Local News February 2008
PHOENIX AREA TO SERVE AS TEST
FOR CATHOLICS COME HOME.ORG TELEVISION OUTREACH
For more information, contact either:
Tom Peterson, President and Founder, Catholics Come Home.org, (678)585-7886 x6 tom@catholicscomehome.org
James Dwyer, Public Information Officer, Diocese of Phoenix, (602)354-2121 jdwyer@diocesephoenix.org
PHOENIX (February 29, 2008) Phoenix and Northern Arizona will participate as a test market for the Catholics Come Home.org Television outreach, beginning in the first three weeks of March leading up to Easter Sunday.
Catholics Come Home.org is a new initiative of Catholics Come Home, Inc. (a 501C3 not for profit, independent charity), that is designed to invite inactive Catholics and others searching for a faith home, to the Catholic faith, through television commercials and an informational web site. Beginning March 3, Catholics Come Home, Inc. will begin airing nearly 900 English and Spanish television commercials on local and cable networks. These commercials will be seen on all major network affiliates and many cable outlets. The list includes: KTVK-TV3; KPHO-TV5; KSAZ-TV10; KPNX-TV12 and its cable weather channel “Weather Plus;” KNXV-TV15; KASW-TV6/61; and the Cox cable networks of ESPN, FOX News; Lifetime; and others.
The commercials lead viewers to the interactive Catholics Come Home.org web site, found at www.catholicscomehome.org. According to Catholics Come Home’s President and Founder, Tom Peterson, “The web site provides answers to questions about Church teachings, and why strong faith is important in today’s busy and confusing world. The site also offers an overview of the faith, with additional resources and a local parish finder.”
Catholics Come Home.org is partnering with The Diocese of Phoenix Department of Family Catechesis. With the assistance of pastors and catechetical leaders, they have developed “Resources for Returning Catholics,” a variety of bilingual educational materials to help parishes respond to those who seek to return to the Catholic faith.“Many have unfortunately been overwhelmed by a busy culture that leads them to feel that Catholicism may no longer be an integral part of their life. We need to let them know that they are missed, welcome them back, and show them that the Catholic Faith is their home…their extended family,” noted Ryan Hanning, coordinator of adult evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix.
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has fully endorsed the efforts of this new initiative. “In addition to providing fertile soil for those who return or inquire into the Catholic faith,” he said, “we hope to inspire renewed faith among active Catholics, and use this outreach as an opportunity to help parishes evangelize more fruitfully.”
Catholics Come Home.org is an independent non-profit charity, started by a number of Catholic families and individuals, and is not directly affiliated with, nor funded by the Diocese of Phoenix or the Vatican. Some of its founders and supporters recently returned to the Catholic faith and want to share their positive experiences with others. Many never left the Church, but recently grew to understand and appreciate their Catholic faith more deeply. All feel part of a big Catholic family, who sincerely hope others will also find more peace, real answers, and true happiness through the gift of faith.
“Catholics Come Home.org invites people searching for meaning in their lives, to learn more about their family in faith: a Church filled with beauty, miracles, heroes, history, love and peace. Catholics Come Home hopes that web visitors will not shy away from a careful examination of the Biblical and historical facts presented, and that people will sincerely consider that there may be much more to the case for Jesus Christ and Catholicism than they may have ever realized,” says Peterson, Catholics Come Home’s Founder.
The Catholic faith is the largest single Christian family in the United States (and the world), accounting for 25% of the U.S. population, and a growth rate of 11% in the past decade with many notable converts. The Catholic Church continues to be a vibrant and growing family, but misses those members who have not been to Mass lately.
XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY SPRING PRODUCTION, SHAKESPEARE’S TWELFTH NIGHT
(PHOENIX Feb 14) – The Xavier and Brophy Theatre Departments are pleased to announce their spring production, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Performances will be held on Thursday, March 13, Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15, all at 7:00 p.m. The production will take place in the Kemper and Ethel Marley Theater in the Virginia G. Piper Performing Arts Center, located on the Xavier campus at 4710 North Fifth Street in Phoenix. All shows are open to the community and tickets are available at the door. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Jackson Box Office at (602) 240-3161. Tickets are $7.00 for all patrons.
The cast members and crew are students who attend either Xavier College Preparatory or Brophy College Preparatory. Playing the lead couples are Jessica Haag (‘08) and Claude Renner (‘08) as Viola and Orsino, Mara Polansky (‘10) and Alex Fredrickson (‘08) as Olivia and Sebastian, and Danielle Stout (‘09) and Michael Margetis (‘08) as Maria and Sir Toby Belch. Other lead roles will be played by Julian Micallef (‘08), Merry Herbst (‘08), and Josh Rubbelke (‘08). The ensemble also includes senior students Robert Allison, Troy Lovelady, Mike Wren, Kelsey Schmidt, and Molly Bardon.
Xavier drama teacher Mrs. Janice Robillard will direct the production with student director Vanessa Vasquez (’08). The Stage Manager is Meghan Cassidy (‘08). All faculty technical and lighting designers will be assisted by Xavier and Brophy students, and all technical elements will be built and executed by students. Costumes will be designed by Xavier alumna Mrs. Mary Romine, also with student assistance in design and execution.
Set in the late 1930’s in the golden age of Hollywood, Twelfth Night is Shakespeare’s delightful comedy exploring love and all its forms. Twins Viola and Sebastian, separated by a storm at sea, happen upon the same locale, unbeknownst to either of them. The people they meet along their individual journeys provide hilarious diversion. Xavier welcomes students, families, alumnae, friends and the entire community to join in the joy and laughter of Twelfth Night.
Xavier is twice recognized as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and as a national “Top 25 in Academics” in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by the Catholic High School Honor Roll. The Arizona Interscholastic Association awarded Xavier its prestigious Blue Cup Award (2006) for excellence in scholastics, athletics and activities. All Xavier graduates attend post-secondary institutions; members of the Class of 2007 were accepted at 181 colleges and universities.
BISHOP OLMSTED ENDORSES 40 DAYS FOR LIFE MOVEMENT
PHOENIX (February 12, 2008) The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, is encouraging the Catholics of the Diocese to participate in an ecumenical, pro-life grassroots effort of prayer, fasting and community service outreach called 40 Days for Life, which has been launched in Phoenix during the Lenten season that began February 6.
40 Days for Life is a national movement that is aimed at ending the tragedy of abortion. Participants are asked to peacefully, prayerfully and lawfully stand up for the unborn who cannot stand up for themselves. They are asked to speak truth to the mothers who are going in to make a life changing decision and advise the women going in for an abortion that there are other options.
“This movement involves concerned Christians who are here to tell women seeking an abortion that there are many people who want to help them with housing, food, maternity clothes, baby clothes, baby formula, etc,” noted Michael Phelan, director of the Office of Marriage and Respect Life for the Diocese of Phoenix. “Women can be referred to local crisis pregnancy centers, where they can receive all the help they need, and allow their babies to live.”
In his letter to priests and parishioners of the Diocese endorsing this effort, Bishop Olmsted said, “It is my prayer that 40 Days for Life will grow to be a powerful movement in our nation’s history and that, cooperating with God’s grace, it will move us closer to the day when our unborn brothers and sisters are protected in law, and abortion, itself, becomes unthinkable.”
More information on this Lenten pro-life effort can be accessed through the movement’s web site at www.40daysforlife.com/phoenix Additional information on the pro-life activities of the Diocese of Phoenix can be obtained by contacting the Office of Marriage and Respect Life at 602/354-2355
DIOCESE OF PHOENIX LAUNCHES WEB SITE
TO EXPLAIN RESTRUCTURING PROCESS
PHOENIX (February 6, 2008) The Phoenix Diocese is undertaking a comprehensive restructuring process so that its civil organizational structure matches the canonical organizational structure that is already in place.
To help explain the process, the Diocese is launching a separate web site to provide basic information on the restructuring and to report on the progress of the process until the transition is completed later this year. The Diocese encourages all who are interested to check this web site on a regular basis as it will be updated as further details become available.
This web site can be accessed at: http://www.diocesephoenix.org/inc/.
