Jennifer Schack

December 2, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

Release Date: Dec. 2, 2021

Father Geoff Drew of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati was placed on administrative leave on July 23, 2019 as a result of a pattern of behaviors – such as boundary violations and texting a minor – in contradiction to the Decree on Child Protection. Subsequent to being placed on administrative leave, Father Drew was arrested and charged with nine counts of rape. These were new, previously unreported allegations dating back to the late 1980s, a decade before he entered the seminary to begin formation for the priesthood.

Information previously released about this matter can be found on the website of the archdiocese:

Fr. Geoff Drew Information

Given the guilty plea accepted today in court, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will now seek the laicization of Father Geoff Drew with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Holy See.

“Father Geoff Drew will never again have a priestly assignment in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati or any other diocese,” said Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati remains committed to creating and maintaining safe environments, including enforcing the Decree on Child Protection without compromise. Please join us in continuing to pray for all victims of the horrific evil of abuse.

Jennifer Schack

Director of Media Relations

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6618

Cell | 859.512.5626

[email protected]

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 44^th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with more than 440,000 Catholics, and has the fifth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more than 40,000 students. The 19-county territory includes 208 parishes and 111 Catholic primary and secondary schools.

December 1, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

Release Date: December 1, 2021

Families of Parishes Final Configuration Announcement

The Families of Parishes configuration is finalized and will be announced to the public on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, will promulgate the Families of Parishes at the 11 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The Families of Parishes configuration is part of the archdiocesan-wide pastoral planning initiative Beacons of Light.

This announcement is the result of more than two years of work. The project has included data collection from all entities of the archdiocese, assistance from a consulting group with direction and data analysis, several rounds of modeling of Families of Parishes configurations, and an open comment period.

“I am convinced that Beacons of Light, born in great hope, will enable us to form strong parishes, centered on the Eucharist, that radiate the love of Christ and joy of the Gospel,” said Archbishop Schnurr.

In Oct. 2021, a draft Families of Parishes configuration was presented to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for their review and feedback. The open comment period elicited nearly 8,000 comments and has resulted in numerous changes to the configuration. Collectively the changes from the draft to the final parish groupings have resulted in a stronger arrangement of Families of Parishes, that will allow for optimal growth of the archdiocese in the decades to come.

The final Families of Parishes configuration that will be announced on Dec. 5 will includes the Families of Parishes map available at BeaconsAOC.org. The map will be available on the website at 12 p.m. following the Mass.

The next milestone in Beacons of Light will be the announcement of priest assignments in the spring of 2022. The implementation of Families of Parishes will not formally begin until July 1, 2022.

The announcement of the Families of Parishes configuration is the conclusion of the strategic planning phase of Beacons of Light. With a strategic plan finalized, the work going forward is in the hands of the faithful. The pastoral planning phase of Beacons of Light will include months of leadership training and orientation to Beacons of Light for all priests, deacons, lay staff and parish leaders. In addition, once Families of Parishes are implemented, a guidebook called, The Pathway, will aid Families of Parishes in their pastoral planning efforts.

More information about Beacons of Light, including frequently asked questions and downloadable resources are available at BeaconsAOC.org.

A review of information from the Oct. 1 press release sent to media regarding Beacons of Light:

Why is Beacons of Light happening?

The status quo is no longer an option. At this point a comprehensive pastoral planning process is a necessity in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to garner stability and position the diocese for growth.
Our resources are largely consumed by efforts to maintain the status quo and are spread too thin to be truly effective. In particular, our priests are stretched to the limit, and we will have fewer priests who can serve as pastors over the coming years. The number of archdiocesan priests available for assignment is projected to decline by approximately 20% over the next five years.
Religious practice has been declining in both the United States and in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. From 2010 to 2019, sacramental practice (including baptisms, first communions, confirmations and weddings) in the archdiocese declined by 23%.
Our current infrastructure and schedules were built for a different era. In many cases, our church buildings are grossly underutilized. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the average Sunday Mass is about one-third full.

