Bishop Mark Seitz announced a new priest has been assigned to serve two parishes, San Jose and Santa Lucia, beginning in September.
 
Bishop Mark Seitz made the announcement at the pastoral center’s Martyr’s Hall on Jun. 20.  A simultaneous announcement was held at Santa Lucia Parish by Fr. Tony Celino, the diocese’s vicar general.
 
The new priest, who has not yet been named, will come from the Order of Friar Servants of Mary. He will reside at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. 
 
“We have been very fortunate that the Servites have a priest they could send to us during this time when we simply do not have enough priests to serve all of our parishes,” said Bishop Seitz.
 
Bishop Seitz said the Diocese of El Paso has 57 parishes, 19 missions served by 43 diocesan priests and supplemented by 46 religious order priests. The number of priests who are expected to retire over the next 10 years exceeds the number of priests who will be ordained and will replace them, bishop said.
 
“A priest-sharing situation like what we will put in place at San Jose and Santa Lucia is what we’ve had to do for years in our West Texas parishes,” Bishop Seitz said.  “I’ve spent more than a year looking at how best to serve our parishioners. Ideally, I would love to have a priest at every parish but that’s not possible.”
 
The announcement of a new priest is especially big news for San Jose where Fr. Jose Alcocer will retire Aug. 31, 2016.  Earlier this year, San Jose’s church was torn down after a wall of the adobe building collapsed.  Currently, a parish hall remains on the property where parishioners have been meeting for 11 months. Of particular concern for parishioners was their request to build a new church.  Bishop Seitz told parishioners a new building in place of the old one is not possible.  Not only is the former site limited in space, he said, there are other matters to consider.
 
 “Although we have been blessed with the service of a new priest who will serve San Jose and Santa Lucia, we must begin to find the best ways to use the few priests we will have so that they are best able to serve regions of exploding growth in some parts of our Diocese at the same time as we serve existing communities.“
 
Bishop Seitz said San Jose’s building fund of an estimated $1 million is a “restricted fund.” It is held in trust for the parish by the diocese but can only be used by San Jose Parish for capital purposes.
 
“Although parishioners have been planning to use the money for a church building, the fund’s purpose is broader than that,” he said.  “It can be used for any building needs of the parish with the approval of the bishop.”
 
 

Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services, Inc. (“DMRS’) is the largest provider of free and low-cost immigration legal services in West Texas and New Mexico.  We have been serving the community for 30 years and are looking for a Staff Attorney in either our Removal Defense Unit or our Unaccompanied Minors Program to help us continue our tradition of service.  Please see the attached job posting for more information about the position.
 
Applications should be sent to Melissa M. Lopez, DMRS Executive Director, via email at mlopez@dmrs-ep.org or by mail at 2400A E. Yandell Dr., El Paso, TX 79903.  Please share widely!

Summary Financial Report

This summary report has been compiled from the audited financial statements of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.
This report and the related audited financial statements exclude assets and liabilities of individual parishes, missions, schools and other entities which operate within the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. Each of these is an operating entity distinct from the Diocese and they maintain separate financial records and budgets.

Please note that independent auditors had access to all of our financial accounts before issuing an unqualified opinion on our financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. This unqualified opinion means that the independent auditors found that the financial statements of the diocese are fairly presented and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
The diocese has made a commitment to transparency because we are accountable to the people we serve. The diocese exists to support the people, parishes, Catholic schools, religious education programs and other Catholic organizations of our community in fulfilling the mission of the church.
Your comments, suggestions, or questions about these reports can be directed to me, Gregory Watters, Chief Financial Officer at gwatters@elpasodiocese.org.

Faithfully yours,


Gregory Watters
Chief Financial Officer
Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso

Once again, our country is faced with a terrible tragedy and this time, the loss of 49 innocent lives.
A loss such as this reminds us how precious each and every human life is.  We, as Catholics, believe that every person's first and most profound identity is as a child of God.  We are horrified at this vicious attack which was not only an assault on beloved children of God, but upon the sacredness of life itself.

I have been in attendance at the U.S Catholic Conference of Bishops in California where we have been in prayer for the victims and their loved ones.  I ask El Paso Catholics and all people of good will to refrain from turning in hatred toward anyone in the aftermath of this attack.  Violence is certainly not the solution to differences.  Respectful dialog is necessary in the search for truth and justice.  Only love can conquer hate.  We must remember always that Christ calls us to solidarity with those who are suffering. May God’s mercy be upon the victims, their families and the entire city of Orlando.

Bp. Mark Seitz

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the following form:http://goo.gl/forms/Zu0QgklZXz. A new volunteer orientation meeting will be held on Sunday, June 12 at 2pm at 815 W Main Street, the Religious Education Building of Holy Family Parish (Next to Parish rectory at 104 Fewel Street.)
 
Text any inquiries to Taylor Levy at 915-257-5292 or email attaylorklevy@gmail.com. Thank you!
 
