Yesterday was Labor Day, hence this Monday Memo is coming to you on Tuesday.
I hope your Labor Day weekend was a relaxing "get-away" from your labors for the Church.
To all who labor in the "vineyard" of the Diocese of Tucson as employees and volunteers, thank you for bringing your gifts and talents to the work and mission of the Church. The work you perform and the way you perform it is ministry, and without you the Diocese could not be present in all the ways that it is.
1. Lay Ecclesial Ministry – Many of you who labor for the mission of the Church and the Diocese do so as Lay Ecclesial Ministers. This term dates from the 1980s, and it came to be because of the need to distinguish among and between the "ministry" that we all share in Baptism, the "ministry" of the ordained and the different types of "ministry" of the laity who work or volunteer for the Church.
Thus, the term Lay Ecclesial Minister is now used by the Church to identify a person who is:
-- A fully initiated lay member of the Christian faithful (including vowed religious) who is responding to the empowerment and gifts of the Holy Spirit received in baptism and confirmation, which enable one to share in some form of ministry;
-- One who responds to a call or invitation to participate in ministry and who has prepared through a process of prayerful discernment;
-- One who has received the necessary formation, education, and training to function competently within the given area of ministry;
-- One who intentionally brings personal competencies and gifts to serve the Church's mission through a specific ministry of ecclesial leadership and who does so with community recognition and support;
-- One to whom a formal and public role in ministry has been entrusted or upon whom an office has been conferred by competent ecclesiastical authority;
-- One who has been installed in a ministry through the authority of the bishop or his representative, perhaps using a public ritual;
-- One who commits to performing the duties of a ministry in a stable manner;
-- A paid staff person (full- or part-time) or a volunteer who has responsibility and the necessary authority for institutional leadership in a particular area of ministry.
All of the above is background to what I will be doing in Denver this week at the "Theological Conversation about Lay Ecclesial Ministry with the USCCB Subcommittee on Lay Ministry."
That's a long title that simply means nine bishops are going to be sitting down with some of the most esteemed theologians in our nation to continue the dialogue within our Church about the meaning and purpose of Lay Ecclesial Ministry.
Those taking part in the conversation include: Sister Sara Butler, MSBT; Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ; Father Richard Gabuzda; Edward Hahnenberg; Sister Brid Long, SSL; Christopher Ruddy; Father Francis Sullivan, SJ; and Sister Susan Wood, SCL.
Why is this conversation important?
Because it fulfills the commitment the Bishops of the U.S. made in 1995 in their pastoral statement on the laity, "Called and Gifted for the Third Millennium," to expand their study and dialogue concerning lay ministry so that they could better understand the critical issues involved and find effective ways to address them.
What the Bishops declared in that statement in 1995 remains valid today:
"The new evangelization will become a reality only if ordained and lay members of Christ's faithful understand their roles and ministries as complementary, and their purposes joined to the one mission and ministry of Jesus Christ."
The goal of our conversation this week is to reflect on the theological basis for the roles and responsibilities undertaken by lay ecclesial ministers within the life and mission of the Church. We hope to identify the scope of what might be included in the theological section of the new document on lay ecclesial ministry being prepared by the Subcommittee on Lay Ministry.
I am honored to serve as chairman of this subcommittee. You can find out more about the subcommittee on the USCCB Internet site at http://www.usccb.org/laity/laymin.
Also, there is a wealth of information about Lay Ecclesial Ministry available at http://www.usccb.org/laity/laymin/layecclesial.htm,
2. Msgr. Phil Murnion -- For all who knew him and appreciated his many accomplishments, the news of his death two weeks ago from cancer came as a sad shock. Msgr. Murnion was to have been a participant in our Denver conversation this week. We will remember him in our prayers as we begin the conversation. Msgr. Murnion has an important place in the modern history of our Diocese. He facilitated the meeting at Regina Cleri Center back in the 1980s that led to the development of the Department of Parish Life and Ministry. His groundbreaking work through the National Pastoral Life Center was a blessing to our Church in the U.S.
3. Follow-up on Altar Journey -- Our ecumenical and interfaith journey to Altar, Sonora, last week was intended to help us learn more about the continuing phenomenal migration that is occurring across the border which Arizona shares with Mexico and which our Diocese shares with the Archdiocese of Hermosillo.
We wanted to see, to listen and to pray in solidarity with the migrants. The journey achieved those purposes and much more.
Our group of 30 included Catholics, Presbyterian, Methodists and Jews. We came face to face with hope, with desperation, with faith and with courage.
We arrived in Altar after a three-hour bus ride from Tucson. We visited a "guest house" where some of the migrants were staying while waiting to cross the border. We saw 75 people, men and women and young teens, in two very small rooms that were jammed with bunk beds made out of planks. Several of us immediately had the same image in our minds: concentration camp. For me, it was Dachau. I remembered my visit there several years ago. I encountered a letter in one of the camp's displays that was from a teacher who wrote that every child should be brought to Dachau so that the inhumanity that had occurred there would never happen again. What I saw in the guest house made me realize the inhumanity continues.
We talked to some of the migrants.
Why are you migrating? We are desperate for work so that we can provide for our families.
Do you understand the dangers of trying to cross through the desert? Yes, but we have no alternative. We are desperate.
What do you think you will find in the United States? We're not sure, but we know we must find work to provide for our families.
We met with the mayor and other city officials of Altar and heard from them how the economy and services of their community are being overwhelmed by the influx.
We visited with Father René Castañeda, the migrant minister for the Archdiocese of Hermosillo, at the center where migrants are offered hospitality and food and are given warnings about the hazards of crossing through the desert. Father René is a young priest who is doing heroic work with his parishioners. He shared with us that the people of his parish initially were resistant to reaching out to the migrants because they thought they weren't good people. But the parishioners have come to realize that the migrants are people in the image of God, and now parishioners, including children, volunteer at the center.
I presented Father René with a check for $1,000, which had been collected through our recent "Saving Lives Together" effort in the Diocese, along with a hundred pounds of rice and beans. In the face of all the need that we saw, I was sad that we weren't able to bring more.
(If your parish or school would like to do more, and I encourage you to do so, please contact Joanne Welter in our Catholic Social Mission Office, 792-3410.)
When we were at the center we met a group of 20 people from Chiapas who had just arrived. They looked very young, average age of probably 20, and they looked scared. I wondered what a hardship they and their families experienced to come up with $1,800 each that is the going fee for being led across the border.
We drove north toward Sasabe. The dirt road is worn out from all the vehicles taking groups of migrants. Father René and his parishioners have erected crosses along the side of this road to commemorate the people who have died on the desert trek. We learned that these crosses become the Stations of the Cross for Good Friday and that the people gather that day by a huge cross to ask God's blessing for all who have died.
While we were stopped at one of the crosses, two vans headed for the border drove up, each holding about 35 people, children and adults. The vans stopped, and I gave the people a blessing and we prayed together.
Our journey to Altar included a stop at Padre Kino's grave in Magdelena. I reflected on the message Padre Kino had brought to the desert people, that even though they were poor, they had dignity and worth.
Concluding our journey, we people of different faiths and denominations decided we each would bring something of what we had experienced to our local congregations. We decided to plan on having two more journeys for religious leaders before the end of the year. We decided that in the spring we would organize an Arizona interfaith summit on border issues and migration so that we could look at the issue of migration from a religious and moral perspective.
I point you again to "Strangers No Longer," the pastoral letter from the Bishops of the U.S. and Mexico (http://www.usccb.org/mrs/stranger.htm). The letter reminds us that migration is necessary and beneficial, and that we as a society must not take advantage of or abuse migrants. Our humanitarian response as Catholics to people on the move is to see that their human rights and dignity are not violated. As Church, we must support just laws on migration, while heightening our efforts to address the causes of migration. We must focus our efforts on the development of immigration policies that are economic based and that respect the family.
You can read more about the trip to Altar in the stories by the two newspaper reporters who journeyed with us, The Arizona Daily Star's Stephanie Innes and The Arizona Republic's Michael Clancy. Both their reports were excellent.
