The Catholic Telegraph – October 2025

From the Editor’s Desk

One of my favorite songs of all time is “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. The melody, the lyrics, and that distinct voice really conjure up beautiful images in my mind. It’s a peaceful song, and every time I hear it, I’m reminded of all the gifts the world holds for us, the beauty of God’s creation, and the wonder of our humanity.

While it is truly a wonderful world, it is also a fallen world, where all of creation is striving to make its way back to God.

The Holy Father’s monthly prayer intention for September was that: “Inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.” It’s a powerful prayer that made me think of both Armstrong’s song and how different things could be if only there was more love, respect, and cooperation among peoples.

Pope Leo XIV elaborated on this intention in a video released the first week of September (distributed by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network):

Lord, You love everything You have created, and nothing exists outside the mystery of Your tenderness. Every creature, no matter how small, is the fruit of Your love and has a place in this world. … Help us to discover Your presence in all creation, so that, in fully recognizing it, we may feel and know ourselves to be responsible for this common home where You invite us to care for, respect, and protect life in all its forms and possibilities.

Every year in October the Catholic Church celebrates Respect Life Month, a blessed time to ponder how we can do more to defend and protect all human life, from conception to natural death, and encourage all human flourishing. A good first step is understanding who we are, at the deepest level, and sharing that insight with people in our lives.

And the insight is: in becoming one of us in all ways except sin, Jesus Christ revealed the profound dignity of every human person. This God-given dignity does not change with a person’s stage of life, abilities, level of independence, or any other varying circumstance. Rather, it is rooted in the permanent fact that each person is made in the image

Publisher: Archbishop Robert G. Casey

Editor: David Cooley

Graphic Design: Emma Cassani

and likeness of God, created to share in the very life of God himself.

This Church teaching is the cure for much that ails our society, including the scourges of selfishness and hatred that lead to nothing but darkness and division.

It’s fitting that October is also World Mission Month, because an important way to show that we respect all life is by serving those having the greatest need. While for most of us our mission field is daily life, it is important to remember, assist, and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are involved in global missionary work, particularly in third-world countries.

Both the Respect Life and World Mission initiatives remind us that we are all part of one human family, united in God’s love. These actions, along with good stewardship of creation, are important parts of building up a culture of life, which joyfully proclaims the truth of God's love, purpose, and plan for each person.

I recognize that it doesn’t always feel like a “wonderful world.” If you’re anything like me, you often find yourself struggling and asking, “Where is God in all of this mess?” If we look hard enough, I truly believe we find the answer.

We must continue to do the hard work to promote a culture of life all over the world. There are many ways to approach this, but it all begins with the conversion of our own hearts. We must be willing to say “yes” to God’s will, even when we don’t understand it, and to stay close to His Son—the source of joy and love.

Yeah, Louis Armstrong was right. It is a wonderful world. As Pope Leo said, it’s “a mystery to be contemplated with gratitude and hope.” So, let us all start by thanking God for His gift of creation and for the part that we get to play in it. Then, let us get busy in the good work of growing the Kingdom of God, until all people come to know the Light of Christ.

David Cooley

cteditorial@catholicaoc.org

Media Sales: Deacon Graham Galloway

New Media / Circulation: Greg Hartman

Photography: Mary Fleisher

Social Media: Taylor Motley

Video: Margaret Swensen

The Columnists

Father David Endres

is professor of Church history and historical theology at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology.

Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

holds the James J. Gardner Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. He is the author of Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America.

Dr. Andrew Sodergren

is a Catholic psychologist and director of psychological services for Ruah Woods. He speaks on the integration of psychology and the Catholic faith. He and his wife, Ellie, have five children.

Emma Cassani

is the graphic designer behind The Catholic Telegraph and author of Divine Seeing , which earned first place for Best Column in Arts & Leisure from the Catholic Media Association in 2025.

Dominick Albano

is a passionately Catholic husband and father of four boys. He has been writing, speaking, and leading Catholic retreats for more than 20 years. He is the co-founder of the National Society for Priestly Vocations.

Katie Sciba

is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award-winning columnist. She and her husband Andrew were married in 2008, and are blessed with seven children.

If you would like to share a thought, ask a question, or simply gush, please email cteditorial@catholicaoc.org and we will connect you to the writer. We apologize if someone doesn’t respond, but please know we appreciate and love hearing your feedback!

The Pope’s Prayer Intention

OCTOBER

For collaboration between different religious traditions

Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice, and human fraternity.

See the Beauty of Creation

INTO YOUR HANDS | Archbishop Robert G. Casey

As a child, I shared a room with my younger brother. I have fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sound of our mother coming into our bedroom and pulling back the curtains on the window. She would sing to us, “Good morning! Time to rise and shine!” The bright morning light would pour through the window, summoning us to begin a new day.

This memory of my mother might serve as a fitting metaphor for life. We all need, at times, to pull back the curtains and allow the light of a new day to find welcome in our life and awaken us to new purpose. With the Light of Christ shining upon us and our world, stirred from sleep and freed from the darkness that envelops us, we might gain new perspective.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1996, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell spoke about how she came to write one of her hit songs. “I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii,” Mitchell said, “I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart.”

The memorable lyric to that Joni Mitchell song—They paved paradise, put up a parking lot—awakens us to see more clearly how easily we can close our eyes and surrender to the darkness. We find ourselves going through life asleep and unaware of the pavement covering over the beauty of our creation and preventing us from appreciating the gift of creation and developing a respect for life.

The month of October each year offers us the

opportunity to be re-awakened and renewed in our care for all creation, including the sacred gift of life. We are invited to throw back the curtains and let in the light of a new day so that we might acknowledge the sanctity of life before us. God summons us to “rise and shine”, find our way out of the slumber that engulfs us and recognize the sacred gift we have been given. And, whether the life we see before us is in a mother’s womb, a lonely jail cell, a crowded city street, or a quiet tree-filled forest, we cannot simply close the curtains and go back to sleep. We are summoned to embrace each new day with purpose, knowing that all we say and do must serve to awaken others to appreciate the sacredness of life.

Too many in our human family find themselves asleep in the darkness, closed off and blind to the truth of life’s value from conception to natural death. The late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, an abortion rights advocate turned anti-abortion activist, was quoted as saying, “Fewer women would have abortions if wombs had windows.” If we had windows into each other’s minds, hearts, and souls, perhaps we might be more respectful and more loving toward one another and toward the world around us.

When our windows are covered over and our hearts paved over, like the paradise of Joni Mitchell’s song, we urgently need God’s amazing grace to enter in, like my mother coming into my brother’s and my childhood bedroom. We need to be awakened to the beauty of creation and the possibilities of a new day. Rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we can allow God to assist us as we embrace wholeheartedly the call to care for creation and the responsibility to proclaim respect for all life.

Ver la Belleza de la Creación

EN TUS MANOS | Arzobispo Robert G. Casey

Cuando yo era niño, me tocó compartir la habitación con mi hermano menor. Tengo muy buenos recuerdos de despertarme por la mañana con el sonido de nuestra madre entrando en nuestro dormitorio y abriendo las cortinas de la ventana. Ella nos cantaba: “¡Buenos días! ¡Levántense, que ya brilla el sol!” La brillante luz de la mañana entraba por la ventana, convocándonos a comenzar un nuevo día.

Este recuerdo de mi madre podría servir como una metáfora adecuada de la vida. Todos necesitamos, en ocasiones, abrir las cortinas y permitir que la luz de un nuevo día nos dé la bienvenida en nuestra vida y nos despierte a un nuevo propósito. Con la Luz de Cristo brillando sobre nosotros y nuestro mundo, despertados ya del sueño y liberados de la oscuridad que nos envuelve, podremos obtener una nueva perspectiva.

En una entrevista con el periódico Los Angeles Times en 1996, la cantautora Joni Mitchell habló sobre cómo llegó a escribir una de sus exitosas canciones. “Escribí ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ en mi primer viaje a Hawái”, dijo Mitchell, “Tomé un taxi hasta el hotel y cuando me desperté a la mañana siguiente, abrí las cortinas y vi unas hermosas montañas verdes a la distancia. Entonces miré hacia abajo y se encontraba un estacionamiento hasta donde alcanzaba la vista, y eso me rompió el corazón”.

La memorable letra de esa canción de Joni Mitchell—Pavimentaron el paraíso, construyeron un estacionamiento—nos despierta para ver más claramente con qué facilidad podemos cerrar los ojos y entregarnos a la oscuridad. Nos encontramos viviendo la vida dormidos y sin darnos cuenta del pavimento que cubre la belleza de nuestra creación, y esto nos impide apreciar el don de la creación y desarrollar un respeto por la vida.

Cada año el mes de octubre nos ofrece la oportunidad de una vez más despertar y renovarnos

en nuestro cuidado de toda la creación, incluyendo el don sagrado de la vida. Estamos invitados a abrir las cortinas y dejar entrar la luz de un nuevo día para que podamos reconocer la santidad de la vida que tenemos ante nosotros. Dios nos llama a “levantarnos” porque ya brilla el sol, a encontrar la manera de salir del letargo que nos envuelve y a reconocer el don sagrado que se nos ha regalado. Y ya sea que la vida que vemos ante nosotros esté en el vientre de una madre, en una celda solitaria, en una calle concurrida de la ciudad o en un bosque tranquilo y lleno de árboles, no podemos simplemente cerrar las cortinas y volver a dormir. Estamos llamados a abrazar cada nuevo día con propósito, sabiendo que todo lo que decimos y hacemos debe servir para despertar a otros para que aprecien también ellos la naturaleza sagrada de la vida.

Demasiados miembros de nuestra familia humana se encuentran dormidos en la oscuridad, cerrados y ciegos a la verdad del valor de la vida desde la concepción hasta la muerte natural. El difunto Dr. Bernard Nathanson, un defensor del derecho al aborto que se convirtió en activista antiaborto, dijo: “Menos mujeres abortarían si los úteros tuvieran ventanas”. Si tuviéramos ventanas hacia las mentes, corazones y almas de los demás, tal vez podríamos ser más respetuosos y más amorosos unos con otros y con el mundo que nos rodea.

Cuando nuestras ventanas están cubiertas y nuestros corazones pavimentados, como el paraíso de la canción de Joni Mitchell, necesitamos urgentemente que la asombrosa gracia de Dios entre en nosotros, así como mi madre entraba en nuestro cuarto durante mi infancia. Necesitamos ser despertados a la belleza de la creación y a las posibilidades de un nuevo día. Quitándonos el sueño de los ojos, podemos permitir que Dios nos ayude mientras abrazamos de todo corazón el llamado a cuidar la creación y la responsabilidad de proclamar el respeto por toda la vida. ✣

The Poetry of Creation

A CLOSER LOOK | Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

The first creation account in Genesis 1 is among the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. The confusion comes less from the words on the page than from a prejudicial determination of what Genesis 1 is trying to tell us. But it is in its very literary form that the message of the chapter is substantially revealed, if only we let it speak for itself. In other words, the kind of literature comprising Genesis’ first chapter is essential to its meaning. If we insist that it is a different kind of literature than it really is, we distort its meaning at the outset.

Six times, a passage begins, “Then God said … ” and each passage ends with the words, “Evening came, and morning followed.” If we considered this construction without any notion of what we are reading, it is probable we would conclude we are reading poetry or song; the repetition reminds us of poetic verses or musical choruses. This helps us see what Genesis 1 teaches us about creation when we turn to the verses’ actual content.

