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

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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