CLINTON TOWNSHIP -- As Msgr. Peter Karam was proclaiming the Gospel to the St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic community on July 24 in a rain-soaked field in Clinton Township, a new “rock” was being placed at the foundation of the local Maronite church.

“What a lovely day in Clinton Township,” said Msgr. Karam, vicar for priests for the St. Louis-based Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, who was representing Bishop A. Elias Zaidan during the groundbreaking ceremony of the parish’s new site.

“On behalf of Bishop Zaidan, I congratulate you on the new site, blessing this ground on the Sunday of the dedication to St. Sharbel,” Msgr. Karam said amidst sounds of thunder and lightning strikes. “Peter became the rock upon which the Church was founded, because the Church was built because of this profession of faith. The Church is built of people, not pillars.”

Huddled underneath a row of tents, the St. Sharbel community, led by Chorbishop Alfred Badawi, broke ground on the site for the new church. The project is seven and a half years in the making, with hopes that the project will be completed by the end of 2017.

The parish is currently renting the Bemis Junior High Building from Sterling Heights Public Schools, until the new, 32,000-sqare foot facility is built.

In an interview with The Michigan Catholic, Chorbishop Badawi, pastor of St. Sharbel, said the Lebanese community is making the move to follow where most of the parish community is currently living.

“We as a community decided this in 2014, with most of the community moving north,” Chorbishop Badawi said. “We’re looking forward to having a place for the children, a Sunday school and a place where young adults can come and meet. The Maronite community has been in Detroit for 120 years at different locations, and this is a sign we are a dedicated community.”

After the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on the grounds where the church will eventually stand, members from the St. Sharbel and Clinton Township community addressed the parish.

“They say rain brings good luck, so we’re doubly blessed,” joked Charlie Kadado, master of ceremonies at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Members of the Clinton Township Board of Trustees were also in attendance, welcoming the Maronite community, saying they, “already are a benefit to the community.”

“We bless all of you and pray that you’ll make this community a better place to be, your new home,” said Clinton Township clerk Kim Meltzer.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, members of the church buried a rock in the new church grounds, meant to symbolize the laying of a new foundation as Jesus described in the Gospel.

“St. Sharbel has always been a model parish for the eparchy,” Msgr. Karam said. “Today is a great start, the laying of a foundation of the parish of St. Sharbel here in Clinton Township and the greater Detroit area. This church, built on the Church of St. Peter, is a community of love, service and care. That no matter what, this parish will always be here as a sign of the community’s commitment to its faith.”