Detroit Archdiocese announces churches that will continue Traditional Latin Mass

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 17, 2025 / 16:56 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit has identified the non-parish churches in the archdiocese that are allowed to continue the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), following an earlier statement saying that most of the TLM celebrated in the area would come to an end.

In April, the archdiocese announced that the TLM would no longer be celebrated at parish churches after July 1. Weisenburger said the end of the TLM was due to the Vatican’s 2023 clarification that diocesan bishops do not have the authority to allow the Masses to be held in existing parish churches.

The archdiocese reported that permissions given to parish church priests to carry out the TLM would expire and they could not be renewed, but Weisenburger said he would recognize at least four non-parish locations in the archdiocese where the TLM could still be celebrated.

On June 13, the archdiocese released a letter with an update on the Masses and a list of approved churches.

“As there are a number of the faithful in our local Church who have found spiritual richness in this form of the Mass, I am permitting it to continue in accord with the Holy See’s parameters,” Weisenburger wrote.

“You will recall that in 2021, Pope Francis issued guidelines for the celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form, commonly called the ‘Traditional Latin Mass.’ This is the expression of the Mass which was offered prior to Vatican II.”

The letter expressed that the Masses will be held in accordance with “the new liturgical teachings and law of the Church.”

“There are two goods which must come together as we move forward: the pastoral care of these faithful as well as fidelity to the Holy Father’s call for the ordinary form of the Mass to become the ‘unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman rite’ (Traditionis Custodes, 1),” Weisenburger said.

“Guided by these principles, beginning July 1, 2025, the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered at St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit in the central region and three non-parish churches in each additional region of the Archdiocese of Detroit.”

The other churches include St. Irene Church in Dundee in the south region, Our Lady of Orchard Lake Chapel in Orchard Lake in the northwest region, and St. Joseph Church in Port Huron in the northeast region.

Permission for all other churches and sites that celebrate the TLM will still expire as originally planned, on June 30.

“While not every priest will retain the required permission to celebrate the Mass according to the rubrics of the 1962 missal, a number of priests will be available to serve these four regional sites,” Weisenburger explained.

“I take seriously my charge to care for all the faithful and am confident that this new arrangement is faithful to the Church’s law while expressing my concern for your spiritual welfare.”

“I have been impressed by the rich expressions of the Catholic faith in southeast Michigan,”  Weisenburger said. “The unity of our Catholic faith need not be diminished by diversity. Likewise, fidelity to Christ is only possible if we remain faithful to the Church, under the leadership of our pope and the local bishop.”