Serving phoenix since 1881

St. Mary’s Basilica is the most visited church in Phoenix and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Its legacy began in 1881 and it is the oldest Catholic parish in Phoenix. Since 1881, St. Mary’s Basilica has built a community around Franciscan values of peace, justice, and the loving embrace of all people. It was proclaimed a Minor Basilica and then the place of the Papal visit of Saint John Paul II on September 14, 1987. Throughout its rich history, St. Mary’s Basilica has been an irreplaceable center for artistic, cultural, economic, and spiritual expression in Phoenix for almost 150 years.