We are still in need of donations of the following items:
-NEW underwear for women and kids
-NEW socks for women and kids
-NEW flip flops and inexpensive shoes for women and kids -Toothbrushes -Toothpaste -Deodorant -Mini Hairbrushes -Shampoo -Diapers Sizes 3,4,5 -Over-the-Counter Cold and Flu Medicine for adults and children; Pepto Bismal -Travel-Size Snack Food Items like cookies, chips, pretzels, crackers, juice boxes, fruit cups, etc.
-Gallon Size Ziploc bags
-Backpacks

The Finance Office of the Diocese of El Paso, during a recent audit of St. Joseph Catholic School, uncovered irregularities. More than $800,000 was discovered misappropriated.

St. Joseph is a parish within the Diocese and operates an elementary school known as St. Joseph Catholic School. For approximately 25 years, St. Joseph School was operated by members of a Catholic religious order known as the Brothers of the Poor of St. Francis (the "Order").   The members of the Order are brothers (as opposed to ordained priests).

During the 25-year period, Brother Edwin Gallagher was the principal while Brother Richard Fish was an assistant principal. The brothers retired in 2015.  Following their retirement, the school's new bookkeeper requested assistance from the Diocesan finance office to resolve accounting issues and to implement a new accounting software package required by the Diocese.  The Diocesan Chief Financial Officer, Greg Watters, performed a preliminary investigation and discovered that Brother Edwin Gallagher and Brother Richard Fish had been paying for certain personal expenses out of school bank accounts.  The Diocese hired an independent accounting firm to perform a forensic investigation.  This investigation, as supplemented by information developed by the Diocesan Finance Officer, identified $800,246 in personal expenses of Brother Edwin and Brother Richard that were paid with school funds, without the knowledge or consent of the Pastor, the school board, or any representative of the Diocese.

Following the forensic investigation, the Order's President, Brother Edward Kesler, was contacted and came to El Paso to review and discuss the findings. Brother Kesler conducted his own investigation and confirmed that the funds identified were misappropriated.  Bishop Seitz and other representatives from the Diocese then met with the two Brothers who admitted to the misappropriation.
 
As a result of further discussions, the Order agreed to reimburse St. Joseph the sum of $800,246 in four quarterly installments commencing on June 30, 2016.
 
The new accounting software package that was implemented in 2015 provides new financial safeguards to prevent misappropriation of school funds from occurring in the future.
 
The discovery of the misappropriated funds by trusted individuals has caused disappointment and justifiable anger.  We are thankful that St. Joseph School will not suffer the adverse financial consequences that accompany most cases of this nature. And we ask for prayers for Brother Edwin and Brother Richard during this Year of Mercy.

Summer sports leagues are usually for baseball and softball, but the Diocese of El Paso has a cool volleyball league that high school students and young adults can take part in.

Read More: Diocese Of El Paso Hosts Summer Slam Jam Volleyball League | http://kisselpaso.com/diocese-of-el-paso-hosts-summer-slam-jam-volleyball-league/?trackback=tsmclip

June:

Santa Lucia: June 11 and 12

Sts. Peter and Paul: June 24, 25 and 26.

San Juan Bautista: June 25 and 26

July:

St. Paul the Apostle. July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: July 8, 9, 10

San Jose Church: July 22, 23, and 24

St. Ignatius: July 29, 30 and 31st

August:

Our lady of the Light: August 5, 6, and 7

San Lorenzo Fiesta:  August 5, 6, and 7.

St. Mark: August 19, 20, and 21

Our Lady of the Valley Parish: August 19-20, 2016.

Cristo Rey: Aug 26, 27 and 28

September:

Holy Spirit September 9-11

San Elizario: Sept.16, 17, 18

Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Pecos, TX : Sept 16, 17, 18

El Buen Pastor Sept. 16, 17, and 18

St. Pius the X:  Sept. 23-24

Little Flower: Sept. 24 and 25

La Purisima Socorro Mission Sept 23, 24, and 25th

Mother Cabrini Kermes:  Sept 23-25

October:
Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús in Fort Hancock: October 1

Slam Jam is here and you still have time to sign up.

 The Hope Border Institute expresses concern that the Obama Administration is once again planning a surge in deportations of Central Americans. These are persons who have recently crossed the border due to extreme situations of violence as well as political and economic instability in the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Administration officials have made clear that these deportations are part of a “deterrence strategy,” intended to send a message to those who would seek to escape the humanitarian crisis in their home countries that the journey to the United States is not worth making.

The human dignity of our migrant brothers and sisters is sacred and their lives should not be placed in jeopardy in the name of “deterrence,” by returning them to potentially deadly situations of violence. It is disappointing that the Obama administration has chosen to prioritize deterrence over relief to those clearly in need, in some cases without providing opportunities to migrants to make asylum claims. Even if limited in scope, more than sending a message of deterrence abroad these deportations sow fear in communities and families across the United States.

The specter of family separation and forced repatriation to lethal environments in Central America stands in sharp contrast to the work of the Catholic community on the US-Mexico border to welcome migrants with mercy and compassion, witnessed every day by the Hope Border Institute.

Speaking on the planned raids, Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of Las Cruces said, “I join my voice to Hope Border Institute in questioning the wisdom of the administration’s plan to deport mothers and children fleeing violence in Central America. I am troubled that migrants will be forced to return to dangerous situations in their home country after having sacrificed so much to reach asylum within our borders.”

Also commenting, Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso said, “I would urge Americans to come to know the stories of those who are appearing at our border just to listen to them and become familiar with the situations they are escaping.”