MESSENGER€¦ · resumed, May 20, in the Diocese of Covington. It was a day long antic-ipated by...

Laura KeenerEditor

After 62 days (since March 20), public celebration of the Massresumed, May 20, in the Diocese of Covington. It was a day long antic-ipated by Bishop Roger Foys, the priests of the diocese and the layfaithful.

“I’ve heard from the priests that there is anywhere from 10 percentto 50 percent of their normal congregations,” said Bishop Foys, May27, in an interview about the first weekday and weekend Masses. “Thepeople who are there are very happy that the Mass is available. Thereare still some people who are nervous and I certainly understand that,especially people who are at high risk.”

For anyone who has underlying health conditions or falls into thehigh risk categories of developing complications from the coron-avirus or anyone who feels nervous about venturing out in public,Bishop Foys has extended the dispensation from the Sunday obliga-tion of attending Mass. Many parishes, including the CathedralBasilica of the Assumption, are still live streaming Mass so that thoseat home can join spiritually with their parish.

Bishop Foys did caution, as did Pope Francis, that people not getthe misconception that the live stream somehow replaces the in-per-son, public celebration of the Mass, especially in the long term.

“The Mass is more than just a church service. We have theEucharist and the Eucharist is what sustains us,” said Bishop Foys.“Part of the Eucharist is coming together as a community — our faithcalls us to that. Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper withhis apostles; he didn’t just do it on his own somewhere. The wholenotion of a parish and parish life is bringing people together because,certainly, the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ but the gath-ered community is also the body of Christ. It’s very important for usto come together and worship together — the Eucharist is what bindsus together.”

Before public Masses resumed, a list of protocols developed byBishop Foys and a task force of about ten Curia members was sharedand discussed with diocesan consultors, deans and priests. After thediscussions, adjustments to the protocols were made. On May 12,Bishop Foys promulgated the protocols, making them particular law

for the Diocese of Covington. The complete list protocols is availableon the diocesan website, www.covdio.org. As pastors opened thechurch doors, parishioners were asked to assist their priests in imple-menting the protocols.

Some highlights of the protocols are:— Those that are sick should refrain from attending for 14 days

from when symptoms began.— Masses will be celebrated with a 33 percent capacity reduction.— Social distancing is required; pews are marked so that parish-

ioners maintain six-feet spacing from each other.— Face coverings are encouraged for all and required for ushers

and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.— Distribution of Holy Communion will be under one species, the

Body of Christ.— Churches will be cleaned and sanitized after every Mass.“The people have been very cooperative, especially in terms of san-

itizing the pews after Mass and not gathering in groups after Mass. Ihaven’t heard any glaring complaints,” said Bishop Foys. “I wishmore people would wear masks at Mass; we advise that but do notmandate that.”

When asked what celebrating Mass under the new protocols lookslike from the celebrant’s point of view Bishop Foys said, “It’s strangeto see very small crowds spread out over the entire church.” But, hesaid, it looks to him like the social distancing protocols should offerparishioners a safe place to worship.

Bishop Foys and the priests are hopeful that in the coming days, asmore is learned on how effective the protocols are working, more ofthe lay faithful will physically make their way back to Mass.

“I don’t fault people (for being cautious). I think it is going to takeawhile,” Bishop Foys said. “For eight weeks we have been cautionedto be careful and we know the virus is very contagious, so it will takeawhile for us to get used to that. There is a hesitancy, which we canappreciate and we have to support.”

Bishop Foys said that after one more week of experience in cele-brating both weekday and weekend Masses, he, his staff and thepriests will review the protocols in light of that experience.

“If we need to change any of the protocols, we will do that,” he said.

MESSENGERMESSENGERServing the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky since 1926

May 29, 2020

In This Issue

Publiccelebration of theMassresumes,Alleluia

Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Shopper’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Missed an edition? Current and backissues of the Messenger are availableonline at covdio.org/messenger.

Special Section:Graduatespage 7-10

2 Falmouth flood delays returnto Mass

2 DPAA appeal letter Coming soon to mailboxes

3 Official Assignment

3 Pentecost reflection

3 Sisters assemble care packages Latino community at risk for

COVID-19

3 Jubilarian Sister Barbara Sheehan, S.P.

7 Bishop Foys honors graduatesBaccalaureate Mass for diocesan schools

12 ‘Be Witnesses’

13 Marriage and the annulmentprocess part III

13 Obituary Sister Mary Rosanne Boh, S.N.D.

Public celebration of theMass resumed, May 20, 8:15a.m. at the CathedralBasilica of the Assumption,Covington. (above) Pewswere marked so that worshipers could maintainsocial distancing protocols.(left center) Mary Easterling,facilities manager, securesthe doorstop allowing thedoors to remain open so thatworshipers do not need totouch the door handle. (left bottom) Booklets andworship aids have beenremoved from the greetersdesk and have been replacedwith hand sanitizer, tissuesand face masks. (right)Father Ryan Maher, rector,wears a mask as he distrib-utes Holy Communion.

Keener photos

2 May 29, 2020 Messenger

Laura KeenerEditor

Parishioners will soon be receiving in their mailboxesa letter from Bishop Roger Foys with a request to supportthis year’s Diocesan Parish AnnualAppeal. The theme for this year’sappeal “Hope Does Not Disappoint …the Love of God Has Been Poured OutInto Our Hearts” has taken on newmeaning as the COVID-19 pandemichas upended every aspect of daily life— including faith life.

“Especially in these hard times Ithink people are realizing the impor-tance of being a part of their parishcommunity because of the servicesoffered and the support that is lent,”said Michael Murray, diocesan direc-tor, Stewardship and Mission Services.“Now that we had to suspend Mass andwe are restarting, I think people have arenewed understanding of the impor-tance of Mass and living a faith-filledlife. I think people have a greater appre-ciation for the sacraments and whatthe Church offers.”

Mr. Murray said that before the Curia offices wereclosed and the public celebration of Mass suspended, theDPAA was off to a strong start. In February, Mary PaulaSchuh, DPAA general chair, and Randy Rawe, DPAA lead-ership gifts chair, had recruited 40 solicitors that contactedthe top 200 donors. Over 3,600 invitations went out for thetwo DPAA kick-off dinners that were held in early March.

At the dinners, hundreds of attendees made their pledges.Those who were unable to attend the dinner received theirpledge cards in the mail and many have mailed back theirpledges.

That’s when everything was shut down.Announcement weekend (March 14 and 15) — whenparishioners were to view the DPAA video at Mass —didn’t happen. Commitment weekend (March 28 and 29) —when parishioners are able to make their pledge at Mass —didn’t happen. Now, as things begin to open back up, theStewardship and Mission Services Office will be contact-

ing the entire faith community with a DPAA appeal lettersent directly to their homes. Understanding the economicdifficulties the pandemic has had on many individuals andfamilies makes it even more important to fund the min-

istries supported by the DPAA.“It’s incredibly important to parish-

es because the ministries that are fund-ed by the DPAA work with parishes andsupport the parishes and their min-istries at the local level. Parishes, too,rely on the rebate monies that come inevery year,” said Mr. Murray.

Just like in previous years, allmonies collected over the parish goalwill be returned to the parish in theform of a rebate. For many parishes theDPAA rebate has funded some majorparish projects — adding elevators,remodeling parish halls, repaving park-ing lots and even offering scholarshipsto parish families who send their chil-dren to Catholic school.

“There is going to be some incredibleneed throughout our community andBishop Foys feels very strongly thatministries of our diocese need to be

funded so they can continue to offer the services theyoffer,” said Mr. Murray. “Our parishes, too, will probablybe hurting, so it’s important that the DPAA be there to helpthem, too.”

For information about the 2020 Diocesan Parish AnnualAppeal, visit the diocesan website www.covdio.org.

DPAAappeal lettercoming soon toparishionersmailboxes

Monica YeamansEditorial assistant

Bishop Roger Foys announced May 13 to all the priestsand parishes that public Masses could resume beginningWednesday, May 20. Then Mother Nature decided to stall arain system over the Greater Cincinnati area, whichresulted in flood watches and warnings, May 19, in manyareas but especially along the Licking River in NorthernKentucky, particularly in Campbell, Kenton, Harrison andPendleton Counties.

“It was kind of funny, kind of sad,” said Father DavidLudwig, pastor, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Falmouth. “Wewere here putting all the COVID-19 protocols into effect.We were putting up ropes to separate every other pew, tapemarkers in the pews and also on the floor to make sureeveryone stays six feet apart. We were taking care of all ofthat just the other day and then yesterday [we] were backthis time to help get everything out of the church.”

Parishioners Kaye Mudd, coordinator of ReligiousEducation, and Martha Lynn, music director, were thereon Monday helping Father Ludwig prepare the church forthe new Mass protocols.

It was almost a déjà vu for parishioners in the smallparish of St. Francis Xavier. With an initial predicted crestof almost 48 feet and with fears of a repeat of the flood of1997, several parishioners helped in moving sacred objectsin the church to higher ground the afternoon of May 19.

Father Ludwig said his first thoughts of the potentialflooding brought back memories of the flood of 1997. Heremembers viewing the aftermath of the flood damagedarea with his parents. His family used to come down toKincaid Lake State Park to fish and camp.

Ms. Lynn remembered how it was a week to 10 daysbefore anyone was allowed into the church after the 1997flood and many items were not salvageable after that peri-od of time. This time the parish had more warning of animminent flood and was better able to prepare for theworst.

“It was a very busy several hours trying to protecteverything we could,” said Father Ludwig. “It is alwaysbetter to err on the side of caution.” In about seven hoursthe parish was ready for whatever the Licking River mightunleash.

Father Ludwig said he had contacted the usual parish-ioners who attend daily Mass to let them know there wouldbe no Mass until the weekend.

Everyone’s prayers were answered later in the day, May20, when the water level crested quicker than expectedwith a flood level of only 33 feet — just one foot above floodstage at Falmouth and 15 feet under the stage that wouldsee St. Francis Xavier Church taking on water.

Prayers of thanksgiving were certainly heard for thefirst weekend Masses once the altars and everything wereback in their normal places.

Interior view of St. Francis Xavier Church, Falmouth,after parishioners moved the altars, candles, statues andnumerous items to higher levels in preparation for potential flooding.

Return todailyMass delayed atFalmouth parishLynn photo

Pro-life citizens are urged to showtheir support for life in alternateways this June 7. Wear a favoriteCross the Bridge T-shirt from pastyears, get out in the sun on awalk with the family, take a photoand post it to the event’sFacebook page. The pro-life causeis gaining momentum and willcontinue to unite people on bothsides of the river. Organizers arelooking forward to an even higher attendance in 2021.

Benedictine Sister Aileen BankemperMessenger Contributor

The word abide is prominent in theEaster readings. Like the early disciplesand his followers today, we desire Jesusto remain with us, be with us, and notleave us. The uncertainty existing in thehearts and minds of the early disciplesfor Jesus to physically remain has beenmatched through the years in crisisafter crisis impacting the world. Todayis no exception.

The virus continues lurking, ready toraise its ugly head and is not going awaysoon enough. Throughout the Easterseason the Paschal candle has been sucha hopeful reminder of Jesus’ presence.There it has stood stately and beautifulby the ambo, a visible sign and a sourceof comfort during these unusual andscary times, a reminder of Christ’sabiding presence.

On Pentecost, at the close of eveningprayer the candle will be extinguishedand removed. This year the anticipated

loss intensifies.Yet in our contin-

ued sequesteredmonastery, I can hearthe same promise ofJesus’ words —words that speakcomfort and promise:“Nevertheless, I tellyou the truth: it is toyour advantage that Igo away, for if I do notgo away, the Advocatewill not come to you;but if I go I will sendhim to you.” (John16:7)

In this time ofpandemic and socialisolation the promiseof the Holy Spirit —the Paraclete — theone who advocates,comforts and assuresus of continuingpresence until theend of time, renews

hope. The Spirit of God will come and abide with us. TheSpirit brings gifts that aid the world with wisdom, knowl-edge, understanding, fortitude, piety, counsel, and fear ofthe Lord. These gifts offer healing to our whole sufferingworld. Hopefully the wisdom and knowledge gifts will leadto a vaccine for COVID-19.

