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A relationship that transforms everything

By
Mary Ruth Hackett
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Confirmation Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Phoenix- 5-22-25

When I entered the Catholic Church in my 30s, I was very much a spiritual infant — cradling a real baby in my arms and holding a preschooler by the hand.

My conversion followed reasonable research, a bit of drama and a lot of prayer, but it left me with the realization of how little I actually knew. I had embraced the sacraments with open arms and found myself at the beginning of a lifelong journey of transformation. I wasn’t just learning about the Catholic faith; I was being called to holiness, which would take more than a moment. It wasn’t a one-time decision, but a daily, sometimes hourly, call to surrender. All I could do was ask God to grant me the grace to grow, change and become the kind of mother who could pass this treasure on to her children.

Converts are often known for their fire — their zeal for the Church that comes from having discovered something they didn’t know they were missing. Before my conversion, I had been a devoted non-denominational Christian. I didn’t miss church on Sundays and volunteered often. I knew how to do the Christian life. But I didn’t know what I didn’t have — what I had been spiritually starving for. In the same way, I think some cradle Catholics may not fully grasp the immense gift they’ve been given in the Church. It’s hard to treasure the feast when you haven’t felt hunger.

An analogy comes to mind: a starving woman sits at a dinner table spread full of food to delight and nourish. So overwhelmed by the goodness before her, she simply wants to gaze at it. Across from her is another woman, not particularly hungry and even a bit tired of the spread, because it has always been available to her. If you’ve always had the bounty and just picked at it throughout your life, it can be hard to see how extraordinary it truly is. Starting life somewhat spiritually full, you may lack the drive to seek more.

As that starving woman, I want it all. The opportunity to receive Jesus in the Eucharist and the richness of the Church’s tradition are two things that have sustained me in my ongoing transformation. Frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament cannot help but transform the heart. In Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope St. John Paul II said, “In the Eucharist we receive the One who gave Himself for us … We receive the very life of God and are transformed more and more into Him.”

I want my children to have it all and never become complacent. It is a gift to grow up in the faith, surrounded by the sacraments and the potential for deep transformation. But being lukewarm about the faith is a danger we are warned about in Scripture: “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm … I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rv 3:15-16)

So how do we transmit the faith in a way that ignites desire, with a convert’s zeal? As parents, the only way is to model continual transformation: to grow, learn, repent and strive for sainthood before their eyes.

We cannot force faith into our children’s hearts, but we can make it beautiful, compelling and alive. When they see us seeking God daily, repenting often and approaching the sacraments with reverence, they learn that Catholicism isn’t just a belief system. It’s a relationship that transforms everything. The faith isn’t inherited like a family heirloom; it must be discovered, awakened and chosen. Our children will need their own conversions, and our role is to till the soil of their hearts with love, truth and authentic witness.

Parents provide the best foundation when we cultivate a Catholic family culture alive with grace, while encouraging our children in their seeking: sharing personal insights, nurturing wonder and inviting them into the beauty we’ve found.

Tackling “childhood bedlessness;” Sleep in Heavenly Peace builds 150 new beds

By
The Catholic Sun
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Camaraderie and the sound of wood being sanded and drilled into headboards filled the air Saturday morning (Jan. 10) as over 100 Knights of Columbus volunteers and Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) team leaders gathered to build 150 beds for children in need. Before the event, Bishop John Dolan visited the workshop near Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix for a tour and blessed the facility and those gathered. He also tried his hand at branding multiple headboards with the SHP logo.  
 
With the tagline “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!” SHP is a national, volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering handmade, fully furnished beds to children in need. Founded in 2012, with over 325 chapters nationwide, the Phoenix chapter, which has been active since 2019, hit a major milestone just over two months ago: delivering their 10,000th bed. 
 
“I am so grateful to have Bishop Dolan’s support,” said Joe Genovese, Phoenix chapter president and a member of the Knights of Columbus. “We had an exceptional year at SHP in 2025, and yet, we have 2,800 children on our waiting list for a bed. So, busy we will be!” 
 
For more information and volunteer opportunities, visit www.shpbeds.org and check out the recent video podcast, “Life Talk” featuring Sleep in Heavenly Peace: 


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From teenagers to parish leaders; Two young women’s transformation into missionary disciples

By
Joyce Coronel
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David Portugal remembers the first time he met Esmeralda Avila and Delila Baca. The two young women were teens when they first started attending the religious education classes he was teaching. 

