MITCHELL, William

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona December 26 to December 27, 2010 Mitchell, Father William passed away December 23, 2010 at the age of 87. He was ordained a Priest May 7, 1949 for the Archdiocese of Chicago and ministered there until 1963 when he transferred to the Diocese of Tucson. He ministered in Phoenix at St. Catherine Siena and St. Matthew parishes and Christ the King in Mesa. In 1969 the Diocese of Phoenix was established and Father was appointed its first Director of Vocations to the Priesthood. Father was appointed Chaplain to the Newman Center at Arizona State University and served there for two years. He was pastor of Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa from 1971 to 1978. That year he was assigned to form the new parish of Holy Cross in east Mesa and retired from there in 1994. Father gained national recognition for his work with troubled youth as Chaplain to the Arizona Boys Ranch now known as Canyon State Academy. He was also Chaplain to a youth program run by the Arizona National Guard called Project Challenge. In recognition for his outstanding work with teens in trouble he had a private visit with President George Bush in Phoenix in 2005 and received the President's Volunteer Service Award. In 2008 at the national convention of Project Challenge in Savannah, Georgia delegates from twenty seven states gave Father a standing ovation as he received the Man of the Year Award. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday, December 27, 2010 with Rosary recited at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church 1244 S. Power Rd., Mesa, AZ 85206. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Private burial will be at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery 1562 E. Baseline Rd., Mesa, AZ. Arrangements entrusted to Queen of Heaven Mortuary 480-892-3729. https://view.admission.net/abc/mactive/_ARIZONAREPUBLIC_0000133432/i-1.JPG Published in The Arizona Republic from December 26 to December 27, 2010