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August 12, 2025By Bishop Kicanas
My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
I am most grateful to Sheri Dahl for her ministry as Assistant Superintendent with Sr. Rosa Marie and later as Superintendent of our Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Tucson. She has served the Diocese for 15 years beginning in 2010. In her tenure as Superintendent, Sheri has strengthened our schools and worked closely with the presidents, principals, pastors and school boards to enhance their excellence and support their successes. Under her leadership many new principals have come into the Diocese. She has been a real cheerleader for our schools and has worked with some of our school boards and organized principal meetings, teacher forums developing their skills and readiness to lead in our Catholic Schools.
Sheri will be leaving the Diocese on September 1 and be available remotely for consultation with our Interim Superintendent, Angelina Schmidt, through November 28, 2025, allowing for a smooth transition.
We welcome Angelina as she takes on her new role as Interim Superintendent beginning September 1. She has been our Assistant Superintendent for four years beginning in 2021 and before that has served as a principal at Santa Cruz. She is well qualified to take up this new position. Lupita Sandoval, who has been involved with our school office since 2012, will assist Angelina with some additional responsibilities.
In the fall we will begin a search for the new superintendent who will begin on or near July 1, 2026. The search committee will include Fr. Ed Lucero, Msgr. Raul Trevizo (Pastor of St. John the Evangelist), Danielle Coleman (Principal of St. Cyril School), Aida Samuel (Past President of the Diocesan School Board) and Jake Kagel (President of the CTSO Board) They will give our new bishop two of the best finalists and the final decision will be made by our new bishop expecting that he will be announced before a decision is needed to be made.
Our 24 Catholic schools, including our four high schools, began their 2025-2026 school year either last week or this week. It is always an exciting time of year as our schools welcome back their students. I called each of our principals/presidents to wish them, their faculty, staff, students and parents the blessings for a successful school year. I could sense the enthusiasm that they are feeling.
We welcome four new principals: Mr. Christopher Loya, principal at St. Augustine High School, Ms. Michelle Garcia, principal of Sts. Peter and Paul School, Ms. Pamela Tinley, principal of Our Mother of Sorrows School, and Carmen Ramos at Sacred Heart School in Nogales.
We are laying the foundations for opening a new Catholic school in St. Rose of Lima Parish in Safford. The community is excited as is its pastor, Rev. Nicodemus Shaghel, VC. He himself has been a teacher both at home in Nigeria and when he first arrived in Tucson at Yuma Catholic High School. He knows and understands the importance of Catholic Schools. They began this year naming a new principal Suzanne Ortega who will begin building enthusiasm for the new school, marketing the school and pursuing state monies for families applying. Next year they will begin with a class of kindergarten, first and second grade. It is exciting that we are increasing the number of Catholic Schools in the Diocese.
I am grateful to the pastors of the parishes in our Diocese who have a school. Their leadership and support of the school makes all the difference in the success of those schools. Some of our pastors went this summer to Notre Dame for a program run by Fr. Joe Corpora to assist them in understanding how to be a pastor with a Catholic school. It adds a lot on their plates. I know they have benefitted from their taking this course and being better prepared to work cooperatively with their school team. The pastors who participated are Fr. Nicodemus Shagel, VC from St. Rose of Lima in Safford, Fr. Jojo Tabo from Loretta School, and Fr. Richard Awange, new pastor of Our Lady of the Mountains School in Sierra Vista.
August 10 was the birthday of the Venerable Rev. Eusebio Kino S.J. who was the great missionary to Primeria Alta in the 17th century. He is known as the “Padre on Horseback” which is how he traveled establishing missions through what is now northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. He came here to this frontier territory from his home country in Italy. He was born in Segno, a little outside of Trent in Italy.
Kino was an amazingly talented man, who was a mathematician, a cartographer (map maker), an astronomer, an architect, a historian, a rancher, a farmer as well as a priest/missionary.
I celebrated the 12:00 pm Mass this past Sunday along with Rev. Chris Corbally, S.J. and Rev. Claudio Murrieta, Vice Postulator for the cause of Fr. Kino representing Mexico. The Mass was followed by the opening of the Kino Exhibit that can be seen in the lobby of the Bishop Kicanas Pastoral Center. The display has been made available through the hard work of Msgr. Greg Adolf. A reception followed organized by Rosie Garcia and the Kino Heritage Society.
The display has a treasure trove of memorabilia from Msgr. Adolf’s artifacts that I am sure you will enjoy seeing it. The display will be available for viewing for an unlimited time at 192 S. Stone Avenue. Come and see it.
