The Catholic Sun

Hosted by the Diocese of Phoenix June 24-27, the Catholic Media Conference received rave reviews, with nearly 400 Catholic communicators and media from dioceses across North America.  It was the highest attended conference since before the Covid pandemic. The conference, which began on Tuesday evening with a Mass at the Diocesan Pastoral Center followed by a welcome event at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in downtown Phoenix, included keynote speakers, roundtable discussions, classroom presentations, award ceremonies, a community service project with St. Vincent de Paul, and multiple networking opportunities.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world marked by growing tension, priests need to build peace and unity together by serving others, Pope Leo XIV said. When hearts are united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they are capable of resolving "not only our inner conflicts but also those that are tearing apart the world in which we live," he said in a written message to the world's priests, released June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A bishop is a man of deep faith who is filled with hope and stays close to his people, Pope Leo XIV said. He is "not offering easy solutions," but rather, he is helping his flock be a community that strives "to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity," he said in a reflection with bishops celebrating the Jubilee of Bishops June 25. The heart of a bishop "is open and welcoming, and so is his home," he said. But he "must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force."

For the first time in over 20 years, the weekly televised Mass that airs across the Diocese of Phoenix on local channel 7 (CW7) will be produced by the Diocese’s Office of Communications beginning on Sunday, July 6. The past 1,000-plus Sunday Masses, the majority originating from Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, were produced by Skyline Productions, led by owner and producer Joe Reynolds. “We are so thankful for the hard work and dedication that Joe and his team at Skyline have brought to our viewers for the past two decades and we greatly appreciate their efforts,” said Brett Meister, director of communications for the Diocese of Phoenix. “With the advancement in technology in the last decade, and the cost efficiencies we can absorb, we are bringing the production of the weekly TV Mass in-house. We are excited about the future and look to continue the same production quality that our viewers are accustomed to watching each Sunday.”

After more than 50 years serving at St. Agnes Parish in Phoenix, the Carmelite priests are departing. They leave behind a parish imbued with Carmelite spirituality and a community that has been deeply affected by it. Joan Gore, a parishioner since the early 1960s, said she and her husband raised seven children in the neighborhood and sent them all to St. Agnes Catholic School. As a Third Order Carmelite, Gore has great love for the 800-plus-year-old order and its members. “All of them have been so dear to me through the years,” Gore said. “I start crying when I think about it because they’ve always been dear friends, all of them. I’m going to miss them terribly.”

For the second time in diocesan history, the Diocese of Phoenix is hosting the national Catholic Media Conference (CMC) — a gathering of hundreds...

Eight young adults and four mentors have embarked on a two-week trip to Nairobi, Kenya, as the inaugural participants of Engage Your Equal (E.Y.E.), a new diocesan initiative created by Bishop John Dolan to foster global solidarity, faith-based leadership and cross-cultural dialogue — all along equipping young adults to embody the universality of the Catholic Church.    Catch up on part one of the coverage here and part two here. Read coverage of the visit published by the African Church here and here.  

ROME (CNS) -- In carrying Jesus through the city streets in a Corpus Christi procession, Christians are called to be witnesses of his love, sharing both their material and spiritual gifts, Pope Leo XIV said. A procession with the Eucharist is a way to present Jesus "to the hearts of those who believe, so that they may believe more firmly" and "to the hearts of those who do not believe, so that they may reflect on the hunger present within them and the bread that alone can satisfy it," the pope said in his homily June 22.

ROME (CNS) -- People must work together to find solutions to today's conflicts, Pope Leo XIV said. Renewing an appeal for peace, he underlined the importance of trying "at all costs to avoid the use of weapons and seek dialogue through diplomatic means" during a brief interview with the Italian state television station, RAI Uno. "We can come together to look for solutions. So many innocent people are dying, and we need to always promote peace," he said June 19, responding to a journalist's question about current world crises.

More than 30 people gathered in the Virginia G. Piper Chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix on Thursday, with more than...