St. Joseph South Lyon

St. Joseph Catholic Church is located in the historic and charming town of South Lyon in Western Oakland County. The history of St. Joseph parish dates back to the 19^th century. The current church was built in 1986 and was dedicated on December 20^th of that year.

As you enter the church, you walk into a modest sized gathering space. The focal point, of which, is the Baptismal font that sits at the entrance of the church.

The interior of the church is made up of 5 rows of pews that surround the altar in a semi-circle. The pews are made of light oak with matching kneelers. The oak theme continues up to the altar. A statute of Jesus hangs over the altar with his arms outstretched while on a cross.

Fr. Stanley Tokarski is the pastor at St. Joseph. The celebrant at the mass we attended was Associate Pastor Fr. John Nedumcheril. Fr. John’s homily focused on the gospel where the Samaritan woman met with Jesus as he offered her water. Fr. John also spoke on how we should fill our hearts and minds with the light of Christ. He told the congregation that God’s light will guide us and protect us and that we should clear our hearts and minds of all things that would prevent God’s light from shining in us.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is a large parish, with approximately 2,800 registered families; however it maintains the small town charm and personality of the surrounding area. The Parishioners are very active in demonstrating acts of kindness by giving to those less fortunate and by participating in many different activities and organizations such as St. Vincent DePaul and Catholic CYO.

The parishioners that we met were gracious and very friendly. They made us feel welcomed and comfortable in their church and we enjoyed our visit to St. Joseph Catholic Church in South Lyon very much.

Up Next: St. John the Evangelist-Allenton

Entrance to St. Joseph

Steeple at St. Joseph

Statute of St. Joseph

Mary

Cornerstone at St. Joseph

Jesus over the Altar

Stain glass at St. Joseph

Statute of Mother Mary

St. Joseph Altar

A Crucifix sits in the corner

National Shrine of the Little Flower-Royal Oak

The National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan was founded in 1925 by Father Charles Coughlin just prior to the canonization of St. Thèrése of Liseux who was known as the “Little Flower”. Today it remains a vibrant and flourishing parish with over 4,300 registered families. It was designated a National Shrine by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1998.

Inside the church the altar is in the center of the room while the congregation surrounds it from every angle. It is symbolic of our need to keep Christ as the center of our lives. The altar, itself, is made of Carrera marble that comes from Mt. Cavella in Italy. The front of the altar is adorned with 2 peacocks drinking from a fountain-a symbol of everlasting life. The opposite side of the altar has the wounded and victorious lambs symbolizing the Risen Christ.

Over the altar hangs the Baldacchino, a canopy of fabric carried in church processions or placed over an altar, throne or dias. It is made of oak and is covered with inlaid gold leaf. It has 4 figures on each corner that represents the 4 gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the form of man, lion, calf and eagle. It also has roses carved in the wood as a tribute to St. Thèrése of Liseux the patron saint of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.

Fr. Patrick Gonyeau was the celebrant at the mass we attended. In his homily, he spoke of “God’s radical love” in which we are called to love and give unconditionally and without question. He talked of God’s plea to turn the other cheek when slapped and to offer your clothes when you are asked for your tunic as example of God’s radical love.

During our visit we stood in awe of the history and beauty of The Little Flower. We enjoyed exploring every crevice and corner of the church, both inside and outside. We were impressed with all it had to offer and the faithful people who have keep the National Shrine of the Little Flower a rich and glorious place to worship and praise God in all we do.

UP NEXT: St. Joseph-South Lyon

Tower at National Shrine of the Little Flower

Close up of Crucifixion at Little Flower

The Baldacchino over the Altar 

Altar at the Little Flower

St. Jude Statute at Little Flower

Tribute to St. Joseph

St Joseph

St. Sebastian Statute at Little Flower

St. Therese of Liseux

One of the original doors of the church

Our Lady Of The Lakes-Waterford

Our Lady of the Lakes in Waterford is located along Dixie Highway in the North Oakland County suburb.

The church was founded in 1948 and recently celebrated its 65^th anniversary.  Inside Our Lady of the Lakes, you enter a medium size gathering space that opens into the main church. There are no doors or windows leading into the church. It is a very open concept.

The pews and kneelers are cushioned and very comfortable. The floors leading to the altar are made of marbled tiles. The altar space itself has an oak wooden floor and a mason brick background. The altar is smaller than at most of the other churches we have been to and is covered with a green flowery cloth.

Over the altar is a statute of Jesus with his hands outstretched on the cross. Behind the statute is a stained glass window in the shape of a circle with different color variations. To the left of the altar is a 3-D image of the last supper hanging on the wall and to the right the musical area is staged.

The pastor at Our Lady of the Lakes is Reverend Lawrence Delonnay. They also have an associate pastor at the church, Fr. Michael Gawlowski.  Fr. Mike was the celebrant at the Saturday evening mass we attended. Fr. Mike’s homily focused on the gospel reading for the week in which John the Baptist welcomed the son of God as our savior Jesus. He called John the Baptist the bridge between the Old and New Testament.

Fr. Mike was very engaging in his homily. He came out among the congregation and talked directly to everyone. He made the homily fun and enjoyable and really got everyone interested in hearing the gospel and learning a bit about John the Baptist

.

Our trip to Our Lady of the Lakes was a bit of a long one; about a 45 minute drive, but the kindness and generosity of the parish members and the enjoyable homily by Fr. Mike made the trip a worthwhile one.