Stephanie's story can be accessed at http://www.azstarnet.com/star/wed/30827ALTARRELIGIOUS2fmst2fjm.html
Mike's story can be accessed at:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0826migrants26.html
The report by Maggie Burnett, managing editor of Catholic Vision, will appear in the September issue, which will be at parishes this coming weekend.
4. "Two of Us at 111 South Church" – The trip to Altar would not have been possible without the organizing skills and support of Joanne Welter, director of our diocesan Catholic Social Mission Office, and Erica Dahl-Berdine, Mexico coordinator for Catholic Relief Services. They are this week's profiles of our Pastoral Center staff.
Joanne:
"In college, my life was turned around by the Prayer of St. Francis. I found a holy card with the prayer and it said, 'Read this everyday and your life will change.' Not that I wanted a change, as college was so much fun, but I did say the prayer daily. I was soon on a search for spirituality and a love of peace. I already loved animals and birds, as I grew up on a Farm in northern Minnesota.
"After teaching in the Diocese of Winona and Minneapolis - St. Paul, and a year as a volunteer in a Volunteers in Diocesan Action program in the Diocese of Pueblo, I came to Tucson. Here I began what became 20 years as a Parish Team Member at St. Cyril Parish as the Outreach Director. It was in that time that I learned about the social teachings of the Church and sought to deliver the teachings' messages in education, action and as integral to spirituality. In the 1980s I decided that Church work would be my 'brilliant career' as I chose to attend three years of University of San Francisco Education in Tucson toward a Master's in Pastoral Ministry.
"I am still eager for peace. Since the Prayer of St. Francis enlightenment, I have learned that peace requires justice. I have explored the scriptural meaning of justice and agree with Pope Paul VI, that 'justice is love's absolute minimum.'
"We can't talk of love unless the relationship is 'just', whether we are individuals, groups, societies or nations. I agree with his statement, 'If you want peace, work for justice.' I am blessed to be able to work in a ministry that I truly care about, mind, heart and soul. God has sent many laborers into the ministry of social justice and mission in our Diocese and I know God is calling many more forth in these challenging days. I am most grateful to each and all who minister in this diocesan area and to all who support social ministry efforts."
Erica:
"Moving to Tucson in 2001 felt like coming home in many ways. My family is from Silver City, New Mexico, and, after spending 18 years living far away from the border, it has been wonderful to come back.
"I am the oldest of seven children, and my parents now live in Oaxaca, Mexico, where they work as Maryknoll lay missioners. I have been blessed with extraordinary life experiences which have marked me in deep and lasting ways. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, I went to El Salvador as a lay missioner, where I worked with refugees and displaced communities and experienced some of the harshest years of the civil war there. After graduate school, I joined Catholic Relief Services and went to live in Northeastern Brazil for two years and then in Lima, Peru. During that period, I also spent two months in southern Sudan, assisting in a famine relief effort with war refugees.
"These experiences have given me the opportunity to live, work and pray alongside some of the most extraordinary people I have ever known. People who have known war and poverty most of their lives, who have suffered bitterly, and yet are infused with the joy and sense of possibility that working for justice and the Kingdom brings with it. It is has been a journey of infinite grace and blessing for me, and coming to Tucson has been a continuation of that journey. I am thankful for the very warm welcome I have received here at the Diocese, in my neighborhood, Barrio Hollywood, and in the larger community of Tucson. It is a pleasure to be representing Catholic Relief Services here and to be working with Bishop Kicanas, Joanne Welter and many others to promote solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the border and throughout Mexico."
Thank you, Erica and Joanne, for the powerful witness you give in the name of Christ.
5. Follow-up on Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting – The first meeting with new members was excellent. There was a great deal of enthusiasm and a desire to bring the lay voice to reflections on the pastoral issues of the diocese. We spent time reflecting on restoring trust and healing hurt. We discussed the impending liturgical changes and the goal of coming to a unity of practice in liturgy around the diocese.
We benefited from the input of former council members Ale--Acosta and Gil Puente on the role of the council. I emphasized to the members that they be present, that they participate and that they not be afraid to raise objections or offer counter observations. I encouraged them to see their involvement in the council as flowing from their baptismal call to further the mission of the Church.
6. Congratulations – Tania Medrano, Cristina Dabdoub and Maria Jose Padilla of Lourdes Catholic School in Nogales are among the 14 U.S. winners in a drawing contest sponsored by the government of Mexico through its consulates in the U.S. and Canada for students age seven to 11. The theme of this year's contest was "This is my Mexico." The contest attracted nearly 8,000 entries, so having three of the 14 U.S. winners from one school is extraordinary! Their prize: a five-day trip to Mexico City in October with a parent and a visit with President Vicente Fox. Congratulations as well to their art teacher, Rebeca Hugues. I enjoyed my recent visit with the Lourdes High School community of students, faculty, staff and the school's Board at their Mass of the Holy Spirit that began their new school year.
7. "Noche de Gracias" – Our celebration of Bishop Moreno's retirement last Thursday night at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in Tucson had equal measures of laughter and tears. Bishop very humbly accepted our toasts acknowledging his 21 years of dedicated service to the Diocese, and he took the good-natured "roasting" in good humor by laughing along with the rest of us. I greatly appreciate the hospitality of Msgr. Tom Cahalane and his parish staff and the hard work of our Pastoral Center Staff in making the evening so enjoyable and meaningful. It truly was heartwarming to be a part of the expression of love for Bishop Moreno and to be in the company of more than 400 of his close friends, especially his brother bishops and so many of the priests of our Diocese. As Father Van Wagner, our vicar general, said in his homily at the Mass preceding the dinner, "Thanks be to God for Bishop Moreno."
Vol. 1, No. 22
September 8, 2003
Today, Mary's Birthday, is one of only three birthdays that we celebrate in Sacred Liturgy. The University of Dayton has a beautiful meditation on the birthday of Mary at http://www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/birthday.html. I think you will enjoy learning about the spiritual tradition regarding Mary's birth.
"Your birth, Birthgiver of God, announced joy to the whole world. From you came the Sun of Justice, Christ our God. He released the curse and gave the blessing." (From today's liturgy, the Birth of Mary.)
1. Committee on Doctrine -- I am in Washington, D.C., today at the headquarters of the U.S. Catholic Conference for a meeting of the Committee on Doctrine, which is one of the Conference's 35 standing committees.
The Conference is the mechanism by which the bishops of the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands jointly exercise certain pastoral functions. to promote the greater good which the Church offers humankind.
The Committee on Doctrine was established in 1966 and was entrusted with the tasks of evaluating from the point of view of Catholic doctrine not only specific questions and problems which might arise, but also the means to address those questions.
The Committee on Doctrine has as its primary goals the support and promotion of the Pope's universal teaching authority and leadership and assistance to the bishops individually and collectively in fulfilling their roles as teachers in the faith community.
Part of the Committee's responsibility is to review any document of the Conference to make sure it is doctrinally correct. Of late, the Committee has been reviewing the document on priestly formation that is undergoing its fifth revision. This document provides guidelines for seminaries for the preparation of men for the priesthood.
I am ending a three year term as a member of the Committee, so this is my final meeting. I feel it has been a very challenging and good experience. Looking back on the three years, I can point to "The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers" as a major achievement for the Committee. We also participated in the development of the document on "New Age" spirituality and the guidelines for the granting of nihil obstat.
The work of the Committee and the other 34 standing committees of the Conference is crucial to the functioning of the Church in the U.S.
Just as we should know how our Diocese functions and works through its various structures, I think it's important that we know how the Church works on the national scale.
Taking a few minutes to become acquainted with the structure and work of the USCCB would help in understanding its important mission and how it relates to our Diocese of Tucson and every diocese and archdiocese in the nation. I recommend that you visit the USCCB Website (www.usccb.org) for a quick tour of the Conference. I think you'll be impressed by what you find.
2. September 11 -- As we approach the second anniversary of the tragedy that affected the lives of so many people, let us continue to remember the families of those who lost loved ones.
