US Bishops Restrict Traditional Catholic Worship Practices

Catholic bishops in Michigan and Tennessee have imposed limits on practices associated with traditional liturgy, prompting concern among some Catholics. In the Diocese of Gaylord, Bishop Jeffrey Walsh’s decree requires Masses on Sundays and holy days, as well as funerals and weddings, to be celebrated facing the congregation; priests may celebrate ad orientem on other occasions up to twice weekly after consulting the parish council and providing catechesis. Lay Catholic Graham Lapp has appealed the decree, arguing that it restricts a tradition that deepens worship and supports parish life. In Knoxville, Bishop Mark Beckman has asked priests to move away from reciting prayers such as the Prayer to St. Michael together immediately before or after Mass, saying additional prayers should not be added to the liturgy; he encouraged communities to use other settings for those devotions. The Knoxville directive follows Beckman’s earlier restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass in the diocese.