LOCAL NEWS

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore brought his message of religious liberty to a group yearning to hear it: Catholic business leaders and their spouses.

Christianity isn’t therapy, proclaimed Jonathan Reyes, director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, told more than 2,100 Catholic men gathered a Grand Canyon University for the Men’s Conference.

Catholic Charities offers free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) to families making less than $50,000 a year. The program is part of Empower-U, which helps those in need break the cycle of poverty.

FLAGSTAFF — The new church building that serves San Francisco de Asís Parish is the culmination of years of struggle and hard work.

It was a weekday Mass that drew a top-ranking business-minded crowd the size of a Sunday liturgy, at least 25 priests plus a handful of bishops and archbishops.

Eleven state championship titles in 28 years is part of what fielded Seton Catholic Preparatory High School’s varsity softball coach an honor all his own. Jerry Mullin will be inducted into the 9th Annual Chandler Sports Hall of Fame Feb. 9. The Mesa Catholic has been with Seton Catholic Prep since 1985 in both a teaching and a coaching capacity.

Students at St. John Vianney have a tangible example of what it means to “Reach for the Stars.” Their school, which opened 20 years ago last fall, was once a reachable dream of then-principal Fr. Joe Corpora.

The annual diocesan spelling bee came down to two Catholic school students from Scottsdale.

Students from across Arizona comfortably filled Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral for the all-school liturgy Jan. 30 as part of Catholic Schools Week celebrations. All four bishops serving the state’s three dioceses along with up to a dozen priests — many of them school pastors, chaplains and rectors — were also on hand to celebrate and later honor nine educators for their dedication.

Warmer weather than in recent years sent nearly 1,000 students from across Arizona to a lunchtime rally at the state Capitol Jan. 30. The gathering was in celebration of National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools, which is a standard part of Catholic Schools Week festivities for local students. It draws largely student council leaders, teachers, parents, legislators, and this year all four bishops serving dioceses in Arizona eager to celebrate Catholic education and school choice. This also marked the first time that donors and supporters had a catered VIP lunch on site and special seating.