About St. Henry · Buckeye, Arizona
St. Henry Roman Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) parish serving the Buckeye Valley on the western edge of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Founded around 1906 by a small band of faithful Catholic farmworkers and laborers who built an adobe church out of the local mud, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the area and is now a parish of the Diocese of Phoenix. After 115+ years of growth that has seen the community move through three successive church buildings, St. Henry is today building a brand-new parish campus on Lower Buckeye Road under the leadership of Fr. William J. Kosco. The parish welcomes roughly 700 registered families and offers daily Mass, ongoing faith formation through OCIA, ministries for youth, men, women, marriage, music, and outreach, and a monthly mission Mass for Tonopah.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- St. Henry (Holy Roman Emperor)
- Rector
- Rev. William J. Kosco ('Fr. Billy')
- Diocese
- Diocese of Phoenix (originally created 1956 as a parish of the Diocese of Tucson)
Why belong here
St. Henry is a long-standing, bilingual Catholic community that has served the Buckeye Valley for well over a century and now offers the full sacramental life in both English and Spanish — including four Sunday Masses, two daily Masses, weekly confession, and a Wednesday noon Mass with holy hour adoration. A pastor and four deacons shepherd the parish alongside robust ministries such as OCIA, OneStepBeyond high-school discipleship, Foundations in Catholicism, Marriage Preparation, Encuentro Matrimonial, Knights of Columbus, Women's and Men's groups, Guadalupanos, Music/Choir, Gabriel Project, Together For Life, Apologetica, and outreach to the Tonopah Mission. As Buckeye grows, joining St. Henry means becoming part of the foundational Catholic family of the western Phoenix Valley, currently building a new church campus that will 'clearly identify the Catholic presence' in the region for the next generation.
Mass times at St. Henry
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Saturdays 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Adoration times
- Wednesday 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Holy Hour of Adoration, following the noon Mass)
Welcome to St. Henry
The parish's own greeting frames its identity succinctly: 'Wherever the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed and whenever the Eucharist is celebrated, there is the Church. The Church is here in Buckeye, Arizona.' St. Henry is an authentic, family-oriented Catholic community rooted in 1906 adobe-brick foundations and reaching forward into a brand-new campus at Miller and Lower Buckeye Roads. The parish website invites visitors to 'join us in our endeavor to build up our parish family and preserve an authentic Catholic experience of Christ's Church.'
Parish History
St. Henry traces its roots to about 1906, when a small group of Catholic farmworkers in rural Buckeye built an adobe church from the local mud, dedicated it on South Avenue and Sixth Street, and named it St. Henry — either at the bishop's suggestion or because a donor requested that name through the Extension Society. It began as a Franciscan mission attached to St. Mary Parish in Phoenix; priests traveled in by horse, buggy or train, sometimes taking a day and a half, and lodged at the Long home before Sunday Mass. A rare wooden DePrado statue of St. Henry arrived by rail on September 6, 1911, hand-carried from Tucson by parishioner Jose Noriega. The adobe served for fifty years and was used another ten after being condemned, until the parish built its second, red-brick church in 1947. On May 3, 1956, Bishop Donald J. Bechmann of Tucson established St. Henry as an independent parish with its own pastor, Fr. Cornelius Moynihan.
Growth, Relocation and the New Campus
By the late 1970s, the brick church could no longer hold the people, and on Easter 1980, Fr. Eugene O'Carroll broke ground for a third church that was dedicated April 26, 1981. In the early 2000s the Buckeye Valley exploded from a farm town into a major western Phoenix suburb, leaving St. Henry no longer centrally located. In 2005 the parish purchased land at Miller & Lower Buckeye Roads and worshipped out of a local elementary school gymnasium for seven years. On February 2, 2013, a small chapel, plaza and large multi-use hall were dedicated on the new site; a parish office followed in 2015. Plans are now underway to add a rectory, a catechesis center, and the 'crown jewel' — a new church that will mark the Catholic presence in the Buckeye Valley for generations.
Baptism
St. Henry offers Baptism for both English- and Spanish-speaking families; however, parents must live within parish boundaries, be registered, and actively support the parish. The parish strongly recommends beginning preparation during pregnancy so that children can be baptized promptly after birth. One or two godparents are permitted; each must be a confirmed Catholic in good standing, and any married godparent must be married in the Catholic Church.
- English baptism inquiries: [email protected]
- Spanish baptism inquiries: [email protected]
Faith Formation & Discipleship
Adult initiation is run through the parish's OCIA program (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), and ongoing adult formation is offered through 'Foundations in Catholicism.' Teens are ministered to through OneStepBeyond, a high-school discipleship track run in partnership with the pastor and deacons. Spanish-speaking families participate in 'Apologetica' led by Benjamin Campos, and the parish reaches engaged couples through Marriage Preparation (Deacon John Bering and Nancy Vela) and Encuentro Matrimonial.
