Please join us in praying this novena as a preparation for the coming of our Lord on Christmas!

Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles is offering two online courses on Black Catholic Spirituality starting October 21 and 22.

Please read Bishop Dolan's pastoral letter in which he shares with us a seven-year pastoral plan on evangelization for the Diocese, gearing up to December 9, 2031, the 500th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions on Tepeyac Hill.

Registration for Religious education for children and Teens is open. The deadline for registration is October 13, 2024.

Register Now for the Regional Black Catholic Congress to be held at SS. Peter & Paul Church North Ravenna Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90744 Unite from November 22-23, 2024

The world saw the massive Twin Towers crumble into a heap of ash and soot that covered everything in lower Manhattan. Time magazine was the first to call September 11 Ash Tuesday. The term fits the description of what happened. Everything around where the World Trade Center once stood seemed to be reduced to nothing but ashes. The notion of Ash Tuesday undoubtedly is an image borrowed from Ash Wednesday or the day that marks the beginning of Lent in preparation for Easter. On this day, the priest traces on our foreheads the sign of the cross with ashes and says: “Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust, you shall return.” Why does the Church smear ashes on our foreheads to begin Lent?

Hunger in Phoenix is real. Did you know there are over half a million people across the Valley facing hunger? Who are they? They include schoolchildren, working parents, seniors on fixed incomes and other struggling individuals. Their hardships are fundamentally tied to poverty — and poverty is rampant in Arizona.

In 1969, St. Pope Paul VI, as Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, issued this prophetic challenge to those of African descent: “You must now give your gifts of Blackness to the whole Church.”

The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Phoenix, signed on June 9, 2022, the historic decree creating St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish for the pastoral care of African Americans and Black Catholics in the Diocese of Phoenix. May this date be known as “Founder’s Day.” May we celebrate this blessed and historic event ever year until the Lord comes again.

Bishop John Dolan returned Tuesday from his 12-day trip to Africa as a member of the USCCB subcommittee on the “Church in Africa.” Bishop Dolan made visits to Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya to review programs supported by the USCCB, his first-ever trip to Africa. He was joined by Fritz Zuger, a consultant to the subcommittee, on their three nations visit in Africa.

Just as the Jewish people wandered in the desert for 40 years, so had the Black Catholic community of the Diocese of Phoenix before then Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted formally erected St. Josephine Mission Parish in June of last year. One year later, the community celebrated its Founders Day — the Solemnity of the Founding of a Parish on June 11.

Recognizing she lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way, Pope Francis has declared venerable Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, founder of the first Catholic order of African American nuns. The pope signed the decree recognizing her heroic virtues June 22. A miracle attributed to her intercession is still necessary before she can be beatified.

Bishop Fernand (Ferd) Joseph Cheri III, O.F.M., a New Orleans native who had served since 2015 as auxiliary bishop of New Orleans, died March 21 at Chateau de Notre Dame in New Orleans following a lengthy illness. Bishop Cheri, 71, served most recently as administrator of St. Peter Claver Parish in New Orleans until kidney and heart problems forced him to step away from active ministry. He was born with one kidney and had been on dialysis three days a week for several months.

Years ago when Catholics tied the knot with their sweet valentine, that knot stayed tied forever. Today, Catholic marriages tell a different story. For instance, the divorce rate among Catholics stands nearly the same as the general public. This means 35 percent of those that one-day said, “I do” at the altar have walked away from their marriages.

St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish, a new community established to serve Black Catholics in the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix last summer, will host this year’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Mass at 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14.

Happy New Year! How blessed and how fortunate we are to see a New Year. In 2022, God blessed us with a new faith community: St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish. As we step into the New year, what will be our New Year’s Resolution as a faith community?

Merry Christmas? Many people nowadays use this expression with a certain amount of skepticism. Christmas, for many, appears to be more or less the same thing every year: the Christmas tree, the presents, family gatherings, and other customs to foster the Christmas spirit.