LOCAL NEWS

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.

When Jeannie Buggle walks through the door, it’s the highlight of Marilyn Grimaldi’s week. Marilyn, 89, is bedridden and unable to attend Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) in Tempe, Ariz., where she’s been a faithful parishioner since the early 1960s. She watches the weekly TV Mass broadcast from Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral on CW 7, but it’s just not the same as being at her beloved parish. That’s where a soft-spoken, cheerful Buggle comes in. She’s been leading the Ministry of Care at OLMC for the last two years, bringing the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist to hospital patients and the homebound every week. People like Marilyn.  

Walk through the doors of Nazareth Seminary’s houses, and you’ll find a brotherhood unlike any other.   The men discerning the priesthood in the Diocese of Phoenix come from all walks of life: fresh out of high school, seasoned professionals, former teachers, even an astrophysicist who once worked for NASA. Some have worked as lawyers, others as bartenders, listening to life’s stories unfold across a countertop.  They come from different cultures, speak different languages and have taken different paths to get here. But one thing unites them: a call to serve. 

Fr. Fernando Camou was installed by Bishop John Dolan as the rector and pastor of the historic St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix on Sunday morning. Fr. Nathaniel Glenn and Fr. Jesus Martinez, who will be supporting him in his new role, concelebrated the Mass alongside Bishop Dolan and Fr. Camou.   Dcn. Fernando Camou Sr., Fr. Camou’s father, also served at the Mass.  

For Fr. Joseph Nguyen, his first year as a priest has been a journey filled with grace, growth and unexpected blessings. Ordained on June 1, 2024, he was soon assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale, Ariz. — a vibrant community of more than 8,000 families. Though surprised at first, he quickly realized that God had prepared him for this mission. “A few days before I got the call, I prayed about where I would be sent,” Fr. Nguyen recalls. “St. Thomas Aquinas appeared in my prayer, and when I heard the news, I really believed that God had sent me there.”

I’ll never forget the day I yelled at God. I was in seminary, and I had recently lost my sister, Therese, and my brother-in-law, Joe, to death by suicide on the same day. This came years after my brother, Tom, had died by suicide when I was in eighth grade. I was hurting, I was angry and I had no idea why God let all of this suffering take place. At the time, I was studying at the University of San Diego. I went for a walk in my unrest and found myself at a large, empty field that overlooks Mission Bay.

Thanks to a grant from Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix announced the creation of a new position — Catholic Schools Major Gifts Officer — which will focus on strengthening enrollment and building long-term capacity through professional development and strategic outreach. The diocese is accepting applicants for the position with a target of Sept. 15 to be filled. “This is not a short-term solution; it’s a visionary step forward,” said Debbie DiCarlo, executive director for the Diocese of Phoenix’s Office of Mission Advancement.

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. 

Bishop John Dolan took part in a special commissioning of Dr. Douglas Ross, the new president of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, this past Thursday (July 31) at the hospital’s Marian Chapel in downtown Phoenix. Named the hospital’s new president this past fall, Dr. Ross joined St. Joseph’s from CHI St. Vincent System in Arkansas, where he served as chief medical officer for the market and as president of St. Vincent Hot Springs Hospital. He earned his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

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.