The fourth annual Ohio March for Life, presented by the national March for Life organization in partnership with the Columbus-based Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), will take place in downtown Columbus on Friday, Oct. 3.
The program will begin with a Mass at 9 a.m. in St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., followed by a concert at Capital Square around 10 a.m., a rally outside the Ohio Statehouse at 11 and a march through downtown at noon.
The keynote speaker will be Melissa Ohten of the Abortion Survivors Network. Also speaking will be Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), CCV president Aaron Baer and others.
More information is available at oh.marchforlife.org.
Diocese sponsors marriage enrichment conference
To promote greater formation for couples, the Diocese of Columbus and the St. John Paul II Foundation will present the inaugural Together in Holiness marriage enrichment conference from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church, 807 Havens Corners Road.
In announcing the event, Bishop Earl Fernandes said, “I invite all engaged and married couples in the Diocese of Columbus to attend the conference and set aside a day for prayer, conversation, and community. It is a great gift for the Diocese of Columbus to partner with the St. John Paul II Foundation to support marriage and family.
“The fruits that flow from this conference and the subsequent formation series foster the graces of the sacrament of matrimony. You are the fathers and mothers of the next generation who are going to be called upon to hand on the faith.”
The conference will include scheduled presentations and prayer time, as well as opportunities for couples to spend time alone together and with other couples.
The three main talks will be “The Holy Eucharist and the Domestic Church” by Dr. Roland Millare, vice president of curriculum and director of clergy initiatives at the St. John Paul II Foundation; “Honor Thy Spouse: Marriage and Conversion” by Kevin and Kathi Lowry, a married couple from the diocese; and “Sacrificial Love is Sanctifying Love” by national speakers Renzo and Monica Ortega, co-founders of Two Become Family.
Mass and a marriage blessing will be offered by Bishop Fernandes at the end of the conference. The cost is $64 per couple or $40 per person. On-site child care will be available for $5 per child. Full and partial scholarship opportunities also are available. Exhibitor spots are available for $95 for a ministry or non-profit table and $165 for a vender or for-profit table.
A full schedule, list of speakers and registration information are available at togetherinholiness.org/columbus. Information also is available from conference coordinator Nancy Ariza at nancy@forlifeandfamily.org.
A Together in Holiness formation series will be offered in the weeks following the conference for couples who wish to continue enriching their marriage, whether or not they attend the conference.
The series is designed for couples in their early years of marriage or with children in the home to gather as a small group throughout the year to explore a particular theme based on the life, teaching and witness of St. John Paul II. The gatherings will include a meal and fellowship, a short video, time for prayer and discussion and practical follow-up activities.
There will be two ways to participate: spouses can serve as a host couple trained by the St. John Paul II Foundation to facilitate the small-group gatherings or spouses can join a Together in Holiness group as participants.
If you would like to participate in or learn more about Together in Holiness, contact THFormation@forlifeandfamily.org.
Portsmouth festival will include motorcycle ride
The Portsmouth St. Mary Church International Festival will include a charity motorcycle ride for the first time. The ride will take place this coming Sunday, Sept. 21, with registration beginning at 11 a.m. and the ride starting at 12:30 p.m. from the church, 515 Fifth St.
“This is a meeting of faith and fellowship,” said Father Stephen Smith, pastor of the St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Community, who plans to ride his motorcycle. “From little bikes to big engines, all are welcome. Come celebrate community, enjoy the open road and let your miles become a prayer of service.”
All proceeds will benefit the St. Francis Catholic Outreach Center in Portsmouth, a ministry providing Scioto County residents in need with food and clothing.
The ride is being sponsored by Wheelersburg Knights of Columbus Council 14346.
Cathedral announces music schedule
Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., began its 2025-2026 music schedule on Sunday, Sept. 7 with the return of the cathedral choir at the 10:30 a.m. Solemn Mass from its summer break. The choir will be part of this Mass every Sunday until late May.
