March 2018

LENT IS A-MOVING
Hopefully moving us in the Spirit, the Spirit that led Jesus into the desert. Ash Wednesday was somewhat like a gold rush for the ashes, with very full participation at all scheduled masses. Participation at all our seven Ash Wednesday Masses was exemplary, edifying, prayerful and faithful. May this Lenten season, which began so well, continue to be a blessing in the Lord for all of us as we fully embrace the discipline of Lent…Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

It is so good to see the increased participation in our daily Lenten Masses and also increased prayer participation in the Cenacle Chapel. The Sacrament of Reconciliation during the three scheduled weekly times also shows increased participation. The Friday evening 5:30pm Lenten Mass followed by the Soup & Sacrifice meal in the parish hall are very popular gathering points for the Lenten discipline of PFA – Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

A LENTEN CALL TO ESTABLISH FAVORABLE TIMES FOR PRAYER & FAVORABLE PLACES FOR PRAYER
In my own personal practices of daily prayer I found that a favorable time each day for intentional prayer and a favorable place to pray are two essential pillars for daily communion with God. Our desire to pray and to pray more often is best translated when we have a place favorable for prayer in our home… a prayer corner and a specific time to be there each day. A prayer corner in the catechism of the Catholic Church is described as a place that is favorable for prayer, a place that is free from distraction, and a place that will help us focus on sharing with God. Many of our parishioners have such prayer corners in their homes. They are constant reminders to them of the Holy and a call to have a consistent appointment time with the Lord to be there in the prayer corner on a daily basis.
 
A MEAL BLESSING FOR YOU TO USE AND SHARE DURING THIS HOLY SEASON:
 
Lenten Meal Blessing
We bless you, Lord, and we praise you,
For you have given us this meal to share,
Provided by the earth and prepared by human hands.
Help us remember those who cannot eat
Because of poverty or sickness
Let the brief hunger we feel this Lent
Make us hunger even more for justice.
May this meal strengthen us to do your will.
Blessed be God forever.
 
-Diana Macalintal, The Work of Your Hands
Reprinted from the February issue of Give Us This Day

FR. GREG ADOLF TO PREACH THE PARISH LENTEN MISSION
Fr. Greg Adolf, pastor of St. Andrew’s parish in Sierra Vista, will preach at all Masses on the weekend of March 17-18, and the Parish Mission on March 19, 20 & 21. The morning Mission during those days will be at 9:15am and the evening Mission at 7:15pm. The Mission theme is “Encountering Jesus…The Way, the Truth and the Life.”

ANOTHER SENSELESS MASS SHOOTING!!
The following is a statement from Bishop Weisenburger on the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Its focus is very clear, thought-provoking, and a call to action. It is shared here for our parishioners’ prayerful review and call to action.

“The mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida again calls us to action against the random and senseless destruction of human life. As with many of us, I too ask myself how many times will we need to hear the shocking, even unbelievable statistics that follow each incident without taking any meaningful action.

The Catholic Church discerned long ago that the faithful cannot condone abortion and also be followers of Christ. The Church also has come to recognize that other life issues such as slavery, racism, and usury also compromise our discipleship. I join with Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago in asserting that we cannot stand by and shrug our shoulders. We must make clear to our elected officials that the weapons and ammunition that facilitate this carnage have no place in our culture. We owe it to our children to protect the cherished freedoms so many have fought and died for: to worship, learn and work in safety. That is true patriotism. I also join with Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia who likewise asserts that while we must pray for victims and promote healing, we also need to get angry: angry at our lawmakers for doing so little to prevent these catastrophes; angry at the media coverage that feeds off these tragedies as well as fuels them with a steady stream of sensationalism; and angry at ourselves for perversely tolerating these things and then forgetting them until the next round of violence.

One research group identified that between 2013 and 2015 there were 160 school shootings across 38 states. Nearly 53 percent of the identified shootings took place at K-12 schools, and 47 percent took place on college or university campuses. Here in Arizona, in January of 2011, when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others were shot with multiple deaths resulting, there were calls for restrictions on assault weapons and better protection for all of us. In December 2012 in Newtown Connecticut, 20 children and six adults were murdered. More calls for limited gun control, especially assault weapons, but no action by our elected leaders. Then the 2017 shooting in Las Vegas with 58 deaths and 891 injuries. I would add that some call this recitation of facts “the normalization of shootings,” in other words, the new normal.

Enough. We all are called to protect life. We must address this issue now.”

