The Catholic Sun

Established in 1990, Black Catholic History Month was initiated by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States. November was chosen because...

In an ongoing effort to accompany those with mental health challenges, the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix is collaborating with the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV on two major global initiatives this week; producing a video that will be distributed globally, and Phoenix Bishop John Dolan will be a featured speaker in Rome around mental health discussions at a three-day conference. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV encouraged an international group of young adults to reach out to their peers and invite them to be active members of a parish community rather than trying to live their faith alone. The pope met Oct. 31 with members of the International Youth Advisory Body, a group of 20 young adults from around the world who serve three-year terms as advisers to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. The North American members are Sally Yasmine from the Archdiocese of Montreal and Wyatt Olivas from the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people must take control of technology and "humanize" online spaces to be friendly, creative places -- not isolated echo chambers, forms of addiction or ways to escape, Pope Leo XIV said. "Instead of being tourists on the web, be prophets in the digital world!" he told thousands of students gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall Oct. 30. "How wonderful it would be if one day your generation were remembered as the 'generation plus,'" he told the mostly Gen-Z crowd to applause, "remembered for the extra drive you brought to the church and the world."

Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills, Ariz., kicks off a year-long celebration this week in honor of the parish’s 50th anniversary. Beginning on Sunday, Nov. 9, and carrying the theme “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew,” the parish will honor this milestone with a series of expanded outreach programs, intentional opportunities to learn about the church’s history and mission and celebratory events designed to honor the parish’s past, celebrate it present and look forward to its future. The jubilee year celebration will culminate with a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Dolan in October 2026.

Parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix will be rolling out a survey to parishioners on Nov. 15 called The Disciple Maker Index (DMI), to gather data on which parish efforts, programs and activities are effective in helping individuals and families grow in their faith, and where there is need of improvement. Catholic Leadership Institute, which provides bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay persons across the U.S. and Canada in the Roman Catholic Church with pastoral leadership formation and consulting services, developed the survey in 2014. Since then, DMI has been used as a diagnostic tool in more than 4,600 parishes throughout North America. 

National organizations have recently taken notice of the Diocese of Phoenix and recognized four of its employees in one office to key roles. Jose Antonio Martinez, Junuee Castro, Eneida Scoby and Armida Escarcega all work in the Office of Evangelization, Discipleship and Spirituality (OEDS) at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix, but their influence stretches beyond the confines of the Phoenix Diocese. The team, led by Director Diane Saunders, has attracted the attention of national organizations, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

A Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated Sunday (Oct. 26) in honor of the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II Polish Catholic School at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Phoenix. The Polish parish, which was founded in 1995 and celebrates Masses in Polish, teaches young children the Polish language, culture, history and geography as well as Polish patriotic and Catholic traditions at the St. John Paul II school on Saturdays. The school is named after the late pontiff, who was a native of Wadowice, Poland. Bishop John Dolan presided over the Mass. Afterward, the community had a meal, where the school children, graduates and teachers prepared a special program.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Living in hope means accepting that one does not have answers to all questions and staying calm amid conflicts and tensions, Pope Leo XIV said. "We do not have the answers to all the questions already. But we have Jesus. We follow Jesus. And so, we hope for what we do not yet see," the pope told pilgrims at a special Jubilee general audience Oct. 25. In the pope's brief remarks, he offered pilgrims the example of Nicholas of Cusa, a German cardinal and papal diplomat in the 1400s, which the pope described as "an equally troubled age" of wars between nations and divisions among Christians.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV will issue a document on Catholic education Oct. 28, marking the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's declaration on education, a top Vatican official said. Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, also told reporters Oct. 22 that in the document Pope Leo will name St. John Henry Newman "co-patron" of Catholic education.