Gesu Parish

The original Gesu Church in 1922. source

Gesu Parish was established in 1922 and an addition was built the next year. The parish continued to grow and Masses were held in the basement of the school 1925–1935. The current church was finished in 1935 for the cost of $300,000, $5.2 million in today's value, and follows a Spanish Mission style of architecture.

Gesu is also one of few parishes in the city that still operates a parish K-8 school. Fr. Robert Scullin, SJ, is the current pastor.

Symbols of the four evangelists decorate the exterior walls while icons of the Blessed Mother hang above doorways.


Daily Mass is held every weekday at 5:30pm and Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5:00pm. Sunday Mass is at 8:00am and 10:30am.

An elaborate motif decorates the ceiling.

A large baldacchin hangs above the altar; the Holy Family is pictured in a sanctuary window.

At some point, the sanctuary was extended and pews rearranged. The tabernacle is located in between the main altar and rear chapel (where high altar used to be).

In the rear of the nave, two large plaques honor the parish's World War II veterans.

A social area was built at the east side of the church and a partition separates it from the rest of the church.  Stations of the Cross line this wall.

Gesu is located in northwest Detroit, near McNichols and Livernois, immediately north of University of Detroit-Mercy.

For more info: parish website, bulletin archive
More photos: AOD Film Services, Flickr