Canon Jean-Baptiste Commins, a French-born priest of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and rector of St Joseph Shrine, intervened on June 1 to tackle and restrain an 18-year-old suspect fleeing a suspected stolen vehicle that had crashed into another car near the church in Detroit’s Eastern Market district.
The incident unfolded shortly after police attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, believed to be stolen. The driver sped away, leading to a collision at the corner of Saint Aubin and Antietam streets that injured a female driver, whose injuries were not life-threatening. As the suspect ran towards the shrine’s car park – wearing only one shoe – a bystander called for him to be stopped. Canon Commins, in clerical attire, acted immediately.
“I didn’t think twice. It was instinct,” Canon Commins told local media. “I grabbed him and put him down. He was resisting a lot … so I had to, unfortunately, give him a couple punches and hurt my hand a little bit – nothing major – but making sure that there was no threat, since I didn’t know if he had a gun, if he had a weapon.” A parishioner assisted in holding the suspect until Detroit police arrived. The 18-year-old was arrested, and three others were detained.
Once authorities had secured the suspect, Canon Commins returned to the injured woman to check on her condition and determine whether she required the Anointing of the Sick. He later resumed his normal duties, praying the Divine Office and sharing a meal with the community. “Just another day in the D,” he remarked.
Canon Commins, who received his formation in ICKSP houses including a prestigious school near Paris and the seminary in Florence, attributed his response to a “good Catholic education” and formation that instils the duty “to defend the common good, and to remove any threat from myself or others, and to assist the injured”. He credited his high-school experience in French savate, or kickboxing, as helpful, but stressed the action was not exceptional.
St Joseph Shrine, a Victorian Gothic landmark at 1828 Jay Street built in the 19th century for Detroit’s German Catholic community, has been entrusted since 2016 to the canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. It is one of the few places in the Archdiocese of Detroit offering the Traditional Latin Mass daily, having been designated an archdiocesan shrine dedicated to the 1962 Missal. Under Canon Commins’s rectorship, which began in 2021, the parish has experienced notable growth, with reports of increased registered families, now exceeding 400, Baptisms and weddings.
The shrine is in the midst of a major Historic Renewal campaign, including a $3.2 million effort encompassing exterior stonework, bell tower restoration and campus improvements, supported by grants such as a $250,000 matching award from the National Fund for Sacred Places. This revival stands in a city long marked by urban challenges.
Detroit, blighted by crime since the flight of much of its manufacturing industry, recorded significant reductions in major crimes in 2025, with homicides falling to 165, a 19 per cent drop, carjackings down 46 per cent to 77 and motor vehicle thefts also declining. Yet property crimes, including vehicle thefts, remain a persistent concern in parts of the city.
In comments after the event, Canon Commins said he hoped the incident would encourage practical self-defence training, particularly among women, while underscoring the priestly vocation’s call to serve both spiritually and, when necessary, in defence of the vulnerable. His actions have drawn praise from Catholics online and in traditional circles, with many highlighting the image of a cassock-clad priest formed in the classical liturgy taking decisive action amid urban disorder.
