This past Saturday, Bishop John Dolan officially installed Fr. Kilian McCaffrey as the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Scottsdale, Ariz. A native of Dublin, Ireland, Fr. McCaffrey has served as a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix for the past 17 years.
He described his installation as pastor of Blessed Sacrament as a “full circle” moment, which began upon his arrival in Arizona in 1998.
“I moved from the Detroit area back in 1998 and the first Sunday after I moved here, I was looking for a local Catholic Church to attend Sunday Mass,” shared Fr. McCaffrey. “I opened the Yellow Pages and found the Roman Catholic churches listings. The closest address I recognized was Blessed Sacrament Parish.”
When he attended morning Mass, he immediately felt welcome, and he soon joined the Knights of Columbus and regularly attended the Miraculous Medal novena on Tuesday evenings. Less than a decade later, Fr. McCaffrey was ordained a priest in 2007, and now serves as pastor in the local parish that first welcomed him.
This year, Blessed Sacrament Parish, which is comprised of 1,600 families, is celebrating its Jubilee Year, or 50th year as a parish in the Diocese of Phoenix. Bishop Dolan will celebrate the parish’s Mass of Jubilee at 4 p.m. on Oct. 19. The 50th Jubilee Gala dinner will follow in the Social Hall.
