History of St. Helen of the Cross Roman Catholic Church
The first St. Helen of the Cross Church was built in 1936 with the help of the
people of Eloy and was dedicated on December 12, 1936. Father Patrick J.
Murphy was the first resident pastor of the Casa Grande-Coolidge-Eloy territory with a Mission in each city. It was named after St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, an Emperor of Rome in the Third Century. (To read St. Helen’s fascinating history click The Story of St. Helen of the Cross and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
From 1936 until 1952 it remained a Mission of Casa Grande.
As Eloy’s population began to steadily grow, and in order to meet the needs of Eloy, the church became a separate parish in October 1952. Fr. Paul Rook was appointed as the first resident Pastor of Saint Helen’s Parish.
In 1948, four lots of property were donated to the church by John Alsdorf, a devoted Catholic of the parish. Later Mr. Alsdorf donated the entire block of property to the church. Under the leadership of Pastor Fr. Sylvio Ross, he began planning a new church. Four years later on December 14, 1952, the new, larger church was dedicated at its present location.
In subsequent years, a parish garden was added, as well as a Parish Hall.