The six days of creation are structured in three corresponding pairs of passages, such that the first day corresponds to the fourth; the second to the fifth; the third to the sixth. Thus, creation of day and night on the first day corresponds to creation of the sun and moon on the fourth; sky and water to birds and fish; land and plants to animals of the earth (including humans). The sixth day, however, varies from the first five, as it creates two qualitatively different kinds of things: animals and humans. On the sixth day, God first creates all the animals that are not human (Gn 1:24-25). But then “God said: ‘Let us make man in our image after our likeness … God

created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them” (Gn 1:26-27). The human creature has “dominion” over all the other animals and fish (Gn 1:28); and the seed-bearing plants (from day three) are created as his food (Gn 1:29).

This poetic ordering tells us we are not reading a scientific account of the “how” of creation. Instead, both by the literary form and the orderly content of the prose-poem, the author is making a claim that the universe is orderly and purposeful. From the account’s form and content, we can reasonably surmise that Genesis’ author is suggesting creation has a poetic structure and order. We might even say that the universe is itself the poem, spoken by God and recorded by the sacred author.

Of course, the first creation account ends with a seventh day, but this day is different from the other six in two

Genesis 1 is a prose poem telling us that creation itself is poetic symmetry, ordered by and toward rest in God.

important ways. First, it does not begin with the words, “Then God said” followed by an act of creation. No work of creation occurs on the seventh day, at all. It just “is.” God was finished with the work He had been doing, so He “rested” on and “blessed” the seventh day. This implies that the seventh day may be identified with God Himself, a suggestion supported by its second important difference from the first six days. Unlike the first six days, the seventh day does not have a day to which it is paired. Instead, all six days of creation are ordered toward the seventh. The seventh day is the day of rest in God; or we might even suggest the seventh day is rest in God. It is the day toward which all the work of creation is oriented.

Thus, this creation account gives us the very foundation of the cause and purpose of our moral lives. It provides an account of the end and purpose toward which all creation is ordered. Creation (including the crown of creation, the human person) is properly ordered when— and only when—it is oriented toward God. Theologians call this idea “teleology,” from the Greek word “telos,” which means “end,” “goal,” or “purpose.” Catholic moral

theology is wholly built upon this foundation: that all creation is ordered toward its final purpose of rest (sabbath) in God. Thus, our moral lives are to be lived in such a way that they are consistent with that purpose.

Put another way, Catholic moral theology does not begin with assertions about what we must or must not do. Rather, it begins with an understanding of who we are in the perfection of creation. That is, we are beings to whom and for whom all creation is ordered; and in turn, we are ordered toward Sabbath rest in God. Moral theology is the discipline of articulating how this truth is translated into our practical lives. Catholic moral doctrine is not a collection of arbitrary rules for the sake of controlling us. Rather, it is a collection of principles and doctrines to guide us toward the good life of rest in God. Catholic moral doctrine is about who we are, properly considered, and, therefore, who we must become. The first creation account teaches us, in a world that is otherwise ordered toward us, that we are ordered toward peace with God. And so, Genesis 1 is a prose poem telling us that creation itself is poetic symmetry, ordered by and toward rest in God. ✣

What Happened to St. Anne?

QUESTION OF FAITH | Father David Endres

Little is known about the Blessed Virgin Mary’s parents. Neither Joachim nor his wife, Anne, is mentioned in the Scriptures. They are, however, referenced in extraBiblical sources like the Protoevangelium of James, a noncanonical text of unknown authorship that originated in the second century. This text is not considered inspired. None of its contents need be believed, but the writing contains much of the tradition surrounding the Virgin Mary’s mother.

Mother to the Virgin

It was in St. Anne’s womb that the immaculate conception occurred. As the mother of Mary, St. Anne is, unsurprisingly, presented as a devout woman in the Protoevangelium of James. According to this tradition, she could not conceive a child until the Lord looked upon her with mercy. Like other childless couples in the JudeoChristian tradition, including John the Baptist’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joachim and Anne were patient in prayer. After Joachim went into the wilderness to pray and fast, an angel appeared with the news that he and Anne would conceive. They waited for God to act, and he brought them a daughter.

After Mary’s Birth

After Mary’s birth, St. Anne recedes from the narrative presented in the Protoevangelium. The focus turns to Mary’s upbringing, which included service at the Temple. According to tradition, she assisted the priests and devoted herself to prayer, study, and weaving, which is why she is sometimes depicted with purple and scarlet thread, symbolizing royalty and divinity.

Given a short life expectancy, it can be presumed that St. Anne died while Mary was a girl. She would not have lived to see her daughter betrothed to Joseph or give birth to Jesus. But one medieval legend offers the story of an older St. Anne, who outlived St. Joachim and, later,

gave birth to other children. Eastern Christians have the tradition that her tomb is in Jerusalem, near the Pool of Bethesda, close to where Mary performed her Temple service.

Devotion and Intercession

Though little is known about St. Anne, she is widely venerated in the Church. Her intercession is sought for difficulties in family life and infertility. She is the patron saint of mothers, grandmothers, pregnant women, and teachers. Major shrines dedicated to her include the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, Canada, attracting nearly a million pilgrims annually.

The Shrine of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray in Brittany, France, is also notable. Here, in 1623, St. Anne revealed herself as the mother of the Blessed Virgin to two men working in the fields. It is the only Church-approved apparition of St. Anne. Leading up to St. Anne’s feast day each year, the shrine is the place for the “grand pardon,” where the faithful seek out confession and conversion of life.

Silence and Significance

The lack of information on St. Anne’s life can be its own spiritual lesson. Like many figures in the Scriptures and Christian history, St. Anne shows that God can have great plans for those who are insignificant in the world’s eyes. Those who struggle with poverty, persecution, sickness, and infertility often play a significant role in God’s plan. They show a special closeness to God and an attentiveness to listen to His voice.

Despite a lack of sources for the details of her life, St. Anne remains an extraordinary maternal presence among the saints. As mother to Mary and grandmother of Jesus, she is the matriarch of the Holy Family, with her spiritual care and intercession extending to those who seek her aid. ✣

Donate To

e

Holy Father’s Ponti cal Mission Societies

World Mission Weekend Oct. 18/19, 2025 WE

Dear friends, shortly after Pope Leo was elected, he met with mission o ce directors from around the world and reminded them, “ e Ponti cal Mission Societies are e ectively the ‘primary means’ of awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized and supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young.”

He added, “We see this in the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which provides aid for pastoral and catechetical programs, the building of new churches, healthcare, and educational needs in mission territories. We are to bring to all peoples, indeed to all creatures, the Gospel promise of true and lasting peace.”

Here’s how your donation can help:

$40 would support a novice or seminarian in many struggling dioceses for a week.

$160 provides for one month's expenses for a seminarian’s or novice’s training: textbooks, technology, lodging, medical care, and seeds to grow their own food.

$1,600 would cover those costs for nearly a school year.

$5,000 would go far in building schools and health clinics in mission dioceses.

Gratefully in the mission of Christ, Dr. Mike Gable, Mission O ce Director

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Address

Email

O er your mission gift with this QR code or write a check to the “Mission O ce” c/o Mission O ce, 100 E. 8th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Please consider adding the Mission O ce to your will as a legacy gift.

St. Therese, Little Flower Parish and Madagascar Sisters Celebrate 25 Years of

Parish Twinning Friendship

DR. JEROME GABIS

A parish twinning relationship is one in which a parish in the archdiocese and another church elsewhere in the U.S. or overseas come together in an active, mutual, and ongoing faith commitment of solidarity. The Office of Mission and Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati currently supports 39 twinning relationships, including between St. Therese, Little Flower Parish in Mt. Airy and the Sisters of Divine Providence in Madagascar.

After 25 years as twinning parishes, there was much to celebrate recently when seven Sisters of Divine Providence from Madagascar visited St. Therese, Little Flower. Expanding on their friendship, the Sisters and members of Little Flower’s twinning team dined together, enjoyed a sunset riverboat cruise on the Ohio River, celebrated the Eucharist, shared a 25th anniversary celebration, and bonded in mutual support and prayer.

Little Flower members were delighted to learn their friends from Madagascar were traveling this year to nearby Melbourne, Kentucky, for congregational meetings at their provincial center. The Sisters had hosted Little Flower groups four times in Madagascar over the years, and Little Flower parishioners were happy for this rare opportunity to welcome them to Cincinnati.

Twenty-six years ago, Sr. Francis Maag, CDP, was the parish director of religious education and attended a general meeting of her congregation, the Congregation of Divine Providence, in Madagascar. She returned on fire with zeal for the missionary work of her fellow Sisters in Madagascar. Concurrently, a group of Little Flower parishioners was exploring how to build an outreach relationship with a service group or organization outside the parish boundaries. In July 2000, the group voted to form a twinning relationship with the Sisters of Divine Providence in Madagascar, and within a few months, Little Flower Pastor Fr. Tom King and the parish council also voted to endorse the establishment of this

relationship in a covenant of friendship. The Sisters in Madagascar also endorsed this covenant, and visited Little Flower Church around the same time.

The sealed twinning covenant acknowledges that, as the Body of Christ, they share in the grace of God's love across the miles and cultures. It states that they enjoy an enduring solidarity to encourage one another in discipleship, community, and service to God's people in Cincinnati and in Madagascar. The covenant is sealed when they gather together around the Eucharistic table and are nourished and united in the presence of the Risen Lord. The groups commit to communicate, prayerfully support one another, and exchange hospitality.

Over the years, Little Flower parishioners have been pleased to share resources, especially for education, with the Sisters in Madagascar as they minister to the poorest of the poor. New schools were built, roofs repaired, guest houses constructed, oxen replaced, a four-wheel drive pickup purchased, and students sponsored in a remote bush country village in the north of Madagascar. The relationship’s next exciting phase will be the dedication of the new school in Pont Sofia.

“With a world and nation caught up in so much fear, violence, and distrust, it’s a blessing to see how these parish twinning relationships provide an alternative view of respect, compassion, solidarity, and even joy,” said Dr. Mike Gable, Director of the Office of Mission and Pontifical Mission Societies. “These types of relationships really instill hope in us, and put a smile on God’s face.”

To learn more about parish twinning, contact the Mission and Pontifical Mission Societies through Dr. Gable at (513) 263-6680 or mgable@catholicaoc.org. ✣

Dr. Jerome Gabis is the Twinning Coordinator at St. Therese, Little Flower Church in Mt. Airy.

TELEGRAM HOME

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Cassie Schemmel

When I think of Christ’s command to “go and make disciples of all nations,” I never imagined it would bring me to Trinidad and Tobago. I was born and raised in Maria Stein and spent my high school years involved in the Northern Vicariate retreats and events. It wasn’t completely surprising that in college I chose to study Religious Studies and Education. In 2013, my college professor at the University of Dayton Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski sent me on an immersion trip to a small island just off the coast of Venezuela.

Trinidad and Tobago is a vibrant twin-island republic in the Caribbean with a lively Catholic community. I spent two months with Living Water Community, a Catholic community with many ministries on the island and throughout the Caribbean. It didn’t take long before I felt God calling me to deeper discernment. I felt God’s call not just to be a missionary but specifically to a life as a consecrated person living in community, also known as a Household member. This meant committing myself to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience while serving God each day in the community’s ministry. After more than seven years of living in the community, I made my final and perpetual commitment to the evangelical counsels and to life within our community.

