It’s difficult to remember a year as busy — and blessed — as 2016 was for the Catholic Church in Detroit. The culmination of years of prayer, planning and preparation, the Archdiocese of Detroit celebrated Synod 16, gathering more than 400 Catholics from across Metro Detroit to invite the Holy Spirit to renew His church here. But that’s not all that took place; here’s a look at the top 10 stories from the past year:

Synod 16

When Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron opened the 11th general synod of the Archdiocese of Detroit on Nov. 18, he told synod members that “the world is waiting for the good news of Jesus Christ.” Synod members didn’t wait long to begin the work of sharing that good news, engaging in a lively weekend of discussion, prayer and inspired dialogue designed to help the archbishop chart a course for the New Evangelization in southeast Michigan. The archbishop is expected to issue his synodal letter during Pentecost 2017.

New bishops for Detroit

Just before the synod began, the archdiocese learned one of its major driving forces, Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes, would be headed to Guam as the south Pacific island’s coadjutor archbishop. Pope Francis didn’t forget about the Motor City, however, naming two new auxiliary bishops for Detroit less than a month later: Shrine rector Fr. Robert J. Fisher and Sacred Heart Major Seminary vice rector Fr. Gerard Battersby will be ordained next month.

Holy Door/Year of Mercy

What began as a simple response to Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy turned into a blessing for the ages as tens of thousands of local Catholics made a spiritual pilgrimage through the Holy Door of Mercy at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The pilgrimage, which began with reflection on the “doors” of life, ended with pilgrims praying before the tabernacle in the cathedral and tying prayer ribbons to a “wall of prayer,” which was completely filled by year’s end.

Election 2016

In the secular realm, 2016 was notable for several reasons, not the least of which was the contentious presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. With President-elect Trump’s victory, Catholic leaders expressed hope for a pro-life and pro-religious liberty administration, while cautioning prudence on other issues such as immigration and aid to refugees.

Mother Teresa canonization

The canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta marked the second high-profile saint in three years to be elevated by Pope Francis, who declared the Albanian nun an example of mercy for millions. Local Albanians were especially jubilant at the news, with many traveling to Rome for the canonization Mass. Two local priests, Fr. Jim Kean and Fr. Ben Luedtke, shared their personal stories of driving St. Teresa with The Michigan Catholic.

Mass of Pardon

As part of the spiritual preparation for Synod 16, Archbishop Vigneron led the Archdiocese of Detroit in an historic Mass for Pardon as a way to repent for the personal and institutional sins of the local Church over many decades. As the archbishop and Detroit’s three auxiliary bishops lie prostrate before the altar, the litany of pardon was read aloud, asking God’s forgiveness for sins such as racism, sexual abuse and others that have plagued the local Church and inhibited the sharing of the Gospel.

Responding to violence

In a year that witnessed the deadliest Mass shooting in U.S. history, race-based violence, police shootings and the slaying of law-enforcement officers in several states, Catholics across the country made desperate pleas for peace. In Detroit, which witnessed three police funerals — all at Catholic parishes — in 2016, Catholics took to the streets in a series of demonstrations called “Taking Back the Night,” an effort that morphed into a national day of prayer aimed at quelling the violence nationwide.

Amoris Laetitia

Pope Francis released his landmark post-synodal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, in April, a culmination of the work of two Vatican synods on the family in 2014 and 2015. The pope’s letter, a 261-page missive, touched on topics of critical importance to the Church’s evangelization of the family, stressing the role of “integral ecology” and lamenting a “disposable culture” that regards the human person without dignity. While lingering questions remain about the document’s teaching regarding the role of Communion for the divorced and remarried, bishops across the U.S. have looked to it as a guide to their focus on the family.

Joint Wedding at St. Damien

While parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit got creative in 2016 in their efforts to evangelize, perhaps no parish did so as successfully as St. Damien of Molokai Parish in Pontiac, which sponsored the joint wedding of 17 cohabiting or civilly married parishioners in August. The wedding, the brainchild of St. Damien associate pastor Fr. Jake VanAssche, saw the parish reach out with mercy to extend the invitation as a way to help couples “get right with God” and tie the knot before his Church.

Amazing Parish Conference

As a prelude to Synod 16, more than 200 of the archdiocese’s parishes sent leadership teams to the Amazing Parish Conference in April, which aimed to give pastors and staff the tools to foster active and creative centers for evangelization. The wildly successful conference has already resulted in changes at dozens of parishes, which are featured in an ongoing series in The Michigan Catholic.