Members of the Immigrant Neighbors Network share successes, challenges, at April meeting

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

The Immigrant Neighbors Network (INN) held a meeting, April 23, in Bishop Howard Memorial Auditorium at the Diocese of Covington Curia, Covington. Established by the Intercommunity Sisters Peace and Justice Committee, the INN consists of individuals and agencies dedicated to supporting and uplifting immigrant neighbors in the diocesan community.

Joining the women religious present were representatives of agencies such as Esperanza, Kentucky Refugee Agencies, Fiesta, and the Mother of God St. Vincent de Paul conference. These agencies provided updates of its individual ministries, including current outreach efforts.

Divine Providence Sister Kay Kramer, a member of the Intercommunity Sisters Peace and Justice Committee, began the evening. She started by sharing recent successes — including the recent Community Baby Shower hosted by the Diocese of Covington’s Pro-life Office, which offered necessities and resources to expecting mothers, including immigrant families.

Sister Kay also shared news of the committee’s most recent efforts. As Kentucky horse racing season continues, many workers who provide direct care to horses are immigrants themselves, with Sister Kay reporting 600 of these workers, employed by the owners of the horses, living on Turfway Park’s premises during the last racing season.

“It’s what’s called the ‘backside,’” Sister Kay explained, describing inhumane and unfavorable conditions — with many of these workers, both at Turfway Park and other tracks, staying in “cinderblock buildings” with limited access to non-processed food and other necessities, such as running water.

The INN have been supporting these workers since the season began — cooking meals for them twice a month and providing clothing and hotplate heaters for cooking their own meals.

“We are finally at a point where we’re able to have Mass there,” Sister Kay said, “because that was recognized early when we started there, that they wanted to have Mass in Spanish and the ability to go to confession — so we’re really grateful that we’re making some progress, there.”

Violetta Coleman, who works with Esperanza Latino Center, Covington, spoke also of her ministry’s efforts — which includes services to the local Latino community such as a health clinic and an in-house immigration lawyer. They also collaborate with the Mother of God St. Vincent de Paul conference, which provides clothing vouchers and food necessities — with members additionally offering to pray with individuals whom they support.

Most recently, Esperanza, as Ms. Coleman reported, met with the mayor of Covington. Having previously expressed the agency’s concerns, Esperanza “expressed their needs” — forming as a result “a very smooth connection” with the Kenton County Jail.

“It’s important because we have seen that in many cases, when people are detained (for immigration reasons), it is only one member of the family while the others are left behind,” said Ms. Coleman. “The families are separated, and the children are born mostly in the US.”

A “complex situation,” according to Ms. Coleman, Esperanza’s relationship with the jail helps to bridge a gap that helps the agency to work to overcome challenges of authorization and paperwork that keeps families separated.

Non-profit Fiesta, who describes its goal as to help families by supporting self-sufficiency and “uplifting and advancing the Hispanic community of Northern Kentucky,” according to founder Teresa Cruz — who was also present at the meeting — gave updates on its outreach efforts.

“We’ve grown,” said Ms. Cruz, “and we are very blessed to have had the capacity to grow. We’ve expanded our service and expanded our programs for the families,” which included an added “diaper program,” which is supported by the Diocese of Covington, and provides diapers and wipes to families with infants.

Fiesta was also able to recently open a health clinic, in partnership with the UK School of Medicine, which serves an average of 20-24 patients a month. Ms. Cruz also described the success of Fiesta’s “culturally relevant” food pantry, which provides cultural necessities such as rice, lentils, familiar proteins and beans.

The INN also heard from Jared Lopez, of the refugee resettlement agency Kentucky Refugee Ministries. With funding cut and the government-contracted program of resettlement within the ministry ending in January, KRM is now focused on supporting the 800 clients that they were able to resettle during the programs run, according to Mr. Lopez.

“We’re still dedicated to our clients that are here in Northern Kentucky,” Mr. Lopez said, “offering employment services and case management.”

At the meeting’s conclusion, Sister Kay spoke again to those gathered regarding the context given by the attending ministries. “Hopefully,” she said, “we’re all going to leave just feeling grateful that so many good things are happening in our community … gratitude helps us stay hopeful, too — and we have to stay hopeful in the midst of everything that’s happening now.”

