Local News October 2006
Cathoic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Phoenix Offers Program on Bereavement Training
PHOENIX (October 23, 2006) Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Phoenix is underwriting a free bereavement training program designed to train bereavement ministers who can offer assistance to those who have lost family members and loved ones. The program, facilitated by Catholic Cemeteries, is the product of a collaborative effort with the Diocesan Office of Evangelization to Persons with Disabilities, Catholic Charities, the Kino Institute and Ministry of Care Coordinators from four valley parishes.
The eight-part program already is underway at the Diocesan Pastoral Center at 400 East Monroe, Phoenix, but the program will be offered again, this time in a three-part series that will be held on Saturdays, January 13, February 10 and March 10, 2007, at the Catholic Cemeteries Administrative Office, 2033 N. 48th St., Phoenix.
The program examines the Christian understanding of the mystery of death and the experience of the dying process. Rooted in the experience of Jesus Christ, it presents an understanding of suffering and offers perspectives on the paschal mystery, especially the Christian hope in the Resurrection. It also provides an understanding of the liturgy and rites for the dying and the dead.
“The need for bereavement volunteers across the valley is so great that we have committed to provide the program on a yearly basis, beginning each fall,” said Gary L. Brown, Executive Director of Catholic Cemeteries. “The program is a collaborative effort of Catholic Cemeteries and other Diocesan agencies involved in pastoral care and social services.”
The program features classes on the Christian understanding of suffering, the understanding of the Paschal Mystery, liturgy and rites for the bereaved, and the dying process and anticipatory grief. It also focuses on bereavement in the life cycle, active listening, unique grief circumstances and ministerial boundaries. Those who complete the program will earn a Certificate of Completion of the Bereavement Care Training.
For more information on the bereavement program, contact Debra Reed, Catholic Cemeteries at 602/ 267-1329, ext. 164.
Catholic Cemeteries of the Dioceses of Phoenix Breaks Ground to Construct First Ever Mortuary
Artist Rendering of the East & West Side of the New Mortuary
(Oct 22)-Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Phoenix has broken ground at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Mesa to build the first-ever, cemetery-based mortuary in the Diocese of Phoenix.
Expected to be completed in the summer of 2007, the 10,000-square-foot facility will be located on the corner of Harris and Baseline and provide Catholic families of the Diocese mortuary and cemetery services. The mortuary program will strictly adhere to the traditions and teachings of the Catholic faith as part of a cemetery ministry that is designed to work with the parishes of the Diocese to meet the burial needs of Catholic families.
“Just as Jesus’ body was carefully and sacredly prepared for its final placement in the tomb, this new mortuary will enable our cemetery ministry to provide a comprehensive Christian burial service for our Catholic community,” said Gary L. Brown, Executive Director of Catholic Cemeteries. “Queen of Heaven Cemetery was selected to house the mortuary based on its location in the East Valley and the land available for the facility.”
The concept of a cemetery-based mortuary was initiated more than a decade ago when Catholic Cemeteries embarked on a long-range strategic plan to provide more complete death care services for the faithful. A special committee of the Catholic Cemetery Advisory Board prepared a plan that not only focused on more burial space, but also examined the need for additional services related to the preparation and disposition of the remains
A growing concern among Catholic leaders throughout the United States has been the trend in American society to move further and further away from the burial traditions of the Church. To help reverse this trend, the National Catholic Cemetery Conference recommended that the Church consider opening its own funeral homes to restore the traditional role of the funeral ministry, from the physical preparation of the body to the completion of the committal service at the Catholic Cemetery.
“The expansion of the Church’s ministry into the mortuary service area is another way by which our faith conveys its concerns for those who have died and for the faith and welfare of those left behind,” Brown noted. “Offering the opportunity to access the services of a priest, funeral home and cemetery at one location affords a great convenience for those entrusted with responsibility of making funeral arrangements.”
Brown has expressed gratitude to Diocesan leadership for the trust and support it has given this new project. He is especially thankful to Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted who views this innovative concept as an opportunity to evangelize the faith through service to our families during their time of need.
“I look forward to the day when I dedicate our first mortuary for service to God’s people,” Bishop Olmsted said. “This expanded ministry will enable us to assist families who are dealing with the death of a loved one while fostering our Catholic ideals in promoting the dignity of the human person.”
