Detroit -- The term "sainthood" may conjur ideas of full-time foreign missionaries, pious clerics who receive visions from heaven, or cloistered nuns who devote their lives to prayer.

But sainthood is unmistakably meant also for the person who drives to the office each day and devotes their time and attention to a secular career.

That was Archbishop Allen Vigneron's message at this week's annual Mass for Commerce at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit -- and one he posed to attendees in a personal way.

"You are called to be saints," Archbishop Vigneron said to some 400 Mass-goers on Wednesday morning in the large seminary chapel. "You're called to be holy. This is, I believe, why God has asked me to be a priest -- so that I can help you be saints."

Attendees came mostly from Detroit's business community. The Mass for Commerce, in its 19th year, is meant as a reminder for people with "regular" jobs -- from executives to entry-level -- that what they do, also, is a vocation. It draws several hundred people annually.

To that point, the Archbishop reminded congregants that the Church is marking the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council with the "Year of Faith." He centered his homily on a line from the fifth chapter of the Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: "...in the Church everyone, whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness, according to the saying of the Apostle: 'For this is the will of God, your sanctification.'"

And while the lifestyles of missionaries and cloistered nuns may stand out as being especially "holy," the archbishop emphasized that the same calling to be holy is meant for those who don't lead such lives.

"In the Church, while there are many different forms of life, there is one basic vocations: To put on the Lord Jesus. To be like Jesus. To be holy like Christ. To be a good disciple," he said.

Holiness, itself, was manifested by Christ, the archbishop said.

"Holiness is about love," he said. "Jesus Christ red-defines the word 'holy' by his own existence, which is the self-gift of himself to the Father. Holiness is about the gift we make of ourselves to God and to one another, in love. This gift of self -- to God and to neighbor -- must be the driving force in all a Christian does."

And that doesn't exclude dealings with business and commerce.

"Love has to be the driving force in any career, and in any engagement in commerce," Archbishop Vigneron said.

He added that he wasn't asking attendees to set aside the "laws of commerce" or to transform whatever companies they own or work for into nonprofit ventures. Rather, he said the calling at work is to go about the daily responsibilities with a love and respect for bosses, colleagues and employees.

"Love your constituencies. Love your customers. Love your competitors," he said. "Finally, love Jesus Christ."

Ultimately, achieving holiness is within reach for the business person, the archbishop said.

"There are a lot of priests and nuns on the list of saints," he said. "There are a lot of soldiers in the list of saints. We don't have a lot of businessmen and businesswomen in the list of saints. That's not because it's so impossible for you to be a saint -- perhaps it's just because we haven't paid enough attention to who should be on the list."