As we continue to reflect on the events of that day we ask ourselves again, "How was Christ present on 9-11?" One answer to that question can be found in a remarkable resource that is entitled, "We Were There...Catholic Priests and How They Responded."
"We Were There" is the stories of priests on the scene during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon. It is their personal accounts of ministry amid the ashes and ruin.
It highlights how the Word of God and the Sacraments infused comfort and hope into the lives of firefighters, police, and co-workers and families of the victims of terrorist attacks.
Father Edward Burns, who heads the Vocations Office of the USCCB, was inspired by the stories he heard to compile them for all of us the share in, to be inspired by and, most importantly, to be comforted by.
Father Burns notes in his essay, "As one would expect, priests throughout the country led prayer services, celebrated Mass, and brought a message of God's consolation to a people and a nation in mourning."
But, as you will read, it is the stories of the priests who were actually there that show us, as Father Burns wrote, "what priests do best – bringing people to God and bringing God to people -- through the Word and Sacraments."
These priests commemorated in Father Burns' essay represent all the men and women in many walks of life who did heroic acts for others. Clearly, Christ was working powerfully through these people who communicated His compassion amid the horrors of 9/11.
As one of the priests wrote at the end of his story, "I don't pretend to have done anything unusual or heroic following the events of September 11, 2001. I feel blessed that Christ placed me in this circumstance as a priest to be able to offer consolation to those who were hurting and in need of His mercy, or to offer some words of encouragement. Ultimately, it was a time of grace for me, a time to reflect on the great gift the Lord has given me in my own priesthood."
I do recommend that you read "We Were There." It is available on the USCCB Website at www.usccb.org/vocations. I ask that our Catholic school principals consider sharing this resource with their teachers and students as reflection on the anniversary of 9/11.
3. Lunch with The Star – The Arizona Daily Star is having me for lunch on Thursday. Actually, it will be a very friendly occasion as I join the newspaper's editors and reporters for lunch at their editorial offices.
The Star does this on a regular basis with community leaders and other "newsmakers," and I am very grateful for the invitation and the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the people of this newspaper that serves a great part of our Diocese.
I also welcome opportunities for dialogue with The Tucson Citizen, The Yuma Sun and other newspapers in the Diocese. I believe it is important to maintain honest relationships with the news media. They need to hear the Church's perspective on community issues. While obviously they will present other points of view, we need to stay in communication.
Openness, honesty and transparency with the Catholic people and the larger community are essential to our efforts to restore trust. The news media within the Diocese have a critical role in providing accurate, objective and fair information, and we endeavor to establish and maintain good working relationships with the news media.
Don't be shy about writing "Letters to the Editor." I like to see those letters signed by "A Concerned Catholic," even if I might not exactly agree with what the letter says. It shows we are involved in our communities and care about issues from the perspective of our faith.
4. One of Us at 111 South Church – When my computer is suddenly and strangely malfunctioning at the most inopportune time, I call upon David Knight in our Pastoral Center. David has the magic touch with recalcitrant computers, but that is just one of the talents he shares with us. David is this week's "One of Us" profile.
"I first started working for the Diocese of Tucson in 1984 when I accepted a temporary position as Parish Secretary at Saint Cyril Parish. My wife and I were impressed with the welcoming community of Saint Cyril Parish while we were attending the University of Arizona in the late seventies and had become very active in the parish. We left Tucson shortly after I received my Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with a minor in Management Information Systems in 1980. After several years of searching for a place to settle down and raise our three kids, we decided to return to Tucson.
"Since the parish finance manager at Saint Cyril was going to retire in a year, they offered me that position if I would stay on and do the parish secretarial duties and also train for the parish bookkeeping. I told them I could do that for several years and ended up staying for thirteen years. I also brought the parish into the age of computing by purchasing their first computer in 1985. By the time I moved on to the diocesan fiscal office, I had plenty of knowledge and experience with parish and school accounting.
"In April of 1997 I started working downtown at the Marian Data Center doing parish batch accounting, audits and overall accounting assistance. Over the years my duties have expanded into other fiscal areas to include diocesan accounting, network administration and database development.
"One of the things I've liked best while working for the Diocese has been getting to know and help the pastors and financial staffs of the parishes, schools and missions with their accounting questions and to look for ways to do things better. From my early days at Saint Cyril to the present I look for ways to use word processing, spreadsheets, databases and other means to save, manage and use information to get jobs done more efficiently and I hope to be of service to the Diocese for many years to come."
Thanks, David, for all you do for our parishes, schools and all of us in the Pastoral Center.
5. New Protection Program and Code of Conduct -- I announced last week the beginning of the formal implementation of our new program for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. The announcement is in a pastoral letter that is available at our diocesan Website (www.diocesetucson.org) under "Restoring Trust."
The letter emphasizes the importance of the new "Code of Conduct" which applies to all employees and volunteers. Copies of the Code and a new summary statement of our "Guidelines for the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct" are being provided to all parishes and schools for distribution to employees and volunteers.
The Code and the summary statement are available in English and Spanish on the diocesan Website under "Restoring Trust." Please read them!
This is but an initial introduction of the Code and the comprehensive approach we will be taking to fulfill our commitment to the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults.
Dr. Paul Duckro, director of the Office for Child, Adolescent and Adult Protection, and Richard Serrano, director of Human Resources, will be following up with all pastors, administrators and principals on the implementation of the program.
Next Monday is our first training event for the new program. This training event is for all school employees, including teachers and support staff. It will be at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Tucson. I look forward to seeing our teachers and support staff at the event.
6. Catholic Foundation – The Board of Directors of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson meets this week. I serve as chairman of the board, which oversees the activities of our Foundation.
The board will be welcoming its newly elected officers for the 2003-2004 term. Bruno Dispoto, manager of A.B.D. Produce Brokerage in Yuma will serve as president of the board. He is a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Vice-president is Ernest T. Nedder of E. T. Nedder Publishing and ETN Consulting in Tucson. He is a parishioner of Corpus Christi Parish. Ann S. Dickson was re-elected as treasurer. She is a former Program and Budget Officer in the U.S. Army Signal Command and serves as a Catechumenate Director at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Sierra Vista. Charles R. Mahn was re-elected as secretary. He is a former systems engineer at Hughes and is a parishioner of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish.
The mission of the Foundation is to support the religious, educational and charitable works of the Diocese. In completing this role, the primary concentration of the Foundation is in the area of endowments, bequests, wills, trusts, gift annuities and other charitable estate planning instruments.
The offices of the Foundation are here at the Pastoral Center. Executive director Gary Broussard, administrative assistant Clara Moreno and bookkeeper Michelle Antle are very willing to assist your parish or school in developing supportive relationships with parishioners and school community members.
7. Diocesan Pastoral Council -- The DPC meets this Saturday at the Pastoral Center. After our excellent orientation meeting of just two weeks ago, we will start to focus on pastoral concerns, issues and priorities on the parish and diocesan levels that the members will bring forward, first in small group discussions and then as the entire Council. You can learn more about the work of the Council at www.diocesetucson.org/dpcdot.html.
8. The Parish Beat -- I am very happy to celebrate Mass with the parish and school communities of Our Mother of Sorrows this Sunday as they celebrate the completion of the new school offices with a dedication and an open house reception. When I visited the parish recently I noticed a beautiful tile mural being installed on the east wall of the new office building. The colorful mural features Jesus with a child from biblical times and a child from our time. Sandi Baker, a graduate of Our Mother of Sorrows School who teaches second grade, created the mural. In a recent parish bulletin, Sandi wrote about her inspiration for the mural:
"My idea for the tiled mural has been developing since my childhood. My own history with Our Mother of Sorrows has certainly helped to 'guide' my choices in life, just as Jesus is gently 'guiding' the children in the picture.
"Our kids are at their most impressionable ages as they pass through our elementary, junior high and young adult programs. How wonderful it is that they learn, through our faith, to see a life full of possibility and to feel God's presence every single day (no matter where your path leads you!)."
Thank you, Sandi, for the inspiration you give us!
