In January 2022, Paprocki formally redesignated Sacred Heart in Springfield as a non-parochial church. He was able to do this because the parish, St. Katharine Drexel Parish, already had two churches.
“Just to remove any doubt … I was able to redesignate that church,” Paprocki said. “That took care of Sacred Heart Church.”
Now the only parish church that offers the Traditional Latin Mass is St. Rose of Lima in Quincy, whose priest is a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). Because the FSSP received a dispensation from the Vatican, Paprocki said the rescript would not apply to them, based on his understanding. He said the dispensation “gave them permission to continue doing what they’re doing.”
Yet, throughout the country, some churches that offer the Latin Mass are still only functioning under dispensations provided by their bishops. CNA reached out to several of those dioceses but only received responses from two by the time of publication.
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Denver said the archdiocese “will comply with what is asked” and a spokesperson for the Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana, said the diocese “makes every effort to comply with canonical and liturgical law and relies upon its legal experts trained at pontifical universities to offer guidance.”
Some dioceses, such as the Diocese of Arlington, have already received permission from the Vatican to offer dispensations for certain parishes. These dispensations are only temporary and will expire after a certain amount of time. In the case of Arlington, three parishes received a dispensation guaranteed for two years: St. Anthony Mission in King George County, St. Rita in Alexandria, and St. John the Beloved in McLean. The bishop also designated five other options for the Latin Mass that are not within parish churches.
In other dioceses, such as the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, bishops sought to accommodate Latin Mass goers by giving them new locations that are not within parish churches. In the case of Winona-Rochester, Bishop Robert Barron designated a new chapel for the celebration of Latin Mass that is not within a parish church.
Tyler Arnold is a staff reporter for the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.