Another diocese cancelling the TLM ?
Our priest announced today at TLM that the diocese of Knoxville, TN is transitioning away from the TLM, impacting Johnson City, Holy Ghost in Knoxville, and Chattanooga. No alternate location was mentioned. My wife and I feel gut-kicked… pic.twitter.com/9RbbfHJbIq
— Discipulus (@Discipulus777) October 12, 2025
This is insane. According to the @massoftheages map, this wipes out 3 of the 4 TLMs in all of eastern Tennessee, save for St Mary's in Athens (FSSP). The @SSPXEN in Nashville could expand eastward, and there is also no @ICKSP parish in the entire state. Get on the horn, boys. ?? https://t.co/JGlHX7hkQa pic.twitter.com/FOy4Jldvaw
— Mason-Dixon Latin Mass Society (@MDLatinMass) October 13, 2025
On this day in 1642 Bl. Thomas Bullaker, Franciscan priest, attained the crown of martyrdom at Tyburn.
He was seized by Protestants while celebrating the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
The successors of the Protestant persecutors are now closing down TLM parishes and banning… pic.twitter.com/E8jPsr6lsr
— Deacon Nick Donnelly (@ProtecttheFaith) October 12, 2025
Cardinal Robert Sarah: Banning or suspending the Extraordinary Form can only be inspired by the devil. I am of the opinion of Benedict XVI. What was holy and sacred yesterday cannot be condemned to disappear today. What harm does the Traditional Mass cause? What harm? pic.twitter.com/lXEyesiZI7
— Sanoj Thomas (@Sanothomas) October 13, 2025
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I really can’t believe this. My husband visited Chattanooga a few months and went to the TLM at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. He said it was beautiful with a wonderful choir and packed to the brim. His jaw dropped when he thought about the people of that parish!
The worst part is that day 1 of this being implemented is on Christmas Day. Come on.
My wife and I almost moved to Eastern Tennessee last year because they had the TLM, whereas we had it taken away in New Jersey three years ago. Now we go to a sedevacantist chapel, because at least we know we can get valid sacraments there. My local diocesan pastor told me in confession that he refuses to use Eucharistic prayer Number One, the one model after the old Roman Canon, because the people in the front row during Mass get annoyed and make a point of looking at their watches. Eucharistic Prayer #1 makes the service too long, that’s why he sticks with EP#2.
Not wanting to be disrespectful, I didn’t ask him whether or not he believes that he was re-presenting the sacrifice of Calvary in a bloodless manner on the altar.
Can’t annoy the folks in the front row wearing a Rolex or Cartier.
We have had over fifty years to “transition” from one form of Mass to the other. If some could no do so in that amount of time, how do they expect anyone to “transition” in a few months?
Do these bishops think they no something that hoi polloi do not know; that Pope Leo is on their side, perhaps? Id not, why are such risk-averse creatures as most contemporary American bishops seem to be sticking out their necks in such a potentially perilous manner to themselves?
Pardon me, no>know.
Haha, I like that, transitioning away, that’s a sanitary way to put it. Know what else they are transitioning away from? Catholicism. Christ. Proper worship. History. Cultural inheritance. Mystery. Sacredness. Solemnity. Holy silence. Reverence. Awe. Compassion. Consolation. Mercy. All these.
I don’t live in Charlotte, Deteoit, Knoxville, but speaking frankly, we resent the men doing such a cruel thing to our Catholic brothers and sisters, these are not our spiritual fathers. Far from it, it is the height of unfathomable hostility to take away the TLM. Apart from some antipathy toward God, or brownie points in Rome, and especially in light of “LGBTQ Masses” and bizarre pagan Masses, etc, it makes no earthly sense either. We can have every ethnic or other kind of Mass except our heritage and the one Catholics clamor for and where the growth is. No business would run that way, it is insanity. Obviously, something is driving this agenda to rid the world of the holy TLM. Who hates it the most.
Very sad.
We need to pray for the gift of tears.
Following up William Tighe,
The fourth paragraph of the letter photographed and posted by Discipulus had me wondering much the same before I got to the Comments, as it ‘resonates’ so clearly (to my mind’s ear) with Pope Leo’s comments on the Roman forms of the Latin Mass in the widely-quoted interview. I would add, given that interview-comment (inter alia) I do not think there is/would be likely to be much sticking-out-of-necks in doing what is being done in at least this instance – how mild a ‘paternal/fraternal correction, if any, would this step receive, given that interview?
My more ominous question is, is this something like evidence that that the Holy Father is indeed in his degree “tamquam leo rugiens circuit, quaerens quem devoret”?
I would transition my donations away from the diocese and to the FSSP or other worthy ecclesiastical endeavors.
