Local News April 2009

FLU/SWINE FLU GUIDELINES
DIOCESE OF PHOENIX

April 30, 2009 - With the outbreak of “Swine Flu” in Mexico and other parts of the world including the United States, in order to promote safety and health in public worship and assist in alleviating undue anxiety among the faithful, it seems prudent to issue the following liturgical guidelines for the Diocese of Phoenix.

The Center for Disease Control together with the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship remind us that the Swine Flu, like all influenza, is spread through personal, physical contact with someone who is sick (either through inhaling the virus, or through hand-to-mouth transmission with a contaminated surface).  The CDC says that the best prevention is self-isolation of people who are sick, avoiding close contact with others, cleaning hands frequently, and covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Furthermore, the CDC recognizes various “levels” to health crises.  At this time the United States, and the state of Arizona, are on heightened health watch with no mandatory actions being taken.  This diocesan guideline is based on the CDC’s response to any potential crisis that may be brought on by the Swine Flu.
                         
Level I: (heightened awareness, voluntary precautions)
Pastors/administrators of parishes or other institutions may implement the following:

1.) Encourage the Faithful who are sick to stay home.
- Though it is true that it is a grave matter to miss Mass on Sundays and holydays, this never applies to those who are ill, especially those who are contagious or display flu-like symptoms.
2.) Distribute Holy Communion under the species of bread alone.
- We receive the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ in its totality under the species of bread alone. Receiving both species is a fuller “sign” not a fuller reality.   The distribution of the chalice could be a high risk for contamination and thus is not necessary for the faithful.
3.) Invite communicants to receive on the hand.
- Reception of Communion on the tongue could inadvertently contaminate the hands of those distributing Communion.
4.) Eliminate the optional exchange of peace.
- Asking people to exchange the Sign of Peace without physical contact is to empty the ritual of meaning.  Since this is an optional part of the liturgy, it is to be omitted rather than attempted without physical contact.
5.) Require Ordinary and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to sanitize hands before distribution.
6.) Omit the spontaneous gesture of hand-holding during the Our Father.
- There is no prescribed gesture for the People of God during the Our Father.
7.) Do not hold Eucharistic and other liturgies in a daily Mass chapel, if there is a larger church at the parish.

Level II: (a seriously heightened situation including imposed restrictions by CDC or Arizona Health Officials.) You will be notified by the Chancery Office when and if Level II should occur.
All items from “Level I” become mandatory. Additionally:

8.) Facial masks are permitted at Mass or other liturgical celebrations.
9.) Ministers to the sick must carefully follow CDC regulations (masks, gloves, etc.).
10.) All unnecessary contact between individuals or groups is to be eliminated (e.g. greeting people after Mass, coffee and donuts, etc.).
11.) People with compromised immune systems are encouraged to stay home even on Sundays.

Level III: (Endemic/critical health situation)
           
Follow all CDC regulations for public gatherings which may include the temporary closing of parish schools and churches.

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops has also issued a questions and answers document on the flu issue the liturgical restrictions.  We provide a link to that document - http://usccb.org/liturgy/swineflu.shtml

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JAMES S. WALL ORDAINED FOURTH BISHOP OF GALLUP

By Andrew Junker | April 24, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

GALLUP, NM — James S. Wall became the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Gallup and the youngest bishop in the United States April 23 before a packed Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Eleven bishops, two archbishops and one cardinal, more than a 100 priests, scores of deacons, dozens of women religious and hundreds of laity were on hand to see Bishop Wall ordained and installed.

View our photos from the ordination event

“It was an act of God when God destined James Sean Wall to be the son of a football coach and his wife, then living in Chinle, to be born in Ganado,” Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said in his homily. <read story>

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ARIZONA BISHOPS CALL ON GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE TO NOT FORGET THE MOST VULNERABLE OF SOCIETY

PHOENIX (April 20, 2009) The Bishops of the Catholic Conference of Arizona, in an open letter to Governor Jan Brewer and members of the Arizona Legislature released today, call on Arizona government officials to find creative solutions to keeping programs in the state budget that support the most vulnerable in our state and also encourage continued strong funding of public education.

