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February 28, 2020Prayer & Action
Summer may seem a long time away, but we all know how time flies. I am encouraging young people ages 14 (ninth grade in the fall of 2020) to 19 years old, to consider a new summer experience. We call it Prayer & Action, and it is a week-long camp that includes service work for others, prayer and fun.
We have two sessions planned for the upcoming summer. The first is in the Globe-Miami area from June 14 – 19, and the second week is in Douglas from June 28 – July 3. Complete details, registration and cost information are available at https://www.diocesetucson.org/prayer-action
Globe-MiamiThe "Copper Corridor Workcamp"
The towns of Globe and Miami are set in central Arizona at the foothills of the Superstition Mountains close to the border of the San Carlos Apache Reservation. These towns in the “Copper Corridor” were erected in the 1860s as silver camps. A large globe-shaped silver nugget was found in the foothills which gives the town of Globe its name. That large silver nugget is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Jn the early 1900s, huge deposits of copper were found.
Because mining was formerly the primary source of income for families in this area, an unstable copper industry and the closing or downsizing of mines have made it difficult for many residents to maintain their homes and to tend to much needed home repairs. The unemployment rate in the Copper Corridor is 6.3%, close to double the national rate of 3.7%. At this camp, teens will help residents with needed repairs and improvements and help revitalize the beautiful Copper Corridor of Globe-Miami.
DouglasThe “San Bernardino Valley Workcamp”
Nestled 4,000 ft. above sea level in the San Bernardino Valley in Cochise County, Douglas was founded in 1905. Douglas was named in honor of the Phelps Dodge Mining Co. President James S. Douglas. The area’s open grassy lands also made this valley perfect for cattle ranchers and agriculture. The area mines closed in 1985 with the longest and most historic copper mine strike beginning in 1983. The mine closures led to a 31.9% poverty rate in the area.
With many residents in need of hope and support, teen campers can become instruments of peace that bring needed home repairs when times are bleak. Help make a difference in the lives of amazing people of the San Bernardino Valley. Projects to be worked on for this camp include painting, construction of wheelchair ramps and porches and other home repairs. The impact you will have on an entire community will be truly powerful for you and your group.
Participants will stay at a local Catholic church for each of the camps.
Ad Limina visit
Bishops meet with the Holy Father for what are known as ad limina visits. In the recent past, these visits were held about every five to six years, but for our diocese, our last ad limina was in 2012. Vatican events and other circumstances led to delays of the visits until this year, when bishops of the dioceses in our Region 13 meet with the Holy Father and have discussions with other offices at the Vatican as needed.
Prior to making the ad limina visit, each diocese compiles a very large document for the Vatican called the Quinquennial Report. Information in the report advises the Vatican on various topics and statistics.
I will be leaving for the Vatican on Feb. 7. I will report back on the ad limina when I return from Rome in mid-February.
Congratulations!
I reported last week about the Mass for our religious jubilarians. A dozen jubilarians joined me at the annual Celebration of Jubilees for Professed Religious Feb. 2.They attended Mass at St. Augustine's and enjoyed lunch at the Pastoral Center at Cathedral Square after Mass. Several other members of the group were not able to attend, but combined, the 15 honored jubilarians have served a collective 825 years in the Church. Thank you for your dedication and service!
Please pray
For the soul of Eugene “Gene” Ackerley, 97, who passed away last Thursday. Gene was a founding member of Our Mother of Sorrows Church and was very active in the parish, working in leadership for more than 60 years and up until his death, including more than 50 years as coordinator of parish lectors. In addition, he was a well-known advertising professional nationally and locally and was owner of Ackerley Advertising. He also had managed radio stations in Tucson - KCUB, KTAN and KCEE radio stations. He and his wife, Gloria, were foster parents to 26 children.
Ackerely is survived by children, Deacon Keating (Mary Jane) Ackerley, Ande Ackerley, Julian (Jane) Ackerley, William Ackerley and Ed (Susan) Ackerley; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Gene Ackerley will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a rosary recited at 7 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 6, at Bring's Broadway Chapel, 6910 E. Broadway, Tucson. Mass will be offered on Friday Feb. 7, at 11:30 a.m. at Our Mother of Sorrows, 1800 S. Kolb Road, Tucson. Burial to follow in East Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Charlotte Ackerley Scholarship Fund, Coaches for Charity, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus or OMOS Church M.O.S.E.S. For information on making a donation, email bill@ackerleyadvertising.com
-For the soul of Sister Maria Teresa Apalategui ,OP , a native of Tucson, who died on Feb. 1, at Sansbury Care Center, St. Catharine, Kentucky. She was 79. Here in Tucson she affectionately was known as Sister MT.
A Dominican for 57 years, her first 47 years with the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic, Sister Maria Teresa earned a bachelor of science in social work from Rogers College in Maryknoll, New York, and a master’s in social work from Arizona State University in Tempe. She served in catechetical, youth and pastoral ministry within the dioceses of Tucson and Lafayette, Louisiana, for several years.
Sister Maria Teresa’s creative passion for service to the poor came together in her role as associate director of Catholic Social Services for over 40 years in the Diocese of Tucson. Most notably, she conceived and directed the program of the Santa Cruz Project to provide critical religious, medical and social services within an integrated system for the people of the barrio where she grew up. The SCP continues to this day. Sister Maria Teresa served on the boards of El Rio Santa Cruz Clinic and of the John Valenzuela Youth Center.
She hoped to be remembered “as a missionary.” Her motto was “To do what I am doing.” Friends describe her as “gentle, passionate for the poor, steadfast, energetic, hospitable and fun.”
Sister Maria Teresa is survived by sister-in-law Shirley Apalategui, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alfonso and Mollie Barnes Apalategui, older brothers Alphonse and Jack, and twin sister Charlotte Apalategui.
Her funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 7 at Sansbury Care Center Chapel in St. Catharine’s. Burial will be in the St. Catharine Motherhouse Cemetery.
Memorial gifts in Sister Maria Teresa’s memory may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43219-2098. To make a secure online donation or to view a full obituary, please visit www.oppeace.org