St. Catherine Labouré Roman Catholic Mission Church
Chino Valley, Arizona
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix

We, the community of St. Catherine Labouré empowered by the Holy Spirit, will strive to serve the Gospel message in reaching out as the Body of Christ to serve our brothers and sisters.

A Brief History of St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church

In 1972 there were finally enough Catholic families living in Chino Valley to ask that a Mass be celebrated here in Chino.  Prior to this, families had to travel to Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, AZ.  Under the direction of Fr. Joseph Gamm, cmf, the Chino Valley Community Church was rented for one Mass each week at the cost of $60 per month.  The first Masses were at 7:00 PM. 

 Our first Parish Council was formed under the direction of Fr. James Griffin, cmf in November of 1972.  Various societies and service groups were formed beginning in 1975 with the hopes of raising enough money to build our own church. Through the dedication of many of our families, our dream became a reality.  Our church name was chosen in honor of the generosity of Catherine Cooper who donated the land for our church.

Under the guidance of Rev. Philip Reiser, we began construction of our church facilities in 1979.  Our original church / multipurpose building was dedicated on March 23, 1980 at an 11:15 AM Mass presided over by the Most Reverend Bishop James S. Rausch, Bishop of Phoenix. 

 For the next 10 years our parish continued to grow, and on September 8, 1991 at a 3:00 PM Mass, our current church building was dedicated by the Most Reverend Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien, Bishop of Phoenix.  At that time, our parish consisted of 216 families.  Currently, our parish has grown to include 442 registered families. 

 St. Catherine Labouré church is a mission parish of Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, AZ, and for most of our early years we were without a resident pastor. During those times we were faithfully served by the Claretian Missionary priests from Sacred Heart.

 Some of the Claretians who have served at St. Catherine’s:

 Rev. R. Alves, cmf                   Rev. J. Bochenski, cmf         Rev. S. Bonano, cmf    

Rev. A.J. Connors, cmf            Rev. J. C. Daries, cmf           Rev. R. DeTore, cmf   

Rev. D. Farrell, cmf                  Rev. D. Fleckenstein, cmf     Rev. J. Gamm, cmf      

Rev. J. Griffin, cmf                    Rev. F. LeClaire, cmf           Rev. L. J. Lovell, cmf   

Rev. D. Merlino, cmf                Bro. L. Moen, cmf               Rev. D. Olds, cmf

Rev. F. J. Pyka, cmf                 Rev. V. Ramon, cmf             Rev. M. Salinas, cmf    

Rev. J. Salvador, cmf                Rev. G. Whedebee, cmf

We were also blessed to be served during these times by visiting priests from Africa:

 Rev. O. Cyprian    Rev. J. Lekuu    Rev. B. Maatuokuu    Rev. B. Okoro

 We have had five priests serve as a resident pastor here at St. Catherine’s:

Rev. P. Reiser  (1979 to 1985)

Rev. F.J.  Portmann  (1989 to 1993)

Rev. J. Bochenski, cmf (1994)

Rev. J. Salvador, cmf (1994 to 2000)

Rev. F. LeClaire, cmf (August 2003 to June 2007)

Rev. F. LeClaire, cmf (April 2008 to present)

May God continue to bless the families

of St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church!

Send mail to stcathlab@cableone.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 06/10/09