News of the Diocese of Baker

February 26, 2017 Volume 8 • Number 3

DIOCESAN CHRONICLE T HE

Parish News: St. Thomas Academy

Parish News: St. Patrick, Vale The annual Groundhog Dinner, put on by the Men's Club at St. Patrick's Parish, was held on February 2nd and has become a huge event over the years. Everyone in the community shows up for this long standing tradition that has been provided by the Men’s club for the last 20 years.

Catholic Schools Week was celebrated at St. Thomas Academy in Redmond with a visit from Bishop Liam Cary. After their special Mass, the children posed for a picture with Bishop.

Parish News: St. Thomas, Redmond Join us for our next Saturday Night Live–Catholic Style event at St. Thomas Parish on April 8th when we present Come Hold My Son, a Holy Week dinner Pageant and Concert. Immediately following the 5:30 Palm Sunday Vigil Mass participate in a special “Dinner Pageant” that will emphasize the Jewish roots of our Catholic faith to prepare us for Holy Week. After that head over to the Church and listen to a deeply moving and spirit-filled concert Come Hold My Son by Daniel Oberreuter, a northwest musician from the Catholic band The Thirsting and recent performer at World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. Families are welcome—suggested ages are 10 and up. Tickets go on sale after all Masses beginning March 18/19 and will continue through the weekend before the event. You may also purchase tickets in the Parish Office and Will-Call tickets are available for non-parishioners or out of town guests by calling the office (541) 923-3390 by April 3rd. Tickets are $15 per person for both the dinner pageant and concert or $5 if you would like to come for just the concert which will be held from 8:15-9:30 p.m. What people are saying:

“Wonderful music that can deepen your faith.” “Moved me to tears many times.” “I can actually let my kids listen to it!” What a great way to kick off Holy Week!

Illuminating our Parishes St. Mary’s in Wasco was dedicated in 1954 with Grass Valley and Antelope as Missions. Today only St. John the Baptist in Grass Valley serves as a Mission of St. Mary. Between the two parishes there are 40 registered families. St. Mary and St. John the Baptist are located in the Western Deanery.

St. Mary, Wasco

Fr. Fabian Nwokorie, Pastoral Administrator

St. John the Baptist, Grass Valley

Thoughts Along the Way Bishop Liam Cary

Come and See Have you ever witnessed the ordination of a priest? If you have not, you will get a chance to this summer. On Thursday, June 29, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Bend I will impose hands on Deacon Victor Mena and make him a priest forever. Victor is no stranger to many of you. In the last four years he has touched down in parishes north, south, east, and central. But most of that time he has spent at Mount Angel Seminary, preparing himself to labor in the vineyard of the Diocese of Baker and serve you as a priest of Jesus Christ. Like many of our priests today Victor comes from beyond our borders, and we are most grateful that God has called him (and seminarian Marco Serna) to cross over. But the call to set out on the path to the priesthood comes to men within our borders as well. Steve Garza heard the call in Hermiston and is living out his response at St. John XXIII Seminary in Boston. Caleb Cunningham from Jordan Valley listened hard at Franciscan University in Ohio, and followed his call to Mount Angel Seminary. The Lord called Jose Luis Melendez in Madras and led him to the seminary in Mexico City. What can we do to encourage other men hereabouts to listen as Steve and Caleb and Jose Luis did and to follow in their footsteps? In the short term the most helpful encouragement we can offer is this: get them to come to Victor’s ordination in June. The sight of a man being ordained promotes serious consideration of the priestly vocation as nothing else can. For the power and beauty of the ordination ceremony impresses itself on the soul of a young man with unsurpassable impact and sets him to imagining himself kneeling before the bishop one day and rising a priest forever. Well do I remember how that attractive image burrows deep into the memory and seems to “speak” right to the heart: “It could be you. It could be you.” (Some of you may have “heard” something similar when you watched a couple pronounce their wedding vows.) Such a great opportunity does not happen every year, so we must take full advantage of it when it does. Therefore, I urge each pastor and parish council in the diocese to take note of all your grade-school and highschool boys, repeatedly encourage all of them to come to Bend in June, and help those who are willing with the expenses to get there. It will be good for them to know early on that those they worship with support them. I also urge you to couple this specific, short-term

