Saint Michael The Archangel Chapel
ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL'S RESPONSE TO BISHOP SIS
July 28, 2026
The Most Reverend Michael Sis
Bishop of the San Angelo Diocese
PO Box 1829
San Angelo, TX 76902
“These things have I spoken to you, that you may not be scandalized. They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God.” (John 16:1–2)
Your Excellency:
Thank you for posting on the Diocesan website the information regarding the July 1, 2026, SSPX Episcopal Consecrations.
Since 2005, I have acted as the coordinator of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. In 1999, the building was purchased by a parishioner—and remains privately held—from the Anglicans. The SSPX has served St. Michael’s since about 2005 as a mission. Fr. Peter Katzaroff from Jesus and Mary in El Paso travels once a month to serve the chapel.
Since you mentioned St. Michael’s by name on the diocesan website, I am corresponding with you in order to clarify certain statements caused by the doctrinal ambiguity created by Cardinal Fernandez’s documents of July 2, 2026.
The DDF is trying to get the public effect of a sweeping excommunication without doing the necessary legal work and is expecting that no average Catholic will do any fact-checking. Justice, one of the four Cardinal Virtues, is defined as giving others their due through fairness and respect. I am requesting that you clarify the posting on the website to reflect the following:
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The Decree punishes six named bishops, and only those six named bishops, as provided for in Canon 1387:
“Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”
You state on the website that “Rather than attending Masses celebrated by the excommunicated SSPX clergy…”; the priests of the SSPX, including Fr. Katzaroff, have done nothing that would incur excommunication.
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The Decree is a penal instrument; the accompanying “explanatory note” carries zero canonical weight. If Cardinal Fernandez wanted that information in the decree, he would have put it there. None of the 700 SSPX priests or those who attend the Latin Mass celebrated by SSPX priests are excommunicated. Canon Law focuses on the person, while the DDF declares guilt by association. A person accused of a crime should be accused and tried by name. Canon lawyer Fr. Gerald Murray, who is no friend of the SSPX, has described this as “a canonical mess” in his interview with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN (see the July 8 LifeSiteNews.com report, enclosed).
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Even if the “explanatory note” did carry any weight, the DDF’s own “Practice for the Reconciliation of Lay Faithful” blatantly contradicts the Decree when it says: “The imposition of a penalty on lay persons belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X cannot be presumed automatically but must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.”
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Canon 1323 gives exceptions—conveniently missing from any DDF document—to penal sanctions. Paragraph 4 says that “no one is liable to a penalty who … acted by reason of necessity … unless, however, the act … tends to be harmful to souls,” and paragraph 7 excuses the person even if they are mistaken about there being a necessity.
A principle of canon law found in the Decretals of Gregory IX, as well as in St. Thomas Aquinas, states: “Necessity makes lawful what is unlawful”—that is, what is not permitted under normal circumstances becomes permitted when one finds oneself in a case of necessity.
The state of necessity exists because, for the last 60 years, the Church has failed to teach the Faith, full and entire, which has resulted in widespread disobedience to the very clear, perennial teaching of the Church. A few of the, unfortunately, many examples are:
a) Only 63% of weekly Mass-going Catholics believe in the True Presence, while among all Catholics, only 31% say they believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” (Pew Research, 2019)
b) Based on a survey done by the National Survey of Family Growth (Aleteia.org), 92% of surveyed Catholics said they had or continue to use condoms as a contraceptive, 63% said they had or continue to use the pill, and 23% said they have used the Plan B pill. (As you well know, the pill and Plan B are abortifacients.) It doesn’t take a survey to verify these statistics, as all one has to do is see the small family sizes in the pews.
c) In a 2023–2024 Pew Research Religious Landscape Study involving 35,000 data points, 74% of Catholics agreed with the statement that “Homosexuality should be accepted by society,” while 70% of Catholics indicated that they “favor” or “strongly favor” legal same-sex marriage, and 59% of Catholics favor legal abortion in “most or all” cases.
The “explanatory note” says that “…the sacrament of penance administered by them and the marriage assisted by them are invalid,” while your statement says that “…the sacrament of penance administered by them and marriages witnessed by them are now invalid.”
Does this mean the past valid confessions and marriages are now somehow invalid? Pope Francis granted these privileges, and only Pope Leo can withdraw them. Even if the “explanatory note” carried any canonical weight—which it does not—Cardinal Fernandez has no authority to make these declarations. Even if those faculties were removed by a pope, those sacraments would be “illicit” but not “invalid.”
