Catherine Connette

July 2, 2020 by Catherine Connette

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

Release Date: July 2, 2020

St. Joseph Orphanage and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati separate

As of yesterday, July 1, 2020, St. Joseph Orphanage is an independent behavioral health, child welfare and educational treatment agency separate from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

St. Joseph Orphanage was founded by Bishop Edward D. Fenwick in 1829 in collaboration with four Sisters of Charity who came to Cincinnati from Emmitsburg, Maryland at the request of Bishop Fenwick specifically to run this ministry. The orphanage relocated several times and grew throughout the 19th century. By 1902 around 500 girls and boys lived at the orphanage and were cared for by the Sisters. In the latter half of the 20th century, the foster care system began to take the place of orphanages. In response to this development, the mission and purpose of St. Joseph Orphanage evolved in the 1970s and 80s into child welfare and, subsequently, behavioral health. This agency now provides various mental health services, substance abuse counseling, education programs, foster care placement and medication management. Throughout these many changes, the mission of St. Joseph Orphanage has remained to serve both children and families.

“This new leadership structure will allow St. Joseph Orphanage to expand and grow serving more children and families through southwest Ohio and the tri-state. St. Joseph Orphanage is grateful for our 190-year history with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and thankful to be able to continue our mission to serve children and families throughout our region,” said Eric Cummins, CEO of St. Joseph Orphanage.

The Catholic history and roots of St. Joseph Orphanage have guided the care and compassion of the organization, by looking to Jesus as its example of loving and serving others. Even as an independent organization going forward, St. Joseph Orphanage plans to retain its heritage as a faith-based agency.

“Our love and service to others is a fruit of our love for the Lord. And what a radiant love has shined through the work of St Joseph Orphanage for the last 190 years! I thank all who have faithfully served so many young people and families with great care and compassion. I continue to pray for this agency’s work which I am confident will bear great fruit in the lives of those they serve,” said the Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati.

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.

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June 30, 2020 by Catherine Connette

Effective June 22, 2020

Most Reverend Bishop Binzer, Program Coordinator: Services for Senior Clergy; Director of Health and Hospital Ministries; Chaplain for the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, and coordinating and overseeing all legal, financial and administrative aspects of immigration work for foreign priests.
Reverend Fr. John Mark Solitario, OP, Parochial Vicar of St. Gertrude Parish, Madeira.

Effective July 1, 2020

Reverend Eric Roush, Pastor of Nativity of Our Lord, Cincinnati, while continuing as Pastor of Holy Trinity, Cincinnati.
Reverend John W. Tonkin, Pastor of St. John the Baptist, Tipp City, while continuing as Pastor of St. Christopher, Vandalia.
Reverend Thomas Wray, Parochial Vicar of All Saints and St. Vincent Ferrer Parishes, Cincinnati, while continuing as part-time Chaplain at Bethesda North Hospital.
Reverend Jack Wehman, Temporary Parochial Administrator, Good Shepherd, from July 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020, while Fr. Mannebach is on sabbatical.

Effective August 1, 2020

Very Reverend Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., Temporary Parochial Administrator, Marion Catholic Community from August 1, 2020 through September 8, 2020.

Effective September 1, 2020

Reverend Paul Lickteig, S.J., Pastor of St. Francis Xavier, Cincinnati.

Renewals – The following priests have been renewed in their current assignment:

Reverend Eric Bowman, as Pastor of the Church of Transfiguration, West Milton, while continuing as Pastor of St. Patrick, Troy.
Reverend Martin Fox, as Pastor of St. Remy, Russia.
Reverend Jeffrey Kemper, as Pastor of St. John the Baptist, Harrison
Reverend Thomas King, as Pastor of Guardian Angels, Cincinnati.
Reverend Greg Konerman, as Pastor of St. Anthony, Dayton, while continuing as Pastor of Holy Angels, Dayton.
Reverend Thomas Kreidler, as Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Anderson Township
Reverend John MacQuarrie, as Pastor of St. Bernard, Springfield, while continuing as Pastor of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, Springfield.
Reverend Thomas Nolker, as Pastor of St. James the Greater, White Oak.

