The Catholic Sun

The circumstances have changed. The message of 40 Days for Life has not.  Two years after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling and on the doorstep of Arizonans possibly deciding to permanently allow unlimited access to abortion, 40 Days’ mission remains the same – prayer, fasting, speaking the truth with the love of Christ and reliance on the Holy Spirit - to move hearts and save one life at a time.  

Earlier this month, a bus full of 53 students, two religious sisters and a priest headed to the Grand Canyon for Mass and a holy hour, praising the Lord with the breathtaking backdrop of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. This was Holy Spirit Newman Center’s second trip to the Canyon, which has come to serve as a rite of passage of sorts for freshman students, visiting the marvel that their college, Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, is named after. The first trip was inspired by an eagerness to visit the Grand Canyon and to immerse new students into the community. The Newman Center team decided to turn it into a meaningful, shared experience centered on God.

Fifteen men throughout the Diocese of Phoenix are spending their final days as laypeople. Beginning with their Nov. 9th ordination at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, in Scottsdale, Ariz., they will forever be known as “deacon.” John Bering, Jason Bourne, David Bramer, Fernando Camou, Gerard Glab, Sergio Hermosillo, Jason Kelly, Salvador Madrís, Herald Morazán, Matthew Murphy, Mike Quinlivan, Antonio Reynoso, Doug Small, Robert Solis, and John Thornton, along with their wives, will also celebrate solemn vespers with the community on Nov. 8th at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix. Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares will lead that prayer service. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While people can get caught up in the pursuit of power and greatness, Jesus teaches that true power is found in the humility of being a servant to the most vulnerable, Pope Francis said. Before praying the Angelus Sept. 22, the pope reflected on the day's Gospel reading from St. Mark in which the disciples are discussing who among them is the greatest, a conversation they were reluctant to share with Jesus.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Saying Pope Francis had "a mild flu-like condition," the Vatican press office announced he had canceled his scheduled audiences Sept. 23. The 87-year-old pope, the press office said, would be resting as "a precautionary measure" in view of his scheduled trip Sept. 26-29 to Luxembourg and Belgium. The pope had returned to the Vatican late Sept. 13 after a 12-day trip to Asia and the Pacific; early the next morning he met members of a pilgrimage in St. Peter's Basilica and had a full slate of appointments for the next 10 days.

More than 170 priests from all over the Diocese of Phoenix gathered in Flagstaff this week for four days of prayer, fellowship and formation during the annual 2024 Priest Convocation titled “Ite Ad Joseph,” St. Joseph Model for Priests. The four-day gathering provides the opportunity for priests to learn together, share experiences, be renewed in prayer and come back to their parish communities more equipped. Morning and evening prayer, Eucharistic adoration, Mass, communal meals and small groups are all part of the agenda.

Story by Gina Keating, courtesy of Seton Catholic Preparatory Out of tragedy comes hope. When one member of the student body at Seton Catholic Preparatory...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people must reject indifference and embrace their role as a generation of hope and unity to build a better future for the world, Pope Francis said. Developing a sense of fraternity is "the best answer we can offer to the conflicts and indifference that kill, because indifference kills," the pope told a meeting of young Catholics from around the Mediterranean.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To fully experience love and hope, young people must approach the journey of life as pilgrims and not just sightseers seeking the perfect selfie, Pope Francis said. "Do not be like superficial sightseers, blind to the beauty around you, never discovering the meaning of the roads you take, interested only in a few fleeting moments to capture in a selfie. Tourists do this," the pope said in a message to young people ahead of the local celebrations of World Youth Day Nov. 24.

Would you know what to do if the person in the pew next to you confided that he or she was having trouble coping with life? That his or her situation prompted even fleeting thoughts of harming themselves? That even with prayer and the sacraments, their struggle remains? In an Aug. 29 report, the World Health Organization stated that more than 720,000 people worldwide die annually by suicide. Many more attempt or consider it.