Local News April 2007
Tempe Catholic church creates Stations of Resurrection
Lawn Griffiths, Tribune
Easter may be past, but Christians are reminded that Jesus appeared again and again to his disciples after, it is said, he rose from the dead. Then on the 40th day, he ascended into heaven with the promise to send forth the Holy Ghost, who arrived on the 50th day, or Pentecost, ushering in the start of a faith movement that would bear his name. <read article>
Corpus Christi families show off charitable spirit
Weldon B. Johnson
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 21, 2007 12:00 AM
The pantries of Corpus Christi Catholic Church members are a little less full these days, but it's all for a good cause. <read article>
Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld; abortion opponents laud court
By Mark Pattison
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision April 18. The ruling was lauded by abortion opponents, including President George W. Bush, who called partial-birth abortion an "abhorrent procedure" in an April 18 statement from the White House.
"Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America. The partial-birth abortion ban, which an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress passed and I signed into law, represents a commitment to building a culture of life in America," said Bush.
He signed it into law in 2003, but because of court challenges it never went into effect.
"The Supreme Court's decision is an affirmation of the progress we have made over the past six years in protecting human dignity and upholding the sanctity of life. We will continue to work for the day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law."
Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing the majority opinion in the Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood cases, said the law's opponents "have not demonstrated that the act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases."
Also voting in the majority were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
Voting in the minority were Justices Paul Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens.
In her dissenting opinion, Ginsburg said the decision "tolerates, indeed applauds, federal intervention to ban nationwide a procedure found necessary and proper in certain cases by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists." She added the decision "refuses to take ... seriously" previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion.
Six federal courts had ruled the act had unconstitutionally restricted a woman's legal right to an abortion. In October the Supreme Court accepted cases from California -- the Planned Parenthood case -- and Nebraska -- the Dr. Leroy Carhart case. The high court conducted oral arguments in November.
In what the law calls partial-birth abortion, also referred to as an "intact dilation and extraction," a live fetus is partially delivered and an incision is made at the base of the skull, through which the brain is removed, and then the dead body is delivered the rest of the way.
In the 1990s, Congress had twice passed a ban on partial-birth abortions. Both times the bills were vetoed by President Bill Clinton.
In 2000, the Supreme Court struck down a Nebraska ban on partial-birth abortions. Writing for a 5-4 majority at that time, Breyer said the law imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to make an abortion decision. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died in September 2005, and now-retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor were both on the high court at the time this ruling was issued. O'Connor sided with the majority, and Rehnquist with the minority.
In 2003, Congress again passed a ban on partial-birth abortions, and the bill was signed into law by Bush.
Kennedy's majority opinion said there was "medical disagreement whether the act's prohibition would ever impose significant health risks on women" -- a prohibition based in significant part on the finding that the procedure was never medically necessary -- and that other procedures exist to abort late-term pregnancies.
During the November oral arguments, Solicitor General Paul Clement, who argued for the federal government, said Congress had sufficient evidence that "partial-birth abortions were never medically necessary, and that safe alternatives were always available such that no woman would be prevented from terminating her pregnancy. As a result, Congress was entitled to make a judgment in furthering its legitimate interests that they were going to ban a particularly gruesome procedure that blurred the line between abortion and infanticide."
A brief separate opinion written by Thomas and joined by Scalia said they wanted to reiterate their view that "the court's abortion jurisprudence ... has no basis in the Constitution."
In statements issued April 18, abortion opponents rejoiced in the decision.
"Granted this is a very small step, but it is the first step away from a society that looks at the life of an unwanted, unborn child as nothing more than a problem that needs to be disposed of, and the first step toward a society that respects and values all human life," said a statement by former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, author of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
"When drafting this legislation, we were confident that it would withstand constitutional scrutiny and today's ruling confirms that belief," said a statement by Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, who sponsored the bill in the House. "Our legislation was supported by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress, signed into law by the president and has now been upheld by our highest court."
In praising the decision, Father Frank Pavone, president of Priests for Life, said: "Congress and the vast majority of state legislators and American citizens have made it clear over the last decade that this procedure -- by which a child is killed in the very process of delivery -- has no place in a civilized society."
"Finally," said National Right to Life Committee legislative director Douglas Johnson, "it is illegal in America to mostly deliver a premature infant before puncturing her skull and removing her brain, which is what a partial-birth abortion is."
"I am encouraged by the important strides made by the court today," said Mailee Smith, staff counsel of Americans United for Life. "The court sent the message that it will not strike down abortion regulations simply because they are abortion regulations."
"We are waiting for the anti-Catholic bigots to go bonkers over the fact that all five of the justices who voted against infanticide are Roman Catholic," said a statement by William Donohue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
Most Holy Trinity Catholic School 2007 CYAA Girls Basketball Champions
Most Holy Trinity Girls Basketball Team
PHOENIX — The girls basketball team at Most Holy Trinity Catholic School has been raising the bar for the definition of success, with a winning record of 67 wins and only 2 losses over the past four years.
The team wrapped up the 2007 Catholic Youth Athletic Association’s Eighth Grade Girls Basketball Championship, defeating St. Jerome’s in the final game. The Tigers from Most Holy Trinity won the North region to get to the final four.