Retirement from Active Ministry

Reverend Paul DeLuca, Pastor of Nativity of Our Lord, Cincinnati, effective July 1, 2020.

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June 30, 2020 by Catherine Connette

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

Release Date: June 30, 2020

Catholics ministering and meeting goals amid a pandemic

Dozens of Catholic ministries in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have worked tirelessly to find unique ways to serve others during the recent months as the COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the world. Employees, volunteers, and clergy have remained committed to God’s call to serve others.

The Stewardship Department of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati oversees the yearly Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) that raises money to support six local ministries that teach, feed, and heal thousands in our community. Each of the ministries supported by the CMA has been impacted by the requirements of social distancing and the government order to shelter in place.

“Over the last few months, day-to-day operations for each of the CMA ministries dramatically changed. I am really proud of our ministries and the ways they engaged in the health crisis. They each found creative ways to continue to serve despite social distancing,” said Matt Reinkemeyer, Director of Development Operations in the Stewardship Department.

Some examples of ways that CMA-supported ministries have creatively responded to the pandemic are:

Provided food pantry services via a drive-thru option
Counseling calls/video-calls for clients in the following programs: Parenting Services, Senior Services, Refugee Resettlement, Mental Health Services, and more
“Coffee and COVID” youth evangelization training sessions
Youth online eucharistic adoration, teaching and praise and worship music
Campus ministry online prayer groups and faith formation
Continued hospital chaplaincy ministry that became vital for patients unable to see family members while hospitalized

These ministries continued to serve hundreds in the region through the pandemic, especially thanks to the generous donations that continued through the last several months. Each year the Catholic Ministries Appeal kicks off in January and runs through the spring. For the last 8 years the campaign goal has been $5 million. This year the campaign was off to a great start before the pandemic, reaching $4 million pledged faster than any previous year, but then the pandemic took hold.

“We didn’t know what to expect after the ‘shelter in place’ order was issued,” said David Kissell, Chief Development Officer for the Archdiocese. As it turns out, the campaign was still able to reach the goal, crossing the $5 million mark in mid-June. “We are so grateful and humbled by the support of so many donors across the Archdiocese. It really is a witness to the unity of our diocese.”

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June 24, 2020 by Catherine Connette

Reverend Donald J. Breaker passed away on May 18, 2020 in Venice, Florida. He was born on May 28, 1937 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He did his preparatory studies at St. Gregory Seminary and studied theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Norwood. He was ordained on May 30, 1964 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio by Archbishop Karl J. Alter.

Father Breaker received his first assignment on June 17, 1964, as an assistant at St. Veronica Parish, Hamilton and to teach at Hamilton Catholic High School starting that September. On June 21, 1968, he was appointed “pro-tem” assistant at St. Mary Parish, Oxford. On August 22, 1968, he was appointed full-time assistant at Our Lady of the Visitation Parish, Cincinnati. In August 1973, he was appointed to the staff at Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati. He was appointed Chaplain at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, Mariemont (Cincinnati) on June 20, 1975. Father Breaker was released from diocesan assignments on June 6, 1978, to receive a Chaplaincy in the Military. In December 1998, Father Breaker retired from military service.

Burial Service: Reverend Breaker’s body was cremated. Per his wishes, a graveside service will be held at St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati, later this summer.

Associates of the Marian Pact are asked to offer, as soon as possible, one Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Breaker, and when convenient, to provide for the celebration of two other Masses.

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June 17, 2020 by Catherine Connette

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

Release Date: June 17, 2020

Matthew Geerlings will be Director of Music for Cathedral and Archdiocese

Father Jan Kevin Schmidt, rector of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and archdiocesan director of Pastoral Life and Evangelization, has named Matthew Geerlings as the new director of music for the cathedral and for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Geerlings replaces Anthony DiCello who recently announced his retirement after more than 40 years of service in the archdiocese. Geerlings’ appointment is effective July 20, 2020.

