Local News January 2008
ST. JEROME STUDENTS LEARN VALUABLE LESSON IN LIFE FROM THE WAY BURMESE FAMILY HANDLES TRAGEDY
Setting up memorial fund at Bank of America
PHOENIX (January 31, 2008) A Burmese family that migrated to Phoenix in September 2007 is turning the tragedy of its 13-year-old son into a life lesson for the eighth-grade class at St. Jerome Catholic School in Northwest Phoenix.
Andrew Lin, was killed when he was hit by a car as he was walking home from school on Friday, January 25. He was one of seven children from a Burmese family that was adopted by St. Jerome Catholic School, 10815 N. 35th Ave. Each year, the school raises funds to finance the adoption of a refugee family and working with Catholic Social Services has helped the Lin family find housing, employment, food, clothing and other life necessities.
The Lin family response to the tragic death of their son has been anything but bitter. Andrew's organs were donated to help those who may need a transplant, and the family has expressed no anger toward the driver of the car that hit Andrew.
The eighth-grade class at St. Jerome, under the direction of teacher Rose Mischke, has been working to help cover the expenses associated with Andrew’s funeral and are setting up a memorial fund at Bank of America. They view this as a way of remembering a fallen friend who, despite his lack of material possessions, was always seeking to help others.
“He was also an extremely bright and hard-working students,” noted Ms. Mischke. “Andrew recently received an award for being one of the smartest kids in his class. Our children truly feel that they have lost a brother.”
Donations can be made to the “Andrew Lin Memorial Fund” at any Bank of America in the valley.
For more information on St. Jerome’s effort to help the Lin family, contact Louise DeBusk at 602/312-4748.
view ABC NEWS 15 video on this story <here>
DENVER’S ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT TO BE GUEST HOMILIST
AT DIOCESE OF PHOENIX RED MASS
PHOENIX (January 22, 2008) The Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver will be the guest homilist at this year’s Red Mass, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23, at St. Mary’s Basilica, 231 N. Third St., Phoenix. The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix will be the main celebrant of the Mass.
Sponsored by the Saint Thomas More Society of Phoenix, an association of Catholic lawyers, the Red Mass is conducted annually at this time for Arizona’s legislators, government executive officers, judges and lawyers to help herald the opening of Arizona’s legislative session.
Archbishop Chaput has distinguished himself as a respected national leader among priests in the United States. He was installed Archbishop of Denver in 1997, after having served as Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, where he was ordained a bishop on July 26, 1988. A native of Concordia, Kansas, Archbishop Chaput was ordained to the priesthood for the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, St. Augustine Province, on August 29, 1970.
Diocese of Phoenix Kicks Off
2008 Charity and Development Appeal
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
January 17, 2008
Steve Zabilski, who is co-chairing this year’s Charity and Development Appeal with his wife, Denise, remembers when two siblings visited his office and emptied their piggy banks in front of him... <read article>
Diocese of Phoenix to Conduct Pro-Life Events
Marking Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
PHOENIX (January 17, 2008) The Diocese of Phoenix is conducting several public pro-life events to mark the sad 35th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade U. S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Catholic Youth and Young Adults will gather for the Pro Life Vigil 2008 at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 18, at All Saints Newman Center, 230 East University Drive, on the Arizona State University Campus, Tempe. The evening will begin with praise and worship and will be followed by the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, leading a Eucharistic procession up A-Mountain in Tempe.
At 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 20, Bishop Olmsted will celebrate a Mass for the unborn at St. Matthew Church, 320 N. 20th Dr., Phoenix. The Mass will be followed by a pro-life commemoration and rally of Roe v. Wade is sponsored by Arizona Right to Life and Life Education Corporation. The Rally for Life March will leave at 1 p.m. from Wesley Bolin Park in Central Phoenix and proceed to the steps of the State Capitol.
There also will be a Pro-Life Candlelight Procession, Rosary and Benediction at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22, in Maguire Hall of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 7655 E. Main St., Scottsdale. People will gather to pray for the reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision. As people process, they will be asking Our Blessed Mother’s protection for all her children.
“The generations born after 1973 are learning that nearly a third of their potential friends, teammates, and, in some cases, family members are missing due to the legalized murder propagated by the Supreme Court decision,” said Michael Phelan, director of the Office of Marriage and Respect Life for the Diocese of Phoenix. “Women from these generations should learn that they deserve better than abortion as an answer to a problem pregnancy.”
Diocese of Phoenix Welcomes Fr. Andrew McNair as Guest Homilist
for Mass Honoring the Late Martin Luther King, Jr.
