Together Magazine

Recently one of my daughters came home and asked, “Are we a super Catholic family?” In one of my best pro-parenting moments, I met her question with a question of my own: “Why would you ask that?” “Well,” she responded, “So & So said, that her mom said, that we are Super Catholic”. As if that is a bad thing, in my worst, recent, pro-parenting moment, I replied with irritation: “No. We aren't Super Catholic. We are Normal Catholic. They just don't practice the faith, so it is easy to say we are Super Catholic."

They say the Lord works in mysterious ways, but can an Instagram post about a bike bring someone into the Catholic Church? And help a fallen-away Catholic find his way home? In Kirby and Justine Wisdom’s case, the answer is a resounding yes. Or more appropriately, “I do.” The couple, who tied the knot at All Saints Parish in Mesa in May, said they met over Instagram, a social networking app for sharing photos and videos.

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.

I am so thrilled this month’s magazine shares the accomplishments of the Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante campaign. It is important to celebrate the milestones the Diocese of Phoenix has reached because of the campaign: a high school built in the West Valley, Newman Centers opened or expanded across the diocese, elementary and high schools strengthened, affording students tuition who would have otherwise needed to leave their school of choice, parishes across the entire diocese implemented their dreams liturgically and pastorally, several Catholic nonprofits serving our communities most vulnerable neighbors supported and so much more! AND, this comes during incredibly turbulent times between a pandemic as well as economic and employment instability and yet…..our community stretched and gave in faith and still continues to give.

Debbie DiCarlo, Office of Mission Advancement executive director, has been moved by the impact of the Together Let Us Go Forth, Juntos Sigamos Adelante campaign, “Our community stretched and gave in faith and still continues to give.” She encourages the diocese to finish strong as the campaign winds down. In 2019, then-Office of Mission Advancement Executive Director Cande de Leon described the relationship of the campaign donors to the projects their dollars would one day help complete. De Leon said it’s “one of the hardest levels of sacrifice” to give without knowing who the recipient is but doing so in faith.

Boredom seems to be more common than sunburns in the summer. I remember clearly telling my children that boredom is not an illness. It is okay to let your kids be bored! There are actual benefits of boredom. Balance is key. If you want to help them continue to grow in divergent thinking, creativity, and cognitive functioning when bored, you can't take a completely hands-off approach. Some periods of boredom are okay, but generally, extended periods of boredom are not good for children’s cognition. Letting your children be bored for a little while, is not the same thing as simply checking out and disengaging from them all day long.  

After the joyful celebration of the ordination of three new priests this year, I find myself reflecting on the significance of the priesthood and the journey leading to it. As Nazareth Seminary expands to keep our seminarians close to home, I cannot help but marvel at the way God weaves together the threads of nature and nurture, of personal calling and communal support. 

It’s been a winding road, at times even international in scope. On June 1, transitional Deacons Elijah Delello, Jesús Martinez and Joseph Nguyen will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix. Configured to Christ, each of the three young men has had a unique path to priesthood. What follows is a peek into their vocation journey. 

“I called them at one of my darkest times,” Robert Salas admitted. Devastated by the shattering of a 17-year marriage and consumed by guilt and anxiety, Salas turned to the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. “I didn’t know where else to go. Trying to talk to family members — they did not want to hear what I needed to say. “I called them at one of my darkest times,” Robert Salas admitted. Devastated by the shattering of a 17-year marriage and consumed by guilt and anxiety, Salas turned to the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. “I didn’t know where else to go. Trying to talk to family members — they did not want to hear what I needed to say.”

Spring is here. The birds are singing, the pools are warming, and the kids are running in the sprinklers. We look forward with hope to the end of another school year and our summer fun ahead. The world is filled with awe-inspiring beauty, laughter and love.