On July 7, 2007, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, liberalizing the use of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Of special interest to celebrations of the Extraordinary Form on the campus of the University of St. Thomas is Article 5, Section 5, which states "In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty of the Rector of the church to grant the above permission." In our specific situation at St. Thomas, this reference would be to the Director of Campus Ministry, or, in the alternative, to Fr. Dennis Dease, who would receive petitions from "a stable group of faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition." Since the release of Summorum Pontificum, many Catholic universities have instituted use of the Extraordinary Form.

This ancient form is a beautiful and valuable part of our culture and tradition as Catholics and as students of the University of St. Thomas. We therefore respectfully request that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass be celebrated at the University of St. Thomas.