The Catholic Sun

Tempe, Ariz.—The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) held its annual Scholarship Awards ceremony on August 3 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tempe, Ariz....

As a new school year begins, parishes around the Diocese of Phoenix are also welcoming religious education students plus those who might be interested in becoming Catholic. In a video message directed to the millions of those who live within the diocese’s boundaries, Bishop John Dolan noted that the Catholic Church is the “biggest family on Earth” and issued an invitation: “If you’re interested in becoming Catholic, or if you were baptized but never confirmed, I want to personally invite you to visit our website, dphx.org. That's where you'll find out what you need to know about OCIA, the process by which people are brought into the Catholic Church,” Bishop Dolan said.

ROME (CNS) -- Whether or not Mary caused snow to fall in Rome on a summer day more than 1,600 years ago, Christians know that God's grace is always undeserved, always beautiful and literally awesome, Pope Francis said. Celebrating the feast of the dedication of Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major and the related feast of Our Lady of the Snows Aug. 5, the pope watched a snowfall of white rose petals fall from the basilica's coffered ceiling.

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."

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.