Providing meals, community and activities for more than 3,000 seniors each year, Midtown center 'is like one big huge family'
DETROIT — An iconic institution in the city of Detroit, the St. Patrick Senior Center provides what it calls a "home away from home" for nearly 3,000 Detroit seniors each year.
With its deeply Catholic roots and prominent role as a place to gather, share a meal and help older adults make and keep new friends, the Midtown senior center is among Detroit's most prominent community service organizations.
“We think St. Pat is the most exciting place in the city, and also one of the most important, since the 3,000 people we serve each year depend on our programs to help them lead healthy, fulfilling and independent lives,” John Bentley, chairman of the St. Patrick Senior Center board of directors, told Detroit Catholic.
This year, St. Patrick Senior Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and leaders hope this milestone will highlight its rich history and the many services it provides for the community. The anniversary celebration began with an open house in September, and will culminate with a gala at the MGM Grand Detroit on Oct. 15.
The center opened its doors in 1973 as a mission of the former St. Patrick Parish in Midtown Detroit. The parish, which closed in 2015, was founded predominantly by Irish immigrants.
The late Sr. Mary Watson, OP, a member of the Racine (Wisconsin) Dominicans and a registered dietician, began serving meals to those in need in the building that was formerly Girls Catholic Central High School.
Bentley said the historic building is truly beautiful.
“Built in 1892, I believe it is among the oldest Catholic school buildings in Detroit still in use,” Bentley said. “(Sister Mary) opened the doors of St. Patrick Senior Center to seven elderly residents of Detroit’s Cass Corridor neighborhood and served them a home-cooked, healthy meal.”
From its humble beginnings, the center has grown to become the largest Detroit health and wellness center for people aged 55 and older. “And we’ve been supported by local Catholic parishes across Metro Detroit ever since,” Bentley said.
SaTrice Coleman-Betts has served as executive director of the center since 2004.
“I think what makes us unique is the family home-away-from-home environment,” Coleman-Betts said. “We are very, very connected and supportive of our seniors. They are not just clients. We look at them like we would look at our parents, or grandparents or aunts and uncles. We help them build community so that they have their own supportive community amongst themselves.”
Coleman-Betts has been involved with the center for 24 years.
“I was living in Chicago finishing grad school. My mom’s friend told me about a position at the senior center in Detroit. I came here and stayed," she said. "Sister Mary became a mother and big sister figure for me. I used to tease her that I was the closest thing she had to a daughter.”
“Sister Mary always used to say, ‘There is a poverty of loneliness’ among our seniors,” Coleman-Betts said. “(At St. Patrick) we have all kinds of people from different socio-economic backgrounds. Everyone needs community and friends and friendship and fun.”
The center strives to bring in programs the seniors want and need.
“And they actually help us to provide those programs,” Coleman-Betts said. “They help fundraise. They teach classes. They bring food supplies. They help us cook in the kitchen. They help us prepare food.”
During the years just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Patrick served approximately 175 to 200 seniors per day. Today, the center is serving patrons at nearly pre-pandemic levels, offering a variety of services including nutritious meals, health and wellness programs, an on-site medical clinic, transportation to medical appointments, technology training, dance and exercise classes, benefits assistance, in-home services, respite care, home delivery of groceries and other necessities.
Support for the center through the years has come from countless individuals and organizations, Bentley said, including former St. Patrick pastors Fr. Tom Duffey and Fr. Ed Battersby; the Fraternal Order of United Irishmen; the Racine Dominican Sisters; the Cracchiolo, Pulte and other family foundations; the Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA); and “a legion of donors, supporters and volunteers.”
Coleman-Betts said parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit continue to support St. Patrick, especially through their Christian service programs.
When asked how the center has changed since she arrived in 1999, Coleman-Betts said the focus has shifted from having all activities on site at the center to more outreach into the community.
“We’ve really worked toward more community partnerships,” she said. “Most of the community involvement before came from people serving our weekend meal program. Now we can provide services for people who cannot come here.
“We reach more seniors who are homebound. We take supplies and items they need, and call them and connect with them," she continued. "We partner with organizations like Detroit Parks and Recreation Center, and we focus on underserved areas like southwest Detroit. We’ve been working on providing services with grant funding — like in Highland Park, with pop-up Chromebook computer literacy training classes.”
Gloria Hopkins, a participant and a volunteer for well over two decades, told Detroit Catholic she can't imagine being anywhere else in the city.
“I love St. Patrick,” Hopkins said. “We get along like one big huge family. They pick you up and take you everywhere you need to go. They have activities from A-Z. If I could tell you everything they do at this center, we would be here until this time next week. We have a lunch program that is outstanding, and we have an excellent chef.”
Hopkins tells everyone she meets about St. Patrick.
“It keeps you from getting bored, from sitting at home and getting stiff," she added. "You have to stay active. I come here and work maybe three days a week. I’m going to stay active until the Lord calls me home.”
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