Tony Gutiérrez

04/11/2023

And a SPECIAL congratulations to FIRST-TIME WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS, the Texas Rangers. Check out my story for OSV News, shared via the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth's North Texas Catholic Magazine.

Special shout-out to the directors of Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth, Inc., and Catholic Charities Community Services for speaking with me, as well as to Rangers chaplain, Father Dan Kelley from St Jude Catholic Church of Mansfield, and to Saint Mary's Basilica rector FrJohn Muir, as well as Diocese of Phoenix evangelization manager Joyce Coronel for sharing with me.

PHOENIX (OSV News) — Every time Michael "Iggy" Iglio, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Fort Worth, texts his counterpart in the Diocese of Phoenix, he signs off with "Let's go Rangers!"

04/11/2023

Congratulations to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a solid World Series Run. Way to . Check out the story special to the Diocese of Phoenix.

Special shout-out to the directors of Catholic Charities Community Services and Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth, Inc. for speaking with me, along with FrJohn Muir from Saint Mary's Basilica and Joyce Novascone Coronel.

There’s a tongue-in-cheek rumor flying around that the Arizona Diamondbacks have been playing better since hosting the first-ever “Catholic Night” at Chase Field on Sept. 29, the Feast of the […]

18/10/2022

I'm thankful for the opportunity to highlight as the cover story for local Latter-day Saint publication, The Arizona Beehive. Thank you to Arizona State University's (and fellow University of North Texas alum) Dr. Sujey Vega for being one of my expert sources.

The Arizona Beehive Magazine serves members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It presents the embodiment of the Latter-day Saint local lifestyle, attitude and world view, featuring inspirational people to meet, interesting places to go, thriving businesses to patronize, exciting ev...

13/07/2022

My piece published by Catholic News Service received an honorable mention in the "Investigative News Writing" category at this year's Catholic Media Association awards!

Missionary Padre Kino is still revered in Arizona for his work among the indigenous population.

27/04/2022

The Holy Father declared last year as the Year of St. Joseph, but St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Williams [SSJAF Community] remains the official pilgrimage site for the Diocese of Phoenix until this Sunday, the feast day for the parish.

About 5 million tourists pass through this small town just west of Flagstaff known as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” with its other claim to fame being the last city on the Historic Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. But for one more month, Catholic tourists, among others, can also be...

25/04/2022

There are definitely some rough moments in the Father Stu Movie, but it's fitting that it came out during Holy Week. Catholics from the Diocese of Phoenix attended a pre-screening and shared their takes.

Special thanks to Fr-Daniel Cruz, Cande DeLeon, a couple of students from All Saints Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University, and some priests and for speaking with me.

Every time Mark Wahlberg’s Stuart Long fumbled through being the nuances of being Catholic on the big screen, a theater full of Catholics laughed uproariously. The audience was touched by more serious moments in Wahlberg’s biopic “Father Stu” during a premiere of the film at the Harkins Came...

15/04/2022

With this weekend being the Paschal Triduum, the return of the annual Mesa Arizona Temple Easter Pageant, through the Mesa Arizona Temple Events may be an option to reflect on the saving action of Jesus Christ.

“While members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are known for their open Scripture, including the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible, everything from the pageant is taken strictly from the New Testament and offers something for all Christians, as well as those of other faiths.”

The Mesa Temple Easter Pageant runs April 9 and April 12-16 at 8 p.m. on the north lawn of the temple, 101 S. LeSueur in downtown Mesa.

09/02/2022

With today being National Pizza Day, you should check out Proof. Bread artist Emerald Green makes fresh Focaccia every day, using all organic ingredients — including locally grown grains from Hayden Flour Mills — and makes sure there is at least one vegan option.

The bakery is next door to the Main Street Harvest store — both of which are owned by married couple Jonathan Przybyl and Amanda Abou-Eid. The store functions as a weeklong farmers’ market selling items produced by local vendors they’ve met through the years, such as fresh produce, homemade soup and even no-waste soap and cleaning supplies Desert Refillery.

“Many of the food producers in here are just beginning their businesses or have started in the last couple of years. So, Main Street Harvest being a collection of a lot, we’ve found stable sales channels for all of them for the whole year,” said Jonathan.

