Name of Church St. Mary’s Basilica
Address 231 North Third Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phone number 602-354-2100
Website www.saintmarysbasilica.org
Mass times Saturday vigil, 5 p.m.; Sunday, 9 & 11 a.m. Monday – Friday, 12:05 p.m. Holy days, 12:05 & 5:15 p.m.
Confessions Saturdays, 4 p.m.
Names of priests Franciscan Fathers Vincent Mesi, pastor and rector, and Micah Muhlen. The church has been staffed by Franciscan friars since 1895; Father Muhlen delivered a good homily on the Word of God when this writer was present. Years ago, Phoenix suffered from scandals that reached the office of the previous bishop, but today, the orthodox bishop is Thomas Olmsted is at the helm. He is celebrating his 10th anniversary of becoming bishop of Phoenix this year.
School No.
Special groups and activities Holy Hour and adoration, 11 a.m. & 5 p.m.; St. Mary’s Youth Group; Ministry to the Sick and Homebound; Ministry of Care (brings the Eucharist to shut-ins); Legion of Mary; St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Music The parish has a pipe organ; on weekends you’ll enjoy more traditional music.
Fellow parishioners The parish serves 750 families that drive in from all over the Phoenix area, as well as businessmen who come to Mass during the week. It also draws a significant number of visitors. All Masses are in English.
Parking There is a small parking lot beside the church, or underground parking under the chancery office.
Acoustics Good.
Cry room No, but children are welcome. Take them out into the courtyard if they become unruly.
Parish bulletin Available online.
Additional observations St. Mary’s Basilica is surrounded by hotels, offices and the convention center in downtown Phoenix and is about 50 yards away from the chancery office for the diocese. The parish was established in 1881; the current church completed in 1914. It is built in the traditional style. One of its most notable features is its stained glass windows; in the rear, as you exit, is a particularly beautiful one featuring the Blessed Mother. It has a traditional altar, two side altars, an altar rail, tall white columns and statues of the saints.
Alongside the church is a large courtyard featuring statues of St. Francis, Mother Teresa, and Pope John Paul II. The entrance to the chancery is on the opposite side of the courtyard, but it is not the rectory of the church and is not where you should go for information. Take a look inside the chancery, as it has a nice chapel and exhibits featuring Pope John Paul II’s visit to Phoenix in 1987. (He celebrated Mass for 75,000 in Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium; you can see the chair the pontiff sat in, and some of the items he wore, such as his mitre.)
Perfect setting for the Traditional Latin Mass, with high altar intact, communion rail intact, just remove the “peoples” table in front of the high altar and we are ready for the True Mass of All Times!!! Truly, a stunning church indeed!!
Alas, poor Janek — what you call the “people’s table” the Roman Catholic Church calls “The Altar of Sacrifice.”
For there the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Holy Mass, is celebrated.
According to Catholic theology, it is also the MOST important piece of furniture in the building, symbolizing the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.
This is why the priest and people bow to it, the Pope kisses it with reverence, and it is treated with respect. Before being used for the first time, it is consecrated by the bishop, much as the church itself is.
Mackz,
Please tell us where in “Catholic Theology” you get that the Altar is the most important piece of furniture in the building. I always thought that the Tabernacle that is unfortunately not always on the Altar is the most important item (I refuse to call it or the Altar a piece of furniture) in the Church!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
The tabernacle is of no importance — only what it CONTAINS, the Blessed Sacrament, is worthy of reverence.
This is why we ignore the tabernacle on Good Friday, when it is empty — it in itself is not used for Catholic worship.
The altar, by contrast, is ALWAYS treated with reverence, and the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH tell us why:
“1383 The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. “For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?” asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, “The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar.” The liturgy expresses this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:
“We entreat you, almighty God,
that by the hands of your holy Angel
this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that as we receive in communion at this altar
the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.”
The website of ADOREMUS further explains why churches such as Saint Peter’s Basilica have a side chapel for Eucharistic Adoration:
867. b. 1967: Sacred Congregation for Rites, Eucharisticum Mysterium, no. 53: “The place in a church or oratory where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle should be truly prominent. It ought to be suitable for private prayer so that the faithful may easily and fruitfully, by private devotion also, continue to honor Our Lord in this sacrament. It is therefore recommended that, as far as possible, the tabernacle be placed in a chapel distinct from the middle or central part of the church, above all in those churches where marriages and funerals take place frequently and in places which are much visited for their artistic or historical treasures” (Paragraph 54 repeats Inter Oecumenici, no. 95).
to: Mackz says –
Please, this is a Catholic website. Have some respect! I have been to the most evil spot on this planet (yes, it’s true) and I have been to the Twilight Zone, but now I inadvertently converge with you at this site also. Where does it stop?
Alas poor Mackz, you are very steeped in” Novus Ordo” innovations, such as calling the Tabernacle un-important, I for one find your thinking very sad indeed, I understand you will never like Tradition or The Traditional Latin Mass and I will never accept the novelties of Hand holding, dancing girls, altar girls, guitars, tamborines, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass said in the vulgar tounges, kiss of peace, “the people’s table” polka music, rock music, Mariachi music, and all un- Catholic practices.
The “vulgar tongues.” Oh, my!
Well, if you find English so darned vulgar, why didn’t you post in Latin?
As for the “kiss of peace” (the word makes me wonder what kind of smooching goes on at YOUR parish), it’s been around for two thousand years, in the old days often in the form of people kissing a Pax Board and passing it on to the next person to reverence. I personally call it the “sign of peace” because it can be done in many ways.