Name of Church St. Thomas the Apostle
Address 2312 East Campbell Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone number (602) 954-9089
Website www.staphx.org
Mass Schedule Saturday vigil, 5 p.m. Sundays, 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m.
Confessions Saturdays, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., Sunday after the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses.
Names of priests Fr. Steven Kunkel, pastor. Fr. Musie Tesfayohannes, O.Cist, parochial vicar. Fr. Robert Bolding, Fr. Awte Weldu, O.Cist, in residence. The parish has faithful priests who are good homilists. Listen to past homilies on the parish website (https://www.staphx.org/audio).
Special activities and groups Perpetual adoration in the adoration chapel (open to the public 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Institute of Catholic Theology, Holy Grounds with Fr. Steve (coffee and prayer with the pastor for young people), Men’s bible study, Women’s study group, Mom’s group, Covenant of Love Date Night, Apostles for Life (to form young people), Knights of Columbus.
School Yes, preschool through 8th grade. Seven Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are at residence in a convent at the parish. The community has been active since 2006 in the diocese; St. Thomas is the community’s first and longest-running mission. Three of the sisters teach at the parish school, and three teach at St. Mary’s High School, the oldest Catholic high school in Arizona. There is a 7th sister in residence who is studying medicine at a Tempe school. The sisters have their own chapel, and the public is welcome to come pray with them on Sunday evenings.
Parking Multiple parking lots on the church grounds.
Additional observations This is a parish of the Diocese of Phoenix. The parish was established in 1950; the current church was built in 1960. Its features include a Spanish colonial-style tower which rises 105 feet and is a recognizable landmark in the area. It is built in the cruciform style. There is a gift shop open daily; check the parish website for hours (https://www.staphx.org/giftshop).
Not with the price of gas these days, it isn’t. Thanks Biden. Sure miss gas prices under Trump.
Of course you make things political. Gas prices under Trump sank because nobody was driving because of Trump era COVID. People drive now, so now that demand is up, gas prices are up. It’s called supply-and-demand capitalism. Trump’s friend and admiree Putin is making gas prices to higher because he is more intent on stealing territory than selling oil.
Why a worthy Church has to be victimized by politics is beyond me, but if you go there, I’ll make sure you tell the whole truth.
The following was emailed to a California Catholic editor:
The subhead refers to St. Thomas as a “mission,” but it always has been a full-fledged parish. The church seats about 1,100 people, and the two parking lots (front and back) still overflow for a well-attended Mass. The 11 a.m. Sunday is ad orientem, often celebrated by the in-residence president-rector of St. Mary’s High School, Fr. Robert Bolding.
The parish website currently shows confessions from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 8:30 to 11 a.m. Sundays — although I often see the pastor in his box on Sunday mornings at 8:15.
People who’ve come under its roof include the Reagans (for the memorial service of Nancy’s mother, who lived nearby), Henry and Clare Booth Luce (there’s a modernistic mosaic that Clare did of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the church’s north exterior wall), Charles Keating, and Erma Bombeck (her funeral was there and attended by the likes of Phil Donahue). The detailed Stations of the Cross (no two orbs on a plate to represent a person) were painted using actual parishioners’ faces in the early 1960s, as the current church opened, but of course in Mideast garb.
After I attended daily morning Mass there on election day 2008, I saw the McCains arrive at the next-door Protestant church to vote at its polling place. The McCains lived a couple of blocks away.
This is a must-visit place to get closer to our Almighty God. This is an old parish, and I love the Spanish colonial-style tower that rises 105 feet. This is also one of the most famous landmarks in the area. The way the Parish is built is spectacular. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to drop by the nearest gift shop for some religious stuff. This shop is open daily. But can you please give an update regarding the parking area?
This is a must-visit place to get closer to our Almighty God. This is an old parish, and I love the Spanish colonial-style tower that rises 105 feet. This is also one of the most famous landmarks in area. The way the Parish is built is spectacular. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to drop by the nearest gift shop for some religious stuff. This shop is open daily. But can you please give an update regarding the parking area?
It is heartwarming to read of a parish that has an ad orientem Mass and perpetual adoration. Could this be the influence of the Cistercians?