A look back at events, news in archdiocese throughout 2007

ARCHDIOCESE - It was a year for being grateful.

CT/TONY TRIBBLE

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk looks at oversized cards he received from students at Precious Blood School in Dayton and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Reading, congratulating him on his 25th anniversary as archbishop. Archbishop Pilarczyk celebrated the milestone in December.

Gratitude was expressed in fellowship: a march across the Roebling Suspension Bridge to the Freedom Center by Catholic Charities USA national conventioneers, announcing a pledge to fight poverty and racism; a rainy-day blessing of the statue of St. Francis of Assisi outside the offices of St. Anthony Messenger Press; and mission trips to all reaches of the Western Hemisphere by school groups and parishes from across the archdiocese.

Gratitude was expressed in ministry: the ongoing life ministries that make us Catholic Christians; faith-formation gatherings of all stripes and at all levels of the local church; outreach to our new neighbors and discussion of resolutions to the divisive immigration debate; and the continuing celebration of Catholic education, where challenges abound but commitment brings hope for the future.

These and other stories of gratitude and service filled the pages of The Catholic Telegraph throughout 2007, anchored by our special series called "Grateful Believers," columns expressing individuals' gratitude, commissioned by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk.

In January 2007, the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and the Office of Youth Ministry joined forces to launch a new youth-oriented faith formation program called "Forming Young Disciples." Orientation for the program ran in February and March, and an updating of previous youth faith formation from a 1989 program became more current. Kris Krimm, a staffer at the archdiocese's Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, a co-author of "Forming Young Disciples," noted that much of the results of a national survey of Catholics about their understanding of faith showed a large gap in participation by Catholic youths in religious education "is a prime concern."

CT/E.L. HUBBARD

Convention-goers from the Catholic Charities USA annual gathering, held last year in Cincinnati, walk across the Roebling Suspension Bridge in a display against racism.

Six Dayton-area parishes - Queen of Martyrs, Our Lady of Mercy, Corpus Christi, Precious Blood, St. Paul and St. Rita - opened their doors to welcome Catholics back to church in a program called Catholics Come Home. In St. Francis de Sales Deanery, Immaculate Heart of Mary pastor, Father Jan Schmidt, was named interim president at McNicholas High School. And students from LaSalle, Mother of Mercy and Roger Bacon high schools conducted a 30-hour fast to remember the tragedy of Darfur in Africa.

In remembrance: Bishop John Kaising, Rose Marie Tensi, Sister Agatha Fox, Sister Michael Ann Daly, Father Vincent Plassenthal, Sister Mary Olds, Sister Peter Broeman, Sister Virginia Efkeman, Sister Maria Deland and Sister Ann Roberta McNeela.

In February, a review of the financial health of numerous Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese was undertaken, and in St. Lawrence Deanery, the "future schools committee" of the deanery held 90-minute information sessions on the demographics, finances and facilities of its Catholic Schools. In that process, teachers, pastoral councils, finance commissions and education commissions gathered to share data. In St. Andrew Deanery, it was announced in February that Holy Trinity School in Norwood and St. John the Evangelist School in Deer Park would merge into a new school called St. Nicholas School. St. Patrick Church in Glynwood celebrated its 150th anniversary; and St. Mary Church in St. Martin Deanery celebrated its 50th anniversary. And numerous pages of The Catholic Telegraph celebrated in stories and photos the annual Catholic Schools Week celebrations held in late January. At the second annual Parish Social Action Collaborative held at St. Joseph Parish in the West End, 60 parishes in the collaborative voted to make immigration, awareness of Darfur and a focus on Catholic Social Teaching focal points for the year. The middle of February brought record ice and snow, forcing numerous school closings.

CT/E.L. HUBBARD

Priests from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati process into the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains for the ordination of three new priests for the archdiocese: Father Ronald Haft, Father Thomas McCarthy and Father Reynaldo Taylor.

In March, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, who at the time was Archbishop for Military Services, was the keynote speaker at the annual Catholic Men's Conference, held at Cincinnati Music Hall. Also on the slate for the conference was Sen. Sam Brownback, who until later in the year sought to gain the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Archbishop O'Brien later was named Archbishop of Baltimore, and Brownback withdrew his candidacy. Members of the Vietnamese Catholic Community in Cincinnati celebrated their new year. And members of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council received encouraging words March 17 as a more favorable financial picture was painted in the aftermath of several years of monetary woes. Steve Burger, director of Financial Services for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, told Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk and the APC that, because of several factors that included favorable returns on investments and an increase in assessments to parishes, it was possible that the archdiocese would move from the red to the black by the end of the year. Also announced in March was that St. Vincent de Paul School in Riverside would close, but St. Michael School in Ripley would be given a two-year trial to demonstrate the school's viability. Also in March, Ellen Sauerbrey, assistant secretary of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, visited Cincinnati to see firsthand the Refugee Resettlement Program offered by Catholic Social Services of Southwest Ohio.

