More than 60 altar servers took part in a special Mass in their honor Nov. 1, 2008, at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. (File photo by Ambria Hammel/CATHOLIC SUN)

Today on The Bishop’s Hour we’ll speak to the rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral about his decision to no longer allow altar girls to serve at Mass. Fr. Kieran Kleczewski will tell us about the life and dedication of Father Kino to Native Americans in the early days of the Church in the Southwest. And we’ll meet a young woman who —after 12 years of Catholic education — decided to attend Southern Methodist University. How did her faith survive? It’s a great story. And in his weekly message, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will talk about Lourdes.

The Bishop’s Hour is a program produced by and for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, presenting Church news and theological reflections, discussing contemporary issues facing today’s Catholics in Arizona, and featuring a weekly message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. It airs each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1310 AM Immaculate Heart Radio in Phoenix. Encore presentations can be heard each Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Bishop’s Hour is brought to you in part by our good friends at the non-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Music for The Bishop’s Hour courtesy of Carrick Ministries.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us your feedback at radio@diocesephoenix.org.

Aug. 29, 2011: Altar Boys, Padre Kino and Keeping the Faith [ 57:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today on The Bishop’s Hour we begin a new series, “How to explain Catholicism to your friends,” a sort of apologetics for the rest of us, led by Ryan Hanning. Composer Craig Colson gives us a preview of his liturgical music based on the third edition of the Roman Missal. We’ll check in with two of the Poor Clare Sisters and get a progress report on the new monastery. And finally, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted continues his reflections on the gift and importance of Sunday.

The Bishop’s Hour is a program produced by and for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, presenting Church news and theological reflections, discussing contemporary issues facing today’s Catholics in Arizona, and featuring a weekly message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. It airs each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1310 AM Immaculate Heart Radio in Phoenix. Encore presentations can be heard each Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Bishop’s Hour is brought to you in part by our good friends at the non-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Music for The Bishop’s Hour courtesy of Carrick Ministries.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us your feedback at radio@diocesephoenix.org.

Aug. 22, 2011: Explaining Catholicism, New Liturgical Music, and the Poor Clares [ 57:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Roman Missal, Third Edition, the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, is now being prepared for publication. The Roman Missal will be implemented in the United States on the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011. The ritual editions should start arriving in parishes around Oct. 1.

Today we look in detail at the changes we’ll hear and recite in the new English translation of the Mass. And we’ll find out why the new translation was necessary in the first place. We’ll learn about a new program in the diocese specifically designed to encourage the virtue of chastity in our young people. Rick Jeffrey returns with another in our series of Saints in Waiting — today featuring Dorothy Day. And finally, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted continues his series of reflections on the gift and importance of Sunday.

The Bishop’s Hour is a program produced by and for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, presenting Church news and theological reflections, discussing contemporary issues facing today’s Catholics in Arizona, and featuring a weekly message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. It airs each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1310 AM Immaculate Heart Radio in Phoenix. Encore presentations can be heard each Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Bishop’s Hour is brought to you in part by our good friends at the non-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Music for The Bishop’s Hour courtesy of Carrick Ministries.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us your feedback at radio@diocesephoenix.org.

Aug. 15, 2011: Why a New Roman Missal, a New Program Encourages Chastity, and Future Saint Dorothy Day [ 57:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Screen shot taken from www.foxconnect.com/faith website.

We have a fascinating program for you today. First, a shorthand version of the history of the Creed — that confession of our faith that we recite at every Sunday Mass. Then, did you know that a major film studio is now spotlighting family DVDs that actually carry a Christian message. Will talk with an executive of 20th Century Fox. And can you imagine being a golf pro? It’s a dream job, right? Well, we’ll talk to one who is leaving it all to go to the seminary. And finally, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted returns with part three of his reflection on The Gift and Importance of Sunday.

Featured on this episode:

• Eric Westby of Kino Institute
• Simon Swart of 20th Century Fox
• Chris Tuttle, would-be golf pro turned seminarian

The Bishop’s Hour is a program produced by and for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, presenting Church news and theological reflections, discussing contemporary issues facing today’s Catholics in Arizona, and featuring a weekly message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. It airs each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1310 AM Immaculate Heart Radio in Phoenix. Encore presentations can be heard each Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Bishop’s Hour is brought to you in part by our good friends at the non-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Music for The Bishop’s Hour courtesy of Carrick Ministries.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us your feedback at radio@diocesephoenix.org.

Aug. 8, 2011: The Creed, Christian DVDs and a Seminarian [ 57:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Haitian farmers in Les Anglais, many of them mothers, provide for their children, like the four boys posing here for a photo. Malnutrition, the leading cause of death in children, is an ongoing problem in Haiti. One in five children die before their fifth birthday. (J.D. Long-García/CATHOLIC SUN)

On this edition of The Bishop’s Hour, we talk to Mark Hart, a man who devotes his time to showing teenagers how to fall in love… with Scripture. Deacon Bernie Filzen joins us to tell us about his 30 years helping the people of Haiti. Rick Jeffrey returns to The Bishop’s Hour with another “Saint in the Making” feature, Pierre Toussaint. And finally, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted returns with part two with his reflections on the gift and importance of Sunday.

The Bishop’s Hour is a program produced by and for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, presenting Church news and theological reflections, discussing contemporary issues facing today’s Catholics in Arizona, and featuring a weekly message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. It airs each Monday at 10 a.m. on 1310 AM Immaculate Heart Radio in Phoenix. Encore presentations can be heard each Thursday at 9 p.m.

The Bishop’s Hour is brought to you in part by our good friends at the non-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Diocese of Phoenix. Music for The Bishop’s Hour courtesy of Carrick Ministries.

We’d love to hear from you. Send us your feedback at radio@diocesephoenix.org.

Aug. 1, 2011: Scripture, Haiti and a Saint in the Making [ 57:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download