Pittsburgh bishop won't seek renewal for diocese’s only parish-based Latin Mass, says permission ‘was only ever meant to be temporary’
The bishop said the Holy See has expected that the ongoing need to renew permission to celebrate the TLM would come to an end and that the faithful would be brought toward celebrating the post-Vatican II liturgy.
Bishop Mark Eckman of Pittsburgh announced Aug. 7 that he has decided to not seek a renewal of permission from the Vatican for a local parish to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), emphasizing that he has sought to encourage unity in the diocese.
The announcement came in a letter to Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, which has been using the 1962 Roman Missal under a permission that lasts for a two-year period. Bishop Eckman’s predecessor, Bishop David Zubik, obtained the initial two-year permission for the parish after the 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes and asked for an extension of the permission, which was granted Sept. 3, 2024, for an additional two years. Bishop Eckman became bishop of Pittsburgh in the summer of 2025.
Beginning his letter to the parish, Bishop Eckman wrote, “Throughout my ministry as your bishop, I have sought to encourage the unity of our local Church and to help all of us grow ever more deeply in our love for the Eucharist and the sacred liturgy.”
He recounted the timeline of the permissions granted to the parish after Traditionis Custodes, and said that “In granting permission, the Dicastery reminded us that the current Roman Missal promulgated by Popes Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II is the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite, and that the faithful must therefore grow in their appreciation thereof.”
“To that end, the permission to celebrate according to the older ritual in a parish church was only ever meant to be temporary,” he added. “The expectation of the Holy See has been that the continued need for the permission would eventually come to an end and that the faithful would be brought toward the celebration of the post conciliar ritual.”
He said that with all of this in mind, and after consulting with experts and praying and discerning extensively, he has decided to not seek a renewal of the permission for the parish to celebrate the TLM. The final TLM celebrated at Saint Titus Church, which merged with Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, will be on Sept. 4.
He said that “If, after this point, any members of the faithful still desire to worship the Lord according to the 1962 Missal, I would invite and encourage them to attend” Mass at the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish, which is run by the Institute of Christ the King (ICKSP).
The bishop added that there, the pastor and his fellow ICKSP clergy “celebrate the older liturgy every day with beauty, grace, and conformity to all norms of the Church.”
“I know this decision will be difficult for some members of the faithful who have found spiritual nourishment in these celebrations,” Bishop Eckman concluded. “I am sincerely grateful for your love of the Eucharist, your devotion to the Church, and your desire to worship God faithfully. It is my hope that, as we continue to walk together in communion with the Church, we will all continue to grow in faith, charity, and unity. Please know of my prayers for you and for the people of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish.”
