In consultation with archdiocesan advisory councils and based on annual appeals issued by the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Vigneron determines the special collections to be taken at parishes in the Detroit Archdiocese. When natural disasters or humanitarian crises occur, the Archbishop may authorize special appeals.
In fiscal year 2017 - 2018, parishes were required to participate in the following six collections by announcing them at weekend Masses and providing parishioners the opportunity to contribute. Proceeds from these collections are forwarded by parishes within six weeks of the collection weekend to the archdiocesan department of Finance and Administration, which then remits the funds to the Catholic organizations engaged in these specific ministries. The six collections for fiscal year 2017 – 2018 included, 1) Aid for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, 2) Catholic Relief Services, 3) Peter’s Pence, 4) Propagation of the Faith (World Mission Sunday), 5) Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, and 6) Retirement Fund for Religious.
Some parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit take up a special collection in September to support the Archdiocese of Detroit Priests' Pension Plan, which is different from the Retirement Fund for Religious, a national program supporting retired men and women of religious orders, rather than diocesan priests. This special collection, With Thanks for Their Service in Christ, is generally held in December. Rather than take up a special collection, most parishes pay the priest pension assessment from their operating budgets. Participation in Operation Rice Bowl is optional and determined by each parish in the Detroit Archdiocese.