St. John the Apostle Oratory, San Francisco

[mpark1917]

There is a church/religious society in San Francisco called St. John the Apostle Oratory that offers what it calls the fully traditional Latin Mass of 1950, as opposed to the mass of 1962 offered at other TLM parishes.

This is their website:

traditio.com/stjohn.htm

They state very clearly on their website that they are not associated with any diocese and are “independent,” and sure enough, they are not listed on the San Francisco archdiocese website.

My question is whether or not they are a legit Catholic church or if they are considered a heretical and schismatic group. Does being independent of any diocese mean that their sacraments and blessings are not valid?

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Thomas_Casey]

All Catholic churches, parishes, chapels and other institutions must be erected by the local bishop or by an authorized male religious superior who has permission from the local bishop to operate in his diocese. If that is not the case, that such institutions are not in communion with the local bishop in which case, they are not in communion with Rome and may not be discussed or their information posted on Catholic Answers Forum.

If it does not have the local bishop’s permission, it cannot call itself Catholic.

Thank You