By J.D. Long-García | June 18, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

St. Paul speaks of Christians being called to be ministers of salvation. His words resonated in the hearts and minds of the 56 Catholics who graduated from the Kino Institute this month.

“We are called by God so that our works may be His works,” Crosier Father Thomas Enneking said during his June 10 bilingual homily at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. The Mass preceded the convocation.

Fr. Fred Adamson, who presided at Mass, handed the graduates their certificates on behalf of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. Fr. Adamson called the Kino Institute “a gift” to the Diocese of Phoenix.

“The Diocese of Phoenix is blessed because 56 people — mothers and fathers and people with jobs — have spent more than 300 hours learning about their faith,” said Sr. Maria Celia Molina, SNDdeN, coordinator of the Spanish-language program.

Students took courses in moral theology, Scripture and the history of the Church, just to name a few. They also applied what they learned in a “supervised ministry experience.”

For Fabiola Hernandez, who plans to apply her learning as a catechist at St. Mark Parish, one thing stood out about her education through Kino.

“The life of Jesus,” she said. “Kino helped me comprehend what the life of Christ was.”

Joe Debbins, a parishioner at St. Benedict, noted the last class on spirituality.

“Everyone who’s a Catholic ought to go through something like this to really get their arms around their faith,” he said.

In some ways, though, the celebration was bittersweet. Barry Sargent, who had served for years as director of the Kino Institute, and Larry Fraher, who coordinated the English-language program, are no longer on the administrative staff.

In all, the Kino Institute lost five positions after the diocese undertook a cost-saving realignment. The measure anticipates a projected decrease in revenue, but diocesan leaders confirm that Kino will continue its work.

Sargent and Fraher, on hand for the convocation, received a deafening round of applause from the Kino students and supporters.

Fraher said this year’s graduates came from a variety of backgrounds. He said all Catholics would benefit from learning about their faith.

“We’re really good at what we believe, but we’re not as good at why we believe it,” he said. “Anyone who wants to go deeper in their faith should look into Kino.”

Catholics shouldn’t rely on the media for an accurate picture of the Church, Fraher said.

“If we’re truly grounded in our faith, we can see through the mythological portrayals of the Church that are given to us,” he said. “There’s an uncompromising stock of truth on which we stand in the Catholic Church.”