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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus calls believers not only to be servants of his kingdom, as the prophets and Mary were, but also to be his friends, Pope Francis said. "Friendship is not the fruit of calculation, nor of compulsion, it is born spontaneously when we recognize something of ourselves in the other," he said May 5. "Jesus, in the Bible, tells us that for him we are precisely this: friends, people beloved beyond all merit and expectation, to whom he extends his hand and offers his love, his grace, his word."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting members of the Swiss Guard, including 34 new recruits, Pope Francis thanked them for their dedication and generous service protecting the pope every day. He told them they stand out for their professionalism and their "kind, attentive, indeed scrupulous style," during an audience at the Vatican May 6, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for the new guards later that day. Family members of the new recruits were also present at the audience.

In remembrance of those individuals served by Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Homes in April 2024

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For more than 700 years, the Catholic Church has celebrated "jubilee" or "holy" years as special times to renew people's faith and experience God's forgiveness, particularly by going on pilgrimage. The official Vatican website for the Holy Year 2025 -- www.iubilaeum2025.va -- says, "In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII called the first Jubilee, also known as a 'Holy Year,' since it is a time in which God's holiness transforms us."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus' ascension shows that, despite the difficulties in peoples' lives, they are all made for heaven, Pope Francis said. Reflecting May 12 on the Gospel reading from St. Mark, which recounts how Jesus "was taken up into heaven," the pope said that Jesus' ascension into heaven does not represent a detachment from humanity but rather precedes its ultimate destination: heaven.

Part four in a series of Kirsten Bublitz’ experience taking the Fifth Vital Sign classes through the Diocese of Phoenix Office of Natural Family Planning. Catch up on earlier articles. The other day I got excited after taking my temperature and noticing it had dropped from the previous day. It probably indicated that there’d been a drop of progesterone and that I’d be starting my cycle soon. I couldn’t help but smile, realizing that my body is becoming less of a mystery to me, thanks to the Fifth Vital Sign class I’ve been taking. This class is hitting me so hard because for so long, I didn’t understand my body.  

Nearly 20 chairs and music stands surround a wooden piano and a whiteboard with music intervals written on it. Hanley Hall at Holy Spirit in Tempe, Ariz., is the home base for the Choristers of St. Florian, a children’s Gregorian Chant choir directed by Giorgio Navarini. Navarini is also the founder and director of a well-known men’s vocal ensemble, Floriani. What led to the creation of the Chorister’s of St. Florian was the desire of several families to have their children learn Gregorian Chant and about the sacred music of the Catholic Church. Navarini said he complied since he had learned how to teach it in his years as a musician.

The Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) released a statement on Friday in response to House Concurrent Resolution 2060 (HCR 2060). The Arizona Catholic Conference is the public policy agency for the Diocese of Gallup, the Diocese of Phoenix, and the Diocese of Tucson. Bishops from each of these dioceses comprise the Board of Directors of the ACC.