Maura Baker
Staff Writer
In 1909, Cincinnati painter and devout Catholic Frank Duveneck put his finishing touches on murals to decorate the walls of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington. Restored by William Blank in 1920, these paintings still boldly decorate the Cathedral’s interior walls — just one example of sacred art that can be found in any number of the Diocese of Covington’s Catholic churches.
“In true beauty, we begin to experience the desire for God,” Pope Francis observed in an address to artists for the 50th anniversary of the Inauguration of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Art, 2023 — reminiscing on the long-standing friendship between artists and the Church.
St. Augustine also spoke often of beauty, famously lamenting “I have learnt to love you late, Beauty at once so ancient and so new!” in his work Confessions.
How fitting, then, that an oil painting done by an artist native to the diocese features the saint and philosopher — blessed on the feast of St. Augustine, Aug. 28, for St. Augustine Parish, Covington.
The four-and-a-half foot tall painting was commissioned for the church by pastor Father Daniel Schomaker, completed by painter Daniel Zalla during his residency year at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy this past year.
Mr. Zalla grew up in Villa Hills, as a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in Crescent Springs, and of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption during his high school studies at Covington Latin School. While a friend of the family, Mr. Zalla came to know Father Schomaker during his time at Covington Latin as a pontifical server — during which time Father Schomaker was serving as master of ceremonies for Bishop Emeritus (then Bishop) Roger Foys. After graduating from Covington Latin in 2016, Mr. Zalla received his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Xavier University, before continuing his studies and eventually graduating from the Florence Academy of Art. He learned about the school following a week-long trip to Venice with a former professor.
After receiving the commission in February 2023, Mr. Zalla’s painting of St. Augustine is now proudly displayed in its parish home.
“The most symbolic representation of St. Augustine is identifiable because he’s holding the restless heart,” depicted commonly as a heart ablaze, Mr. Zalla said about the artwork. “That was something that Father Daniel specifically wanted in the painting, and that comes from St. Augustine’s line, ‘our hearts are restless until they rest in you.’”
The painting itself depicts St. Augustine with deliberate detail — dressed in bishop’s vestments and a miter and carrying a crozier. Emotionally, Daniel Zalla hoped to convey a sense of being “illuminated by the light of God” in the work, which he deemed suited due to St. Augustine’s role as a prolific Doctor of the Church, and his “connection with the Divine and inspiration.”
Symbolically, Mr. Zalla depicts this notion through light. The face, the robes, and most of the figure stand illuminated against the dark, gloomy background of the piece — like the light of God bringing him out of darkness, as Mr. Zalla described. This also helps to contrast the illumination from the fire emitting from the restless heart held in St. Augustine’s hand, which points upward and connects additionally to the highlights in the figure’s eyes.
Daniel Zalla composed the painting so that all lines would point upward to the heavens — carrying through the drapery in St. Augustine’s clothing, to the gesture of his hands and the shape of the clouds. “It keeps the energy in the painting pointing upward,” he said, “and that was very important to me.”
To Mr. Zalla, there is an importance in beauty — this culture of beauty is the primary reason he chose a career in classical painting.
“All these little decorative elements in a city, like if you see a light post with a decoration instead of a stark, minimalistic light post; I think it shows that humans are built for more than just doing something as efficiently as possible to get that job done. Having that element of decoration that’s completely unnecessary … we all recognize it as beautiful,” he said.
“It shows that we’re built for more than just this utilitarian purpose, but that we have a higher calling, and we’re connected to something greater than ourselves,” Mr. Zalla said. “When I look at classical painting, it’s the same kind of thing. Maybe painting isn’t necessary for life, but having this beauty around us connects us to a higher level. Maybe that’s an ambitious goal to shoot for, but to use paintings to help people connect with that ideal — that’s why painting is important.”
A matter of dignity: Jail ministry isa pro-life issue, says Benedictine
/in Campaign of Mercy, Featured StoriesMaura Baker
Staff Writer
For the last few years, Benedictine Sister Dorothy Schuette corresponds regularly through letters with incarcerated inmates — nowadays, this is the primary way that Sister Dorothy serves the imprisoned, but her ministry began early on, in 1991.
Working at Mother of God Church, Covington, at the time, the Kenton County jail was on her route. She started visiting the jail, and there learned of the Exodus ministry.
“That was, at that time,” Sister Dorothy explained, “started through the Interfaith Commission of Northern Kentucky. That was a good training program for people who were interested in this ministry, and it was people from different denominations — another important feature I thought was good, because it meant that the churches cooperated with each other … it was a real ministry of Christ.”
At the time, Sister Dorothy said she had a “sense of reflection” on how we, as Christians, were called as ministers, “how God was working in us.”
This ministry in the early 90s was just the beginning of Sister Dorothy and the diocese’s involvement in jail ministry, when visitation was the “focus.”
It was when Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys became bishop of Covington that he asked Sister Dorothy to take part in developing a diocesan jail and prison ministry — as none existed through the diocese at the time.
“We were able to learn from other dioceses,” like the Archdiocese of Louisville, Sister Dorothy explained, “I believe the ministry expanded at that time, too, to come to understand that it was important to help people who are incarcerated to continue to come back and forth into jail — the revolving door kind of scenario — that was very obvious in many places, in our poorer areas, especially.”
So, that became part of diocese’s jail ministry, Sister Dorothy said, helping individuals who got out of jail reacclimate into society.
Nowadays, with her letters to a couple of inmates with whom she has a continued relationship, Sister Dorothy has found it important to support them “and the fact that they are valuable human beings. Although they may not ever have a change of residence besides the prison, they are loved and valued — and that counts for something,” Sister Dorothy said.
One woman whom Sister Dorothy corresponds with has become a lay minister, “because she does a lot of giving witness of her own life and encouraging other women there in their pursuit of a decent life … she was telling me in her last letter that there seems to be a decrease in the violence in that jail over the past several years,” said Sister Dorothy, proudly.
In 2009, the diocesan jail and prison ministry switched hands to Catholic Charities, whom Sister Dorothy encourages those interested in getting involved to contact, as they have “formalized” the ministry.
“They’ve brought people in who feel called to this ministry,” said Sister Dorothy, “and have discerned what they can do and what they see as needed or helpful. They’ve done many good things this way.”
However, Sister Dorothy also explains, that is only the “tip of the iceberg”— as with any ministry in the Catholic Church.
While some people are the “visible hands and feet of Christ,” all people need to have a heart that allows for recognizing the dignity of other people, she said — including the incarcerated and inmates on death row — a part of the institution Sister Dorothy believes firmly should be abolished.
“There is no pro-life unless we recognize the dignity of every life,” said Sister Dorothy, “and that is so essential as far as our underpinning.”
Amendment 2 is a ‘need’ not a ‘want,’ said diocesan superintendent
/in Featured Stories, Yes on TwoBella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
This coming November, next to presidential candidates and local races, will be ballot Issue 2, and the Diocese is urging for a “Yes” vote. Issue 2 proposes an amendment to the Kentucky constitution wherein the Kentucky “General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools,” reads the proposed amendment.
Should the amendment be passed, it will “allow people in Kentucky to work with legislators so that we can look at improving educational options for students in Kentucky,” said Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Covington.
For Mrs. McGuire, the passage of this amendment is not a want, it is a need. “What we see is countless families who struggle to make the tuition payments. Families who are below the poverty threshold established by the government, or very close to it, that it is a great burden on them,” she said.
Currently, every state surrounding Kentucky and 48 out of 50 states, have some form of school choice for grades K12.