Also on Sunday, I will be celebrating with the community of the St. Thomas Moore Catholic Newman Center as I install Father Michael Fones, O.P., as the Center's new director and pastor.
9. Please Remember in Your Prayers -- Father George R. Connelly died Aug. 27. He was 82-years-old. Father George provided nearly a half century of faithful priestly service to the Diocese. He served parishes in Tucson and Gila Bend, and he was a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force for 14 years. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Rasmussen, and his brother, Joseph F. Connelly, both of California.
Deacon Gilbert O. Martinez died Aug. 31. He was 80-years-old. Deacon Gilbert was among the first group of permanent deacons to be ordained in 1975. He had been assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Solomon, but had been inactive for a time. He is survived by his wife, Alicia, and seven children.
10. Pastoral Center Phones – If you experienced difficulties while trying to telephone the Pastoral Center last week, please understand that there were a few problems for a brief period of time as we changed telephone service companies. Our staff is sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced. I trust that the problems have been solved.
11. How are you getting Monday Memo? – If you presently are receiving Monday Memo by fax, I hope you know that it is available on the Internet at the Diocesan Website each Monday morning. Monday Memo also can be e-mailed to you as a MS Word document. If you are receiving Monday Memo by fa--now and have access to the Internet or e-mail, please let Judy Richins in the Chancellor's Office know so that we can take your name off the fa--list (thus resulting in savings in time and phone expenses).
Vol. 1, No. 23
September 15, 2003
We are introducing our new diocesan child abuse awareness and prevention program this morning.
"Protecting Our Children -- Our Common Commitment" is the title of the program, and its introduction this morning marks the beginning of the implementation of the policies and procedures that are the result of more than a year of planning.
Our goal for these new policies and procedures is to create a climate and culture within the Diocese that protect children. We also want to affirm and support the past and present efforts of our parish and school staffs and volunteers to create safe environments for children.
Faculty, staff and administrators from our Catholic schools in all but the Yuma/La Paz Vicariate are gathering this morning at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Tucson for a four-hour training event. They will be joined by the clergy of our parishes with schools, so we are expecting more than 600 people.
Here is why we are gathering:
-- To pray together for healing.
-- To inspire and motivate.
-- To learn about diocesan policies and guidelines.
-- To understand how to obey the law.
Dr. Paul Duckro, director of our Office of Child, Adolescent, and Adult Protection, has planned this day in coordination with our Office of Catholic Schools and with Richard Serrano, our diocesan Human Resources Director.
We will benefit greatly this morning from the presence of representatives of three of our community partners who are assisting us in our child abuse prevention, awareness and response efforts.
Erica Ortega of the Southern Arizona Child Advocacy Center, Det. Gerard Moretz of the Pima County Sheriff's Office and Jenny Zelt of Child Protective Services will be making presentations. I am grateful for their presence.
The schools and parishes of the Yuma/La Paz Vicariate will gather on Nov. 4 in Yuma for this training event. The training event for all other parishes is scheduled for Nov. 6 in Tucson.
Please pray that this training event will be an effective beginning to the implementation of our new policies and procedures.
1. Diocesan School Board -- Our diocesan School Board meets this week. The agenda for the meeting reflects the important role the members have in supporting the mission of Catholic education in our Diocese. Agenda items include reviewing strategic goals, establishing specific goals for the 2003-04 year, approval of a mission statement for the Office of Catholic Schools and approval of the teacher and principal salary scale for 2004-05.
Members of the School Board are Henry Rillos (president) Father John Arnold, Dr. Frank Felix, Father Jim Hobert, Loni Nannini, Clotilde Phillips and Robert Teso. I thank them for their service to our Catholic schools.
2. The Star Lunch -- Dialogue, not "grilled bishop," was the main course for the lunch I shared last week with a dozen or so reporters and editors of The Arizona Daily Star. We had a good exchange on topics and issues that included migration and border policies, government funding for faith-based social service programs and vocations to the priesthood. While we touched upon the child abuse scandals within the Church, the majority of the time was spent on the other topics about which they asked questions. I had the opportunity to give my reflection on how the local news media have covered the child abuse scandals. The lunch was one in a series to which The Star has been inviting community leaders and newsmakers, and I thank Dennis Joyce, assistant managing editor, for inviting me.
3. Parish Administrators -- I was very pleased to meet last week with the three religious women in our Diocese who serve as administrators of two parishes and a mission.
They are Sister Carole Ruland, M.H.S.H., of Santa Catalina Mission north of Tucson; Sister Maria Cañez of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Mammoth; and Sister Guadalupe Jurado, O.P., of St. Theresa Parish in Patagonia.
As parish administrators, they perform the day-to-day administrative and pastoral care ministries of the parishes and the mission, including the coordination and organization of religious education, registration and the various ministries of charity.
The purpose of our meeting was to begin work on what we hope will become a "position description" for parish administrators in the Diocese. This will help all to understand the unique role administrators have, especially as we continue to face challenges in respect to the number of priests.
It was gratifying to welcome these three talented religious women to the Pastoral Center and to dialogue with them about mutual concerns.
4. Detention Ministry -- I received an update last week on our Detention Ministry Program in a meeting with director Barbara Mattus and representatives of the ministry.
Pastoral services for the growing inmate population in the correctional facilities across our Diocese is included in the "Reaching Out to the Least Among Us" priority that is among the "Si--Rs" that we have set as diocesan pastoral goals.
The coordination, facilitation and provision of pastoral services to the inmates in prisons, jails and other detention centers in eight communities within the Diocese is a daunting task, and I commend Barbara and the corps of nearly 70 lay, religious and clergy volunteers for their perseverance in this ministry.
I asked Barbara what was the greatest need of the Detention Ministry Program at this time.
"More volunteers, Bishop, more volunteers," she told me.
Presently, the program relies upon the dedicated service and commitment of 21 priests, 12 deacons, four religious women and 29 lay persons.
When you look at the number of prisons, jails and detention centers within our diocesan boundaries, the number of inmates and the number of inmate families, you can plainly see why Barbara has identified more volunteers as the program's greatest need.
In our meeting, we discussed several goals for detention ministry in the coming year, including the development of a basic curriculum in the faith for inmates in which they could participate through correspondence courses augmented by group sessions.
We discussed the establishment of a "second arm" of detention ministry that would focus on the needs experienced by families of inmates.
And, we discussed a special liturgy for Saturday, March 13, 2004, for those who work corrections and detention ministry, for former inmates and for the families of current and former inmates. That weekend, I will ask all our parishes to pray for those in corrections and their families, those who are incarcerated and their families and those who are involved in detention ministry.
I hope to continue visiting the various detention facilities, state, Federal and private, across the Diocese, to meet with wardens and chaplains so that we can build supportive relationships. I hope to meet soon with the new director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Dora Schriro.
We received an e-mail at the Diocese last week from the mother of inmate in a prison near Phoenix. While that prison it outside the area of our Detention Ministry Program, Barbara was able to respond to the mother with guidance on how to address her particular concerns.
There was one sentence in the mother's e-mail that I thought really communicated the heart of detention ministry.
"Our Lord Jesus Christ understood the imprisoned and saw them as human beings, and I as a Catholic must intercede for women in prison."
Please consider joining this special ministry. I extend a special invitation to our deacons and their wives to consider detention ministry. I urge you to give Barbara a call at 520-298-0021.
5. A Riddle -- What has two Qs, happens every five years and goes to Rome? It's the Quinquennial, the written report that each diocesan bishop prepares every five years in advance of the Ad Limina visit to the Vatican.
Ad Limina means "to the threshold of the Apostles," and it is the title of the journey bishops have been making for centuries so that they can report face-to-face to the Holy Father on the state of the dioceses that has been entrusted to them.
Bishops of the U.S. will be making Ad Limina visits next year. I will be going in May with the bishops of our region, Region XIII.
The Quinquennial report is sent several months in advance to the Vatican, with copies provided to the Dicasteries (major offices) of the Roman Curia.
