About St. Joseph · Hayden, Arizona
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic community in Hayden, Arizona, situated on a hill overlooking the historic copper-mining town in Gila County. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Tucson and has served the Catholic faithful of the Hayden–Winkelman–Kearny area since 1913, making it one of the older Catholic missions in the region. Mass is celebrated in the parish church at 300 Mountain View Drive, with the parish office open limited hours on Tuesdays and Fridays. The parish also shares priestly ministry with neighboring Infant Jesus of Prague Parish in Kearny, forming a single pastoral unit for the rural communities of the upper Gila Valley.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Alexander Tigga
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tucson
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a small but welcoming rural parish that has brought Catholics together on the hill above Hayden for more than a century. It is the spiritual home of an older mining-town community where families still know one another by name, and it shares a single pastor with neighboring Infant Jesus of Prague in Kearny — a reminder that faith here is lived close-up and communal. Visitors are invited to celebrate Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, and to come aside the historic Gila Valley to experience the steady, enduring rhythm of small-town Catholic life.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM (alternate listing)
- By appointment
Parish Overview
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Tucson, located in the small copper-mining town of Hayden in Gila County, Arizona. The parish was founded in 1913 and continues to serve the Catholic families of Hayden, Winkelman, Kearny and the surrounding ranching communities. It is pastored together with Infant Jesus of Prague Parish in Kearny by Rev. Alexander Tigga.
- Founded 1913
- Diocese of Tucson
- 300 Mountain View Dr., Hayden, AZ 85135
- Phone: (520) 356-7223
History
The parish was established in 1913 to minister to Catholic families working in and around the Hayden smelter, one of the early copper operations of the upper Gila Valley. It is among the older parishes of the Diocese of Tucson and was formally incorporated as a non-profit religious corporation — Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Parish – Hayden — in November 2005. In recent years the parish has been clustered with Infant Jesus of Prague in Kearny so that the small communities of the Gila Valley share a single resident priest.
- Established 1913
- Incorporated as an Arizona non-profit, November 15, 2005
- Pastored in cluster with Infant Jesus of Prague, Kearny
Cluster Parish — Infant Jesus of Prague, Kearny
St. Joseph shares its pastor with Infant Jesus of Prague Parish at 501 Victoria Circle, Kearny, AZ 85137. The Kearny parish's published schedule includes Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM, Saturday at 6:00 PM, Tuesday at 5:00 PM, Thursday at 9:00 AM, and Holy Day Mass at 9:00 AM.
- Infant Jesus of Prague, 501 Victoria Circle, Kearny AZ 85137
Clergy & Staff
The current pastor is Rev. Alexander Tigga, who serves both St. Joseph in Hayden and Infant Jesus of Prague in Kearny. Fr. Dale Branson, a former pastor of St. Joseph, was assigned in 2011 as the founding pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in San Tan Valley.
- Rev. Alexander Tigga — Pastor
- Rev. Fr. Dale Branson — former pastor (now at St. Michael the Archangel, San Tan Valley)
Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joseph Parish by phone, email, or in person during office hours. The parish is listed through the Diocese of Tucson Parish Finder.
- Address: 300 Mountain View Dr., Hayden, AZ 85135
- Phone: (520) 356-7223
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan listing: diocesetucson.org/parishfinder
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Dale Branson
Previously served at St. Joseph in Hayden before becoming founding pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in San Tan Valley in 2011–2012.