The Bishop of Charlotte has delayed the implementation of new restrictions on the use and celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy in the diocese.
Bishop Michael Martin announced the decision in an email to pastors on June 3, subsequently reported by the Catholic News Herald, the local diocesan newspaper.
The new policies were initially slated to come into force on July 8, but will now be delayed until October — the deadline originally set by the Vatican for the end of transitional accommodations and full compliance with the norms Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis custodes.
The reversal comes after considerable public criticism of diocesan liturgical policy in recent weeks from within the diocese and online, following the May 23 announcement that existing parish TLM celebrations would end months earlier than required by Rome.
That announcement was then followed by the leaked text of a draft set of sweeping restrictions and instructions on the celebration of the ordinary form of the liturgy proposed by Martin but confirmed by The Pillar to have been internally shelved weeks earlier after internal pushback.
The changes to diocesan policy are aimed at “completing the implementation of Traditionis custodes” by prohibiting the Mass celebrated using a 1962 liturgical missal from four parish churches in the diocese where it has been celebrated since 2021.
Bishop Martin has instead designated a soon-to-be-established chapel in Mooresville, North Carolina, as the singular locus for the usus antiquior in western North Carolina, and said he will provide a priest for Sunday Masses. The site is being renovated at a cost of $700,000, which is being paid by the diocese.
The plan drew protests from Catholics who said the move was premature and unnecessary, because the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship had given permission for parish churches in Charlotte to continue offering Mass in the older form until October, and because the dicastery had given extensions to parishes in other dioceses.
Further, some Catholics said the move would cause hardship to families with devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass, creating long drives to the Mooresville chapel each Sunday.
The Charlotte diocese had previously insisted the changes would go ahead as announced, insisting that Martin was following the intention of Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio, and that it is the intention of the Church to see less attendance at Traditional Latin Masses, despite their reportedly growing popularity among many younger Catholics in the U.S. and other Western countries.
“The purpose of the new norms is clearly to limit access to the TLM,” the diocese wrote in a set of talking points circulated after the initial announcement.
Now, according to the Catholic News Herald, Martian has told priests that the new date allows more time for the transition and for renovation of a chapel designated for the Extraordinary Form community.
“It made sense to start these changes in July when dozens of our priests will be moving to their new parishes and other assignments,” Bishop Martin told the diocesan newspaper. “That said, I want to listen to the concerns of these parishioners and their priests, and I am willing to give them more time to absorb these changes.”
Prior to the announcement of the changes to TLM celebrations in the diocese, four parish priests in the Charlotte diocese — those “entrusted with the pastoral care of those attending the Traditional Latin Mass” in the diocese — wrote to Martin, urging him to reconsider his decision.
“It is important to acknowledge that those attached to the traditional liturgy have, over the past five decades, often felt marginalized and discriminated against,” they wrote. “Consequently, their trust in Church leadership has, understandably, been weakened over time. A significant aspect of our ministry involves reconciliation and accompaniment for those who have felt unwelcome. We fear a reversal in policy will negatively impact the good will built up over time.”
The priests asked Martin to request an extension from the Vatican for parish Masses, and to allow more than one designated site for the older liturgy in the diocese.
“We respectfully question any perceived need to interpret the document in the strictest possible manner or exceed its written requirements,” they wrote. “We further request that you become more acquainted with our Latin Mass communities, to better understand their desires, challenges, and pastoral needs.”
While the initial announcement went ahead as planned, the bishop has now reconsidered.
The recent flare up over liturgy is part of a larger pattern of issues in the diocese since Martin arrived last May, several sources have said.
The Pillar has previously reported that during an April visit to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, then led by the future Pope Leo XIV, Martin was cautioned about “moving very fast with big ideas for changes to the diocese, and he had only just arrived.”
“He was asked to consider taking time to know the people and the diocese better before deciding on things which could be received as disruptive,” sources close to the dicastery told The Pillar.
Last week, on the first anniversary of his leadership in the Charlotte diocese, Martin wrote an email to diocesan priests, obtained by The Pillar, urging them to make “no big changes for a year” in any new pastoral assignments.
Instead of changing things right away, the bishop urged new pastors to “get to know staff,” to “build community” with fellow priests at the parish, and to work with priests and staff “to pray and lead together.”
“Do not be afraid to identify areas in need of change,” the bishop wrote. But he said, “do [that] with love,” and only “after listening/observing.”
“When you bring change, work with staff and involve [the] parish,” Martin said.