St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church

Infobox religious building
building_name = St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church
infobox_width = 300px

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caption = Front facade, 2008
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location = Detroit, MI, USA
geo = coord|42|21|21|N|83|3|10|W
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religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic
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consecration_year = 1901
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leadership = Fr. Mark Borkowski
website = http://www.gbjann.com/stjosaphat/
architecture = yes
architect = Joseph G. Kastler, William E. N. Hunter
architecture_type = church
architecture_style = Romanesque Revival
facade_direction =
groundbreaking =
year_completed = 1901
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specifications = yes
capacity = 1,200
length = ft to m|132
width = ft to m|56
width_nave =
height_max = ft to m|200
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materials = brick, limestone
nrhp = yes
added = December 8, 1982
refnum = 82000555cite 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]
designated =

St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic Church located at 715 E. Canfield Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.

History

In 1889, the Polish community of St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church was outgrowing the capacity of the church, and the parish of St. Josaphat was started on June first [http://www.gbjann.com/stjosaphat/history.htm History page] at St. Josaphat] to serve the burgeoning community. [http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/historic/districts/st_josaphat.pdf St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church Complex] from the city of Detroit.] St. Josaphat was a priest who was appointed archbishop of Polotsk, Poland in 1617. He was martyred in 1623 but not canonized until 1867, which implies that this parish, founded only 22 years later, was one of the first to bear this name.

The church was located on Canfield not far west of the Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church. It is possible that the choice of location was intended to compete with Sweetest Heart, which was at the time a Polish Catholic church unsanctioned by the diocese. On February 2nd, 1890, the first building for the St. Josaphat parish, a combination church and school, was dedicated. However, in the next decade, the church grew to over 1,000 families under the leadership of Father Razadkowski. [http://www.detroit1701.org/St.%20Josaphat_Hist.html Saint Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church Local Complex] from Detroit1701.org] In response, Razadkowski raised funds to build a new church, which is the one still extant today. The church was built in 1901, along with a rectory and janitor’s home. A school was built in the 1920s.

By 1960, the Polish community that had once attended the church had scattered to the suburbs. The school was closed and demolished, and St. Josaphat struggled with dwindling membership and the upkeep of tha aging church. However, the parish began a building rehabilitation program, and it continues to serve the Polish community.

Architecture

The Victorian Romanesque style church was designed by Joseph G. Kastler and William E. N. Hunter. It was built by the Jermolowicz Brothers and local carpenters, Harcus and Lang. The church measures 132 feet by 56 feet, with a 65 foot ceiling and a seating capacity of 1200. The main steeple is 200 feet tall, while the two side steeples are each 100 feet. The exterior of the church is built from red and orange brick, extensively trimmed with Bedford Indiana buff limestone. The stained glass windows, depicting Mary & Joseph and the twelve apostles, were made by the Detroit Stained Glass Works.

The interior of the church contains five altars. On the main altar there is a painting of St. Josaphat, dressed in the vestments of an eastern rite bishop. The side altars are dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, and in the transept of the church are altars dedicated to Saints Anthony of Padua and Francis of Assisi.

The woodwork in the church is crafted of white oak, and there is an extensive collection of murals on the walls.

Current information

Fr. Mark Borkowski is the current pastor for St. Josephat. The church is grouped in a cluster with the nearby Sweetest Heart 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] Parish buisiness is conducted at the rectory of Sweetest Heart of Mary. [http://www.gbjann.com/stjosaphat/schedule.htm Schedule from St. Josaphat] ]

The church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and received historic recognition from the city of Detroit in 1983 and the state of Michigan in 1985.

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.gbjann.com/stjosaphat/ Official site] pf St. Josephat parish.
* [http://www.aodonline.org/nr/aod/customapplications/parish/parish.asp?InstitutionID=150&FRAMELESS=true&NRNODEGUID=%7B2FF92941-2657-4A86-A99A-0010DE364035%7D St. Josaphat] from the Archdiocese of Detroit.