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…

more: Worship office plans liturgies, supports parishes

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

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC From Oct. 3-12, 2019, 12 students and three teachers from Trinity High School in Whitesville traveled to Spain and Portugal as part of the school’s Traveling Classroom program, which takes a select number of students to countries outside of the United States every other fall break. The…

more: Holy Toledo, and much more: Trinity students visit Spain and Portugal for Traveling Classroom 2019

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, women religious from around the Diocese of Owensboro gathered with Bishop William F. Medley at St. Martin Parish in Rome to honor several of their own who were celebrating jubilees of religious life. Those honored that day were Sr. Cecelia Joseph Olinger,…

more: Sisters honored at 2019 celebration for women religious

Diocese makes history with its first ordination of primarily Spanish-speaking deacons BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Several years ago, Bishop William F. Medley received what he called a “daring request” – to ordain to the permanent diaconate a group of men exclusively from the Hispanic community.

BY WKC STAFF Every other year, all of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Owensboro gather at Owensboro Sportscenter to have Mass with Bishop William F. Medley.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC According to Msgr. Scott Friend, vocations director for the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., fundamental to fostering vocations in any diocese is that “all of us have to believe.”

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Fr. Aloysius Francis Powers, a priest of the Diocese of Owensboro, passed away on Sept. 4, 2019 at age 98. He was born in Daviess County on Jan. 4, 1921 to the late Joseph H. Powers, Sr., and Teresa M. McCarthy Powers.

October is observed as “Respect Life Month” in the Catholic Church in the United States.

BY TINA KASEY, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC The Diocese of Owensboro was pleased to have Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, La., speak to the public in a presentation entitled, “Against Racism” on Thursday, Sept. 19 at St. Stephen Cathedral.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Editor’s note: On Sept. 3, 2019, The Western Kentucky Catholic sat down with Fr. Anthony Shonis, a priest of the diocese who retired in spring 2019. Having been raised in the Catholic Church prior to the Second Vatican Council, attending seminary during the council and being ordained…

more: Retiring after 48 years, Fr. Anthony Shonis looks back on the changes in the Church

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC In November, the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Owensboro will host several Catholic spirituality presentations around western Kentucky, led by Michael Fonseca, president of God’s Embrace Ministries.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is considered the unofficial end of summer.

In feeding the body, they feed the soul BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC The Catholic Church teaches that human beings are made up of both bodies and souls – and both must be cared for, having been created in the image and likeness of God.

Says ‘future is bright’ as Church undergoes ‘time of purification’ BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC If Bishop Anthony B. Taylor were to summarize in one word the keynote address he will give at Vocare 2019, it would be about “believing.”

BY WKC STAFF On Aug. 10, approximately 60 directors of religious education, youth ministry leaders, Catholic school educators, catechists and volunteers gathered at Christ the King Parish in Madisonville for a day of formation.

BY DANNY MAY, OFFICE OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE Pornography is a complex issue. With today’s advances in technology, pornographic images and videos are more prevalent and easily accessible than ever before, particularly when young people handle devices.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC A six-week group for adult male survivors of sexual abuse by clergy is beginning in October.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Faith formation is just as much “Christian living as Christian believing” for Jeff Andrini, the Diocese of Owensboro’s new director of the Office of Faith Formation.

Two women with a passion for catechesis find a way to immerse Catholic kids in the Bible BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC Debi Hopkins knew something was seriously wrong the year that a little boy at Vacation Bible School said, “You mean these are true stories? These actually happened?”