LOCAL NEWS

The Queen of Heaven is so revered for her relationship with Christ and her love and guidance of her earthly children, the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of May in her honor.

Founding Notre Dame Preparatory principal David Gonsalves is retiring after 12 years at the helm of the Scottsdale Catholic high school.

Nearly 1,100 students are expected to graduate from the six local Catholic high schools this month. They will do so wholly prepared for higher education, grounded in their Catholic faith and instilled with a desire to serve their community.

Payback with Satan is rotten as he pushes people to be loveless and selfish, finally leaving them with nothing and alone, Pope Francis said. "Satan always rips us off, always!" he said during a morning Mass homily.

The Catholic Community Foundation’s signature fundraiser, the Crozier Gala, celebrated its silver anniversary April 20, but that didn’t mean the event was business as usual. Its board of directors did away with a formal “ask” two years ago and this year awarded “surprise” grants as a means of showcasing the good works the foundation does for local Catholic outreach.

Many Catholics are unaware of the various Eastern rite communities within the Church. Pope Francis would not be one of them. Bishop Gerald N. Dino of the Byzantine Holy Protection Eparchy of Phoenix said the election of Pope Francis bodes well for Eastern rite Catholics.

A Philadelphia jury May 13 found Kermit Gosnell guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions and acquitted him of a fourth similar charge. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death by a drug overdose of a patient who had an abortion.

TEMPE — The newest sorority at Arizona State University saw its first pledge class surrender themselves. These 23 young women didn’t submit to stereotypical stunts, however.

Deacon Ken Kulinowski was born in Buffalo, N.Y., just 22 days after the Nazis invaded Poland. The grandson of Polish-speaking immigrants, Kulinowski attended a Polish national school.

SCOTTSDALE — Parishioners of Blessed Sacrament, which turns 40 next summer, pulled together enough plans and finances in the last three to six months to move ahead with the latest building effort.