CNA Staff, Nov 11, 2024 / 15:35 pm (CNA).
Celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the cathedral of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, will cease effective Dec. 1, according to a Vatican-approved order that comes almost one year after Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland, one of his most outspoken critics, as head of the diocese.
Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, who has served as apostolic administrator of the Tyler Diocese in East Texas since Strickland’s dramatic ouster last Nov. 11, announced the move in a letter to parishioners of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler, which has offered a 2 p.m. Sunday Mass in Latin.
A spokesperson for the diocese also confirmed with CNA that Masses celebrated according to the pre-Vatican II liturgical form will also be halted in four other parishes: Mary Queen of Heaven in Malakoff, Sacred Heart in Texarkana, St. Francis of Assisi in Gilmer, and Sacred Heart in Nacogdoches.
The letter was first obtained by Catholic journalist Diane Montagna who published it on X over the weekend.
“Following the guidance of the Holy See,” Vásquez stated in a letter dated Nov. 6, “celebration of the liturgy according to the liturgical books approved by St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II in accordance with the Second Vatican Council” will no longer be permitted in the cathedral from December onward but will be permitted in only one parish within the Diocese of Tyler.
St. Joseph the Worker Parish, entrusted to the care of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), is the only parish in the diocese authorized to “use of the 1952 Missal, according to the provisions of Traditionis Custodes,” the motu proprio Pope Francis issued in 2021 that sharply curtailed the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass worldwide.
According to Vásquez’s letter, St. Joseph the Worker Parish is a “personal parish” established in 2003 to “pastorally care for all those in the diocese who celebrated according to the older liturgical forms.”
A spokesperson for the diocese told CNA: “Going forward, as the letter states, St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Tyler, a personal parish entrusted to the FSSP, will continue to serve the faithful of the diocese according to the norms of Traditionis custodes.”
The letter does not specify why Traditional Latin Masses are ending at the cathedral, though Strickland’s refusal to fully implement Traditionis Custodes is widely believed to be one factor that led to his removal. The Vatican has not publicly disclosed exactly why Pope Francis asked for his resignation.
Strickland said in an interview with LifeSiteNews a year ago: “I know I didn’t implement Traditiones Custodes because I can’t starve out part of my flock.”
In his letter, Vásquez indicated that he “recently received a reply” from the Vatican after submitting a letter to the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on how to implement the Holy Father’s motu proprio in the local Church after Strickland’s departure.
“While this transition may be difficult for some, my hope is that you will open your hearts and move forward on this path with faith and trust,” Vásquez wrote.
“I pray you will experience a deepened unity with the whole Church and a greater awareness of the liturgical richness of the ordinary form of the Roman liturgy,” he added.
This article has been updated.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Make a mess papacy strikes again…
I am so tired of this nonsense.
How long, Lord?
Revenge pure and simple. What a disgrace.
Yes, it is a typical narcissistic revenge. Say “no” to a narcissist and he will attempt to destroy just but also anything connected with you including other people (this is actually an ultimate test for that disorder but a very costly one).
Such moments are very sad but they serve to reveal how truly concerned those who trumpet “for the good of others” are about those others.
Does a bishop’s order, premised on bald-faced lies (“celebration of the liturgy according to the liturgical books approved by St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II in accordance with the Second Vatican Council”) even need to be obeyed?
Great question!
Silliness
save a soul today
If you want to steer devout people to the SSPX this is a way to accomplish that.
A few months ago I visited a part of the country where the SSPX offered the only Catholic Mass in the entire county. They were thriving and not only flourishing in numbers but involved with local community and charitable projects.
The other growing faith community there were the Amish.
That’s what our future will look like. Devout Catholics, Amish, Hasidic Jews and whoever else embraces tradition above the world. Especially traditional teaching on marriage and family.
It’s a shame our hierarchy doesn’t see the demographic writing on the wall. Even for the sake of job security.
Mrscracker,
Actually, I strongly suspect that the Pope does see the demographic writing on the wall. In my opinion, the relationship of cause and effect is so strong that a person would have to be fairly stupid not to see it.
I’ve heard that Pope Francis does not use the internet & relies on his advisors for information. I pray every day that God will send him holy advisors who have our best interests at heart.
With all the troubles in the Church and in the world – Christians persecuted even killed, Chinese Catholics suffering – wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, perhaps in East Asia, secularism rampant in the West – the Vatican spends so much time and energy to wipe out a Latin Mass – in a cathedral in a small diocese in Texas!!!!
Is this how we evangelize? preach the gospel?
Oh! We have a Pope? I must not have been paying attention.
The City of Man grows at the expense of the City of God.
“Let us walk together, except for you Latin Mass types.”
The Church of Abandonment strikes again. I echo Leo’s comment.