Catholic Charities Commission to discuss new evangelization through service

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Diocese of Covington is embarking on a new strategic planning process, looking to guide the Diocese through 2030. The planning process will be focused on four key aspects to the ministry of the Diocese of Covington: Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, the Catholic Foundation, and diocesan governance. Faithful from across the Diocese of Covington have been invited to participate in commissions and subcommittees, with the goal of advising Bishop John Iffert on the best path forward in these ministries.

The meeting of the Catholic Schools Commission, April 14, began the process of commission and committee meetings, with the Catholic Charities Commission meeting April 15. The Catholic Charities Commission meeting brought together approximately 50 people, said Deacon Jim Fortner, chief operating officer, Diocese of Covington, all of whom are vested in the success of Catholic Charities.

Chris Goddard, executive director, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Covington, said about the crowd, “I was really pleased with the enthusiasm, the diversity of representation in terms of the breadth and depth of professionals, men and women, different careers and people that came who are very interested in programs and services.”

Deacon Jim Fortner called the group of participants, “prayerful people.”

Their role will be to meet and discuss the future of Catholic Charities in the Diocese in terms of ministry services and how to reach people in need. Mr. Goddard said, “the greatest thing that I heard was that Catholic Charities could expand its reach and scope across the Diocese … there’s a tremendous opportunity to increase awareness across the community, that a lot of people don’t know who we are.”

In opening remarks made via video at the commission meeting, Bishop John Iffert told the crowd, “It’s time for us to engage in strategic planning. That is, planning that is really directed towards building the capacities of Catholic Charities and our Diocese, to be able to respond to the needs of our neighbors who rely on us and our spiritual need to be able to serve others and to give charitably.”

Moving past just increased volunteerism in the community, Deacon Fortner hopes to evangelize through service, a callback to the With One Heart Campaign of Mercy.

“I would love to see then, obviously, by us serving we strengthen the body of Christ through more people, stronger people, fully participating into the works, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy; not just going to Mass, but going to Mass and serving.”

The Campaign of Mercy, a process of evangelization through practice of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, is instrumental and a natural fit for Catholic Charities in the Diocesan strategic planning process.

“This campaign of mercy was fundamental to evangelization,” said Deacon Fortner. “We need to get out there and really do something, break through, as a form of reaching those that are unchurched, those that may not feel the love of Christ’s hands.”

While Catholic Charities has many ministries that meet the physical needs of a person, Mr. Goddard emphasized the importance of inviting people into a life with Christ; emphasizing the need for ministry to be not only “transactional” but “relational.”

“I think equally important,” he said, “is people knowing that they’re loved by God and sharing the good news.”

 

ACUE donor appreciation luncheon spreads joy through the mission of Catholic schools

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Alliance for Catholic Urban Education (ACUE) hosted its annual donor appreciation luncheon, April 23, at Holy Cross Elementary School, Covington, one of the five urban grade schools served by ACUE. The luncheon brought together donors to see first-hand the impact of their donations on the lives of students.

ACUE’s mission is to provide children in urban, inner-city areas, access to Catholic schooling, where they will learn more than just math, science and reading, but they will learn the love of God, and the role of faith in each of their lives.

Superintendent for Catholic schools, Kendra McGuire, spoke to the donors gathered, and the students who sat with them, saying “your ACUE support helps our families in our urban areas give one of the greatest gifts to their children, a strong, faith-filled, Catholic education. Your support helps to keep the tuition affordable, allowing families to pay the tuition they can afford, while also supporting their families.”

Bishop John Iffert echoed the sentiment of Mrs. McGuire, in support of the ACUE mission to keep Catholic education accessible. Referencing one of Pope Leo XIV’s earliest apostolic letters, <<Drawing New Maps of Hope>>, Bishop Iffert said, “whenever access to education remains a privilege, the Church must push open doors and create new pathways. Because, to lose the poor is to lose the very meaning of the school. If the poorest among us do not have access to Catholic education, we lose the meaning of our Catholic School.”

“To educate is an act of hope,” he said. “Education is not merely the transmission of content, but an apprenticeship in virtue. It forms citizens capable of serving and believers capable of bearing witness.”