The oh no, not yet, transforms into Come Holy Spirit, fillour hearts with the fire of your love and the countenance ofyour peace.

Benedictine Sister Aileen Bankemper is prioress of St.Walburg Monastery, Villa Hills, Ky. Her reflection is avail-able on the community’s blog “Reflections from the Schoolfor the Lord’s Service,” online at stwalburg.blogspot.com.

Providence St. Mary-of-the-Woods Sister Barbara Sheehan,a native of Indianapolis withties to the Diocese of Covington,is celebrating her 60th Jubileethis year. Currently, she minis-ters as the executive directorand ACPE certified educator,accreditation visitor and spiri-

tual director for Urban CPE Consortium, Inc., in Chicago.Sister Barbara, formerly Sister Marie Barbara, enteredthe Congregation on Sept. 12, 1960, from St. AndrewParish, Indianapolis. She professed perpetual vows onAug. 15, 1968. During her time in the diocese, SisterBarbara ministered as an associate chaplain at St.Elizabeth Medical Center from 1982-83, and as chaplainand CPE Supervisor at the center from 1983-95.

Messenger May 29, 2020 3

Allegra ThatcherAssistant Editor

Religious communities in the Diocese of Covington areuniting to bring relief to local Latino communitiesthrough outreach. Sisters from five congregations areassembling care packages to giveout to those in need during theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Divine Providence Sister KayKramer served as the bridge tounite the goals of the various con-gregations and St. ElizabethHealthcare into this project.Sister Kay, a nurse midwife andfamily nurse practitioner at St.Elizabeth, reached out to herprovincial superior, DivineProvidence Sister Barbara Roe.Sister Barbara in turn contactedthe superiors of the Sisters ofNotre Dame, the BenedictineSisters of St. Walburg Monastery,the Sisters of St. Joseph theWorker and the Congregation ofthe Passion of Jesus Christ.

“At St. Elizabeth we have cre-ated a Latino COVID-19 CrisisTeam to try to improve outreach to Latinos in our areawho are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus,”said Sister Kay. “So one of the things we thought might behelpful was these care packages.”

The packages include supplies both bought by the sis-ters and provided by the hospital: Clorox wipes, hand san-itizer, bars of soap, masks, gloves, dish soap, an instructionsheet in Spanish and a prayer card in Spanish. The variousreligious orders are listed on the back of the prayer card toremind recipients that the sisters are praying for them.

“It’s a way to be in solidarity with them and remindthem that we are united with them in prayer,” Sister Kaysaid.

She said the response from the congregations was won-derful. “It was an issue of who was going to do this, and Ithought, well this is definitely something the sisters cando. … They all were right away willing to help in any way.”

Any extra money raised in the process of making the

care packages will be used toward helping to provide gro-ceries to Latino families who are impacted by the virus.

Sister Kay said that the COVID-19 virus is impactingGuatemalan and Mexican families in the Covington,Newport and Florence communities especially harshly.

“We have such long standing social and healthinequities for the immigrant community, so the virusimpacting them is not really a surprise,” she said. “This isjust bringing it all to a head, these issues that we’ve beentrying to work with for so long.”

St. Elizabeth is also reaching out to communities withlarge Latino populations, such as St. Anthony Parish,

Taylor Mill, and Cristo Rey Parish, Florence, to get infor-mation about the virus to them in brochures, as well asdonations of soap and household items from Matthew 25Ministries.

“I think it’s something that our local Church needs to

know about,” said Sister Kay.She’s also grateful for the opportunity to give her fellow

religious communities a chance to express their faiththrough actions.

“For us as religious communities, it’s really a way ofliving out not just the missions of our religious orders butalso living out Catholic social teaching in a very direct andconcrete way,” she said. “Catholic social teaching is builton a foundation of respect and belief in the dignity of thehuman person, so by providing these care packages, it’s avery concrete way to express our commitment to thatteaching.”

Sisters of dioceseassemblecarepackages forLatinocommunity

Sister Barbara Sheehan

FormerSt.ElizabethMedicalCenter chaplaincelebratesJubilee

Official assignment

Effective June 11, 2020

Deacon Carl A. Ledbetter

To: Pastoral associate, Holy Cross Parish,

Latonia

From: St. Patrick Parish and Shrine,

Taylor Mill

By order of the Most Rev. Roger J. Foys, D.D.Bishop of the Diocese of Covington

Jamie N. Schroeder,Chancellor

Sisters from five congregations across Northern Kentucky are partnering with St. Elizabeth Healthcare to assemble care packages to protect Latinoand Hispanic communities from COVID-19. The packages include Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, bars of soap, masks, gloves, dish soap, an instructionsheet in Spanish and a prayer card in Spanish.

Oh no,notyet

The Paschal candle, seen here at the Cathedral Basilica of theAssumption, Covington, is a sign of Christ’s light coming intothe world. As Pentecost nears, Sunday, May 31, BenedictineSister Eileen Bankemper reflects on the Paschal candle andthe nearness of Christ.

Keener photo


COMMENTARY

VOL. 90 MESSENGERNO. 17

Official newspaper of the Diocese of Covington1125 Madison Ave. • Covington, Ky. 41011-3115

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Bishop Roger J. Foys................................................................................ PublisherRev. Ronald M. Ketteler ..............................................................Episcopal Liaison Laura Keener ................................................................. Editor, General ManagerAllegra Thatcher ............................................................................Assistant EditorMonica Yeamans........................................................................Editorial AssistantKim Holocher........................................................................Advertising ManagerLaura Gillespie..................................................Production Coordinator/Designer

‘To be’or‘tohave’...? That’s thequestionIf Shakespeare’s Hamlet had been a 21st century char-

acter living in a consumer society, the opening of hisfamous brooding soliloquy perhaps might declare — “To

be or to have...? That’sthe question.”

In his 1987 encycli-cal “Sollicitudo ReiSocialis” (“On SocialConcern”) St. PopeJohn Paul II differenti-ated the states of “hav-ing” and “being.” Thatdistinction had origi-nally been expressed in“Gaudium et Spes”(1965), the SecondVatican Council’sPastoral Constitutionon the Church in theModern World.“Sollicitudo Rei

Socialis” explained: “To ‘have’ objects and goods does notof itself perfect the human subject, unless it contributesto the maturing and enriching of that subject’s ‘being,’that is to say unless it contributes to the realization ofthe human vocation as such.” (SRS, n. 28)

The language of “having” and “being” is reminiscentof concepts found in the writings of Gabriel Marcel(1889-1973), a French Catholic philosopher. GabrielMarcel has been called a “Christian existentialist,” eventhough he himself resisted such a label.

In his phenomenology of human consciousness,Marcel’s distinction between “being” and “having”stressed a major theme in his investigation of participa-tion and communion among persons.

In an early journal “Being and Having” (1935), Marcelarticulated a number of his original philosophical sup-positions. Among those foundational premises, as thetitle indicates, Marcel had forged a set of key insights inthe concepts “being” and “having.” From Marcel’s per-spective, “being” named authentic personhood whereas“having as possession” described the world of “objects”or “things.”

The Anglican priest John Macquarri (d. 2007), aScottish-born theologian and philosopher, presented asuccinct summary of this crucial distinction in Marcel’sthought: “Having is an external egocentric relationship;it gives power over objects, whether these be materialpossessions or our own ideas. Yet the very things that wehave or desire to have tend to tyrannize us.” Hence, inMarcel’s existential approach “‘having’ must be trans-formed by ‘being.’” That transformation effects newsorts of relationships “in which the sharp distinctionbetween the self and its objects gives way to reciprocity,and existence transcends any narrow egocentricity.”(“Twentieth-Century Religious Thought,” 2001.)

Accordingly, “having” refers to a state of alienation, alack of communion with others and with oneself andultimately alienation from God. This disposition dis-places the person as a presence and entraps the ego in aworld of control and manipulation. In enclosing the self,the dynamism of “having” is a pull towards acquisitive-ness, power, pleasure or status.

By contrast, “being” engenders an ‘I-thou’ encounterwith others. Its polar opposite — an “I-it” relationshiptreats men and women as things or objects. For Marcel,therefore, the phenomenon of “having” must open up toa condition of “being,” a state of authentic personal exis-tence, which transcends “having-as-possession.”

If human experience remains closed and ego-cen-tered, possessions ironically become the possessor! In“Being and Having” Marcel wrote: “Having as suchseems to have a tendency to destroy and lose itself in the

very thing it began by possessing, but which nowabsorbs the master who thought he controlled it.” Aboomerang effect is created: the master becomes theslave.

Again, Marcel associated “having” with “desire” or“covetousness.” In this regard, he reflected: “To desire is

in a manner to have without having. That is why there isa kind of suffering or burning which is an essential partof desire.” Threat emerges from the world of objects —“I hug to myself this thing which may be torn from me,and I desperately try to incorporate it in myself, to formmyself and it into a single and indissoluble complex … Adesperate, hopeless struggle.” Avaricious “hugging toself” obviates “self-giving.”

The wider historical and cultural context of Marcel’swork was situated in the ominous era of the rise of total-itarianism — of Nazism and Communism. At the sametime, Marcel’s ongoing philosophical undertakingattempted to counteract the destructive aspects of themodern mass society, especially the dehumanizingeffects of bureaucracy and technological control. Menand women are depersonalized when their identities arereduced to bureaucratic functions. In order to counter-balance the “brokenness” of the modern scientific world,the personalism of Marcel centered on the themes ofvocation, love, hope, and creative fidelity.

As noted, many facets of Marcel’s philosophy of theperson might well be supportive of the distinctionbetween “being” and “having” adopted by church social

teaching in its critique of the consumer culture.In “Centesimus Annus” (“On the Hundredth

Anniversary of ‘Rerum Novarum,’” 1991) St. John Paul IIagain returned to the criticism of consumerism whichhad received initial attention in “Sollicitudo ReiSocialis.” The late Holy Father asserted that authentichuman goods are undermined when the culture pre-sumes that “having” is superior to “being.” (CA, n. 36)

Richard John Neuhaus (d. 2009) offered an exegesis ofthe St. John Paul’s criticism of consumerism in this sec-tion of the centenary encyclical on papal social teaching:“Consumerism is, quite precisely, the consuming of lifeby the things consumed. It is living in a manner that ismeasured by ‘having rather than being.’ As John Paulmakes clear, consumerism is hardly the exclusive sin ofthe rich. The poor, driven by discontent and envy, may beconsumed by what they do not have as the rich are con-sumed by what they do have. The question is not, cer-tainly not most importantly, a question about economics.It is first of all a cultural and moral problem requiring acultural and moral remedy. (“Doing Well & Doing Good,”1992).

In effect, St. John Paul II was constructing a moraland cultural argument against consumerism since “aneconomic system does not possess criteria for correctlydistinguishing new and higher forms of satisfyinghuman needs from artificial needs which hinder the for-mation of a mature personality.” (CA, n. 36)

A one-dimensional reduction of the meaning ofhuman life to economics falsifies and diminishes thefully human. By ignoring the ethical and religiousdimension of the human person, the economic system“has been weakened, and ends by limiting itself to theproduction and consumption of goods.” (CA, n. 39)

However, as already pointed out, the terminology of“being” and “having” can be traced to the PastoralConstitution issued at Vatican II. “Gaudium et Spes” hadspoken of the priority of genuine human developmentover the amassing of wealth. It noted: “It is what a manis, rather than what he has, that counts. Technologicalprogress is of less value than advances towards greaterjustice, wider brotherhood, and a more humane socialenvironment.” (GS, n. 35) In fact, that conciliar text—what a human being ‘is’ vs. what a human being ‘has’ —refers to a 1965 allocution of Pope Paul VI (d.1978).

Two years after the Council, in the encyclical“Populorum Progressio” (“On the Development ofPeoples,” 1967) St. Pope Paul VI expounded on the themeof the vocation to self-fulfillment and Christian develop-ment. (PP, nn. 14-21) He defended “a transcendenthumanism” and rejected a false scale of values.