Matthew Geerlings has served as the Director of Music for the Cathedral of the Epiphany, Sioux City, Iowa, since 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Memphis and a Master of Church Music degree from the University of Kansas. In 2006 he managed the commissioning, design and installation of a new pipe organ for the Cathedral of the Epiphany built by Wech Orgelbau of Buchloe, Bavaria. In 2017 the cathedral choir was invited to sing for the final mass of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. His work at the cathedral in Sioux City included directing choirs for the multi-lingual cathedral parish, as well as serving as the diocesan choir director and organist for all major diocesan liturgies.

“One of my first thoughts when becoming rector of the cathedral was that I hoped I wouldn’t have to fill Tony DiCello’s shoes as our music director, believing that would be next to impossible. In Matthew Geerlings, with his vast cathedral experience in Sioux City, I believe we have found that person who can at least try the shoes on for size! With Matt’s talent, expertise and experience, I have great expectations for the Cathedral music program,” said Fr. Schmidt.

“I look forward to Matthew’s leadership among the music ministers in our archdiocese. His experience in leading parish musicians, especially those of diverse communities, is important for the Church of Cincinnati,” said Jeremy Helmes, director of the archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship and Sacraments and member of the search committee.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve the faithful people of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,” said Geerlings. “My family and I are looking forward to making new friends in the Cincinnati region.”

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June 4, 2020 by Catherine Connette

ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Catholic Telegraph magazine! I am delighted to introduce this old friend in an attractive new format. In the 189 years since Bishop Edward Fenwick founded this publication as the voice of the local Church, it has taken many forms – weekly, bi-weekly and monthly; broadsheet and tabloid; newspaper and now magazine. After months of planning and refining, the CT team has produced an exciting new periodical that beautifully fulfills its mission to inform, to educate, and especially to evangelize.

This change comes at an important moment in the history of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Next year we celebrate the two centuries of faith since the diocese was established on June 19, 1821. Our bicentennial as a local Church affords us an opportunity to look back with gratitude to God and to those who built the parishes, schools, religious communities, fraternal organizations and charitable institutions which have served so long and so well, and to those who have generously supported them. The Catholic Telegraph will feature some of these instrumental entities and individuals in its pages over the next 12 months.

It is equally critical that we reflect anew on our mission as Christian disciples to radiate Christ. That image of reflecting the light of Christ to others has been used by several recent popes. Pope Benedict XVI, for example, said in a weekly audience, “The Church is not light but receives the light of Christ, receives it to be illuminated by it and to radiate it in its full splendor.” And the Church is all of us.

This issue of The Catholic Telegraph includes a bicentennial pastoral letter, “Radiate Christ,” in which I invite you to rediscover the joy of knowing Christ deeply and following Him, thereby becoming a witness to the world. I encourage you to prayerfully read this letter and engage with its contents, including 12 questions to help you reflect on your relationship with the Lord. It is also my hope that parish and school staffs, parish councils and committees, prayer groups, families and others across the archdiocese will reflect upon and discuss this document together over the coming weeks and months.

Christ promises us peace, joy and the fullness of life, but not necessarily an easy or pain-free life. The COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented extraordinary steps that have been necessary to fight it have made this spring difficult for everyone. Most especially, my heart goes out to those of you directly touched by the illness and those who have suffered loss of vital employment. You remain in my prayers. For Catholics it has been particularly painful to be deprived of the Eucharist – especially at Easter, the “feast of feasts.” As the weeks went on, many of us prayed along with King David, “How long, Lord?” (Ps 13:1). Even now we are still affected; we are still hurting. However, amidst all of this, we know that God loves us and has not abandoned us.

St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop in Roman Africa during the fall of the Roman Empire, wrote: “Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well and the times shall be good. We are the times: such as we are, such are the times.” To radiate Christ to others is to live well and to change the world. Please join me in the year ahead in reflecting on how God calls each of us to do that.

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June 2, 2020 by Catherine Connette

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

Release Date: June 2, 2020

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr releases a statement encouraging a conversion of heart

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has released the following letter which includes details of a “Holy Hour for Conversion and Peace”, to be held tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Sunday, was Pentecost Sunday, we learned from St. Paul that “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12-14).

These words are particularly poignant coming as they do just days after the senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of a law enforcement officer in Minneapolis. I join Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and my brother bishops across the United States in praying for the repose of the soul of Mr. Floyd and all others who have lost their lives in a similar manner. This deeply disturbing incident reminds us once again of the divisions that continue to plague our human family which is called to be one body in Christ.

