Monday Memo, May 13, 2016
Vol.11, No. 19
Painting by Germán Orozco Mora
Kino Festival at Mission San Xavier
The Kino Heritage Society and San Xavier Mission will host the annual Kino Festival at Mission San Xavier this Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Kino Festival is held along with other communities throughout Sonora and Arizona honoring Padre Kino with their own festivals this month. The first Kino Festival began in Magdalena de Kino on the first anniversary of the discovery of Padre Kino’s remains in 1967. Here in Southern Arizona, Tumacácori National Historical Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park also participate.
The Kino Festival at Mission San Xavier begins at 1 p.m. with a presentation entitled “Camino de Kino: Pilgrimage Trails of the Sonoran Desert.” Kino Heritage Society Board Member Mark O’Hare will present the history and tradition of pilgrimage in this area from Padre Kino’s lifetime to the present.
At 1:30 p.m. internationally acclaimed guitarist Francisco Bibriesca will perform a classical music program that includes the music of Europe during the Kino era.
After the concert, a reception with light refreshments will be held in the Mission’s courtyard patio, and a tour of the Mission given by the docents of the Patronado San Xavier begins at 3 p.m.
The Festival also includes an art show. Some of the featured artists are: Joan Grecchi, a painter, and members of the Yoeme Artists’ Association: Marcelino C. Flores, painter; Louis David Valenzuela, a traditional woodcarver, and Irene Sanchez, a traditional flower maker.
For more information on the Kino Festival at Mission San Xavier and other festivals, see the Kino Heritage Society’s website at www.padrekino.com . All are welcome and admission is free.
The festival and learning about our early Jesuit missionary from Trent in Italy, Padre Eusebio Kino, as well as the stories of the early beginnings of the Catholic Church here in this region is a great way to celebrate the Year of Faith. I encourage you to attend.
Welcome!
There have been a number of new additions to the Pastoral Staff over recent weeks, and I am pleased to introduce our new employees:
Angelica Lozier began working part-time in the Chancellor’s Office back in November, and became the full-time Executive Assistant to our Chancellor, Kathy Rhinehart, in April. She is fluent in Spanish and showed the gifts she brings to this responsibility during her part time assistance. Angelica worked in real estate before joining the Diocese and her husband is Business Manager at Our Lady of the Valley Parish.
Rachel Guzman joined us April 15 as executive assistant in our Office of Child, Adolescent and Adult Protection. Rachel came to us from Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, where she had served with distinction as compliance officer. She is working with Dr. Rosemary Celaya-Alston, the Director of that office.
Noelia Montano joined us as executive assistant in our Corporate Matters Office in April. Noelia, who also is fluent in Spanish, previously worked in the legal field, with the majority of her experience in Personal Injury cases. She is working with Msgr. Al Schifano and also with Chancellor Kathy Rhinehart in the challenging and important work of assisting our parish corporations.
Sister Leonette Kochan, O.S.F., who begins working as Assistant Superintendent in our Catholic schools office July 1. Sister, who is a member of the Manitowoc Franciscans who have been a true blessing in our Diocese, was most recently principal of Santa Cruz School and has strengthened the program there significantly. She will bring many talents to her new role assisting Sister Rosa Maria Ruiz, C.F.M.M., Superintendent, and Sheri Dahl, also Assistant Superintendent, as they serve our 26 Catholic schools in the Diocese.
Pastoral Center Directors’ Summit
The Pastoral Center Directors will meet on Friday at Most Holy Trinity Parish for an annual day of planning. Each year the department directors and executive directors of the Catholic Foundation and Catholic Tuition Support Organization (CTSO) meet to develop goals for the coming year. The Agenda will include faith witnesses by three directors, a presentation on the history of the Diocese, a presentation about diocesan social media and individual presentations on the proposed goals of each department. We also will discuss areas of concern identified by the members of the Pastoral Center and in some cases appoint committees to review and develop proposals for addressing those concerns.
This annual planning is so important to set directions and goals to give focus to our work in assisting our parishes and schools.
Congratulations!
To Alicia Corti, our diocesan Benefits and Human Resources Operations Manager, who was selected to serve on the CODAC Board of Directors.
CODAC is Arizona’s oldest community-based provider of behavioral health and family development services. The organization has 13 service locations, 10 housing programs, more than 360 employees, and serves more than 12,000 individuals and families each year.
I am grateful to Alicia for her willingness to serve CODAC and the people of Arizona in addition to her work for our Diocese. Alicia’s skills are a great asset to us, and I know she will be a valuable member of the CODAC Board.
Catholic Home Missions
This afternoon I will meeting with Mary Mencarini Campbell who serves with the Catholic Home Missions. Our diocese is among
80 home mission dioceses assisted by the bishops’ Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions’ grants, which offers financial support to activities that strengthen the Catholic Church in the United States, and in its territories and former territories. Our diocese qualifies as a mission diocese because it is unable to completely provide needed ministries and pastoral services with existing diocesan revenues. We have been blessed by the support we receive annually from Catholic Home Missions and I look forward to thanking Mary for all we receive to assist us in our pastoral mission.
Dinner with the Missionary Society of St. Francis de Sales
This evening I will be dining with priests of our Diocese that are members of the Missionary Society of St. Francis de Sales. Father Jacob Karamakuzhyil, M.S.F.S., provincial for this area, is joining members of the order serving in our Diocese: Father Alex Tigga, now at St.Thomas the Apostle and soon to be the administrator of Infant Jesus of Prague in Kearney; Father Matthew Thayil, currently parocial vicar at Sts. Peter and Paul, but soon to begin as administrator of St. Joseph in Hayden; Father Gaya Bhaskar Reddy Gaya, or Father Gade for short, who serves as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Tucson; and Father George Kunnel, parochial vicar at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Safford at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. Father Jacob will be leaving early Tuesday after visiting the parishes served by the M.S.F.S. priests. He has also had an opportunity to tour some of our Diocese. I am grateful for the ministry of this missionary order in our Diocese.
