The Diocese of Phoenix was established on December 2, 1969. As of 2023, the bishop of Phoenix is John P. Dolan.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix consists of 94 parishes, 23 missions, 29 elementary schools, seven high schools, three universities, and one seminary, and is one of the fastest growing dioceses in the United States, with an increase of over 300,000 Catholics in the past 10-years alone. The Diocese of Phoenix comprises Mohave, Coconino (except Navajo Indian Reservation), Yavapai, and Maricopa Counties, and the Gila Indian Reservation in the State of Arizona for a total of 43,967 square miles.
Jesuit priests began to work in present-day northern Mexico in the 1610s in the lowlands near the coast. Originally, these missionaries worked out a peaceful compromise with the people of the Yaqui River valley allowing for the establishment of more than fifty mission settlements. This broke down when the Jesuits opposed the native shamanic religious tradition. The Opata people were more receptive to the missionaries and allied with them. After this, the Jesuits began to move into Pima and Tohono O'odham territories in present-day Arizona.[4] Spanish exploration and missionary work was sufficient to consider the territory part of New Spain. An agreement between General Pedro de Perea and the viceroy of New Spain resulted in the formation of the Province of Nueva Navarra in 1637. It was renamed the Province of Sonora in 1648.[5]
The first Catholic church in Phoenix, the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was dedicated in 1881. It would remain the only parish in the city until 1924.[9] Also in 1881, the first Catholic church was constructed in Tempe - it would be replaced in 1903 by Old St. Mary's Church.[10] The first Catholic church in Flagstaff, First Nativity, was dedicated in 1888.[11] Sacred Heart Church in Prescott was finished in 1894.[12]
20th century
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH), known as the Old Adobe Mission, was constructed by Mexican Catholics in the 1910s; it is the oldest Catholic church in Scottsdale.[13]
The second bishop of Phoenix was Auxiliary Bishop James Rausch from the Diocese of St. Cloud, named by Paul VI in 1977.[17][18] On occasion, he would celebrate mass in orange groves to accommodate undocumented migrants who were afraid to go into a city.[19] Rausch died in 1981.
To replace Rausch, Pope John Paul II appointed Monsignor Thomas J. O'Brien from Tucson in 1981.[20] During his tenure, O'Brien earned a reputation as a successful fundraiser, builder of schools, and advocate for the poor.[21] He was also instrumental in persuading John Paul II and Mother Teresa to visit Phoenix in the late 1980s. In 2003, a week after O'Brien fatally struck a pedestrian in a hit and run incident, he resigned as bishop of Phoenix.[22]
In 2009 the diocese contributed $50,000 to the successful campaign by Stand For Marriage Maine to overturn an impending legalization of same-sex marriage in Maine.[24][25] In 2014, two priests were physically assaulted during a burglary at Mater Misericordiae Mission in Phoenix. Reverend Kenneth Walker was fatally shot and Reverend Joseph Terra was wounded.[26] In 2017, the diocese marked the 100th anniversary of what became known as the Miracle of Fátima in Portugal.[27]
In July 2021, in response to Pope Francis' Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, which restricts the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), Olmsted issued a decree allowing the TLM to continue in the diocese under his dispensation.[28] Early in 2022, Reverend Andres Arango, a diocesan priest at St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix, resigned as pastor after learning he that he had used the incorrect words when performing thousands of baptisms. Olmsted said he believed the error, however inadvertent, required the individuals to be baptized again.[29] Olmsted retired in 2022.
Auxiliary Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of San Diego was appointed by Francis as the next bishop of Phoenix in 2022.[30] As of 2024, he is the current bishop of the diocese.
Mental Health Ministry
The Diocese of Phoenix creates first-ever office for Mental Health Ministry. The ministry will train priests and deacons in the basics of mental health awareness.
After losing three siblings to suicide, Bishop John P. Dolan is a remarkable example of resilience and reliance on God. Just months after his installation in August of 2022, he put his faith in action and opened the doors to the new Mental Health Ministry at the Diocese of Phoenix.
In 2020, Bishop Dolan published a book called “When a Loved One Dies by Suicide,” addressing misconceptions and the healing process after losing a loved one to suicide. But his work did not end there. God knew to use Bishop Dolan’s passion for mental health awareness within the Diocese of Phoenix. In December 2022, Bishop Dolan and members of the Diocese of Phoenix cut the ribbon at the ceremony and opened the doors to the Mental Health Ministry.
“This office is going to open up new avenues for accompanying people who are struggling with mental health and also accompanying people who have members in their family struggling with mental health,” Bishop Dolan remarked on the Creating Future Leaders podcast.
It is important to note that this ministry is not a substitute for professional help. Instead, the Mental Health Ministry intends to provide a space for mental health to be recognized and assisted within the church.
“We are focusing on education and advocacy. We are trying to get the message out that mental health is real in our society,” Bishop Dolan said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. We also need to garner assistance from every angle to help alleviate the pain.” The ministry will lead and train the church leaders on mental health, signs to look for, and creating a safe environment.
Faith in Action
Following Christ’s example, Bishop Dolan and the Diocese of Phoenix are taking steps to walk alongside those struggling with mental health issues. The church must have a seat at the table for mental health awareness. The Mental Health Ministry will make a tangible difference within the church, including diffusing the mental health stigma and the lives seeking help.
A Beacon of Hope
With the help of the dedicated staff, priests, deacons, and the support offered, the Mental Health Ministry will make a powerful impact on the lives seeking help. Bishop Dolan intends this program to be a beacon of hope and a strength to families within the Diocese of Phoenix.
Catholic Education Arizona commends the Diocese for adding the Mental Health Ministry and believes it will complement its mission to serve society and change lives. “People have been crying out for this type of ministry for so long, and we have you to thank for getting it rolling for us,” said Deb Preach, Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Education Arizona.
“I think many people were not able to cry out. I think they felt as though they were alone. But they’re not alone,” he said. “This office will help people realize they are not alone and that they can communicate this reality that is facing us all in our society.”
As a Church, we recognize that mental health is a critical component of our overall health and wellbeing. The Office of Mental Health Ministry seeks to accompany those with mental health needs in our parish and school communities in a Catholic, sustainable, ethical, and meaningful way. The focus of this ministry is education, accompaniment, and advocacy.
The Office of Mental Health Ministry is not a clinical resource and is not intended to serve as a substitute for treatment or counseling with a qualified professional. We do not diagnose or treat mental illness, but rather serve as an avenue to provide literacy in mental health to promote the reduction of mental illness stigma, encourage conversations around mental illness, and create a safe environment for individuals to share and seek help surrounding their mental illness (Catholic Mental Health Ministry Guidelines, 2019). Our mission is to help create pastoral environments where people living with mental illness can meet, share their experiences and their Catholic faith with others, and to grow spiritually in their relationship with God.
Remember, you are not alone.
Seminary
Historic New Seminary to Open in the Diocese of Phoenix Nazareth Seminary to Keep Future Priests in Arizona to Study & Discern PHOENIX (Oct. 3, 2023) –
For the first time in Arizona and in the 53-year history of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, a full seminary will open to form future priests for the 1.7 million Catholics who live in the diocese. Bishop John P. Dolan announced today that the Nazareth Seminary has been created, allowing young men to study and discern to become priests in Arizona, a first for one of the fastest growing dioceses in the United States. The Nazareth Seminary will house and educate all its seminarians in the Diocese of Phoenix as they complete their higher education, and their philosophy and theological studies, in preparation for priestly ordination. Historically, Arizonans who wanted to become priests had to travel out of state, with most recent seminarians from the Diocese of Phoenix attending St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, where seminarians from the diocese have been studying for more than a decade.
“Priests are formed in homes not institutions,” said Bishop Dolan, who was named the fifth bishop in the history of the diocese in August of 2022. “So rather than sending our guys away, we find that we can respect their love for family by keeping them in the community, our own portion of the Lord’s vineyard.”
Bishop Dolan is carrying on the commitment of his predecessor, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted – who in 2019 established the Nazareth House near St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix, a two-year, college-level house of formation for men entering seminary. From there, the seminarians would head to Denver. The household model of formation takes into consideration the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Program for Priestly Formation, Sixth Edition,” which supports a household model where men live in community as in a family.
The newest house of studies, Our Lady of Perpetual Help House, created for men in their third year or Spirituality Year, opened in August on the campus of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale. The diocese plans to open the third house, St. Mary’s House, in the fall 2024 at the former friary at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix.
It will be retrofitted to house 20 men in their Philosophy Year, while St. Joseph’s House is expected to open in fall 2026 for men in their Theology Year in preparation for ordination. “What we’ve found is that as men are closer in a community setting, they experience more personal growth,” said Fr. Paul Sullivan, rector of Nazareth House, now in its fifth year. Men in formation at Nazareth House are in the entry phase and new to the seminary and embarking on college courses.
“As seminarians are formed closer to their parishes, we’re finding that it stirs up in men a greater love for their diocese. And when men live in a smaller community they are known more; they have to be more accountable to guys in the house. It’s a model that is closer to rectory living,” Fr. Sullivan explained.
