THE
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o f t h e R o m a n C a t h o l i c D i o c e s e o f Tu c s o n
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1
Tu c s o n , A Z Vo l . V I , N u m b e r X I
The New Vision photo by Bern Zovistoski
An electrician’s truck stands at the base of the statue of Mary at Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine in Hereford, which is being restored after a devastating wildfire roared through it last June. See story on page 12.
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‘Embrace Church, despite sinfulness,’ Archbishop says
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops assembled here for their annual meeting last month were urged to restore the luster, credibility and beauty of the Catholic Church in the hearts of its members. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on his fellow bishops to communicate to the world that the sinfulness of the Church’s members is not “a reason to dismiss the Church or her eternal truths, but to embrace her all the more.” In his first presidential address since election as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last November, he opened and closed with the words: “Love for Jesus and his Church must be the passion of our lives.” He noted that the Church still has plenty to say to the modern world. “She dares the world ... to foster and protect the inviolable dignity of the human person and human life; ... to protect marriage and family; to embrace those suffering and struggling; to prefer service to selfishness; and never, ever to stifle the
liberty to quench the deep-down thirst for the divine.” Archbishop Dolan later pointed out that he was encouraged by a Nov. 8 private meeting he had with President Barack Obama at the White House. He said he found the president to be “very open to the sensitivities” of the U.S. Catholic Church on issues related to religious freedom that the two discussed. He said the current issues related to religious liberty and government might be an area where there is room for compromise. Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., chairman of a new Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, outlined some of the issues at stake in a report to the bishops. He said several situations involving Church and government are related to policies of the Department of Health and Human Services. They include draft HHS regulations that would require all private health insurance plans to provide coverage See CHURCH page 11
Father Schifano cited for ‘distinguished ministry’ Sacred Heart School of Theology has bestowed its Dehon Distinguished Ministry Award on Father Al Schifano, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese of Tucson, for his service to the Church. The award, given annually to an alumnus who has served the Church with distinction, is named after Father Leo John Dehon, founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. The award citation noted that since his ordination in 2001, Father Al’s career and experience in the corporate world and his pastoral formation have come together to make a significant impact on the Diocese of Tucson. Soon after beginning his ministry in the Diocese, Father Al served on a committee that developed diocesan Guidelines for the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct. Then, after becoming Vicar General and Modera-
tor of the Curia, Father Al participated in the Chapter 11 reorganization and the incorporation of all parishes. Father Al helped establish the Parish Pooled Investment Trust and supported development of the two-year Pastoral Leadership Development Program. He is a member and past chairman of the Diocesan Finance Council. Father Al received the award at a presentation dinner at Sacred Heart in Hales Corners, Wisc., accompanied by his daughter, Allyson James, and fellow alumni, Father John Lyons, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Tucson, and Father Jens-Peter “Jay” Jensen, pastor of San Martin de Porres Parish in Sahuarita. Sacred Heart is respected for welcoming “second career” priests.
Father Al Schifano accepts his award at Sacred Heart.
Parishes’ many efforts in religious education funded In 2008, the people of the Diocese of Tucson responded to the Bishop’s call for investment in “Our Faith, Our Hope and Our Future,” and parish religious education-faith formation was one important focus of this effort. Proceeds from the five-year capital campaign are to assist the parishes and parish leaders of the diocese as they foster the faith formation of children, youth and adults. The partnership between and among families, parishes, schools, and diocesan ministries is essential to awaken children, youth and adults to the presence of God in their lives and come alive in their faith. Looking at the annual reports from the parishes of the diocese, it’s clear that a small percentage of Catholic children attend Catholic schools. Therefore parish religious education and youth ministry programs must be vibrant, strong, and supported by the faith community. Parents, catechists and adult volunteers must be effectively prepared to hand on the faith in these parish education programs. The capital campaign funds for religious education are available to assist these kinds of programs. The religious education allocation is designated in the following areas: a) expanding certification and training programs for catechetical and youth ministry leaders, b) establishing a tuition-assistance fund to encourage parish directors and coordinators of Religious Education and Youth Ministry to obtain advanced
Our Faith, Our Hope, Our Future Your campaign dollars at work degrees in theology and religious education, c) helping parishes with economic challenges to purchase religious education materials and resources and
from 14 parishes are participating in the Specialized Certificate in Catechetical Leadership sponsored by the Loyola University Pastoral Life Center in New Orleans. This is a six-weekend program hosted in Tucson over an 18-month period. Certificates will be issued to these students next spring. Contact Mike Berger, the diocese’s director of catechesis, for more information. Seventy-one youth leaders from 29 parishes are enrolled in the National Certificate in Catholic Youth Ministry Studies through the Center for Ministry Development. This is an eight-week program hosted in Tucson over two years. Certificates will be issued to those who complete the program by September 2012. This program will continue depending on interest and need. Contact Joe Perdreauville, the diocese’s associate director of pastoral services, for more information. Currently five adults are working toward a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in partnership for funding from the Extension Society and the Diocese of Tucson. This degree utilizes a blended program of online
learning and summer residency. The funds granted for parish religious education, catechetical and formation resources and supplies have been used to assist more than 15 parishes to date. These funds combined with the parish funds toward the purchase and upgrading of religious education materials, equipment and technology. Catechetical materials in Spanish have included requests from parishes as well as resources for speakers and translators for diocesan and vicariate events. All available funds for parishes are distributed through a Grant Request process that can be submitted to the Diocese of Tucson Department of Pastoral Services. Proposals are then evaluated based on need and merit. Not all proposals will be funded. Proposals can be submitted quarterly by Sept. 30, Dec. 31, March 31 and June 30. The Grant Application can be obtained from the Diocese of Tucson Department of Pastoral Services. Download the materials from the diocesan website http:// www.d iocesetucson.org/PastoralServices.html or contact Isabel Madrid in the Office of Pastoral Services, 520-8382544 or isabelm@diocesetucson.org
d) providing more catechetical materials in Spanish, including training and formation resources for bilingual leaders and catechists. Since 2010 more than $175,000 have been given in grants to parishes to benefit their religious education efforts. Funding has also made it possible for leaders to participate in diocesan certification programs. Twenty-five catechetical leaders
Pope may visit Mexico, Cuba “Cuba is another country that realVATICAN CITY (CNS)-- Vatican officials are at an advanced stage in studying ly wants to see the Pope,” he said, and a the possibility of a papal trip to Mexico papal visit could offer great encouragement to the people and the and Cuba next spring, the country “in an important Vatican spokesman said. period of their history.” Jesuit Father Federico Father Lombardi said Lombardi, the spokesman, the timing would be relattold reporters on Nov. 10 ed to the 400th anniversathat the nuncios to Mexico ry of the discovery of the and Cuba have been told to image of Our Lady of Charinform those governments ity of Cobre, the patroness that “the Pope is studying of Cuba. a concrete plan to visit the He excluded other countwo countries, responding tries being added to the to the invitations received” trip and said that because from them. of the altitude of Mexico The Mexican government and Mexican Catho- POPE BENEDICT XVI City, it is unlikely the Pope lics repeatedly have said they’d like Pope would visit the Mexican capital. “The best Benedict to visit “and he is happy to final- alternatives” will be studied immediately, he said. ly be able to respond,” the Jesuit said.
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FROM THE BISHOP
Christ’s coming: A call for ‘credible witness’
La venida de Cristo y la necesidad de ‘testimonio creíble’
The long awaited English translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal is now being prayed and sung in our parishes here in the Diocese of Tucson and throughout the English-speaking world. I am tempted to ask, “Were you aware that this was going to happen?” Unlike the suddenness that many of us experienced from the momentous changes to the Liturgy that came out of Vatican II, there was much advance notice and preparation leading up to the introduction of the new translation on the First Sunday of Advent. For nearly two years in our Diocese and dioceses across our nation, there were clergy workshops, diocesan liturgical gatherings, homilies and distribution of pamphlets and DVDs. Some people actually complained there was too much information. Yet, amazingly, research by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) tells us that 77 per cent of self-identified Catholics who participated in a survey said they were unaware of these changes prior to coming to church on the First Sunday of Advent. That is, if they even went to Mass that weekend. We learned from other recent research that only 31 per cent of Catholics who were surveyed say they go to church at least once a week while 47 per cent of those surveyed say they attend Mass less than once a month. Still another research project, conducted after extensive news media coverage of the priest sex abuse scandals, showed that despite the comprehensive efforts of dioceses to implement safe environment programs and to provide education on child abuse awareness and prevention the great majority of Catholics did not know what the Church in our country was doing to keep children safe from abuse. You might extrapolate from these research projects that, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” If not a failure, then surely a disconnect. It seems that try as we might, the best efforts of the Catholic bishops in our country to influence Catholic attitudes and to reach and engage Catholics about our Church’s teaching are not productive. We can tell people over and over, but our words may be having little impact. This disconnect was highlighted in another recent research project that was widely reported and commented on in the press. Conducted by a team with representatives from the Catholic University of America and CARA, this research was the latest in a series of projects that began in 1987 and repeated every six years since. The findings about the attitudes of “committed Catholics” (respondents who were on the high end of a scale of involvement and participation in their faith) show us the challenges that our Church faces in trying to form people in their Catholic faith. Some examples: 31 per cent of these “committed Catholics” say one could be a good Catholic without adhering to Church teaching on abortion; 39 per cent said one could be a good Catholic without helping the poor; 46 per cent felt one could be a good Catholic and not adhere to
La anticipada traducción al inglés de la Tercera Edición del Misal Romano es la versión que ya estamos rezando y cantando en nuestras parroquias aquí en la Diócesis de Tucson y en todos los países de habla inglesa. Siento la necesidad de preguntar: “¿Sabían ustedes que esto iba a suceder?” A diferencia de los trascendentales cambios efectuados a la Liturgia a raíz del Vaticano II, que muchos de nosotros sentimos que se habían producido de manera repentina, la introducción de la nueva traducción en el Primer Domingo de Adviento fue precedida de considerables preparativos y anuncios. Durante casi dos años en nuestra Diócesis y en diócesis de toda la nación hubo talleres para el clero, reuniones litúrgicas diocesanas, homilías y distribución de folletos y DVDs. Algunas personas incluso se quejaron de que era demasiada información. Sin embargo, sorprendentemente, investigaciones realizadas por el Centro de Investigación Aplicada en el Apostolado (CARA, por sus siglas en inglés) señalan que en una encuesta en la cual participaron personas que se identifican como católicas, el 77 por ciento de ellas expresaron no haber estado enteradas de estos cambios antes de asistir a la iglesia el primer domingo de Adviento. Y eso si es que fueron a Misa ese fin de semana. Según otro estudio reciente, solamente el 31 por ciento de los católicos participantes en ese estudio indicaron que van a la iglesia por lo menos una vez a la semana, y el 47 por ciento de los participantes indicaron que asisten a la Misa menos de una vez al mes. Otra investigación, conducida después de la amplia cobertura periodística de los escándalos relacionados con el abuso sexual por parte de sacerdotes, demostró que a pesar de los exhaustivos esfuerzos realizados por las diócesis con el objetivo de implementar programas para crear ambientes seguros y educar en el conocimiento y la prevención del abuso de menores, la gran mayoría de los católicos desconocía lo que la Iglesia de nuestro país está haciendo para proteger a los menores contra el abuso. De estas investigaciones se podría extrapolar que lo que estamos enfrentando es un fracaso en la comunicación. Y si no es un fracaso, ciertamente es una desconexión. Al parecer, por más que lo intentemos, los mejores esfuerzos de los obispos católicos de nuestro país para influir en las actitudes católicas y para llegar a los católicos y acercarlos a las enseñanzas de nuestra Iglesia no son productivos. Constantemente le hablamos a la gente, pero parece que nuestras palabras tienen poco efecto. Esta desconexión fue uno de los puntos salientes en otra investigación que fuera ampliamente publicitada y sobre la cual se habló mucho en los medios de prensa. Conducida por un equipo que incluía representantes tanto de la Universidad Católica de América como de CARA, esta investigación fue la más reciente en una serie de estudios que comenzaron en 1987 y que desde entonces se repiten cada seis años.
See BISHOP on page 4
• Editor and Publisher: Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas
It seems that try as we might, the best efforts of the Catholic bishops in our country to influence Catholic attitudes and to reach and engage Catholics about our Church’s teaching are not productive.
Al parecer, por más que lo intentemos, los mejores esfuerzos de los obispos católicos de nuestro país para influir en las actitudes católicas y para llegar a los católicos y acercarlos a las enseñanzas de nuestra Iglesia no son productivos.
• Managing Editor: Bern Zovistoski Phone: 520-792-3410; Ext. 1062 Fax 520-838-2599 bernz@diocesetucson.org
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• Graphic Designer: Omar Rodríguez Ph: 520-792-3410; Ext. 1063 omarr@diocesetucson.org
Rubén Dávalos Phone: 520-990-9225 or 520-548-0502 davalosjr@cox.net
• La Nueva Visión Contributing Editor Team: José Luis González, Angel Martínez, Rubén Daválos
Mirar OBISPO en página 4
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Church teaching on divorce and remarriage; 48 per cent felt one could be a good Catholic without going to Mass weekly; 60 per cent felt that one could be a good Catholic even though not adhering to the Church’s teachings on birth control. Another challenge raised by the research arose from the question, “Who should have final say about what is right or wrong? Church leaders, individuals or both.” About most of the “hot button” issues” (divorce, remarriage, abortion, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, contraception) the majority of “committed Catholic” respondents felt that moral authority really is something an individual decides after taking Church teaching into account. Applying the imagery of T.S. Eliot, if these are the findings for the “green wood” (the “committed Catholics”) what can we expect from the “dry” (those who are no longer active in the faith)? Keenly aware of such challenges not just in our country, but around the world, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has called for a “Year of Faith” to begin in October 2012 to help Catholics appreciate the gift of faith, to deepen their relationship with God and to strengthen their commitment to sharing their faith with others. (See story on page 13.) In his apostolic letter announcing the “Year of Faith,” the Holy Father noted, “What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end.” Considering the research findings that I have shared here, filling that need in our country will be a very tall order indeed. It strikes me that this Advent – this holy time of preparation for the birth of Christ – is a good time to “jump start” our preparations for the “Year of Faith.” We learn so much from Christ, One with us, about communication, teaching and the exercise of authority. What a message He gave. He spoke in parables, in concrete language based on people’s experience. He forgave. He stood up to injustice and spoke out against prejudice. He described His loving relationship with His Father and reminded us that we are brothers and sisters, responsible for one another. I pray that His coming will prod us to live our faith more boldly and with greater conviction – with so much boldness and so much conviction that those who encounter us will say, “I want to meet this Christ in whom you believe.” May this coming New Year of 2012 be for us a Year of Faith in which we are the “credible witness” for the evangelization our Holy Father calls us to.
‘Offensive’ ad image of Pope withdrawn VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Hours after the Vatican condemned an Italian ad campaign that depicted Pope Benedict XVI kissing a Muslim leader, the Italian fashion house Benetton withdrew the photo. The campaign is titled “Unhate” and features doctored images of supposedly antagonistic world leaders in kissing scenes. The Vatican called offensive the image of Pope Benedict embracing Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, president of al-Azhar University in Cairo, who announced the suspension of dialogue with the Vatican earlier this year. Other images in the current campaign portray President Barack Obama kissing Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embracing Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.
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OBISPO continua de página 3
Las respuestas sobre las actitudes de los “católicos comprometidos” (aquellos encuestados con posiciones más altas en una escala de participación en su fe) resaltan los retos que nuestra Iglesia enfrenta cuando se trata de formar a las personas en su fe católica. Algunos ejemplos: el 31 por ciento de estos “católicos comprometidos” expresan que es posible ser un buen católico sin adherirse a la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre el aborto; un 39 por ciento manifiesta que es posible ser un buen católico y no ayudar a los pobres; un 46 por ciento siente que es posible ser un buen católico sin seguir las enseñanzas de la Iglesia sobre el divorcio y el volver a contraer matrimonio; un 48 por ciento siente que es posible ser un buen católico y no asistir a la Misa semanalmente; un 60 por ciento siente que es posible ser un buen católico a pesar de no adoptar las enseñanzas de la Iglesia en cuanto al control de la natalidad. Otro de los retos revelados por las investigaciones fue el que surgió de la pregunta: “¿Quién tiene la última palabra sobre lo que está bien y lo que está mal: los líderes de la Iglesia, los individuos, o ambos?” Con respecto a la mayoría de los “temas candentes” (divorcio, volver a contraer matrimonio, aborto, relaciones sexuales extramatrimoniales, homosexualidad, anticoncepción) la mayoría de los “católicos comprometidos” encuestados manifestaron que la autoridad moral es en realidad algo que el individuo decide por sí mismo después de haber tenido en cuenta las enseñanzas de la Iglesia. Aplicando la imaginería de T.S. Eliot, si estos son los resultados atribuidos a la “madera verde” (los “católicos comprometidos”) ¿qué podemos esperar de la “seca” (aquellos que ya no participan activamente en la fe)? Muy consciente de estos retos, no solo en nuestro país sino en todo el mundo, nuestro Santo Padre, el Papa Benedicto XVI, ha hecho un llamado a celebrar un “Año de la Fe”, que comenzaría en octubre de 2012, para ayudar a los católicos a apreciar el don de la fe, a profundizar en su relación con Dios y a fortalecer su compromiso de compartir la fe con el prójimo. (Ver historia en la página 13.) En su epístola apostólica donde anuncia el “Año de la Fe”, el Santo Padre señala: “Lo que el mundo necesita hoy de manera especial es el testimonio creíble de los que , iluminados en la mente y en el corazón por la Palabra del Señor, son capaces de abrir el corazón y la mente de muchos al deseo de Dios y de la vida verdadera, esa que no tiene fin”. Teniendo en consideración los resultados de las encuestas que he presentado aquí, satisfacer esa necesidad en nuestro país indudablemente será una tarea monumental. Se me ocurre que este Adviento, este tiempo sagrado de preparación para el nacimiento de Cristo, es un buen momento para poner en marcha nuestros preparativos para el “Año de la Fe”. Qué increíble mensaje nos dio Él. Nos habló en parábolas, en lenguaje concreto basado en las vivencias de la gente. Él perdonó. Él le hizo frente a la injusticia y se pronunció en contra de los prejuicios. Él describió su amorosa relación con Su Padre y nos recordó que somos hermanos y hermanas, responsables los unos de los otros. Yo rezo para que Su venida nos motive a vivir nuestra fe con más entusiasmo y con mayor convicción; con tanto entusiasmo y con tanta convicción que aquellos con quienes nos encontremos digan “yo quiero conocer a este Cristo en quien tú crees”. Que este Año Nuevo 2012 sea para nosotros un Año de la Fe en el cual seamos los que den “testimonio creíble” para la evangelización que nuestro Santo Padre nos llama a realizar.
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Bishop’s Calendar -December 2011
Letters Respect those at Mass To the Editor: I would like to thank Mrs. Laura Mendez on her letter concerning the chatter in church (November issue). There is a local parish where the chatter and laughter before Mass I find not only disrespectful but unbearable. I had two ladies sitting behind me discussing their hairdressers. I moved to another section of the church only to have a gentleman behind me loudly laughing at someone’s joke. I’m sure these folks are lovely people, but please visit in the parking lot before or after Mass, or maybe over the coffee and doughnuts. I’m ashamed to say I left the church, drove to another parish that was celebrating the Latin Mass. The profound respect, reverence and behavior of the parishioners was astounding and refreshing. Please respect those who are trying to prepare for the Mass. Priests please remind parishioners of the Sacredness of the Tabernacle and the house of God. Annie Healey Tucson
‘Kinder’ approach
a personal phone call to Mr. Branson. Compassion works in many ways and on many levels. Even the righteous are entitled to practice it. Marilyn Giedraitis Tucson Editor’s note: In fact, Bishop Kicanas did communicate, directly and privately, with Mr. Branson.
It’s a pity To the Editor: In regard to the letter in the October issue, it is a pity to have to make our Bishop and our diocese look bad to make a point. What ever happened to “You who are without sin cast the first stone”? Remember, the Bishop is first and foremost a priest, and it is from the hands of our priests that we are given the Body and Blood of Christ. It is through them that sins are forgiven and healing grace abounds in the sacrament of Penance. I, too, am pro-life, but I am not going to worry about one more anti-life vote in the Congress at the expense of our Bishop! Gabrielle Giffords overcame great odds and that is remarkable. Let us pray for one another and humbly wash feet. Cosette Schaaf Yuma
To the Editor: I am certain that you were aware that if you published Mr. Branson’s rather strident letter to your paper (October issue) that it would generate a plethora of letters which, if published, would amount to a public flaying. A kinder approach would have been to make Bishop Kicanas aware of the man’s feelings so that he, the Bishop, could have written a kindly letter or even made
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The New Vision welcomes letters from its readers. Send to The New Vision, P.O. Box 31, Tucson, AZ 85702 or email bernz@diocesetucson.org.
1 10:00 A.M., Mass, All Saints Catholic School, Sierra Vista 6:00 P.M., Tribunal Christmas Dinner, Bishop’s Residence 2 8:00 A.M., Teleconference, CRS Compensation Committee 12:00 P.M., Luncheon for Mayor Walkup, Manning House 6:00 P.M., Parish Pastoral Councils Workshop, Immaculate Conception, Yuma 3 10:00 A.M., Mass, Manos Unidas, San Luis 4 10:00 A.M., Mass, Institution of Acolytes, St. Augustine Cathedral 5-6 Recently Ordained Mentoring Program, Redemptorist Renewal Center 6 6:00 p.m., Review Board Christmas Dinner, Bishop’s Residence 7 7:30 A.M., Sexual Misconduct Review Board Meeting 7-8 6:00 P.M., CRS Board Meeting, Dallas, TX 9 Diocesan Pastoral Council Christmas Dinner, Bishop’s Residence 10 9:00 A.M., Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting 4:00 P.M., Mass, Blessing of Labyrinth, Most Holy Trinity 11 10 A.M., Catholic Physicians’ Mass, St. Mary’s Hospital Chapel 1:00 P.M., RCIA Discernment, St. Thomas More Newman Center 12 9:35 A.M., Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Salpointe Catholic High School
1:00 P.M., Dedication of the Columbarium, Holy Hope Cemetery 13 12:00 P.M., Advent Mass, Catholic Community Services 14-15 USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, Washington, DC 15 8:00 P.M., Christmas Concert, Mission San Xavier 16 5:30 P.M., Mass, Tree-lighting, Holy Hope Cemetery 17 10:00 Mass, Deacon Ordination, St. Augustine Cathedral 18 5:30 P.M., Mass, Christmas Dinner, Seminarians and Families, Bishop’s Residence 19 10:30 A.M., Presbyteral Council 6:00 P.M., Directors Department Dinner 20 Staff Advent Day of Prayer 12:00 P.M., Catholic Foundation Board Meeting 21 9:00 A.M., Catholic Health Association Teleconference 1:00 P.M., Mass, Men, Pima County Jail 3:00 P.M., Mass, Women, Pima County Jail 22 11:15 A.M., Mass, Staff Christmas Luncheon 24 4:00 P.M., Christmas Eve Family Mass, St. Augustine Cathedral 7:30 P.M., Christmas Eve Mass, St. Augustine Cathedral 25-31 Blessed Christmas, Chicago
Where to give blood The holiday season is the perfect time to consider giving the gift of life. Donate blood if you can or recruit someone to donate for you. It’s the perfect gift to someone in need. And this gift costs nothing but an hour of someone’s time. DEC. 4 Most Holy Trinity Parish, 1300 N. Greasewood Rd, Tucson, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Call Stella Samorano at 822-1035. DEC. 11 Santa Catalina Parish, 14380 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, 7:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Call Bernie Lee at 409-8709. DEC. 18 St. Cyril of Alexandria Parish, 4725 E. Pima St., Tucson, 8 a.m. – noon. Call Timothy McClaughry at 327-8998.