The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix and Apostolic Administrator of Gallup, and the Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, say in the letter that the reduction in protective services for children and vulnerable adults and the reduction in mental health services have placed at risk those who are least able to defend themselves.  The bishops also believe that cutbacks in public education could put at risk the futures of an entire generation of Arizona’s children.

The bishops recommend that government leaders seek solutions to the state budget crisis through cooperative collaboration of the public and private sectors.  They contend a solution can be gleamed by “asking the people and the private and public institutions of Arizona to step up with ideas and step up with resources.”

The full text of the letter from the Arizona Catholic Conference Bishops is available at www.azcatholicconference.org.

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CHAPEL FOR CANCER PATIENTS OF ALL FAITHS

It couldn't have happened at a more fitting time, and it couldn't have been a more powerful symbol.

When the 8-foot golden cross was placed atop the dome of the new St. Peregrine Chapel at Christ the King Catholic Church in Mesa on Good Friday, the church took one step closer to its goal of becoming a beacon of hope for people of all faiths who are suffering from cancer. <read story>

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ST. FRANCIS XAVIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM TO REPRESENT STATE OF ARIZONA IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

PHOENIX (April 14, 2009) – The first-year Robotics Team at St. Francis Xavier Elementary School has a once in a life time opportunity to represent the state of Arizona in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) Open European Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, May1-3, 2009. They will be one of eight teams representing the United States.

While the students start up practice again in the school library on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. to hone their programming and presentation skills, coaches and parents are fundraising to help underwrite the costs of the trip. The team needs to raise $24,000 for the trip to the FLL OpenEuropean Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark this May.

This year students in grades 6 through 8 had the opportunity to take part in the school’s rookie FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics team. In 5 short months, 10 students, their coaches and mentors competed in regional and state competitions. At the state competition, held at ASU in December the group was named a silver team. The team also received a first place award for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology in Robot Programming.  The judges noted the originality of several of the techniques that our team used during competition, winning the team recognition for its innovative programming.

Robotics Coach Lyn McLaren – who also serves as the school’s Technology coordinator, says  ”Robotics is the the fourth R. In additon to reading, (w)riting and  (a)rithmatic, robotics is an exciting and fun global program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology, and promotes teamwork and collaboration in an edicational setting. Students on the robotics team:

- Research and solve a real-world problem based on the Challenge theme

- Present  research and solutions

- Build an autonomous robot using engineering concepts

- Think like scientists and engineers

- Experiment and overcome obstacles

To learn more about robotics visit www.firstaz.org.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the St. Francis Xavier team’s fundraising effort and to learn more about the competition and the success of the robotics program at the school, contact Tami Bohannon at 602-212.4514.

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KAZT-TV(AZ-TV7, CABLE 13) TO BROADCAST ORDINATION OF BISHOP-ELECT JAMES WALL ON APRIL 23

PHOENIX (April 8, 2009) KAZT-TV (AZ-TV7, Cable 13) will broadcast live the ordination of the Most Rev. James S. Wall as Bishop of Gallup, NM, at 1 p.m. Arizona time on Thursday, April 23, from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup.  The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Gallup time as New Mexico observes daylight savings time. Funding for the Ordination Mass broadcast is underwritten in part by generous donations from St. Theresa and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes.

The Mass will also be televised live in the New Mexico cities of Gallup, Farmington and Grants through the community access channels of COMCAST Cable.  Those unable to get to a television will be able to access a live streaming broadcast of the ordination Mass by going to the official web site of the Diocese of Gallup at http://www.dioceseofgallup.org.

The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Wall, 44, as Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico on February 5.  He will become the fourth Bishop of Gallup, succeeding Bishop Donald E. Pelotte, who retired in April of 2008.  Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has been Apostolic Administrator of Gallup since January 2008 and will remain so until Bishop-elect Wall is ordained.

The Diocese of Gallup is comprised of the Apache, Navajo and those parts of the Navajo and Hopi Reservations in Coconino Counties in the State of Arizona; San Juan, McKinley, Catron, Cibola and parts of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia Counties in the State of New Mexico for a total of 55,468 square miles. The total population of the Diocese is 491,400 people, with 58,292 of them Catholic.

For more information on the ordination of Bishop-Elect Wall and the Diocese of Gallup, go once again to the Diocese of Gallup’s web site at http://www.dioceseofgallup.org