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A New
Shepherd:
Archbishop
Weisenburger’s
Delivers
First
Ash
Wednesday
in
Detroit
Jean
Davis -
Local/State
Tell Us
Detroit
News
DETROIT
-
Archbishop
Edward
J.
Weisenburger
looked
out over
a packed
congregation
at St.
Aloysius
Parish
in
downtown
Detroit
yesterday,
marking
his
first
Ash
Wednesday
as the
spiritual
leader
of the
archdiocese.
The
atmosphere
was one
of quiet
reflection
as the
faithful
gathered
to begin
the
forty-day
Lenten
journey,
a stark
contrast
to the
bustling
city
streets
just
outside
the
church
doors.
Since
his
installation
last
March,
the
Archbishop
has
become a
familiar
face in
the
community,
but this
service
held a
particular
weight
as it
signaled
the
start of
his
first
full
liturgical
cycle in
the
Motor
City.
During
his
homily,
Weisenburger
addressed
the long
lines of
people
often
seen on
this
day,
noting
that the
desire
for
ashes is
seemingly
written
into the
DNA of
the
Catholic
faithful.
He spoke
candidly
about
the
public
nature
of the
ritual,
clarifying
that
wearing
ashes is
not
intended
as a
boastful
display
of
holiness.
Instead,
he
described
the soot
on the
forehead
as a
humble
admission
that
Christians
are no
different
from the
rest of
the
world—sinners
who are
constantly
in need
of mercy
and
redirection.
He also
took a
moment
to
challenge
modern
critiques
that
view the
Lenten
focus on
penance
as an
unhealthy
obsession
with
guilt.
Weisenburger
argued
that in
a year
of three
hundred
and
sixty-five
days,
dedicating
forty of
them to
intentional
self-correction
and
spiritual
discipline
is a
balanced
and
necessary
practice.
He
framed
Lent not
as a
period
of
gloom,
but as a
grounded
reminder
of human
finitude.
In a
culture
that
often
avoids
the
reality
of
death,
he
suggested
that
being
told
"thou
art
dust"
serves
as a
vital
anchor
that
prepares
the
heart
for the
eventual
joy of
Easter.
The
service
concluded
with the
Archbishop
himself
distributing
ashes,
tracing
the
black
crosses
on the
foreheads
of
parishioners
ranging
from
young
professionals
working
nearby
to
longtime
residents
of the
city. As
he moves
into the
remainder
of his
first
year,
this
Mass
served
as a
foundational
moment
for his
leadership,
emphasizing
a
message
of
universal
humility
and the
shared
human
need for
renewal.
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