About St. Francis of Assisi · Bagdad, Arizona
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a small Catholic community serving the historic copper-mining town of Bagdad in northwestern Arizona, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The parish was founded in 1959 when the area was still part of the former Diocese of Gallup, and today it sustains around 35 to 50 families tied to the Freeport-McMoRan mine. Despite its modest size, the parish is described by Bishop John Dolan as carrying 'a vibrant spirit,' and it shares pastoral care with neighboring Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission in Congress.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Fr. Julius Kayiwa
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is a small but warmly hospitable parish where nearly everyone knows each other by name, rooted in the working mining town of Bagdad. Visitors and parishioners are drawn by a deeply prayerful liturgy with warm music, an intimate faith community of around 35 to 50 families, and the rare character of a rural high-desert Catholic parish. The parish is also linked through its pastor to Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission in Congress, forming a wider family of northern-Arizona Catholic communities gathered around the Eucharist.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
History & Heritage
St. Francis of Assisi Parish was established in 1959 as a mission community for the Catholic families of the Bagdad mining district in northwestern Arizona, originally within the Diocese of Gallup. After the Diocese of Phoenix was created in late 1969, the parish was incardinated into the new diocese, where it has remained for more than half a century. The Catholic presence in Bagdad actually predates the parish: Claretian (Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) priests serving Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott would drive into the open desert country to celebrate Mass for miners and their families at the local Bagdad Community Church building, until the community was stable and numerous enough to warrant its own parish.
- Founded 1959 under the Diocese of Gallup
- Transferred to the Diocese of Phoenix upon its erection in 1969
- Early Masses celebrated by Claretian missionaries from Sacred Heart Parish, Prescott
- Original worship site was the non-Catholic Bagdad Community Church
A Mining-Town Parish
Bagdad, Arizona is a small, tightly knit company town dominated for more than a century by what is today the Freeport-McMoRan open-pit copper mine — one of the oldest and largest operating copper mines in the American Southwest. St. Francis of Assisi Parish reflects the rhythms of the mine: roughly 35 to 50 active families, many of whose breadwinners work at the mine or in supporting industries. Because some mine families who own homes live in neighboring communities, the Sunday gathering draws a particularly committed core of local residents who keep the parish and its traditions alive generation after generation.
- Active community of ~35–50 families
- Tied historically to the Freeport-McMoRan copper mine
- Bishop John Dolan toured the open-pit mine during the December 2025 installation weekend
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently led by Fr. Julius Kayiwa, who was appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bagdad and Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission in Congress effective July 1, 2025, and was installed as Pastor on December 21, 2025 by Bishop John Dolan during a Mass at the parish church. Fr. Kayiwa thus shepherds two rural northern-Arizona communities that are roughly 50 miles apart. He succeeded Fr. Ishaya Samaila, a Nigerian-born priest ordained in 1997 and serving in the Diocese of Phoenix since 2014, who had been appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi effective July 1, 2024.
- Fr. Julius Kayiwa — Pastor (installed December 21, 2025)
- Fr. Julius Kayiwa also serves Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission, Congress
- Fr. Ishaya Samaila — immediate past Parochial Administrator (2024–2025)
Sacraments
Because of the parish's small size and its shared-pastor arrangement with Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission, sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick) is typically coordinated directly with Fr. Julius Kayiwa through the parish phone line. Bishop Dolan conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on at least one parishioner during the December 2025 installation Mass, illustrating the bishop's personal pastoral attention to this small but cherished community.
- Contact: (928) 633-2389
- Confirmation conferred by Bishop Dolan during December 2025 installation Mass
Partnership with Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission
St. Francis of Assisi Parish shares its pastor with Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission in Congress, Arizona — two small rural Catholic communities about 50 miles apart in the northern reaches of the Diocese of Phoenix, near Wickenburg. Bishop Dolan noted the unusual arrangement at Fr. Kayiwa's December 2025 installation, saying: 'This is a unique installation, in that Fr. Julius is a pastor of two parishes roughly an hour apart … Although the parish communities are small, which is a reflection of the townships, there is a vibrant spirit in each.'
- Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission — 26750 S. Congress Way, Congress, AZ 85332
- Phone: (928) 427-6328
- Bishop Dolan installed Fr. Kayiwa at Good Shepherd on December 20, 2025, and at St. Francis of Assisi on December 21, 2025
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the church office at 216 Cook Street in Bagdad, in the heart of the historic mining town. The parish is listed on the Diocese of Phoenix's official parish directory and maintains an active presence on Facebook under the name 'Bagdad Catholics.'
- Address: 216 Cook St, Bagdad, AZ 86321
- Phone: (928) 633-2389
- Diocese of Phoenix parish listing: dphx.org/parish/st-francis-of-assisi-parish-bagdad/
- Facebook: facebook.com/BagdadCatholics/
Diocese of Phoenix
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is one of the smaller parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, which was erected on December 2, 1969, when Pope Paul VI separated the territory from the former Diocese of Gallup to serve the rapidly growing Catholic population of central and northern Arizona. The diocese is led by Bishop John Dolan, who personally presided at the December 2025 installation of St. Francis of Assisi's current pastor.
- Diocese of Phoenix — erected December 2, 1969
- Current diocesan bishop: Bishop John Dolan
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ishaya Samaila2024–2025
Appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Bagdad effective July 1, 2024; Nigerian-born priest ordained November 29, 1997, serving in the Diocese of Phoenix since 2014.
- Fr. Julius Kayiwa2025–present
Appointed Parochial Administrator effective July 1, 2025; installed as Pastor on December 21, 2025 by Bishop John Dolan. Simultaneously serves as pastor of Good Shepherd of the Desert Mission in Congress.