In November of last year, you released a pastoral letter that serves as a sort of seven-year strategic plan for evangelization in the Diocese of Phoenix. What is your vision for building disciples of Jesus Christ during the unfolding of this plan?

Bishop Dolan: The vision is to ultimately create a culture of evangelization within the diocese, and that’s from a diocesan perspective, from a parish perspective and from the perspective of every individual soul. It’s about trying to get people to take ownership of the call to evangelize, to go out and make disciples of all nations. So, the question is, how do we get people to take ownership of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 and how do we do that proactively? That’s the overall objective of the seven-year plan.

The specifics of the plan are based on a different theme each year. This year we have had the help of Pope Francis and the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. So, we are looking at how we can evangelize through the lens of the various hopes he mentioned in Spes Non Confundit, such as hope for peace over division, hope for youth and young adults and hope for the sick and those dedicated to their care.

Future annual themes are based on the five apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego and his uncle, and the revelation of the miraculous tilma. Next year, for example, I could see us focusing on Juan Diego who was on his way to catechism class — so evangelizing through the lens of catechesis, almost like Catechism 101. Connecting with both affiliated Catholics who want to understand the faith more fully, and non-affiliated Catholics who for whatever reason have slipped away from anything organized.

We can’t give what we don’t have, so fostering discipleship on multiple levels while also encouraging ownership of the call to evangelize is important as we go forward on this seven-year journey.

Talk about the inspiration for your pastoral letter in Our Lady of Guadalupe, and your vision for the years between now and the 500th anniversary of her apparition in 2031.

Bishop Dolan: Well it turns out that seven is the perfect number, and so why not make good use of these seven years leading up to the anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparitions, beginning with the 2025 Jubilee Year.

With an ever-growing Latino and Hispanic population in our diocese, and with Our Lady of Guadalupe as our patroness, I knew it was important to do something special for the 500th anniversary. We already celebrate a special Mass and parade every year in December for Guadalupe called Honor Your Mother, but we are also planning a unique large-scale event in 2031, and we are hoping to fill a stadium.

But with this pastoral plan I knew I didn’t just want to do a one-and-done event. I don’t want to focus so much on the event as much as I want to focus on the power that lies behind the event. It goes so much further and is really about building a culture of evangelization.

Very much like the way in which Our Lady met Juan Diego. It was incremental. Everything she did was deliberate in the way she was creating this culture of Christianity here in the Americas. And for Our Lady of Guadalupe, it wasn’t just about building the basilica on the site of her apparitions — it wasn’t about that. It was really more about building Church, which is much bigger than brick and mortar. So I think in some ways it’s similar to this big event. It’s more than just the event, it’s building Church.

In your letter, you talk about sharing practical ideas on evangelization for discernment and implementation on a personal, parish, and diocesan level.

How do you envision the message of the pastoral letter coming to fruition for individuals? For parishes? And for the diocese as a whole?

Bishop Dolan: On a diocesan level we are working to put forth events, programs and forums based on the annual themes, which again this year is based on Pope Francis’ 10 hopes, all of which are about human dignity. In my pastoral plan, parishes and individuals are offered opportunities and suggestions on how they can embrace these hopes and start to look at the value of evangelization through the lens of human dignity. Particularly asking, ‘how do we evangelize people who often fall through the cracks?’

The goal is not so much to check boxes, but to start to foster this heart for evangelization.

For example, one of Pope Francis’ 10 hopes is hope for prisoners and restorative justice. Here in the Diocese of Phoenix we have an Office of Prison Ministry, which provides mentoring, Communion services and other forms of accompaniment to our incarcerated brothers and sisters in prisons, county jails and juvenile detention facilities, and their families. The stories you hear about these individuals really coming to know their dignity through this office are truly profound!

On a diocesan level we want to continue in this area as we educate and teach the people of God about restorative justice. It’s about going beyond retributive justice — an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth — and understanding the charity, compassion and forgiveness of restorative justice, which stems from the Gospel. In the state of Arizona, we are about to resume the death penalty, which is a shame. There is a real need to catechize and foster hearts on the human dignity of every person.

On this same note, parishes have been invited to participate in programs such as Get on the Bus, which helps children visit their incarcerated parents. Individuals are encouraged to attend forums provided by the diocese, take part in ministries such as letter-writing campaigns for the incarcerated and also consider becoming a prison ministry volunteer. It’s an invitation for each person to consider, “How might God be calling me to respond to His words in Matthew 25: ‘I was in prison and you visited me’?”

None of the suggestions put forth in the pastoral plan are a mandate. As I tell my brother priests, the only mandate comes from Christ Himself in the Great Commission. But I am hopeful that these ideas will spur participation and creative efforts when it comes to rolling up our sleeves and getting to the important work of evangelization.

The first year of your pastoral plan focuses on the Jubilee Year of Hope. How is the theme of hope tied to evangelization and discipleship?

What can Catholics do to grow as disciples in the Jubilee Year?

Bishop Dolan: I think the very first thing would be for people to read the document, Spes Non Confundit. It’s an important piece and it really is well written. When you give it a read, you’ll find 10 hopes, which I have summed up in this way: 

1. Hope for peace over division;
2. Hope for enthusiasm for life and a readiness to share it;
3. Hope for openness to life and responsible parenthood;
4. Hope for prisoners and restorative justice;
5. Hope for the sick and those dedicated to their care;
6. Hope for youth and young adults;
7. Hope for immigrants, migrants and refugees;
8. Hope for the elderly;
9. Hope for the poor and the hungry;
10. Hope for greater Christian unity.

Between Spes Non Confundit and my seven-year pastoral plan, there is a profound overlap between the themes of human dignity, hope and evangelization. I think during this Jubilee Year and beyond, if Catholics can focus in on all of Pope Francis’ hopes, or even just two or three, any of them can be life changing.

Through this lens, we can see that each of the 10 hopes mentioned are about people who fall through the cracks. And don’t they belong? Don’t they have a place in our Church? Those in prison, seniors who are often forgotten, the sick who others might send up a prayer for — but do we make a visit to those who are sick and forgotten and incarcerated?

Evangelization is more than sending a prayer emoji, it’s about making the visit, it’s about encountering one another. And it’s through this real and human encounter that we grow as disciples and can bring the hope of Christ to one another.

You have committed to writing additional pastoral letters every year throughout the seven-year plan. How important is it for you to communicate with the faithful in this way?

How is a pastoral letter different from other ways of communicating with members of the Church?

Bishop Dolan: A pastoral letter, whether from a bishop or the pope, carries a special weight. It’s different from other forms of communication that may go out on a regular basis, and it really says something to the effect of, this is the heart of the bishop, this is what’s driving him, what’s important to him.

Personally, what’s driving me is listening to the people of God. These letters are a way for me to say to the faithful, “I hear you.”

Before my arrival in the Diocese of Phoenix, my predecessor Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted led a process of synodality in response to Pope Francis’ initiative, and after taking the time to really listen to the heart and experiences of the faithful, it seemed clear to us that we needed to move toward evangelization, which was a key point that continued to pop up. This ultimately inspired the seven-year pastoral plan on evangelization.

The pastoral letters themselves are distinct from the pastoral plan, which lays out practical programs, initiatives and ideas. A pastoral letter is the heart behind that plan.

My first pastoral letter is entitled “TILMA” — an acronym for Testifica, oh Iglesia, a la Luz del Misterio del Amor (Testify, o Church, to the Light of the Mystery of Love) — which expresses my hope and personal invitation to the flock during these seven years and beyond.

Speaking of communication, how important is your diocesan magazine as a tool to build disciples and equip them for the work of evangelization?

Bishop Dolan: Multimedia is crucial when it comes to evangelization. In the Diocese of Phoenix, we’ve really doubled down our efforts to develop fresh podcasts and robust video content, grow our social media platforms and expand our airtime before and after our weekly televised Mass to reach as many people as possible. Digital media cannot be overlooked in this day and age.

But we also know that there’s just something about a good story in print that can’t be replaced.

I happen to really like our magazine, which was first published in October 2021 — originally called Together Let Us Go Forth, it’s now called The Catholic Sun for brand consistency — and goes out six times a year. It’s all about sharing good news, and people like that, people need that. While some of our other platforms focus more on upcoming events, The Catholic Sun magazine tells real stories about real people in our diocese.

You might pick up the magazine and see a photo of a family you recognize from the parish pancake breakfast or read about the experience of another parent you see at the soccer field. I think it makes the faith more approachable. If someone just like me can get through a hard time or share an inspiring story, I can too. And the photos are wonderful! It’s really engaging and it’s a great thing to keep on your coffee table.

Our magazine contains creative evangelization content that I think really resonates with people, from liturgical-based recipes you can make at home and facts about the lives of the saints to weekly Gospel reflections and all kinds of stories, including a personal column from myself in every issue. I think the magazine plays a crucial role in really connecting the faithful more deeply to one another and to the Church, as well as encouraging readers to go forth as disciples in the unique ways Christ has called them in their own lives and spheres.

When you look ahead to 2031, what do you hope has changed in the Diocese of Phoenix? How do you hope to describe the Church as it celebrates the anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Bishop Dolan: The pastoral plan really is inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe and will be approached through a lens of learning in a particular way from the rich faith life of our Latino and Hispanic brothers and sisters, an ever-growing community which is a great gift to our vibrant diocese.

In addition to doing a deep dive into the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we will also be considering the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry put out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June of 2023 called “Missionary Disciples Going Forth with Joy.” This plan was the result of V Encuentro, a gathering and listening that led to the findings and proposed plan.

The reason I share this is because this concept of “encuentro” or “encounter” is crucial to my hope for these next seven years. Encounter is something that certainly happened between Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego almost 500 years ago, and it is something that is very important to the Latino community. If nothing else, I hope that this pastoral plan leads to true and life-changing moments of encounter with the Lord, with one another and within the hearts of each human person. I believe this is the true starting point of a culture of evangelization.

Publisher Profile

The Catholic sun

The magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix

PUBLISHER:

Most Rev. John P. Dolan

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:

Brett Meister

CONTENT AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER:

Jennifer Ellis

CIRCULATION:

43,000

FREQUENCY:

6 times per year

DISTRIBUTION:

• Mailed, periodical nonprofit
• Flip, bilingual publication
• dphx.org
• catholicsun.org
• catholicmagazines.org/catholic-sun