Xavier College Preparatory’s Spanish language students have achieved exceptional results on the 2025 National Spanish Exam (NSE), securing the fourth-highest medal count in the entire U.S. and ranking No. 1 in Arizona. Among more than 80,000 participants nationwide, Xavier students earned 31 Gold Medals (greater than or equal to the 95th percentile), 90 Silver Medals (greater than or equal to the 85th percentile) and 83 Bronze Medals (greater than or equal to the 75th percentile). In addition, more than 200 students received Honorable Mentions, underscoring the commitment across all levels of Spanish instruction.

This week, eight young adults from the Diocese of Phoenix are heading to Nairobi, Africa, as the inaugural group of Bishop John Dolan’s newly developed program, Engage your Equal (E.Y.E.) — an opportunity to facilitate global solidarity among young adults around the world and to foster a deeper understanding of the universal Church. This service immersion experience in a foreign country is the first of three major components of the program, which also includes intentional community support among participants and implementing shared experiences into ministries throughout the diocese upon their return.

The Diocesan Pastoral Center (DPC) staff gathered at the Virgina G. Piper Chapel in downtown Phoenix this week to honor priests and seminarians of the Diocese of Phoenix by celebrating the annual all-staff Mass of Thanksgiving, followed by a luncheon.   The Mass was celebrated by Bishop John Dolan. There are currently 52 seminarians discerning a priestly vocation, an all-time high for the Phoenix Diocese, and more than 30 of them attended the event — from those who have been discerning for three months to those who have been in seminary for 10 years.  

Emily Merrell, a seventh-grade student at St. Mary-Basha Catholic School in Chandler, Ariz., has launched Pack Up with a Purpose, an inspiring community service project to support individuals experiencing homelessness. Witnessing fellow students discarding gently used backpacks, lunch totes and reusable water bottles at the end of the school year sparked an idea in Merrell: to repurpose these items for the benefit of others.  Pack Up with a Purpose aims to collect often-overlooked necessities for a local organization committed to outreach and support for the population experiencing homelessness. Recognizing the daily struggles faced by those without stable housing, such as the lack of a way to carry their belongings or access clean drinking water, Merrell envisioned giving these items a second life through providing essential support. 

For the second consecutive year, two Phoenix Catholic high schools repeated as state champions in their respective spring sports, as Xavier College Preparatory won the 2025 6A Arizona High School State Softball Championship and Brophy College Preparatory captured the 2025 6A Arizona High School State Tennis title. 

The first U.S.-born cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost, has been named the Roman pontiff on Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV.   Following the opening Mass (The Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff) on Wednesday, 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel later that day to begin the conclave. To elect a new pope, a two-thirds majority was required, meaning at least 89 votes were needed out of 133 electors. On Thursday afternoon in Rome, the white smoke indicated the new pope had been selected.  

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Valley of the Sun affiliate named Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix an “Unsung Mental Health Hero” on Thursday at the 9th Annual Giving Breakfast in Phoenix. Themed “Heroes Among Us: Shining a Light on Unsung Mental Health Heroes,” the event celebrated individuals and organizations making a profound impact in the mental health community.

A pair of local Arizona Catholic High School teams captured boys basketball state championships this past week, as Brophy College Preparatory won the 6A crown with a 62-49 win over Mesa High School on Saturday, and St. Mary’s High School pulled off a 59-55 overtime victory over Deer Vally High School of Glendale for the 4A crown on Thursday.  Both contests were held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Bishop John Dolan joined dozens of community members supporting the work to build a new Newman Center at Northern Arizona University Thursday morning at the Catholic Jacks Breakfast held at Paradise Valley Country Club. The current building, built in 1967, was outgrown years ago, Fr. Matt Lowry, Chaplain at Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center in Flagstaff, Ariz., said. Currently, so many students are growing in their faith, attending Mass and programing that Fr. Lowry said they have had to retrofit four spaces to serve as overflow sections to watch Mass on TV screens. 

Bishop John Dolan attended Housing for Hope’s, an affiliate of Catholic Charities Community Services, grand opening of the second phase of Acacia Heights Apartments, an affordable housing complex near 7th Avenue and Camelback in Central Phoenix, where he blessed the newly developed property and took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony. On Jan. 23. Acacia Heights II, which features 66 units of varying sizes, joins more than a dozen affordable housing projects Catholic Charities runs throughout Greater Metro Phoenix and Northern Arizona.