The Catholic Sun

Courtesy of OSV News (OSV News) — “When the Church speaks tenderly about mental health, people listen,” said Bishop John Dolan of Phoenix, whose mental...

One Gilbert, Ariz., parish food bank has an urgent yet gentle request: more friends. St. Anne Friends of the Needy has seen unprecedented growth and...

The sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), also known as the Loreto Sisters, who have served at Ss. Simon and Jude school in Phoenix since 1954, merged with the Congregation of Jesus (CJ) on Tuesday (Nov. 4). While still being known as the Loreto Sisters, their title has changed to Congregation of Jesus, and the initials after their names will now be CJ instead of IBVM. The official celebration of this historic merger, combining two congregations with the same founder, took place at a Eucharistic celebration in Loyola, Spain.

Bishop John Dolan visited with Pope Leo XIV this morning after his weekly General Audience before St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Tonight, and tomorrow, Bishop Dolan will be one of the keynote speakers at an international conference in Rome on mental health. The three-day conference is organized by the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (ACMHM) under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy for Life. People from all over the world involved in the pastoral care of mental health have gathered for the conference in Pius X Hall, located on via dell’Ospedale. Today’s talk from Bishop Dolan will be on his personal reflection on Our Holy Father’s November Prayer Intention and tomorrow he will share practical approaches on mental health, specifically tied to the historic Office of Mental Health Ministry in the Diocese of Phoenix, which opened in December of 2022.

Established in 1990, Black Catholic History Month was initiated by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States. November was chosen because...

In an ongoing effort to accompany those with mental health challenges, the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix is collaborating with the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV on two major global initiatives this week; producing a video that will be distributed globally, and Phoenix Bishop John Dolan will be a featured speaker in Rome around mental health discussions at a three-day conference. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV encouraged an international group of young adults to reach out to their peers and invite them to be active members of a parish community rather than trying to live their faith alone. The pope met Oct. 31 with members of the International Youth Advisory Body, a group of 20 young adults from around the world who serve three-year terms as advisers to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. The North American members are Sally Yasmine from the Archdiocese of Montreal and Wyatt Olivas from the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Young people must take control of technology and "humanize" online spaces to be friendly, creative places -- not isolated echo chambers, forms of addiction or ways to escape, Pope Leo XIV said. "Instead of being tourists on the web, be prophets in the digital world!" he told thousands of students gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall Oct. 30. "How wonderful it would be if one day your generation were remembered as the 'generation plus,'" he told the mostly Gen-Z crowd to applause, "remembered for the extra drive you brought to the church and the world."

Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills, Ariz., kicks off a year-long celebration this week in honor of the parish’s 50th anniversary. Beginning on Sunday, Nov. 9, and carrying the theme “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew,” the parish will honor this milestone with a series of expanded outreach programs, intentional opportunities to learn about the church’s history and mission and celebratory events designed to honor the parish’s past, celebrate it present and look forward to its future. The jubilee year celebration will culminate with a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Dolan in October 2026.

Parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix will be rolling out a survey to parishioners on Nov. 15 called The Disciple Maker Index (DMI), to gather data on which parish efforts, programs and activities are effective in helping individuals and families grow in their faith, and where there is need of improvement. Catholic Leadership Institute, which provides bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay persons across the U.S. and Canada in the Roman Catholic Church with pastoral leadership formation and consulting services, developed the survey in 2014. Since then, DMI has been used as a diagnostic tool in more than 4,600 parishes throughout North America.