Two ACUE school graduates and current students at Holy Cross District High School, Aubrey Schoettle and Kyndall Ruebusch, were invited to speak at the ACUE appreciation luncheon. Ms. Schoettle recalled her experience at the former Holy Family Elementary School, Covington, when, thanks to donations from ACUE supporters, they were able to purchase new technology for students.

“The donations from everyone here … it really mattered a lot; our technology was increased. We were able to learn a lot more. I felt more confident in my studying, I felt more confident in everything that I was doing. It definitely shaped me to come here to Holy Cross, and helped me be prepared,” said Ms. Schoettle.

Ms. Ruebusch praised the small class sizes at her ACUE elementary school, St. Anthony, Taylor Mill. “I had a lot of one-on-one time with teachers. They got to know who I was as a person and also what I struggled with in school, and how to help me better my education.”

As a way of thanks for their support, K-5 students performed an array of songs for the donors. Each with accompanying hand movements to match the lyrics of the song. Donors watched on, with bright smiles and warmed hearts, reaffirmed in the mission of ACUE schools, to provide every student an opportunity to attend Catholic school.

“Every child who enters our ACUE schools will also be taught about Jesus. They will learn how God created them for a purpose and they are loved in our schools,” said Mrs. McGuire.

Faith Community Pharmacy expands operations, Faith Community Health Network to provide comprehensive care, May 2026

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Faith Community Pharmacy had humble beginnings in a “glorified closet,” inside of a Northern Kentucky St. Vincent dePaul, said Aaron Broomall, executive director, Faith Community Health Network. Since their operations began in 2002 the no-cost pharmacy has served over 10,800 individuals, dispensing more than 650,000 prescriptions.

Their community impact has decreased emergency room visits by 60 percent since 2021, and decreased hospitalizations by 74 percent. But the care provided by the pharmacy is limited by its very nature, “because we can only help people that have prescriptions,” said Mr. Broomall.

“We’ve always had dreams of opening a free clinic in Northern Kentucky, for a really long time,” said Mr. Broomall, but the timing, “never seemed right.”

In 2023 however, the team at Faith Community Pharmacy decided, it was time. “We started looking at it more in earnest, examining what we had, examining what the needs were in our community,” said Mr. Broomall.

The original strategic plan had the new Faith Community Clinic opening in 2027. However, at the beginning of 2025, legislation was passed that “has significant ramifications on our uninsured population in Northern Kentucky,” said Mr. Broomall, whose estimations has the uninsured population of Northern Kentucky rising to more than 40,000 by 2027. With this in mind the new Faith Community Clinic will be opening its doors in Newport, May of 2026, ready to serve the impoverished and uninsured with free, comprehensive healthcare.

With the addition of the clinic, the operations have turned into a health network, warranting a new name, The Faith Community Health Network. This includes both the Faith Community Pharmacy and Clinic.

The Faith Community Clinic will be staffed by volunteer providers, nurses and lab techs, a majority of which are being provided by the St. Elizabeth Healthcare System. The clinic will also have a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment) approved lab onsite for urinalysis and blood work.

The clinic will also complete a social determinant of health screening. “Those are all these other factors that contribute to health that are not just diagnosis and medication. This can be anything from housing to food to workforce to abuse situations,” said Mr. Broomall.

From that screening, a patient may be directed to community resources so that they can receive what they need, outside of medicinal care.

“We’re really trying to address the holistic person, and all of the challenges that they have, so that they can get to a point of thriving,” said Mr. Broomall.

Part of holistic care is spiritual healing, said Mr. Broomall. “Healing is not just a matter of the physical body, but it has other components to it also. One of those components is spiritual healing,” he said.

“Our hospitality team will offer to pray with every one of our patients that come in … we know that many patients that come to us, they’re stressed, they’re worried, they’re afraid … we want to do everything we can to put their mind at ease and to meet them where they are, and that certainly includes spiritual care,” said Mr. Broomall.

The Faith Community Clinic will have a Spiritual Advisory Committee, whose founding board chair is the Dioceses own Msgr. William Cleves, pastor, Holy Spirit Parish, Newport. All lay members of the hospitality team will undergo training to ensure there is no “spiritual harm,” to patients of the clinic.

“We want to ensure that everybody who is talking to our patients, is doing it in a way that promotes a God that loves them, and God that’s there for them, and a God that wants the best for them,” said Mr. Broomall.