Check out the full story from The Arizona Beehive: https://arizonabeehive.com/the-proof-is-in-the-dough-mesas-proof-bread/

07/02/2022

Imagining what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., might say if he were alive today, retired Bishop Edward K. Braxton of the -of-Belleville, Illinois, delivered a homily in the voice of the slain civil rights leader to address how racism continues to impact the church and society as a whole as the guest homilist for the Diocese of Phoenix’s annual memorial Mass for Rev. King celebrated Jan. 17 at SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

There were some comments I collected that were not included in the published version but that I still felt were very poignant. Two young men who serve as co-presidents of Notre Dame Preparatory High School’s Diversity Student Union reflected on their Black ancestry and Catholic faith:

“Being able to see our Black history being celebrated through the Catholic Church is a beautiful thing, especially through Martin Luther King, who really didn’t just preach for Black rights, but for the dignity of all human beings,” said Martin Hammond.

“Seeing a Black priest and a white priest being able to celebrate the same Catholic Mass is beautiful for me to see,” said Gabe Garcia.

At the end of his homily, Bishop Braxton returned to his own voice, noting that the Dreamer truly was slain, but that his vision lives on.
“The best way for the Diocese of Phoenix to keep the spirit of the heroic Martin Luther King, Jr., and his vision of the “Beloved Community” alive in Arizona is to get Jesus of Nazareth out of the manger and into your hearts,” he declared. “Get Jesus of Nazareth out of the manger and into the cold stable of our world, where He is needed now more than ever.”

I’d like to give a special shout-out to Supreme Knight of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary Jim Ellis, who visited Phoenix for the occasion. Shout-outs also to Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry chaplain Father Andrew McNair, and to assisting Deacons Handel Metcalf from Our Lady of Joy Roman Catholic Church and Lorenzo McKnight from St. Augustine Church, Phoenix.

Thank you to Catholic News Service for publishing my story.

The Catholic Church and society must do more to overcome racism, retired Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Illinois, said in a Jan. 17 homily.

01/02/2022

As I was preparing for this story, I stumbled across this quote from Elder Ulisses Soares, the first Latino member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during last fall’s General Conference:

“The expression of compassion for others is, in fact, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a marked evidence of our spiritual and emotional closeness to the Savior.”

It seemed really fitting as I interviewed these young men and women who — for one reason or another — are unable to serve a proselyting mission abroad but now have the opportunity to give of themselves locally through a service mission.

Like the Good Samaritan, these missionaries don’t discriminate who they serve based on faith. Unfortunately, I collected more stories than would fit in the allotted space, but One story is from Elder Nathan Otey from Chandler, who serves at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s urban farm:

“I just slowly fell in love with it because our actions speak louder than our words,” he reflected. “The act of service is the way we help spread that example of Christ.”

Julianna Larsen, Senior Vice-President for the Somaliamerican Unitedcouncil — an interfaith ministry of a nearby mosque providing services to the multi-ethnic refugee community — reflected on the value that service missionaries provide:

“Our programs would not work without them,” she said. “Whatever the missionaries’ strengths are, we will help because there’s so many needs that refugees have. These young service missionaries have benefitted my life greatly.”

Special thanks to Elder Spencer Perkes, Elder Cooper Christensen and to Sister Jaqlyn Shirts, for your willingness to be vulnerable and share your story with me and our readers at The Arizona Beehive, as well as to support advisers for the service missions in the North America Southwest Areas, Elder Mark Pugmire and Sister Laurel Pugmire.

Service Missionaries: Spreading The Gospel Through Acts Of Service January 20, 2022 Tony Gutierrez Current Issue-Stories, January February 2022, Missionaries 0 Comments Samaritans weren’t typical Jews when Jesus Christ walked in Israel. They had unique beliefs. Yet, the Good Samaritan that appears...

28/01/2022

When St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Parish in Cave Creek was established in 2002, the faithful gathered in a small shack that would later serve as a temporary Adoration chapel for the parish. When it would overflow, parishioners sat on hay bales outside of the church.

Today, their church stands as a visible tower on Cave Creek Road and Rancho Paloma Drive. Check out how they got to this point.

Special thanks to former pastors Fathers Dennis ORourke and John Slobig, Deacon William Clower, architect David Arambula from Phoenix Design Group LLC and to parishioners Joe and Terry Colosimo, G*e Re Carpenter and Dale Jensen from the local AZ Knight's Of Columbus council.

After nearly 20 years and four temporary worship spaces, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted led parishioners of what was once known as the “Trailer Park Parish” from their fourth and final temporary worship space — a white square building — to their permanent home.

27/01/2022

27/01/2022

Attention followers,

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your initial support for this endeavor. As you can tell, this page has not posted since September of 2020, and our website has not posted since December of 2020.

The “Arizona Angelus” was initially established to fill a void left by the closing down of two diocesan newspapers in the state of Arizona — “The Catholic Sun” for the Diocese of Phoenix and the “Catholic Outlook” for the Diocese of Tucson. Since that time, both dioceses revived their news outlets in as online platforms. Given that we were also online only, and that we didn’t have the resources that the dioceses had, we became less relevant.

