Our Lady of Good Counsel-Plymouth

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a neighborhood church in the affluent suburb of Plymouth Township. You enter the church grounds off North Territorial Road where it is surrounded by beautiful scenery which includes large trees, bushes and assorted other plant life. Once on church property you will be amazed at the beauty of OLGC. There is a garden called Gethsemane Garden and the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto. They help highlight the beauty and elegance of the church grounds.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a large parish and when you enter the church it may be easy to feel a bit overwhelmed at everything that surrounds you. However, once you get your bearings it is easy to feel and see God’s loving presence all around you. There are no doors at the entrance to the church area. The flow of the vestibule goes right into the church. The seating is made up of a mix of wooden chairs with cushioned seating and regular pews. The floors are concrete with a golden tinge to them.

The altar is as simple oak wood setup with leaf inlays and a single candle on each side. Over the altar is a large cross with Jesus with his hands held out stretched. Under the cross is written; “I Thirst for God”

Fr. John Riccardo is the pastor at OLGC. They also have two associate pastors; Fr. Steven Mateja and Fr. Clement Suhy. Fr. Steven was the celebrant at the Sunday Noon mass we attended. His homily focused on the need for all of us to increase our faith and trust in God.

The mass we attended was pretty large given that it was the last mass of the weekend. It consisted of a large cross section of God’s followers including many families, young adults and seniors. Together they gave OLGC a feeling of vibrancy and enthusiasm for God’s goodness.

We enjoyed our visit to Our Lady of Good Counsel and the opportunity to worship in this beautiful house of the Lord.

On a personal note, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that our beloved wife and mother Maria passed away suddenly this past month. Maria was a kind and loving person whom everyone adored.  She always looked forward to visiting the different churches each month and sharing her faith with others that we’ve met on our journey.  We will miss her very much and our journey won’t be the same without her but we also know that she would want us to continue our journey, share our faith with others and continue to explore the Catholic Churches of the Detroit Archdiocese. So our journey will continue as a memorial tribute to Maria and I’ll continue to write and post pictures about the churches we visit in my blog right here.

Up Next: St. Robert Bellarmine-Redford

Our Lady of Good Counsel

Church Grounds

Part of the Gethsemane Garden

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church

Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus

Entrance to Church

one of the many religious statutes at OLGC

Altar at OLGC

Another religious statute

The altar

View of altar from the side.

R.I.P. Maria You've been a good and faithful servant
May you rest in the loving arms of our Savior Jesus Christ
Maria and Alejandro at OLGC

St. Colette-Livonia

The patron saint of St. Colette was born on January 13, 1380; the daughter of a carpenter named DeBoilet at Corby Abbey in Picardy, France. She was christened Nicolette, and called Colette. Orphaned at seventeen, she distributed her inheritance to the poor. She became a Franciscan tertiary, and lived at Corby as a solitary. She was re-known for her sanctity, ecstasies, and visions of the Passion, and prophesied her own death in her convent at Ghent, Belgium in 1447. She was canonized in 1807. Her feast day is March 6th.

At St. Colette Catholic church in Livonia there is a large gathering area where members of the parish and their visitors gather before and after each mass. When you enter the church your eyes are immediately drawn to the large statute of Jesus on the cross that sits over the altar. The wounds on his hands and feet are very visible reminders of the sacrifices He made for us. In addition to this large cross the altar, at St. Colette, also has a large marble background which displays symbols of the 7 sacraments of the Catholic Church. These include the sacraments of baptism, Holy Communion, confirmation, reconciliation, marriage, holy order and anointing of the sick.

The celebrant at the mass we attended was Fr. Gary Michalik; the pastor at St. Colette. Fr. Gary spoke of the good and evil of the world during his homily. He also spoke of Jesus use of parable to explain God’s teachings.

St. Colette also has several religious statutes and paintings that add to the beauty and faith of the church. Some of the statutes displayed are of the Holy Family, St. Jude and St. Anthony. There is also a statute of the patron saint, St. Colette that resides at the entrance to the church.

Our Visit to St. Colette’s was an enjoyable experience and we feel blessed that we were share in the blessings of God with the faithful members of this beautiful church.

UP NEXT: Our Lady of Good Counsel-Plymouth

St. Colette Catholic Church in Livonia

Exterior of St. Colette

Patron Saint of St. Colette

Main entry to St. Colette

Steeple at St. Colette

St. Anthony statute

Holy Family

Jesus on the cross

3-D image of St. Colette

St. Jude

Altar at St. Colette

Church of the Holy Family-Novi

The church of the Holy Family is a neighborhood church in the southeast part of Novi MI.

When you enter the church you come into a large vestibule which then leads into the main church.  A large baptismal font sits near the entrance of the church.  The seating in the church consists of green clothed chairs with no kneelers. This lends its self to the modern feel of the church.  

The altar stands in the center of the church. It is made of medium oak and has a matching lectern. Both the altar and the lectern were draped in white cloth during our visit.

The church is decorated in a minimal fashion.  A statute of Joseph and Mary sit to the right of the altar with a modern looking crucifix over the altar. The crucifix shows Jesus appearing to be lying on his side.

Father Robert LaCroix is the pastor at Holy Family. At the mass we attended, newly ordained priest, Fr. Jeffrey Allan presided at a mass of thanksgiving. In his homily, Fr. Allan implored the congregation to accept the love of the Holy Trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Ghost into our lives and to work toward strengthening our relationship with them.

