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PASTOR’S JULY TIME AWAY: TIME AWAY REFLECTIONS & COMING HOME My annual two weeks of ministry in Lourdes was again a grace-filled blessing. It’s always a privilege to bring hundreds of parishioners’ written prayer petitions and entrust them to Mary’s intercession at the Shrine. The universality of the Church is always so evident in the diverse makeup of the pilgrims coming on pilgrimage there. There are an estimated 6 million pilgrims coming to Lourdes annually. Being a minister of reconciliation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation between four and six hours a day is totally an exercise of amazing grace. While confession is an important aspect of the sacrament, reconciliation – God’s reconciliation – is the heart and core of the sacrament. Healing reconciliation remains the primary ongoing ministry of Jesus through the sacrament in His other Body – the Church. Reconnecting with my biological family…two brothers and my sister and numerous nephews and nieces and grand nephews and nieces is always a good grounding experience. Reconnecting back into our OMOS faith family is always a “coming home to God” experience. Now it’s time again to embrace our parish mission statement which declares our goal and purpose – “As missionary disciples filled with the joy of the Gospel, our parish proclaims an ongoing encounter with Jesus Christ through Word, community, Sacrament, and loving service.” THREE R’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY THEME AND PARISH MISSION STATEMENT Our Three R’s 60th Anniversary theme…Remember, Renew & Rediscover Jesus Christ…interconnects and is very much grounded in our parish mission statement. The Three R’s theme and our parish mission statement both have ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ at their core. The center and core of our church, our faith, is developing and growing this personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and our companion in our everyday journey. BACK TO CHURCH THIS WEEKEND, AUGUST 25-26 Our first weekend back in the church will be this weekend, August 25-26. The first phase (the church phase) of the three-year phases of the Three R’s projects is thankfully completed. Our deepest gratitude to all who are faithfully fulfilling their three-year pledge for the three-phase renewal projects within our parish campus. The following have been addressed in the church building renewal during these past three months:
PARISH BUILDING PROJECTS COMBINED DOLLAR ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT Following is the Combined Accountability Report developed by our parish business manager, Steve Contreras on recent projects. The roofs of all nine free standing buildings making up Our Mother of Sorrows campus have either been replaced or renewed over the past several months. Our church building renewal project has been ongoing over these past three months. These renewal projects are a significant reinvestment in the future of our parish and its mission on the occasion of the 60th anniversary year of the parish. Our parish campus and its buildings are launching pads for our ongoing mission and purpose as a parish as we Remember, Renew and Rediscover Jesus Christ. AN OPEN MEETING FOR PARISHIONERS is scheduled for 10:15am, Sunday, September 23rd in the PAC Auditorium for reflection sharing on the renewal projects and the Accountability Report. Parishioners’ views, comments and observations are welcome. PARISH RRRJC ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT As the church remodel nears completion, it is important to maintain transparency and accountability for the Remember, Renew and Rediscover Jesus Christ (RRRJC) Capital Campaign and the campus roof replacements and repairs to the roofs of the parish and school buildings. The following is a short summary of the campaign financial activity and the roofing projects as of August 3, 2018:  The scope of the roofing projects was far beyond the $107,000 budgeted in the campaign, which only planned on replacing/repairing 3 roofs. Because of this, the Finance Committee decided to fund OMOS’ share of the project liability from parish and school reserves. It is intended that these reserves will be repaid by campaign surplus funds at the end of all the projects.
Phase 1 (Summer 2018): the church remodel is only the first of three phases originally planned for the campaign. The roofs were intended to be a part of Phase 2, but due to the urgency of the insurance claim, they were done during Phase 1. Phase 2 (Summer 2019): will now include School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) mobile labs and training for the teachers; shade cover over the playground on the field; and installing a shade cover over the placita between the church and the Kino Office. Phase 3 (Summer 2020): will resurface the basketball courts, replace the whole parking lot, and establish an Endowment fund for future deferred maintenance, so another capital campaign will no longer be required to address facility needs. ~Steve Contreras, Parish Business Mgr. CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT Our Building & Maintenance Commission acted as an oversight construction management committee during the summer months, during the renewal projects within the church. The group had a 7:15am Tuesday morning meeting with the subcontractors on a weekly basis during the church renewal projects. Thanks to the following parishioners who are members of our Building & Maintenance/Construction Management group: Hank Krzysik (construction manager), Steve Contreras (parish business manager), Jose Reyes (parish facilities manager), Jay Alexander, Rodney Langer, Andy McGovern and Randy Samuel. SOMETHING OLD/SOMETHING NEW The new pews in the church are making their own statement. Two of the original pews from the old church have been refinished and are now in the sanctuary space. Four pews from the former Convent Chapel have been refinished and are now in the Cenacle Chapel. These refinished pews maintain a historical link with the past as we observe the 60th anniversary year of our parish. POSITION