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CELEBRATES
HEROES IN THE COMMUNITY
BY HOSTING FIRST ANNUAL GRANTS RECEPTION
Phoenix, Arizona, October 17, 2006 – As part of its on-going commitment to good stewardship, the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) hosted the first annual Grants Reception on October 5th. In previous years, CCF had simply mailed grant checks; this year, however, the Foundation wanted to personally recognize its recipients for their work by handing out checks at the reception. CCF Grants Program awards totaled $416,000 which was given out to worthy Catholic schools, parishes and agencies.
The theme for the reception was “Celebrating Heroes in our Community.” Grant recipients were recognized for the work they do throughout the community. Major donors were also invited and celebrated as heroes for the critical support they provide the Foundation.
“This grant program could not exist without each of them,” said Cindy Ketcherside, Grants Committee chairman. “Today’s awards were made possible thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, both living and deceased, who have entrusted the Foundation to meet many of the needs of the community.”
This reception is the first of its kind in the Diocese of Phoenix and occurred thanks to the help of many different people. Bishop Olmsted began the reception by blessing the food and MaryBeth Mueller, Director of Education and Evangelization helped to read short profiles on each recipient. Over three hundred Diocesan school children participated by sending in drawings of what “I think a hero is.”
The Catholic Community Foundation was founded in 1983 and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated “To carry on the work of Christ by fostering philanthropy.” The purpose of the foundation is to promote charitable giving from private sources through fundraising, special events, and other special projects in support of the grant and scholarship programs. With assets over $40 million, the Foundation specializes in endowment and grant fund management, as well as estate planning for the Catholic community. To find out more go to www.ccfphx.org or call 602-354-2400.
STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX
Re: The plea agreement regarding Fr. Joseph Briceno
(October 17, 2006) - The Diocese of Phoenix has learned that Fr. Joseph Briceno pled guilty today to two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and the people of the Diocese deeply regret Fr. Briceno’s past actions and extend their compassionate support to the victims and their family.
We urge all affected parties to focus on Christ and seek meaningful reconciliation and healing. A promise of prayer may seem too easy, particularly when trust has been abused. Still, we pray for everyone in the Diocese of Phoenix today – that all of us will feel the loving presence of God helping us to rebuild what has been broken and restore what has been lost.
The abuse of a minor is always a tragedy and the Diocese of Phoenix remains committed to assisting the Catholic community in the prevention, reporting and healing of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse. If anyone has any information regarding allegations of sexual misconduct with minors by a priest, employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Phoenix, please report such allegations to the civil authorities and contact Jean Sokol, Director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection, at 602-354-2396.
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Giving Politics a Faith Lift
Interview With Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix
PHOENIX, Arizona, OCT. 15, 2006 (Zenit.org).- All Catholics have a duty to bring faith to the forefront of political debates, says the bishop-author of a new booklet entitled "Catholics in the Public Square."The publication, written by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, challenges Catholics to take a more active part in influencing the nation and the political process. Published online by Basilica Press, the booklet is the first of The Shepherd's Voice Series, designed to feature the current teaching of cardinals and bishops on key topics facing the Church.
In this interview with ZENIT, Bishop Olmsted, 59, who worked for nine years in the Vatican Secretariat of State, comments on why Catholics should be more active in the public square, and some of the most important issues for Catholic voters.
Q: Is this booklet intended for just politicians, or are there others who are also responsible for bringing a Catholic voice to the forefront of public debates?
Bishop Olmsted: This booklet is intended for all Catholics because we all have a mission in the public square, even if it differs according to our state in life. Christ told us: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden." These words are intended for all the baptized.At baptism, Christ calls each of us to engage in the Church's mission in the world. Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to let the gift of faith influence every part of our daily life, not just what we do on Sunday. A willingness to engage the culture is important for the Church's mission in the world. It is also a service to society.
Q: Why is the Catholic voice struggling to make itself heard in the public square?
