About St. Joseph's Hospital Chapel · Phoenix, Arizona
The St. Joseph's Hospital Chapel (Marian Chapel) is the Catholic chapel at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in central Phoenix, Arizona. The hospital itself was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Mercy as a tuberculosis sanitarium and grew into one of Arizona's largest not-for-profit academic medical centers. The Marian Chapel was constructed in 1955, two years after the hospital opened at its current Thomas Road and Third Avenue campus, and was built between the convent and the hospital so the Sisters could pass through it on their way to and from their work. For more than six decades it has served as a sanctuary for prayer and meditation for patients, staff, visitors and the Sisters of Mercy community.
- Established
- 1895
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
Why belong here
The Marian Chapel at St. Joseph's is the spiritual heart of a hospital founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1895 to care for the sick and the poor — a mission the institution still carries out through charity care, Mission Integration programs, and a CPE-accredited chaplaincy training center. Daily Mass and the reserved Eucharist are available to staff, patients, visitors and the public, with chaplains on site to accompany anyone — of any faith or none — through illness, grief, birth, recovery and end-of-life care. Visiting or praying here means joining 130 years of Phoenix's Catholic healthcare heritage in a sanctuary built so that the Sisters themselves could pass through it on their way to the bedside.
Mass times at St. Joseph's Hospital Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Saturday 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
History of St. Joseph's Hospital and the Marian Chapel
The chapel sits at the heart of a hospital whose roots stretch back to 1892, when Bishop Peter Bourgade invited the Sisters of Mercy to Phoenix to open Sacred Heart Academy. So shaken were they by the suffering of tuberculosis and smallpox victims that the Sisters shifted their mission to healthcare. In January 1895 they rented a six-bedroom brick cottage at Fourth and Polk Streets, equipped each room with two beds, and opened St. Joseph's Sanitarium on March 19, 1895 — the Feast of St. Joseph, who became the hospital's patron. A fire destroyed the original building in 1917; it was rebuilt in 90 days. By 1947, with Phoenix's population nearing 100,000, the Sisters purchased ten acres of an old dairy farm at Third Avenue and Thomas Road for $25,000, and in July 1953 opened the current hospital. Two years later, in 1955, the Marian Chapel was built between the convent and the hospital so the Sisters could pass through it on their way to the wards.
- Sisters of Mercy arrive in Phoenix: 1892
- St. Joseph's Sanitarium opens: March 19, 1895
- Hospital rebuilt after fire: 1917 (90 days)
- New hospital opens on Thomas Road campus: July 1953
- Marian Chapel constructed: 1955
The Loss and Restoration of Catholic Identity
In December 2010, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix revoked St. Joseph's affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church, citing Canon 216 and a dispute over whether the hospital's practices — particularly around abortion — conformed to authentic Catholic moral teaching. The bishop prohibited the celebration of Mass on the campus and ordered the Blessed Sacrament removed from the chapel. For the next decade the Marian Chapel stood without the Eucharist. That changed on March 25, 2020 — the Solemnity of the Annunciation — when, amid the early surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop Olmsted authorized daily Mass and the reservation of the Eucharist to resume in the Marian Chapel, 'in a spirit of reconciliation, mercy and healing.' Fr. Ignatius Mazanowski, FHS, the diocese's director of medical ethics, called it 'an important step, but not a final step.' The restoration was paired with a new Collaborative Mission Committee linking the hospital, CommonSpirit Health, Creighton University and the Diocese of Phoenix.
- December 2010: Bishop Olmsted revokes Catholic affiliation; Eucharist removed and Mass prohibited
- March 25, 2020: Bishop Olmsted authorizes return of daily Mass and reserved Eucharist in the Marian Chapel
- March 26, 2020: Daily Mass resumes, livestreamed and broadcast on hospital TV channel 80
- 2020: Collaborative Mission Committee formed (Dignity Health / CommonSpirit / Creighton / Diocese of Phoenix)
Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy
Spiritual care at St. Joseph's is provided through CommonSpirit Health's chaplaincy program. Chaplains accompany patients, families, caregivers and staff through illness, grief, birth, recovery and end-of-life decisions with 'deep listening, courageous presence and a compassionate heart.' Care is offered to people of any faith tradition or none. The hospital's palliative care team includes chaplains alongside physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, therapists, nutritionists and pharmacists. Staff chaplains such as Bob Claus — a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains — provide direct spiritual care to patients.
