While restrictions on the traditional Mass have weighed heavily in the Church since Traditionis Custodes, unexpected news has just emerged from the heart of Texas. St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, in the Diocese of San Angelo, has obtained an official derogation from the Holy See to continue celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal. A highly rare and symbolic decision, made under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.
It was Bishop Michael Sis of the diocese who personally submitted the request last February 6th. And it was by a decree dated May 28, 2025, issued by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, that Rome confirmed this exceptional permission, renewed for two additional years.
The decree grants an explicit dispensation from Article 3 §2 of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes. In other words, the Mass may continue to be celebrated in the parish church itself, and not in an ancillary chapel or marginalized location, as the new norms had imposed.
This news, first quietly announced by Father Ryan Rojo, the diocese's vocations director, on June 27th, was quickly confirmed and welcomed by the faithful devoted to the traditional Latin liturgy. "I am grateful to @Pontifex and the dicastery, who allow us to continue celebrating the traditional Mass in our parish church," he wrote.
The pastor of St. Margaret's, Father Freddy Perez, did not hide his relief. "I saw many relieved faces this weekend," he shares. The letter sent by the Vatican does not merely grant administrative tolerance: it praises the pastoral efforts made by the parish to live this liturgy in fidelity with the teaching of the Church. The Roman text emphasizes "our pastoral concern to inculcate a clear appreciation of the Church as one, lex orandi." A recognition that is not insignificant.
To be sure, Father Perez acknowledges that some of the faithful have struggled with this situation where one must "ask permission to celebrate what sanctified so many saints." But his response is clear:
"This is where the Church is currently, and we must remain obedient."
He also recounts how a simple piece of advice, given by Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés, marked him:
"Be obedient, my son."
And despite the trials and uncertainties, the priest keeps his eyes turned toward heaven:
"My hopes are to continue offering a profound liturgical experience to my people, to bring them into the Gospel, to make them love the Church, and to teach them that the Mass is a preparation for Heaven."
In a context of a general tightening regarding the Tridentine Mass, this derogation stands as an exception. To date, no other permission of this kind has been announced under the pontificate of Leo XIV. And while some will see in this concession a transitional measure, others will read it as a sign of hope, even a signal of openness for Catholics devoted to the liturgical tradition.