Jennifer Schack

Director of Media Relations

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6618

Cell | 859.512.5626

[email protected]

December 1, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

One of our great treasures as Catholics is the rhythm of the Church calendar in which the hopeful message of God’s great love for us is renewed each year in a way that is familiar yet always new. A new Church year has just begun with the First Sunday of Advent, November 28.

Advent is a joyful period of waiting and preparation for Christ’s birth. St. Luke, in this year’s Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, quotes the prophet Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Lk. 3:4; cf. Is. 40:3).

Advent is a season of hope precisely because it looks forward. The first readings of the Sunday liturgies for Advent present Old Testament prophets foreseeing a Messiah, whom we know to be Jesus. But Advent is not just about awaiting the Nativity of our Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming” (CCC 524).

Advent reminds us that God keeps His promises now, as He did in the past and as He will in the future. As St. Paul assures us, “hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5). The Advent candles we light on each of the four Sundays before Christmas remind us that Christ, for whom we are waiting, is the true light and hope of the world. When we radiate Christ, we share that light and bring that hope to others.

Christ is alive and present in His Church, which is still charged with making disciples of all nations. This is our sacred mission. That does not mean, however, that we can act as though nothing has changed over the past several decades. It would be irresponsible to do so, for the Church stands in the stream of time.

As joyful witnesses who must also be good stewards, we are called to make the best use of all the resources in our local Church. It is therefore appropriate to ask, are all our resources – human, physical and financial – properly ordered to missionary discipleship? Are they working in concert to continuously draw parishioners and attract new members into a more intimate relationship with Jesus? Or are they consumed by efforts to maintain the status quo and spread too thinly to be truly effective?

The Beacons of Light pastoral planning process is designed to address exactly these questions. I am convinced that this initiative, born in great hope, will enable us to form stronger parishes, centered on the Eucharist, that radiate the love of Christ and the joy of the Gospel. To the thousands of parishioners who recently gave feedback to help shape the final Families of Parishes, thank you. I am deeply grateful to you.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for” (CCC 27). God the Father has offered fulfillment to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus has come so that we might have life in abundance (cf. Jn. 10:10). Advent is when we prepare to welcome Him into our hearts.

May the peace, joy, and fullness of life that only Christ can bring be yours this Advent and Christmas!

November 30, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

W H A T | Ohio Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony

W H E N | Sunday Dec. 5, 2021 1 p.m.

W H E R E | St. Raphael Church, 225 East Spring Street, Springfield Ohio

Release Date: Nov. 30, 2021

New Ohio Historical Marker Recognizes 19^th century Catholic Entrepreneur

A new Ohio Historical Marker will be dedicated to Daniel Rudd. Rudd was a 19^th century Catholic entrepreneur who was born into slavery in Bardstown, KY before moving to Ohio and becoming a newspaperman, lecturer, publicist, and advocate for the Roman Catholic Church.

St. Raphael Parish, Springfield, in collaboration with the Catholic Social Action Office and African-American Pastoral Ministries Office of the pastoral center of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, will dedicate a Ohio Historical Marker to honor the life and work Daniel Rudd. The dedication will be held Sunday, December 5, at 1:00 pm, at St. Raphael Church, 225 East Spring Street, Springfield. The event is open to the public. As part of the ceremony, Rev. John MacQuarrie will conclude the ceremony with a remarks and benediction.

Rudd was born into slavery on August 7, 1854, in Bardstown, Kentucky. After the Civil War Rudd moved to Springfield. Having been baptized and raised in Catholicism, he joined St. Raphael Parish, where the teaching of racial equality by the Church solidified his vision of justice.

By 1885 Rudd had established his own weekly newspaper, The Ohio State Tribune. He rebranded it The American Catholic Tribune (ACT) after moving to Cincinnati. Rudd claimed ACT was the only Catholic newspaper owned by an African American. At the height of its popularity in 1892, the publication had a circulation of 10,000. In 1893 Rudd was asked to chair the Afro-American Press Association, representing more than 200 black-owned newspapers.

