Archives for October 2020

October 16, 2020 by Jennifer Schack

Effective July 1, 2020

Reverend George Schommer, O.P., Pastor of St. Gertrude Parish, Madeira.

Effective September 7, 2020

Reverend Alfons Minja, C.PP.S., Parochial Vicar of St. Henry Cluster which includes St. Aloysius, Carthagena, St. Bernard, Burkettsville, St. Francis, Cranberry Prairie, St. Wendelin, St. Wendelin, and St. Henry, St. Henry.

Effective September 21, 2020

Most Reverend Joseph Binzer, temporary Parochial Administrator of St. John the Evangelist, Deer Park and St. Saviour, Sycamore Township.

Effective October 12, 2020

Reverend Todd Grogan, Pastor of St. Bernard, Spring Grove Village which includes the administration of Mother of Christ Mission, while continuing as Pastor of Annunciation Parish.

Effective November 30, 2020

Reverend E. John Stein, OFM, Pastor of St. Clement Parish, Cincinnati.

October 14, 2020 by Peter Garcia

Jennifer Schack
Director of Media Relations
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Office | 513.263.6618
Cell | 859.512.5626
[email protected]

Release Date: May 27, 2020

Pastoral Letter in Anticipation of Bicentennial Celebration

Next year the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will celebrate the two centuries of faith since its establishment as a diocese in June of 1821. In anticipation of the bicentennial celebration, Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has written a pastoral letter to encourage each of us to “Radiate Christ” by rediscovering “the joy of knowing Christ deeply and following Him, thereby becoming a witness to the world.”

It is Archbishop Schnurr’s hope that all Catholics of the archdiocese will reflect upon and discuss how we can individually and collectively Radiate Christ as we prepare to joyfully celebrate our bicentennial.

The letter can be found on The Catholic Telegraph website here: https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/radiate-christ/66606

The pastoral letter can also be read in the June edition of The Catholic Telegraph magazine that is being mailed to homes this week.

Download as PDF.

October 9, 2020 by [email protected]

Jennifer Schack
Director of Media Relations
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Office | 513.263.6618
Cell | 859.512.5626
[email protected]

Release Date: Jan. 17, 2020

Yearly appeal expected to raise around $5 million for local ministries

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will kick off the annual Catholic Ministries
Appeal (CMA) in parishes the weekend of Jan. 18-19. This year’s theme is “Together for the Faith of the
Gospel” (Phil.1:27). The CMA is a chance to support six local ministries that teach, feed and heal in the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is one example of the generous ways that local Catholics give back to the
community.

The collection goal for 2020 is $5 million, the same as last year. Every parish in the Archdiocese
participates in this yearly appeal. All donations to the CMA remain within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
helping local ministries.

The six ministries that will receive funds from the CMA are St. Rita School for the Deaf; Seminary and
Vocations; Office for New Evangelization; Retired Archdiocesan Priests; Hospital, Campus and Prison
Ministries; and Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio and Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley.
“We are so grateful to the many donors to the Catholic Ministries Appeal who are supporting the work
and mission of the ministries that teach, feed, and heal right here in our communities. Without this
support thousands would be without food, shelter, education, and the Sacraments. As we look to this
year’s campaign, we hope many more will join us to stand “Together for the Faith of the Gospel” (Phil.
1:27).” – Matt Reinkemeyer, Director of Development Operations.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 44th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with more
than 450,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more
than 40,000 students. The 19-county territory includes 211 parishes and 111 Catholic primary and
secondary schools.

October 5, 2020 by Jennifer Schack

Notice of Death of Archdiocesan Deacon

Deacon Gerard “Jerry” Sasson, a Deacon of the Archdiocese, died on Saturday, October 3, 2020.

Deacon Sasson was ordained to the Diaconate on April 28, 2007. He was assigned to St. Columban Parish upon ordination and has served there since. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for thirteen years.

Deacon Sasson was predeceased by his beloved daughter, Jenny (Atherine), in 2019. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marilyn, two sons and daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, seven siblings and seven grandchildren.

Visitation will take place at St. Columban Catholic Church, 894 Oakland Rd, Loveland, OH 45140 on Thursday October 8, 2020 from 5-8 PM. Mass of Christian burial will take place at St. Columban Catholic Church in Loveland on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 10:30 AM, with Fr. Larry Tensi presiding. Committal Service will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Montgomery, OH.

October 4, 2020 by Peter Garcia

ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, with great joy and gratitude, will celebrate the elevation of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral to the rank of minor basilica with a special Mass on Sat., Nov. 7, the 175th anniversary of its dedication. As we approach the bicentennial of our archdiocese next year, this designation is a fitting tribute to the vital role St. Peter in Chains has played in Midwestern Catholic life for seven generations. You will learn much more about the cathedral’s history and what it means to be a basilica in this edition of The Catholic Telegraph.

That same week, Americans will take part in Election Day on Nov. 3. Across the street from St. Peter in Chains is Cincinnati’s City Hall, built in 1893. The proximity of these two impressive structures is a reminder that church and state, though separate and distinct, are each important in their spheres. The prophet Jeremiah quotes the Lord as saying, “Promote the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you” (Jer. 29:7). We are all in exile until we reach the Heavenly City. Meanwhile, we are called to radiate Christ and help build the Kingdom of God in our city, state and nation by applying Christian principles to the society in which we live.

