DETROIT — Archbishop Allen Vigneron’s quadrennial report to the Vatican about the state of the Archdiocese of Detroit received a positive and encouraging response in late September.

In a letter dated Sept. 27 from Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, the Vatican praised Archbishop Vigneron’s leadership in confronting many of the archdiocese’s biggest challenges. The letter also said Pope Benedict XVI would impart his apostolic blessing on the bishops, priests, religious and laity of the archdiocese.

Archbishop Vigneron made the report as part of his “ad limina” visit to meet with the pope in Rome in early February, which included Detroit’s auxiliary bishops and other bishops from Michigan and neighboring states.

In the letter from Cardinal Ouellet, the Holy See said it was “evident” the church in Detroit faces “significant challenges to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ in a culture which is becoming increasingly secular and where there are grave threats to religious liberty.”

But he said the situation of lower church participation presents an opportunity to engage more fully in the pope’s goals for a new evangelization, and he praised the archdiocese’s efforts such as Sacred Heart Major Seminary’s licentiate program, renewed emphasis on Eucharistic adoration and lay apostolate movements.

The letter also acknowledged the challenging financial situation in the archdiocese, citing the closing of some parishes and schools. However, Cardinal Ouellet said, “while such school closures present challenges and pastoral difficulties for the families and parishes involved, they also provide an opportunity to strengthen the schools that remain, ensuring that they provide good academic formation and a solid formation in the Catholic faith.”

The letter also said the charitable works in the archdiocese continued to appear strong.
On vocations, the letter praised Archbishop Vigneron for his personal attention to the formation of seminarians, since “the ability to foster vocations is the hallmark of the vitality of a local Church,” it said, quoting Pope Benedict’s message on the subject in 2011.

Finally, in response to Archbishop Vigneron’s report that the number of Hispanics in the archdiocese had increased, the Vatican’s letter expressed optimism.

“These new immigrants bring with them great promise for the future of the Church, but they also present the pastoral challenge of providing them spiritual care and charitable assistance, including helping them to regularize their situation and keep their families together,” it said.

The report from Archbishop Vigneron covered six years, from 2004 to 2010.