LOCAL NEWS

Funds from the Charity and Development appeal provide crucial funding to parishes and help ensure a Catholic presence on college campuses such as Northern Arizona University.

Growing up in Chihuahua, Mexico, Adela Gaxiola longed to go to church, but her father wouldn’t allow it. “When anyone in the family spoke of God, he would get angry,” she said.

An eighth anniversary isn’t a traditional milestone to mark. But every day away from the life of human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, is worth celebrating.

They can’t operate a motor vehicle, but 32 high school-bound eighth-graders across the Diocese of Phoenix know what drives them: a life centered on faith and service to others.

Tommy Lasorda, the two-time World Series champion and two-time National League Manager of the Year, was in town to speak at Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler March 8 to benefit the school’s booster club and athletic program.

Catholics are now well into the holy season of Lent and challenging themselves to draw closer to Christ through prayer and action.

For more than a thousand years, millions have made their way through the lush landscapes of France and Spain, traversing what’s known as the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. This summer, a group of young people from St. Anne Parish in Gilbert is joining their ranks.

The world has kept a watchful eye on Pope Francis ever since seeing him on that balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square a year ago. But once he humbly bowed and requested the people to pray for and bless him, they were hooked.

Sr. Mary McGreevy, SSND, the former principal of Bourgade Catholic High School who dramatically expanded the school and oversaw extensive construction and renovation during her 14-year tenure, passed away Feb. 20. She was 76.

It’s not a holy day of obligation, but Catholics showed up in droves on Ash Wednesday to be marked with blessed ashes.