WATCH MASSREPORT MISCONDUCT
EN ES

June 2023

Archives for June 2023

by

Release Date:   June 29, 2023

Closure of St. Joseph Catholic School in Cincinnati

St. Joseph Catholic School, operated by St. Joseph Parish in the West End of Cincinnati, will be closing for the 2023-2024 school year.

The pastor, parish council and parish finance committee of St. Joseph Parish – in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office of the archdiocese – recommended the closure of St. Joseph Catholic School for the upcoming school year. In accordance with archdiocesan procedures, the recommendation for closure was submitted and accepted by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr.

In the spring of 2023, a facility concern involving the roof and tuckpointing of St. Joseph Catholic School was brought to the attention of school leadership. A professional engineering firm was hired to conduct a Facility Conditions Assessment in May of 2023. St. Joseph Catholic School is operating in a building that is 125 years old. The assessment included inspection of the architectural, electrical, technology, mechanical and plumbing systems in use, as well as site conditions.

The Assessment concluded that most of the school building’s mechanical systems are at the end of their functional life and therefore must be repaired, upgraded, or replaced. Additionally, the roof is in need of total replacement, along with a large amount of tuckpointing, in order to make the building watertight. $2.5 million in renovations must be completed to bring the school building up to minimum standards.

“It is with great sadness that St. Joseph Catholic School is closing for the upcoming school year,” said Ms. Susan Gibbons, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. “St. Joseph has been a rich and beautiful example of Catholic ministry during its long history. The Catholic Schools Office remains committed to supporting the students, families, staff and community of St. Joseph Catholic School.”

St. Joseph Catholic School is one of the oldest Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The parish was established in 1846 and the school opened the following year in 1847.

Fr. Rodolpho Coaquira-Hilaje M.C.C.J., pastor of St. Joseph Parish, has informed the staff, parish and school families of the upcoming closure.  “The decision to close St. Joseph Catholic School for the 2023-2024 school year is heartbreaking, but the decision became necessary for the safety and well-being of the students and staff. St. Joseph Parish will continue to explore future options.”

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 51st largest Catholic diocese in the country, with around 435,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with nearly 40,000 students.  The 19-county territory includes 208 canonical parishes organized into 57 Families of Parishes, and 110 Catholic primary and secondary schools.

Jennifer Schack

Director of Media Relations

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6618

Cell | 859.512.5626

[email protected]

