NEWS

INDIANAPOLIS - - God is omnipresent, but in a particular way, He’s also been present in the Eucharist aboard the International Space Station. That’s what Space Force Colonel and former NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins told a packed stadium on the final day of the National Eucharistic Congress. In September of 2013, Hopkins was getting ready to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He found comfort knowing that his wife and two sons were watching from an observation area.  

On Sunday evening, Bishop John Dolan and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares held a special Mass for eight seminarians and their families as they celebrated the biannual liturgy of the Institution of Lectors and Acolytes at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix. Instituted Acolytes are trained and formed as assistants to the priest and deacon in their roles within the celebration of the Mass. They may purify the sacred vessels and are to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion when needed. Lectors are instituted to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture during Mass.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Regardless of what people might imagine, archivists are the happiest people on earth, said the prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, Bishop Sergio Pagano. "Even if people say we work amongst cobwebs and dust, that we are library mice," it does not matter, he said, because "we know how things went in the past so well that when we see how things are going now, we are not disappointed; we smile because we can see that it's the same thing over and over."

Christ in Our Neighborhood (CION), a free weekly Scripture resource written by Bishop John Dolan, the fifth Bishop of Phoenix, is impacting countless lives in the Diocese of Phoenix. Launched in December 2022, the program has taken off exponentially with more than 30 parishes already engaged. This week the program takes another big leap with weekly reflections available in video format on all social media platforms and following the televised Mass on CW7 at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has called on political leaders to be at the service of the poor, the unemployed and the common good. The world cannot promote "universal fraternity" without good politics, the pope said in a video message released July 30 by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network. The network posts a short video of the pope offering his specific prayer intention each month. For the month of August, the pope dedicated his prayer intention to political leaders.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Hailing from other countries, the two newest priests at Sacred Heart Parish are true missionaries. Members of the missionary Society of the Divine Word [SVD], pastor Fr. Krzysztof Pipa comes from Bochnia, Poland, while parochial vicar Biju Thomas comes from the largely Catholic Kerala state in India. Bishop John Dolan visited the Prescott community this past Saturday to formally install Fr. Pipa as the pastor of the oldest parish in the diocese. At the same time, the community bid farewell to the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – or the Claretians – who have served at the parish since 1915. 

Back-to-back three pointers by Justin Sand and Sam Fowler broke up a tight game and propelled the Phoenix Sons to their fifth straight victory in the annual JPII Basketball Classic, as the seminarians defeated the priests 33-25 on Friday night at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. The game featured a record crowd of over 1,500 energetic fans and a first-ever appearance by the Gorilla, the official mascot of the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

Story courtesy of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit Kathie Stine says it was Divine Providence that coordinated for her to go on a Holy Land pilgrimage in early 2020 with the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. Stine said it was also Divine Providence that led her to the friars. They were hosting a healing Mass at St. Bernard of Clairvaux where Stine works as the Liturgy Coordinator.  The Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit were established in the Diocese of Phoenix in 2016 and they are the only religious community who’s sole mission is to minister to Native Americans on reservations. They currently oversee 11 mission churches on four reservations. 

There’s nothing like a summer afternoon on the beaches of California. Body surfing in the warm waves of the Pacific, breathing in the salty air while you’re covered in sand, and probably wishing you had put on more sunscreen. Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to take a large group of our seminarians to San Diego for a time of retreat. It was our second annual summer trip, and I was able to share this ocean experience with the guys, pray the Liturgy of the Hours together, celebrate Mass and show them around my old stomping grounds.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Every Christian, but especially seminarians, should set aside their screens regularly and spend time with a book of literature or poetry, Pope Francis said. In a world that so often prizes efficiency and accomplishment, "we desperately need to counterbalance this inevitable temptation to a frenetic and uncritical lifestyle by stepping back, slowing down, taking time to look and listen," the pope wrote. "This can happen when a person simply stops to read a book."