About Mater Dei Latin Mass Parish · Irving, Texas
Mater Dei Latin Mass Parish is a personal parish of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas located in Irving, Texas, uniquely entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (the 1962 Roman Missal, in the Extraordinary Form) on a daily basis. Established by Bishop Kevin Farrell on Easter Sunday 2010, it grew out of the FSSP's very first apostolate in North America, founded in Dallas in 1991, and it remains the only parish in the Diocese of Dallas where the Extraordinary Form is the regular, ordinary liturgical life of the community. Mater Dei serves roughly a thousand faithful each Sunday from across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (Irving, Arlington, Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Grand Prairie) and offers daily Mass, an extensive confession schedule, all-night First Friday adoration, Sacred Heart devotions, a full Latin-rite catechetical program, and a thriving community of traditional Catholic societies, homeschool co-ops, and youth groups.
- Established
- 1991
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (Mater Dei = "Mother of God")
- Rector
- Fr. Peter Bauknecht, FSSP
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Why belong here
Mater Dei is the only parish in the Diocese of Dallas where the Traditional Latin Mass (1962 Roman Missal) and sacraments are the regular, daily liturgical life of the community, served entirely by priests of the FSSP—a fraternity canonically erected by Pope John Paul II in 1988 specifically for the care of the Extraordinary Form. For Catholics attached to the usus antiquior, Mater Dei offers daily Mass (with up to seven Sunday Masses on a regular Sunday), abundant confession times every weekday, an all-night First Friday Eucharistic Adoration vigil, Sacred Heart devotions, sung Vespers, and Benediction. Around that liturgical core the parish has built a flourishing Catholic life: an active homeschool co-op, Little Flowers Girls' Club, Our Lady's Fiat teen girls' group, Troops of St. George, a Mater Dei Young Adults ministry, a Seven Sisters Apostolate cohort, St. Vincent de Paul conference, Knights of Columbus council, Legion of Mary praesidium, Padre Pio Lay Group, a Promise 12 Rosary Makers ministry, and a Mater Dei Recovery Group—making it both a spiritual haven for traditional Catholics and a vibrant community for Catholic families across the DFW metroplex.
Mass times at Mater Dei Latin Mass Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. (NOT on the 2nd Monday of the month); 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Tuesday: 6:00 a.m. – 6:30 a.m.; 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
- Wednesday: no confessions
- Thursday: 6:00 a.m. – 6:30 a.m.; 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
- Friday: 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Sunday: no confessions
Adoration times
- First Sundays: Eucharistic Adoration after the 1:30 p.m. Mass, ending with Benediction, followed by Sung Vespers at 4:00 p.m. (Sung Vespers each Sunday at 4:30 p.m.)
- First and Third Fridays: All-Night Eucharistic Adoration Vigil, beginning after 7:00 p.m. Sacred Heart devotions and continuing into First Saturday morning (7:00 p.m. Friday – 7:30/7:45 a.m. Saturday)
About Mater Dei Latin Mass Parish
Mater Dei Catholic Parish is a personal parish of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, canonically located at 2030 East State Highway 356 in Irving, Texas, and entrusted to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). It is the only parish in the diocese where the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form, 1962 liturgical books) and all the sacraments are offered in the Latin usus antiquior as the ordinary liturgical life of the community. The parish serves Catholics from across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and its sacramental emergency line is (972) 438-7600, Option #5.
- Pastoral care: Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP)
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Dallas (Bishop Edward J. Burns)
- Parish established as a personal parish: Easter Sunday 2010 by Bishop Kevin Farrell
- Address: 2030 East State Highway 356, Irving, TX 75060
- Phone: (972) 438-7600 | Email: [email protected]
History of the Parish
Mater Dei traces its roots to June 1991, when the FSSP—founded by Pope John Paul II in 1988—established its very first apostolate in North America in Dallas. After brief months at St. Jude's Chapel, the community was hosted by the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Infant Jesus of Prague and St. Joseph from Palm Sunday 1992 until December 6, 2009, a 17-year spiritual partnership of Mass, confession, processions, and mutual charity. The community moved into a renovated former Korean Methodist church in Irving at the end of 2009, and Bishop Kevin Farrell formally erected Mater Dei as a personal parish on Easter Sunday 2010, blessing the new sanctuary on October 8, 2010.
- 1988 – FSSP founded by Pope John Paul II
- June 1991 – First FSSP apostolate in North America begins in Dallas (St. Jude's Chapel)
- Palm Sunday, April 12, 1992 – First Mass at Carmelite Monastery on Flowers Avenue
- December 6, 2009 – Final Carmelite Mass; keys received for Irving building
- Easter Sunday 2010 – Bishop Kevin Farrell establishes Mater Dei as a personal parish
- October 8, 2010 – Sanctuary blessed by Bishop Farrell (chanting in Latin)
- October 1 (campaign launch year) – Capital campaign launched for new 900-seat church
Our Clergy
The parish is staffed entirely by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. The current pastor is Fr. Peter Bauknecht, FSSP, supported by four parochial vicars. All priests offer Mass and the sacraments exclusively in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
- Fr. Peter Bauknecht, FSSP – Pastor
- Fr. Brian McDonnell, FSSP – Parochial Vicar
- Fr. James O'Reilly, FSSP – Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Charles Ohotnicky, FSSP – Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Steven Kalinowski, FSSP – Parochial Vicar
Parish Life – Adult Apostolates
Beyond the sanctuary, Mater Dei sustains a wide network of lay societies and apostolates that put the Traditional Latin Mass into service of the parish and the wider Irving community. Several of these (marked with an asterisk on the parish website) are independent non-parish organizations that simply meet at Mater Dei.
