Do Your Part for Divine Providence
The Archdiocese of Detroit's Listening Session Feedback Survey is open until July 31. Your voice — faith first — still shapes what happens next.
Please do your part for Divine Providence Lithuanian Church and our longevity. It is critical to have your voice heard by completing the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Listening Session Feedback Survey — open until July 31.
Take the survey: https://form.jotform.com/261034294481152
In Short — A Guide for the Survey
Speak from your faith first. Our parish helps people pray, worship, and raise Catholic children — and school, scouts, choir, and culture all grew around that. Everything below is just to help you say, in your own words, why this community matters. Begin and end with prayer, and stay warm toward the Archdiocese — we are discerning our future together, not fighting.
The most important things to say — pick the ones true for you:
Faith first. Say how Divine Providence has helped your family pray, worship, and grow in the faith.
We are a Lithuanian ethnic parish, not a territorial one — please don’t measure us by neighborhood maps or attendance numbers. Our members come by choice from across Michigan and Canada, many driving nearly an hour.
A promise stands behind us. In 1968, when the freeway forced us to relocate, the Archdiocese agreed we would keep our ethnic status if the Lithuanian community funded and sustained the parish ourselves. We did — building and consecrating this church in 1973. That promise is our foundation.
We are alive and young. In three years, 25+ children were confirmed and 12 made First Communion here; four couples marry this summer, each with a spouse who grew up in this parish.
Please consider a fourth option — one that protects not just a building, but the whole community, its organizations, and its mission for the next generation.
How to Say It
Do: lead with faith · be brief and personal · speak as “we,” a living community with a future · stay cooperative and prayerful.
Gently avoid: making it only about the building, money, or grievances · anger or blame · speaking only of the past instead of the future.
The strongest testimony is your own — in your own words. Faith first; culture is the vessel that carries it.
The Full Guidance: Preparing Your Feedback
Begin and end with prayer.
Many comments will naturally drift toward buildings, priests, finances, or grievances. The most persuasive feedback explains how Divine Providence helps people pray, worship, raise Catholic children, and live their faith.
Everything else — school, scouts, culture, language, heritage — grew around that center. Faith first; culture is the vessel through which faith is passed from one generation to the next.
How to use this: This is not a script — these are themes to draw from so your voice is clear, calm, and consistent with others. Choose the points that are true for your family. Speak briefly and personally. Keep returning to prayer and faith. The strongest testimony is your own.
1. A Spirit of Prayer, Renewal, and Cooperation
Begin with faith
Approach this process prayerfully and with trust in God’s providence.
Frame every comment in a constructive, cooperative spirit. The goal is not conflict — it is discernment, together with our shepherds.
Our concern is not simply preserving buildings or structures, but continuing the mission Christ entrusted to us: to know Him, worship Him, and pass on the faith.
A future rooted in faith and culture
Express hope for the future of Divine Providence and of the wider Church.
We want to unite faith and culture for the renewal of persons, families, and community in Christ.
Divine Providence continues to help parishioners grow in faith, prayer, service, and Catholic identity.
Connected to the universal Church
Connect our local experience to the wider Church.
This very month, the 6th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy was held in Vilnius (June 7–12, 2026) — a reminder that renewal always begins with prayer, reconciliation, and active faith.
“…the mercy of God asks to be allowed into our hearts with its amazing power of renewal.” — Pope Leo XIV, message to the Congress
“Let us join our trust in the infinite mercy of God with our own personal commitment to build a more welcoming and merciful society, beginning with our families.” — Pope Leo XIV
“A city of mercy is built whenever forgiveness triumphs over resentment, whenever the vulnerable are protected, whenever those who suffer are not left to face their struggles alone, whenever truth is united with love, and whenever Christians become living witnesses of hope.” — Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius
Lithuanian Catholics remain a vibrant, contributing part of the universal Catholic Church.
2. Divine Providence Is a Unique Catholic Community
A Lithuanian national (ethnic) parish
Divine Providence is a Lithuanian national (ethnic) parish — not a territorial one — and should not be judged by territorial-parish metrics alone.
Its roots reach back to St. George parish, founded by Detroit’s Lithuanian Catholics in 1908. This Southfield church is the parish’s third home.
Twice the community lost its church to Detroit’s mid-century highway construction — and twice the people rebuilt. The present church and Lithuanian cultural center were built by the parishioners themselves and consecrated on September 8, 1973.
In 1968, when the freeway forced relocation, the Archdiocese proposed making Divine Providence an ordinary territorial parish. After meeting with some 300 parishioners, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton agreed it would keep its ethnic status — provided the Lithuanian community would fund and sustain it themselves. They did. That promise is the foundation of this community.
