How Catholics can help heal society’s wounds of division and disunity BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC From arguments over the upcoming presidential election, to varied attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic, to conflicting perspectives when addressing the racial divide in the United States, the year 2020 has shown at least one thing shared…

The one symbol most associated with Jesus and his Church is the cross. The image marks churches, schools, hospitals.  A cross, often with an image of the body of Jesus and thus called a crucifix, is to be found in hundreds of millions of homes around the world. We wear crosses on our persons as…

Postponed by pandemic, RCIA classes of 2020 joyfully enter the Church BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Despite needing to postpone their entry into the Catholic Church due to the COVID-19 shutdown and restrictions, those going through RCIA in spring 2020 proved to be a “wonderfully resilient group” according to one parish’s director…

‘Gasper on the Go’ provides camp experience at parish sites BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC It is an understatement to say that Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center is “significant” for the Reffitt family at St. Stephen Cathedral. “It has become a huge part of our children’s lives,’” said mom,…

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC By the end of 2020, the Diocese of Owensboro’s Office of Hispanic/Latino Ministry hopes to have drafted a 2021-2025 diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC In the afternoon of March 19, 2020, Fr. John Thomas of Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green took out his cellphone and, with fellow parish priests and seminarian intern, began to pray the rosary over Facebook Live.

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.