Archbishop-elect Weisenburger makes first visits to archdiocesan Chancery and cathedral, greets future coworkers
DETROIT — Sr. Esther Mary Nickel, RSM, is one of the few people in the Archdiocese of Detroit who knew Archbishop-elect Edward J. Weisenburger before he was named the sixth archbishop of Detroit on Feb. 11.
Sr. Nickel has a doctorate in agronomy and plant genetics from the University of Minnesota and was on the board for the St. Paul, Minn.-based Catholic Rural Life, where she met Archbishop-elect Weisenburger, then the bishop of Salina, Kansas.
So when she found she was going to be working with her former colleague again, only this time in southeast Michigan, she was both surprised and felt God’s providence at work.
“I was praying for him immediately when I found out he was going to be our next archbishop,” Sr. Nickel, director for the Office of Sacred Worship in the Archdiocese of Detroit, told Detroit Catholic. “It wasn’t something I originally thought about — of all the people I know, I didn’t think he’d be picked — but that’s how the Holy Spirit does it; He tells us the secrets of the heart that the Lord is going to reveal in time.”
Archbishop-elect Weisenburger is a native of Oklahoma City, and his experience as bishop of Salina (2012-17) and then Tucson, Arizona, brought him into contact with the Church in more rural parts of the country.
When most people hear of Detroit, they might think of urban sprawl, but Sr. Nickel, herself a Monroe County native, said Detroit’s archbishop-elect will feel right at home when he visits the peripheries of his new archdiocese.
“Even though this is Detroit, everyone thinks of the big city. But Detroit is a great mix with urban farmers, rural areas, everything in between," Sr. Nickel said. "I knew that he loved ranchers and farmers and that he was very humble and that he embraced everyone, as he said, as someone who brings with him the image of Christ.”
Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton also knows Archbishop-elect Weisenburger from their time at “baby bishop school,” the formation program for new bishops at the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum in Rome.
Archbishop-elect Weisenburger and Bishop Monforton were both consecrated as bishops in 2012, sent to Salina and Steubenville, Ohio, respectively.
“It was an opportunity to network with your fellow bishops as you are taking it all in,” Bishop Monforton explained. “It was two weeks of courses, conferences and having dinner together, and then after we got to meet the pope. So you keep in touch with the guys in your camp, mostly through Christmas cards or meetings with the bishops in the United States.”
Bishop Monforton also got to know Archbishop-elect Weisenburger at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ plenary meetings, where he witnessed the future Detroit archbishop's joyful zeal.
“People will see his joy and say, ‘I want that,'” Bishop Monforton said. "That’s how you attract people. He shares his mind with people, but he does it joyfully, and I think he comes with a very strong repertoire when it comes to academics as well as pastoral work and work in parishes.”
Bishop Monforton said it was good to see Archbishop-elect Weisenburger speak out during his introductory news conference about the Church's heart for migrants.
“His work on different initiatives with migrants will be huge here,” Bishop Monforton said. “We have a growing Hispanic population here in Detroit, the largest ethnic population when it comes to growth, so having him come here with his background will really provide a nice little injection of good news and joy.”
Positive first impressions
The Tuesday morning press conference at Sacred Heart Major Seminary was the first glimpse most local Catholics had of their new shepherd.
Before the press conference, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger briefly greeted Detroit seminarians in Sacred Heart's chapel, and after his public introduction, he met with priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit on a Zoom call.
Fr. Mario Amore, a priest of St. Aloysius Parish in downtown Detroit and director of the archdiocese's Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, said he is grateful to God for sending a talented shepherd to lead the archdiocese.
“I’d like (Archbishop-elect Weisenburger) to know Detroit is a wonderful archdiocese with great priests and lay faithful. As I’m sure he’s accustomed to in Oklahoma City or Salina or Tucson, he’ll find that same warm welcome here in Detroit," Fr. Amore said. "The people here really do have their hearts on fire for service to the Church.”
After initial conversations with the archbishop-elect, and after watching his press conference, Fr. Amore is confident the local Church will continue its evangelization- and mission-focused direction under Archbishop-elect Weisenburger.
“His general demeanor, his warmth, his happiness to be here in Detroit is what came across both in the press conference and through different conversations with the priests; he has an evident love for his priests,” Fr. Amore said.
Fr. Amore also was moved by Archbishop-elect Weisenburger's "personal holiness and what he has to say about the dignity and love we’re supposed to show as Christians to our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
During the press conference, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger spoke about the need to have strong communities of faith to be drivers of evangelization, a message that resonated with Fr. Sal Palazzolo, judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
“I think his focus on community was very poignant,” Fr. Palazzolo said. “It kind of hits the nail on the head in how you evangelize; it’s more than preaching to someone. It’s really sharing one’s life with them, building up the communion of the saints here on earth. I think that focus on community and relationships is key to evangelizing and what it means to be a member of the Church.”
When he is installed March 18, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger will lead an archdiocese of more than 900,000 Catholics and serve as the metropolitan of the Detroit ecclesiastical province, which includes the six suffragan dioceses of Michigan: Lansing, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Marquette.
Paul Long, president and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference, the official public policy arm of the Church in Michigan, said Catholics across the state look to the Archdiocese of Detroit for leadership. As archbishop of Detroit, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger will become chairman of the board of directors of the Michigan Catholic Conference.
“He clearly has a love of the Lord, a love of the Church, and I think he brings that to his ministry," Long said. "That will have an effect not only on the people of the archdiocese, but across the state, because what happens in Detroit does impact the balance of the state. His love of the Lord, love for serving the people, will pay great dividends for years to come.”
Long pointed to the Michigan Catholic Conference's recent statement calling for just and humane immigration reform that respects the rights of migrants as well as the duties and obligation of the state to govern its borders, noting Archbishop-elect Weisenburger had been asked about the subject during the Feb. 11 news conference.
Archbishop-elect Weisenburger framed the Church’s stance on migration by urging people to recognize Christ in every individual. This, Long said, offers valuable insight into the Catholic view on immigration and other related issues.
“We’re a people who believe in community; we’re people who believe in our neighbors and supporting our neighbors,” Long said. “I think as Archbishop-elect Weisenburger comes to know the people of Michigan, he’ll see those qualities among us.”
Meeting and greeting the new archbishop
Following the press conference, Archbishop-elect Weisenburger visited the archdiocesan Chancery for the first time to meet his future coworkers.
As he greeted staff, shook hands and took a tour of the downtown headquarters, archdiocesan staff got a chance to see their future archbishop up close.
Most curia staffed learned the Archdiocese of Detroit would be getting a new archbishop the morning of the press conference and were keen to know as much as they could about the man who will be leading the local Church.
Brian Mooney, chief operating officer for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said he was particularly impressed with the manner in which Archbishop-elect Weisenburger handled direct questions from the press and his candid nature in explaining his love for Jesus and his Church.
“I thought he was honest and transparent, and I think that’s a good thing in a new leader,” Mooney said. “I’m excited to work with somebody who can be very, very clear in his expectations and direction."
“I was really appreciative of his comments about community and the need for community, and how our society, our Church, needs to do a better job of building that if we’re going to continue to grow and bring people to Christ,” Mooney added.
Nicole Joyce, deputy director of the Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, said it was a bittersweet moment watching Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron announce his resignation after leading the archdiocese for 16 years.
Joyce appreciated Archbishop-elect Weisenburger’s kind words for Archbishop Vigneron and the direction the archdiocese is heading since Synod 16.
“I really appreciated that he was so forthcoming about his position on things like ministry to migrants,” Joyce said. “He clearly has a heart for evangelization and an understanding of the needs of the people here in Detroit.”
Joyce adds she hopes Archbishop-elect Weisenburger recognizes the rich tapestry of faith in the Archdiocese of Detroit, where Mass in various languages, liturgical styles and customs brings uniqueness to the local Church.
Other curia members look forward to working with Archbishop-elect Weisenburger as he gets acclimated to his new role — and acclimated to Michigan’s frigid climate.
Eric Haley, superintendent for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit, spoke briefly with Archbishop-elect Weisenburger about the role Catholic schools play in the Church’s mission in the area.
“I want our new archbishop to know we have a system of schools where we have priests and school leaders who are working extremely hard to make sure our schools stay open so we can bring our students, young people and families to the Lord,” Haley said.
"More than ever, we need to make it clear that we are partnering with families," Haley said. "Parents are the primary educators of their child, but we are here with them, and I think the schools that are having the most success are the ones that have that strong sense of community, and it really is a partnership.”
Other leaders in the Archdiocese of Detroit were impressed with Archbishop-elect Weisenburger’s commitment to creating strong communities of faith throughout the archdiocese.
Vickie Figueroa, associate director for cultural ministries and coordinator for Black Catholic ministries, said she's "very excited" about Archbishop-elect Weisenburger's appointment.
“As I watched him on the livestream, I saw a shepherd who enjoys being among people and spends time to listen, learn and discern what’s best," Figueroa said. "I saw a bishop with high regard for ministry to diverse people, which encouraged me.”
Antonio Guzman, coordinator of discipleship formation in the Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, said he loved Archbishop-elect Weisenburger's sense of humor during the press conference, even humoring the Detroit audience by putting on a Lions hat.
“He seems to be a person who is full of joy and seems to be excited to work alongside the people of southeast Michigan,” Guzman said. “His confidence in doing God's work has led him to say 'yes' often, leading him to shepherd faithful in different parts of the country. We are blessed to have such an amazing man come to serve the Archdiocese of Detroit.”