Chancellor June Kellen is overseeing the preparation of our Quinquennial. At our department heads meeting this past Friday, we each received our assignments for research and writing so that we can respond to the 23 areas of concern that we are required to address in the Quinquennial.
I plan to share our Quinquennial report with the Diocese as the time draws near for the Ad Limina.
6. Parish Beat -- I celebrated over the weekend with two of our parish communities the installation of their new pastors: Father Mike Stallings at Holy Angels Parish in Globe and Father Michael Fones, O.P., at the St. Thomas Moore Newman Center in Tucson. I look forward to the celebration this Tuesday with the people of St. Monica Parish in Tucson as I install Father Jim Hobert as new pastor.
7. "Copper and the Cross" -- I think that would make a terrific title for a history of our parishes and missions in the copper mining communities of our Diocese.
This thought came to mind as I prepared for the installation of Father Mike in Globe, which, of course, is in the "Copper Belt" of Arizona. I recently did some research, with the assistance of diocesan archivist Dan Brosnan, that involved letters from priests of the Diocese long ago to their bishops in Tucson. Interestingly, most of the letters were from priests who served in Globe.
The history of our parishes in copper mining communities is quite striking, and the importance of parishes in our mining communities that were once vibrant and strong because copper was "king" continues through today as many of the communities struggle in the wake of the decline of the domestic copper industry. Think of our communities that are striving to forge new identities separate from copper mining.
There is special ministry to a community that is suffering. But even in the suffering of a community the Church can be very vibrant because the Church speaks to the struggle and suffering that people are experiencing.
For some history of our parishes in copper mining communities, you might visit these Internet sites:
This is "In the Shadow of the Smokestack," an oral history of the Clifton-Morenci communities. There is a nicely done page on Holy Cross Church in Morenci.
8. Liturgy Conference -- This Saturday is the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the major changes, rubrical and non-rubrical, that were introduced into the 2002 General Instruction on the Roman Missal. Local adaptation and implementation of the changes will take place in our Diocese on the Vigil of the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 29.
The Liturgy Conference at Salpointe Catholic High School, beginning at 9 a.m., will offer a comprehensive review and discussion of the changes.
I have heard in roundabout ways the last few weeks that there is a bit of misunderstanding and misinformation "out there" about the changes, and perhaps people have come to you with some questions about what is really going on.
Let me try to put the changes into perspective.
There are four ways by which we come together as a community in our Sacred Liturgy: silence, gestures, postures and voice.
The changes involve all four, and our goal in welcoming the changes is to strive for a unity of practice that emphasizes the Sacred-ness of our Eucharistic Celebrations so that we will have shared and common moments of silence, shared and common gestures and postures and a shared and common voice in our prayer.
In advance of the conference, if you would like to see the specific changes that will be implemented in our Diocese, please visit www.diocesetucson.org/girm.html.
Also, there is a wealth of information about the changes available on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Website at www.nccbuscc.org/liturgy/girm.
9. Catholic Vision -- I meet with the Catholic Vision Editorial Board this week.
The Editorial Board suggests story ideas and helps to guide the work of the managing editor. In July 1997, the Board adopted a mission statement that helps shape the editorial content of the paper:
"Catholic Vision, as a Diocesan-wide communication tool, seeks to build a stronger Catholic community by providing readers with a deeper understanding of and a greater involvement in the life of the Church.
"Vision does this with words and images that offer readers: a greater understanding of Catholic spirituality, Scriptures, traditions and current teachings of the Church; an appreciation for the multi-culturalism, diversity and vitality of Catholic life; a keener interest in one's own spiritual growth; a deeper awareness and concern for social justice issues; a renewed commitment to young people through Catholic schools and parish catechetical programs; and the desire to participate more fully in the work, life and ministries of the Catholic Church.
"Vision provides objective and accurate information of local, regional, national and international significance to members of the Living Church. Difficult issues and diverse opinions which can challenge our thinking and ultimately strengthen our faith play a key role in building the Living Church and will be reported in Vision.
"Catholic Vision will be successful in fulfilling its mission if it: maintains a timely flow of accurate, trustworthy information about major events and issues in the Church; fosters thoughtful discussion among members of the Church; enables its readers to integrate Catholic spirituality in their daily lives through in-depth treatment of those issues; and contributes to a better informed and renewed 'Church of Living Stones' within the Diocese."
Since its launching in 1995, our newspaper has shown consistent improvements. I think our newspaper compares favorably with the newspapers of much larger dioceses, and I truly wish we could publish twice a month and mail Vision directly to our Catholic families.
You may not know it, but Vision is the work of just two people: managing editor Maggie Burnett and advertising representative Claudia Borders.
10. One of Us at 111 S. Church -- With the Catholic Vision Editorial Board meeting this week, it's an opportune time to feature managing editor Maggie Burnett in our weekly profile of a Pastoral Center staff member.
"I started working at the Catholic Vision in June of 2002, literally days after I had received my degree from the University of Arizona in journalism.
"While at the UA, I was your average student: I studied, was involved in campus events, active at the Newman Center, social on the weekends... and editor of the campus daily. The Arizona Daily Wildcat, one of the most well-reputed college papers in the nation, served 25,000 readers in the campus area alone. During my tenure there, I was a reporter, Arts and Entertainment editor, News editor -- during the events of Sept. 11, no less -- and finally Editor in Chief. Putting in a 12-hour work day was fairly standard, and I loved every minute of it! However, those days are gone and I am now proud to be a major source of news for the Catholic community in Southern Arizona.
"Although I am originally from Chicago, I've managed to migrate to Arizona with my mom and dad and younger brother, who is now in his second year at UA. In just a few days, I will turn 23. As I look back on my short experience as a journalist, I can honestly say I'm still in awe of landing this great job. There are days I still can't believe that I'm responsible for reporting, writing, editing, photographing, designing and distributing a monthly newspaper for 35,000 people. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't learn something new or make a new acquaintance.
"So thank you for the opportunity to serve you and get to know this community a little bit better. Working for Catholic Vision has taught me a lot about what it takes to be a journalist and part of a growing faith community."
Thank you, Maggie, for your hard work on Vision. You know, Maggie is our youngest member of the Pastoral Staff. As the only one of us in the 20 age bracket, she is our link and bridge to the up-and-coming generation of Catholic leaders.
11. CCS Board Meeting -- The Board of Directors of Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona holds its annual meeting this week, and it is a historic occasion. CCS this year is marking 70 years of service to the communities within the Diocese. Started by Bishop Daniel J. Gercke in 1933 in the height of the Great Depression CCS today, through its si--member agencies and in collaboration with people of many beliefs, provides a variety of supportive and healing programs and services to people in need. The Bishop of Tucson serves as chairman of the Board, so this will be my first meeting in that capacity. We will honor and thank Bill Holmes, who has concluded his term as president of the board. You can learn about the program, services and leadership of CCS at http://www.ccs-soaz.org.
12. Reminder for New Staff of Parishes, Schools -- The Pastoral Center will host a welcome and orientation on Sept. 29 for staff who are new to our parishes and schools. This is an opportunity for new employees to become familiar with the Diocese and to meet the staff of the Pastoral Center. If you are a new (employed this year) employee, please express your interest in participating to your pastor, principal or supervisor. We encourage your attendance. (New teachers received their welcome and orientation last month.)
¡Feliz Cumpleaños! -- Bishop Francis J. Quinn, Bishop Emeritus of Sacramento, whose presence and ministry to us is a wonderful blessing, celebrated a birthday last week as he turned 39 (+39+4). We hope you will be celebrating and sharing many more birthdays with us, Bishop!
Vol. 1, No. 24
September 22, 2003
I am "deep in the heart of Texas" today as a guest of the Texas Catholic Conference, which is meeting in Austin for a special two-day gathering that has as its theme, "Emerging Lay Ministries."
I will share with the bishops, departments directors and representatives from Catholic agencies of the 15 Texas dioceses several key points: the meaning of Church; the importance of the baptismal call; the diverse spheres of lay involvement in Church and World; the relationship between lay and ordained ministry; and the call of the bishop as the minister of communion. I am very honored to give the keynote address at this gathering.