Another exciting element of the Nazareth Seminary is the unique arrangement between the Diocese of Phoenix and Mary College at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe. Mary College is an extension of the University of Mary based in Bismarck, N.D., sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters. Located in the heart of the ASU campus, Mary College is a domestic exchange program where students can study in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Mary College members enrolled at ASU can take a variety of Catholic Studies courses taught by University of Mary faculty and fulfill ASU general course requirements. Seminarians studying for the Diocese of Phoenix can now take Catholic Studies courses at Mary College to earn credits toward a University of Mary degree. “I’m excited for the ASU students,” said Professor Scott LeFor, program director and assistant professor of Catholic studies at Mary College. “It’s healthy for young people to study with seminarians. There’s something beautiful about an engineering student from ASU and a seminarian in the same class. It’s about building relationships.
There’s a level of excitement with the seminarians and the other students.” Once all four formation houses are open by 2026, Nazareth Seminary will fully meet the specifications from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Program For Priestly Formation.” The diocese hopes to celebrate the Ordination to the Holy Priesthood Mass for the first class of men to graduate from all four houses of formation of Nazareth Seminary in June of 2030.
NAZARETH SEMINARY Household Model Seminary Program 1. Nazareth House – Formation years, located near St. Gregory parish in Phoenix (opened in 2019) 2. Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) House – Spirituality year on campus of OLPH in Scottsdale (opened in August ’23) 3. St. Mary’s House – Philosophy years at former friary at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix (opens in August ’24) 4. St. Joseph’s House – Theology years, expected to open in fall of 2026 in Phoenix.
Founded on December 2, 1969, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix consists of 94 parishes, 23 missions, 29 elementary schools, seven high schools, three universities, and one seminary, and is one of the fastest growing dioceses in the United States, with an increase of over 300,000 Catholics in the past 10-years alone. The Diocese of Phoenix comprises Mohave, Coconino (except Navajo Indian Reservation), Yavapai, and Maricopa Counties, and the Gila Indian Reservation in the State of Arizona for a total of 43,967 square miles.
Media
Radio ministry
Radio Family Rosary is a radio ministry of the Diocese of Phoenix founded in 1983. The station begins with a recitation of the rosary every day.[31] After the rosary, the station focuses on a particular saint, or a point of catechism. The station was founded by Dorothy Westfall on a suggestion from a Phoenix parishioner suffering from arthritis.[32]
Olmsted often used radio communication and had a website with information about his "bishop's hour."[33] on Immaculate Heart Radio.The diocese began financially supporting En Familia radio KIDR in 2012 to reach out to Spanish speakers.
Newspaper
The Catholic Sun is the official online newspaper of the Diocese of Phoenix.[34] As of 2008, the paper was being delivered to over 115,000 homes in the diocese.[35]
According to data from the diocesan web site, the Diocese of Phoenix reported these statistics:
Estimated Catholic individuals – 2 million
Diocesan priests (including retired, sick, or absent) – 138
Extern priests – 78
Religious priests – 98
Permanent deacons – 225
Religious brothers – 10
Religious sisters – 129
Seminarians – 50
Parishes – 94
Missions – 23
Catholic cemeteries – 6
Catholic funeral homes – 2
High schools (diocesan and private) – 7
Elementary schools – 29
Pre-schools – 29
Parishes and Missions
Sacred Heart Church (1900) – PhoenixSaint Mary's Basilica (1914) – PhoenixImmaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church – Phoenix (1928), oldest Hispanic church in the city.
There are seven Catholic high-schools within the Diocese of Phoenix, 29 elementary schools, and 29 pre-schools.[42]Benedictine University and the University of Mary offer degree programs within the Diocese of Phoenix, and the diocese operates campus ministry programs at Newman Centers for four public universities.[43]
Congregations
As of 2020, twenty-eight communities of religious men and fifteen communities of religious women have a presence in the Diocese of Phoenix.[44][45] A diocesan Office for Consecrated Life serves as a guide for members of religious communities and for persons interested in consecrated life in its various forms.[46]
^Jimenez Gonzalez, Victor Manuel, ed. (2010). Sonora: Guía para descubrir los encantos del estado [Sonora: Guide to discover the charms of the state] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Editorial Océano de Mexico SA de CV. ISBN978-607-400-319-2.
^"Historia de Sonora" [History of Sonora] (in Spanish). Sonora Mexico: Government of Sonora. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
^"Historia - Sonora" [History - Sonora]. Enciclopedia de Los Municipios y Delegaciones de México Estado de Sonora (in Spanish). Mexico: Instituto para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal. 2010. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
^Jimenez Gonzalez, Victor Manuel, ed. (2010). Sonora: Guía para descubrir los encantos del estado [Sonora: Guide to discover the charms of the state] (in Spanish). Mexico City: Editorial Océano de Mexico SA de CV. p. 38. ISBN978-607-400-319-2.
