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October 28, 2025My Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,
Recently St. Augustine Catholic High School announced an administrative change to begin January of 2026. Mr. Dave Keller who has been the President of St. Augustine will be stepping down from his leadership role but will continue to serve but now as the Chief Budget Officer. I remember asking Dave some 15 years ago to take up the leadership at St. Augustine. He was the very successful and influential principal at Our Mother of Sorrows at the time. His service has been a true blessing for St. A’s and for the Diocese. I am grateful that he is willing to stay on assisting the new president.
The St. Augustine High School Board of Directors under the chairmanship of Richard Schaeffer have announced the appointment of Melissa Lopez-Gruenhagen to serve as the new President. Melissa has been assisting Mr. Keller for some time and is well prepared to serve in this new role.
We are blest in the Diocese of Tucson to have five high schools: Salpointe Catholic, San Miguel, Lourdes Catholic, Yuma Catholic and St. Augustine. I am grateful to these schools who help form young people in the faith and to prepare them for leadership in our community as well as to the faculty and staff whose own faith and expertise prepare these young people to succeed.
This evening Msgr. Raul Trevizo will be honored at Hacienda del Sol at the Civic Champion Dinner receiving the Faith in Action award. He is being recognized as a courageous and dedicated Arizonan who is fostering civic participation and connection within our community. It will be my honor to present the award to Msgr. Trevizo. He has truly been a Civic Champion not only in the community but also in our Diocese. Msgr. Raul was ordained in 1988. He was born in Ray, Arizona and grew up in Hayden, Arizona. He went to Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher and then to the U of A in Tucson. He is one of our local born priests and was raised in the Diocese. His first assignment was to Santa Monica Parish, later becoming Vocation Director and has been pastor of St. John the Evangelist since 1993. He has been the Vicar for Hispanic Affairs and a Vicar General of the Diocese of Tucson. He has been a leader in the Pima County Interfaith Council. Congratulations, Msgr. Raul!
Ron Barber, former Congressman, has been influential in forming a civil society that respects differences and encourages respectful and civil discourse in a time of great division. This event was sponsored by the Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
I look forward to meeting Pima Community College’s Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey P. Nasse. So many in our community have or are attending Pima Community College. It serves our community well. Dr. Nasse began his service at PCC in August of 2024. He began his tenure with a 100-day listening, learning and leading tour in which he went out to meet many in our community. He engaged with more than 3,000 individuals by which he gained an in-depth knowledge of the strengths and concerns of the College. Dr. Nasse has been involved in collegiate teaching and administration for more than 20 years. Prior to coming to Tucson, he served as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and College Operations at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I look forward to our time together.
I also look forward to celebrating Mass at Immaculate Heart School this Friday. It was my joy to receive the vows of Sr. Veronica Loya many years ago and now she serves as the principal. The IHM sisters have served with distinction in our community for many years. While we were all saddened by the loss of the IHM High School, I am delighted the grade school (pk-8) is continuing under Sr. Veronica’s leadership. I always enjoy visiting our Catholic Schools to meet the faculty and students. The IHM sisters have been a great gift to our Diocese. Sr. Alice Martinez serves as the Superior of the community.
A reenactment of the 250th Anniversary of Jean Baptiste de Anza Expedition to California from Tubac was held last week on October 23, the very day of his expedition. It was a marvelous celebration. We have a short story posted on our YouTube page, I hope you'll take a moment to view it. The Anza Society and the Tubac Historical Society organized the event along with the assistance of Fr. Joseph Esson, pastor of St. Ann’s Parish in Tucson. It was in the plaza outside St. Ann’s by the historic presidio where the soldiers, families, Native Americans and others along with livestock and provisions gathered to begin their trek at 11:00 am on that October day.
The journey has incredibly difficult for the nearly 300 people who underwent the trek. They faced weather related crises, abandonment by some of those journeying. But with courage and perseverance they arrived in San Francisco to establish a presidio there. Several Franciscan priests also made the journey including Fr. Francisco Garces, later martyred, Fr. Juan Diaz and Fr. Pedro Font who journaled the experience. His account is fascinating and gives us a glimpse of the challenges each day held.