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The Lord be with You… Lift up Your Hearts…Let us Give Thanks to the Lord our God… By SISTER LOIS J. PAHA, O.P. Special to The New Vision These words of invitation to the Preface dialogue of the Eucharistic Prayer are unchanged in the Third Edition of the Roman Missal introduced on the First Sunday of Advent. As we listen and pray new words and familiar words we continue to be invited to the full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy. Listening to common images provided by the new words intends to strengthen our understanding of the mysteries of our faith as this month and next we celebrate the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season and welcome various images of the mystery of the Incarnation. In Preface I for Advent the priest sings or says, “…he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh… that when he comes again…we inherit the great promise in which we dare to hope.” In Preface II for Advent, we meet the important messengers of this mystery, the prophets, the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist “who sang of his coming and proclaimed his presence when he came.” The Blessings at the End of Mass and Prayers Over the People are found in the pages at the end of the Order of the Mass. The second invocation in the Solemn Blessing offered for the Advent Sundays echoes the message of the Prefaces and also repeats the image of the Collect for the First Sunday. “As you run the race of this present life, may he [the
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almighty and merciful God] make you firm in faith, joyful in hope and active in charity.” The Collect includes the same anticipation and expectation that fills the Advent season. “Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet Christ…at his coming...” As we move through the Advent weeks to Christmas, the images of light, newness of life, Christ the Sun of Justice, and the Word made flesh are expressed in both Preface I of the Nativity of the Lord, “..for in the mystery of the Word made flesh a new light of your glory has shown…” The Blessing for the Nativity of the Lord calls upon “the God of infinite goodness” to “…illumine your hearts with the light of virtue” and “make you heralds of the Gospel…and fill you with the gift of his peace and favor.”
The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord offers four different Masses to celebrate the Incarnation of the Lord. At the Vigil Mass we pray “O God … as we wait in hope for your redemption…we joyfully welcome your Only Begotten Son…” At the Mass during the Night, the traditional midnight Mass, we pray “…that we, who have known the mysteries of his light on earth, may also delight in his gladness in heaven…” The Mass at Dawn puts action words to the prayer asking that “as we are bathed in the new radiance of your Incarnate Word, the light of faith… may also shine through in our deeds.” Finally, we pray the Mass during the Day with words which we also hear in the letter of Paul to the Philippians. “O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature…grant that we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbles himself to share in our humanity.” The season concludes with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord calling Christ the light of all nations and in the Preface states: “For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ…” In this threefold season of hopeful expectation, unconditional love in the Birth of Christ and the call to proclaim the truth of the Incarnation to all nations, the liturgy is in fact the expression of our faith. The Solemn Blessing for the Beginning of the Year helps to summarize this truth and offers some memorable phrases for prayer and reflection.
Beauty, Reverence and Sacredness
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St. Gianna Oratory, Tucson
Holy Mass in Latin with Gregorian Chant
Discover the Beauty and Reverence of the Roman Rite in its Extraordinary Form! St. Gianna Oratory was canonically erected by the Diocese of Tucson in 2008 at Holy Family Catholic Church. We are located close to St. Augustine Cathedral and close to the UofA @ 338 W. University Blvd., NE corner of University and Main, I-10 exit Speedway.
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We offer daily Mass and Confessions, CCD and RCIA, Eucharistic Adoration and conferences on the Liturgy for children, teens and adults.
Sunday Latin Masses at 8:30 a.m. and at 1:00 p.m. (High Mass)
All are welcome! Visit us at www.saintgianna.net For more info call our Pastor, Canon Richard von Menshengen, at (520) 883-4360. Canon is a member of the Institute of Christ the King which is based in Chicago: www. institute-christ-king.org Holy Family Church is Tucson’s oldest Catholic church and it is the home for St. Gianna Oratory with the daily Latin Mass as well as the home for Holy Family Parish with four weekend Masses in English and Spanish. Our community is dedicated to pro-life, cares for the poor and is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
We look forward to seeing you!
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THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG | DECEMBER 2011
1/2 ad CARONDELET In observance of the tri-centennial of the death of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino on March 15, 1711, The New Vision is presenting a series of articles reflecting various aspects of “Padre Kino’s” life and ministry.
Devotion to Our Lady By RAUL RAMIREZ Special to The New Vision Padre Kino arrived in Mexico City on June 1, 1681, and while awaiting his first assignment he wrote about a comet that he had studied in Europe in 1680 that was also visible in Mexico. Padre Kino published a treatise titled “Exposición Astronómica de el Cometa” and on the cover appeared the image of Guadalupe. He wrote that “We have so close (to us) a copy of that divine lady, Mother of God, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, who bestows protection on Mexico. She is surrounded by the sun, embellished by the stars, with the moon as her carpet and uplifted by a Cherub. There is nothing in the heavens, commanding as the moon may be, that does not serve as adornment to her image. What would the original be (to behold)?” Padre Kino sent copies of his treatise to the Duchess of Aveiro, Guadalupe De Lancaster, to distribute to the Spanish Court. In his letters to the Duchess he stated that he celebrated Mass weekly at La Capilla de Guadalupe. He wrote on July 4, 1681 that he was sending her images of Our Lady which he “placed against the sacred picture itself of Our Lady of Guadalupe….. I kept all five images on the altar, on the very corporal where the sacrifice of the Mass under the species of bread and wine takes place--- the price of our redemption.” Eleven months later enroute to Baja California, Padre Kino wrote the Duchess averring that “The city which by God’s favor and that of the Blessed Virgin we shall
found in California within the next three to five months, will be called, by God’s grace, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de las Californias.” In a letter to Padre Francisco de Castro, Padre Kino reported that Padre Matia Goni and he arrived in La Paz on April 2, 1683. Engaging the native people they showed them “a crucifix and on another day an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but they gave no sign of actually having or ever having had any acquaintance with these objects or with matters concerning the Catholic religion.” Naming the small church at the fort the “Real de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe,” Padre Kino commented that “within a few months we can begin to administer baptism, since these Indians seem to me to be the most tractable, affable, cheerful and jovial in all America.” Unfortunately, on July 3, 1683, the peace was broken by Spanish soldiers and padres were forced to abandon their first mission in Baja. On Dec. 15, 1683, Padre Kino wrote the Duchess reporting that in October a new mission was started at San Bruno and that he placed a lovely image of Guadalupe on the main altar. Later he wrote thanking her for the incense figures that she sent, adding that he used them on the altar of Guadalupe when he made his final religious vow on Aug. 15, 1684. However, by May of 1685, this mission failed due to lack of resources. Padre Kino arrived in the Primería Alta in 1687, and while he did not name any of his new missions after Guadalupe, his Marian naming practice continued.
Virgen de Guadalupe Mass Dec. 12 On behalf of Holy Family, Tucson’s oldest Catholic church, its pastor, Canon Richard von Menshengen, and of St. Gianna Oratory, a cordial invitation is extended the faithful to attend a Virgen de Guadalupe Mass on Monday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The Kino Heritage Society will be offering roses to the Virgin in commemoration of Padre Kino’s devotion to our Lady. Experience a Latin High Mass with Gregorian Chant as Padre Kino celebrated it. The Mass readings as well as the homily will be in Spanish and English. Following the High Mass there will be a candle light procession with Mariachis on the church grounds which will conclude with the dedication of the renovated church basement hall to our Lady of Guadalupe. A festive reception with classical music and fine food will follow. DECEMBER 2011 | THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG
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‘Diocese’ to open for Anglicans BALTIMORE (CNS) -- A new ordinariate -- functionally similar to a diocese -- will be established Jan. 1 to bring Anglicans into the U.S. Catholic Church, announced Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl during the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Nov. 15. Cardinal Wuerl also said 67 Anglican priests have submitted their dossiers seeking ordination in the Catholic Church, and 35 of those have received initial approval from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That means they can move to the second stage of approval, which includes a criminal background check, psychological evaluation and recommendations from the Catholic bishop where he lives and from his Anglican ecclesiastical
authority, he said. The actions followed the November 2009 issuance by Pope Benedict XVI of an apostolic constitution, “Anglicanorum coetibus” authorizing the creation of an ordinariate to bring in Anglicans, or Episcopalians as they are known in the United States, who seek to leave their tradition and join the Catholic Church but retain certain elements of the Anglican faith. The announcement in the final hour of the public portion of the annual meeting in Baltimore brought immediate logistical questions, such as the relationship between the ordinariate -- which will cover the entire U.S. -- and the dioceses in which the former Anglican priests will live. The physical location of its offices has not been announced.
Search retreat
Julie Machen 520-250-1299 machenja@ cox.net
A Leadership Workshop designed to further deepen your faith will afford young people another weekend of fun on Feb. 3-5 at St. Odilia Parish in Tucson. For applications and more information, contact Bridgette Gomez-Muñoz 520-795-2977 mbmunoz4@cox.net or
Epiphany party There will be a Magnificat Epiphany Party on Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. at St. Francis de Sales Parish, 1375 S. Camino Seco, Tucson.
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THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG | DECEMBER 2011
Retired priests’ fundraiser is Jan. 15
Special chalices honored deceased Knights of Columbus members are shown with, from left, Randy Hannon, chalice chairman, Bishop Kicanas and T.K. Mohr, faithful navigator of the Msgr. Don H. Hughes Assembly. The chalices, provided through the K of C, honor John M. Roll and John C. Fogarty and will be used at Mass at the priests’ retirement dinner in January.
Border event Dec. 17 The annual bi-national La Posada will be held on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. on the border of Mexico and Arizona near the DeConcini port of entry. LaPosada will take place on the Mexi-
co side of the port and a festive meal will follow at the comedor of the Kino Border Initiative. The event is sponsored by Diocese Without Borders, representing the Archdiocese of Hermosillo, the Diocese of Tucson and the Diocese of Phoenix.
The eighth annual “Mass and Dinner with the Bishop,” an event to raise funds in support of retired priests in the Diocese of Tucson, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15, at Skyline Country Club in Tucson. Sponsored by the Msgr. Don H. Hughes Assembly of the Knights of Columbus, the event will begin at 4 p.m. with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, followed by dinner, and it will include a video titled “Padre to the Papagos,” detailing the legendary ministry of Father Bonaventura Oblasser, O.F.M., to the people of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The source of the presentation is a 16-mm film taken by Msgr. Hughes which was recently located in the archives. Event chairman Marty Ronstadt and faithful navigator Thomas Mohr extended an invitation to all to the dinner, saying: “Please help us assist Bishop Kicanas in support of our retired priests who have given their entire lives in ministering to the faithful.” The event has raised more than $429,000 for the Priests’ Retirement Fund, Ronstadt said. There are 42 retired or disabled priests who live in rented apartments, parish rectories or private homes, he said, and their average age is 73. Many continue to minister to parishes, despite their advancing age and failing health. Tickets for the event are $150, of which $100 is a charitable donation. Tables for eight are available for $1,200. Complimentary photos with the Bishop will be offered during the social hour before dinner. For tickets or more information, contact the Knights’ Hughes Assembly at 4593 N. Camino Campero, Tucson, AZ 85750, or call 520-577-1037. Passports are required for anyone 16 or older. Children can use a birth certificate and an ID card. For more information, contact Joanne Welter at 520-792-3410 or email jwelter@ diocesetucson.org.
The annual special collection for the Diocese of Tucson Priests’ Retirement Fund will take place at all parishes on the weekend of Dec. 10-11. This effort supports retired priests.
