Now that's a grand old church!
Is the neigborhood still viable or is it in one of those shockingly blighted Detroit neighborhoods?
I just read in their history that they were at one time under the authority of the infamous Bishop Joseph Villate!
Detroit has so many glorious Catholic Churches. Some have been transformed into Mosques. Heartbreaking. Does anybody know how St. Florian's in Hamtramk is doing? Beautiful structure but the populaltion all round it has been shifting from Polish to Arab. (Many Chaldeans in Detroit, too, but Musslims are far more numerous.)
So this was originally a Polish National Catholic (PNCC) parish? Very grand! Their church here in Philadelphia, St. Valentine's, is rather plain.
Nice job, Alex.
I regretted not being able to make it myself.
Sweetest Heart of Mary is truly one of Detroit's parish gems.
Truly a stunning work of Roman Catholic testimony!!
Thank you, Alex, for bringing this good news and the beautiful pics from Detroit to us.
I'll have to make a stop in Detroit sometime and see these amazing churches in person.
Beautiful church.
How well has the latin NO Mass done at that parish relative to the vernacular NO?
"Sweetest Heart, St. Josaphat, St. Joseph, and St. Albertus are all beautifully preserved historic edifices with intact high altars and Communion rails, perfectly suited for the classic form of Holy Mass."
The silver lining of being located in an economically challenged city: no money to waste on unnecessary renovations.
Also adding to the picture in Detroit, Sts. Cyril and Methodius parish in the suburb of Sterling Heights has begun a weekly Sunday vigil Mass at 6pm on Saturdays. This church has long had a solidly Catholic pastor. It is actually a Slovak national parish but has drawn many, many traditionally oriented people in the 'burbs. The church is nice but definitely a modern structure
Polish National Catholic Church: NO.
Sweetest Heart was founded before the PNCC, and they united with the diocese before Ks. Hodur came on the 'independent' scene.
The history of Sweetest Heart, however, if its separation from the diocese hadn't occured so quickly, may well have been taken up in the PNCC. Thankfully that was not the case.
Is that the pulpit in the middle of the church?
This church really is stunningly beautiful.
It is such a pitty that most modern Catholic churches are almost indistinguishable from pentecostal houses of worship, notwithstanding the crucifix on the altar - provided it has one.
There is a church building near me that was once PNCC but was bought by a up-start baptist minister. Very different looking.
Ss. Cyril and Methodius parish had a splendid old church but followed the exodus of parishioners to the suburbs, building a modern church and leaving the old one to decay and vandalism. The former church and virtually its entire neighborhood were subsequently leveled. But it is good to know that even in a new situation the parish is contributing to the maintenance of the liturgical tradition.
what a beautiful dedication 'sweetest heart of mary'
The church is in a dreadful neighborhood. All three of the historic Polish churches--Sweetest Heart, St Josaphat, and St Albertus--are within walking distance of one another. Thousands of people drive by Sweetest Heart and St Josaphat every day as the churches are situated on the busy I-75 freeway leading to the heart of the city. Sweetest Heart is the largest Catholic church in the city. It is bigger than the cathedral. Needless to say, the acoustics of Sweetest Heart are phenomenal. It was one of the featured churches when the Organ Historical Society held its convention in Southeastern Michigan in the mid 90s.
Yes, that is the pulpit, located on in its traditional place, out into the pews. Before the days of microphones, the priest would preach from admist the congregation and high up.
The church is not in a dreadful neighborhood. There isn't much of a neighborhood anymore except for some apartment complexes and industrial buildings. It's not suburbia, but it's not dreadful.
steve:
The Latin NO is at St. Joseph, not Sweetest Heart. Its attendance is about the same as the vernacular Masses at St. Joseph. A loyal group of parishioners and musicians devote significant effort to it.
Compare these churches to the renovated Detroit cathedral? Why is so much money expended to make old churches ugly?
Is there someone in the coffin?
I also would not say that the church is in a dreadful neighborhood. Though Albertus, may be considered to be. Albertus is literally on the other side of the tracks. It's pretty run down in that neighborhood, but it didn't appear to be dangerous. Josaphat has Apartments across the street. It is pretty close to Wayne State University which is a nice area as well. They do have security for the parking lots at times, but it is very light, and probably more for the comfort of us suburbanites who have no idea what blight and crime really are.
I used to live, work and attend University in the Metro Detroit area, and had the wonderful opportunity to play for the wedding of my then assistant music director. Although we worked in a suburban parish, she wanted her wedding to be held at SHM. The three churches mentioned are all within a mile of each other, and are equally beautiful. It's truly unfortunate that when these three began laying the foundation for celebrating the TLM, they caught some of the most predictably anti-traditionalist rhetoric in the press. In the midst of making the Cathedral look like the set of Star Trek, these churches sought and continue to seek the promotion of the tradition.
Sad to say the organ has gone to rack and ruin, and may be beyond salvage. All in all, it's an absolutely gorgeous church, of which its congregation is quite proud. And for good reason!
david andrew:
The organ at Sweetest Heart works fine; it was recently serviced. The organ at St. Josaphat is in decent shape, but is too small for the building - we are searching for a used organ to replace it. The organ at St. Albertus is presently unplayable, but is about to be restored, at least to playable condition, for the June 29 EF Mass. The organ at St. Joseph is by far the best of the lot and has always been well maintained.
AlexB, just to be fair it was about 4 years ago that I played for that service, so I'm glad to hear that the organ is still playable.
I seem to recall that it is of some historic siginficance, although I can't remember the builder.
David:
The historical significance is that, although built under the name of Clough & Warren, it uses Austin's "Universal Windchest" and is generally regarded as Austin Opus 2, the oldest extant organ to use the Austin system.
For those not in the know, this means one can actually walk through an airlock (hold your breath and 'pop' your ears in the process) into the depths of the instrument without any dismantling and observe or repair it as it is playing.
In my previous reply, I used the word "dreadful" to describe the neighborhood around Sweetest Heart...and really all three of the Polish churches. The use of this word comes with much sadness. True, the churches are situated at the edge of the Wayne State University campus. True, several abandoned homes were torn down and new low rise apartment dwellings were built. But, just a few blocks east of Sweetest Heart are some of the city's worst crack houses. Some of the new housing that was built has witnessed crime. A month ago, while attending mass at St Josaphat's church, a few blocks from Sweetest Heart, a friend of mine had his car vandalized in broad daylight. Having said all this makes the presence of these three grand churches all the more significant. They are shining beacons in a world of evil. They are a hope for the many good people who do live in the immediate area. If it were not for the Traditional Mass celebrations, people would not be coming to that neighborhood. Perhaps this is the beginning of an urban miracle. Goodness knows, Detroit needs (and deserves) one! I hope other historic churches in Detroit will consider the Traditional Mass. St Hedwig's on the west side?
"If it were not for the Traditional Mass celebrations, people would not be coming to that neighborhood. Perhaps this is the beginning of an urban miracle. Goodness knows, Detroit needs (and deserves) one!"
I couldn't agree with you more. I have dreamed for many years about such a miracle. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see safe, affordable housing, a true Catholic community spring up around these three historic churches -- with a Catholic school and cultural center to boot?
If you ask me, this is the kind of renaissance our city needs.
But if we built it, would they come?
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