Our Lady Queen of Heaven

Our Lady Queen of Heaven is located near Van Dyke and East Outer Drive in northeast Detroit. The parish was established in 1929 and supposedly the current church was finished in 1930 but, while I could not find a cornerstone, it appears to have been built mid-century.

Not surprisingly, images of the Blessed Mother are found throughout. At left is a statue above the main doorway. At right is a statue in the east yard.

A large crucifix appears in the vestibule near Madonna & Child.

Chevrons are found throughout the church: on the high altar, in the stained-glass windows, and in many of the architectural details.



Windows in the west (top) and east (bottom) transepts.

The tabernacle is located at a side altar; an engraving on the front of the lectern. 

Mass is celebrated Saturdays at 4:00pm and Sundays at 10:00am. Daily Mass is at 8:30am on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday or as announced. Check bulletin to confirm daily Mass.

Fr. Thomas Puzio currently serves as associate pastor. Fr. Ronald Borg, CSB, currently serves as pastor though he is scheduled to retire at the end of June. Rumors have circulated that the parish may merge with St. Raymond–Our Lady of Good Counsel but no official announcement has been released.

The parish's annual festival is this Sunday.

For more info: parish website, bulletin archive, Facebook, Creative Gene

Detroit Mass Mob!

The Detroit Mass Mob is in effect!  They now have a website.
And a Facebook page.
And a Facebook group.
Their next scheduled event is at your correspondent's parish church, St. Joseph. The Parish is now Mother of Divine Mercy.  The following event (July 13) will be at another of our parish churches: Sweetest Heart of Mary.

Here is the Facebook event .  The mass is at 11:30 am on June 29th.

Previous "Mobs" have met at St. Hyacinth and St. Charles Borromeo. (Freep)

Wow! More links than Oktoberfest!

Our Lady Queen of Angels

The first Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels was celebrated on December 8, 1915 — the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The first pastor was Fr. Raymond Marciniec, a Conventual Franciscan, previously assigned to nearby St. Hedwig Parish.

The current church was built in 1952 on Martin Street, one block south of Michigan Avenue, in southwest Detroit. The crossed arms of Jesus and St. Anthony, a traditional Franciscan symbol, is shown in the apse.

A large mural of the Blessed Mother is shown above the side altar.

In 1959, an outdoor shrine to Our Lady of Fatima was added.

At the beginning of 2014, Our Lady Queen of Angels merged with St. Stephen – Mary,  Mother of the Church to form the new Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. As the name may suggest, a large part of the congregation is of Latino descent. Both locations, located 1/2 mile apart, are still active.

Most of the windows in the nave are geometric and feature pastel colors. Windows above the choir loft and alcoves are more colorful and narrow.

A common sight during the Easter season: an empty tomb in the sanctuary.

Fr. Marie-Elie Haby currently serves as pastor and Fr. Bernardo Cruz is associate pastor. Fr. Haby is also a Regional Vocation Coordinator wherein he promotes vocations in the Central Region of the Archdiocese.

Sunday Mass is at 10:00am (English) and Noon (Spanish). Thursday (Spanish) Mass is at 7:00pm. Confessions are heard at 9:15am on Sundays and at 6:00pm on Thursdays.

More about the parish: bulletin archive & The Michigan Catholic

More photos: AOD Film Services & Flickr

Other blog posts: Detroit 1701 & Creative Gene

Juventutem to visit Hamtramck

On Friday, May 30, Juventutem Michigan will host a 7:00pm Tridentine (Latin) Mass at Our Lady Queen of Apostles.

Confessions will be heard before Mass at 6:15 p.m. Group recitation of the Rosary will begin at 6:30pm, at which congregants will pray for an increased acceptance of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Fr. Charles White will celebrate the Missa Cantata, assisted by the choir of Assumption Grotto Church. 