Portugal, director of evangelization at St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, Ariz., has worked at the parish for more than 20 years. He’s seen young people cycle through the community over the years, many of them transformed by an encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. Often, that encounter then propels them into service in the Church. 

That was certainly the case with Avila and Baca, who have worked alongside Portugal at St. John Vianney serving in youth ministry and religious education. 

Back when Avila was a high school freshman and Baca was a high school senior, Portugal was teaching classes at the parish and also helping out with youth ministry. He often challenged teens about choices they were making. 

He remembered a conversation with Baca.   

“Why do you have a boyfriend?” he asked her. “You don’t need a boyfriend.” Her sassy reply caught his attention: “I don’t need a boyfriend. I want one.” 

“That was one of our first conversations and she just stuck around after that,” Portugal chuckled. 

Avila was a student in Baca’s confirmation class, but she didn’t return for the post-sacramental classes the following year.  One day, Portugal found her wandering around the church campus in an area where people don’t usually congregate. Instead of scolding her, he asked a simple question: “Hey, where have you been?” 

And just like that, Avila was back. 

But it’s not just parish staff who help in the formation process. There’s a lot of peer-to-peer mentoring at the parish that influences young people, Portugal noted. 

“Young adults leading high school, high school leads middle school, and middle school — they just want to wear the leader shirts or help pass out pencils.” Each group influences the younger ones and points them toward an intimate, dynamic relationship with Christ. 

Both Baca and Avila served as college interns at the parish, further developing their leadership roles and ties. It’s been a deeply eucharistic-centered journey. 

Baca, for example, recalled being a high school freshman and being heartbroken over a boy. The youth minister at the time was leading the teens in eucharistic adoration during a retreat. 

“I remember him singing “Lord, I need You” and seeing the monstrance with the host. That just changed my life. At that point, I knew I wanted to be a leader. I loved being at the church. It was my home.” At 16, she became a certified catechist through the Kino Catechetical Institute, an adult faith formation program run by the Diocese of Phoenix. 

“I knew right away when I graduated from high school that I wanted to work for the Church,” Baca said. 

That led her to pursue a major in theology. She is the first in her family to attend college and so she went where the scholarship money was — a Protestant university. 

In class, she found herself having to defend the Catholic faith and realized the school wasn’t a good fit for her. The following year, Baca transferred to Benedictine University’s campus in Mesa, Ariz. Today, she’s about a third of the way through a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University. 

Avila said she knows her role is to develop disciples.   

“The passion the Lord placed in my heart was to go and make disciples of others. The way that someone spent time on me is the same that I want to give to other teens.” 

  

Transformed by the Eucharist 

Like Baca, Avila’s first encounter with Christ happened during eucharistic adoration while on retreat. She was 15 years old. 

“That was the first time I ever sat in adoration and really felt the Lord,” Avila said. Still, she did wander from the path for a while until reverting to her faith at 19 during another retreat. 

“I really felt called, that the Lord just wanted me to give Him my ‘yes.’ And without any gains, without any lukewarmness, just fully commit to Him. And so, I did. And I wouldn’t say it was perfect after, but I knew what my ‘yes’ meant.” 

Avila said she can relate to the teens in the youth ministry program. She knows what it’s like to want to fit in and understands the pitfalls of hanging with the wrong crowd. She is familiar with the pressures they face and sees herself as the big sister many teens need. 

“It’s the Christian values that I have that I can give to them. ‘The world will tell you this, but Jesus wants to let you know this.’” 

Avila is a graduate of the Kino Catechetical Institute’s two-year formation program. She’s passionate about sharing the faith with others. 

Baca and Avila are noteworthy examples of the pastoral vision articulated by the U.S. Bishops Conference in its National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. In that plan, the bishops envision “a community of missionary disciples nourished and transformed by the Eucharist that is sent forth to joyfully proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and bear fruit in every situation.” 

The term “missionary disciple,” popularized by the late Pope Francis, refers to a person who has encountered the saving love of God and is then sent forth to make that love known to others. That has definitely been Avila and Baca’s experience. 

Portugal has had a bird’s eye view of their transformation which also caught the eye of Fr. David Halm, CSC, pastor of St. John Vianney. Two years ago, Fr. Halm asked the two young women to launch a podcast. 

Baca, who studied theology and communications at Benedictine, was keen on the idea. She and Avila recently began their third season of the show dubbed Dramatic Catholics. So far, they have around 500 subscribers. 

