January 2004

Vol. 1, No. 38
January 12, 2004

Monday Memo is back after a brief hiatus for the observance of the Holy Days of Christmas and the New Year.

I hope that all of you found time during this special season to be close to Our Lord and to be a vehicle for the love, hope and peace He represents.

Our Holy Father dedicated the first day of this New Year of 2004 to reflection and to prayer for peace in the world.

I encourage and invite you to read the Message of His Holiness for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace that he issued on New Year's Day. This was his twenty-sixth such message, and it continued the tradition of a New Year's Day Message of Peace that was started by Pope Paul VI in 1968.

Addressed to the leaders of nations, to jurists, to teachers of the young and, very directly, to terrorists, the Holy Father passionately proclaimed:

"Hear the humble appeal of the Successor of Peter who cries out: today too, at the beginning of the New Year 2004, peace remains possible. And if peace is possible, it is also a duty!"

Looking into our own hearts, and, also, looking at the year ahead for our Diocese, we can absorb great meaning from the conclusion of the Holy Father's message:

"Forgiveness is needed for solving the problems of individuals and peoples. There is no peace without forgiveness!"

I hope you will read the Holy Father's message and reflect on how we can apply it to our individual lives and to our Diocese.

The message is available at  www.usccb.org.

1. Communications Committee; Lay Ecclesial Ministry Consultation -- I am in Washington, D.C., this week to fulfill two commitments to the work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I will participate in a consultation for the Subcommittee on Lay Ecclesial Ministry. This consultation is to develop the chapter of the foundational document on the formation of lay ecclesial ministers. We have invited directors of diocesan and university programs from around the country that are currently training lay ministers.

I serve as chairman of the subcommittee. The foundational document that is our goal will guide our Church in the U.S. to a better understanding and incorporation of the gifts of the laity in service to the Church through ministry.

(We look forward with anticipation to beginning our diocesan ministry formation program this spring. We are nearing the conclusion of the selection process. Also, we continue to search for just the right person to direct our diocesan Office of Formation. We need someone with a background in theology and in administration of a formation program. Please encourage anyone with such skills to contact me.)

The second commitment I will fulfill this week in Washington is to begin my chairmanship of the U.S.C.C.B. Committee on Communications. Bishop Gerald Barnes, Bishop Thomas Costello, Bishop John McCormack, Bishop George Murry, S.J., Bishop George Niederauer, Bishop Michael Saltarelli, Bishop Dennis Schnurr and Bishop George Thomas will work with me on this committee. We members will have the able assistance of consultants from dioceses and representatives of Catholic Communication efforts.

The work of the Communications Committee encompasses responsibilities that include oversight of the budgets and effectiveness of the communications and mass media projects and programs of the U.S.C.C.B., especially the Catholic Communication Campaign; study and analysis of how the Church is imaged by the secular mass media; the role of the Church in influencing content of mass media products; the incorporation of Church teaching on communication into the day-to-day work of communication in dioceses; and the annual Catholic Communication Campaign Collection.

Please pray that our Communications Committee will be effective. 

I will be back at the Pastoral Center on Friday. I will be with our Department Heads for our first meeting of the New Year on Friday afternoon. 

2. Our Winter Residents and Visitors -- They must number at least in the tens of thousands, and they add immeasurably to the vitality of our parishes. They are, of course, our winter residents and visitors who are Catholic and who, for weeks or just a day or two, become part of our Diocesan Family. Just look at the license plates of the vehicles in our parish parking lots this time of year and you can get a geography lesson as well as a climatology lesson. 

Many of our winter residents consider Arizona their home away from home, and that is the way they regard our parishes too. We are so grateful for their presence, not just for their generosity in sharing their resources, but also for their participation in the life of the parish as volunteers in many ministries of service.

I know many of our parishes have special events or other ways to recognize and thank our winter residents and visitors, and I am grateful for those efforts. When you meet any of our winter residents or visitors, please tell them I consider them part of our diocesan family.

I will be hosting a winter visitor myself this month. My sister is tearing herself away from warm and sunny Chicago to come brave our winter weather with me. 

3. "Called and Gifted" -- The 2004 Annual Catholic Appeal begins this month with leadership orientation sessions that will have the Appeal staff traveling more than 1,000 miles across our Diocese for presentations in Green Valley, Florence, Yuma, Tucson, Willcox and Globe. Promotional materials for the Appeal campaign are ready, including a seven-minute video produced by Development Services director Tom Smith and Community Relations director Fred Allison.

Commitment Weekend for the Appeal will be the weekend of Feb. 14-15.

The theme of this year's Appeal, "Called and Gifted," communicates an invitation for each of us to recognize that we are called by Christ to serve others by using the unique gifts that God has given us.

