The Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, in western and central Arizona in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The Diocese of Ph ...

in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States. As of 2025, the rector of the cathedral is Monsignor Matthew Henry.

History

On May 15, 1953, Bishop Daniel Gercke erected Saints Simon and Jude parish. At that time, the Phoenix area was still under the jurisdiction of the

Diocese of Tucson The Diocese of Tucson ( – ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory – or diocese – of the Roman Catholic Church in southern Arizona in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdio ...

. Smith celebrated masses in the Maryland School, a primary school in Phoenix, while building a temporary church. That structure was dedicated on October 17, 1954. Saints Simon and Jude Church was dedicated on December 11, 1966. In 1969,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

erected the Diocese of Phoenix and elevated Saints Simon and Jude Church to Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

celebrated a mass at the cathedral on September 14, 1987, during his papal visit to the United States. In 1989,

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

spoke at Saints Simon and Jude on the occasion of establishing a branch of the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity () is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. , it consisted o ...

in Phoenix. The rector is Monsignor Matthew Henry and the cathedral is overseen by the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop

John P. Dolan John Patrick Dolan (born June 8, 1962) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop in the Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona since August 2022. Biography Early life John Dolan was born on June 8, 1962, in San Diego, Ca ...

. The Auxiliary Bishop is Bishop Eduardo Alanis Nevares (ordained July 19, 2010). In 2016, the parish installed a new 51-rank

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

built by the

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company The Peragallo Pipe Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey, United States, was founded in 1918 by John Peragallo Sr., who, prior to founding the company, apprenticed with the E.M. Skinner Organ Company (now Aeolian-Skinner). A family company, Peragall ...

of Paterson, New Jersey. It is the first pipe organ in the cathedral. The cathedral reopened in October 2021 after a period of renovations.

Campus

The Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral School is located adjacent to the cathedral, along with the Mary Ward House. Standing in front of the cathedral is a large cross over a dome-like structure that stood over the temporary altar where Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in 1987.

Rectors

* Reverend Paul P. Smith, 1953 – unknown * Reverend Michael McGovern, unknown – 1987 * Monsignor Richard Moyer, 1987 – 1990 * Monsignor Michael O'Grady, 1990 – 2005 * Reverend Robert Clements, 2005 – 2010 * Very Reverend John Lankeit, 2010 – 2021 * Very Reverend Fernando Camou 2021 – 2024 * Very Reverend Matthew Henry 2024 –

Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral School

Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral School is located on the cathedral property in Phoenix. It teaches

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through eighth grade and is staffed by the

Sisters of Loreto The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose members are commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women dedicated to education founded in Saint-Omer by an Englishwoman, Mary Ward (nun), Mary Ward, i ...

. The school was founded in 1954 by Bishop Gerke and Reverend Smith. On August 20, 1954, four

from the Sisters of Loretto arrived from

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town and largest town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Leinster Blackwater, Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin. At the ...

, Ireland to staff the new school.

Images

Phoenix - Cathédrale Saints-Simon-et-Jude - 4.jpg, Chancel from the nave Phoenix - Cathédrale Saints-Simon-et-Jude - 12.jpg, Nave and rear gallery Phoenix - Cathédrale Saints-Simon-et-Jude - 14.jpg, Chancel Phoenix - Cathédrale Saints-Simon-et-Jude - 10.jpg, Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe

References

External links

*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix Official Site

Official website of SSJ School
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix Simon and Jude, Cathedral of Simon and Jude, Cathedral of Roman Catholic churches in Phoenix, Arizona Christian organizations established in 1953 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1966 Modernist architecture in Arizona 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States