NEWS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people need to understand how much Christ loves them unconditionally and how much the church needs their voices and presence, Pope Francis said. "Dear young people, you are the living hope of a Church on the move! For this reason, I thank you for your presence and for your contribution to the life of the Body of Christ," the pope told the world's young people in a written message. The pope's message was released by the Vatican March 25 to mark the fifth anniversary of his apostolic exhortation "Christus Vivit" ("Christ is Alive"), published in 2019 and reflecting on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment.

Crowds poured into Sheraton Phoenix Downtown March 21 for a chance to listen to blockbuster Catholic podcaster Fr. Mike Schmitz. Fr. Schmitz was on hand to deliver the keynote address at the Witness to Hope gala, the annual fundraiser for the Diocese of Phoenix’s John Paul II Center for Theology of the Body. Michael Villanueva, coordinator of the center, welcomed guests as a video that featured footage of Pope St. John Paul II played on large screens at the front of the packed ballroom.

The humility and compassion of Christ were in action at the corner of Third Street and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix on Holy Thursday. Passing motorists and visitors to the busy streetcorner took in an unexpected sight: Volunteers, many of them religious sisters, were washing people’s feet under a large shade canopy emblazoned with the Diocese of Phoenix logo.

There are moments when my heart feels alive and is beating with fervor, and one of those moments was during the second 5th Vital Sign Class, a fertility-awareness series for single women presented by the Diocese of Phoenix Office of Natural Family Planning, where we learned about God’s beautiful design for marriage through Theology of the Body and the horrors of contraception that completely go against His plan. 

Bookended with opening and closing Masses, St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix will be the site of an all-night eucharistic adoration event April 6-7. Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix will kick off “The Road to Emmaus: A Eucharistic Encounter” with Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6.

ROME (CNS) -- As Pope Francis poured water over their feet, dried them with a towel and kissed their feet, 12 women inmates at Rome's Rebibbia prison wept. The pope celebrated the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper March 28 at the women's prison under a tent set up outside. The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis during the liturgy sat on stools on a raised platform so the pope, who has difficulty walking, could wash their feet while seated in his wheelchair.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like the women disciples who discovered Jesus had risen from the dead and ran to tell the others, Christians should be filled with such joy at Easter that they cannot help sharing it with others, Pope Francis said. "The resurrection of Jesus is not just wonderful news or the happy ending of a story, but something that changes our lives completely and forever," the pope said April 1 as he led the midday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer.

Bishop John Dolan will make this year’s annual Sovereign Order of Malta Pilgrimage to Lourdes alongside the ill and infirm who will travel with the organization. “Fantastic. That is awesome,” exclaimed Terra Billingsley, 58, one of three malades from the Diocese of Phoenix who will be with the Order’s Western U.S. Association April 30 thru May 8 at the southern French town in the Pyrenees Mountains. The town includes the grotto where 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous encountered 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858.

Catholic evangelists shared in the joy of NCAA basketball fans as they gathered in downtown Phoenix from April 5-8 for the Men’s Final Four Fan Festival. College students, families and hardcore sports fans exuded excitement as they hustled into the Phoenix Convention Center. Standing outside St. Mary’s Basilica were specially trained evangelists from the Diocese of Phoenix who radiated a heightened form of happiness — the Easter joy of the risen Lord Jesus.

PHOENIX – Easing the suffering of the impoverished, preservation of life, an end to racism and more men and women entering religious service. These were a sample of the petitions lifted up to God during a night of intimacy with Jesus Christ through His precious Body and Blood. An all-night Adoration at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, co-hosted by the Diocese of Phoenix allowed participants to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for God’s intervention, guidance and mercy across more than a half dozen areas of request, which also included the Filipino and Vietnamese communities, and for the faithful to be bold in sharing God’s message of redemption through His Son’s death and Resurrection.