The Appeal emphasizes to us that one of the ways we respond to that call is to share a portion of our resources in support of the charities and ministries that assist our Diocese to fulfill its mission.

This is the second year the Annual Catholic Appeal has been under the direction of the Diocese of Tucson Charity and Ministry Fund Inc. This non-profit corporation was established last year to assure that all gifts to the Appeal are restricted solely to the support of designated charities and ministries. The corporation's board oversees the Appeal and makes recommendations for allocations to charities and ministries. (There is a special report from the Board about the allocations of last year's Appeal on page 11 of this month's Catholic Vision.)

I will be sharing more in the Memo with you in the weeks to come about what is "new and improved" in this year's appeal.

4. On the Mend -- Two of our monsignors are on the mend following heart surgery last week. At last report, Msgr. Richard O'Keeffe, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Yuma and the Episcopal Vicar of Yuma-La Paz Vicariate, and Msgr. Ed Ryle, who is retired but still toiling hard in advocacy of Church social teaching, are recovering well. Knowing them as I do, their biggest challenge will be to stay away from work and to focus on resting and recuperating. 

Also on the mend is Mary Gioco, secretary in our Catholic Schools Office. Mary suffered a golf cart related mishap over the holidays. Our Pastoral Center Staff misses her greatly and is praying for her speedy recovery.

Please keep the Monsignors and Mary in your prayers.

5. Appointments -- Father Domenico Pinti has been appointed pastor of St. George Parish in Apache Junction. I thank Father Stan Nadolny for his service as administrator pro-tem at the parish for the past few months. Father Stan will continue his service as parochial vicar at St. George.

Father Auriel Lustan, who has come to our Diocese from the Philippines, is appointed administrator of St. Rose of Lima Parish, where Father Pinti had served as pastor for 12 years. 

Father Gerald Myers is appointed temporarily to Immaculate Conception Parish in Yuma as a pastoral associate.

Father Vili Valderrama is appointed administrator pro-tem at San Felipe de Jesus Parish in Nogales. Father Vili has just completed his studies in counseling at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

6. Congratulations! -- I am very pleased to share this good news about members of our Diocesan Family: 

Deacon Gary Pasaquinelli of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Yuma was honored by The Yuma Sun as the 2003 Yuma County Citizen of the Year. The announcement story in The Sun acknowledged Deacon Gary's contributions to the community as a business leader, as a husband and father and as a deacon.

The Yuma Catholic High School Boys Basketball Team faced some really tough competition in the Northeast Classic in Trumbull, Conn. Coach Brooks Neumann and his Shamrocks squad of Lucas Spencer, C.J. Monsour, Luis Samaniego, Steve Arguelles, Coby Crouch, Brandon Oldham, Pat Harris, Jimmy Lilly and Eric Cuen were the lone Western representatives in the tournament, which features a number of big-city Eastern squads. While they didn't bring home a trophy, they brought back memories of some great experiences, including a visit to Ground Zero and St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City.

The Diocese of Tucson Catholic Tuition Support Organization is on track to meet and even exceeded its goal of $3-million in contributions for the 2003 tax year. The special tax credit that participants in the CTSO receive helps to provide critical resources for our Catholic schools through tuition support.

7. In Memoriam -- We thank God for the wonderful service of three of our deacons who died in late December, and we offer our prayers for the repose of their souls and the comfort of their families.

They were Deacon Charles Girard of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Tucson (a former director of the diaconate in our Diocese) and Deacon Frank Telles and Deacon Ralph Duran, both of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Safford.

I am grateful for the outpouring of love and concern expressed by their brother deacons and their wives. 

I was honored to celebrate a special anniversary memorial Mass in Topowa last Saturday with the clergy, religious and laity of San Sonlano Missions Parish on the Tohono o'Odham Nation for Deacon Frederick Segundo who died last year. In 2000, Deacon Frederick was one of three Tohono o'Odham who were the first from their Nation to be ordained the to permanent diaconate of our Diocese.

Please remember in your prayers June Gelabert, wife of Deacon Carlos Gelabert of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Tucson, who died last month, and Gordon Kellen, brother-in-law of Chancellor June Kellen, who died last week in Minnesota.

8. Tucson March for Life -- The Catholic Pro-Life Community this weekend will commemorate the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Decision with several special events in Tucson, including the annual Tucson March for Life. 

Tucson March for Life and our Diocese are very honored that Bishop Joseph Naumann, who has just been appointed coadjutor Bishop of Kansas City, will be a special guest for the weekend. Bishop Naumann and I will concelebrate Mass at 9 a.m. this Saturday at Salpointe Catholic High School.

The Mass will be followed by a teen rally from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The annual March for Life, from Salpointe to Holy Hope Cemetery, will begin at noon.

