Welcome

All shall give as they are able, according to the blessings of the Lord your God that has given you.  Deuteronomy 16:17

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Thank you for visiting our website and I hope that you will get a sense of the identity and mission of our parish community. St. Francis Xavier Parish, administered by the Jesuit Fathers of the California Province, has been in existence for more than 80 years and now sits in the center of metropolitan Phoenix. At its founding, the parish was outside the city limits.

Our beautiful church building was opened in 1959 and seats 1,300 people. More than 4,400 households are registered in the parish and our elementary school has 540 young boys and girls being educated in the Jesuit tradition. The parish is vibrant with 58 ministries supported by paid staff and numerous, generous volunteers.

Evangelization, education and the celebration of the sacraments are of primary concern for us as we strive to live and spread the Gospel. The principles of Ignatian spirituality guide our efforts to bring people closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our Master Plan for our parish and school is in progress. Because of the faith, zeal and sacrifice of so many of our parish and school families, we achieved our initial goal of $6.5 million for Phase A!   Current construction of this part of the school includes some of our new classrooms, a gymnasium, activity center, cafeteria, activity zones including the play structure area, the hard court play area and the grass play areas which will be fenced for security at the SFX School & Faith Education Center.  This initial construction will be completed in December 2010.

Our Phase B campaign in now in progress, which will fund other grade level classrooms, our media center and library, a computer lab, the atrium and areas for our Religious Education students to learn their faith.  Please help us build our future and keep new construction going for our SFX School & Faith Education Center! 

How can you help on Phase B for our SFX School & Faith Education Center?  Our goal for Phase B is $4 million.  Everyone is prayerfully asked to consider how they can contribute and pledge from the largest to the smallest possible donation. In giving, you can sponsor a classroom and have your family name demonstrate your support for our students. You can invite your family and friends to join you in supporting a part of the school. You can sponsor the furniture, fixtures and equipment for classrooms, library and courtyard and give for other needed areas.

Our campaign slogan continues to be “Etched in Our Hearts, Who We Are, What We Can Be.”  This slogan isn’t meant to be a catch phrase or something that rhymes so that you’ll remember it easily. Rather, it was conceived to evoke sentiment in the heart of anyone who has been a part of the St. Francis Xavier community throughout its history. In 1928, the Jesuits, at the request of the Mrs. William Henry Brophy Family, founded Brophy College Prep and St. Francis Xavier Parish was established. What was adequate 60 years ago is simply not adequate today. The parish currently has 58 active ministries that involve our 4,400 households and serve so many who live in the heart of Phoenix. The learning environment needs to be redesigned and expanded to provide for a variety of educational models and the technological advances of this century.

Pray with me for the success of our Master Plan, which also includes our Parish Hall Complex and other areas. I ask for your generous participation to achieve our goals. Clearly, we have much to celebrate and even more as we look forward. “What We Can Be” is truly within our reach.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Rev. Daniel J. Sullivan, S.J.

Pastor