests and talents were many and varied. But, underlying it all was a desire to know God through life and to honor God by his life. He was insightful, compassionate, creative, intelligent and always with a great sense of humor. Friendships were always a priority in his life. He always worked hard to establish and maintain friendships that were deep and meaningful.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Nov.15 at Holy Cross Church, Latonia.

This obituary was written by Father Mark Keene and edited by the Messenger staff. The complete obituary is online https://www.connleybrothersfuneralhome.com/obituary/reverend-thomas-charles-barnes/.

Mobile food pantry feeds the hungry amidst government shutdown

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Laura Keener

Editor

With the government shutdown entering its second month and the news that families depending on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could see their assistance lapse or reduced, the Messenger reached out to local Catholic ministries that help feed hungry men, women, and children.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington operates a mobile food pantry that makes stops once a month at six rural counties in the Diocese of Covington. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky not only operates three regional food pantries. Additionally, 26 parish conferences maintain a pantry at their parish. In the last month, both are seeing an increase in individuals and families seeking food assistance.

“We’ve seen a steady increase in guests visiting our Erlanger pantry in particular. From the first week in October to this week, our visits to our pantry have doubled,” said Karen Zengel, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul NKY.

While Mrs. Zengel cannot say with certainty that the increase is directly related to the shutdown, incidentally in staff conversations with new guests, some of them commented that they haven’t had a paycheck in almost a month. For new guests, who are struggling and reaching out for assistance for the first time, Mrs. Zengel said, “I think the most important message is to let them know that it’s okay, because it’s really hard to ask for help.”

“I think that our Vincentians and our volunteers are really good at saying it’s okay. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to help you,” said Mrs. Zengel. “And then the second thing is to just be a person who is listening and providing that empathetic ear; to hear what they’re going through and do the best we can to try to meet the needs that they’re bringing to us and add some calm in the storm that they might be facing right now.”

There are three ways to support the work of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantries. By donating non-perishable food items at the St. Vincent de Paul pantry or at a parish with a pantry, by donating gift cards to grocery stores, or by donating cash.

“We’re associated with the Freestore Foodbank,” said Mrs. Zengel. “Here at the central Council, we can order food on behalf of those parish pantries from the Freestore, leveraging a significant discounted rate because we’re a nonprofit partner. This helps our parish pantries stock their shelves at much less cost than buying things at a retail store.”

The Catholic Charities’ Mobile Food Pantry is also a nonprofit partner of the Freestore Foodbank, which is a source of fresh produce. Most of the Pantry’s food supply is provided through a Federal TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) grant, which is administered through the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. Without a warehouse to store items, the Mobile Food Pantry depends on financial donations to help support its ministry.

“We’re bringing as much food as we can, and we’re going to hand that out,” said John Hehman, coordinator of the Mobile Food Pantry.

The Mobile Food Pantry stops once a month in six rural counties — Bracken County, Gallatin County, Grant County, Mason County, Owen County and Pendleton County. Mr. Hehman said that the pantry served a record crowd in Bracken and Owen Counties last month. In Bracken County, 302 individuals across 99 households were served, its highest number in 2025, while Owen County set a new all-time record serving 201 individuals across 82 households.

Acknowledging that the food truck can carry only a limited amount of food, when the need is so great, “Our goal is for everybody to get something,” said Mr. Hehman. Typically, a family can expect to receive 40 food items; when turnout peaks, the goal is for everyone to at least get 20 items. He never knows from day to day what food items will be available. Sometimes, the food provided is unfamiliar, or its preparation is unfamiliar to families.

Mr. Hehman gave a recent example where they were provided four types of dried beans — black beans, red beans, Great Northern beans and garbanzo beans. To avoid waste, volunteers provide recipes on how to prepare and serve these types of unusual food items.

Five of the six Pantry stops are at Catholic parishes, with the Mason County stop at the Maysville Lions Club. Volunteers from the parish and neighboring parishes and the community greet the Mobile Food Pantry to help distribute food. “We couldn’t do this without them,” Mr. Hehman said of the volunteers.

For people navigating a financial crisis for the first time, Mr. Hehman advises “look for resources. They are out there. Be patient. Most of the people working at pantries are volunteers, and they’re doing a great job. They want to help you,” he said.

For information on the Mobile Food Pantry, including its schedule, click the “Services” tab at https://www.covingtoncharities.org.

The St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky website walks you through ways to connect for help and also provides a “Directory of Assistance,” which is a list of community resources. Visit  https://www.svdpnky.org/ and click on the “Get Help” tab.