In remembrance: Sister Marian Carpenter, Father Roch Farland, Sister Kathleen Lavelle, Sister Helen Marie Zink, Msgr. Francis B. Kennedy, Cyril J. Fey, Sister Margaret Sheridan, Sister Helen Nartker, Father David Devore, Lawrence Bolte, Sister Florence Marie Rose and Sister Thomas More Rybarsyk.

In April, staffers at the Maria Stein Center's Pilgrim gift shop in St. Mary's Deanery began gearing up for sales of items during the busy first Communion "season." During their spring break, 45 University of Dayton students skipped the beach and instead headed to New Orleans to work for a week in that hurricane-battered city. Buddhist monks from Drepung Gomang Monastic College in Mundgog, India, created a sand mandala inside the McDonald Library at Xavier University, and Jesuit Father Michael Graham, Xavier president, participated in a closing ceremony after the weeklong event. After 62 years teaching at the University of Dayton, Marianist Father Norbert Burns, 82, retired from his post as one of the university's premier professors. A new class of 33 permanent deacons were ordained to serve the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. And more than 150 Catholic school teachers were honored by the Miami Valley Catholic Education Council.

In remembrance: Sister Mary Grace Plumbo, Father Donald Nastold, Father Anthony Gamble and Sister Salome Tlusty.

CT/E.L. HUBBARD

Two youths enjoy some fruit during the World Refugee Day held at the Athenaeum of Ohio, sponsored by Catholic Social Services of Southwest Ohio.

The May 15 conviction of a Brazilian rancher who ordered the 2005 killing of Notre Dame de Namur Sister Dorothy Stang was met with joy and relief throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and around the world. Cincinnati became ground-zero among 100 cities across the United States to pray for awareness of the tragedy in Darfur, Sudan.

In remembrance: Father Bill Smith, Sister Agnes Lipps, Sister Alma Bingnear, Sister Mary Paula Peng, Sister Margaret Mary Monnier, Sister Patricia Mersberger, Father Matthew Kohmescher and Sister Catherine Ann Hillman.

In June, The Catholic Telegraph produced a multi-page spread announcing the ordination of three new priests for the archdiocese. Ordained were Father Ronald Haft, Father Thomas McCarthy and Father Reynaldo Taylor. Father Taylor, known to hundreds in Cincinnati's inner-city neighborhoods as "Brother Rey," had been a Brother of the Poor of St. Francis. Nearly a dozen Dayton-area organizations and parishes received the Cardinal Bernardin Community Service award, and included St. Augustine Church, St. Benedict the Moor Church, St. Mary Church in Camden, St. Mary Church in Dayton and St. Rita Church. Auxiliary Bishop Carl K. Moeddel retired from active ministry because of health concerns. Sacred Heart Parish in McCartyville celebrated 125 years of Christian community and its new church building, and Sacred Heart Parish in Fairfield celebrated the 50th anniversary of its establishment. In a new educational partnership, Chatfield College opened its Over-the-Rhine campus at Mercy Franciscan at St. John. And Catholic Social Services of Southwest Ohio held its fourth World Refugee Day at the Athenaeum of Ohio.

COURTESY PHOTO

Roger Bacon students, from back to front, Tiara Chambers of Western Hills, Victoria Hartman of Finneytown and Julie Rice of St. Bernard paint while in Mexico on a mission trip during the summer. Numerous schools and parishes throughout the archdiocese made such trips in 2007.

In July, Bill Tonnis, longtime newsman at WLW radio, switched careers, becoming a youth minister at Our Lady of Visitation Parish in Mack. Roger Bacon High School's underwater hockey team took gold and bronze medals at the U.S. national underwater hockey championships at the University of Minnesota. Glenmary Home Missioners, Glenmary Sisters, the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur elected new leadership councils. All Catholic high schools in the archdiocese were allowed to recruit students from across the region under an agreement that went into effect at the beginning of the month. And throughout the archdiocese, summer Bible schools and camps were held at numerous parishes and schools.

In remembrance: Deacon Cletus Homan, Sister Mary Jerome Cremering, Sister Mary Bernard Reichert, Sister Veronica Wolf, Sister Estelle Nordmeyer, Sister Angela Graves, Sister Mel Hoffman and Jerome L. Jaspers.

In August, youths from across the archdiocese gathered at Dayton's Bergamo Center for a three-day workshop called Training Christian Leaders. Also that month, McAuley High School learned it had received a $500,000 grant from the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation for endowment scholarships. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille - with its former headquarters in Cincinnati - joined seven other congregations of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Father Gerald Haemmerle, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Kettering, was given the Athenaeum Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award at the association's reunion at the Bergamo Center in Dayton. And parish leaders from throughout the archdiocese questioned recent immigration raids in Butler County, where, in numerous cases, children were separated from their parents.

