St. Thomas a Becket

Our journey to the Catholic churches of the Archdiocese of Detroit took us to St. Thomas a Becket in Canton for the month of April. It was founded back in the late 70’s to serve the people of the growing city of Canton.

The church was named for Thomas a Becket who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170. He was canonized by Pope Alexander III shortly after his death. His feast day is December 29.

When you enter the main doors of St Thomas a Becket Catholic Church you walk into a large gathering area where parishioners often congregate before and after each mass. This gathering area leads into the main church area.

The altar at St. Thomas a Becket is large and has a sort of oval shape. The main altar is made of oak and has a square shape. A large crucifix also adorns the altar. The congregation sits facing the altar in a semi-circle. St. Thomas A Becket parishioners sit on cushioned seats without kneelers.

St. Thomas a Becket has large cathedral ceilings with skylights over the altar area. These skylights seem to allow the light of Jesus to shine upon the people of St. Thomas a Becket and gives an aura of God’s presence in everything that happens at the church.

On the weekend we visited some of the children of St. Thomas a Becket were receiving their 1^st holy communion. Retired priest William Murphy was the celebrant at the mass. His homily was short but meaningful. He discussed God’s love in our lives focusing on its importance and how it makes our lives, and everything in it, a lot better.

We enjoyed our visit to St. Thomas a Becket and watching the children receive their first communion. The people, we came in contact with, were very warm and friendly and filled with God’s love and goodness.

 

Up Next: Our Lady Star of the Sea-Grosse Pointe Woods

St. Thomas a Becket in Canton

Exterior shot of St. Thomas a Becket

 

Church Steeple

Entrance to St. Thomas a Becket

 

Stained Glass Window at St Thomas a Becket

Crucifix adorns the altar 

Altar at St. Thomas a Becket

 

Main altar 

 

A shot of the cathedral ceilings

Mother Mary w/baby Jesus

 

 St. Thomas a Becket

 

St. Sebastian-Dearborn Heights

St. Sebastian Catholic Church is located on the south end of Dearborn Heights, MI. It is named for St. Sebastian an early Christian Saint and Martyr. He was born in 256 and died in 288. St Sebastian is commonly depicted in art and literature tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows. He is a popular male saint especially among soldiers and athletes who often wear his metals or relics. His feast day is January 20.

St Sebastian has a modern feel to it. The church is made up of mostly cushioned pews with some individual seating available.  The pews surround the altar in a semi circle. The main entrances to the church are on either side of the altar. The church has more of a rectangular shape which makes it a challenge to navigate if you’re unfamiliar with the layout of the church. However it’s “quirky” layout is kind of symbolic of how we must navigate through life trusting in God and turning away from the evils of the world.

The main altar appears to be made of marble while the lectern is made of carved oak.  A variety of flowers adorned the altar on the weekend that we visited including Easter lilies, carnations and peonies. On the brick wall in the back of the altar a crucifix sits high above while a portrait of Jesus sits in front of the altar. On right side of the altar are life size statutes of Joseph holding a baby Jesus and Mary with Anne.

Fr. Robert White, a visiting priest, was the celebrant at the mass we attended. Fr. White is from an organization called “Food for the Poor”; a group dedicated to ending hunger around the world. Fr. White’s homily was dedicated to talking about hunger and starvation around the world. It was a very moving and eye-opening experience especially when he talked about his first hand experience in working with the poor, hungry and destitute.

The people of St. Sebastian were about as diverse a group as we have seen on our journey. There were many young people, families, singles and senior. It was great to see them come together in a common love for Jesus Christ and to share in the good news of our Savior.

 

Up Next: St. Thomas A Beckett-Canton

Statute of Mary

Stone garden dedicated to Mary

 

A large cross adorned with a cloth at St. Sebastian

Patron Saint of St. Sebastian

Altar at St. Sebastian

 

Garden dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi

Portrait of Jesus sits in front of the altar at St. Sebastian

 

Joseph, Mary and the boy Jesus

 

Mary with Anne and Joseph holding a baby Jesus

St. Sebastian Catholic Church

St. Sebastian in Dearborn Heights

 

Sacred Heart-Detroit

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is an historic church located near Downtown Detroit. It was built in 1875 to serve the large German community that lived in the area at that time. Over the years, as the neighborhood changed, it developed into a mainly African American church. Today, Sacred Heart continues to serve this area of Detroit with a mainly African American congregation.

The church is made up of 2 rows of cushioned pews with a center aisle that leads up to the altar. On one side of the altar is a large statute of Mother Mary while a large statute of Jesus adorns the wall on the other side of the altar. Around the outer walls of the church the Stations of the Cross is displayed with mostly black characters including a black Jesus.

Fr. Norman Thomas is the pastor at Sacred Heart. During our visit, on the first Sunday of Lent, Fr. Thomas spoke on the importance of God and our relationship with him especially during this Lenten season.

