DETROIT — On Oct. 9, Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Donald F. Hanchon celebrated his 75th birthday, the age at which bishops are canonically required to offer their resignation to the pope.
Although Bishop Hanchon’s retirement has not yet been accepted by Rome — and there is no set timetable for that to happen — Detroit Catholic sat down with the bishop to reflect on his 48 years as a priest and bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Raised in a humble family in Wayne, Bishop Hanchon said he “always knew” he wanted to become a priest; what he didn’t know is where God would send him after that.
In 2011, the longtime pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in southwest Detroit — the largest Hispanic parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit — was called to “follow in the footsteps of the fisherman,” as he was ordained an auxiliary bishop by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. For the past 12 years, he’s served as the moderator for the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Central Region and as a voice for the marginalized in the city of Detroit and beyond.
Video by Andrew Kleczek and Rick Giffin
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