Church Relocation

What to do with empty church buildings? St Gerard's church in Buffalo, which was closed in 2008, will see new life as Mary Our Queen parish in suburban Atlanta. The building will be taken apart piece by piece and reassembled in Georgia. Much better than the option to build a new church, imho.

Read the article here, see what you think.

17. Most Holy Trinity

Name: Most Holy Trinity

Location: Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, near the old Tiger Stadium site 

Parish Founded/Church Built: 1834/1855

Date Visited: 6/20/10 11:00AM (Father's Day)

Corktown is one of the most vibrant Detroit neighborhoods. Boasting the title of the oldest neighborhood in the city, it's home to Slow's BBQ, the abandoned Michigan Central Station, the St. Patrick's Day parade, Irish, Mexicans, and anyone looking for history and character in a place to live. Also in Corktown is Most Holy Trinity church. It's a bit hidden from Michigan Avenue, but you can't miss it coming south on the Lodge, right before the Howard exit.

The church has a large active parish, with weekday and weekend masses offered in English and Bilingual English and Spanish. They offer free legal and medical assistance to anyone who is in need. They also have one of only eight (last I checked) Catholic elementary schools in the city operating.

On my visit, Father Russ Kohler (who baptised my oldest brother in 1973) was in fine form. It was father's day and he took the time to lambast absent fathers (and mothers). The reason for all of society's problems, he said, is the break down in good parenting and spiritual guidance. All the fathers present went up to get a pin and much needed appreciation. He also highlighted the stories of St. Brigid of Ireland and St. Patrick.

The inside of the building holds artifacts, like an old carriage, and a museum of the hospital that once served the 1830s population. One thing this 1855 building lacks is a bathroom. I had been hydrating myself too much before I realized this. In their bulletin it said Catholics used to fast for 12 hours before mass and it wasn't a problem, but finally 155 years later plans to install a bathroom in the church are underway, but they'll  have to remove the hospital museum.

According to Fr. Kohler, "if this is the only thing I'm remembered for, so be it!"

Going to mass at Most Holy Trinity was a wonderful experience. The parishioners were friendly, the service solemn but not too stiff, the sermon relevant. The building has a great energy that comes from the many people who worship there and work to serve the community.

16. St. Albertus

Name: St. Albertus

Location: Detroit Canfield and St. Aubin, a stone throw away from St. Josaphat and Sweetest Heart of Mary

Parish Founded/Church built: 1872/1885

Date visited: 6/13/2010 12pm

Much more than just a beautiful, historic church, St. Albertus is a symbol of Detroit's Polish community that once lives in this area and was so numerous there were many giant churches all within sight of each others spires to house the faithful, each seating a few thousand people for over a century until...

This parish was officially closed in 1990 but the volunteers of the Polish American Historic Site Association keep up the building. Mass is said there once a month at least, with a Tridentine (Latin) Mass said four times a year. I was there for one of these Latin masses and I stumbled upon it by accident mainly. I was on my way to St. Elizabeth's noon mass when I drove by St. Albertus and saw the parking lot filling up. I couldn't resist going to mass at a church that is only open a few times a months.

It was a great surprise to be able to go to St. Albertus, especially for a Latin mass. I chose a pew near the front and sat down seconds before mass started. Just my luck this was one of the creakiest pews I've ever sat in. I couldn't move, bringing to mind the horror stories I hear from the generations before me that tell me about how they had to sit for hours in mass not moving, not twitching, nothing.

Of course for Tridentine mass one tries to be on her best behavior. Kneel, sit, stand, try to follow the Latin: credo in unum Deum... oh shoot that's about as far as I go! But I realized not only was my pew creaky but my kneeler didn't fold down. There is a lot of kneeling involved in a traditional mass, so there I was kneeling on the 1885 (one hundred years before my birth) wooden floors, praying to the patron saint against splinters.

The neighborhood around the church is desolate now. Some blocks have no houses left, just burnt out shells. There is a traffic light which has no intact building at any of the four corners, and a sign "Traffic Light is being studied for removal". I think it's safe to be removed. Nature is winning the battle against the former school buildings. The church was robbed of copper by thieves not long ago. There is gated, guarded parking available and a gate surrounds the church. But like any good symbol of Detroit, this community will not be hindered by the blight that surrounds it. The volunteers and anyone involved in the upkeep of St. Albertus are the kind of people that give me hope for the future of the city.

The next masses as well as a music festival and play production are all on the St. Albertus website, under Calendar of Events. This is one you just can't pass up!

Master List

Churches I have visited:

1. Christ the King
2. St. Scholastica
3. Ste. Anne
4. All Saints
5. St. Suzanne
6. Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
7. Holy Redeemer
8. Old St. Mary's
9. St. Cunegunda
10. Assumption Grotto
11. Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit
12. St. Aloysius
13. St. Joseph
14. St. Thomas Aquinas
15. St. Josaphat
16. St. Albertus*
17. Most Holy Trinity
18. Sweetest Heart of Mary
19. Transfiguration
20. Our Lady Queen of Heaven
21. St. Patrick
22. Our Lady of the Rosary

*Closed since 1990, St. Albertus is still kept up by a group of volunteers, and mass is said there at least once a month
Churches I have yet to visit:

1. Church of the Madonna
2. Corpus Christi/St. Gerard
3. Gesu
4. Good Shepherd
5. Holy Cross (Hungarian)
6. Holy Family
7. Nativity
8. Our Lady of Good Counsel
9. Our Lady Queen of Angels
10. Presentation/Our Lady of Victory
11. Sacred Heart
12. Ss. Andrew and Benedict
13. Ss. Augustine and Monica
14. Ss. Peter and Paul (Warrendale)
15. St. Anthony (Lithuanian)
16. St. Bartholomew - St. Rita
17. St. Cecilia
18. St. Charles Borromeo
19. St. Christopher
20. St. Elizabeth
21. St. Francis D'Assisi
22. St. Gabriel
23. St. Gregory the Great
24. St. Hedwig
25. St. Hyacinth
26. St. Jude
27. St. Leo
28. St. Louis the King
29. St. Luke
30. St. Mary of Redford
31. St. Matthew
32. St. Peter Claver
33. St. Philomena
34. St. Raymond
35. St. Stephen

I tried my best to keep this list as accurate as possible, but if there is some mistake, please let me know!