Podcast recordings take place in a conference room at the parish. The pair has a guest on to help them address issues of concern to Catholics, particularly young adult Catholics. They’re not afraid to tackle thorny issues and said they don’t give their opinion but instead unapologetically present what the Church teaches. 

The title doesn’t refer to the pair being drama queens. 

“What that term dramatic Catholic really means is having an encounter with Jesus so much so that it’s transformed your whole life,” Baca said. “In the world that we live in, we should be dramatic Catholics. We should be able to stand out in a world where there’s so much noise. 

“We are called to transform it and we’re called to transform the people around us.” 

In Baca and Avila’s faith journey, that proved true. They were transformed by their mentors who were mentored by Portugal. Now, the pair is influencing others through their respective ministries and the podcast. As the religious education season kicked off in the fall, Baca oversaw the 530 students and their teachers in the parish’s catechetical programs. Avila was responsible for 170 middle school and high school students. 

On a recent podcast episode, they had Portugal on as a guest. Avila spoke about the impact Portugal and Baca have had on her life. 

“I truly fell in love with Jesus. I have people in my life who are as passionate as I am. You guys have played a huge role and inspired me to grow in my relationship with Jesus.”  

Notre Dame Prep senior earns perfect score on ACT

By
The Catholic Sun
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Senior Keira McNelis from Notre Dame Preparatory (NDP), one of seven Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Phoenix, recently received news that very few students across the nation hear. The letter read “A perfect score!” 

McNelis earned the highest possible composite score of 36 on the ACT, a standardized college admissions test that assesses English, mathematics, reading and science. 

About one-quarter of one percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2024, only 3,041 out of 1.37 million students who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36. 

“This is an exceptional achievement for Keira,” NDP Principal Brie Dragonetti said. “She is not only gifted academically, but Keira is a talented actress, singer and devoted friend to her peers. We are so happy for her.”  

For McNelis, this means she will attend her dream school, Dartmouth College, in the fall of 2026.  

“I’m very excited about my score,” McNelis said. “It makes my hard work worth it. But honestly, I want to thank my AP teachers for teaching me in such a way that the test made sense to me.” She especially credits her math teachers through the years, Mrs. Leslie Flam, Mrs. Juby Luensmann and Mrs. Cynthia Barberio. 

NDP, located in Scottsdale, Ariz., and founded in 2002, is a Catholic diocesan college preparatory high school with a co-ed enrollment of 997 students. It has received national recognition for its academic, arts and athletic programs. Most recently, NDP was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.  

Bishop-elect Bui’s ordination Mass set for Feb. 17

By
The Catholic Sun
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Bishop-elect Peter Dai Bui, who was appointed as the second auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix on Dec. 19 by Pope Leo XIV, will be ordained a bishop on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale, Ariz. Due to limited seating capacity, the ordination Mass is by invitation only. Vespers for clergy, religious and immediate family will take place the night prior (Feb. 16). 

The ordination Mass will be live streamed on the Diocese of Phoenix’s YouTube and Facebook platforms and will include a 30-minute program beginning at 9:30 a.m., featuring a four-part video series on getting to know Bishop-elect Bui. The series will include his story of fleeing Vietnam with his parents and nine siblings as a four-year-old, his priestly service involving the Amazon jungle, his heart for the poor and some of his hobbies and personal interests.  

Ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 24, 2003, Bishop-elect Bui brings a diverse background to the diocese, including serving six years at the Vatican (2011-2016). While in Rome, Bishop-elect Bui was an official of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which leads charitable, humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts for the Church. It was in this role that he received the title of “Monsignor” in 2014 from Pope Francis. Prior to joining the Diocese of Phoenix in 2007, Bishop-elect Bui was a missionary priest with the Legionaries of Christ, serving in places like Venezuela and Colombia. 

Bishop-elect Bui has served in various parish roles in the Diocese of Phoenix, including at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Queen Creek (2007-2008), Christ the King Parish in Mesa (2008-2010), Resurrection Parish in Tempe (2010-2011) and Holy Spirit Parish in Tempe (2017-2022). He was appointed vicar for clergy for the diocese in July of 2022, a role he will continue as an auxiliary bishop. 

Upon ordination, Bishop-elect Bui will join Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares to assist Bishop John Dolan in serving one of the fastest-growing dioceses in the United States. 