If the Church were really a “caring mother,” as the Cardinal claims, its leaders would speak out against birth control, abortion, practicing homosexuality, same-sex “marriage,” and other mortal sins that put innumerable souls at risk for eternal damnation. It would seem that the only sin left is attending the Latin Mass celebrated by an SSPX priest.
Your statement says those who “worshipped locally with the SSPX at the St. Michael the Archangel Chapel in Midland, and who would like to make it clear that they adhere to the universal Roman Catholic Church in union with Pope Leo XIV” are given a “protocol” to “return to full communion.”The SSPX recognizes Pope Leo as our head, the Vicar of Christ, and the name of Pope Leo is used in the Canon of every SSPX Mass, as well as the name of the local ordinary. You, Bishop Sis, are prayed for at St. Michael’s in the Canon—hardly schismatic attitudes.
It is precisely because we want to “adhere to the universal Roman Catholic Church in union with Pope Leo XIV” that we attend the Latin Mass and reject—not Vatican II in totality—but the modernist positions promoted by it that conflict with 2,000 years of Church teaching.
In reality, the fundamental problem is not the issue of consecrations without papal mandate. In China, consecrations regularly occur without papal mandate, and in recent years, the Holy See has not excommunicated anyone. At issue is the SSPX’s attachment to Catholic doctrine and the rejection of the errors of the pastoral, not doctrinal, Second Vatican Council.
The proof of this is that the Holy See has established a procedure for priests who wish to leave the SSPX to sign a document that explicitly requires acceptance of the Second Vatican Council. The problem is therefore doctrinal, not disciplinary.
Respectfully yours,
Michael Banschbach
Coordinator, St. Michael’s Catholic Church
mikeb@mbanschbach.com
432-686-7709
Mass Times
Fr. Katzaroff is available for the sacramental reconciliation. 1 h prior to and leading up to the mass.
Mission
Our Beliefs and Values
St. Michael the Archangel Chapel in Midland, Texas, is dedicated to fostering a strong community rooted in Catholic tradition. Our goal is to provide spiritual guidance, peace, and support to all individuals seeking solace and faith. Through our services, we aim to spread love, compassion, and the teachings of Christ, welcoming everyone with open arms.
Preparing the Heart and Mind
for the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Entering With Reverence
The Latin Mass is often called the “Mass of the Ages,” preserved through centuries as a treasure of the Church. Pope St. Pius V once declared it to be a safeguard of the Catholic faith, and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre described it as “the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven.”
To attend fruitfully, approach with humility and the expectation that you are stepping into sacred time. The gestures, language, and silences are not designed for entertainment but to lift your soul heavenward.
Prayerful Disposition
Before attending, make time for prayer. A simple Act of Contrition and Act of Faith are powerful ways to dispose your soul. St. Francis de Sales counseled, “The perfection of prayer does not consist in many words, but in the fervor of the desire which raises the heart to God.” If possible, go to Confession beforehand—this ensures you approach the altar with purity of heart.
Silence as Preparation
Unlike many modern liturgies, the Traditional Mass surrounds you with intentional silence. Much of the priest’s prayer is spoken quietly, hidden from the congregation. This is not exclusion—it is mystery. Prepare yourself by practicing recollection. Turn off distractions before you arrive. Resolve not to chatter in the nave but to enter in quiet awe, following the example of Our Lady, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
Intention of the Soul
It is good to offer the Mass for an intention: your family, a friend, the souls in Purgatory, or even for your own deeper conversion. The Council of Trent declared, “In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the Cross.” Keep this mystery in mind: you are uniting yourself to Calvary itself.
Dress and Exterior Conduct
The way we dress and carry ourselves speaks before we ever open our mouths. At the Latin Mass, modesty and reverence in clothing reflect the sacred reality unfolding at the altar. For men, this means neat attire—slacks, collared shirts, and, if possible, a jacket or tie. For women, dresses or skirts below the knee, covered shoulders, and the traditional chapel veil (mantilla) are customary signs of reverence, echoing St. Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 11. Avoid casual or immodest clothing, as it distracts from the worship owed to God.
Conduct is equally important. Enter the church quietly, genuflect before the tabernacle, and use holy water to make the Sign of the Cross. Phones should be silenced and conversations kept for outside. Remember: every gesture, every silence, becomes part of your offering to God. The external reverence of dress and demeanor should mirror the interior disposition of your soul.