Latest news with #EdwardWeisenburger
CBS News
13-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Metro Detroit youth speak on election of Pope Leo XIV
As the world learned of Pope Leo XIV's election as the first American pope, Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger spoke of the need to listen to the youth to determine the church's future direction. "I really believe that people, especially teenagers and those in their 20s, are taking a hard look at the world that they're living in, and they're asking questions and they're wanting something more," said Weisenburger. At Divine Child Catholic School in Dearborn, Michigan, students spent that day preparing for a significant change: the first new pontiff in many of their lifetimes. From learning about each of the 133 cardinals who were in the conclave to trying to guess who would get the top job, Mary Wilkerson, director of campus ministry, says the atmosphere was unlike anything she had ever seen. "It actually makes it seem a little more realistic when you have somebody that has your same life experiences," said Wilkerson. Sophomores Margaret Jorgenson and Raquel Wright say seeing Pope Leo XIV step up to the pulpit made them excited to see how their voices could potentially make a difference. "Everybody has great ideas, and especially the youth, kind of know how to reach out to other kids, especially through social media. And I think we can kind of harness, like all the new technologies that we have," said Jorgenson. "Not even just talking and like talking to them, but talking with them, and really thinking about how we're going to grow up to because we're not always going to be the youth, and how we're going to play a part in the church," said Wright. Juniors Paul Bagazinski and Ania Elsey say learning about the pope's beginnings may encourage other children to find new ways to connect and get more involved. "Hearing about his family and his interests, it's just something that I feel like we haven't really seen before, and it just like feels more connected," said Bagazinski. "It makes me think, if I did something so small as becoming a priest, I could eventually become a bishop and then the pope, like it's not that far away," said Elsey. Wilkerson says she hopes more young people are inspired to learn more about the church and feel encouraged to share their concerns and wishes for this new era of leadership. "They are the church right now, with the energy and the enthusiasm that our church needs," said Wilkerson.
New York Times
05-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
What Will the New Pope Do About the Latin Mass?
About 140 people came to the Sweetest Heart of Mary church in Detroit for the Traditional Latin Mass at noon the Sunday after Easter. Incense and organ music wafted through the ornate sanctuary, built by Polish Catholics in the late 19th century. It was a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, and the lilacs by the rectory were in bloom. In the pews, however, the mood was uncertain. It had been less than three weeks since the new archbishop of Detroit, Edward Weisenburger, told priests that he planned to drastically reduce the availability of the traditional Mass in the archdiocese starting this summer, following a 2021 edict from Pope Francis that cracked down on the rite worldwide. Backlash verging on panic followed in some quarters, with one critic calling it a 'bloodbath.' Then on April 21, the pope died, throwing the plan back into question — or at least its critics hope so. 'If the next pope really wanted to, he could come in the first day and completely open up access to the Latin Mass,' said Kiera Raymond, 18, a college student in Michigan who organized a 'Latin Mass Mob' to rally supporters to parishes offering the Mass before the restrictions kick in. The Traditional Latin Mass was once simply Mass, celebrated the same way by Catholics around the world for centuries until the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The differences are subtle but important to those attuned to their meaning. The priest faces the same direction as the worshipers — that is, away from them, toward the altar — for most of the Mass. He places the Communion host directly on the tongue, not in the hand. And yes, most of the service is in Latin, not English or the hundreds of other languages in which the 'new Mass' is now celebrated around the world. More recently, the traditional Mass has become an unlikely lightning rod for broader theological and ideological disputes, especially in the American church, with its strong strain of theological and liturgical conservatism. Its adherents tend to attend Mass more often, and have a vision for the church focused on theological orthodoxy over the openness and modernity of the Francis era. Pope Francis referred to the old Mass as divisive, and some of his other comments stung traditionalists: his reference to large families who have children 'like rabbits,' his comments to priests to stop wearing 'grandma's lace.' The traditional Mass