Cardinal Maida and Bishop Gumbleton celebrate 60 years of priesthood, Bishop Reiss celebrates 50

In addition to the priests, religious and deacons whose jubilees are celebrated in the pages that follow, this year, three bishops of the Archdiocese of Detroit are also celebrating milestone anniversaries of their priestly ordination. Cardinal Adam J. Maida, archbishop emeritus of Detroit, is celebrating his 60th jubilee as a priest this year, as is retired Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. Retired Auxiliary Bishop Francis R. Reiss is celebrating his 50th jubilee as a priest as well. Throughout their ministries as bishops, they retain the original character of their ordination as priests, but add to it the threefold office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in the fullness of their holy orders. The three bishops below have executed that office in a multitude of ways, and we join in praying for them in their ministry.

 

Cardinal Adam J. Maida

For Cardinal Adam J. Maida, celebrating his 60th jubilee, the best part about being a priest is “the great privilege of celebrating Mass every day.”

“Bonding with Christ in the Eucharist is a great joy,” the cardinal told The Michigan Catholic. “On a pastoral level, the preaching of the Gospel, administering the sacraments to the people, encouraging them to live the Gospel and building up the Body of Christ in our local community” has been the best part, he said.

Cardinal Maida, 86, was born in East Vandergrift, Pa., and attended St. Mary’s Preparatory and College in Orchard Lake; St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pa.; St. Mary’s University in Baltimore (licentiate in sacred theology); the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (licentiate in canon law); and Duquesne Law School in Pittsburgh (doctorate in civil law). He was admitted to practice law before the bar for the state of Pennsylvania, the federal bar in Western Pennsylvania, and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

He was ordained a priest on May 26, 1956, at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh.

Following ordination, Cardinal Maida served in the Diocese of Pittsburgh as an associate pastor, vice chancellor and general counsel in the diocesan Tribunal, as assistant professor of theology at La Roche College, and adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University Law School.

During this time, the legal scholar and future cardinal was an active member of several committees in Rome preparing for the 1983 publication of the Code of Canon Law for the universal Church.

On Jan. 25, 1984, he was consecrated and installed as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis. On May 7, 1990, Pope St. John Paul II named Bishop Maida as the ninth ordinary and fourth archbishop of Detroit. He was installed as archbishop on June 12, 1990, and was named to the College of Cardinals on Oct. 30, 1994. He was elevated to the college during a consistory at the Vatican on Nov. 26, 1994.

In addition to various responsibilities as archbishop of Detroit, Cardinal Maida’s appointments to the Roman Curia have included: membership on the Congregation for Catholic Education, Congregation for the Clergy, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, and the Cardinal Commission for the Supervision of the Institute of Works of Religion; as a consultor for the Congregation for the Clergy; and on the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legal Texts.

At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and formerly the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Maida’s appointments have included: chairman of the Committee on Canonical Affairs; member of the Administrative Committee, the Bishops’ Welfare Emergency Relief Committee, the Committee on Migration, the Committee on Priorities and Plans, the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, the Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Affairs of the Holy See, the Ad Hoc Committee-Ex Corde Ecclesiae; episcopal liaison to the Committee for the Polish Apostolate; member of the Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization; and ex-officio member of the International Policy Committee.

Cardinal Maida was one of the founders of a national collection for the Church in Eastern Europe, which was in need after the fall of communism in 1989-90. The cardinal told The Michigan Catholic this work was among the projects that meant the most to him.

“As a bishop, it was a privilege to assist and to witness the local churches and see those oppressed countries and the Church come back to life,” Cardinal Maida said. “Having been suppressed for hundreds of years, it was a great joy to see them come back to life and to grow so beautifully to the present day. I feel very much like a missionary in undertaking this very significant and important role in Eastern Europe.”

Cardinal Maida’s other positions have included: member of the board of directors for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC); member of the board of directors for the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center in Massachusetts; member of the board of trustees for the Catholic University of America; member of the board of trustees for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.; member of the board of governors for the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor; member of the board of directors for the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia; member of the board of trustees for The Papal Foundation in Philadelphia; member of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation in Rome; episcopal moderator and president of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation in the United States; and president of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.