“We are kind of pigeonholing the students in K-12. Right now, school choice exists, and state funds can go and support students in preschool programs, it goes to private institutions at the college level in Kentucky. The only group that is not supported are students in the K-12 realm,” Mrs. McGuire continued saying, “We want to be able to help children from the time they are of school age, whether that be preschool all the way through college because it is a vested interest for everybody in Kentucky that every student is successful, that they come out of school well prepared to be contributing citizens of Kentucky.”
Part of what makes the proposed amendment necessary, Mrs. McGuire said, is because no two students are the same. Some students need a fastpaced learning environment, while others need a school more focused on support resources. Without the proposed amendment there is a lack of education opportunities for students and their families.
“As a mom of six children, I can look at each of my children and see the differences in every single child … We know from research that in order for children to be successful and be able to learn, that they have to be able to come into school and feel like they’re welcome, they’re part of the environment. They have to feel like they’re safe, they have to feel like they’re happy and ready for learning. Sometimes students need a different place,” Mrs. McGuire said.
It is important to remember that the amendment itself would not immediately cause change, but rather it would allow for Kentucky lawmakers to discuss potential school choice options. Mrs. McGuire hopes that with the passing of Issue 2, lawmakers will be able to put aside partisans and focus on what is best for the children of Kentucky.
“Hopefully we can set aside this difference between public and nonpublic, and instead we can focus on how we best serve the children in Kentucky,” said Mrs. McGuire. “The children in Kentucky, they all need to be successful, and I think, no matter which side of the issue we are on, we all have the same goal. But at the end of the day if we don’t pass Amendment 2 in November we’re not going to be able to have that conversation of what can be better and what can be improved.”
Visiting the imprisoned:a work of mercy
/in Campaign of MercyMaura Baker
Staff Writer
The Diocese of Covington’s Campaign of Mercy encourages individuals to engage in acts of mercy within their community. One of the more challenging of the Corporal Works of Mercy is ‘visit the prisoners’, referring specifically to incarcerated individuals.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “people in prison are still people, made in the image and likeness of God. No matter what someone has done, they deserve the opportunity to hear the Word of God and find the Truth of the message of Christ.” The mission of this work of mercy is straightforward— we are called specifically to visit with and pray for those in the criminal justice system, and their families.
Deacon Bill Theis, from St. Therese Parish, Southgate, was involved in jail ministry for 15 years. “We used to go every Christmas. We would always give donations of candy or something to give to the inmates— we’d go around the whole jail,” he said, reflecting on his time participating in the ministry. Getting involved in ministering to the incarcerated can be as simple as giving a friend or family member in jail a phone call or writing them a letter— but, in the Diocese of Covington, jail outreach is a ministry of Catholic Charities, through which you can get involved.
“The Jail Ministry Program at Catholic Charities strives to meet the spiritual needs of all who are impacted by the criminal justice process,” according to Catholic Charities’ webpage on jail and prison ministry— which serves the incarcerated, recently released, family and friends and victims of crime. “We are concerned about the effects of crime and punishment in our society and advocate for justice in these areas, promoting responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration.”
Catholic Charities partners with agencies and facilities to create programs to assist impacted individuals “to develop and support appropriate programs for those who are impacted by the effects of crime and punishment.”
Individuals interested in getting involved in Jail and Prison ministry through Catholic Charities can learn more at https://www.covingtoncharities.org/services/community-outreach-services/jail-prison-ministry or contact Jill Walch, Volunteer Coordinator at 859-581-8974 ext. 119 or jwalch@covingtoncharities.org
How can you do that?
/in Featured StoriesMost Rev. John Iffert
Bishop of Covington
Catholics Embracing All God’s Children (CEAGC) is a support group for parents and family members of gay, lesbian and transgender people. A local group, they are nurtured by and affiliated with a Lexington based group called Fortunate Families. After meeting with members of CEAGC on two prior occasions, I accepted an invitation to celebrate Mass with members of the group and their neighbors at St. Joseph Parish in Cold Spring on the Memorial of St. Augustine. That decision caused some to ask of me, “How can you do that?”
