“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9)
Nearly 2,000 years after St. Paul wrote those words to believers in Galatia, they are ringing true — along with the bells of a brand-new church — at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Parish in Anthem, Ariz.
Over two decades after its first gathering in the home of Bob and Alana Bush, the parish opened its new building of worship with a dedication Mass celebrated by Bishop John Dolan Wednesday (May 13).
“Congratulations to all of you on this historic and grace-filled day,” St. Rose’s pastor, Fr. Francisco “Bing” Colasito beamed, crediting parishioners and staff for the completion of the project that includes a new perpetual adoration chapel and a chapel for daily Mass.
“This sacred milestone is the fruit of years of prayer, sacrifice and tremendous generosity; a testament of faith, perseverance and unwavering commitment to building a spiritual home,” Fr. Bing said.
The Bushes were among more than 1,000 worshippers who filled the church for the dedication Mass.
“It’s unbelievable; just amazing,” smiled 22-year parishioner and choir member Teri Clein.
Laid out in a cruciform shape, with a nave intersected by side areas, or transepts, the Spanish mission-style structure boasts a sanctuary punctuated by detailed gold carvings and dark wood. Its altar sides and front are adorned with retablo figures of the 12 apostles. Its dark wood pews and massive ceiling beams contrast with its white walls and floor, and large arch transept windows. A total of 44 colorful stained-glass windows depicting saints, including St. Rose, the Blessed Virgin Mary and others, dot the interior walls’ upper portions. A large stained-glass depiction of the Last Supper highlights the perpetual adoration chapel.
Fr. Bing and Bishop Dolan compared the building’s physical nature with the spiritual identity of its occupants and the universal Church.
“My brothers and sisters, this church is not ultimately about concrete or wood; glass or stone,” the bishop said in his homily. “It is about Christ, the capstone, and you, the living stones joined together into a holy temple where God is worshipped in spirit and in truth.
“Today, we give thanks for all who carried this parish through those years: founding families, volunteers, benefactors and priests, especially Fr. Bing, who continues to shepherd this community with fidelity,” the bishop continued.
“May St. Rose pray for this parish community, that you continue to be missionaries of hope here in the desert; gathering people not merely into a building but into the very household of God here in Anthem.”
Pilgrims in the desert
The parish’s story began around 2001.
Catholics living in the then-3-year-old master-planned community of Anthem, about 35 miles north of downtown Phoenix, came together under Good Shepherd Mission in neighboring New River, Ariz. They worshipped and fellowshipped with one another that way until 2004, when the Diocese of Phoenix established the parish, naming it after a young Frenchwoman who became a nun and eventually ministered in the United States along the Missouri frontier. As the Anthem area grew and more Catholics arrived, the parish’s faithful met and worshipped in a local school gymnasium, then a parish office and eventually in its multipurpose Spirituality Center that opened in 2010.
The parish yearned for a permanent church building, and with the arrival of Fr. Bing as parochial administrator in 2015, those plans began to coalesce.
“Our journey beautifully reflects the living stones of the Church: the people of God, who first built a community of faith before raising walls of brick and stones,” Fr. Bing said Wednesday.
The parish also needed to pay its construction debt.
By 2021, the bills for building the Spirituality Center were paid, and planning as well as fundraising for the new church ramped up, its pastor leading the parish development council and local donors toward their financial goal.
“We asked the parishioners to storm heaven with the bishops, trusting that if God desired this church to be built, He would provide the way,” Fr. Bing recalled.
The project began September 1, 2024, and culminated Wednesday, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, with principal designer Christine Naiman of Adaptive Architects in Mesa, Ariz., handing the building keys to Bishop Dolan, who opened the doors. Once worshippers had filed in, the bishop blessed the church, sprinkling holy water across each of its walls.
Before the offertory, he continued the time-honored Church process of placing a holy relic — in this case, a relic of St. Rose — inside the base of the altar and anointing its top with holy chrism oil. He poured the oil over its center and four corners, symbolizing Jesus’ five wounds on the cross. He, Fr. Bing and Parochial Vicar Fr. Charles Ouemenga then anointed the church walls with oil. The bishop concluded the ceremony by swinging a lit thurible of incense, allowing its smoke to waft over the altar and congregation, praying along the way.
Parishioners felt God’s hand and His presence in their new worship home.
“It’s surreal,” said John Isbrandt, a 22-year parishioner who attended both the first and final Masses in the Spirituality Center. “It’ll help people realize their time, sweat, blood, tears and money went into something that is really worth it.”
Jack Evans, who produced the parish’s video construction reports, said the project will encourage church involvement.
“You can’t help but be impressed and overwhelmed,” he said.
Gaye Rose, whose husband’s new job brought them from Houston to Anthem seven months ago, agreed. She said the couple hopes to dive into ministries there.
“The crucified Lord is so realistic. When you’re surrounded by the saints and Marian images; to be part of something they built for so long. I can’t wait,” Rose said.
Patroness of perseverance
Parish Project Manager Paul Novak said pursuit of the new church reflects their patroness.
Born to a wealthy French family in 1769, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ, became a nun in 1788. When the Visitation Order was dispersed during the French Revolution, she turned the convent over to the newly founded Society of the Sacred Heart. In 1818, the order sent St. Rose and four other nuns to the United States, where she opened a boarding school for daughters of pioneers near St. Louis and launched the first free school west of the Mississippi River. The nuns founded orphanages and engaged in missionary work among Native Americans.
Canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988, St. Rose’s feast day is Nov 18.
A patroness of Catholic schools, educators and Native American rights, St. Rose also is regarded as a saint of perseverance amid adversity.
“We hope all the work, prayers and effort will last for the next several generations, and they will feel the love that was the foundation of building this,” Novak said.
The new church comes as the area is poised for further residential growth. Home to 1,700 registered families, the parish is ready to welcome more.
“May this church stand as a visible sign of God’s abiding presence in our midst,” Fr. Bing said. “… a place where the Gospel is proclaimed with conviction and charity, where the sacraments are celebrated with reverence, where the weary find comfort and where all who enter encounter the love and mercy of Christ,” he concluded.
“When people drive by this parish,” Bishop Dolan said, “they should not merely see architecture, they should see hope.”