Cardinal Maida also served as chairman of the board of trustees for the Michigan Catholic Conference in Lansing, Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake.

He served as episcopal adviser for the National Fellowship of Catholic Men in Gaithersburg, Md., and ecclesiastical protector for the International Order of Alhambra.

As a member of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Maida participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI and participated in pre-conclave meetings with other cardinals in Rome before the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, both of which he called “the highlight of my ministry as a priest and bishop in the Church.”

Cardinal Maida looked back on the 2013 resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as a moment of “great courage” demonstrated by the former



pontiff and a model for bishops across the world.

“I have a deep admiration for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He is a very holy man, a gifted teacher of the faith and a very humble person,” Cardinal Maida said. “He acknowledged his inability, because of health and the aging process, to respond to the serious responsibilities as Supreme Pontiff.”

Cardinal Maida submitted his own resignation to the Vatican upon his 75th birthday in 2005, but was asked to remain as archbishop of Detroit until his resignation was accepted in January 2009. On Jan. 29, 2009, he was succeeded as archbishop of Detroit by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron.

Since then, Cardinal Maida has committed himself to a ministry of prayer, attending archdiocesan functions such as the annual Chrism Mass and the ordination of priests, along with the occasional visit to Rome. He continues to live in Metro Detroit during the warmer months with his brother, Fr. Thaddeus Maida, a retired priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Today, the cardinal said, his prayer is “one of thanksgiving to God for the priesthood.”

“It was a great joy and humble experience to work with God’s people and be an instrument of God’s grace in their lives,” Cardinal Maida said. “I am especially grateful for having the privilege and joy of working with and being inspired by the dedicated priests, religious and laity who live the faith and witness to God’s presence in this Detroit community.”

 

Bishop Francis R. Reiss

For Bishop Reiss, 50 years of priesthood has centered on the Eucharist.

“It was important for me to realize that if we truly believe in the presence of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father, no matter what happens you’re going to be able to get through it,” Bishop Reiss told The Michigan Catholic during an interview shortly after his November resignation as an active bishop was accepted by Rome. “That’s been my strength, my security.”

Bishop Reiss, 75, was born in Detroit and attended St. Stephen and St. Andrew schools; Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit; St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth Township; the University of Detroit; the University of Notre Dame; and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Ordained a priest on June 4, 1966, in Detroit, he celebrated his first Mass at St. Stephen Church in Detroit.

Then-Fr. Reiss served as associated pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Detroit, from 1966-69. From 1969-82, he served at Sacred Heart Seminary as spiritual director, director of recruitment and admissions, and assistant to the rector-president. During his time at the seminary, he was also associate pastor at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Parish, Detroit (1970-71); pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, Detroit (1978-80); and campus minister of the Gabriel Richard Campus Ministry at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (1970-74).

During those early days, Bishop Reiss said, “I loved what I was doing. We had a school, and it was just the way you become enlivened by the faith of the people you serve. One of the most beautiful sacraments I love to celebrate is the sacrament of penance.”

He served in the Metropolitan Tribunal (1984-86) and as director of the archdiocesan Department of Education (1986-88) and archdiocesan grievance clerk. From 1988-90, he was academic dean and treasurer of Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s School of Theology.

He also was administrator of St. James Parish, Ferndale (1985), and Epiphany Parish, Detroit (1985-86). He became pastor of St. Mary Parish, Port Huron, in 1990, serving there until 1993. He also served as pastor of SS. Peter and Paul (Westside) Parish, Detroit (1993-98), and St. Frances Cabrini Parish, Allen Park (1998-2003). He served as vicar of the Port Huron Vicariate (1992-95) and Southland Vicariate (1998-2004), and served on the Priests’ Senate as well as various committees.

On July 7, 2003, Pope St. John Paul II named him an auxiliary bishop of Detroit, and he was consecrated a bishop at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Aug. 12, 2003. Bishop Reiss has served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s South Region, and has also served as judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal (2009-15), and as moderator of the curia (2008-09). As a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Reiss served as co-chairman of the bishops’ Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue.