Since joining this community, my ministry has been quite varied. I started in the usual way—visiting our homes for the sick and dying to pray and assist the nurses, leading youth ministry sessions, packing bags in our food bank, and immersing myself in formation classes. Things look quite different now, as I have become more deeply involved in leading faith formation classes for adults in our community, coordinating our IT and digital communications, and helping with community administration when needed. It is impossible to summarize the ministry of any of the Household members because we are often pulled in many directions by whatever needs arise at the time. I have gone from fixing the Wi-Fi to praying with and serving a woman in crisis, from making sandwiches and serving breakfast in our coffee shop to working behind the camera for our 24/7

Catholic TV channel. In my vocation, I have learned that if I give what little I have to offer, God will multiply it for His work.

I am often asked why I came and settled here, how long I plan on staying, and—perhaps most frequently—why I didn’t become a nun or a religious sister. In all honesty, I was discerning religious life when I came on mission and felt confident in that call. When I came to visit the Living Water Community for that two-month immersion trip, I never imagined God would turn my world upside down. I didn’t quite understand what a lay ecclesial community was or how a consecrated person within these types of communities fit within the familiar mold of vocations. But within a month of my trip, I felt so at home that the idea of leaving felt shocking, and I knew I had to spend time in reflection and discernment.

I saw the way the people of Living Water Community lived in authentic relationships, responded to the Holy Spirit and the signs of the times, and honored each person they served as God’s child. There was a unique balance of tradition and contemplative prayer mixed with charismatic spirituality, a balance of work and prayer—and within that balance, I saw myself. Over the next couple of years, God opened my heart to this surprising call, and in 2017, I made the move.

God willing, the Living Water Community will be my home for the rest of my life, though my location may change. We currently have a mission in Barbados and have had missions on other Caribbean islands, as well as a mission in Russia. I’m grateful to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Mission Office for their support and for helping maintain a close connection. As I continue to give my life more deeply to God in this vocation, I ask for your prayers. Please know that I hold you all in prayer as well. ✣

Cassandra (Cassie) Schemmel is a Household member of the lay ecclesial Living Water Community in the Caribbean islands.

Book Review | Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

Two of the most intriguing women characters in all of world literature are the eponymous protagonists of Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina (1878) and Sigrid Undset’s trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter (1920, ’21, and ’22). Both novels deal with similar themes: Christian faith, wealthy families, stormy marriages, and the cultural and social expectations of their respective times and places (19th-century Russia and 14th-century Norway, respectively). And the two novels’ plots, while diverging in important ways, share certain elements.

As to their main characters, both Anna and Kristin are intelligent, passionate, ambitious, and headstrong women. Both defy their times’ social and religious expectations to pursue their own independent paths. Both make serious mistakes along the way, alienating family and friends, and putting themselves in extremely difficult situations. Both pursue forbidden love, willing to turn their backs on the people who love them in search of what they mistakenly believe will make them happy. Even more important than the similarities, however, are the stark contrasts between these two great characters. Put simply, Anna Karenina is a tragic novel; Kristin Lavransdatter is a comic one. This judgment is drawn almost solely from the two title characters’ ultimate destinies. And, for my money, the latter is a much more satisfying story.

Thus, I am grateful to Cluny Media for the lovely new edition of

Kristin Lavransdatter, available in three accessible volumes. It is important to note at the outset that this is not a new translation from Undset’s original Norwegian. Rather, it is a reprint of the original English translations by Charles Archer and J.S. Scott, first published from 1923 to 1927. This translation was superseded in some readers’ judgment by Tina Nunnally’s translation, published from 1997 to 2000. I prefer the Archer/Scott translation because they try to translate archaic Norwegian into roughly-equivalent period English. Put simply, the Cluny edition prefers terms like “thy, thou, and thine” over modern English equivalents. The result is a satisfying lyrical participation in the novel’s medieval setting.

Kristin Lavransdatter is the daughter of Lavrans, a wealthy and highly respected nobleman in rural Norway, and his wife, Ragnfrid, a pious and loving wife and mother. Ragnfrid suffers what we might now call PTSD after three infant sons’ deaths and her second daughter’s paralysis following a serious farm accident. This strains the relationship of Ragnfrid and Kristin, the latter gravitating more toward her father. As was custom, Kristin is betrothed to Simon Darre, a neighboring, wealthy nobleman’s son. But Kristin refuses to marry him, because she has fallen in love with the roguish, dashing, and morally suspect Erlend Niulaussen. After a period of obstinance and stubborn refusal, Kristin’s father reluctantly consents to her marriage to Erlend.

Much of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy is the narration of Kristin’s relationship with Erlend, his two children from a prior (unmarried) relationship, and their own seven sons. It is a romantic tale of personal betrayal, political intrigue, religious devotion, and financial hardship. But mostly, it is a novel about the title character’s heroic resiliency. Like Anna Karenina, Kristin is far from perfect. But unlike Anna’s story, Kristin’s story is ultimately one of redemptive suffering and the triumph of faith. The publication of this new edition is the perfect opportunity to read it for yourself! ✣

$59.95

Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy

Sigrid Undset Cluny Media, 2025

Faith, Family, and the Future of School Choice

KARY ELLEN BERGER

In June 2025, a Franklin County judge ruled Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship program unconstitutional. The program had expanded statewide in 2023 and remains in place during the appeals process, but the decision introduced uncertainty for families and schools across the archdiocese that rely on the scholarship.

This past May, Kent Halaby became Deputy Superintendent of Operational Vitality in the Catholic Schools Office after over 20 years in Catholic education. For him, the program’s uncertainty underscores how deeply the program is tied to two Catholic values: education and family responsibility.

“The archdiocese continues to believe that the EdChoice Scholarship program is constitutional in Ohio,” Halaby said. “We are confident that this will be the finding through [appeals, which] will likely end with the Ohio Supreme Court.”

Regardless of the outcome, he said the archdiocese’s mission remains: to ensure families can access Catholic schools regardless of financial barriers. And it has done so for many years.

“The Catholic Education Foundation, which was born from the One Faith, One Hope, One Love campaign, provides tuition assistance for eligible families,” Halaby said. “The allowance of non-refundable tax credits by the State of Ohio to certified scholarship granting organizations, which includes the Catholic Education Foundation, has provided additional resources for families.”

For many families, EdChoice made what seemed to be impossible possible, as it allows parents to choose where their children are educated, regardless of their financial situation.

Students benefit primarily through this choice. Halaby explained: “Parents are the primary educators of their children, so the [program removes] financial barriers to parents doing what is best for their children. That [includes] what is best academically, socially, and spiritually.”

This perspective is rooted in Catholic teaching. He referred to Pope Paul VI’s 1965 Gravissimum Educationis declaration, which states, “Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools.”

That liberty through EdChoice transformed area Catholic schools, including St. Peter School in Huber Heights. Having witnessed firsthand how the program changes lives, St. Peter’s principal, Kelly Kadel, sees the program directly supporting the Catholic mission of educating the whole child.

“St. Peter has always been a very diverse school,” Kadel said, but more families have been able to join the school community, such that we “opened new classrooms and hired new teachers. … We love the students we have gained! We love sharing our faith and traditions with our students, and we certainly love watching them learn and achieve.”

“[The uncertainty] is worrisome, because our families rely on the scholarship to send their children to St. Peter,” said Kadel of the court ruling. She hopes lawmakers recognize what Catholic schools bring to communities: “The best education for children because, in addition to providing an outstanding academic education, we strive to help children understand they are made, known, and loved by God, and that makes them invaluable. … All families should be able to choose that for their children.”

Halaby agrees: “Catholic schools uphold the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of our faith. Through the daily teaching and reinforcement of virtue and Gospel values, I hope policymakers recognize that Catholic schools provide fertile ground for faith, academics, and social learning.”

As the appeals move forward, families, educators, and decision-makers continue to have faith in the promise of EdChoice. For schools like St. Peter's, the program’s value, as measured by learning and growth, cannot be determined through legal briefs or political debate; it shows up on the faces of children learning, growing, and flourishing together in Catholic classrooms. ✣

A God Who Likes You

SHINE ON | Dominick Albano

As Alex walked home from St. James Middle School with his grandfather one fall afternoon, Grandpa could tell something was on Alex’s mind.

“Everything went okay at school today?” Grandpa asked.

“Yeah,” Alex replied.

The two walked along in silence for a few moments. The one-word answer wasn’t lost on Grandpa, nor the way Alex was dragging his feet. Grandpa tried again.

“Alex, is something bothering you?”

Alex was quiet for a moment, then he shared how he got in trouble at lunchtime. Two kids were arguing, Alex tried to help, a teacher stepped in who didn’t understand … and somehow Alex ended up in the principal’s office.

He didn’t even get in trouble. Once the teacher and principal heard his story, he was sent back to class. But the other kids blamed him, and Alex left the office feeling defeated.

“I never do anything right,” Alex told his grandpa.

Grandpa walked quietly. He knew Alex sometimes felt like things never worked out for him.

“Alex, you know God loves you, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“But do you know God likes you?”

“What?”

“Do you know God likes you? Everyone always talks about how much God loves you. But do you know he likes you too?”

“God likes me?”

“Sure He does. He made you just the way you are. He gave you your ideas, your talents, even your quirks. God did all that—and He likes it.”

When’s the last time you stopped and thought about how much God likes you?

It’s easy to imagine God has a human-making machine in heaven—pull the lever and out we come, one after another, like products off an assembly line.

But God doesn’t work like that.

There was a moment in time when you did not exist, and God stopped to think of you. A moment of inspiration when He said, “Yes—that’s just what the world needs.” He created you with that level of intention; with purpose and with attention.

And if that’s true, then every single life is that same kind of miracle. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a child in the womb or an elderly grandparent, the missionary serving in a far-off land or the student walking home from school. Every life is unrepeatable. Every life shines God’s glory into the world.

This month, I want to shine a light on the miracle of you.

I know things aren’t always perfect. I know sometimes it feels like God made a mistake. But it isn’t true. Strip away all the world’s measuring sticks—the job titles, the money, the mistakes, the hardships—and what’s left is exactly who God wanted.

You’re beautiful. You’re worthy. You’re strong. You have a purpose. You’re precious in God’s eyes. There was a moment when God thought you were exactly what the world needed.

Just like Alex needed to hear it, maybe you need to hear it too:

God doesn’t just love you. He likes you. ✣

A Return to the Sacraments

How Sensory Friendly Masses Draw People Back

MARYBETH SPROULL

It’s common to see a squirming child during Mass and to smile. Perhaps you offer a prayer for the parents doing their best to corral the child’s energy. Some children outgrow their Mass wiggles, but some retain for life that inability to focus or sit still. It’s not something they can control. There’s something more complex in some families’ lives—a disability.

Children with autism, elderly adults with dementia, and others with a mental difference can face challenges during Mass that may lead to their families deciding not to return. Mass can be overstimulating: there’s the incense, lengthy homilies, loud music, and bright overhead lights. When families feel disruptive, or even, unfortunately, unwelcome, they sometimes stop attending Mass.

So, Lisa Averion, Associate Director for the Office of Persons with Disabilities in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, created the Sensory Friendly Mass initiative. She is passionate about this topic, as many of her children live with disabilities, including a daughter with Down syndrome. Averion’s dedication is driven by understanding; she’s advocating for her family and families like hers.

A Mass in every traditional sense, the Sensory Friendly Mass differs only in what is external to the heart of the liturgies—the environment. Bright overhead lights are turned down or off, use of incense is minimized, the piano replaces the organ, homilies are shorter, and almost everything is spoken rather than sung. And attendees are allowed to bring things

to fidget with. The calmer atmosphere from these slight adjustments benefits many.

