Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church
Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church | |
Polish Cathedral | |
NRHP reference No. | 78001523[1] |
---|---|
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | January 31, 1978 |
Designated MSHS | July 26, 1974[2] |
The Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church is located at 4440 Russell Street (at East Canfield Street) in
History
The rise of Detroit brought in many
Kolasinski negotiated to bring his flock, numbering nearly 4,000 families, into the fold of the Catholic Church. The Panic of 1893 hit the parish hard. Parish members secured a loan in order to keep the building. Eventually, Rome directed the bishop of Detroit to make peace with Kolasinski, and the congregation of the Sweetest Heart of Mary was officially received into the Diocese of Detroit on February 18, 1894.[4]
Kolasinski died in 1898. He was temporarily succeeded by the
During Father Plagens's tenure, the parish flourished. The church school was filled with almost 1,500 pupils, and the church was the social as well as spiritual center of the community. Over time, with shifting demographics, membership waned. This trend accelerated through the tenures of the next three pastors: Monsignor Michael Grupa (1935 to 1949), Rev. Adam Koprowski (1949 to 1959), and Rev. Boguslaus Poznański (1959 to 1976).[4] During the 1960s and early 1970s the congregation numbers fell.[5]
In 1976, Rev. Bohdan Kosicki joined Sweetest Heart, began a building restoration, and implemented a plan which revived church membership. He reached out and established ties to earlier parishioners, raising funds for the restoration.[4] Sweetest Heart of Mary was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It received state historic designation in 1974, and city of Detroit designation in 1981. A state of Michigan historical marker was also erected in 1981.[6] The stained glass windows and organ were restored, and much of the main altar was renovated. In addition, the convent and fencing were restored, the second school building was demolished, and the historic old school building was stabilized. Kosicki's work was carried on through the tenure of Rev. Alphons Gorecki, who served from 1981 through 2002. Other work included refurbishing the interior, repairing plasterwork and statues, and upgrading electrical wiring.[4]
From 2002 until early 2010, Fr. Mark A. Borkowski was pastor and continued the restoration and revival of Sweetest Heart of Mary. During this period the Annual Pierogi Festival greatly expanded to become the largest religious festival in the City of Detroit. July 1, 2011, Fr. Darrell Roman became the new administrator in addition to being administrator for the other two churches in the cluster, St. Joseph and St. Josaphat.
Architecture
In 1890, construction began on "what would become the largest Catholic Church in Michigan."
Sweetest Heart of Mary is one of the largest
The church includes several impressive
There are three related building—a large
The 1893
See also
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ a b "Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church". Detroit1701.org. October 2002. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- ^ a b c d e f "Sweetest Heart of Mary". Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- ^ Warikoo, Nira J. (May 17, 2008). "Historic churches lure the faithful". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- ^ "Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church" (PDF). Detroit Planning and Development Department. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- ISBN 0-8143-1875-4.
- ^ MacDowell, Betty (February 2007). "Featured Windows, February 2007". Michigan State University Museum. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
- ^ "Opus list" (PDF). Austin Organs. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
Further reading
- Godzak, Roman (2000). Archdiocese of Detroit (Images of America). Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0797-0.
- Godzak, Roman (2004). Catholic Churches of Detroit (Images of America). Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3235-5.
- Godzak, Roman (2000). Make Straight the Path: A 300 Year Pilgrimage Archdiocese of Detroit. Editions du Signe. ISBN 2-7468-0145-0.
- Orson, Lawrence, (1981) Polish Detroit and the Kolasinski Affair Detroit: ISBN 978-0-8143-1671-9.
- Serafino, Frank, (1983) West of Warsaw. Avenue Publishing Co. ISBN 0-910977-00-3.
- Skendzel, Eduard Adam Kolasinski in the Evening News, 1881-1899 ASIN: B000722P40.
- Tentler, Leslie Woodcock with foreword by Cardinal ISBN 0-8143-2106-2.
- Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. p. 150. ISBN 0-8143-1875-4.