Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption updates digital tour, with North window in high def

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

In 2010, Msgr. William Neuhaus, at time the rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, published a 360-degree digital tour of the cathedral using panoramic photography. Now, more than 10 years later, the digital tour has been updated with new imagery of Covington’s iconic cathedral.

“I decided that with some of the recent enhancements and additions over the last 10 years that we re-conducted that tour,” said Father Ryan Maher, the cathedral’s present rector.

Father Maher said that part of the parish’s pastoral plan priorities is to “continue to be a welcoming community,” and the up-to-date tour serves as a “kind of way to welcome people virtually to the cathedral.”

The new tour was put together by Ron Rack Photography, out of Cincinnati, and features beautifully detailed and colorful photos of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and many of its windows, artwork and features. Various buttons allow for easy navigation and allows visitors to see details they would otherwise not be able to view in person. Notably, the tour features a large-scale, high-definition image of the Cathedral’s North window that can be zoomed in upon.

The release of the updated tour also coincides timely with the jubilee, offering a pilgrimage option to the sick, incarcerated and those who otherwise cannot visit the pilgrimage site in person. For the purpose of obtaining indulgences, according to the Decree on the Granting of Indulgence during the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 called by His Holiness Pope Francis, 13.05.2024, “The faithful who are truly repentant of sin but who cannot participate in the various solemn celebrations, pilgrimages and pious visits for serious reasons (especially cloistered nuns and monks, but also the elderly, the sick, prisoners, and those who, through their work in hospitals or other care facilities, provide continuous service to the sick), can obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, under the same conditions if, united in spirit with the faithful taking part in person.” Digital spaces can serve as ways to help facilitate this relationship for those who cannot visit in person, with full information on obtaining an indulgence available online at www.usccb.org/jubilee2025 or at https://covdio.org/jubilee/.

Catholic Education sows the seeds of God’s word

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Catholic Schools Week is a long-standing tradition and national celebration of Catholic education. As a student, it means pajama days and pizza parties, as a teacher it means small tokens of appreciation. The highlight of the week is the annual Catholic Schools Week Mass, where students, faculty and staff from all Catholic schools in the Diocese gather and celebrate Catholic education with Bishop John Iffert and the Catholic Schools Office. From St. Patrick High School in Maysville, to Prince of Peace School in Covington, there were representatives from each school in attendance at the January 29 Mass.

In opening remarks from Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Schools, she said, “That is why we are here, to celebrate Catholic Schools Week as the same faith community. This is one week that we pause each year to appreciate the education where Jesus is the focus. A time to where we thank our parents, for sacrificing to send us to Catholic schools. To the principals and teachers, who work so hard to educate us. The volunteers, who give so much of their time, their talents and their treasures to ensure that we can walk with more and more students to learn about Jesus each day. To our priests, who walk with us each day inviting us to grow in our relationship with Jesus, especially in the sacraments.”

In his homily, Bishop Iffert recalled a story which took place over many decades. As a child he attended a summer camp, at this camp they took a hike to Packentuck waterfall. Bishop Iffert said that the hike to the waterfall was relatively easy the first time he went as there was a paved path. Upon his return year after year however, the pavement started to crack, roots begin to poke out of the pavement, and vegetation from the surrounding woods begin to encroach. Before long, Bishop Iffert said, the path was unrecognizable, life had grown and blossomed in a place where it was seemingly impossible.

“Those little cracks in the pavement, seed fell down there and lived and died and lived and died and broke open those little cracks and ford first sediment, then sand, then soil … 40 years after my first visit, you can’t recognize there was ever a road there, the forest has reclaimed it,” Bishop Iffert said. The seed of the word of God can work in you, Bishop Iffert said, the same way that the seeds of the forest worked in the paved path to Packentuck.

“You are more than a couple of trillion cells and an electric charge finding your way through the world. Instead, you are that noble, loving, heroic person you sense yourself to be … Catholic Education exposes you first of all to the faith, of God, so that you know your life is more than just a bunch of cells and an electric charge, that you are an eternal spirit, you are an eternal spirit enfleshed in this magnificent creative body. Being that creature of flesh and spirit, God has made you to sense his ways in the world and respond to them and to become that noble person you know yourself to be and are capable of becoming,” Bishop Iffert said.

Catholic education, which is celebrated Catholic Schools Week, instills and sows the seeds of God’s word into the hearts and minds of students, so that in 40 years, when they look back, they will see God’s work in their life.

Bishop Iffert thanks consecrated persons for witness, faithfulness, trust and most especially joy

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Religious brothers and sisters throughout the Diocese of Covington gathered in celebration, Feb. 1, with Mass and breakfast for the World Day of Consecrated Life. Bishop John Iffert was the celebrant with Deacon Eric Ritchie assisting at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.

The gospel reading, Mark 4:35-41, is well known; the apostles awaken Jesus, who is asleep in the stern of a boat, to quell the stormy seas, allowing for the safe passage of the apostles and himself. Mark writes of this event, but Mark was not there to witness it, rather, he receives the story from the apostle Peter. Bishop Iffert says in his homily, “Mark of course is considered by many to be a disciple of Peter, who accompanied Peter for years as a secretary and coworker. The Gospel is included among apostolic writings because it is believed that Mark received the teaching from peter and that he received that teaching, and he remembered it well.”

“Remember,” Bishop Iffert continued, “it was a difficult thing to be a Christian in the times when Mark wrote. It was a challenging reality to be a Christian. If you were a Jewish Christian, you were likely alienated from family, from profession, from the honor that attaches to family. You were likely alienated from synagogue, from community.”

Mark was writing during the dawn of a new institution, Bishop Iffert said, the institution of the Catholic church. “This little community in Rome that had been considered an outcast was beginning to grow as a result of the witness of those martyrs and beginning to realize that they could not go on to think of themselves as a sect of Judaism, but that they were becoming something new.”

“In that sense,” Bishop Iffert said, “I believe the … vocation of Mark writing his Gospel, is very much like the vocation of consecrated people in this world. There are lots of folks who do not understand consecrated life. There are lots of folks who do not understand how we can make the decisions that we make, how we can make the sacrifices that we make.”

Making the devotion to consecrated life in today’s world can be difficult, Bishop Iffert said, it is not like the consecrated life of generations before. “You are consecrated religious at a time too late to be laid to rest by those armies of young, consecrated men and women coming behind you. You are consecrated religious at a time when you are selling off your mother house, at a time when you are embracing the language of right sizing, at time when you are struggling to figure out who is going to lead the institutions you have created and bring them into the future.”

Much like Mark, unsure who will take the helm of their new institution, being a member of consecrated life at a time where the numbers are shrinking rather than growing, lends to a feeling of unsureness. But, Bishop Iffert said, there is an assurance, “I know your life is filled with sacrifices to the Lord, but it is a joy to join Jesus on his cross. It is a joy to live in the assurance of God, it is a joy to let that promise direct everything in our lives.”

“Thank you,” Bishop Iffert said, “for your witness, and your faithfulness, and your trust and most especially your joy.”

March for Life returns to Frankfort for a second year — here’s how to participate

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Feb. 12 marks the second year for the March for Life in Frankfort, Ky. — organized by the Kentucky Right to Life organization, this statewide event brings the message of life, from natural conception to natural death, to the state capitol.

Since the first event, organizers have gained a little bit more experience, said Faye Roch, director of the Diocese of Covington’s Pro-Life office. This year, they’re hoping for less rain and less hiccups as the date of the March approaches.

The gathering begins at 9:30 a.m. with Mass at Good Shepherd Church, Frankfort, with marchers meeting at the front steps of the capitol at 11:30 a.m. for music, prayer and a rally before walking from the steps to the Memorial for the Unborn in Frankfort’s cemetery.

Currently, the Diocese of Covington has chartered three buses to take individuals interested in participating from Covington and Florence to Frankfort. Among the participants will be students of diocesan high schools, as well as from Thomas More University and Northern Kentucky University’s Newman Club.

Last year, according to Mrs. Roch, the Diocese of Covington had a recorded attendance of around 200. This year, she hopes to double that number.

“We have this battle within our state,” she said, “and we need to come together in the state of Kentucky to show our legislators the importance of respect for life, especially at conception.”

Transportation to the March for Life via the buses will be free of cost, although space is limited. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the diocesan Pro-life Office at (859) 392-1545 for information.

Father John Judie speaks on racism past and recent at annual MLK Breakfast

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Our Savior Parish, Covington, upheld a long-standing tradition by once again hosting the annual Martin Luther King Discussion Breakfast. The yearly gathering of parishioners and community members boasted a crowd large enough to fill the parish hall. Father John Judie, humanitarian and retired priest from the Archdiocese of Louisville, was the keynote speaker.

Father Judie is well known for his speaking engagements both in the Archdiocese of Louisville and in various countries throughout Africa. His primary ministry, however, is Father John Judie Ministries Inc., which works to provide humanitarian aid to economically undeveloped areas of Africa.

“It is wonderful to be here with all of you,” Father Judie began, “I always look forward to the opportunity when I can come to Covington. Most of the time it is celebrating the Mass and preaching but it is just so wonderful to see everyone today,” he said addressing the crowded parish hall.

“We know so much about Dr. King and his work, and his ministry, and the influence and the impact he had on this country. Raising people’s level of awareness about racism and particularly the injustice that has been rendered against people of color for years and years and years. Part of honoring him and his ministry and his life, we have to really take a look at the larger picture that he recognized and was clearly focused on at the end of his life and ministry. That means we have to go back a lot further than Dr. King and his ministry,” said Father Judie.

His presentation, entitled “Racism Yesterday and Today,” focused on the history of racism and its origins in the United States, as well as modern racism in society today.

The origins of racism in the United States, Father Judie said, began as soon as European settlers stepped foot in and took over the modern-day United States of America.

“Racism has been labeled as Americas original sin. Since there was an America before the Europeans came, it is more accurate to say that racism is the United States of America’s original sin, there is a difference. The indigenous people of this land inhabited it for more than 12,000 years before the Europeans and other settlers showed up,” said Father Judie.

While racism is deeply rooted in the history of the United States, it permeates through society today. Father Judie turned the attention of those in attendance to the language used for immigrants. Today, when someone would like to immigrate to the United States of America, they must apply for Resident Alien Status.

“Why would we call any human being on this planet an alien,” Father Judie said, posing the question to the crowd. “You can see how the lie continues. Alien means you don’t belong here. You came from some outer space; therefore, we don’t know anything about you, so we fear you and we’ll treat you that way. Why would anybody want to be labeled, or have your loved ones labeled, as an alien? We ourselves have to be aware.”

The audience participation portion of the breakfast gave way to personal testimonies of those in the audience who have experienced racism or racial injustice in the Northern Kentucky area and beyond. Racism is not an alien issue; it effects people close to home.

Father Judie encouraged people to look inward and reflect on racism in their own lives as a first step.

“It occurs to me; we may need to dig more deeply into the essential elements of racism at work in our own lives and in our involvements with others,” he said. “We can always talk about something not there, but we need to bring it home, we need to deal with it at home. We have to recognize it first and then know how we are prepared to respond to it once we encounter it in our everyday interactions with others.”

St. Charles Communities geographic footprint expands to current site of St. Joseph Heights

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

In a joint statement by the Sisters of Notre Dame and St. Charles Community, it was announced that the two organizations had “reached a preliminary agreement for an expansion of the St. Charles’ ministry to take place on the Dixie Highway campus of the SND.”

The Dixie Highway campus is known by many as the beloved St. Joseph Heights, Park Hills. With St. Charles Community acquiring the property, it was announced that St. Joseph Heights will be razed this summer.

In January of 2023 the Sisters of Notre Dame began officially moving out of the historic, storied home at St. Joseph Heights. Though the physical moving process began in 2023, the spiritual process of discernment began many years ago as the Sisters’ need for physical space began to diminish.

As the average age of the sisters grew, so too did the number of sisters whose level of care exceeded the capabilities available at St. Joseph Heights. As a result, the hallowed halls of St. Joseph Heights became increasingly empty as did the need for such a large space.

“Two years ago, that was a big piece of it, where we had to come to grips with what was happening. Here we had a big building, the number of sisters was shrinking, the expense was beginning to outweigh the gift of what was happening … We realized that it’s too big for us, and also, not necessarily the best for us,” said Notre Dame Sister Shauna Bankemper, assistant provincial and Leadership Team Member.

“The upkeep of such a large building, we felt, was not a good use of resources … Ten years ago Pope Francis declared the Year of Consecrated Life and one of the things he said to religious communities is look at your buildings and see how they need to be repurposed … For him and for us it is always how can that promote the mission? How can it serve the mission? Because that is why we exist in the first place,” said Notre Dame Sister Marla Monahan, vicar for religious, Diocese of Covington.

“All of us realize that the brick and mortar of this building holds beautiful memories, but we also want our mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame to go forward and if we can provide an environment for that mission … to thrive that’s, what I think, the future of this property is about,” said Sister Shauna.

Sister Marla added to this sentiment, “For us, we tried to see if there was a potential other us for the building. The cost of renovating an old building and what would be the mission needs. To be good stewards of resources, to keep the focus on mission, we first  reached out to Notre Dame Academy to see if their future plans might include some- thing of the property or building and it did not. Secondly, we reached out to our sponsored ministry, St. Charles Community.”

St. Charles Community is one of several sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Notre Dame, and where many of the sisters now live after moving from St. Joseph Heights.

“We made a decision that we would send our skilled care, our infirmary, to St. Charles. They have a wing called the Homestead available and we wanted to be able to pro- vide for our sisters there in that facility and we would bring our own staff… We have 18 sisters that live there and are getting the skilled care that they need,” said Sister Shauna. In addition to the sisters needing skilled care, other sisters wished to be close to healthcare and their fellow sisters.