The St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes already celebrates Sensory Friendly Masses at St. John Fischer Church on the first Sunday of the month. It’s a wellattended Mass, and Averion says she receives positive feedback from all attendees. St. Philip the Apostle Church in Morrow is building a sensory friendly room, where Mass can be viewed but the audio

will be quieter, and those present can move freely about the room. Averion believes it will be a great help to the community.

Education is key to this initiative, said Averion. The more that people understand what the Sensory Friendly Mass is and how it benefits all of God’s children, the easier it will be to include throughout the archdiocese. She wants to spread the knowledge and awareness of this Mass’ benefits to both those with sensory challenges and the whole community.

The goal is to make the sacraments available for everyone, Averion said. She wants parents to know, “You are not a burden to the Church if you ask for accommodations for your children to receive the sacraments.” She hopes the Sensory Friendly Mass will empower parents to bring their differently-abled children back to the Mass and sacraments.

You are not a burden to the Church if you ask for accommodations for your children to receive the sacraments.

“We need to welcome our brothers and sisters with disabilities, to bring them into the folds of the Church and of Christ. They can’t necessarily help themselves, but we can make small changes to respect their dignity and bring them to the sacraments,” Averion said.

October is Respect Life Month, and, according to Averion, this initiative fits perfectly into what the Church teaches to be “pro-life.” While she and her office support families with disabilities, she also enables support groups for caregivers, helping them find resources within the archdiocese. If you or a family you know needs disability support, contact Lisa Averion at laverion@catholicaoc.org. ✣

Saturday Nov. 15th

Day of Prayer & Healing After Abortion

Have you or someone you know su ered from the loss of a child to abortion? We invite any woman who has experienced this loss to join us for a one-day retreat on Saturday November 15th. is event o ers women a safe and con dential space to share their experiences, re ect on their past, and o er their futures to Christ who makes all things new. A trained priest, counselor, and post abortive volunteer will be present to accompany participants along the journey of healing. e event location and details will be shared after completing the registration process.

You can register for this event by calling 513-784-0531, emailing ProjectRachel@catholicaoc.org, or by going to ProjectRachelOhio.org. All communications are kept in strict con dentiality.

Walking with Moms

REBEKAH OTT

Walking with Moms in Need, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is spreading throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The ministry’s goal is to support moms in obtaining their basic needs.

“It is a call from the bishops to each parish to do this,” said Chris Tonnis, chairperson of the Walking with Moms chapter for the Mary Queen of Heaven Family of Parishes. “We’re serving the women right in our neighborhood. It’s meant for each parish to be known as a place to go and for every parishioner to know how to serve the moms in need.”

“A parish has to evaluate what is available to women in their neighborhood and to determine [the gap],” continued Tonnis. “What we have are these families who live month to month, and they just need a little extra help.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish first brought the ministry to Cincinnati, when then Father (now Bishop) Earl Fernandes was pastor. Tonnis, a parishioner of St. James the Greater, White Oak, brought it to her parish family after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

“I thought, this is a watershed moment,” Tonnis said. “We have to do something different. I found the USCCB’s Walking with Moms in Need [ministry], then emailed [Father Jim Wedig, our pastor] … . He said, ‘Yes, we need to do this, and not in two years. We need to do this now.’”

The parish ministry consists of a volunteer group dedicated to donating every month. Among its larger initiatives is a baby shower for a referred mom, three of which are typically held annually in a parish center.

“We contact the mom, meet with her, get to know her a little bit, and set up a baby registry,” said Gina Schrand, head of the Mary Queen of Heaven baby shower team. “We shower her with gifts, love, support, blessings and prayers, and all kinds of goodness.”

The ministry matches invitations and decorations to the mom’s chosen baby shower theme, and all parishioners are invited, along with the mom’s family and friends. A separate parish ministry sponsors the shower by providing food, drinks, and gifts.

“Lots of gifts. Lots of diapers,” said Schrand. “The Knights of Columbus have blessed each shower

with a huge assortment of diapers for these moms. [Parishioners donate] their baking talents, so we always have beautiful cupcakes, a cake, or cookies.”

A priest usually attends the shower to give the family a blessing, and the mom receives a memento photo.

“We ask the moms if we may stay in touch after the shower,” said Schrand. “So far, all of them have said ‘yes.’ We touch base throughout the year to see how they are doing and send a birthday card to the baby when they turn one year old.”

When the St. Vincent de Paul Society learned of the parish’s Walking with Moms ministry, we began collaborating, Tonnis said.

“They frequently run into families who have young children [and need help], so we [established] a diaper care package team. When St. Vincent de Paul contacts us, one of my team members … buys a case of diapers and wipes. We’ve served about 40 neighbors now in the last year and a half,” she said.

The ministry also invites parishioners and parish schools to participate in spiritual adoption every four years.

October Bethany Brunch

Young women are invited to join us for our rst-ever Bethany Brunch, hosted by the Holy Cross Family of Parishes, Sunday, October 5 at Mary, Help of Christians Parish, Fort Recovery.

“A year of spiritual adoption is when people spiritually adopt an unborn baby,” said Tonnis. “It could be somebody in the past, future, or now. [They] pray for them for nine months. We [included them in our] petitions at church … collected the names of all the babies [over 600 were adopted] and placed them in a basket in front of Mary.”

“I would like to say, ‘Thank you’ to St. Ignatius of Loyola [Parish],” said Schrand. “Their Walking with Moms in Need group [was our model]. They were such a tremendous help to us in getting our chapter started.”

“It just brings me joy to give someone the basic needs of life, and then some, of course,” said Schrand. “Every single one of the moms has been overwhelmed and filled with appreciation and gratitude for what we have offered them. It’s truly heartwarming to see that.” ✣

To learn more about Walking with Moms in need, visit: resources.catholicaoc.org/walkingwithmoms.

We'll begin with 9:00 AM Mass in the parish, followed by brunch and fellowship with the Mercedarian Sisters.

or

Success Has A Starting Point.

Before he was a CEO, surgeon, or small business owner, he was a student at ELDER.

Join us for OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, November 13

4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

See how we are developing tomorrow’s leaders, today!

A Community Builds a Peacful Place for Prayer

October is traditionally the month of the Rosary.

Parishioners at Mary Help of Christians Church in Fort Recovery are experiencing this devotion in a new way with the recently opened Mary Queen of Peace Garden located on the church’s property.

Designed to aid the community in praying the Rosary and Stations of the Cross, the garden’s path has numerous, large, inlaid granite circles organized in decades to form a large rosary in the sidewalk. There are also fourteen points along the path for people to meditate on Christ’s suffering through the Stations of the Cross. These devotional images helped fulfill the goal to make a space for families to pray and support parents in their responsibility to teach their children the faith.

From the start, its creation was a collaboration of many people and businesses in the Fort Recovery and Coldwater communities, which make up the Holy Cross Family of Parishes in south-western Mercer County.

“Everyone who had a hand in it wanted it to be for the Glory of God,” said Hannah Bihn, a member of the parish council that oversaw the project. “The response from the community was more than generous.”

The Stations of the Cross are modern stained glass windows, artistically traditional in their style. Mary Help of Christians teamed up with Window Creations near Lima, Ohio, to design and execute this prayer garden feature. “The stations are a solid piece of tempered glass,” said Tim Hart, also a member of the parish council. “They should withstand almost all elements of nature.” These windows are a beautiful legacy that will last.

The garden’s patronage under Mary Queen of Peace was among the last details decided, and also a community effort. Parishioners from all seven of Holy Cross Family’s churches submitted suggestions for the garden’s name, then the parish council listed the top four options for the Fort Recovery and Coldwater communities to vote on. It was close, but Mary Queen of Peace won by a handful of votes.

Many parishioners sacrificed financially to build the beautiful garden, and others supported the project with their skills or businesses—they all wanted to help.

“The people leading the charge were so dedicated to the idea that this is a space for the entire community, both Fort Recovery and Coldwater,” said Fr. Alexander Witt, pastor of the Holy Cross Family of Parishes. “From the concrete to the flower beds, the garden is a gift to all and a testament to the craftsmanship of the local people.”

The idea for an outdoor prayer space began under Fr. Ned Brown’s leadership, before the Beacons of Light process. The project started small, but as more people learned about it, it grew to what it is today.

People have been using the space since the stations were in place before Lent ended. Local students used them for prayerful reflection after school on Fridays, and other individuals and groups have made use of the garden. “One of the great joys of living on site is seeing the various ways in which this space has been used,” Fr. Witt said. “To see God become part of people’s lives, from the more serious to something as small as a trip for ice cream.”

One might say that the cherry on top of it all was Archbishop Robert Casey’s visit in July to bless the space. While a plan was made to have the garden blessed, it was made before he was installed as Archbishop of Cincinnati. So, it was a surprise and blessing that he could join the community to celebrate their new prayer space’s completion.

Now that the landscaping is in and the ground is blessed, the Holy Cross Community invites everyone to visit and pray in their Mary Queen of Peace Garden. “What it adds to our community is truly great,” said Hart. “I tell everyone, ‘You need to go and see it.’”

Especially during this month of the Rosary, an autumn prayer walk might just be what Our Lady is asking of you. ✣

The Unicorn and the Virgin’s “Yes”

DIVINE SEEING | Emma Cassani

In a visually saturated world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and become desensitized to beauty. Visio Divina, Latin for “divine seeing,” encourages us to slow down and engage in visual contemplation, using art as a profound tool for connecting with the Divine.

A Guide to Visio Divina

Begin by making the sign of the cross and inviting the Holy Spirit to guide your contemplation. Spend a moment meditating on Madonna in a Rose Garden (ca. 1480), painted by Martin Schongauer or a follower of his. This work, originally two panels of a Dominican altarpiece, is located at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France. Then, read Luke 1:26-28.

Background

Painted around 1480, this work reflects the late-Gothic love of detail and symbolism. Among its many symbols, the most

curious is the unicorn—an image with an ancient and fartraveling history. First recorded in classical antiquity and in accounts from first-century India, the unicorn’s legend spread across cultures as travelers passed along their embellished stories. Most often, it was described as a powerful, horselike creature possessing a single long horn between its eyes. The horn was believed to hold healing properties, capable of purifying water, curing disease, and dispelling poison.

The unicorn was prized not only for these miraculous powers, but also because it was supposedly nearly impossible to capture—untameable by hunters and able to resist any chains. Legend held that hunters would try to capture the unicorn by presenting a virgin—for only in her presence would the creature approach, lay its head in her lap, and make itself vulnerable.

Even more curious, unicorns found their way into biblical translations. In the second century BC, Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered the word re’em (wild ox) as

monoceros (“one-horned”), likely influenced by classical folklore. Over time, such creatures—along with real and imagined animals and natural elements—began to be interpreted through a Christian-allegorical lens. To bring order to these interpretations, a book called the Physiologus (The Natural Historian) was compiled in the second or third century AD as a handbook for Christian symbolism. Its fifty entries described the natural properties of animals or natural elements alongside their spiritual and moral significance.

According to the Physiologus, the unicorn was said to be a small creature, resembling a kid goat, with a sharp horn protruding from its forehead. For early Christians, it came to symbolize Christ—wild and unconquerable, yet freely yielding to the Virgin Mary in the mystery of the Incarnation.

The allegorical tradition gained further weight in the fourth century when St. Jerome translated the same term, re’em, as

unicornis, a choice that carried into the King James Bible in the 17th century. In the seventh century, St. Isidore of Seville (a Doctor of the Church) referenced the Physiologus in his Etymologies, reinforcing the unicorn’s role as a Christian symbol. Thus, a creature born of legend entered sacred scripture and gradually became a rich Christian motif woven throughout art and literature.

