by Tablet Staff 

GREENPOINT – St. Cecilia Church will no longer celebrate the traditional Latin Mass.  

Low traditional Latin Mass attendance at the church and a priest shortage led Bishop Robert Brennan to the decision, according to the diocese. The decision was announced to parishioners after Mass on Sept. 28 and will take effect on Oct. 12.  

Going forward, the diocese stated that it will celebrate the traditional Latin Mass at two locations — one in Brooklyn and one in Queens.  

RELATED: Pope Leo XIV Authorizes Traditional Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Square

The official site in Brooklyn will be Our Lady of Peace in Gowanus, which has celebrated the traditional Latin Mass for over 25 years and has an average attendance of 65 parishioners at the Latin Mass. The official site in Queens will be St. Josaphat’s in Bayside, which has also celebrated the traditional Latin Mass for years and has an average attendance of 240 people at the Latin Mass, according to the diocese.

The traditional Latin Mass at St. Cecilia, which typically drew around 25-35 parishioners each week, was celebrated by a rotating group of priests. However, Bishop Brennan deemed this rotation no longer sustainable and therefore switched to the site model, according to the diocese.  

He made the decision pursuant to Traditionis custodes — Pope Francis’ 2021 decree that gave local bishops autonomy to regulate the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass.