'Nice surprise' as St. John Neumann Parish awarded Canton Chamber of Commerce's 2025 People’s Choice for Place of Worship
CANTON — Of all the places to worship in Canton, St. John Neumann Parish ranks at the top of the list — at least, according to the city's residents.
The city of Canton awarded St. John Neumann its 2025 People’s Choice for Place of Worship, singling out the parish among more than 30 places of worship in Canton alone.
The award was given to the parish on Nov. 13, during a ceremony arranged by the Canton City Chamber of Commerce involving the “who’s who” of the western Metro Detroit suburb. The annual "People's Choice" awards allow Canton business owners and residents to vote for their favorites across a series of categories.
The parish was unaware of the award until receiving a call that St. John Neumann had been nominated, said Pia Carli, the parish's head of promotions and marketing.
Carli accepted the award along with Fr. John Britto Chinnappa, MSFS, on behalf of the parish and Fr. Paul Ballien, during an awards ceremony.
“This was a nice surprise for us and a sweet validation of all the different things that we’ve been trying to do as a community to raise the level of our presence outside of our parish walls,” Carli told Detroit Catholic. “We have found really soft ways to engage our Canton community … we never know what is going to resonate or what is going to stick.”
Canton is a religiously diverse community, Carli said, and St. John Neumann regularly reaches out to neighboring faith communities, including Sikh, Muslim or Hindu neighbors. The parish's block on Warren Road is also home to two Lutheran churches and a newly built Baptist church, Carli added.
Fr. Ballien agreed, adding the small recognition from the Canton community is confirmation that the parish is on the right track.
“We have been seeing new people who have been coming here recently, and a lot of them say the same things: ‘We are looking for a home, and this place seemed open and welcoming,’” Fr. Ballien said. “This award is a reflection of our parish and parishioners and the work they are doing.
“Ultimately, it is about bringing people to Jesus Christ, and if we are going to do that, we have to be able to welcome people in,” Fr. Ballien added. “I love seeing our parishioners make our church a good place of worship and live out their faith and truly be disciples of Jesus Christ.”
The parish has made a particular effort over the last five years to come together as a community and embrace its mission statement, “Leading People to Jesus Christ,” Carli said.
“We cast the net and wait and see what happens, and sometimes when you do that, you don’t know what the return is going to be,” Carli said. “When someone takes a risk and walks in, if they are feeling welcomed, maybe we are doing a decent partnership with the Holy Spirit when they come through our doors.”