Enter In

The painting opens at dawn—the prime hour for hunting. The sky glows a deep blue as the sun climbs behind the mountain. Within the garden walls unfolds a scene that blends the classic unicorn hunt narrative with the Annunciation.

The archangel Gabriel enters the garden. He sounds his horn while four hunting dogs strain at his side. He is portrayed as the hunter. However, this is not a hunt in the usual sense. Rather, Gabriel leads the “chase” on God’s behalf, seeking out Mary and delivering the news.

From Gabriel’s horn, a scroll unfurls with the words, Ave Maria, gratia plena—“Hail Mary, full of grace.” From the dogs’ mouths, other scrolls unravel, inscribed with mercy, justice, peace, and truth—four divine attributes named in Psalm 85. Here, the virtues are personified through the hounds, and the painting reveals how, in the Incarnation, these divine gifts are fulfilled and made present.

Across the garden, the Virgin Mary sits serenely in the grass. The unicorn appears as a small, humble, goat-like creature (as described in the Physiologus) and surrenders completely to the Virgin, freely resting its head in her lap. Her calm demeanor and hand gestures show openness— she receives the unicorn or Christ freely, not by coercion, but by consent: “Let it be done unto me according to Your word” (Lk 1:38).

Apart from the unicorn hunt, the artist fills the garden with a fascinating array of symbols—or more specifically, typologies. A type (from the Greek word typos, meaning “figure” or “pattern”) is an element in the Old Testament that points to its fulfillment in the New Testament, its antitype.

Continued on page 28.

Notice where the Annunciation unfolds—in a garden with castle-like walls surrounding it. These walls form a hortus conclusus, Latin for “enclosed garden,” drawn from Song of Songs 4:12: “You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.” The enclosed garden is a type of Mary, alluding to her purity. At the same time, the castle-like walls emphasize both her queenly status and the sacred protection of her virginity. Just left of the center stands a fountain, but its top is sealed shut and fastened with a lock. This is the “sealed fountain” mentioned in the Song of Songs verse—another image of Mary’s chasteness.

The rest of the types include the flowering rod of Aaron (Ex 4:2-4), the burning bush (Ex 3:1-6), the golden jar of manna (Ex 16; Heb 9:1-5), and Gideon’s fleece (Jgs 6:3640). All these types point to Mary and can be explored more deeply. I think the most compelling one is the image to Mary’s right; it looks like a golden vessel of bread which recalls the golden jar of manna kept in a tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 16; Heb 9:1-5). This type points to Mary as the New Ark—the Vessel who carries the Bread of Life.

Reflection

The Madonna in a Rose Garden is a strange, yet beautiful depiction of the Annunciation. Its unicorn allegory and Marian typologies invite us to linger, for every detail offers something new to discover.

I love the image of the unicorn here. Unlike the shining, majestic horse of folklore, here it appears as a small, goat–like creature—vulnerable yet brimming with mystery and power. In the same way, Christ entered this world not through grandeur but in humility, through the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Like the unicorn drawn to the Virgin, God was drawn to Mary’s purity. May we, too, embody the same purity of heart that allows room for Him to dwell in us.

As Pope St. John Paul II reminds us, Marian images and typologies help us understand the plan of salvation:

“They help us perceive the plan of salvation in Mary’s story; they convey to us a vital and indelible experience that is imprinted on our spirit, because they lead us from Mary’s beauty to the very author of truth and beauty, as the Book of Wisdom states: ‘From the greatness and beauty of created things, by analogy, the author is known’ (Wis 13:5)” (Pope John Paul II).

In other words, the beauty we see in Mary and in the symbols surrounding her is not an end in itself, but a reflection that leads us to Christ, the Author of all beauty.

For further exploration

• “Address of John Paul II at the Inauguration of the ‘Imago Mariae’ Exhibition at Palazzo Venezia.” Vatican.va. Vatican Publishing House. June 20, 1988.

• Ehrman, Rev. Terrence, C.S.C. “Horn of Salvation and Symbol of Chastity.” Sacredarchitecture.org. The Institute for Sacred Architecture.

• Grillo, Jennie. “‘Blessed Is the Fruit of Thy Womb,’ in the Visual Commentary of Scripture.” Ed. by Ben Quash. TheVCS.org. London: The Visual Commentary on Scripture Foundation. 2019.

• Hamman, Dr. Grace, and Victoria Emily Jones. “The Annunciation and Art with Victoria Emily Jones.” YouTube. Old Books With Grace. November 17, 2021. Referenced segment 10:40–18:00.

The Uncelebrated Roots of Holy Days

CATHOLIC AT HOME | Katie Sciba

“Walk with your feet on earth, but your heart in heaven.” —St. John Bosco

Six-year-old Peter sat listening to his older brothers and little sister chat excitedly about Santa. It was early October, not even close to Christmas, but they exchanged stories of hearing reindeer on the roof and how that one friend at church swore he found Ol’ St. Nick's white glove among his gifts under the tree. A thoughtful boy grounded in reality, Peter nonchalantly contributed to the conversation: “I don’t think Santa leaves us presents. I think parents do it.”

My eyes went wide as I sipped my coffee. So far as I knew, we still had a house of “believers,” and Andrew and I kept a pretty tight lid on the fact that we were the ones eating the milk and cookies.

Peter’s siblings vehemently protested with assertions of Christmas magic until four-and-a-half-year-old Jane broke into the argument with: “How did Santa survive?”

“Survive?” I asked.

“Santa is St. Nicholas,” she reminded me. “All the other saints died, but St. Nicholas is in the North Pole, and he’s super old.”

“Interesting!” I said, throwing back my last swallow and redirecting everyone to the next activity. But my own musing on death, saints, and holy days would later resurface.

I took the crew to the store for a light grocery run. There was Halloween merchandise everywhere; some of which we dodged because it scared the kids. As the bulk bags of candy gave them a buzz of excitement, they started talking costumes and plans for October 31. “The Niemeyer’s pray after they go trick-or-treating,” my son, Thomas, reported. It was true. This family from our parish was the first we knew who actually celebrated All Hallows’ Eve as day one of Hallowtide, a three-day observance that helps us, the faithful, reflect on our own

mortality and the hope of eternal life with the Lord.

What my family had yet to learn was that Halloween itself is for the Church Militant, the faithful on earth still fighting in spiritual warfare and still in need of grace to fight off and heal from sin. Before celebrating All Saints’ Day (a feast for the Church Triumphant in heaven) and All Souls’ Day (the feast for the Church Suffering in Purgatory), Halloween, in its true form, beckons us to embrace the reality of death, not to scare us, but to underscore that we’re made for full union and happiness with God. It’s the real meaning and purpose of the day now secularly focused on all things macabre, including fear of death.

But because that holy reality is not packaged and marketed, the deep truth of Hallowtide is easily missed, just like the profound reality of the Incarnation at Christmas and the Resurrection at Easter. We can all lose sight of holy days’ foundational significance, but children are especially subject to the distraction because they don’t yet comprehend the spiritual reality of these solemnities. Bedazzled by candy and presents, their attention turns inward on these holidays that are meant to draw our hearts away from the things of this world, toward eternal bliss with God. Shoot, isn’t that really all of us?

Maybe we parents missed some deeper roots growing up, so they seem foreign now. That’s okay. We don’t have to miss them anymore. We can dive in and rediscover the grace available to us in each feast and the constant beckoning to live for something greater. There are countless resources on liturgical living—for children and everyone up through aspiring theologians—and with so many feasts ahead, even small changes in how we celebrate them will open us to the wonder of heaven in each of those days. Let’s choose to step into that rhythm—teaching and leading our children and reminding ourselves that every holy day is meant to point us to heaven. ✣

MISSION IN ACTION

Honoring the Spirit of Sr. Dorothy Stang

Each spring across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, remarkable stories quietly unfold in high schools— stories of young people and educators who see a need and respond with compassion, creativity, and persistence. This year’s Spirit of Sister Dorothy Stang Award recipients embody what it means to live as missionary disciples in their everyday life.

Presented annually to graduating seniors, faculty, and staff, the award recognizes those whose lives reflect the values of Sr. Dorothy Stang, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur who gave her life in 2005 defending the rights of subsistence farmers in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

“Each nominee is unique, and each story reveals creative engagement that reflects characteristics of Dorothy’s life,” explained Teresa Phillips, Director of the Office of Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation, for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. “Each one holds the belief that they can make a difference and that change is possible when we work together.”

Courage and Creativity in Service

This year, 15 students and educators received the award, which began in the Missions Office of the archdiocese in 2010, commemorating the five-year anniversary of Sr. Dorothy’s death in Brazil. For four seniors at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School—Amaia Jackson, Alyssa Wagner, Casey Nguyen, and Lacy Liette—mission took the form of a conversation. Through their capstone project, Girl Talk, they created a safe, supportive space for seventhand eighth-grade girls at Our Lady of the Rosary School in Dayton to explore difficult topics, learn leadership skills, and

discover their own voice.

“They wished to provide guidance and a safe space for young girls to discuss hard topics that girls face in today’s world,” said Jillian Foster, Regional Director of Catholic Social Action for the archdiocese. “They went out of their way and did the hard work to touch lives. I was inspired and amazed by their level of passion and dedication.”

At Seton High School, social worker Jenny Jenkins lives mission in her daily work with students who face poverty, a broken home life, or other significant challenges. She builds trust in simple, human ways, like walking outside with students during meetings so they can feel the sun and hear the birds. She co-moderates a hiking club, helps students earn their driver’s licenses, and works closely with Hispanic families to bridge cultural differences. “She is always working to understand where her students are coming from and how she can meet them there,” Foster said.

Catholic Central High School’s president, Mike Raiff, learned of his award only after a campus-wide effort to keep it a surprise. Under his leadership, the school has made great strides to ensure every student has access to the resources they need, whether it be through academic support, counseling, or meeting basic needs, regardless of the student’s situation or background.

Mission Is for Everyone

For the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, this award is unlike any other given in a high school setting. “It is not often people are recognized for giving of themselves to benefit others,” said Phillips. “Awards are given for the best athlete

or the best grades. But anyone can give back to their community, stand with the marginalized, and care for the earth, ‘our common home.’”

October’s Month of Mission is a reminder that the call to serve is not limited to missionaries overseas—it is the daily responsibility of every baptized Christian. The lives of this year’s awardees show that mission begins with presence, compassion, and relationship.

“When we receive Christ in the Eucharist, we are called to take that love of Christ and pour it out into the world,” Foster said. “It all begins with building relationships—not just with friends and family, but with people different from you. A different background, different skin color, different language. Bit by bit you come to understand others more easily.”

Phillips echoed that mission requires both personal and systemic change. “We must be willing to change personal behaviors and advocate for system change,” she said. “Anyone can give back. ‘No’ is not an option when living out the Gospel values of caring for each other and the gift from God that is creation.”

The Power of Words and Witness

For Foster, one of the most moving aspects of the process was reading the nominations. “It’s the words of the nominators that strike me. They are so moved by [the awardees], who they are as a person, and the service and care they give so freely and sincerely.”

Those words and the work they describe make the Spirit of Sister Dorothy Stang Awards more than a plaque or a ceremony. They are a testimony that the Gospel is alive in classrooms, after-school programs, and in the daily work of listening and showing up for others.

In the end, these awardees teach us that mission is the daily choice to respond to Christ’s call with whatever gifts we have, wherever we are. And as long as the spirit of Sr. Dorothy lives in their work, the Church’s mission will continue to grow, one courageous “yes” at a time. ✣

2025

Spirit of Sister Dorothy Stang School Awardees

Recognizing students, faculty, and staff who embody Gospel courage, care for creation, and solidarity with those who are impoverished.