1. "Protecting Our Children -- Our Common Commitment" -- How inspiring it was to see the faculty, staff, administrators and clergy of our school communities gather a week ago today at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for our first in-service training event on child abuse awareness and prevention.
It was obvious that goodwill and potential for good were very present. Our team of organizers and presenters was very encouraged by the many, many positive comments on the flow of the day, the preparation and professionalism of the presenters and the effectiveness of the presentation technology. We heard that many attending found the information very helpful and insightful for their work.
Clearly, this day was only a first step, as we begin to put into place policies and procedures that will help us focus on the goal of providing safe environments for children. The key to successful integration of the policies and procedures will be the cooperation of all our parishes and schools. I welcome that cooperation.
To the extent that we can build safe environments for our children in our parishes and schools we can in turn work with others in our communities to achieve safety for children in other institutions as well, including the most important institution, the family.
Attendance at the in-service far surpassed our expectations. The staff of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was especially helpful and generous in their response to the "standing room only" crowd. I want you to know that I too got caught in the massive traffic jam that followed the conclusion of our day as we all tried to exit onto Shannon Road.
2. Of Special Interest in October -- I direct your attention to two very important national observances by our Church during the month of October -- Respect Life Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
There are exceptional resources from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that I ask our parishes to use in their promotion of these observances.
First, the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities has produced a print and Internet resource under the title of "Life Is a Miracle." While each parish should receive a packet of the print information, perhaps you could direct your parishioners, through a bulletin announcement and/or homily on the first Sunday of October, Respect Life Sunday, to the Internet resource.
There are some excellent presentations on human cloning, legal arguments against Roe v. Wade and the myth of overpopulation. The issue of the death penalty is examined in a very moving article, "We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us." These presentations will assist in the development of homilies that incorporate respect for life. High school religious education teachers may find them very helpful for initiating discussions.
The October observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month provides a special opportunity for faith communities to reach out to victims and to increase awareness about domestic abuse.
In their recently updated statement on domestic violence, "When I Call for Help," the U.S. Catholic Bishops point out that abused women often approach the Church for help because they see it as a refuge. I encourage our priests and deacons to use the homily and the parish bulletin next month to address domestic violence, and I ask our parishes to provide information about local shelters and programs to assist abused women.
"When I Call for Help" is an excellent resource for those in parish ministry who may encounter victims of domestic violence.
3. Diocesan Finance Council -- We will welcome new members and a new chairman to our Diocesan Finance Council this week.
Father Al Schifano, parochial vicar at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, is the new chairman. New members are Tom Clancy of Santa Catalina Mission and Luis Dabdoub of Sacred Heart Parish, Nogales. They join Deacon Gary Pasquinelli of St. Francis of Assisi Paris, Yuma, Lirain Urreiztieta of St. Cyril of Alexandria Parish, Humberto Lopez of Corpus Christi Parish and Larry McDonough of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, who will complete his term as chairman at this meeting.
I thank Larry for his effective service as chairman these past three years. He was very present as chairman to the Diocese, Bishop Moreno, Mary Huerstel, our Chief Financial Officer, and myself, and he was especially helpful in communicating to the news media about our finances.
We are hoping to add two additional members to the council. What does it take to be a member of a diocesan finance council? Canon law says members must be "of the Christian faithful truly skilled in financial affairs as well as in civil law, of outstanding integrity." Our Diocese is indeed blessed with the services of such persons on our Finance Council.
4. Presbyteral Council -- Among the agenda items for discussion at this week's meeting of the Presbyteral Council are: a "job description" for parish administrators that we hope will refine and define their relationships with the canonical pastors and sacramental ministers; implementation of liturgical changes under the General Instruction of the Roman Missal; and implementation of new human resource policies for hiring and screening of employees and assignment and screening of volunteers, as well as other matters.
The membership of the Presbyteral Council includes the Vicars Forane, who are the elected representatives of the priests from each of our vicariates. Currently serving are: Father Dale Branson, Vicar Forane Gila-Pinal East; Msgr. Arsenio Carrilo, Vicar General; Msgr. Robert Fuller, Vicar Forane Pima Central; Father John Lyons, Judicial Vicar; Father Chris Orndorff, Vicar Forane Pinal West; Father Ray Ratzenberger, Vicar Forane Cochise; Father Richard Troutman, Vicar Forane Pima North; Msgr. Tom Cahalane, Vicar Forane Pima East; Father Pat Crino, Vicar Forane, Yuma/La Paz; Father Ma--Hottle, O.F.M., Vicar Forane Pima West; Father Miguel Mariano, Vocations Director; Msgr. Richard O'Keeffe, Episcopal Vicar Yuma/La Paz; Father Domenico Pinti, Vicar Forane Graham-Greenlee; Father Raul Trevizo, Vicar for Hispanic Affairs; Father Marcos Velazquez, Vicar Forane Santa Cruz; Father Gonzalo Villegas, Vicar Forane Pima South; and Father Van Wagner, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.
5. Meeting with the Recently Ordained -- Our sharing, support and mentoring program for our recently ordained (within the last five years) priests continues.
We meet this Wednesday, and, as we do at least four times a year, we will have the opportunity to share what's going well in their ministry and what are the challenges. We also will reflect on the Holy Father's apostolic letter, "Novo Millennio Ineunte," especially in regard to holiness and communion for diocesan priests.
6. Priests Day of Prayer -- This Thursday, with summer's end, we resume our monthly Priests Day of Prayer at Picture Rocks. This is a half-day for withdrawing from the business of ministry to seek the heart of ministry through prayer and reflection. All priests are welcome.
7. Formation for Priests -- Still under development and soon to be discussed at the Presbyteral Council is a voluntary program of on-going formation for priests. This program, when realized, will be an opportunity for pastoral, professional and personal renewal. A more concentrated focus on facilitating the growth and sustaining the health of our priests will be to the benefit of the whole Church in the Diocese of Tucson. I am grateful for the support and participation of Dr. Paul Duckro and Father Tom Santa, C.S.S.R., in the development of this program.
8. Parish Beat -- I will be celebrating with the St. Ambrose Parish Community on Thursday night the installation of Father John Arnold as pastor. We at the Diocese and the people of St. Ambrose are happy to have Father John back with us after yet another summer of study at Catholic University where he has been pursuing his doctorate in canon law.
I look forward to being with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Knights of Columbus Council 8077 this week. I really enjoy the opportunity to be with Knights and their wives to talk about the good things in our Diocese, our Church and our nation.
Throughout the challenging times of the last few years, the Knights have stood firm with their Church. Locally, the support of the Knights for our vocations efforts is so much appreciated.
9. In Search -- We launch our In Search Program this Friday night as I meet with a group of men who are discerning the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood. Programs like In Search have been effective in other dioceses across the country, principally, I think, because they directly involve the bishop in the discernment process early on. Our group will discern together what goals we should have, perhaps including opportunities for service projects. I am grateful to Father Miguel Mariano for his leadership in this important initiative. If you know someone to recommend for this program, please contact Father Miguel.
10. Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride -- Mass at 10 a.m. this Wednesday will celebrate and acknowledge "A Nation and a City of Immigrant Peoples."
This Mass is in conjunction with the "Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride," a cross-country pilgrimage of immigrant workers, their families and their allies. This pilgrimage is intended to draw attention to the contributions of immigrant workers to our economy and the life of the community. We will be welcoming a bus that set out from Los Angeles. Representatives from Tucson will board the bus after the Mass and proceed to Washington, D.C.
11. Annual Scouting Mass -- Catholic youth, their parents and their leaders in Catholic Scouting (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Campfire) will celebrate the annual Scouting Mass at 10 a.m. this Saturday at St. Augustine Cathedral. This Mass truly does celebrate the Catholic identity of our youth who participate in the Scout activities of the various councils in our Diocese. Chip Travers, chairman of our Catholic Committee on Scouting, tells me that are more than 20 Catholic Scouting units in the Diocese, with plans to add more. The Mass is also an occasion to recognize the distinguished efforts of our Catholic Scouts and their leaders.
