About Chapel of the Holy Cross · Sedona, Arizona
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built between 1954 and 1956 directly into the red rock buttes of Sedona, Arizona, within the Coconino National Forest. Commissioned by sculptor and rancher Marguerite Brunswig Staude as a memorial to her parents, it was designed by August K. Strotz and Richard Hein of the San Francisco firm Anshen & Allen in a striking modernist style that integrates a 90-foot steel-and-glass cross with the natural rock formation. The Chapel sits under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix and is ministered by St. John Vianney Parish in Sedona. It remains open daily to visitors of all faiths and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2011; in 2007 Arizonans named it one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona.
- Established
- 1956
- Patron
- The Holy Cross
- Rector
- Father Ignatius Mazanowski (Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish and Rector of the Chapel of the Holy Cross)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
The Chapel offers a uniquely intimate Catholic devotional rhythm — weekday Adoration (Wed & Fri, noon to 3 pm), Reconciliation in the same window, and a 3 pm Mass celebrated inside one of Arizona's most iconic sacred spaces — making it a deeply prayerful retreat from the busyness of Sedona. Its flagship weekly healing Mass on First Fridays, a Monday-evening Taizé prayer service, weekend Masses at neighboring St. John Vianney, livestreamed Sunday Mass, and on-site prayer teams on First and Third Fridays create multiple, accessible ways to encounter Christ, whether you are a year-round parishioner, a winter visitor, or a pilgrim drawn by the red-rock setting. The chapel is famously open to people of every creed, so newcomers and seekers find a genuinely welcoming spiritual home rooted in art, beauty, and silence.
Mass times at Chapel of the Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (at the Chapel of the Holy Cross; cancelled in July)
- Friday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (at the Chapel of the Holy Cross; cancelled in July)
- Saturday 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (at St. John Vianney)
- Sunday 5:00 pm – 5:45 pm (at St. John Vianney)
- Anointing of the Sick by appointment — 928-204-2615
Adoration times
- Wednesday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm (cancelled in July)
- Friday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm (cancelled in July)
History
Marguerite Brunswig Staude's vision to build 'a chapel dedicated to finding God through art' began in 1932 with the Empire State Building and survived the abandonment of a Budapest project with Lloyd Wright during WWII. After she and her husband Tony hired the San Francisco firm Anshen & Allen in 1953, architects August K. Strotz and Richard Hein selected a 200-foot red sandstone butte in Sedona that Staude saw as a natural Madonna and Child. Senator Barry Goldwater secured a Forest Service special-use permit, Bishop Bernard T. Espelage of Gallup gave canonical approval, and Fred Coukos of the William Simpson Construction Company completed the chapel in 18 months for $300,000 — opening in 1956 and being dedicated in spring 1957.
- Inspired 1932 from the Empire State Building; Budapest attempt aborted during WWII.
- Architects Anshen & Allen hired 1953; design architects August K. Strotz and Richard Hein.
- Senator Barry Goldwater assisted with Coconino National Forest special-use permit.
- Groundbreaking 1954; completed 1956; dedicated spring 1957.
- Father John Driscoll assigned as first pastor by Bishop Bernard T. Espelage.
- Added to the National Register of Historic Places October 6, 2011 (NRHP #10000947).
- Named one of Arizona's Seven Man-Made Wonders in 2007.
- Designated a 2025 Jubilee Site of the Diocese of Phoenix.
Architecture & Design
Rising 90 feet into the red rock on its downhill side and 30 feet on its uphill side, the 50-by-20-foot chapel is a paradigm of mid-century Contextualism. The walls are a steel frame enclosed in a poured-in-place concrete shell, sandblasted so the locally sourced red aggregate continues the color of the butte; the signature 90-foot steel-and-tinted-glass cross on the west elevation is both symbolic and structural. Inside, ~1,398 sq ft of usable space accommodates about 150 people (50 in pews) with parapet walls and a shed roof framing views through and beyond the building.
- Style: Contextualism / Mid-century Modernist.
- Architects: August K. Strotz (design) and Richard Hein (project), Anshen & Allen, San Francisco.
- Structural engineer: Robert D. Dewell. Electrical/mechanical: Earl & Gropp.
- Construction superintendent: Fred Coukos, William Simpson Construction Co.
- Materials: steel frame, poured-in-place concrete shell with locally sourced red aggregate; tinted glass cross.
- Dimensions: ~50 ft long × 20 ft wide × 90 ft tall (west) × 30 ft tall (east); 1,478 sq ft footprint; 1,398 sq ft interior.
- Capacity: ~150 (50 in pews).