In this regard, “Populorum Progressio” stated that “...the acquiring of temporal goods can lead to greed, to theinsatiable desire for more and can make increased powera tempting objective.” Neither the wealthy nor the poorare immune from avarice. Families as well as nationscan succumb to being imprisoned by “a stifling material-ism.” (PP, n. 18)

If increased material possessions become the focalpoint of the lives of men and women, such growth canharden hearts and close minds. As a result, that narrow-ing of vision allows self-interest to dominate friendshipand to effect disunity. (PP, n. 19) Manipulation and oftenaggression become the order of the day.

St. Paul VI uttered a provocative prophetic judgmenton the ambivalence of economic growth apart fromhuman values: “But for nations and for individual men,avarice is the most evident form of moral underdevelop-ment.” (PP, n. 20)

Father Ronald Ketteler is director of ecumenism, episco-pal liaison to the Messenger and professor of theology atThomas More University.

COMMENTARY

Father Ronald Ketteler

‘It is not wrong to want to live better, what is wrong

is a style of life which is presumed to be better

when it is directed towards ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’

and which wants to have more,

not in order to be more but in order to

spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself.

It is therefore necessary to create lifestyles

in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and

communion with others for the sake of common growth

are the factors which determine consumer choices,

savings, and investments. In this regard,

it is not a matter of charity alone, that is, the duty

to give from one’s ‘abundance’,

and sometimes even

out of one’s needs, in order to provide

what is essential for the life of a poor person.

I am referring to the fact that even the decision

to invest in one place rather than another,

in one productive sector rather than another,

is always a moral and cultural choice …’

— John Paul II, “Centesimus Annus”(1991): n. 36


COMMENTARY

Thequarantine’s three lessonsabout theChurchOne silver lining for me during this weird coronavirus

shutdown has been the opportunity to return to somewriting projects that I had left on the back-burner. One ofthese is a book on the Nicene Creed, which I had com-

menced many months agoand on which I was makingonly very slow progress,given my various pastoraland administrative respon-sibilities. The last severalweeks, I have been workingin a rather concentratedway on the Creed book, andI find myself currently inthe midst of the section onthe Church: “I believe inone, holy, Catholic, andapostolic Church.” I willconfess that the peculiarway that we have been

forced to express the life of the Church during this quar-antine period has influenced my ecclesiological reflec-tion.

A first insight is this: we are an intensely, inescapablyEucharistic church. One of the most difficult momentsthat I’ve had as a bishop was participating in the decisionto close our churches and to shut down the celebration ofMass with a community. Mind you, it was the right deci-sion. I emphatically disagree with those who argue thatthe bishops caved in to the pressure of the secular statein making this determination. That’s nonsense. There aresome very real tensions between Church and state and

sometimes we have to make a stand — a good examplebeing our vigorous opposition here in California to thelegislature’s attempt to violate the seal of confession. Butthis is not one of those cases. Instead, we bishops agreedwith the secular authorities that the churches should beclosed, precisely for the well-being of our people. Havingsaid that, the suspension of public Mass has been painfulfor everyone — and the principal reason for that pain isthe forced fasting from the Eucharist.

Sensing this, innumerable priests and bishops all overthe country — indeed, around the world — commenced tolive-stream or film the liturgy, broadcasting it overFacebook, YouTube, or on television. The reaction tothese representations of the Mass has been overwhelm-ing. To give just one example, at Word on Fire, we startedfilming daily Mass on St. Patrick’s Day, and we’ve contin-ued to the present, acquiring in the process well over fivemillion views from over two hundred countries. Somepriests have, furthermore, processed through the quietstreets with the Blessed Sacrament, while Catholics lookon from their homes; others have placed the monstrancewith the consecrated host in the windows of their resi-dences and rectories so that people can venerate theSacrament as they walk or drive by. And wasn’t the wholeCatholic world fascinated by Pope Francis, standing inthe rain and facing an empty St. Peter’s Square, as heblessed us, via television and social media, with theEucharist?

To be sure, none of these mitigated encounters withthe Eucharistic Lord is a substitute for the real thing —and that’s the point. The abstention from the Eucharist —

On JohnPaul II’scentenaryThesegifts must beshared As the world and the Church mark the centenary of

the birth of Pope St. John Paul II on May 18, a kaleido-scope of memories shape my prayer and reflection that

day. John Paul II at his din-ner table, insatiably curi-ous and full of humor;John Paul II groaning inprayer before the altar inthe chapel of the papalapartment; John Paul IIlaughing at me from thePopemobile as I trudgedalong a dusty road outsideCamagüey, Cuba, lookingfor the friends who had leftme behind a papal Mass inJanuary 1998; John Paul II,his face frozen byParkinson’s Disease, speak-ing silently through his

eyes in October 2003, “See what’s become of me …”; JohnPaul II, back in good form two months later, asking aboutmy daughter’s recent wedding and chaffing me aboutwhether I was ready to be a nonno (grandfather); JohnPaul II lying in state in the Sala Clementina of theApostolic Palace, his features natural and in repose, wear-ing the battered cordovan loafers that used to drive thetraditional managers of popes crazy.

Each of these vignettes (and the others in my memoirof the saint, “Lessons in Hope”), has a particular person-al resonance. Two, I suggest, capture the essence of theman for everyone on this centenary.

It was March 2000 and I was in Jerusalem with NBC tocover the papal pilgrimage to the Holy Land. For weeks, aglobal controversy about the pope’s impending visit toYad Vashem, Jerusalem’s Holocaust memorial, hadraged. What would he say? What should he say? Whatcould he say?

I found out two days before the event, when, on a driz-zly Tuesday evening, I walked past the Old City’s NewGate to the Notre Dame Center, where the papal partywas staying. There, a friendly curial official slipped me adiskette with the texts of the Pope’s speeches and homi-lies during his visit. Back in my hotel room, I went imme-diately to the remarks prepared for Yad Vashem. As Iread them, I felt a chill run down my spine.

At Yad Vashem itself, on March 23, the sight of the

octogenarian pope bowed in silent prayer over the memo-rial hall’s eternal flame quickly muted the world’s pre-visit argument and speculation. And then came thoseunforgettable — and stunningly appropriate — words: “Inthis place of memories, the mind and heart and soul feelan extreme need for silence. Silence in which to remem-ber. Silence in which to make some sense of the memo-ries that come flooding back. Silence because there are nowords strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy ofthe Shoah (the Holocaust).”

Some days later, I got a phone call from an Israelifriend, Menahem Milson, a former soldier and distin-guished scholar who had seen a lot in his life. “I just hadto tell you,” he said, “that Arnona (his wife) and I criedthroughout the pope’s visit to Yad Vashem. This was wis-dom, humaneness and integrity personified. Nothing wasmissing. Nothing more needed to be said.”

The second emblematic memory from that papal pil-grimage came on March 26 when John Paul walked slow-ly down the great esplanade before the Western Wall ofHerod’s Temple, stopped at the Wall, bowed his head inprayer, and then — like millions of pilgrims before him— left a petition in one of the Wall’s crevices: God of ourfathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bringyour Name to the nations; we are deeply saddened by thebehavior of those who in the course of history havecaused these children of yours to suffer, and asking yourforgiveness we commit ourselves to genuine brotherhoodwith the people of the Covenant. Amen. Joannes PaulusPP. II.

These two episodes give us the key to understandingPope St. John Paul II. He could preach solidarity, embodysolidarity, and call people to a deeper solidarity becausehe was a radically converted Christian disciple: one whobelieved in the depth of his being that salvation history— the story of God’s self-revelation to the People of Israeland ultimately in Jesus Christ — is the deepest truth, theinner truth, of world history. John Paul II, who was likelyseen in person by more people than any human being inhistory, could move millions because the grace of Godshone through him, ennobling all whom its brightnessand warmth touched.

That was the key to the John Paul II effect — radiant,Christ-centered faith.

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and PublicPolicy Center in Washington, D.C.

The readings for Pentecost Sunday are: Acts 2:1-11;1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25 andJohn 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27; 16:12-15.

Pentecost reminds me of Christmas. Both are celebra -tions that involve much discus sion about gifts. Perhapsour experience of gift giving and receiving at Christmascan help to clarify what today’s Pentecost liturgy pro-claims about the gifts of the Spirit.

If all goes well, the recipient of our gift finds it to bejust perfect. But invariably someone else finds it to be

equally desirable. Theresult is that while the giftcauses joy for the one towhom we gave it, it causesjealousy and desire in oth-ers. I will often admire agift someone else received.I want it too.

From today’s secondreading it is clear that thegifts of the Spirit, given byGod, must have caused asimilar type of jealousy inthe Corinthian communi-ty. The community hadreceived many spiritualgifts: preaching, teaching,

faith, ability to heal, prophecy, discernment of spirits,tongues, interpretation of tongues. But apparently manywere not satisfied with the gifts they had individuallyreceived. They liked someone else’s gift better.

Thus, Paul tells them the obvious when he says, “Thereare different gifts, but the same Spirit; there are differentministries but the same Lord; there are different worksbut the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone.” In other words, we each receive the same gift, the giftof the Holy Spirit. The only difference is that it is mani-fested differently in each one.

Paul reminds us that the gift of God, his Holy Spirit, isnot for individual use and enjoyment. “To each person themanifestation of the Spirit is for the common good.” Inother words, we receive the Spirit not just for what it doesfor us individually, but also for what our reception of itwill enable us to do for others.

Notice that the same sort of dynamic is operating istoday’s Gospel. Jesus gives to his disciples a gift of hisSpirit — his peace. “‘Peace be with you,’ he said.” Butalmost in the same breath, the Lord makes it clear thatthis peace is not hoarded and enjoyed privately; it is to beshared. And so the Lord, in giving his gift also says, “Asthe Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Lord came tous from the Father as the one who reconciles us, whoestablishes peace among us and between us and theFather. That is the mission of every Christian as well.

The remainder of today’s Gospel continues to stress theimportance of sharing with others the gift of the Spiritthat we are given. Immediately after imparting to the disci-ples the gift of the Spirit, Jesus instructs the disciples toshare that gift, that peace with others through the ministryof reconciliation. “If you forgive men’s sins, they are for-given them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.”

Of course, the familiar story of that first Pentecost(today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles) carriesthe same theme. They received the gift. (“All were filledwith the Holy Spirit.”) Then they immediately began touse that gift for the common good of all. “They began toexpress themselves in foreign tongues and make boldproclamation ...”

It is certainly worth noting that the Spirit is not givenjust to build up the already existing community. The giftsare to be used to benefit even those who are not of ourcompany, our Church or our beliefs. That is why the read-ing from Acts points out to us that the disciples made their“bold proclamations” to the Jews who were gathered frommany places along with “Cretans and Arabs.”

As we gather before the Lord on this Pentecost, we praythat “the Spirit will work through our lives to bring Christto the world” just as it worked through the lives of thosefirst disci ples.

Father Daniel Vogelpohl is pastor of Blessed SacramentParish, Ft. Mitchell.

Father Daniel Vogelpohl

EIGHTH DAY

Bishop Robert Barron

WORD ON FIRE

George Weigel

THE CATHOLICDIFFERENCE

(Continued on page 14)

Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON — The 25th anniversary

of St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Ut UnumSint” should remind Catholics “the way ofecumenism is the way of the church” andthey are “called to espouse a strong com-mitment to building Christian unity,”Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton,Pennsylvania, said May 25.

“Pope St. John Paul II, who worked tire-lessly to build ecumenical relationships,described the impulse of working for unitybetween Christians as ‘a duty of Christianconscience enlightened by faith and guidedby love,’” said the bishop, who is chairmanof the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’Committee on Ecumenical andInterreligious Affairs.

In the encyclical, issued May 25, 1995, St.John Paul reaffirmed the CatholicChurch’s “irrevocable” commitment toworking and praying for Christian unityand highlighted how Christians of alldenominations already are united in theexperience of martyrdom.

He also called forefforts to promote a “heal-ing of historical memo-ries” and mutual forgive-ness; asked otherChristians to join a dia-logue on the ministry ofthe bishop of Rome — thepope — in a unitedChristianity; and insistedthat dialogue is not anegotiation, but a sharingof the gifts God has giveneach community.

“Ut Unum Sint” isLatin for “that they maybe one.”