The cathedral’s music schedule for the program year also will feature several concerts by individual organists and many programs that have become traditional under Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, cathedral organist and music director.
The schedule will include organ concerts by Rhonda Sider Edgington, music director and organist at Hope Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, on Sunday, Sept. 21; David Briggs, artist in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, on Oct. 19; Dr. Fitzgerald and tenor H. Lee Rose on Jan. 18 and Maurice Clerc, organist emeritus of St. Benignus Cathedral in Dijon, France, on April 26. All these concerts will be on Sundays at 3 p.m.
The Office of Compline, the Catholic Church’s official evening prayer, will be sung at 8 p.m. on Oct. 5, Dec. 21, Feb. 8 and April 12, all Sundays. The program will last about 40 minutes and consist of psalms, short passages from Scripture, a hymn, a canticle, a responsory, a collect and additional prayers.
Programs to be presented again this year are the Requiem of Maurice Durufle with the choir and cathedral organist Nicole Siemental, Sunday, Nov. 2, 3 p.m.; the Gold Mass asking for the Holy Spirit’s blessing on all who work in music ministry, Sunday, Nov. 16, 5:15 p.m.; Advent lessons and carols, Sunday, Dec. 7, 3 p.m.; Dr. Fitzgerald’s fifth annual improvised organ meditations on the Stations of the Cross, Sunday, March 22, 8 p.m.; the Office of Tenebrae, designed to recreate the sense of betrayal, abandonment and agony related to Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 8 p.m.; and a private concert for donors to the cathedral’s music program, Sunday, May 17, 3 p.m..
The program relies on donor support for its concert presentations. If you are not already a donor, consider making a gift to help sustain world-class sacred music in central Ohio. For more information, go to www.cathedralmusic.org or call (614) 241-2526.
Father Hahn to speak to men’s luncheon club
Father William Hahn, diocesan vicar general and director of priestly life and vocations, will speak at the next meeting of the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club on Friday, Oct. 3. His subject will be the state of vocations in the Diocese of Columbus.
The meeting will follow the 11:45 a.m. Mass at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave.
No reservations are necessary. A $12 donation covers the lunch and meeting.
The club’s next meeting will be on Friday, Nov. 7 with Bishop Earl Fernandes giving his annual address to the organization.
St. Gabriel Radio is sponsoring the October luncheon. If you are interested in sponsoring a luncheon, contact Dave Kilanowski at dkilano@aol.com.
Bereavement ministry to meet at St. Michael
The Seasons of Hope bereavement ministry’s fall sessions will take place each Sunday from Oct. 12 to Nov. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Worthington St. Michael Church, 5750 N. High St.
The ministry, sponsored by the Northland/North High Deanery, meets periodically at one of the deanery’s churches and invites anyone mourning the loss of a loved one to take part in its open discussions led by trained counselors.
Space is limited. To register, contact Debbie Kennedy at kennedydeborah@yahoo.com or (614) 937-0516. The registration deadline is Sunday, Oct. 5.
White Mass scheduled for Oct. 9 at Newman Center
The annual diocesan White Mass for health care workers will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 at the Columbus St. Thomas More Newman Center, 64 W. Lane Ave.
After Mass, Catholic Times columnist Father Tad Pacholczyk of the National Catholic Bioethics Center will speak. Priests are encouraged to concelebrate, especially those ministering as hospital chaplains. Deacons are invited to attend and join the congregation for prayer, worship and reflection.
SPICE Mass of Inclusion will be Sept. 28
The annual Mass of Inclusion sponsored by Special People in Catholic Education will be celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28 at Columbus St. Catharine Church, 500 S. Gould Road, followed by a reception in the parish undercroft.
The Mass is a celebration of people with special needs who are engaged in learning in Catholic schools and parishes. It also honors the programs, teachers, intervention specialists and other resources that enable the schools to successfully include, nurture, and support all students and proclaim the inherent human dignity of every person.
Organizers of the Mass are looking for volunteers to greet, read or carry the gifts. See your parish bulletin for more details.
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