An Archdiocese In DEFIANCE of the Pope...
...And no one has been willing to fix it.
Alright, I understand the title sounds a bit “over the top”, but it’s actually true. The Archdiocese of Detroit still, to this day, has a letter which is in direct defiance of a Papal Directive and has not be superseded by any of the Archbishops since it was originally written in 2009.
Fresh off the heels of “Summorum Pontificum” which opened up the Traditional Latin Mass / Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (take your pick for the name), the Archdiocese of Detroit released a letter titled “Regarding the Society of St Pius X” (from here on shall be referenced as “SSPX”):
Regarding the Society of St Pius X
Release Date: 12/1/09
The Society of St. Pius XThe Society of St. Pius X was established by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who was opposed to many of the changes in the Church that came as a result of Vatican II. Since 1975 this Society has not been in full communion with the Holy See. Over the years there have been repeated attempts by Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and now by Pope Benedict XVI to heal this rift and bring the members of the Society of St. Pius X back into full union with the Church. To date these attempts have been unsuccessful.
Please note….The Society of St. Pius X has established a number of churches in Southeast Michigan. In their signage these churches identify themselves as Catholic Churches even though they are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Faithful Catholics need to know that the ministers (priests) in these churches “cannot legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church”. They do not have the faculty to hear confessions validly and they lack the delegation needed for valid Catholic weddings. The following is a listing of churches of the Society of St. Pius X in the Archdiocese of Detroit:
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Richmond
St. Anne’s Catholic Church, Livonia
The following churches, not part of the Society of St. Pius X, are also not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church:
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Fraser
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wayne
St. Dominic Chapel, Highland
St. John XXIII Independent Catholic Church, Wyandotte
Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC), Hamtramck
All Saints PNCC, Sterling Heights
Resurrection PNCC, Temperance
Our Savior PNCC, Dearborn Heights
Pray for unity…All the faithful are encouraged to continue to pray that God will bring the Society of St. Pius X and all other Christian communities into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church so that we may all be one.
This letter was released during the first year of the tenure of then Archbishop Allen Vigneron, fresh off the retirement of Cardinal Archbishop Adam Maida.
This letter remains in 2025 the only letter addressing the status of the SSPX in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and it has not been updated even though Pope Francis has since granted faculties to the SSPX UNIVERSALLY in “Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy“ and then extended these faculties indefinitely in “Misericordia et misera”.
It has been almost a decade since these faculties were granted, and the Archdiocese of Detroit’s only declaration regarding the SSPX, should any of the faithful parishioners be inquiring, is that:
“Faithful Catholics need to know that the ministers (priests) in these churches “cannot legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church”. They do not have the faculty to hear confessions validly and they lack the delegation needed for valid Catholic weddings.”
However this in a direct contradiction with the letter of Pope Francis, “Misericordia et misera”, which states:
“For the Jubilee Year I had also granted that those faithful who, for various reasons, attend churches officiated by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, can validly and licitly receive the sacramental absolution of their sins.[15] For the pastoral benefit of these faithful, and trusting in the good will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full communion in the Catholic Church, I have personally decided to extend this faculty beyond the Jubilee Year, until further provisions are made, lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.”
Additionally a letter (see below or follow the link) from Cardinal Muller addresses the ability for the SSPX to be able to validly celebrate marriages (with the permission of the local ordinary):
And yet the Archdiocese of Detroit has chosen to ignore all of this and has not rescinded the 2009 declaration or given any further updates regarding the SSPX and their faculties.
Whether this is politically motivated or just completely missed by the Archdiocese of Detroit, there have been at least a few people who have attempted to privately bring this matter to the attention of the Archdiocese over the past decade (according to my sources) however nothing has been done.
I am now PUBLICLY asking the Archdiocese of Detroit to retract or update their letter regarding the SSPX so that there is no further confusion for parishioners within the Archdiocese.
Sincerely,
Your Brother in Spirit, Frater Spiritus
Follow me on Twitter / X: @FraterSpiritus