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Special collection
27 April 2012 1 1 May EGYPT AND HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE
Make your Spiritual
Life come Alive! FATHER MARCO BASULTO and FATHER EDWARDO LOPEZ-ROMO
JMJ
Jesus Mary Joseph Ministries
non-profit non-tax
WWW.JMJMinistries.ORG 573-0065 or (800) 299-5708 Fr. James Zakowicz O.C.D. 2012 Egypt and Holy Land June 23 - July 1
Fatima to Rome Oct. 8 -19 2012 Father Ariel Lustan
DECEMBER 2011 | THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG
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Photos by Jim Stipe, Catholic Relief Services
Bishop Kicanas and CRS personnel talk in front of the quake-damaged Christ the King Church and the Bishop helps a local micro-businessman crush rubble into sand for reconstruction.
Despite quake, Haitians ‘live in hope, trust in God’, Bishop Kicanas says Despite the devastation wrought on Haiti by the earthquake in January 2010, “Haitians are a proud people deeply rooted in their faith,” said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas after a trip there last month. “The Haitians are a joyful people who live in hope and trust in God,” Bishop Kicanas said after visiting the island with fellow officials of Catholic Relief Services, which is playing a prominent role in Haiti’s recovery.
The Bishop, chairman of the board of Catholic Relief Services, was joined by outgoing CRS president Ken Hackett and the new president, Dr. Carolyn Woo, in Port au Prince, where, he said, on a temporary shelter wall were scrawled the words “God is good.” Some 300,000 died and another 300,000 were injured in the quake, and 1.5 million lost their homes. Bishop Kicanas said he was “very
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encouraged” to see the work being done by CRS, which has overseen construction of more than 8,000 temporary homes. CRS and Caritas projects are helping people begin micro-businesses in a nation where only 14 percent are formally employed, the Bishop said. “I met a man who was using a sewing machine to make clothes that he can sell to care for his family,” the Bishop said. “I met a woman whose micro-busi-
ness is a bakery. I met a woman whose micro-business is using a hand-operated machine to crush rubble into sand that can be used in reconstruction.” The Bishop said he was “delighted to see Joan Martin,” a former teacher at Our Mother of Sorrows School in Tucson, and hear from her about the ministry called Haiti Project that the parish established in Port du Paix nine years ago.
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THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG | DECEMBER 2011
Bishops cite secular threats to religious rights BALTIMORE (CNS) – In the wake of a bishops’ committee report on religious liberty, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he came away from a recent meeting with President Barack Obama encouraged about some aspects of religious rights concerns. Speaking Nov. 14 at the bishops’ fall general assembly, Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., committee chairman, outlined a range of actions by government agencies seen as threats to religious rights. At a news conference following the session, New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the USCCB, said he came away from a Nov. 8 meeting with Obama “a bit more at peace than when I entered” the Oval Office when it comes to religious liberty. He said he found the president to be “very open to the sensitivities” of the U.S. Catholic Church on issues related to religious freedom that the two discussed. He said the meeting touched on a wide range of topics and that by mutual agreement with the White House, details of the meeting would not be made public, Archbishop Dolan said. He said the current issues related to reli-
CNS photo/Nancy Phelan Wiechel
Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, talks to press as Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York looks on.
gious liberty might be an area where there is room for compromise “as long as we’re not compromising our principles.” Archbishop Dolan said it’s part of the current culture to try to limit the role of religion in the public square as a philosophical shift, “to push religion back into the sacristy” in a way, or in other words, to keep churches from participating in “the public square.” But the church has faced such efforts since the early days of Christianity, he
added. Among the situations Bishop Lori described in his presentation to the bishops are several related to policies of the Department of Health and Human Services. They include an HHS mandate requiring no-cost coverage of contraception and sterilization in most health plans. The mandate is what the federal government terms an “interim final rule” that has “the full force and effect of law.” Religious groups have objected to it, saying
that providing the coverage violates their conscience rights and claim that a proposed religious exemption is too narrowly drawn. In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for not making the U.S. Catholic bishops’ agency include referrals for abortion, sterilization and artificial contraception in its anti-trafficking program. That case is still pending. Bishop Lori also cited the Department of Justice’s shift from defending the Defense of Marriage Act to opposing it in court “as an act of ‘bias and prejudice’ akin to racism, thereby implying that churches which teach that marriage is between a man and a woman are guilty of bigotry.” He said the bishops see a pattern in culture and law to treat religion “as merely a private matter between an individual and one’s own God. Instead of promoting toleration of differing religious views, some laws, some decisions and some administrative regulations treat religion not as a contributor to our nation’s common morality but rather as a divisive and disruptive force better kept out of public life.”
Archbishop Dolan said it’s part of the current culture to try to limit the role of religion in the public square as a philosophical shift, “to push religion back into the sacristy” in a way, or in other words, to keep churches from participating in “the public square.” CHURCH continued from page 1
for sterilization and contraception. HHS also recently denied a one-year grant to the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services to aid foreignborn human trafficking victims. The attention has focused on requirements in the guidelines for the new grants that called for agencies to offer the “full range of reproductive service,” including abortion and contraception, to trafficking victims.
Marriage defense
Bishop Lori also cited the Department of Justice’s shift from defending the Defense of Marriage Act to opposing it in court “as an act of ‘bias and prejudice’ akin to racism, thereby implying that churches which teach that marriage is between a man and a woman are guilty of bigotry.” He said the bishops see a pattern in culture and law to treat religion “as merely a private matter between an individual and one’s own God. ... Some decisions and some administrative regulations treat religion not as a contributor to our nation’s common morality but rather as a divisive and disruptive force better kept out of
public life.” The U.S. bishops’ campaign to strengthen marriage has reached a large audience and also has been garnered awards from professional advertising organizations, the chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth reported to the bishops. In a presentation on the work of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., said the public service announcements with messages about marriage had been measured as having 1.3 billion “audience impressions” since they began several years ago. He said the campaign won a national public relations award in 2009 and has been the most successful effort of its kind ever sponsored by the USCCB. Public service announcements with the theme of “a good marriage goes a long way” were released in September to 1,600 television stations and 7,000 radio stations, he said.
Penn State abuse
During a news conference after the morning session, Archbishop Dolan spoke about
Penn State University’s sex abuse scandal, which he said shows both the scope of the abuse problem and the value of safe environment training. He said the indictment of several Penn State officials and the firing of the university’s president and its longtime football coach “has reopened a wound in the church as well.” “It shows that the scourge (of sex abuse) is not limited to any one faith and certainly not limited to priests,” he said. “It’s in organizations, in universities, all over the place, in families and, yes, in priests.” Archbishop Dolan said the Church’s own sex abuse scandal “makes us a little timid about wanting to give advice” but he said the Church’s experience with providing safe environment training to help children and their parents, as well as clergy and volunteers, become more aware of the warning signs of child sex abuse has been “phenomenally advantageous” over the past decade. During the first day’s session, the bishops also met Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, who said he was pleased to be with
them for the first time. He told the bishops the Pope puts great hope in this country for the future of the universal Church. In votes during the day, the bishops approved a $217.4 million budget for 2012 and a 3 percent increase in diocesan assessments for 2013. They gave preliminary consideration to a resolution that would extend a call to bishops to adhere to sound financial reporting within their dioceses; a vote was scheduled for the next day. The new primate for the world’s 8 million Ukrainian-rite Catholics lauded the work of the U.S. bishops’ annual national collection to aid the church in Central and Eastern Europe. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the collection has provided financial support for the development of basic church structures which had been destroyed by the communist regime. “Today the Church is undergoing a period of rebirth and resurrection,” Archbishop Shevchuk said. — Contributing to this report were Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Mark Pattison and Patricia Zapor in Baltimore and Carol Zimmermann in Washington.
DECEMBER 2011 | THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG
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Devastated by fire, shrine is being restored By BERN ZOVISTOSKI The New Vision It was a Tuesday – June 14 – when a raging wildfire ate its way over a ridge in the Huachuca Mountains and took aim at Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine, situated on a hillside overlooking the San Pedro Valley near Hereford. At the same time, a crew of about 80 firefighters was assembling just above the shrine, intending to set a back-burn in hopes of saving the site. Suddenly, apparently on a signal from a spotter plane, the firefighters “threw their shovels away and ran for their lives” as the wind-whipped flames roared down the hillside and enveloped the site. The fire was hot enough to “melt metal and melt glass” and quickly consumed several structures and blew through tall oak doors on the stone chapel, gutting it, said Nannette M. Chouinard, the shrine site manager. Though damaged, the ciboria and Tabernacle were salvaged. Now all of the debris has been cleared and efforts to restore the shine are under way, with the hope that the work can be finished
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by Easter. Last month The New Vision paid a visit to the shrine off state Rte. 92 between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, just four miles north of the border with Mexico. The 75-foot cross beckoned during the drive up the unpaved Twin Oaks Road toward the shrine and the devastation was still clearly evident in the many oak trees and shrubs that stood blackened by the flames virtually everywhere within sight. Na n n e t t e Chouinard escorted us to the chapel, where electricians Victor N. Silva and Luis A. Silva, brothers, were rewiring the structure. The plan, Nannette said, is to restore the chapel first, then rebuild the prayer house situated nearby on “Mary’s Knoll.” The fire destroyed the home of Nannette’s parents, Jerry and Pat Chouinard, forcing them to flee with just an overnight bag of belongings, Nannette said. “They lost everything except their vehicles,” she said, including their pets, three parrots and a cat. The Chouinards moved in
with her, Nannette said, and don’t plan to rebuild the custom retirement home they lived in for more than 15 years since moving to Arizona from Illinois. Also lost i n
the fire was St. Jo s ep h’s Home, which was used by priests and other clergy as a retreat. It’s boarded up, awaiting resolution of an insurance claim, Nannette said. Furt her down the road from the base
of the hillside is the foundation where stood a two-story guest house called “Mary’s Farm.” Youth retreats were held there, Nannette said, but the structure “probably will not be rebuilt.” In addition to the Celtic cross, a 31-foot statue of Our Lady of the Sierras and two marble statues – the Angel of Revelation and the Angel Guardian of Chil-
dren – survived the fire. While the goal is to have the chapel open for Easter, Nannette said in the meantime visitors can come to the shrine to pray the Stations of the Cross. An paved pathway on the hillside leads to the various stations, which were erected by retired people who wanted to contribute to the site, Nannette said. There is also a small grotto for prayer, and a waterfall near the cross, for contemplation and reflection.
On Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross will be said in the “early afternoon,” Nannette said, and the public is invited. The Chouinards built the shrine after traveling with friends to Medjugorje, a town in western Bosnia-Herzegovina, close to the border with Croatia, where in 1981 six local Catholics reported sighting apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The site is a popular pilgrimage. Nannette said her parents decided, after they returned home, that they should build a shrine to Mary on their property, as a place of prayer and comfort for visitors from around the world, and so they did. Many of the pilgrims come from nearby Mexico, Nannette said. She said a friend, Graciela Valencia, brings bus tours from Hermosillo several times a year. She said “our friends from Mexico” also help out financially. Anyone who would like to assist can donate by check to Our Lady of the Sierras Foundation, P.O. Box 269, Hereford, AZ 85615. Donations are tax exempt.
THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG | DECEMBER 2011
Pope calls for ‘Year of Faith’ to ‘renew energy’ VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI announced a special “Year of Faith” to help Catholics appreciate the gift of faith, deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their commitment to sharing faith with others. Celebrating Mass recently with participants in a Vatican conference on new evangelization, the Pope said the Year of Faith would give “renewed energy to the mission of the whole Church to lead men and women out of the desert they often are in and toward the place of life: friendship with Christ who gives us fullness of life.” The Pope said the observance would begin Oct. 11, 2012 -- the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council -- and conclude Nov. 24, 2013 -the feast of Christ the King. “It will be a moment of grace and commitment to an ever fuller conversion to God, to reinforce our faith in him and to proclaim him with joy to the people of our time,” the Pope said in his homily. Pope Benedict explained his intention more fully in “Porta Fidei” (“The Door of Faith”), an apostolic letter to formally announce the special year.