12. Salpointe Science Center Dedication -- This Sunday I will be on campus at Salpointe Catholic High School for the dedication of the Father Florian McCarthy, O.Carm., Science Center.
Salpointe president Father Fred Tillotson and principal Ruth Jenson will join me for the blessing of the facilities that make up the center. Along with the Salpointe Community, I will be touring the new biology, chemistry and physics labs, resource center, counseling center and conference room, campus ministry offices and additional classrooms.
Father Florian "Frank" McCarthy is dearly loved and respected by the Salpointe Community. He is credited with leading the rebuilding and reinvigoration of the school in the late 1970s through his retirement in 1986. The naming of the newly remodeled science classes in his honor is in recognition of his many contributions to Salpointe. Everyone was hoping that Father Frank could be present for the dedication, but health challenges have precluded his attendance. Please keep Father in your prayers.
13. One of Us at 111 S. Church -- Of all the friendly and welcoming voices you hear answer "Diocese of Tucson" when you call the Pastoral Center, there is one voice you are likely to hear most often.
That voice belongs to Courtney Hinkle, our Pastoral Center receptionist. Courtney's talents at the front desk and on the telephone illustrate the critical importance of hospitality in responding to people who approach us at the Diocese, at our parishes and our schools.
When you read what Courtney has written for this week's "One of Us" profile, you'll understand why she is so friendly a receptionist and our "Director of First Impressions."
"I am a native Arizonan, and have lived here most of my life. I was born in Phoeni--into the most wonderful family I could ever ask for. I have one brother who is three years older than I and two parents who are still happily married after 34 years. I have always been blessed with a wonderfully close extended family as well. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and even great-grandparents were around us a lot.
"When I was about four years old we moved to Saudi Arabia. My father is in hospital administration and was offered a wonderful opportunity there. We lived on a military base and attended an English speaking school, but were immersed in the cultures of nations around the world. My family had the opportunity to travel to many countries while we lived there and experienced such things as dining with our feet in the sand in Greece, climbing the pyramids in Egypt, adventuring on an African Safari in Kenya and countless other trips. Because of these experiences we all learned the art of tolerance and respect of other people and their cultures.
"We moved back to the states a few years later and moved to Tucson in 1990. My parents had dated in High School in Tucson so for them this was a "Return to the Old Pueblo." I was in the first graduating class at Catalina Foothills High School and in my third year there I met and fell in love with my husband Phillip. I stayed in Tucson to attend the University of Arizona as both my parents had done. I just couldn't imagine leaving to go anywhere else.
"Phillip and I were married in May of 2001 after dating for seven years, and I feel so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive husband. I began working at the Pastoral Center as the receptionist a little over a year ago, and I love it. Never have I worked somewhere with such loving and caring people. I miscarried our first child at the end of August, and our friends and family and the family here at the Pastoral Center supported Phillip and me with an incredible outpouring of love and prayers. I thank God every day for the blessings he has brought to my life and for bringing me here to work with these exceptional people."
Thank you, Courtney, for your devotion to our ministry of hospitality here at the Pastoral Center.
A final thought: Hospitality at the Center, at our parishes, schools and Catholic institutions is so important. Let's all try to give people a sense of welcome when they call. Our office staff and receptionists are so important to make that happen.
Vol. 1, No. 25
September 29, 2003
1. Welcome to the Diocese -- If you are looking for the new persons on your staff today, there's a good chance they could be with us at the Pastoral Center.
We invited at least 70 new people serving in capacities such as DRE, youth ministry, pastoral associates and others to be with us today for a first-of-its-kind gathering at the Pastoral Center.
It is an opportunity for us to meet them, to introduce them to the staff of the various departments and offices, to share with them the priorities of the Diocese, to pray with them and to just enjoy each other's company. I thank all our pastors and principals for helping to make this day possible.
To all the new members of our diocesan employee family, I welcome you and thank you for the gifts of your energy, your talent and the new perspectives on ministry that you have brought with you.
2. Pilgrimage To Altar -- Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in Tucson is organizing a trip to Altar, Sonora, so that parishioners can witness and experience the migration that so profoundly is affecting thousands of lives and communities in our Diocese and in the Archdiocese of Hermosillo.
Msgr. Tom Cahalane, pastor of Our Mother of Sorrows, was with us on our interfaith pilgrimage to Altar in August, and like all of us he was moved by the courage and suffering of the migrants and by the efforts of the parish in Altar and the Altar community to respond to challenges brought about by the migration.
Under the title of "Pilgrims Together -- Peregrinos Juntos," the trip is meant to help parishioners seek to understand and explore common opportunities around the critical issues of migration.
As Msgr. Cahalane wrote a recent parish bulletin article, "Participants on this pilgrimage will have a first-hand experience of the very human suffering that is, quite literally, on our doorstep."
I am grateful to all our parishes that are initiating humanitarian and educational efforts to respond, as communities of faith, to the continuing social and moral challenges presented by this migration.
Clearly, the issues surrounding this migration are challenging and complex. As a diocese, we are continuing to search for ways to provide a humanitarian response, to encourage and support legislation that addresses the causes and consequences of migration and to promote consideration of social justice by all the governments, national, state and local, that are involved.
3. Hurricanes Ignacio, Marty -- The effects of these two powerful storms on many people, including migrants, may not be known for weeks. We can only imagine the cost in human life and suffering that flash flooding may have exacted on groups of migrants crossing the deserts.
Catholic Relief Services is responding to the call of the Church in Mexico to assist in recovery efforts across Baja Mexico and Northwestern Mexico that were battered by the two hurricanes in the space of just one month.
States of emergency have been declared in more than a dozen states, and at least 50,000 people have been left homeless because of the storms.
Catholic Relief Services will be working closely with Caritas Mexico to respond to the most immediate humanitarian needs. I encourage our parishes and schools to announce that donations now to CRS can help alleviate much suffering. For more information, contact Joanne Welter in our Catholic Social Mission Office.
4. Update on Diaconate and Lay Ministry Shared Formation Program -- We continue our search for a new Director of Formation, who will oversee the new Diaconate and Lay Ministry Formation Programs.
The screening process will be from now through February. Letters of acceptance will be sent out in March. In the spring, there will be orientation and initial formation sessions for deacon candidates and their wives and the candidates for lay ministry formation, followed by a retreat in August and the formal beginning of the program in September of 2004.
We hope to have a director of formation on board no later than spring. If you know of someone who has the qualifications to help us in the critical area of formation, please encourage them to review the position description at our diocesan Website under "Employment."
5. Screening of Volunteers -- Among the discussion items at last week's meeting of the Presbyteral Council was the screening of volunteers that is a requirement of our new policies and procedures.
Our discussion focused on how this screening should be both effective and respectful.
Dr. Paul Duckro, director of the Office for Child, Adolescent and Adult Protections, and Richard Serrano, director of Human Resources, are in the process of making recommendations to pastors and principals in regard to which volunteers must be screened, those who may be screened and those who do not need to be screened.
Sometimes the distinctions between and among these classifications may not be clear. We don't want to make the process of volunteering a barrier to volunteering. We recognize that our thousands of volunteers do so out of generosity of heart and that they are good people. At the same time, we are committed fully to the creation of safe environments for children and vulnerable adults. We need to know who our volunteers are, especially those who are going to be present with young people, whether as catechists, classroom helpers or youth ministry supporters.
Clearly, our goal is a screening process that is effective and respectful.
6. Parish and School Support of Child Abuse Prevention, Awareness -- The response of our parishes and schools to the formal beginning of our new program for child protection has been most gratifying.
In addition to the positive comments about the in-service training event two weeks ago, parishes and schools are building supportive relationships with our community partners in child abuse prevention and awareness.
For example, Father John Allt and St. Joseph's Parish and School have helped raise awareness of the needs of the Southern Arizona Child Advocacy Center.
The parish and school helped make possible a generous donation to the Center. This is another way that the Diocese, through our parishes and schools, can reach out to the community to honor our common commitment to the prevention of child abuse. It also was an effective expression of gratitude to the Center for its help in organizing our educational programs on child abuse prevention and awareness.
