'Here I am': Faithful encouraged to pray as Church begins restructuring process

Archdiocese of Detroit hosts holy hours at Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament as priests meet to develop pastorate models

DETROIT — A dozen or so faithful braved the blustery conditions Wednesday evening to spend an hour in Eucharistic adoration, praying for wisdom for the restructuring process in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The holy hour at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament occurred as priests and bishops of the Archdiocese of Detroit gathered a few miles away at Sacred Heart Major Seminary to begin discerning the future of southeast Michigan's 209 parishes.

“We’re coming together tonight to pray for the archdiocesan restructuring process and the priests who are gathering at Sacred Heart in planning the restructuring,” said Tara Stenger, associate director for engagement in the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship. “We hope you enjoy this time of prayer and reflection, and thank you so much for being here.”

The holy hour was the first of two planned at the cathedral to pray for the restructuring, with a Spanish-language holy hour set for 7 p.m. tonight.

A trio of musicians played praise and worship music, with Gerardo Butalid of St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit offering a meditation.

“The Archdiocese of Detroit is His, not ours,” Butalid said. “While there is a pride in my church and how I can serve the Lord, in the end, the Lord doesn’t need me to do anything. All I can do is worship Him.”

Deacon Mike Van Dyke of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament led the small group in Eucharistic adoration and delivered a short homily on what it means to truly discern based on a reading from Scripture in which the prophet Samuel responds to God’s calling with, “Here I am, Lord,” running to his master, Eli.

“As I was thinking about the reading for our holy hour, my thoughts went some 15 years ago, as a parishioner at the now-closed St. Colman Parish in Farmington Hills,” Deacon Van Dyke said. “I recall sitting in the last row of the pews, praying before Mass, and part of my prayer petition was an increase in vocations.

“Then one Sunday, I started hearing, ‘What about you?’” Deacon Van Dyke continued. “I didn’t give the question much thought, initially. After all, I was praying for more vocations to the priesthood, and I was married. So the response I was hearing wasn’t making much sense until I encountered my own ‘Eli.’”

Deacon Van Dyke’s “Eli” was a Southern Baptist friend who recently had been made a deacon in his church. This prompted Deacon Van Dyke to discern the permanent diaconate as a vocation.

Just as Samuel in the Old Testament went to Eli for help in discerning God's voice, Deacon Van Dyke said everyone needs community to discern what God truly desires.

“Are we willing to listen to God’s voice?” Deacon Van Dyke asked. “Are we willing, as Samuel responds, ‘Here I am,’ to show an openness to God’s desires? Samuel didn’t recognize the voice at first, but he kept listening; he kept coming back. Eventually, under the guidance of Eli, he said, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’

“The Scripture is a reminder that God calls each of us, sometimes persistently, and this call doesn’t come with clarity at first,” Deacon Van Dyke continued. “But it takes prayer and patient waiting, a willingness to hear and respond, to discern together, and finally, a willingness to say, ‘Here I am, Lord.'”

As the Archdiocese of Detroit embarks on a two-year restructuring process, Deacon Van Dyke implored the faithful to continually pray for their priests and bishops and encouraged other members of the faithful to discern what gifts they can offer God and His Church.

“Every member of the lay faithful has a unique talent where we are called by name, just as Samuel was,” Deacon Van Dyke said. “The mission of the laity is to bring Christ into the world, to live holy lives and to evangelize in word and action. Our baptismal call invites us to seek holiness and collaborate with our parish priests and deacons.

“The restructuring plan reminds us we work together,” Deacon Van Dyke added. “Collaboration means listening to each other's gifts, stepping up to serve and encourage one another. The Church is not only the clergy; it is all of us united in mission. Your 'yes' matters; your witness matters.”

Finally, Deacon Van Dyke reminded the faithful that just as Samuel took his discernment to Eli, the faithful must take what inspires them before the True Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist back to their parishes as the restructuring process begins.

“Discernment isn’t a private exercise; it’s communal,” Deacon Van Dyke said. “Just as Samuel needed Eli to focus in on what God was telling him, just as I sought out my friend to figure out what God was calling me to do, collective discernment asks us to be a voice, to approach others with humility, and to value synodality, a shared journey of faith.”