‘Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy,’ Pope Benedict said, adding that more acts of charity are necessary. “Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy,” the Pope wrote. He said the Catechism of the Catholic Church, first published in 1992, should serve as the handbook for helping Catholics rediscover the truths of faith and deepen their understanding of church teaching. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he said, will publish a “note” to help people live the year “in the most effec-
tive and appropriate ways at the service of belief and evangelization.” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told reporters the document would be published by the end of the year; its tone will be pastoral, rather than doctrinal, giving bishops and Catholic faithful ideas for implementing the pope’s call to deeper faith and greater missionary commitment. In his apostolic letter, the Pope said the year’s focus will be on Jesus Christ because “in him, all the anguish and all the longing
of the human heart finds fulfillment.” Pope Benedict said that in addition to studying the catechism and gaining a greater understanding of the creed, the Year of Faith also must be accompanied with more acts of charity. Faith helps people recognize the face of Christ in those who are suffering, and “it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbor along the journey of life,” the Pope wrote. Pope Benedict said Catholics cannot “grow lazy in the faith.”
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LA
VISIÓN
NUEVA
d e l a D i ó c e s i s C a t ó l i c a R o m a n a d e Tu c s o n
D I C I E M B R E 2 0 1 1
REFLEXIONES
Padre Roberto Kose, OFM Cap.
E
Adviento
stimados hermanos: Deseo darles a todos las bendiciones de esta temporada sagrada, cuando vamos a renovar nuestra misión cristiana de celebrar la venida de nuestro Salvador a este mundo. Adviento es un tiempo de espera por Cristo, nuestro Rey. Un acontecimiento tan importante como éste exige mucha preparación. Muchas familias han tratado de varias maneras, hacer que la preparación sea eficaz. Algunas cosas que tratan han tenido éxito, algunas no. Lo que importa es que lo intentan. Hay muchas maneras que no hemos tratado como familias cristianas pero debemos estar dispuestos a intentarlas porque comprendemos la importancia de una buena preparación para la familia. La meta del Adviento es la renovación de nuestra vida cristiana. Lo que es básico es que aceptemos a Cristo nacido en nuestro mundo. Hay tres niveles necesarios para efectuar la renovación según el plan de la Iglesia: el nivel personal, el familiar y el comunal. Antes que nada, tenemos que aceptar a Cristo como un Salvador personal. Eso quiere decir que dejemos que Cristo nazca en nosotros mismos. Entonces Él puede hablar por nosotros, actuar por nosotros, crecer en nosotros, encontrarse con otros a través de nosotros, y salvar al mundo por nosotros. No podemos dar lo que no tenemos. Si tenemos a Cristo en nuestra vida, esta podemos darla a la familia y a los miembros de nuestra comunidad. La comunidad cristiana se forma de familias cristianas. La fuerza de la comunidad depende en las familias que la componen. Por eso, se dice que cada familia cristiana es una Iglesia en miniatura. La celebración de la Navidad se distingue de una familia cristiana de otras familias que no tienen a Cristo como cabeza del hogar. Quizás en este Adviento recibiremos la llamada a renovar a nuestra familia, según el deseo de Dios. La comunidad de hoy en día necesita el ejemplo y apoyo de las familias cristianas. La comunidad cristiana puede cambiar la sociedad y el ambiente si tenemos una comunidad bien fundada en Cristo. La Navidad ofrece una buena oportunidad para aumentar nuestra unidad en Cristo quien vino para traernos la paz, el amor y el mensaje que nos ayuda a vivir como un pueblo escogido por Dios y consagrado a Él. ¡Hoy es día de la salvación! ¡Cristo vive entre nosotros! ¡Anímense! ¡Dejen que el nacimiento haga una diferencia en nuestro mundo!
Tu c s o n , A Z Vo l . V I , N u m e r o X I
w w w. n e w v i s i o n o n l i n e . o r g
El Viaje Papal a Latinoamérica es una Bendición para el Continente Despierta Entusiasmo en Todos los Medios Católicos del Mundo la Noticia
ROMA, Italia. (ZENIT.org).- La noti-
cia de que el Papa prepara un viaje a América Latina, despertó gran entusiasmo en los diversos ambientes católicos del mundo. “Es una noticia extraordinaria”, expresó el cardenal Marc, y precisó que “es una noticia que nos llena de alegría porque las iglesias de América Latina están todas llenas de deseo de ver al Papa”. El laico más importante del Vaticano quiso precisar que “a Benedicto XVI no pueden pedirle más de todo lo impresionante que está haciendo como entrega a la Iglesia y además los viajes apostólicos. Juan Pablo II empezó a viajar a los 59 años. Benedicto XVI a los 79 años. Así que todo el mundo es consciente que el Papa da lo máximo de sí, lo mejor de sí, en los viajes que ha hecho últimamente. Por ejemplo los dos en Inglaterra y Alemania fueron una grandísima bendición de Dios que va a florecer no solamente en esas iglesias sino en toda la Iglesia”. “En América Latina –prosiguió el profesor uruguayo–, había la sensibilidad de pensar que el Papa, después de San Pablo, pudiera viajar
a Río de Janeiro, si Dios quiere, en julio del 2013. O sea dos veces sucesivas a Brasil, que es el país líder. Y recordó que ahora se sumará el viaje programado: “Entre los dos viajes, que tenga la generosidad de ir a América Latina y hacer un viaje tan significativo como a México. Sabemos lo que significa para México, para la Iglesia de América Latina y, además, antes pasará nada menos que por Cuba. Este viaje es recibido con una enorme alegría por los latinoamericanos. Va a ser una bendición para América Latina, para su misión continental y ciertamente con mucha repercusión”.
CNS foto/Paul Haring
Una Visita Extraordinaria
La visita del Papa Benedicto XVI a Cuba y México, el próximo año, es un acontecimiento extraordinario para Latinoamérica.
Invitación a la Posada Bi-Nacional
C
omo cada año, Diócesis sin Fronteras hace una invitación para el próximo sábado 17 de Diciembre para que todos asistan a su tradicional Posada Bi-Nacional que tendrá lugar en la frontera de Nogales, Sonora, México, con los Estados Unidos, en la entrada DeConcini. Después de la celebración de la posada, se servirá una cena en el comedor de la Iniciativa Kino en la Frontera. Para más información, favor de dirigirse a los siguientes contactos: Padre Cayetano Cabrera, de la Arquidiócesis de Hermosillo, al teléfono 011-52-631-316-0895, sagfamap@hotmail.com; Ignacio Rodríguez, Diócesis de Phoenix, 602-354-2042, irodrig@diocesephoenix.org; Joanne Welter, Diócesis de Tucson, 520-792-3410, jwelter@diocesetucson.org.
VIDA ECLESIÁSTIC Orientación Familiar
Hijos de Dios Por LUCERO de DÁVALOS
Q
uerido hijo: La autoestima cristiana es igual a ser y sentirse hijos de Dios. No debemos caer en la presunción (complejo de superioridad), porque no es mérito propio ser hijo. No debemos ser temerarios, ni apocados, ni desconfiados (complejo de inferioridad), porque Él es nuestro apoyo. Nos da lo que nosotros debemos dar a nuestros hijos: seguridad. Él nos hace sentir queridos, protegidos y valorados.
Presencia de Dios Vivimos un gozo interno porque Él es nuestro Padre y nos ama, no porque seamos buenos sino porque Su Amor nos hace ser buenos. Sus reglas para que seamos felices no son como termómetro de Su Amor. Él nos ama por igual, nos comportemos como nos comportemos.
Dialoguemos con Nuestra Madre Un padre saludaba con una inclinación de cabeza a los Ángeles de las personas con las que se encontraba. Vivía vida sobrenatural. No somos induístas para poner la mente en blanco, mejor dialoguemos con Él, con Su Madre, con nuestros amigos los Santos, con los Ángeles, ahí es donde debemos ser como aquel niño que iba diciendo cosa por cosa de lo que hacia a manera de comunicación: “Vamos a subir al carro, vamos a la compra, estamos en tal calle”… etcétera. Nos acaban de decir en un retiro: Las obras que valieron fueron las que hiciste en Su Compañía, por más triviales que parezcan. Si estamos llenos de ego, con el alma ocupada, Él no cabe en nosotros, pues tendremos mas presencia nuestra que de Él. Es bueno decirle me voy yendo Señor para que Tú te quedes. Y no sólo decirlo sino hacerlo. Nuestra Madre conserva todo en su corazón. Con cariño te bendice tu madre.
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Cursillos de Cristiandad
El Carisma de la Amistad
Envíamos un saludo fraternal a todos
los lectores de LA NUEVA VISION y, a nombre del movimiento de cursillos de cristiandad, les deseamos muchas bendiciones. En esta ocasión hablaremos del Carisma de la Amistad. Una vez que todos nosotros descubrimos nuestra identidad verdadera como hijos de Dios, nuestra vida cambia. Las abundantes bendiciones de Dios se ven y son experimentadas por los demás a través de nuestro cambio de actitud y acciones hacia nuestras hermanas y hermanos. Debemos rendir nuestras mentes, nuestros cuerpos y nuestra voluntad hacia Dios diariamente y, desde luego, la mejor manera de rendirlo es desarrollando y viviendo una relación íntima de amistad con la manifestación del visible amor de Dios, Su hijo Jesucristo. Esta relación con Jesucristo nos hará discípulos verdaderos de Él. No sólo en lo que hacemos sino también en quienes somos –los hijos de Dios, hermanas y hermanos de Cristo–, templos del Espíritu Santo. Toma toda una vida para construir esta relación íntima con Jesucristo, consigo mismo y con los demás, así que no debemos desalentarnos ni rendirnos cuando tropezamos y caemos. Nuestra misión en el mundo, por lo tanto, incluye nuestra convicción a Cristo y nuestra decisión diaria para compartir la buena nueva de que Dios nos ama. La mejor manera de compartir esta gran noticia es practicando el carisma de la amistad en nuestras actividades diarias, en el tiempo y en el preciso lugar en que nos encontramos. Es por el carisma de la amistad que demostraremos a los demás nuestra convicción de fe a Jesucristo. Si practicamos este carisma especial, este extraor-
dinario y sin igual abrasador amor de Dios, en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida –la familia, lugar de trabajo, la parroquia, lugares de recreación, etcétera–, floreceremos donde Dios nos ha plantado. Debemos estar abiertos, ayudarnos unos a otros por medio de nuestra amistad, para poder estar donde debemos estar. Como una humanidad abatida, estamos constantemente en búsqueda del Dios de la misericordia y sanación. Sabemos en nuestros corazones que Él está allí, esperando para recibirnos y abrazarnos como sus hijas e hijos pródigos. Permítanos por lo tanto abrir nuestro corazón, mente, espíritu y alma, para buscar la misericordia y gracia de Dios en el orden que nosotros poder dar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas lo que hemos recibido de Dios por Jesucristo, su hijo: todo su amor logrado por nuestra entrega a la voluntad de Dios. Es a través de este carisma de la amistad que la gracia de Dios y el amor de Cristo para su Iglesia nos habilita a tener una convicción al Evangelio y para hacer las decisiones concretas en nuestros encuentros diarios para amar a nuestras hermanas y hermanos. Es este carisma de la amistad que nos habilita no sólo para llegar a aquellos con quien procuramos tener una relación, sino a todas las personas a quien Dios ha colocado en nuestro sendero. Es este carisma de la amistad lo que nos hace posible vivir lo fundamentalmente cristiano, para que podamos anunciar la buena noticia a todos los que nos encontremos en nuestro camino: ¡Que Dios les ama! Para más información (520) 791-7525 Tucson; (520) 364-4339, Douglas; 255-5229 Sierra Vista; (928) 783-3696, Yuma.
Entregan Biblias a Jóvenes del Mundo M
ADRID, España. (ZENIT.org).- Cerca de medio millón de biblias han sido distribuidas entre jóvenes de todo el mundo, gracias a una edición especial para jóvenes lanzada por el instituto estadounidense Fe y Vida. La Biblia Católica para Jóvenes tiene un estilo creativo con breves oraciones, ilustraciones y resúmenes que facilitan su lectura. También ofrece recursos como preguntas y respuestas para hacer pensar a los jóvenes y la descarga de canciones. Desde que se publicó, el instituto Fe y Vida ha lanzado su propio perfil en Facebook y Youtube para llegar a más personas. Por ahora, esta Biblia, editada por Verbo Divino, sólo está en español e italiano, aunque ya se está traduciendo al portugués. Sus ventas se han realizado sobre todo en Estados Unidos, Latinoamérica y Europa, en donde han sido recibidas con verdadero beneplácito.
