NEWS

Individual donors sponsor the scholarships, and each recipient also receives a medal of St. Katharine Drexel, the patroness of the Catholic Community Foundation.

It only happens with a wee bit of luck every several years: March 17, the feast of St. Patrick, falls on a Friday this year. The patron saint of the Emerald Isle, credited with Christianizing the Irish, is the inspiration for celebrations not just in Ireland, but throughout the Irish diaspora.

Mike and Cheryl Lau don’t attend St. Henry Parish in Buckeye. The Verrado couple isn’t even Catholic. But after a decade of attending fish fries in their former home of Cincinnati, the Laus know a good fish fry when they see one — make that taste one — and the March 3 event at the church hall on Lower Buckeye Road filled their bill.

Fr. Ernst spent 18 years 'retired' in Arizona supporting several Northwest Valley churches.

Built into the side of the mesa, the newest three-floor parish building includes a 9,513-square-foot grand Upper Room, a parish hall, youth ministry hall, extra meeting space and a school.

“This is a huge deal. The Lord is tapping these people on the shoulder. They want to partake in the Catholic liturgy, the Eucharist, Baptism and Confirmation,” Dcn. Lou Cornille explained.

No matter how Catholics choose to up their prayer during Lent's 40 days, they have ample opportunities to do so.

Fasting, which has deep roots in many religious traditions, is meant to draw participants into deeper prayer and also link them with those in need.

Barely into her second semester of college, one ASU freshman took a bit of a leap of faith. It was one that transplanted the Valley native to East Africa.

They finished praying the Rosary and then started in on the singing of hymns. We sat there in the little mission church, waiting for Mass to begin. But would it?