The Catholic Sun

Bishop John Dolan will make this year’s annual Sovereign Order of Malta Pilgrimage to Lourdes alongside the ill and infirm who will travel with the organization. “Fantastic. That is awesome,” exclaimed Terra Billingsley, 58, one of three malades from the Diocese of Phoenix who will be with the Order’s Western U.S. Association April 30 thru May 8 at the southern French town in the Pyrenees Mountains. The town includes the grotto where 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous encountered 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like the women disciples who discovered Jesus had risen from the dead and ran to tell the others, Christians should be filled with such joy at Easter that they cannot help sharing it with others, Pope Francis said. "The resurrection of Jesus is not just wonderful news or the happy ending of a story, but something that changes our lives completely and forever," the pope said April 1 as he led the midday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer.

ROME (CNS) -- As Pope Francis poured water over their feet, dried them with a towel and kissed their feet, 12 women inmates at Rome's Rebibbia prison wept. The pope celebrated the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper March 28 at the women's prison under a tent set up outside. The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis during the liturgy sat on stools on a raised platform so the pope, who has difficulty walking, could wash their feet while seated in his wheelchair.

Bookended with opening and closing Masses, St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix will be the site of an all-night eucharistic adoration event April 6-7. Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix will kick off “The Road to Emmaus: A Eucharistic Encounter” with Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6.

There are moments when my heart feels alive and is beating with fervor, and one of those moments was during the second 5th Vital Sign Class, a fertility-awareness series for single women presented by the Diocese of Phoenix Office of Natural Family Planning, where we learned about God’s beautiful design for marriage through Theology of the Body and the horrors of contraception that completely go against His plan. 

The humility and compassion of Christ were in action at the corner of Third Street and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix on Holy Thursday. Passing motorists and visitors to the busy streetcorner took in an unexpected sight: Volunteers, many of them religious sisters, were washing people’s feet under a large shade canopy emblazoned with the Diocese of Phoenix logo.

Crowds poured into Sheraton Phoenix Downtown March 21 for a chance to listen to blockbuster Catholic podcaster Fr. Mike Schmitz. Fr. Schmitz was on hand to deliver the keynote address at the Witness to Hope gala, the annual fundraiser for the Diocese of Phoenix’s John Paul II Center for Theology of the Body. Michael Villanueva, coordinator of the center, welcomed guests as a video that featured footage of Pope St. John Paul II played on large screens at the front of the packed ballroom.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people need to understand how much Christ loves them unconditionally and how much the church needs their voices and presence, Pope Francis said. "Dear young people, you are the living hope of a Church on the move! For this reason, I thank you for your presence and for your contribution to the life of the Body of Christ," the pope told the world's young people in a written message. The pope's message was released by the Vatican March 25 to mark the fifth anniversary of his apostolic exhortation "Christus Vivit" ("Christ is Alive"), published in 2019 and reflecting on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy Spirit is like a line prompter at a theater, behind the scenes and constantly whispering to Christians the words of Jesus, said the preacher of the papal household. "However, he does not mechanically suggest the words of the Gospel, like from a script, but explains them, adapts them and applies them to specific situations," Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa told Pope Francis, cardinals and members of the Roman Curia. Concluding his series of Friday Lenten meditations March 22, Cardinal Cantalamessa insisted that listening to the Holy Spirit and discerning what the Spirit is saying to individuals and to the church at large is an exercise essential to following Jesus.

PHOENIX – We at Brophy College Preparatory are proud to have spent the past two weeks exploring the impact of debt on the dignity of people and communities through the keynotes, workshops, prayer service, and other events of our annual Summit on Human Dignity. Halfway through our two-week Summit, we were especially thrilled to learn of Gov. Hobbs’ partnership with RIP Medical Debt to use $30 million of COVID-19 relief funds to forgive $2 billion of medical debt for 1 million Arizonans.