The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has embarked on a $100 million fundraising campaign over the next three years to support religious-education initiatives, build schools, assist people in need and strengthen parishioners' ties to the church.
“Catholic priests bless objects as a way of asking God to watch over those who would use or benefit from the use of those objects. The blessing of a car seat is a prayer asking God to watch over the life of the child who will be using that car seat,” said Cristofer Pereyra, director of the Hispanic Mission Office at the Catholic Diocese.
Sergio Siller was tired of hearing about bad news coming out of his Mexican hometown of Ciudad Juárez. That’s why when the Phoenix resident received the news in late November that Pope Francis was visiting Juárez, he was overjoyed.
Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted and Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas authored an Op-Ed piece that was published in the Dec. 14 edition of The Arizona Republic. The piece focuses on Pope Francis’ recent visit to the Central African Republic, where the Holy Father spent time with a local Muslim religious leader in the dangerous, war-torn country. The Op-Ed urges U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, "to provide his capable leadership to expand US policy toward CAR, working for increased US support for peacebuilding and redevelopment in the war-torn country."
