Staff Directory

We enthusiastically welcomed Fr. Len Wenke as Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes effective July 1, 2016!

Father Len completed his term as the Director of Pastoral Services of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in June of 2016.

As Director of Pastoral Services, he oversaw diocesan offices including Campus Ministries, African American Catholic Ministries, Family and Respect Life Office, Missions Office, Hispanic Ministries, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and Chaplains in public facilities (hospitals, jails and prisons). He assisted parishes with the implementation of the Futures Project [Pastoral Regions]. He served as liaison to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Associates, and Cursillo.

Fr. Len is a Cincinnati native and an Elder High School graduate. Fr. Wenke was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Bernardin in 1979. He studied at St. Gregory and Mount St. Mary’s Seminaries.

His first assignment was to the faculty at Carroll High School in Dayton, while a resident associate at St. Agnes Parish (1979 to 1982). 

Fr. Len directed the Archdiocese’s Office of Youth Ministry from 1982 to 1991 and during this time he lived at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Monfort Heights and St. Agnes in Bond Hill.

In 1991, he began work as Executive Director of the National Federation for Youth Ministry in Washington D.C. He returned to Cincinnati in July 1997 and served as pastor of St. Anthony, Madisonville until May 2010.

From June 2007 until June of 2010, Fr. Len served as the Director of Priests’ Personnel Office.

He has served as Dean for the St. Francis de Sales Deanery, and as member of the Presbyteral Council.

Fr Len now serves as pastor of Holy Family and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes.

Sharing a pastor is definitely met with challenges but Fr. Len is confident in coordinating his schedules.

Ed Bayliss is from Cincinnati and is a parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. He and his wife Kim have 5 children - Nate, Anne, Marie, Alyson and Vanessa - living across the country from California to Texas and here in town. Along with their 5 kids, they have 7 grandchildren. He has one brother that lives in Buffalo, NY.

Ed came into the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2001, having been raised Jewish and experiencing all the rituals associated with that faith. He’s very active in the liturgy as a commissioned Lector, Eucharistic Minister, adult Altar Server and Mass coordinator at IHM, and you’ll see him from time to time at daily and weekend Mass here at Lourdes. He will tell you that along with coming into the Church, a mission trip he took to Nicaragua last year are the two most significant events in his recent faith journey; and he will again be going to Nicaragua this year in June to serve at a cultural center in Batahola.

Outside of Church, Ed has worked in various management roles for pharmacies, software development and health care companies. He attends classes at the Seminary in Mt. Washington pursuing his lay pastoral minister certification, all of which will be most helpful to us here at Lourdes in the Administrator’s role. He and his wife enjoy maintaining the gardens at their home, travelling to see their children and grandchildren and summertime grill-outs with family and friends. 

Ms. Bessler is a 1986 graduate of OLL, Heather taught for 22 years in both public schools and the Archdiocese, including Our Lady of Lourdes. With a BS in Education from Bowling Green State University, Heather taught English and History in her first teaching position at her alma mater Mount Notre Dame HS. She received a Master's degree from both Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. Heather married her best friend, Michael Dudek, and has two beautiful stepdaughters, Katie and Emily.

I am blessed to be working at the parish office in the Parish that I call home. I am responsible for managing memorials, donations, purchasing, inventory, and assisting our bookkeeper with various tasks. I am committed to making OLL a welcoming and spiritual home for all.