UPDATE 23 October 2025
What they are not telling you is that the bishop asked for a 5-year extension and only got 2, was asked to say a New Mass in Latin, and told to lead acceptance of Vatican II. Attached is from an email sent to the faithful in Akron from the pastor. It’s ALWAYS about Vatican II. https://t.co/m3NmXT5zHe pic.twitter.com/NEBvAxx24t
— The Catholic Esquire (@EsquireCatholic) October 22, 2025
Originally posted 21 October 2025
I received this note:
We had some very welcome news yesterday, delivered by the Rev. Bede Kotlinski, O.S.B, just prior to his homily at the 9:30 a.m. TLM at historic St. Stephen’s Church in Cleveland. Perhaps someone has already passed this on to you, but Bishop Edward Malesic had petitioned Rome on behalf of the faithful in Cleveland and Akron who love the Traditional Latin Mass and have suffered its restriction. Two years ago, in response to TC, Bishop Malesic welcomed the ICKSP to Cleveland and designated St. Elizabeth of Hungary as a Shrine under their care. While we are very grateful to Bishop Malesic for establishing the Institute’s presence here, it has been a heartbreak to see churches like Immaculate Conception, Our Lady Queen of Peace, St. Rocco’s, and Sacred Heart of Jesus lose the TLM. St. Stephen’s in Cleveland, and St. Mary’s in Akron were given a 2 year grace period to continue the TLM (with restrictions : only one TLM a week, and the TLM cannot be publicized in the church bulletin). That grace period was to end this month.
Yesterday, Fr. Bede reported that Bishop Malesic received the answer from Rome that another 2 year grace period has been extended to both St. Stephen’s and St. Mary’s, so we are all breathing a sigh of relief.
It’s not ideal, but we’ll take it, and we hope and pray that Pope Leo will, within the next year or so, lift or nullify TC and allow the TLM to flourish unimpeded.
This news both cheers me up and angers me.
It angers me because of the spiritual stinginess behind the repression of those who have power and who should be giving the flock bread instead of stones and scorpions. So much pain. So unnecessary.
And why should anyone have to beg, like Oliver clutching his bowl before the master of the workhouse Mr. Bumble?”
It cheers me because now people can ask respectfully incessant questions of bishops who have repressed the people who desire the TLM.
“If the bishop of Cleveland can request and receive an extension, WHY, Bp “X”, will YOU not work earnestly to obtain one?”
The recent damage done in Charlotte and Detroit and Knoxville and Monterey, etc., can be undone.
I’ll amend that. SOME of the damage done can be undone. Alas, these bishops and also Rome have inflicted wounds which people won’t forget. The actions taken against people who merely desire traditional sacred worship have spoiled trust.
In the meantime, Cleveland.
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Welcome news from Cleveland, indeed! Gives new meaning to that city’s famous, unofficial tagline: “Cleveland: We’re Not Detroit!”, doesn’t it?
The smoke of Satan has entered the Vatican. At least they threw out his ashtray.
Very glad to hear. St Stephen’s in Cleveland may be the most beautiful church in the United States.
It Traditionis Custodes abrogated Summorum Pontificum how come there is a Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage on the biggest “stage” in the world this weekend. Time for priests to defy these buffoon bishops to their faces. Imagine car mechanics, bricklayers and chiropidists can advertise in diocesan publications but they are not allowed on pain of excommunication or the removal of faculties to advertise Masses.
On other news apparently a journalist has been physically attacked at reception in Rome…. I patrol Hadrians Wall in the North if England and I’m the most placid of personages…. but if the Bishop of Charlotte happened by this parish I don’t think I could contain my rage…. or I’m not Robbie the Pict…..!!!