“We realized that the future of our sisters would be on the St. Charles campus and so the sisters moved to St. Charles Lodge,” said Sister Shauna.

St. Charles Lodge is the assisted  living facility of the St. Charles Community. Its residents are independent enough to live on their own but need more support than what is typically practical at home.

In total, there are 38 sisters now living in the St. Charles Community at either the Lodge or Homestead.

Sister Shauna said that while the decision to move was not an easy one, the 38 sisters now living at St. Charles feel at ease in their new home. “It was a communal decision that we would be moving from the building, that was two years ago, that made the move a little bit easier. The sisters at St. Charles are very happy and content, that makes it a little easier.”

While the Sisters of Notre Dame may not have a use for the building they used to call home, St. Charles Community has found a use for the property on which the building sits.

“We believe that this expansion will enable us to reach more seniors in desperate need of compassionate care and services, while honoring and preserving the legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame,” said Nichole Smith, executive director of the St. Charles Community, in the joint statement.

Sister Shauna assured those who love St. Joseph Heights that while the building will no longer be standing, the mission for which it stood will remain steadfast.

“In making decisions about the future, our goal is to maximize our mission-related impact and to continue to strengthen our existing ministries. We believe that transitioning the St. Joseph Heights property to St. Charles will provide significant benefits to both the sisters and St. Charles, and to the broader Covington/Park Hills communities,” she said in the joint statement. “This is the next step in St. Joseph Heights’ further service to mission.”

St. Augustine celebrates rededication of the parishes ‘temple of living stones,’ blessing of refurbished altar

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

A cold Sunday, January 12, marked a special celebration for St. Augustine Parish, Covington, as the pews were filled in honor of the re-dedication and the blessing of a new altar for the more than 100-year-old Church.

Father Daniel Schomaker, pastor of St. Augustine, began a capital campaign in February of 2018 with the goal of restoration, conservation and renovation of the church and other parts of St. Augustine’s campus. And now, after the trials of COVID-19 which interrupted and delayed parts of the project’s progress, St. Augustine was able to celebrate these achievements with the final piece — a new frontal was added to the Altar of Sacrifice, featuring the Eucharistic symbol of a mother pelican, and the whole of it was accentuated with gold ornamentation and a reliquary vault. First class relics, including examples of those such as St. Andrew, St. John Vianney, St. Pius X were entombed in the reliquary vault as part of the altar’s blessing.

Bishop John Iffert celebrated the Mass as well as blessed the updated altar and rededicated the Church, in choro with Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys and concelebrated with Father Michael Grady, pastor, St. Therese parish, Southgate; Msgr. Kurt Kemo, vice rector of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, and Father Stephen Bankemper, pastor, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Ft. Thomas. The ceremony was joined by many of St. Augustine’s parishioners participating as well.

In his homily, Bishop Iffert emphasized the importance of Christ’s baptism — a feast day celebrated the same day as the re-dedication. “People were coming from all over the region to be baptized,” he said, “… amid all the people, Jesus is revealed to be the new temple of God and the hope of divine life for all.”

He mentioned how the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus during his baptism, and that that “same spirit descends upon Christ’s holy people gathered in prayer … it will be made manifest that the same holy people gathered by Christ are the Church. That is the holy people.” Of course, representing the mirror event of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples at Pentecost.

“The Church has also been the name given to the buildings in which the Christian community gathers to hear the word of God,” said Bishop Iffert, “and, so, we gather this morning, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, to rededicate this lovingly restored building and the temple of living stones that worships here, and goes out into the world from here to be the living mission of Jesus.”

“May the renewal of this building bring restored life to the temple …remind us to embody St. Augustine’s sacred truth, ‘One loving heart sets another on fire,’ and may God continue to pour out graces upon the people of St. Augustine and the Diocese of Covington … May the Lord make you and me his Eucharistic people and missionary disciples and use us to convey his peace to our neighbors and to all whom seek the truth.”

At the conclusion of Mass, Father Daniel Schomaker, pastor of St. Augustine, Covington, thanked all who came together for the celebration, but, also, in a special way the bishops present — both Bishop Iffert and Bishop Emeritus Foys, who initially gave Father Schomaker permission to begin the restoration project in 2018.

The bishops were presented with gifts from the parish, including ornaments from St. Augustine’s “Be Their Light” ministry, who care for sick and homebound parishioners, but this year honored specifically parishioners who had passed with ornaments on a tree at the front of the Church. The ornaments given to the bishops included the names of both of Bishop Foys’ late parents, and Bishop Iffert’s mother who passed in 2022.

