The Bishop of Pittsburgh, Mark A. Eckman, has decided not to request from Rome the renewal of the permission that allows the celebration of the Traditional Mass at St. Titus Church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. The last celebration according to the Roman Missal of 1962 will take place on the upcoming September 4, ending a liturgical presence that had been maintained for years and forcing the faithful who wish to continue attending the Vetus Ordo to travel about 27 kilometers to another parish.
The decision was communicated by Eckman himself in a letter dated August 7 and addressed to the faithful of Mary, Queen of Saints, the parish to which St. Titus Church belongs. The bishop does not state that Rome has rejected a new extension: it was he who decided not to request it, allowing the currently valid authorization to expire.
The case falls within the application of Traditionis custodes, the motu proprio promulgated by Francis in July 2021 that introduced strong restrictions on celebrations according to the 1962 Missal. Among these is the requirement to obtain authorization from the Holy See to allow such celebrations in parish churches.
A permission that Rome had already extended
Eckman’s own letter allows us to reconstruct the process followed in recent years. In February 2022, his predecessor as head of Pittsburgh, David Zubik, wrote to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to request authorization to maintain the Traditional Mass at St. Titus.
The request included its celebration on the third Sunday of each month —except when it coincided with certain solemnities— and on the first Friday of each month. The Dicastery granted the authorization on April 21, 2022 for a period of two years.
When that deadline approached, Zubik requested an extension. Rome again authorized the celebrations on September 3, 2024, again for two years.
The situation now changes with Eckman, who succeeded Zubik as Bishop of Pittsburgh in 2025. Unlike his predecessor, he has chosen not to request a new extension.
“After consulting with experts in the matter, and after much time dedicated to prayer and discernment, I have decided that I will not request a renewal of the permission to use the Roman Missal of 1962 at Mary, Queen of Saints Parish,” he explains.
The authorization, therefore, does not end after a refusal from Rome to maintain it, but by the ordinary’s decision not to ask that it be extended again.
Eckman maintains that the permission “was only intended to be temporary”
The central argument offered by the bishop is that these authorizations were of a transitional nature.
Eckman notes that when the Dicastery granted the permission, it reminded the diocese that the Missal promulgated by St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II constitutes the “only expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite,” a formulation contained in Traditionis custodes.
The bishop then states that the permission to celebrate according to the previous rite within a parish church “was only intended to be temporary” and maintains that the Holy See’s expectation was that the need for these authorizations would eventually disappear.
According to the explanation given in his letter, the goal would be to lead these faithful toward “the celebration of the post-conciliar rite.”
The faithful will have to travel about 27 kilometers
Eckman acknowledges in the letter itself that his decision will be “difficult” for some faithful who have found “spiritual nourishment” in the celebrations at St. Titus. He also thanks them for their love of the Eucharist, their devotion to the Church, and their desire to worship God.
However, those who wish to continue attending the Traditional Mass will have to do so elsewhere.
The bishop expressly invites them to attend Most Precious Blood of Jesus, a parish located in Pittsburgh and served by priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, where the Traditional liturgy is celebrated daily.
For the faithful who until now attended St. Titus, the proposed alternative involves traveling approximately 27 kilometers. The existence of this second community is precisely one of the circumstances that allows Eckman to suppress the celebrations at St. Titus without the Vetus Ordo disappearing completely from the diocese.
The prelate himself praises in his letter the work carried out there by the Institute of Christ the King and states that its priests celebrate the Traditional liturgy “every day with beauty, grace, and in conformity with all the norms of the Church.”
Full letter from Bishop Mark Eckman
August 7, 2026
Mary, Queen of Saints Parish
Attention: 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 foster the unity of our local Church and to help us all grow ever more deeply in our love for the Eucharist and the sacred liturgy. As you know, on July 16, 2021, Pope Francis promulgated the Apostolic Letter motu proprio Traditionis custodes, whose norms regulate the use of the Roman Missal of 1962. Among other things, Traditionis custodes requires permission from the Holy See to use the former Roman Missal for the celebration of Mass in parish churches.
In February 2022, my predecessor, Bishop David A. Zubik, wrote to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and requested permission to use the Roman Missal of 1962 at St. Titus Church in Mary, Queen of Saints Parish on the third Sunday of each month, excluding the dates of Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost, as well as the first Friday of each month. On April 21, 2022, the Congregation granted that permission; however, the permission was granted only for a limited time: a period of two years. Subsequently, Bishop Zubik requested an extension of the permission, which was granted on September 3, 2024 for an additional period of two years.
In granting the permission, the Dicastery reminded us that the current Roman Missal promulgated by Popes St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II is the only expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite and that, therefore, the faithful must grow in their appreciation for it. To this end, the permission to celebrate according to the former rite in a parish church was only intended 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 led toward the celebration of the post-conciliar rite.
With all this in mind, after consulting with experts in the matter and after dedicating much time to prayer and discernment, I have decided that I will not request a renewal of the permission to use the Roman Missal of 1962 at Mary, Queen of Saints Parish. Instead, I will allow the current permission to expire when the granted period of time ends. Therefore, the last Mass celebrated according to the former rite at St. Titus Church will take place on Friday, September 4, 2026.
If after that time some faithful still wish to worship the Lord according to the Roman Missal of 1962, I would like to invite and encourage them to attend Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish. There, under the direction of their pastor, Canon William Avis, he and his fellow priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest celebrate the former liturgy every day with beauty, grace, and in conformity with all the norms of the Church.
I know that this decision will be difficult for some 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. I hope that, as we continue walking together in communion with the Church, we will all continue to grow in faith, charity, and unity. Be assured of my prayers for you and for the faithful of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish.
Your brother in Christ,
Mark A. Eckman
Bishop of Pittsburgh