Cardinal Tobin marks Jesuits’ 150th anniversary in Detroit
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, returned to his hometown of Detroit for a special Mass marking an important milestone for the city’s Jesuit community.
In 1877, the then-Bishop of Detroit, Caster H. Borges, invited the Society of Jesuits to establish a college in the diocese. Detroit College, which has since been renamed the University of Detroit Mercy, is the largest Catholic university in Michigan. Its distinguished alumni include novelist Elmore Leonard and former NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Spencer Haywood.
The July 31 liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was transferred to the Jesuits as the centerpiece of the new college. Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger concelebrated the anniversary Mass, along with many members of the local Jesuit community.
In his homily, Cardinal Tobin spoke of the “divine fire” that “ignited the heart of a wounded soldier in Loyola,” a town in northern Spain. That fire led Ignatius of Loyola to found the Jesuit order which “swept across the globe,” and led to the Jesuits’ presence in Detroit almost 150 years ago.
“We gather today not merely to look back at history. We gather to fan those flames,” the cardinal said.
A call to be “even more radically faithful”
“The Gospel does not allow us to treat our faith like a museum exhibit,” Cardinal Tobin said. “Christ is not asking us today to admire what the Jesuits did in 1877 or 1950 or 1990.” Pointing to challenges posed by social division, economic disparity, and a growing mental health crisis among the young, he invited worshippers to pray that the Jesuit presence in Detroit will become “even more radically faithful, more convincingly free, and even more daring and courageous than in its first century and a half.”
Cardinal Tobin, who grew up in Detroit, was sent back to the city by the Redemptorists after his ordination to the priesthood. There he served as associate pastor and later as pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish located in southwest Detroit. He also held numerous diocesan roles prior to 1990, when his superiors sent him to Chicago.
As reported by Detroit Catholic, Cardinal Tobin concluded the celebration by encouraging the Jesuits and their supporters to leave with “a new commitment to walk together into the future.”
“Let us envision a Detroit where power is continually displaced by conscience, where economic progress is measured by solidarity, where technology is always alleged to serve the dignity of humans. Through the intercession of Saint Ignatius Loyola, may the Lord bless the Society of Jesus in Detroit,” he said.
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin celebrated Mass on July 31 at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Detroit to mark the 150th anniversary of the Jesuit presence in the city. (Photo by Valaurian Waller/Detroit Catholic)
