9:00 a.m. Mass Celebrated by Bishop Dolan
Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral
6351 North 27th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona
Followed by Breakfast Reception in Smith Hall
On Sunday, September 17, Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix is inviting Catholics in the Phoenix area to celebrate the Jesuit presence in their community at 9:00 a.m. Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral.
Bishop Dolan will preside at the liturgy, which will also be concelebrated by a number of Jesuits, including Fr. Simon Zachary, SJ, Fr. Dan Nevares, SJ, Fr. Andrew Laguna, SJ, Fr. Eddie Ngô, SJ, Fr. Bob Fambrini, SJ, and more.
After Mass, there we will be a light breakfast reception in Smith Hall where several speakers will share thoughts about how the Jesuits and their unique spirituality have influenced their lives.
To RSVP for the reception, click here.
If you are not able to join us in person, please click here to view the livestream of the Mass on September 17.
The Jesuits have a longstanding commitment to the people of Phoenix. In 1928, Jesuits were asked by Mrs. Ellen Brophy to establish a school to provide Catholic, Jesuit education to young men in the Phoenix area. Mrs. Brophy supplied the land for the school as well as funds for its construction. Today, Brophy College Preparatory, the only Jesuit high school in Arizona, seeks to
“educate men for others to serve the world.” The school, which annually enrolls approximately 1,300 students in grades 9 through 12, includes Loyola Academy — a tuition-free, on-campus middle school for 75 – 100 underserved youth with academic promise.
Adjacent to Brophy’s campus is St. Francis Xavier Parish, which was completed in 1959, and is the only Jesuit parish in the Diocese of Phoenix. St. Francis’ thriving faith community includes St. Francis Xavier School, which incorporates Jesuit traditions and Ignatian spirituality for its 650 pre-K through eighth grade students.
The Jesuit presence in Phoenix also includes Creighton University’s 195,000-square-foot Health Sciences Campus, which opened in 2021. The campus houses a medical school, accelerated nursing program, physician assistant program and doctoral programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy. In addition, Creighton is now managing the medical clinic at St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Phoenix, helping to address the health care needs of underinsured, uninsured and unhoused Phoenix residents.
Read more about the Mass on September 17 in the Catholic Sun.
About the Concelebrants
Fr. Simon Zachary, SJ, who was ordained in June of 2023, grew up in Glendale, Arizona. He first met the Jesuits as a student at Brophy College Preparatory School before attending Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he studied business. After graduation, he worked in Microsoft’s online advertising division for six years before joining the Jesuits. For several years during his Jesuit formation, he returned to his alma mater, Brophy, to teach social studies. Fr. Simon currently serves at Seattle Preparatory School.
Fr. Dan Nevares, SJ, was born and raised in Houston. He first met the Jesuits as a high school student at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. After graduating from college, he taught elementary school in Glendale, Arizona, for several years before answering God’s call and joining the Jesuits. Ordained in 2022 by his uncle, Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares of the Diocese of Phoenix, Fr. Dan currently serves at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish and School in Spokane, Washington.
Fr. Radmar Jao, SJ, is the Director of Vocations for the USA West province. He is originally from Valparaiso, Indiana and a graduate of Indiana University. He was an award winning actor in Los Angeles, appearing on film, TV, and stage before entering the Jesuits in 2001. Fr. Radmar now uses his acting skills to witness to his faith and calling as a Jesuit priest. Prior to his ordination in 2011, he chronicled his path to priesthood in a series of YouTube videos, before serving as the vocation promoter for the former California Province. He later returned to Hollywood for a few years when he was missioned to be a full-time actor once again. Most recently, he served as the associate chaplain for the students at Boise State University and coordinator for FirePit Ministry, an inter-parish, post-college, young adult ministry in Boise, Idaho. He is a seasoned spiritual director who is passionate about Ignatian Spirituality and ministering to young adults in their 20’s and 30’s, especially with Christus Ministries.
Fr. Andrew Laguna, SJ, is the vocation promoter for the Jesuits West Province. He was ordained in June 2019. After ordination, he served at a Jesuit parish in Tabasco, Mexico for several months before starting his current assignment as an associate pastor at Most Holy Trinity Church in San Jose. As an undergrad at the University of California, Irvine, Fr. Laguna was a pre-med biology major, but during his senior year he realized that he did not want to be a doctor. He began considering a vocation to the priesthood when he realized that the greatest source of joy and fulfillment in his life came from retreat ministry to Confirmation students at his home parish of St. Paul the Apostle in Chino Hills. He learned more about Ignatian spirituality and the Society of Jesus through a single Jesuit priest missioned to serve the Catholic community at UC Irvine.
