Journey to the Catholic Churches of Detroit.: St. Thomas Aquinas-Detroit

The Parish of St. Thomas Aquinas is tucked just inside the Detroit border with Dearborn. It is also a clustered parish with St. Christopher’s church which is located a few miles north east of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The patron saint of St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Priest and a well respected Philosopher and Theologian. He is the patron saint of Catholic schools, academies and universities. The study of his works has long been required study for those seeking ordination as priests or deacons. His feast day is January 28.

St. Thomas Aquinas church was established back in the 1950’s and has seen many changes over the years. Today the church serves a mix of the Polish community that helped establish and build the church and the upcoming Hispanic community that has been instrumental in helping to keep St. Thomas Aquinas a vibrant and faithful community.

The church is made up of 2 rows of pews that lead up to the altar. During our visit, the altar was draped in purple cloth to signify the 5^th week of Lent. Behind the altar sits a large hand carved crucifix that was also draped in purple cloth.

Fr. Jaime Hinojos is the pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas. In his homily he helped bring greater understanding to the readings for the week. He told the congregation that we must team with God to defeat the devil and his evil ways. Fr. Hinojos was very engaging in his homily which helped make it more meaningful and fun to listen to.

The congregation of St. Thomas Aquinas was diverse in its makeup. There were people of many nationalities and races at the mass we attended including, the aforementioned, Polish and Hispanic parishioners. There were white, black, old, young, married couples, young families and singles and they all came together on this Saturday afternoon to give praise and thanks to God.

Up Next: St. Rene Goupil-Sterling Heights