A D VA NCI NG T H E MI SSION
A heart aflame with love
One hundred years after Sacred Heart
first opened for classes on Sept. 11, 1919,
in a rented space in what is now Detroit’s
Midtown, Archbishop Vigneron ac-
knowledged the many “big events” in the
seminary’s history, from the “courage” of
Bishop Michael J. Gallagher in raising $6
million “in 1920s money” to fund its con-
struction to its steady growth in the wake
of the second World War.
Even in the recession years of the late
1970s and early 1980s, Sacred Heart had
reason to celebrate its survival as a bless-
ing from God, the archbishop said.
“Money was so tight that the rector
then had to rent space in the basement
for a goat to be kept as part of a Montes-
sori school,” said Archbishop Vigneron,
who himself served as rector of Sacred
Heart from 1994 to 2003. “It’s true. We
came that close, but we survived.”
Another pivotal moment came in
1988, when Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka
established a graduate school of theol-
ogy at Sacred Heart, a decision that led
to the re-foundation of Sacred Heart as
a place of “national renown” for prepar-
ing priests and lay leaders for the New
Evangelization.
While all those moments are appro-
priate subjects for giving thanks, “the
glory of these 100 years is what God has
done in human hearts,” Archbishop Vi-
gneron said.
Reflecting upon Sacred Heart’s name-
sake, the archbishop said the Scripture
passage chiseled into the seminary’s cor-
nerstone, “I will give you shepherds after
my own heart” (Jer 3:15), is a constant
reminder of the heart of Jesus Christ,
which “burns with an infinite love” for
his flock.
“The more awesome we understand
His heart to be, I think the better we will
be able to give God thanks and praise
tonight,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “In
His Sacred Heart, in the Incarnation, Je-
sus makes his very own that part of our
human being, our human family, which
is a symbol for love given and love that
begs to be reciprocated.”
“To have that kind of heart, to have a
heart that’s aflame with the very heart of
Jesus Christ, the love of the Good Shep-
herd, is not easy,” the archbishop contin-
ued. “It requires dying, and those are the
graces often unknown and unmarked for
which we especially, I think, should give
God thanks.”
Marking the occasion with a Mass
isn’t just an appropriate response to
those graces, Archbishop Vigneron said;
it’s essential.
“We’re Christians, so when we remem-
ber our blessing, we are to be moved to
thanksgiving,” the archbishop said. “And
we’re Catholics, so when we begin to thank
God, we know that the right way to do it
is to lift up our hearts to the Lord and to
offer our thanksgiving in union with our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is even now in
front of His Father, giving thanks. And so
we, his members, tonight are joined with
Jesus our head in giving thanks.”
Msgr. Todd Lajiness, the current rector
of Sacred Heart, thanked the archbishop
for his presence and message to the semi-
nary community.
“It is with great joy, great humility and
great hope that we gather as a commu-
nity, lifting our minds and voices to the
living God who has, by His providence,
guided us, been present with us during
all these years, and we’re confident He
continues to lead us as we go forward for
another 100 years,” Msgr. Lajiness said.
Seminarians, alumni grateful
for formation
For several of the alumni in attendance,
the centennial Mass was a chance to re-
flect on memories and to give thanks for
the graces of their own formation years.
“I remember quite often gathering for
prayer in the chapel,” said Msgr. John
Budde, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Mil-
ford, who attended Sacred Heart from
1964-68 for high school and 1968-72 for
college. “We had such a good brother-
hood. I have lifelong friends from here,
and we have established a lifelong com-
radery and community.”
Msgr. Budde recalled educators such
as Fr. Paul Berg, a philosophy professor,
who left a “real profound impact on us,”
as well as Christian service opportuni-
ties that impressed upon the seminar-
ians the importance of reaching out to
those in poverty.
“Sacred Heart Seminary became seen
as the heartbeat of the whole diocese,
and it has continued to be so because of
the number of lay people who have been
schooled here and have gone out into the
parishes,” Msgr. Budde said.
Such a commitment to service and
discipleship continues to make its mark
on today’s seminarians, said Jeremy Sch-
upbach, a first-year theology seminarian
from St. Daniel Parish in Clarkston.
“It’s all about discipleship,” Schup-
bach said. “That’s the word that comes to
mind, and also the word that our rector,
Msgr. Lajiness, speaks to us most about.
It’s about learning exactly what it is to fol-
low Jesus, and to be close enough to him
to listen to him, and ultimately, in that
listening, to hear his will.”
Schupbach said he’s grateful for the
world-class formation and instruction he
receives at Sacred Heart, which includes a
30-day Ignatian retreat, pilgrimages to the
Holy Land and to Rome, and a “preach-
ing boot camp” during the summer.
“As far as I can tell, no other seminary
in the United States has a program like
we have with the preaching boot camp,
which brings in acting professors to share
public speaking skills,” Schupbach said.
“The array of formation tools they put at
our disposal here is one of the best array
of tools that is given to seminarians any-
where in the United States.”
Schupbach said Sacred Heart has a rep-
utation as one of the premiere seminaries
in the country, thanks to world-renowned
professors such as Mary Healy, Ph.D.,
and Ralph Martin, Ph.D.
“Our entire faculty is really amazing.
People know the names,” Schupbach
said. “I would just say from my experience
of being on the inside, people wouldn’t
know our priest formators as well — they
aren’t big names — but I have just as much
respect for them.
“It’s not an easy thing to take a man
who’s been raised in our present culture
and bring him into the paradigm shift
that is discipleship,” Schupbach added.
“It’s about following Jesus.”
Michael Stechschulte is editor of the Detroit
Catholic.
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