Latin Mass Makes a return to the Valley
The Arizona Republic, John Faherty, 2008.10.12
Standing outside the church, Marie Shoban stops to make sure her head is covered properly. Then she checks her four young daughters to ensure that their veils are also in place. Shoban, 44, and her husband, Mark, are attending a Latin Mass. The service is solemn, ritualistic, and intelligible to only a very few. But for the Shobans, and others who kneel in the pews, the Mass offers reverence and awe in a time when almost nothing seems sacred. It offers quiet in a loud world. They find comfort in the constancy of the Mass because the world around them is changing faster than they can keep track . . .

The 6:30 Mass held each morning at St. Thomas feels like stepping back in time. Typically, 20 people or so are at the service and they are spread across the large church. For much of the service, the only noise is the occasional cough or the sound of somebody shifting in the wooden pew. "There isn't much quiet in the world today," said Father Kenneth Fryar, pastor of the Mater Misericordiae Mission. "Quiet is good." The mission was established by Bishop Thomas Olmstead in 2005 to provide Latin Mass to the faithful in Arizona. The parish, which does not have its own church, holds services at St. Thomas. In September, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted gave Mater Misericordiae permission to buy a church. It will be dedicated entirely to the Latin Mass. "I am sure it is closer to what God wants," Fryar said. "We should expect deference to the majesty of God." Father Fryar is a pious man wholly devoted to the Latin Mass. It is the best way, he believes, to give "thanks and adoration to God." He does not allow himself to be concerned with how people feel about the service. "This is for God," Fryar said in the rectory of St. Thomas. "It doesn't matter what the people think. It wouldn't matter if nobody was there." Fryar's single-minded devotion to the service was a blessing for Myrna Maney of Phoenix . . .

Extraordinary Anniversary: Latin Mass Gains fans in year since 'motu'
The Catholic Sun, Andrew Junker, 2008.07.18
Fr. Kenneth Fryar, FSSP, pastor of Mater Misericordiae, said it's important to understand the pope's desire in making available the extraordinary form of the Mass. "We need to ask why the Holy Father wants the extraordinary form in parishes," he said. "He wants to maintain the historical treasures of the Church in the living form, not just on the shelf somewhere like in a museum."

FSSP offers traditional Mass at historic mission
The Remnant, 2007.12.25
Article not available online as of 2008.1.06.

Spreading the Good News in an old way: Latin Mass draws faithful to beauty, mystery
Catholic Sun, J.D. Long Garcia, 2007.12.20
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Catholics celebrated the Latin-language Tridentine Mass at the historic San Xavier del Bac Mission. Members of Mater Misericordiae Mission, which offers the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, traveled to the Franciscan mission Dec. 8 to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. (Photos 1-10: San Xavier Del Bac-Latin Mass)

Pope liberalizes Latin Mass: Guidelines make Tridentine Mass more accessible
Catholic Sun, Andrew Junker, 2007.07.19
The silence, ritual and prayer can lend a more transcendent nature to the Mass and attracts Catholics of all ages, said Fr. Kenneth Fryer, FSSP, pastoral administrator for Mater Misericordiae Mission, which celebrates the extraordinary form of the Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. The extraordinary form “expresses itself perhaps in a more sublime way,” he said, explaining why younger people who never grew up with the 1962 Missal are attracted to it.

First Tridentine Mass in Phoenix, AZ a big hit!
Net-Abbey.org, 2004.06
June 6, 2004, the Feast of the Holy Trinity was a special day in another way for the diocese of Phoenix Arizona. After the Latin Mass has not been allowed for 40 years, the Feast of the Holy Trinity was celebrated by a solemn High Mass according to the 1962 Missal. The Mass was made possible by a group of volunteers and the new Bishop of the diocese of Phoenix, Thomas Olmsted.