People ask the question naturally enough because the Catholic Church embraces the Scriptural foundations of sexuality and marriage. To be moral, every sexual act is to be both unitive (contributing to a permanent communion of life and love between spouses) and procreative (open to the creation of new human life). God created men and women in a way that complement one another, and their union leads to the continuation of the human family.
In this moral framework, homosexual acts — like every sexual act outside of marriage, and any sexual act between spouses that separates the unitive and procreative dimensions of sexuality — are grave matter for sin. If freely chosen and embraced, such acts can be an obstacle to our salvation. The Church, therefore, calls all her children to be chaste. Those who are married are to be monogamous within marriage, as a sign of God’s own faithfulness to God’s people. The rest of us are called to abstain from sex all together. In recognizing that adults can have a meaningful and fully human life without being sexually active, the Church is an almost unique and clarion voice in our society.
So then, how? First, the Church firmly asserts that all individuals, without regard to orientation, must be accepted with “respect, compassion and sensitivity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2358). Pope Francis teaches, “The Church makes her own the attitude of the Lord Jesus, who offers his boundless love to each person without exception” (Amoris Laetitia, 250). This is to be the attitude of the Church’s ministers and all faithful Catholics. The principle is rooted in the belief that every person is made in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity.
The Church especially recognizes the complexities faced by families whose members identify as gay, lesbian or transgender. “Such families should be given respectful pastoral guidance, so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives” (AL, 250). This is precisely what I hoped to accomplish by offering this Mass with and for these CEAGC families and their neighbors.
Finally, the Church distinguishes between homosexual orientation and homosexual acts. As mentioned above, our attractions and urges do not define us. Before all else, we are children of God. We should look to our relationship with Christ in the Holy Spirit for our purpose and fulfillment.
Nevertheless, some of our brothers and sisters have an exclusive attraction to people of the same sex, and they experience this as an important aspect of who they are. “In so far as the homosexual orientation can lead to sexual activity which excludes openness to the generation of new human life and the essential sexual complementarity of man and woman, it is, in this particular and precise sense only, objectively disordered. However, it must be quite clear that a homosexual orientation must never be considered sinful or evil in itself” (Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Cherishing Life, 111).
The presumption that our gay or lesbian brothers and sisters are guilty of unconfessed sin that would preclude them from receiving the Eucharist is discriminatory and never just.
I received letters and e-mails from about two dozen people urging me not to celebrate Mass with CEAGC. I took each one seriously and investigated each complaint about the group or Fortunate Families. In each case, I judged that the complainant failed to make this distinction between orientation and action, presumed sin that was not in evidence, or failed to make the distinction between supporting persons and endorsing an advocacy agenda. I am happy to report that the liturgy on the Memorial of St. Augustine was a solemn, joyous and prayerful moment. The Church was full. The ministries of hospitality, acolyte, word and music were beautifully and respectfully carried out. I recognized most of those in attendance. They are people who regularly attend our parishes and receive Holy Communion faithfully. I was especially impressed by the number of parents who were grateful that they and their children were welcomed by the Church with respect and warmth.
I called all present to remain prayerfully and studiously open to the teaching of the Church about sexuality and marriage. I also encouraged the congregation with a story of a gay man who once witnessed to me his great love for Christ and the Church. That witness had a lasting effect on my life. I invited all to be living witnesses to others. The full text of my homily is available at www.covdio.org.
Although I was glad to pray with this community and appreciated their invitation to walk with them, I was disturbed that such a simple and natural pastoral response resulted in conflict in this local Church. I asked all present to pray in love for one another, that God bring out of this moment a greater understanding of what the Church teaches and the divine gift of peace and unity. It remains my prayer.
Peace to you and to all who seek the truth with sincerity of heart.
Oil painting of St. Augustine continues a legacy of sacred art, beauty
/in Featured StoriesMaura Baker
Staff Writer
In 1909, Cincinnati painter and devout Catholic Frank Duveneck put his finishing touches on murals to decorate the walls of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington. Restored by William Blank in 1920, these paintings still boldly decorate the Cathedral’s interior walls — just one example of sacred art that can be found in any number of the Diocese of Covington’s Catholic churches.
“In true beauty, we begin to experience the desire for God,” Pope Francis observed in an address to artists for the 50th anniversary of the Inauguration of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Art, 2023 — reminiscing on the long-standing friendship between artists and the Church.
St. Augustine also spoke often of beauty, famously lamenting “I have learnt to love you late, Beauty at once so ancient and so new!” in his work Confessions.
How fitting, then, that an oil painting done by an artist native to the diocese features the saint and philosopher — blessed on the feast of St. Augustine, Aug. 28, for St. Augustine Parish, Covington.
The four-and-a-half foot tall painting was commissioned for the church by pastor Father Daniel Schomaker, completed by painter Daniel Zalla during his residency year at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy this past year.
Mr. Zalla grew up in Villa Hills, as a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish in Crescent Springs, and of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption during his high school studies at Covington Latin School. While a friend of the family, Mr. Zalla came to know Father Schomaker during his time at Covington Latin as a pontifical server — during which time Father Schomaker was serving as master of ceremonies for Bishop Emeritus (then Bishop) Roger Foys. After graduating from Covington Latin in 2016, Mr. Zalla received his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from Xavier University, before continuing his studies and eventually graduating from the Florence Academy of Art. He learned about the school following a week-long trip to Venice with a former professor.
After receiving the commission in February 2023, Mr. Zalla’s painting of St. Augustine is now proudly displayed in its parish home.
“The most symbolic representation of St. Augustine is identifiable because he’s holding the restless heart,” depicted commonly as a heart ablaze, Mr. Zalla said about the artwork. “That was something that Father Daniel specifically wanted in the painting, and that comes from St. Augustine’s line, ‘our hearts are restless until they rest in you.’”
The painting itself depicts St. Augustine with deliberate detail — dressed in bishop’s vestments and a miter and carrying a crozier. Emotionally, Daniel Zalla hoped to convey a sense of being “illuminated by the light of God” in the work, which he deemed suited due to St. Augustine’s role as a prolific Doctor of the Church, and his “connection with the Divine and inspiration.”
Symbolically, Mr. Zalla depicts this notion through light. The face, the robes, and most of the figure stand illuminated against the dark, gloomy background of the piece — like the light of God bringing him out of darkness, as Mr. Zalla described. This also helps to contrast the illumination from the fire emitting from the restless heart held in St. Augustine’s hand, which points upward and connects additionally to the highlights in the figure’s eyes.
Daniel Zalla composed the painting so that all lines would point upward to the heavens — carrying through the drapery in St. Augustine’s clothing, to the gesture of his hands and the shape of the clouds. “It keeps the energy in the painting pointing upward,” he said, “and that was very important to me.”
To Mr. Zalla, there is an importance in beauty — this culture of beauty is the primary reason he chose a career in classical painting.
“All these little decorative elements in a city, like if you see a light post with a decoration instead of a stark, minimalistic light post; I think it shows that humans are built for more than just doing something as efficiently as possible to get that job done. Having that element of decoration that’s completely unnecessary … we all recognize it as beautiful,” he said.
“It shows that we’re built for more than just this utilitarian purpose, but that we have a higher calling, and we’re connected to something greater than ourselves,” Mr. Zalla said. “When I look at classical painting, it’s the same kind of thing. Maybe painting isn’t necessary for life, but having this beauty around us connects us to a higher level. Maybe that’s an ambitious goal to shoot for, but to use paintings to help people connect with that ideal — that’s why painting is important.”
Bishop Iffert to lead Covington faithful on a pilgrimage to Rome during the jubilee year
/in Jubilee 2025Bella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
“You shall treat this fiftieth year as sacred. You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to your own property, each of you to your own family.” (Leviticus 25:10)
The first mention of jubilee in the Bible is found in Leviticus — one of the five Books of Moses. Pope Boniface VII proclaimed the Church’s first ordinary Jubilee in 1300, with the intention for a Jubilee year to be celebrated every 100 years. Responding to requests to celebrate a Jubilee earlier, the second Jubilee was held 50 years later. The years between jubilees fluctuated until 1470 when Pope Paul II issued a Papal Bull fixing the Jubilee for every 25 years. The year 2025 will be the 28th jubilee year the Church has celebrated.
‘The practice of the jubilee year was originally meant as a time of “forgiveness and restoration of freedom from servitude and debt.” Bishop Iffert explained that though this was the original intention of the jubilee year there is not such a need for the everyday person to forgive someone of servitude or debt. The general spirit of forgiveness, however, remains true to this day.
“It is a time for mercy, a time of repentance, a time for being set free, a time for letting go of grudges … a time for deepening faith, seeking freedom, a time for letting God free us from grudges that we hold against one another,” said Bishop Iffert.
This theme of forgiveness and restoration is common throughout past jubilees as it is the biblically prescribed meaning of jubilee, but each jubilee has a special focus in addition to forgiveness. For the Great Jubilee of the year 2000, the theme focused on the anniversary of Jesus’ death; the theme for the extraordinary jubilee year of 2015 was mercy, and the theme for the 2025 jubilee year, as announced by Pope Francis, is Pilgrims of Hope.
“The focus by choosing that theme,” Bishop Iffert said, “the Pope has brought that tradition of pilgrimage together with the tradition of the jubilee year.”
It is the spirit of being pilgrims that the Diocese of Covington will be hosting a pilgrimage to Rome during the jubilee year. From October 22–30, Bishop Iffert will be leading a group of faithful from the diocese to Rome, living out the theme of jubilee year, Pilgrims of Hope.
During the pilgrimage, stops will include major historical sites such as the Holy Stairs, the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle, the catacombs underneath the church of St. Sebastian and the Sistine Chapel.
“There is something about an experience like that,” Bishop Iffert said, “where you come to incorporate that into your being — not just in an intellectual way, but in a bodily way … you stand in that space and that experience of that moment becomes part of your body. You can remember the smell of the air in that place, you can remember what it was like to be with others in that place and that is part of what fuels our hope.”
For those unable to spare nine days away from everyday life for a pilgrimage to Rome, the diocese is organizing several local pilgrimages, giving everyone the opportunity to be pilgrims of hope.
Visiting these historical sites reaffirms the message of hope says Bishop Iffert. “Hope is a kind of certainty, a kind of way of knowing. To be on a pilgrimage that way means we are going to rehearse living these nine days of our lives that way and allowing our confidence in our hope to be strengthened by remembering the places, letting those places help us to remember what God has done for us through people like St. Paul. It will allow us to have that sense of trust and belief.”
To learn more about the Jubilee year and the 2025 pilgrimage to Rome go to covdio.org/jubilee.
Covington Catholic students are called to ‘live the spirit of God’s love’ , said Bishop Iffert at centennial Mass
/in Featured StoriesMaura Baker
Staff Writer
In the 1920s, the Marianists opened a small school for a class of 32 boys across the street from Mother of God parish, Covington, at the request of Bishop Francis William Howard. Now, exactly 100 years later, 521 boys across 4 grades enrolled at Covington Catholic High School returned to Mother of God to celebrate their centennial year alongside faculty and staff, Aug. 23.
