CV NEWS FEED // In light of the Holy See’s directives in Traditiones Custodes, the Archdiocese of Detroit announced April 16 that its parish churches are no longer permitted to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass; however, the archbishop is working to find alternative local locations for it to be celebrated.
The archdiocese explained in the announcement that in 2021, the archdiocese sought to allow its parishioners to attend the traditional Latin Mass while following the norms promulgated by Traditiones Custodes.
“The goal was to make use of this Extraordinary form of the Liturgy while ensuring that the Archdiocese remained in conformity with the directives of the Holy See,” the archdiocese stated.
The statement continued that in an effort toward this goal, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, who became Detroit’s archbishop in February, recently met with priests and shared several updates on the celebration of the Latin Mass in the archdiocese.
“The Holy See has reserved for itself the ability to allow the Traditional Latin Mass to be celebrated in parish churches,” the announcement explained. “Local bishops no longer possess the ability to permit this particular liturgy in a parish church. With this in mind, the prior permissions to celebrate this liturgy in Archdiocesan parish churches — which expire on July 1, 2025 — cannot be renewed.”
However, local bishops are still permitted to designate non-parish settings, such as shrines or chapels, for the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. Thus, Archbishop Weisenburger is seeking to designate locations in the archdiocese’s four regions for the celebration of the Latin Mass, which will be announced at a later date.
Moreover, the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest will continue to offer the Latin Mass at St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit, which, the announcement states, functions “specifically to care for Christ’s faithful who desire to participate in the Traditional Latin Mass.”
The statement concludes, “Archbishop Weisenburger plans to continue discernment and consultation on this matter during the next several months.”