About Good Shepherd of the Desert Catholic Church · Congress, Arizona
Good Shepherd of the Desert is a small Roman Catholic mission parish serving the rural community of Congress, Arizona, in the northern part of the Diocese of Phoenix. Tucked into the high desert two blocks off Highway 89 via Highway 71, the parish is one of the diocese's smallest faith communities but is described by Bishop John Dolan as having 'a vibrant spirit.' It is currently twinned with St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bagdad, with a single priest serving both mission communities about 50 miles apart in the hills west of Wickenburg. The parish takes its name from Christ the Good Shepherd, and offers a weekly Saturday Vigil Mass for its members.
- Patron
- Christ the Good Shepherd
- Rector
- Rev. Julius Kayiwa
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
Good Shepherd of the Desert offers Catholics in Congress and the surrounding Arizona desert a true Eucharistic home, with a Saturday Vigil Mass each week and the pastoral care of a dedicated priest who, together with Bishop Dolan, has committed to building up the community — most recently through the blessing of a new parish hall. As Bishop Dolan observed after the December 2025 installation, the mission may be small in number, but it carries a warm, prayerful, and welcoming spirit that draws together ranchers, miners, and longtime desert residents who would otherwise be far from a Catholic church.
Mass times at Good Shepherd of the Desert Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission
Good Shepherd of the Desert is a Roman Catholic mission parish of the Diocese of Phoenix located at 26750 S Congress Way in Congress, Arizona (ZIP 85332). It serves Catholics living in Congress and the surrounding ranch and high-desert country in northern Yavapai County. The mission is classified as a Roman Rite parish in the English language and is currently one of the smallest Catholic communities under the pastoral care of the Diocese of Phoenix. Its parish website is hosted on the diocesan platform at dphx.org.
- Address: 26750 S Congress Way, Congress, AZ 85332
- Phone: (928) 685-4712
- Rite: Roman-Latin (Roman Rite)
- Diocese: Phoenix
- Type: Mission
History & Community
The mission serves the small, scattered population of Congress, a township in the Arizona high desert west of Wickenburg. As one of the diocese's mission churches in Yavapai County, Good Shepherd of the Desert has historically been staffed alongside a neighboring mission rather than by a resident pastor. In July 2025, Fr. Julius Kayiwa was named Parochial Administrator of Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bagdad. On December 20, 2025, Bishop John Dolan formally installed him as pastor of both communities in a special Mass at the Congress church, then traveled the following day to install him in Bagdad. Bishop Dolan later blessed the mission's new parish hall at a reception following the installation Mass, a milestone in the life of the small community.
- Twinned with St. Francis of Assisi Mission, Bagdad (about 50 miles apart near Wickenburg).
- Bishop John Dolan celebrated the installation Mass on December 20, 2025.
- Bishop Dolan blessed a new parish hall after the installation Mass.
- Catholic Sun, the diocesan newspaper, covered the installation in December 2025.
Patron & Feast
The mission is named for Christ the Good Shepherd, in the words of John 10:11: 'I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.' Good Shepherd of the Desert, together with Good Shepherd Mission in New River and the Scottsdale-based National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, falls under the patronage of Christ the Good Shepherd. The parish's feast day is Good Shepherd Sunday — the Fourth Sunday of Easter — which the universal Church also marks as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, praying for priests, deacons, religious life, and missionary vocations.
- Patron: Christ the Good Shepherd
- Feast: Good Shepherd Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter)
- Also observed as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission is currently pastored by Rev. Julius Kayiwa, who was appointed Parochial Administrator by the Diocese of Phoenix effective July 1, 2025 and installed as pastor by Bishop John Dolan on December 20, 2025. He also serves as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Mission in Bagdad, traveling between the two mission communities that lie roughly an hour apart. The arrangement reflects the diocese's practice of pairing remote missions so that Catholics in the rural north of the diocese can be served by a dedicated priest.
- Pastor: Rev. Julius Kayiwa
- Appointed Parochial Administrator of Good Shepherd of the Desert and St. Francis of Assisi (Bagdad) — effective July 1, 2025.
- Installed as pastor by Bishop John Dolan on December 20, 2025.
Diocese of Phoenix
Good Shepherd of the Desert is a mission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, led by Bishop John Dolan. The diocese, part of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Archbishop of Los Angeles, covers the Catholic faithful across central and northern Arizona, including the rural Yavapai County communities of Congress, Bagdad, Mayer, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Sedona. The parish's official diocesan listing places it in the northern vicariate of the diocese.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
- Bishop: Most Rev. John P. Dolan
- Located in Yavapai County in the northern part of the diocese
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Julius KayiwaInstalled December 20, 2025; previously appointed Parochial Administrator effective July 1, 2025
Installed as pastor by Bishop John Dolan; also serves St. Francis of Assisi Mission in Bagdad.