In a letter to Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD) and other church leaders, the staff from the Divine Providence Lithuanian Church in Southfield said it would be “better served” to not be clustered with other parishes.

“Through our endless efforts and generous monetary donations, we are fortunate to have a facility, which allows us to promote and support various Lithuanian cultural, education and athletic activities, especially those related to the young,” said the letter published in the June 21 church bulletin.

The church, which is more than a century old, still offers services in the Lithuanian language, “not only because we cherish our heritage, but also because of the influx of new immigrants from Lithuania since 1990, when Lithuania reestablished its independence from the oppression of communism and the Soviet Union,” said the letter. “After enduring almost 50 years of atheistic indoctrination and poor economic conditions, many young people sought refuge in the pursuit of the ‘American dream. To those newly arrived we serve as a beacon of hope and provide a sense of ‘home.’”

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron | Wikipedia

The church strives to "evangelize these young families by bringing Christ’s teachings to life in the language they are most familiar," said the letter. “Presently, from this new group of parishioners, we have new cantors, lectors, members of parish bible study groups and pilgrimage groups. Besides being sensitive to the needs of our community of faith, we have ties to Lithuanian organizations which foster our heritage and make our community more vibrant."

The church maintains a Lithuanian focus but is also supportive of Archdiocese programs outside of that community.

“Despite our focus on Lithuanian families, Divine Providence has always understood the importance of belonging to a larger faith community,” said the letter. “To that end, Divine Providence has always supported all AOD initiatives, both in the areas of evangelization and financial stability.”

The letter praised the diocese for being conciliatory to Spanish-speaking Catholics.

"We would kindly appreciate the same consideration,” the letter said. “We are including several historical documents signed by previous AOD bishops allowing Divine Providence Parish to continue being a standalone ethnic parish.”