Originally, these missionaries worked out a peaceful compromise with the people of the Yaqui River valley allowing for the establishment of more than fifty mission settlements.

An agreement between General Pedro de Perea [es] and the viceroy of New Spain resulted in the formation of the Province of Nueva Navarra in 1637.

[6] He arrived in Nueva Navarra in 1687 and started missionary work in the Pimería Alta area, now the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

[17][18] On occasion, he would celebrate mass in orange groves to accommodate undocumented migrants who were afraid to go into a city.

To replace Rausch, Pope John Paul II appointed Monsignor Thomas J. O'Brien from Tucson in 1981.

[20] During his tenure, O'Brien earned a reputation as a successful fundraiser, builder of schools, and advocate for the poor.

[21] He was also instrumental in persuading John Paul II and Mother Teresa to visit Phoenix in the late 1980s.

In 2003, a week after O'Brien fatally struck a pedestrian in a hit and run incident, he resigned as bishop of Phoenix.

[28] Early in 2022, Reverend Andres Arango, a diocesan priest at St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix, resigned as pastor after learning he that he had used the incorrect words when performing thousands of baptisms.

The station was founded by Dorothy Westfall on a suggestion from a Phoenix parishioner suffering from arthritis.

"[33] on Immaculate Heart Radio.The diocese began financially supporting En Familia radio KIDR in 2012 to reach out to Spanish speakers.

Eduardo Nevares (2010–present):[37][38] James Sean Wall, appointed Bishop of Gallup in 2009:[37][38] According to data from the diocesan web site, the Diocese of Phoenix reported these statistics: There are seven Catholic high-schools within the Diocese of Phoenix, 29 elementary schools, and 29 pre-schools.