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Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 16, 2006

Detroit – As he began a day of celebration of the golden jubilee of his ordination June 8, Cardinal Adam Maida said the best part about those 50 years has been the priest's essential role in the liturgy.

"The best part of being a priest is something so very fundamental that maybe most people take it for granted, and that is celebrating the Eucharist, because that is the source of energy, that is the reason for me being a priest, and ultimately that's what gives me the energy to keep doing God's work," the cardinal told reporters at a press conference at the Cathedral Center at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Cardinal Adam Maida, center, concelebrates his 50th anniversary as a priest on June 8. Among others at the altar are: (from left) Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley; Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York; Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, formerly of Detroit; Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago; Fr. Thaddeus Maida, the cardinal's brother; and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, recently retired archbishop of Washington, D.C.

"I've done this daily for 50 years, and it's still just as vibrant, and even more so now," he added.

In addition, the cardinal said he had been blessed to have good health and good friends.

Cardinal Maida, 76, spoke to reporters before attending a luncheon for family, friends and fellow bishops at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He returned to the cathedral to celebrate a 2 p.m. Mass for a capacity congregation of invited guests, and then attended a public reception on the cathedral plaza. (See related story.)

Answering reporters' questions, the cardinal spoke about his early years growing up in Pennsylvania during the Great Depression and issues facing the Church today.

Despite the hardship of those days, "God gave the strength, the courage and the wisdom to more forward. We were there to help each other, and there was a great sense of community," he said.

But while conditions might have changed, the cardinal said there are also constants: "Our faith – how do we share it; how do we live it; and how do we integrate it into our lives."

Even with all the changes brought about as the result of the Second Vatican Council, there has also been continuity: "One faith, one Lord, one baptism – the fundamentals haven't changed, but how we address those things does," he said

Cardinal Adam Maida pauses for a moment of reflection before entering the cathedral for the Mass to celebrate his golden jubilee as a priest.

Asked about the priest shortage, Cardinal Maida expressed confidence in the future of the Church. "Vocations are a gift from God, and God does call people forward to do His work in different ways," he said.

One major way the Church has adapted to having fewer priests has been a greater role for lay people. "Never could I have contemplated the contribution lay people have made," Cardinal Maida said.

Noting the diversity of the men who are graduating from Sacred Heart Major Seminary and being ordained to the priesthood, he told how he had dinner last week with the three new priests for the Archdiocese of Detroit and one recently ordained for a West African country. "One priest was from Cameroon; one priest was from the Philippines; one priest was from Vietnam; and one priest was from Redford," Cardinal Maida said.

The cardinal rebuffed any suggestion of imminent retirement, and spoke of having more work to do.

Asked about his accomplishments in his 16 years at the helm of the Detroit Archdiocese, Cardinal Maida pointed to the remodeling and program enhancements at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, the renovation of the former St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth Township into the retreat and conference center it is today, and the renovation of the cathedral.

He said the Together in Faith process, which resulted in a strategic plan for the archdiocese, will continue to benefit the local Church for years to come.

But the real credit for all of those initiatives belongs to the people of the archdiocese, who supported those projects, he said.

Cardinal Maida named the continuing problem of racial prejudice as something he wished he had been able to do more to solve. "I think the issue of racism needs to be constantly addressed," he said.

"But I've still got some more time to work on it," the cardinal added.