Catholics urged to pray for cancellation of ‘black mass’
Fr. John Lankeit, rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, is urging local Catholics to gather for a 7 p.m. holy hour July 25 in order to pray that a black mass scheduled to take place Sept. 21 in Oklahoma City will be canceled.
Along the border: Agent has keen eye for signs of people on move
A former teacher is now among the 4,100 agents in the Tucson sector of U.S. Border Patrol charged with security along 262 miles of linear border extending from Arizona's Yuma County to the New Mexico state line. He gave Catholic News Service a tour of Border Patrol operations in southern Arizona.
Opponents of death penalty pray for crime victims, convicted
A small but vocal group gathered on the grounds of the state capitol July 21 to voice their condemnation of the death penalty and to pray for crime victims and those whom the state plans to execute.
Executive order prohibits firing of gays by U.S. government, contractors
President Barack Obama's executive order of July 21 has installed workplace rules forbidding the firing of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people by the federal government and federal contractors -- a key provision in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act languishing in Congress.
Papal puzzler: Leo XIII anonymously published riddles in Latin
The pope created lengthy riddles, known as "charades," in which readers had to guess a rebus-like answer from two or more words that together formed the syllables of a new word. A reader who submitted the correct answer to the riddle would receive a book of Latin poetry written by either Pope Leo or another noted Catholic figure.
Catholics venerate new St. Kateri statue unveiled on her feast day
Catholics from throughout Arizona respectfully waited their turn to pray in front of a new statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha immediately following a July 14 Mass at St. Mary's Basilica celebrating her feast day. Many touched her face, which a bout with smallpox disfigured for much of her life. It cleared up shortly after her death.
Pope calls for prayers as militants chase all Christians out of Mosul
As the last Iraqi Christians in Mosul fled the city, Pope Francis urgently called for prayers, dialogue and peace.
At AIDS conference, Catholics remember colleagues killed on Malaysian flight
Catholics involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS took a few moments July 21 to remember their friends and colleagues who perished in the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over eastern Ukraine.
Brophy senior wins inaugural social entrepreneur program
Fans of ABC's "Shark Tank" which brings entrepreneurs in front of successful loan sharks to take their company to the next level would have been proud of some Phoenix-area teenagers. Nearly two dozen high school students trained with Seed Spot to start a socially conscious business.
Catholic leaders speak out about policy toward migrant kids, families
A Latin America expert for Catholic Relief Services, the head of the bishops' migration committee and the president of a Catholic college in Michigan were among those urging the government toward humanitarian responses to a surge of children and families crossing the U.S. border from Central America.