We continue to pray for the Beatification and ultimately the Canonization of Fr. Kino as we await more miracles through his intercession. His ministry among the native peoples of our area is inspirational.
He held the deepest respect for the culture and traditions of the Tohono O’odham and Pasqua Yaqui nations. Through his effort, the native peoples came to enter the Catholic faith which they still practice today. Rosie Garcia is planning an Encuentro connected to Fr. Kino next year.
I was also grateful last week for the visit of Rev. Claudio Murrieta who is working on Fr. Kino’s sainthood process along with Rosie Garcia, Msgr. Greg Adolf, Fr. Chris Corbally, SJ and others in the Diocese. One day, in not too long, I pray, we will have a celebration for St. Eusebio Kino, S.J.
Please continue to pray for the building of a new pipe organ for St. Augustine Cathedral to replace the antiquated organ that is now being used. When Bishop Weisenburger was here, he along with the Rector, Rev. Alan Valencia, and the Cathedral Director of Music, Carlos Zapien contracted with an organ builder for our new organ. Regretfully the owner of the company died suddenly. We are now seeking bids from several companies to build the new pipe organ, so needed in our Cathedral of San Agustin. We have already purchased the digital organ which will accompany the pipe organ.
Any contributions would be deeply appreciated since as you can imagine a new pipe organ will be very expensive, but which will enhance our diocesan liturgical celebrations greatly. If interested, contact Rev. Alan Valencia at [email protected].
Congratulations to Fr. Manu Franco O.Carm., our Diocesan Youth Minister, and his team for a greatly successful gathering of our DREs, catechists, youth ministers, high school teachers and volunteers last week. We celebrated Mass together followed by presentations by Rev. Ron Rolheiser, an Oblate priest from the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, who is known internationally for his writing and speaking. Nearly 400 people attended, and they left inspired to carry on their important ministries in our diocese.
There is no doubt that these ministries will make a difference in determining whether our young people will stay active in the life of the church. Without vibrant parish programs our youth will drift away as so many have. Those present at the Conference are the ones who can make that difference.
Fr. Ron Rohlheiser did an amazing job in his presentations on the theme of the day, “Blessings” Indeed, we were blest to have him among us.
It is a joy today to call Charles Nagore to ordination as a transitional deacon as he will also take his oath of fidelity to the Church, which is required before his ordination, present at the celebration today in St. Mary’s Chapel will be his parents and some of his family as well as members of the vocation staff and some of the staff of the pastoral center. His ordination will take place at St. Augustine Cathedral on September 6, 2025, at 10:00 am. Consider joining us.
It is always a joy to celebrate an ordinary Mass for no special reason at one of our parishes. This coming Saturday I will celebrate the 4:30 pm at Corpus Christi Parish in Tucson. It is one of the newer parishes on the east side built by Rev. Richard Kingsley and now pastored by Rev. Chris Orndorff. The faith of our people is always an inspiration for me.
We are planning a Bi-National Encuentro, Migrants, Pilgrims of Hope in Christ that will take place near the border between the Diocese of Tucson and the Diocese of Mexicali that will be held on October 12, 2025. Those participating will gather in San Luis, Arizona and process as pilgrims into Mexico where we will join the Catholic community in San Luis Rio Colorado to celebrate Mass at Immaculate Conception Parish in San Luis, Rio Colorado. Members of our Diocese are welcome to attend. More information will be announced in early September. After the Mass, the bishops from the region in the US and in Mexico will sign a common statement encouraging action to protect the rights and dignity of all people which will be followed by dinner. As Catholics we believe in the dignity of every person which we will celebrate when we gather. I am grateful to Joanna Williams, President of the Kino Border Initiative and Rev. Manuel Fragoso, pastor of immaculate Conception in Yuma who are part of the bi-national planning committee.
Join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Kelly Pierce, who served was the soccer coach at Salpointe Catholic High School. Kelly died suddenly of cardiac arrest. Her memorial service was held at Salpointe this past Saturday. We pray for her family and our Catholic school community. Eternal rest grant unto Kelly, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon her.
Please remember the father of Clara Heslinga who has passed in hospice at the age of 92. We pray for him as well as for his beloved wife, Sylvia, with whom he had been married for 68 years.
We also remember in our prayers two members of the St. Augustine Catholic High School community, Mr. Robert Johnson and Mr. Bryant Garcia Ramos who died recently. May they rest in peace.
As always, I thank you for your support and prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Gerald Kicanas
Apostolic Administrator, Diocese of Tucson