Shortly After

Desiring to follow the admonitions of Pope St. John Paul II (and later those of Pope Benedict XVI in 2007), to honor the  “rightful aspirations” of those Roman Catholics who desired the older form of the Mass and Sacraments, Bishop Olmsted saw a real pastoral need to reach out to them and give them sufficient pastoral care. 

Next in 2005

Bishop Olmsted invited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) to take care of those Catholics in the Diocese of Phoenix who desired the Traditional Roman Liturgy. Fr. Kenneth Fryar was appointed as the first official FSSP chaplain and administered to our community at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.

The Next Pastor

Fr. Joseph Terra found and secured the purchase of the current church property on West Monroe Street in Phoenix. The people of  Mater Misericordiae were so grateful to Bishop Olmsted and the FSSP for the pastoral care provided at this parish.

And Now Today

Our great parish is currently led by Fr. Michael Passo, FSSP who was appointed pastor in 2017. To address the needs of the growing community, Mater Misericordiae Parish established a second church in 2021 with the acquisition and reopening of St. Edward the Confessor in Phoenix.

With two churches under one parish we have been blessed with at least five priestly vocations over the last several years, four having already been ordained a priest for the FSSP and others to follow! Please keep our vocations in your prayers