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January 13, 2026My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
Plans are well underway for the ceremonies related to Bishop-elect Misko’s upcoming ordination and installation as our eighth bishop. As you know there will be a Vespers celebration on Thursday evening, February 19 beginning at 5:30 pm in St. Augustine Cathedral, which is open to the public, no tickets are necessary. At that prayer service, Bishop-elect Misko will make his Profession of Faith and take his Oath of Fidelity in preparation for his episcopal ordination. There will be a light reception after the service in the Msgr. Carrillo Cathedral Placita and an opportunity for those who attend to welcome our new bishop.
On Friday, February 20 the episcopal ordination will take place at 2:00 pm in St. Augustine Cathedral. This Liturgy requires a ticket because of limited space in the Cathedral. However, it will be live-streamed on the Diocesan website and Facebook page. Archbishop John Wester, the Metropolitan Archbishop and Archbishop of Santa Fe will be the ordaining bishop along with two co-consecrators, Archbishop Joe Vásquez of Galveston-Houston and Bishop Daniel Garcia from the Diocese of Austin. Also present will be the Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre who will read the mandate from the Holy See announcing Pope Leo XIV’s appointment of Bishop-elect James A. Misko as our eighth bishop.
We look forward to welcoming a number of bishops from our Region as well as from Texas and elsewhere. Following the liturgy will be a reception in the Msgr. Carrillo Cathedral Placita. I am grateful to Clara Heslinga and all the Diocesan staff for their daunting task of preparing for this historic moment in the history of our Diocese.
Bishop-elect Misko visited the Diocese last week to meet the bishops from Region XIII who were on retreat at the Redemptorist Renewal Center. They were delighted to meet him. The next day he continued his search for a diocesan house of residence for the bishop. As you will remember the original bishop’s house was the house built by Bishop Francis Green which is far from the Pastoral Center. It was made into a home run by Catholic Community Services for people with disabilities.
Later he was able to visit St. Augustine Catholic High School and was very impressed by his brief visit. Bishop-elect Misko is a strong supporter of Catholic Schools and was pleased to know the State of Arizona’s parental choice program for families who want to send their children to a private school. He also saw in passing St. Joseph Church and School, Our Mother of Sorrows Church and School, and St. Francis de Sales Church. He is excited to begin as our eighth bishop. He will be making his retreat in preparation for his episcopal ordination in the next few weeks after he completes his responsibilities as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia in the Diocese of Austin.
I am looking forward to welcoming Bishop Neal Buckon of the Military Archdiocese who will be visiting in Tucson as he makes his visits to the various bases that are present around our Diocese. We are facing a severe shortage of priests to serve the men and women of the Armed Services. I am grateful to some of our Diocesan priests who are helping to celebrate Mass at one or another of our bases. In our Diocese we have Fort Huachuca, an Army intelligence hub in Sierra Vista, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma as well as the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma. We cannot express adequately our gratitude for the services of our men and women in the Armed Services. Pastoral care for them is an important and vital ministry.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio serves as the Archbishop of the Military Vicariate, and he has the assistance of several auxiliaries, Bishops Gregg Michael Caggianelli, Joseph Lawrence Coffey, William James Muhm and Richard Spencer.
On Wednesday our Diocesan Finance Council will be meeting. They serve as the primary advisors for the bishop related to financial matters pertinent to the Diocese. This Council is mandated by the Holy See and is to be consulted by the bishop in all matters related to the financial stability of the Diocese. Nancy Stephan serves as the chair and Conan Bardwell, our Chief Finance Officer and our controller, Stacy DeLong are staff to the Council. They will get an update on the financial status of the Diocese as we prepare for our next bishop.
There will be a virtual meeting of the Board of Catholic Community Services (CCS) on Wednesday, January 14 beginning at 7:30 am. CCS runs several programs to assist people in various stage of need. The Board Chair is Donna Zazworsky. Elena Dwyer is the CEO. These are challenging days for our Catholic Charities throughout the United States because of cuts that have been made to essential programs for the poor, refugees and people in various needs. The work of CCS is deeply embedded with our mission as a Church upholding the dignity of all human life.
There will be a Cemetery Board meeting on Thursday, January 16 beginning at 12pm. Care of those who have died and attention to family and friends of the deceased is among the Church’s Corporal Works of Mercy. John Tellman is chair of the Board and Ernie Duarte is the CEO. As you may be aware we have two cemeteries in Tucson, Holy Hope and Our Lady of the Desert. Our cemeteries have provided a consecrated resting place for our loved ones for more than 100 years. Care of our cemeteries is a priority in keeping with our belief that one day we will rise with Christ as he promised. The Board continues to address short- and long-term needs of our cemeteries.
On Saturday, January 17 we will hold our annual Right To Life Mass at 9:00 am at St. Augustine Cathedral. It will be followed by a march to Holy Hope Cemetery where we will hold the Rose Prayer Service. This annual event commemorates the loss of life of the unborn since Roe vs. Wade was passed in 1973. We also call to mind the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decision which created a right to abortion out of the right of privacy, making abortion legal throughout the United States. This legislation was overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court Decision which turned the matter over to the states.
Abortion remains permitted in many states and continues to be of great concern to us as Catholics and many others throughout the country who believe that all life from conception to natural death is to be respected and valued. The unborn, of course, have no voice and we need to speak on their behalf. They have a right to life and as a society we need to be of assistance to mothers who struggle to know how they can care for and properly raise a child. I am grateful to our Reachout Pregnancy Center and other initiatives like Walking with Moms and the Christ Child Society among others provide women with support and alternatives to an abortion.
Members of the the Kino Border Initiative will meet on Monday, January 19 at 10:00 am. The board consists of the Western Province Provincial, Rev. Sean Carroll, the Bishop of Tucson and the President of Jesuit Refugee Service, Kelly Ryan, and is staffed by Joanna Williams. It will be a chance to go over the budget and goals for 2026.
There is a great deal of anxiety and concern on the part of some in our community regarding the continuing ICE raids that are taking place in various parts of our country. Recently I was driving along Swan Road and there were a number of demonstrators on the street raising concern about the increased violence taking place in efforts to remove undocumented migrants from the community. There is no place for indiscriminate violence committed by protesters or law enforcement. The lives of law enforcement officers, demonstrators, and migrants are precious and should not be taken advantage of or put at risk by anyone.
Regretfully little or no progress has been made by our nation’s legislators in addressing the broken immigration system in the country. Countries have a right to protect their borders to prevent drug and human trafficking as well as dangerous persons entering the country with evil intent. But the vast majority of those seeking asylum or the opportunity to live free of fear and violence are not criminals but people simply seeking the safety and opportunity we all desire. There needs to be enhanced legal ways for people to enter our country like many of our ancestors who came to the US seeking a better way of life. Mass deportations without due process are not the solution.
Photo by Jay Rochlin
I think our great country certainly can find a way to expel criminals and people with evil intent without indiscriminately apprehending people or treating people with less than the dignity they deserve. We are all made in the image of God.
Some people now being deported or being told to self deport have been in our country for 15 or 20 years, have families and are contributing to our faith and civic communities.
I believe we need to continue the dialogue among all people in our country with differing views and attitudes around the issue of immigration enforcement. Only with respectful and open dialogue marked by listening to one another can we hope to arrive at appropriate resolutions.
This week I ask that you remember Rev. Richard Awange in your prayers. His mother, Mama Nyiekula Ruth Awange, passed away yesterday. Father Richard is currently in Nigeria and is expected to return later this month. He is the pastor at Our Lady of the Mountains in Sierra Vista.
As always, I thank you for your support and prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Most. Rev. Gerald Kicanas