Michigan Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums visits Rome as it supports Church's most precious artwork
ROME — The Vatican Museums, which house some of the world’s most celebrated artwork, have been restored in no small part thanks to the generosity and patronage of donors and benefactors from around the world.
Recently, several of those benefactors from southeast Michigan came to Rome to see the fruits of their patronage.
This spring, the Michigan Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums concluded a weeklong visit to the Eternal City. One of 25 chapters worldwide, the organization's mission is to raise funds for the restoration and maintenance of the Vatican's vast collection of artwork, which includes more than 1 million items and receives more than 5.5 million visitors each year.
"While art ideals may be eternal, paintings, sculptures, frescoes, tapestries, and historic buildings are sensitive to the ravages of time," according to the Patrons' website.
The Vatican Museums are a collection of 19 different museums and 54 galleries, including the Sistine Chapel, the Borgia Apartments, Raphael Rooms and the Carriage Museum, among others.
Inspired by the election of the first American pope, Leo XIV, the tour offered patrons a chance to experience the Church’s artistic heritage through a uniquely American lens, making visitors feel right at home amid the Vatican’s marble corridors.
The visit included tours of the Vatican Museums, the recently restored Sistine Chapel, Rome’s major basilicas, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, and the Governorate of Vatican City State.
John Hale, president and co-owner of Corporate Travel Service, and his wife, Kristan, chapter leaders of the Michigan Patrons for more than two decades, spoke to Detroit Catholic about the history of the Michigan chapter, which has existed since 1999.
“Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, the former archbishop of Detroit, helped found the chapter before he became Governor of Vatican City State,” Hale said. “We still have the same board members. We have adopted a number of restoration projects at the Vatican Museums, including several tapestries by Raphael (blinding of Elymas), candlesticks on the pope’s private altar, and a Botticelli scene from the life of Moses, which we started over 40 years ago.”
Fr. J.J. Mech, who serves as rector of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit and as chapter chaplain, drew parallels between the restoration work in Rome and the Detroit cathedral's own Art for God’s Sake campaign.
“We call it the 'Cathedral of the Arts' because we use art to teach people and elevate them toward God,” Fr. Mech said, noting that sharing beautiful spaces is the cathedral's "best opportunity for evangelization."
Fr. Mech described this focus on Christ as imperative, particularly as the Archdiocese of Detroit navigates a period of restructuring.
“Even though there are many changes, and even though we will be grieving naturally because that comes with change, we keep our eyes fixed on Christ," Fr. Mech said. "We have to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, and that is what helps us through these transitions.”
Detroit Catholic freelance writer Ishmael Adibuah writes from Rome.
