New Marriage Catechumenal Pathways journeys with individuals from kindergarten through marriage to strengthen the home church

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Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Diocese of Covington’s marriage preparation program is currently undergoing a transformation in line with Pope Francis’ request for more intensive preparation and the ongoing With One Heart Diocesan Pastoral Plan. The new program, Marriage Catechumenal Pathways, is broken into four phases: Remote, Proximate, Immediate and Enrichment. These four phases intend to strengthen the sacramental faith formation and marriage preparation beginning in childhood and extending beyond the wedding.

Deacon Jim Fortner, diocesan chief operating officer and deacon assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish, Ft. Mitchell, said, “Bishop Iffert laid out three strategies in the pastoral plan: faith formation, evangelization and leadership. This is faith formation.”

Marriage Catechumenal Pathways is not a new concept to those in the Church, said Deacon Steve Alley, St. Timothy Parish, Union, who is a member of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways development team.

“The Catechumenal Pathways for Marriage was a request from Pope Francis. (The Pope’s concern) was that we, as a Church, don’t spend enough time training couples for sacramental marriage,” he said.

The first of the four phases is the Remote phase, where a stronger emphasis is placed on the age-appropriate education of the sacrament of matrimony.

“I think the main focus for children is always on first Communion and confirmation. This is going to put emphasis also on marriage,” said Deacon Alley.

Starting in kindergarten through 12th grade, students will learn about marriage in a foundational way. The ideal will be that when students graduate high school, they will be equipped with the knowledge needed to discern what God asks of them.

This discernment is phase two of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways, the Proximate phase. In this phase, high school graduates who have not yet found their vocation discern God’s calling for their life.

“They’re discerning whether they want to be married, be single, maybe go into some religious order. It’s that searching,” said Deacon Alley. “This is just a lot deeper, personal and faithful way to journey through life. When you come out of high school, you immediately start that discernment process.”

Phase three of the Marriage Catechumenal Pathways is the Immediate phase, which begins right after a couple’s engagement. One year prior to marriage, the engaged couple will receive a mentor couple from their home parish. This couple will journey with the engaged up to the wedding day and for the first five years of marriage.

“We marry couples, but then we don’t accompany them after they get married,” said Deacon Fortner. This new structure will accompany the engaged and newly married on their journey. “Our hope is that once this program is set, it will be self-perpetuation. The couples graduating out of the five-year program would then become mentor couples for the next group,” said Deacon Fortner.

Also new in the Immediate phase is the betrothal ceremony where the engaged couple, in the presence of the priest, their family and friends, will receive a blessing as they make a commitment — a betrothal — to one another, said Deacon Alley.

Following the Immediate phase is the Enrichment phase, which is the first years of marriage, journeying with a mentor couple, to discover ways to practice the faith at home and to engage in parish life as a couple.

“The idea is that you become a community in your church, a community with other couples who may be dealing with the same things you’re dealing with as a couple,” said Deacon Alley. “The idea is that you have this small group of like-minded Catholic faithful couples.”

The formation of Marriage Catechumenal Pathways will change the way that the Diocese of Covington prepares couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and marriage. Bestowing in them a renewed heart of spirit for the journey which lies ahead.

“The home church is the most important institution here. We have to form husbands and wives to create a strong home church,” said Deacon Fortner.

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/.

Institutional Advancement Associate – Notre Dame Academy

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Notre Dame Academy (Park Hills, KY) is seeking a full-time Institutional Advancement Associate to continue the important work of supporting our Alumnae, Development, and Enrollment efforts.

This integral role helps advance NDA’s mission through accurate database management (Raiser’s Edge), organized office operations, and meaningful coordination of alumnae and donor events. The ideal candidate is collaborative, detail-oriented, and passionate about Catholic education and empowering young women.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required; Raiser’s Edge experience is preferred. Strong communication and organizational skills are essential, along with a commitment to NDA’s values of faith, excellence, and community.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. (Attn: Myanna Webster).

 

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Father Michael Elmlinger

Guest

The past couple of months have been rather unique for our liturgical calendar, as we have had a few Sundays in Ordinary Time that have been taken over by major feast days. In September, we had the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Just last Sunday, we celebrated All Souls Day, and now this Sunday, we celebrate another important Feast rather than the Sunday in Ordinary Time: the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica. But what is so special about the Lateran Basilica? Why is it so important that it takes over a Sunday in Ordinary Time?

It may come as a surprise to some people that the cathedral of Rome in fact is not St. Peter’s Basilica. It is certainly one of the most important churches in the Catholic Church, but it is not the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The actual cathedral of the Diocese of Rome is in fact St. John Lateran Basilica.

If we recall just this past May when Robert Cardinal Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, we may recall that not long after his installation Mass at Vatican City, he had another major celebration: his possession of the cathedral of Rome, St. John Lateran Basilica. Now, since this is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, that also means that the Lateran Basilica is also the cathedral of the universal Church as well, the Mother Church of all churches. In other words, it is the cathedral of the entire world, of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. So this day, this feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, is a day where most especially we celebrate the unity of the Church of Christ.

In his homily for when he took possession of the Lateran Basilica, Pope Leo called for the Church to be “a sign of unity and community, leaven for a reconciled world.” Indeed, this is one of the very marks of the Church, that the Church is one, specifically one under Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of our unity, as all that we do leads to Him and from Him, especially in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar: the Eucharist.

Indeed, it was during the night of the Last Supper when Christ instituted the Eucharist that he prayed his high priestly prayer, “that they may be one, as We are One.” (John 17:21) As St. Paul says, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of one bread.” (1 Cor 10:16-17) One of the most beautiful expressions of the unity that is found within the Church is how throughout the entire world, though there is great diversity within the Church, the same Eucharist is celebrated.

I say this especially from my own personal experience, as I am currently living in Canada for further studies. There are times when I get homesick, where I miss my family and friends from the Diocese of Covington, as there were when I was in seminary. One of the ways that I feel strongly connected to my homeland is through the Eucharist, through the celebration of the Mass. Even though there are slight discrepancies between how Canada and the United States celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, nevertheless, the celebration as a whole remains the same. This brings a sense of comfort, a sense of belonging, a sense that we are truly at home within the liturgy, especially the Mass, even in the midst of a foreign land.

This is one of the things that the Lord wants to give us through his Church: this sense of belonging, of being at home with him and through him. One of the ways that He does this is through the very sacrament of his Body and Blood, the One Bread of Life. In a world that at times can be greatly individualistic, we have a wondrous gift from the Lord that brings us into one with Him and with one another. Every time that Eucharist is celebrated and we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord, our bond of communion with one another and with him is strengthened ever more, so that indeed we may be one, as he, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one.

Father Michael Elmlinger is a priest of the Diocese of Covington, Ky. Father Elmlinger is currently studying Canon Law at the University of St. Paul, Ottawa, Canada.

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