Detroit's retiring archbishop will serve as apostolic administrator until March 18, plans to live at seminary, support new archbishop
DETROIT — The Feb. 11 appointment of Tucson’s Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger as the next archbishop of Detroit means Detroit’s shepherd for the past 16 years, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, will begin a new phase of his ministry next month as he becomes archbishop emeritus.
Archbishop Vigneron, 76, who has served as chief shepherd of his hometown Archdiocese of Detroit since 2009, paused during a press conference introducing Archbishop-elect Weisenburger at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit to briefly reflect upon what it’s meant to him.
After praising his successor as an “experienced pastor” and “devoted priest” who will bring “apostolic courage” to the Archdiocese of Detroit, Archbishop Vigneron paused to collect his emotions.
“I’d like to take, if I may, a moment to speak for myself, to take this occasion to say thanks to all my coworkers here in the archdiocese, especially my brother priests, the deacons, and all those who have helped me be a pastor,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “In particular, I’m touched that the conclusion of my ministry as the archbishop happens here at Sacred Heart, where I came in the autumn of 1962 as a ninth grader. I’m very happy for that.”
Upon Archbishop-elect Weisenburger’s appointment, Archbishop Vigneron’s role shifts to apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Detroit — meaning he will continue to care for the pastoral needs of southeast Michigan’s faithful until his successor’s March 18 installation Mass.
Diocesan bishops in the Catholic Church are required by canon law to offer their resignations to the pope upon reaching the age of 75. It’s common for some time to elapse between when this occurs and when the pope accepts a bishop’s resignation and appoints a successor.
Archbishop Vigneron turned 75 on Oct. 21, 2023, but has continued to serve as Detroit’s ordinary for the past 16 months as the pope identified Detroit’s next leader. He will celebrate a farewell Mass at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 9, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.
In his introductory remarks, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger lauded the example and faith of his predecessor.
“I really can’t say anything of any credibility without beginning by saying how wonderfully this local Church has been led in these years under such a faithful shepherd,” Archbishop-elect Weisenburger said, turning to Archbishop Vigneron. “Even though your ministry is changing, it certainly will continue here among the people who love you, for whom you have poured yourself out so generously.”
Noting that Archbishop-elect Weisenburger’s appointment was made on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes — to whom Archbishop Vigneron has a deep devotion — Detroit’s retiring shepherd prayed that the Holy Spirit inspire his successor in faith and courage.
“Today, you have asked your servant, Edward Weisenburger, to launch out into the deep and leave Tucson and come to Detroit. And he has said yes, and we give you praise and thanks for the movement of the Holy Spirit in his heart,” Archbishop Vigneron said.
“We ask that this same spirit move in the hearts of all of us in this new chapter, in our local Church and in southeast Michigan, for the Catholic Church,” he continued. “Give us courage always, every day, to launch out into the deep, trusting that you will give us an abundant catch, gathering our praise and prayer into one.”
Archbishop Vigneron said he plans to continue to participate in the life of the local Church and will reside at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He pledged to support Archbishop-elect Weisenburger and to make “whatever contributions I can make to the archdiocese.”
A son of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Archbishop Vigneron was born in Mount Clemens and attended Immaculate Conception Parish in Anchorville. He studied at Sacred Heart Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was ordained a priest for Detroit on July 26, 1975, the feast of St. Anne, who would eventually be named the patroness of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2011 during his episcopacy.
He served for a brief time in parish ministry, and was sent to continue his studies in Rome and at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., earning advanced degrees in theology and philosophy.
Upon his return home, he was appointed to the faculty of Sacred Heart Seminary, where he served as a key member of then-Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka’s team working to transform the institution into a major seminary, adding a graduate school of theology in 1988.
In 1991, he was sent back to Rome to serve as an official of the Administrative Section of the Vatican Secretariat of State, returning to Detroit in 1994, when he was appointed rector-president of the newly re-founded Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
On June 12, 1996, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit by Pope St. John Paul II, and was ordained by Cardinal Adam J. Maida on July 9, 1996. On Jan. 10, 2003, the pope appointed him coadjutor bishop of Oakland, California, and he succeeded to that see on Oct. 1 of that year.
Six years later, on Jan. 5, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named then-Bishop Vigneron the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and he was installed on Jan. 28, 2009, succeeding Cardinal Maida, the man who ordained him a bishop.
In the 16 years since, Archbishop Vigneron has led a significant missionary transformation of the Archdiocese of Detroit. His decision to convoke a historic synod in 2016 — the first in the Archdiocese of Detroit in nearly 50 years — led to a re-orientation of structures, parishes and institutions in the archdiocese with a focus on moving “from maintenance to mission.”
His signature pastoral letter, “Unleash the Gospel,” released on the solemnity of Pentecost in 2017, encouraged the local Church to build on the synod’s graces by transforming the archdiocese into a “joyful band of missionary disciples,” ready to embrace the challenges of 21st century evangelization.
Under Archbishop Vigneron’s leadership, the Archdiocese of Detroit saw the elevation of two local churches as minor basilicas — the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak in 2015 and the Basilica of Ste. Anne in Detroit in 2020 — and witnessed the beatification of Blessed Solanus Casey, a Capuchin friar known for his humility and works of healing, before 65,000 people at Detroit’s Ford Field in 2017.
Fr. Jeffrey Day, who has served as moderator of the curia under Archbishop Vigneron since 2017, reflected upon Archbishop Vigneron’s ministry while pledging to support the new archbishop-elect in “the very best way we can.”
Fr. Day said he has been privileged to witness Archbishop Vigneron’s “personal commitment to Jesus” and thanked him.
“He is a true disciple of Jesus,” Fr. Day said at the conclusion of the press conference. “These things he talks about with ‘Unleash the Gospel’ and going from maintenance to mission, these aren’t slogans. This is his life, and he’s poured it out for all of us.”
A farewell Mass will take place for Archbishop Vigneron at 11 a.m. March 9 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.
On March 17, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger will lead evening prayer (Vespers) at 5:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. The following day, March 18, he will be installed as Detroit’s sixth archbishop during a solemn 2 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