effort with foundational, long-term encouragement: unceasing prayer to the Lord of the Harvest. Inspired by the tireless vocations promoters of Central Oregon, I have composed a prayer for priestly vocations which appears in this issue of the Chronicle and which I ask priests to make widely available in every parish. From now and until Victor’s ordination, I would like it to be prayed together publicly 15 minutes before Sunday Mass. I ask each family to pray it at home once a week and each parish group (Knights of Columbus, Altar Society, youth group, prayer groups) to include it at the beginning of each meeting. In this way we can all accompany Victor Mena to the altar of the Lord June 29 and sow the seeds of priestly desire in the hearts of others like him. Of this we can be sure: if we do our part, the Lord of the Harvest will do the rest.

Pensamientos Del Camino Obispo Liam Cary

Vengan y Vean ¿Has visto alguna vez la ordenación de un sacerdote? Si no lo has hecho, este verano tendrás la oportunidad de hacerlo. El Jueves, 29 de Junio, en la Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís en Bend, impondré las manos sobre el Diácono Víctor Mena y lo haré un sacerdote para siempre. Víctor no es ningún extraño para muchos de ustedes. En los últimos años él ha estado en parroquias en el norte, el sur, el este, y el centro de la diocesis. Pero la mayor parte de este tiempo lo ha pasado en el Seminario Monte Ángel, preparándose para trabajar en la viña de la Diócesis de Baker y servirlos como sacerdote de Jesucristo. Como muchos de nuestros sacerdotes de hoy, Víctor viene de más allá de nuestras fronteras, y estamos muy agradecidos de que Dios lo haya llamado (y al seminarista Marco Serna) a cruzar hacia acá. Pero el llamado a iniciar el camino hacia el sacerdocio llega también a los hombres dentro de nuestras fronteras. Steve Garza escuchó el llamado en Hermiston y está viviendo su respuesta en el Seminario San Juan XXIII en Boston. Caleb Cunningham de Jordan Valley escuchó atentamente en la Universidad Franciscana en Ohio, y siguió su llamado al Seminario Monte Ángel. El Señor llamó a Jose Luis Melendez en Madras y lo llevó al seminario en la Ciudad de México. ¿Qué podemos hacer para animar a otros hombres por aquí a escuchar así como lo hicieron Steve y Caleb y Jose Luis y seguir en sus pasos? En el corto tiempo, el estímulo más útil que podemos ofrecer es esto: hacer que vengan a la ordenación de Víctor en Junio. La vista de un hombre siendo ordenado promueve seriamente la consideración de una vocación al sacerdocio como nada más lo puede hacer. Porque el poder y la belleza de una ceremonia de ordenación se imprime en el alma de un joven con un impacto insuperable y lo hace imaginarse a sí mismo arrodillado ante el obispo un día para recibir el mismo don. De veras esa imagen atractiva entra profundamente en la memoria y parece estar “hablando” directo al corazón: “Podria ser tú. Podria ser tú.” (Algunos de ustedes pueden haber “escuchado” algo similar cuando vieron a una pareja pronunciar sus votos matrimoniales.) Una tal oportunidad no ocurre todos los años, por lo que debemos aprovecharla. Por lo tanto, exhorto a cada párroco y concilio parroquial en la diócesis de tomar nota de todos sus muchachos de escuela primaria y secundaria, animen repetidamente a todos ellos a que vengan a Bend en Junio, y ayuden con los gastos a aquellos que están dispuestos a venir.

