Immaculate Conception (Lapeer)

In the early 1800s, the first French missionaries to visit Lapeer called the area “la pierre”—“the stone”—in reference to the rocky bed of the Flint River. Irish-American Catholics began to settle in Lapeer County during the 1830s. At the time, the faithful could receive the sacraments only when a missionary priest was passing through and Mass was occasionally celebrated in family homes.

Catholics were slow to settle in Lapeer partly because, like much of the nation, many settlers had a strong anti-Catholic bias. In 1844, a visiting missionary priest, Fr. Laurence Kilroy, was pelted with stones. Despite difficulties, Fr. Kilroy sought out any Catholics living in the area. He encountered many non-Catholics who were moved by his “untiring zeal and Christian charity” and were thereby converted to Catholicism. Nevertheless, Fr. Kilroy left Lapeer, convinced that Catholics should not settle there, and went east to St. Clair. 

 

On August 17, 1859, Fr. DeCunic, a Flint priest, persuaded Alvin Hart, founder of Lapeer, to procure property for the site of a Catholic church. Hart provided a small parcel of property on the northern boundary of the village of Lapeer on the top of a hill where, today, Calhoun and Oregon Streets meet. As Catholics were viewed with suspicion and not particularly welcome in Lapeer, this location was chosen purposely to keep Catholics on the outskirts of town.


Jerry Sullivan led the construction efforts and, by October of 1860, much of the frame was finished. However, due to the Civil War, construction was delayed. In October of 1864, Fr. John Busche, a 25-year old German missionary, was appointed pastor to the people of Lapeer. The congregation originally chose the patronage of St. Martin but eventually selected Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was one of the first churches to bear that title after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was promulgated by Pope Pius IX a decade earlier. The first Mass was held in the unfinished church; congregants improvised with boxes and boards because there were no pews at first.

Fr. Busche oversaw the completion of the first church, finished in 1866, and ministered to Catholics in nearby villages. He organized the faithful in Imlay City and Davison, where he built mission churches and purchased land for cemeteries. Fr. Busche also led many converts to the Faith. By 1880, according Fr. Alonzo Nacy, who grew up in Lapeer, half of the parish was comprised of converts. Construction on the current, fieldstone church began in 1895 and finished a decade later. It stands a mile south of the previous church, in what is now called Piety Hill Historic District. 

Fr. Francis Kelley served as pastor at the turn of the 20th Century. In 1924, he was consecrated as the second Bishop of Oklahoma City. He died in 1948 and, two years later, Immaculate Conception Parish established a K-8 school named in honor of him.

Bishop Kelley Catholic School remains active today and is the only Catholic school in Lapeer County.

Nearby churches such as St. Joseph the Worker in Lake Orion and St. Augustine in Richmond are also built from fieldstone.

The interior of the church features a barrel vault ceiling, pointed arches and Corinthian columns.

The parish rescued a 7,000-pound marble altar from a closed New Jersey church and installed it at Immaculate Conception in 2013.

St. Peregrine relic and statue in the east transept; St. Jude statue and relic in the west transept.


The St. Jude statue was transplanted from a now-closed Detroit church and is believed to be the one that Danny Thomas prayed before, leading to his successful acting career. In thanksgiving, Thomas established St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
 

The parish allows Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the church, at the Sacred Heart altar.


Immaculate Conception celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014 and there are currently about 2,100 registered parishioners today.



The Lamb of God is depicted in the center of a large set of windows in the west transept.


The Descent of the Holy Spirit is depicted in the east transept windows.


Stained-glass windows in the nave all follow the same geometric pattern with variation in colors and symbols.


The Jerusalem Cross is inlaid in the floor of the church, in front of the altar.


Fr. Joseph Tuskiewicz has been Associate Pastor for over a year. Fr. Brian Hurley, previously at St. Anthony in Temperance, arrived as pastor at the beginning of July. They are assisted by Deacon Joseph Hulway.



A Marian grotto and memorial for the unborn in between the church and rectory.

Drone video of the church exterior (with music).


Immaculate Conception Parish also ministers at St. Louise Chapel in Metamora, seven miles south of Lapeer.