Rudd explained his vision: “We will do what no other paper published by colored men has dared to do-give the great Catholic Church a hearing and show that it is worth of at least a fair consideration at the hands of our race, being as it is the only place on this continent where rich and poor, white and black, must drop prejudice at the threshold and go hand in hand to the altar.”

In 1888 Rudd called on Black Catholics to form a national group to advocate for racial issues. With the endorsement of Archbishop William Elder, the Congress of Colored Catholics convened in Washington, D.C. More than 200 delegates gathered, worshiped, and met with political leaders, including President Grover Cleveland. Today this organization lives on as the National Black Catholic Congress. Throughout his life, Rudd fought segregation and inequality in schools, hospitals, and other public accommodations. He died in December 1933.

Andrew Musgrave, director of the Catholic Social Action Office, is thrilled to be able to support bringing this long overdue memorial to fruition. “For far too long, the life and work of Daniel Rudd have been overlooked. He is a critical figure in Black Catholicism – and Catholicism in Ohio and the United States – and our office is honored to help make this dream a reality, especially as we celebrate 200 years of Catholicism in the Cincinnati area.”

About the Ohio Historical Markers Program

Ohio Historical Markers identify, commemorate, and honor important people, places, things, or events that have contributed to the rich history of our state. The program, administered by the Ohio History Connection, has proven to be a vital educational tool that informs both residents and visitors about the significant local, state, or national history that happened in or near the location of the marker. More than 1700 Ohio Historical Markers have been installed throughout the state. The Rudd marker will become Clark County’s ninth Ohio Historical Marker.

Jennifer Schack

Director of Media Relations

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6618

Cell | 859.512.5626

[email protected]

Media contact for this event:

Andrew Musgrave

Director of Catholic Social Action

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6691

Cell | 414.801.8780

[email protected]

November 8, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

Effective October 15, 2021

Reverend Carlos Casavantes, FSSP, Parochial Vicar of Holy Family, Dayton.

\Effective November 1, 2021

Reverend Michael Pucke, temporary Parochial Administrator of St. Peter in Chains, St. Julie Billiart and St. Joseph Parishes, Hamilton.

November 3, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

Deacon Elmer H. Fischesser, a Deacon of the Archdiocese, died on Thursday, October 14, 2021, following an eight-month illness. He was 77 years old.

Deacon Elmer was ordained June 20, 1987 by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk. His first assignment was at the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati. He completed an internship and residency program in Hospital Ministry at Christ Hospital in August, 2005. He then served as a Chaplain on the staff of Mercy Health Partners. In April, 2007, Deacon Elmer was reassigned to Mercy Hospital Fairfield as his diaconate assignment. He served the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as a permanent deacon for thirty-four years.

Deacon Elmer leaves his wife, Virginia, to whom he was married for 40 years.

Deacon Elmer donated his body to science. A memorial Mass will be held at Bellarmine Chapel on the campus of Xavier University on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. All are invited to attend.

Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon Elmer Fischesser in your prayers, as well as for peace and comfort for his wife, Virginia.

November 1, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

All Souls Day immediately follows All Saints Day in the Church calendar for good reason: Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, reaffirms our ancient faith as Catholics “in the living communion which exists between us and our brothers and sisters who are in the glory of heaven or are yet being purified after their death” (LG 51).

In other words, a spiritual union exists among the faithful on earth (sometimes called the Church Militant), the souls in purgatory (the Church Suffering) and the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant). The Apostles Creed calls this the “communion of saints.” All the faithful departed are part of the communion of saints, as are we.

Perhaps we sense this most strongly when the litany of saints is sung at the Easter Vigil, at ordinations and at infant baptisms, giving the feeling that those canonized saints are truly there among us. However, from the earliest times our houses of worship have been filled with the presence of the saints in statues, paintings and stained glass windows. These images are like the family albums of our family of faith.

