Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) will once again become the world capital of traditional Catholicism next fall. The Catholic Identity Conference (CIC), the largest annual gathering of Catholics attached to Tradition in the United States, will hold its 2026 edition from October 2 to 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh – Green Tree hotel (500 Mansfield Avenue), the usual venue for the congress in recent years.
Organized by The Remnant, the historic North American traditional Catholic newspaper directed by Michael J. Matt —co-founder of the congress and master of ceremonies since its inception—, the CIC has become the reference meeting point for bishops, priests, Vatican journalists, and lay intellectuals linked to the traditional Mass and to the critique of the doctrinal and liturgical direction of recent decades. Alongside Matt, businessman Eric Frankovich, the driving force behind the congress since its origins in Weirton (West Virginia), will once again deliver the closing address on Sunday, October 4.
A lineup featuring two European bishops and the finest Vatican journalism
The list of confirmed speakers for 2026 includes names well known to readers of the traditional Catholic press:
- Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana (Kazakhstan), a regular at the congress and one of the most steadfast episcopal voices in defense of the traditional liturgy and doctrinal clarity.
- Bishop Robert Mutsaerts, auxiliary bishop of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands), known for his criticisms of the Synodal Path and the progressive drift of the European episcopate.
- Bishop Donald Francis Lippert, Capuchin missionary bishop in Papua New Guinea.
- Edward Pentin, veteran Vatican correspondent, and Diane Montagna, Rome correspondent whose exclusives on Traditionis Custodes and the reports of the bishops’ survey on the traditional Mass have shaped the news agenda in recent years.
- Peter Kwasniewski, theologian and liturgist, prolific author on the traditional Mass.
- John Rao, historian with a doctorate from Oxford and director of the Roman Forum.
- Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life advocate and founder of And Then There Were None.
- Chorbishop Anthony Spinosa, rector of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon (Maronite rite).
- Jim Vogel, communications director of the U.S. district of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, whose participation was announced by Michael Matt himself, emphasizing that the FSSPX will have an “official voice” at the congress for the first time.
- Father João Silveira, traditional Mass missionary, Sister Mary Anne, MICM, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel David L. Sonnier.
The organization has announced that more speakers will be added in the coming months. Vogel’s presence carries added significance: after a year marked by maximum tension between Rome and the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, it will be the first time the work founded by Archbishop Lefebvre has an official spokesperson at the main North American traditional forum. “No matter which corner of Catholic Tradition you come from, this is a moment worth experiencing in person,” Matt wrote when announcing the signing, also warning that spots “are selling out fast.”
Previous editions have featured Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Steve Bannon, and Candace Owens, who delivered the opening address in 2024 shortly after her high-profile conversion to Catholicism.
Themes: Rome, the traditional Mass, and the cultural battle
Although the official 2026 motto has not yet been announced —the 2025 edition was held under the title “Spiritual Warfare: Catholic Action vs Diabolical Disorientation”—, the composition of the lineup anticipates the congress’s main themes: the pontificate of Leo XIV and his first governance decisions, the future of the traditional Mass after Traditionis Custodes, the situation of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X following the latest moves by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the crisis of the European episcopate, and the defense of life and the family against the globalist agenda. As usual, the program combines lectures with the daily celebration of the traditional Latin Mass, roundtable discussions, and opportunities for fellowship among attendees.
A congress in a diocese that has just lost its diocesan traditional Mass
The announcement comes against a backdrop rich in symbolism: the host diocese itself has just suppressed the only traditional Mass celebrated by diocesan clergy in Pittsburgh [CONFIRM: parish/church, date of the last Mass, and whether the decision was made by Bishop Mark Eckman, bishop since July 2025]. With this suppression, the last diocesan celebration of the ancient rite disappears, leaving as the sole refuge the personal parish of Most Precious Blood of Jesus, served by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The measure is part of the offensive several U.S. bishops have reactivated this summer under the cover of Traditionis Custodes —Owensboro suppressed the only traditional Mass in western Kentucky in June, and Camden did the same in July— after Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, stated at the end of July that Leo XIV “is not going to change Traditionis Custodes nor return to Summorum Pontificum.” That thousands of faithful attached to Tradition will gather precisely in Pittsburgh weeks later will inevitably be read as an eloquent response.
Registrations open
Registrations are now open with an early-bird rate of $300 for the full congress, including meals. Attendees must book their own accommodation, although the organization offers a discount of over 45% at the host hotel through the block of rooms reserved for the congress. Those unable to travel to Pennsylvania can follow the lectures once again via the live stream on Remnant TV.
The provisional schedule begins on Friday, October 2, with attendee check-in from 9:00 a.m. and Michael Matt’s opening remarks at 2:00 p.m., and will conclude on Sunday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. The organization warns that schedules and speakers may change before the congress date.