Tom Colsy, Catholic Herald
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
With permission from Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke presided over and celebrated the Mass before an unexpectedly large congregation, with many pilgrims turned away from the designated area of celebration. Neither the organizers nor Vatican staff had anticipated such a turnout. Fr. João Silveira, formerly one of the event’s organizers as a layman, told the Catholic Herald that over 3,000 traditional Catholics attended this year, three times the 2024 turnout. Attendance was described as “explosive,” and in some cases, pilgrims were unable to receive Holy Communion because the church ran out of consecrated hosts.