- Adoration Society
- Legion of Mary (independent)
- Padre Pio Lay Group
- Seven Sisters Apostolate
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (independent) — meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. (3x/month via Zoom, 1x/month in person)
- Knights of Columbus (independent)
- St. Joseph's Guild
- The Ladies' Sodality of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Francis de Sales
- Promise 12 Rosary Makers
- Hildegard Project (St. Hildegard health, home, and teaching)
- Mater Dei Recovery Group
- Respect Life Events
- Sunday Hospitality & Sunday Welcome Table
Parish Life – Youth, Young Adults, and Families
Mater Dei runs an unusually broad range of youth and family ministries for a single parish. The Little Flowers Girls' Club (ages 5–12), Our Lady's Fiat teen girl group (ages 13–18), the Mater Dei Youth Group (ages 13–18), Troops of St. George, and the Mater Dei Young Adults ministry give children, teens, and twenty-somethings a parallel Catholic social and catechetical life to the parish's liturgical one. The annual Youth Summer Musical Camp, in operation since 2022, brings children grades 2–12 into a week of rehearsal and performance.
- Youth Group (ages 13–18) — 1st & 3rd Saturdays, 4:00–7:30 p.m. in parish hall
- Mater Dei Young Adults — First Friday dances, Theology on Tap, game nights, Lenten retreat
- Little Flowers Girls Club (ages 5–12) — 2nd Saturdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m.
- Our Lady's Fiat (ages 13–18) — 2nd Saturdays after 8:30 a.m. Mass
- Troops of St. George (independent) — Catholic scouting
- Youth Summer Musical Camp — annual, written & directed by Sarah Marion Simonitis since 2022
- Mater Dei Homeschool Group (MDHSG) — monthly mom meetings, liturgical-year festivities, field trips, dances; annual dues $30
Independent Homeschool Co-ops Meeting at Mater Dei
Several independent homeschool groups call Mater Dei home, drawn by the community's traditional Catholic culture. Mater Dei's own MDHSG is a support group, while the organizations below operate their own academic co-ops.
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Children of Fatima
- Our Lady of Victory Girls' High School Co-op
Sacraments and Sacramental Emergencies
All seven sacraments are celebrated at Mater Dei in the Extraordinary Form, and the parish publishes generous confession windows to support frequent reception. For sacramental emergencies (such as last rites), the parish operates a dedicated line.
- Sacramental emergency line: (972) 438-7600, Option #5
- Confession available daily except Wednesday and Sunday (see full schedule)
- Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick on request
- All Masses and Sacraments offered in the Latin usus antiquior (1962 liturgical books)
Visiting, Location, and Contact
Mater Dei welcomes visiting Catholics from anywhere in the world. Its Irving location—just minutes from DFW International Airport—makes it a frequent stop for travelers seeking the Traditional Latin Mass. Contact can be made by phone, email, or in person during parish office hours; specific group email addresses are listed on the parish's Contact page for organizations like the Adoration Society, Respect Life, Rosary Makers, Padre Pio Lay Group, Miscarriage Ministry, and the youth/family groups.
- Address: 2030 East State Highway 356, Irving, TX 75060
- Main phone: (972) 438-7600 | Fax: (972) 438-1005
- General email: [email protected]
- Sacramental emergencies: (972) 438-7600, Option #5
- Near DFW International Airport; on East State Highway 356
Building Project: A New Church for Mater Dei
Mater Dei has long outgrown its renovated sanctuary (seating ~300 against a Sunday attendance of ~1,100). The parish launched a capital campaign on October 1 with the goal of building a purpose-built traditional church of approximately 900 seats on its Irving campus; the church building alone is budgeted at $4.5 million, with the broader parish campus project coming in higher. Diocesan policy requires roughly half of the church's funds in hand before groundbreaking.
- Current sanctuary capacity: ~300
- Planned new-church capacity: 900
- New church budget: $4.5 million
- Strategy: 50%+ of funds secured before groundbreaking per diocesan policy
- Campaign launch date: October 1
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Irwin, FSSP1991–early 1990s
Among the first FSSP priests to serve the Dallas apostolate; celebrated at St. Jude's Chapel and the Carmelite Monastery.
- Fr. Buckley, FSSPearly 1990s
Co-celebrant in the early days of the Dallas apostolate alongside Fr. Irwin.
- Fr. Thomas Longua, FSSPthrough 2009–at least 2014
Pastor who led Mater Dei from its itinerant Carmelite years into the Irving church; received keys to the Irving building on Dec 6, 2009; presided at the October 8, 2010 sanctuary blessing with Bishop Farrell; spearheaded the new-church capital campaign.
- Fr. Philip (Phil) Wolfe, FSSPcirca 2010
Served as deacon at the October 8, 2010 sanctuary blessing; assisted Fr. Longua as parochial vicar.
- Fr. Flood, FSSPcirca 2010
Served as subdeacon at the October 8, 2010 sanctuary blessing.
- Fr. Peter Bauknecht, FSSPpresent
Current pastor of Mater Dei Personal Parish.