A Question for Priests

The Last Judgement
Center Panel
Rogier van der Weyden 1399/1400 – 1464

Why did you deprive my people of the Mass?



It comes as no surprise that a faithless pope and faithless bishops would succumb to the call from atheistic governments to suspend the offering of public Masses.  What is surprising, however, is that otherwise traditional priests are willing accomplices in depriving the faithful of the Mass.

The excuses being offered by both traditional order and diocesan priests for not offering Mass publicly are shocking.  No more Come Rack, Come Rope.  Now it is, "The bishop has forbidden Mass," and that's it.  So easy, and the Mass is gone.  No Irish Mass Rocks or Roman Catacombs, just live-stream and TV.

Now Church Militant reports that priests in Italy are offering clandestine Masses for the people.

Catholics deprived of Mass are berating the bishops for "cowardice" in the face of the coronavirus crisis, while clergy afraid of being disciplined are celebrating the Eucharist "clandestinely" to small groups of the faithful in Northern Italy. 

Former Vatican journalist Aldo Maria Valli also confirmed his attendance at "an underground Mass, celebrated in disobedience to the bishop's dictates but in obedience to the mandate of Christ."

Read the complete article at Church Militant.

The words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to the Knights of Columbus in June of 1972, come to mind:

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

"Who is going to save our Church?  Not our bishops, not our priests and religious.  It is up to you, the people.  You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church.  Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious."

Perhaps the laymen need to step up and make arrangements and encourage and provide cover for our priests to offer Mass for us regardless of the temporal consequences.  One day our priests will have to answer the question at the top of this post.  They will not have to answer to the faithful or to their bishop.  Will their excuses serve them well?

Latin Masses Increase by 25%. Corona Effect?

With the decision of the Society of Saint Pius X to double the number of Masses at their St. James Church in Pittsburgh in response to the Coronavirus, there will be five publicly offered Traditional Latin Masses in the Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area on the Third Sunday in Lent, 15 March 2020.  This is a record number of publicly offered Traditional Latin Masses on a Sunday in Pittsburgh since the introduction of the Novus Ordo.


For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.  Malachi 1:11 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)


Saint James Church (Society of Saint Pius X)
326 South Main Street, West End Village, Pittsburgh PA 15220  (Website)
7:00 AM (Last name beginning with A-K)
9:00 AM (Last name beginning with L-P)
11:00 AM (Last name beginning with R-Z)

Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish (Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest)
All public Masses canceled by order of the bishop.
3250 California Avenue, Pittsburgh PA  15212 (Website)
8:00 AM
11:00 AM

Saint Titus Church
All public Masses canceled by order of the bishop.
952 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa PA 15001  (Website)
12 noon

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this blessing did not last long.  Effective 16 March 2020, Bishop David Zubik has made the decision to cancel all weekday and Sunday Masses in the Diocese of Pittsburgh until further notice.  View notice here.

UPDATE #2: As of 20 March 2020, the Society of Saint Pius X has tripled the number of Sunday public Masses at their St. James Church in Pittsburgh in order to continue to provide the faithful with access to the Mass.  There are restrictions in place, including the number of people who may be in attendance, but the Mass is made available to the people.

Plague & Lent - 2020 AD

The Dancing Plague

REMEMBER, O Lord, Thy bowels of compassion, and Thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world, lest at any time our enemies rule over us: deliver us, O God of Israel, from all our tribulations. (Psalm) To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust: let me not be ashamed. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Remember, O Lord …
Introit. Second Sunday in Lent.

THUS saith the Lord God: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like tamaric in the desert, and he shall not see when good shall come: but he shall dwell in dryness in the desert, in a salt land, and not inhabited. Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence. And he shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots towards moisture: and it shall not fear when the heat cometh. And the leaf thereof shall be green, and in time of drought it shall not be solicitous, neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth fruit. The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable: who can know it? I am the Lord Who search the heart, and prove the reins: Who give to every one according to his way, and according to the fruit of his devices: saith the Lord almighty.
Jer. 17, 5-10. Epistle. Thursday of the Second Week in Lent.