Up Next:  National Shrine of the Little Flower-Royal Oak

Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church-Waterford

Exterior view of Our Lady of the Lakes

Celebrating 65 years

Main Entrance to Our Lady of the Lakes

Altar at Our Lady of the Lakes

Jesus on the Cross

Image of the the Last Supper

Lectern at Our Lady of the Lakes

Some of the art work at Our Lady of the Lakes

St. Athanasius-Roseville

St. Athanasius was born in the year 296 AD (although some sources put his birth sometime between 293 and 296 AD). He is considered the greatest champion of Catholic belief on the subject of the incarnation and is widely known as the “Father of Orthodoxy”. He died in 373 AD and his feast day in on May 2^nd.

St. Athanasius in Roseville is a very cozy and comfortable church with many modern features. The church consists of 4 rows of pews that face the altar with one row of pews to the left of the altar. The altar, itself, has a modern oak finish with a brick wall behind it. A crucifix hangs from the rafters over the altar.

Large picture windows surround both sides of the church. The top part of the windows is made of stained glass and the bottom part is regular glass that allows you to view the church surroundings. The usual variety of art work and statutes help complete the look of St. Athanasius.

St. Athanasius will be merging with 2 other local parishes sometime in 2014 so we were glad we had the opportunity to visit and worship with the parishioners at St. Athanasius. They have a joyous and bustling faith community; giving, generously, to those less fortunate and helping to coordinate different activities with the other parishes in their cluster.

The pastor at St. Athanasius is Reverend Eugene Katcher. Retired priest Fr. Bill Siefert presided at the mass we attended. In his homily, Fr. Siefert talked about how our values shape who we are in our lives and in our relationship with God.

We visited St. Athanasius on a brisk cool December afternoon. However we found the cool temperatures didn’t damper the spirit or faith of the congregation at St. Athanasius. Nor did the news of the upcoming merger with other Catholic churches in the area; instead we were pleasantly surprised by the positive and uplifting attitude of everyone we met. It made our visit to St. Athanasius a memorable and exciting time.

Up Next: Our Lady of the Lake-Waterford

St. Athanasius- Roseville

Statute of Jesus on grounds of St. Athanasius

Main entrance 

St. Athanasius

Mary

Jesus

The altar at St. Athanasius

The crucifix that hangs over the altar

Stained glass at St. Athanasius

Joseph

St. John the Baptist-Dearborn Heights

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in southwest Dearborn Heights was founded in 1926 and served a mostly Polish community at that time. Over time, as the community changed with people moving in and out, St. John the Baptist continued to serve the faithful in the area. It has evolved into, what is now, a close knit community of just over 200 parishioners.

You enter the church through large double doors at the front of the church into a small vestibule space before entering a modest but lovely church. The altar is made of a simple oak with matching lectern. It follows the theme that St. John the Baptist pastor Edwin Balazy has set of a humble and simple place to worship and give thanks to God.

We attended a Sunday morning mass where generations came to together to thank God for all their blessings. Seniors that have built the community and continue to make St. John the Baptist a vibrant and welcoming church and young families who are keeping the church alive for a new generation of worshippers.

At the mass we attended we enjoyed a homily by retired priest Fr. Richard Rakoczy in which he discussed the readings and how they are related to our daily lives. The music ministry also accompanied the service in a meaningful and heartfelt way that gave witness to God’s love.

We took pleasure in the mass we attended and the humble design of St. John the Baptist. We also marveled at the beauty and simplicity of the grounds of the church. St. John the Baptist has survived and thrived through years of population shifts and we were honored to be able to spend time with the proud parishioners of this fine church.

Up Next: St Athanasius-Roseville

 St. John the Baptist

Entrance to St. John the Baptist church

Garden and Mother Mary statute

Altar 

Mary and Joseph

The Church

View of the altar

St. Malachy-Sterling Heights

The patron saint of St. Malachy lived from 1094 to 1148. He was the Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. He was the first native born Irish saint to be canonized. His feast day is November 3.

St. Malachy in Sterling Heights was founded in 1964 with their current church being dedicated in June of 1978. You enter the church through glass doors from a large gathering area. The church is made up of 4 rows of pews that slope down toward the altar.

The altar is modest with a matching lectern and a beige colored cloth covering it. A large crucifix hangs high over the altar. A statute of Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, sits to the left of the altar. On the right of the altar there is a portrait of Jesus with his right hand held out and his left hand clutching his heart.

The Pastor at St. Malachy is Fr. Joseph Gembela. His homily, during our visit, focused on having faith and the different kinds of faith. He said that even though bad things happen to good people –it’s always part of God’s plan and we must have faith and trust in God to do what is right.

One of the things that most impressed us about St. Malachy was that it has a very active and vibrant music ministry. A group of cantors and musicians sang God’s praises and by having the words to each hymn projected on large screens in the church it allowed and encouraged participation by the congregation. We were very pleased with the music ministry at St. Malachy.

We were also impressed with the lector at the mass we attended. She read each passage with enthusiasm and lots of heart. It was easy to see that she was filled with the Holy Spirit and it showed in her interpretation of each reading.

Everyone at St. Malachy—Fr. Gembela, the music ministers, lector and congregation worked in harmony to provide a joyous mass that we were blessed to attend.

UP NEXT: St. John The Baptist-Dearborn Heights

St. Malachy in Sterling Heights

The Boy Jesus with Joseph and Mary

 The altar at St. Malachy

 Stained Glass Windows

 Outdoor prayer area

 Children's water garden

 Exterior of St. Malachy

 St. Malachy 

Autumn at St Malachy