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By: Reverend Gregory Houck, O.Carm.
All the impressions gathered during a Sunday Mass at Saint Cyril’s in Tucson can be summarized in the phrase, “a vibrant Vatican II parish.” There seems to be a lot of participation at all levels; anywhere from the congregation clapping in time to the Gloria (hey, it’s usually hard to get most congregations even to sing) to an active “Social Concerns Committee” selling “fair trade” coffee from Chiapas after all the Masses. This spills over into catechetical programs with a parish school (K thru 8) that is at maximum enrollment and with a waiting list for all the grades, to a religious education program taught by young families. The outgoing pastor, Gill Martinez, of the Paulists, has obviously worked hard to keep the parish alive and moving forward. One of his main concerns, he says, is to keep the Anglo and Hispanic communities of the parish well-integrated. It shows.
Father Gill Ramirez, C.P., the outgoing pastor, gave us a tour of the full facility: the church (built in 1969), the school (built in 1961) and a new Priory (built in 2003 and which is separate from the parish offices!). Father Gill noted, “it’s the nicest residence the Paulists have.” When asked why the Paulists were withdrawing from the parish, Father Gill replied that with declining vocations, the Paulists are spread thin and have decided to strengthen their presence in their California commitments instead. He said that it was a difficult decision because the parish is so vibrant and so successful and the Paulists have staffed the parish since 1974.
Similarly, when asked why the Province would assume responsibility for a new parish when there has been a lot of discussion about withdrawing from such commitments, Father Fred Tillotson, O.Carm., the new administrator of the parish, replied that there were a number of good reasons:
- The Province’s long range plan recommends some expansion in the West.
- Tucson is a good place to “cluster” (i.e., have a variety of Carmelite commitments in the same locale) considering the long-term presence of the Carmelites at Salpointe Catholic High School and Sacred Heart Parish, and a positive long-term relationship with the bishop.
- Saint Cyril’s parish’s grade school is a strong “feeder school” for Salpointe High School.
- With the Paulists’ withdrawal from the parish, a prime parish was available, too good to pass up.
- The Carmelites at Salpointe’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Priory have offered their assistance in the parish.
Officially the Carmelites assumed responsibility for the parish on July 1st, but the new administrator, Fred Tillotson, presided at his first Mass in the parish on June 25th.
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