My dear sisters and brothers, As communities across our country and indeed the whole world have struggled to adapt in an age of pandemic, almost all places have found it necessary to implement guidelines and restrictions. These have included stay-at-home directives, distancing guidelines, and the wearing of masks in public or any place where one…

Note: The following is edited from an interview with Deacon Richard Murphy on June 24, 2020. “I started in July 2001… The people of God are the greatest blessing to work here. Both in my work associates and the people that God’s given me to work with as well… they’re full of love and endless…

El próximo evento será el 12 de julio en Santos José y Pablo (Please scroll down for English version.) POR ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, EL CATÓLICO DE KENTUCKY OCCIDENTAL Varias organizaciones comunitarias están trabajando juntas para luchar contra la propagación del COVID-19 entre las comunidades minoritarias en el área del condado de Daviess.

‘God was the one who guided me to this point,’ says deacon BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC As Deacon Corey D. Bruns preached his first homily following his ordination to the transitional diaconate, he was surprised to find himself overcome with emotion.

  BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Chrism Mass in the Diocese of Owensboro looked different this year. Christopher Grief, diocesan seminarian currently interning at St. Stephen Cathedral, told The Western Kentucky Catholic that “amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, life as we know it has been altered.”

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC The Diocese of Owensboro’s School Food Service didn’t let a global pandemic stop them from serving food to hungry kids – and with schools closed for the summer, they have continued distributing free meals to any young person 18 and under.

BY WKC STAFF On Thursday, May 21, 2020, the Diocese of Owensboro’s Office of Youth Ministry offered a virtual retreat for graduating high school seniors, who had lost many traditional experiences – such as canceled graduation ceremonies – due to COVID-19 response and regulations.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Locust Street in front of St. Stephen Cathedral had an unusual sight in the late morning of May 23, 2020:  a drive-by car parade of honking, cheering St. Pius X parishioners holding up homemade signs to congratulate Fr. Stephen Van Lal Than, who had been ordained just…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Even in following strict safety guidelines to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, parishes celebrating public Masses again as a community cannot contain their joy.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC A community of cloistered nuns living in a secluded corner of Daviess County have found that their already “social distancing” lifestyle can provide practical application for non-cloistered people trying to grow in their faith amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

  BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC While St. John’s Thrift Store and Food Pantry in Brownsville has been closed to the public for more than two months as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic, that doesn’t mean it has stopped assisting its local community.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC The parish community of St. Michael’s in Sebree may be the only known Catholic church in the United States currently live-streaming the Mass in an indigenous Guatemalan dialect.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused overwhelming distress to communities across western Kentucky, including many families now suffering financially due to layoffs or reduced working hours.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Everyone knew that Fr. Joe Mills, who passed away on April 4, 2020 at age 92, loved being a priest. And not only that, but he was also known for loving and supporting his fellow priests, said Fr. J. Patrick Reynolds, vicar general for the Diocese of…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Ordinarily, The Western Kentucky Catholic’s post-Easter issue features an array of photos from that year’s Holy Week and Easter liturgies. Some memorable pictures have included the searing “Via Crucis” portrayal of Jesus’ walk to Calvary, as depicted by Sts. Joseph and Paul parishioners in the streets of…

My dear sisters and brothers, One of the challenges of communicating during times of crisis or strife is that it seems before we complete a thought, circumstances and information changes. I have written before about such a challenge with The Western Kentucky Catholic in that its articles are often completed at least a week before…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC On March 16, 2020, Bishop William F. Medley made an announcement that was similar to statements released by bishops all across the United States, but that did not make it any easier: he was calling for the diocese-wide discontinuation of all public Masses.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Sixty-two little girls filled the hallway inside Owensboro Catholic School’s K-3 Campus in the afternoon of March 3, 2020, their voices raised in happy chatter as adult leaders organized them into a line. Though they were of varying ages – kindergarten through third grade – all had…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville recently launched a new anti-pornography program from the Diocese of Owensboro and according to parish team member Dee Dailey, “the response from parishioners has been good.”