Aug 26, 2014
by MOSAIC Editorial Team
With sadness and great hope in the Resurrection we share news of the death of Sacred Heart's alumnus Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, who served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1981 until 1990 and went on to oversee the government of the Vatican City State under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Szoka considered his greatest accomplishment in the city of Detroit as being the enormous transformation of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 1988, according to a 2011 interview during the celebration of his 40th anniversary of episcopal ordination.
Cardinal Szoka was always an exceptionally strong leader. He made many difficult decisions, but never without a tremendous amount of prayer and thought. That strength of leadership moved him to re-found Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 1988. The Cardinal always understood the importance of a seminary in the life of a diocese. And when many people supported closing the seminary or moving it out to Plymouth, the Cardinal made the decision to keep Sacred Heart in the city of Detroit, at its original location. It was a bold decision and one that speaks of his commitment to the core mission of the church. We are who we are today at Sacred Heart because of Cardinal Szoka. Msgr. Todd Lajiness, current rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, recalled. He served as Cardinal Szoka's Secretary from 1997-2002.
Following his retirement from active ministry in 2006, Cardinal Szoka had been living in Northville. He died August 20, of natural causes at Providence Park Hospital in Novi. He was 86.
Edmund Casimir Szoka was born Sept. 14, 1927, in Grand Rapids to Polish immigrants Casimir and Mary Szoka. His father had immigrated from what is now Belarus; his mother from Poland.
Cardinal Szoka was celebrating his 60th anniversary as a priest this year, having been ordained by Bishop Noa on June 5, 1954, to serve the Diocese of Marquette.
He had served as chancellor in the Diocese of Marquette until being named the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Gaylord in June of 1971. After establishing the Diocese of Gaylord, Pope John Paul II named him Archbishop of Detroit. He was installed to the post in May 1981.
The pope then made him a cardinal in June of 1988. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed to oversee economic affairs at the Vatican City State, in April of 1990, and was succeeded in Detroit by Archbishop (Cardinal) Adam J. Maida.
Cardinal Szoka oversaw the Vatican City State under both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He was made President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State in 1997, and president of the Vatican City State in 2001.
A day after his 79th birthday in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Cardinal Szoka's resignation.
For more biographical information on Cardinal Szoka please visit the Archdiocese of Detroit website.
MOSAIC Editorial Team