More information on the special events this Friday, Saturday and Sunday associated with the March for Life is available in this month's Catholic Vision and by calling Kelly Copeland 520-751-7678.

I am grateful to Kelly for his leadership and coordination of Pro-Life activities in our Diocese.

9. Special Occasions in Sierra Vista and Cochise County -- I will be in Sierra Vista and Cochise County this Sunday for two very special occasions.

The first is the groundbreaking for the new church building at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish. I look forward to being with Father Greg Adolf and the people of St. Andrew for Mass and for a joyous groundbreaking celebration. 

The parish family of St. Andrew has made prayer a special emphasis of their church building project. The parish website features "A Prayer for the Building of Our New Church." The prayer begins: 

"Lord, Jesus, surround us with your peace as together we seek to build on earth a place to worship our Father in Heaven. 

"Holy Spirit, go before us in our dreams to create in this material world a sign of God's dwelling place within us."

I think the parish has a strong foundation for their new church building.

(You can see a model of the new church building at the parish website:  www.standrewapostlechurch.org/newbld.htm.)

The second special occasion is the blessing and dedication of the La Purisima Retreat Center in Hereford.

La Purisima operates as a non-profit corporation with a board of directors under the chairmanship of the Bishop of Tucson. It is administered from St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in nearby Sierra Vista. 

The retreat center's mission is to provide an atmosphere of serenity and peace for spiritual renewal and growth in the beautiful high desert environment. 

I am grateful to Jerry and Pat Chounaird of Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine whose generosity, faithfulness and encouragement have made La Purisima possible.

There is more information about La Purisima at  www.lpretreat.org.

10. New Cursillo Retreat Center -- The old St. Mary's Church in Stanfield has a new identity and purpose. On the fringes of our Diocese in Pinal County, St. Mary's originally was dedicated in 1960 as a mission of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Casa Grande, but the church had not been in use since 1983 when economic conditions led to its closure.

The renewal and renovation of St. Mary's Church into a Cursillo retreat center came about through the generosity of the children of Albert and Rita Piña. Also, Ophilia Costales and St. Anthony of Padua parishioners helped feed the many volunteers at St. Mary's in Stanfield who came every Saturday over these past nine months to renovate the facility. Richard and Rob Robinson supported the renovation through the donation of construction.

On Saturday, I was honored to dedicate the old St. Mary's Church building as the St. Mary's Cursillo Retreat Center. I acknowledge and thank Diocese of Tucson Cursillo Director Deacon Keating Ackerley for his leadership in the project. The center will be used for Cursillo events and activities. It also will be available for retreat use by other Catholic organizations. For more information, please contact Deacon Keating at  [email protected].

11. National Vocations Awareness Week -- This week is National Vocation Awareness Week. This annual observance in our Church helps to raise awareness for the need of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. It also is an opportunity to reflect on and give thanks for the rich variety of ways through which men and women live out their Christian vocations in today's world. 

I encourage you to read "Vocations: Our Shared Responsibility," a special section in this month's Catholic Vision. There are some excellent articles to spark reflection on vocations, and there are some very good ads from the many religious orders serving in our Diocese.

As you know, I am a strong proponent of the idea that we all really do share in the responsibility for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. How do we do our share?

By identifying those with potential. 
By inviting them! Be direct and explicit, encouraging and supporting. 
By being persistent and by following up.

12. More on Vocations: "You Are Invited" -- The Women Religious in our Diocese launched a new vocations encouragement program in December under the theme of "You Are Invited."

The program invites women who may be considering the possibility of a vocation to religious life to attend a special reflection and sharing session during January.

Our parishes each were to have received a promotional poster for "You Are Invited" in December, but we need to get the word out more loudly and visibly about this innovative vocations program. 

Would you please check at your parish to see if the poster for "You Are Invited" is up. If it isn't, please call Sister Jean Olmstead, S.B.S., Vicar for Religious, right away at 520-792-3410 so that Sister can assist your parish. 

13. Protecting Our Children -- A commendation was included in the audit report of our Diocese's efforts for child abuse awareness and prevention that was released last week by the Office of Child and Youth Protection.

The audit report found our Diocese to be in compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The audit commended our Diocese for identifying and reporting all clergy accused of sexual misconduct with children and for our efforts to be open, honest and transparent about child abuse by clergy within the Diocese.

The complete audit is available at  http://www.nccbuscc.org/ocyp/audit2003/index.htm.

14. Listening Session at San Felipe de Jesus Parish -- I met with parishioners of San Felipe de Jesus Parish in Nogales last Friday night. I think the opportunity to share their concerns and questions about Father Fernando Manzo with each other and with me was very helpful. This is a stressful and worrisome time for the parish, as Father Manzo remains missing and as we await the outcome of a police investigation into an allegation of abuse against him. We prayed together for the safety and healing of all involved.