Bishop Reiss said celebrating confirmations is “the happiest task a bishop has.”

“You see there the fresh faces of these young men and women. I have to say, when I preach to them during confirmation, I can see them looking at me and listening. I can’t say that all the time, but they want to learn about Jesus,” he said.

Bishop Reiss’ resignation was submitted and accepted by Pope Francis on Nov. 11, 2015, upon reaching the canonical retirement age of 75. However, Bishop Reiss has continued to minister to the archdiocese’s South Region in his retirement, currently assisting at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish, Divine Savior and St. Damian parishes in Westland, as well as celebrating Masses and administering the sacrament of confirmation. Bishop Reiss also presided at the ordination of four new transitional deacons for the Archdiocese of Detroit in April 2016.

Bishop Reiss said he considered becoming a teacher before entering the seminary, but ended up teaching anyway in various roles, a vocation he credits to his days in seminary.

“I guess that’s a good reason they call it a seminary; it’s where seeds grow,” he said. “I’ve never been in an assignment where I haven’t been able to either teach or have a school. I’ve either been at the seminary or in campus ministry or director of the (archdiocesan) department of education, things of that nature. In a sense, I have been a teacher, and a priest as well.”

Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton

Bishop Gumbleton said it was his parents and family who largely inspired his vocation to the priesthood 60 years ago, and since then, “it’s been a very rewarding experience.”

“I’ve always felt that I received more from my ministry than I’ve ever given to it, interacting with people, getting to know people and learning from them,” Bishop Gumbleton said.

Bishop Gumbleton, 86, was born in Detroit and attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth Township. He was ordained a priest June 2, 1956, in Detroit and celebrated his first Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church in Dearborn Heights.

He served as associate pastor at St. Alphonsus Parish, Dearborn (1956-60), and assistant chancellor for the Archdiocese of Detroit (1960-61) before undertaking his graduate studies in canon law from 1961-64. He returned to the position of assistant chancellor in 1964 and added the position of vice-chancellor in 1965. In 1967, he was appointed administrator of Holy Ghost Parish, Detroit.

He was consecrated a bishop on May 1, 1968. Bishop Gumbleton served as vicar for the parishes from 1968-73. He served as pastor of St. Aloysius Parish, Detroit, from 1973-77. He was appointed to Cardinal John Dearden’s staff in 1977. Bishop Gumbleton served as assistant bishop for the West Region from 1977-83, adding the Northwest Region from 1981-83. In 1983, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Center City Region and vicar general for archdiocesan Central Services. Later that year, he was appointed pastor of St. Leo Parish, Detroit, in addition to his other responsibilities. Bishop Gumbleton was relieved of responsibilities as vicar general for Central Services in 1986. In October 1991, he was named auxiliary bishop for the East Region and remained in that role until January 1994, when he was relieved of administrative responsibilities to serve full time as pastor of St. Leo Parish in Detroit. He retirement was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI in January 2006, and he served as administrator of St. Leo until January 2007.

Since then, Bishop Gumbleton has continued to minister in parishes and in various social justice and peace efforts around the world. Throughout his ministry, the bishop has visited various war-torn and afflicted areas, including in Vietnam, Central America, Mexico, Columbia, El Salvador and other Latin American countries. The bishop also visited hostages during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and visited Iraq during the war there.

“I suppose the one that in some ways was most significant was in El Salvador when they finally signed the peace agreement in 1992,” Bishop Gumbleton said. “All of those areas are places where the problems were never totally solved, but you could see some improvement in the lives of people.”

Bishop Gumbleton continues to work with various social justice programs, including Pax Christi USA, which promotes peace around the world, giving talks and visiting those who are afflicted.

The bishop, who still has an office at St. Leo, continues to work with the inner-city poor in Detroit who come to the parish’s meal program and through sacramental and healing ministries.

“Everything I’ve done has been entering into the life and concerns of other people,” he said. “From that, I’ve been very much enriched by those people.”