KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Knoxville under Bishop Mark Beckman will limit the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) to just one chapel at a retreat center once a month after previously announcing the suppression of all parish TLMs in the diocese, the bishop announced in a letter on Tuesday.
In the November 25 letter, Beckman emphasized that due to the overwhelming response from diocesan faithful devoted to the Tridentine Mass, he will allow a monthly TLM in a small chapel at Christ Prince of Peace Retreat Center in Benton, which likely will not be able to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. The bishop also noted that he will not request a dispensation from the restrictions of Traditionis Custodes, which he believes was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and underscored a purported need for just one form of the Roman Rite of the Mass to be celebrated in the diocese.
In October, the diocese had announced that all three parishes that currently offer the Mass celebrated according to the 1962 missal will transition to Masses celebrated in Latin according to the 2002 Roman Missal, but with traditional elements such as being offered ad orientem (facing liturgical east) and incorporating Gregorian chant by the end of the year, in accordance with Traditionis Custodes.
The traditional Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal has been offered at the diocesan parishes of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, St. Mary’s Church in Johnson City, and Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville.
READ: Tennessee bishop to suppress all Traditional Latin Masses in his diocese by year’s end
“I realize your preference would be the continuation of this celebration in your parish church, and I am deeply aware of the suffering and loss you are feeling,” the bishop wrote in the letter.
Beckman stressed his belief that the changes to the Roman liturgy after the Second Vatican Council, as well as Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of the TLM, were guided by the Holy Spirit.
“In my judgment, the wisdom of Pope Francis in Traditionis Custodes is … guided by the Holy Spirit and for that reason I have chosen not to ask for a dispensation from the prohibition of celebrating the 1962 missal in parish churches and chapels,” he wrote. “I ask you to trust in the Lord’s guidance of his church and his promise to remain with her until the end of time.”
While it’s true that Our Lord will remain with His Church until the end of time and the faithful should not leave His Church, several Catholic prelates have denounced the harsh restrictions of Traditionis Custodes, noting that neither the pope nor the bishops have the right to suppress the TLM.
Cardinal Raymond Burke has stressed that the Latin Mass was “never juridically abrogated” and that it is not permissible for a pope to pretend to wield “absolute power” to “eradicate a liturgical discipline.”
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, has underscored that the Holy Father does not have the right to suppress the Tridentine Mass, which served as the liturgy of numerous saints, emphasizing that it is not disobedient to continue celebrating or attending the ancient Mass:
The faithful as well as priests have the right to a liturgy that is a liturgy of all the saints (…). Therefore, the Holy See does not have the power to suppress a heritage of the whole Church, it is an abuse, it would be an abuse even on the part of a bishop. In this case, you can continue to celebrate the Mass even in this form: It is a form of obedience (…) to all the popes who have celebrated this Mass.
In an X post, LifeSiteNews Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen noted the hypocrisy of Beckman writing that he cares for the faithful devoted to the Latin Mass and yet won’t even ask the Vatican for a dispensation to allow the Latin Mass at parish churches.
BREAKING: Knoxville Tennessee Bishop Mark Beckman is refusing to EVEN ASK the Pope for a dispensation to allow for the Traditional Latin Mass. But in his letter he claims to care for his Latin Mass loving flock. I hear your pain, but… Hmmm. pic.twitter.com/IBIAA4ZAMt
— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) November 26, 2025
As extensively reported by LifeSiteNews, several bishops across the country have imposed heavy restrictions on the Latin Mass since the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes.
In recent months, Bishop Michael Martin, like Beckman, restricted the celebration of the Tridentine Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte to just one small chapel that could not accommodate all the faithful who wished to attend, citing Traditionis Custodes. Martin has also requested that altar rails no longer be used for the reception of the Holy Eucharist for Novus Ordo Masses.
In response to these restrictions, an SSPX church within the diocese has seen such an increase in attendance that it plans to build a new chapel to accommodate the faithful who wish to attend.
The Diocese of Knoxville did not respond to LifeSiteNews’ request for comment as of publication time.
READ: SSPX in Charlotte plans for new chapel to accommodate growth after Latin Mass suppression