Joseph Shaw recently commented that this 2025 TLM crackdown seems to be mostly an American phenomenon. It isn’t really happening in England and France. Let’s face it. We have a cohort of U.S. bishops who reject trads and all our works and all our pomps. All of the talk of enforced “unity” is so much smoke and mirrors. They don’t like us, and they have zero interest in “unity” with us. These bishops know full well that shutting down the TLMs completely or kicking the TLM faithful to a tiny chapel in some backwoods corner of the dioceses will mean that most of the TLM faithful will either move or defect to an SSPX chapel or stay home rather being bullied. And they’re fine with that. At the end of the day, they don’t want us around because, as Pope Francis once explained, our “backwardism” blocks the path of the Church. And what is that path? I will proffer the hypothesis that every single one of the bishops who is waging a personal jihad against the TLM in his diocese is simultaneously (1) promoting homosexuality, allowing and/or celebrating “pride masses” and blessing sodomy-based partnerships; and (2) doing everything he can to undermine opposition to abortion among his flock.
When will they get their act together and exhibit any degree of coherence with the present — not to mention tradition?
They have no credence.
Here in Saint Paul at Fr. Z’s home parish we were told not long ago to show gratitude to the Archbishop for allowing us to continue to have the TLM. In the past this had rung true with me, but for some reason this time I was very bothered hearing this from the pulpit. And then the Archbishop celebrated a funeral Mass at the Basilica for a virulently pro-abortion and pro-LGBTQ politician, but nothing was said about this. I’m done begging for scraps from the table.
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I am a member of St. Mary’s brother parish, Akron St. Bernard. We not only share Bishop Malesic, but our pastor.
For two years (15 years ago), we were a merged parish. It was a rare, successful merger, although the “personalities” of each parish were quite different – St. Mary was more conservative, while we at St. Bernard were less so. But we got along very well and became a real parish family, treating one another with respect, courtesy, and care as befits any faithful Catholic. Although we were unmerged in 2012, we remain close and on very good, Catholic terms with one another.
St. Bernard is a very faithful, Novus Ordo parish. St. Mary, only one mile away, is a very faithful Novus Ordo and TLM parish.
I am delighted to know that our good Bishop Malesic will protect and permit the TLM to remain at St. Mary. Their joy is our joy!
My take on this is that His Excellency is proceeding with caution in order not to lose the ground that has been gained in his defense of those who love the TLM. As we all know, there are plenty of mean-spirited individuals, who, for their own reasons, would like to see the TLM disappear. They are often the same people who undermine the faithfulness of Catholic parish life as well. And that is why the Masses are not advertised openly. I volunteer in our shared parish office, and I have found word of mouth updates are very effective in the TLM community. I regularly answer phone calls inquiring on the TLM schedule and availability at St. Mary, and the celebrations of Baptisms, Weddings, and other Sacraments accompanied by the TLM.
It may interest the readers of this blog to know that Bishop Malesic, who is a very kind and mild-mannered man in addition to being very pastoral and faithful – did not hesitate to put a target on his back last year when he issued public orders that Diocesan employees of schools, hospitals, parishes, and volunteers of these organizations were to *only* be referred to by their birth gender, to use the bathrooms of their birth gender, to not present themselves in defiance of their birth gender, to only participate in Diocesan-sponsored sports teams in the gender of their birth, and so on – including not bringing same-sex “dates” to events sponsored by the Diocese or held on Diocesan property. He was hatefully attacked from coast to coast, but he never backed down and continued to protect the souls in his care.
I have no doubt Bishop Malesic will protect the souls of the TLM devotees in his care as well.
I am encouraged and happy to know Bishop Malesic is my bishop.
This is good to hear. The Diocese of San Angelo, Texas was also granted an extension not long ago. Bishop Michael Sis was helpful in my reversion story as a college student.
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Thanks be to God.
This weekend I attended a funeral at our local Eastern Orthodox parish (OCA). They are a young and growing group with a thoughtful outreach in this college town and beyond. It’s clear the Orthodox follow the recent shenanigans coming out of Rome. They pay especially close attention as to how the traditional Latin mass communities are treated.
Keep it up Rome and you’ll totally destroy any hope of reconciliation between east and west for generations to come. – A former Easterner
Thethesis(dot)us, whereat we read: “WHAT IS WRONG WITH VATICAN II?