15. One of Us at 111 S. Church -- The Monday Memo weekly profile of a staff member here at the Pastoral Center continues in this new year. Please meet Mary Ann Hendrickson, Grant Coordinator in the Department of Catholic Schools.

"Born in Chicago and raised in Tucson, I come from a family of three brothers and two sisters. My Dad, who is 86 yeas old, feels very fortunate because we all live here in Tucson.

"I have been an employee of the Diocese for almost 29 years. The majority of this time was spent teaching junior high students at St. Joseph School. The last three years I have been working with the Department of Catholic Schools. I wanted to stay involved in education, but with a change from the classroom. It has been a challenging and interesting ministry. I truly work with the best people in the world. They work very hard and are so generous and loving; it has been my pleasure to be associated with them. I am actually inspired by the dedication and kindness of everyone who works at the Pastoral Center.

"My husband of 22 years has always supported me in my work. He is like my shadow, but many of you may already know this. Ace is willing to help me and those in the office with anything that needs to get done. In the summers we look forward to spending several weeks in Maine. We enjoy the unique beauty of that part of the country with Ace's family and the friends we have made over the years. I thank God for the many blessings I have received and especially for the opportunity to be a part of this community."

Mary Ann, we are blessed here at the Pastoral Center by your presence and that of your "shadow."


Vol. 1, No. 39
January 20, 2004

Our Pastoral Center was closed yesterday in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday, so this Monday Memo is coming to you on a Tuesday.

Many communities within our Diocese held special events yesterday, including prayer services and marches, to commemorate the life of Dr. King.

We remember that in preparation for the celebration of the New Millennium bishops conferences through out the world were asked to name twentieth century martyrs and witnesses from their own region. Among the names forwarded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King's dream of peace and harmony lives on, and coincidently the King Holiday is observed this year at the beginning of the 2004 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which has as its scriptural theme,  "My peace I give to you." (John 14: 23-31) 

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated around the world each January with a theme and a focus biblical text prepared by an international Joint Committee of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Commission for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

While the roots of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity date to the early 1900s, the participation of the Roman Catholic Church in this international observance dates to the 1964 Decree on Ecumenism of Vatican II, which emphasizes that prayer is the soul of the ecumenical movement and encourages observance of the Week of Prayer. 

The quest for peace in the Middle East forms the backdrop of the celebration and meditations for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for 2004. The special prayers and reflections for this year are available at the Vatican Website:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/weeks-prayer-doc/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20030317_week-prayer-2004_en.html

Our local observance of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will take place later this year because of coincidence with the King Holiday.

1. Last week in D.C. -- My time in Washington last week was very informative and productive. Please be assured I had warm thoughts of the Diocese of Tucson while I was away, thoughts that were accentuated by the deep freeze temperatures that afflicted that part of the country.

I was in Washington primarily for my first meeting as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Communications Committee, which is one of the standing committees of the Conference.

I reported to you last week on the membership of the committee. We spent considerable time in our three-day meeting in discussion of the study commissioned by the U.S. Bishops in 2002 on the nature and scope of abuse of children by clergy in the U.S. from 1950 to 2003. 

As I previously have reported in Monday Memo, this study was conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York with the participation of all but a few of the dioceses and archdiocese in the U.S. The study consists of two parts: a survey that includes the numbers of clergy abusers, the number and dates of allegations, the number and ages of those who claimed abuse and the cost of abuse (treatment of abusers and victims and legal costs); and an analysis of how bishops and the institutional Church responded to allegations and evidence of abuse. 

Because this study is independent of the Church, we do not know now what the results will show. The National Review Board established by the U.S. Bishops will release the results on Feb. 27. Bishops will have only a brief period of time before the release to review the results. 

This is an unprecedented study of a profession and an institution in the U.S. in relation to sexual abuse of children. 

It should be understood that the bishops asked for and commissioned this report to see and learn what happened. While we can't change the past, we need to see it clearly so that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.

As I hope you are aware, we have made known the number of clergy against whom there are credible allegations of abuse. Our diocesan website includes a comprehensive resource on our experience under the title of "Restoring Trust."

We reported last year at this time the costs associated with sexual misconduct involving children by Church personnel in our Diocese. We will provide an update on those costs next month.

We are confident that no priest is presently serving in any ministry for our Diocese against whom there has been a credible allegation of abuse of which we are aware. 

In anticipation of the release of the John Jay study, I am preparing letters in which I will communicate to our Diocese the importance of the information nationally for healing and reconciliation. 

We also discussed at our Communications Committee meeting the audit of how dioceses have complied so far with the requirements of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The committee felt the news media by and large provided fair and balanced coverage of the audit results. 