represents only a sliver of Catholic life. But it is growing in popularity in many dioceses across the country, and especially with young people, including young priests. The archdiocese of Detroit now has 28 parishes and chapels offering the traditional Mass, according to Alex Begin, who maintains a newsletter for local supporters. There are about 500 venues that offer it nationally, according to another unofficial list online. That was the context in which Archbishop Weisenburger announced on April 8 in a large private meeting with Detroit priests that he planned to reduce the availability of the traditional Mass to four or five locations starting in July. (One of them, St. Joseph Shrine, already has up to 650 worshipers on a typical Sunday, and is bracing to receive more after the restrictions go into effect.) When a public backlash erupted after the meeting, Archbishop Weisenburger sent a letter to try to clarify. 'This was not a matter I had hoped to delve into so close to the start of my own ministry in our archdiocese,' he wrote, urging priests to not let the issue become a distraction. He also suggested that the traditional Mass itself might have become an issue in the church not because of the liturgy itself but because of the character of the priests who celebrate it. Holly Fournier, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said that parishes had been granted temporary extensions after the pope's 2021 restrictions on the traditional Mass, and those extensions were already set to expire this summer. The archbishop 'believes parishes have been given sufficient time to implement the Holy Father's direction,' she said in an email. In the pews at churches around the archdiocese on the Sunday after Easter, the mood was of wary waiting. 'People are very scared,' said Lauren Leyva, 33, the organist at St. Edward on the Lake, about an hour north of Detroit. She attends the traditional Mass with her family, including two young children. 'We prayed for the pope and his health,' Ms. Leyva said after Mass that Sunday. 'But we are hopeful that something will change.' Priests who celebrate the traditional Mass in Detroit are in a delicate position. Some of them are maneuvering behind the scenes to maintain the traditional Mass in their parishes, or at least in their regions. But few want to be seen as agitators in the tense moment before the restrictions are enforced and before a new pope is selected. 'Now things are up in the air,' said the Rev. Brian Hurley, who celebrates the traditional Mass at his parish in Lapeer, Mich., to a typical congregation of more than 200 people. Many young couples in his parish now request weddings celebrated in the old rite, too. Father Hurley said priests are talking among themselves, and with friendly archdiocese employees, to try to preserve access to the traditional Mass for as many people as possible. At St. Edward on the Lake, the Rev. Lee Acervo advised his congregation at the 8 a.m. traditional Mass not to write to the archbishop, but simply to pray and 'trust in the Lord.' Father Acervo, like several other priests around the diocese who are poised to lose the traditional Mass in July, declined to speak to a reporter. In a letter to his congregation published in the parish bulletin, he made the stakes of the next conclave clear. 'This is a really pivotal time in the church's history,' he wrote. 'We need to pray for a holy pope. A saintly pope. Not a political pope. Rather, a pope who won't compromise the faith in order to get along with the world. A pope who will teach the faith with clarity and not ambiguity.' The point was clear to those who had ears to hear. Francis' critics accused him of sowing confusion, issuing conflicting and even contradictory messages about matters like the church's teaching on marriage. Traditionalists are closely watching the run-up to the conclave in Rome. They have their favorites, including Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary and Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, the former head of the Vatican's liturgy office and a leading opponent of Francis. 'It's a personal assault to have this Mass taken away from me,' said Anna Graziosi, 79, the parish council president at Assumption Grotto on Detroit's east side. Ms. Graziosi was in the pews at a traditional Mass at 7:30 a.m. last Monday morning with about 20 other people. Ms. Graziosi's family immigrated to Detroit from Italy when she was 5. She grew up with the Latin Mass, before the Second Vatican Council. For her, the novus ordo, or new order, drained not just the sanctity of the rite but also her own attention to it. Following along in the prayer book, as the old Mass required, demanded prayerful focus. The new Mass was designed in part to involve worshipers more, but Ms. Graziosi found her mind — and faith — wandering until she sought out the Latin Mass back at her childhood parish, Assumption Grotto. She is praying for Pope Francis' soul this week, as she prayed for him in life. 'I hope for a merciful judgment,' she said.