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CAMINO DE LA FE
Desarrollando una Idea
Conjugando el Verbo DAR
Por ELEAZAR ORTIZ
Un
día –pensé–, me levantaré con la idea prendida en una neurona y empezaré a desarrollarla tal y como la concebí. Así que ese día escribiré, terminé pensando, sobre el verbo dar. Hoy quiero, sin haber soñado el texto sino influenciado por los tiempos, escribir sobre este bendito verbo que tiene la magia de curar la melancolía y la falta de ánimo. Cuando se acerca Diciembre se empiezan hacer planes. Apenas es Octubre y ya se tiene la lista de los regalos que hay que ir adquiriendo durante este par de meses de final de año. Los jóvenes también hacen sus planes para esta fechas. Ellos sienten la presión de los exámenes finales de semestre pero, además, en muchas ocasiones sienten la presión de la escasez de dinero en casa. Y eso duele en el ánimo y en el alma. Cuando nacemos llegamos sin nada a este mundo. Se nos ha dado un cuerpo y todo un sistema que, en condiciones normales, es una maravilla del Creador. Traemos su espíritu y el libre albedrío y traemos lo único que es nuestro aparte del organismo, el tiempo. De tal manera que cuando nacemos empieza nuestro camino a nuestro encuentro con la muerte. Lo que uno hace con su tiempo es cosa de uno. Ahora sí que un día más es un día menos. Es una oración antitética pero que es una realidad. Y así vamos, en esta vida terrestre, navegando sobre las olas de las horas del tiempo haciendo de nuestras vidas nuestros propias decisiones. Así pasan los meses y ahora se acerca Diciembre.
No es ególatra usar el “yo” cuando lo usas con el verbo dar. Es la combinación ideal si lo que das es tu tiempo. Usar el pronombre personal “yo” con el verbo dar es de almas nobles. “No tengo nada que dar” me comentó un estudiante de escasos recursos y rico en sentimientos positivos. “Tienes tu tiempo”, le respondí, y “puedes hacer feliz a un ancianito o a un niño”. Los jóvenes pocas veces piensan a largo plazo y lo que quieren lo quieren ya. Cuando dan algo, por sencillo e insignificante que sea, como una hoja de papel a otro estudiante, y les dan las gracias, reciben el pago de inmediato y además, muy probable, acompañado de una sonrisa. Se hilan los favores y se hilan los agradecimientos y sonrisas y eso significa que dar paga y paga bien. En esta vida cada quien escribe su novela y cada día es una página que se escribe. Los diciembres que trae la vida deben de estar llenos de dicha al celebrar el nacimiento de Jesús. Él dio su vida por nosotros. Deben los jóvenes --incluso los mayores--, enfocarse en dar y estar conscientes de que un minuto que se da de nuestras vidas es un minuto que no vuelve jamás a uno. ¿Será valioso entonces dar tu tiempo? Tus padres pueden necesitar tu compañía este Diciembre; tus abuelitos esperan tu visita o una llamada por teléfono; tus hermanos y tus mejores amigos esperan tu compañía para abrazarte y pasar un buen rato contigo. Aún podrás decir que no tienes a nadie cerca de tí pero voltea a tu alrededor y verás que hay muchas personas que serían felices si le regalas unos minutos de tu tiempo. Entonces, este Diciembre usa mucho las palabras “Yo doy”.
Como Vivir en Paz
La Asimetría o el Desbalance del Amor Por PINO PELLEGRINO
En el ámbito de
las “redes sociales”, del Internet, se menciona el término asimetría para describir cuando una persona, por lo general famosa, tiene muchos seguidores o amigos sin necesariamente mostrar una reciprocidad. Mucho del esfuerzo en nuestras vidas se enfoca en tener la esperanza o controlar que los demás nos quieran, amen, respeten, entiendan.
Como los famosos, queremos la asimetría a nuestro favor. Puede ser una forma de egoísmo o inseguridad. Sin embargo sólo podemos controlar nuestra parte en el querer, amar, respetar y entender. Si aceptas que este desbalance puede estar en tu contra vivirás con mayor paz y si lo vives en comunión con Dios crecerás espiritualmente. Cristo no vino a este mundo como el Mesìas que esperá-
bamos, sin embargo nos presenta una posibilidad mejor y nos abre las puertas de Su casa y nos invita a pasar. La cruz que Jesús nos invita a tomar para el camino lleva entre sus dolores el amar sin ser correspondido. Te invito a despojarte de todo deseo de fama, inclusive la de esperar un reconocimiento por tus buenas obras, o peor aun la de querer manipular a los demás por virtud de tus “buenas” obras.
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VISION CATÓLICA
Un hombre contaba su testimonio: “Estoy contento
de estar de nuevo con ustedes, en esta mi iglesia. Quiero que sepan que, a pesar de que maltrate mucho a mi mujer, abandone a mis hijos, mentí, robé, e hice otras atrocidades, que me llevaron muchos años a la cárcel, nunca he perdido mi religión. Para muchos seres humanos, la religión es como una “póliza de seguro para ir al cielo”. En su obra The Spirituality of Imperfection, E. Kurtz y K. Ketcham señalan que “la religión es para quienes tienen miedo de ir al infierno, y la espiritualidad es para quienes ya han estado ahí”. La modernidad hace una distinción entre espiritualidad y religión. A la religión la define el diccionario como un “sistema institucionalizado de culto y creencias al que uno se somete con ardor”. Para muchos, la religión es sinónimo de doctrina, autoridad, culto, organización, límites, premio y castigo, avaricia y miedo. En cambio, la espiritualidad implica la consciencia del aquí y ahora; la espiritualidad es el aprendizaje de cómo vivir con las imperfecciones.
Uno de los riesgos de la religión, decía Jung, es “prote-
ger a las personas de una experiencia directa de Dios”. La organización de alcohólicos anónimos se presentó al mundo desde un principio como un grupo espiritual, pero no religioso. Ellos habían recurrido a la medicina y esta les llamó “enfermos”. Fueron a la religión y les llamo “pecadores”. Recurrieron a la psicología y esta les dijo que eran “disfuncionales”. Fueron a los filósofos y estos les llamaron “seres falibles”. La espiritualidad los acogió diciéndoles: “si hay algo malo contigo, pero eso no es malo, es la condición humana”. Con el tiempo, llegaron a tener consciencia de que la oración más eficaz es decir: “Señor ven en mi auxilio, date prisa en socorrerme” (salmo 70). Buscaron ayuda para lo que no pueden enfrentar, o lograr por si mismos; aceptaron su propia impotencia, aceptaron que no tienen control, y allí mismo nació su mística, o su “espiritualidad”. La religión debería ser así. La gracia nos ayuda a
NI TANTO QUE QUEME AL SANTO Padre Viliulfo Valderrama
Hacia una Espiritualidad de lo Imperfecto entender que es lo que está mal en la vida. Y lo primero que está mal es el deseo de control, y de pretender ser Dios. Jean Paul Sartre definía al hombre como “la criatura que pretende ser Dios”.
U
no debe reconocer que lo único que se sabe es que no se sabe nada; lo único que se posee es que no se posee nada, lo único que sé es que no sé es. En ese momento surge entonces el paso de rendirse ante una fuerza suprema que es Dios. La espiritualidad de AA es totalmente consciente de las imperfecciones. Para llegar a la profundidad de Dios se tiene que llegar a la profundidad de uno mismo. Una adicción mantiene a la persona en comunicación constante con Dios. Más aún, la adicción es una de “las llagas que permite que Dios entre a la vida”. (Eckhart). Dios viene al hombre a través de una herida (dolor, pena, adicción, etc.) No importa que tan duro intentemos negar la realidad, el hecho es que no tenemos control de ella. Y esa conciencia nos empuja más cerca de Dios, porque nos humilla. Alguien dijo que Dios está más cerca de los pecadores que de los santos. Hay una historia que dice así: Dios en el cielo sostiene a cada uno con una cuerda. El que peca corta la cuerda. Entonces Dios la estira haciendo un nudo, y así acerca al pecador más hacia Él. Y si este sigue pecando, sigue cortando la cuerda, y Dios sigue haciendo más nudos, y cada nudo acerca al pecador más y más a Dios. La religión debería abrazar más abiertamente a los imperfectos. Y en esa la religión de los imperfectos, ciertas dósis de humildad son la clave de acceso a la divini-
Mensaje por el Día de los Fieles Difuntos
Mantener Encendida la Lámpara del Amor: El Papa El siguiente ese el mensaje dirigido por el Papa Benedicto XVI con motivo del Día de los Fieles Difuntos, el pasado mes de Noviembre.
¡Queridos hermanos y hermanas!
Las lecturas bíblicas nos invitan a prolongar la reflexión sobre la vida eterna, iniciada con motivo de la conmemoración de todos los fieles difuntos. Sobre este punto, es neta la diferencia entre quien cree y quien no cree o, se podría igualmente decir, entre quien espera y quien no espera. San Pablo escribe a los tesalonicenses: “No queremos dejaros en la ignorancia sobre aquellos que murieron, para que no estéis tristes como quienes no tienen esperanza” (1 Ts 4,13). La fe en la muerte y la resurrección de Jesucristo marca, también en este campo, un antes y un después decisivo. También San Pablo recuerda a los cristianos de Éfeso que, antes de acoger la buena noticia, estaban “en el mundo sin esperanza y sin Dios”
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(Ef 2,12). De hecho, la religión de los griegos, los cultos y los mitos paganos, no podían iluminar el misterio de la muerte, tanto que una antigua inscripción decía: “In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidimus”, que significa: “¡Qué pronto recaemos de la nada a la nada!”. Si quitamos a Dios, si quitamos a Cristo, el mundo recae en el vacío y en la oscuridad. Y esto encuentra eco también en las expresiones del nihilismo contemporáneo, un nihilismo a menudo inconsciente que contagia lamentablemente a muchos jóvenes. El Evangelio es una célebre palabra, que habla de diez jóvenes invitadas a una fiesta de bodas, símbolo del Reino de los cielos, de la vida eterna (Mt 25,113). Es una imagen feliz, con la que sin embargo Jesús enseña una verdad que nos hace cuestionarnos; de hecho, de aquellas diez chicas: cinco entran en la fiesta, porque, a la llegada del esposo, tienen aceite para encender sus
lámparas; mientras que las otras cinco se quedan fuera, porque, tontas, no han llevado aceite. ¿Qué representa ese ‘aceite’, indispensable para ser admitidos al banquete nupcial? San Agustín (cfr Discursos 93, 4) y otros autores antiguos leen en él un símbolo del amor, que no se puede comprar, pero se recibe como regalo, se conserva en la intimidad y se practica en las obras. Verdadera sabiduría es aprovechar la vida mortal para realizar obras de misericordia, porque, tras la muerte, eso ya no será posible. Cuando nos despierten para el juicio final, este se basará en el amor practicado en la vida terrena (cfr Mt 25,31-46). Y este amor es don de Cristo, infundido en nosotros por el Espíritu Santo. Quien cree en Dios-Amor lleva en sí una esperanza invencible, como una lámpara con la que atravesar la noche más allá de la muerte, y llegar a la gran fiesta de la vida.
dad. He aquí algunos ejemplos: Juan XXIII decía: “El sentimiento de mi pequeñez me ha mantenido siempre en buena compañía. Nací pobre, de gente pobre y honrada, y me siento orgulloso de morir pobre”. San Francisco de Asís proclamaba: “Si Dios puede actuar a través de mi, Él puede actuar entonces a través de cualquiera”. La madre Teresa de Calcuta pregonaba: “No podemos hacer nada grande, podemos hacer cosas pequeñas con un gran corazón. Soy un pequeño lápiz en la manos de un Dios que escribe poemas de amor al mundo”. Juan Pablo II decía: “Tengo la gran necesidad de su apoyo, de sus oraciones o sacrificios. Se los pido de todo corazón’’. La humildad es el portón de acceso al infinito. Lo que todos tienen que entender es que sólo Dios es perfecto. Sólo Dios es Dios. El hombre no es Dios. El hombre es incompleto e inacabado. Se lucha por la excelencia pero sé es incompleto; se lucha por la estabilidad pero sé es inestable. Lo que nos define es esto: ser insatisfecho, ser imperfecto, ser incompleto, ser incierto y ser quebradizo. Somos perfectamente humanos, y humanamente imperfectos. El reconocimiento de nuestra fragilidad nos hace ser humildes y la humildad es la ventana hacia Dios.