The mass at Sacred Heart followed the basic path of a Catholic mass but it also incorporated some aspects that helped it relate to the (mostly) African American congregation. These included allowing a member of the congregation to give testimony on why he became a Catholic and allowing the Eucharistic Ministers to be on the altar during the mass and giving them a greater speaking role. Member of the congregation were also allowed to offer up prayer requests during the prayers of the faithful.

The congregation at Sacred Heart really made us feel welcomed. They were very friendly and allowed us to fully participate in the mass, including helping to bring up the gifts to the altar. We will, long, remember the people of Sacred Heart and the positive impression they left on us.

Up Next: St. Sebastian-Dearborn Heights

Sacred Heart Catholic Church founded in 1875

 

Plaque commerating the 100th Anniversary of Sacred Heart 

 

Part of the outer fascade of Sacred Heart

 

Plaque proclaiming Sacred Heart a historic site

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

 

Sacred Heart on a snowy day.

 

The altar at Sacred Heart

 

Stations of the Cross

 A crucifix with a black Jesus

 

Part of the altar at Sacred Heart

 

St. Anthony-Belleville

St. Anthony was born in Lisbon Portugal in 1195. He was a Franciscan Monk and was recognized as an eloquent speaker. He died in 1231 and was canonized a saint by Pope Gregory IX in 1232. He is the patron saint of “lost things” and his feast day is June 13.

St. Anthony Catholic Church was named for this well known saint and they work tirelessly to pay homage to him in all that they do. St. Anthony is located in a quiet neighborhood filled with well maintained older homes in the western Detroit suburb of Belleville, MI. It has a plain rather non-descript building facade.  St. Anthony Church was founded in 1920 and has been an integral part of this area ever since.

When you enter the church from the main entrance you walk into a beautifully lit church. Four rows of pew seating are surrounded by a row of regular soft covered seating on either side of the pews. This helps to bring together traditional and modern church values. They all face the altar which is made of mostly carved oak with touches of marble at the lectern. The back of the altar is made of brick and is adorned with a statute of Jesus with his hands held out in prayer.

In opposite corners at the front of the church are statues of Mary and St. Anthony. At the back of the church is a cloth painting of Jesus with the saying: “Jesus, I trust in you”. There are many other works of art at St. Anthony including paintings and statutes that help tell the story of this magnificent saint.

The pastor at St. Anthony’s is Fr. Thomas Cusick. He gave a homily on new beginnings during the mass we attended. He also spoke on how we, as individuals, make up the wholeness of Christ, our Savior. Fr. Cusick also incorporated stories of his youth in his homily. This gave the homily a deeper meaning and allowed the congregation the opportunity to relate to it in a more personal way.

St. Anthony’s congregation is mostly made up of families, with children, who give a real youthful vibe to the church while maintaining basic Catholic traditions.  Our Family really enjoyed attending mass at St. Anthony’s and the warmth and friendliness of the people we encountered during our visit.

Up Next: Sacred Heart-Detroit

St. Anthony Catholic Church in Belleville, MI

Statute of St. Anthony outside of the church

 

Painting of Jesus

 

Altar at St. Anthony

 

St. Anthony

 

Painting of Mother Mary

 

Statute of Jesus hangs over the altar

 

A crucifix is displayed in the gathering area

 

A life size statute of St. Anthony on display in the gathering area

St. Irenaeus-Rochester Hills

St. Irenaeus is located in the upscale community of Rochester Hills in a scenic area among stately looking homes and Oakland University nearby.

The patron saint of St. Irenaeus was born sometime during the 2^nd century. He was the bishop of Lugdunum in what is now Lyon France. He was a church father and apologist. He also wrote several books. His feast day is June 28.

When you enter St. Irenaeus church you step into a large welcoming area that leads into the church. Inside the church there are 5 sections of pews, each section has several rows. They form a semi-circle around the main altar. The pews are made of medium oak and have soft kneelers. The Stations of the Cross line up along the back wall of the church behind the pews.

The altar has a statute of Jesus on a cross with his hands held up, as if, in blessing of the church and the congregation. The altar, like most, of St. Irenaeus is modestly decorated. This gives the church a feeling of humbleness and holiness.

A retired priest, “Fr. Frank”, was the celebrant at the mass we attended. He spoke about the importance of making room for God in our lives especially during the time of advent, which he described as a time of new beginnings as we await the birth of, our savior, Jesus Christ.

The mass we attended at St. Irenaeus was well attended by families, seniors and young adults who came together to give thanks to God for all his blessings and to live out the mission statement of the church, which in part, says that they are called to proclaim God’s glory by reaching out to others.

We found the people of St. Irenaeus to be very friendly and welcoming and we enjoyed our visit and the opportunity to praise Jesus in such a wonderful faith-filled community.

 

Up Next: St. Anthony-Belleville

St. Irenaeus Church

 

 Christmas Manger on display in front of St. Irenaeus

 

 

St. Irenaeus

 

St. Irenaeus Parish in Rochester Hills

 

Jesus with hands out stretched

 

The altar at St. Irenaeus

St. Irenaeus Altar

 

Jesus, Mary and Joseph