PHOENIX (January 15, 2008) Fr. Andrew McNair, LC, Professor of Theology at Mater Ecclesiae College, Greenville, RI, will be the guest homilist at the 17th Annual Celebration of a Mass honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at 3 p.m. on Monday, January 21, at St. Mary’s Basilica, 231 N. Third St., Phoenix. The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, will be the principal celebrant of the Mass.
Fr. McNair was chosen to give the homily because of his reputation as an author, scholar and teacher. A reception will follow the Mass in St. Mary’s Meeting and Convention Center on the lower floor of the Basilica.
Sponsored by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry and the Office of Peace and Justice of the Diocese of Phoenix, the Mass is held annually to commemorate the birthday of the slain civil rights leader who would have turned 79 on January 15. This year the federal holiday honoring Dr. King falls on Monday, January 21. For more information on the Mass contact Kit Marshall, Office of Black Catholic Ministry at 602-354-2025s
Olmsted conducts first Gallup Mass
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted prepares to begin services at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup, N.M. Olmsted was apointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Gallup during Bishop Donald E. Polotte one-year medical leave of absence. Olmsted is also the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
GALLUP — After nearly six difficult months, the Diocese of Gallup began the New Year with a new bishop to shepherd the local church.
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, the newly appointed apostolic administrator of the Gallup Diocese, celebrated his first two public Masses in Gallup’s Sacred Heart Cathedral during well-attended services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. He was greeted with applause when introduced, and many parishioners lined up to greet him after the services. <read article>
STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX
Re: The appointment of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted as Apostolic Administrator
of the Diocese of Gallup
(January 3, 2008)
The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Gallup, NM, assuming the duties of Bishop Donald E. Pelotte, SSS, who was granted a one-year medical leave of absence.
An apostolic administrator is appointed by the Holy Father on either a permanent or temporary basis for many reasons, including severe illness of the bishop of a diocese. In this situation, Bishop Olmsted will assume the duties of Bishop Pelotte on a temporary basis until Bishop Pelotte is able to return or his successor is appointed and installed. Bishop Olmsted will continue to serve as Bishop of Phoenix and divide his time between the two dioceses, adjusting his schedule to be present at major functions in both dioceses as long as necessary.
Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, NE, in 1973, Bishop Olmsted has been Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix since December 2003. Prior to his appointment in Phoenix, he served as Bishop of Wichita, KS, after being ordained Coadjutor Bishop in 1999. Before serving in Wichita, he was the Rector/President of the Pontifical College Josephinum, a Catholic seminary in Columbus, OH. Bishop Olmsted previously lived in Rome, Italy, where he obtained a Master of Arts in Theology, a Doctorate in Canon Law, and worked more than nine years in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.
Bishop Pelotte, 62, suffered severe injuries in a fall at his home in Gallup on July 23 and, despite receiving treatment in Arizona, Texas and Florida, was unable to gain a full recovery, even when he returned to Gallup on September 21. After a valiant effort to continue his duties, he requested a leave of absence in December to focus all his energies on achieving a full recovery.
Bishop Olmsted asks the people of the Diocese of Phoenix to pray for Bishop Pelotte’s recuperation, for the people of our sister Diocese of Gallup and for him as he assumes these additional duties.
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STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX
Re: The Praise and Worship Center
January 3, 2008
The Praise and Worship Services being led by Dale Fushek, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix on administrative leave, and Mark Dippre, a priest who left public ministry to enter into a civil marriage and a priest not in good standing, are not endorsed by the Catholic Church. Both of these men have been ordained Catholic priests and ministered in the Diocese of Phoenix. Their actions are not in union with the Catholic Church and may potentially mislead well intentioned Catholics and other members of the Christian faithful. It is important for the faithful to know that both priests are acting contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church and remain disobedient to directives of the Bishop of Phoenix to whom they pledged obedience and respect when they were ordained to the priesthood.
The Diocese of Phoenix wishes to express its grave concern for Catholics who may be misled or confused by the actions of Dale Fushek and Mark Dippre. Therefore, the Diocese of Phoenix does not endorse the actions of these priests and we encourage Catholics to refrain from attending or supporting the Praise and Worship Center. We remind Catholics that the ultimate form of praise and worship is and always will be the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and we urge them to keep the Mass as the center of their lives. There is no substitution for the graces received at Mass and no prayer more edifying.
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Reform Not Sanctions
The Arizona Republic
A little more than two years ago, we communicated our concerns about the moral dimensions of the immigration crisis in Arizona.
In "You Welcomed Me," our pastoral letter to Catholics in our dioceses, we stated that the Catholic Church speaks up about immigration because it is committed to the protection of the rights and dignity that all persons are entitled to from conception to natural death.
<Read Full Story>
