Editor’s note: Canons 1250 and 1251 state that all Fridays are days of penance in the Catholic Church.

Reaching 10th episcopal ordination anniversary, bishop sees community, evangelization, as ‘core’ to Church’s identity BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC When Bishop William F. Medley was a pastor serving in the Archdiocese of Louisville many years ago, he never “concretely thought of ever being anything but a parish priest,” said the bishop in…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC As he presided at the Jan. 22, 2020 Mass commemorating the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, Bishop William F. Medley stated that those gathered in St. Stephen Cathedral that day “stand for life – we stand for the dignity of life.”

Editor’s note: On Jan. 4, 2020, Bishop Medley presided at the opening Mass for National Migration Week at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro. The text below is based on his notes from his homily, which was given in Spanish and in English. From January 5-11, 2020 the Catholic Church of the United States celebrates National…

BY WKC STAFF Besides his ad limina obligations, Bishop William F. Medley had the opportunity to visit the Vatican’s annual exhibit of nativity scenes, known as the 100 Presepi (or “cribs,” translated from Italian).

By Fr. Jason McClure, Office of Vocations “One of the reasons we have a shortage of vocations is we have stopped believing that priesthood is for real. It’s worth fighting for. It’s worth sacrificing for… I am not a dreamer. I am a man of faith.”

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Thirty-five years after giving The Western Kentucky Catholic its name in 1985, Robert “Bob” Devine has kept up with the diocesan newspaper, and says “it’s really been good.”

Though the Diocese of Owensboro was established by a decree of Pope Pius XI in 1937, it was not until 1985 that a diocesan newspaper was created.

In January 1985, the Diocese of Owensboro published the inaugural issue of the newspaper you are reading right now. While a newsletter had been printed since 1974, founding editor, Mel Howard, and Bishop John J. McRaith, determined that the diocese needed to take the next step and have its own newspaper. On page 2 of…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC When Bishop William F. Medley was in Rome for his ad limina Apostolorum visit from Dec. 1-8, his favorite part was getting to be in the presence of Pope Francis – the successor of St. Peter.

BY WKC STAFF Referencing Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on young people, “Christus Vivit,” the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, proclaimed that young people “are the now of the Church.”

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Pope Francis has spoken frequently on the necessity of Christians to have joy, and two priests from the Diocese of Owensboro are joyfully accepting new roles to promote a greater awareness of vocations.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC As a teenager taking Latin classes for fun at Owensboro Catholic High School in the 1980s, Christopher Graney did not expect to one day become a member of the Vatican’s own astronomical institute.

BY WKC STAFF On Saturday, Oct. 26, around 80 middle school youth and adults from the Diocese of Owensboro joined 1,600 middle school youth and adults from surrounding dioceses for Holy Fire Nashville 2019.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC On the windy but sunny morning of Nov. 4, 2019, several figures could be seen carefully carrying boxes from the archives office of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, into a truck parked outside.

Canon law (the law of the Roman Catholic Church) requires that every five years a diocesan bishop is bound to make a written report to the Holy Father on the state of the diocese entrusted to him. Canon 400 stipulates that the bishop is to go to Rome to present this report and while there…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Editor’s note: The following is the first in a two-part series about the diocese’s Office of Worship and Office of Music, which assist the bishop in coordinating and overseeing diocesan liturgies and other functions. For this first installment, we spoke with Lauren Johnson, who with Fr. Brandon…

In our Catholic tradition we observe the month of November as a special time of remembrance and prayer for the dead.