Annual art exhibition accepting submissions showcases ‘invisible realities,’ exemplifies goodness, truth and beauty

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

The Angelico Project’s annual Juried Art Exhibition comes to St. Francis Xavier Church, Cincinnati, Jan. 24 — and artwork submissions are open now through the new year.

The exhibition, which will run Jan. 24–April 6, is open for entries from local artists around the Greater Cincinnati area — accepting many mediums, including painting, illumination, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography; work in precious metals, enamel, glass, liturgical textiles; forms of digital media, graphic design and digital illustration.

The juror, whose responsibility will be to curate submissions for the gallery, is Emma Cassani, graphic designer for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s magazine, The Catholic Telegraph. Next in a chain of “excellent jurors,” according to Angelico Project founder and trustee Nancy-Carolyn Smith, the juried show “keeps the standard high,” for what the organization shows as a Catholic organization.

“Our mission is to evangelize through beauty,” said Ms. Smith, about both the exhibition and the mission of the Angelico Project as a whole. “Part of the Angelico Project has always been the Angelico Catholic Arts Guild and our outreach is to artists, because you’ve got to engage artists in goodness, truth and beauty in order to have an impact on our culture.”

After the first exhibition in January of 2020 was exceptionally well received, the Angelico Project saw the response as a sign that they were “moving in the right direction,” she said.

The goal of the exhibition is to showcase visual representations of “invisible realities,” according to the official call for entry. Such themes include love, hope, the Creator’s imagination and the created world — artwork that moves the viewer to prayer, whether it is of an explicitly religious nature of not. As such, submissions should demonstrate evidence of the elements of “goodness, truth, beauty; witness to the dignity of the human person; attest to the reality of the spiritual life; and demonstrate mastery of the artist’s medium.”

“That’s our mission,” Ms. Smith concluded. “We’re going to change the world, starting with changing our own hearts … That’s where it starts.”

For more information on the Angelico Project, including how to submit to the 2026 Juried Exhibition, visit https://angelicoproject.org.

Women religious return from Alabama pilgrimage — reflect on hope, civil rights

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

In early October, women religious from the Diocese of Covington — representing the Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Divine Providence and Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery — set their sights on Selma, Alabama for a pilgrimage commemorating the Jubilee of Consecrated Life.

In 1965, Selma became the gathering place for hundreds of people, including many women religious, to march from Selma to Alabama’s capital of Montgomery in the name of voting rights for African Americans. In their visit to the city, the sisters visited Selma’s historic sights and reflected on the impact of the Civil Rights Movement today.

Reflecting on the pilgrimage, Benedictine Sister Dorothy Schuette noted that “even as we acknowledge injustice and injuries inflicted and received by our ancestors and country-women and men, we are heartened by the care and work of our sisters and brothers to repair and build up the children of God.” An example being the Edmunites — who gave the sisters a place to stay at their mission, and who serve the African American community in Selma.

“Our pilgrim group’s shared prayer and reflections at the close of each day were valuable opportunities for the six of us to express our deep emotions of compassion, sorrow, solidarity and empathy for those who have been so abused in the past,” Sister Dorothy said. “We also became more aware of the traces of racial hatred that continue to exist in the society in which we live. But we are women of hope witnessing to the deepest desire of humankind to live in peace with

Jubilee of the Poor is about love, human dignity

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Laura Keener

Editor

The Jubilee of the Poor will be celebrated Nov. 16. Jubilee days invite the faithful to recognize and honor the inherent dignity of each person. During the Jubilee of the Poor, the USCCB encourages, “We are called to observe a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, modeling our actions on the examples seen in Scripture.”

In the Diocese of Covington, there are many ministries devoted to the care of the poor. The Messenger reached out to three individuals working in three ministries to gather their learned wisdom through ministry.

Upon his retirement in 2021, Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys began volunteering regularly at Parish Kitchen, sometimes twice, sometimes three times a month, “When they need me. I fill in,” he said.

Parish Kitchen is a ministry of Catholic Charities. Located at the corner of Madison Ave and 16th Street, Covington, anyone who is hungry can receive a hot meal at Parish Kitchen, 365 days a year. When volunteering, Bishop Foys hands out desserts.

“It’s a whole new experience for me, actually, being with the poor regularly on a one-on-one basis. And sometimes they’ll ask for advice, or they’ll want to talk to the priest,” Bishop Foys said.

Everyone served at the Parish Kitchen “is so grateful and respectful,” said Bishop Foys. “I find that I feel that they are giving me more than I’m giving to them.”

