Longoria family creates a legacy of faith, generosity, and service

By Carissa Krautscheid

The Longoria family has lived in Tucson for five generations with a long history of serving the Catholic Church. In 1911, the year before Arizona became a state, Bishop Henry Granjon asked Juan Longoria to move from Texas to Tucson and become the artist at St. Augustine Cathedral. Members of the Longoria family have served every bishop since.

At 92-years-old, Juan’s grandson, Deacon Leo Longoria, is still serving the Catholic Church. He recalls memories of watching and then helping his grandfather work, as well as his own days as an altar server. One memory Deacon Leo holds close is the day in 1945 when churches across the world rang their bells to announce the end of World War II. In Tucson, 13-year-old Leo ran to St. Augustine Cathedral and received permission to ring the bells in jubilation, continuing until he was too tired to continue. Deacon Leo now looks back on that memory as he recognizes the important role bells play to call people’s attention to the sacred, and the importance of the bell ringer themselves.

The Longoria family continues serving the Catholic community around Tucson in many ways. Just last year, Deacon Leo established a charitable endowment held by the Catholic Foundation to support Foundation’s service projects. Prior to the 2021 passing of Deacon Leo’s wife, Anita, the couple was constantly inspired by the life of their daughter with special needs, Veronica, and her child-like compassion for serving others. Deacon Leo and Anita wanted to find a way to share that inspiration with future generations of family and friends. This endowment continues the Longoria family’s legacy of service. As members of the Longoria family have moved on to their eternal home, new generations step forward to continue ringing the bells of generosity and service. “I have seen God’s goodness shine brightest in two very special people: my wife, Anita Figueroa, and our daughter, Veronica,” said Deacon Leo. “God blessed Anita with immense creative talent and Veronica with an unwavering child-like faith. They are the ‘spirit of generosity’ behind the Deacon Leo and Anita Longoria Family Endowment, having lived lives full of love and service. They are the bells ringing loudly to draw our attention to God and inspiring our generosity.”

In this spirit, this year, Deacon Leo Longoria hosted the first annual Campanario Banquet, a benefit dinner supporting the Deacon Leo and Anita Longoria Family Endowment. Family, friends, and supporters gathered for an evening at the Bishop Kicanas Pastoral Center. The event raised $15,000 in support of this endowment.

"Behind the 86 endowments the Catholic Foundation holds are stories of people who bring tremendous passion to their giving, leveraging their creativity and strategic thinking to help the Diocese of Tucson deepen their impact,” said Elizabeth Bollinger, Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson. “Most importantly, their enthusiasm inspires friends and family members to learn more, get involved, and give. This is exactly what Deacon Leo Longoria has exemplified. He has shown all of us that philanthropy can be fun and profoundly rewarding for the whole family.”

Deacon Leo shared his gratitude to the Catholic Foundation for enabling them to leave a “lasting legacy of faith, generosity, and support for generations to come.”

The Campanario Banquet is named after the church bells that have “long served as beacons of faith and hope. A call to stop and pray, to come and worship, that something solemn is taking place. An expression of joy, a somber moment of remembrance. Like the lighthouse stands tall for ships to see in the foggiest of conditions, bells echo for all to hear in the loudest and busiest of days. How beautiful it is, then, when individuals live out their faith and become beacons of God’s love for others. They serve as bell towers and let their Christian attitude be the bells that echo. Others look to them and are inspired by the example of their faith. We are all called to be bell towers, campanarios, calling attention to God through our attitude of love, compassion, and service.”