Gaylord Diocesan Watch has been notified that Bishop Jeffrey Walsh will be slamming the door on some practices that have become increasingly popular in the Diocese of Gaylord. We hope that that our sources are wrong; unfortunately, they have been confirmed independently of each other and therefore we believe the faithful of the Diocese should be notified. (If any individual has a copy of these upcoming rules changes by Bishop Walsh and would like to share them, please feel free to Email us at info@gaylordfaithfulnews.org .)
The Bishop will be announcing these changes in the next two weeks. Although we have not yet seen a hard copy of the announcements, thus far the following is known:
Bishop Walsh will prohibit the saying of the Mass ad orientem (to the east). Ad orientem describes the position of the priest at the altar. In the ad orientem position, the priest says the Eucharistic Prayer facing the altar (and often the tabernacle which is often but not always at the east end of the church building. One notable exception is St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. The altar is at the west end of the basilica as it was built over the grave of St. Peter and due to constraints of the hilly location, it was not put on the east end of the basilica like most Catholic churches ) This puts the priest in a position facing the east (a sign of the resurrection) with his back to the faithful. The priest, in essence, is leading the flock (pastor is Latin for shepherd) to Christ on the altar. This is allowed by Church liturgical regulations. No priest needs approval for it. In fact, Bishop Walsh has attended Masses where the priest said the Mass ad orientem. Not a word of criticism was mentioned regarding this. One source stated that Bishop Walsh was pleased to see this mode of saying the Mass. Furthermore, this has been going on in some parishes for years without any type of uproar. But what has changed? Apparently, stiff penalties will be levied on any priest who refuses to follow this edict, even though it is completely appropriate and within the laws of the Church, ie, Canon Law. Furthermore, our research shows that the Bishop has no authority to outlaw this in the first place; therefore, these actions would constitute an abuse of power. But based on how the hierarchy has behaved in this Diocese and others across the globe, such a wrong would not be challenged by any clergy. Instead, they roll over. So much for Canon Law and so much for masculinity in the priesthood – no fight leads to no respect for these men.
Another projected change is that altar boys and girls will not be segragated. In some parishes, only boys have been allowed to be altar servers. That’s why we called them altar boys! They have been organized into youth organizations for boys (eg, Knights of the Altar). Girls have been organized into their own parish-based organization, eg, Handmaids of the Altar, which allow them to develop their sense of mission for the parish and grow in feminine virtue. They have both been successful. Participation in the Knights of the Altar organizations is often a common predecessor and inspiration for current seminarians. This pronouncement by Bishop Walsh could lead to the destruction of these organizations. If parishes are forced to have both boys and girls together on the altar as altar servers, there will be an exodus of boys. It is no secret that once girls are allowed to be altar servers, the boys disappear.
Gaylord Diocesan Watch has also learned that the new rules by Bishop Walsh will outlaw kneeling for altar servers when they receive Holy Communion. Bishop Walsh has already banned kneelers for Holy Communion when receiving Holy Communion in a Novus Ordo Mass, prompting those who wish to kneel to awkwardly do so on hard ground.
Why the changes? Why has Bishop Walsh decided to pick this fight? With regard to the timing of these changes, it could be due to complaints by parishioners (possibly wealthy donors; bishops often respond quickly to them). Could it be that the newly assigned pastor at Cross in the Woods parish, Father Donald Libby, one of the first to regularly say the Mass ad orientem, has instituted it there with complaints by some of the parish? Another possibility is that Bishop Walsh is getting pressured by other bishops or influential clergy to put a lid on these pious practices as there is a general dislike for traditional, orthodox Catholicism by many bishops worldwide; in a nutshell, many bishops simply don’t like Catholicism.
Bishops often are very image conscious and non-confrontational. They hate complaints. They like to please parishioners, especially wealthy ones – but not if they’re orthodox. Also, under the cloak of “absolute obedience”, they can easily cause the priests of their diocese to do their bidding. After all, if a priest gets fired, what can he do? He can’t simply go and put out a shingle at another building and start administering the sacraments.
This is an attack from within. The great Catholic writer Hilaire Belloc once stated that when the Church is strong, it is attacked from the outside and when it is weak, it is attacked from the inside.
How will the priests who say the Mass ad orientem and have altar boys respond? Will they come together in unity, with charity and kindness, to request the Bishop put a hold on this? After all, there is strength in numbers, especially with a huge priest shortage. Or will they choose to simply sit this out on the sidelines based on a mantra of false obedience?
If Bishop Walsh ends up formally announcing this, will he stop there? Will he ban more legitimate practices, for which he is lacking authority, to further muzzle the piety of priests and the faithful?
Saying the Mass ad orientem is harmless. Boys-only altar servers is a great way to foster vocations. Banning these, while allowing and promoting the pagan smudging rituals at the beginning of Masses (reported previously here in following link: https://gaylordfaithfulnews.org/2025/10/25/honoring-ancient-cultures-or-supporting-paganism/) erodes trust in our hierarchy and leads to people leaving the Church. We hope and pray that Bishop Walsh is able to reflect on this before going forward with these changes.