News of the Diocese of Baker
June 16, 2019 Vol. 10 • Number 12
DIOCESAN CHRONICLE THE
St. Elizabeth Parish Celebrates First Holy Communion With Crowning of Blessed Virgin Mary on May 5th, the Third Sunday of Easter brought joy to St. Elizabeth’s parish community in John Day as they celebrated First Holy Communion of Alana Spence. At the beginning of Mass all the little children brought flowers in procession in an offering to our Blessed Mother. As the month of May is devoted to show love and devotion to Blessed Virgin Mary, a little girl crowned her with a fragrant crown of flowers. Every year, the crowning of Mary reminds and encourages the faithful to pray the Rosary for the intercession of Blessed Mother for the peace in the families and the world.
After the celebration of First Holy Communion, Alana and her family hosted a delicious Mexican lunch to all who came to congratulate her as a sign of sharing their joy with one another. Submitted by Fr. Christie Tissera, Pastor
Office of Evangelization & Catechesis Tours the Diocese Josh and I were very blessed by our travels throughout the Diocese over the last couple months. Our goal was to meet and listen to as many people involved in faith formation as possible. We visited each of the five deaneries and met with priests, staff and volunteers to get a better Bryce Herrmann, understanding of parish life in our various communities. We heard stories, Coordinator of Catechetical learned what was going well and how we Ministry might best serve the parishes of our Diocese. As people shared their dreams and needs, we noticed a few themes begin to emerge: the need for building strong households of faith, assistance with communication and training as well as a need for
dynamic materials. In response to these conversations, we are excited to announce the new recommended children’s ministry curriculum, Alive in Christ/Vivos en Cristo. This curriculum offers effective, family-friendly take-home materials, has easy to use online access for catechists and parents, is fully bilingual, and is engaging for children. We are currently working on innovative ways to support parishes and parishioners in all these areas and more. Be on the lookout for more opportunities and retreats for families, youth and adults.
Thoughts Along The Way Bishop Liam Cary
Holding Bishops Accountable A year ago this month the McCarrick scandal rocked the Church in America. The aftershocks continued all summer long with sickening disclosures of priestly sexual abuse in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report followed by publication of Archbishop Vigano’s letters charging coverup all the way to the Vatican. On into the fall and winter the same degraded clerical corruption came to light in one country after another. Throughout the world Christ’s flock watched in dismay, disgust, and deepening distrust of their shepherds. But the shepherds were shaken too--at least this one was. After all, Christ our Lord built His Church on the foundation of the Apostles’ faith, and ordination as bishop passes that same Apostolic mission on to us. Never before had we realized how vulnerable it is to human weakness, ambition, and diabolic distortion. As that realization comes home to us, so too does recognition of our responsibility as bishops to make whole and strengthen what betrayal has divided and weakened. At our Conference meeting last November we proposed practical measures to make bishops accountable for their own personal failings and for those of their brother bishops. These proposals, revised and clarified in the intervening months, will be taken up again this month at our meeting in Baltimore. Pope Francis lightened our burden in early May when he issued new rules for the conduct of bishops throughout the world. These norms mandate that bishops “establish within a year . . . public, stable and easily accessible systems” of reporting specified violations of chastity and/or authority by bishops, priests, or deacons. A report is to be “protected and treated in such a way as to guarantee its safety, integrity and confidentiality.” The bishop who receives it “shall transmit it without delay” to the bishop of the diocese where the events occurred, as well as to the bishop of the cleric named in the report. An allegation against a bishop is forwarded both to the Vatican and to the Metropolitan of the Province of the accused bishop. This point needs explaining. A Province is a geographical grouping of diocesan bishops coordinated by a Metropolitan--that is, an archbishop. The dioceses of Baker, Boise, Helena, and Great Falls belong to the Province of Portland; Archbishop Sample is our Metropolitan. (The other
metropolitans in our region are the archbishops of Seattle and Anchorage.) Upon receipt of an allegation against a bishop in his province, the Metropolitan requests permission from Rome to commence the investigation. Once authorized, he may utilize experienced investigators to gather and assess relevant information from files, persons, and institutions as necessary. At the conclusion of the investigation the Metropolitan transmits the documented facts of the case as well as his assessment of them to the appropriate office in the Vatican, which then issues a judgement. (This is the process which brought Theodore McCarrick to justice last year under the direction of Cardinal Dolan of New York.) If the Metropolitan is accused, the new norms specify that the case be entrusted to the senior bishop in the region. It has been widely acknowledged that Pope Francis’ norms lay down a good foundation for what we need: a viable structure of deterrence that will make it more difficult for Theodore McCarrick’s successors to carry on and cover up the atrocious behavior that shocked our consciences a year ago. But deterrence depends on vigilance, and that is an ongoing task for us all.
