DETROIT (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 to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Litany of the Saints, as well as to chant the ancient hymns Da Pacem Domine and Salve Regina.
VanAssche, the rally organizer, felt a personal duty to speak up for Catholics who want the Vetus Ordo to be kept in the many parish churches where it is now banned.
“Just like many other families, I want my eight kids, and possibly more in the future, to have access to all the beauty the Church has to give,” VanAssche stated.
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After being told by Archbishop Edward Weisenburger that those who wish to attend the TLM should go to one of the four parishes where it is still offered, VanAssche replied that he felt pressured to abandon his home parish, something he said is not an option.
“As for my family, we won’t abandon our home parish or priest,” VanAssche reported.
“All the priests who are now forbidden from the TLM are hurt just as much, so I don’t feel right leaving. They have a huge cross to carry with this restriction. I feel we also need to help these priests carry their cross by not abandoning the churches they are at.”
According to the Latin Mass Community of Windsor, the Archdiocese of Detroit held 28 churches that celebrated the Vetus Ordo during 2022. As of Archbishop Weisenburger’s decree, which went into effect on July 1, 2025, this number was reduced to only four, including the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest’s St. Joseph Shrine.
VanAssche’s final plea to Weisenburger appealed to the shared desire of Catholic parents to raise holy families formed by the beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass.
“Our hope is that through our prayers, God’s grace will help Archbishop Weisenburger see it from our point of view, the ones trying to raise the future of the Church, future priests and religious sisters, and allow for more Masses in the Extraordinary Form.”