Bishop Foys referred to Pope Leo XIV’s recent exhortation “Dilexi te,” (“I have loved you”), which focuses on love and care for the poor — a recommended must read.

“The Holy Father mentions in his exhortation that the poor aren’t poor because they want to be poor, or because they’re lazy. They just find themselves in this situation,” said Bishop Foys. “The Holy Father is very clear that we cannot call ourselves Christians if we don’t have a heart for the poor and that whole notion of seeing Christ in everybody. When I’m at the Parish Kitchen, that’s the mindset I have, that everybody coming through is Jesus.”

Guests of the Parish Kitchen, said Bishop Foys, come in for food, but they are also in need of affirmation and a break.

“Sometimes they just need a break. It’s not that they don’t want to work, or sometimes they can’t. I would say for someone to give them a break, I think would be important,” Bishop Foys said. “This isn’t just a handout. What we’re telling them is that ‘you’re worthwhile and we’re here for you. We’re here because you’re precious in God’s sight. Everybody is precious in God’s sight.’”

Volunteering at Parish Kitchen, “I find myself more conscious about poverty and the needs of people and wanting to do more for them,” said Bishop Foys.

The Rose Garden Home Mission and its Center for Hope and Healing, both in Covington, is quite possibly the largest and best-known ministry for those in need, especially pregnant women and moms. Operated by the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, the Mission offers a food pantry, diapers, children’s clothes, baby equipment and more. The Center is a free medical and dental clinic, staffed by volunteer professionals. Also located at the mission is a small prayer chapel, a place of respite, where guests can renew their spirit.

“There’s a tendency to think of the poor as being less,” said Franciscan Daughter of Mary Mother Clare Borchard. “But they’re not less. They’re just as human and they have the same dignity as everyone else. They’re people who happen to be having a hard time for one reason or another.

Mother Clare also referred to Pope Leo’s exhortation. “He pointed out that there are different kinds of poverty. There’s certainly material poverty, which is what most people think of, and we definitely have an obligation to address that. But there’s also, spiritual and moral poverty, and sometimes that is the greater need. There are people, too, that have material needs, but have a remarkable faith and trust in God. From my experience, fundamentally there is a need for God, but really, first the need to be loved and cared about; to just know that there’s somebody in the world who thinks that they have dignity. Sometimes that’s really what they’re looking for, even more than food.”

The need to be loved, Mother Clare said, is not unique to the poor. “That’s a common human need that everyone has,” she said. “In that way we are in solidarity. The more we understand that the Lord loves us, and the more we understand the great value that He has for us, the more naturally it comes to recognize that in somebody else, too.”

Cindy Carris is a founder and Board member of the Mary Rose Mission, Florence. Opened in 1995, the Mary Rose Mission serves a hot evening meal to hungry neighbors every day and “To Love as God Loves.”

“The poor I meet are just like me,” said Mrs. Carris. “They have been given more challenges than I could ever have imagined. Many begin their life with struggles that I’ve never had to deal with over my lifetime. Others have had tragedies with little or no support that create monumental challenges for them to overcome.”

Having worked with people in need has expanded Mrs. Carris’ heart for people and a concern for not just their physical needs but for the way they are treated.

“It absolutely breaks my heart to see the lack of compassion, tolerance and simple kindness we show people, especially the poor,” Mrs. Carris said. “We’ve grown so cold towards our neighbors. It makes my heart ache.”

Mrs. Carris quotes St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who said that being poor in the West was much greater than what she experienced in India because, “our poor were starving for love, which is a much greater poverty.”

There are many places for people to show the love of Christ to others, especially the poor. Mrs. Carris encourages everyone, “Do something … anything. It really isn’t hard to show compassion and kindness, and it doesn’t cost a dime!”

Give Catholic on Giving Tuesday — parishes, schools and organizations prepare their campaigns for fundraising

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

This year, the Diocese of Covington is introducing the community to a new way to give in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Give Catholic NKY — a campaign for “Giving Tuesday,” which occurs annually the Tuesday after Thanksgiving  — allows for individual schools, parishes and community ministries to set fundraising goals through Give Catholic NKY’s website. This process off-loads the work of fundraising from these organizations and presents the different options to donors via leaderboards and a “shopping cart” system of giving.

Already, different organizations fundraising through Give Catholic have begun uploading information about their campaigns to the website — public and visible for anyone to start looking for fundraisers to support. These campaigns support many different ministries and needs, from general upkeep to scholarships to much needed improvements and repairs.

One such project comes out of St. Mary School, Alexandria, whose hopes are to raise money for a STEM enrichment program for the school’s students. This program will cultivate the interests of the students in modern technology from robotics to coding, according to Jennifer Geiman, principal.

