St. Joseph Catholic Church stands on the north side of Phoenix at 11001 N. 40th Street, a single parish entrusted with a remarkable range of Catholic life in the Diocese of Phoenix. The parish is best known for two rhythms that shape its identity: weekday Mass every morning and a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel that opens its doors fifteen hours a day, seven days a week. Around that rhythm of prayer, the parish has built a wide circle of formation, fellowship, and service - from a Montessori-inspired atrium for three-year-olds to a young-adult community called The Commission, from a Legion of Mary praesidium with deep Phoenix roots to a Water Ministry that recycles bottles and cans to feed the hungry.
Mass and Confession on 40th Street
The Mass schedule at St. Joseph is built for working families and weekday regulars alike. The Saturday Vigil is offered at 4:00 p.m. and two Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m., with an additional 9:00 a.m. Mass on the First Saturday of the month. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. and on Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Visitors are invited to follow the assembly's lead, with worship aids in each pew to help with postures and responses. Ushers are glad to bring an aid to anyone who cannot find one.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with a daily lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. In an emergency after hours, the parish answering service pages an on-duty person to assist in summoning a priest, including for the Anointing of the Sick, which the parish reminds Catholics may be received as often as it is needed.
The Adoration Chapel: Fifteen Hours a Day with the Blessed Sacrament
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of parish life at St. Joseph is the Adoration Chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for silent prayer from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day of the year, except for Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The Eucharistic Adoration Ministry invites parishioners to become Committed Adorers, who keep the same one-hour slot each week; Substitute Adorers, who fill in when needed; and Hourly Captains, who coordinate coverage for a particular hour. A brief orientation with a captain or the coordinator covers chapel procedures and sign-in, and a single hour of weekly presence is the standard commitment.
The chapel is the prayer engine behind the parish's liturgical and devotional life. The same ministry sponsors and arranges the schedule, and the coordinator's contact information is posted for anyone who feels called to an hour of watch before the Lord.
Becoming Catholic: The OCIA Process
Adults who wish to enter the Catholic Church, complete their initiation, or come into full communion are welcomed through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. The parish uses the name OCIA and lists three groups of inquirers: those never baptized, those baptized in a non-Catholic tradition seeking full communion, and Catholics who still need First Reconciliation, Confirmation, or First Communion. The coordinator, Valerie Tucker, walks each inquirer through the process, gathering sacramental, marital, and family history so that marriage, annulment, or non-Catholic baptism can be addressed before formation begins.
Family Faith Formation and Little Hands, Big Faith
Catechesis for children is built around the conviction that the family is the Domestic Church, the first place where children encounter God. The Family Faith Formation Program equips parents as the first catechists of their children and supplies the lesson plans, videos, and weekly materials they need to lead faith conversations at home. The parish uses the Spirit of Truth Curriculum, a lectionary-based program that ties each lesson to the Sunday Gospel and walks children through the Sacraments, prayer, morality, and Christian living over five years. Levels run from "God is Love" in Year 1 through "Sacred Scripture" in Years 4 and 5.
For the youngest disciples, three-year-olds through kindergarteners, the parish offers Little Hands, Big Faith, a Montessori-based in-person formation held on Sundays. In a carefully prepared sacred space, children work with hands-on materials drawn from Scripture, the Mass, and the liturgical year, learning to recognize Jesus as the Good Shepherd and to respond to His voice. The program is designed not to replace family formation but to complement it, with parents and children carrying the same reverence into prayer at home.
Families gather monthly for Faith, Fun, and Fellowship Nights, with activities tied to the liturgical season, formation for parents through speakers and discussion, and time to build friendships with other parish families. Moni Gray, Coordinator of Elementary Faith Formation, handles registration for the program year.
Life Teen: Middle and High School Discipleship
Teens in grades 6 through 12 gather for Life Teen every Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The parish describes the program as Catholic Youth Ministry that makes disciples by building community, answering questions about the faith, and inviting teens to encounter Jesus personally. Registration is handled through online forms for both teens and adult Core Team members, who help with set-up, small-group leadership, and walking with teens through the questions of adolescence. Frankie Keffer, the Youth Ministry Coordinator, oversees the program and is the first point of contact for parents and volunteers.
The Commission: A Young-Adult Community
St. Joseph calls its ministry for adults in their twenties, thirties, and forties The Commission. The group meets weekly, with day and time shifting by season, and most gatherings run 90 minutes to two hours. A typical evening weaves together Scripture reflection and discussion, occasional guest speakers or themed formation nights, adoration or other prayer, and social time. There is no registration and no long-term commitment, just an open door for newcomers, returning Catholics, and anyone looking for an honest community of peers.
Band of Brothers and Cursillo
Men of the parish are invited into Band of Brothers, a fellowship that meets on the first and third Mondays of each month for an hour to an hour and a half. Gatherings combine prayer, Scripture, and a faith-based discussion aimed at helping husbands, fathers, sons, and disciples live their vocation with greater intentionality. No registration or training is required.
For a deeper retreat experience, the parish hosts Cursillo, the international Catholic movement whose name means "short course" in Spanish. The Cursillo weekend offers three days of prayer, reflection, and fellowship, followed by ongoing small-group reunions that sustain the formation. Inquirers are pointed to the Diocese of Phoenix Cursillo Movement for upcoming weekends.
Legion of Mary and the Charismatic Prayer Group
St. Joseph is one of the parishes that hosts an active Legion of Mary praesidium, the largest lay apostolic organization in the Catholic Church. The local group meets on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Mary's Room, with a monthly Comitium on the second Saturday and an annual Acies at Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral. Active members take on assigned apostolic works - Rosary promotion, hospital and home visitations, care center ministry, Sacred Heart home enthronements, and the Pilgrim Virgin Mary Visitation Program - while Auxiliary members pray the daily Tessera as a quiet support. The Phoenix-area Legion has been working through local praesidia for 75 years.
