Edward Weisenberger to be installed March 18 as archbishop of Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) - Edward J. Weisenburger has been named the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, an area that includes more than 200 Roman Catholic parishes in six southeast Michigan counties.
Pope Francis made the appointment of Weisenburger, most recently bishop of Diocese of Tucson, after officially accepting the resignation of Allen Vigneron as archbishop in Detroit. The resignation and appointment were announced Tuesday in Washington, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Vigneron is now age 76; and submitted his resignation as required by church law when he turned 75 on Oct. 21, 2023. Pope Francis has asked him to serve as apostolic administrator until Weisenberger arrives.
The installation ceremony for the archbishop-elect will take place on March 18, the Detroit office announced.
"I would hope people would know I plan to give it my absolute all," said Weisenburger. "That's the most we can do, the best we can do. What I find is whenever we give our all to something, God takes it refashions it and makes it something beautiful."
In Arizona, Weisenberger, age 64, served in the fifth largest diocese in the continental U.S. That area has about 400,000 Catholics served by nearly 200 priests, 77 parishes and 23 Catholic schools, according to the Tucson diocese's website.
Weisenberger was born in Illinois and grew up in Oklahoma. He was ordained as a priest in 1987; and appointed bishop of Salina, Kansas in 2012. His Tucson bishop appointment began in 2017.
The Archdiocese of Detroit is Michigan's largest Catholic diocese with more than 900,000 Catholics and 213 parishes among Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.
"I count myself blessed by God, far beyond what I deserve, to have served for these past sixteen years as the principal pastor of the archdiocese," Vigneron said in the announcement. "It has been the joy of my life to lead this local Church in responding to the Lord's commission to share his Good News of salvation."
