St. Ladislaus and St. Louis the King closing

Both St. Ladislaus (Hamtramck) and St. Louis the King (northeast Detroit) are to close in the coming months though no specific date has been set. Both churches are part of St. John Paul II Parish and their third church, Transfiguration/Our Lady Help of Christians will remain open. Inability to pay maintenance costs is cited as the reason for closure.

For more info: parish bulletin & WDIV

Transfiguration Church (Blessed John Paul II Parish)

 

Fr. Simon Kilar, founding pastor

The congregation at Transfiguration Church has seen a lot of changes in the last several years. In 2006, Our Lady Help of Christians (est. 1923) closed and merged with Transfiguration (est. 1925). Six years later, in 2012, Transfiguration/Our Lady Help of Christians merged with St. Ladislaus (est. 1920) in Hamtramck, and St. Louis the King (est. 1923) to form Blessed John Paul II Parish.

With JP2's impending canonization, the parish is in the process of changing their name again to SAINT John Paul II Parish. Currently, they have not announced any celebrations for the canonization.

As you might assume by the name, the parish is traditionally Polish and remains largely so today. Thursdays and Sundays bring Polish Mass to the parish. However, they do offer plenty of opportunities for English Mass.

Site	Sun.	Mon.	Tue.	Wed.	Thu.	Fri.	Sat.
Transfiguration	9:00 AM *Polish 10:30 AM
St. Ladislaus	11:00 AM *Polish						4:00 PM
St. Louis the King	9:30 AM  11:00 AM *Polish		9:00 AM		9:00 AM *Polish		9:00AM First Saturday *Polish 4:00 PM

Fr. Andrew Wesley serves as pastor with the assistance of three other priests, two of whom are former pastors at the previous parishes, as well as one permanent deacon.

  

Organizational changes aside, Transfiguration Church appears to be remarkably unchanged over the decades.

 

 

Large arches are found throughout the church.

 

A gorgeous grotto stands across the street.

 
 

I am always amazed by the detailed mosaics found throughout this church, inside and out. Countless, colorful tiles, each less than one square inch, frame the exterior doorway. 

 

Even more tiles cover the interior walls.

Beautiful chandeliers illuminate the side aisles and light reflects off the metallic tiles.

 

Large murals cap the transepts and doorways.

Since it is still Christmas, the altar is modestly decorated for the season.

 

For more info, check the bulletin archive
For more photos: AOD Film Services
Photos and info about the school: Bishop Gallagher Society

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! As you know, Christmas is a great time to go to Mass at unfamiliar churches and I have done a lot of that the last few days. I recently visited Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Transfiguration/Our Lady Help of Christians, SS. Peter & Paul (Jesuit), St. Peter Claver, SS. Peter & Paul (west side), and St. Joseph.

Below are my favorite photos, but you can view all more in this album. Look for more in-depth articles in the coming weeks concerning individual churches.


Our Lady Queen of Apostles

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 Transfiguration/Our Lady Help of Christians

 

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St. Joseph

   

 

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St. Patrick

 

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St. Peter Claver

 

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S.S. Peter & Paul (Jesuit)

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S.S. Peter & Paul (west side)