Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Civil servants came together for the annual Red Mass, held Sept. 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.

Organized and sponsored by the St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild of Greater Cincinnati, the Red Mass is a tradition celebrated throughout the United States and Europe, through which lawyers and public officials seek to “invoke God’s blessing and guidance on the administration of justice.”

Bishop John Iffert was the celebrant and homilist of the Mass. In his homily, he spoke on humility, recounting the Gospel reading that accompanied the service.

In the reading, a woman, described as sinful, falls to the ground to anoint Jesus’s feet and washes them with her hair. When the Pharisees question this, Jesus asks them a simple question; “Do you see this woman?”

He’s not asking if they “see” her in the ordinary sense, Bishop Iffert said, but rather if they have taken her into account. “Have you noticed her, or is she just the sum total of her public reputation?” He elaborated, “Have you stopped to think about her, who she is, how she came to be at this point, how desperate she was to hear the good news?”

Bishop Iffert then went on to reference a 2017 TED Talk from the late Pope Francis, given at a conference discussing “how technology might reflect ethical decisions.”

In that context, Bishop Iffert says how Pope Francis questioned, with the many people facing hardships in the world, “Why them and not me?”

This falls in to the second question in the Gospel reading that stood out to Bishop Iffert, the question of “Who even dares to forgive sins?”

“Now,” Bishop Iffert said, “we who stand 2,000 years after these events, we have memorized these answers. We can answer with credo formulas — God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”

After a pause, he asks again, “‘Who is this man?’ still rings as the question in our ears. Who dares to forgive? Who dares to be merciful? Who dares to notice and see one another? … Is he a cover we use to justify our own opinions, a kind of argument that we project into the world? Or, is he a living, acting friend of ours?”

“Luke poses that question,” Bishop Iffert said.

He goes on to reference the same TED Talk by Pope Francis, in which the pope also called for a “revolution of tenderness.” He drew from it a quote; “Tenderness is not weakness. It is instead fortitude.”

“It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility,” he said, “The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsibility you have to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other.”

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria, students, faculty and staff welcomed Bishop John Iffert, community members and donors to the blessing and dedication of the newly completed Verst Family Baseball Field and Bishop Brossart Softball Field. The Sept. 17 ceremony celebrated the hard work and dedication of all those involved in the completion of the Mustang Athletic Complex (MAC).

“We are excited for our entire community to have an athletic complex, not just these fields, but an entire complex which is second to none in Northern Kentucky,” said Chris Holtz, principal.

Construction on the baseball and softball fields began Nov. 22, when ground was broken at the site of the now completed fields. Each field has synthetic turf, a green monster, dugouts, fencing and lighting. The addition also included a press box, concession area and additional parking.

“These new fields provide the baseball team with more chances for games throughout the season, the turf field will reduce the number of rainouts and cancelled games, and the added lights will allow us to play later into the night,” said senior baseball player Landon Ruth.

The completion of the fields now means that Bishop Brossart High School will be able to host both home and regional tournament games.

Hosting these games is a highlight of the new fields, said Mr. Ruth, “these events will show spectators how strong the Brossart community is.”

For senior softball player Rachel Shewmaker, the highlight of the new fields is the community which they represent.

“Brossart wants to use these fields, not just for athletes, but also for the community,” she said to the crowd, “You all shared with us, and we want to share this facility with others. You have helped us to make our dreams of having an all-encompassing sports complex come true.”

Before blessing the field, Bishop Iffert took a moment to speak, “I’m excited for you because you’re demonstrating your commitment to help young people grow in virtue and to learn how to embrace the best of what is youth culture in a way that’s going to help them develop into bright, successful, capable young people — to learn how to win well and to lose well,” he said.

The presence of God through the athletes on the new fields was not understated by the Brossart community. Mr. Ruth said in his remarks, “We are building an establishment where coaches, players and fans will be able to experience God’s grace on and off the field.”

Bishop Iffert blessed the fields saying, “Bless this place. We entreat your kindness that this place will contribute to leisure activities that renew the spirit and strengthen mind and body. Grant that all who meet here may find the enrichment of companionship and together, offer you the praise.”

Then, taking the aspergillum, Bishop Iffert blessed the fields and the crowd, so that they all might be filled with the spirit of God’s grace as athletes take the field for the first time in March.

