About Our Lady of the Angels Conventual Church (Franciscan) · Scottsdale, Arizona
Our Lady of the Angels is a Conventual Catholic church at the Franciscan Renewal Center (affectionately called 'the Casa') in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is led by friars of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) of the Province of Saint Barbara and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The parish, which grew out of a retreat ministry started in 1951, is housed in a striking 17,000-square-foot church dedicated on October 4, 2017, by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, and serves about 2,200 registered families. It is celebrated for its inspiring liturgies with acclaimed musicians, the iconic San Damiano Crucifix, and a Franciscan spirituality of welcome, peace, justice, and care for creation.
- Established
- 1951 (as Casa de Paz y Bien retreat center; current church building dedicated October 4, 2017)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Angels (of the Portiuncula)
- Rector
- Fr. Page Polk, OFM (Rector)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (the church is canonically 'conventual,' belonging to the Franciscan Friars Province of Saint Barbara, in cooperation with the Diocese of Phoenix)
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Angels welcomes anyone seeking spiritual growth, healing, and transformation in a Franciscan setting. The parish offers inspiring liturgies led by friars and acclaimed musicians, a full sacramental life (Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing, and OCIA/RCIA for adults and teens), daily and Sunday Mass with livestream options, and a rich prayer life that includes Eucharistic Adoration, Taizé Prayer Around the Cross, and a healing prayer group. Members of all ages can grow through family, youth, young adult, and adult faith formation, while Faith in Action ministries put Catholic social teaching into practice through justice, peace, and care-for-creation work across Arizona.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Angels Conventual Church (Franciscan)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Adoration times
- First Friday of each month, 6:00 – 7:00 pm, in the church
About the Casa and Our Lady of the Angels
Our Lady of the Angels is the church of the Franciscan Renewal Center, known locally as 'the Casa.' Founded as Casa de Paz y Bien in 1951 by the Order of Friars Minor, it began as a Catholic retreat center on what is now 25 acres along Lincoln Drive in Scottsdale/Paradise Valley. The Casa works cooperatively with the Diocese of Phoenix. Activities include daily and Sunday Mass in Our Lady of the Angels Church, private retreats, individual therapy and counseling, support groups, education, retreats and events, faith formation, and volunteer ministries serving the poor and vulnerable. The Casa is led by Executive Director Charles Brown and by Fr. Page Polk, OFM, Rector of Our Lady of the Angels Church.
- Founded 1951 as Casa de Paz y Bien by the Order of Friars Minor
- Cooperative with the Diocese of Phoenix
- 25-acre campus (5 acres Town of Paradise Valley, 20 acres Maricopa County)
- Affectionately called 'the Casa'
History of the Parish
The Casa was born from a 1951 conversation over a ham sandwich and beer between the friars and the former owners of the Kachina Lodge. For decades the small chapel, twice expanded, seated only 60. By 2015, with 2,200 registered families, Masses routinely overflowed onto the lawn. On January 3, 2016, Bishop Olmsted broke ground on the new church as the centerpiece of the $20 million 'Renewing Lives' master plan. After 22 months of construction, Bishop Olmsted dedicated the Conventual Church of Our Lady of the Angels on the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2017. The Casa completed its master plan in 2019 and in 2021 transitioned to new executive leadership with Charles Brown succeeding Fr. Joe Schwab, OFM.
- 1951: Casa de Paz y Bien founded by the Order of Friars Minor
- 2006: Becomes a conventual church (canonical property of the Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara)
- January 3, 2016: Groundbreaking for new church with Bishop Olmsted and nearly 400 community members
- October 4, 2017: Dedication on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
- 2019: Master plan completed
- May 1, 2021: Charles Brown becomes Executive Director
Worship and Liturgy
The 17,000-square-foot church seats 600 in cherry-wood pews with overflow for 200, and is designed for a 100-year life. Its 42-foot round nave recalls fifth-century and Spanish colonial mission architecture. Masses are celebrated by the Franciscan friars with acclaimed musicians, and the Saturday Vigil, Sunday 9:15 am, and weekday Masses are livestreamed. Eucharistic Adoration is held on the first Friday of each month from 6 to 7 pm. The church is also home to a monthly Taizé Prayer Around the Cross service on the first Wednesday at 7 pm, and a prayer-request ministry of the Interfaith Healing Prayer Group.
- Weekend Mass: Saturday Vigil 4:00 pm; Sunday 7:30, 9:15, 11:00 am
- Daily Mass: Monday – Friday 8:00 am
- Confession: Saturday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
- Adoration: 1st Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
- Taizé Prayer: 1st Wednesday, 7:00 pm (livestreamed)
- Healing Prayer requests: [email protected]
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Fr. Page Polk, OFM (Rector), a Dallas native with a background in education, psychology, and counseling and an M.Div. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He previously directed the Catholic Chaplain Corps for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and served as Director of Vocations for the Province of St. John the Baptist in Cincinnati, and he leads Franciscan pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Fr. Vincent Nguyen, OFM, serves as Vice-Rector and is the creator of the San Damiano Crucifix in the church. The Liturgy Team is led by Director of Liturgy and Music Norbert Zwickl, Assistant Director Richard Guerra, and Executive Assistant Rosa Rodriguez-Saiz. The Executive Director of the Franciscan Renewal Center is Charles Brown.
- Fr. Page Polk, OFM — Rector ([email protected])
- Fr. Vincent Nguyen, OFM — Vice-Rector ([email protected])
- Norbert Zwickl — Director of Liturgy and Music (480.355.0346)
- Richard Guerra — Assistant Director of Liturgy and Music (480.355.0347)
- Rosa Rodriguez-Saiz — Executive Assistant to the Liturgy Office (480.355.5642)
- Charles Brown — Executive Director, Franciscan Renewal Center (480.355.5643)
Faith Formation
Faith Formation at the Casa is lifelong and ongoing, centered on the Eucharist, the Gospel, Franciscan values, and the mission work of the Church. Two collaborative ministries — Faith in Action and Generational Ministries — provide opportunities for community members of all ages to grow in faith. The Faith Formation portal (casafaithformation.org) is the central hub for programs, registration, and sacramental inquiry.
- Family Ministry
- Youth Ministry
- Young Adult Ministry
- Adult Ministry
- Whole Community Ministry
- Faith in Action Ministries
- Service & Immersion Program
- Casa Faith Formation Portal: casafaithformation.org
Faith in Action — Justice, Peace, and Creation Care
Faith in Action is the Casa's social-justice ministry, putting Catholic social teaching and Franciscan spirituality into practice across Arizona. Its signature 'Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly' (ALW) program offers formation courses — including the Ubuntu Spirit of Solidarity, Terra Amata, and a 25-week complete course — in small faith communities that study Scripture (Micah 6:8) and St. Francis' revolutionary embrace of all Creation. Volunteer teams tackle real societal needs across the state, from migrant and refugee accompaniment to environmental work.
- Faith in Action Manager: Laura Libertore ([email protected] / [email protected], 480.355.5645)
- ALW short courses (6–8 weeks): Ubuntu Spirit of Solidarity, Terra Amata
- Complete ALW course (25 weeks)
- Volunteer ministry teams across Arizona
- Visit the Faith in Action Linktree for upcoming activities
Sacraments and Rites
The Franciscan Renewal Center celebrates the Seven Sacraments frequently, with preparation coordinated as part of (not apart from) its Faith Formation Ministries. Infant, child, youth, and adult Baptism are all available. A family-based process prepares children and teens for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Adults preparing for initiation, full communion, or Confirmation journey through OCIA, while teens do so through OCIT. Individuals, families, and loved ones are welcome to contact the parish at any time of year; certain sacraments may require ongoing participation in family and youth ministries.
- Baptism — infant (0 – 1st grade), children (2nd – 6th), youth (7th – 12th), adult (18+)
- First Reconciliation — family-based preparation
- First Eucharist / First Communion — family-based preparation
- Confirmation — children, teens (OCIT), and adults
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
- OCIT — Order of Christian Initiation of Teens (6th – 12th grade)
- Marriage and Anointing of the Sick — contact parish
- Sacrament inquiry form available on the Faith Formation portal
Art, Architecture, and the San Damiano Cross
Through commissioned art, architecture, and liturgical art glass, the church tells the story of Christ through a Franciscan lens, drawing on natural building materials and rich symbolism. Art Docent Tours invite visitors to discover this symbolism and are offered publicly from October onward. A signature piece is the San Damiano Crucifix hand-created by Fr. Vincent Nguyen, OFM. Group tours of 10 or more can be requested in summer by emailing [email protected] or calling 480.306.4241.
- Public art docent tours resume in October
- Group tour requests: [email protected] or 480.306.4241
- San Damiano Crucifix by Fr. Vincent Nguyen, OFM
Franciscan Renewal Center — Beyond the Parish
The Casa is much more than a parish. As an active religious community of the Order of Friars Minor, it offers individual therapy and counseling, support groups, private retreats, education, retreats and events, conference space for non-profit and religious groups, and volunteer ministries in service of the poor and vulnerable. The FRC Board of Directors is chaired by Diane Catlin and includes friars, the rector, and lay community members who bring skills in strategy, finance, HR, and health care.
- Private retreats
- Individual therapy and counseling
- Support groups
- Education, retreats, and events
- Conference space for non-profit and religious groups
- FRC Board of Directors chaired by Diane Catlin
- Treasurer: Linda Christian; Secretary: Richard Murphy
Get Involved — Registration, Giving, and Volunteer
Newcomers are invited to register as members of Our Lady of the Angels through the parish website. There are also many ways to give time and talent: as a faith-formation volunteer, an ALW course facilitator, a Liturgy Team member, a Faith in Action volunteer, or in any of the Casa's other ministries in service of those who are poor, ill, homebound, or otherwise vulnerable. More than 1,300 individuals and families helped build the church — including a woman living in her car who gave $1 — a sign of how every gift matters at the Casa.
- Become a Registered Member via thecasa.org
- Volunteer with Faith & Action
- Volunteer with Generational Ministries
- Make a gift to support Casa ministries
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Peter Kirwin, OFMthrough ~2017 (arrived in the Valley in 1991, served 17 years at the Casa)
Rector at the groundbreaking for the new church in January 2016; later moved to actively retired status.
- Fr. Daniel Barica, OFMafter 2017
Arrived from Sts. Simon and Jude in Huntington Beach, CA; joined the Province of Saint Barbara in 1991 after a summer as a covenant worker at the Casa.
- Fr. Sam Nasada, OFMafter 2017
Served as associate in the parish church following the 2017 clergy changes.
- Fr. Page Polk, OFMcurrent
Born and reared in Dallas, TX; background in education, psychology, and counseling; holds a B.S. from East Texas State University, advanced degrees from the University of Northern Colorado and East Texas State University, and an M.Div. from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. Member of the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Former Director of the Catholic Chaplain Corps for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and Director of Vocations for the Legacy Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati. Leads Franciscan pilgrimages to the Holy Land.