About St. Mary's Basilica · Phoenix, Arizona
St. Mary's Basilica (formally the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, and the oldest Catholic parish in the city, founded in 1881. Designed in the Mission Revival style with a Romanesque interior, it was built in two phases between 1902 and 1914 and dedicated on February 11, 1915; it was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on September 2, 1985, becoming the 32nd basilica in the United States and still the only one in Arizona. The basilica is famed for Arizona's largest collection of stained glass windows (designed by Emil Frei of the Munich School), a Schantz pipe organ, and the historic fact that Pope John Paul II prayed in the center aisle and addressed crowds from its balcony during his 1987 visit to Phoenix. Since July 1, 2023, when the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Saint Barbara withdrew after 127 years of pastoral leadership, the basilica has been staffed and operated by the Diocese of Phoenix.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Fernando Camou
- Diocese
- Diocese of Phoenix (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Mary's is the spiritual and historical heart of Catholicism in Phoenix — a working basilica where Sunday Masses are accompanied by the Basilica Choir and a Schantz pipe organ, where a Spanish Mass is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of each month, and where the great feasts of the Diocese of Phoenix are observed by the bishop himself. It offers a rich devotional life (daily noon Mass, weekday adoration, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, scheduled confessions, and full RCIA / faith-formation programs for adults and children), all set inside an 1881-founded parish that is still Arizona's only minor basilica and home to the state's largest collection of Emil Frei stained glass. Visitors and parishioners are drawn by the unique combination of monumental Mission Revival architecture, a 4,000-square-foot sacred-art heritage, free public tours led by trained docents, and a deeply rooted sense of being the 'Mother Church in the Valley of the Sun.'
Mass times at St. Mary's Basilica
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Friday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (before and after the 12:05 PM Mass)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
- Daily in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (climate-controlled chapel converted from the former friars' choir by the Altar Society in the 1980s)
History of St. Mary's Basilica
St. Mary's is the oldest Catholic parish in Phoenix, founded in 1881 at Third and Monroe Streets where the present basilica still stands. The first church — a 60-by-40-foot adobe structure with a steeply pitched, shingled roof — was supervised by Rev. Edouard Gerard, the first priest ordained in Arizona, and dedicated by Bishop Salpointe on June 24, 1881. After the Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province took pastoral responsibility in 1895 (confirmed by the Beneplacitum Apostolicum of January 7, 1896), the aging adobe church was demolished and the present Mission Revival / Romanesque basilica was built in two phases: the basement church in 1902–1903, and the upper church completed on New Year's Eve 1914 and dedicated by Bishop Henri Granjon on February 11, 1915. Pope John Paul II elevated the church to a minor basilica on September 2, 1985, and visited in person on September 14, 1987. After 127 years of Franciscan ministry, the Province of Saint Barbara withdrew in 2023 and the Diocese of Phoenix assumed direct pastoral leadership.
- 1872 — Catholic liturgy first celebrated in Phoenix at the home of Mr. Jesus Otero
- 1880–1881 — Construction and dedication of the original adobe church (60' x 40')
- 1895 — Franciscans of the Sacred Heart Province assume pastoral care
- 1902–1903 — Basement church constructed and dedicated Feb. 11, 1903
- 1914 — Upper church completed New Year's Eve
- 1915 — Dedication by Bishop Henri Granjon on Feb. 11
- 1932 — Four new bells installed on Christmas Eve (largest 1,888 lbs)
- 1958 — Sanctuary remodeled by Fr. Victor Bucher and Br. Cajetan Baumann
- 1985 — Consecrated by Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien (Feb. 6); elevated to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II (Sept. 2); public Vesper Service Dec. 8
- 1987 — Pope John Paul II prays in center aisle and addresses crowd from balcony (Sept. 14)
- 1993 — Voted a Phoenix 'Point of Pride'
- 2002 — Volunteer docent tour program launched
- 2022 — Franciscans announce withdrawal (Sept. 13)
- 2023 — Diocese of Phoenix assumes leadership (July 1); Fr. John Muir installed as fifth rector (Oct. 15)
- 2025 — Fr. Fernando Camou installed as sixth rector by Bishop Dolan (Aug. 10)
Architecture, Sacred Art, and the Bells
Designed as a Mission Revival exterior with a Romanesque interior, St. Mary's was the collaborative work of Br. Leonard Darscheid, O.F.M. (revising pastor Novatus Benzing's original Gothic sketches), Br. Adrian Wewer, O.F.M., and the local firm of George Gallagher and R. A. Gray, with W. J. Ripley as contractor. Four compound domes span the cruciform plan, the central one crowned with a stained-glass lantern and the altar dome with a cupola. The two Bavarian-style onion-domed bell towers house four bells that once rang daily; today a Mass-Rowe carillon donated by Mr. Elias Romley in 1983 plays on the hour from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The interior is filled with oak woodwork and pews by Theodore Kuntz of Cleveland, the Stations of the Cross in high relief on gold backgrounds by the Andrew Kaletta Company of St. Louis, and Arizona's largest collection of stained-glass windows by Emil Frei of St. Louis — a Munich School artist whose painted 'fired-on' details blend Gothic figural style with Art Nouveau grace.
