Vol.3, No 11 Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Please note: The Diocese of Tucson and St. Augustine Cathedral Parish offices are closed until April 1.

 While our offices are closed, Pastoral Center employees are checking email messages and voice mail hourly. When you call a Pastoral Center employee,  please leave a message with your phone number so your call can be returned. For the general delivery message box, dial 0.

Remember your parishes

As many know, our parishes rely on weekly stewardship to keep operating. Even though our churches are closed, many continue to provide services such as Mass on Facebook, and of course, essential ministries.  Right now, many of our parishes are without adequate resources. Please consider online donations to prevent these parishes from having to layoff their employees, who like many of you, are trying to continue to work from home. Please read the story below from the Catholic Outlook:

Some parishes had already implemented online giving to supplement the weekly collections. Those accounts usually were automatic deductions from bank accounts.

The Catholic Foundation has for years made online giving an option for donors looking to donate to the Annual Catholic Appeal. On March 20, the Diocese of Tucson website unveiled a hybrid option “Help Our Parishes Endure” (HOPE) at diocesetucson.org.

On the diocesan home page, viewers can scroll down just below the marquee to read: “During this time of Eucharistic fast, we continue to ask parishioners across the diocese to help our parishes endure while their doors are closed for public worship.

 “Using the donation link to the right, you can select the parish you want to support.

“Thank you for the many ways you support our mission, and for your continued support of our church.”

"The link goes to a screen that offers a range of donations that includes $25, $50 and $100, and “other.” The $50 option is highlighted. Donors are also given the option of making it a one-time gift, a weekly gift or a monthly gift.

"There is a select option for your parish, and pre-selected choices agreeing to terms and conditions and to cover the $1.28 processing fee. A credit/debit card is required to place the order.

"Catholic Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Bollinger said that while some parishes already are involved in online giving, many are not, and the opportunity to encourage parishioners to support their parish online will continue, even after the current crisis passes.

"The bishop and diocesan leadership met with the Presbyteral Council the day the HOPE app became available and supported the effort.

"Bollinger said Catholics are turning to their parish websites and social media to try to stay connected. A number are offering Sunday Mass that is either pre-recorded or livestreamed. Parishes also need to take those opportunities to remind parishioners to use the link to give.

 I continue posting videos of the celebration of Mass on our website homepage at diocesetucson.org

If you would like to follow other daily, you can do so at many online or cable TV sites (see list below).

 -Catholic TV Mass in English and Spanish: watchthemass.com/ .

-Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: nationalshrine.org/mass/

-Catholic Faith Network Masses. A listing of Masses with direct links to sites: catholicfaithnetwork.org/

Heart of the Nation

Santa Fe Communications

Online Mass:  heartofthenation.org/online-mass/sunday-mass#/

TV stations

Channel 58.1 : Sundays at 7:30 a.m.

Comcast: Channel 8, 7:30 a.m.

Parishes and pastors are providing online services for parishioners and viewers as well.

Those include the following:

- St. Elizabeth’s Tucson: seastucson.org/; or via the YouTube channel YouTube/SEAS Fr. Lucero.

Meanwhile, there are parishes that are offering Masses online via the Facebook Live app. You can view Sunday Mass at the following parish pages:

- Our Mother of Sorrows, Tucson: facebook.com/omosparishtucson/videos/1301312690060197/

 - Holy Angels, Globe (stations of the cross, adoration): facebook.com/globearizona.org/videos/638087180086909/

- St. Mark’s, Oro Valley: stmarkov.com/mass-streaming

- Father Jose Padilla, San Felipe de Jesus (Spanish): facebook.com/manolo.padilla1

- Our Lady Queen of All Saints, Tucson (Spanish): facebook.com/olqoas

 - St. Thomas More Catholic Student Center, Tucson: facebook.com/uacatholic; Mass and evening prayer, on the YouTube Channel  youtube.com/user/uacatholic

 - St. Margaret Mary, Tucson: facebook.com/StMargaret-Mary-Alacoque-108044060828493/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARBfHq97eVdaCq5uKZUCkBZqLp-Qaz5M6c_RtTSPMyr27W8XrZSRXzDAIrAa7C-t0ks2tNaNnwzWHs3O

 This is a partial list. Contact your parish to see if there is any other online postings.

TODAY: Join us in prayer

I sent a Flocknote message earlier this week encouraging all of us to join in prayer with Pope Francis. Here is that message:

 You may have seen reported in the media a special invitation that Pope Francis has extended for all Christians to unite together in prayer on March 25th at noon. March 25th is a day on which the Roman Catholic Church commemorates the annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary with the beautiful announcement that she would be the mother of the Son of God.  Pope Francis has stated,

 “I invite all the Heads of Churches and the leaders of all the Christian Communities, together with all the Christians of the various Confessions, to invoke the Most High, Almighty God, reciting contemporaneously the prayer that Jesus Our Lord taught us. I invite all, therefore, to do so several times a day, but, all together, to recite the Our Father today, March 25, at midday – all together.” 

I am suggesting that we pray the prayer at noon, local time, but the prayer also can be said at noon Rome time, or at any other time of the day.”  

May God bless you, 

+Edward J. Weisenburger