TAMPA BAY, Florida (LifeSiteNews) — A Florida bishop has announced that a growing parish with a strong devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) will become a diocesan shrine and be placed under the pastoral care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP).

Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, announced on March 25 that the Epiphany of Our Lord Church in Tampa Bay will become the Epiphany of Our Lord Shrine this Summer and will be placed under the patronage of the ICKSP. The move ensures the stability of the TLM in the diocese, amid the restrictions placed on the ancient Roman rite by Traditionis Custodes.

The announcement emphasized that the community at Epiphany of Our Lord, with the support of their pastor, Father Edwin Palka, had sought to ensure the stability of the TLM while also adhering to the Francis’ wishes outlined in Traditionis Custodes.

“After careful study of Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis Custodes and having prayerfully reflected on spiritual needs expressed by the faithful in the Diocese devoted to the Roman Rite celebrated according to the Roman Missal of 1962, the canonical status of Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic Church, in Tampa, Florida, will be converted from a parochial church to a diocesan shrine,” the announcement read.

The shrine will be a “place of pilgrimage for those throughout the Diocese devoted to the liturgical fruits of the antecedent liturgy and the incarnational spirituality of the Epiphany when the Heavenly Father manifested through signs and wonders the newborn Christ as a light to the nations.”

Pope Francis promulgated the controversial motu proprio Traditionis Custodes in July 2021. The document abrogated the universal permission for the celebration of the TLM granted by Pope Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum and gave the bishops the power to restrict its celebration within their dioceses. 

While the motu proprio bars Latin Masses from being celebrated in “parochial” churches, the restrictions notably do not apply to shrines.

Since the initial promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, the Vatican has implemented further restrictive measures on the ancient liturgy. In December 2021, the Vatican issued a responsa stating that diocesan clergy are barred from celebrating old Rite sacraments and must be willing to concelebrate the Novus Ordo. In February 2023, Francis issued a rescript restricting bishops’ ability to dispense priests from the restrictions of Traditionis Custodes. 

Scholar Dr. Peter Kwasniewski celebrated Bishop Gregory Parkes’ announcement and praised the bishop in a Facebook post. “[T]his strikes me as very good news indeed. A bishop who cares for his flock and is willing to provide for them!” he wrote.

The transition of the parish into a shrine will be effective on July 1, and the ICKSP will assume control of the shrine on September 1, according to the announcement. In addition to the newly established shrine, two parishes in the diocese will continue to offer the TLM. 

RELATED

Catholics ‘heartbroken’ after Scottish bishop asks thriving traditional order to leave diocese

Vatican allowed fewer than 60 parish churches worldwide to offer Latin Mass in 2022

Pope Francis affirms charism of Latin Mass order Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest