Friar Warren J. Rouse, OFM, was a Franciscan priest for more than 50 years. Born and raised in Phoenix, he was ordained at Old Mission Santa Barbara and ministered mainly in Arizona and Southern California.
From 1983 to 1994 he was pastor and then rector of St. Mary’s Basilica in Phoenix, where he had been baptized, and with the help of parishioners he restored its interior and obtained its status as a basilica from Pope John Paul II. He directed Serra Retreat in Malibu for 12 years and wrote the “Words of Wisdom” column in The Way of St. Francis for more than 30 years. He went to his heavenly reward in April 2020.
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