This comprehensive, holistic approach to healthcare will make the hour that patients spend at the Faith Community Clinic, “one of the most valuable hours they have in their year,” said Mr. Broomall.

“By the time they give us that hour and they walk out the door, they will understand where they’re at with their health, they will have had somebody offer them care for their spiritual needs, we will have talked to them about the other challenges that they’re facing and worked with them to connect them to other resources so that they can be holistically healed and be on a better trajectory towards thriving, and we will have provided them with critical education,” he said.

Biannual community baby shower brings community together to aid mothers in need

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

In collaboration with the Pregnancy Care Network, a collective of agencies dedicated to pregnancy and family care, the Diocese of Covington’s Pro-life Office hosted the biannual Community Baby Shower, April 21, at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center, Erlanger. Baby showers such as this one provide community resources as well as necessary care items, donated by parishes and schools, to mothers and families who may not otherwise have access to them.

The largest of the community baby showers yet, 188 pregnant and new mothers were served at the shower — rounding to a total of 900 total assisted since the baby showers began in 2023.

Among the services provided and offered at the shower were breastfeeding demonstrations and information about obtaining insurance and GEDs as well as smoking cessation. Donated items included handmade blankets, diapers and large items such as strollers, car seats and pack-and-plays that were raffled off to registered families.

“It is the community coming together to serve women and families,” said Faye Roch, director of the Pro-life Office, who orchestrates the showers. Volunteers included religious sisters and high school students, and food was donated by the women religious and physicians of St. Elizabeth hospital, according to Mrs. Roch.

“You do see a lot of joy on these people’s faces when they come through and get items,” she said, emphasizing the dignity of these women as decisions on baby clothing and blankets are left to the individuals.

“It truly is the fishes and loaves — ever baby shower, I worry if we will have enough … but we packed up some blankets to bring back with us. So I look at these as the fishes and loaves with all the items we receive. It really is amazing.”

With the next Community Baby Shower planned for the autumn, Mrs. Roch and the Pro-life Office are working to coordinate with rural Gallatin and Owen counties on their own showers to be held in the summer — with Mrs. Roch’s hope that the goodwill will “expand” into these other communities.

The Catholic Schools Commission; how prayer, discernment and community drive strategy

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The first in a series of four meetings took place, April 14, for the Catholic Schools Commission as part of the new Diocese of Covington strategic planning process. This commission is one of three that will meet throughout the 2026 summer months to discuss a strategic plan which will carry the Diocese through 2030. The fourth commission, Diocesan Governance, will meet in the fall months and will build on the fruits of the commissions that came before.

Each commission is broken into four sub-committees. The Catholic Schools Commission sub-committees will focus on: mission and Catholic identity; academic excellence; governance and leadership; and operational vitality.

In his opening remarks, shared via video, Bishop John Iffert said to those in attendance, “The Diocese of Covington is rightly proud of its schools. In a Diocese of fewer than 90,000 Catholics, we have more than 10,000 people, 10,000 students in our Catholic Schools.”

It will be the work of the Catholic Schools Commission and its sub-committees to discuss, “a clear strategy around how do we strengthen the faith of the students and the teachers? How do we strengthen the Catholic identity,” said Deacon Jim Fortner, chief operating officer, Diocese of Covington.

The commission will, “really examine the faith, how it’s delivered, how we hire teacher’s, what’s our qualifications to be teaching,” he said.

Nearly 140 people attended the April 14 commission meeting including principals, teachers, priests, women religious and dedicated laity of the Diocese.

“It was like the Who’s Who, it was an all-star cast of experts in the schools,” said Deacon Fortner. “I’m pretty confident we have the right people. But they have got to believe in it themselves … this is not just an exercise.”

Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Catholic schools, said, “there’s a lot of people signed up on the commissions with a lot of varying backgrounds and knowledge and experiences, and I think with their input and review of this, I am hopeful that we will come out with … a strategic plan that we can move forward with to improve our schools.”

The Catholic Schools Commission is, so far, the largest of the four commissions, helping to realize Bishop Iffert’s vision for this strategic planning process.