by

Effective July 1, 2023

  • Reverend Patrick H. Blenman, Parochial Vicar of NE 3 Family of Parishes which includes, Mary, Help of Christians, Fairborn, Sacred Heart, New Carlisle, St. Brigid, Xenia, St. Luke, Beavercreek and St. Paul, Yellow Springs.
  • Reverend Isaiah M. Callan, Parochial Vicar of NW6 Family of Parishes which includes St. Boniface, Piqua, St. Mary, Piqua, St. Patrick, Troy, St. Teresa of the infant Jesus, Covington, and Transfiguration, West Milton.
  • Reverend Alex T. Dugas, Parochial Vicar of S9 Family of Parishes which includes St. Anthony, Madisonville, St. Cecilia, Cincinnati, St. Margaret-St. John, Cincinnati and St. Mary, Hyde Park.
  • Reverend Stephen J. Hughes, Parochial Vicar of SE4 Family of Parishes which includes St. Margaret of York, Loveland and St. Columban, Loveland.
  • Reverend Jonathan M. Jergens, Parochial Vicar of C5 Family of Parishes which includes St. Susanna, Mason.
  • Reverend Jeffrey A. Stephens, Parochial Vicar of S10 Family of Parishes which includes Annunciation, Cincinnati, Holy Name, Cincinnati and St. Monica-St. George, Cincinnati.
  • Reverend David Duy Tran, Parochial Vicar of SW8 Family of Parishes which includes St. Ignatius Loyola, Monfort Heights.
  • Reverend Christian Cone-Lombarte, Parochial Vicar of S4 Family of Parishes which includes: Our Lady of the Rosary, Greenhills, Our Lady of the Valley, Reading, St. James of the Valley, Wyoming, and St. Matthias the Apostle, Cincinnati.
  • Reverend Christopher Komoroski, Parochial Vicar of S8 Family of Parishes which includes Holy Cross-Immaculata, Cincinnati, Our Lord Christ the King, Cincinnati, St. Rose, Cincinnati, and St. Stephen, Cincinnati.
  • Reverend Matthew Lee, Parochial Vicar of NE3 Family of Parishes which includes Mary Help of Christians, Fairborn, Sacred Heart, New Carlisle, St. Augustine, Jamestown, St. Brigid, Xenia, St. Luke, Beavercreek, and St. Paul, Yellow Springs.
  • Reverend K. Scott Morgan, Parochial Vicar of S1 Family of Parishes which includes St. Gabriel, Glendale, St. John the Evangelist, West Chester, and St. Michael, Sharonville.
  • Reverend Elias Mwesigye, Parochial Vicar of SW6 Family of Parishes which includes St. John Neumann, Cincinnati, St. John the Baptist, Dry Ridge, and Corpus Christi, New Burlington.
  • Reverend Joseph Orlowski, FSSP, Parochial Vicar of NE11 Family of Parishes which includes Holy Family, Dayton.
  • Reverend Jeffrey Stegbauer, Parochial Vicar of SW4 Family of Parishes which includes Resurrection of Our Lord, Cincinnati, St. Lawrence, Cincinnati, St. Teresa of Avila, Cincinnati, and St. William, Cincinnati.
  • Reverend Jedidiah Tritle, Parochial Vicar of C1 Family of Parishes which includes St. John the Evangelist, New Paris, St. Mary, Camden, St. Mary, Oxford and Visitation, Eaton.
  • Reverend Ronald Williams, Chaplain of Nursing Home Ministries.

Effective August 1, 2023

  • Reverend Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, Parochial Vicar of S15 Family of Parishes which includes St. Robert Bellarmine, Cincinnati, and St. Francis Xavier, Cincinnati.

by

Deacon James Woeste, a deacon of the Archdiocese, died on June 24, 2023 at the age of 81. Deacon Jim was ordained by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on June 22, 1985. He served the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and several other dioceses as a permanent deacon for thirty-eight years.   Upon his ordination, Deacon Jim was assigned to St. Thomas More Parish, Withamsville. He then served at St. Bernadette, Amelia, and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Anderson Township. He then moved to the Diocese of Syracuse, NY, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the Diocese of Rockford, IL, before moving back to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2017. His most recent assignment was at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Morrow.    Deacon Jim leaves his wife, Barb, to whom he was married for fifty-eight years. He also leaves two sons, two daughters, their spouses, and several grandchildren.  Visitation will be on Thursday, July 6, from 6 – 8 pm at Tufts Schildmeyer Funeral Home, 129 N. Riverside Drive, Loveland, OH 45140.   Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, July 7, at 10:30 am at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, 944 EAST U.S. 22, Morrow, OH 45152.   Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon Jim in your prayers, as well as peace and consolation for his family.

by

Deacon David Klingshirn, a Deacon of the Archdiocese, died on June 10, 2023 at the age of 84. Deacon David was ordained by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on April 24, 2004. He was assigned to St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, upon his ordination, and served there until July, 2018.

Arrangements for the Mass of Christian Burial have not yet been finalized by the family. The Mass is expected to be held in August.

Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon David in your prayers.

by

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s feast marks the beginning of the parish phase and second year of the National Eucharistic Revival. At the same time, we near the end of the first year of Beacons of Light, our archdiocesan planning process. These two initiatives are bound together: our pastoral planning efforts are directed toward building vibrant Eucharistic communities in which we recall all that Christ has done for us and respond as He commands – to eat and drink of His Body and Blood and thus have eternal life.

Eucharist is the first principle of Beacons of Light: “The Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. Accordingly, the Eucharist is the essential moment for building up and strengthening the parish community, along with the sacraments and other celebrations of the paschal mystery – the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Beacons of Light is a process of pastoral planning to best arrange our many resources – human, financial, physical – to pursue the God-given mission of sharing the Gospel throughout our archdiocese. I am grateful to everyone who has come together as a Family of Parishes and begun to discern how the Spirit of God is working among us. Beacons of Light will only be successful under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and only if our parishes are communities of faith truly centered on our Eucharistic Lord.

In this phase of the Eucharistic Revival, my brother bishops and I are encouraging the Church in the United States to greater Eucharistic devotion, especially through more life-giving, beautiful, and transformative celebrations of the Eucharist every Sunday. All those who lead the Church at prayer – priests, deacons, and lay liturgical ministers – are called to prepare for and celebrate the liturgy with fidelity to the text and rubrics given by the Church. Our liturgical leaders must also create measures of true hospitality, and ensure excellent preaching and sacred music, so that all may more fully encounter Jesus’ true and abiding presence each time we come to Mass.

On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we invoke, “Grant your Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose signs are to be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present.” We ask our Lord in a special way that our celebrations of the Eucharist truly foster unity, not only in our Families of Parishes, but across our entire archdiocese. This unity – not uniformity – is a cornerstone to building up the Catholic Church in these nineteen counties of western and southwestern Ohio.

As we move into the summer months, I invite you and your family to join me in praying for the success of both Beacons of Light and the National Eucharistic Revival. Thank you for your prayerful support of your pastor and parish leaders. May the Spirit of God continue to lead us to deeper participation in the Eucharist and to bear the fruits of that mystery to a world desperately in need of God’s love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

Want to know more about the Pastoral Planning Pathway Eucharist Principle?

Learn More

by

Download PDF Version – English | Download PDF Version – Spanish

 

June 11, 2023

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s feast marks the beginning of the parish phase and second year of the National Eucharistic Revival. At the same time, we near the end of the first year of Beacons of Light, our archdiocesan planning process. These two initiatives are bound together: our pastoral planning efforts are directed toward building vibrant Eucharistic communities in which we recall all that Christ has done for us and respond as He commands – to eat and drink of His Body and Blood and thus have eternal life.

Eucharist is the first principle of Beacons of Light: “The Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. Accordingly, the Eucharist is the essential moment for building up and strengthening the parish community, along with the sacraments and other celebrations of the paschal mystery – the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Beacons of Light is a process of pastoral planning to best arrange our many resources – human, financial, physical – to pursue the God-given mission of sharing the Gospel throughout our archdiocese. I am grateful to everyone who has come together as a Family of Parishes and begun to discern how the Spirit of God is working among us. Beacons of Light will only be successful under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and only if our parishes are communities of faith truly centered on our Eucharistic Lord.

In this phase of the Eucharistic Revival, my brother bishops and I are encouraging the Church in the United States to greater Eucharistic devotion, especially through more life-giving, beautiful, and transformative celebrations of the Eucharist every Sunday. All those who lead the Church at prayer – priests, deacons, and lay liturgical ministers – are called to prepare for and celebrate the liturgy with fidelity to the text and rubrics given by the Church. Our liturgical leaders must also create measures of true hospitality, and ensure excellent preaching and sacred music, so that all may more fully encounter Jesus’ true and abiding presence each time we come to Mass.

On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we invoke, “Grant your Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose signs are to be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present.” We ask our Lord in a special way that our celebrations of the Eucharist truly foster unity, not only in our Families of Parishes, but across our entire archdiocese. This unity – not uniformity – is a cornerstone to building up the Catholic Church in these nineteen counties of western and southwestern Ohio.

As we move into the summer months, I invite you and your family to join me in praying for the success of both Beacons of Light and the National Eucharistic Revival. Thank you for your prayerful support of your pastor and parish leaders. May the Spirit of God continue to lead us to deeper participation in the Eucharist and to bear the fruits of that mystery to a world desperately in need of God’s love.

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

100 East Eighth StreetCincinnati, OH 45202 USA(513) 421-3131

Instagram Facebook-f Youtube