Journey to the Catholic Churches of Detroit.: St. Mel-Dearborn Heights

St. Mel’s is a neighborhood church in north Dearborn Heights. The patron saint of St. Mel’s was a 5^th century saint. His mother was Saint Darerca of Ireland; she was known as the “mother of saints” because most of her 19 children (17 boys and 2 girls) entered religious life and were later recognized as saints. Mel was a travelling Missionary and Evangelist most of his life. He gave most of what he earned to the poor. St. Mel’s feast day is February 7and he is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois in Ireland.

St. Mel’s is a simply laid out church. When you enter through the main doors there is just a small vestibule area. Inside the church there are two rows of pews, that are made of light oak, which lead up to the altar. The main altar and lectern are very pure in design. Behind the altar is the music area with room for a choir. A large crucifix hangs in the rafters over the altar and choir areas. Another highlight of the church is a replica of the stone tablets that contain the 10 commandments. They are a constant reminder of God’s love for us and our duties as Christians in this world.

Fr. Tom Kramer is the pastor at St Mel’s. The gospel, for the week we attended, was from Luke where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she would bear a son named Jesus who would save the world. Fr. Kramer spoke of the busyness of this time of year and how we need to always make time for Jesus and going to mass to hear God’s word and to give thanks for his many blessings.

St. Mel’s is a very simply designed church in a strong, family oriented neighborhood. The people at St. Mel’s are very proud and filled with the Holy Spirit and it shows in how they come together to worship and praise God’s name very week. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend at St. Mel’s and every one we came in contact with.

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