Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church

Infobox_nrhp | name =Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church
nrhp_type =

---

caption = Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church facade
location= Detroit, Michigan
lat_degrees = 42
lat_minutes = 21
lat_seconds = 30
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 83
long_minutes = 2
long_seconds = 52
long_direction = W
locmapin = Michigan
area =
built =1893
architect= Spier and Rohns
architecture= Late Gothic Revival
added = January 31, 1978
governing_body = Private
refnum=78001523cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church is located at 4440 Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest Catholic Church in Detroit.

History before construction

The rise of Detroit brought a number of Polish immigrants into the city in the 19th century; by the mid-1850s, the number of Polish families who had settled in the city was significant. These Polish immigrants first attended St. Joseph's, which was at the time a German-speaking church. However, the Polish congregants were dissatisfied, and agitated for a Polish church. [http://detroit1701.org/SweetestHeart.htm Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church ] from Detroit1701.org] In 1871, three hundred or so Polish families organized St. Albertus Parish and built a frame church at St. Aubin and Canfield Avenue. [http://www.sweetestheartofmary.org/syn.htm Eduard Adam Skendzel] , Sweetest Heart of Mary history page] In 1882, the charismatic Father Dominic Hippolytus Kolasiñski became pastor of St. Albertus. Father Kolasiñski organized the parish to construct the present St. Albertus Church, which was dedicated in 1885.

Unfortunately, Father Kolasiñski was a very controversial priest, and in November of 1885 the parish became factionalized; Father Kolasiñski was suspended as a result. Kolasiñski initially refused to leave his post, appealing his suspension to the bishop. However, pressure was brought to bear, and Kolasiñski eventually left Detroit for a pastorate in the Dakota Territory.

Kolasiñski's followers, however, remained estranged from the other St. Albertus congregants, and established their own church school. When a new bishop of Detroit was appointed in 1888, Father Kolasiñski returned to the Detroit and began the Parish of the Sweetest Heart of Mary outside the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church. Shortly afterward, the church school on Canfield was built; it still stands today behind the main church.

Construction and architecture of the church

The parish grew rapidly, and by 1890, Kolasiñski began construction of the present cathedral structure, retaining the architectural firm of Spier and Rohns to design the structure. The cornerstone-laying ceremony was held on June 5, 1892, and on December 24, 1893, after construction costs of over $125,000, the church was officially dedicated. More than 10,000 people attended the dedication ceremony.

Sweetest Heart of Mary is one of the largest and perhaps most impressive Gothic Revival churches in the Midwest. The church is constructed of red brick in a cruciform shape with a cross gabled roof The facade on Russell boasts a rusticated stone lower level with a triple portal, a pointed arch structure, and a stone balustrade atop everything. Two towers flank the entrance, topped with identical spires.

The church also includes several impressive stained glass windows built by Detroit Glass Works. The major transept window illustrates the Holy Family in Joseph's workshop. Eight windows lining the nave portray Christ, Mary and several saints; this set of windows won a major prize at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. There is an Austin electric organ—the oldest surviving electric organ in the state of Michigan.

Events after construction

While the church was being constructed, the parish still stood outside the jurisdiction of the Roman Church. Kolasiñski negotiated to bring his flock, now numbering nearly 4000 families, into the fold of the Catholic Church. Eventually, Rome directed the bishop of Detroit to make peace with Kolasiñski, and on February 18, 1894, the congregation of the Sweetest Heart of Mary was officially received into the Diocese of Detroit.

The depression of the 1890s hit the parish hard. Heavily in debt, the church itself was auctioned off; parish members had to secure a loan to repurchase the building.

Father Kolasiñski passed away in 1898. He was succeeded by Rev. Romuald S. Byzewski (who served as pastor for a single year) and Rev. Joseph Folta, who served the parish until 1919. [http://www.sweetestheartofmary.org/pastors.htm Sweetest Heart of Mary] pastors] Father Folta built a second school, constructed a permanent rectory, and built an ornamental fence about the church. Folta was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Casimir Plagens, who served at Sweetest Heart from 1919 until 1935, and later because Bishop of Marquette and then Bishop of Grand Rapids. Plagens added embellishments the church interior and built a permanent convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph, who staffed the church school.

Decline

During Father Plagens's tenure, the parish flourished. The church schools were filled with almost 1,500 pupils, and the church was the social as well as spiritual center of the community. However, cultural events of the time presaged a slow decline of the church. The rise of the automobile and eventually freeways led to congregants moving out of the area, and a decline in importance of the church. This trend accelerated through the tenures of the next three pastors: Monsignor Michael Grupa (1935 to 1949), Rev. Adam Koprowski (1949 to 1959), and Rev. Boguslaus Poznañski (1959 to 1976). During this time, congregation numbers declined, and in the 1960s, Sweetest Heart's schools were closed. Membership declined to less than 200 families in the early 1970s.

Renaissance

In 1976, Rev. Bohdan Kosicki, joined Sweetest Heart and began restoration of the church. He reached out and established ties to earlier parishioners, raising funds for the restoration. The stained glass windows and organ was restored, and much of the main altar was renovated. [http://www.sweetestheartofmary.org/resthistory.htm Eduard Adam Skendzel,] Restoration of Sweetest Heart of Mary: The History] In addition, the convent and fencing was restored, the second school building was demolished, and the historic old school building was stabilized.

Kosicki's work was continued through the tenure of Rev. Alphons Gorecki, who served from 1981 through 2002. The interior was completely refurbished, including plasterwork and statues. The electrical wiring was replaced.

Current church information

Fr. Mark Borkowski is the current pastor for Sweetest Heart of Mary. The church is grouped in a cluster with the nearby St. Josaphat and St. Joseph; Borkowski serves all three. [http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080517/NEWS05/805170306 Nira J Warikoo,] "Historic churches lure the faithful," "Detroit Free Press", May 17, 2008] Restoration is continuing, and membership has risen to nearly 400 families.

Sweetest Heart of Mary was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It received state historic designation in 1974, and city of Detroit designation in 1981. A state of Michigan historical marker was also erected in 1981. [http://www.detroitmi.gov/historic/districts/heartofmary_church.pdf Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church] from the city of Detroit]

ee also

*Archdiocese of Detroit

References

Further reading

*Cite book| author=Godzak, Roman|title= Archdiocese of Detroit (Images of America)|year=2000|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|id=ISBN 0738507972
*Cite book| author=Godzak, Roman|title= Catholic Churches of Detroit (Images of America)|year=2004|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|id=ISBN 0738532355
*Cite book| author=Godzak, Roman|title= Make Straight the Path: A 300 Year Pilgrimage Archdiocese of Detroit|year=2000|publisher=Editions du Signe|id=ISBN 2746801450
*Cite book| author=Tentler, Leslie Woodcock with forward by Edmund Cardinal Szoka
title= Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit|year=1992|publisher=Wayne State University Press|id=ISBN 0814321062
*Cite book|author=Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton|title=Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit|publisher=Wayne State University Press|year=1988|id=ISBN 0-8143-1875-4

External links

* [http://www.sweetestheartofmary.org/ Sweetest Heart of Mary Polish Catholic Church]
* [http://www.aodonline.org/nr/aod/customapplications/parish/parish.asp?InstitutionID=298&FRAMELESS=true&NRNODEGUID=%7B2FF92941-2657-4A86-A99A-0010DE364035%7D Sweetest Heart of Mary] from the Archdiocese of Detroit