Latin Mass to have permanent home at St. Alphonsus; will end at Hagerstown parish in August

The celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form (also known as the Traditional Latin Mass) in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be entrusted solely to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, effective Aug. 1. 

That means that the only authorized place in the archdiocese for the celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of 1962 will be the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Baltimore. 

Archbishop William E. Lori notified the parishioners of St. Mary Parish in Hagerstown that the Mass currently offered there at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays in Latin according to the extraordinary form will end July 28.

The Traditional Latin Mass in Hagerstown was allowed beginning in 2011, following the guidance issued by the Vatican through Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter, “Summorum Pontificum” (“Of the Supreme Pontiffs”) on the use of the Roman liturgy prior to the Reform of 1970”). The letter was issued “motu proprio” (on his own initiative). The document had the effect of allowing any priest to celebrate the Mass in the extraordinary form, subject to certain conditions.

In a July 2021 apostolic letter, also issued motu proprio, Pope Francis noted that his predecessors had hoped to promote the concord and unity of the church by granting and regulating “the faculty to use the Roman Missal edited by John XXIII in 1962. In this way they intended ‘to facilitate the ecclesial communion of those Catholics who feel attached to some earlier liturgical forms’ and not to others.”

Pope Francis tightened the options for celebrating the Mass in the extraordinary form, noting, “The liturgical books promulgated by St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi [law of prayer] of the Roman Rite.”

“Traditionis Custodes” allowed a local bishop to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal in his diocese, as long as the groups that request celebration of that Mass “do not deny the validity and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II and the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs.” The document also restricted the celebration in the extraordinary form in parish churches, but allowed dioceses to request special permission, via an indult, from the Vatican Dicastery for the Discipline of the Sacraments. 

In Archbishop Lori’s letter to the parishioners of St. Mary’s in March 2024, he said, “‘Traditionis Custodes’ went into immediate effect in July 2021 and could have resulted in the immediate cessation of Mass according to the Missal of 1962.” Since St. Mary’s is a parish church, and therefore outside of the scope of the apostolic letter, it required an indult to allow St. Mary’s to temporarily continue Mass according to the Missal of 1962 during a period of transition. 

“The purpose of the indult was to allow those who had become accustomed to Mass according to the Missal of 1962 to receive catechesis and formation so they would come to welcome and embrace the Novus Ordo,” the ordinary form of the Mass, the archbishop said.

The archbishop noted that the time for the indult was ending, with the expiration of the Vatican indult. 

“I am most grateful for the efforts of former pastor Father Ernest Cibelli and current pastor Father James Boric, who have shepherded the St. Mary’s community through this transition period, and to great number of St. Mary’s parishioners who have, in time, transitioned from the Mass according to the Missal of 1962 to the Novus Ordo,” Archbishop Lori said.

He said, “After much careful and prayerful consideration, I have discerned that for the pastoral good of all the faithful in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the celebration of the liturgical rites and pastoral care according to the Missal of 1962 within the Archdiocese of Baltimore on or after Aug. 1, 2024, will be entrusted solely to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) at the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Baltimore. 

“The charism, constitutions, formation and experience of this community make them the best suited to and most capable of celebrating the sacraments and providing pastoral care in the long term, according to the norms of Holy See, for those who, for whatever reason, have not been able to make the transition to the Novus Ordo.”

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter was founded in 1988 under the pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II, with the specific charism of the sanctification of its priests (and therefore, those entrusted to them) through the celebration of the Mass and sacraments according to the older liturgical books in use prior to the Second Vatican Council, according to Father Ian Bozant, a member of the fraternity who is pastor of St. Alphonsus.

Archbishop Lori entrusted St. Alphonsus to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in the summer of 2017. 

Father Boric, pastor of St. Mary in Hagerstown, told the Catholic Review that the parish’s current 9 a.m. Sunday Mass, celebrated in the post-conciliar form, can no longer sufficiently accommodate all who wish to attend. The church can seat about 360, but 300 to 400 people attend regularly. About 100 to 130 attend the Mass in Latin. 

He said that in the Novus Ordo Mass, he follows the rubrics, using beautiful vestments and music. “The Catholic Church knows how to do liturgy very, very well. … As long as we’re doing what the church says, and it’s good, it’s beautiful, it’s reverent.

“It’s the church’s Mass. All I try to give the people is what the church offers,” Father Boric said.

