“May the beauty which you pass on to generations still to come be such that it will stir them to wonder!” – Pope St. John Paul II

As we welcome Bishop John P. Dolan as the new bishop the Diocese of Phoenix, we are also preparing to say goodbye to our beloved Bishop Olmsted.  To honor Bishop Olmsted’s eighteen and a half years of spiritual fatherhood as our fourth bishop, we hope to add additional sacred artwork to the Virginia G. Piper Chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

It was Bishop Olmsted who saw the importance of the beautification of the chapel. The once-empty walls are now filled with stained-glass windows of the lives of saints canonized by St. John Paul II, which is a great gift to every visitor! It takes only a glance to be drawn into this room where Jesus abides, ultimately drawing us more closely to Jesus Himself.

It is no surprise that Bishop Olmsted has spent many hours here before the Blessed Sacrament.  This is the chapel where Bishop Olmsted came to pray daily after lunch, the place he prayed before and after events, and the place where, during the mountains and valleys of his time as bishop, he knelt to encounter the Lord and intercede on our behalf. It is only fitting to add even more beauty to this space that means so much to Bishop Olmsted.

Let us come together to pass on this beauty to generations in honor of our beloved Bishop Olmsted!