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Not mentioned in the Bible, Joachim and Anne are first named as the parents of Mary in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, which may date from the second century.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Fifty years ago, an encyclical was released affirming a long-held teaching of the Catholic Church, yet it became one of the most controversial encyclicals in recent Church history.

Fifty years later, what consequences of the widespread use of artificial birth control does the U.S. and world see? How close are they to what Pope Paul VI predicted?

The Phoenix Suns may have gotten the first pick in the NBA Draft, but the Phoenix Sons are currently building their all-star team to win the fourth annual JP2 Classic, a basketball tournament between the priests and the seminarians of the Diocese of Phoenix.

“They had a bumpy road, yet they wouldn’t give up,” Leonard said of one NFP couple. “I was inspired that in the face of what some would say are insurmountable obstacles, they met each challenge prayerfully.”

What one East Valley boy once filled in the blank with for what he wanted to be when he grew up is now a reality. That’s not to say his path to priesthood was direct.

Mary, from Magdala in Galilee, was a disciple of Jesus who used her resources, or wealth, to help support Him and His followers.

For Fr. John Nahrgang, the call to the priesthood came not from a Catholic upbringing, but from the consistent whisper of Mary to his heart.

Traditionally, Daniel is considered to be the author of the Old Testament book that bears his name.

When Fr. Frankie Cicero’s mother Olga was eight months pregnant with him, doctors discovered her unborn child had a devastating condition: He would be born with his intestines outside his body. Given a 2 percent chance of survival, Olga clung to a sliver of hope.