FEATURED

For the second consecutive year, the Diocese of Phoenix’s Office of Communications team was recognized by their peers from across North America for their outstanding work, creativity and commitment at the annual Catholic Media Conference’s Awards Dinner this past Friday (June 19). The diocesan team was honored with seven national accolades by the Catholic Media Association during the event held at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "We are absolutely thrilled and deeply humbled to be recognized nationally with seven Catholic Media Awards,” said Brett Meister, who was appointed director of communications for the diocese in March 2022 after a 24-year career as a communications executive for the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit, established in the Diocese of Phoenix with the mission to tend to the pastoral and spiritual needs...

Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui celebrated the Kino Catechetical Institute graduation Mass for 32 individuals from the Diocese of Phoenix on Tuesday (June 16) at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix. Originally founded by the Carmelites in 1972 and restructured by Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted in 2011, Kino provides a key component of faith formation in the Diocese of Phoenix. With an emphasis on catechetics, a term that refers to passing on the teachings received from Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, students come to understand what Catholics believe and why they believe it.

Nazareth Seminary — the Diocese of Phoenix's fully local seminary formation program — continues to be a place of profound joy, growth and hope for the future of our diocese. As we prepare to open the fourth formation home, St. Agnes House at St. Agnes Parish in Phoenix this fall, we are reminded that this moment represents far more than a new building. It is a visible sign of God’s faithfulness and the increasing vitality of vocations, a witness to the Holy Spirit at work in our Church.

Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix has been named the No. 1 high school for student-athletes in Arizona and No. 5 in the United States by Niche.com, one of the nation's leading school ranking organizations. The ranking places Xavier among the country's elite athletic programs while competing against all public and private schools, including coed schools. Niche evaluates schools using a combination of student and parent surveys, athletic participation and data from the U.S. Department of Education.

I am so grateful for the priests of our diocese. Two hundred and eighty-nine good men who come from diverse backgrounds and enhance the vibrance of our local Church. Men who serve with a variety of gifts, strengths and charisms. Men who love their parishioners and walk with the people of God by embodying pastoral care and compassion. Men who remain faithful and engaged by continuing to serve as demands grow in the ever-thriving Diocese of Phoenix — which has quickly become one of the fastest-growing dioceses in the country. At the core, our priests are men who share their hearts and their very selves with the Church, and they are a great gift.

A self-described "normal kid who just wanted to help out in the Church" has seen his desire fulfilled for 21,915 days of ordained life — and counting. This month Fr. Pierre Hissey, a retired priest in the Diocese of Phoenix, celebrates his diamond jubilee honoring 60 years of priesthood. While no priestly journey is exactly alike, Fr. Hissey's pathway has a litany of notable moments, dichotomies and ministries since 1966. The people of St. Steven's Catholic Church in Sun Lakes, Ariz., honored them all during a special 60th anniversary Mass and reception in the spring. 

In a world where young people often lose sight of the faith during their college years, Holy Spirit Newman Center in Phoenix serves as a beacon of hope. Ministering to students who attend Grand Canyon University and led by the Fr. David Loeffler, pastor, and religious sisters of the Servants of the Precious Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SCTJM), the Newman Center is engaging young hearts and minds and leading them to Christ. In addition to fellowship, Bible studies, free meals and an intentional sense of communal life, Holy Spirit Newman Center places a unique emphasis on the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the formation program that prepares adults to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. This past Easter alone, 22 students completed the program.

The Diocese of Phoenix, one of the nation’s fastest growing, has four new priests. Fr. Nathan Blanchard, Fr. Paul Graupmann, F.H.S., Fr. Simon Ortiz, and Fr. Jeff Pooley were formally added to the fraternity of clergy during a Mass of Ordination celebrated by Bishop John Dolan at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Avondale, Ariz., Saturday. Family and friends of the new priests made up the congregation of more than 1,800 worshippers, which also included priests, women religious, deacons, laity and seminarians who are part of the largest formation wave in diocesan history.

Father Eusebio Kino had a vocation that has impacted generations. As a Jesuit priest, he founded 20 missions in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico in the late 1600s, riding on horseback while spreading God’s love.  The Kino Catechetical Institute in the Diocese of Phoenix, named after this horse-riding priest, helps students experience a deeper sense of their vocation. Founded in 1972 by Father Ernest Larkin, the Kino Institute offers faith formation programs for Catholic school teachers, aspiring deacons, parish catechists and any Catholic adult seeking to deepen their faith.