LOCAL NEWS

A lunchtime sidewalk rally in front of an abortion facility just north of downtown Phoenix June 6 drew people from all over the Valley. They came to voice their concern about late-term abortions, and more particularly, infanticide.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained Fathers Chris Axline and Kurt Perera to the priesthood at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral on June 1, the Feast of St. Justin Martyr.

With temperatures soaring, most people in the Valley are trying to stay indoors. Local pro-lifers, however, are taking to the street. The brutal heat is nothing, they say, compared to the brutality going on inside a Phoenix abortion clinic.

Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea, a priest of the Diocese of Alcala de Henares in Spain who has published numerous books on the subject of demonology and exorcism, visited the Valley May 28-30. Those who were hoping for a sensationalistic treatment of the topic were likely disappointed.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted blessed St. Henry's chapel and church hall during the vigil Mass for the Feast of the Ascension. The spaces mark the first of an ongoing multi-phase effort to permanently re-locate parish activities four-miles north of what is now called the “pastoral center” or “office location.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down an Arizona law banning abortions after 20 weeks. The Mother's Health and Safety Act, passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer in 2012, was originally upheld by a federal judge but subsequently challenged.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for a two-week period of prayer and penance in defense of marriage, life and religious liberty. The “Fortnight for Freedom,” held for the first time during 2012, begins June 21.

Women considering an abortion will soon have a new window into the womb that could change their mind, thanks to the Knights of Columbus. Nine months ago, five local Knights of Columbus councils began fund raising efforts in order to help 1st Way Pregnancy Center purchase a 4-D ultrasound machine.

When Fr. José Antonio Fortea Cucurull began his ministry as an exorcist, he was the only one in all of Spain. That was some 15 years ago.

A federal mandate issued by the Obama administration is the target of 44 separate lawsuits, 58 cases and 190 plaintiffs — many of them Catholic — from across the country.