Bishop Bambera said:“We rejoice that PopeBenedict XVI and PopeFrancis have continuedto advance this singularmission between theCatholic Church andother Christian commu-nities. We celebratenumerous theologicalconvergences that havebeen discovered in ecu-menical dialogues overthe course of the past 25years as we seek to growcloser together.”

He noted that St. JohnPaul concluded hisencyclical with “a pro-found insight from St.Cyprian’s commentaryon the Lord’s Prayer:‘God can be appeasedonly by prayers thatmake peace. For God, thebetter offering is peace,brotherly concord and apeople made one by theFather, Son, and HolySpirit.’”

“People seek refugeand unity in their faith

community” during a pandemic, like what the world iscurrently experiencing, Bishop Bambera said.

“May this anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s call forChristian unity serve as a unique pastoral opportunity tobuild bridges by continuing to reach out with love to all ofour brothers and sisters in Christ,” the bishop added.“May He heal our wounds of division and help us growcloser in unity, especially in this moment, by witnessingtogether to the peace of Christ that our world needs sovery much.”

Encyclicalcallsall Catholics toworktoward Christianunity

Cindy WoodenCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Marking the 25th anniversary of St.John Paul II’s encyclical on Christian unity, Pope Francissaid he shares “the healthy impatience” of those whothink more can and should be done, but he also insistedthat Christians must be grateful for the progress made.

“Many steps have been taken in these decades to healthe wounds of centuries and millennia,” Pope Francis saidin a letter to Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of thePontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The letter was released by the Vatican May 25, theanniversary of St. John Paul’s 1995 encyclical, “Ut UnumSint,” Latin for “that they may be one.”

In the encyclical, St. John Paul: reaffirmed the CatholicChurch’s “irrevocable” commitment to working and pray-ing for Christian unity; highlighted how Christians of alldenominations already are united in the experience ofmartyrdom; called for efforts to promote a “healing of his-torical memories” and mutual forgiveness; asked otherChristians to join a dialogue on the ministry of the bishop

of Rome — the pope — in a united Christianity; and insist-ed that dialogue is not a negotiation, but a sharing of thegifts God has given each community.

Over the past 25 years, Pope Francis said, “mutualknowledge and esteem have grown and helped to overcomedeeply rooted prejudices” and “theological dialogue andthe dialogue of charity have developed, as well as variousforms of cooperation in the dialogue of life, at both thepastoral and cultural level.”

The pope also used his letter to Cardinal Koch to greetthe heads of the Christian churches and “all our brothersand sisters of every Christian tradition who are our com-panions on this journey.”

“Like the disciples of Emmaus, may we experience thepresence of the risen Christ who walks at our side andexplains the Scriptures to us,” the pope wrote. “May werecognize him in the breaking of the bread, as we awaitthe day when we shall share the Eucharistic table togeth-er.”

Pope Francis thanked the staff of the pontifical councilfor their work on behalf of the Church and thanked the

council for preparing an “Ecumenical Vademecum forBishops,” which will offer practical advice and encourage-ment to bishops in fulfilling their obligation to promoteChristian unity on a local level. The document is expectedto be published in the fall.

“On the path that leads to full communion, it is impor-tant to keep in mind the progress already made, but it isequally important to scan the horizon and ask,” as St. JohnPaul did, “Quanta est nobis via?” (How much further mustwe travel?), Pope Francis said.

He did not answer the question, but Pope Francis insist-ed “unity is not chiefly the result of our activity, but a giftof the Holy Spirit,” which is why Christians must pray forthe gift of unity.

“With confidence, then, let us ask the Holy Spirit toguide our steps and to enable everyone to hear the call towork for the cause of ecumenism with renewed vigor,” hewrote. “May the Spirit inspire new prophetic gestures andstrengthen fraternal charity among all Christ’s disciples‘that the world may believe’ to the ever greater praise ofour Father in heaven.”

Search forChristianunity ismakingprogress,popesays


CNS photo/Arturo Mari, L’OsservatoreRomano

St. Pope John Paul II andEcumenical PatriarchBartholomew ofConstantinople embrace onthe balcony of St. Peter’sBasilica following three daysof private meetings in 1995.Twenty-five years ago St. JohnPaul’s encyclical on ecu-menism, “Ut Unum Sint,” putthe papal seal of approval ona shift in the CatholicChurch’s approach to thesearch for Christian unity.

Laura KeenerEditor

As the 2019-2020 school year comes to a close, it is safe to say that the Class of 2020will have experienced the end of their senior year and graduation in ways that no onecould have predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic had leaders around the world enactingsweeping regulations in desperate attempts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirusand to save lives. With each passing day churches, schools, businesses were told toclose their doors to in-person interaction and to find new ways — virtual or contact-less ways — to conduct business, to learn and to worship.

As the seniors packed their school bags March 13, for what was anticipated to betwo weeks of Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI), they undoubtedly could not haveknown or even imagined that this was going to be their “last time” — their last timein their school, their last time with their teachers, their last time with each other.

But it was also a time for some firsts. Students and teachers, together, with littletime to prepare, for the first time moved in-classroom instruction to a variety of dig-ital platforms. In the Diocese of Covington, teachers reported that students remainedengaged and completed their assignments, indicative of the teachers, students andparents determination and dedication to their education.

The Class of 2020 is the first to have caps and gowns distributed and diplomaspicked up in a parade-like caravan or delivered directly to their door with their teach-ers cheering from sidewalks. They are the first class to experience a virtual gradua-tion, with each school imagining what that would look like. Then realizing what wasimagined through the cooperation of administrators, parents and students, all work-ing together, sharing photos and videos and, most of all, heartfelt sentiments thatwere pieced together and shared online.

And, in many ways, the virus that threatened to keep people apart has brought theseniors together. The Class of 2020 is the first class in the diocese to begin its gradua-tions together with one Baccalaureate Mass celebrated by the bishop.

“Your graduation this year is not what you imagined and not what I imagined foryou but that doesn’t diminish you and it doesn’t diminish your accomplishments,”said Bishop Roger Foys in his homily, May 18, at the Cathedral Basilica of theAssumption.

For the Baccalaureate Mass the cathedral church was empty exceptfor Bishop Foys, Father Daniel Schomaker, vicar general, Father JosephShelton, administrative assistant to the Bishop and the seven highschool pastoral administrators concelebrating. The seniors, their teach-ers, parents, families and friends participated by watching the livestream on the Cathedral’s website.

“You have been in a Catholic school and you have heard me say many,many, many times that there are alternatives to Catholic schools butthere are no substitutes … A Catholic school is about developing a wayof life. If we are going to develop a way of life that is going to be mean-ingful, although challenging, then we have to hear, receive and act uponthe word of God.”

Reflecting on the second reading, Bishop Foys encouraged the gradu-ates to be agents of change.

“Paul says to the early Christians, ‘Do not conform yourselves to this age but be trans-formed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, whatis good and pleasing and perfect.’ It’s easy to conform ourselves to any age of the world, it’seasy to go along with the flow, there is absolutely no challenge in that,” Bishop Foys said.“Our faith challenges us and it calls us to challenge others ... You can transform the world,you can make a difference … You can be that agent of transformation in a world that haslost its way.”

Bishop Foys acknowledged that life isn’t always easy; the end of their senior year hassurely taught them that. But he encouraged the graduates to heed the words of St. Paul.

“Paul says, rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. I could not give youseniors any better advice than that,” he said.

Bishop Foys acknowledged that due to the pandemic manypeople have had to sacrifice in many ways — healthcare workersrisking their lives in caring for the sick, workers whose workwas deemed non-essential have lost income in order to protectothers and family members were unable to care for their lovedones as they died.

“You, yourself, have looked forward to your graduation andhave had such great enthusiasm for your final days of your highschool career — prom night, senior night, awards banquets,graduation, baccalaureate Mass — we are aware of your painand your sacrifice. We’ve all had affliction and sacrifice, but we

can endure because we rejoice in hope. In the final analysis what matters most is JesusChrist, our salvation.

“So as you celebrate this accomplishment, the end of your high school career and thebeginning of whatever is to come next, be young men and young women who rejoice inhope, who can endure affliction because you have hope, and who never stop praying. Godwill bless you for that,” he said.

Bishop Foys ended his homily with words of congratulations.“My congratulations to all of you. I wish you well and pray that you will have a bright

future,” he said.The baccalaureate Mass as well as the virtual graduations of all nine high schools are

available for viewing on the diocesan website, www.covdio.org.


GRADUATION 2020

Bishop Foyshonorsgraduates atbaccalaureate

Keener photos

Celebrate the Class of 2020

A tribute to the Class of 2020 willbe broadcast on Star64, Sunday,May 31, at 1 p.m.

Hear from the principals about thecollective achievements of theClass of 2020 and see the faces ofthe graduates as they are honored.

Graduation week began, May 18, with BishopRoger Foys celebrating a baccalaureate Massat the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption,Covington, for all the high schools in the diocese. The Mass was live streamed on theCathedral website. Concelebrating are (topfrom left) Father Daniel Schomaker, vicar general; and the high school pastoral administrators: Father Michael Comer(above), Father Ryan Maher, Father ThomasRobbins, (below from left) Father GeraldReinersman and Father Andrew Young.

Bishop Brossart HighSchool

Adam BaconCarter BainIsabel BesseChristian BlairJohn BushDevin CarsonMargaret ComerAbby CookSophia CooneyLily CropenbakerAlec EilermanEthan EilermanLauren ErvinMaggie FinnEmmalee GeimanMichael GeimanMichelle GoderwisSydney HardenGrant HaubnerLauren HeckRachael HoltzSamuel HowardStephen JiaoJeffrey KahmannJordan KellerJessica KelleyNicole KelleyMaria KlockeJacob KohlsBrady KramerLuke KramerBlayke KremerMallory MachtMadeline MairoseTravis MartinAndrew MausAlison McDonaldAlyson MillerPaola Mira BrunoriNatalie NeufelderKyle O’BryanWilliam OllberdingAdam OwensLiam PainterAndrew PaulinBrian PaulinGabrielle PelgenHannah PhirmanScot Prebles, IIJustin RecknerAbbigail Scharf

Justin SchingledeckerIan SchraerPaige SchultzMary SeteleKalista SmileyNoah SmithJames Snodgrass, IVTrey SpoonamoreEmily StewartAlexis SweeneyKelsey TwehuesLuke VerstOlivia WhismanMadison WittrockJacob WolfeKara Wulfeck

Covington CatholicHigh School

Evan AlexanderZachary AllenMatthew AllisonPaul AllisonSean BallowTyler BauereisHenry BennettLincoln BentBrooks BoschertMichael BoydstonSean BoyerDalton BrakeSean Brenner IIJonathan BrewerMason BrewerWalter BrunsmanDavid BrunsonMyles BueckerJohn BurkeChristopher CahillAnthony CaoZachary CasteelCarson CaudillJaxon ClarkWilliam ClarkBrennan CollinsNicholas CollinsThomas ConstantDevon CoxLucas CurryNathan DarpelMason DeyeSamuel DierkerGrant DiskenChase Donohue

Aidan DooleyJoseph DownesSpencer EilersLuke EisnerSpencer EitingLuke EliassenWilliam EllzeyLorenzo EspinelSean Fathman, Jr.Daniel FelixAlexander FinnChristopher FitzNicolas FleschAustin FoustWilliam FriesJared GallagherEvan GardnerJohn Garvey IVAndrew GerdesNicholas GettelfingerLucas GoetzNeil GreenJerome Hamlin IIIAugustus HammondJerdesLee HanserSamuel HardebeckDevin HassanJack HeinJohn Hrycak IILukas HummeldorfNoah HupmannJohn Jackson IIILucas JonesJackson JordahlMatthew KaelinNolan KamerAlexander KentJoseph KielyAndrew KinnGarrett KirpesJohn LawrieJacob LehmanYifei LiAvery LoganPeter MaierMichael ManningCarter MartinMichael MayerRobert McBrideDylan McGonegleMaximilian Meyer-HoganAndrew MoliqueEdward Monohan VIJoseph Moser IIISamuel PaleyTruman PiersonJohn PitstickNoah PowersChad QuinnJackson RaisbeckPaul ReynoldsThomas RoebkerPeter RoeselMatthew RohlingIan RomerWilliam RyanNicholas SandmannStephen SchaeperDavid SchlachterKenneth Schreiber III