As a convert from Evangelical Protestantism who considers “understanding” a major priority for me–I don’t care for the Latin Mass or any Mass in a language that I do not speak because I can’t understand it and looking at a translation is not conducive to my ability to worship. I also love the hymns in my own heart language, and perhaps because I grew up in the 1970s (horror movies e.g., Hammer films!), I find any form of chant “spooky.” But I certainly have no objection to others who love the Latin Mass and who are blessed and edified by it, and who are willing to put in the time and discipline to learn the various chants and the musical forms (Gregorian chant, etc.) that are used in the Latin Mass. I don’t understand why the Latin Mass is being taken away from its loyal attendees and celebrants. It seems like a waste of time and energy when there are so many other pressing issues in the world today.
My sentiment exactly
It’s mostly not about the language. It’s about the Tradition that is transmitted, in word, deed, smells, bells, song, and statues. That’s what is hated. And it is hated in large part because of the pressing issues of today. Traditionalists have all the normal sins and failings of human beings, but people who think homosexual acts, fornication, contraception, or abortion are OK, are almost nonexistent there. People who reject the Real Presence either don’t go there, or come to believe it. This results in communities where people actually support each other in believing and living the Faith, and are therefore willing to speak those truths out loud, because they aren’t alone. It is those beliefs that strengthen the family and make it possible to raise healthy, happy, holy children. And it is against children and the family that the devil is currently waging war. Breaking up those communities is a divide-and-conquer maneuver by the devil – who is entirely capable of inspiring irrational dislike or harshness in the hearts of men.
When you better understand what the Mass is, a holy sacrifice of the Son, re-presented to the Father and for the Father (not for you), then you will see that it is deep, like reading scripture. You are always finding something new. Do some research on each part of the Mass and then follow carefully what the priest is doing and I think you will appreciate that you don’t need the vernacular to know what is going on on.
Why does the Vatican have to approve the order?
“Let us build a house
Where love can dwell
And all can safely live
A place where
Saints and children tell
How hearts learn to forgive
Built of hopes and dreams and visions
Rock of faith and vault of grace
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions
All are welcome, all are welcome
All are welcome in this place…”
*******
Even Marty Haugen got some things right. All should be welcome, not selectively excluded. “Catholic” means universal. Imagine if Spanish Masses were suppressed in the same way in Texas?
oh, mrscracker, something for you to read (and only one of many articles giving the information about Marty Haugen [I chose the first to come up in my search]); but I would be quite surprised if you didn’t already know about this?
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260341/diocese-reverses-hymn-ban-in-favor-of-synodal-selection-of-sacred-music
Oh yes, thank you very much for that link. I used to sing in the choir & not a few of us would wince every time our choir director picked another “Marty” hymn for us to practice for Mass.
I think his songs are mostly rubbish even without the association to his alleged behaviors. But it’s always interesting how “all” being welcome doesn’t always translate to “all”. Just as “diversity & inclusion” doesn’t either. Some are more welcome than others. Only certain forms of diversity apply. Inclusion ends up excluding.
Mrs C, the most vicious of all intolerances is the Liberal “Catholic” (it is a contradiction in terms) who cannot tolerate undiluted sacred liturgy nor watered down doctrine. Tragically, the Liberal “Catholics” are running Rome (into the ground).
Liberal “Catholics”: apostates who adopted liberalism to undermine Catholicism for freemasonry.
Your avatar is wonderful!
I take everything literally. At first I thought: “Nye-Eve” what an interesting name…
🙂
Oh, thank you.
It is self-revealing, especially on this forum/website.
I learn quite a bit reading the comments.
It wasn’t enough to fire the Bishop. Now, bergoglio further crushes a small but innocent diocese underfoot as if it were no better than a cigarette butt. There isn’t a single molecule of “shepherd” is his entire being.
The adage applies to those who do good as well as those who do evil – What goes around comes around.
In God’s good time.
Suggestion – Schedule the last Latin Mass in that Cathedral for Saturday, November 30, spread the word, and then make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the Pope is told 1) how many people attended the Mass, and 2) from how far many of them came for the Mass.
Suggestion #2 – Read this piece and then go to Crisis Magazine and read the review of the movie ‘Conclave’, and then …..
(BTW – In the dictionary under the definition of the word ‘petty’ this article should be there as a prime example.)
Mrs. Whitlock – I agree with you – well said
Where’s the year-long synodal process for this massive change to the lives of the faithful?
Francis claims to be promoting unity, but it’s not unity, it’s just favoring one form of uniformity over another. I can attend Mass in Poland or Brazil or the Philippines or Japan, but I don’t know Polish or Portuguese or Tagalog or Japanese. So we’re separated by Francis’s “unity.” If they all had the Traditional Latin Mass, it would be the same in each of those countries, and having studied Latin and the one Latin Mass in particular, I could follow along and participate everywhere.
Yes, that’s the benefit of a universal prayer language. It works the same way for Hebrew.
Inimicus Missae Latinae est procurator Satanae.
We must pray for Pope Francis.
I pray for the Pope-the next one-especially because I know he’s like to be from the packed college and a fellow traveler.
Since Pope Francis is so into synods; how about cadaver synod 2.0?
Francis’ burial Mass should be in Latin and Strickland should be the principal celebrant.
It would be the best comment on his Papacy since Biden lost control.