Updated May 17, 2026, 6:26 p.m. ET
- Archbishop Robert Casey announced Church of the Resurrection in Bond Hill would soon be overseen by the Jesuits.
- Resurrection is one of three predominantly Black Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
- The change means Resurrection will leave the ‘parish family’ it joined three years ago as part of the Beacons of Light consolidation plan.
One of the region’s few predominantly Black Catholic churches will leave a group of parishes overseen by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati this summer to join the Jesuit community.
Archbishop Robert Casey announced Sunday that Church of the Resurrection in Bond Hill will become a free-standing parish in July after leaving the five-member “family of parishes” the archdiocese created three years ago as part of a major consolidation of its churches and schools.
Officials with the Jesuits and the archdiocese would not say what prompted Resurrection’s split from its parish family, but both confirmed the parish would soon stand on its own under Jesuit leadership.
The decision is a break from the archdiocese’s consolidation plan, known as Beacons of Light, which church officials have said is essential to the long-term spiritual and financial health of the archdiocese. The plan created dozens of parish families, or groups of parishes, to share resources, cut costs and account for a dwindling number of Catholic priests.
Resurrection joined the “Crescent Family” of parishes, which includes Nativity of Our Lord, Holy Trinity, St. Saviour and St. John the Evangelist, as part of the Beacons of Light consolidation.
Casey acknowledged in letters to parishioners Sunday that Resurrection’s departure from the parish family “was not a change we sought.”
“In an undertaking as complex as Beacons of Light … it would be quite unusual to get every decision 100% right on the first try,” Casey wrote. “It is not surprising, then, that three years after moving to the structure of Families of Parishes, certain adjustments would need to be made in the interest of providing the best pastoral care for all in our archdiocese.”
In his letter, Casey acknowledged the significance of Resurrection as a predominantly Black parish – one of three in the archdiocese – and said he believed Jesuit oversight would “enable Resurrection to flourish as a vibrant community of faith and assist it in continuing its distinctive and beautiful liturgical and devotional traditions.”
Though he did not explain his reasons, Casey said he made the decision to allow Resurrection to leave its parish family in collaboration with other church leaders “after prayerful discernment and conversation” about what would be best for Resurrection and for Catholics in Bond Hill.
A new Jesuit pastor, the Rev. Paul Lickteig, will begin work at Resurrection in July and a town hall meeting for parishioners will be held May 24 at Resurrection following the 10 a.m. Mass. Lickteig said parish leadership, including a long-time deacon, will remain in place and that parishioners could eventually choose to join a Jesuit family of parishes sometime in the future.
Lickteig deferred to the archdiocese when asked why Resurrection was leaving its family of parishes and when archdiocese officials first approached the Jesuits about taking over.
He said the move seemed like a natural fit for the Jesuits because of the recent opening of a Jesuit-run primary school, Xavier Jesuit Academy, near Resurrection in Bond Hill. The school, which will remain separate from Resurrection, opened two years ago and has been adding grade levels and increasing enrollment.
“We were approached as a group that is known for discernment, and our school is right next door,” Lickteig said. “It seemed like a natural synergy there.”
He said he’s excited about becoming Resurrection’s pastor. “It’s going to be great,” he said. “We are committed to helping.”
Attempts to reach parishioners Sunday were unsuccessful, but some had expressed concern in the past about the potential turmoil the Beacons of Light consolidation might cause.
Resurrection was part of a four-parish merger more than a decade ago, which resulted in the closure of other predominantly Black churches. Some feared Resurrection might suffer the same fate if Beacons of Light resulted in additional mergers and closings.
The decision to allow Resurrection to leave its parish family could carry some risk for the archdiocese. Other parishes also have struggled with changes related to Beacons of Light, from concerns about school closings and new pastors to changes in Mass times and locations.
While some adjustments were expected when Beacons of Light began, the archdiocese would not be able to allow large numbers of stand-alone churches or changes in parish families without disrupting the original goals of the consolidation.
Ultimately, as Lickteig said Sunday, Resurrection might just end up in a different parish family, the only one in the archdiocese run by the Jesuits. That parish family currently consists of Bellarmine Chapel on the campus of Xavier University and St. Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati.
Lickteig and Resurrection Deacon Royce Winters said in a letter to parishioners that the Jesuits and parishioners would likely decide in the next three years whether the church should join the Jesuit parish family.
“Our hope is to support and strengthen the parish as it continues its important mission and rich tradition within the Black Catholic community and beyond,” they wrote. “For now, our focus is simple: to accompany, support and walk with the people of Resurrection as the parish begins this new chapter.”