Noah SchroderNathan SchroederJacob SchulteBrian SchutteJacob SchutzmanJames SchwartzLuke SeitherCameron SmithHayden SnyderHunter SommerkampJack StavaChristopher StegmanBo StollSamuel StrangeMartin SuetholzDaniel Sullivan, Jr.Nicholas SumnerWilliam SweetenMatthew ThamanMichael ThelenPatrick ThelenJohn TurnerThomas VoetJacob VonderschmidtNicholas VonderschmidtJonah WagnerAlexander WardIan WardMatthew WeilEvan WesselsGavin ZeckLuke Zimmerman

Covington LatinSchool

Benjamin BaioniSeth BozarthLauren BradholdElijah FoxFrances GeigerCollin GerwePaige GrafGrace HarrisIsabella HemsathElysse HermesJude HuffmanRilyn HundemerRoland LongChristopher MackeIan MinznerHope NievesCarter NowakGabriel PurtellMitchell SmithJoseph Sodergren

David SpethHannah SteffenEleanor TarvinGabriel TepeNikhil ThimmadasaiahRussell ToneyLevi WeatherfordElla WeaverAdam WeckmanRowan Weckman

Holy Cross DistrictHigh School

Megan AckleySkyler AlsipAllison BartlettAiden BeckerBen BornhornLaura BradenPaige BranumMichael BuntonJilliann CollinsLyndsey CrossMaura CrouchMackenzie DabbeltLindsey DeanJoshua DoddLuke DreasHenry DriscollAllison EhlmanPeyton FletcherMatthew FranksChristian FryTrent GabbardDulce Garcia-ManonMarshall GordonEvan GrimesCarter HaneyGreg HensleyTorie HoustonSamantha HurttLibby KarasMakayla KohlAmber KonermanJulia KrogerEmma LehmkuhlEric LeMarbeEvah-Marie LemmaJared LippLee C LyElizabeth MartinGrace M MartinThomas McCoyAlex McHenrySean McIntosh

Alyssa MonsonJackson NeffNathan NiehausAxel PadillaSamantha PangalloGvonny PollardWilliam PrettyRandi RedixHarrison ResingAna ReynoldsKristen RobbinsJohn Paul RussellJessica ScheperJade SimpsonBrandon SmithKenneth SparlingCaeden Spicer-CastlemanAlexander StockSebastian StutzRichard SullivanAshlyn TalbertTravis TateCaitlin ThomesKatrina TukeAdam TurcolMichael VennemanMatthew VoightVictor VoightChristina WellerRebecca WilliamsAddison WilsonLuke WilsonConnor Young

Newport CentralCatholic High School

Natalie BarthSarah BertschBrooke BihlHannah BodenLillian BodenMadeline BodenJenna BramelEmma BrockmanWilliam BroeringMegan BurkartSheridan CarawayLauren CaudillEmma ChristenBenjamin ChristmannAnna CollopyGrace CoomerDaniel CraigTanner DauntLanden DavisNathan DeBurgerJoseph DoekerAshley DoepkerReilley DubucSydney DukeJoshua EichbergElizabeth Enslen


GRADUATION 2020

2020 Graduates2020 Graduates“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoeverhas my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me willbe loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” (John 15:20-21)

MichelleGoderwis

Valedictorian

Abby CookSalutatorian

Maggie FinnSalutatorian

TreySpoonamoreSalutatorian

Paige Graf Valedictorian

Roland LongValedictorian

Allison EhlmanValedictorian

Grace MartinValedictorian

Luke DreasSalutatorian

Elysse HermesSalutatorian

Grace KessenValedictorian

Audrey MarronSalutatorian

TrumanPierson

Valedictorian

ChristopherFitz

Salutatorian

Joseph KielySalutatorian


GRADUATION 2020

Owen FlaniganIsaac FrepponJacob FriskMatthew FroendhoffEmily GeardingSamantha GrauseJenna GuthierThomas GuthridgeJames GuthrieCampbell HaldermanBailey HallDelaney HalpinSophie HammondElijah HowardKyle HunterCaleb JeffersonWilliam JohnsonGrace KessenCollen KimMadison KramerJonah KrebsPaul KremerLuke LandrumWilliam LouisAudrey MarronJoshua MartinBrooke McCulleyConnor McMahonMargaret McNayGavin MillerMax MorganCody MuellerEvan MullikinPiper MurphyCameron NeisesRilee O’DayMatthew ObertNicholas OsburgMayan PizzoJohn PowersBrady RandleNathan RoachNicholas RoachMaggie SchlosserLogan SchuetzColin SchuhAshley SchulkersMontgomery StevensonGarret SykesJordan TuckerJustin ViethMelanie WeyerOlivia WhiteheadSydney WillikeMatthew WimmersNathan WoodLuke Ziegler

Notre DameAcademy

Madilyn AdamchikOlivia AllenderNicole ArkenauIsabelle BaileyNoel BakerCaroline BarlageEllen BarlageMaya BatshounEmily BoergerPhoebe BoyleNicole BrandenburgLeigh BreedenJordan Brown

Victoria BuringMackenzie BurnsOlivia BurnsGrace CaccavariKirsten CarleJaysa CarpenterBrieanna CarterAria CartwrightVictoria ClarkErin CodyChloe CollinsClaire CullenElla DavidSarah DavisJulia DayLaura DeJonckheereAlexis DieboldMackenzie EberhartGrace EckerleGracie EckerleEmily ErnstChloe EsmeierIsabella FeaganGabriella FickeAnna FischerLily FleschLauren FleyTessa GastrightSophia GhazalaSarah GibsonKyla GravesElizabeth HackmanSara HafertepenEileen HagemanMary HagenKatherine HailRebecca HammillAlexis HehmanElizabeth HellmannCaroline HicksKaren HornerSarah HuffmanMya HuserEmma JenningsLaura JetterKatherine JoyceSarah KlearMolly KleierGrace KramerMicaela KramerLydia LampeAlaina LawrenceCatryna LearJana LeberechtLilly LehmanMegan LeonardKathryn MagarySelena MannRylee McCarthyGrace MeadeOlivia MeierMegan MichelsHannah MillerZoe MoelleringJosie MontfortAinsley MoorePresley Morse-BrannLaura NeltnerAshley NerswickCatherine NerswickEmma NeuhausLindsey OakSerena PaternoAnn Catherine PilgerMadeline ProsperoAlana RattermanElaine RenakerMaleah RensingLexi RezeljAllison RieglerGinger Rose

Madelyn RuthsatzEmma ScharsteinClaire ScheffterLindsey SchlueterAshton SchrandIsabel SchrinnerMara SchuttBriana SeibertMegan SeligmanSommer ShieldsClaire ShockeyNina SimkonisSara SpellmanCaroline StegmanKayari SuganumaLucy TellerCarmen ThaparKatherine ThiemanAnna TranterCaroline VardaEvelyn WagnerGrace WardKenley WayGabrielle WeberAllie WeidingerGrace WinstelHannah WirthShelby WohlwenderGrace WoodcockGracyn WymanLauren ZallaSarah Zwick

St. Henry DistrictHigh School

Allison AbbottDonovan AdkinsElliott AhlbrandJaclyn AlbrinckErin ArthurSydney ArthurAshley AverySarah BagshawJacob BahlLauren BahlBrady BaldockMaxwell BambergerElizabeth BarsanMadelyn BierKatherine BillAshley BlackMaria BlasingameGrady BotkinJacob BrockmanIsabelle ChapmanTheodore ChapmanErin CheekWilliam CherryJackson ClarkBrady ClineSarah CutcherAkram DanielMaggie DarpelConner DavisWilliam DobosiewiczJade DoellmanLilly DressmanBrennan EilersSamuel EnzweilerZoe EpplenSimon EstanislaoKatherine Evans

Joseph FeddersMacy FeinauerMorgan FerrisShannon FlahertyAiden FrahmAnna FreihoferDane FroelicherDylan GambleMacy GamelSamantha GeigerJack GiffinJake GishKyle GishKelly GoetzAaron GouldLaney GriffithJessica GurrenGabriele HarlanJacob HensonEmma HoganLogan HolmesAaron IhrigSydney JohnsonJoseph JonesAlexis KeipertEmma KochEmily KrothEmily LangeSophia LaudenslayerAugustus LehmannJoseph LiebermanDaniel LitteralDylan LoosNicholas LyonsHarrison MabjishSarah MahanJacob MaherLuke MaherEmelyah MainGarrett ManahanJoseph MashniJohnPaul MasonChristian MatthewsCasey McKinleyHalee McVayAndrew MelchingMaia MenzerAbby MillayCasey MillerParker MirusTimothy MuellerEmma NeiheiselBrooke NorrisAndrew OleynikZachary OwenMeghan PawsatPhoebe PhanEthan PlappColin PritchettEmma QuinnJohn RedingNicholas RiegerRebecca RieglerAneliese RodriguezLillian RolfsenEmma RomitoSean RyanAlexander SchaeferJonathan SchaeferMegan SchiraKyle SchulerEvan SchwarzElhadj SeckConnor SheaKylee SheldonRyan SkeltonMadisyn SnodgrassKate StephensAndrew StewartJoseph StewartJacob Stigall

Madison StuttlerElijah TallyAndrew TiemanMichael TragesserAndrew TrappNoél TrimbachLogan VaillancourtLaurna VerbrugghenMaria WagnerKevin WardCharles WatsonCourtney WellmanAmber WellsChristianna WhitleyNathaniel WolkingJacob Woods

St. Patrick HighSchool

Emerson DayElizabeth GallensteinCrey HamiltonElijah HaysElizabeth HubbardJustina KleeMarvin KochOlivia PoczatekAnna PorterHayden ReedWillie Reyes FrancoJana RogersKelsey Tesmer

Villa MadonnaAcademy

Neema AdleyYamaan AhmadLily AlquizolaZhen BaoMadelaine BlincoeCorrina BorchersHaneul ChunHannah DewaldMadeline DickmanThomas FullerPatrick GoodwinLyla GrafRuthie HahnJackson HerremaNathanael JunkerAidan KovacicReagan KuehneAidan LortonHalle LortonYiwen Lu Piper McGeheeCaroline MontgomeryKatelyn MooreEllen MotleyCaitlin RiordanCasimir SchaeferSpencer ScharsteinMichael SchlueterJon-Michael Schulte

Audrey SmithLeo SteinmanSamuel StephensJames TholeKelsey ThomasGary TurgeonKendall VoelkerYining WangRyan WiedemanJi XiaJiayun Zhang

Thomas MoreUniversity

Sierra Katherine Abrams Holly Adams William Chad Adkins Kelsee Paige Aker Kali N. Anderson Kendra Ann Anderson David Balthasar Armstrong Princess Marie Armstrong Ashley Lauren Arthur Robert Reiley Augspurger Justin Lee Austin Monica Amerang Okang

Badewa Blake A. Baioni Katherine Baker Amanda J. Ball Lee Ballinger Kamryn Elizabeth Balson DeAndre Marquis Barnett Steven Lee Barnett Alexander James Barnhart Zack J. Baynum Danny Leo Bellman Chris Benzinger Anneliese Marie Berberich David Berberich Lauren Bergeson Derrick Michael Berry Zachary Jordan Bishop Uriah J Bisson Aimee Bitter Elizabeth Blackburn Sonnieboy Blanco J. Ashlee Nicole Blevins Brandon Christopher Bohn Ian Christopher Bonar Ariana Alexandria Bonds Kamrin Lashon Boone Christina Borchers Allison Borders Marcus Edward Born Margaret Alyce Bosse Holly Bowman Cora Elizabeth Bradford Kelley Brady Morgan B Bramble Cassondra M. Bramlett Kelly Lynn Brown Rhonada Brown Katelyn M Browning Christina Bryant Olivia Rose Bryson Ellen C Burns Adam Burton Stephanie Burton Nicole Capodagli Grant Carr Erin Taylor Carrus Aleksandra Casazza Kyndal Jordan Cassini Stephanie M. Cavanaugh Michelle Chambers Cole Michael Chandler Richard Lee Character IIFrancisco Charters Keith Patrick Cheesman Francesca Clark

