Today, Regina Pacis Academy celebrated the opening of the school year with solemn Mass at St. Mary Church in Norwalk in honor of the Nativity of Our Lady.

(Above) Photo of Cardinal Raymond Burke taken in Stamford, CT on 7/16/2021 (!)

From Paix Liturgique (Letter 1268 – 9/8/2025)

We asked Christian Marquant, coordinator of the Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum, to give us the latest news about the upcoming pilgrimage, which will take place in Rome on October 24, 25, and 26. Cardinal Raymond Burke is kind enough to preside over it.

Q – Dear Christian, what news is there about the upcoming pilgrimage?

Christian Marquant – The first good news is that the pilgrimage will indeed take place. As in the previous 13 years, our Ad Petri Sedem pilgrimage will take place this year in Rome from October 24 to 26. As always, it will end on Christ the King Sunday. However, it will be an exceptional pilgrimage because it will take place during the Holy Year 2025, which is also the 100th anniversary of the encyclical Quas Primas on the Kingship of Christ.

Q – Why Ad Petri Sedem?

Christian Marquant – That is, the pilgrimage of the Summorum Pontificum people, that is, those attached to the usus antiquior, who give thanks to the Prince of the Apostles and his successor and thus demonstrate their attachment to the Church of Rome.

Q – The Summorum Pontificum People?

Christian Marquant – Yes, the representatives of the faithful who in more than 100 countries wish to continue to live their Catholic faith to the rhythm of the traditional liturgy and catechism.

Q – Any updates on the program?

Christian Marquant – Yes, there are: the first chronologically will be the presence of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has kindly accepted to preside over the Pontifical Vespers opening our pilgrimage on Friday, October 24th at 6:30 p.m. at San Lorenzo in Lucina.

Q – This is not the first time he has participated in the ceremonies of your pilgrimage.

Christian Marquant – Indeed, he also presided over the Pontifical Vespers in 2022. We are very proud and honored by the participation of the Cardinal of Bologna, who is also the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference: it is an eloquent sign of peace and charity among all Catholics.

Q – Vespers will therefore not be celebrated at the Pantheon this year.

Christian Marquant – Due to the Holy Year, the Pantheon will be occupied by a concert that has been planned for a long time. Its rector, who is also the parish priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina, has offered us his basilica for this year.

Q – And the next day?

Christian Marquant – Overall, the program will be the same as in previous pilgrimages, with a significant change in its timetable… since on Saturday morning, many pilgrims who have come to Rome for the Holy Year will gather in St. Peter’s Square.

Q – So, this new program…

Christian Marquant – It will begin as usual in front of the Basilica of St. Celsus, but at 12:00 p.m., before the pilgrimage continues in procession to St. Peter’s Basilica at 1:00 p.m., where, after the security checks, we will pass through the Holy Door.

Q – And at St. Peter’s?

Christian Marquant – At Saint Peter’s, we will be warmly welcomed by Cardinal Raymond Burke, who, as I mentioned, has agreed to sponsor our 14th pilgrimage this year. We will have the joy of seeing him celebrate a pontifical Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin at the altar of the Chair, as it has already happened 11 times since 2012, with an interruption in the past two years.

Q – So, once again, there will be a celebration of the Mass of the pilgrimage at Saint Peter’s. A miracle?

Christian Marquant – The joy of peace while giving thanks for this return, thanks to Heaven and Pope Leo, to our holy spiritual and liturgical habits.

Q – Is this the end of the pilgrimage?

Christian Marquant – No, it will conclude on Sunday with a closing pontifical Mass celebrated at the Trinità dei Pellegrini and two Masses of Thanksgiving.

Q – And for those who would like to know more?

Christian Marquant – You will find the program below and you may also consult our website: Pèlerinage Ad Petri Sedem https://site.summorum-pontificum.org/

Q- But we must also not forget Pax Liturgica Day.