Pensamientos A Lo Largo Del Camino Obispo Liam Cary
Responsabilizar a Los Obispos Hace un año en este mes fue que el escándalo McCarrick sacudió la Iglesia en América. Las réplicas continuaron durante todo el verano con repugnantes revelaciones de abuso sexual de parte de sacerdotes en Pennsylvania, seguido por la publicación de las cartas del Arzobispo Vigano que acusaron encubrimiento aun hasta el Vaticano. Hacia el otoño y el invierno, la misma degradada corrupción clerical salió a la luz en un país tras otro. En todo el mundo, el rebaño de Cristo observaba con consternación, disgusto, y creciente desconfianza hacia sus pastores. Pero los pastores también fueron sacudidos—al menos este sí lo fue. Después de todo, Cristo nuestro Señor construyó Su Iglesia sobre la base de la fe de los Apóstoles, y la ordenación episcopal nos transmite la misma misión Apostólica a nosotros obispos. Nunca antes nos habíamos dado cuenta de lo vulnerable que es a la debilidad humana, la ambición, y la distorsión diabólica. A medida que nos damos cuenta de ello, también tenemos que reconocer nuestra responsabilidad como obispos para unir y fortalecer lo que la traición ha
dividido y debilitado. En nuestra reunión de la Conferencia Episcopal el pasado Noviembre, propusimos medidas prácticas para responsabilizar a los obispos por sus fallas personales y las de sus hermanos obispos. Estas propuestas, revisadas y aclaradas en los meses intermedios, se retomarán de nuevo este mes en nuestra reunión en Baltimore. El Papa Francisco alivianó nuestra carga a principios de Mayo cuando él emitió nuevas reglas para la conducta de obispos en todo el mundo. Estas normas obligan que los obispos “establezcan dentro de un año . . . sistemas públicos, estables y de fácil acceso” de reportar violaciones específicas de castidad y/o autoridad por obispos, sacerdotes, o diáconos. Un reporte debe ser “protegido y tratado de tal manera como para garantizar su seguridad, integridad y confidencialidad”. El obispo quien lo recibe “debe transmitirlo sin demora” al obispo de la diócesis donde ocurrieron los eventos, al igual que al obispo del clérigo nombrado en el reporte. Una denuncia en contra de un obispo se envía tanto al Vaticano como al Metropolitano de la Provincia del obispo acusado. Este punto necesita explicación. Una Provincia es un grupo geográfico de obispos diocesanos coordinados por un Metropolitano—es decir, un arzobispo. Las dióceses de Baker, de Boise, de Helena, y de Great Falls pertenecen a la Provincia de Portland; el Arzobispo Sample es nuestro Metropolitano. (Los otros metropolitanos en nuestra región son los arzobispos de Seattle y de Anchorage). Al recibir una denuncia en contra de un Obispo en su provincia, el Metropolitano pide permiso a Roma para comenzar la investigación. Una vez autorizado, él puede utilizar a investigadores experimentados para recopilar y evaluar información relevante de archivos, personas, e instituciones según sea necesario. A la conclusión de la investigación, el Metropolitano transmite los hechos documentados del caso así como también su evaluación de los mismos a la oficina correspondiente en el Vaticano, la cual luego emite una sentencia. (Este es el proceso que trajo a Theodore McCarrick a la justicia el año pasado bajo la dirección del Cardenal Dolan de Nueva York). Si el Metropolitano es acusado, las nuevas normas especifican que el caso debe ser encomendado al obispo mas antiguo de la región. Ha sido ampliamente reconocido que las normas del Papa Francisco establezcen una buena base para lo que necesitamos: una estructura viable de disuasión que hará más difícil para que los sucesores de Theodore McCarrick continúen y encubran el comportamiento atroz que conmocionó nuestra conciencia hace un año. Pero la disuasión depende de la vigilancia, y esa es una tarea continua para todos nosotros.
BISHOP CARY’S SCHEDULE June 19
2:00 PM Diocesan Finance Council Meeting, Redmond
June 23
10:00 AM Confirmation Mass, Jordan Valley
June 26
10:00 AM Presbyteral Council Meeting, Redmond
June 26
6:00 PM Ordination of Steve Garza, St. Francis of Assisi, Bend (27th Street)
June 29
5:30 PM Mass, Sacred Heart, Medford 6:30 Potluck, Sacred Heart, Medford
June 30
8:30 AM Mass, Sacred Heart, Medford 1:30 PM Spanish Mass and 2:30 PM Potluck, Sacred Heart, Medford
2019 BISHOP ANNUAL APPEAL
Living Our Faith ~ Nuestra de Fe $ Goal
# of Donors
$635,000
3,000
44%
$276,549
Update as of 3 weeks, 32% May 31st
Thanks! Visit our new and improved WEBSITE: www.dioceseofbaker.org
CHECK IT OUT TODAY!
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St. Bridget of Kildare Youth Ministry This is the second year for the youth of St. Bridget Parish to place flowers on graves that do not get visited. This year we were able to place 300 flowers due to the overwhelming response of our parishioners as well as those of Vale and Ontario. Thank you to all for supporting our service project. —Mary Clark, Director of Religious Education/ Youth Ministries
Congratulations to Doris Pitzer, retiring after 65 years of dedicated service as Choir Director and Organist at Our Lady of Angels Parish in Hermiston. God Bless You and Thank You.
Our Lady of Angels Holy Thursday Pilgrimage On Holy Thursday thirty-five parishioners and friends gathered in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church to begin the ancient Lenten tradition of visiting seven churches. Upon entering each church the participants visited the altar of repose, knelt, made the sign of the cross, and listened to a reading pertaining to Christ’s Passion beginning with the Garden of Gethsemane and ending with the Crucifixion. The visit to each church also included praying five recitations of the following prayers: Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. Before leaving the church, participants had time for private prayer. The pilgrimage was organized by Our Lady of Angels Knights of Columbus, Council #3999, Grand Knight Mark Gomolski. (Pictured far right in a light blue shirt) He began participating in this tradition while living in the Chicago area and brought it to his local parish. The next six churches on the day-long pilgrimage included: St. Mary’s in Pendleton, St. Andrew’s Mission, Duchovny
Dom Byzantine Monastery on Weston Mountain (see picture), St. Francis of Assisi in Milton-Freewater followed by St. Patrick Church and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin both in Walla Walla. All of the participants found the pilgrimage to be a very spiritual and faith filled activity. Submitted by pilgrimage participant: Kristi Smalley
