Information Concerning Visiting Clergy
Sorrowful Mother Shrine Pilgrimage

VISITING CLERGY
Please read very carefully.

Any visiting priest or deacon from outside the Diocese of Toledo Ohio coming into the Diocese (for a pilgrimage, mission, presentation, conference, Mass, etc. this also includes coming to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine) must provide a letter of suitability (Certificate of Aptitude) from an official of his diocese of incardination (the diocese to which he belongs) or from his religious superior / provincial director of the religious order or institute of apostolic life of which he is a member for the Chancellor of the Diocese of Toledo Ohio.

This letter of suitability (Certificate of Aptitude) must be a current one bearing the seal of the diocese of incardination (the diocese to which he belongs) or of the religious order or institute of apostolic life to which he belongs and mailed to the Chancellor of the Diocese of Toledo Ohio. This is necessary to receive permission to celebrate / con-celebrate Mass or perform any other ministry at the Sorrowful Mother Shrine.

The letter must clearly state the purpose and dates for your visitation to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine.

This letter must be on file at the Chancery of the Toledo Diocese of Ohio before the visiting priest or deacon is granted permission to perform any ministry or celebrate / con-celebrate Mass at the shrine.

A copy of the letter must be sent to the Director of the Sorrowful Mother Shrine even though the Chancellor of the Toledo Diocese of Ohio forwards a copy of the letter to the director. This is to ensure that proper documentation is received at both ends, especially if there are any problems or questions that might arise.

The appropriate addresses are noted below.

Obtaining such information for permission to minister in one diocese (or eparchy) to another is now the common practice and requirement throughout the United States.

The providing of this information and the sending of it to the Chancellor should not be done at the last minute or put off to the end. If so, there is a good possibility the letter or information might not arrive in time and the required permission will not be granted and an embarrassing situation for all involved could arise.

Without the proper permission granted by the Chancellor of the Toledo Diocese no ministry may be preformed or Mass celebrated or con-celebrated at the Sorrowful Mother Shrine by the visiting priest or deacon. This is strictly enforced by the Director of the Sorrowful Mother Shrine.

It is to be clearly understood that a CELEBRET is no longer sufficient or accepted as proof to celebrate / con- celebrate at Mass or perform other ministries in the dioceses of the United States.

This regulation applies to all priests or deacons coming to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine even to those coming from outside of the United States that come or visit from Canada, Mexico and other countries as well.