Rising from the Ashes Revival, inspired by Fr. Gabriel Richard-penned motto, to show that 'God wants each of us to step up'
DETROIT — Chuck Gaidica is praying that lives will be changed this summer.
Gaidica is part of the planning team for the Rising from the Ashes Revival this July. He believes the Eucharistic-centered revival will provide the ingredients for hope and changed hearts — inspiring talks, music to raise minds to heaven and a spirit of fellowship rooted in Jesus.
Rising from the Ashes will take place at Huntington Place in Detroit on July 22, welcoming Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Detroit. The day will feature keynotes by Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, Sr. Josephine Gartrett, CSFN, Fr. John Riccardo and Jeff Cavins, along with an evening concert by Matt Maher. A Eucharistic procession — potentially the largest in the archdiocese’s history — will process from Huntington Place to the Spirit of Detroit statue on Woodward Avenue, with a blessing over the city and the Church of Detroit from Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit.
“Many don’t realize that behind the Spirit of Detroit statue, on the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building, is the verse 2 Corinthians 3:17,” said Gaidica, former WDIV-TV anchor and meteorologist who returned to the Catholic Church four years ago.
2 Corinthians 3:17 reads, “Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
“I’m praying that the Spirit is unleashed, to borrow from Archbishop Emeritus (Allen H.) Vigneron,” Gaidica said. “This Scripture verse is chiseled in the side of a secular building where we will all process together. What a wonderful way to think of the Blessed Sacrament: blessing the city, blessing the people, blessing the event.”
The idea for the revival came to Fr. Joe Mallia of St. Kieran Parish in Shelby Township while in prayer during the COVID pandemic, when parishes were closed, and people were separated from the Eucharist.
“As I prayed, I said, ‘Lord, you’re not a God of decline, you’re a God of prosperity. You’re always calling us to more,” Fr. Mallia explained. “Through that, I realized we’d need to renew our parishes after COVID ended, but it would have to be a large event beyond our parish boundaries.”
He invited a group of people to pray with him about what the event should be. They knew it would be focused on the Eucharist, that the venue would have to be large, and that Detroit was the right place to gather.
“It’s from the banks of the Detroit River that the first missionaries came,” said Fr. Mallia. “It’s through waters of baptism that we enter into the life of grace.”
When they visited Huntington Place to look at the venue, they came upon a mural of Fr. Gabriel Richard. It was clear to them that this was the space where God wanted to welcome people for the Rising from the Ashes Revival, named after the phrase proclaimed by Fr. Richard after the Detroit fire of 1805 that would become the motto of the city of Detroit: “We hope for better things. It will rise again from the ashes."
As the lay faithful hear messages about declining Mass attendance, a shortage of priests, and a need to restructure the archdiocese, they have become despondent, Fr. Mallia said.
“It’s a problem because it feeds into the cynicism that the Church is dying, and it is not dying. It’s vibrant in many ways,” said Fr. Mallia. “Just look at the number of people converting to the faith, the number of young adults in Catholic campus ministry … there’s a great hunger there that people aren’t seeing. We have reason to hope.”
In addition to the Eucharistic procession, the revival’s activities, talks and music will be centered on Jesus in the Eucharist.
“If we look at the Acts of the Apostles, they would gather for the teaching of the Apostles and the breaking of the bread,” said Fr. Mallia. “They kept the Eucharist at the heart of what it was to be a Christian community. When we separate the Church from the Eucharist, the Church loses its meaning and its focus.”
The time is now for a revival, Gaidica and Fr. Mallia said.
“This will give us an opportunity to focus on what’s central to our faith, which is the Eucharist. If we focus on that, we won’t get sidetracked by an emotional attachment to a building,” said Fr. Mallia. “Because that’s what the Church is focused on and what is the heart of our faith: the sacraments.”
With the restructuring process underway, Gaidica looks forward to the good things that will come from the revival.
“I think Rising from the Ashes will take us deeper and higher. Yes, we need encouragement, but I also think the time is right for us to pray about how God wants each of us to step up,” Gaidica said.
As of mid-January, over 1,000 tickets had been sold. Fr. Mallia aims for 10,000 people to attend of all ages, including families, youth groups and other parish groups.
“Everyone should come,” said Fr. Mallia. “They should expect an opportunity to experience the Church as a whole, to learn and to have fun. And most importantly, they should expect to pray.”
The revival’s organizers are trusting God to provide sponsors to pay for the event. The cost of each ticket will be donated to charity.
“The money we raise from tickets is going to charity because the heart of the church is the call to take the Eucharist and then live out the mystery of Christ’s love in the world by serving our brothers and sisters,” said Fr. Mallia. “It’s not about raising funds, it’s about raising faith.”
Gaidica encourages attendees to invite friends, fellow parishioners, neighbors, and even family who have left the Catholic Church. Leading up to July, his prayer for the event is personal.
“My biggest prayer for myself, and for others, is to come to this event open to be moved by God, by Jesus present in the Eucharist,” said Gaidica. “I’m looking forward to great music and awesome speakers, but I’m going there with a specific prayer to be open and be surprised by God. ‘What do you want me to do, Lord? Who do you want me to be?’ Big or small, I pray that we walk away with changed hearts. And maybe the surprise is that the heart of someone we bring with us is changed.”
To reserve tickets for the Rising From the Ashes Revival, planned for July 22, 2026, at downtown Detroit's Huntington Place, visit www.risingrevival.org.