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Jubilee days provide opportunity for prayer and reflection and are dedicated to a certain demographic in the Catholic Church. Declared with the 2025 Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope, one upcoming celebration commemorates consecrated life.

The Jubilee of Consecrated Life will be celebrated Oct. 8–9, and “includes all consecrated men and women from all forms of religious life are invited to this jubilee event: men and women religious, monks and contemplatives, members of secular institutes, members of the Ordo virginum, hermits and members of new institutes,” according to the official Jubilee 2025 website. In Rome, these days will be set aside for pilgrimage, dialogue and prayer among consecrated men and women.

In the Diocese of Covington, religious sisters in particular are planning a pilgrimage of their own — one that takes place between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama.

In March 1965, hundreds of people gathered in Selma to march on the Alabama capital of Montgomery — led by figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. The demonstration hoped to ensure African Americans the right to vote and was successful in doing so.

“Selma has such a rich history of persistence and moving forward for what’s right,” said Divine Providence Sister Leslie Keener, one of the sisters working on planning the pilgrimage for all of the diocese’s women religious. “I think it’s important for us to go and bear witness to that,” she said.

“I think it’s important, as we think about hope, that this is not our first time with struggle as people, but there have been successes — and it’s hopeful to remember that,” said Sister Leslie. “For me, being a sister is a lot about accompaniment and service … at the heart of it is presence with people in the way that God is present to me in my own life.”

Sister Leslie said that she, and all women religious, would be “very grateful” for prayers, and uniting in prayer with them as they undertake this pilgrimage and celebrate their jubilee. She also invites people to connect with the sisters.

“We love the people we serve, and we love our friends and neighbors,” she said. “All of us are here in service to people, and so we love when people stay connected with us in whatever way they can.”

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The mission statement of Thomas More University invites students to examine the ultimate meaning of life, their place in the world and responsibility to others. This mission statement is embodied by the nonprofit, global charity, Mary’s Meals, whose founder, Magnus McFarland, was invited to speak at Thomas More University, Sept. 11.

President of Thomas More University, Joseph Chillo, opened the event saying, “This evening’s event is a wonderful testament to the power of giving and the importance of understanding our place in the world and our responsibility to others … Supporting Mary’s Meals is a way in which this mission is put into action.”

Mary’s Meals, named in dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, feeds three million children in 16 of the world’s poorest countries.

“Our vision is that every child in this world should at least be able to eat one good meal in their place of education. That’s absolutely possible. I think the story of Mary’s Meals so far proclaims that this is possible. There is no good reason for hunger to exist in this world,” said Mr. McFarland.

To ensure organizational sustainability for the countries in which they operate, three crucial things must co-exist, said Mr. McFarland. First, the work must be owned by the native communities. Locals must volunteer to prepare and serve the food. This creates the infrastructure for longevity. Second, the food that they serve must be locally sourced in order to support the local farmers and economy. Lastly, the work must be done in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Mary’s Meals, it’s a gift. There’s lots of things we can say about Mary’s Meals but in a very particular way, it’s a fruit of prayer. It’s something we really do believe belongs to our Blessed Mother,” said Mr. McFarland.

What is now a far-reaching, global organization, started in the bed of a truck and a trip across Europe to a Bosnian refugee camp. After watching news about the Bosnian war, Mr. McFarland and his brother spent three weeks requesting donations from their community.

“We found ourselves riding this old truck out of our village in Scotland. We drove it four days across Europe and delivered these things into a refugee camp,” he said.

When Mr. McFarland returned home, he was expecting to return to life as normal. However, the Lord had other plans, he said.

“God had a different plan because when I got home to Scotland, there was this mountain of goods and clothing. People just kept on donating, turning up with carloads of donations,” said Mr. McFarland.

After much prayer and consideration, Mr. McFarland left his job as a salmon farmer, sold his house and said to the Lord in prayer, “I’ll keep doing this as long as people need our help and as long as people keep giving.”

Thirteen years later, three million children are being fed daily, and local economies are being stimulated, thanks to Mr. McFarland’s answer to a call from the Lord.

Mr. McFarland emphasized his own story to those in attendance, encouraging small acts of kindness and charity. “When I think about Mary’s Meals globally, I just think about it like a series of lots and lots of little acts of love. None of us do anything spectacular on our own. All of us just doing what we can and when that’s combined, it creates this thing that’s really changing the world.”