Archbishop Weisenburger's installation Mass to be full of symbolism, meaning

Rites, music and representation at March 18 Mass will reflect Church's understanding of the deep significance of episcopal changes

DETROIT — The installation of a new archbishop is a celebration unlike any other for an archdiocese.

On March 18, starting at 2 p.m., Archbishop-designate Edward J. Weisenburger will be formally installed as the 10th ordinary and sixth archbishop of Detroit at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

In a liturgy rich with symbolism and tradition, ceremony and prayer, the Church of the Archdiocese of Detroit will formally receive Archbishop Weisenburger, who will thereafter become the new chief shepherd for southeast Michigan’s 900,000 Catholics.

Because Archbishop-designate Weisenburger is already a bishop — he’s served as bishop of Tucson, Arizona, since 2017, and of Salina, Kansas, from 2012-17 — he won’t be “ordained,” but installed in his new episcopal see.

That will happen when Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal ambassador to the United States, formally proclaims the apostolic decree signed by Pope Francis, and Archbishop Weisenburger takes his seat for the first time on his cathedra (the bishop’s chair).

The cathedra is where the word “cathedral” comes from — the cathedral being the church in each diocese that houses the bishop’s chair.

“That symbolism goes back centuries, because when he takes the chair in the line of apostolic succession, he then speaks from the chair, and he’s the archbishop,” said Sr. Esther Mary Nickel, RSM, director of sacred worship for the Archdiocese of Detroit, who is coordinating the liturgical aspects of Archbishop Weisenburger’s installation.

Because the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament seats only about 900 people, the Mass will be reserved seating, but the faithful are invited to participate via livestream. A reception will follow at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

Archbishop-designate Weisenburger will also celebrate solemn vespers the night before with clergy, lay and community leaders at Sacred Heart.

Hundreds of priests, deacons and bishops — including up to 40 visiting bishops and archbishops — will take part in an opening procession that’s expected to last up to 15 minutes. The procession will be led by members of the Knights of Columbus, Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver, Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta, and seminarians from Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

The grand procession will begin outside the cathedral, and will be followed by Cardinal Pierre, Detroit Archbishop Emeritus Allen H. Vigneron and Archbishop-designate Weisenburger.

Before the liturgy begins, Archbishop-designate Weisenburger will stand outside the cathedral’s doors and knock three times with a gavel. Representatives from each of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s four pastoral regions will then open the door from the inside to welcome him into the cathedral — and, symbolically, into the Archdiocese of Detroit.

“The symbolism comes from Scripture, where the Lord says, ‘I stand at the door and knock,’ (Rev. 3:20), and we have to open it to let him in,” Sr. Nickel said. “So when Archbishop Weisenburger knocks on the door in the name of the Lord, we have to open that to him, because he’s coming representing the person of Christ.”

Fr. J.J. Mech, rector of the cathedral, will then greet Archbishop-designate Weisenburger and offer him a crucifix to kiss and holy water to bless himself and those around him.

As the Mass begins, the choir will sing a hymn of praise that was composed by Carlos Zapién, who wrote and performed the hymn for Archbishop-designate Weisenburger’s installation in the Diocese of Tucson in 2017.

One unique element of an episcopal installation is that the Mass will begin and end with different principal celebrants; Archbishop Vigneron, as apostolic administrator, will begin the Mass from his cathedra for the final time, inviting Cardinal Pierre to proclaim the decree from Pope Francis.

Cardinal Pierre will then read the apostolic mandate proclaiming Archbishop Weisenburger’s appointment, and the archdiocese’s chancellor, Michael Trueman, will inspect it and present it to the archdiocesan College of Consultors.

“Once he sees that it’s valid, the chancellor records it, and it’s ready,” Sr. Nickel said.

Archbishop Weisenburger will then show the pope’s letter to the congregation, and Cardinal Pierre will escort him to his new cathedra. Archbishop Vigneron will present Archbishop Weisenburger with his miter and crozier, and Detroit’s new archbishop will sit on his chair for the first time as archbishop of Detroit as the congregation acknowledges their new shepherd.

Once Archbishop Weisenburger becomes archbishop, he will continue the Mass as its principal celebrant, and Archbishop Vigneron will no longer sit on the cathedra from that point on.

After this, in a sign of unity, various representatives of the Archdiocese of Detroit will greet the new archbishop. These will include various multicultural and faith leaders, clergy, students, religious men and women, lay representatives and those from various apostolates and ministries across the archdiocese.

“This is significant, because they’re representing all of us,” Sr. Nickel said. “It’s a beautiful cross section of the archdiocese.”

Among the notable representatives will be parishioners of what’s technically the southernmost parish of the archdiocese — 1,592 miles south, in fact — St. Ignatius Parish in the Cayman Islands, a mission “sui iuris” under the pastoral care and jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Detroit. “It’s beautiful that we have them involved,” Sr. Nickel said.

From there, the Mass continues largely as usual, beginning with the Gloria — a special consideration for such a celebratory occasion, given that the Mass will take place on a Sunday during Lent, Sr. Nickel said.

“It is a day in Lent, but there’s an option to have a votive Mass,” Sr. Nickel explained. “Given that, Archbishop Weisenburger chose ‘Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest’ as the Mass formulary — the liturgical theme of the Mass.”

The first and second readings — proclaimed in English and Spanish, respectively — each allude to Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God, Sr. Nickel said. The first reading will be from Revelation 7:9-14, and the second reading will be from Hebrews 10.

The Gospel chosen for the Mass will be John 21:15-17: Jesus’ direction to Simon Peter to “feed my sheep,” Sr. Nickel said.

“Archbishop Weisenburger's whole coat of arms and episcopal motto is about Jesus as the Lamb,” Sr. Nickel said. “He loves the Lamb, and that’s his motto, ‘Behold the Lamb of God,’ which comes from John the Baptist looking to Jesus.”

In a nod to the multicultural identity of the Archdiocese of Detroit, the prayers of the faithful will be read in English, Spanish, Polish and Tagalog.

After Communion, the jubilee hymn “Pilgrims of Hope” will be sung, commemorating the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, and Archbishop Weisenburger will conclude the Mass and offer his first blessing as archbishop of Detroit. The recessional hymn will be “O God Beyond All Praising” — a staple and tradition in the Archdiocese of Detroit during ordinations and celebratory liturgies.