Bishop-elect Bui’s Biography 

First African American cardinal to celebrate MLK Mass in Phoenix

By
Tony Gutiérrez
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Cardinal Gregory reflects on Rev. King’s legacy today

Last year, Cardinal Wilton Gregory became the first African American to participate in a papal conclave, which eventually elected Pope Leo XIV. While there have been African cardinals from the earliest days of the Church, Cardinal Gregory is the first U.S. citizen of African descent to wear the red cassock. The history-making prelate will concelebrate and preach at the diocese’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mass at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 at Xavier College Preparatory High School’s Chapel of Our Lady in Central Phoenix.

Following the Mass, the diocese’s Black Catholic Ministry will host the MLK Service Awards and Prayer Breakfast, recognizing students who have found ways to embody Dr. King’s legacy of justice, compassion and service in today’s world. Cardinal Gregory will also celebrate Mass the next day at St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish in Phoenix — the diocese’s personal parish for Black Catholics — at 11 a.m.

Cardinal Gregory, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., had several firsts as an African American, including the first to be named a cardinal and first to serve as president of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference. His tenure as USCCB president (2001-2004) came during one of the most difficult periods in the American Church’s history when the sex abuse crisis rocked the nation. In the history of the Church in the U.S., there have been 29 black bishops but only four archbishops, including Cardinal Gregory.

“Each one of these ‘firsts’ has allowed me to realize how graced I have been and also the need for me to leave a heritage that makes my people proud so that whoever might be next in those same offices will have an example in which to take pride and to expand upon in achieving even more significant contributions to our Church and society,” Cardinal Gregory shared. “One comment that I have repeatedly heard, especially since becoming a cardinal and that still manages to bring me to tears is: ‘Honey, I never thought that I would live to see the day!’”

Encountering Martin Luther King

As a young man in Chicago, the future cardinal was among 35,000 people to see Martin Luther King speak at the Chicago Freedom Movement rally July 10, 1966, at Soldiers’ Field. Ordained as a Baptist minister, Rev. King was well-versed in the Church Fathers, quoting St. Augustine in his famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” He famously locked arms with leaders of many faiths, including Catholic priests and religious sisters, when peacefully marching for the rights of all. Following an audience with St. Paul VI in 1964, Rev. King referred to the pope as “a friend of the Negro people.”

Rev. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” Cardinal Gregory referred to this use of non-violence as a “positive and effective response to oppression everywhere.”

“Dr. King, although he was not himself a Catholic, lived Catholic social justice morality in an extraordinary fashion. He was saintly in the way that he followed the Gospel mandates to love one another as Christ has loved us,” reflected the cardinal.

Cardinal Gregory noted that some of those who are not Catholic can still be counted among the saints in heaven, referencing Eucharistic Prayer IV: “Remember also those who have died in the peace of your Christ and all the dead whose faith you alone have known.”

While he never met Rev. King, Cardinal Gregory did have the opportunity to meet his widow, Coretta Scott King, on multiple occasions during his ecclesiastical career. When he was ordained auxiliary bishop of Chicago in 1983, she attended as a guest of then Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. When he became archbishop of Atlanta — where the King family still lives — in 2004, the future cardinal met her when participating in celebrations honoring the slain Civil Rights leader.

“Several of these encounters would have taken place at the Ebenezer Church in Atlanta during the annual observance of Dr. King’s January Commemoration,” he recalled. “I was privileged to be invited to Coretta’s funeral services.”

Racism in the Church

Throughout his life, Cardinal Gregory has experienced the sting of racism, even within the Catholic Church. Even today people engage in discriminatory behavior, he said, even if they aren’t intending to.

“They might say things that suggest that they are surprised when people of color exhibit gifts that they might not have thought that we could even possess,” the cardinal said. “I have had people tell me that they were surprised that I spoke so clearly and distinctly. What did they expect?”

While there are many examples of individuals who have modeled racial healing and harmony, including those of different faiths or no faith at all, religious faith in itself should be enough motivation to live justly, Cardinal Gregory said.

“That is why examples of bigotry in the behavior of those who claim a religious heritage is an amplified source of scandal and shame,” he said.

Servant of God “Sister Thea Bowman’s address to the U.S. Bishops in Newark [in June 1989] describes eloquently how the Catholic Church must throw open our doors and hearts to cherish and embrace the many cultures and gifts that people of color have to offer to the entire Church,” he reflected.