- Style: Mission Revival exterior / Romanesque interior
- Architects: Br. Leonard Darscheid OFM, Br. Adrian Wewer OFM, George Gallagher, R. A. Gray
- Contractor: W. J. Ripley
- Four compound domes; Bavarian-style onion-domed bell towers
- Stations of the Cross by Andrew Kaletta Co. (St. Louis)
- Oak woodwork and pews by Theodore Kuntz (Cleveland)
- Stained-glass windows by Emil Frei Art Glass Co. (St. Louis) — Munich School
- Four bells (1932): Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 29, 1978 (#78000551)
Faith Formation, RCIA, and Sacramental Preparation
The parish runs a full Children's Faith Formation program (registration-based, with tiered fees of $75 for one child, $140 for two, and $65 per child for three or more) and a robust Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program that walks inquirers through the four classical periods — Inquiry/Precatechumenate, Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment, and Mystagogy — culminating in the Easter Vigil Sacraments of Initiation. The RCIA calendar includes a retreat day in February, weekly Sunday morning sessions, and parish-based rites such as the Rite of Acceptance and Welcome at the 9:00 AM Mass and the Rite of Election before Easter. The basilica also prepares couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and supports discernment of Holy Orders.
- Children's Faith Formation (grades program, $65–$140 per family)
- RCIA — Journey of Faith (Inquiry, Catechumenate, Scrutinies, Mystagogy)
- Sacrament of Baptism (infant and adult)
- Sacrament of Confirmation
- Sacrament of Matrimony (marriage preparation)
- Sacrament of Holy Orders (discernment)
- Sacrament of the Sick (Anointing)
- Annual RCIA Retreat Day (February)
Music and Liturgy
Liturgical music at St. Mary's is anchored by the Basilica Choir, which sings at the 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM Sunday Masses, supported by the 26-rank Schantz Organ Company pipe organ in the choir loft. A cantor's program accompanies the Saturday Vigil and weekday noon Masses. The parish previously housed an early Estey pipe organ (1921, 22 ranks, 1,337 pipes — one of the first electrically powered organs built) and, between 1984 and the Schantz installation, an Allen Digital Computer organ. A Mass-Rowe carillon, donated in 1983 by Mr. Elias Romley, plays on the hour from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with programmed hymns at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM.
- Basilica Choir (9 AM and 11:30 AM Sundays)
- Cantor program (Saturday Vigil and weekday Masses)
- Schantz Organ Company pipe organ (26 ranks)
- Mass-Rowe carillon (installed 1983) — hours 8 AM to 9 PM
Tours, Visiting, and Docent Program
Admission to St. Mary's is free and the basilica is open daily. A self-guided tour pamphlet can be purchased at the parish gift shop (managed by Sylvia Moreno), and a team of trained volunteer docents leads free guided tours of the building, stained glass, organ, domes, bells, and papal basilica symbols. The docent program was launched in 2002 to promote the historic and artistic significance of the basilica and continues today under parish and diocesan coordination.
- Free admission; open daily
- Volunteer docent tours (launched 2002)
- Self-guided tour pamphlet (fee, gift shop)
- Large-group tours: contact [email protected]
Clergy, Staff, and Governance
After 127 years of Franciscan pastoral leadership, the Diocese of Phoenix officially took over St. Mary's on July 1, 2023, and the bishop himself, John P. Dolan, installed Fr. John Muir as the fifth rector and first diocesan pastor on October 15, 2023. Fr. Muir — also serving as Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General of the Diocese — was succeeded on August 10, 2025, when Bishop Dolan installed Arizona-native Fr. Fernando Camou as the sixth rector and pastor in a bilingual Mass concelebrated by parochial vicars Fr. Nathaniel Glenn and Fr. Jesus Martinez, and assisted by Deacon Fernando Camou Sr. The current Pastoral Council assists the pastor in parish governance.
- Rector and Pastor: Fr. Fernando Camou (installed Aug. 10, 2025)
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Nathaniel Glenn, Fr. Jesus Martinez
- Deacon: Dcn. Fernando Camou Sr.
- Former Rector: Fr. John Muir (2023–2025; now Vicar General)
- Parish Manager (former Franciscan era): Jerome Doris
- Music Director (former Franciscan era): Gordon Stevenson
- Gift Shop Manager: Sylvia Moreno
- Director of Faith Development: Br. Scott Slattum, OFM
- Custodian and Event Parking: Renee Poston
- Pastoral Council
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Edouard Gerard, OFM (diocesan)1880–1881 (supervised construction; first priest ordained in Arizona)
Supervised building of the original adobe church; first priest ordained in Arizona (Feb. 2, 1877).
- Rev. Joseph Bloise1882
First resident priest of the parish.
- Fr. Novatus Benzing, OFMc. 1895–1902+
Drew the original Gothic Revival sketches for the new church; commissioned Br. Leonard Darscheid to revise the design.
- Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province / Province of Saint Barbara1895–2023
Pastored the parish for 127 years; withdrew September 13, 2022; keys formally handed to Bishop Dolan on July 1, 2023.
- Fr. John Muir2023–2025
Fifth rector and first diocesan pastor; installed by Bishop Dolan on October 15, 2023; also Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General.
- Fr. Fernando Camou2025–present
Sixth rector; Arizona native, ordained c. 2015; previously rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral and faculty at Nazareth Seminary; installed by Bishop Dolan on August 10, 2025.
