An explanation of elements:

1. The cross symbolizes the early missionaries in Arizona.

2. The black tri-mount symbolizes the Native American origin of the word "Tucson," meaning black mountain.

3. The stag is from the Territorial Seal of Arizona. When the Diocese was established in 1897, Arizona was still a territory of the United States. 

4. The miter is the traditional headdress of a bishop. Its use on the shield indicates the Diocese is under the authority of the Bishop of Tucson.

The Diocese of Tucson is the spiritual and temporal geography we share as people united in our Faith. The people who live within the nine counties of our Diocese have been entrusted to their bishop, a successor to the apostles. The bishop both leads and serves the people, and fulfills his role in cooperation with the priests who have the pastoral responsibilities for our parishes.

The history of our faith in Arizona is an important element in our Diocesan identity. We trace the presence of our Church in Arizona back to the time of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, the Jesuit missionary from Italy who, in 1690, was the first to bring the Good News of Christ to the native peoples of this region.

Kino and the missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries helped to provide the foundation of what would become our diocese.

With the native peoples, the missionaries established small Christian communities, places in which and from which people could demonstrate their care and love for one another in the example of Christ, giving food to those whose crops had failed and providing a safe haven when violence threatened.

Christianity in our region was a catalyst for change. With the motivation of Faith, native peoples who spoke different languages and who had distinct cultures could invite each other from isolation and war into community and peace.

The Europeans who came during the successive periods of exploration and colonization built on the experience of this indigenous Church. Those early small Christian communities truly served as the foundation for the Church that would come.

While missionary activity was minimal in Arizona under Mexico's authority, the Church experienced new growth as nationalities and events converged in the territorial years. In 1850, Catholics in Arizona became part of the Vicariate Apostolic (missionary diocese) of Santa Fe.



Our Church was an important element in the growth of Arizona in the territorial years, including the establishment of the first schools and first hospitals in Arizona.

In 1868, five years after Arizona became a territory, the Church here became a Vicariate Apostolic. In 1897, it was elevated to the status of a regular diocese, and our Church grew as Arizona grew to statehood in 1912.

In so many ways we are a diverse People in our Diocese. Yet through Baptism, we are one in Christ. That unique unity and identity is strengthened in prayer, sacrifice, and the Eucharist.

We are enriched by each other, especially when we journey together through difficult times.

Through the gifts of treasure, time, and talent that have been given so generously by generation after generation, we have arrived at this stage in the history of our Diocese to the blessings and graces of this New Millennium.

Eusebio Francesco Chini (his name later changed to Eusebio Francisco Kino) was born on August 10, 1645, in the Italian-Germanic Alpine borderlands. He began his classical studies at the Jesuit High School in Trent, completing them in Tyrol. There, he became seriously ill, but he recovered miraculously through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier.

Deciding to enter the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Kino vowed to dedicate his life to the missions of India, following the previous example of his cousin Martino Martini, another renowned son of Trent. In 1677, Kino was ordained a priest. He completed his preparation for the foreign missions in Spain at the Jesuit College in Seville. 

On May 3, 1681, Kino arrived in Mexico (New Spain) after a three-month voyage across the Atlantic. Padre Kino’s skills as a mathematician and cartographer made him an ideal candidate to join a new expedition to colonize the Californias. The expedition failed, however, and Kino was reassigned to the missions of the mainland. 

On March 13, 1687, Padre Kino set out on his life’s greatest adventure - the evangelization of the Pimería Alta people in the modern borderlands of Sonora and Arizona. Although other Jesuits had been in contact with these native people for more than 40 years, very little progress had been made in evangelizing or connecting. Padre Kino bridged cultural borders as he was welcomed by the desert-sharing O'odham people to their homes in the Pimeria Alta.

Before four years had passed, Padre Kino had ridden through a vast new territory. Kino, the "Padre on Horseback," set a pace that continues to challenge every person who calls himself a servant of God in this desert wilderness. He rode the thirsting trails from Quiburi to Yuma, from Sonoita to San Andres.

He was, at the same time, a man of God and a defender of the native people, urging peace among the warring tribes. Padre Kino concentrated not only on their spiritual conversion but also on their economic, social, and civil development. He envisioned a land of plenty that could be sustained by hard work, planning, and the gifts of God's nature. 

Kino was a pioneer-explorer, historiographer, cartographer, cowboy, rancher, and peacemaker. He taught the tribes how to cultivate fruits and vegetables unknown in those lands; he introduced cattle breeding, carpentry, and ironworking. 

Kino valiantly protected the dignity and interests of his native neophytes against the overbearing schemes of the Spanish hacendados. Fearlessly, he enforced a royal decree that exempted converted natives from hard labor in the mines and from the paying of tribute.

Padre Kino put his heart and soul into the 21 missions he founded that are now thriving towns in the states of Sonora and Arizona. He is believed to have traveled roughly 50,000 miles on horseback.

Padre Kino took on a truly gigantic enterprise, whose fruits were souls led to God, a new life for the desert, and recognition of the dignity and worth of native people. His tireless efforts spanned over 24 years, until his death on March 15, 1711, in the village of Magdalena, Sonora.