Bishop John Iffert celebrated Mass with the Covington Catholic community, alongside Father Eric Boelscher, Covington Catholic’s pastoral administrator, Father Michael Hennigen, chaplain, Father Matthew Cushing, pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Deacon Joseph Wiedeman and Deacon Hudson Henry. Also concelebrating were Covington Catholic graduates Father Daniel Schomaker, ’98, pastor of St. Augustine Parish, Covington, Father Eric Andriot, ’93, pastor of All Saints Parish, Walton and Father Thomas Robbins, ’66, a retired priest celebrating his 50-year jubilee this year.
Bishop Iffert’s homily focused on love, recalling the question asked to Jesus by the pharisees in that morning’s Gospel reading: “What is the greatest law of all the laws?”
To which Jesus replied, “Love the Lord, your God, with your whole being, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“You want to know the center of all the Scriptures, the key for interpretation for everything the word of God reveals to us and every religious practice we’re involved in … here it is,” said Bishop Iffert.
As his homily continued, Bishop Iffert mentioned the sacrifices made by the parents of the students gathered, “they longed for you,” he said, “they wanted someone just like you to share their love with.” Full nights of sleep, vacations, dates to dinner and movies and personal space were just some of the sacrifices made, Bishop Iffert described.
That same sacrifice, Bishop Iffert said, is being made so that the students of Covington Catholic can experience the brotherhood that the school is famous for, being the only all-boys high school in the Diocese of Covington.
“The purpose of the brotherhood that is created at CovCath (a nickname for the high school) is to teach you how to see every human being you will ever meet in your life as brother and sister,” said Bishop Iffert, “So that you can practice love.”
“For 100 years,” he continued, “you have been announcing the motto, ‘With a spirit that never dies.’” Bishop Iffert elaborated that the “spirit” described is not a certain selfconfidence, or any other selfish sort of spirit, but it is the spirit of God’s Love.
“You’re the first class to define for the next 100 years what Covington Catholic will be about, whether you will live up to that great motto, and live always the spirit of God’s Love.”
Bishop Iffert to lead a group of faithful from the diocese on a pilgrimage to Rome
/in Jubilee 2025Bella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
A group of faithful from across the diocese will have the opportunity to join Bishop Iffert for a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee 2025. For nine days, Oct. 22-30, in 2025 Bishop Iffert will be leading a pilgrimage to Rome, fulfilling the theme of the jubilee year — Pilgrims of Hope. Jim Hess, director of the office of Stewardship and Mission Services, says that the jubilee year is one of the primary reasons for this pilgrimage.
“The whole premise of this trip, the whole reason we’re doing this trip, is because of the Holy Year, to go to Rome together as a diocese,” said Mr. Hess.
For those able to attend, the nine-day itinerary is packed with visits to some of the Church’s oldest historical sites and the most iconic destinations in Rome. Pay your respects to St. Paul the Apostle at his resting place, venture beneath St. Sebastian Outside the Walls to the catacombs where you will be able to visit the tombs of early Christians, martyrs and saints. Attend a papal audience where you will be able to pray with Pope Francis, then explore the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. While the majority of the pilgrimage will spent inside Rome, there is one day dedicated to visiting Assisi. There you will be able to see where St. Francis of Assisi spent most of his life.
Mr. Hess, when speaking about the itinerary said, “When we’re there we’ll be able to say the Angelus with Pope Francis at St. Peter Square which will be incredible. We’re essentially spending a vast majority of the time, like seven days, in Rome. We will get to see a lot of the beauty of the Catholic Church, of the early Church, and celebrate a jubilee year in Rome. We will take a day to visit Assisi so people can learn more about St. Francis, where he prayed and spent most of his time in ministry.”
While the attractions and experience of Rome are what make the nine-day pilgrimage exciting, the opportunity for a plenary indulgence is one that is “certainly going to be a part of our pilgrimage,” said Mr. Hess.
A plenary indulgence, as Mr. Hess explained, “removes the temporal punishment of sin as if you’re being baptized, it is a total cleansing of the person, a total forgiving of sin and its effects. It is only offered in special times and special situations and there are certain things you have to do and a certain disposition you have to have.”
