Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix

Coat of arms

The official description found in an earlier version of the website of the diocese read as follows: "These arms are composed of a blue field on which is placed a silver (white) mountain to represent Camelback Mountain, a significant aspect of the backdrop of the See City. Arising from the mountain as a gold (yellow) bird that is coming forth from red flames to represent the mythological phoenix, that arose from the ashes, and for which the See City of Phoenix is named. Above the phoenix is a gold "cross formy fitchée (three arms of a cross and one resembling a spike), which is taken from the arms of the Diocese of Tucson to signify that it was from the territory of Tucson that the Diocese of Phoenix was carved in 1969."

Historically important churches

Statistics

According to the Diocese 2012 Directory published October 2011

Diocesan statistics

Data for 1970 through 2002 is taken from Catholic Hierarchy webpage which shows data from Annuario Pontificio. Data for 2003 and later is taken from the (Annual)Diocesan Directory Diocese of Phoenix.

Leadership

Below is a list of individuals who have led the Diocese of Phoenix since its creation

Ordinaries

The list of bishops of the diocese and their tenure of service:

1. Bishop Edward Anthony McCarthy (1969–1976)
2. Bishop James Steven Rausch (1977–1981)
3. Bishop Thomas Joseph O'Brien (1982–2003)
4. Bishop Thomas James Olmsted (2003–present) As bishop, Olmsted resides at the rectory of the Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude, the mother church of the diocese, located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Auxiliary Bishop

Bishop Emeritus

The diocese has a residence for the bishop from 1977 which has served previous bishops and is still occupied by O'Brien.

Apostolic Administrator

Metropolitan Archdiocese

Bishops who once were priests of the Diocese of Phoenix

Parishes and missions

Maricopa County

1. Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, Aguila
2. St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church, Anthem
3. St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Avondale
4. St. Philip Benizi Mission, Black Canyon City
5. St. Henry Church, Buckeye
6. Our Lady of Joy Church, Carefree
7. St. William Church, Cashion
8. St. Gabriel the Archangel, Cave Creek
9. St. Andrew the Apostle Church, Chandler
10. St. Mary Church, Chandler
11. St. Columba Kim Korean Church, Chandler
12. Santa Teresita Church, El Mirage
13. Ascension Church, Fountain Hills
14. St. Michael Mission, Gila Bend
15. St. Anne Church, Gilbert
16. St. Mary Magdalene Church, Gilbert
17. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Glendale
18. St. Helen Church, Glendale
19. St. James Church, Glendale
20. St. Louis the King Church, Glendale
21. St. Raphael Church, Glendale
22. St. Thomas More Church, Glendale
23. St. John Vianney Church, Goodyear
24. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Guadalupe
25. St. John the Baptist Church, Komatke Gila River Indian Community Mission
26. All Saints Church, Mesa
27. Christ the King Church, Mesa
28. Holy Cross Church, Mesa
29. Queen of Peace Church, Mesa
30. St. Bridget Church, Mesa
31. St. Timothy Church, Mesa
32. All Saints Catholic Newman Center, Tempe ASU
33. Good Shepherd Mission, New River
34. St. Charles Borromeo Church, Peoria
35. Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude, Phoenix
36. Corpus Christi Church, Phoenix
37. Holy Family Church, Phoenix
38. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Phoenix
39. Most Holy Trinity Church, Phoenix
40. Our Lady of Czestochowa Polish Church, Phoenix
41. Our Lady of the Valley Church, Phoenix
42. Sacred Heart Church, Phoenix
43. St. Agnes Church, Phoenix
44. St. Anthony Church, Phoenix
45. St. Augustine Church, Phoenix
46. St. Benedict Church, Phoenix
47. St. Catherine of Siena Church, Phoenix
48. St. Edward the Confessor Church, Phoenix
49. St. Francis Xavier Church, Phoenix
50. St. Gregory Church, Phoenix
51. St. Jerome Church, Phoenix
52. St. Joan of Arc Church, Phoenix
53. St. Joseph Church, Phoenix
54. St. Luke Church, Phoenix
55. St. Mark Church, Phoenix
56. St. Martin de Porres Church, Phoenix
57. St. Mary's Basilica, Phoenix
58. Mater Misericordiae Mission Tridentine Latin Masses, Phoenix
59. St. Matthew Church, Phoenix
60. St. Paul Church, Phoenix
61. St. Theresa Church, Phoenix
62. St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Phoenix
63. St. Vincent de Paul Church, Phoenix
64. Vietnamese Martyrs Church, Phoenix
65. Our Lady of Fatima Mission, Phoenix
66. St. Dominic Mission, Rio Verde
67. St. Francis of Assisi Mission, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
68. St. Paschal Baylon Chapel, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
69. San Lucy Mission, San Lucy Village of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Gila Bend
70. Blessed Sacrament Church, Scottsdale
71. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Scottsdale
72. Our Lady of the Angels Conventual Franciscan Church and Renewal Center, Scottsdale, a ministry of the OFM Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara
73. St. Bernadette Church, Scottsdale
74. St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, Scottsdale
75. St. Daniel the Prophet Church, Scottsdale
76. St. Maria Goretti Church, Scottsdale
77. St. Patrick Church, Scottsdale
78. St. Clement of Rome Church, Sun City
79. St. Elizabeth Seton Church, Sun City
80. St. Joachim and St. Anne Church, Sun City
81. Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sun City West
82. Prince of Peace Church, Sun City West (part of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish)
83. St. Steven Church, Sun Lakes
84. St. Clare of Assisi Church, Surprise
85. All Saints Catholic Newman Center, Tempe ASU
86. Holy Spirit Church, Tempe
87. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Tempe
88. Resurrection Church, Tempe
89. St. Margaret Church, Tempe
90. Blessed Sacrament Church, Tolleson
91. St. Anthony of Padua Church, Wickenburg