OF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO PASTOR BECOMING VACANT Madeleine Crespo who has served in this position so faithfully and so well for the past three years has informed me of her desire to move on to new opportunities. I am most grateful to Madeleine for her loving service to the pastor and to the parish. On behalf of the parish family, I thank Madeleine for the quality of her presence and ministry with us, and for her good communication within the network of our parish ministries. The parish is now actively seeking her replacement. PARISH SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PASTOR Applications are now being accepted online at the Diocese of Tucson website for this position at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish. See our parish website (www.omosparish.org/adult) for a complete job description. Interested applicants can apply online at the Diocese of Tucson, www.diocesetucson.org/human-resources/employment-opportunities. OMOS TEEN CENTER Room #2 in our Parish Activities Center is being dedicated exclusively for use by our parish Teen program. This responds to a need and an active request for such space over a period of many years. Our Teen Ministry program continues to bloom and grow and this gift from our parish gives new priority to the importance of ministering to our youth. “KNOW YOUR STAFF” - MELINDA CABALLERO I’m Melinda Caballero and I’m the new Adult Faith Formation Coordinator. I started working in this position in July. I have been part of the RCIA Core Team for 4 years and taught Adult Confirmation for 2½ of those. I’ve also facilitated several faith sharing sessions like “Rediscovering Jesus” and “Living as Missionary Disciples.” I’m a Eucharistic Minister at the 5:30 pm Mass on Saturday evenings. I graduated in June from the first Catholic Bible Institute of Southern Arizona. I’m entering my 2nd year of the Common Formation Program with my husband David, who is working towards becoming a Deacon. I graduated from Arizona State University in 1997 with a BS in Accountancy and in 1998 with a MS in Information Management, which means I’m detailed oriented and like to work with computers. I worked at ASU for about 10 years doing web development, writing programs and reports. Being the Adult Faith Formation Coordinator is a complete career change for me. I’m excited about this and learning something new! I converted to Catholicism in 2014 through the 12-week Profession of Faith program at the same time David was attending Alienated Catholics Anonymous. Being a “graduate” of one of the programs that we offer at OMOS makes me that much more excited. The Holy Spirit is very important to me and guides my life. I know He’s led me to where I am today. I pray that I keep following the right path that He’s leading me down. I know how much I’ve gotten from being Catholic and I want to pass that passion along. TEACH US TO PRAY—PRAISING GOD BY FR. JAMES MARTIN, SJ A few years ago, I was focused on one negative aspect of my life. My spiritual director said, “I don’t think you’re being honest with God.” I was annoyed. Of course I was being honest! I was telling God all my problems in prayer. “Your life is more than just your problems,” my spiritual director said. “You’re not sharing with God the whole picture—and that’s not being honest.” He was right. Being honest also means celebrating the good things in your life. That means engaging in “praise”, a word not much used in Catholic circles. The lack of focus on praise is especially surprising given its rich history in the Bible. In fact, there is an entire genre of psalms called Psalms of Praise. “Praise the Lord!” begins Psalm 148, “Praise the Lord, O my soul!” How might you make praise a regular part of your prayer? Perhaps you could praise God for things you take for granted: a job, a roof over your head, family, or friends. Perhaps you could praise the beauty of nature that enchants you, the music that consoles you, the food that delights you. Perhaps you could even write your own Psalm of Praise: “O God, I praise you for ….” How would you complete that psalm? Besides praising God in prayer, you can do so in deeds. Why not praise God by “paying it forward”, by doing an act of kindness for someone who needs it. That might be the best praise of all. And then, in turn, someone else will end up praising God. James Martin is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine and author of many books, including Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide, and In all Seasons, For all Reasons, a collection of essays from Give Us This Day. ANNUAL PARISH & SCHOOL FIESTA OCT. 5, 6 & 7 Our annual parish and school Fiesta will be on the first weekend of October. The annual Fiesta is the single biggest gathering of our parish and school and neighboring community each year. It takes appropriately 300 volunteers to present the Fiesta event each year. Parishioners and school parents are encouraged and invited to sign up for some volunteer hours at the Fiesta during these weeks through the parish office. Hours of operation on the final day of the Fiesta this year will be from 4-8pm. Our deepest thanks to RJ Saavedra and her family for the huge leadership investment in the Fiesta with the core team and all who plan the Fiesta over a period of many months. The Fiesta event each year creates a unique environment for celebrating community and promoting a network of deepened relationships and friendships. Pray for God’s blessings on all who are involved in presenting the Fiesta and all who will participate in this annual gathering. HAPPY, BLESSED, REFRESHING AND RENEWING LABOR DAY WEEKEND Labor Day creates a marked separation between Summer and Fall.
August/September 2018 Update Seven Sorrows of Mary Novena - September 9~15 at 7:15pm each evening Rededication Mass, 60th Anniversary Celebration - Sun., Sept. 16, 1pm Staff & Faculty Retreat - September 21 Fiesta Weekend & White Elephant - October 5, 6, 7
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Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church • 1800 South Kolb Rd. • Tucson, Arizona • 520.747.1321 • Contact us
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