The Catholic Sun

A pilgrimage is more than a journey — it’s a sacred venture in which the pilgrim opens their heart to be changed by an experience of God. Pilgrimage is an integral part of the Jubilee Year. It is an invitation both to a personal journey of the heart, as well as physically visiting places of grace, like the six holy sites around our diocese that Bishop John has designated. More than 1,000 folks have visited these sites and what a blessing it has been not just for them, but for their families and for our entire diocesan community. But today, I invite us to consider a different kind of pilgrimage: the pilgrimage of life. In every moment, whether filled with grief or joy, boredom or blessing, we are offered an opportunity to seek the face of God. Personally, I find it easier to reach for God in times of sorrow or elation. Yet, God calls us to seek Him even in — indeed, especially in — the ordinary and mundane. In every single step, God is present and active, longing to walk with us, just as He did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. (Lk 24:13-35)

St. John Bosco Catholic School in Phoenix celebrated the momentous occasion of being recognized as a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School this week (Sept. 26) with a school-wide assembly, community prayers of thanksgiving and a sweet on-theme treat: Blue Ribbon ice cream bars. The nomination was the first in the school’s history and St. John Bosco (PreK-8) was the only private-school honoree from Arizona this year.

The 3rd Annual Catholic Night at Chase Field was a huge success on Friday evening (Sept. 19), as the Dioceses of Phoenix and Tucson came together for a night of faith, family and fun. The faithful were well represented throughout the stadium, with more than 3,400 tickets sold — an all time high for the popular event. Five dollars from every ticket went toward Catholic School Support 365.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV prayed that the leaders of nations would use money and resources to promote the common good rather than using "wealth against humanity" by "turning it into weapons that destroy peoples or monopolies that humiliate workers." "Whoever serves God becomes free from wealth; but whoever serves wealth remains its slave," the pope said Sept. 21 in his homily in the Vatican's parish Church of St. Anne. "Whoever seeks justice transforms wealth into the common good," the pope said, and "whoever seeks domination turns the common good into prey for their own greed."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The strength of families and their ability to thrive and witness as a "domestic church" require support from the wider church and from governments, particularly in the face of poverty, Pope Leo XIV said. "We are aware that today there are real threats to the dignity of the family such as poverty, lack of employment, lack of access to health care, abuse of the most vulnerable, migration and wars," the pope told a group of Latin American church representatives Sept. 19. The Latin American bishops' council, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences brought the representatives to Rome Sept. 17-19 for a shared Jubilee Year reflection on "the future of life and the family" in Latin America.

Sarah Morris loves her Catholic faith. She attends Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle in Phoenix and enjoys worship and the fellowship of the faithful. But she needed a spiritual connection to others like her: a vehicle that would bring the companionship of Christian women, particularly other Catholics. “I think [as a culture] we’re disconnected [and] the Internet is ‘no bueno,’” she said, sitting at a table with several other women last Saturday at St. Helen Parish in Glendale, Ariz.

More than 180 priests from across the Diocese of Phoenix gathered in Flagstaff, Ariz., this week for the annual Priest Convocation, the largest number of priests to ever attend. The four days of prayer, fellowship and formation carried the theme “The Priesthood of Tomorrow; For the New Millennium” and featured several presentations on the Diocese of Phoenix’s historic and fully local Nazareth Seminary.

As Arizona’s population has risen steadily, fueling growth in the Diocese of Phoenix, there has been an increase in need for new projects. It’s a busy time in the diocesan Office of Buildings and Properties, which serves the demographic of more than 2 million Catholics. “There is a lot of development going on all over the place,” noted Sr. Mary Pierre Jean Wilson, RSM, director of Buildings and Properties. “We have a list of almost 100 projects, large and small, that are in some phase of planning, including new buildings and renovations.” 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pain must never give rise to violence, and every Catholic needs to learn to safeguard with tenderness those who are vulnerable, Pope Leo XIV said during a prayer vigil dedicated to people experiencing pain and affliction due to illness, bereavement, violence or abuse. Recognizing that some members of the church "have unfortunately hurt you," the pope said, the church "kneels with you today before our Mother (Mary). May we all learn from her to protect the most vulnerable with tenderness!"

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Crying out to God during moments of extreme trial does not mark a crisis of faith but can reflect an act of total surrender to and enduring trust in God, Pope Leo XIV said. "In the journey of life, there are moments in which keeping something inside can slowly consume us," the pope told thousands of people huddled under umbrellas or dressed in rain gear in St. Peter's Square Sept. 10 for his weekly general audience. "Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to cry out, as long as it is sincere, humble, addressed to the Father," he said.