Journey to the Catholic Churches of Detroit.: October 2014

St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Redford is a neighborhood church built in the 1950’s during a time when many of the churches in this Western Wayne county area were being built. Over the years it has retained most of its original architectural design.

The patron saint of St. Robert Bellarmine lived from 1542 to 1621. He was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal in the Catholic Church. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930, his feast day is September 17; the day of his death.

The church consists of 2 straight rows of pews that lead straight up to the altar. The altar was covered with a green cloth. There was a large crucifix that was centered over the altar that completed the space. To the left of the altar are large statutes of Joseph and Mary adorning a brick wall. The back wall of the altar is made up of 1/3 brick and 2/3 window which looks out on to church property.

St. Robert Bellarmine’s pastor is Fr. Richard Leliaert and he gave the homily at the mass we attended. Fr. Leliaert spoke on the parable where “the last shall be first and the first shall be last”. Fr. Leliaert used many hand gestures and body language to help tell his homily and during prayer time. It helped give perfect illustration to what he was saying and put his words into wonderful context. The highlight of the mass was the baptism of 4 newborns. It was a joyous occasion to see them baptized into the catholic faith and helps us to appreciate and thank God for the life he has given us.

We found the people of St. Robert Bellarmine to be a caring and loving group. They spoke of coming together to cook and provide meals at a local soup kitchen as one way they could share the good news of Jesus Christ with those less fortunate. They help out, in many other ways, to spread Christ’s love and we were honored to spend time in mass celebration with them.

Up Next: Christ the Redeemer-Lake Orion