By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine, July 25, 2025
Eric Sammons is the editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine and the author of Moral Money.
Last month, Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger severely restricted the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass in his archdiocese—an archdiocese that has had some of the most flourishing Latin Mass communities in the country, if not the world. Not content, however, with one act of pettiness, this week Archbishop Weisenburger decided to double down on his attack on faithful Catholics, expanding beyond the typical traditionalist punching bags to target established and well-respected seminary professors.
On Wednesday night, news broke that Dr. Ralph Martin and Dr. Eduardo Echeverria had been removed from their positions as theology professors at Sacred Heart Seminary, which is based in Detroit but serves seminarians from dioceses and religious orders throughout the country. Sacred Heart, in fact, is considered by many Catholics to be one of the best seminaries in the country, and many of its faculty have served on Vatican committees over the years (including Dr. Martin, who served as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization). …