Bishop Olmsted: With the influence of modernity and Enlightenment philosophies, many voices in secular society today contend that religion is pure subjectivism and has a role only in people's private lives.If we let our faith impact on the way we practice a profession, engage the culture, or become involved in political struggles, then we are accused of imposing our faith on others. These voices have become increasingly strident in the United States over the past 50 years; and they can intimidate believers, making them afraid or uneasy to let their faith influence their involvement in the public square. False notions about the separation of Church and state have also been put forth, contending that the Church must remain silent in the public square. These contentions are often based on false understandings of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which in fact protects the practice of religion from coercion by the state, rather than limiting the religious voice.
Q: How has this secularization of public life affected public policy, and society in general?
Bishop Olmsted: Secularization can be understood in more than one way, as is evident in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, especially in the foundational document of the council, "Lumen Gentium."The council fathers, wishing to show the difference between the role of clergy and the role of the laity, taught in No. 31 of "Lumen Gentium": "Their secular character is proper and peculiar to the laity … by reason of their special vocation it belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God's will. … It pertains to them in a special way so to illuminate and order all temporal things with which they are so closely associated that these may be effected and grow according to Christ."
We see, then, that secularization can be understood in a positive sense, when we understand it to mean that there is necessary distinction between the Church and the state, and between the roles of the clergy and the laity.Thus, Christians do not believe in establishing a theocracy, but rather see distinct yet complementary roles for both the Church and society. Benedict XVI speaks eloquently about this in his encyclical letter, "Deus Caritas Est." The Church also insists on the vital role of the laity in the family and society.
At the same time, some secularizing trends in society are seriously problematic. In fact, these have arrived at such extremes that they deny the spiritual and religious dimensions of the human person. In addition, the right of the Church to engage in public discourse is denied or at least serious attempts are made to marginalize it.
Under these extremist influences, a kind of secularism that is anti-sacred and anti-religious has arisen. Not only does this hinder the work of the Church, it has opened the door for grave evils to develop in our society.No longer are all persons seen as made in the image of God. Some persons, then, begin to be seen as less worthy of life. Soon, the weak and most vulnerable are described as a burden and not worthy of protection. Sadly, we do not have to look far to find examples in society today where the lives of the most vulnerable, like the unborn and the elderly, are marginalized and threatened by legalized abortion and euthanasia.
Q: If Catholics are afraid to express their beliefs in public, what effects does this have on their faith also on the personal level?
Bishop Olmsted: St. James writes in his New Testament epistle, in Chapter 2, Verse 26, "Faith without works is dead." When Catholics are afraid to express their beliefs in public, they begin to travel down the path that divides faith from life. Faith begins to be purely spiritual, with no impact on other dimension of their lives.
Then, it becomes impossible to live a life of integrity. For faith needs to express itself, as Jesus makes clear, in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting prisoners, defending the most vulnerable, and so forth. Pope Paul VI, and his successors have called this split between faith and life, and between faith and culture, as one of the great tragic dramas of our time.
Notice how often Jesus tells his followers: "Be not afraid." It takes both courage and wisdom to engage our culture and be involved in the public square. We are called to exercise both faith and reason, being careful to inform our conscience on the basis of objective truth.The work of evangelization is built on a commitment to the truth and a commitment to love God and neighbor. It cannot happen without a lively faith and daily discipline of prayer.
Q: In the booklet you say Catholic politicians have a duty to let their beliefs influence their politics. All politicians have a duty to be coherent, but why single out Catholic politicians in this regard?
Bishop Olmsted: My booklet is intended for a Catholic audience. Others are certainly welcome to read it, and many of the principles within it would be appropriate to people of other faiths. By emphasizing that Catholics have a duty to be active in the public square, I am not excluding others from also having an active role.On the contrary, I hope this little booklet will give encouragement to people of other faiths to be active as well in social and political life. That makes for a healthy democracy.
Q: Catholic doctrine on social and moral issues covers many topics. What are the most important ones to keep in mind when deciding whom to vote for?
Bishop Olmsted: The Church engages in a wide variety of public policy issues including immigration, education, poverty and racism. We hope that all the faithful will be well informed about these issues and do their part to address them effectively.As for the most important issues to keep in mind, I find no better words that those of Benedict XVI, given in an address to European politicians on March 30, 2006: "As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable.
"Among these the following emerge clearly today: protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death; recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family -- as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage; … the protection of the rights of parents to educate their children."
