NEWS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV's devotion to St. Augustine, his life and ministry as a member of the Augustinian order and his focus on the unity of the church are reflected in his episcopal motto and coat of arms. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica shortly after his election May 8, he introduced himself as "an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine." And he explained that the cardinals who elected him "have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a Church, united, ever pursuing peace and justice, ever seeking to act as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, in order to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God's hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said. For that reason, the pope invited the cardinals "to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council," and that "Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), he said May 10, in his first formal speech to the College of Cardinals.

One day at lunch with colleagues, we were discussing the story of the fig tree. Yes, it’s what we do — working for the Church has its perks! In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree that hasn’t produced fruit for three years. Now that’s annoying! By definition, a fig tree is created to give forth fruit, that is its purpose. Not only has the fig tree not produced a harvest, but it has likely been actively tended for three years — symbolic for “plenty of time.” The owner of the land is understandably ready to uproot this waste of resources.

On summer days in the 1950s when Monica Domingo and Cornelia Garcia weren’t cooling off in the Gila River, they were helping the nuns at St. John’s Indian School varnish desks, getting them prepared for the school year. Domingo and Garcia were students who attended the school on the Gila River Reservation.  The nuns were part of a Franciscan religious order from Santa Barbara, Calif., and taught the 400 students who attended the school. The school went through 12th grade, made up of students from all different tribes. Priests from the same religious order provided access to the sacraments for the students and community members who attended St. John the Baptist Mission. 

The lights dim, the crowd quiets. A choir boy carrying a candle slowly weaves through the hall at St. Anne parish in Gilbert, Ariz., singing a Latin hymn that transports the audience into a sacred reenactment of 15 historical encounters with Mary in the original production Hail, Holy Queen.    “It was more a prayer than a play,” said Mary Ryan, who directed the production that showcased in October 2024. It is one of multiple performances produced by FiAt Productions since 2022, when the nonprofit debuted its well-received presentation of Karol Wojtyla’s , now Pope St. John Paul II, The Jeweler’s Shop.  

Emily Merrell, a seventh-grade student at St. Mary-Basha Catholic School in Chandler, Ariz., has launched Pack Up with a Purpose, an inspiring community service project to support individuals experiencing homelessness. Witnessing fellow students discarding gently used backpacks, lunch totes and reusable water bottles at the end of the school year sparked an idea in Merrell: to repurpose these items for the benefit of others.  Pack Up with a Purpose aims to collect often-overlooked necessities for a local organization committed to outreach and support for the population experiencing homelessness. Recognizing the daily struggles faced by those without stable housing, such as the lack of a way to carry their belongings or access clean drinking water, Merrell envisioned giving these items a second life through providing essential support. 

A special altar dedication and blessing of the chapel at St. Mary’s House in downtown Phoenix took place early Tuesday morning, with Bishop John Dolan presiding.   Joined by five priests, seminarians and donors, Bishop Dolan anointed the altar with chrism and incensed it before covering it with linens and lightning candles.  The new altar and ambo were designed and built by Dcn. Chris Georges from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glendale, Ariz.

Br. Paul Graupmann, Jeff Pooley and Simon Ortiz came one step closer to the priesthood this past weekend. Pooley and Ortiz celebrated their Transitional Diaconate Ordination before a standing room only crowd at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix on Sunday. Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares presided over the Mass, and he was joined by more than two dozen priests and deacons from across the Diocese of Phoenix.   Br. Paul Graupmann’s Transitional Diaconate Ordination was celebrated by Bishop John Dolan on May 24 at St. Anthony Mission in Sacaton, Ariz., and was a summation of the profound surrender these three men have embodied within their vocations.  

For the second consecutive year, two Phoenix Catholic high schools repeated as state champions in their respective spring sports, as Xavier College Preparatory won the 2025 6A Arizona High School State Softball Championship and Brophy College Preparatory captured the 2025 6A Arizona High School State Tennis title. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Gospel parable of the "wasteful sower" who casts seeds on fertile soil as well as on a rocky path "is an image of the way God loves us," Pope Leo XIV told visitors and pilgrims at his first weekly general audience. The parable can strike people as odd because "we are used to calculating things -- and at times it is necessary -- but this does not apply in love," the pope told an estimated 40,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square May 21. Pope Leo read his full prepared text in Italian and also read the summaries of the talk in English and in Spanish.