13. St Joseph

Name: St. Joseph
Location: Detroit: Gratiot and St. Aubin, near Eastern Market and north end of Dequindre Cut
Parish Founded/Church built: 1855/1873(ish)
Date Visited: March 19, 2010 5-10pm

I used to use the spire of St. Joseph to help me find Eastern Market. Visible from miles away, once I find that I can easily get to Eastern Market. St. Joseph was originally a German parish whose parishioners came from Old St. Mary's. They built an ornate building that has stood the test of time.

We were luck enough to visit on the feast of St. Joseph, and there were all day events going on. We came at 5 for an organ concert, then went to Fish Fry at Sweetest Heart of Mary, then returned for mass and a tour of the wonderful building. It was a great way to spend a Friday night.

Both the outside and inside of St. Joseph are grand beyond anything built in the last 70 years. They really outdid themselves with the details and statues of each saint. The windows are incredible, including one that was imported from Austria using a glass technique that can no longer be reproduced. It is said that window is worth more than all other stained glass windows in all Detroit put together.

St. Joseph has a very active music ministry, and we were able to enjoy the organ concert and get a feel for the power of the instrument. We listened for an hour, taking in the great church and walking around to each altar and statue. After some time we went to their social hall where they had a traditional St. Joseph shrine where people brought food for his feast day that would later be distributed.

After having Detroit's best Fish Fry at Sweetest Heart, we returned for mass. It was my first Latin Trinetine mass experience. This was mass in Extraordinary form, the way it was back in the day. The priest faces the altar, back to the congregations, with the aid of many deacons who sit, stand, kneel and genuflect in military uniform. Not all masses at St. Joseph are like this. They have masses each Sunday in English, Latin, and sometimes German.

Seeing as how it wasn't a normal Sunday mass, I don't want to judge certain aspects of the experience just on this visit. But for the architecture and artwork alone, it's worth the trip.

12. St Aloysius

Name: St. Aloysius
Location: Detroit - Washington and Grand River
Parish Established/Church Built: 1873/1930
Date Visited: 3/14/10 11:30AM





Just like Ss. Peter and Paul, you could pass by St. Aloysius and not know it's a church. It fits right in between two large buildings on Washington Blvd. down the street from the Book Cadillac. From the outside it looks fairly traditional, which makes the inside all the more stunning.

With not a lot of space at a church which once served all the Catholics working downtown for mass on Holy days, the solution was to build tiered seating, like a stadium or theatre. There are three levels of seats, with the first floor being the main level, but a few hundred people could sit in the basement and look up to the main altar through a hole in the floor/ceiling. I've never seen anything like it. Of course now only the main level was used.

Besides from being blown away by the architecture, this was by far the friendliest congregation until now. I was welcomed right away and people smiled so genuinely when they said "Good Morning" it was hard not feel good.

St. Aloysius is clustered with St. Patrick (right by the DSO). Their usual pastor was busy all day with St. Patrick's Day festivities at the parish and corktown, that we had a visiting priest. He was formerly from Shrine in Royal Oak. He was great, and the entire experience felt very personal and relevant. He welcomed the visitors from out of state and had some parishioners get up and tell their stories of faith. Most enjoyably, this parish sings! They even have the same book, Lead Me Guide Me we had at Christ the King.

Also, the sharing of peace, which usually lasts all of 45 seconds at most churches was more akin to Christ the King's love in/intermission I'm accustomed to. It's perfectly acceptable at CK to walk around the church to share the greeting of peace with anyone and everyone, while at most churches I see, you just stand still, and maybe shake hands or just make eye contact with those in your immediate surroundings. St. Aloysius was just like CK where people walked around, and had small conversations. I found out the woman sitting next to me was from my neighborhood, and was baptised at Christ the King.

This church rightly bills itself as multi-ethnic, multi-generational, and they should also add multi-socio economic status in there too, but I guess that would be bulky. There are all types here, all doing God's work in church and in the community at large. Across the street is the Canticle Cafe, a place where anyone can come indoors to us the internet, library, and get some food and drink at no cost.

Social hour afterwards was sponsored by St. Al's partnering parish, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, MI. Their parishioners come every (month? two months??) to serve a hearty lunch to St. Al's. I felt more than welcome to attend, and sat down with strangers and stated talking like old friends. It was an incredible experience. Although I wondered do people think just because we live in Detroit that we're hungry?? Oh well, it was great lunch, thanks OLGC!

