Goodyear church reflects on tech and progress on 70th anniversary

As St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Goodyear prepares for its 70th anniversary, the parish is turning its attention toward a modern challenge: the rise of artificial intelligence.

The congregation, located at 539 E. La Pasada Blvd., is integrating teachings from Magnifica Humanitas, the newly released first encyclical by Pope Leo XIV. The papal letter addresses safeguarding human identity and conscience in an era of rapid technological advancement.

In a message to the community, the Rev. David Halm, C.S.C., pastor of St. John Vianney, emphasized that the church does not automatically reject progress, but must guard against using technology to replace genuine human connection. Halm highlighted papal warnings regarding the rise of AI “chatbots” used to simulate friendships amid growing trends of isolation.

“No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself,” Halm said, quoting the encyclical. “Machines and technology cannot love, even if they are able to mimic aspects of human relationship.”

The parish has witnessed the rapid growth firsthand, expanding from 6,500 members at its foundation in 1956 to an estimated 225,000 residents in the Goodyear-Avondale area today. With that experience, Halm stated that AI was something that he and the community had encountered and would likely continue to see.

Halm asked the community to consider how to use AI well, and if the community were to use it, he encouraged use for advancements in science and medicine and to push for addressing poverty and unequal access to resources.

Parish leadership noted that navigating the ethical boundaries of modern technology remains vital to their contemporary mission of human service.