Speaking to young adults about faith, vocations and discerning God’s will, archbishop recalls his own humble upbringing

TROY — On Tuesday night, the Detroit Catholic young adult community got to see a lighter side of their spiritual leader, who shared stories of faith, family and answering God’s call.

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron was the featured speaker during Theology on Tap at Camp Ticonderoga in Troy on Oct. 8. The one-hour presentation was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Detroit's Office of Young Adult Ministry, giving Archbishop Vigneron a chance to address an estimated 100 young adults in a relaxed setting.

“One of the things my parents taught me was accountability,” Archbishop Vigneron said of his youth growing up in Anchorville, a small, rural community on Anchor Bay in Macomb County. “My father insisted, ‘Do you think God only gave you a head for a hat? Think, don’t just do.’ I grew up with this thought of accountability, responsibility and an attitude that the world is basically good, meaningful and it makes sense.”

During lightning storms, Archbishop Vigneron’s mother used to light candles as a prayer that the small, rural home would not be struck by lighting.

He also recalled the “rotation” his parents practiced at Immaculate Conception Parish in Ira Township, the family parish. 

“My parents didn’t think noisy children should go to Mass — I’m not saying that; it’s just what they did — so they took turns going to Mass,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “But as a family, we’d always go to the novena in the winter, leading up the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.”

Archbishop Vigneron explained that his father, a road construction worker, would pray often for providence during those months, when work was scarce. 

“During the winter, it was a matter of getting through the season, relying on God, praying that we’d have enough so we could have ham for the holidays,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “As a child, it was part of my identity that God was part of the world, and being Catholic was just who we were.”

Archbishop Vigneron said he discerned the priesthood from an early age, attending Sacred Heart Seminary High School in Detroit, but it wasn't always without struggle.

“My parents didn’t push me into the priesthood, but with my specific seminary and college experience, my faith transformed from something given to something embraced,” Archbishop Vigneron explained. “I hated the seminary at times. I was homesick, but the system I worked out with my parents was, if I left, I couldn’t come back. So at 14 or 15, that’s a big decision. But feelings were subservient to this conviction to sacrifice for God, for what God would give to me.”

Archbishop Vigneron alluded to his time in the seminary in 1968, when the Church — and the world — was facing great upheaval.

“In 1968, it seemed the entire world was on fire with riots in Paris, the war in Vietnam, civil unrest here,” Archbishop Vigneron recalled. “There were voices in the Church that the Eucharist would disappear, that the Church didn’t need priests anymore.

“Many of my friends were giving up,” Archbishop Vigneron added. “I was in the balcony of the seminary, praying about this — really, I was whining to God. It was the most powerful prayer experience for me. I was thinking about the Lord in Gethsemane, and as a kid during Holy Week, I thought the apostles Peter, James and John were a bunch of jerks, falling asleep on Jesus. But then it became clear to me: I was Peter, James and John during this difficult time. I was asleep to Jesus’ will, tempted to escape. I came to this realization that this is not what I wanted to be, so I resolved to remain.”

Everyone faces challenges in discernment at some point during life, Archbishop Vigneron said, but the key is to listen carefully to the Lord's direction. 

“To abandon oneself to the Father’s needs is to ask, ‘Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead or not?’” Archbishop Vigneron said. “And if so, (we need to) do that challenging thing.”

Archbishop Vigneron ended his talk by reflecting on some of his favorite saints, including St. Philip Neri and St. Francis de Sales, whom he said he admires for their demeanor, determination and conviction to preach the Gospel, regardless of circumstances.

“God cares about you being happy more than you do,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “He won’t do it the way you tell Him to do it, I promise you that. But you have to pray for what He wants from you, and I bet He will make it possible. 

“Nothing in life will help you succeed more that the support of Christ,” the archbishop added. “And always remember, Christ wants you to succeed; he has a lot invested in you.”