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Jan. 1, 2009 issue of The Catholic Sun.

Our first issue of the year is, once again, packed with a variety of local stories covering the life of the Phoenix Diocese.

You’ll find an advance on a pro-life speaker at Christ the King Parish in Mesa, a story on perpetual adoration starting at St. Bernadette Parish in Scottsdale and an update on the new church at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Surprise.

Page 1  kicks off the issue with a feature on the Jan 1. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God — a holy day. There’s also a Catholic News Service piece reviewing Pope Benedict’s year.

On page 3, we have a feature on St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, which is struggling to meet uninsured patient’s needs. We also have a wrap of the Catholic high schools’ nine state championships in fall sports.

The media/arts section is pretty robust. Andrew Junker reviews a book about Mary and Rebecca Bostic reviews the new Tom Cruise movie, “Valkyrie.” Bostic also sat down with Jean Sokol, the Youth Protection Advocate for the Phoenix Diocese, and got her impressions of the new movie, “Doubt.”

On the opinion/commentary pages you’ll find Ron Johnson’s review of the past elections. Ron Johnson is the executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s three dioceses. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s column talks about how the Incarnation of Christ reflects the dignity of every human being, especially those in the womb.

So, all in all, it’s pretty good way to start off the year.