He said he did not know how to celebrate the Mass in the extraordinary form until he was asked to be pastor of St. Mary’s. “I was happy to do it because the church asked me to do it,” he said. “But I enjoy celebrating the Novus Ordo Mass, I enjoy celebrating a beautiful Novus Ordo Mass. That’s my preferred (form) – that’s the way I know how to worship best and I pray the best.”

He said most of those who come to the Traditional Latin Mass at his parish also attend Novus Ordo Masses. 

“They’re sad that it’s going away, but they’ll understand. They’re obedient to the church and there’s no real problem. There’s a minority which is very relatively small but very outspoken, who are reacting very differently and that’s been difficult,” Father Boric said.

For those who do not wish to make the approximately 90-minute drive from St. Mary in Hagerstown to St. Alphonsus, two other locations authorized to celebrate the Mass in the extraordinary form are within a 45-minute drive, although in other states. 

The Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass at the Priory of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Charles Town, W.Va. The Mass is also celebrated at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Fairfield, Pa., where a new monastery is being built for Carmelite nuns.

Father Tyler Kline, priest secretary to Archbishop Lori, said “Traditionis Custodes” represents a continuity of papal teachings from Pope John Paul II to Pope Benedict to Pope Francis.

Pope John Paul II had addressed the topic in an apostolic letter, motu proprio, in 1988, “Ecclesia Dei,” in which he expressed concerns about the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. 

Nonetheless, Pope John Paul said in the letter, “To all those Catholic faithful who feel attached to some previous liturgical and disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition I wish to manifest my will to facilitate their ecclesial communion by means of the necessary measures to guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations. In this matter I ask for the support of the bishops and of all those engaged in the pastoral ministry in the church.”

Permission to continue the Traditional Latin Mass in Hagerstown was sought and granted in 2021, after the promulgation of “Traditionis Custodes.” As the reality of the time for renewal of the indult came, “the decision was made out of a desire for there to be a place where it could be permanent” at St. Alphonsus with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, Father Kline said. He said that the locations that offer the Mass in the extraordinary form in West Virginia and Pennsylvania would also “have a certain permanence” due to the charism of the communities that serve there.

Father Bozant said St. Alphonsus would be very happy to welcome newcomers to the parish from St. Mary’s in Hagerstown and has already seen some new families since the announcement was made. “Since the Fraternity was granted custody of the National Shrine of St. Alphonsus in 2017, we have welcomed families and parishioners from all over the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the surrounding region. I know that the distance is a factor for many families at St. Mary’s, but we have families that drive large distances to get to the shrine and are encouraged by the many sacrifices that many families make to get to Mass here,” he said.

In the latest proposal for the Seek the City process, which is focused on parish reorganization for vibrant ministry and evangelization in Baltimore City, St. Alphonsus is designated as a personal parish, with no territorial boundaries, due to its unique ministry. Father Bozant said that in visits by the planning committee to the church as part of the process, members said that everything at the parish revolves around the altar and the Eucharist. 

“What we have constantly reiterated here at the shrine is that the reverence for our Lord in the Mass is a reality that flows from our love for him,” Father Bozant said. “In turn, our love for God impels our love for others and the works of charity that are integral to the Christian life.”

Daily Mass attendance at St. Alphonsus averages about 30; attendance at the three Sunday Masses is more than 600 in total.

“The shrine’s status as a personal parish is simply a statement by the archdiocese that our parish will be the permanent home of those who have an affinity and love for the Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In this way, we serve the faithful in all parts of the archdiocese who desire this Mass and its sacraments,” Father Bozant said, noting that the newly designated status reflects the reality since the Fraternity arrived in 2017. 

He said the history of the shrine – where St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos both served as pastor, and where Venerable Mother Mary Lange and her sisters attended Mass – makes it a unique place to pray.

Father Bozant said Archbishop Lori is pleased with the growth of St. Alphonsus and that he encourages the FSSP to continue its work and ministry. The archbishop has shown his support for the community, celebrating confirmation and joining the parish for Sunday Mass on occasion.

“One of the great highlights of my time here was celebrating Pontifical Vespers and Benediction with Archbishop Lori last summer,” which included nine deacons from the Fraternity’s seminary in Nebraska, Father Bozant said.

“We are very blessed to have the confidence of Archbishop Lori in entrusting the care of the Latin Mass to us,” he said. “Archbishop Lori has done a great job welcoming us and helping us to be a part of the archdiocese.”

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org

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