BRIEFS

Bishop John Dolan visited the Perryville state prison complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday night (Sept. 3), to celebrate Mass and administer the sacrament of confirmation for female inmates. Three women were confirmed in the Catholic Church and several women also went to confession. Bishop Dolan was accompanied by Fr. Estevan Wetzel, the director of Prison Ministry for the Diocese of Phoenix, who heard confessions, and Ted Ebner, the coordinator of Prison Ministry for the diocese.

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City spilled over with thousands of spectators on Sunday, Sept. 7 as Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis — the first canonization of Pope Leo’s pontificate. Local Catholic, Christine Minch of Mesa, Ariz., was in Rome during the canonization. She was part of the crowd that waited in line for several hours before the doors opened in the early morning, and she found seats in the center third row, where she experienced the two-hour Mass.

More than 180 priests from across the Diocese of Phoenix gathered in Flagstaff, Ariz., this week for the annual Priest Convocation, the largest number of priests to ever attend. The four days of prayer, fellowship and formation carried the theme “The Priesthood of Tomorrow; For the New Millennium” and featured several presentations on the Diocese of Phoenix’s historic and fully local Nazareth Seminary.

St. John Bosco Catholic School in Phoenix celebrated the momentous occasion of being recognized as a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School this week (Sept. 26) with a school-wide assembly, community prayers of thanksgiving and a sweet on-theme treat: Blue Ribbon ice cream bars. The nomination was the first in the school’s history and St. John Bosco (PreK-8) was the only private-school honoree from Arizona this year.

Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills, Ariz., kicks off a year-long celebration this week in honor of the parish’s 50th anniversary. Beginning on Sunday, Nov. 9, and carrying the theme “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew,” the parish will honor this milestone with a series of expanded outreach programs, intentional opportunities to learn about the church’s history and mission and celebratory events designed to honor the parish’s past, celebrate it present and look forward to its future. The jubilee year celebration will culminate with a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Dolan in October 2026.

Bishop John Dolan joined Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson, Bishop Enrique Sánchez of the Diocese of Mexicali and Bishop Gregory Gordon of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, along with other bishops, priests and pilgrims on Sunday evening (Oct. 12) to celebrate a Mass in solidarity with migrants.

More than 90 men and women religious gathered for an Evening of Gratitude and Jubilee on Saturday (Oct. 18) at Mt. Claret Retreat Center in Phoenix. The annual event which celebrates the gift of Religious Life and honors religious who serve in the Diocese of Phoenix is sponsored by the Serra Club and organized by the diocesan Office of Religious Life. This year had the highest attendance in the event’s history.

Housing for Hope, an affiliate of Catholic Charities Community Services, unveiled Joshua Tree Apartments on Friday (Oct. 17), the organization’s first-ever Kingman affordable housing development. In late 2023, Housing for Hope began renovations to convert the vacant Motel 66 on Andy Devine Avenue into a 20-unit apartment building. Construction is now complete, and due to high demand, Joshua Tree is nearly fully leased.

A Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated Sunday (Oct. 26) in honor of the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II Polish Catholic School at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Phoenix. The Polish parish, which was founded in 1995 and celebrates Masses in Polish, teaches young children the Polish language, culture, history and geography as well as Polish patriotic and Catholic traditions at the St. John Paul II school on Saturdays. The school is named after the late pontiff, who was a native of Wadowice, Poland. Bishop John Dolan presided over the Mass. Afterward, the community had a meal, where the school children, graduates and teachers prepared a special program.

Bishop John Dolan visited with Pope Leo XIV this morning after his weekly General Audience before St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Tonight, and tomorrow, Bishop Dolan will be one of the keynote speakers at an international conference in Rome on mental health. The three-day conference is organized by the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (ACMHM) under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy for Life. People from all over the world involved in the pastoral care of mental health have gathered for the conference in Pius X Hall, located on via dell’Ospedale. Today’s talk from Bishop Dolan will be on his personal reflection on Our Holy Father’s November Prayer Intention and tomorrow he will share practical approaches on mental health, specifically tied to the historic Office of Mental Health Ministry in the Diocese of Phoenix, which opened in December of 2022.