OUR STORY 

Ellis Kipp (who passed away in 1982) was the driving force in having Sunday Masses held in Rio Verde on a regular basis.  The first services were in the original Clubhouse beginning on August 3, 1975.  During this period, Rio Verde was designated a Mission of Ascension Parish.  The Rio Verde Parishioners chose the name St. Dominic in honor of Fr. Paul Slanina, a member of the Dominican Order, who made the arduous trip through the Indian Reservation every Sunday to say Mass during that period.

In the early 80’s, Monsignor Voss, a retired priest from Pueblo Colorado and living in North Scottsdale, took over Sunday Masses on a regular basis.  In 1984, Mass was moved from the original Clubhouse to the newly completed Oasis.  When the Community Church (now Founders Hall) was completed in 1988, an agreement was reached to begin regular services there in 1989.  Msgr. Voss, who was highly regarded by the parishioners, died in January 1992.  St. Dominic Mission established a scholarship in his name for needy students at his home parish in Colorado.

Since then, the Community Church increased its campus to include a new Sanctuary and Fr. “Tot” O’Dea, then Pastor of Ascension Parish in Fountain Hills, became our Pastor.  Fr. Tot and Fathers Dunn, Healy, Klauck, and O’Rourke alternated in celebrating Mass at St. Dominic Mission Sundays and Holy Days.

At Fr. Tot’s retirement, Fr. John McDonough, the new Pastor at Ascension, became our Pastor.  Fr. John McDonough, Fr. Jilson Panakkal, Fr. Fred Adamson, and Msgr. Dennis O’Donovan alternate in celebrating Mass with us Sundays and Holy Days.  Fr. Bill Wack, formerly with Andre House and now Bishop William A. Wack CSC of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee, also alternated in celebrating Mass with us.

Some visitors to the Verdes are surprised that Catholics and Protestants share the same church.  We are all neighbors and friends…and it seems a very natural relationship.

FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS PREACHERS

(Dominicans), Dominic was ordained an Augustinian priest.  In about 1206, he accompanied his bishop, Diego, on a preaching mission to the heretical Albigensians in southern France.  Diego and Dominic lived in radical poverty and persuasively presented their carefully prepared arguments to the heretics.  The work was slow-going, but Dominic persevered after the death of Diego in 1207 and throughout five years of a bloody crusade against the Albigensians.  Dominic repudiated the violent tactics of the crusaders, saying to one that enemies of the faith would be defeated not with swords but with prayer and humility.

Three times Dominic refused appointment as a bishop, concentrating instead on his work of preaching to heretics, educating the laity, and developing an order of men who would combine prayer, study, and pastoral work, especially preaching.  The Order of Preachers was formally approved in 1216.

Known for his emphasis on study, Dominic was equally attentive to the human condition and inner life.  A contemporary said of him: “Nothing disturbed his equanimity except a lively sympathy with any suffering.  A person’s face shows whether he or she is really happy.  Dominic’s was friendly and joyful.  You could see that he was at peace inwardly.”

The spread of the rosary, a Marian devotion, is attributed to the preaching of St. Dominic.  The Rosary has for centuries been at the heart of the Dominican Order. Pope Pius XI stated that: "The Rosary of Mary is the principle and foundation on which the very Order of Saint Dominic rests for making perfect the life of its members and obtaining the salvation of others." For centuries, Dominicans have been instrumental in spreading the rosary and emphasizing the Catholic belief in the power of the rosary.

Our PASTOR