Mr. Adrian Fontes, Secretary of State, was present issuing a decree marking this historic event and presenting the Tubac Historical Society with a state flag. Afterward we had a chance to visit the Presidio in Tubac just adjacent to the Church of St. Ann. If you have not visited there, I encourage you to stop by the museum, the old classroom and grounds. It is taking a step back in history.
We are getting very close to a decision on the company which will be building our new pipe organ for St. Augustine Cathedral. We have interviewed three companies all of which are well known and respected. A while back we installed a new digital organ that eventually will be linked to the pipe organ. We are expecting the new console soon for the recently purchased digital organ that will unite its sound with the new pipe organ. Mr. John Alan who restored Our Lady’s Chapel and the Cathedral is designing the furniture that will house the pipes in the balcony where we have the beautiful stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit. I am grateful to Rev. Alan Valencia, Carlos Zapien, and Jose Gastellum who have been interviewing organ companies.
Priest Assignment Changes:
1. Rev. Marco Carrasco will serve as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Green Valley while continuing his advanced studies at the University of Charleston in Executive Leadership. His assignment will begin on November 1, 2025.
2. Rev. John Michael Bartz, a religious priest caring for his family in Green Valley, will serve as Parochial Vicar for St Augustine Cathedral beginning on November 1, 2025. I am grateful for his willingness to take on priestly responsibilities while caring for his parents.
3. Rev. Rudy Ofori from Ghana previously served in our Diocese but because of Visa issues in 2022 he had to return to his country. Happily, he is back and will serve as Parochial Vicar at St. Anthony Parish in Casa Grande as of November 1, 2025.
On Wednesday of this week, I will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation and say Mass at St. Gianna community. Twenty of their young people will be anointed with the Sacred Chrism and receive all the gifts of the Holy Spirt: wisdom, understanding, right judgement, courage, knowledge, reverence, fear of the Lord. The community celebrates using the 1962 Roman Missal, the older rite of the Catholic Church. The celebration is in Latin. I am grateful for our two priests from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, who serve St. Gianna, Canon Jonathan Fehrenbacher, ICRSS, pastor, and Canon Andrew Bredemann, ICRSS parochial vicar.
Men from across Southern Arizona and beyond will gather at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish on November 1, 2025, for our annual Men’s Conference which will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. It will start at 8:30 am and end with Mass at 5:00 pm. We always have a wonderful turnout. This year’s feature keynote presentation will be given by Paul George, author of Holy Grit and Sam Blair, former Navy Seal now the CEO of Valletta Industries. Mr. Bill Breen from St. Mark’s and his team have organized the day. I will have a chance to answer any of the men’s questions prior to Mass.
Last week I celebrated the 75th anniversary Mass for St. Anthony’s School in Casa Grande. The school children were all wearing St. Anthony School black jerseys with the number 75 to commemorate the school's history. They formed the choir for Mass, the altar servers, the readers and ushers. Surely Fr. Ariel Lustan, pastor and Susan Borczyk, Principal were very proud as were the former principals, teachers and students who were present.
After the Mass the school held a social and opened a legacy room with articles, pictures and accomplishments going back over these 75 years. The school started in 1950 with the Adrian Dominicans staffing the school. (There are still two Adrian Dominican Sisters serving in our Diocese: Sr Charlotte Anne Swift O.P and Sr. Los Paha, O.P, though they never taught at St. Anthony.) The school was fully operational in 1953 and enrollment grew. In the 1990s the school fell on hard times and had to close for a brief period only to be reopened and celebrating 75 years of excellent Catholic education.
Kudos to Julieta Gonzalez, who worked for the Diocese for many years as well as at Salpointe Catholic, on the performance of her new play, Claudia’s Family, now being performed at the Borderlands Theater. The play tells the story of the Martinez family as they face personal tragedy and struggle striving to adjust to a changing world. Julieta suggests it reflects some of her own family’s adjustments in her growing up in Tucson.
Please remember in your prayers Bertha, the grandmother of Fr. Jorge Farias who died this past week. Fr. Jorge is currently in Mexico as they lay her to rest.
This Wednesday our Cathedral Concert Series kicks off with a free mariachi performance at Msgr. Carrillo Placita. I hope you'll consider joining us at 6:30 p.m. The Catholic Foundation hosts the series throughout the year, you can learn more by visiting Tucson Cathedral Concerts.
As always, I thank you for your support and prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Most. Rev. Gerald Kicanas