EDMOND, Oklahoma (LifeSiteNews) — A Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will be eliminated next month once a dispensation from the Vatican expires.
St. Monica Catholic Church, located in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, is a growing, vibrant parish led by Father Stephen Hamilton that offers the TLM Monday through Friday during the school year, in addition to a once-per-month Sunday TLM.
In a gut-wrenching sermon on Sunday, April 30, Fr. Hamilton told his parish that the previous dispensation to allow the Traditional Latin Mass has been canceled by the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, led by Cardinal Roche, after the final Sunday Mass scheduled in June.
“While Rome might, and has, granted some dispensations, they are always limited in scope and have an expiration date of at most two years,” Hamilton said. “Thus, there is no long-term solution even when Rome grants a dispensation. I can attest to you that from the beginning of this debacle Archbishop [Paul] Coakley has been nothing but gracious and generous. His initial dispensation tells you what you need to know about his stance in all this.”
READ: North Carolina bishop restricts celebration of Latin Mass every Sunday to one diocesan parish
“Only with Rome’s subsequent and ongoing local interference has the situation become what it is,” he added. “In other words, and I want to state clearly, the blame for this falls squarely on the Pope and the Cardinal [Roche] in charge of the Dicastery of Divine Worship.”
Nearly 50 young men and boys from the nearby St. John Bosco Institute assist at the daily Traditional Latin Mass and other devotions during the school year. There are also plans to open a school for girls, which would bring the total students served to more than 100, according to headmaster John Zapletal.
Zapletal said that the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments have been located in that part of Oklahoma for about 30 years through the services of priests from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), which currently operates a personal parish nearby.
“Father Hamilton offered to have the Traditional Latin Mass [at St. Monica’s] nearby the school to allow for more room,” Zapletal said. “The Archbishop has been a great defender of the Traditional Latin Mass.”
We ask you to join us in thanking this faithful shepherd for his years of loving service to Christ and His Church.
Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, RI, known for his outspoken defense of the Church’s moral teachings on the sanctity of life, marriage, and human sexuality, has just resigned upon reaching the age of 75 on April 1.
SIGN: Thank you Bishop Tobin for answering God’s call to serve His Church
Here is our message to Bishop Tobin which you can sign:
In a statement to the diocese on the occasion of his resignation, Bishop Tobin thanked the faithful and clergy of Providence for their support over the years, encouraging them to remain steadfast in the faith. “I urge all the members of the church to remain steadfast in your faith, to be proud of the good work you are doing, and to be determined to carry on the work that Jesus has entrusted to you,” Tobin said.
As bishop, Tobin consistently raised his voice to clearly reiterate the perennial teachings of the Church that the life of the unborn is sacred, marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman, and the innocence of children must be protected in society.
He has also defended traditional Catholics who wish to worship according to the Church’s ancient liturgy in the Tridentine Latin Mass.
Unafraid to hold to account so-called “Catholic” politicians who aggressively promote abortion and oppose the protection of the lives of the unborn, in 2019 Tobin excoriated Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, who says he is Catholic but voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act, designed to protect children born alive during botched abortions from being left to die.
In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Tobin called out the contradiction between a politician calling himself Catholic and yet rejecting Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life. In a tweet sent out on May 7, 2020, Tobin said one cannot be an “authentic” Catholic and hold a pro-abortion position.
“Just saw a headline in a Catholic newspaper with the phrase ‘pro-abortion Catholic.’ Sorry. That’s a contradiction in terms. You can’t be a Catholic, at least not an authentic one, and be ‘pro-abortion.’ Or ‘pro-choice.’ It’s the same thing,” the bishop said.
SIGN: Thank you Bishop Tobin for answering God’s call to serve His Church
Several months later Tobin again sparked a heated Twitter debate over what constitutes a Catholic when he sarcastically implied that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden isn’t one. The outspoken bishop was hammered on Twitter with ad hominem attacks after he posted the following:
Biden-Harris. First time in a while that the Democratic ticket hasn’t had a Catholic on it. Sad.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) August 11, 2020
Tobin doubled down on his criticisms of President Biden’s zeal for abortion in 2022, when he stated that he could not be “both a devout Catholic and a pro-abortion zealot”:
President Biden cannot be both a devout Catholic and a pro-abortion zealot. The two are mutually exclusive. He is a poor, lost and confused soul. Truly, we need to pray for him, everyday.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) September 23, 2022
Tobin’s courageous defense of the Church’s moral teachings was not limited, however, to standing up against the prominent pro-abortion advocates of the Left. He also earned their hatred with his public stance against LGBT ideology and intimidation.