7. Charity and Ministry Fund -- The board of the Diocese of Tucson Charity and Ministry Fund met last week. This organization, which was incorporated in January of this year, conducts the Annual Catholic Appeal, raises funds to promote the mission of Diocese and allocates and distributes funds to the charities and ministries of the Diocese.
The board will be issuing its first annual report on the activities of the Charity and Ministry Fund by year's end.
At last week's meeting, the board approved, for recommendation to the Bishop, a new formula for establishing parish goals for the 2004 Annual Catholic Appeal. The Presbyteral Council will be consulted on the formula before final approval.
The board approved allocation of grants from Catholic Home Missions to nine needy parishes. Also, the board approved a recognition program for parishes that exceed their Annual Catholic Appeal goals and 40 percent parishioner participation in the Appeal.
8. Vocations -- Our Andrew and Myriam Dinners for those invited by their parishes to consider the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood or religious life continue this week with dinner at St. James Parish in Coolidge.
Promote, identify, invite, encourage, support and pray are our si--keys to the development of vocations.
As the slogan of our Vocations Office says, "Vocations: Our Shared Responsibility."
Let's keep up all the good work we're doing and continue to look for those special opportunities that present themselves through things as simple as a question from a young person about what life is like as a priest or a religious woman.
9. Sacred Heart Parish, Parker -- The drive from Tucson to Sacred Heart Parish in Parker is probably the longest drive a bishop has for confirmations in the Diocese, but it is always well worth the drive.
I just finished reading a very interesting history of the parish that was prepared for its fiftieth anniversary in 1981. This is how the dedication of the first parish church in 1931 was described:
"The Reverend Father I. A. Welk from Osceola, Nebraska, donor of one thousand dollars to the foresaid church through the Catholic Extension Society, officiated at the ceremony. Fifty grown up people attended the Mass. The church building is 40 --24 --12. It is built of adobe, plastered inside and outside."
Sacred Heart Parish in Parker has a rich history that is very much connected to the Colorado River. I look forward to being with Father Ted Lobo and the parish community this week for confirmations.
10. Archdiocese of Santa Fe Sesquicentennial -- All this year, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has been celebrating the one-hundred-fiftieth anniversary of its creation by Pope Pius IX in 1853. Jean Baptiste Lamy, who had been named Vicar Apostolic of New Mexico in 1850, was the first bishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe, which at that time included all of Arizona, New Mexico and part of Texas. In 1875, the Diocese of Santa Fe was elevated to an Archdiocese with Bishop Lamy as its first Archbishop.
Our Diocese of Tucson is linked closely to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which is the Mother Church of our Diocese. It was Bishop Lamy who recruited a young priest from France by the name of Jean Baptiste Salpointe to come to New Mexico. Salpointe became the Vicar Apostolic of Arizona in 1868, and, in 1885, the second Archbishop of Santa Fe.
Today, our Diocese is one of the four dioceses (along with Phoenix, Gallup and Las Cruces) that together with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe form the Province of Santa Fe.
A province is an ecclesiastical administrative district under the jurisdiction of an archbishop, who, under canon law, has some specific administrative responsibilities in relation with the dioceses of the province.
One of those responsibilities is to meet with the bishops of the province on a regular basis to build fraternity and to encourage sharing of any concerns or issues they may be experiencing.
The bishops of the Province of Santa Fe will gather tomorrow in Gallup for one of our quarterly meetings with Archbishop Michael Sheehan. The judicial vicars of the each of the diocese will be joining the bishops at this meeting, so Father John Lyons, our judicial vicar and pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, will accompany me to the meeting.
This weekend, the bishops of the Province of Santa Fe will celebrate with Archbishop Sheehan and the People of the Archdiocese a Jubilee Eucharistic Liturgy at the Cathedral of St. Francis in Albuquerque.
In the words of Archbishop Sheehan, in his pastoral letter at the beginning of the sesquicentennial year, "May God continue to bless this historic and venerable Diocese!"
11. Pastoral Care In Hospitals -- I will be visiting Tucson Medical Center this week to hear from Father William "Guillo" Kohler about his pastoral care ministry at this large hospital.
Sharing with Father Kohler in the work of pastoral care in hospitals across the Dicoese are: Sister Claudia Rushlow, S.C., (Sacred Heart Hospital, Nogales); Sister Mary Ann Rawson, SNJN, Sister Helen Oswald, CSJ, Father Isaac Flynn, Father James Freeman and Father Al Wagner (St. Joseph Hosital, Tucson); Sister Irma Araneta, CSJ, Sister Margaret Anne Vonderahe, CSJ, Father Jospeh Saba and Father James Modeen (St. Mary's Hospital, Tucson); Father David Reinders (VA Medical Center, Tucson). Many of our parishes provide pastoral services to other hospitals and medical centers throughout the Diocese. In addition, Sister Carolyn Nicolai and Father Angelo Mastria, O.Carm., provide pastoral services to the long term care facilities and nursing homes in the Tucson area.
All our priests, religious women, deacons and lay volunteers who minister in the hospitals and health care facilities within our Diocese model the importance of the work of the Church in time of sickness and suffering.
12. Spotlight on Sharing -- I am pleased to acknowledge the spirit of sharing demonstrated by the Sixth Grade students of Sts. Peter and Paul School earlier this month. The students made a delivery of volleyball equipment to San Xavier Mission School. The equipment was purchased with funds raised by Girl Scout Troop 152 at the school through cookie sales. Mary Rohne, athletic director at Sts. Peter and Paul School, and Sister Jackie Koenig, O.S.F., principal of San Xavier Mission School, facilitated the sharing experience for their students.
13. Parish Fiestas -- Fall and spring are the two big seasons for our parish fiestas. A number of our parishes have fiestas that attract thousands of people. These are wonderful opportunities for building relationships within the parish and with the larger community. I know that a lot of work goes into a successful parish event, so to all who lend a hand or make room in their busy work schedules in preparation for a fiesta, thank you!
14. One of Us at 111 S. Church -- One of our pastoral center staff recently experienced the nightmare of any home owner: a house fire. But throughout the experience, this staff member kept her wonderful sense of humor, even finding ways to get us to smile about this terrible disruption in her life. Mary Gioco, executive secretary in the Department of Catholic Schools, is this week's profile.
"I was raised in Iowa with three terrific older brothers, graduated from Luther College (oops, the secret's out) with a major in Spanish and a minor in secondary education (I spent my junior year studying at the University of the Americas in Mexico City), and went on to teach Spanish for a year at a small town in Iowa. I then went to Spain to learn more Spanish and instead, while there, I met and married my husband of 34 years, an Air Force fighter pilot.
"Then came the babies, a boy and a girl. After not working for 13 years and being a stay-at-home mom, I interviewed for a part-time secretarial position with the Department of Parish Life and Ministry -- a perfect scenario, working while the kids were in school. The job grew to full-time when both of my children went off to college and did not think they needed me to ' chaperone' them any longer.
"Wow -- how fast 21 years flies by! When I began at Regina Cleri Center, I worked for Educational Ministries, whose title was eventually changed to the Department of Parish Life and Ministry, under whose umbrella was the Office of Catholic Schools. I worked for youth ministry and Hispanic evangelization for a time, but my major responsibility focused on working for the Superintendent of Catholic Schools. So among the superintendents for whom I have had the pleasure to work were Sister Mary Norbert, Charles Bier, John McCarthy, Ron Starcher, Sister Ruthmary Powers and presently Sister Rosa Maria -- that's six, and I hope that Sister Rosa Maria stays long after I am gone! It has been a wonderful and fulfilling job, complete with many challenges.
"I guess what I like best about this job is the people, not only here, at the Pastoral Center, but also the principals, school board members, school nurses, school secretaries, pastors and parents. Even though I am not Catholic, I truly feel that I have a special church family here, and for that I am most grateful and feel very blessed."
Thank you, Mary, for being the special member of our Pastoral Center Staff and Family that you are.