The Chaldean community in Metro Detroit gathered with others from across southeast Michigan as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella, OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield to celebrate Mass.
Cardinal Pizzabella visited Detroit on Dec. 4—the first day of a four-day pastoral trip—joining Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Chaldean Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat, and others. He offered a somber yet hopeful message, urging prayers and solidarity with suffering communities in the Holy Land.
In his homily, Cardinal Pizzabella reflected on the prophet Isaiah’s message of renewal after catastrophe, connecting it to the present suffering and humanitarian turmoil in the Middle East. He underscored the Church’s responsibility to foster peace and provide stability amid such hardship.
The Patriarch said, “Hope cannot exist on its own — it relies on faith.” He added, “I have visited Gaza multiple times during the war, and what I’ve seen is a vast expanse of ruins. Everything has been shattered — not only buildings, but lives. The level of human suffering is immense. Without faith, the situation appears without hope or future. Yet with faith, we see things differently.”
The community gathered to welcome Cardinal Pizzabella and express solidarity with the Church of Jerusalem, extending support to Christians who remain faithful in the land where Christ was born, suffered, and rose. Cardinal Pizzabella reminded attendees that when believers stand united, the Church in its suffering is never abandoned.
Fr. Adam Nowak, vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Detroit, shared that the goal of this event is spiritual: to express closeness to our suffering Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.
In October, Catholics in the archdiocese responded generously to Detroit Archbishop Weisenburger’s request for aid to Gaza.
According to the itinerary, Cardinal Pizzabella will celebrate Mass on Sunday, December 7, at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, Michigan.