The Catholic Sun

The heavens helped one school facing its second groundbreaking in three years switch things up a bit. Dirt and dust normally fly during such events. Record rainfall over the weekend made for a ceremonial “mudbreaking” instead. The gentle drops didn’t stop hundreds of St. Francis Xavier students, families and donors from celebrating the milestone Jan. 27. It should be the school's final building project for awhile.

A large photo of Martin Luther King Jr. greeted more than 200 guests Jan. 21 at St. Mary’s Basilica.

Lawyers, judges, canonists and lawmakers from around the State of Arizona gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica Jan. 22 for the 44th annual Red Mass to mark the opening of a new legislative session.

About 500 people gathered at the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal Courthouse in downtown Phoenix Jan. 22 to commemorate the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion.

Bishop Olmsted issued a new pastoral letter today that focuses on the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation.

Apostles of Mercy — A Pastoral Letter to the Priests of the Diocese of Phoenix from the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted On the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

The six Catholic high schools serving the Phoenix Diocese offer a rigorous curriculum that prepares its graduates well for high school. Jessica Maxwell's latest Gold Star, her third straight one from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, is further proof that Catholic school graduates leave ready for college life and beyond.

Catholic Schools Week, the annual affair which is held throughout dioceses across the nation, will celebrate the important role of Catholic education in shaping future leaders Jan. 27-Feb.2.

Adrian Dominican Sister Nancy Murray — a sibling of comedian Bill Murray — will bring her one-woman show, “Rooted in Love: The Life and Death Story of Sr. Dorothy Stang,” to Most Holy Trinity Feb. 2 and St. Steven in Sun Lakes Feb. 3.

The idea is to encourage junior high students to engage in science, technology, engineering and math concepts. A record 115 teams are competing at the state level this year topping the typical 92 or 93 since its inception 16 years ago. This time around, Scottsdale’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help students are the only ones from a diocesan Catholic school. All models and their accompanying essays are on display through Jan. 25 at the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix. Public voting to select the best model — OLPH’s is No. 603 — ends Friday