From December 4–7, 2025, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, embarked on a pastoral visit to southeast Michigan, bringing with him the stories, struggles, and hopes of the Christian community in the Holy Land. Over four days, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle welcomed him with prayer, generosity, and deep solidarity, seeking to stand with the Church of the Holy Land during one of its most challenging periods in recent memory.
A Church United in Prayer and Support
The visit began at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield, where the faithful filled the church to celebrate Mass with the Patriarch and hear his message firsthand. The Mass was concelebrated by Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Chaldean Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat.
“Hope cannot stand alone. Hope needs faith,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said in his homily. “I’ve been to Gaza several times during the war, and everything is a long desert full of ruins. Everything is destroyed, not only the infrastructure, but human lives. Without faith, everything seems hopeless. But with faith, we can see a different path forward.”
Following the Mass, hundreds gathered at the Shenandoah Country Club for a fundraising dinner to support Christian families in the Middle East.
Sharing the Reality of the Holy Land
Cardinal Pizzaballa spoke candidly about the hardships facing Christians in the region, especially in Gaza, where only 541 Christians remain, many living without basic services, education, or safe housing.
“There are no schools left in Gaza… Many teachers are missing their students. Institutions have collapsed, and hundreds of thousands are struggling for the simplest necessities,” he said. Yet, he emphasized that, despite profound suffering, the Christian community in Palestine has refused to surrender to hatred or despair.
The Patriarch also participated in a major fundraising event, “United in Faith: Bridging Hearts from the Motor City to the Holy Land,” at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth, attended by approximately 500 Catholics. Supported by parishes, families, businesses, and sponsors, the initiative aimed to strengthen pastoral care, education, and relief efforts for families in the Holy Land.
Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, left, and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, engage in conversation about the cardinal's ministry
during the challenging situation in Gaza and the Holy Land during a fundraising dinner Dec. 5 at St. John's Resort in Plymouth
(Photo Credit: Tim Fuller/Detroit Catholic)
Reflecting on Christian hope, he added:
“Hope is a word that cannot remain alone. It has to put its roots in something else… If institutions have failed, then at the grassroots level we must have people who can think differently and act differently. We must defend, as much as we can, the rights of the poor.”
He reminded the faithful that supporting the Holy Land, spiritually and materially, preserves the mission of Christ in the land where He was born, lived, died, and rose again.
A Visit Rooted in Communion
The pastoral visit concluded with a Mass at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak. Among those attending were Christians whose roots trace back to Jerusalem and its surrounding region. Fr. Fares Hattar, a priest of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, currently serves as associate pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor. Also present were members of the Knights and Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Order of Malta, two lay and clerical orders closely connected to the Holy Land.
“Those who remain in community, as small as it may be, will be among those able to rebuild from the human devastation because of our trust in God and our ability to see His presence,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said.
Drawing on the spirit of Advent, he reflected on the shared longing for peace in the land where God became incarnate:
“Expectation is not just waiting for something to come, but an attitude of life… God speaks in everyday life, and we must learn to recognize His presence in the signs of the times.”
The full basilica, along with the warmth and generosity of Detroiters, was a clear sign that the wider Christian community has not forgotten their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, who continue to endure war, famine, and a painful sense of abandonment.
This historic visit strengthened the bonds between the Church in Detroit and the Church in the Holy Land, a living expression of the universal Church’s mission to carry one another’s burdens. The faithful of Detroit responded with heartfelt prayer, financial support, and a renewed commitment to stand with those who safeguard the roots of our faith.