I found the presentations we received on the broader picture of how the news media covers religion to be quite informative.

2. Annual March for Life -- There was a great turnout this past Saturday for the Annual March for Life in Tucson. It was good to see so many young people participating. We all were grateful to Bishop Joseph Naumann, recently appointed coadjutor Archbishop of Kansas City, for his marvelous presentation. Thanks to all who helped organize this important initiative.

3. Cochise County Visit -- What a beautiful day Sunday was for the groundbreaking at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Sierra Vista. It was great to see so many people gather in the field for the blessing of the land and the digging of the first spade of dirt. Events such as this are especially important for the young people of the parish. They will be able to tell their children that they were their when the new church went up. I also appreciated the opportunity to celebrate Mass in English and Spanish with the people of St. Andrew. The blessing of the La Purisima Retreat Center was a grand occasion as well. What a great resource there is now in Cochise County for prayer and reflection. My thanks to Jerry and Pat Chounaird, for through their good work many will come to know the Lord in a deeper way in this beautiful center that is nestled in the midst of the magnificent mountains.

4. Confirmation Season -- Confirmation season is upon us, with visits this week to St. Ambrose and St. Francis de Sales Parishes in Tucson. 

This season is a special joy for a bishop. I am very privileged to share this special spiritual time with young people as they start setting directions in their lives.

As part of their preparation for receiving the sacrament, I ask young people to write me personal letters. I really enjoy reading the letters because it's a chance for me to get to know them and to learn why they picked the name of the saint and the person they wanted as their sponsor. 

This always reminds me how important the lives of the saints are because they are people our teens and young adults can look up to. It emphasizes to me that sponsors in a sense are living saints in the lives of the young people who have selected them. I also enjoy learning about the various service projects they do in which they learn how important it is to care for others, which of course is part of discipleship.

I am always very grateful to those who have prepared our young people for confirmation because I know it's hard work. I have taught some confirmation classes, and I know they can be a challenge!

5. Catholic Foundation -- The Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson meets today. We will welcome Elena d'Autremont as the interim director. Elena is a former president of the Foundation, and this is a return engagement for her as interim director. I deeply appreciate her willingness to serve at this time. A search committee headed by Foundation board member Bill Bowen has been established to find a new executive director. You are welcome to direct any person interested in the position to the Foundation Office in the Pastoral Center, 520-792-3410. 

6. Multi-faith Border Conference -- I will be visiting Congregation Anshei Israel today to meet with Rabbi Robert Eisen and members of the Planning Committee for the Multi-faith Border Conference scheduled for this March.

John Peck, Marlyne Freedman and Donna Byer of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and Erica Dahl-Bredine of CRS Mexico and Joanne Welter of our Catholic Social Mission are helping to plan the conference. 

The idea for the conference came about as a response from our ecumenical and interfaith trip to Altar, Mexico, last August. It is our hope to attract the leadership of Christian denominations and other faiths from across Arizona to discuss the moral dimensions of the immigration across our border with Mexico. 

7. Welcome Back, Petra! -- Petra Falcon is leaving her position as lead organizer of the Yuma County Interfaith Sponsoring Committee to return to Tucson as the lead organizer of the Pima County Interfaith Council. 

We acknowledge Petra's hard work in helping to establish the YCISC as an organization committed to strengthening families in Yuma County and to developing leadership among those who have been left out of the political process. 

PCIC is a non-profit, interfaith organization comprised of approximately 55 congregations (including several of our Tucson area parishes), 12 schools, three adult education and learning centers and several neighborhood and community organizations. 

8. Appointment -- Father Marco Antonio Basulto Pitol is appointed administrator of St. James Parish in Coolidge effective Feb. 1. 

9. Rotary Club Address -- I will be having lunch with members of the Rotary Club of Tucson at their weekly meeting tomorrow. I have been entrusted with the talk for the program, and my topic is "The Catholic Church in the Southwest." Several of the club's members are persons who do quite a bit for us here at the Diocese, so I am looking forward to this occasion.

10. Vocations -- We begin the second year of Andrew and Myriam Dinners this week. These monthly dinners are a way to invite men and women who are discerning the possibility of a vocation to meet priests and religious of their areas in an informal and relaxed setting. Sacred Heart Parish in Nogales is hosting this week's dinner for the Santa Cruz Vicariate, and I thank all who have helped prepare for this occasion. Please encourage anyone who approaches you to express interest in or questions about a vocation to contact Father Miguel Mariano or Marty Hammond in our Vocations Office. 

11. Priests Day of Prayer -- And we begin a second year of our monthly Priests Day of Prayer retreats this week at the Redemptorist Renewal Center at Picture Rocks. Our experience of these once-a-month day retreats last year was invaluable. It is more and more evident that a day away from the "business" of ministry to focus on prayer is of great importance to our priests. We are very fortunate to have a resource such as the Renewal Center at Picture Rocks and the expertise of Father Tom Santa, CSSR, and his entire staff.

12. "Called and Gifted" -- The Annual Catholic Appeal "Road Show" makes stops at Our Lady of the Valley in Green Valley this Thursday evening, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Florence on Friday evening and at Yuma Catholic High School on Sunday afternoon for parish leadership orientation sessions.

I don't want to give away all the surprises of this year's campaign, so I will just tease you a bit by saying one of the world's great artists is helping us to communicate the Appeal's theme this year of "Called and Gifted." 

Please make sure to attend the orientation session in your vicariate. The complete schedule is available on the Appeal's pages on our diocesan Internet site at  www.diocesetucson.org/aca.html.

13. Pastoral Visit to Sacred Heart Parish, Tombstone -- I don't think many of our parishes can say they got their first building finances from donations dropped into a glass on the bar of a saloon, but that's the legend of our Sacred Heart Parish in Tombstone. 

The first Masses in the silver boom town were held in any vacant room or closed bar, and the need for a decent church building was quite evident in 1879, when Bishop Salpointe, Vicar Apostolic of Arizona, sent Father Antonio Jouvencaeu to Tombstone.

Led by Nellie Cashman "Angel of the Camp," citizens of Tombstone raised money to build a one and one-half story adobe building that housed a rectory on the top floor and a church on the bottom floor. This church-rectory was dedicated as Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church on Jan. 1, 1881, becoming the first church building of any denomination in Tombstone. 

In 1882, a second wooden Catholic Church building was constructed. This allowed the 1881 building to be used solely as a rectory. Again, Nellie Cashman spearheaded the construction efforts, raising money and borrowing a team of horses and a wagon to haul wood from the Chiricahua Mountains, 50 miles away. This church building served the Tombstone Community until 1947 when it was moved to its present location. A new church building was constructed in 1947 at the corner of North Sixth and Safford Streets under the guidance of Father Thomas Doyle. Later, the property north of the church that included two 1880s entwining Tombstone rose trees was donated to the parish. 

In February of 2002, all three buildings and the beautiful Rose Tree Garden behind the 1947 church were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was a real tribute to the work of former pastor Father John Fahey and the people of Sacred Heart.

I look forward to being with Father Sylvester Nwaogu, administrator, and the people of Sacred Heart this Sunday.

14. Resting and Doing Well -- The latest report on Msgr. Richard O'Keeffe and Msgr. Ed Ryle is that both are resting, recuperating and doing well following their heart surgeries the week before last. There was a quite a nice story in The Yuma Sun about Msgr. O'Keeffe in which several civic and religious leaders expressed their best wishes and prayers for his recovery.

15. One of Us at 111 South Church -- The varied backgrounds of our staff at the Pastoral Center never cease to amaze me: How did so many different people of so many different experiences find their way to the Diocese of Tucson.

This week's profile of a Pastoral Staff member exemplifies the different paths that our staff have taken to 111 South Church. Please meet Barbara Tenpenny of the Chancellor's Office.

"I was born in Douglas a few years back, but my family moved to Tucson when I was four. So I guess I can claim to be a native Tucsonan.

"I graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1974. I attended Pima College for a year and then married my best friend, Ray. Ray joined the Air Force prior to our marriage, so we began an adventure that has given us so many great memories and friends. Besides being stationed in several states, we were stationed in Portugal and Japan. While living in Japan, I completed by bachelor degree in Asian Studies. I was fortunate enough to be able to take one of my classes in China. It was a fantastic experience and really drove home the fact that we Americans are very fortunate to live in such a developed country. While in the Pacific region, we also traveled to Korea, Okinawa, Philippines, Guam and Hawaii. I'm sure I drove my family nuts dragging them to so many museums and historical sites. 

"Ray and I have been blessed with three beautiful and brilliant children: one son, and two daughters (they get it from their father). We are very proud of all of them and are thankful that they have developed into wonderful adults. Our son has also gifted us with three beautiful granddaughters. 

"I have many years of experience in office administration, having worked in many corporations, but I still feel that I'm still a novice with computers. I find the work at the Pastoral Center is more rewarding than my corporation experiences. The people here are a family, and as a family they make everyone feel welcome."

Thank you, Barbara, for all that you do to keep the Pastoral Center functioning and humming. I especially acknowledge your hard work on our recently completed database, which I hope we can make available to our parishes and schools in the near future.

Vol. 1, No. 40
January 26, 2004

I am having breakfast this morning with two outstanding Catholic educators, Dr. Jody Comstock and Janet Haas.