“This market would be amazing to give those kids who have a passion in pursuing not only careers, but enrichment in the STEM area,” said Mrs. Geiman, who cites the availability of these programs rising in public schools. “We’re very limited with funding in that area, so any contribution would help us be competitive in that way — and hopefully give our kids who want to continue their Catholic education that type of opportunity.”

Another project, belonging to St. Paul Parish, Florence, is aiming to replace the parish’s 20-year-old bell system, whose outdated system and speakers have fallen into disrepair.

“The bells are an important part of the parish,” said Father Jason Bertke, pastor. “It’s easy to forget that the bells are calling us to worship. They call us to Mass, they call us to prayer. They sanctify the time.” With a projected goal of $17,000 — these funds would allow bells to ring from the Parish once more, returning to their important mission of “calling people to worship.”

With less than a month until Giving Tuesday, individuals are encouraged to consider “giving Catholic,” according to Jim Hess, diocesan director of Stewardship and Mission Services. “It presents a beautiful opportunity for the entire diocese to come together and to prioritize giving Catholic on Giving Tuesday.”

Information regarding the Give Catholic NKY campaign, including access to donating on Dec. 2, is available on the Give Catholic NKY webpage, https://www.givecentral.org/leaderboard/Give-Catholic-NKY-Giving-Tuesday-2025.

 

Pilgrims from the Diocese of Covington return from Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome — an experience of a lifetime

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To celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope, Bishop John Iffert and 70 pilgrims from the Diocese of Covington, made a pilgrimage to Rome, Oct. 22–Nov. 1, to visit historical spiritual sites, pass through the Jubilee Holy Door and to attend the Angelus and General Audience in St. Peter’s Square to listen to Pope Leo XIV. Upon their return, the Messenger caught up with Bishop Iffert and pilgrims, Father Joseph Gallenstein, Michael and Christina Weller and Marybeth Bosko to hear about the experience.

Bishop Iffert enjoys witnessing the joy and connection among pilgrims

Laura Keener

Editor

Bishop Iffert uses a saying to differentiate pilgrims from tourists. “Tourists expect, pilgrims accept.” True to this point, the Rome pilgrimage was not without moments to accept, like the missed visit to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Venice due to heavy rains and traffic.

“That’s a disappointment. But the folks did a good job of saying, ‘Well, I hate that we missed that, but it was the right decision,’” said Bishop Iffert.

But there were even more moments of acceptance that were welcome surprises, moments of meaningful spiritual experiences and joy. A standout for Bishop Iffert was a visit to the Tre Fontane Abbey, Rome. It is the site where St. Paul was beheaded. It is also a site where a mass grave believed to be of 10,000 Christian martyrs, persecuted in the Third Century under the Roman emperor Diocletian.

“They talk about two groups of people persecuted under Emperor Diocletian. One would be Christian workers who were forced to work on the construction of the Diocletian baths. And the other would be soldiers, where Diocletian was trying to rid the Roman legions of Christians,” said Bishop Iffert. “That was a very spiritual place, a very moving experience. I had never heard of that place and so it just snuck up on me how powerful that was.”

Celebrating Mass at the major basilicas — St. John Lateran, which is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome; the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and in a special way, the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The Basilica of St. Mary Major is home to an icon of Blessed Mother known to be a favorite of Pope Francis. It is known as “Protectress of the Roman People,” and is one of the oldest in existence, being attributed to St. Luke. Also inside the Basilica is a bas-relief depicting the story of Our Lady of the Snows, a rare summer snowfall which, according to legend, fell on Aug. 5, 352, on the Esquiline Hill, one of the famed “Seven Hills” of Rome. On the anniversary each year, the Basilica reenacts the “miracle of the snows.” In Bishop Iffert’s home diocese of Belleville, there is a shrine to Our Lady of the Snows.

“To have Mass there with the pilgrims in that place, those liturgies, were highlights for me,” he said.

Bishop Iffert said he delighted in watching his fellow pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square as Pope Leo XIV passed by just feet away. And he was moved by the connectedness the pilgrims created in just a few days.

“I heard so many people on Saturday night as we were saying goodbye, and on Thursday as the group kind of divided into two, who really talked about how sad they were to leave their new friends,” said Bishop Iffert. “People talked about not only to encounter these holy sites and holy places, but to do that with a group of fellow believers and like-minded folks. It just really meant a lot to people. I think I was surprised by that a little bit.