Let’s honor those already lost and suffering with action that will save lives. I urge our parishioners to contact our legislators and ask them, plead with them, to enact reasonable legislation and safeguards to protect the precious gift of human life. Contact information for our legislators is available on our parish website.
 
LITANY OF NON-VIOLENCE
Sisters of Providence

Provident God,
aware of our own brokenness,
we ask the gift of courage
to identify how and where
we are in need of conversion
in order to live in solidarity with all Earth's people.
Deliver us from the violence of superiority and disdain.
Grant us the desire, and the humility,
to listen with special care
to those whose experiences and attitudes
are different from our own.
 
Deliver us from the violence of greed and privilege.
Grant us the desire, and the will,
to live simply so others may have
their just share of Earth's resources.
Deliver us from the silence
that gives consent to abuse, war and evil.
Grant us the desire, and the courage,
to risk speaking and acting for the common good.
Deliver us from the violence
of irreverence, exploitation and control.
Grant us the desire, and the strength,
to act responsibly within the cycle of creation.
God of love, mercy and justice,
acknowledging our complicity
in those attitudes, action and words
which perpetuate violence,
we beg the grace of non-violent hearts.
+ Amen +

THANKS TO OUR THREE R’S PLEDGE GIVERS
Our parish is entering into its sixtieth anniversary year in mid-May. Over this past year we’ve been reflecting on all that has been given to us. We have been reflecting especially on “…what can we do now to ensure that the legacy we inherited remains for future generations?” This question has been reflected upon especially through our leadership councils…our Parish Ministries Council, our Stewardship & Development Council, our Parish Board of Directors, and our Liturgy & Worship and Building & Maintenance commissions. In order to ensure that Our Mother of Sorrows Parish and School remain strong and vibrant communities of faith, we embarked on this time last year on a capital campaign entitled Remember, Renew and Rediscover Jesus Christ. The maturing dollar pledges from the campaign are now adequate for us to address Phase One of our critical needs within our plant calling for attention. Phase One of the three-year projects are scheduled to take place from mid-May to mid-August within our church building. The following needs will be addressed within the church building renewal during the three months of the summer, from mid-May through mid-August:

• Install pews and kneelers
• Replace the flooring and carpeting
• Relocate statues of Mary and Joseph to new shrines on either side of the sanctuary
• Install new shrines to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. John XXIII at the rear of the church 7
• Install sound-proof glass doors in the vestibule and refinish all wood doors
• Expand and remodel restrooms and make them accessible to people with disabilities
• Expand the hearing loop within the church space for the hearing-impaired

Phase Two and Three of the three-year projects will take place as dollars in maturing pledges become available. Phase Two and Three will address the following each:

• Deferred maintenance
• Complete major roof repairs on church, rectory, parish hall, activity center and school buildings
• Repave all parking lots
• Install shade cover over placita between church and offices
• Establish a reserve maintenance fund for future needs

School improvements:

• Introduce STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) components in every grade level with the addition of four new mobile labs and training for teachers
• Install shade covering over playground on school field
• Resurface basketball courts

A great big thank you to all Three R’s pledge givers who have completed their pledge, who are completing their pledge, and who will continue to complete their pledge.

MASSES BACK TO THE ORIGINAL CHURCH OF THE PARISH…THE PARISH HALL
Daily and weekend Masses will be celebrated in the original church of the parish…the parish hall…beginning on May 17th and will continue until mid-August. It is estimated that the church building projects will take a minimal three months to complete. In these three months, the regular weekly exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be located in the Choir Room in the southeast corner of the parish hall.

MARCH 10TH PILGRIMAGE DAY TO OUR LADY QUEEN OF ANGELS ORPHANAGE IN AGUA PRIETA
The Tucson Chapter of the Blessed Nuno Society, home-based here at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, is sponsoring an all-day pilgrimage to Our Lady Queen of Angels Orphanage in Agua Prieta on Saturday, March 10th. Carl Sylvester, Executive Director, will lead the one-day pilgrimage. Participants will be helping bring supplies provided by the Society to the orphanage. The onsite visit to the orphanage, will give a hands-on prayerful experience of reaching out to the most vulnerable among us, the homeless orphans at the orphanage.

Parishioner pilgrims will need to have a valid passport. The carpool/motorcade will depart from the parish parking lot after a 7:15am Mass on Saturday, March 10th returning by 8pmon that Saturday evening. Pilgrim cars will be parked on the Douglas side of the border and the pilgrim group will walk across the border and board a bus for the 5-minute ride to the pilgrim site in Agua Prieta. There is no cost, but a freewill offering to offset the cost of the Mexican bus and to assist the orphanage will be collected at the orphanage. Pilgrims are responsible for paying for their own lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Interested parishioners are asked to contact Rocio at the parish office at 747-1321 or email rzamora@omosparish.org.