CBS News
21-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Watch Live: Detroit Archbishop Weisenburger holding Mass of Suffrage for Pope Francis
Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger will hold a Mass of Suffrage on Monday following the death of Pope Francis. CBS News Detroit is live streaming the mass beginning at 7 p.m. The mass will be held at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. The pope, who worked to change the perception of the Catholic Church, died at age 88, hours after greeting the thousands of faithful on Easter Sunday at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Following his death, Weisenburger and several Detroit-area parishioners honored the pope . "My heart is heavy as our world has lost a powerful, prophetic, and loving voice. However, I also rejoice in what I pray will be a blessed reward of joy beyond all understanding for a truly great and loving Universal Shepherd," Weisenburger said in a statement on Monday . Weisenburger was installed last month as the new archbishop of Detroit. He recently served as bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, the fifth-largest diocese in the continental U.S. The appointment followed the resignation and retirement of Allen Vigneron, who has served as Detroit's archbishop since 2009. The Archdiocese of Detroit is Michigan's largest Catholic diocese with more than 900,000 Catholics and 213 parishes in Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.
CBS News
18-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Watch Live: Mass of Installation for new Detroit archbishop Edward Weisenburger
Edward Weisenburger will be installed as the sixth archbishop of Detroit on Tuesday during a Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. CBS News Detroit is streaming the Mass at 2 p.m. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— In February, Pope Francis made the appointment of Edward Weisenburger, who most recently served as bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, the fifth largest diocese in the continental U.S. The appointment follows the resignation and retirement of Allen Vigneron, who has served as Detroit's archbishop since 2009. Vigneron, 76, submitted his resignation as required by church law when he turned 75 on Oct. 21, 2023. Edward Weisenburger, 64, was born in Illinois and grew up in Oklahoma. He was ordained as a priest in 1987 and appointed bishop of Salina, Kansas in 2012. He was then appointed bishop of Tucson in 2017. "I would hope people would know I plan to give it my absolute all," said Weisenburger following the appointment. "That's the most we can do, the best we can do. What I find is whenever we give our all to something, God takes it refashions it and makes it something beautiful." The Archdiocese of Detroit is Michigan's largest Catholic diocese with more than 900,000 Catholics and 213 parishes in Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.
Axios
05-03-2025
- General
- Axios
Study: Michigan is becoming less Christian
As Lent begins, fewer Michiganders will be observing it than a decade ago, according to a new Pew study. Why it matters: The increase in Michigan residents who don't identify with any religion mirrors a nationwide trend. The big picture: "This is a broad-based social change," says Alan Cooperman, the director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. "We've had rising shares of people who don't identify with any religion — so-called nones — and declining shares who identify as Christian, in all parts of the country, in all parts of the population, by ethnicity and race, among both men and women, and among people at all levels of the educational spectrum." Caveat: The so-called secular surge has plateaued since 2020, and the national decline in Christianity seems to have leveled off, showing "relative stability in the last few years," according to the researchers. Zoom in: 61% of Michigan residents identified as Christian in 2024, according to Pew's Religious Landscape Study. That's down from 70% in 2014. Meanwhile, nearly one in three residents say they are not affiliated with a religion, up from 24% in 2014. The number of Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist Michiganders remained flat at around 1% each. State of play: The Archdiocese of Detroit's new leader, Bishop Edward Weisenburger, acknowledged declining membership when he was publicly introduced last month after Pope Francis appointed him. There are about 900,000 Catholics in the archdiocese's six-county region, but that's down by about 500,000 since 2009, per the Free Press. What they're saying: Weisenburger, who has led the Catholic diocese in Tucson, Arizona, said the church can grow by fostering community connections as loneliness and alienation become growing problems. "I think that we will reverse these numbers and our parishes will grow when we do everything we can to help people once again establish community," he said. Between the lines: The trend away from religion is driven in large part by Gen Z and younger millennials, according to the study.
