Catholic History of Arizona

With the help of Father Louis Shoen,

a group of young, Catholic men

gathered in the old rectory of St.

Mary’s and began what would later

become the

Phoenix Diocesan Council for the

Society of St. Vincent

de Paul

Phoenix, Arizona, 1946, more than a hundred years and five thousand miles after St. Vincent de Paul

Catholic Non Profit Organizations

St. Vincent De Paul Charity Dining Room Started in 1952, Charity Dining Room now supplies 1.2 million meals to hungry families and individuals each year.

What first began in 1952 as Johnny’s

Restaurant, the St. Vincent de Paul

Charity Dining Room has been feeding

the homeless and jobless of Arizona

for 60 years.

Photos courtesy of Phoenix Diocesan Council Archives

Programs include services for the homeless, medical and dental care charity dining rooms, thrift stores, a transitional housing shelter and general assistance for individuals in need. St. Vincent De Paul

Catholic Church

Today, 62 years after the first meeting, the Phoenix

Diocesan Council for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has 89 Conferences of Charity,

over 2,500 active members and more than 6,000 volunteers.

Society

of St. Vincent de Paul

This is the charity place of all chari-

ties it involves a lot of baggage and

other things it really is quite the

set up they have down at St. Vin-

cent De Paul, Golly Gee, what fun

they have in Phoenix

Photos Courtesy of St. Vincent De Paul

Catholic Charities AZ

Casa Linda

Lodge

A Catholic, halfway home located

1825 W Northern Ave

Catholic Charities AZ’s

mission statement is to

reach out to thousands

of people, regardless of

their race, ethnicity,

economic status, or

religious affiliation, to

shelter the homeless

and abused, protect

and nurture children,

strengthen and reunify

families, welcome and

assist refugees, aid

those in crisis, and help

the impoverished.

Above: Catholic Charities President & CEO Bob Brown and

Arizona Cardinals President Michael Bidwill share a moment

with Darrin and his young sons. Catholic Charities helped put

him on the path to hope and now Darrin is a spokesperson and

advocate for the Catholics Charities Office in Arizona

Only one branch of the Arizona Wide Catholic Charities AZ. A Catholic organization dedicated to combating poverty in Arizona

Photos: (Top right) Statue of Father Kino on horseback, courtesy of www.pjjune.net; (mid left) painting of Father Kino, courtesy of

www.waymarking.com; (bottom right) San Xavier del Bac mission; courtesy of www.sanxaviermission.com

Above: 1687 Father Eusebio Kino,

“The Father on Horseback” Arrives

1687-1711: Father Eusebio

Kino, “The Father on horse-

back,” was the first Jesuit to

come to Arizona. He traveled

all throughout Mexico, Cali-

fornia, and Arizona. During

his stint in Arizona, Father

Kino established twenty mis-

sions. One of the most nota-

ble missions would be San

Xavier del Bac mission in

Tuscan, Arizona.

The

Jesuits

of

In 1751, the Pima Indians

revolted against the Jesuit

missionaries in Arizona. In

turn, the Franciscan monks

took the place of the Jesuits.

It isn’t until 1928 that the

Jesuits return to Arizona.

Top left; Group of women whom are part of the Pima

Indians: Right; Image of Father Marquette with native

Americans, just a good example of Jesuits working with

the Indians: Bottom Left; Plaque to represent the open-

ing of Brophy Prep, the same year that the Jesuits re-

turned to Arizona.

Photos: (Top Right) courtesy of www.todaymedianetwork.com; (Left) courtesy of www.wikepedia.org; (Bottom left) courtesy of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix archives

In 1928 Brophy Prep was

founded by the Jesuits

upon their return to Ari-

zona. However it was shut

down during the Great

Depression. 17 years later

Brophy prep reopened. In

1932 St. Francis Xavier

parish was established and

is the only Jesuit parish

within Phoenix. In 2009

the Kino Border initiative

was founded to help illegal

immigrants.

Top Left: Photos of Brophy College Prep; Right: St. Francis Xavier Parish; Bottom Left: Image of migrants at the

Kino Boder Initiative

The beginning of the Catholic Church in Arizona can be traced back to the year 1539; 47 years after Columbus discovered the Americas. A Franciscan friar named Marcos de Niza traveled up through the Gulf of California into a northern territory, which had never been explored. He planted a cross on the land and named it "the New Kingdom of St. Fran-cis." As a result, Padre Marcos de Niza is called the discoverer of Arizona and New Mexico.

The church above was built where Marcos De Niza planted the Cross.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was established on December 2, 1969 by Pope Paul VI. The Diocese, which is comprised of 43,967 square miles, includes the counties of Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai, and Coconino (excluding the territorial boundaries of the Navajo Indian Reservation), and also includes the Gila River Indian Res-ervation in Pinal County.

Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy was the first bishop in Arizona

St. Mary’s Basilica was built in 1881 and was the first church created in Phoenix.

The two pictures above and below show the evolution of St. Mary’s Basilica.

On December 2, 1969 Pope Paul IV created the Diocese of Phoenix.

The Catholic Sun (Catholic newspaper) was created in 1985. It goes out to about 115,000 people every day.