A Daily Latin Mass in South Phoenix
Our Lady of Sorrows Priory stands on East Baseline Road, just east of the intersection of 7th Street, in South Phoenix. The campus sits about twenty minutes south of Sky Harbor International Airport and ten minutes south of Interstate 10. A traditional Catholic parish served by the priests of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), it has become a gathering place for Catholics across the Phoenix area who want the Tridentine Mass and the traditional sacraments in their fullness. The present church was consecrated in September 2015 on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the priory next door serves as a residence for the priests who minister from it.
The parish takes its name from the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. After every Saturday Mass the priests lead a public devotion to her Seven Sorrows, and the whole priory, school, and retreat center are placed under her patronage. The website of the priory describes the parish in simple terms: Our Lady of Sorrows is a traditional Catholic parish located in South Phoenix, served by priests of the SSPX, with a daily Tridentine Mass, a K-12 school, and retreats offered throughout the year.
The Priests and Brothers in Residence
Seven priests and two religious brothers live on the grounds of Our Lady of Sorrows. Together they form the priory community, a house where the priests pray the Divine Office together, support one another in their common life, and serve the faithful of the chapel and the surrounding missions.
Father John Mark McFarland is the Rector and Prior. According to the parish's own account, he first attended the Latin Mass in September 2004, after growing up in a nominally Catholic household and attending Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, Florida, where the religious atmosphere was, as he puts it, essentially non-existent. He entered the SSPX seminary in 2006, was ordained in 2012, and spent five years teaching at St. Mary's Academy in Kansas before being assigned to Phoenix. He also serves as chaplain for the Holy Name Society.
Father Thomas Buschmann is the Pastor. The four assistant priests are Father Thomas Scott, Father David Fulton, and Father Frank Kurtz, who additionally serves as chaplain of Mission Santa Maria in Dewey. Father Samuel Fabula is the Principal of Our Lady of Sorrows Academy; the parish bid him farewell in August 2026 after several years of service. The two brothers round out the community: Brother Benedict handles maintenance and is also the head archery coach, and Brother Isaias serves as sacristan.
Mass Through the Week
The Tridentine Mass is offered every day of the week, with the full schedule posted on the parish bulletin board and in the weekly bulletin. All Masses are Low Masses except where noted. The full schedule is:
- Sunday: 5:45 am, 7:30 am, 8:30 am (Sung Mass), 11:10 am
- Monday: 5:45 am, 7:30 am, 11:10 am
- Tuesday: 7:00 am, 7:30 am, 11:10 am
- Wednesday: 7:30 am, 8:30 am, 11:10 am
- Thursday: 7:30 am, 11:10 am
- Friday: 7:30 am, 11:10 am
- Saturday: 7:30 am, 8:30 am, 11:00 am
On the First Saturday of every month, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins with the 7:30 am Mass and continues all day until 6:00 pm, ending with Rosary and Benediction. A sign-up sheet for hourly watches is posted in the vestibule. The parish occasionally holds an all-day Adoration on other Saturdays as well, depending on the schedule in the weekly bulletin.
Confessions, the Divine Office, and the Devotional Life
Confessions are heard before every Mass and at additional times. The schedule is: Sunday at 6:45 am, 8:30 am, and 11:00 am; Thursday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm; and Saturday from 7:30 to 9:00 am. Confessions are also available in Spanish on Friday evening and on Sunday, as noted in the bulletin.
The priests pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary together in the main chapel. Prime is prayed at 6:45 am, Sext at 12:15 pm, and Compline at 8:30 pm (except on Thursday, when the evening schedule is different). The community Rosary is recited at 6:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. On Thursdays the evening is shifted: Rosary and Benediction take place at 6:30 pm, followed by Compline.
The parish's devotional calendar also includes: the blessing of religious articles on the third Sunday of each month (after all Masses); the Mothers of Lu prayer for vocations on the first Sunday; and a prayer for priests on the second Sunday, led by the Holy Name Society. On the twelfth of every month the Rosary to Our Lady of Guadalupe is offered for the end of abortion, at 6:00 pm. Ember Days - the traditional Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays of fasting and partial abstinence set aside four times a year - are observed at the priory for the sanctification of priests and vocations.
Our Lady of Sorrows Academy: K Through 12 on the Same Campus
The parish runs its own Catholic school, Our Lady of Sorrows Academy, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade on the same campus as the priory. Father Samuel Fabula, one of the priests in residence, served as the Academy's Principal. The school provides a classical Catholic education rooted in the traditional Latin Mass and the perennial teachings of the Church, and it shares the apostolic aim of the priory: to form souls completely in the Faith.
