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Xavier College Preparatory’s Swim and Dive team in Phoenix is making waves nationally for their academic excellence.  The team earned Gold-Level Team Scholar recognition from the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA), achieving a 3.928 team GPA, placing them among the top academic programs in the country.  In addition, six Xavier student-athletes were named Academic All-Americans, an elite distinction awarded to just 10–15 percent of high school aquatic athletes nationwide. To qualify, students must maintain a minimum 3.75 GPA while competing at a high level and contributing positively to their team. 

At a time when young adults discover their freedom and often leave the faith, Diocese of Phoenix Newman Centers are present on college campuses to build community, personally accompany students and foster authentic encounters with Christ. All Saints Catholic Newman Center, Holy Spirit Newman Center and Holy Trinity Newman Center have shown abundant growth, serving hundreds of young adults — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — changing hearts along the way.  House of hope  Holy Spirit Newman Center, established just 10 years ago, serves the community at Grand Canyon University (GCU). The humble house of hope with a bright purple door stands not too far from campus. Though the building itself is small, the Newman Center has had a big impact on souls in the last decade.  Senior Karina Avalos, one of the hundreds of students impacted over the years, had a strong encounter with the Lord at a Newman retreat after struggling to have faith in something greater. 

Mental health was the focus of Wednesday (April 15) morning's school assemblies at Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler, Ariz., as over 600 students, faculty and staff gathered to hear Bishop John Dolan share his personal experiences of losing four family members to death by suicide — his brother, Tom, when Bishop Dolan was in eighth grade, his sister, Therese, and brother-in-law, Joe, when he was in seminary and his sister, Mary, in 2022 during his first year serving as Bishop of Phoenix.    The bishop emphasized that no one journeys alone and that the Church is here for all who experience mental health struggles. This has been a consistent message since Bishop Dolan established the diocesan Office of Mental Health Ministry in December 2022. He also elaborated on the three pillars of the Office of Mental Health Ministry: accompaniment, education and advocacy. 

Three young people at Adobe Mountain School Juvenile Detention in Phoenix were baptized by Bishop John Dolan on Tuesday (April 14), and four others received additional sacraments of initiation. “The baptisms were full immersion, and of the seven kids five are boys and two are girls, all between the ages of 14-17,” said Ted Ebner, coordinator of Prison Ministry and Restorative Justice — a branch of the Diocese of Phoenix’s Office of Human Dignity. “All the kids were allowed to invite family members.” The Prison Ministry and Restorative Justice team also ministers to men and women in 14 prisons and jails throughout the diocese in addition to Adobe, the only juvenile facility in the state. Partnering with employees of Adobe, one of whom is a chaplain, and a team of volunteers, Ebner teaches classes to connect with young people and introduce them to Jesus.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) in Phoenix — whose mission to those in Arizona experiencing hunger and homelessness goes far beyond sharing a meal, clothing or paying a bill — is marking 80 years of local service this month at the church where it all began: the historic St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix. Comprised of lay Catholics, SVDP operates via conferences, which are local parish-level groups, though the help of individual members and volunteers called Vincentians. The Phoenix Council, which supports over 80 conferences across central and northern Arizona, will celebrate with its hundreds of Vincentians and the public during a series of events the weekend of April 25-26 at St. Mary’s Basilica.

"ln response to recent comments by Donald J. Trump regarding His Holiness Pope Leo XlV, I would like to offer a few reflections rooted both in truth and in our faith. First, The Holy Father is elected through the sacred process of the conclave, carried out by the College of Cardinals under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is not a political appointment, nor is it subject to influence by any head of state. The Church entrusts this moment to prayer, discernment, and divine guidance. Second, we have just celebrated the great mystery of Easter. ln the Upper Room, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ-appeared to His apostles, showed them His wounds, and spoke the words, "Peace be with you." He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. This moment is not only the foundation of the Church, but also a profound reminder that peace-not power, not force, not victory in worldlyterms-is the gift Christ gives to His people.

A book bearing the title The Trojan Horse in the Catholic Church and published by the group Catholics for Catholics arrived in the mailboxes of Catholic bishops across the country this past winter, warning them of hidden forces reshaping the church from within. The book's central claim is stark: that the synod on synodality, Pope Francis' three-year global process of listening and discernment that concluded in October 2024, is a calculated effort to dismantle the church's hierarchical structure and overturn its moral teaching on sexuality and the family.  The book's author has given no name, only the pseudonym "Enoch" borrowed from an Old Testament prophet who, tradition holds, never died and will return at the end of the world to fight the Antichrist. Its foreword was written by a participant in the very synod it condemns — one voice among more than 300 in that assembly whose account of what took place is directly and specifically contested by others who were present in the same room.

Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares was presented a Faith in Action Award on Wednesday (April 8) during the 2026 Civic Champion Dinner at the Phoenix Country Club.   The event, hosted by The Arizona Democracy Resilience Network and Mormon Women for Ethical Government Arizona, seeks to recognize faith in action by honoring exceptional individuals and organizations that exemplify what is means to be a civic champion. 

When I told my husband I was going to become Catholic, he was quite shocked. Before he could respond, I added, “So will you be my sponsor?” We were driving down Rural Road in Tempe, Ariz., on the way home from Mass, with our 2-year-old buckled into the back seat. Although we were married in the Church and committed to raising our children Catholic, I had never before expressed a desire to enter the Church myself.  My call to Catholicism had come privately, and I chose to discern my response to that call largely on my own. One thing, however, I knew for certain: I wanted my husband to join me on this journey. We began OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (then called RCIA), in the fall and attended the evening classes together, turning them into a kind of weekly date night — sometimes even managing to secure the babysitter early enough to grab a small bite to eat beforehand. 

Cassock flaring in the wind behind him, Fr. Emmanuel Galvez, IVE, briskly pulled up on an electric scooter and parked on Monroe Street in front of St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix.   Fr. Galvez was there to join several other priests of the Diocese of Phoenix to offer the sacrament of penance to NCAA basketball fans who flooded downtown during the Women’s Final Four Basketball Tournament last weekend (April 3-5).