“I am so blessed to be able to live my life in the heart of the Church, and to see that every day — to have those supports and encouragements every day. But for the pilgrims who joined the trip, there was a great testimony to that, to be able to travel and to see these sites and to make new friends. Some of them said that they felt like people they’ve only been traveling with for a couple of weeks, that it felt like they had been friends forever. And that’s a wonderful thing.”

Pastor reflects on unity, youth, upon returning to diocese from Rome

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Accompanying Bishop John Iffert and pilgrims to Rome, Father Joseph Gallenstein, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Alexandria, reflected on the pilgrimage as a “wonderful trip” with “wonderful people.”

Fond memories such as concelebrating Mass with Bishop Iffert in various places, especially the papal basilicas, were just some of the experiences that Father Gallenstein highlighted about his experience across the ocean.

“I really enjoyed going to Assisi,” Father Gallenstein noted, “… what I did not realize until I was there was that Carlo Acutis is entombed in one of the churches there. That was a very moving experience.”

Being a pastor of a parish with a fairly large grade school, visiting the entombed saint stood out to Father Gallenstein. “My thoughts immediately went to young teens … As I was going through and passing his tomb, I was thinking and praying especially for our young folks who are fast approaching the Sacrament of Confirmation.”

Another stand out memory was at the Basilica of St. Sebastian over the Catacombs, where, while concelebrating Mass, other pilgrims and tourists joined in on Communion.

“It was evident that other people, moved by the fact that we were having Mass, wanted to receive the Eucharist,” said Father Gallenstein, recalling how other travelers joined the line for Communion line and were coming up to the alter to share it with them.

“So many other people wanted to receive the Eucharist,” Father Gallenstein said. “That was strangely moving to me. We were there as our own pilgrims, but yet there were millions of pilgrims coming on any given day. And those few had been moved by the Spirit and joined us in that Mass, at the table of the Lord. It really speaks to how big and diverse our Church really is.”

Pastor reflects on unity, youth, upon returning to diocese from Rome

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

After a whirlwind 10 days in Rome on a pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope, the 70 Diocesan pilgrims have all made safe arrival back to the Diocese. While on their spiritual journey the pilgrims enjoyed the sights of early Catholicism, including the catacombs and centuries-old basilicas, while also enjoying the newer sights like St. Carlos Acutis’ resting place.

It was these tangible aspects of the Church and those early Christians that made the trip so impactful for pilgrims Michael and Christina Weller and Marybeth Bosko.

“Just connecting with the faith of Christians that came before us a millennia ago, seeing the Holy Doors and knowing that they were built around the fourth century and connecting with the faith of the people before us,” is what made the trip impactful said Mr. Weller, parishioner of St. Augustine Parish, Covington.

“You had a feeling of history in the sense of the permanence of these basilicas,” said pilgrim Marybeth Bosko, parishioner at St. Barbara Parish, Erlanger. “As you’re walking through the Holy Doors you get this feeling like ‘how many people and how many saints actually walked through these doors that I’m walking through right now.’”

For Mr. Weller it was the Abbey of the Three Fountains, or Abbazia dele Tre Fontane, where St. Paul was martyred, that stood out above the rest.

“Just the fact that St. Paul was there, and you could see his jail cell and where he was executed, and the road, the place was very powerful,” he said. “We all have our own St. Paul moment where we know we have to shape up a bit, I feel like that’s pretty tangible.”

For Ms. Weller, also a parishioner of St. Augustine Parish, Covington, it was a similar connection to Catholics before that made an impact, however the saint she felt connected to was not so far removed.

“We went and we saw St. Carlos,” she said, “I really liked that because I feel like seeing a saint who’s so close to our age, this guy worked on computers, it’s something so tangible to our generation.”

“I can definitely see why so many saints came from that region where Assisi is because it’s very peaceful,” said Ms. Weller, remembering her newfound fondness of the Assisi region.

For Ms. Bosko the Santa Scala, or Holy Stairs, was the most impactful. The stairs were brought over from Jerusalem by St. Helena and were originally in front of Pontius Pilate’s house. They have since been encased in wood and in order to further protect them pilgrims must “walk” up the stairs on their knees.

However, this was not a deterrent, “as you head up the stairs and the pain becomes more and more real, you’re focused only on Christ and his pain. When you complete it, you’re standing in front of this painting of Jesus on the cross, you get a sense of that you did something for him as he died for us,” said Ms. Bosko.

These experiences cultivated in the Diocesan pilgrims not just a newfound appreciation for Rome and early Christians, but a renewal of heart.

“It was not just a trip to Italy,” said Ms. Bosko. “It was a spiritual journey.”