Well, this is all from just my perspective, but obviously I really enjoyed St. Al's. Thanks to them for making me feel welcome, I hope to return soon!

Side note: my mom says she attended St. Aloysius on weekdays when she worked for the Bell company down the street, my oldest brother was baptised there by Fr. Kolar, who is now at Most Holy Trinity. Small Archdiocese!

11. Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit

Name: Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Location: Detroit - Jefferson and St. Antoine
Parish Established/Church Built: 1844/1848
Date Visited: 3/7/10 11:00AM

So many good things to say about this parish, where do I start? You have probably driven by Ss. Peter and Paul church and not even noticed it. You're missing out at looking at Detroit's oldest church building, finished in 1848. Think about how old that is for a second... pretty old. You think about all the thousands of people who have sat in those pews, been baptised, married, or had their funeral mass there.

The exterior like I said does not look much like a church. It is on Jefferson across the street from the Renaissance center, next to several buildings that now make up the University of Detroit Law School. The interior is beautiful, though, with white as the dominant color. Paintings of saints are on the ceiling.

Before mass, were welcomed by the priest, Fr. Mark George SJ. He came right up to Chris and I and asked if were "that couple who asked to meet with him" we said no, we were just here as visitors, and he took the time to welcome us and learn our names. We were welcomed by others before mass started, always a good sign.

During the homily, Fr. George connected the readings to current events, like the disaster in Haiti. Some said the earthquake was was God's punishment to the country, but he said that is not the way God works.

He also encouraged the congregation to sit closer and more central to the main altar. He said since our numbers are so small, there's no reason for us to spread ourselves out so much. They said they were considering roping off the back sections of pews. When you think about all the great church buildings in this city that were meant to house thousands of worshipers at a time, and now they are lucky to have 100 at any given mass, it's very sad. In many other cities that experienced suburban flight, people still came back to worship at the same church as their parents and grandparents, but that was not the case with many Detroit parishes. In 1989, 31 parishes closed because of population shifts. Another handful (not sure the number) were closed or restructured in 2006. More may be to come if no one is there to

After mass there was a social hour with refreshments in the back of church. It was a great experience in general, and I can't wait to go back.

10. Assumption Grotto

Name: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Location: Detroit - Gratiot and E. McNichols
Parish Established/Church Built: 1832/1929
Date Visited: 2/21/10









Feeling nostalgic for the pre-Vatican II days when you spent half of mass on the kneelers, women covered their heads, and no less than 12 altar boys and deacons assisted the priest in mass? I have just the church for you - Assumption Grotto.

This was by far the most traditional mass experience I've experienced. Growing up in a church where we only knelt after receiving Eucharist, and we didn't say the creed for a few years, this was a very different experience.

They have a large active congregation, which is surprising and wonderful considering the fact that this church sits in one of the worst neighborhoods in Detroit. The grounds include the church itself, a cemetery, convent, rectory and a grotto. The church is absolutely breathtaking, and to me is what a church should look like. This is one of those "they don't make them like the used to" churches.

This was the first time I realized that the congregation is supposed to kneel or bow in the creed where Jesus is born of a virgin, comes down from heaven and becomes man. I learned the hard way as we were singing the creed in Latin, I was reading along and translating, remembering the ablative and accusative case, when I look around and see everyone else on their knees. I definitely outed myself as an outsider there.

I also experienced the old form of receiving Eucharist, kneeling at the altar, on the tongue, with a deacon holding a metal platter under your chin in case the Host should fall.

After mass was ended, the congregation said the rosary. I was not prepared for this but followed along without a rosary. I counted on my fingers all the Hail Marys - trying to remember how many "rounds" (decades) there were in total, four or five? (answer: five) I remember calling my mom that day and telling her "I've never had my knees hurt from mass before!" and she laughed and told me that was the way it used to be.

It was the first Sunday of Lent, and I only wondered if maybe the mass was more solemn than in Ordinary Time. Only one way to find out, to go back sometime, prepared this time for the rosary!

