Evangelization in Action

This past weekend, two of our parish staff members were honored at the Center for the New Evangelization Appreciation Banquet. This annual banquet recognizes and celebrates evangelists across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who go above and beyond to share the Gospel and bring people closer to Christ.

One staff member who received an award at this year's banquet was our very own pastor, Fr. Brian Phelps! Fr. Brian received the Radiate Christ Award for Parish Evangelization.

His program bio read:

"Fr. Brian Phelps is the pastor of Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes in Centerville and Dean of the Emmanuel Deanery. He was ordained a priest in May 2014 and eventually appointed pastor of Our Lady of Light in July 2022. Fr. Brian was nominated for the Radiate Christ Award by an OLL parishioner. In her words, 'Fr. Brian [has] done an incredible job leading Incarnation and St. Francis through the Beacons of Light transition... the joining of our parishes into one larger family has been both spiritually enriching and organizationally practical... on a more personal level, Fr. Brian's counsel and guidance have been very helpful to me... His gentle and patient guidance and generosity with his time really made a difference for me.'"

Our second staff member who received an award at this year's banquet was our Digital Communication Specialist, Sarah Chivers. Sarah was the first to receive the Radiate Christ Award for Communications, a new category for the 2025 Radiate Christ Awards.

Her program bio read:

"Sarah Chivers is the Digital Communication Specialist at Our Lady of Light Family of Parishes in Centerville. Sarah demonstrates an amazing ability to use her creative skills to promote the Family of Parishes and evangelization happening locally and nationally though their social media, website, and other digital mediums. Sarah has a knack for using photography and video to share the story of the OLL Family of Parishes and God's calling to people throughout the Archdiocese and beyond."

Congratulations to Fr. Brian and Sarah! We are so thankful to have such innovative and motivated staff members serving our family of parishes.