On June 1, 2019, to mark the beginning of so-called “pride month”, the Rhode Island bishop tweeted that Catholics should not take part in “pride” events due to their conflict with the Catholic faith, making special note of the danger to children:
A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) June 1, 2019
The public stance made the bishop the target of high-volume vitriol from LGBT adherents and supporters, who moved swiftly to squash the Catholic shepherd’s advisory to his flock to remain faithful to “Catholic faith and morals,” demonstrating the resolve of anti-Catholic forces to silence Church teaching.
Several days later, Tobin issued the following statement, declaring it his obligation as a bishop to preach the truth of Christ “even on very difficult and sensitive issues”, affirming that he would continue to do so. He stated, “As a Catholic Bishop, however, my obligation before God is to lead the faithful entrusted to my care and to teach the faith, clearly and compassionately, even on very difficult and sensitive issues. That is what I have always tried to do – on a variety of issues – and I will continue doing so as contemporary issues arise.”
SIGN: Thank you Bishop Tobin for answering God’s call to serve His Church
Ever sensitive to the needs of the flock entrusted to this care, Tobin also supported those Catholics devoted to the ancient liturgy in the Traditional Latin Mass. In January 2022, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, he encouraged “respect and support” for “members of our own Church who are devoted to [the] TLM,” affirming their fidelity to the Church, a notable public defense in the face of attacks from authorities in Rome, such as Cardinal Roche, who has dubbed those who love the ancient Mass “more Protestant than Catholic.”
In contrast, Bishop Tobin wrote:
In this Week of Prayer for #ChristianUnity, let’s also work to safeguard and promote “Catholic Unity.” In particular, let’s resolve to respect and support members of our own Church who are devoted to TLM. They are faithful Catholics who greatly love the Lord and his Church.
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) January 18, 2022
Again, earlier this year, Tobin criticized the increased ostracization of traditional Catholics by Rome in a tweet that contrasted the heavy-handedness of the Vatican’s restrictions with the Pope’s call for accompaniment and listening. The prelate wrote,
The way the Vatican is dealing with the Traditional Latin Mass does not seem to me to be the “style of God.” Pope Francis himself has emphasized that those who are attached to the TLM should be “accompanied listened to, and given time.”
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) February 21, 2023
With the courageous Bishop of Providence now retiring, the sentiments of Catholics grateful for his defense of life, family, and faith can perhaps not be put better than what was stated by those same Catholics several years ago: “Your clear and compassionate teaching gives hope to Catholics and Christians everywhere.”
In the words of Bishop Strickland, “Thanks for speaking up Bishop Tobin….let us be mighty loving messengers of truth and light in Jesus Christ.”
SIGN: Thank you Bishop Tobin for answering God’s call to serve His Church
MORE INFORMATION:
Bishop Thomas Tobin retires at age 75 – LifeSiteNews
Hamilton attested to the grief he feels by no longer being allowed to attend to the daily spiritual needs of the school’s young men going forward. “It has become a gut punch for me, and difficult to hear, when my altar boys pray the second half of the Confiteor because I feel as if I am a Father who has failed them and you,” he said during his sermon. “That beseeching in the Confiteor has become a bit haunting to me: ‘et te Pater,’ … ‘and you Father.’ I ask you to pray for me to the Lord our God.”
Hamilton concluded: “While it is now the Cross for you and for me, we have two more uninterrupted Sundays together. I promise I do, and I will pray for you. Et vos fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum!”
Rick and LeAnn Hufnagel’s sons have served the Traditional Mass at St. Monica’s over the years and help head up the area homeschool group that includes families from the FSSP parish as well. “The reason that we homeschool is to seek the truth,” said Rick Hufnagel. “And the TLM presents the truth of Christ’s Passion in the clearest manner possible.”
The students from the St. John Bosco Institute will now move to the St. Damien parish (FSSP) to receive the ancient graces and spiritual goods of the Church daily.
READ: Pope Francis hosts Coptic Patriarch at Vatican, approves schismatic liturgy in papal basilica
In addition to the FSSP parish that offers all of the sacraments and traditional devotions for those who desire them, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has St. Michael’s Chapel, which has offered the traditional Mass and sacraments since Lent 2010, according to chapel coordinator Tom Emig. Average attendance at St. Michael’s is around 150 Catholics, and the chapel offers the Mass every Sunday and holy day by priests who travel from St. Mary’s, Kansas.
“Everyone is welcome to attend St. Michael’s, whether from St. Monica’s or elsewhere,” Emig said. “There are constantly new faces showing up, and it might get a bit crowded, but that is a good problem to have.”
“I am very sorry for Father Hamilton and his parishioners. The contents of that homily are truly tragic,” he added.
LifeSiteNews requested input from Hamilton and two deacons, the pastor of the local FSSP parish, and the FSSP headquarters but received no response. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City declined to comment further.