Wednesday Update Vol. 2, No. 35 Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019

Re-cap Catholic School Pastor, President, Principal Convocation

I celebrated Mass with school principals and members of our diocesan Schools Department in Our Lady’s Chapel at the conclusion of their annual convocation. Catholic School Superintendent Sheri Dahl commented that 10 pastors of parishes with Catholic schools attended the convocation – a record number, and many of the pastor attendees traveled from parishes fairly distant from Tucson, such as Immaculate Conception and St. Francis of Assisi in Yuma and St. Charles School on the San Carlos Reservation.

As you may know, we have 25 Catholic schools, including one preschool, 18 elementary schools that have pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten and six high schools. The convocation sessions focused on “Care of the Child.” Topics included navigating threats, social media, anxiety and depression, relationships, culture and self-care, and the dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes.

Welcome new priests

We welcome three new priests to our diocese this week, all serving as parochial vicars. Franciscan Father John Gibbons has begun his duties as San Solano Missions in Topowa. Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales Fathers James Mascarenhas is at Immaculate Conception Parish, Yuma and Amal Sebastiar is at St. Andrew Parish, Sierra Vista and Sacred Heart Parish, Tombstone.

Congratulations!

To Fathers Miguel Mariano and John Ikponko. I celebrated Mass at St. Odilia Parish on Sept. 22 to commemorate their 25th jubilees of priestly ordination. Father Miguel is our diocesan Worship coordinator and ecumenical officer, working with local and statewide faith leaders from other religious denominations. Father John, who came to our diocese from Nigeria, also serves at St. Odilia’s.
I enjoyed celebrating with my brother priests and visiting with the parishioners at St. Odilia’s.

Pilgrimage to San Xavier for Vocations

Last Saturday scores of people joined in the third annual Pilgrimage to San Xavier for Vocations. People started their walks from five parishes: Our Mother of Sorrows, Our Lady Queen of All Saints, St. Monica’s, St. Margaret Mary and Our Lady of Fatima. Kudos to those from OMOS; they started at 5 a.m. Sturdy folks; the distance from OMOS to the Mission is 18 miles! The pilgrims gathered at the Mission for Mass about noon.