The Church has canonized only a relatively small number of those who are with God. In the first reading for the Solemnity of All Saints, St. John in the Book of Revelation shares his vision of “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue” (Rev. 7:9). Some of the readings that may be chosen for All Souls Day are reassuring about the fate of those who have gone before us. In one of them Jesus says: “And this is the will of the One who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what He gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day” (Jn. 6:39-40).

We look to canonized saints and to saintly people we have known as models of how to conform ourselves to Christ, and we ask for their intercession with God as we face difficulties in life. At the same time, we also need the help of our fellow pilgrims here on earth and pray for the souls in purgatory. We are all united in the Body of Christ. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The communion of saints is the Church” (CCC 946).

God gave us the Church so that we have the assistance of other Christians to do together that which we cannot do alone – know and be transformed by Jesus Christ so we can follow Him back to union with the Father. Each of us has an important role in the communion of saints as we are all called to radiate the light of Christ to our dark world.

We all do that in different ways. Our archdiocesan prayer for vocations stresses that God created each of us for some definite purpose. We are at our happiest when we identify that purpose and fulfill it, using our unique gifts and talents as God intended.

At the same time, we are called to affirm and support the vocations of others. The millions of vocation prayers, as well as the support given to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology by the members of our local Church, have resulted in many new priests, deacons and lay pastoral ministers in recent years, for which I am very grateful. These individuals serve the faithful in their various ministries, and the faithful in turn sustain them with their encouragement and prayers.

We must never forget that we are all on a journey back to the God who created us and we need help along the way from our fellow members of the communion of saints.

October 16, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

W H A T | Opening Mass: For a Synodal Church

W H E N | Sunday Oct. 17, 2021 11 A.M. Mass

W H E R E | Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati

Release Date: Oct. 16, 2021

Catholic Church Synod: A unique chance for voices to be heard

At the direction of Pope Francis, a Synod has been convoked that will run from 2021 until 2023 entitled, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission. On Sunday, October 17, 2021, the Synod will open in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The Catholic Church has at times called Synods to bring forth the voice of the faithful from a diocese, a country or from around the world. Pope Francis announced this global Synod in September 2021. The Holy Father opened the world-wide Synod October 10, 2021 in Rome. This weekend dioceses are asked to locally open the Synod.

Father Steve Angi, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, will celebrate Mass on Sunday Oct. 17, 2021 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains to open the Synod for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. At Mass he will announce the local facilitator of the Synod, Deacon John Homoelle. In the coming months more information will be released from the archdiocese about listening sessions and ways locally to participate in the Synod. The local participation in the Synod will conclude into 2022 when all consultation is due back to the Vatican by April. The Synod will be open until 2023 when bishops will meet for a discussion on Synodality in the Church.

Information about the Synod from the Vatican can be found here: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/09/07/210907a.html

Jennifer Schack

Director of Media Relations

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Office | 513.263.6618

Cell | 859.512.5626

[email protected]

October 4, 2021 by Jennifer Schack

Deacon Raymond J. Kroger, a Deacon of the Archdiocese, died on Thursday, September 30, 2021. He was 85 years old.

Deacon Ray was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on July 3, 1982. He was assigned to St. Margaret of York Parish, Loveland, upon ordination. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for thirty-nine years, first at Holy Family Parish in Price Hill, then at St. Margaret of York.

Deacon Ray leaves his wife, Mary, to whom he was married for 65 years. He also leaves three daughters, two sons and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by their son, Mark, in 1979.

Family and friends will be received Wednesday, October 6, 2021 from 5-8 PM at St. Margaret of York Parish. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 7, 2021 at St. Margaret of York, 9499 Columbia Rd., Loveland. The deacon community is invited to attend and vest for the Mass.

Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon Ray Kroger in your prayers, as well as for peace and comfort for his wife, Mary, and their family.