The Academy is integrated with the parish's wider youth programs. School-aged children who do not attend the Academy are still formed together with the Academy students through the Sunday School catechism, and the parish publishes its own weekly bulletin with announcements for the school. The Academy also sponsors the parish's extracurricular clubs, including the archery and STEM programs described below.
Sunday School and Adult Catechism
For children not enrolled at the Academy, the Sunday School program provides catechesis in a traditional Catholic setting. Classes meet at 9:00 am on most Sundays during the school year, in the parish classrooms. The program aims to give all the children of the faithful, those who attend the Academy and those who do not, a unified preparation for the sacraments and a traditional Catholic education, whether as a supplement to the Academy or as a primary formation. Registration forms are made available in the vestibule each summer.
Adult catechism is offered for grown-ups each Sunday at 10:00 am. Father McFarland's Catholic Doctrine classes also meet Sunday at 10:15 am in Boyle Hall. The topic for the current year is Holy Scripture, and the classes are open to all adults of the parish.
The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady
Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is at the heart of the parish's identity. The Seven Sorrows commemorate the principal pains of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the life and Passion of her Son. The founders of the parish chose this title as their patron, and the church was consecrated on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in September 2015. The anniversary of that consecration is celebrated each September with Vespers and a parish social in Boyle Hall.
Devotion to the Seven Sorrows goes back to 1233, when seven young men in Tuscany founded the Servite Order, the Order of the Servants of Mary, to spread this very devotion. The feast was placed on September 15 by Pope Saint Pius X so that it would fall on the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. According to the tradition reported on the parish's own pages, Our Lady revealed to Saint Bridget of Sweden that those who pray a Hail Mary while meditating on Mary's Seven Sorrows will receive seven special graces, including peace in their families, consolation in their pains, defense in spiritual battles, and the grace to see the face of their Mother at the moment of death.
The Seven Sorrows, as listed by the parish, are: the prophecy of Simeon; the flight into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple; Mary's meeting Jesus on the Way of the Cross; the Crucifixion; the taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross; and the burial of Jesus. After each Saturday Mass the priests lead a public devotion to these Seven Sorrows, and the parish also marks the September feast with special devotions.
Sodalities and Parish Organizations
The parish supports a large network of sodalities and organizations for men, women, young people, and children. Most of them have a chaplain from among the priests, and most meet regularly in either Boyle Hall or the Performing Arts Center on the campus.
The Holy Name Society, formally the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is open to Catholic men over eighteen. It meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). Father McFarland serves as chaplain. Members of the society lead the Prayer for Priests after Mass on the second Sunday of each month.
The Ladies' Auxiliary gathers the women of the parish for mutual spiritual growth, organization of parish events, church cleaning, and works of mercy. Father Buschmann is chaplain. The group also hosts the annual Ladies' Garden Party each spring, with a talk, refreshments, and a social hour.
The Children of Mary sodality is open to all girls in sixth through twelfth grade. The first meeting of the new year is held in October, beginning with the 8:30 am Mass and ending at 3:30 pm, and continuing in regular monthly meetings. The girls run bake sales and other fundraisers for the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and several of them travel to Italy each summer to attend the Ceremony of First Professions at the Sisters' Novitiate of St. Joseph and to make a pilgrimage to Rome.
The Young Adults' Group welcomes unmarried men and women from eighteen to thirty (high-school graduates, with exceptions made only by the chaplain). The group offers Catholic support, friendship, formation, and social events, and the parish has put together an email contact list for those who want to be added to the events roster.
The Simeon and Anna Society is the senior sodality, open to all men and women aged fifty and up. It meets on the first Saturday of each month in Boyle Hall after the 8:30 am Mass. Father Buschmann serves as chaplain.
The Archconfraternity of St. Stephen organizes the altar servers of the parish, training them in the proper ceremonies of the Traditional Latin Mass. Father Fabula serves as chaplain.
The Chapel Choir supports the liturgical functions of the parish and provides music for the sung Masses and feast days. The choir is directed by Mr. Dan McQuillin and is looking for volunteers; reading music and prior choir experience are preferred but not necessary.
The Eucharistic Crusade is a children's devotional program founded in 1914 by the Belgian priest Father Edouard Poppe. Its motto is "Pray, receive communion, make sacrifices, be an apostle." Director Br. Benedict and Mrs. Sharryl Pryor lead the local chapter.
The Third Order of the Society of St. Pius X was founded in 1980 to share the spirit of the SSPX with lay Catholics. Members follow a rule of life and enjoy the fellowship and mutual assistance of the Society, under the patronage of Pope St. Pius X. A District-wide Fraternity of the Third Order, called the Fraternity of Mater Gratiae, meets monthly in the Performing Arts Center; parishioners interested in joining speak with Father McFarland, who serves as the local chaplain.