In remembrance: Father William O'Neill, George "Skip" Prosser, Sister Elizabeth Marie Krownapple, Sister Mary Petronia Krietmeyer, Donald Meyer, Father Alfred J. Powers and Sister Mildred Inkrot.

In September, students at St. Xavier High School celebrated their football team receiving a national ranking. A collaboration of 16 Dayton-area parishes came together in the Weavers of Justice program to study the problem of homelessness in that city. The St. Remy Initiative, a three-year effort in the northern reaches of the archdiocese, linked 11 schools in a program that will enhance the ministry of Catholic educators there. Several hundred participants in the Catholic Charities USA convention gathered in Cincinnati. Glenmary Father John Rausch was named Pax Christi's "Teacher of Peace" for the year. Cincinnati Bengals player Chad Johnson announced he would make major donations for every touchdown he scored in the 2007 season for Catholic Inner City Schools (CISE). A Blue Mass was held in Dayton to recognize safety and rescue workers, and the archdiocese's schools office announced a bevy of high-school fairs for prospective students. Employees of St. Anthony Messenger Press in Over-the-Rhine watched as a new statue of St. Francis of Assisi, sculpted by Loyola Walter, a faculty member at the College of Mount St. Joseph, was installed at its headquarters. And the annual St. Martin Deanery Farm Mass was celebrated at the farm of Steve and Debbie Phillips.

In remembrance: Sister Carolyn Makley, Sister Cecilia Schroeder, Sister Naomi Frey, Deacon Werner R. Bensman, Father William Eilerman, Father Paul Schaaf, Sister Alberta Rohrkemper, Sister Annunciata Hulse and Sister Mary Jane Kenney.

In October, the Catholic Education Collaborative in Dayton was announced, linking all 18 elementary schools in the Dayton Deanery, as well as its three high schools, in a program that will provide shared professional development for educators, purchasing and student development; it was the largest Catholic educational collaborative of its kind. Mission and Migration was the theme of The Catholic Telegraph's annual mission section, in which immigration issues and the role of the faithful as "missioners" was fully explored, as was the archdiocese's summit on Africa, held at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Kettering. Corpus Christi Parish in Cincinnati celebrated its 50th anniversary; and St. Patrick Church in Troy celebrated its 150th anniversary. October also marked the launching of Grateful Believers programs in 11 parishes throughout the archdiocese, allowing parishioners to give thanks for our many gifts. And Archbishop Pilarczyk received an honorary doctorate from the Athenaeum of Ohio in recognition of his 25 years as chancellor of that esteemed institution.

In remembrance: Father James Ulrich, Father Paul Longo, Sister Mary Louise Ante, Sister Ignatius Gieske, Sister Mary Paul Gieske, Sister Marie Funni, Brother Larry Jochim, Sister Ann Patrice McKeon and Sister Ramona Lunsford.

In November, the Vienna Boys Choir made a musical appearance at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains. Priests from throughout the archdiocese gathered at Incarnation Parish in Centerville for their annual convocation, focusing this year on social mission. St. Christopher Church in Vandalia celebrated its 50th anniversary. Representatives from every parish across the archdiocese gathered at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its renovation, initiated by then-Archbishop Alter. Three schools in St. Margaret Mary Deanery - Little Flower, Assumption and St. Ann - began discussions about merging operations, a move that will save the three parishes a combined $2 million each year. Also announced was that Catholic Central's Urbana campus would close after this school year. Cincinnati Congressman Steve Chabot met several times with representatives from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to discuss ways Congress might aid the people in Darfur, Sudan. And schools throughout the archdiocese celebrate Veteran's Day with numerous programs.

In remembrance: Sister Margaret Mary Flinn, Sister Ramona Lunsford, Brother Charles Harl, Sister Helen Jo Wingerberg, Sister Mary Roberto Gruber, Sister Mary Elise Calmus, Sister Mildred Marie Bellman, Father Edmund Rhodes, Father Kevin E. Gallagher, Father James Brichetto, Father John Nagele and Father William Schwartz.

In December, St. Gabriel Parish in Glendale celebrated its sesquicentennial. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk celebrated his 25th anniversary as Archbishop of Cincinnati. Youths from Visitation Parish in Eaton joined hundreds of other young Catholics at the National Catholic Youth Conference, held in Columbus. A national meeting of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor was held at St. Clare Convent. Well more than 110 priests, deacons and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) directors and team members from throughout the archdiocese were recently re-energized at a daylong workshop at Ascension Parish in Kettering. Parishes throughout the archdiocese marked the birth of our Lord with liturgies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

In remembrance: Joan Herschede, Sister Janet Russell, Sylvester Smith and Constance LaRocca.