Throughout January, we celebrate the liturgical memorials of many saints who dedicated themselves to learning and to education. Religious sisters, such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Angela Merici, formed communities of women committed to the education of youth and families. Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen are celebrated as Doctors of the Church, and their theological studies and writings still help us to better understand the mystery of who God is and who He created us to be. At the end of the month, we will praise God for the life and work of St. Thomas Aquinas who, as both a scholar and professor, is honored for his invaluable contributions to not only the study of theology, but also for his promotion of the coherence between faith and reason.

Each of these women and men understood that the created world reveals God’s goodness to us. As we learn about the world, we uncover the order in which God established it from the first moments of creation. And God established that order with our best interests in mind. God created all things for our benefit, both to foster our flourishing in this life and to lead us to be with Him forever in the next. This combination of appreciating the physical world around us while learning deeper, transcendent truths about God and the spiritual realm is a hallmark of Catholic education.

For centuries Catholic schools and universities have sought to ground human knowledge in the foundation of divine truths. We cannot fully appreciate the beauty of the world around us if we don’t keep in mind that God has both placed us in it and entrusted us with caring for it. In wondering at the created order, we can learn the magnitude of God’s love for us and the richness of our nature as human beings created in His image and likeness. In this sense, Catholic education acknowledges and fosters the development of every aspect of the person: physical, spiritual, emotional and relational.

Such integral development of the whole human being is the work carried out tirelessly by the thousands of teachers, faculty and staff members of the 113 Catholic grade schools and high schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. All told, more than 40,000 students are formed in these fine schools each year. That work could not be accomplished without the additional support of thousands of parish and school volunteers who serve as coaches, aides or assistants with after school care and other programs. To all of you, I express my sincere gratitude. The commitment you show to our young people opens to them opportunities for a full and successful life in this world and, more importantly, for eternity.

Finally, I acknowledge the parents of our students. You have shown you believe in the value of a Catholic education and make many sacrifices to send your children to Catholic schools. The work to educate your children begins in the home, and the foundations you lay there are built upon by the faculty and staff members to whom you entrust your children each day.

Together we all contribute to the education of our young people, so that they can discover the richness of God’s creation and the plan He has for them within it. God has a definite purpose for each of our lives; let us thank Him for the gift of an education by which each student can discern that purpose and to acquire the skills necessary to fulfill it. In doing so, we discover the fullness of life which Christ came to bestow upon us (cf. Jn. 10:10).

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has released the following statement upon the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

“Please join me in praying for the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was a vicar of Peter and faithful shepherd of Christ’s Church.

“Pope Benedict is widely known as one of the greatest theologians of the 20^th century, but this distinction should not overshadow his genuine personal interactions and humble nature. Those of us who interacted with him can attest to his ready sense of humor and consistently kind nature.

“During my years as general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the early 1990s, I would frequently travel to Rome, and oftentimes I would see then-Cardinal Ratzinger making his daily treks across St. Peter’s Square from his apartment to his office. He would mingle with the people in the square while garbed in a simple black cassock. There was no indication that he was a cardinal. Often, he was asked by groups to serve as its photographer. This he did willingly and with a generous smile. As far as the group members were concerned, they had just been assisted by one of the local priests – and Cardinal Ratzinger seemed content to leave them with that understanding. I often wonder today if any of those tourists know their photographer moved on to become Pope Benedict XVI.”

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will celebrate Mass for the peaceful repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 5:15 p.m.

Upon the death of Pope John Paul II, on April 18, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 264^th successor of Saint Peter and chose the name Benedict XVI. He was 78 when elected pope. He quickly realized that the best way to reach the people of God was to go to them and, despite his age,  traveled the world frequently to meet the faithful. On Feb. 13, 2013, Pope Benedict announced his resignation, becoming the first pope in almost 600 years to resign from the papacy.

Further information about Pope Benedict XVI can be found here: https://www.usccb.org/popes/pope-benedict-xvi

Every year the Church blesses us with a season to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord at Christmas. Much exterior preparation takes place during the four weeks of Advent: we decorate our homes, purchase gifts for loved ones, bake cookies and host parties. All of these things should be directed toward fostering our awareness of the great mystery we celebrate on Christmas Day: the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is our Savior, and to Him we cry out, “Emmanuel, Lord, come to save us!”

In Advent, we prepare to celebrate God’s love for us; a love so powerful that when our Lord saw our neediness, He desired to save us through His grace rather than leave us to suffer on our own. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded us that our cry for the Lord to come to save us echoes throughout history. He said, “This is the cry raised by men and women in every age, who sense that by themselves they cannot prevail over difficulties and dangers. They need to put their hands in a greater and stronger hand, a hand which reaches out to them from on high” (Urbi et Orbi Christmas Message, 2011).

