Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht calls his first Pontifical High Mass in the Tridentine Rite an “unforgettable” experience, drawing diverse faithful together.
Newsroom (25/03/2026 Gaudium Press) When Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, the 72-year-old Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht and Primate of the Netherlands, celebrated his first Pontifical High Mass in the traditional Roman rite, he called it nothing less than an “impressive and unforgettable experience.” The event, held on March 15 at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Oss, drew an unexpectedly large congregation that blended seasoned devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass with Catholics more accustomed to the post-Vatican II liturgy.
The celebration, offered in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite—also known as the Tridentine Mass—was part of a growing revival of interest across Europe. For Cardinal Eijk, the Mass marked not only personal fulfilment but a moment of pastoral outreach. “The church was filled with people praying devoutly,” he said. “Most were young, and there were also many families.”
Learning the Tridentine Rite
Cardinal Eijk’s journey toward the vetus ordo began with an invitation he once declined. “A few years ago, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter invited me to confer a diaconate ordination at their seminary in Wigrazbad, Bavaria,” he recalled in an interview published on Messa in Latino. “At the time, I had to decline this invitation because I was not familiar with the Tridentine Rite.”
Determined not to let that moment pass him by again, he took time earlier this year to learn the rite during a short stay at a monastery of the Institute of Christ the King in Germany. There, he mastered the Low Mass of a prelate. That formation would later enable him to preside over his first Pontifical High Mass—an undertaking supported by experienced clergy, a master of ceremonies, and a dedicated team of acolytes and altar servers familiar with the intricate gestures of the ancient liturgy.
Bridging Generations and Liturgical Forms
The Oss liturgy, according to Eijk, demonstrated unity rather than division. “Among those present were some who always attend a Tridentine Mass, but also Catholics who usually take part in Eucharistic celebrations according to the Novus Ordo,” he said. His mailbox quickly filled with letters and emails of gratitude, with feedback arriving even from Germany and Belgium.
Eijk’s comments reflect a broader trend in the Netherlands, where interest in the traditional liturgy has increasingly attracted younger Catholics. Many are converts or reverts—young men and women who, after encountering the faith through social media or personal curiosity, find depth and beauty in its traditional expressions. “It is striking that a not inconsiderable number of them find their way to Christ and his Church through the Tridentine liturgy,” the cardinal observed.
The Context of a Wider Debate
Cardinal Eijk’s initiative comes at a sensitive time for the global Church. Pope Leo XIV is set to convene a consistory of cardinals in late June, where discussion of the liturgy—and possible revisions to restrictions introduced by Traditionis Custodes—is expected to top the agenda. The Dutch prelate’s measured approach could influence that conversation.
Having invited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) into his archdiocese, Eijk has reaffirmed the place of the traditional liturgy within the unity of the Roman Church. The FSSP community recently purchased a church that had been relinquished by a parish struggling with declining attendance. “I am very pleased that this church will therefore remain a Roman Catholic church,” Eijk said, noting that he would “very much like to celebrate Holy Mass there one day.”
A Sign of Renewal
While the cardinal reported no visible reaction from secular Dutch society, his reflections underscore a quiet resurgence of faith among younger Catholics. “Over the last five years or so, we have seen an increasing number of young people joining the Church each year,” he noted, adding that many of them come to rediscover Catholicism’s sacramental life through the Tridentine liturgy.
For Cardinal Willem Eijk, his first Pontifical High Mass was more than a historical curiosity—it was a living link to the Church’s heritage, one capable of uniting generations and sparking renewed devotion. As debates about the liturgy continue in Rome, his “unforgettable” celebration in Oss may stand as both a gesture of fidelity and a sign of hope for a Church rediscovering its roots.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Diane Montagna’s Substack
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