Metro Detroit Christians seek hope, renewal on Easter Sunday

The cars and SUVs that streamed to St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield on Friday were a powerful reminder of a spiritually significant and unforgettable time.

For nearly 12 hours, ministers prayed and distributed crosses to all visitors who pulled up as a way to drive home the message of Good Friday: Jesus Christ was crucified more than 2,000 years ago.

The bedrock of Christianity is cemented two days later, on Easter Sunday, when worshipers believe the son of God was resurrected after having died for mankind.

To the Very Rev. Chris Yaw, the rector at St. David’s, the drive-through crowd underscored the endless hunger for the message of the holiday: Hope amid challenges.

“Hope is in short supply, unfortunately,” he said. “We’re haunted all around us. We’ve got a lot of existential threats, and then you have these looming domestic threats. Poverty seems intractable. You’ve got political division that seems impermeable. You’ve still got racial injustice raising its ugly head. Yet the Gospel reminds us there is hope.”

With that in mind, congregations across southeast Michigan are opening their doors and prepping for what many consider the holiest time of the year.

Easter and the days leading up to it are filled with prayers, ceremonies and festivities aimed at reminding followers about an ancient miracle that moves and motivates them to rely on faith to survive modern life.

Some Metro Detroiters welcoming the holiday see looming concerns in 2023 about gun violence, political divisions, international unrest and other pressing issues as highlighting why that still matters.

“The message is always the same. When there is a lack of peace or division, there is a lack of Christ,” said the Rev. Mario Amore, pastor at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in downtown Detroit.

“The devil comes to divide. Christ comes to bring unity. That’s ultimately what his own death and resurrection is all about. He comes again to unite us. As we look to different things happening in the world or our country or our personal lives, Christ comes to those dark places to bring his light.”

St. David’s has strived to relay that message for years through its Good Friday drive-through event, which started in the last decade, Yaw said.

The church has a similar effort on Ash Wednesday, which launches the Lenten season that ends with Easter.

What spurred the faithful to bring a sacred tradition to drivers on a busy road?

“This is really a ministry to those who drive by every day,” Yaw said. “Of the thousands who drive by, there are issues that people want to pray about.”

For hours, motorists entered the driveway from the side and then traveled to a station for ashes near the front doors. Olive wood crosses from Jerusalem were distributed. They were doled out for free thanks to the generosity of donors impressed with St. David’s efforts, including a food pantry, Yaw said.

He wasn’t surprised about drivers arriving throughout the day for a spiritual fill.

“Look at the last five years when you had George Floyd and people protesting to speak up about injustice and COVID-19. Then you get the division going on politically. On top of that, these violent shootings,” Yaw said. “People are really stressed and traumatized.”

Jill McGilligan stopped by the church for prayer while in her gray Ford minivan.

"It's beautiful," she said. "It's lovely, it's thoughtful and it's compassionate. To have this for the community is a wonderful thing. I didn't know this even existed before."

McGilligan noted it was the first time she had visited the church for prayer. She calls Easter "Resurrection Day."

"Today is the day Jesus shed his blood on the cross for us, so that we could be saved," McGilligan said. "It's a reminder that we need to keep him in the forefront of our lives."

As Holy Week ends and ushers in Easter, adherents across the Archdiocese of Detroit face plentiful ways to reflect on Christ and his message.

Some toured Detroit churches through an effort that reflected both a tradition of pilgrims visiting basilicas in Rome and the seven places Jesus went between the Last Supper and Calvary.

Those churches also could see swelling attendance Sunday, Amore said. “Last year, as we ended the Lenten season, I think there was still some hesitancy to coming back to in-person worship because of the crowds that come out. Comparing it to last year, we’re seeing more people at services and we’re hoping that continues.”

Holy Saturday also marks the finalization of rites for some to fully join the Catholic Church.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron is slated to preside over the Easter Vigil that night at Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.

Among those planning to participate is Andreya Vo. The 19-year-old from Bloomfield Hills was baptized Catholic as a youth but never finished receiving the sacraments. She eventually ventured down her path through the Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry, which serves several area colleges and universities.

Now, the holiday is even more meaningful.

“Every year, I would celebrate Easter. But this time around, I’ve really deepened my knowledge of what Easter is,” said Vo, who attends the University of Michigan-Dearborn. “I get to be a part of that rising, and I’m just so excited.

“To me, Easter symbolizes a new life, and I say that because I really built new habits and a new day-to-day routine. So with Easter, I’m celebrating this new step.”

Charles Wesley, a Wayne State University junior, also was affiliated with the campus ministry group. The 21-year-old Macomb County native had been raised Catholic but did not feel fully committed until inspired by devout roommates and Bible studies to explore further.

This Easter, attending services at Our Lady of the Rosary Student Center in Detroit should be momentous, he said. “Now that I can fully be confirmed, it really changes everything.”

Staff Writer Charles E. Ramirez contributed.