| His Excellency Allen Henry Vigneron |
|
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Detroit | |
| Province | Detroit |
| Diocese | Detroit |
| Enthroned | January 28, 2009 |
| Reign ended | incumbent |
| Predecessor | Adam Maida |
| Other posts | Titular Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan (1996-2003) Diocese of Oakland (2003-2009) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 26, 1975 |
| Consecration | July 9, 1996 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 21, 1948 Mount Clemens, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Styles of Allen Henry Vigneron |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
Allen Henry Vigneron, Ph.D., S.T.L. (born October 21, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Archbishop of Detroit, having previously served as Bishop of Oakland from 2003 to 2009.[1]
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The eldest of six children, Allen Vigneron was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan,[1] to Elwin and Bernardine (née Kott) Vigneron. He is of French descent on his father's side (vigneron means winegrower in French) and German on his mother's.[2] Vigneron graduated from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 1970, receiving degrees in both Philosophy and Classical Languages. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Sacred Theology in 1973.
Upon his return to the United States, Vigneron was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Francis Dearden on July 26, 1975.[1] He then served as associate pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Harper Woods. He earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian in 1977, and later resumed his pastoral work in suburban Detroit.
Vigneron completed his graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning his doctorate in philosophy in 1987 with a dissertation on Edmund Husserl. He was also made a professor (1985) and the dean (1988) of Sacred Heart Seminary. From 1991 to 1994, Vigneron served as an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State[1] and adjunct instructor at the Gregorian. He then returned to Sacred Heart Seminary as its Rector-President.[1] Vigneron, who was raised by Pope John Paul II to the rank of a Monsignor in 1994,[1] once removed teachers from the seminary who he thought strayed from Church doctrine.[3]
On June 12, 1996, Vigneron was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit and Titular Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie in Michigan. He received his episcopal consecration on the following July 9 from Cardinal Adam Maida, with Cardinals James Hickey and Edmund Szoka serving as co-consecrators. Vigneron was later named Coadjutor Bishop of Oakland, California, on January 10, 2003, succeeding John Stephen Cummins as the third Bishop of Oakland on October 1 of that same year.[1] In California, he helped lead protests against same-sex marriage.[3][4] He also compared abortion and stem-cell research to slavery and racism.[3]
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Vigneron Archbishop of Detroit on January 5, 2009, replacing longtime incumbent Cardinal Maida.[1] Installed on January 28, 2009, Vigneron is the first metropolitan Detroit native named Archbishop of Detroit.[1] He was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America on June 9, 2009. He received the pallium, a vestment worn by metropolitan bishops, from Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009 in a ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica. On April 21, 2011, he participated in the interfaith vigil held at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, MI to counter Pastor Terry Jones' planned protest there. [5]
| Episcopal lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Adam Maida |
| Consecrator of | |
|---|---|
| Bishop | Date of consecration |
| Bernard Hebda | December 1, 2009 |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Stephen Cummins |
Bishop of Oakland October 1, 2003 – January 5, 2009 |
Succeeded by Salvatore Cordileone |
| Preceded by Adam Maida |
Archbishop of Detroit January 28, 2009 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
[Oakland Diocese Biography http://www.oakdiocese.org/notes.htm]