Diocese of Phoenix Conducts Southwest Youthfest
at US Airways Center
A Saint Mary's Teen cantors during the South West Youthfest Mass at the US Airways Arena
PHOENIX (October 12, 2006) More than 6,000 Catholic Youths from the Diocese of Phoenix attended the first-ever Southwest Youthfest today at the US Airways Center in Downtown Phoenix.
The event will featured local and nationally known youth speakers and a concert during lunch. In addition, the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, will celebrated Mass at 1 p.m. with those in attendance.
“This is a day for youth,” says Bill Marcotte, director of youth and young adult ministries for the Phoenix Diocese. “The event will provide our young people an occasion to profess and proclaim faith in Christ among their peers and offer each of them an experience of communion.”
Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted Introduces New Booklet Catholics In The Public Square
Bishop Olmsted Delivers Homily on feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary at St Mary's Basilica
PHOENIX (October 7, 2006) The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, today introduced a new booklet he has authored entitled Catholics in the Public Square in which he challenges Catholics to take a more active part in influencing the nation and the political process.
Speaking before “Legislative Seminar 2006” at the Diocese of Phoenix’s Pastoral Center, Bishop Olmsted explained that his booklet is aimed at helping Catholics fight against secularization in our society and the misrepresentation of faith in the public arena. The booklet also demonstrates how Catholics can contribute to a culture of life in a society that too often focuses on death, and focuses on what role Catholic doctrine should play in the public square. In addition, Bishop Olmsted discusses the “non-negotiable” issues for Catholics involved in politics, and refers to the issues that can ban Catholics from Holy Communion.
The Rosary, Faith and the Public Square.
Read the Bishops' Homily
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“Catholics should always be respectful of the human dignity of others, including people of different faiths, or no faith at all,” Bishop Olmsted said. “However, Catholics should not be afraid to embrace their identity or to put their faith into practice in public life.”
Bishop Olmsted’s booklet is the first of The Shepherd’s Voice Series, which is designed to feature the current teaching of Bishops and Cardinals on vital topics facing the Catholic Church in modern times. The series is being published through Basilica Press and will include booklets by Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo and Cardinal Francis Arinze, who is stationed in the Vatican. For more information on the series, contact 1-888-570-5182.
The Diocese of Phoenix will be making 100,000 of Bishop Olmsted’s booklets available. They will be printed in both English and in Spanish and are free of charge.
The booklet was introduced at a legislative seminar that also featured Alan Sears, President of the Alliance Defense Fund, an organization that provides resources to spread the Gospel through the legal defense and advocacy of religious freedom, and Dr. Marci Moffitt of the Catholic Physicians Guild, an organization of physicians dedicated to preserving the sanctity of life. The seminar was sponsored by the Phoenix Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholics United for the Faith.
Bishop Receives Serra International Foundation Award
Bill Folz, 33 year member & past president of the Serra Foundation, presents Bishop Olmsted with the Past Presidents' Award
(Oct 4)- Serra International Foundation has selected Bishop Olmsted as this years’ recipient of the 2005-2006 Past Presidents’ Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding leadership in promoting vocations, particularly vocations to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. Part of the award is a gift of $1,000. The Bishop graciously accepted the gift and promptly ensured the money went back into vocations. Congratulations Bishop Olmsted.
Seton Catholic Names New Interim Varsity Boys’ Basketball Coach
Chandler, AZ – October 3, 2006 –Seton Catholic High School has named Ernie Pintor as interim coach for their varsity Boys’ Basketball Program. Coach Pintor is entering his 10th season as a coach at Seton Catholic.
First hired in 1997, he has held positions at all levels of the program, from Freshman coach through Varsity Assistant. He has been the JV head coach since 2001. Prior to his experience at Seton Catholic High School, Coach Pintor was involved for over 10 years at various coaching levels of youth basketball.
Coach Pintor has been married to Evelyn for 27 years and has three children, Joseph (Seton class of 1999), Michael (Seton class of 2000), and Marissa (Corona del Sol class of 2003). He graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1979 with a degree in Engineering Technology and received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 1992.
Seton Catholic thanks Coach Hosea Graham for his thirteen years of service to the school, ten of which were as Head Coach of the Varsity Boys’ Basketball Program, and wishes him luck in his future endeavors.
>>view September 2006 news stories
