The Catholic Sun

In a symbolic gesture to unfurl its centennial year the Porta Sancta, or “Holy Door,” to St. Mary’s Basilica was opened to the delight of hundreds gathered outside on a chilly, winter evening.

The streets of Phoenix were alive with dance and drums, brightly feathered masks and costumes and loud shouts of “¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”

It is no coincidence that the pronouncement of the Year of Faith by Pope Benedict XVI came on the heels of the call for the New Evangelization, according to Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.

Silvia’s journey through parenthood has been a bumpy one to say the least. The single mother of four suffered a mental breakdown after a longtime relationship with the children’s father ended.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patronness of the Diocese of Phoenix. Take a look at some of the local celebrations.

Pope Francis is not seeking fame or accolades, but being named Time magazine's Person of the Year will make him happy if it helps attract people to the hope of the Gospel, said the Vatican spokesman.

Students, parents, grandparents and other donors joined Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted for a Dec. 6 blessing of what is now a wholly rebuilt campus. It’s the school’s third building to open since 2010. Before that, St. Francis Xavier’s classrooms hadn’t been updated since the ‘50s.

Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted has asked that parishes, schools and individuals join Pope Francis in his call to unite in prayer and action against global hunger.

When fast-food workers across the country walked off their jobs demanding higher wages Dec. 5, their actions should have caught the attention of the nation's Catholics, say those who stress that the call for a living wage echoes long-standing Catholic social teaching.

Nelson Mandela, who led the struggle to replace South Africa's apartheid regime with a multiracial democracy, died Dec. 5 at his home in Johannesburg.