NEWS

In the Diocese of Phoenix, mental health is a primary focus. Since his installation as the fifth Bishop of Phoenix in August 2022, Bishop John Dolan has emphasized the importance of mental wellness and fostering a community where individuals can freely share their experiences and find support. This historic effort, which has served as a model for other dioceses around the U.S. and the world, began with the establishment of the Office of Mental Health Ministry in December 2022, which is built on three pillars: accompaniment, education and advocacy. 

Theresa Getzwiller is part of the glue that is holding together St. Michael Parish in Gila Bend. She is one of the volunteers who keep the underserved parish running.  According to a 1974 story in the Arizona Republic, Gila Bend is one of the oldest permanently settled communities in Arizona. As explained by Getzwiller, the original St. Michael's parish was built in the early 1930s out of adobe and was in a slightly different location than the current church, completed in 1964. Close to the Mexico border, the community is mostly Spanish-speaking.  

On Sunday, more than 4,000 devout Catholics congregated in the Phoenix Convention Center to pray the rosary in celebration of Arizona’s 49th Annual Rosary Celebration, a state-wide event with gatherings in multiple cities. This year’s event brought honor to Mary under her title Our Lady Queen of Peace. “There is no greater advocate for peace than our Lady, Queen of Peace,” Bishop John Dolan stated in his opening message to the congregation.   

Bishop John Dolan celebrated a special Mass at St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Chapel in Phoenix on Tuesday morning, honoring Sr. Margaret McBride, RSM, who is retiring after 37 years of serving the hospital. Sr. McBride, who had three separate stints at the hospital, began her career at St. Joseph’s as a nurse in 1972 after earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco.

One of the most striking stories of healing in the Gospels is that of the bleeding, or hemorrhaging woman.  Having suffered immensely for 12 years, she not only lived with physical pain, but she was also considered unclean according to the Mosaic law. This would have made her an outcast and someone to be avoided at all costs. No matter how many doctors she sought out, she only grew worse with time, spending her whole life savings along the way.  

They come from all over the world — Denmark, Australia, India, France, the Philippines and beyond — to gaze upon one of the hidden jewels of the Diocese of Phoenix. Nestled among the majestic red rocks of Sedona in Northern Arizona, the Chapel of the Holy Cross draws some 2 million visitors a year. The tiny church seats 65, but the majestic views from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind the altar reveal a stunning view of the picturesque valley below.  

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A world that has become "heartless" and indifferent to greed and war, and a Catholic Church in need of revitalizing its missionary joy need to open themselves up to Christ's infinite love, Pope Francis wrote. By contemplating Jesus' Sacred Heart, the faithful can be filled with the "living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together toward a just, solidary and fraternal world," the pope wrote in his encyclical, "'Dilexit nos' ('He loved us'): on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ."

At the mental health ministry in our diocese people hear these words daily - “You are not alone.” This is something for us all to be incredibly proud of. Peoples’ lives are being positively changed and God is transforming hearts. Because this ministry is so desperately needed by so many experiencing struggles, the positive echoes are reverberating around the globe, which can be seen in the numerous dioceses, and even countries, that are turning to our ministry as an example.  

Almost from the time she met Bishop John Dolan, Barb Rechterman sensed that one day she would work with him. One of 10 children, Rechterman lost her oldest sister to suicide in 1998. In the time leading up to her death, Rechterman recalls how, as she describes it, her sister “lost God in the process” of her mental-health struggle. 

Catholics from parishes throughout the Diocese of Phoenix took to the streets Oct. 14 carrying a 50-foot rosary to pray for the protection of unborn babies and the defeat of Proposition 139. A 25-foot Winnebago wrapped in messages that warned of the dangers of the ballot proposition travelled alongside the peaceful prayer march that snaked its way through East Valley morning traffic.  “Prop 139 allows late term abortion” and “Prop 139 will increase child trafficking” were among some of the bold wording featured on the RV.