The parish also gathers regularly for the Sunday Brunch for the Priory, in which volunteers from the parish take a turn cooking a meal for the priests and brothers; the Ladies' Auxiliary runs the sign-up sheet for these brunches.
Mission Santa Maria in Dewey
About two hours north of Phoenix, in the high-desert town of Dewey, the priory serves a second chapel called Mission Santa Maria. Sunday Mass is celebrated there at 10:00 am, with confessions heard thirty minutes before Mass. The mission chapel is located at 12028 East Turquoise Circle, Dewey, AZ 86327, and Father Frank Kurtz is the chaplain assigned to serve it.
The Society of St. Pius X and Its Mission
Our Lady of Sorrows is part of the U.S. District of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, an international society of Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The Society's main objective, as stated in its statutes, is the formation of holy priests using the methods that the Church always used: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the traditional form, the preaching of the Catholic Faith and Catholic morals, the administration of the sacraments, Catholic doctrine drawn from the best sources, and community life in charity and prayer.
The Society takes as its motto the programme of Pope St. Pius X, "Omnia instaurare in Christo," to restore all things in Christ. The Society's purpose, in the words of its statutes, is "the priesthood and all that pertains to it and nothing but what concerns it." The training of its own priests is at the heart of the work: SSPX seminaries in Ecône (Switzerland), Dillwyn (USA), La Reja (Argentina), and Zaitzkofen (Germany) form new priests in the traditional spirituality and the doctrines of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Common Doctor of the Church.
The Society of St. Pius X adheres to what it calls the perennial Faith of the Catholic Church. Its priests celebrate the Tridentine Mass and offer the sacraments according to the older liturgical books. Canonical arguments, drawn from the writings of Cardinal Ratzinger, Cardinal Oddi, Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos, Monsignor Perl, and other ecclesiastical authorities, hold that the Society is not in formal schism and that the sacraments celebrated in its chapels are valid and licit. The Society's stance is one of fidelity to what it considers the unchanging Catholic tradition.
Archery, STEM, and Youth Activities
The parish's youth are not limited to catechism. The Our Lady of Sorrows Archery Club is part of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), an introductory program for students in grades four through twelve. Under the direction of Brother Benedict, the team practices after school and on Saturday mornings, and competes in local, state, and even national tournaments. The club has brought home awards from the Western Nationals, and the parish bulletin regularly reports on the team's standings, including a 2nd-place finish in Middle School Bullseye and 1st-place finishes in both Elementary and Middle School 3D at the State Finals. The program includes a strict dress code: girls must wear dresses or skirts at least to the knees, and all archers must have completely closed shoes.
The STEM Club, called Lux Labz, brings students together for science, technology, engineering, and math activities on a bi-weekly schedule. The club has hosted open houses for prospective families and meets in the Academy classroom space.
Outside of school, the parish also fields a men's softball team, organizes a volleyball tournament each winter, and supports pilgrimages to important Catholic sites. In 2025 a group of parishioners made a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome, and other recent pilgrimages have included the Camino de Santiago in Spain and a trip to the SSPX seminary in Mexico.
The Annual Rhythm of the Priory
The year at Our Lady of Sorrows follows the rhythm of the traditional liturgical calendar. The Solemnity of All Saints is marked with the annual All Saints Parish Festival, complete with dinner, saint-themed carnival games, and bounce houses for the children. The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi is observed with a service each October. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi brings a Eucharistic procession, and the Feast of Christ the King closes the liturgical year with a parish gathering.
The parish participates in the international 40 Days for Life campaign each spring and fall, with parish vigils of an hour or more on Saturday mornings at 1331 N. 7th St., Phoenix. There is a Lenten Fish Fry, a Ladies' Garden Party in the spring, a parish picnic on the Feast of the Holy Family, and a Sunday brunch prepared by parishioners for the priests once a month. First Communions and Confirmations are celebrated together each year, and the bulletin publishes photos of the children in the days that follow.
Getting to the Priory
Our Lady of Sorrows Priory is located at 750 E Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ 85042. The parish office may be reached by phone at 602-268-7673 or by email at [email protected]. Sunday School questions go to [email protected], and Academy inquiries to [email protected]. Masses are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, and the schedule is also available through a link to fsspx.today/chapel/phoenix. The weekly priory bulletin, which lists Mass intentions, devotions, and parish events, is published each Friday and is available both in the vestibule and online.
First-time visitors should expect the Traditional Latin Mass, with all the gestures and Latin prayers proper to the 1962 liturgical books. Confessions are heard in English and Spanish. Modest dress is the norm; women and girls typically wear dresses or skirts and a head covering, and men remove their hats in the chapel. Children of all ages are welcome. The Sunday bulletin, posted in the vestibule, gives the most up-to-date information on the week's schedule, devotions, and parish life.