Nearly 100 people, representing 42 parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix, took part in a day-long retreat featuring speakers and workshops at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Phoenix on Saturday, that was designed to help parishioners and staff evangelize and form new Catholics. Attendees, including formation leaders, catechists and Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) team members listened to keynote speakers Fr. Kwame Assenyoh of the Diocese of Oakland and Fr. Ron Oakham, a member of the Carmelite Order.

Last week, Bishop John Dolan kicked off the 2025 Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Phoenix by celebrating six special Masses throughout the state. He was joined by hundreds of parishioners and pilgrims from around the diocese at each of the Masses, which had overflowing crowds and were celebrated at the Jubilee pilgrimage sites decreed by Bishop Dolan in October 2024.  

Hundreds of people joined Bishop John Dolan in Nogales, Mexico, on Saturday where they took part in the rich tradition of Las Posadas along the U.S.-Mexico border wall as part of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a group comprised of six Catholic organizations whose vision is “Migration with Dignity.” The event was the 15th binational posada sponsored by four Catholic dioceses, including Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales and Sonora. Las Posadas, which is widely celebrated in the Hispanic culture, commemorates Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Comprised of a procession that goes from one designated stop to the next, participants take part in the Holy Family’s experience of being told “there is no room for you in the inn” (Luke 2) in a unique way. At each of the five stops, passages of Scripture are read, and Christmas carols are sung.

St. Mary's Catholic High School freshman Ava Gonzales kicked the game-winning field goal, a 19-yarder with 46.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 10-7 victory over Prescott High School in the Arizona Interscholastic Association's 4A flag football state championship on Saturday.  Held at Chandler High School, the win completed a perfect season for No. 1 seeded St. Mary’s at 14-0 under Head Coach Chris Horn.

The first-ever breakfast fundraiser for the Nazareth Seminary was a roaring success, raising $1.2 million dollars thanks to a matching grant from The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation.   Held on Sunday, Nov. 17, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale, Ariz., the brunch included a live auction, music, tours and guest speakers.

Xavier College Preparatory, a Phoenix-based girls’ Catholic high school from the Diocese of Phoenix, captured both the girls Class 6A state volleyball championship and the Division 1 girls’ golf state title this month. The No. 1 seed, Xavier Prep avenged their lone regular season loss on November 16th at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, defeating Corona del Sol High School in four sets, 25-16, 25-16, 17-25, 27-25 to win the Class 6A championship. Sophomore Tessa Larkin led Xavier with 22 kills while Elle McCreery and Vivian Hickman combined for 26 kills.  Entering the match ranked 15th nationally by MaxPreps, Xavier’s only AIA regular season loss was on Oct. 29 at Corona del Sol, 3-1.  This marks Xavier Prep’s 14th state volleyball title.

This past Friday, Pope Francis appointed the Rev. Artur Bubneyvch, of the clergy of Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, as bishop of the same eparchy. He previously served as a parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Albuquerque, N.M.

An abundance of flowers filled our living room, the refrigerator was stacked with homemade casseroles from friends and neighbors, and kind words of condolence were spoken. After my brother Tom died by suicide, there was an outpouring of support from the community, which got us through those initial hard days.I was just about to start eighth grade as my parents, seven other siblings and I went through this profound loss. In those first months after the funeral, there was a lot of what I call “incidental accompaniment”—people would share a kind word or gesture, “we are praying for you” and “our hearts go out to you,” but it was often one-time or in passing. After all, people don’t usually know what to say to someone who has lost a loved one by suicide.

Before a standing room only crowd on Saturday morning, 14 men were ordained to the permanent deaconate at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church in Scottsdale, Ariz. This was the largest cohort of deacons in recent years for the Diocese of Phoenix. Leading up to the day of ordination and lifelong call of service, candidates went through a rigorous formation program, including five years of study along with the two-year Kino Catechetical Institue program as part of their discernment.  

When the first round of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's (AIA) state football playoffs kick-off on Friday night, three local Catholic high schools will be among the contenders fighting for the coveted state championship.  Seton Catholic Prep, making their first playoff run since 2019, will play at Arcadia High School in Class 4A, while Brophy College Prep hosts Boulder Creek High School from Anthem in Class 6A, and Notre Dame Prep travels to Verrado High School in Buckeye for Class 5A action.