F
inalmente, un abuelo le contó a su nieto sobre una batalla que ocurre en el interior de cada ser humano. Le dijo: “Hijo mío, la batalla es entre dos lobos dentro de todos nosotros. Uno es malvado (ira, envidia, celos, tristeza, pesar, avaricia, arrogancia, autocompasión, culpa, resentimiento, inferioridad, mentiras, falso orgullo, superioridad y ego) y el otro es bueno (alegría, paz amor, esperanza, serenidad, humildad, bondad, benevolencia, empatía, generosidad, verdad, compasión y fe)”. El nieto lo meditó por un minuto y luego preguntó a su abuelo: “¿Qué lobo gana?” El abuelo respondió, “Aquél al que tú alimentes.” Cuando la práctica de una religión no es capaz de permitir al creyente alimentar al “lobo bueno” que lleva en su interior, entonces esa religión es disfuncional y un obstáculo para llegar a Dios. Anthony de Melo dice: “Hubo una vez un hombre que se pasó la vida rezando, y nunca tuvo tiempo para Dios”.
En la Familia se Fragua el Futuro de la Humanidad, Señalan Obispos Paraguayos
A
SUNCIÓN, Paraguay. (ZENIT.org).- Los obispos paraguayos hacen la convocatoria de un trienio dedicado a la familia, en preparación al Año de la Fe promulgado por el Papa. Según esos obispos, “la vocación de familia se está desvirtuando y deteriorando con una rapidez inusual no experimentada en otros tiempos”. Algunos medios de comunicación, denuncian los prelados, “banalizan o relativizan el rol de las familias. Insisten en su imagen desdibujada del tipo de familia: proponen la infidelidad matrimonial, la homosexualidad y la violencia intrafamiliar”. “Se constata un número cada vez mayor de separaciones y divorcios. Persiste la mentalidad abortista, el feminismo exacerbado, el relativismo moral”, lamentan. Les preocupan las familias incompletas, la situación de madres solteras y las consecuencias de la pobreza, de la falta o insuficiente educación debido a la marginalidad. En un apartado, dedicado a la mujer, afirman que “han merecido en el conjunto de la vida eclesial y social un respeto que no siempre recibieron, y un espacio adecuado que no siempre obtuvieron”.
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Empezando empleo o ministerio como voluntario con responsabilidad del cuidado de otros, especialmente menores, significa someterse a un examen de antecedentes. Esto incluye el ahora ya muy conocido examen de la historia de antecedentes criminales. Cuando menos cada cinco años, se repite de nuevo este proceso. Al término de llenar la documentación para este proceso de resguardo y seguridad está Richard Serrano, nuestro Director de Recursos Humanos diocesano. Desde que nuestro Programa de Ambiente Seguro empezó en 2002, Richard Serrano y su equipo en el Centro Pastoral han procesado más de 21,000 chequeos de historias criminales de personas buscando oportunidad de empleo o una posición como voluntarios en nuestras parroquias y escuelas. Asegurándose que los aplicantes no tengan algún registro de historia criminal o cualquier otra cosa en su pasado que pueda impedirles trabajar o ser voluntarios en una parroquia o escuela es una roca fundamental de nuestro Programa de Ambiente Seguro diocesano. El proceso de conducir chequeos de historia criminal es verdaderamente uno de los elementos esenciales del Programa de Ambiente Seguro. Estos chequeos han tenido un impacto. Una forma de uso de los chequeos de historia criminal es refrenar (destierran a ofensores potenciales); esto es un efecto muy fuerte, en nuestra experiencia. Adhiriendo, Richard reporta que estos mismos chequeos han identificado consistentemente el uno o dos por ciento de aplicantes que tienen problemas o resurgimiento de incidentes en su pasado que los hace inaptos o de mucho riesgo para un ministerio.
PROTEGIENDO A NUESTRO NIÑOS Paul Duckro, Ph.D
Examen de antecedentes es esencial Los números no son tan altos, pero el costo de no detectarlos sí lo es. Cuando empezamos el requerimiento de chequeos criminales hace aproximadamente como diez años, hubo un criticismo que eso era “demasiado.” Ahora, nosotros sabemos que lo que hacemos aquí en nuestra Diócesis de Tucsón y en otras diócesis alrededor del país parece haber sido la vanguardia de los esfuerzos para la seguridad de los niños. Casi todas las organizaciones seculares que dan servicio a niños ahora requieren alguna forma de chequeo de historia criminal. Ahora otras iglesias están tomando el mismo paso. ¿Qué hemos aprendido en los pasados diez años? Hemos aprendido que el chequeo de historia criminal es necesaria – pero no lo suficiente. Se admite que ha hecho a nuestras parroquias y escuelas un blanco menos atractivo para aquellos que de otra manera buscaran tener entrada y sí mantiene afuera a los aplicantes que tienen ofensas de menores en el pasado. Por otro lado, esto no agarra a la persona que no ha sido atrapada todavía o que su primera ofensa no ha ocurrido todavía. Hemos aprendido que el chequeo de historia criminal
Diocese in California buys Shuller’s ‘Crystal Cathedral’ ORANGE, Calif. (CNS) -- A bankruptcy court judge has ordered the sale of the Crystal Cathedral and its nearly 31-acre campus in Garden Grove to the Catholic Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert N. Kwan’s Nov. 17 ruling confirmed a decision by the Crystal Cathedral Ministries board of directors to accept the diocese’s offer over a competing bid from Chapman University, which recently raised its offer to $59 million. The Crystal Cathedral, founded by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and the site of his nationally broadcast “Hour of Power” TV program, will lease back the church and other buildings for up to three years. Designed by architect Philip Johnson and dedicated in 1980, the church will eventually become the cathedral for the Diocese of Orange, which is the nation’s 10th largest diocese in terms of Catholic population. “We sincerely regret the difficult circumstances Dr. Schuller and his ministry have encountered,” said Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown in a news release following the bankruptcy court ruling. “Those challenges have now enabled the Diocese of Orange to protect this wonderful
necesita ser parte de un mayor, más extenso proceso de investigación y que éste necesita trabajar conjuntivamente con los otros tres elementos esenciales del programa de ambiente seguro: Educando, manteniendo linderos adecuados y reportando a la policía. Hemos aprendido que cuando un problema que pueda impedir posición de empleo o voluntario se haga evidente en el chequeo de historia criminal no es fácil notificar al aplicante. Richard hace esa notificación con respeto, poniendo en claro que la meta del chequeo de historia criminal no es para castigar o avergonzar, pero para proteger la integridad de nuestro sistema que protege a nuestros niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables. Nuestro sistema de chequeo de antecedentes siempre se apoya en la dirección de honrar nuestra responsabilidad de tener el máximo cuidado en seleccionar a personas que servirán fielmente a niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables de nuestras parroquias y escuelas. Si tú o alguien a quien conozcas ha experimentado abuso por un sacerdote, diácono, hermana, hermano, empleado o voluntario de la Iglesia Católica Romana o por la Diócesis de Tucson – no importa cuándo o dónde sucedió el abuso – les urgimos que reporten el abuso inmediatamente a la policía. También les animamos a que llamen al Programa de Asistencia a Víctimas de la Diócesis de Tucson al 1-800-2340344 en Arizona y la Oficina de Protección de Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos de la Diócesis de Tucson al 520-792-3410. Más información está disponible en www.diocesetucson.org/ ocaap.html.
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structure as a place of worship and will soon provide our Catholic community with a new cathedral, pastoral center, parish school and more. “Despite these wonderful results, we are nonetheless saddened by the events that led us to today’s award and offer our respect to Dr. Schuller and his ministry,” he added. The church, affiliated with the Reformed Church of America, filed for bankruptcy in October 2010, claiming more than $50 million in debts. In its news release, the diocese said “critical design upgrades” would be needed “before the church can be used as a Catholic cathedral.” Bishop Brown said in a Nov. 17 letter to priests and laity of the diocese that the sale would give the diocese “a cathedral large enough to meet our present and anticipated needs.” As currently configured, the church seats 2,800 people. “I was surprised and gratified that so many people told me they were hoping we would be successful,” the bishop added. “It is clear by all the interest focused on our efforts that many of our laity understand the need for and importance of such a cathedral for Catholics in Orange County.”
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At St. Anthony of Padua in Casa Grande, fund-raising dinner ‘celebrates Catholics’ By MARK DROST Special to The New Vision After moving to Casa Grande in August of 1990, I was hired as the maintenance man for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School and church while I was in college, and on my first day of work I was astonished at how run-down the school was. Having graduated from Loretto School in Douglas, Catholic education is very important to me, and I hated seeing the school in disrepair. As I spent more time at the job, I learned the school, almost 40 years old then, had seen much COMMENT better days. But in the late 1980’s, enrollment had fallen and in the Spring of 1990, the decision was made to close the school, except for Pre-School and Kindergarten. There were a lot of hard feelings with parishioners. Some people felt the school should be open whether it was making money or not (and whether there were 240 children or 10). Others thought the school needed to financially stand on its own,
without any help from the church. I’ve seen the school change a lot over the last 21 years. I remember the excitement and fear people expressed when the decision was made to re-open a first grade. I remember how excited everyone was the following year when the decision was made to open a 1st and 2nd grade combination class. I remember how a lot of volunteers came out to help put a new fence around the playground, install new coolers on the classrooms, paint the exterior of the building, run new electric lines, etc. I remember numerous teachers, parents and other volunteers having hundreds of fund-raisers over the last 21 years to try and help the financial stability of the school. When I was asked to serve on the St. Anthony of Padua Foundation Board, I felt I was helping to ensure the future of St. Anthony’s for years to come. I was honored. I have been lucky enough to serve on the Board for 14 years now. The people on the Board are people who have, or had, children attend St. Anthony’s. They know the importance of a Catholic education, and the importance of faith.
Over the years, I have seen my fellow Board members give tirelessly to the school, and these people continue to show me how to live my life. The main fundraiser for our school foundation is an annual dinner, and the dinners have been held for 16 years and helped us raise well over $300,000. Our first guest speaker was Bishop Manuel D. Moreno and over the years have included sisters, priests and alumni. This year we are privileged to have Father Chris Corbally, S.J., an astronomer at the Vatican Observatory at Mt. Graham, and this year’s entertainment will be provided by a St. Anthony’s graduate, Danny Vega, a student at Arizona State University who does stand-up comedy. The dinner is also where the “Tony” awards are presented to people who have gone above-and-beyond to help St. Anthony’s over the years. The winners of this award are people who live their faith, and are people who everyone knows because they are so involved in the school and the parish. These are people that you want to model your life after. A woman came up to me after last year’s event and summed up our dinner best:
“This is not just an opportunity to celebrate St. Anthony’s School, or Catholic education, but it’s an opportunity to celebrate being Catholic!” For me, the Foundation Board is my way of helping to ensure the school does not fall back to its status of 21 years ago. I have seen the school add modular buildings, computer labs, air-conditioning and other conveniences, but all of this means nothing if you have no student enrollment. Our Foundation exists to help ensure we continue to have student enrollment and good facilities for our students. This year’s dinner will be held on Jan. 28 and if you would like to attend, please feel free to give me a call and I will make sure you obtain tickets. If you can’t attend, but would like to help our endowment or perhaps donate some auction items for the evening, please call the parish office at 520-836-0601 and leave a message for me. I’ll get back with you. Thank you. — Mark Drost is president of the St. Anthony of Padua School Foundation Board. The school has classes kindergarten through eighth grade.
