Both at home and across the world, Catholics had an eventful year that will greatly impact the Church into the future
Every year in the Church is filled with both blessings and challenges. Both locally and globally, 2011 was a year that brought us some historic ones. From the joyous occasion of naming Detroit’s patron saint, to the changes in the English version of the Roman Missal, to a planning process that will impact every local Catholic parish – Catholics grappled with this year’s news in many ways. It’s our hope, as we look back at the following top stories The Michigan Catholic brought you over the past year, that for all its memorable moments, 2011 was a year that brought you and your family closer to the Lord:
Life is a Gift
The Detroit area has long been filled with pro-life warriors – those who help crisis pregnancy centers, those who spend countless hours praying and counseling in front of abortion clinics, those who minister at hospices and care for the dying, and those who perpetually give their prayers for the unborn. In January of this year, the Archdiocese of Detroit held its first Life is a Gift conference, inviting all those who work and pray on behalf of the most vulnerable in our society. Hundreds gathered at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for the inspiring event.
New Catholics
Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss leads the Rite of Election ceremony at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the beginning of Lent. About 1,200 adults were welcomed into full participation in the Catholic Church this Easter.
Each year, the local Church is blessed with new adult members. This past Lent, 1,200 people finished their preparations to enter – or in some cases re-enter – the active Catholic life. At Easter vigils across the Archdiocese of Detroit, they were welcomed into our Catholic communities, and have become a source of new life in the Church.
John Paul II’s beatification
With a large number of Polish Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and a great many more Catholics who dearly loved the late holy father Pope John Paul II, the former pontiff’s beatification on Divine Mercy Sunday marked an unforgettable moment. While few local Catholics did get to make the trip to Rome for Blessed John Paul II’s beatification ceremony, many others gathered in Orchard Lake, Hamtramck, the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament and other sites in the archdiocese to offer their prayers to and for the late pope.
Auxiliary bishops
In March and April, Pope Benedict XVI announced he would bestow on the Detroit archdiocese the gift of three new bishops. Two local priests, Monsignor Donald Hanchon and Fr. Michael Byrnes, were joined by a priest from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Fr. Jose Arturo Cepeda, in being ordained auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Detroit in May. Today, Bishops Hanchon, Byrnes and Cepeda join Bishop Francis Reiss in aiding the archbishop in shepherding the local Catholic Church.
St. Anne named Patroness
At the May 5 ordination ofDetroit’s three new bishops, the Holy Father gave Detroit’s Catholics another surprise. Responding to a request from Archbishop Vigneron, Pope Benedict gave the archdiocese a declaration that Detroit, indeed, had a patron saint: St. Anne, the grandmother of Jesus Christ. Though widely assumed since the founding of Detroit’s first church in 1701, Ste. Anne de Detroit, the status of St. Anne as patroness of the archdiocese had never before been formally recognized by the Vatican.
Interfaith efforts
Archbishop Vigneron shakes hands with Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn on Holy Thursday. The archbishop joined numerous religious leaders that day in supporting local Muslims in the face of anti-Islamic protests.
The past year was an important one in the Catholic Church’s relation to other local faith groups. In February, the Archdiocese welcomed a prominent member of the Greek-Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, to Sacred Heart Major Seminary. During Holy Week, Archbishop Allen Vigneron joined a number of Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in supporting the Islamic Center of Americaas their religion was publicly criticized. And in September, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan honored the archbishop for aiding cooperation between local Christians and Muslims.
Priest ordinations
Always a great blessing to the Church is the ordaining of new priests. This year, three men were ordained to the priesthood. In June, Fr. Eric Fedewa and Fr. Stephen Pullis were ordained to serve the archdiocese. In September, Fr. David Bechill became the third new member of Detroit’s presbyterate.
World Youth Day
Pilgrims taking part in a local pilgrimage leading up to World Youth Day walk toward the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Hundreds who couldn’t make the trip to Madrid celebrated World Youth Day with one another locally.
Thousands of local youths took part in some way to celebrate the international gathering of Catholic youths with Pope Benedict XVI inMadrid,Spain. Hundreds from the Detroit area actually travelled toMadrid to join the million-plus gathering. Hundreds more joined “at home” pilgrimages or other youth events to join in spirit with their peers and with the pope.
Changing Lives Together
The archdiocese in September announced a new stewardship campaign called Changing Lives Together. The lay-led initiative over the next five years hopes to raise $135 million in campaigns run in all of the archdiocese’s parishes. Most of the money raised – 70 percent – would go toward parish initiatives. The other 30 percent would help strengthen Catholic education, help the Church in the city and aid in the formation of Church leaders.
Together In Faith
Lay leaders from throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit openly discussed the Together In Faith planning process, which will impact all parishes in the Detroit area. About 1,500 volunteers from local parishes were involved in shaping the future of the local Church. In late November, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council – a mostly-lay group of advisors to Archbishop Vigneron – handed over to the archbishop the results of the parish-based planning process, and their own recommendations. Archbishop Vigneron is expected to make public a final set of plans in February 2012.
New Roman Missal
In a worldwide change that affects every English-speaking Catholic, theVatican implemented a new English-language version of the Roman Missal. While the pope and theU.S.Bishops acknowledge that change isn’t natural, the new translation is meant to better reflect the Word of God as written in the Bible.
