We take a look back on the stories that made 2010 stand out from the rest

The life of the Church and its people never rests — and evidence abounds in 2010 for the Catholic community of Metro Detroit. We had our share of joys for the year, and a sobering share of sadness, as well.

With mere days remaining in 2010, we remember both the smiles and the heartbreaks behind all that’s happened. And while each Catholic has in her heart more personal reasons for remembering the year now-past, here are some of the events we lived through as a faith community, with God’s grace, in 2010:

Growth of our local church

It’s a joy each year, as we celebrate Christ’s rising from the dead, to embrace new brothers and sisters into full membership in the Church. In 2010, the Archdiocese of Detroit welcomed 1,200 people in such a way — those who hadn’t been baptized as Christians, those who had been baptized in other Christian faiths, and those Catholics who renewed their commitment to Christ through confirmation. These catechumens and candidates joined in prayer and study at their respective parishes, received a welcome from Archbishop Allen Vigneron at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in February during the Rite of Election, and were then baptized or confirmed, or both, at their parish’s Easter vigils and Masses. “What God sees and loves in Jesus is what He sees and loves in us,” Archbishop Vigneron told the local Church’s new members.

Revival of First Friday devotions

The chief Shepherd of the archdiocese called upon the faithful to enrich their relationship with Christ by renewing devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the first Friday of each month. In February, Archbishop Vigneron asked the faithful of Detroit to place “a particular emphasis on joining together — priests and people — to ask the Lord to give our archdiocese ‘priests after His own heart.’” Many Catholics in the area remember First Friday devotions from years past. The devotion has its genesis in the 17th century, when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced a vision of Christ saying those who practice the devotion “will not die in my displeasure.” A person honoring the First Friday devotion goes to Mass each first Friday for nine months and receives Communion.

Six new priests are ordained for Detroit

While a great need for priestly vocations persists in the Detroit archdiocese and the rest of the western world, the Church of Detroit was able to welcome six new members to the local presbyterate — and also one who was ordained for Douala, Camaroon in Africa. “It’s tough to become a priest,” said Fr. James Arwady, speaking for the ordination class at the ordination, “and without the prayers and support of so many people, none of us would be here today.” Several hundred people showed up at Detroit’s cathedral to welcome the Church’s newest priests on May 23.

Sr. Kostielney steps down from MCC

After 37 years of serving the Michigan Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Michigan, Mercy Sr. Monica Kostielney announced in March that she would step down as the conference’s president and CEO. “As president and chief executive officer, Sr. Monica has led the Michigan Catholic Conference with tremendous vigor and fidelity, guiding the conference to heights never before witnessed in the history of the organization,” said Archbishop Vigneron, chairman of the MCC. He praised Sr. Kostielney, who had spent the past 16 years as the conference’s president and CEO, for her dedication “to the dignity of human life, educational justice and concern for the poor among us.” Sr. Kostielney was succeeded in November by longtime colleague Paul Long, who had been serving as the MCC’s vice president for public policy.

Churches, charities trudge through hard times

With a large chunk of automotive jobs still missing from the area, the local economy didn’t have a significant turnaround in 2010. Accordingly, the Catholic Church’s charities, large and small, were in full gear, full-time. Soup kitchens and food pantries found ways to stretch their resources, while the Society of St. Vincent de Paul chapters and other parish-based ministries to the underprivileged received more calls from people in their communities. Though times remain tough, the helpers continued to roll up their sleeves to do what they could to bring Christ’s charity to others. “God is good to us in terms of what we need,” said Cathy Gasowski, director of the St. Clement-St. Teresa of Avila Food Pantry in Warren, back in September. “Sometimes we have to give our people less than usual, but that is the best we can do.”

Pro-life efforts remain strong

Throughout the year, the strong pro-life presence of Catholics and other Christians came to the forefront multiple times. Thousands of pro-lifers were mobilized in 24-hour prayer vigils in front of abortion clinics for 40 Days for Life campaigns; at crisis pregnancy centers and parish-based ministries for teenage mothers-to-be; at the annual roadside Life Chain events in early October. Catholics wrote letters to their elected officials regarding the national health care debate, asking them to exclude federal funding for abortion. Many also showed up this summer at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, where a marker for unborn children found in dumpsters was placed on their tomb and blessed by the archbishop. “What we do, our witness for life, is part of a broader, deeper, more cosmic struggle — a struggle for God on our behalf,” Archbishop Vigneron said before hundreds during a prayer in front of a Westland abortion clinic in September.

Church musicians converge on Detroit

It may not have gotten on the radar screens of the average Catholic in the pews, but a national gathering of Church musicians from throughout North America at Cobo Hall over the summer will make its effects known in the coming years. The National Pastoral Musicians Association, for the first time in 29 years, chose Detroit as its venue as 2,000 people entrenched in music and liturgy engaged in discussion and education about the upcoming changes to the Mass and how it would impact praise, worship and song. “Any time there’s change, there’s going to be the challenge of catechesis — of understanding it and communicating it,” said Tim Smith, a composer in town for the July convention. Catholics can expect to hear some new and different compositions when changes to the English version of the Mass text are introduced in Advent of 2011.

Natural Family Planning efforts grow

Efforts were redoubled in another area related to the respect of life, and the respect of women, as the Archdiocese of Detroit drew widespread attention for its first Natural Family Planning conference at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Ten new couples were trained in the past year to help Catholics learn about the healthy, effective — and morally upright — method of avoiding and achieving pregnancy. At the conference, held July 20 at the seminary, doctors, nurses and members of the local media also were on hand to learn about the Church’s message to ‘go green’ when it comes to sex (more resources from the archdiocese still are available at www.nfponline.org).

Iraqi Christians make voice heard

Amid disheartening accounts of violence in the Middle East, local Christians from the region took the opportunity to make their voice heard, uniting it with local bishops who called for peace. Archbishop Vigneron joined Chaldean Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim at the Vatican in October for a synod of bishops involved in the Middle East. The bishops called for an end to violence, and, relating to that call, a greater interfaith dialogue to bring together members of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Upon returning from the synod, Archbishop Vigneron voiced hope for improvement in the situation of the Middle East’s Christians.

Detroit native becomes an archbishop

He was raised at Holy Redeemer Parish in southwest Detroit, and later became the parish’s pastor. This year, Redemptorist Archbishop Joseph Tobin returned to the parish — calling himself a “brother” to its people — after being ordained an archbishop and named the secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Fr. Tobin was made an archbishop in October, and was warmly greeted by parishioners, former students and former parishioners at Holy Redeemer on Nov. 28. “The whole community is proud of him,” said 38-year-old Miguel Gutierrez, upon Archbishop Tobin’s visit. “He’s always been such a big part of this community. He helped build this community.”

Youths get ready for World Youth Day Spain

Hundreds of young people from parishes throughout metro Detroit put in hours and hours in 2010 preparing for their 2011 World Youth Day pilgrimage to Madrid, Spain, where they’ll be together with more than a million fellow Catholic youths and Pope Benedict. The teenagers will continue in 2011 with their spiritual preparation for the Christ-centered trip. “It’s not something where you just go and do it,” said 16-year-old Patrick Reiter from St. James in Ferndale, during a mini-pilgrimage in Ferndale in August. “You have to bring yourself up to it.”