Evangelization means to be open to welcoming people as they are in order to introduce them to Christ, Cardinal Gregory said. One of the biggest challenges to this is inviting people to bring their own gifts to the Church.

“We have not done this perfectly throughout the centuries. A sad sign of racism is the attitude that one must ‘become like me’ in order to fit within the Church,” he said. “If that were the case, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific lands would never be received and welcomed. It is the obstacle that too often prevents people of color to feel at home within the Church.”

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit called the Church to welcome people from throughout the world and to spread the Good News to all corners of the earth. This is still a challenge today, the cardinal said, exhorting the Church to “welcome the stranger.”

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory Timeline:

Dec. 7, 1947: Born

March 28, 1959: Baptized Catholic

May 9, 1973: Ordained a Priest

Dec. 13, 1983: Consecrated Bishop

Nov. 28, 2020: Elevated to Cardinalate

2003-1994: Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Chicago

1994-2004: Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville

2001-2004: President of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference

2005-2019: Archbishop of Archdiocese of Atlanta

2019-2025: Archbishop of Archdiocese of Washington

May 7-8, 2025: First African American to participate in a papal Conclave

Christians must resist allure of power, serve humanity, pope says at end of Holy Year

By
Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The powerful and violent cannot control, suppress or commodify God’s grace, friendship and will to usher in a new dawn, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Around us, a distorted economy tries to profit from everything. We see how the marketplace can turn human yearnings of seeking, traveling and beginning again into a mere business,” he said, celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, and officially closing the celebration of the Holy Year dedicated to hope.

“Let us ask ourselves: has the Jubilee taught us to flee from this type of efficiency that reduces everything to a product and human beings to consumers?” he asked. “After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner and fellow travelers in those who are different?”

Before the Mass, the pope, cardinals and bishops present in Rome, gathered in the atrium of the basilica and gave thanks to God for the gifts received during the Holy Year. Dozens of the world’s cardinals were in Rome to attend the pope’s first extraordinary consistory Jan. 7-8, to pray, support and advise the pope on the life and mission of the church.

Pope Leo went to the threshold of the Holy Door and pulled each side shut. The door will be sealed until the next Holy Year, which is likely to be 2033, the 2000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

While the last of the Holy Doors in the city was closing, “the gate” of God’s mercy will never be shut, Pope Leo said before shutting the door. God “will always sustain the weary, raise up those who have fallen” and offer “good things” to those who place their trust in him.

In his homily, Pope Leo compared the millions of men and women who came to Rome on pilgrimage to modern-day Magi, “who left palace and temple behind” in search of a new “king,” which they found in the baby Jesus in a humble grotto in Bethlehem.

“Yes, the Magi still exist today. They are the people who sense the need to go out and search, accepting the risks associated with their journey, especially in a troubled world like ours that may be unpleasant and dangerous in many ways,” he said.

However, Pope Leo cautioned, today’s seekers must encounter in today’s churches and sacred places the same humble source of life, hope and joy that the Magi encountered in Bethlehem.

“How important it is that those who pass through the doors of the church perceive therein that the Messiah has just been born, that a community gathers in which hope springs forth and that a story of life is unfolding!” he said.

“Jesus encountered and allowed himself to be approached by all people,” he said, because “the Lord wants his presence to grow among us as God-with-us.”

“No one can sell this to us. The child whom the Magi adore is a priceless and immeasurable good,” the pope said, criticizing “a distorted economy,” which even tries to exploit and commodify the human desire for freedom and true fulfillment.

God revealing himself to humanity as man is “a gift,” Pope Leo said. “He reveals himself and lets himself be found.”

“His ways are not our ways, and the violent do not succeed in controlling them, nor can the powers of the world block them,” he said, recalling the great joy the Magi felt upon finding the Messiah and despite Herod’s efforts to destroy what had been promised.

The fear and violence unleashed by King Herod “make us think of the many conflicts by which people resist and even damage the new things that God has in store for everyone,” he said. “Loving and seeking peace means protecting what is holy and, consequently, that which is newly born like a small, vulnerable, fragile baby.”

“God challenges the existing order,” the pope said. “God is determined to rescue us from both old and new forms of slavery. He involves young and old, poor and rich, men and women, saints and sinners in his works of mercy and in the wonders of his justice.”

“Let us ask ourselves: is there life in our church? Is there space for something new to be born? Do we love and proclaim a God who sets us on a journey?” Pope Leo asked.

