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[Catholic Caucus] Priority of New Bishop of Austin, Texas: Kneeling for Communion discouraged -- Communion kneelers to be bannedBishop Garcia has just arrived back at the capital of Texas, after a few mean years in Monterey (California) -- where his last measure before departing was to cancel the local Traditional Latin Mass. What is his first main concern in Austin, a burgeoning diocese filled with young Catholics and newcomers? Vocations? Inspire the faithful? Instill love for orthodoxy, Christ, the Sacraments, the Blessed Virgin?No: it's to discourage kneeling for Communion in the masses of Paul VI:Priorities... "For where your treasure is,...

Open Letter to the Bishop of Charlotte: "Bishop Martin, it is men like you who strongly imply that the Protestants had it right." Sent to us for publication, by a local parishioner:Bishop Martin,As a member of the Diocese of Charlotte, I have been amazed at the transformation of the character of our Diocese over the last year. What once felt vibrant and full of life now feels cowed, disjointed, and fearful. Entire congregations of faithful Catholics feel like they are losing their home, and they rightfully feel marginalized and ghettoized—reading the remarks you’ve made against the traditions of the faith,...

[Catholic Caucus] Charlotte bishop bans all altar rails for receiving Communion starting the first Sunday of AdventA parish priest supported Bishop Michael Martin’s banishment of altar rails, writing that ‘obedience is a virtue.’Bishop Michael Martin of the Diocese of Charlotte has banned the use of altar rails during the reception of Holy Communion, effective the first Sunday of Advent.Father John Putnam, the pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church, announced the new rule on Friday, embracing it as the “liturgical norm” of the U.S.In a letter to his parish, Putnam said he “personally” believes altar rails foster “reverence and devotion” but...

[Catholic Caucus] 39% of Young American Priests Consider Access to the Traditional Latin Mass a Priority 39% of priests in the United States ordained after the year 2000 consider access to the Traditional Latin Mass a priority -- 1in 4 (more like 4 in 10 edit e.t.), compared with just 11%, or 1 in 10, for priests ordained before 1980.The numbers come from this study ("Morale, Leadership, and Pastoral Priorities: Highlights from the 2025 National Study of Catholic Priests"), published today by The Catholic Project of the Catholic University of America (CUA).It is quite astonishing, and a clear trend. Woe...

[Catholic Caucus] Diocese removes cathedral’s kneelers used for Holy CommunionThe Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina has removed the portable kneelers used by the faithful to receive Holy Communion at the Cathedral of St Patrick. The announcement was made on 6 October by the cathedral’s rector, Fr Peter Ascik, according to the Charlotte Latin Mass Community, a lay group which shared news of the change online.The kneelers had previously been introduced to accommodate those wishing to receive the Eucharist kneeling and on the tongue, a posture long associated with the traditional Roman Rite and maintained by some Catholics at celebrations...

[Catholic Caucus] A Letter from a Priest of Jesus Christ to the Faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte: "A house built on the sand of deceit cannot endure the buffeting winds of truth."A faithful priest who must remain anonymous has sent this letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, who are attached to the Traditional Latin Mass.He requested us to have it published here as well.Dear TLM Faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte,You may not know me, but I am well-acquainted with your diocese and the challenges you face, as I regularly speak with your priests...

[Catholic Caucus] Charlotte bishop says new Latin Mass chapel is not meant to fit everyone who wants to attendBishop Michael Martin is telling Latin Mass-goers in the Diocese of Charlotte to consider waiting to go to the new chapel due to limited space.Bishop Michael Martin, OFM has shared that the new chapel substituting for the previous four traditional Latin Masses of the Diocese of Charlotte is not meant to fit all of those who have attended the TLM.Martin made the clarification in a Friday letter announcing the diocese’s official merger of its Latin Masses into one chapel, effective October 5....

[Catholic Caucus] “Bread Not Stones”: Bishop Martin shows no pastoral care for his TLM flockThe clergy and lay people featured in “Bread Not Stones” remind viewers that the Church’s traditions, including the TLM, are not merely relics of a past long gone, but relevant gems that greatly enhance one’s Catholic Faith and identity. Arguably, it can be said that this film is calling for a Church that truly listens and addresses the spiritual needs of Her children, with pastoral prudence and compassion.In the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, a major shift threatening to undermine the basis of a devout community...

[Catholic Caucus] News from Charlotte: Bishop Comes for the Catholic Schools' MassesWe have received a report of the new liturgical directives which Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte wishes to impose on the masses of Paul VI celebrated in the three Catholic high schools under his jurisdiction. The goal is apparently the decatholicization of the new liturgy in the schools under his authority.Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they are exactly what we would expect, given what we have previously seen of his ideas about “liturgical norms.”The use of kneelers and communion rails for the distribution of Holy Communion is forbidden.There must be...

[Catholic Caucus] Protest at French church after FSSP clergy removed by bishopBanners now hang from the railings around Notre-Dame de Valence as protests continue against what is viewed as diocese suppression of the FSSP-run church.The banners read: “Retirerla messe traditionnelle est une erreur exceptionnelle” (“Removing the traditional Mass is a grave mistake”) and “Uniscontre la désunion” (“United against disunity”).On 13 August 2025, the faithful of Notre-Dame de Valence, located in southeastern France within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and long served by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP), were abruptly stripped of their priests by Bishop François Durand. ‍He announced that...

