Google searches.

And answers:

"st joseph's church,detroit, christmas eve mass 2010"

Here's what you want, and more!

Saturday, December 25, 2010
Solemnity of Christmas
Midnight Latin Tridentine Mass
Weihnachts-Responsorien with orchestra – Michael Haydn (11:30 PM Featured Prelude)
Mass in G with orchestra – W. A. Mozart
Dominus dixit – Gregorian chant
Laetentur caeli – Gregorian chant
Ave Verum – William Byrd
In splendoribus – Gregorian chant
O Magnum Mysterium – Tomas Luis de Victoria

Yeah, you definitely want to be there, Google user a.

"when is a good time to go to christmas eve mass at old st marys in detroit mi"

Well, Google user b, according to the events calendar on the OSM website, Carols will be at 11:30 pm, blessing of the Crib at 11:45 pm, and Mass at Midnight. I've never been, but I would imagine getting there at 11:15 would be a good idea. Or get there at 11 and pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in preparation. Or put a coat on your pew at 10:30 then play some Roulette next door. (I think the Rosary plan is better.)

I'm glad you found this little blog, and I hope you come back and find the answer for which you were looking!

Lame non-post post (plus Ste. Claire! )

So... St Hedwig's canceled their first Friday Mass this month. Thankfully we were able to catch Mass at Sweetest Heart of Mary with several Deacons of the AOD.

So, no new material to post. Hopefully I can get up early enough to see something new tomorrow!

Check out this picture of Ste. Claire from the Detroit Public Library on Woodward across the street from the DIA.

Notes and News 12-03-2010

St. Elizabeth does NOT have a 7:45pm Mass on Thursdays. AOD, please update your internets!

Here is a nice little blog about St. Josaphat and other Extraordinary Form mass news. Nice pictures.

Next post should be about St. Hedwig. Judging by the photos on the website this parish should be a treat. I plan on attending their first Friday Mass at 5:30pm. Can't come? Check out the virtual tour!

Old St. Mary's (Greektown) and Golden Fleece

Considering the dearth* of churches named for St. Andrew in the Archdiocese, I decided to go to Old St. Mary's in Greektown on November 30. They have a daily 12:15 Mass. (Confessions are heard before every Mass as well.) Andrew is a name of Greek origin, so it made sense to go to Greektown.

St. Mary's is another historical beauty in the Renaissance Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The parish is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. The current Church building is celebrating its 125th. I really appreciate the fact that they put a pamphlet in the back of the church which a short history and a numbered guide of the sights in the Church. Statues aren't always labeled and sometimes we have no idea at whose image we are looking. If you go to OSM, be sure to pick up the white and blue pamphlet. It goes into great detail into the history of the parish, the building and its effects, and the organ. I used it as a reference for the historical information within this post.

The story starts in 1834 when Fr Martin Kundig founded a parish (the third in the city) to tend for the Catholics arriving from Neustadt, Germany. The first Church was consecrated in 1843 under the title of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Skolla, a Franciscan, was in charge at that time. In 1847, the Redemptorists took over the care of the parish, but were replaced by Franciscans in 1872. The Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans) began administering to the parish and still do to this day.

The current Church building was completed in 1885. It is a massive structure now in the shadows of the Greektown Casino Hotel. I managed a few pictures during and after Holy Mass.

During the Homily. The High Altar is situated to the East.


It's the ceiling. Fresco of our lady at the intersection of the transepts and nave.


St. Anthony Altar with St. Rita and St. Therese of Lisieux


The Sacred Heart altar was rebuilt after a fire on Good Friday of 1994.
SS. Philomena and Barbara flank our Lord, and to the left is Good St. Joseph.


High Altar again. Communion rail is in use, by the way.
St. Stephen and St. Elizabeth of Hungary flank Our Lady.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the three Grottoes at this church. I'll provide a picture from each.

Gethsemane Grotto


Lourdes Grotto (Remember that the Church was founded under the Immaculate Conception, which was dogmatically defined in 1854. In 1858 Our Lady of Lourdes introduced herself to Bernadette Soubirous as the Immaculate Conception)


Grotto depicting the Baptism of Our Lord.

There are plenty of options in Greektown for food. I stopped at the Golden Fleece, mostly because of the name. Who doesn't like a place named after Jason's quest? The souvlaki was decent, but kind of pricey for what it was. For a cheaper meal, go to Plaka which is more like a Coney Island. There are also Pegasus, Pizzapapalis, Fishbones, etc. etc. If coffee and a pastry are more your thing, you might want to go to Astoria Bakery.

