Luminaria

Save the Date!

2022 Dinner & Award Ceremony

Hilllenmeyer Memorial Endowment

The Monsignor Herbert Hillenmeyer Memorial Endowment was established by the Hillenmeyer family to honor the legacy of their family icon and his commitment to Catholic education.

Fr. Hillenmeyer served the Diocese of Covington as apriest for 73 years. Between 1915 and 1923, he was Secretary to the Bishop and Chancellor of the Diocese. He was named a Monsignor in 1936 and Vicar General of the Diocese in 1949. For 43 years, he was pastor of St. Thomas Parish in Ft. Thomas where he built the current impressive church building in 1938-39 and established St. Thomas High School in 1945. He remained pastor of St. Thomas Parish until his retirementin 1968. Msgr. Hillenmeyer, a trustee of Thomas More College, was instrumental in raising funds for the Crestview Hills campus construction project. In 1962, he was granted Thomas More’s first honorary degree and received the first Thomas More Medallion in 1971.

On his 70th jubilee as a priest in 1972, Fr. Hillenmeyer’s nieces and nephews honored him with their commitment to endow a lecture series at Thomas More College. The first Hillenmeyer Lecture was given in 1975, by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Bernardin of Cincinnati. The topic was “Catholic Higher Educationand Moral Values.” Fr. Hillenmeyer passed away shortly thereafter. Over the next four decades, the series attracted notable speakers on various topics including social justice, women and the Church, history, science, Catholic spiritual life, papal encyclicals, and ethics.

What began as a small fund grew over the years as a tax-exempt charitable Trust devoted to supporting the annual Lecture Series and numerous Catholic charitable and educational causes in both the Diocese of Covington and what became the Diocese of Lexington. In 2021, the Hillenmeyer family determined the best way to honor Fr. Hillenmeyer’s commitment to Catholic education was to terminate the Trust and distribute 100% of its assets to Catholic educational charities positioned for longevity, including CEOF.

2022 Winners

Charlene Legere, Bill Hoskins, Kim Thompson, Mary Joe Quinn

Charlene Legere

Distinguished Educator Award

For thirty-nine years, the Lexington Catholic High School community has been blessed to count Charlene

Legere as a member of its faculty and school community. Over 4000 students have benefited from her instruction of the whole student – mind, spirit and body – and she has dedicated her entire teaching career and life’s work to Catholic education.

While at Lexington Catholic, Charlene has worn many hats including mathematics instruction at every level; college prep, honors, and AP, as well as other discipline classes. She has given confidence to students who

may struggle and challenged those who excel. She has sponsored clubs, activities and events including retreats, Student Government, the House System, and the High Marks Program. She has logged countless volunteer hours, chaperoned numerous events, and mentored

an untold number of Lexington Catholic graduates as they found their calling in education.

As a member of Pax Christi Catholic Church, Charlene’s involvement in the parish is a clear demonstration of her faith and commitment to Catholic teachings. Whether giving of her time on a variety of parish committees, being an active part of the Christ Renews His Parish retreats, serving as a Eucharistic Minister, or using her mathematical talents to assist with the financial aspects of the parish, Charlene exemplifies what it means to be a servant leader to those at Pax Christi and beyond.

Charlene is retiring at the end of the 2022 school year and while she will be deeply missed by her colleagues, parents, and most especially the students of Lexington Catholic, she has left a legacy that will never be forgotten and never matched. CEOF can think of no better recipient for the first Luminaria Distinguished Educator Award than Ms. Charlene Legere.

Mary Joe Quinn

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Mary Joe Quinn has been a parishioner of the Cathedral of Christ the King for 70 years. From

attending CTK elementary school, to graduating from Lexington Catholic High School, to earning a bachelor’s

degree from Eastern Kentucky University and an elementary education Certificate from the University of Kentucky, Mary Joe has carried her faith, her artistic talent and her unwavering dedication to Mary the Mother of Jesus every step of the way.

Mary Joe and John W. Quinn were married at Christ the King in 1973 and a year later she began her teaching career at St. Leo’s in Versailles. Their family grew to include four daughters who would become their greatest accomplishment. While raising a family, Mary Joe continued her talents in the classroom when she joined the faculty of CTK in 1977 teaching art, social studies, and science. Continuing her own education, she earned
a master’s degree from Georgetown College and
while teaching in Scott County began the county’s art program in six elementary schools. Mary Joe retired from teaching in 2014 from the place where it all began, Christ the King.

During the 40+ years she served the diocese, she became an advocate for art and faith for all students. In 2013, Mary Joe was recognized by the Kentucky Art Education Association for her commitment to her students and the arts when she was named Art Teacher of the Year for Private Schools.

In 2000 she provided a wonderful opportunity for students to deepen their relationship with Mary by praying the Holy Rosary as a school community. Her dedication to Mary, instilled in her by her parents, Joe and Mary Emily Taylor, continues to this day.

Mary Joe’s contributions to the spiritual life of her parish, her students, her colleagues and her community at large make her the perfect recipient of the first Luminaria Distinguished Alumnus Award.

2022 Program PDF

2023 SPeaker

Father Joseph (Joe) Corpora is a Holy Cross priest at the University of Notre Dame. He is presently the Interim Director of Multicultural Outreach for the Campus Ministry and continues as a Consultant to the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) as well as a resident chaplain at Dillon Hall at ND’s campus. Father Corpora has long been engaged in promoting the benefits of Catholic education in the Hispanic, African-American and other under-represented populations in our Catholic school system. He is also a Papal Missionary of Mercy commissioned by Pope Francis.

Father Corpora is himself a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and after graduating entered Moreau Seminary of the Holy Cross priests there at the university. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1984. Since ordination he has served at the University of Portland, at Saint John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, Arizona and Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland before returning to Notre Dame. He is an engaging presenter who is able to present challenging ideas while making his audience laugh. He has a life long commitment to Catholic education and decades of work trying to make it available to more and more people.