BRIEFS

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.

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.

The Catholic Community Foundation, which is committed to making Catholic education more accessible, recently awarded $479,000 in scholarships to 40 students in the Diocese of Phoenix.   At the Foundation’s annual Scholarship Award Ceremony earlier this month, 18 seventh-grade students received the Catholic Community Foundation Scholarship, which is awarded to students who embody strong Catholic values and show a financial need to attend Catholic high school. In the past six years, the Foundation has awarded over 104 scholarships totaling more than $1.7 million through this award.

Bishop John Dolan announced the first edition of the Nazareth News Magazine — an inside look at the Diocese of Phoenix’s local and thriving Nazareth Seminary.   “Through prayers and support for our seminarians, you play an integral role in the inspiring stories of faith, formation and fostering vocations that fill these pages,” said Bishop Dolan, who extended an invitation to all faithful to read through a digital copy of this new, annual periodical produced by the diocesan Office of Mission Advancement. 

This month Bishop John Dolan announced the launching of Nazareth News Magazine — an inside look at the Diocese of Phoenix’s local and thriving Nazareth Seminary. Below is a story from the first magazine edition. To access the full digital version of Nazareth News Magazine Volume No. 1, click here.  For 10 seminarians from St. Mary’s House in downtown Phoenix, a springtime mission trip to a Maricopa reservation was an act of service and a powerful immersion into the heart of their future ministry.  

The faithful gathered at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Surprise, Ariz., this week to participate in a three-day training on building parish communities which welcome children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The training was led by SPRED, Special Religious Development Training, an Archdiocese of Chicago program. The training objectives were to understand the SPRED model of catechesis, support faith and development for people with disabilities, build faith communities that foster a sense of belonging, facilitate hands-on learning outcomes and create a supportive environment for SPRED ministry.

Have you ever gotten what looked like an email or a text from your pastor or boss asking for money or gift cards? You are not alone. Unfortunately, frauds and scams are abounding in this technological age.   Detective Mark DiBone from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office joined The Bishop’s Hour podcast for a segment to help the faithful learn more about frauds and scams and how to protect themselves against them. 

Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares is celebrating two significant dates this week, including his 44th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood on Friday and his 15th anniversary of his episcopal ordination on Saturday.     Bishop Nevares was ordained a priest on July 18, 1981, and was ordained as the first-ever auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Phoenix on July 19, 2010. Prior to his arrival in Phoenix, he served as the co-director of vocations in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, from 2002 until 2008, and vice rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, from 2009-2010.  

Selected from more than 2,200 women, Catholic Education Arizona President and CEO Nancy Padberg and AllThrive 365 President and CEO Tammi Bohannon were named two of the 34 Most Influential Women in Arizona Business for 2025 by Az Business. This acknowledgement is “a testament to exceptional leadership, vision and impact” and a recognition of “significant contributions across various sectors, including business, real estate, technology, healthcare and nonprofits,” Az Business stated.

Xavier College Preparatory’s Spanish language students have achieved exceptional results on the 2025 National Spanish Exam (NSE), securing the fourth-highest medal count in the entire U.S. and ranking No. 1 in Arizona. Among more than 80,000 participants nationwide, Xavier students earned 31 Gold Medals (greater than or equal to the 95th percentile), 90 Silver Medals (greater than or equal to the 85th percentile) and 83 Bronze Medals (greater than or equal to the 75th percentile). In addition, more than 200 students received Honorable Mentions, underscoring the commitment across all levels of Spanish instruction.