“Fear does indeed blind us. Conversely, the joy of the Gospel liberates us. It makes us prudent, yes, but also bold, attentive and creative; it beckons us along ways that are different from those already traveled,” he said.

“It is wonderful to become pilgrims of hope,” who journey together and are amazed by God’s faithfulness, he said.

“If we do not reduce our churches to monuments, if our communities are homes, if we stand united and resist the flattery and seduction of those in power, then we will be the generation of a new dawn,” he said. In Jesus, “we will contemplate and serve an extraordinary humanity, transformed not by the delusions of the all-powerful, but by God who became flesh out of love.”

Outside on a cold, rainy winter morning, St. Peter’s Square was filled with thousands of people watching the Mass on big screens and awaiting the pope to recite the Angelus at noon.

Hundreds of people dressed in traditional and festive costumes took part in an annual folkloric Epiphany procession along the main boulevard in front of the basilica. Marching bands and people in Renaissance costumes paraded up the street behind the Three Kings on horseback.

Before reciting the Angelus from the balcony of the basilica’s loggia, the pope prayed that God’s words “come to fulfillment in us, may strangers and enemies become brothers and sisters.”

“In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace,” he said. “As weavers of hope, let us journey together toward the future by another road.”

©2026 Catholic News Service/United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Getting out of the group chat; Hundreds of young adults find in-person connections through WhatsApp

By
Kirsten Conn
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St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, canonized on Sept. 7, 2025, is known for using technology to glorify God. St. Carlo seems to be a guiding force behind the growing young adult community in the Diocese of Phoenix, particularly through a WhatsApp group chat with over 1,300 members.  

With vast numbers of Catholic young adults being transplants to the Phoenix area, a way to connect was needed. Giorgio Navarini, founder and director of Floriani, a sacred music men’s vocal ensemble, recognized this need and desired a Catholic online community that would bring people together in person. Young adults in the diocese used to connect via the Signal App. When it was becoming apparent that the app didn’t have the features needed for such a large group, Navarini suggested a switch to WhatsApp, which would provide a space to share upcoming events and also have other subgroups where young adults could connect based on shared interests.   

Megan Umile moved to the Diocese of Phoenix at a time when she was stepping more fully into her Catholic faith and desired a young adult community to help her in her journey. She searched out parishes with young adult groups and formed friendships all across the Valley. Yet, she found herself desiring more.  

“I was seeking … friends who I could relate to on a personal level, with other shared interests besides our faith.”  

Umile’s desire for more coincided with Navarini’s creation of the WhatsApp chat. In her efforts to get to know young adults, Umile became friends with Navarini and asked to help him with this new undertaking.  

“I was passionate about getting other young adults connected, and especially in an organic way where they could find things in common with each other,” Umile said.  

Umile was appointed a community administrator along with four others.  

Through trial and error, Navarini, Umile and the other community administrators discerned how to have a community that is not centered around heated debates on different liturgical forms, that so often take place online. Instead, they created a space that is welcoming and respectful, one that fosters real connections, not scrolling.  

“Smartphones can be a useful tool, but it can be a dangerous tool,” Umile shared. “We don’t want people glued to their phones and wasting away idle time. We want to encourage fellowship and Catholic living, living out the virtues, meeting in person and having meaningful connections.”  

Being part of this welcoming community has been a blessing to group administrator, Iggi Rodriguez. Because the community is respectful to different forms of Catholic liturgy, Rodriguez has found his prayer life deepening.  

“Different types of ways that people pray open my eyes a lot. There’s … Novus Ordo versus the Traditional Latin Mass versus Byzantine and all the other ones in between. And the varieties of different churches that we have here in the Valley and how the Lord is working, in all of them and people’s faiths are growing through all of them.”  

What is also encouraged in the chat is forming smaller communities based off of shared interests. Anyone in the larger group can suggest a subgroup with the caveat that they will be the one to oversee the subgroup. They are encouraged to invite members to in-person events.  

Rodriguez oversees some of those subgroups like pickup games, social dancing and the charismatic group. Often seen on the dance floor, Rodriguez is able to foster community with others who enjoy dancing as much as he does.  

Some of the other subgroups include Catholic run club, hiking, coffee enthusiasts, movies and cinema, prayer warriors (and requests), “wife life”, religious vocation discernment, Catholic cars club and more.  

There are even parishes throughout the diocese that use the group chat to foster young adult community, such as St. Anne Parish in Gilbert, Ariz. If young adults are looking for roommates or housing, there is a group chat for that. There’s also a networking chat where job openings are posted, and an airport rides chat where members will freely take others to the airport upon request.  