“I want this process to benefit from as wide a collaboration as possible,” said Bishop Iffert in his video message. “I would like to see the participation of the entire Church – clergy, consecrated religious, lay people — working together to make decisions that are in our common interest and the common interest of our community.”

About the collaborative effort, Deacon Fortner said, “it’s a synod approach of listening, engaging people. The approach, I feel is very, very rich in theology and in practice in our Church.”

Deacon Fortner said that it is Bishop Iffert’s intention to be as transparent as possible, so that conversations and recommendations can be both mission and data driven. To that end, commission members received enrollment data from the last 30 years for every elementary and high school in the Diocese and will soon receive similar financial data. Additionally, the results of a recent survey of 1,200 alumni, parents, donors and priests have been shared.

Soon, leaders for the four sub-committees of the Catholic School Commission will be selected and prepared to lead the discussion of the fundamental aspects of Catholic education in the Diocese of Covington.

Mrs. McGuire emphasized that keeping the Holy Spirit at the forefront of the process is essential. “All of our work is guided by the Holy Spirit,” she said. “Our mission of Catholic education, at the center, is to be Christ-centered schools that are teaching about Jesus and the faith, and so everything we have do has to be through that lens.”

“I think the thing is, pray and trust that the Holy Spirit is going to guide us,” said Deacon Fortner. “It’s about spiritual transformation, it’s changing lives.” This, Deacon Fortner said, is why the Diocese is focusing on strategy, it is about changing the lives of those who walk through the doors of Diocesan schools.

“What is sacred in this process is the revelation that Jesus Christ is Lord, and the sacrifices of prayer, talent and treasure that our ancestors had offered in sewing the seed of faith in our region,” said Bishop Iffert.  “As far as I’m concerned, there are no other sacred cows, there is no other set agenda. We need to discern together the way forward.”

Parish ladies’ society celebrates dedication of relic shrine

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

St. Joseph Parish, Cold Spring, celebrated the dedication of a new relic shrine, March 19. Joined with pastor Father Andrew Young and Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys, the shrine was donated by the St. Mary’s Ladies’ Society — established more than 150 years ago — the society is a group of mostly parish women who define themselves as a social and working community who strive to meet parish needs. Along with fundraisers to raise money for the parish, members of the society also help to maintain the parish grounds.

The idea of the shrine began with the discovery of five relics, according to the society’s current president, Theresa Connaughton. “On the reredos behind the altar of St. Joseph, there are paintings on the panels of 10 saints,” she said. “What was found in the parish rectory area was five relics of those 10 saints.”

Upon discovering these relics, the thought of Father Young was that “something needs to be done” regarding the find. “He had a plan in mind, but not the funds,” said Ms. Connaughton — which is where the Ladies’ Society came in to support the project.

Instrumental also to the shrine’s construction was Father Jordan Hainsey, a priest of the Diocese of Covington. With Father Hainsey’s help, St. Joseph Parish was able to obtain relics of the five other saints on the St. Joseph reredos, as well as 10 others that are now enshrined.

Additionally, Father Hainsey was responsible for the design of the shrine’s reliquary boxes, according to Ms. Connaughton. “They’re beautiful,” she said. “They match the church perfectly — adhered to either side of our Mary statue and the altar of Mary.”

Ms. Connaughton expressed gratitude, both to Father Hainsey and to Bishop Foys, who came to celebrate a Mass for the dedication of the shrine once the work was completed.

“It was just a really wonder Mass and a wonderful gift,” Ms. Connaughton said. “We’re very excited that our group was able to provide something like that to the parish.”

Springtime days of service between women religious and Curia remind us of the ‘core mission of the Church’

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

The change of seasons to springtime brings with it a period of preparation and cleaning for the warm months. During this period, people in a community may require assistance with getting into the swing of spring, and the sunny spring days of April 16 and 18 brought exactly that.

Through two service days, one on April 16 where the Diocese of Covington’s Curia employees set out into their community, and another where lay people joined the diocese’s religious sisters in similar projects — neighbors helped neighbors with tasks like gardening, serving food, childcare and organizing.

Ministries such as St. Vincent de Paul, the Brighton Center, Redwood, the Emergency Shelter, the Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home and diocesan schools, benefitted from volunteers on both days coming to serve. Prayer and reflection both began and concluded both days.

