Bishop Installs Eight Seminarians in Detroit
Five seminarians were installed as lectors and three as acolytes at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Catholicism
Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo installed eight seminarians as lectors and acolytes during a Mass at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit on Friday, October 30. The installation is a required step in preparation for ordination to the transitional diaconate.
Why it matters
Canon law requires seminarians to serve as lector and then acolyte before ordination, so the rite marks a formal stage in their discernment. For Detroit-area Catholics, the Mass reflects the seminary's role in forming future clergy from several dioceses.
Eight seminarians were installed on October 30, five as lectors from the Discipleship II stage and three as acolytes from the Discipleship III stage. The stub does not indicate how many of them will advance to the transitional diaconate.
The players
Bishop Edward M. Lohse
Bishop Edward M. Lohse of the Diocese of Kalamazoo served as principal celebrant and presided over the installation.
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a Catholic seminary in Detroit that forms priests for multiple dioceses.
Fr. Kevin G. Creagh, CM, Ed.D.
Fr. Kevin G. Creagh is a Vincentian priest who serves as rector and president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
The details
Lectors will proclaim Scripture at Masses, except the Gospel, and acolytes will prepare the altar, assist during the liturgy, and distribute the Eucharist. The installed seminarians come from the Dioceses of Gaylord and Saginaw, the Archdiocese of Detroit, and the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.
Timeline
- 1972: Pope St. Paul VI defined the lector and acolyte ministries in the apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam.
- 1983: Canon law established the requirement to serve as lector and then acolyte before the transitional diaconate.
- Friday, October 30, 2026: Eight seminarians were installed at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Culture Shift
The rite follows the framework Pope St. Paul VI set in Ministeria Quaedam in 1972, which defined lector and acolyte as lay ministries open to seminarians. Canon law later made these two steps mandatory before ordination to the transitional diaconate, extending that framework into formal seminary training.
Parishes in the Detroit area that receive these seminarians will see them serve at Masses as lectors and acolytes. Churchgoers may notice seminarians proclaiming Scripture and assisting at the altar during liturgies.
The takeaway
Seminarian formation follows set canonical steps, and the lector and acolyte installations are one visible marker of that progression. Readers interested in how clergy are trained can follow the formation path described in canon law.
Further reading
Explore more on Catholicism in the Detroit area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Detroit Catholic.
