EXCLUSIVE: Parishioner robbed of Pittsburgh Latin Mass speaks out
The Traditional Latin Mass community at St. Titus Church brought together 350 families while hosting major Catholic events in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a longtime parishioner explained.
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Catholic Church, located at 952 Franklin Avenue in Aliquippa, PennsylvaniaWikimedia
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Wed Aug 12, 2026 - 6:34 am EDT
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(LifeSiteNews) — A member of the Traditional Latin Mass community at St. Titus Church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, spoke to LifeSiteNews about the impact of Bishop Mark Eckman’s decision not to renew the parish’s Traditional Latin Mass permission that LifeSiteNews reported last week will end nearly 19 years of traditional worship at the parish.
During an exclusive phone interview, the St. Titus parishioner, who had been part of the community from its inception nearly 20 years ago and wished to remain anonymous, expressed his disappointment over the decision to effectively cancel the parish’s TLM. He explained how the Latin Mass community had been thriving despite only being permitted to hold two Masses a month, how many of the parish’s faithful who are unable to travel to the next closest Tridentine Mass will now lose access to the ancient Roman liturgy, as well as the tremendous impact of the events the community organized and hosted over the years for both the city of Aliquippa and the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Bishop Eckman’s decision not to request permission renewal
In a letter dated August 7, first published by the Mason-Dixon Latin Mass Society via X, Bishop Eckman, one of Pope Leo XIV’s earliest appointments, announced that he would not apply for another two-year extension from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments for the TLM to continue to be celebrated at the parish, which has offered the ancient form of the Roman Rite since Columbus Day in 2007, almost 19 years.
The bishop stressed that while his predecessor, Bishop David Zubik, had previously requested these two-year extensions in 2022 and again in 2024, this was only a “temporary” measure. He called the Novus Ordo Missae the “unique expression of the Roman rite” and underscored his belief that now was the appropriate time for the faithful to “be brought toward the celebration of the post-conciliar rite.”
Under the current expiring permissions, which were drastically reduced by Zubik after the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes in 2021, the Tridentine Mass is offered at St. Titus on the third Sunday of each month (excluding Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost) and every First Friday. Just before the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, the parish had begun offering the TLM each Sunday.
READ: Leo XIV-appointed bishop ends Traditional Latin Mass at last Pittsburgh parish
A ‘sizable’ TLM community
The St. Titus parishioner recalled how the community, which was started and sponsored by the local Knights of Columbus Woodlawn Council, had grown from just the families of the Knights to having over 350 families on its mailing list. Despite currently offering the traditional liturgy only twice a month, the parish’s TLM still draws a sizable congregation.
“We probably have about 350 households that have participated in our Masses through the years,” he told LifeSiteNews. “Now, in the last couple of years that we’ve been under these restrictions, I would say we get about 35 to 45 attending the First Friday Masses, and we get between 60 and 90 for the Sunday Masses. Recently, it’s been probably closer to 60.”
Many faithful will lose access to the traditional Mass
Once permission for the traditional Mass at St. Titus expires, the TLM will continue to be offered at Most Precious Blood of Jesus Church in Pittsburgh by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP), a roughly 30-minute drive from the parish. The traditional Mass is also offered at St. James Church, administered by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), in Pittsburgh, roughly 40 minutes from St. Titus.
The parishioner told LifeSiteNews that while the Latin Mass will still be available within the diocese, it’s still important for the ancient Roman liturgy to be as widely available as possible.
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He further emphasized that while some of the faithful in the St. Titus community attend Precious Blood or St. James on the other Sundays of the month, others are only able to attend St. Titus’ TLM twice a month.
“There are a good number of people for whom St. Titus is the only Latin Mass that they are able to attend, whether it’s because they cannot drive to Pittsburgh or it’s too big of an inconvenience,” he said. “So, for some people, they will no longer have any access to the Latin Mass.”
“The (faithful) that normally go to Most Precious Blood or St. James, they’ll just go there a couple of times more a month,” he added. “But the ones for whom this was their only Latin Mass, that’ll be it for them, and I would say that we’re pretty evenly divided.”
How St. Titus TLM community has benefited the diocese, city, and beyond
He also highlighted the many ways the Latin Mass community has impacted the diocese over the last 19 years. He noted that the community had reached out to the ICKSP about a priest to celebrate the TLM at their parish, leading to an agreement with the order for one of the priests to celebrate Mass for the community every other month despite not having a parish nearby.
This arrangement would lay the foundation for the Institute to be invited into the Pittsburgh diocese and to establish its Most Precious Blood parish.
The St. Titus community has also organized several events over the years. For instance, in 2016, the Knights of Columbus Woodlawn Council 2161 helped organize and sponsor the consecration of the City of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Both a TLM and a Byzantine Divine Liturgy were celebrated to mark the occasion, with clerics from both rites partaking in the consecration ceremony.
READ: New Jersey diocese suppresses Traditional Latin Mass
The consecration was renewed this past May to mark the 10th anniversary of the original consecration. Both consecrations were attended by Mayor Dwan B. Walker.
The Knights have also sponsored annual Masses commemorating the Battle of Lepanto. In 2016, the ninth annual “Battle of Lepanto” Mass was celebrated at St. Titus by Bishop Athanasius Schneider.
The parish has hosted several Masses honoring Blessed Karl of Austria, including a 2013 pontifical low Mass celebrated by the late Don Teodoro de Faria, Bishop Emeritus of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
These examples were only a fraction of the many fruitful events the St. Titus community organized during its almost 20-year lifespan.
“It really was a special group,” the St. Titus community member told LifeSiteNews.
The final TLM at St. Titus will be celebrated September 4, the first Friday of September.
Contact information for respectful communication:
Bishop Mark Eckman
Office phone: 412-456-3010
Email: meckman@diopitt.org
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- Aliquippa
- Catholic
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- Diocese Of Pittsburgh
- Liturgy
- Mark Eckman
- Mass
- Pennsylvania
- TLM
- Traditional Latin Mass
- Traditionis Custodes