“To me, it’s the core mission of the Church of Jesus,” said Notre Dame Sister Marla Monahan, vicar for religious and one of the people behind planning both days. “They call it neighbor to neighbor — you don’t have to be Catholic to receive help, you don’t have to be Catholic to give help. It’s just about the dignity of each person.”

“For me,” Sister Marla said, “The relationship is totally mutual — we’re Christ to each other.”

This sentiment resonated with volunteers, many of whom spoke positively about the people they met during their time volunteering in the following reflections.

“I think our service days are really reminding us of the heart of the Gospel,” said Sister Marla, calling to mind Luke 4. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18–19).

“I think that’s what we do and receive from each other,” she said. “The core mission of Jesus, the core mission of the Church — the purpose of our lives … we’re made in the same image of community that reminds us that we’re one family, that we’re not saved alone. We’re saved with each other.”

At Mass celebrating high school seniors, bishop told students to ‘stay close’ to Jesus, Church community

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Students of the Class of 2026 were joined with faculty and administrators for the High School Senior Mass, April 17, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington. The Mass — celebrated by Bishop John Iffert — united the senior class of each diocesan high school in prayer and celebration of their upcoming graduation in May.

Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Covington, greeted students prior to the Mass. As students ask themselves questions regarding their futures, Mrs. McGuire challenged them to ask another question, as well. “What is God’s will in your life?” she asked students. “Our lives should be centered around Jesus, and we should always strive to follow him. Doing so will help us to reach the purpose of earthly life, which is eternal life in Heaven.”

In his homily, Bishop Iffert also addressed students, saying, “Though you have journeyed now through four years of Catholic high school, some of you maybe 12-13 years of Catholic School — some of you still don’t know how you’re going to take Jesus. Some of you still don’t know what to make of his request on your life.”

“It is a request for complete obedience of gift,” Bishop Iffert said. “Jesus teaches that he is our salvation. He is the one worthy of worship. His mission should be our mission … Our relationship with him is more important than any other relationship. What we will have and the purpose of our life, what we should choose to do in our life, our path forward should be guided by how we have come to know and love him, and how he calls to us.”

He said, “It is a complete and demanding invitation from Jesus Christ, the Lord.”

“If you’re having difficulty knowing how to take Jesus and the Church,” Bishop Iffert told the students gathered. “If you’re having difficult knowing what to make of your parents and their insistence about how you behave; if you’re having difficulty knowing what to make of all the demands and requests that people are making of you right now, remember: You don’t know what you don’t know until you know it.”

“Hang with us,” said Bishop Iffert. “Be present if you haven’t already … seek out someone who can teach you how to develop a relationship with Jesus.”

Inviting them to stay close to their Church community, Bishop Iffert reminded seniors that “We do not come to abundant life. We do not come to joy, we do not come to happiness, we do not come to full maturity, we do not come to full humanity by trying to take Jesus and make him over in our image or by trying to force him to become what we want him to be … We come to all of that through relationship with Jesus.”

“Part of the way we know him is in one another,” he said, “and the sanctifying graces of the Church. Stay close, even if right now you don’t know what to make it about — stay close and find someone to guide you.”

God’s light, not just stadium lights, to shine from the Hill as NCCHS blesses its new athletic complex

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Laura Keener

Editor

Bishop John Iffert led the inaugural Good Friday praying of the Stations of the Cross, April 3, at the newly dedicated Gardens of St. Patrick’s. Hundreds of people from across the Diocese of Covington participated. It was one of several events held at the Gardens during Holy Week, which culminated with sunrise Easter Sunday Mass with Father James Sichko.

Before opening prayers beginning the Stations of the Cross, Bishop Iffert shared that the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is one of his favorite places he visited in Jerusalem. The church is believed to be built over the house of the high priest Joseph Caiaphas, and the place where Jesus was held in a lower-level dungeon the night before his passion and death.

“It’s a moving place,” said Bishp Iffert. “And one of things that makes it so moving is that as you descend the stairs down into the stone pit, you pass crosses and graffiti that has been scratched into the wall.”