- Chaplaincy Services — interfaith, available to all patients and families
- Staff Chaplains (e.g., Bob Claus, BCC)
- Palliative Care interdisciplinary team (includes chaplains)
- Available upon request through the care team
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Training Center
St. Joseph's Hospital is one of CommonSpirit Health's accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) centers in Arizona, alongside sister programs in California, Washington, Colorado, Texas and Tennessee. CPE prepares future chaplains to meet people in moments of crisis, transition and healing through intensive, hands-on training grounded in theological reflection, self-awareness and interfaith learning. Students come from diverse backgrounds and faith traditions and go on to serve in hospitals, congregations, hospice, the military and beyond.
- Arizona CPE site — Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph's Hospital, Phoenix
- Part of CommonSpirit Health's national CPE network
- In-person and virtual program options
Catholic Identity and Mission Integration
Maintaining the hospital's Catholic identity is the work of the Mission Integration department, currently led by Mario Valadez, Vice President for Mission Integration for St. Joseph's and Dignity Health. The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services are introduced at new-employee orientation and reinforced through ongoing formation. Executives and directors receive formation in Catholic Social Teaching so that operational decisions align with Catholic thought. 'Mercy Affiliates' — chosen from among the hospital's roughly 5,000 employees — undergo extensive training to become ambassadors for the Sisters of Mercy's mission; they lead reflections at meetings and, with the chaplains, perform the Blessing of the Hands ceremony for staff.
- Mario Valadez — VP, Mission Integration
- Ethical and Religious Directives orientation for new employees
- Catholic Social Teaching formation for executives and directors
- Mercy Affiliates employee ambassador program (~5,000 employees)
- Blessing of the Hands ceremonies with chaplains
Charity Care and the Sisters of Mercy Legacy
Charity care for the poor and uninsured has been a cornerstone of St. Joseph's since the Sisters of Mercy opened the sanitarium in 1895. Cases in which patients cannot pay for needed care are brought before a dedicated committee — a practice, Valadez says, that has been in place continuously since the hospital opened. The Sisters' original charism, rooted in their Dublin, Ireland foundations, of hospitality and refusing to let anyone die alone or in pain, remains the institution's stated 'heartbeat' more than 130 years later.
- Charity care committee in continuous operation since 1895
- Rooted in the Sisters of Mercy's Dublin, Ireland charism
- Solemn original promise: no one dies alone or in pain
Anniversary Milestones
St. Joseph's marked its 125th anniversary in 2020, the same year daily Mass and the Eucharist returned to the Marian Chapel and the Diocese of Phoenix celebrated its 50th anniversary. Five years later, on March 19, 2025, the hospital celebrated its 130th anniversary with a week of festivities that included a Mass celebrated by Bishop John Dolan in St. Joseph's Chapel. Bishop Dolan also recorded an episode of the diocese's TILMA podcast with Dr. Doug Ross, the new president of Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
- 125th anniversary: 2020
- Diocese of Phoenix 50th anniversary: 2020
- 130th anniversary Mass with Bishop John Dolan: March 19, 2025
- Dr. Doug Ross — new president, Dignity Health St. Joseph's (2025)
Visiting the Chapel
The Marian Chapel is located inside Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center at 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013, on the corner of West Thomas Road and 3rd Avenue. Hospital visiting hours are 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (effective April 25, 2022), with overnight visitation permitted only with nurse-manager approval. Visitors are encouraged to check the current visitor policy before arriving, as guidelines may be adjusted for patient and staff safety. The chapel has been a place of prayer and meditation for patients, employees and visitors for more than 60 years and is also used for services and ceremonies hosted by the Sisters of Mercy.
- Address: 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013
- Visiting hours: 5:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- Located inside the hospital — check current visitor policy