[Catholic Caucus] Charlotte Bishop Forbids Communion Bench (Rail) at Catholic SchoolBishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, has forbidden to use the Communion bench for the daily Novus Ordo Eucharist at the Catholic High School in Charlotte.According to the social media account “Charlotte Latin Mass Community” students and staff now kneel on the floor to receive Holy Communion.The beautifully carved Communion bench was installed in spring 2017 (pictured). A teacher at the school had raised the money to fund the project in memory of a younger brother who passed away.Effective July 8, Bishop Martin has forbidden all Masses in...

[Catholic Caucus] Faithful Catholics prayerfully protest Latin Mass suppression in DetroitDETROIT (LifeSiteNews) — As the bells of Detroit’s Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament rang out calling the faithful to the 11:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, August 17, Catholics gathered in prayerful petition to support the recently suppressed Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).“We want our archbishop to know that there are many faithful Catholics that still want the ‘Mass of the Ages,’” organizer Joseph VanAssche told LifeSite.Families from several parishes in the diocese, particularly St. Stephen’s, where the Latin Mass was recently suppressed, gathered just beneath the steps of the cathedral...

[Catholic Caucus] Valence: Faithful Occupy Notre-Dame Church After FSSP ExpulsionSince early summer, around 300 Catholics of the Mass in the Roman Rite have occupied the church of Notre-Dame in Valence, reports Paix-Liturgique.org (August 13).The community was previously served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), but was abruptly deprived of its priests by Bishop François Durand. He announced that sacraments, catechism, and weekday Masses would cease this autumn.Outside the church, banners read: "We are not puppets, but Christians," and "Removing the traditional Mass is a grave mistake."The faithful keep watch day and night, pray the rosary each evening, and...

[Catholic Caucus] Detroit archbishop fires renowned conservative professors from Sacred Heart Seminary'The firing of Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria from Sacred Heart Seminary … is an act of a thin-skinned, petty tyrant,' said Eric Sammons, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine.Current and former colleagues and students of conservative Professors Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria were shocked and dismayed to learn on Thursday of their firing from Sacred Heart Seminary (SHS) by Detroit’s progressive new prelate, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger.Last month, Weisenburger came under fire for eliminating nearly all public celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) and prohibiting ad orientem in the Novus...

[Catholic Caucus] EXCLUSIVE: Catholics explain why they knelt for Communion at Charlotte bishop’s MassCatholics who knelt for the Eucharist at a concelebrated Mass with Charlotte's bishop present said they were motivated by love for God and the desire to give Him glory.CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (LifeSiteNews) — Catholics who knelt for Holy Communion at a Mass with the bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte present have spoken out about how they were motivated by the love of God and the desire to give him “glory.”In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, Friends of Catholic Reverence explained why they orchestrated Catholics’ attendance at...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholics kneel to receive Communion on tongue at Mass with Charlotte bishop, other bishops presentCatholics at a bishops' conference Mass said their intent was to 'show a reverent resistance' to the anti-traditional agenda of Bishop Michael Martin.CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (LifeSiteNews) — Traditional Catholics showed up en masse to kneel to receive Holy Communion on the tongue at a Mass with Bishop Michael Martin, OFM, of the Diocese of Charlotte and about a dozen other bishops present.At a concelebrated Tuesday Mass for the Atlanta Province Bishops Conference held at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Charlotte, North Carolina, almost...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon Orders Seminarians to "Never" Celebrate Mass in the Roman RiteAccording to PaixLiturgique.fr (12 June), the destruction of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France, is making good progress.In November 2023, Pope Francis transferred Monsignor François Touvet from Châlons-en-Champagne, a dried-up diocese in northern France, to Fréjus-Toulon, which was then a vibrant and fertile diocese.Monsignor Touvet promised not to act against the diocesan bishop, Dominique Rey. However, Touvet often does the opposite of what he says. If he is caught, he denies it and starts again.Many testify to his desire to remain ambiguous and to keep the faithful,...

[Catholic Caucus] The "Mercy" Hammer Comes Down on Traditional Latin Masses in Detroit -- 10 Parish Masses to be Closed [Update: Ad Orientem posture in Novus Ordo also banned][Updated: as the full implementation document at the end makes clear, the ban of ad orientem and other traditional liturgical aspects in the Novus Ordo is not a rumor anymore, but it's fully public.] Ugliness and cruelty dressed up as goodness and obedience. Disgusting.A few notes:1. "Fidelity to the Holy Father's call" - He means Francis; Leo XIV has made no such call yet.2. The "all other sites" for which permission will...

[Catholic Caucus] Soon-to-be archbishop in Argentina publicly scolded altar boys for kneeling to receive CommunionBishop Raúl Martín of Santa Rosa, who Leo XIV appointed as archbishop of Paraná, rebuked altar boys during Mass in front of the congregation because they wanted to receive Communion kneeling.A prelate in Argentina appointed as an archbishop by Pope Leo XIV previously scolded altar boys during Mass because they insisted on kneeling to receive Holy Communion. The bishop also reportedly denied the Blessed Sacrament to children who knelt for their First Holy Communion.Bishop Raúl Martín of Santa Rosa, who Leo XIV named last Wednesday to...

[Catholic Caucus] Texas archbishop falsely claims independent school ‘misrepresents’ its Catholic statusLumen Christi Academy seeks to provide 'an authentically Catholic classical education' but makes clear it is an 'independent' school outside of diocesan control.Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio has falsely accused a self-proclaimed “independent school in the Catholic tradition” of misrepresenting “their Catholic status to the public” in an attempt to discourage displaced schoolchildren from attending the academy.After The Atonement Catholic Academy announced May 31 that it would soon close due to financial unsustainability, Lumen Christi Academy – an initiative of the Sanctus Ranch founders and within driving distance...