NEWS

Story by Gina Keating, courtesy of Seton Catholic Preparatory Out of tragedy comes hope. When one member of the student body at Seton Catholic Preparatory...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people must reject indifference and embrace their role as a generation of hope and unity to build a better future for the world, Pope Francis said. Developing a sense of fraternity is "the best answer we can offer to the conflicts and indifference that kill, because indifference kills," the pope told a meeting of young Catholics from around the Mediterranean.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To fully experience love and hope, young people must approach the journey of life as pilgrims and not just sightseers seeking the perfect selfie, Pope Francis said. "Do not be like superficial sightseers, blind to the beauty around you, never discovering the meaning of the roads you take, interested only in a few fleeting moments to capture in a selfie. Tourists do this," the pope said in a message to young people ahead of the local celebrations of World Youth Day Nov. 24.

Would you know what to do if the person in the pew next to you confided that he or she was having trouble coping with life? That his or her situation prompted even fleeting thoughts of harming themselves? That even with prayer and the sacraments, their struggle remains? In an Aug. 29 report, the World Health Organization stated that more than 720,000 people worldwide die annually by suicide. Many more attempt or consider it.

This past Saturday, Bishop John Dolan officially installed Fr. Kilian McCaffrey as the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Scottsdale, Ariz. A native of Dublin, Ireland, Fr. McCaffrey has served as a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix for the past 17 years. He described his installation as pastor of Blessed Sacrament as a “full circle” moment, which began upon his arrival in Arizona in 1998. “I moved from the Detroit area back in 1998 and the first Sunday after I moved here, I was looking for a local Catholic Church to attend Sunday Mass,” shared Fr. McCaffrey. “I opened the Yellow Pages and found the Roman Catholic churches listings. The closest address I recognized was Blessed Sacrament Parish.”

On Friday, Bishop John Dolan joined leaders, donors, volunteers and residents for the official opening of De Paul Manor and Rosalie’s Place, St. Vincent...

70 years is a long time. Since its humble beginnings in 1954, Seton Catholic Preparatory (SCP) in Chandler, Ariz., has been dedicated to providing students...

TASITOLU, Timor-Leste (CNS) -- While it is tempting to want more money and more power, God works great things through those who know how to make themselves small, Pope Francis told a massive crowd in one of the world's poorest countries. In a nation of 1.3 million people -- 96% of whom are Catholic -- local authorities estimated 600,000 people gathered for Mass with the pope Sept. 10 at a park in Tasitolu, which is about five miles outside Timor-Leste's capital, Dili. They came from all over Timor-Leste but also from Indonesia.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Simple gestures of piety, such as receiving Communion, sow harmony among humanity and can be acts of rebellion against evil, Pope Francis said. In a video message to the International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador, released by the Vatican Sept. 8, the pope highlighted the power of the Eucharist through the story of German Trinitarian Sister Angela Autsch, who was imprisoned by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz where she died in 1944.

You are not alone. From the time he announced a plan to create greater awareness of mental health and its resources available to the faithful, Bishop John Dolan has made those four words a consistent part of the message.  On Sunday, the focus again turned to those who have died by suicide, along with their family, friends and other loved ones, as the bishop presided over the Diocese of Phoenix’s 3rd annual Mass of Remembrance for Those Who Have Died by Suicide.