FEATURED

SCOTTSDALE — Growing up in a strict German Lutheran family, Fr. Doug Lorig got the impression that God was someone angry. Paradoxically, amid messages of condemnation and wrath, he was told that God is love.

In uniform, Officer James Sinohui is concerned not just for the law, but for the souls of those he serves. Off duty, a new family business has people drinking Universal Cup Coffee.

AVONDALE — Replenishing the ranks of those in religious service remains a regular need within the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Phoenix is no different. For the second straight year, the Office of Consecrated Life hosted a day of fun and activities to give children a look at service through the eyes of those who know it best — members of religious orders now in service.

The plan, adopted by a vote of 199-4 with two abstentions, will govern the work of the conference and its committees from 2017 through 2020.

Bishop Elizondo asked for the protection of the family unit, as "the cornerstone of society," and asked that the new administration recognize the contributions of refugees and immigrants "to the overall prosperity and well-being of our nation."

GUADALUPE — A full hour before the bilingual liturgy that would feature the first priestly ordination ever held in this small town nestled between Tempe and Phoenix, the mission-style church was filling up quickly.

The question before Catholics, the Knights of Columbus CEO said, is whether we will be "a source of unity and reconciliation, or whether we will be a cause of further division."

AVONDALE — Honoring military service members of all faiths the Sunday before Veterans Day, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted celebrated the sixth annual Red, White and Blue Mass, drawing an estimated 1,500 people — including many veterans and their families — to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Nov. 6.

One of the priests profiled received advance degrees and traveled much of the world as a veterinarian in the U.S. Army.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Congratulating Donald Trump for his victory in the U.S. presidential election, the Vatican secretary of state expressed hope that people would work together “to change the global situation, which is a situation of serious laceration, serious conflict.”