St. Leo Church (St. Charles Lwanga Parish)

St. Leo Church is located at 4860 15th St., on Grand River and south of I-94. The parish was established in 1889 — an elementary school opened the following year then a high school in 1892. The parish quickly outgrew the original structure and the current church was completed in 1908. 

Vintage postcard of St. Leo's Church, date unknown. source

It appears that the steeples were shortened at some time although I could not find any record of renovation.

An inscription above the main doorway quotes Luke 19:46 — "My house is a house of prayer."

The founding pastor, Fr. Matthew Meathe, wanted a large church without pillars to allow unobstructed views. Parishioner and architect Harry J. Rill designed the current edifice.

In 1983, the parish was scheduled to close but Bishop Gumbleton intervened. He asked to take over as pastor and was appointed. Gumbleton was forced to retire in 2006 when he reached the age of 75 but he continued to deliver homilies at Sunday Mass. To my knowledge, Gumbleton no longer has any involvement at St. Leo's.

The parish continued to face possible closure in recent years but has been spared largely because of their community outreach. St. Leo's has an active soup kitchen that serves much of the surrounding area.

In 2013, St. Leo's merged with St. Cecilia to form the new parish of St. Charles Lwanga. Fr. Theodore Parker currently serves as pastor. Sunday Mass is at Noon; no daily Mass unless announced.

A large crucifix stands in the north transept.

The Blessed Mother stands at the side altar; Pope St. Leo the Great stands in the south transept.

More photos: Flickr, AOD Film Services, Sherlock Photo
News articles about the parish: Reuters & Detroit Free Press

Soup kitchen photos: Flickr
More info:AOD & Facebook

Dinner (and Mass) for Life: Friday, February 7th

More info: http://shms.edu/dinnerforlife

RSVP online: http://www.eventbrite.com/

St. Bonaventure Monastery

St. Bonaventure Monastery was designed by Peter Dederichs and built in 1883.  Dederichs would later become a parishioner at nearby St. Charles Borromeo and was the architect for their current church.

The local Capuchin friars initially served nearby clergy and gave emergency assistance to the needy. As the Great Depression began, their focused shifted mostly towards the latter.

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen was formally established in 1929 and has grown to include a second kitchen, an urban garden, a bakery, and more. 

   The monastery saw major renovations in 1982 affecting the altar in the main chapel.

The monastery has two chapels. The main chapel is used for Sunday Mass and private prayer. A friar's chapel behind the main altar is used for daily Mass and originally built for Liturgy of the Hours. The altar in the friar's chapel was carved by one of the now-deceased friars and displays dozens of relics.

  

Stained-glass windows and stations the main chapel.

       

San Damiano Crucifix located next the altar and St. Francis of Assisi displays his stigmata at the high altar.

  

The Blessed Mother and Sacred Heart of Jesus populate the side altars.  


Details from the altar

Best known as the home of Venerable Solanus Casey, the monastery houses his incorrupt body as well as the Solanus Casey Center, a biographical museum, which opened in 2002. Solanus Casey is the first U.S. born male to be declared venerable and is currently a candidate for beatification.

The Solanus Casey Center contains artifacts from the namesake's life, including a family portrait, his habit and violin, a log of his prayer intentions, and the original stained-glass windows from the monastery.

   

The Fr. Solanus Guild, founded in 1960, leads his cause for beatification. Their YouTube page contains many healing testmonies and anecdotes.

Saint Bonavanture Chapel:

Open Daily: 7:30am to 5:00pm

Major Holidays: 7:30am to Noon

Mass Schedule:
Weekday Mass: 7:45am
Holy Day Mass: 7:45am and 12:15pm
Sunday Mass: 9:00am

Reconciliation Schedule:
Monday through Saturday on the hour at: 10am, 11am, Noon, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm

Solanus Casey Center:

Open Daily: 9:00am to 5:00pm

CLOSED on Major Holidays

For more info:

Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph

Capuchin Soup Kitchen

Solanus Casey Center
Catholicism.org/

Wikipedia

more photos: Flickr

St. Patrick Parish

St. Patrick Parish began in 1862 as Irish immigrants moved north from Corktown. The parish changed its name to SS. Peter & Paul in 1890 (when the Church was made the Cathedral) and reverted to St. Patrick in 1938. 

The parish had an elementary school and high school, both of which closed in 1969. The all-girls high school went through three names: S.S. Peter & Paul Academy, Immaculata High School, and Girl's Catholic Central High School. Sr. Mary Watson re-opened the school building in 1973 to minister to the elderly of the Cass Corridor. St. Patrick Senior Center, along with the parish food pantry, continues to provide meals, healthcare, transportation, and education for the elderly.

The parish has a wonderful Irish festival on the first Sunday of June every year.

St. Patrick is located at 58 Parsons, just west of Woodward and south of the Wayne State University campus. The current church was actually built for as a chapel dedicated to St. Therese the Little Flower in the 1920s for the school children to attend during the week. The original church on Adelaide near John R Burned down in the early 1990's a decade after being shuttered as all activities of the parish were moved to the Parsons street location.

Sunday Mass is at 9:30am in the church. Mass is held in the senior center at 11:00am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Fr. Loren Connell, OFM, serves as pastor of St. Patrick as well as St. Aloysius (downtown). Donald Leach, a permanent deacon, manages much of the community outreach for the cluster. The longtime pastor, Fr. Tod Laverty, OFM, passed away last year. Video from his funeral Mass, at St. Patrick, can be seen on Vimeo.

  

Large columns, arches, and goldleaf are found throughout the church.

 

The rose window is currently boarded up, unknown extent of any damage.

 

Parish: http://stpatrickchurchdet.com

Senior Center: http://stpatsrctr.org/home0.aspx

Wikipedia has a few more details. 
So does Historic Detroit.