The Catholic Sun

Thousands of faithful, religious and clergy from throughout Arizona and beyond streamed into Comerica Theatre in downtown Phoenix Dec. 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Phoenix.

FLAGSTAFF (CNS) — Advent is the season of waiting and anticipating the coming light.

The Roadrunners and the Suns could well envy the faith of the followers of Christ as 12,000 persons jammed the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, on the evening of Dec. 3 to celebrate the diocesan Festival of Faith.

The overall lack of access to healthy food and good nutrition remains a major issue leaving some 37 million people struggling with hunger.

As the Diocese of Phoenix approaches its 50th Anniversary, we felt it would be appropriate to take a brief look at the lives of some saints — and those whose causes are open — who have had an impact on the Diocese of Phoenix.

College students can count on diocesan efforts to help them find, maintain their faith through adulthood.

CAVE CREEK — St. Gabriel the Archangel, a parish in the heart of a steadily growing area that includes a large percentage of young families, will open an expanded school in late 2020 and a new church about a year later.

The times were tumultuous. Student protests rocked the nation. The civil rights movement battled racism. The sexual revolution was in full swing and the Pill was embraced by millions of American women.

The birth of the Diocese of Phoenix in 1969 took place a scant four years after the Second Vatican Council called for “A Brand New Day,” so to speak.

The changes wrought by Vatican II were underway, Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House, the Phoenix Suns were in the midst of their first season and the population of Phoenix stood at a mere 580,000.