None of us can save ourselves; we need God’s help. We need His transformative grace. Without God, we cannot turn away from sin and conform our lives to the Gospel’s truths. Jesus comes to save us. He has done that through the mystery of his Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, as well as through His teachings and His life’s example. We celebrate that Jesus was born as one of us in order to give absolutely everything for us.

Just as we exteriorly prepare for the coming of the Lord at Christmas, we also should take advantage of these weeks to interiorly prepare our hearts to welcome our Savior. The Church’s Advent liturgies are filled with readings from the prophets about the People of Israel’s anticipation of the Messiah’s coming. Beautiful hymns give voice to the eager expectation shared by Christians over the course of the centuries. Our personal prayer, too, should foster in us the desire to accept the Lord’s hand and allow Him to pick us up and guide us along the path of discipleship.

Families can pray together with the assistance of reflections and the traditional prayers associated with lighting an Advent wreath. This is also a time to humbly encounter the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and ask Him to forgive our sins and heal us by the grace which only He can give.

Certainly, this is a busy time of year and, in the midst of that busyness, it is easy to arrive at Christmas Day and be surprised it is already here. We can be disappointed that we did not take advantage of the opportunities Advent offers to grow closer to God and allow Him more deeply into our lives. As this season of both exterior and interior preparation begins, let us take a moment to silence our hearts and reflect on the magnitude of God’s love, which we will contemplate in the image of the stable of Bethlehem. This Love will be born as a Person, a Child, a Savior. Jesus is born for you and for me.

Just as Mary and Joseph wondered in awe as they beheld the Christ Child, so too let us arrive at Christmas Day with great gratitude and love for God, who has chosen to save us in such an unassuming way.

More than simply an emotion we experience from time to time, joy is a virtue each of us is called to receive from God and cultivate in our lives for the good of others. Christian joy is rooted in an awareness of God’s unconditional love. When we experience God’s love and live out our lives as a response to that love, then we are truly joyful people.

On the evening before His Passion, our Lord reminded His closest disciples, “I have told you all this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (Jn. 15:11). Jesus told His disciples about the suffering He would endure and their mission to carry on the work He had begun. After washing their feet, Jesus gave them the new commandment to love one another as He loved them. He encouraged them by promising that He would send the Holy Spirit to support, teach and guide them. He warned that they would face difficulties, challenges and rejection by the world. But Jesus told His disciples these things so they might share in His joy, a joy unlike anything the world could provide.

Even on the eve of His suffering and death, Jesus possessed deep joy because He remained intent on freely fulfilling the will of His heavenly Father. Jesus trusted in the Father’s plan for His life, and He knew that fulfilling that would bring Him the most satisfaction.

Everything Jesus teaches us is directed at leading us closer to God and helping us to know God’s plan for our lives. Jesus’ teachings show us who we are and what God calls us to be. They mark out the path we are to follow to reach our fulfillment as human beings created in God’s image. Even when we struggle along the way, God never tires of picking us up and putting us back on the road of discipleship.

Our joy is rooted in this hope of God’s never-failing love for us. Joy is a virtue that rests deep in our souls, but which we are meant to share with others. Unfortunately, we live in a world that, despite all the means of communication available to us, is becoming more and more hostile to genuine human encounter and mutual support.

Pope Francis began his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, saying, “Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers, too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ” (EG 2).

The joy which fills our heart as we receive God’s love for us is given to us precisely to be given away. Christians who share their joy make great contributions to the world by giving firm testimony to the love of God for all people.

November’s Catholic liturgies foster our contemplation of eternity. We celebrate All Saints’ Day and commemorate all the faithful departed on All Souls’ Day. The readings of the Sunday Masses offer reflections on the end times and God’s promise of salvation for those who place their trust in Him. Glancing toward eternity, we are filled with joy at the prospect of all God has in store for us. This is a fitting month, then, to renew our awareness of God’s great love. The Lord sends us out to be His joyful witnesses, confident in His grace and mercy, giving to a suffering world the hope of divine love.

Oct. 12, 2022

Mr. Jerry Freewalt has resigned from his position as Executive Director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio and his resignation has been accepted by the bishops of Ohio. Mr. Freewalt has accepted the position of Director of the Office of Social Concerns with the Diocese of Columbus. The bishops of Ohio are very grateful for Mr. Freewalt’s dedicated service to the Catholic people and dioceses of Ohio and gratified that he will continue to serve the mission of the Church in his new capacity.

With Mr. Freewalt’s departure, the bishops of Ohio have asked Ms. Carolyn Jurkowitz to return as interim director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio effective immediately, and she has accepted. The bishops are grateful for her agreement to assist at this time.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio will begin a national search for a new Executive Director in the coming days.

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

Chairman, Board of Directors,

CAtholic Conference of Ohio