Zoe EpplenValedictorian

SophiaLaudenslayer

Salutatorian

Laura Neltner Valedictorian

RebeccaHammill

Salutatorian

Neema AdleyValedictorian

MadelineDickman

Salutatorian

Anna PorterValedictorian

OliviaPoczatek

Salutatorian


Samantha Jo Clark Tabitha Autumn Rose Clark Kathy Ann Cloud Cody James Coffey Zachariah Isaac Cole Leslie Grant Colegrove Jack Samuel Collins Rachel Alexis Combs Sarah Conley Jalee M. Connor Jennifer Copple Rana Cherisse Cousin Sara Crooker Dante Jamar Cross Brandon Avery Cullen Diana Currier Angel Laura Lynette Curry Logan Daniels Paul F. Daria David J. Darpel Joe Daugherty Amanda Russ Davis Kristopher Davis Tatum Olivia Davis Brandon James Decker Alix Nicole DeDreu Justin Charles Deters Emily Faith Dever Kelsey Nicole Disibio Ndikuriyo Divine Rachel Doellman William Blake Donovan Elizabeth Dorning Anna Susan Dowd Jared William Drewes Adeline Dai Dunn Edwin James Dunn Samuel Burton Easley Joan Eberly Leanne Efkeman Ryan M Egner Jonathan Kyle Eha William Stephen Elder IIIJames Ellis Jayson Steven Essell Kyla Areana Estelle Cameron Ray Evans Ryan Anthony Everidge Ryan J. Fangman Zachary Kevin Fannin Kristina T. Felix Hunter Andrew Fentress Marquila Ferrell Christopher Fields Cameron Reid Fitts Davin Fluker Ford

Meredith G. Foster Kristin Frank Tara Juanita French Andrea Frey Pamela Frink Jonathan Patrick Frommeyer Patti Furguson Andrea Nicole Gahan Taylor P Gambrel Alec Christopher Garnett Gina Gates Tammy M. Gerdes Brittaney R. Gibson Mariah Ann Gilbert Hulus Givan Amanda Glosser Michelle C Goetz Christian Joseph Good Jacob Blane Gordon Mark Goshorn Maria Graell Jennifer E. Graham Joshua Grant Andrew Clayton Grate Samuel Grate Robert Joseph Graydon Tiffany Monique Green Eric Paul Griffin Leo Gripshover Olivia J. Gross Jessica Rose Grubbs Zach William Guard Julia Justice Hall Shayna K. Hamilton Sheree Hamilton Patty Lynn Harness Tristan Philippe Harnisch Margaret Faye Harris Robert Hartenstein Jessica R Hartig Kendall Louise Hartline Jessica Heeg Jaylin Dominique Hendren Tamara L. Henson Samantha M. Henwood Mariah Hernandez April Lynn Hess Wade Ellis Hester Aleyna Beth Heyman Rachel Marie Higgins To’Lisa Te’Anne Hinkston Julie Anne Hocker Kevin Charles Hoffer Robert Mitchell Hogue Nicholas A. Hollar Keith Howard

Chase WestHudson Kendall DerrickHuff Aleisha R.Humphrey James GregoryHumphries Maria Hunseder BrendaKulakowskiIngram Shaye L. Isaacs Haley ElizabethJackson Logan ThomasJacobs Andrew DavidJames Angela James Holly Jenkins Bruce J.Johnson Cassie MarieJohnson

Cody Michael Johnson Haley Marie Johnson Natalie Johnson Taylor Lynn Jolly Avery Michael Jones Damon Ramone Jones Alex Jordan Grace Lynn Kahmann Brennan Dietrich Kamer Kara Nicole Kanter Sulieman B Kayed Cory M. Kearns David A. Kelley Michael Charles Kelly Chabrel J. Kendall Taylor P. Kessen Madelyn Isabella Kim Lisa King Rachel Lynn King Kimberly J. Kitchen Natalie Augusta Kleier Andy T. Kline Ross Patrick Klocke Dallis Michaela Knotts Natalie P. Kordenbrock Kylie Jane Kramer Madison Diane Krumpelman Destiny Elizabeth Kuhl Grace Elizabeth Kunkel Kaitlin Nicole Kunkel Joseph F. Kurtz Derrick Chun Hin Kwok Pamela L. Kyle Gary Lang Brittany Lawrence Sean Cameron Lawrence Christopher Lawson Zephaniah O. Lawson Delaney Katleen Lewis Johnny R. Lewis Renee Lightner Hollie Renee Lippmeier Stuart Lips Amanda Rae Lloyd Lydie Lo Ariel Nicole Long Brittney Nicole Long Ashley J. Lother Monica Ashely Luebbers Michal M. Lyzwa Daniel P. Mabalot William Andrew Macke Jodie Noelle Mader Jon Madoffori Brandon Maegley Leeanne Elizabeth Mager

Rachel Manter Mikal Justin Marble Quinton Todd Marksberry Jamie R. Marsh-Spalding Matthew Thomas Martin Scott A. Martini Andrew J Mathews Cole Robert Mathias Kim Denise May Merrick Fifield McCarthy IV Jonathan William McClain Kelly Elizabeth McCord Karlyn Lee McCoy Colin Thomas McDermitt Chad Alan McDonald John McDonogh Ashley M. McFann Nathaniel Alexander

McGlothin Morgan Marie McKinney John William McNally Morgan Marie McNeely Megan E. McNulty Natalie C. Meader Sarah Elizabeth Meinking Philip Fofie Mensah Bobby L. Meredith Vincent Tahir Metcalf Kyle Lewis Meyers Caroline Marie Middendorf Chris G. Miller Heather N. Miller Isabella Maria Miller Shelby Rose Miller Christa Marie Modafari Timothy Jude Moore Leann Morgan Makenzie Mae Morris Kaitlyn Marie Mortimer Keirstyn Anne Mortimer Colin Moser Savanna D. Moss Stacie A. Mosteller Sara Eileen Mullins Michelle Murphy Alexandra Jerilyn

Mysonhimer Jesse D. Neack Jared Isaiah Nelson Steven Nelson Bridget Anne Neltner Erika Elizabeth Neumann Gina New Amy Nicholas Jordan Nichols Rebekah Terah Nielson Olivia Rebecca Ann Nienaber Robert John Noble Grant A. Nolte Benjamin Edmund Noonan Stephanie Nichole Norris Carroll B. Ober Savannah Marie O’Brien Elizabeth Ann Ogle Jack Bobo Oloo Jon Oravec IIIKeith Patrick Orloff Dulce Ortiz-Perez Zachary Michael Osburg Jacob A Overbee Joseph Henry Paolucci Michelle L. Parker Charles Samuel Parnell Dhwani Patel Jash Manharlal Patel Sawyer Pauly Stephen Andrew Peterson Forrest J. Pettit Thy Lam Hoang Pham Lacey Anne Pohlman Brandy Porter

Justin Michael Post Lauren E. Potter Dillon James Powell Johann Pybus Oscar Steven Ramirez Alexandra Theresa Ramsey Venita Rankins Nate Rausch Scott Thomas Read Brendan Reid Diane Reis Cathy Ann Reising Justin Renzenbrink Evan Michael Reynolds Hayley Renae Reynolds Scott Allen Reynolds Robin Ann Rice Rebecca Ann Richardson Alexander Jerome Richmond Mindy A. Rickenbaugh Andrew Edward Robinson Ashley Kim Roderick Christian Adam Rodriguez Ashley Marie Roether Michael Romes Saffron Cherena-Angela Rose Conrad David Ross Ryan Logan Ross Susan Deirdre Rouse Sarah Taylor Ruiz Robert A. Russell Susan L. Salmons Rachael D. Sampson Kaela Dixie Saner Devon Sanford Tyler Michael Sansom Brooklyn Kathleen Sauer Noah L Sayre Emily Scheper Steven Michael Schleper Jason Douglas Schmeig Briana Marie Schnieders Emily Schultz Pamela Notz Schwartz John J Schwenk Amanda Rose Scola Scott Scudder Andrew Robert Seiler Hrusto Selimovic Jessie Clarice Shell Emily Shepard Megan Christine Sheridan Mason Presley Shimmel Adam Clayton Shumate Alex Christopher Simpson Mendy Lynn Simpson Shelley L. Simpson Jason Elliott Slack, Jr. Griffin Scott Smallwood Amy Smith Benjamin Lee Smith Christin Elizabeth Smith Cory Darryl Smith Ethan Smith Jennifer Smith Ryan Smith Stefanie Lee Smith Ivka Smock Shannon Maureen Smyth Bryan G. Snapp Douglas R. South Karen Sparks Hannah Nicole Sprague Elyse M Spraul Gregory Stacy Bryce Alexander Staker Jacob Lee Steinmetz Timothy James Stepanek Jr.Sarah Stetz Robert C. Stevens Danielle A. Stiner

Junior Mulipola Stockwell Ryan David Stofko Ralphael Gerron Stone Andrew Michael Taylor Michelle E. Taylor Zachary Aaron Tefertiller Samuel Paul Tepe Paige Thoerner Todd Thomas Hayley Michelle Thompson William Edward Thompson Tracy Thompson-Lang Jaynee Tolle Kianah Mercedes Towe Erica L. Travis Sydney Turner Tonya Upshaw Teresa Ann Urban Robert Anthony Urbina Jonathan Atlee Vandemerkt Alyssa Marie Vest Heather L. Vest Douglas R. Vetter Michelle L. Vezina Madison Nicole Vickers Zachary Douglas Vogt Brett Volpenhein Bryan Michael

Vorderbrueggen Courtney L. Walker Angela Kay Wallace Samantha Anne Wallace Jonathan Robert Walter Michael Joseph Walter Justin Parker Ward Brooke Leigh Warden Gunnar Lane Wasson Patricia Watters Jon Perry Weaver Shelly R. Webb Matthew William Wellbrock Morgan Leigh Wells Brookelle Jordan Wesley Jacob Matthew Wessler Keegan McKenzie West Richard P. West Branden Michael Westenberg Ali Lynn Whalen Trisha Whitacre Joshua Van White Veronica J. White Raymond J. Whitehill II.Katherine Renee Williams Sonya Williams Sonya L. Williams Thomas Lewis Williams Sheila L. Willis Zachary J. Willmes Christopher Dale Wilson Miranda C. Wilson Jordan Lee Wilt Logan T. Winkler Seth Andrew Winter Katilyn Wissing Joseph Ryan Woeber Dustin Wolfe Morgan Elizabeth Wolfer Miranda Skyler Wood Erin Woods Isabelle N. Worley Jordan Christina Wuest Nolan S. Wulle Amanda Wurtz John P. Young Jacob Brian Zai Corey Bevard Zamrik Abigail Heidi Zanone Ellen Marie Zeis Dragan Zivkovic

GRADUATION 2020

Congratulations graduating pontifical serversStudents at Covington Latin School assist Bishop Roger Foys as pontificalservers at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, and for pontifical celebrations at parishes throughout the diocese. Given the intri-cate nature of pontifical celebrations, these servers are specially trained andspend many hours serving at the altar. Each year, Bishop Foys congratulatesthe pontifical servers that are graduating from Covington Latin School. Thisyear’s graduating pontifical servers are Christopher Macke and GabrielPurtell.


Be Witnesses Trusting in God’s plan in uncertain times

“Wake up the world!Be witnesses ofa different way

of doing things, of acting,of living!”

— Pope Francis

For more information about consecrated life in the Diocese of Covington, contact Sister Fran Moore at (859) 392-1500.

