Detroit — It was a moment to celebrate both the message and the messenger.

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and more than 50 other priests gathered at Sacred Heart Major Seminary on June 30 to celebrate and give thanks for those marking jubilee anniversaries.

The jubilant filed into the seminary’s chapel, where Archbishop Vigneron commended his fellow priests on their time spent devoted to God and administering to His people.

“Years are a source of celebration, and these anniversaries are a moment to recount, celebrate and give thanks,” said Archbishop Vigneron, who was himself celebrating his 40th jubilee as a priest this year.

The archbishop went on to comment that it is his job as a “coach” to ready the hearts of his flock to give thanks to the Lord. He recounted the day-to-day duties priests perform for the Church and reflected on the vital nature of preaching in the Church’s mission.

“The ministry of preaching God’s word is a grace,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “The preaching from our jubilarians has brought our listeners to encounter Jesus Christ. We’ve had the joy of expressing what’s in the heart of Jesus Christ.”

In his homily, Archbishop Vigneron outlined the pastoral letter he sent to the archdiocese’s priests and deacons the same day, on the importance of preaching the Gospel in a stimulating, reflective way. The letter, titled “The Preacher — Servant of the Word of God,” is Archbishop Vigneron’s third as archbishop of Detroit and can be read at www.aod.org/our-archdiocese/archbishop-allen-vigneron/pastoral-letters.

“Jesus preached the hope that everyone has been waiting for,” Archbishop Vigneron told his fellow jubilarians. “We preach Jesus, because we know Jesus. The Lord has sent us as servants to preach the word of God.”

After the Mass, jubilarians gathered at Sacred Heart’s gymnasium for a lunch and a chance to reflect with friends about their time as priests.

Fr. Michael Cooney, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Mt. Clemens, was celebrating the 40th anniversary of his ordination along with Archbishop Vigneron; the two had been classmates since the ninth grade at Cardinal Mooney Latin School in Mt. Clemens.

“When I was just starting out, I saw the older priests and wondered if I’d make it that long,” Fr. Cooney said. “There has been a lot of laughter and a lot of tears, but I’ve been very lucky with my assignments.”

During his time as a priest, Fr. Cooney harkens back to three core principles in his preaching: Focus on the family, God is a compassionate and loving Father, and the fact God wants to bring all His children home.

The focus on the message and how messengers should deliver God’s word was the main takeaway for many priests at the jubilee Mass.

Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny, pastor of St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms, said priests and bishops deliver God’s message through what they say and do for the people around them.

“Priests are messengers in a variety of ways,” said Msgr. Halfpenny, who is also celebrating 40 years. “We are messengers of compassion in a hospital, messenger of patients in difficult situations, messengers of hope for those who are downtrodden. As long as we are bringing Christ, sometimes that says more about what we are than any sermon we may give.”