The occasion for this breakfast is the annual Seton Award presentation, and joining us at Salpointe Catholic High School for the breakfast and award presentation is a big group of faculty, staff and administrators from many of the Catholic Schools in our Diocese.

Jody and Janet are the 2004 recipients of the Seton Award, which was initiated by Salpointe Catholic High School in 1992. The award, named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, is presented to an individual or individuals who unselfishly give to Catholic education in the Diocese of Tucson. The award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of individuals who give of themselves for Catholic education.

Jody is recognized for her leadership and service on the Diocesan School Board as a member of the board and as a two-term president.

Janet is recognized for a quarter century of service in Catholic school health programs.

The presentation of the Seton Award is made annually at the beginning of National Catholic Schools Week. 

"Catholic Schools: A Faith-Filled Future" is the theme for the 30th annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. The centerpiece of the week -- National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools -- is this Wednesday.

This week gives all of us the opportunity to express our appreciation to principals, teachers and all the marvelous staff that work for our Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Tucson. We can't say "thank you" enough for what they do.

I am happy to lead the way this morning in expressing my "thank you." I especially am happy to recognize the Catholic educators with whom I work most closely, and that is the staff of our Catholic Schools Office here at the Pastoral Center -- Sister Rosa Maria Ruiz, C.F.M.M., JoAnn Sayre, Mary Ann Hendrickson (and Ace) and Mary Gioco.

1. Council and Board Meetings -- The first meetings of the New Year for the Presbyteral Council, Diocesan Finance Council and the Diocese of Tucson Charity and Ministry Fund Board take place here at the Pastoral Center this week. 

The Diocesan Finance Council will be reviewing information for the annual diocesan financial report that will be made in the February issue of Catholic Vision. The Council's new investment subcommittee, under the chairmanship of Tom Clancy, is beginning its work of reviewing our investment policies.

The Charity and Ministry Fund Board will be looking at the budget for Annual Catholic Appeal for the coming year. 

2. "Called and Gifted" -- Annual Catholic Appeal orientation sessions for parish leadership conclude this week with meetings at Sts. Peter and Paul in Tucson tonight, Sacred Heart Parish in Willcox on Wednesday night, Holy Angels Parish in Globe on Thursday night and Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in Tucson on Saturday morning. 

I am very appreciative of the outstanding attendance at last week's sessions at Our Lady of the Valley in Green Valley and Assumption of the Blessed Mary in Florence and yesterday's session at Yuma Catholic High School.

The sessions are a preview of this year's Appeal campaign, which features one of my favorite paintings, "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Caravaggio. I certainly enjoyed telling the story, in the video that accompanies this year's Appeal campaign, of how I first encountered the painting. The Appeal is sending every registered Catholic family in the Diocese a mini-reproduction of the painting! In my letter that includes the reproduction, I emphasize how Christ calls each of us to share our gifts in service to others, just as He called St. Matthew to become a disciple.

3. Ecumenical and Inter-faith Visit to Altar, Sonora -- Our third diocesan-sponsored ecumenical and inter-faith visit to Altar will be this Wednesday. 
We are very glad to have a broad representation of faith traditions for this trip, similar to that of our trip of last August.

The result of these trips to Altar will be the Multi-faith Border Conference on March 18. 

Representatives and leaders of Christian denominations and of other faiths will participate in this conference. We are hoping our pastors and key parish leadership will be able to attend as well. The conference will take place at Congregation Anshei Israel in Tucson, and I am grateful to the Congregation and Rabbi Robert Eisen for their hospitality. 

We anticipate that the conference will be informative and strategic: looking at the human face of people on the move; looking at what our faith traditions have said about the movements of people; working to develop some strategic action to prevent death in the desert; to formulate principles important to our various faith traditions about immigration policy; and to explore ways to involve congregations in response to migration issues.

Several special visitors from afar are joining us on this trip: Hector Rodriguez of the National Farmworker Ministry; Lee Ann Larson of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development; Don Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC); and Jim DeHarpporte of the Catholic Relief Services West Coast Regional Office. The attention and interest of these national Church organizations in the migration issues that we face in our Diocese is very much appreciated. I thank Joanne Welter, director of our Catholic Social Mission, and Erica Dahl Bredine of the Catholic Relief Services Mexico Project for all their work in preparing for the Altar trips and the upcoming conference.

I want especially to recognize the on-going and vitally important ministries to migrants and refugees that are carried out by two programs of Catholic Social Services of Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona. 

The programs are: 

Migration and Refugee Services, which helps people who come to the U.S. who are classified by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as refugees by providing assistance in all areas of resettlement, such as food, clothing, shelter, referrals for employment, English classes, orientation and help with social adjustment. Mahvash Yazdani is the Program Director.