An essential element of faithful citizenship is not only voting but, as the U.S. bishops said, voting “in the light of a properly formed conscience.” To help that conscience formation, the Pastoral Center of the archdiocese has created iVoteCatholic, an initiative providing educational resources to introduce you, or reintroduce you, to the seven themes of Catholic social teaching. A different theme will be highlighted each Sunday through Oct. 25. The aim is not to tell you for whom or what to vote, but to help you decide on how to vote in conformity with Catholic doctrine.

Social justice is a not a new concept in the Church. The first great papal encyclical on that topic, Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum in 1891, drew heavily on Holy Scripture and the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Subsequent popes have added to our treasury of social doctrine in response to the circumstances of their times. The one enduring, pervasive tenet of this teaching throughout the centuries has been concern for the common good. The Church cares not only for its members, but for everyone – because God has bestowed dignity on every person. The seven themes explored in the iVoteCatholic initiative reflect that fundamental premise.

As the iVoteCatholic website notes, “The right to life is the first and most fundamental principle of human rights and leads Catholics to actively work for a world of greater respect for human life and greater commitment to justice and peace.” Life and Dignity of the Human Person is the iVoteCatholic theme for Oct. 4. That is quite appropriate, because the U.S. bishops have for several years observed October as Respect Life Month. In addition to the tragedy of abortion, other urgent respect life issues to consider include racism, war and terrorism, the death penalty and assisted suicide.

To learn more about all seven key issues of Catholic social teaching, I invite you to visit iVoteCatholic.org.

The Church has a vital role in the public square as she guides her members to build up the kingdom of God on earth. I urge you to vote on Nov. 3, and to do so in the light of a properly formed conscience. And, whatever the outcome, please pray for all our civic leaders as they struggle with the extraordinary challenges of these difficult times.

Download as PDF.

October 1, 2020 by Peter Garcia

Jennifer Schack
Director of Media Relations
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Office | 513.263.6618
Cell | 859.512.5626
[email protected]

Lisa Fletcher
Center for the New Evangelization, Communications
Office | 513.263.6688
[email protected]

Release Date: Oct. 1, 2020

A Renewed Emphasis on Evangelization: Center for the New Evangelization

The effort to evangelize local Catholics, by sharing Christ’s message of salvation, and inviting people into a relationship with Jesus, has been extremely important to Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr. In light of this priority, the Office for the New Evangelization at the Archdiocese of Cincinnati was founded in 2013. In addition to the New Evangelization Office, several other offices at the Pastoral Center have been working towards the evangelization of specific groups. These offices included the Youth Office, Young Adult Office, Marriage and Family Life Office, Campus Ministry Office and Evangelization and Discipleship Office.

As more offices were created it became apparent that all of the offices that work in the field of evangelization would benefit from a leadership structure that allowed more collaboration and the sharing of resources. This recognition resulted in the creation of the Center for the New Evangelization which was launched earlier this summer.

All previous offices of the Pastoral Center that worked in the field of evangelization have now merged into the Center for the New Evangelization. The directors of previous offices now form a leadership team, under the direction of Sean Ater. The leadership team structure receives its inspiration from the Amazing Parish model introduced at the Amazing Parish Conference hosted by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2019.

The Center for the New Evangelization consists of around 20 people. They are spread throughout the geographic boundaries of the archdiocese. Retreats, conferences, workshops and events that will be put on by the Center are expected to reach all parishes and families in the archdiocese. The team is tasked with assisting pastors and pastoral staff in new opportunities for evangelization as well as directly evangelizing individuals.

What is ahead for the Center:

Oversee the longest Marian Pilgrimage in the United States, a 33-day pilgrimage leading up to the Bicentennial Celebration for the archdiocese in June of 2021.
Annual “Radiate Christ” evangelization conference that aims to train parish leaders in evangelization (the first of which was held Aug. 29)
Assist in the reception of Radiate Christ, Archbishop Schnurr’s Pastoral Letter released in May 2020.
Direct efforts concerning evangelization and outreach to the local Hispanic community.
Hosting retreats, workshops on evangelization, and days of reflection for the pastoral staff of parishes.
Expanded evangelization efforts for young adults including candlelight Masses, adoration and social events.
New emphasis on youth evangelization that focuses on a holistic approach to ministering to young people from baptism through high school.
Increased number of marriage preparation retreats, Genesis, to allow for fewer participants and a more intimate experience.
Growing the anti-pornography initiative that began in the archdiocese in 2019.

Fr. Jan Schmidt, who leads the Department for Pastoral Vitality and Evangelization of which the Center for the New Evangelization is a part has emphasized the critical need for a closer look at how we “do” evangelization. “My experience of pastoring for twenty-one years put me very closely in touch with the concept and ministry of evangelization. It seems that most people understand evangelization as a singular subject matter, when in reality it is the whole of what we are called to do: calling others into a life in relationship with Jesus.”

“The parish is ‘ground zero’ for all of our evangelization efforts,” says Sean Ater. “It is the pastor and his team that have the potential to radiate Christ to every family in their territory and beyond. We want to evangelize the family because we know that the faith is most practically lived out and passed on in the family. In the end, we are convinced that it is the community of disciples formed in the local parish that will reach each and every family in our archdiocese with the Gospel.”

For more information about the Center for the New Evangelization, visit its website, www.centerforthenewevangelization.org.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 44th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with more than 450,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more than 40,000 students. The 19-county territory includes 211 parishes and 111 Catholic primary and secondary schools.

Download as PDF.