Archbishop Vigneron calls St. Aloysius his ‘second home,’ thanks parishioners for their witness to the faith in downtown Detroit
DETROIT — Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron celebrated the 150th anniversary of St. Aloysius Parish on Oct. 8, congratulating parishioners and encouraging the faithful to give God thanks for all the blessings He has bestowed in downtown Detroit.
Referring to St. Aloysius as his “second home,” a block away from the Chancery office and the site of his Ash Wednesday celebrations and other Curia celebrations, the archbishop said it was right and just to thank God for all St. Aloysius Parish had done in the past century and a half in the heart of the city.
“It’s always a grace to celebrate a parish milestone such as this one,” Archbishop Vigneron said in his homily. “I don’t get to do too many for 150 years. It really marks an important milestone in the life of the parish. After the cathedral, I consider St. Aloysius my second home, since it’s the parish in which the Chancery lay. So congratulations to (Fr. Mario Amore) and all of you.”
St. Aloysius Parish got its start on Aug. 24, 1873, after Bishop Caspar Henry Borgess of Detroit purchased Westminster Presbyterian Church on Washington Boulevard to serve the growing English-speaking Catholic population in downtown Detroit, under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Ernest Van Dyke, scion of one of Detroit’s oldest families.
The parish became the proto-cathedral for the Diocese of Detroit in 1874 after Bishop Borgess charged the care of the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul on Jefferson Avenue to the Society of Jesus in exchange for founding a college in the city.
St. Aloysius remained the proto-cathedral until 1890, when Bishop John Samuel Foley moved the episcopal see to St. Patrick Church on Adelaide Street in Midtown Detroit, renaming it SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
In 1930, as the parish and the city continued to grow, the original church was torn down to make way for the Romanesque-style, three-tiered church that stands today.
The three-tier design draws inspiration from the Milan Cathedral in Italy, which allows for greater seating capacity for a church in a tight urban layout.
The semi-circular “well” before the main altar allowed parishioners to see the priest at the high altar, regardless of where they were sitting.
St. Aloysius Parish is known today for its backpack and sandwich street ministries, carried out by St. Aloysius Neighborhood Services.
Archbishop Vigneron encouraged parishioners to think of all the sacraments, baptisms, weddings, confessions, and funerals that have been celebrated at St. Aloysius, all the service projects and moments of outreach, all the ways in which the parish “produced good fruit in God’s vineyard,” the archbishop said.
“We offer back to God the Father, along with the Body and Blood of Christ, all these great gifts to the Father,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “That is what we do, the gesture that epitomizes that, showing God the Father, the Body of Christ on the paten and the deacon show the Blood of Christ in the chalice to the Father, we offer along with those great gifts to the Father all the work that has been done these past 150 years in this parish.”
At the end of Mass, St. Aloysius parishioners gifted Archbishop Vigneron with a special rosary commemorating the parish’s 150 years, decorated with iconic features of St. Aloysius’ architecture.
Fr. Mario Amore, who has primary pastoral care of St. Aloysius, thanked the archbishop for all the support he has shown the parish over the years.
“The archbishop has been a wonderful supporter of St. Aloysius for all of my time here and for many years before that,” Fr. Amore said. “We want to express our deep gratitude to you in a personal way for your unwavering support in the parish and in the city of Detroit. Your leadership and vision and commitment to our community has been a source of great inspiration for us.”
Fr. Amore recognized the works of the Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) who administered the parish for 27 years, establishing many of the neighborhood outreach and service projects that have become ubiquitous to St. Aloysius.
“The Franciscans served St. Aloysius Parish for more than 27 years before the archbishop asked me to come here (in 2019),” Fr. Amore said. “We are grateful for their spirit of poverty and hospitality, for always having a mind for the poor, especially here in our downtown community.”
Parishioners and guests were able to tour St. Aloysius following Mass, taking in the church's unique architecture, including Pewabic tile and the sanctuary lamp that’s a holdover from the original church.
“Among our guests this morning is Hildreth Meiere Dunn, whose grandmother (Hildreth Meiere), designed the mosaics in the church building,” Fr. Amore said. “Also to Mark (Bernasconi), whose grandfather, Peter, sculpted the statue of St. Aloysius in the vestibule. We are grateful to you, for celebrating in our community this morning, and for sharing part of your lives with us. Your family members are enshrined in this beautiful building that has been entrusted in your care.”
Fr. Amore also praised the work of parish staff and volunteers for all they have done to celebrate the parish's anniversary and its continued mission to be “everybody’s church” in downtown Detroit.
“For many of you who have made St. Aloysius your home, those of you who have helped provide for our needs, especially caring for everyone who comes to our doors, we want you to know you are part of our story of faith, and indeed, this place will always been your home,” Fr. Amore said.
Sunday’s celebration is the culmination of St. Aloysius’ 150th anniversary, but the parish has been celebrating all year, including a neighborhood block party, an upcoming “Friendsgiving” celebration with Eucharistic adoration before a Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas carol lessons.
“We decided that from the beginning we’d celebrate for a whole year; 150 years is an important milestone,” Beth Allison, parish engagement coordinator, told Detroit Catholic. “We wanted to have a special Mass, the source and summit of the 150th anniversary celebration, where we’d invite the archbishop to celebrate with us. It has been a beautiful way to celebrate all that has happened, and all that will continue to happen at St. Aloysius.”
Allison said St. Aloysius’ location is a big part of the parish's charism. Out-of-town visitors often come to the parish for Sunday Mass, and the parish often uses larger municipal events like the Christmas tree lighting or the Detroit Marathon as occasions for evangelization.
“It’s very different from a suburban parish,” Allison said. “Anything we can do to be presence of the Catholic church here in Detroit. We also have our 12:15 lunchtime Mass for workers, which is specifically for all the different people who come through our doors.”
With a day and year spent on celebrating the history of St. Aloysius, it’s important to note the growing community that is keeping the parish’s 150-year legacy alive, Allison said. Young adults and young families make up a majority of registered parishioners, as young professional have moved to the downtown area.
“It’s the demographic that’s moving into the downtown area, so we’re really blessed with the opportunity to capture that audience and provide opportunities to grow in faith and serve others,” Allison said. “That’s been another pillar of our parish at St. Aloysius, inviting people in to serve our brothers and sisters. But we have people of all ages. It’s exciting to serve everyone here at everyone’s church in downtown Detroit.”
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