The Catholic Sun

The chatter echoed down the hall from where a dozen ladies sat clustered around a large table, knitting and crocheting. This was no ordinary sewing circle. The group, dubbed “St. Damien’s Helpers,” crafts bandages for victims of Hansen’s disease, better known as leprosy.

Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church, already is in glory in heaven, but she is always with the Church and helps it face the trials of the devil, Pope Francis said.

When you turn onto their quiet street in East Mesa, you can spot the Briseño family’s house right away: it’s the one with the 15-passenger van parked in the driveway.

Coveted as a spiritual and political capital by both Israelis and Palestinians, the status of the city of Jerusalem has stood out as one of the pivotal topics in their ongoing peace negotiations.

Nicole Boujikian, 20, will join the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist as a postulant Aug. 28. God willing, Cesar Ramirez, 29, will soon begin discerning with the Institute of the Incarnate Word. Ramirez said his experience in a secular career made him more aware of the “hidden tears” around him. He rediscovered Christ in those suffering from discrimination and extreme poverty.

Theresa Enciso moved to North Phoenix 35 years ago with one requirement — to be close to a Catholic Church. That Church ended up being Our Lady of the Valley Parish, founded only five years earlier, on July 24, 1973.

After his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969, George Sanders became her sole caregiver. The couple was married 62 years and according to family members, it was a loving marriage.

Hundreds of Catholics devoted to the messages of Medjugorje — prayer, fasting, conversion and peace — are set to converge on Phoenix Aug. 23-25 for the annual Marian conference.

Planning ways to grow closer as a married couple and in holiness go far beyond dinner and a movie. The Church helps spouses to fulfill God’s plan for marriage.

Respect for human life from conception until natural death is something children must be taught, not mainly with words, but by the example of their parents, Pope Francis said.