PRAYING THE ‘JESUS PRAYER’ BY FR. JAMES MARTIN
In The Way of a Pilgrim, a 19th-century Russian spiritual classic, the words of St. Paul change a man’s life. An unnamed pilgrim encounters Paul’s advice to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) and embarks on a quest to learn how. In time, he encounters a starets, or holy man, who teaches him the “Jesus Prayer.” The prayer has its roots in the fifth-century Desert Fathers, though it may be older. It is deceptively simple: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Some versions do not include the words “a sinner”.) One practice is to breathe in slowly as you pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,” and then slowly exhale on the words, “have mercy on me, a sinner”.

The prayer can be used in at least two ways. First, as a quieting backdrop for prayer. You can repeat the words and let yourself enter into the presence of God, noticing what arises or simply enjoying being in God’s presence. For many people, the practice of using comforting words to quiet themselves can be a highly effective way to pray.

The second way to use the Jesus prayer is to focus on the meaning of each word and let it penetrate your soul. What does it mean to call Jesus “Lord”? (For some that carries negative connotations; for others it reminds them of Jesus’ power and majesty.) What does it mean for Jesus to have mercy on you? And how does the awareness of your sins influence your relationship with Jesus?

However you pray it, let this simple and ancient prayer carry you closer to Jesus’ mercy.
 
James Martin is a Jesuit priest and author of many books, including Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide, and In All Season, For all Reasons, a collection of his essays from Give Us this Day.

“KNOW YOUR STAFF”...MEET STEVE CONTRERAS: As I approach my three-year anniversary as the Parish Business Manager, I have to do a double-take at how God has blessed my family and me, and how He continues to move in my life. The wide spectrum of my previous undergraduate and graduate degrees in Management and Accounting & Controllership, along with my over 30 years of secular business experience in budgeting, cost and investment analysis, proposals, and project management have all come into focus in this new ministry. I’m so grateful for the love and support of my wife, Debbie, for over 33 years. We both are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and have been Religious Education Catechists, and I continue to lector. Now as empty nesters, our four children are off living their own lives and doing their own thing. But we get to see our two grandchildren almost every day.

I’m humbled and thankful for the prayers, support and encouragement I receive from the whole parish and school. May God continue to bless all of you abundantly in every way.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY MASS SATURDAY, MARCH 17TH
The 8:30am Mass on Saturday, March 17th will be our annual citywide Mass in honor of St. Patrick. Celtic music and dancing will be a special feature of the celebration and will begin at 8am and continue during the Mass. All Irish who fit into any of the following acronyms are invited and welcome… CIA, FBI, IBM, TWWTW.

ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL
Our parish is in the first weeks of the Annual Catholic Appeal. Our parish goal is $163,304. Thanks to all who have participated to date and we look forward to generous participation of so many of our parishioners who have helped us meet our parish goal in the past. With the spirit of generosity that is so typically alive in our parish, this year’s goal should be attainable hopefully by Easter time. Parishioners who have not yet responded are invited to return the completed pledge in the weekend collection.

MARCH Update
SPECIAL HOLY WEEK & EASTER SCHEDULES

Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession:
Communal Penance - Sunday, March 25th at 7:30 PM
Tuesday, March 27th - after the 8:30 AM Mass, 4:00-5:00 PM and 7:00-8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 28th - after the 6:30 AM Mass, 4:00-5:00 PM, 6:00-6:25 PM, and 7:00-8:00 PM.
There will be no confession times on Holy Saturday, March 31st.

Triduum Services:
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday 7:00 PM each evening.
Good Friday has Stations of the Cross at 2:30 PM and Proclamation of the Passion at 7:00 PM.

EASTER MASS SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
7:00 PM-Easter Vigil Mass - All Priests - Combined Choirs
There is no 5:30 PM Mass

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1
5:45 AM-Sunrise Mass (Courtyard) - Cantor
7:00 AM-Church - Cantor
9:00 AM-Church - Combined Adult Choirs
9:00 AM-Parish Hall - Cantor
10:45 AM-Church - Angels
10:45 AM-Parish Hall - Cantor
12:30 PM-Church - Jubilation
2:00 PM - Iglesia - Misa en Español - Matices
6:00 PM-Cantor
No Habra Misa de 4 PM en Español