My Brothers and Sisters,

It is with great joy that I share with you today the beginning of a key pastoral initiative in the Diocese of Covington — With One Heart. The goal of this initiative is to embolden and equip the faithful — priests and the entire Body of Christ — to engage the mission of Jesus with united and determined energy.

Let me be clear, this IS NOT a process of retrenchment! Our intention is to turn to the Holy Spirit of God for guidance and to make the best possible use of the gifts God has given to this local Church. We are setting out to develop a vision we can share, establish goals for promoting holiness in our communities, develop leaders and marshal people and resources to pursue this sacred work diligently.

We will be assisted on this journey by the Catholic Leadership Institute. CLI is built on the belief that everything we have been given is a gift from God to be used in service, praise, and blessing of God’s name and God’s people. Their services are available to the Diocese of Covington through the generosity of a small number of benefactors who are leaders in business, education, military service, and more. The desire of these Catholic philanthropists is to develop the leadership potential that is already so obvious and valuable in our priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and dedicated lay leaders; to magnify the gifts that are at the service of the Gospel. I thank God for their initiative.
-Bishop Iffert