After July 1, parish churches in Detroit Archdiocese can no longer offer Latin Mass

by OSV News

DETROIT (OSV News) — Celebration of the “traditional Latin Mass,” or “Tridentine Mass,” according to the 1962 Roman Missal can continue at St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit’s Eastern Market district, the Archdiocese of Detroit said in an April 16 statement posted on its website.

But after July 1, as per the “limits and norms” outlined by Pope Francis in his 2021 apostolic letter “Traditionis Custodes,” the extraordinary form liturgies can no longer be celebrated in parish churches, the archdiocese said.

The shrine is the only personal parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit that is set up to care for the faithful according to the 1962 Missal, it noted.

“The ministry of St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit, functioning specifically to care for Christ’s faithful who desire to participate in the Traditional Latin Mass, will continue,” the archdiocese said. “Since 2016, this community has been under the care of the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a society of apostolic life with a special focus on celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missale Romanum.”

However, because local bishops no longer possess the ability to permit the celebration of extraordinary form liturgies in parish churches, “the prior permissions to celebrate this liturgy in archdiocesan parish churches — which expire on July 1, 2025 — cannot be renewed,” the archdiocese added.

Following the promulgation of Pope Francis’ 2021 apostolic letter, “Traditionis Custodes,” which established worldwide limits and norms for the celebration of extraordinary form liturgies — commonly known as the traditional Latin Mass —the Archdiocese of Detroit has “sought to establish a pathway for the Mass to be celebrated according to the 1962 Missale Romanum,” while ensuring the local church remains in conformity with the Holy See’s directives, according to the archdiocese.

The Detroit Catholic, the archdiocesan news outlet, reported that with the archdiocesan statement was an update on local efforts to provide for the celebration of liturgies and sacraments according to the 1962 Roman Missal in southeast Michigan.

“Traditionis Custodes” allows bishops to grant permission for certain preexisting groups and personal parishes to continue celebrating according to the 1962 Missal, but reserves exclusively to the Holy See the ability to allow extraordinary form Masses in parish churches, the archdiocese said.

A “personal parish” is a parish set up to serve the faithful in a specific way — such as according to a particular rite, language or nationality — as opposed to territorial parishes, which are erected to serve Catholics in particular geographic areas.

Bishops may permit the celebration of extraordinary form liturgies “in non-parish settings” — such as shrines and chapels — and Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger intends to identify “a non-parish setting where the Traditional Latin Mass may be celebrated in each of the Archdiocese’s four regions,” the statement continued.

“In accordance with recent decisions by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, these locations will not be parish churches. Once these locations are determined, they will be shared with the faithful,” it said.

Archbishop Weisenburger “plans to continue discernment and consultation on this matter during the next several months.”