Shepherd's Slant

By Bishop Kicanas

As I mentioned last week, I will be in San Diego until Friday of this week participating in the Spring Bishops’ meeting. It is nice to be out of the Tucson heat for a while, although I find myself freezing now if it is below 65 degrees F. I have lost my Chicago blood.

The primary purpose of this meeting is a time of prayer and reflection for the bishops under the guidance of Archbishop Emeritus Michael Miller, CSB, retired Archbishop of Vancouver. However, I did have some business meetings from Saturday to Tuesday.

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I am a consultant to the SubCommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), an anti-poverty initiative begun by the bishops in 1970. The Subcommittee is not like Catholic Charities, providing direct service to the poor, providing food, shelter, care and support to individuals or families in need. Rather, CCHD works to provide grants to support organizations seeking to address the sources that lead to impoverishment of people. While immediate care to people in need is important, it is as important to challenge and confront those structures that lead to poverty as well. CCHD supports and fosters community or economic development projects like voter registration, community-run schools, minority-owned cooperatives, credit unions, capital for industrial development, job training programs, setting up of rural cooperatives and seeking to develop leadership in underprivileged communities. In our meeting we discussed how some do not understand the difference between charity, giving direct help to those struggling and seeking to address the structures that keep people in poverty. CCHD directs grants to organizations working with the poor to help empower them to contribute to their community’s well being. These CCHD grants can in no way promote positions contrary to the Church’s teachings and must be approved by the local bishop before being reviewed by the Subcommittee for approval. Much good has been done through your gifts to CCHD.

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I am also a member of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) Board which provides training and support to a dedicated network of more than 400 Catholic and community-based immigration law providers in 49 states. CLINIC ultimately serves nearly 500,000 immigrants a year, making it the largest nonprofit immigration law organization in the country. CLINIC also offers highly specialized direct legal representation and trading and technical assistance for immigrant defenders about current practice and strategy before the courts. It is clear that immigrants represented by a lawyer are much more likely to receive a fair and just hearing in the court. Our agencies and many other NGOs only work with migrants sent to us from ICE to be attended to and assisted in their journey.

This is a very challenging time to talk about immigration. As a nation we are so very divided. We have seen protests arising in many cities including our own. Sadly and regrettably some of these protests have turned violent. We need as a nation to consider our immigration policies which everyone has acknowledged are broken and in need of revision but the Congress and nation have not yet been able to develop a fair and humane immigration system.

Migration is as old as human experience. People migrate today for the same reasons as throughout history; to escape oppression famine, war and danger, to search for justice and security, and to create better and safer lives for themselves, their families and future generations. While some criminal elements are involved, most migrants are people like us, seeking a better way of life or seeking to escape from life threatening situations. 

They are human beings like us, who need to be treated with respect and whose rights need to be recognized and upheld.

They are our neighbors who are law-abiding citizens and in no way want to harm anyone. The violent criminal element needs to be off the street but it is not fair to acquaint all migrants and refugees as violent criminals intent on harming others. That is simply not the reality.

Throughout the scriptures we are told to attend to the stranger, be attentive to those struggling and in need.

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Another committee on which I serve is the African Subcommittee which approves grants from the second collection taken up in parishes for the Catholic needs of the African continent. The Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa assists pastoral programs in various countries in Africa. The grants might include sponsoring workshops for catechists or priests or groups of religious to address pressing pastoral needs. They might also be grant requests for building projects, training youth leaders and a wide range of other requests to assist the Church in Africa to grow and flourish. It is so encouraging to see the good that our gifts to this collection realize in helping the church come alive as it is in so many countries of Africa. 

We are blessed in the Diocese to have a number of international priests from countries in Africa, some incardinated in our Diocese, who serve our parishes throughout the Diocese. They come from Nigeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo and are a gift among us. We can give back by helping the Solidarity Fund for Africa to assist many countries in Africa.

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We are now in the retreat part of the gathering. This includes time for us to pray together as brothers, to join in fraternal conversations about issues that concern us and to celebrate Mass together as well as the sacrament of reconciliation and join in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Archbishop Miller also provides reflections on the ministry of bishop in the Church.

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This Saturday, I will celebrate the funeral liturgy for Mr. Jim Neihart, who, along with his wife, Josephine, also deceased, served as Area Councilors for the Tucson Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre who assist the needs of the Church in the Holy Land. Jim and Jo were marvelous leaders who served the Church faithfully. We extend to their families our sympathies and prayers. Jim’s Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Tucson at 10:00 a.m. It is expected that some of the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre will be present at the funeral to honor a person who was deeply committed to care of the Holy Land.

The following Saturday, June 28, I will celebrate the funeral Mass for Jerry Chouinard at St. Andrew’s in Sierra Vista beginning at 10:00 a.m. Jerry and his wife Pat lived in Sierra Vista since 1991. They cofounded Our Lady of the Sierras Foundation, a Marian Shrine in Hereford, AZ. You may have seen the 75 foot Celtic cross on the site of the shrine. The Foundation has expanded to include a prayer house and La Purisima Retreat Center. Our condolences to Jerry’s family, his daughters Nanette of Hereford, AZ and Suzanne from St. Charles, IL., and his son Gregory, also in Hereford, as well as a step-daughter, Cheryl, and step-son, Steven. Judge Charles Irwin, a dear friend, has been at Jerry’s side for a long time even through his passing.

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The Sexual Misconduct Review Board will be meeting this coming week. They have been a great help to me and previously to Archbishop Weisenburger, when he was here, to offer their advice and counsel on allegations of misconduct by church personnel and volunteers with children or vulnerable adults. The first responsibility of our parishes and schools is to report to police any allegation of abuse so it can be thoroughly investigated. Once those concerns are investigated by civil authorities, the diocese does its own investigation to determine what if any further action is necessary. 

Sometimes the review board reviews concerns brought by children or others in our schools  related to parental misbehavior especially any abuse in the family. What we learn, we turn over to the police immediately to determine if any validity can be given to the claim. 

All of our parishes have compliance officers who in cooperation with our office of child protection make sure that all involved in ministry have no history of misconduct or behavior that would put children or vulnerable adults at risk. 

Protection of children and vulnerable adults is a first priority within our diocese. While there has been abuse by priests and others employed or volunteering in the church, the church needs to be as vigilant as possible to do whatever possible that this not happen again. Sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults remains a serious concern in our society and all round the world. We are striving in our Diocese to make sure that all are safe in the church.

In addition to the Review Board made up of laity with different backgrounds and expertise and chaired by Mr. John Leavitt, a former police officer, there is also a review board who advise the bishop on cases involving misconduct with adults or financial impropriety by church personnel. It has been a gift to the bishop having the counsel and advice of the laity in addressing any allegations made against church personnel. 

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We continue to pray for peace and an end to violence. Each day there are growing fears of escalating tensions in the Middle East, violence and the killing of innocent people in our own country continues with unending stories of mass killings. It shocks and concerns us all. We pray but we must also act to encourage our political leaders to work together to strive to address the growing divisions and hatred that is happening around the world. My episcopal motto Justice Begets Peace. We will not have peace as long as there is injustice.

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Again, congratulations to Rev. Michael Bucchiarelli who celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination this past Saturday and Sunday in Sierra Vista. Ad Multos Annos! Gloriosque Annos! May he have many more years, many more glorious years serving God’s people.

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After today, I will be taking a summer hiatus from the Shepherd's Slant, but look forward to posting again soon.