Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit (Latin: Archidioecesis Detroitensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church covering (as of 2005) the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is the metropolitan archdiocese for the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Detroit, which includes all dioceses in the state of Michigan. In addition, in 2000 the archdiocese accepted pastoral responsibility^[2] for the Roman Catholic Church in the Cayman Islands, which consists of Saint Ignatius Parish^[3] on Grand Cayman (the Archdiocese of Kingston maintains a mission sui iuris jurisdiction over the Cayman Islands).^[4]

Established as the Diocese of Detroit on March 8, 1833, it was elevated to Archdiocese on May 22, 1937. Ste. Anne's in Detroit is the second oldest continuously-operating Roman Catholic Parish in the United States dating from July 26, 1701.^[5][6]

The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit serves as the Archbishop's church. The cathedral is located at 9844 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, near the University of Detroit Mercy, a Roman Catholic co-educational university affiliated with the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy.

History

Before the Diocese of Detroit was formed, Michigan had been under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Quebec from 1701 until sometime after 1796; de facto American sovereignty was established in that year. At the time, the Diocese of Baltimore encompassed the whole of the United States. Upon the creation of diocesan seats at Bardstown (1808) and later, at Cincinnati (1821), Detroit and Michigan were assigned to those sees. The Diocese of Detroit was formed on March 8, 1833, and its first bishop was Frederick Rese. At this time it covered Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas to the Missouri River. In 1843 all the territory of the diocese that was not incorporated into the State of Michigan was transferred to the Diocese of Milwaukee.

On July 29, 1853 the Vicarate Apostolic of Upper Michigan was organized, with responsibility for the Upper Peninsula. The territory of the diocese would be further reduced to its current size by the organization of the dioceses of Grand Rapids (1882), Lansing (1937), and shortly after the see was elevated to the status of an archdiocese, Saginaw (1938).^[1]

The son of Prussian Polish immigrants, Rev. John A. Lemke, born in Detroit on February 10, 1866, was the first native-born Roman Catholic priest of Polish descent to be ordained in America.^[7] He was baptized at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (1843), at the corner of St. Antoine and Croghan (Monroe St.), on February 18, 1866, attended St. Albertus for his primary education, and studied at Detroit College (now the University of Detroit Mercy), where he received a bachelor's degree in 1884. After attending St. Mary's in Baltimore, he completed his theological studies at St. Francis Seminary in Monroe, Michigan, and he was ordained by Bishop John Samuel Foley in 1889.^[7] His added confirmation name was Aloysius.^[7]

On May 5, 2011, Archbishop Allen Vigneron announced that Pope Benedict XVI approved his request to name Saint Anne as patroness of Detroit. The Papal decree stated that Saint Anne has been the city's patroness since time immemorial.^[8]

Architecture

Leadership

Ordinaries

Bishops and Archbishops and their terms of service:

1. Frederick Rese (1833–1871)
2. Caspar Borgess (1871–1887)
3. John Samuel Foley (1888–1918)
4. Michael James Gallagher (July 18, 1918 – January 20, 1937)
5. Edward Mooney (May 31, 1937 – October 25, 1958)
6. John Francis Dearden (December 18, 1958 – July 15, 1980)
7. Edmund Szoka (March 21, 1981 – April 28, 1990)
8. Adam Maida (June 12, 1990 – January 5, 2009)^[12]
9. Allen Henry Vigneron (January 28, 2009 – )^[13]

Coadjutor bishops (who did not become diocesan bishop)

• Peter Paul Lefevere (1841-1869)

Auxiliary Bishops

• Francis R. Reiss^[14]
• Michael J. Byrnes^[15]
• Donald Hanchon^[15]
• Arturo Cepeda^[15]

Auxiliary Bishops (emeritus)

• Moses Anderson
• Thomas Gumbleton

Schools

See: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit

Universities and colleges

• Madonna University
• Marygrove College
• Sacred Heart Major Seminary
• University of Detroit Mercy

Critiscism

The Archdioscese of Detroit is obligated by the one and only Catholic Church to uphold and fight for its interests. Therefore, they must not discourage their fellow Catholics from carrying out the work of the heavenly father. This is exactly what they did when dealing with the tv network RealCatholicTv, saying that the network was not licensed to call themselves Catholic even though they clearly were preaching the word of god in the name of the Catholic church.

Photo gallery

See also

• Polish Cathedral style churches

Notes

References and further reading

• Godzak, Roman (2000). Archdiocese of Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738507972. 
• Godzak, Roman (2004). Catholic Churches of Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738532355. 
• Godzak, Roman (2000). Make Straight the Path: A 300 Year Pilgrimage Archdiocese of Detroit. Editions du Signe. ISBN 2746801450. 
• Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3. 
• Muller, Herman Joseph (1976). The University of Detroit 1877-1977: A Centennial History. University of Detroit. ASIN B0006CVJ4S. 
• Tentler, Leslie Woodcock with forward by Edmund Cardinal Szoka (1992). Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0814321062. 
• Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1875-4. 

External links

• Archdiocese of Detroit Website