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The May 21 issue is somewhat of a “bridge” issue. It’s the one that, over the past weeks, we on the production side of The Catholic Sun have been thinking of the issue as “the one after the Bishop Wall coverage and before the local priestly ordination preview.” In the June 4 issue, we will preview the June 6 priestly ordination, and in the June 18, we will cover it.

The May 21, 2009 issue of The Catholic Sun

While we’re not covering huge Church news, like an episcopal or priestly ordination, we’re still covering some pretty important happenings in the lives of everyday Catholics.  The anchor story is on confirmation, which is changing the lives of hundreds of kids this time of year. That story is framed on the front page by features on the Phoenix Diocese’s 40th anniversary book (with a cover designed by the Sun‘s Julie O’Keefe) and how Catholic schools kids are pitching in to the annual Charity and Development Appeal. (There’s a photo related to the anniversary book on page 2, by the way. The refer to thousands of photos not published in the pages of The Catholic Sun features a Sr. Jean Steffes, CSA, and archivist Jim Neal, both instrumental in the book preparation.)

On page 2, you’ll find a feature on the new pro-life license plates, by Joyce Coronel. The photo, by Andrew Junker, was tough to manage. We didn’t want to use an actual license plate, so getting the mock up and working a photo in to the bishop’s busy schedule proved a bit of a challenge. The photo turned out well though.

On page 3, we have a foster care story — May is foster care awareness month. That’s followed by a story on the Catholic Community Foundation’s Crozier Gala, a story on a place for Eastern Catholics in Catholic Cemeteries, and features on Seton’s Sr. Joan Marie Madden, SC  — who’s retiring — and Fr. Robert Aliunzi, AJ, St. Jerome Parish pastor, who is raising awareness of the poverty in Uganda.

Most of the issue is local, but be sure to read the Catholic News Service story on Pope Benedict’s trip to the Holy Land. Other must reads: our editorial, “Poll reveals cause for hope,” which discusses a recent Gallup Poll that found most Americans are now pro-life; as always, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s column, this time on following the truth in good times and bad; and Andrew Junker’s latest installment in the Marriage Matters series. This month Junker talks about Natural Family Planning.