Update On Latin Mass At The Franciscan University of Steubenville

A few days ago I did a post The Latin Mass at the Univ of Steubenville and the Charismatic Movement Versus the Traditional Movement .

Tom Sofio , who is Associate Director of Public Relations at Franciscan University of Steubenville, kindly sent me a email with an official statement. I will gladly post it and thank you Mr Sofio for sending this to me. Please note anything that is in bold is something I did and not part of the original email.

Regarding the Traditional Latin Mass and Franciscan University of Steubenville As a Catholic university with a long history of faithfulness to the magisterium of the Catholic Church, Franciscan University of Steubenville fully supports Pope Benedict XVI’s recent Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, which expands the use of the Traditional Latin Mass.Franciscan University fully supports the plans for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Latin rite Mass at St. Peter Church in Steubenville. Franciscan University is located within the boundaries of St. Peter Parish, making it the official parish for the University and the repository for the records of any sacraments celebrated on the campus.

Summorum Pontificum indicates that it is the parish priest who is to accede to the requests of those attached to the previous liturgical tradition. The pastor of St. Peter Parish, Monsignor George Yontz, with the full support of Steubenville Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, has met with St. Peter parishioners, including Franciscan University students, and people from other parishes in the area. He is working with them to prepare for the proper celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form, and the University will remain in communication with him throughout this unfolding process.

The University is pleased that St. Peter’s will be the site for this, as it is easily accessible to our University members, being just one mile from campus. The University will provide transportation for students who need it to and from St. Peter’s Church for the traditional Latin rite Masses. The first traditional Latin rite Mass will be celebrated at St. Peter’s on Sunday, November 25, the Feast of Christ the King. The dates of future Masses will be announced later by the parish office.

As the oldest Catholic church in the Steubenville diocese, St. Peter’s has the high altar, communion railing, and other requirements to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Latin rite, which are not found in many area churches.

It will provide a beautiful and fitting setting in which interested students can enter more fully into this ancient liturgy. Franciscan University will continue to offer its monthly Latin Novus Ordo Mass. In October, the University expanded the Sunday Mass offerings from three to four, with Sunday Mass now offered at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.