Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On July 1, 2026, bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated four priests as bishops without the mandate of the Holy Father and against his expressed will. On July 2, the Holy See declared that the bishops who carried out these consecrations and those who received them committed schismatic acts and incurred automatic excommunication. This is a sorrowful moment for the whole Church, and I share that sorrow with you.

I write to you today because this decision by the Society’s leadership has legitimate consequences for the faithful of this local church, especially for the faithful who have worshipped at St. Pius V Chapel in Mukwonago. 

To state those consequences plainly, know first that the Holy See has declared that the clerics of the Society now administer the sacraments illicitly, and, that the confessions they hear and the marriages at which they assist are invalid. Anyone with questions about a marriage already celebrated, or about any particular situation, is welcome to contact the Chancery or the Metropolitan Tribunal, and they will help you.

Furthermore, to those who have attended the liturgies of the Society of St. Pius X, let me also offer a word of reassurance. The Holy See itself has made clear that this excommunication does not fall upon those who attended these liturgies simply out of love for the sacred liturgy, and who have never rejected the Holy Father or the teaching of the Church. I know that this describes many of you and of the strength of your families, your reverence, and the seriousness with which you pass on the faith to your children. However, knowing the situation as it now stands, such persons must simply resolve not to continue to participate in future SSPX sacramental worship or pastoral ministry. 

Furthermore, I would remind the faithful of our local church that the Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Missal, is offered in full communion with the Church here throughout this Archdiocese at multiple locations. I would especially highlight the reverent sacramental care provided at St. Stanislaus Oratory in Milwaukee, where the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest offers the traditional Latin Mass and sacraments each day. 

To any priest of the Society who is weighing what these events mean for his priesthood, know that the Holy See has established a path for your reconciliation, and that I will receive any such request with what the Holy See itself has asked of me: through listening and cordial availability, remaining especially mindful of the human and spiritual weight such a decision carries. 

The Church has labored for decades toward the full reconciliation of the Society, under St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Leo XIV. That labor has been gravely harmed by the acts of July 1, but the Church does not stop praying for unity, because Christ Himself prayed for it on the night before He died, that they may all be one (John 17:20-23). 

I entrust all those affected by this moment to the intercession of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and I assure you of my prayers,

Yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee