St. Mary’s of Redford is located on the northwest side of Detroit in the neighborhood known as Old Redford. You enter the church through the large double wooden doors that look out on to Grand River Avenue. The vestibule is small with 2 beautiful stained glass windows each depicting Mary. As this church is named for the mother of Jesus you will find many images of her throughout the church.
Past the vestibule and through another set of wooden doors is the main church. There is a main aisle, with pews on either side, which leads up to the beautiful and ornate alter. The alter is large with a main area for the priest, lecturer and others. High above the alter is a large wooden beam with a statute of Jesus on the cross with Mary and Joseph on either side of him. The ceiling over this scene is dark blue with gold stars which gives the impression of a beautiful night sky. The scene reminds you of what you might see in a snow globe.
St. Mary’s of Redford was established in 1843. The church has a plaque on the front of the building with the date of 1849 AD signifying when this church was built. Of course, there have been updates and improvements over the years but you can definitely feel the history of the church from the old wooden doors and the bell tower that sits high above the church façade to the beautiful wooden pews, the stained glass windows and beautiful art work that are prominent throughout the church.
On our visit to St. Mary’s of Redford, there were approximately 30-40 people in attendance at the 4PM mass. There was a mix of young and old, black and white, single and families. Everyone was very friendly. During the sign of peace; most everyone left their pews to move around and offer peace and blessings. We were pleasantly surprised by this sign of friendship and welcoming spirit by the people of St. Mary’s.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to St. Mary’s of Redford. We were impressed with the people as well as the history and beauty of the church.
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