Church Visits pre-2010

In order (I think)

1. Christ the King - where I grew up, had all my sacraments, brother got married, dad's funeral













2. St. Scholastica - one of the closer parishes to my house, we used to go to 12:30 mass there when we couldn't get up for CK's 10am mass













3. Ste. Anne - Detroit's oldest parish. Founded in 1701, it's older than just about anything else in this city. It's building, however is a little more modern than the original log cabin, it was built in 1886. I visited Ste. Anne on Palm Sunday 2010 and will talk more about it then.



















4. All Saints - a church in the Delray/Southwest Detroit area, Fort St. and Livernois. My cousins went there and I would go when there was a baptism or First Communion to celebrate.

5. St. Suzanne - now clustered with Our Lady Gate of Heaven. We would go here for evening mass (5:30) if we really slept in.

6. Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament - I remember asking my mother when I was younger which sacrament was the most blessed of all of them. I thought they all seemed pretty important. She looked at me wondering where she went wrong and said it's the Eucharist. It all makes sense now. I went there to see Handel's Messiah, and realized why people usually only sing the Hallelujah Chorus. I visited it again in 2010 and will speak more about it later.




















7. Holy Redeemer - my dad and brother went to Holy Redeemer High School. The first wedding I was a part of was here in 1994.















8. Old St Mary's (Greektown) that beautiful church in Greektown you see squeezed in there between the casinos, restaurants, and Astoria Bakery. It has quite a lively parish, and wonderful choir. I went there to hear Latin mass for the first time. I took two semesters of Latin in college and thought it would be a good way to put my knowledge to use. I forgot to pick up a booklet when I walked in with all the translations. Reader, do not make this mistake, you will not enjoy the experience. If you go to Latin mass, the homily is in English (or whatever Language the congregation speaks), so don't be afraid you won't get anything out of it.























9. St. Cunegunda
My boyfriend is Polish, I'm Mexican. They have a Polish/Spanish mass. We had to go. St. Cunegunda is in a section of Detroit that has the same residents living there for many years. The neighborhood is slowly turning to a mix Latino, Arab, Black and White. My brother went to Kindergarten there, but now there is just a church. We went there around Halloween, and the little kids celebrated by dressing up as their favorite saint/nun/priest/apparition of Mary for All Saints Day.

In the beginning

I was brought up going to church each Sunday at Christ the King parish in Northwest Detroit. CK is a great place, and as I've made my rounds of the Roman Catholic churches in Detroit I'm learning there are few places quite like it.

Although I love my parish, like most young adults I go through phases of going to church and not. For the past few years it has been far more not. While maintaining a private spirituality and feeling God's presence in nature, I do miss attending mass.

My boyfriend, Chris, was also in the same boat. An active member of St. Mary's student parish in Ann Arbor in the past, it had been a few years since he'd been to church. Early in our relationship we went to mass at a suburban church with a large active congregation. Despite all the people there, we did not feel any connection to the priest, other parishioners, or even the building.

Over a year later we decided to give it another try, but this time we decided not to try one church, but to try them all! One thing we decided early was that we agreed the old church buildings were much more attractive to us. We wanted to see the oldest, grandest, most historic church buildings in Detroit, and other cities and what better way than to celebrate mass there?

Our "church hopping" adventure coincided with the most holy season, Lent. Going at such a special time made it all the more meaningful. Since then we visited eight new parishes for mass and others for Fish Fry and other festivities. Unfortunately (for me) Chris moved to South Florida earlier this year which means now I church hop alone here and he is searching for a good parish there.

I wish I could have started this months ago when visiting the churches was fresh in my mind, but I'll have to rely on memory. Also, I unfortunately never took pictures (I'm a little leery of taking pictures in church, but I'll try to get over that), so I'll try to find pictures posted on open sharing sites to go along with each visit. Of course, pictures only go so far, I hope some readers will be inspired to visit these grand places themselves.

Introduction to Detroit Wandering Sheep

Hi I'm Justine. I live in enchanting Northwest Detroit (Old Redford neighborhood)where I grew up attending Christ the King parish.

This blog is the story of my goal to visit all Catholic churches in Detroit. My intention is to bring attention to these beautiful buildings and the people there who are doing great things in my beloved city. I do not claim to be a perfect Catholic (no one is) or feel I have any authority to speak of church and religious issues. There are many other great blogs out there for those interested in discussing such matters.

If you have interest in old historic churches, community building, all things Detroit, and the occasional musing from a 20 something about spirituality and the paradox that is Detroit, then I invite you to share in my journey.

Peace be with you,

Justine