Archbishop Moeller High School

Anthony Corder, Teacher

Catholic

Central High School

Mike Raiff, President

Chaminade Julienne High School

Students: Amaia Jackson, Alyssa Wagner, Casey Nguyen, Lacy Liette

DePaul Cristo Rey High School

Katie Hoekzema, Teacher

Elder High School

Tyler Lorenzen, Student

Mount Notre Dame High School

Alicia Ausere, Teacher

Roger Bacon High School

Lily Voss, Student

Seton High School

Jenny Heile Jenkins, Social Worker

Stephen T. Badin High School

Jackie Noelker, Intervention Specialist

St. Ursula High School

Heather Williams, Teacher

St. Xavier High School

Andrew Coburn, Student

The Summit Country Day High School

Johnathan Breazeale, Student

NET Ministries Lifeline

A Eucharistic

Encounter for Teens

and a Catalyst for Faith

SUSAN BERGMAN

On a Saturday night in West Chester, the doors of St. John the Evangelist Parish open wide. Inside are found laughter, games, and the joyful hum of teenagers meeting new friends. A Vigil Mass is about to begin, led by a priest whose homily speaks right to the heart of the youth. Afterward, a dynamic keynote speaker takes the stage, offering a message designed to inspire and guide young people in their faith. Later, the lights dim, a worship band begins to play, and hundreds of young people kneel before the Blessed Sacrament in quiet reverence. This is Lifeline: A Eucharistic Encounter for High School Youth, a new initiative of NET Ministries designed to help teens meet Christ in a powerful, personal way.

When NET (National Evangelization Teams) Ministries launched in 1981, its mission was clear: challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Today, NET sends missionary teams of eight to twelve young adults, aged 18 to 28, across the country to lead retreats, youth programs, and parish discipleship. The Cincinnati NET office opened in 2014 and serves the Archdiocese of Cincinnati through retreats and parish partnerships.

“We had been forming relationships and figuring out how NET could best fit here,” said Katie Dell, Eastern Regional Outreach Coordinator. “The overwhelming demand for youth programs was clear. When we saw how well Lifeline was working at our Minnesota headquarters, we knew it was a perfect fit for our community.”

Launched locally in 2024, Lifeline is designed to draw teens into a deeper relationship with Jesus, with everything pointing back to the Eucharist. The evening runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and begins with fellowship and games that help break the ice and spark new friendships across parishes. A Vigil Mass follows, celebrated by multiple priests whose homilies are crafted especially for teens. A keynote speaker then delivers an engaging, relatable message, and the night ends with Eucharistic adoration accompanied by a worship band, offering time for prayer, reflection, and intimacy with Christ.

Lifeline is currently hosted at St. John the Evangelist in West Chester, with a Dayton event planned for April. The goal of attendance is to see more than 150 at each gathering.

No registration is required—just a permission form and a willingness to show up. For many participants, one of the nights’ best parts is meeting other Catholic teens from across the archdiocese.

“They come as strangers but leave with a sense of love and care from each other and from Jesus,” Dell said. “Whether you are the ‘rockstar’ youth group kid or not sure where you stand with your faith, you will walk away having encountered Christ in the Eucharist and feeling loved.”

Behind the scenes, NET missionaries prepare spiritually, emotionally, and as a team for these nights. Some serve on traveling retreat teams while others are based in parishes, leading youth ministry programs and sacramental preparation. All receive training in evangelization skills, small-group leadership, and safe environment protocols before beginning their work.

“They are so joyful in sharing their faith!” Dell said. “We are all excited to make Lifeline happen, and then we just watch what the Lord does with the night.”

For teens ready to go deeper, Lifeline Upper Room offers leadership development before the main event. Participants receive an additional talk from the keynote speaker, hands-on evangelization training, and behind-the-scenes time with missionaries. The experience not only deepens their faith but also plants seeds for future missionary vocations.

Jonathan Schaefer, DRE and Youth Minister at St. John the Baptist Parish in Harrison, has also seen the impact firsthand.

“Lifeline gave my daughter a way to recharge and connect with God, while showing her that other teens are searching for Him too,” Schaefer said. “As a youth minister, I value Lifeline because it provides experiences I can’t always offer at our parish.”

Looking ahead, Katie Dell’s hope is simple yet profound: “That they leave knowing they have encountered Christ in the Eucharist.”

For parents, Lifeline is more than a night out for your teen. It is a chance for them to step into a welcoming, joyful community, to hear the Gospel in a voice they recognize, and to experience the transforming love of Jesus.

O PE N

H OU S E

Wednesday, November 12

4:00 – 8:30 PM

*pre-registration required

For more information, contact Seton High School Director of Institutional Advancement Sarah Cranley Lykins ’02 at 513.471.2600 ext. 2422 or lykinss@setoncincinnati.org.

s etonc i n ci nnat i. o r g

My Teenage Daughter is Pregnant! What Now?

LAURA CURRAN

Janet and Rob (not their real names) entered our doors in a state of complete shock, having learned only hours ago that their 16-year-old daughter was pregnant. Angry, disappointed, and overwhelmed, they were grieving the loss of the idyllic future they had envisioned for their daughter.

Every day at Pregnancy Center Plus (PCPlus), we minister to scared teenagers who find themselves pregnant, but often overlooked in this scenario are the parents, like Janet and Rob, who just discovered their daughter/son is expecting. Some suspected their child was pregnant but ignored the signs. Others who considered themselves “pro-life” might find themselves questioning whether abortion is the best option. In such an emotionally charged situation, rational thinking can be difficult, and reactions often precede thoughtful responses.

We specialize in helping parents cope with the sudden news that they are grandparents. We are there to help them navigate the situation and take the next best steps to help their teenager. Over a warm cup of coffee, we share these insights:

You’re Not Alone

Thank you for being here with your child. Many teenagers come to us feeling completely isolated. Your daughter likely took a huge leap of faith to confide in you.

Take a Breath, Say a Prayer for Guidance, and Stay Calm

Your initial reaction will be something she remembers for a long time. Your response in these first days will significantly impact how she handles this situation moving forward.

Acknowledge Her Feelings

Just as your world feels like it's crumbling, she is likely overwhelmed with guilt and the fear of disappointing you.

Listen Without Judgment

Give her the space to talk openly. Ask her how she feels and what she needs from you right now.

Offer Unconditional Support

Avoid blaming or criticizing. Instead, focus on offering your unwavering love and support.

Become Informed

PCPlus is here to educate her about the life growing inside her. We offer a wide range of free services throughout pregnancy and beyond, including ultrasounds, prenatal care referrals, parenting classes, maternity clothes, baby supplies, nutritional and psychological counseling, life coaching, and more.

Consider Adoption

Adoption is a very loving option that we can help her explore through our on-site adoption agency. We encourage you to keep an open mind about this choice.

A Bright Future is Still Possible

While life has certainly changed, your daughter can still have a productive and successful future. Finishing school and pursuing a career remain within reach.

Process Your Own Emotions

It's important to work through your feelings with a trusted adult friend, pastor, family member, or therapist. This allows you to process your emotions without burdening your daughter, who is already dealing with a lot.

This is not your fault. Your daughter’s pregnancy does not define you as a bad parent.

Abortion

While abortion may seem like the “solution” to her current situation, this only adds another set of long-term problems to her plate. Whether you encourage her to have an abortion or fail to dissuade her from having one, she will likely blame you when the guilt, depression, and realization of what she has done begin to weigh on her.

Time to Prepare

There is plenty of time to make medical, financial, and educational decisions. You have several months to prepare for the baby. Our greatest blessings are often just on the other side of our greatest fears; your grandchild will bring unimaginable joy to your daughter and your family.

Rooted in the God-given dignity of each human life beginning at fertilization, Pregnancy Center Plus assists those who face difficulties arising from an untimely pregnancy, offers lifeaffirming alternatives to abortion, and promotes chastity. PCPlus is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. All services are free and confidential. For more information, go to SupportPCPplus.org. ✣

Laura Curran is the Executive Director of Pregnancy Center Plus.

House L ord of the

western HI lls / C ovedale

St. Teresa of Avila

GAIL FINKE

Origins

Formed in 1916 with 40 families, mostly German, who previously worshipped at St. William, St. Teresa of Avila was an “English” parish with no ethnic affiliation.

Fr. Joseph B. Mueller, then pastor of St. Louis Church in downtown Cincinnati, was named pastor and worked to grow

the church and neighborhood—he was instrumental in bringing the Warsaw Ave. Extension to the city’s streetcar system. When he died in 1939, St. Teresa was on its way to becoming one of the archdiocese’s biggest parishes.

Through the Years

1916

First Mass celebrated at a home on Overlook Ave. Church built in 21 days by parishioners and designed in a Spanish Mission revival style by parishioner Anthony Kunz, Jr., an architect who also designed Elder High School, St. Francis Seraph, and other notable buildings. The style was inspired by his visit to the PanamaCalifornia Exposition in San Diego.

1918

School built, staffed by Sisters of Mercy.

1922

Combined school/church built in the same style and designed by the same architect. The old church, currently used for storage and meeting space, is slated for renovation.

1935

School students raise funds to buy, install, and electrify the replaced bells from St. Peter in Chains Cathedral.

By the Numbers

1,200 | The first recorded donation for the original 1888 church, from a boy who contributed all his savings.

Quotes

1939

First annual Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession through the streets. This practice lasted until the 70s, revived in 1998, and is now a joint procession with St. William Parish.

1941

School addition doubles building’s size.

1960

Ground broken for current church.

Pastor Msgr. William Anthony, and architect John Burdick from Otto Baier Nilsen, toured Europe together for design ideas. The eclectic style features a Romanesque revival interior with primitive Spanish touches; a façade based on the Church of St. Gilles-du-Gard, Arles; triple prophetand-saint window sets based on the world’s oldest surviving stained glass (at Augsburg Cathedral in Bavaria), made by Franz Meyer Co., Munich; and exterior sculptures and friezes made by Robert Koepnich, head of

sculpture at the Dayton Art Institute, and student Walter Driesbach.

1962

Held first Mass in the new church’s lower level and, on Christmas, the first Mass in the main church. The tabernacle moved to the side chapel in 1970. New, freestanding altar purchased from a closed school in 1972.

2013

Major church renovation and restoration begins. Students vote on saints to feature in new windows made by Architectural Art Glass, Milford, to match the original windows. New altar furnishings, using existing bas reliefs, made by parishioner Tim Jansen.

100 ft. | Bell tower’s height

75 | Relics in the reliquary, including a piece of the True Cross.

“The priest who designed this went around Europe looking at buildings for ideas and brought them all together—it’s a really good way to make a mishmash, but here they come together beautifully. My favorite piece of art is the statue of St. Joseph—it’s a moving look at Christ as a child and Joseph as a loving father.” —Fr. Zachary Cecil, pastor

1 | Statue of St. Teresa made by Spanish sculptor Nassio Bayari Lluch of Valencia, Spain, while he studied in Cincinnati.

“We have robust youth groups—the junior high group has met for more than 40 years, but we formed a high school group four years ago and it’s really strong, we average 130 kids coming from all over. We’re planning to renovate the old church to its original beauty for them.” — Maria Williams, Director of Communications

Forming Christian leaders since 1996!

ROYALMONT ACADEMY

O PEN H OU S E: November 13 , 5: 00 – 7 : 3 0 PM

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Care and Upkeep for Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains

EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

When Leticia and Ramon Ruiz de Luzuriaga arrived in Cincinnati from the Philippines in the 1970s, they were initially without a parish to call home. Desiring to have their son Brian baptized, they received a warm welcome from then Father Carl Moeddel (later Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati) at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.

