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I read this priest was heading over to the SSPX and had talking to them for some time, and I suppose this was final farewell to the diocese.

One thing though, despite his supposed talks with the SSPX was how abrupt this was. Being the pastor of his parish for 6 years, he could have done a few things that were completely legal within the current missal to bring the parish closer to tradition. He could have instructed only he and the deacons assigned to his parish to be present at all masses of obligation on Sundays and hand out communion, he could have said the entire Novus Ordo in Latin, he could have even moved the altar to the back wall and said the mass "ad orientum" and even encouraged people to kneel for communion(Rome shot down the supposed ban on kneeling for communion in two strongly worded letters from the CDW). Being in your face like this is not a way to wil allies, doing what Fr Fessio encourages, restoring tradition while working within the framework, is the way to restore the church in a more rapid manner.

Another thing about the diocese of Houston, as with the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the diocese of Fort Worth, is that many traditional leaning Catholics go to the Anglican Use parish' there. While the Anglican Use missal is for the most part the Novus Ordo missal using the queens English, in terms of rubrics, it amounts to a Tridentine mass in the queens English, using fixed altars, use of communion rails and so on.

"he could have said the entire Novus Ordo in Latin"

The Novus Ordo in Latin is still an abomination to anybody who understands the theology behind it. Do you think the objection to the New Mass is based only on language? If so, you need to do some studying. The New Mass, in whatever language, is designed to appeal to Protestants by suppressing Catholic dogmas in precisely the ways condemned by the Council of Trent. It emphasizes the commemorative meal aspect of the liturgy rather than the sacrificial aspect, and even its Consecration is placed in a commemorative mode, just as Trent prohibited; and it has eliminated expiatory prayers of propitiation so that both the dogma of the Real Presence and the dogma of expiation have been subverted. In other words, it is a profoundly unCatholic, pro-Protestant liturgy. Until you fathom this, you can't appreciate the scope of the crisis. Catholics the world over are becoming Protestant--even while the Pope writes encyclicals complaining, but does nothing to stop the process.

As a parishioner of Fr. Steve's (or should I say "ex-parishior), he did try to implement some of your suggestions. Only he and the deacon administered Communion. He gave several homilies on why Communion in the hand is wrong, while requesting that all receive on the tongue. He was a beloved shepherd who truly served.

Before being assigned as a parish priest, he worked in the Chancellory as Censor Liborium (I think that's what he did). Being a Canon Lawyer, he is extremely brilliant. And he is extremely holy. He established perpetual adoration at his parish, but unfortunately would end up filling in during the wee hours at least 4 days a week.

Please pray he doesn't go SSPX, but will use this as an opportunity to help bring back orthodoxy in The Church.