DETROIT — The three most significant contributions Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka made to the Archdiocese of Detroit were, in the view of Msgr. Charles Kosanke, in the areas of priestly formation and priestly life, marriage and family, and finances.

On that first point, he called the cardinal’s “refounding” of Sacred Heart Major Seminary “one of his strongest contributions, referring to the way Cardinal Szoka transformed the former college seminary that once also had a high school division into a college and graduate school seminary to serve the archdiocese and also attract seminarians studying for other dioceses.

“The seminary has really become the ‘heart’ of the archdiocese, thanks to his vision,” said Msgr. Kosanke, pastor of St. Regis Parish, Bloomfield Hills and director of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan.

Cardinal Szoka’s concern for priests also included support for priests experiencing difficulties. And if he had a reputation for being stern, it was just that “He had high expectations, and expected people to meet those expectgations.”

The cardinal’s concern about marriage and family life was most notable in his reform of the archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal, which included the elimination of fees in annulment cases, in the monsignor’s view: “He was one of the first bishops to streamline and computerize their tribunals.”

And when it came to finances, Msgr. Kosanke continued, “He left the archdiocese in great financial shape.”

The monsignor acknowledged that the parish closings were painful, but he added, “You have to do the right thing, despite adverse reactions.”

That concern about finances certainly carried over to Cardinal Szoka’s work at the Vatican after his time as archbishop of Detroit, but so did his concern for the priests of his former archdiocese.

“He was always very supportive of the Detroit priests studying in Rome, and always attended their doctoral defenses,” Msgr. Kosanke said.

On a personal note, the monsignor told how it was Cardinal Szoka who ordained him to the priesthood in 1985, and then, two years later, sent him for doctoral studies in Rome.

He said the cardinal was also supportive of his efforts in behalf of the Vatican Library (Msgr. Kosanke is president of the American Friends of the Vatican Library), and that he always found the cardinal’s door open when he would visit Rome.

“I was especially grateful that, when my parents visited Rome, Cardinal Szoka arranged for them to attend Mass in the pope’s private chapel, and that, because of him, my parents were able to meet St. John Paul,” he added.