The Luzuriagas now live in West Chester, but gratefully call the cathedral basilica their spiritual home. Both are actively involved in its parish life as Eucharistic ministers, and Ramon ministers as a lector, parish council member, and a docent, frequently leading tours for visitors. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary there in 2021, receiving a special blessing from then Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, along with the other couples marking a marriage milestone. And Leticia credits prayers from the cathedral faith community with helping her heal after a major surgery.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains welcomes all the faithful, whether it be for significant celebrations in the archdiocese’s life or humble service to those in need. It ministers to droves of people who come to worship and participate in the sacraments—baptisms, confirmations, marriages, ordinations, and funerals.

“The cathedral basilica is the people’s parish, the mother church of the archdiocese,” said Fr. Jan Schmidt, rector. “It belongs to everyone.”

When coming together to praise and thank God, Fr. Schmidt hopes people recognize that they also have a role in ensuring the structure, which has witnessed to the faith of local Catholics for 180 years, is cared for and maintained.

“It has always been the responsibility of the people of the archdiocese to help fund [its] upkeep,” he emphasized. “Sunday collections and other donations … help pay for dayto-day operations,” but they are not enough for the building’s maintenance. “People should richly support their own parishes as they can, but the care and upkeep of St. Peter in Chains is critical for the people … . This is where new priests and permanent deacons are ordained, where the sacred oils are blessed every year. Without this place, the Church of Cincinnati doesn’t exist.”

The last major renovations were nearly 70 years ago, in the mid-1950s, when the structure underwent significant restoration and expansion, including new transepts, sacristy, rectory, and archdiocesan offices. The need for major repairs now may not be obvious to the casual observer, but they are critical, Fr. Schmidt said.

Although the building’s roof was recently replaced, at a cost of $4.2 million, there is extensive and expensive plaster damage from past water infiltration. Multiple organs, in use for decades, need to be replaced because worn out parts are no longer available. Sanctuary furnishings need to be refinished, the bronze entry doors to the cathedral basilica often become stuck or don’t open at all, parts of the parking lot are sinking, and the elevators and lighting system need updates, Fr. Schmidt noted.

While these contribute to the cathedral basilica’s beauty, more importantly, they affect “the safety, security, efficient operation, and overall accessibility,” he said. “I hope people can open their hearts and minds to supporting this. I know their hearts are with their parish communities, but we also all belong to a larger local Church and a worldwide Church. We are certainly responsible for caring for close-to-home needs, but also [for] caring for our cathedral.”

As Ramon gives tours of St. Peter in Chains, he is moved by visitor comments related to its beauty, its historical and spiritual significance, and the sense of God’s presence. “People really appreciate what a gift it is to the archdiocese,” he said.

“I can’t stress enough what a role it has played in our spiritual journey,” he added. “It’s such a beautiful, special place.”

Looking back on their years at the cathedral basilica, Leticia said, “I feel like the Lord directed us here. Whenever I walk in, I think, ‘Lord, this is my home, and maybe it’s a little taste of heaven.’”

Dec. 6 | Dec. 13 | Dec. 20

Details & Registration: olhsc.org/events 5440 Moeller Avenue, Norwood, Ohio

Mater Filius Queen City

A Joyful Witness of Life and Love in Cincinnati

MIKKI AND KIRK DOERGER

In the heart of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, God is writing a beautiful story of hope, faith, and love through the ministry of Mater Filius Queen City. Rooted in the timeless truth that every life is precious, this apostolate provides a safe and nurturing home for brave pregnant women who choose life. Through free room and board, transportation, spiritual development, and practical educational programs, Mater Filius Queen City is a living witness to the Gospel of Life. Every day, miracles unfold here as women encounter Christ’s love and discover the strength to embrace motherhood with dignity and courage.

Above all, we give praise to Almighty God, who is faithful and good in all things. It is by His hand and through His providence that Mater Filius exists. What began as a dream has become a thriving ministry that is transforming lives—not only the lives of mothers and their children, but also of volunteers, benefactors, and all who encounter this mission of love. Truly, “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lam 3:22), and Mater Filius Queen City is a radiant testimony to His faithfulness.

All of this is only possible with the selfless generosity of so many! We extend heartfelt gratitude to our prayer warriors, whose intercessions are our foundation. Every Rosary prayed, every Mass offered, every whispered plea for protection and grace uplifts this ministry

and the women we serve. To our benefactors—your sacrifices sustain us. Through your financial gifts and material support, mothers in crisis receive the stability they desperately need. And to our volunteers—your love makes Christ visible. You pour out your time, talent, and energy to walk alongside women at a most vulnerable moment, and you reflect the very heart of the Gospel.

It is especially inspiring to note that Mater Filius Queen City is over 96% volunteer run. This fact alone highlights the profound truth that God’s people are answering the call to love their neighbor in real, tangible ways. From driving a mom to her prenatal appointment to preparing a meal or rocking a baby to sleep—every act of service is a brushstroke in the masterpiece of love that God is painting here.

As the ministry continues to grow, so too do the opportunities to serve. We joyfully invite more hearts and hands to join us. Our most immediate needs include volunteers for transportation, educational instruction, meal planning and preparation with moms, and childcare. Each role provides not just practical support, but also the gift of accompaniment—walking with our mothers and helping them build confidence, skills, and hope for the future. As a volunteer said, “Volunteering at Mater Filius brings me such a sense of fulfillment. It can be difficult at first. But I have come to know

the mothers and other volunteers, and I know I am in the right place.” And another said, “The mothers appreciate the simplest things, like baking cookies together. It is hard to imagine that they have not had the chance to experience these simple things in their lives.”

The work of Mater Filius Queen City is not merely a program—it is an apostolate, a living expression of the Gospel in action. It is the Church being the Church: welcoming, protecting, nurturing, and celebrating life at every stage. In a culture that often fails to see motherhood’s beauty, Mater Filius stands as a beacon of hope, affirming that no woman should have to face pregnancy alone, and no woman or child should be considered anything less than a blessing.

This is a call to love our neighbor in the most radical and Christlike way: by walking with them in their hour of need. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of Matthew, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). In serving women and children in need, we are serving Christ Himself. And in receiving them, we are receiving an abundance of joy, grace, and blessing that only God can give.

Mater Filius Queen City is more than an organization—it is a family. It is a place where hope is rekindled, where mothers are empowered, where children are cherished, and where the light of Christ shines brightly for all to see. One of our mothers recently remarked, “I was actually in tears because I can’t believe I’m where I’m at in my life because of Mater Filius!” With grateful hearts, we continue forward, confident that God will provide through His people. Together, let us celebrate life, honor motherhood, and proclaim to the world: God is good, all the time—and all the time, God is good!

Mater Filius Queen City has a pressing need for a Director of the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC)

Mikki and Kirk Doerger are the executive directors of Mater Filius Queen City, Inc. FOR MORE INFORMATION

This vital position ensures that little ones are nurtured in a safe, loving, and developmentally enriching environment while their mothers grow in faith and pursue personal goals. And this role is an opportunity to shape young lives at their very beginning, fostering joy, wonder, and security. While the ministry is built primarily on volunteers, this position does have the option to be filled as a paid role. If you or someone you know feels called to lead in this way, you are encouraged to prayerfully consider joining Mater Filius.

Almost Two Years Later

BOB WURZELBACHER

Since Issue 1’s passage in November 2023, which enshrined the right to abortion in the Ohio Constitution, the state has witnessed a concerning shift in the moral landscape surrounding the sanctity of life. This constitutional amendment solidified access to abortion and prompted a series of legal challenges and legislative responses that reflect the ongoing struggle to uphold the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.

In August 2024, a legal challenge emerged when a 24-hour waiting period for individuals seeking abortions was blocked by a Franklin County judge. Intended to encourage reflection and informed decision-making, the requirement was deemed an unnecessary barrier by Judge David Young. The removal of this waiting period has contributed to Cincinnati becoming an abortion destination for many women from southern states like Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, which imposed stricter abortion regulations.

In October 2024, Ohio’s six-week abortion ban, known as the “heartbeat bill,” was also blocked by Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins. This law aimed to prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. His legal decision underscores the need for society to recognize every human being’s inherent dignity, including the most vulnerable among us.

Additionally, two laws were blocked that aimed to restrict access to Mifepristone, the abortion pill. The laws sought to impose necessary safeguards on chemical abortions, which not only clearly harm the child, but also carry significant health risks to the mother. The blocking of these measures raises concerns about prioritizing convenience over health and well-being, emphasizing the need for policies that actually protect women’s health.

The legal landscape shifted again in February 2025 when a law requiring the humane disposal of aborted fetuses was ruled unconstitutional. This law aimed to ensure respect for the dignity of the unborn, and its rejection raises troubling questions about society’s commitment to honoring life at

every stage.

Amid these developments, two significant bills currently under discussion in the Ohio legislature offer great hope that could profoundly impact the protection of life. The first is a pair of identical bills—House Bill 72 (HB 72) and Senate Bill 134 (SB 134)—which aim to prohibit state funding for any drugs intended to terminate a human life at any stage. This ban includes state funding for the abortion pill and drugs used for physician-assisted suicide and the death penalty, including the outright abolition of capital punishment in Ohio. Proponents argue that these bills reflect a commitment to the sanctity of life, aligning with the Church’s teaching that every human life is precious and deserving of protection.

The second bill, House Bill 324 (HB 324), known as the Patient Protection Act, aims to require in-person visits and follow-up appointments for any drug that has serious side effects in more than 5% of users. This legislation would directly affect Mifepristone’s availability in Ohio, removing the dangerous telehealth option and minimally reinstating the original requirements for in-person initial and follow-up physician visits that were in place when the drug was first approved in 2000. To watch podcasts on both pieces of legislation, go to: catholicaoc.org/beingprolife, click on the video playlist page, and scroll through the available videos.

As Ohio navigates the post-Issue 1 landscape, ongoing legislative debates and court rulings highlight the complexities of defending the sanctity of life. While Issue 1 has secured troubling protections for abortion access, new bills reflect continued efforts to shape a future that respects every human being’s dignity. As Catholics, we are called to advocate for a culture that cherishes life and supports families in need. The coming months will be crucial in determining how these legislative efforts unfold and what they will mean for the protection of innocent lives in Ohio. ✣

Bob Wurzelbacher is the Director of the Office for Respect Life Ministries in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

AsCatholics, we all have a sense that it would be a very good thing for youth to practice chastity at least as often as they practice choreographed TikTok dances. But how do we talk to them about it in a compelling way? Well, as a Chastity Educator, finding an answer to this question is quite literally my job.

Chastity, ironically, seems to be a dirty word in the current day and age. The good news is, nobody is more fascinated with dirty words than kids. And it’s fitting that chastity would have this reputation—the word sounds funny, it has something to do with sexuality, and parents really don’t want to mention it in front of their children. But if we want younger people to know the goodness and beauty of living chaste lives, we have to talk to them about it somehow.

To do this successfully, we need to make sure we understand what chastity is ourselves. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes chastity as, “The successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being.” (CCC, n. 2337) In layman’s terms, chastity is about living out God’s plan for our sexuality.

So what is sexuality? The Catechism says, “Sexuality, in

CARL JAKUBOWSKI

which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman.” (CCC, n. 2337) Simply stated, sexuality is about who we are as men and women, both as individuals and in our relationships.

