About St. Francis of Assisi · Scottsdale, Arizona
St. Francis of Assisi Mission is a small Catholic mission church in Scottsdale, Arizona, situated on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. It is canonically part of St. John the Baptist Parish in Laveen and is one of eleven Native American Catholic missions served in the Diocese of Phoenix by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit (F.H.S.). The mission gathers the Salt River Pima and Maricopa faithful for weekly Sunday Mass celebrated with Native music, drumming and singing in a distinctly Akimel O'odham / Xalychidom Piipaash Catholic tradition. The parish serves as a host site for the rotating diocesan St. Kateri Tekakwitha Feast Day Celebration.
- Established
- ca. 1900
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Tinker, FHS
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi Mission offers a rare and living expression of Native American Catholic life in the Diocese of Phoenix, where Sunday liturgy is enriched by Pima and Maricopa drumming, singing and language. As one of the eleven mission churches entrusted to the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit since 2015, the parish is part of a renewed effort to bring regular Mass, the sacraments, healing liturgies, youth ministry and outreach to the reservations. For Catholics who wish to experience Mass celebrated in the Native American tradition or to support the Salt River Pima-Maricopa community, St. Francis of Assisi is a warm and historic place to worship — and the parish regularly hosts the rotating diocesan St. Kateri Tekakwitha Feast Day with the bishop.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity
St. Francis of Assisi Mission is a Native American Catholic mission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is one of eleven such missions throughout the Gila River, Salt River, Ak-Chin and T'ohono O'odham reservations, and is canonically tied to St. John the Baptist Parish in Laveen. The mission belongs to the Pima (Akimel O'odham) tradition and offers Sunday Mass celebrated in the Native American liturgical style.
- Type: Mission (Native American)
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
- Canonically part of: St. John the Baptist Parish, Laveen
- Reservation: Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
History
The mission was founded around 1900 by the Franciscans of the St. John the Baptist Province, who served it from St. John the Baptist Church in Laveen. Over the next 115 years it passed through the pastoral care of the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans, the Jesuits of St. Francis Xavier Phoenix, diocesan priests at Queen of Peace Mesa, diocesan priests and Jesuits via St. Margaret's Tempe, and (since 2015) the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. The return of resident Franciscan priests in 2015 was greeted with celebration by the Salt River community.
- ca. 1900–1915: Established by Franciscans (St. John the Baptist Province) at St. John's, Laveen
- 1915–1930: Franciscans (Santa Barbara Province) attend the mission
- 1930–1946: Jesuits at St. Francis Xavier, Phoenix attend
- 1946–1972: Phoenix diocesan priests at Queen of Peace, Mesa attend
- 1972–1979: Phoenix diocesan priests at St. Margaret's, Tempe attend
- 1980–1982: California Province Jesuits administer the mission
- 1982–2015: Phoenix diocesan priests from St. Margaret's, Tempe attend
- 1980s–present: Phoenix diocesan deacons serve the community
- 2015–present: Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit attend from St. John's, Laveen
Leadership & Staff
The mission is pastored by Fr. Anthony (Antony) Tinker, F.H.S., a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit and their community servant (superior), who also serves the wider Native American Ministry of the Diocese of Phoenix. Parish life coordination has been the work of Deacon Jim Trant of St. John the Baptist Parish in Laveen.
- Rev. Anthony Tinker, F.H.S. — Pastor / Community Servant, Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit
- Deacon Jim Trant — Parish Life Coordinator
Mass & Liturgy
St. Francis of Assisi Mission celebrates one regular Sunday Mass each week in the Native American Catholic tradition, with Pima/Maricopa drumming and singing. Schedules for feast-day liturgies and special celebrations (such as the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Feast Day hosted by the diocese) are announced in advance.
- Sunday — 12:00 PM (Native American)
Sacraments
Sacramental records for the mission (baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages, burials) from 1978 onward are maintained by the Native American Ministry office of the Diocese of Phoenix in Bapchule. The friars celebrate baptisms, weddings, anointings and funerals in addition to the regular Sunday Mass.
- Baptism
- First Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral rites
Native American Ministry & Community
Since 2015 the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit have served as the diocese's principal ministers to Native American communities, covering 11 mission locations across four reservations. Their work includes regular Sunday Masses at nine of the missions, daily Mass at St. John the Baptist in Laveen, youth groups, healing Masses, and outreach to Natives in prisons, juvenile detention, rehab centers and the Caring House medical rehabilitation facility in Sacaton.
- 11 mission churches served across Gila River, Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Ak-Chin and T'ohono O'odham reservations
- Healing Masses and prayer ministry
- Youth groups (two started by the friars)
- Outreach to prisons, juvenile detention, rehab and Caring House (Sacaton)
- Monthly praise and worship nights
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Feast Day
Each spring the diocese holds the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Feast Day Celebration at one of its eleven Native American missions; St. Francis of Assisi hosted the 2015 gathering. The day begins with the St. Kateri Chaplet and Litany, followed by a Mass celebrated by the bishop, a free Native-food lunch, traditional music and dance, arts and crafts, and concludes with a blessing with a relic of St. Kateri and the installation of a traveling statue of the saint at the host mission.
- Annual spring event rotating among the 11 Native American missions
- St. Kateri Chaplet & Litany
- Mass with the Bishop of Phoenix
- Native food, drumming, dancing, and arts & crafts
Visit & Contact
The mission is on Longmore Road north of Thomas Road in Scottsdale, within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Visitors are warmly welcomed to the Sunday Mass; parish staff can be reached through the numbers below.
- Address: 3090 N. Longmore, Scottsdale, AZ 85256
- Phone: (602) 354-2013
- Fax: (602) 354-2431
- Email (parish office): [email protected]
- Website: dphx.org/parish/st-francis-of-assisi-mission-scottsdale/
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintfrancisofassisicatholic/