TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Families filled St. Augustine Cathedral on Christmas Eve, coming together in faith and tradition to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Genevieve Garcia, 94, has been attending the downtown Tucson cathedral for about 50 years and loves Christmas mass.
"Christmas is everything, that's the birth of our Lord Jesus and that's why it's so wonderful to come today, to be here to celebrate his birth," Garcia said.
Bishop Gerald Kicanas, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Tucson, emphasized why the birth of Jesus is significant for Catholics.
"He didn't come as a member of royalty, he didn't come in a palace, he came in a stable — humble and poor," Kicanas said.
The bishop's message to the community focused on taking time to reflect during the Christmas season.
"To put away all these things that preoccupy us, that worry us, that we're anxious about and realize that God was born among us," Kicanas said. "To realize we're not alone. That our God promised to be with us in good times and in difficult times."
For some congregants like Norma James, Christmas represents a renewed connection to faith after a difficult journey.
"Whoever is reading or looking at this, hang in there. I've had a rough life but I knew that I was being taken care of, but I had to go through that to discover God in my own way," James said.
Bishop Kicanas says he’s happy to pass on the torch to Bishop-elect James Misko next year — and even though this may be his last Christmas as bishop, he plans to remain involved in the church.
"And so as bishop emeritus, I hope I can stay out of the way so he can do what is his responsibility now, but also to help him in any way that he feels would be helpful," Kicanas said.
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Many churchgoers find midnight mass particularly meaningful as a way to welcome Christmas Day.
"When you're there it just feels very special, very holy, it's a great night," said Deann Guzman.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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