There are countless stories from these subgroups that show how present God is in this community. Navarini was trying to set up a campout to Havasu falls. He texted out the dates of the camping trip in the hiking chat and almost immediately had five men respond who he didn’t know, who all ended up coming.  

The Catholic running club recently had 10 members of the chat sign up for the Phoenix marathon together. A young adult started a business from the WhatsApp chat called MonkWorks, which provides spaces for young adults who work remotely to come together to help battle loneliness and to foster community.  

A memorable event was the recent pickleball tournament, where 80 young adult Catholics gathered for a healthy competition between teams from the East Valley and West Valley. Two young adults stepped forward to organize teams, the tournament also doubling as a fundraiser for St. Theresa Catholic Church’s Life Teen and school in Phoenix. 

These subgroups also foster a space for young adults to meet organically and discern their vocation. There are several couples who met at these events.  

As a recent wife and mother, Umile has found much-needed community in the Catholic wives chat and motherhood chat.  

“When I was engaged, I was able to consult other wives and kind of like, bring up my fears. And I just felt like the wisdom of wives … It was like a sisterhood. And then we can send our wedding photos in the chat and be like, look, I got married, and everyone’s celebrating it.”  

Niko Contreras has lived in the Phoenix area his whole life. He has formed friendships with young adults who he never would have met without this chat.  

“There [are] so many different communities and people. I love just knowing people’s backgrounds and getting to know them as a person and what brought [them] here.”  

In line with the overall goal of bringing young adults together in person, Contreras explained that non-active chats are oftentimes visited by a Darth Vader meme with the caption: It’s Time to Delete This Chat.  

“We’re young adults, and we all have our jobs, our families and life going on. But we also still want our community be active,” continued Contreras. 

“You don’t have to just go to your parish to find the young adults. It’s on social media. It’s on WhatsApp. And there will be groups of people that you find throughout the whole valley, whether it’s East, West, Central Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, you just have to find us.”  

With all of these events, God remains at the center.  

“We make sure for a lot of these events … that the Lord is at the center,” Rodriguez said.  

“Before the pickleball tournament, we took a moment to pray for the day and pray that nobody got injured, and really just consecrated the time over to our Lord.”  

The Lord has been at the center during this whole journey of starting the WhatsApp chat, and Navarini has learned that it is the duty of the laity to make this community happen.  

“We often look to the hierarchy to do things that [the laity are] actually supposed to do,” he said. “The bishop is busy doing all of his bishop duties, and you can’t expect him to be the one to form community. So it really falls down to the role of the laity to build that.” 

Diocese of Phoenix soars to No. 2

By
The Catholic Sun
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According to the data recently released in the 2025 edition of The Official Catholic Directory, the Diocese of Phoenix is now the second largest Catholic diocese in the United States, passing the Archdiocese of New York and the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Official Catholic Directory is published annually by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 

Per the 2025 publication, the nation’s five largest U.S. dioceses are the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (3.79 million), Diocese of Phoenix (2.01 million), Archdiocese of Chicago (1.95 million), Archdiocese of Boston (1.79 million) and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (1.70 million). 

“The diocese collects data through an annual Pastoral Report, which is completed by each parish and submitted every July to report sacramental data. This information is used for the Official Catholic Directory and the Annuario, both of which are reporting publications required of dioceses throughout the United States,” said Dr. Maria Chavira, chancellor and vice moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Phoenix. “This data is reviewed annually by the bishop and his executive team and provides a comprehensive overview of activity within the Diocese of Phoenix.” 

The Diocese of Phoenix is the fastest growing diocese in the U.S., increasing by over 500,000 Catholics in the past 10 years alone. The 44,000 square mile diocese consists of 94 parishes, 24 missions, 29 elementary schools, seven high schools, three universities and the Nazareth Seminary. Numbers have flourished recently, with more than 1,300 candidates and catechumens in 2025, a record amount of people joining the Catholic faith through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) process.   

The new report comes on the heels of Pope Leo XIV appointing Msgr. Peter Dai Bui an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Phoenix. Announced on Dec. 19, Bishop-elect Bui will be ordained in mid-February, joining Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares in assisting Bishop John Dolan across the diocese. A priest of the Diocese of Phoenix for over 18 years, Bishop-elect Bui will also continue his role as vicar for clergy. 

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