If 2015 can be summed up from a Catholic perspective, only one word really sticks: evangelization. From the Eternal City to the Motor City, Church leaders have begun to shift focus as Catholics everywhere confront a new reality: Evangelize and grow, or do nothing and wither. In the Archdiocese of Detroit, the choice was made clear in 2015 as Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron announced the first steps for the local Church toward better fulfilling Christ’s missionary mandate. Here are the top stories from 2015:

 

Synod on evangelization

In a historic move, Archbishop Vigneron announced he will convoke a synod of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2016 as part of an “evangelization initiative” designed to urge Catholics to fulfill their mandate of discipleship by sharing Christ’s message with others. The synod, the archbishop said, will be just one part of the initiative, which has as its focus “nothing less than a radical overhaul of the Church in Detroit, a complete reversal of our focus from inward or maintenance-focused, to outward, or mission-focused.” The initiative, “Unleash the Gospel,” kicked off in 2015 with events such as “Come, Encounter Christ!” and “Revive Detroit,” amid promises of more to come.

 

Pope visits America

On evangelization, no one has been clearer than Pope Francis, whose September visit to the United States included historic speeches to Congress, the White House and the United Nations as the pontiff urged lawmakers and citizens to show mercy and compassion to their fellow man. The pope’s wide-ranging visit inspired Catholics and non-Catholics alike and helped show the nation what the compassion of Christ can look like when lived out in a genuine fashion.

 

Synod on the family

It was the year of the synod, as Rome’s version saw bishops gather from around the world to discuss some of the most pressing issues threatening the modern family. The Church’s pastors deliberated for three weeks on topics such as family life, sexuality and evangelization and issued recommendations to the Holy Father, who is expected to issue a document summarizing its work early next year.

 

Holy Year of Mercy

Highlighting the “primacy of grace” in the economy of salvation, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 8 to inaugurate the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, saying the special year will allow people everywhere to more fully experience the mercy of God’s infinite forgiveness. Following the pope’s lead, Archbishop Vigneron opened a Holy Door at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Dec. 13 to allow local Catholics the opportunity to enter more deeply into the graces of God.

 

Street evangelization

Since 2012, a local apostolate, St. Paul Street Evangelization, has taken the idea of a simple unforced conversation and used it to evangelize tens of thousands in Metro Detroit and beyond. The apostolate, headed by Detroit native Steve Dawson, is now in more than 40 states and six countries and estimates its efforts have brought thousands of lapsed Catholics and non-Catholics back into full participation with the Church. The Michigan Catholic interviewed Dawson for a feature story in July.

 

Courage conference

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling allowing same-sex civil marriage across the United States, Catholic leaders from across the world gathered in Metro Detroit for a wide-ranging conference to discern how the Catholic Church can better minister to those with same-sex attraction within the changing realities of modern society. The conference, which featured participants from more than 70 dioceses, was sponsored by Courage International and highlighted more than 30 nationwide experts.

 

Laudato Si’

Pope Francis’ second encyclical, on the duty to practice responsible stewardship over all of God’s creation, received wide media attention and became one of the most highly anticipated papal documents in recent memory. In it, the pope exhorts respect for the “integral ecology” between human beings and the whole of creation, calling on people everywhere to reject a “throwaway culture” and highlighting the connection between care for the earth and care for the poor and vulnerable.

 

Shrine becomes a basilica

In a moment of joy for Catholics in southeast Michigan, Pope Francis announced in January that the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak would become the first basilica — a special

church of pontifical right in close connection with the Holy Father — designated in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Archbishop Vigneron celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving in April with the faithful at the newly named basilica, which affords new opportunities for pilgrimage and personal graces associated with its new status.

Pro-lifers speak out

After a nationwide controversy involving Planned Parenthood’s alleged selling on fetal parts broke over the summer, pro-life advocates across the country, including in the Archdiocese of Detroit, banded together to demonstrate in large numbers at rallies, conduct letter-writing campaigns and take to the Internet to protest the abortion provider and demand a new respect for life in America.

 

Changes afoot

The Archdiocese of Detroit wasn’t without its share of changes in 2015. In February, the archdiocese moved its Central Services employees from the Church’s longtime headquarters in downtown Detroit to a new Chancery building in the city’s renovated Capitol Park district, while May saw the appointment of a new rector, Fr. J.J. Mech, for the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In November, 75-year-old Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss submitted his resignation to Pope Francis as required by canon law, but will continue to serve the faithful of Detroit until further arrangements are made.