LOCAL NEWS

FLAGSTAFF — The new church building that serves San Francisco de Asís Parish is the culmination of years of struggle and hard work.

It was a weekday Mass that drew a top-ranking business-minded crowd the size of a Sunday liturgy, at least 25 priests plus a handful of bishops and archbishops.

Eleven state championship titles in 28 years is part of what fielded Seton Catholic Preparatory High School’s varsity softball coach an honor all his own. Jerry Mullin will be inducted into the 9th Annual Chandler Sports Hall of Fame Feb. 9. The Mesa Catholic has been with Seton Catholic Prep since 1985 in both a teaching and a coaching capacity.

Students at St. John Vianney have a tangible example of what it means to “Reach for the Stars.” Their school, which opened 20 years ago last fall, was once a reachable dream of then-principal Fr. Joe Corpora.

The annual diocesan spelling bee came down to two Catholic school students from Scottsdale.

Students from across Arizona comfortably filled Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral for the all-school liturgy Jan. 30 as part of Catholic Schools Week celebrations. All four bishops serving the state’s three dioceses along with up to a dozen priests — many of them school pastors, chaplains and rectors — were also on hand to celebrate and later honor nine educators for their dedication.

Warmer weather than in recent years sent nearly 1,000 students from across Arizona to a lunchtime rally at the state Capitol Jan. 30. The gathering was in celebration of National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools, which is a standard part of Catholic Schools Week festivities for local students. It draws largely student council leaders, teachers, parents, legislators, and this year all four bishops serving dioceses in Arizona eager to celebrate Catholic education and school choice. This also marked the first time that donors and supporters had a catered VIP lunch on site and special seating.

Two parents were happy to help students with a last-minute cram session last week. Maggie Gillespie and Tim Burns, members of the Catholic Parents Advocacy Network, hosted a whirlwind meeting for 60 student council members from five area Catholic high schools Jan. 30. They filled a room at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral on National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools to prepare students for a visit with local legislators later that day.

Theologian and foremost papal biographer George Weigel drew a crowd of more than 400 people to the Virginia G. Piper Center for the Performing Arts at Xavier College Preparatory Jan. 26 for a lecture about the life of Blessed John Paul II.

National Bank of Arizona will offer $250,000 in corporate matching gifts to leverage an additional quarter million in individual tax credit gifts to benefit low-income Catholic school students.