Bishop Martin / Diocese of Charlotte (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
Over the past week, Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., of Charlotte, North Carolina, has faced resistance from his own clergy and faithful — and reportedly from the Vatican — as he seeks to implement significant liturgical reforms.
On May 23, the bishop released a pastoral letter detailing plans to end parish-based celebrations of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, igniting contention last week. A leaked draft of liturgical reforms followed five days later. On May 29, The Pillar reported that the future Pope Leo XIV advised the bishop in April to slow down on major changes in the diocese, especially plans to move its cathedral outside the city.
Bishop to end parish-based Latin Mass
Bishop Martin, ordained to the episcopate last May, announced that, effective July 8, the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) would no longer be celebrated in parish churches within the Diocese of Charlotte. Instead, all TLMs will be consolidated at a chapel in Mooresville, North Carolina, with a dedicated priest.
This decision precedes the expiration of a Vatican extension, which had permitted four parishes to continue offering the TLM until October 2, as CatholicVote previously reported.
In his pastoral letter, Bishop Martin expressed a desire for liturgical harmony.
“It is my heartfelt desire and prayer that this implementation of Traditionis Custodes will further ‘promote the concord and unity of the Church’ among the People of God in the Diocese of Charlotte so that, as Jesus prayed to His Father, we ‘may all be one’ (John 17:21),” he wrote.
Before the letter was released, the pastors of the parishes that retain permission from the Vatican to offer the TLM wrote to Bishop Martin, urging him to reconsider and requesting extension to continue celebrating the liturgy at the parishes.
They noted that the presence of the liturgy in the diocese began in 2007 following Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio. The pastors added that adherents of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass have often felt “marginalized and discriminated against.”
“The late pontiff reaffirmed the legitimacy of the faithful’s desire for access to the traditional liturgy, echoing what Pope Saint John Paul II, in 1988, termed ‘legitimate desires’ for the Latin Mass,” the pastors wrote. “This motu proprio was undoubtedly part of his broader initiative to promote the hermeneutic of continuity within the life of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI believed that both liturgical forms could coexist peacefully within the Church and even within the same parish. Such has indeed been the case in our parishes since its implementation. Our parishes have experienced harmony with all parishioners, regardless the liturgy, being spiritually nourished.”
The Charlotte parishes offering the liturgy — St. Ann and St. Thomas Aquinas — are less than an hour’s drive to the new chapel. However, the others — Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro and St. John the Baptist in Tryon — are 1.5 to 2.5 hours away, raising concerns among the faithful about accessibility.
A meeting with Bishop Martin to discuss the change is set for 6 p.m. June 24 at the Mooresville chapel.
Leaked liturgical norms raise alarm
Days after the announcement about the TLM, information became available about other possible changes in the diocese. A leaked document first published May 28 on the blog Rorate Caeli and confirmed by The Pillar proposed broader liturgical restrictions, including the banning of Latin, Roman vestments, altar crucifixes, and kneeling for Holy Communion. The draft faced strong opposition from both the diocesan presbyteral council and a liturgical task force, according to The Pillar.
The Diocese of Charlotte told the National Catholic Register that the liturgical norms document was “an early draft that has gone through considerable changes over several months” and the diocesan presbyteral council and Office for Divine Worship are still in discussion about the proposed changes.
While some proposals appear to have been dropped, insiders suggested to The Pillar a phased approach may still be planned, starting with a prohibition on altar rails.
Future Pope Leo XIV reportedly asked Bishop Martin to slow down
The Pillar reported that in April, Bishop Martin met privately with then-Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — head of the Dicastery for Bishops. The Pillar’s sources indicated that Bishop Martin was advised to “move much more slowly” on liturgical reforms and his plan to relocate the diocesan cathedral from downtown Charlotte to St. Mark Church in Huntersville. The Vatican’s tone was fraternal, according to the report, with such meetings implemented as encouragement, not discipline.
For his part, Bishop Martin seemed to have a positive reaction after the private meeting with the soon-to-be pontiff, describing him as “warm and collegial.”
Upon Pope Leo XIV’s May 8 election, Bishop Martin told The Charlotte Observer, “I was very taken by his friendly nature, but also by his awareness of the dynamics not just of the church in the United States, but, more importantly, the church around the world.”
He added that they discussed administrative matters and said the future pope was interested in him and “what was happening in Charlotte.”
Bishop Martin has faced other resistance in his first year as a bishop. An anonymous January 2025 clergy letter, according to The Pillar, accused him of an “autocratic approach,” poor consultation, and “arbitrary micromanagement.” A study conducted earlier this year by the Catholic Leadership Institute highlighted areas that need improvement such as “building trust” and slowing the “speed of change.” Priests across the diocese, from various theological backgrounds, reportedly echoed these concerns privately, according to The Pillar.
On May 30, the Diocese of Charlotte announced priest assignments, with transfers effective July 8, the same day the TLM is set to end at parishes. The announcement includes the appointment of Father Brandon Jones as chaplain of the Extraordinary Form chapel in Mooresville and parochial vicar of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte. He was previously serving at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa, a town that suffered catastrophic damage from Tropical Storm Helene.
The diocese is home to more than 565,000 Catholics, 93 parishes, 20 Catholic schools, and a thriving college seminary. It encompasses the western half of the state, including cities outside Charlotte such as Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Salisbury, and Hickory, as well as the entire mountain region of North Carolina. Pastors across the diocese are urging their parishioners to pray about the situation. St. Mark Church has started a novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
This is a developing story and will be updated as needed.