June2 Sister Mary Bonita Schack,

SND

4 Sister Mary Dolores Giblin,SND

5 Sister Mary Janet Stamm, SND

Sister Madonna Marie Kling,CDP

6 Sister Mary Elaine Krebs, SND

6 Sister Elaine Marie Winter,SND

Sister Margaret Mary Perez,SJW

7 Sister Dorothy Ann Dzurissin,CDP (formerly Sister HelenFrancis)

Sister Anita Marie Stacy, SND

Sister Maria Francine Stacy,SND

8 Sister Mary Angela Peter, CP

9 Sister Mary Heleen Hehman,SND

10 Sister Dolores Gohs, CDP

12 Sister Ruth Flynn, CDP (formerly Sister Mary Faith)

Sister Mary Luann Bender,SND

Sister Mary Rose Moser, SND

14 Sister Mary Jolene Flynn, SND

Sister Fran Moore, CDP (formerly Sister Mary Gerald)

16 Sister Juanita Nadicksbernd,CDP (formerly Sister LorettaJoseph)

Sister Carleen Schumacher,CDP

17 Sister Sharon Portwood, OSB

18 Sister Mary Margaret Droege,SND

Sister Mary Karen Bahlmann,CDP

21 Sister Judith Riese, CDP

Sister Mary Lourita Warken,SND

22 Sister Mary Delrita Glaser,SND

25 Sister Catherine VeronicaMary Arozarena Carlson, fdm

Sister Mary Luke Murphy, CDP

28 Sister Virginia Patrick, CDP(formerly Sister Mary Paul)

30 Sister Carolyn Marie Betsch,CDP (formerly Sister MariePaulette)

June Birthdays

Karen KuhlmanMessenger Correspondent

During the COVID-19 pandemic, westruggle to gracefully accept the restric-tions and the isolation that are conse-quences of the highly conta-gious virus and look back withsorrow at the loss of manythings we had previouslytaken for granted. But, morepeople are looking out for oneanother now. By offering sup-port through spiritual and cor-poral works of mercy, theyprovide us with many reasonsto look forward with hope.The religious in the Diocese ofCovington, like the laity, findthese challenging times full ofopportunities to lend assis-tance — and the humility toaccept a helping hand.

Mother Mary ChristinaMurray, of the Sisters of St.Joseph the Worker in Waltonsaid, “It has been a joy to beable to attend the HolySacrifice of the Mass again,something we all missed. Andas things begin to slowlyopen up, I find I am muchmore reflective: Do I reallyneed to make a trip to the store? Or is it justan excuse to go out, possibly exposingmyself to the virus? We’ve added an extraHoly Hour to our day, and really enjoy thisspecial time for the community to come toprayer together.”

Sister Mary Ethel Parrott, superior of theSisters of Notre Dame, Covington Province,said that one of the things the communitymisses is coming together with membersof their associate community. She regretsthe postponement of the annual covenantceremony that welcomes new associates tothe community. That is something withwhich associate candidate Char Fiegerheartily agrees. She is one of 11 candidateswho were within just a few weeks of com-pleting their formation period. Ms. Fieger

said: “I look forward to the day when wecan join the sisters and associates to experi-ence a fuller appreciation of Notre Damehistory, spirituality, charism, and ministry.”

Donna Esposito is director of the

Associate Community of the Congregationof Divine Providence in Melbourne. Ms.Esposito said the associates and the sistersmiss gathering for prayer, service opportu-nities and the chance to live out with thecommunity the virtues of poverty, charity,simplicity and abandonment toProvidence.

Unable to visit one on one, Ms. Espositoand the associates participate in smallgatherings outside of Holy Family Home,the retirement center for the congregation.Though separated by socially acceptabledistances, the associates support their“team,” rooting it on with cheers and songsof encouragement. She is deeply sorry forthe postponement of the commitment cer-emony to which this year’s four candidates

were looking forward. She takes comfort inthe congregation’s Act of Abandonment toGod, which says in part: “I know that youwill either preserve me from the evils Idread or turn them to my good and your

glory.”Sister Aileen Bankemper, prioress

of the Benedictine Sisters of St.Walburg Monastery and Sister NancyKordenbrock, subprioress agree thatthe more things open up, the morevulnerable their already fragile com-munity becomes. Sister Aileen said, “Itis quite a challenge to be consistentin how one deals with the manythings that come up on a given day. Itry not to ‘over worry,’ but my successrate is not what I would like it to be!”

Sister Nancy adds, “A small com-mittee looks for ways to bolster thecommunity’s spirits with activities likeUno tournaments and special din-ners. Sisters who drive enjoy treatingone sister at a time to a tour of scenicareas of Northern Kentucky. It is anice break from the day-to-day andincludes lunch at a drive-thru of thepassenger’s choice.”

Benedictine Sister ChristaKreinbrink misses the everyday com-panionship of those who usuallycome to the St. Walburg Monastery

— members of the Oblate community, vol-unteers who work in the infirmary or thegarden, delivery personnel, the faithfulwho join the sisters on Sunday for Mass.She waves to those she sees at a distance— Villa Madonna Academy graduating sen-iors driving by to see their photos on dis-play on the school grounds; parents andchildren taking a quick walk around theMonastery’s drive.

Sister Christa looks forward to the endof these “uncertain times,” but, until then,offers these words to all of us: “May wenever take any of you for granted. May wenever lose the gratitude we feel for theplace you have in our lives. We hold you inprayer, and when the time comes, we willbe so happy to see you again face to face!”

A sign created by Benedictine Sister Emmanuel Pieper greetspeople at the gates to St. Walburg Monastery, Villa Hills,reminding them that even though the sisters are unable toaccept in-person visitors, everyone remains in their prayers.


Sister Margaret Stallmeyer, C.D.P.Director of the Tribunal

This is the third and final in a series of short articles bythe diocesan tribunal. The intent of these articles is to shareinformation regarding both the purpose of seeking anannulment and the particulars of the annulment processitself.

In the two previous articles we explained that a declara-tion of nullity is a statement by the Church that a perma-nent, indissoluble bond of marriage was not formed at thetime the couple exchanged consent. In the last article wediscussed three factors that would be examined to deter-mine if something essential was missing at the time of thewedding: freedom to marry, valid consent and a Churchwedding for Catholics. Two questions were posed: Whatmust an individual do if they wish to seek such a decree ofnullity? How does the Church go about investigating themarriage to determine if it was ever a valid union?

If a marriage has ended in divorce and there is no hopeof reconciliation a person may inquire about the possibil-ity of a declaration of nullity. However, it is required thata civil divorce is granted before a case can be considered.The first step for a person (known as the petitioner in theprocess) is to contact his/her parish priest, or deacon pro-viding them with a summary of the principal facts con-cerning the courtship, marriage and breakup. This personmay ask additional questions to assess the grounds for apossible declaration of nullity. The petitioner may want toask this person if they are willing to assist as an advocate.If that is not possible, one may call the tribunal for assis-tance.

The advocate will help identify the proper form and thedocuments needed for a petition for nullity to be submittedto the diocesan tribunal. The petitioner will be asked toprovide the name and contact information for your formerspouse (the respondent) as well as the names and address-es of three witnesses who can verify your information.(Individuals who knew the parties during their courtshipare the best witnesses.) This initial form may also containa short questionnaire asking for salient facts related to the

courtship and marriage. Once the petition and necessary documents have been

received by the tribunal they will be reviewed and if theinformation supports grounds for a declaration of nullitythe petition will be accepted. The petitioner will be askedto provide more detailed information. The former spouse(respondent) as well as the witnesses will also be sent ques-tionnaires. Once all the testimony has been received it isreviewed to see if it is sufficient to move forward with thecase. If it is not sufficient, additional information will berequested.

After reviewing the testimony and following certainprotocols required by canon law, the diocesan court (tri-bunal) will proceed to render a decision. The case file isfirst reviewed by the defender of the bond. This individualpresents an argument in favor of the bond of marriage.The defender is also responsible for ensuring that therights of both parties in the marriage were protected andthat the requirements of canon law were followed. Theentire file with all the testimony as well as the defender’sbrief will be sent to a sole judge or a panel of three judgeswho are charged with rendering a decision. The decisionwill either uphold the validity of the marriage or it willdeclare the marriage null. Either party to the marriagemay appeal the decision if they are unsatisfied with theoutcome and believe that there was a flaw in the investiga-tion or that procedures were not followed as specified byChurch law.

Once a declaration of nullity has been issued and thereis no appeal pending, the parties are free to marry again inthe Catholic Church. The declaration of nullity (an annul-ment) does not erase the civil marriage contract, it doesnot render the children of the marriage illegitimate nordoes it alter any child support obligations.

In this three-part series, we have tried to present anoverview of the Church’s teaching and requirements for avalid marriage as well as an overview of the process fol-lowed for a declaration of nullity.

For information, contact: Tribunal of the Diocese ofCovington at (859) 352-1500.

Marriageand theannulmentprocess,part III

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SACRED HEART PRAYER. Dear Heart of Jesus — In thepast I have asked for favors. This time I ask you for this veryspecial one (mention favor). Take it, dear Jesus, and place itwithin your own heart where your Father sees it, then in yourmerciful eyes it will become your favor, not mine. Amen. M.M.F.

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SECRETARYThe Department of Catholic Schools of the RomanCatholic Diocese of Covington, KY seeks to identify secretarial candidates with a history of increasinglyresponsible experience who possess sound administrative and reporting skills, along with the demeanor and organizational skills to professionally and effectively interact with all levels of Diocesan Curia staff and other Diocesan constituencies. This position requires confidentiality, initiative, attention to detail, and a strong orientation to customer service. Duties utilize MS Office software and include a wide variety of written communications, scheduling of appointments and meetings, planning and oversight of Departmental programs and liturgies, and primary telephone responsibility. Candidates must be faithful and actively practicing Roman Catholics. Please send resume, cover letter, and at least five references with contact e-mail addresses to Stephen Koplyay, SPHR at [email protected], or fax to 859/392-1589.

Notre Dame Sister Mary Rosanne Boh. FrancesAnn Boh was born in Covington, Ky., Jan. 4, 1943, the sec-ond oldest of nine children to Alma and George Boh.Called by her middle name, Ann described her family as

fun and joyful. Before shestarted school, she enjoyedhelping her mother withdaily chores and the ever-growing family.

Ann attended St. PaulElementary School,Florence, and graduatedfrom Notre DameAcademy in 1961. Aftergraduating, she enteredthe Sisters of Notre Dame.Her only worry was howhomesick she would beupon leaving her close-knit family. She soon madeher profession of vows onAugust 16, 1964.

Sister Rosanne contin-ued her education at Villa

Madonna College (now Thomas More University).Through the years, sister ministered in community serv-ice including housekeeping, food service, technology andprinting. She was a master at refinishing furniture andrepairing just about anything.

An area of ministry she felt most meaningful wastutoring adults with disabilities. Teaching them the basicsof everyday life was very fulfilling to her. She could giveher students independence and make them feel valued.Sister enjoyed each one of her ministries and carried

Obituary

Sister Mary Rosanne Boh,S.N.D.

(Continued on page 14)


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which began, fittingly enough, during Lent — has awak-ened a profound hunger for what Vatican II called “thesource and summit of the Christian life.” Perhaps toomany Catholics had grown indifferent to the BlessedSacrament, even, as a recent Pew Forum study indicated,ignorant of its deepest significance; and perhaps thisforced starvation will have a salutary effect.

A second ecclesiological insight is this: priests are inan intensely symbiotic relationship with their people.Everyone knows that priests have been passing through adifficult period, practically without precedent in the his-tory of the Church. The scandals of the past 25 years, cul-minating in the McCarrick outrage, have soured manyagainst priests and have made priests extremely vulnera-ble to the charge of clericalism. Without denying for amoment that these reactions and impressions are, to adegree, legitimate, I want to insist once again that thevast, vast majority of priests are decent, prayerful men,who want nothing more than to bring Christ to their peo-ple. And this coronavirus quarantine has powerfully con-firmed this for me. During the course of the shutdown, Ihave personally reached out by phone or by Skype orZoom to all the priests of my region. Like everybody else,they’re a little antsy and bored, and their routines havebeen interrupted. But time and again, they tell me thattheir greatest frustration is not being able to have steady

contact with their people. Priests indeed bring Christ totheir parishioners through preaching, presence, andsacrament, but the people also give life to the priests, sus-taining them with prayer and friendship. Keeping thepeople away from their priests is just bad for both peopleand priests, for they are, in the Mystical Body, orderedtoward one another.