Reading the above comments, it’s clear that a sizeable number of people “attached” to the preconciliar form of the Mass have schismatic attitudes and do not want to be in union with the post-conciliar Roman Church.
Holy Mother Church has decreed that the Roman liturgy be reformed and has promulgated the reformed liturgical books. We must accept that.
Yes, I’ve read Kwasniewski, et alia. He is wrong. Kwansiewski’s linchpin premise is that the preconciliar form of the liturgy has an authority above that of the magisterium; that the magisterium may not reform the liturgy as it has done; that the liturgical reform has been illegitimate. That is a false premise, and his whole effort to fight the liturgical reform and restore the preconciliar liturgical practice falls with it.
It is not cruel to implement the liturgical reform fully and completely, which necessarily entails discontinuing the celebration of the preconciliar liturgical forms and calendar for the sake of liturgical unity in the Roman Church.
But @Godfrey – how can you talk about uniformity in the Roman Rite when there is already so much diversity (i.e. Anglican-Use, etc)? Unless everyone must adhere to the same expression, it feels very pre-contextual against the Usus Aniquior. Why one and not the many other diverse forms of the rite? Not to mention the diversity in the way the Novus Ordo is actually celebrated – I can go to multiple NO masses in my diocese and get a completely different Mass experience depending on where I go.
Sorry – I just don’t see any real attempt at uniformity in worship. And yes – once the TLM is suppressed they will come for the “traditional” elements of the Novus Ordo too. The playbook is out there.
Those of us who attend the TLM exclusively are most likely NOT going to move to the Novus Ordo if Bishops decide they no longer want those catholics attached to the TLM.
My choices, in order of preference would be:
1. Drive to an FSSP, ICRSS location for the TLM.
2. Drive to an SSPX chapel.
3. Attend an Eastern rite liturgy if available.
Novus ordo would be the very last option and would be attended only as last resort to meet an obligation. I have not attended a single Novus Ordo in the last 20 years that did not have some kind of abuse in it. Not a single one. Even ones that are more traditional.
All of this heavy handed banning of a form of Mass that produced more saints than any in history, just proves that the SSPX basic premise is/was correct. Rome can not be trusted. One Pope contradicting another.
It all looks political, just like a democrat/republican president transition where one “Un-does” everything the previous administration did because “reasons”. There is no other reason that this is happening other than hate/disdain for fellow catholics.
Godfrey
When the Ambrosian, Sarum, Maronite, Alexandrian, Armenian, Romanian, Ukranian, Ruthenian et. al. are forced to use the NO, then I think we can talk about uniformity.
Until then, most of us taking an honest look at the fruits of VII will say: maybe some mistakes were made?
By his own reckoning Godfrey would have made a good bishop under Pope Francis, but a heretic under Pope Benedict XVI. Obviously this is ridiculous since it implies the Church is not one. He fails to realize that disagreeing with a Pope does not make a heretic. As Archbishop Lefebvre said (more or less) if I move toward Paul VI, I move away from Pius XII, an impossible choice.
The priest whom I know the best, who celebrates both the NO and the VO, told me when the priests of his diocese met in an emergency session one priest said “well the church is moving in this direction so the diocese should start teaching those who assist at the VO how to appreciate the NO.” But as my good priest told he responded that practically everyone at his VO masses has left NO masses for a variety of reasons. So he chooses to be a pastor so he offers both Masses so that he is a pastor to both groups. He asked the other priests at the meeting to be pastors to their flocks. IMHO these Bishops are certainly not searching for their lost sheep, rather they want
Father Z, I accidentally hit the submit button on my comment when trying to hit the preview button. Sorry our 5 year old great niece jumped on my lap. Because of her and my wife’s MS, I cannot get to the TLM that is an hour away. As good as the NO Ordo priest is with doctrine, his Masses are soul destroying.
Grabski,
Indeed! – though my impression is that Sarum has been given a distinctly hard time, though happily not universally so!
There is an Eastern rite Catholic parish in Knoxville.Geoffrey, the new Mass is inferior to the Traditional Latin Mass because it is so consistent and coherent. Whereas the New Mass is not. There are structural distractions built into that hinder union with God. Most of the time there is no Latin, no silence and there is horrible non-liturgical music. The magisterium can be wrong and if it was the magisterim that implemented the infinite variations of the New Mass, then it was obviously not infallible and it can be put into the dustbin of history as the failure it is to preach and give witness to the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. If people do not see that Jesus is acknowledged throughout he Mass, then why should they even believe in the Real Presence? It often appears that the people and the priest do not believe in Jesus because they ignore Him who is there. Instead we are to look at Father and to the faithful around us. Jesus said that, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.”