We haven’t seen a lot of wins lately.
I take this as a win for the faithful in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
You should be able to click the image and read the letter easily.
In a nutshell, Bishop Evelio Menjívar announced delegates for matters concerning use of the Usus Antiquior.
I am enheartened when I see even a little bit of support from a bishop for diocesan priests. The Wrath of the Whatever High Atop The Thing understood that, in order the thwart the massive progress being made, the TLM had to be ripped out of regular parishes and confined to little ghettos. We must pray that diocesan priests and the faithful they long to serve will be better treated, and soon.
To foster greater unity among the Catholic faithful & provide various spiritual needs, Bishop Menjívar announced Fr. Timothy J. Grassi, V.F., of St. James Parish in Charles Town, has been appointed Episcopal Delegate for Matters Concerning the Usus Antiquior. pic.twitter.com/ywmlLY9zm3
— Diocese of Whg-Char (@DWC1850) August 28, 2026
Good news, to be sure. The bishop is a Leo appointee, too. And to actually attend a TLM, soon after being consecrated and taking the reins in the diocese.
People in western North Carolina should mail a copy of this letter to the bishop of Charlotte, noting this is how a good shepherd leads.
I’m in the DWC. My pastor told me this wonderful news this morning from our new Bishop. The Priests mentioned in the statement are among the most solid in our Diocese (as is my pastor). I hope this leads to greater freeing of restrictions.
And perhaps Bishop Evelio will participate in the St. Paul Center’s conference at Oglebay next year. It’s only across town from his Cathedral as I’m sure you know.
I hope he inspires others to do likewise. If the bishops who are not dead set against the TLM would all throw T.C. into the dumpster for their diocese, I think they’d call the Vatican bureaucrats’ bluff (like the African bishops did with same-sex couples blessings). But for that to happen we’d need men with some sense of leadership and some actual conviction that they have a duty to defend the Faith and Tradition and to serve the faithful in their diocese . . . so I’m not holding my breath.
If there was a sincere desire to grow the Church and welcome families and youth, then the Latin Mass would be freed. I know there are bishops hostile to it but for the bishops who aren’t and do like this Bishop has done, we would see more joy filled and full parishes explode once more.
The mere fact of appointing such “delegates” for different regions of the diocese is a hopeful sign: if the object was to squelch the TLM, one delegate would be sufficient.
Yet: personnel is policy. It matters what those priests are like, and how they already view the TLM and TC. Reader L. above tells us they are among the most solid in the diocese, so this is very, very good news.
Given the views of Leo and his appointees, I doubt that this move will garner kindly attention from Rome. The best he can reasonably hope for is benign neglect. And for that very reason, I doubt it would help to trumpet this bishop’s actions to other US bishops and say “you should follow the same course”. Even for a good bishop, it is at least plausible that he would think the most prudent thing to do – at least for several years to come – is for him to carry out more or less the same concept under cover, without public fanfare and without calling attention to it, quietly but sincerely and with real advances for the TLM there. Get half your parishes doing it in “chapels” and “shrines” and wherever. (Turn a blind eye if they do it in church (gasp!).) Pretend it’s disorganized, small, and limited, but don’t MAKE it be disorganized, small, and limited. Do it that way for years, before letting on that it’s big, solid, and Catholic to the core.
One swallow does not a summer make, but given one particular piece of the puzzle it is possible that something is changing, as such it is worth a mention: +Menjívar is a new bishop, and he has taken this action barely two months after his installation. Recall the pattern in the latter days of the late Franciscus: even as the echoes of the “approbational” applause at his installation Mass still lingered, a new bishop would severely restrict or altogether cancel the TLM… word was that they had been leaned-on by the Nuncio; which may be true… in this case the diametric opposite has occurred. The new bishop didn’t quietly let it be known that the TLM would be “tolerated”, nor did he announce that he’d be maintaining his predecessor’s policy “for the present”; he expressed his support for the proliferation of the TLM by means of a bold public act of governance.
Could this have been a “concrete solution enabling the generous inclusion of those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo”???
How very… pastoral!
My wife and I are members of the Third Order of the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem, and today we were present at the Mass that Bishop Menjívar of Wheeling-Charleston attended to celebrate his designation of new delegates and a new community for the usus antiquior. Below is a transcription of the bishop’s comments to us before the homily and a link to the livestream of the Mass queued up to that point.
I was absolutely blown away! How often do you hear a bishop stating that his primary concern is the salvation of every soul entrusted to his care, and that those of us who worship in the old rite are cherished members of the Body of Christ?? We are incredibly blessed, and this seems like a very important example of how a bishop should care for his flock.
Transcription of the bishop’s comments:
First of all, I would like to thank you for your prayers, especially as I begin my episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. In His mercy and providence, the Lord has sent me to serve as your shepherd. I want to reiterate to you today my sincere desire to serve the Lord faithfully and to care for the salvation of every soul entrusted to my pastoral care.
I am also here today to assure you (you, personally!) of my deep affection and esteem for each of you and for this particular community. You are a cherished part of the Body of Christ and of our diocesan family. Your fidelity to the sacred liturgy, your devotion, and your reverence for the mysteries of our faith enrich the life of the entire Church. My gratitude to the Canons [Regular] of the New Jerusalem, who serve you with generosity and pastoral charity.
I am today very specially grateful to Fr. Timothy Grassi for agreeing to serve as the Episcopal Delegate for Matters Concerning the usus antiqior in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. In this capacity, Fr. Grassi will assist me in providing pastoral and liturgical oversight, and in coordinating with the communities and the priests who participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962. (We had three communities, and I am extending this use of the Roman Missal of 1962 to another community in Charleston, so now we are going to have four.) So Fr. Grassi enjoys, of course, the esteem of the faithful and the priests of the diocese as he leads by example and fidelity to Christ.
I am also grateful for Fr. Grassi’s genuine concern for the poor and for caring for the immigrant community in his parish, especially the Hispanics. My desire is that everyone, everyone finds a home in the Church, and that in everything we do, we remain deeply united in Christ and in communion with the Holy Father, always seeking what strengthens our faith, builds up the Body of Christ, and leads us together towards holiness.
May each of you and all your families experience the closeness of Jesus Christ, who walks beside us as our Lord and Redeemer. And may you always find refuge and protection under the maternal mantle of Blessed Virgin Mary and the loving care of St. Joseph. May God bless you.
https://www.youtube.com/live/dd0QFo9uzko?si=rXRF1N-kd-i-ii-S&t=2546
I know Fr. Grassi. One of the finest priests I have ever encountered, and that’s saying a lot. May God bless and prodect him, his bishop, and all they serve
Fr. Grassi is the finest priest I have ever known. A holy and humble man.