FEATURED

This week, something historic is unfolding for the Diocese of Phoenix.   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.  

Mother Teresa was one of the most well-known figures in the world.  At just under five feet, her small stature and blue-striped sari were recognized across cultures, oceans and belief systems. She's especially known for spending much of her life serving the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. It was in these overcrowded, unsanitary and severely underserved neighborhoods that she spent her days accompanying the dying, tending to the wounded and feeding the hungry. 

In this Jubilee Year, one of Pope Francis’ 10 hopes is for youth and young adults to experience the joy and beauty of living the Gospel. Four young adults share the stories of their unique journeys to finding hope and fulfillment in God. 

The Diocese of Phoenix, continuing as one of the nation’s fastest-growing in the U.S., welcomed two new men to the priesthood Saturday.  Deacons Jacob Chavez and Connor Companik were ordained by Bishop John Dolan before an estimated 1,500 worshippers at All Saints Church in Mesa, Ariz., in a ceremony marked by Church tradition and an air of joy.  Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares and Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted concelebrated.

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.  

Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted celebrated the Kino Catechetical Institute graduation Mass for 56 individuals from the Diocese of Phoenix June 4 — the latest and largest group in recent years to complete the two-year foundational formation program in Catholic doctrine.  Class members included laity from 28 parishes throughout the nearly 44,000-square-mile diocese, with some driving from as far away as Flagstaff, Ariz., to attend weekly courses.  “It is a joyful evening tonight,” Bishop Olmsted told graduates, families and worshippers who packed St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix. 

During Sunday mornings at St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish, the singing is upbeat and energetic yet reverent. There is clapping, as well as expressions of “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” This was especially present as the parish community celebrated its third annual Founder’s Day Mass on Sunday, June 1 honoring St. Josephine Bakhita. Visitors and decades-long parishioners alike experienced an atmosphere of warmth, love and Afrocentric culture and spirituality. “You’re going to see something great here,” beamed Bishop John Dolan following the Founder’s Day Mass. “It’s [a church] packed with a lot of energy and a lot of spirit.”

Deacon Jacob Chavez was 20 years old when his parents, Brian and Luzinda, drove him up to St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. “We could barely stop the car before he jumped out,” recalled Brian. “Growing up, he was always moving,” Luzinda said. “He was a good kid, a good student, a great athlete and violinist. A really good brother and very good son.”

More than 6,000 children and adults in the Diocese of Phoenix have received the sacrament of confirmation in the past six weeks alone. According to diocesan records, around 25-percent of those anointed are adults, which is a 10-to-15-percent increase in the past three-to-five years. Bishop John Dolan began confirmation season at seven parishes in the northern region of the diocese, including El Cristo Rey Catholic Church in Grand Canyon Village, Ariz., San Francisco de Asis in Flagstaff, Ariz., St. Joseph the Worker in Williams, Ariz., St. John Vianney in Sedona, Ariz., Immaculate Conception in Cottonwood, Ariz., St. Frances Cabrini in Camp Verde, Ariz., and St. Germain in Prescott, Ariz. Bishop Dolan most recently celebrated confirmation Masses at St. Louis the King in Glendale, Ariz., and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Phoenix.