*There is 1: St Andrew's in Rochester whose mass was too early for when I woke up. There is also SS. Andrew and Benedict which most likely refers to St. Andrew Svorad and his disciple Benedict and St. Andrew Kim who is also not the apostle.

St. Josaphat Pictures (and one at St. Joseph)

I went to Mass this morning at St. Josaphat and brought my camera this time.

St. Joseph Altar at St. Josaphat


High Altar, Altar Boy snuffing out candles.


St. Josaphat with the axe of his martyrdom.


View from the pew.


Mary Altar.


St. Therese is everywhere.


This is Mass at St. Joseph

St. Aloysius and State Deli

St. Aloysius (named for the Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga) is a bit of an oasis in downtown Detroit nestled among the skyscrapers of Washington Street. St. Aloysius was founded in 1873 when Bishop Borgess purchased "Westminster Presbyterian Church" which was constructed in 1860. In 1877 St. Aloysius supplanted SS. Peter and Paul as the Cathedral for the diocese of Detroit. This was likely an easy transition for Bishop Borgess who lived across the street. The site of Bishop Borgess's home is "now occupied by the Book building." (Make Straight the Path, 72)

In March of 1916, the Church started a noon daily Mass to accommodate the workers of this business district, and this Mass continues to this day. It was on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week that I met a friend who works nearby for Mass and a meal.


This picture hardly does St. Aloysius justice. St. Al's has 3 levels, the loft you can see and the main floor, but behind the daily mass altar there is a semicircular hole looking down to the crypt level of the church. Above the high altar is a large mosaic of Christ the Good Shepherd.


The church as it stands today was constructed in 1930 by the Donaldson and Meier Firm who did the Chancery building to the left 4 years previous as well as Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

The parish has been under the care of the Franciscans since 1992.

After 12:15 Mass you can head next door to the State Deli and Grocery for a Deli Sandwich or even a burger and fries. If it's nice out Washington Street is a really nice area to sit outside and eat. You could also head down to Michigan and Lafayette and go to American or Lafayette Coney Island, but I didn't want to ignite any debate by choosing sides, so I've left that choice up to you, dear reader.

The book I referenced heavily for this post is Make Straight the Path: A 300-year Pilgrimage, Archdiocese of Detroit. This 12"x12" coffee table book is filled with the stories of the Churches of the Archdiocese and contains many beautiful pictures. The link above is to Amazon, and is the one the AOD provides, but you can probably find it in area Catholic Bookstores. There is a book store next to St. Aloysius in the former Chancery building. How convenient!

St. Albertus Pictures

My friend DC took some pictures at St. Albertus. Here they are.

Holy Mass being celebrated in the Extraordinary form by Fr. Lee Acervo.


Here I stand in front of this fine edifice.

Sweetest Heart of Mary and Milano Cafe

Sweetest Heart of Mary is a bit of a Felix Culpa - not quite on par with the necessary sin of Adam but a happy fault nonetheless. The origins of this beautiful Cathedral-like church are steeped in controversy. Investigations, marches on the Bishop Borgess' residence, warring factions of Poles, interdict, schism, you name it.

From the SHM Website:

"On June 5, 1892, a cornerstone-laying ceremony presided over by a 'bishop' of dubious antecedents took place. On December 24, 1893, Christmas Eve, the church was officially dedicated with great pomp and circumstance by a so­-called Old Catholic bishop, Joseph Rene Vilatte."

Thankfully,

"On February 18, 1894, in a memorable ceremony, he and his congregation were officially received into the Diocese of Detroit."

The story doesn't end there, so read the whole history. You can also go on virtual tour with images with good descriptions of the manifold beautiful features of this church.

Pictures? Pictures:

St. Michael


Inside.


St. Therese


The high altar with matching free-standing altar.


60' x 30' Stained Glass depicting the Holy Family
(dimensions come from Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit By Nola Huse Tutag, Lucy Hamilton)

Be sure to check out the parish website's photos, and get down here for Mass sometime! Every Friday there is a noon Mass followed by Devotions to the Sacred Heart and Benediction. Here is the rest of the schedule and a who's who of the parish.

After Mass you can drive down to Mack and Russell and stop at the Milano Cafe. You can get a sandwich with your choice of side and a pickle for anywhere form 3.50 (Grilled Cheese) to 7.99 (Meat-laden behemoths). I got the Charlie on Rye, which is a tuna melt. It wasn't the best sandwich, I've ever had or anything, but it was good enough. They also have pizza and plenty of bakery treats. The counter staff was young and friendly. The place was neat and tidy. Not a bad place to go for a lunch, but they close early, so get your dinner elsewhere. Apparently it is the largest hearth bakery in Michigan, and they also baked the bread for the Guinness world record largest sandwich. Al Gore is also fan of this joint apparently. They had an autographed photo on the wall.

