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Local News June 2009 

BISHOP THOMAS J. OLMSTED AND FR. FRED ADAMSON
APPEAR ON AM ARIZONA

PHOENIX (June 26, 2009) The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, and Fr. Fred Adamson, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, appeared today on “AM Arizona,” which is televised by KAZT television (AZ-TV, Channel 7, or Channel 13 on cable or satellite).

Co-hosted by Tonya Mock and Lew Rees, the show airs every weekday and features news and views from across the state of Arizona.

 

You can view an on-line version of the interview here.

BISHOP THOMAS J. OLMSTED AND FR. FRED ADAMSON

TO APPEAR ON AM ARIZONA FRIDAY, JUNE 26

PHOENIX (June 24, 2009) The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, and Fr. Fred Adamson, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, will appear live at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 26, on “AM Arizona,” which is televised by KAZT television (AZ-TV, Channel 7, or Channel 13 on cable or satellite).

Co-hosted by Tonya Mock and Lew Rees, the show airs every weekday and features news and views from across the state of Arizona.  Bishop Olmsted and Fr. Adamson are expected to discuss issues important to the Diocese of Phoenix, including how the Diocese helps Catholics to engage the culture, the TV Mass Broadcast, which is televised each Sunday by AZ-TV, Catholic schools, the growth in the Diocese of Phoenix, and the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese.

More information on “AM Arizona” and AZ-TV can be accessed through the station’s web site at www.arizonasown.com.

JULY 15 IS REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR KINO INSTITUTE TWO-YEAR FORMATION MINISTRY PROGRAM


PHOENIX (June 25, 2009) The registration deadline for the next Kino Institute ministry formation program is July 15.  Called the Prepare the Way/Caminante Program, the two-year course of study in English or Spanish offers participants an opportunity to engage in a process of learning and conversation about sacred scripture, Church history, Sacraments and Liturgy, morality and much more.


In addition to the two-year formation program, Kino Institute provides workshops covering Canon Law, liturgy, human and faith development, ecumenism and ministry, supervision in parish ministry, and parish structure and ministry.  There is also individual course registration for those seeking specialized training.

For more information or to register, call the Kino Institute at 602-354-2300, or go on-line at www.kinoinstitute.org.

DIOCESAN WEBSITE WILL NOT BE ACCESSBILE
LATE JUNE 12 INTO EARLY JUNE 13

The official website of the Diocese of Phoenix will not be accessible from 8 p.m. on Friday, June 12, until 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, because of needed maintenance and reconfiguration of the Diocesan computer network, which functions as the host server for the website.

The Diocese apologizes for any inconvenience that this interruption in website access may cause anyone who regularly visits the site.  The disruption in service is expected to be short lived, amounting to no more than 10 hours.

DIOCESE OF PHOENIX TO ORDAIN THREE MEN IN CEREMONIES AT CATHEDRAL

PHOENIX (June 2, 2009) The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, will confer the sacrament of priestly ordination on three men in ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, 6351 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix.

The three men being ordained are Robert Bolding, Thielo Ramirez and William Schmid. The youngest is 27. Bolding will begin his priestly ministry at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, Phoenix, and will say his First Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Phoenix, at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 7. Ramirez will serve St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale, and he will give his First Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’ Church, Chandler, at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. Schmid will begin his service at St. Mary’s Parish, Chandler, and will also serve as chaplain at Seton High School, Chandler. He will give his First Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Theresa Church, Phoenix, at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.

“We rejoice in every vocation in the Church, for each one builds up the Body of Christ,” the bishop said. “With special joy, in these days, we thank God for priestly vocations because of our great need for priests, particularly in a diocese that is growing so quickly.”
Fr. Don Kline, vocation director for the Diocese, said that each of the men possesses the necessary gifts for ordained ministry.

They have taken their years of formation very seriously and as a result have much to offer the Church, he noted. “They are men of prayer who understand the life that Our Lord has called them to live."

All three of the new priests come from different backgrounds. They, likewise, have traveled different roads in coming to their decision to embrace the vocation of priesthood.
A native of Phoenix, Bolding said he first thought about entering the priesthood as a senior at Brophy College Preparatory High School.  However, he first attended Northern Arizona University before going to the University of St. Thomas College Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and then eventually ending up at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH.
In describing his seminary experience, Bolding said, “You learn your faith and have these people whose job is to help you become a better person.  We go and pray and study.  We basically build fraternity.”

A native of the Philippines, Ramirez grew up in the Phoenix area, attending Dobson High School. He first attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH, before going to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon and then ending up at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH.

“I realized my vocation at a very young age, but it wasn’t until high school that I started actively pursuing it,” he said.  “I started talking to several priests about the priesthood.  It helped me articulate what God was doing in my heart.”

A native of Mesa, Schmid graduated from Brophy College Preparatory High School and then went on to the University of San Diego, Arizona State University and Scottsdale Community College before attending Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.  He would later join Bolding and Ramirez at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH.

“Bishop James Wall and Pope Benedict XVI have been very instrumental in my faith formation,” he said.  “When he was still a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop Wall encouraged me to follow God’s call without hesitation.

According to Fr. Kline, the preparation these men received at the seminary will help them transition to parish life.  “They seek to keep Christ at the center of all they do,” he said.  “They will serve as pastors of souls and share God’s love in generous ways.”

NOTE: Andrew Junker of The Catholic Sun contributed significantly to this story. More information on the priests that will be ordained can be accessed at: http://www.catholicsun.org/2009/june4/local/ordination-advance.html.

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