Upcoming events: Feburary 24-March 4

Friday, February 24
JUVENTUTEM MASS & DANCE
S.S. Peter & Paul, Detroit (west side)
6:30pm Confessions & Rosary
7:00pm Tridentine High Mass
8:00pm Swing & ballroom dance for ages 18-35
> Facebook

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Sunday, February 26
QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY
St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
11:00am Tridentine High Mass followed by 20-minute Lesson in Liturgy
("The Introit: Entering into the Mass")
> oratory website

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Wednesday, March 1
ASH WEDNESDAY

* fast and abstinence *

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Friday, March 3
FIRST FRIDAY

* Sacred Heart of Jesus, First Friday of Lent *

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Saturday, March 4
FIRST SATURDAY

* Immaculate Heart of Mary *

Tridentine High Mass at Old St. Mary's on Oct. 30

Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz will celebrate a Tridentine Sung Mass on the evening of October 30. The event is organized by Juventutem Michigan, host of a young adult dinner afterwards. Faithful of all ages are welcome to attend the Mass.

Return to Assumption Grotto

German immigrants first arrived in Detroit circa 1830 in the middle of a cholera epidemic. Some settled in what is now Greektown but many moved to the northeast outskirts of the city and settled along with a handful of French-American Catholics.

They built a log chapel, the second Catholic establishment in Detroit, where the current church stands and called it Kirchen Wald (Church in the Woods) and Redemptionist missionaries ministered there. The name was later changed to Chapel of the Assumption and later St. Mary's in the Woods.

In 1847, the parish was officially established as Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and they received their first full-time pastor, Fr. Amandus Van den Driessche, in 1852. By the end of that year, the parish had its first "permanent," brick church completed with a capacity of 500.

Like many parishes at the time, a nearby cemetery was added at some point. In 1876, Van den Driessche visited France and was so impressed by the recently-constructed Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes that he commissioned a replica of the grotto. This was designed by Peter Dederichs, also architect of several Catholic churches. It was constructed of limestone, standing at the far end of the cemetery, finished in 1881, and was the first outdoor shrine in Michigan.

On April 30, 1882, Pope Leo XIII signed a proclamation granting partial and plenary indulgences for anyone who visited the Grotto and prayed for the propagation of the faith. The grotto became a popular place for local pilgrimage, especially on the last Sunday of May and the Solemnity of the Assumption (August 15). The interior rim of the grotto shows each pope and the duration of his papacy.

The second church burned in 1907, and the current church was built in its place. The rectory dates to 1918 and convent to early 1920s, both constructed from red brick. 


Detroit architectural firm Aloys Frank Herman designed the current church that was built 1928-1929 and dedicated on September 22, 1929. The church was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1990 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places the next year.

 

A plaque at the gate commemorates all of Assumption's pastors. Amazingly, in more than 160 years, the parish has had only 9 pastors and some have served as long as 45 years. Fr. Eduard Perrone has been pastor since 1994 and is assisted by Fr. John Bustamante as well as (permanent) Deacon James Wilder.

A large statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands near the gate; small, narrow windows are found in the side aisles. Large windows depicting saints and symbols are in the clerestory.

 

Buttresses line the exterior walls on both sides.

Clerestory windows show various saints and Church symbols.

Windows in the northeast and southwest transepts.

The Blessed Virgin is depicted in the choir loft windows, surrounded by angels.

Communion rails are crafted from Italian marble. Angels holding a ciborium and chalice are shown on the gates.

Carved wooden details above confessionals.

Mass is offered everyday, at least twice a day. Most Masses are ad orientem with the priest facing the tabernacle during Liturgy of the Eucharist. Mass is at 7:30am and 7:00pm, Monday-Friday. 

 

Saturday Mass is at 7:30am and 4:00pm (Sunday Vigil). Sunday Mass is at 6:30am, 9:30am (Tridentine), and Noon. Confessions are heard half an hour before each Sunday Mass. The congregation traditionally recites the rosary after every Mass.

For more info: parish website, Te Deum blog, previous blog post, AOD, Detroit1701, RCNet
For more photos: Flickr,  Te Deum, AOD Film Services,

Assumption Church (Windsor)

In 1748, Fr. Armand De La Richardie, S.J., came from Quebec to establish a mission church serving Native converts living in modern-day Windsor. It became known as "The Mission of Our Lady of the Assumption among the Hurons of Detroit."

In 1765, sixty French families petitioned for their own parish nearby. Instead of segregating the two groups, they were combined under the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption. A new church measuring 60' x 30' was built to replace the 1749 chapel which was falling into ruins. In June of 1801, nearly 500 converts were confirmed at the parish.

Fr. Potier, a Jesuit missionary, became the first pastor and served in the capacity until his death 32 years later. The parish used two more churches before the cornerstone of the present edifice was laid July 7, 1842 and opened three years later. 

In 1870, Basilian Fathers from Toronto were invited to the parish. They accepted and have been there since. In 1874, the belltower and sanctuary were added to the church. At the same time, stained glass windows were installed in the sanctuary and apse. The brilliant windows in the nave were added in 1882.

While Our Lady of Assumption Church is in Windsor, it is barely across the river, and stands alongside the Ambassador Bridge. It is also the oldest continuous parish in Ontario. In the metro Detroit area, only the parish of Ste. Anne de Detroit is older. It is also the oldest extant church in the region and three years older than S.S. Peter & Paul (Jesuit).


The nearby Rosary chapel used for private prayer and daily Mass.

 

Built by French Canadians, the French language appears on the Stations of the Cross and throughout the church.

 

The Salve Regina is inscribed around the perimeter of the sanctuary.

The Sacred Heart side altar and nearby Infant of Prague.

The beginning of the Asperges Me is inscribed in the holy water fonts.

 

Pairs of angels are found in the ceiling of the nave.

A statue of the Canadian martyrs stands in one corner of the narthex;  St. Anthony stands in the opposite corner.

For the past six years, Assumption Church has hosted the St. Benedict Tridentine Community and celebrated a regularly-scheduled Tridentine Mass.

The church has a laundry list of needed repairs, totalling $10 million, which the parish currently cannot afford. The church has deficiencies with its roof, foundation, masonry, ceiling, floor tiles, and much more. Because of these issues, the church is currently closed until necessary funds are raised.

 

Currently, the parish is NOT accepting donations. However, they will accept pledges. In the meantime, the St. Benedict Tridentine Community will celebrate EF Mass at Holy Name of Mary (Windsor) at 7:00pm every Tuesday and at 2:00pm on the first Sunday of each month. All other Sundays, 2:00pm Mass will be at St. Alphonsus Church (Windsor).

 

More info: parish website
More photos: here and here