Alongside the Legion, the parish hosts a Charismatic Prayer Group that gathers quarterly for Praise and Worship, Scripture reflection, and intercessory prayer. The group exists to renew the Church in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and at least once a year it sponsors a Healing Mass in the parish, with prayer over the sick offered by clergy and trained prayer teams following diocesan norms.
Pastoral Care and Compassion Ministry
Two ministries at St. Joseph carry the parish beyond its walls. The Pastoral Care Ministry, made up of commissioned Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, brings the Eucharist to parishioners who are homebound, hospitalized, or living in nursing facilities. Visits are scheduled weekly or as arranged with the volunteer, and the ministry is the link between the parish and those who cannot be present at Mass.
The Compassion Ministry, by contrast, gathers the parish around families in the days immediately after a funeral. Volunteers prepare dishes, assemble platters, and set up the reception in Joseph Hall or Ascension Hall, with morning set-up typically beginning around 9:00 a.m. and the day ending by 2:00 p.m. The aim is simple: to ease the practical burden on a grieving family and to offer a gentle, prayerful presence in a moment of loss.
Saint Vincent de Paul and the Water Ministry
The parish's outreach to those in need is anchored by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Vincentians at St. Joseph deliver food from the parish pantry, provide financial assistance and resource referrals, and serve at the downtown SVdP campus, including the warehouse, kitchen, clinic, and shelters, as well as SVdP thrift stores around the city. New Vincentians complete two 8-hour training sessions before serving, and the conference meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., with food delivery rotating every three to four weeks.
The Water Ministry is a more distinctive work. Parishioners collect and recycle bottles and cans after Masses, crushing them at the parish and redeeming the value. Proceeds are directed to feeding the homeless, supporting low-income families, funding the Religious Education Program, the Knights of Columbus, and the parish office, and stocking the bins used by Saint Vincent de Paul during its annual food drive. Volunteers can serve on Saturdays and Sundays, with weekday opportunities available as well.
Faith and Light, Knit Wits, and the Sanctity of Life Ministry
Three smaller ministries fill important corners of parish life. Faith and Light is an international community of persons with intellectual disabilities, their families, and friends; the local group meets in Mary's Room on the fourth Sunday of each month at noon, with volunteers welcomed after completing Safe Environment training. Knit Wits gathers on Fridays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. to knit and crochet prayer blankets, shawls, and chemo caps, praying over each project as it grows. Completed items are blessed by Fr. Parks and given away at no cost; an annual pre-Thanksgiving sale of handcrafted goods supplies the yarn for the coming year.
The Sanctity of Life Ministry is the parish's pro-life witness, hosting fundraisers throughout the year for pregnancy resource centers in the Valley, praying at a local Planned Parenthood on the first Sunday of each month, and providing education, spiritual support, and material assistance to mothers, fathers, and families in need. Participation is open to all parishioners.
Liturgical Ministries at the Altar
At the heart of every Mass is the work of the liturgical ministries, and St. Joseph has a long list. Altar Servers assist the priest and deacon at Masses, holy days, weddings, and funerals; youth in fourth grade or older, and adults, are welcome after about an hour of training, with new servers shadowing experienced ones at least three times before being scheduled. Ushers seat the assembly, take up the collection, direct communion, hand out bulletins, and tidy the church after Mass, serving at least one Mass each week. Sacristans prepare the sacred vessels and linens, the Altar Linens team cares for and irons the cloths, and the Church Flowers and Decor team adorns the sanctuary for the seasons and feasts.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with the distribution of the Eucharist, Lectors proclaim the Scriptures, and Hospitality/Greeters welcome parishioners and visitors at the door. The Music Ministry, under the Director of Liturgical Music, leads the sung prayer of the parish at weekend Masses, holy days, funerals, weddings, and quinceañeras, with occasional rehearsals scheduled around the liturgical seasons. The parish draws on a wide repertoire of hymns, psalms, litanies, and choral pieces, and volunteers are welcomed without formal auditions - only a love of music and a willingness to serve.
Children at Mass and a Place for Everyone
St. Joseph's approach to children in the pews is characteristically Catholic: families worship together, and the cry room along the right side of the church is available for parents who would like a little more room. Children are not separated for a children's church; instead, the parish invests in formation outside of Mass, through Little Hands, Big Faith, Family Faith Formation, and the sacramental preparation that flows from the Diocese of Phoenix's restored order of the Sacraments of Initiation, in which Reconciliation is prepared in second grade and Confirmation and First Eucharist in third grade.
For non-Catholic visitors, the parish asks that those who are not Catholic refrain from receiving Holy Communion, but extends an open invitation to come forward with arms crossed over the chest for a special blessing. Visitors are not expected to put anything in the collection; the offertory may pass them by, and online giving is available through Zelle and PayPal for those who choose to support the parish.
Safe Environment and the Diocese of Phoenix
St. Joseph operates under the Diocese of Phoenix Safe Environment policy. Every clergy member, employee, and volunteer who works with minors must complete "Called to Protect for Ministries" training annually, along with a Volunteer Application, Code of Ethics, and fingerprinting. The same standards are extended to youth events and any parish programming that brings children and adults together.
Together, the parish's daily Mass, perpetual Adoration Chapel, and constellation of more than thirty ministries make St. Joseph a place where the rhythms of Catholic life are visible at almost any hour. From the Legion of Mary on Tuesday evenings to Knit Wits on Friday afternoons, from the cry room to the choir loft, the parish at 11001 N. 40th Street is built to give every member of the family a place to pray, to serve, and to belong.