ANN ARBOR — A Detroit priest received a special recognition Dec. 21 during a University of Michigan men's basketball game, recognized for his decades of distinguished military service.
Fr. John Maksym, who serves at Old St. Mary's Parish in downtown Detroit's Greektown district and as Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger's episcopal vicar for clergy discipline, was honored at U of M's Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor as the game's "Hometown Hero of the Day" for his 31-year career as a U.S. Navy Commander.
A graduate of the University of Michigan in 1983, Fr. Maksym spent decades serving in various military posts before becoming a priest, including as a senior judge of the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. While serving in a combat zone in Iraq in 2007, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for brave or meritorious action.
Fr. Maksym was ordained to the priesthood in 2018, and has served at St. Joseph Parish in Lake Orion, St. Peter Parish in Mount Clemens, St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit, and currently at Old St. Mary's.
