An altar server places the processional crucifix in its stand during Sept. 18 Rainbow Mass at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Mass takes place every other year to honor the Diocese of Owensboro’s 17 Catholic schools. RILEY GREIF | WKC
‘All children of God’ – Catholic schools gather for Mass with Bishop Medley
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Speaking to the Catholic school students, faculty, staff, and parents of students gathered at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Sept. 18, Bishop William F. Medley reminded them of the story of Noah and the rainbow.
After the great flood, God sent a rainbow “as a sign that God would always be faithful to us,” said the bishop in his homily at this year’s Rainbow Mass, named as such because of the rainbow of colors formed by the many school uniforms filling the arena.
Students from St. Paul School in Grayson County do hand motions during a song at this year’s Rainbow Mass, which was held Sept. 18 at the Owensboro Sportscenter. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Rainbow Mass, sponsored by the Diocese of Owensboro’s Catholic Schools Office, was founded in the 1980s and takes place every other year to celebrate the 17 Catholic schools across western Kentucky.
A noticeable absence this year was St. Mary School System from Paducah, which could not attend due to bus problems. In a spirit of camaraderie, during the opening procession of school banners up the aisle, students from other Catholic schools carried the banners for St. Mary Elementary, St. Mary Middle, and St. Mary High School.
Bishop Medley opened his homily by calling out different groups and encouraging them to cheer when named, such as parents who themselves attended Rainbow Mass as children, various grade levels, teachers, and religious sisters and priests. When he named each of the Paducah schools, he invited the entire sports complex to cheer loudly in their honor – which they did.
Students greet Bishop William F. Medley with a hug after Rainbow Mass at the Owensboro Sportscenter, which took place this year on Sept. 18. RACHEL HALL | WKC
The bishop told the faithful that, despite perceived differences, “I want you to know that you’re a child of God,” and that it’s important to focus on “what we have in common.”
“We are all one; we are all children of God, and we all take care of one another,” he said.
David Kessler, superintendent for the Catholic schools, told The Western Kentucky Catholic that even though Catholic school presence may be “small in stature in many places across the diocese, the sum of our parts is large.”
“(Rainbow Mass) is an opportunity to show we are a united diocese, a united Church, to be all in the same place and celebrate together,” he said.
Owensboro Catholic High School Students carry the banner representing St. Mary High School in Paducah at the beginning of Sept. 18, 2024 Rainbow Mass at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Paducah school system could not attend this year due to bus problems, so other students carried their banners in their honor. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
A student of St. Mary of the Woods School in Whitesville plays the fiddle during Sept. 18 Rainbow Mass at the Owensboro Sportscenter. Students from various Catholic schools helped lead the music for the liturgy that day. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Bishop William F. Medley gives thumbs-up as Catholic school students from across western Kentucky sing “Happy Birthday” to him after the Sept. 18 Rainbow Mass on the day after his 72nd birthday. Rainbow Mass is held every other year and named as such for the multicolored crowd of uniforms that fill the Owensboro Sportscenter for Mass. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
Originally printed in the October 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
