About St. Catherine · Cibecue, Arizona
St. Catherine Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in Cibecue, Arizona, serving the White Mountain Apache community on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the American Southwest. It is a mission of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Whiteriver and is part of the Diocese of Gallup's Lower Arizona Vicariate. Under the pastoral care of Fr. John Cormack, the parish celebrates one weekly Sunday Mass at 11:30 a.m. The church is among the more remote Native American Catholic communities in the region, where 80 percent unemployment has made outside grant support, such as the Black and Indian Mission Office (BIMO), vital to sustaining the priestly presence.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- St. Catherine
- Rector
- Fr. John Cormack
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
St. Catherine offers White Mountain Apache Catholics of the Cibecue area a weekly Sunday Mass and a visible, historic Catholic presence in one of the more remote parts of the Fort Apache Reservation. The parish is a mission of the larger St. Francis of Assisi community in Whiteriver and is sustained in part through the support of the Diocese of Gallup and grants like the Black and Indian Mission Office, meaning that every visit and every contribution helps keep a priest present in a community facing very real economic hardship.
Mass times at St. Catherine
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Catherine Mission
St. Catherine was established in 1924 as a mission of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Whiteriver, under Franciscan care, on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The Apaches of the Cibecue community manufactured the cement blocks used to build the church, which was dedicated by Bishop Daniel Gerke of Tucson, since the territory was still part of the Tucson diocese. In 1939 jurisdiction was transferred to the Diocese of Gallup. The Franciscans continued to staff the parish until 2018, when they withdrew and diocesan priests took over.
- Founded 1924 alongside St. Francis of Assisi in Whiteriver
- Originally under Franciscan care and the Diocese of Tucson
- Transferred to the Diocese of Gallup in 1939
- Diocesan priests took over pastoral care from the Franciscans in 2018
Community Served
St. Catherine ministers to the White Mountain Apache community of Cibecue, a settlement on the western end of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The mission is part of the Lower Arizona Vicariate of the Diocese of Gallup. The community experiences significant economic hardship, with about 80 percent unemployment, which is one of the reasons outside grant support from agencies such as the Black and Indian Mission Office (BIMO) is so important to sustaining a priestly presence.
- Located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation (White Mountain Apache)
- Cibecue settlement on the western end of the reservation
- Lower Arizona Vicariate, Diocese of Gallup
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Catherine does not have a resident priest of its own; it is served by the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Whiteriver. The current pastoral administrator is Fr. John Cormack, a diocesan priest who also cares for the mother parish in Whiteriver and who took on this role after the Franciscans withdrew from the Whiteriver Apache parishes in 2018.
- Fr. John Cormack — Pastoral Administrator (also pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Whiteriver)
Mass and Worship Schedule
Public Mass is celebrated once a week, on Sunday morning, drawing the small Catholic community together. The Diocese of Gallup does not publish additional confession, adoration, or weekday service times for this mission; for weekday or sacramental needs, parishioners are directed to St. Francis of Assisi in Whiteriver, which shares the same pastor.
- Sunday Mass: 11:30 a.m.
- Weekday / confession / adoration times: not separately published
Contact and Location
The mission is physically located on Human Services Road in Cibecue. Because the parish shares its priest and administration with St. Francis of Assisi in Whiteriver, official mail is routed through the Whiteriver parish office.
- Physical address: Human Services Road, Cibecue, AZ 85911
- Mailing address: PO Box 6799, West Elm St., Whiteriver, AZ 85941-0679
- Phone: (928) 338-4432
Support and Outreach
Sustaining the parish through tough economic conditions has required outside help. The Black and Indian Mission Office (BIMO), a national collection of the U.S. Catholic bishops that supports mission churches serving Black, Native American, and Alaska Native communities, has been a key partner, providing grant funding that helps keep a priest present in Cibecue.
- Supported by the Black and Indian Mission Office (BIMO) of the USCCB
- Supported through the Diocese of Gallup's Lower Arizona Vicariate
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Franciscan friars (unnamed)1924–2018
Cared for the parish from its founding in 1924 as part of the Whiteriver Franciscan mission. The order withdrew in 2018.
- Fr. John Cormack2018–present
Diocesan priest who took over pastoral care of St. Francis of Assisi Whiteriver and its mission St. Catherine in Cibecue after the Franciscans withdrew; described the toll of the COVID pandemic on the community and continues to minister amid 80% unemployment.