He died as he had lived: “in peace and poverty on the edge of something even greater.” Moved by love and compassion, Padre Kino left an indelible mark on the history of the Americas. 

The positio on Padre Kino’s life was accepted by the Vatican in 2006, making him a “Servant of God.” On July 11, 2020, Pope Francis advanced the cause of Kino's sainthood by recognizing his life of heroic virtue and declaring him “Venerable.” The next step in the process of canonization is for Padre Kino to be declared “Blessed.” After that, the final step is to be formally canonized and thereby recognized as a saint.'

Kino Heritage Society

The Diocese of Tucson has been blessed with a legacy of seven Bishops who have served this area.

Bishop Jean Baptiste Salpointe

Motto: “The just man lives by faith.”

Born in 1825, Jean Baptiste Salpointe was the first bishop of Arizona. Originally from France, Salpointe was working in New Mexico when he found out that the Jesuits in Arizona had been called home in 1864, leaving the residents of the Arizona territory without priests to care for the spiritual needs of its people. Salpointe arrived in Tucson and began building churches and hospitals, founding schools, and ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. Bishop Salpointe built Tucson's St. Augustine Cathedral, which was the first cathedral built in Arizona. Bishop Salpointe died in 1898 and was buried under the altar of St. Augustine Cathedral.

Bishop Peter Bourgade

Motto: “I am the mother of holy hope.”

Peter Bourgade was born in France in 1845. As a French missionary priest, he was sent overseas in 1869 for service in the New Mexico-Arizona Territories. On May 8, 1897, Pope Leo XIII created the new Diocese of Tucson, and Peter Bourgade was appointed its first bishop. He founded strong religious education programs at 12 schools and orphanages. In 1899, Bishop Bourgade was appointed Archbishop of Santa Fe. In 1908, Archbishop Bourgade died and was buried under the high altar of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe. 

Bishop Henry R. Granjon

Motto: “Believe boldly, rejoice in love.”

Born in France in 1863, Henry Granjon was ordained a priest in 1887. He joined the missionaries in Arizona in 1890. On April 19, 1900, Granjon was appointed Bishop of Tucson by Pope Leo XIII. During his tenure, the Mission San Xavier del Bac underwent needed restoration. Bishop Granjon contributed the articles "Tucson" and "Mission San Xavier del Bac" to the Catholic Encyclopedia. He served as Bishop until his death in 1922, while he was on a trip to meet with Pope Pius XI. His motto was “Believe boldly; rejoice in love.”

Bishop Daniel J. Gercke

Motto: “All for Jesus.”

Daniel Gercke was born in Pennsylvania in 1874. He served as Bishop of Tucson for 37 years from 1923 to 1960. When Gercke came to Arizona, there were 11 parochial schools and one high school serving 2,267 students. By 1964, Gercke expanded the Diocesan educational system to 48 elementary schools and 11 high schools serving 25,592 students. Bishop Gercke was responsible for founding Regina Cleri Seminary in 1956. He passed away in 1964 and is buried at Holy Hope Cemetery. Bishop Gercke’s motto was “All for Jesus.”

Bishop Francis J. Green

Quote: “Lead, Mary.”

In 1906, Francis Green was born in New York and moved to Arizona as a teenager. After his ordination, Green served as pastor of Saints Peter and Paul in Tucson. After assisting Bishop Gercke as Auxiliary Bishop since 1953, Green was named Bishop of Tucson in 1960. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965, calling it "one of the great experiences of [his] life." Bishop Green was instrumental in founding the Arizona Ecumenical Council, became an advocate of social justice, and provided ministries for African American, Native American, and Hispanic Catholics. Bishop Green died in 1995.

Bishop Manuel D. Moreno

Motto: “Cuento con Cristo.” “I depend upon Christ.”

Manuel Moreno was born in California in 1930 and was ordained in 1961. On January 12, 1982, Moreno was named Bishop of Tucson by Pope John Paul II. He was the first Hispanic bishop for Tucson and only the sixth in the United States. Among Bishop Moreno's initiatives were evangelization and lay leadership development, especially among Hispanics. He supported migrants, interfaith dialogue, and the role of the laity in executive positions. After serving the Diocese of Tucson for 21 years, Bishop Moreno passed away in 2006 and was buried at Holy Hope Cemetery. His motto was “I depend upon Christ.”

Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas

Motto: “Justice begets peace.” “La justicia promueve la paz.”

Born in 1941 in Illinois, Gerald Kicanas was ordained a priest in 1967. Kicanas served in various capacities in the seminary system of the Archdiocese of Chicago for over 25 years, preparing men for parish ministry. Kicanas has benefitted countless committees and efforts with his experience in counseling, communications, educational psychology, leadership, and personal development. He was ordained a bishop in 1995 and served in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Kicanas became Bishop of Tucson in 2003. From 2007 until 2010, Bishop Kicanas was the Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Kicanas served the Diocese of Tucson for 14 years until he retired in 2017.