St. Theodore (St. Mary Cause of Our Joy Parish), Westland

St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish was established in 1965 and the current church was built in 1975 near the center of Westland.


In 2016, St. Theodore merged with other Westland parishes of St. Damian (est. 1955) and Divine Savior (est. 1973). The new parish was named St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy and only St. Theodore Church is still used by the parish. Fr. Ken Mazur, PIME, has been pastor since the merger.


Stations of the Cross line the left/south wall of the nave..


Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Therese in the chapel


St. Anne with Child Mary and St. Francis of Assisi in the chapel. Symbols of the Eucharist are portrayed a corner of the church.


Saturday Vigil Mass is at 4:30pm, preceded by Confessions at 3:30pm. Sunday Masses are at 8:00am, 10:00am and Noon.


Daily Mass is at 8:30am on Mondays, Thursday, and Fridays. Wednesday Mass is at Noon followed by Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows Wednesday Mass and concludes at 3:00pm.


For more info: parish website + PIME website

St. Mary (Royal Oak)

St. Mary Church was built in 1953, in the southern section of Royal Oak.


A Statue of the Blessed Virgin, along with a monogram of the Holy Name of Mary, is suspended over the center door.


Two plaques are suspended on the front facade: a crown surrounded by 12 stars and an olive branch.



A tall, narrow spire stands on the roof and over the altar; the former baptistery is stands in the vestibule 

Madonna and Child in the vestibule.

A baldacchino covers the high altar and tabernacle. A large stained-glass window depicting the blessed Virgin Mary overlooks the sanctuary.


A Chi Rho, as well as Alpha and Omega, are depicted on the facade of the high altar.


A monogram of "Ave Maria" is inlaid in the floor in front of the high altar. 


Side altars to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, respectively.


A portion of the original altar rail remains in front of the Blessed Mother's side altar.


The original baptismal font, which was in storage for decades, returned to the sanctuary last summer.

Periwinkle flowers are engraved on the sides of some of the pews.

Windows in the clerestory depict symbols and titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


Left to right: Queen of Martyrs, Tower of David, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary


Lower-level windows are in sets of three. The middle window in each set features a biblical symbol.


A large and colorful rose window overlooks the choir loft.


Stations of the Cross line the walls of the nave and hang in between arches.

Stained-glass windows in the stairwell to the choir loft; a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands in a garden between the church and rectory.

St. Mary Parish operates a K-8 parochial school which, in the 2017-2018 academic year, had an enrollment of 230 students.




St. Mary Parish offers Mass at least once every day. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament occurs four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Exposition starts at 6:30am, Benediction is at 7:20am, followed by Mass at 7:30am. Fridays also have a second Mass at 10:00am. Saturday Vigil Mass is at 4:30pm while Sunday Masses are at 9:00am and 11:00am.



More info: parish website + school website
For more photos: AOD Film Services

St. Mary Church (St. Clair)

In 1764, British forces built a fort at the mouth of Pine River, a tributary of the St. Clair River. In 1817, Robert Fulton platted a town on the north side of the Pine River and lobbied for the creation of St. Clair County. He then convinced the state to make his settlement the new county seat and St. Clair remained the county seat until it was transferred to Port Huron in 1871.

A historic map of St. Clair, dating to 1868 - Source

Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere established St. Mary Parish in 1850 with Rev. Fr. Lawrence Kilroy as the founding pastor. Three years later, a modest church was built on the banks of the Pine River.

 

Construction of the current brick church began in 1864, half a mile north of the original church, under the direction of Rev. Fr. Francis VanderBom. The cornerstone was laid and construction was completed the following year. Women from the parish formed bricks and they were hauled to the site. The cost of construction was $13,000 ($185,000 adjusted for inflation). 

  

Transepts were added to the church in 1921, under the direction of Rev. Fr. Edward J. Kromenaker, and a parish school was established.

St. Mary School as it appeared in the 1940s, before the gym was added - Source

Madonna and Child in a garden between the church and rectory.

The traditional three doors on the front entrance along with a large cross in the cement plaza.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit pictured in the center of the ceiling.

Side altars for the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, respectively, decorated for the Easter season.

Scenes of the Gospels and childhood of Jesus are depicted in the transept windows

  
  

  

The windows along the nave are geometric with various symbols at the top.

  

A rose window of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the south transept.

Sacred Heart of Jesus in the north transept.

Deposition of Christ in the south transept; the baptistery in the north transept.

 

Trefoil windows above doorways show organic patterns along with symbols of the papacy and episcopate.

 

Ichthys, ΙΧΘΥΣ, in the gates of the altar rail along with symbols of the Eucharist.

Decorative trusses line the ceiling, each had a small symbol of the church at the joints.

St. Mary's Cemetery stands two miles away from the church, straddling Rattle Run Road, the western edge of St. Clair.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays bring 8:00am Mass preceded by Confessions. Thursday evening Mass is at 6:30pm; Mass Mass is also offered at 9:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.

 

For more info: bulletin archive
For more photos: AOD Film Services

For more history: City of St. Clair

About St. Mary's Cemetery: U.S. Gen Web Archives