Catholic man spends days fasting, praying and camping out to show favor of traditional Latin Mass

CHEYENNE — Andy Soileau spent June 12 through Monday fasting and camping outside the Diocese of Cheyenne Chancery Offices and Ministries building in hopes to get Bishop Steven Biegler to change his decision to no longer allow traditional Latin Mass at parishes under his authority.

TLM is the Mass that was universally celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church starting in the year 1570. In 2021, Pope Francis released a motu proprio, or an official address, to all of the bishops and parishes in the world, placing new restrictions on TLM. The restrictions gave bishops the responsibility to decide whether to celebrate TLM. Pope Francis’ decision reversed the previous decision made by Pope Benedict the 16th back in 2007 in the Summorum Pontificum, which allowed churches to celebrate TLM.

Soileau, 23, of Laramie converted to Catholicism when he was 19 years old. One of his reasons for converting was finding that the sacred tradition, which has been kept for two millennia within the church, revealed to him the “greatest truth concerning who Jesus Christ is and how He gives grace to the world through His redemption on the cross.”

A year after he converted and was confirmed into the church, Soileau discovered traditional Latin Mass and attended TLM at the Saint John XXIII Catholic Church, which is a student center and parish in Fort Collins, Colorado. He grew to love it, so he researched the origins of TLM and came to find many significant changes that were made to appease Protestants and found many elements that were removed that dated back to apostolic traditions, he said.

“There were a number of things that were systematically changed and removed that, I believe, among other things, reduced the amount of tangible knowledge that the faithful received about our faith,” Soileau said. “Therefore, it reduced the significance of what the Eucharist is, of what Holy Communion was, of the sacrament and the celebration itself.”

After he notified the Cheyenne Police Department of his plans and received an easement, Soileau went to the front of the Chancery building on June 12 to begin his peaceful protest.

He initially sent a letter to the bishop stating his intent and demands, noting that his protesting was not out of ill-will or malice, but rather a genuine love for Jesus and His church.

Soileau prayed daily and camped out in front of the building with just a tarp, sleeping bag and essentials needed to stay hydrated. He didn’t eat any meals since that Wednesday morning, and only consumed Eucharist at daily Mass twice a day. In total, Soileau fasted for six days and five nights. During the day, he held a sign with the words “Bishop Steven: Give Christ’s Flock The Traditional Latin Mass.”

The response from the public was overwhelmingly positive, Soileau said, with the exception of one person who was explicitly unsupportive of TLM. This encouraged him, he said, and he met many young families who said they wanted a traditional Latin Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary.

Monday evening, the final day of his protest, Soileau was able to speak to Biegler. The conversation was very cordial, he said, and lasted about 15 minutes. Biegler told Soileau that he would not go back on his decision due to “pastoral reasons.”

“He mentioned how the traditional Latin Mass has become a source of division among Catholics, and how traditional Latin Masses have become places where people who are opposed to certain articles of the Second Vatican Council of the ‘60s, or other Catholic teachings, tend to congregate, and it creates division within the parishes,” Soileau said. “So when I talked to Bishop Steven, he said that he experienced that within his own diocese, especially with the parish in Powell, Wyoming.”

After the conversation, Soileau decided to leave the grounds with intentions to go back this Thursday with a friend to present options to the bishop and ask for an official address. By giving the bishop more space, Soileau said he wanted to signify that he listened and respects him, and is now going to carefully assess what his plan should be moving forward.

If Biegler continues to deny Soileau’s demands, he said he will continue to fast and pray, and encourage those who support him to write letters to the bishop.

“The reason why I’m doing this protest, rather than using other channels and trying to set up, for example, secret Latin Masses behind the bishop’s back, is because we respect his authority, and we want this to be as fruitful as possible for the Catholic Church, especially in Wyoming,” Soileau said. “And that is not a cause for division, but rather a cause of unity among us.”