Vol. 3, No. 1     Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020

                                                                                                                                          Happy New Year, again
This is my first Update for 2020.  Most Catholics, I hope, remember that while Jan. 1 marks the beginning of a new  calendar year, liturgically, our new year began with the first week of Advent on Dec. 1.
I hope both New Year occasions were happy for you all.
Even this early in 2020, we have had and will see many important events in our diocese.
The first of these was the Annual 5K for Vocations on Jan. 4.  Father Jorge Farias Saucedo, our director of Vocations for Recruitment, reported that more than 300 participants joined in this popular event, along with many volunteers and helpers.
As I posted on Facebook, the addition of music, games and colorful powders worn, yes worn, by runners and walkers, has made the 5K fun for participants.  The Maria group of Our Mother of Sorrows provided hotdogs and hamburgers for finishers.
I appreciate the involvement of youth groups and others, and I am happy that Father Pat Crino, director for Vocations for seminarians; Sister Jeanne Bartholomeaux, our Vicar for Vowed Religious, and Sister Jerry Brady, both Sisters of Charity; and Brother Andres Rivera, S.T., were at the event.
We also had a few seminarians there, including Abundio Colazo-Lopez, Miguel Angel Perez Mendez and Luis Ballesteros and running the 5K.

 
Coming up over the next several days are the March for Life on Saturday, Jan. 11 and the Annual Knights of Columbus Mass and Dinner with the Bishop, an event supporting seminarian education, on Jan. 12.

The March for Life begins with Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral at 9 a.m.  Immediately following Mass, the  march of about 4 miles, toward Holy Hope Cemetery begins. I encourage all walkers to wear sunblock, hats and comfortable shoes, and to bring water along for the trek.
At Holy Hope there will be a ceremony commemorating the lives lost to abortion.

The Knights of Columbus Mass and Dinner begins Sunday with Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 5150 N. Valley View Road in Tucson at 3:30 p.m.  Following Mass there is a social hour and dinner at the Skyline Country Club.  Registration for this event is required.  To register, please visit http://uknight.org/Assembly.asp?A=2392 or go to diocesetucson.org and you will find the Mass and Dinner registration in the website banner.
 
Fight hate
I read a story on Catholic News Service detailing a march against hate that Catholic leaders joined.
The recent rise of antisemitism and racism is despicable. I urge all Catholics to remember Jesus’ commandment that we love one another.   I cannot fathom the need to attack another person on the basis of religious belief.  I also cannot fathom this behavior as tolerable in a country founded on the right to exercise and practice religion freely.
We all are called to respect and care for one another. We all are called to honor the Divine through respect of others.  The Catholic News Service story, abbreviated, is below.
 
By Christopher White  Catholic News Service
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) -- Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn joined about 25,000 New Yorkers who took to the streets for a Jan. 5 "Solidarity March" in protest of anti-Semitism.
 
"When there's an attack on you, there's an attack on all of us," Cardinal Dolan said in remarks at the rally in Brooklyn after participants had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.
 
The march, which made its way from Lower Manhattan to Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn, brought together Jewish and non-Jewish residents alike from the New York area, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- all marching under the banner of "No Hate, No Fear."
 
The march was organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the interdenominational New York Board of Rabbis.
 
Bishop DiMarzio told the crowd it was a terrible thing that those who wear religious garb "are singled out for hatred or violence."
 
"We cannot let that happen in this great United States of ours. We cannot stand by and not do something," he said. The bishop also pledged to do all he could to "change minds and hearts within our communities so that we can truly stand together against any hatred, especially any anti-Semitism and its roots."
 
In his remarks, Cardinal Dolan drew from the words of St. John Paul II, who often referred to the Jews as "our elder brothers and sisters in the faith," meaning "we are one family."
 
"We are united as we acknowledge that this dismal, scary hatred and violence that has afflicted the community we love can ultimately be solved only by a conversion of heart," he said.
 
"From spitting at someone to blessing someone. From fists to embrace. From machetes to mercy. From looking at someone as a threat to looking at someone as a friend. That's conversion of heart," he added.
 
The march and rally came on the heels of a spree of anti-Semitic attacks in New York, most recently on New Year's Day when a 22-year-old Hasidic man was beaten and subjected to hate speech in Brooklyn -- the 13th known attack against Jews in the New York area in less than 10 days.
 
The violence on Jan. 1 followed the Hanukkah attack at the home of a rabbi in Monsey, where five people were stabbed in an incident that Cuomo labeled as "domestic terrorism."
 
"Today we are reminded it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. Let us be that light as we pray for peace and practice tolerance today and always," Bishop DiMarzio said in a statement.
 
Bishop DiMarzio and Cardinal Dolan joined more than 130 faith leaders from across the state, in condemning the attack.
 
"Anti-Semitism, bigotry and hate of any kind are repugnant to our values and will not be tolerated in our state," they said. "An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. Together we will continue fighting hate and intolerance with love and inclusion."
 
The attacks in New York come at a time when people of faith are facing increased violence at houses of worship across the nation.
According to the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, hate crimes in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques rose 34.8 percent between 2014 and 2018.
 
 
Welcome
To  Elizabeth Bollinger  who began work as executive director for the Catholic Foundation on Monday, Jan. 6.  She will take over for Ernie Nedder who has been with the Foundation over several years, but in different leadership roles.  Ernie was an interim director of the Foundation for a time before the last executive director was hired and then again when that person left the Diocese. 
She has more than 20 years of fundraising experience, most recently working for the Boys and Girls Club.
We wish Ernie the very best, but we already know he will only be kind of retired.  He already is hard at work in another business.
Please pray
For the soul of George Corti, who passed away Tuesday. He was the father of Alicia Corti, Director of Human Resources. Please also pray for his close and extended family during this trying time.
 
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.
Registration is required to attend. 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].
Visit our website at diocesetucson.org to view a video with information on registration.
Please visit https:  tiny.cc/b2tqhz for more information or to make a reservation.
 
 
Lüthen Lecture
Tuesday, February 18
7 p.m.
St. Cyril of Alexandria Church
1750 N. Swan Road, Tucson
No cost
 
Presentation by Father  Frank DeSiano, CSP. This lecture by Father DeSiano of Paulist Evangelization Ministries will address some of the larger questions facing parishes in the United States today and demonstrate how shifting the parish vision to “a community of disciples” can help outline a future for parishes. All parish leaders will benefit from this talk.
About the Presenter:
Father DeSiano was ordained a Paulist in 1972. In addition to serving as pastor in downtown parishes in New York and Chicago, he also is a national leader in Catholic evangelization. He earned a D. Min. degree from Boston University. He has written many books; the latest one is “Catholic Discipleship: Spiritual Exercises and Reflections.” He speaks and preaches throughout the United States.
Thanks to the support of benefactors and friends, each of the lectures in the Lüthen Lecture Series is free and open to the public; no registration is required and all are welcome.