History & Significance
Cathedral · Est. Parish founded 1953; church dedicated 1954/1966; elevated to cathedral 1969
Saints Simon and Jude parish was established on May 15, 1953, by Bishop Daniel Gercke while the Phoenix area was still part of the Diocese of Tucson, with its first church dedicated in 1954 and a larger second church on December 11, 1966. In 1969 Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Phoenix and elevated the church to cathedral status, making it the mother church of the new diocese. Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there on September 14, 1987, and Mother Teresa spoke at the cathedral in 1989. It serves today as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
Modern (mid-20th-century) brick architecture
- •Seat and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
- •Parish established May 15, 1953 by Bishop Daniel Gercke (then under the Diocese of Tucson)
- •Elevated to cathedral in 1969 when Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Phoenix
- •Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there on September 14, 1987
- •Mother Teresa spoke there in 1989 when establishing a Missionaries of Charity branch in Phoenix
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