SS Peter and Paul (Jesuit) and Jacoby's

The church I visited today is the answer to the trivia question, "What is the oldest continuously used church building in Detroit?" The edifice has been standing since 1848, and it was at that time the Cathedral, the Seat of Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere. (Did he name it after himself?)

See the full history of Sts. Peter and Paul Jesuit here. The church has been run by the Jesuits since it was handed over to them by Bishop Borgess in 1877 in return for starting what is now the University of Detroit-Mercy. The law school is still adjacent to the church.

Daily Mass is celebrated at the side of the church upon a roll-away altar. I came today hoping to celebrate the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of SS Peter and Paul (white text on black... sorry),but it was instead the Optional ( in the US) Memorial of St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne. She seems pretty awesome. Ora Pro Nobis!

So I suppose you are wondering what it looks like.

The High altar, the stand-alone altar and tabernacle not in use for daily mass.
The altar is flanked of course by Peter and Paul. Above the Altar
and around the entire Church is the name of Jesus in several languages.
Jesuits like that guy.


Side Altars. Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary "Behold your Mother"
This is apparently before the proliferation of St. Joseph altars
on the right-hand side (facing the high altar). Anyone know the
history of Side Altars dedicated to St. Joseph? The shift must have
happened in the latter half of the 19th Century...


Here is where they celebrate daily Mass. The Eucharist
is reserved here at the side of the Church.


Sts. Mark, Andrew and Philip. You can see also the
continuing multi-lingual names of Jesus.

Ste. Therese of Lisieux in the Marble Vestibule.

After Mass you could head across St. Aubin St. to visit Nathan's Deli, but I decided to walk a couple blocks and head to Jacoby's, a 106 year-old German Restaurant and Bar. In addition to to German cuisine you get your burger and fries here too. I got the Sausage Soup and a bowl of Oma's recipe Saurkraut. Not bad for a $6 dollar meal. (tax and tip to 7.50) This would definitely be a good place to go with a crowd of up to 8 or 10 for dinner and beers. They have some counter-top-type tables with plenty of stools. They also have rock acts upstairs sometimes. I saw The Pizazz there once. Jacoby's is around the corner from St. Andrew's Hall and a short walk from Greektown and probably worth a stop in with their good eats and large selection of taps.

St. Joseph and Supino Pizzeria

St. Joseph at 1828 Jay street is my parish. The 12:10 Wednesday mass is followed by Novena prayers to St. Joseph, Benediction, and veneration of a relic of this just man. St. Joseph is a powerful intercessor, perhaps you should foster a devotion to him?

St. Joseph is a historically German church located just south of Eastern Market. It is visible, but not accessible from Gratiot. The Parish website has an excellent page describing the history of the parish and the Church's architecture. The Church was dedicated 133 years ago yesterday, but it went under a few upgrades since then as you can see in the linked page. A fellow parishioner runs a blog about St. Joseph. I linked it in the side bar. Check it out!

I took some pictures today.


Memorial of Pastor Friedland shows the original and 'current' churches.


All masses at St. Joseph are said Ad Orientem
Fr. Czarnota said Mass (Novus Ordo English) today
and was assisted by Deacon Stimpson.


The St. Joseph Altar


One of my favorite features is the stained glass.
Behind the altar are pairs of bishops with pithy
pro-Papal sayings. Ubi Petrus Ibi Ecclesia
Where Peter is, there is the Church.


I like to sit under my name sake.


Here is the high altar after Mass.
Yes, we do use the communion rails. :)

The pictures make this long, but I do want to mention the meal part! After Mass I went to Supino Pizzeria on Russel at the south end of the Eastern Market. Staffed by hipsters sporting ironic mustaches and t-shirts (The African-American gentleman who served me wore this t-shirt.), they serve up some delicious thin-crust New York style pizza. I got 2 slices of cheese 'za and a pop for $6.10. One of their specialty pizzas is the Bizmarck which has fried eggs and Prosciutto on it. Anyone want to get one with me? I definitely want to go back. The decor is pretty cool too. I was sitting on a stool at a refurbished work bench. There was also a giant spoon made out of spoons. This would be a great spot after Mass at St. Joseph, St. Josaphat, or Sweetest Heart of Mary, but they are closed on Sunday. Perfect for a stop after a noon weekday Mass since the lunch rush is over. Not sure what the name is about. I didn't have to lie supine to eat my pizza.