August 17, 2026

Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Local News

Inspiring local Catholic news from around the Diocese of Phoenix

4th Annual Catholic Night; A night of celebration and giving back

Faith, fellowship and baseball are coming together in downtown Phoenix on Friday, Sept. 11, as the Arizona Diamondbacks are set to host the 4th Annual Catholic Night at Chase Field. The matchup against the Texas...

Love grows here; Mentoring friendship strengthens marriages

“How many of you know three couples who have the kind of marriage you want? They’re happy, they’re faithful, they love each other, they have a sense of humor, they’re open to life?” It’s a...

Love that endures

When Richard and I married 39 years ago, our wedding day was joyful, beautiful and full of hope. Like most young couples, we looked forward to building a life together and believed we understood what...

Catholic Community Foundation awards over half-a-million dollars to local Catholic school students

The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) recently celebrated 43 students receiving a combined $521,000 in scholarships for the 2026-2027 school year during its Scholarship Awards Ceremony at St. Francis Xavier in Phoenix earlier this month. Scholarship...

Auxiliary Bishop Bui preaches to 80,000 in Missouri

Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui celebrated Mass and preached to the largest crowd of his life on Friday (Aug. 7), addressing an estimated 80,000 Vietnamese Catholics during his first-ever visit to Marian Days, an annual...

Mourning the passing of Bishop Dolan’s father

The Diocese of Phoenix mourns the passing of Gerald “Jerry” Francis Dolan, father of Bishop John Dolan. We offer our prayers and deepest condolences to Bishop Dolan and his entire family. Jerry entered into eternal...

Bishop Dolan celebrates Mass and Rite of Investiture

Bishop John Dolan celebrated a special Mass on Thursday afternoon (Aug. 6), to welcome three women into the next stage of their religious formation at the Carmelite Missionaries of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus...

Diocesan-wide listening sessions on the sacraments set to kick off

On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was walking to catechism class in modern day Mexico City, when an encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill changed his life — and the lives of...

A transformative encounter

When I was a pastor at St. Rose in the Diocese of San Diego, we established a program for engaged couples called “Engaged in Love.” For four weeks, couples would attend Mass together, then gather...

Phoenix priest to be honored for transforming the lives of thousands of abandoned and orphaned children

The Diocese of Phoenix is holding a special Mass this month to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Fr. William Wasson, whose single act of compassion toward a young thief more than a half...

Diocese encourages ‘radical hospitality’ in evangelization

More than 100 formators, administrators and parish staff members representing nearly 48 parishes from the Diocese of Phoenix gathered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday (Aug. 1) to receive...

Fourteen new leaders ready to impact Catholic education

With the new academic year beginning this week at seven Catholic high schools and 29 Catholic elementary schools across the Diocese of Phoenix, the Catholic Schools Office has hired 14 leaders who are ready to...

Pray with Pope Leo XIV, August 2026

Bishop John Dolan shares a personal video reflection on Pope Leo XIV's August 2026 prayer intention: Let us pray that in large cities often marked by anonymity and loneliness we find new ways to proclaim...

A historic day at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City

Bishop John Dolan celebrated his first-ever Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Tuesday (July 28). The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, welcoming...

New Catholic Sun launches today

The Diocese of Phoenix has launched a rebranded, mobile-friendly digital platform for The Catholic Sun, creating a single digital destination for local, national and global Catholic news. The new site at catholicsun.org includes an innovative...

St. Mary Magdalene Parish celebrates patroness, displays first-class relic

St. Mary Magdalene parishioners gathered Tuesday (July 21) evening to celebrate the solemnity of their patroness with a vigil Mass anticipating her feast day on July 22. Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares presided over the liturgy...

Bishop John Dolan to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City

Be part of history as Bishop John Dolan celebrates Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Tuesday, July 28 at 1 p.m. Phoenix time by joining the liturgy via...

Natural family planning transforms marriages

Catholics across the United States are observing Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week during July 19-26. The annual initiative promotes the education of fertility awareness-based methods and the Church’s teachings on marital love and responsible...

Upcoming Mass to honor grandparents and the elderly

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.” - Proverbs 16:31 The Diocese of Phoenix and Bishop John Dolan are inviting the public to celebrate grandparents during a...

New perpetual adoration chapel in Surprise invites worshippers to encounter Christ

St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Surprise, Ariz., began welcoming faithful to their new adoration chapel in May. The high ceilings, stained glass windows and alcoves brushed with gold leaf accent the focal point of...

Seeking God’s will for our kids

One of my standard mama prayers in these past two decades of parenting has been: “Make Your will clear, Lord!” I have prayed this for myself, and on behalf of my husband, friends, parents and,...

Diocese of Phoenix establishes new territorial parish in Laveen

For the first time since 2021, the Diocese of Phoenix has established a new territorial parish on the corner of 43rd Avenue and Dobbins Road in Laveen, Ariz. Divine Word Parish will serve one of...

Diocese of Phoenix partners with Vatican Media to support communication of Pope Leo’s monthly prayer intentions

The Diocese of Phoenix has signed an official partnership with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network to deliver Pope Leo XIV’s monthly prayer intentions across all diocesan platforms in both English and Spanish, from The Catholic...

University of Mary launches Graduate School of Theology in Phoenix to form Catholic leaders

The University of Mary is expanding its mission of Catholic higher education with the launch of its Graduate School of Theology in downtown Phoenix this fall, establishing a new center for graduate theological formation that...

Bishop Dolan joins brother bishops in border Mass, rosary and procession in solidarity with migrants

Five Catholic bishops from the United States-Mexico border region led a day of pastoral accompaniment in Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Mexico, Friday (June 26) as the United States approaches its 250th birthday as a nation...

Strangers become friends

Georgia Cobb had no idea what to expect when she left Phoenix to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, yet she resolved to approach her new surroundings with a heart open to God’s graces....

Diocese of Phoenix receives seven national awards for excellence in communication

For the second consecutive year, the Diocese of Phoenix’s Office of Communications team was recognized by their peers from across North America for their outstanding work, creativity and commitment at the annual Catholic Media Conference’s...

Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit celebrate 10 years of serving Native American communities

The Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit, established in the Diocese of Phoenix with the mission to tend to the pastoral and spiritual needs of Native American communities, will celebrate a momentous occasion on June...

Kino Catechetical Institute celebrates 32 new graduates

Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui celebrated the Kino Catechetical Institute graduation Mass for 32 individuals from the Diocese of Phoenix on Tuesday (June 16) at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix....

Called to serve

Nazareth Seminary — the Diocese of Phoenix’s fully local seminary formation program — continues to be a place of profound joy, growth and hope for the future of our diocese. As we prepare to open...