After Mass, young adults (18-35 years old) will gather at nearby Polish Village Café for dinner, conversation, and cultured activity. RSVP required for dinner.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish began in 1889 and was originally located in the home of a parishioner. As the parish grew, a church was built next door. Eventually, the congregation outgrew that building as well. Rather than build another church, they sought to buy a pre-existing one.

The current church was completed in 1896 and was originally home to St. Joseph's Episcopal Church. It was designed by Malcomson & Higginbotham, also architects of other nearby Protestant churches as well as Wayne State's Old Main building.

The church was sold to Our Lady of the Rosary in 1907 and consecrated according to the Roman Rite.

The original altar pictured in 1921. Source

The parish's co-ed high school closed in 1950. However, the next year, it reopened as Salesian High School, an all-boys high school staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. The rectory and convent were both demolished in the 1950s to make room for I-94 and the school was later torn down as well. The altar was remodeled for the parish's 75th anniversary in 1964.

Fr. Robert Morand, who served as pastor for more than two decades, passed away on St. Patrick's Day last year. Msgr. Michael LeFevre is the current administrator in addition to his roles as Vicar for the Genesis Vicariate, pastor of St. Moses the Black and rector of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral.

Shrines dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Joseph, respectively.

St. Dominic and St. Francis de Sales stand nearby.

Windows in the nave show depictions of saints, often with companions next to each other. St. Patrick and St. Brigid of Kildare; St Clare and St. Francis of Assisi.

More saints are shown in the clerestory above the altar.

Windows in the north transept depict scenes from the Gospel.

Saturday Vigil Mass is 5:15pm and Sunday Mass is 10:00am.

Additional info: more photos, 1941 yearbook from the high school, history of the church, parish website, Facebook

Return to St. Florian

St. Florian Parish was established in 1907 and the current edifice was finished in 1928. The church is the tallest building in Hamtramck as its spire reaches a height of nearly 200 feet.

Detailed Stations of the Cross mimic the Neo-Gothic architecture of the building.

Scenes from the Gospel are featured among the intricate high altar.

An elaborate ceiling features angels adoring the Blessed Sacrament.


The St. Joseph side altar; a large crucifix near the Blessed Mother's side altar.
  

The Feast of St. Florian falls on May 4 and the parish always celebrates with a large festival during the first weekend of May. The annual Strawberry Festival features Polish food/drink, church tours, as well as polka music and dancing.

St. Florian is the patron of firefighters and, on the first Saturday of May, a parade of firefighters marches to the church and joins in the procession for Mass.

Images of the patron are found throughout the church.

Murals of St. Florian and St. Maximilian Kolbe adorn the rear of the nave.

A chapel to Our Lady of Częstochowa is located in the east side of the vestibule.

A Divine Mercy chapel is located on the west side of the vestibule. Here, relics and memorabilia from Pope St. John Paul II are on display.

Pope St. John Paul II visited Hamtramck twice. In 1969, while still a cardinal, he celebrated Mass at St. Florian. In 1987, he addressed the public nearby.

As expected, JP2's likeness is found throughout the church.


Pope Park, a memorial of Karol Wojtyła's first visit to Hamtramck,  stands a few blocks away from St. Florian. A volunteer group is planning to renovate the park by fixing broken pavers and adding more lights.

The parish is administered by the Society of Christ — a religious order whose mission is to serve people of Polish descent living outside of Poland. Fr. Mirosław Frankowski, S.Chr., serves as pastor with the assistance of Deacon Arthur Majkowski.

MASS SCHEDULE

Sun  10am (Polish), Noon (English), 6:30 pm (Polish)

Mon 8am (Polish)

Tue   6:30pm (English)

Wed 8am (Polish)

Thu  6:30pm (English)

Fri    6:30pm (Polish)

Sat    8am (Polish), 4pm (English)

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Fri     3:00pm – 6:00pm

For more info: parish website & Wikipedia
Previous posts about St. Florian: here & here
More photos: AOD Fim Services, Sherlock Photo, Flickr