- OCIA — Maria Godinez (Español) & TerryAnn Chavez (English)
- Foundations in Catholicism — cohort team led by Maria Pico, Alma Gonzalez, Rigo & Sonia Ramirez, Cesar & Angelica Flores, Alicia Vandenberg, Deacon Victor & Martha León, Deacon John Bering, and Fr. William Kosco
- OneStepBeyond High School Discipleship — contact the Pastor or a Deacon
- Marriage Preparation — Nancy Vela & Deacon John Bering
Ministries & Outreach
St. Henry's ministries are organized around parish life, liturgy, marriage and family, and outreach to the surrounding community. Lay-led groups include the Knights of Columbus (Knights of St. Henry), a Men's Ministry led by Mike Ronco, the Women of St. Henry, the Guadalupanos (Our Lady of Guadalupe devotion) under Jaime Robles, and Together For Life / Los Dos Serán Uno. Outreach extends to the wider western Phoenix Valley through the Gabriel Project (led by Abel & Cristina Jaquez) for mothers in need, and the Tonopah Mission (Claudia & Tadeo Quintanilla).
- Knights of Columbus — currently seeking a Mission Representative
- Men's Ministry — Mike Ronco
- Ladies — 'Women of St. Henry' support group
- Guadalupanos — Jaime Robles
- Together For Life / Los Dos Serán Uno
- Encuentro Matrimonial (Spanish marriage ministry)
- Gabriel Project — Abel & Cristina Jaquez
- Tonopah Mission — Claudia & Tadeo Quintanilla
Liturgical Ministries & Music
Lay liturgical ministers serve as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at every Mass, coordinated by Deacon John Bering. The music ministry coordinates a choir for each Mass, reflecting the parish's bilingual life: Lynn Massey (Saturday Vigil, 10:00 a.m.), Patricia Vallier (Sunday 8:00 a.m. assistant), Sergio Gonzalez (Sunday noon Spanish), Amber Quezada (Sunday 6:00 p.m. Spanish), and Maurilio & Dalia Coronado (Saturday 5:30 p.m./Sunday Spanish).
- Lectors & EMHC English — Karol Ledesma
- Lectors Spanish — Sergio & Adriana Vasquez
- EMHC Spanish — Eduardo & Victoria Mosqueda
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by Fr. William J. Kosco ('Fr. Billy') and supported by four permanent deacons: Victor Leon, Mark Gribowski, Nick Bonaiuto and John Bering. Office staff includes parish secretary Nancy Vela and office assistant Flor de Liz Lopez; Lydia Naranjo and Maya Orozco handle custodial services. Parish governance is shared with the Parish Pastoral Council (president Sally Gilbert) and the Parish Finance Council (president Larry Iaquinto).
- Pastor: Fr. William J. Kosco
- Deacons: Victor Leon, Mark Gribowski, Nick Bonaiuto, John Bering
- Parish Secretary: Nancy Vela; Office Assistant: Flor de Liz Lopez; Custodial: Lydia Naranjo & Maya Orozco
- Parish Pastoral Council President: Sally Gilbert
- Parish Finance Council President: Larry Iaquinto
Contact & Location
The parish office and current worship site are on the Lower Buckeye campus in the Buckeye Valley. Visitors are invited to call or email the office, register with the parish, or check the Current Events page and bulletin for updates.
- Address: 24750 W Lower Buckeye Rd., Buckeye, AZ 85326
- Phone: (623) 386-0175
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.sthenrybuckeye.com/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Augustus Cubillo1906– (Mission era)
Franciscan mission priest at adobe church
- Fr. Nicholas Perschl
Mission era
- Fr. Severn
Mission era
- Fr. Ambrose
Mission era
- Fr. Raymond Martinez
Mission era
- Fr. Joseph Gammapprox. through 1947
Last pastor of adobe church; first pastor of the 1947 brick church
- Msgr. Henry Granjohn
Oversaw mission churches and restoration efforts
- Fr. Francis Murphy1953–1956
Red Brick Church era
- Fr. Cornelius Moynihan1956–1960
First resident pastor when St. Henry became a separate parish (May 3, 1956)
- Fr. Coleman Casey1960–1962
- Fr. Francis Bechtel1962–1973
- Fr. Eugene O'Carroll1973–1981
Broke ground Easter 1980 for the 1981 church
- Fr. Harold Graf1981–1982
- Fr. Lan Sherwood1982–1985
- Fr. Patrick Colleary1985–1991
- Fr. J. Saul Madrid1991–1994
- Fr. Hugo Gonzalez1994–1997
- Fr. Richard Driscoll1997–2003
- Fr. Charlie Goraieb2003–2006
- Fr. William Kosco2006–2012 (Downtown); 2013–present (New Campus)
Current pastor; led relocation to Miller & Lower Buckeye campus