The Catholic Sun

Cardinal Francis E. George, the retired archbishop of Chicago who was the first native Chicagoan to head the archdiocese, died April 17 at his residence after nearly 10 years battling cancer. He was 78.

Paul Cartier is used to putting in long days balancing roles as an organist for a New York parish and two professional sports teams plus 15 hours weekly as a volunteer commissioner, firefighter and emergency medical technician, but he's still in sports heaven despite a recent 19-inning Yankees game.

From Easter to Pentecost -- and especially during the Marian month of May -- Catholics recite the "Regina Coeli" prayer "with the emotion of children who are happy because their mother is happy" that Jesus has risen from the dead, Pope Francis said.

The Vatican approved new statutes and bylaws for the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious, ending a seven-year process of investigating the group and engaging in dialogue with its officers to ensure greater harmony with church teaching.

Sr. Mary Fidelis discovered a vocation to the religious life when she began to understand the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. She joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the order affiliated with EWTN’s Mother Angelica, 20 years ago and resides with four other sisters at Our Lady of Solitude Monastery west of Phoenix in Tonopah.

A new set of "beatitudes" and priorities for novice directors recognizes the personal, professional and spiritual challenges involved in formation and seeks to offer encouragement in a general climate of decreased vocations to religious life.

Nora Hinkle recalled the look of amazement on the faces of her new friends with Down syndrome when her class hosted a group from the Down Syndrome Network of Arizona at the school’s Feb. 28 carnival.

The weekend before Arizona Bike Week, the Catholics in this biker community participated in their own way by having their motorcycles blessed before riding in the second annual St. Gabriel’s Saints and Sinners Poker Run.

Couples struggling with infertility may find comfort in knowing they’re not alone when they attend the St. Gerard’s Mass of Comfort and Hope set for 6 p.m. April 24 inside the chapel of the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 400 E. Monroe St. in Phoenix.

The comment came during a weeklong celebration of the legacy of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a 20th-century Catholic evangelist, who led the way in spreading the Gospel through mainstream media.