You may ask yourself, “Ok, now what am I supposed to do with that information? Force my kids/students/local youths to memorize definitions? How will that help?” If you’re responsible for young people, some catechesis might not hurt. But more importantly, these lessons need to be “caught, not taught”. As Pope St. John Paul II is often quoted as saying, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”

So we need to ask ourselves, do we have virtuous habits? Are we living up to what chastity demands of us—staying away from pornography and reserving acts that elicit arousal for the marital bed? Are we otherwise living a life that attracts others to do the same? If one preaches chastity, then in the

next breath acts rudely or otherwise repellant, he has accomplished the exact opposite of what he set out to do.

It is also important to call to mind the myriad practical benefits of a life of chastity, especially when talking to young people on the fence. Ultimately chastity is not a “no”, but a “yes” to a better life—a life of authentic love. This plays out in several statistically significant ways.

According to Patrick F. Fagan, senior fellow and director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion, a spouse’s porn obsession was a factor in 56% of divorces (Larson, Huffington Post).

According to a comprehensive study analyzing the effects of pornography usage, “In all facets of the users’ lives, negative consequences were seen”, causing addiction and both mental and physical health issues (Qadri, Waheed, Munawar).

Multiple studies show that couples who wait to have sex until marriage have much lower rates of divorce (Stanton, Focus on the Family).

There are also plenty of other great resources from both religious and secular outlets, including Fight the New Drug and the Chastity Project.

Finally, when talking about sensitive topics like chastity, a foundation of trust is of the utmost importance. Teens and pre-teens don’t want to be talked down to, they want to be talked with. When I go into schools in the area to give presentations on chastity, I try to make our talks as fun and relatable as possible. Chastity is a relational virtue, so the goodness and beauty of it comes across more effectively if the relationship between the listener and presenter is a positive one. The way we like to do this is, in part, by throwing Jolly Ranchers as a reward to students who answer our questions. To nobody’s shock, this seems to work quite well!

Conversations about chastity might have some inherent

Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses.

level of awkwardness, but they don’t have to be all that difficult. Despite all the advice and precautions I’ve given, I honestly believe that fumbling through a chastity-related conversation in good spirits with a young person you’re responsible for is far better than saying nothing at all. So, to give one final word of encouragement and one final quote from Pope St. John Paul II (perhaps the most effective promulgator of chastity in living memory), “Be not afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!”

Carl Jakubowski is the Chastity Education Manager at Pregnancy Center Plus.

Rooted in the God-given dignity of each human life beginning at fertilization, Pregnancy Center Plus assists those who face difficulties arising from an untimely pregnancy, offers life-affirming alternatives to abortion, and promotes chastity. Our Chastity Educators present to thousands of Catholic school students every year, encouraging virtue and living in accordance with God’s plan. PCPlus is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. All services are free and confidential.

Go to SupportPCPlus.org for more information.

St. Gerard Majella

Humble Beginnings

Born in 1726 in Muro, Italy, to a family of seven, St. Gerard Majella grew up in poverty, with a great respect for the poor. His father passed away when he was 12, so Gerard went to live with his uncle to become a tailor, like his father. Once he began earning money at the age of 21, he split his earnings with his mother, the poor of Muro, and offerings for the poor souls.

Servant of Christ

In 1749, at the age of 23, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, and just three years later he became a professed lay brother, living with the three vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. Staying close to the poor, Gerard worked numerous jobs and was often called to serve the poor and sick.

Patron of Expectant Mothers

Even as he became extremely ill, St. Gerard only desired to live in God's will, until he died on Oct. 16, 1755, at the age of 29. He is the patron of expectant mothers, and his prayers are sought for children (born and unborn), women in childbirth, mothers, expectant mothers, motherhood, falsely accused people, good confessions, lay brothers, and Muro Lucano, Italy. His feast day is Oct. 16.

Prayer

O St. Gerard, beloved servant of Jesus Christ, and devoted child of the Mother of God, enkindle within my heart a spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in yours. Because you loved children and rushed to help those in need, you have been raised up by God as the patron and protector of expectant mothers. By your love and compassion, graciously watch over all expectant mothers and unborn children and intercede for them before the throne of the heavenly Father. Amen.

Brother Chastity Children Holy Mothers Obedience

Poverty Protector Redeemer Servant

Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?

ST. GERARD MAJELLA

From the Nature of Man to the Nature of Marriage

CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY | Andrew J. Sodergren, M.T.S., Psy.D.

Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.”

For some time now, we have been walking through Pope John Paul II’s meditations known as Theology of the Body (TOB). Before going on with our reflections, it might be helpful to come up for air and get re-oriented. When people ask me what TOB is, I tell them it is the late pope’s magnum opus, his definitive work on what it means to be a human person, the nature of human love, and the implications of these for sexuality ethics. He began this work as a book manuscript when he was a cardinal archbishop in Poland. Upon his election to the Chair of St. Peter, he perceived that the Holy Spirit was calling him to present his teaching not only to his people in Poland but to the entire universal Church. As pope, he used his manuscript as the basis of his Wednesday catecheses from 1979 to 1984. In doing so, this teaching entered into the Church’s ordinary magisterium as an enduring gift to God’s people for generations to come.

Looking at TOB as a whole, the late pope subdivided the work into two major parts, each with distinct chapters and subsections. Up to this point in our reflections on TOB, we have focused on Part One, which contains Pope John Paul II’s threefold mediation (i.e., his “triptych”) on the human person encompassing original man, historical man, and eschatological man. Having completed our reflections on Part One, we are now ready to move on to the second part of the pope’s great work, which is focused on marriage.

Why did Pope John Paul II choose to focus Part Two of TOB on marriage? Supporting married couples was very important to him from the earliest days of his priestly ministry. He was captivated by human love and desired to support young people as they navigated courtship, marriage, and family life. In addition, he witnessed the drastic changes in Western culture over the course of the 20th century, as family values and sexual morality were

increasingly attacked and degraded. To give people much needed moral and pastoral guidance in the midst of these cultural changes, he wrote the book Love and Responsibility in the late 1950s. In many ways TOB builds upon and expands that prior work.

The immediate impetus that prompted the late pope to write TOB in the 1970s was the conflict and controversies surrounding the Church’s teaching on contraception and related precepts of sexual morality. He wanted us to see the Church’s teachings in a new way and recognize them as priceless gifts because they correspond to our human nature. Indeed, rather than being an empty set of rules, Catholic moral teaching is a guide to live a truly human life—one animated by the freedom to love and be loved in a personal, dignified way. In order for us to come to this realization, Pope John Paul II labored to remind us who we are. He took us on a journey from the beginning of the human race, through our fall into sin and redemption in Jesus, to the climax of our resurrection and union with God. Having laid this foundation in Part One of TOB, he delved into the mystery of married love in Part Two.

Over the next several months, we will follow the pope’s reflections on marriage in Part Two of TOB. This is fitting because the trends and concerns that prompted him to write TOB have continued to the present. The marital meaning of sex is all but lost in secular culture today. Fewer and fewer people are getting married, and when people do marry, they do so at a significantly later age compared to prior generations. Unmarried cohabitation is increasingly common. Divorce rates remain high. Married couples are having fewer children than ever before. As a result, fewer and fewer children are growing up in intact families with a married mother and father and multiple siblings. With this context in mind, let us invite the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the beauty of God’s vision for marriage and family as we explore Pope St. John Paul II’s teachings in Part Two of TOB in the coming months. ✣

Catholic Crossword

40 O’Grady of

The feast day of St. Teresa of Avila is in this mon.

Book of the Bible

Facet

Four Catholic colleges in Australia were combined to make this in 1991 (abbr.)

58 You may find one in a garden

59 Pope before St. Anicetus 60 Last letter in Paris

“…where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and ___” (Mt 6:19) 62 Lyric poem down 1 Nickname of Catholic composer Haydn 2 Mr. Greenspan

3 Mary made a request of Jesus here

4 Feast which celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the Magi 5 Swordlike knife

6 First name in puppetry 7 Jedi master

8 Asian country, for short 9 Extended musical composition

Energetic

Lies

12 How many times each day the soldiers of Joshua marched around Jericho 13 Spool 21 Pay ending 23 Not sweet

25 People St. Patrick converted 26 Nose (comb.)

27 Duck with soft down 28 Liverpool lane of song 29 Writer of lyric poetry 30 “___ Angelicus”

Rock add-on 32 Type of gun

Domain

Television measure

Backslide

Winter hrs. in the Diocese of Cheyenne

Abbr. for two ot books

John wore clothes made from this animal

Ruth’s second husband

Word from Pontius Pilate

Collar fastener

Forbearing 37 A place for a pawn

THE FINAL WORD | with Margie Christie

Dayton Right to Life

Each year at this time, we are reminded that God’s creation is a sacred tapestry woven with purpose, beauty, and dignity. From the expansive universe to a vulnerable newborn child, every element of creation reflects the divine image and invites us into a relationship of reverence and stewardship. The prolife movement stands as a profound affirmation of this truth, recognizing that every human life from conception to natural death—regardless of age, ability, or circumstance—is a unique and irreplaceable gift. As such, we are called to protect God’s beauty and purpose in each person, born and unborn.

Moreover, the pro-life ethic calls us to foster a culture of compassion, to support mothers and families, and to advocate for justice and mercy in all areas of life. In doing so, we live out our vocation to love as God loves, freely and sacrificially. Through this lens, the pro-life movement becomes not just a cause, but a reflection of divine love in action.

The Cincinnati and Dayton regions have long upheld a strong pro-life ethic, with both Dayton and Cincinnati Right to Life organizations serving as pillars of leadership for over 50 years. These organizations played a vital role in advancing statewide pro-life efforts through community outreach, sidewalk counseling, education, and legislative advocacy, with the goal of building a culture that values and protects life. This mission continues even in a state where the constitution tragically upholds a woman’s “right” to end her child’s life. Over the next few months, these two groups will concentrate their efforts on urging elected officials to address the abortion crisis in Southwest Ohio, which now accounts for more than 35% of all abortions in the state. In addition, we will be educating the public about the serious risks and devastating complications associated with the abortion pill.

Our community is also blessed with numerous pregnancy resource centers that compassionately serve mothers in crisis, offering vital support and practical resources. These centers embody the heart of the pro-life mission: to walk alongside women with dignity, hope, and love.

Churches and families throughout the region play a crucial role

in sustaining these efforts. Through their prayers, volunteer service, and financial contributions, they help ensure that the message of life is not only proclaimed but lived out daily.

In a culture that increasingly celebrates convenience, individual autonomy, and utilitarian values, many of us grow weary. We live in a world where laws and corporate policies often disregard life’s sacredness, judging human worth by whether someone is “wanted” or by their perceived capabilities. Those created in the image of God are reduced to metrics and labels, while phrases like “quality of life” dominate medical decisions. People are seen as burdens—and tragically, many begin to see themselves that way.

Pope St. John Paul II reminds us, “Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14) is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church. Therefore, every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church's very heart; it cannot but affect her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life in all the world and to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15)” (Evangelium Vitae, no. 3). His words call us to reclaim a vision of humanity rooted in love, dignity, and divine purpose.

Yet even in this challenging climate, the pro-life movement endures. Every compassionate act, every defense of the vulnerable, and every affirmation of human dignity is a radiant witness to the truth. We are not alone in this mission—God walks with us. His grace empowers us to be light in the darkness. The culture may falter, but the Gospel of Life never does. ✣

Margie Christie is the Director of Advocacy for Dayton Right to Life Society. She is a former Executive Director of Dayton RTL Foundation and past President of the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio.