Thousands expected to join July 22 event at Huntington Place in Detroit is expected to draw Catholics for a day of prayer and community
DETROIT ─ Fr. Joseph Mallia and the team organizing the Rising from the Ashes Revival are inviting the faithful across southeast Michigan and beyond to reconnect with the Lord during a Eucharistic revival along the banks of the Detroit River.
The July 22 event at Huntington Place in Detroit will mark 325 years since French explorers and missionaries first landed at what would become Detroit on July 24, 1701, and will serve as an opportunity to re-establish the region’s identity in God.
“In times like these, Christ calls us to become one body,” Fr. Mallia said. “Wherever you worship, wherever you are in your faith, come join us as brothers and sisters on July 22 at Huntington Place for the Rising from the Ashes Revival.”
The revival will feature prominent speakers such as Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas (and a former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit); Fr. John Riccardo, founder of ACTS XXIX and a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Sr. Mary Grace, SV, of the Bronx, N.Y.-based Sisters of Life; and Jeff Cavins, creator and founder of the popular Great Adventure Bible Study.
Nationally known musicians, such as Matt Maher, Sarah Kroger, Steve Angrisano and Sarah Hart, are set to perform, along with local artist Santiago Fernandez, at a concert at the end of the revival, wrapping a day of spiritual revival, praise and worship.
The pinnacle of the celebration will be the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by a Eucharistic procession led by Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger from Huntington Place along the Detroit River down to Spirit Plaza, where the city’s famed Spirit of Detroit statue sits before the inscription from 2 Corinthians 3:117: “Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
“Come, follow our Eucharistic procession along the shores where it all began in 1701,” Fr. Mallia said. “When Detroit burned in 1805, Fr. Gabriel Richard declared that our hope in God will help us rise from the ashes. Generation after generation, we have responded to the call for rebirth. On July 22, we rise and accept our mission to the needs of the present church and the communities in which we live.”
General admission costs $50, with group tickets also available.
The revival organizers are also seeking volunteers to assist guests and organizers throughout the day.
Proceeds from the revival will go to support local charities, including Better Way Detroit, the Pope Francis Center, Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and Mary’s Mantle.
“Every dollar you pay for admission goes to local Catholic charities,” Fr. Mallia said. “So, let’s gather to rejoice in strengthening each other, as we deliver Christ’s message to a world in need.”