Cartoonist Bil Keane, creator of ‘Family Circus,’ dies
BIL KEANE
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bil Keane, the Catholic cartoonist who originated the comic strip “The Family Circus” more than 50 years ago, died Nov. 8 at age 89 in Paradise Valley, Ariz., near Phoenix. The cause of death was given as congestive heart failure. Born William Aloysius Keane in Philadelphia, he taught himself to draw while a student at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He got his first cartoon published in 1936 on the amateur
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page of the Philadelphia Daily News. But the urge to do cartoons started even earlier. While a sixth grader at St. William School in Philadelphia, Keane drew a picture of his teacher, an Immaculate Heart of Mary sister named Sister Ann. When she caught a glimpse of his art, though, she responded in a way no one expected: She decided the class needed its own newspaper and Keane should be editor. Sister Ann also told Keane that she’d
pray for his future success as a cartoonist. Keane served in the Army 1942-45, drawing for Yank magazine and later for the Army’s newspaper, Stars and Stripes. While serving in Australia, he met his future wife, Thelma, the inspiration for “Thel” in “The Family Circus.” Returning to Philadelphia after his military service, he got a job with the Philadelphia Bulletin. After the Keanes moved to Arizona, Bil Keane came up with the idea for “The Family Circus.”
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CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA, INC.
Strengthening families in every way By RUTH LILJENQUIST There’s no question. Strong families are absolutely fundamental, not only to the welfare of each member of a family, but to the strength of communities and nations. Many families in our community today are doing well, but there are far too many families facing overwhelming challenges that threaten their very ability to nurture each other and their children. Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona was founded in 1933 primarily to help families facing tremendous difficulties as a result of the Great Depression. At that time, CCS offered food and clothing. Today, as we as a nation struggle to recover from the Great Recession and families struggle to make ends meet, CCS still provides food and clothing, but also an array of programs and services that support families so that they can do more than survive, but thrive. Take a look at how we served families during our last fiscal year. Shelter & Housing Services: In CCS’ four domestic crisis shelters, 693 women and children were safe from family violence. Through our transitional housing program,
Strengthening families is at the heart of CCS’ work.
CCS provided homeless families—55 adults and 77 children—with over 50,000 shelter nights. We also provided housing counseling to 809 families, helping many avoid foreclosure, handle short sales on their homes, negotiate with lenders, and, in some cases, buy a home. Financial Assistance: CCS provided clothing, food items, and emergency assistance to 3,025 people in need last year, but we also worked with many families to help them secure a more stable future. We provided
financial education to 283 families, matched the savings of 42 families, and assisted 4,075 people with their taxes, resulting in $6.9 million in tax refunds and $3.3 million in tax credits being returned to families in our community. Health Services: St. Elizabeth’s Health Center provides medical and dental care, as well as health education to people without health insurance. Last year, St. E’s provided free or low-cost care through 14,468 medical visits and 4,416 dental visits. In addition,
7,800 women and children received WIC services. Counseling and Case Management: CCS provided family counseling to 55 families, helping them handle life challenges. Further, CCS provided case management to 120 families, arranging needed services to help them meet their needs and become more self-sufficient. Education, Childcare, and Youth Activities: CCS provided low-cost, high quality early childhood education and child care for working families, as well as after school and youth development programs for 360 children. Child Welfare: CCS worked with 255 families to help them overcome problems that can lead to child abuse or neglect and keep their families intact. Supporting and strengthening families is one of the most important things we do at CCS because how we do as a society all comes down to how well we do as families. — For more information about CCS’ programs and services, visit www.ccs-soaz. org or call 520-623-0344.
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Beginning employment or ministry as a volunteer with responsibility for the care of others, especially minors, means undergoing a background check. This includes the by-now familiar criminal history check. At least once every five years, we do it all over again. At the end of the paper trail for this safety and security process is Richard Serrano, our diocesan Human Resources Director. Since our Safe Environment Program began in 2002, Richard and his team at the Pastoral Center have looked at more than 21,000 criminal history checks of persons seeking employment or a volunteer position at our parishes and schools. Making sure that applicants don’t have a criminal history record or anything else in their past that would preclude them from working at a parish or school is a foundation block of our diocesan Safe Environment Program. The process of conducting criminal history checks is indeed one of the essential elements of the Safe Environment Program. These checks have had an impact. One role of criminal history checks is as a deterrent (keeping potential offenders away); this is a powerful effect, in our experience. In addition, Richard reports that the checks themselves have consistently identified the one to two per cent of applicants who have problems or issues in their past that make them unfit or too risky for ministry. The numbers are not great, but the cost of missing them
There are times in the course of my years of ministry when I become especially aware of how the people I serve inspire me. Lately there has been an abundance of such occasions. Recently Father Don and I offered a two-day retreat for the men at the GEO prison in Florence. We took full advantage of the two feasts those days: All Saints and All Souls. All of our input and process work with the inmates was on related themes: what goodness and holiness look like for the incarcerated person; the support we have within the communion of saints; the Christian Catholic view of death and eternal life and our feelings about death; and purgatory. We interfaced Scripture, the lives of particular saints, and our experience of becoming saints for some wonderful discussion. The inmates were so happy to have three special sacramental experiences in the course of two days: Reconciliation, Eucharist, and the
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PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN Paul Duckro, Ph.D
Background checks essential
would be. When we began the requirement for criminal history checks nearly 10 years ago, there was some criticism that it was “overkill.” Now, we know that what we do here in the Diocese of Tucson and in other dioceses around our country seems to have been in the vanguard of child safety efforts. Almost all secular child-serving organizations now require criminal history checks of some type. Other churches also are taking this path. What have we learned in the past 10 years? We’ve learned that a criminal history check is necessary–but isn’t enough. It does make our parishes and schools less inviting targets to those who might otherwise seek to gain entry and it does keep out applicants who have offended with minors in the past. On the other hand, it does not catch the person who has not been caught yet or whose first offense is yet to occur. We’ve learned that the criminal history check needs
THAT ALL MAY KNOW THE SAVIOR Sister Jane Eschweiler, S.D.S.
MINISTERS: Receiving As They Give
A personal reflection
Sacrament of the Sick. They openly shared their faith and conversion process with each other in humility and candor. I felt inspired and blessed to be among them. Each Thursday noon, Peggy and I facilitate a Bible study at St. Cyril for anyone who wishes to attend. The eagerness of Catholics to understand and further appreciate the Word of God is wonderful. Several who
to be part of a larger, more extensive process of screening and that it needs to work synergistically with the other three essential elements of the safe environment program: educating, maintaining good boundaries and reporting to law enforcement. We’ve learned that when an issue or problem that would preclude employment or volunteer status shows up in a criminal history check it is not easy to deliver that news to an applicant. Richard makes that notification with respect, making clear that the goal of the check is not to punish or embarrass, but to protect the integrity of our system that protects our children, youth and vulnerable adults. Our system of background checks always leans in the direction of honoring our responsibility to take the utmost care in selecting persons who will faithfully serve children, youth and vulnerable adults in our parishes and schools. If you or anyone you know has experienced abuse by a priest, deacon, sister, brother, employee or volunteer for the Roman Catholic Church or for the Diocese of Tucson – no matter when or where the abuse happened – we urge you to report the abuse immediately to law enforcement. Also, we encourage you to call the Victim Assistance Program of the Diocese of Tucson at 1-800-234-0344 in Arizona and the Office of Child, Adolescent and Adult Protection of the Diocese of Tucson at 520-792-3410. More information is available at www.diocesetucson.org/ocaap.html.
come have read and studied the Scriptures in other classes and settings, but feel there are always more dimensions to a gem. One recent Saturday, our entire team led a liturgy workshop at St. Joseph Parish. The reverence liturgical ministers expressed for their ministries and the people they serve was evident as we discussed the spirituality that grounds them. I came away happy. This month, Reggie Sasseen and I will initiate the Theology of Ministry course for those candidates preparing to be lay ecclesial ministers and permanent deacons. We will begin by sharing our convictions about ministry, gleaned from a combined total of 90 years! I realize more and more that ministry is a network of sacred relationships directed toward furthering the reign of God. As we sing in The Prayer of St. Francis, it is in giving that we receive.
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1,000 teens show ‘fervor of faith’ at YouthFest
The New Vision photos by Omar Rodriguez
Nationally known evangelist Jesse Manibusan is joined on stage by teens as he exhorts the crowd to respond to his message at the Youth Fest.
At right, the Ike Ndolo Band entertains during a light moment.
Energized by the music and humor of keynote speaker Jesse Manibusan, some 1,000 teens from more than 30 parishes in the Diocese of Tucson took part last month in the annual diocesan YouthFest in Tucson. “If anyone doubts the faith of young people,” said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, “I wish they could have been present with us… The fervor of the teens’ faith and their desire to do great things for Christ was apparent.” Bishop Kicanas participated in the daylong event and presided at a Mass that he described as “very moving.” In his homily, the Bishop shared with the young people the encouragement offered by Pope Benedict XVI last month in Germany: “Dare to be glowing saints, in whose eyes and hearts the love of Christ beams and who thus bring light into the world.” The theme for the gathering at Tucson Convention Center was “Planted in Mission,” and Bishop Kicanas noted that the teens “showed that they are planted deeply as they were challenged to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and to service of one another.” Referring to the nationally known evangelization of Jesse Manibusan, the Bishop said the speaker “incited singing, shouting, clapping and praying” with “his music and his powerful words of encouragement to become beacons of hope, bringing their gifts to care for those most in need.” The teens chose from three workshops – one led by students at San Miguel High School in Tucson reflecting on the dignity and sanctity of all human life, focusing especially on the harm caused by bullying. Another workshop dealt with helping teens see how they can safely navigate the digital world as disciples of Christ, while in the third Bishop Kicanas and Marcos Martinez of Catholic Relief Services outlined the unequal resources among those in first, second and third world countries.
Bishop, Filipino priests attend ‘first-ever’ national assembly Seven of the eight Filipino priests serving in the Diocese of Tucson attended the firstever National Assembly of Filipino Priests, USA, last month in Los Angeles and heard Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas speak of the strong bond that has been established with priests from the Philippines. “Historic” was the word used by Filipino priests to describe the assembly, which included an opening Mass followed by a day of workshops on spiritual growth and pastoral enrichment, a Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, a priests’
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concert and the election of a new leadership council. The assembly at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel was attended by 370 priests, who participated in an emotional opening Mass. Concelebrants included Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, Santa Rosa Bishop Emeritus Daniel Walsh, San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy, L.A. Auxiliary Bishops Edward Clark and Thomas Curry, and Bishop of Alaminos (Philippines) Marlo Peralta. Bishop Kicanas traced the history of the
ties between the Diocese of Tucson and the Philippines, noting that Bishop Daniel J. Gercke, who served as Tucson’s bishop from 1923 to 1960, was assigned as a priest in 1903 as secretary to the Bishop there and spent six years in the islands. The assembly’s aims are to promote unity, support, and growth among Filipino priests ministering with their cultural gifts and to serve as a forum for collaboration and effective pastoral leadership development. There are some 900 Filipino Catholic priests serving in various capacities in
the United States. Those attending from the Diocese of Tucson were Father Ricky Ordoñez, Father Seraphim Molina, Father Miguel Mariano, Father Jojo Tabo, Father Joe Marie Corvera, Father Lawrence Lugo and Father Arnold Aurillo. Father Ariel Lustan was not able to attend because of a prior commitment. The event was held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral statement, “Asian and Pacific Presence: Harmony in Faith.”
THE NEW VISION - LA NUEVA VISIÓN OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TUCSON | WWW.NEWVISIONONLINE.ORG | DECEMBER 2011