The church safeguards significant Lithuanian sacred art — stained-glass windows by Vytautas K. Jonynas (including St. Casimir and the Vytis) and woodcarvings by Jurgis Daugvila. These works live above a worshiping community, not in a museum.
The demographic and geographic assumptions used for territorial parishes simply do not describe us.
Body and soul — in our pastor’s own words
Fr. Viktoras Kriščiūnevičius, pastor of Divine Providence, wrote for the parish’s 1978 anniversary book (“Parapija atneša Kristų” — “The Parish Brings Christ”):
“The parish is the mystical Body of Christ — a spiritual yet metaphysically real, living organism. More than that, it is a divine organism. The parish is the bearer of Christ; within it is Christ.”
“Here, Lord, Your children have chosen the place for Your sanctuary — already the third place. Such is this parish’s lot: to build, to settle, to move, and to be newcomers once again.”
“To our brothers in the homeland the Lord gave the church of the catacombs and the road of the martyrs; to us He said: ‘I have transplanted you into safe and fertile soil.’”
“The church is built… but is the work finished? I would say it is only the beginning. It will not be finished until a dwelling for the Lord is built in the soul of each of us, until day by day we help one another, until we can all say: ‘Lord, we are Your people’ (Viešpatie, esame Tavo tauta).”
Geographic and cross-border reach
Our parish serves the faithful from across Metro Detroit, other parts of Michigan, and Canada.
Many parishioners travel significant distances to take part in parish life.
Archdiocesan planning districts and demographic maps cannot capture an ethnic parish whose members are geographically dispersed by design.
More than a parish building
Divine Providence is a regional center for Lithuanian Catholic life.
It supports faith formation, cultural preservation, youth leadership, and intergenerational community — all of it anchored in worship and the sacraments.
Our impact reaches far beyond weekly attendance figures.
3. Malda ir Tauta — Prayer and Nation
Prayer comes first
The phrase “Malda ir Tauta” — “Prayer and Nation” — begins with prayer.
Lithuanian Catholic communities were built first and foremost to bring people closer to God — through the sacraments, prayer, worship, and Christian community.
Divine Providence continues exactly this mission today.
The historical role of the Church
Throughout Lithuanian history, the Church preserved faith, dignity, language, and national identity together — never as separate things.
Bishop Motiejus Valančius (1801–1875), Bishop of Samogitia, was one of the great figures of Lithuanian history — a pastor who understood that protecting the faith and protecting the people were one task.
When the Russian Empire banned Lithuanian books (1864–1904), he built an underground network through the parishes: secret village schools, prayer books and readers printed across the border, and the knygnešiai (“book-carriers”) who smuggled them home. He also led a nationwide temperance movement — proof of how strong that parish network was.
That network ran on exactly what a parish provides — faith, families, schools, and community working as one. It kept both the Catholic faith and the Lithuanian nation alive when the state tried to erase both.
For Valančius, the prayer book was never only a prayer book — it carried prayer, the Lithuanian word, and the faith of a people, all at once. Often it was the only Lithuanian book in the home, and children learned to read from it.
This is not distant history: Lithuania has declared 2026 the Year of Bishop Valančius, marking 225 years since his birth. The homeland is honoring this very legacy right now — the same legacy Divine Providence carries on in America.
Under Soviet occupation, churches were seized — one great church in Kaunas became a factory — yet the Church remained a guardian of faith, conscience, and identity.
The underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania survived because the diaspora printed it abroad and carried its voice back home. The free Lithuanian parish did for the persecuted Church what it could not do for itself.
The mission immigrants brought to America
Lithuanian immigrants did not build parishes simply to celebrate Mass in Lithuanian.
They built communities where faith and culture could be handed on to the next generation together.
After WWII, Lithuanians in the displaced-persons camps rebuilt schools, choirs, and parishes — reprinting prayer books and readers so children born in exile received the same faith and language.
That generation anchored this whole way of life in the parish when it crossed to America. Divine Providence is one of its homes.
Around Lithuanian parishes grew schools, scouting, choirs, youth groups, charitable works, and lifelong friendships — every one gathered around the altar.
Divine Providence carries this mission still.
4. A Hub for Youth, Families, and Catholic Formation
Formation beyond Sunday Mass
The parish forms people in faith across a whole lifetime — and the faith holds the rest together.
Divine Providence is a gathering place for organizations including the Lithuanian Saturday School, Lithuanian Scouts, Ateitis, the North American Lithuanian Athletic Association, Daughters of Lithuania, Šauliai, and choirs and cultural groups.
These organizations hand on both the Catholic faith and Lithuanian tradition to younger generations — with the faith always at the center.
A young and growing community
Divine Providence has many young families and active volunteers.
In the past three years, more than 25 children have received the Sacrament of Confirmation here, and 12 have made their First Communion.
This summer alone, four young couples are marrying and forming new Catholic families — in each, at least one spouse grew up in this very church and community.
Through the disruption of COVID and a season without settled pastoral leadership, our families kept the faith — some receiving sacraments at neighboring Catholic parishes while continuing to support Divine Providence. That is commitment, not disengagement.
Now families are returning. We want to renew our parish — to welcome and invite our youth back into the fold.
Share your personal experience
If your family received sacraments at another Catholic parish while ours were unavailable, say so — and say how you stayed connected to Divine Providence.
Name the signs of new life you have seen here: a Baptism, a First Communion, a wedding, a young family coming home.
5. Ethnic Diversity Strengthens the Church
Diversity is a Catholic strength
The Catholic Church is universal, and it is enriched by many peoples, languages, and traditions.
Lithuanian Catholics bring a thousand-year Catholic heritage to the Church in America.
Preserving ethnic Catholic communities strengthens the broader mission of the Church.
What Divine Providence contributes
Divine Providence shows how faith can be lived through culture, family, service, and intergenerational relationships — with worship at its heart.
Our community contributes spiritual, cultural, and volunteer resources to the Archdiocese and the wider Church.
6. Community Strength and Broad Catholic Engagement
Dual parishioners strengthen the Church
Many Divine Providence parishioners are also active in other Catholic parishes and schools.
This reflects integration, not isolation.
If it applies to you, name the Catholic parishes and schools your family also supports.
Explain how Divine Providence complements and strengthens your broader Catholic involvement.
A community that extends beyond parish boundaries
Divine Providence serves people whose Catholic lives span multiple parishes, schools, ministries, and organizations.
This broad engagement is itself a sign of our community’s vitality and relevance.
7. Requesting a Fourth Option
The current options do not fully address our situation
The current options focus primarily on parish structures and buildings.
They do not fully address the future of the Lithuanian Catholic community itself.
The community must be protected
Ask the Archdiocese to explore an additional option that protects the long-term future of the Lithuanian Catholic mission.
Encourage solutions that preserve not only worship space, but the community, organizations, traditions, ministries, and institutions connected to the parish.
Continuity of mission
The goal is not simply preserving the past.
The goal is ensuring that the Lithuanian Catholic mission — prayer first, and the culture that carries it — continues for future generations.
Any solution should recognize the unique role Divine Providence plays in sustaining both faith and culture.
8. Representation and Fair Evaluation
Our circumstances were unique
During key phases of the Archdiocesan restructuring discussions, Divine Providence did not have stable priestly representation comparable to other parishes.
As a result, the unique mission and circumstances of our parish may not have been fully represented.
Request careful consideration
Ask that future decisions fully consider the distinct nature of Lithuanian national parishes.
Request that our history, mission, geographic reach, and cultural significance be weighed alongside the traditional parish metrics.
9. End With Your Personal Witness
Share how Divine Providence has shaped your faith.
Explain how the parish has formed your family, your children, your friendships, and your relationship with Christ.
Describe why this community matters to you.
Keep the focus on prayer, faith, hope, service, and the future.
How to Say It — A Short Tone Guide
Do
Lead with prayer and faith. Then let school, scouts, language, and culture follow as the fruit of that faith.
Be brief and personal. One true story is worth more than ten arguments.
Be warm and cooperative toward the Archdiocese. We are asking to be understood, not opposing our shepherds.
Speak as “we” — a living community with a future, not a museum to be preserved.
Gently avoid
Letting the comment become only about the building, the money, or a grievance.
Anger or blame. It undercuts even a true point.
Speaking only of the past. Always turn toward the future and the next generation.
Treating culture as the point. Culture is the vessel; the faith is what it carries.
Sample Personal Statements
Starting points only — your own words about your own family will always be stronger.
“This is where my children learned to pray in Lithuanian and to love their faith. The school, the scouts, the choir — all of it grew around the altar.”
“We travel nearly an hour each way, because here our faith and our heritage are one. We also support our local parish — this deepens our place in the Church, it doesn’t pull us away.”
“Our people kept the faith through the press ban, occupation, and exile. Prayer always came first, and the culture carried it forward. Help us keep doing what we have always done.”
Complete the survey by July 31: https://form.jotform.com/261034294481152
Faith first. Culture as its vessel. The mission, for the next generation.
The most powerful feedback is personal testimony about how Divine Providence has helped you and your family encounter Christ — living the Catholic faith within a Lithuanian community.