Form of Spiritual Communion, by St. Alphonsus Liguori
My JESUS, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You in my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
(Fr Greg has requested the Bishop's message replace Did You Know)
It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of my decision to suspend public liturgies and gatherings in our churches. The decision is effective as of Wednesday, July 1st.
I believe we should anticipate a suspension of approximately four (4) weeks but the matter will be reviewed daily and the suspension could prove to be of shorter or longer duration.
It is regrettable to note that dioceses near us have reported cases of priests contracting Covid-19. It is troubling to consider how many parishioners, especially vulnerable persons, might be exposed by a priest who is unknowingly carrying the virus.
If you have seen any national news programs within the last week then you are aware that Arizona has been referenced daily as one of the states with the largest spike in Covid cases. Indeed, some states require anyone traveling from Arizona to self-quarantine. Our Governor’s message yesterday was deeply sobering. I find myself grateful for his integrity and urging Arizonans to stay home when at all possible. It is worth noting that the daily percent positive to the total number tested is quite important in determining community spread. The former head of the CDC reiterated this recently as a critical number to determine whether the increased positives are due to increased testing or because of increased saturation of COVID in the community. My understanding is that the local data indicate increased local saturation of the Virus and cannot be attributed solely to increased testing.
In response to this situation our first task is to help save lives and to do our part to reduce the building pressure on our hospitals. I have spoken today with the Chief Executive Officers of two of our area Catholic hospitals. The healthcare situation is increasingly critical and they are crying out for the public’s help by instituting better use of masks, social distancing, and especially by remaining at home whenever possible. I believe that we must be witnesses to the best of protocols, setting the good example for our people and the public. In this way we will play a crucial role in moving our communities toward controlling this pandemic until a vaccine or cure can be found.
I know that this temporary suspension will disappoint and perhaps frustrate many of you just as it disappoints and frustrates me. I had greatly hoped that when we resumed public worship a few weeks ago that we would see a steady downward trend of Covid infections. But I must remind myself that we were told that the exit from this pandemic might involve some temporary set-backs along the way.
To be clear, we now return to that phase we were in immediately prior to our reopening. There are to be no public Masses with the exception of weddings and funerals (with a crowd that may not exceed ten persons).
I humbly ask your support and prayers as well.
May God bless you abundantly,
+Edward J. Weisenburger
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The Southwest is known for our warm welcomes and heartfelt hospitality! Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish has been extending this same warm welcome for over 140 year, since pioneer missionary, Fr. Antonio Jouvenceau, came to Tombstone, to minister to the need of those flocking into the area following the discovery of rich silver deposits!
Although the popular concept of Tombstone, largely shaped by Hollywood, portrays our community as centered in the bars and gambling dens of Allen Street and shadowed by violence, there is another and much more enduring story, of pioneer men, women and families, who sought to build a lasting community, founded on the values of the Gospel!
That is our story, and it is a story which continues to be written, not in historic re-enactments, but in the hearts and lives of people who call Tombstone home.
Our Parish is the “Mother Church” of Cochise County and has been instrumental in planting new parishes in the surrounding area. We continue to be part of the global Mission of the Church, and have entered our third century filled with the joy and the hope of those who are experiencing new life in Christ!
We would cordially invite you to experience that new life with us, and to know that the One who extends the invitation, “My house is your house!” is, in fact, the Lord!
Looking forward to welcoming you!
FR. GREG ADOLF and FR. ROBERT NESKE and all of the People of God at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish!
I was deeply disappointed with the decision rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday on abortion, which struck down a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to possess admitting privileges to hospitals. As Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Chairman of the USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities, noted so well, abortion violently ends the life of a child and often severely harms women. While we hope to see an end to all abortion, these laws that restrict abortion are in place to see that women who seek it should not be further harmed and abused by a callous, profit-driven industry.
It is my great hope that this temporary legal set-back will result in a greater effort to overturn the grave injustice of the Supreme Court’s Roe and Casey decisions, and a true right to life is recognized for every human being, from conception until natural death. Let us continue to work toward that goal, including finding new ways to help pregnant women choose to keep their babies.
May God bless you,
Bishop of Tucson
A Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
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