The congregation at Holy Family Catholic Church is a very caring and compassionate group of people. They give of themselves very generously in many different ways. One of the things they do is run a “Clothes Closet” which allows the less fortunate and those suffering from a recent tragedy (i.e. fire or flood)  to come in to get clothes for themselves and their families. They also host a variety of community events for seniors, children and those in need.

We were very impressed with the people and staff of the Church of the Holy Family and enjoyed our visit very much. We also enjoyed being part Fr. Jeffrey Allan’s mass of thanksgiving and wish him all God’s blessings as he begins his life as a Catholic Priest.

Up Next: St. Collette’s-Livonia

Church of the Holy Family in Novi

Main Entrance to Holy Family 

Garden area of the church

Joseph and Mary w/Baby Jesus

Baptismal Font with Altar in the background

Altar at Holy Family

Crucifix that hangs over the altar

Mary and Joseph

Garden area of Holy Family

Holy Family church steeple

St. Mary-Greektown Detroit

The historic old St. Mary’s Catholic Church is located in the Greektown section of Downtown Detroit.  St. Mary’s was founded in 1834 by Fr. Martin Kundig. The current church was built in 1884-1885 and is the 3^rd oldest parish in Detroit.

The historical significance of St. Mary’s is evident from the moment you set eyes on it. The outer facade is a brick structure with its steeple that is crowned with a cross visible from great distances and it has four bells that were given to the church by Antoine Beaubien and his wife.  You continue to see and feel the historic significances of St. Mary’s as you enter the church through large wooden doors. The glorious proportions are evident throughout the church from the highly polished granite columns to the richly frescoed ceilings. There are also many striking paintings and sculptures at St Mary’s that help complete the look of this glorious church. One of the more prominent paintings at St. Mary’s is of the church patroness; the Virgin Mary that is located on the ceiling of the church. The high altar of the church was retained from the original church and is a great example of the hand carved handiwork that is prevalent throughout St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s is also known as the church of the grottos; it houses 3 of them within its sanctuary. They are; The Gethsemane which depicts God’s agony; The Baptismal which depicts Jesus baptism and the Lourdes; a replica of the French Shrine. Together, they add to the charm and awe of the church.

Fr. Wayne Epperley is the current pastor at St. Mary’s and he gave the homily at the Sunday afternoon mass that we attended. In his homily he implored the congregation to focus on being faithful to God and being willing to receive Jesus in our hearts and minds in order to protect us from all the evil and destruction that is in our world. He said we should turn to God for his love and guidance.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to St. Mary’s in Greektown and the opportunity to tour the church and to immerse ourselves in its history. We marveled at the hand carved sculptures, the ceiling paintings and all the richness of its times past and the beauty of its present.

St. Mary’s is one the true gems of the Detroit Archdiocese and we will remember our visit for a long time to come.

Up Next: Holy Family-Novi

Old St. Mary's in Downtown Detroit

St. Mary's historical plaque

Sculpture of Mary w/ baby Jesus at entrance to church

View of outside of church

Doors to St. Mary's

view one of the steeples

Welcome to St. Mary's

one of the many sculptures at St. Mary's

Jesus on the cross

The baptismal grotto

The altar at St. Mary's

Sculptures of St. Anthony flanked by St. Rita to the left and St. Theresa on the right

Jesus at Gethesemane grotto

Old St. Mary's in Downtown Detroit

St. John the Evangelist-Allenton

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is located on a country road in the rural community of Allenton, MI in St. Clair County. It was started in 1915 as a mission by Belgian and German immigrants determined to see a Catholic Church in this rural community. It was given the status of a parish in 1948 by Cardinal Edward Mooney.

On September 20, 2003 the current parish was blessed and dedicated by Cardinal Adam Maida. Inside the church the eyes are immediately drawn to the altar that is adorned with flowers from the recent Easter Masses. The main altar is made of oak and is draped with a single white cloth. To the left of the altar is a cross sitting on (built in) shelving. Above the altar is a simple statute of Jesus with his arms outstretched over the congregation. Cathedral ceilings give St. John the Evangelist church a sense of embracing all who enter its province. Large picture windows help complete the look of the church and allow us to look out on the beautiful country scenery and to reflect on God’s beauty.

We attended a Saturday evening mass that was well attended by the faithful of the area. There were families of all ages as well as young adults and seniors in attendance. The celebrant at the mass was Fr. “Doc” Ortman.  Due to the playing of a taped CSA message from Archbishop Allen Vigneron and the baptism of a newborn at the mass, Fr. Ortman’s homily was brief and mainly centered around the baptism celebration as he asked us to renew our baptism promise.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church has had a long and faith filled history dedicated to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Today it continues the traditions of those Belgian and German families that started the parish almost 100 years ago. They recently installed a statute of St. John the Apostle that adds to the beauty and splendor of the church grounds.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the picturesque and serene community of Allenton and the chance to meet many of the wonderful members of St. John the Evangelist church.

Up Next: St. Mary Greektown-Detroit

The old church still stands on the property

St. John the Apostle statute, dedicated in 2011

The new church dedicated in 2003 sits behind the old church

Mary

Joseph holding baby Jesus

A cross adorned with flowers at St John the Evangelist

Wall statutes of Joseph, Mary and boy Jesus

Built in shelving holds a cross and other items

The Altar at St. John the Evangelist

Statute of Mother Mary

St. John the Evangelist in Allenton, MI