The Catholic Church is a timeless institution, and every year since Christ’s Incarnation has been an eventful one for God’s family. In 2017, in the Archdiocese of Detroit, history was made and remade as local Catholics celebrated the first Detroit “blessed,” the release of a groundbreaking pastoral letter and several historic anniversaries. Along with its joys — and occasional sorrows — 2017 also brought a renewed emphasis on the future as the local Church looks ahead with promise, continually remaking itself in the image and likeness of Christ.

Here are the top 10 stories of 2017:

1. Blessed Solanus Casey

It’s hard to understate the significance of the celebration of the first Detroiter raised to the altars of the Catholic Church. Blessed Solanus Casey, as he will henceforth be known, is a friar, friend and inspiration to thousands in this city — as clearly evidenced by the 60,000-plus who attended his beatification Mass on Nov. 18 at Ford Field and tens of thousands more who watched on TV or the Internet. Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron remarked that he hopes Blessed Solanus is just the first of “a whole host of causes for beatification” for the archdiocese. We pray he’s right.

2. Unleash the Gospel

The fruit of last year’s Synod 16, Archbishop Vigneron’s transformational pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel, is a roadmap for the future of the archdiocese’s efforts to evangelize and shape the culture in the image of Christ. The landmark letter, released in June, touches on almost every aspect of the local Church’s life and contains a bold witness to the need to reclaim the Church’s identity as a “band of joyful, missionary disciples.” Its effects will be felt here for years — and hopefully decades — to come.

3. New Auxiliary Bishops
   
   
   
   Auxiliary Bishops Robert J. Fisher, left, and Gerard W. Battersby hold up the pontifical decrees authorizing their ordination as bishops Jan. 25 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
   Larry A. Peplin | Special to the Michigan Catholic
   

The ordination of Auxiliary Bishops Gerard W. Battersby and Robert J. Fisher in January provided a cause for celebration for the local Church. The two bishops — both local priests — come from different backgrounds, but both share a commitment to building up Christ’s body by using the gifts and talents given to them by God. We join them in our prayers for all our local bishops and priests, whose leadership is a gift to all the faithful.

4. New Identity for AOD

Along with the archbishop’s pastoral letter came a historic change in the look and identity of the Archdiocese of Detroit. A new crest featuring images of Ste. Anne, the archdiocese’s patroness; an open door signifying an openness to Christ’s calling — as well as the soon-to-be beatified Blessed Solanus Casey — and water representative of baptism and our local Great Lakes draws our minds and hearts to the future of the local Church’s mission.

5. Sistine Chapel Choir

The historic visit of the pope’s personal ensemble to the Archdiocese of Detroit lifted spirits and hearts with the heavenly sounds of some of the Church’s most sacred music. The Sistine Chapel Choir performed in New York, Washington, D.C., and Detroit in its first visit to the United States in 30 years, including stops at the Detroit Opera House, Ste. Anne de Detroit and the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

6. Consecrated Virgins
   
   
   
   Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit prays over three women consecrated as virgins during a June 24 ceremony at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
   Joel Breldenbach | CNS Photo
   

In another historic first for the archdiocese — and really, for the Church in the United States — three women were consecrated as perpetual virgins June 24 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The women, Karen Ervin, Laurie Malashanko and Theresa Jordan, wore dazzling white wedding gowns as they knelt before Archbishop Vigneron to become “espoused to Jesus” in a beautiful ceremony. According to records, it was the first time three women were consecrated at the same time in the U.S. Church’s history.

7. Historic anniversaries

Detroit Catholics marked three historic anniversaries in 2017 — two joyful, one somber — as the faithful reflected on the blessings and lessons of three important events. The centennial jubilee of Our Lady of Fatima was a cause for jubilant celebration as hundreds gathered for a Marian procession through Detroit’s Greektown district, as was the 50th anniversary of the local Charismatic Renewal, which held a conference in Ypsilanti in February. The year also brought the 50th anniversary of the 1967 racial unrest in the city of Detroit, which prompted renewed discussions about the state of the city’s efforts to heal.

8. V Encuentro
   
   
   
   The Sistine Chapel Choir performs Sept. 22 at Ste. Anne Parish in southwest Detroit, one of the choir’s three Detroit performances during its historic U.S. tour. The Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina, as it is officially known, is the pope’s personal choir and the oldest in the world, dating to at least 1471.
   Dan Meloy | The Michigan Catholic
   

Just three weeks ago, local Hispanic Catholics from 17 parishes gathered at Sacred Heart Major Seminary to take part in the V Encuentro, a national process of renewal, dialogue and faith-sharing for the Hispanic Church in the U.S. Drawing comparisons to last year’s Synod 16, the Encuentro was a chance for leaders and ministers to share concerns and recommendations ahead of the regional and national Encuentros in 2018.

9. Immigration and Refugees

Amid an atmosphere of uncertainty over federal policies on refugees, immigration and international travel, local Catholics worked to support those on the margins of society. As local Chaldean Catholics faced threats of deportation and local placement agencies — including Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan — wrestled with new policies over refugee resettlement, the Church continued to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable and work with officials on just policies that promote safety and family.

10. Beginnings and Farewells

The end of two historic institutions — Marygrove College’s undergraduate programs and Livonia’s Ladywood High School — were a cause for sadness and soul-searching about the continued plight of Catholic education. However, 2017 also saw the rebirth of three Detroit churches as leaders work to develop ways to save some of the city’s historic treasures. New priestly communities took over the administration of St. Joseph Oratory (formerly St. Joseph Parish) and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, while Ste. Anne de Detroit Parish was elevated to the status of an archdiocesan shrine.