Christian Marquant – No, of course not, remembering with emotion that Pope Leo’s first word was peace. What a joy to meet again with these Augustinian friars who have always welcomed us so kindly for this day of encounter and friendship. You may consult the program always on the website: Pèlerinage Ad Petri Sedem and https://bit.ly/40JNZTF

14th Ad Petri Sedem Pilgrimage, Rome, October 24-26, 2025

Friday, October 24, 2025

· 6:30 p.m.: Pontifical Vespers presided by Cardinal Zuppi in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina

Saturday, October 25, 2025

· 12:00 p.m.: Rosary before the Basilica of Santi Celso e Giuliano

· 1:00 p.m.: Departure of the procession towards Saint Peter’s Basilica

· 2:00 p.m.: Arrival in Saint Peter’s Square/Checkpoints/and entry into Saint Peter’s Basilica

· 3:00 p.m.: Pontifical Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke at the altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica

Sunday, October 26, 2025

· 8:30 a.m.: Mass of Thanksgiving of Christ the King in the Church of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini celebrated by Canon Antoine Landais

· 11:00 a.m.: Pontifical Closing Mass of Christ the King at the church of Trinità dei Pellegrini

· 16:30 a.m.: Mass of Thanksgiving of Christ the King in the Church of Sant’Anna in Laterano celebrated by Msgr. Marco Agostini

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi presiding at Vespers in the Pantheon for the 2022 Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage.

On Saturday, October 25 in Rome:

3:00 p.m.: Pontifical Mass celebrated by Cardinal Burke at the altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica

Source: PIlgrimage Summorum Pontificum

At St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT:

At St. John the Evangelist Basilica in Stamford:

St. Mary’s Youth Schola registration is open for Fall 2025

First meeting: Thursday, September 18, 2025. (4:00–5:30 p.m.)

A program of musical and faith formation based on Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony

Weekly classes on Thursday afternoons, plus singing opportunities at parish Masses (2–3 per semester)

Open to ages 8–18

Fee: $125/semester  (multiple-child discounts available)

Faculty: Charles Weaver, Nicholas Botkins, Elizabeth Weaver

Find out more and register at: 

stmarynorwalk.net/youth-schola-program

Matthew Walther writes in The Wall Strreet Journal on the persistence of the Latin Mass and on a distresssing aspect of Catholic culture:

The best sermon I’ve ever heard was delivered by Father James Richardson in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 2018. It was the Sunday after news broke about the proclivities of the late Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. “I’m sick of the lying,” Father Richard began. For the next 10 minutes, he repeated “I’m sick of,” anaphora-like, with each instance followed by another scandal….

I still feel that way. Lies are the air Catholics have breathed for decades, which is why it was startling to witness a priest simply stop inhaling.

The stench of untruth, it seems is still with us.

(Mr. Walther goes on to discuss the revelations about the survey which allegedly supported Traditionis Custodes and the Vatican’s reaction to the disclosure.)

Walther, Matthew, “The Latin Mass Lives on,” at A13 The Wall Street Journal (8/29/2025)

Now I made the same point some years ago:

“But out of this seemingly inevitable tragedy (the likely collapse of the institutional Church as a result of the Francis papacy) may come at least one advantage: the truth.  For far too long the Catholic Church has continued to take refuge in fantasies of stability and success, of secular standing and influence.  You need look only at any of the official Catholic media to confirm this – isn’t the Al Smith Dinner in New York the incarnation of this self-deception? Even the supposedly hard-nosed liturgical traditionalists remained to some extent in thrall to these mirages. The poison of dishonesty has eroded the faith more surely than any persecution or loss of worldly advantages could do.

Let be be finale of seem! Jettisoning the Catholic culture of pretend is the first, most necessary step towards reform.” (“Let be be Finale of Seem,” The Society of Saint Hugh of Cluny ( 11/11/2017)

More recently, Ed Condon has asked: “Can Pope Leo resist the Vatican Culture of ‘Alternative Facts’?” (The Pillar, 8/19/2025)

Even from the outside looking in, it seems clear that, at least at some level, the Vatican’s official response to evidence of potential wrongdoing is to deny either the evidence or the wrongdoing could exist.

(Regarding the Vatican’s aggressive response to the disclosure of a letter by the late Cardinal Pell and a critical report on Vatican financial practices) In so doing, the press office appeared to prefer a version of events in which Pell’s letter and Milone’s report simply never existed, rather than engage with what either document said.

While there is no means for journalists to compel any different approach from a press office, the problems which would arise if the same “alternative facts” were imposed upon the pope by his officials are obvious.

As Matthew Walther says, the Catholic culture of deceit is alive and well. It remains to be seen whether and how Pope Leo will start to confront it.

In recent years the Archdiocese of New York has abandoned all pretense of planning and transparency regarding the continuing disappearance of parishes, schools, and shrines. Mergers and closures occur without any communication being made to media or to the laity directly affected. In the case of parishes, for example, a researcher needs to consult a page called “Decrees” listed under “Parish Planning” in turn listed under “Pastoral Offices” on the Archdiocese of New York website to find out what is going on. And even here,  if one takes one’s attention away for even a week, a new announcement may well have appeared.  So, on August 11th, 2025, the archdiocese announced the relegation – in other words,  the preparation for sale- of the church of St. Veronica on Christopher Street in Manhattan. 1)

Now I had previously written about St. Veronica and the initial decision to terminate the parish in 2017. 2)  But opposition soon organized and the “St. Veronica Moving Forward Committee” continued the struggle. Indeed, in 2020 the archdiocese reversed its 2018 decree. 3) That was a remarkable achievement.  It has been claimed that direct intervention by the Vatican was involved; I have no concrete evidence of this. (4)

But in any case, the reprieve was short lived. Apparently, several masses were celebrated after the supposed resumption of religious life in the church but no regular services recommenced. And the disputes over the financial vitality of St. Veronica’s resumed –  the archdiocese following its tried-and-true play book, e.g., identifying a leak in the roof which could only be repaired by a disproportionate expense.(cf. what is going on today at Most Holy Redeemer parish). And now the archdiocese has returned to the situation of 2017. I cannot find any explanation for this latest turn of events. The decree of 2025 does not mention the 2020 decree it revokes.  In addition to the usual boilerplate and platitudes, the 2025 decree has enigmatic statements such as:

“(O)nly those things that serve the exercise or promotion of worship, piety or religion are permitted in a sacred place.”

“The bishop is to exercise vigilance that abuses do not creep into ecclesiastical discipline, especially as regards the ministry of the word, the celebration of the sacraments…”

One wonders to what Cardinal Dolan is referring.

It’s easy to identify the economic and societal trends that crippled this parish. For St. Veronica had always been poor –  its original congregation consisted of longshoremen and others engaged in the maritime industry. That economy has long disappeared from the immediate neighborhood of the church. By the 1970’s the New York gay scene had moved in instead. Finally, the area took a new turn as a center of luxury housing. That last transformation is best illustrated by the monumental customs warehouse across the street from St. Veronica – a relic of the neighborhood’s industrial and maritime past. In the 1980s this building was redeveloped as luxury apartments. That trend has continued.  To the extent there is non-residential, non-entertainment activity in this neighborhood today it seems to involve the digital economy: PayPal offices are nearby. Former piers have been converted into parks; a fountain plays in front of pier 45. The lifestyle of the locals seems to be that of the modern hedonistic West – but, in contrast to the past, appears more hetero- than homosexual.

(Above) Christopher Street viewed looking East. In the middle are the two towers of St. Veronica’s. On the right is the massive bulk of the old customs warehouse (now luxury apartments); in the left foreground is Weehawken Street and reminders of a grittier era.

(Above) The exterior still looks great. Note that the stained glass of the facade still seems to be in place – it is otherwise unclear how much of the once splendid furnishings of this church are still inside.

(Above) The last parish notice.

(Above) The basement of the church has been rented out (to a flamenco dance academy).

Strange! – a working-class parish that survived generations of economic hardship and then the tidal wave of what is now called the LGBT movement in the 1960’s through the 1980’s now succumbs to the prosperity of New York. 2025. One thing is clear, however: whatever spirituality the archdiocese of New York was offering at the Church of St. Veronica had absolutely no effect on the surrounding culture or society. What the New York archdiocese could not grasp was this: that while the LGBT wave and the subsequent speculative real estate wave involved forces that were not at all Christian,  they did take what had been an obscure territorial parish and potentially thrust it into the national limelight. In this daunting environment, St. Veronica could have been a center of evangelization of more than local significance. This had happened in prior generations when parishes that had lost their original congregations had been recreated as “commuter churches’ such as St. Peter’s, St. Francis, St. Agnes, etc. (By the way, St. Veronica is near the Christopher Street PATH train entrance) 

There were some timid attempts in this direction, such as the installation at this parish by Cardinal O’Connor of a “shrine to the victims of AIDS.” (which admittedly appears somewhat contrived) And later the Ecuadorian community, chased from St. Ann’s parish by Cardinal Egan, brought their own devotions (and sacrifices)to St Veronica. But at the end of the day the efforts of the archdiocese were totally inadequate to the task at hand. 

 At least as far as public presence and official recognition are concerned, other forces have triumphed.  The length of Christopher Street and the Hudson River Park is adorned with LGBT flags. The Christopher Street Park itself has been repurposed into a (national) monument to the Stonewall incident. Since 2024 even the nearby subway station is no longer Christopher Street- Sheridan Square, but Christopher Street – Stonewall. The Roman Catholic church, on the other hand, which by means of St. Veronica’s church had visually dominated the streetscape since 1903, may now be departing the scene.  5)

1. Decree on the Relegation of the church of Saint Veronica, New York ( 8/11/2025)
2.  The End of the Churches II ( 7/10/2017). The actual Decree of Relegation of the Church of Saint Veronica, South Manhattan, New York  was issued on 5/26/2018. It also provides for moving the “Aids Memorial” to the Church of St Bernard/Our Lady of Guadalupe. For our 2024 description of St. Veronica see The Churches of New York LIII: A Church of the Poor (5/20/2014).
3. Decree rescinding the Decree on the Relegation of the Church of Saint Veronica, South Manhattan, New York ( 8/2/2020)
4. “St. Veronica’s Church saved – for now,” The Village Sun (5/26?2021); Schwartz, Arthur,  “Is the Archdiocese letting St. Veronica’s fall apart?” The Village View (10/4/2023). Schwartz’s report contains colorful details of the struggle with the archdiocese which I have not verified.
5. The battle continues: “Fate of St. Veronica’s Church, 149 Christopher Street, Up in the Air,” villagepreservation.org (8/28/2025).

(All accesssed 9/1/2025)

(Above) Immediately west of the church is an area more typical of the 1960s – 1970s than the present. The sign for a marine repair business that departed in 1984 is a relic of an even earlier age. It has attracted as much or more online commentary as St. Veronica’s. And note the belligerent yellow sign on the right: don’t dare to park here! Several cars have.

(Above and below) Weehawken Street, west of St. Veronica’s, is one of the shortest and most decrepit streets in Manhattan. It is a relic of the area’s industrial/maritime past.

(Above) The “Weehawken Street Historic District” – the condition of the sign matches that of the street. The street includes a wooden building from around 1840.

Last year I visited the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine (the church of Our Lady of the Rosary) in Downtown New York  and found it closed. I recently decided to return and check on  its current status.

The website of the parish of St. Peter and Our Lady of Victory – into which Our Lady of the Rosary was merged in 2015 – devotes  a page to Our Lady of the Rosary/Seton Shrine. It declares that:

Since April 2023, the Sisters of Life are the custodians of the Church and the Facilities.

No public religious services or hours are listed. Even an upcoming  September 14th Mass commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the canonization of Mother Seton will be held at St. Peter’s church, not at the shrine.

To enter the shrine a visitor has to be “buzzed” in.  A sister of life who opened the door greeted me in a very polite manner and asked why I was visiting – to pray? I said yes. The sisters now conduct some aspects of their apostolate  out of the shrine (a crisis pregnancy center). ( I believe the  Seton Shrine is the third location in succession to which the archdiocese has transferred the sisters. Two previous parishes had been closed by the archdiocese. )

The sister explained that the church is the sisters’ chapel.  It appeared much the same as on every previous visit. All seems to be in very fine condition – although I have always found this 1965 church one of the least Catholic interiors in New York. (I hope the sisters forgive me for taking a picture in addition to praying.) 

Two other visitors to the shrine appeared during my visit. One was a man who seemed to work in the vicinity. The other was a priest visiting from the Midwest. Tables are still spread with brochures and other materials on the Sisters of Life and Mother Seton.  Cardinal O’Connor is commemorated in several publications of the Sisters of Life – after all, he was their founder. His smiling face now seems like a memento of a distant golden age ( I regret to say it wasn’t). There’s also an illustrated story of Mother Seton’s ’s life  published by the Sisters of Charity of New York – the same congregation that recently ceased accepting postulants (they hadn’t had any for decades anyway). 

So, the Seton Shrine is at the present time a private chapel of the Sisters of Life. No religious services open to the general public are provided. Yet to some extent shrine activity continues. Opening times are given on at least one site- not that of the parish of St. Peter/Our Lady of Victory – so I would call ahead. Visitors are given access upon request. In summary, I would describe the current status of the Seton Shrine as ambiguous. 

It’s sad how the archdiocese honors its native saint  – and treats one of the most historic buildings in New York City. 

St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral interior at a recent concert(photo taken 4/24/2025).

We read that the “Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral” has now been “entrusted to the care” of the Legion of Christ:

“Legionaries of Christ assigned the Basilica of Old St. Pat’s in New York City,” legionariesofchrist.org (8/30/2025)

So one of the most historic churches of New York City is given to the Legion of Christ. This, after some 20 years of efforts to raise the profile of this church as an archdiocesan showpiece – spending so much on the restoration of the interior, the “crypt,” the organ, and the churchyard. This project, of course, was also accompanied by the sale of the historic orphanage/school (now luxury appartments); the marketing of the churchyard as a unique burial “opportunity” and the expulsion of St. Michael’s Russian Catholic chapel from the former diocesan chancery. The old cathedral did in recent years attract events of more than local appeal: the Society of St Hugh of Cluny sponsored several of them and reported on others. And it also allegedly became a draw for “the sexiest congregation in New York.” Yet, at the end of the day, the archdiocese was unable to staff even this monument and had to turn to the Legion of Christ. Certainly, that is a major coup for that organization!

For what we wrote about St Patrick’s and its surrounding buildings (prior to recent restoration) see:

“An Old Cathedral and a New Basilica,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (11/28/2013)

For vespers sponsored by this Society:

“Vespers at St. Patrick’s old Cathedral New York,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (5/5/2014)

For a detailed description of the old school and its fate:

“Old St. Patrick’s Convent and Girls” School – 32-36 Prince Street ,” Daytonian in Manhattan ( 2/6/2025)

(Above) In 2013 this window could still be seen in the old school. In 1817 the diocese of New York (as it was then) had requested Mother Seton’s help in staffing the school (originally an orphanage)of St. Patrick’s.

(Above) Solemn Vespers (traditional) in Old St. Patrick’s, April 2014.

ADDENDUM: I have been informed that the name of the relgious organization is the “Legionaries” not the “Legion” of Christ. However, I find that the designation “Legion of Christ” remains in wide use.