Topics: Validity of the Novus Ordo
Novus Ordo Watch calls the Masses said with the 1967 English Canon invalid. The Holy See has said there is “no doubt whatsoever” of their validity
Marking the anniversary of the first all-English Canon in the United States on 22 October 1967, Novus Ordo Watch calls them “the first invalid Masses”, because the words of consecration rendered pro multis as “for all”. The Congregation for Divine Worship wrote in 2006, at Benedict XVI’s direction, that the validity of Masses with an approved “for all” formula is beyond doubt, as the doctrinal congregation had declared in 1974.
By TradWatch™ staff
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Verdicts at a glance
- Inaccurate
Masses said with the 1967 English Canon, whose words of consecration rendered pro multis as “for all”, were invalid. · Novus Ordo Watch
In this brief · 7 sections
On 21 October 2026 Novus Ordo Watch marked the anniversary of 22 October 1967, when the new English translation of the Roman Canon came into general use in the United States, as “Black Sunday”. The site, which holds that the popes since Vatican II are not true popes, argues that the new English words of consecration made those Masses invalid.
What was said
Statement 1: Novus Ordo Watch
Novus Ordo Watch · October 21, 2026
Remembering ‘Black Sunday’ 1967: The First Invalid Masses in the United States
In brief: Masses said with the 1967 English Canon, whose words of consecration rendered pro multis as “for all”, were invalid.
Our verdict: InaccurateThe record contradicts the claim.
See the recordThis content is embedded for purposes of commentary, criticism, and news reporting. TradWatch is not affiliated with Novus Ordo Watch. Views quoted are those of the speaker.
Context
The 1967 English Canon was replaced by later translations; the English Missal of 2011 renders pro multis “for many”. The article’s date for the change, 22 October 1967, matches the contemporary newspaper report it quotes.
The record
What the sources show, statement by statement.
Verifiable factcan be checked against the sources cited.TradWatch analysisis our interpretation, clearly labelled.Statement 1 · Novus Ordo Watch
Masses said with the 1967 English Canon, whose words of consecration rendered pro multis as “for all”, were invalid.
Verifiable fact What the Holy See has said
In a letter of 17 October 2006 to all bishops' conferences, written at Benedict XVI's direction, the Congregation for Divine Worship said: “There is no doubt whatsoever regarding the validity of Masses celebrated with the use of a duly approved formula containing a formula equivalent to ‘for all’ as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has already declared”, citing the doctrinal congregation's declaration of 25 January 1974. It added that “for all” “would undoubtedly correspond to a correct interpretation of the Lord's intention” (letter, via the USCCB).
Source
- 2
Official Church source
Congregation for Divine Worship, Prot. no. 467/05/L
Letter from Cardinal Francis Arinze on the Translation of Pro Multis
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · October 17, 2006
- 2
Verifiable fact Why the wording was later changed
The same letter asked bishops to restore a more literal rendering, “for many”, for biblical and liturgical reasons, not because of any doubt about validity. Benedict XVI wrote in 2012 that rendering pro multis as “for all” “was not merely a translation but an interpretation, a well-founded interpretation then as now” (letter to the German bishops).
Source
- 3
Official Church source
Benedict XVI
Letter to the President of the German Episcopal Conference
Holy See (vatican.va) · April 14, 2012
- 3
TradWatch analysis A minority view, even among the Canon’s critics
The article’s own historical source, Fr. Lawrence Brey’s 1968 foreword, says that the charge of invalidity “is not shared by many or most of the Canon’s critics”. Novus Ordo Watch’s position rests on its view that the Holy See since Vatican II has no authority; the Church itself, through the bodies charged with judging sacramental formulas, has said the opposite. Criticism of the 1967 translation’s accuracy is legitimate, and the Holy See later revised it; the claim that the Masses were invalid is not supported by the Church’s teaching.
Source
- 1
Journalism
quoting Fr. Lawrence Brey, 12 March 1968
Remembering ‘Black Sunday’ 1967: The First Invalid Masses in the United States
Novus Ordo Watch · October 21, 2026
- 1
Bottom line
Inaccurate: the Holy See has said there is “no doubt whatsoever” about the validity of Masses with an approved “for all” formula. The later change to “for many” was about accuracy, not validity.
The original
Sources
- 1.Primary sourceCited in statement 1
Remembering ‘Black Sunday’ 1967: The First Invalid Masses in the United States
Novus Ordo Watch · October 21, 2026
- 2.Official Church sourceCited in statement 1
Congregation for Divine Worship, Prot. no. 467/05/L — Letter from Cardinal Francis Arinze on the Translation of Pro Multis
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · October 17, 2006
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/le…
- 3.Official Church sourceCited in statement 1
Benedict XVI — Letter to the President of the German Episcopal Conference
Holy See (vatican.va) · April 14, 2012
vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_201204…
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