The following letter was read from the pulpit at St. Titus Church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, after the First Friday Traditional Latin Mass on 7 August 2026.
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Diocese of Pittsburgh
Office of the Bishop
August 7, 2026
Mary, Queen of Saints Parish
c/o Reverend John B. Gizler, III
115 Trinity Drive
Aliquippa, PA 15001
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
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. As you know, on July 16, 2021, Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Letter motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, the norms of which govern the use of the 1962 Roman Missal. Among other things, Traditionis Custodes requires the permission of the Holy See in order to use the older Roman Missal for the celebration of Mass in parish churches. In February of 2022, my predecessor, the Most Reverend David A. Zubik, wrote to the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments and requested permission for the use of the 1962 Roman Missal at Saint Titus Church of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish on the third Sunday of each month, excluding the dates of Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost, as well as on the First Friday of each month. On April 21, 2022, that permission was granted by the Congregation; however, the permission was only given for a limited time — a period of two years. Bishop Zubik thereafter asked for an extension of the permission, which was granted on September 3, 2024 for an additional period of two years.
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. 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.
With all of this in mind, after consultation with experts on the matter, and with much time spent in prayer and discernment, I have decided that I will not be seeking a renewal of permission to use the 1962 Roman Missal at Mary, Queen of Saints Parish. Rather, I will allow the current permission to cease as the allotted time period runs out. To that end, the final Mass celebrated according to the older ritual at Saint Titus Church will be on Friday, September 4, 2026.
If, after this point, any members of the faithful still desire to worship the Lord according to the 1962 Roman Missal, I would invite and encourage them to attend Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish. There, as pastor, Canon William Avis and his fellow clergy from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest 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. 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.
Your brother in Christ,
Most Reverend Mark A. Eckman
Bishop of Pittsburgh
