"In all circumstances give thanks," we are told in the Sunday reading from First Thessalonians. But with circumstances looking especially bleak for Detroit area residents who depend on foundering automakers for employment, many are turning to their pastoral leaders for guidance. Outside Corpus Christi Catholic Church last Sunday, a sign beckoned passersby inside to hear about "God's bailout plan."

Catholic churches in the Detroit area distributed a four-page letter from Cardinal Adam Maida Sunday offering "some pastoral insights and suggestions about how we might prepare to celebrate Christmas this year when economic conditions are so grim."

In the letter Cardinal Maida acknowledged that "things in Michigan will probably never be the same" but encouraged the region's 1.3 million Catholics to maintain their faith. "At this darkest time of the year, we proclaim that Christ is our light and Christ is our hope," he wrote.

Greater Grace Temple, the largest church in Detroit, invited officials from the United Automobile Workers union to speak at the church. "We have done all that we can do in this union, so I turn it over to the Lord," General Holiefield, a United Auto Workers (UAW) vice president for Chrysler, told the crowd. UAW member James Settles Jr. asked those present "to continue your prayers, so we can see a miracle next week."

By midweek it appeared the prayers had been partially answered. Democrats and the Bush White House signaled Wednesday that they had reached a deal to speed $14 billion in emergency loans to the struggling automakers. But strong opposition lingered among some Republicans.

Money could be disbursed within days to cash-starved General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, while Ford Motor Co.-which has said it has enough liquidity to stay afloat-would be eligible for federal aid as well.

The bill would create a government "car czar" named by President Bush to dole out the loans, with the power to force the carmakers into bankruptcy next spring if they didn't cut quick deals with labor unions, creditors, and others to restructure their businesses and become viable.

Source: Articles by Nick Bunkley for the New York Times and Julie Hirschfeld Davis for the Associated Press