The Family Based Immigration and Citizenship Program, which assists in eligibility issues and the processing of government applications. Rene Franco is the director. Rene has been of particular assistance to our Diocese with the applications of our priests from other countries as they begin their ministry here.

4. "The Bishop Is In" -- I think it was Lucy in the Peanuts comic who put "The Doctor Is In" sign on her booth. Well, I don't have a booth, but I do have my office here at the Pastoral Center, and I would like to do something new and different this year that will allow me to meet more of you who work in our parishes and schools. 

On an experimental basis, I am going to open my office for one-on-one visits with any parish or school staff person who would like to meet with me. I envision this as an opportunity for me to sit with a staff person for a brief time to hear any observation about their work or ministry they want to tell the Bishop face-to-face.

I have cleared Monday, Feb. 9, on my calendar, and if you are a parish or school employee who would like some time with the Bishop, just call in right away to Sister Charlotte Ann Swift, O.P, 792-3410, to make an appointment. Appointments will be "first come, first served." 

Depending on how this first effort goes, I may be looking at another day in the spring for a similar opportunity with parishioners. 

5. 30 Days To Lent -- Counting today, we are 30 days away from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season. Following up on an idea I shared in Monday Memo late last year, I would like this Lent in the Diocese of Tucson to have a special focus on alienated Catholics.

I encourage parishes to consider developing an outreach to alienated Catholics for this Lent. This could include: encouraging the parish council members to invite parishioners who have been away to "come back home;" holding an evening during Lent at the parish especially for people who have been away; phone calls or letters from our priests and deacons to those who haven't been participating; pray during the Prayers of Faithful during Lent for those who have been away; and a note in the parish bulletin encouraging parishioners to invite those from their own families who haven't been participating to return. If you have more ideas, please share them with me so I can pass them on through Monday Memo.

For a diocesan event, I have scheduled 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, at St. Augustine Cathedral as an opportunity for anyone who has felt alienated from Church to come for prayer and dialogue with me. We will be sending bulletin announcement for this soon, and there will be an invitation in Catholic Vision. 

6. John Jay Study -- I am sending a letter to our parishes soon about the forthcoming release of the study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice on the nature and scope of child abuse by priests in the U.S. over the last 50 years. 

The letter will be communicated to parishioners just before the release of the study on Feb. 27, the first Friday of Lent. This results of the study and the publicity it is sure to generate will no doubt call us -- as a Church nationally, as a diocese and as individuals -- to reflection, prayer and introspection.

I emphasize several important things in the letter: that the study was commissioned by the U.S. bishops out of a sincere desire to set out the truth in the causes of healing, reconciliation and restoration of trust; that our Church cares deeply for those who have experienced abuse and their families; that our Church respects and values the persons and ministries of all the good priests, the thousands and thousands of good priests.

I will be speaking publicly about the study on Feb. 27.

7. One of Us at 111 S. Church -- This week's profile of a staff member here at the Pastoral Center comes from Chris Barrios, financial operations assistant in our Fiscal Services Department.

"I was born and raised in Tucson, the seventh of nine children. I was blessed with wonderful parents who taught me the love of music and family. My children, Briana, Juan-Carlos and Angelica, keep me very busy when I am not at work.

"I came out of 'retirement' in 1995 when my youngest of two (at the time) started all day kindergarten. One week after he started school, my sister Sonya called me about a job posting for a receptionist at the Chancery, working six hours a day. Perfect! I would get out of work just in time to pick up my kids at school. Well, eight years and one more child later, I am still here. I love it!

"Working as the receptionist for the Diocese was such a rewarding experience for me. I was blessed to work with such a great group of people, assist callers with their special needs, and most rewarding of all, I got to greet the Bishop everyday. What an honor! In 1998, I transferred over to Fiscal Services as an accounting clerk. My responsibilities have grown and I am now in charge of payroll, as well as assisting with many additional financial operations. It always amazes me to see how our work contributes to the mission of the Church. 

"I am proud to work at the Pastoral Center. I have the privilege of meeting and assisting our priests, religious, diocesan staff and laity from all the different parishes in our diocese."

Chris, we are proud and privileged to have you with us. Your hard work and happy laugh are much appreciated!

8. Orientation for New Pastors -- Richard Serrano, our Human Resources Director, is putting together a special program for the orientation of our priests who are assuming the duties of pastor for the first time.

Richard will be calling upon staff members and department and office heads at the Pastoral Center to make brief presentations on "how things work" in the relationship of a parish to the administrative and program structures of the Diocese.

The first orientation will be the week of Feb. 16, with an exact date to be set and communicated soon. 

9. Next Week -- I will be on vacation Jan. 31 through Feb. 7, but I already have planned Monday Memo for Feb. 2 and Feb. 9. So, do not fear -- there will be a Monday Memo the next two weeks!