- Awards: 1954 Progressive Architecture Award Program citation; 1957 AIA Award of Honor.
Prayer & Devotional Life
In addition to Mass and Adoration, the Chapel offers a weekly Taizé-style prayer service Monday evenings at 5:00 pm — meditative chanting and silence perfectly attuned to the chapel's red-rock setting. First and Third Fridays, on-site Prayer Teams are available after Mass for personal prayer ministry, and the parish catechist Father Ignatius Mazanowski brings particular expertise in healing ministry, spiritual direction (Institute of Priestly Formation, 2018–2020), and works closely with Restore Dignity Grief to Grace retreats and Witness to Love in the Diocese of Phoenix.
- Taizé Prayer: Mondays 5:00 pm.
- First Friday Special Healing Mass + Prayer Teams on First & Third Fridays.
- Anointing of the Sick by appointment: 928-204-2615.
- Spiritual direction and healing ministry under Fr. Ignatius Mazanowski.
Ministries & Outreach
Staff at St. John Vianney and the Chapel include Directors of Music & Liturgy (Tim and Julie Smith), Director of Chapel & Gift Shop Operations (Betty McGinnis), Catholic Evangelist Rae-Mi LeRoy, Director of Parish & Chapel Initiatives, and a robust pastoral team. The Healing Ministry, Prayer Teams, livestream team, and on-site gift-shop and visitor ministry all serve a parish population that includes a large number of seasonal residents, tourists, and pilgrims drawn by the chapel's iconic architecture.
- Music & Liturgy — Tim and Julie Smith.
- Catholic Evangelization — Rae-Mi LeRoy.
- Pastoral Care / Anointing of the Sick.
- Prayer Teams (First & Third Fridays).
- Livestream ministry (Facebook & YouTube).
- Gift Shop and Chapel visitor welcome team.
Clergy & Staff
Pastoral leadership of the Chapel is provided by the team of St. John Vianney Parish, the mother parish that runs the ministry on-site. Father Ignatius Mazanowski serves as both Pastor of St. John Vianney and Rector of the Chapel, joined by Parochial Vicar Father David Kulandaisamy and Deacons Dennis Sullivan and Ron Martinez.
- Fr. Ignatius Mazanowski — Pastor / Rector (since 2021)
- Fr. David Kulandaisamy — Parochial Vicar
- Dcn. Dennis Sullivan
- Dcn. Ron Martinez
- Molly Barney — Director of Finance & HR
- Becky Goulet — Pastoral Associate
- Steve Nache — Director of Development
- Betty McGinnis — Director of Chapel & Gift Shop Operations
- Tim & Julie Smith — Directors of Music & Liturgy
- Lisa Aiello — Administrative Coordinator; Maria Mendoza — Parish Secretary
- Joe Barney — Director of Maintenance & Facilities
- Mariah McLaughlin — Chapel Coordinator
Visit the Chapel
Open to people of every creed since it was dedicated, the Chapel receives tens of thousands of visitors each year. The gates open daily at 9:00 am and close at 5:00 pm, with the last in-door entry at 4:45 pm. The Gift Shop (9:30 am – 4:30 pm) offers devotional items and is closed only on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.
- Daily hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; last entry 4:45 pm.
- Gift Shop: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm (closed Christmas & Easter).
- All faiths and backgrounds welcome.
- Rated #1 of the 10 Best Attractions in Sedona.
- 800 Chapel Road, Sedona, AZ 86336 — phone 928-282-7545.
Diocese & Historic Recognition
The Chapel is a site within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix; its liturgical ministry is canonically entrusted to St. John Vianney Parish, which serves as the mother parish for the Sedona Catholic community. In 2025 the Diocese named the Chapel an official Jubilee Site. Earlier architectural recognition came from the American Institute of Architects' Award of Honor (1957) and the Progressive Architecture Award Program (1954), followed by inclusion on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
- Diocese of Phoenix (dphx.org).
- Official 2025 Jubilee Site of the Diocese of Phoenix.
- AIA Award of Honor, 1957.
- National Register of Historic Places, October 6, 2011 (NRHP #10000947).
- One of Arizona's Seven Man-Made Wonders, 2007.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Driscoll1956–
Assigned by Bishop Bernard T. Espelage as the first pastor of the newly completed Chapel of the Holy Cross upon its dedication in the spring of 1957.
- Father Ignatius Mazanowski2021–present
Current Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish and Rector of the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Holds a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Meinrad (2004) and a Doctorate in Moral Theology from Santa Croce, Rome (2016); ordained 2011. Serves as Director of Medical Ethics and Chaplain to the Catholic Medical Association in the Diocese of Phoenix.
