Minnesota church seeks unity as SSPX schism escalates

Minnesota church – At Church of Saint Agnes in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rev. John Ubel is drawing worshipers into a steady routine of English and Latin Masses—while Pope Leo XIV’s crackdown on the Society of St. Pius X deepens tensions for Catholics across the U.S. In a moment when

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Incense drifted up toward an elevated pulpit on Sunday as 13 altar boys looked on, and the priest at the Church of Saint Agnes carried a message meant to hold two versions of Catholic worship in the same room.

“Our Catholic faith is a living tradition, and there is a difference between being rooted and being stuck,” the Rev. John Ubel said in homilies Sunday at English-language and Latin Masses.

The call for fidelity comes as Pope Leo XIV moves to seal the boundaries of communion in what has become a fast-moving schism crisis tied to the traditional Latin Rite—an issue that has long served as a lightning rod among Catholics after the Second Vatican Council modernized the liturgy more than 60 years ago.

On Thursday, Leo declared that one traditionalist breakaway group—the Society of St. Pius X—formally broke with the Catholic Church. The Vatican excommunicated the SSPX bishops and priests and warned its thousands of faithful after the society consecrated four men as bishops in defiance of Leo.

Saint Agnes isn’t affiliated with the SSPX. The church has permission to celebrate Mass in Latin, and its congregation is now living with the emotional aftershocks of a wider conflict unfolding beyond Minnesota.

“For all who are attached to Tradition, I pray that they seek to maintain full ecclesial communion with our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV,” Ubel said Thursday.

Saint Agnes, a historic church founded for German-speaking immigrants in what’s now a diverse, central neighborhood in St. Paul, now offers one traditional Latin Mass per weekend, with the archbishop’s permission. It also has a modern version of the Mass in Latin and four in English.

“I believe that Saint Agnes is an example where the different forms of Latin Mass, and English, peacefully coexist, and, in many ways, I think it’s a model for how the church can respect various liturgical traditions and do so in full charity,” Ubel said in Sunday’s homilies.

The message isn’t theoretical for students and families at the parish. Peter Draganowski, a 15-year-old incoming sophomore at Saint Agnes’ school, has served as an altar boy at both English and Latin services for years. He prefers the Latin Mass despite the extra preparations and rituals.

“It’s really not hard, it just has a lot more moving parts,” he said in the parish hall as hot dogs and doughnuts were served after Sunday’s first English Mass. “The sacred mysteries deserve that beauty.”

Bernard Hebda, the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. said he is hoping local Catholics who had been attending SSPX chapels will now move to approved services. In a statement. Hebda said. “We are blessed that the same traditional Eucharistic liturgy beloved by those who have worshiped with the SSPX in the past continues to be celebrated in six locations throughout the Archdiocese.” He added. “I am confident that those who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass could find a home here.”.

The practical differences are part of why the Latin Mass remains such a flashpoint. In addition to being celebrated in Latin. the old rite Mass diverges from standard services in other ways: the prayers are different and longer; the priest celebrates at the altar with his back to the congregation; and Communion is given out only on the recipient’s tongue. instead of in the hand. while kneeling at the altar rail. The priests also wear shorter “Roman-style” vestments and a black biretta hat.

Stephen Cranney. a lecturer at Catholic University of America in Washington and co-author of an upcoming book on the Latin Mass in the United States. said Latin Mass supporters remain a small but vocal group. He estimated 510 such Masses are celebrated on Sundays in the United States, where there are more than 16,000 active parishes. He also said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate do not track the data.

Cranney said the Americans he surveyed who like the Mass typically point to elaborate esthetics, a deeper sense of reverence, and continuity with centuries of tradition. Only a small percentage said they oppose the Vatican II reforms, let alone support defying the pope, he added.

Even so, Cranney said the question for popes has remained how to manage accommodation without handing fuel to those who are looking for a rupture.

“How do you … try to be accommodating to the people who might prefer the traditional Latin Mass while not giving fuel to the fire of people that want to split off?” Cranney said.

Different popes have tried different approaches. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI upheld the validity of the Latin Rite and urged priests to offer such a Mass if their parishioners demanded it.

Pope Francis. however. cracked down on the practice in 2021-23. requiring individual bishops to give their approval for celebrating the traditional Mass and to determine whether the faithful who wanted it had accepted the Vatican II reforms. Francis also restricted the use of parish churches for these services.

Francis said he acted because the old Mass had become a source of division in the church, though leaked Vatican documents last year after his death suggested most bishops had expressed general satisfaction with the practice.

Last fall, Leo allowed a U.S. cardinal to celebrate the old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, a move that many traditionalists saw as an encouraging sign.

In the year since his election, Leo has spoken often about unity. On Tuesday, before the SSPX consecrations, he again pleaded with the society not to proceed. After the consecrations, the Vatican warned the faithful to stop going to the society’s Masses. The warning declared that “those who adhere formally” to the society are considered themselves schismatic and excommunicated.

At Saint Agnes, parishioners described sadness over the schism and said they plan to continue praying for unity.

Nell O’Leary Alt, who grew up in the parish, said her family attends both Latin Masses and English services.

As a mother of five children aged 5 to 16. she said she once found the silent moments of the traditional Latin Mass intimidating. because nothing seemed to cover the fussing and giggling that came with kids in the pews. Over time, she said, the experience became something she could share with her family.

“They love the Latin worship: ‘It’s the same the saints knew all through the ages.’”

Tom Graff, another “cradle Catholic” at the church who chants in the choir, said he’s drawn to the rites’ solemnity—but he said this week’s events underscore the importance of what he teaches his four children.

“I can appreciate both the ordinary and the extraordinary forms of Latin Mass, and Schubert’s Tantum Ergo as well as On Eagle’s Wings,” Graff said, referring to a centuries-old and a modern Christian hymn. “It’s about the holy sacrifice of Mass, regardless of the parish or the type of liturgy.”

Ubel said he believes multiple Mass options can serve inclusion rather than division.

“It’s not a competition to see who’s more Catholic,” he said.

As the Vatican’s latest step tightens pressure on Catholics connected to SSPX worship, the St. Paul parish is trying to keep the focus on communion—by making room for Latin and English within its own liturgical rhythm. and by asking parishioners to see tradition as something meant to deepen connection. not break it.

Pope Leo XIV SSPX Society of St. Pius X Latin Mass Church of Saint Agnes Bernard Hebda St. Paul Minnesota Catholic schism Vatican excommunication Traditional Latin Rite English and Latin Mass