Archbishop Allen Vigneron, speaking to a congregation that overflowed out of Ste. Anne de Detroit Church on July 26, said Detroit’s patron saint and her husband, “call us, summon us, remind us to imitate them.”
“They were given a particular call by God in order to bring about the fulfillment of His plan,” the archbishop said, adding that each Catholic also should maintain such confidence in God.
The Mass marked the culmination of the annual St. Anne novena held each year at Detroit’s first church. It also was one of four special St. Anne feast day celebrations held at the four St. Anne churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit — the other three being in Monroe, Ortonville and Warren. The local Church took the occasion to celebrate the Vatican’s official decree, given this spring, that St. Anne is — and always has been — the patroness of the city of Detroit.
More than a thousand Catholics took part in honoring Detroit’s patroness this year, 310 years after Ste. Anne de Detroit was founded.
In a brief, bi-lingual homily, Archbishop Vigneron told those gathered that every Christian has a mission to become a saint like St. Anne or St. Joachim. He told them that Jesus’ grandparents were examples of how to “hold fast to God’s promises,” and how to “fulfill our mission that we will contribute to the establishment of the kingdom of the son of David, Jesus Christ.”
For the laity, the archbishop stressed how important it was for them to focus on their families.
“It is precisely, above all, in our families that we fulfill our mission,” he said. “That is our contribution to the kingdom of Christ.”
Those who gathered with the archbishop believed that St. Anne would help them with their own goals of becoming saints.
“As the mother of the Blessed Virgin, I found her to be a loving intercessor before God, before the Blessed Mother, and I have had this devotion ever since,” he said.
He noted that St. Anne emphasizes the importance of the family.
“I’m sure she has a very special place in the heart of our Lord, Jesus, and his mother, Mary,” Din said. “Just as when my grandparents were alive, I had a lot of affection for them, I’m sure that Jesus himself had a lot of affection for his grandmother.”
Ramzia Shauni is another long-time attendee of the St. Anne novena. Each year, she brings a framed image of St. Anne, which is placed at the altar during Mass.
Why does she carry a devotion to St. Anne? Her reason is simple, she said.
“It’s Jesus’ grandmother, and the Blessed Mother’s mother,” she said. “Can you be any closer to Jesus than that?”
The St. Anne celebration wasn’t reserved for those who would trek to downtown Detroit, however. On July 31, St. Anne Church in Ortonville had a feast day Mass and reception during which they welcomed Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda.
In his homily, Bishop Cepeda spoke of the faith that brought all of God’s people together.
“We have faith, we have love, that is the spirit, brothers and sisters, that brings us together as we celebrate this Eucharist,” he said. “The spirit of faith, for we are full of faith and believe in the world and community and the Archdiocese of Detroit, needs to see in us that we are people of faith.”
After Mass, parishioners of St. Anne followed pastor Fr. Gerry Frawley and Bishop Cepeda to the statue of St. Anne outside of the church for a Eucharistic Procession.
“It is a very special event for our parish because not only is the Bishop here, but we celebrate the community as well,” Father Frawley said. “A lot of it has to do with St. Anne being the patroness of the parish and being the patroness of the Archdiocese.”
Julie Neal, St. Anne’s Worship Coordinator, agreed with the Vatican’s decision and felt St. Anne was a perfect fit for patron saint.
“As a caregiver, she cares for all of us and that’s what we want saints to do for us,” she said. “As the Mother of Mary, the Mother of us all, she taught (Mary) to be who she was and therefore helped make Jesus who He was on Earth.
“It’s like a sign of respect because the whole diocese was founded on her feast day, so it only seems appropriate to me. We all need someone to intercede for us and who better than a grandma.”