One of the longest standing ways to obtain a plenary indulgence involves walking through designated Holy Doors which are only made available during jubilee years. Of these doors are the doors to St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. All four of these basilicas will be visited throughout the pilgrimage, giving each pilgrim ample opportunity to take part in a tradition that has taken place since the 1400s.
For those that are unable to attend Rome and walk through the Holy Doors, there are ways to receive plenary indulgences from home. These include fasting, volunteering in your community, supporting religious or social works, offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, young people in difficulty and abandoned children. One of the best ways to receive a plenary indulgence is to perform a work of mercy, tying into Bishop Iffert’s Campaign of Mercy that launched this year on Corpus Christi Sunday.
For more information on the Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome, refer to the brochure that has been inserted or contact jhess@covdio.org. If you are interested in reserving your spot reach out to Mr. Hess or call Collette at (800)-581- 8942 Booking #1227991. Or visit the Diocese of Covington website, www.covdio.org.
Educating Minds, Changing Lives
/in Missionaries of MercyDPAA awards 42 community ministry’s a combined $240,000 at annual event
/in Featured StoriesBella Young
Multimedia Correspondent
Forty-two community ministries were recognized at this year’s DPAA Celebration and Recognition Reception, receiving a cumulative $270,000 in grants. Of the 42 community ministries, nine were new, a testament to the success of the overhaul of the grant application process that was conducted by the Office of Stewardship and Mission Services.
“My goal for this years’ service grant process was to make it as easy as possible for you guys to apply and for us to get to this point, the fun point … This year the application was totally online, and we tried to make it is as easy as possible,” said Jim Hess, director of Stewardship and Mission Services.
This new application process made it easier for those in rural areas to apply for grants. Mr. Hess recognizes the difficulty that rural parishes can face when trying to get funding for their community partners, saying that he is especially proud of the nine new parishes who are able to receive grants.
“I especially want to thank the new ministries. I am especially proud of this fact. The Diocese of Covington is the 14 northern most counties of Kentucky, and while the vast share of our parishes and people are in the northern most counties, we serve the entire 14 counties. We reached out to some of the more rural parishes and asked them, ‘If someone comes to you for help where do you send them?’” said Mr. Hess.
Jeff Jehn, DPAA leadership gifts chair, shared some of the success of the 2024 DPAA with those in attendance at the reception.
“We had almost 6,000 contributors to the DPAA, and they donated $3.5 million. The largest gift we received was $25,000 from two different donors. As of August, 1,162 donors gave over $1,000. That in and of itself if impressive.” Mr. Jehn continued, “35 donors giving $10,000 or more which is ten more than we had last year. On behalf of the DPAA program, we are grateful to all of the donors who contributed … So many good organizations are benefiting from the good work that we do in the DPAA.”
Bishop Iffert expressed his gratitude for the work of the honored community ministries, explaining that he has always had a soft spot for local ministry.
“I have always had a preference for work that’s done at the most local level. It’s so often the big splashy national campaigns and things that get the most attention. Really, you don’t have to spend much time around this Diocese, or around this area, or around our state, or country to see that really, there are just a lot of people working, very quietly working, to make the places they live better, more livable places,” said Bishop Iffert. “We’re very proud and a lot of the people doing that work are in our parishes, and schools, and the agencies and organizations that have a connection with the Catholic Church and there also others that do not have a formal connection with us but share that spirit of wanting to have a happy, holy, healthy community for all of our neighbors and that is a wonderful thing.”
Bishop Iffert said that the DPAA Grant Committee that recommends how the DPAA grants be distributed, prefer awarding grants that directly serve people.
“I think many of us share that preference for the local agencies, share that preference for support of the work that neighbors are doing to help neighbors,” said Bishop Iffert. “I thank you all for being part of that and for your good sense and your embodiment of the call to work for the common good, our community. Thank you so much for that.”