Celebrating God’s Gift of Love and Life

A wedding banquet was not when we might have expected Jesus' first miracle. Usually, His miracles cured the sick, healed the leper, fed a hungry crowd of thousands, gave sight to the blind. So why did He work His first miracle at a wedding banquet?

In the footsteps of St. Francis: Radical surrender to mercy and grace

Some of the greatest saints the world has ever known were utterly changed by God’s mercy. And although we revere them now as models of sanctity, the saints weren’t always so saintly.

The Bishop’s Hour: ‘State of the Church’ [AUDIO]

On this special edition of The Bishop's Hour, listen to Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted's remarks from the Sept. 23 "State of the Church" luncheon in downtown Phoenix.

Crisis and opportunity: Challenges to the family call bishops to Rome for Synod on...

On Oct. 5 the Catholic Church’s leaders began a process of prayerful and deliberative reflection on: “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.”

Bishop Olmsted charts course for Phoenix Diocese at inaugural ‘State of the Church’ event...

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix spelled out his thoughts about the Church in Arizona in his inaugural “State of the Catholic Church” address Sept. 23.

The New Evangelization: We are called and gifted for a mission

Behind some doors were tragedies; behind others were love stories or even comedies. By far the most compelling aspect was that that each story always centers on a person.

Pope Francis’ Game Plan; Part Nine: Seeking Peace in an Age of Terror

Has the Holy Father given up on prayer and negotiations for peace? Or is he signaling the complex nature of peace making?

Never forget!

There are days that will be remembered, detail for detail, in our minds. And for many of us, Sept. 11, 2001, is undoubtedly one of those days. We, as a nation and as a world, saw the worst in humanity. We witnessed bloodthirsty men, corrupted by hatred, fueled with one desire -- death, chaos and destruction.

Forgiveness & Peace: Tucson deacon reflects on what it was like to minister to...

I prayed the rosary seven times as I sat in a small cinderblock room watching Joe gasp for air. He finally died one hour and 58 minutes later. In that time of prayer came oneness with Mary in my heart. I realized that no amount of screaming or pleading by me was going to stop what was unfolding. I, too, had to trust in God.

Pope Francis’ Game Plan; Part Eight: A True Son of St. Ignatius

In this part of my series on Pope Francis’ Game Plan, then, it seems helpful to look at key elements of the Ignatian charism that are evident in the Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation, the “Joy of the Gospel.”