Mass Celebrating Legacy of Fr. William Wasson
Bishop John Dolan celebrated a special Mass on Sunday (Aug. 16) at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, honoring the legacy of Fr. William Wasson. Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of Fr. Wasson’s death in 2006.
Born in Phoenix in 1923, Fr. Wasson founded Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) and dedicated 50 years of his life to serve as a father, provider and teacher to more than 18,300 orphaned, abandoned and poor children. Many of the men and women he and his colleagues raised attended Sunday’s Mass. NPH now offers homes in nine countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Peru and Bolivia.
Bishop Dolan was joined at Sunday’s Mass by Fr. Richard Frechette, who is the President of NPH Haiti’s Board of Directors, overseeing an extensive array of programs, and serves as the Ethical and Medical Consultant/Advisor for NPH International.
Mass at Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Bishop John Dolan celebrated his first-ever Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Tuesday (July 28). The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, welcoming over 20 million pilgrims annually. It is also where the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Phoenix diocese, resides.
Daniel Carlisi, a Diocese of Phoenix seminarian from Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, Ariz., served at the Mass alongside the bishop. He just completed his Spanish immersion opportunity in Mexico City, which is part of his seminary formation. Martha Gamez, the Mission Advancement director of engagement for the Diocese of Phoenix read the first reading. Before the Mass, Bishop Dolan and the group he is traveling with received a private guided tour of the grounds, including the basilica and Tepeyac Hill.
Mass for World Day for Grandparents & Elderly
Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares celebrated Mass on Sunday (July 26) at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix to commemorate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
July 26 is the Church’s feast of Ss. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus and the parents of His mother, Mary. The Mass was established by the diocese’s Office of Respect Life Ministries. A part of the office’s mission is to “encourage and coordinate programs of prayer and worship that focus on the sanctity of all human life.”
Photos: Jose Melero
Border Mass 250 in Nogales
On Friday, June 26, 2026, Catholic bishops from dioceses along the U.S.-Mexico border and beyond came together in Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for Border Mass 250, a binational gathering of faith, solidarity and recognition of the contributions of immigrants in the context of the 250th anniversary of the United States. In attendance were Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop James Misko and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson, Archbishop John Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso. In addition, Bishop Enrique Sanchez Martinez of Mexicali and Bishop Jose Luis Cerra Luna of Nogales were part of the events. The Kino Border Initiative (KPI) and other migrant service organizations also participated. A pastoral conversation with the bishops and Mass in Nogales, Ariz., kicked off the event. Following the liturgy, a procession took place across the border while the rosary was prayed, both in English and Spanish. The event wrapped up as the bishops had dinner with migrants at KPI in Nogales, Mexico.
Priestly Ordination
Bishop John Dolan celebrated the Priestly Ordination of Nathan Blanchard, Simon Ortiz, Jeff Pooley and Paul Graupmann at St. Thomas Aquinas in Avondale, Ariz., on Saturday morning (June 6). He was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares, Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui, Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted and several priests, deacons, religious and seminarians before a standing room only crowd.
Mass of Thanksgiving for Priests & Seminarians
Bishop John Dolan celebrated the annual Mass of Thanksgiving for Priests and Seminarians on Wednesday (June 3) in the Virginia G. Piper Chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center (DPC) in downtown Phoenix. Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted, Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares and Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui were concelebrants of the Mass. During the liturgy, Miguel Soto, a Diocese of Phoenix seminarian, was accepted into the candidac
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church Dedication
Bishop John Dolan dedicated the new St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church in Anthem on Wednesday evening (May 13) before a capacity crowd. He was joined by several priests from the Diocese of Phoenix, including Fr. Bing Colasito, the pastor at St. Rose.
Mass for Correctional & Detention Officers
Fr. Estevan Wetzel, director of the Office of Prison Ministry and Restorative Justice, celebrated the first annual Silver Mass in honor of correctional and detention officers on Wednesday (May 6) at Sacred Heart Parish in Phoenix.
University of Mary Graduation
Eight seminarians from the Diocese of Phoenix’s Nazareth Seminary were part of the largest graduating class from the University of Mary on Saturday (April 26) in Bismarck, N.D. The eight graduating seminarians, the first group from the Nazareth Seminary to do so, are Bobby Balser, Jacob Barnett, Chris Lukaszewski, Julian Mena, Jose Munoz, Br. Damien Van Amerongen, Alexander Vinciguerra and David Wilmowski.
Saturday began with a baccalaureate Mass, celebrated by university President Msgr. James Shea in the campus chapel, followed by the commencement ceremony at the Bismarck Event Center where an all-time high 1,081 graduated. Fr. Kurt Perrera, the vice rector of Nazareth Seminary, Fr. Jesús Martinez and Fr. Peter McConnell from the Diocese of Phoenix were also in attendance.
The University of Mary partners with Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Ariz., to run a local branch of the university called Mary College at ASU. This is where the eight seminarians have been studying for the past three years to earn their bachelor’s degree in Catholic Studies and Philosophy.
The men will now continue their formation at St. Gregory House in Phoenix for the three-and-a-half-year Configuration Stage of formation. Men from this class are on track for a 2030 priestly ordination.
Nazareth Seminary, which began expansion in October 2023, is a household model of formation and education where seminarians and their formators live, pray, study, cook and care for the home together. The local program also allows men to get to know the cultures, parishes and people they may one day serve as priests. Nazareth Seminary consists of four formation homes, the fourth of which will be St. Agnes House, which will be located at St. Agnes Parish and is slated to open in fall 2026. Discussions are currently underway for a fifth formation house, which will potentially open in fall 2027.
Circle the City Tour
Bishop John Dolan made his first-ever visit to Circle the City, a Phoenix-based nonprofit healthcare group that works to meet the needs of men, women and children facing homelessness in Maricopa County, on Thursday (April 23) for a tour of multiple facilities around the valley.
Circle the City was founded by Sr. Adele O’Sullivan, CJS, MD, and her community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. After her initial career as a pharmacist in the 80s, Sr. Adele noticed a lack of sanitary conditions for wound care, challenges with medication management and the lack of a place for rest and recovery after a serious illness or injury for those experiencing homelessness. She earned her medical degree from the University of Arizona in 1984 and returned as a doctor to care for people living on the street. In 2012, Circle the City was founded.
