Catholic Diocese Tucson

CATHOLIC OUTLOOK 13 MAY 2019 Deacon Justin Terna Agbir was born July 11, 1985, to devout Catholics Linus Iornyagh Agbir and Patricia Mbanyaghen Adema in Mbama, Benue State, Nigeria. His family were farmers and he grew up in Vandeikya. He attended local schools, including St. Peter’s Secondary School, graduating in 2005. That year, he attended a vocations retreat held by the Via Christi society. In his autobiographical essay submitted with his seminary application in 2013, Deacon Agbir wrote the following about his parents: “They took their time carefully by God’s assistance to see that we their children grew up in the fear of God and with the knowledge of societal values.” “They never stop praying for our success; truly my family is a great divine gift to me!” he wrote. He grew up as a member of the Tiv people, an ethno-linguistic group in West Africa. He recalled how his mother would read passages from the Bible written in the Tiv language “and this attracted me to the extent that I never left her side whenever she was there voicing out the words.” It also helped him become proficient in the dialect, earning him the nickname growing up as “Tiv Philosopher” or “Professor.” He received financial support from his family and from missionary sisters. As a youth, he was a member of a study group called the Catholic Biblical Movement. From a young age, he thought about becoming a priest. “The attraction took me to a serious extent that I went as far as constructing a chasuble-like piece of cloth from my mother’s old wrapper, so that whenever I was left at home with my brother, I would set a table and imitate priests.” He attended Mass regularly with his family growing up. His current spiritual practices include silent prayer, Liturgy of the Hours and the rosary. He was admitted to Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, in 2015. He was ordained a deacon on June 9, 2018, in St. Augustine Cathedral. He will be ordained a priest for the Via Christi society with service to the Diocese of Tucson June 8 in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Makurdi, by Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe. Deacon Jesus Haros-Mendez was born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, May 3, 1989, to Celso Haros and Angela Mendez; he was the seventh child in a devout family. His father was a railroad worker. Jesus attended public schools and as a child played at celebrating Mass. In middle school he developed a love of science, especially chemistry and like many in middle school, he dated. In high school, he won a local science fair and placed third in state competition. He also developed an interest in music, playing the drums and later taught himself to play guitar. During high school, he became friends with Fathers Viliulfo Valderrama and Abraham Guerrero, who at the time, were assigned to San Felipe de Jesus Parish in Nogales, Arizona. “They guided me and recommended me to attend the youth group called Arcoiris,” he wrote in his autobiographical essay submitted with his seminary application. Haros regularly attended Arcoiris and kept in touch with the priests during his last semester in high school. “They helped me significantly,” he wrote. After graduating high school in 2007, he attended a discernment retreat for the Diocese of Hermosillo, Mexico. Afterward, he was invited to join the seminary there and he accepted. After a year, however, he felt he was being called to a monastic community and transferred to the Bethlehem Monastery in Livingston Manor, NY, at the invitation of an aunt who lived there. “During my stay at the monastery, I learned a lot about myself. I loved the long hours of prayers, meditation moments in front of the Holy Eucharist, (growing) deeper (in my) knowledge of God,” he wrote. “With all this I felt that I was receiving many gifts from God and was not giving anything back; so I thought again about the possibility of becoming a diocesan priest in order to preach God’s love and the real meaning of human life to other people.” He reapplied to the Hermosillo seminary in November of 2008. Because it was so late in the term, he could not be readmitted until the following September. That summer, he suffered a broken pelvis while riding a horse with his friends. In January 2010, he learned that his mother had fallen ill suddenly and died. “I felt the greatest pain in my heart because of the news,” he wrote. After the funeral, he returned to school and completed his studies. In 2012, he continued formation at the Universidad Pontificia de Mexico in Mexico City. The following year, he discerned an interest in serving in the Diocese of Tucson. He spoke to Father Bardo Antúnez, then pastor at San Felipe in Nogales, who helped him connect with Father Jorge Farias-Saucedo, diocesan Vocations director for Recruitment. During the summer of 2014, he had two part-time jobs: teaching Metaphysics at the seminary and working at a local McDonald’s. He was admitted to the diocesan program in September of 2014 and was enrolled at Pima Community College for English classes. He was admitted to Mundelein Seminary in 2015 and ordained a deacon on June 9, 2018, in St. Augustine Cathedral. He will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Tucson June 1 at 10 a.m., in St. Augustine Cathedral by Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger. Deacons Agbir and Haros-Mendez await June ordination for the Diocese Early on, these men heard God’s call; they will receive the sacrament of Holy Orders DEACON JUSTIN AGBIR DEACON JESUS HAROS-MENDEZ This year’s tournament will begin with Kino Cup competition of Padres v. Seminarians on Friday, June 14 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the North Grandstand field, Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way, Tucson. The youth soccer tournament will run June 15 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Registration is available in three categories: high school and youth groups; young adults, ages 18-25; and adults age 26 and older. Finals from each category will be played on Saturday night. The tournament will also feature a festival that includes food trucks, music and inflatables. All parishes and schools are invited to participate. For more information, call Vocations Director Father Jorge Ricardo Farias-Saucedo at (520) 838-2531 or email vocations@ diocesetucson.org . 5th Annual Padres v Seminarians Soccer tourney June 14-15 Salvatorian Brother Silas Henderson was named executive director of the Jordan Ministry Team, according to a community announcement April 8. A collaborative Salvatorian initiative begun in 2001, the Jordan Ministry Team provides faith formation and education programs for parishes, Catholic schools, lay ministers and deacons. As executive director, Brother Silas will oversee program development, fundraising and staff formation, while continuing his work as a catechist, formator and retreat leader. The Jordan Ministry Team is named in honor of the Venerable Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, who established the Salvatorians in Rome in 1881. New Jordan Ministry Team leader