At the same time, our model was not sustainable, and our all-volunteer team turned to freelance work for other outlets. With that in mind, I want to continue to point our followers to Jeff Grant and to Kirsten Bublitz.

With that in mind, I have also been personally working as a freelance journalist for the last year-and-a-half, and as a result, I am transitioning this page to highlight my work as a freelance journalist.

As a result, not only will I be posting from my own personal website, but also from other sites and pages on which my articles appear. I will also be sharing other articles from those outlets that I believe may be of interest to our followers, including those published by former volunteer members of the Arizona Angelus team.

I’d like to thank you so much for your support and prayers in all of our continued endeavors.

In Christ,
Adrian “Tony” Gutiérrez

11/09/2020

will sign his third encyclical, — which means “All Brothers” in Italian — on Oct. 3, the eve of the feast day of his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi in the saint’s hometown. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) — The Vatican announced Sept. 5 that Pope Francis will sign the third encyclical of his pontificate in Assisi on Oct. 3.

09/09/2020

Synods of bishops should be opportunities for prayerful reflection, not parliamentary lobbying, said in explaining why he didn’t follow the ’s recommendation for married priests for the region. It is not a legislative body, looking only for majority approval on proposal.

“One of the riches and originality of the synodal pedagogy lies precisely in going out of a parliamentary logic to learn to listen, in community, to what the Spirit says to the Church,” he said. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

(CNA) — Pope Francis did not approve a proposal to ordain married men in the Amazon region because the idea was discussed, and even argued about, but not prayerfully discerned at a 2019 synod of bi…

09/09/2020

ICYMI: Arizona’s two discontinued Catholic newspapers — the Diocese of Phoenix’s The Catholic Sun and the Diocese of Tucson’s Catholic Outlook — racked up multiple Catholic Press Association awards at the earlier this summer. Check out the winning entries!

Two Arizona Catholic publications that were discontinued earlier this year due to economic concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic received a total of 17 awards from the Catholic Press Asso…

08/09/2020

Do you know any of the pandemic in the Diocese of Phoenix, the Diocese of Tucson, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup or Eparchy of Phoenix? Mundelein Seminary is accepting nominations. One nominee processed with the Blessed Sacrament through his parish’s neighborhoods, while another heard confessions outside in the elements. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

DENVER NEWSROOM (CNA) — In a photo from this spring, Fr. Bobby Krueger dons a black beanie, thick grey gloves and a jacket with a hood over his clerics.

11/08/2020

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s new running mate, has shown anti-Catholic hostility in her career. The California Catholic Conference criticized her during her tenure as California attorney general when she sponsored a bill requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise “free or low-cost” abortion services. In 2018 she questioned a judicial nominee’s ability to hear cases “fairly and impartially,” based on his membership in the Knights of Columbus because of the organization’s adherence to Church teaching on life and traditional marriage.

Former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, has selected Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who has a history of showing hostility to the Catholic Church, to be…

07/07/2020

Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas has criticized Planned Parenthood and pro-abortion political organizations in the state for using calling pro-life Democratic state Senator Eddie Lucio as “Sucio,” an anti-Mexican ethnic slur interpreted as “dirty Mexican.”

“Mexican-Americans are hard-working, family-oriented individuals, never should the word dirty or its Spanish-language equivalent be used to describe one of us,” added his son, State Representative Eddie Lucio III. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

Visit the post for more.

07/07/2020

“We’re so appreciative of this opportunity to help those in need throughout our community,” said FSL president and CEO Tom Egan in a press release announcing a partnership with Arizona Community Action Association and the City of Phoenix, AZ USA to distribute funds.

PHOENIX — The Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) has partnered with Wildfire (formerly the Arizona Community Action Association) and the City of Phoenix to distribute $2 million in aid to Phoenix r…

03/07/2020

Bernie Finn MP of Victoria called for an investigation to discover “how we can avoid trial by media in the future, how did the Court of Appeal get it so very wrong, and how could an innocent man in this day and age in Victoria be jailed in the way that was.”

“If this can happen to Cardinal Pell it can happen to anyone, and it clearly reveals a major flaw in Victoria’s so-called justice system,” he told The Catholic Weekly. Check out the story via Catholic News Agency.

(CNA) — A member of the Parliament of Victoria has urged that there be an inquiry into the treatment of Cardinal George Pell by the state’s police and judiciary, months after Australia’s High Court…

03/07/2020

Hostility to public Catholicism is “treating us as somehow less worthy of full participation in the benefits of American life,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami, the new chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’s religious liberty committee, told Catholic News Agency.

