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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Archbishop uses multi-media format to reach out in prayer

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published May 22, 2009

Larry Peplin | The Michigan Catholic Archbishop Allen Vigneron's Tuesday devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Help can be viewed, heard or downloaded.

Detroit - Archbishop Allen Vigneron is the face and voice of a new multi-media effort to offer the people of the archdiocese a chance to pray with him - but the prayers have been imploring the Blessed Mother for a long time.

Every week, Catholics can tune in to watch or listen to the archbishop lead a devotion to the Mother of Perpetual Help, or download the audio version to their computers to pray later. The archbishop said he plans to continue leading the devotion at least through the economic downturn, affecting Michigan strongly right now, to ask the Blessed mother to "give us the strength to keep faith and hope alive in these times of difficulty," as the prayer says.

Archbishop Vigneron said he came up with the idea of praying the devotion through television and radio, and the podcast idea came about as yet another way to offer prayer to the people of the archdiocese. His parents will watch the prayers on television, but the younger crowd could download the prayer from the site. Doing this, he pointed out, follows the advice of Pope John Paul II - to use every possible forum to communicate with people.

It's taped ahead of time Tuesday mornings, and the archbishop joked with the crew and conjugated Latin verbs beforehand as cameras and microphones were adjusted for this week's taping. The session begins with an introduction, followed by the archbishop and two responders kneeling and praying the actual devotion.

The devotion asks Mary to provide "help for us and for our neighbors in the problems of our daily lives, especially as we struggle to provide for the well-being of our families."

"Trials and sorrows often depress us; misfortunes and privations bring misery into our lives, especially in these days of economic distress; everywhere we meet the cross," the three of them prayed. "Comforter of the afflicted, beg your Son Jesus to strengthen us as we bear our burdens and to free us from our sufferings. Or if it be the will of God that we should suffer still longer, help us endure all with love and patience."

Larry Peplin | The Michigan Catholic Archbishop Allen Vigneron leads the devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, with camera operator Carol Clore and television director Ken Kolb also praying during this taping.

The devotion has a special meaning for Archbishop Vigneron, as his father worked in construction, a seasonal business. His parents and the older children would attend their parish's novena to pray they would have the resources to get through to the spring.

"When winter began, that was usually a time of economy, and my mother wondering how she was going to make ends meet," he said.

As he was thinking about these economic times in Michigan, "I thought I would like to go back and (pray) them," he said. "This was something that was very important to me in my growing up."

He said he likes doing a taping every week, which allows him to add a relevant comment or prayer to the devotion, for some "living character," he said.