Mary McCann coached the championship squad. Her roster included eighth-graders Megan Bouley, Kelly McCann, Elyse Fornefeld, Erin Tucker, Jordanna Riccitelli and Chelsea Bardzik. Seventh-grader Georgie Jones, sixth-grader Jackie Wetzel and fifth-grader Maggie McCann were also on the team.
Through the CYAA, Most Holy Trinity Catholic School students compete in interscholastic sports such as boys flag football, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, boys baseball and girls softball.
Most Holy Trinity Catholic School, located at 535 E. Alice Ave. just southwest of the intersection of Seventh Street and Dunlap Avenue, is currently enrolling for the 2007/08 school year and is an accredited school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. It offers kindergarten through eighth-grade classes, and a state-licensed full-day preschool.
For more information on Most Holy Trinity Catholic School contact the school office at 602-943-9058 or visit its website at www.mht.org.
Arizona Republic - Phoenix,AZ,USA
Sister Ginger Downey, interim head of adult catachesis, or religious education, for the Diocese of Phoenix, said new Catholics may have been baptized at one ...
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East Valley Tribune - Mesa,AZ,USA
But when it arrived through customs at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, it was broken in half with other parts shattered...
<read article>
Arizona Republic - Phoenix,AZ,USA
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix raises more than $10 million a year for its charity and development program to provide funding for the poor, missions,...
<read article>
Diocese of Phoenix to Launch Redesign of Web Site
PHOENIX (April 5, 2007) The Diocese of Phoenix will be launching a redesign of the main website www.diocesephoenix.org on Easter morning, April 8. The web site will incorporate a new structure and design.
“We wanted to have a new look that would have a Southwest feel to it. When people visit our site we want them to immediately recognize that the Diocese of Phoenix is in the Southwest,” said Diocesan webmaster Daniel Subia. “The new site has a more simplified structure and architecture with new links that reflect more closely the organizational structure of the diocese.”
The new site will still maintain some of the old features, such as the Google search box and it will add some new features, such as an introductory splash page where a visitor can quickly select a link, or enter the main page. The site will still contain the familiar local news, pictures and seasonal events. However, the pages will have a new look.
“The Diocese of Phoenix continues to grow along with the Catholic Communities it serves,” noted Subia. “We hope that this new design can mirror that growth and provide a communications vehicle that enables internet users to efficiently and effectively access the information they need.”
Notre Dame Prep carves its niche
Amanda Keim, East Valley Tribune
(April 2)-David Gonsalves came to Scottsdale in 2001 with a mission: Design the East Valley’s first new Catholic high school in 40 years.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix provided a building and a name — Notre Dame Preparatory High School. It was up to principal Gonsalves and the community to do the rest.
Since then, the school has had a series of accomplishments: A student body that has almost quadrupled since opening in 2002. State sports championships in golf, basketball, tennis and hockey. Multiple National Merit Scholarship finalists. Millions of dollars in donations, including a recent $1 million anonymous gift.
<full story on eastvallytribune.com >
DIOCESE OF PHOENIX TO CELEBRATE HOLY WEEK LITURGIES
PHOENIX (March 27, 2007) Ss Simon and Jude Cathedral, 6351 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix, and the other parishes of the Diocese of Phoenix will be celebrating a series of Holy Week liturgies leading up to Easter Sunday when the Catholic Church celebrates the resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Following is a summary of some of the major events that will take place:
Monday, April 2, Pontifical Mass of the Chrism
Bishop Olmsted will bless the oil to be used by all Diocesan parishes for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, and anointing of the sick for the year during a special Mass, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Ss Simon and Jude Cathedral. Representatives from each of the Diocesan parishes are expected to attend the Chrism Mass to receive the oils for their parish.
Thursday, April 5, Pontifical Mass of the Last Supper
Bishop Olmsted will be the main celebrant at a special 7:30 p.m. Mass at Ss Simon and Jude Cathedral to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles. Holy Thursday, as it is known on the Christian calendar ends with a procession of the reserved Eucharist to an altar of repose where Catholics will be asked, just as the apostles were, to watch and pray with Jesus on this long, dark night. This Mass will be repeated at parishes throughout the Diocese.
Friday, April 6, Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion & Death
Bishop Olmsted will preside at a solemn commemorative service at 3 p.m. at Ss Simon and Jude Cathedral. The cross will be venerated; prayers will be offered for the Church and for all people; and a Communion service will follow. This liturgy will be repeated at parishes throughout the Diocese, and there will be no Masses offered in Catholic Churches on Good Friday. In addition, Ss Simon and Jude and other parishes, such as St. Thomas More, 6180 W. Utopia Rd., Glendale, will be conducting a “Living Stations of the Cross,” during which students and parishioners will participate in a reenactment of Stations of the Cross. Ss Simon and Jude will conduct its reenactment at 1 p.m. and St. Thomas More will conduct its reenactment at 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 7, Easter Vigil Mass
Bishop Olmsted will preside at a 7:30 p.m. Mass at Ss Simon and Jude Cathedral during which adults will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church and other adults will complete the sacraments of initiation (be confirmed and receive the Eucharist). Such Masses will take place on Holy Saturday throughout the Diocese.
Sunday, April 8, Easter Sunday Mass
Bishop Olmsted will be the principal celebrant at a 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass at Resurrection Parish, 3201 S. Evergreen Rd., Tempe, to celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Masses celebrating the resurrection of Jesus will take place at parishes throughout the Diocese.