The bishops were also both presented with images of commissioned pectoral crosses that they will soon be receiving on behalf of St. Augustine Parish. The crosses include a shell-engraved image of the Restless Heart of Jesus, a symbol pertinent to St. Augustine’s patron.

Bishop Iffert names three local churches as sacred sites for Jubilee 2025

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Staff Report

With every Jubilee year, the Pope grants the faithful the opportunity to receive indulgences. In the Decree for the Granting of the Indulgence During the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis calls the indulgence “a Jubilee grace.”

The gift of the indulgence, Pope Francis says, “is a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy. Not by chance, for the ancients, the terms ‘mercy’ and ‘indulgence’ were interchangeable, as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds” (Spes Non Confundit, 23).

For the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Francis has declared three ways the faithful may obtain a Jubilee indulgence — by making a pilgrimage, through performing works of mercy and penance and by visiting sacred sites designated by the local bishop.

“…the faithful can obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if, individually or in a group, they devoutly visit any Jubilee site and there, for a suitable period of time, engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations to Mary, the Mother of God.” (Decree for the Granting of the Indulgence During the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025)

In the Diocese of Covington, Bishop John Iffert has designated three churches as sacred sites where pilgrims can visit and receive the Jubilee indulgence (see decree below). They are the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington; St. John the Evangelist Church, Carrollton and St. Patrick Church, Maysville.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Covington. The Cathedral is open for visitors Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mass and Sunday 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Mass. Pilgrims visiting the Cathedral will find the Jubilee Cross, which will be displayed during every Mass throughout the Jubilee year.

St. John the Evangelist Church is the Diocese’s western-most church. St. John the Evangelist Parish was established in 1854. Its current church building took 14 years to build and was dedicated on June 25, 1916, by Bishop Ferdinand Brossart. The gothic structure was designed by Leon Coquared, the same architect that designed Covington’s Cathedral, and has been fondly referred to as “the cathedral in the cornstalks.” Mass times at St. John the Evangelist Church are: Saturday 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Spanish (11:30 a.m. during summer); Monday and Wednesday 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 6:45 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.; Friday noon. Adoration with closing Benediction is held Wednesdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and First Friday, 11 a.m. to noon.

St. Patrick Parish, Maysville, was established in 1847 and predates the establishment of the Diocese of Covington (1853). The current St. Patrick Church building was dedicated June 26, 1910, by Bishop William Maes. Mass times at St. Patrick Church are: Saturday 8 a.m., 5:15 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 1p.m. (Spanish); Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. Adoration is held Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.

Bishop Iffert blesses new building for Catholic Charities supportive housing

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

On a chilly morning, December 19, friends of Catholic Charities and residents of its St. Joseph supportive housing came together for a blessing by Bishop John Iffert of a new building on the premises. Built with the skills of parishioners of St. Pius parish, Edgewood, the space will be used as additional storage for residents, as well as a communal space and office space for case workers.

The St. Joseph supportive housing consists of two apartment buildings in Elsmere, which are owned and operated by Catholic Charities of Northern Kentucky. The apartments provide permanent housing to individuals and families in need, as well as case support to help them achieve stability.

Bishop Iffert quoted Pope Francis as he prepared for the blessing, paraphrasing that “When we spend time with a neighbor who needs our help, we are making a pilgrimage to encounter the face of Christ in our daily lives.” Afterward, he thanked the work of Catholic Charities, and the hospitality of the residents of the apartments for welcoming him.

St. Mary’s Park Christmas tree to feature custom ornaments

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

In preparation for the 2024 Bambinelli Blessing and Christmas Tree Lighting, parishes, schools and institutions from across the Diocese of Covington were invited to design ornaments to be displayed on the Christmas tree to be lit in St. Mary’s Park, Covington, on the night of the Bambinelli. Ornaments spoke to the mission, culture and history of these diocesan facilities — some examples provided as we prepare for the Bambinelli and the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

(left) The ornament by Thomas More University, Crestview Hills, was hand-painted by student Kendra Yurt, class of 2026. Amidst the gold patterns is an image of the belltower of the campus’s Mary, Seat of Wisdom chapel.

(center) St. Patrick school, Maysville, features a Celtic “trinity knot” over a green background — representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This imagery ties to the school and connects to the parish’s Irish heritage, as well as to its patron, St. Patrick, who is also the patron saint of Ireland.

(right) The red ornament designed by Our Savior parish, Covington, is decorated with repeating designs in Pan-African colors black, gold, white and green. These designs represent and point to the parish’s black and African American history