15. St. Josaphat

Name: St. Josaphat

Location: Detroit, I-75 and Canfield (between Warren and Mack exits)

Parish Founded/Church built 1889/1901

Date visited: 4/11/10 12pm

St. Josaphat is the three steepled church that mimics the Renaissance center's pattern when coming into Detroit south on I-75. Beautiful on the outside as well as the inside, this church made me feel a connection to the past as we went through mass.

We attended the Sunday after Easter, also called Divine Mercy Sunday. It just happened that the day before a plane carrying dozens of the Polish military and government leaders crashed in Russia on the way to commemorate the many thousands of Poles killed by the Soviets in 1940. The visiting priest, himself from Poland in front of a largely Polish American congregation spoke of these tragedies, and the capacity for forgiveness.

The church building has held up well against the passing of a century. I felt a deep connection to the history of this parish, as plaques honor the parishioners who volunteered for WWI and WWII. Murals depicting great moments in the history of Polish Catholicism offer a history lesson on the ceilings.

St.  Josaphat is one of the many Detroit churches where you can attend Tridentine (Latin) mass at 9:30 on Sunday mornings and 7pm on Mondays. Along with the members of their cluster parishes, Sweetest Heart of Mary and St. Joseph, they have many offerings in the way of committees, special events, and other offerings. Go to any of these churches (or all three) and you are in for a great mass experience where thousands of parishioners have worshiped before. It is truly a great feeling.

Blessed Sacrament

Name: Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament


Location: Detroit, Woodward and West Chicago in the Boston Edison neighborhood
Parish Founded/Church Built 1905/1913
Date Visited: Several times in childhood, most recently 3/21/10 11am

Blessed Sacrament Cathedral is so grand it's hard to believe it was not built to be the cathedral church of Detroit, but just another parish. In fact there were many churches that served as cathedral before Blessed Sacrament became cathedral in 1938.

Sts. Peter and Paul on Jefferson was the cathedral church until 1877 when the Jesuits took over the parish and St. Aloysius became the cathedral church. Then in 1890 St. Patrick church on John R and Adelaide (which has since burned down) was designated at cathedral and renamed Sts. Peter and Paul to keep the same name for the new cathedral (Are you following so far?) Then in 1938 Detroit became an Archdiocese and Cardinal Mooney marked this change by designating the Most Blessed Sacrament to be the new cathedral church.

In Boston Edison -a neighborhood which once was home to the Fords, Firestones, and Fishers -Blessed Sacrament is in close proximity to many other grand churches on Woodward Avenue. It's easy to imagine the area in better times, surrounded by mansions and the well to do. Both the outside and inside are a feast to the eyes.

The interior was redone a few years ago, and the new altar has a very modern look that doesn't fit in with the rest of the early 20th century design. I hate to say it, but it almost made me feel I was at a megachurch. But that's just my own opinion.

They were preparing for the week ahead when they would become more than a parish but the cathedral, host to many visitors from far and wide. Large events and official masses with the Archbishop are held there, especially for Holy Week.

Afterwards we were shown around by one of the greeters. There are a lot of details to take in. Then there was a fellowship hour we were welcomed to join in, once we found our way through the maze that led to the basement. Everyone was friendly, I just wish they hadn't renovated the place to look so modern.

Ste. Anne

Name: Ste. Anne de Detroit
Location: Southwest Detroit in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge, look for the twin steeples
Parish Founded/Church Built: 1701/1886
Date Visited: several times in childhood, most recently March 28th, 2010 (Palm Sunday) 12pm


The formal name: Ste. Anne de Detroit is telling of Detroit's French roots. Founded two days after the French landed on the banks of what would become Detroit, Ste. Anne is the second oldest continually running parish in the USA (trailing only a parish in St. Augustine, they always win the Oldest Contest). The Basilian Fathers - an order with post-revolution French roots run the parish.

On Palm Sunday, heavy rains kept the usual outdoor Palm ceremony and procession inside the church vestibule. As a child I remember coming to Ste. Anne for Spanish Mass. While the Southwest Detroit area has the area's largest Spanish speaking population, this mass was in English and the enormous church was filled to capacity for the third mass of the day. The priest, keeping the congregation mindful of the start of Holy Week, gave a wonderful sermon about the importance of Reconciliation (confession). This is not something that would normally come from my line of thinking, but it made me want to go to confession.

Of course the building itself is a masterpiece. It is 124 years old and just as beautiful as 20 churches built in the last 75 years put together. Beautiful stained glass windows, a ceiling resembling the starry heavens, and awe inspiring altars. It is always a great experience to enter into Ste. Anne's.

Coming up at the end of this month is a great opportunity to worship and celebrate at Ste. Anne. The 100th Annual Novena will happen from July 17-July 26 (the feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim. Each night will celebrate a different ethnic group, and all are welcome to participate in as many or as few nights as possible. For more information, see this article in the Michigan Catholic.

For those who are wondering, Ste. Anne is the mother of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was her pregnancy with Mary that is referred to as the Immaculate Conception - meaning Mary was conceived without sin so that she could one day become the mother of Jesus. St. Joachim was her husband, the father of Mary.

Harvard's Pluralism Project also has a great profile of Ste. Anne's history and community.