A third and final insight is that the Church is stub-bornly incarnational. At the heart of the Catholic sensi-bility is the conviction that God became flesh in JesusChrist. And Catholicism teaches that the presence of therisen Jesus is made known through words to be sure, butalso through physical signs — water, oil, bread, wine, etc.— delivered by human hands and accompanied by bodilygestures. At the liturgy, we are meant to come together inclose proximity so that we can pray in unison, sing inunison, process together, embrace one another, gesture inharmony with each other. In all of this, the incarnationalquality of the Church becomes concretely expressed. Andthis is what has made the last six weeks so particularlydifficult for Catholics. Our faith is not primarily an inter-nal business, something negotiated between the individ-ual and the invisible Lord. Rather, it shows up physicallyand publicly, through bodies. Once again, I would hopethat our fasting from togetherness will heighten ourappreciation for this incarnational density of our faith.

So Catholics, don’t get discouraged. Rather, use thistime of deprivation and abstention to awaken a deeperlove for the Church in its Eucharistic, symbiotic, and

incarnational distinctiveness.Bishop Robert Barron is an Auxiliary Bishop of the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Article originally published atWordOnFire.org.

Lessonsabout theChurch(Continued from page 5)

SisterMary Rosanne(Continued from page 13)

them out with patience and gentleness.In 2016 Sister Rosanne retired to Lourdes Hall. She con-

tinued living the charism by taking part in the daily activ-ities and going on special outings with her community.She always had a smile to greet each person.

Sister Mary Rosanne went home to God peacefully onMay 19, 2020. She is preceded in death by her parents andher sister Rosalind McCafferty. She is survived by herbrothers John, Richard, and Norbert Boh; and her sistersMartha Kirby, Doloures Ryan, Mary Brady and RitaChristy. Sister also leaves behind many beloved niecesand nephews.

Due to the current restrictions on gatherings, a cele-bration of Sister Mary Rosanne’s life will be held for fam-ily and friends at a later date. A private Catholic blessingand burial took place at the provincial center and conventcemetery on Saturday, May 23, 2020.

May Sister Mary Rosanne delight in the embrace ofour good and loving God.


NEWS BRIEFS

Pope to lead world shrines in rosaryprayer for pandemic May 30

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will lead the major shrinesaround the world in praying the rosary to implore Mary’sintercession and protection amid the coronavirus pandemic.The pope will pray at the replica of the Lourdes Grotto in theVatican Gardens May 30, the eve of Pentecost, and will also bejoined by several “men and women representing various cate-gories of people particularly affected by the virus,” the Vaticansaid May 26. The service will be at 5:30 p.m. in Rome (11:30 a.m.EDT). “At the feet of Mary, the Holy Father will place the manytroubles and sorrows of humanity, further worsened by thespread of COVID-19,” said a statement released by thePontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.According to the statement, the prayer, which coincides withthe end of the Marian month of May, “is another sign of close-ness and consolation for those who, in different ways, havebeen struck by the coronavirus, in the certainty that theHeavenly Mother will not disregard the requests for protec-tion.”

Faith leaders: Protecting human lifeis priority in reopening churches

STATE OF WASHINGTON — The bishops of the state ofWashington said suspension of the public celebration of Massbecause of the coronavirus pandemic was undertaken “not outof fear, but out of our deepest respect for human life andhealth.” “As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be instrumentsof God’s protection for the vulnerable and the common good,”the five bishops said in a May 22 statement released by theWashington State Catholic Conference. “Our love of God andneighbor is always personal and not partisan. “While we sharethe desire to bring people back to Mass as quickly as possible,we will wait to schedule our public worship when it is safe andwe are prepared to do so,” the statement said. Washington statewas the site of the first widespread outbreak of the COVID-19,the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Washington Gov.Jay Inslee and public health officials quickly enacted a mas-sive shutdown of the state, including churches, to stem the out-break. He directed the country’s governors “to do the rightthing and allow these very important essential places of faithto open right now, this weekend.”

Pope marks anniversary of ‘LaudatoSi’’ with call to prayer, action

VATICAN CITY — Commemorating the fifth anniversary ofhis encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis called onChristians to join in prayer and acts of care for the Earth andfor the poor. After reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer May 24,the pope encouraged Catholics to participate in the celebrationof the “Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year,” a yearlongseries of initiatives dedicated to putting the encyclical’s teach-ing into action. “I invite all people of goodwill to join, to takecare of our common home and of our most fragile brothers

and sisters,” he said. According to the Dicastery for PromotingIntegral Human Development, the yearlong celebration fromMay 24, 2020, to May 24, 2021, will emphasize “ecological con-version in action” through a series of events dedicated to envi-ronmental care, education and the economy.

New coalition seeks to pull togetherchurch’s prison ministry efforts

WASHINGTON, DC — There are more than 30 Catholicorganizations providing some kind of prison ministry in theUnited States. One reason is because the need is so great, witha prison population estimated at about 2.3 million by thePrison Policy Initiative. But U.S. incarceration rates grew sofast over the past generation, they far outstripped the ability ofany one organization to keep up. What’s more, few of theorganizations had any contact with others to coordinate min-istry efforts. That issue is now being addressed by the newCatholic Prison Ministries Coalition, which has slowly comeinto being over the past two years. Karen Clifton, the coali-tion’s executive coordinator, had been executive director of theCatholic Mobilizing Network, the anti-death-penalty organiza-tion. Despite its focus on capital punishment and restorativejustice, the network would be approached with requests forresources on issues regarding prisons and prisoners from peo-ple who knew of nowhere else to turn. In early 2018, theVatican sent a questionnaire to the papal nunciature inWashington asking about the state of prison ministry in theUnited States, according to Harry Dudley, then staff to the U.S.bishops’ Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministryand Service. Dudley, who has since retired, got the ministryorganizations “to really tell them from their perspective whatwas going on. And all of those reports were sent to my desk,and I was asked to compile them and follow up,” he said.

Food for those in need includes cookiesbaked by award-winning Capuchin

WASHINGTON, DC — Catholic Charities of the Archdioceseof Washington provided 800 prepared meals and 800 boxes ofgroceries to needy families May 19 during a massive distribu-tion at the parking lot of the Basilica of the National Shrine ofthe Immaculate Conception in Washington. Unlike previousfood distributions conducted by Catholic Charities since theonset of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economicdownturn, the May 19 food giveaway included cookies baked byan award-winning pastry chef who also happens to be a reli-gious brother preparing for the priesthood. CapuchinFranciscan Brother Andrew Corriente baked about 1,600peanut butter, chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies to bedistributed with the meals and groceries. Brother Andrew, afourth-year master of divinity student at The CatholicUniversity of America and resident of Capuchin College, wascrowned last January as the champion on ABC’s “The GreatAmerican Baking Show: Holiday Edition.” He beat out nineother bakers for the title during the nationally televised chal-lenge. He was a popular contestant who trended on socialmedia as “Brother Baker.” “Catholic Charities came to me andsaid they were going to feed 800 families, and as crazy as I am, Ijust jumped on it,” Brother Andrew told the Catholic Standard,newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington.

SIGNIS: Catholic media vital foraccurate news, stories of faith, hope

WASHINGTON, DC — The president of SIGNIS urged theworld’s bishops as the “chief storyteller” in their diocese touse all media at their disposal to “make known” stories “offaith and hope” and of local Catholic heroes who exemplifyChrist’s love to give people courage in “difficult times,” likethis current pandemic. Catholic media outlets also can provide“basic tools” to the faithful “to spot” false stories, such the nar-ratives about the “Chinese” virus causing the pandemic andrumors of “dangerous fake cures,” said Helen Osman, whoheads SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association forCommunication, based in Brussels. She made the comments ina statement issued ahead of World Communications Day,which is May 24. A former diocesan editor and former commu-nications secretary for the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, Osman is currently a communications consultant forthe Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops in Austin. PopeFrancis’ message for this year’s World Communications Day is:“That you may tell your children and grandchildren” (Ex 10:2):Life becomes history.” The pope “reminds us of the impor-tance of the stories we tell, especially in the midst of the din ofmedia that leave us feeling dislocated,” Osman said. “The nar-ratives that we live by must reflect the vision of the intercon-nectedness of all human life.”

Pope: Church’s preferential optionfor the poor is nonnegotiable

VATICAN CITY — A missionary or church reality that istruly inspired by the Holy Spirit “manifests predilection forthe poor and vulnerable as a sign and reflection of the Lord’sown preference for them,” Pope Francis told the pontifical mis-sion societies. In a message May 21, the pope said that thoseinvolved with the church’s missionary activity “should neverjustify their lack of concern for the poor with the excuse, wide-ly used in particular ecclesiastical circles, of having to concen-trate their energies on certain priorities for the mission. Forthe church, a preference for the poor is not optional,” he said.The mission societies, which are under the Congregation forthe Evangelization of Peoples, include the Society for thePropagation of the Faith, the Missionary ChildhoodAssociation, the Society of St. Peter Apostle and theMissionary Union of Priests and Religious. The societies helppoor churches and communities around the world and supportmore than 9,000 health clinics, 10,000 orphanages, 1,200 schools,80,000 seminarians and 9,000 religious sisters and brothers inmore than 1,150 mission dioceses — mostly in Africa and Asia.Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the societies’ annual generalassembly was canceled, prompting the pope to send them themessage “in order to share what I had intended to say to youpersonally.”

National/World

Junno Arocho EstevesCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The mystery andwonder of God’s creation can open thehearts of men and women to express theirgratitude through prayer, Pope Francissaid.

During a live broadcast of his weeklygeneral audience from the library of theApostolic Palace May 20, the pope said thathuman beings are “the only creatureaware of such a profusion of beauty” andcannot help but “wonder what design oflove must be behind such a powerfulwork.”

“The prayer of man and woman isclosely linked to the feeling of wonder,” hesaid. “Human greatness is minisculewhen compared to the dimensions of theuniverse. The greatest human achieve-ments seem to be few and far between,”when compared to God’s creations.

The pope’s reflection coincided withthe observance of “Laudato Si’ Week”May 16-24. The weeklong event was pro-moted as an occasion for Catholics to lookat steps they have taken to protect theenvironment and assist the world’s poorpeople.

Before concluding his talk, the pope said that in contem-plating God’s creation, Christians can be inspired to givethanks to God through prayer.

“We are children of the great King, the Creator, capableof reading his signature in all of creation, that creationwhich we don’t care for today. But in that creation, there isthe signature of God who made it out of love,” he said.

Continuing his series of talks on prayer, the pope said

that while one may feel insignificant in the grand scale ofthe universe, “in prayer, a feeling of mercy is overwhelm-ingly affirmed” and leads to gratitude to God.

“The relationship with God is the human being’s great-ness,” he said. “By nature, we are almost nothing, but byvocation, we are the sonsand daughters of the greatKing!”

“It’s an experiencemany of us have had. If the

story of life, with all its bitterness, some-times risks stifling the gift of prayer in us,it is enough to contemplate a starry sky, asunset, a flower, to rekindle the spark ofthanksgiving,” the pope said.

The pope explained that the biblicalaccount of creation was written when thepeople of Israel were under occupation,and many were deported or forced intoslavery in Mesopotamia.

Nevertheless, “just starting from thegreat story of creation, someone began tofind reasons to give thanks, to praise Godfor existence,” he said.

“I would say that prayer opens the doorto hope,” the pope said. “Because men andwomen of prayer safeguard basic truths;they are the ones who say — first to them-selves and then to others — that this life,despite all its labors and trials, despite itsdifficult days, is filled with a grace forwhich to marvel.”

Pope Francis said that prayer illumi-nates one’s life, “even in the darkest times,even in painful times” and that through it,Christians are called to become “bearersof joy.”

“This life is the gift that God has givenus, and it is too short to be consumed in sadness, in bitter-ness,” the pope said. “Let us praise God, simply contentthat we exist. Let us look at the universe, look at its beautyand even look at our own cross and say, ‘You exist. Youmade us this way for you.’”


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Wonder atgift of creation openshumanhearts toprayer,popesays

CNS photo/Vatican Media

Pope Francis looks out a window from his library in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican May 20, 2020.

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