The local and global Church experienced both joy and sadness in 2014, a roller-coaster of emotions that saw both jubilation at the canonization of two popular and holy pontiffs, sorrow regarding the loss of local icons of faith and the ongoing plight of Christians in the Middle East, and profound hope for the Church’s future. Pope Francis’ first full year in the chair of St. Peter also saw a renewed focus on evangelizing the family, healing old wounds and bridging long-standing divides. Here are the top stories of 2014:

 

‘Santo subito!’

With a reigning pope, a retired pope and two canonized popes, April 27 was a day of jubilation for the worldwide Church, but especially in Metro Detroit as Popes John Paul II and John XXIII were officially declared saints by Pope Francis, with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in attendance. Many Catholics in Orchard Lake, Hamtramck and Downriver — areas with significant Polish roots — and elsewhere tuned in at 4 a.m. to watch the blessed history unfold live, and still others traveled to Rome to witness in person.

 

 

 



Saying goodbye

The year wasn’t without its share of sadness, as the Archdiocese of Detroit mourned several icons of faith in 2014. Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, former archbishop of Detroit and a faithful prince of the Church, went home to the Lord on Aug. 20 at the age of 86 after a long and fruitful ministry that included serving at the highest levels of the Vatican. The year also bore the loss of several pastors and religious leaders, including community stalwarts such as Msgr. William Easton of the National Shrine of the Little Flower and Msgr. Stanley Milewski of the Orchard Lake Schools and several others, all of whom will surely be missed.

 

 

 

 



Chaldeans celebrate, mourn

For local Chaldean Catholics, 2014 was a cause of both great celebration and sadness. The local community celebrated the consecration of a new leader, Bishop Francis Kalabat, in June; however, jubilation was muted as news began to spread in late summer of the brutal persecution of native Chaldeans in the Middle East by the militarized Islamic State. Thanks to Bishop Kalabat’s leadership, relief efforts have continued to mobilize for Iraqi refugees both here and overseas.

 

 

 

 



Mass Mobs

What started as a novelty grew into a full-fledged movement as “Mass Mobs” began taking Detroit’s historic city churches by storm starting this spring. With congregations reaching as high as 2,000 in churches accustomed to seeing just a few dozen regular Sunday worshippers, the “mobs” will roll on into 2015, giving hope, encouragement and a much-needed boost to Detroit’s inner-city parishes.

 

Legal battles continue

High-profile court battles over the definition of marriage and individual religious liberty reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014, but more certainly lies ahead. Despite the high court’s ruling that business owners do not need to submit to the U.S. government’s contraception mandate, religious nonprofits continue to await their turn in court. The Supreme Court is also widely expected to take up the legality of same-sex marriage again after federal appeals courts split on the issue — with Michigan’s one man/one woman law upheld by the 6th Circuit — in 2014.

 

Synod of Bishops on the Family

An Extraordinary Synod of Bishops at the Vatican in October turned out to be extraordinary indeed, as media reports of controversy inside the synod hall both gripped and frustrated Catholics. But a resolute Pope Francis, in a speech to synod fathers at the close of the two-week gathering, assured both the bishops and the world that politics has little to do with finding solutions to the many issues surrounding broken and hurting families, and said any such discussions will proceed “cum Petro, sub Petro” (“with Peter and under Peter”) as the guarantee of the Church’s unity and orthodoxy.

 

Coming soon to the U.S.A.

As part of the global World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis announced he will visit Philadelphia in September 2015, and has not ruled out the possibility of adding other U.S. stops to the trip as well. Students in Detroit are hopeful for a second papal visit to the city, sending handwritten invitations to the Holy Father via a Vatican official in December.

 

Orthodox, Catholics grow together

Both locally and globally, Orthodox and Catholic leaders showed increased ecumenism in 2014, with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron presiding at joint liturgical celebrations with Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Nicholas, and Pope Francis meeting twice with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, raising hopes of further progress in continued efforts to forge a path of unity between the two historic churches, divided for more than 1,000 years.

 

Vocations bear fruit

Seven new priests and five permanent deacons were ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2014, one of the highest vocation classes in recent years. Local Catholics told archdiocesan researchers late last year that priestly vocations continue to be of high concern, and efforts to beef up discernment programs and resources are ongoing. And as part of a worldwide Year of Consecrated Life, local Catholics also are praying for increase of vocations to religious life.