Breakfast with the Bishop
I will be hosting two more of my Mass and breakfast gatherings, sponsored by our Catholic Foundation , at my residence tomorrow and on Wednesday. These have been great occasions to meet some of our parishioners and to listen to their suggestions and comments about their experience of being part of our Diocese. I have learned a lot from these gatherings and I always impressed by the stewardship lived out by those who attend. In countless ways they support their parishes and our Diocese through their time, talent and treasure.
Confirmations
This week I will be conferring the sacrament of Confirmation for some inmates at the Marana Detention Center; for young people from St. Ambrose and St. John the Evangelist ACE Academies at the Cathedral; Spanish and English speaking young people from St. Monica’s Parish; at Our Lady of Fatima Parish; and at a celebration of Pentecost and confirmation for St. Augustine Cathedral Parish at the Cathedral.
Refugee Meeting
On Thursday, I will meet with representatives from Catholic Community Services, the City of Tucson and Pima County in another of our ongoing meetings about providing assistance and services to members of our various refugee communities.
These gatherings have already produced some concrete results including a grant to the three resettlement agencies in our community, Catholic Community Services, Lutheran Refugee Services, and the International Rescue Committee. The grant was funded by the Click Family Foundation, Pima County and the City of Tucson to assist with transportation and agency needs to assist refugees.
The group has been considering the wide range of needs faced by refugees including housing, the English language skills, employment and medical needs, as well as efforts to provide welcome and personal support to those who have left traumatic situations in their home countries and who seek to find a safe home in our community.
Plans are being made to acquaint our community with the presence of refugee families and how we can assist them in their adjustment to our society.
Baccalaureate Masses
This time of year means graduations are about to happen. I’ll present an overview of the graduating class of 2013 in the next Monday Memo, but this week, it will be my joy to celebrate a Baccalaureate Mass for Salpointe Catholic High School at St. Augustine Cathedral, and another Baccalaureate Mass at St. Francis de Sales for St. Augustine Catholic High School. Both Masses will take place on Saturday.
Our prayer is that these graduates of our Catholic High Schools will take an active role in our community. It is always encouraging to hear how many are going on to college and to see so many of them receive scholarships to leading colleges here in our state and throughout the United States.
Jubilarian celebrations
It is my honor to join 50 Year Jubilee celebrations for Msgr. Tom Cahalane and Msgr. Tom Milane on May 19. Both of these monsignors have long, devoted careers here in our Diocese, and each has had an amazing ministry of service to us. Msgr. Cahalane is still serving as pastor of Our Mother of Sorrows where he has been for 32 years. Msgr. Millane, now retired from being the founding pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, continues to help in parishes and serves as my Vicar for Retired Priests. It gives me great joy that they are being honored at parish celebrations. The people of OMOS and Father Joseph Lombardo and the people at SEAS are taking such great care to show these priests how much they appreciate the work Msgr. Cahalane and Msgr. Millane have done for them.
At our recent convocation for priests we had the joy of viewing a video done by Steff Koeneman, Director of Communications, that highlighted the three diocesan priests celebrating 50 years of service in our Diocese. Father Charles Knapp had his anniversary celebration two weeks ago.
If you would like to know more about Msgr. Cahalane and Msgr. Milane, I encourage reading a bit about them in the May edition of the New Vision, which can be found at www.diocesetucson.org
ACA update
Among the many creative initiatives being done by our pastors in support of the Annual Catholic Appeal, I’ll highlight the step taken by Father Gonzalo Villegas on Sunday, when the parish used the opportunity presented by Mother’s Day to take up a second collection in support of the Annual Catholic Appeal. We know that a successful campaign is achieved through many small efforts that work together to support the whole campaign. Thank you Father Gonzalo!
Our Goal this year, the same as last year, is $3,713,080. As of May 10, we have received pledges and contributions of $3,232,761, or 87 percent of our goal. These gifts came from 14,033 donors. We are moving toward “Amen” Sunday, which will conclude this year’s Appeal. I hope our parishes will continue to make efforts to realize this year’s goal.
Diocesan Pastoral Council
I am pleased to announce that Michael McDonald of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish was re-elected as the Chair of the DPC and Deacon Tom Campbell of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish was re-elected Vice-Chair. Arlene Gallardo of Our Lady of Fatima Parish was elected Secretary. I am very grateful to Mary Gomez, of St. Patrick’s Parish in Bisbee, for her two years of service as secretary.
The Council also considered the current diocesan goals and identified other possible diocesan goals for the 2013-14 Year. A summary of their recommendations will be given to me to consider along with the recommendations from the Pastoral Center Staff and the Presbyteral Council.
Seminarian assignments
The summer months represent an opportunity for our seminarians to experience practical work at parishes that can acquaint them with the responsibilities and many ministries they will encounter after ordination.
Our seminarians are given a 10-week summer parish assignment. For college seminarians, the program is optional, while those now in Theology studies are required to have the assignments. The following are the assignments for this year:
Alan Valencia - Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson
Edson Elizarraras - Sacred Heart Parish, Parker, AZ
Martin Moreno - Our Mother of Sorrows, Tucson
George Holley - St. Anthony de Padua, Casa Grande
John Gonzales - St. Thomas the Apostle, Tucson
Zachary Ferell - St. Joseph Parish, Tucson
Ivan Garcia - St. Monica Parish, Tucson
Callistus Iyorember - St. Augustine Cathedral, Tucson