También los exhorto a ustedes a que asocien este esfuerzo específico a corto plazo, con un estímulo fundacional de largo plazo: incesable oración al Señor de la Cosecha. Inspirado por los incasables promotores de vocaciones del Oregon Central, he compuesto una oración para las vocaciones sacerdotales, la cual aparece en este número de la Crónica y la cual le pido a los sacerdotes que hagan extensamente disponible en cada parroquia. A partir de ahora y hasta la ordenación de Víctor, quisiera que se rezara públicamente 15 minutos antes de la Misa Dominical. Le pido a cada familia que la rece en casa una vez a la semana. Pido que los grupos parroquiales (Caballeros de Colón, Sociedad del Altar, grupo de jóvenes, grupos de oración) lo incluyan al comienzo de cada reunión. De esta manera todos podemos acompañar a Víctor Mena hacia el altar del Señor el 29 de Junio y sembrar las semillas del deseo sacerdotal en los corazones de otros como él. De esto podemos estar seguros, hermanos: si hacemos nuestra parte, el Señor de la Cosecha hará el resto.

Diocesan Events Schedule —Save the Date—

Bishop Cary’s Schedule: February 26 Confirmation 1:30 PM, St. Andrew Mission, Pendleton March 4 March 5 March 8

March

4

Rite of Election 1:00 PM Our Lady of Angels, Hermiston

Rite of Election for Northern & Western Deanery at Our Lady of Angels, Hermiston

March

5

Rite of Election 3:00 PM St. Francis of Assisi (New Church), Bend

Rite of Election for Central Deanery at St. Francis of Assisi, Bend

March

Talk 7:00 PM St. Augustine Catholic Center, University of Idaho

March 10-12 Idaho Catholic Youth Conference (ICYC) Nampa, Idaho March 11

Rite of Election 3 PM Blessed Sacrament, Ontario

10-12 ICYC High School Retreat, Boise, ID

March

12

Rite of Election for Eastern Deanery at Blessed Sacrament, Ontario

March

18

Rite of Election for Southern Deanery at Sacred Heart, Klamath Falls

April

6

Chrism Mass, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, Baker City

April

8

RCIA Holy Week Retreat, Retreat Center

April

Building Your Marriage Before It Starts

St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bend is offering a weekend retreat for couples who want to build a marriage that will have the foundation to last a lifetime. Completion of this retreat meets the requirements for marriage preparation in the Diocese of Baker. 2017 Retreat Dates: May: 19,20,21 — August: 19,20,21 — November: 3,4,5 Location: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 2450 NE 27th Street, Bend OR 97701 For more information contact Natasha Rider email [email protected]

Priest’s Retreat, Mt. Angel

May

6

Faith Formation Leadership Retreat at Diocesan Retreat Center

July

6-9

High School Camp

July

20-23 Upper Elementary Camp

July

13-16 Middle School Camp

July

28-30 NW Steubenville High School Retreat

August

10-14 Evangelization & Catechesis Symposium, Retreat Center

August

26-28 Life Teen Empower Retreat, Retreat Center

October

9-12 Clergy Assembly, Retreat Center

December

9

RCIA Advent Retreat

The Traditional Latin Mass in Bend The Extraordinary Form (Latin) Mass is offered every other Sunday at St. Francis of Assisi Historic Church. All Masses are sung Masses. Upcoming Masses will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on March 5th and 19th. Fr. Szymakowski will hear confessions after Mass upon request. If you would like to be added to a Mass schedule notification email list, please send your request to [email protected] and if you are interested in being an Altar Server or singing in the schola, please contact Stephanie Swee at [email protected] .

Diocese of Baker Location and Mailing address: 641 SW Umatilla Avenue, Redmond, OR 97756

Phone: (541) 388-4004

Fax: (541) 388-2566

We don’t know what’s new unless you send us a clue! E-MAIL YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS (JPG/tif attachments, 300dpi) TO: [email protected] OR MAIL TO: The Diocese of Baker Attn: The Diocesan Chronicle 641 SW Umatilla Avenue | Redmond, OR 97756 Please limit your article to 250-300 words. We reserve the right to edit or omit entries for space, clarity and other considerations. Photos will not be returned unless requested. For more information call (541) 388-4004