Letter to Clergy from Archbishop Vigneron

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Brother priests and deacons,

As bishop of this local church, one of my duties is to ensure the right order of the sacred liturgy and the dispensation of the sacraments – the means by which we offer God the fitting worship which we owe Him and the means by which He saves us. It is within this backdrop that I was deeply grieved to learn that one of our deacon co-workers, Deacon Mark Springer, decided to change the words of sacred baptism. Due to the lengthy timespan over which this unfortunate situation occurred – from 1986 to 1999 – I anticipate that the potential number of souls to be sought out and cared for to be quite large.

You may have already heard that one such soul affected by this is one of our young priests, Father Matthew Hood. As you may know, the invalidity of his baptism meant the invalidity of his confirmation and the invalidity of his ordinations to diaconate and priesthood. This, in turn, meant that many of the sacraments he offered also were invalid. Consequently, the implications of this situation have cascaded out to countless others and we need to ready ourselves to minister to their pain and grief.

I am grateful to Father Hood for swiftly alerting me of his discovery and for his humble grace as we have worked together to remedy his situation. Let us gives thanks and praise to God for blessing us with his ministry.

Brothers, I need your help to continue rectifying our circumstances in a few different ways. First, since this occurred decades ago and many baptized as children may have moved to other locations, I need your assistance in caring for those affected directly who may have since moved to your parish. In addition, there will likely be some in your parish who will learn of this and find themselves rightly troubled and in need of tender words of encouragement from their pastor. I trust you will rise to meet this need and their pain.

As a matter of justice, we make this circumstance known so that those we are unable to identify through our records are informed and empowered to step forward to seek remedy of their situation.

Second, I need to insist upon your own adherence to the rubrics of the liturgical books. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctam Concilium “…. no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.” (SC 22).

Third, if you have adapted the sacramental form of baptism in your own ministry, or if you are aware of baptisms ministered by others who have changed the words and/or elements, I need you to let my Vicar for Clergy or one of the Regional Bishops know so that the validity of these sacraments can be assessed. While we may be tempted to think ecclesia supplet, this phrase refers to the Church supplying in the realm of jurisdiction whereas the situation before us concerns matter and form. I do not doubt that instances like this may have occurred with a good intention. However, be that as it may, it is a matter of grave justice that we be informed about it and attend to it.

As priests and deacons, we walk in the footsteps of Christ’s disciples, to whom Our Lord first entrusted the sacraments. We act in His name when we bring these ancient rites to our people, who come before our Lord seeking sanctifying grace – the treasure of treasures which is necessary for a soul to possess in order to spend eternity in heaven. We must always do everything we can to protect the integrity of the sacraments. It is a supreme duty for us to ensure that everyone entrusted to our care has the full benefit and certainty that come from the valid reception of the sacraments, which have been given to us to keep us as secure as possible on the path to heaven.

I am committed to taking every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted. As mentioned in Father Spezia’s email, all priests or deacons who know someone who was baptized by Deacon Springer must contact the Chancellor’s Office at chancellor@aod.org or (313) 237-5847. In addition, if any of your parishioners approach you with concerns that their own sacramental records may be tied to either Deacon Springer’s or Father Hood’s ministry, please share with them this form, through which they can contact the Archdiocese for more information about how to proceed.

Thank you in advance, brothers, for your cooperation in this matter of profound justice to which our vocations demand we attend. As painful as this situation is and as inopportune as its timing may be, I am trusting that God will use this to advance the mission of this local Church which He is in the process of renewing for us. I am grateful that you are joining me in the mission.

I ask that you join me in praying for Father Hood, Deacon Springer, members of the faithful directly impacted by this situation, and for the entire Catholic community of southeast Michigan. We will make our way through this, together, and I have every confidence that through our efforts, God will have brought us closer to Himself and to each other.

Fraternally yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron
Archbishop of Detroit