The Catholic Sun

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Heaven is not a secure vault protected from outsiders but a "hidden treasure" that is reached by cultivating virtues, Pope Francis said. Before praying the Angelus in St. Peter's Square on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29, the pope reflected on Jesus giving St. Peter, the first pope, the keys to the kingdom of heaven. "The mission that Jesus entrusts to Peter is not that of barring the doors to the house, permitting entry only to a few select guests, but of helping everyone to find the way to enter, in faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus," Pope Francis said after celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

I am so thrilled this month’s magazine shares the accomplishments of the Together Let Us Go Forth ~ Juntos Sigamos Adelante campaign. It is important to celebrate the milestones the Diocese of Phoenix has reached because of the campaign: a high school built in the West Valley, Newman Centers opened or expanded across the diocese, elementary and high schools strengthened, affording students tuition who would have otherwise needed to leave their school of choice, parishes across the entire diocese implemented their dreams liturgically and pastorally, several Catholic nonprofits serving our communities most vulnerable neighbors supported and so much more! AND, this comes during incredibly turbulent times between a pandemic as well as economic and employment instability and yet…..our community stretched and gave in faith and still continues to give.

Debbie DiCarlo, Office of Mission Advancement executive director, has been moved by the impact of the Together Let Us Go Forth, Juntos Sigamos Adelante campaign, “Our community stretched and gave in faith and still continues to give.” She encourages the diocese to finish strong as the campaign winds down. In 2019, then-Office of Mission Advancement Executive Director Cande de Leon described the relationship of the campaign donors to the projects their dollars would one day help complete. De Leon said it’s “one of the hardest levels of sacrifice” to give without knowing who the recipient is but doing so in faith.

Notre Dame Preparatory named Brad Quinet the school's new varsity boy’s basketball head coach on Tuesday.  He will begin his role for the Scottsdale...

For the second consecutive year, Bishop John Dolan appeared live on ABC-15 News with Chief Meteorologist Amber Sullins to discuss the vital importance of...

Presented by one of the fastest growing Catholic Dioceses in the United States, and for the first time this millennium, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix will host the national Catholic Media Conference in June of 2025.  The announcement was made this past Friday at this year’s conference in Atlanta.  Themed, “Arise in the Desert,” the 2025 CMC will take place June 24-27, 2025, in downtown Phoenix.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- There is a prayer for every state of mind and spiritual need in the Book of Psalms, Pope Francis said. "There are many psalms that help us forge ahead. Get into the habit of praying the psalms. I assure you that you will be happy in the end," the pope said during his June 19 general audience. The pope also reminded people that June 20 marks World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations to focus on solidarity with refugees. "We are all called to welcome, promote, accompany and integrate those who knock on our doors," he said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis blessed an ambulance filled with medicine and first-aid equipment that will travel some 1,800 miles from the Vatican to support those wounded in Ukraine. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, will make his eighth trip into Ukraine to donate the ambulance and medical supplies to a hospital in the country's Ternopil region, the Dicastery for the Charity Services announced June 24. The dicastery's statement was accompanied by a picture of Pope Francis blessing the ambulance.

Joyous anticipation filled the air at St. Anthony Mission in Sacaton, Ariz., in the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). This past Sunday, the community gathered in their temporary building that had been used to celebrate Mass the last 20 years. This past Sunday, the community didn’t gather there for Mass but instead to process to the new St. Anthony Mission. The historic mission, which has been a staple in the community for generations, burned in January 2000 due to arson. This past Sunday was the culmination of years of prayers, asking God to provide the means for a new mission church, and now, the prayers had been answered.

It was in January 2000 when St. Anthony Mission Church in Sacaton, Ariz., on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) went up in flames. The community would soon learn that the cause of the fire was arson. Carol Jackson, a parishioner, grew up on the reservation and was in a building next door the night of the fire. “I saw smoke…Everybody rushed over there. We stayed there with the church and watched it. Everybody was crying.” Smoke lingered in the air the next morning when the fire department investigated the interior and pulled out vestments that were completely untouched as well as a glass container of holy water. After the building cooled off, Jackson went inside as the fire department dismantled the tabernacle and pried it off, revealing an interesting burn mark on the wall.