Father John Bonavitacola was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1988 after completing his formation at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He credits St. John Paul II’s visit to Philadelphia in 1979 as the inspiration for his vocation. Father served 12 years as the Director of Chaplaincy Services for the Philadelphia prison system.
Fr. John has served as Pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tempe, Arizona for over 22 years. He has served on the Diocesan Finance Council for 10 years and has been Dean of the South Deanery for the past 6 years. He serves on the board of directors for the International Stewardship Council and successfully introduced “Stewardship as a Way of Life” at Mt. Carmel. Fr. John serves as board president of the Priests Assurance Association (manages priests retirement funds) and on the Diocesan Compensation Committee (manages lay employee salary, benefits, retirement plan.) He also serves on the Investment Committee for our diocese and is also on the board for the Mustard Tree Foundation which provides scholarships to treatment programs for teens and adults.
Father is a trained substance abuse counselor and has worked with the Twelve Step Community for 25 years. He has given Twelve Step Retreats all over the world. In 2010 Fr. John established the FullCircle Program. This program offers services at no cost to young people and their families who are struggling with substance abuse and related disorders. Currently the program operates as a separate non-profit in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas City and Georgia. Fr. John serves as the Executive Director.
In his free time, Fr. John enjoys writing, cooking and making his own pasta sauce. He is excited to bring Christ to the people of Sun City West and the surrounding Vistancia area in unique and exciting ways.