On Friday, Nov. 7, nearly 200 people poured into the gymnasium at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, eager to hear a talk delivered by Msgr. James Shea on the virtue of hope.
Many of those in attendance were lay ecclesial ministers, while others were members of local parishes or clergy.
The Lay Ecclesial Minister (LEM) Speaker Series, In the Heart of the Church, takes place each fall at Sacred Heart and addresses topics particularly relevant to ministers in the Church.
Msgr. Shea has served as the president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, since 2009. He has spoken at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress and at SEEK, the annual young adult conference given by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Msgr. Shea has authored two books with the University of Mary Press, “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission” and “The Religion of the Day.”
The afternoon began with lunch and fellowship before Msgr. Shea delivered his talk, “Crossing Thresholds with the Pilgrims of Hope: Lay Ecclesial Ministers and the Jubilee Year.” The Jubilee Year of Hope, proclaimed by Pope Francis, began on Christmas Eve 2024 and ends on Jan. 6, 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Msgr. Shea began by making a distinction between proximate hope — a hope rooted in earthly goals — and foundational hope.
“The Church puts forth for us a foundational hope that is a hope beyond all others … a hope for eternal life,” Msgr. Shea said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to grasp onto, and for it to have traction within us, our hope should be a kind which is deeply transformative and has a practical import upon the way we look at the world and how we see everything.”
The upcoming Solemnity of Christ the King, which the Church will celebrate on Nov. 23, is an important reminder of the hope eternal life offers, Msgr. Shea said.
Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in 1925 in response to the global rise of secularism, Msgr. Shea explained. In the Holy Father’s encyclical, “Quas Primus,” he offered hope to the world by reminding the faithful of the eternal kingship of Christ, who reigns over all creation.
Msgr. Shea encouraged attendees to root themselves firmly in this hope, noting the definition of the theological virtue in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a hope “by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness (CCC 1817).”
Citing numerous biblical examples, Msgr. Shea showed that by virtue of marriage, God invites all of humanity to share in His own divinity, and has saved the human race.
“God intends to raise us to His own stature — Israel first, then the Church, and then each individual person who partakes of the Church, every single one of us,” Msgr. Shea said. “God is a lovesick suitor seeking the hand and heart of the one whom He loves. You see it all through the Scriptures.”
By this cosmic view of a divine marriage, those without hope can know the magnificent work God is doing for them and in them, Msgr. Shea added.
“The whole of the Scriptures begins with a marriage and ends with a marriage,” Msgr. Shea said. “(At) the heart of it all is this lovesick God, who not only desires all of us collectively, but individually as well. If you feel hopeless, understand this: He is working overtime, all the time, to bring you into and to sustain you in communion with Him.”
Rather than simply trying to be “good persons,” the deeper conviction of the Catholic faith calls each person to live in the transcendent hope God offers to His people — which is far beyond any hope offered by the world, Msgr. Shea said.
“The whole thing fills us with tremendous hope,” Msgr. Shea concluded. “The pearl of great price is everlasting life with God, where He raises us to His status and bestows upon us something beyond our wildest dreams, which we are not capable or deserving upon our own, which is His own divine life. He wants to marry the human race, and that means you.”
After his talk, Msgr. Shea took questions from the audience in a session facilitated by Sacred Heart professor Dr. Mary Healy.
Like many in attendance, Luke Adamkiewicz, coordinator of youth ministry at St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms, said Msgr. Shea’s talk both inspired and challenged him.
“My hope is renewed after this talk,” said Adamkiewicz, who also heard Msgr. Shea speak during the SEEK Conference in 2024. “Working in parish ministry, especially youth ministry, it’s easy to feel bogged down at times. I loved the whole theme of marriage being central to hope.”
Thom and Rose Shanaver traveled from Grand Rapids to attend Msgr. Shea’s talk. The couple moved from the Archdiocese of Detroit last year to live closer to family, but said Sacred Heart feels like a second home to them.
The couple looks forward to attending the LEM Speaker Series each year, and always walks away enriched.
“God is here at Sacred Heart,” said Thom Shanaver, who earned his Certificate of Catholic Theology from the seminary. “Just walking into this place, you know He’s here.”
At their former parish, Our Lady of the Woods in Woodhaven, Thom assisted with evangelization and adult faith formation, and Rose has been a catechist for 18 years, with certifications in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. She now serves as a catechist at their new parish in Belmont.
Both said they’ll take the lessons they’ve learned home with them.
“Coming to this awakens me spiritually,” Rose Shanaver said. “Every time we come, we’re energized to go out and serve. We’re sent on mission again.”
