Bishop Medley, upon the recommendation of the Priest Personnel Board, has made the following priest changes: Rev. Ray Clark: Chaplain at Carmel Home in Owensboro effective September 1, 2021. (Fr. Richard Cash will continue as the Coordinator of Catholic Pastoral Care at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital.) Rev. Gary Clark: Pastor of St. Francis de Sales…
Around the Diocese
COVID-19 Parish Guidelines
Diocese of Owensboro COVID-19 and the Workplace Guidance Updated September 1, 2021 | Actualizado el 1 de septiembre de 2021 We continue to strongly recommend that everyone mask indoors and to please postpone unnecessary meetings. Please encourage parishioners to wear a mask as they enter Church. Large gatherings that include a meal are also being…
Letter from Superintendent David Kessler
Dear Catholic School Families and Staff, We are committed to beginning the 2021-2022 school year on time and with the best opportunity for uninterrupted, in-person learning for our students and staff. We share the concerns of our state health officials and healthcare professionals on the rising transmission rates of this virus and the variants that…
National School Lunch & Breakfast Program
The Diocese of Owensboro Division of School & Community Nutrition will be participating in the Seamless Summer Option of National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. As part of this program, Owensboro Catholic Schools, Mary Carrico Memorial School, St. Mary of the Woods, Trinity High School, St. Joseph School, John Paul II Catholic…
Pandemic Recommendations
Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases throughout our country (and Kentucky and our diocese), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is making recommendations that would impact all in-person meetings held indoors in our parishes (e.g. weekday and Sunday liturgies, youth events, parish meetings, religious education, RCIA groups, parish social events, etc…). Please…
List of 2021 parish picnics available online
BY WKC STAFF Parish picnics and cooking teams are a longstanding tradition in the Diocese of Owensboro. Parishioners and non-parishioners alike gather to celebrate great food, fun games and lively fellowship during the warmest months of the year. The Diocese of Owensboro parish picnics list is available in The Western Kentucky Catholic each year, and…
Letter From Bishop William F. Medley Regarding Sunday/Holyday Obligation and Liturgy Guidelines
Sunday/Holyday Obligation and Liturgy Guideline Updates | Effective June 11, 2021 My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we move beyond the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and access to the COVID-19 vaccine has become more widespread, the time has arrived for the good of all the faithful when the general dispensation from the…
New Director of Faith Formation
The Diocese of Owensboro is pleased to announce the appointment of Dcn. Jay VanHoosier as the new Director of Faith Formation, effective July 6, 2021. Dcn. VanHoosier comes to us from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Newburgh, Indiana, in the Diocese of Evansville, where he has been the Director of Faith Formation…
A Rosary for Healing & Protection
The month of May is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. During this month we have provided below a special Rosary, by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, to be prayed. Together, we can ensure that all children are safe from sexual abuse and can provide assistance and support…
Vatican Reinstates Priestly Faculties for Fr. Joseph E. Bradley
On March 1, 2019, Fr. Joseph Edward Bradley, a priest of the Diocese of Owensboro, was temporarily suspended from public ministry by Bishop William F. Medley following a recommendation by the Diocesan Review Board that an allegation of the sexual abuse of a minor had been found credible. A second allegation came forth with both…
more: Vatican Reinstates Priestly Faculties for Fr. Joseph E. Bradley
Letter from Bishop William F. Medley
Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, May you and your families know the peace and joy of the risen Jesus! Many times over the last 14 months I have commented that it seems like the Lent that began in 2020 is still with us – 40 days…
Priest Assignments for 2021
The priest assignments for 2021 are listed below. Please keep our priests and those they serve in prayer as these changes take place. Parish Pastor Buckman, Rev. Thomas, Pastor, St. Mary Parish in Franklin and Christ the King Parish in Scottsville. Effective June 8, 2021. Kulathumkal, Rev. Babu, Pastor, St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro. …
A Statement from Bishop William F. Medley on Situation in Myanmar
(Also available in Burmese and Spanish below) The Diocese of Owensboro is enriched by the presence of migrants and refugees from the country of Myanmar, also known as Burma. Last month the military in this country took control in a coup, arresting many democratic political leaders and activists. Turmoil and uncertainty have followed in the…
more: A Statement from Bishop William F. Medley on Situation in Myanmar
NCYC 2021 Announcement
From the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry After much conversation and discernment with Bishop Medley and other diocesan leadership, we have decided not to try to lead a diocesan delegation to NCYC 2021 in Indianapolis, IN Nov. 18-20, 2021. There are too many unknowns regarding guidelines for travel and lodging at this time…
2021 Fish Fry Dates in the Diocese of Owensboro
Editor’s note: Canons 1250 and 1251 state that all Fridays are days of penance in the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops requests that Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, and practice some form of penance on the other Fridays throughout the year. Due to fish being a popular Lenten Friday…
‘I Will Go to the Altar of God’ | New pastoral letter gives heart-to-heart message from a bishop to his people
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Bishop William F. Medley has always liked the quote from Pope St. John Paul II that “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”
A Word From Bishop Medley: Silent Night and Joy to the World
Joy to the world. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. Let heaven and nature sign. … Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright, Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy Infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Dadvent 2020: Advent initiative hopes to inspire men to be stronger husbands, fathers, leaders in their families
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC It has been a long and stressful year for families – but a new initiative hopes to encourage men across western Kentucky to foster the light of Christ in their hearts and in the hearts of their families during the Advent season.
Humility, wisdom and love – Sr. Bernadette Hengstebeck, Sr. Fran Wilhelm, inspired others to be best versions of themselves
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC In early November 2020, western Kentucky lost two “greats” – both of them women religious who had devoted their lives and vocations to serving the underrepresented and underprivileged.
Diocese releases new policy for displays of priests removed from ministry
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Louanne Payne is the diocese’s Pastoral Assistance Coordinator, which means she answers the hotline for callers to report abuse by someone acting in the name of the Church. Payne explained that when a space is named after someone, or their picture is displayed in a prominent place,…
more: Diocese releases new policy for displays of priests removed from ministry