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In case you haven’t heard about the inaugural Nun Run yet, today is your chance to catch up.

Is that you running with the nuns? The Nun Run is March 20 in Glendale. Click to register.

The Poor Clare Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who are organizing the run to support ongoing monastery construction in Tonopah, will promote the March 20 event three times today. Here is their broadcast (run) schedule:

• 11 a.m. Sonoran Living, a live, daily lifestyle magazine show on ABC 15
• 6 p.m. Life on the Rock on EWTN (which, for those without cable, the live call-in show is also carried on Immaculate Heart Radio — AM 1310 for Phoenix-area listeners). Check the TV and radio Web sites for encore times.
• 10 p.m. “Hero Central” on Arizona’s NBC nightly news

By the way, all times are Arizona time (Mountain Standard Time at the moment). Don’t forget to translate if you’re looking for them on “Life on the Rock.”

Executives from Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers, members of Catholic Healthcare West, were again recognized for healthcare leadership.

Several local Catholic medical centers were honored for their health care leadership. Click image for the full list.

“Arizona Business Magazine” presented top honors to staff from both campuses during its third annual awards dinner March 3 for excellence as a:

• Healthcare administrator — Kathleen Dowler, director of Mission Integration for both facilities
• Nurse or Nursing Advocate — Kim Wilson, vice president and chief nursing officer for Mercy Gilbert. Peg Smith, her counterpart at Chandler Regional was a finalist.
• Physician — Brian Tiffany, an emergency department doctor at both facilities. He’s contracted by an outside employer
• Researcher — Nabil Dib, director of Cardiovascular Research at both campuses

Laurie Eberst, president and CEO for Mercy Gilbert was a finalist in the Hospital Executive category.

Arizona Business Magazine clearly approves of the business model of both facilities. The homepage for both sites say the magazine ranked it best place to work and #1 small hospital (Mercy Gilbert) and #1 medium hospital (Chandler Regional) in Arizona.

By the way, the magazine also honored Lucy Ranus for community outreach at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The award list didn’t provide a title, but it seems as though that she was once a program coordinator for Barrow Community, Education, Outreach and Prevention. Given the category of her award, she’s likely still in the same or a similar position.

There are some careers you study and train for. Others you tend to learn on the job. Family caregivers tend to fall into the latter category as soon as illness or accident strikes.

The house is a hands-on resource lab for caregivers. They can learn how to upgrade the home to help senior and disabled patients maximize their independence. See the catalog.

The Foundation for Senior Living is offering a series of classes this month to help Valley caregivers — professional or not — learn to better care for their patients and improve their quality of life. All classes will be held at the Foundation for Senior Living’s Caregiver House, 1201 E. Thomas Rd.

The Caregiver House offers a hands-on approach for family and professional caregivers. One side of the house shows a traditional bedroom and bathroom while the other shows the same rooms designed with limited-mobility residents in mind. The adaptive measures patients maintain a degree of independence and dignity and ease the homecare process for the caregiver. The 3,800-square-foot home opened three years ago.

• 12:30-4:30 p.m. March 11 Medic First Aid/CPR — Course presents easy-to-learn emergency techniques so you can immediately and confidently respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies, AED use and basic first aid measures. Students will earn a First Aid/CPR card (Fee: $35)
• 10 a.m.-noon Fruits and Vegetables: The Secret to Better Health — Improve your diet. Increasing fruits and vegetables will reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. It will also reduce the risk of cancer.
• 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 13 Power Over Pain Conference — A free conference for those experiencing chronic pain, caregivers and other healthcare professionals. You’ll learn about the latest issues. Reserve your spot by calling Barby (480) 502-5818.

Remaining March classes will teach family and professional caregivers about bathing and skin care plus dimentia and support strategies. For more information, call (602) 285-1800 x321. Read the end of this entry …

School administrators hope their students grow in faith and knowledge daily. To better serve student needs today and in the future, several of them are taking major steps toward campus growth this month.

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  Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted helped Seton Catholic Preparatory break ground Feb. 26 for a classroom building. Dirt will soon be flying at three Catholic campuses.

  Seton Catholic Preparatory High School broke ground for its three-story fine arts/academic building Feb. 26. Construction crews got to work on the real digging March 1. Our project update article from October offers more project specifics.

• Blessed Pope John XXIII School in Scottsdale is holding a sports fundraiser March 13 with “Curley Boo Johnson” from the Harlem Globetrotters rallying the crowd. The school plans to break ground in May for its first multi-use building that will feature a gymnasium, fold-out bleachers, a stage, storage areas, locker rooms and offices. It will replace the current blacktop playing area.

For more information on the fundraiser or the project, call the school at (480) 905-0939.

• St. Francis Xavier is breaking ground for the first phase of its School and Faith Education Center at 10 a.m. March 27 on the school playground. That’s about a year ahead of schedule. The parish community recently hit a fundraising milestone and has $7.7 million pledged toward the 34,000-square-foot facility. Check out the parish master plan. The ground floor will have a student activity center with a gym, cafeteria, performance area, kitchen, storage and six classrooms. The second floor will have another six classrooms and a science center. The project also calls for hard surface play areas outside a dedicated play area for pre-K and K, and parking.

The groundbreaking will include a site blessing, donor recognition and burying of a time capsule. The school is located at 4715 N. Central Ave. For more information, call (602) 212-4514.

The Arizona bishops are calling state legislators to “keep in mind the most vulnerable among us” when considering new laws.

The Arizona Catholic Conference is the policy wing of the state’s three dioceses

The Arizona Catholic Conference, the Arizona bishops’ public policy arm,  issued a statement earlier today asking the state legislature to reconsider SB 1070 and HB 2632, identical bills that would require local police to enforce immigration laws more often.

“In addition to the concerns expressed by local police agencies throughout Arizona, we are concerned that the present language of these bills does not clearly state that undocumented persons who become victims of crime can come forward without fear of deportation,” the conference said in the statement.

“Anything that may deter crimes from being reported or prosecuted will only keep dangerous criminals on the streets, making our communities less safe,” the bishops added.

The bills would also make Arizona the first state to codify it’s own “illegal immigration law,” according to the conference. Being in the state unlawfully would result in a charge of  trespassing. The charge for the first offense would be a high misdemeanor; for the second offense a felony, according to the conference.

“We understand that supporters of these bills claim that the intent of this ‘trespassing’ law is to allow local police to hold undocumented immigrants who are suspects in crimes,” the bishops said. “However, the bill itself does not limit enforcement to persons suspected of criminal activity, thus leaving the possibility of criminalizing the presence of even children and young persons brought into our country by their parents. If enacted, these bills could lead to separation of family members that would not take place under current federal law.”

Read the full statement after the fold. Read the end of this entry …