WASHINGTON (CNA) — The new leader of the U.S. Catholic bishops on religious liberty has warned of a “soft despotism” of religious intolerance in the U.S. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami told CNA …

02/07/2020

“It is clear that those attacking St. Junípero’s good name and vandalizing his memorials do not know his true character or the actual historical record,” said United States Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop José H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in a column published via Angelus News.

Earlier in the week, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco presided over an exorcism prayer service at the site where a statue of St. was torn down.

“I feel such a great wound in my soul when I see these horrendous acts of blasphemy disparaging the memory of St. Serra who was such a great hero, such a great defender of the indigenous people of this land,” he said. Check out the story via Catholic News Agency.

(CNA) — Those who “slander” the legacy of St. Junípero Serra ignore his history of opposing colonial oppression and abuses of indigenous Americans, said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, pre…

01/07/2020

Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger has suspended all public worship in his diocese, effective today. In the Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted is urging the faithful to “Please, wear a face mask in a spirit of care for your fellow parishioners.” Check out the story by Tony Gutiérrez.

Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson suspended all public worship effective July 1 because of concerns about the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

01/07/2020

mentioned his sadness that the annual visit with the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch could not take place. He said that he felt a connection “in his heart” to Patriarch Bartholomew when he visited the tomb of St. Peter. “[The Orthodox Christian delegation] are here with us,” he said, even though they were not able to be present in person in Rome.

Check out the story from Catholic News Agency. And a special shout-out to our brothers and sisters in Christ of the Orthodox Christians of Southern Arizona.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) —Pope Francis extended a special greeting to the Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and head of the Orthodox Churches, on the feast of Sts. Peter a…

01/07/2020

Happy Feast of St. , patron of: the Franciscan Friars Province of Saint Barbara serving at Saint Mary's Basilica and the Franciscan Renewal Center; the Phoenix Serra Club the Serra Club of East Valley and the West Valley Serra Club; and of the Diocese of Phoenix’s Campaign.

“I started visiting the missions, and I really fell in love with them. I [began] a real deep relationship with Junípero Serra,” said Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo) teacher Christian Clifford, who visited all of The 21 Missions of California by foot. “Those friars must have been very patient because they sacrificed a lot.” Clifford is hoping to raise awareness and funds for the Campaign for the Preservation of Mission San Antonio de Padua

Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

(CNA) — A Catholic teacher who finished a pilgrimage to the Spanish Missions in California this week has emphasized his devotion to the first missions’ founder, St. Junípero Serra, and their influe…

29/06/2020

St. Peter in Springville in The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, St Paul's Catholic Church and Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity - St. Peter Indian Mission in the Diocese of Phoenix and Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School in the Diocese of Tucson!

“Unity is the fruit of prayer, for prayer allows the Holy Spirit to intervene, opening our hearts to hope, shortening distances and holding us together at times of difficulty,” said for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) — On the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul on Monday, Pope Francis urged Christians to pray for one another and for unity, saying “only prayer unlocks chains.”

28/06/2020

“The men get a theological formation, and it’s not just for their personal edification — we need them to learn because they’re going to have to teach,” said The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup diaconate coordinator Dcn. Timoteo Lujan. “They’re going to be very important parts of our sacrament formation, of support of our Catholic schools, the support of our catechetical programs and support of our adult formation programs. And [for] everyday conversations with people, to help them understand the theology and mind of the Church as we move through very difficult times.” Check out the full Q&A via our friends at “Voice of the Southwest.”

The diaconate formation program for the Diocese of Gallup is beginning a new cycle in Fall 2020 and will run for five years. If a candidate is unable to enroll in the program this fall, he will hav…

26/06/2020

We’d like to ask for prayers for the repose of the soul of Fr. Robert Tamminga, longtime pastor of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church. Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger celebrated his funeral Mass earlier this week. Fr. Tamminga, an alumnus of St. Ambrose Catholic School, Regina Cleri Seminary and St. John's Seminary in California, also served at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Saint Odilia Catholic Community, St. Ambrose and St. Rose of Lima Parish.

Fr. Robert Tamminga, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Tucson, died shortly before 9 a.m. June 17, from a short, non-COVID related illness. Bishop Edward J. Weisenberger of Tucson celebrated…

26/06/2020

It was a special Father’s Day this week as Archdiocese of Washington priest Fr. Philip Ilg vested his own father, newly ordained Fr. Edmond Ilk of the Archdiocese of Newark. Check out the story from Catholic News Agency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA) — Edmond Ilg, 62, has been a father since the birth of his son in 1986. But on June 21, he became a “father” in a whole new sense: Edmond was ordained a priest of the Archdio…