FIRST ARTICLE:
1. What is wrong with the Second Vatican Council?
The Second Vatican Council taught doctrines which had been already condemned by the Church, and enacted disciplines which are contrary to the Church’s teaching and constant practice.
2. What doctrines did it teach that were already condemned?
There are four principal areas of Catholic doctrine against which Vatican II introduced errors: (1) the unity of the Church; (2) ecumenism; (3) religious liberty; (4) collegiality.
[…four more questions and replies in Article One]
SECOND ARTICLE, WHAT SOLUTION SHOULD CATHOLICS GIVE TO THE CURRENT PROBLEM OF AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH?
4. The “Vatican II popes” do not have the authority of Christ, they are not true popes, but this real fact has not yet been juridically established and recognized in the universal Church. This is the solution proposed by the Thesis, sometimes referred to as material-formal sedevacantism or sedeprivationism.”
There is more there, as I am a guest here, I stop.
@RobbiethePict
I’m from the Diocese of Charlotte and was present at the outgoing rector’s farewell gathering this summer. He had been rector at the Cathedral of Charlotte for 16 years, was as orthodox an a Novus Ordo priest can be, and we loved him. Bishop Martin basically pushed him into a year-long “sabbatical” and put another rector in his place (and not long after, he had the kneelers removed at the front of the church, et al).
The biggest act of humility and charity I think I ever saw was when Bp Martin showed up for this gathering, looking uncomfortable and hanging around the fringes in the atea outside the main hall. None of the parishioners really noticed him, and he didn’t speak to anyone. He just sort of “looked bothered and busy”, like he had somewhere else to go very soon.
Father, though — who had every right to be bitter and hostile and angry! — said, “Oh, hey! Bishop Martin! Come on in here — welcome!” And it wasn’t a show. He wasn’t being passive-aggressive. He truly was trying to include the Bishop.
Eventually, Bishop Martin did sort of clunk his way into the hall (still not speaking to anyone… and no one really raised a head in welcome — something his predecessor, Bishop Jugis NEVER suffered; he was dearly loved) and he sort of mumbled something to a few people and then left.
But I was humbled and shocked at the Very Reverend’s humility. It was a sight. And it showed a lot about character in the face of persecution. A small thing, but worthy of emulation. I don’t think I could have been as generous.
RE: The new update.
It is always about Vatican II, but it is never about Vatican II. I don’t know anywhere that is heavily pro-Vatican II that has truly, fully, to the letter, implemented Vatican II. My contention is that no one really likes or is happy with Vatican II — the progressives want the spirit of Vatican II that came after, and to correct Vatican II, the conservatives want to do a reform of the reform and realign Vatican II with tradition, the traditionalists want to scrap the project. No one likes the project, but it exists as a moving goal post or perhaps a greased pig.
Now I will say this: Traditionalists should not be afraid of learning about Vatican II because it can absolutely be used as a cudgel against the progressivists. Granted, Neo Thomism is a better cudgel, but a cudgel is a cudgel. If the progressives want to do the Vatican II thing, hold their own feet to their own fire.
All these bishops who are trying to stamp out TLM have dioceses that are riddled with things are are directly against the Council. Make them live up to their own standards. If traditionalists truly use Vatican II, these bishops will quickly rue the day that they tried to drag traditionalists into VII and will wish that they had just left them alone in peace.
Vatican II is a golden calf level idol at this point. It’s insane that people somehow think this one ecumenical council has the power to change all Church teaching, practices, traditions, and anything in between. It doesn’t matter in the least what the Vatican II documents even say. This is a mono-mania. It’s sick. It’s psychotic. Regardless of any merits the actual council and conciliar documents might objectively have, this crazy obsession and the catastrophic policies enacted (and then doubled-down upon) in the name of the council will forever mark it in history among the biggest of failures.
There’s the Catholic Church, or the Vatican II Church – they’re making it painfully clear that they believe whole heartedly in this dichotomy, and if you don’t pick the Vatican II Church you are shadow-excommunicated.
Wish we could eliminate using the words ordinary/extraordinary!
(due to misunderstandings subliminal or not)