Some of the graffiti dates to the late first century. The graffiti, said Bishop Iffert, “is part of the testimony that says this is the place where Jesus was held. It’s because of those early pilgrim witnesses who went there to join him in his place, so today, here in Maysville, Kentucky, we join ourselves to all of those believers in Jesus, all of those Christians, all of those who seek to be self-emptying like Christ. We join them in remembering the journey that Jesus took to his cross and to his tomb and beyond.”

At the Gardens there are 15 stations featuring life-sized bronze statues, 14 traditional stations with the 15th being the Resurrection. The 14th Station — Jesus is Laid in the Tomb — is nearly complete. The tomb and its 5,000-pound rolling stone are there; the statues are on the way. The tomb and rolling stone were hand carved by Kentuckians from ancient limestone, 485 million years old. The 15th Station — the Resurrection — still needs to be installed. Bishop Iffert said that he likes that the Gardens are not complete for the inaugural events because it reminds us that we aren’t complete and that God is continually drawing us to him.

The Via Dolorosa — the Way of Suffering — begins with visitors passing by a 6,000-year-old olive press, a tangible reminder of the Garden of Gethsemane, an olive garden, were with a kiss Judas betrayed Jesus, an innocent man.

Bishop Iffert invited everyone to join him in praying for all those wrongly accused, detained and imprisoned throughout the world.

The journey ends at reflection pools with fountains surrounding a 7.5 story lighted cross near the 15th Station. The cross is prominently placed so that it can be clearly seen by travelers passing along Route 62.

“To meditate on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is to invite Jesus to be with us in carrying our crosses,” said Bishop Iffert, “to ask Jesus for the grace not that our cross would go away, not that our cross would be removed from us, but that Jesus will be with us under our crosses, and Jesus will strengthen us to be able to carry the cross that is ours in life.”

The evening revealed the event’s quiet power through the eyes of a young participant, Juan Briseño, a student from St. Patrick’s School who volunteered to serve for Bishop Iffert. He described being deeply moved while walking among the Stations and seeing them “brought to life,” an experience he said left him newly motivated. Like many in attendance, he was surprised by the size of the crowd — a testament to the strong sense of community and shared faith that shaped the night.

Visitors described the experience as deeply emotional, noting how the Stations of the Cross immediately invited personal reflection. The quiet, prayerful atmosphere allowed participants to pause and reflect on Christ’s passion in a way that felt both intimate and profound.

“I’ve lived here all my life, and this just touches my heart when you think about how much he (Jesus) did for us. This is the most amazing tribute someone could give to our community,” said Debbie Mason, parishioner at St. Patrick Parish, Maysville. She was especially moved by the First Station — Jesus is Condemned to Death. “That station reminds me that we all had a part in it — whether we want to admit it or not — through what we’ve done or failed to do.”

Several visitors emphasized how the scale and presentation of the displays intensified that experience. Helen McKay, parishioner, St. Patrick Parish, Maysville, noted that the larger-than-life elements made a lasting impression, explaining that “it’s much more moving than a three‑by‑three.” For her, the physical size and presence of the stations deepened the sense of walking alongside Christ on his journey.

St. Patrick parishioner Dana Casey, agreed. “To stand next to the life‑size Stations of the Cross instead of seeing them as small icons on the wall makes the story feel personal and real,” said Ms. Casey. An exceptionally emotional moment for her came at Station Four — Jesus Meets His Mother. “The moment when Jesus sees his mother — just that silent glance between them — really stayed with me. They didn’t need words. She had to say ‘yes’ at the beginning, and she had to say it again at the end.”

For others, attending the stations was an intentional part of observing Good Friday.

St. Catherine of Siena parishioners David and Sharon Kohr who traveled from Ft. Thomas echoed that sense of personal connection. Mr. Kohrs said that praying, “The Stations of the Cross were always very emotional—[they] go straight to the soul.”

Mr. Kohrs expressed the importance of making the time for Holy Week observances despite busy schedules, saying, “When we saw this in the Messenger, we just made it happen. We made ourselves make it into our schedule that we would come down and spend Good Friday here.” He added that retracing “the real journey of Christ, through his passion,” is “such an integral part of our faith,” and something they wanted to hold “in our heart and our soul.”

Mrs. Kohrs shared that the experience left a lasting impression. “It’s such a blessing,” she said, adding that she was “absolutely” glad they made the trip. The combination of personal prayer, art and shared worship made the observance both meaningful and memorable