Bishop John Dolan installed Fr. John Muir as pastor of St. Mary’s Basilica parish in downtown Phoenix on Sunday, becoming the fifth rector in the storied history of the church.
Fr. Muir, who was ordained a priest in 2007, also serves as moderator of the curia and vicar general for the Diocese of Phoenix. He was previously the pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale for seven years before joining the Diocesan Pastoral Center in his current role in January of 2023. A native of South Burlington, Vt., Fr. Mui moved with his family to Arizona in 1989 and later graduated from Arcadia High School where he was a multi-sport athlete and musician.
The Diocese of Phoenix officially took over St. Mary’s Basilica this past July, as the Franciscan Friars of the Santa Barbara Province withdrew from pastoral leadership of the church because of diminished priestly vocations and a restructuring of their United States Provinces. Dedicated on Feb. 11, 1915, and staffed by the Franciscans for 127 years, St. Mary’s Basilica is the oldest Catholic church in Phoenix.