Through creation, as a divine gift, God has endowed each person with intrinsic worth and value. Human life is sacred. Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. The dignity and sanctity of each person, without exception, is inherent and permanent, and is to be respected from conception to natural death. Because of this, the Catholic Church opposes as profoundly sinful racism and anything that is antithetical to God’s will and the Gospel of Life. We cannot turn a blind eye to the humiliation, indignity, and unequal opportunity experienced by millions of our brothers and sisters simply because of their race or the color of their skin and yet still profess to respect every human life. Opposing racism must therefore be an integral part of our pro-life witness as Catholics.

What is needed, and what I am urging for each of us, is a genuine conversion of heart, a conversion that will compel change and ultimately reform our institutions and society. As Catholics, we are called to radiate the love of Christ to all people and to be witnesses to His kingdom on earth. We need to look deep within ourselves, in prayerful humility, and ask our Lord to remove any vestige of prejudice or hatred from our hearts, any sinful inclination that keeps us from loving as He does.

Please join me either in person or online this Wednesday, June 3, the Feast of St. Charles Lwanga, at 5:15 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains for a “Holy Hour for Conversion and Peace”. Many parishes across our archdiocese are also engaging in prayer for conversion and peace.

As one body in Christ, let us pray:

We thank you, O Lord,

For in your loving wisdom

You created one human family

With a diversity

That enriches our communities.

We pray to you, O Lord,

That we always recognize

each member of this human family

As being made in your image and beloved by you,

With worth and dignity.

We pray to you, O Lord,

That we may envision a way forward

To heal the racial divisions

That deny human dignity and

the bonds between all human beings.

We pray to you, O Lord

That we may affirm each person’s dignity

Through fair access for all

To economic opportunity, housing,

Education, and employment.

We pray to you, O Lord,

That we may have eyes to see

What is possible when we reach out

Beyond fear, beyond anger,

To hold the hand of our sisters, our brothers.

We thank you, O Lord,

For your call and challenge to us

That we may reveal your teachings and your love

Through our actions to end racism

And to proclaim that we are all your children,

heirs to your sacred creation.

Amen.*

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of Cincinnati

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June 1, 2020 by Catherine Connette

May 1, 2020

Dear Members of the Archbishop Alter High School Family,

Recently a decision was made to not renew the annual contract of a long-time and highly valued teacher at Archbishop Alter High School. This development has naturally precipitated a great outpouring of sadness and anger, as this teacher was very obviously highlyregarded and well-liked by many Alter students and parents.

We have also seen a great deal of misinformed and mean-spirited comments in emails and social media, much of it directed personally against principal Lourdes Lambert and her family. This is immoral and unfair. Mrs. Lambert is faithfully fulfilling her responsibility as principal of a Catholic high school and employee of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Personal attacks against her and her family are not acceptable.

The policies guiding schools of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are informed by the enduring teaching of the Catholic Church – not by hate, bigotry, or homophobia, as some have alleged. We respect and love all our brothers and sisters because they and we are each made in the image and likeness of God. The inherent dignity of every human being does not mean, however, that all behavior is to be condoned. The Catholic Church contains what we, as Catholics, believe to be the truth about God’s plan for human flourishing, and our teachers are asked to be witnesses to that truth in both word and deed. In fact, it is a condition of employment, as is clearly spelled out in our teacher-minister contract.

There is no doubt that each of us is a sinner, so perfection is not the standard. And we do not judge people, as such judgment is reserved for God alone, only behavior. Behaviors that are not regrettable mistakes but are rather confirmed life choices contrary to Catholic teaching cannot be offered to young people as a witness to the faith, no matter the many other outstanding attributes a person may possess. Sometimes, personal decisions mean that an individual and an organization are simply no longer compatible – nothing more, nothing less. We hope and pray that you might prayerfully consider this.

It saddens all of us that this matter has caused a fracture in the wonderful, strong Alter community. My hope and prayer is that we are able to stay united in charity as members of the family of God. May God bless you this day and always.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of Cincinnati

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May 27, 2020 by Catherine Connette

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.

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