Immaculate Conception also manages Mt. Loretto Cemetery, two miles south of the church.


Many of the graves date back to the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.
 


For more info: parish website + school website
More about the altar: The Michigan Catholic + The County Press
Another blog post: Blog Your Church
 

Immaculate Conception (Ira Township)

Christian history around Anchor Bay dates back as far as 1679 when Fr. Louis Hennepin, a missionary who accompanied LaSalle, planted a cross in the Anchorville/Fair Haven area. French-Canadian, Catholic immigrants began to settle the area, then called Au Lac (near the lake), in the 18th century. Canadian and French missionaries ministered to the area followed by priests from Grosse Pointe, Mt. Clemens and Marine City.

Statue of Fr. Louis Hennepin outside Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, MN. Wikipedia

One of the first settlers, Etienne Rose, deeded a portion of land for a church and cemetery. A log church was built on the site where the current church now stands off the northern shore of Anchor Bay, in Ira Township.

The original church. parish website

Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere appointed Rev. Charles A. Chambille as the first pastor in 1853. A rectory was yet to be built so Fr. Chambille resided with parishioners at the time. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish was dedicated on October 15, 1853. Fr. Chambille was later transferred to Dearborn's St. Alphonsus Parish six years later. On December 4, 1885, Au Lac was renamed Anchorville when a post office was established there.

   

A massive fire on August 26, 1917, destroyed the church, rectory, convent and school. Rev. Fr. James Downey, pastor at the time, led the parish in the reconstruction efforts. Less than a year later, both the church and four-room school were rebuilt.

Fr. Downey led the parish for 22 years and continually ministered to the sick, even when his own health declined. He died suddenly of a heart attack on September 19, 1935. More than 1,000 attended the Requiem High Mass including 114 priests and 50 nuns.

The parish continued to grow in the coming decades. Ground was broken for a new school in May of 1959 and opened the following fall. An additional 8 classrooms were added in 1966. Reduced funding in 1971 forced the school to temporarily close for five years until enough funds were raised. To celebrate the reopening of the school, Fr. Harry Paul held a special Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, August 22, 1976.

Marble altars follow a Gothic Revival style; a mural covers the illuminated apse.

A Knights of Columbus council was chartered on December 8, 1991. A parish hall and school gymnasium were added in 2005. 

   

Side altars for the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.

    

A holy water font near one of the entrances; the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands above a doorway.

   

Stained-glass windows and a plaque in the vestibule of the church.

   

   

Most of the nave windows depict scenes from the gospels

   

The Adoration of the Magi in the west transept; Resurrected Christ in the east transept

The parish maintain two small, historic cemeteries, Sacred Heart and St. Mary's, respectively. Both stand a few blocks north of the church, on opposite sides of the street.

The cemeteries were vandalized in the spring of 2015 when nearly all of the tombstones were overturned. Several limestone monuments, dating back to 1880, were broken in half. Thankfully, damage was minimal and most tombstone were repaired.

Dozens of toppled tombstones at St. Mary Cemetery - Source

Today, over 150 preschool thru 8th grade students are enrolled. Fr. Joseph Esper has been pastor for the last four years and is assisted by permanent deacon Ken Nowicki.

Pastors of Immaculate Conception & Dates of Service
Rev. Charles Anthony Chambille - October 1853 to 1859
Rev. Theophilus Buyse - 1859 to 1869
Rev. John F. Elsen - 1869 to 1973
Rev. Henry H. Meuffeles - 1873 to 1892
Rev. Henry DeGryse - 1892 to 1913
Rev. James S. Downey - 1913 to 1935
Rev. Victor Renaud - 1936 to 1938
Rev. John Koezler - 1938 to 1955
Rev. Harry Paul - 1955 to 1977
Rev. Daniel Bogus - 1977 to 1991
Rev. Phillip Briffa - 1991 to 1993
Rev. Zigismund Kowalczyk - 1993 to 1999
Rev. David Burgard - 1999 to 2008
Rev. Tomek Maka - 2008 to 2012
Rev. Joseph Esper - 2012 to present

For more info: parish website + bulletin archive + cemetery archive
Another blog post: Discovering Detroit Catholic Churches