Pinal County

Gila River Indian Community Missions

1. St. Peter Mission, Bapchule
2. Holy Family Mission, Blackwater
3. St. Anthony Mission, Sacaton
4. Our Lady of Victory Mission, Sacaton Flats
5. St. Anne Mission, Santan
6. St. Catherine Mission, Santa Cruz

Ak-Chin Indian Community

1. St. Francis Mission

Yavapai County

1. St. Francis of Assisi Mission, Bagdad
2. St. Frances Cabrini Church, Camp Verde
3. St. Catherine Laboure Mission, Chino Valley
4. St. Cecelia Mission, Clarkdale
5. Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission, Congress
6. Immaculate Conception Church, Cottonwood
7. St. Joseph Mission, Mayer
8. Sacred Heart Church, Prescott
9. St. Germaine Church, Prescott Valley
10. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Queen Creek
11. St. John Vianney Church, Sedona
12. St. Mary Mediatrix Mission, Yarnell

Coconino County

1. San Francisco de Asis, Flagstaff
2. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel, Flagstaff
3. St. Pius X Center, Flagstaff
4. Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel, Flagstaff
5. Holy Trinity Newman Center, Flagstaff NAU
6. El Cristo Rey Mission, Grand Canyon Village
7. Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona
8. St. Francis Church, Seligman
9. St. Joseph Church, Williams

Mohave County

1. St. Margaret Mary Church, Bullhead City
2. Our Lady of the Desert Mission, Dolan Springs
3. Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lake Havasu City
4. La Santisima Trinidad Mission, Littlefield and Scenic
5. St. Mary Church, Kingman

Eastern Catholic Churches and Communities active in the area of the Diocese of Phoenix

1. Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix
2. St Stephen Byzantine Catholic Cathedral in Phoenix
3. St. Thomas the Apostle Byzantine Catholic Church in Gilbert
4. Mar Auraha Chaldean and Assyrian Catholic Church in Scottsdale
5. St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church in Phoenix
6. St. John of the Desert Melkite Catholic Church in Phoenix
7. Dormition of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church in Phoenix
8. Syro Malabar Catholic Mission in Phoenix

Schools

Youth Protection

Office of Child and Youth Protection

Media

The diocese uses several types of media to fulfill its evangelization efforts:

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. After the rosary the station focus on a particular saint, or a point of catechism is held. The station was founded by Dorothy Westfall, after a suggestion from a Phoenix parishioner suffering from arthritis.

Bishop Thomas Olmsted often uses radio communication and has a website with information about his "bishop's hour." on Immaculate Heart Radio.

The diocese began financially supporting En Familia radio KIDR in 2012 to reach out to those who speak Spanish.

Newspaper

The Catholic Sun is the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The paper is delivered to more than 115,000 homes in the counties of Coconino, Maricopa, Mohave, and Yavapai.

Television

Mass is broadcast live from Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude each Sunday morning by KAZT, along with a show immediately following entitled "Catholics Matter". The Mass was once on KUTP.

Social media

The diocese has an active presence on YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and others and continues to expand its presence online.

Women religious

Private Association of the Faithful

Secular institutes

Male religious

Religious brothers

Other Catholic organizations in the Diocese of Phoenix

This list is fairly complete, but there might be others to add.

Notable incidents

On June 11, 2014, two priests were attacked by a lone burglar at Mater Misericordiae Mission in Phoenix. Parochial vicar Rev. Kenneth Walker, FSSP, 28, who had been ordained just two years earlier, died of gunshot wounds after being admitted to the hospital. Rev. Joseph Terra, FSSP was wounded. The Diocese of Phoenix in a statement said it was "stunned and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic assault."

Politics

In July 2009 the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Phoenix contributed $50,000 of its money to overturn a law in the state of Maine allowing same-sex civil marriage. In early 2009, Maine, through its legislature and with the approval of its Catholic governor extended the civil rights of same sex couples to marry in Maine. According to Maine's "Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices", the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Maine spent over $553,000 to rescind those rights. The Diocese of Phoenix's $50,000 was part of that $553,000.