Vol. 2, No. 46 Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019

Our Lady of Guadalupe
The following text comes from ourcatholicprayers.com.  We will celebrate the feast day of
Our Lady of Guadalupe on Thursday, Dec. 12. Our Lady is very revered in her role as both Patroness of Mexico and of the Americas.
We begin with prayer:

“Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

“The prayer to our Lady of Guadalupe printed above, in referring to her as the ‘mystical rose’ touches on an extraordinary event. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to an Aztec Indian convert to Catholicism named Juan Diego on Tepayac Hill, near Mexico City on Dec. 9, 1531.

“She asked him to tell the local bishop that she would like a church to be built there in her honor. When the bishop, Juan de Zumarraga, a devout Franciscan, asked Juan Diego for a sign proving the authenticity of her request, Mary helped out in two very special ways!

“First, she instructed Juan Diego to gather fresh Castilian roses not normally found in the rocky barren landscape of Tepayac Hill (and certainly not in the beginning of winter!) Then she had him carry them to the bishop in his  tilma, (his cloak), instructing him not to open his cloak until he saw Zumarraga.
“The bishop, a devout Franciscan was so moved when he saw Juan Diego this time, on December 12th, that he fell to his knees and granted our Lady’s request!

“Not only was he amazed at the roses falling out of Juan Diego’s  tilma. Even more incredible was the image he saw of Mary as our Lady of Guadalupe, imprinted on his cloak as shown above, with the appearance of a  Mestiza woman (of both European and Native American descent), just as Juan Diego had described her!

“Mary also miraculously cured Juan Diego’s uncle, Juan Bernardino from a serious illness that same day, telling him that the image on his nephew’s  tilma pictured above should be known as ‘The Ever Virgin, Holy Mary of Guadalupe.’

“(Some analysts believe that by using the word ‘Guadalupe’ Mary was actually referring to herself as the ‘one who crushes the serpent,’ Satan, using a descriptive term in the Aztec Nahuatl language that sounds like ‘Guadalupe’ in Spanish.) 

“The bishop put Juan Diego’s  tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his chapel until it was transferred to the shrine when it was built soon afterwards. The picture became the focus of much veneration and was responsible for the conversion of literally millions of Aztec Indians, among others, to Catholicism.

“As one 19th century Mexican preacher noted, thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe ‘the Catholic Faith spread with the rapidity of light from the rising sun’ throughout Mexico.

“Our Lady, in appearing as a  Mestiza to Juan Diego, endeared herself to millions of Native Americans and others throughout Mexico as  La Morenita (‘The Little Brown One’) and was key in spreading our faith.”

Pastoral Center training
An extensive High Reliability Training was offered to the Diocese of Tucson directors and staff to increase awareness in creating a culture of protection and healing.

The in-depth focus used real-life case studies from other industries, for example the healthcare,  oil industry, and other corporations,  to demonstrate the different roles in minimizing risk in all areas of ministry.

My thanks to the presenters, Lauren Sarmir, Special Events and Project Coordinator, and Melanie Takinen, Associate Director of Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection , US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
 
Please pray
For the soul of Luis Fernando Palencia.  Luis  is the twin brother of our seminarian Luis Alberto Palencia.  Luis Fernando died in a car accident Tuesday in Yuma. Please pray also for his family at this difficult time. The rosary will take place at Friday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Parish in Yuma. The funeral will take place, also at the church, on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 9:30 a.m. Internment at Desert Lawn Cemetery will follow Mass.
 
For the soul of Mary Velasquez, the mother of Father Marcos Velasquez.  Mrs. Velasquez died peacefully Dec. 6. Again, I ask you join me in prayer for her soul and for the comfort of her family.  I will be in Superior for her Funeral Mass this morning at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Superior. 
 
Third Week of Advent
Sunday, Dec. 15 ^th is the Third Sunday of Advent.  This day also is known as Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday.  You will likely see your parish priest wearing a rose colored vestment on Sunday – meant to highlight our joy as Christmas draws near.  This also is the Sunday on which we light the pink colored candle on our Advent wreaths.

As we anticipate the coming of Jesus, we may ponder what each of us needs to do to prepare ourselves for the King.

Here is a prayer for this Sunday:
"Prepare ye the way of the Lord: Make straight in the wilderness His paths; Every valley shall be exalted; Every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the crooked shall be made straight; And the rough ways plain" (Is. 40:3, 4). Then shall you see the salvation of God!”
Taken Our Way to the Father by Rev. Leo M. Krenz, S.J.
 
Advent Mass at the Catholic Cemeteries
​Each year our Catholic cemeteries host a Mass during Advent. This annual Mass will be celebrated Saturday (Dec. 14) at both of our diocesan cemeteries at 8:30 a.m.  Our cemeteries are:
​
Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road in Tucson and at ​All Faiths Memorial Park, 
at 2151 S. Avenida Los Reyes also in Tucson.
 
Call (520) 888-0860 for additional information. 
 
Binational Posadas
This annual event taking place this year on Saturday, Dec. 14. People from around our diocese and even the larger Phoenix area will gather at the Port of Entry in Nogales and meet up with our Sonoran counterparts near the International Border wall on the Mexican side of the International Border. If you have never participated, this event is inspiring for us to come together in prayer and peace to journey on this posada that eventually ends at the Kino Border Initiative’s Comedor near the other point of entry on the western side of Nogales. Participants are asked to meet at the DeConcini Port of Entry. Passports are required for all adults, and children up to 16 years old. Children younger than 16 will need a birth certificate and identification. There always has been music and stops along the journey for prayer and meditation.

This event is arranged annually by Dioceses without Borders and in cooperation with the dioceses of Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales, Mexico, and the Kino Border Initiative.
Two other posadas are scheduled in other locations:

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 4 p.m. in Agua Prieta (Douglas); and Thursday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m., Immaculate Conception Church, 505 S. Avenue B, Yuma. For the Agua Prieta posada, participants are asked to meet at the McDonald’s in Douglas. Again, passports are required for all adults, and children up to 16 years old. Children younger than 16 will need a birth certificate and identification.
 
For more information about any of the posadas, call Dominican Sister Gladys Echenique at (520) 838-2540 or email [email protected].
 
Catholic Foundation
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, I will join the board members of our Catholic Foundation for their regular meeting. Our Foundation members plan all year for the Annual Catholic Appeal, the Annual Cornerstone Gala, and the annual grant program that provides funds for parishes, ministries and Catholic schools. Their distribution of funds is dictated  by the success of the annual Appeal and on investment generated dividends, and the grants provide much-needed funding for projects at locations around the Diocese.
 
 
Upcoming
Register now!
Southwest Liturgical Conference
Study Week
Registration now open for the 58th Annual Southwest Liturgical Conference Study Week.

Our diocese is privileged to co-host the Study Week with the SWLC Board of Directors. The theme of the week is ”Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”

Study Week 2020 takes place Jan. 15-18 at the DoubleTree Hotel at Reid Park, Tucson.

There will be six general session speakers and more than 30 workshop sessions over the three days. Bilingual workshops, workshops for RCIA teams, and presentations on liturgical ministry, liturgical arts, music showcases and many more will be presented.

The cost is $150 (before Dec. 31) or after Dec. 31, $100/day. Diocesan certification (Level I in English and Spanish) will be available. Go to  www.swlc.org to register online. For more information, contact our Office of Formation, 520-838-2545 or [email protected].

You can see a video from our diocese inviting people to the Liturgical Conference on our diocesan YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Dq0tT69rY&t=104s